Retro Repin Party!!

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Hey Everyone! Welcome to our fun Retro Re-pin Party!! Thanks for joining us! This wouldn’t be a party without YOU and we appreciate everyone that pins and re-pins with us!

Retro Re-Pin Party

This party is all about bringing those older pins back into the lime light and making them new again! For this we need your help – remember to repin!

Meet your Retro Repin hostesses! With such awesome hostesses on 7 blogs, that’s 7 times the exposure for your pin! WOOHOO!!

Please consider following your hostesses!

 

Kristina and Millie @ 2 Crochet Hooks: Blog/Pinterest

Dee @ Meatloaf and Melodrama: Blog/Pinterest

Stephanie @ Sustaining the Powers: Blog/Pinterest

Joy @ xoxo Grandma: Blog/Pinterest

Becka @ Probably Crafting: Blog/Pinterest

Felicia @ Nifty Thrifty Family: Blog/Pinterest

Leslie @ Crafty Side of Sarcasm: Blog/Pinterest

 

*~* Are you all ready to party?!? ~

This is a Retro Re-pin Party so works a bit different than the usual link party. Please do NOT link up your blog main page, a blog post or your pin boards – link up one of your Pinterest pins and PLEASE – Family Friendly posts only!! If the link is not to a previously pinned post, it may not be pinned.

Example: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/555139091540348954/

Very simple rules for this party:

1. Add up to 2 pin links to your pinned posts – the older the better!

2. Repin at least 2 other pins because that’s why we are here!

3. Link back to us if you would, it’s the nice thing to do!

4. Come back next week and repeat!

5. Spread the word, the more the merrier!

Note: By linking up to this party, you give the hostesses permission to share your posts via social media with links back to the original source. If you have entered an email address into the link up too, an email will be sent when the party goes live. Your email will not be used in any other way.

Take a button!

2 Crochet Hooks




The Perfect Sugar Cookie

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I love cookies of all kinds but I specially love sugar cookies. I don’t know why for sure but it might be because they remind me of Christmas, which is my favorite holiday. I was asked by a coworker to make some sugar cookies for an event that was going on. I got excited because it meant I got to eat some too.

I’ve always loved baking & I think it stems from my grandma, who always let me help. Cookies & brownies were always my favorite because you could gobble them up in just a few bites & didn’t need any eating utensils. I do love a good piece of pie, don’t get me wrong but sometimes ya just want to use your hands.

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Ingredients
2/3 cup shortening
2/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar for decoration

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, shortening and sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt, stir into the creamed mixture until dough comes together. Roll dough into walnut sized balls and roll the balls in sugar. Place them on an unprepared cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until bottom is light brown. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

What did you bake lately?

The Beautiful 2015 BMW 328i

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I had a conference in DC for a week and instead of putting all the miles in Kiki my boss gave me one if the brand new loaner cars. I told him whatever he brought me had to have navigation (because I get lost if I get out of Raleigh. Yes it’s very sad), a sunroof, & get up & go when I needed it.

He brought around the 2015 BMW 328i & I must say I was very pleased. While having a glance over for any dings or scratches I’d let my boss know where there before I even got in it, I was pleased because there was a sunroof & the navigation I asked for. I quickly found out on the way home it has the GO I needed too. I don’t like going too slow, ya know.

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After I was all packed and ready to go I put in my destination on the navigation. Not only did the full color monitor show me where I was going in plain view, while sitting in the drivers seat there was my speed limit, the speed I was going, & the directions! I didn’t even have to keep an eye on the navi scream because it was right there in front of my face. It was a tad but distracting at first but then I got use to it a few miles down the road.

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The insides are nice and have duel climate control. The AC is great and yes, it gets bone chilling cold. I brought my mother along for the trip so we could hang out after my business class’ were over. She kept her side on a brisk 60* while mine was on 67*. It was SO COLD in the car!

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The center console is neat and clean with only your hand-brake, idrive controls (radio, navigation, Bluetooth buttons), shifter, & cup holders. The idrive is very easy to handle just push a button & your there. It doesn’t get any simpler than that. I love it.

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Also featured:
• Efficient Dynamics
• Lane Departure Warning and Active Blind Spot Detection.
• The Park Distance Control system with the back up camera & side & top view cameras.
• 0-60 in 5 seconds.
• Intercooled Turbo
• Auto Start-Stop function ( it turns the car off when you come to a complete stop & cranks again when your foot comes off the brake)

I’m not saying this just because I work for BMW but because I love the car. Right now we’ve got killer lease rates for employees. I’ve got a few things to think about. I’d still keep Kiki (the 2014 Kia Forte) but this might be a little sister to Kiki sooner than later. We will see.

Have you test drove anything recently?

Choosing Joy

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Hello there! I am Jenna from Choosing Joy and I am so excited that Leslie is allowing me to share a little bit of my story on her little corner of the internet today!

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So I guess I will start with a little bit about me. I am a 27 year old Pediatric RN recently turned stay-at-home mom from Bentonville, Arkansas. I am married to my Junior High Sweetheart, Bryan, and we have two little boys, Hudson (who is just shy of 4) and Rhett (17 months). I’ve been blogging since I found out that I was pregnant with Hudson (almost FIVE years ago) and it started as a journal to share pictures with friends and family who didn’t live close, over the years it has grown quite a bit and has evolved to be more than just a journal.

