rompers and ruffles giveaway

another giveaway. i know. but trust me on this one. 

i met taylor in high school. we went to the same church, knew the same people, and she was pretty much the nicest person i had ever met. 

through the glory of facebook, after probably 7 years, we crossed paths again, when she had her first baby, parker-a cutie patootey little man with a face you can't resist. she had made all of his bedding and curtains in his nursery, and comments littered her pictures about how she MUST sell her stuff. 

then, she recently found out she was having a little girl, and a whirlwind of martha stewarting began. i don't even think that really encompasses all of the creating that has been taking place. again, people commented, almost each poster mentioning something along the lines of blahblah!!ETSY!!blah! 

so when taylor said she was going into business with her friend to start making baby stuff, i was like, duh! it's about time!!

and so began rompers and ruffles. 

i love all things monogrammed and appliquéd for babies. and i love how personalized outfits become when you add that special touch of handmade. so, i asked taylor if i could help advertise for her by hosting a giveaway. 

people? you will not be disappointed! 

go. check them out. 

what did i tell you? 

what's even better? this isn't just another handmade shop. a portion of all of their proceeds go to the levine children's hospital, where taylor's son, parker was born, 8 weeks premature. he weighed a whopping 3 pounds 10 ounces. i can't even imagine that, as bella was more than twice that size. he stayed in the NICU for 4 weeks and is now a healthy, happy little boy! they do great work there, and rompers and ruffles is giving back to them. it's a win-win. you can read a little more about that, and how rompers and ruffles started, here. 

so here is the giveaway part. taylor has offered one lucky reader the chance to win the appliqué of their choice on a short sleeved onesie or t-shirt, just in time for all this warm weather! 

this would be my pick:

or maybe this one:

no wait.....i like this one!

ooh and sometimes i wish i had a boy, because how cute is this!?

and this!?

{giveaway rules}

one comment per entry. there are several chances to enter, but you must leave a separate comment for each one.

leave your e-mail address in at least one of your entries.

{mandatory entry}

go to rompers and ruffles and browse through their appliqué selection. come back here and tell me which one you would choose to go on a short sleeved onesie or t-shirt

that's it. easy peasy, lemon squeezy.  

{extra entries}

follow me, and let me know you did (+1 entry)

"like" this blog on facebook, and leave a comment telling me you did (+1 entry)

"like" rompers and ruffles on facebook, and leave a comment (+1 entry)

tweet this: "@this_isparadise and rompers and ruffles want your kid to look cute! enter to win an appliquéd onesie or t for your little one! ends feb 27" and leave your twitter handle in a comment (+1 entry)

follow @this_isparadise on twitter, and leave your handle in a comment (+1 entry)

purchase anything from rompers and ruffles, and let me know you did (+3 entries-separate comment for each)

that's a lot of entry opportunities, so get to it! giveaway ends 27 feb at 12pm. i will draw the winner randomly through random.org and contact them within 24 hours of the end of the giveaway. 

giveaway winner

and the winner is........

#4-Taylor!!

congrats to you, and thank you to everyone who entered in the drawing! 

winner was chosen via random.org*

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today, we took bella up to story time in macon with her friend nicholas. they heard a beautiful story about giving hugs and then we colored pictures for our valentines! bella colored hers for her daddy. 

for some reason, with all the fun activities there were today, bella and nicholas wanted to climb in and out of these chairs and play with this strange toy.....

silly babies. 

hidden in my heart review and giveaway

i love handmade. 

more than that? i love QUALITY handmade. and i LOVE finding unique, beautiful , funky things. they make great gifts and are the perfect way to say "i'm thinking about you".  

december and january were big months for us-we had lots of birthdays and, of course, there was christmas....

so i needed some great gifts for some sweet little babies.

enter, 

hidden in my heart dolls. 

