Wednesday, June 3, 2020

Recent Kids Book Purchases

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

We've been buying about a dozen kids books a month since school is out and the library has been closed {it has since reopened}.  Here are some of the books the kids picked out in the last haul.  

They also plowed through the Mac B. Kid Spy series {4 books} and The Misadventures of Max Crumbly series {3 books} right before the library closed.  A perk of having a 7 and 8 year old is that they enjoy many of the same books, helping to justify book purchases! :)

Speaking of buying books.  I've been purchasing used books more and more instead of just grabbing them off Amazon.  If you haven't tried buying books from KidsBooks.Com I would recommend it.  I also bought some from BetterWorldBooks.Com but the quality was pretty poor. 

Thursday, May 28, 2020

Prime Purchases


Now that Adam's working again, we're back to shopping again! ;)

Both kids got one of these to connect to their hoverboards which have been keeping them very busy!  

Lola got a new collar, so maybe I'll actually be able to walk her now.
We added these handles to our kitchen cupboards and these knobs to our doors.

Our last flag got shredded, so we had to order a new one for the flag pole.

We also ordered a large flag for the side of our house.

We ordered this and this for my FIL's birthday

We've had a lot of game time lately, so we added this game and this game to the collection.

And both kids needed new lifejackets and helmets for the summer so we ordered this, this, and this.

We added a few essentials for the deck.  This fan, this multiplug, and these lights.


{pre-COVID photo}
The Ranger also needed new tires, not that anyone else cares about that purchase -- haha!

I ordered this and this for Jordyn to make bracelets while locked at home.  Cullyn got a glow in the dark basketball and net. And PS4 headset.

We also ordered these to add to the magnatile collection, and these workbooks. 

I'll do a separate post with all the books. 

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

How my 'No Online Purchases in February' is going...

I had to order the following from Zappos because they were truly necessities -- Adam's work shoes got a hole in them and Jordyn's snowpants no longer fit {a necessity for February in Iowa}


The following are 20 of the 37 things currently in my Amazon cart that it's killing me not to pull the trigger on... 

Friday, January 24, 2020

A Few Favorites

MEMORIES THIS WEEK
+ SNOW...so much snow! And shoveling!  And falling while using the snowblower for the first time.
+ Cullyn lost his first tooth!
+ Feeding 150 homeless people for my friend Alicia's birthday.

KITCHEN FAVORITES
+ This waffle stick maker.  Since we have breakfast for dinner almost every night Adam is out of town. :)
+ Our air fryer.  I know we're late to the game, but Adam got one for Christmas and I can't tell you how many batches of wings this things has made.  It's his favorite way now!
+ Again, we're slow adapters but Adam wanted one of these and a friend was selling hers {brand new, unopened for $50!} so we snagged it.  He made this recipe the other night -- so good!  *I would double the chicken next time

HOME PURCHASES -- for our bathroom
+ This removable wallpaper.
+ A new mirror.
+ This cute sign.

Friday, January 17, 2020

A Few Favorites

MEMORIES THIS WEEK
+ Dining with Adam at Giada & Top of the World
+ Watching Le Reve
+ Seeing my sister, parents, and in-laws love on my kids & Lola so Adam and I could get away.

PURCHASES
+ This fuzzy blanket.  It's large and super soft!  I very luxurious blanket for under $25!
+ This suitcase for Jordyn
+ This towel warmer.  Yes, I'm still singing all the praises for the towel warmer! :)

GAMES
+ Mall Madness -- my mom sent us home with this game from my childhood and we are loving it!
+ Air hockey -- Cullyn got an air hockey table for Christmas and we are all having so much fun with it.  Some things do get better as kids age.
+ Skip-Bo -- old faithful at our house :)

Friday, January 10, 2020

A Few Favorites -- Kid Purchases & A Wishlist

MEMORIES THIS WEEK
+ Spending the weekend at my parent's house.
+ Watching Cullyn take 1st place at his wrestling tournament
+ Researching our summer 2020 road trip

KIDS PURCHASES

+ This scratch off family movie poster.  It's brought our family so much bonding time!
+ These save, spend, share banks for teaching money management to kids.
+ This cell phone for Jordyn.  It calls and texts only.  No games, no apps, no contract!  It's $100 {I got it before Christmas for $70} and $20 each month for service.  It's perfect phone for kids that are starting to stay home alone or are at practices and need to communicate.

THINGS ON MY WISHLIST
+ This Marble tray
+ These Self Tanning Drops
+ A total splurge, but gorgeous Greenery!


