Review: Sleep Number x12 Bed with Sleep IQ Technology

I'm on a little house hunting trip here in Atlanta, and you know what? I miss my bed.

Don't get me wrong, I love staying at my mother-in-law's, but I, literally, have the best bed in the world back home in Austin.

Something that I don't think I've mentioned here is the fact that I don't sleep well. If you've ever gotten an email or Facebook message from me at 2 a.m. you'll know it's because I have trouble sleeping. I've talked a little about my struggle with sleeplessness at church and with my girlfriends before, but not much on here because honestly, it's sad! It's sad that I had just resigned myself to living a life with very little rest. But all that's starting to change!

Do you follow the Consumer Electronics Show news at all? I do, because I'm a nerd like that. I always get excited to see what debuts, and this year, CES was all abuzz with the introduction of the Sleep Number x12 Bed. I saw it, and I, too, was mesmerized. I wanted that bed! I needed that bed!

So when the chance to try the Sleep Number x12 Bed with Sleep IQ Technology became available to me, I leapt at the chance. It sounded too good to be true: a bed that tracks how well you sleep, gives you suggestions on how to improve, and even gets your partner to stop snoring? No freaking way.

I was skeptical, so I kept my old bed unsure that I would like the new one (not that I loved my old bed, but I was hesitant, you know?). Long story short: I slept that very first night. I really could not believe it. We got the bed at the beginning of March, before I had Lucy, so I've had over three months with this thing, and I'm still gaga for it. Our old bed will be banished to the guest room forever now!

Sleep Number came out to my house last month to ask me what I thought about the x12 and the Sleep IQ Technology, and I was able to share just why it is so special (featuring cameos of my kids and husband and our colorful house!):

I know this all reads and sounds like a commercial, but y'all, it's really that brilliant. I recognize that the x12 is a bit of a stretch cost-wise, but what's really great is that the Sleep IQ Technology is available for Sleep Number beds starting at $999.00. No matter if you're pregnant, an insomniac, nursing, married to a snorer or not, it's not a bad investment at all. I mean, seriously, this bed has a stop partner from snoring feature, has in-bed massage, and turns on your nightstand lights all by remote or voice command. On top of that it tracks your sleep quality and makes suggestions for better sleep? Man, it's like we're living in Jetsons time, right?

This is not recommended or suggested, but I half wonder if I could plug a coffee maker into the nightstand light outlet and my bed could even make me a cup of coffee in the morning, too...

The future! We have arrived! Now goodnight!

Disclosure: My family received the Sleep Number x12 bed for review. This is not a sponsored post nor we were compensated beyond the bed. Honest, unscripted opinions on the product were given with permission to be featured. 

Seize the Day in Skimmies®: Are you up for the challenge?

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Jockey.
///

Have you been doing the Skimmies® daily challenges for your chance to win $5000 or a virtual styling session with Rachel Zoe with a $1000 shopping spree? You should! They're a lot of fun!

Jockey wants to challenge us to get out of our comfort zone and enjoy everyday adventures with their Seize the Day in Skimmies® challenges. Day 13's challenge was to "Rock out to an old school jam" / favorite song from high school:

Oh, I am all up on this. You should know that I love dancing! (I also love singing but I'm quite terrible at singing and have the wherewithal to know so, so I'll spare you a video of me trying to sing). I'm not a highly skilled dancer or anything like that, but in high school I came up with a formula that made me seem like a decent dancer, no matter what the song or dancing situation. It's a secret weapon that I still use to this day and have been sharing with a select group of people in order to better the world by freeing it of dance sideline snoozers.

Try it: it's simply lip synching + my "drive drive honk honk and wave" dance. Try it to any song with a good dance beat. I promise it works. Here I do this killer combo to "Ghetto Superstar", a song I loved in high school and that my freshman year college roomie would dance to in the quad (where there was a live streaming web cam) and I would laugh and laugh:


Drive, drive, honk, honk, and wave!
Look, ma! No panty lines! Not even while dancing in tight, white, jeans!  Skimmies® made me confident enough of this, knowing I'd be posting the photos and video online!
You can see all the challenges on the Skimmies® Facebook page. I've been having a blast looking at the entries via the #SkimmiesPromo hashtag on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Since they're also giving away 500 pairs of Skimmies® a week to those who enter the Seize the Day challenges, your chances of winning something are pretty good! What are you waiting for? Seize the day!

