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Wednesday, December 5, 2012

So What Wednesday

Wednesday? Is that you? Wow, that was fast. Well I better get to saying SO WHAT?
So What Wednesday
So What if... I hosted my first FREE product giveaway this week? I was going to wait until I had 100 followers but I had FREE products now. To GIVE AWAY! What? You missed the announcement? There's still time, click here to view the post and enter the give away!

So What if... we bought and put up a 9+ foot Christmas tree in our living room on Saturday but it is not yet decorated? We had a few unexpected scheduling difficulties this weekend (spending a chunk of time Sunday at the walk in clinic...). So lights are on but not a single ornament. Well there's always this weekend! For the record, I am in love with our naked tree anyway!

So What if... it melts my heart that these two are best buds already?

So What if... I bought a winter squash... but have NO IDEA how to prepare it? Ideas welcome. What do I do with it? Seriously, help.

So What if... I find it hard to get things done when this cutie is awake? He's just so much fun!

So What if... I kind of wish we left Christmas decorations up year round? I mean, a short, busy month is not long enough for me to enjoy some of my favorite decorations! (Ok ask me how I feel in January but right now I wish they were up all the time!)

I love this nutcracker that my hubby brought me from Germany, and this super cute wreath my mother in law made! At my house even the mugs are decorated for Christmas!

So What if...I totally hijacked my own blog all week to promote the VIRTUAL Thirty One party I'm hosting? What? Oh yes, I'm still talking about my Thirty One party! The deals are just too good, I mean the Mini Utility Bin is just $5? Have I mentioned how much I love that little thing? Oh, I have? Well after this Thursday you won't be hearing about it anymore because the party will be OVER! (so hurry and place and order before you run out of time! and don't forget to enter the give away!)

Well that's what I'm saying SO WHAT to this week! What about you?

 

Monday, December 3, 2012

Thirty One Product Give Away

Ok here it is... drumroll please... the Thirty One Product Give Away!! One lucky reader will receive not one, not two but THREE Thirty One products for what? For FREE!!

The products are three of my favorites: the Double Cosmetic Bag, the Thermal Tote and the Mini Utility Bin!


 The Double Cosmetic Bag, a $20value!
The Mini Utility Bin, a $22 value!
 The Thermal Tote, an $18 value!

How to enter? Easy...

First
, you must be a follower of this blog.

Second
, you must leave a comment on this blog post with your favorite Thirty One product. 

Third
, you must tweet about this give away. Be sure to use hashtag Suddenly Snowden (#suddenlysnowden) **Don't have twitter? Then what are you waititng for email me at nicoletsnowden@gmail.com please.

That's it! I know, right? That's all you have to do to be entered into the giveaway!


Want to
increase your chances of winning these three products? Ok, sure! Then try these as well:

For FIVE extra entries
, place and order through my party, which you were already planning to do right? (Simply email your order to me at nicoletsnowden@gmail.com and I'll  will take it from there).

For FOUR extra entries
, share this give away on your Facebook page linking back to this blog post. (And if we're not facebook friends already then send me a link or screen shot of where you shared to nicoletsnowden@gmail.com).

For THREE extra entries
, share a snapshot of this give away on your Instagram profile including a link to the give away. Be sure to use hashtag Suddenly Snowden (#suddenlysnowden). And if you're not doing so already, you can follow me on instagram here and I can follow you back!  

That's it! Easy right? Let the commenting, tweeting, ordering, face booking and instagramming begin! Best of luck to all of you lovely ladies!


Friday, November 30, 2012

Seeing is Believing

How much do I want you to know about the products from Thirty One? So much that I created these product videos! (Am I a dork, YES, but you already knew that!)

If you are interested in a product but are like me and need to SEE it, then you have come to the right place! Here are several Thirty One products in "person"...

(and technically would have been my first vlog but we'll let that slide for now since the videos would not load to this post)

Don't forget to stay tuned to my Thirty One PRODUCT GIVE AWAY which you can enter on MONDAY!

















Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Interruption of Service Continued

I apologize for the continued interruption of service from the usual Suddenly Snowden posts but I must share with you some more about my fabulous Thirty One party!

