Memories of Grandma

Before writing this I need to just say that my grandma has not passed, that is not what has inspired me. Sometimes I feel like she has but she has not.

You see, my grandpa passed away about 14 years ago now. My grandma was remarried a few years later. I don’t blame her for getting remarried, not at all. In fact, I was very happy for her. The man seemed nice enough and she was happy. I loved seeing her happy again after going through such a rough patch after my grandpa passed.

Then things changed. My grandma and her new husband moved to North Carolina, I reside in Michigan. This makes things difficult. They moved November 4th, 2008. Natalie was born October 31st, 2008. My grandma got to see Natalie twice before moving away, she has seen her twice since one of those times being yesterday. She isn’t the same grandma I knew as a child and I wish Natalie knew her the way I did.

When I was young we would have sleep over’s and our grandparents every other weekend. We would just hang out and play and watch movies together. Grandma would let my sister and I do her hair. We would brush it and she would let us put pony tails in. Of course she never left the house this way but we thought it was so fun that she let us do what we wanted with her hair.

My Grandpa had a motorcycle and he would take us on rides all the time. It was only around the block and then it was my sister’s turn but those were some of the best days of my childhood; just me and grandpa with the wind in my face and my hair whipping all around. I could pretend then. I could pretend that there were no worries in the world and nothing else mattered. Even if the trips lasted mere minutes they were great.

Grandma would always make home cooked meals; which we didn’t always get at home because life was busy with two working parents. I remember grandma used to make the best goulash, I can’t tell you how she did it but nothing compared. After dinner there would always be a sweet treat waiting for us.

It was really amazing and I feel so blessed to have a grandma that used to be like that. She has really changed. It’s so hard to see her and not have her the way she used to be. She is cold, she still cares but you don’t see it or feel it like you used to. I know I have grown up and things change but I want her to be there with Natalie. I want Natalie to taste grandma’s goulash and brush grandma’s hair the way I did. That will never happen so I just have to cherish the memories because things will never be the same.

Winner winner!

The winner for the giveaway from Connie's shop is...

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 7 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

ColleenMarie82 said... 7

I entered the Zak! Design giveaway

inman@mobap.edu

And the winner of the Zak! Designs Giveaway is...

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 23 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

DeniseSanborn said... 23

follow Zak Designs on twitter
May 31, 2010 6:21 PM

Congratulations ladies!! I will be contacting you and you have 48 hours to respond or I will have to pick a new winner.

Business

I have really really missed my blog lately! I feel like I have been so busy I barely sit or have any time for myself. Mostly it's my own doing but Natalie has been keeping me really busy too.

I am in the process of becoming an Independent Consultant for Arbonne! I am so excited for the opportunities that this is bringing for myself and my family. I cannot wait to get to know more people in my community. I found a company that I can relate with. I looked into their products by only trying a 5 day sample packet and I fell in love. I cannot even begin to tell you in words how excited I am for these products and sharing them with others!

Arbonne means "good things from the earth". To me that tells you that the products are from the earth, botanically based. Arbonne products are formulated in Switzerland but made right here in the USA. Europe has stricter standards on health products and botanicals and more restrictions on their ingredients. There are over 500 chemicals banned in Europe that are still used in U.S products.

Arbonne's Motto is Pure, Safe and Beneficial. Now why would I use a product if it wasn't Pure, Safe and Beneficial? I'm not sure but I have been using them for years because I didn't know any better! I didn't know that mineral oil (which is found in 90% of U.S products) was the number TWO leading cause for aging, second to only the sun! So all these products I have been buying to take care of my skin have really been making them worse. Arbonne products contain NO mineral oil. Mineral Oil creates a barrier on your skin (like wrapping it with saran wrap) which will not let good things in or bad things out, that doesn't make much sense.

Arbonne products do not contain any dyes or fragrances which are the top 2 skin irritants; instead we use essentials oils.

I joined Arbonne because of what it can do for my family. I can have a full time income by doing 8 parties a month. I am not required to do a certain number of parties but I am setting a goal for myself to do 8 parties a month, it's only abotu 10 hours a week. That way, I can help save for vacations, pay off debt and start a college savings for Natalie.

I am just extremely excited about sharing Arbonne with everyone! Watch my blog for upcoming sales and specials! Who doesn't love a good sale?
I hope to be around more, I just need to learn to make time for myself!

You can find the products and company website here http://arbonne.com/. I will be setting up my own website in the near future.

Kinderglo Winners!

Here are the winners for my Kinderglo giveaway! I hope you all enjoy these as much as Natalie and I have!

Here are your random numbers:

57 60 135

Timestamp: 2010-06-04 00:23:41 UTC

edmontonjb said... 57

My favortie is the quarter moon and I'd give it to my son

dftrew(at)gmail(dot)com
May 23, 2010 4:47 PM

Chany said... 135

Tweet!
http://twitter.com/chany10/status/15063301936
May 30, 2010 4:41 PM

and I'm going to redraw for 1 of them because it was edmontonjb again,
True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 157 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

fancygrlnancy said... 157

tweet
http://twitter.com/fancygrlnancy/status/15191801243
bwneyes100 AT hotmail DOT com


I will contact you and you have 48 hours to respond or I will have to draw a new winner.

Thanks for entering!

I love this part!

I love getting to pick winner's and hopefully make someone's day better! =)

So a little late but better late than never right?
My winners are....

