My love for Amazon

Months ago Chris spent a good amount of time convincing me that we needed to sign up for Amazon Prime. You pay a fee each year but then get really fast, free shipping and also get points for future purchases.

I finally gave in and am so thankful I did because it's come in real handy with buying our baby furniture.  

The first time we looked at Buy Buy Baby and looked at cribs I was surprised how expensive they were.  So I was really excited when we found the same cribs on Amazon for so much cheaper.  We ended up getting our crib, dresser and glider from there and each was under $200 (plus we had points so they were even cheaper).  

Lucky for you, you have a chance to win two Amazon gift cards, along with Target and Ulta gift cards and other great prizes from my May sponsors! 

And I definitely plan on sharing more picture of our nursery and how I made our baby girl's bedding soon! 

$15 Amazon gift card from Back East Blonde

Media Kit Design from Wifessionals

$15 Design Credit to Olive & Ivy

$15 Amazon gift card from Pursuit of Pink

$10 Credit to Sweet Piper Lane  from Social Sara

$10 Ulta gift card from Beauty by Arielle

Wine sippy cup and large ad space from Hey Hollywood

$10 gift card to Target from Everyday with the Jays

Enter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway Thank you for entering!  The winner will be contacted after the 27th!  Want to be included in next month's giveaway?  I have a handful of large and medium ad spaces open for June for 20% off! Check here for more details! I'd love to work with you!

A horse sweater, fake shoes and lots of gift cards

sweatshirt: forever 21   jeans: ross maternity  shoes: tjmaxx

I wanted this horse sweater from Forever 21 for a really long time.  By the time I actually bought it I was already pregnant and felt that tight clothes at the beginning of pregnancy did not work well.  Needless to say I have not gotten much wear out of it.  

I do have some concern that animal prints may not be quite so trendy next year, which would be a shame since I own quite a few things with birds or elephants on them.  So I figured it was time to wear it, even if it barely reached the bottom of my belly.  

On another random note I would love to own a pair of TOMS some day but for now these copy cat $5 pair from TJMaxx will have to work.

And if both of those topics completely bored you, then at least I can offer you the chance to win gift cards to Starbucks, Amazon and three of them to Target.  Along with some other sweet prizes! 

heart necklace from Peace it Altogether

$10 gift card from Everyday with the Jays

$15 gift card to Litva's Jewelry

$15 Target giftcard from Bella Cene

Large ad space from by the porchlight $15 Amazon giftcard from a Heart Full of Frost

$10 Starbucks gift card from This Little Blonde

$10 Target gift card from The Hinton Hook-up

Enter below! Winner will be contacted after the 29th!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I can't believe that April is almost over!  I have a few large ad spots and medium spots available for May! Email me at katiejvale@yahoo.com this week for 10% off ad spaces!

Happiness is . . .

jacket: c/o wendybox    maternity jeans: ross     boots: dsw   necklace: c/o redenvelope

. . . a pair of $11 skinny maternity jeanss that I've worn three times last week because they are so comfortable.

   . . . a baby crib that I walk by and look at multiple times a day and am filled with joy. 

. . . a new personalized necklace that I am in love with from redenvelope.  I would like to wear it everyday and just may. 
. . . an easy way to switch blogs you follow to bloglovin.  Login to bloglovin, click on claim your blog, click on import google reader blogs.  Done!  Thank you Kristin for telling me how easy it was!  And if you want to keep following my blog, click here.  
. . . the chance to build relationships and get to know other ladies in the blogging world.  
Sybil from Peace it All Together.

Sybil is one of the sweetest ladies I've met through blogging.  So sweet, she even sent me a cookie gram last week.  I wish I had taken a picture but I ate it right away.  I am always encouraged when I read Sybil's blog.  She writes things that I can relate to like anxiety, body image and being still enough to hear God's voice.  Her posts are honest, encouraging and I love them!   
blog //  twitter // bloglovin
Sara from The Hinton Hookup.

