Monkey Stitch: A Review

Every year since he was 5, I have bought my middle child a shirt with his age on it.  And every year I've bought it from the same place...Monkey Stitch. 

So, why do I keep coming back? Well, for one thing, my kiddo loves the shirts! I keep thinking he'll grow out of the idea of wanting his age on a shirt, but every year he wants another one.   He'd wear them every day if I let him. 

And the shirts are really good quality.   Here's a close up of his 5 shirt after a year of use, and roughly 60 trips through the washing machine.

I don't baby it.  It's been washed at all temps, right side out, no special treatment at all.  And other than the normal wear on the fabric you'ld expect, it's just like I got it--not a seem loose!  Every single shirt I've bought from Monkey Stitch has held up this well!

She's been very flexible about working with me on designs, too.  There actually weren't any "number" shirts listed at Monkey Stitch shop when I bought my first tww there, only "Initial Shirts"... but she was happy to make one for me anyways.  She's always worked with me to get the fabric and fabric patterns I wanted too.  

Here's some more items I love from her shop....

Treasury tool by StylishHome.

Click Here to Visit Monkey Stitch! 

      NOTE:  I received a discount on the last shirt I bought from Monkey Stitch  in exchange for this review.  All the other shirts I bought previously I bought at full price without any conpensation.

Gardening in Texas: A Gardening Book for New Texans

I first started getting interested in gardening in High School.  Then, I lived in the California mountains, a place where the main  challenges for gardeners was the short growing season and too much shade.  Texas couldn't be more different.

I was clueless about how to garden in Texas.  I knew that there were two growing seasons here, but didn't really understand how to garden for them.  I started my plants way too late in the Spring, and wasn't sure when the fall season started so just didn't try.  Not knowing that different plants should be grown in different seasons, I planted a lot of things at the wrong time.  I didn't even know there was such a thing as cool season and warm season annuals.  And lets not even get into how little I know about maintaining a lawn...living on a boat and then in the mountains, we never even had a lawn growing up.

This year has been different, cause I've had help.  The book Month-to-Month Gardening in Texas has been teaching me when to plant things, and I've even been starting to inch my way towards proper lawn maintenance.   I wish I had gotten this book years ago...it would have saved me, and the poor plants I was trying to grow, a lot of agony!

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS BOOK
I love the month to month guidance!  I like knowing exactly what to plant, and what maintenance to do on my plants each month, what conditions to expect, etc.  It's written in a way that's simple to understand, and the layout makes it easy to find what you need.  I recommend this for anyone who's new to Texas.

WHAT COULD BE BETTER
While I absolutely love this book, there's a few things I think could be improved.

• While I love the month to month layout, I wish they hadn't separated it into different types of plants (grass, trees, shrubs, vegetables, etc.) they way they did.  I think a better layout would be to have all the things you do in a certain month in one place, to cause less flipping around.  
• They could have given more guidance on when to plant herbs.  I realize herbs can be planted with more flexibility, but if they had been included in the "what to plant this month" section, that would have been nice.  A few herbs, like Basil, were mentioned, but not many.
• Though the book is perfect for a newcomer like me, I should note that many people who reviewed this book mentioned that it was too basic, so if you feel like you've got the basics of Texas gardening down, this may not be the book for you. 

Buy This Book on Amazon

Other Resources

Though I highly recommend this book for new Texans, you can also find a lot of this info online.  Also, if you have a local garden club, they may have info on their website, or sell a book of their own, with even more specific info for your area.

Here's some online resources for gardeing in Texas:

For Finding Planting Times 

• Aggie Horticulture - Spring Vegetable Planting Guide
  
• Aggie Horticulture - Fall Vegetable Planting Guide
• Mother Earth News - What to Plant Now (only includes Feb - Oct)

General Resources

• The Herb Companion - Texas Tagged Posts
  Lots of great articles on various planting topics in Texas.
• Aggie Horticulture
  So many resources to browse through.  Lots of info on specific plants, charts, articles, etc.. 
• Wikipedia Companion Planting Chart
  Though not a specifically Texan resource, I have found this invaluable in my garden.

Regional Resources

• Heart Of Texas Urban Gardeners 
• Central Texas Gardening
• Central Texas Horticulture
• Houston Herb Society

Of Sumos and Saints - A Review

Oddly enough where I first learned the story of St. Patrick was from a short clip on the Veggie Tales Video Sumo of the Opera. 

What do Sumos have to do with St. Patrick? 

Well, not much, except in this case perseverance, which was the theme of that particular video (if you're not familiar with Veggie Tales, most of their videos have several short stories on a related theme).   

Sumo of the Opera's main story is a Rocky style tale of a jokester sumo who learns the value of perseverance.  It also includes a silent film parody of Larry, Mo, and Curly, and my favorite silly song ever, "School House Polka - Homophones"  (teachers out there, this would be a wonderful teaching tool!).

