A wonderful Weekend for the Gregoires

We had a wonderful weekend. Yesterday was Brandon's 9th Birthday.

Well, this year he had a Pirate theme party. I ordered some stuff online like the pirate hats, swords and eye patches, the treasure box pinata, paper plates, cups and utensils. And it was delivered right on time.

His Nana was able to order Pirate birthday cake.

And the kids and adults had a wonderful time.

But the most important part of the day aside from Brandon not having a "fit" [which was a very significant challenge that we were all ready for] was when Hubby's two older daughters stayed behind after all the visitors left and the Gregoires played Frisbee together and flew Brandon's Styrofoam airplane at the backyard.

I know Hubby was delighted seeing his kids together again in one place.

My Not-so-handy Handyman and my new craft room

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Glidden. All opinions are 100% mine.

Yes, as my blog title suggests… I am indeed a Carpenter’s Wife. Then, you might think that I am lucky for having a handy man under my wings. That I have someone to do all kinds of home repairs at my beck and call. Well, think again [LOL] because sometimes, it will take a little longer than expected to ask my handyman to do things around his own house. It will take a lot of motivation to make him do things for me. And worse, it will take a real “blackmail” to make him do things quick and fast. Why, because he doesn’t get paid to do carpentry job in his own home. Hahahahaha I'm just kidding. You know... Men!

Anyway, so I needed to paint my craft room. It’s not an urgent task but as usual, he would procrastinate because I can’t think of anything to blackmail him with. But he did suggest that I go to Home Depot and ask the sale associate about Glidden paint. It’s what he uses at his job site.

And so I went and was delighted at how convenient it is to use this paint. I just bought the paint tester first and experimented with it. And yes, I went back after a couple of days and decided to give my craft room an entirely new look.

Here are some of the interesting facts about Glidden Paints:

• Glidden’s paint testers are unique from other brands because they have a handy brush included in the lid, and our testers allow you to try out the actual paint color before you commit to buying all the paint necessary for your project.

• The paint testers are also great for households with children because they can be used to quickly touch up scrapes and stains. 

• Glidden testers are also easier to store than large, messy, half-used cans of paint. Find Ideas Quickly with Glidden’s Top 10 Color Palettes and XL Paint Chips.

• Get inspired to paint with colors that reflect who you are! Glidden’s Top 10 Color Palettes are assembled by color experts to express your personality.

• Glidden also makes it easy to select the perfect combination of colors. Their large paint chips help you experience your favorite color in your room’s unique lighting. Plus, all of the chips have two coordinating color options right on the back.

Well, Hubby did the paint job with no blackmailing involved [sigh] and he was all praise for my choice of color combination. And I am happy for my new craft room. Too bad I still haven’t taken any photo of it because my camera is still in the repair shop. Maybe next time.

Some Weekend

So we did go camping and gold panning again. I still don’t know if we found some gold nuggets because we only dredged and brought back the concentrate. Hubby will surely pan the concentrate any day this week.

We went in the same place. We stayed in the same campsite. And we dredged in the same spot. Having spent almost all our summer every year in this place, it almost feel like home already.

I know the place quite well now.

I’m not scared anymore to go down and up the steep hill with bucket and sluice in my hands.

I’m already familiar with the rocks and know which ones are not steady to step on when crossing the river.

I’m used to being greeted with some pleasant critters and being bugged by some unpleasant ones.

[This little one is checking out my cooler and stayed there the whole time while I was cooking our lunch.]

And for three days… I answered the call of nature at Mother Nature's. Hehehehe

[Well, where else would you do it? And how else would you do it? With a grand view like this! wink*]

Cooked our meals at my improvised kitchen.

[Preparing lunch in my kitchen while hubby is down the river dredging.}

Washed my dirty dishes at 40 degrees cold running water. Yeah, literally running water.

[My nature's dishwasher with plenty of cold running water. Don't worry I used biodegradable dish soap so the environment is safe.]

And amused myself with photography while hubby had his nose underwater dredging for dirt. And yes, we will surely be back soon.

For That Special Guy in your Life Only

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Voctorinox Swiss Army. All opinions are 100% mine.