I've been getting to know and reading Sara's blog since the first few months I had mine.  I've found we have quite a lot in common.  Like a love for coffee, training for races, and shopping for bargains.  Sara recently moved to New Jersey and blogs about life adventures with her husband.  She is definitely one of those bloggers that is super sweet and easy to relate to and get to know! 

blog  //  twitter // instagram

Stephanie from Oh Baby Infinity.

I first found Stephanie's shop a few months ago from a giveaway and loved all her products!  Stephanie is so talented and makes the cutest things, from infinity scarves to personalized tote bags.   I am of course a huge fan of one of her new products, which are diapers bags. She has one in the similar elephant fabric I'm using in my nursery!  
shop // facebook // twitter
Sandra from Litva's Jewelry.

Sandra is another shop owner that I recently discovered and love!  This month I got lucky and won a pair of her beautiful earrings in a giveaway and can't wait to wear them.  Sandra certainly creates some gorgeous jewelry like her chandelier earrings and some really fun pieces like these feathered earrings.  And it's a bonus that she is so easy to work with and I've loved exchanging emails back and forth this month! 
shop //  facebook  // blog
What is on your happy list this week? 

Linking up to sunday style  YOLO Monday

dots, movies and chili

After being gone all last weekend, I was so ready for this weekend at home.  Saturday I had a relaxing morning and then got to meet one of my best friends for coffee.  Wearing dots on dots for the day.

 Then I had big plans of being productive on Sunday but ended up sitting on my couch with Chris watching these two movies after he got home from being out of town Saturday and Saturday night. 

If that doesn't sound lazy and relaxing enough, I also got to enjoy Chris' delicious chili for dinner.  

And I have sweet giveaway from my lovely sponsors.  It's especially sweet if you love coffee, as there are three giftcards from Starbucks.  Plus ad space from me! 

from a mile in her boots

CHEERS banner from nestful of love

from peace it all together

ad space from imma walking fashion crime

$5 Starbucks card from exodus 31 three

medium ad space from me

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for entering!  Winner will be contacted after the 2nd! 

Want to be part of next's month's giveaway? Check out this discount for March and April sponsorships!

Valentine's Day in the Vale House

Want to know how we do Valentine's Day in the Vale house? 

Well on Sunday Chris unpacked the groceries when I got home and found two Cadbury cream eggs that I planned on giving him on Valentine's day.  Yep.  Easter candy and four days early.  Oops.  

Our plans consist of Chris making a stir fry dinner and watching our regular Thursday night tv shows.  And I really am completely content not doing much to celebrate..  I would however like flowers or candy on a random day in the future, "just because."  

Are you reading this Chris?

Something that is much more exciting than how we celebrate Valentine's day, is a guest post from a sweet girl named Kendra.  I've read Kendra's blog for quite awhile and think she has one of the cutest families out there.  You are in for a treat.  Plus a giveaway at the end.  That is better than a Cadbury cream egg.  



Hello fellow admirers of "For Lauren and Lauren!" Isn't Katie quite possibly the most charming woman of all time? I love finding lovely blogger ladies, instantly feeling a connection and thinking to myself "yep, we'd be real life friends!" Luckily this blogging world allows us to forge friendships with one another :)

I could introduce myself by stating my name and where I'm from, but that's the boring part of me, so I'll let you get acquainted with the details first. I hate the crust on bread. I can eat a rittersport in about 1 minute and if practicing patience maybe it'll last two. I'm self conscious of my hips. I'm an organizational nutcase. My favorite fastfood is grilled cheese +tatertots+ cherry limeade from Sonic. I'm a Sprinkles Cupcakes fanatic. I studied abroad in London. I first fell in love after Jared asked me to Prom our Junior year and we were married 5 years later. I'm super frugal but don't like to sacrifice sophistication for tacky. I love taking in my surroundings and exploring every nook and cranny of any city I live in, which currently is Washington DC. And I am a mother to the two most beautiful babes, Evelyn and Warner! So, hi there! I'm Kendra. 