Also, today's the last day to enter my Skmmies® giveaway. So go-go-go-go do that, too!


This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Jockey.
///

How I feel fresh in the Austin heat featuring New Ban® Total Refresh™ Cooling Cloths

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of New Ban® Total Refresh™ Cooling Body Cloths and Lucky Magazine. 
///

I live in a place that has 100 days of 100º or more. As any Austinite can attest, staying cool can be a bit of a challenge... and by "a bit", I mean that it's darn near impossible. Feeling fresh in the filthy heat became even more of a challenge when Lucy was born. Suddenly, I'm out and about with a baby strapped to my chest while carrying a toddler and chasing after a preschooler. I've become a person who sweats.

My outfits these days have two requirements: to keep me as cool as possible and to make me as comfortable as possible. What I've been wearing lately has mainly been different permutations of this:
  light, flowy tank // loose shorts // flat sandals // cross body bag
An oh, my bag. I am rarely seen without my bag. Some may say that it's constant presence and attachment to me is akin to a fourth child. I don't dare leave home without it because it contains the essentials:

Diapers, baby wipes, toys, pressed powder, sunglasses, a nursing cover, 

and New Ban® Total Refresh™ Cooling Body Cloths. 

Admittedly, I sometimes don't get to shower every single day and I'm the kind of person who can't stay cooped up at home. Combine that with the fact that Texas is sweltering and that I'm literally chasing children all day, Ban's new body cloths are my new favorite discovery.

You may be saying to yourself, "Indiana, why don't you just use the baby wipes to freshen up?" Let me tell you: that's what I used to do sometimes, but after trying Ban Total Refresh Cooling Body Cloths, using a mere baby wipe to freshen up will never do again! The problem is this: baby wipes can mop up excess sweat okay, but more often than not, they would just end up making me feel sticky. And since Jude has sensitive skin, we use unscented baby wipes, so they never left me smelling markedly better or feeling substantially more refreshed. The Ban cloths, however, leave me smelling great and feeling cool. I bought all three scents just so I could try them all and stash them in different places (diaper bag, gym bag, and glove box). My favorite scent is Enliven: 
If the non-baby-butt smell isn't enough to convince you, consider the "PowderSilk" and cooling technology. Each cloth comes out of the package feeling cool to the touch and contains microfine, translucent powder that leaves your skin feeling dry and soft. Since coolness and comfort are my goals while getting dressed, I'm going to do all that I can to maintain that throughout the day.
There's no trace of white residue and the wipes can be used anywhere on the body: the face, underarms, chest, etc. I love to use them on the back of my neck and along my hairline. It's an instant pick me up and an easy, convenient way to freshen up, too. I really don't know why these didn't exist sooner, but I'm glad to have discovered them.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a bike ride to take my kids on and some sweating to do.

Question: How do you stay fresh after being out in the summer heat? Any other tips you can offer? 

For more info, including where to purchase, please visit FeelBanFresh.com. Thank you so much for supporting companies like Ban who partner with Adored Austin to help support my family.


This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Ban. [disclosure policy]

The breeze really is a breeze + a giveaway!

Chris and I are in the middle of decluttering our house. It is a massive undertaking, but it's been a long time coming and is much needed!

As you might imagine (or can attest to), it ain't easy cleaning house with three little ones underfoot. I try to put in an hour of serious dcluttering a day. Usually I knock it out during their nap time, but if for some reason all three monkeys aren't catching zzzz's at the same time, I need to go to plan B. Jude, thankfully, can be contained via the power of a sticker book or the movie Turbo. Caroline, however, gets into everything. If I need just a few more minutes to finish up what I'm doing (nursing or cleaning up teeny tiny things Caroline would undoubtedly try to eat otherwise) I need to keep that girl contained. Enter: the 4moms breeze-
I love 4moms products. My friends and I have passed around a mamaRoo between us for the last three years, and if you follow me on Instagram, you no doubt were awed by my origami stroller (more on that at a later date).

True story: pack and plays are notoriously difficult to collapse. I don't know if she'd want me sharing this, but the one we had at my mother-in-law's house was so infernal that my sweet MIL ended up breaking it while attempting to collapse it and had to go get a new one.

I don't have time to wrestle with a play yard, and the one that I currently have is collecting dust in Caroline's closet because it's rarely worth the effort of setting it up.

