Home Depot Garden Club #Digin

I have a past... and it's dirty and sweaty. But I've been clean these past few years: no dirt under my nails, no mulch in my shoes. Yep, I miss my gardening ways. I strayed from them because I moved on, away from my horticulture comfort zone of the warm and sunny climes of Florida to chilly, unpredictable Kentucky. I miss color in my yard so much that I've been Instagramming it from indoor flowers or neighbors' yards!

So I am joining the Home Depot Garden Club -- the world's largest garden community -- for support and inspiration to get back to my former gardening ways. Home Depot will virtually hold my hand by providing expert advice and monthly to-do lists for my region as I get dirty and dig in to my new-ish gardening zone. There will be no more wondering when and where to plant because they'll tell me! How simple is that? And our porch and yard will go from drab to fab!

The Garden Club has 8 new projects to help #DigIn to spring! If you join, you can also get their pro advice, plus over $300 in yearly email exclusive savings and monthly lawn & garden ideas for your region.

You know Chloe and I both love a simple and stunning DIY so we watched the Garden Club how-to videos (perfect for visual learners like us) to decide which projects to do. I'm eyeing the stunning Flower Tower Project (pictured below) to add a vibrant punch of color to the porch and yard, as well as take the emphasis off our weeds grass for Derby season, and the Whiskey Barrel Project -- we are in bourbon country after all!

image via Home Depot

Not only am I thrilled I joined the Home Depot Garden Club, but I have a suspicion our neighbors will be happy too. I hope you'll check back on our progress on some of these fun projects!

UPDATE: Be sure to check out our other Flower Tower posts:

How to Build a Flower Tower (video tutorial) Home Depot Flower Tower: Supply Time Make  Your Flower Tower a Blooming Success

Upcoming: How we’ve been inspired to #Digin!

It’s home improvement time, and The Home Depot has everything you need for spring. No matter what projects you want to tackle, The Home Depot has you covered.

Spring is the perfect time for all your outdoor home renovations. Shop The Home Depot for terrific values on new patio furniture, landscape supplies such as fertilizer and potting soil and outdoor grills. Keep your lawn and garden looking great, too, with the huge selection of lawn mowers, edgers and trimmers, and garden tools.

Visit The Home Depot Garden Club for product ideas from kick-starting your Spring with seed starter kits to building a window birdfeeder.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

Pi Day Giveaway

I'm a geek in a house full of geeks. And we are not too proud to admit it. We celebrate our dorkiness and revel in the fact that one day each year we can proudly say "it's our day!" and this year, we are once again celebrating with a Pi day giveaway. That's because our big day is not the anniversary of the first Big Bang Theory or Bill Gate's birthday, it's March 14... or Pi Day (3.14, get it?).  It's a legit national holiday folks.

Around the country there are celebrations, such as Einstein look-alike contests, pie-throwing at schools - typically Math teachers after students have memorized a whole lot of Pi, and the mailing of acceptance letters at the holy grail of geekdom, MIT.

By the way, for those who, also like me, have forgotten middle school math, Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle to the diameter. Meaning, for any circle, you can divide the circumference (the distance around the circle) by the diameter and always get exactly the same number. And that number is irrational... which means it never ends. {yes, Chloe, I googled that!}

The giveaway: we have 2 t-shirts to give away (pictured above) from the super-nice geeks at ThinkGeek. This treasure trove of loveable geek paraphernalia is letting us give away 2 of these adorable navy blue 100% cotton babydoll t-shirts. They are fitted, not baggy like the guys' tees, with a Pi symbol printed on the front in white using the first 4493 digits of Pi used to construct the Pi symbol itself. That's a whole lot of Pi. Enough for everybody to share.

To enter, leave a comment telling us which of the following you've done, along with your email. Each counts as a separate entry, so you get up to 4 entries if you're doing the math. We're giving away 2 shirts so there will be TWO winners!

1. Leave a comment below telling us the name of your favorite math teacher. If you want, you can tell us why. 2. Follow us on Bloglovin' (heart icon) & tell us below 3. Follow us on RSS & tell us below 4. Follow us on Twitter & tell us below

Entries close 3/13 at midnight EST. Two winners will be chosen by random number generator on 3/14.

