Wall Charges and Sugar

Yes I realize the title of this post is odd and not at all related, but I am keeping it real.  I am thankful our contractor and his team are moving at amazing speed, but I wasn't expecting to spend all last week selecting finishes!  I am pleased to report selections have been made, the painters are prepping and floors go in next week!

I wouldn't be me if I didn't have a major home project going on, in an election year, during the Grove's holiday season!  Let's just say my iPhone has been working overtime!  I ordered the iPhone 5, it arrived and is still sitting in the box on the shelf above my desk because I haven't had a moment to unpack it and I am really going to miss all of my current iPhone accessories!  My absolute favorite is my wall charger.  I HATE cords, and yes I do know that HATE is a strong word.  I also spend a lot of time sitting on the floor surrounded by cello and ribbon this time of year.  The good news is that there is an outlet right next to me and you can usually find my iPhone sitting in one of these chargers.  I LOVE them!  Mr. G thought I was nuts when I purchased one for $30, and within a week I had to purchase another one because he kept "borrowing" mine!  I would pay another $30 for one if it fit the iPhone 5, but not yet.  While it won't fit the 5 just yet, I am happy to tell you that you can get my exact same wall charger for $9 right HERE.  I confess to being a gadget nut, but considering I use this every single day I consider it a NEEDED gadget.

This past weekend was a blur of soccer, swimming, a Crossfit fundraiser for a great guy that I will blog about tomorrow, orders and Mini K's favorite Halloween past time:  BOO'ing people!

Each year we make monster bark, that healthy snack of white chocolate, candy corn, crushed Oreos, sprinkles and an occasional pretzel!  We also make another treat to go along with it.  Mini K wanted to make coal bars this year, but call them Dracula bites since Dracula is also black and more Halloweeny. (She made up that word, can you tell?)

What is a coal bar/Dracula Bite you may be wondering?  it would be another one of our health foods, aka  4 tablespoons of butter (we used light), a bag of mini marshmallows and an entire bag of Oreos (we used reduced fat).  You crush all of the Oreos.  We used the food processor, but I am sure a wooden mallet and some arm exercises would work too.  You then melt the marshmallows and butter and then add the Oreos, spread the mixture out and let it cool.  Think Rice Krispy treat, but you replace the cereal with Oreos.

I am attempting an actual blog plan this week and I feel like my brain is bursting with things to type, but no time to actually sit down.  I had to be at Mini K's school at 7:30am today and once again I realized Monday's are just not my day!

In case you need a little pick me up this week, make sure to keep an eye on our Facebook page for a special weekend sale!

Friday Five

In my continuous quest to simplify aspects of my life, I am always on the lookout for new tools.  I have found a few apps lately that have made life so much easier!  Some of these are geared towards the minnies and some are just for me!

1.  Cozi

There are 2 versions:  the free one and one with a yearly subscription of $49.99.  Cozi is a family scheduling program where you can assign each family member a color.  It has been LIFE changing!  Mr. G's assistant puts all of his meetings, travel, etc in, I add in all of mine as well as the minnies and have set it up where it texts both of us when the minnies have a sporting event, lesson or appointment.  You can download the app HERE.


2.  Postagram

I LOVE this.  You can literally send a postcard from your phone with the photo of your choice.  What's even better is that the photo pops out of the card!  You can join HERE.


3.  Artkive

I am one of those people that doesn't like clutter.  I do not save ticket stubs and I have been battling mom guilt at the thought of not keeping the minnies artwork, but it literally needs it own room.  Cue a late night internet search and Artkive is now on my phone and iPad and I am thrilled.  You simply snap a photo of each piece of your child's art and at the end of the year you can create a photo book of all of their artwork, including the date they created it on.  It takes less than 5 minutes each week and now I only save the extra special stuff.  The best part...the app is FREE for a limited time.  You can download it HERE.

4. myPantone

This app is $9.99, but I LOVE it.  Think that HUGE Pantone deck of colors on your phone.  I realize that shades might be slightly off, but this has been a lifesaver during construction.  I have been able to match fabrics, compare paint colors and on and on.  If you are about to take on a big house redo...you will WANT THIS.  You can find it HERE.

5.  Luxe Room Planner

This app is FREE.  Essentially you just plug in your room dimensions and pick your furniture and this app let's you see what your room will look like BEFORE you make that big purchase.  SO if you have been wondering if that sectional sofa will be too big or the television will be too small, this app is essentially you room Goldilocks and will get everything just right.  You can download it HERE.

SO, what are your favorite apps?

Tech Finds

For those of you that know me in real life, STOP LAUGHING!  I know the very thought of my offering tech advice or finds is laughable, but let's just say that these two items help me achieve my goals and assist with my lip gloss addiction so it will make sense, and the last one is too good of a deal not to share.

I take my camera everywhere and am constantly taking photos...even when I have my iphone with me. The issue is, I haven't travelled with my laptop since I got my iPad.  I mean why would carry something that weighs five times as much?  This means that my photos are trapped on my camera until I get home.  UNTIL NOW!!!!!!!  I have been researching the iPad camera connectors on and off all summer and was about to purchase one at the Apple store last week for $59 when Baby C announced he needed to potty.  Don't worry I won't turn this blog into one of those that chronicles potty training, but my desire to rid my house of diapers forever is growing by the day.

We left the store in search of relief and then it was time to pick up big sister.  That night I was checking my email and found an offer for the EXACT SAME connector for $14, not $59.  What's a girl to do but order it!  It came this weekend and I LOVE IT!  I took my camera to the pool and to tennis and took a ton of photos as always.  I then just attached the camera to the connector and everything was on my iPad and on my iPhone in my cloud within a couple of minutes.  I cannot wait to take it on our vacation next week.  Just think you can take photos with your good camera, get them on your iPad and use them for Postagram within minutes!  You can purchase the deal HERE.

Now my second find is somewhat vain and somewhat practical.  I have been using a Casellet for a few months and while I like being able to carry business cards, a credit card and some cash with me, I didn't really like the look of the hard metal and plastic and the opening mechanism could wreck even a gel manicure.  Cue the much to late at night internet searching and I found the eyn for iphone and I couldn't be happier!  This case is more of a hard silicone and it has rounded edges.  It also holds everything I need it to and it has a mirror.  How great is that?  You can apply lipstick, check your teeth, text a restaurant review and pay the bill all with one thing!  Unlike so many cases out there, it is only $29.99! You might be surprised to know I purchased the turquoise and NOT the pink one.  The real test came yesterday, I was able to open it an hour after a manicure with ease and no smudges or chips!  How could I not share it with all of you?

Now this last one has me a little green because I wished I paid this price for it!  You all know how I love to find a deal and despise finding out I paid more than I should have for something.  I LOVE my Canon Rebel.  It is small, fits all of my Canon lenses, takes great photos and allows me to switch over to video with a push of a button and video Mini K's dive, or serve or Baby C's chants of GO USA!  I thought I misread my computer this morning when I saw that you could get the EXACT SAME Rebel for $150 less than I paid HERE.  So if you are in the market for a great SLR Digital camera, here is your deal.