anji beane

Enter to Win $50 worth of Crochet Patterns (three winners!) - Share The Love Giveaway Hop Ends 2/14

2012-02-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Share the Love Giveaway Hop hosted by ShePromotes. This event will take place from 9am EST on February 7th and end at approximately 11:59pm EST on February 14th. There are lots of great prizes offered to share the love with you. The prizes are not all love or Valentine's Day themed, we just are simply sharing our love for great products with you! After you are done entering my giveaway you'll want to check out everyone else's AND enter for a chance to win the GRAND PRIZE Kindle Fire sponsored by Tweetalicious! Each blog you stop and enter at will be another entry!

Enter the Grand Prize here!

For this giveaway, I've decided to share my love of crochet by giving THREE readers each a chance to win $50 worth of crochet patterns from Little Nugget Crochet!

I have been crocheting my whole life. I was six when my mom and my grandmother helped me learn, and I've carried yarn and a hook with me throughout the years. I used to sit in the hallway at school and crochet between classes in high school. Yeah, I was/am a dork like that. When I finally had a daughter to crochet cute clothes for, I couldn't find any patterns that I liked. They were all for knit, and I didn't knit, so I started making my own patterns and eventually started selling them in 2003. That was the beginning of Little Nugget Crochet!

Here are a just a few of my favorite and best selling patterns:

Three winners will be chosen randomly from the entries. Each winner will be able to choose $50 worth of their choice of patterns from my shop. Other sellers' patterns are not included. The patterns are in PDF format and will be emailed to you as soon as you choose them, so you can get started as soon as you can get some yarn together!

Enter to win on the Rafflecopter form below! Just sign with Facebook or your email address and follow the instructions for each entry. There are no mandatory entries - do as many or as few as you like, but the more you do, the better chance you have to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to visit the other blogs and enter their giveaways, too! Every one you enter gives you another chance to win the grand prize! Good luck!

My Opinion: Triple Action Purex Laundry Detergent Review

2012-02-01T21:23:00.000-05:00

Here's a little story called Why I Love Purex Laundry Detergent and Will Never Buy Tide Again.

Once upon a time, a few weeks ago, I bought some Tide laundry detergent and totally regretted it.

I'm a stay at home with a teenage boy, a tween fashionista, a one year old learning to feed herself, a husband who works hard, and a blanket-loving chocolate lab. Laundry day is every day in my house, and I need a laundry detergent that leaves my clothes clean, especially on those days when I don't have time to sort the whites from the brights, or from anything else.

I usually use Purex laundry stuff. I absolutely love Purex Crystals fabric softener and if you haven't tried them yet, you totally should. I buy Purex laundry detergent because it works, I love the way it smells, and because I can afford it (It's like half the price of Tide or Gain.)

But a few weeks ago, I had a coupon and a couple extra dollars. I had recently started cloth diapering my little nugget, and in my research I saw a lot of cloth diapering mommas recommending Tide for washing your fluff. I "splurged" and bought some Tide, made especially for high efficiency washing machines like mine.

BIG mistake. My entire washing machine filled with suds and started beeping at me until I unplugged it. I had to run multiple rinse cycles to get all the bubbles gone. When I washed Meadow's diapers, even after rinsing a bunch of times, she ended up with an awful diaper rash. I had to strip all of her diapers. Kind of the opposite of "high efficiency".

And that's exactly when the FedEx guy showed up and made my day.

I received a bottle of Purex Triple Action laundry detergent, in the mountain breeze scent, to use to write my review. This is a new and improved formula from my usual purex detergent, and it's supposed to get your clothes even cleaner than it did before.

As soon as I brought it in the house, I opened it to sniff the cap. When River is shopping with me, the two of us spend way too much time in the laundry aisle opening detergents and sniffing the caps to see which one smells best. This is how I started using Purex in the first place. It won the cap-sniff test. If I'm going to be buried in laundry, I want it to smell awesome.

The mountain breeze Purex smelled so good, I went around the house making everyone sniff the cap. Even the baby, who thought it was a fun game and got it on her nose.

I'm only buying Purex from now on for my regular laundry. I'll never waste my money on Tide again.

Purex is safe for ALL washing machines, high efficiency or otherwise. No special detergent to buy, no special instructions, and no insane suds. I don't understand the whole special detergent for "he" washers thing, either. Why spend extra for special detergent, especially if it sucks and makes your washer go crazy (which totally defeats the purpose of the special detergent anyway?)

Bottom line, Purex's new Triple Action laundry detergent gets my clothes clean and smelling awesome, doesn't make my "he" washer go all wonky, smells completely awesome, and doesn't hurt my baby's butt. All for a price that makes it a total no-brainer.

Purex provided a free sample of their Triple Action laundry detergent so I could write a review. However, all of the opinions expressed here are totally my own. For real.

Book Review: Iris and the Dragonflies by Rosemary Danielis

2012-01-04T00:33:00.000-05:00

If I went missing for a couple of weeks before Christmas, it might have had something to do with my daughter taking over my computer. I was given the opportunity to review the book Iris and the Dragonflies by Rosemary Danielis, and I thought I’d take the chance to get my daughter something new to read. She’s a somewhat advanced reader at 10, so it’s hard for her to find books that are challenging, but still young enough for her.

Iris and the Dragonflies has turned out to be the perfect book for River - and so I lost my computer while she’s been reading it. She still has a couple of chapters left, but Mom’s got to get some kind of work done :)

At 199 pages (in PDF format), Iris is a bit of a challenge for most readers River’s age, but it’s an interesting story that has kept my very finicky reader engaged. She wants to tell me about the story, and that’s the sign of a good book.

