Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Giveaway Time--Lovely Book for Toddlers



AMAZON GIVEAWAY!


Hey all!  We are holding a giveaway at Amazon!  I actually ordered this book, MOM HUGS by Michael Joosten, earlier today for my 20 month old grandson and I think he will love it!

Enter for a chance to win now!  Giveaway ends February 7, 2018 at 11:59 p.m.  Enter here:
  • Winner:Randomly selected after Giveaway has ended, up to 1 winners.
  • Requirements for participation:
    • 18+ years of age (or legal age)
    • Resident of the 50 United States or the District of Columbia 
    • Shipping costs included

 Thanks for stopping by!  Give us a follow on social media (upper right hand corner) if you like!







Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Party in Your PJs 193 and Valentine's Goodies


Hi and welcome to another Party in Your PJs!  I need some new PJs but haven't gotten around to that yet--random thought lol.

Anyway, we returned from visiting Staci and her family. Parker kept us busy (he's 20 months) and little Oakli, who is just now 3 weeks, is a sweet, cuddly baby and we were blessed to be able to go meet her.

Onto our Features from party 192:

25 Valentine Crafts, Recipes And Gift Ideas 

by Flamingo Toes.
Sweetheart Valentines Wreath 

by Happy Mothering.
Are you looking for the best sugar scrub cube recipe to gift for Valentine's Day? Our Vanilla Rose Exfoliating Sugar Scrub bars smell amazing and leave your skin feeling smooth, clean and moisturized! 

Congratulations on being Featured!  Make sure to check the other hosts' blogs as we all choose our own Features.




Okay, onto the party!  Can't wait to see your posts!





CommercialPalmTrees Review

CommercialPalmTrees provided items free of charge for us for our review.  All opinions are our own.  Please see our DISCLOSURE POLICY .


Hey everyone! We've had another opportunity to work with another great company! They sent me a beautiful plant that you see above and below.  I went with a cactus succulent. The best part is I don't have to remember to water it or make sure it gets sunlight! With 2 kids a year and a half apart and 2 jobs, that's a big bonus. It looks real and it looks nice. They were quick to ship it and get it to me and they had it boxed well so that nothing got ruined.

If you're interested in ordering a plant from this company you can visit CommercialPalmTrees. You can use the code "BLOGGER10" for an available 10% off their products (except for any custom ones).  


Thanks for reading!

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Snickerdoodle Link Party and Flying


Thanks for joining us for Snickerdoodle Link Party!  I have been in North Carolina visiting Staci and family and now flying home to Nevada---insert sad face emoji here lol.  My husband and I really enjoyed playing with Parker, cuddling with tiny Oakli, and visiting with Staci and Jon.

Please follow your hosts on one or more Social Media Platforms.
Beverly and Gloria Across the Blvd (G+ / Pin / Twitter / FB / Instagram)
Please let us know you’re following from Snickerdoodle Create, Bake, Make. We’d love to follow you back!
We're happy to announce that we will be featuring even more of your wonderful posts. Each week, on all five blogs, you'll find the co-hosts' selections for featured posts in the following categories: Crafts/DIY, Recipes, and Crocheting/Sewing. We will each include the Most Clicked as featured post as well. In addition, you may find other posts being featured, too.
While you're here, we'd love for you to grab our new party button.
Snickerdoodle Create Bake Make Party Button
Pinterest Promotion It's a great way to give you even more exposure!
Pinterest Board Promotion Logo
Follow all of the co-hosts on Pinterest and then send an email request to join the board to acrosstheblvd@gmail.com. Please include a link to your Pinterest Profile as well as the name of your blog.
If you're featured, please grab our Snickerdoodle Feature Button!
Snickerdoodle Create Bake Make Feature Button
~On to the Features~
All Features will be pinned to the Snickerdoodle Create, Bake, Make Features Board. We would love for you to pin the features, too. Please pin from the original source!

Crafts/DIY
Cookies, Coffee, and Crafts shared DIY Valentine's Crafts.


Recipes:
Strawberry Kiss Cookies! These look delicious and festive.  By Saving You Dinero


Sewing/Crochet:
This Autoimmune Life has a cute Valentine's Day shirt to make.


