Boo! It's Halloween! Plus Some Winners Too!...

 

 

Boo! Do I have great news for you!  Eek, I rhymed!

 

First up, the Pink Slate Boutique giveaway ended yesterday and the THREE winners are...

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Congratulations!  Kayla L, Heather B and Katie G!  Shoot me an email at darcispear@yahoo.com and I will get you hooked up with your $15 gift cards!  Holla!  Yay!  Thanks to everyone that entered the giveaway, I think it was a total success!  If you haven't popped over to Pink Slate recently, you totally should - I'm dying over the new arrivals! 

 

Including both of these...

 Morning Sunshine Tank

 

 Rising Star Cardigan

(available in Red, White and Black)

 



Thank You!  Thank You!  Thank You!

Amber and Sunny you are the BEST!

xoxo

 



Now, let me introduce you to one my favorite ladies that I have yet to meet in person, Sami from Simply Sami!  Thanks for taking over today, Sami!  #chicago2014

 



Happy Halloween everyone! I am Sami from Simply Sami. I had Darci guest post for me a couple weeks ago when we were moving into our house! Here is a little bit about me.....I spent all summer training for my first half marathon! I ran it in September and it was awesome! I have another half at the end of November. I am a mom to Nathan and the wife to Brian. My boys are my everything! I blog about my running, my family and my weight loss. I have lost around 40lbs and getting close to my first goal of being under 200!! 

This will be Nathan's 4th Halloween! I was going through his picture's the other night and found his Halloween photo's! I may be biased....but he is one cute kid!! We go trick or treating in a really nice neighborhood in Rockford. Mostly, because there are a ton of people, lots of lights and they all have great candy!!!!!!!!!!!! 

His first Halloween (2010)! We made a Mr. Potato Head pumpkin! He wasn't too thrilled with it at first, but he warmed up to it! Arrrgh!! Nathan was a little pirate!! We didn't trick or treat this year...we handed out candy. Mostly to kids that were not dressed up and had Walmart bags to carry their candy in. I felt so bad for them. They must have been like 8-12 years old. I wanted to kick their parents in the head. 

The next year (2011), he was a little older and able to walk. This was the funnest Halloween yet! He ran around to every house so fast and was so excited about saying Trick or Treat to everyone! He also wanted to take handfuls of candy from every bucket instead of just one! My little skeleton! 

Last year Nathan was Mr. Snowman! This was my favorite outfit! He LOVED IT...................until we put it on and then he wasn't so happy. Especially since I asked if we could take pictures. Then we started trick or treating and he was totally into it. Running around to every house, but forgetting to get his candy! Haha! Everyone that saw him commented on his costume...plus he was carrying his snowman around with him...after a while tried to put Mr. Snowman in his bucket, he fell out and thankfully someone picked him up and returned him to us!! 

This year Nathan is going to be a yellow Crayon! I feel like a horrible mommy....I waited until the last minute to buy his costume and Target had like nothing left and of course I am broke....so here we go. We tried to do a homemade Batman costume, but he wanted to be this instead. I hate spending like $30 on a costume! This was only $18.99!! (Yeah, I know, I am cheap! HA!) 

He is certainly the cutest little crayon I have ever seen!!! 

 

Next year I am going as Samantha from Bewitched and Brian is going to go as Darrin....he just doesn't know it yet! This was the first year that we, as a couple, didn't dress up and go out. I guess that is what we get for buying a house right before Halloween! Womp, womp. 

Thank you to Darci for having me guest post today! I hope you enjoyed pictures of my little guy! Have a fabulous Halloween!! 

Isn't Nathan just the cutest!?  Thanks again, Sami for posting today!  Love Ya!

 

It's supposed to be raining black cats and rabid dogs around SEK today, fingers crossed I can convince Jack to just hand out candy! 

 

xoxo

Pink Slate Boutique...

Woo-Wee!  Do I have some goodies for Y'all today! 

 

I teased a couple pictures on Instagram earlier this week and based on the response they prompted, I know these are going to be a huge hit! 

Introducing... Pink Slate Boutique's High Waisted Aztec Leggings!

