The Elf On The Shelf Christmas GIVEAWAY....

I hope you will be as excited about this as I am!

I am having my very first giveaway, and what better than to have the first one be a Christmas one, and for kids?? It is my favorite holiday, and as many of you know I love children :)

Sooooo, this giveaway is FUN!! I am giving away an "The Elf on the Shelf : A Christmas Tradition". If you haven't heard of this before it is an AWESOME thing to start in your house for Christmas, especially if you have kids :) I think it so super cute, and an awesome Christmas tradition to start!!

This Christmas Giveaway start TONIGHT - Wednesday, 28/11/2012 at 7:00pm and ends FRIDAY - 07/12/2012). 

****The winner will be announced on Saturday, 08/12/2012....****

This is what the Giveaway includes :

1x The Elf on the Shelf : A Christmas Tradition

1x Claus Couture Collection 2012 Scout Elf Skirt (this is the limited edition polka dot one, and ONLY if you win and choose the girl Elf)

Now there is a choice between a Dark Boy / Light Boy Elf OR Dark Girl / Light Girl Elf. When you enter, please comment and tell me which Elf you would like (make sure to include "dark" or "light").

Feel free to share this post and giveaway with your friends on Twitter and Facebook!!

I am excited!! :) Hope you are too!!

GOOD LUCK!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mini Chiristmas Photo Shoot....

I kept this a secret so I could surprise my Mom, I must say I kept it a secret pretty well, I was very excited about it and so badly wanted to tell her about it every time I spoke to her, but I made sure to keep my mouth shut, lol :)

So I have been wanting to get a photo shoot done by this particular Photographer (Mary Kerkes) since last year! This year I finally decided to take up the opportunity to get a Family Christmas Mini Shoot done with Mary! We had it done about 2 weeks ago, and I just couldn't be happier with how they turned out...

She is an amazingly talented woman, she takes the most amazing photos and I really could not wait to see ours!! She is also a wonderful woman herself, so friendly, so warm, just everything you can think of! LOL....

She has a Facebook page that you can go have a look at here : image33 photography . She also has her own website, that you can go and have a look at here : image33 photography (web). If you would like to have a shoot done with her, her information can be found on both her Facebook and her website! :) She is based in Michigan! I highly recommend her!! LOL

Have a look at her amazing work! Let me know what you think :) I will be able to put the others up for you all to see as soon as I get the DVD... For now I've ordered prints!!

This print REALLY does NOT do the actual pictures justice, the quality of her photos are out of this world!! :)

My Previous Work From Home Post....

I have had a lot of questions about my previous post about earning some extra $$ from home. Here are a few answers :

1. It is not a scam
2. It is totally 100% legit
3. Yes you do have to pay SOME money, but it is not much. I paid $6 at the most and that was on all offers I wanted
4. The offers I talk about are trial offers, that the company wants you to try out, that is how you get your credit to move onto the next step. The trial offers range from all sorts of things, there is Netflix, Disney Movie Club, Dr. Seuss Books, just to name a few of the trial offers I paid for (each no more than $4 each)
5. Once you have signed up for the trial offers - the FREE ones and the ones you pay minimal amounts for you must cancel after 75% - 90% of the trial period sign up. Most of them are 30 days, so you would wait 25 or so days and cancel that offer and you WILL NOT be charged. You will then be done with the offers, unless you want to keep them, like I have for Dr. Seuss for example, I want to collect the books, so I will not cancel before my trial offer is over :)
6. No you do not get your money back that you spent on your trial offers, but it is not very much that you are spending, and at the end, when you start advertising your own web page for others to sign up, you'll have made the money back by just ONE person signing up for their Steps 1 - 3...

I see this as a win win situation.

My Sponsor that I went under to start this has made over $700 just THIS MONTH (November, 2012), she sent me a proof shot of her paypal account so I could use it to show everyone. If you advertise your web page, it really does pay off. As soon as I start getting paid I will be sure to make another post to follow up with you all and show you that I am making money too!!