Did you know that...
You can get five products for only FIVE DOLLARS during my party?
Thirty One has a Collegiate Collection called SPIRIT?
One lucky follower will WIN Thirty One products for FREE?

I am so excited to share all of this with you today!

First up, the FIVE DOLLAR DEAL! During my party Thirty One is offering a fabulously wonderful special! For every $31 you spend, which let's face it ladies, is not that hard to do, you can get of of these fabulous products for only $5!

The products are from left to right:

The Thermal Tote (normally $18) - this is a super cute lunch box great for little ones, teens, working moms or anyone on the go! I use this all the time when I am in the car for more than one hour. (What? I get hungry!) I have also found that it is perfect for transporting milk for the baby and will come in handy for snacks in the near future! The thermal tote comes in NINETEEN different color options and can of course be monogrammed!

The Timeless Wristlet (normally $25) - this is a super great item for those of us on the go! Great for holding your phone, license and credit card without weighing you down! I throw this in my diaper bag when I'm out with the baby. It's also great to throw into a larger tote without having to carry a purse as well. Less is more sometimes, right? This product comes in five fabulous different color options!

The Cinch Sac (normally $20) - this makes a great "first" back pack for the little's in your life! It's lightweight so it won't get too heavy and comes in FOURTEEN different color patterns, including camo, perfect for little boys! This product can be monogrammed to make a personalized gift! The Cinch Sac also makes a great gym bag or a great bag to carry shopping if you are eco-friendly and don't want to take those nasty plastic bags!

The Mini Utility Bin (normally $22) - this bin is one of my absolute favorite products from Thirty One! I have these stashed in literally every room in our house! I use them to coral Parker's toys for quick clean ups! They look so cute sitting around our house. I also have them in my linen closet to hold washcloths for guests which makes such a pretty presentation! I keep them in closets and in my pantry as well. Who said getting organized can't be cute? The Mini Utility Bin comes in four perfect color options including camo which is so cute for little boys! Like all Thirty One products this can be monogrammed as well!

The Timeless Beauty Bag (normally $25) - this fabulous cosmetic bag is great to hold all your beauty supplies whether at home or on the go. What I love about this bag is that when it's time to hit the road for a weekend getaway you don't have to pack your essentials, they are already organized and ready to go for you! What a time saver! The Beauty Bag is available in three colors and can of course be monogrammed!

So those are the products that are available for FIVE DOLLARS! What a great deal! But what about the Collegiate collection? Well Thirty One has worked with several colleges and universities to obtain exclusive rights to monogram official college logos on their products! Now you can get a fabulous Thirty One product with your favorite team's logo on it in a coordinating color product! Here are all the colleges and universities that are currently participating in this fabulous collection!



And finally, what about winning FREE Thirty One products? Yes, it is true one lucky follower will receive a Thirty One product absolutely for free! More to come on the FREE products and how to qualify. You must be a follower of this blog to quality for the free products and you must place and order through this party, so what are you waiting for? Go ahead and become a Suddenly Snowden follower and visit the Thirty One web site to view the online catalog and be thinking about your order!



So What Wednesday

So What Wednesday


Welcome to another edition of SO WHAT Wednesday! Let's get right to it, this week I'm saying... 

So what if... I put Parker in his turkey outfit today? What? It is still technically November! Putting him in this outfit in December just won't feel right. He had to wear it one last time... 

So what if... I totally hijacked my own blog to announce a virtual Thirty One Party? Did you miss the post? It's here if you want to see what you're missing! I'm excited that one of my readers will win a free gift too! (Here are the bags available through my party for only $5 during December!)

So what if... I ate too much at Thanksgiving? So much so that Honey (jokingly) asked if I was pregnant. This week we are having salad every night for dinner. Truth. (here they are right before I added the chicken)

So what if... I'm super excited about giving Nanny M her Christmas present? She is so wonderful and I am so excited to treat her! I hope I can hold out!!

Well that's it for this edition of So What Wednesday! What are you saying SO WHAT to this week?


We Intrupt This Blog to Bring You...

A VIRTUAL Thirty One Party!!

Yes this blog is experiencing a brief interruption to annouce my virtual Thirty One Party!

So what is a *virtual* party? And what exactly is Thirty One?

A virtual party is an *online* online party where guests shop from the catalog - not in person at an actual "party". The party is open NOW until next Thursday Dec 6! Party guests (ahem, YOU) can shop online using the Thirty One virtual catalog at the following link. You can even download their catalog as a PDF - how easy is that?! http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/catalog/#/1

Thirty One is a *women-owned*, *faith-based* business showcasing totes, bags, organizers, purses, luggage, and products for organzing your life (think closet, pantry, car, office, under bed, cabinents, laundry room, the list goes on and on)! From thermals, to back packs, to totes, to purses, to file boxes, there is something in the Thirty One product line for everyone!
 
I am not a Thirty One consultant but I am *passionate* about this company and their product line! (Can you tell??) And which one of us doens't want to support a business started by a woman based on her faith?! 

One of my most favorite things about Thirty One products? They can be monogrammed! I'm from the south y'all and we southern gals just *love* our stuff monogrammed!

It is also important to note that Thirty One is offering a FABULOUS special for December! For every $31 you spend (which let's face it, isn't that hard to do) you can get one of five of their best selling products for only $5!! That's right, for only FIVE DOLLARS!! 

The items you can get for just $5 are the Mini Utility Bin (one of my FAVES), the Cinch Sack (great back pack, gym bag, perfect for little people too), the Timeless Beauty Bag (great for travel), the Thermal Tote (adorable lunch bag) or the Timeless Wristlet (cell phone case + wallet, perfect to throw in the diaper bag). For only $5 that makes a STEAL of a Christmas gift!! More to come on the products that are available for only $5... I'll prepare a separate post showcasing those items!

And, one of my lucky readers is going to receive a FREE GIFT! Yes, one follower will receive a Thirty One product absolutely for *free*. More details on that coming soon...

In the meantime, here are a few of the Thirty One products modeled by my sweet and super fun cousins as well as yours truly for you to preview before heading over to the Thirty One website for more of their fabulous products!  

Keep in mind that the products I am showcasing here are JUST A FEW, there are many, many more products available online!!

**This is the LARGE UTILITY TOTE available for $35!**
I keep this tote in the back of my car to coral groceries,
stuff for errands, and everything else that ends up in my car!
This bag makes a fabulous beach tote, overnight bag,
or day bag! You can purchase a special see-through
top for this bag for only $10! Like all products
this can be monogrammed for only $7 and comes
in several different color patterns!
 

**This is the ORGANIZING UTILITY TOTE available for $30** 
An extremely popular product, this bag has 7 exterior pockets
and a very roomy interior! It is perfect for teachers as it is
wide enough to hold standard file folders. I personally use
this bag for my dogs, as it is great to hold all their stuff
where ever we are going! This makes a great on-the-go
office as well! Available in many colors and of course 
it can be monogrammed for $7!!
 

**This is the SUPER ORGANIZING TOTE available for $50!**
The big sister to the Organizing Utility tote, the SUPER 
Organizing Tote has 7 exterior pockets and is 
super deep to hold everything you need! Makes
a great on-the-go-office when you need a bit more 
room! It has a zip top closure and is available in 
several different patterns. Monogramming is only $7!
 

 **This is the EXPAND A TOTE DAY ORGANIZER available for $50**
The beautiful thing about this bag is that it houses
a hidden zipper that allows it to expand to a larger
size! What a great concept! This bag makes a great carry-on 
for airplane travel. It is also a great weekend bag. When 
you need the extra space, open the zipper! When you 
don't close the zipper to make the bag small again! Whatever 
size you need, this bag is perfect! Available in several patterns 
and can be monogrammed for $7!!

**The ORGANIZING SHOULDER BAG available for $45**
This is a fabulous bag for moms, college students, and teens! Can 
be worn over the shoulder as pictured or crossbody. What 
I love about this bag is that is small and slim - perfect for the days
you do not need a huge bag weighing you down! Great 
to throw in a larger tote and just pull out when you need
your purse. Perfect for a day at an amusement park, a day
shopping, and for travel. A friend of mine took this bag
all over Spain with her. It comes in several colors but
my favorite is the gray brushed twill pictured here! So cute!!

