Back in my Jr. High French class, we used to sing a song that went something like "Whoopee, c'est l'Halloween!" Translation - "Whoopee! It's Halloween!" I sing that song every year because that's totally how I feel about the season.

Apparently it's apparent.

My friends have sort of caught on. And last week, my awesome friend Aimee brought her toys over when she came for a much needed big girl playdate while the kids were at school. She has the new Cricut Explore™ (can you sense me drooling?), and we had a blast with the brand-spankin' new cut-able Cricut Decorative Window Cling, Black.


My problem, as always, is too many ideas and too much fun.  Where to even start?  So I narrowed myself by choosing a very narrow little window that still has a big impact because of the high-traffic location in our home.

This tiny transom window next to the door is a weird space I never know what to do with. I already have bats flying in my house, so spiders seemed the perfect creepy crawly choice.

Aimee showed me how to select my designs and size them the way I want them.  It is really very intuitive with the Cricut program. It's a simple matter of selecting the graphic.  It then appears on your design page.  Clicking on the graphic enables sizing and movement within the page, and while sizing, the dimensions, both width and height are displayed.  I was able to get my spider web to the exact width of my transom window by measuring my window first, then adjusting the graphic to the same width.

Maybe it's the little kid in me, but I have way too much fun watching the cutter create the designs.

Applying the window clings is SO easy! The spider web took some patience to get on straight because it's delicate, but it was worth it.

I think Aimee thought we were done after such a big project (and I absolutely should have been).  But I was all caught up in the Halloween spirit, and had fallen in love with one particular seasonal subway-art-like graphic.  So we tried that one, big, in window cling, for my mirror in my kitchen.

Things I learned:
1- The window clings look AWESOME!

2- It was too big and too delicate, so it took a long time to get onto the mirror correctly.  I love the result, but it was difficult.  Instead, I'd probably do it in vinyl on glass and put it in a funky frame and put it up for Halloween.

3 - Because it was so big, we tried to use the transfer paper (the sticky stuff like giant masking tape) that is used with vinyl application to keep the pattern straight as we applied it.  THIS DOES NOT WORK WITH WINDOW CLING! The window cling sticks to the transfer paper and will not come off easily.  It is MUCH easier to simply apply the window cling directly. Unless there is a transfer paper of some sort that is barely sticky at all, I would not recommend using it with the window cling product.  After I removed the transfer paper, putting my design on the mirror proceeded much faster and more smoothly.

4- I NEED a Cricut. My mind is buzzing with ideas.  For Halloween, the cute projects Cricut Halloween Treat Bags and Cricut 3D Pumpkins look like so much fun! I'm a new convert. That's all there is to it. :)

When we first moved to South Jordan, we had a bit of a rough go of things.  Anyone who knows our family will remember that our move did not go smoothly.  From the sale of one home, to the purchase of the next, to a family tragedy, it was decidedly difficult. At that time, we discovered a local pizza place where our kids felt comfortable (the arcade doesn't hurt), and the food was amazing enough we could eat there several nights a week (which we did because we couldn't find our dishes among the packing boxes, so what else are you going to do?) without getting sick of it.

Fast forward five years and you'll still find our family enjoying our favorite pie (BBQ at the Ranch, if you're curious), at Mountain Mike's Pizza - which happens to be celebrating the 7 year anniversary in Utah.

 In celebration, Tysen and I got to sit down with the owner and, over a delicious buffet of pizza that included a combo loaded with toppings, a thin crust canadian bacon to die for, and let's never forget the dessert pizza, heard about what it's been like to keep Mountain Mike's a success through a recession and as the community has grown.

 It was clear how committed he is to this community and his business.  I particularly enjoyed one story of delivering a large order of pizzas up to the copper mine and how he had to get outfitted in a special suit he compared to a space suit in order to complete the delivery to where it needed to go.

So, I thought I'd pass along the tip that through the end of the month (it's only a few more days, so RUN!) Mountain Mike's South Jordan is celebrating its 7th Anniversary by offering a 'buy any Medium or Large pizza and get a second for just 7 bucks' deal.  You're welcome :)

I love moms. I mean, who doesn't? That would be ridiculous.
But the longer I'm a mom, the more I love moms for different reasons.

Sure, there are the typical poems read every Mother's Day honoring the late night sacrifices, the diaper duty, the vomit cleanup, the mess - as well as the cards and tributes that raise moms to a saint-like status of perfection.

But what I'm talking about is the beauty of individual mothering. How there isn't one right way to be a mom. And how lovely and inspiring it is to watch the women around me mother their children in such diverse and fantastic ways.