Most Clicked:
Super Mom No Cape shared a tutorial for a clever Fabric Cone.
Party Guidelines for Snickerdoodle Party
Thank you for partying with us!



Thursday, January 25, 2018

Love Bug Sugar Cookies, New Baby, and Funtastic Friday

FUNTASTIC FRIDAY 163 LINK PARTY

I have been in North Carolina this past week visiting Staci and family.  WE have had such fun with 20 month old Parker and cuddling with 2.5 week old Oakli Alma.  I so love that Staci named Oakli Alma, after my mom Alma.  I love family names to be passed on. Staci was very close to her grandma.

We’re looking for bloggers to join our team as a party host. If you’re interested, please get in touch with me or one of the other hosts.

Meet the Funtastic Friday 163 Link Party Hosts

We would love for you all to follow us on social media. I follow back. Funtastic Friday Party Hosts
MOST VIEWED
Easy Crescent Veggie Pizza
Crescent Veggie Pizza @ Maryilyn's Treats
HOST FAVORITES
You're One In A Minion Twinkie Printable is such a cute handmade valentine idea. Kids love a cute minion, twinkie and Valentine's Day
Debra's favorite - You're One In A Minion Twinkie Printable @ Embellishments
PomPom Flower Bouquet make a fun kid's craft idea for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, or Every Day!
Heidi's favorite - PomPom Flower Bouquets @ Desperately Seeking Gina
Chocolate Cupcake with Mascarpone Frosting - delicious, quick and easy dessert recipe to make for Valentine's Day party or to treat a loved one! | BirdsParty.com
Sherry's favorite - Chocolate Cupcake with Mascarpone Frosting @ Birds Party
These adorable heart shaped sugar cookies are frosted with pink icing and decorated with yogurt covered pretzels to create these super-sweet Love Bugs! The perfect Valentine's Day treat!
Donna's favorite - Love Bug Sugar Cookies @ Delightful E Made
These Crispy Pork Wontons with Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce are the perfect start to your meal or as a party appetizer! © COOKING WITH CURLS
Lacie's favorite - Crispy Pork Wontons @ Cooking with Curls

If you’re a featured blogger, please grab a button to place on your blog (right-click on the image and save the image to your computer):
Funtastic-Friday-Featured-Thumbnail1 If you’re linking up and joining the party, please grab a button or link back to Olives & Okra or one of the party hosts (right-click on the image and save the image to your computer):
Funtastic-Friday-Link-Party-Thumbnail-150x
All features are pinned to Olives & Okra’s Funtastic Friday board. We will also share your post on social media if sharing buttons are readily available in your post. Help grow the Funtastic Friday link party. 
Disclaimer: By submitting a link to this blog hop, you are giving me permission to share and/or feature your blog post and image on social media and on my blog, Olives & Okra. All links shared will either link back to the blog hop (link party) or to your blog.

FUNTASTIC FRIDAY 163 LINK PARTY RULES

  1. Post as many links as you like
  2. Family friendly posts only
  3. Old posts are welcome
  4. Comments are greatly appreciated
  5. Show fellow bloggers link love



Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Valentine's, Pizza, Food, and Party in Your PJs 192


Thanks for stopping by for Party in Your PJs 192 this week!  My husband and I are visiting our daughter Staci and her family in North Carolina--we had to come meet their new baby, Oakli.  Oakli is 2 weeks old and such a sweet baby.  Of course, we are having a good time with our little Parker--he is 20 months.

I just updated my post from January 2017, Update of Tips to Returning to College.  If you or someone you know is considering making the jump to getting a degree or returning to school as an adult, check out my post for some tips.  I have a little experience myself in this area!

Onto our FEATURES from Party 191:

Marilyn's Treats shared CRESCENT VEGGIE PIZZA which looks absolutely delicious!
Easy Crescent Veggie Pizza 

Patrick at Looney for Food shared his 2017 Top Recipes--he always has the best!  Follow him on Instagram for one of the best accounts around, too!
 

This is a really cute idea for Valentine's Day--an Advent Calendar by Busy Being Jennifer. 
advent pin 

If you were FEATURED this week, please copy and paste a button to your blog to show your Partied in Your PJs!


