Fabulous Favorite Friday

Happy Friday everyone. The weather is beautiful here and the leaves are falling so fast. It sounds like we will get frost tonight. I've been putting my baby in footed jammies at night since it has gotten so much colder.

As I mentioned yesterday, I've had Christmas on the brain and I've started the Christmas shopping. I've been listening to Christmas music in the car and as I rock the boys to sleep at night, I've been singing Christmas carols to them so they will start to learn them.

My Fabulous Favorite Friday pick I've got today is something I haven't actually purchased yet, but plan on buying. I am going to get one of the Chick Fil A 2010 Cow Calendar. I just saw on Sweetie's Swags website that when you purchase a $20 gift card at Chick Fil A you can get a free calendar. Sounds like a great deal to me. http://www.sweetiesswag.com/2009/11/free-2010-chick-fil-cow-calendar.html I love the idea of giving someone a calendar that comes with great coupons. And the Chick Fil A cows are such fun.

So, that is what is going on with my Christmas shopping. Hope you are having a great day in your neck of the woods!

Fabulous Favorite Friday - Pumpkin Mini Master

Happy Friday everyone. Hope you are having a great day. Last weekend we made it to the pumpkin patch and picked out a baby pumpkin. We figured we'd get a big one later. We always like to get at least one big one to use the Pumpkin Master's Carving Kit Stencils.

My Fabulous Favorite Friday pick today is a cute pumpkin decorating kit I bought at Wal Mart in the seasonal section. For only $3.50 they have the cutest kit that comes with something like 4 sets of ears, 4 sets of eyes, 4 sets of noses, and a tail. I'm trying to remember how many pieces from memory because I left the kit downstairs,
but you get the idea. I was just surprised at how many different pieces you got in the kit.

This little kit really appealed to me because when you have younger kids the idea of letting them help carve a pumpkin is just to exhausting. It is already a challenge to get through a meal without a mess, I can't imagine how many pumpkin seeds and pumpkin guts would get thrown around my kitchen. Not to mention who wants to battle a little one for a knife because you know they are going to want to do it themselves.

These little kits are just like working on a Mr. Potato Head which many kids are playing with in the toddler years, so these kits are a great way for them to work on their fine motor skills while having fun at the same time.

As you can see from our pumpkin model Sawyer, he really enjoyed taking the different pieces and worked on putting them on the pumpkin. Because our pumpkin was a bit tough, I did help him out with pushing the pieces in. He didn't mind the help and still enjoyed the decoration process. I think if you had a child who was older and really wanted to do it themselves, I'd recommend taking a knife and helping your child get a start by making small slits where you'll want them to place the different pieces.

As you can see, Sawyer worked on putting the dog pieces together to make this cute puppy. I
decided to put the other pieces together on our other small pumpkin to make the pig pumpkin. I was squealing with delight when I saw those pieces in the kit. Sorry, didn't mean to go hog wild in my description. LOL You have to admit, they make a cute pair this little dog and little pig.

So, that is my Fabulous Friday pick and that is how the Halloween decorations are coming together here. I hope you enjoy them.

Well, that is all from here. Don't forget to go and
leave a comment on last Friday's Fabulous Friday post to enter my current giveaway. You'll definitely want to win that yummy prize.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Fabulous Favorite Friday

Happy Friday everyone! I thought I would pee my pants laughing last night at The Office. I won't go into a lot of detail in case you haven't seen it yet, but I have to say I wasn't disappointed at all. I am wondering where the show will go from here. Such a great show.

So today is my Fabulous Favorite Friday post and I'm so excited to share with you a new product that I had never tried before until last week.

Occasionally I have been given the opportunity to try new items through the My BlogSpark program. I was contacted recently and asked if I'd like to try Nature Valley Nut Clusters. I thought, heck yeah! Sign me up!

