Thursday, February 28, 2013

Disney's Planes in Theaters Aug. 9th



Who doesn't love a good Disney movie??


I just got the insider scoop on the new Disney movie Planes, in theaters August 9th, 2013! My niece & nephew (and us of course) were big fans of Cars! I have high expectations that this one will be just as good! 

DANE COOK TAPPED TO VOICE DUSTY IN “DISNEY’S PLANES”
High-Flying Animated Comedy Adventure Soars into Theaters August 9, 2013

BURBANK, Calif. (February 28, 2013) – Dane Cook has been tapped to voice the lead character Dusty, a plane with high hopes in “Disney’s Planes.” Inspired by the world of “Cars” and directed by Disneytoon Studios veteran and aviation enthusiast Klay Hall (“King of the Hill,” “The Simpsons”), “Disney’s Planes” is an action-packed 3D animated comedy adventure about Dusty’s dream of competing as a high-flying air racer—and his decidedly unfortunate fear of heights. The film takes off in theaters in 3D on Aug. 9, 2013.

“Dane Cook brings unmatched charisma and brilliant comedic timing and instincts to the character,” said Hall. “He gives Dusty a great edge.”
Cook is well known for his appearances on Comedy Central and HBO specials, and for his successful comedy albums. He recently guest starred on “Louie” opposite Louie C.K., and his film credits include starring roles in a host of films, including “My Best Friend’s Girl” opposite Kate Hudson, “Dan In Real Life” opposite Steve Carell, and “Mr. Brooks” opposite Kevin Costner. The actor/comedian just signed a deal with NBC Entertainment and Universal Television to develop a new project starring Cook.

The all-new story offers an exciting cast of characters and centers on Dusty’s high-flying dream. But Dusty’s not exactly built for racing, so he turns to a seasoned naval aviator who helps Dusty qualify to take on the defending champ of the race circuit. Dusty’s courage is put to the ultimate test as he aims to reach heights he never dreamed possible, giving a spellbound world the inspiration to soar. The film is produced by Traci Balthazor-Flynn and executive produced by John Lasseter. For more information, check out Disney.com/Planes, like us on Facebook: facebook.com/DisneyPlanes and follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/DisneyPictures.

Are you excited? What is your favorite Disney movie? 

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Lorax Puppet

Dr. Suess' birthday is fast approaching so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to create a fun Dr. Suess themed craft for my niece! I found this fantastic post with 100 Dr. Suess activities/crafts/projects and even recipes! I took some time searching for a great toddler activity! I found this fantastic Lorax Puppet craft and I knew it would be perfect! I would love to try a few more from that list! There are so many great ones for kids of all ages! 

Miss M and I gathered our supplies (she loves opening the craft closet and collecting her supplies) and got started! This is a great craft but I can't take the credit for it! You can check out the original post from the First Class Teacher here




She was smiling normal and our dog Ginger walked over and M looked at her with this funny look!
Kind of like what are you doing??? 

Showing off her Lorax! 


Have you made any Dr. Suess crafts with your kiddos? Feel free to share!

 

Soft Scrub Review, Giveaway & Sweepstakes.

Winner chosen****

 Congratulations Jessica!

Please respond to the email within 48 hours to claim your prize!

Have you heard about Soft Scrub's latest sweepstakes? I am excited to share it with you today! The grand prize winner gets $1000.00 and a 1 year supply of Soft Scrub coupons, while an additional 250 winners will receive one Soft Scrub coupon! Sounds great doesn't it? 



As a Purex Insider I have been given the chance to review Soft Scrub Total All Purpose Cleaner. I love anything multipurpose! Anything that saves any extra minute in my day or an extra dollar at the store is a plus in my book! What about you? I love a great cleaner that I can use on everything (or almost) and that works for kitchen counters, floors, grout, sinks, faucets etc... I tried this new fresh lemon kitchen cleanser and it is great. The smell of lemons makes everything smell fresh, well at least most things! 

 The our kitchen sink and countertops looked great after trying this lemon cleanser! 
Have I mentioned I love cleaning with lemon???







Now for the fun part... The Giveaway! 

One lucky reader will win 2 Free Soft Scrub All Purpose Cleaner product coupons!
To enter you must leave a comment for each entry! 

Mandatory Entry:
Leave a comment below and let me know what your favorite household cleaner is, whether it is homemade (vinegar & water) or any other great cleaner! 


Extra Optional Entries. (Leave a comment for each one) 


Like Soft Scrub's Facebook and let them know I sent you! 


Follow me on Google Friend Connect on my homepage. 

Share my blog with your friends via Facebook and let me know you sent them.

Follow my blog on Pinterest and let me know you did! 

Enter the Soft Scrub Sweepstakes and let me know you did! 

Good Luck!

This giveaway ends March 8th, 2013.

