A Lil Dash of Diva

That Friday Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 02:00:00 +0000

Happy hopping everyone! Thanks for joining us again for That Friday Blog Hop which goes live every Thursday evening at 8pm EST. So join us each week & link up your blogs, social media outlets, or anything you'd love to share.

That Friday Blog Hop: Join Us Every Thursday Evening

While there are no rules, we would love it if you would :::

- Stop by the hosts & co-hosts blog and follow along

- Say hi to new bloggers and leave a wonderful comment

- Grab the button and/or tweet about the blog hop as well

- Come back every Thursday evening to join in the party

- If you are interested in being a co-host for an upcoming week, comment below

An InLinkz Link-up

DIY Glitter Glass

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 20:57:00 +0000

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
#BringingInnovation #CollectiveBias

Hello Hello!! Today I'm sharing a fun craft. It's got glitter so it's sparkly and shiny and pretty but it's also great because it's made reusing some material. My family is very big on recycle-reduce-reuse. We try to reduce our footprint where we can. One of the ways we do that is by recycling papers and plastics and things like that around the house. We go through a lot of batteries in our house...things like baby toys, Wii remotes, the mouse for the computer. We also reuse and repurpose whatever we can and that is where the craft comes in that I'm sharing now.

First, I take a candle that is burned down to the wick. I boil some water, pour it into the glass and let it sit. After the water cools, the wax will float to the top letting you just pick it out of the glass to throw away. Clean the glass with soap and water, dry completely and it's ready to use.

Here are the supplies I use: mod podge, glitter (whatever color you want or you can use multiple colors), and gloves

So, throw a glove on and dip a finger in the mod podge and just coat the inside of the glass. It doesn't have to be completely white, but just enough so that every part of the glass is coated.

Pour in a bit of glitter and roll the glass around to coat the bottom portion of the glass. Rolling to also get the glitter up the sides of the glass.

Once you've coated the whole inside of the glass it will look like this but you could also do another coat and try to thicken it up to be more opaque. When you have added as much glitter as you want, you just add another coat of mod podge to seal it, but make sure the first coat you applied (before glitter) is dried or it will make the glitter come off and it will be patchy.

There you have it, a gorgeous glitter container that you can use for storing items or put another candle in, maybe a tea light. Even if you don't put anything in it and just put it near a soft light you'll have gorgeous shimmery ambiance in whatever room you put it in.

Back to the battery issue...if you are like us and go through so many batteries, it would be nice to know that they are at least made from recycled materials. I found these new BringingInnovation.net Energizer ecoAdvanced batteries at Walmart on one of my recent trips to get more batteries for the Wii remotes and I snatched them right up. This is the first battery on the market to use recycled batteries/materials "Energizer's longest lasting alkaline ever" EcoAdvanced batteries are also available in AAA if you need that size.

Right now you can enter the "GuiltFreeEnergy Giveaway - $1,000 in Gift Cards".

What's in my Purse - Snack Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 19:44:00 +0000

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
#WhenImHungry #CollectiveBias

Hello Hello!

Let's just have some real talk for a minute, ok? I'm gonna tell it like it is....sometimes, I don't have time to eat. I know, I said it. I always get annoyed when I hear other people say things like that, because really, how can you not have time to eat? It takes 2 minutes to throw something together! But, I've turned into one of those people who is too busy most of the day to eat.

As a mom, of course, I make sure my kids are fed. But generally, while the kids are eating, I'm doing something else that I can only get done while they are occupied. Like dishes. Or vacuuming. Or dusting. Or laundry. Or cleaning the bathrooms. You get the idea.

Well, then, comes the hangry part. I get hangry. You know, you are hungry and then it leads to angry. Hungry + Angry= Hangry. I get super grumpy and start snapping at the kids or the husband over really small things that normally wouldn't bother me, but when I'm hangry - everyone best watch out because I'm really not me when I'm hungry! I really don't mean to get the hangry point, like it's never my intention to not feed myself at all through the day, but there are some days that are so jam packed that it just happens.

So, my solution is that I've started keeping SNICKERS® on hand. In my kitchen. In my diaper bag. In my purse.

If I have been go - go -going all day without eating I will grab one of my SNICKERS® stash and have that to tide me over until I can sit down and actually have a meal. It gives me a boost to my blood sugar, keeps the rumbly tummy at bay and lifts my grumpy mood making me a happy camper once again. The other day, I had a crazy busy day, so while I was out running errands, I stopped by Walgreens to pick up a few SNICKERS® to replenish my stock.

