Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Leaping

Happy Leap Day!


What is it that they say: a toddler in motion tends to stay in motion? Little man jumping - whether it's on his bed, the couch, the ground, off a step... basically anything.


February photo-a-day challenge - Day 29 #FEBphotoaday

Day 29 of the photo-a-day challenge is: something you're listening too

{listening to little man chat w/ me about pom-poms and whatever else comes across his mind}

Today is the last day of the February Photo a Day Challenge from Fat Mum Slim! I hope you enjoyed seeing my pictures! There is a new March Photo a Day Challenge that I will also be joining in on...but this time, I will just be posting to my Instagram feed. So, feel free to follow me on Instagram (shull2319) if you're interested in seeing my pictures for March!


Tuesday, February 28, 2012

February photo-a-day challenge - Day 28 #FEBphotoaday

Day 28 of the photo-a-day challenge is: money

{Little man feeding his piggy bank. He loves getting coins for his piggy bank and has actually been known to double check a wallet just to make sure you're not holding out on him!}




Monday, February 27, 2012

Sunday, February 26, 2012

February photo-a-day challenge - Day 26 #FEBphotoaday

Day 26 of the photo-a-day challenge is: night

{little man and I reading our bedtime book together in the rocking chair}




My Little Funny Face

Little man has started making so many funny faces lately! I just had to share some of his silliness! I'm not sure where he got all of these expressions from...

{"I did it!" - little man was so excited that he got to open the garage door using the clicker}
 
{these were the looks we got after little man tried daddy's lemon from his water}

{this one really made me laugh!}

Hope you are all having an happy, silly, fun Sunday!

February photo-a-day challenge - Day 25 #FEBphotoaday

Day 25 of the photo-a-day challenge is: green


{little man is sporting some green froggy big butt pants that his Gramma made him, a green bumGenius diaper and he's on his green and white bedding! ...whoa! that's alotta green!}



Friday, February 24, 2012

Finished Friday: Rain Gutter Herb Garden

I had seen an idea on Pinterest awhile ago for creating an herb garden using rain gutters. I thought that it was really clever and a great way to utilize unused wall space.

{credit}
Our local garden shop had some of their herbs on sale, so I picked up a few and immediately thought of this idea! Hubby was obliging ;) and we headed to the hardware store to pick out our supplies. We found a 10 foot section of gutter, grabbed some end-caps and some stabilizers and we were set! After little man's nap, we headed outside and hubby quickly drilled the rain gutter onto our side fence. Little man was quite the helper, wanting to touch, grab and use every tool within reach! 



{...and little man is trying to sneak over to the drill unnoticed. I don't think so!}
While he couldn't help with the actual drilling... he did get to help fill in the dirt and place the herbs in the spots that he thought were best!



{little man decided that he needed to wear his gloves too...just like mommy does}
 
{this is the perfect spot for the parsley!}

It was really a very simple project to do (I'm talking like I actually did the drilling..haha!). Ok, so it seemed pretty simple and straightforward to me. :) I'm looking forward to adding a few more herbs or maybe some small vegetables, like baby lettuce, to the rain gutter garden and seeing how it all fares. I don't have the greenest thumb, so I'll definitely be keeping my fingers and toes crossed! 

{Personally, I thought the slide was a pretty creative solution for little man's desire to help and be involved in every step of the project! :) He was at the perfect height to help.}
My only concern is that the gutter isn't very deep. So, I'm not sure if there will be enough space for the root systems of all the plants. Maybe they're just adapt and grow horizontally...I don't really know. I definitely wouldn't recommend trying to plant any big plants or those with a large root system! If all goes well though, we will add two more rain gutter layers to create a more finished look to the fence. (It's kind of like artwork!)

I love that this planter doesn't take up any extra space, especially in our small yard. I think that it was a really fun way to add some visual interest and depth to a plain, boring, run-of-the-mill fence. (oh and it's tasty too!)

{We planted 2 different types of parsley, french thyme, and 2 basil plants!}


This Friday, I'm linking up with Finished Friday over at A Heart for Home!




February photo-a-day challenge - Day 24 #FEBphotoaday

Day 24 of the photo-a-day challenge is: inside your medicine cabinet

{Wow, I feel like you somehow know me better now or something. What do the inner contents of one's bathroom cabinet say about them anyway?}




Thursday, February 23, 2012

Mountain Rose Herbs Review & Giveaway!


