My Life Rocks via Instagram

Rules are simple:
★Follow me
★Grab the button
★Create your post
★Bring your ass back to link up
★Go stalk other rad lives!

1. My sleepy puppy
2. Hubby with lipstick on his cheek..no worries, just from our daughter ;)
3. Mama rockin' a PLL approved hairdo

4. Kitchen DIY project - chalkboard wall, beadboard and new switchplates
5. Mama rockin' some new makeup (review coming soon!)
6. Before we started the chalkboard project

That Friday Blog Hop

Welcome to the new That Friday Blog Hop.

With your hosts: Rebecca @ Let Them Eat Cake and Chrissy @ A Lil' Dash Of Diva. Hop around, have fun, and find lots of fun blogs to enjoy!

So here is what we ask from all of you lovely people.

1. Follow the two hosts
2. Follow the week's special co-host
3. Grab the button, share it everywhere to spread the word

<a href="http://alildashofdiva.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Let Them Eat Cake" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/satinxoxo/blog%20buttons/ThatFridayBlogHop21.png"/></a>

Hosts:

     

Our co-host this week is Michele from Michele's Place Of Learning & Earning Online. Stop by her blog and show her some love! You can find her blog by clicking on the button below. Don't forget to leave a comment there as well. We all love comment love!

If you are interested in being a co-host, please contact either myself or Chrissy.

We would love to have you.
So link up all your social networks and have a wonderful Friday and weekend!

Thirsty Thursday!

Thirsty Thursday Blog Hop

Thirsty for followers?

Come get to know us and stay for a drink.

This blog hop is hosted by

Obviously MARvelous

&

A Lil Dash of Diva

1. Follow your hostesses by subscribing via reader and/or email
(Make sure to verify this subscription by clicking and confirming the email link you are sent. Following this way is a two step process)

2. Link up the main home page of your blog on the Linky Below

3. Copy and paste the Thirsty Thursday button in a blog post or on your sidebar (found on my sidebar)

4. Click other links on the Linky and follow some new friends

~Obviously MARvelous~

I'm Marcie (aka MAR) from Obviously MARvelous! My blog offers a look at my life as an outspoken, funny, tattooed wife and SAHM of 3 as well as some wonderful product reviews and giveaways! Please have a look around and enter a giveaway or two!
(You can subscribe to my feed via reader/email by clicking the links on the right sidebar)

&

~A Lil Dash of Diva~~

I’m Chrissy from A Lil’ Dash of Diva! My blog offers a look at my life in general; from photography to my struggles with infertility and PCOS as well as my love of makeup and all things girly, pink and sparkly. I talk about my family and I try to keep things as real as possible. I love linkups and blog hops and you can expect a few reviews and giveaways sprinkled in along the way.
(You can subscribe to my blog via GFC or to your preferred reader on my left sidebar)

His&Her Q&A

What is something weird your spouse does while asleep?
His: You talk in your sleep. Like a whole conversation...well..parts of a conversation
Her: He whimpers, which is totally endearing and adorable

Which of the 7 deadly sins are you? (anger, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony)
His: I'm lust. I think everybody is hot. And, I'm sexy and I know it.
Her: I'm lust, too. Cuz I think everybody's hot too.

What was your favorite hiding place as a kid?
His: We did have a secret area in the house, a hiding place in the wall.
Her: In the closet, behind the clothes

What music artist do you love that your other half hates listening to?
His: The Doors. Anything that's older than my wife.
Her: Nikki Minaj, Justin Bieber, all my homie music as he calls it.

What has your other half recently done that made you love them more?
His: She fixed the pockets in my scrubs for work.
Her: He helped my parents move out of their house and has done everything he can to make the transition of them moving in with us as smooth as he can.

What is your favorite hole-in-the-wall place to eat? (or favorite restaurant in general)
His: Chicago Gyros
Her: Carolina's mexican it is seriously the best

What do you admire most about your significant other?
His: Her passion. Her protective instinct.
Her: His compassionate heart.

Ideally, where would you like to be 5 years from now?
His: Iowa
Her: Near the beach...or Iowa.

Who wears the pants?
His: I do, when she says its ok.
Her: I do.

