Everything's going swimmingly (and giveaway #5)

Captain Husband came home late Tuesday night (which also happened to be our third wedding anniversary--pretty good timing, eh?) and we've all been adjusting pretty well. It's so nice having our little family all together again.  I think Sammy even remembers CH from his visit home a month ago because Sammy hasn't really shown any signs of being strange around CH, thank goodness.

Yesterday we headed over to the pool to cool off for a bit after finishing up some things on our to-do list for the big move, like re-caulking the master bathroom, re-installing all of the original builder's grade light fixtures, and repairing the split seam in the kitchen floor (my dad came down and helped a lot--I'm going to miss having him an afternoon's drive away when we attempt our first DIY project in El Paso).

No, I don't see any resemblance at all.  What are you talking about?

I think they're getting along just fine, don't you?

And that brings us to this week's final giveaway--something that can definitely come in handy on your next trip to the pool:

The Planet Wise wet bag would be a staple in my house even if I wasn't using cloth diapers on Sammy; in addition to keeping his dirty diapers safely stashed in my diaper bag, I like to use my wet bag for packing toiletries (because it's totally leak-proof I don't have to worry about my moisturizer leaking and ruining all of the clothes in my suitcase) and yesterday I used it to keep my camera and iPhone safe and dry while we were at the pool.  The winner will receive an 8 x 10" wet bag in the groovy guitars print, which I thought had a nice southwestern feel to it:

Okay, so here's the nitty gritty on how to enter:

Mandatory entry: You must be a follower of my blog. Just leave me a comment telling me you are.

{Optional entries--please leave a separate comment for each entry}
1. Answer this question: What would you put in your wet bag?
2. Like my blog on Facebook.
3. Tweet, Facebook or blog about this giveaway.

This giveaway will end Sunday, July 31st at 11:59 PM EST and the winner will be contacted via email, so please make sure that I have a way of contacting you.  Good luck and have a great weekend everyone!
This giveaway is open to all of my readers and is sponsored by L to the third (me!); no monetary compensation was given.

Thirteen-month update (and giveaway #4)

Thanks to all of the traveling we've been doing lately, I completely forgot about Sammy turning thirteen-months old on the 23rd.  I'm going to guess that he weighs around 25 pounds and is pushing 31" in height.  Sammy is walking all of the time now and is about this close to running; speaking of running, he loves to chase after people/cats and to be chased in return.  If you ever want to give this kid a serious case of the giggles, just say "I'm coming to get you," and he'll toddle off in the opposite direction while laughing wildly. 

As far as talking goes, Sammy has added a few new words to his vocabulary, like calling Sandy by name.  He also surprised everyone at my sister-in-law's shower by shouting out "LAURA!" when I turned to walk away from him.  I think this means I need to work on the whole mom/mama thing a bit more.  Sammy's new favorite activity is walking around and pointing at things and asking, "What's this?"  (Although it sounds more like "wasdis?")

Sammy has transitioned to drinking cow's milk exclusively and continues to eat just about anything that I put in front of him; the other day he tried some spinach and mushroom lasagna and when we were back in Pennsylvania he surprised everyone by eating a whole pork chop.  I'm pretty sure Sammy's working on some molars at the moment as he's broken out in some nasty diaper rash (since I use cloth diapers this is a rare occurrence and something I really didn't know how to deal with); he's also been really whiny and clingy lately, which has made it hard for me to get anything done that requires me to be in a different room, such as going to the bathroom.

The plus side to all of this is that Sammy has become quite cuddly and enjoys being read to at all times of the day.  His favorite bed-time books are "All Asleep" and "Bear Snores On."  Another recent development is dancing--oh my goodness, this kid loves to shake his groove thang to any music with a strong beat (i.e. old school hip hop, big band jazz, Johhny Cash, etc.).  I really need to take a video of him in action one of these days; it's like a weird cross between the robot and a shoulder shimmy with some jazz hands thrown in for good measure.




I couldn't come up with a good segue for today's giveaway, so........here it is!:

If you're like me, chances are you like to keep a few snacks on hand in your purse (or diaper bag)--rather than waste plastic baggies, I've started using these adorable reuseable snack bags by Planet Wise.  Made in the USA, these snack bags are BPA-free and made of FDA-approve food-safe materials and can be washed and reused over and over again.  I have the feeling my snack bag is going to see a lot of use on our upcoming road trip to Texas!  The winner of this giveaway will receive a strawberry-patterned snack bag like the one pictured here.

Okay, so here's the nitty gritty on how to enter:

Mandatory entry: You must be a follower of my blog. Just leave me a comment telling me you are.

{Optional entries--please leave a separate comment for each entry}
1. Answer this question: What is your favorite snack?
2. Like my blog on Facebook.
3. Tweet, Facebook or blog about this giveaway.

This giveaway will end Sunday, July 31st at 11:59 PM EST and the winner will be contacted via email, so please make sure that I have a way of contacting you.  Good luck everyone!
This giveaway is open to all of my readers and is sponsored by L to the third (me!); no monetary compensation was given.