Friday, January 3, 2020

A Few Favorites

Okay, it's been a looong time since I shared some of my favorite things...


MEMORIES THIS WEEK
+ Spending a few days with my bestie after the news of her sisters unexpected death.
+ All the Christmas memories -- Kiko & Lola, winning the Gingerbread House competition, our annual Steak, Lobster, & Crab Leg dinner, Jordyn getting a phone, Cullyn getting nerf guns, etc.
+ Watching the kids dance around with sparklers and horns while the guys busted confetti bombs on NYE. 

PURCHASES
+ This handcream!  It's simply the best during the cold winters.  It's whipped, so it really moisturizes. 

+ These door/window alarms.  We've had them for years, but they give us some peace {especially during the cold months} with a child that sleepwalks.  Well worth the $20!
+ This towel warmer.  Getting older has it's perks -- you no longer have to ask for necessities for Christmas.  This was a total splurge and now that I have one, I'm not sure how I lived through an Iowa winter without it!

READS
+ Daisy Jones and the Six
+ This article on being a mama at 35
+ Every single 2020 meme -- I am here for them! ;)

Thursday, September 5, 2019

10 Favorite PRIME Purchases

I started this series last year and made it a whopping three months before it ended.  Sigh.  Since I see 135 orders placed in 2019 alone on our Amazon account, you had better believe I have some favorite purchases to share with you!


1 | The best workout tank you will find!  The arm holes aren't too big, it isn't too tight, and it's under $20!

2 | We bought two of these Chore Charts and stuck them to the washing machine when you first walk inside.  It's perfect for us because they're at kid level and right when you walk in the door, so NO excuses for not doing your chores.  *The layout of our house is unique, so 'guests' are never on our that floor of the house {only on the 3rd} so it's tucked away, but it isn't {if that makes sense}.

3 | Yes, I know 90% of the world already has some form of Alexa in their house {we had 5 already} but I had to get one for my work office and this was my first 3rd generation one.  They're so pretty! 

4 | I purchased these 3 story fire ladders for the kids' bedrooms.  It's never something people want to talk about, but we wanted to be prepared.  We had the local firefighters come to the house to talk to the kids {and a couple friends} about fire safety and practice escaping from their rooms {30 feet off the ground} if need be.

5 | My favorite leggings in the whole world!  I ditched my Lulu's for these!  They're soft, they hold up amazingly {trust me!}, they come in 7/8 {holla!}, AND they're only $25!! {that's 5 for the price of one from Lululemon!}  I think I've told 156458 people about these pants!

6 | I was a huge skeptic {I consider myself a pretty efficient packer!} about these Packing Cubes but after everyone kept talking about them, I decided to try them for myself and see if they were worth all the rage.  And?  I love them!  I find them especially helpful to 'sort' my luggage.  I packed the kids and I for South Carolina this summer in just one carry on bag with the help of these cubes.  They're great for dividing up each persons clothes, or my favorite, packing each day in one cute {i.e. I packed Jordyn's, Cullyn's, and my Monday clothes in one, Tuesday's clothes in another, etc.} SUPER helpful to just open one cube a day instead of digging through piles.

7 | For under $30 these side tables are great!  I have one in my office at work and another in our bedroom.  I covered the top this faux marble covering and couldn't love them more!

8 | These clear bottles are simple, but so helpful!  I use them for eye makeup remover, toner, nail polish remover, etc. I have them in a drawer in my bathroom and can just pull them out and push down quickly for what I need.  No more unscrewing a bunch of bottles before bed each night.  As I type this out, I realize how lazy I must sound, but I'm telling you guys...it's the little things! :)

9 | Speaking of simple things, this acrylic organizer is where it's at!  I was tired of jewelry and makeup all over my bathroom counter, so I ordered this.  It's simple, pretty, and functional.  If you're interested in getting your bathroom sink area back, you may want to try this!

10 | Since we're on a roll talking about bathroom favorites, I have to share my favorite hair product with you.  Friends, meet VIP.  Where are all of my fine haired friends?  This product is for you!  It's hard to explain, but imagine the volume you got from backcombing in the 80s. That's what this is like, except in aerosol form, and in the best possible way.  Spray gold!

Monday, September 2, 2019

3 Fall Favorites Linked

Here are a few of my favorites that we either have already or I have my eye on for this fall...

I'm ordering these pajamas for the kids this year.  It's hard to find matching pajamas that I like for both Jordyn & Cullyn.  One usually looks too girlie or too boyish, but these are perfect!  Bonus -- they're currently 40% off!


