Wednesday's Adorned From Above Link Party 92 and $500 Zulily Giveaway

I want to thank everyone who shared with Wednesday's Adorned From Above Link Party 91.  We love seeing all of your posts.

Today I have a special giveaway for all of you also.  The details are below.



Win $500 in zulily's Back To School Giveaway

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

There is nothing better than getting all of your back-to-school shopping done in one place…unless you can get it done AND paid for! Enter to win the zulily Back To School Giveway where both you and I can each win $500 in zulily credits! While you're back-to-school shopping on zulily.com from 8/4 - 8/11, pick out your favorite item (apparel, shoes, accessories, gear and more) and post a link to that item in the comments section below. zulily will announce their winner on 8/12, and if we win, I'll announce who my winner is on 8/13! Thanks zulily for making the task of back-to-school shopping fun! 





Now, for this weeks party.

Welcome to Wednesday's Adorned From Above Blog Hop 92.

I Want to thank all of you for coming back to this weeks party.

Here are the featured bloggers from Link Party 91.

Featured Bloggers from Link Party 91

From Top left, Row 1: Dad's Famous Pancakes, Loaded Bacon Cheeseburger Rollups, DIY Outdoor Kitchen,
Row 2: Site Marked As Spam on Pinterest, Make Your Own Brown Sugar, Cakes for Charity Barbie Cupcakes
Row 3: Fold Out Craft Desk, Two Empty Hands

1.  Cakes for Charity - Barbie Cupcakes from Running Away? I'll Help You Pack

2.  Site Marked As Spam On Pinterest!?!? from With A Blast

3.  Dad's Famous Pancakes from Keep It Simple, Sweetie

4. Make Your Own Brown Sugar from The (mis)Adventures of a "Born Again" Farm Girl

5.  Fold Out Craft Desk from Mellywood's Mansion

6.  Two Empty Hands from Doorkeeper

7.  Loaded Bacon Cheeseburger Rollups from Jo and Sue

8.  DIY Outdoor Kitchen from Simply Vintageous ....by Suzan  (we all loved this one, especially Gwen (5), because of the Snow White video and the sink)

We are happy to have you at this week's party.  We always love hearing from you, so leave your comments.

Have a great week.

Debi

An InLinkz Link-up

Tour of London: Sightseeing, Food, and Hotel

Today, I am taking you on a tour of London.  We went on vacation after Danny's wedding in June, and London was our first stop.  After London we went on a cruise on the Celebrity Infinity.  This is the second time we have been on the Infinity, the first time was when we went to the Antarctic a few years ago.  I can't wait to take you along on our vacation.  On this trip we will be going to the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Shetland Islands in Scotland, and Gerainger and Bergen Norway.  Our first stop is London and I hope you love it as much as we did.

London was such a fun city to visit, and I'm sorry, for all those people who say it's rainy in London, there wasn't a rain drop in sight, it was in the mid to high seventy's everyday that we were there.  It was hot and beautiful and London is amazing.

I do want to make a few recommendations for a hotel and some restaurants.  We stayed at the Mercure London Bloomsbury on Southampton Row.  It has recently been remodeled, and it is beautiful It offers unlimited internet, breakfast is not included in the price, but there is a super cute coffee shop, called Tutti's.  It's about 3 blocks away on Lambs Conduit Street.  They have great food and amazing lattes.  I was a happy camper.  Our cousin Emmanuel lives on the same street as Tutti's, so he recommended it and he was right on the mark.  We also had great pub food at Friend at Hand on Herbrand Street, amazing Indian Salaam Namaste on Millman Street, delicious Italian Ciao Bella on Lambs Conduit Street, and hummus at Hummus Bros on Southampton Row.  All of these restaurants are within walking distance, 3 to 4 blocks of the hotel.  We also ate at the Museum Tavern across the British Museum and we had a delicious Sunday Prime Rib and Yorkshire pudding for lunch.

Now for our Tour of London.  We took Big Bus Tours in London and they were great.  You can get on and off the bus where you want, and visit all of the sights in the areas.  I would also recommend taking the tours that have the live tour guides.  These guys are great and give so much information, and the personalities of each guide is different, but ours had us laughing.

We stayed across the street from Russell Park, so that was one of the first places we walked to in London.  It's such a cute little park, and they have this great fountain that this dog had a great time walking through.  David was laughing as he watched the dog.

I also had to get a picture of the London phone booths.  They are so fun.  I have always seen them in pictures and movies, but seeing them in person was really fun.

Vince had wanted me to look for the Tardis.  He is a big Dr. Who fan, but alas I couldn't find it.  I actually looked online to see if there was one around.  Instead, we got him a Dr. Who t-shirt.

