Rice and Relaxing Giveaway!

Hello Lovelies!

My name is Stephanie and I am creator extraordinaire over at Rice & Relaxing.
First and foremost I am a SAHM to my beautiful son Jackson, and crazy loving wife to Roland. 

   

I was born and raised a Florida girl, and 3 years ago moved to the beautiful mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. I absolutely love living in Asheville! The views are so amazing, you just can't stay in a bad mood when you look around. 
I have been so inspired living here, that I have really started to focus on my crafting, which has always been a hobby. And once I started, the ideas have just been pouring out of me! 

I started making aromatherapy rice packs as presents for friends, never really planning on starting a business for it. One day I went into a local soap shop, Appalachian Natural Soaps, looking to buy some dried Lavender & Lavender oil. Coincidentally, the owner was the one at the counter, which he always is the days that he's there. He asked me what I was planning to use it for, just out of curiousity. (Cause in a small town, your business is everyone's business) ;) I told him what I was making, then he proceeded to ask if I sold them- and if I did, would I be interested in selling some to him. I was taken aback! That was the last thing on my mind when I went in there, it was just another errand on my list of things to do that day. But I'm not one to look an opportunity in the face and say "Umm, I think I'll pass." So I went home and got busy making up some rice packs to bring in. The first drafts aren't always the prettiest, but wouldn't you know he wanted to buy some! And so started my adventure of starting a hand crafted business. 

Last year was the year for me to dip my toes into the different aspects of business, to learn how to grow with my products and knowledge. I tried my hand at some craft fairs, as well as the West Asheville Tailgate Market. Those were really great opportunities for me to learn how to better sell my products, and get some feedback. I have also employed cheap (hello child labor laws!) help with my 2 1/2 year old son who likes to help scoop the rice into the rice packs for me. He always says "Big scoop coming right up!" :) He is my biggest fan and can tell you what every rice pack is called and what you use it for. 

This year I have really focused on branching out, and trying my hand at completing the relaxing experience. My goal for my business is to provide a spa experience that is affordable, and also has that personal touch that only handmade products can bring you. I have teamed up with R.R. Lumin Candle Makers to provide organic soy candles to add the perfect touch to my hand painted candle holders. She is another local momma, and makes the most amazing candles!

I have so many more ideas planned out for this year, and many upcoming events, I am really hoping that I can be successful at doing something I love. Which as a SAHM, what is better than doing something you love (at home) and still spending that quality time with your kiddo? I am so thankful to my family for supporting me, and my hubby for putting up with the dirty dishes while I am painting instead. 



As a thank you to my fans who continue to support me, and my new fans for jumping on the relaxing bandwagon, here is an awesome giveaway!
You will be entered to win a Eye Pack for yourself, and a Boo-Boo Pack for your little one.
As a special treat, get 15% off the shop with the coupon "RELAX" which is good through the end of the month.

Want to win?!

Mandatory 

Like Rice and Relaxing on Facebook HERE 

and

Visit Rice and Relaxing and let me know what your favorite item is  HERE

Leave ONE comment letting me know what your favorite item is and that you LIKE rice and Relaxing on Facebook

Want more chances?

Follow Party Of Four via GFC

Like Party Of Four on Facebook HERE

Follow Party Of Four on Bloglovin' HERE

Leave a comment for each thing that you do

How to take a pretty picture!

I have a really special treat for ya'll today. I asked my sisters friends Megan who is a photographer to share some tips for us on how to take pretty pictures. I'm excited to say that she said "yes" and that she is here today. So I will just let her take it away!!

Hi everyone!

The number one question I get from budding photographers is, "How do you make the background blurry?"  so I thought it would be fun to share some pro tips with you!


Let me start this lesson by stating that a beautiful photograph is much more than expensive equipment or a particular setting.  It's about lighting, emotion, background and lots and lots of practice using the gear you have.  It's taken me years to achieve this look so don't be too critical when you're getting started.


Secondly, I'm a stickler when I give camera lessons, because I usually only teach in Manual Mode (M), because this setting gives you absolute control over the outcome of the image, however I understand that it's taken me years to master this technique so here are the very basics to get you going.

1.  Basically, the technique to achieve this "blurred" background is controlled by the Aperture setting (AV).


2.  Instead of shooting in Auto (or green square) mode, switch the camera to AV (or person) mode.


3.  Dial the aperture down to the lowest setting (refer to your manual).  For most off-the-shelf cameras this is about 4.5.  If it can go lower keep dialing down!  For instance the above images were taken at an aperture between 2.8 and 1.6.


