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Pull Apart Poultry Kids Toy

November 29, 2012 by Ashley 8 Comments

While browsing for fun and educational gifts for kids to add to our Christmas Gift Guide I ran across this Pull Apart Poultry stuffed bird at Land of Nod. I had to stop, take off my glasses, and rub my eyes to make sure I read that right. A pull apart stuffed poultry toy for kids? Seriously? One part of me thinks it’s educational and good for kids to know but the other part of me thinks it’s kind of gross.

Here’s what the description says:

“Ready to let your little one take care of preparing the big holiday meal? No? We didn’t think so. That’s why we figured this plush dinner would be a better alternative. With a soft, plush construction and sturdy frame, it’s sure to last you many pretend meals to come.”

My husband and I have been learning how to cut a whole chicken to save money. Well, I should say that my husband is the one who actually does the cutting but I feel that I deserve some credit for rewinding YouTube tutorials over and over again as he is learning. As soon as I saw this stuffed bird I had to email him at work to show him. He quickly replied back, “Good to teach her early. Kids should know the nugget isn’t a part of a chicken. I like it.” He makes me smile. I never did add this to our Gift Guide but you can find it on Land of Nod for $20 if you think your little one would enjoy it.

What think ye? Pull apart poultry – yea or nay?

Filed Under: Life Lately Tagged With: Christmas, kids, Land of Nod, Toy

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to You!

November 29, 2012 by Ashley 1 Comment

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from my family to yours!

May God fill your life with love, joy, and peace this Holiday Season and throughout the New Year.

Filed Under: Life Lately Tagged With: Christmas, Christmas Cards, New Years

My Little Girl Took Her First Steps!

November 20, 2012 by Ashley 4 Comments

This is a little late but I just wanted to share with you that my little girl took her first steps yesterday, November 19, 2012. It’s nice to have this in writing someplace besides her baby book. Woo! That’s right, my little girl is an official walker and I couldn’t be more proud. A Walkup walker. ha! Okay, so I don’t know if she’ll keep it up yet but it was a good 4 or 5 steps on her own without me even coaxing her. She probably would have continued if I didn’t squeal and run and pick her up to hug her. By the time we finished celebrating and calling Daddy she was too tired and distracted to walk for pictures. Soon, though!

Filed Under: Life Lately Tagged With: Baby

Month 5: #Cinchspiration Weight Loss Update

November 20, 2012 by Ashley 24 Comments

Way back in the summer, June I believe, I set my Cinch weight loss goal. #Cinchspiration! I wanted to lose 30+ pounds by the end of this 6 month challenge. That seemed like a ridiculously high, possibly unreachable, goal. I started off overzealous, too zealous to the point where it was unhealthy. Month two was fabulous for me. I had hit my stride! I went for walks, I was drinking more water, and I was sticking to Cinch. I did spend a small time in the hospital having my appendix removed but I didn’t eat much during that time. Month three was very busy and a difficult month for many reasons. My grandmother went to be with the Lord, my best friend got married, and at the end of month three I had lost 10 pounds and 20 inches. I was proud of my weight loss despite my circumstances and diet cheating. Month four was a wash. Yep, it hurts to say it but I didn’t gain or lose anything in the fourth month. I was very sick for almost the entire month and I only followed the Cinch plan for one meal a day. Through the month I gained a few pounds and lost a few pounds but at the end of the month my scales looked like they did at the end of the third month. Now here I am ready to report at the end of the fifth month.

Can you believe it’s been five months already? I can’t! Time has flown by. Even though my life hasn’t been the ideal circumstances for demonstrating a diet program I’m glad to be able to tell you honestly how it works. Life happens! It does and we can’t always be prepared for it. I’ll be honest, I’m not one of the die-hard people who are working out daily to show that they’ve lost the most weight. There is a 10,000 spokesperson job with Cinch up for grabs at the end of this 6 month challenge and I believe one of them should probably get it. They’ve altered more than their eating habits. They’ve altered their life, their spare time, and what they consume. That is huge! Me on the other hand, I’ve never been much of a suck up. Not that those ladies are!! They may just be motivated women who want to lose weight. I feel that if I went above and beyond like that it wouldn’t be right. It wouldn’t be who I am and it wouldn’t be an honest evaluation of the program. I don’t want to stop my life for a time being just to “prove” that this program works. Do you know what I mean? If I did that, you, my very important readers, would be deceived. I want to give you an honest opinion from my experience with the program. I hope that’s okay!