When I had gestational diabetes last year, I learned that nuts were a good thing to incorporate into my diet. So since then I've been getting nuts as a snack. I like how easy it is to grab some and go. So the thought of getting to try a snack with nuts sounded great. Especially since I've been getting board with eating just plain old cashews.

I was so tickled to receive the Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters "Snack Pack" prize pack pictured above. It was like Christmas in October. The four bags of nut clusters are Roasted Almond, Roasted Cashew, Nut Lovers, and Honey Roasted Peanut. I decided to try the Honey Roasted Peanut first. As soon as I put the first one in my mouth I knew I was in trouble. These things are good. And I mean really, really good. Addictive good. You can not just eat one. I liked that the little nut clusters are bite size. They are a sweet and salty snack. They would fit perfectly in those little snack size Ziploc baggies and they are easy to grab and go if you are in a hurry. I have since torn into the other bags and they are all heavenly.

The description I received of the nut clusters says they are made with "100% natural ingredients that include select roast nuts, whole grain oats, and a touch of honey". The clusters are a good combo of all those things. It is hard for me to say which of these I like the best because I think they are all good. I would eat all of them again.

Another cool thing about these is that they have the Box Tops for Education tops to them so you snack and save those for the kids schools. I just love it when packages have those Box Tops for Education tops to them.

So if you are looking for something new to try, I highly recommend these snacks. I will definitely be stocking up on these.

Give Away

I am excited to share with you that the good folks at My BlogSpark have said I get to play Mrs. Claus (or maybe I should be the Great Pumpkin since it is October?) anyway, I get to give away one of these yummy prize packs to one of my readers! So you can have a happy mail day! This contest will run from 10/09/09 until midnight EST on 10/18/09. I'll announce the winner on Monday 10/19/09. The winner will be determined by using a random number generator.

Methods of Entry

Every Reader has four methods available to enter this contest. Choose one of each of any combination of method one, two, three, or four for a total of 4 entries. You will need to leave a separate comment for each of your entries to count.

1.Leave a comment on this post. What are you/your kids/pets planning on dress up as for Halloween?

2.Follow Me on Twitter. Come back and post your twitter name in a separate post.

3. Add Chic Crafty Chick to your blog roll or add my badge to your sidebar. Be sure to come back and leave the link to your site in a separate comment.

4. Tweet about this giveaway. Tweet the following phrase and come back and post a separate post with a link back to your tweet. It would be sweet to win a Nature Valley Nut Clusters prize pack from the Chick Crafty Chick blog http://tinyurl.com/q2ogwx #chiccraftychick

Hope y'all have a great weekend! Happy snacking!

Fabulous Favorite Friday

Happy Friday everyone! What a crazy day it has been for me. Was up at 1 and then 5 with both kids and then had MOPS this morning. I don't even know how I'm typing straight. So if you see any typos, kindly please look the other way. LOL :)

Today my Fabulous Favorite Friday pick is a new cereal I decided to buy last week. I found a coupon for Honey Bunches of Oats with pecan bunches. I love this cereal. It has a great taste and the pecan bunches taste yummy. Maybe it something about fall, but I love having dishes with nuts in them because they are part of comfort food to me and this cereal seems like a great fall cereal.

I wish I could find a good picture of the box, but you can go the the Honey Bunches of Oats website to check it out. Actually, I'd recommend going there because you can print off a coupon for yourself to try this cereal. http://www.postcereals.com/honeybunchesofoats/Default.aspx
So if you are looking for a new cereal to try and you like pecans and a slight sweet taste to your cereal, you might want to give this one a try.

I've got a fun giveaway planned for next week, so be sure to stop back by the blog. Hope you have a great weekend!

Fabulous Favorite Friday

9/11

I know that for a lot of people, today is a day of rememberance and sadness. It is hard to believe that such an awful thing happened that affected so many lives. My heart goes out to the many families across our nation that were impacted in such a tragic way on 9/11. I know that as long as I will be alive, 9/11 will be a day that my thoughts and prayers will be with those folks. For my generation, it is our "day that will live in infamy". So, I felt it was only right to post a few words on how I'm feeling this 9/11.

