Everyday Should be Considered a Blessing

    In lieu of my last post, I've decided it's best I look at the blessings God has given me.  I mean really if we look at all the bad or rough spells, we could never see or appreciate the good there is. Life will constantly throw us a curve ball or knock us back 5 steps after taking just one forward. But even during all that, there are still blessings to be thankful for, small and big.
    To keep myself in perspective in this rough time & during the upcoming holidays I am going to do a daily post about something I'm thankful for. They won't always be long or huge in depth but I will daily let everyone know something I feel blessed with.

   Today I must say I feel blessed to have my kids. I think they have opened my eyes to so many things. I have gained a new appreciation of patience, tolerance & unconditional love that I don't think we can truly get any other way. They have helped me grow so much as a person. Life truly would not be close to the same without them.

   It's easy to appreciate life if we just take the time. If we give ourselves a second to be thankful for all we have, then we worry less with what we don't.

   What can you say you are thankful for today? What blessing has made you a better person today? Opened your eyes?

Deep Slow Breaths

   Do you ever feel like the world is swallowing you whole? All 10 months of this year I've been swimming in that sensation. To be honest I guess I should say I have felt like this for the last 34 months.  Nothing before Feburary of 2011 really compares though. Not even close to an ounce of comparison to the months from Feburary until this very day. Feburary is when my mom was diagnosed with Stage IIII lung cancer. And my whole life changed.

    I'm setting here, in our local emergency room, watching the most admirable, strong man I've ever been blessed to know. My dad.  Due to many factors that, at this moment, I'm too angry to discuss, I'm watching him smother & suffer needlessly. This is our second ER visit in 3 weeks. In between those he has been hospitalized for 8 days. He's going to be admitted once again today.
    He is enduring all of this while grieving the loss of his wife-best friend-confidante of 42 blessed years, my mom, in April of this year.  He is fighting to live, fighting to get better. And I'm angry. Angry at what has him to this point. Angry that carelessness & disregard for others runs so rampant in todays world.  Angry that I have to see my dad suffer so & even more angry because I'm doing so after seeing my mom suffer the last month of her life. Selfish? Yes! I'm human & I am going to have this moment to be selfish. I'm going to be angry at the world. I'm going to be angry at all the controllable & uncontrollable factors.
    I'm going to take this moment to be selfish before the world swallows me up.  I'm going to cry because I love my parents so & don't want life to not have them in it. I'm going to scream because there's too much emotion & not enough time or patience in the world to let it out. I'm going to rejoice because God is holding my moms hand now & she's not in pain. Rejoice because I know He has His arms wrapped around my dad. And I'm going to sit in the silence of my fear & take comfort in knowing God will always be by my side. I'm going to hold my head up & make it through anger & all because I have four beautiful boys that look to me to make sure how to deal with things. I'm going to do my best to show them the best way. I'm going to take in every moment of everyday & cherish the good & bad because I've been blessed beyond measure. And when my selfish moments over, I'm going to take deep, slow breaths and go forward.

Let's Spread a Little Influence

   I love trying new things, don't y'all?  I've always been the one who goes for the odd or least known; often times discovering fantastic things before most or figuring out the duds before they become a trend.
   Last July I was perusing one of my fave magazines, Woman's World & came across a spiffy little site.  It was all about testing products & giving feedback to the brands & consumer's through lots of different channels. Ha needless to tell y'all, I jumped on the site!  It is Influenster.com.  When I signed up in August last year, it was still very new.  They still had quite a large number in their community to be so fresh. At that time it was open to the public & sort of in beta stages. 
     Influenster offers what's called a voxbox.  In a nutshell, if you actively interacted with Influenster.com, twitter, facebook & had a blog you could pre-qualify for a themed voxbox chalk full of goodies.  You aren't ever guaranteed getting one. Often times brands are targeting specific demographics which plays a huge part in getting picked. You also have badges to unlock which represent your life & interests.  They're no fees or subscriptions. You're required to answer a post experience survey to stay active. 
     You have the option to complete brand specific challenges for an opportunity to win rewards & unlock the brand badge.  Usually these challenges consist of talking about the product & your experience through twitter, facebook, blogging about it, sharing pictures etc.  Thus the birth of my first blog.      Since I've been a member I have participated in 4 voxboxes, & a demographic specific product reviewing.  I have been very pleased with all the things I've got to try.  They recently did a relaunch of the site (its lots of fun & great improvements), made it invite only, and broaden your opportunites for giving your thoughts about a product.
    They also recently reached a milestone number of members & are officially going public with their company.  Everyone should check out this spiffy little article about Influenster reaching 200K users.
   So when I get some great Influenster products, y'all will be the first to hear about it!! Let me know what you think after you check out the site!!
  

