Let's Talk...And Essential Oil Giveaway Winner!

Happy Monday Ladies!

 

Leap year...means I have to wait an extra day for my birthday...lol! 

 

Today I am linking up with Andrea and Erika for their monthly "Let's Talk" link up.  You should link up too!

 

 

 

 

Today we are talking about the guys in our life, and I am pretty lucky because I have some of the greatest guys ever in my life!

 

No secret that this guy is hands down my favorite of all time!  Most days I feel like I hit the husband jackpot!  I know I talk a lot about Mark and what a great guy he is.  And girls, I am not just saying it, it really is true...he is pretty much the best! 

 

Every single day I wake up and thank God for bringing Mark into my life.  I am so blessed and don't ever take this man for granted.  After my divorce, I had pretty much decided I would probably be alone and just raise my kids, and honestly I was kind of OK with that.  My ex-husband is a really good guy, and he made it so that even in divorce, I was still able to focus on my kids, and not much really changed in our lives.  Being single in your mid 30's is scary, being a 35 year old single mom to 5 is even scarier!  Never in a million years did I ever think I would be able to meet someone who would be cool with the fact that I had 5 kids!  Well...enter Mark...I remember on the very first night we met, telling him about my 5 kids and it didn't even phase him...I knew right there he was the "one".  He came into our lives and he fit so perfectly.  The kids adored him from the start, it was love at first sight for them as well.  He is such a good dad to my kids, and never once did he ever try and take the place of Kenny, he just loved them as much as if they were his own.  He has always been so respectful of Kenny and who he is, and because he loves the kids and me so much, he made it a point to really get to know Kenny and get along with him.  Most of you know that when Kenny comes to visit, he stays at our house, and we spend a lot of time together...I mean how great that Mark welcomes my ex-husband into his home, sits out back, has a beer with him, sits and listens to stories of the old days, and never ever gets angry or annoyed.  Really, I am telling you this man is amazing.   I truly believe it takes a very special person so come in and love and raise another man's children, and Mark is that special someone.  My kids are so darn lucky to have two dads who love them...we don't ever use the term "step dad" here...they just have two dads..if you ask them, that's what they will tell you!

 

Aside from being an awesome dad, he is an even better husband.  He works so hard, and gives so much to me.  He asks for nothing in return.  He takes care of me, is my biggest supporter, and when I am having the shittiest of days, he knows just what to say to put a smile on my face.  I am so thankful that I get to do life with him by my side.  To be able to find such a true, wonderful love after divorce and lots of heartache has been the absolute greatest gift of my life. 

 

I really cannot even put into words how much I love this man!

 

 

My kids are so lucky to have him...the best dad ever!

 

Olivia was just shy of turning 2 when Mark came into our lives, and the amount of love between these two is just incredible...their bond is fierce and they just adore each other....

 

She is a daddy's girl for sure...and she has him wrapped right around her finger.  M heart could truly explode when I see these two together!

 

In addition to my awesome hubby, I am also pretty fortunate to have 3 other pretty awesome guys in my life.....

 

My 3 sons!

 

Harrison, AJ & Jack.....pretty awesome guys and the absolute best sons a mother could ever ask for!

 

 

On Thursday my friend Elaine took over my blog and told us all about Essential Oils, and she was doing a little giveaway for 3 oils....

 

Everybody that commented, their name went into this little container and Mark picked the winner...

 

The winner is :

LAUREN MCGREEVY

Congratulations Lauren...email me at kimmskorner@gmail.com with your address and Elaine will get your 3 FREE oils out to you!

 

 

Thanks for stopping by today!  Be sure to check back here tomorrow...a special guy is turning 14!!!

 

Have a great Monday...make it awesome!

 



Friday Favorites

Happy Friday Girls!

 

Today I am linking up with Andrea , Erika and Narci and sharing my Friday Favorites.  Be sure to grab the graphic and link up too!

