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Hey There!  Today we’re going to delve into the question… What do I give my wife, or girlfriend, or mom, or special lady for Christmas for under $50?  I have 7 ideas for the BEST GIFTS FOR WOMEN and they are all broken up in categories like beauty, music, or sports to help guide you in the right direction.

#1  HAIR

My very favorite hair item is the Revlon one step hairdryer.  It’s fun, useful, and produces amazing results! 

I’ve done multiple reviews and tutorials on this bad boy on my YouTube Channel so check those out!

I feel like this hairdryer is something any woman with shoulder-length hair or longer would love to have.  This brush part on the top is too big for ladies with short hair.  

I would say beginners and experts would both like this hairdryer as it eliminates the need to round brush which many women typically hate or aren’t good at.  This makes you an expert and makes your hair so smooth, silky, and finished looking.

It’s also an amazon wish list top pick and is usually around $50 but during the holidays, you can often find it on sale for an additional $20 off either on Amazon or at places like Bed Bath and Beyond or Target. 

*I will actually be giving away a free brand new Revlon One Step Hairdryer in the video above – free hairdryer and free shipping and everything!   

#2 MAKEUP

I have a set of inexpensive makeup items for the makeup gift category that seem high end when you use them.

First is the Maybeline Matte About Town Eye shadow palette.  I like it because pretty much any woman can pull off neutral eye shadow.  You can give the palette as a stocking stuffer or make it a set by pairing it with a few other items like this inexpensive makeup brush set.  I’ve literally had these brushes for 5+ years and I like them better than their more expensive counterparts.  Also is this – It’s the best waterproof mascara out there – I can’t say enough good things about this because it doesn’t bleed down your eyes at all – under any circumstances.  I’ve never had a waterproof mascara this consistent.  Also, if you want to add one more item, This is the most awesome eyelash curler I’ve ever had.  This one is the tweezerman eyelash curler and is a workhorse to make your eyelashes look longer and overall fantastic.  All of these together are around $50 which is a great deal for makeup of this quality.  If you take out the mascara, the set would be around $30. 

#3 SKINCARE

A jade roller is perfect to massage the fine lines and wrinkles out of your face and to get your facial lotion to really sink in.  It plumps up the skin making it look invigorated and is great to do every morning and night for your skin health.  Pair it with a microfiber face cloth set and Neutrogena hyaluronic acid facial lotion and your girl will love her gift!  These 3 items are only $35. Add on a face exfoliator for another $5 you can make all of these things into a kit for around $40.

#4 Music

This one is a little more than $50, it’s $56.  But it comes with a case, so that’s worth it right?

I think a ukulele for a lady who loves music would be a very sweet and thoughtful gift.  Plus, if you’re musical you can pick up the ukulele very quickly (like in a day or two).  I’ve had this uke for a few years now and it’s very portable and fun to play.  You can take it and play it anywhere.  It’s especially fun to play in our church’s children’s singing time.  The kids love it! You can tune it by using an app on your phone.  A nice addition might be a strap to carry it around and also for holding it while you play.

I think this is just a fun all around gift and you don’t exactly have to be musical for this to be a great gift either.  I think anyone could learn how to play it!  

#5 COOKING

For those of you that don’t know what this is, it’s an Instant Pot and I think the Instant Pot is probably on the top of my list of most fun and useful tools in the kitchen.  I use it several times a week and it’s super easy and also super versatile.  You can make yogurt, rice, meat, egg bites, desserts….  So many delicious things you can make in this thing.  Plus after you get it, you can get rid of your rice cooker to make space for it.  It’s $50 on Amazon right now.  I’ve never seen the price so low, so jump on your chance to get it like 70% off!  There are tons of Instant Pot recipe videos on YouTube and the cooking possibilities are endless. 

#6 SPORTY LADIES

I have been loving my chirp wheel for after sports and workouts to stretch out my back and neck muscles but it’s about $70 for one or $140 for 3 different sizes.  There’s a great alternative here that’s $30.  My husband likes to roll out after a tough day at work so it’s not just for the ladies.  It’s very relaxing and useful to have around.  It can also be used for yoga routines which many sporty ladies do to recover from their respective sports.