Sinful Mani

So I found 2 lovely deep colors from the Sinful Colors line; Exotic Green a rich olive tone green and Kissy a deep sparkly teal polish. 

I used Exotic Green on all my nails & topped my middle finger with Kissy.  This is the first accent mani I have done. They just don't appeal to me. But I like this one well enough. 

I liked the formula on both polishes.  Exotic Green was more sheer than I normally like but it was easy to build to a good opaqueness.  Its a beautiful color on its own but I can see a gold going gorgeous with this.

I LOVE Kissy! Its super hard to photograph though. It kept coming out w/ less green than you see in person.  Its a deep sparkly beauty :-).  It matched really well with Exotic Green & only took one coat to cover.

I topped the mani with Sally Hansen Diamond top coat. I like th super glassy finish it has.

All in all, I am happy with my colors as well as the manicure. What do y'all think?  What's your fave green tone? 

A Few Wet n Wild Goodies

I had a spur of the moment shopping trip with my oldest son today. So I decided to swing by Walgreens and check out the Wet N Wild sale I had heard about. Much to my dismay I had swung by late in the game and lost out on what I'm sure was some fantastic goodies.  While trekking my eight year old through the makeup isle where he would shake his head at the many seemingly torturous items, I did find some pretty sweet goodies to add to my ever growing collection. Thought I'd lay out what I got in a quick over lay before giving you the detailed low down about each product this week.

I happened across a meglast polish & top coat set. Gorgeous color- I Red a Good Book.

Then a fabulous set of Color Icon lip liner and the ever loverly Purty Persimmon matte lip stick. This I think I am anticipating using more than any other!

And I grabbed two Color Icon Shimmer eyeliners in Copper and Black. In the picture below you can see a quick swatch of these gorgeous liners.

Here's a quick swatch of Purty Persimmon. Haha please excuse the misspelling in the picture. It's late!

And finally here is a quick, if somewhat sloppy, swatch of I Red a Good Book. Luscious red!

I saw a few of the Fergie Collection but nothing I REALLY wanted was in stock. I'm anxious to try the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I know it will probably be kind of a pain but I cant't help but be drawn to it!

What do you all think? Like my goodies? what great Wet N Wild goodies have you found lately?  Comment and let me know!

Oh and dont forget to check back in this week for more details about each goodie!

Let's Mix it Up! Nail Polish Fun.

I adore playing with polish. Whether it be stamping, mixing polishes, embellishments, or whichever.
So this weekend mani I decided to dabble mixing some colors. I used 2 fave Wet N Wild fast dry polishes, Hannah Pinktana & Sage In The City, along with my latest Sinful Colors, Love Nails.

HANNAH PINKTANA

SAGE IN THE CITY

LOVE NAILS

I started with three lovely coats of Hannah Pinktana & gave it some time to dry. About a minute sufficed.

3 COATS

Then removing 90% of the polish from the brush I dabbed Sage In The City spiratically over my nails.

A little dab here, a little dab there.

Giving that layer 60 seconds, I then used the same process to apply Love Nails.

All finished!

