Greenstreet Gardens Fall Fest

Today we finally had the opportunity to go to Greenstreet Gardens' Fall Fest. It ran through today, and I'm so glad we found the time! We've been so busy, especially on the weekends. Today as we got home from Virginia, I saw all of the cars in the parking lot and decided, it was the day!

We got home, dropped off our groceries, and loaded everyone into the car. When we got there it was 3pm! Turned out it was closing in an hour. Talk about cutting it close. Not only was it closing at 4pm, it was the very last day it was going to be open. lol Clearly I had no idea! As we paid, I asked the cashier if we only had an hour left, and thankfully she said they stopped selling tickets at 4, but we could be there until 5pm! Whew!

I honestly didn't even know what all Fall Fest entailed. I knew there were farm animals and a corn maze. Everything else was going to be a bonus. You walk through the area where they have face painting and hair coloring. We were in such a hurry, I missed a couple things. I think there were a couple activities for kids and some food. By the time we were ready to leave, it was all broken down so it'll stay a mystery.

We boarded a hayride and we were taken to where all of the main activities were. I thought we were just going to go over a hill, and voila we'd be dropped off. HA! Silly me. It was waaaay more than that. We went through an open barn that showed a little about farming. From there we went down a winding path through the woods, and thankfully it wasn't scary at all! We had really little kids on the ride, and they were just fine.

As you ride the hayride, you go by pumpkin people who are doing a variety of things. One pumpkin man is standing next to a cardboard horse in a cardboard barn. I think a pair of pumpkin people were playing checkers. It's a cute little ride that probably takes about 5 minutes. What I liked about the ride was, it gave people a view of everything the farm had to offer for the family to do.

We passed a spot that had a rope climbing web, goats in a fenced in yard, a wood maze, and some guinea hens. Then we drove around part of the corn maze. Next to the maze is a hay maze that little kids could go through. I told Fred that was probably more my speed than the corn maze. lol

Of course the first thing we did when we got off the hay ride was to go to the entrance of the corn maze. I decided, spur of the moment, to do my first Facebook Live! What stunk was 1) my battery on my phone was nearly dead, 2) the internet connection was poor so it wasn't streaming very well, and 3) every time I tried to turn the camera around in the Live video, it took about 4 times for it to switch. lol Sakes alive. It was fun though! Thankfully I didn't stream the entire time because it took us 40 minutes to get out!

I was a little worried because Doodle ran in ahead of us and didn't want to go through the maze with us. Buddy went in second. He also didn't want to go with us. Thankfully Fred let me tag along with him. lol There's a sign at the front of the maze that says, "Attention! If you become lost or confused in the corn maze, stay calm. Don't panic. Help is on the way. Every Thursday morning we send a rescue team into the maze to bring out everyone left from the previous weekend. They are highly trained and can usually locate over two-thirds of those left behind." Well, that's encouraging! Did I mention this was my first time in a corn maze?!

As we were going through the maze, Buddy called me and asked me about the exit. He had gone through some corn and was out on the opposite side of where the actual exit is. About 10 minutes later he popped out behind us and scared me! Punk. Not too long later, Doodle texted me to find out where we were. Apparently he'd been out for 7 minutes at that point. Show off! We walked around a little bit with Buddy, but he kept going different directions. Doodle kept texting me to see if we wanted him to come help us. I just can't believe how quickly he got out!

He said it took him 24 minutes, Buddy took about 35 minutes, and the team of Fred & Mimi took 40 minutes. Now, I have to say, all I did was follow Fred. I didn't help out at all. I had no sense of direction other than knowing if we were at the side, top, or bottom of the maze. I'd probably still be going in circles if I were on my own.

