Did you know?
* According to a study by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, nearly 9 out of 10 female motorists are involved in their household’s vehicle maintenance and repair
* According to a national survey that polled 522 women, 46 percent incorrectly assumed simply switching from conventional engine oil to synthetic oil enables the number of miles between oil changes to be safely extended
* Using a quality motor oil in the right grade can help maximize fuel economy, and help save money by preventing costly engine damage
*Off-brand, no-name or discount oils …

Thanksgiving dinner is one of my favorite meals of the year. I love to cook it, and I love eating it even more. And strangely, I seem to enjoy day two of Thanksgiving food even more than the first (could it possibly have something to do with the fact that I haven’t spent the entire day cooking on Friday? Hmmm…..). Friday’s Thanksgiving leftovers are fabulous, and Saturday’s leftovers are decent, too…..but by Sunday I have definitely had enough of turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes.
I have a problem, though. I always …

As Angie and Amy from I Heart Faces put it so cleverly…
“After all these weeks of entering face photos, we are going to take a break from them and focus on something completely different instead. How about some butt photos?”
This may not be an award winning photo, but it makes me smile none the less. AJ was showing me the “Red Popsicle Dance” this last summer, and threw in some pretty groovy moves, including this one:
I think it has everything to do with the cowboy boots. I mean, who can …

Officially the Christmas season, that is!
Mama M from My Little Life has 5 Christmas-themed questions for us today. How would you answer these questions?
1. Do you do a real or fake Christmas tree?
Not only do we buy a real tree every year, but it can’t be just any tree. It must be a douglas fir. No, it’s not me that has strong feelings about this….it’s CandyMan, and I happily roll along with it each year. I love the smell of a fresh tree in the house. I hate the mess …

Ring Around the Rosie
Pocket full of posie
Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!
A penny in the ocean, A penny in the sea…..

UP! Jumps the little fish,
And UP jumps ME!

Yes, I do know the story behind the old children’s song. Regardless of it’s origins, you can’t deny that it’s fun. While on a photo shoot last weekend, we were trying to distract the kids for a few minutes and get them all in a happier mood. Ring around the rosie came in very handy…and these shots ended up being some of my …

This video makes me smile.

I am thankful for so many things. But mostly I am thankful for a strong family, good friends, and faith in God. Those are the things that last. Those are the things that can’t be taken away by tough times.
Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your day.

Last night, I came up to my bedroom to head to bed and found CandyMan at my computer, watching silly old videos of the kids when they were small. What memories these videos brought back! And how much my kids have changed.
In this short clip, KitKat was 7, Necco was 4 1/2 (the same age that AJ is right now), and Twizzler was 3. Twizzler had just started speaking….he was a little slow to say words. And it cracks me up that he is a full phrase behind the girls …

I have spent much of the last few months feeling stressed. I got to the point last month where I felt like I had been dished all I could take. I was done with the stress and anxiety.
As I’m sure most of you would agree, it’s tough to see blessings through the cloud of stress. I have had to mentally force myself to concentrate on the good things these last few weeks. And it really has made a difference.
This year, we (or should I say I?) made the decision to …

When the box containing my new Cuisinart’s Rice-Plus™ Multi-Cooker arrived at our house, we were in the middle of dinner. The kids, as to be expected, immediately left their seats to come see what was inside the enormous package. I assured them that they would not be as excited about what was in the box as I was. CandyMan was then intrigued. “What IS in the box?” I told him about the free Rice Multi-cooker that Cuisinart sent me just to try a new recipe. His response? “We already have …

Mama M had some great questions yesterday for her Five Question Friday to ring in the holiday spirit. I know it’s Saturday already and I know I’ve already posted today….but I couldn’t help but join in.
1. Are you a Black Friday shopper?
Not at all. I think I have gone out once on Black Friday to get buy-one-get-one free boxes of legos at Toys-R-Us. Otherwise, I prefer to avoid the crowded shopping days.
2. What was your favorite childhood toy?
I was a Barbie girl all the way. I had quite the collection, …