Sweet Shoppe Designs

Hey Sweet Shoppers, it’s Keely here today. After a few recent trips to Ulta, Sally’s and the beauty aisle at my beloved Target, I thought it would be fun to share a few of my go to items and recent finds. While I would never consider myself a girly girl, I love beauty products. I mostly stick to the drugstore varieties, my cheap nature and the whole being financially responsible thing dictate that. (plus I get to play with more stuff that way)  I’ve been pretty successful finding good products that don’t break the bank and allow me to splurge on a few items that are worth the extra dollars.

You know how most women have good and bad hair days? I have good and bad eyelash days. Seriously. I’ve given in to my crappy hair but I’m fighting the horrible lashes I was born with. They’re blonde, not particularly long and they don’t curl at all, just the opposite. In fact 90% of my hair dryer utilization is to heat my eyelash curler. So when I’m having a good eyelash day, it’s on.  A few things have made my good eyelash days much more common:

This cheap mascara (Really. My HEB has coupons on this all the time and I’m getting it for about $4 or $5 ) ROCKS. It doesn’t clump or flake and it has enough coverage, both volume and length, that I don’t need a bazillion layers. ( My one complaint, it dries out faster so I have to replace it more often. )

I tried this out a few months ago. It’s not Latisse, I’m not claiming that it actually creates  lashes but I noticed enough of a difference to replenish my tube and add it into my routine. I think  of it as a conditioner. What I’ve noticed is that I don’t lose lashes like I did before, my mascara goes on nicer and a weird gap in my lash line filled in.  My eyes can be sensitive to some products and this hasn’t bothered them at all. Shop around, I’ve seen this stuff range in price from $5 to $15.

I have no problems buying a good eyelash curler. It makes a huge difference, I won’t ever buy a cheapy one again. I’m going to need a new one soon and this one’s been hard to replace, if you’ve got a quality one you love, link me up.

The best stuff to get all the mascara off….

I go between coconut oil and baby shampoo (in the shower). Coconut oil really does a supreme job of removing every bit and not being irritating. I’ve tried so many eye-make up removers, oily, non-oily, a lot of them really bother my eyes.  Bonus, it smells really good and you can cook with it. Some people even use it as a facial moisturizer, I put it on my cuticles but my face doesn’t like it.

Speaking of coconut

I swear by Suave Coconut Conditioner as a shaving gel. My daughter thought I was just being cheap but she swears by it now too. We’re hairy so shaving’s a big deal to us.

This is my bargain primer. Don’t let the brand scare you off. It works like a charm. Plus you can use it as intended when you run your next marathon.

I’ve never found a toner that works better than good old fashioned witch hazel, effective and not too harsh. My greasy t-zone thanks me.

I love this mask. My skin feels so nice afterwards.

My Clarisonic Mia, I adore. Christmas before last I came across a great internet deal and hit submit before I could back down. I’m so glad because I can’t recommend it enough. In the last few years especially (Hello middle age!) my skin texture has changed. I didn’t even realize how much until after I started using this baby.  My daughter has the Olay knock-off and my Mom tried something similar from Overstock, they aren’t anywhere near the same.

Another thing I swear by is good make-up brushes. .

Everyday Minerals has really nice, quality brushes. They run sales fairly often too. My favorites are the Eye Kabuki above, the long handled Kabuki,  and the eye blending brush.

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I almost always have my toe nails polished, spring, summer, winter and fall. I do my fingers now and then too. I love China Glaze polish, I think it goes on and wears the best. I’ll use some other brands as well but I always seem to notice how much better  China Glaze wears. I’ll spend a little on nail polish because I there’s a big difference in application and wear. I like Orly a lot too. OPI and Essie aren’t bad and while I’ve drooled over some Butter colors, $14 a bottle is too spendy for me.

Holy Top Coat Batman! Sech Vite Fast Dry is a miracle in a bottle. Put this on when your last coat is still wet and your nails will be dry and glossy in mere minutes.  Five minutes and you can fold towels kind of dry.

And last but not least….let me pucker up and say that Revlon’s new Lip Butter…is fabulous. I have abnormally dry lips, even with constant moisturizing they are dry, so I tend not to wear a lot of actual lipstick. I like stains but I haven’t been very happy with the drugstore versions. I actually love  gloss but you have to apply it like ever ten seconds. I’ve been pretty much stuck on Burt’s Bee’s Raisin Lip Shimmer ( I still think it’s great stuff but I like variety)

These are my newest finds. They’re a moisturizing cross between a lipstick and gloss, not too much of either. I’m mixing it up again, whoo hoo.  My favorite colors are Berrie Smoothie and Peach Parfait.