Next, we got on the Big Bus tours and it was so fun.  Our first stop took us over the London bridge, and to Borough Market. (this was last Tuesday's post)

This is all of the foot and car traffic on London Bridge crossing the Thames.

This is a beautiful bridge that you see from London Bridge.  It's just so pretty.

This is the church next to Borough Market, called Southwark Cathedral.  It is so pretty and is located next to one of the entrances to Borough Market.

We took London Bridge to the south side of the Thames.  Then we took the bridge in the picture above back over the Thames to The Tower of London.  There is also a building called the Needle, but I could not get a picture of it.  I took this picture of the Tower of London.  It's really interesting.  I loved the catapult, the tents, and the soldiers.  We did not go inside the Tower of London, we didn't have time, but it was a great stop.  If you are going to be in London for 4 to 5 days, this is a tour that I would go on.

Above is one more picture of the Tower of London.

Next on the tour was Big Ben, Parliament, and The Eye.  I had always heard of the Eye, but I had no idea what it was.  It is a huge Ferris wheel on the Thames, and it is beautiful.  It is totally lit up at night.

We went past Big Ben and Parliament and then back over the Thames.  This is when I got this picture of the Eye.  I have more, but this was so close up, that it was pretty dramatic.  It must be so amazing to be on at night.

Next we go back over the Thames on another bridge and I got a great picture of Parliament and Big Ben from the river.  Beautiful! (We were kind of back and forth over the Thames the whole day it seemed.  There are lots of bridges in London.

Our next stop is Buckingham Palace.  It is beautiful.  It was fun getting the picture of the Queens Guard in front of the palace.  We also went past the Royal Mews.  I had no idea the Mews were stables.  In the Bloomsbury neighborhood that we stayed in all of the homes have mews, which have now been turned into very expensive flats.

Our next stop was Piccadilly Circus.  I didn't take any pictures here, but it is a really fun area.  We went into lots of stores and looked around.  There is a theatre district and Chinatown also.  

Next stop is back to the hotel.  We spent about 8 hours sightseeing.  What a day. 

We went to Salaam Namaste for cocktails and dinner and then to bed.

Sunday we went to The British Museum which has an amazing Egyptian Exhibit and a library that is out of this world.  We also had lunch at the Museum Tavern.  I would suggest a traditional roast beef lunch on Sundays.

 I hope you liked our tour of London.  We really enjoyed it.  I always love hearing from you.

Have a great day

Debi

Find us at these great parties

15 % Off All Orders on Birthday Express

$10 Off Orders Over $60 on Birthday Express

$20 off Orders over $100 on Birthday Express

Partying at:

Fluster Buster's Creative Muster

Dear God Note 1

I am starting to write some Dear God Notes.  Sometimes, if I put things in writing, it helps me to clarify what I am thinking, and how I need to pray.

Last week, I saw a post on Facebook that said "Dear God, Your Will Your Way".  I believe that, but if you follow me you know that we have had a pretty busy year.  Some of it has been extremely difficult, Charly lost her baby and my father passed away.  Some has been great, Danny got engaged and married.  The future is definitely changing,  my sweet husband is starting to retire, and we will be selling our home and moving to a Florida.  So a lot of things have happened and more things are changing.  

I was speaking to a friend last week, and when I repeated the saying, she added, but can you be gentle God.  Which, is what I had been thinking, because sometimes I feel overwhelmed with everything that happens in life.  I know God doesn't give us more then we can handle, but please God be gentle.

So I decided that I was going to start a new series on Mondays.  They will be Dear God Notes.  I am going to write a new note to God every week.

I hope that you like them.  I really just want to start putting some of my prayers in writing.

Have a blessed week.

Debi

Find Us At These Great Parties

Partying at:

Fluster Buster's Creative Muster

Hello Kitty Party of the Month at Birthday Express

Pretty in Pink with Hello Kitty party supplies from Birthday Express
**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links



What little girl doesn't love the sweetly iconic look of Hello Kitty? Create a purrrfect party setting with the Hello Kitty Balloon Dreams Party Pack from Birthday Express.

Throwing a Hello Kitty party doesn't take much more than pulling together some key elements, adding touches of glimmer and gloss, and coating everything in a pastel palette. Here are some ideas on how...

Food & Drink Ideas - Tiny muffins and tea sandwiches wrapped in polka dot cupcake wrappers to keep the cute quotient up and the sugar levels low. Serve them with strawberry (think pink!) and/or plain milk in small, old fashioned milk bottles which work perfectly withpink striped straws. 



Party Activities - Everyone loves a piñata, and the Hello Kitty Pinata (featured below) is filled with all sorts of treats, including candy and little toys. However, if you're looking for something with a little less mess, putting together a make-your-own favor box table is an easy way to let kids build their own Hello Kitty super souvenir! Simply set out bowls of Hello Kitty treats, such as: stickers, rings, Hello Kitty PEZ dispensers, colorful bracelets and a party favor box or bag to put all the goodies in. 

