Danielson Designs Review and Giveaway!

This is the latest giveaway and a sticky post.  Scroll down past this for newer posts.  Thanks!

     I was extremely excited when Rozlynn of Danielson Designs by Poeima Place contacted me about reviewing one of their products and hosting a giveaway.  Just by Rozlynn’s email I knew this was going to be not only fun for me, but fun for you.  

     A little background.  Rozlynn is a work at home mom, (Poiema Place) who is an independent rep for Danielson Designs.  Danielson Designs is a company who prides itself on being eco-friendly, based on strong values, understanding the importance of quality products being made in America, and giving back as much as they can.  Danielson Designs really blew me away with not only their commitment to environment and people, but also to quality products.   All of their signs and frames are made of recycled wood, and all paints used are green by being water-based.  How can I not get excited about checking out what they do?

     Rozlynn gave me the choice of which product I wanted to review.   I was a kid in a candy store!  So many beautiful things to choose from.  It was not easy!  I finally chose a Welcome sign.  I wanted something to welcome guests in a personal way from our family.  To pass on a blessing to them from us. 

     The designer in me got to come out to create!  I have to be upfront with you and share that I am not the world’s most artsy-craftsy person.  I wish I was, but I am not.   With Daneielson designs that is all okay. 

     I have been on other “you are the designer” sites before, and I fully expected to have to jump through all of the same hoops to make something into what I had pictured in my head.   Not so!  It was so easy, and I got to compare several different designs at one time.  Loved it! 

     When I received my sign I was very impressed with the packaging.  There was no way my sign was going to be damaged!  It was securely packed and surrounded by recyclable paper shreds.  Then I pulled out my sign ,and it was like opening a present.  The attention to detail made it even better. 

     Now to the best part.  I get to give away not one, but TWO Danielson Designs by Poiema Place products to my readers.  TWO!!  Thank you Rozlynn for being so generous! 

     Am I going to make you jump through a bunch of hoops just to be able to enter?  Of course not.  I don’t roll that way.  There is only one thing you have to do to enter, and that is pop over to Poiema Place and design something for yourself.  Pick anything from their fantastic selection to personalize any way you want. 

Here are a few examples of what you can do.

 

 

Be inspirational with your favorite quote.

 

 

 

 

 

 A beautiful frame for your adorable pooch.

 

 

 

 

 

How about a picture of you when you were little in a frame personalized just for your mom?

 

 

    

  

 

                         Or maybe something to remember your kids’ time at camp.  

 

         

 

Is there a family who is special to you that you would like to gift with a monogram sign designed for their family?

 

 

     

 

Here is a great personalized gift for someone who is expecting a baby.  A sign with the baby’s name on it and a special blessing from you to them.

 

 

There are so many choices in signs, monograms and frames.  You can create some beautiful, unique and personalized gifts for the special people in your life.  A great way to say thank you to someone, give as a birthday or Christmas gift, or for yourself.

     Here is how you can win your CHOICE of Danielson Designs by Poiema Place products.  Like I said, pop over to Poiema Place, and look over the beautiful products they offer.  Take a moment and design one for yourself, then come back here and tell me in a comment what you liked and how you personalized it.  I am very interested to hear some of the creative ideas you come up with. 

     You must do this to be entered into the giveaway. 

     After you do your initial entry there are several ways you can rack up more entries.

          1.  You can earn 1 entry by subscribing to Yes, They Are All Mine.  Leave a seperate comment to let me know.

          2.  You can earn 1 entry by twittering about this giveaway (unlimited).   Leave a seperate comment with the twitter url.

          3.  You can earn 1 entry by following me on twitter.  ContentedRhen.  Leave a seperate comment telling me who you are on twitter.

          4.  You can earn 1 entry by facebooking about this giveaway (unlimited).  Leave a seperate comment with the facebook url.

          5.  You can earn 1 entry by emailing others about this giveaway.  Leave a seperate comment letting me know you did this.

          6.  You can earn 2 entries by blogging about this giveaway.  Leave a seperate comment with the url to the blog post you wrote about this giveaway.

          7.  You can earn 10 entries by purchasing a Danielson Design product through the Poiema Place site.  All orders will be confirmed.  Each product you purchase is worth 10 entries!

