:: Free Printable - pieces of you

A friend taught a lesson at church a few months ago and handed out this quote.

And I love it.

{go ahead and save to your computer and print}

fall loves.

Oh, it's beginning to look a lot like Fall.

And I love it.

Love everything about Fall.

I love Fall decor.

Source: google.com via Courtney on Pinterest

I love Fall treats {pumpkin anything is fine for me}.

Source: thenerdswife.com via Amy on Pinterest

I love Fall outfits {for me and the girls}.

Source: homestoriesatoz.com via Leeann on Pinterest

Source: evokingconnections.com via Camille on Pinterest

I'm craving anything and everything Fall.

Good thing it's here to stay.

Oh, and don't forget about the giveaway here.

:: Review and Giveaway - DownEast Basics

So, I've said this a million times.

I love DownEast Basics.

It was love at first sight when I discovered it 5 years ago

and I've been shopping there ever since.

So I made a little trip to the closet and counted how many items I have of theirs.

Ummm.

Let's see.

6 dresses. 3 skirts. 7 tops. 2 pants. 3 sweaters. 3 swimsuits.

See. Love them.

I love their affordability, style, quality, and that the clothing is actually modest!

They also have adorable accessories, swimsuits, girls clothing, and items for the home.
So, needless to say, I was so excited to find out that I'd be doing a review of an item

and then do a giveaway for one of my lovely readers.

Aren't you?!

I was checking out their new arrivals and absolutely loved

this dress here.

My hubby would definitely have to take me out to a fancy, shmancy restaurant in this.

Also loved this top here.

I might wear this for a fun girls night out.

And this skirt here.

Ummm. Could I wear this all the time?

Oh, decisions, decisions.

Well, I finally chose this sweater here.

Perfect for the Fall weather that has been creeping around my little city.

I tried it out yesterday and loved it.

I wore it to church and paired it with a black pencil skirt and gray top.

{I'm terrible at the self-portraits. Obviously.}

Then I paired it with their skinny jeans and a white tank top.

If you know me personally, then you know that I'm not the model type.

{I try to do serious poses and looks and then just start laughing.}

So there you have it. I might be their biggest fan.

{And I really would like them to open one up in

Temecula, California . . . please, pretty please?}

One lucky person will get their favorite item for Fall.

Here are the rules:

Mandatory entry

- visit DownEast Basics in the new arrivals and tell me what favorite item you'd like to have for the Fall and where you'd where that item

Extra entries

- "follow" Our Daily Obsessions {go to the sidebar}

- like DownEast Basics on Facebook

- like Our Daily Obsessions on Facebook

- post about this giveaway {and leave a link} on facebook, twitter, or on your blog

Make sure you leave a separate comment with EACH ENTRY and that there's a way for me to contact you if you are the lucky winner.

If you do any of the above entries already, just leave a comment saying so!

The giveaway will end on 10.10.11 at 11pm (pst)

and the winner will be selected via Random.org and announced by 7am (pst) on 10.11.11.

The winner will have 48 hours to respond.

Good luck! Maybe you'll be the winner of this awesome giveaway!

And if you liked this giveaway then come back next Monday for another giveaway . . . possibly for your little one?

Upcoming giveaway?

Come back Monday for a giveaway

you won't want to miss!

You'll like it.

Trust me.

:: Deals - preparing for the coming year

One reason I love the end of each season

is because that means the stores want to get rid of those

items that have been there all season long so

that they now can stock up and have room for the next season's styles.

This is how I buy Ava's clothing.

I usually can't afford the full price,

so I'm always looking for a deal.

I think we might be ready for next year {clothes for Ava}.

And Reese. Well, she gets the hand-me-downs.

Every once in awhile, I like to check out the girl's clothing at JCrew.

I wish I could afford the clothes there, but I can't.

Well, a few weeks ago they had an additional 30%

off all their clearance plus free shipping.

That's amazing!

I was able to get this adorable swimsuit for $13.99.

{No way I'd be paying $50 for a swimsuit for my 3 year old. But $13.99 I can do.}

And this one for $11.99

And they will last so much longer than the ones I usually buy.

:: Party Details - paper straws

I absolutely LOVE planning parties.

I love planning all the tiny details.

Some details that I've discovered lately are paper straws.

I love the special touch they add.

I've used them here and here.

So, I've been trying to find the best price.

On etsy.com there are places that sell them for about $0.12-$0.16 for each straw.

(they sell them in bulk - - making you think you're getting them for a good deal, but you aren't)

The best price I've found is this place here and they are $0.03 for each straw.

Can also get the same brand on Amazon here and they end up being $0.04

{plus you might even be able to get free shipping by doing a trial with Amazon Prime}.

Have you found them cheaper? I'd love to know if you have!

Live for Pink!

So, if you've been following this blog for awhile, then you know

that I'm a lover of all clothes and items from Downeast Basics.

This love affair started maybe 5 years ago

and I still can't get enough of their

cute, affordable, modest clothing.