Mountain Rose Herbs. A herbs, health and harmony c


Mountain Rose Herbs is a wonderful company that takes great pride in offering the highest quality organic herbs, teas, essential oils and more. They go to great lengths to not only assure the best in quality and freshness, but they also seek to provide their products at competitive and reasonable prices.

"Since 1987 Mountain Rose Herbs has been known for its uncompromising commitment to organic agriculture and steadfast focus on the pure aesthetics and freshness of botanical products." --taken from website

Not only do they make it their top priority to provide the absolute finest products, but Mountain Rose Herbs believes that their business practices must be ethical, responsible and ecologically safe. They have an inspiring list of principles that guides everything at Mountain Rose Herbs. I definitely respect and admire what they stand for and the actions that they take to provide the best organic products and and forge ahead as a green company!

I was sent the Fairytale Blend Organic Herbal Tea, a Celestial Tea Strainer and their Rose Face Wash from their Facial Care line.


"The loose-leaf herbal teas offered by Mountain Rose Herbs are made with certified organic ingredients, and when organic materials are not available, we will opt for carefully wildharvested herbs. We never have, nor will we ever use conventionally grown materials in our teas which may contain pesticide residues and other harmful chemicals." --taken from website
 
The Fairytale Blend tea is certified organic and one of the many varieties of hand crafted, loose-leaf herbal teas that Mountain Rose Herbs offers. I was absolutely delighted with the Fairytale Blend! I was trying to decide between two different teas and was looking for one that I could share with little man. Jackie was so thoughtful and recommended that I try the Fairytale Blend, especially since she has seen how popular it is with little ones. It was definitely the right choice for us!  


I drink tea daily and little man always loves to help me make my tea - whether that is dropping the tea bag in water or helping to scoop loose-leaf tea into a strainer, he just loves "helping mama make tea". I had been thinking that it would be so fun and special to start sharing in a tea tradition with little man and this was the perfect opportunity!  

The  Fairytale Blend is: "A delicious drink for children and adults. A delightful and inspiring infusion blend full of flowers & fairy magic; perfect for bedtime stories. Contains: Organic Calendula flowers, organic Red Clover herb, organic Spearmint leaf, organic Lavender flowers,organic Lemon Balm, organic Catnip, organic Oatstraw, organic Lemon peel, organic Skullcap, organic Chamomile flowers, organic Thyme, and a pinch of organic Stevia." --taken from website

When you open the bag of tea, you can catch the scent of the spearmint and chamomile right away. I was impressed with how fresh and pleasant it smelled! When it is brewed, it has a pleasantly light flavor that really picks up on the spearmint and chamomile flavors with a hint of citrus and then a bit of sweetness in the finish from the Stevia. It is mild and is perfect to sit, sip and relax with! If you enjoy mint or chamomile teas, you will definitely love this tea! 


I decided to make tea a special occasion for little man and I, so I pulled my teapot, teacups and some small cups out for little man! My parents bought the raspberry teapot and matching teacups for me when I was a little girl and it is really special to me! I also pulled out some mini teacups for little man to use (they were originally espresso shot cups, but they are the perfect size for tiny hands). I put about 3 teaspoons of the loose-leaf tea in my teapot, boiled water and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then, I poured the tea through the strainer and into the cups (I added an ice cube to little man's, to make it a more drinkable temperature). We sat at the kitchen table, ate homemade banana bread, drank tea and had so much fun just being together! It was lovely!



{This beautiful golden color of tea was from being brewed for about 10 min}

 Little man couldn't stop talking about having tea with mommy (and even for days after!). He was so sweet as he just kept exclaiming, "We're having tea TOGETHER!" and "Having tea like mama does!" over and over. Little man loved the flavor of the tea! In-between all of his happy exclamations and slurping noises, he just kept smacking his lips together and licking his lips. Little man and I both loved the tea and he was so excited to have "his own tea". Little man asks to have "tea together" almost every day and we do! I couldn't believe how enthusiastic he would be over it and I absolutely love sharing this little afternoon tradition with him. It is definitely special for us. 



