Havin' a Party

This is long overdue - and I truly from the bottom of my heart apologize to my fabulous consultant, Sarah, for putting up with me... I'm having a Pampered Chef party right now! I actually need to close it tomorrow at 5 PM CST, but would love to share some products that I have or am planning to get tomorrow... or maybe even some things I might ask for since my birthday & Mother's Day are next month. <wink>

Let's be real... I'd love to have one of everything -- because I truly feel my most joy and love when I'm making meals for my family.

 This is the Cut-N-Seal - for only $10 you can make your own uncrustable sandwiches for your kiddos! That alone would save you some money buying them at the store -- it's on my MUST have list because I'm always looking for ways to make meals less messy when the boys are eating!

 

Microwave Chip Maker - For those of us wanting to eat Clean or just more healthy -- we can easily make chips now in our microwave. I've gotten to where baked chips are my favorite now... so I may just have to try this out!

 Fruit & Cheese Cutter - for $11.50 you can make these adorable shapes come into your child's lunch box or any mealtime special... these stamp out cute little shapes from cheese, fruit, and probably some vegetables too!

 Brownie Pan - for under $20 you can forever solve the problem of who is going to get the crust pieces of your next batch of brownies. We don't really have that problem because I haven't met a brownie that I didn't love, but John enjoys the edges... so every brownie he has from now on can have 4 nice crispy edges.

 Scoop 'N Drain -- I have this bad boy, and LOVE it. It's $11 worth of easy pasta, potato, and vegetable removal. Anything you boil can easily be scooped up with this gadget. It's nice for me because we rarely make a huge batch of anything -- so using the big colander isn't necessary -- this is much easier and fits better into the dishwasher!

 Deep Covered Baker -- $85 -- This is on my list of things I'd love to have as well - you can do so much with it -- The website tells it best, so I'll just copy it here for you. Another friend of mine used to sell Pampered Chef, and she put up a couple of her recipes on Youtube before she quit selling. So check out the ever hysterically funny, Danielle, making: Grilled Chicken Penne Al Fresco and Chicken Pesto Alfredo.

Bake a 5-lb. chicken or turkey breast, 4-lb. roast, casseroles and more! Unglazed on the inside for perfect baking, glazed on the outside for perfect presentation. Lid inverts into baker for space-saving storage. 12½" x 9½" x 5½", 12½ cups.

About Stoneware:

• No preheating — just place food on Stoneware and cook. (Dense frozen foods like meat should be thawed first.)
• Absorbs and retains heat for even baking and golden crusts.
• Draws moisture away from food so it cooks light and crispy.
• Virtually nonporous, so it doesn’t retain oils, odors or flavors.
• Microwave-, freezer-, conventional and convection oven-safe.
• Nonstick “seasoning” builds up with every use: the darker it looks, the better it cooks!

 

Herb Infuser - $9.50 -- this solves the need for making your own little herb pouches for soups & stews... I also have seen people infusing water with herbs lately... so you could use this for that as well. I love making stews and soups during the fall & winter so this would make it much easier to throw them in the tube, and fish out the whole thing when you're ready to eat.

The Salad Chopper - $26.50 -- This looks so easy to use! I would love the ease of making salads without having to get out the cutting board, I know it's not that hard, but typically our salads are pretty simple and this chopper would be so easy to use. Once again, here is the ever funny Danielle demonstrating her uses for this tool... Demonstration and Chopping Chicken

I am a total sucker for cookbooks of any type... so I'm sure I'll get one or two of theirs before it's over. Who wouldn't love 29 Minutes to Dinner? (there are 3 volumes of 29 minute recipes!!) The Fresh & Healthy one looks good too, and of course the Festive Holiday Desserts one is tugging at me too.

Right now with a purchase of $60 or more -- you can add in a Bar Board or Set of Small Flexible Cutting Mats for FREE!! Who doesn't love free stuff, right?