Iris is an 11 year old girl who keeps to herself and spends most of her time outdoors enjoying nature. She’s surprised when she finds she can communicate with the dragonflies that always seem to be around. She discovers that she’s been chosen to help the dragonflies, and makes friends and learns about herself on her adventure. It’s very descriptive and imaginative, and that helped draw River into the story, especially on Iris’s trip to Ireland. The detailed way Rosemary Danielis writes is different from the books River usually reads, and it opened her up to the fantasy genre.

What I really love about this story is that even though this is a fantasy book about a girl who talks to dragonflies, Iris is a regular girl and a relatable character. This isn’t set in some other world where it would be harder, I think, for kids to understand. It’s a book about kids just like them, who are dealing with mean kids and where they fit in, especially at that age. Her relationship with her friend Grace reminded River of herself and her friends, even though River is different from Iris in a lot of ways. River is very social and loves school and would seem like Iris’s opposite, but she still really related to the character. There is also a nice nature theme throughout, and learning to be good to the Earth is always important. If kids can do that through a story that they enjoy reading and characters that they care about, that’s the best way to make an impact.

Iris and the Dragonflies is just the beginning of Iris’s journey, too! I won’t tell you what happens at the end of the book, but it definitely leaves off in a way that lets you know the story will continue - and that is awesome! River is really enjoying this story and I know she’s already looking forward to the next installment in Iris’s adventure. This is awesome, because it keeps her excited about reading. And since she got her iPod for Christmas, she’ll be able to download Iris and the Dragonflies to read on the Kindle app!

Please stop by the Iris and the Dragonflies website, too. There is a ton of information on Iris and her story, Ireland and nature, not to mention the graphics are really adorable. I was reading the reviews written by other kids who have read this book and they are really great. It seems to be able to touch a lot of readers. I would love to see it made into movies!

If you want to purchase Iris and the Dragonflies by Rosemary Danielis, a great fantasy story for middle graders and up, you can do so at Amazon.com. The Kindle version is only $0.99! You can also connect the Iris and the Dragonflies facebook page.

(I didn't personally read this entire book. I read the first chapter and the last chapter, and I skimmed over a bit of the rest, but it's hard for me to read on my computer. River, though, has read this book voraciously. She didn't think she'd be interested at first, and it was hard for me to convince her. "Dragons aren't real," in a snotty voice, was her first instinct. She now keeps bugging me to let her finish the book. I totally have to download it for her. I'm very excited about her being interested in a book that's the first of a series, and I hope that the author does keep writing the Iris books and that River keeps being interested in them!)

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T13:19:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

Like usual, I'm a day late. I tend to be that way most of the time. That's one of the things I'm trying to work on.

A few years ago (like 20), I decided my new years resolution would be to make no more new years resolutions. Yeah, I thought I was funny. But, I did keep it. I don't make new years resolutions.

However, a new year, a new morning, a new baby - they're all good reasons to make new goals. And goals are not resolutions. Not really, anyway.

ADHD weighs heavily on me, especially at times like this when my medication is on some sort of crazy nationwide shortage and I'm having to fend not only for myself, but for my family, with half a brain. I've been thinking of goals to work towards without frustrating the hell out of myself, and here are a few of what I've come up with!

1. Patience
I am seriously lacking in this department. Especially with myself. I have no patience for dealing with my issues, and I'm not very nice to myself because of it. One goal I am setting is to try and be more patient with MYSELF, first, and my kids and husband.

2. Let it GO!
I hold onto things. Thoughts, feelings, clutter. I've done better with the physical clutter taking over my house (don't look around, you'll see that I'm clearly delusional). I really want to work on the emotional clutter. For a person who can't remember where I put my coffee, I can certainly retain feelings of frustration like I retain water. I'm talented like that. It's a talent I don't want and I'm working on letting things go. Without the worry of what will happen if I let it go.

3. Be nice to me!
I'm not very nice to myself. When I'm medicated, I tend to feel like I can take on the world. Without my Adderall, I feel like a useless tool. I have a lot of things I like to beat myself up over. And as much as I'm not a fan of Pink or Katy Perry, every time my daughter makes me listen to that "pretty pretty please" song or the "firework" song, I can't help but get teary eyed, thinking of how awful I am to myself. I really want to stop the negative voice in my head and become my own cheerleader. Not that I want to be any sort of cheer leader. I'll take the body of a cheerleader.... the energy.... oh whatever.

4. Stop feeling sorry for me
A lot of things are not where I want them to be right now. But that's okay. I really don't mind. So why do I let it get to me? I'm lonely. I miss my friends. I've been a stay at home mom for 10 years. I was on the verge of freedom with my youngest turning ten. I was about to go back out into the world and I was feeling so positive about this - and I got pregnant. BOOM, shot me right back to where I was about to escape from. Do I mind? No, not really. Why, then, do I lament over this one all the time? Because I miss my friends and I want out of my house. I look at my baby girl and I'm SO grateful I was able to have this last chance at being Mommy. This is not a setback! I need to work on not feeling stuck, and not feeling like the world moved on without me. I'm still me, I'm still here, I just have to find where I fit right now, and catch up to the rest of it later. If it moves on without me, that's okay, I've got to learn to pick up where I left off, jump in and get on with it.