#7 SLEEPY MOMS

I don’t know a mom out there who wouldn’t love this weighted blanket.  I think it would be a very thoughtful gift that shows your wife and the mother of your children that you value her sleep time and want to help improve it.  I bought this one and the size is 60×80 and it’s 20 pounds (even though I’m under the weight limit for that weight because I found the lighter ones too light).  It was $37 when I bought it but I noticed the price went up to $50 recently. Hopefully it goes back down! Weighted blankets help me to get relaxed earlier, sleep deeper and better.  I suffer from anxiety and especially anxiety about sleeping and this has helped me a lot.  I was worried blankets like this would be hot but I haven’t noticed a problem at all but I don’t use them with other blankets because I get too tangled up with the weight of the blanket with other blankets.  Does that make sense?  You could pair this blanket with a sleep mask or audio sleep headphones if you wish. 

That’s it for our 7 fun gift ideas for your wife!  I hope you found the perfect gift! Let us know if you have any questions.

Be sure to enter the giveaway on YouTube!

Continue reading]]> Disneyland’s Bibbity Bobbity Bootique

Pretty much any Disneyland visit will give your family chances to meet Disney princesses, but do you have a little girl who loves to play princess, herself? Guess what! At Disneyland’s Bibbity Bobbity Bootique, your little princess can get her very own princess makeover from her very own fairy godmother. (For princes, or princesses who’d rather wield a sword than a tiara, knight packages from well-trained coachmen are also available.)

Kaylee tried two different makeover packages, on two different trips. We had so much fun! She loved getting the princess treatment, and her fairy godmothers really made the experience special. Click below to see her first makeover.

Or see her second, more elaborate makeover below.

Think this might be an experience you want your little princess (or prince, or knight) to have? You can see a listing of what’s available, what’s included, and how much the experience will cost here. Be sure to reserve a spot early, though. This is not something you can just go visit day-of. To get the date and time you want, you should make your reservation at least 60 days before your visit.

Magical Makeover DIY’s

This part of the post contains a few links to related products on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small percentage from qualifying purchases.

If you are pretty sure you would need your own personal fairy godmother to afford a makeover at Disneyland, don’t despair! Think of my videos of Kaylee and the linked listings as a magical wishing well of ideas. With some basic supplies and a healthy dose of creativity, you can create a magical makeover for your little one right at home.

Choose where you’ll do the makeover, then set the scene with something like this.

If you’re doing the makeover in a bathroom, just attach it over your regular shower curtain. If you’re using another room, you can put it up carefully with thumbtacks or tape. Be sure to use something like masking tape or painter’s tape to prevent damage to your walls.

Need a comfy gown for your princess?

A fancy tiara?

A hairpiece?

Or perhaps a sword and shield that won’t damage furniture or siblings?

Try the ones I’ve linked! With a few magical extras and some hair and makeup products you have at home, add your own time and creativity to make a magical makeover experience!

Continue reading]]> It’s no secret that I love to cook.  I know cookbooks are a little outdated (everyone uses Google these days, right?).  I guess I’m an old school nerd because I love to flip through cookbooks and see the colorful pages and, well, touch them.  I think they look so pretty on the shelf and I love to look at these in my kitchen to help inspire me.

Before I go into the list, I must say I’m an immensely simple person (don’t tell my husband, he won’t believe you!).  My taste in cookbooks reflects that style.  I like simple recipes that are fast to make and healthy.  I know some people really like to make fancy dinners.  Not me.  Nope.  Keep in mind that I love simplicity with this list of favorite cookbooks.

Here’s my Top 10 Cookbooks

NUMBER 10

This should be everyone’s first cookbook.  It’s an updated classic and still many seasoned cook’s favorite book. It goes through all of the basics of cooking in depth and has amazing go-to recipes in it.  It would make a fabulous wedding gift or would be perfect for that college student that is just starting out.

NUMBER 9

A friend mentioned to me (thanks Janna!) that this was Deseret Book’s top selling book for this week.  I like how the recipes are broken down into seasons (Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall).  And I love the colors, pictures, and simplicity of the recipes in this cookbook.

NUMBER 8

I love this cookbook for entertaining.  The recipes are timeless, interesting, and innovative.  I don’t use this cookbook on a daily basis, but I do get it out for special occasions.

NUMBER 7

If you read my blog, you know I have a ‘thing’ for food preservation.  I even have a bigger thing for Mason jars.  I think they are just lovely and I use them pretty much every day for different uses.  I love that this cook shows how to preserve in small amounts, which is a necessity for the modern cook.