After the maze we played a few rounds of bean bag toss, or as they refer to it here in MD, "corn hole". For real, I want to make these for next year! There was the COOLEST jumping pillow. It's like a bounce house without the house part. Let me tell you, if my back wasn't hurting, I'd probably be jumping on it! There are a couple of corn boxes, which are filled corn, and when I ran my hand through it, it felt amazing. I think we should have a corn box at home and when I'm stressed I can go lay in it! lol

A few other things they have are:

• Underground Slide
• Tire Tower
• Teepee
• Pumpkin Bowling
• and more

I definitely wanted to pet some animals so we made our way to The Woodlands. That's where they have the goats, guinea hens, pallet maze, and spider web. There were 3 goats who weren't super interested in being pet. I think on the last day they'd probably had enough of people petting them and feeding them. hahahaha The boys did the pallet maze in just a couple minutes. From there we headed up to meet the tractor to take the ride back to the main garden center.

When we got back, we pet the 3 sheep and tried to take pictures with Candy the miniature horse. Everything else was shutting down because it was the last night and it was almost 5pm. We almost bought pumpkins, but with it being Halloween tomorrow, we decided to pass. If we'd have gone there 2-3 weeks ago, it would've been perfect. Next year, eh?

I'm looking forward to see what they offer at Christmas. I just signed up for their Poinsettias Galore, where we can take a behind the scenes greenhouse tour. That'll be on November 19th, and I'm excited to see the beauty of poinsettias to usher in the holidays! It's so great living near the main garden.

40 Days to a Joyful Motherhood

40 Days to a Joyful Motherhood: Devotions and Coloring Book to Nourish Mom

by Sarah Humphrey

ISBN: 978-1501834875

Publisher: Abingdon Press

About the book: 

40 Days to a Joyful Motherhood: Devotions and Coloring Book to Nourish Mom (Abingdon Press, August 2016)

Nourishment for a mother's soul through 40 days of devotion and . . . doodling!

Wouldn't it be marvelous if mothering came with a concrete set of instructions---an easy recipe we could follow? Instead, motherhood challenges women to find their faith, their true selves, and their family through daily doses of trial and error. It is a brilliant and healing time of life that is full of joy, pain, and beauty with a small side of crisis (and humor). What mothers do not know, they learn. And through this lifelong process of learning, they nurture and care for the most precious gifts on earth: children. In a modern society where moms often have a full and busy plate, these 10 minute daily devotions focus on six key topics of motherhood:

-Self-acceptance

-Self-care

-Reconciling with grief, hope and expectations

-Generosity

-Presence

-Forgiveness

In addition to the devotions, these beautiful pages are adorned with handmade illustrations to help you refresh from long days or even occasional sleepless nights. So, grab your colors and a little quiet time for yourself while doodling at the kitchen table. You will be grateful you did!

My Review:

I received this book to review from Litfuse! I've been waiting for a reason to purchase colored pencils, and with this coloring book, I found that reason! I have been doing motherhood for 25 yrs with four children. 40 Days to a Joyful Motherhood is a lovely way to take a few minutes for yourself in the early days of being a new mommy or even if you're done with your day having run your kids here there an everywhere.

I liked that there were a mix of pages to color in the designs, others that were more outlining, and a few that we could fill in ourselves. There are 40 days of devotions, but there are also spots where the author speaks to us mom to mom. Don't we all need that some times? Another mom to tell us it's ok to be where we're at. To know someone empathizes with us?

I can't even tell you how relaxing it was to be able to sit and read a small devotion, to take some time to color. For me it was a nice way to end my day!

Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/2dPEdIC

About the author:

Often considered a dreamer and silly heart, Sarah Humphrey uses inspiration from her most beloved career, motherhood, to fuel her passion for writing, creative movement and teaching. She has and is authoring several books and children's books. Sarah currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and three beautiful, bouncy kids.

Wordless Wednesday: Dogs & Cats Of Peru

Ok, so these are the pictures Fred took of me with the dogs we came across in Peru. At one of the homes we were delivering chairs to, as soon as we got out of the van, we heard a pack of puppies starting to bark. Maressa turned to me and automatically said, "No Mimi, no puppies!" Hahahaha

We definitely visited the cat park again, but they were doing construction, and we didn't get to see many cats like we're used to.