What is your favorite/go-to YouTube video? (embed for all of us to watch!)
His:


Her:




YOUR TURN!!!
#1. Grab this button and put it in a new post.
#2. Tell everyone the link-up is hosted by Chapter Something and Love the Grows and link back to us! (We want people to see the origination and past Q&As.)
#3. Copy and paste these questions. Delete my answers because you're an individual.
#4. Have fun answering these questions with your man! And remember, if you don't know/have an answer, make one up!
#5. Once you've published your post, click the Linky button below and link up your post here so other peeps can see it!!
#6. Read everyone elses answers that have linked up!
#7. Come back next Sunday and do it all over again!

Salon Day!

Saturday my daughter and I had the chance to go hang out with our friends Natalie and her daughter Monique and get our nails done. Natalie and I have known each other for over 10 years. We went to each others weddings, my daughter shares a birthday with her, I took her maternity pictures when she was pregnant with her daughter and now I watch lil' Momo everyday while Nat has to work.

Natalie had decided to go get her nails done this weekend and she was taking Mo to get hers done too because Tuesday is Mo's 5th birthday! I decided to take Hannah too and make a girls day out of it.  

The salon we went to is in downtown Phoenix, it's called Exclusive Nails.  There are all these old houses that have been converted into businesses that are usually all remodeled and look super cute.  I was really surprised to see the inside was so girly and feminine after seeing the outside of the building, but it was  a good surprise!

When you walk in the door, you enter the lobby that is decorated with pinks and blues.  There are black and white Marilyn Monroe pictures on the walls and zebra print chairs.  I loved the hardwood floors throughout the salon and the little touches of frill everywhere you look.

The salon is broken up into 3 different rooms for services.  There is a room for Gelish, gel manicures.  This room has a long table that seats 2 manicurists and their clients plus two gorgeous crystal chandeliers and pink table lamps.  It has the above quote on one wall and a window on another wall.

The bathroom was gorgeous, too!  I love the dark cabinets and the granite countertop.

The pedicure room is decorated in more 'manly' tones if you will.  But it is really soothing and peaceful in that room with its long bench seat and comfy pillows.

The last room is setup for acrylics with 3 different stations.  The pink wall with the swirly accent is one of my favorite things in this room.

Now that I've given you a grand tour, let's get to girly bidness!  Nat and I decided to let the girls go first so we didn't have to hear 'mom is it our turn yet' over and over.  Sabrina is the owner and she ended up doing mine and Hannah's nails.  Allie did Monique's and Natalie's.  Hannah and Mo picked out the color they wanted and they sat down and got started.  

I think Hannah's favorite part of the manicure was the hand massage.  She was pretty relaxed, I think!

Once the girls were done, we sent them out to the lobby to watch some cartoons while us mama's got our nails did ;)  Luckily the girls were really good and we got to relax and enjoy our girl time.

I love the gelish manicure.  It is not harsh on your nails like acrylics are and it lasts a lot longer than a traditional manicure.  Hannah and Monique have already picked out the colors they want for their next trip to the salon and of course, I'm looking forward to my next salon day too.  

This salon also offers manicures for men so I am taking Hubby next time for a little manly pampering.  The prices are super affordable and for the experience you have while there it makes it even more enjoyable.  

After our salon day, Hannah and I came home and picked up Sean so we could all go to lunch together.  We headed over to Jersey Mike's, our new favorite place to get sandwiches.  Then we decided to head to Lowe's for some chalkboard paint for a project in the kitchen ;)

More to come on this soon!

After that we did some stuff around the house and then grilled some burgers for dinner.  Once Hannah was in bed for the night, Hubby and I had a little date night at home.  We watched This Means War with Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pines and Tom Hardy.  Super cute movie!  

Hubby is working Sunday so it will just be a cleaning day for me, lots of laundry and bathroom and dusting and vacuuming and all that fun stuff.  Gotta get it done though, so might as well get on it!  I hope you all have had a great weekend so far and enjoy the rest of it before its back to the grind tomorrow morning!

My Life Rocks via Instagram {4}

Rules are simple:
★Follow me
★Grab the button
★Create your post
★Bring your ass back to link up
★Go meet new bloggers!

