aye go-go

I've been quite busy this past week. I want to say WELCOME and Hello to all my new followers! :) It's nice to meet you! It's crazy how many people joined in on the meet & tweet hop. I am definitely excited to see this little blog of mine grow. It means alot to me that people like what i write..(we all like to feel accepted by our peers, don't we?). What i really appreciate is the sincerity and heartfeltness--is that word? of the people that have taken time to comment on a blog post or email me. So thank you!

Just wanted to check in with you and give you a quick note. I took a nearly 3 hour nap yesterday! THREE hours people!! oh my! I guess i really needed the sleep. I won't have an chance to take another nap til maybe next thurs or friday (for those that don't know, i don't sleep well at all!) could be worse! lol ;)

my snack yesterday afternoon. pop chips & vitamin water in go-go in my "aye chihuahua" cup

I went shopping at Target..tarjshay with my mom today! wow, it was so busy w/people..lots of back to school shoppin goin on. Got some stuff I needed and managed to save $14 with my coupons..thank ya thank ya! that ALWAYS makes me happy.

The next couple of days my social calendar is full as i will be catching up with good friends both days..in between that, i need to wrap up a few birthday gifts as well as make new blog buttons & get some info to my sponsors and those who will be sponsoring me, i am so excited to be making new connections!!!

wishing you all a wonderful rest of the weekend as we finish out July and enter August!!

meet & tweet thursdays! i am a co-host!

This little bird is so excited because I am co-hosting this meet & tweet hop with host Laura from Our Reflection! I am lookin' forward to meeting new peeps that tweet (haha) AND whenever i write a new blog post, i *usually (trying to get in the habit) tweet about it on twitter--so you've got the latest 411! so link up my friends!

*****

I heart Thursdays! I love the opportunity to meet so many new friends.

Last week we had a record breaking turnout with over 200 link up's! AMAZING!

This week I'm raising the bar just a little more....

If we can get to 300 link up's, one lucky person is going to win 

250 custom business cards for their blog. How cool is that?!

Now let's get this PAR-TAY started! 

Ready to make new Twitter friends?
Sweetness, just follow the rules.


RULES:
Link up your Twitter account, not your blog.
Follow your host and co-hosts. {The first 8 in the linky.}

HOST: Laura from Our Reflection

Thanks so much to my amazing co-hosts:


Maria from Agape Love Designs
Erin from Pretty, Polished, Perfect.
Mar from Raising Bean
Jamie from Moms Test Kitchen
Amanda from Tales from a Far
Brittany from Bee Little Queen
Elizabeth from La Vita e Bella

Loving this hop? Shout it out to all your friends!

The more the merrier.

Tweet
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Co-Host spots for August are now available. Interested?

Email me for details at momsgonnasnap@gmail.com.

Thanks so much for linking up today!

Hope you've had fun and made some amazing new friends.

Save the Date! Next Hop: 8/2

Grab a button and add it to your blog!

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Christmas in July reveal!

I love the gift of giving! And I was SO super excited to participate in Christmas in July hosted by Cecilia of Dearest Lou, Alyx of Everyday is a new adventure and Daryl of Roots, Wings and other things.

I was paired up with Britta of The Boots Parade! She's living an adventure in Costa Rica with her bf and CUTE baby dog Rocco, but is from new jersey! Also, her fashion sense is so chic & cute! and we both secretly like this song! It was fun stalking her blog and emailing back and forth about things she liked and just getting to know her a bit. She's such a warm, caring & beautiful person. I enjoyed shopping for her.

When I read her list of things that she liked, i thought, "oh this is gonna be easy and fun to shop for her". My mind was buzzing with cute little things to maybe get her while sticking to the $10-20 budget. It was funny too because she emailed me and told me that when she read my list of things she thought, "she likes the same things i like. shopping for her will be like shopping for me!" lol.

can i just say that I LOVE her name: Britta Marie. almost twins! ;)

alright so let's get on to the AWESOME package that she sent me!!

it's arrived early!!

opening my christmas gift!! haha

ooh la la, all kinds of goodies including the BEST costa rican coffee

OMG it's my name on yummy chocolate! soo cool! (i really did shriek too)

i love paper products and two pretty lip balms/colors to try! sweet!

aren't these SO cute & colorful! Love em. I NOW really want to go to the farmer's market, which i LOVE btw.

all my lovely treats!!

& a whimsy magnet from costa rica! awesome!