But the clip from this video I'd like to share with you today (which is also on YouTube...see below) is a tale of St. Patrick.   It's hilarious and informative, but like all Veggie Tales videos takes a few tongue and cheek liberties, so if you'ld like a more historical version of this story, you can find a short summary of his life here...or get the story straight from St. Pat by reading his Confesio (which is actually not too long, but not quite as likely to grab a kid's attention as the video below).

Shared On
A St. Patricks Day Journey Throwback Thursday

HEB Giveaway and Review

HEB is giving away gift cards and a chance to win a trip to Orlando. You can enter here every day now through November 1.

OK, now, since we're on the subject of HEB...do you want to know why I love the HEB in my town?

• They have shopping carts with TWO kids seats (a real nice feature when you have kids born 19 months apart).
• The balloons they give to kids have staved off tantrums and allowed for a peaceful shopping trip (though I do wish they had something other than candy weighing it down).
• They always offer to walk you out to your car and help load your groceries (which was SO NICE when I was pregnant).
• The HEB store brand stuff tastes really good--seriously, I like some items, like their bread and jam, better than name brand.
• 4 bobillas for a $1!  (Bobillas are these sub sanwhich like fresh baked rolls).
• Free samples everywhere!

HEB TIPS

• HEB usually does cost a little more on brand name pre-packaged goods and meats than Walmart (even with HEB points factored in), but produce is often the same or less (it fluctuates - sometimes more, sometimes less).  
• Those little yellow coupons really do save you a lot if both items are things you want or need.
• If you get a manufacturers coupon for a free item, use it at HEB and you a can get HEB points that earn you HEB bucks to spend at HEB.
• HEB gas is often cheaper than at other places, plus you get HEB points.
• If you buy HEB baby clothes, buy at least a size larger than you need because they tend to shrink drastically.
• Did I mention their store brand packaged food items taste really good? 

OK, just so you know...HEB didn't give me anything to write this.  I just saw the giveaway on another blog decided to pass it on.  That one sentence looked kinda lonely and I really do love HEB so I thought I'd post a little review while I was at it.  

Angelic Baby Creations Bib - A Review

My boys are big...not "fat" just big.  They each weighed around 10 lbs when they were born, and then just kept growing.  That's why my littlest, who just turned two, fits into size three clothes (and even a few size 4 items).  He has grown out of most of his bibs (they're either two tiny or too snug at the neck), but hasn't grown out of needing them.  That was why I was so happy to get a chance to do some bartering from my shop for some large hand-made, long sleeved, pocketed bibs from Angelic Baby Creations.    Here's my little guy modeling one:

Cute huh?  But we need an ACTION shot...

Ah...PIZZA!  That's more like it!

Yeah...check out the fingers.  There we go!

Actually, he was being quite neat for this photo shoot,  but I have no doubt this bib would keep his clothes clean during much messier meals.  The bib was a size large (for ages 2-5), and fit him perfectly.  I'm not sure if it would fit a 5 year old, but then I'm basing that off my little one who, while he fits a size three, still has more baby fat than an actual three year old, and certainly a 5 year old, would.  The sewing is well done--I put the bib through the washer/dryer and it held up fine. 

When you order a bib from Angelic Baby Creations you can pick from a fun selection of fabrics , or choose pre-made styles from her sale section.   Angelic Baby Creations also carries invitations, birth announcements, custom candy bar wrappers, hair bows, mother's bracelets, and pearl charm bracelets.

(I was not payed to write this review, though since the item I traded her for was a little less than the bibs cost, she she did give me a small discount for reviewing her bibs on my blog.).

Smart Cents Mom - A Review

A while back I did a giveaway for some free advertising, including a banner or text link on one of my sites and a write-up on my three blogs. The winner was not choosen randomly, but selected based on the quality of their site and how well that site "fit" with the website of mine which they wanted to get an ad on. The winner wasSmart Cents Mom, an excellent blog which helps moms (and anyone really) save money. The blog was easy to navigate and pleasing on the eyes, and I agreed with her that it would be useful to my Survey Review readers, as paid surveys tend to attract people who need ways to earn, or save, a little money.

On Smart Cents Mom you can find coupons, freebies, giveaways, reviews, and money saving budget tips, including do-it-yourself money savers, and make-at-home recipes. For example, did you know that restaurants often send coupons and freebies to customers who fill out their comment cards? You don't have to make a complaint--you can fill one out a card to compliment the service or comment on the wonderful taste of your meal, and if you include your address you will often find a free coupon in your mailbox soon afterwards. That's just one of the money saving tips I found on Smart Cents Mom. I hope you all will stop by for a visit--it really is worth your while!

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NOTE: If you are interested in advertising on any of my sites, I am still selling ads for as little as $1 for two years (yes, that's right--TWO YEARS!). AND, 100% of the money I earn from these ads will be donated to MercyCorps, an organization helping victims of the earthquakes in Haiti and Chili, and helping people affected by poverty, disaster, and oppression around the world. You can see the ad spaces available and the various prices here.