**Soft Scrub has provided their all purpose cleaner for me to review, however all of the opinions expressed here are my own. 


Sunday, February 24, 2013

Poppyseed Dressing

As a newbie cook, I have very few of my own recipes but I love to share anything we have made that isn't a recipe I have found online! 

Today I would love to share a secret family recipe lol. No secret here, it's just a family recipe. We eat a lot of salads at our house, not just a salad but as a side to literally almost every meal. I have always been a ranch dressing fan but one of the first family dinners at my hubby's parents house before his Mom passed, I tried my new favorite dressing. The "homemade" poppyseed dressing. I was in love! The dressing was a lighter dressing than the ranch but it's delicious. It has become a staple in our house.

I forgot to put the balsamic vinegar in the picture but it's in the dressing. 



"Homemade" Poppyseed Dressing 
I use the dressing bottle from Good Seasons that has the measurements right on it. 
Ingredients:

One packet Italian Dressing mix.
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
 1 Tsp. Poppyseeds (you can adjust this) 
 2 Tbsp Water
Mix these ingredients first! 
Then add 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil (or oil of your choice)

You can add a sprinkle of Splenda or Agave to sweeten it up a bit if you choose. 


Do you have a favorite homemade dressing recipe? Please feel free to share. 

I have joined in with Not Just A Housewife and her Linky Party. Check out the fabulous DIY ideas/recipes/organization ideas by clicking here. So far there are over 200! :-) 

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Organizing & Displaying Memories

Valentines Day is such a fun special day. We love to celebrate everything and I will take any excuse for a fun day or fun gift! I also take a picture of every fun day or fun gift which means I have A LOT of pictures. I am not just saying that either, we have a lot of pictures. 

My goal this year was to complete my scrapbooks that I have been working on. Guess what? I accomplished my goal! 7 full size scrapbooks/albums and 11 photobooks later and I am caught up to this year! No, I didn't just do all these recently but I finished ones that were already started! Our wedding album was the most fun. Looking through all of our photos brings back so many memories. I love to see all the fun we have had over the past few years. 

Now I am working on keeping all of our digital photos organized and updated and completing a photobook of each year. We end up with too many photos to do them all in one book so I usually do 2 or 3 a year. Depending on how much we had done that year! 

If you need a little tip on photo organization, here are the steps I take to keep ours organized! 



My memory organization as follows:

Upload pictures to my laptop

Put pictures in a folder for that month (each year in a separate folder as well)

Burn pictures onto two cds. (Just to be safe. I would love to get an external hardrive soon!)

Upload pictures to a photo sharing website just incase I ever lost everything.
 I use Shutterfly & Photobucket.

Add pictures to a photobook & order it. 

There are a lot of steps but for me, my pictures are worth it! The precious memories we capture are everything and looking back on those memories is even better. 

I have just recently switched from traditional scrapbooking to photobooks so I am still getting my photos printed as well as the photobook. I am debating whether or not to continue.
 I will keep you updated! :-) 







What is your photo organization process? Any great tips or ideas I am missing? 
Please share! 


Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Livingroom Update On a Budget.

Our Livingroom (on a budget) Before & After. 

We have been in our home for a little over 3 years. As I have mentioned before, we built our home 85% DIY and with all of the time, sweat and tears that went into building/painting I had been hesitant to hang anything on the walls. And I mean anything. 

I didn't want to hang anything until I was certain it was exactly what I wanted and the perfect fit for the space. If you know me, you know that I can't buy something unless I got a great deal or really need it, being the frugal coupon crazy person that I am. I also love to have our home looking great and cozy! Our livingroom is great, I love it but when we moved in, I didn't want to cram a million things on the walls. That is why the corner is totally empty. I was waiting to find the perfect piece for the space. I decided it was time to find something to fill the space but in order to save and do this on the budget, I decided to use things I already have! I painted a frame and swapped a few pictures/frames around. Now be kind, this is just what I came up with for now but I have a few great ideas in mind to add to it. 


Before. The picture gallery to the right was a little different, there was another frame plus I switched one around. But you can still basically see the before. 
THE corner before. The empty corner.
So many ideas but I am excited with what I have for now! 


The corner after.... And Ginger just had to be in the picture too. 

I love this printable I found on Pinterest. It is perfect. I have to do a little adjusting but love it in this old frame I had  that I repainted! You can print your own here. 

The finished (for now) product.


What do you think? 

Tropical Trio Sweepstakes~ Escape to the Tropics.





The Grand Prize winner will receive a 4 night stay at the Outrigger Waikiki on the beach for two people courtesy of Purex Brand, Honey Bunches of Oats and Outrigger Hotels and Resorts. 

5 First Place winners will win a years supply of Purex Natural Elements Tropical Splash Detergent & Honey Bunches of Oats Tropical Blends.