1. Hannah and her Papa nuggling on the couch watching a movie

2. Mama hit 600 posts on this lil' blog

3. Bath day for Roxy. We've been having tons of storms for the last 2 weeks so I haven't gotten Roxy washed in the last 2 weeks but I couldn't take it anymore, she needed some pampering

4. Tumbling! Hannah has gotten so much better at her back bridges, forward and backwards somersaults! She loves tumbling class and says her coach really 'motivates her'

5. Klout PERK - Essie polish!!

6. Just a few pretty storm clouds we've had in the last couple days

That Friday Blog Hop

Welcome to the new That Friday Blog Hop.

With your hosts: Rebecca @ Let Them Eat Cake and Chrissy @ A Lil' Dash Of Diva. Hop around, have fun, and find lots of fun blogs to enjoy!

So here is what we ask from all of you lovely people.

1. Follow the two hosts
2. Follow the week's special co-host
3. Grab the button, share it everywhere to spread the word

<a href="http://alildashofdiva.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Let Them Eat Cake" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/satinxoxo/blog%20buttons/ThatFridayBlogHop21.png"/></a>

Hosts:

     

Our co-host this week is Holly from The Morrow. Stop by her blog and show her some love! You can find her blog by clicking on her button below. Don't forget to leave a comment there as well. We all love comment love!

If you are interested in being a co-host, please contact either myself or Rebecca.

We would love to have you.
So link up all your social networks and have a wonderful Friday and weekend!

Thirsty Thursday

Thirsty Thursday Blog Hop

Thirsty for followers?

Come get to know us and stay for a drink.

This blog hop is hosted by

Obviously MARvelous

&

A Lil Dash of Diva

1. Follow your hostesses by subscribing via reader and/or email
(Make sure to verify this subscription by clicking and confirming the email link you are sent. Following this way is a two step process)

2. Link up the main home page of your blog on the Linky Below

3. Copy and paste the Thirsty Thursday button in a blog post or on your sidebar (found on my sidebar)

4. Click other links on the Linky and follow some new friends

~Obviously MARvelous~

I'm Marcie (aka MAR) from Obviously MARvelous! My blog offers a look at my life as an outspoken, funny, tattooed wife and SAHM of 3 as well as some wonderful product reviews and giveaways! Please have a look around and enter a giveaway or two!
(You can subscribe to my feed via reader/email by clicking the links on the right sidebar)

&

~A Lil Dash of Diva~~

I’m Chrissy from A Lil’ Dash of Diva! My blog offers a look at my life in general; from photography to my struggles with infertility and PCOS as well as my love of makeup and all things girly, pink and sparkly. I talk about my family and I try to keep things as real as possible. I love linkups and blog hops and you can expect a few reviews and giveaways sprinkled in along the way.
(You can subscribe to my blog via GFC or to your preferred reader on my left sidebar)

Sh*t My Husband Says...

I have talked about my husband several times on this blog and I know I've mentioned he is a firefighter turned ER tech. My husband has been in the Emergency Medical field all of his career and it is absolutely the right place for him to be. I've never seen anyone do what he does with the amount of care and compassion that he gives to every single patient.

Several of you have asked to know more about him and what he does for a living so we thought it would be fun for me to sort of interview him and post it here, so that's what we're doing!

Me: What made you decide to get into EMS?

Him: I had always grown up loving the lights and sirens, but I had a teacher in high school who was also the manager of the pool I worked at my first paying job. He also was one of the founding members of the ambulance service in Mount Vernon and he was the first one put the thought in my head of actually doing something in the EMS world.

Me: What is your favorite part of your job?

Him: I'd be lying if I said anything other than I'm a trauma junkie. I love the adrenaline rush of a trauma coming in and knowing that there is someone who needs serious help, right NOW.

Me: What is the hardest part of your job?

Him: Trying to be in as many places as I'm asked to be all at the same time.

Me: What are some of the craziest things you've seen in your line of work?

Him: Well...many things placed both, front door and back door men and women that shouldn't ought to be there and somehow get 'lost'. The craziest things are actually usually the family dynamics and ethnic stereotypes that play out and prove themselves to be more correct than not a lot of times.

Me: Do you think you have had a positive impact on the people you've taken care of?