So, wouldn't you know it, 4moms has what I'd say, without hesitation, the best play yard on the market. I mean, seriously. It was so easy to set up that I thought for sure I had done something wrong. Nothing is that simple, right? Hmmm:

No, really. It is that simple. And unlike my current pack and play, the 4moms breeze comes with a bassinet topper (also insanely easy to install) for Lu:
4moms is giving one breeze away to a very lucky Adored Austin reader (below), and they're also giving one away every day in June on their Facebook page, so up your chances and enter over there (daily!), too. Leave a comment to enter to win below: a Rafflecopter giveaway
Speaking of decluttering, now that we have a breeze at our place and my mother-in-law's, we'll be getting rid of our old one ASAP. To which I say good riddance!

Well, hello there, 2014.

I hope you all had a restful holiday! I'll be back at it soon, back to maternity outfit posts and a short new series called "Things I Didn't Know About Pregnancy". In the meantime, for those of you who haven't seen it on my FB or Instagram, Jude has something he'd like to say to you to get your week started off right:
He's thinking about doing a new series called "Encouraging words from Jude". He's asked to make another video after his nap this afternoon. Too, too cute.

Indi Indi Quite Contrendy... plus a giveaway from Duluth Trading Company! [closed]

- - - - -

While I've been away, Chris has been hard at work in our garden. One of our first major projects as new homeowners was having seven raised garden beds put in. When I was doing more outfit posts, I'd often use the garden as a backdrop, so over the years, you've gotten glimpses at some of our backyard bounty:

Chris and I don't claim to be master gardeners (our friend Jenni takes the cake on that one), but over time we've learned some great tricks of the trade. When we first started our garden, we would simply mark what we had planted with large popsicle sticks, labeled in Sharpie. This method was lacking because the Sharpie bleeds on the wood, and the sticks are small and sometimes disappear among the plants. Sure, there are a lot of fancy garden markers out there, but it seems silly to drop a lot of money on something that is literally going to go into the dirt. This weekend, I was thinking about our garden, and I came up with what I'm now calling "crazy convenient garden markers". These are awesome because the clothespins act as labels, and they can be shuffled or several can fit on one dowel. Best of all, not including the seeds, I spent a mere $4.00.

Supplies:

• Outdoor acrylic paint (any color) 
• Paint marker (contrasting color) 
• Paint brush or sponge 
• Standard sized wooden clothes pins 
• 1/4'' thick 12'' long bamboo dowel rods (check in bakery supplies) 
• Names of seeds
• Not pictured: plastic cup, paper plate, and paper towels

Instructions:

1. Place clothes pins around a plastic cup so that they can be painted on both sides in one go and can dry easily, without laying flat.
2. Using several thin layers, paint the clothes pins.
3. Paint the dowels (optional- I skipped this part for now).
4. Label clothes pins with the names of the seeds.
5. Label additional clothes pins with notes or planting or harvest dates.

I think these could be super cute if one were to be very methodical in their painting and labeling, but they're still pretty cute when they're imperfect.

Some of you might wonder how Chris and I have a successful garden in Austin when the temperatures are consistently over 100º for most of the summer. The answer is consume lots of water, work in the morning, wear a big hat, and dress cool.

Duluth Trading Company recently hooked me up with some sweet outdoor work clothes that I can't wait to use in the garden once I get back to Texas. I've been wearing the heck out of my Armachillo shirt here in Indiana; I honestly can't believe how lightweight and comfortable it is. It's the kind of shirt that a person could wear year long. Can you imagine? Long sleeves in Austin in August? This shirt makes it possible.
I wasn't actually expecting these clothes to be cute enough to wear outside the garden, but I think I can make it work:
And best of all, they're certainly durable enough and designed to get me through a summer in our garden, which I can't wait to get back to. If you'd like to try something out from Duluth Trading Co. yourself, feel free to enter below to win a $50 gift card. I'll choose the winner tonight, so be sure to enter right away! As always on Adored Austin, no need to follow a bazillionty links or Pin or Tweet or repost anything for a gazzillion additional entries:

EDIT: Form removed. Winner was Chrissy B.! 