100 2nd prize winners will win coupons for free Purex & Honey Bunches of Oats. 



You can enter the sweepstakes by clicking here



**Post provided a box of cereal so that I could review it. Also provided was information on The Tropical Trio Sweepstakes and I may qualify for a prize. 

Honey Bunches of Oats Review, Giveaway & Sweepstakes.

Honey Bunches of Oats Review, Giveaway & Sweepstakes. 

***Winner is Donna Cheatle.
Congratulations!

**Winner please respond within 48 hours to claim your prize. 




Take Your Tastebuds to the Tropics...

As a Purex Insider I have the opportunity to review great products and this one is one of my favorites. I love Honey Bunches of Oats. Such a delicious quick breakfast and now with new flavors. I normally buy the original flavor Honey Bunches of Oats and I am not really a fan of the fruity cereals. The more plain the better. So as I expected the Mango wasn't a favorite but the Honey Bunches of Oats are awesome! If you haven't had a chance, try these! If you like crunchy cereal, you will love Honey Bunches of Oats! 

If you would like to try this cereal free, it's your lucky day! 


 One lucky reader will win 2 coupons for FREE cereal! Check out the bottom of this post for a chance to win plus checkout the newest and greatest sweepstakes from Purex & Honey Bunches of Oats! 

Honey Bunches of Oats Tropical Blends Facts:

10g Whole Grain

120 Calories

6g Sugar

Heart Healthy 

4 Wholesome Grains 


2013 Tropical Trio Sweepstakes. 
~Escape to the Tropics~



The Grand Prize winner will receive a 4 night stay at the Outrigger Waikiki on the beach for two people courtesy of Purex Brand, Honey Bunches of Oats and Outrigger Hotels and Resorts. 

5 First Place winners will win a years supply of Purex Natural Elements Tropical Splash Detergent & Honey Bunches of Oats Tropical Blends.

100 2nd prize winners will win coupons for free Purex & Honey Bunches of Oats. 

You can enter the sweepstakes by clicking here



**To enter the giveaway... 

Mandatory entry:

Leave a comment on this post letting me know your favorite kind of cereal. 


Extra Entries - 
(Stop back and leave a comment for each entry) 

Like My Adventures In Treasure Hunting on Facebook.

Like Honey Bunches of Oats on Facebook and let them know I sent you! 

Enter the Honey Bunches of Oats Sweepstakes by clicking here





**This is a giveaway by me for my readers. Post provided a free sample of their Honey Bunches of Oats Tropical Blends so I could review them. However all of the opinions expressed here are my own. 

Valentine Surprise

In our house we celebrate everything, holidays big and small, anniversaries, accomplishments etc... Today is 9 years since our first date! Time truly flies when you are having fun! Any newlyweds out there or even couples that have been married several years, just enjoy every moment! As we were growing up our parents always showed us that everything in life has it's importance but your marriage is one of the top priorities. Make time for the fun stuff, date night once a week or every other, whenever you can! Everyone has a different lifestyle and different schedules but we always aim for a date night out (or in, cozy date nights at home are great too) every week! And I always try to do simple fun things just to surprise my hubby!

 Anyways, I am not trying to tell anyone a certain way but just throwing this out there, enjoy every bit and make time for the fun stuff! 


 So back to the Valentine Surprise! Like I said we celebrate everything but it doesn't necessarily have to be in a big way! For our "anniversary" and Valentines Day for my hubby I made heart shaped pink rice krispies treats. How sweet right? So simple! I have found a ton of super sweet and simple things on Pinterest to do, now my next goal is actually doing them! :-) One down, about 10 to go! 






You can find the recipe and instructions here. 

Do you have any fun Valentine ideas for your spouse? 

 

Monday, February 11, 2013

Freebies!

Freebie check in. What did you get this week? 

 Today was a great mail day for me, I walked out in this gorgeous sunny weather to find our mailbox full of all of these awesome freebies.

 Everything pictured was free. 

3 magazines 
Purina One dog food large sample plus a $4.00 coupon
Kind granola sample
Tide Pod sample
Iams & Bounty coupons
A brand new Pink collar for Ginger from Doggyloot
And saving the best for last...
A $50.00 Visa giftcard I won from Twitter. 


Sunday, February 10, 2013

A Simple Valentine's Day Craft.

I don't know about the weather where you live but our weekend weather was fantastic! Lately it has been cold, cold, and more cold! Our weather this weekend was in the higher 40's. YAY! The sunshine was much needed. I had the window open today just to let in some fresh air. It was a spring cleaning kind of day. 

 Valentine's day is fast approaching, and whether you do a big celebration or something simple, or even nothing at all. It is still Valentine's Day! Our niece M, was coming over for a "playdate" this weekend so I am always searching for a fun Valentine's Day craft or project to make with her. I just happened to see a great simple project on a friend's Facebook page this past week. It was an adorable little project with only a few items needed! 