Finish with a top coat & viola'! A spiffy effect. I really like the turn out. What do y'all think?
What's one of your fave ways to glam up your nails??

Sinful Colors: My Newest Find

Ok ok. Its been forever since I have chatted it up with y'all about cool & fave goodies. Sorry about that! I've been a super busy momma with lots of mommy type duties & other personal "me" consumers.
But I'm back & I have a stunningly eclectric blue by Sinful Colors polish I picked up at my local Wal-Mart.  I'm a sucker for the bright electric colors of summer. This one was Love Nails.
I've had Sinful Colors polishes in the past & really enjoyed them. Being a momma on a budget I like the quality of these polishes for $1.98.
Their brushes are smaller than I prefer but they're a pretty decent brush. This is a quite sheer polish. I used three coats to get the look I wanted. But I like the slight variations you can achieve with the different number of coats.
I saw a couple more I may have to swing by & pick up in the near future. But for now this one is brightening my days.
Have any of the rest of you tried the summer collection of Sinful colors? What's your fave Sinful Colors.

a close up with the flash.

New Wet N Wild Nail Color To Show off!

      Got a new Wet N Wild nail polish today!  Permission To Proceed from the Spoiled line- a CVS exclusive. Spoiled is one of my absolute favorite nail polish lines ever. Variety with such intensity.

pre-clean up after 3 coats

Its such a deep full green that screams summer to me.  Very reminiscent of the lush green grass gets after rain in the summer and of fresh ripe watermelon. This would be an excellent pop of color in any summer wardrobe. Its a rather opaque color and will take a few coats to achieve a deep color.

pre-clean up after 3 coats.

Besides awesome colors and a fantastic price ($1.99), the brushes in this line are phenomenal. The bristles are sturdy and fairly thick. The brush is wide enough to cover my entire nail in one swoop. Oh yes, fabulous coverage! I wish all polishes came with this brush!

As you can see the brush fully covers my nail.

I can't wait to make my way through all the colors of the Spoiled nail polish line! So stay tuned to see what other colors I pick!

Have you tried any of the Spoiled line? What colors are your fave? Any to suggest? Comment below & let me know what you think!

7 Things Not to do When You Can't Sleep

   All of July I've dealt with bouts of insomnia & tonights no different. The clock ticks on & I rummage for various sleep aids. Warm milk, check. Counting sheep, check. Turning off all electronics, check. Deep breathing, check. Relaxation techniques, check. Sleep-lost in the dark.
    Amongst all the trying to sleep I thought I'd pass along a few things not to do when you can't sleep. I'm sure there's oodles but these 7 I like best. And please keep in mind, sleep deprivation is a torture tactic. So be prepared for what you're about to read! Haha!

7. Don't play Triple Town on your phone. It'll suck you right in & before you know it, the sun is up & at it!

6. Don't decide a triple scoop sundae with hot fudge sauce sounds like a good ideal. Ultimately it'll just give you a sugar rush then crash that doesn't result in sleep. Plus it'll ruin all the hard figure flattering work you did the prior day.

5. Don't spy on the neighbors.  Ever heard the saying "the freaks come out at night"? Trust me, spy on your neighbors at 2 in the morning & it'll make perfect sense.

4. Don't peruse the internet looking for insomnia remedies.  Its just going to suck away the hours before ya know it. Surf for them during the day so maybe they'll work by night fall.

3. Don't check your Facebook, Twitter or emails!  Once you go in, you'll never come out!  (Don't say I didn't warn you!)

2. Don't settle down for a zombie apocalypse movie. Once it gets going, you'll be too engrossed in watching your significant other or pet for signs of "zombification" to watch the movie or sleep. Seriously! Lack of sleep can turn an insane man sane!

And number one is....

1. Don't have to go to the bathroom AFTER the zombie apocalypse movie.  No sleep + flesh eating zombie movie= accident waiting to happen. 

Oh My! Hiking it is!

