HOLIDAY GG 2011 Cars 2 Blueray and DVD combo pack

One of my son's favorite movies is Cars. So I was beyond excited when they made Cars 2.
Tomorrow Cars 2 will be released on Blueray and DVD. Perfect for a holiday stocking stuffer.

Cars 2 is a great movie. We laughed the whole time. Shane has asked to watch it over and over!

About Cars 2
Star racecar Lightning McQueen and the incomparable tow truck Mater take their friendship to exciting new places in “Cars 2” when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car. But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. Mater finds himself torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret mission orchestrated by master British super spy Finn McMissile and the stunning rookie field spy Holley Shiftwell. Mater’s action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world. The fast-paced fun includes a colorful new all-car cast, complete with menacing villains and international racing competitors.

The Blueray/DVD Bonus Features
A one-of-a-kind interactive “World Tour” map that takes viewers through nine different locations, including those featured in the film and more. A global thrill-ride, it allows viewers to go behind-the-scenes with the Pixar artists and filmmakers as they circle the globe finding inspiration for the most international of all Pixar films to date.

To get more info visit www.Disney.com/cars

Grandoe Sensor Touch Gloves

It is getting very cold here in Michigan. We have had our coats out for about 3 weeks now and as of this week I will need my hat a gloves.

I am very excited about my new gloves for this year. They are equipped with mobile touch screen technology. This means they are touch screen comparable. So may hands can stay warm without compromising my ability to use my Smartphone or ipod touch.

These gloves are different from others because the sensor is part of the glove not attached like other brands. The conductive material is weaved through the glove.



Let me tell you they work great.

They are available in mens (socrates) and womens (leto) styles for 40-45 dollars. 

15% off any full priced luxury handwear purchase from Cire by Grandoe (grandoe.com)

Use Promo Code: SLELEVEN

Trick or Treat Prize Hop

Welcome to the Trick or Treat Halloween Hop




The Ethertons Will be giving away a $25 gift card to Amazon

Halloween Contest from The First Years

The First Years is having a Halloween Sweepstakes on its Facebook page. They are giving away 3 grand prizes (which includes an Ignite stroller and a couple other awesome prizes).

The contest runs through 11/1. ENTER HERE


All you have to do is submit a picture of your kids decked out in their Halloween gear.

Make sure you enter ASAP as it ends 11/1

Holiday GG 2011 Winnie the Pooh DVD

Yesterday Disney released Winnie the Pooh was released on BLU-RAY and DVD. Journey back to the 100 Acre Wood for a heart-warming adventure with Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo, Eeyore and Christopher Robin! Bonus material includes the EXCLUSIVE short "Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon," deleted scenes and more!



Inspired by the beloved stories from A.A. Milne's books and crafted in Disney's classic style, "Winnie the Pooh", is the most critically-acclaimed animated film of 2011"

Shane absolutely loves this movie. He keeps asking about Eeyore's Tail and talking about how His favorite character Tigger went to find it.  He also really enjoys the sing alongs.  I am sure in the next few weeks he will have all the songs memorized.

What a great stocking stuffer this would be for your kids, Grandkids, nieces and nephews this holiday season.

Save $5 on the DVD with a coupon found Here

Crazy Busy

We have been so busy the last few days. Last Thursday was my 2 week post D&C appointment and I was cleared to start trying again. The doctor took my HCG levels and I am almost back to not pregnant levels. He says I am doing very well and we have began to try again for another baby.

Saturday one of my best friends got married. I introduced her and her husband 12 years ago at my 17th birthday party. I wanted to be a part of her wedding party but due to the fact I was not sure if we would be here or in Arizona by now, I wasn't able to commit to standing up. I am excited that we were still here and I was able to witness her and Eric tie the knot. I was even able to take a few shots of her for her special day. Here are 2 I really like :)

This week Shane, Phil and I will be attending a kids Halloween party. Shane was invited by his friend Andy and his other friends Olivia and Russell will be there as well. He has been talking about it for weeks. I also will be making a trip over to another of my best friends (Sherry) to help her unpack her New House this weekend and take pictures of her adorable little boy.

Crazy my 2 best friends one gets married and the other purchases their first house all within a week of each other.

And we can't forget about Halloween on Monday. Shane is going as Thomas and we will be trick or treating with his cousins Maya and Faith and friends at their house.

Hope you all have a great week and a fun Halloween!

Holiday GG 2011 Wham-o Bowl-o-rama Bumper Bowling Game Giveaway

Wham-o make some great kids toys and the Bowl-o-rama Bumper Bowling Game is one of them.