NUMBER 6

If you’re looking for easy birthday ideas for kids OR for a great way to spend an afternoon cooking with your children, I highly recommend this cook book.  It’s chocked full of easy recipes that even teens can make and they look like you’ve spent all day on them.  I also recommend the companion cookbook “What’s new Cupcake?”

NUMBER 5

Another great family cookbook is this Williams Sonoma “Cooking Together Cookbook”.  I love any excuse to spend time with my kids and they all like to help cook.

NUMBER 4

I love being able to plan my dinners in the morning (when I have lots of energy) and have them cook long and slow and be ready in the evening (when I’m exhausted and tempted to serve cereal for dinner).  To top it off, I really adore Stephanie O’dea’s sense of humor.

NUMBER 3

My husband got me this book as a gift and it’s a wonderful cookbook full of everything you could ever think of to make.  This would make a wonderful gift for anyone just starting out on their own.

NUMBER 2

A friend showed me this cookbook at her home and I just fell in love (it was one of her favorites too).  I like the simplicity and how versatile this cookbook is.  The cover isn’t very exciting, but what is inside definitely is!

NUMBER 1

This is my very favorite cookbook.  I love the photos of every dish.  I love the family photos that are incorporated into the cookbook.  I love Rue Drummon’s honest style and practical recipes.  This cookbook is very colorful and so fun to look through and read.

Continue reading]]> We moved this summer and things have been, well, crazy!  I have taken quite a long blogging hiatus, but it’s nice to be back.  We recently returned from a vacation to California to go to Disneyland (shocking, I know!) and Sea World.  Our 11 year old daughter adores dolphins and has saved for a long time to pay for her own way to swim with the dolphins at Sea World via their Dolphin Interaction Program. It was a really awesome experience for the whole family and I would love to share my thoughts and my review of the experience for you.  Here are some of my pros and cons:

PROS:

• Actually get to ride, feed, and prompt a dolphin to do tricks
• You get in the water with the dolphins (waist deep: they provide a wetsuit)
• The trainers are really great with kids
• The staff is very friendly and instructive
• It lasted about 45 minutes
• They give you a complimentary towel (which is great, because we forgot ours)
• You can photograph or video the whole experience (see my con below)

CONS:

• For some reason, I was mistakingly under the impression that this was a 1:1 experience with the dolphin.  It’s a group experience and there is 1 dolphin to every 6 or so people.
• Cost ($215+)
• The biggest con to me, was there wasn’t a good spot for the parents to stand and take pictures.  Every place they had was either far away or at a weird angle.  I would have been 100% happy with the experience if I could have seen her better.  Instead I had to pay $35 for a picture of her afterwards because I couldn’t get good shots.

Overall, the experience was wonderful and I would do it again.  Here’s a video of Kaylee’s experience:

Please comment if you have questions!

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Disneyland Deals Book

You may have noticed I haven’t been blogging as much as usual.  I have been having a reoccurrence of some health issues from years past and it’s been a rough winter.  Here’s to a better Spring!

Spring also has brought a new edition of the book I wrote called, “The Cheap Family’s Guide to Disneyland; How to Save $1,000 & Still Have Fun”.

Are you wondering how to save money at Disneyland?  If so, in this new edition, I’ve added more dates, more resources, and more ideas for saving quite a lot of money.  I hope you will check it out and let me know what you think!

I’d love ideas for the 2016 version, so if there is anything you would like me to add, please let me know via the comment section!

Happy Traveling!

Continue reading]]> I had the privilege of reviewing the brand Purely Elizabeth and it was a delight.  I found the ingredients to be very high quality as well as delicious. In fact, I had to stop eating so I could do the review and still have some left to show you guys!  As you know, I am gluten and dairy free and all of the items they sent me fit that criteria.  I like that everything they sent me is made from healthy, real food – including ancient grains.  I try to avoid GMO’s and so does Purely Elizabeth, thankfully.

I have 2 criteria for granola:

1. That it’s not too sweet

2. That it has lots of clumps

I am pleased to say that Purely Elizabeth fills those requirements beautifully.

I am happy to say my baby and 10 year old love to eat the granola and the oatmeal as well.

I can’t wait to try the Blueberry Hemp granola next!

Here is the video review if you want to see the granola and oatmeal in person!

