Cushion Source Pillow Set Review and Giveaway

After we bought our first home, we have been doing a little bit of decorating here and there. We've started with the guest room, in time for my father-in-law's visit. Now, we're working on our living room next. I know it's going to take a while before I can transform our living room into what I would like it to look but I have been incorporating some design ideas that I got from researching online. For one, I would love it to look bright, sunny, vibrant and cozy, so I am thinking of using colors that pop. The walls will have to remain warm and neutral though so we're repainting them this summer with either a shade of beige or tan. However, our furniture are mostly dark brown so we definitely need bold and striking accessories to make the room alive. So I was really thrilled when Cushion Source sent me this beautiful pillow set (throw pillow, flange pillow and lumbar pillow) to review. I chose this stunning torquoise pillow set because they are undeniably pretty and they complement well with my dark couch.

Let me tell you a little bit about the makers of these beautiful pillows. Cushion Source was founded in 2004. They make custom throw pillows for both indoors and outdoors, all kinds of custom seat cushions, custom drapes, kids pillow and so much more. They saw the need to cater to each person's individual tastes and preferences so they aspire to give their customers the option to choose products made uniquely for their home and outdoor furniture that absolutely matches their style. This ends everyone's frustration of not finding the perfect throw pillow that goes with their living room or patio furniture off-the-shelf from their local department stores. That's because Cushion Source will make the perfect one fit for your needs. I was amazed with the wide selection of fabrics from their gallery. The custom ordering system has never been so easy and user-friendly. You are able to customize the size, front and back fabric, filling, trim and so much more. I'm providing you a printscreen shot of the ordering process so you will have an idea of what I'm talking about. Or better yet, go check out their site and create that perfect throw pillow you were hoping to get.

I was honestly impressed with the impeccable quality of the pillows that I have received from them. They are made of high-quality fabric that has withstood the abuse of my toddler. Because of how soft, comfortable and cushiony these pillows are, my 2.5 year old would love to sit on them while watching TV, lol! And when he's being playful and goofy, he would throw them around and play pillow fight with the daddy. I wouldn't even worry that the seams might split because even just at first glance, one can tell that they are made to last. I'm showing you a close-up of the patterned fabric.

I really love my new throw pillows. I was thinking of ordering more to complete the look of my living room. They can really spruce up any room in your house. Plus, they are proudly made in the USA.

Learn more about their products by clicking on the button below.

Now for the fun part. Cushion Source is giving away this fabulous pillow set as shown below to one lucky "My Sweet Haven" reader. Enter my Rafflecopter Giveaway below for a chance to win! Goodluck!

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Affordable musical instruments for your love of music.

It never ceases to amaze me on how Facebook could bring back lots of old memories and long lost friends. Just recently, I found an old friend of mine and when I looked through her saved photos, I saw she too has her own family and I couldn’t believe that she has 4 teenagers all gifted with musical talent. As a matter of fact, they just have started a band and I saw a video of them performing and I was in awe. Full of so much raw talent matched with good looks, I bet they will make waves in the industry. I was told they started with simple musical instruments and they would practice in their own rooms. I bet among their first instruments was an affordable gibraltar drum. Most musicians start with nothing expensive yet it shouldn’t be worthless either. It’s always great to shop for musical instruments at well-known stores but affordable prices.

Survived the first week.

If you have been frequenting my blog, you must have read that I started a new job last week. I was actually pretty excited with this job. It's a completely different ball game than what I have done in the past but this is what I went to school for in college, so I have always wanted to practice this ever since I graduated, which was like ages ago, lol! So when the opportunity to work in a field that I have always desired to be a part of, I took a leap of faith, with hubby's blessings of course. We knew it was going to be a bit tough during the first few months or so because we would all be adjusting to the new set-up. I mean I have stayed at home with my son for over 2 years, I had been jobless for almost 4 years so it will really be a huge adjustment on our part. The first day was brutal for me and Caleb. I mean it felt like my heart was literally ripped off when I saw how upset he was when it was time for me to leave. The following days were getting better and better although he still gets unhappy at times but he's thriving and he's starting to adjust to his new world with other kids. We actually thought this may be beneficial for him in the long run as far as developing his social skills and interaction with other people. It was just hard to think of being away from him but I kept telling myself to stick to this for at least a month and see how he acts by then. My most favorite part of the day though is when I get to pick him up after work and he would run to me and hug me and say "Mama"! (with a facial  expression that conveys he misses me too) As far as my job goes, oh I couldn't be any happier. I have the best supervisor and superiors. I feel very welcome. I love the working environment and most of all I love the nature of the job. Like I've said, this is something that I have always wanted to do for the longest time. And I just can't believe that I am doing it now and in a very stable company at that. I just felt so blessed. So despite my woes about Caleb and how much I'm missing him, I am still grateful that I have this job. So yeah, we survived the first week indeed. Yay! to that...