Honest feedback about Cinch:

It’s yummy!
It fills you up.
It gives you a little extra energy.
It’s convenient.
The milkshakes do get old but there are a ton of different ways to mix up the shakes to make them tasty again. For example, try the chocolate one hot or add pumpkin to the vanilla one.

Five months down and I’m proud to say that I’ve lost 20 pounds and 22 inches. I haven’t reached my goal yet but I have another full month to do so. Who knows? Maybe with this Black Friday shopping exercise that’s coming up I’ll be able to knock off another pound or two. I don’t have my pre-marriage body back but I’m getting very close to having my pre-baby body back and it feels good. I might not look like I did when I was eighteen but I’m starting to feel good about the way I look again. I feel better in my own skin and I can’t adequately put that feeling into words.

I honestly think that Cinch is a wonderful program. It’s a convenient way to get protein packed meals to fill you up and keep you feeling you full. They offer snacks for you in addition to a list of other healthy snacks that you can enjoy if you get the munchies. If you’re looking for a weight loss plan, or more specifically an inch-loss plan, then you should definitely take a look at the Cinch program.

Disclosure: I was provided Cinch products in exchange for my honest opinion. No monetary compensation was received.

Filed Under: Life Lately Tagged With: #Cinchspiration, Cinch

Join me for the #GladWildLife Twitter Party Today!

November 8, 2012 by Ashley Leave a Comment

Do you have a Twitter account? Do you like to win prizes just for tweeting? If you answered yes to both of those questions come and join us today {11/8/12} for the #GladWildLife Twitter Party from 3-4 PM EST to chat about life’s wild and crazy messes!

Date: Thursday November 8, 2012 from 3 – 4PM EST

Moderator: @MomCentral Assistant Moderators: @StacyDeBroff,@MomCentralChat and @DadCentral Special Guest: @GladWildLife Co-host, yours truly, @Beauty4Moms

Hashtag: #GladWildLife Prizes: 2 pre-party winners and 6 party winners will each receive a $50 gift code and a Glad product sample

TweetGrid: http://bit.ly/YZiWgX

Pre-tweet to Win! Anyone who tweets this from now until the #GladWildLife Twitter Party will be entered to win 1 of 2 $50 gift codes and Glad products!

Come and join in on the fun!!

About the Party: “Throughout the journey of parenthood, we sometimes find ourselves looking at our child and wondering, “Where oh where did this wild thing come from?!” As kids get older, their ability to create more and larger messes never ceases to amaze. From gathering dried up balls of play-doh and large broken toy pieces to picking up after a big team pizza party, we constantly face the task of master ‘picker-upper.’ Glad Bags help make even the most daunting household clean-ups seem manageable. From yard work to cleaning out the garage, Glad Bags prove the ideal companion in tackling any mess. Glad has partnered with Mom of four and reality TV star Tori Spelling to host OMG Extra: After the Wild Life, a fun Facebook series featuring the loveable, messy animals from last year’s mock reality seriesThe Wild Life. Whether a child or spouse who wreaks havoc, we can all relate to messy family members.”

Filed Under: Life Lately Tagged With: Mom Central, Twitter, Twitter Party

Halloween 2012: Minnie Mouse Photo Shoot

November 7, 2012 by Ashley 14 Comments

This year my little girl dressed as Minnie Mouse! {You can find the details of this DIY Minnie Mouse Halloween costume here.}

We didn’t actually take her trick-or-treating.

Pouting Halloween Baby

It was pretty chilly and I’m not a fan of the whole adults carrying babies and begging for candy for “them” thing. Although had it been a little warmer I probably would have taken her out just to show her off.

Baby Crying

As it turns out she wasn’t too fond of getting her picture taken on Halloween. In her defense we did spend 30 minutes wandering downtown among many strange looking tricker-treaters as we searched for the photography studio. Once we found it we didn’t give her a chance to warm up to the place before sitting her in the floor and walking away. Bad parents!

Her sad face did make for some cute pictures though.

She ended up calming down just slightly at the end when she was shown the candy inside the pumpkin. Like mother, like daughter!

That’s all folks, another Halloween is in the books. I hope you had a great time with your kids this year no matter how you chose to spend the 31st. If you dressed up for trick-or-treating I would love to see your posts so feel free to link up in the comments!

Pictures are from White Rust Photography.

Filed Under: Life Lately Tagged With: Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Minnie Mouse

30 Day Giving Challenge 2012: Will you join me?

November 3, 2012 by Ashley 8 Comments

Do you have a giving heart or would you like to cultivate one? Then join me in the 30 Day Giving Challenge!

