Sorry I've been MIA!

Hey folks! Just wanted to say sorry I've been away most of last week and all weekend. Ben's dad has been home this past week for R & R, so we've been spending almost all of our free time at his parent's house.
I've decided to postpone the 30-day challenge until he has gone back overseas, and it is back to the normal routine. So, I guess it's more like a 40-day challenge? LOL

Hope to be back blogging again soon!

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 17

I think I missed a day. Forgive me please! I'll just pick up where I left off, and not worry about making up for missed days. Maybe that means I "failed" the challenge? Oh well. Life goes on!

17. A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

Ok, I realize that picture is kinda funny. But when my grandpa fell off a ladder in January, it was far from funny. He broke his femur up near his hip. Thank God it wasn't his hip, so his recovery has been pretty good. But, when he was in the ER from the fall, they found something else....

My grandpa had a spot on his lung. After some follow-up scans, they determined it is lung cancer. :(

The good news is that it is still small, and they should be able to operate, removing it completely, so no need for Chemo. We are praying that is the case.

But, needless to say, this has had a huge impact on me. It's my grandpa - the only grandpa I had growing up. I love him dearly and hearing about the ladder incident scared me soooo bad, then the lung cancer, I was even more scared for him.

Looking back over how this all happened, I've come to this conclusion: if Grandpa had NOT fallen off the ladder when he did, he wouldn't have known about the lung cancer for quite a long time - until maybe too late to operate. I now see the fall as a blessing in disguise, because it allowed the Dr's to find a more serious problem, and deal with it.

We've just got to trust God that He knows what He's doing. He's in control, and there's nothing that I can accomplish by worrying.

Here's a preview of what's still to come:
18. A picture of your biggest insecurity

19. A picture and a letter

20. A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

21. A picture of something you wish you could forget

22. A picture of something you wish you were better at

23. A picture of your favorite book

24. A picture of something you wish you could change

25. A picture of your favorite day

26. A picture of something that means a lot to you

27. A picture of yourself and a family member

28. A picture of something you're afraid of

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

Rebel T/L/C's Review!

Have you heard of Rebel T/L/C's yet?! The shop on hyenacart is currently closed, but she is scheduled to re-open for business on March 19th! You can go to Rebel T/C/L's Facebook Page for info until then!

Let's start with the name...
Rebel (verb) - to resist against some authority, control, or tradition.
T/L/C's = Tops, Lids, Covers!

Here are the basics:

 Traditionally, if you've needed to cover a bowl and it didn't have its own lid, what did you use? Tinfoil? Plastic wrap? Well, welcome to the Rebellion! Made from 100% cotton woven fabric and food-safe ripstop nylon, these bright, fun covers will change the way you store leftovers! Plus, caring for them is a snap! Toss them in the laundry and they come out good as new!

TLCs are lined with a food-safe polyurethane-coated ripstop nylon which is water-resistant, mildew-resistant, abrasion-resistant, rot-resistant, and is free of heavy metals, phthalates, PBBs, and PBDEs. The coated side of the nylon faces away from food.

I first heard about them a few months ago, and they definitely intrigued me. I have a ton of bowls and containers that don't have lids, and these seemed like the perfect solution! I loathe plastic wrap, because it never stays stuck. And tin foil is OK, but it's not very eco-friendly. I'd much rather use something that can be re-used instead of thrown away, if given the choice.

Well, I finally got around to ordering some for myself last week, and today they arrived! I saw the mailman come down the street, and ran walked out to the mailbox like an excited little kid on Christmas morning running to the tree to see what Santa left! like a responsible adult. I was super excited to get my T/L/C's and try them out!

I am so excited about these just from seeing them online, and now that I've touched them and tried them myself, I am even more in love with these! So now I'm going to tell you all about them!

When I tore open the package like a kid on Christmas carefully opened the package, this is what I saw!

All of my T/L/C's were neatly tucked together in a cute little package! (And don't you just LOVE these fabrics?)