5. Live in the moment
I have a horrible habit of looking ahead. This can be a good thing, I suppose, but with my ADHD and my fear of everything crashing down around me if I mess up (which I'm constantly doing), I tend to get stagnant and end up not doing anything. I get so afraid of what might happen - what if, what if, what if - that I get stuck. And then nothing happens, and I beat myself up for it! I want to live in THIS moment NOW. Enjoying where I am at THIS moment - it used to be one of my strongest abilities. When I got medicated for my issues, I started seeing what could be, and that was a positive thing that motivated me. But now, when I'm out of my meds and not functioning, I'm still looking forward to what could be, and I'm completely overlooking what IS. Looking ahead is great, but not if it's overshadowing the present!

6. You were here! Record it!
I realized last month that I've stopped taking so many pictures. You'd think with the digital cameras, there would be more pictures, but I've taken less! Or I've printed less. I want pictures! Lots of pictures! And I'm going to try and blog more about my life, because that's what we're all here for - to live! I have issues with feeling like I don't exist, because I'm stuck and buried and because life moved on without me. Well screw that - I'm here, I'm going to prove it!

So there you have it. Some of my goals for 2012. These are really my goals for every day. Looking forward to the year ahead, it's going to be crazy! My son will be turning 15, my middle daughter 11, and my baby is going to have her first birthday! We are hoping to either add a bedroom to our too-small mobile home, or find another place to live that we can take the dog, cats and birds. Will it be perfect? Of course not, what is ever perfect? But it's my life and I'm going to live it, dammit!

Uglee Pen Winner!

2011-12-15T17:07:00.001-05:00

Congrats to Tiffany for winning my Uglee Pen Giveaway!
Thanks to all who entered!
More giveaways coming soon!!
:)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wordless Wednesday (Well, Almost Wordless. Meadow Says "Daddy"!)

2011-12-14T14:59:00.001-05:00

Only two weeks left - Hope you're more ready than we are!

2011-12-11T12:27:00.001-05:00

There are two weeks left until Christmas and I'm totally freaking out! I do try not to be such a last-minute-shopper, but I'm totally ADD and, well... yeah...

don't you love my magnet?
got it on etsy

So we still don't have a tree, we've hardly done any shopping, and I still have absolutely no idea what to get for my husband. The decorations are still in boxes in the shed, and I have to buy a new stocking this year because we have a new baby! Well, she's not so new anymore, but she's still new to Christmas :)

At least I have a few things taken care of. I did a small amount of shopping for River last month. My husband ordered one thing on eBay for Stone. Meadow is easy, she has no expectations. My mom is taken care of, and I just ordered a few presents this morning when I closed out my PartyLite show.

Okay - I feel a little bit better now that I'm writing it all out... it looks like I have more done than it feels like I have done. Why do I feel such a panic?

Probably because most people around me are DONE shopping and onto wrapping! It's easy to freak out about not being ready when people who are way more ready than I am are freaking out because they aren't finished wrapping.

I'm sure it's also got something to do with my promise to myself every year that I'll be done Christmas shopping by the first week of December so I can stay inside where it's warm for as much of the month as I can.

But I'm nowhere near done. I'll be running around like a crazy person trying to squeeze all my Christmas shopping into the next two weeks. Starbucks will be happy, they'll be collecting a bunch of money as I'm downing caramel macchiatos. (Does anyone else think it's just unfair to the wallet to put a Starbucks inside of Target?)

Anyone else freaking out?

Blog Moms Needed to Review Cloth Diaper Products - Count me in!

2011-12-08T01:54:00.001-05:00

If you're a blogging mom and you'd like a chance to review cloth diaper products, check out {this post}.

Midnight Mommy is looking for cloth diapering moms in the US to review cloth diaper products on their blogs. If you're interested in signing up for this opportunity, please check out Midnight Mommy's post for more information!

I'm totally signing up. I mentioned before that I recently started cloth diapering with Meadow. Yeah, I know. It's kind of a late start, what with her being my third and last baby, and already 9 months old when I started. But it's only been a few weeks, and if you think of it as how many diapers would have been thrown away in that time (over 100 icky diapers!), it's already making a difference! Maybe I'll be doing a cloth diaper review here in the future! Maybe you will, too!

The Great UgLee Pen - Review & Giveaway! (Rafflecopter)

2011-12-07T23:39:00.001-05:00

The Slice™ Safety Cutter - Not Just For Coupons!

2011-12-07T13:52:00.001-05:00

If you're a couponer, you've probably heard about The Slice™ Safety Cutter. I'm not much of a coupon clipper myself, but I'm a sucker for a cute kitchen item and I LOVE this little guy! Totally handy! And cute, too - doesn't it almost look like a little mouse? Adorable!

As soon as my The Slice™ Safety Cutter arrived, River snatched it up to wrap her friend's birthday present.

The Finger-Friendly™, microscopic ceramic blade stays sharp and never rusts, so it lasts even longer than steel, but it won't cut little fingers! River loved how easy it was to get a straight line. I loved that it didn't hurt my polka dot rug!

This time of year, I can think of a TON of uses for The Slice™ Safety Cutter!

* Let the kids help wrap presents!

* Whip out your trusty Slice™ Christmas morning and all that difficult plastic packaging on the kids' toys - no problem!

* It's perfect for CDs and DVDs, too. Don't fight with the sticky tape holding 'em closed - just Slice™ it!

* Since it's tiny and fits in your purse - and even has a built-in key ring hole, you can use it to clip coupons right at the store!

* Or if you're spending a lot of time in the doctor's office with sick kiddos, use the slice™ to sneak recipes out of the magazines in the waiting room!

* Make scrapbooking all your holiday photos so much easier!

