Copycat

Browsing through an older issue of People, I came across a book review that made my mouth water! America's Most Wanted Recipes by Ron Douglas is on my Barnes and Noble wish list! Apparently this guy and his wife have tried to crack the secret recipes of famous restaurants and food chains, and have come pretty darn close (if not, exact) to mastering them. Taco Bell Burritos, Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Buscuits, and even KFC's top secret recipe ... all included in this tell-all recipe book. If I come across it, I'll give my yay or nay review ... has anyone else seen this yet?

All The Single Babies ...

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Giveaway Winner!!!

Thanks so much to all who entered the Home Sweet Walls Giveaway!! Your kind comments are so much appreciated, especially to Home Sweet Walls who has peeked in on the entries!
The lucky winner is ...

#3 Betsy

Betsy said...
I really love these decals! So cute! The chalkboard decals are such a great idea! Don't ya just love Etsy!

Yay!! Congrats!!

If you would like to order your favorite wall art, I have set up a link in my sidebar that will take you directly to the Etsy shop of Home Sweet Walls.
Thanks again to all my followers ... the next giveaway is in just a few weeks!!

Nursing the Wounds

I love dressing up. Getting all girly and rockin' the heels is one thing I highly look forward to. These last two weekends, I celebrated a bachelorette party, 3 weddings, and a girls night out! All perfect events to get dressed up for! So exciting and fun!! However, every pair of stillettos that I wear for longer than an hour result in P.A.I.N!!! I have yet to find a comfortable pair of hot pumps over 3 inches tall. Blisters and throbbing feet are not fun to deal with by the end of the night and throughout the following days.

So, let's hear it girls ... what is your favorite, most comfortable brand of high heel shoes? I am talkin' sexy, perfect for dancing the night away, oh-so-drool worthy, makes a girl wanna smile, lovelies! If I don't find some new heels, I'll be wearing flip flops to my next outing!!

Picture courtesy of The Devil Wears Prada

T.G.I.F.

Be sure to enter the giveaway that ends on Monday, and ask me a question, or two, or three!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend ... I have a wedding tonight, and Girls Night Out on Saturday night - woot woot!! Hubby is so awesome to be entertaining our boys while I go out and play!!

Yo Quiero

Yeah. I can't help but love this place. Tacos, mexican pizzas, nachos, and bean burritos. So not good when you are counting calories, but so.my.weakness!

And perfect for this time of the month. LOL!

Wordless Wednesday

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!!

Lucky Girl

The oh-so-sweet R. Wallis over at True Beauty ... Inside and Out hosted a fun giveaway event on her blog, and I was a winner!! Yay!! As soon as I can peel away from my vampire love affair, this book is next up on my reading list! It looks very inspirational, and I'll be sure to give my review when I read it. How hot is that bookmark going to look in my Twilight books? Thank you so much R. Wallis for your generosity ... I love checking in on your blog each day!! ♥

Home Sweet Walls ... a Giveaway!

I am a big Etsy fan. Whenever I am looking for a unique gift, or something special for my home, I look to Etsy first. I bookmark favorite sellers, and drool over their stores as I debate on what to purchase.

As in past giveaways, I contacted a very sweet seller who responded kindly to my giveaway request. Home Sweet Walls is a shop that offers high-quality vinyl wall art for your home to add special touches throughout. This wonderful company will also work with you for special orders, so please don't hesitate to contact them for your own ideas. Fun, easy, and mess free, you will be thrilled with these designs!! They come complete with easy-to-follow directions and can be easily removed if need be (perfect for temporary residences or for you gals who like frequent change!).

Up for giveaway from Home Sweet Walls is the perfect-for-fall Branch with Birdhouse (small) design. What a sweet accent in your entryway, or family room even! To enter, you gotta be a follower of my blog! Second, please visit Home Sweet Walls on Etsy and tell me what your absolute fave design is and where you would put it in your home. Then come back here and leave a comment. If you wanna post on facebook or twitter, you get extra entries! Just let me know you did so. Giveaway ends Monday, September 28th and winners will be announced that evening!

Open Book - Part 2

A few months back, I opened up an opportunity for all my awesome friends and readers who wanted to get to know me better to ask me questions to answer here on my blog. This was so much fun for me, and being I have more followers since then (yay!!), I'd like to do it again!!

