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Frugal Novice

Halloween Costumes

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It’s October, which in our house means it’s time for a question, to be asked repeatedly throughout the month – “Is it time for costumes and trick-or-treating yet?” J and C actually started talking about Halloween in September, and J was instantly certain of what he wanted to be – Optimus Prime, from Transformers.

Mind you, he’s never seen any Transformers shows or movies… but he knows what they are from playing with friends at school, and from those experiences has decided they’re pretty cool. Admittedly, the fact that the toys are two-in-one is a pretty cool feature – and robots/vehicles are two of the boys’ favorite things to play with, so I guess I can understand the attraction! I have to admit, we tried to steer him toward some other options, but he was ironclad in his decision.

Once he’d decided, I set out to hunt for an Optimus Prime costume. There are a couple of different options to pick from, but we quickly figured out that the deluxe costume had a chest plate and “blaster,” making it infinitely more appealing to 4-year-old boys. When I got the chance to review a costume from Costume Discounters, I was really excited to discover that they had the costume J wanted, along with a ton of other boy’s costume options like Woody, Lightning McQueen (which C ended up deciding to be) and more!

So, check out our own Optimus Prime:

Don’t worry, he’s friendly!

The costume arrived really quickly after ordering it, and it seems like it’ll hold up well to the wear and tear of a little boy. It came with the bodysuit, a chest plate, a mask and an arm blaster.

I mentioned that C ended up deciding to be Lightning McQueen – I haven’t taken any photos of him yet, but here’s the costume we picked for him.

What are your kids going to be for Halloween this year?

Note: We received this Optimus Prime costume for review. I was not compensated monetarily for this review. Any opinions provided are honest and are our own.

Dove Chocolate Discoveries Review & Giveaway

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How many of you like chocolate? Or, if you’re like me… how many of you love chocolate? I’m betting a lot of you are raising your hands right now!

When I found out about Dove Chocolate Discoveries, I was immediately intrigued. I think we’ve all heard of party-based businesses before, but bringing chocolate and decadence into the picture is something new – and how FUN does it sound to go to a party that’s all about chocolate?

I got the chance to review the Introductory Business Kit, and before it arrived I didn’t really know what to expect. You can imagine my delight when I opened the box to find a ton of chocolate and chocolate-related goodies:

Products
  • 1½ Pounds of Milk Chocolate
  • 1½ Pounds of Dark Chocolate
  • 4 Chocolate Mousse Packets
  • 1 Chocolate Martini Mix Bottle
  • 6 Chai Tea Packets
  • 1 Blue Heart-Shaped Fondue Set
  • 1 Truffle Fudge Brownie Mix
  • 1 Box Chocolate-Covered Almonds & Cashews

Printed Material

  • 1 Welcome Pack
  • 1 Tasting Party DVD
  • 1 Share the Sweet Life DVD
  • 25 Host Coaching Guides
  • 25 Tasting Party Invitations
  • 25 Fall/Holiday Catalogs
  • 25 Fall/Holiday Entertaining Guides
  • 50 Order Forms

I couldn’t get over how MUCH there was! Not only in products, which of course I was excited to try, but I was also impressed with the amount of printed material Dove sends representatives – there’s so much to help you get started and give you direction.

As a blogger, I’ve worked hard for almost two years to build my site and start earning money from what I do. The Dove Chocolate Discoveries program is another way for people to start their own side business and make extra money. This is Women’s Small Business Month, so it’s a time to especially focus on opportunities for women to branch out and do something extra, whether it’s full-time or on the side. Dove Chocolate Discoveries provides women with the chance to do just that, and have fun (and good chocolate) at the same time!

A while back we had planned a cooking day with some friends, so I decided this was the perfect time to test out some of the products in the kit. Let me just say, the chocolate by itself is SO good. Creamy, full of flavor… high-quality chocolate. We decided to make the mousse for dessert. It was incredibly simple. Just mix heavy cream with the mousse mix:

Melt some chocolate (we used the dark):

And mix it together – voila! We topped ours with fresh whipped cream, and it was amazing:

Our friend Jake even made a drink, complete with a chocolate-rimmed glass:

I’m not a fan of alcoholic drinks, but let me tell you what I did love: the Chai Chocolate Tea. To me it tasted more like a spiced hot chocolate (the ingredients list cinnamon and cardamom) and it was delicious! I will definitely be buying some more of this mix. It just screams Fall to me, and would be great to serve to company.

