Lia Sophia WInner!

And my most sincere apologies for being late posting this!  
Yesterday was all sorts of crazy holiday fun that kept us occupied literally from hours before the sun came up till hours after it went down.  Good times!  


According to random.org, the winner is.....
 Tara said...

I love the Arcadia bracelet!

Congratulations you lucky lady you!!  

email me at cateyball[at]yahoo[dot]com and we'll get you all set up with your prize.  

Thanks everyone for entering!  

And though October is wrapping up tomorrow, there will be one more giveaway popping up here in the next week or two.  Kind of a "it was so fun, let's throw one more in there for good measure" kind of thing.  Hey, every body love the chance to win free stuff, right?  

So stay tuned for that one, and have a wonderfully fun and enjoyable Halloween weekend!  

That picture of my mom

First I have to tell you how cute my mom is.   Because she is just entirely too cute.  My dad used to tell us all the time when we were kids how cute our mom is, but we'd just say "ok dad" and walk away rolling our eyes because that's pretty much what you do when you're a kid and your parents are being all cutesy, kissy-face, lovey-dovey.

But to make my point, look:

Awww...see, I told you.  Look at my adorable parents!  What a cute couple!

If I look half as good as my mom does when I'm her age, I'll be absolutely thrilled.


So, that other picture.....

We took a big SoCal trip a few years ago and spent a couple of days at Disney.  This picture was taken on a day we were over at California Adventure.  We LOVE the Grizzly River Run ride, and waffle back and forth between mocking those wimps who wear ponchos on rides like this and being the wimps who wear ponchos on rides like this.

This particular trip we felt pretty tough.  No wimps!  Braving the possibility of getting wet, we rode.

We got wet.

A couple of us got really wet.

My mom got drenched.

Like drowned rat drenched.

And these pictures still make me laugh hysterically.

The BIG Giveaway!!

October is winding down (already?!?), which means giveaway month is almost over.


But not yet.  Oh, no-not yet!!  This is where it gets goooood.

Have you heard of a wonderful company called Lia Sophia?


If you haven't, you are missing out.

If you have, you know why you want in on this!!

Today, courtesy of the very cute, very funky, very stylin' Marie, you can win a Lia Sophia item of your choice, up to $60 in value!!

Um, wow!  (and a tiny bit jealous I can't enter myself!)


They have some pieces right now that are to die for!

I was searching through the website last night thinking "hmmm, if I could be the lucky winner, what would I choose?"

And then 40 minutes later when my head was spinning with the possibilities,  I had a list of more than a dozen of my favorites.  Oh the indecision!  

So now you see that the most difficult thing you will have to do here is actually pick something when you win!

Entering is the easy part!


First (mandatory) - check out Marie's site HERE.  Click on Our Jewelry, come on back and tell me what you love the most.  I may have missed something to drool over so I'd love to see what catches your eye!
(go ahead and click on the other links too, check it all out!  There are some killer hostess benefits!)


For more entries:
*Like The Jewelry Lady on Facebook!  This will keep you up to date on ordering, specials, all that good stuff.
*Be a follower  here at Random Thoughts From the Zoo.  'Cause I'm posting more pictures this next week.  One that my mom may kill me for (love you Mom!), but you will for sure want to see.  It's worth following just for that!
*Share the love with the online world!  FB, Twitter, or Blog the giveaway, linking back here.  Please leave a separate entry for each!
*If you happen to make a purchase or book a party with Marie, let me know for 2 bonus entries!  These parties really are a blast-who doesn't love playing in jewelry for a couple of hours?!


Giveaway ends Thursday October 28th at 11:59pm Mountain Time.  Hopefully I'll be sleeping at that time.  Hopefully you will be too, so enter before then!  Winner will be chosen using random.org, and announced Friday October 29th.  Go!  Enter!  Win!



(Time for the disclaimer!  Does anyone ever read this fine print?  You do need to know that some of the items here do not fall in the "under $60" category, so now that we've cleared that up you can't win and say "but I want the one that was pictured!" if it doesn't fit the requirements.  But you're all smart so I'm not too worried about that.  Also, since Lia Sophia locks there images into their website tighter than Fort Knox, I had to play around with Google to get some good examples of their truly beautiful jewelry.  Thus some of these photos may be of jewelry that is no longer available for purchase.  But trust me, the catalog right now is killer so I have no doubt you'll get over that.  Also, I am not being compensated for this, just wanted to show off Marie (who is adorable and fun!), and the great product she represents, so I asked, she agreed, and you lucky people who have now read practically the longest disclaimer ever have the great chance to win thanks to her.  And congratulations if you made it through this entire paragraph.  Go give yourself an extra entry by commenting to say "I read it all!")

Baby & Me Gifts Winner!

The Lucky winner of a Wubbanub or Teething Bling necklace is.....

#35

 jamiem said...

I'm a facebook fan

October 21, 2010 2:22 PM

Congratulations!

Please email me at cateyball[at]yahoo[dot]com and we'll get you all set up!

The many faces of Sunday Sam

Last Sunday I got to hang out with Sam.