Fabulous Favorite Friday

Can I just say it feels so good to be back blogging. I have missed it so much. I've felt great being able to get things posted this week. I've always wanted this blog to be a way to connect with folks about similar interests and to share cool things I find. I felt that a piece of me was missing when I didn't get to post. So happy days are here again!

Today I'm excited to share a new find that I've tried recently that I'm featuring as my Fabulous Favorite Friday pick today.
I think it was about two weeks ago in the Sunday paper there was a coupon for these new Yoplait Delights. They are 100 calories and looked yummy from the picture. I have to admit that I am not a fan of chocolate flavored yogurts, but I was delighted to see that these came in a lemon flavor. I decided to use my coupon to give them a try and I was not disappointed. I felt like I was having dessert for breakfast. As the name aptly says, these are truly delights. The packages have four containers in them. I think next time I may have to buy two or three packs to get me through the week. LOL

I have to admit I'm not a huge milk drinker and so I've been trying to incorporate more yogurt and cheese into my diet. So I'm glad to find these to help me with that.

I discovered when I was looking for a picture of these that you can print a dollar off coupon from the Yoplait website so if you want to give them a try yourself, go print off a coupon. I believe the were two dollars and some change at Wal Mart. http://www.yoplaitusa.com/

So, that is all from my neck of the woods. Here is wishing you a fun weekend. See ya next week!

Fabulous Favorite Friday

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you are having a great day in your neck of the woods. We are off to visit my grandfather today and it is an all day journey. He is looking forward to see the kids, especially the baby since Logan has grown and changed so much in the last few months.

For my Fabulous Favorite Friday pick, I wanted to share with you that I recently purchased Ulta's nail polish and I am so tickled with it. They've had it on sale for $2.00 a bottle. I usually just buy OPI (love their stuff too) but I didn't want to spend $7.00+ on a bottle right now so I figured I'd give the Ulta a try. The color I bought is a strawberry color and is very summery. If you don't have an Ulta store near you, you can order from them online. When I checked their site this morning, they have free shipping until Saturday on orders of $25 or more. They also have a coupon where you can get $3.50 off a $10 or more purchase. You can print that off and take it to the store until you get signed up for their card. I get coupon books in the mail since I have their card.

So, if you are looking for some fashion chic on the cheap consider giving their nail polish a try. I also bought another lighter pink color called Pink Lady (love that name!) and another one that has a little shimmer to it and is a bronze color great for fall. I love getting 3 bottles of polish for $6. Can't beat that! And your feet and hands will thank you. LOL

Well, we are off. Have a great weekend and if you get any Ulta polish let me know what color you get.

Fabulous Favorite Friday

What a week it has been. This is one tired mama. Poor little Sawyer has had viral tonsilitis. He hasn't eaten in two days. I'm trying to get something in him today. But, I think that the high fevers are going away which is good news. We saw the doctor yesterday and we are having to wait it out. I hope we are on the upswing. Oh, and I've seen so much Curious George that I could probably win a CG trivia contest hands down. Better George than Barney.

Since this has been such a rough week, I've had two things I've used this week that have given me a little boost that I thought I'd mention for my Fabulous Favorite Friday picks.

My first pick for today is Gillette's Satin Care Lavender Kiss shave gel. I have previously recommend Skintimate, but I have to say I like this brand too. I had a coupon and got it for free when I bought a Venus Embrace razor. Which by the way, I again highly recommend. I have tried some other razors recently and they just don't compare to the Embrace. It is still hands down the best razor. I have yet to cut myself with it. But, I digress. The Lavender Kiss shave gel has been great to use and I especially love the scent. With this being a stressful week, that calming lavender scent has been nice. So, if you see this in the store I'd recommend it.

