Throwing An Incredible Baby Shower!

So, you want to throw an incredible baby shower. Whether you’re doing this for your friend or yourself, this post is full of tips that will help everybody to have the best time. Read on to get started!

Who Should Host The Shower?

If you’re wondering who should host the shower, tradition normally states that anybody other than the mother-to-be should host it. Maybe a best friend, mother, or sister. However, there are no real rules. It can also be hosted at any time during the pregnancy, although later on is usually traditional. Not quite when she could give birth at any minute, but when there isn’t much longer left to wait!

Source

Set The Tone With Invitations

Send out invitations in advance so that everybody who is close to the mother-to-be can attend. A text message or phone call can be fine, but using traditional invitations for the party is a nice touch too. You can also set the tone with these invitations and give people an idea of what the day will be like. It’s up to you how you do it, just make sure you get a good idea of who will be attending.

Know Your Audience

Know your audience for the shower, or at least have a good idea of what they will like and won’t like. There are many games you can play to perk up the party, but some are a little classier than others. Some might not be to everybody’s tastes - think nappies and smushed up chocolate bars! Make sure you choose the entertainment wisely.

Decorate Using Your Imagination

Use your imagination to decorate and make the get together even more exciting. You can use bunting and balloons for a simple way to perk up a room. Instead of investing in an expensive centrepiece, you can use gifts as the centrepiece. They’ll likely all look really pretty in their paper and bows, so make the most of them. If your guests need them, you could suggest baby shower gift ideas before the big day to help them out.

credit

Serving Food And Drink

It’s a good idea to serve food and drink for your guests depending on what time you throw the shower. If it’s later on in the evening, you could serve tasteful cocktails and mocktails. Having buffet style finger food is always a good idea. Just don’t buy too much. You don’t want all of the food to go to waste.

Goody Bags

It’s usually tradition for guests to leave with a cute goody bag to thank them for attending. Leaving them with a nice keepsake from the day is a good idea, so they remember it fondly. You can put other things in the goody bags too, from sweets to cupcakes. You can even get ready made goody bags to save you the trouble of putting them together yourself.  

Make sure you have a positive attitude and make a great playlist for the shower too. These little things all make a big difference. Have fun!

Free BODYARMOR Sports Drink

Free BODYARMOR Sports Drink Receive ONE (1) FREE BODYARMOR Sports Drink, any variety (16 oz). Available in most Stores.

Exp 01/15/2017

This Friday, December 16th, 2016 – ONLY, you can load a coupon to your Kroger (or Affiliate) Plus Card for  FREE BODYARMOR Sports Drink, any variety (16 oz)

Although 12/30/16 is the only day that you can load the coupon, the coupon offer is redeemable through 01/15/2017

                             http://kroger.softcoin.com/programs/kroger/freefri/

I love Friday Freebies!

While you are loading your freebie to your card, check out New Game Day Savings & More in the Promotions tab. You can Save with digital coupons for game day favorites! Plus, you can browse recipes, play The Big Play instant win game for a chance to win prizes, and more from the all-new Game Day Greats site.

Easy Vegetarian Egg Foo Young

Craving authentic egg foo young? Skip the Chinese place and make your own Egg Foo Young at home with this easy recipe. Keep reading to discover a delicious vegetarian egg foo young recipe.

This page may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases 

   I think my favorite meal to enjoy at a restaurant is Chinese food. When I visit an Oriental restaurant for a meal, I always have to order egg foo young along with egg rolls and chop suey. I think I love Chinese food as it has lots of healthy vegetables in it. I have a favorite place near me that I order Chinese food from frequently and I am glad that my husband also enjoys eating Oriental food. I love eating egg foo young when I celebrate the Chinese New Year. The problem with ordering food from restaurants is it can get quite expensive and it is not the healthiest thing to do.

 Skip the Chinese place and make Egg Foo Young at home

 So I decided to make egg foo young at home. I found a recipe that looked simple enough to make and then I headed to the International store to buy the ingredients as I knew this store would carry items like bean sprouts and sauces like vegetarian oyster sauce. If you don't have an international store near you, Amazon is always a great place to find unique food items like sesame oil and soy sauce. If you have Amazon Prime, you can get these ingredients in two days. When you make this recipe you can skip the Chinese buffet.

