Smart Soaps

There's smart phones, smart cars, and smart people but apparently now there's smart soap. I discovered this at Bath & Body Works about a month ago and LOVE them! They automatically dispense soap onto your hands, like in public restrooms, only you get good scents! These come with batteries and a free soap too! 

I originally bought one for my kitchen sink and it's actually saving me soap because it dispenses just the right amount of soap.

We went in to get refills because I had a coupon and you can't get these online yet, and ended up buying two more (one for my main floor bathroom and one for the kids bathroom). We still have 3 more to get before we finish out all areas, but this is a great start. 

Price point wise, they are a little pricey ($20 which includes soap and $8 if you want the soap alone, but I had a 40% off coupon, which saved me tons! 

If you want the coupon code for 40% off, copy this pic below amd show it to them on your SMART phone! 

Enjoy!!

CRHP at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Looking for a way to get connected in our huge parish??? Need some alone time with God to clear your mind???

Whether you are new to our parish or a long-time member, please consider going on a Christ Renews His Parish (CRHP) weekend retreat! 

You won't regret it! I can't believe it has been 4.5 years since my first CRHP weekend!! It was what made St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish much smaller for me and introduced me to a faith-filled life with like-minded friends! 

Women's Weekend: 9/6 & 7

Men's Weekend: 9/20 & 21

This FREE weekend is PRICELESS!! Pick up a registration form in the gathering area or go to 

http://www.seasfw.org/103

Also, if you have any specific questions on CRHP, I'd be happy to answer any questions!!

God Bless you as you consider going on this life changing renewal weekend!!

This is a pic from our CRHP Team 37 reunion that we had a couple years ago. These ladies will always have a special place in my heart!!

Fort Wayne has Livie & Lucas!!

This just in from my personal shopper at Von Maur...they now carry Livie & Luca shoes for kids! Call 432-3244 and ask for Kids Shoes! They can order them in for you from another Von Maur store (free shipping). So excited!!

Also, check out the other cute shoe finds, and my after work retail therapy from today. I just window shopped though, but it was fun to browse! 

Btw, what handbag do you like best??

Thanks friends!!

Welcome New Snuggle Puppy

Since Winston passed away on 8/4, we have since researched and found a great local breeder, not to replace Winston but because dogs become part of your family and are therepeutic. 

We found Karla from KKCavaliers and set up a meeting. From the time we met her, we fell in love with her puppies and felt a sense of trust with her as a breeder. She was very knowledgeable and overall we were impressed with her happy heart, the cleanliness of her home, and how professional she was, yet at the same time she really listened. 

We were able to play with the 7 puppies and found one, Hunter that really called to us. We out a deposit down and waited for him to be 8 weeks old. 

Today we were able to go get him and welcome him into our home. Karla had a nice gift bag full of goodies for him/us, including his baby book (cd with images from the time he was born), a folder with detailed info, including stats on his "puppy firsts"...so amazing!

Karla really cares for her dogs and cried upon us leaving. She has a heart of gold and I'd highly recommend her for anyone looking for a local Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breeder!

Stay tuned for fun times with our new puppy. Maybe he will officially have a name soon! XOX

This is a pic of Karla of KK Cavaliers.

Jefferson Pointe's New Kids Play Area

Jefferson Pointe's new kids play room opened up this past Saturday and it's incredible! I took the kids there today after school and they had a blast. 

Everything is soft, even the floor, and I feel like it's a safe place for kids to play. Kids must not be over 42"...but there's room for them to play in the city scape area. 

Check it out! There's plenty of room to sit too, so you won't feel crowded. Jefferson Pointe really went all out with this addition!!

Your Party Princess

Today Olivia got the pleasure of going to her good friend, Brooke's 5th Birthday Party! We arrived at 1:00 p.m. for the royal event, sang Happy Birthday, had cupcakes, played in her basement, and then a special surprise guest arrived, the Snow Queen, Elsa! 

She greeted the birthday girl and dazzled all of the guests, adults included because we were all amazed at how engaging she is! Then she taught the girls a circle dance. 

Afterwards, the girls went upstairs to do an activity (color Frozen pictures) and Elsa ever so smoothly asked the birthday girl to come with her because she had a special surprise for her. It was perfect because Elsa really made the birthday girl, Brooke feel special with the individualized attention she gave her without making any of the other girls jealous. The other girls didn't even realize she was out of the room because they were all busy coloring. 

I snuck into the other room to see Elsa putting eyeshadows and glitter on the birthday girl. She was loving it! Then at the end, Elsa let her see herself in the mirror. Then she took pics with her. So sweet!

After the birthday girl, Elsa did this to the rest of the little girls, which they all adored!

Next we all went into the basement for a hide n seek snowball game, which I was super impressed because Olivia was still a little shy and Elsa took her back with her to count while the kids hid the snowball. This helped Olivia get more comfortable.

Then after the game, Elsa had a lesson on princess manners and she read them a book. 

This engaging party was one in the books that will never be forgotten! 

You can find out more about having a Disney princess come to your event by going to 

http://yourpartyprincess.com/

I've already got her in the books for Olivia's 6th Birthday in November! Can't wait!!

Olivia's 1st Day of Kindergarten

Today was Olivia's 1st day of Kindergarten. I wasn't quite sure how she'd do, as she's extremely shy and afraid of new situations. This past month I've been trying to get her prepared for her new school, taking her in for self-guided tours, talking about it, etc, and she did SO well today!! Upon drop off she was ready for me to leave and it was me not wanting to leave. 

I'm so proud of my kind hearted, intelligent daughter and am excited for this new chapter of her life! 

After drop off I had some girlfriends over to chit chat.  Check out (pic below)the cookies my friend, Wendi made!! 

Then Gabe and I went to the library, ran some errands, picked up Olivia, got her some back to school clothes, picked up dinner, and went back home. Bedtime so far has been right on time at 8! So grateful for that. Tomorrow will be a struggle, as I'm working, but life's too short, we shall persevere! 

Here are pics of our day...Peace!!

Winston's Legacy

The years Winston spent living with us, he filled our lives with happiness and joy. We loved everything about him, even his howling. 

It was very sad moment for us when we found him in his crate not breathing. We aren't sure why he passed away so early (only after 7.5 years), but apparently this was meant to happen. 

Winston, thank you for the happiness and joyful moments that you have given us! We will not forget you!

Every day has been extremely hard on us. Olivia cries everyday and so do Dan & I. Gabe just goes around telling people that his dog is dead. He's too young to really get it. 

I never thought I'd get another dog after Winston, but I truly love his breed and how much joy he brought to our lives. As much as he shed, I miss the constant vacuming I'd have to do. 

 It's been extremely painful and I don't want to have this pain again, but the pain is worth all the happy memories we had throughout the years. 

Winston truly eased my anxieties. There's something about a pet that is therapeutic. 

Therefore, as crazy as it sounds, we will be welcoming in a puppy Cavalier King Charles Spaniel from a local breeder on 8/27! 

We went to this breeders house today and had the kids play with all 7 puppies. There were 2 puppies that were called to is, Lucy & Hunter. Olivia loved Lucy, but Hunter stole our hearts! As much as we would love 2 dogs, 1 is enough, and decided on Hunter, a male. 

We can re-name him, and haven't came up with a name yet, but have 17 days to do so. 

So there's your little bit of crazy for today from the Minnich's! Until next time...

God Bless!

Amy

The pic above is of Winston. 

This pic is of our new puppy that we will be getting on 8/27!