My second pick for today is Yardley of London's Lavender soap. I bought mine a while ago when it was on sale at Walgreen's. They occassionally run a sale where you can get if for 69 cents. If you aren't a fan of lavender, what is wrong with you? Just kidding. What I was going to say is if for some reason you don't like lavender this soap does come in other scents. I love this soap because it leaves a light fragrance on your skin. It is a great way to have chic luxury on the cheap. And who doesn't want that these days?

So, here is to wishing you a great weekend of health and fun this summer of 2009. Wasn't this supposed to be the summer of George?

Fabulous Favorite Friday

So it is Friday. Thank goodness! I had to play hookie from the blog yesterday because I've taken over as coordinator of my MOPS (Mother's of Preschoolers) group. I've got to be insane having two little ones and taking on this challenge, but I felt called to do it and wanted to see the group continue. So, I had my first meeting with my team and it went well. I'm so blessed to have an awesome group of ladies to work with and we are excited about the new year which will start in the fall. If you aren't familiar with MOPS, be sure to check out http://www.mops.org/ to find a group in your area. It is a wonderful resource for moms with young children. I can't say enough good things about it.

For today's Fabulous Favorite Friday pick, I wanted to show you our latest hot weather treat. I've become such a fan of adding Crystal Light to my water that I was pleasantly surprised to find that Crystal Light has frozen pops. This box came with Raspberry Lemonade and regular Lemonade flavored pops. Since I've become such a fan of the Raspberry Lemonade in my water, I was excited to see it as one of the flavors in this box. We opened this box up on Tuesday and I had the Raspberry Lemonade pop and it was very refreshing. Perfect for these hot, humid summer days. I was surprised that Sawyer even wanted to taste it and kept coming back and asking for more licks from it. He is definitely in that picky toddler stage, so for him to come back and ask for more is a great praise for these pops. When he was sick during the winter we got popsicles for him and he wouldn't even try them, so I think these Crystal Light pops are a hit with him. So, I would call them "toddler approved". LOL

Have a great weekend and be sure to check back Monday for another edition of Mocktail Monday.

Fabulous Favorite Friday

Happy Friday everyone. It has been a tough go in our house this week. The two precious angels pictured here have been cranky sick kids. Bless their hearts they both have had sinus infections and unfortunately the antibiotic they were put on appears to not be working. So, I am hopeful the doctor will give them something else that will work. We want to enjoy the holiday weekend. Especially since the weather is supposed to be so nice. We can't wait to see these two in the swimming pool. Sawyer has loved it and I think Logan will too.

Today for my Fabulous Favorite Friday pick, I'm sharing the DiGiorno Italian Style Meatball and Four Cheese Flatbread Melts. I received a coupon in the mail to try this for free, so I decided to try this flavor. In the past, I've tried frozen meals that have a meatball base to them and I haven't liked them. So, I was interested in seeing how this one stacked up.

I have to say that I did enjoy this for my lunch. For being a frozen meal, it had a good flavor.

The other thing that impressed me is that the instructions on the box were so great that this product actually turned out close to what it looks like on the box. I took a picture to show you. A lot of times when I've tried different frozen flatbread or panini products they don't get that toasted look like you see on the box. But, as you can see from my picture this one did.

Since I am usually trying to get lunch for Sawyer at the same time I want to eat, I like being able to grab something like this that can cook in the microwave while I'm getting his lunch fixed. He isn't patient, so being able to free up my hands while I get his lunch helps me multi task.

The other thing I found interesting is that they had instructions on the box that told you exactly which way to fold the melt. So, you can't mess this one up. LOL

There are a couple different flavors, so if this one doesn't appeal to you I'd suggest checking out one of the others. I think there is a Chicken with Bacon & Ranch and I couldn't remember the other flavors. I want to say there are four different flavors total. I want to try that Chicken one next.

If you are interested in giving this a try, here is a link that should let you go and print off a $1.50 off coupon. When I got mine at Wal Mart this week, they were $2.50 so $1.50 off would be nice.

I'd love to hear if you have tried any of these, or if you do end up trying them.