   Kids all nestled snuggly in bed, hubby still at work, chores all checked & what is this momma doing? Starting my first bucket list of sorts. And much to my own sort of surprise I've been researching hiking trails.
    I'm not an avid hard core hiker but I enjoy some well spent time communing with nature.  Unplug, unwind, & reconnect. I'm not an expert at the ins & outs of this wonderous task but I know that it can go from a casual saunter around the bend to a complex mail-myself-packages trek in a second.
     I've hiked the backwoods of my community here in Kentucky quite a bit. The historical Camp Wildcat almost feels like a second home. As much as I love the nooks & crannies of my stomping grounds I do yearn to branch out & see the wonders of other backyards. So here I sit making my top 5 hiking trails bucket list!
    The first new trail I'd love to give a go is in Kentucky, near Stanton actually. Located in the Red River Gorge you'll find Gray's Arch Trail; a roughly 3.3 mile trek that leads to a 50-foot natural sand stone arch. Check out some great shots of the arch here. Reviews of this trail lead me to believe its moderate in difficulty & chucked full of beauty! Found this to be a good run down of the trail.
     Next up on my Hiker's Bucket list trails off to Whitley City Kentucky. Yahoo Falls. Home of what is said to be Kentucky's highest waterfall cascading in at 113 feet high. Although worth the footsteps, what I've found on it says make sure you go in a rainy spell as it comes from a small stream. This site has some good tidbits of info as well as gorgeous pictures. Along with great visuals, the energy of the history of the massacre in 1810 I would say is unreal. One quick sum up about the massacre can be found here.
    Leaving the wonderous Bluegrass state, I would love to explore some trails along South Carolina; spend some time in Caesar Head's State Park. My whole reason for that would be to meander the 2 mile trail to Raven Cliff's 420-foot falls. Can you imagine the awe one would get standing in the presence of such natural amazement & beauty? Worth every single step of that two miles. A stunning photo & a bit more info can be found here.
    Traveling on around, I'd hit up the Berryman Trail in Missouri near Steelville. But of course after educating myself much more in hiking. The info I've gotten on this trail is that its very very difficult. It has some shorter cuts but the actual whole trail is 24 miles long. Maybe this should be my last pick, huh? After some easier ones, work my way up to this doozy.  I don't know that I'd ever be up for the full 24 but who knows. I may just make it one day before I'm old & grey haha. The descriptions I've read of this trail though definitely make me want to work towards the full trek.  You can get some information here. And gorgeous photos here. (Have you noticed yet that I'm slightly drawn to water?)
    Last, at least on this short list, would be traveling up to the beautiful Maryland. There I'd delve into the beauty that is the 15 mile Susquehanna Trail in Harv De Grace. What I have gathered about this trail is that its a plethra of history, plant life, wildlife, diffculty, & much more. The crisp clean air of Maryland & the serenity of Mother Nature. Sounds good to me! Get a little more insight about Susquehanna trail here.
     A nice little work towards list if I do say so myself ;-).  Let me know what you think about these trails or suggest one for me to try! Hoping to trek a local trail to VanHook Falls again soon now that we've got some rain. I'd love to hear from everyone!

Mmmm Let's Talk About JIF!: Review of JIF Hazelnut Spread.

I'm a peanut butter fanatic! & JIF is one of my absolute fave brands. I plan on venturing into other nut butters but right now I've only made an exploration into hazelnut spreads.

Nutella was my first hazelnut spread & I think its yummy-my kids do too.  So I was pleasantly surprised when I happend across JIF's new Hazelnut spreads! Of course I bought some right then! They have 2 flavors to choose from- regular Chocolate & Mocha Cappucino. I must confess, I adore anything coffe flavored or inspired so I opted for the Mocha Cappucino!

It has a truly rich & creamy texture & flavor. The chocolate is a deeper flavor than the other brands. The mocha isn't too overpowering, which can happen with mocha flavor. It has a different feel to it at the end than other hazelnut spreads I've had. Nothing bad, just different. The smooth texture was so melt-in-your-mouth good that it was a perfect pair for graham cracker squares!