One lucky reader will win their own Introductory Starter Kit (with no expectation of becoming a Dove Chocolatier, although you’re welcome to do so) with a retail value of over $200! This contest is open to all U.S. residents. This giveaway has a QUICK turnaround – entries will be accepted until the end of the day (midnight Central) Saturday, October 15. If the initial winner does not respond by 5 pm Sunday, October 16, a substitute winner will be drawn.

Mandatory Entry: Visit the Dove Chocolate Discoveries page and comment on this post telling me your favorite Dove Chocolate product.

(Only valid after the required entry has been completed)

Please leave a comment for each extra entry – if you blog about this giveaway and get 2 entries, for example, comment 2 times.

Note: I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of DOVE Chocolate Discoveries and received a Starter Kit to facilitate my review.

Sam’s Club Breast Cancer Support – & A Giveaway!

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and Sam’s Club is making it incredibly easy to help you give to a great cause. Purchase specially-marked General Mills products like Cheerios and Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownies at your local Sam’s Club and help decide how half of that contribution will be donated by voting at PinkTogether.com from now until April 14, 2012.

For 5 years, General Mills has partnered with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation to bring breast cancer support to local communities, and this year they are making their annual donation of $2 million to the foundation to advance breast cancer research and support education and community outreach projects.

General Mills’ donations will be divided between two important Komen programs: the Treatment and Assistance Program, which assists women in securing care they otherwise may not be able to afford, and Prevention Research, which helps unlock the keys to preventing breast cancer. Voting results will be announced on Mother’s Day 2012.

For more information, check out the following links:

To help commemorate Sam’s Pink Promotion, one lucky reader will win a $25 gift card to Sam’s Club – you can use it to buy items that allow you to give back!  This giveaway is open to all U.S. residents. Entries will be accepted until the end of the day (midnight Central) Wednesday, October 26.

Mandatory Entry: Comment on this post answering this question: Which of your favorite General Mills products are you most excited to see featured in the Pink Promotion at Sam’s Club?

(Only valid after the required entry has been completed)

Please leave a comment for each extra entry – if you blog about this giveaway and get 2 entries, for example, comment 2 times.

Disclosure: The information and gift card(s) have been provided by Sam’s Club and General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

Two Winners

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Two giveaways ended this past week – Veeshee and For Two Fitness. Let’s find out who the winners are….

The winner of a $30 product from Veeshee.com is…

And the winner of the For Two Fitness tank top is…

Congrats, ladies!!

Star Wars Cereal Trilogy – Review & Giveaway

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In our house, Star Wars is a favorite. The boys haven’t even watched the movies yet but they know all the characters, thanks to some books and their Dad! If something has C-3PO, R2D2, Yoda, or even Darth “Mater” on it, you better believe the boys will think it’s cool!

We actually saw the Star Wars artwork cereal at WalMart first, and J pointed it out excitedly, saying, “Oh LOOK, this cereal is COOL!” I told him we might just get to have that at our house sometime, knowing that ours was on its way for us to review. Sure enough, a couple of days later we had a box waiting for us on the porch!

At first glance you might think this is just regular cereal:

Which in itself would be exciting to the boys! Lucky Charms & Cinnamon Toast Crunch are a special treat for them anyway… but the coolest part occurs when we turn the boxes around:

We’ll definitely be cutting out the backs of these boxes to keep  – how cool is the design? Of course, as any Star Wars fan would know, this art has been released to commemorate STAR WARS The Complete Saga on Blu-ray, which came out in September. This is the first time that the entire saga has been offered in one package. That, along with the quality that Blu-ray provides, makes this exciting for all fans (great gift idea for the holidays)!