During the day, I keep a pot of coffee on and will grab a SNICKERS if I'm feeling the need for a little boost but don't have time right then to sit and eat. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's day looks like this most of the time...right?!

Enter the SNICKERS® "Who are you when you're hungry?" contest by uploading a personal photo or video from your Computer, Facebook, Instagram or use the SNICKERS® Meme Generator to create something new! Voting begins at Noon on 5/11/15 and ends at 11:59:59AM ET on 7/15/15. See more great SNICKERS® recipes and fun stories on the SNICKERS® social hub.

What do you keep around for a little boost to help keep you being you when you're hungry?

That Friday Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 02:00:00 +0000

That Friday Blog Hop: Join Us Every Thursday Evening

While there are no rules, we would love it if you would :::

- Stop by the hosts & co-hosts blog and follow along

- Say hi to new bloggers and leave a wonderful comment

- Grab the button and/or tweet about the blog hop as well

- Come back every Thursday evening to join in the party

- If you are interested in being a co-host for an upcoming week, please comment below

An InLinkz Link-up

Easy Lasagna Rolls - Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Tue, 24 Mar 2015 16:00:00 +0000

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.
#ChooseSmart #CollectiveBias

Hey guys! I am so proud of myself, you wanna know why don't you? Of course you do...;) I have been doing quite a bit more cooking from scratch and so I thought I'd share one of my most recent recipes with y'all. So here is a really quick and easy lasagna rolls recipe.

First off, there is a new grocery store in my neighborhood so I decided to swing by and check Smart & Final out on the Grand Opening day. It's all nice and shiny and pretty for the Grand Opening and I was really impressed with how well organized everything was for being as busy as it was and the staff was super friendly and helpful. You can follow them on Twitter or Facebook

I don't think I've been in a Smart & Final in at least 15 years, and I was happy to see such great prices on what I use most. They had a beautiful floral section that had gorgeous Spring flowers. I love having fresh flowers around the house, it makes everything just seem happier and prettier.

The produce section was spectacular. There were so many brightly colored fruits and veggies that just draw you in and the quality was really fantastic. The stands were piled high with gorgeous apples, the shelves are stocked with a great variety of dressings and the selection of pre packaged salad mixes and veggies was really outstanding.

The dairy case had a really big selection of all sorts of cheeses....shredded, block, sliced, string, tub and cube. They carry all different brands as well, which helps a lot if you are particular about your brands. I generally stick to store brands so I was happy to see that they do have a few different private label brands to choose from; First Street, La Romanella and Ambiance.

I was really impressed with the layout of everything. Everything was organized and clearly marked so there was not confusion on prices for items and you can clearly see each brand and type of product within the brand so you don't have to search high and low to find what you need. When you are shopping with small kids, that is super important - you want to get in and get out with the least amount of stress as possible and I can definitely see myself shopping at Smart & Final on a regular basis from now on. It's really important to me to be able to do a one-stop shop and the ability to save some extra money is a huge bonus.

Ok, enough about that, let's talk ingredients and the actual recipe, shall we?!

Here's what you'll need:

3.5 cups Ricotta cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese

1 egg

2.5 teaspoons italian seasoning

2.5 cups frozen spinach (thawed and drained)

1 box of lasagna noodles (cooked so you don't have any trouble rolling them)

1 large can tomato sauce

1 can diced tomato

1 can tomato paste

seasoning to taste

garlic

Now that you've had a chance to get your ingredients all together, let's start building our rolls. This is really easy and not super messy so it's a great way to get the kids involved in helping out in the kitchen. My 10 year old daughter loves to get in the kitchen and help out so I have her measure out ingredients, mix everything and help spread the filling onto the noodles and then the best and most fun part, I love to have her help me roll them. I'm not only spending good, quality time with her but I'm also teaching her valuable life skills that she'll need when she's older to take care of herself and a family later on.

The first thing I do is get my sauce going on the stove. Take your can of tomato sauce, diced tomato and tomato paste along with whatever seasoning you like to flavor your pasta sauce. I generally reach for just good old Italian seasoning and fresh garlic. I also add a sprinkle of sugar to make it a bit less acidic. Once that's started, I move on to assembling my filling.

For the filling, you'll take your ricotta, mozzarella, egg, Italian seasoning and if you choose to add spinach you'll add it here as well. I usually add spinach just because it's a great way to get some greens in without hearing any complaining because you can't hardly taste it!

While you are assembling your filling, now's a good time to boil the noodles so you can roll them without breaking them...you can't really roll a hard lasagna noodle ;)

Take all of your ingredients and combine them into one mixing bowl, make sure everything gets really thoroughly incorporated. Once you've mixed everything together you just have to spread it out on the noodles, roll them and place them in your casserole dish.

