Chic Monkey Boutique - Giveaway

When Emma was young enough to fit into her carrier, I used to take her with me to a local baby boutique.  I absolutely love shopping in boutique stores - especially when they run great sales to justify the shopping trip.  Now that Emma is walking running around and wreaking havoc wherever we go, it's impossible to face a trip to the store.  Especially a fancy store. Cristie from the Chic Monkey Boutique recently reached out to me to review her boutique, and I'm now thanking my lucky stars that she did.

Chic Monkey Boutique has all of the great boutique quality products.  I'm not sure what's better, the great prices or the fact that I can sit on my behind and shop from home!

I am very impressed with the Monogrammed Duffle Bag that we received.  There are many different styles and colord to choose from, and I went with the red damask fabric.  How gorgeous is this bag?!  It is also very practical too, and it's way larger than I expected.  I could pack this duffle for a weekend trip and have room to spare.

The exterior is quilted and monogrammed with our family initial and the interior is lined with a checkered fabric.  For the monogram, you have the option of choosing the font and color.  I went with red so it would be more subtle.  I didn't want to take away from the beauty of the damask pattern.  Can you believe that this duffel is less than $40.00?

When I was browsing the Chic Monkey Boutique, I noticed so many fabulous products.  Like the Minky blankets that are handmade by the owner.  Just look how pretty and soft.  These blankets can also be monogrammed.  I would have loved to open one of these at my baby shower!

BUY IT!  Anything you might be looking for can be found here, including items for baby, home, and great gifts for men and women.  Shipping is Free on orders over $100.00.

Cristie is also running a series of 12 giveaways this year with products from the store, including a $500 nursery set at the end of the year!

WIN IT!  Attention, ladies!  You could win a fold-up cosmetic case - winner's choice!

To Enter:  Visit Chic Monkey and tell me which fold-up cosmetic-case you want.  Choose wisely, as this is the one you will receive if your name is chosen!

EXTRA ENTRIES are available to blog followers and available after mandatory entry above is completed:

+ 1 Entry if you follow this blog via google friend connect.

+ 1 Entry if you also follow this blog in your reader.

+ 1 Entry if you also subscribe by email and verify. Leave email address. 

+ 1 Entry if you follow the Chic Monkey Blog via google friend connect.
+ 1 Entry per day if you follow The Penny-Pinching Mama and Chic Monkey on twitter and tweet the following (once per day):

The Chic Monkey Boutique-great products, fair prices #Win a fab cosmetic case! http://tinyurl.com/yj69x7y at @pennypinchingma #giveaway

+ 1 Entry of you become a friend of Chic Monkey on Facebook, leave your name.
+ 1 Entry if you become a fan of The Penny-Pinching Mama on Facebook, leave your name.
+ 2 Entries if you add The Penny-Pinching Mama button to your blog, leave blog link.
+ 2 Entries if you add the My Size Kitchen Giveaway button to your blog:


  <center><a href="http://tinyurl.com/ya96yae/"><img border="0" src="http://i768.photobucket.com/albums/xx325/oldbagvintage/PlayKitchenButton.gif" /></a></center>+ 1 Entry for each current giveaway you enter on this blog.
+ 5 Entries if you blog about this giveaway (and only this giveaway) in 50 words or more, including a link back to this post.
+ 10 Entries if you make a purchase from Chic Monkey Boutique.  Leave order number.

No compensation was received for this review post. The sponsor sent me a product sample to facilitate my candid review. Contest is open to U.S. residents and closes at Midnight EST on March 30th. The winner will be chosen using Random.org. Please leave your email address either in your comment or make sure it is listed on your profile page so that I have a way to contact you. See the giveaway rules before entering. GOOD LUCK!

"Dr. Linus" - LOST Recap

So I know I'm roughly six days late with my recap, but for me to completely skip over one episode like it never happened would be, well, sort of like an episode of LOST.  By now, you've all probably seen "Dr. Linus" (if you watch), so I don't think I need to include the standard "spoilers ahead" warning, but just in case: Don't continue reading if you haven't seen the most recent LOST episode.

Candidates
In the cave that Smoke showed Sawyer, only the name "Kwan" was written on the wall, and many of us wondered who was indicated by this, Sun or Jin. Ilana isn't sure either, we now know.

Ben's Redemption
I think we've all picked up on the fact that Ilana knew it was not possible for Smoke to kill Jacob.  And Miles proved it, by "reading" the remains of Jacob.  Ben was officially busted and had one foot in the grave.  Literally. 

The most touching scene for me was when Ben escaped into the jungle and 'splained himself to Ilana. She asked why he wanted to join forces with Smoke, and he told her, "Because nobody else will have me." Then three powerful words were spoken, "I'll have you". Forgiveness is a wonderful thing.

On the island the first time, Ben chose power over the life of his own daughter, but in the alternate timeline, he protected her, even sacrificing the promotion of a lifetime. He's such a great man, and Dear Dad is alive and not-so-well, but Ben is caring for him.

The redemption of Ben is complete. As long as he doesn't pull any more funny business.

Jack, a Man of Faith?
In comes my third main man (after Jack and Sawyer), Richard.  He's disappointed with Jacob, almost in the same "what about me" flavor we previously heard from Ben and he decides to have Jack put him out of his misery, because he can't die from self inflicted wounds for some reason.  Jacob's touch did that for him, but it must be a different kind of touch than the others have received, with this apparent almost immortality.