So, that is my review for this week. I hope you and your family have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend.

Fabulous Favorite Friday

Happy Friday everyone. This week has seemed to fly by. I can't believe Sunday is Mother's Day. We've had so much rain this week I am hopeful that it will start to clear up soon. I'm ready to start enjoying nicer weather.


Before I share my Fabulous Favorite Friday pick, I wanted to let you all know how I approach sharing information on products. I've seen that this seems to be a big debate right now in the blogging community. I only share about things that I like. Period. If I don't like something I'm not going to pretend to like it. I don't and have not received any monetary compensation for any of the items I've shared about. And any time I've received a sample of something, I've mentioned it in my posts. There have been times I've been happy that a sponsor has wanted to share a sample with you as well. I hope that continues to be the case.

A few days ago I added to the bottom of my blog a disclosure policy to make sure it was clear my policy on the products I review. I thought it might be good today to just reiterate my position. I hope it has been clear in the past, but I just wanted to lay it out again for those who read my blog. I value those of you who come here and don't want to lose your trust.


And now back to our regularly scheduled Fabulous Favorite Friday post. For my Fabulous Favorite Friday pick today, I wanted to share some information about a new product. I was fortunate to be in an exclusive group of bloggers who were given the opportunity to review a new deodorant they have coming out called Dove Visibly Smooth. Last week I received a gift pack in the mail with this deodorant to try.



The scent I was given to try is called Wild Rose and I love, love, love it. It is a light floral scent. It smells pretty. This deodorant couldn't have come at a better time because the weather has been yo yoing and we've had some warm, humid weather. A great test for a deodorant. It has worked great and I would recommend it.

They say that this deodorant is supposed to have some kind of technology that makes you feel stubble free longer. With tank top and strapless dress season coming up, this is something for folks to consider.

My husband has sensitive skin and a while back he started using the Dove unscented deodorant. While that is not the same product as the one I just tried, I wanted to share that our family has used other Dove products in the past and had favorable results with those as well. Their items seem to be very gentle for the skin.



Here is a link to Dove's website. There is a great $2 coupon you can go to the website to print off. I highly recommend doing it. http://www.dove.us/visiblysmooth#/visiblysmooth/main_landing.aspx/



I hope y'all have a great Mother's Day weekend. Happy 1st Mother's Day to my sister and any other first time mom's out there.

Fabulous Favorite Friday

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you are having a great Friday. We are about to head out the door for a playdate. The weather is crummy, but we will have a great time with our little friends.

This weeks' Fabulous Friday pick is all you magazine. I just discovered this magazine this week. I picked up a copy at Wal Mart. It was only $2.50. It reminds me of something like Women's Day. It has great tips, fashion, and recipes in it, as well as coupons. The cover shown here is the April issue which hasn't hit the news stands yet. I believe it comes out March 20th. The March cover has a beautiful cake on it.

This is a really cute, cool little magazine. Since magazines can be so expensive, this one is a great deal. Also, in the March issue there is a 50 cent off coupon in the back for purchasing your next issue. I think I'll be picking up April's issue. This magazine is a great value in these crummy economic times. So, it gets the Chic Crafty Chick blog's seal of approval.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Fabulous Favorite Friday

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you've had a good week. It is hard to believe we are half way through the month. Tomorrow is the big Valentine's Day. So, if you haven't picked up something for the one's you love, you better get to the store quick.



First, I wanted to announce the winner of the customized Fruit Roll Ups. The lucky winner is Squillen . I hope you enjoy your Fruit Rolls Ups. We've enjoyed giving ours to our friends for Valentine's Day.

And now on to my Fabulous Favorite Friday pick. With winter here, my skin has gotten so dry. So, I've been using Eucerin cream. Changing diapers for two kids requires me to frequently wash my hands through out the day which has severly dried them out. Have a pump bottle of the Eucerin cream by my kitchen sink has helped save my hands.

