I'm back!!!!! And sharing an awesome Give Away from a fellow Blogger!!

Hi there!! Long time to 'talk'!! It's Summertime and everyone's on the go these day!! Here too! But, I wanted to check in with all of you all, and share an amazing Scentsy Give Away that a fellow Blogger is having on her Blog!

I did a similar Give Away last year and had an amazing response, so when I saw that this blogger was doing this one, I knew I had to share with my readers!!!

This is what she's giving away:

And...

Here's all the details: Scentsy Give Away from blogger Mrs. to Mama

Her blog is a great read too. She shares couponing tips, as well as some FUNNY daily themes! Like 'Seriously? Thursdays' and I love her 'Let it Out Peeps...anonymous bitching' days!! So funny!!!

So...go check out her great Give Away she's hosting! Grab a Margarita or glass of wine and browse through her old blog posts...you're going to get a chuckle or two!

Until then..... have a wonderful Saturday everyone!!!!!

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Meandering Mondays

Yay for Meandering Mondays!

You guys are going to love me for this one!

Today's featured Blog is:

"Design it Chic"

I absolutely love this blog because it's here where she shares ALL KIND OF tips to help make your blog pretty!

Here's this author's "About Me" section of her Blog:

I am a twenty something years old gal married to my highschool sweetheart and
the love of my life. Since we've been married our lives turned into an exciting
new adventure and we're enjoying every single bit of it:) I love my life and I
learned how to dream big! I love everything pretty and chic and I'm as random as
anyone.. that's a fact! Welcome to my world! :)

She is an amazing individual who has an awesome Tutorial with step by step instructions how to do various things in your blog like:

• resizing your buttons
• uncluttering your sidebars
• how to add a signature in your posts
• resizing YouTube Videos

Among 40 gazillion other things! She also hosts Blog Hops and GiveAways! So, be sure to stop on by her blog and leave her a little Blog Love! Let her know you stopped by via "Meandering Mondays".

xoxoxo

http://shellilynn.wordpress.com

Happy Saturday!!

Since I am still without the internet at home, I'm unable to copy & paste my posts from my WordPress blog to Blogger, so I am encouraging you to check out my WordPress blog today!! Here's the link:

http://shellilynn.wordpress.com

You can also subscribe to that blog by clicking on the "Subscribe" button the right side tool bar!! This way, you won't miss any of my blog posts I post utilizing my Droid Eris HTC phone!!!

So, cllick on the link above (or just copy & paste) and enjoy!!

Happy Saturday!!

Amazing Numbers ~ Thanks Followers!!!

Thanks to you AMAZING and WONDERFUL individuals who take the time to follow my journaling of my life, I have surpassed the 100 + followers mark. Well, on my ‘blogspot’ blog that is….. and on my WordPress blog I’m at 50 + subscribers.

{{ * The same post is uploaded to both blogs, so essentially I post the same thing in each blog, however I will be soon transitioning over to WordPress only in the near future. So, if you’re following me thru Google Connect Followers on my BlogSpot Blog, please subscribe to my WordPress blog ~ “Minnesota Meets California”* }} ~

When I first started blogging several years ago, it was merely a way for me to journal my life. I didn’t want or expect anyone to read it other than myself and/or my family later on in life. Then things changed. I ended up changing the way I was journaling things. And I jumped on the bandwagon of bloggers and utilized the whole blogging world as a tool for me to share with my family who live in another state to see what’s going on in my life and my life of my kiddo’s as well.

I then started this new blog ~ journaling my life as a 40 something year old, starting a new chapter in my life. I’ve opened this blog to the public, so not only my close friends and family can read, share and comment on my life, but so I can share with others things that they might not know.

I follow a lot of blogs these days, and I tell you what…. I learn something new every.single.day that I didn’t know when I woke up that very morning!

Of course, the subject that I’ve been gearing my blog to recently is that of all things WEDDING RELATED. And in the same token, I’ve been reading and following many blogs that are totally WEDDING RELATED. I’ve gained so many wonderful ideas and suggestions thru reading other blogs, and I’m so glad that I did!!!

Now On to the subject of all things wedding related!!!

I’m still reeling over the fact that I am leaving for our wedding cruise in 52 days. OMG. All of this is finally coming to a closure!!! Wow!!!

I have a lot of things to do yet, little things, but they are things that need to be done nonetheless, and I need to get motivated enough to just get them done!!!

Brian and I have actually been working diligently on the little things, and in the beginning of this whole planning process, he only had two requests…. #1, the ceremony had to be on a beach, and #2, he had to have an arch. I pretty much did all the planning, researching, etc, and just asked for his yes or no as to colors, flavors, what he thought and such.

In the last month or so, he has stepped up to the plate and has helped tremendously!!! I totally super puffy ♥ him!!!

Thanks for letting me share my whole planning process with you all!!!

And Kallay ~ I’ll be expecting you here in California for my California Reception in May ~ you’ll be making my cake. :) Or in the alternative, you can go to Minnesota in June for our Minnesota Reception and do the cake there…. it’s probably closer for you right?!? :)

Happy Wednesday everyone!!! And once again ~

THANK YOU!!!!!