Exclusively at Walmart, look for specially marked boxes of Big G cereals, including Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Lucky Charms. Collect all three to create a Star Wars panoramic poster showcasing your favorite characters, like Darth Vadar, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia and more.

One lucky reader will win a fun prize pack that includes:

  • One box of each of the following cereals to form their own Star Wars panoramic poster:
    • Honey Nut Cheerios
    • Cinnamon Toast Crunch
    • Lucky Charms
  • $25 Walmart gift card

This contest is open to all U.S. residents. Entries will be accepted until the end of the day (midnight Central) Monday, October 24.

Mandatory Entry: Comment on this post telling me what your (or your kids’) favorite Big G Cereal is.

(Only valid after the required entry has been completed)

Please leave a comment for each extra entry – if you blog about this giveaway and get 2 entries, for example, comment 2 times.

Disclosure: The cereal, gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

 

Friendly Friday – October 7

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Welcome to Friendly Friday! Friendly Friday begins at 8pm Central Thursday nights each week. We hope you’ll come back and join us again next week – and remember, the earlier you link up, the higher up on the list you are!

Remember, YOU can host the link list on your blog, too! Just get the InLinkz code and copy it directly into your post. The code is different every week, so be sure to get the new code when hosting Friendly Friday on your blog. Hosting the list is a great way to get even more traffic to your blog and make Friendly Friday more beneficial for everyone.

Thanks for joining the Friendly Friday celebration hosted by Christi at Frugal Novice, Xenia at Thanks, Mail Carrier and Charla at Healthy Home Blog! We invite you to join us every Friday to make more friends in blogville, get more blog followers and follow other great blogs out there.

To join in the Friendly Friday celebration, include your family-friendly link in our list, follow the hostesses in the first 3 spots and then start blog hopping! Visit other blogs on the list and comment to give them some blog love. Then take a minute to follow them through Google Friend Connect – this is a good way to keep up with other blogs, but also lets us show support to each other! Please DO NOT list your giveaways here, links must be to either your homepage or your Friday posting with your blog title. All others will be deleted.

When people comment on your blog and let you know they’re a part of Friendly Friday, return the favor and follow them back. This way everyone gets traffic and followers out of participating, and it’s a win-win situation. We would love for you to also grab our Friendly Friday button and post it on your blog and/or in a post – the more bloggers that find out about Friendly Friday and participate, the better!

Spotlight on Friendly Friday Followers! We love your participation and want to show it! In addition to gaining followers, each week we’ll select one blog at random and will feature links and a write-up for that blog in the content of next week’s Friendly Friday post. There are so many seriously wonderful blogs out there, and this will be a great way to highlight one of those each week. Say hello to the lucky chosen blog & blogger for this week (and feel free to stop by and give her a little extra love):

Taryn @ It’s the Thought that Counts is a creative, artsy stay-at-home mom of four kids which includes twins. She left her accounting job when they had their first baby which left her free to develop her creativity through PictureIt Creations and selling her handmade items on Etsy.  Taryn started blogging to promote her business and others in the handmade community, and she shares about other artists she has discovered.  On top of being a mom, wife, business owner and homemaker, she also attends school at New York Institute of Photography.

Now that you know about this wonderful blog, it’s time for you to join in! Add your family-friendly link below and we’ll see you back here every Friday! And don’t forget, you can get the InLinkz code to share Friendly Friday on your blog!

All three hostesses appreciate followers through GFC and Twitter, and we’ll follow you back – be sure to leave a comment with your URL and/or Twitter username. Hope everyone has a great weekend!



Murals Your Way – Transform Your Space!

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Our boys share a room, and for the longest it’s been a “baby” room. It started off as J’s, and then when C was born we added a toddler bed for J to sleep in. Now that they’re 4 and 2 1/2, a nursery just didn’t fit them anymore, so we knew we needed to make the switch to a big kid room.

When I found out I’d have the opportunity to review a mural from Murals Your Way, I decided to let that be the basis for the room – and also decided that the boys should pick their mural. I thought about doing it myself and picking something modern and clean… but then I remembered that this is their room. Also, how often are they going to get the chance to have something so cool in their room?

