Want to win an iPad??

Last night I entered to win an iPad by making a donation to a worthy cause. You can enter to win, too, by heading here! The donations are to help babies and their moms in developing countries. Every baby deserves the best start possible!

This little piggy!

This week the theme of the MckLinky Blog Hop is favorite photo. Man, it is hard to pick just one!! I decided to go with a favorite that I haven't already posted on my blog. This is Lucas on August 15, 2006! He was such a sweet baby!

"This little piggy went to market......"

Sweet Contest!

If you read my blog often, you'll know that I don't post about many contests, but I just had to on this one.

My sister bought me a wall decal as a house warming gift and I love it (she also bought one with each of my boy's names for their room---thanks Aud!). Anyway, I want more, but just haven't ordered any. I was at my friend Christi's blog and read about this and just had to jump in.....


Lewa's Designs and A Soft Place to Land have teamed up for this contest offering the chance to win an awesome dandelion wall decal that is over 5 feet tall! There are lots of really neat designs there. Something for everyone, I'm sure, so go take a look!

The kid in me....

5 Minutes for mom is having another photo contest. This time around, it is "The Kid in You" contest. I decided to show a few pictures that lead up to the picture that I am submitting in the photo contest. These were taken by my MIL in April 2006 at Great Falls National Park.

(Here is my official entry below--you can click to enlarge.)

While watching Logan try and try to blow the dandelion, I couldn't help myself and had to show him how it is done. I don't care how old you are, that is still fun!!

I LOVE it!!

Remember this post?? Well, the canvas from Val has arrived and I LOVE it!!

Originally, I thought I'd put it in the dining room, but it didn't seem to fit the space, and I wanted it in a spot where others would I'd see it more often. I really wanted it in the living room, but there wasn't an empty spot for it. I decided to remove a picture already in there and see how it would look. I'm glad I did, because it totally changed the look up!! I liked it just fine before, but I LOVE it now!!

Before:


After:

(This is a picture I took at the Cherry Blossom Festival.)

Val, thanks again----we absolutely love it!!

Braincandy!!

Sarah, over at Mymommyology, is having her very first giveaway and it looks like a great one! I think that Lucas would love the Braincandy DVDs---I think that Logan would even enjoy them!! Head on over and sign up to win!!

Motherhood....

5 minutes for mom is having a photo contest and they are asking you to find the picture that symbolizes motherhood to you. Wow---is it hard to choose one, but here is what I settled on....

If you've ever been to my blog, then chances are you noticed this picture. To me, the series of hand pictures that I have in my header symbolizes motherhood. I met and married the love of my life and we've since added two sweet boys to our family. This picture of our hands represents our family and I truly get emotional looking at it. It is true that there is no way to describe the love a mother has for her children. I am truly blessed. Logan and Lucas are the sweetest boys and I can not imagine my life without them. Being their momma is the best feeling in the world.

I love you sweet boys!!

Super yummy!!

I know I've posted both of these in the past, but I am posting again, because I love them that much!! Plus, Pioneer Woman is having a giveaway and for what ever reason, I can't get my post to show up. I'm posting this and then just posting the link in my comment to enter her contest. Go check it out!!

Penne a la Vodka Sauce
(the notes are from my sister)
1 package sausage (Italian Turkey)
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 large can crushed tomatoes (28oz.)
¼ cup vodka
½ teaspoon salt
½-1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
¾ cup fat free half and half
1 cup skim milk

Cook garlic in olive oil for about 2 minutes, add sausage; cook until sausage is browned. Add tomatoes and vodka and simmer for about 3 minutes (this cooks off the alcohol). Season with salt and hot red pepper flakes. Add the half and half and milk and simmer 2-3 minutes. Serve over Penne Pasta.

Freezing instructions: Cook as directed above. Allow to cool and store in freezer bags. Thaw in the refrigerator 24 hours before serving. Heat the sauce in the microwave, on the stovetop or in the crockpot (High 2 hours or Low 4 hours). Serve over Penne Pasta.

The original recipe called for 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream, but we altered the recipe to be lowfat. We also are using turkey Italian sausage and the original called for Italian or Breakfast sausage.

Weight Watchers Points: (sauce only)
1cup= 4points
½ cup=2 points



I like to serve this salad with pasta. Super easy and yummy!!

Spring mix greens, bell pepper, celery, green onions, pumpkin seeds (I use sunflower seeds and slivered almonds, but my favorite is the pumpkin) and olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and sea salt for the dressing. You can make this salad a meal by adding an avocado and garbanzo beans. YUM!! I also eat this with kale, but my husband doesn't like the kale.

I'm a winner!