After they were all taken out, here's what I had:

 This is an XLarge, Large, Medium, Small, Tween, Tiny, 9x13 and 8x8

Oh, would you like a look at the inside? As mentioned above,

TLCs are lined with a food-safe polyurethane-coated ripstop nylon which is water-resistant, mildew-resistant, abrasion-resistant, rot-resistant, and is free of heavy metals, phthalates, PBBs, and PBDEs. The coated side of the nylon faces away from food.

Here's what it looks like... just a smooth white nylon.

And moisture beads right up!

Next it was on to the kitchen for testing my sizes!

First up, meet my Pyrex nesting mixing bowls. I'm pretty sure you have something similar in your kitchen, right? And did yours come with lids? Mine didn't. 

  

But...

Mixing bowls, meet T/L/C's!

The large, medium, and small Rebel T/L/C's perfectly fit my large, medium, and small bowls!

Next up was the largest bowl in my kitchen -

 This thing really is huge. Here's a comparison picture next to my large Pyrex to give you an idea of the size:

I love this bowl for making large salads to take to family gatherings, and it's only downfall is that it has no lid.

UNTIL NOW!

This is the XL, It's a perfect fit! I seriously love this fabric. Don't you?

 And check this out....see how far down the sides it goes? There's a lot more fabric there, and this elastic has a lot of give, so that means it could fit a BIGGER BOWL! I'm shocked!

The next size I wanted to try out was the tiny.

It fits nice and snug on this yogurt container. I imagine it would be a perfect fit on an open soda can!

And the tween:

It fits this large soup can with extra room.

Next up was my 9x13 casserole dish. This did come with a lid. It was a Tupperware material, and it broke about a year ago. The poor dish has been lid-less ever since. 

9x13 casserole dish... meet the 9x13 Rebel T/L/C!

 See how small it looks next to the dish? That shows you just how stretchy the elastic is. And how snug it can get!
Here is is stretched out on the dish. A perfect match!

(That crease in the middle was from being folded up for mailing. I'm sure that it will lose the crease after being used & washed a few times.)

Oh, and did you notice this little tab in any of my previous pictures? This makes it handy for removing them. :)

 

The last size that I bought was 8x8. It fits a... yep, you guessed it, 8x8 baking dish!

Here's my old & scratched  well-loved 8-inch brownie pan. :)

 Do you know what happens every time I make brownies? They stay in this pan on the counter until they're gone, and if we remember, we drape a kitchen towel over it to try to keep them fresh. It's never worked very well.

8" brownie pan, meet your Rebel T/L/C!

Again, you can see how stretchy the elastic is. It will stretch to fit over the pan, and when it's on, it looks like this!

This is a much better solution to keeping our brownies fresh from now on. :)

Here's my whole Rebel T/L/C family on containers:

And after they're used... they can get tossed right in the laundry with my towels! How easy is that?

Now I can't wait to really use all of them. I'm pretty sure I'll just love them more and more as I discover all the different things that I could use them for.

And wanna know what may be my favorite thing about these? The prices! They are very reasonably priced, and I anticipate these lasting a long, long time!

Here's a breakdown of sizes with more details...

Size 1 - TEENY - $1.00
 Fits a Yoplait yogurt cup, possibly other small openings like a bottle.

Size 2 - TINY - $2 .00
Fits regular-sized tin cans (soup/tuna), drinking glasses, etc.
Works as a sippy cup cover. (2.5-3.5")

Size 3 - TWEEN - $3.00
Fits larger tin cans (tomato sauce/fruit) and whatever odd-sized bowl
is too large for a Tiny and too small for a Small. (4-5")

 Size 4 - SMALL - $4.00
Fits cereal bowls. (6-7")

 Size 5 - MEDIUM - $5.00
 Fits mid-sized bowls. (7.5-8.5")

Size 6 - BREAD PAN - $6.00
Fits most standard loaf pans. (8.5 x 4.5")

Size 7 - LARGE - $7.00
Fits mixing/salad bowls, dinner plates, pie plates, etc. (9-12")

Size 8 - 8x8 PAN - $8.00
Self-explanatory.