Did you know that traditional egg foo young is fried in oil?

  I recently discovered that the traditional egg foo young that they make at the restaurant is basically fried in a pan with oil. So making egg foo young at home makes sense for a healthy diet. When you follow this recipe, you just need a tablespoon of oil for the frypan instead of the tons of oil that the restaurant uses. If you use a ceramic nonstick frypan then you can cook without oil in your pan. Keep reading to discover my favorite ceramic nonstick frypan that I use for healthier cooking.

Egg Foo Young is

~ Vegetarian

~ Loaded with Protein

~ Full of Fiber

~ A Meatless Recipe

~ Easy to Make

~ Full of Veggies

The more veggies the better

 I love my veggies as they are so good for a healthy body. When I make my egg foo young, I will often double the recipe and use the whole package of bean sprouts and shredded carrots. That way I have no left-over veggies and my egg foo young is loaded with plenty of fiber-rich heart-healthy veggies. The extra vegetables will not affect the performance of the recipe. My husband sometimes complains about all the extra veggies in the recipe but he still eats it and he is getting several servings of veggies.

A small non-stick pan works best for egg foo young

 I have made this egg foo young recipe several times and I have discovered that a small nonstick pan works best to form the egg foo young so it is thick. When you make small egg foo young patties they are easier to turn over with a spatula. My favorite nonstick pan to use is an organic ceramic-coated nonstick fry pan as it keeps the egg foo young from sticking.

 Now all I need is those fancy white boxes that you get at the Chinese place and some chopsticks!

 Once you discover how easy it is to make egg foo young at home, you will skip the Chinese take-out order. Before you know it, you will learn how to make fried rice and Okonomiyaki. One year I made a whole meal with Oriental food for my family and friends. Everyone was amazed at how delicious the meal was and I was happy at saving money.

 5-Minute Egg Foo Young Recipe With The Red Copper 5-Minute Chef

Desire meat?

If you want to add meat or shrimp to your egg foo young, make sure it is pre-cooked. Add a cup of the cooked meat or shrimp to the egg foo young batter before cooking it in the pan. I like to stock my freezer with Just Meats pre-cooked diced roasted chicken breast for quick and easy meals. 

Use code momknowsbest to save 50% off your order of $200+ ~ Justmeats.com

Storage Tips

~ Store leftover egg foo young and gravy in the fridge for up to 3 days

~ Heat up the egg foo young patty in the microwave for 1 minute

~ Heat up the egg foo young gravy in the microwave for 30 seconds

Did you know that eating Chinese food can bring good luck for the New Year?

KidSafe Lil' Stinkers Aroma Plush Will Bring A Smile To Your Child + A Giveaway

           Discover a cute stuffed animal that smells terrific and puts your child in a happy mood.

   I have recently discovered essential oils and their uses beyond scent. When I first started using essential oils is was for their wonderful scents. I liked using the oils in my homemade lotions and body butter as the oils gave them wonderful scents. Then I discovered that essential oils, when inhaled, could be helpful for things like sleep and energy. Did you know that lavender oil helps calm and peppermint helps with energy? I love using peppermint oil in my diffuser during the day as it helps me to be productive. I then use a lavender body butter at night to help my body relax and fall asleep. So when I discovered a cute plush animal that smells terrific and can help lift a child's mood, I knew that my boys had to have one. I discovered this cute Lil' Stinker last month at ShiftCon, a wonderful eco living conference. The company Plant Therapy makes these adorable plush animals and they were at ShiftCon to introduce their wonderful essential oil products to bloggers like me who have a passion for healthy living. This plush was shown to me along with some wonderful scented essential oils.

    Plant Therapy makes these Aroma Plush animals that not only look so cute but they also can uplift a person's mood. The secret to these KidSafe Lil' Stinkers is a special compartment inside the plush that gives the animal a great scent that will uplift to a better mood. You simply place a couple of drops of the included essential oil inside the compartment of the cute plush animal and this Lil' Stinker smells so good for a week. The essential oil that comes with the plush contains Plant Therapy's signature scent, PJ’s Blend. PJ's Blend is a cheerful burst of fruity essential oils, including fresh Steam Distilled Lemon and bright Pink Grapefruit which are known to be uplifting.