Just chillin' in my sweats, on the bed, with my baby and a camera.  

Everyone else was absorbed in doing their own thing for a while. 

Good stuff.  

Look at that double chin.  I want to chew on it. 

He doesn't love the flash so much.

Still not loving it.  Clamming up.  Look at his eyes-"save me!  save me!"

Pre-sneeze stupor.

Post-sneeze astonishment.

There we go!  Look at that dimple!  Be still my heart!

And now he's done being amused.  

The End.

I think this will be Picture week

Even though the last post had no picture.  But "picture" was in the title, so close enough.

This next installment is a series of pictures I like to call "Thank You Kindergarten".
Or I suppose I could go with "Let's practice letters".
Or my personal favorite "If you want to try and pass blame to someone else, don't make it quite so obvious that you did it yourself".

You see, my cute little Dallin (#5, Mr Fire Hydrant) is absolutely loving Kindergarten.  I am dealing with that ok considering how very much I love teaching this age at home like I did with my others.  The good news is that I was still the one who taught him to read, so I have that important card tucked away in my own hand.

Anyway.

One of his favorite things now is writing.  This child did not want to write for me at all over the past year.  Occasionally he'd find an obsession with a particular letter and write it over and over and over, but he rarely wanted to write words, and though he knew how to spell it, he didn't want to write his name either.

Well my friends, all that has changed.  It's amazing what a pen can inspire.
It started out small enough, on the inside of the closet trim.

Then for good measure, a nice big D by the light switch.

A beautifully formed A also in the closet.

The he decided to go for it.
To really just put it out there.

A mural of his name...over and over....

To give you an idea of the size he went for, check this out.  Click on this picture for a better view.  That green chair is a child size chair, the letters dwarf it.  All. Over. The. Room.

So, what have we learned today?
Dallin needs help with his capital N's still.  He keeps writing them backward.

Also, I need to hide the pens.
And probably repaint this bedroom.
But hey, at least we know whose room this is.

No picture

But thought that you would appreciate anyway the fact that my kitchen was a lake this morning.

I was innocently working away and heard "you can't get me!", and "you still didn't get me!" coming from the kitchen.

I couldn't figure out what in the world Lincoln was talking about.

Until I listened a little more closely.....
To hear something splatting on the floor.
Charlotte giggling.
And the water slowly running in the sink.

Awesome.

No one should have to clean up a water fight in the kitchen.  Especially before 8:30 in the morning.

Upside?  My kitchen floor was super clean for like 38 seconds.  But then someone spilled a bag of tortilla chips.  And now it needs to be cleaned up again.

I'm thinking it's not a good sign that I wish it was still Monday.

Dear Tuesday, please get better.

A Picture

Because he's just stinkin' cute.

Next GIVEAWAY!!

I came across this great online store recently.


Remember how I mentioned we lost the backup binky?  Well, having tired of binkies being small enough to have to look for, especially if they go rolling across the floor (or under the couch, where we found our missing binky), I found an adorable solution to my issue.   


I also found a great new store-that happened to have the biggest selection and best prices-for my solution.


Baby & Me Gifts


So, what did I choose at this fabulous store?
Exhibit A: 

The Wubbanub.  Could that be any cuter??  Awesome way to keep track of his binky, and something for him to hold on to at the same time!  Love it!


And you know that when you find a great site, you start to browse.....


Baby & Me Gifts has so many great products!  From the Belly Bandit to bedtime necessitites, from great travel gear to adorable keepsake gifts.  


So after spending way too much additional time cruising around Baby & Me Gifts, I contacted Owner (and Mom) Jacquelyn Myers about sponsoring a giveaway for my readers from her great site.
And very generously, she agreed!  Thus today, from Baby & Me Gifts, you get to choose your prize!


So I'm going to show you something else....

This is called Teething Bling.    This is another one of those things that I wish I would have come up with! 
I have one of these in pink, along with a matching bangle, and honestly, I wear it even more often now that I don't currently have a teething baby,  just because it's so cute!  
'Babies love to put their mouth on most anything within reach, including necklaces that may pose injury or sanitation risk.  Teething Bling was inspired by babies who like to tug on our jewelry.  Safe for babies to handle and chew, phthalate, BPA, PVC and lead free, breakaway clasp'.... these things are ingenious!




You too can bestow the beloved Wubbanub upon your child (or would this not make the cutest addition to a baby shower gift?  Maybe tied up on top in a bow?), OR you can choose a Teething Bling Necklace!


Up for grabs today is a Teething Bling Necklace or Wubbanub!  You choose!  


Baby & Me Gifts currently has nearly 30 different Teething Bling necklaces to choose from, which means there is a style and color to make everyone happy.  


There is an awesome selection of Wubbanubs there as well...so many cute ones to choose from!

I actually texted my sister to help me choose because I was loving the Elephant, Brown Bear, Monkey and Brown Puppy just as much as I was loving the Giraffe and could not decide!  And yes I know none of those are pictured above...so go look at them!
And I have to say that the Long Horn Bull is super cute too!  (seriously, you have to go look at these)

Time to Enter to Win!