 THANK YOU BRITTA! so much for my Christmas package! everything was so thoughtful. I love it all. Merry Christmas!

woofs & meows...a plea not a flea

If you've read my "about me" section you know that i LOVE animals! My heart goes out to those poor dogs & cats, particularly those who are abandoned or mistreated and it's not even their fault! Can you imagine the confusion these babies must feel when they are dumped off in the desert to fend for themselves or are abused by their so called "loving" owners! uh makes me sick!

perla is livin the life "adopted" by my grandparents. (she was initially found by my  aunt, perla seemed to have been abandoned near the desert.)

One organization that helps save these animals from being put on the "kill list" who are currently at the Maricopa County Animal Care and Control in Arizona, is RESCUE, which "is a registered non-profit volunteer driven animal rescue organization located in Maricopa County." I also did NOT know that "Maricopa County has one of the highest euthanasia rates per capital in the country." OMG! the county that I LIVE in has one of the highest euthanasia rates in the country!! OHHHHHH NOOO!!  

Well, one major time of fundraising is happening NOW through the Bowl-a-Rama for Animal Rescue!

My mom and I are signed up to receive their newsletter and here's a portion of the urgent message that was sent out last week from Jennifer Berry, President of RESCUE:

"As you can see we are about $20,000 short from our goal.  This is very disheartening as these funds are VITAL to our daily operations.  We just cannot save and care for the dogs and cats we rescue from the kill list without these funds.  We absolutely run on a shoestring budget but quite honestly $20,000 less in donations would cause us dire consequences."

and then today, I received news that their fundraising goal is almost met, but they still need help. This is where YOU, my AWESOME readers might come in and help them meet their goal to keep these sweet, warm animals from being put on that kill list for 4-5 months.

"Next Saturday marks the end to our largest fundraiser and with your help we can reach our goal, enabling us to continue to save and care for the dogs and cats we save from the kill list for about 4-5 months! If you have not made your donation yet, there is still time.  Every dollar adds up, no donation is too small and is greatly appreciated."--Jennifer Berry.

EVERY DOLLAR REALLY DOES ADD UP! please click here and then click on "make a pledge" and go ahead and select Jennifer Berry as your bowler choice. whatever you can afford to spare, even if it's just ONE DOLLAR, know that you ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE! I just made a small donation.

If every one of my readers made a one dollar donation, that would equate to about $100 just right there!!! amazing..we all can do something and be a part of something so much bigger than us. we can help save lives!

If you'd like to learn more about Jennifer's personal connection, experience with RESCUE and these PRECIOUS animals pictures, here's her profile donation page.

and just so you know, Jennifer states that, " 100% of your donation goes toward supporting their lives and finding them permanent loving homes." SO you know exactly where your hard earned money is going.

Please forward this message/post or RESCUE donation link to any of your fellow furry friend lovers and give these babies a chance at life, to be placed into a truly loving, safe home.

To keep up to date or learn more about RESCUE you can find them on the web here or check out their facebook page!

Thank YOU from my heart for taking the time to read this and spread the awareness! Let's keep  those furballs waggin' their tales with happiness.

chicken salad, gas & human-ness.

Let's begin this story with a briefing of how i have a ton of gas locked inside my body. I promise this ties in with the second part of this post. About four months ago i started experiencing extreme sharp, throbbing pain on my lower right abdominal area. Because they weren't happening on a regular pattern, i put it in the back of my mind. In May, I finally told my Dr. about it and he ordered an ultrasound. I still have my appendix. A month goes by and need to re-order the tests. Get em done (in 2 sessions: one for abdominal/fasting, the other pelvic one with a full bladder!). Kinda worried-could it be a cyst on my ovaries? Could i have a tumor? Is my appendix warming up? 

Get results: 

"NOTHING REMARKABLE SHOWN" 

"No cysts. No tumors. You have alot of gas. so much that we couldn't see your pancreas!" Holy heck! lol...GAS! I have alot of gas! hahahah.

Soo, my nurse tells me that IF the pain continues, that Dr. may order MRI. Time will tell.He comes to check on me next week and will ask him if i can take a OTC (over the counter) anti-gas med. I have to wait to ask him due to red tape..anyhoo, thank God it was nothing serious! But man, those pains,when they happen hurt so bad. Having this amount of gas can be due to various reasons other than what i eat..don't feel like going into that now because i want to get you to part two of this post....