It's also really comfortable to use! A couple of years ago, I almost lost my right index finger in a lovely fight with a table saw. I have a pretty good scar on that finger now, which makes using scissors uncomfortable. No problems at all with the slice™ pushing on my scar. The slice™ is good for left or right handed people, too, so no worry about buying special equipment for lefties!

If you're anything like me and you're thinking "Yeah right - I'd totally lose that little thing!" - think again! It has a built-in magnet! Stick it to the fridge and you'll be able to find it whenever you need it!

Check out The slice™ Safety Cutter to learn more or to purchase one for only $5.99! It would make a great stocking stuffer!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Not My Giveaway: Merry Fluffy Christmas Cloth Diaper Giveaway Event!

2011-12-02T15:18:00.000-05:00

Are you a cloth diapering mommy? I am! Well, I'm getting there. Anyway, if you are, you HAVE to check out this giveaway from A Nation of Moms. A cloth diapering package worth over $400 in prizes! And that's just ONE giveaway - there are more blogs participating! Jump on over by clicking the link below!! Good luck!! I know my fingers are crossed. Well... they will be once I'm done typing...

A Merry Fluffy Christmas CLOTH DIAPER **GIVEAWAY** (Rafflecopter) — A Nation of Moms

'via Blog this'

My decision to cloth diaper - and GreeN MaM-a-JaM-a's Giveaway!

2011-11-23T10:25:00.001-05:00

Glow Bug Cloth Diapers *Review and #Giveaway*2 WINNERS!
Trend Lab Cloth Diapers *Review and #Giveaway* 11/28 US

I never considered cloth diapers with my older two kids. I wish I had! I'd have saved a TON of money cloth diapering two kiddos. Not to mention the thousands of diapers kept out of landfills. I'm all about keeping the environment clean, but for me, it's definitely more about the money - because I'm broke!

Plus, they're so freaking cute!

Meadow is 9 months old and I was starting to think it might be too late. Then I did some calculating. We usually buy Luvs diapers for Meadow, because they're the least expensive brand that doesn't give her a rash. Her skin is pretty sensitive and she tends to get red and bumpy when she comes into contact with any type of chemicals or certain plastics, like Velcro. If Meadow potty trains around her second birthday like her brother and sister - and this is the best case scenario - we'll still be using diapers for at least another 15 months. We go through at least 2 packs of diapers a week at about $7 a pack.

That's over 60 diapers a week that we're throwing away. Nasty!! Not only that, it's right around $900. Nine hundred dollars! In diapers! That we throw away!! GROSS!! And that's the best case scenario! If she potty trains closer to three, and then uses Pull Ups, this number will just about double.

Just to put this into perspective - at this time, I do not have a car. My car is sitting unable to be fixed, so we have been hunting for a good deal on a used car. My budget for a car is about $2000... right around the same amount I'd be throwing away in poopy diapers if I didn't make the decision to switch to cloth.

Now, cloth diapers can be expensive to start. Not $2000 in the trash expensive, but if you're like me, you don't have a lot of money to invest. Right now, GreeN MaM-a JaM-a is having TWO awesome giveaways to help get you started - or just to add to your collection (I can see how cloth diapering can become quite a hobby/obsession). I've been reading her blog a lot during my cloth diaper research the past few weeks, and I'm happy to share these giveaways with you!

To enter - on the super easy Rafflecopter forms - go here:
Trend Lab Cloth Diapers *Review and #Giveaway* 11/28 US
and then go here:
Glow Bug Cloth Diapers *Review and #Giveaway*2 WINNERS!

Good luck!!

Follow Frenzy November!

2011-11-17T23:44:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Follow Frenzy November!

hosted by Formula Mom & Tales from the Nursery!'

Follow Frenzy brings you the chance to win cash or an Amazon gift card each month! This month you can win $150 paid via Paypal or Amazon! It's the winner's choice! Each entry is another chance to win, so check out the Rafflecopter form below and get clicking to visit all of the amazing blogs participating in this event! You will be able to enter until 11:59pm EST on Sunday, November 2oth. At the end of the event, the winner will be drawn and notified via email. The winner will have 48 hours to confirm their win or another winner will be drawn.Please note that you only need to enter on one participating blog. All blogs are using the same Rafflcopter form!

Mmm... Cake Pops!

2011-11-06T01:55:00.001-04:00

I've been seeing cake pops everywhere lately. They sneak up on you when you're in the drive thru at Starbucks, innocently anticipating your caramel macchiato... it really is hard not to give into the temptation. They're so small and cute (and yummy and frosting-covered), the perfect size indulgence to make you feel not-so-guilty.

And now you can give them as a gift, in a cute little mug, without having to cook them yourself. Seriously, who wouldn't love a cup full of these yummy goodies?

Check out Momma Told Me: Tasty Tuesday: Cake Pop Creations Giveaway and Review~ 11/10 and enter to win 2 dozen Cake Pops for yourself, or to give as a gift - or both!

'via Blog this'

Well THAT was worse than expected!

2011-10-31T18:32:00.001-04:00

Woohoo! We have power! It actually came on at about 3:30 this morning, but I've been so tired, I haven't had a chance to turn on the computer until now. I was up all night keeping an eye on the portable, emergency, indoor propane heater the hubby picked up. It was FREEZING last night, there was no way I was turning that sucker off!

We got a ton of snow. Really wet, heavy snow. Some cities near us got 16 inches! I don't think we got THAT much, but it was nuts. It started snowing Saturday afternoon and kept up through the night. Power went out about 3 a.m. No power all day Sunday. Most of the town got theirs back sometime Sunday afternoon. Ours popped on about 3:30 this morning. I was all bundled up, hand on the door knob, ready to go charge my phone in the car, when finally everything started beeping and the lights all came on.