TEN...SEVENTY-NINE...The Countdown Continues

TEN

Mondays left

SEVENTY-NINE

Days until THEE day

One of the DIY projects that I'm working on in the next couple of days are my AHR Invitations. They "Boarding Pass" invites and I absolutely love them!

These resemble "Boarding Passes" and consists of three 'passes' for each invite. The first one is an Announcement of our actual Wedding Ceremony for guests who weren't able to cruise with us. The second is the actual Invitation to the AHR (at home reception). And the last one is the RSVP.

I have also made a "Boarding Pass Envelope" which has our Monogram printed on it and the three Boarding Passes will be inserted directly into these envelopes. I'm very, very, pleased with the way these have turned out!!

My goal for the next couple of days is to get all of the boarding passes printed out ~ I have to make about 60 sets for our California Reception, and about 75 for our Minnesota Reception. So, we're talking a total of 405 boarding passes. Yikes! That's going to be a lot of cutting to do!! I foresee having friends come over for a night of putting these puppies together!

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I'd like to share with you all an excerpt from a fellow blogger ~ Heather @ Namaste-Heather wrote a post regarding blogging and what it means to her. I feel the same way she does and wanted to share it here with you all.

"If there is one thing I’ve learned about blogging it's that a community exists. Bloggers enjoy not only composing posts, but reading other people’s blogs; and commenting is a MUST if you wish to be a part of the community. I love it when people comment on my blog and I learn so much from them. It is a beautiful reciprocal process."

I enjoy reading many others blogs ~ it's awesome to read about another person's blog and find that we share the same exact interests! Whether it be just a simple hobby that we share, or the fact that we're at the same point and time in our lives where we're in the midst of planning a wedding. It's nice to be able to read and relate! How awesome is that?!?

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Being Eco-Friendly

unPaper Towels

I am slowly but surely trying my best to get my household more Eco-Friendly. One of the first things I have done is to use more environmentally safe cleaners around the house. I am a HUGE fan of Vinegar & Baking Soda so I use these products hand in hand, together for a number of household things.

Here's a very inspiring "Ode to Vinegar & Baking Soda" Blog post from author Jaye, from Eco-Friendly & Frugal. The Eco-Friendly & Frugal Blog is very informative. Not only does Jaye share with her readers some awesome ways to become Eco-Friendly, she also combines tips on how you can be frugal in doing so!

It's thru Jaye that I learned about 'family cloth' and unPaperTowels. I've read different articles and such on what exactly unPaperTowels are, but in all honesty, to me, they're just dish cloths. Don't get me wrong, I think they are WONDERFUL. As a matter of fact, I purchased some from Jaye's Eco-Friendly & Frugal Etsy Shop!

The photo at the top of this post is the unPaperTowels that I purchased from her Etsy Shop. I am going to use them in my kitchen as a dish towel. Wiping up spills, wiping down the counter, as a napkin during meals, etc. They will be put to good use, that's for sure. And, the best part of it is that I don't have to throw it away! I can just throw them in the laundry! Love it!

On another note, yesterday, I made some Chocolate Starfish and Sea Shells. I was 'practicing' for when I make my cake for the Receptions. I've made Chocolate Candies before, however I just purchased these particular molds a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to test them out.

I'm satisfied with the way they turned out, but I want to play around with the colors a little. I'm wanting to see the Starfish a little more 'natural' looking. For the most part, I think they all came out okay!

And.........FINALLY......... I've finished the Cruise Cabin Door Hangers!! Well, actually, I only completed ONE of them, but that's the 'model' one now. I purchased all of the supplies needed (ha ha, just ribbon) and will ensure that all 18 of them are completed by the end of the day today!

I like the ribbon way better than the door knob hole! I think I'll maybe add a littl 'flair' to them somehow, but not too sure. I don't want to overwhelm it you know?

Let's switch gears here one more time. I am starting (or re-starting I should say) my weight loss efforts. I am going to start today since it's the beginning of the week, and also because it's the beginning of a new month. (Just about, at least). With that being said, here's a list of my newfound goals for this adventure:

• Journal my starting weight


• Journal my measurements of my hips, stomach area and thighs and re-measure weekly
• Walk on the treadmill for 30 minutes a day
  
• Shred with Jillian every day
  
• Prepare and eat healthy meals

Wish me luck my bloggy friends! I do need to squeeze my tushie into my already purchased wedding dress! I know if I keep myself disiplined enough, I can achieve my goals! I've been inspired by a fellow DW Bride who got married last September ~ Sarah ~ and here's the post on her blog, It's the Bergmans!! that really made me aware of the fact that I CAN DO IT!!!

In fact, here's her before and after 3 the weeks picture:

Tell me this is not MOTIVATIONAL! After three weeks of waking up every morning doing the 30 day shred with Jillian Michaels made a HUGE difference.

With that being said.... off I go to have a field day with Ms. Jillian! Wish me luck!

Hope you all have an amazing Sunday!