4.  The average lens will stop at 4.5+/- and you'll find it frustrating because you'll want a softer background. Here's what I tell everyone... you're going to have to pony up about $400-500 for another lens, but I promise it will be one of the best investments!  Canon's 50mm 1.4 is my all-time favorite lens.  You can also find the similar style for Nikon.  While you're at, get the lens filter to protect the lens - a wise investment!


5.  Purchasing quality is always the best choice, and I always recommend purchasing the name brand, not a cheaper brand.


6.  Just start playing around.  Experiment around the house; dinner table, kids playing, flowering plants, etc.  Have fun!!


7.  And let me know how it goes!

Thanks Megan! I can definitely use these tips! 

You can also find Megan blogging with my sister Kristin over at The Cardigan & The Cook. Be sure to stop by there to see more of her amazing pictures and be sure to tell her Hello!

 Facebook           Blog

A Guest Post : The Ellie Life

Happy Day loves! 

I'm Ellie and I blog over at The Ellie Life. 

Blogging about love, heartache, & all the messy stuff in between. 

I am so excited to be guest posting here at Party of Four. 

I mean just look around...this place is AMAZING. 

So now the big question. Why I blog? 

I'm a small town girl with big town dreams. 

& one day I am going to change the world. 

Okay so it's a long shot...

Did I mention I'm 15? 

(young? Yes. Impossible? Heck no) 

How do you plan to change the world? 

Simple. Very carefully. {kidding}

I plan to change the world with love.

 The Ellie Life is all about love. Because yours truly has enough to pass around. 

We are all good enough. & I will stop at nothing to prove it. 

Come one. Come all. 

I share my story in the efforts to connect to someone in this pretty little world and ultimately....make a change. 

My advice column opened in November and has since answered 2,500 questions. Eeek! That number even scares me sweet people. 

Often people ask me why I take the time to deal with other people's problems. 

I felt the need to go ahead a share exactly why I think everyone deserves someone to lean on. 

Stranger or not. 

I know what if feels like to have scars. 

& I know what it feels like to embrace pain. 

12-31-09 

My daddy died of a heart attack. 

Since that dark December morning I have been fighting back. 

In the name of the love he gave me, the dreams he had, and the places he always told me I would go I plan to teach others how to heal. & through this lovely advice column I am doing just that. 

The Ellie Life isn't all heartache though. My goodness can we laugh over at our house. 

Making light out of even the darkest day. 

This here is the most adorable baby sis in the world. & my does she bring a smile to the darkest day. 

~

I've got a big mouth and a soft heart. 

I love pink. & all things Taylor Swift. 

When I started this blog 13 short weeks ago....I set out on a journey to discover myself. 

The girl I found....she's far more capable then I ever could have imagined. 

& she....well she has big dreams. 

Chase them with her. 

Heartache. Advice. Faith. Love. Laughs. & everything in between. 

Around here we like to mix things up. 

Drop in...stay a while. 

& embrace my story.

What's yours? 

www.thellielife.blogspot.com

xoxo 

Ellie 

*comments are turned OFF so you can go visit Ellie*

A guest Post : Our Reflection

Hello! I’m Laura from Our Reflection “The
Hernandez Family”. I’m super excited about being guest posting today for the lovely Katie at Party of 4.

My blogging journey started a few months ago (yes I’m a newbie) while
creating a blog for my photography business Laura Hernandez Photography.
Wanting to keep my professional page separate, I created Our Reflection. It started as a way for people to keep up with our crazy busy schedule, ended up being a page of memories, likenesses, and many tears. {Happy tears that is.} I really do pour my heart into all my posts. I just started my blog on New Year’s Day with the goal of posting 2-3 times a week. Let’s see if I can keep it up!

I’m a full-time working mom of two
amazing daughters and an admirable, encouraging husband who are my life. I am, regrettably, a bit addicted to social media. I
have a constant connection Facebook and Twitter wherever I am. I love Starbucks, the colors pink and yellow, mountain biking, foot massages, and listening to the piano. My new addition seems to be blogging!

When I’m not working my 8-5 or being “mommy”, I’m a lifestyle photographer based out of Monterey, California. In my mind, I am ALWAYS thinking about photography. It never ends. My brain takes
snapshots everywhere I go. My photographic passion is people. Couples, families, and children. I'm wanting to venture into maternity, newborn, and senior portraits. Nothing brings me more joy than capturing those unforgettable moments that will be treasured for a lifetime. Check out my photography page by clicking here.