It’s almost Father’s Day. I am not really too crazy about the occasion because my dad is long gone. I miss him so much. He was my greatest fan and my best critic. He was my trusted friend and my worse competition. He was my confidante and my strict guardian. I really miss him so much.

If he was alive I will not find it hard to buy him a gift this Father’s Day. He is a watch collector so definitely I would buy him a Victorinox Swiss Army. It is the only kind of gift that I know he would appreciate and cherish just like the ones he got in his collection. He would never get tired of them.

But since I he is no longer around to appreciate such gift… it’s about time that I introduce Hubby to this one of a kind timepiece. That is why this Father’s Day I am giving him one. Shhhhhh… it’s still a secret. He doesn’t have to know about that now.

For more interesting information about Victorinox Swiss Army… Visit www.swissarmy.com to view their timepiece collection or be a fan of the Victorinox Swiss Army Facebook page and participate in the I Wear a Watch sweepstakes. They’re giving 30 lucky winners a Victorinox Swiss Army timepiece.

So what are you waiting for? Check out Facebook IWAW sweepstakes page and wonder no more what gift should you give that special guy in your life.

Can you?

Hmmmmm... can you hear the bird chirping? Can you feel the cool water of the river under your toes? Can you see in your mind the lush green sceneries of tall trees? I can!

I can hear, feel and see in my mind the camping ground and the river where we dredge dirt. And yes, Hubby and I will go camping and gold panning again soon. And it will surely be a big challenge again.

And by the way... did I mention that we did find gold nugget... a very tiny one and some specks. wink*

I will post the photo next time.

Confession of a Pizza Convert

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Freschetta. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am not a pizza person. I don’t know why, but I am just not too crazy about pizza. In fact I can live without pizza. Hubby finds it weird because he is a pizza lover. Well, he thought that everybody loves pizza until he met me. hahahaha

But in fairness, pizza is always my saving glory. It always saves my dinner. When I come home late from work, pizza is the first thing in my mind to serve for supper. When I am busy doing a lot of things or chores on a weekend and have no time to make supper, pizza is the way to go. And when a friend pays a surprise visit, pizza is an express meal over chitchat.

Anyway, yes I am really not a pizza person. But it doesn’t necessarily mean I hate it. It’s just that if I have a choice I will not choose it. But, when I was doing my routine grocery shopping last weekend, I found this Freschetta FlatBread in the freezer section. I bought one box because Hubby and I planned to do a movie marathon that weekend. And lo and behold, I was instantly hooked.

I never tasted a pizza that great. No offense with all the famous pizza stores… but this pizza in the box is the one that really captured my heart. I realized that the reason I didn’t like pizza is because oft its crust. And though they do have thin crust, Freschetta is different… it is flatbread. And that makes the difference! Did I mention that it come in different flavors too? Hmmm, Yummy.

Are you hungry yet? Hold on… check out Freschetta website (http://www.freschetta.com/thin-crust-pizzas/flatbread-pizza/default.aspx) and get a coupon for $1 off and enjoy your pizza flatbread.

And as for me… my favorite is Roasted Garlic and Spinach. But you can’t go wrong with Zesty Iltalian or Pepperoni or even their 5-cheese. Hahahaha Guess I already made my point. Yes, I am a pizza convert.

Speaking of...

It's another weekend. I don't know what Hubby is thinking but as for me... I have a grand plan for tomorrow... laundry! Yay!

Well, we have only a week left before school is finally over. The last day of school where I work will be on the 17th and so is Brandon. This means that I have only the Friday off and Monday, I will do Summer Camp.

Speaking of "camp"... Hubby and his hobby. He is thinking of another camping and gold panning adventure again in Byron. It would be nice. The only thing that really bothers me is that my summer vacation will surely be a hectic one since I will be working for the summer camp.

Facebooking inside the tent.

Speaking of "gold panning"... Hubby did find a tiny gold nugget [seemed like] in the dirt bucket that we brought from Byron last Memorial Weekend. This means that he is indeed going to move mountains... both literally and figuratively... to find more gold nuggets.

Hubby panning the dirt.

And speaking of "nuggets"... Hubby had chicken nugget for supper. It's a Friday. And it is our tradition that "Friday night is Chinese night". But instead, I just got him a chicken nugget from McDonald because I was too lazy to get a Chinese take out. I just went to the drive-thru.