Please take a minute to go over and look around Sarah's Pampered Chef site, and place an order with my name as your hostess. (Kim Hawkins) Sarah is a super sweet Mommy of 2 little ones, and I would love to help her business -- let me know if you have any questions about ordering.

Blog Swap - College Football Style!

Most of us have participated in or heard about a blog swap before - they are fairly popular during the holiday season with Christmas Ornaments or things of that nature. I've done a couple of ornament swaps, and I did a "my favorite things" one last year - great experiences each time.

So, I thought why not celebrate something else that happens in the Fall with a blog swap? I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a huge football fan, but I thought it might be fun to swap teams... now, no one get crazy - I'm not suggesting that you are sent items from another team...

I'm suggesting that you sign up here... I will match you with another person and you buy them a few things from the team they like. There are so many products out there for each team (at least the division 1 teams) that I think it could be fun.

I'm proposing that we spend less than $20 and see what you get... maybe there is some new candy dedicated to the Hogs, maybe some cute socks that look like Big Al, maybe you want to get something for your partner's kids - a toy that looks like the mascot perhaps? The sky is the limit and creativity is your friend. I'll even bet that if time is short, you could likely take care of it via Amazon... but you can likely find cuter items elsewhere - so have fun with it!

My promise to you? I will not match you up with a rival - so no Auburn fans will be matched with Alabama... no Aggies matched with t.u. or Tech (even though our rivals are now different)... and so on. That way, you won't have to get divorce lawyers on the phone at home... or go into convulsions over buying something you are so set against.

I'd like to choose partners at the beginning of August, and have everything shipped off by the 20th so that it arrives to your partner before Labor Day and the big kickoff weekend of new football season.

So in the words of Jerry Maguire -- "Who's with me?"

It would be great if y'all would help get the word out about this too by Tweeting it and posting on your blogs about it too!

All you have to do now is sign up in the comments (having a blog is not required) and I'll take care of the rest - along with reminder emails to help keep us all with the deadlines.

*** Please leave me your Name, Email, and Football Team of choice in your comment.

It's in the Bag!

I've had several friends sign up with Thirty One lately, and one of them had offered to do a Scentsy party for me - so we decided to trade parties! It's been a long time since I've hosted any parties other than launch parties for myself... so I hope that you'll help me make this worth Michelle's time.

It's beach time in America... so you simply MUST order yourself some of these for your summer pleasure!

This tote is large and in charge... haha, seriously though - I have one and I LOVE it. Mine isn't in this new pattern that I think is super cute, but it really would be amazing for the beach. You could fit all your towels and beach toys in this one bag! Less to carry from the car!! Of course there are a TON of other patterns you can order this bag in - and personalization is only $7 (you can choose thread, monogram/name, and font!)

 I love this too - as the matching companion bag for your beach or pool trips... it's a thermal bag you can use to keep drinks and snacks cold. Gotta love that - especially for me these days with toddlers because it seems like they're eating every hour or two. This also comes in other patterns, and can be personalized for $7!

Another item that is popular in my house is this lovely little nap mat - I've of course got two of them - one with each of the boys' name across the front. Ours are in a maroon pattern that isn't available anymore... but they are GREAT for school - especially if they have the little cots for the kids to nap on. You know the drill, there are tons of patterns and of course personalization is $7.

There are so many other wallets, back packs, purses, totes, home accents, and even stationary! There is certainly something for everyone - and I hope that you'll help my friend Michelle with launching her business.

There is a great special going on for May too - for every $31 you spend... you can get an All in One Organizer for $5! Seriously ya'll - the possibilities for this bag are endless. I've got two of them right now - one of them I use for my Scentsy basket parties to hold all the items that I give my hostesses for displaying... but I could see it in my bathroom, several in the play room... the car... you name it - and I promise you will LOVE it!

**As a side note, if you get this deal - the bag will show up in your cart for $20 but as long as you've spent the $31 the total will adjust for you in the end.