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I blog a lot about my kids and my obsession with cloth diapering and I’ve recently started Weight Watchers and have been blogging about weight loss and my journey to get fit and be healthy. I have lost 13 lbs of my goal of 64 lbs so far and I am so proud and excited about my progress. My workout of choice is running but I’ve also started PiYo in the past few weeks and it is hardcore! I am also a Team Beach Body Coach and love motivating and inspiring people to reach their fitness goals alongside me. If this is something you’re interested in, I’d love to talk to you more about it!

These are my before and mid-way PiYo pics to show you how amazing it is! I’ve lost 8 inches!

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But I blog about some serious stuff too…

Which leads me to last December when my Mother-in-law, Janet (who was blogging here about her journey), ultimately won her battle with Ovarian Cancer at 51 years old when she joined Jesus in His throne room but left her loved ones here on Earth. Way before I fell in love with her son, Janet was a mentor to me. She was way more than a Mother-in-law, but basically my second mother. I have taken her death (along with my whole family) pretty hard. So since losing her, my blog has become a place where I talk about how our family is coping with our loss. It has been a very hard seven months for our family but I have found so much support through the blogging community.

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I am blessed beyond measure by God’s goodness and grace in my life. My one hope through blogging is that I can inspire someone like I have been inspired by so many others. Since losing Janet, joy has been a choice that I have had to make many days. Sure, I still feel sad and miss her every day. I hate thinking about living life without her, especially for my little boys, but the Bible promises us that “sorrow will last for a moment, but joy comes in the morning”.

Thanks so much to Leslie for letting me share a little bit about who I am and I would love to have you hop over to my blog and join me on my journey of choosing joy!

Xoxo,
Jenna

Retro Repin Party

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Hey Everyone! Welcome to our second Retro Repin Party!! Last week we had a totally fun time with 39 link ups! Super Awesome!! We appreciate everyone that pinned with us!

This party is all about bringing those older pins back into the lime light and making them new again! For this we need your help – remember to repin!

Meet your Retro Repin hostesses!

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Kristina and Millie @ 2 Crochet Hooks: Blog/Pinterest

Becka @ Probably Crafting: Blog/Pinterest

Dee @ Meatloaf and Melodrama: Blog/Pinterest

Leslie @ Crafty Side of Sarcasm: Blog/Pinterest

Joy @ xoxo Grandma: Blog/Pinterest

Stephanie PowersThis week we have a super special co-hostess, Stephanie Powers! Please give her a warm welcome!

Stephanie Powers is the creative mind behind SustainingthePowers.com, her test – kitchen food blog. She’s a lover of Tex-Mex, a wife, a traveler, a teacher, a geek, and a foodie.”

You can follow her at: Blog/Pinterest

*~* Are you all ready to party?!? *~*

This is a Retro Repin Party so works a bit different than the usual link party. Please do NOT link up your blog main page, a blog post or your pin boards – link up one of your Pinterest pins and PLEASE – Family Friendly posts only!! If the link is not to a previously pinned post, it may not be pinned.

Example: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/555139091540348954/

Very simple rules for this party:

1. Add up to 2 pin links to your pinned posts – the older the better!

2. Repin at least 2 other pins because that’s why we are here!

3. Link back to us if you would, it’s the nice thing to do!

4. Come back next week and repeat!

5. Spread the word, the more the merrier!

Take a button!

2 Crochet Hooks


DIY Rice Bag

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I have horrible migraines so I go through a lot of these rice bags. Regardless if you have migraines or not these bags are great for any kind of pains. I have about 2 or 3 bags laying around the house. The one I keep in my bedroom (one shown in the photo) because it doesn’t have any essential oils in the mix. When I have a migraine this is the bag I use but when I want to relax I use the bag with lavender essential oils or the bag with peppermint oil.

You wouldn’t believe how easy these little life savers are to make. Even if your not a master at the sewing machine. As long as you can get the bag closed on both sides it’s a go!

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What you’ll need:
• Cloth
• Rice
• Essential oils (of your choice)

1. Cut 1 piece of cloth in a square. I cut my cloth about 11 inches.
2. Put the 2 long pieces together, sew together to make 1 rectangular piece.
3. Sew along one side edge.
4. Fill with desired amount of rice.
5. Add in a few drops of essential oil of your choice. (Optional)
6. Sew together the last remaining side edge.

VOLA! You’ve just made your own rice bag.

Heating Directions
Place in microwave for 1 minute to 1 1/2 minutes.

I put mine in for 2 minutes but I like mine extremely hot. These bags are great for cramps too. Don’t get it too hot or burn yourself. If you do get it too hot you can always use a dry bath cloth to put between the bag and your skin. Another cool thing is you can replace your rice without tossing your entire bag. To replace your rice but cut the seam out & pour out the old rice. I always wash my bags before I refill & sew them up again.

These bags have been life savers for me and now I can have more than one since I’m not paying $20+ for them at the mall anymore.