Growing Smalls

Saturday

Black Friday List

Are you ready for the 2013 Black Friday? Here is your one stop add list!

WalMart: Click Here

Target: Click Here

Lowes: Click Here

Home Depot: Click Here

Best Buy: Click Here

Walgreens: Click Here

Sears: Click Here

Monday

Every year it seems like we get so busy with whatever projects and events we have going that as a family we tend to forget how many people out there need just a little helping hand. But as the holidays quickly approach, we are reminded more and more to give back and the harsh reminder is how much we forgot in the several months prior. For this reason, we will continue throughout the year to feature our Giving Back link.

To give us a kick start on our giving back program tomorrow we will be taking a large donation of new clothing to our local Children’s Division Office. Why do they need this clothing? Unfortunately, hundreds of children each year come into foster care with just the clothing they have on at that given moment. Our local Children’s Division Office has a clothing closet set up to try to assist with some of the bare essentials and I recently found out that closet had next to nothing left in it. So here we go! We are stocking that baby back up!

What did we send them?
80 Pairs of shoes
Over 100 Toddler shorts, shirts, pants, onsies, & P.J.s
92 Junior/Misses Tops
31 Pre-Teen Bras

All of these items were deeply discounted so between my best friend and I, we did a great job shopping! Our major expense is gas and time but we had a lot of fun along the way so I can’t wait until we do it again!

Sunday

$1.00 off TWO BOXES General Mills Kid cereals

$1.00 off TWO BOXES General Mills Kid cereals:

Wednesday

Wafu Japanese Style Dressings

THIS POST COMING SOON!

Be sure to check out Wafu at the following links;
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Bullet Designs Fire & Ice 40 Cal Jewelry Set

Do you have a fashionista on your shopping list? Bullet Designs has a great gift set for that hard to shop for fashionista or that not so girly girl who still has her heart set on jewelry this holiday season.

Check this out! Their jewelry is made out of bullets! Yup, I said it, bullets! The Fire & Ice 40 Caliber Jewelry set is so unique and yet still very beautiful with the bling bling.

I love this stretchy ring that is sure to fit everyone. This picture can't even begin to do justice! You can even change the colors of the crystals to match birthstones making this a great personalized gift.

We also received these Fire and Ice 40 Cal Earrings. Yet again, these are great earrings and as high quality as the pictures are, they look much better in person. I really expected them to be heavy and pull down on my ears but that's not the case. Although they are made out of the bullet, they are still light enough to not be irritating after wearing them all evening.

But I have saved the best for last, my favorite piece out of this collection is the Fire & Ice 40 Cal Necklace. It dangles just right and sparkles beautifully! Plus all of these pieces are supper affordable. Bullet Designs has some amazing products so take a look and let us know which is your favorite!

Be sure to check Bullet Designs out at the following links;
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Be sure to check out our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide

I received one or more of the products mentioned above free for review purposes. Regardless, I will only recommend products that I have personally tested/tried and believe will be a good fit for my readers. AlyGators is not responsible for any Giveaway items. All giveaway items will be shipped directly from the company that sponsors our giveaway.

AshleyBug Spa

We have reviewed AshleyBug before and loved their Organic baby bibs so when I heard they had come out with some spa products I knew they were a perfect fit for our Gift Guide and donation baskets.

AshleyBug Spa has sent us some of their Organic Lip Butter to put in our donation baskets. Out of the
assortment they sent I pulled out and tried the Organic Red Delicious Lip Butter and love it! I've tried other organic lip balm before and felt it was either greasy or didn't provide any relief at all. That's not the case here. The ingredients in this balm is an excellent moisturizer. The scent is great to because it's the perfect combination without being overpowering.

I love AshleyBug products in general and their spa products are just as wonderful as everything else they have created in the past. Here is the complete product description and be sure to check them out at the following links;

"Our wonderful organic lip butter is made from all organic ingredients, creating a moisturizing lip butter that will last the entire day without feeling sticky. Organic extra-virgin coconut oil leaves a light, summery 'beachy' smell without being overpowering. Made with organic extra-virgin coconut oil, organic unrefined shea butter and natural beeswax, this simple lip butter will be your go-to beauty product. .15 oz All of our products are handmade in small batches to ensure high quality standards."

Website Facebook AshleyBug Past Review

Be sure to check out our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide

Shirley J Mugging Sets

Everyone loves a sweet treat but taking the time out to bake or running to the store for that late night craving isn't generally an option. Well last night, after all the kids were snuggled into bed, I tip toed down to the kitchen and found just the treat to cure the craving! We received a box from Shirley J Mugging company this weekend and I finally had the opportunity to try it out.

Shirley J Mugging has some great tasting treats and a
ton of easy recipes on their blog. Last night I took the opportunity to try the Chocolate Brownie Cake mix and I love it! It was so easy to make and I was back upstairs with it in a matter of minutes.