    When the KidSafe Lil' Stinkers Aroma Plush arrived at our house, I barely had a chance to take a picture of the plush as my boys fell in love with it. My boys just love the way he smells. My boys decided to take turns of who gets the Aroma Plush at bedtime. When I finally had a chance to hold the cute plush, I was amazed at how wonderful he smelled. I did not want to put him down. My one son woke up the other day in a great mood, trust me, he is not my morning child and came down holding the Aroma Plush. He smelled the cute plush animal and said, "mmm, he smells so good!" I think the essential oil in the Aroma Plush put my son into that happy mood. So now I discovered another use for essential oils. I love that I can use other essential oils in the Lil' Stinker. I need to try lavendar oil in him for my other son who has trouble falling asleep. This Aroma Plush is just one of the many items that Plant Therapy sells. Plant Therapy sells many essential oils, many of them are safe for kids, along with many other products that are useful with the oils. If fact, Plant Therapy has a special line of oils made just for kids called KidSafe. Check out Plant Therapy at the below links.

Website: https://www.planttherapy.com

Facebook

 Twitter

 Instagram

 Pinterest

Giveaway

     Would you like to win a cute KidSafe Lil' Stinkers Aroma Plush for you child?
I am giving away one Aroma plush to one lucky reader. Just enter on the form below and good luck!

This giveaway is open to US residents 18 years of age or older.  Chances of winning this giveaway depends on the number of entries. All entries will be verified. The winner will be notified within 24 hours of the end of the contest and will then have 48 hours to respond to the email or a new winner will be chosen. Sponsor is responsible for shipping out the prize. Void where prohibited

Entry-Form

"These opinions are my own and I received the above-mentioned product to facilitate this post and giveaway."

How To Wrap Presents With Reusable Cloth Bags

Check out how you can cut back on waste by using cloth grocery bags to wrap presents.

  It is a couple days after Christmas and trash cans are filled with so much waste from all the wrapping paper and boxes from all the gifts. The trash service doesn't come until Friday and the cans are overflowing. It makes me sad to see all that waste in my neighbor's trash cans as most people do not take the time to recycle the boxes and the wrapping paper. On top of that, if one did want to recycle the wrapping paper, they would be surprised that most of it can not be recycled. There is some wrapping paper that is able to be recycled but that is only good if your city allows any wrapping paper to be recycled. My city does not recycle any wrapping paper so I decided this is going to be the last year that I wrap my gifts with paper that will end up in the landfill. I already have stopped buying paper napkins and instead use cloth ones so I am ready to do even more to reduce my trash waste.

  I want to keep plastic out of our oceans and landfills. Did you know that some Christmas wrapping paper has chemicals in them or even plastic? It also takes trees to make the paper. So that means trees have to be cut down for that pretty paper. So even if your city takes the wrapping paper in your recycle bin, think of what it is doing to our environment. Using cloth bags for wrapping presents is just smart.

                                    I hate all the trash after the holidays

Reduce ~ Reuse ~ Recycle 

This was our mound of trash after we opened up presents. I will recycle the boxes but sadly the wrapping paper will go in the trash can as my city does not accept it in the recycles. After attending ShiftCon a couple of weeks ago, I am trying to be more "green" as I want to not only take care of my body but also the earth. So I thought up a better way to wrap presents. I will use cloth bags, you know the ones that people use at the grocery store, to wrap my gifts. I always have a stash of these cloth bags as I get plenty from blogging conferences, like ShiftCon, and from brands that I work with. I discovered that with a few extra touches, like ribbon, that I also get from brands, that I can use these bags to wrap almost any gift. 

The bag becomes a gift to use at the grocery store.