Him: Definitely. From being able to easily get things out of kids noses to sitting with an old lady while she dies because none of her family has been able to get there in time. I have had to take care of kids who've died and while I may not have had an impact on the child, I try my hardest to take care of the family because they lost that child and even in death they are still a child not just a body.

Me: What would you tell someone wanting to go into EMS?

Him: Here in Phoenix I would tell them to go somewhere else where EMS is more respected. Unless you are a firefighter whose shirt says 'city of...' you are looked down upon by many. In general, having come from an EMS system where I knew the people I was taking care of the most rewarding part of that was the fact I knew that I could help the people who called for help but also the people who called knew me and trusted me to help them.

Me: What would you tell people coming into the Emergency Department?

Him: The ER is not like the deli. You do not get seen based on who gets there first. Don't feel bad or get pissed because you have to wait to be seen by a Dr. Instead feel sorry for the people who are rushed ahead of you. The fact they are going first means they are potentially much closer to death than you are.

And there you have it! More information than you probably wanted to know!

My Happy List

I've never participated in Mamarazzi's My Happy List before but I'm feeling Happy these days so thought it would be fun!



I'm Happy about my new blog design thanks to the awesomeness that is Rockin' Mama. She rocks my socks ;)

I'm Happy that the living arrangement with my parents having moved in with us is going a lot better than I anticipated it would. I think it's been a lot less stressful than I thought it would be because we have all taken the time to communicate any reservations or concerns we've had as well as just trying to be respectful of each other and our space.

I'm Happy that the weather hasn't been nearly as hot as it could be for this time of year. I can handle 105° way better than 110 and above!! lol

It makes me Happy that my daughter loves school and has had good teachers every year. It's still early this year but so far so good with MrsW.

It makes me Happy that my daughter has found sports she loves to participate in. Hannah loves cheer and tumbling and I'm happy about that. I know that she might not want to continue doing it for all of her school career and that's ok, but for right now she's excited to go to every practice and competition and says she wants to cheer professionally when she grows up.

I'm HAPPY that school is back in session and mama gets a break everyday for at least 2 hours! lol

My Life Directive

Guys, I want to tell you about a really important organization that a very good friend of mine founded after experiencing something no one should ever have to experience. I have known Dorothy since I was about 14 or 15, our families met through a church we went to in Sacramento. We have experienced many things together including the birth of 2 of her two younger sons, divorce, moving long distances from each other, death of loved ones and everything in between.

I'll let my friend, Dorothy, the executive director and founder tell you a bit about why she felt this type of organization is needed:

MyLifeDirective.com was founded in memory of my dear father, Richard Rodriguez, who died in a hospital after being admitted in a confused state. The hospital misplaced his wallet and could not determine his identity or contact family members. He spent his last days alone and died before our family was ever notified. It is a loss I will feel for the rest of my life. I started MyLifeDirective.com in hopes of preventing this from happening to you or someone you love.

Approximately 6 weeks ago we launched our website www.MyLifeDirective.org a non-profit organization . I actually was forced to launch it early because a woman by the name of Charlzetta Drivers released an article in the examiner which sent alot of people looking for the site that was not complete yet. Since then we have been featured on KCRA channel 3 in Sacramento California, and on KFBK news talk radio out of Sacramento. Just recently The Oregonian released an article about us.

What exactly is My Life Directive you may be asking, well let me tell you! MyLifeDirective.com is an online registry service that provides medical, personal and contact information to healthcare organizations worldwide. The information you provide to MyLifeDirective.com will enable a medical facility to notify you or a loved one in an emergency. All information is confidential and available only to the healthcare professionals who need it. Instantly.

My Life Directive is not just for the dying. It is for everyone. The elementary, middle , high school and college student. Foster children, the Homeless. The traveling business man. They stay at home mother etc. Absolutely everywhere. Regardless of where you live My Life Directive is available anywhere there is internet. In the event of a crisis you can be reconnected to your family as quick as it takes to load a web page and make a phone call. There are no laws to enforce that people caring for you MUST let your you or your family know that you or someone you love is dying. We cannot assume that others will make those provisions for us. My Life Directive is a free non-profit that operates off of donations. Visit our site at www.mylifedirective.org and sign up today.

