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Give the Gift of Pearls of Joy

pearlsofjoy.com, thefivefish.com

People say diamonds are a girl’s best friend. But really, diamonds, in this economy? You probably would look more like a douchebag princess getting some major bling like that. I, however, have always loved the classic, timeless, elegant look of pearls. You have to admit, something has to be said about a woman in pearls, just completely classy and pearls can dress up any occasion.

The folks at Pearls of Joy contacted me* and I was overflowing with joy because I love pearls. I love to wear pearls and they are just absolutely gorgeous. I chose to review the earrings of all the choices. I do not wear earrings much but when I do, they are pearls. I actually had a beautiful set of black pearls DH bought for me in San Francisco but somehow the dear boy Big G got a hold of those earrings and broke them. Resulting in a black pearl lost in a sea of shag carpet which inevitably got sucked into the black hole of vacuums thus resulting in lost earrings and a new vacuum.

pearls, thefivefish.com

Regardless, I found the perfect and beautiful replacement of Black Akoya pearls. Magnificent aren’t they? They have an iridescent blue, peacock color that is absolutely stunning, gorgeous, eye catching. I love the darker pearls because they look mysterious, exotic, and again they are timeless. I was pleasantly surprised too at the quality, pearls are either good quality or garbage where they are basically costume jewelry. Pearls of Joy pearls are top notch! Equipped with a certified GIA in pearls appraisal. Beautiful, functional, and I love to wear them. I received many compliments, even from the hubs on how lovely they looked on me, with the white gold posts to offset the dark color of the beautiful stone pearl.

In general my ears are very sensitive to the posts of earrings which generally require me to wear gold in 14k or higher. Sometimes even 14k causes issues where my lobes and the piercing hole becomes inflamed. I did not have this issue which made me even more excited over these wonderful beauties.

So folks, if you are looking for that gift to surprise your mother, sister, daughter, or of course your lovely wife….try the timeless and classic choice of pearls. Or better yet, enter here to win a pair just in time for Christmas for that special woman in your life! You got it!

Win a choice of a strand of pearls or a piece of pearl jewelry (as seen above) from Pearls of Joy.com!

The Skinny entry info:

MANDATORY: Go check out PearlsofJoy.com and tell me what other beautiful bling you would love to add to your jewelry collection. (Please leave your email address or make your blogger profile public so I have your email address for your winnings…otherwise…no cool loot!)

EXTRA ENTRIES:

  • Blog about this giveaway (Minimum of 50-100 words…sorry…have to avoid spammers folks….I play fair!) with a track back to me and PearlsofJoy.com (3 entries)
  • Subscribe to the PearlsofJoy Newsletter (2 entries)
  • Follow my blog or tell me you do
  • Follow me on Twitter or tell me you do
  • Tweet this giveaway “Enter to Win timeless pearls from @KariewithaK valued @ over $200 (include the link to giveaway here!)”
  • Enter one of my many other giveaways (worth an extra entry for each giveaway you enter!)
  • Fan The Fish on Facebook
  • Technorati fave my blog
  • Stumble, Digg, Delicious the Pearls of Joy website
DOWNLOAD your Copy of the catalog HERE
 CONTEST ENDS NOVEMBER 13TH @ MIDNIGHT
Best of luck to you all!
 *Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency.
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Cooking with Imagination Step2 Lifestyle Kitchen

Step2.com, thefivefish.com, Karie Herring

The Herring Hunting, Five Fish Holiday gift guide is now officially in FULL SWING and I wanted to get this puppy started off right. My kids and I had the awesome opportunity provided to us by Step2 to receive and review the Lifestyle Deluxe Kitchen. I have to tell you that the kids LOVE IT! The first day the kitchen was assembled they rallied around it, with all the great features, accessories, the fostering of some really great pretend play!

Grant told me immediately that we had to go to Costco to stock up on supplies, that his fridge was looking a little barren. We needed bread, Cheerios, some more fruit and vegetables, maybe some milk. DH and I were laughing hysterically and taking note to plan a trip to Costco for he and the twins. The gnomes love all the sounds, the buttons and controls, plus the utensils have been loads of fun for them.