Kids love to bowl! Especially when one of their family members is an avid bowler like my husband. Shane is always asking to bowl like daddy so we thought what a great holiday gift idea this would be.

The Bowl-o-rama Bumper Bowling Game comes with Inflatable bumpers keep the ball in play,6 bowling pins and a bowling ball. You kid(s)can now have their own lane pins and ball for some great bowling fun.


The Bowl-o-rama Bumper Bowling Game can be found on Amazon.

Whamo-o has been kind enough to offer one of my readers a Bowl-o-rama Bumper Bowling Game.

MY NEW FAVORITE DRINK ( hubby's too)

Anyone who knows me personally knows I love Sonic Drive-in and then didn't have one here till recently so I didn't get to enjoy all their awesome drink options growing up other than when I was on vacation.

Anyways Just recently I stumbled across a clone drink recipe for their Ocean Water

3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon artificial coconut extract
2 drops blue food coloring
2 (12 ounce) cans Sprite
ice

Directions:

1 combine water and sugar.
2 microwave for 30-45 seconds and stir.
3 allow to cool, then add coloring and extract.
4 stir well.
5 mix into sprite and pour over ice.




I am in love and even hubby who is not a coconut fan has been drinking it :)
Note: I leave out the food coloring

Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

recipe from www.food.com

Holiday GG 2011 Xia-Xia Review and Giveaway

There is a new hot toy out this holiday season called Xia-Xia (pronounced shah-shah).

Xia-Xia's are a 4 cute little crabs that have interchangeable shells and you'll find a little friend is inside their shells. When you purchase additional shells there are 2 friends included in each additional shell.

Turks: sweet and bubbly, Turks has a red shell and girly pink bows, making her a cute companion!

Bimini: with her pink polka-dot and stripped shell, Bimini loves to strut her stuff in different shell fashions!

Trinidad: with his dazzling, bright orange and yellow swirled shell, Trinidad loves to dance. Press his claw and watch him skitter scatter in a fun parade!

Tobago: with his rough-and-tumble blue exterior and happy grin, Tobago is always dancing to the Xia-Xia samba!


When you press their claws the parade begins. They have a wacky shuffle that is fun to watch. My cousin loved watching them dance around.

Along with the shells there are 3 Playsets.

Rio de trio village
Copacabana
Confetti cottage

My cousin seemed to like the crabs and shells more than the playsets but did use the playsets a little bit.

You can find Xia-Xia's at Toysrus right now and they will be available at other stores in November.

WIN IT

The Etherton's is giving away one Xia-Xia Crab and one Xia-xia Shell to one lucky reader.

48 hour giveaway Winnie the Pooh DVD and Prize Pack

Winnie the Pooh will be releasing on DVD, Blu-ray, & Movie Download next Tuesday,October 25th. In celebration of the new release The Ethertons is giving away a great Prize pack.

The package includes the following:

2 Mini Posters
2 Trick-or-Treat Bags
2 Very Important Things To Do notepads
2 Magnets
1 Winnie the Pooh mask
1 Tigger mask
1 Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack


This will be a quick 48 hour giveaway in order to get the winner their prize pack by Halloween. Winner will be picked Monday the 24th and e-mailed. Winner must respond to my e-mail by Monday the 24th at midnight eastern time or a new winner will be chosen.

In Honor of the TaTas Blog Hop

Welcome to The Ethertons Blog

Up for grabs is a $55 gift card to Eden Fantasys

Guest Post : Reducing Your Thanksgiving Headaches

Thanksgiving is a time of gathering, but usually brings about more headaches than is necessary. Even though we usually prefer to go all out for family gatherings, most hosts would much rather enjoy the holidays rather than stressing out over minute details. Place settings, menus, and table presentation are only a few things that cause stress during Thanksgiving dinners. Take a breath and contemplate some of these stress relieving tips for your next family Thanksgiving.

Having enough of the right food is one of the biggest headaches of a successful Thanksgiving meal. Take a step back and allow family members to bring the quintessential covered dishes. Remember that Thanksgiving meals should celebrate family and not stress you out. Contact family members a month or two before Thanksgiving and give them the leeway to being a dish that they've mastered. Distribute the list of who is bringing what to the dinner table. Relinquish control and let family members decide amongst themselves what will be brought to your home.

Simplicity! You don't have to "wow" the crowd with your table setting presentation. A simple white table cloth with a few colorful fall leaves scattered in the middle can bring the beauty of fall into your dining room. For a centerpiece, place a pumpkin or gourd in the center of the table surrounded by loose leaves. To create the ambiance of fall, set a small pot of simmering water laced with a teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove with a splash of vanilla extract. The subtle scent of autumn will float gently through the house and will disguise other strong odors of aromatic foods.