That’s a peek into my beauty bag. Thanks for humoring me, I’ll be watching out for the next make-up/ beauty thread that pops up in the forum.

Until next time, Happy Scrapping.

I am writing this on the eve of my 31st birthday. Last year, I made such a big deal of turning 30 and had set some specific goals for myself to accomplish before I turned 31. I even did a layout for it, captured nicely in the page below (inspired by Lynnette aka Nettio’s page)

Now 31 is here and I have only managed to do at least 1/3 of that list. I haven’t even accomplished the most important three on top. But hey, I’m 31. I can make another 31 on 31 list right? I might be so behind on catching up with scrapping but I always make it a point to document ME on my BIRTHDAY. I get one day out of the 365 days to scrap about myself, even take the time to take GOOD pictures – I deserve it right?

And you know what? You deserve it too. Years from now, when we are old and grey, they will love to see us when we were young and we should give in to their wish, we are scrappers after all.

You bet one of the things I will be doing tomorrow is take time to find some natural light, and hand the camera over to my husband. Im unhappy with how I look right now but it wont matter years from now.

Right now I am on a trip to visit my Grandma. My entire life I have ever only known one grandparent, because the rest of them passed away before I was born. My Grandma has always lived states away, so to be able to visit her is such a treat. My sweet Grandma is 90 years old. As I was preparing for this trip I have been flooded with amazing memories of her in my life. Then I started thinking about her life. What did I know about her? I want to know everything. I want to know what it was like for her growing up. How she felt when she got married, or had her children. How did she raise 4 children? How did she deal with losing a child? So many unanswered questions about her life, that are important to me and to the rest of our family. And then I had such a great feeling, because this is why I do this! All of these unanswered questions are the reason that I scrapbook. They are the reason that I document me, and my thoughts and feelings. They are the reason I journal about regular life. I want to remember and I want my kids to know all about me and my life. On my trip I am visiting with my Grandma and getting some of these questions answered. I can’t wait to document her life for me and our family. There is a reason why we do this… not just because it is fun and addicting! We do this for ourselves, for our families, for our posterity. We do this to help leave our mark and our legacy!

Here is one of my favorite pages that I scrapped about my Grandma! ♥

Hello everyone, it is Susan here today and I had planned to talk about my favorite most watchable movies of all time.  I see that Misty talked about books yesterday, so I hope you don’t mind moving on to another form of media/entertainment.

My husband and I often talk about the most watchable movies.  You know….the movies that are in heavy rotation on TBS or ABC Family…that even though you have seen them a million times, you always are able to stop what you are doing and watch them again and again.  You can even pick them up in the middle and still be unable to change the channel.  Not all movies are “watchable”.  There are great movies that I really only want or need to see once.  So what are my favorite, “most watchable” movies?  Here is my list:

When Harry Met Sally – One of the funniest romantic comedies of all time.  After all these years, it still holds up.  There are so many funny lines in this movie and so many sweet moments. And I love the way Sally orders her food.  She just wants it the way she wants it!

Father of the Bride – Steve Martin is one of my secret crushes.  I love him in this one and Roxanne (another very watchable movie, by the way).  He is so funny in this and I love ever moment that he and Martin Short share the screen.  I also love his epic meltdown over hotdog buns.

Four Weddings and a Funeral – Yes, it is a little cheesy in some parts….and I am so over Hugh Grant, but I really do love this movie.

You’ve Got Mail – This is one is a little dated.  I mean, AOL?  But I can’t help myself, every time I see this on, I have to stop and watch.  Maybe it is all the scenes of NY in the fall.  Maybe it is that awesome combo of Ryan and Hanks.  F-O-X.

The Shawshank Redemption – Does this one even need an explanation?  Such a wonderful story of overcoming an impossible situation, friendship, and comeuppance.  Oh and of course, Redemption.

Jerry Maguire – You Complete Me.  Why do I tear up every time I see that scene?  It seems as though in that scene, he is also doing the sign language signs for You Complete Me, but you can’t see it.  So touching.  I love watching how Jerry is so totally transformed from beginning to end….all because of a moment of clarity and a Mission Statement.

Groundhog Day – Seriously, one of the funniest and yet most touching movies ever written.  I love watching Phil journey through all of the most base human emotions (shock, confusion, anger, resentment, greed, and finally altruism, acceptance and love).  Love love love this movie.