Here is what the Step2 Lifestyle Deluxe Kitchen has to offer as far as amenities and features:

thefivefish.com, Karie Herring, Step2 kitchen, giveaway

  • Appliances make realistic electronic sounds
  •  Granite-look counter top
  • 38-piece accessory set included (accessories may vary)
  • Loads of storage space
  • Framed window with overhead light
  • Sink with modern faucet and pull-out sprayer
  • Adult assembly required
  • Made in USA of US and imported parts (phone, play food, light, faucet, electronic keypads and burner made in China)
  • Requires 8 – AA and 5 – AAA batteries (not included)

[Source: Step2 IPK]

Karie Herring, thefivefish.com, Step2 Kitchen giveaway

The Mrs. Fish take: the appliances are cute for a small scale, so yes, realistic for the gnome size scale. The counter top I took to be more Corian than granite looking, the accessories are very cool, and adding more is even MORE fun for the kids.  Truly TONS of storage which is nice for the kids to experiment and play. The light is cool, the kids love to turn that on as the room gets darker. Adult assembly FOR SURE is required, the whole system to put together is snap and lock with a few screws here and there, however, I would suggest a strapping individual to help with the initial put together and a drill for the screws. Also be sure you have all the screws, we were short a few but scrounged some together in the garage. The put together is time consuming so be sure to set aside at least an hour or more if working alone.

All-in-all a GREAT toy! The only issue we had was with the screws, no biggie, the stickers and accessories were loads of fun to put away before the kids played with it and to see what all was included. I feel comfortable with my kids playing with this toy from Step2 because 1. it is made in the USA and 2. no choking parts for my little guys and 3. my oldest is six and he loves to play with it too! He was whipping up hamburgers and fresh baked buns the other day! Loads of fun!

Are you ready to have loads of fun with the Step2 Lifestyle Deluxe Kitchen? Good because you have your very own chance to win one! Valued at $219.99 and just in time for Christmas, definitely a “Santa” worthy gift for hours of unadulterated pretend play. Here are the rules:

Mandatory Entry:
Visit Step2 and tell me what other products from their kitchen line you would love to have in addition to the one listed in this review and how that would help foster your child’s imagination and learning.

EXTRA Entries:

  • Follow my blog (at the side)
  • Follow my blog on Networked Blogs (again…at the side)
  • Fan the Fish on Facebook (again….at the side)
  • Technorati fave the Fish (….since we have the new URL)
  • Oh want to increase your odds….Kristin and Lizzy have giveaways going on too! Enter with them and get an extra entry!
  • Follow Me On Twitter
  • Tweet this Giveaway by saying this: “@KariewithaK and @theStep2Company fostering imagination #giveaway http://tiny.cc/biyxB” (only one tweet per day please)
  • Blog this giveaway with a minimum of 50-100 words, using my button (to the right) and linking back to this post. (Worth 4 Entries!)

Now play fair, if you FAIL to enter your EMAIL or I cannot find one attached to your blogger account…no entry. Also, you must tell me in each comment with proof (tweeted, etc) of your entry. I really hate to disqualify entrants, so again, please follow the simple rules. My dear friend Tammi @ My Organized Chaos brought up that this giveaway is US only, I say this because she is Canadian. *Sigh, I’m so sorry….

DOWNLOAD your Copy of the catalog HERE to see what other great products will be featured with awesome money savings for the holidays and of course giveaways!
CONTEST ENDS NOVEMBER 30TH @ MIDNIGHT ARIZONA TIME (Pacific Standard)

Thank you Step2 for providing a great toy for giveaway!

 *Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency.
  • Appliances make realistic electronic sounds
  • Granite-look countertop
  • 38-piece accessory set included (accessories may vary)
  • Loads of storage space
  • Framed window with overhead light
  • Sink with modern faucet and pull-out sprayer
  • Adult assembly required
  • Made in USA of US and imported parts (phone, play food, light, faucet, electronic keypads and burner made in China)
  • Requires 8 – AA and 5 – AAA batteries (not included)
  • Appliances make realistic electronic sounds
  • Granite-look countertop
  • 38-piece accessory set included (accessories may vary)
  • Loads of storage space
  • Framed window with overhead light
  • Sink with modern faucet and pull-out sprayer
  • Adult assembly required
  • Made in USA of US and imported parts (phone, play food, light, faucet, electronic keypads and burner made in China)
  • Requires 8 – AA and 5 – AAA batteries (not included)
  • Appliances make realistic electronic sounds
  • Granite-look countertop
  • 38-piece accessory set included (accessories may vary)
  • Loads of storage space
  • Framed window with overhead light
  • Sink with modern faucet and pull-out sprayer
  • Adult assembly required
  • Made in USA of US and imported parts (phone, play food, light, faucet, electronic keypads and burner made in China)
  • Requires 8 – AA and 5 – AAA batteries (not included)
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A Super Halloween