Size 9 - 9x13 PAN - $9.00
 Also fits 8 x 11.5" dishes.

Size 10 - XLARGE - $10.00
Fits large serving bowls. (13-17")

**Please keep in mind that the elastic has TONS of give and will therefore fit odd-shaped bowls, though you may need to size up.**

There is a large selection of fabrics available for you to choose your favorites for your own custom set! So, have I convinced you that you need these yet? Bookmark Rebel T/L/C's so you can buy your own set when she re-opens on March 19th!

Snow Day!!

It snowed last night... and that meant no work today!

Of course we had to go out and play in it for just a little bit...

 

Happy ThursSnowday!

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 16

16. A picture of someone who inspires you

These 2 women! On the left is Ben's mom. On the right is Ben's paternal grandma. Why do they inspire me? Well, Ben is just like his father. And his father is just like his grandpa. And I'm already seeing signs that Monster is just like his daddy, too.

Ben's grandma has been married to his grandpa for almost 60 years! 60!! That's an amazing feat in itself nowadays. And Ben's parents have been married I think almost 30 years! And if you know me personally, you'll know I'm not saying ANYTHING negative about Ben, his grandpa or his dad... just that they're, well... they are who they are, including stubborn and goofy, haha. :) And the 3 of us in this picture? Well, we all love them! 

Here's a preview of what's still to come:

17. A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

18. A picture of your biggest insecurity

19. A picture and a letter

20. A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

21. A picture of something you wish you could forget

22. A picture of something you wish you were better at

23. A picture of your favorite book

24. A picture of something you wish you could change

25. A picture of your favorite day

26. A picture of something that means a lot to you

27. A picture of yourself and a family member

28. A picture of something you're afraid of

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

30 Day Photo Challenge ! Day 15

Day 15! I'm halfway done already, but it seems like I just started! I've seena 60-day challenge floating around, and maybe that's something I'd like to do, haha! I guess we'll see... for now, I'll stick to the 15 I've got left in this one!

15. A picture of something you want to do before you die

I'd love to meet an octopus while SCUBA diving!

Here's a preview of what's still to come:

16. A picture of someone who inspires you

17. A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

18. A picture of your biggest insecurity

19. A picture and a letter

20. A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

21. A picture of something you wish you could forget

22. A picture of something you wish you were better at

23. A picture of your favorite book

24. A picture of something you wish you could change

25. A picture of your favorite day

26. A picture of something that means a lot to you

27. A picture of yourself and a family member

28. A picture of something you're afraid of

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 14

14. A picture of someone you could never imagine life without

My wonderful hubby, Ben! He is truly the best husband and father I could have ever dreamed of. And I can't imagine being married to anyone else!

Here's a preview of what's still to come:

15. A picture of something you want to do before you die

16. A picture of someone who inspires you

17. A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

18. A picture of your biggest insecurity

19. A picture and a letter

20. A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

21. A picture of something you wish you could forget

22. A picture of something you wish you were better at

23. A picture of your favorite book

24. A picture of something you wish you could change

25. A picture of your favorite day

26. A picture of something that means a lot to you

27. A picture of yourself and a family member

28. A picture of something you're afraid of

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

HUGE giveaway ($136.90 value) at A Mommy's Blessings!

A Mommy's Blessings is having a MEGA giveaway!!!

 This giveaway is sponsored by Charming Cherubs, a fairly new cloth diapering/natural living store, with great prices and FREE shipping! I will definitely be visiting their site next time I need to buy something!