During the Ultimate Blog Party I did some party hopping and actually came away a winner at a couple of places!

At i-Mommy, I won a Family Game Pack!! It just so happens that thes games included were my favorite games when I was growing up. I can't wait to play them with the boys!!

I also won at Val's place!! She had a get to know Val quiz and had 5 people get all 25 answers correct. I was the lucky one drawn as the winner!! I won an 8x10 canvas gallery-wrap of any personal photo that I choose. I still haven't decided which picture to use. I tried to get a good picture of the boys yesterday, but Lucas went to bed late on Saturday, woke during the night, woke up earlier than normal, and didn't have a nap. Needless to say, he did NOT want to take pictures. I'm going to try again, this time making sure Lucas is well rested!

I'm super excited about both prizes!! Thanks, Val and Lori!!

A winner and other blog finds....

And the winner is-----Comment #61---TheAngelForever

She is also the mom of two boys and they even have just about the same spacing apart in age as my boys!! I can tell from her blog that she loves taking pics of her boys as much as I do!! Congrats--please send me an e-mail with your address and I will get the knife mailed to you ASAP!!


I also met Amy at Memoirs of a Mommy. She is the mom to 4 little girls!! I love reading about her savings. I'd love to learn how to do the CVS thing!!


Then there is Kristin and Beth at Sew, Mama, Sew. Their newest post is about some super cute fabric Easter eggs with a secret pocket!! I really, really want to learn how to sew, so I was glad to find this site!!

I also found a great recipe site by following Rachel's comment. There are some yummy looking things there---and I love trying new things!!

Another great site I found was from following Naomi's comment. We all love free things, and this site keeps you up to date on some online giveaways!!

There are many others---those are just the first few that I bookmarked!!

Welcome to the Party!!

UPDATE!!
I've extended my giveaway to end on March 16th and I will draw a winner on Monday the 17th!! I know I've had a hard time making it around the bloggy world this week, so wanted to extend it slightly in case others can't make it until this weekend!!

Scroll down for door prize!!

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting the Ultimate Blog Party from March 7-14. If this is your first visit, here is a little about me.

My name is Candi and I have been married to my best friend for nearing 8 years. I actually met him online (when I was 17....so we've actually been together over 11 years), so we are proof that it really can work. We live in the D.C. metro area, after staying here when hubby got out of the Army in 2004. I am a stay at home mom to two boys. Logan is 5 now and boy does that child know how to make me laugh!! Lucas just turned two and is a complete joy!! I absolutely love my boys!!

Thanks for stopping by!! If you're lucky, my boys will entertain you while you are here!!



(I edited this to be open to all after checking shipping rates!)
Be sure to leave a comment to be entered in the door prize drawing (open to all!!). I have one of these and LOVE it!! I use the scissors a lot to cut down straws that are too long for the boys (thanks to my sister for that idea!!). This keeps them from having to tilt the cup so much to reach the straw. Anyway, I thought I'd offer one up as a door prize here!! (Just a note--I saw them for sale on Amazon with bad reviews with advice not to use them as a key chain. I don't--I just carry it in my purse and have never had any issues!)

I will leave it open for the week of the party and then choose a winner using random.org. Good luck!!



The one I have to give away is new in package and is lime!!

Be sure to check out 5 Minutes for Mom for more parties and prizes!!

There are lots of great prizes!! Here are my top picks:

1--#100
2--#11
3--#101
4--#14
5--#117
6--#59
7--#60
8--#61
9--#30
10--#58
11--#108

Blog Party!!

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting the Ultimate Blog Party!! Lot's of great prizes are up for grabs!! I'll even have a door prize available here!! Should be fun---see you there!!

Deck Your Blog Contest...

Wow...it seems I stumbled upon this contest without a minute to spare.

I was in the process of decking my blog for the holidays, but what a nice little incentive to win something. Hurry....go check it out and deck your blog, too!

And the winner is....

I used Random.org to choose a winner for my 100th post giveaway.  

And the winner is.................

comment #19--Melody

Congratulations!!  I had a lot of fun gathering things for this and truly wish you could have all won!!

A few of my favorite things...100th post give away!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! This post is my 100th post and I thought in honor of that I'd do a give away. I'm giving away a few of my favorite things!! I will leave this open for one week and choose the winner next Friday at 10 PM EST. TIME IS UP!! This is open to US residents only (and APO addresses). All you have to do is leave a comment and I will randomly choose a winner!! If you happen to not have a blog, be sure to include your e-mail address in your comment so that I can contact you.

So, here is what you'll get!!

• Jelly Belly jelly beans--Yum!! I lived in the town these are made in for a while (Fairfield, CA).
  
