Holiday Gift Guide: Laser-Cut Wood Earrings from Green Tree Jewelry

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

Green Tree Jewelry creates new fashion designs of modern laser-cut wood jewelry, steampunk inspired light switch covers and many other unique products.  Green Tree Jewelry is proudly Made in USA.

We got to review a trio of gorgeous laser-cut wood earrings:

The earrings come in two sizes, the original (butterfly) and the smaller Blossoms (hummingbirds and citrus)  

The blossoms are the perfect size for smaller ears and the larger versions make a bold statement.  Both options are super lighteight since they are wood and the detail is pretty impressive.

With hundreds of designs to choose from, you are sure to find something for every fashionista on your holiday shopping list. And since they start at just $14.95 a pair, they are budget-friendly as well as beautiful! 

Green Tree Jewelry would make a lovely gift this holiday seaason! 

Click to shop Green Tree Jewelry!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Holiday Gift Guide: Pediped Shoes for Stylish Kids! + Giveaway

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

Award-winning children’s footwear brand pediped® has unveiled their 2016 Fall/Winter collection featuring over 70 new styles across their three signature lines; Originals®, Grip ‘n’ Go™ and Flex®. Highlighted by an extensive back-to-school collection, adorable fashion boots, as well as athletic styles made with Ultra Light Technology™,this collection is sure to meet any fashion requirements for babies to big kids.

We were lucky enough to get to try out  pair of cute fall boots from the Flex line:

About Flex® Naomi Boot:

Sizes 24-36

Leather and quilted nylon upper

Breathable leather and fabric lining

Flexible rubber sole

Fashion boot with inside zipper

Approved by the American Podiatric Medical Association for promoting healthy foot development

The Flex Fit System™ provides additional insoles that can be inserted for a snug fit then removed for room as your child's foot grows. These insoles can reduce shoe size by almost half a size, extending the life of the shoe, a great money-saving feature!

These adorable boots will be perfect for the upcoming fall and winter seasons and all of the festivities that come with them!  They are a great mix of dressy and casual, while maintaining style and comfort!  These boots have quickly become A's favorite footwear...she can't wait to wear them with tights and leggings once the cooler weather arrives:)

pediped® has an excellent selection of fashionable and functional footwear for the young people on your holiday gift giving list!

Click to shop pediped®!

One lucky ABCD Diaries reader will win a pair of shoes from the Originals line which features  0-6, 6-12, 12-18 or 18-24 months sizing. 

Enter below:

A Review in Pictures: @LEGOKidsFest Houston Oct 21-23!

**Complimentary tickets received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

LEGO KidsFest brings all of the creative hands-on, minds-on fun of LEGO building and experiences together in one activity- and entertainment-packed family event for children of all ages and builders of all skills and interests.

We attended the festival in Austin on Friday and below are just a few of the fun things we found.

The kiddos loved walking among the LEGO models of all kinds. Some of their favorites included these guys:

The Mixels station was a lot of fun:

Both kids enjoyed battling it out at the Technic booth:

The Porsche exhibit was fun for both the big kids and little kids:

We got to build shields for the Nexo Knights and display them in the gallery:

D loved trying out the LEGO Dimensions game:

We all learned a lot from Master Builder Dan during our Master Builder class:

 There was a super fun section called Race Ramps where you could build and race your own creations:

One of our favorite stops was building Star Wars Heroes and Villains characters:

Creation Nation is always fun!  You get to build a creation and display it any where you want on the giant US map:

D put his "Wing Surfer" in Florida, while A put her guitar in Tennessee:

 Another favorite was building a LEGO tile to display in the Art Gallery:

The kiddos also really enjoyed the rest of the fest including sections for the Big Brick Pile. LEGO Friends, Disney Princess, Super Heroes, Technic, Jurassic World and Mixels.  There was also a LEGO store, a DK Store and plenty of sections for younger builders. There was so much to do at this festival, something for every single family member!  If this festival is coming to your area, I would highly recommend checking it out!!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Crazy Cups October Flavor: Blackberry Meringue

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

As an ambassador for Crazy Cups, I get to review a different flavor of single serve coffee cups each month.  The flavor for October is Blackberry Meringue:

Crazy Cups are single serve cups that contain 13 grams of coffee in each cup for a flavorful cup of coffee.  They are compatible with all Keurig K Cups® Pods brewers and other single serve machines as well.   We use an iCoffee brewer and they fit perfectly.  Crazy Cups are gluten-free, nut-free, and contain no calories.  The cups use cool-peel-recycle technology, making them recyclable after use.  We peel ours back once they're cool, toss the grounds into our compost bin and recycle the cups, easy peasy and eco-friendly.

