Favorite Finds: Couponing 101 Newsletter

I love finding good deals and using coupons when I can but I'm definitely not one of those crazy coupon-people...   

A few months ago I came across Couponing101.com and her daily newsletter, and it can't be beat!  Every night you're e-mailed a simple, free newsletter that rounds up some of the best coupon and deals out there.  I particularly love checking out the Amazon deals that are often listed - some of the markdowns are amazing and if you're looking ahead for birthday or Christmas gifts you can get ahead on your shopping and get some great deals.  

The *one thing* you should always do before you dress your baby.

What's the one thing you should always do before you dress your baby?  It may sound silly, but check their clothing for loose threads.  

Infant clothing is notorious for poor workmanship.  Those adorable outfits and layettes are inexpensive to buy and not meant to last.  Long threads could potentially wrap around a baby's toe causing harm, and loose threads could become a choking hazard if baby were to pull them free and try to eat it.  

You will almost always find loose threads on your little one's new outfits and after the first time they've been washed.  After that, it's a good idea to give their clothes a quick once-over before you dress them to make sure there's no new loose threads or weak seams.  

I always keep a pair of baby nail clippers handy by the changing table, that way I can easily clip any loose threads I happen to see.  

Favorite Finds: Trader Joe's Coconut Body Butter

I know that pregnancy stretch marks are hereditary, and they say there's no escaping them.. but somehow I did.  

Stretch marks run in my family and I was sure I was going to get ginormous ones during my pregnancy but somehow I didn't get a single one (whew!).  My lack of stretch marks was probably due to a combination of slow, steady weight gain, staying well-hydrated, moisturizing, and a ton of luck, but I'm also going give a bunch of credit to Trader Joe's Coconut Body Butter.  

I used this stuff twice a day on my belly and I'd like to think it worked wonders!  It smells amazing, rubs in well, and soothed the awful itching that comes with stretching skin.  I'm definitely recommending it to all my expectant friends! 

First Birthday Party Details

Our little Madison turned one last month!  We had a very low-key, small party with just immediate family invited.  We decided to keep decorations to a minimum and keep it simple and fun.  
Here are some of the details from the little party.  

Her party theme was pink and green polk-a-dots (with some buttons for good measure).  For the centerpiece we used her name puzzle propped up on a plate stand with some birthday balloons added for fun:  

I made the cake myself and kept it easy, to decorate it I added edible sugar buttons:  

For favors we filled pink polk-a-dot paper favor bags with chocolate Hershey's Hugs and Kisses candies, so party-goers could take home "hugs and kisses" from the birthday girl:  

How to Lay Out a Gallery Wall

This post will show you a simple technique to lay out gallery wall so everything is spaced the way you want, without the trial and error of putting a lot of nail holes in your wall.  My example is very small-scale (only two photos), but this technique would work well for any size gallery wall. 

Materials:  

• picture frames
• paper
• painter's tape
• scotch tape
• pen or marker
• nails
• hammer
  Also useful:
• tape measure
• level

How-to:  

Cut paper to size of frames.  I used computer paper since it was handy, taped together in order to make it large enough.  

Next, lay your paper template over the back of the frame and feel where the hanger is.  Mark were the nail would be with a pen or marker.  

Now's the fun part - start laying out your gallery wall by hanging up the paper templates with painter's tape and moving them around until you're happy with the height, spacing, etc.  Here is where a tape measure and level might be useful if you have large pieces to hang or want to get the spacing absolutely perfect.  

Next nail right through your paper templates, where the marking for the hanger is.  Then take down the templates, ripping the paper off around the nail.  

Now hang up your photos, and they'll be spaced just the way you wanted them!  

This tiny gallery wall is in our family bathroom - it will have black and white photos of our little one taking a bath and brushing her teeth.  I can't wait for the photos to come in so I put them in the frames!  

Working on Resolutions

I've started to tackle one of my resolutions:  going through my clothes and cleaning out the closets.  I've already gone through my bureau and started on the walk-in closet, and it's refreshing to see the pile of stuff to go get bigger.

What may be more refreshing? Trying on the shorts and jeans I had tried on at the beginning of summer and wrote off as a loss to my post-baby body but they fit again - yes! 

I may have a t-shirt problem though.. t-shirts from college, concerts, races, volunteering.  I hardly wear them but I can't seem to bring myself to get rid of most of them either.  I've seen ideas on Pinterest on turning t-shirts into a quilt and maybe that will be a future project. 

I still have a long way to go to finish the great clean out of 2015 but the little one has been napping and sleeping horribly lately, not leaving me much time to get things done.

Confession: I was *that* person at the grocery store

Yesterday, I'm ashamed to confess, I was *that* person at the grocery store.  We had a busy morning, and I didn't get to the grocery store until it was almost dinner time.. blame hunger, blame fatigue, blame whatever - I became my two biggest grocery store pet peeves (*hangs head in shame*).  

Pet Peeve #1:  "Eh, I'll just leave that here."

A little backstory - my first job ever was working at a small natural food grocery store.  It always drove me nuts when people changed their minds about an item and left it randomly on another shelf.  C'mon people - a grocery store isn't 3 miles long, it's not that hard to put it back where you found it if you changed your mind.  The absolute worst is when people would leave perishables randomly in aisles - you really thought the cereal aisle was the best place to leave your gallon of ice cream?  Yuck!
Well, I was almost done with my shopping and both me and the little one were tired and hungry and done.. I happened to look down in my cart and had some second thoughts about some crockpot mixes I had put in but I didn't want to walk all the way back to other side of the store.. so "Eh, I'll just leave these here.." happened.  

Pet Peeve #2:  "What part of 14 Items or Less don't you understand?"

Then it was time to check out.  It was after work so the lines were long, I scanned down the row of registers and saw one that was just as long but the last person had hardly anything in their cart so I jumped in that line.  I stood there daydreaming, reading headlines on the gossip magazines in the racks, totally oblivious.  I was more than halfway done unloading our very full cart (with a little one strapped to my chest in the Ergo, no less) when I looked up and saw "14 Items or Less" lit up on the register sign.  Oh no... 
I asked the cashier sheepishly if that had really said "14 Items or Less" the whole time.. he was polite but I'm pretty sure he thought I was trying to pull some kind of Mom Card and break the rules.  I honestly felt awful.. so embarrassed and everyone was giving me dirty looks - especially those that really did have just a few items who got in line behind me.  

I always said I'd never be *that* person at the grocery store, but I guess some days you are whether you meant to be or not..

New Years Sale Extended!

I've decided to extend my big New Years Sale through this Friday, January 16th!  Please check out my shop and take advantage of the sale before I bring in new items for the New Year.  

Don't forget, once the jewelry listings expire I won't be renewing them so get them while you can!  ;)  

Coupon Code Expires 01/16/15