Last week I wrote my first post in a series called Bentley's Story. It is the story of how we adopted our boxer Bentley. He has been with our family for almost a year and lately I've been feeling compelled to share his and our story. Bentley adored human attention when he first arrived at our house. He still sleeps like this at times! I ended my first post with him joining the transport from North Carolina to Minnesota. Across America Boxer Rescue rescues dogs from all over the US. They have this awesome transport team that drives dogs from the southern states to families in the northern states. I'll tell you more about it in another post. As I said, Bentley was found as a stray and was pulled from a shelter and placed in a temporary foster home. He was in his temporary foster home for one week before joining the transport to us so his temporary foster family gave me little information on him except that he was about 1.5 years old, super friendly, good with other dogs, and … [Read more...]
The Haunting Experience on Highway 61 #MNBloggerBash
This past Saturday I attended my first ever (that I can remember) Minnesota Blogger Bash. It was at Zywiec’s Haunting Experience on Highway 61 in Cottage Grove. Man was it a good time! I am not required to write about The Haunting Experience on Highway 61 nor am I required to mention any other sponsors that were there, but it was so fun I feel like I need to share! Please be sure to read my "things you should know" at the end of this post and enter the giveaway for tickets for you to go see The Haunting Experience for yourself! The evening started off with some socialization with fellow bloggers and pampering by Spalon Montage Woodbury. I got a much needed massage and if you look closely at our pictures, you'll see that the girls and I got colorful hair extensions! We also tasted Zywiec's famous pork chops with seasoning made just for them. I highly recommend getting at least one while you are there! Next we got a lights-on, behind the scenes tour of the haunted houses. … [Read more...]
Fantastic Trip Destination With Kids In Paris
This is a guest post. Views and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Toys In The Dryer authors. Images by Moyan Brenn used on the Creative Commons license. It's impossible not to fall in love with Paris, a European city that's rich in history, adorned with beautiful architecture, alive with green spaces and home to world-famous cuisine. With some of the best art galleries and museums in the world, many a cultural day can be spent visiting these institutions. Adults won't even notice the time pass by but there are only so many Monet paintings your kids can look at before getting a little bit bored. Take a look at these great ideas about how to spend time with the kids on trips to Paris. Parks aplenty... The parks of Paris don't only look the part, they play an integral part to the feel good atmosphere of the city. The Jardin de Luxembourg is a great spot for taking a picnic and sitting on the grass or even pulling up a few chairs that are … [Read more...]
Bentley’s Story Part 1 #PedigreeGives #ad
Bentley's Story Part 1 has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and PEDIGREE®. All opinions are my own. Please note, this post is the first in an ongoing series. Unless otherwise noted, this is the only post that is compensated. #PedigreeGives #CollectiveBias If you're a regular reader of Toys In The Dryer, you know that my family adopted a Boxer named Bentley about 10 months ago. I first introduced you to him in a post titled Introducing Bentley. I was so excited about him joining our family that I wrote that post less than 24 hours after he joined us and used crappy cell phone photos. I really knew nothing about him either! Now that he's been with us for a while, I can finally tell you his (or rather, our) story... Bentley's "mug" shot as I call it. This is him in the shelter. Bentley is the 4th Boxer that Hubby and I have owned. Our first three were retired, champion show dogs from the same breeder/handler. Hubby and I had always considered rescue but had a good … [Read more...]
DIY Lava Lamp Experiment
Nutty came home from school a few days ago all excited about a science experiment she did at school that day. She wanted to show me and Tottie a DIY Lava Lamp and thought it was perfect for my blog too. So...without further ado, her is Nutty showing you how to make a lava lamp... Don't worry, if you can't view the video, here's the written instructions... You'll need: A glass jar or vase Water Food coloring Cooking oil (such as vegetable oil or olive oil) Salt 1) Fill the jar 1/2 to 3/4 full with water 2) Add oil so that it forms a thick layer on top 3) Add about 3 drops of food coloring. If the coloring gets stuck in the vegetable oil, swirl the jar until it drops or pop the food coloring bubbles with a tooth pick. I'm not sure why you can't add the food coloring before the oil but Nutty was insistent that you have to add it after the oil. 4) After the food coloring disperses through the water, pour salt into the jar and watch the lava lamp! *PLEASE … [Read more...]
Fresh Thyme Farmers Market opens in Bloomington MN
I received compensation in exchange for helping to promote Fresh Thyme's Grand Opening. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Fresh Thyme Farmers Market opened it's first Minnesota store in Bloomington this morning. The doors opened at 6:45 am and from the gossip I overheard at the store this afternoon, it has been a steady crowd ever since. If you can call a grocery store pretty, that's what I'd call Fresh Thyme Farmers Market. The colors of the store are bright and the atmosphere was fun. Which ever isle you walked down there was someone there to help or answer questions. I'm not sure if its just because today is the Grand Opening, but I really hope they keep that level of service! What makes Fresh Thyme so special? Well, let's go to their website for answers... At Fresh Thyme Farmers Markets we believe you shouldn’t have to give away the farm to feed your body nutritious food. We’re on a mission to improve the way our communities eat by offering fresh and healthy … [Read more...]