I’ve got to admit, I would’ve steered clear of characters if I’d picked the mural, but I pulled up the Disney page for the boys since I knew that’s what they’d really love. They have so many options – Cars, Mickey, Winnie the Pooh, Tangled, Princesses, Fairies… and Toy Story, which is what the boys were drawn to. There were five Toy Story designs to choose from, and they ended up deciding on “Are You Ready to Play?” because it showed the most characters.

The ordering process was easy – I just measured the boys’ wall so the mural could be sized to fit. It arrived quickly, packaged well on a spool within a long box. Our wall is pretty much square, about 92″x92″, and the mural came in two panels.

At first I wondered how the installation process would go – I mean, you hear nightmare stories about wallpaper, right? Well, this is no wallpaper – it was SO easy to apply! Brian and I got the whole mural up in less than an hour while the boys napped in our room.

The mural is made of a material called SmartStick, which has the following features:

  • Lightly textured finish-comparable quality to our vinyl & canvas.
  • Reusable – wrinkle resistant & can be reinstalled many times.
  • Adheres to nearly any surface – just peel & stick.
  • Our removable murals are great for quick change decor.
  • Simple installation – no paste or tools needed.
  • Easy to clean, easy to remove, and tear proof.

It also came with several excess inches of material to allow for irregular walls, making it even easier to get it placed properly.

The directions said to start at the top and work your way down, but we started at the bottom, which worked well too. Whenever we got a little crooked or had a big air bubble, it was really easy to pull the sheet away from the wall and reposition it.

You can see below how the mural looked at the ceiling and at the baseboards:

Brian just used a ruler and an exacto knife to trim off the extra bit.

We are in LOVE with the finished product. It looks so slick, the colors are bright and it hides some imperfections in the wall really well, too. But most importantly… what did the boys think?

They think it is SO cool! J especially loves that he’s almost the same height as Buzz Lightyear:

The murals aren’t cheap – the one we got starts at around $250. But the impact you get in your room along with the ease of installation really makes this worth its cost. The material seems sturdy, too and I know it will last a long time.

I can’t say enough good things about Murals Your Way. The quality and customer service are all top-notch, and we’ve already been brainstorming about ways we’d like to use murals in other rooms. You can even customize a mural to be your own photos or design – how amazing would that be? There are a ton of different ways you could use murals to make your space special.

If you’re looking for an easy decor solution, or want to surprise your child with the room of their dreams, be sure and check out Murals Your Way – the possibilities are endless!

Note: We received a mural to facilitate our review. We were not compensated monetarily.  All opinions provided in this post are honest and are completely our own. We truly love our mural!

Freshology Final Thoughts

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I can hardly believe two months have passed since I first started Freshology! It has truly been a learning experience and I’m SO excited with my overall weight loss -13 pounds in two months is AMAZING!

If you’ve found this post because you’re looking into Freshology, I can honestly tell you that the Gold plan from Freshology gets 5 stars from me. You’re just not going to find anything else like it – gourmet food that is fresh and really easy to stick with because it’s just that good. Yes, it’s a little pricey. But yes, the value in the cost is evident. The quality of ingredients, the creativity of the recipes, the efficiency of the packaging, the speed of delivery and the attentive customer service all add up to an impressive experience.

I liked the Silver plan, but after having eaten the Gold food for a month, I was spoiled and so frozen food just wasn’t as appealing. The recipes and flavoring were great, but there’s just a difference between fresh and frozen. It was a little harder for me to stick to the Silver plan, and when traveling it’s a lot easier to pop one of the fresh meals into a cooler than it is to keep food frozen. One feature I’m really impressed with is the ability to have meals delivered to a different location – obviously not an option for weekend trips, but if you’re going on vacation, for instance, you can have food delivered there instead of your house.

Another plus of Freshology is the variety of meals. When I was on the Gold plan, I never had the same meal twice. I tried foods I’d never had before and expanded my list of foods I like. With some diets, you get tied down to eating the same things over and over, which gets tiresome quickly and can sabotage your progress. Having different foods each day kept things interesting.