SO i don't know if you know, in case you aren't on twitter, i posted a pic of my din din last friday:

Chicken salad and tomatoes! yummay!

What has the world come to now that we post and talk about what we eat or drink! lol..it is really important stuff! This kind of stuff gives you a real glimpse into the lives of each other.

Most of you that read my blog are fellow bloggers, some are not and that's totally OK! But i think sometimes people who are not bloggers, don't get what we do and that's ok too! I also think that in bloggerville, some bloggers compare each other to the "celebrity" bloggers (i honestly did at the beginning) and disregard how AWESOME their own blog is, even if it is has only 34 followers. It doesn't matter if you made it big time or still have a small following..each of us is important. Each of our blogs are an inviting place for others to come to. Some offer humor. Some offer how-to's and helpful tips. Some offer inspiration. Each of us is amazing. each of us is human.

We all mess up. We all poop. We all have our human moments where we cry, get selfish or complain. We get gas. We burp. We feel insecure. We get pimples. we eat too much sugar blah blah etc. you get the point.

Sharing pictures of our new outfit. Or the starbucks drink we are enjoying or the chocolate mustache on our kids's face is showing you the REAL us.[and i'm using we/us in general terms, i dont have any kids]. Those silly pictures are important.

Rather than comparing, I try to embrace everyone in blogland. It might be difficult to not care about the numbers and i try not to, but focusing on the connections you make will be more satisfactory-i promise! Remember that you are loved. Remember that you are pretty darn likeable and amazing! So go ahead and keep on posting those silly, daily-life pictures! I enjoy them and i'll keep on posting mine. Thanks to them for inspiring this post even if that means sharing how i have a slightly embarrassing tale of how i have alot of gas.

it's just the truth yo!

coffee date: questions answered

Hello lovelies! Here I am today with another vlog for our coffee date!! Linking up again with Alissa of Rags to Stiches! I am excited to check out your posts and see what you are sharing today. Also, hope you don't mind that I came in my comfy clothes: an american eagle tee and pajama shorts from target!

If you watched or saw my post, last week's coffee date i opened up the mic, or is it, the box?, the gallery?, whatever! you know what i mean, right? to you to ask me any question or two that you want!

OH, HELLO!

This vlog is dedicated to answering some questions that one of my awesome readers asked me! I am SO excited and sort of nervous as to the response i'll get to answering these questions, some personal[and really, should i care? NO], but i do like feedback and comments lol! But i am way more excited to share this "girl talk" with you...want to meet me back here next friday for more girlfriend time!? sharing our hearts and thoughts. Let's!

who i am, who you are

I originally had a doctor's appointment to get my trache changed, which is routine and painful, but my doctor's office called me yesterday to reschedule, so instead of doing that, I get to have fun doing blogging stuff today! yay! I'll have to do a write up of the whole trache change experience. Just another part of living life being ventilator dependent.

So friends, I just want to say [again] how thankful I am to be part of the blogging world. I feel so cool! lol. When people ask me what do i do? How do i spend my time? I confidently tell them, "I am a blogger." Do people ever ask you these kinds of questions? Alot of people don't "get" what we do and what the community is all about. Some get the facial expression that it's not "alot of work" or not that "valuable", but i totally disagree!

Being a blogger is another title to the list of things that i do that help make me who i am. Not only am I a blogger, but i am a cardmaker, a crafter, a letter scriber, a photographer, a makeup artist ;), a friend, a internet junkie, a reader, a daughter of strong parents, a writer, a tv watcher, a indie music & coffee snob, a bargain shopper, a couponer, a believer, a sister, a list maker, a day dreamer, a movie watcher/reviewer, a baker, but most importantly a child of God.

Within God's kingdom, I find my worth. I know who i am. My pastor often reminds me, "it's not what you do, but who you are."

I love being a blogger because I get to meet so many awesome, different people. I get to learn about different lives, perspectives and attitudes. Not only the differences, but I discover common things we like or similar beliefs we hold. I get to find out who you are through your blog. And I've "talked" with some AMAZING people!

I can tell you that i absolutely LOVE being a blogger and all of the other things I mentioned. But, i LOVE being a child of God. I love that even though i am not perfect by the world's standards, I am perfect in His eyes. I know I am loved by my Heavenly Father as well as my family and friends. This love, gives me confidence and makes me extend that love & kindness to others.

