Peytons' Birth Announcements with Basic Invite

This post was sponsored by Basic Invite but all opinions are my own.  Thanks for supporting the brands that support this little corner of the web. 

What great timing it was when Basic Invite approached me about promoting their wonderful products a couple of months back.  After looking at their website and seeing all the amazing options they had for cards, announcements, and invitations I immediately knew I wanted to use them for Peytons baby announcement.  Every baby needs a good announcement for their baby book, am I right? No #secondchildprobs here.

They have such a great selection of products, and my most favorite thing that sets them apart is the customization options for everything.  You can change the font and the color for pretty much anything which means you can match the card to any event you have.  So great!  You could spend hours making it just like you imagined but it's so easy you can do it in minutes for the parents out there that just need to get it done. 

We went with something more simple to let the pictures do the talking.  I mean, how cute is this child smiling at four days old?!  The Welcome Blessing Birth Announcement was so perfect for this.  And the back with all the extra pictures was such a fun extra touch.  We sent them out to all of our friends and family and we couldn't be happier that we found this new brand.  Check them out at Basic Invite to learn more about their wonderful selection of paper products!

Diapering with Caboo Baby Wipes

This post was sponsored by Caboo Paper Products but all opinions are my own.  Thanks for supporting the brands that support this little corner of the web. 

When Caboo Paper approached me about trying out some of their baby wipes, I was excited to accept after researching their brand.   They're made with renewable bamboo and sugarcane and 100% biodegradable.  Not only that, but they are perfect for newborn booties because they are fragrance free and don't have any added inks or dyes.

You can buy them are local health foods stores.  Check here for a list of retailers near you or you can buy here on Amazon. We're already almost two weeks in to using them, and even after countless diaper changes newborns go through, we have yet to get a diaper rash like with some of the other brands of wipes that dry out the little toosh.  We've used them in the nursery for nighttime and I even have a pack in my diaper bag for those rare occasions where I'm getting out of the house this early postpartum.  Check them out at Caboo Paper to learn more about this great brand. 

A Giveaway With Mint Julip Boutique

Here goes the debut of my fashion blogger status. Ha! Not really... as I mentioned last week I was not meant to be a fashion blogger.  Guys, do you know how hard those girls work? Not to mention how super awkward I am in front of the camera.  Jeff and I did lots of laughing at how ridiculous I was at taking these pictures but I think you'll get the point.  Also, lets be real ladies.  I'm a mom of a young child, and I could care less what I look like when I'm rolling around the kitchen floor picking up beans that used to be in a noisemaker.  Or you know, like anything else of those sorts.  So, as much as I love dressing up, I just can't imagine doing it for a blog job.  At least not until my kids can poo on their own anyway.

However, when The Mint Julip Boutique wanted to send me some clothes to model for you guys, I put on my big girl panties because their clothes are the cutest.  I follow them on Facebook and Instagram, (as should you) because they post daily all their new pieces and I literally want all of them.  On the rare occasion when I do care what I look like, I want to look the the Mint Girls.  I mean, she looks pretty put together in that blush sweater right? I want to look like that when I go to the post office for sure.  Maybe even when I stop by Panera to pick up one of their most amazing chocolate croissants.

Dress - The Mint Julip Boutique c/o

Belt - New York & Co. (old) similar here & here

Wristlet - Gap (old) similar here

Ok, so two awesome things. First, sign up for The Mint Julip Boutiques' newsletter and get $10 off your first order. Woop!

Second, I'm giving away $15 to The Mint Julip Boutique so enter bellow and start shopping!

Third, (Don't make fun of my lame modeling skills)  But really, how cute is this dress!?

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Americas Most Wanted Recipes Book Review

This is a sponsored post brought to you by netadvisorygroup.com.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  Thanks for supporting the brands that support my little corner of the web.

I was lucky enough to have been contacted to do my first cookbook review.  As you guys know I'm all about not using recipes because I really feel people have their own way of cooking and we cook for our own tastes. We cater to our families and what they like and sometimes following recipes kind of boxes me into a corner.  However, I do love to use recipes as a reference.  I don't always know what ingredients mix well together and although I like to make things up as I go, recipes can be a great way to get started.

I received "America's Most Wanted Recipes; At The Grill" by Ron Douglas, and paged through to find recipes that looked yummy but also easy and found a couple of really great ones.  First up we tried Applebees Oriental Chicken Salad. Asian cuisine is not really up our alley, but like I said before, this was a great guideline for us to start.  We followed the recipe pretty much to the tee but switched out the cabbage for the lettuce.  Overall - great recipe, and I would try this one again.

We're a huge fan or Red Robins burgers and we had to try the Red Robins Bacon Cheese Burger.  The recipe was easy and super fast since all you have to do is grill the burger and top it with the appropriate toppings.  It was a good burger, but it did not taste like a Red Robin burger at all.  It just tasted like our normal burger.  Which is good let me say, but not as amazing as Red Robin.  I feel like they could have left this recipe out of the book.  It was just a plain bacon cheese burger and nothing about it was that special.

Finally, we ended our recipe adventure with Applebee's Broiled Salmon with Garlic Butter.  Again, although this recipe was good.  There was nothing really special about it.  It was just grilled salmon. We made some quinoa and veggies as sides and it made a great healthy weeknight meal.  Would I make this again? Sure, but I don't think you need a recipe for this.

So a couple thoughts on this book.  Is it worth buying? Yes, but there are a couple things though you want to keep in mind.  I'm all about simple, and I think a lot of you guys are too.  The simple recipes aren't all that amazing.  If you haven't made one of these recipes before then by all means try them because they are good, but they aren't all that special.  The best recipes in my opinion were the ones with a lot of ingredients.  And I mean A LOT!  Like twenty plus.  Those are the ones worth trying.  Those are the ones that are going to be amazing.

So, final thoughts?  Don't buy this book if you're looking for quick easy weeknight meals, but do buy it if you've got some extra time on your hand and specialty items in your pantry.

Do you want a copy of "America's Most Wanted Recipes; At The Grill"?  Check out this page and leave a comment telling me which other book from the Americas Most Wanted Recipes collection you would like to try and then enter the rafflecopter bellow to win one for you!

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Thanks guys! and Happy Cooking.

And if you're looking for some yummy and easy weeknight options for tonight stop by the recipe page and check some out!