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: He's so saucy (and giveaway #3)

{Mmmmm...I love me some ravioli.}

{Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?}

{Hmmm, I wonder if tomato sauce can double as hair gel...I better rub some in just in case.}

{Haven't you heard?  Tim Gunn said that red is the new black this season.}

{If it weren't for the Boon catch bowl I'd be spending most of my days removing tomato sauce from the walls, ceiling and carpet, but thanks to its super-strong suction base, Sammy's meals stay in his bowl...well, except for the parts that wind up all over his face.  I don't leave home without this bowl--it makes dining out so much more pleasant because I know that the person eating next to us won't accidentally wind up wearing Sammy's meal.  Don't have kids?  Don't worry--the Boon catch bowl makes an awesome baby shower gift!}

{Okay, so here's the nitty gritty on how to enter:

Mandatory entry: You must be a follower of my blog. Just leave me a comment telling me you are.

{Optional entries--please leave a separate comment for each entry}
1. Answer this question: What is your favorite messy meal (i.e. wings, sloppy joes, etc.)?
2. Like my blog on Facebook.
3. Tweet, Facebook or blog about this giveaway.

This giveaway will end Sunday, July 31st at 11:59 PM EST and the winner will be contacted via email, so please make sure that I have a way of contacting you.  Good luck everyone!
This giveaway is open to all of my readers and is sponsored by L to the third (me!); no monetary compensation was given.}

The desert within the desert (and giveaway #2)

Once we had taken care of finding a rental house and filling out all of the appropriate paperwork, my mom and I had a whole day in front of us with nothing to do.  I recalled Captain Husband mentioning that the White Sands National Monument in New Mexico was within an afternoon's drive of El Paso, so away we went.  Driving through mile after mile of desolate desert landscapes was a bit unnerving at times (note to self: always fill up the gas tank before heading off on a jaunt across the desert)--we also had to go through a U.S. Border Patrol Interior Checkpoint, which caught me completely off guard, especially with how nonchalant the patrol officer was about the whole thing: "Are you both Americans?"  Us: "Yup."  Him: "Okay then."  Our destination was just a few more miles down the road; we paid the nominal entrance fee and drove into the monument, where we were greeted by seemingly endless vistas of glistening white sand and sapphire blue skies.

It's almost hard to describe just how impressive the place was--believe me, my photos do not do the monument justice (also, have you ever tried to meter off of so much white?  My camera was losing its mind).  My mom and I parked the car and climbed up one of the dunes to get a better look and it was like being lost in a snowstorm--in fact, I had a hard time convincing my brain that I was looking at piles of sand, not snow, although the heat certainly helped.  We wandered around the dunes a bit, taking photo after photo, and then we drove back to the visitor center to refill our water bottles before heading back to El Paso; I'm kicking myself for not taking any photos of the visitor center as it is a gorgeous example of adobe architecture and it was constructed by the Works Progress Administration, too.  I'll be sure to take some the next time I'm out that way--I definitely see this becoming a favorite family destination once the three of us have settled in El Paso.

All this talk of deserts has made me thirsty--hello segue!

Today's giveaway is a 24-ounce Revive & Refresh water bottle by Aladdin; I have the same one and I love it.  It's dishwasher safe and leak resistant with a two-way lid, plus its ergonomic design fits perfectly in my hand (as well as in my car's cup holder).  I've had mine for a few weeks and it's managed to hold up to Sammy's daily beatings without leaking or spilling once, which is something of a minor victory.

Okay, so here's the nitty gritty on how to enter:

Mandatory entry: You must be a follower of my blog. Just leave me a comment telling me you are.

{Optional entries--please leave a separate comment for each entry}
1. Answer this question: How much water do you drink in any given day?
2. Like my blog on Facebook.
3. Tweet, Facebook or blog about this giveaway.

This giveaway will end Sunday, July 31st at 11:59 PM EST and the winner will be contacted via email, so please make sure that I have a way of contacting you.  Good luck everyone!
This giveaway is open to all of my readers and is sponsored by L to the third (me!); no monetary compensation was given.

401st blog post--now with 100% more giveaways!

This is my 401st blog post--a number I would have surely reached some time ago if I had actually blogged regularly since starting this blog some three years ago. But sometimes it takes a while for the muses to fan the flame of inspiration and for me, it was an especially slow burn. Fortunately Sammy came along and all of a sudden I had this crazy urge to document our day-to-day comings and goings and so I've been blogging every weekday ever since (because even a stay-at-home-mom needs the weekends off).

I still find it somewhat hard to believe that there are people out there who enjoy reading my blog--you know, that aren't actually related to me (Hi mom!)--and believe me when I say that this past year would have been so much more difficult had it not been for all of your loving support and kind words of encouragement.  To thank all of you, I am going to be giving away something awesome every day this week!  Today's winner will receive a $5 gift certificate to each of the following etsy shops (for a total of two $5 gift certificates):

Do you have a soft spot for vintage clothing?  Then you are going to love a bit of something sweet!  This shop carries the cutest vintage dresses as well as some seriously awesome sewing patterns from the 60s through the 90s for those of you who are talented with a needle and thread (i. e. not me).  A bit of something sweet is my friend, Lindsey's, shop (she's the talented gal who made Sammy this owl) and she's offering free shipping to all of my readers--just use the coupon code "Ltothethird." 

