My Elephants

Did you guys know that I love elephants? At last count, I have about 350 elephants in my home.  Some are figurines. Some are pictures.  Some are stuffed animals. Four are wind chimes. A few are planters.  I even have an elephant shower curtain in my bathroom.  Whenever someone comes to my house for the first time they always comment on my elephants.

I have been thinking lately that I need to display my favorites in a special way.  Right now, my figurines are on my bookshelves and on a shelf that I made that hangs in my hallway.  I wish I could afford glass showcases for them, but I think that might be a little over the top. I might just rearrange the furniture in my living room so that my bookshelves are in a more visible area, therefore making my elephants more visible. 


One of my favorites is a ceramic baby elephant with a blue ribbon around it's neck.  My mom gave it to me for my birthday one year when I first started collecting elephants.  I also have a pair of elephants with big, beautiful eyes that a coworker gave me years ago for no reason at all.  She just knew that I loved elephants. My brother got me one from somewhere overseas when he was in the Air Force, and that one is special to me too.  

Are any of you collectors? if so, what do you collect and how do you have your collection displayed in your home?

Decks

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Flood Wood Care for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

The kids and I went swimming at my mom's for the first time this year last weekend.  My brother and sister were therte with their families as well, and we all had a wonderful day.  We swam. We grilled out. It was a nice, relaxing day, which I really needed after the last couple of weeks.  My mom has been working hard to get her pool area ready, and her entire yard looks amazing at this point.  The one thing she would love to do, but hasn't yet, is put a deck around the pool.

Taking care af a deck can be hard work, because it is important to keep the wood healthy.  Flood® Wood Care makes it easy by offering quality products that are easy to use.  Yes, it will take time and effort on your part, but when you use the right products, the end result is not only beautiful, but something you can take pride in.

Right now, Flood® Wood Care has a Take it Easy Sweepstakes going on, and all you have to do is follow that link and fill out the form to enter.  The prize is pretty awesome.  If you win, Flood® Wood Care will not only give you the supplies you need to protect your deck, they will also provide the labor.  That means you can sit back and watch someone else do all the hard work that you will get to enjoy for the rest of the summer.  You will also win $2000 that you can use to throw one heck of a deck party.  

I entered to win, and so should you.  If I win, I may have to use the $2000 to have a deck built around my mom's pool so that the laborers will have soemthing to stain!

One Word - Yum!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Quaker Oats for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Doesn't that picture up there make your mouth water? I know mine does just looking at it.  I mean, look at all that icing! I bet you want to know what it is, don't you? 

That's right. It's a Quaker Soft Baked Bar.  The one in the picture is the Cinnamon Pecan Bread, and they also have a Banana Nut Bread.  Honestly, I think I'd like the banana one better than the cinnamon one, but the only way to know for sure is for me to try both of them.  I like carrying wholesome foods in the van with me to snack on, so I plan on buying these the next time I grocery shop.  Each bar has only 140 calories, and since I am kind of counting calories these days, these bars would be a perfect breakfast snack for me.  They also have 5 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein, which is awesome.  I am learning that foods with fiber and protein keep you feeling fuller longer, which is exactly what I need.  

My kids would like them too, and since they will be finishing school for the year this week, I am going to have to keep my pantry stocked with healthy snacks for them.  I am trying to have them eat better, too, since both my teenagers could stand to lose a few pounds.  I haven't exactly set the best example for them with the foods that I eat myself, which is something I have been trying to change.  I believe that when they see me making healthier food choices, they will do the same.

I mean, our kids follow our lead, and do as we do, so why not set a good example?

Cleaning With Bleach

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Clorox Company for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I hate cleaning my bathrooms.  There, I said it.  I would rather do anything else in the entire world. But, as a mom with three kids, I have no choice but to suck it up and do it.  I have come up with a few little tricks to make the job easier, like spraying down the walls in the tub with a bleach and water mixutre first thing, then coming back to it wipe them down after I clean the sinks and toilet.  I used to buy those expensive cleaners made specifically for that purpose, but honestly, nothing works better than good old fashioned bleach. You can find Clorox® bleach (and all your other favorite Clorox® cleaning products) at Dollar General® for a great price.

Clorox® is sponsoring a sweepstakes on dollargeneral.com called It Pays to Vacation at Home.  The grand prize is a $500 "paycheck" to vacation at home.  Now, when most people think about going on vacation, they think about getting away to some exotic location and experiencing new things.  I am more than happy to "vacation" by locking myself away from the world for a week with my internet and a good book.  I don't need to go anywhere.  Simply not having to go to work or deal with the outside world is good enough for me!  There are 20 grand prizes to be one, and you can be sure that I have entered for my chance to be one of those 20 people.  They are also giving away 100 first place prizes, which are $25 Dollar General® gift cards.  

When you go to their website and enter for your chance to win, you will have the opportuntiy to play the "Wipe To Win" instant game for a chance to win a $10 gift card to Dollar General®. I have played the past three days, and every time, this is what happens:

But, I am not discouraged! You can play once a day, so I will continue to try out my luck until the contest ends, which is June 24th.  Make sure you go enter the It Pays to Vacation at Home sweepstakes and try out your luck too. Oh, and come back and let me know if you win!