Moms are Superheroes! 
As a tribute to Superhero Moms everywhere, Coupons.com is giving away a Vitamix blender (oh, I hope I win!  I've wanted one for SUCH a long time!!)  Their reasoning? Because even Superheroes need a boost :)
In addition to the giveaway, you can take a quiz to see what kind of #SuperheroMom you are.  I took it and I'm Elasti-girl.  Funny thing is, I've always known that if I were a superhero I'd be Elasti-girl, because of my hyper mobility syndrome.  I'm literally more stretchy ;)

What kind of SuperheroMom are you?
Take the quiz and let me know!  I'm curious like that. Comment here - or on Facebook with the hashtag #SuperheroMom.

(And just so you know, check out the coupons at the bottom of the page.  Especially if you don't have a Mother's day gift yet. I'm using one to save on a gift for my Mother-in-law!  Yay!!)

I love shopping local.  Farmer's markets, local bookstores, wherever I can find it I like knowing I'm supporting my community, local economy and helping the environment by minimizing all that goes into shipping products. Plus I get more unique stuff - not the production line chain-store lineup. So I thought it was pretty cool when I found out there is a company devoted to all things Made in Utah.  It's called mercolocal, and their mission is helping us discover everything from mercolocal.com.
food and restaurants, to wedding planning, to sports and recreation and everything in between - often with deals and discounts.  I signed up to get updates about discounts, offers and area attractions.
One of their most fun offerings is the mercobox.  Every month a new mercobox is filled with goodies from featured local businesses.  I was lucky enough to get a February mercobox of my very own, and I was so excited to get my cute little box.
I didn't just get myself a box either - I got one to give to a reader!  Yay!  And you may do with it whatever you'd like, of course, but might I point out a Valentine's theme? Scents, chocolates, handmade soap stamped with the word LOVE... see where I'm going with this?



NS Minerals- Eyeshadow, blush sample, and coupon.  I'm not a make-up aficionado, but even I know that mineral makeup is great for your skin and is the best stuff around.  I'm excited to try this out.  I actually even watched tutorials on their website! ;)








Hatch Family Chocolates- OK, I am hard on chocolate.  I'm a chocolate snob. Time in France made me a snob when it comes to cheese, chocolate and bread.  So when I say these are delicious hand-dipped chocolates, you can take my word for it. (warning though, their website is serious food porn - careful visiting there when hungry). Making chocolates in Utah since 1917.





CrioBru Cocoa - looks delightful.  I don't have a coffee maker or french press to try it though, so out of luck.  It does say I can throw it in protein shakes - which ended up being YUMMY! Benefits of pure cocoa.  What I'm more excited about is the Recipe portion of their website - Creme Brule with fresh cocoa beans? Are you kidding me? Yes, please. How about cocoa marinated beef? Ever since I was a kid and the giant in Mickey and the beanstalk drooled over his "chocolate pot roast," I've wondered if that was really a thing.  Hmmmm, where will I start?




Inkling -these are scents made from essential oils, so basically perfume without the issues with sensitivities or allergies, more subtle, and with some of the oil benefits like energy and focus - depending on the mix. I'm loving "Tweed & Spice" for myself, which the website says is for the "sexy librarian" type. Hmmm. Really.  Both men's and women's scents.





Drainwig - I can't help but think "ick" every time I look at this thing.  But it gets awesome reviews everywhere, and I certainly could use help with the hair buildup in my shower.  It's just one of those things I don't ever want to think about, even though I'm impressed with the product.  You can watch their clip on the Today show on their website.










Beehive Soap & Body Care - handcrafted soap bar with "LOVE" printed on it.  Smells and feels lovely.

Numanna - $50 gift card toward food storage purchase from their website.






Ace Camera Rental - $5 gift card





I have a theory that this box is actually a social experiment.  Whatever objects intrigue a person first indicate something - a little glance into our motivations.  For example, I went straight for the chocolates.  A friend who came over was all about the make-up and scents. I felt guilty that if I were a devoted housekeeper the first thing that should have excited me was the drain wig. What will YOU open first?

Comment with your answer on Facebook for a chance to win. You must "like" Living in Lilliput on Facebook in order to qualify.  "Like" mercolocal for an extra entry! (just let me know in a comment) 

Good luck winning this fun mercobox! And how can the rest of you get your own? Check out their website (mercobox.com) and get one sent to you right away, or register to get a monthly box with local merchandise.  How awesome would that be?