Bonus: Enjoy free standard domestic shipping until June 30th with a $50 purchase using code T13PRCG.
- - - - -
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

A baby blanket so easy to make that a baby could make it herself

Slacker mom alert: I forgot the kids' blankets in Texas. The morning we left, I gathered them up and put them in a bag to take with us, but that bag got left behind in my rush to get the family on the road. Oh, well. At least I remembered the children!

The day we settled into our temporary apartment, I made a trip over to Walmart to get Caroline a baby blanket (it is literally my only shopping option here in this town). My choices were Disney Princess, Hello Kitty, and Dora the Explorer. What? No plain white? No pink polka dots? Since the blankets were all $12 and up, and I didn't want her becoming attached to something I could potentially loathe looking at, I decided to take a gander around Walmart's (surprisingly decent) fabric area instead. Among all the camouflage and Winnie the Pooh fleece, I found a bolt of pony printed fleece and decided to make her a blanket out of that. Plus for $3/ yard, it sure beats dropping $12+ on something with Sleeping Beauty's or Dora's smug little mug emblazoned all over it.
Speaking of smug little mugs...
I made this blanket in about 30 minutes. No sewing required. In fact, it's so easy to make, Caroline probably could have made it herself, and I am hesitant to call it a "craft". Really, I just cut up some fabric. If that sounds like your kind of craft, here you go:

Supplies:

• Two pieces of fleece, one yard each. I used one print and one solid, but you can do whatever you want.

 

• One pair of good fabric scissors (you'll be doing a lot of little cuts).

Instructions:

[music credit: "Blanket" by The Melillo Brothers]

1. Line up the fabric on top of each other. Since we're not sewing anything, make sure the right sides are facing out. 
2. Cut off the selvage and/ or uneven edges. Make sure the two layers are nearly identical in size and layer them on top of each other. 
3. From each corner, through both layers, cut off a square of fabric about three inches. 
4. Cutting through both layers, cut fringe strips around all four sides, the same length as the squares that were cut out. I did mine an inch and a half apart. 
5. Tie the fringe in knots, using one strand from the top layer and one strand from the bottom layer. 
6. Give the blanket to the baby.

Yes. Yes, I did just show y'all how to "make" a blanket without sewing anything at all. Perhaps for my next trick I'll show you how to make an Ikea end table by screwing the legs into the top.

Slacker mom, indeed.

Hose, in different area codes (i.e. Hanes Legwear in the midwest in spring)

- - - - -
Here I am on my old stomping grounds: southern Indiana. Although I am primarily here to visit with my grandma, I've been able to catch up with some friends from high school as well. This past weekend, I met a group of girl friends up north for an adult prom, benefiting Family Service of Bartholomew County and Columbus Abuse Prevention:

[music: "Back to Indiana" by The Elms]

Since I attended on a whim and packed light, I didn't have a clue what to wear. The night before the party, I hightailed up to the nearest mall (which, incidentally, is 40 miles north), and I was dismayed to find out that in the decade+ that I've been gone, that mall had pretty much died. There was a minuscule dress section of a seedy lingerie shop, but luckily the dress had a sleeve to give me a little warmth and it covered my butt (it was literally the only dress in the shop long enough to cover my buns). Bonus: it's USA made, but alas, it still cost $40 for a cheap polyester dress. I like it well enough, though, and maybe I'll be able to wear it again for a Mrs. Austin thing:

date: 20 April 2013 | occasion: CAP Adult Prom
dress: via Nite Life Boutique | jewelry: Claire's | shoes: Nine West | hosiery: c/o Hanes

I had packed a few pairs of Hanes Legwear since hosiery is always a good transitional item in this funky spring weather. For Adult Prom, the hosiery was truly a necessity, since the temperature hovered right around 40º, and this Texas idiot didn't pack anything wintery at all to bring to the Midwest. I know a lot of women eschew pantyhose altogether, but I prefer my gams in hose when I'm wearing a short dress in spring. The control top Silky Sheer pantyhose helped to (comfortably) squash down my post-baby jiggle and it made my legs look airbrushed, which is great since A) I was too lazy to shave and B) my legs are a little beat up and scarred from childhood bike crashes.
  At $5.97/ pair, it's not a bad idea to have a few packages on hand.   Stag at the prom... more fun than high school! [photos courtesy of Studio Limelight] I had a great night dancing and reconnecting with old friends. I'm here in the Midwest for several more weeks, so stay tuned for more glimpses of my small town style!  I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

And one time my friends staged an intervention...