I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ll say it again – if you’re looking at Freshology and are thinking about trying it, spend the extra money to do the Gold plan. You’ll be so glad you did! Even if you just do Freshology for one month, it’s a great way to get started on eating the way you should – I’ve learned so much that I’ll take with me and use to improve my health way beyond two months.

I shot a video with some last thoughts about Freshology:

If you have any questions or want my feedback on any aspect of Freshology, leave a comment below or shoot me an email – I’m happy to help! If you want to read some of my other posts about Freshology, click here.

Thanks to everyone who has followed along these two months – I hope you’ll stick around for other great things to come!

How Secure Are You?

With all the scams you hear about nowadays, being secure is more important than ever. Top that off with how much activity takes place online, and it’s easy to see why security tools are so vital.  Whether you’re worried about content security or application security, there is software out there to protect you and your work. To me, if I’m putting so much time and skill into a project, it is crucial that it’s secure. You can even protect business transactions with services like signature validation. I’m amazed daily by the capabilities of technology!

Disclosure: http://cmp.ly/3

Febreze Set & Refresh Review

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I live in a house with two little boys AND two dogs – we definitely get our fair share of funky smells around here! When I heard about the Febreze Set & Refresh I knew I wanted to try it – it sounded like an easy and effective solution for some of those not-so-great odors. Set & Refresh lasts noticeably longer than cones because it slowly releases scented oils for 30 days. It not only freshens, but also actually helps to eliminate odors.

I noticed right off the bat that the design is sleek and small – it’s not going to be something that sticks out like an eyesore, and I love that it’s not something I have to plug in to use, or use batteries for. I wanted to use ours in the bathroom, so setting it out on the counter worked really well.

You can see how the size compares to our toothbrushes in this next photo:

Nice and small, right? Well, this tiny thing sure does pack a punch, especially in a small space like the bathroom. I set this on the counter and pulled the door to, then came back to check on it about 10 minutes later. I couldn’t get over how well the scent had already filled the room. And it’s a good scent – we have the Linen & Sky cartridges, and it’s a nice, slightly sweet but very natural smell. I’ve had some air fresheners in the past that are almost sickly sweet, but this one is great.

Since it is in such a small space, the scent was strong – next I want to try it out in our living room to see how it works in a larger space. I am sure it’d be more subtle, which is perfect for a space we spend so much time in.

I would definitely recommend the Febreze Set & Refresh for anyone looking to freshen up their home. It’s easy, effective and even attractive. With it lasting up to 30 days and not requiring batteries, it’s also an inexpensive option. Find out more about the Febreze Set & Refresh here.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Febreze and received a Set & Refresh unit plus refills to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Keeping Active

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I’ve mentioned before about walking twice a week with a friend from work. Well, Tuesday rolled around and she was sick, so we had to cancel. I meant to do some exercise to make up for it, but hadn’t gotten around to it until yesterday when I walked with another friend. Lesson learned? Make exercise a priority. It will never be more important than time with my family, of course, but I can find time for it if it is truly important enough to me.

So, my friend and I walked three miles yesterday and then this morning my regular walking partner and I did another 1.5 miles. And despite being tired from not enough sleep, I feel great. More than that, I know being active will have a long lasting impact on my overall health. Sure, relaxing on the couch is appealing, but getting in quality family time with a walk or bike ride around the park can be just as enjoyable.

I’ve just got a few meals left to chronicle for Freshology – this week has been insane with an office move and several freelance deadlines looming, so I’m combining two days’ worth of meals into this post. I’ve started getting some duplicates, so I feel a little redundant writing too much about ones I’ve already written about before, but you can at least see what I’ve had.

Breakfasts:

Banana Pecan Muffin With Vanilla Cream (370 calories)

YUM. That is all I need to say about this breakfast!
Blueberry Waffles With Roasted Apples (320 calories)

The waffles were really good – instead of microwaving them I  just popped them in the toaster which gave them a nice crunchiness.