 

ONE

I have been wanting these sneakers for about a year now, and they have been on backorder for what seems like forever...well last week they became available and I didn't hesitate in placing my order!  I really just love them!  They are the perfect little sneaker to wear with shorts or jeans..they are so darn cute!  I have another pair of NB that I got in my normal size 8, but I sized down a half size with these and I am glad I did!  Girls, if you have been wanting these sneakers, go place your order ASAP!!!

 

 

TWO

A favorite for sure was getting to experience the Daytona 500 with my hubby!  A favorite favorite!!!

 

 

THREE

Olivia loves texting me from her ipad, and this text she sent me was no doubt a favorite!  She is too much...and I am so glad she loves me so much better than the others:) 

 

 

FOUR

Giveaways and moms owning their own businesses are definitely favorites for me!  Be sure you check out yesterday's post, you can find it here and enter to win 3 FREE Essential Oils!

FIVE

This candle is my absolute favorite!  It is the perfect scent to burn daily!  Our house smells so good and it burns evenly, which I love!  If you need a candle, check it out, bet it will be your favorite too!

So there are my favorites for the week!  Not sure what we are up to this weekend!  Mark has to work Saturday, but the weather looks to be cooler and sunny...so I am thinking lots of outdoor time!  Hope you guys have a great weekend and be sure to check back Monday, I will be linking up with Erika and Andrea for their Let's Talk Link Up...make sure you guys link up too!

 



Essential Oils And A Giveaway!

Happy Thursday Ladies! 

 

 Today my friend Elaine is taking over my blog telling you guys all about Essential Oils!  And make sure you guys leave a comment, she will be doing a giveaway and we will be announcing the winner on Monday!

 

Hey everyone!!  I'm Elaine and I blog over at The Welte Family Blog, formerly Honey Pie Accessories:)  I'm a mom of three girls and I've been married for 10 years!  My husband is a college football video coordinator and we have moved A LOT!  For ow, we are settled in Tulsa cheering on the Golden Hurricane!  I also work as a speech pathologist and I stay busy with my daughter's and their activities!  A big thanks to Kimm for letting me take over her blog this morning!

 

 

This past summer I began using Essential Oils, and every day I'm amazed at the benefits my family has seen since learning to incorporate these into our life!

 

I had been hearing about how my friends and their families were benefitting and since I've always been a bit on the crunchy side, I knew that I needed to start using oils!  Now, here's the thing, making a lifestyle change is crazy intimidating this was not any different.  Once I received my Premium Starter Kit from Young Living, I was super intimidated!  I started to read more and really dive in!

 

Essential Oils are basically the lifeblood of a plant.  When distilled properly there are amazing therapeutic benefits!  Young Living offers 100% therapeutic grade oils with their Seed to Seal Promise, meaning, they oversee everything from owning their own farms, the planting of the seeds, harvesting, and the distillation process.  Because these oils are therapeutic grade they can be diffused, applied topically, and when done so safely, ingested.

 

Since there is so much to learn (and I'm still learning) I decided to start out by making one little change at a time!  Instead of feeling intimidated by the process, I just took baby steps!  So, I started out by diffusing our oils.  Thieves helps to boost our immune system and since my girls had pretty much been sick all of the time (I had used all of my sick days before the end of the school year last year!) that was where I started!  I slowly began to diffuse more, and mi oily combinations!  peppermint and Lemon are great for boosting energy and helping me get up and go in the mornings!  When the girls started to have runny noses, I'd apply a drop of RC to the tip of their nose.  If I had some head tension (because hello three girls in the house and a husband who is gone A LOT) I'd apply some peppermint to my temples for instant relief!

 

Once I felt more comfortable with diffusing, I looked at the "green" changes we had already made.  I had been making my cleaning solutions for years, and once I heard about cleaning with Essential Oils and Young Living's Thieves cleaner, I knew this would be an easy switch to make.

 

The cleaner is super concentrated, so you mix 1 or 2 capfuls in a spray bottle, add water, and you're good to go!  I use the Thieves cleaner as an all-purpose cleaner, for my toilets, my showers, and I still have the same bottle I bought in August because you use so little each time!