Ocean’s Eleven – George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, nuff said.

Bourne Identity – Matt Damon in a James Bond-ish role?  Who knew?  Of course, this movie is better than any James Bond movie ever was.  I can come into this movie at anytime and be totally engrossed.  Maybe it is because it was shot mostly in Paris (my favorite city).  Maybe it is because Matt Damon is mega hot in this movie…..I don’t care….I just love it.

Speed – Is this the best that Keanu Reeves has ever looked?  Hunky, buff, and hot hot hot.  The chemistry between him and Sandra Bullock is terrific.  The story is pretty gripping as well.  As they are speeding towards the break in the highway, I always wonder, are they going to make it????

So those are some of my favorites.  This list is by no means comprehensive.  There are dozens of others that could have easily made this list.  I just don’t have enough space here to list them all.  I’d love to hear what you guys think.  Which ones did I miss?  What are your favorite, most watchable flicks?

Hey SSDers, Misty here to share about one of my favorite topics … books. During the winter months, I love snuggling up with the kids, our cozy blankets, a warm drink and a pile of books. Here are some of our recent favorite reads.

Cooking with Henry and Elliebelly by Carolyn Parkhurst – Five year old Henry is putting on a cooking show. Today he is going to teach us to make raspberry, marshmallow, peanut-butter waffles. If only his spirited (and a tad pesky) two year old sister would stop interrupting. This tale is funny and absolutely adorable. We discovered it 2 years ago when the kids were the same age as the characters. Each member of family found ourselves in the story and could appreciate the humor. Now, two years later, the kids came across the book again at the library and had to reread it and ‘play’ the characters.

The Sea Monster by Christopher Wormell – Mya picked this one up at the library; Jamin adores it. A young boy and his dog go out to play with a toy boat at the beach while a lonely sea monster watches surreptitiously from behind the rocks and an old retired captain works on toy model boats in a cabin on the cliff above. The boy’s boat is washed out to sea. The boy swims out to retrieve it, only to find he can’t make it back to shore. The dog, the old man and the sea monster all play their own role in the boy’s rescue. It’s a beautifully written, well-told tale.




Thank You Bear by Greg E. Foley – Bear finds something he thinks is wonderful … until he faces the criticism of others, then he is not so sure. All is well when his good friend mouse thinks it is absolutely perfect. This book is simple and repetitive enough for the youngest of the toddler set, but the lesson is ageless.

I’m Bored by Christine Schneider – It’s a rainy Sunday afternoon and Charlie’s parents and big sister refuse to play with him. Armed with imagination, Charlie and his toys wage war on the forces of boredom. The kids and I could both relate to the characters in this adorable, cleverly illustrated tale.






Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst – My son could really relate to Alexander who’s day goes miserably, in part due to his own poor choices and in part due to mistreatment by others. Sometimes kids just need to know it’s ok to have a bad day – tomorrow will be better.



So there are a few books from our family bookshelf. How about your family? What are your favorite family read-alouds? Leave a note in the comments. I’m always looking for new discoveries. See you back here next month with more ideas for family-reading.

Hello Sweets, Mary here bringing you today’s post about a family event.

I am going to gush about my dd Helena, she’s a 17yr old Senior in High School and has to do a Senior Project in order to graduate. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do but she wanted it to have something to do with honoring her sister Charlie. She said mom I know what I’m going to do I’m going to bring awareness to my high school classmates about organ donation. I was deeply touched and yes I cried. She threw herself into planning, discussing, and researching her project.

First she had to pitch it to the school council for approval. Once she had the ok she contacted our Donor Family Service Representative, she needed guidance and she wanted to interview donor families. The representative said send me the pitch by email and we’ll set a date to discuss details. Helena was excited she said mom it’s going to happen, it’s Charlie, she’s guiding me. I cried and was very supportive of all her ideas.

She decided on a dance and she’s currently working on her final details. The name will be a Dance and Donate for Life Choice fundraiser. She booked the hall which will not charge her because it’s a fundraiser. She has booked the DJ who will charge her half price. The fliers are ready to be hung in the school hallways and tickets are halfway done. Everyone that buys a ticket will receive a pen or wrist band that Life Choice has graciously donated. She is currently contacting local grocers for cupcake and beverage donations. The chaperones have agreed to the date. She has just wrapped up her 12 interviews of Donor families and recipients A friend of hers will be coming over next week to help her edit the video that will be played for everyone in attendance and later for the community. I would really love to have a photographer donate their services just for the dance part but I have to research that one.