I’ve been asked how I find time to so much. All I can say is be VERY organized! Maybe over-organized {my poor kids}.

Here are some random
facts to get to know me…

I do…

• give my husband a love
  note everyday
• go to church every
  Sunday
• love ketchup {probably
  too much}
• drive a truck
• love to watch scary movies
• divide up my M&M’s
  by color before I eat them
• enjoy reading the Bible
• have a passion for cooking
• love to Shop
• have a weakness for
  McDonald’s Oreo McFlurry’s
• love black licorice
• wake up at 4:30am Monday-Friday

I do not…

• like asking for help…. {For
  anything} But I love helping people!
• wear high heals {I’m
  already a bit taller than the hubby}
• enjoy public speaking
• dance or Sing in public
  {but with my kids, YES!}
• like tomatoes {but LOVE
  ketchup}
• eat my popcorn until the
  movie starts
• exercise enough

I have…

• started my own
  photography business
• sold our dining room
  table to make room for a piano
• worked in the print and
  promotional industry for 13 years
• the most amazing in-laws
• had nearly all of my
  childhood dreams come true
• flown across country
  with my mountain bike
• always wanted to become
  a fireman

I wish I…

• could be a stay at home
  mom
• had more patience
• could play the piano
• had a Canon EF70-200 2.8L
  IS Lens

I hope you enjoyed
getting to know me just a little bit better. Remember I am still very new to the blogging world and am always looking for “tips”. Any suggestions are welcome. Please head on over to Our Reflection where I talk about parenting, faith, photography and SO much more.

Thanks again Katie for
letting me guest post today.

Blessings,

Laura

Show me where you live:A Guest Post

Hello!

I'm
Lena and I blog over at Mom2MemphisAndRuby!

I'm super excited to be visiting Katie here today 

and she thought it would be nice
to share a little about where I'm from.

  

My little family & I live in Shawville, QC (Canada)

It's a pretty little town located in the heart of Western Quebec, about an hour or so from the
nation's capital, Ottawa.

Although it's small, it's got pretty much everything we need.

A bakery,a butcher, flower shops, little boutiques, 2 banks, a hospital, an 
indoor arena, gyms, a great little park (complete with a brand new splash pad!),
a local farmers market & great schools!

(unfortunately no malls -- but that's what online shopping is for, right!?) 


Being in Quebec, we are a bilingual community which is pretty cool too.

I learned French at an early age and use it every day!

Although my kids will be attending the local elementary school, which
is English, there are fabulous French schools in nearby communities... around
here being bilingual is a must!

The town is also great at putting on events throughout the year.

There are parades, fishing derbies, an artist tour, the Relay for Life cancer walk,
the Shawville Fair (best time of the year!), as well as various sporting events
(which I'm sad to say I don't know anything about!  sorry!  I married
a rock start... not an athlete! haha)

Here are a few sites from around town...

{I apologize for the crappy photos... I procrastinated and ended up taking these during a cold snap that included some freezing rain!  Gotta love Canadian winters, eh?}

The view from our front door

Main Street

The only best Chinese food in town!

The local park... really fun in the summer!  We just got a splash pad!

My son's school, which is conveniently located across the street from our home!!

Funny thing is I grew up around here... in a nearby community named Calumet 
Island.

I attended high school in Shawville, and when I graduated & moved to the city,
 I never looked back.

I couldn't even imagine EVER moving back here!

I mean, sure, I'd be back to visit but I didn't know then, what I know now.

My mother always said that I'd be back... and she was right!

(as moms usually are!)

I was living in Montreal and working at McGill University when we 
decided to start our family.

The moment that test showed 2 lines, I knew I wanted to come HOME.

I cannot imagine raising my kids anywhere else.

Although being from a small town has its down side (everyone seems to
know everyone's business), it's also important for everyone to rally together
and support each other.  It's nice bumping into friends pretty much
wherever you go.

It provides a great sense of community.








Thanks Lena!! Looks coooold!
*are you interested in sharing where your from? Email me and you can be next!*

A visit to a new place

Before Christmas I started a series about home town pride. I have another sweet blogger named Jennifer  that 

would like to share about the place she calls home. So here she is!

Hi! I'm Jennifer! I'm a wife and mother to a pretty crazy little 3 year old, Lyla and hopefully another in 9 months! I live in a small farming town, Molalla, OR, population 7,935. We have a big housing development and a few neighborhood that are pretty big but on the outskirts of town we have quite a few pretty big farms. And even a famous one, I'll talk about that later.