kiley, the creator of hidden in my heart dolls, makes the cutest, most well made dolls i have ever seen. and bella had to have one. i ordered one for bella and one for each of my nieces. i was able to personalize each doll to look like  the girls, with little piggies and bangs. 

bella loves her bella baby, which is what we call her doll. she carries her around by the arm, hugs her, kisses her, and most recently tries to put socks on her. it's entertaining at the very least. 

bella loves her bella baby. just like her momma. 

kiley is a stay at home mom, who hand makes all of the dolls and accessories. she just started making extra fun things for the dolls too, like cloth diapers, and dresses, and hair bows! oh my!

  why does she call the "hidden in my heart" dolls? 

this is bella's message on her doll.

and now? you are so lucky. because kiley is giving away one doll to a lucky reader!! enter now for your chance to win this doll

her heart message says:

entering is easy! 

mandatory entry:

*leave a comment with your e-mail address telling me why you love handmade! 

extra entries:

*follow my blog (+1 entry)

*"like" hidden in my heart dolls on facebook (+1 entry)

*"like" me on facebook (+1 entry)

*tweet about this giveaway linking it back here. be sure to leave your 

twitter handle in the comment. (+1 entry)

*share my blog on facebook (+1 entry)

be sure to leave your e-mail address in at least one of the comments, so i know who to contact, and each entry must be a separate comment. 

giveaway will end 11 february at 12 noon est 

and the winner is.......

CAEDMEN! 

you have been contacted. please, e-mail me back within 24 hours and we will get you your smartipants diaper! 

thanks to everyone for entering!

i have no coherent thoughts, and we are going out of town tomorrow, so i have mucho cleaning to do. like, overhaul. gah. hopefully when i come back, i will have something worth reading. 

hope everyone has an awesome weekend.

and yes. i am aware that it's only thursday.

smarti pants review and giveaway

we have been a cloth family now for 13 months. that's about 12.5 months longer than i think joel thought we would make it.

bella, rockin out her cloth diaper, at around 2 months

in the beginning, i had my work cut out for me. before bella was even born, i had to convince joel that cloth diapering was not just something that people did back in the old days. in reality? it was not that long ago.

so first things first-we talked money. by cloth diapering, we found out that, if bella was fully potty trained by 2 (which is on the early side) we would save around $5,000 by cloth diapering. that had joel on the fence. he is a man who likes to save money. then, i made a big mistake. i told him that if he let me make this investment (and initially, it is a little bit of one) he would never have to change a diaper. ::palm to forehead:: i admit, i said that in a moment of desperation. because even though i LOVE cloth diapering? there have been some moments where i could have used a hand. (to be fair, he has changed 3 diapers......and once, because there was only a changing table in the mens room. thank you panera bread!)

but he conceded, and i dove in. into researching. because it is overwhelming. luckily, jessica over at SmartiPants is a genius. she has created a wonderfully amazing diaper. it claims to be a one size fits all, from birth to potty training.

so i bit. i bought 18 of them. i had a few other of different brands, just to try them out. see what fits. after about 2 weeks, Smarti's quickly became my favorites.

• they're easy. the liners come out in the wash. this might be my favorite thing about them. because i don't have to grab a soaking wet liner and pull it out. with my fingers. yucky. nope. they agitate out in the wash, so you literally just throw them in the washer.
• they fit. of all the diapers i have used, smarti's seem to fit the best at every stage. they have snaps that go up and down the front to adjust the leg hole size, and snaps across the tops and on the tabs, to adjust the waist. this is what makes them fit so perfectly, at all stages. you can overlap the flaps without adding a bunch of bulk. 
• they aren't too bulky. back to those liners. the way the pockets are sewn on the diaper makes the liners fit perfectly and not get all bunchy, making them pretty trim, for a cloth diaper. 
• they're absorbent. the liners in smarti's are by far my favorite of all the liners we have. and we have a lot. they are big and long, but somehow don't overwhelm the diaper. and they are incredibly absorbent. which is why they're there. duh. 
• they're cost efficient. when i first started researching diapers, i was overwhelmed by the price. sometimes, a single diaper can cost up to $25. and needing around 25 or more, that would get expensive, fast (there's that investment i mentioned). but at $14.95 for a single one, they are more than $10 cheaper. there are different size packs you can get as well, saving even more money. 
• they hold up well. we've had our smarti's for over a year. they are still in pretty awesome condition-no pilling like other diapers, not stretching, no fading, and no disintegrating (yes, i have had diapers that have just....fallen apart). my ONE AND ONLY complaint, is that the elastic is starting to give. but that is after one year of constant wearing and washing. i would say that's not too bad. 

