Lookit! Lookit!

Last week I received my item from CSN an boy was I happy! Shipping was quick and everything looked good. What did I get? This is what I ordered from them and I am so happy you have no idea!

These are teacups from Johnson and Brothers in the Willow pattern. Years ago, my parents gave me 2 serving pieces for my husband and I. It was so pretty but so expensive to buy more sets of dishes.

Fast foward a few years later and I see my pattern at Marshalls. Whoa! I bought 6 of everything except they didn't have the teacups for sale, only the mugs. Rats! Oh well, I thought, at least I have the plates and bowls. When I was offerered to review a product from CSN and I notice they had my pattern, I went ahead and got the missing teacups. Now I have a complete set for 8 and couldn't be any happier.

The teacups came well protected and in perfect shape. I have to say I was a bit nervous having dishes delievered but was pleasently surprised that it came intact. You can feel confortable that your fragile items will come safely to your home.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to make dinner and will serve it on my Willow dishes.

A Bientot!

Another review.

I was contacted to by CSN once again and this time I am going to do a review on a product on their website. Being a Preferred Blogger is pretty fun! Many of you know CSN and know that you can buy almost everything there. Well you can't buy a car or house but you can get things for your car or home. They have over 200 sites that will cater to your shopping needs.

I was thinking of reviewing something for my kitchen. A set of dishes? Maybe from Corelle? This looks pretty.

Or maybe a blender? Hmmm.

I will let you know once I decide and receive the item in question. I have to say, I love shopping at CSN. Easy and shipping was always fast. Stay tuned!

A Bientot!

Farmer's Market in the morning.

Nothing like getting fresh produce and some beautiful flowers to make your day! Don't forget to enter my giveaway. It will end tonight at 9pm PST.

A Bientot!

Giveaway! Giveaway! Giveaway!

*****The giveaway is closed.*****

Can you guess I am having a giveaway? lol The nice people at CSN emailed me once again and asked me if I would like working with them again. I said yes of course! This time, I opted to give you guys a chance in winning a $50 gift certificate to buy whatever you guys want! And a lot of their items are free shipping! Shooooopinnnng time! 

What can you buy? Well lets see. Perhaps you would like a chandelier for your dining room? Heck why not a dining room sets? Ok, ok. You probably can't buy a dining room set for $50 BUT you may find a cute light fixture for the room? Or a nice print? I know you will find something that will make you go "I want that!".

Ok, the rules now. For US or Canadian readers (sorry my none North American readers). For a chance to win, follow me or if you are already a follower, let me know. For second entry, Facebook or Twitter about my giveaway with the link showing me you posted about it. It's that simple! The giveaway will end on Sunday, July 11th, 2010 at 9pm PST. I will announce the winner on Monday the 12th.

Now come on and win THAT gift certificate!

Bonne Chance!

CSN

Remember when I said I was contacted by CSN to review a product from their store? Well I got it this week! What did I get?? A dog bed for my Sandy. Hers was getting very old and she needed a new one. It was the perfect time to get her a bed and review CSN many websites.

The first order that I made, the color was not as I expected. It is of no fault to CSN but the color sample of burgundy on the website is more like a purple color than burgundy. I went ahead and returned the bed and was able to order the same bed but in red. Customer service was quick and very nice. No problem in returning the item but had to eat a small delievery fee for returning it.  I understood that before ordering the product and it was a small amount so no biggie.

Did I get the correct color? Yup! It was red and it looked cute too! I ordered a large size bed for her since she's not a petite dog.

My son wanted to try the bed out first and he said it was comfy.  Sandy will be happy then!

Here she is laying in her bed with her favorite blanket. She's happy and so am I!

I prefer online shopping and I will add CSN into my favorites online store list. Many of their items offer free shipping so you probably won't have to worry about shipping cost. Their customer service were very polite and efficient so it's good to know customer service is still alive in these days. Go and check them out and see if there's anything you need or want!

A Bientot!

Did someone say review???