 

I then dove into changing out my laundry!  I only used two things in my laundry room anyway, so how hard is it to swap those two things?  We said goodbye to dryer sheets and began using wool dryer balls with Essential Oils in the dryer!  Purification and Lavender leave your clothes smelling so good!  I later switched out my laundry detergents too!

 

I've taken up to blogging about these little lifestyle changes on my blog.  You can find the post here , search HPA Goes Oily.   You can also find me on Instagram @ewelte_hpa or search for #hpagoesoily and you can read more about the changes that we're making!

 

Now, for the super fun part!  I'm giving away THREE free Essential Oils to one of Kimm's readers!  All you have to do is comment on Kimm's post!  For an extra entry, head over to my Blog and leave a comment there!  I'll have Kimm announce the winner next week on her blog!

 

And, for even more fun, I have to tell you that Young Living is having a huge sale on their Premium Starter Kits!  They're all 10% off for the month of February!  With your kit purchase, you become a wholesale member (thinks Sam's Club or Costco) and then you receive 24% off ALL future purchases!  They also have a monthly subscription box that you can take advantage of, but you don't ever have to make another purchase if it turns out oils aren't your jam (but I bet they will be)!

 

And I'm giving $10.00 cash back to anyone that purchases through me this month!!  Again, just leave a comment with your email or shoot me an email (elainewelte@gmail.com) and I'll send you full sign up instructions!  How crazy is that!?!

 

Thanks again Kimm for letting me take over your little Korner today!!

 

Thank you so much Elaine for giving us all this great information!  And girls be sure to leave a comment and hopefully 3 FREE oils will be coming your way!

 

Have a great day and see you all back here tomorrow for Friday Favorites!

 









 



What's Up Wedensday

Happy Wednesday!

 

Today I am linking up with some great bloggers for What's Up Wednesday!  Make sure you guys link up too!

 

WHAT WE'RE EATING

I have been off my game lately when it comes to cooking!  This weekend one of my projects is to sit down and get back into my meal planning.  I find my days are just so much smoother when I am not frantically deciding what's for dinner at 4:30pm!

 

 

WHAT I'M REMINISCING ABOUT

March is a big birthday month over here, and I am definitely thinking back to when Jack and Olivia were born.  Time sure does fly by, and frankly I hate it!

 

 

WHAT I'M LOVING

I got these sneakers delivered on Monday, and I am seriously LOVING them!  They are just amazing!

 

 

WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO

We were at the Daytona 500 this past weekend, and well it was a ton of fun, other than that we haven't been up to really anything!

 

 

WHAT I'M DREADING

Currently, I am not dreading anything...it's so nice!

 

 

WHAT I'M WORKING ON

We are looking to give the boys room a little makeover...new bedding, some new décor for the walls, curtains, so I have been looking around for some ideas for their room!

 

 

WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT

The kids have Spring Break next month and I am sure excited to have them home with me!

 

 

WHAT I'M WATCHING/READING

We are halfway through this series and we are HOOKED! 

 

 

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO

Right at this moment I am currently listening to Paw Patrol on the TV...and the extremely sad part is my kids are at school!  Ha!

 

 

WHAT I'M WEARING

What I'm wearing is also currently what I am loving...my new sneakers!

 

 

WHAT I'M DOING THIS WEEKEND

Mark has to work Saturday, so the kids and I will head to the park with the dog and play for a bit.  Other than that, I am not sure what we will be doing!

 

 

WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH

Next month we celebrate Jack turning 14, Olivia turning 8 and I will be turning 42...YIKES!

 

 

WHAT ELSE IS NEW

Not too much else is new over here...same old thing!  And I am certainly not complaining about that!

 

 

FAVORITE EASTER TRADITION

Easter isn't a huge holiday for us.  We will got to church, probably go to lunch and have a little Easter egg hunt for the littles.  We do always color eggs the night before, and the kids always look so forward to that!

 

Thanks for stopping by today!  Be sure to check back here tomorrow!

 

 

 

 

 



Weekend Wrap-Up Daytona Edition

Happy Tuesday Girls!