I always put a layer of sauce on the bottom of my casserole dish to help insure the noodles don't stick to the dish. Then I lay the rolls in the dish, cover with more sauce, sprinkle mozzarella over the top and if you want you can add fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top before you cover it and slide it in the oven. I cook this for about 45 minutes on 375 and take the foil off at about 35 minutes and let the cheese get nice and golden and bubbly for the last 10 minutes in the oven.

I hope y'all enjoy this recipe if you give it a try and I'd love to hear some of your favorite recipes to make with your kids, I need some new stuff to make with Hannah so leave me a comment and let me know what you make with your kiddos

That Friday Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 01:00:00 +0000

That Friday Blog Hop: Join Us Every Thursday Evening

While there are no rules, we would love it if you would :::

- Stop by the hosts & co-hosts blog and follow along

- Say hi to new bloggers and leave a wonderful comment

- Grab the button and/or tweet about the blog hop as well

- Come back every Thursday evening to join in the party

- If you are interested in being a co-host for an upcoming week, comment below

An InLinkz Link-up

5 Tips for a Flawless Shave

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 18:00:00 +0000

Hello lovelies! Today I'm going to share my tips and tricks for getting a smooth, flawless shave, every time.

1. Start with the right tools!

Here is the 'starter kit' I got when I was first introduced to wet shaving, it includes a razor, blades, brush, pre-shave cream, shave soap, after shave lotion. There are many different options if you are just starting out and I highly recommend the friendly and knowledgeable staff at Razor Emporium here in Phoenix.

A good razor can make such a big difference in the smoothness of your shave. I would have never believed it if I didn't experience it myself. All razors are created equal, right? Wrong! For years I used a traditional disposable razor and for years I dreaded shaving because of the razor burn and irritation it would cause. Once I started using a double edge safety razor I noticed the razor burn and irritation dropped drastically.

2. Exfoliate your skin properly.

Before I shave, I always ALWAYS exfoliate my skin using a sugar scrub. I take a shower, and use whatever sugar scrub I have on hand. You want to make sure to have as much dead skin off of your body as possible before you start shaving. It will ensure you get a nice smooth shave without gunking up your razor.

3. Build up a good lather.

The soap or shaving cream you use makes a huge difference too believe it or not. If you use a shaving cream from a can, you are going to dry out your skin which will cause razor burn and irritation. By using a good shave soap you will hydrate your skin much better. Most of the shaving soaps I personally use are made of only vegan materials and are super hydrating. You build up a nice creamy lather with water and your shave soap and it doesn't dry out on your skin like canned shaving cream. Some of my favorite shave soaps are made by WSP - Wet Shaving Products. They are a locally based company here in the Valley and make fantastic smelling soaps but on top of that they perform well and leave your skin feeling soft and not dehydrated. Another locally owned company who makes a few of my favorite soaps is Phoenix Artisan Accoutrements , the soaps and aftershaves are so good.

4. Hold the razor with a firm grasp, but don't press hard onto the skin.

When you hold your razor, you want to make sure that you have a firm grasp, but that you are not applying any pressure at all once the blade touches your skin. The weight of the razor head will be enough to shave the hair from your skin. If you apply pressure to the blade your chances of cutting yourself are pretty solid. You really just want to let the razor glide over your skin.

5. Moisturize your skin.

I can't emphasize enough how important it is to moisturize your skin! If you are starting off with well hydrated skin that has been taken care of from the inside out, you will come away with a better shave. Your skin needs proper hydration, exfoliating, and moisturizing if you want to get your best shave ever. If you take the extra time to pamper your skin before your shave by using a pre-shave cream or oil, it will help to prepare the skin and hairs to help you avoid any irritation to your skin caused by razors. After you've gone through the steps of hydrating, exfoliating, pre-shave cream, and a good shave soap; I highly recommend using a nice moisturizer or lotion to lock in the hydration.

That Friday Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 02:00:00 +0000

That Friday Blog Hop: Join Us Every Thursday Evening

While there are no rules, we would love it if you would :::

- Stop by the hosts & co-hosts blog and follow along

- Say hi to new bloggers and leave a wonderful comment

- Grab the button and/or tweet about the blog hop as well

- Come back every Thursday evening to join in the party

- If you are interested in being a co-host for an upcoming week, send an email
HERE

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Top 5 Binge-Worthy Shows

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Tue, 10 Mar 2015 16:30:00 +0000

You guys. Seriously. I think I have a problem. I am addicted to binge-watching shows on Netflix. lol I know I cannot be the only one, but really it is a problem! haha

So, today I thought I'd share some of my favorite binge-worthy shows, get ready!