Here's what Holly at A Mommy's Blessings is giving away:

1 FuzziBunz One-Size Diaper in White ($19.95)
1 pkg Small Microfiber diaper inserts ($4.00)
1 pkg Med/Lrg Microfiber diaper inserts ($4.25) 

1 FuzziBunz Hanging Diaper Pail in White ($21.95)
1 FuzziBunz Travel Wetbag in White ($16.95)
1 Rockin' Green Shake It Up! Pail freshener in Lavender Mint (discontinued, $6.50)
1 sample Rockin' Green Classic Rock detergent in Smashing Watermelons ($.60)
1 Nature's Boundaries Little Lamb Shampoo ($9.95)
1 Natures Boundaries Little Lamb Calm Bum ($9.95)
1 Nature's Boundaries Little Lamb Liquid Body Wash ($7.95)
1 Nature's Boundaries Baby Body Butter ($10.00)
1 Nature's Boundaries Little Lamb Massage Oil ($6.95)
1 Nature's Boundaries Little Lamb Milk and Honey Bath ($10.95)
1 Nature's Boundaries Little Lamb Protecting Powder ($6.95)

 

Aren't you just dying to win this awesome package? Head over here to enter! Good luck!

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 13

13. A picture of your favorite band or artist

I literally like any and every band or artist that I hear on the radio. And I don't think I could pick any single one.

But, this guy right here is a bit of a budding artist, and I think he's my current favorite!


(breaking the rule today and doing video instead of a pic!)

 

Here's a preview of what's still to come:
14. A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without
15. A picture of something you want to do before you die

16. A picture of someone who inspires you

17. A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

18. A picture of your biggest insecurity

19. A picture and a letter

20. A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

21. A picture of something you wish you could forget

22. A picture of something you wish you were better at

23. A picture of your favorite book

24. A picture of something you wish you could change

25. A picture of your favorite day

26. A picture of something that means a lot to you

27. A picture of yourself and a family member

28. A picture of something you're afraid of

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 12

Sorry I didn't get this one posted yesterday, Monster & I spent the day with Stephanie and her family! We had tons of fun, but didn't get to a computer so... I'll have to post 2 of these today! Forgive me please!

12. A picture of something you love

Kisses from Monster!! The sweetest thing ever. 

:)

Here's a preview of what's still to come:
13. A picture of your favorite band or artist
14. A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without
15. A picture of something you want to do before you die

16. A picture of someone who inspires you

17. A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

18. A picture of your biggest insecurity

19. A picture and a letter

20. A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

21. A picture of something you wish you could forget

22. A picture of something you wish you were better at

23. A picture of your favorite book

24. A picture of something you wish you could change

25. A picture of your favorite day

26. A picture of something that means a lot to you

27. A picture of yourself and a family member

28. A picture of something you're afraid of

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

Go Green Champ diaper giveaway!

Mama Chocolate is giving away a Go Green Champ pocket diaper! I haven't tried one yet, but these look excellent for night-time. This giveaway ends March 2nd. Hurry over to Mama Chocolate's blog to enter!

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 11

11. A picture of something you hate greatly dislike

Yep, I really really dislike hate. In any way, shape, or form.

I know this is kinda lame for the picture of something I hate to be hate istelf... but it's true.

Here's a preview of what's still to come:
12. A picture of something you love
13. A picture of your favorite band or artist
14. A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without
15. A picture of something you want to do before you die

16. A picture of someone who inspires you

17. A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

18. A picture of your biggest insecurity

19. A picture and a letter

20. A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

21. A picture of something you wish you could forget

22. A picture of something you wish you were better at

23. A picture of your favorite book

24. A picture of something you wish you could change

25. A picture of your favorite day

26. A picture of something that means a lot to you

27. A picture of yourself and a family member

28. A picture of something you're afraid of

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

Excuse me for just a moment....

...while I scream.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?


AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

This is how I feel right now:
Skip to 0:55 and just play until 1:00.

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 10

10. A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with

 Well. This one is actually tough. I guess I'm boring cuz I don't think I do "messed up things" at all.  If I had to pick anyone, it would probably be Sara, my old friend from 7th - 9th grade. Here we are at our 8th grade graduation....

Ummm, on second thought. Here's a picture of Sara at 8th graduation (blue dress). Ignore the crazy looking girl standing on the left side of the photo I have no idea who she is... yeah. She's just some totally random person who happens to be standing next to Sara.

Yeah, that's it...

(excuse the crappy scan)

 

But she hasn't been in my life in a while. And I don't do what I would consider "messed up things" ... so how about I just choose Ben, and assume if I did anything "messed up" he would probably be in on it, lol!