Hello Kitty Pinata Kit

Hello Kitty Party Favor Box

Hello Kitty Party Game

Party Decor - On your palette of pastel, add in accent pieces that bring the theme to life, such as Hello Kitty confetti or use the Hello Kitty rings (featured below) as napkin holders. Finally, let the birthday girl be the star of the party and dress her up as Hello Kitty! 

Hello Kitty Balloon Dreams Party Pack

Hello Kitty Rings

Hello Kitty Toddler Costume

For a full selection of Hello Kitty party supplies, visit Birthday Express - where you can plan the perfect party from start to finish every time!

Have a great week.

Debi 

15 % Off All Orders on Birthday Express

$10 Off Orders Over $60 on Birthday Express

$20 off Orders over $100 on Birthday Express

Jerusalem Countdown - Movie Review

Jerusalem Countdown Movie available from Amazon

Welcome to my first Blast From The Past Saturday.  Every Saturday I will be posting a previously published post, in order to take my weekends off.  Today, I will be sharing my very first post, a movie review from the movie Jerusalem Countdown.  When I look at this blog post, I find that I had a lot to learn about blogging.

Debi

===Originally posted on April 26, 2012===

I wanted to tell everyone about a new dvd that I just watched.  It is called Jersalem Countdown, and it was great.  It was just released on dvd last week and it is from a company called PureFlix.  They brought us movies like Hidden Secrets, The Encounter, and The Wager.  It is really well done, and has a wonderful cast of characters.  (David AR White, Randy Travis, Lee Majors,  Stacy Keech to name a few)

The movie is based on the John Hagee book and it is a fast paced pre apocolyptic movie.  It seems that each year Christian based movies are getting better and better, and it is one that I would definitely recommend.  I hope you get a chance to see the DVD.  It is probably okay for teenagers and adults, but not young children.

Have a great week.

Debi

Find us at these great parties

Partying at:

Fluster Buster's Creative Muster

Sunday's Best Par-tay - My 1929 Charmer

15 % Off All Orders on Birthday Express

$10 Off Orders Over $60 on Birthday Express

$20 off Orders over $100 on Birthday Express

Beck + Warby Parker New Frame

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links

Breaking news! Warby Parker has once again joined forces with the talented Beck and has created a limited-edition pair of frames to bring Beck's Song Reader to life with an album of interpretations by a dream team of musicians hand-selected by Beck and the legendary music producer, Randall Poster. But you don't have to be a music lover to appreciate these Carmichael frames - re-incarnated in Black Cherry - a two toned hue created with the help of Beck himself! 

Warby Parker Sunglasses - Carmichael in Black Cherry	!Warby Parker Eyeglasses - Carmichael in Black Cherry

These limited edition frames are available for both sun and optical eye wear. To check them out or to learn more about the Warby Parker and Beck collaboration go towww.warbyparker.com/song-reader.  

This is such a great company.  They make the cutest frames and include the lenses for a very reasonable price.   Since I have to wear glasses and my prescription is very strong ( basically I'm legally blind without glasses )  these are a steal.  Most frames are priced at about $100.00, amazing for cute frames.  This is a company that I really believe in and I hope you will take a look at what they have to offer.  My next pair of glasses is going to come from Warby Parker.

Pineapple Lemonade for Friday's Happy Hour

Tonight we are having Pineapple lemonade for Friday's Happy Hour.  This is a great, refreshing summer cocktail, and I think you're really going to like it.  I added the fresh berries, because they looked so pretty in the drink.  This would also be a great drink for Sunday brunch.  It would look so pretty on the  table with a daisy centerpiece, yellow tablecloth or placemats, and a beautiful Italian Fritatta.  I think I'm getting ready for Sunday Brunch now.

Pineapple Lemonade

Ingredients:

2 oz SKYY Pineapple Vodka

4 oz lemonade
fresh berries for garnish

Directions:

Pour ingredients over ice, add berries for a garnish, and serve.

Makes I drink

I hope that you enjoy this cocktail.  Have a great Friday night and a wonderful weekend.

See you on Monday.
Debi

Find us at these great parties

Partying at:

Fluster Buster's Creative Muster

Sunday's Best Par-tay - My 1929 Charmer

15 % Off All Orders on Birthday Express

$10 Off Orders Over $60 on Birthday Express

$20 off Orders over $100 on Birthday Express

Marriage Proposal Books by Blurb

I think this is such a great idea.  This is so different.  I don't know how many men I have reading this, but all of you women out there, you can put the idea out there for him.  Men, if your reading this, a proposal book would be a huge surprise, and something she would remember forever.