This is her page shot to prove that she is making $$ :

This is not a "get rich quick" kind of thing, it does take time, so be patient :) don't just give up, I must be honest, I'm only of like day 2 of the advertising my web page and I'm feeling very discouraged!! LOL, but I am not going to stop I'm going to keep on going!!

Seriously what have you got to lose by paying ONLY a minimal amount of money to advertise YOUR web page and start earning like $90 per person that signs up?? :)

Again if you are skeptical and would like to email me about some information beforehand, email me on kirsty.miller@mail.com (make sure you spell my name Kirsty not Kristy) :)

Want To Earn Extra Money At Home....

So before I start explaining this, I also thought it was a SCAM and that this isn't going to work and there is a catch to it like all other "work at home" things, where you have to pay $200+ to get started etc. etc. But this really isn't a scam and you DO NOT HAVE TO PAY $200+ to get started! YOU get paid $90 payments....

It is called 'Instant Rewards'. There are THREE STEPS to get started. You get paid to advertise YOUR website that you set up, so that people will sign up and join too... You do need to pay some money, it's like $1 - $5, to end up getting your own website. The catch is, to do the offers they have (some are FREE and some you have to pay for (some for as low as $1). With ALL THE OFFERS you just need to sign up and "try" them out for at least 75% - 90% of the time after you sign up, so if you join an offer that is a 30-day free trial, you cancel on day 25 and you will NOT get charged anything.

So in order for YOU to get YOUR own Website for people to go through and sign up and YOU to start getting PAID $90 per person, you will need to do Step One, Step Two then Step Three. It is important to get Referrals (this is how myself and YOU will make your money :)). So you will be my referral....

So go and give it a try, here is my link you can go through to get started - Instand Rewards - Kirsty Miller. If you need any help or questions answered before you sign up through my link feel free to email me : kirsty.miller@mail.com :) and I can help you through the Steps. It is SO easy, I promise!! (Make sure you spell my name Kirsty not Kristy like many people do :))

P.S. As you can see this is a REAL persons Blog so it is not a computer or crazy person writing this, if you find this I PROMISE this is real and that you can start getting $90 payments from HOME!! LOL...

Thanksgiving Activity....

This week Thanksgiving vacation for schools. Jack has no school the whole week, so when Dylan went down for his morning nap this morning, I quickly had an idea of using the quiet "free" time we both had and make a cute Thanksgiving art project. He loves to do pictures with fish stickers the most, but I find it very repetitive, and yes he does have an AMAZING sense of placing the stickers in the correct places to make his "aquariums", but I thought it would be a ton of fun to hand make a picture out of craft items and his HANDS, put them all together and see a cute Thanksgiving picture come to life with him. He really seemed to enjoy it and couldn't stop smiling when he looked at the finished product.

So what do you get when you use these art items :

1. A Turkey out of hands

2. A Tree with a sky (his cutting and idea of the sky :))

3. A Cute Hand Made Thanksgiving Picture (with additions, lol), but it's not done just yet....

4. NOW the Finished Picture that was meant to be a Thanksgiving Turkey Picture.... (YUP with Jack a Picture just is not a picture without some sort of "Sea / Water Creatures / Animals"... LOL)

He drew the Bird and the Squirrel all on his own and chose and stuck the eyes on all on his own - they were his ideas too - I thought they were FANTASTIC additions!! I thought it was a pretty cute outcome!!

What ya think? :)

P.S. If any Teachers come across this post of mine PLEASE could you comment a link to a post of yours where you have a cool idea for an activity with SEA CREATURES, he loves Clown Fish and all the Sea Life :) thank you in advance!!

Registration For Classes Complete....

Yay! Today was the day for new students to Register for their classes.... 9 am was the start time so I sat on my Laptop at 8:55am so I could get it done, before going off to my nanny job at 9.30am, LOL....

