Joel Parkinson becomes World Surfing Champion

Yesterday, at the Pipeline Masters surf competition we saw Joel Parkinson become the 2012 World Surfing Champion when Kelly Slater got eliminated from the Pipeline Masters. We were watching Kelly Slater out in the water when all the people on the beach started turning around looking up at a house and cheering. It was the house Joel Parkinson was staying in and he was out on the balcony. You can see what followed in this clip.

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Ribbon Wreath

How to make a ribbon wreath. 

For a while I have been wanting to try my hand at making a ribbon wreath. I saw so many cute ones on Pinterest.  I could not find a tutorial on how to make one, but eventually figured it out. This is the one I made to hang on the outside of my daughter's bedroom door. This wreath was my very first try and I am thrilled with how it turned out. Ribbon wreaths are a piece of cake to make.


How to Make A Ribbon Wreath
 To make a ribbon wreath you will need a wire wreath and some ribbon. Cut your ribbon into 6 in pieces. Take the pieces and tie them all around the wire. You can see from the second photo that you have to tie a lot of ribbon on it to make it look full. If you don't want to use that much ribbon, you could use some fabric. Just cut the fabric into 1in/6in pieces and tie sporadically around the wire wreath to help fill in space.

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Mint Chocolate Chip Oreo Brownie Ice Cream Cake

A while back I bought an ice cream cake from Cold Stone and was a little taken back by the price. I wondered if I could make one. I wasn't sure how hard it would be. After searching Pinterest I realized how easy they are to make. They are way cheaper to make then they are to buy.

Mint Chocolate Chip Oreo Brownie Ice Cream Cake

1 package brownie mix (get whatever kind you like best)
1 carton mint chocolate chip ice cream
1 package mint Oreos
1 package regular Oreos
1 jar hot fudge

Bake the brownie mix according to it's directions in a 9x13 pan. Make sure not to over cook the brownies. You want the brownie to be soft enough it will hold the Oreo mint cookies you press into it all along the sides of the pan. Once your brownie base has cooled enough add the cookies all along the side. The add an ice cream layer on top of the brownie base.

Next crush up some regular Oreos and sprinkle them across the ice cream. I tried to use the mint ones, but they do not crumble up well.
Next pour the hot fudge over the crumbled cookies and ice cream layer. Spread around the hot fudge.
Finally add another layer of ice cream and top it with some more crushed Oreos. Put it in the freezer until your ready to eat it.

I forgot to take a picture of the finished cake and it didn't last long once I got it out of the freezer. The kids gobbled it up in no time!

Until We Hug Again Recordable Bear review

 Going through constant military tdy's and deployments the last few years has really taken a toll on my youngest child. So, I've been trying to come up with ways to make the constant separations more bearable (no pun intended) and that's why I am so in love with this bear from Hallmark right now! It's the Hallmark - Until We Hug Again Recordable Bear. My husband was able to record a special 30 second message for our youngest boy. Every time our son hugs the bear the message plays. My son has carried this bear around with him everywhere and played that message a hundred times. It has helped so much I had to share it on my blog.

I recently saw a $10 off coupon for the bear or bunny in Better Homes and Garden. Also, Hallmark offers a 10% military discount on Tuesdays! 

The opinions expressed above are 100% my own. I bought one of these bears on my own. Hallmark gave me no product to review, nor did they ask for a review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” articles

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