At times a mom can over think a situation. I was always told by my mother, buy the RIGHT size as some items run larger (like costumes) and some run smaller (wedding dresses).

So this year I was the ultimate mom with the goal to totally humilate her twins in true mom style with the sick humor that I have. Murphy and Karma stepped in. Foiled again.

The gnomes were suppose to dress up as just that! GNOMES! AWESOME! Garden gnomes. But alas, I think one garden gnome was called away for a Travelocity commercial. So the Little Bitty was left to tend to the garden by herself while I rushed as fast as I could to the store to exchange the too small gnome outfit for one that fit.

Foiled.
They were sold out. But we did make “Doo”  and the kids had a blast!
Lots of candy for mom and dad to eat.
Karie Herring, thefivefish.com, Halloween, costumes
Karie Herring, thefivefish.com, Halloween, costumes
Big G went as Obi Wan and he really looked like him….if only he wasn’t so cracked out on candy I could get a picture of him. He ended up having a sleep over at his friend’s house next door.
You can also see my kids are way too busy to sit still for pictures!
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Holiday Gift Guide

You have now entered the twilight zone…..seriously for the next few weeks….be prepared to lose your silly little shopping minds in preparation for the holiday and Christmas season as we….well I, who happens to have a mouse in her pocket, deliver to you the BEST in holiday gift ideas. From the everyday to the not so everyday to the unique to the extraordinary!

Moms, Dads, Kids, everyone in between and gift ideas for the whole family! Enjoy all the great reviews, discounts, and oh did I mention the BOAT LOAD of great giveaways for you to enter! If you want a sneak peek into who will be showcased, click HERE, download your VERY OWN catalog of all the great participants of the gift guide, where to find them and where to buy them!

Big thanks to all of those who participated in The Five Fish Holiday Gift Guide, seriously, you folks ROCK and I love you for your UBER coolness and thanks to you, my faithful readers who will have some really cool ideas to take with you for gift ideas. Enjoy everyone! Thanks again!

Karie, aka Mrs. Fish

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Picking

Like we have always said here at The Five Fish, some Jedi mind trick wisdom:

 

nose picking
Courtesy of Flickr. https://goo.gl/WVSmCG
You can pick your nose

& You can pick your friends
BUT YOU CAN’T PICK YOUR FRIENDS NOSE!!
Dedicated to my awesome friends. (You know who you are)
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Investments, Money and Your Credit

Your Money, Investment, and Credit 411! Come check out this info. I was really trying to keep you from being bored stiff….but some super great info about investments and diversification, credit and boosting your rating.

Give me lots of questions…..otherwise you will have to hear me rant….about *snore…money!

I tried to KISS this one….but my stupid wouldn’t let me keep it simple. Enjoy! Leave me your questions, money, how I am a turd, whatever your questions are, and let me know if you want to do a guest post! I need your email so I can get in touch with you! Anyway, enjoy your Money, Credit and Investment 411!

Mrs Fish Thursday Tips and Tricks from Karie Herring on Vimeo.

Sites: MyFico.com, Investopedia, FHA & HUD, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac

Got money matters? Financial Questions? Credit Concerns? Email me or leave me your questions in the comments. Have a fabulous day!

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Cheerios Spoonful of Stories Prize Pack

Over the past eight years, Cheerios has given away more than 40 million children’s books by distributing them free inside cereal boxes and has donated $3.2 million to First Book, their non-profit partner, which provides books to children from low-income families. The program is part of Cheerios’ ongoing commitment to helping parents provide their children with a healthy, nutritional and educational foundation.

