Month: October 2011

Categories
Everything Else

Label Love {giveaway}

As you know, I’ve been traveling a lot recently. You’ve picked up too that I can be a bit messy since I must unpack my bags as soon as I arrive. This means at the end of a weekend, or as was the case for my work trips, a week, I have stuff everywhere! What’s helped me figure out what’s mine & where it ended up recently are Lovable Labels.

Back in September, I was contacted by Lovable Labels & received one of their back-to-school packs. While some things, like the “this shoe belongs to” stickers, I didn’t think would apply to me, I’ve found more & more uses for the labels. As I kicked shoes off all over my parents house & under the table at the wedding last weekend, I actually wished I’d stuck a label on those too.

They survive the dishwasher & have been a great way to make sure tailgating platters return to me as well as the water bottles & cups I take with me to work. I’ve used them to label all my cords~ perfect for travel so they don’t get mixed up with my parents’ cell chargers.

While I skipped one of their 45 options of icons & went with just my name on their polka dot design, you could choose a star, fish, cat, skull & cross bones or a football. These would be great though to label your family’s or your children’s toys, clothes, luggage & shoes.

I’m behind on this post so I thought the “back-to-school pack” wouldn’t work as well now, but the people over at Lovable Labels are accommodating enough to supply a “Holly Jolly Pack” early {it’s not even available online yet!} for one lucky winner!  This red foil holiday themed package includes 15 multi-purpose stickers, 40 slimline labels, 12 shoe labels, 24 press n’ stick clothing dots {6 large, 6 medium & 12 small}, and 2 mini-metal tags. Everything you need to cover the basics plus more. Thanks, Lovable Labels!

To Enter:  Go to the Lovable Labels website and leave a comment telling me which one of their amazing products is your favorite! Once you’ve entered by leaving a comment, you can gain additional entries:

Follow @mylovablelabels and @suzstreats on twitter and tweet “Win a Holly Jolly Pack  from @mylovablelabels & @suzstreats  http://suzstreats.com/label-love-giveaway” leave us the link for extra daily entries.

‘Like’ Lovable Labels on Facebook for one extra entry and write below that you are a new fan.

Mention this giveaway on your blog and leave us the link for one extra entry.

This giveaway ends just in time for you &/or your child to get prepared for the holidays at 11p EST next Thursday November 3rd.  The winner will be selected by random.org & have 48 hours to respond to my notification email before another winner is selected. This giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.

The products in this review were provided to me free of cost for the purpose of conducting this review. All opinions expressed are my own & not influenced by monetary compensation.

Categories
Everything Else Reading

Secret Daughter & How to Be an American Housewife

I finished Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda back in September. I realized last week that I had yet to share my thoughts here. This book was my book club’s October pick. I think as a whole we liked it.

None of us have ever traveled to India, so the parts that described India, it’s culture, especially involving the lives of women were very interesting. The big city life & such wide range of poverty & richness were fascinating.

Of course the struggle to be a mother & then the discussion of what defines a mother captured my heart. It seems I’m finding infertility&  pregnancy every where these days. My book club friends & I wondered if we could do what the mothers in this novel did ~ they’re strength is remarkable in such different ways.

We spoke in book club how such different pictures of marriage were depicted in this novel & we debated who’s was better or stronger.

I enjoyed Secret Daughter a lot. I liked the back & forth narrative between the characters & because of that, by the end I felt I really connected with each of the main female characters. I’d definitely recommend this to women’s book clubs or it read on your own.

Just to put it out there, this is not a paid review; I wasn’t chosen to be part of BlogHer’s How to Be an American Housewife Book Club {sad face}. But I’d heard it was good from a bunch of other places too & it was a short list at the library, so I was looking forward to reading the book.

I finished How To Be An American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway while I was in Edenton two weeks ago. I zoomed through it in just four nights {I might’ve stayed up until past midnight that Thursday because I had to know what happened}. Margaret did a great job {at least I thought so} making me feel what it would be like to be thrown into the life on an American housewife in post-WWII. I’d never really pondered the thought of the American way of cleaning, housekeeping, child-raising, cooking & what a wild experience that must look to someone from another country.

My favorite part~ that we followed Shocko’s story right up to the climax, then Margaret switched things on us as the readers. I loved following along with the story from all the perspectives.