So I am very happy that I have registered for classes, BUT my FAFSA application is still yet to be completed, and I have until December 6th, otherwise I will be dropped from the classes on December 7th :( Ugh!! But I have high hopes that it will be all done by then and the payment will be sorted :) However, I do wish that I was an In-district student - it's SO much more expensive being an Out-of-district student :/ Oh well, maybe a move will have to be in the works for next July.... :D

The Writing part of the COMPASS Test I had to take last week, didn't work in my favor, LOL, (okay it's not that funny, but ya). When I went to go and see a Student Advisor, it turned out that I was only 3 points away from the level I needed to be at to start the College Level courses for my Degree. I did have the option to rewrite the Writing Part by hand or on COMPASS again, but I wouldn't have had the time before registration so I just decided to take the course that would allow me to skip another English course and go straight to College Level courses in Spring/Summer Semester.... So not totally what I was expecting, but hey it is what it is... I was told by people at WCC that a lot of the students get that and have to take an extra course, so that makes me feel a little better!! :)

Math was a different story, I knew I would fail that part of the COMPASS test, because Math has not always been my strong point, and I haven't done Math since I was about 15/16 years old.... So I totally flunked that and so have to start RIGHT at the bottom of the Math Course levels... LOL... But I see that as a great thing for me, because then I will be able to learn it all over again and will be up to the Math standard (sorta, lol).

The courses I will (hopefully) be taking in Winter 2013 are :

Writing Fundamentals (ENG) - I feel so stupid not passing that area - like WTH!!
- (15 weeks)
- Starts January 19th, 2013 and Ends May 4th, 2013
- I'm taking it on a Saturday morning from 9am - 11:55am

Fundamentals of Numeracy (MTH) - Yes, I have to start with 1 + 1 = 2... LOL
- (15 weeks)
- Starts January 15th, 2013 and Ends May 2nd, 2013
- I'm taking it on a Tuesday and Thursday evening from 8pm - 9:55pm

Academic and Career Skills (ACS) - Co-requisite for the Math course 
- (8 weeks)
- Starts January 15th, 2013 and Ends May 2nd, 2013
- I'm taking it on a Tuesday and Thursday evening from 7pm - 7:55pm

Yup so that's a long day on Tuesday and Thursdays, but it's got to be done!

So even though I can't start with my Degree Courses this Winter 2013 Semester, this is a start, and I am happy and excited that I can get a "slow" introduction into USA College ways :)

 

Homemade Banana Bread....

I have been wanting to make some Homemade Banana Bread for ages now, and finally I remembered to when the bananas I had bought were untouched for days!!

I found a really easy recipe and thought I would try it out... It took a total of 1 hour 30 minutes to prepare and bake. It was a different recipe to what my Mom and Aunt use I'm sure, so I'll be using theirs the next time...

I tasted it, and it wasn't anywhere near as amazing as my Mom and Aunts, so I will definitely be looking for and using theirs next time!

Elementary Education Program Verified For Winter 2013...

Exciting stuff!! Yesterday I went for my in-person Orientation at Washtenaw Community College, to be honest I was SO impressed at how informative it was. It really helped me (being clueless about US College and Schooling) understand the steps I needed to do and what I will need to do and how to do the steps...

Today I finally got my COMPASS Test done. Like I thought I TOTALLY FLUNKED MATH, hahaha.... I mean really, I haven't done Math since I was was about 15 / 16 years old - HELLO!! Some of those Math questions I had never seen in my life, and do First Graders really get taught that kinda math, that is just too funny!!

Anyways, I have finally been able to verify my program, which is so exciting for me :) It now means I am one step closer to actually being able to start my DREAM in WINTER 2013....

So now all that is left for me to do is to Register for Classes next Wednesday (November 14th), and then I just have to wait for my FAFSA application to be completed, there are a few documenst I am still waiting to get from Dustin for it to be complete. So it should be soon, hopefully within the next 2 weeks (holding thumbs :/)!!

Over 10,000 Page Views!! Woohoo!!....

WOOHOO!! My blog has reached OVER 10,000 Page Views...

Thank you readers :) I know I don't blog all that often, but I hope when I do, you enjoy my posts as much as I enjoy writing them up!!

Diamond Candles....