I’ve participated in this challenge for the past three years and each year it blesses me in unspeakable ways!

Here’s the deal:

The challenge is to give something to someone everyday in November. The gifts can be anything given to anyone…money, food, old clothes, crafts, your time, or even kind words. I would love to have my readers join me in this challenge. The way I see it, even if I don’t give something every single day it will probably would still be more than I normally would have given any other month…and that’s worth it, right?

There is a team of ten bloggers who will continually be providing giving ideas, inspiration, and other tools to help you give like you’ve never given before! You can stay up-to-date by following the 30 Day Giving Challenge on Facebook, Twitter, BlogFrog Community & new this year, Pinterest. You can also use these networking tools to connect with other participants, get ideas, ask questions, and grow in your faith. You can follow my giving progress here on Embracing Beauty.

Here are some of the gift ideas I’ve came up with so far:

donate can goods to a local food pantry
donate new toys in your gift drawer or closet to Toys for Tots
make and deliver a meal to a grieving family or a family with a sick loved one
donate a couple of hours of free babysitting for new parents
rake up the leaves in an elderly friend’s house
clean out your closets to donate to GoodWill or the Salvation Army
give few more dollars in the plate at church
prepare a gift for those new to the neighborhood
send a letter and a box of non-perishable goodies to a soldier
have the kids make and mail cards to missionaries
put together a shoebox (or more) for Operation Christmas Child

Plus, check out my Gift Ideas & Gift Wrapping Pinterest board for cute and clever gift ideas and ways to wrap them.

For more information, visit 30DayGivingChallenge.org.

So what do you say, are you up for the challenge?

Filed Under: Life Lately, Tips Tagged With: 30 Day Giving Challenge, Giving

10 Things I’ve Learned About Blogging

October 30, 2012 by Ashley 7 Comments

As you know I’ve been sick for just about the past month and since I’ve had more down time I’ve been able to sort through more emails than usual. I always read every email I get but sometimes it takes me longer than others. Anyway, I was going through emails this weekend, pouring over the questions from the best readers in the world (that’s you!). I have quite a long list of reader questions and post suggestions that I’m hoping to tackle this winter. Thank you for those! I happened to notice a few repeated questions dealing with the same subject – blogging. Some readers seem to think that I know how to blog regularly while keeping an impeccable home, homemade meals served daily, and a perfectly groomed family who never has a problem in the world. I would like to say that I do but the truth is that I don’t and I have no idea how one would do that. While I try my best I fail often. I’ll keep my eye out for the answer, but in the meantime, I’ll answer the bigger question, which basically asks “How do I run a blog?” I am certainly no, Darren Rowse or Ann Voskamp but I do what I can. Here is a list of ten things I’ve learned about blogging while still miraculously keeping my household running.

1. Write for yourself.

Be yourself.

I’ll never be able to write like Amanda Soule, or Alli Worthington because I’m not them. You shouldn’t try either.

Write like you’re talking to your best friend.

Keep it honest and lighthearted.

People will like you for you and you’ll most likely stick to blogging longer if it’s something you enjoy.

2. Blog regularly.

Whether you write a lengthy post about the universe and the solar system, a short paragraph describing how your heart overflowed with joy at the sight of an old friend, or maybe you just post a picture and a caption, you need to nurture your blog. All of the these are great as long as you stick with tip #1 and post regularly.

Daily isn’t necessary but weekly is.

Treat your blog like you would a pet or a plant.

Nurture it, care for it, and it will thrive.

3. Marry an amazing man.

Joking! Well, kind of. One of the reasons I started blogging and why I keep it up is because of my husband. He’s my most loyal fan! He believes in me when I don’t believe in myself.

If you’re not married or don’t have a fantastic support group in “real life,” blogging is a great way to meet new friends!

4. Mix it up.

Don’t be afraid of change.

Offer a smorgasbord of topics in an array of different formats.

Unless you’re a niche blogger that blogs about, say, crafting.

In that case, you should probably continue to blog about crafting.

But never blog about the same craft twice!

5. Exercise.

Yep, this isn’t always a fun thing to do but the truth is, blogging is an insidiously sedentary activity.

Force yourself to get up and move.

And I don’t mean walking to the kitchen for cookies.

In which case it would probably be better to stay seated.

6. Set your own boundaries.

Setting a time schedule to blog isn’t necessary. Blog when it feels right for you.