Then we met Antuane's kitten, but I don't think it had a name yet.

Of course, going to Danny & Stephanie's home means we get to see Dazzle any time there's food!

Then there are the random dogs we met along the way. The black one was probably a year old and hyper as all get out. We were bringing a wheelchair to Geraldo, and as we walked down the corridor to his home, the next dog laying down next to me came running & barking towards the entry where the black puppy was. Basically saying, "You don't belong here so get lost!" Yes, I can interpret Peruvian dog.

Randomly driving along in the bus one day we saw this Rottweiler sitting at the entry of his owner's business with this long styrofoam ready to chew on. All I could think of was the fact that Peru would probably fit that Rotty to the death for that styrofoam. hahahaha Kidding, she just loves to play with that kind of stuff.

And last at the children's home they have 3 dogs. For the life of me right now I can't think of the two bigger dogs' names, but I can think of the one we didn't get pics of...Scott. lol This one was so beautiful.

Somehow I was always finding the animals. I wasn't trying, but there they were! I'll be trying to blog about our experience fully in Peru throughout the next week.

Please be sure to enter my giveaways at the top right of my blog. These companies are ones who give back, and I'd really love to show them the love with your help!

Beza Threads Helps End Slavery & Giveaway

Do you know how you go through life hearing about terrible things, but it's always so obscure in your life? One of those things is slavery. When I reached out to Beza Threads to work with them, the reason why it was so important to me is because my daughter's best friend, when she went to college, became very involved ending slavery!

Their main focus is Ethiopia. What's really cool is, their name, Beza, means "redemption." The company was started after a group of students went to Ethiopia and learned about the children sold into prostitution. "Through its partnership with Hope for Children in Ethiopia, one child is freed from slavery for every 240 scarves sold." Boys and girls are lured away from families and sold into prostitution, working in factories, and forced labor.

These scarves are made by teenagers, and they take about 8 hours to complete. It's such a good way for them to learn a skill so that one day they can provide for themselves. You will love the scarves that they make. They're beautiful, affordable, and are for an amazingly good cause.

I wasn't able to do the review before we left, but as soon as we get it, we'll be sharing pictures as soon as my daughter gets it! We're excited to share our experience it with you! In the meantime, be sure to enter the giveaway of one of their scarves!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How Faucet Face Gives Back & Giveaway

You've had water, nice cold water out of a glass, right?! Isn't that the best taste? There's something to be said about how good it feels going down! When I reached out to Faucet Face to see if they would work with me on a review and giveaway, they jumped on board right away!

Faucet Face believes that everything tastes better in glass. Plastic and metal cans can taint liquid, but glass will help it tasting fresh, and who doesn't want that? When you buy their bottles, you help provide 100 liters of clean water to families in India. Now, I must say we have a connection to India. My 2nd daughter loves it there! She went once for a month when she was 16 with Royal Servants, and recently went with World Race. I know she wants to go back and do Bible translation there.

"Through its 1 for 100 program, Faucet Face donates 2.5% of ALL sales of hose water, tap is terrific and hummingbird feeder glass water bottles, PLUS, a complete filter for each sale of 5 or more individual bottles to the clean drinking water charity Third Millennium Awakening (TMA)."

So here I am, after reaching out to them getting to do a review with three of their glasses. They're the same ones I'll be giving away starting today. Faucet Face has a super cute selection of glasses to choose from. They have their Classic Line, which are the three I was sent. They also have a Limited Edition collection. Then, there's the Custom Design option which I think is fantastic!

I decided to do a fun project to go along with these adorable glasses. Now, you could do this project to fit anything you'd like. I grabbed some leftover scrap wood we had from who knows what, that was sitting in our garage.