Photo Credit: Jake

Reward Yourself

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

Did technology already conquer the world? Are you high-tech in more ways than one? Can you still live without technology? Is your day complete without facebooking or twitting? Do you use technology to make money or earn extra income? Can you live without internet and mobile phone?

I had to admit there are lots of advantages that we can get from technology. It’s one of the best things that ever happened to me [sort of]. LOL. Well, I had to admit too that I use it to monetize. Since I learned how to blog and make descent income out of blogging through some social media network like Izea, the internet is the best monetizing niche that can help a lot of people make both ends meet especially in this tough economic situation.

And now, you can make extra income through your mobile phone. Yup, this is another great possibility through WeReward.com. This is a kind of social media network using mobile incentive platform where consumers are being paid in cash for doing certain things and earn rewards for patronizing products and services from some local businesses. This is a new monetizing system meant for mobile phones where consumers can Download the App that will allow them to use the platform.

Here is some important information about WeReward:

WeReward is a new mobile application from IZEA, the company behind SocialSpark and Sponsored Tweets.

WeReward pays you for check ins and tasks you complete in the real world. It integrates with Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, so you can still get your badges and share the way you always have.

If you have an iPhone you can download the app and give it a try or watch this video for the overview of WeReward.

So what are you waiting for? Take advantage of your mobile phone and start monetizing and start rewarding yourself.

Hubby and Procrastination

And so we went gold panning up north. It was my birthday gift to Hubby... along with a new set of golf clubs [hoping that he would use it one of these days].

You see, I am not really too crazy about camping and gold panning since I prefer Hotel camping. wink* But since it was his birthday I want to make him happy because I know how much it means to him. And so I suggested two weeks before that Memorial weekend to make the necessary arrangement for the trip up north.

And guess what, as usual, he waited the last minute to do what he has to do. We almost did not make it because his truck which sticker  will expire on the last day of the month [which will be the day we are coming back from camping] encountered some problems. He had his windshield changed so his sticker was removed. When he brought the truck to be inspected he had to change his tires and a bunch of other things. So we went without a car sticker on. He wasn't able to call the campsite for the reservation so we went up without a plan B. Good thing someone cancelled their reservation so we got it.

Hays... good thing it was his birthday or else I wouldn't be a happy camper. LOL

Make your Road Trip a Breeze

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of NAVTEQ. All opinions are 100% mine.

Time flies so quickly. And I am on a countdown. School will be over soon so it means that summer is just around the corner. It felt like summer already and we are taking advantage of the nice warm weather whenever possible. Just last Memorial weekend Hubby and I spent the long weekend up north camping. It was indeed nice to be out-of-town once in a while. Our brief vacation was almost perfect if only we knew where we were going.

Well, we were very confident when we left. I always have a check list for everything so I thought everything will be alright. We got the reservation of the campsite online and we programmed the direction on our GPS. And guess what. We got lost. We almost ran out of gas because we cannot find the nearest gas station. We cannot locate the closest restaurant to eat. And we spent the whole day in the car running around in circle instead of already relaxing at the campsite having a barbecue. That was all because our GPS gave us wrong directions. We didn’t realize that we need to update our navigator. Too bad I only found it out now when I stumble upon www.updateyourmap.com.

Here is some important and helpful information about updating your car-navigator:

NAVTEQ is the company whose technology and maps drive most of the in-car navigation systems and the leading brands of GPS-enabled devices in the U.S., so chances are yours is one of them.

Updating is easy, just go to this website and follow the drop-down menus which correspond to the built-in system or portable device. Installing updated navigation maps takes just minutes, but can save hours, fuel and the frustration of getting lost or being late. Mom’s taxi service has to stay on schedule and stick to a budget!

With the newest and best alternate routes received with your map update, you’ll be able to find a route around traffic so you can get to your destination on time! Because there are more than 100,000 points of interest updated, you’ll find the most convenient gas stations, ATMs or restaurants along the way.

Talking about stress-free vacation and road trips, you’re never go wrong or get lost with an updated GPS. So, start with having your car-navigator updated. Check out www.updateyourmap.com now to make sure that your next trip will be a breeze. Take if from me… I am speaking from experience.