          With the holidays approaching fast Rozlynn has extended her generousity to everyone.  From now until December 4th you will receive $10.00 off of your order when you enter in the promo code ALLMINE!  With the ease of designing beautiful gifts and the bonus of saving money, you can take care a lot of your Christmas shopping through Poiema Place. 

     Now for the rules.  We have to have those. 

     *You must do the initial entry to do the additional entries.

     *You do not have to have a blog to enter.

     *This giveaway is open to the continental US only.

     *This giveaway will end Monday November 23rd at midnight (12am) EST.

     *2 winners will be drawn randomly Tuesday November 24th. 

     *Winners will be notified via email.  You have 48 hours to reply to that email or a new winner(s) will be drawn. 

     If you have any questions feel free to email me at cottonblossom424 at yahoo dot com. 

~Rhen

WW- Pardon my drooling!

I love cupcakes!

While you’re here, check out my newest giveaway!

For more WW check out here and here.

 

~Rhen

You Capture! Whatever I want.

     Beth has given us the ole Whatever You Want assignment for this week’s You Capture!

     I can so totally do that. 

     My inspiration came at the place where I spend hours and hours and hours every week.

     The Gymnastics Center.

     Our Ms. Firecracker (9) is a USAG 5/ Prep Opt so that means almost 13 hours of practice a week.  It is almost an hour drive there and an hour back.  I spend a great deal of time with this whole gymnastics thing.

     Blessedly we have fantastic coaches who let me take my camera into the work area and snap away! 

     PS- I love listening to our coaches speak in Russian.  I can’t understand a word they are saying, but I love to hear it anyway. 

     Here is some of the equipment the gymnasts (boys and girls ages 4-18) train and compete on.

The boys’ pommel horse

The boys’ rings

The girls’ uneven bars

The girls’ balance beam.  It is amazing what they can do with just 4″ to stand on.

The vaulting table

The boys’ parallel bars

The boys’ high bar

Every gymnast leaves his or her mark(s) all over the gym!

Chalk everywhere.

      While you are here, I invite you to read a post or two, leave a comment, and maybe come back Monday for an awesome giveaway sponsored by Poeima Place/ Danielson Designs.

     For more You Capture! pop over to I Should Be Folding Laundry.  While you are there say a prayer for Beth and her family.  The flu has invaded their house.

Shalom!

~Rhen

Power grocery shopping. Who knew?

    I have very recently started what I refer to as power grocery shopping.  That is the grocery shopping that involves planning, stealth, patience, pen, paper, flyers, coupons and most importantly- the absolute will to save money.  Who knew deal hunting could be so addicting?!   Dear Gayle inspired me to take up the challenge of power grocery shopping.

     I love to save money.  I clip and print coupons when I can find them.  Honestly, printing is the easiest.  Most of what we use is natural or organic, and finding coupons for those items usually happens online. 

     I already buy on sale and have even started planning my menu based on sale items.  That has saved a pretty penny.       Now I have implemented the might of power grocery shopping.  My main targets are Ingles and Kroger.   Sometimes Walgreens or CVS enter the fray when the savings are too great to resist. 

     My MO is easy.  Wednesdays are our library days.  I take all the sales papers I have gotten in the mail, my list of stuff we are low on and my pen and notebook to the library with us.  On the way there I will pick up an Ingles flyer as they do not mail them out. 

     Next, I commandeer a whole table by the kids’ computers to spread everything out.  This lets me pour over all of the flyers to find what items we need that they have on sale.  Then I make my lists.  One for Ingles and one for Kroger.  I divide my grocery list between them depending on what is on sale.  I make any adjustments to my weekly menu, check for coupons that can be used and prepare the troops for attack. 

     Has all of this worked?  I can answer with a resounding YES!

     In the two weeks (two grocery shopping trips) I have been doing this I have saved over $65.00 and brought home a significant amount more of groceries.  More healthy snacks, more items to send Mr. Muscles to work with, more choices for lunch and even a treat or two.   

     Sometimes I will choose to pick up something at Walgreens or CVS, instead of the grocery store, if the deal is great.  I pass by those stores on almost a daily basis so it is not out of the way or using up gas. 

