POGO Pass and a GIVEAWAY!

Now that school is coming to an end, many of you may be wondering what to do to keep those kiddos busy for the next few SUMMER months. I know that I have thought those same things. There is a wonderful option that we have enjoyed this past year!

POGO Passes include many venues, which will be shared below, and right now, you can get 60% off the $99.95 price!  This will leave you paying $39.98 per pass when you use the code MOREFUN.  

POGO passes are an excellent way to beat that summer boredom and lasts for an entire year! It more than pays for itself over and over again! Each pass is worth about $1200 and will be worth more when Fat Cats opens!

Here are venues that are included with each ticket:

2 games to the Diamond Backs game
1 visit to Castles and Coasters
2 visits to Makutu's Island
2 visits Pump it Up
3 games to the Phoenix Mercury
3 games to the Arizona Rattlers
Multiple games to ASU sports
4 visits to Enchanted Island Amusement Park
1 visit to Golfland/Sunsplash
2 shows to the National Comedy Theatre
2 visits to the Phoenix Rock Gym
2 visits to the Phoenix Zoo
2 visits to Stratum Laser Tag
1 visit per month to Tempe Paintball
2 visits per month to Skateland
2 visits to the IDEA musuem
Coming soon: Fat Cats
*Venues are subject to change

These are great because there are many venues you can choose from and just by going to one venue, you save more money than the POGO passes cost!  We have used our POGO passes multiple times throughout the year and the kids love it!  And I love the money that I have saved!

So now onto the big GIVEAWAY!  How does one POGO pass sound? If you win the giveaway, we can either mail you a physical card or send you a code for the POGO pass.  So don't wait and enter the GIVEAWAY!  There are many ways to enter! 

*POGO Passes are available to use for venues in the Phoenix area.

a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Jackpot Candles Review

For those of you who haven't heard of Jackpot Candles, you are missing out!  They are amazing and delicious candles that will leave you wanting to light them every time of every day!  Believe me, every chance we had to light one of these candles, we did.  Even my older boys would wake up at 6am in the morning and light one.  They smell beautiful.  But there is literally a little jackpot, or surprise, in each candle!

I know you want to hear more...

Each candle is 100% soy and hand poured in Buffalo, NY.  And each candle has a free jewelry treasure in each one that values any where between $15 to $5000! Isn't that awesome!  You will burn these candles and anxiously await your new piece of jewelry!

Some of their best selling fragrances are: Cucumber Melon, Lilac, Sweet Pea, Vanilla Cupcake, Banana Nut Bread and the list goes on.   

Once you find your treasure in the candle, carefully remove it from the wax and unwrap the jewelry from the foil.  Each piece of jewelry has a code typed on a sticker.  You can then go to the appraisal page and enter the code.  It will then tell you the appraisal value of your necklace, earrings or ring.  It's so fun!

I tried out two different scents: Watermelon and Pina Colada.  They both smelled amazing!  From one candle, I received a necklace and the other one, was a ring.  The necklace was valued $58 and the ring was valued at $17 and I love them both! They are both so beautiful and classic to me. 

So head on over to Jackpot Candles and order your own candle and have fun waiting for your jewelry.  These make great gifts as well!

Disclaimer: I received these products from Jackpot Candles.  This review is strictly my own opinion. 

Kid Made Planter

The other afternoon, I was calling for my 11 year old son.  He wouldn't respond, so I thought that he was up in his room playing legos or reading.  After a little bit longer, he finally came to me.  I told him that I had been calling him for awhile. He apologized and asked me if I would like to see what he had built in the garage.

 

He loves to spend time in the garage working with my husband's tools.  He likes to build things and fix things. He loves to organize and clean out there.  Whenever my husband is out there he always has a little shadow.  I should have known that he was out in the garage the whole time.  In fact, there are some mornings when he will go out and work in the garage before school!

 

When he brought out this planter he made, I was completely shocked!  A few days before, he found a little plant growing next to our potted climbing rose bush.  He rescued the plant and had been nurturing it in a plastic cup for a few days.  I guess he thought it needed an upgrade!

I loved how he used old wood to make the sides and bottom.  He even drilled holes in the bottom to ensure proper drainage.  And I thought the twine he used around the planter was the perfect finishing touch!  It was so cute and I was so impressed! It's a good lesson to remember: never to underestimate a child!

Spider Cookies

We are getting ready for Halloween over here.  The kids are getting costumes ready.  Just last night, my 12 year old son sewed his own bat costume.  He basically sewed wings together to tie to a shirt.  Pretty clever and simple.  

