Enjoying the Warm Outdoors in a Midi

I love taking Mary to have little adventures sometimes. It's a fun mother and daughter time and we get to discover new things. Two days ago, Mary and I ventured out during the day to  a few new places to just have some fun and explore. One of our stops was to our local art museum and inside was a gorgeous piano that was repainted. It was so pretty we both couldn't resist taking pictures with it. It really made me wish I could still play!

Inside the art museum they were doing a scavenger hunt too so we picked that up and will come back for it another day.

The next stop was to a new park in our town that we had passed by so many times before. It even had a Free Little Library at it so we checked out some of the books they had to offer. Then Mary decided she wanted to take some pictures of the trees and walk around a bit. Overall it was very relaxing.

Last for the day was picking pears in our yard. Since we moved into a house, we have had a pear tree that blooms every summer. So before the summer is out, I pick the pears the best I can without a ladder. Most of the time they go to feeding the animals but it's better than them being wasted.

All throughout the day I was very comfortable in my new midi dress from StyleWe as well. It came below my knees for extra coverage, was high necked and had a quilt like comfort to it. It's the perfect dress for autumn and I even paired it with some boots I had from last year.

Outfit Details: Half Sleeve Outdoor Midi Dress from StyleWe || Shiny-licious Tichel, Lace Sash  (similar on Wrapunzel) || Photography by Mary Elizabeth Photography

Join Us for the #WhyStorkOTC Twitter Party!

Are you in the process of conceiving a baby? Or maybe you have been trying for a long time without success? We want to hear your stories! Join us for the #WhyStorkOTC Twitter Party on September 28th where you will learn about The Stork OTC that has been helping couples conceive naturally without being in a doctor's office.

WHAT: #WhyStorkOTC Twitter Party

WHEN: September 28th at 8PM EST (7PM CT, 6PM MT, 5PM PT)

WHO: Panelists
- @kbwhiskey , @ehesketh, @newnaturalmom, @wildishjess, @stuffofsuccess, @craftyzoo, @missysintuition, @MsFrugalMommy, @sjblahblahblog, @3Boys_OldLady

HOW TO JOIN;  Follow the #WhyStorkOTC hashtag

PRIZES: $50 CVS gift cards every 15 minutes & a Grand Prize of a Stork OTC Twin Pack, 3 First Response Ovulation Test Kits (3 Months Supply) and a $50 CVS gift card!

The Story of Doodles the Duck #MetOnPetfinder #ad @Petfinder

“I acknowledge that Petfinder is partnering with me to participate in its ‘#MetOnPetfinder 20th anniversary celebration’ program. As a part of the celebration, I am receiving compensation in the form of products and services for the purpose of promoting Petfinder. All expressed opinions and experiences are my own words. My post complies with the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) Ethics Code and applicable Federal Trade Commission guidelines.”

Anyone could tell by visiting my site that I have a lot of pets. But did you know that most are adopted? Take for instance, Mr. Whistles. We adopted him when we found him not being treated properly in his previous residence. The day we got to take him home, his previous people threw him in a cardboard box, taped it up and give him to us like that. Who would treat a parrot that way?

Over the years, I've had a lot of pets and I'm no stranger to adopting. I've spent countless hours searching online for animals that need a forever home. One of the sites I have used in my searches is www.Petfinder.com. Did you know that on Petfinder you can search for not just cats and dogs but also birds, small animals and even barnyard animals like ducks and chickens?

And speaking of barnyard animals, that's how I adopted my newest baby, Doodles my Pekin duck.

Through the years, I've had two very special Pekin ducks but both were killed in tragic ways. And it wasn't until this past April that I even thought about getting another duck. I guess it's hard to understand, but once you bond with a duck, it's not the same without one. Ducks are very special animals in the fact that they can imprint on you. Imprinting is when you get a duck when it's very young and are constantly around it without other ducks. Eventually that duck will imprint on you and think it's a little human. I know it sounds crazy, but all my other Pekin ducks imprinted on me because of this too.

When we went to adopt Doodles, he was only 2-weeks-old. He was in a bin with about 60 other baby ducks and they had no water, plus their wood shavings were filthy. When I picked him up for the first time, he got so scared that he threw up right on my hands. It broke my heart but we adopted him and took him home.

Doodles became a special duck because he has never lived outside. From the time I adopted him, he has lived in the house with us. When he was little, he bathed in the bathroom sink and lived in a pet stroller that was lined with pet liners. And as he grew older, he started bathing in the tub and he now lives in a playpen in the living room. He has his own set of stuffed animal toys that he plays with and he loves to play with the dogs too! But what really makes him funny is he hates being outside. If I go outside, I have to force him to come and take a walk. And when he's done with his walk, he will go sit back up on the front porch and wait for me to open the front door to let him back in.

Doodles and I have been best friends since I adopted him. I guess he thinks of me as his mother duck because he follows behind me where ever I go. He's one of the best friends I could have ever asked for and it would have never been possible without adopting him.