 

Hope you all had a great weekend and a great start to the week!  We got home Sunday night and I was completely exhausted, so my weekend wrap up is coming to y'all on Tuesday this week!

 

No doubt!

 

I had mentioned we were going to be taking a plane to the Daytona 500, and I was seriously freaking out about it...so you can imagine how happy I was when Mark called me Friday afternoon and said there was some issues with the plane and we couldn't take it!  I was so glad, but quickly started to panic...Mark said we would leave Saturday now instead...do you know how hard it is, and how expensive it is to get a room that short notice, the weekend of the Daytona 500!!!  Well, we figured it out and made it happen! 

 

We spent the bulk of the day Saturday with the kiddos, I ran for a quick mani/pedi and Mark took the boys out on some errands and had lunch with the boys, Brooke and Olivia.  We left around 5:30 Saturday night and headed to Daytona!

 

A few road trip essentials...Pepsi in a Styrofoam cup, a Monster and some Twizzlers!

 

 

We got into Daytona around 10 and were starving...this pizza was pretty darn good!

 

We got to our hotel room about 11:00 and went straight to sleep...alarms were set for 6:30!

 

We woke up Sunday morning, showered, checked out of the hotel, made a quick Starbucks stop and headed over to NASCAR credentials to get our passes!

 

Hot passes in hand...we are ready to go!

 

With Mark's job, comes a ton of perks, he knows A LOT of people affiliated with NASCAR, and these guys always take care of us! 

 

One of his clients, for one of the race teams, hooked us up with a parking pass, so we were able to drive our car and park right in the drivers lot...AWESOME!

 

Hello Daytona 500!

 

Driving in the tunnel to get to the driver's lot!

 

 

 

Olivia LOVES texting from her Ipad...I was hysterical reading this message she sent us...love that she said she would be a good girl and not be sassy...and that she loves me so much better than the others:)

 

 

Lots of action and so much fun going on here!

 

First stop was parking the car and having a drink...at 10:30 in the morning! 

 

 

 

It was so much fun being right there, watching all the drivers riding around in golf carts...and seriously Kyle Bush has the cutest little boy ever!

 

I am definitely a huge Jimmie Johnson fan!

 

Martin Truex Jr...he is from New Jersey, so that right there makes him AWESOME!  And if you watched the race, you saw for yourself that he lost by inches..literally inches!!

 

AJ is a huge Carl Edwards fan....and he was one of the nicest guys I have ever met!  He was more than happy to take this pic! 

 

I am a huge Samantha Bush fan..and she was just sweet as could be!

 

Right down with all the action...we LOVE it!

 

This is our friend Hollywood...he always makes sure we have passes and everything we need for race day...we LOVE him!

 

I love this guy so much! 

 

 

 

As big football fans, I have always liked Joe Gibbs, and I had the opportunity to get to meet him and chat with him for a few minutes Sunday before the race started.  My boys were thrilled to have me bring these home for them!  And congrats to Joe Gibb Racing for winning the Daytona 500!

 

The day was truly amazing!  It was such an amazing experience, and I am so glad that I am able to tag along and do this all with Mark.  I know that I tend to brag a lot about my kids and husband, but I am just so proud of him.  I can't even count how many people came up to Mark, saying how much they miss him still being in Charlotte to take care of them, amazed that so many of them now come to Florida for him to take care of them.  I was so proud...many came up to me saying what an great man he is, and how much they appreciate all the hard work he does for them to make sure they are taken care of.  I am truly so thankful for this man  He works so hard, and gives so much to me and the kids, we are so truly blessed to have him in our lives.  He has a work ethic that is so strong, he is so dedicated to his job, his clients, and I am so glad my children can learn from him.  He is a true example that hard work definitely pays off!

 

We got home about 8:30 Sunday night and we were EXHAUSTED!  We ate some pizza with the kids and then everyone went right to bed!  It was a whirlwind, crazy, busy weekend, but it was AWESOME!  I was tired on Monday, so I spent the day cleaning, catching up on laundry and not much else!

 

See you back here tomorrow for What's Up Wednesday!