Earlier this month Laura with Candlewick Press offered to send me some children's books to review. She sent some extras for me to give away to my readers too! :)

First, the book reviews.  Then the giveaway details.

1) Higher! Higher! by Leslie Patricelli

Description: One child. One swing. An obliging dad. The inevitable plea to go Higher! Higher! Add Leslie Patricelli's wildly expressive illustrations, and an everyday pasttime reaches new heights of humor and whimsy.

Age Range: 2 yrs - 5 yrs

My review: At first I was worried that Snuggle Bug and Boo might find this book too simplistic.  It only uses six different words throughout the entire book.  I needn't have worried.  They both love the book and Snuggle Bug asks for it nearly every night!  The colorful illustrations do a great job of telling a rich story and I found that both Snuggle Bug and Boo liked to tell me what was going on (beyond what the words said) based on their interpretation of the pictures.  They elaborated upon the story in a very cute way! Sometimes less is more.

2) Seymour & Henry by Kim Lewis

Description: Seymour and Henry love to play and can’t wait to jump in the pond. Plop! But when it’s time to go home, pit-a-pat, they run away, scampering farther and farther from their mother. Now it’s starting to rain, and Mommy is nowhere to be seen. "QUACK!" Can they find their way back? And what will their mommy do then? With her trademark soft pastels, Kim Lewis brings to life an endearing pair of toy ducklings and an ever-patient mom. Two adventurous ducklings get a little too carried away in a tale of a mother-and-ducky reunion that toddlers are sure to appreciate.

Age Range: 2 yrs and up

My review: Snuggle Bug and Boo enjoyed this book. They're big fans of ducks and enjoyed the cute illustrations found in this book. Snuggle Bug was a bit concerned that the ducks lost their Mommy but was relieved when they found her towards the end of the story. 

3) Little Chick by Amy Hest

Description: Little Chick may be a good and patient gardener, as Old-Auntie observes, but what if you simply can’t wait for your carrot to grow tall? What if you skip like a pro but still can’t lift your kite in the air? Or if you’re a really good stretcher but can’t reach your favorite star? With affection and humor, Amy Hest offers three vignettes about a curious chick and a loving auntie who knows how to soften disappointments by keeping the spark of wonder alive. And the incomparable Anita Jeram renders Little Chick’s gestures and movements with a mastery that captures the spirit of every young child.

Age Range: 2 yrs and up

My review: Before even reading the story itself, the kids and I were drawn in by the beautiful illustrations of Anita Jeram.  She captured the sweet relationship between Little Chick and Old-Auntie marvelously with her drawings!  Snuggle Bug and Boo enjoyed the three short stories within the book and Snuggle Bug had the main messages of these stories memorized quickly.  Honestly, of the three books we received from Laura with Candlewick Press, Snuggle Bug claims that this is his favorite.  He asks for it time and time again!

Labels: book review, books/reading, giveaways, product review

It's time to pick the two winners for my April Pay It Forward Book Exchange. I've used Random.org to find my winners, although considering only 3 people entered this month for my 2 book giveaways, the odds were high for winning!

And the winners are...

#4 Tamy with 3 Sides of Crazy who wins a copy of Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult.

# 5-Angi with Teen Lit Review who wins The Last Girls by Lee Smith.

Congrats, ladies! Please email me your mailing addresses so I can send out your book!

And for those of you who didn't enter to win my giveaway, check back tomorrow.  I'm going to be posting a couple of children's books signed by the author (it'll be a review and giveaway, not a PIF book exchange).

Labels: giveaways, Pay It Forward, winners

I thought I'd share pictures of the fun personalized bean bags I've recently made.  They're up on my Sparkle and Charm Boutique website if you're interested in placing an order.  I will be selling these for $3 per bag.   

These rice filled bean bags are 5" x 5" and have been triple stitched for added durability, straight and zig zag stitching on the inside and a straight top stitch on the outside.   Have a theme in mind?  Want to spell out the name of your child, use first/middle/last initials, or even have your own message created?  Custom orders are welcome!  

Labels: gifts, Sparkle and Charm Boutique

A very heart-warming and, dare I say "cute," new blog was brought to my attention recently. It's called Feed Me Cheesy and in Mylene's own words, here's what it's all about:

It's quite often that we find ourselves looking for things that will nourish our hearts – in movies, special occasions, novels, and poems — but surprisngly, it's a bit difficult with all the clutter in our world. Feed Me Cheesy was created in March 2009 to collect all these warm, cheesy moments and answer that need for people to laugh, cry and say "awwww" to the different moments and people that continually make our lives meaningful.