A few favorite Halloween books for kids... This one, this one, and a very favorite {almost 1/2 off right now}

And a pretty purchase to pair with a plum colored mum, just for me!

Monday, November 19, 2018

PRIME Purchases

Here's my belated PRIME purchases for the month!


1 | Jordyn was in need of winter footwear, and I found these boots for $10!!!
2 | We're trying to transition away from disposable brown paper bags, so I purchased this insulated lunchbag.  It's the perfect size, and bonus, J hasn't even thrown it away on accident yet! ;)  
3 | These booties are adult quality in a little kid size.  Jordyn has been living in them lately!
4 | I know, I know...everyone has a faux Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree.  This one is $40 off, making it less than $50!
5 | This basket is perfect for so much!  I have it in my laundry area, but I want another for our stairwell and one for my closet.  It would also be perfect to put your plant {see #4} in!
6 | This book has beautiful images!  We also bought Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn
7 | These transition from gloves to mittens, which I have seen for adults, but never for kids.  Jordyn loves them!


Friday, October 5, 2018

PRIME Purchases

I was going to wait a few months for my next PRIME Purchases, but I can't hold out any longer!  I bought a few things this month that I can't stop sharing with people, so I figured I should share them with you guys too!


1. | Robotic Vacuum
I wouldn't call myself a 'late-adapter' so much as an 'I don't want to blow my money on something I'm not going to use' kinda gal.  So, when everyone else in the world was getting a Roomba, I was over here all 'I have a very nice Dyson that's working just fine'.  Then we moved into our new house and I was tempted to get one {everyone I know has one} but it has a whole-house vacuum that works great.  And then I started commuting an extra 6+ hours to/from work a week paired with how tired I was of hauling hoses all over my house for the central vacuum and when my friend Brooke raved about her vacuum that was $50 off {making it $180!} I was SOLD.  I hoped on and Primed it from her house that night.  You guys...you probably already know this...but it was the best.decision.ever!  I heard once that you should vacuum one time a week for each person in your house and two times a week for each pet {!!}.  That's 6 days a week that they recommend -- I was doing it once! It's so nice to start this thing and walk away!  We do the upstairs one day and the downstairs the next day.  It doesn't have to 'learn' anything so we just set it on the floor we want to clean, hit auto, and walk away!  Plus it senses stairs and doesn't go down them.

2. | Home Gel Nail Polish Kit
One of the downfalls of living in the middle of no where is that we're now at least 30 minutes {each way} from a nail salon {for reference, we had at least 7 within 3 minutes of our last house}.  So, for that reason, I decided to try this home gel nail polish kit.  My sister recommended it to me years ago and it was genius!  Added bonus that this kit costs the same price as one manicure!

3. | Halloween Books
I finally ordered this years' Halloween books for the kids from this post. Adorable photos.

4. | Gel Nail Polish
Now that I'm painting my nails every week I decided to order a few more colors for fall.  I've tried 4 of the 6 and I'm loving them! Great coverage and it lasts over a week!

5. | Collagen
Kind of boring, but I was out so I needed to reorder.  I add this to my shakes in the mornings.  It helps with skin, nails, and hair plus it's supposed to be great for your skin as you age.

6. | Butter Dish
Because I'm old -- haha!  In all honesty, we're trying to switch from margarine to real butter and we need room temperature butter! {currently on sale}

7. | Christmas Pajamas
Christmas pajamas. I wasn't going to include these yet, but they're 50% off right now with promo code 50M8DB4T, so it's too good not to share!

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

PRIME purchases



Here are a few things I 'primed' and we've been loving the past few months.