First Fred cut three pieces that were equal in length. Those were for the long sides and the bottom. Then we measured the ends for the right fit. Next I put in the bottles to see where I wanted the spacers to go, and cut them down to size. I actually had to run to the hardware store because I didn't have any small head nails. I ended up deciding on wire nails. They had the look I was going for and the right size head.

After I got my bottle holder together, I stained it a brown that's one of my favorites. As I let that dry, I braided the grass rope that I've had sitting in my garage, waiting for a project. To be honest, after I had finished the project, I would've actually done two braids for balance. For me, it's really going to be more decorative than anything.

I'm so excited to give these same three bottles away to one winner! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mitscoots Gives Back & Giveaway

"WITH EVERY PIECE OF AMERICAN MADE GEAR YOU PURCHASE, MITSCOOTS WILL GIVE AN EQUAL QUALITY ITEM TO SOMEONE IN NEED AND EMPLOY THE TRANSITIONING HOMELESS TO PACKAGE THINGS UP. "

Working with a company like Mitscoots is such an honor for me. Today I've been given the opportunity to do a review their socks that you're going end up loving as much as I do! I've spent years do what I can to help people who are homeless. My first time being introduced to homeless people was with my ex-husband taking blankets and meals to people living on the streets in Seattle. I remember we'd go with people from our church or on our own with our first daughter when she was just a toddler. She made them smile so much!

Then when we lived in Minnesota, we'd go down with the youth group to Salvation Army to feed people who were living on the street. It was amazing watching the children see the start reality of how people lived, but also how they could care for and love on them.

Mitscoots sees how important it is to help those who are in need and employ the transitioning homeless! How do they do that? When you purchase an American made piece of gear, they'll give back an equal quality item! Everything they make is 100% American made in the USA.

I received a couple pairs of their super adorable socks to use as reviews! Honestly, there are so many cute ones to choose from it was hard. The first pair I got are The Independence. Each pair of their socks are part of the #PatternOfGiving. You'll notice at the top of their socks, they have the Mitscoots logo.

The other pair of socks I received were the Noonday! So incredibly cute. The reason they've got the name Noonday and their color is because of a company in Austin, TX that "uses fashion to create meaningful opportunities around the world by developing artisan businesses through fair trade." So much good coming out of our good ol' US of A! I absolutely love the color of their socks, and they fit wonderfully!

Of course, they don't just have socks. Mitscoots also has hats, scarves, t-shits, and more! I'm seriously digging the beanies for the upcoming cold weather. I love the idea of them for gifts, because it's like you're giving twice!

Be sure to enter the giveaway below to win two pairs of Mitscoots socks! a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giving Back With Boot Campaign & Giveaway

I know everyone has a different idea of who a hero is. Mine will always be the men and women who put themselves in a place of protection. Men and women who serve our country! My dad who served in Vietnam as a Marine and my brother who was Army Reserves. Whenever I see a man or woman in uniform, I make sure to thank them. Occasionally I dissolve in a puddle of tears because it's overwhelming what they do for our country.

This is where Boot Campaign comes in. I approached them about working with me to do a review & giveaway because I was incredibly thankful for how they gave back. They agreed and now I have the pleasure of introducing you to them. The boots you see are from their site used with permission!

First, let's talk about boots...combat boots. If you're anything like me, compact boots conjure up visions of men and women in uniform, and how they serve us. It's the perfect place to start! Boot Campaign has a fantastic selection of boots. My favorite boots are the Gratitude Boots. Ok, well, they're a collection of Boot Campaign boots, but they're ones you don't purchase for yourself, they're ones you purchase to give back to a veteran who needs them! Sigh...isn't that the best?

Boot Campaign does have boots to fit everyone in your family. I love that they're representative of the different branches within our military. Check these out as a sample:

They don't only have boots. They have men & women's tops, and a large selection of accessories! Truly something for everyone. You don't have to have someone in the military to appreciate this apparel. Yo, if you're patriotic, you should really own something that shows it, dontcha think?