To make this more fun - any of you the place an order within this party (the party ends on the 30th) will be placed in a drawing for one of these All in One Organizers in the pattern of your choice. I'll give you one of the ones that I'll get on sale because I'm just that cool! To keep it fair - I'll let Michelle draw the name from the sales made within the party and just tell me who to contact for the order information.

Coming up Roses

I'm guest posting over on House of Rose today - about the dynamics of our family. You should go check it out!

For those of you coming over to this little ol' blog from Mandy's - WELCOME!! I am thrilled to be meeting you. I want to direct you to a post that might allow you to get to know me a bit better - HERE (Introduction to me) and HERE (some of my favorite blog posts) - I have done three guest posts lately, so I want to share with you what I've done in other posts.

I am honored that Mandy allowed me to take over her blog for today - I'm honored to get to know her and the story of her family... and even more excited to hear about their future! I hope that you will want to stick around these parts and hear about our crazy adventures as well.

Guest Posting

Hi there folks, I'm guest posting over on Mommy Musings today - you should go check it out!

For those of you popping over from Mommy Musings: Welcome!! I am thrilled to have you join us over here on Faith Grace & Giggles.

We are finishing up Spring Break, and I'm sure by this point - you can imagine that a toddler mom needs a break! I'm going to be praying that I can get the opportunity to run out for a pedicure or something over the weekend.

In the meantime - I thought I'd give ya'll some links to some of my favorite posts from the past.
Why I Blog
Little Girl - This is a post about our failed adoption placement
Pain and Understanding - Written directly after the failed adoption placement
Tyler Was There - A look at the events that Tyler was present for before I knew I was pregnant
K is for Kitchen - Some of my favorite recipes from my recipe blog
A is for Adoption - Some thoughts on adoption and what it means to me
Tyler's Birth Story
James' Birth Story
Chronologically Me
Carry Me Through Lord

Those are some of my favorites - and I hope that you might take some time and read to get to know me... then maybe stick around for the craziness to come. There is always something, and in the 5 years I've been blogging - my life is completely different than I would have ever imagined, and I look forward to sharing much more of it with those that want to read.

Ornament Exchange & Very Bloggy Christmas

Let me preface this by saying that this post might not be up to my normal standards, but I'm in internet jail and it is causing serious technical issues. We've got a repair man coming today to get us straightened out - because I've got sooooo much to share with you guys! 

I participated in two fun exchanges this year... an ornament exchange and a gift exchange as well. The ornament exchange was hosted by a bunch of my twitter buddies, and was a lot of fun. We got to submit some ideas for what we might like on our tree... and my partner Lena, did an amazing job. She sent me an ornament that her 89 year old grandmother made! Such a special treat!

Isn't that the cutest little crown ever? I love it! 

I also joined in a blog swap hosted by my friend, Laura. It was called "A Very Bloggy Christmas" - and we were paired up with another blogger to spend $20 on and send some fun items in the mail. I was paired up with Erin, and I actually sent mine off before the deadline - and sort of forgot about it. Can I just say that she totally got me too?! When this little box arrived - I was so excited.

I opened it up and found this amazing little snowman snow globe and a Starbucks gift card! WAH HOO! A little Starbucks yumminess on vacation is always welcomed! The postal service must have enjoyed the snow globe because it was "on" when it arrived and the battery was dead... hahaha - we'll get a new one and enjoy this little gem through the holiday season.

Thanks to both of these lovely ladies for spreading a little Christmas cheer to one seriously frazzled Momma!

Fall Blog/Recipe Swap

Hi Everyone! As promised, I want to do a fun swap with those of you that want to participate... and PLEASE pass the word on so that we can get as many participants as possible. My goal would be to pair people up based on location - it would be fun to get recipes from someone in a completely different part of the country and see how different it is from what you're used to.

So what I'm thinking is that we'll start with recipes - focusing on Fall and the holidays...