Welcome to the Feed Me Cheesy Community.

If you haven't already checked out Mylene's new blog, please take a moment to do so.  There's some good stuff there!  And be sure to check out these posts for some cute baked good ideas:

cute cupcakes

more baked goodies

Labels: bloggity goodness, linky love

Kate with Weber Shandwick recently asked me if I'd be interested in reviewing the new Sharpie Stainless Steel Permanent Marker product.  Of course, I told her, "I'd love to!" 


I've had this Sharpie Premium with me for several weeks now and I have to say I really do LOVE it! 

Labels: product review

I've been neglecting my blog lately, sorry!  My excuse?  The usual.  The kids, work, my sewing projects, and my Sparkle and Charm Boutique bow orders have been keeping me busy.

I took Boo and Snuggle Bug to a library story time not long ago and as part of the activities they got to pick bean bags out of a bin and play with them as they marched to music.  They LOVED the bean bag activity, almost as much as the story time reading itself!

I grabbed one of the bean bags and inspected it closely, thinking to myself, 'I wonder where I could buy some of these at?'  But wait, then I thought, 'I could make these at home!'

I thought I'd share a brief Bean Bag Tutorial with you, in case you want to make some for your kids.  If you don't have a sewing machine, I don't think it'd be hard to hand sew these together.


1) Get some scrap material, fold it in half and then trace out 4 squares to make 4 bean bags.  I made each of my squares approximately 4 1/2" x 4 1/2". As you can see, I used a Sharpie to measure out my squares (draw the lines on the "wrong side" of your material). Don't worry, you trim away the black lines.


2) Take two of the 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" squares and make sure the that "right" sides of your material are facing each other on the inside.  Sew a 3/8" straight stitch seam around three of the four sides.  The fourth side you leave open so that you can turn the bean bag material inside out and fill.


3) Trim the material off, close to the edge of the hem, as shown in the picture above.


4) Go back and sew a zig zag stitch around those three seams for reinforcement.


5) Turn the bean bag material inside out so that the "right" side of the material is now on the outside.  Fill approximately 2/3 full of rice.  You can use beans too but the rice works great!


6) Tuck in the open ends of the bean bag and secure with two stick pins to prepare for sewing.


7) Sew a final straight stitch seam as close as possible to the folded in opening of your bean bag.

Viola!  You have a bean bag!  This really takes no time at all!

I made a bunch for kids, and their favorite ones are the ones I made out of fleece scrap material because they're super soft!

For some more fun and easy homemade gift ideas, check out:

Labels: craft ideas, sewing

I know I'm cutting it a bit close, but I hope you'll still join me tomorrow for

Good Friday to you all!  Sorry to get this post published so late in the morning.  The kids and I had to go Starbucks for "coffee"!

Today I'm hosting a my Easter Edition of Favorite Ingredients Friday recipe exchange! Please share recipes of dishes/beverages that you might serve at a Easter Sunday meal. Or, share a special Easter treat that you might make for your children!


Today I'd like to share my tips on how to make these cute Easter cupcakes.

Directions: I use a Pillsbury or Duncan Hines cake mix and the Wilton butter cream frosting recipe. I tint the frosting green and then frost the cupcakes using a Wilton cake decorating tip #233.  Put the frosting into a pastry bag with the #233 tip at the end of the bag.
Viola!  You have Easter cupcakes that the kids (and adults) will love!

Labels: Favorite Ingredients Friday, recipe exchange

Snuggle Bug and Boo have Spring Break from their part time preschool this week so I decided to take some time off to hang out with them this week!  I have some fun activities in mind for them:

1) Dye Easter eggs.  We haven't done this yet and I know they'll love it.  I found these cute Paas color cups at the store the other day.  I think they'll be helpful!  Can you believe, I had to get onto Google to figure out how to boil an egg properly?  It's been a while but I managed to only have one cracked boiled egg! :)

Labels: family time

I got to sleep in this morning, until 8:00 AM!!  This is usually unheard of, considering Snuggle Bug is usually up by 6:00 or 6:30 AM.