Lunches:

Asian Beef Bowl with Sweet Soy Glaze (320 calories)

This was really good! The flavors were nice and slightly sweet, and the texture of the beef was perfect. I would eat this on a regular basis, for sure. If I had it again I’d probably throw the whole thing in a skillet instead of microwaving it.

Black Eyed Pea & Brown Rice Bowl (350 calories)

This was so-so to me. The broccoli looked a little pale coming out of the package, and I’m not a huge black-eyed pea or edamame lover. Brian, on the other hand, said he thought it sounded like a great dish, so it’s definitely a matter of opinion.

Dinners:

Turkey Meatloaf with Tomato Sauce (390 calories)

I took a photo of the meatloaf close-up so you could get a better idea of its composition. I’m still not a huge fan of the actual meatloaf, but the sauce and the sides (green beans and mashed potatoes) were great.

Miso Glazed Tilapia with Shitake Stir Fry (370 calories)

Miso Glazed Tilapia with Shitake Stir Fry (370 calories)

Yup, another meal for Brian to enjoy. He said he’s been impressed with how good the texture has been for reheating all the seafood meals in the microwave.

I’m going to wait until my last post to share my overall opinions – I can’t believe my time with Freshology is almost over! I’ll admit there’s a part of me that’s ready to have control over my meals and pick what I want to eat, but then I’m also nervous that I’ll screw up! Be sure and check back the next few days for my last posts including a final video update!

Friendly Friday – September 30

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Welcome to Friendly Friday! Friendly Friday begins at 8pm Central Thursday nights each week. We hope you’ll come back and join us again next week – and remember, the earlier you link up, the higher up on the list you are!

Remember, YOU can host the link list on your blog, too! Just get the InLinkz code and copy it directly into your post. The code is different every week, so be sure to get the new code when hosting Friendly Friday on your blog. Hosting the list is a great way to get even more traffic to your blog and make Friendly Friday more beneficial for everyone.

Thanks for joining the Friendly Friday celebration hosted by Christi at Frugal Novice, Xenia at Thanks, Mail Carrier and Charla at Healthy Home Blog! We invite you to join us every Friday to make more friends in blogville, get more blog followers and follow other great blogs out there.

To join in the Friendly Friday celebration, include your family-friendly link in our list, follow the hostesses in the first 3 spots and then start blog hopping! Visit other blogs on the list and comment to give them some blog love. Then take a minute to follow them through Google Friend Connect – this is a good way to keep up with other blogs, but also lets us show support to each other! Please DO NOT list your giveaways here, links must be to either your homepage or your Friday posting with your blog title. All others will be deleted.

When people comment on your blog and let you know they’re a part of Friendly Friday, return the favor and follow them back. This way everyone gets traffic and followers out of participating, and it’s a win-win situation. We would love for you to also grab our Friendly Friday button and post it on your blog and/or in a post – the more bloggers that find out about Friendly Friday and participate, the better!

Spotlight on Friendly Friday Followers! We love your participation and want to show it! In addition to gaining followers, each week we’ll select one blog at random and will feature links and a write-up for that blog in the content of next week’s Friendly Friday post. There are so many seriously wonderful blogs out there, and this will be a great way to highlight one of those each week. Say hello to the lucky chosen blog & blogger for this week (and feel free to stop by and give her a little extra love):

Jade from “Hey, It’s Jade” (wonder where she got her blog name?) is a Stay-At-Home-Mom of two boys. She blogs about her family and uses her blog as a diary that she can look back on. She recently started homeschooling and posts weekly about their lessons and activities. You’ll also find random musings, funny anecdotes, special deals or frugal findings along with product or service reviews, and the occasional giveaway as well. You’ll love reading about her sweet family, and getting ideas for activities to do with your kids whether you homeschool or not!

Now that you know about this wonderful blog, it’s time for you to join in! Add your family-friendly link below and we’ll see you back here every Friday! And don’t forget, you can get the InLinkz code to share Friendly Friday on your blog!

All three hostesses appreciate followers through GFC and Twitter, and we’ll follow you back – be sure to leave a comment with your URL and/or Twitter username. Hope everyone has a great weekend!