Erin Akin Carroll

It’s officially fall. Well, sort of! But with Labor Day comes the end of summer and it’s time for me to start making my house smell like pumpkin and spices and things that remind me of curling up on the couch or playing in the leaves.

I’m so excited about today’s giveaway from Scentsy Wickless Candles from my friend, Megan! If you don’t know about this amazing product let me fill you in.

Scentsy Wickless Candles are ceramic warmers that are a safe alternative to a candle. With the warmers there is no flame, there is no smoke and no lead – so that means no worries for you! They are safe around kids, pets, and safe to use in your home, classroom, office, or anywhere!

How are they so safe? The ceramic warmers use a low watt lightbulb that melts specially formulated Scenty wax that crates a long lasting aroma that fills any room.

There are so many cute warmers to choose from and they come in a variety of sizes, ranging form plug-ins that are perfect for bathrooms and laundry rooms all the way to full size warmers that are perfect for any size room. And with over 80 scents you are sure to fall in love with several scents.

This giveaway is perfect for anyone! Who doesn’t want their home or office to smell good?

Right now I’ve got my eye on the “Sentimental Cider” scent for fall. I also love this warmer!

this is the Chateau Mid-Size Scentsy Warmer

One reader will win a full size warmer of your choice and a scent bar of your choice. Three readers will win a Scent Circle (for the car) of their choice.

To enter, visit Megan’s website at www.megantree.scentsy.us/buy and come back here to leave a comment letting me know what warmer or scent you would most like!

1. I can say with full certainty that I experienced my hardest day as a parent on Friday. We started potty-training Hudson on Friday with intentions of doing the 3 Day Method. This method has the child in underwear from the beginning and you stay home for three full days. The method suggests that kids who are at least 22 months old are ready. Hudson is almost 27 months.

The night before we began, I was so nervous. I couldn’t sleep and there were knots in my stomach. I was worried about the messes, about the struggles to get him to the potty, and I just worried that he wasn’t ready.

Our first day covered every emotion possible. I was frustrated, anxious, overwhelmed, excited and proud. Hudson had about nine accidents and four successful trips to the potty.

The only thing that was a huge red flag to me throughout the day and then that night after I went to bed was that he just still didn’t seem ready. He was resistant to actually going to the restroom. He seemed to see the potty as a punishment because it was keeping him from what he wanted to be doing. He never caught on to tell me that he needed to go. But I decided we’d keep going with day 2 to see if he made any progress.

But I woke up feeling super sick and nauseous on the morning of day 2. The 3 Day Method requires you to be by your child’s side 24/7 and to watch them like a hawk so you can catch him in the act of the accident. Being sick, this just wasn’t an option.

So we’ve suspended potty training. I’ve decided that it’s for the best. He didn’t seem ready and his resistance really worried me. I was getting worried that it would do more harm than good and I don’t want the potty to become a battle. And I don’t want the “training” to last months. He’s a smart kid, but he’s not ready for this.

We’ll give it a break and try again in a month or three. I know he’ll get it someday. But I want it to be a good experience for him and I don’t want him associating the potty with negative feelings.

and this is the way he poses for pictures these days. wacky smile and eyes shut!

2. My 29th birthday is coming up. I do have a few things on my list and I’ll talk about that later. There really aren’t that many things that I actually want. But I’ve wanted a fancy cutting machine for a while. I’ve got my eye on the Cricut and the Silhouette. Do y’all have recommendations? I know one of the negatives of the Cricut is that you have to purchase cartridges. The Silhouette hooks up to your computer, but it’s not Mac compatible. Is that correct? That pretty much makes it useless to me.

Silhouette/ Cricut

Do y’all have reviews and recommendations? I’d really appreciate any words of wisdom!

3. We finished Friday Night Lights about a week ago. It was really incredible. I’m so glad we sat down to watch the whole series this summer. The representation of marriage and the way marriage is portrayed was my favorite part of the show. What an encouragement! Even if it’s fiction, it was encouraging.

4. Football season is here. Hallelujah! TC went to Charlotte on Saturday to watch the Gamecocks play East Carolina. We won! And Hayes got to watch his first football game! Here he is in his Gamecock gear. Sweet boy!

So friends… Cricut or Silhouette? What team are you cheering for this season? Do you have any TV on DVD recommendations? (We’ve seen all of Sex and the City, Mad Men, Damages, LOST, Felicity, The Office, Friends, Seinfeld, and now Friday Night Lights. I’ve got Modern Family on the way to me!)

Today I’m linking up with Kelly from Kelly’s Korner (which is one of my daily reads) to tell y’all about my some of my favorite blogs.

I was honestly anxious about writing this and posting it because I was so afraid of leaving someone out.

These are blogs that I have to check every single day for one reason or another. And it’s great that some of these people have become great friends of mine. I read so many blogs and am seriously thankful for the many many friendships I have found through blogging. When it comes time to send Christmas cards, most of them are mailed to friends I’ve made through blogging!

If you would like to see who my blog friends are, just click on the “Links” tab at the top of my blog and you can find links to most of my every day reads. I haven’t updated it in a long while, so there are some people missing.

Marriage Confessions

Katie has an incredible way with words. God has blessed her tremendously and she encourages me daily with her honest posts on marriage and parenthood. Her blog is a must-read for me. Katie has a two year old little boy and a sweet baby girl who is a couple months older than Hayes. I love keeping up with her through her blog and seeing what they’re up to. I especially love Katie’s blog because I feel like our parenting methods are so similar and I love getting some daily encouragement from someone I can agree with on so much.

Fly Through Our Window

Darby (who I’ve never had a conversation with, but I’m going to go ahead and just talk about her like I know her) has the most beautiful little family you’ve ever seen. They are a wonderful Christian family and they just happen to all be super beautiful! She takes gorgeous pictures of her gorgeous children, she turned her super retro house into a very comfortable, contemporary home for their family, and she is a terrific DIY-er and crafter. They have a garden and they have bees that make honey! Seriously! And they live in South Alabama, an area of the country that is very near and dear to my heart. So I’m just a big fan.

Aside from Darby’s talents and gorgeous family, she is a real person who blogs about every day activities and struggles and her heart is all over her posts.

Tales of the Trees

My friend Megan blogs for the “Tree” family. Tree is a variation of their last name. Megan was one of my very first blog friends and I just love her writing style. I have made a LOT of amazing friends through blogging and I can’t possibly list them all here. But Megan’s blog is so honest and hilarious. She is such a funny girl and when you read her posts you will laugh out loud! She is a new mom to a precious baby boy named Eli. Just one look at him will get you hooked on her blog. But she has shown so much courage and vulnerability in her posts as a first-time mommy. I’m proud to call her a friend and I love her blog and writing style so much.

Honey We’re Home

I started reading Megan’s blog about a year ago, but I’ve been addicted ever since. She posts some amazing design ideas and her house is just beautiful. I love to see what she’s up to and most recently, her home organization notebook completely inspired me– and ultimately got me back on track in a major way. Her postpartum weight loss story was also very inspiring and I think of her often when I think of reaching for a cookie. She looks amazing and is such an inspiration!

According to Nina

My sweet friend Nina has become one of my best friends over the past few years. She, like Megan, was one of my first blog buddies and I am so thankful to know her. In addition to being a great friend, Nina knows so much about blogging and social media. She also has the scoop on so many amazing products and brands and I know that I can go to her blog to find a great gift idea, a deal on stationery, or something new and stylish that I should be wearing! She has a precious baby boy named Jack, who I can’t wait to meet someday. My favorite posts of Nina’s are the ones about motherhood and life with a baby. I’m so excited for their sweet family!

Bower Power

Let’s talk about the awesomeness of Bower Power for a second. There are a ton of home decor, style, and DIY blogs out there, but Bower Power is my favorite. Katie blogs about her projects, her photography, their house remodel and decorating, the sale of their sweet house and the move into their dream house. Her posts about their home are great because they show us how we can achieve the same look as we watch Katie do it herself. But the posts also have significant content and a great level of transparency and openness. She has the gift of turning a home decor and DIY blog into a family and mommy blog. She blogs about parenting and their choices for their family. And she blogs about how to be thrifty and find a great deal. I think she’s great!

Heir to Blair

My friend, Lulu, introduced me to this blog a little over a year ago. I absolutely love it. Beth Anne blogs under the pen name of Blair about pregnancy, motherhood, postpartum depression, and anything else that floats her boat… or doesn’t. Like so many others on my list of “favorites,” she writes with such honesty and is so easy to relate to. And she has an amazing sense of humor. I pretty laugh at every post… unless I’m not supposed to laugh because it’s serious. Anyway, I love this blog!

Elefantitas Alegres

My friend, Kate, (yes, I’ve met her, too and call her a friend) is a funny gal. She has a great way with words and has the most wonderful sense of humor. She impresses me so much with her ability and determination to laugh a lot! How great is that? She’s also super stylish, has a fantastic relationship with her husband, and pretty darn honest. She and her husband take fantastic trips and she blogs about them. She enjoys great food and blogs about it. She has hilarious conversations with her husband and blogs about them. And now she’s pregnant! I know her blog is going to produce some amazing content in the next 7 months!

Glamorous Life of a Housewife

Oh, sweet Whitney. This girl is just amazing. She has such a sweet spirit and a heart for the Lord that is appreciated so much when I read her blog. She is a fantastic mother and a great homemaker. She’s doing great things for her family and teaching her sweet little boy, Levi, some great things every day. Levi and Hudson are the same age and Whitney and I experienced our first pregnancy at the same time. Because of this, I will always read her blog and feel a special bond with her. I had the opportunity to meet Whitney at BlogHer last summer with her fabulous mother. Whitney is a great writer and she has wonderful ideas for parenting. But her sweet, gentle spirit is my favorite thing about her and I love the way that comes through in her posts.

Chapters

Amy’s was one of the first blogs I ever read when I first started reading blogs four years ago. She writes about life with her husband and two gorgeous dogs. She is a strong Christian who challenges me through her posts and I think those challenges are what keep me coming back. Her vulnerability and transparency as she prays for a baby are endearing and have put Amy near the top of my prayer list every day. She also happens to be a fitness guru and certified personal trainer. Her love for her job is inspiring and her passion comes through in her posts. Her readers are invested in her story and she tells her story and shares her faith with such openness and honesty that it’s impossible not to come back for more.

Y’all there are so many other blogs I wanted to mention and maybe I’ll do this more often and list more blogs each time so you can check them out.