     Finding better deals, saving more money and getting the most for the money has become a challenge I cannot resist!  The benefit of this is more money in the bank, more food in the kitchen and a great time of deal hunting with the kids.  Got to start them off right!    Ya know, train them to find the best deal. 

     When we storm the grocery stores no deal will escape!!

     Do you hear the call of the deal?

God bless,

~Rhen

Things I Love Thursday- The Beach!

     Recently Mr. Muscles and I had the opportunity to travel down to Panama City Beach, and we jumped at the chance. 

     Ms. Firecracker (9) had an out of state gymnastics competition there.  We went to support her at her meet and to take a little time to enjoy the beach.  With only two of the children with us, it was a lot of quiet time.  LOL  Ms. Firecracker was on the bus with her team, and the four other girls were with Granny and Papaw.

     I found the water to be mesmerizing.   When I look at the pictures I can still see the movement of the water in my mind’s eye.  It was beautiful.  It made me so ready for our beach vacation next year. 

     Here are a few of my favorite pictures.

     I love the sound of the water, the cries of the birds, the softness of the sand and the warmth of the sun.    I love the beach! 

     For more Things I Love Thursday pop over to Diaper Diaries.

God bless,

~Rhen

The Treasure Pocket

     I have a treasure pocket. 

    It is often filled with “gifts” from the children.  Thing like pretty rocks, a flower, or anything else that might catch their eye.   They come running up to me with their new found treasure and wanting a safe place to put it.  That would be my pocket. 

     The top of my dresser is filled with these treasures.  Periodically I will go through and clean it all up.  

      There are things that do not pass the Mom Inspection.  Sorry, but I draw the line at storing some things in my pocket.  Nothing alive, nothing that was alive at one time, nothing that can rot, nothing that is liquid filled, nothing that can poke or cut me, and the like.

     What do they do with these items?  Put them in their own pockets of course.

     Here comes the big difference between myself and the rest of my tribe.  I clean out my pockets.  Small thing to do.  Huge benefits!

     Because of their insane need to keep everything they find, and their inability to clean out their pockets, there is no telling what I will find in either my washer or dryer. 

     My top 5 items I hate finding (in no particular order):

          1.  poo

          2.  shredded kleenex

          3.  something that was alive and moved on its own at one time

          4.  lures

          5.  candy

     A few other things I find on any given day:

          rocks

          leaves

          paper

          wire nuts (thanks hun! insert eye roll here)

          money- mine now!

          crayons

          hair clips and/ or bands

          jewelry

          markers, pens, sharpie (thanks for that one too sweetie!)

          a fork

          fishing utensils

          a kid’s sheriff badge

          string

          sticks

          snack wrappers

           puzzle pieces

           pieces of wire

           and beads

           to name a few.

     Sometimes, when I am moving clothes from the washer to the dryer, I will see a dark lump in the washing machine.  I don’t like that.  There is always that guessing game of What Is It? that you go through.  Then, you have to make the decision of whether or not to grab it, or go find something in the kitchen to use.  I have thankful for a pair of tongs on more than one occasion!

     So, how about you?  Do you have this daily, or weekly, joy?  What is the most interesting thing you have found?  Distgusting?  Share!

God bless,

~Rhen

Wordless Wednesday

Panama City Beach.

For more WW go here, here, here and here.

Letting go.

      Right after the first question of  “Are they all yours?” comes the “Are you done yet?”. 

      We never intended to have a large family.  It never even crossed my mind.  If you would have told me 10 years ago I would eventually  have 7 children I would have had a very hearty laugh and looked at you like you were crazy. 

      Now I am on the other side of that.  Now I am considering the idea of not having any more.  More than just considering.  As far as I am concerned right now I am done.  Unless God does a huge work on my heart I am done.  Seven seems like a good number. 

     Today we are finishing up the monumental task of trading out each of the kids’ clothes for cold weather clothing in the appropriate sizes.  I am taking the time to go through everything from size 2t to 12. 