Again this novel is Asian based. I was telling friends last weekend that I’ve read more books this year either with Asian characters &/or set in Japan or China. I’ve learned so much about these cultures & their history that I haven’t been bored. In fact, up next is another Asian book, the sequel to Shanghai Girls, Dreams of Joy which is my book club’s December pick.

Categories
Trying To Conceive

Infertility & Marriage

This has been on my mind this week. You know how “they” say, “distance makes the heart grow fonder”. It’s true. Three weeks away from husband in the past five weeks & he’s worked those weekends that I have been home. I’ve missed him & am glad we have next couple weekends together.

That said. What I’ve really been thinking about is how infertility, really TTC in general, changes a marriage. Some of the changes are good. Some are
bad. Some are just changes.

I’m less naive & maybe more cynical. Husband has always been a bit of both. I guess we now mesh well in that area.

There’s times when I look at Jason with Moekitty or around other kids & my heart swells with love & bursts with sadness that I haven’t been able to give us that future baby yet.

Infertility has forced us both to be patient. We knew things happen in God’s time, not ours, but it’s the working through months of waiting & trying that test that mindset and is something that’s been in my thoughts & prayers a lot recently. We learned to be patient with each other, with doctors, with our bodies & what they do or don’t do.

There have been times I look at Husband as the “giver of the buddies” more than the beloved husband. He’s good at calling me on that one ~ and I’m glad when he does & snaps me back from being that infertile-zilla {you know, like a bride-zilla but for the wanna-be-baby-maker}.

Infertility has made us speak more deeply. About our future hopes & dreams. About our ideas in baby-raising. About finances. About just how far we’re willing to go to have a child. Tough conversations but oh so important ones.

These & all the over changes I’ve mistakenly left off this list will make it even the more sweet when that long awaited BFP occurs.

I missed last Friday as an Infertile Friday {I was a little busy at my brother’s wedding}. So I’m calling this Infertile Monday. How is/has/did TTC &/or infertility change your marriage?

Categories
Food Photography

42nd Week in Photos

Forty-two weeks into my project 365. This is not the most exciting week in photos as I’d returned home, unpacked & repacked for a long weekend away celebrating the wedding of my brother & new sister-in-law yesterday. There will be many wedding photo posts to come this week. For now, here’s my low-key last week.

Day 288: Saturday night after I got  my hair trimmed & highlighted, I was reminded by my friend Kelly of our friends Mike & Sarah’s homewarming party that night. I threw together the turkey cranberry pinwheels, Kelly made those amazing spinach artichoke squares, & away we went {Jason worked so I was again their third wheel}. Thanks to wine left-over from their June wedding, the drinks were flowing & their beautiful house was nicely broken in!

Party time!

Day 289: Sunday, while husband was again working, I went to church, a walk/jog around a local lake, met friends for fro-yo, shopped for dinner at The Meat House, did laundry & cooked chicken for me & steak tips for husband. What I didn’t do? Take a single photo.

Day 290: I returned home Monday night exhausted from my first day back in 10 days to find Moe hiding out under the desk on the computer chair he has commandeered. Love that not-so-little guy.

Moekitty: I'm hiding. You can't see me.

Day 291: After a dinner of stuffed chicken breasts {also from The Meat House}, I took photo of these recent reads. Looks for new books posts on them soon.

current reads

Day 292: All packed & ready to go Wednesday. I don’t think Moe knew he was going to be home alone for four days.

Not planned but loving the polkda'd bags.

Day 293: Thursday began the wedding weekend festivities. How cool was the view from the presidental suite which served as Thursday’s cocktail party location & the bridal suite for the weekend?!

Brother & Seneca starting the celebration

Day 294: Friday was busy & deserves a post of it’s own {coming later this week I hope}. But here’s a preview of the fun with my last photos of the night of some of our favorite family friends Katie & Matt {with their new friend}.

This is why Katie & Matt are awesome!

How was your week?

Categories
Family/Travel

MoeKitty

I was going to save this photo for next week’s project 365, but I couldn’t wait to share it. I was showing it off to friends at a house warming party Saturday night {that’s what you do before kids, brag about how big your cat is} as I’d taken this right before I left to go there. They thought it was one of those fake internet cats. Nope, I assured them, this is MoeKitty in his finest cat bath mode with his red collar & chub rolls displayed. I love my fat old man cat!

Suz, this stays between us right?