Winner, winner!

I had meant to post this yesterday, but the day was filled with play dates, shopping excursions, and long drives all over El Paso.  So without any further ado, here's the winner of the one-of-a-kind tote bag:

That would be Clara, aka Maeve's Mama!  When you have a moment, please email me (at eltothethird at gmail dot com) your mailing address and I'll be sure to have the bag in the mail to you by the end of the week.  Congrats to Clara and thanks to all who entered!

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Sew crazy (and a giveaway!)

{I've been bit by the sewing bug, big time.  It helps that I've been having some incredibly great luck out thrifting--a few weeks ago, I came across some beautiful light turquoise pre-quilted fabric that was only $1.99, so I bought it with the hopes of eventually turning it into a toddler-sized blanket for Sammy.  Sammy and I went to the fabric store on Sunday--I had some coupons burning a hole in my pocket--and he picked out some awesome Hello Kitty fabric that went with the pre-quited fabric perfectly.  I managed to sew it all together Monday night after Sammy went to bed so I was able to surprise him with it first thing Tuesday morning; he promptly grabbed it and curled up on the sofa with it.  I think that means he likes it.}

{Speaking of thrifting and sewing, I had recently come across a great tutorial over at The Sewing Dork on how to turn two pillow cases into a cute tote.  Armed with this information, I soon found some adorable vintage pillowcases at my local thrift store that would be perfect for this little project, which brings us to today's giveaway:}

{Your very own, one-of-a-kind tote bag! After I finished sewing everything together, I decided that the bag was missing a little something something on the strap; I came across a tutorial over at Mom 4 Real on how to make fabric rosettes and voila--I had my something something.  (Don't worry--it's affixed using an alligator clip, so you can remove it to wash the bag or wear it in your hair if you're feeling fancy.)  The bag measures approximately 12" wide by 10" high (not including the strap)--just the right size for a quick trip to the store; there's even a little pocket in the interior where you can stash your keys or your chapstick.  Disclaimer: I'm definitely a novice when it comes to sewing, so the bag isn't perfect, but that's just one of the quirks of handmade, right?}

{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 will you carry in your new bag?
2. Like my blog on Facebook.
3. Tweet, Facebook, Google+ or blog about this giveaway (include the link in your comment, please).

This giveaway will end Sunday, April 22nd at 11:59 PM MST 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!).

Wreath winner!

 Thank you to all of you who entered and congratulations to Lori!

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Wreath time (and a giveaway!)

{For some strange reason, as soon as the weather gets a little cooler, I find myself stricken with the urge to get my craft on. I'd been eyeballing this tutorial on how to make an all-season yarn wreath for over a week and decided to just go for it late Monday night. All in all it, took me about an hour and fifteen minutes to make everything, and that's including wrapping the foam wreath with yarn.}

{My favorite thing about this wreath is the fact that you can easily change the decorations for other seasonally-appropriate colors or decorations thanks to using alligator clips to affix the felt flowers to the wreath. Easy peasy!}

{I had so much fun making this that I decided to make a second one to give away to one lucky reader; the winner will receive an eight-inch wreath with six felt flowers in fun, vibrant colors.  Cute, right?}

{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 season?
2. Like my blog on Facebook.
3. Tweet, Facebook or blog about this giveaway.

This giveaway will end Sunday, September 25th 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!).

Giveaway winners!

I'll be emailing the winners this evening, but if you see your name listed here, please feel free to send me an email at eltothethird at gmail dot com if you want to beat me to the punch.  Thank you again to {bit of something sweet} and Sarah's Soak Shoppe for sponsoring the first giveaway and a great big thank you to all of my fantastic readers--you guys rock!

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.