I'm including my contact information as well as the web address, if you or anyone you know could pass along this valuable organizations information to those in power at local hospitals, local hospice organizations or any other local authorities to help us spread the word of My Life Directive in your areas it would be amazing and I thank you!

1 (360) 721-5057
Email dorothy@mylifedirective.org
Website http://www.MyLifeDirective.org

My Baby's First Concert

Oh. Em. Gee. You guys! So last month I had the opportunity to take my daughter to her very first concert. I was lucky enough to be invited to attend a Demi Lovato concert with Hot Chelle Rae opening for Demi. We were also invited to a backstage pre-show party with Demi! How's that for a first concert experience ever?! I know, nothing I ever try to do will top this first experience, but I'm ok with that!

Let's start at the beginning, shall we? Back in June I was presented with an opportunity to take my daughter to a backstage party with Demi Lovato hosted by Hallmark.  Leading up to the show, Hannah was so excited she couldn't sit still.  We had to pick Daddy up at work before we headed to the concert so we were of course listening to Demi and HCR on my iPhone while waiting for him.  Girlfriend was gettin' down with her bad self ;)

Once we dropped Sean off at home and changed our clothes we headed out for our girls night downtown, baby!  We were both pretty excited to experience something so cool together.

So you are probably wondering how we managed to score this awesome opportunity, well let me tell you about it!   Hallmark has this awesome new product called Textbands and have teamed up with Demi Lovato to get the word out about them.  Textbands are pretty cool, you wear them on your wrist and can type a message into them and by bumping fists or giving your friend a high-five the message you typed on your Textband magically appears on their Textband! 

So, when we got to the Comerica Theatre in downtown Phoenix we went to will call to pick up our tickets and passes.  As soon as they were in hand, a Hallmark rep greeted us to show us where to go.  There was no chance of getting lost trying to find the party because there were Hallmark reps positioned all along the way directing us.  Major bonus points to Hallmark for this!  Once we checked into the party we got our Textbands and were given instructions on how to work them.  We met up with a few of our friends, other Arizona Bloggers Sara from Clever Pink Pirate, Wendy from Choosing Love AZ, Kara from AZ Thrifty Mom and Becca from Our Crazy Boys.  We were all directed to the backstage area where Hallmark had put on quite a spread and being the awesome blogger I am, I completely spaced on taking pics of the spread.  Yep, I know.  #bloggerfail.

Anyway, there were bean bags all over the floor for everyone to sit on and of course the food and drinks to enjoy before the show.  After a little bit, the people from Hallmark had us all line up to meet and get a photo with Demi and once we had all done that we took a seat again.

A little bit later, Demi came out with a guitarist and played a few songs for us.  It was super cool!

Once the backstage party was over, we all made our way down to our totally AWESOME seats.  Hannah and I were in the 15th row, really close to the stage.

Hannah had seen all these teenagers taking crazy face pictures and of course had to be like the big girls, so she wanted me to take a pic of her like this...

Once the show started, Hot Chelle Rae came on and put on a really fun show.  I knew their songs from hearing them on the radio, but I have to say I am a big fan now having seen them live.  Really engaging and a lot of fun to watch perform.  Hannah sang along with me and everyone else in the crowd and she cheered and screamed and seemed to get the hang of what it means to be at a concert pretty quick.

Now, I wish I had some cool photos of Demi actually performing, but every single picture I took while she was on stage was crap.  The lights were so bright on her you can't even see her, like at all in the pics.  You just see these insane lights shining on the stage.  lol.  Another #bloggerfail.  Even without the great pictures of Demi performing I can tell you, she was awesome.  She had great energy and really connected with the crowd by talking about her struggles with self-harm and eating disorders and just letting her fans know they are not alone and to reach out for help before its too late.  Yes, this mama teared up.  And I cannot hear Skyscraper without almost bawling.Every.single.time.

After the show was over, Hannah and I made our way home and spent the next 2 days trying to get our hearing back to normal and of course telling all of our friends about what an awesome time we had and about the Hallmark TextBands! 

Now, how about a giveaway!  Hallmark is giving 2 of my lucky readers their own set of Textbands! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway