HO HO HO...it's a review of the Nexus 7 #Staples

Thank you to Staples for providing me with the Nexus 7 to review. All opinions are my own.

I was excited to receive the tablet in the mail and it came super fast. We opened up the box like it was Christmas! My kids were super excited! Thankfully, it was easy to set-up and it was already (somewhat) charged so we could start using it right away!

I'm a big fan of Google Products. I love my Android phone. The apps, the look, the feel of the device suits me perfectly. The coolest thing that happened when I started setting up the Nexus 7 tablet was that once I plugged in my Gmail account, it started to load up the apps that I had on my phone! So awesome--and for a busy mom, a HUGE timesaver!

The kids took it over and loaded up on some of their favorite games. Now I knew it was going to be hard to get my hands on it! They love the size of it. They love how sleek and cool looking it is. And they love how fast everything loads.

Once I was able to use it for awhile, I browsed Pinterest, checked Facebook, cleaned out my email and also posted a few pictures on Google + ! This is now my new favorite toy! I love the size of it, too. It fits into my purse and isn't bulky.

It comes loaded with Google Now--which is super cool! From knowing the weather before you start your day, to planning the best route to avoid traffic, or even checking your favorite team’s score while they’re playing, Google Now brings you the information you want, when you need it.

Every Home screen shows the Favorites tray - another quick way to get to your apps and more.

At the bottom of every screen, no matter what you're doing, you'll always find these three navigation buttons:

• Back: Opens the previous screen you were working in, even if it was in a different app. Once you back up to the Home screen, you can't go back any further in your history.
• Home: Opens Home. If you’re viewing a left or right Home screen, opens the central Home screen. To open Google Now, swipe up.
• Recent apps: Opens a list of thumbnail images of apps you’ve worked with recently. To open an app, touch it. To remove a thumbnail from the list, swipe it left or right.

It really makes navigating around your tablet SUPER easy! Another reason I LOVE Android products!

Here are a few pictures I took with it--so much better quality than our other tablet!

Anyone else behind on wrapping gifts? Ugh!

Here is our lazy dog...just thinking about playing with his ball!

And the kids had fun taking pictures with it too!

 

If you've got a hard-to-buy for person on your gift list, this would be an awesome gift! I highly recommend it. Head to Staples.com to get yours shipped to your doorstop quickly and just in time for gift giving!

Gotta go--the Nexus is calling my name and it's time to play!!







Happy Halloween and Happy Birthday to ME!!

Happy Halloween!!

Are you dressing up this year?

We have a party on Saturday--can't wait!

The hubs and I are dressing as Gilligan and Ginger!

I'll share pics on Instagram, so make sure you are following me there!

Today is my birthday, too!! (WAHOO!)

Yep, every year, I get to celebrate with the ghouls, goblins and witches! It's my last year in my thirties, so I'm going to LIVE IT TO THE FULLEST!!

Here are a few things on my birthday wish list.

(this contains affliate links)

Fitbit One:

 

Exercise Capri's:

 

 

 

Exercise Gloves:

 



 

 

Winter Boots:

 



 

 

Friends Season 1-10 DVD Complete Set:

 



 

 

Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a great day!

 

 

 



40th Birthday Gifts for Men

Remember last week when I shared with you that it was my husband's 40th birthday? Poor guy had to share that milestone with Friday the 13th! I still think he had a great day!

My ideas all came together as soon as he went to bed Thursday night! Thankfully he goes to bed early enough when he works the next day. We had lots of surprises for him to show him how much we love him.

#1
The kids and I came up with 40 Reasons to Love him. I was going to make it a printable, but I decided that we would get some posterboard and cut out a 4 and a 0 and hand write all 40 reasons. Hailey and I did this while the boys were at football practice. After he went to bed, I found the perfect place for it so he wouldn't miss it in the morning. (he goes to work at 5 am)

#2
The next surprise waiting for him was something I had to do when he went to bed. It was fun to do--I forgot how much I love sidewalk chalk! The outside garage lights were bright enough for me to see most of the way down the driveway! He saw this when he got into his car. (his police squad is parked outside) It read Happy 4-0 D-Rowe. Most of his friends call him that!

#3
I blew up balloons (again after he went to bed) and filled his squad card. I hid our little gift to him in the back seat. He found the balloons and gift right away and brought everything back into the house. Thankfully, he didn't recruit me to help! He did miss some in the far back of the hatch (he drives a Ford Escape). While he was driving around with the window down, the balloons started dancing in the back. He got a big kick out of that. You may recall the other 40 Blows gift I made for friend. I wanted to do something different, special for him. This is what I came up with:

I included $40 worth of scratch off lotto tickets, his favorite snacks, gum and candy bars. What guy wouldn't want that??? It was a BIG HIT! Here's some close-ups:

I am even sharing a FREE PRINTABLE for you, should you decide to make this for your favorite guy friend, husband, brother or neighbor!

If you like this idea, I'd love for you to share it on Facebook, Google + or Twitter or even Pin it to Pinterest! I'd also love for you to leave me a comment--how have you celebrated the BIG 4-0 for the men in your life?

Thanks for stopping by,



40 Blows! It's a Great Gift Idea!

I'm at that age where a lot of my friends are turning 40! Thankfully, I've got another year for the big 4-0! With my creative bones in me, I can't just simply send a card or drop a Facebook message to wish them a Happy Birthday, nope, I've got to create!

I can't take complete credit from this, however, I did put my own "Crazylou" spin on it! I found my inspiration from Pinterest, which lead me to this blog.

I decided to etch a wine glass to give it a more personal touch to my friend. I've done etching before and it was easy, so I gave it a whirl. LOVE IT!! If you haven't tried etching, you really should. Its super easy and very quick to process. Here's a close-up:

Now that the wine glass is etched, stuff a green florist block down inside. I had a circle shaped one and needed to trim a bit off the sides! This is what the suckers will stick into.

Fill the wine glass with gum balls. Next take your blow pops and arrange as many as you can on the top, securing the sticks in the florist block.

Attach a cute ribbon and tag and you are set!

Here's a FREE Printable for you to use! Right click the image to save it or click here to download it.

Here's a list of the products I used, you can get them off of Amazon or from your favorite craft store!
(I am an affiliate for Amazon, so if you do purchase off of these links, I will receive a small compensation from the purchase)



So, have you done anything crafty to celebrate a friend's birthday? If so, what was it?