Place settings can also be a hassle. Minimize the headache by allowing family members to sit where they want to, instead of having assigned seating. This will also quell the constant chorus of "pass the potatoes" that always interrupts the meal.

In most families, the patriarch carves the turkey. This time honored tradition can lead to a massacred carcass that leaves only specks of meat that have to be congregated to make up a serving. Politely suggest the honored guest to watch a video of a professional server carving a turkey prior to the meal. Provide the proper tools and make sure the knife is sharp enough to tackle the job. This will provide a much pleasant experience in the old custom of carving the turkey.

Use your imagination and relinquish a little control over the dinner. Not only will this reduce the amount of headaches associated with any large family gathering, but it could possibly even bring the family a little closer together. Enjoy Thanksgiving meals with your family and cherish the short moments that you spend with your loved ones.


Alyssa DeAlto holds a B.A in Journalism and currently writes for eDrugstore.MD, a safe online facilitator for Viagra online and other safe FDA-approved medications such as Propecia for hair loss. Alyssa uses her journalism skills to cover big pharma news she shares on the eDrugstore.MD Health Blog.

Holiday GG 2011 Learning Curve Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway Thomas and Belle to the Rescue Set Giveaway

My son's favorite thing ever is Thomas and Friends. He owns several learning curve Thomas and friends wooden railway sets and plays with them several times a day.

He was very excited to learn that Learning Curve came out with a new set "Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway Thomas and Belle to the Rescue"

This set features the new character Belle from the Thomas & Friends Day of the Diesels DVD, Belle is a useful and kind train engine that fills her boiler up with water to fight fires.

It Includes Thomas and Belle.
Extinguish the fire at the farmhouse when the engines chug to the rescue.
The perfect set for the Holidays for your special little engineer.

Learning Curve Has been kind enough to offer one of my readers the Thomas and Belle to the Rescue Set.

HOLIDAY GG 2011 Lamaze Northern Lights Soother Review and Giveaway

Lamaze had a great Crib toy called the Northern Lights Soother.

It attaches to the crib and is for ages 0+

This toy is amazing! It features

-Soft, colorful lights slowly turn on and off, calming baby and keeping him engaged
-Lull baby to sleep with 3 classical melodies or soothing nature sounds
-Customize the fun by using your own mp3 player and watch the lights dance to the beat of the music
-Adjustable quick clip crib attachment fits traditional and convertible cribs
-Independent lights and sounds buttons allow you to choose from lights only, sounds only, or lights and sounds together! Includes adjustable volume and auto shut-off


Our favorite feature is the option to attach our MP3 player and play the music we want for the baby. We can't wait to use this with our next baby.

This would make an excellent gift for the expecting mother or the mom who just delivered this holiday season. It has amazing ratings and is only $39.99.

Lamaze has been kind enough to offer one of my readers a Northern Lights Soother.

Fall Fashionista Event

Welcome to the Fall Fashionista Event on the Ethertons




Thanks for stopping by my blog.

Up for grabs today is a $50 Amazon Gift Card. Use the rafflecopter form below to enter.

Also check out my other great giveaways (can be found on my right side bar)

Do you love Garlic?

We are huge Garlic fans in this house and last night we had an awesome dinner that was full of garlic and so good.

Thought I would share the recipe with all you garlic lovers :)

Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

6 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup
4 lbs peeled, cubed potatoes
5 Tablespoons real butter
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
6 cloves roasted garlic (directions are below)
1- 1 1/2 Cups warm skim milk (any milk will do, I used skim)
1 Tablespoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste

Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning and soup into a medium sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours.
Place potatoes into a large pot of cold water. Place onto stove top over high heat and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, cook for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and transfer to the work bowl of a stand or electric mixer. Mix on low until potatoes are mashed then add butter, Parmesan, garlic, milk, salt and pepper. Season to taste if needed. For thinner mashed potatoes add more milk, slowly until your desired consistency.
Scoop mashed potatoes onto serving plates and top with pork chops and soup gravy from crock pot. I put a little parsley on top to serve.

Roasted Garlic

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place bulb of garlic with skins on, wrap lightly in tin foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove from foil and let cool for 15 minutes. Remove garlic from skins, place in a bowl and mash with a fork until completely mashed. Set aside. One garlic bulb will have around 12 cloves.


Recipe from http://realmomkitchen.com

Holiday GG 2011 Crazydog Tshirts

One of my favorite stocking suffers for the holidays are t-shirts. My favorite place to shop for t-shirts especially Funny T Shirts is Crazydogtshirts.com.