1. Arrow - This is a show on the CW network and it stars Stephen Amell (hello, seriously hot!) as Oliver Queen a billionaire playboy turned vigilante. He makes those leather pants look good...haha but back to the show. Season 4 is airing on the CW now, but you can binge-watch the first 3 seasons on Netflix.

My husband started watching this show before I did and he kept saying how he thought I'd really like it but I would roll my eyes and never watched. Finally, I had nothing else to watch and was bored so I put it on and haven't stopped watching. One of my favorite shows now! I think I watched the first 3 seasons in like a week.

2. House of Cards is a Netflix Original series starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. Oh. Em. Gee. I started watching House of Cards on my own and then asked if my hubby wanted to watch with me. I love a good political drama and this is completely amazing. I was never a big fan of Kevin Spacey, not that I didn't think he was a talented actor, but he just wasn't on my top list of actors I really love. But you guys, he is so good as Francis (Frank) Underwood. I haven't been able to get through the 2nd and 3rd seasons yet just because hubby wants to watch with me and we don't have that much time to binge-watch together, but we are working our way through it! Love HOC!!

3. Scandal on ABC. Let's just all take a minute and thank Sweet Baby Jesus for Shonda Rhimes and her magnificent mind that brought us Grey's and Scandal among other things. Thursday night is seriously my favorite night of the week for those two shows. Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope is strong and powerful and stunning. That woman is a force to be reckoned with and I love every minute. I am totally team Jake though. I love LOVE her with Jake...although I do love Fitz, I just love her with Jake. If you are looking to start a new show and haven't seen Scandal yet, what are you waiting for?!

4. The Originals on the CW. Clearly I have a thing for the CW network. ;) The Originals is about the Original Vampire family and is a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries. Klaus Mikaelson, played by Joseph Morgan is this damaged hybrid werewolf/vampire. When his character was first introduced on The Vampire Diaries, I hated him. I just couldn't stand him...then over time the more of his story was told, I started to really love him. I have to admit though, his brother Elijah (played by Daniel Gillies)....lord have mercy, that man is delicious in his fancy suits and always looking so GQ.

5. The Vampire Diaries. I tried to watch this show when it was first airing. Then I tried to watch it on Netflix and I couldn't get into it. Then I decided to try again on Netflix a few months ago and I binge-watched my way through 6 season on Netflix in order to be able to start watching the 7th season the night it premiered. Yes, I have a binge-watching problem. haha. Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore is the easy on the eyes, sweet vampire who doesn't feed on humans while Ian Somerhalder is Damon Salvatore the bad boy, evil and he likes it that way vampire. At first I really despised Damon but as time went on and he showed more of his vulnerable side, I started to love him and now I adore him.

There we have it, my top 5 binge-worthy shows right now! I'd love to hear your suggestions for some new shows I can binge-watch and if you decide to watch any of my top 5, I'd love to hear how you like them!!

That Friday Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 02:00:00 +0000

That Friday Blog Hop: Join Us Every Thursday Evening

While there are no rules, we would love it if you would :::

- Stop by the hosts & co-hosts blog and follow along

- Say hi to new bloggers and leave a wonderful comment

- Grab the button and/or tweet about the blog hop as well

- Come back every Thursday evening to join in the party

- If you are interested in being a co-host for an upcoming week, send an email
HERE

An InLinkz Link-up

I'm Going to SoFabUOTR!

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 17:00:00 +0000

Disclaimer : I am writing this post in exchange for a discounted conference ticket; however, all opinions are mine and mine alone.

You guys! I am so excited to be going to my first ever blogging conference, #SoFabUOTR!! I have had this on my 40 by 40 list, well, for the last like 3 years because I'm pretty sure I posted that when I was 35...yeah. #Cbias is bringing the SoFabUOTR conference to Phoenix on March 28th, 2015 and I'm super excited to have the chance to go.

I have been a part of SoFab (Collective Bias/Social Fabric) for about 2 years I think and over that time, I have worked on some great campaigns and learned a lot about blogging in general. I am so excited that instead of one big conference this year, they are breaking it into mini conferences all over the country for 2015!

SoFabU on the Road is a unique event that allows influencers to take advantage of educational opportunities that will help set them a part from the rest. SoFabU on the Road features hands-on, interactive sessions for influencers to implement what they're learning on the spot. The sessions are paired with fun city-specific adventures where attendees get to practice their newly learned skills.
Events are open to all bloggers and influencers!

