Dina's Party on HGTV

Dina brings her lavish events to HGTV in a new weekly party-planning series. During each episode, Dina and the Designer Affair staff create magnificent events in their clients’ homes. From a posh baby shower, to an over-the-top fantasy wedding or a grand graduation party, Dina will transform any space into something breathtakingly beautiful and unique. With her extraordinary talents, Dina makes every occasion a perfect celebration for the important moments in a family’s life.  Tune in to  Dina’s Party on HGTV this fall season 2011. You’ll learn a little, you’ll laugh a little and surely be wowed by what you see!


Dina was on the first season of "Real Housewives of New Jersey", which I admit I LOVE to watch these shows on Bravo..Don't Judge me..lol..I Loved her style on the show and now we can watch her Glam up some Parties on Sat. nights on HGTV!


Really I'm not an HGTV spokesperson, just excited to see some new shows..new to me...Have any of you watched this yet?


Here is a link where you can watch an episode  DINA'S PARTY


In other news here at the Graves Household...Crystal had a cold which made her nose so sensitive she kept getting bloody noses and a few trips to the urgent care. She is doing better now. Abigail went to her first Birthday party since being here and it was so Fun! Richard aka Tank is making friends easier than last year which makes us happy! I'm looking for a job!! YUP any Job to bring home some money to help Husband out. I'm still clipping coupons but here in No Double Coupon Land we are just not seeing much savings and the kids want to do clubs ect. Any ideas until I get a job on saving money? I feel like I'm just starting out trying to save money in FL...so sad to go from Double Coupons at Krogers to NOT AT ALL!!

How is the new Blog Layout? Is it easy to Read? Please Please let me know!!

Enjoy your Weekend!

Donna Decorates Dallas~ HGTV Show

Donna Moss, a former finalist from season one ofHGTV Design Star, is the host of the new series Donna Decorates Dallas. Each week Donna works with her two daughters, Tiffany and Ashley, along with a team of skilled artisans and craftsmen to create unique and timeless home interiors. As a former professional in the travel industry, Donna brings a global perspective to her designs. Her favorite design motifs include elegant Old World themes with glamorous Gothic tones and lush Hollywood-inspired rooms.

In her hometown of Dallas, Donna is widely known as “The Queen of Bling” and operates a successful designer boutique, “That’s Haute,” in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metro area. She has won numerous awards for her work and has been featured in several magazines since the beginning of her design business in the early 1980s.

Have you watched this new show on HGTV? I guess it's just new to me but I LOVE it!! I love how she decorates and I have written down so many great ideas for our house here...It's a rental but many of the ideas on her show I can still do. I'm not sure what you would say her decorating is, French Country..Traditional...It's just plan Beautiful...(So I read her Bio and should have read it first..lol)

I'm excited to see something that interests me back on HGTV...for awhile there I found HGTV to be full of same-same shows!

Her show is on Sat. nights at 10:30...I'm DVRing it cuse around here I never know what the Weekend is going to be like.

Enjoy your Weekend Ya'll!

One Call Away- A Memoir Book Review

Brenda’s life has taken twists and turns that are stranger than fiction. It always seemed as if she was just one phone call away from the next explosive change. Each time her plans fell apart, she had a choice: would she give up, or would she press forward and learn from the unexpected? One Call Away is the inspiring story of a woman who has prevailed through many of the circumstances that discourage women: tragedy, poverty, betrayal, and humiliation. But unlike most women, her life has been on display in the media.

Brenda’s faith and God’s strength enable her to face challenge after challenge: an accident that leaves her son blind and brain damaged, a crumbling marriage, a tornado that kills her parents, a new relationship with promising football player Kurt Warner, and the pressures his sudden success brings to their growing family.

Through food stamps and funerals, Super Bowls and serving others, Brenda’s strength is unwavering. Her determination to dream new dreams, willingness to learn from her mistakes, and commitment to giving back to her community make her a role model for women of all backgrounds.

Her dreams haven’t materialized as she had imagined, but Brenda has found that God has a much bigger plan for her. Conversational and candid, One Call Away invites readers facing their own difficulties to trust God and discover hope in the future.

~I Loved reading about Brenda. She has such a strong faith that even though she kept getting hit with the Devil around every turn she took She kept her chin up and carried herself forward and thru it! I don't watch Football nor does my Husband so I really have no idea who her Husband was/is or even who she is but I'm glad I was given the chance to read about this amazing Women! 

Reading this book has made me stop and think about our situations and I hope to be able to remember to stop and breath thru the tough times in life.~

This book was sent to me thru BookSneeze to read and review, all opinions are my own.