Beginning this month, Cheerios is again bringing books to the breakfast table, by providing six million children’s books free inside Cheerios boxes. The books are for children ages 3 to 8 years old, and include a brand new book in the popular “Trucktown” series, available only inside Cheerios boxes. And for the first time, all five books have been specially printed in both English and Spanish. This year’s book offerings from Cheerios – all by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing – are:

Junkyard Fort, written by Jon Scieszka, and illustrated by David Shannon, Loren Long and Dave Gordon: Join Gabriella, Jack, Melvin, Ted, Lucy and the other Trucktown characters as they make their own fort, using things found in the junkyard. Ages 4-8.

Tea for Ruby, written by The Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser: Wherever Ruby goes, a bit of disaster seems to follow. But one sunny morning, things change when the postman brings Ruby an amazing invitation: would she like to have tea with the Queen? Ruby needs to polish her manners, and quickly. Ages 4-8.

Sleepyhead, written by Karma Wilson and illustrated by John Segal: In this rhythmic bedtime story, a cat is the parent and a teddy bear is the child who doesn’t want to go to bed. All ready for bed with teeth brushed and story read, Sleepyhead teddy tries anything to prolong his bedtime; books and his quilt provide ample fodder for his imagination. Ages 3-7.

Ballyhoo Bay, written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Derek Anderson: Mira Bella, an artist who teaches painting and sculpture, loves Ballyhoo Bay and what it offers: sun, sea, sand, and sky. But one gray day a billboard arrives, announcing an impending development that would take all the fun out of the place. Read along to see if Mira Bella and her art can save the day and Ballyhoo Bay! Ages 4–8.

What’s Under the Bed?, written and illustrated by Joe Fenton: Young Fred cannot stop worrying about the scary creature that might be hiding beneath his bed. Finally summoning the courage to peer under his bed, Fred, with his cumbersome glasses, sees that the only thing there is Ted, his friendly Teddy Bear! Ages 3–7.
[Courtesy of MyBlogSpark and Cheerios (a General Mills Brand)]

We here at The Five Fish LURVE Cheerios. My kids had Cheerios as their first finger foods, my son eats Cheerios for breakfast because of the low sugar content, and who doesn’t just love a handful as a snack on a road trip. In no way did this program affect us, other than the additional reading material we received as part of this wonderful promotion.

DH and I strive to read and sing to our kids all the time. We think reading helps to foster imagination, improve educational strengths, and reading is a fabulous hobby. I mean I blew through the Twilight series in like four days flat. Non stop reading. We want our children to enjoy reading as much as we do and we also encourage Big G to read as much as he can on his own. Especially since he is doing the Harcourt reading program at school!

The Spoonfuls of Stories books we think fit into his Harcourt reading program. The books are great short stories that engage a child and their imagination, not to mention the cool activities at the back of the books. Grant is a HUGE fan of reading on his own now and as a parent the most wonderful feeling is seeing the lights click and the bulb light up when your child begins to read on their own, without the phonetic and parental attempts and assistance. Truly an indescribable feeling. Since he is such a new reader he has lots of fun books to read from educational to story-time books, so no specific favorite just yet. My favorite books as a child were Ramona, The Box Car Children, Charlotte’s Web, and as I got older I became a fan of novels, poetry, prose, and comedies. (Yeah I am a bit of a literary snob at times)

So in an effort to promote a strong educational foundation with reading and healthy eating with Cheerios, The Five Fish are bringing you a Cheerios Spoonful of Stories Prize Pack which also includes a $25 Gift Card to Barnes and Noble!

PRIMARY ENTRY:  Tell me your reading story ritual with your children or maybe the importance of reading in your children’s lives or maybe tell me your favortite character from your favorite book (childhood or otherwise)
(Please make sure you have an email address or your Blogger account is public, I like Sherlock Holmes, but I don’t like to play detective.)