Finger paints and paper! 

 M was excited to make this project until I told her it involved finger paint. She looked at me with concern, and says "I can't put that on my hands." She is such a cutie, she doesn't like to have anything on her skin that doesn't belong there, paint, rice krispies, dirt etc... So I showed her a picture of what we were going to make then she was all for it. She did look a little concerned again when I told her we would put her foot in the paint as well. After we finished the project she called her handprint her bone hand. Love the things these kiddos come up with. 




Mixing colors. 

Have you and your kiddos done any super cute projects lately? 
Anything fun for Valentine's Day? 


Thursday, February 7, 2013

Dry Idea Review & Giveaway & **Just added Sweepstakes!

Dry Idea Advanced Dry Review & Giveaway & Sweepstakes **Just added!  
Ends February 16th, 2013


**Winner is.... Bonnie!

Congratulations and thank you to all that entered!

**Winner please respond within 48 hours to claim your prize.


Dry Idea has had some great products in the past. The latest product is Dry Idea Advanced Dry womens deodorant. It is Hypoallergenic with Vitamin E! I love a product with any extra vitamins etc... for soft skin! 72 hour protection with a fresh scent. For any woman (or at least most) we are always trying to find products that work great and save time and money! With 72 hour protection, that is a time saver! If you win the giveaway, that is a money saver too! 
One reader will win 3 free product coupons for Dry Idea Advanced Dry deodorant! 

 ***You can now enter to win the $500.00 Grand prize or an addition 10 prizes of $50.00 in the Dry Idea Sweepstakes by clicking here.


Dry Idea Advanced Dry is available in:

 Roll On:
Hypoallergenic with Vitamin E 
Fast Drying 
Silky Smooth Feel

Clear Gel:
Hypoallergenic 
No Residue Formula
Extra Effective 



Enter today for your chance to win 3 coupons for Dry Idea Advanced Dry Deodorant! 

To Enter:

Like Dry Idea on Facebook by clicking here and let them know I sent you! 
Then leave a comment below letting me know you did!  



**Dry Idea provided me a free sample of their product so I could review it, however, all of the opinions expressed here are my own. 


Another Fruit Project.

These fruit projects are a hit with my niece and nephew so I love to share them! 


 I found this idea in an issue of Family Fun magazine. Have you read it? The magazine has so many great simple crafts for the kiddos. I have found many ideas there! 

 

Super simple, super cute. 

 You need Grapes, an apple (or pear), peanut butter and chocolate chips (or raisins)! 

 

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Domestic Goddess... Or Something Like That.



Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the main idea of my blog and what I love most and sharing it with my readers! The blog has grown so much and I love to share so many great things with you! 

I have worked a full time job all of my adult life until recently. I am content with this decision but I have been searching for something new! I have recently stumbled on a great new adventure to work from home and I am loving it! I will leave out the details for now, but it gives me more flexibility to do the things that I love! I can do fun things like spending time with my hubby, organizing, searching Pinterest for new projects, and cooking. Some women dream of a certain career and work at it for many years. My dream has mostly been the opposite! I have dreamed of being a wife and a mother (someday), and I guess you would say a “domestic goddess.” I am not sure housewife is the right term! :-) I am living my dream and I love it! I love so many things about being home; I can finally take the time to try new recipes I have always wanted to try. I can finish my scrapbooking projects that I have been working on for years, and finish the newer photobooks I have been working on! So many things I love! 



Back on track, what do I love to blog about? I love to share new recipes with my readers so they can try something new and usually simple for their families! I also have a great love for photography. Just as I am with cooking, I am a newbie in many aspects of life! :-) 
I am a couponer, not like the extreme couponers you see on TV, but just to save a few dollars here and there. I usually can only buy something if it is on sale – I will admit that! Most of all, I love to share these deals and freebies and some frugal living tips I find with my readers! 



I am an organizer. I always have been and always will be! I love to share my great simple organizing projects (on a budget) with my readers as well as any great DIY projects I have completed (or am still working on)! I love to share pictures of our home decor and anything else home related! After building our home 85% DIY, I love to share it! And I can't forget our "furbaby" Ginger! I love to share any great new photos I have of her and her exciting life. Well, maybe her life isn't very exciting - eat, sleep, go for a walk, eat, sleep, go for a walk etc... 



As I sit and look at the long list of things I love to share with my readers I realize I can't choose just one thing. I love to share everything. If you would love to read more about anything specific please leave a comment and let me know! 

Things you will see on this blog:
 ·         DIY
·         Home Decor
·         Recipes
·         Coupons
·         Freebies
·         Pets (like my dog Ginger!)
·         Organizing
·         Photography 
 …and more!

 Most of all, expect to see posts from me about everything I love, and I hope to hear from you about what you love, too!