DJ Headphones

I love to listen to music when I am on my laptop. It just helps me relax and concentrate on whatever it is that I'm doing. Occasionally though, I would run into some problems of not being able to hear my songs really well because the hubby with our son would watch a TV show together with volume cranked up high. I used to have ear phones for my Ipod but they don't work anymore so I'm really needing a new set of either a fancy one like dj headphones or I could buy the cheap stuff that Walmart has which would probably break on me in a few months time, lol! Personally, I'd much rather spend on something that I know would last a long time even if it's somewhat pricier. So I am going to research more about headphones and see what options are available out there.

Glass Dharma Straw Review and Giveaway

I must have to admit that the concept of glass straws seemed mind-blowing. When I think of drinking straws, automatically what comes to mind are the plastic straws we commonly use and see in stores and restaurants. So when I heard about Glass Dharma, the maker of the original glass straw, I was intrigued to say the least. I was given the opportunity to try Glass Dharma's four (4) different kinds of glass straws for the first time and this I'll say in all honesty, I'm never gonna go back to using plastic straws again. Here's why.

• Glass straws don’t leach toxins into your food as you drink.
• They are reusable, so one glass straw replaces thousands of plastic straws, which will help you eliminate yet another wasteful plastic disposable.
•  Drinking out of a glass straw gives you a feeling of class, beauty and elegance. You’ll feel like royalty – with a touch of ‘glass’.
• Dharma glass straws are sustainable, durable, easy to clean, suitable for hot and cold beverages and dishwasher safe.

Not only do they promote health and are environment-friendly, but they look so stunning as well. The wonderful people behind Glass Dharma sent me a set of 4 elegant drinking straws. It comes with cleaning brushes in each of the two sizes, as pictured below.

My favorite is the one with the beautiful bend and the decorative dots. Whether you're drinking your favorite juice or enjoying your healthy smoothie, you can be assured that you're doing it with style and of course contributing something to Mother nature. Thanks to the ingenuity of Glass Dharma.

Of course, my review wouldn't be complete if I won't let my curious little monkey try it as well. So I had him drink his OJ in his favorite tumbler but I removed the plastic straw and replaced it with the glass one. Actually, my only fear about using a glass straw is whether it's safe for my 2.5 kiddo to drink from. Well, the following information is very important to know. The workmanship being put into these glass straws are at par excellence with the world-famous Corning, Inc (the makers of Pyrex). They adhere to a formula for annealing their glass art (a process that strengthens the glass) with specifications and guidelines provided by Corning, Inc.

They are exclusively made of borosilicate tubing, exactly the same type of glass that our durable coffeepot or pie plate was made of. So it's fairly safe to say that these products are extremely durable and virtually unbreakable. As a matter of fact, their products are covered with the unbelievable Lifetime Guarantee Against Breakage. Although as a mom, I wouldn't recommend using these for toddlers unsupervised. But if you have older kids (5 and up), they work great. My little guy only used this once and I was just right there with him all throughout the drinking process. Another great thing about this product which I think is worth mentioning is that they are Handmade in the USA. You cannot say that with most of the products that we have been using.

Thank you for making it this far in my review. The generous Glass Dharma people would want to make one lucky My Sweet Haven reader happy by offering a $25 Gift Certificate to www.GlassDharma.com.

Giveaway begins May 18, 2013 and ends 11:59 AM on May 28, 2010. Winner will be notified via email. This contest is open to US residents only. Winner should follow the mandatory requirements through Rafflecopter below, otherwise another winner will be drawn. Prize will be transferred via sponsor. Goodluck everyone!

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Disclosure: I received product(s) for free in exchange for an honest review, which may differ from yours. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I used personally, and believe will be good for my readers.

Wooden wheelbarrow for yard work.

Most men are quite handy and I’m lucky that my hubby is one of them. Recently, he built a wooden wheelbarrow with sturdy straight hand wheels. We are doing work with our yard because we wanted to grow some veggies and plant flowers this year. The wheelbarrow comes in handy. We use it to haul withered plant stalks that I pruned, small rocks buried in our little veggie garden area and with so many things that we needed to dispose to the garbage. It just made yard work so much easier. Well, I’m sure we could get one already made at some garden and home improvement stores but I can see the satisfaction and fulfillment on hubby’s face after he’s seen his work so I think that’s what’s more important. He likes to do home projects and this was just one of the many that he plans to do in the future.

Replaced car tires with All-Season.