EXTRA ENTRIES:

  • Follow my blog (or tell me you do)
  • Follow me on Twitter (or come tell me you do)
  • Tweet this Giveaway “Promoting healthy habits and reading for life with @CheeriosBrand and @KariewithaK, Win a Cheerios Prize Pack http://tinyurl.com/yzy5n3h” (once per day)
  • Technorati fave this blog
  • Enter one of my other giveaways (3 extra entries)
  • Fan The Fish on Facebook
  • Blog about this giveaway (minimum of 100 words) (worth 5 entries)
 CONTEST ENDS NOVEMBER 8TH 2009@ MIDNIGHT
Best of luck to you all!
*Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency. Click HERE! 
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Five for Fighting AUTOGRAPHED CD Giveaway

If every album provides snapshots of where an artist’s mind at heart is at the moment, Slice, the latest offering from John Ondrasik (aka Five for Fighting), is a collection of digital jpegs and faded Polaroids. The album takes stories of friends, family and even American servicemen, and sets them to music shot through with the spirit of the great songs of his youth. It’s a diary, or a blog, in which Ondrasik speaks his mind about current issues, experiences and sentiments, while setting those thoughts to piano, bass and drums. [Source: One2OneNetwork]

If you loved Superman you will love this album (in my opinion of course). If you really liked 100 Years, you will REALLY like this album (again, in my opinion). Some albums are made where you like only a handful of songs, they resonate with you because of a time in your life, an event, some meaning is hidden in the words that shoots through your emotions. Five for Fighting has created an album (again in my opinion) that each song represents an event in our country, our lives, our emotions are touched. Some songs on the album make you want to get up and dance, cry, laugh at a memory, or just smirk. Here are the fabulous tracks to this new album:

1. Slice
2. Note To The Unknown Soldier
3. Tuesday
4. Chances
5. This Dance
6. Above The Timberline
7. Transfer
8. Hope
9. Story Of Your Life
10. Love Can’t Change The Weather
11. Augie Nieto

Now if you are like and love to catch music LIVE, RAW, IN CONCERT!!! Well here are the show dates for Five for Fighting, where you can catch them in a live performance with your favorite songs and the new releases off Slice.
24-Oct                          Washington, DC                                   Jammin Java
26-Oct                          Boston, MA                                         The Paradise
27-Oct                          Philadelphia, PA                                   World Café Live (downstairs)
29-Oct                          Nashville, TN                                       The Belcourt
30-Oct                          Chicago, IL                                           Lakeshore
3-Nov                           Salt Lake City, UT                                The State Room
5-Nov                           Seattle, WA                                          Crocodile
6-Nov                           Portland, OR                                       Aladdin Theater
10-Nov                         San Francisco, CA                              Swedish American Hall
11-Nov                         Los Angeles, CA                                 Largo at the Coronet


If you have caught a “slice” of the new album then here is your opportunity to win it and enjoy for yourself, and what is even better, this is a great collectors item with the AUTOGRAPHED CD and hey, maybe a great gift for someone else to enjoy too!

The skinny on entering to win a copy of Slice:

  • Leave me your EMAIL address with ALL entries if you do not have your email enabled on your Blogger account.
  • Tell me how music has been a “slice” in your life.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

  • Follow this blog (or tell me you already do)
  • Follow me on Twitter (or tell me you already do)
  • Tweet this: “Get your “Chances” for Five for Fighting: Slice autographed CD from @KariewithaK and @One2Onenetwork Plz RT”
  • Technorati fave this blog (or tell me you already have)
  • Fan the Fish on Facebook (or tell me you have)
  • Blog about this giveaway (no less than 100 words) and tell me you did with a link back (worth 3 extra entries be sure to comment for each)
  • Enter one of my other current giveaways and tell me you did (extra 5 entries, limited time only!)
  • Grab my Gift Guide button and blog (with link back) about how that starts Nov 1st with companies like Rubbermaid, Step2, Pedoodles, and MORE (extra 3 entries)
GOOD LUCK!!
CONTEST ENDS  NOVEMBER 4TH 2009
 *Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency.

(Album Slice was provided on behalf of One2OneNetwork for promotional purposes)

 

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Everything is a Process

I have been repeating that statement in my head ALL DAY. More than a million. Reminding myself. I really hate to come to my blog but this is the only place where I feel like I can get it out. Out of my head. Patch my bleeding heart in some way. (As the hubs asks me if I am downloading midget porn….thank you dear for the comedic relief….I needed a giggle)

I have to say thank you to so many….SO MANY of you who have given me your condolences. You truly have no idea how much of an impact that made on me. I had strength, I had courage, until today. The day of all days.