Did you know Crazydogtshirts.com has 2 other sites that also sell some great tshirts? You have to check out Nachomamatees.com and CostumeSquad.com.

Hubby received a shirt from CostumeSquad.com called the Pumpkin face t-shirt.

It's a great shirt for Halloween and at a great price. You can find it under Halloween t-shirtsHERE.

Hubby picked out some great t-shirts for me including this New Mexico t-shirt which can be found over at Crazydogtshirts.com in the women's section Here.

I have several shirts from Crazydogtshirts and am excited as there shirts are very comfortable and wash really well.

I recommend you check out Nachomamatees.com, crazydogtshirts.com and CostumeSquad.com
for some great everyday and Holiday t-shirts.

Hanging in there and My story

I can't tell you how much I appreciate all the Love and support I have received from you, my readers.

This morning I had a D&C suction. They removed the remaining tissue of the baby and cleaned me out so I can heal. The doctor says to take it easy for the weekend and I should be able to resume normal activities on monday.

My body is now finishing out cleaning itself for the next two weeks or so. I should then have a normal cycle 4 weeks after. I am told it is ok to try again at that point. We are pretty sure we will try again at that point.

I have had many questions regarding what happened so I am going to give a brief play as to what happened.

Went for a routine ultrasound to check for any chance of down syndrome yesterday at 12 weeks pregnant. I had many signs I was pregnant and no one suspected anything was wrong. My ob has even said a week prior that he thought I had made it past the critical period.

They did the ultrasound and realized the baby wasn't moving. We didn't, as we could barely see the baby on the screen. The Tech said she had to do a trans-vaginal ultrasound to see the baby better and had me empty my bladder. She said she needed a doc in there when she did those and we just thought it was standard procedure.

We saw the baby very clearly and it wasn't moving but it didn't click yet. The doctor took some measurements and said she had some bad news. The baby had no heartbeat and was measuring at 10 weeks 3 days. Should have been 12 weeks.

They called my ob who called me and said

1. It is a blessing from my body and God because he has sent several of these miscarriages to be tested and always it comes back there was something wrong with the baby. This is nothing I did wrong and just a fluke in how the chromosomes formed. I would have been stuck with a child who was very sick and it wouldn't have been fair to anyone.

2. Due to the fact my body still had not began to get rid of the tissue on its own, it would be best to get the D&C suction, so My body and mind could heal and we could move forward.

3. I have NO higher risk of having a second miscarriage than anyone who hasn't had one. 17% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. They will watch me much closer next time around, however they can't prevent what is meant to happen.

Very Sad News

We lost the baby. It has no heartbeat and stopped growing as of 10 weeks.
I will be having surgery to clear out my cervix. We are heartbroken but were told it is very common and it is nothing I did wrong.

We will be trying again as soon as I get the ok to do so which shouldn't be super long.

I thank you in advance for all the love and support

Holiday GG 2011 Vintage Couture Review and Giveaway

Every year I like my son to wear a button up shirt for the holidays and last year we got him a shirt from Vintage Couture. We loves it so much that this year we decided to do the same.

I love Vintage Couture! They have the most stylish clothing for boys and girls using vintage inspired fabrics.

Shane was sent this cream button down shirt. How adorable is this :)

If I had a girl I she would have this from the retro riot collection

and this from the silver bells collection

You can check out their full fall/holiday 2001 collection HERE

Vintage Couture has been kind enough to offer on of my readers this red fleur-de-lis shirt in their choice of size.

Mohawk Home Rug Review and Giveaway

I have been searching for the perfect rug for our living room when we move. I already have several furniture pieces picked out but needed a perfect area rug to put the finishing touch on the space.

Mohawk Home is a reputable company that makes area and accent rug for the home. They are the largest manufacturer of area rugs, indoor and outdoor mats, and washable rugs in the United States.

They make all sorts of rugs including modern, contemporary and stylish rugs. When we were offered a rug to review it took all day of looking to make a choice. There were so many great options it was hard to pick just one.

We ended up picking the Dawson Shell 8 ft. x 10 ft. Area Rug $297.00rv.

When it arrived we were blown away by the quality. It is soft and thick. Made of 100% olefin for durability and stain resistant. It also resists fading.

We picked it because of its contemporary geometric shapes and designs. The pictures doesn't even do it justice. I wish you could all come and see it in person. I can not wait to put it in our new living room.

Mohawk Home rugs can be purchased at Home Depot, Target, Walmart, Sears, Kohl’s, Menards, Lowe’s, Bed Bath and Beyond and Anna’s Line .

Mohawk Home has been kind enough to offer one of my readers a Mohawk Home rug up to size 5x8 and up to a $400 value.