Here are some fun Halloween cookies that taste so yummy!  These would be great for a Halloween party!  My kids absolutely love these cookies and try to wait patiently for the chocolate to harden.  These are super easy to make, they just take a little bit of time, but totally worth it and the kids love to help!

Peanut Butter Spider Cookies

Ingredients:

Ritz Crackers

Peanut Butter

White Almond Bark or White Chocolate

Black Colored Chocolate (found at craft stores)

Wax Paper

Ziploc Bag 

     Make a sandwich out of the crackers and peanut butter.  Melt the white chocolate.  Dip the sandwiches in the white chocolate.  Set on wax paper to dry.  

Melt the black chocolate and put in a ziploc bag.  Cut a small corner off the bag.  Make your spiders and let dry.  Enjoy!

Around the World Blog Hop

Hi everyone! It's been awhile since we have posted.  I will let you know what we have been up to. But first, I wanted to introduce this post.  We were invited to participate in the Around the World Blog Hop from Sew Stormy.  Shannon is amazing and we have mentioned her before on our blog.  You will have to click on by and see what she is up to.  If you love quilting and sewing, then don't wait another second...go and check her out!   Now I'm supposed to introduce myself.  I'm Briana and I'm the oldest of the four sisters here.  I am the mother of eight wonderful children.  We are now entering into and right in the middle of the teenage years to a couple of boys.  That is quite the experience!  My husband is finishing up his OB/GYN residency next year and we are all super excited and hope to see him more.  :) I give piano, violin and viola lessons after school as well.   I am currently finishing up my Bachelors degree from Arizona State University.  After this semester, I will have only two classes left.  That has kept me busy along with the demands and joys of motherhood.  That is one of the reasons why our blog has taken the backseat this past year.  We have been really busy with our Etsy shop as well.  If you want to check it out the link is Babblings and More.   But I love to try new recipes and I love to sew, especially quilts.  I love to craft and I go through different "phases" as to what I like to work on.  Sometimes it's jewelry making, sometimes hair bows, sometimes it's refinishing furniture.

Now onto the questions:

WHAT AM I WORKING ON?

Making slips is always a joy when I listen to General Conference that can be found on the Mormon Channel App.  Our slip shop has been keeping us busy and we are also preparing to do a few boutiques this holiday season.

And who doesn't love a good cupcake? These were the cupcakes from my son's birthday.  He was born on my 25th birthday and every year since then I enjoy making his birthday special!

How about some yummy cinnamon rolls.  When it starts to get chilly out, I can't help but make some of these babies!

 

I completed my first quilt using free motion quilting on my machine.  I'm in love!  It was so much fun and I look forward to doing many more.

 

 

 I refinished my coffee table in my front room using chalk paint.  It was so much fun and so easy to do and I love the way it turned out!

Trying out some new recipes...the family has approved.  Look for some recipes in future posts like this Raspberry Chicken Salad Wrap.

A few sewing projects that are nearing completion are:
My teenage son's quilt that we are making together.

My 10 year old son's quilt that we are making together.

And lots of merit badges to sew on.  That's what I get for having 5 boys within 5 years!

*Look for these projects in upcoming posts.  :)

HOW DOES MY WORK DIFFER FROM OTHERS OF IT'S GENRE?

 My work differs from others because I never follow the recipe or pattern the way I should.  I look at something, or taste something, and then think of how I could make it myself.  With quilting, I like to look at different patterns or books, pick one that I like and then recreate it in my own mind and then get to sewing.  With food, I see or taste something and as I start to make it, I begin adding new and different ingredients.  I learned to cook like that from my mom, I hardly ever saw her use a recipe, she would just start adding thing together.  My challenge is remembering to write down what I did so I can share it. 

WHY DO I WRITE/CREATE WHAT I DO?

 I love creating items that people will love.  With quilts, I love it when my big teenage boys go and pick out a "girly" quilt out of the closet because they love cuddling up with one of Mom's Quilts.  I love it when my 10 year old son compliments the dinner on how yummy it tastes.  I love it when my kids ask if I can help them make a quilts or teach them to make bread.  That is when it all pays off. 

HOW DOES MY WRITING AND CREATIVE PROCESS WORK?

 My creative process is working all the time in my head.  I'm constantly looking for different things to make and do and then I'm always working it out in my head on how I what to create it.  As far as the writing goes, I try to write it quickly, so I can get back to doing other things.  (So hopefully there aren't too many grammar and spelling mistakes.) A mother's work in never done!

For the next week I will tag the sisters from the blog Wayward Girls Crafts.  The are a group of sisters, along with their mom that craft and look good doing it!  We have been following them for years now and you will love them just as we do!