Lately I’ve been experiencing minor issues with my car. My steering wheel vibrates when I go above 55 mph. Hubby thought it’s got something to do with the tires and brakes alignment. So he took it to a car tire dealer shop and got all tires replaced with All Season tires. He also had the brakes seen by a car mechanic. I was surprised though that it really didn’t take that long to have all those changes made. I thought it’s going to take a day at least but when I got home from work, the car was already in our driveway, with brand-spanking new tires, lol! Cool! Hubby said they worked pretty fast especially since almost everything is automatic, even the auto lifts they used so they would be able to work on the car effectively. I thought that’s awesome.

Genesee Silk Wreath Review

One of the perks of blogging is getting freebies from wonderfully generous companies. I was ecstatic when The Wreath Depot agreed to coordinate a product review on my blog. Who wouldn't be? They sell gorgeous, high-quality door wreaths that will bring style and charm to the front of your home. I browsed through their huge selection of colorful floral wreaths and I fell in love instantly with this 24-inch Genesee Silk Wreath. It has a combination of Frosted Greens, Burgundy Berries and fiery bi-color Geraniums and Hydrangea heads. This wreath gives any home the feeling of an English garden in summer. Since this is very versatile looking, you can actually hang it all year round.

When I opened the package, I was amazed with the quality of the craftmanship. After all, they are expertly handcrafted here in the USA. It is indeed very well-made and is visually appealing. The color can brighten any home. The foliage leaves and flowers all compliment each other. I already have a perfect spot for it but we still need to do a trip to the store to get some hanging hardware for this beauty. This wreath is huge so I know it can easily draw anyone's attention to the front door. This is really a perfect indoor or outdoor decor if you want to set a warm ambiance to your lovely home. Quite a bit pricey but the quality of this product is well worth the price.

The Wreath Depot is actually having a Spring Celebration Sale right now. So if you're interested, check out their website and enjoy a 10% discount off of any wreath order, plus you get Free Shipping. Isn't it an awesome deal?

Disclosure: Product mentioned above was provided for FREE by The Wreath Depot for product endorsement/review purposes.   I am disclosing this post in accordance with the FTC guidelines concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

My long-time dream is now realized.

I just started a new job this week. I work in the Accounting department of one of the state agencies in Montana. I have always wanted to work as an Accounting staff and I am so grateful that finally I am now given the chance. I think I’m liking it so far. I love the work environment and the people that I work with. Although I have a degree in Accounting but I wasn’t given a chance to practice it until now. So I know there’s a lot of things to learn in this job. I handle accounts payable right now. And I feel there’s so much room for improvement in this area of work. I may need some advance knowledge in Accounting though before I can take higher responsibilities perhaps like being a part of a big group like Carson Thorn CPA, but I’m taking things one at a time. I am just trying to enjoy my new job right now.

Cook's House

This guest post from Werner Rogers

I love to cook just about more than anything on the planet. I really, really wish when I was younger I had gone to culinary school but at the same time, I think it would have been tough for me because the hours that professional chefs have to work are just awful, really dreadful. But I love cooking at home for my family and I think there’s definitely a time and a place for eating out, too. I’ve recently bought a house with my partner and we’ve got this massive gourmet kitchen which is making my life. I thought I didn’t need such a large workspace but now that I have it I have to say, I love that it’s so big. I’ve been looking online at www.electriccompaniesTexas.net because now that I’m cooking so much more our energy rates are up and I may need to switch, but that’s a minor inconvenience. I also may need to spend some money on some new pans – some copper ones would be best! – but I guess I’ll have to wait and see if that’s in the cards for me. I love this new house and making it into a home –few things make me feel better about having my family here than when the kitchen is full of warm smells and I’m stirring something hot on the stove. I really wish we’d done this much earlier but it’s expensive! Not exactly the kind of thing you can take lightly. Anyway, now that I’m nesting again I’ve been thinking that we should get a dog. I’d love to have a little furry thing running around, eating all the scraps I give him when I’m cooking. Doesn’t that sound cozy? I forgot to mention – our new house has an OUTDOOR PIZZA OVEN, if you can believe it! I can’t wait for summer to roll around so we can be outside entertaining and making pizza all the time. I don’t know if they’ll ever get me back inside once all that starts!

First blooms.

I have to confess, I just do not have a green thumb. My attempts to grow plants in the past have always ended up in disaster, lol! But when we bought our first house late of last year, I vowed to take gardening seriously, lol! Or maybe at least develop some sincere interest in it. Hubby is starting our small vegetable garden and I'm excited to help him plant the veggies and take care of them. I also wanted to plant some really nice and colorful flowers in our yard, in addition to these really pretty creeping phlox in purple and the yellow ones which unfortunately I do not know the name of just yet, lol! Well, ok, I didn't plant them alright,lol! The previous owners did and they just kinda blossomed when the weather started to get a bit warmer. I may not be the one who planted them but I sure am the one taking care of them now. Sure that counts, right? Anyway, we will try to plant new flowers this weekend for our front yard. I'm excited, especially since hubby bought me some new girly gardening paraphernalia last Mom's Day! Awesome! I'm more than ready to do this!