I got contacted this week about doing a product review for CSN stores. I don't know about you but I love online shopping! In my PJs, no driving, no lines and momma is a happy woman! CSN has over 200 online stores! Whether you need kitchen knives, a sofa for your family room or some cute heels for a date, CSN stores got you covered! They also ship to Canada my Canadian friends!

I know you are curious now. Go and check them out. Once I receive the product, I will post my experience with them and reveal what I got. Bon magasinnage!

A Bientot!

Williams Sonoma Gingerbread home.

Hurry! Williams Sonoma is having a clearance sale for their holiday items. Love their Gingerbread homes? Well it's on sale for $4.99 now! It's normally $19.95 so for less than $5, you could get one. Call the store and see if they have some or just order it online like I did. I also bought other things but that's not important. lol This is one way that I save money for upcoming holidays by planning ahead of time. Go go go!

Happy Shopping!

Brrr!

It's windy in Nor Cal today. The sun is shining but it's a "soleil menteur" because it is not warm outside. As a child, whenever I saw sunny days in Montreal, I had to open the door and feel the air. Sometimes it would feel nice and sometimes I would shut the door as quickly as possible. Today it's the latter one here.

So what do I do when it's too windy and chilly outside? Well I bake and shop. I am making cookies to give to my father in law and leave some for his clubhouse's friends. His clubhouse is great since they buy cookies and coffee for the older tenants but I'm sure homemade is always a treat.

Oh, I did say shop, right? My hubby and I always disagree when it comes to warming up the house. He is warm blooded while I am always cold. I say the culprit is my skinny arms. There's no fat on them. Now my thighs are ALWAYS warm. soupir Now I think I found a way to make him happy in lowering the thermostat and me happy in not feeling cold. I just ordered some sweaters but look at one item that I can wait to get.

Doesn't that look warm and toasty? I think it looks better than a snuggie and is casual enough for lounging around the house or volunteering at my daughter's classroom. I got the black one since the grey was sold out in my size. Rats!

Now here's my question for you guys. What temperature do you set your thermostat to? I set mine at 73-72 during the day and 71 at night (my kids move when sleeping so their conforters are halways on the floor). Share and I'll tell my husband what you guys say, whether it's on his side or mine.

Happy Holidays!

I am done!

Thanks to a tall pumpkin spice latte and no kids, I was able to do some Christmas shopping. I got everyone gifts so I am done with my shopping. Took me just over 4 hours but I did it. I got some comments on holding all these bags while at the mall but I just smiled and kept on shopping. Sure I could of made a pit stop to my car then run back in but it was raining. No thank you.

Now I am going to sit and sip some coffee while I nurse my head. Ugh! Hate sinus headaches!

Happy Holidays!

My first Christmas package. Mon premier paquet de Noel.

I ordered for my son a few days ago one of his Christmas presents. I am not sure if this is from "Santa" or from us. I'll see once I get his second gift.

As more electronic gadgets are being pushed as the perfect holiday gift, I'm trying to stay away from those for my children. This toy does not require batteries nor does it make noise. It's made out of wood! All you need is your imagination and my children has plenty of that! lol It's pretty heavy too so poor Fedex guy had to carried it to my front door.

He was rewarded with a small token of my appreciation for the next couple of weeks of lifting packages. My friend Suzanne gave me that idea and I thought it was a nice way to say thank you for those who will be working non stop this season. Inside holds a piece of either truffles, tobblerone and hard candy. They may not have time to get a snack so this might tide them over.

I am now off to sip my coffee and finish my Christmas cards!

Happy Holidays!

Miche Bags

I love to change my purses through out the seasons. Do you? I had my "summer" purse then quickly bought a "fall" purse at Target. Unfortunately, the straps got worned real quickly. Argh! Now I had to use my small red Kate Spade bag. Enough for my wallet, keys and sunglasses. Stuffing it with wipes and tissues was an issue. Huh, it rhymed. Enter my friend. She sells handbags that are interchangeable. How? Let me show you.

Welcome to the world of Miche Bags. One bag with many different shells and handles to choose from. She gave me a bag and I chose which basic bag I wanted and shell I liked. To view her website, enter michebag as a username and west as a password. They also sell bigger bigger bags for those of you that prefer big bags. It's actually perfect for moms that have babies. This bag can hold diapers, change of clothing, bottles, small toys plus whatever you need. Forget about the "baby-ish" diaper bag! Get a stylish bag without the designer price tag!

