Here are the sites featured on my facebook page in the last several weeks.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.  If you do, don’t forget to leave comments for these incredibly talented, hard-working bloggers.  We live for comments here in the blogosphere so share the love when you stop by these sites.  (Remember to click the pink blog titles – not the pictures – to follow the link)

Etsy: Fall Down Tree

There’s something about this guy’s art that really grabs me. I love the expressions of the quirky creatures…they almost seem like they were plucked from the pages of a great picture book. I fully intend to buy some for my son’s new room.

Better After

Who doesn’t love a great makeover? This entire blog is devoted to before and afters brimming with inspiration.

Controlling My Chaos

Is menu planning a constant struggle? Check out this Mom’s low-cost magnetic solution.

Ambrosia Girl

These polaroid-inspired magnets are both functional and fun. I can’t wait to create a bunch and highlight some of our favorite family memories on the fridge.

Cute Girl Hairstyles

Do your daughters need some quick ‘n easy hairstyles for summer? The video tutorials on this site are a great place to start.

Etsy: The Home Centric

My cool gray sofa is looking little bare at the moment – it’s just aching for some color or sparkle to warm it up. I found this shop on Etsy and I’m totally coveting all the awesome (and inexpensive) pillow covers. If only she didn’t have so many to choose from.

We Love Indie

Know any stylish brides-to-be? This charming idea for a ‘guestbook’ beats the tacky feather pen and book sets by a mile. It would be fun to do for a baptism or graduation party too.

Always With Butter

Strawberries are in peak season now so I made gobs of strawberry freezer jam. Up next, these scrumptious shortcake cookies.

First off, let me say for the record that I was not paid for this post.  Neither my Real Estate Agent nor my Mortgage Broker asked me to feature them here.  In fact, it was the other way around.  I was really pleased with my service and told them I give them a shout out on my blog as a thank you for their hard work.

First up, our Real Estate Agent (he’s actually a Broker), Brandon Elizondo.  I should note here that Brandon was not our first agent.  We had another agent for about a week before we found Brandon.  Although she was OK, she seemed to have a hard time getting us into the houses we really wanted to see and didn’t seem too concerned about winning our business.  Brandon, on the other hand, was fantastic.  I could call him at 2 in the afternoon to tell him about a house I wanted to see and he would get an appointment set up that day.

I know he has other clients, but I never felt like he did.  He was literally at my beck and call.  He would answer my calls, emails and texts almost instantly.  I also loved how he never told me “no” about anything.  He would always say “I’ll make it happen” – and he would.  He would call the city for me, dig up tax records, knock on the doors of neighbors to ask questions … whatever I needed.  I never signed a contract with him (he didn’t ask for one) so I felt like he was always fighting to keep my business.  If you’re looking to buy or sell a home in the Salt Lake area, I highly recommend Brandon.  He did a fantastic job!

Next in line is our Mortgage Broker, Mike Yancey.  I honestly had no idea a mortgage guy could be so ‘hands on’ in the home buying process.   Mike was literally available to us 24/7.  We had lots of questions regarding loans and how to get the best rate possible.  Mike was able to answer all of those for us and offered great insight into the mortgage process.  I don’t think I ever heard his voicemail greeting because he would pick up the phone every time I called.  It didn’t seem to matter if it was early Saturday morning or 11 o’clock on a weeknight – he would always pick up my call or reply to my text.

We came away from the closing table feeling like Mike had really looked out for us financially.  I called around to several mortagage brokers in the weeks leading up to the closing to make sure I was getting the best rates/offers possible.  No one was able to beat the rates and offers Mike extended to us.  If you’re looking for a home or hoping to refinance, he has my full endorsement.

My home inspector is an entirely different story so he won’t be mentioned here.  If you know of a good one in the Salt Lake Valley area I hope you’ll leave a comment and let my readers know.  I didn’t realize how lack-luster mine was until after we moved in and found all the things he missed.  Luckily he had a money-back guarantee.

Here’s the contact info for Brandon and Mike.

Brandon Elizondo: Associate Broker, Keller Williams Realty
(801) 949-2711 – cell
(801) 838-1212 – fax
zondo77@yahoo.com  (email)

Mike Yancey: Sr. Loan Officer, CityWide Home Loans
(801) 747-1224 – office
(801) 755-5359 – cell
mike.yancey@chl.cc  (email)

Thanks, everyone.  I promise I’ll be back with more tips and printables later in the week.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

I just can’t tell you how excited I am to be here.   We’ve spent the last five years moving from rental home to rental home always hoping to find a place we could settle.  Thanks to my hard-working husband and countless blessings from above, I think we’ve finally arrived.  It’s not big or fancy but it’s ours (well, ours and the bank’s).

There are lots of things I love about it but I’ll list just a few.

1. It sits on top of a mountain…literally.  Here’s the view from my office window (yep, I said MY office – it only took me 12 years of marriage to get a space all to myself).  You can see this magnificent view from the family room, the bedrooms, and the kitchen so the whole house is loaded with natural light.  Plus, it’s absolutely breathtaking at night.
   
   
2. All the bedrooms and the laundry room are on the top floor.  I can’t even tell you how happy this makes me.  The only washables I ever have to haul upstairs are dishtowels.  Hooray for me!
3. It has a great big play room upstairs too so my little guys have a place to play while I work and so my big kids have a place to hang out with their friends.  Love it.
4. It was a foreclosure so we got a great deal – plus the bank had gutted it and put in new appliances and paint.
5. It feels like home.  It was the first house we walked through and although it had been vacant for 9 months, I could totally see it’s potential.  As I’m slowly unpacking our boxes and putting our things in their new spots it’s finally sinking in that this is our home.