It's funny how Jack, previously a man of science, has become a man of faith ever since he realized how important he was to Jacob.  He agreed to light the dynamite and stayed with Richard, to prove that neither of them could be successful at suicide.  Jack's almost like a kid seeking approval from the father he never had.  Interesting.  And it was neat to see the Black Rock again.

A Bittersweet Ending
Ah, the sappy piano music and happy reunions on the beach.  It gets me every time.  And then, he's baaack.  Widmore is up to no good, spying on the LOSTies via submarine.  I hated the creepy music right after the sappy piano.  Gives me the heebie jeebies.

I'm so excited for tomorrow to come, and I'll try not to wait 6 days for the recap.  :)

Best quote of the night 
"Wanna try another stick?" -Jack


Please leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts.  If you've blogged, leave the link so I can visit.

Wall Decals by DeZign with a Z - Review

With the high cost of having an artist hand-paint a mural onto your wall, it is great that there are a myriad of unique wall decals available to give you that painted-on look without one paint brush.  Plus, they're much easier to remove when you want to change the look of your room. Dezign with a Z offers a vast collection of wall decals at low prices.

I was jazzed when Dezign with a Z sent us a few decals to try. The My Castle nursery room tatoo is really adorable and the perfect addition to a little girl's room.  Emma has a pink and purple room so purple would have been my first choice but the light blue decal we received works too.  Castles are usually drawn as being blue from what I remember!

The wall decals did not come with a burnishing tool, but I had one from another decal review I had done.  I would imagine that would be disappointing to someone who doesn't have one handy. You can use a credit card as Dezign with a Z suggests, but I think a burnisher works best.  There is an installation video here - I like that the lady is wearing high heels while applying her decal!

I'm not sure where to put the Melody home applique that was also sent to us because it doesn't really go with our decor, but I'm thinking it would be a fun play area accent if we ever get around to finishing our basement, so I'm saving it for later.

DeZign with a Z offers more than decals, too.  They sell cute little mirrors that you can stick on to your wall and even laptop skins!  I'll definitely check them out for more wall decals.

BUY IT!  You will not be disappointed with the selection and value offered at Dezign with a Z.

No compensation was received for this post.  The sponsor sent the products to me free of charge in order to facilitate my candid review.  Your opinion may differ.

HearthSong My Size Kitchen - Giveaway!

We have an odd-shaped family room and we struggle with finding great toys that won't crowd the room.  The My Size Kitchen is just what we needed.  It has everything that any playkitchen would have, but in a compact size that fits almost anywhere.

When the package arrived, my husband got to work.  The kitchen was very easy to assemble.  Once we put it together, we wiped it down because there was a fair amount of dust.

The My Size Kitchen is a wooden toy, hence all of the dust.  I adore toys that are made from natural materials.  It's nice to have a break from plastic, and doesn't this kitchen just look great?  The colors are still bright and attractive to kids, but they also fit nicely with my decor.  The kitchen has everything, including the sink.  There's a stovetop, an oven, even a storage cabinet and a moveable clock!  I love that there's a place to hide all of the toys within this play kitchen.

Emma loves playing with the pots and utensils, too.  Also included was a cute little oven mitt and pretend eggs that she can cook for me!  This is such an adorable quality toy that I'm proud to have in my home.

BUY IT!  The My Size Kitchen from HearthSong is now on sale for $79.99 - a great bargain!

WIN IT!  I'm giving away a My Size Kitchen to one lucky reader!

To Enter: Be a public follower of this blog through google friend connect and leave a comment with another item you love at HearthSong.

EXTRA ENTRIES are available to blog followers and available after mandatory entry above is completed:

+ 1 Entry if you also follow this blog in your reader.
+ 1 Entry if you also subscribe by email and verify. Leave email address.
+ 1 Entry per day if you follow The Penny-Pinching Mama and HearthSong on twitter and tweet the following (once per day):

#WIN a My Size Play Kitchen by HearthSong http://tinyurl.com/ya96yae  @pennypinchingma #Giveaway

+ 1 Entry of you become a fan of HearthSong on Facebook, leave your name.
+ 1 Entry if you become a fan of The Penny-Pinching Mama on Facebook, leave your name.
+ 2 Entries if you add The Penny-Pinching Mama button to your blog, leave blog link.
+ 2 Entries if you add the My Size Kitchen Giveaway button to your blog:

  <center><a href="http://tinyurl.com/ya96yae/"><img border="0" src="http://i768.photobucket.com/albums/xx325/oldbagvintage/PlayKitchenButton.gif" /></a></center>
+ 1 Entry for each current giveaway you enter on this blog.
+ 5 Entries if you blog about this giveaway (and only this giveaway) in 50 words or more, including a link back to this post.

No compensation was received for this review post. The sponsor sent me a product sample to facilitate my candid review. Contest is open to U.S. residents and closes at Midnight EST on April 15th. The winner will be chosen using Random.org. Please leave your email address either in your comment or make sure it is listed on your profile page so that I have a way to contact you. See the giveaway rules before entering. GOOD LUCK!