• Dove milk chocolate
  
• $5 Starbucks gift card...truly not a big coffee fan, but I do love an occasional Starbucks drink...as long as it doesn't taste like coffee :-)
  
• Vertigo cookies and cream sucker--I recently discovered these and love them!!
  
• 2 pack of pretty sticky note pads
  
• Mary Jane slipper socks...I have two pairs!!
  

Also...to keep with tradition, here is 100 things I'm sure you were dying to know about me!!

1. I was born in Texas and lived there until I was 16.
2. My mom and dad divorced when I was 3 and my siblings (one older brother and one older sister)and I lived with our dad.
3. We lived in a little town in TX until I finished 7th grade.
4. We moved to another small town in the TX panhandle (that was a little larger than the other small town) and I made some great friends there!
5. While in the 10th grade, my dad got a job in CA and moved there during the school year .
6. He let me stay behind to finish out the school year.
7. Although some 16 year olds may think they would LOVE to live on their own, I didn't like it at ALL! I got very bored!
8. I spent a lot of nights with friends and they spent a lot with me.
9. When school was out, my dad returned and we loaded up the U-haul and were on our way!!
10. I started my junior year of high school at a new school and I HATED it!!
11. I ended up dropping out of school.
12. In TX, I was a mostly A student, so my friends and family were shocked.
12. My dad didn't really want to let me drop out, but I tearfully convinced him.
14. I hated school that much!!
15. Right before I dropped out of school, I met a guy online.
16. That guy is now my husband of over 7 years!!
17. I was 17 and he was 21 and my dad was NOT happy!
18. Eight days after I turned 18, I moved out of my dad's house and into an apartment with my now husband.
19. We lived in Fairfield, CA and paid $550 a month for our one bedroom apartment.
20. I can guarantee it would be more now!!
21. I was going to a technical school program to become a lab tech and I also worked at Chick-fil-a.
22. I finished the school, but decided I didn't want to do phlebotomy for 8+ hours per day, so I became a nanny instead.
23. I watched a 6 week old little girl and her 4 year old brother.
24. I really enjoyed it and it helped prepare me for motherhood.
25. I watched them for almost a year and then we moved.
26. The cost of living was on the rise in the bay area, so we moved to Humboldt county to live with my future-in-laws until we found a place of our own.
27. I got a job as a nurse's assistant at a nursing home and worked there for 8 months.
28. The shortage of workers and overwhelming patient load finally caught up with me and I quit.
29. It was the hardest job I have ever had...next to motherhood!
30. I started a new job at a dialysis clinic in April, 2000.
31. We bought our first new car....a 2000 Nissan Altima.
32. After being together for over 3 years, we decided to tie the knot and married on June 4, 2000.
33. On July 5, 2000, my husband left for basic training in the Army.
34. On July 14, 2000, I wrecked our new car and almost totaled it.
35. I learned a very important lesson to not swerve on the freeway when you are going over 70 miles per hour.
36. It was 11 at night and not much traffic on the roads. Good thing for me since I crossed the median and went across the other side of the freeway.
37. Miraculously, I walked away with only a bruise from my seatbelt...and I was sore for days!!
38. My car was repaired just in time for me to head out on a cross country trip.
39. I stopped in the bay area to visit family and got rear-ended....I was NOT a happy camper.
40. Not enough damage to stop me....I was going to see my husband graduate from basic!!
41. I continued my journey and stopped in Texas to visit more family and friends and then headed to Florida to see my sister and her family.
42. I spent a few weeks with my sister and then drove to South Carolina for basic training graduation.
43. I spent 3 days there and then headed back to Florida while my husband headed to Ft. Huachuca, AZ for AIT.
44. I spent about another month in Florida while I found out more information about joining my husband in Arizona.
45. The Army didn't pay for my move because his school was only supposed to be 6 months long.
46. I just had this feeling that I needed to join him because he was going to be sent where I couldn't join him after that.
47. He got to AZ at the end of Sept, 2000 and I joined him there on Nov. 2, 2000...his birthday!!
48. He lived in the barracks and I lived in a tiny apartment off post.
49. I got a job at Target working nights and spent as much time as I could visiting my husband on post.
50. He wasn't allowed to leave post or be with me alone, so I would meet him each day for lunch and dinner at the mess hall.
51. My feeling was right about him being sent where I couldn't go....as he neared the end of AIT, he got orders for Korea.
52. His school took longer than planned and he was finally able to move off post with me just weeks before he finished his schooling.
53. When he finished, we drove to CA and I moved back in with his parents and he did hometown recruiting for a month before leaving for Korea.