~~Jan – Los Angeles~~
~~Feb – Miami~~
March – Phoenix
April – Cincinnati
April – Seattle
May – Dallas
June – NYC
July – Chicago
Aug. – Minneapolis
Sept. – Atlanta
Oct. – Bentonville

For those of you who aren't familiar with Collective Bias/Social Fabric, here's a little more info for you.

Collective Bias® is the only shopper social media company that solves shopper marketing problems by weaving together organic social content with engaging, real-life stories to generate millions of impressions, increased share of voice, SEO and retail sales for brands and retailers. Top brands such as Tyson, Nestlé and Duane Reade rely on Collective Bias to sell their stories socially. Based in Bentonville, Arkansas, with satellite offices in New York City, Chicago, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Cincinnati and London, Collective Bias was named one of America's 25 Most Promising Companies by Forbes and a part of the Inc. 5000.

Social Fabric® is Collective Bias’ proprietary community of nearly 3,000 shopping-focused influencers with an aggregate multi-channel reach in excess of 130 million.
For more information, please visit Collectivebias.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

So, for a little more information about this particular conference, it's being held at a resort in Paradise Valley, a suburb of Phoenix, The Scottsdale Plaza Resort.

The Scottsdale Plaza Resort

7200 North Scottsdale Road

Paradise Valley, AZ 85253

I'm super excited to hear the sponsors for this event: Johnny Rockets, Müller, Kraft and iBlog. The speaker at SoFabUOTR is Aliza Sherman, who helped pave the way for women online and in the Internet industry, who will be speaking on harnessing your content with a social media strategy and editorial calendar. She'll discuss learning to plan ahead, attracting the best audience, boosting your online presence and saving yourself a whole lot of time!

We’ll also have networking, brands, a city-specific Adventure, and other learning opportunities. You can check out the agenda on the SoFabUOTR website!

I'd love for you to join me at SoFabUOTR Phoenix!

Random Snaps

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 20:30:00 +0000

Hello lovelies! So I haven't shared a whole lot of just random pics here lately, so I thought it was time to go ahead and do just that...I give you - Random Snaps ;)

Am I the only one who has a bajillion selfies on their phone from trying to get that 'perfect' one?!

I am in love with these two pics, the top one Asa is being silly and laughing at his sister and the bottom one he's looking at her like she's done lost her damn mind! haha

These two adore each other. I am not even kidding. Love my babies.

My husband is a former drummer, so any chance he gets to go into the nearby music store, he jumps at the chance and hops on any one of the instruments to test them all out.

Nevermind the bunny ears, how stinking adorable is Asa?! We were at Home Depot and he just grabbed the steering wheel and hung his arm off the side like he'd been driving his whole life. It was hilarious and so stinking cute!

lol, I do NOT look happy in this top pic! This was the 'before' I went and got all my hairs chopped off ;)

And this, is the 'after'. See, happy girl! I love my hair right now. It's really healthy and I love the length. I'm not getting as many headaches and all that from the weight of my hair. It just is really fun and I'm loving it....for now. lol, We will see how long I last before I decide to grow it back out again which I always do. Ah well, it is just hair and it does indeed grow back. ;)

I hope y'all enjoyed this walk down memory lane with me. I am a bit under the weather as I'm typing this post up so I am off to get some much needed rest now that my kids are in bed asleep!

That Friday Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Fri, 27 Feb 2015 03:00:00 +0000

That Friday Blog Hop: Join Us Every Thursday Evening

While there are no rules, we would love it if you would :::

- Stop by the hosts & co-hosts blog and follow along

- Say hi to new bloggers and leave a wonderful comment

- Grab the button and/or tweet about the blog hop as well

- Come back every Thursday evening to join in the party

- If you are interested in being a co-host for an upcoming week, send an email
HERE

An InLinkz Link-up

My 10 Year Old Wears Victoria's Secret Panties

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 16:42:00 +0000

So I have a confession...this post has been sitting in my draft posts for 2 years. The title was originally My 8 year old wears VS panties. No joke. Why have I not just posted it before now? Aside from life just got really crazy? I'm not really sure. So, here we are 2 years later and it is time to hit publish.

Oh Victoria you sure don't have many Secrets left, honey.

I know that some people won't really get why I buy my daughter Victoria's Secret panties and that's ok, you don't have to get it.