 

These leggings are AMAZING!  They are made of super soft cotton with an amazing print and leather-like insets!  The high waist lends to a smooth fit in the mid-section and the lack of elastic allows for smooth layering and NO MUFFIN TOP!  Can I get an Amen!?

I find them to fit true to size and I'm wearing a Large...don't judge me; I have thighs for days!    Another plus, the Aztec Leggings not only come in White...but also Turquoise and Rust!  Eek!

Now, let's get to the reason you're all here...Sunny and Amber from Pink Slate Boutique are graciously giving THREE of you lovely ladies $15 gift certificates to use at www.pinkslateboutique.com towards your next purchase!  Holla!

This is my first Rafflecopter Giveaway so I'm crossing my fingers I did everything right!  In order to enter you MUST Like Pink Slate Boutique's FaceBook page.  There are 4 additional opportunities for more entries too!

The contest will run from today until next Wednesday 11/30/13 at Midnight CST.  Good Luck!
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 

Now it's time for some Super Model Darci Attempting To Model Outtakes...You're Welcome!

 

 Who wants to give me posing lessons?!  I'm a quick learner...promise!

xoxo

Jamberry Winner...

Brittany Haubner!  Email me at darcispear@yahoo.com and I will get you hooked up with Lacey to get your free sheet of Jamberry Nail Wraps!

Don't forget I'm hosting an online Jamberry party as well, so if you didn't win and you want to try out the wraps go here and place an order!

xoxo

Housekeeping & Harper Kenneth...

Hey Y'all!  Not a ton of time today, work is in full swing crazy mode!  Just a few things I wanted to throw up today!

Numero Uno

If you haven't entered the Jamberry Giveaway yet, do it NOW!  Today is the last day to enter!  I will be drawing the winner tonight and it will announce tomorrow AM!  Click HERE to enter - all you have to do is following me via Bloglovin, like Lacey's Jamberry FB page and leave a comment saying you did both!  Good Luck!

Numero Dos

 

Audacious Boutique Instagram Giveaway!  If you haven't entered, go now!  The winner will be announced on Friday!  Go!  Hurry!  You just have to follow @shopaudaciousboutique on IG, Like them on FB and share the photo!  Make sure you use the hashtag #audaciousgiveaway in order to be entered!

Numero Tres

Photo from @mrsloyoung on Instagram.

Harper Kenneth was welcomed into the world Sunday evening at just over 25 weeks gestation, weighing 1 pound 9 ounces! 

Lora blogs over at Raising Steppe Sisters, she is one of the warmest, nicest, funniest women ever!  She has twin girls at home in addition to her newest Tiny Fighter, HK!  Harper will need to be in the hospital until at least December!  Lora only has standard maternity leave, but the blog world is amazing and some great ladies set up a donation site for the family! Please take a moment and visit HERE.  Every dollar will help, however if you aren't able to donate monetarily - please keep Harper, Lora, and her family in your thoughts and prayers! 

xoxo

Jamberry Party & Giveaway...

Holy Shit, Y'all!  I think I've found, no...I know I've found my newest fashion addiction!  Ever heard of Jamberry Nails?  If not, you'll thank me later for this introduction! Jamberry will make your life nails way more flirty, exciting, flashy, stylish, fun and  most importantly...EASY!

Jamberry launched in 2010 by three sisters who wanted a cheaper alternative to expensive salon visits!  The DIY, easy at-home application method, along with over 200+ designs PLUS a nail art studio where you can design your own, quickly became a hit and a new era in nail art was born!  Each Jamberry sheet of comes with 18 wraps and each wrap can be cut in half, meaning you can get more then one set out of a sheet (most sheets are good for 2-3 sets on average).  Jamberry even offers junior sheets for your little lady and I can't wait to get Norah some of the new holiday wraps!  All Jamberry wraps are gluten free and latex free.