Continue reading]]> Our family goes to Disneyland several times a year.  Last year we went a record (for us) 6 times!  We have stayed at a lot of hotels, some nice (the Grand Californian) and some not so nice (Del Sol).  We usually like to stay very close to the park so we can walk to and from the hotel easily, but being a mile away wasn’t bad at all.  We drive to the park, but you could walk if you wanted to.

Last week our family had the privilege of staying at a My Castle House near Disneyland.  We stayed at home #12 which is a 4 bedroom house with a full kitchen and 3 bathrooms (see the video for a walk through).  It was about a mile away from the park.  We invited friends to come with us, so there were 2 families of 6 staying in this house comfortably. There were a lot of beds and there were hide-a-mats in the closets that were comfortable to sleep on for the kids.

I have to say no other hotel we have stayed at in Anaheim has been as nice as this was.  It will be really hard to stay in a “regular” hotel again, honestly!  I loved the full kitchen, disney decor, bunk rooms, amazing pool, living room, and the master bedroom was bigger than some hotel rooms we have stayed in.  I didn’t try all of the beds, but the master bed was very comfortable.

See the costs for this house here. We booked in under 6 weeks, so we got special pricing. There is a $250 cleaning fee charged at the end of your stay.

If the price is too high for you, I would suggest splitting the cost with another family which makes this home about the same price as other hotels in Anaheim, but you will have much more space, privacy, quiet, and very comfortable beds.  The managers were very available and willing to help as well.

These houses would be awesome for a family reunion as they have several houses right next to each other that share the pool and splashpad.

Here is the video walk through

Continue reading]]> A few weeks before the Ward Christmas Party, my husband and I were asked to be in charge as an assignment (not a calling) by our Bishop.  Our budget was initially $500, but when we priced things out, we saw we might need a little more and ended up spending around $600.  We would be on a Disneyland vacation the week before and getting back the night before the party.  To top it off, there was a funeral the afternoon of the party so we weren’t able to set up until 3 and the party started at 5.  We needed some serious help!

We planned on about 230 people and I think about 220 showed up.  This was my second time planning the ward Christmas party, so I knew what to expect (a lot or work and a lot of fun!)

The theme was “Let Him in” and we really wanted people to invite their neighbors and to feel the Christmas Spirit.  There were a few new faces and 2 sets of missionaries were also there.  I really wanted the colors to be bright because the stake cultural hall is so dreary and brown.  We went with bright red and white.  Hopefully this post will make your Christmas party a little easier!

We personally asked people to help with certain aspects of the party.  We asked some friends to help because we couldn’t do everything on our own!