CONTEST CLOSED. WINNERS NOTIFIED.

Senior Pictures

Fast forward 20 years. Your daughter has entered high school and wants to see your yearbook and senior pictures, or your sweet 16 pictures! A wave of fear overcomes you as you carefully explain that they must have been destroyed in a hurricane! Thanks to Shannon, our guest blogger from Prep Avenue, you'll be spared embarrassment as she shares tips and tricks on how to take fantastic photos for Senior Pictures (Juniors, start taking tips now!) and Sweet 16 photos... or any other grand occasion pics.

The last thing you want is to be humiliated. Senior pictures are something that last a lifetime. They get hung on multiple walls throughout your house, get placed in your senior yearbook for the whole school to see, printed on graduation announcements, carried around in your dad’s wallet, and if its up to your mom posted all over Facebook!

There are a couple tips and tricks I have learned from being a senior myself about the do’s and don’t of senior pictures, which would also apply to Sweet 16 photos or any other photos for a special occasion.

1. Do your homework- One of the smartest things you can do in preparation for your shoot is to make Pinterest your best friend. Do your research! Pinterest is the perfect place to get inspiration and ideas to show your photographer exactly what you’re aiming for. Printing off a few of your favorites, along with a list of suggestions will help your photographer make your experience the perfect Senior Shoot.

2. Stalk photographers- What I mean by stalk, is really look in to a variety of photographers. I found my photographer through Google but I looked at a number of websites before I found the perfect one for me. Most photographers have websites and blogs that allow you to look at their past work. This will help you decide if you like their “style”. I also learned the hard way to ask for a price list before you decide. Pictures are very expensive and some offer deals for the off -season.

3. Simplicity is key- I highly suggest not going overboard on the jewelry, hair, clothes, and especially the makeup. Bright, overwhelming patterns will take the emphasis off of you! It is important to bring 4 to 5 outfits with you so you can change based on the back- drop and setting.

4. Speak up- Do not be afraid to tell your photographer what you like or don’t like. Use your voice. If you don’t like the way they posed you for a picture, then share your suggestions. This is your shoot, you should get what you want.

5. Plan- The night before, plan out every outfit, down to the accessories. I also suggest trying the outfit on, especially if it contains something new that you have never worn before. Keep in mind hot pink polka dots don’t look great under white pants.

6. Know when to stop- Keep the make-up very simple. I suggest doing the same makeup routine you do everyday. Steer away from any bright or bold eye shadow colors. Remember, you want to show your children these photo’s one day! Think natural and neutral!

7. Practice makes perfect- As lame as this sounds it’s completely true. As embarrassing as it is, practice your poses in the mirror. This will give you more confidence and you will feel more comfortable when you’re posing in front of the camera. Another great idea is to look back at all your Facebook pictures. Find pictures that you really like of yourself and really study why you like it so much. This can help you figure out what poses look best on you.

8. Props- Good ole’ props! So I think there is a fine balance when using props. They can either make or break a picture. I decided to stay away from most props to avoid the cheesiness that often comes with senior pictures. I decided to bring my cruiser bike and a picture of myself when I was little. Other good ideas are:

Guitars Umbrellas Balloons Sport Equipment People! (As in best friends or siblings)

9. Weather.com- Be aware of the weather outside. It’s important to know what time of year you want your pictures taken. Most photographers really play off the seasons. There’s pluses and minus for all seasons, but know what kind of outfits you want to incorporate and go from there. The last think you want is to be standing outside in the height of winter with goose-bumps because you want a picture in your favorite dress!

10. BE YOURSELF- This is the most important tip. Know what makes you, well you. If you aren’t a guitar player, don’t pose with a guitar. These pictures are symbols of who you are today.

Look how my senior pictures turned out!

Say Cheese!

P.S. Although I have a tendency to get super awkward and stiff behind cameras, I have found it really helps if you just relax. Take a deep breath. The more relaxed you look, the more natural (and less cheesy) your pictures will come out!