  The awesome thing is that the receiver of the gift will then get a cloth bag to use at the grocery store. This bag just might help a person to be greener and thus reduce the use of plastic grocery bags. Did you know that most of those plastic bags end up in the landfill? If the consumer does take them back to the store to be recycled, well then energy needs to be used to recycle them. So using a cloth bag over and over is the better choice. I like to stuff all my cloth bags into a bigger cloth bag and then keep them in my car so they are always ready to use. When I unload the bags, I then place them by the garage door to then put back in the car next time I drive. 

My city is eliminating toxic plastic bags at the grocery store next month and replacing them with a more environmental-friendly bag. The grocery stores will also be charing ten cents per grocery bag. So my family will appreciate some reusable cloth bags with their Christmas gifts. One can never have enough fabric grocery bags.

What are some ways you can reduce trash for your gifts?

Now here is a picture of gifts in reusable cloth bags. I love that after the presents are opened, my guest can take a cloth bag with them to use for grocery shopping. The bags that I use for my family's gifts can then be stuffed into a bigger bag and then be stored for next time. Those bags take up less room than all those tubes of paper. I also do not have to waste money by buying more wrapping paper at the after-holiday sales. That keeps me out of the stores buying items I don't need just because it is on sale. 

 For some people using cloth bags may not seem as pretty as Christmas wrapping paper but with some practice and using items that you already have like ribbon, silk flowers, etc, you will make a great looking gift that is great for the environment. I also like to reuse Christmas cards for gift tags. You can also paint some pretty designs on the cloth bags with fabric paint.

 I would love to see how you wrap a gift without using wrapping paper.

Reduce ~ Reuse ~ Recycle       

Free Kraft Ranch Dressing

Today's Friday freebie would be great for your Christmas meal!

Free Kraft Ranch Dressing Receive ONE (1) FREE Kraft Ranch Dressing, any variety (16 oz). Available in most stores.

Exp 01/08/2017

This Friday, December 23th, 2016 – ONLY, you can load a coupon to your Kroger (or Affiliate) Plus Card for Free Kraft Ranch Dressing Receive ONE (1) FREE Kraft Ranch Dressing, any variety (16 oz).

Although 12/23/16 is the only day that you can load the coupon, the coupon offer is redeemable through 01/09/2017

                             http://kroger.softcoin.com/programs/kroger/freefri/

Homeowners Insurance Is Necessary When You Own A Home

   I am so excited to be able to remodel my master bathroom. It won't be long until my bathroom is done. This project may have started last July but my husband and I have been thinking about this renovation since 2011. Five years ago, our house had a frozen pipe that burst from sub-zero temperatures. That pipe left a lot of water damage in one of the upstairs bathroom ( the kid's bathroom) as well as the kitchen. Thank goodness we had Homeowners Insurance to fix the bathroom and kitchen. The insurance paid for a new bathroom and that was what led to my husband and wanting our bathroom to look nice.  It just took five years for us to save up the money and decide on how we wanted the bathroom to look. My bathroom is almost done. My husband and I painted last weekend. Then the tile people will do their work and finally my husband will do the install of everything else like cabinets and sinks. We are hoping it will be completed the first week of 2017. Get a sneak peek at my bathroom remodeling progress and some of the items that I selected.

 It was that frozen pipe that reminded me the importance of having homeowners insurance. That claim cost a lot of money but our insurance took care of it thanks to the payments we make every month and that we chose to have the proper coverage on our home. Your payments to home insurance may seem like a lot of money every month but when you see how much it costs to fix damage from a broken pipe, you will understand why you pay what you pay. The amount just to dry the rooms out was over $10,000 and then I think the rest was equally over the same amount. Our insurance also paid for us to stay in a hotel along with meals while the rooms were being dried out.Your home is where you live so making sure it is insured for the right amount is very important. Take a look at some details about my home insurance. 

About my home

Two story brick 2000 square foot home with a large backyard located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Three bedrooms with a newly updated master bathroom and 1 and a half other bathrooms. Granite counters in the modern kitchen along with all new stainless steel appliances. Two car attached garage. Quiet established neighborhood that is close to the highway and shopping. 