Go check out Baby & Me Gifts, come on back here and let me know what caught your eye!

(because I do really read every comment and love seeing what everyone's favorites are!)

Or tell me if you'd rather have the Necklace or Wubbanub, and which one.

Extra Entries:

*Be a follower, and let me know!  Hey, sometimes it's ok to be a follower.  We're not jumping off cliffs or anything, so it's all good.

*Become a fan of the Baby & Me Gifts Facebook page.  Special discount codes and giveaways, exclusive promotions, product features...all sorts of good stuff there!

*Spread the love via FB, Blogging or Twitter

*and stay tuned for an opportunity for extra entries this week.....if nothing else, stay tuned to see the picture providing said opportunity......

Please leave a separate comment for each entry!  

Giveaway closes at 11:59pm Mountain Time on Thursday Oct 21st.  Winner announced Friday Oct 22 after being chosen by the technological version of draw a name out of a hat (aka random.org).  

(Who doesn't love a disclaimer?  This giveaway is courtesy of an awesome site owned by a Mom who didn't laugh at me when I asked if she wanted to do a giveaway.  I really do love sharing my favorite things with all of you!  No compensation, or any of that going on.)

Scentsy Winner!

The winner is....

going to be announced in just a second!

Because I wanted to let you know that everyone else can get a free bar as well!

If you order from Angela by emailing angela{at}aromadelites{dot}com and your order is over $25, she is adding in a free bar!
That's a big fat YAY for me because I just found out that Spiced Grapefruit was brought back, so I am about to go restock on that!

The winner of the warmer and bar of choice is #38,

 Shilo said...

I'm a follower!!!

October 11, 2010 9:06 AM

Congratulations Shilo!

Once upon a Saturday

I ran a little race.

My first official race post baby.   

I probably shouldn't have, because late Thursday night the stomach flu hit me, and kept on through Friday.  

But I was really looking forward to it, had a friend who I knew I could keep pace with to run with me,

(My cute friend Ashley)

 and dangit I paid for the entry fee and I am cheap enough that I will get my entry fee's worth-stomach flu be darned. 

 Ironically it was the Love Your Body 10k/5k race.

Off to the race, baby in tow.

I promised Aaron Sam would be good and sleep through the whole run.  Thank goodness he made good on that for me, since Aaron is still in a sling from his shoulder surgery and has only his left arm (he's right handed).  That could have been awkward.  

This was the first time I've run a 10k event.  It was a beautiful course that wound through the Thanksgiving Point gardens (beautiful but hilly!), and was an all women event.  I have a 10k out and back (from my house) that I love to run, so I had a pretty good idea in my head of the time I wanted to hit, and when I fall into my groove on that distance.  

My pre-sick goal was to finish in an hour flat, but I sure would have loved it to cross the finish line before the clock read 1:00:00.  

Had I not been sick, I think I could have done it.  

Unfortunately, this is how I felt for almost the whole run:

(yes, I realize how unflattering that photo is.  Still, pretty accurate.)

My official finish time was 1:05:51.  

Not what I had hoped for, but considering the circumstances, I'm ok with that.  

(the course was also a tad bit longer, my Garmin reading 6.45 at the finish)

The atmosphere of a race really is a lot of fun, and this was the second time I have done an all women race-the first being my first Triathlon last year.  It's a funny thing; sometimes finishing an event can be kind of emotional.  It just feels so good to accomplish crossing that finish line.  It was neat to be milling around in the herd of women beyond the finish line and see a handful of criers, knowing that they were proud of what they had done that morning.   

(no, despite the fact that I am a total boob, I did not cry.  I was too busy being thankful I hadn't puked.  I did almost cry after my first Tri, and I'm sure once I knock a marathon off my list I will then too.)

There were a handful of other people we knew at the race, and it was fun to see other friends there. 

This is Sherri, who has been friends with my husband since high school:

No, she usually doesn't look that pained.  I'm thinking I must have stunk more than I realized?  Hey good sweat means good run.

Next year I would love to rope a whole group of women into running it (Mom, Kel, you've been warned), and getting matching shirts so it's easy to spot our whole group and cheer each other on.   

Also next time I will wear a cuter headband, as I didn't realize just how much this one makes me look like a man.

Or a pirate.  Argh!!  

Methinks the polkadots would be less manly?  or at least less piratey...

Race location: 2 thumbs up

Running while sick: not so much

Paying for running while sick with a violent return of said stomach flu 12 hours later:  The suck.  Big time.  

The only upside to having the stomach flu: dropping 4 of those pesky pregnancy pounds still hanging around.

The best husband in the world:  Mine.  Who was up with me last night while I was sick, seeing if there was anything he could do for me, rubbing my back (with his functional left hand), and offering to hold back my hair.  Who while in a pain-med induced nap this afternoon while talking in his sleep was saying "I'm so sorry you're sick....are you sure I can't do anything to help you?  Can I hold your hair back?  I feel so bad that I can't make you feel better..."  Apparently living through Saturday night once wasn't enough so he re-visited it in his dream.  Poor guy.