Please follow your hostesses on your choice of social media--I will follow back if you message me on SM or leave a comment below.

Okay, onto the party!  Can't wait to see your posts!


Update to Tips for Returning to College


This is an update to an original post that I shared in 2017.
Two Chicks and a Mom were not compensated financially by reviews.com to include a link to their site but they did share our post on social media.  

 Have you ever wondered about tackling college again (or technical school)?  Do you have a lot of questions regarding doing that?  Maybe you don't think you have the money or it's been too long since you were in high school or college and you aren't sure you can still keep up with the work.


Here's some tips that might be helpful.  I returned to school and am now currently working towards my Master's degree.

1.  Decide if a degree, certificate, or higher education is what you REALLY want.  Are you ready to seek a better job?  Are the kids in high school and will be leaving home over the next few years?  Want to get back into the work force with a better edge?  Decide what YOU want to do and WHY.



2.  Do you have a set degree in mind?  If not but you still are wanting to get a degree, colleges have counselors who can assist you with choosing a degree program.  Perhaps an aptitude test would be helpful.  Talk to people who are in the career-field you have in mind to get an idea of what is entailed in that job (talk to teachers, nurses, beauticians, social workers--whatever you have considered doing in the past).



3.  Do you want to attend classes on-campus or online?  Some people do better with the structure that on-campus classes offer, while others are fine with online classes and are able to discipline themselves to stay on task.  Many colleges offer online degrees, while some may require you attend certain classes on-campus.  If you already have an Associate's degree or Bachelor's degree and are ready to move forward to a higher degree, many universities offer the next step completely online.  I received my RN-BSN degree by doing online classes at WESTERN GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY (WGU) 
and it was totally affordable!  They offer Nursing, Education, and Business classes.  Recently, I felt that I wanted to do something a little different with my Nursing career so I am working on my Master's of Education degree in Health and Wellness through AMERICAN COLLEGE OF EDUCATION (ACE).  This school offers Master's of Education degrees, a Doctorate of Education, and several certificates as well.  It is so affordable (less than $8000 for my degree) and I should be done in 14 to 15 months.  Make sure you attend an accredited college.



4. Concerned about paying for school?  Check with the college counselor regarding scholarships.  Do an online search to find scholarships related to your field or situation.  As a nursing student, I received scholarships from the local hospital auxiliary, a grant from the state due to a nursing shortage, and a private scholarship offered to women of Nevada.  Some employers will pay all or part of your tuition, even for spouses--check with your Human Resources for information.  Past military service may make you eligible for the GI Bill.  School loans are always available, too, either privately or through the government.  When in doubt, always do an Internet search for scholarships or grants--you never know what you might turn up yourself!



5.  If you have a family, schedule time to have a meeting and let them know of your plans.  Going back to school is a big step and a lot of work--it will affect your family!  Things won't be the same with Mom (or Dad) having class work to do or being gone to classes in the evening.  Make sure everyone is aware of the changes and that you will still be there for them but you will need some support, too.  At the beginning of each semester, we would have a family meeting so that everyone was aware of my schedule and what days I would be out of town (my nursing classes and clinicals took place almost two hours away from my town).  Every week, I made sure everyone knew who was picking up Ali and Staci--Grandma and older brother Aaron were a big help.



6.  Don't stress!  Nothing is etched in stone and if you decide you need to step back from your schooling, do so!  No degree is worth your health or the well-being of your loved ones!  It's okay.  I left nursing school for a year as my mom was not doing well (she passed away during my year off) and Ali was only 4 and missed me.  It worked out and I was glad I took the year off.  Talk to the school administrators--they want to help you succeed!



I am not an expert in returning to school but since I do have experience, I just wanted to share what I have learned over the years.  If you have any questions, you can either comment or email me--our link is over in the right-hand side bar.  When I originally posted this in 2017, I was just starting my Master's degree at American College of Education.  Now, one year later, I will finish up in 2 to 3 months--not bad and am excited for what my future will bring!

Reviews.com has a helpful review on Noise-canceling Headphones.  If you are looking for something to help you focus on your school work while blocking out outside sounds (or providing ambient noise), then check out their list and review of the Best Noise-canceling Headphones!

Thanks for stopping by! 


 
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