Flavor description:

 Delight in the sweet, tart deliciousness of blackberry meringue.

Our thoughts:

We love blackberries and this month's cup was full of fresh fruity flavor with a hint of creamy meringue!  What a fun way to welcome Fall:)

Click to shop Crazy Cups!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Parragon Books October Picks: Halloween Coloring with Your Favorite Characters!

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

Parragon is one of the largest illustrated non-fiction publishers in the world. From great selections of Disney, Barbie, Monster High, Ever After High, Discovery Kids, Dora, TMNT, Sponge Bob to in-house favorites including Little Learners, Pinkabella, Dino Supersaurus, Glitterbelle, Life Canvas, Love Food and more, they make books affordable and accessible to readers all around the globe.  They also feature several fun book kits for all ages.

This month, our favorite books from Parragon include fun coloring books in time for Halloween:

The first book was my favorite, a reverse sort of coloring book:

The illustrations are done on black paper with white lines to fill in with color.  So cool!

Parragon has a great selection of coloring books that feature some of my kiddos' favorite Disney characters getting into the Halloween spirit!

Whether you like princesses or heroes, these two books have got you covered!  Lots of fun coloring and activity pages and perfect for this time of year!

Each coloring book comes with it's own set of crayons and a page of awesome stickers to make the Halloween fun last all October and beyond.

We really enjoyed our Parragon Picks this month!

  

Click to shop Parragon Books!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Book Review: Big Bad Breakfast by John Currence

***I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.  Opinions expressed in this review are mine.***

Big Bad Breakfast: The Most Important Book of the Day by John Currence

About the book:

From the James Beard Award winner, Top Chef Masters contestant, and acclaimed author comes this fun, festive, and highly caffeinated ode to the joys and rituals of the Southern breakfast, with over 125 recipes inspired by the author's popular restaurant in Oxford, Mississippi.

John Currence is one of the most celebrated and well-loved chefs in the South. Among his string of highly successful restaurants in Oxford, Mississippi, Big Bad Breakfast holds a special place in diners' hearts: It is a gathering place where people from all walks come together to share the most important meal of the day, breakfast. Southerners know how to do breakfast right, and Currence has elevated it to an artform: dishes like Banana-Pecan Coffee Cake, Spicy Boudin and Poached Eggs, and Oyster Pot Pie are comforting, soulful, and packed with real Southern flavor. Big Bad Breakfast is full of delicious recipes that will make the day ahead that much better--not to mention stories of the wonderful characters who fill the restaurant every morning, and a meditation on why the Southern breakfast is one of America's most valuable culinary contributions.

My thoughts:

If you are looking for a true Southern cookbook, it doesn't get much better than this!  Big Bad Breakfast is full of funny stories, gorgeous food photography and mouthwatering recipes that prove breakfast is the best meal of the day no matter what time you eat it!  The recipes are super approachable for even beginner level cooks and everything we've made fro the book so far has been amazing!  Currence not only offers up some of his best restaurant-quality recipes, but he throws in a hefty amount of helpful kitchen tricks and tips as well making this book a great tool for the home chef.  One of my favorite cookbooks this year!

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Loved + Blessed: An Encouraging Faith-Based Subscription Service October Edition

**Complimentary products received in exchange for our honest review.  All opinions are ours and ours alone**

We recently had the chance to review the October box from Loved + Blessed:

Loved + Blessed is a Christian faith-based subscription box service that delivers a box of encouragement right to your door each month.

Each box revolves around a central theme and comes with a mini poster, a sticker, a purse-sized scripture card and a gift.

The theme for the October box was Prayer:

The scripture card this month featured 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

There was also a duplicate set of theme and scripture cards to share with a friend.

The special gift for October was a set of prayer cards to help you keep track of God's faithfulness in answering your prayers and a P.U.S.H. case to hold your requests while you Pray Until Something Happens.

I definitely think there is room for Loved + Blessed in the subscription box market and I love that their mission is to deliver encouraging products that support a fantastic message!

If that wasn't enough, Loved + Blessed gives a portion of the proceeds of each box sold to Union Rescue Mission, a charity that offers hope and healing to the homeless.  What an amazing cause!

At just $10 per month you can get your Loved + Blessed box or gift someone else with this monthly dose of encouragement today!

Click to buy Loved + Blessed

Disclosure: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.