      I started pulling out all of the little boy clothes.  Then it hit me.  My son will be 11 next month.  Did you hear me?  I said E-L-E-V-E-N!  What?!  It doesn’t seem so dramatic and shocking with the girls.  There are 5 more after Ms. Serious who will be wearing the girl clothing.  There are girl babies in the house.  There are no boy babies.  No little boys.  My boy is becoming a young man. 

      As I pull out each piece of his old clothing I am remembering him wearing them.  I remember how blonde and curly his hair was when he was little.  I waited as long as I could to cut his hair.  I still have those curls.  I pull out the little suits and remember how proud he was of his dinosaur tie.  He still loves dressing up and looking nice.  I can still see him running around in his Blues Clues shirt and matching overalls. 

     Every time I put those little boy clothes in the donate bag I get a little lump in my throat.

     He is not little anymore.

     He is growing so fast he can almost look me in the eye.

     I had saved those clothes just in case we had another boy.  It would seem as though that is not what God had for us.  

     As I sort the clothing and take out the little boy items I am realizing just how hard it is to let go. 

     I feel like I am letting go of my little boy.  The lump just keeps getting bigger. 

     I look over at him and he looks even older to me now. 

     I had even considered getting rid of the clothing Ms. Dimples (5 months) has outgrown.  I am not ready for that. 

     I would have never thought it would be so hard to let go of clothing. 

     It feels like so much more than clothing right now. 

     Ya know?

God bless,

~Rhen

I’m surrounded!

     I am not talking about the kids.  Granted, they do surround me, and we are greatly outnumbered, but I am talking about their clothes.

     We are in the middle of changing out clothing to different sizes and for different seasons.

     There is not a room in the house that is not affected.  Piles of clothes everywhere!  Piles of clothes someone has outgrown.  Piles of clothes someone doesn’t like.  Piles of clothes that have gone through too many kids.  Piles of clothes that we don’t want and are going to donate.  See?  Surrounded.

     The bad thing is that all of the dust is making my allergies go crazy.  It is hard to get a whole lot accomplished when you sneeze 6-7 times in a row.  Also not that easy, or attractive, when you have tissue stuck up your nose.  Go figure.  *grin*

     The good thing is that when it is all done the kids will have clothes that actually fit them and will keep them warm.  I just have to try to keep my sanity in the mean time.  LOL 

     It takes two days of work to to switch out from warm weather clothes to cold weather ones.  One more day of wading through all of this and I will have won the war. 

     If you need me I am the lady with a box of tissue sitting in the middle of a sea of kids clothes. 

     Is the whole changing-the-kids’-wardrobes thing a big tackle in your house?

God bless,

~Rhen

Time to tackle that clutter!

     I am getting that crap-closing-in-on-me feeling again. 

     Yeah.  A lot of it probably has to do with a large family in such a small house, but I still feel it.  When I feel it that means it is time to do some cleaning out.  I love cleaning out and organizing.  The kids- not so much.  For some stange reason they just don’t get all giddy at the prospect of pulling everything out of their closets, going through it all and organizing.  Hmmmm. 

     The closests is where I am going to start.  It is time to go through the clothing to get out the stuff that is just too stained, holey and worn out.   Time to get out the cold weather clothes and pack up the warm weather stuff. 

     I dislike doing that.  It means that winter is coming, and it is getting colder.  I don’t like being cold.  Ugh!  

     Anyway, I have about 6 tubs that are now empty after our yard sale, and I am going to repurpose them.  Time to pack up some stuff that I can do without for the time being.  With the house on the market we need to clear out more of the clutter anyway.  The bedrooms, specifically the closets, are in the most need.  I can’t wait to tackle my own closet, but the kids’ closets are first. 

     My kids will be right there with me.  Yep!  Watching every move I make and protesting every item of clothing I put aside to get rid of.  “Mom!  I need that!”  “Don’t get rid of that.  It is my absolute favorite.  So is that.  And that.  And that!”  Too bad!  Clothing can only go through so many girls before it just gets flat worn out. 

     My living room is full of tubs to be packed with stuff.  There are bags at the ready for clothing to donate.  I am ready to tackle it.  The kids are already looking worried.  Their toys will be next.  (Insert evil laugh here)  Charge!

     How about you?   Ever feel like chinking a whole bunch of stuff to get some clutter relief?

God bless,

~Rhen