54. Our one year anniversary was June 4th and he left for Korea on June 6th.
55. I returned to work at the dialysis clinic.
56. On Sept. 11, 2001, I was off from work and was going to be buying a ticket to fly to Korea to visit my husband.
57. I was awoken to news of the twin towers and everything was chaos.
58. I didn't hear from my husband for over a week and did not buy the ticket because his post was in lock down and he would not be able to leave post to visit me and he lived in the barracks and I couldn't stay with him.
59. He was able to come home for mid-tour in Jan. 2002 and we decided we were ready to try for a family.
60. He was home one month, so essentially we had one try....I didn't think it would happen.
61. He returned to Korea on Feb. 2 and on Feb 14th, I had my positive test!!
62. He came back on June 4th (our 2 year anniversary) and we had one week to get from California to Maryland (I was 5 months pregnant).
63. We stopped and saw family and sites along the way.
64. He was stationed at Ft. Meade, MD and worked at the NSA.
65. On Oct. 9, 2002, we welcomed our sweet Logan to our family at NNMC.
66. He had pneumonia and spent 5 days in the NICU, so each year we attend the NICU reunion.
67. I was fortunate enough to be able to stay home with Logan and I enjoyed every minute of it.
68. Daddy worked long hours, so Logan and I had lots of quality time together.
69. We moved off post in March 2004 and hubby got out of the Army in July 2004.
70. He got a job in Crystal City, so we moved to Virginia when our lease was up in 2005 to be closer to his work.
71. He often worked in the Pentagon, so Logan and I got to go to his Christmas party at the Pentagon!!
72. Hubby didn't understand why I was excited about that, but that's okay...not everyone can say they went to a Christmas party at the Pentagon!!
73. At the end of June 2005, we found out that I was pregnant!!
74. While pregnant with Logan, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and then with type II diabetes when Logan was one.
75. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time at the doctors while pregnant the second time around.
76. I was scheduled to be induced on Feb. 26th, 2006 and my dad flew in on the 25th to take care of Logan.
77. The night before I was to be induced I went into labor and our little Lucas arrived 3 hours before I was to be at the hospital!!
78. I am good at making 7 pound 2 ounces babies...because both of mine weighed that even though Logan was born at 38 weeks and Lucas at 39 weeks.
79. And so, the life of a mom of two begins!!
80. I find great joy in watching my boys play.
81. The sound of their laughter makes me smile.
82. I was definitely a daddy's girl growing up.
83. It makes me glad to have a couple of momma's boys (for the time being, anyway).
84. We moved again in March 2007.
85. This time it was because we purchased our first home (a 3 level town-home in a D.C. suburb)!!
86. I was born and raised in a small town, but I love living close to a city.
87. I love diet Coke.
88. I love chocolate...who doesn't??
89. The only time I have ever left my kids overnight was when I was in the hospital having Lucas.
90. Two of my best friends in high school were Skyla Anne and Shyla Linan...I am Candi Lyn...neat, huh? Get it Lyn, Anne, and Linan!!
91. I have two sisters and three brothers, but I only grew up with my older brother and sister.
92. When I was 9, my mom had remarried and I became a big sister.
93. My mom lived in CA, and I would fly from TX to visit her in the summers.
94. Although I love to talk, I don't like to do public speaking.
95. I get nervous and say, "And....ummmm" way too often!!
96. I love the smell of Johnson and Johnson baby wash and was super excited to recently learn that they make baby wipes (sold exclusively at Babies R Us)!!
97. I forgot to mention that I went back (to an adult school) and got my high school diploma (actually, my husband had to get his to get the job he wanted in the Army, so I decided to get mine at the same time....we got them one week before we were married).
98. Being a parent has taught me to cut my own parents a little slack.....it is certainly the hardest job....EVER!!
99. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents (my dad's parents) while growing up and I miss them a ton.....I was my Papa's "wittle girl"!!
100. In case you can't tell by all the pictures of my boys on my blog...I love taking pictures of them!! I never thought I would want to be a stay at home mom, but I know that this is what I am supposed to be doing....I LOVE it and am grateful that I am able to be home with the boys I love dearly!!

Adventures in Babywearing's Mason & Matisse Giveaway!

I had not heard of Mason & Matisse until I read about a contest that Adventures in Babywearing is having. They have some really awesome baby stuff!! I have to agree with Steph that their Tea Collection for boys is totally cute!! Thanks, Steph, for introducing me to this awesome company!

If you have a baby or know someone who has a baby, head on over to sign up for the giveaway!!

Who doesn't like free stuff??

Five Minutes for Mom is having some great giveaways for Mother's Day. Head on over to sign up. Run, don't walk....time is almost up!