It Started With Hello

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*Thank you to Lindt for sponsoring today’s post and inspiring me to try Lindt HELLO!*

One of the things I’ve grown to love most about blogging is the wonderful friendships I’ve made with other bloggers. It has been a beautiful surprise, something I never expected to happen. I’m grateful for the wonderful friendships I’ve made.

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Blogging friendships are different than offline friendships. There’s something about sharing our lives online that gives us a different kind of connection. Sometimes friends that don’t blog don’t quite understand, so having a great group of friends that understand what we do is a great thing!

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I’ve been blogging for about four an a half years. I have blog friends I made shortly after I started blogging, and I have blog friends I’ve only known for a little while. Some friends I’ve met in person, while some I only know through our computers. Each of these friendships are very special!

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One of the great things about blogging friendships is that I have a great support system of women across the country! These girls are there when I need to talk or need to cry. I’ve watched them get married and have babies, and I’ve prayed for them in good times and in bad.

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Friendships start with hello. Online friendships can start with hello through a tweet, a blog comment, or an email. They can be a “hi, nice to meet you”, a note of encouragement, or a fun question!

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Lindt has created a new kind of chocolate to help you say hello to new friends or special people in your life! You can say “hello” to the fabulous flavors of the Lindt HELLO collection:

- Caramel Brownie: Discover the irresistible combination of smooth milk chocolate, hazelnut and caramel brownie filling

- Strawberry Cheesecake: Satisfy your cheesecake craving with rich milk chocolate and a light, fluffy strawberry cream cheese filling.

- Crunchy Nougat: Smooth milk chocolate,– now that’s yummy!

- Cookies & Cream: Chocolate, cookies – and a crunch! Savor a chocolaty experience like no other, with chocolate chip cookie pieces and cream filling.

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The Lindt HELLO collection can be enjoyed 3 different ways: sticks, bars, and mini-stick bags. I was recently given the opportunity to try these fun new chocolates! The strawberry cheesecake has become my favorite. Can’t say no to chocolate, strawberries, and cheesecake :) The mini sticks are great to share with a group of friends, and the larger sticks are great for a quick snack on the go!

Lindt has also partnered with Ashley Tisdale to co-produce “It Started with HELLO”, which premiered on September 12th on the “It Started with HELLO” YouTube page. New videos will be released weekly through October 9th. It is a fun, new romantic comedy digital series capturing couples as they make their first connections, and is inspired by the cheeky personalities of the new Lindt HELLO products.

Lindt is also offering five weeks of giveaways! To enter the sweepstakes, visit the Lindt HELLO Sweet Connections Sweepstakes Landing Page and enter your email address. Entries can be made daily for additional chances to win fun prizes.

Who have you recently said hello to?

Crafting with the Littles (A Thirty-One Giveaway)

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*This product was sent to me to review, but all opinions are my own.*
Hey y’all!
Every Sunday night January through Easter, Colby and I help take care of the Littles while Joyce and Wade do a program with the big kids. Normally we just put a movie on one of our iPads, but a couple of weeks ago, I took some of my craft supplies to do an activity with them instead. I always use a huge bag to carry all of my supplies!

A few weeks ago, I received a zip-top organizing utility tote from Thirty-One Gifts!

Isn’t it pretty? The pattern is called citrus medallion, and I LOVE it!
I love how Thirty-One products can be personalized! I love my A on this one!
One of the things I love most about this tote is that it has SO MANY POCKETS! There are two in the front, one on each side, and three in the back. Perfect for a craft bag, right?
It even holds my glue bottle :)
The zipper on the top keeps all of my craftiness contained!
For my craft project with the Littles, I gave them different colored pieces of paper for them to tear into little pieces, one of each colors of the rainbow.
When the paper was all torn up, I gave them each a big sheet of white paper, and we started gluing the colors in rows.

Colby even got in on the fun :)
When we were finished, we had four darling little rainbows!
My Thirty-One tote was the perfect bag for carrying all of the supplies for our craft night. Thirty-One Gifts has a lot of other great products!
I have a Thermal Tote similar to this one that I use for carrying my lunch to work.
The All Pro Tote is one of the April Specials! I love this cute pattern!
The Pro Duffle is another April Special!
Thirty-One Gifts is giving away a $31 gift certificate to one of my readers!
Here’s how you can win.
We’re going to do this the old-fashioned way :) Leave a comment for each thing you do!
1. Visit the Thirty-One Gifts website and tell me what you would use your gift certificate for.
2. Join my consultant Lisa’s Thirty-One Facebook Group.
3. Get 5 additional entries if you place an order! You can email Lisa at lrietman02@yahoo.com to place your order.
4. Tweet, share on Facebook, or blog about this giveaway.
Winner will be chosen on April 7th!

Building a Dream Home

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*This product was sent to me to review, but all opinions are my own.*
Hey y’all!
When my parents got married, they started talking about the dream home they wanted to have someday. They made plans for what they wanted it to look like, where they wanted it to be, and when I was in college, they finally found the perfect piece of land to start building their home.
A little over two years ago, they started working on this dream home; a beautiful log house on 40 acres of land outside of town. They have had a little bit of professional help, but they are doing a large part of the work themselves. It has been a long process, but in a few months, it will finally be ready for them to move in!
Isn’t it beautiful? I can’t wait to see it when all of the landscaping is finished!
When Easy Canvas Prints contacted me to review an 8×10 canvas print, I decided to have something special made for Mom and Dad. Most of the pictures around our house now are pictures of my brother and me or of the whole family, so I wanted them to have something special for just the two of them. I found a great picture that I knew would be perfect to hang in their new home.
The canvas print turned out beautiful! The colors look great, and the picture is very clear. I was also very impressed with how quickly it was completed and sent to me! I received it almost a week earlier than the date I was given, so it was a nice surprise to get it so fast.
Easy Canvas Prints made it very easy to create this beautiful gift! There are many different options for sizes, borders, and color effects. You can even have your photo retouched! The website was very easy to navigate. One thing I loved most was that it would tell me if the quality of the picture was high enough to be made into a canvas to avoid having a blurry or low-quality image. 
Easy Canvas Prints also has affiliate sites BuildASign.com and Allied Shirts where you can create your own signs and t-shirts.
I really enjoyed my experience with Easy Canvas Prints. Through their simple design process and quick service, I was able to create this special gift. Although I wasn’t able to keep it a secret (it’s too pretty not to share!), I can’t wait until I can give it to Mom and Dad in person! I know they will love it as much as I do!