Updated Scentsy Scents~End of Summer

I love Scentsy! Last year for Christmas my Sister gave me the Rooster burner and this Summer I've been changing out the scents and enjoying them. Now I'm on the lookout for a Winter scent and hope that one of you can give me the name of a good Winter scent. Sadly my Sister has stopped selling Scentsy :(

How about Bath&Body Works Candles? I can't wait to go and see what is new in the store this weekend!

I hope ya'll have a Good Weekend, I'm going to try to finish up my Fall decorating.

Books on my TBR Pile for this Month

Sept. TBR Books....

I'm going to be sharing this with you every month...Please leave a comment if you would like to see more!


School is keeping us all very busy, so far 1st grade homework is bogging lil guy down..it's such a change from last year...Math every night plus Spelling words and 15 mins of reading. I hope that he gets used to it very soon so our evenings go smoothly again. Abigail is liking her Teachers as always..She has the ability to make friends with a Grasshopper..lol..Love her! Crystal is finding middle school strange!

Just a fast update!

Back to School Shopping

So School has started and let me tell you shopping for 3 kids is killer on the wallet!

We went to Payless while their store was BOGO and it still cost us $75.00...

middle girls choice..the toes light up and they look so cute!

little guy picked these Cars shoes and they also light up...so cute when he runs!

oldest girl picked these..She is a size Women's 8 already!! Love these and I might have to get a pair myself!



I did some shopping for myself at CVS and bought the Revlon "Gray Suede" which is a very neutral color

Next we have to shop for some Fall clothes for oldest as she doesn't have to wear a uniform like the little ones.

So what Fav. brands of Nail Polish do you buy? Any great Fall colors out there?

Treasuring Emma~ A Book Review

Emma has put everyone else first in her life. Now at nearly 25, has she missed her chance at marriage?

Emma was Adam's first love but circumstances made them both choose different paths in life. Emma's heart breaks all over again when Adam returns to the Amish community of Middlefield, Ohio, years later.

For the past ten years, Emma has been a care-giver. First for her mother who unsuccessfully battled breast cancer, and now for her grandmother who gets more frail with each passing year. Emma has always put the needs of others above her own. With more time on her hands, she determines to focus on herself and her dream of opening a rescue shelter for stray animals in the community.

With Adam's return come feelings Emma's long buried. They're older and life hasn't turned out the way they thought it would. Adam's feelings for Emma are stronger than ever, but will he be able to convince her to put the past aside and give their love a chance?

I really enjoyed once again immersing myself in the Amish world if but for a little bit. This story was a joy to follow but it left me wondering what happened to a couple of the characters in here. I do hope that there is another book coming out that explains some of the questions I have. 

BookSneeze sent me this book to read and review and all opinions are my own.

Dog Days of Summer or Don't Give Your Camera to a Bored 12 YR Old and a Video

My bored daughter took my camera for a few days and this is what I found when I downloaded the pics!

Here is a short video of Crystal playing with Coffee last Sat. night...

Hope your staying Cool in your area! July sure has flown by for us!

Amazing Grace~Celtic Hymns&Blessings

I was asked to review a CD, a first for me.

It arrived in the mail and we popped in on, the sweet, calm, harmony filled our living room and the kids rested on the couch while we listened to it.

I enjoyed the well known "Amazing Grace" and could listen to it over and over again. We enjoyed not only the singing but the instruments were amazing, love the bag pipes.

do you play music during the day? What kind do you enjoy while cleaning house?

Do You Read Books From Bloggers? Summer Book Give-Away

J

Traditional meaning of Pink and White Roses: I love you still and always will.

Caitlyn Marsh stopped believing in happily-ever-after when high-school sweetheart, Gideon Garza, left for Iraq. Now she raises her small son while her matchmaking gardening club members drive her crazy. Then Caitlyn's world turns upside-down when Gideon swaggers back to Twilight.
Gideon had left town in the middle of night with threats ringing in his ears. A lot of things have changed since then. This bad boy-turned-Green Beret bears scars from the war, the timid girl he loved is an independent mother, and the father who refused to recognize his son in life has, in death, left him a vast cattle ranch.
He still aches for Caitlyn, and now there's a dark-haired boy who looks exactly like Gideon did at that age. Could the child be his? And can this war-weary soldier overcome the scars of the past to claim the family he so richly deserves?

Many months ago I received this book from a Give-away and it's from our very own Bloggy (is this a word?) friend Lori Wilde!

While here in FL it's steamy outside and melt-the-skin-off-you Hot...I have stayed inside and enjoyed some great reads. This is a great escapism story that takes you out of the doldrums of Summer.

I'm passing this book on to One other Blogger for a little Summer escape!

Just leave a comment to be entered and In your comments Please leave me 1 Book you have read and enjoyed this Summer!

Winner will be announced Monday...Good Luck!