A couple weeks ago I tried my first set of Jamberry Nail Wraps, and I don't think I will ever go back to straight polish!  The wraps last 10-14 days on average, but the key is the application.  I have to admit, I was Fuh-Reaked about putting on my first set, like for real!  Once I got started though, it was cake!  It took me about 30 minutes that first time, but it only took me about 10 minutes to put the second set on!  I'm a nail picker by nature...polish usually only lasts 2, maybe 3 days before it is just all sorts of F'd up!  The first set of Jams lasted 8 days, that's like forever long for me!  After talking to Lacey, my Jamberry Consultant, I told her the ends had started to get rough and that's why I took them off...she told me that if you just file the ends again (like you do when you put them on) that they will smooth down and last a few more days so I'm definitely going to do that with this set!  I've had them on since Saturday morning so far...the challenge is on!  Haha!  I was super surprised though by the patterned second set I have!  I'm usually a solid color girl, but I'm loving the pattern one the Delicate Rose wraps!  It's gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous and truth be told, I think the pattern helps hide any small imperfections from the application process!  You can easily cut the wraps to fit your nails perfectly, if needed, which I did for my thumbs since I have wide, straight thumb nail beds and the wraps are more round!


First Jamberry Nail Wrap Set - London Fog

What you need: Hair Dryer, Alcohol, Cotton Balls, Nail Scissors, Rubber Cuticle Pusher, Nail File, Jamberry Nail Wraps!

Second Jamberry Nail Wrap - Delicate Rose

Now, the part y'all have been waiting for...who wants some Jamberry for FREE!?  My girl, and Jamberry Consultant, Lacey is giving one lucky reader one sheet of their choice of Jamberry Nail Wraps!  All you have to do to enter is 1) follow this blog, StronglyFeminine, on Bloglovin! 2) like Lacey's Jamberry Facebook Page! 3) leave a comment saying you did so!  The giveaway will run through Sunday at 12:00pm CST and the winner will be announced Monday, September 23rd!  Holla!

I'm also hosting an online Jamberry Party!  If you are interested in trying out the Jamberry Nail Wraps and don't win the giveaway click HERE and you will be directed straight to my online party website where you can check out all the designs and place your order!  The party will be open for 2 weeks!

If you have any questions about Jamberry or want to learn more, you can email Lacey directly at laceymegan.jamberry@yahoo.com!  To get to Lacey's personal Jamberry website click here! 

Jamberry Nail Wrap Application Video!!

 

If you've already tried the Jamberry Nail Wraps, do you love them as much as I do?!

xoxo

Iseminger Chronicles...

Hey Y'all!  I'm guest posting for Ashlee today over at Iseminger Chronicles!  If you've ever thought to yourself, "This shit would never have happened before I had kids..." then you should head over and check out today's post "Only After Kids" here!

Anniversary Weekend Recap will be up later this week!

Giveaway City!

I posted a Giveaway on my HomeGirl (Instagram @darci_spear) Friday evening for a super cute handbag perfect for Fall, if you haven't entered head over there now and do it!

Be sure to stop by tomorrow for a Jamberry Nail Review and Giveaway!  You won't want to miss this one!

 

Make it a great Monday, Y'all!

xoxo

So What & Weigh In Wednesday...

 

Just for documentation purposes here is my Weigh In Wednesday Stats... Week 1 Weigh In:  Down 5.6 Pounds!  Holla!  Only 1.2 Pounds until Goal, Bay-Bay!   I have no idea why, no rhyme or reason...but I'll take it.  Maybe taking a break from working out jolted my body enough to freak it out?  LOL!  Or maybe...maybe my Big Girl (the old right boob) really was THAT much bigger and weighed exactly 5.6 pounds...  

Don't forget, head to my HomeGirl (Instagram) and follow me @darci_spear to learn more about my big GiveAway with the one and only Hazel & Olive Boutique!

www.hazelandolive.com

PS - I've had a few ladies already contact me and say Instagram is being a B Face and I either don't show up at all or they aren't being allowed to follow me - even though my profile is public.  I can only guess that something wonky happened when I set my profile to private awhile back for a bit.  If this happens to you email me at darcispear@yahoo.com and leave me your IG screen name and I have been able to go in and find you, then it has been letting the girls add me after that!  Screwed up sitch, for sure!  I apologize if this causes headaches, but I want to make sure everyone gets entered in the giveaway that wants to!  Thanks, Lovelies!
 

xoxo