Here's a preview of what's still to come:

11. A picture of something you hate
12. A picture of something you love
13. A picture of your favorite band or artist
14. A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without
15. A picture of something you want to do before you die

16. A picture of someone who inspires you

17. A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

18. A picture of your biggest insecurity

19. A picture and a letter

20. A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

21. A picture of something you wish you could forget

22. A picture of something you wish you were better at

23. A picture of your favorite book

24. A picture of something you wish you could change

25. A picture of your favorite day

26. A picture of something that means a lot to you

27. A picture of yourself and a family member

28. A picture of something you're afraid of

29. A picture that can always make you smile

30. A picture of someone you miss

10 Months Old - Just a little late (oops)

So, I completely forgot to post Monster's 10 month pics on here (other than the 1 I put on Monter's page) . Please forgive me!
Here you go:

 

 

As you can see, he no longer sits still. At all. And this was probably our last month of taking pics on the changing table, because he keeps trying to dive off... not good. So, on to the floor from now on!


How did he get so big so fast? Where is the pause button?!?

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 9

9. A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most

My mommy!!

Seriously. She is not only my mother, she is my best friend. I am who I am today because of her. She was my supporter all through my childhood - whether it was academics, friends, or activities. I knew that I could always to turn to her for help, advice, or just a listening ear. I knew if I ever did something wrong, I could tell her, and she would love me first, and discipline me second.

When my dad died, we became even closer. We were all that each other had. She was the one that I leaned on in those days, weeks, and months following. She stayed so strong for me, when I know that losing him had to be just as hard on her, if not harder.

I know that I am incredibly blessed by God and I am so so so SO thankful that she is my mom.

Here's a preview of what's still to come:
10. A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with
11. A picture of something you hate
12. A picture of something you love
13. A picture of your favorite band or artist
14. A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without
15. A picture of something you want to do before you die
16. A picture of someone who inspires you
17. A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently
18. A picture of your biggest insecurity
19. A picture and a letter
20. A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel
21. A picture of something you wish you could forget
22. A picture of something you wish you were better at
23. A picture of your favorite book
24. A picture of something you wish you could change
25. A picture of your favorite day
26. A picture of something that means a lot to you
27. A picture of yourself and a family member
28. A picture of something you're afraid of
29. A picture that can always make you smile
30. A picture of someone you miss

Cloth Diaper Giveaway at A Mommy's Blessings!

Heads up to all my cloth diapering friends... Holly at A Mommy's Blessings reviewed and is having a giveway for a Dinkledooz One-Size Diaper from Go Go Natural. This is a relatively new brand (I hadn't even heard of them prior to reading Holly's review), but looks awesome from the review! And guess what? Go Go Natural is giving one away!

Quick! Head over to A Mommy's Blessings for your chance to enter.
:)

30 Day Photo Challenge ~ Day 8

Wow, today marks over 1 week of posting daily! I think I'm on a roll... Here's day 8:

8. A picture that makes you laugh
Now this is a fun one! I have soooo many pictures that make me smile/laugh, so I couldn't pick just one. So here are just a few:

 

Ben's brother, Caleb, at our wedding.

My grandpa, showing off my earrings.. I love this sweet man!

Well, I don't think there's much to say about this one. Ben being a goofball, and me not very thrilled, haha!

Did any of these make you laugh today?

Here's a preview of what's still to come:
9. A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most
10. A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with
11. A picture of something you hate
12. A picture of something you love
13. A picture of your favorite band or artist
14. A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without
15. A picture of something you want to do before you die
16. A picture of someone who inspires you
17. A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently
18. A picture of your biggest insecurity
19. A picture and a letter
20. A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel
21. A picture of something you wish you could forget
22. A picture of something you wish you were better at
23. A picture of your favorite book
24. A picture of something you wish you could change
25. A picture of your favorite day
26. A picture of something that means a lot to you
27. A picture of yourself and a family member
28. A picture of something you're afraid of
29. A picture that can always make you smile
30. A picture of someone you miss

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love, Monster