not the greatest picture, but she looks so cute in her smarti's! bella at 2 months. 

and now? you can get one free! this is a great opportunity to try them out. or if you already have them (and love them) you can add to your stash! one winner will receive one diaper of their choice. and entering is easy peasy lemon squeezy.

there are several ways to enter! each entry is a separate comment and please be sure to include your e-mail address in each comment, so i know who to contact!

mandatory entry:

• head over to SmartiPants. come back here and leave a comment telling me what color you would pick! 

extra entries:

• "like" Smartipants on facebook. 
• follow this blog. 
• tweet about this giveaway and mention @this_isparadise. 
• share this on facebook.
• follow me on facebook.

that's it. you don't have to do everything, only the first one is mandatory, but each entry is another chance to win. the winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on january 20 at 12pm est. don't forget to leave a separate comment for each entry with your e-mail address in it! 

and the winner is........

#13 -torie over at life with rylie! congrats girl! i'll be emailing you soon!

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max:

Result:

13

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today is my sewing class. i'm a little nervous. and i need coffee. i hope i don't stab myself with a needle.

and our pictures were posted (finally) from our beach trip last month. here are a few for you to enjoy! thanks to everyone who participated in the giveaway, and i promise posts will get more interesting...as soon as i get some sleep.....or maybe not.

::yaaaaaaaaawwwwwwnnnnnn::

9 months. and a giveaway!

bella is 9 months old!

WIKI-WHA!?

it's true! she has been alive as long as she was in utero.

last year this time, i was so excited to be back on the mainland. we had just come to georgia after spending a MONTH in NC and we were on a high. we had just moved into our apartment, which then, at 1300 sq. ft. felt like a mansion (our condo in hawaii is only 670 sq. ft.). and i was 6 months pregnant.

now, i miss hawaii and our apartment is old news. and i have a 9 month old.

like i talked about yesterday, it took me a little while to be excited about my baby. but all good things take time. and she is great.

per usual, here is where i gush about how awesome bella is. pull out your airplane barf bag now.

----------------------------------

bella bean,

this has been a big month for you, little girl. we've done a lot of travelling, including your very first ever beach trip. hopefully, this will be the beginning of a life long love affair with water that both your mommy and daddy share. this prospect looks good.

you have become an expert couch walker and have even mastered the art of moving between the couch and other furniture. this is pretty cool and also a little terrifying. because this means you are getting close to.....walking.

you have 6 teeth. do i need to say more?

we have started telling you "no!" when you do naughty things, like eat dog food, and you sit back and laugh at us. it would be infuriating if it wasn't so cute. but mommy starts to wonder if i will have my work cut out for me with you. you have such a determined little mind and nothing i do seems to stop you. well, other than picking you up. i mean, i am still bigger than you. remember that.

but you make me laugh, especially when you try to crawl THROUGH me. and instead of getting frustrated, you just keep on pushing your head against my shins. keep that determination through your life and you will go far.

you also learned to climb an entire flight of steps. quickly. somewhat like you had been doing it all your life. fortunately, we don't have any stairs, so mommy doesn't have to worry about you hurting yourself, but you navigate different levels like a pro.