Well, now through October 16, DownEast Basics is running its annual

LIVE for Pink donation event – read the inspiring stories

of DownEast’s special LIVE for Pink photo shoot with everyday women

impacted by breast cancer, and more info on the campaign here.

Limited edition tees here– 50% of all sales go to breast cancer awareness efforts.

This is a cause very near and dear to my heart.

Last December (3 weeks after Reese was born),

I discovered a lump.

To make a long story short, it was one of the scariest times in my life.

Although I don't know what it's like to be diagnosed with Breast Cancer

(after doing an ultrasound, multiple mammograms, and a biopsy it ended up being benign),

I do know what it's like to be almost diagnosed with it.

Check out the stories of these amazing, inspiring women here.

{Can you guess where I was when my surgeon called me to give me the good news?

No joke. I was shopping at DownEast Basics with my sisters.}

Come back next week for a fun giveaway.

You are NOT gonna want to miss this!

Empty frames.

I have a confession to make.

I am TERRIBLE about printing photos.

I take hundreds and hundreds of photos each month

and rarely print the darn things.

I also have a frame addiction.

Love them.

Find amazing ones at thrift stores

{not these ones though}

and they end up sitting

around our place with no photos.

I've decided that needs to change.

One of my daughter's friends was at our house,

wandered into our bedroom and saw the frames on

our night stands with a generic picture of a girl in it.

She asked me if that was my other child.

Nope.

I'm just lazy.

And I guess I really like pictures of other people inside my home.

{or that's what everyone thinks}

So, I knew that I finally needed to print a few

of Ava and Reese.

So, I printed them.

A big pat on my back.

And printed a few more to put in their room.

Poor Reese has been sleeping in a room full

of pictures of her big sister as a baby.

That's gotta change.

I'm not the only one that does this, right?

My first 5K.

On Saturday, my friend Cashelle and I ran a 5K, my first, . . . in the mud.

Don't I look lovely?

Loved it and I will definitely be doing it next year.

My favorite part was seeing my hubby and the girls cheering my on.

I would love to start training for a 10K

and then eventually a half marathon.

Not sure if I'll ever be able to run a marathon

due to a herniated disc I have

and bad knees . . . but we'll see.

I will be running a Tough Mudder in February.

Will I survive?

Probably not, but It'll be fun, I think.

Remembering.

I was 21 years old . . .

beginning my first year of nursing school.

My roomate would wake up to the radio and

that's when we had found out what had happened.

That day was a blur.

I remember feeling sad, devastated, fearful, etc.

Tears were shed for the people, for that city, and for this country.

But in the end, we came out stronger.

May we never forget

what happened 10 years ago!

God bless America!

:: parties - Swap Party

For awhile now, I've wanted to do a swap party.

We're in a recession and no one has money,

so why not just swap items with friends!

We all know that we have a ton of clothes, accessories, shoes, purses, etc.

hanging in the closet and collecting dust.

So that's just what I did.

About 15 of us gathered together and brought

all of our items we wanted to get rid of.

First person there was the first to pick and so on.

We did that for about 4 rounds and then ended

up doing a free-for-all.

It was a lot of fun!

So much better than thrift store shopping

cause it's free and the clothes don't have that thrift store

smell and the "I need to get to my car asap to use that hand sanitizer" feeling.

You know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, it was a success and we've decided to do it every 3 months.

Yay for new clothes and accessories

that are free!

:: food - Strawberry Jam

Teaching the girls at my church how

to make this tonight.

Yum.

Check here to find out how.

What makes me "feliz".

The other day I did a photo session for a cute little 1 year old.

Adorable, I tell you! She didn't smile at all, but was gorgeous!

I had bunting that said "Feliz Cumpleanos" on it that I'd made

for Ava's 1st Birthday (fiesta style) 2 years ago.

I found it in a bag somewhere in my closet.

{I'm impressed that I knew exactly where it was.}

Anyway, after the shoot, "Cumpleanos" had fallen off.

So now it just read "feliz".

Fitting for my bedroom.

My bedroom makes me happy.

{still not finished, but what's there makes me happy}

I loved it so much that I just kept it up.

And then decided to do a cute photo session with little Reese.

Which then got me thinking how "feliz" I really am.

Now, my life's not perfect. Trust me.

There are many things I struggle with,

but I have also been very blessed.

Here's what makes me "feliz":

my girls make me "feliz"

my husband makes me "feliz"

my religion makes me "feliz"

my house makes me "feliz"

the beach makes me "feliz"

photography makes me "feliz"

chocolate chip cookies make me "feliz"

cafe rio makes me "feliz"

music makes me "feliz"

flexible job makes me "feliz"

pupusas make me "feliz"

this book makes me "feliz"

this country makes me "feliz"

holidays make me "feliz"

creating things makes me "feliz"

my family that live across this country makes me "feliz"

rain makes me "feliz"

pinterest makes me "feliz"

and well, the list could go on and on.

I'll just leave it at this.

What makes you feliz?