The classic aviator-style sunglasses.

Ray Ban has always been the leading brand in sunglasses. When you think of durability, functionality, comfort and style, nothing beats the premier brand of Ray Ban. People from all walks of life at some point in their lives would want to own a couple of classic Ray Ban pieces. That is why I would love to get for myself a nice ray ban 3293 for the summer season. The glasses that I’m wearing right now has dark tint to it but I just fell in love with Ray-Ban sunglasses when I saw them online. They are discounted too so all the more reason for me to get one, lol!

Getting rid of little critters.

I used to watch a show on TV called “Infested”. The pests that infest in those houses featured on that reality show was just unbelievably gross. Hubby asked why did I keep watching it if it grossed me out, lol! A very good question! Well, because it made me aware of the existence of those destructive pests and I saw how those pesky little monsters actually affected the lives of real people in such a horrible way. I think I had enough knowledge of it that when we bought our first house last year, my first concern was whether the house is pest-free.

We went through a lot of things to reassure ourselves that we’re buying a house free of bugs and any other crawling insects. We didn’t take home inspection lightly. We thought paying a couple of extra bucks more would be worth it if it means giving us the peace of mind we need for our very first big purchase. On the other hand, on our part we also do some ways to keep pests from getting inside the house. Before we moved in, hubby had set off some bug bombs in the areas where the previous owner’s dog usually hang out. He also sealed off possible entryways by caulking those cracks and crevices. He made sure the screen doors are still in good condition, checked for holes and replaced the worn out ones. Our next winter’s supply of firewood isn’t anywhere near the house. It’s not even in the garage or shed. He stacked them neatly on piles of wooden pallets in a safe distance from the house. And most importantly, we tried to keep the house clean and dry. There’s nothing more effective than preventing them from being attracted to food and water in the first place. Hubby knows his way about plumbing too so he made sure there were no leaky faucets and no accumulation of standing water.

However, if for some reason despite all the efforts of controlling pests, we would still end up having problems with it, I think it would be a wise decision to just hire a professional pest control service instead of messing with the problem ourselves. After all, they are the experts so they should be able to get rid of the problem with less hassle. They have effective ways of getting rid of the pest problems quickly. Important things such as health, security and safety of my family, we always leave it to the experts.

A possible visit to Arkansas this summer.

It has been a little over a year when we moved from Arkansas to Montana. And sometimes I find myself missing the little towns I once called my second home. Especially after my father-in-law's visit last month, who came all the way from Arkansas to see his grandson. He actually plans to visit again sometime this year but hubby thought of a better plan. He wanted to come down there this summer. I am not sure if I can go though because I just started a new job and I haven't earned vacation days yet. But as early as now, I have been scouring the web for cheap flight tickets from Helena to Little Rock. As per experience, I get some great deals if I book them two to three months early.

Coincidentally, my sister who lives in Illinois has been wanting to fly up here for a visit this summer as well. She's too busy from her work so she asked me to find her some reasonable fare rates from Chicago to Helena, this time. I know, I know, it's like I'm a travel agent now, lol! Well, I love doing that. That's what I missed with our mini-vacations. I always plan our itinerary, book the flights and hotels to stay and pretty much enjoy the vacation because I plan it ahead of time. There's less hiccups along the way. Summer season is the perfect time to take family escapades. I might be able to squeeze some of our own personal quick out of town trips for this summer as well. We'll see. But it appears we are going to have a fabulous summer this year.

Need a truck cover?

Living here in the US made me realize a lot of things. One of which is the importance of being able to drive. It was not easy for me to learn it since I have not driven anything back in the Philippines, but with the help and support of hubby, I managed to learn the skill of driving and mustered the confidence to be on the road. I’m glad that I pushed myself to do it since I don’t want it to hinder me from doing the things that I would love to do like getting a job. Yes, after almost 4 years, I am back in the working force. I will start tomorrow and it’s kinda nerve-wracking but I’m excited. It’s really a great thing that we have two vehicles since hubby and I have different work schedules. I drive a car while he drives a pick-up truck. I don’t know if it’s a man thing but hubby loves his truck. He likes that he’s been able to haul things on the back of the vehicle. A couple of months ago, he bought a cover for pickup truck online. With the snow and harsh Montana weather, we just would like to make sure we do little things to take care of our vehicles while they are not in use.