I want to take a moment to introduce you to some women I've "met" in blogland, who are also some of my sponsors. They have extended love & kindness to me. Each of these unique ladies hold so much creativity, warmth and friendliness. They each help make the blogging experience better for all who know them! They are part of a community of sisters &/or brothers supporting and uplifting each other. Sorry to get so sappy on ya, but it's true! Take a minute to check them out or visit them & say Hello & that Bee Littlequeen sent you!

{MEET JAZMINE }

of Life as Young Mom

Twitter // Facebook // Hellocotton // Bloglovin // Delicious Treats by Sweet Girls // Instagram: @mrsjazmine88

Hi dolls, I'm Jazmine and I blog over at "Life As A Young Mom". I'm a wife, mommy to two beautiful little boys and a fur momma to a chihuahua name "Bonecrusher" (don't judge me on the name) lol. I'm a full time worker and student working on my bachelor's degree for Healthcare Management. I should be done by summer of 2014. I'm also the Co-Author of Delicious Treats by Sweet Girls, which is a food blog that I share with 2 of my fellow coworkers. I love to cook, bake, read, SHOP, and of course spend time with my boys, family and friends. 

Feel free to stop by look around and stay a while.  

 {MEET ALLISON}

of Feeding My Temple

 blog // twitter // facebook // fitness coach

I'm Allison. A 26 year old mom and wife. Follower of Jesus. Sister to 2. Living in Oklahoma. Feeding My Temple follows my life as I try to balance feeding my body, mind and spirit with the Word, fitness, and amazing food.

 {MEET KELLY}
of the Houtz House Party

 blog// facebook// twitter // bloglovin // pinterest

I am a wife to my best friend and a stay at home mama to 4 little people. Our oldest son just turned 3. We have 19 month old twin boys and our little lady is 5 months old! I love to share the daily crazy here with lots of photos and stories about our little family. I also share favorite recipes, “fashiony” things as I learn them (that is like starting from square ONE for me, let me just WARN you now!) and my ever evolving faith in Jesus journey.

 {MEET KENDRA}
of A Proverbs 31 Wife

blog // pinterest // facebook // twitter // bloglovin

 Hello Bee Little Queen readers! I am Kendra and I blog at A Proverbs 31 Wife. I blog about life as a wife and home maker. So that means if you were to visit one day I may have a yummy recipe for you. The next day it could be a cool craft, and the next day... well, you get the idea. :) I love the Lord and my family so there will often be a sprinkling of both in my posts as well. 

I know some people like to be invited so here it is, your official invitation.

{MEET HILARY} 

of Measure Once, Cut Twice

Facebook // Twitter // Blog // Shop

Hi there! My name is Hilary and I'm a craftaholic. My free time is spent creating DIY projects and posting them over on my blog. I just opened an online store called Measure Once, Cut Twice {The Shop}. We are a full service dye-cut printing shop here to serve those without a dye-cut machine like a Silhouette or Cricut. My goal for this shop was to offer super low pricing for personalized images. I'm talking super low, like less than $.04 per square inch of vinyl low. We are willing to cut anything and everything that our machines are capable of cutting, just ask! Here is a code for $5 off your $30 purchase. Also, all new customers can use the code NewbieLove to receive an extra 10% off!

WIWW & a winner!

Sometimes I have bigger plans set for my day and sometimes, like today, something happens that sets me back, makes me take a time out and that thing was a blasted headache. It started out minimal, but as the morning progressed (i was thinking it would go away), it just got worse and I took some ibuprofen and within 30 minutes, my head was well again. What do you all take if/when you get a bad headache? I have had migraine's before, and i so sympathize with you that do experience migraines often. Thankfully, today's was not a migraine.

I had a lively, funny visit with my grandparents today. My grandpa was feisty: not the usual characteristic he displays. He was ready to go and try to ruffle mine & nana's feathers. It was quite hilarie (hilarious). He said chuckling at one point, "Brittany, we are so old, we don't care"---referring to expired products, with the exception of food.

tanktop: target, dress: mervyn's, earrings: mervyn's, sunglasses: F21

Anyhoo, after the gparents left, I broke down and HAD to take a little nap. I just kept yawning and sleep was overshadowing me. i really didn't want to because i had/have so much to do. oh it felt so nice to sleep for a bit!! I don't mean to complain to you guys, this is just what went on today--the facts of my life.

ANNOUNCING:

The winner of the starbucks giftcard giveaway from Danette of All my love for my days is: Kendra!! Congrats girl!!! 