Could've been worse. Glad it wasn't. There are still over 200,000 without power in New Hampshire.

They did postpone Trick or Treat until tonight. (the thought just occurred to me that maybe THAT is why we have Trick or Treat the night before Halloween... in case they need to postpone) River went with Dad and the neighbors next door. Stone went, too, but not in costume, and not to trick or treat, but he did want to walk down the street to Grandma's and Grandpa's and raid their candy bowl. I stayed home with the baby watching Teletubbies and not freezing... jealous, as usual, of the parents who get to take their kids out in warm environments that don't require a winter coat over your costume.

I hate that we had to get this stupid freak storm THIS year. This was the year I was going to be prepared. This was the year I told Frankie, months ago, that as soon as we saw winter boots in the stores, we were buying them. We always wait until it's closer to snow, and they're always sold out, so we have to drive around searching for boots, and the kids always end up not liking what we spent too much money on.

Guess when I noticed the boots in the stores? Just a couple of days ago...

Now what I need is an electric blanket!

Happy Halloween

Say NO to Snow! It's Not Even November!

2011-10-28T04:29:00.002-04:00

What the heck?!? Why is it snowing? I mean, I understand the weather and all that... but it's still October. What's up with the snow? It's that awful wet heavy snow, too. But what's worse is that we are supposed to get more snow Saturday into Sunday. A winter storm warning. In October! Up to six inches possible. New Hampshire winter is cold and unpleasant if you don't partake in freeze-your-ass-off-in-the-snow activities. I don't. I hope nobody expects me to Trick or Treat in this awfulness. I might send a certain 10 year old out with her cousins. I think a certain 8 month old baby girl not going out in the yucky Halloween weather is an excellent excuse to keep Mommy warm and dry. Although, I do feel guilty eating the candy if I don't earn it by walking my monster around the block.

Review: Hate to floss? Try the BrytonPick

2011-10-18T21:47:00.002-04:00

I have another confession to make…

I rarely floss.

I know, I know, I should. I mean to, but I have always, always, hated the way it feels. The strings on my teeth and in my gums - eek! It’s like fingernails on a chalk board to me. And ever since the dreaded table saw incident where I nearly lost a finger, I really don’t like the way it feels wrapped around my finger.

Did you know, ADA statistics show I’m not alone? Only 12% of the population actually flosses regularly after meals. That’s a pretty small amount, and I’m sure there are plenty of reasons why. For one thing, people don’t tend to carry floss around with them and they end up using anything they can find - staples, pen caps… I knew someone who uses the plastic wrap from around his cigarettes - eew! I actually had him in mind when I was asked to review the BrytonPick.

BrytonPick is convenient and small, so it’s easy to carry around. It comes in a little pouch that’s about the size of a credit card, so it’ll fit easily into just about anyone’s wallet. It has a germ-resistant stainless steel cleaning strip, so not only is it reusable, but it’s also recyclable! Bonus!

When I first saw the BrytonPick, I thought it looked like a little boomerang, with a stainless steel strip on either side that you gently slide between your teeth to clean them, in a similar manner as you’d use floss. The packaging says that it normally takes several tries to become accustomed to the “cleaning procedure”, but that wasn’t the case for me.

I found that it was easy to use, and it is a product I would purchase due to the fact that I completely hate dental floss. I was somewhat excited (as excited as one gets over dental products…) that there’s something that people like me, who completely detest dental floss, can use to remove plaque!

Also, I really wish I had this when I had braces as a kid. Flossing was even worse then, with the floss getting stuck on the metal - ick! The BrytonPick would have been an excellent alternative. My ten year old daughter, who does not wear braces and actually loves to floss her teeth, used the BrytonPick also, and her review is this:

"Those things work excellent!"

If you think the BrytonPick is for you or someone you know, you should visit their website: http://www.brytonpick.com/

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Win a Samsung Galaxy Tablet - Ends October 17th

2011-10-15T13:19:00.001-04:00

Want to hear something awesome? Anji Beane has joined together with Randomosity and a whole bunch of awesome bloggers to give you a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy Tablet! Head over here to enter to win! There's a chance at some money, too! What are you waiting for? You'd be crazy not to enter!

Not my giveaway: Win a Madison at Main Accent Rug @ K Squared Glamour

2011-10-07T15:29:00.000-04:00

Madison at Main: Accent Rug Review and GIVEAWAY $30RV (Blogmania11 part of prize package #3) » K Squared Glamour:

'via Blog this'

I know... two giveaways in one day that aren't mine...

Did you know I'm a sucker for zebra print? I'm serious. Like it's getting out of control. I almost bought zebra striped curtains for my living room. I have a tiny living room, it would be INSANE.

My sister likes to forward me giveaways that are in any way zebra stripe related. Last week I won a really cool zebra striped journal because she forwarded me the link. She sent me the link to this one, too... Now I'm sending it to you!

Check it out - you could win a Zebra Stripe Accent Rug!!! Okay... really, you can win your choice. It doesn't have to be zebra stripes. I would totally get the zebra stripes, but if you won, it's up to you...

Either way, click on the link at the top of the page to check out K Squared Glamour's awesomely easy Rafflecopter giveaway! You could win the accent rug, or maybe a revolving shoe tree... I don't know about you, but I want that rug!