I cannot tell you how truly proud I am of everything she has accomplished so far. This is truly something near and dear to our hearts. I am amazed at how she has tackled this project with love, compassion and maturity. We sit and talk about the people she has interviewed and I cry when I hear the stories through her eyes and mouth. It makes me sit and wonder about our Charlie’s impact on so many lives because of our choice to gift life. Sadly I have yet to reach out to anyone we gifted to, I am not mentally ready for it. Once I watch the video on 3.2.12 at the dance maybe I’ll change my mind but not yet. For now I’ll continue to support Helena in any way I can.

Thanks so much for letting me share. Have a wonderful Sunday with your loved ones.

Hello Sweet Shoppers, it’s Keely here today, I’m going to talk a little bit about journaling.  In the scrapping world the word tends to draw strong reactions in both the positive and the negative, but today I want to talk about personal journaling. I’m pretty sure somewhere there’s a study or statistic to support the statement that journaling is a positive and therapeutic activity. ( 100 Benefits of Journaling ) I’ve had journals off and on throughout the years of my life, the consistency and type of writing has varied a great deal. As I’ve gotten older I’ve discovered that my memory stinks, things I swear I’d remember I don’t. But sometimes the approach of journaling can be overwhelming, I mean some days feel pretty redundant, when there aren’t big highs and lows going, it can be hard to find the motiviation. I’ve come to the conclusion that it doesn’t have to be a big production and that if you can get pen to meet paper on a fairly regular basis, it’s going to be a good thing.

So let me tell you what I’m doing for the year 2012. My main journaling is this:

Isn’t it fancy!? (haha) I found someone doing something like this last year in a real journal. I tried it out for a bit and fell in love with it. It’s not pretty but it’s about the easiest, low pressure way of memory keeping. I have a sheet for every week that I keep in my main Keely binder (where I keep calendars, to do’s etc) Once ( or several) times a day I jot down daily happenings, the weather, things we did, something said, a news story, or just  doodle.  I may not be pouring my heart out but I’m documenting our lives in little bits and I have something to look back on.

I also have another journal, one that I don’t pressure myself to write in daily. I use it for feelings, when I’m feeling PMSy or over/underwhelmed or when I want to jot down a quote I come across and love, or if I’m feeling like I need to document some gratitude.  It’s not fancy either….

It’s a composition book that I had on hand, I believe a two for a dollar variety. A little digi-magic with La and Shawna’s Imagine and it looks like this…

I’ve been pleased as punch with my latest journaling routines. I think it’s going to help with those scrapping journaling blocks as well, a definite bonus. Until next time, Happy Scrapping (and maybe some journaling too).

This is not what I had intended to write about today, but today just hasn’t been one of those normal days.

I took my older two children to school and my 3-year old, Sadie, and I headed back home.  I was stopped at a red light at an intersection only a few miles from my house.  After the light turned green, I hesitated for just a second because there was a truck that I wasn’t sure was stopping for his red light. Once I was sure it was clear, I started through the intersection only to see a different pickup truck barreling through the intersection straight at me! I slammed on brakes and caught his rear driver-side tire with my front bumper.

Thankfully, a police officer was the first one at the intersection going the opposite direction I was, so he saw the whole thing and was immediately able to help.

Sadie and I are both fine. The airbags didn’t even deploy. My bumper is gone, but that is replaceable.

As I have replayed the whole accident in my mind, I realize that if I had not waited for a second before going when the light turned green, I would have been farther through the intersection and he would have t-boned the side of my car. This accident could have been so very much worse than it was. I truly feel that we had angels watching over us!

It’s funny how, sometimes, it takes situations like this to remember to have a thankful heart. We celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday a couple of months ago, but do we take the time to be just as thankful in January? I probably don’t. But I think I will now!

Have a great and grateful day!

Hi, sweet shoppers, it’s Rebecca… and I’m going to be talking about cooking.

Secret Recipe - Dani Mogstad; DJB I Love Me Some Aly - Darcy Baldwin; Date Bits 12 - Misty Cato; Blissful Stitches - Traci Reed; Waiting for the Rain (alpha) - Shawna Clingerman.