This is our only fast food place! It can get pretty busy because of that!

This is a view that you can see from different places in town, Mt. Hood.

This is our only doctors office/urgent care. I go to the next town about 25 minutes away to see my dr.

Downtown.. There's a couple neat stores down there. I still haven't been to very many and I've lived here for a year! Maybe in the spring when it's nice I'll check it all out.

FatHeads Pit Smoke BBQ. Soooo good!! Best BBQ around.

One of our very favorite parks and it's right next to the library that we go to story time at.

 

This is my husbands most favorite store in town. They buy and sell guns. We've bought 2 pretty nice ones from them. And I will be taking a safety and concealed weapons permit class there soon.

I'm bummed that I couldn't find a link to this place but it's famous for their cows/beef and of course their son Ross Coleman. If you know about rodeo you've probably heard of him. 

This is a huge thing in the summer, The Molalla Buckeroo. Also made famous by Ross Coleman. I haven't gone yet but I'm hoping to this year.

And of course since we are in Oregon, one of the biggest producers for lumber, Christmas trees, etc. We have 2 lumber mills.

I'm sure there is so much more here in my busy little town that I don't even know about but I hope to discover! I hope you enjoyed getting to see a little of my town. Come check out my blog sometime! And thanks Katie!

*is you are interested in joining the fun and posting about your city give me a shout!!*

Guest Post: The {Posh} Daisy

I have a really special treat for you guys today! This is the starting of a new weekly series where I take you on a short road trip to some of my favorite bloggers home towns! This week we have Cerrisse! Take it away chicka!

Hey Party of Four readers! I am so happy to be here today talking about my home town. 

When Katie asked me to do a guest post I was so excited, I love Katie and her cute blog. 

So let's get started!!! 

My name is Cerrisse I blog over at {Smitten 4 Life}  

and The {posh} Daisy  I am a 20 something year old SAHM married to an amazing man who gave me the cutest boy ever my son Jaxon! 

I was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah and up until 4 years ago I now call Saint George, Utah my home. Saint George is about 4 1/2 hours away from Salt Lake. It is located at the very bottom of Utah. So the weather is amazing, it rarely snows and the temps in the summer get to be in the high 100's. I love the heat and I love living here. The surroundings are breath taking, beautiful red rock, palm trees, and blue skies. 

One of the best parts of living in Saint George is all of the places that surround us like Zions national park, The Grand Canyon, Vegas, Arches national park, and Bryce Canyon.

If you love the outdoors you will never get board living here. 

Here is a fun video I found that takes you on a little tour of all the beautiful surroundings of Saint George. 

So one of my favorite places to go and admire the views and have picnics is called Dixie Rock it's right in town and one of the most popular spots in town. 

View from the top of the rock. 

A funny story, me and my family came up here last year for a picnic and I wanted to get a family picture done. Well the sweetest guy offered to take our picture, he did and when he went to hand me my camera back I dropped it right in the crack of the rock, not any ordinary crack like a crack that was 15 feet deep. So we had to go home and rig something to see if we could get it out. 

and guess what?! 

 We got the camera!! yay :) 

St. George gets super hot in the summer and if you don't have a pool you do what the poor people do (meaning me! ha ) you go to the lake. One of the most popular lakes around here is called Sand Hollow. I love Sand Hollow the surroundings are so pretty and their is flat rocks around the shore that you can lay on in the water, pretty cool. 

Now when we are not outdoors having fun we are usually out shopping or eating somewhere. One of my favorite spots is main street so cute and quaint it's so small town. There is the cutest cafe called TwentyFive Main it's so cute and trendy. The food is awesome and they have the BEST cupcakes!!! 

Since Saint George has pretty nice weather all year long we usually go to the park a lot! and the park isn't for little kids anymore...well according to my family anyways

We LOVE this park! We call it the "spinny" park because everything spins around, it's a lot of fun! We also have another favorite park down town. It has a splash pad, a little lazy river for the kids, and a carousel..yes a carousel in the middle of the park! 

and finally I leave you with my favorite part of my hometown...my home! I love where I live, I am tucked right up next to a hill that has a trail that goes to the very top and has some great views. 

I hope you guys enjoyed getting to know me and my hometown a little bit better. I have to say that I love living here and it is such a great place to visit, so much to do and so much to see :)

Thank you so much Katie for having me on your blog!!! 

-Cerrisse