Other ways we enjoyed JIF's Hazelnut Spread were  mixed with peanut butter, on apple slices & as smores. I am dying to use as an ice cream sauce & combine in my homemade fudge recipe! I'll let you know how it is when I do!

I think JIF has a very versatile & delicious product on their hands. It's also fantastic that it comes from a company in the USA.

Its slightly high on the calorie end but rich enough in flavor you don't need a lot. I enjoyed just half a teaspoon on a graham cracker square. It would make the perfect splurge item for those keeping an eye on calorie intake.

Another yummy added to our loves list & I hope you try & enjoy it as much as my family does!

Don't forget to keep up with them on Facebook & follow them on Twitter!

The Many Uses of Ivory

Ok who doesn't love timeless classics? Movies, foods, make up, music, clothes... we love things that stand true through the test of time. To me Ivory soap speaks volumes of timeless classics!

I was delighted, if not a bit shocked, to receive a complimentary bar of Ivory soap in my Mom Voxbox from Influenster.  I was quickly reminded why Ivory is such a delightful brand.

One new thing I learned about the Ivory bar soap is the microwave experiment. And can't forget the fact that it floats in water! This left me with a wonderful use to show & teach my kids about density & the affects of heat on things.

With it being a 99.4% pure soap product it only makes perfect sense that this soap makes an excellent face wash! With all the other things we slap on our precious facial skin what better treat than to wash it with something with the least amount of extra concoctions? It left my skin feeling clean but not parched which I loved!  On that same note it also makes a great make up brush/applicator wash. Gentle on the material but strong enough to remove germs/dirt/product/etc. It took just a little to clean my foundation brush spotless!

A tip that I found is if you do microwave the bar, it makes it an awesome texture for doing all these different things. You can then store the flake/crumbs in a zip bag or bowl with a lid. 

Grab some of the crumbs, add a few drops water & use as a pre-wash treatment on stains. I love to use it to wash my delicates as well. Just crumble some in the wash & go. The scent is fresh & subtle & cleans without all the harshness of additives!

Another great ideal is to scrape your nails across a bar of it before doing any job that may require getting your hands dirty or gunk under your nails. it keeps it out & helps wash up quicker!  That's a spiffy one huh?

Here's one more cool & helpful tip, wash your plant leaves in a warm Ivory Soap bath. I have also been told that a capful of Ivory soap water poured about the roots can help as well. I've not tried that but know of people who swear by it. 

One last thing it can be used for is a carving medium. Check out some great images here.

If you get down to the math of it, Ivory tops all other brands on value for your buck. It's aslo a greener alternative to most of what's on the market today. With so many uses and such great results, Ivory is sure to be a staple in our household. Thanks to Influenster, I'm thankfully reminded of this timeless classic!

Hope you've enjoyed my uses for Ivory Soap!

Follow them on twitter here.

Like them on Facebook here. 

Don't forget to check out Influenster!

DISCLAIMER: THESE PRODUCTS WERE COMPLIMENTARY & EARNED BY BEING AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE INFLUENSTER COMMUNITY. I HAVE RECEIVED NO MONETARY OR OTHER COMPENSATION FOR MY TIME OR OPINIONS FROM INFLUENSTER OR ANY OF THE BRANDS. MY OPINIONS ARE UNBIASED AND SOLELY MY OWN!

