Independence Day picks

4th of July is less than a week away - that day has special significance for me (it's my 8th wedding anniversary!!). Here's some of my picks from Etsy to help you celebrate the holiday:




Banner from Yes Please Studio

Cupcake toppers by Your Little Cupcake

Sugar Cookies by Sugar Sanctuary

Confetti by The Lovely Lily

4th of July balloons free printable card by Print Free Cards

Book Review - The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck

I recently read The Inconvenient Marriage of Charlotte Beck - A Novel by Kathleen Y'Barbo. The title was intriguing and I hadn't heard of this particular author before, so I was looking forward to reading this book.

The story is set in the late 1800's and a teenage girl from Colorado named Charlotte Beck is visiting family in England. English society (and Charlotte herself) consider her to be a young lady although she acts very childlike on many occasions. Charlotte meets the handsome Alex Hambly during her unofficial debut into proper society. Charlotte and Alex end up despising one another although they unavoidably keep meeting through a series of events.

However Charlotte's father persuades the two of them to get married for convenience - Charlotte will have the freedom to go to college and Alex's family will be helped out financially. They eventually grow to have feelings for each other but don't want to admit it because of their stubborn streak(s). This is a book you really need to read all the way through to see if Charlotte and Alex stay together or not!

I liked the characters and the book was a fun read. I recommend it and look forward to reading more books from Kathleen Y'Barbo.



Disclosure - I received a copy of this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group Press for a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

National Candy Month

Can you believe that June is already half over? And I can't believe that I forgot to mention that June is National Candy Month! I LOVE chocolate but I have a sweet tooth for candy too! I do let my kids have candy (in moderation) and enjoy going to the Sweet Factory or other candy shops just as much as they do. Some of our family favorites are sour patch kids and jelly bellies. (I'm also partial to cinnamon candy drops and sour grapefruit & watermelon slices).

To acknowledge the month, here's some of the more weird/unusual candies that I've found on the net:


Zombie Heart by Sandy Candy Factory


Sushi Candy - available from J-List



Bacon Lollipop - available at Perpetual Kid

Have a great weekend!

Book Review - Here Home Hope

I recently had the opportunity to read HERE, HOME, HOPE a novel by Kaira Rouda. Here, Home, Hope is the fictional story of one woman's courageous journey through midlife crisis and personal reinvention - all told with a sense of heart and humor.

There are a lot of issues in the book that I'm sure anyone can relate to - from becoming a stay at home mom to feeling restless with your life and figuring out what do next, being envious of a friend that seems to have it all, etc. The book is humorous, easy to read and I would recommend it to everyone. Check out the book trailer on YouTube - click here.

For more information about Kaira Rouda, visit her website and become a fan of hers on twitter and Facebook.


Disclosure: I received a digital copy from One2One Network in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

summer craft shows

Happy Monday! Another busy week ahead for me - I'm going to be at two craft shows this summer and am trying to build my inventory up while trying to keep my kids entertained now that school is out.

One of the shows - Christmas in July at Mission San Luis Rey gets an average of 20,000 visitors at the show and the other - Cityfest Street Fair gets an average of 150,000 people! One of my most popular products, besides the pinback buttons have been the magnet sets, so I've been busy trying to create new sets. Here's one of my new offerings:

Donut Day

Donut (or doughnut) day is tomorrow, June 3rd. Participating Krispy Kremes will be offering a free donut of your choice from 6am to 6pm and participating Dunkin Donuts will also be giving away free donuts. Yum!