:)

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Not my giveaway: Win a $25 Target Gift Card with Kate and Kaboodle's 1000 Fan Celebration!

2011-10-07T15:01:00.001-04:00

Kate and Kaboodle:

'via Blog this'

I just happened across Kate and Kaboodle's blog today for the first time. I haven't had a whole lot of a chance to look around, but I've been LOLing since I entered this giveaway.

Not because $25 to Target is funny. In fact, I could really use $25 to Target (cuz I be broke!).

Check out the giveaway, though. It's a nice easy Rafflecopter giveaway, which rocks, because Rafflecopter rocks... But I want you to check it out because the second entry is hilarious. Really. It's the best "leave a blog post comment" entry I've seen. Go check it out. Go ahead, click on the link up there. I'll wait.

...

See? Friggin hilarious! I love it! If you entered the giveaway, I'd love to know what your comment was. If you didn't, you should. We can all use $25 to Target, right? And if you, for some strange reason, can't use the gift card, you should go enter anyway. You can always send the gift card to me...

Now you can go LOL for the rest of the day over that.

Winner! - Digital Scrapbooking Software Giveaway from MyMemories.com!

2011-10-07T13:12:00.000-04:00

We have a winner! My first winner! Woohoo!

Yup, I'm excited :)

The winner has been emailed and confirmed.

Thank you to all who entered!!! Check out my new giveaway!!!

Review & Giveaway: Purex Crystals Fabric Softener

2011-10-06T17:53:00.000-04:00

I have a confession to make... I like to do laundry.

Before you start thinking I'm one of those neat freak, gotta have everything perfect, can't wear shoes in the house type of moms, please let me assure you that I'm NOT that person. My house is usually pretty messy, and no matter how often I try, everyone still wears their shoes. It's definitely not perfect.

And the laundry does pile up. When I say I like to do laundry, I don't mean I like having to do everyone's laundry.

But I do like to do laundry. It's one of those chores that, even though it seems never-ending, the progress is measurable. You can see the difference instantly. Maybe I just want the credit. I mean, nobody notices when you dust unless you haven't dusted for a long time. Laundry is one of the obvious ones.

Because I'm constantly doing laundry, I like to try new laundry products when they come out. Most of the time, though, it seems I'll try something new and then end up going back to the old favorites.

Not so with Purex Crystals Fabric Softener.

If you haven't tried this awesome product yet - you really should. I can't imagine going back to liquid fabric softener. Ever.

First of all, unlike liquid fabric softener, Purex Crystals can be SAFELY used on children's sleepwear without reducing their flame resistance! THAT rocks!! Plus, they're 92% natural. Now, I don't know what the other 8% is or how natural liquid fabric softener is, but whatever - 92% is "mostly" and that's a good thing!

Secondly, they go in at the beginning of the wash, WITH the clothes. I have a pretty cool front loader with a little dispenser and a special place for fabric softener, so I did finally get out of the habit of forgetting the fabric softener. However, when I use the dispenser, there's always a pool of fabric softener water left in there until the next load. I don't like this, and it can get cakey and gross, so I'm constantly having to empty it out. I don't have this problem with the Purex Crystals! You just put them in the washer with the clothes. They don't stain your clothes or leave greasy spots like liquid can, either, so that's a total bonus!

Third, and most importantly - they are safe for high efficiency washers! I have a pretty cool washing machine, but I've found that quite a few products still aren't safe for "he" washers! Not cool, considering how long the "he" washers have been around. I don't want any nasty build-up ruining my awesome washing machine. No worries with these!!

Purex Crystals Fabric Softener comes in three scents: Lavender Blossom, Tropical Splash, or my favorite, Fresh Spring Waters and can be purchased in either 28 oz. or 55 oz. sizes.

You can visit the Purex website here. You can also find them (and print a coupon!) on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and watch Purex videos on YouTube!

And because I love this product so much, I'm going to give YOU a chance to love it, too! One lucky reader will win a 28 oz. bottle of Purex Crystals Fresh Spring Waters! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below!

This review and giveaway are not endorsed in any way by Purex or any other company. I'll be picking up the fabric softener myself and mailing it to the lucky winner myself, as well. Or I'll have the hubby do it. Either way, Purex is in no way affiliated with this post.

Before I go - I want to tell you a couple more uses I found for Purex Crystals. I recently purchased an area rug and, upon opening it, decided I wasn't a fan of the not-so-lovely "new rug smell". So I poured some Purex Crystals on the rug, let them sit for a little bit, and vacuumed them up. The scent isn't so noticeable on the rug, but now every time I vacuum, it smells awesome in here!

Also - the dresser my husband and I share has a wood smell to it. No matter how pretty my clothes smell before I put them in the drawers, whenever I take them out, they smell like the inside of the dresser. So I made some little drawer sachets! I used some baby socks that my daughter outgrew, poured in some Purex Crystals, and secured the tops with rubber bands. My dresser and all my clothes smell AWESOME!!

Wordless Wednesday: Big Brother, Baby Sister

2011-10-05T13:23:00.001-04:00

Not my giveaway: The Ethertons - Mohawk Home Rug Review and Giveaway

2011-10-05T00:14:00.000-04:00

The Ethertons: Mohawk Home Rug Review and Giveaway:

'via Blog this'

This is a pretty amazing giveaway! You can win the area rug of your choice up to $400! I recently purchased an area rug for around $40 so that Meadow can have a place to learn to crawl without slipping around on our bamboo floors. It's a nice enough rug and all, but one of these would be NICE!

Check out The Ethertons: Mohawk Home Rug Review and Giveaway and enter to win! I did! A nice, easy Rafflecopter giveaway!