House Value: $199,000

Policy: $1046.00 Deductible: $500

About Users

Owners bought the house brand new 19 years ago. Family with several children. Credit in the low 800's

About Policy

Safeco was the cheapest insurance recommended by real estate agent with a low deductible.

About Customer Service

Safeco has good customer service. A previous claim was handled in a reasonable amount of time.

See http://www.kodig.com/home-insurance-quotes/ for more information on homeowners insurance.

Have you had to use your home insurance? Do you pay more or less for your home-owners insurance?

"These opinions are my own and I was contacted by http://www.kodig.com/home-insurance/ to write this review."

Start Your Morning With Crazy Faith Coffee And You Might Just Lead Someone To Christ

I love starting my day with a great cup of coffee and God.

  My day always starts with my daily devotion followed by a cup of coffee. Now when I drink coffee, it has to be the good stuff as I like to savor my coffee and taste is important. I was sent a cool package of coffee from Family Christian and I could not wait to taste it. The aroma of Crazy Faith Awakening Blend Ground Coffee was so amazing. When I opened up the bag my senses were enticed by such a great aroma. I just had to take a couple of big breaths as the smell of coffee was that good. I then went straight to my coffee maker to brew a cup of this wonderful smelling coffee. When I placed my scoop inside the bag, I discovered a foil wrapped package. So I paused my coffee making to open up the foil package. Inside the package, I discovered a small card which sparked my curiosity. I opened up the card and found an inspirational story. As I read the story on the card, that smelled of great coffee, I learned more about what having faith meant. This story was about a couple who had five children and how God used their faith to adopt three more. This couple also conceived a baby the same year bringing their kid count to nine. It was through this faith journey that this couple decided to start Crazy Faith Coffee Company.

  Thanks to John and Josee Waller, I got to enjoy a great cup of coffee. I, of course, made my coffee after I read their story. The taste of the coffee was just as I had imagined while enjoying the aroma. It was mild and flavorful. As I was enjoying my coffee, I thought about my faith and how I needed to step it up several notches. I thought about people in my life who I wanted to lead to Christ and how sending them this great bag of coffee was something I needed to do. I knew that most people enjoyed coffee and that a bag of great smelling coffee that comes with stories of faith might just be the seed I needed to plant in these people. The first person that I needed to send Crazy Faith Awakening Blend Ground Coffee to was my mom. I had just talked to her this afternoon about my daily devotional guide that I read every morning. I had told her that my devotional referenced to her favorite country singer. My mom thought that was cool and she also told me that she used to get that devotional in the mail ( I signed her up many years ago). I have no clue if my mom ever read the devotional that I sent her, but knowing that she remembered it was enough for me to send her another subscription. I love when God tells me to have faith and to keep talking to my mom about Him. I can't wait for my mom to get her package of Crazy Faith Awakening Blend Ground Coffee so I can have another conversation with her about God and one day she will accept Him into her heart.

So who can you think of to send a bag of great smelling/tasting coffee to? These stories of great crazy faith inside a bag of coffee may just be the seed that leads them to Christ. This Freshly roasted coffee also is organic and Fair-trade and comes in regular and decaf.

      Go here to order Crazy Faith Awakening Blend Ground Coffee  http://www.familychristian.com/awakening-blend-ground-coffee-12oz.html?utm_source=Facebook+Group&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=December_Blog_Opp_CFC

As I was writing this post, I received a coupon from Family Christian in my email for 50% off one item and that was my sign from God to order the coffee for my mom so she could learn more about following Jesus. I love how our faith works! Make sure to sign up for their emails so you too can get discount coupons.

"These opinions are my own and I received a sample of Crazy Faith Awakening Blend Ground Coffee from Family Christian to facilitate this post."

Heart Healthy Broccoli And Cheese Rice

            You will love this healthy version of a family favorite dish.