Nothing on Adored Austin is really "TMI" anymore since the posting of my birth stories, which is why I'd like to confess something to you today:

Video: Caroline + Banana

Caroline is six months old now! The other day, we let her try her first solid food. It was a banana, and she was so not impressed:
Her little faces crack me up!

Two years ago, Jude had a banana for the first time, too. Unlike his sister, he dug it big time:

Next up? Avocados and sweet potatoes. I hope those are better received.

Our mornings maxed

When it comes to parenting, there are very few things I can say I've mastered. I can't figure out how to get my kids' naps to synch up. I can't get Caroline to crawl forward instead of backwards. I can't get Jude to do a number two on the toilet. However, one thing that I can say I've mastered is maximizing our morning. The kids wake up around 9:30 a.m. and we, as a family, hit the ground running.

If I were a morning person, I'd set my alarm for 7 a.m. and have two+ hours of uninterrupted me-time before the little ones start stirring, but alas, since Caroline is not yet sleeping through the night (meaning I'm up with her at midnight, 4 a.m., and 7 a.m.), this lady chooses to sleep in as long as possible. No need to set an alarm; hearing my kids through their baby monitors gets me going. Because they sleep until 9 or 9:30, and because I typically want us out the door by 10 a.m., I am a pro at maximizing what's left of our mornings.

Our typical weekday mornings look like this:
7 a.m.: Caroline cries out for morning milk. I do a big nursing session in her room and put her back down for two more hours of snoozing. I go back to bed myself.

9:30: Jude gets out of bed and turns off his white noise machine. This jolts me (and Noodles) awake. I bolt up, knowing I have only a few minutes until he starts calling out to me, thus waking Caroline who has the room right next to his.

9:31: I'm a night showerer, so I quickly brush my teeth, wash my face, and then moisturize my face and body. Vaseline Spray & Go enables me to spray my body lotion on and get dressed immediately. On workout days, my exercise pants go on instantly. On non-workout days, I shimmy into my skinny jeans without waiting for my lotion to dry.

9:35: I put on a little make-up (foundation, blush, and eyeliner), pull down the bun I've slept in, and I greet Jude at his door. I quickly change diapers and get both kids downstairs.

9:45: I let Caroline work on crawling in the living room while I get Jude situated in his high chair in the kitchen. I give him a yogurt while I heat up a sausage link and toast him a piece of raisin bread. While he eats and watches birds at the bird feeder, I nurse Caroline if she seems hungry again.

10:00: We're out the door, either meeting a friend for a walk around the lake or a romp on the playground or we make a trip to the store. We often grab lunch while we're out or we're back home by 11 for lunch and Caroline's first nap.

We try to get out of the house every single day so we can enjoy our city together. What's helped my family is having certain weekday rhythms and go-to items that help this non-morning person get the ball rolling: speed inducing beauty products like Vaseline Spray & Go, dark skinny jeans with a fitted top, and a swipe of bright lipstick help me look good and feel good.

I can get ready and get two kids up and out the door in 30 minutes flat. How about y'all? Do you speed out the door or are your mornings a little more leisurely?
For more info, please visit MaxtheMorning.com. Thank you so much for supporting the companies that support my family.

Dear Amelia

I would venture to say that no one has affected my style sensibilities like my Grandma. I've mentioned her on Adored Austin a lot over the years (most notable examples: my Tribeza feature, the Jane By Design Challenge, and my Minnetonka post). My well documented love for animal jewelry began with a big silver owl necklace from the 70's that she gave to me. I attribute my love of thrift stores to her as well as my desire to add special DIY touches to my outfits. Nearly needless to say, she has wielded a huge influence on my life.

I was three years old when my dad was killed in a helicopter crash serving in the Army, and because he was my primary care taker, his parents took me in after his death. By all accounts, they were done raising kids by the time this scraggy headed three- year- old blew into their lives, but nonetheless, they loved me and raised me, seeing me through my delicate earliest years to my tumultuous teenage years. My grandparents were a mom and dad to me, and I lived with them until my grandpa had a stroke when I was a junior in high school.

My grandma is a tiny thing. She's five feet of concrete with a head full of white hair. She's stubborn and opinionated, but she loves pranks and laughter. She's into DIY projects, and she has never met a yard sale or a flea market that she didn't like. She fills her days with meeting up with friends around our small town, and her evenings are spent doing word searches, watching basketball or baseball on tv, playing bingo, or going to a neighboring town with friends to listen to live music and to see people dance.