i love that you are so strong and quick to learn. we have started teaching you sign language, and already you recognize the signs for "more", "milk" and "drink".

you are the most amazing kid ever. seriously. i love you so much. i say this a lot, but i really do mean it. you are so sweet and snuggly, laying your head down on my chest. i love laying on the floor with you, and having you crawl over and give me your open mouth kisses, though i have to admit, occasionally i fear you are going to bite me. you don't do it a lot, but when you do....well, let's just say, we need to stop that habit real quick.

you are a joy to be around and everywhere we go, people smile at you, laugh at you, and comment about how you "should be the gerber baby". you sure are a beautiful little girl (i like to think you get that from me) and you just get cuter everyday.

and you are such a daddy's girl. your new "trick" has been, mommy asking, "where's daddy?" and you point at him. he is the only one you will point to. and you smile so big when you do it. when he walks in the door, you smile and kick your feet and laugh. you squeal in delight when he tosses you around like a little rag doll. you love your daddy and he loves you.

you love your mommy too, just in a different way. more in a mommy=food way. when you are hungry, you will crawl over to me and sit at my feet, arms stretched up to me and whine "AmaammmaaammmmaaMMMAAAMMMaa". and then you toss your head back and go "MUMMUMUMUM". oh boy, do we have a lot to look forward to.

i know you love me. and i hope you know just how much i love you. which is a lot.

---------------------------------

and in honor of bella's 9 month birthday, i am hosting a giveaway. my FIRST giveaway. i know, right?!

as you know, i have been getting crafty and started making.....things. like these!

and i want to give some of it away. so here goes:

1 lucky reader will win a tutu!

mandatory entry:

*simply go to my shop and pick your favorite colors! then come back here and tell me what colors you would choose.

that's it! easy peasy.

extra entries:

*"like" my shop on facebook. then come back here and tell me you did.

*follow this blog and leave a comment telling me you are.

*tweet about this giveaway and link back here! then comment telling me you did.

don't have or know a little precious girl who would love a tutu? it's ok! tell me so (as your mandatory entry) and if you are the winner, i will make you a frame!

be sure to leave your e-mail in one of your comments so i can contact the winner.

thanks for participating and showing some love!

giveaway ends 20 september at 11:59pm and the winner will be chosen by random.org.

ch-ch-changes

alright, y'all. i had some time to think yesterday. i hope you visited my momma, and had a good life changing moment after reading about her experience with my kid. it. is. life. changing. if not, i'll let you take this time to go over there and say hi.

back so soon?

ok. so here is what i have been doing.

1-learning allllll about HTML. the hubby is a computer genius. i don't say that lightly. the man is incredible. he like, claps his hands and really cool stuff happens on computers. so i had him teach me a little, and then i did a tutorial, and then i created a button for my momma! (yes, that beautiful one above here) and then i made a new button for myself. and i figured that stuff out on my own.

2-chasing around my crazy accident prone baby. apparently she is just like her momma. oh well, as sad as it is, i like being needed and being able to comfort her and make her owies better. i wish that she didn't have to get hurt to be cuddled, but i take what i can get.

3-some craziness with my dogs. this was not fun. our new addition is in heat. i don't think i need to expound on that. please, don't make me. let's just say, september 10th (her spay date) cannot come soon enough. for either of us.

4-i've decided to do some awesome, incredible, amazing giveaways. you will not be disappointed. tell your friends. tell them to tell their friends. i enter every giveaway i possibly can, and i haven't won one YET! so i'm going to host my own! so stay tuned for some cute stuff from some great vendors. i'll keep you updated as the deets get hammered out.

5-and i have added some things around here. feel free to look around. i am going to start posting all of the yummy things bella has been eating, for one. the kid eats better than i do. hope you like what we've done with the place. and by we i mean me.

that's all for now. i'm off to try to re-learn how to be girly and curl my hair. having a baby has made me all lazy when it comes to things. like getting dressed. trying to remedy that.