The first night we moved in I collapsed in a heap on the family room floor and just listened to my kids run around.  I love that sound.  The sound of kids running, playing and laughing.  It was like the first warm day of Spring when all the kids in the neighborhood venture out of their winter hideaways and fill the streets with the noises of summer.  Don’t you just love that day?  Well that’s what my house feels like.  Like I’ve been cooped up for years and can now stretch out and enjoy the long, happy season ahead.  Sorry, I know that sounds incredibly cheesy but I can’t help myself.

I can’t wait to show you around.  I’ll be posting a few details about the house this week and clue you in on a few of the renovation ideas I have spinning in my brain.  It should be a fun, new season here on MeckMom.  Thanks for sticking with me.

Here are the two sites featured on my facebook page in the last week.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.  If you do, don’t forget to leave comments for these incredibly talented, hard-working bloggers.  We live for comments here in the blogosphere so share the love when you stop by these sites.  (Remember to click the pink blog titles – not the pictures – to follow the link)

Funkytime

Most toy grocery stands are plasticky and cheap looking. This DIY Ikea-hack version is a big step up from the ordinary options.

MeckMom Archives

Doing a little Easter Egg dyeing this week? Check this post from my archives for 4 cheap tips to make your family fun far less messy.

Make and Takes

Apparently multi-colored egg salad isn’t the only thing you can do with dozens of left over Easter eggs. Check out this easy kid craft.

It’s free birthday printable designed to make your life a little easier.  The free printable includes 4 craft baggie toppers so you can print an infinite number grab-and-go birthday gifts.  All you need is a pack of 3″ x 4″ craft baggies (I found mine in the beading section of WalMart’s craft area).  Simply print the free printable on heavy, white card stock and use a straight-edge cutter to trim the toppers.  To make a gift, just stuff the baggie with a gift card, small prize or your treat of choice and staple the topper on top.  Viola!  Instant little birthday gift.

Don’t you just love how versatile these are?  You could put a gift card and some fancy chocolates in for your favorite teacher, or cheap dollar store prizes for your kid’s friends.  They’d be perfect for Primary kids, or YW birthdays.  You could make a ton all at once and then keep a stockpile in the cupboard to use throughout the year.  You gotta love that!

Of course, if you want to really impress someone, you could hop on over to my Etsy shop and purchase the full 3-page printable.  It includes hershey kiss tags, cupcake toppers and sweet, coordinated happy birthday cards – all for the bargain price of only $4.95.  Isn’t that a steal?

Regardless of which printable you choose, this birthday set is guaranteed to make your gift-giving life a whole lot easier.  Just thought I’d pass it on.  Have a great weekend, everyone.

Here’s the file for you.

Download: Happy Birthday Baggie Toppers

Here are a few of the things I like about it…

• It can work with multiple users so I can manage the spelling lists for each of my kids
• Using the built-in iPad microphone I can record the pronunciation of the spelling words and simple phrases, no hard-to-understand computer-generated voices
• The ‘dry-erase board’ feature helps them practice writing the words (not just spelling them)
• The test mode allows them to listen to the recorded word, hear the phrase, and read a definition before they try to spell it

All those features are great, but these two are my favorites…

• The app keeps track of every minute they practice spelling – so I can tell how much they’ve studied over the course of the week
• It also keeps track of their practice test scores and the words they’ve missed so I know which words to focus on when we practice together on the night before their test

At $4.99 this app is a little more pricey than most.  Of course if you add up all the hours of hands-on spelling practice I’m saving myself – it’s totally worth the price.  I only wish I’d found it sooner.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

Here are the two sites featured on my facebook page in the last two weeks.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.  If you do, don’t forget to leave comments for these incredibly talented, hard-working bloggers.  We live for comments here in the blogosphere so share the love when you stop by these sites.(Remember to click the pink blog titles – not the pictures – to follow the link)

Midwest Magnolia

Need a little Easter-treat inspiration? Check out this cool collection of pastel-colored goodies.

Joy the Baker

Do I even need to comment on this one? Seriously folks, I can only imagine how phenomenal this would smell…let alone how good it would taste!

Simply Fresh Designs

Hey fellow mormon moms, check out this easy way to keep the messages of general conference fresh in your family’s mind.

Organize Your Stuff Now

Do your couches need a little splash of spring color? Try this easy no-sew, no measure trick for recovering a sofa pillow.

Martha Stewart

Wouldn’t these treasure-holding, crepe paper carrots be fun to tuck into your kids’ Easter baskets?

Itsy Belle: Free Easter Banner Printable

Spagat Blog: Easter Egg Printable Link

Here are the two sites featured on my facebook page last week.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.  If you do, don’t forget to leave comments for these incredibly talented, hard-working bloggers.  We live for comments here in the blogosphere so share the love when you stop by these sites.(Remember to click the blog titles – not the pictures – to follow the link)

Laura Thoughts

Is your teen’s bathroom covered in makeup? Check out this cool magnetized, organized solution. Love it!

The Bumper Crop

I was planning on splitting up our three boys when we move to the new house. This amazing bedroom may change my mind. All I can say is wow.