Winner of the Reisenthel giveaway is
True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 13 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

shanjol23 said... 13

I love the carrybag in rasterdots mocha. Not sure if Charlie would carry it around but I don't mind doing the shopping with a cute basket like that!
shanjol23 at hotmail dot com
May 11, 2010 4:02 PM
Congratulations Shannon!!!

And the winner of the Seventh Generation Giveaway is....

True Random Number Generator Min: Max: Result: 11 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

DeniseSanborn said... 11

ok signed up for the seventh generation nation.. got my math problem right..lol
May 11, 2010 3:16 PM
Congrats Denise!!

I will contact both of you and you have 48 hours to respond to my email before I have to choose another winner.

Craftyear641 on Etsy Review and Giveaway- closed

I love shopping on Etsy. I love hand made gifts and products. I feel like they have so much more meaning because someone lovingly crafted it. I came across Connie’s Shop on Etsy and the books she makes are so cute! Natalie loves books. She will sit and read by herself all the time. The one thing I don’t like about books is that they wear and tear pretty fast with a toddler. When Natalie was an infant she would always chew on the board books, I’m not sure why but now they all have teeth marks in them.

I also think that books make great toys for in the car, but I was always too scared to give her a traditional book because I was nervous that she would poke her eye out. Connie makes soft books that are all fabric. They don’t have any sharp edges and if Natalie chews on them they won’t get teeth marks in them. These books are such a great idea!

We were sent a Pooh book to review; this was perfect because Natalie loves Pooh. Right away she opened up the book and was pointing at the different characters. She could easily turn the pages where with traditional books she has to ask for help a lot. Connie’s books are very well made and can stand up to a toddler.

Connie also makesbibs for toddlers. I have talked before about how I hate messes and toddlers make them all the time! Connie’s bibs are big enough to fit and actually cover a toddler. The rest of the bibs I have are too small and her clothes end up getting dirty anyways. I really like that they are soft fabric and not vinyl. Honestly my husband doesn’t like using the ones that feel like plastic.

Wouldn’t you love to get one of these cute books for your child?

You can visit Connie’s Shop
on Etsy, she also has free shipping if you buy 2 books! That’s a great deal!

Or

Connie has kindly offered one of my readers and bib and book for their child.

Mandatory Entry: Visit Connie’s Shop and pick the item you would like to have the most.

Extras:
Follow my blog via GFC. (1 entry)
Follow me on Twitter. (1 entry)
Tweet about this giveaway, include @Kaylynbuckner, #giveaway and link back here. (1 entry per hour).
Heart Connie’s Shop on Esty. (2 entries)
Add any item from Connie’s Shop to your favorite items on Etsy. (1 entry per item)
Enter any of my other giveaways. (1 entry per giveaway)

*I was provided a book and bib to review by Connie, however all opinions expressed here are my own. Giveaway will end on 6/9/10 at 9 PM EST.

Zak! Designs Review and Giveaway- Closed

Natalie is getting to that picky toddler stage. She will not eat any veggies, not one. The only way I can get her to eat veggies is sneaking it in purees. Yes my 18 month old still eats purees, yes everyone stares at me when we are out and she is eating them. Spoon-feeding her the purees worked for a while until she became Miss Independent. She wanted to feed herself everything. I hated messes but soon learned it’s unavoidable. The only utensils I had in the house for her were the ones I was using to feed her. They aren’t exactly baby err toddler friendly. I came across Zak! Designs and loved them! The designs are enticing for little eaters and the utensils are shaped perfectly to fit in their little hands.

When we received our products I washed them right away so Natalie could use them for lunch. She had so much fun feeding herself. She got it everywhere but she ate more than she would let me feed her if I were trying! I love how the spoon and fork have little faces on them; Natalie loved that too. They are shaped to fit a toddler hand; they have little indents on the back for where their fingers should go.

One of my favorite products is the nibble tray Nibble Tray. Natalie eats all day long so this is perfect for her. I just cut up fruits or if we are attempting veggies and fill the tray. She loves this because she feels like she is deciding what she eats. She also loves dipping her food and it has it’s own dip tray that you can chill!

Here is a little bit more about the company in their words:
Since 1976, Zak Designs has been committed to making mealtime fun for people around the world. Whether it's through dinnerware and on-the-go products that feature children's favorite characters or tableware and kitchen prep products that represent the latest global fashion statements, Zak gives people the mealtime products that fit their appetites.

They also have a new interactive feature on their site that I really like called Meal Time Fun. You can exchange recipes that you use to get your toddler to eat healthier.

Zak! Products definitely made my must have list. They have made mealtime so much easier with Natalie.

You can try some of your own by going to Zak! Designs Website and finding a location to purchase.
Or
You can win a Nibble Tray and Smoothie Sipper right here for your child!

Mandatory Entry:
Visit Zak! Designs
 and pick your favorite product.

Extra Entries:
Follow my blog via GFC. (1 entry)
Follow me on twitter (@Kaylynbuckner). (1 entry)
Follow Zak! Designs on twitter. (1 entry)
Tweet about this giveaway, include @Kaylynbuckner, @Zak_Designs, and link back here. (1 tweet per hour)

Like Zak! Designs on Facebook. (1 entry)
Enter any of my other giveaways. (1 entry per giveaway)

*I was provided products to review by Zak! Designs but I was not compensated for my review, all opinions expressed here are my own. Giveaway will end on 6/8/10 at 9 PM EST.