I get by With a Little help from my Friends - Daven Says

After spending a good portion of the afternoon playing in the dirt, we convinced Daven to take a bath. Yes, I know that he's probably going to make a mess with his spaghetti tonight, but I also wanted to try to keep him from taking a 4:30pm nap!  He still won't let daddy wash him, and he didn't even want daddy to run his bath water. Silly kid!

While playing with his bath toys, he shows he a magic trick where he hides Woody from Toy Story in the handle of one of his bath cups. "Look, mommy, he's stuck!"  

"Oh no, how is he going to get out?" I asked

He dipped the cup under water and said, "Tada!" And shows that Woody has indeed escaped the cup. I asked him how Woody was able to get free. 

" I got out with the help of my best friend, Daven", he said in a voice that wasn't his own. Little plastic, Dollar Tree Woody walked across the edge of the tub. 

So cute. 

Painting Bumbies

A couple of days ago Daven painted his pumpkins. Why did I call them Bumbies in the title?  That's what my sisters used to call pumpkins when they were little. Isn't that adorable?

We got the small, orange pumpkin last month when we visited Hubers with my grandpa and some of our family from Wisconsin. We got the white pumpkin when we went apple picking with Nana at the very end of September. 

I used some filler paper from my Arbonne packages to cover the table and used wax paper to squirt the paint onto. 

Daven wanted purple, so I showed him how to mix blue and red together to magically change the color. 

This is my favorite picture, because for just a bit, he wanted to hold my hand while he painted. 

We added some more colors, and he used a few different brushes. 

He took his task quite seriously!

What's more fun that painting?  Sprinkling glitter!

Daven's pumpkins have a proud place to be displayed on our hutch in our dining room. 

Book Review: The Bionics

One of the great things about entering book giveaways online is that it gets you to "like" more authors; ones that you aren't familiar with yet. That is how I came across Alicia Michael's page on Facebook. And guess what?  There was a sale and I got to download one of her books for free. 

The Bionics takes place in 4010, a few years after the United States suffered from nuclear attacks. Some people's lives were saved due to experimentation with replacing damaged/destroyed body parts with mechanical, robotic prosthetics. And though the government provided these life-enabling alterations, they soon decided that anyone who had been mechanically altered was too dangerous. 

Blythe is one of the many people who have to fight for their lives daily. With her metal forearm and hand and her bionic eye, she is a sure target for immediate elimination by the government. Even still, she ventures out in order to help rescue others like her. 

This story line immediately sucks you in. Unlike some other dystopian-based novels post Hunger Games, The Bionics doesn't feel old or copied. The story is fresh and unpredictable. 

Why is this book so short?  I read through the whole book this afternoon, and I want the next book!  The good news for me is that there are two more books in the series currently out. But the bummer for me is that I don't have unlimited funds for book-buying. I can't wait to find out what happens to Blythe and Dax and the rest of the resistance. 

These are a few of my Favorite Things: Unwind Body Mist

I have a love/hate relationship with fragrances. It's always been this way. I will sample a scented lotion or spray and while I initially like it out of the bottle, once I have lived with the scent on for a few hours I end up hating it. I've wasted WAY too much money on Bath and Body Works because of this. Oh!  They're having a sale!  I'll spend $3 on this bottle and $5 on that bottle...and I've ended up with a box full of products that I don't use because my skin and my nose just don't agree with any of it. 

Some of you might know that I've recently started my own business with Arbonne. I went in head first, without having tried any of their products for myself. I was promised that everything was amazing, and so far I've had happy clients. So when I was able to use some rewards for ME at the end of this past month, I was like a kid making a Christmas list deciding what I wanted first. 

One of the items that I got is the Aromassentials Unwind Rejuvenating Body Mist. 

This mist is made to be used all over your skin, although I also spray it on my clothes. The scent is subtle, and smells of sweet lavender. Designed to help calm and relax, you could also use this mist on bedding, pillows and blankets, or simply in the air. I have fleeting images in my head of spritzing this on myself before cradling a fussy baby in my arms. But that's just the pesky baby fever that I keep ignoring ;)

I LOVE this spray. I want to use it so often that I don't even put it in a cabinet, much less a box. It stays out on the bathroom sink where I can have access to it whenever I need. 

Does it REALLY relax you?  I'm not quite sure. But I feel better after a quick spritz. And being able to feel better AND smell good at the same time is a double win for me!

Let me know if you would be interested in hosting a party. I'll bring everything we'll need for an ultimate facial for you and a few of your friends, and you get to relax and get pampered. And what's more - this mist is one of the items that you can get for free just for hosting a party. Let me know if you'd like to know more :)

The holidays are quickly approaching, and I promise that there's something for everyone. 

Book Review: Easy Bake Coven

This book caught my eye on a long list of freebies on a Facebook page that I follow. Feed your Reader, For the Love of Books, One a More Chapter, Coffee and a Good Book...surely it was one of those!  The title is clever and being totally free to download, it was a risk-free decision. 

Selene belongs to a small coven comprised of her friends from college. But her low-key life of running a yoga studio changes when her grandmother is attacked and a stranger insists that she is in danger. 

I loved how easily the story flowed and the surprises start from the get-go. I rooted for Selene as she discovers that her life as she remembers it is only a small portion; that she's lived another life completely. I enjoyed reading this book so much that I immediately bought the second book in the series after finishing this one. First book is free, second book is $3.99. Great reads that won't make your bank account sad!

Did you know that there was a Simpson's sketch called Easy Bake Coven?  I found out that little tidbit when I was image searching for the book cover :)

Vacation - Universal and all the Rest

Island of Adventure

Cory and Daven having Icees while Cameron rides his first upside down roller coaster. 

I still cannot believe that Daven rode this flying ride, as well as HIS first roller coaster!

We had lunch at Three Broomsticks and got Butterbeers. 

Adam took the majority of the pictures this day. I feel like my camera roll is lacking. 

We had Bubba Gumps for dinner :)

And then we played supernatural putt putt. So exhausted, but super fun!

Just the boys, spending some time playing Legos. 

Lazy river

More putt putt. 

Purple balloon elephant at Texas Roadhouse on our last night. 

At the arcade. 

Waiting at the Orlando airport with his new baby Goofy. 

Layover in Atlanta

Last flight home.