I don’t mind cooking… in fact I find it relaxing some days. I love finding new recipes and rarely do I make the same thing twice… I also almost never follow a recipe.   I must add my “flair” to it by adding an ingredient that isn’t listed or change up the spices… my hubby likes his food with a bit of “fight.”  This style of cooking is way different from what I remember of my childhood.  My mom cooked many of the same recipes that her mom and aunt would cook… those down-home comfort foods. Mom made meals with my grandfather in mind, who she would run over meals daily to him. My dad, drove milk truck and worked many long, long days… some times not coming home until 8:00 at night… and for a number of years, she was an emergency medical technician, so given she could be called out on an ambulance call at any moments time, she needed recipes that were quick and could be reheated many times. We ended up rotating through 10 of the same  recipes… all recipes that were passed down through the generations.

Fast forward to 2012… it will be 3 weeks today that my father was rushed to the emergency room with severe leg pain and light headedness. They found out that he had developed huge blood clots in both legs, triggered from his prostrate surgery this past November.  Five years ago when he had surgery, he also ran into an issue with clotting and they had to put a screen in. Thank goodness they left that screen in – otherwise he wouldn’t be with us today. So, you are probably wondering, what the heck does this have to do with cooking? haha… well, my father has been at our house recovering since he was released from ER. So, this means that I have had to actually cook 3 meals a day for the last 3 weeks!! I’ve been so spoiled living in the city that when I don’t feel like cooking, I just have my hubby bring something home after work. My dad isn’t use to that life style, nor is it healthy for any of us… he also doesn’t care for spicy foods and he likes the traditional style of cooking. So, I have had to dig into my childhood memories for recipes.  It has been trying for me to stick with the same foods over the last few weeks… and the same foods that I served just two months ago when Dad was staying with us after his initial surgery… I’m so hungry for Mexican food at my favorite restaurant… but on the bright side, we have save money because 1. we aren’t eating out as much and 2. I’m actually planning ahead what we are making. Menu plan has always been one of those goals I want to achieve, but I don’t like knowing what I’m having two days from now… I’m a bit spontaneous when it comes to my meals…  So, today I’m going to share a recipes that has become a favorite with the boys in the household… I have made it twice already this time Dad has been with us… *sigh* this cooking is just not good for my diet goals…

Beef Pot Roast (crockpot)

• 1 two pound boneless beef chuck pot roast
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 3 medium potatoes (or sweet potatoes), cut into chunks
• 3 small onions, cut in wedges
• 8 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons of instant beef bouillon granules
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• salt and pepper

Trim fat from the roast and then in a large skillet brown meat on all sides in the hot oil.  Place potatoes, carrots, and onions in cooker. Place meat over vegetables. In a small bowl combine the 3/4 cup water, Worcestershire sauce, bouillon granules, and oregano. Pour over meat and vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours.

To make gravy, place 1 1/2 cup of cooking juices to a saucepan and combine a 1/2 cup of cold water and flour and stir into the juices. Cook and stir until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Rice Pudding

• 3/4 cup uncooked white rice
• 2 cups milk, divided
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2/3 cup golden raisins
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. In another saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, 1 1/2 cups milk, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg and raisins. Cook 2 minutes more, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm.

Enjoy!! And if anyone has a great old family recipes they wouldn’t mind sharing with me… I could use some different tonight for dinner.

{{hugs}}

Rebecca aka mamabee

Hi it’s me Darla and I will admit I am a technology junkie! I will spend hours combing the web to find interesting things or trends going on in the world of technology. When I have a computer problem, I turn to google and hunt for a solution. When I got a nasty virus on my computer, I again turned to the web for answers. So it seemed quite natural when it was time for me to upgrade my cell phone, I turned to the web to find out what phone – android or Iphone – would best serve my needs. After a great deal of research, I decided to go with an Iphone and was so excited when I received my phone after Christmas. Having had an android phone for 2 years – I was already accustomed to having plenty of apps to make my life a little easier and so it was my hope I could find the same alternatives on the Iphone. I was definitely not disappointed with all the different apps out there but feeling a sense of uncertainty on what might be best for my needs – I again turned to the trusty ole web for suggestions! Here are a few apps that I found to help make your life a little easier or at least a little more entertaining!

Camera +

My android phone had a terrible camera and I was super excited to have a phone that might be able to take photos on the fly. Camera + is a great photo app that allows you to edit, crop and add special effects to your photo. You can also use it to post to facebook, email or text it to a friend. I have to admit I am eager to play more with it but am seriously happy using it over the stock camera app on the phone.