 **The SKIRT PURSE available for $45**
An extremely popular Thirty One product, the Skirt Purse
allows you to change your purse without changing your purse. 
Wait, what? Well you change the exterior of your purse quickly
without changing the contents of your purse! Brilliant, right?
The purse comes with the black skirt pictured here but you can
purchase different "skirts" for only $15! What a great deal! 
Think of all the different looks you can create!!

**The CASUAL CARGO PURSE available for $65**
Ladies, meet my NEW diaper bag! Yes I have purchased
a designer diaper bag and have other diaper bags in my closet but 
this is my new everyday diaper bag! Soft, roomy, and the insides 
are water resistant and can be wiped clean! Got it dirty? Throw it
in the washer! With exterior pockets to keep your wallet and cell 
phone handy and two shoulder straps, this makes a great bag to toss
in the stroller and keep everything handy. Now this bag is marketed as 
a cargo purse so let's not forget that it should not be limited to a diaper
bag. That is just what I use it for!!

**The RETRO METRO BAG available for $55**
This bag makes a great purse or day bag! More and 
more I am seeing this bag carried more and more ladies! 
With two exterior pockets on either side
and a deep, roomy interior, I can see why this is such a 
popular purse! It comes in several different color patterns
and like all Thirty One products can be monogrammed
for only $7!! The Retro Metro Collection is a crowd pleaser!

**The CINCH SACK available for $5 with your $31 purchase**
Regularly $20 you can purchase this adorable back pack
for only $5 when you purchase $31 worth of Thirty One products!
This makes a great starter back pack for the little ones in your life
and a great bag for the gym, for overnight, for college students,
for teens, this is a great bag that anyone can use!


**The MINI UTILITY BIN available for $5 with your $31 purchase**
Regularly $22 you can purchase this super cute bin
for only $5 when you purchase $31 worth of Thirty One products!
These make great organizers for your linen closets, pantry, storage cabinets, 
anywhere you need to organize! I keep one in each room of our 
home to toss Parker's toys in for quick clean up! By far this is one of my favorites!

So ladies, there you have a quick introduction to Thirty One! I'll be posting throughout the week so stay tuned for how to enter the FREE product give away and how to place an order! Please email me at nicoletsnowden@gmail.com if you have any immediate questions!

HAPPY SHOPPING!!


Thursday, November 15, 2012

The 23 Year Lesson



One of my favorite guest bloggers is back! You all met Mrs. G when she did a guest post for me while I was bonding with my new baby boy. I love her post about what she has learned in her 23 (wow, right?!) years of marriage. I think all married couples can relate to this in one way or another. Thanks for guest posting Mrs. G!

As I approach my 23rd wedding anniversary, I can’t help but reflect on some things.  (We looked like babies!) 

First of all, everyone said it wouldn’t last. I think that my parents didn’t actually believe it would last. My dad told me I was welcome to move back home any time, as long as hubby came with me.  Well, what good would that do? That was my dad’s way of letting me know I would need to work it out, and could no longer depend on him to fix things for me.   

Second, when I got married, I had no idea what I was doing.  


I thought I knew, because I was the baby of the family, had always gotten my way, and knew better than anyone else about everything. And I was really good looking. So was he! 

Regardless, a really amazing man married me. And he is still married to me. Does he want to strangle me sometimes? Absolutely. Do I want to strangle him? Oh yes. But, over the years, he has managed to teach me a few things. Don’t tell him I said that.

Laughter really is the best medicine. One thing my husband is really good at, is seeing the humor in every situation. Even the ones that aren’t very funny. Maybe they aren’t funny when they are happening, but the next day, or when you tell someone about it, it can be very funny. If you can find the humor in every situation, it makes it more bearable. If you can’t find the humor, email me. I’ll find it for you.

Don’t waste your mad on things out of your control. If you don’t have the ability to directly control something, it makes no sense to get mad about it. You can’t control your family or your in-laws. They have their own kind of crazy.  Make the best of it. You can’t control the idiot in the car next to you. Keep your cool and be safe. You can’t control that a lady with 42 items got in the 15 item line. Strike up a conversation with the person behind you, you might learn something. That goes to my next point.