However, if you find yourself glued to the internet 24/7 and neglecting the things around you, pull back a bit.

Blog about what feels right to you. You don’t need to write a list of what you will and will not blog about.

Allow these boundaries to happen naturally.

I have found, over time, that I write about things that I would call and talk to my best friend to talk about.

7. Don’t be afraid.

Don’t be afraid to be yourself.

Don’t be afraid to embarrass yourself.

Don’t be afraid that someone out there won’t like you.

Over the last few years, on this website, I have misspelled words, posted numerous grammatical errors, and told humiliating stories about myself.

They’re a part of me and who I am.

Not everyone will like me and I’m okay with that. See point 1.

8. Try to spell correctly and use proper grammar.

Proofread but don’t flip out over it.

But do try.

It’s important and it shows your readers that you care.

If one or more of your readers email you to inform you of a typo or an error, don’t be offended. Try hard not to be offended and thank them profusely.

9. Keep your readers in mind.

Write for you but keep your readers in mind too. You’re creating a community and it’s almost like they have part ownership.

Value every one who takes time out of their day to read your blog.

Tell them you value them. Regularly.

I love you guys. I mean it!

10. Push through writer’s block.

Some days it’s hard for me to write my own name but I push through it.

I post anyway.

Those are usually my best posts.

Push yourself even when you don’t feel like it.

You’ll be a better writer for it.

Now it’s your turn. If you run a blog, what blogging tips would you add to this list?

Filed Under: Life Lately, Tips

Finding the Perfect Bridal Jewelry

October 29, 2012 by Ashley 13 Comments

If you’re married, how did you find the perfect choice of bridal jewelry to make your special day even brighter? For me, I wore the diamond stud earrings my fiance gave me as a wedding gift. They are beautiful!!! I wore my engagement ring alone with no other rings. I had planned to wear my great aunt’s diamond pendant necklace but on the day of the wedding I found that the chain was too long and it didn’t fit right. There went my “something borrowed” idea!

You may wonder why I’m asking about bridal jewelry but it’s something that has been on my mind lately. As you may remember my best friend was married this summer and I loved helping her look for the perfect accent pieces, dresses, etc. We lived far away so online shopping was about the only way I could help but thankfully it’s one thing that I also enjoy too! Her wedding was a beautiful one but it now has passed and I still can’t seem to get it through my head that I don’t need to keep look at wedding ideas. Plus, I’ve seen a lot of beautiful wedding pictures on Facebook lately where the bride has really incredible jewelry that accents her dress perfectly.

With all that said, here are a few pieces of bridal jewelry that I find remarkable! I hope you enjoy looking at them too.

This Champagne Bridal Set is sold on Etsy for $57 from the seller Nanda. I think this would be fabulous on a simple, well-fitted, champagne dress.

These beautiful Clear Glass Tear Drop Earrings in Sterling Silver are on Etsy for $27.99 from the seller QueenMeJewelry. These would look exquisite on a blushing bride!

These Sterling Silver Cubic Zirconia and Fresh Water Pearl Earrings are on sale at Overstock.com for $19.49. I think these would look fabulous on a pearl accented wedding dress.

Now it’s your turn, I’d love for you to share what jewelry you wore on your wedding day and if it had a special meaning.

Filed Under: Life Lately, Tips Tagged With: Bridal, Fashion, Jewelry, Weddings

DIY Halloween Nails

October 29, 2012 by Ashley 6 Comments

Just like I said I would, I gave Halloween nail painting another try. {If you missed out, here’s my first attempt at Halloween nails.} I wasn’t too pleased with my first try so I gave it another go. While I’m not crazy thrilled with the results it was still fun. Maybe I should leave nail design to the professionals though. Either that or stick with the googley eyes. Those were pretty easy and so far they’ve stayed on surprisingly well!

What do you think? Which is your favorite? I’m drawn to the tree because the girly side of me just loves seeing pink and black together. The cat on the fence is fun but I think the cat could have been drawn better and next time I wouldn’t make the fence downhill. I think the pumpkin looks sweet although maybe a little confused. The silver spider? Nah, I’m not a fan. I promise it looked much better in my head. Well, there you have it folks! Another nail adventure comes to a close. If you’ve painted designs on your nails lately I would love to see a picture. Send me an email with your nail design pictures and they may even show up on our website!

Because inquiring minds want to know, most of the nail polishes above are from Julep with the exception of the black, green, and silver which is Essie and the purple which is Sally Hansen.