  My family loves broccoli and cheese rice as it is so delicious. This healthy dish is a great way to get my boys, including my husband, to eat their vegetables. Most people make this broccoli and cheese rice dish with lots of cheese, white rice, and cream soup. Now all that cheese and cream soup are loaded with fat. My recipe is made with healthy organic whole grain brown rice and a can of low-fat cheese soup. My recipe also has double the amount of broccoli too which gives it more nutrition. My family and friends think my healthy version of broccoli and cheese rice is delicious and it is still full of flavor. Whenever I bring my healthy version of broccoli and cheese rice to a potluck, people love it and don't seem to notice that it is a healthy dish. I never have any leftovers when I bring it. So why make your old full of fat broccoli and dish rice dish when you can be kind to your heart and make this heart healthy version.

  My heart healthy broccoli and cheese rice starts with a bag of delicious Mahatma® organic whole grain brown rice. I like serving my family brown rice as it has more fiber than white rice and fiber is good for a heart healthy diet. Mahatma® Rice, has recently introduced two new organic versions of their Whole Grain Brown Rice and Extra Long Grain White Rice varieties. These organic additions give smart shoppers an affordable, organic rice option. I love that this rice is also Non-GMO Project Verified. These organic rice varieties come in two-pound bags and are sold in most grocery store. Did you know that you can cook rice in the microwave?  I like to use my rice cooker when I make my rice but I need to try cooking rice in the microwave next time I make rice.


Heart Healthy Broccoli And Cheese Rice
     Serves 6

Ingredients
             1 cup Mahatma® organic whole grain brown rice
             1/3 cup non-fat milk
             1 can low-fat condensed cheddar cheese soup
             1 teaspoon garlic powder
             1/2 teaspoon black pepper
             1 package frozen broccoli cuts (16 ounces)

Directions
          Cook the brown rice according to directions on the package. When the rice is done, combine the milk, cheese soup, garlic, and black pepper until well mixed. Add the broccoli and soup mixture to the cooked rice and combine well. Then heat the rice and broccoli in the microwave for about 3 minutes and serve. If there are any leftovers, store them in the refrigerator.

Now what should I make with the Mahatma® organic Extra Long Grain White Rice? I am thinking a mushroom pilaf as my boys and I are growing mushrooms. What is your favorite dish that you like to make with rice?          

"These opinions are my own and I received packages of Mahatma® organic rice to facilitate this post."

Newmans Own Prize Pack Giveaway

Welcome To Our Newmans Own Prize Pack Giveaway~

I just love Newmans food as they are so tasty. This is an awesome giveaway to enter.

Hosted By Tammie's Reviews, Giveaways and More, Queen of Reviews and Seasonal Family Fun.

And

Sponsored By Newmans Own

When you find a company that makes awesome food and snacks and that gives to charity, It is a win-win. I do not know another company that gives back as Newmans Own does. Tammie's Reviews, Giveaways and More had the wonderful opportunity to taste a box filled with their wonderful food that they make. You can read her review of them by going HERE.

Onto The Giveaway~

• 1 READER WILL WIN A Newmans Own Prize Pack

• THIS GIVEAWAY IS LIVE AND WILL END ON 12/30 AT 7:00 P.M.

• WINNER WILL BE CHOSEN AT RANDOM, NOTIFIED WITHIN 48 HOURS AND HAVE 24 HOURS TO RESPOND TO THE EMAIL TO CLAIM THEIR PRIZE OR ANOTHER WILL BE CHOSEN

• MUST BE 18 YEARS OF AGE TO ENTER

• VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW

ENTER BELOW AND GOOD LUCK TO YOU~

Entry-Form

Disclosure- The participating bloggers are not responsible for prize fulfillment. The odds of winning are based on the number of entries received Open to the US 18+ only. Confirmed Winner(s) (by Random.org) will be contacted by email. Winner(s) have 24 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. The sponsor(s) will be responsible for product shipment to winner(s) of this giveaway. My blog is not responsible for product shipment/delivery nor did I receive compensation. Only 1 prize per household. This event is in no way administered, sponsored, or endorsed by, or associated with, Facebook and/or Twitter, Google, Pinterest. This disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements. Entrants must only enter with either one email address, IP address and/or Facebook account, anyone found violating these rules will be disqualified. It is at the sole discretion of the admin of the giveaway if the winner has met the rules or not.Contact Tammie at info@tpankuch.com and see how I can promote/feature your product for you.

$100 Bath and Body Works Giveaway Event!