Here's what a regular Miche Bag looks like. My basic bag is black and my shell is called Ellie in red. It's red and shiny. Love it!

Here's the bag on top of the shell...

...snap! it's attached to the bag. I've had it for over almost 2 weeks and it's great. Flap never opened up and I like that there are tiny feet at the bottom of my shell. Saves the material from getting dirty and worn out quickly.

The inside already has some organization compartments but you can also buy a purse organizer for the inside if you wish.

I know I will be wanting a new shell for later one just to mix things up. Go look and see if there's anything you might be interested in. My friend's name is Karen and she is a bubbly person. You can also email me at michebagwest@gmail.com.

Now what purse woman doesn't like to have different purses? With this one, you won't need to dump your items from one bag to another. Just change the shell! Voila! Have fun window shopping!

A Bientot!

Ahhh children brings so much into our lives!

As a mom, you discover that kids come with many needs: food, shelter, play time, etc. They also bring many things into our lives: love, joy, laughter,......trash! lol Snack wrappers, tissues, mulch from the park, etc. They are a bit messy and if one of them is a boy, you'll be getting surprises like rocks and sticks too.

I don't understand why cars don't have a compartment just for trash. In my old Honda, I used the ashtray compartment as my trash receptacle for tissues and little wrappers. Now my Mazda does not have an ashtray compartment (probably since smokers are disappearing) so I had to use one of the cup holder to hold trash. Not the best situation nor is it appealing to look at.

I was monitor shopping on Etsy and saw a trash bag for cars. Bingo! Now there are many sellers our there but I chose Nstitches4u. She has many bags with different fabric style and she also sends you a roll of biodegradable bags. She also sells other things but I just needed the trash bag. I will look at her products on another day.

The inside without the plastic bag.

With the bag in.

There! Now I have a place to put my kids trash and any paper that I do not need. It almost touches the floor so I can actually put empty juice or milk containers. Extra bonus!

A Bientot!

Newest addition to our family.

Today, hubby and I went to Carmax to find me a new "used" car. I saw some online that looked promising and decided to test drive them. One thing I have learned years ago is that SUVs are not made for short people. It's a pain to climb into one. I liked my CR-V because it was not very high and was perfect for a pregnant woman. lol

This time I decided on a low SUV with a third rear seat but there are not too many out there. Most are high but the Honda Pilot and Mazda CX-9 are decent. I decided on the Mazda because it was much lower in height and the price was decent. I don't care for extras like moonroof, navig., leather, etc. Just a car to drive in with space. I can't tell you how nice it it to get into a car without having to "climb" in. sigh

Here we are looking at it for the first time. See how low it is compared to other SUVs? Perfect!

And here it is on our driveway. The one bad thing? It takes the whole lenght of our garage! lol This one is going to be with us for the next 9-10 years. Two cars in a year is too much for me.

A Bientot!

Alas...

Photo from Croixrouge,Canada

...my car went to Heaven. It would cost us over $2K to fix it (they are still checking it out!) and they may have some engine damage because of a broken cam shaft?? It looks like this weekend we are going car shopping since living in Sacramento, you need a car. The public transportation here sucks. We don't even have a bus stopping where I live so I'll have to walk a few miles to the nearest bus stop.

I'm sad that I will be saying goodbye to my car since that's the car I brought both kids home from the hospital, help us transports hard supplies to our first home, gardening items, plants, etc. My daughter is really happy since she thought my car was old (anything over a week is old to her. She's 6. ). I hope I find one this Saturday for not much. One thing for sure, it will be a used car since we don't buy new. Let someone else take the hit the first year of a new car. Not us.

Off to search for our next family car.

A Bientot!

Car problems in DG's life.