Thank YOU all who entered and helped promote this giveaway! I am sure we'll have another awesome giveaway soon around here.
Take care my friends.

weekend re-cap

Saturday night i didn't have any set plans..let's be honest, i never really do. I was flicking the channels and came across a movie starting on abcfamily.com and guess what is was?? EDWARD SCISSORHANDS!! 

{source}

 I hadn't seen that movie in years and well,I love Johnny Depp and so i watched it. I never realized how colorful the movie is..both literally the neighborhood in the movie and the clothes the characters wear. It's a deep contrast between where Edward lives and looks and wears. I love the mom, Peg, in the movie who sees past edward's facial scars and obvious not normal hands and tries to fix him up with her Avon products.. lol cracks me up. I think if i were to be a character in that movie,it would be the mom. She's so kind, nurturing, and accepting. She's doesn't gossip as much as her women neighbors and doesn't judge so quickly.

then sunday, i spent the afternoon with my stepmom and sister.  We had a lazy lounge clothes, eating, watching movie, girl chat kind of day. 

comfy slippers! I love my sister's, leopard print! ah

:)

showing off our lazy clothes and slightly messy up do's

We ended up watching The Vow! awhhh that movie was good but summed up in one word: bittersweet. It just strikes my heart how the husband Leo, vowed to love his wife no matter what, even if she couldn't remember him.

Then monday afternoon, I met with two of my good friends, E and L, sisters, and L's two kids. We took the kiddos to play and run around.

It was fun to see them all again. The babies sure got tired out as they fell asleep in the car on the way back to my house, but man, i got tired out too! lol and i wasn't even jumping around.

And that my friends bring us to today, which has been productive. Not only have i been writing this post, but also replying to emails, tweeting, entering giveaways (because they are fun & do take time), reading other super cute lovely blogs, working on a post to highlight my swapper sponsors, recorded a vlog for friday's coffee date, planning for the next couple of weeks and gonna do Bible study. Phew!

Come back tomorrow because I am going to announce the winner of the starbucks giftcard giveaway from Danette of all my love for all my days!

TIGF: things im grateful for, on a sunday

Life gets busy. 

Sometimes, i get so wrapped up with what I am doing that I don't see the little blessings in my life. 

Sometimes, I let myself get caught up in the worries of the world (or my world) that I don't take notice of the things I can control and influence.

 I'd like to take some time today to remind myself of some things that light up my life and make my heart smile.

This TIGF is hosted by Laura of Howdy Girl and Ashley & Nathan

of and a DIY life. 

The purpose of this is reflect on what you are thankful for and what you are appreciative of from the week. This is technically supposed to be written/posted on a friday, but why not on a sunday!? :)

In no particular order:

-a hour long conversation with a good friend who i haven't spoken to in four years.(ok not really that long, but it seemed like it lol)

-freshly blended smoothies, thank you HD!

-snail mail from my pastor.

-repetitive stories from my grandpa M. and almost yelling with my 74 year old nana.

-carmex to help aid my cold sore.

-encouragement from my mom.

-God for leading me in the right direction and for instilling in me a giving heart(which i always say More)

-fellowship w/HL and for starbucks.

-girl time & movies w/Maria, my sister & stepmom (2 different times this week).

-having had fancy shmancy Sony headphones gifted by my bro that lasted for six years (they just died this week)

-rain on 2 different days.

-turkey bacon

-prayers

-feeling pretty darn excited about supporting my 1st official sponsors through passionfruit ads & for blogging in general.

-tacos, salad & rice

-NO now for one thing, means YES to something else better later

-that i happened to come upon channel 8 and see a documentary on Mr. Rogers

what are you thankful for? frivolous or serious?

boobylicious

I always refer the breasts as the boobs or boobies. 

And sometimes you might hear me say when putting on a bra, gotta support the girls! Whenever i wear a bra my boobs never look like the victoria's secret models even when wearing a push up bra and that's ok! I do know that I like my boobs situated up and in. Up and in is what i always say! i definitely like the slight push-up bras to help my girls out!

Here's a couple of styles from victoria's secret that are on my wish list. I just don't really like shelling out $50 bucks for one bra ya know...