Welcome to the $100 Bath and Body Works Giveaway Event!

What a great prize! This would be great to win so you can stock up on your favorite products.

Hosted by: Lil' Blog and More, Coupons and Freebies Mom, and InezbyDesign.

Just in time for the holidays, this great group of bloggers wanted to partner up, to bring you one great prize! You can never go wrong with Bath and Body Works, right?!

The Giveaway

One lucky winner will receive a $100 Bath and Body Works Gift Card.

Enter with the easy form, below:

Entry-Form

 

  Disclosure: The bloggers involved in this giveaway were not compensated, and are not responsible for prize fulfillment. Lil' Blog and More will be sending the prize out. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter this giveaway. This giveaway starts December 17th, 2016 , and will end on January 16th, 2017 at 11:59 pm. The winner will be emailed, and have 48 hours to respond, or a new winner will be chosen. Once a winner is drawn and confirmed, the name will be announced on the GiveawayTools form. Open to US and Canada. 

"Co-hosted by:  The Homespun Chics, Dorky's Deals, My Little House of Treasures, Michigan Saving and More, Heartbeats ~ Soul Stains, Basically Speaking, and Southern Honeysuckle."

My Ideas And Wishes For My Master Bath Renovation

 This is the current state of my bathroom. 

    Last week I talked about my bathroom renovation project. Go here to see that post.  http://www.momknowsbest.net/2016/12/my-bathroom-transformation.html. My bathroom project is at a stand still as we wait for the tile people to tile the floor and the shower. The tile work will be done December 29th -31st. My husband and I did order the vanity top from Lowes as it takes 2-3 weeks for it to be made. We decided to order the vanity top from http://www.onyxcollection.com/ as we like the way it looked. I also like the way the sink and counter are all one piece. The top will be in a color called Mystique and the sink will be Amethyst. I think these colors will go nice with the tile that we selected for the floor and shower. We selected a grey marble tile for the shower and a black marble tile for the floor. Sorry no pictures of those.

   I also did a lot of searching for the vanity for the sink top and this is what I liked. I found these at Lowes. These vanities are from the Wyndham collection in espresso. I end up selecting the one on the right as it was made for the two sinks. The one on the left was made for a one sink in the middle.

 The toilet was an easy selection as most look the same. I just wanted one that was easy to keep clean as we have very hard water. I also wanted it to be chair height, up until now I never knew that I could get a potty in chair height. American Standard has this EverClean surface that is suppose to keep the toilet clean. I sure hope it works as our toilets always have hard water stains on them.

    The shower door also took some time to select as my husband and I liked the style of one door and the color of another. We really like the dark bronze look for our shower as we already had a dark bronze shower head from Delta that I tested a while back. We selected this door from Arizona Shower from Lowes as we loved the dark color. The door also has a patterned to it so it will hide those water spots. We selected Lowes for many of items as we will be able to use my son's military discount.

Selecting the lights and mirror was the worst for us as I wanted something unique that I just was not able to find in the stores or online. After several days of searching, I found this light at Wayfair and just love how it looks.

After much searching and compromise with my husband, I selected this mirror from HomeDepot. I wanted oval mirrors but my husband wanted rectangle. I was will to compromise when my husband agreed to this mirror. I just love the sea glass look.

The last item that we have selected so far was a bookcase. The area where the old shower use to be was a perfect spot for some storage. I did not want a closet as I tend to stuff things into them. So I thought that an open book case would help me to be more organized. It was hard finding a book case as the space was too small for my favorite bookcase. I narrowed my selection down to three and let my husband make the selection. He decided with the one in the middle. I think this will be great for towels and baskets with extra items like toilet paper. I will also use vases and jars for storage of items.

 This weekend my husband and I will be painting the walls in a light gray. Then the tile people will do their work. I am hoping by the end of December that we will be able to install all the above items. Then I will have the fun of decorating the bathroom. I will continue to share with you the progress and of course the final pictures when this bathroom is complete. I would love to hear ideas and suggestions on how to decorate and organize the bathroom. Please share pictures or ideas especially ones of how to decorate my bookcase.