For the Home - 18/29 - Views From the Ville

Getting My Oil Changed Using the MOM Oil Change Checklist

Aug 272013

I received a gift card to use with my oil change checklist while changing my oil. All thoughts and words are my own.

A few weeks ago I shared with you a little bit about my history with car maintenance and getting my oil changed. It wasn’t anything I had really done on my own; it was always something my Dad had done until my husband took over. I’m a pro about making a phone call to schedule the appointment, but actually going to the service station? Yeah, not so much.

Part of that was just because it’s been easier to let someone else deal with it, but part of it is because a lot of people in the car industry will look at a woman walking in and go “Oh, hey. She doesn’t know anything at all, let’s make some money.” The summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college I was car shopping, and I actually had a car dealership completely ignore me. Even after I stood next to the vehicle that I truly wanted to buy – they looked at me through the glass and never stepped foot outside. That is, until my father showed up to sign papers with me, which is when I asked him to meet me at the next dealership, because they no longer were getting my money.

Cultivate a Beautiful Backyard with TruGreen Professional Services

For the Home, Make This House a Home No Responses »

Aug 222013

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for TruGreen. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.

From a very young age the importance of curb appeal and landscape management were impressed upon me. The house I grew up in sits on a hill and the driveway wraps around it (up one side, down the other). The driveway isn’t quite a quarter-mile long, but it’s probably close. So between the area in front of the house between the driveways, the area on either side of the house, and the area behind it – we had a lot of lawn.

Beautiful Backyard Oasis Courtesy of TruGreen

As soon as I was old enough to be trusted to drive the riding lawn mower without a) cutting off my foot and b) cutting too many corners, it was deemed my task to cut the grass on the weekends. As a middle school girl, it wasn’t exactly my idea of fun; nor was trimming the grass – with a spring-loaded hand trimmer! hello, blisters – around dozens of trees that lined part of our property.

Get Organized with Personalized Back to School Supplies

For the Kids, Organization 26 Responses »

Aug 132013

Thank you to Tiny Prints for providing myself and a winner with personalized back to school supplies. All words and opinions are mine.

The last few days of summer vacation are dwindling away, and the lazy days of summer are about to turn busy as schools go back in session. Whether your child is heading off to school for the first time, is returning for their last year, or falls somewhere in between your calendar is likely going to be full of sports practices, after school activities, concerts, school project deadlines and more. It can get even trickier if you have kids of multiple ages, in different schools, all with their own activities taking place simultaneously. We try and keep on top of things with phone apps and synced calendars, but sometimes you just need to write things down in a central location.

Guess who can help with that? Tiny Prints! Tiny Prints has always been one of my favorite retailers for personalized cards. We ordered Bubbles’ birth announcements from them and received dozens of compliments. Their Christmas cards are beautiful, too. But they also have a pretty extensive line of supplies to help the entire family stay organized.

For Parents

Back to School Mommy Cards and Play Date Cards from Tiny Prints Continue reading »

Crafts with Kids: Christmas Salt Dough Ornaments #CIJ13

Christmas, Crafts, DIY, Holidays 10 Responses »

Jul 182013

Bubbles has been very interested in all the projects I’ve been working on for the Christmas in July series and she has wanted to lend a hand in most of them. Not all of them lend themselves well to her age group, but today I have a fun and easy craft that you and your kiddos can do together. You may want to do the mixing part yourself, but once the salt dough ornaments are done, the kids can have fun painting and personalizing them.

This recipe is great because you can use it to make pretty much anything. We used cookie cutters to cut out holiday shapes; some of them we painted, some we’ll leave “natural”. You can also press the kids’ hands or fingerprints in them to make milestone ornaments (which make great, inexpensive gifts for the grandparents, too).

Crafts with Kids: Salt Dough Ornaments #CIJ13

DIY Wedding Invitation “Our 1st Christmas” Ornament #CIJ13

Christmas, Crafts, DIY, Holidays 7 Responses »

Jul 172013

I previously shared this ornament a couple of years ago just before my brother and now-sister-in-law got married. A lot of people do different creative things with the couple’s wedding invitation; return it to them in their card, frame it, etc. I wanted something just a tiny bit out of the ordinary and this ornament fit the bill for me.

I thought I would re-share it with you now as it fits in well with the Christmas in July theme. There are usually lots of summer weddings, so you can start collecting your invitations and getting started on your ornaments now. By the time the holidays roll around, you’ll have memorable ornaments to present.

DIY Wedding Invitation Our First Christmas Ornament Tutorial

Older Entries Newer Entries