Do you like all-natural beauty products? Then you really need to check out Sarah's Soak Shoppe! Each item in Sarah's shop is made by hand using only the finest natural ingredients and she plans to add a baby-care line soon (once she's finished unpacking from her cross-country move to Alaska).  Speaking of that move to Alaska, you can read all about her amazing journey by clicking here.  (FYI: her shop is currently on vacation mode, but it will be up and running tomorrow.)

Okay, so here's the nitty gritty on how to enter:

Mandatory entry: You must be a follower of my blog. Just leave me a comment telling me you are.

{Optional entries--please leave a separate comment for each entry}
1. Like my blog on Facebook.
2. Like bit of something sweet on Facebook.
3. Follow Lindsey's blog.
4. Follow Sarah's blog.

This giveaway will end Sunday, July 31st at 11:59 PM EST and the winner will be contacted via email, so please make sure that I have a way of contacting you.  Good luck everyone!

Limited to US residents. This giveaway is sponsored by bit of something sweet and Sarah's Soak Shoppe; no monetary compensation was given.

Foto Friday: Something brown

I am very excited to let you all know that my house-hunting expedition in El Paso was a great success.  I present to you our brown adobe (rental) home:

I have to admit that I'm actually looking forward to moving knowing that this is what's waiting for us; it's such a huge weight off of my shoulders having everything all squared away and ready for us when the time comes to head to El Paso.  Who wants to come visit me in Texas?  There's plenty of room!

Be sure to check out the other photos by clicking below; have a great weekend everyone!

Momma in Focus: Fruit

I'm putting a different spin on this week's Momma in Focus--it's a picture of me and my mom in El Paso!  We had a full day to do whatever we wanted, so we decided to take in some of the sights and drove down to the appropriately-named Scenic Drive; the views from this point overlooking El Paso were amazing and the perfect place for an impromptu photoshoot:

And if you really want to be picky about the whole fruit thing, there are lemons on my dress...or at least something that looks like lemons. 

Be sure to check out the other lovely photos this week by clicking below

--and don't forget to show Casey some love.

Out in the west Texas town of El Paso

My mom and I have spent the past few days in El Paso, Texas, which is where my family is going to be relocating to in just a few weeks. This trip was mostly business as I had two and a half days to find a house to rent, but my mom and I managed to squeeze in some pleasure here and there between looking at potential rental properties. We opted to take the Trans-Mountain Freeway, i.e. the scenic route, back to our hotel after some viewings and stopped to take some photos along the way.

I'll be honest--the scenery is a bit overwhelming in all of its, um, brown-ness (especially coming from the northeast, where green is the predominant color), but the blue, blue skies and nearly limitless vistas are beautiful in their own way.  It's just a different kind of beauty that's going to take some getting used to, but I think I'll be able to adapt.

Texture courtesy cleanzor

The Paper Mama Photo Challenge: Black and white

Chelsey over at the Paper Mama is hosting a black and white photo challenge this week, so I just couldn't miss the opportunity to post my new favorite photo of Sammy yet again--seriously, I cannot get enough of this photo, especially as he's some 2000 miles away from me at the moment:

Be sure to check out the rest of this week's awesome entries by clicking below:

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: the "dad" bag

{I didn't want my brother to feel left out with all of the baby shower stuff, so I got him a manly black messenger-style diaper bag that was filled with every possible thing he might need while out with a baby: a spare outfit, bib, burp cloths, wet bag, blanket, wipes, butt spray, diaper cream, hat, mittens, rattle/toy, and two cloth diapers.  I think he was pretty happy with his new "dad" bag--I know I had a lot of fun putting it all together.}

A shower for sweet pea

This Sunday I had the privilege of attending my sister-in-law, Sarah's, baby shower.  Sarah's mother, Karen, threw a gender-neutral party (Sarah and Ben are opting to be surprised on whether or not the baby is a boy or a girl) with an adorable "sweet pea" theme. 

In keeping with the theme, Karen planted sweet pea plants, which served as both centerpieces and party favors, along with some flower seed packets that had the most lovely little poem printed on the reverse.

It was such a beautiful day filled with so much hope and love for Ben, Sarah and baby sweet pea; I'm so very glad that I was able to be a part of this very special day.

Getting to know some chicks

Sammy and I drove to western Pennsylvania this weekend for one last visit with my family before we make the big move to Texas.  My parents' neighbors recently added a few more chickens to their brood, so my brother and I took Sammy over to meet the little ladies:

Sammy was surprisingly gentle with the chicks (I guess all of my constant badgering about him being nice to the cat is beginning to pay off) and had a great time watching them scratch and flutter about the yard.  Maybe one day, we'll be able to have some backyard chickens of our own.  A girl can dream, right?

And speaking of the ladies, my brother was a big hit with the chicks.  (I'll be here all night, folks!)