Look who’s hosting a giveaway!Click here for details!!
AND…

Kristen (the amazing necklace maker) over at La Dolce Vita featured lil’ ole’ me!

Eli won a “Little Nonno Doll.” He loves it!

Cora Jane won a pillow. It smelled like smoke so it disappeared soon after we got home.

We finished out the morning watching the the tidal waves splash the glass…

We walked about a mile without strollers. Las Vegas is dirty.

Pirate Show canceled because of strong winds!!

Someone was a bit disappointed…

We still got to get some pictures with the pirates inside. They were shocked when we asked the half naked sirens not to be in the pictures.

We took a taxi back. Eli was on cloud nine.

Some things are the same in Vegas…

But went anyway… and now you have to read about it! (Hot Hubby getting some work done on the road)

Of course we stopped at our all time favorite…

We got to Circus Circus (high class travelers, I know) at 11pm…

We left our house at 1:30 in the afternoon.
Don’t do the math, I’ll just tell you.
9.5 hours in the car… good times!

Getting Eli to pick up his blocks is a huge pain in the arse… so now I trick him into it.
Bad parenting?
Oh well!
I say “Eli, now it’s time to build the tallest tower of all!!”
He gathers every block to make the awesomest creation ever.
Then Mommy only has to put one giant “block” back into the block bag. Not such bad parenting… right?

Just so you know… That awesome storage bin we made doubles as an astronaut helmet… Just so you know… neon orange play dough + neon green play dough = pea green play dough.

Just so you know… Eli is obsessed with making snowmen with pea green play dough.

Just so you know… Vanessa over at I Never Grew Up is hosting a Eli’s Lids Giveaway here!

I have something new.

You may have noticed me wearing it the night Hot Hubby filled my Love Tank.
If not:

I have always wanted a custom “Mom” necklace, but I have never liked what I saw out there. Until I found Kristen’s Custom Creations on Twitter (of all places)!
She has loads of awesome styles, or if you are picky (like me) you can create your own custom combination.

I got to chat with her…

How did you start making jewelry?
I have always loved jewelry and have been making jewelry as a hobby for many years. When I had my son I wanted something really unique and after a lot of practice and prototypes I created a simple necklace with my kiddos name on one disc and proud mama on the other disc. I started giving similar necklaces as gifts to friends and family and from there started receiving requests, my hobby turned into a little business!
You have the cutest phrases on your charms. How do you come up with them?
Many of my phrases come from my son, for example we often go back and forth saying “I Love You More” and “I Love You To The Moon And Back”, when a cool phrase pops in my head I jot it down in my sketch pad and eventually it just may become a new necklace design.
What are your most favorite creations?
My favorite pieces are the Triple Grande Hammered Initial necklace, “I Love You More Than All The Stars In The Sky” and the “I Love You To The Moon And Back” with Will’s name disc.
What is the funniest custom order you have received?

I have stamped the numbers from LOST and many Twitter addresses!
What inspires you?

Just about everything but mostly my son Will and my friends and family. I hope that my jewelry will hold special meaning for others so often create pieces that hold special meaning for myself and hope that it will do the same for others.

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Kristen Andrews is the owner and sole designer of Kristen’s Custom Creations. Kristen spent 11 years working for a large fortune 500 recruiting firm in various roles. After her son’s birth she wanted a necklace that was really unique and couldn’t find it so she decided to design her own. Kristen started giving similar necklaces as gifts to friends and family and from there she was receiving so many requests she decided to open Kristen’s Custom Creations. Kristen’s Custom Creations specializes in creating custom hand stamped sterling silver necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Her creations make perfect gifts for just about anyone who would cherish a handmade one of a kind piece of jewelry.
Each month Kristen selects a charity to design a specific necklace for and gives a portion of the proceeds for each necklace sold. To see more about her current charity selection go here.

To see Kristen blogging go here.

To see Kristen’s collection please go here.

To follow Kristen on Twitter go here.

Have you heard of the “Love Tank?”

Imagine that everyone has their own love tank (kind of like a gas tank) and your spouse, friends and family can fill it by showing you different kinds of love (i.e. encouragement, gifts, time together…).

The tank can never be too full but it can get empty.
When it’s full you are skipping around the daises with a smile on your face and a song in your heart.

When it’s empty you are a crab.

Hot Hubby told me last week he was going to fill my love tank.

And he wanted to surprise me (I LOVE surprises).

I had my doubts.

I thought he was going to get me a roomba. Imagine my excitement when I saw this…

In case you can’t read the bag it says:
I especially love that he didn’t know what to do with the box wrapping ribbon so he just tied it on the bag!
There’s more…

We went to food festival in our city for a date night.

We ate dessert first.

4 Chocolate covered strawberries…

& baklava…

Then a tasty Indian food dinner. I made a Masala burrito with the rice and Naan bread…

Then a spicy shrimp appetizer. I dropped two on the ground with those chop sticks… and ate them anyway!

We closed the yummy food festival with some friends… of course their beautiful daughter was wearing a Lid…There’s more…

Hot hubby wanted to see a movie but there are a lot of little things we still needed around the house since the move. Lame things like a paper towel holder. So instead of the movie we took advantage of having a babysitter and went shopping for the loose ends.

My Love Tank is full.

I have a feeling I’m going to have a lot of fun filling his! (wink)

Fill someone’s Love Tank today!!

Eli and Cora Jane love to throw stuff away in the trash and recycling.
But they could never remember which one was which.
I channeled my high school cheerleading days and used a Sharpie to write a “T” for Trash and “R” for recycling on the bins.
Now, I don’t have to get up every time they throw something out to make sure it’s in the right bin… ummm… I mean… Eli and Cora Jane are really learning their letters!!!