TILE | This is a bluetooth tracker.  It's meant to hook on things like your keys so you can track them on your phone if you lose them.  Sadly, right before school started, a girl in our community went missing {terrible, tragaty that happened and I hate even making a 'passing statement' about it} and it shook us all.  So, I ordered 4 of these off Amazon and put them in my kids backpacks as an extra precaution. 
PANTS | Mark my words -- most comfortable pants you buy!  These are my go-to lounge around the house, airport, work from home, swim suit cover up, I don't have to go to work pants.  Incredibly soft.  Currently $30 off.  *I have to caution you, they do have high slits.  I seriously can't tell you how much I love them.
WATCHBAND | I ordered this distressed leather watch band to replace the standard white one that it comes with.  I wanted something that coordinated with my outfits a little better.  I've been using it for a few months and it's very comfortable and holding up great. Bonus that it's currently on sale for less than $10!
VIDEO DOORBELL | We bought this doorbell after friends of ours had their house broken into.  {The guys stole his truck, drove to his house, and cleared out his house -- so much crime in one post, I promise Iowa is a great state and these are very rare cases!}  *They had this doorbell with a camera and the guys were caught because of the footage!  We also purchased this because the door to our house is downstairs, but our living space is two floors up, so it takes us a bit to get to the door and people were leaving before we could get to this.  This doorbell sends an alert to our cell phones, has a live stream video of the front door, and allows for two way communication which is exactly what we needed.  We're ordering one for the back door as well. 
PILLOWCASES | We ordered these white pillow cases in bulk when we moved to the new house.  I was worried about the quality because they're so cheap, but they are so soft!  My mother-in-law taught me to put a white pillow case on the pillow and then put your decorative case on top of the white one, and it prevents your pillow from getting gross.  They're also thick enough to use as a regular pillowcase if you want.
JEWELRY ORGANIZER | This makeup case was recommended on either MixandMatchMama or BarefootBlonde's blog {I can't remember} but I ordered it and I just love it.  It holds a lot of jewelry in an organized way.  I especially love it for the ring and earring storage.  I use this for my day-to-day storage, but you could also use it for traveling. It was a good, quality purchase.
HANDS FREE BOTTLES | Since we moved into this house, I've been working to streamline our day to day processes.  I ordered these to see how they would work for liquids and they're perfect!  I ordered a few more so I could have one for makeup remover, one for toner, one for nail polish remover, etc.  They're perfect because you can just flip the lid open {but leave the container in the drawer} and press down.  Easy peasy! 
WIRELESS PHONE CHARGER | These wireless phone chargers are awesome!  We got new phones {like a year ago} and USCellular wanted to charge $80.  You read that correct, eighty dollars.  I hopped on Amazon, while in the store, and ordered 3 for half of the price for the ones at the cell phone store.  We've since ordered them for both of our parents.  If you haven't caught on yet, we're all about simplicity these days! ;)
TIMER BOOKMARK | Last but not least, I ordered these bookmark for Jordyn.  This summer we asked her to read 15 minutes a day and this bookmark helped her keep track of time.  You just sent the length of time at the top and it beeps when the time is up.  Super easy and we're both loving it!

What do you PRIME?  I always like to know what I'missing out on!

And our most used Prime purchase ever...

Thursday, May 12, 2016

It's a Jeep Thing

A couple months ago, we traded in our 2012 minivan with 100k miles for a 2014 Jeep Cherokee.  I'll admit, it's a little bittersweet, and totally unexpected that I came home with a Jeep instead of another minivan, but I would be lying if I said that driving a smaller SUV again hasn't been fun.  We started looking for another vehicle because the van was out of warranty and the engine had been unreliable.  I'm loving the white, but mainly that this car has just 25k miles on it {well 30 now} Not a ton of details shots since we've had it for a few months and as you can imagine, it's pretty 'lived in' with kids! ;)  By total coincidence, we now have two Jeeps.  Speaking of, I'll hopefully be updating you on our other Jeep soon. 








Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Living Room Remodel


Our new living room is almost complete!  T&E Construction came and added built-ins to transform this entire space!  You can see the before's here, but basically it looked like a collage dorm.  Because of the fireplace, we were unable to move the power behind the TV without the help of a drywaller, electrician, and new paint, so...my wish of built-ins got bumped to the top of the priority list!  After that, we had new carpet installed & furniture delivered.  Then it was time to shop for 'fillers' to go on the shelves.  They're still pretty empty, but I want to get a bunch of photos printed before I get too much more. 

I'll try to site everything below


Furniture from Homemakers





Marble/iron side table from HomeGoods

Lamp shades from AtHome

Lamp bases from Pier1 {old}


all old

The clock clearly needs moved up! 

 basket & blanket from Target

from AtHome

Candle from HomeGoods

Fake succulents from Target

Weight decor from HomeGoods

DIY | I wrapped a clean tin can with fake moss from Michaels and then wrapped it with twine wire also from Michaels

from HomeGoods {I think!}

Plant from HomeGoods

Gray pillow from AtHome {I think}| Multi pillow from Target

fake Plant from Target | mini fake Plant from HomeGoods

H {old} from Urban Outfitters {I think!} | mini fake Plant from HomeGoods

A bunch of our Shutterfly family photo albums

More of our house::
The rest of the house here.  Jordyn's room here. Cullyn's room here. 

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