FINALLY you are all able to find out what this exciting package I have been waiting for!! The wait has just been insane for me! LOL

Yesterday the package finally arrived while I was working at Kohls though, so I had to wait a terrible 2 1/2 hours to get off working to get home and open that package! When I got home I immediately went to open it and there were two wonderful "smaller" packages inside wrapped in cardboard - these were my DIAMOND CANDLES!!

If you don't know about Diamond Candles yet, they are a relatively new business out of North Carolina. Go onto their website and see the story of how Diamond Candles came about. It's a really sweet story and such a great idea - after learning about them and receiving my candles, I really wish I had thought of this idea myself!! Haha...

The special thing about these candles is that they HAVE A RING IN EVERY CANDLE!! They can be valued from $10, $100, $1000 or $5000. How awesome is that!! So you never know what kind of ring you get until you open the little foil that the ring is wrapped in. Many people do say that if they do not have a marking on them to take it into the jeweler to have it checked out anyway, even if it does have the marking "China" or "Taiwan" etc., some people have taken theirs in and the stone has ended up being worth $100 / $200 etc.

Anyways I ordered two scents from their site - Cupcake and Peacan Pie. I also ordered two scents from Sneakpeeq - Harvest Blend and Pomegranate Lemonade (I'm really looking forward to receiving that one actually). Now, on the Diamond Candles site itself their candles go for $25 each, yes this does sound like A LOT of money, but they are each 21oz candles and everyone that has had them has said they have about 200 HOURS of burn time, which I think is awesome!! Their scents are also AMAZING, they fill up the entire apartment and I love that! People that have houses and have the candles, have said that the candles fill up an entire room, and if it is an open plan room it will fill a few rooms. However, on the Sneakpeeq site you can get a few deals, like 20% off and $5 off if you are new to Sneakpeeq so I used my "coupons" to get two Diamond Candles for $18. But just a warning, I never knew this when I ordered from the site, only when I messaged Diamond Candles on their Facebook page, that if you order from Sneakpeeq it can take up to 3 WEEKS for them to get your order from Sneakpeeq :( so I have been waiting almost 3 weeks now, so hopefully I'll have those two other candles by next week sometime!

I made a video of my first reveal with the Cupcake candle, but I didn't really know what I was doing, so it is kinda a silly video, LOL.... So I decided to burn the Peacan Pie candle and do a better reveal of the ring with that one. But like a complete idiot, I was talking to a camera that wasn't recording, LOL, so I am totally bummed about that it didn't work out, because this video is really stupid sounding, so excuse the way I sound, its the first time I've ever made a video with me talking, hahaha.... Anyways, enjoy the reveal. I joined both the rings at the end!

Here is my video :

Elections / Election Day... Oh I Hate Elections In The USA!!....

Wow, but has this Election in the USA opened my eyes to so many things!! Most things I already know, but the Elections just really bring out the worst in so many people. I hate negativity, so to be surrounded by negativity for SO long has been driving me slowly INSANE! You just can't seem to get away from it, it's all over Social Networks, Shops, Radios etc. I'm sure a lot of people - if I had to update my statuses on Facebook or Twitter - would have told me to get off of the Social Networks if I don't want to see it, which is why I have bitten my "fingers" (lol) VERY HARD, and not done ANY Political statuses etc., because really if one had to go off Facebook and the such for the Election period, they would still have it surrounding them in other ways... So there is NO escaping the awful negativity!!

I can't vote this year, because I am not yet a Citizen (that only happens in 5 years time - if I even decide to become a Citizen).... I do however, have my own views on each candidate and what they have been saying throughout the debates etc. BUT I will not be "airing" it on my Blog, nor will I be "airing" it in person to everyone in any way. (Have I mentioned I hate negativity?? LOL) that word negativity is the MAIN reason why I keep my views to myself, because I know that most people would throw out negativity on the things I have to say, and yes "you shouldn't care about what others think", that I am afraid for me, is easier said than done... Negativity does affect me, (those that really know me, know this already! they know how shy / quiet / sensitive I am to a lot of things) especially if my views / thoughts are put down, and name calling gets involved! SO I have saved myself from the negativity from the Elections at least, haha....