You can learn something from anything and anyone.  Maybe you learn that you want to be more like someone. Maybe you learn you don’t ever want to be like a person. Maybe you learn more about a process. Maybe you have a better understanding of a situation. Maybe you learn a bit of trivia you can use at your local trivia spot one night. Open your mind, and you’ll learn something. I think the distraction of having a smartphone has made it harder to learn from others. We aren’t so willing to interact with others, or even eavesdrop on conversations. My best conversations start with “I don’t mean to intrude, but I couldn’t help but hear you say…..”

Sometimes things work themselves out.  This is a nice way to say that sometimes, procrastination is good. When I get all worked up about a situation (something I couldn’t control), I want to handle it right away. He would say let’s just wait and see. Usually he was watching the Braves or the Hawks when this wisdom was uttered. And, sometimes the situation would smooth itself out. If it didn’t, we had a better handle on dealing with it, because we were able to think it through.

Every email doesn’t have to be answered right away. Especially if the email is not nice.  We deal with a lot of people in our community volunteer work, and some people use the facelessness of email to just unload on us, or a group of us. Hubby always waits at least 24 hours to respond. This takes the emotion out, and allows him to study it from all sides before responding. Sometimes, the offending email has a valid point, even if the delivery was wrong. 

Opposites do attract.  I’m direct, he’s tactful. I’ll tackle a situation and handle it; he’ll back off, slide around it, then handle it. I talk a lot, he doesn’t. I can type really fast, he can’t. He is athletic, I’m not. I am able to see the immediate effect of an action, he can see the long-term effect. 

I’m not right all the time. Gosh that hurt. I don’t have anything else to say about that.

Be nice.  I try to be nice all the time. Well, most of the time. Okay, at least once a day. Sometimes, people are…..difficult…. and it’s hard to be nice. I let him deal with those people. I deal with the people who are not…difficult…., they agree with me understand me. That’s just another way of saying he is tactful, and I’m not. However, I know that I’m not tactful, and he has helped me to see that sometimes I should just keep my mouth shut. I don’t always do that, but I do know when I should – most of the time. In delicate situations. 

There are some things we agreed on, right from the beginning.

We believe that faith is an important part of our relationship. I know how he’ll react to things because I know where his faith lies. I’m not surprised. We pray to the same God, and he is our intermediary on hurt feelings. I think that couples who have differing faiths must have trouble dealing with some things.

We  love our children, unconditionally. Regardless. Does that mean that we let them do whatever they want? Absolutely not. Discipline was another thing we agreed on, and we discipline firmly and often. Do we pick our battles with our children and realize that some things have to be experienced? Yes. And we believe it is okay for them to fail or be embarrassed every now and then. That is how they learn to be responsible citizens. My mom always said you raise a child until they are 13, after that, you can only guide them. We won’t always be there to hold their hand. One day, they’ll need to hold ours. We need to make sure they are prepared for that.

We wouldn’t bad-mouth each other to our friends or our families. If I’m upset with him, I don’t need to tell my friends or parents. I’ll get over it, but they’ll always remember what I said about him. Likewise, we let our children fight their own battles with their friends. We give them advice on how to handle it, but we don’t get involved. Our kids will get over their disagreements, but we will always remember what another parent said about our child, if we give them the opportunity to say it.

What is different now than 23 years ago?

Our fights. We just don’t have the energy to fight anymore. Plus, we’re so busy with the children, we can’t remember why we disagreed when we actually have some time to talk.  That goes back to sometimes things just work themselves out.

Our love. Compared to how I love him now, it seems I didn’t know how to love him 23 years ago. 

Where we put our energy. Back then, it was all about us. Doing whatever we wanted to do for ourselves. Now, it is all about the kids, their activities, and the volunteer work we do.  We don’t have any energy left.

Is it easier?  Yes and no.  We understand each other better. But being married and staying married is a decision you make every day, consciously or unconsciously. Putting someone else ahead of yourself is also a decision you make every day. Several times a day. Is it worth it? Absolutely.


Here we are on my birthday last week. We are out to dinner, by ourselves! And, we were able to have a conversation that did not center around our children.


My dad gave hubby some good advice 22 years ago. Daddy told him there would be times he would have to decide if he’d rather be right, or he’d rather be happy. He’s made me happy. I’m looking forward to the next 23+ years.




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