SodaStream Sparkling Summer House Party

Being a member of House Party definitely has its perks.  Like, receiving a SodaStream Party Pack in the mail just days after Hubs said he'd like to buy one for our family!!



In exchange for hosting a party and telling our friends and family about SodaStream we received:

• (1) SodaStream® Source starter kit (Black) with 6 miniflavors
• (1) Flavor variety pack
• (1) Country Time® Lemonade (full size flavor)†
• (1) Crystal Light® Raspberry Lemonade (full size flavor)†
• (1) Kool-Aid® Tropical Punch (full size flavor)†
• (2) 1-liter bottles
• (1) Sidewalk chalk
• (1) Water balloon kit
• (1) Popsicle tray
• (1) Beach ball

House Party also sent Sun Visors and $20 Rebate Forms for each of my guests.

I'm a huge fan of soda, particularly Diet Coke and Dr Pepper.  Those two are my absolute favorites!  Because I don't tend to stray from those flavors {or brands} I was skeptical of the SodaStream at first.  The thought of turning normal, everyday WATER into soda seemed a little strange.  But, after making our first liter of soda I was sold.  The SodaStream is so much FUN! And YUMMY!

At our party we tried Root Beer, Lemon-Lime, Sparkling Lemonade, Sparkling Fruit Punch flavored Kool-Aid, Cola, Orange soda...and a few others.  My favorite was the Root beer!  Orange Soda and Sparkling Lemonade were my kids favorites.


{Hubs showing us how it's done.}


{my brother-in-law in action}

I had a few people ask me, "is soda made from the SodaStream cheaper than buying 12-packs of soda from the store?"  My answer was always, I don't think it's cheaper as much as it is better for our environment and it saves time and space in your kitchen pantry.  The cost of owning a SodaStream and buying soda from the store is pretty comparable.

What's more?  You can use your SodaStream to make Sparkling H2O!  I've recently become a fan of putting sliced cucumbers or strawberries in my ice water preferably drank from a mason jar with a CUPPOW}.  Now that I own a SodaStream I will be adding sliced cucumbers or strawberries to my SPARKLING H2O!  Yep!  Genius, I know.

A few more pictures from my party...

{everyone who attended}


{the kiddos all enjoying their dinner on the back patio}

Do you own a SodaStream?  Do you LOVE it?  What is your favorite soda or sparkling beverage to make?


{Disclosure: Thanks to House Party and SodaStream I received everything mentioned above as compensation for having a gathering with my friends and family.  All opinions are my own.}

Create a Summer Bucket List {free printable}

This week on Blissfully Domestic I'm sharing how to create a summer bucket list for you and your family {with a little help from Lindsey of Pen and Paint.}. This is a super easy craft that the entire family can help with!  I'd love for you to go have a look-see.


{click over to Blissfully Domestic for the link to download and print your own Summer Bucket List printable}

Disney On The Road

Two weeks ago I received an email that absolutely caught me by surprise. Left me with no words. Made me the most happy girl EVAH!



I was invited to attend Disney On The Road in Bethesda, MD {the DC area}!!  I know nothing more than there will be motivational speakers from all over the country along with like-minded bloggers and mompreneurs, like me.  And, it's hosted by DISNEY!

Because my husband is amazing and supportive and AMAZING, I'm going!  I can hardly contain my excitement.  I can't wait to come back and share with you all what I learn and hear and see.  I'm anticipating nothing more than excellence from Disney.

Something that'll be icing on the cake to this quick trip??  My bestie, Tera lives in Maryland!  I haven't seen her in four years because she was living clear across the country in Washington.  Now she's closer and I'm headed to her town!! It was a no-brainer that I stop to see her for at least a day!

So, tomorrow I set off on my uber exciting adventure!  I can't wait to come back and share it with you!!!

jonahbonah Grows a Garden

A few years ago when we lived in this house the first time we had a garden.  Then, when we got to Fort Campbell we planted another small garden.  We love the fresh fruits and veggies but, we also love the sense of accomplishment and seeing our hard work pay off.  Feeding our family right from the backyard is certainly a perk, as well.

This year we planted two small gardens!  One has different varieties of tomatoes and peppers and there's even a row of kale and carrots.  The other has cucumbers, watermelons, squash and cantaloupe.



Hubs also planted two apple trees, a lemon tree, an orange tree and a banana tree.  {McKinley is convinced the banana tree will lure monkeys into our backyard!}



Oh, and sunflowers!



Y'all, we are going to have quite the selection when our plants begin yielding crops!  And I can't wait!