Today is Election Day, so I really cannot wait until it is over and 2013 is here, I know there are a few more weeks left for the negative vibe AFTER today... So I have never wanted to see 2013 so quickly!! :)

Everyone enjoy this day and don't let the Election bring the horrible side in you out like it has to so many.... Be calm and vote!! :))

Halloween 2012....

Yup, this one is also late...

Last year was my first Halloween back in the US since 2007, so I was pretty excited to decorate with Halloween decorations etc. By then we had gotten Max and dressed him up as a Bumble Bee, he was so cute :) This year was the same I was excited again and decorated again.

This year I was shopping in Petsmart and saw a Shark "costume", thought it was a cute idea and got it for him. That was before we thought of Chewy or even had him. We then got Chewy and I had to find him a costume too. Max was going to be a Shark, and I wasn't too sure what Chewy was going to be, I went to go and get Max and Chewies favorite treats at Walmart and saw a few cute "costumes" for dogs in the same area. I saw a black Cowboy hat and knew that he would look major cute with it on!

So this year we had a Shark and a Cowboy, haha :) Below are some pics I managed to get.

  Cowboy Chewy

Max the Shark

 Attack of the Shark... LOL

Unfortunately this year it was FREEZING and RAINING, so we didn't go and walk downtown with them to check out all the little Trick or Treaters and decorations.... Oh well, next year!!

Pumpkin Carving....

This is a bit late, but better late than never right?

I really enjoy this time of year here in the US. I really do wish that this was / would become a popular family thing back home soon.... It's so much fun going to pick out a pumpkin, picking out the picture to carve and then carving pumpkins!

I also love that Max loves to chew on the pumpkins and is nosy and loves to try and eat the pumpkins, haha.... This year we had Chewy involved, he didn't really know what was going on or what to do though, lol... So he just sat on Dustins lap while he carved Chewies pumpkin.

For some reason I completely forgot to take a picture of the pumpkins lit up :( They are all yuk now, so I'll have to carve the other two pumpkins I haven't carved yet and add some more pictures!

Here are a few pictures I took...

Beanie Bobble Hat on Amazon for $2.99 (Price could change)...

As we ALL know, Winter is approaching (yes it is still only Fall and it is FREEZING!!)....

I don't normally wear hats, but I found this killer deal on Amazon for a really cute Beanie and just HAD to order it!! I haven't received it yet, because I just ordered it tonight, LOL... But I will be sure to do a follow up post about it when it arrives :)

Anyways if you are looking for a great deal click on the link below :

Amazon - Warm Stretch Beanie Bobble Hat - $2.99 Shipped!!

$2.99 is the TOTAL of the order, you do not have to pay for shipping - a double bonus - HOW AWESOME IS THAT!! Now the price can change at anytime, so PLEASE don't get angry with me if you go to the link and it's a different price, LOL...

Strawberry PawPaw / Papaya....

Soooo, the other day I was shopping in Kroger and I saw some mini PawPaws, and they were called "Strawberry Papayas". I love Strawberries so I decided to get two to try...

When I went online to search what the difference was all it would tell me is that its a pink colour.... So I decided to try it and LOL it tastes JUST LIKE a "normal" PawPaw! It's just a pinky colour and not an orange colour.... When I searched about it I noticed A LOT of people were saying that every PawPaw they had ever eaten smelt rotten, I'm not too sure why that is, but I can safely say that I have never smelt a rotten PawPaw.... Anyways I just wanted to post pics of my 'non-smelly' PawPaw experience, LOL. You should definitely try a PawPaw if you haven't yet, I promise they do not smell rotten. Maybe if you had to buy an old rotten one it would smell really bad, but generally they do not smell so disgusting! LOL

Oh and just so all readers that don't know what PawPaw is, it is what we call a Papaya at home :) I've grown up calling then PawPaw's. I think they are two very different names, but they mean the same thing!

This is how I have been taught to eat a PawPaw and ALWAYS eat a PawPaw.... Enjoy!