script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"> google.com, pub-0949974396517105, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0

Why T.J.Maxx is NOT Your Regular Discount Store!

Back to School with TJMaxxBack-to-School shopping doesn’t stop just because the kids are actually back in school.

In our family we do the majority of the shopping AFTER school starts! Here’s why…

While there are loads of great sales before school starts, there are still TONS of great deals to be found AFTER the rush of back-to-school is over. Plus, so many kids- especially teens- will totally change their mind about what they want to wear this year after they see what everyone else is wearing. If you wait until they’ve been at school for a couple of weeks, they’ll end up making choices that reflect what’s “cool” – which you know is what matters, right?   Oh, the teenage years…

Get the most bang from your buck at T.J.Maxx!

There’s a difference between discount stores and off-price retailers, like T.J.Maxx. At a discount store, a backpack might sell for $19.99, but it was made at a lower quality to sell at that lower price. At a retailer like T.J.Maxx, their buyers are constantly getting new designer merchandise to sell- so if you find a $19.99 backpack at T.J.Maxx store, it is a higher quality bag that was probably built to sell at a MUCH higher price! This means, not only are you getting great savings, but you’re saving more in the long run too, since you’re getting higher quality!

Every single week, every T.J.Maxx and Marshalls store get more than 10,000 new items – meaning you’ll always find the newest fashions for your home and your family!

Back-to-School Shopping Challenge

As part of my partnership with Mom Central, I received a $50 T.J.Maxx Gift Card, and the challenge to see what kind of great back-to-school deals I could find for our family. I hadn’t shopped at T.J.Maxx in a while, so I was super excited to go check it out!

As you can see, we found the boys some great stuff! I was able to get backpacks for both of them, and most of their first day outfits- for less than $50 bucks- which was amazing. And, the boys actually had FUN shopping- which doesn’t happen often. I was SO impressed with the deals that we went back again last week to check out the selection of new winter coats and boots too!

Do you have more fall shopping to do?

In a Mom Central survey of moms shopping habits, 81% said that they’ve had to change their back-to-school shopping habits due to the rising prices of things like gas and groceries. Did you put off any of your purchases due to a tighter budget? If so, I totally recommend checking out the deals at YOUR local T.J.Maxx, to get everything else you need for fall at an affordable price.

My Verdict

The fashions were deemed “cool” by the kids, the selection and cleanliness of the store were awesome, and the prices rocked my socks. What more can you ask for, right?

Coupon Blogger ContestAs a deal-savvy momma, I entered the Cheap Sally “Bring Home the Bacon” competition. I’d love for you to check out my profile, and give me a vote to help me get to Round 2 if you think I deserve to make it there! Thank you!

{Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of T.J.Maxx and Marshalls and received a gift card to facilitate my review and thank me for taking the time to participate.}

signature

I’m a “Mommy Who Loves Wine”- Are You? Then Join Me!

If so, then please join me at The Daily Sip!

The Daily Sip is a premier online wine community, a place where you can learn about, discuss and rate new wines.

It’s a great community for moms!

I love trying new wines, but am on a tight budget. I’m always nervous to try a new lower-priced wine for the first time- so I use the community to learn which ones are the best! Plus, it’s just fun to chat with the other members.

Check it out and sign up to join me at The Daily Sip today!

signature

Enter to #Win a $1,000 Airline Gift Card & $500 Getaway!

Enter to WIN an amazing vacation package from Pure Wow!

Everyone who signs up to get the fun Pure Wow daily email updates will be entered to WIN this huge prize package. Are you like me and already signed up? No problem, just enter your info and you can have a chance to win too!

What is Pure Wow?

PureWow is a free daily lifestyle email for women of both style & substance devoted to finding unique, under-the-radar discoveries in culture, fashion, arts, beauty, home, health & much more. At PureWow, we seek to keep our readers in the know with the latest & greatest experiences, products & time-savers designed to improve their busy lives.

Sign up today to win a $1,000 American Airlines Gift Card & a $500 Ritz Carlton Getaway from Pure Wow today!

Good luck! And if you win, don’t forget to take me along on your trip…. :)

signature

Social Online Conference- Free Pass #Giveaway! #blogging

Social Online Conference- Win a Free Pass!

Right now the amazing ladies from the Lady Bloggers Society are giving away a FREE PASS to their upcoming Social Online Conference- and you definitely want to get your entries in!

Enter to Win a Free Pass to the Social Online Conference today!

What is the Social Online Conference?

“This conference was put together from an idea of bloggers now have less time and resources to make it to all of these brilliant blogging conferences. They end up missing valuable information and networking with some of the best bloggers and speakers.