For the longest time, Hannah has had a hard time with the textures of clothing against her skin. She's never been diagnosed with anything like Sensory Processing Disorder or anything else under the label of 'special needs', but I believe she does have a sensory issue that we've dealt with her entire life. There is a definite switch that happens in her when she tries on clothing that feels ok and when something doesn't work for her. She loses her mind. When I say she loses her mind, what I mean is that she completely loses her ability to cope rationally with what's happening. If something doesn't feel right against her skin, she goes into absolute hysterical freakout mode instead of just taking that piece of clothing off. It's like the easiest solution doesn't make sense to her mind at that moment.

Over the years, we have tried every brand of panties from stores like Walmart and Target, but it was hit or miss on whether she'd actually wear them. Either the elastic on the thighs and waist didn't feel right or the actual material wasn't soft enough. It was a huge struggle. Finally, I had bought her some DKNY panties at Costco and it was like a whole new world. She had zero issues, she loved them because they were so soft and there was no rough elastic. Try as I might a few months later when it was time for new panties, I couldn't find those same panties, so I decided a trip to Victoria's Secret was in order.

Now, yes, my daughter was 8 years old when we started buying her panties at VS. The biggest reason we started shopping at VS for her panties is the sensory issue. The Victoria's Secret panties are just the softest I've found. We have had zero issues over panties since she's started wearing them. Obviously I don't buy her the sexy panties, the lace, thong and cheeky panties are off limits. She gets the same style that we would get in a Walmart or Target from like Hanes, the only difference is they are so much softer.

On top of the actual panties being a better fit for her senses, it makes my daughter feel special when we go to Victoria's Secret and she gets to pick out cute and comfy panties. Who wouldn't like picking out new panties when they come in such fun designs and colors?! If this is what it takes to help Hannah through a sensory issue, I'm totally ok with it.

I've learned over the last 10 years what works for her and what doesn't. It definitely doesn't mean that I don't have moments of frustration when we are in a dressing room and she tries something on and then goes into freak out mode. In my head, the most rational thing is to just take that item off if it doesn't feel right, but to her, that is not her first instinct and so I try to just calmly get her out of whatever clothing is bothering her right away to minimize the meltdown.

If you've got a special needs kid, what are some things you've found to help you both cope?

Lane Bryant NFL Capsule Collection

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 02:19:00 +0000

So a couple of weeks ago, I was invited to the launch of the NFL Capsule Collection at Lane Bryant. It was just before the Super Bowl so they had decor in the Seahawks and Patriots colors along with football shaped cookies, cupcakes with each teams colors and chocolate dipped pretzels.

They had a selection of these new shirts ranging from the NFL Logo to individual team shirts and a special Super Bowl t-shirt as well. If you made a purchase and were one of the first 50 people you got a swag back with one of the NFL logo shirts and a few other fun little items.

I decided to film myself getting ready for the event and then took a few pics while I was there to show y'all some of the highlights of the event.

I really loved being invited to this event and can't wait for future fashion events to go to!

What would be your dream fashion event to go to?

That Friday Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Fri, 20 Feb 2015 04:56:00 +0000

That Friday Blog Hop: Join Us Every Thursday Evening

While there are no rules, we would love it if you would :::

- Stop by the hosts & co-hosts blog and follow along

- Say hi to new bloggers and leave a wonderful comment

- Grab the button and/or tweet about the blog hop as well

- Come back every Thursday evening to join in the party

- If you are interested in being a co-host for an upcoming week, send an email
HERE

An InLinkz Link-up

That Friday Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Fri, 13 Feb 2015 01:00:00 +0000

That Friday Blog Hop: Join Us Every Thursday Evening

While there are no rules, we would love it if you would :::

- Stop by the hosts & co-hosts blog and follow along

- Say hi to new bloggers and leave a wonderful comment

- Grab the button and/or tweet about the blog hop as well

- Come back every Thursday evening to join in the party

- If you are interested in being a co-host for an upcoming week, send an email
HERE

An InLinkz Link-up

That Friday Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Fri, 06 Feb 2015 02:00:00 +0000

That Friday Blog Hop: Join Us Every Thursday Evening

While there are no rules, we would love it if you would :::

- Stop by the hosts & co-hosts blog and follow along

- Say hi to new bloggers and leave a wonderful comment

- Grab the button and/or tweet about the blog hop as well

- Come back every Thursday evening to join in the party

- If you are interested in being a co-host for an upcoming week, send an email
HERE

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5 Tips to Get Your Car Ready for Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 16:00:00 +0000

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.#DropShopAndOil #CollectiveBias

Hey guys! So today I have a little different kind of post for you. My husband and I are planning our summer road trips and with that comes getting the car in tip top shape for the long hot summers we have here in the desert. I thought I'd share with y'all my Top 5 Tips for Getting Your Car Ready for summer!