For the past 20 years, Petfinder has worked to ensure that more adoptable pets find their forever homes. Since 1996, Petfinder has helped facilitate more than 25 million pet adoptions through its shelter and rescue member organizations. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Petfinder is asking pet parents, pet lovers and pet advocates to join the celebration and its effort to donate $200,000 benefitting 20 shelter and rescue members. To make this donation possible, Petfinder is asking animal lovers to help generate one million views of its #MetOnPetfinder anniversary video by October 24, which shows how adoptable pets have transformed the lives of their adopters. When the one million views goal is met, 20 Petfinder shelter and rescue members will each receive a $10,000 grant from the Petfinder Foundation to help continue to transform the lives of the pets in their care and cultivate more lifelong relationships. As part of the celebration, Petfinder families, advocates, partners and fans are encouraged to share their Petfinder adoption stories on social media by using the hashtag #MetOnPetfinder.

10 Tips on How to Stage a House

We've all been there- the day you decide to sell your house. But selling your house isn't always a piece of cake. Some homes sit on the market for years because they just don't have that appeal that buyers are looking for.

If you're looking to sell your home, the best way to attract new buyers to make sure you stage it first. Staging doesn't have to cost a fortune and over 95% of buyers agents say that home staging has some effect on the buyers opinion of a house.

Here are a few tips on how to stage your house effectively:

• One of the most important rooms to stage is the Living Room. Start off by re-positioning your furniture to show off the space but make sure it's not too full.
• In the Master Bedroom, empty your closets completely. Buyers like to see how much storage there is and it's harder when your things are still in it. 
• Remove items taking up too much floor space. A spacious house sells quicker than a cluttered one.
• A quick fix in the Kitchen is to update your fixtures like faucets and knobs. This is a cheap fix that can make a kitchen look new.
• Adding an inexpensive back-splash to your kitchen can give it that wow factor as well.
• Adding small decorations like candles and flower pots can attract a variety of people.
• Update your mailbox if it's older or not looking its best.
• Cut the lawn and plant flowers outside.
• Pressure wash the house, patio and roof.
• Make sure your house number is visible and in good condition.

Following this simple tips can help you sell your house in no time.

The CHSH Download Club from CHSH-Teach.com #hsreviews #CHSH #homeschool #homeschoolresources @TeachWithCHSH

I am a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew. All opinions are my own.


As a homeschooling mom, I can honestly say that I understand the frustrations of homeschooling and finding materials that are easy to access for Mary. Mary and I work on a lot of different materials and lessons throughout the year and a lot of times I like to have worksheets or extra lessons to reinforce what she's learning. But over the years I have found that it's very hard to find decent worksheets to download and print out online. And it's even harder to search for them online too. Usually I'm pretty good at finding stuff from search engines, but finding worksheets can prove to be trying to say the least. And another problem with finding them online is most of them will be all over different websites so you'll need to keep searching in multiple places. Honestly, I don't have time for that.

For the past few months, I've been able to check out the CHSH Download Club from CHSH-Teach.com and so far I've been very impressed. CHSH-Teach.com is a collection of resources and materials for K-12 in a variety of subjects including holidays. Some materials can be accessed for free and others need a paid membership. Currently they have two membership options - a 1 year membership for $25 and a Lifetime membership for $99.99.

When you do subscribe, you have instant access to over 50,000 downloadable materials. Also since CHSH-Teach.com is a community as well, you can upload and share your own materials with the other members too. There's also a forum as well that you can chat with other members in.

Surprisingly enough, Mary is still on summer break until the end of September because of her age. Where we live, she has to be 9 to go into 3rd grade and she doesn't turn 9 until the end of September. But throughout the summer, we make sure to work on little things to keep her mind fresh. Mostly during the summer, I tend to take it easy with her and do fun activities like nature walks, activity books and outdoor worksheets since the weather is nice. One of our many projects this summer has been to do National Park Service Junior Ranger booklets with her for her badges. So far she has gotten over 20 of them and she's very proud. But most recently, my husband found a brand new curriculum that is over the computer to help teach her French which she was going to start in 3rd grade anyways. So we decided to  start French early in the summer and she is loving it. And in my CHSH-Teach.com account, I can login and get fun french reinforcements for her including flashcards and posters. Just check out some of my favorites:

With the posters, I can hang them in her room and go over them daily and I love the idea of flashcards because they help her remember so much better.

Not only did they have French but they also have ASL too which is almost impossible to find online. Mary started learning ASL about 2 years ago with me at classes outside the house. We both loved it and took to it pretty fast. Since it's so fun to learn and I would like her to continue, I have new worksheets and flashcards for ASL now! I really enjoyed the signing sheets the best because they teach new words in them.

CHSH-Teach.com doesn't just have languages either. They have a variety of subjects including math, science, writing, Bible and more. If you homeschool your kids and are looking for a great place to get printable resources for them, then I suggest you check out CHSH-Teach.com.