Our idea, partnering with UStream, gives us a chance to have a virtual online conference where attendees and learn and network with other attendees and speakers from anywhere! Attend live sessions from your computer, laptop, iPad, or even on your smartphone with the App.”

Sounds great, right?

I attended the last conference, and I definitely think it’s money well spent. I blocked out a few days to really maximize the conference- and took time to attend all of the sessions.

How it works- You get to view a list of all of the speakers, and choose which sessions you’d like to RSVP for. Then, at the specified time, you log in, and join the fun! Some of them are live video’s, most have a live chat running while the speaker is presenting. I found that the chat with other members- both during sessions and in the forums, was almost as helpful as the professional speakers!

Early Registration

Early Registration is going on now for only $45 -for a limited amount of tickets. After that, rates go up to $60, but you can enter to have access to the Social Online Conference for free!

So- check it out, enter to win, and if you DON’T win- I hope you purchase a pass and I “see” you at the conference! Sharing this info here also gives me a bonus entry into this giveaway- I really want to win, but I also REALLY wanted to share the conference with you guys! And don’t forget to connect with the Lady Bloggers Society on Facebook to stay updated on this, and other fun events!

signature

Rafflecopter Giveaway: Fall Baking Prize Package!

Gold Medal White Whole Wheat Flour

Fall is the best time for baking!

There are so many things that I love about fall- the changing leaves, crisp mornings with sweaters and mugs of coffee, thick cozy socks and blankets -But the best thing about fall is the baking!

I live in Yakima, in Central Washington, which is the Apple Capital of the World– and that means I’m lucky enough to get loads of free apples during this time of year. So many people have extra, and I’m always more than willing to take ’em off their hands.

One of my favorite things to make with all those apples is a crisp- and I’m always looking for new versions to try. When I got this great package from My Blog Spark, and saw that it included some yummy recipe cards, I was SO excited to see that one of the recipes included was Caramel Apple Crisp! I’m so excited to make up a batch of this later in the week, and share it here with you guys! {No licking the screen, ok guys?}

Interesting stuff about Gold Medal White Whole Wheat Flour:

  • Perfect for family favorite recipes like breads, pizza dough, cookies, muffins and brownies, Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour bakes up golden and has a milder flavor than baked goods made with regular whole wheat flour.
  • Start by simply substituting whole wheat white flour for 25 to 50 percent of the recipe’s flour content.
  • You may wish to add an extra tablespoon or two of the liquid used in the recipe when substituting Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour or decrease the amount of flour by one to two tablespoon for recipes that call for all-purpose flour.

Healthy Meals + No Complaints = Happy Momma!

It can be hard sometimes, making sure that your family is eating the healthiest foods. Making small changes like baking with Whole Wheat flour can make a big difference- and this new White Whole Wheat flour from Gold Medal is whole grain, but with a  taste and texture more like an all-purpose white flour- meaning no one will notice the switch to a healthier ingredient! This is a brand new product, and just became available this month- but it should be easy to find, I got mine at the local Walmart.

More Yummtastic Fall Recipes!

Another reason I get excited for fall is for pumpkin-flavored goodies! I wait in anticipation all year for the Pumpkin Spice Latte’s at Starbucks- {PS, if you love them too, check out this amazing DIY Pumpkin Spice Latte- just like Starbucks!}, I’m a pumpkin bread junkie, and I totally adore just about any baked good with pumpkin in the title. So, here are a couple other Gold Medal recipes I’ll be trying out soon too- Dutch Apple Pumpkin Crisp– which sounds like a really cool combination of flavors, these adorable Spider Web Pumpkin Pancakes, and these Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars. Mmmmmm…..

Win Your Own Baking Package Too!

One lucky fan will win a set just like I got:

  • A VIP coupon to get a FREE Full Size Package of Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour.
  • Instructions for conversion when baking.
  • The lovely classic Gold Medal logo Cookie Jar.
  • A full set of cooking and baking recipe cards!

Enter to Win!

Use the easy peasy Rafflecopter Entry form below to enter to win this great fall baking set, and remember to come back to get your daily BONUS entries each day too! And, stay tuned… Later this week I’ll share my experience baking the Caramel Apple Crisp with the new Gold Medal White Whole Wheat Flour.

{Disclosure: The Gold Medal White Whole Wheat flour product, information, and giveaway have been provided by Gold Medal through MyBlogSpark.}

[Read more…]

signature

RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY- GENTRY’S CLOSET- CUSTOM BOWS & BABY ACCESSORIES!!