1. Make sure your A/C is charged, you've had a tune up and oil change. The summers here in Phoenix are brutal not just for us but for our vehicles too. It's a good idea to make sure your A/C is charged before you'll need it. Also, it is highly recommended to have a yearly tune up just to make sure everything is good to go for your long road trips. For me, I am pretty good about getting the oil changed every 3000-5000 miles but I always make sure that it's been done right before any long road trips...like say from my house in Phoenix to the beach in San Diego. ;) We use the Pennzoil Pennzoil High Mileage Vehicle – Better (goldish/brown bottle - suggested when car milage is above 75,000). High Mileage Vehicle – Helps to reduce leaks and oil consumption in worn or higher mileage engines. It's a motor oil that is specifically designed for new or late model vehicles with over 75,000 miles, to help keep the engines running clean and going strong for a long time. All Pennzoil products help clean out sludge lesser oils leave behind. Pennzoil is designed for complete protection and will allow you to drive an extra of 550 miles per year vs. a dirty engine. No other motor oil provides better protection from friction. My preferred place to get the oil changed on my car is the Walmart Tire and Lube center. I can get all of my other shopping done while I'm waiting and it's really affordable - that's a win win in my book!

2. Check your tires and make sure they are in good shape. Enough tread, no nails or other sharp objects penetrating the tire. It can be really dangerous to drive around on bad tires and especially in the summer when the pavement gets even hotter, it can wear your tread down more than the rest of the year.

3. Check all your rubber ;) Your belts, hoses, windshield wipers. Anything that is rubber is going to heat up more than normal in the summer, which leads to drying and cracks in the belts, hoses and of course the wiper blades.

4. Check your fluids and make sure they are all topped off. Brake fluid, water, radiator (anti-freeze), power steering, and wiper fluid. Any fluids can evaporate much faster in the hotter months so it's best to check them before you notice a problem.

5. Have an emergency kit in the trunk that includes, water, snacks (non-perishable), sunscreen, tp, paper towels, blanket, flashlight, small tool kit and matches, jumper cables, and a phone charger. I haven't restocked my emergency car kit yet this year, so now that I've seen what I have and what I need I can go stock up while I wait for my oil change to be done at Walmart's Tire and Lube center. Easy peasy!

Are y'all heading anywhere fun this summer? We are planning a trip to Vegas and a trip to the beach of course...if you are in the SouthWest, where are your favorite road trip destinations?

Skinny Cow Creamy Iced Coffee Tasting Party!

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Sun, 01 Feb 2015 03:50:00 +0000

This post is sponsored by Skinny Cow, I received compensation for this post however all opinions and photographs are my own. @TheSkinnyCow #SkinnyIndulgence

So a couple of weeks ago, I hosted a Skinny Cow Tasting party! It was so much fun!!

I had a table set up with coolers full of the Skinny Cow Creamy Iced Coffee drinks and these cute placemats that had a spot for a little shot glass of each of the different flavors. We had Creamy Cappuccino, Vanilla Latte and Mocha Latte to try.

The consensus was that Skinny Cow hit a home run with these tasty iced coffee drinks but the favorite of the 3 was the creamy cappuccino!

If you are interested in trying Skinny Cow Creamy Iced Coffee you can find it at your local Fry's store.

SNICKERS® Cheesecake Cups for The Big Game!

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 16:12:00 +0000

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.#BigGameTreats #CollectiveBias

I don't know about y'all, but I'm a huge football fan, of course my team didn't make the big game this year, but that isn't going to stop me from watching it and enjoying the time with friends and family. This year I'm planning on making some delicious snacks and I thought I'd share them with you since they are super quick and easy!

The first thing I'll be making are these divine SNICKERS® Cheesecake Cups. So easy and really quick to whip up! The first thing I did was head to Walmart to grab some supplies. What you'll need is:

A bag of SNICKERS (you can use fun size, mini's, singles...whatever you prefer to work with since you'll just be chopping them up anyhow)

Caramel sauce

Cheesecake filling (I bought mine pre-made but of course you could make your own)

Next, you'll need a good knife and cutting board so you can chop up the SNICKERS into really small pieces. The first step is to roll out a few of the SNICKERS bars (I used 5 of the mini's) to use as your crust. I flattened them and then pressed them into the bottom of my cups. Then I added a scoop of cheesecake filling and topped with a layer of the chopped up SNICKERS.

Once those first 2 layers are done, you could stop, but why not go all out for the big game?! I chose to add one more layer of cheesecake filling.