So here's your chance ... ask away! I am a very open and honest person, so any and all questions will be answered ... fun, crazy, personal, whatever!! I'll leave this open for a few days, then will re-post with my answers. What do you wanna know??

Stay Tuned ...

Next giveaway starts on Monday!!!

Be sure you are a follower!! ♥

Triple the Fun!!

Calling all Nordstrom shoppers ... starting today, September 16th through September 20th is the Fall Fashion Week Event, which earns all you Nordstrom Visa and MOD cardholders TRIPLE REWARDS!! Yep, triple the points for your purchases made during these 5 days!!

You'll know where to find me. Just don't tell my hubby. Ha, ha!!

A Classic Never Dies ...

My absolute favorite movie ... Rest in Peace, Patrick Swayze.

Catching Up

Sorry for the late post today ... I wish I could say that I was out at a 5-star resort being pampered all day in the luxurious spa, sippin' on martinis and laughing it up with the girls, but I was not. Boo! I have been cleaning house ... no, not fun, but long overdue!! It feels good at the end of the day, when the house sparkles and smells sun-shiny fresh! Bedding is clean, everything dusted and vacuumed, bathrooms are bleached, and the carpets are all spot cleaned! Whew!

My friend today was this cleaner that became a miracle worker on the carpets ... Spot Shot. I got it at the grocery store. It claims no scrubbing necessary, but with kids and a dog, I was scrubbing out all the mysterious spots that no one could identify or remember how they got there (of course). The stains are now gone and I got a great arm work-out in the process - double score!!

Hope you all enjoyed your Monday ... that martini idea sounds a bit tempting now!

We Will Never Forget 9/11

In my thoughts and prayers today.

God Bless

My Big Boy!!

My 5-year-old, Maddox, started kindergarten today!!! He was so excited for his big day!!

I love you, Bubba!! ♥

Paid to Shop!

I know I have mentioned this company a time or two already here on my blog, but for those of you who shop online, please take advantage of this site that PAYS YOU TO SHOP!!! Seriously! Ebates is an online site that works with hundreds of companies, many of which I know you shop, and pays you cash (in a big fat check sent right to your house!) for shopping through their site. Sign up is super simple and quick. In fact, you can earn bonus cash by adding my email address aprilbaker23@yahoo.com as your referral! Go sign up, add my email address, and start earning your cash while you shop!!

Here's how it works ... log-in to your Ebates account, find the store you wanna shop and click on it. Ebates will then open up a tracking ticket and connect you directly to the desired store. Shop as you normally would, and after you check out (within a day or two) cash is deposited into our Ebates account. Cash back values are listed next to each store and are rewarded according to your purchase total. For example, if you were to shop at Victoria's Secret through ebates, the current cash back rate is 2%, Sephora is at 4%, and American Eagle is at 3%. Just about any store is on their list, and the rates go up all the time (especially during the holiday season). I shopped for most of my Christmas gifts through Ebates last year and earned over $70! No joke! Ebates sends their checks every 3 months, and you simply cash them out. No annoying 'you can only use your credit here' mumbo jumbo ... CASH, PEOPLE!!

Go check it out and don't forget to add my email address as your referral ... we will both benefit from it!! We will both get $5 each after you sign-up and make your first purchase!

Newbies

New shows this season ... I'll be checking out the premieres. Not sure if they will spark an interest, but you never know!

Melrose Place. Tuesdays. 9pm. Starts 9/8 on CW. I didn't watch this one in it's original series, but I am really enjoying the new 90210, so why not give this one a chance?

The Vampire Diaries. Thursdays. 8pm. Starts 9/10 on CW. Being the Twilight fan that I am, why not divulge into another vampy love story?

Eastwick. Wednesdays. 10pm. Starts 9/23 on ABC. First vampires, now witches? Looking a little like Charmed, only more light-hearted maybe? To be honest, I really just wanna see one of my fave actresses, Lindsay Price. I miss her so terribly much since the oh-so-fabulous Lipstick Jungle was cancelled (yeah. I am still bitter over that one).

What new shows are you going to be checking out? Do share, I may need to tune in!!

Returning Faves

Another great perk of the new season? Returning TV favorites!! So exciting!!