Digital Scrapbooking Software Giveaway from MyMemories.com!

2011-09-29T19:32:00.001-04:00

Did I mention I was having a giveaway?

"Woohoo! I love giveaways!"

(that's your part)

I don't really do any digital scrapbooking, but I use digital scrapbooking software all the time when I'm editing pictures and pages for my crochet patterns. So I was excited when I was contacted to do my first giveaway for something I already like and am familiar with.

This scrapbook software was quick and easy to install, and not complicated at all to use. There are so many things you can do with the My Memories Suite, I've been playing around with it for days and I've only begun to explore all of the features. There are pre-made templates for scrapbook albums - all you have to do is click and insert pictures and text! You can also design your own, using the free backgrounds and page elements that come with the software, or download more from the MyMemories.com website! There are lots of freebies, too! These are a couple of my favorites:

And here are a couple of examples of what I was able to create VERY quickly:

But it's not just for digital scrapbooking. With My Memories Suite, you can make video projects, calendars, photobooks, cards, calendars and gifts - you name it! I have quite a few ideas of how I can use it to improve my crochet pattern shop, too (galleries and stuff - I'm pretty excited about this!)

Buy it: Enter code STMMMS32896 at checkout to save $10 off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software AND a receive $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store - a $20 value!

Or win it: My Memory Suites is offering one reader to receive this $40 software for FREE!! Just fill out the Rafflecopter form below! Click on the link to find out what the task is, do what it says (I'm going to check!), and then click on "I did this!" and POOF, you're done, just like that! There are lots of optional entries after the first two, which are mandatory. Good luck!

Not my giveaway: Juppy Baby Walker Review & Giveaway @ Peace Love and Poop

2011-09-29T13:03:00.000-04:00

Meadow is my last baby - and she is my first baby in ten years. There are so many awesome products out there for babies that weren't there when Stone and River were this age.

Yes, I did name my children Stone, River and Meadow. It wasn't done on purpose. River was going to be Raven and we changed it at the last month. I didn't realize what I had done until I was watching the school cancellations the morning after she was born and I saw that there was a town called Stoneyriver. By the time we were pregnant with Meadow, I had fallen in love with the name. I would have used it whether it "fit the theme" or not. So yeah, individually my kids have wicked cool names. When said together, their parents sound like idiots. I really don't go for the whole theme name thing, and yet I fell into the trap myself. Anyway...

One of those cool baby products that weren't around the last time I had babies is the Juppy Baby Walker. I don't know about your baby, but Meadow just turned 7 months and ALL she wants to do is stand and try to walk. Her balance could be better - she's pretty wobbly - but she smiles and laughs and screams her happy screams (she's crazy) whenever she's holding onto your hands and practicing being upright. This would totally be better than walking around bent over for the next four months!

I want to win this prize! Look at this picture from Peace Love & Poop!

Click here to read Peace Love & Poop's review & enter to win the Juppy Baby Walker!

Not My Giveaways

2011-09-29T11:26:00.001-04:00

As you may know, I love giveaways. Who doesn't, right? My sister started winning books, we both went a little blog hop and follow crazy, and here we are... Anyway, I don't have a whole lot of posts and I only have the one totally awesome (!) giveaway set up so far (which is going to start tomorrow! stay tuned!), so I decided that when I come across a giveaway that I like from another blog, I'll share it with you.

Isn't that nice of me? Okay, it wasn't completely my idea. See, it keeps popping up on Rafflecopter forms - "blog about this giveaway for extra entries". Then again, if you enter because I blogged about it, those extra entries won't really count as extra if you're throwing even more entries into the mix... but whatever, I like to share! And I don't have a whole lot of posts (did I say that already? I think I did...), so it will get me into the habit of writing. So I'm going to share.

And I'm going to get a grilled cheese. That sounds yummy on a rainy fall morning.

Big Awesome Changes

2011-09-27T13:37:00.000-04:00

Have you been wondering what changes are coming? I've been wondering how to tell you about them, and if I should wait until everything is completely finished, or if I should give a little heads-up/sneak-peek type of a post. As I wondered, I thought about who was reading this and what brought them here.

So...? Do you follow my blog because you're interested in my crochet patterns and you want to be kept in the loop, in case I ever come out with a new pattern? (I promise I will). Are you here because I tweeted about a giveaway I entered and you followed me here? (Awesome)! Are you wondering what this blog is about? Crochet patterns, books, giveaways... how do they all fit together? It's all a little bit of chaos, I think. I need a bit more organization...

And that is why I am happy to announce:

Big Awesome Change #1

Anji Beane Crochet patterns has a new home! Come check out Little Nugget - Crochet Patterns by Anji Beane!

I know what you're thinking. "Oh what the heck!? I just figured out how to spell your name after calling you Angi Bean for the past two years. Why now? Why 'Little Nugget'? What does it all mean?"

First - if you're really thinking that, welcome to my world. Fun here, no?

Second - the spelling thing really, actually is an issue. I'm usually Angie, Angi, or Anjie Bean. You won't find my patterns searching those names. You will, however, find all of my patterns - old and new - here! Know what's great about that? These are instant downloads powered by ravelry, so you don't have to wait for an email from me! Just download the PDF file upon payment!

Third - Little Nugget just sounds cute, dammit! It's what I've been calling Meadow since she was born, and besides, it makes for a cute tagline - "make something cute for your little nugget!"