The packet is already to go just pour it in one of the terribly cute mugs and add 6 tablespoons of water. After popping it in the microwave for 90 seconds I sprinkled some chocolate chips over the top and it was a perfect frosting.

Shirley J mugging kits are a perfect gift for anyone who likes a little sweet treat! Be sure to check them out at the following links;

Get Shirley J recipes Follow Shirley J on Twitter Shirley J Facebook Shirley J Blog
Shirley J Newsletter

Be sure to check out our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide

Tuesday

Bambooki Tables

Recently we did some work on the front of the house which consisted of everything from painting the entry way to removing 16 inches of dirt from the ground. But when it was time to put everything back together again, I knew I found just the right pieces for the porch when I ordered my 3 Piece Bamboo Hexagon Nesting stools by Bamboo 54.

These bamboo stools have complemented the area really well serving as little tables. But the eco friendly bamboo construction is so sturdy that just about anyone can sit on them. The largest one is 17" x 17" so I decided to put it in-between two of my chairs and set the two smaller ones beside our park bench.

We really enjoy sitting on the porch watching the kids play but when there are extra adults over there isn't always enough room. These bamboo nesting stools have done exactly what I wanted! They have provided a great look to the porch and the needed additional seating! Be sure to check them out at the following links;

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Read more about our Curb Appeal Post here!

Be sure to check out our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide

Architectural Mailboxes House Numbers

So as I have said in my Curb Appeal post (read that here) we received these house numbers from architectural mailboxes and they really did the trick. I removed all the decorations from the front of our house in hopes to take away some of the clutter and make it more functional and make the porch seem a little bit bigger. But taking away all of the decorations made it look pretty bare. So when I added these letters I was super impressed at how they stood out and did just the trick.

Although Architectural Mailboxes has several different designs I choose the solid antique copper to match our rock siding. These letters were easy to install and the floating design added a crisp clean look.

Plus now maybe people will be able to find our house. It's never really been hard, but the roads can be confusing and the numbering never made since anyways. These house numbers can be seen from the road really well. They are bright and bold so hopefully they should eliminate some of the confusion.

Be sure to check out Architectural Mailboxes and all of their high quality products at the following links;

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Be sure to check out our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide

A Little Curb Appeal

Finally a little curb appeal! When we bought our house we knew there was a lot that needed to be done. But as the case usually goes, this comes up and then a little of that comes up and things get put on hold. It’s taken me much longer than I could have ever imagined but I have to say I am almost done so I knew I had to share the progress with you.

Although it may seem a little silly but the biggest problem I saw was I hated the way our house looked so dark from the road. But as honey does, he knew there was much more needed than a fresh coat of paint and a little de-cluttering. Our first tackle was leveling out our yard because we had so many bare spots where the grass wouldn’t grow or the drainage was horrible every-time it rained. Since we made the decision to take a tractor to the yard we cut out 16 inches and planted grass. We officially have some gorgeous green grass growing and I’m so excited because the last few times it’s rained there hasn’t been a single puddle.

Fall is the best time to do any outside project. One it’s much cooler outside and a lot easier to work and two the clearance section is huge and you can do so much more with a whole lot less. I was able to get some mulch on sale which saved a few dollars and added flair of color under our front window. But the exciting part was the $30 plants that will grow back year after year that I paid less than $2.00 for each of them.

I then added a fresh coat of paint to the porch. At first I was really worried how this was going to turn out because the wood was originally stained not painted and the stain kept coming through the killz paint. But after a few really good coats I think the white really brightened things up. I also added these antique copper house numbers from architectural mailboxes. (Read that post here) I really liked the house numbers because they added the little touch of decoration back to the porch without being on the ground or in the way. After we cleaned the light fixtures and hubby put on a new door-bell I then began to piece everything back together again.

I left the park bench and added some great chairs that were a steal at $1.50 each. See I told you fall clearance was the best time to do outside work. The tables are pretty awesome to! I just got them here in time from Bambooki for this post and I’m excited because not only do they serve as a very sturdy table but they are a great extra seat to. Yes, they are strong enough to sit on! (Readthat post here).

Redesigning the porch to make it more functional rather than just covered in decorative pieces really proved to add some curb appeal because it made our little space seem much bigger. And even though the temperatures are dropping outside, I still love sitting out there with a piping hot cup of coffee before I begin my work in the mornings.

So yes, there is more to come on this post. We are going to sand down our wooden doors and get the stained glass window’s fixed up. There will always be more to do when you’re a home owner but I guess that’s just more thing to love and take care of. What’s your favorite house project?

Read more about Architectural Mailboxes
Read more about Bambooki

Be sure to check out our 2013 Holiday Gift Guide