Why Not Pop the Question in Print?
(sponsored post)

Some proposals happen on a mountain top. Some happen while she's brushing her teeth. Whether you prefer the extravagant or the subtle, you are going to want to commemorate this milestone of life. That's why the idea of publishing a proposal into a printed Blurb book is so appealing. Here are a few ideas of how to craft the most creative "Will You Marry Me?" chronicle.

• Write a children's book where the main characters are you and your beloved. Print the book with Blurb, then have it put onto the shelves at your local library. Take her on a reading date and "stumble" across the book. (Just remind her that you're in the library and she'll have to tone down those shrieks of joy.)
• Create a beautiful photo essay of your relationship. Include photos of where you met, special pieces from your first date, scenes from your favorite events. Use the pictures to tell a silent story of your love and then complete this happy ending with a picture of you and a sign asking for her hand.
• Is your beloved a foodie? Make her a Blurb cookbook of love! Ask your family and friends for their favorite recipes and put them together into one book, complete with pictures. Add in your own recipe of love with ingredients that include moments from your courtship. Just be sure that when the relationship is fully baked, you ask about the final course - a lifetime of sweet memories.

Blurb loves helping people to publish their dreams and right now they are offering two special deals to get your proposal in print. Save 15% on all purchases by using promo code: AUGUST15at checkout. Save 25% on print book orders of $75+ on 1st purchase only, when you use promo code: TRYOUT at checkout. Both of these offers expire on August 25th, so don't wait to publish the most important question ever put into print, with Blurb. 

Take advantage of this offer now.
Have a great week.
Debi

Cinnamon Sugar Palmiers

My mouth is watering just thinking about these Cinnamon Sugar Palmiers.  They are one of my favorite cookies.  I love puff pastry.  I don't think there is anything that I would not eat if it included puff pastry, except maybe liver.  Liver is one of my least favorite foods.  Anyway, back to puff pastry.  These cookies are really simple to make, and you probably have almost everything on hand, except for maybe the puff pastry.  I guess that isn't a staple in most peoples' homes.  They only have four ingredients in them; puff pastry, cinnamon, sugar, and the magic ingredient, butter.

Here is a very quick and easy cookie recipe.

Cinnamon Sugar Palmiers

Ingredients:

1 sheet puff pastry

1/4 cup butter softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Direction:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Line a cookie sheet with non stick foil or parchment paper.

Unroll your puff pastry.

Spread the softened butter over the puff pastry.

Mix you sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the butter on you puff pastry.

Roll the puff pastry up from the long end and pinch the ends to the roll to seal the sugar into the dough.  You do not need to pinch the ends that look like spirals.

Slice the dough into 12 slices and lay on you cookie sheet in four rows of three.

Some of the cinnamon sugar mixture will come out, but that is ok.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly browned.

Let cook and serve.

I hope that you like the recipe.  I always love hearing from you.

What are you favorite kinds of cookies?

Have a great week.

Debi

Find us at these great parties

Partying at:

Fluster Buster's Creative Muster

Bloom Designs Link Party

Sunday's Best Par-tay - My 1929 Charmer

Adorned From Above Link Party 91

I want to thank everyone who shared with Wednesday's Adorned From Above Link Party 90.  We love seeing all of your posts.

Welcome to Wednesday's Adorned From Above Blog Hop 91.

I Want to thank all of you for coming back to this weeks party.  

The last two months have been a challenge to say the least.  We had a wonderful time at Danny's wedding and went on vacation, and while we were gone my dad got very ill.  He passed away a week ago.  I have been back and forth to California 3 times in the last 3 weeks.  I had wanted to spend as much time as I could with him before he passed away.  All of us spent his birthday on July 7th with him in the hospital.  The smile on his face is what I will remember forever.  This is a picture that the kids took.  Danny is absent, he visited the week before.

Here are the featured bloggers from Link Party 90.  I promise to try to continue the party and blogging.  We are dealing with huge changes in our lives right now, so Adorned From Above may have to change a little also.  My sweet hubby is starting to retire, and we will be moving to the Florida House sometime in the next 6 months.  As things get more hectic with the move and all of the changes I may have to take some time off again, but right now we are going to try to keep things going smoothly.

Featured Bloggers from Link Party 90

1.  Dead Week Style Ideas from Fashion in Flight

2.  Caramel Banana Cupcakes from Annie's Noms

3.  Garden Update (and outdoor dining sneak peak)

4. Homemade Air Fresheners DIY from Crafts a la Mode

5.  Donuts from Sweet Servings Blog









6.  Creamy Italian Parmesan Soup from Love Bakes Good Cakes

7.  Jungle Cooler from With A Blast

8.  Lilacs in Jars from Muslin and Merlot

We are happy to have you at this week's party.  We always love hearing from you, so leave your comments.

Have a great week.
Debi

An InLinkz Link-up