Why the FUCK (sorry…I’m emotional here) do people call it a celebration of life? Truly I know my grandpa had the most awesome life, but who was celebrating. Everyone I saw….crying. My poor aunts lost their composure today when watching the remembrance video. I held steady. My (if you can call him that) father was losing his composure. My brothers and sisters (all of them were there…which was cool….we haven’t all been together since we were kids). My poor Big G his big sweet heart began to mist. But I held steady, shedding tears, but not my true pain. The excruciating, empty, WHAT IN GOD’S NAME IS WRONG WITH ME, sadness, pain, I mean I am a walking depression commercial. I wanted to actually Vlog this, because typing is painful when you have to continue to wipe tears on your shoulder while typing. GAWD.

Seriously, don’t pity me or feel sorry. I just need to be able to get this out. To get out that I am bouncing through these feelings. My mind is so blank I had to Google the five stages of grief. I mean seriously!? I had them memorized and now I had to Google. Yeesh!

  1. Denial – I am in constant denial. Denial that the man who had more bearing on my life as a child than any other, who truly loved unconditionally (in my eyes) is gone. Never to be seen, heard, hugged, that is just killing me.
  2. Anger – Why!!?? Why did MY grandpa have to die. I know everyone has a time. But why now? Why when I only saw him at Christmas that I did not get a chance to make it more, to do more. Why not someone else, somewhere else.
  3. Bargaining – Dear God, Dear someone, please bring him back. I didn’t see a body, he can come back, to love all those who love him. He can be well. I have to say this is THE first and only funeral I have been to where I have not seen someone in a casket. I know that sounds awfully morbid, but everyone who has died in my lifetime had a casket. I had closure because I could process in my mind a lifeless body to the beautiful soul. I know, sick, but its a mental thing clearly.
  4. Depression – My overwhelming feelings. I have moments where I am good. I keep going, I don’t stop. I don’t think I keep myself in a perpetual state of motion. I am matter, always moving, never stopping, not even a yield and I will be okay. But one look at his photo…I am a goner. I spiral into an emotional abyss that tears at my soul. An emptiness. Truly, as if I know that I have lost a bit of myself with this man. I think I am totally nuts. No one else is showing such feelings. No one else is a blubbering damn mess. I am crazy, I am losing it. Aren’t I? People don’t feel this way, get yourself together Karie. Pull it together. Someone will commit you. PULL. IT. TOGETHER.
  5. Acceptance – Mentally I have accepted his loss, my loss. But my heart has not accepted. So back again I go, through the previous four stages.

I try to pretend everything is normal, that I will be normal. But I want a whole day to cry, to not have to socialize with people acting like life is grand. It is, truly, but I wanted one day I could just bawl my eyes out till I needed ice packs for the swelling, to curse in anger, to yell blasphemy for my loss, to beg and plead with a God I do not believe in to bring my beloved back. My grandpa, the one person I have ever felt so close to. I guess that is why this whole ordeal is just a cluster for me. I have never had a loss of this proportion, of someone so close to me.  I feel like I have to hide this pain. To show I am strong, I will go on (which I know I will, but still, have you ever been hit so hard in the gut you lost your breath…..that is my feeling). Why do I feel like I have to jump to my acceptance? Has anyone else felt this? I know a friend of mine has, but I guess I need to call her (Yes Jen, I am talking about you! I wub joo….I will be emailing you or calling you where ever you are in your “retirement.”) so I can really see if I am normal. If my feelings are normal. Because I truly hate that I feel so out of control with my feelings about my grandpa. Anyone else feel this way when they suffered a loss? How did you grieve? I know its a process….but good gawd…..

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Kushies Online Kritter Pillows Blow Out Sale

Check out these adorable pillows! My kids have something similar to these and they are blankets and not necessarily pillows (only because of their age). Look at the huge savings!
thefivefish.com, kushiesonline.com, Kritter Pillows
I just wanted to pass on this savings because who wouldn’t and couldn’t use a deal and with Christmas right around the corner?! Hurry before the sale ends!

[Source: Hilary Abbott Communications]
 *Five Fish always blog ethically and with transparency.