You'll send your partner:

1 (or more) recipe for a breakfast item
1 (or more) recipe for a main dish
1 (or more) recipe for a snack or appetizer
1 (or more) recipe for a side dish
1 (or more) recipe for a dessert
1 (or more) recipe for a beverage
1 (or more) recipe with your favorite item on your holiday table

Now, get creative - don't just type up the recipe... get crafty ladies. You can totally do something digital - if you're not a scrapbook person... but make it something fun and special. Add stickers, or whatever you want to jazz up what you're going to send. You could even include a story about why you love the recipe. 

Then I thought it would be fun to take it a little further... and send a little something special. I'll leave that up to you - please don't spend more than $20 at the very most. I was thinking you could send a scarf, some hot tea, cocoa, Starbucks card... something that brings a warm smile to your face and a virtual hug to the person that will receive it.

I hope that this will bless each of you as we start the Thanksgiving holidays and round into Christmas.

To join in on the fun, please leave a comment with your Name, a Link to your Blog, the State you live in, and your email address. Sign up for the swap by October 23rd. You don't have to have a blog to be part of this - it just helps people get to know each other a little bit.

We'll put our things in the mail by October 29th, and do a post about it by November 4th.

Favorite Things Giveaway

A few weeks ago Kodi, came up with the idea to do a blog swap where we partner up with another blogger and send each other a few favorite things. How fun is that?! I jumped at the chance for some friendly happy mail to arrive for me, and to send a little smile to someone else as well.

I got paired up with KM, and had the best time shopping for her. I am just getting started reading her blog, but you should check it out. She is such a sweet person, and is currently pregnant - so I had to find her some great stuff for relaxing! I set out to do just that and couldn't be more pleased with the things I found. I hope that getting the box blessed her and made her smile.

When I got my box, I was beyond excited... and couldn't wait to open it. Of course the boys wanted their lunch... so I had to wait, but was greeted with some great things that were worth the wait.

How fun to open the box and find pretty paper... I was giddy with excitement to see what she had found for me... we had a $20 limit, and that was just perfect.

I was initially greeted with a sweet card. I loved it, it's always fun to get something handwritten these days... it's getting more and more rare - so it feels extra special.

She did perfect - a wonderful candle that is going straight in by my bathtub for those relaxing bubble bath evenings... some note cards and note paper... and ya'll - as if she knew exactly how to get right to my heart, new pens!! I LOVE pens!

I had the best time with this, and am actually thinking of hosting a swap of sorts here. I'm thinking of doing a "Fall Festival" swap... who is interested? Leave me a comment telling me if you'd like to participate. If I get enough interest - I'm going to get it started later this week.

Help the B's

*** Well, lovely... this was supposed to post A LONG time ago, but didn't... Please help this lovely family!

So, you guys have all witnessed my calls for prayers and love for my dear friend Summer and her husband Adam. They have been through the wringer! After all that they've been through:

• 2 lost angels & the loss of a fallopian tube
• 5 failed IVF's
• the loss of Sum's beautiful Daddy, Butch
• sick kitties
• and many other struggles along the way

Summer and Adam want to adopt. They know that they are destined to be parents and want to share their love and warmth with a baby. This couple is amazing - they've weathered everything with grace and a fighting attitude, and I can't wait to celebrate their baby in whatever way he or she comes.

Maybe they'll be like John and I and be doubly blessed - I can only say that it's tough, but SO worth it.

Summer, I love you girlie and I know with all my heart that you will be a wonderful mother WHEN it happens... because it's only a matter of time.

So, how can you help? Well... the adoption costs are adding up - spreading the word and placing the ads they need to attract potential birth mothers isn't a cheap process - emotionally or financially. With the help of Kristen - Summer took one of her beloved Daddy's favorite sayings and turned it in to a print.

 

100% of the proceeds from the purchase of this print will go toward Summer & Adams adoption costs, and I'd really appreciate it if you'd wander over and get yourself a copy. You can buy it by clicking here.  I promise you these are two very deserving adorable people that you are helping, and two of the most grateful and gracious folks around.