Image from http://romanmarketinggroup.com/Mapresources/Images/Pictures/

Soupir. After I went to pick up my son, my car started to make this weird rattling noise. I called Hubby and he came home to check on it. It may be the alternator but we are not sure. He drove my car to the garage but never made it. The stearing wheel wouldn't turn so a tow truck was called. My car is 10 years old and beside the check engine light from months ago (turns out a new gas cap was all it needed), I am annoyed it's now giving me problems in its senior years. lol Lets hope it's nothing too expensive. We are planning on getting a new "used" car in 2 years for moi so this baby has to last until then! How old are your cars? Have you ever had a car just die on you? Please send "cheap car repair" vibes towards me. hihihi

A Bientot!

Free Princess DVD from Fisher Price.

Thanks to My Litter of Six post, I was able to order a free Precious Places DVD from Fisher Price. It's all about Princesses and dressing up. Didn't have to pay for shipping either. Like she said, this would be a good stocking stuffer, a treat for your little one or maybe a reward for potty training little girls? Either way, it's free so that's good, right? Right!

A Bientot!

Lunch box for dogs.

As I was shopping in my favorite pet store, I saw this on a display.

Since it has the flavors Sandy likes, I decided to get it. I also got 2 cans of the Wingalings that she loves to eat. The box looks cute just standing on my counter. lol I'll keep the box in case I decided to make something in the future. *clin-d'oeil*

A Bientot!

It's calling me!

I went to pick up the mail and what was inside? Costume Express catalog. Ugh! It's chuck full of Halloween costumes and it makes me want a baby just to dress it up. lol How cute is this?

I usually buy my children's costumes online and on time. I guess I better ask my children what they want to be for Halloween. Maybe this year I will get dressed up. hihihi

It's not a Domestic Goddess but close enough!Well this is probably more appropriate since sometimes I think I'm the maid here...and I speak French. lol It wouldn't look too "hootchie" on me since I am short. hihihi

Are you guys going disguised on Halloween night if you celebrate it?

A Bientot!

Boo!

Yesterday was the first time that I had no kids with me until 1pm. I didn't know what to do?! lol So I decided to do some errands.Yes, boring but had to be done. Oh and wash the floors but that's not exciting.

I did stop at my favorite little shop in Old Fair Oaks after my errands. I wanted to see what they had for Fall but it looked like they had more Halloween items. Oh dear Lord! My second favorite holiday! I have a lot of Halloween decorations but some things in that shop just caught my eye.

I've been waiting for them to sell their little blacks stands and I finally scored one...with a black, glittered skull! lol Of course I had to get 2 glittered pumpkins but my real beauty???

This white glittered pumpkin! Isn't it cute? I will use it to put some of my candy on Halloween but until then, I am thinking of putting black silk flowers in it. Cute, right? I wasn't sure if I should get it but I heard the ladies at front saying they only had 2 left. Had to get one! lol

Am I nuts in buying these Halloween stuff in August?! I think I am but I can't wait for my children to see our home decorated for Halloween. I have an idea on how to decorate my front yard this year. It will be different but cute. Not scary. I don't do scary.

Have you bought things for Halloween already? Or are you just waiting for Halloween to come? I am!

A Bientot!

Natural soda?

A few months ago, I posted about Coke made from sugar. Unfortunately, you can only buy it at specialty stores and in small bottles. I would buy it more often if it came in a bigger size but alas, it does not.

Now I discovered that Pepsi has a "sugar" cola too. I've had it before and decided to post about it in case there are others like myself that are trying to rid as many chemicals from their food.

I would like you to meet Pepsi Natural. Pepsi Natural, I would like you to meet my readers. There, now that formalities are out of the way, lets talk about taste. Now, I am a Coca-Cola person. Always was and always will be. This Pepsi product does that better than regular Pepsi. Less sweet. And the ingredients are pretty easy to pronounce so that's a plus!

Too bad it only comes in small bottles. Why don't they make soda from real sugar or at least sugar and not a chemical product after playing with real sugar? I'm sure people would prefer sugar over artificial sweeteners.

Either way, this product is more accessible than my Mexican Coke so it'll be in my fridge more often than my favorite Coke. Soupir. So if you are a Pepsi person, you may like to try out this soda. If you have already, what do you think? Better? Worse? Same?

A Bientot!