 {source}

{source}

In support of the girls, do you all know Sarah of Fontenot Four?? Well, she is SUCH a caring, woman of faith and I am loving getting to know her! She also happens to be one of my fabulous sponsors  this month AND she's collecting bras! YUP! BRAS!! It might sound a little weird, but I promise it's for a way good cause! She's helping out another fellow blogger, Mrs. Pate Writes collect gently used bras for non-profit organization, Free the Girls, which direct from their website's misson that "provides job opportunities to women rescued from sex trafficking."

Sarah's post which includes a brief vlog will better explain why she's involved in this project!

If you have time, please go through your unmentionables drawer and donate a bra or two or three that you could part with. [i went through mine and packaged up four bras!] A bra that doesn't fit or one that you don't like or haven't worn in forever will be greatly appreciated, probably more than you or I will ever know!

Let's join forces to help Sarah collect as many bras as possible to help these women get back on their feet, who have gone through a traumatic time in their lives! leave a comment or email me if you prefer if you want to donate and I can forward the message to Sarah or you can contact her directly at her blog above for contact details!

thank you. gracias.  merci.


btw, i just voted for some cool bloggers that you may follow too in the 1st Annual LEEIB Bloggie Awards hosted by Nathan from Life & Everything Else In Between and sponsored by Heather @ The Life Unexpected! You can vote too for your faves as well as link up your blog to meet other bloggers! Nathan will also be randomly selecting a winner from the link-up for ad space on his blog! awesome, right!?

coffee date

So howdy there!

I'm linking up with Alissa of Rags to Stitches for my FIRST EVER coffee date vlog...yay!! 

for  sincere, lovey ramblings watch this:

Happy Friday and I invite you to link up with us!

Also, if you have a question (about makeup, family, my disease or health situation are a few ideas) for me , feel free to ask and i'll plan to answer them next week in another coffee date vlog, probably!

P.s. If you don't know, come meet  fellow blogger  Danette & enter the giveaway here! Four more days to possibly win a starbucks gift card! 

Plus, two of my awesome sponsor friends are having giveaways as we speak! Seriously check em out because who doesn't like winning free stuff!?

Need/want HUGE AD SPACE then check out Life as a young momma's blogoversary giveaway!  Jazmine is also offering 50% off of her normal ad prices!

& if you love reading & like Christian romance fiction, you could win a good read on A Proverbs 31 wife!

eye care about you

 In high school, i totally failed at those hearing tests that made you do. The first attempt I had really bad allergies and since my ears were clogged and draining, i couldn't hear those little "beeps". Despite failing that test, I always aced the vision test with a score of 20/20, but now that I am nearing 30 years of age, I wonder how my eyes are doing? I haven't had my eyes tested since I was 18! I can still see pretty well and read tiny print. I am thankful I don't need eyeglasses NOW but IF i did and IF i do,I'll certainly be visiting GlassesUSA.com.

I don't wear glasses but I sure do love sunglasses! While living in a state that is full of sunshine majority of the year, I need to protect my eyes. I certainly don't want premature wrinkles forming due to my lack of not shading my eyes. It's neat because glassesUSA does sell sunglasses and can make sunglasses out of a prescription lens frame! Isn't that so cool!? This fact is something I'll definitely be checking out in the near future! I've been wearing $5 sunglasses (as seen below in my picture, cheap plastic that breaks so easily haha) but am in the market for a good quality pair!

If you are ever in the need for a new pair of glasses, why not try searching for online glasses for convenient shopping from your home, anytime of the day! Not only does this site pride itself on high quality frames and lenses, they offer a 110% lowest price guarantee and a 100% satisfaction guarantee!

 I am definitely going to tell my mom about GlassesUSA.com because she wears prescription specs and sometimes needs to get them updated and what could be better than getting a pair at a really affordable, discounted price!

I love that this site has a virtual mirror that lets me try on different glasses frames to see what would look good on my face shape and just in general. I have such a round and wide face that I know that more rectangular/square frames look best on me. There are different rims to choose from, plastic, metal, rimless and semi-rimless. Trying glasses on can be a fun and good idea since you can't physically try them on.

i think they are pretty snazzy! how do i look?

Try it out for yourself!

There's more great news my peeps! You can currently get 30% off prescription eyeglasses or sunglasses and FREE Shipping with the code: Summer2012 OR you can use code: blog10 to take 10% off any order of prescription glasses!! wowza!!

This was a GlassesUSA sponsored post and I was compensated, but all views and opinions are honest and my own.

to love the journey

I think it takes a brave person to love the journey they are on, especially if it feels like it's a rocky one. We are called to keep our faith and pray at all times, whether it's good or whether it's not so good...something i need to work on! One thing is for certain throughout our lives and that is God. He is the same yesterday, today and forever!