I first discovered this cream two years ago when Sawyer was born. Bless his heart he has eczema dry patches on his skin. When he was in the NICU, the nurses used this cream on him. It really does help when he has flare ups of severe dry skin. So, if you are having problems with dry winter skin, I'd say give Eucerin cream a try. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Well, that is all I've got for today. The weather is supposed to go from the high 60's to freezing. I can't wait for spring.

Fabulous Favorite Friday

Happy Friday everyone! Another week has flown by. It has been so hot here that all you can do is stay inside and try to stay cool. I like warm weather, but it seems as if we've had not transition from spring to summer.

It is hard to believe that we are now in June already. It is time to break out the lemonade and jump in the pool.

If you are looking for something fun to do in you area, don't forget about picking strawberries. I took my little guy a few weeks ago before the hot weather kicked in and it was fun. We got some great strawberries. It just isn't summer for me without some fresh strawberries.

My Fabulous Favorite Friday pick is something that I usually don't think about until Christmas, but I saw Martha Stewart doing a segment about cherries and this popped in my mind. At Christmas, we have a local craft show that this company, Cherry Repulican comes to. They have fabulous cherry products. Every year for probably the past 7 years, I have purchased the Cherry Republic soar candies for my husband. It has become a tradition. Basically, they are just like soar patch kids, but they are cherry flavored. I get a bag of these and stick them in his stocking.

But, Father's Day is next weekend and I thought I'd mention it on my blog this week in case you are still searching for something unique to get your father. Not only do they have these great candies, but chocolate covered cherries, fabulous salsas and other great cherry flavored products. I highly recommend these. They have given out samples of their products at the craft show and I haven't met a cherry product of theirs that I didn't like. So, I highly recommend. Here is a link to their website. http://www.cherryrepublic.com/

A few weeks ago I posted a book review for this book. I wanted to let y'all know that I saw that is in Target stores if any of you are interested in picking up a copy. You've gotta love the Tarjay.

Well, that's all for this week. I hope to get more posting in next week. This week was filled with doctors appointments and so far so good with the little boy bun in the oven. My specialist is very pleased and the next few weeks will show whether or not my cervix is shortening. Hopefully not. Now my challenge is to get our spare bedroom cleaned out and to figure out a name for this little guy.

Have a great weekend!

Fabulous Favorite Friday Pick

My Fabulous Favorite Friday pick this week is a Paula Deen recipe that I made last week for our last MOPS meeting. I've made a few different Paula Deen recipes and so far I've had very good luck with them.



This is a great recipe to do when you want something that looks fancy for breakfast. I'm going to try to make it this Memorial Day weekend as a special treat for us. Of course this would be great for when you have company, a holiday, or for a brunch.

Enjoy!

Nutty Orange Coffee Cake

3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup chopped pecans 2 teaspoons orange zest 2 (12-ounce) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (10 count) 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese 1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter 1 cup sifted confectioners' sugar 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine the granulated sugar, pecans, and zest; set aside. Separate the biscuits. Place about 3/4 teaspoon cream cheese in the center of each biscuit. Fold each biscuit in half over the cheese, pressing the edges to seal. Dip the biscuits in melted butter, then dredge in the granulated sugar mixture. Place the biscuits, curved-side down, in a single layer in the hollows of a lightly greased 12-cup bundt pan, spacing them evenly (do not stack). Place any remaining biscuits around the tube, filling any gaps. Drizzle any remaining butter over the biscuits, and sprinkle with any remaining sugar mixture. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until golden brown. Immediately invert the cake onto a serving platter. Combine the confectioners' sugar and orange juice, stirring well; drizzle the glaze over the warm cake. Serve warm.


*NOTE: When Paula Deen demo'd this recipe, she said to let the cake cool a few minutes (maybe 5) that way when you do the drizzle it won't completely melt into the cake. As you can see from my pictures, I did that and my drizzle was still visible.

I hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. And let's all remember and keep in our hearts the reason why we celebrate Memorial Day.