90210 . Tuesdays . 8pm . CW

The Hills . Tuesdays . 10pm . MTV

The Office . Thursdays . 9pm . NBC

Ghost Whisperer . Fridays . 8pm . CBS

Dollhouse . Fridays . 9pm . Fox

What are your returning faves?

Facebook Funny

Wanna Shop?

Head on over to Jackie's blog to enter to win one of her Carter's and Osh Kosh B'Gosh giveaways!! We shopped the outlets at the beach this last weekend and stocked up on some fall clothes for our kids! Her contest runs until the 11th, so hurry and enter!!

FALLing in Love

I am always excited when the fall season approaches ... the beautiful leaves, the crisper weather, the pumpkin patch, the list goes on!! Now what else would this little shopper also adore about the new season? Ah yes, adding new pieces to the wardrobe!! Here are a few things I have my eyes on ...

American Eagle

American Eagle

Juicy Couture @ Nordstrom

Juicy Couture @ Nordstrom

Juicy Couture @ Nordstrom

Nordstrom

Nordstrom

Victoria's Secret

Victoria's Secret

Victoria's Secret

Victoria's Secret

Word to my Mama!

Sending some birthday love to my mom-in-law!!
~

Mom - you are such an amazing woman. Strong, giving, loving and kind. You dedicate your world to us and are always there when we need you. You love and protect unconditionally and have the biggest heart of anyone I know. Thank you so very much for all you do and for who you are in my life. My friend, my mentor, my mom. And the most amazing Nana anyone could ever ask for!

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

♥

Lots of Love Always!!

Losing my mind

How come I think that I need one of these?

Or one of these ...

Hey, this one is cute ...

I am seriously insane at the moment. We already have a dog ... a Siberian Husky who is such a sweet and low-maintenance kinda girl. She is going to be 8 years old in November, is very mellow, and doesn't chew things up. So why would I want to start all over again with a non-potty trained, teething, hyped up little puppy? Because they make cute little outfits for that sized dog.

Yeah. You know you have a shopping problem when you consider getting a new dog just so you can dress it up.

Silky Smooth Legs

Just a few tips on getting the absolute smoothest, softest shave evah!! Set aside a nice little chunk of time and allow for no interruptions, girls!
First off, you will need a rich sugar scrub. I love The Body Shop scrubs, but unless I can get them on sale, I don't keep these on stock. I found a yummy pineapple scrub at Rite-Aid that I love, and I know Walmart and Target have some pretty inexpensive scrubs with great scents as well.
Next up, be sure you have a great razor! I have found that my hubby's Mach 3 razor works beautifully, but I am currently using Schick's Quattro because it is pink and I was in the mood for a girly color. You want to make sure you have a fresh cartridge so the razor can work to its full potential.
Allow your legs to soak in warm water for a few minutes. I am not a bath girl, so I just soak up the hot water standing in the shower. Scoop up a handful of your sugar scrub and apply to legs in a circular, upward motion. Be firm enough to allow for great exfoliation, but not so tough as to irritate your skin.
Now, most scrubs that I have used leave behind a moisturizing layer of oil. This makes for the best shave cream!! No need to foam up extra gel, that usually dries my skin out anyways! After rinsing the scrub from your legs, go right ahead and start shaving, starting from the ankle and working your way up. If you are anything like me, on a normal day of being a momma and rushing about, I always miss places - usually a nice little strip straight down my shin, or on my knees. Of course I never notice it until I am out and about either. So take your time and be sure to get every spot. I like to go over each leg a couple times to be sure.
Rinse off one last time in cooler water. This helps close up your pores and seals the hair follicles. Gently pat them dry ... don't rub them! This may cause irritation!! Plus, leaving a bit of the water on your skin adds more moisture.
Lastly, apply an ultra-rich body cream to moisturize. Again, The Body Shop has a wonderful line of creams (Cocoa Butter being one of my faves), but they are spendy. My highly recommended choice above all the rest is Burt's Bees Milk and Honey Lotion. It doesn't have a pretty smell, but it is natural and doesn't have all the artificial preservatives that tend to be drying. While this lotion is about $9 a bottle, a small amount goes a long way. And the smell fades pretty quickly (it is not horrible, but definitely not a floral or sweet smell). Massage your cream of choice into legs, and admire how soft and smooth they are!! They will feel amazing and look oh-so-sexy!