Mspot Music

My daughters have an extensive music catalog on their Itunes account but did not want to transfer all these songs to their phone and thereby take up precious storage that they may want for something else. So we searched around and found this awesome app that scans your Itunes library and stores it in a “cloud” for you to stream on your phone whenever you want. You can choose to upload your entire library or there is an option to select only certain songs for the account. You will need to download the app on your main computer that houses your music library and then add it also to your Iphone or Ipad and sign in and your music automatically appears. We tested the streaming for a week or two and have not been disappointed with the service. Personally, this is what the Icloud feature should be but isn’t. Thank goodness someone had the sense to create this as it has made my little one a very happy kid!

Movies

I had this app on my android phone and was so happy to see it was available also on the Iphone. The app lists all the movie theaters in your area along with movie times, ratings and reviews. There are also some trailers that help make the time go faster when your child is bored. Another neat feature of this app is that it has partnered with Ultraviolet – a service that allows you to play back DVD movies you have purchased on your Ipad, Iphone or android device. You just enter the codes that come with your movie and it uploads to your movie (Flixster) account for you to view anytime you want. As you can see from above, my little one has added Harry Potter and Dolphin Tales to our movie list to watch when we are on the road a long time!

Pinterest

Ok I was really excited to get the Pinterest app for my Iphone! I love pinning new recipes, craft ideas for my girl scout troop or new hair dos for the girls and now I can do this while waiting for my kids or at the doctor’s office. What is even better is now that the SSD Portfolio challenge has its own board – I can peek at the various challenges and come up with ideas offline on what page I might create! I will admit since I got the app for my phone I have become of a pinning junkie….but justify my little addiction when I see how happy my family is with some of the ideas and recipes I have shared with them!

Scramble With Friends

Ok I am a huge Words with Friends fan and was so excited to see that Zynga has released another new app called Scramble with Friends on the Iphone. On my android phone, I used to play Wordroid all the time and this is similar to that. There are four rows of letters and the challenge is to find as many word as you can in 2 minutes and hope that you find more than your opponent! I have to laugh at how competitive my daughters and I have become just playing this game the last 2 weeks. Someone is always gently reminding you to check your phone because you have a game to play lol!

Tiny Towers

Tiny Towers is a cute featured app I found where the concept is to earn enough money to build a tower of various floors that house different kind of businesses or people called blitzens. The game syncs with your game center account and you can see the towers that your other friends are also creating. Right now, my daughter and I are in a match to see who can have most floors…and sadly she is winning – for now!

Waze

Living in Southern California and driving the freeways here – you cannot be without a proper navigation app. I had an awesome one on my android phone and was definitely disappointed in the stock one on the Iphone. Then I stumbled upon a cute little app called Waze. It gives you the traffic view of the freeway and also updates if there are accidents or problems ahead on your route. The unique feature about this app is that the updates are by other people in traffic using the same app. You get points for alerting others to traffic conditions or accidents similar to a game type app. I love that it gives you alternative routes when traffic is bad and also gives you the time that you will arrive at your destination. There may be a better app out there – but I really love the fun graphics that helps relieve the stress of driving the Southern California freeways!

Kindle

I love to read and do own a kindle so this app was a natural choice for my Iphone! I often on the run and there have been times in which I forgot my kindle at home or in my purse and having it on my phone allows me the freedom to read when I can. It is not unusual for me to whip out my phone when I am waiting in a long grocery or store line. I love how it syncs with my kindle so I never have to worry about where I was last and of course, all the books I own are stored in the archive for future use.

Instagram

Instagram is another camera phone app that I love. The app allows you to take a photo and then offers some really cool filters to enhance your photo. You can then update your photo to an account you create to share with all your friends and family! You can “follow” your friends and various media outlets, and if they follow you back your shared shots appear on the feed for everyone’s viewing and commenting pleasure.

These are just a few apps that I love but there are so many more out there – for the music lovers, TuneIn Radio and Pandora are great to have. For games, Angry Birds and Words For Friends are a must! For the Disney fanatics – Mousewait is a must to navigate your way through Disneyland and California Adventure. The developer makes one also for Walt Disney World that is something you will find especially helpful on your magical vacation! Open Table helps you find reservations for local restaurants in your area while Yelp helps you find things to do wherever you might be. There are banking apps and store apps to help you pay bills, transfer money or spend money while on the go. There is even a Directv app that allows you the opportunity to record a show on your TIVO box that you might have wanted to watch and forgot to record when you were home. Photoshop Express is a mini version of photoshop to edit and enhance your photos. In a nutshell, there is so much out there that I could not cover it all here but if you are in doubt, go to the web and do a search – you might be surprised at all the wonderful apps you find that you can not live without! Have fun searching!