So if you're here to stay updated on my crochet patterns and projects, please follow me over to Little Nugget Crochet! I'm still working on getting all of the patterns and features and things like that loaded, but it will be fully up and running soon and then I'll have a grand opening! Yay!

Big Awesome Change #2

You've heard me mention the giveaways I've been entering, no?

Well, I have.

I've been hopping around visiting a lot of blogs since I started following my sister around entering giveaways, and I like what I see! I love reading the product reviews and craft projects and - well, basically I just like reading about what people are doing and what people are thinking, and there are SO many great blogs out there. I also really love entering giveaways. I think it would be a lot of fun to do some product reviews and giveaways of my own, so...

Look for my first review and GIVEAWAY coming very soon!!! I'm super excited about it!!

I'll be completely changing the look of the blog, too. Fun stuff!!

Big Awesome Change #3

Now, I doubt you're here because you're wondering what book I'm reading, but if you are, you'll be happy to know that I... will tell you all about it after the break!

Yeah, that was really lame. Even for me.

Anyway, the most fun, totally awesome change of all - I'm starting a book blog with my sister, Tiffany! Come visit us at Book Cover Justice, where we'll be judging books by their covers and more! We launch on October 1st, and we will be having book reviews weekly, if not more often, and will be doing giveaways and having all kinds of booky fun! I'm SO looking forward to it.

Thank you all so much for reading and following my blog and supporting my crochet pattern business! I hope that you continue to follow me on one or all of my new ventures! I'm really thrilled about all of them!

Big Changes Coming Soon!!!

2011-08-17T14:05:00.000-04:00

As most of you know, my Etsy shop was closed. After a bit of confusion, I’ve got that straightened out, however, I will not be reopening Anji Beane Crochet. I am coming back, though!

I started Anji Beane Crochet when I was part of a design group on eBay, taking custom orders. I discovered rather slowly that crocheting for others wasn‘t a lot of fun for me, and eventually realized that what I really love is designing patterns for others to make. However, I never changed my business name, logos or anything to reflect that. Then my family moved, and shortly after the move, I became pregnant and had my sweet baby girl.

Now that I’ve had some time to adjust, I’m ready to get back into business. I wanted a new look, and I wanted a way for my customers to know what to expect from me. I still get a lot of requests for custom orders, and I get a lot of requests for adult sizes. These are not things I currently offer, and, at least as of right now, I don’t plan to in the future. I also know that a lot of people misspell my name, Anji Beane. I want something cute, easy to remember, easy to spell, and relevant.

I will be launching my new Etsy Store, ArtFire Store, Facebook Page, and Blog, with my new business name, new designs, a new look, and a big giveaway! It’s going to take a bit of time to get all of this ready, but I’m so excited to get to work! I hope that you - my lovely customers - will join me when I return! I can’t wait to announce it all!

Thank you so much for being a part of my business!

Why do I use yarn I know I don't like?

2011-05-10T12:45:00.000-04:00

I do it all the time. I know I don't like Red Heart Super Saver yarn. I don't know what it's good for, maybe blankets and crafts, but definitely not for clothes, especially for a baby. Yet I go to Walmart, where their yarn selection is crappy at best, and I buy it because the color is better than whatever other yarn they have (which is mostly Simply Soft, some super bulky Lion Brand, and baby yarn, which tends only to come in ugly colors).

I wish JoAnne Fabric was closer to my house. I wouldn't have such a collection of crappy yarn sitting in the trunk of my car. But anyway...

So I spent a couple of days working on another of the little dress from the previous post, using the denim colored Red Heart crap because I ran out of the khaki and wanted something darker. It LOOKS cute, but it's rough and stiff and came out so much bigger than it was supposed to!

So I started over with Lion Brand Cotton Ease. Love this yarn!! I'm surprised that this is the first time I've used it! I will definitely be using it quite a bit more in the future. It's not as expensive as I thought it was - they seem to be able to cram a lot of yarn in this small skein! This color is Seaspray, a very pretty aqua color, and I'm using Simply Soft in Ocean for the contrast color.

I picked up some Cotton Ease in the charcoal color, too, but I'm not sure what I'll pair it with yet. Since I don't trust my math and am actually making this dress in every size, I wanted to have some different cute colors for Meadow to wear as she grows into each size.

Now what do I do with the completed Red Heart dress?? Maybe it'll look better/feel softer if I run it through the wash a few times with fabric softener :)

What I'm doing when I'm supposed to be crocheting...

2011-04-14T11:14:00.000-04:00

I'm supposed to be crocheting. I'm supposed to be editing patterns and getting them ready to list. I'm supposed to be cleaning my house. I'm supposed to be doing *something*.

I'm not.

I'm sitting here entering contests on the internet. For what? Nothing that has to do with anything I *should* be doing.

The shame!

It started with books. My sister wins books like nobody's business. For real. She has entire book shelves dedicated to books that she's won on the internet. She wins so many freaking books, she started winning them for me. I had to start reading faster because of the guilt I feel over books that have been won and not yet read.

She wins so many books, I figured I should start entering to win books myself. What the heck was I thinking? Do you know what I've been doing for two days straight? Entering stupid contests! For things like spaghetti sauce! Why not? If she can win tons of books, I can win a year's worth of spaghetti sauce, right? Who cares if I have to sit for an hour and click on people's twitter links, right?

My house is a mess and I have a dress sitting next to me half-crocheted. I NEED to finish it, it's supposed to be sent out to be modeled for publication! I have a 7 week old baby... if I'm to finish this dress in time, I NEED to work while she's sleeping... which would be like NOW.

So what the heck am I doing?

I clearly have a problem.