Gentry's Closet, Collage of Hair Accessories for Baby GirlsGentry’s Closet

If you have any little girls in your life, you simply MUST check out the amazing Gentry’s Closet shop on Etsy!

Custom Bows and Baby Accessories

When the owner of Gentry’s Closet emailed me to see if I’d be interested in partnering for a giveaway, the first thing that I did was head over to check out her shop- To my surprise, this was the same shop that I’d been checking out the previous week, and had added a couple of her adorable clips to my boards on Pinterest! Small world sometimes…

Tiny Fashionista…

The clips she sent over for us to check out are amazing- One, they’re absolutely adorable, obviously. But they’re also some of the best quality hair clips I’ve ever seen. The ribbon is top notch, all of the details are perfect, and my favorite- on the inside of the clippy, there is a soft, no-slip type padding, that really helps these stay in Abby’s hair. I’ve never seen this on other accessories, and it’s awesome.

Since she’s a toddler now, and a little busy-body all day, she wouldn’t sit still for a photo session. The top two pics are the clips that Gentry’s Closet sent us to review, and the bottom pic is one of my other VERY favorites in her shop. I’ll get some fun photos of her modeling these great accessories later this week- stay tuned!

Win a Gift Certificate to Gentry’s Closet!

One lucky Sunshine and Sippy Cups fan will win a Gift Certificate to shop at Gentry’s Closet! I’m so excited for one of you guys to get to check out her work for yourself- You will NOT be disappointed!

Enter Today!

[Read more…]

signature

Halloween Party Foods: Spiderweb Spookamole Recipe

Halloween Party Foods…. Avocados from Mexico can be found at your local grocery store year-round, but this is such a great time of year for them. They’re in season- move from the tree to table in less than a week- and are PERFECT for fall celebrations like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Football parties! Check out their easy peasy tips on buying and storing Avocados too.

Did you know….

  • The world’s first avocado was grown and cultivated in Mexico countless generations ago?
  • That Mexico is the only place in the world where avocado trees naturally bloom four times a year?
  • All Avocados from Mexico are hand-picked and freshly shipped
  • By packers who uniformly exceed international standards?
If you’re a big fan of avocados too – this is the perfect time of year to stock up on some amazingly fresh ones this time of year, make sure to check out the Avocados from Mexico site for more awesome recipes and tips on how to prep, store, and serve them. And then, if you’re planning any type of Halloween entertaining, check out my Spiderweb Spookamole Recipe that’s super simple, yet super fun.

Halloween Party Foods - Spiderweb Spookamole Recipe

It’s Spookamole Time: Spiderweb Spookamole Recipe

This is a super fun, super simple, and super yummy dish to make for Halloween parties and entertaining – or just as a perfect snack to fill up on before heading out to Trick or Treat. {A bit of food helps stop those belly aches kids get from sneaking too much candy…} How to make Spiderweb Spookamole for Halloween:

  • Grab a big plate.
  • Shmear a layer of refried beans over the plate, to about an inch from the edges.
  • Mix up some Guacamole- use your own favorite recipe, or use the amazing Spookamole recipe that I used. Then spread a thick layer of this over the beans.
  • Add some tortilla chips around the edges, and layer with cheese, tomato, onion, and ground beef.
  • Now, the fun part: Put about a cup or so of sour cream into a zip-loc style baggie. Cut a small corner off, so you can use it like a decorating bag.
  • Next, use the baggie to draw circles of sour cream, from the edges of the chips, and getting smaller as you move to the center.
  • After all of the circles are completed, use a knife or toothpick to make the spiderweb- start at the inside circle, and drag it outwards through the other circles. Do this every inch or so through the whole thing, and you’ll see the web appear! Watch a tutorial of how this works- Spiderweb Cake Decorating
  • Last, make the spider- Place one whole olive on your web, then add olive slices to each side for the legs. To make him extra creepy, use a small tube of red cake decorating gel to dot on two little eyes.
  • The kids will love it!

It’s seriously so simple to make. And even if you make a minor mistake or two, trust me, it’ll still come out great. I love recipes like this that are deceptively simple, and make people think you’re a master of the kitchen, lol. You can use this same idea for a ton of other fun Halloween food ideas too – cake tops, on frosted sugar cookies, a pudding dessert – {chocolate or pistachio pudding with the web made from whipped cream on top. Add plastic spider rings to top it off!} The ideas are endless.

If you create a spiderweb dish too – come share your fave photos on my Facebook wall!!

{Disclaimer: I wrote this review while participating in a Spookamole blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Avocados from Mexico and received avocado items to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.}

signature