{the first pepper picked}




{only six weeks after planting}




{Hubs planted the watermelon and cucumbers from seeds and only days later there were sprouts.  YAY!}


{our Mr. Stripey tomato plant is taller than she is}


{"momma, water me!}


{these banana peppers are SPI-CY!}



Do you have a garden?  What all do you have planted?

Paper Culture {a review}

A few weeks ago I was asked to give Paper Culture a try.  Until then I had never heard of them.  I'm guessing you may not have heard of them either.

Well, today's your lucky day.  I'm gonna tell you all about them and how fabulous they are!

When I was asked to try their products I was super excited because I was specifically asked to give the baby shower invites a try.  Um, DUH!  Of course, I will absolutely, positively check that out!  I am pregnant, after all.

There was one drawback for me...we decided to not find out the gender of this baby. How in the world am I going to pick out a baby shower invite if I don't know if I'm having a boy or a girl. Paper Culture made it easy, believe it or not. I found a super cute gender-neutral invitation that I immediately fell in love with!



This baby is due at the end of summer. What better color scheme than red, white and blue? And whales? I love whales! This invitation was made for me!

I promptly ordered what I needed in the whale design and waited for my order to arrive on my doorstep. I was so very impressed with their shipping time. I received my order in less than seven days. That was from hitting 'submit' to pulling them from my mailbox. SUPER QUICK!

My invitations are perfect! The color is bright. The cardstock is 130lb, 17 pt. That's a considerably heavier weight paper than other printing companies. The corners of the invitations are rounded. For me, that's a special touch. It makes the invitations look so much more professional.

If I knew all of the names and addresses of the gals I wanted to invite at the time of ordering I could have had Paper Culture address, stamp and ship them all for me. For no extra cost. {other than the actual cost of the stamp}

Overall, I am highly pleased with my order...if you haven't already picked up on that. :o)

*****

What if I was having a girl?? I would choose these uber cute Babushka nesting dolls.


And if I knew I was having a boy? These little foxes would be my number one choice.


Wanna know some other fun facts that make Paper Culture stand out from the other printing companies?

*Paper Culture plants a tree with EVERY order (planted over 300,000 trees to date)

*Cards and envelopes are made from 100% post consumer recycled paper (so no new trees are cut down to produce your cards or envelopes)

*Paper Culture offsets it's entire carbon footprint

Fun, right?!

Who else is talking about Paper Culture??

*Paper Culture has been featured in publications like Real Simple, People, Martha Stewart, the Wall Street Journal, Parenting and dozens of others.

*Paper Culture has been used by celebrities such as Jewel, Toby Maguire, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Kerri Walsh and more.

Paper Culture specializes in so much more than baby shower invitations.  You can find stationary, labels, wall art, holiday cards, birthday invitations, baby announcements and much more!

You can find Paper Culture on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or on their blog.



I was given a credit to Paper Culture on behalf of Global Influence to review their product.  All opinions are my own.

Spend A Day in Fernandina Beach, FL

A couple of weeks ago I told you about the 50th Annual Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival that goes on in Fernandina Beach, FL.  Well, as it says in the name...annual...you'll have to wait until next year to go to it.  But, I have great news!  You can visit Fernandina Beach anytime of the year and experience good food and beautiful sights.

Last weekend we spent a day exploring Historic Fernandina Beach and a few of the treats it offers.

Our first stop was Timoti's Seafood Shak.



We went with some more of our family to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday. The atmosphere is casual. Most of the seating is outside with a few places to sit and eat inside.

Be sure to take the kids. There's a pirate play ship that's just off the outdoor dining area that will keep them entertained until your food is ready!

Speaking of food, OH. MY. YUM!



We got a bunch of shrimp baskets and one oyster basket {that I failed to get a picture of} and each of us were completely satisfied. There was even food leftover!



The seafood was, indeed, fresh!



{a couple of the cute kid tagalongs}




After lunch we went for a short walk to Fernandina's Fantastic Fudge located on Centre Street.



When we walked in we got to watch a girl finishing up some homemade fudge on the marble slab.



Doesn't that look amazing?!?!

Funny thing, we didn't get any fudge. It was so hot outside that we opted for a scoop of their delicious ice cream each.


And hubs got a frozen lemonade too. Nom.


There's so much to do and see in Fernandina Beach.  Have you ever been?  Tell me where we must go next in the comments.

Today We Remember

{Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. John 15:13 NIV}


We will never forget the sacrifices made by the men and women who laid down their lives for our country.