Labels: cooking, family, recipe exchange

It's time for another one of my free Pay It Forward book giveaways! The first two books on my giveaway list were the ones that I should've given away at the end of July but didn't. And I didn't get an August giveaway up either. Sorry for falling off the wagon. I hope you'll all join me this month!

For those who may have missed out, please read about the guidelines right here.

So, I have two books to give away this month:

1) Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult, in hardcover!

From Publishers Weekly

Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe's daughter, Willow, was born with brittle bone disease, a condition that requires Charlotte to act as full-time caregiver and has strained their emotional and financial limits. Willow's teenaged half-sister, Amelia, suffers as well, overshadowed by Willow's needs and lost in her own adolescent turmoil. When Charlotte decides to sue for wrongful birth in order to obtain a settlement to ensure Willow's future, the already strained family begins to implode. Not only is the defendant Charlotte's longtime friend, but the case requires Charlotte and Sean to claim that had they known of Willow's condition, they would have terminated the pregnancy, a statement that strikes at the core of their faith and family. Picoult individualizes the alternating voices of the narrators more believably than she has previously, and weaves in subplots to underscore the themes of hope, regret, identity and family, leading up to her signature closing twists.

2) The Last Girls by Lee Smith.

From Publishers Weekly

he Big Chill meets Huckleberry Finn in a moving novel inspired by a real-life episode. Thirty-six years ago, Smith (Oral History) and 15 other college "girls" sailed a raft down the Mississippi River from Kentucky to New Orleans in giddy homage to Huck. Here she reimagines that prefeminist odyssey, and then updates it, as four of the raft's alumnae take a steamboat cruise in 1999 to recreate their river voyage and scatter the ashes of one of their own. What results is an unsentimental journey back to not-quite-halcyon college days of the mid-1960s ("periods cramps boys dates birth babies the works") masterfully intercut with more recent stories of marriages, infidelities, health crises and career moves, all set firmly in the South. At first the characters threaten to be mere stereotypes: innocent, self-sacrificing Harriet; arty, maternal Catherine; brittle Southern belle Courtney; brassy romance novelist Anna. But Smith reveals surprising truths about each character, even as she suggests that the fate of their departed classmate-the wild, promiscuous, possibly suicidal Baby-may never be understood. The steamboat setting provides ample opportunities to skewer cruise ship tackiness and Southern kitsch, a witty counterpoint to the often troubled personal stories of the passengers. Readers who like their plots linear may be challenged by the tangle of tales, but those who agree that "there are no grown-ups," and that there's "no beginning and no end" to the "real story" of people's lives, will find this tender, generous, graceful novel a delight.
If you'd like to win one of these books, here is what you must do:

1. On your blog, write a post about this giveaway, using my "Pay It Forward" button, and then link back to my post. I am sure your readers would appreciate learning about the chance to win a book. You must complete this step to be put in the drawing, unless of course you don't have a blog!

2. Sign the Mr. Linky (the Mr. Linky is that list of names at the end of this post - just type your name in the box) with your name and the specific URL of your PIF post. Note: If you are not a blogger, you may still enter to win. Just sign your name on the Mr. Linky without a URL and then email me your contact information. Please note on your email that it is for the PIF book giveaway.

I'll announce the winners on Saturday morning, 24 April, so be sure to check back.

Best of luck!

If you have any books you'd like to Pay It Forward yourself this month, please leave me a comment and I'll link you in this post!

Additional Pay It Forward Giveaways:

1) Cynthia at Springmont Cottage is giving away the book Flyover States by Grace Grant on 24 April. Stop by her blog to enter win. Thanks, Cynthia.

2) Jubilee at Notes of Jubilee is giving away the book Salty Like Blood by Harry Kraus, M.D. on 24 April. Stop by her blog to enter win. Thanks, Jubilee!

3) Kathleen Marie at The Open Window is giving away the book The Mitford Bedside Companion by Jan Karon on 24 April. Stop by her blog to enter win. Thanks, Kathleen Marie.

4) Tamy at 3 Sides of Crazy is giving four books: East of Eden by John Steinbeck, Northern Lights by Nora Roberts, Angels All Over Town by Luanne Rice, and Tales of A Drama Queen by Lee Nichols on 30 April. Stop by her blog to enter to win. Thanks, Tamy!

Labels: books/reading, giveaways, Pay It Forward