"Mmmm... this tastes good!" --little man

 I was also sent the Rose Face Wash from their Facial Care line.  I have Oily to Combination Skin, but this winter, my skin (which still gets oily) has gotten dry, itchy and flaky! So, I was intrigued by this face wash, being that it was for Normal to Dry and Combination Skin. I asked Jackie if she thought this might be a good choice for me, since I have been experiencing such a change in my skin over the winter. She highly recommended this face wash and told me how the natural ingredients are perfectly suited for the job with their moisturizing properties.

The Rose Face Wash Contains: "Organic Castille soap (saponified organic oils of Coconut and Olive, organic Jojoba oil, organic Aloe Vera, and Rosemary extract), organic Rose flower water, Grapefruit seed extract, Vegetable Glycerine, Calendula extract, and a proprietary blend of essential oils including Rose Attar and Chamomile." --taken from website

The Rose Face Wash has a light, aromatic rose scent to it with a hint of herbal notes. I have been using it morning and night since the day I got it and it has really helped my skin! It is gentle enough for me (since I also have sensitive skin that gets red very easily), yet it is tough enough to wash away my makeup and the oils from the day. With previous sensitive skin face washes that I bought, I often found that they couldn't get all of my makeup off and I would feel like my skin was still oily, even after washing. My summertime face soap is perfect for hot, humid days, but this winter it has just stripped all of the moisture away from my face. 

Since using the Rose Face Wash, I have definitely noticed a change. My face still feels like it has moisture to it after I wash and my skin doesn't feel itchy anymore. I have noticed that the dry, flaky skin is starting to heal and it doesn't irritate my skin, so I don't have flushed, red cheeks after I wash my face. The face wash creates a nice, smooth lather and leaves my face feeling fresh and clean!

 


Overall, I really enjoyed the Fairytale Blend herbal teastrainer and the Rose Face Wash. The tea is exceptionally well crafted and it has such a wonderful flavor! It has been a delight to share with little man and also to enjoy an extra cup in the evenings or afternoons. At $5.25 for 3oz., it is very reasonably priced and I am already looking forward to ordering more tea! If you need a tea strainer, the Celestial Tea Strainer is just $6.75 and is so handy to use! The Rose Facial Wash has been a very helpful to use as well. I never, ever thought I would use a product for dry skin, but this face wash is formulated just right and is taking excellent care of my winter skin! It is $10.50 for an 8oz. bottle and I love that the list of ingredients are easy to pronounce, I know what they are and most of them are organic! I have truly and thoroughly enjoyed the products that I have tried from Mountain Rose Herbs and I know that it is a site that I will continue to shop from!





Bulk organic herbs, spices and essential oils. Sin


I definitely encourage you to check out the Mountain Rose Herbs site! There is so much wonderful information available and a great variety of products to shop for. In addition to loose-leaf teas and facial care items, Mountain Rose Herbs also offers wonderful organic selection of essential oils, bulk herbs and spices, bath and body care products and much, much more. They also offer Monthly Specials, where you can pick up a variety of different items at a great discount! You can also sign up for their newsletter to stay in the loop or request a catalog.


Giveaway
Mountain Rose Herbs has generously offered one of my readers the chance to win the same tea and tea strainer that they sent me! You can enter to WIN a 3oz bag of the Fairytale Blend tea (ARV $5.25) and a Celestial Tea Strainer (ARV $6.75)!

***Giveaway is open to the U.S. Entrants must be 18+ years old. The winner has 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.***


Giveaway will end March 8th at 12:01am EST.

Entries go in the Rafflecopter form below!
You may view Rafflecopter’s Privacy Policy
  a Rafflecopter giveaway




*Some links above are Affiliate Links and by clicking on them and shopping through the above links you are helping to support The Little Hedgehog. Thank you - I greatly appreciate your support and I only seek to recommend products or items that I think my readers will find useful and/or helpful.*

Incredibum Bamboo Cloth Diaper Winner!


Congratulations to Aubree, the lucky winner of the Incredibum Bamboo Cloth Diaper Review & Giveaway! Aubree will get an Incredibum Bamboo Cloth Diaper in her choice of color!


Thank you to everyone who entered and a big thank you to Incredibum for sponsoring this wonderful review & giveaway!