1. Food – A dear friend of mine was in charge of all the food and food sign up sheets. She called and reminded everyone what they were bringing as well. We served ham (provided by the ward), homemade rolls (a lady in our ward made all of them – the ward provided the ingredients), cheesy potatoes (provided by members), salad and dressing (provided by the ward), water, and cookies for dessert (provided by the ward members).  Because of the simplicity of the food, we were able to make FOUR lines for people to go through and people got their food within 10 minutes!  Some notes on the food:  for 230 people we needed  60 pounds of ham, 15-20 cheesy potato 9×13 pans, 300 rolls, 12 sticks of margarine, 20 people bringing at least 1 dozen cookies or brownies, 2 Costco bags of Salad, 4 salad dressings, and 3 large glass beverage dispensers with strawberries and mint.
2. Gym Decorations – I was in charge of the decorations and asked on facebook if anyone had some old Christmas trees they weren’t going to use.  Several people had those and garlands they donated or let us borrow.  I just used a white sheet for the tree skirts. I made the 80 wall decorations using colorful wrapping paper I bought at Hobby Lobby (see the concept below in the photo).  Each circle needs 2 fans folded together and stapled. I made a lot of different sizes, but the best ones turned out to be 10×10 papers to begin with.  My whole family made these for several weeks! I hole punched the top and tied sewing thread in a loop and hung them with a push pin on the canvas around the perimeter of the gym.  I also got this and we made some beautiful card-stock snowflakes for the walls near the food.  We made a Merry Christmas banner to string across the stage.  I also purchased 2 dozen red and white helium balloons to put on either side of the stage.
3. Ceiling Decorations – The Young Women made snowflakes and attached fishing wire and a paperclip then we secured them to jute twine.  We had initially planned to hang them from the ceiling with tape or from hooks going from each basketball hoop, but it didn’t work out, so we strung them up above the stage and in the back of the gym.  It looked awesome!
4. Handouts –  A lady in our ward made the “Let Him In” key handouts.  Here is a printable for those.  We purchased the keys for those handouts here.  Hobby Lobby also had the keys, but they were much more expensive.  We made 60 handouts, one for each family.
5. Table Decorations – A lady in our ward made the awesome table decorations.  The striped tablecloths we bought can be found here or on Oriental Trading. I had to buy 3 rolls, but only used 2 1/2 for 20 long 6 foot (I think) tables.  And straws can be found here.  We set the tables before the party.  There was another awesome lady in our ward that made doily decorations for the tables as well. She donated all of the supplies for them.
6. Activities for the kids – A lady in our ward wrapped large priority mail boxes with bright red and white wrapping paper and put 2 on each row of tables.  Inside were some activities to do for the kids like coloring and a nativity sticker kit purchased at Hobby Lobby. They also doubled as centerpieces that weren’t too high to talk over.
7. Program – My husband was in charge of the program and decided to do a Nativity play, some congregational singing, and asked some talented people in our ward to play instruments and sing.  Our family has a set of nativity costumes, but you could get by with using robes and sheets or ask around and see if anyone in your ward has costumes.  He asked a couple in our ward to organize some primary children at the party, give them parts, and help them do the play.  Another member of our ward was the narrator and we had the congregational singing during the nativity play.  My husband printed out the words to the songs and put them on the tables.  Make sure you have a microphone (our gym has a sound system hookup in it), music stand, and piano.
8. Set up – We asked about 10 people to help us set up and almost 30 showed up.  It was a testimony to me of “angels among us”.  I know sometimes the Lord sends people to help us when we really need it and boy did we really need it!  We got done setting up about 5 minutes before it started.
9. Media – We had a poster set up in the foyer for a few weeks before the party, we also had quarter sheet flyers that we put with the sacrament meeting program the Sunday before.  We put an announcement in the newsletter and Sunday program as well as had it announced in all of the auxiliaries.
10. We made an announcement to plea for help taking down and cleaning up and lots of people stayed and helped.  I think we were done cleaning up in about 45 minutes.  We gave away almost all of the decorations so there was nearly nothing to bring home.

Here’s a brief video of the decorations and layout of our party.  Everyone needed to see the stage so we had 5 rows of 5 tables.  We had tables set up on the far left for desserts and the far right for the main course (2 rows of 2 tables so we had 4 lines going for the food).  Then a separate round table for water.

I had several comments that the party was very organized (it had started and was finished in one hour!).  I think everyone had a lot of fun and got to socialize and feel the Spirit.  The room looked really spectacular too.

Continue reading]]> Hello there!  We are pleased to bring to you a  Buttons Cloth Diaper review and giveaway.  I had the opportunity to try a Buttons diaper for a few weeks so I could review it.  I was very pleased with the quality and construction as well as with the look and function of the diaper.

Buttons has options and I like options!  You can choose snap-in soakers with microfiber for a budget option.  If you are not a fan of microfiber, (which I am not), you can choose an organic cotton/hemp blend.  You can even choose an overnight snap in soaker that snaps into the regular soaker or into the cover itself.  They have a wide variety of cover options and the thing I like best about Buttons diapers is the attention to detail.  My diaper came hand wrapped in tissue paper and string!

Speaking of the cover, it is really well made.  It has 2 layers of PUL and double gusseted legs to help prevent leaks. It is a one size cover that fits babies 9-35 pounds.  I never had a leak with this awesome diaper.

If you would like to see my full review of this diaper, check out my YouTube video here.

THE GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED AND THE WINNER IS: BECKY ANN!!!  I have never had the first commenter win before.  Congratulations!  You have 72 hours to claim your prize.  Next in line is Anel!

GIVEAWAY
Enter to win a free Buttons cover and TWO snap in soakers of your choice!

DETAILS

Expires on 11/12/2014 at 9 am MST

A winner will be chosen at random

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(Use any or all of these options)

1. Post a comment on this blog post stating what you like best about Buttons diapers= 1 entry

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RIGHT NOW BUTTONS HAS FREE SHIPPING OVER $75 FOR A LIMITED TIME!!!