Circumstances and feelings change like the wind, but oh how good it is that God is constant and never changing! Some days I feel energetic, happy and my day is purposeful... and then some days or moments, i feel irritable, tired and like i don't know where i am going! God is the rock upon which i stand. The fire is reignited to love my life, my journey, no matter what, because IT IS a gift from the Lord. He has placed me "here" for a reason and I want to answer the call for His purposes!

Hebrews 13:8,

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Proverbs 3:6

In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

We all know that I love to talk about my faith journey and I felt an instant connection with a new blog friend of mine, Danette of All My Love for all My Days who also is loving the journey she is on. This gorgeous lady writes such encouraging posts and her faith inspires me to deepen my walk with Christ! Her notes from jackson, written from the perspective of her fur baby crack me up!! I can tell she's in love! She also shares hot rockin' nail art ideas that she likes! Who doesn't like jazzing up their nails pretty? i wish i could do some of these looks but i'm not that talented lol.

{MEET DANETTE}

blog // facebook // twitter // hellocotton

Danette loves God and loves people.  She's on the pastoral team at Cathedral of Praise in Sand Springs, Oklahoma,  but loves to blog and craft and cook and decorate in her "free time." "I love working with my students from youth.  They are like my friends and kids all at the same time."  For Danette, these students are her joy.  She would never tell them to their faces but she will always love them and she brags on them non stop, but only behind their backs.  They do have to stay humble.

Danette writes of her blog, '"All My Love for All My Days" is really a journey in love.  There is so much of life that God has given us.  Even the struggles are gifts from God because He uses them to teach us more about His character.  All I want to do with my life is show Christ's love for humanity, to love the journey, and to share my love of the journey with you.

I thought we'd do a little Q & A with Danette to get to know her a little bit better. 

After reading, i'm sure you'll want to be friends so go check out her blog and say hello & tell her i sent ya!

Or find her at her above social links! You may also want to stick around to the end of this post for a nice surprise! *wink *wink!

1.Why do you blog and when did you start blogging? 

Originally, I started blogging as a way to keep the volunteers of my team at work up to date.  (In the real world I'm a Creative Arts Pastor at a church in Sand Springs, Oklahoma.)  After a long break from blogging, I discovered that I missed the creative outlet.  So, I changed the name of the neglected blog to "All My Love for All My Days" and found a source of friendship and joy. 

 2. What color represents you (your spirit, style, personality, etc) and why? 

I personally think that one color might not represent my me, but I do think that a palette might. :)  I love natural colors.  I think that they are so peaceful. 

3. What was the last book you read? Do you even like to read? lol 

Besides the Bible?  That would have to be "The Hunger Games."  Love that series.  And I love reading books and magazines.  I just don't quite always get the chance.

 4. What is your favorite non-alcoholic drink? 

 Diet Coke.  No more explanation needed. 

 5. Up to this moment in your life, who has impacted it the most and why? 

My parents are by far the most influential people in my life.  They raised me to love God and love people. 

6. if you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you like to go?

 I love seeing fun, romantic places.  I would love to go to Rome and Israel, but I would also love to live in Hawaii, California, New Mexico, or Arizona. 

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Oh danette, we could be neighbors in Arizona!? lol. I would love to be able to travel to Rome too! And one more thing, Danette is graciously giving away a $10 Starbucks giftcard to one lovely reader! gah, i wish i could win, you know i love my fraps!!

To enter:

Make sure to leave a comment for each entry you complete! and please leave your email in your comments, so I can contact you if you are the winner!! especially the no-reply bloggers!!
you can do any or all of these entries!

*follow all my love for all my days blog (+1 entry)
*follow Danette on twitter (+1 entry)
*follow Danette on facebook (+1 entry)
*follow all my love for all my days on hellocotton (+1 entry)
 *follow this blog via GFC (+1 entry)
*follow me on twitter (+1 entry)
*follow me on hellocotton (+1 entry)
*tweet about the giveaway! (+1 entry)

that's a total of 8 entries!! scoot scoot and enter you coffee lovers!!

This giveaway will last from today until monday, july 16th at 11:59 p.m. Arizona time. Open worldwide. Winner will be determined by random.org and will be announced Wednesday July 18th. Winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to reply. If no reply, a new winner will be selected.