To top it off, I added another layer of chopped SNICKERS and finished off with a drizzle of caramel sauce all over the top.

See, I told you, super quick and easy!

Now, of course, it wouldn't be a party without some fun drinks so I'm making a fun Skittles® fizzy soda!

What you'll need for these drinks are:

Skittles
Clear soda ( any brand will do )

Just pour the fizzy soda into a glass (over ice or not) and drop some Skittles into the glass and watch it fizz even more! The soda will change colors depending on which color Skittles you drop in the glass too.

I would love to hear what y'all are going to be making for the big game, leave me a comment below telling me your go-to recipe for the party!

That Friday Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Fri, 23 Jan 2015 02:02:00 +0000

That Friday Blog Hop: Join Us Every Thursday Evening

While there are no rules, we would love it if you would :::

- Stop by the hosts & co-hosts blog and follow along

- Say hi to new bloggers and leave a wonderful comment

- Grab the button and/or tweet about the blog hop as well

- Come back every Thursday evening to join in the party

- If you are interested in being a co-host for an upcoming week, send an email
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That Friday Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 02:00:00 +0000

That Friday Blog Hop: Join Us Every Thursday Evening

While there are no rules, we would love it if you would :::

- Stop by the hosts & co-hosts blog and follow along

- Say hi to new bloggers and leave a wonderful comment

- Grab the button and/or tweet about the blog hop as well

- Come back every Thursday evening to join in the party

- If you are interested in being a co-host for an upcoming week, send an email here

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2014 in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 17:06:00 +0000

2014.

What an incredible year. It started with my daughter's cheer squad winning first place at their state championship. During that competition I started having massive back labor since I was 9 months pregnant. That was not a lot of fun!

After being in labor for an entire week, I had an ultrasound that showed Asa wasn't head down anymore so we scheduled a c-section for later that day.

Hannah was completely smitten with her baby brother from the first second she saw him.

Cousins having a fun sleepover!

Hannah was sick but it was national comic book day or something so she wanted to get a few from our local comic book store.

My little brother is a Phoenix Firefighter and he received an award for saving the life of a cop who had been shot in the line of duty. My brother is on the bottom row, on the end next to the female officer he helped to save. We are so proud of him!

Over the summer I babysat a bunch of kids. No, really. I had 4 extra kids most days bringing the total number of kids in my house to 6. While my husband worked nights so he had to sleep most of the day. Yeah, ask me how much fun that was to try and keep 6 quiet enough for him to sleep but busy enough for them to not be super bored! hahaha

Two of the extra kiddos are my niece and nephew. They played a lot of Just Dance on the Wii and of course, Super Mario Bros. lol

At last, it was time for school to start! Can I get an amen?! This was Hannah on the first day of 4th grade. Holy crap, how did I get a 4th grader?! She's grown up so fast already, I hate to think how fast the next 10 years will go...

We went to the beach in July for Sean's birthday. My in-laws live in SoCal so we try to take a trip every summer out to visit them and of course, hit up the beach. We spent the day at Del Mar on Camp Pendleton and it was beautiful.

Asa getting some quality nap time in with Papa after a nice relaxing swim.

Hannah joined the cross country team at school and so we spent every Saturday morning at her meets. She had a great time and has decided she wants to do it again next year.

For Halloween my babies were Batman and Robin. How adorable are they though?!

Our pumpkin has a moustache ;)

In November Hannah turned 10. A decade. Unbelievable. I cannot believe my baby girl is 10 years old already. She had a great birthday with lots of friends and family around to help her celebrate.

That brings us full circle to cheer competition again! Now though, I have an almost 1 year old son who decided he'd rather sleep instead of watching all the performances leading up to big sister's squad.

Our girls took 2nd place at cheer this time, but we couldn't be more proud of them! Hannah and her bff Trin, move up to the next squad for 2015, Jr All Stars!!

Asa's first time seeing Santa and he handled it like a champ!! No tears at all, but he wasn't exactly thrilled either! lol

Celebrating Christmas with the family, what fun!

Again I say, What A YEAR! It was a great 2014 but I believe 2015 will be even better!

That Friday Blog Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Chrissy Thomas) — Fri, 09 Jan 2015 02:00:00 +0000

That Friday Blog Hop: Join Us Every Thursday Evening

While there are no rules, we would love it if you would :::

- Stop by the hosts & co-hosts blog and follow along

- Say hi to new bloggers and leave a wonderful comment

- Grab the button and/or tweet about the blog hop as well

- Come back every Thursday evening to join in the party

- If you are interested in being a co-host for an upcoming week, send an email here

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