Here she is meeting Caroline for the first time this past winter:
  Caroline meets "GGB" (Great Grandma Brewer)
She often says, "The only thing old about me is my hair!", and a part of me thought she would live forever. Sadly we recently found out that this spitfire of a woman and the grand matriarch of our family has colon cancer. Because of her age and heart and the fact that she's tiny (she weighs less than 100 pounds), she can't have surgery nor can they treat her with chemotherapy. It would just be too hard on her. Obviously this news breaks my heart into a million little pieces. Thankfully, she's in high spirits and her oncologist has started her on radiation treatments to shrink the tumor. So far, the radiation treatments don't seem to be slowing her down or diminishing her positive outlook. In fact, when the nurse told her "I'm going to treat you now" at her first radiation treatment, my grandma said, "Well, I wish you'd treat me to some ice cream, too!"

She is a very important woman in my life and I want to spend a little time with her while she's still up and at 'em and her regular, jovial self. She's still living on her own, still visiting with her cronies every day, and still telling her funny stories. For the next few weeks I'll be back in my hometown recording some of these stories and banking these precious memories.

My favorite photo of her. See? Her hair wasn't always so white!

I'll have some sponsored content and a few reviews queued up and scheduled while I'm away, but to be honest, I'm not sure how often I'll be able to post while I'm gone. If you want to stay connected, I'll be on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. The kids will be with me, and I imagine we'll have a bit of down time while she rests and gets her treatments.

If you'd like to say a prayer for my Grandma, my family would appreciate it. Her name is Amelia. Also, I'd appreciate any suggestions for ways I can comfort her and my family over the ensuing months. Thanks for always being so supportive in your kind words and prayers.

Family videos: March 2013

SXSW 2013 has blown out of town. Did you survive? Do512 and Skype treated me to some great shows over the weekend (Big Freedia, The Polyphonic Spree, Third Eye Blind, & Foxes, respectively), and I am exhausted in the best way possible! I got to deepen some friendships, see some awesome shows, try out some new products (swag bags!), and I fell in love with my city even more. Someone asked me if I had ever been to Coachella, and I was like, "No way. I live in Austin. I get to do SXSW, Fun Fun Fun, and ACL all without leaving my town." If we're connected on Instagram and Twitter, you've been witness to some of my SXSW shenanigans.

I'm going to spend the next couple of days reconnecting with my family. I feel like Jude woke up this morning and he was no longer a toddler. He's a little boy full of energy and has an endless desire to learn. I am hopeful that he'll be an early reader. I was a little lax on lessons this past week and a half, and we're both missing our alphabet time together.
Can you believe how big he is getting?

Not to be outdone, Caroline is trying her hardest to show me how grown up she is. She is trying so hard to crawl and has been rolling and scooting (backwards) all around the living room this morning:

Doesn't it seem like only yesterday that Jude was learning to crawl?

I've missed these little monkeys! Thankfully SXSW doesn't last all year, and I have one entire year to rest up for the next one.

Happy Pi(e) Day!

- - - - -
Today is 3.14, and that means it's π day! Like any irrational number person, I like to celebrate π day by eating a pie, and since I host a dinner group every week, I thought I'd help my friends celebrate π day by picking up a Marie Callender's frozen dessert as my contribution.

Oh my word, there were so many delicious choices. I contemplated getting a buffet of single serving pies, but I didn't want my party to come to fisticuffs over a shortage of certain varieties, so I waffled between Banana Creme and Razzleberry for a while. I ultimately went with Razzleberry because the theme of that week's dinner party was rainbow, and I was responsible for purple.

Since I'm kind of the queen of making a store bought food look like I slaved for hours over it, I thought I'd share some of my frozen pie secrets with you. The keys? Foiled edges, egg wash, and fresh whipped cream. You're welcome:
Since we all know that eating pie is a lot more fun than sitting around calculating the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, here's a coupon that will get you $1.50 off any frozen Marie Callender's pie so you can celebrate π Day/ Pie Day, too.

Check out the ratings and reviews of all the Marie Callender's desserts here. For more tips and tricks visit Marie Callender's blog.

Disclosure: I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.