Over yonder on my blog, Kendra May, I love to document my experiences as a mother, our family films, and my coming of age. I remember years ago, I thought that once I got out of high school I would leave the awkward and ever-doubtful me behind because high school is the time of great self-discovery right? Then college came along and I re-defined myself. It was a better self. Then marriage. Surely, if there is ever a time to truly emerge into your own it is when you merge yourself together with another person and discover that you+him = you. You are forged together in unity and it is tough but it is beautiful. Then the two of you decide "hey, doesnt you+me+baby+baby = neverending happiness?! Let's dooo itttt!!" and before you know it you're like "hey, where'd I go in all this?" 

And so my blog is my travel log, if you will, of my road to self-discovery. Each day, each new experience, is teaching me that I am just now chipping away at who I really am and what I am truly capable of. I'm on a voyage to  re-defining myself as a mother, forging new paths, conquering anxieties, opening up vulnerabilities, testing my limits, growing patience, discovering my strengths and strengthening my weaknesses. And I blog about it all because that's what the internet is for, right? Sharing our intimate details with the rest of the world? And with Katie well on her way to assuming this role of being a mom, I can't help but be elated for her. Motherhood is one crazy world ;)

Whew, how was that for our first meet and greet, huh? A bit too deep? 
Well, if I have intrigued you in the least bit, I'd love to have you pop on over and say hello! 
Thanks Katie for having me, and congrats again!

Isn't she wonderful? I love that she married her high school sweetheart, love her cute family, but most importantly love how real and honest she is.  And yes, we could definitely be friends in real life! 

And a bonus is that she is super talented and is giving away any item from her shop, The Pink Rosette, to one lucky reader.  Enter below: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Loving . . .

Loving these new jeggings (although I hate the word).  They are really thick so they look like jeans, but are so comfortable and were $10 from Walmart.  I plan on going back and buying more as they had tons of colors.   Loving the things I bought this last weekend. 

$4 sunglasses from Discovery $8 scarf from Discovery $7 mustard cardigan that I've been wanting forever, from Walmart. Loving the incredibly easy fudge I made my parent volunteers for Valentine's Day. 
Loving my dinner on Sunday night.  Chris' homemade guacamole and then soft serve ice cream for dessert. Healthy eating at it's finest.    

Loving these ladies and their blogs.  First meet Sybil from Peace it all Together

Sybil is one of the wisest woman I've met through blogging.  She is full of life lessons, honesty and sweetness.  Sybil has shared of fears and heartaches in her past, and her faith through life and circumstances.  It is always refreshing to me to find someone who opens up her heart and lets readers get a real glimpse of real life and how God can work through all things.  

blog  // facebook // instagram

Next met Alison from Nestful of Love.

First of all I think this picture is one of the cutest I've seen.  Secondly, you should know that Alison is quite the busy woman.  Baking delicious recipes from Pioneer Woman's cookbook, completing impressive DIY projects and crossing off awesome things on her bucket list.  And blogging about life as a wife, and shop owner where she makes adorable banners.  

blog // facebook // pinterest

Here is Linnea from Don't Worry We'll Figure it Out.

Her blog title itself should teach me a lesson, as I could learn from living to worry less, which is Linnea's life motto.  Linnea blogs about her adventures with her husband Zach, her adorable puppy Bianca, and random fun facts that make her easy to relate to and want to get to know better! 

blog

And last meet Melissa from A Mile in Her Boots.

Melissa blogs about her adorable fashion and personal style, DIY projects, health and fitness tips and her new goal for the year to pay it forward through acts of kindness.  She also shares about her love for traveling, her husband and her cute puppy.  But one of my favorite things about Melissa is that after spending a short time on her blog, you can tell she is one of those girls you know you'd want to hang out with!

blog  // twitter // pinterest

Hope you have a list of things you are loving this week!