Wondering how Boot Campaign gives back? I mean other than allowing people to buy a pair of boots for veterans. Let me tell you! They have something called ReBOOT. Here's what they've shared on their site:

"Boot Campaign’s ReBOOT provides a comprehensive, individualized, multi-disciplined approach to increasing mental and physical well-being for our nation’s veterans. Whether combating traumatic brain injuries (TBI), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, or other transitional issues, ReBOOT tackles the root cause of the struggles affecting so many of our brave servicemen and women. This unique program brings together world class mental and physical treatment partners, and thorough diagnostic evaluations, so each veteran gets specific care needed to live a fulfilling life after service."

What better what to give back than in such a tangible way. I appreciate what this company is doing for our military people who have suffered with so much. Wondering how you can be a part of what Boot Campaign is doing? Trust me when I say there's something for everyone! Sure, you could definitely give a monetary donation, but you can also volunteer, join Pushups For Charity, start a fund raiser, attend/host an event, corporate sponsorships, and more! What matters is you getting involved!

This giveaway will feature two winners. One person will receive a package of Boot Campaign gear with the white t-shirt featured above, and one person will receive a package with the blue t-shirt featured above. I can't guarantee which package you will receive. Both shirts are size Medium. The packages are seen below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Senteurs d’Orient Soap Review & Giveaway

It's not very often I have the opportunity review something I consider luxurious. Then along comes the chance to try Senteurs d’Orient. I haven't used a bar soap for years, and the thought of going back to basics by trying these were very appealing to me.

Now, I'm going to call myself out on something here before my husband has the chance to. I have a slight "addiction" to the scent of the first bar I tried. After the first time I'd showered with the Tuberose aromatherapy scent, we were driving somewhere, and he looked over at me like there was an issue. I think it was the fact that I kept randomly smelling my skin. It's entirely possible this has occurred each time I've showered with the Senteurs d’Orient.

These Hammam soaps are made with essential oils. In case you didn't know, a Hammam is a Turkish bath! Think...luxurious. That's going to be the word of the day my friends. Artisans make these in Lebanon, where they are hand-mixed and dried for 10 days. The aromatherapy scents are created by master perfumers in Grassse, France. What more could you ask for in a soap?! What a perfect combination in one bar.

When I took my shower, the soap gave me a very rich lather (I completely skipped a wash cloth). Unlike the liquid soaps using the Senteurs d’Orient I haven't been left with a film on my skin. It felt extremely clean! Much different than my usual, drab showering experience.

Now let me tell you about how Senteurs d’Orient gives back! "With a belief that education is the key to empowerment, Senteurs d’Orient is an official partner of the United Nations Development Program for Women’s Education in Lebanon and donates 10% of the proceeds from every product to help Lebanese women." What an amazing way for a woman owned and run company to give back to the women who are part of her heritage!

The available scents include:

• Orange Blossom/ Fleur d’Oranger: Infusing the fresh Mediterranean air with soft sensuality, Orange Blossoms uplift the spirit with a clean and floral yet woodsy perfume.

• Jasmine of Arabia/ Jasmin d’Arabie: Among all the legendary Jasmine flowers on the Mediterranean coast, the Jasmine of Arabia imparts the most exquisite and sublimely soothing scent.
  
  
• Amber/ Ambre: Revered across the Middle East for its rich and luxurious palette, Amber’s seductive notes of musk and wood evoke the majesty of the Orient.
• Rose of Damascus/ Rose de Damas: A voluptuous bouquet embodying the essence of femininity, the Rose of Damascus is at once fresh and stimulating, graceful and elegant.

• Tuberose/ Tubereuse: Celebrated throughout the Middle East, Tuberose, also known as the mysteriously nocturnal "Queen of the Night”, entices with a warm and sensuous fragrance.

I'm excited to offer one of my readers one of their soaps that retail for $38!

a Rafflecopter giveaway