One Bite: A Review of Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Cookies

        As you've read, my MomVoxbox has been a conundrum of goodies. One treat I had yet to try (but had been wanting to) was the Quaker Soft Baked Cookie. I pulled out the luciously large Oatmeal Raisin soft baked cookie & was immediately bumbarded by my 4 boys!
        After answering their umpteen questions- "What's that mom?" "What flavor is it?" "Does it have nuts?" "Can we have a bite?"- I was able to wrangle it open. At this point I was very thankful for the generous portion because once I rationed it out, I was left with one bite to savor. So I did just that.
        It was soft but not exactly crumbly soft. It smelled of that slightly "cinnamony" sweetness an oatmeal raisin cookie should. The color was a yummy creamy brown. And when I finally took my bite, I was delightfully satisfied. The taste was superb. All the different flavors were very balanced, none too overpowering. The texture was just right. It was an enticing mix of soft, chewy, tender, & the ever so slight crunch. It packs only 6 grams of fat, a great source of fiber and is made with delicious whole grain Quaker oats!
         Once I had savored all the flavor I could I turned to my boys. I could see from the crumbs that they loved the cookie. As I surveyed each content little face, I had to sigh. They devoured their bites & I didn't even get any pitcures! Luckily I managed one before opening the pack.

        When I asked them what they thought, I got a resounding yummy from the three oldest & an outstretched hand followed by a "bite bite" from my fourteen month old! Needless to say these are on my snack list for grocery shopping from now on!

      After checking out the Quaker site, I am determined to find the chocolate almond flavor! They come in five tempting flavors: Oatmeal Raisin, Chocolate Almond, Apples and Cinnamon, Cranberryand Yogurt, and finally Banana Nut. I was very glad to see some of the other Quaker products I wasn't aware of. Check out their site & see if you've tried all their goodies!

Give them a tweet on twitter here.
Like their Facebook page for news, coupons & more, here.

Hope you enjoyed my take on Quaker Soft Baked Cookies! Don't forget to follow my blog for reviews & more!


DISCLAIMER: THESE PRODUCTS WERE COMPLIMENTARY & EARNED BY BEING AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE INFLUENSTER COMMUNITY. I HAVE RECEIVED NO MONETARY OR OTHER COMPENSATION FOR MY TIME OR OPINIONS FROM INFLUENSTER OR ANY OF THE BRANDS. MY OPINIONS ARE UNBIASED AND SOLELY MY OWN!

Not so Sticky Sweetness: Nektar Honey Crystals Review

  I love honey! Its such a natural wonder! I was very intrigued to see Nektar Honey Crystals in my Influenster Mom Voxbox. I can honestly say this was a new product, let alone ideal, to me. The pure, 100% all natural honey crystals are GMO free, naturally gluten free and made in the U.S.A.!
                                           

I have to say I  was curious ( & a tad skeptical) about any possible preservatives/additives so I contacted Nektar Naturals via their site. I received a prompt & friendly response assuring me there are no preservatives or additives used! YAY!!  The response was from none other than, the president & founder of Nektar Naturals Fine Foods, LLC- Jeremy Edelman . Another plus for this brand for me! I love a company that will connect with its consumer/clientele/customer (whichever name you bestow upon us) on a more regular basis.

Ok back to the matter at hand, my take on these curious lil' honey crystals. First I had to take a look. Appearance was good. You can see the tiny lil' beige specks in my picture below of the open pack of Nektar Honey Crystals. The smell wasn't bad either.

Now for the best part. I tried a few Nektar Honey Crystals by themselves. The texture was nice; quick to melt, not too hard. And the flavor was, to me, as yummy as the liquid stuff! A big big yippy was that there was no weird after taste at all with the Nektar Honey Crystals. Just pure "yumminess".
So I figure what the heck, let's get wild & add it to a cup of my Stash Tea! (You can get my full review on Stash Tea here.) One packet of Nektar Honey Crystals is equal to one teaspoon of liquid honey. For me, that is just about the right amount to add to my tea (not much on it being too sweet).  It didn't take many swirls of my spoon for all the lil' crystals to be dissolved. The flavor was tastey & mild. Didn't overpower the tea just added a sweet undertone.

I can't wait to get some more to try in many other nummies! I think I may try it in my oatmeal first! It is definitely an item I can see incorporating into my everyday routine, especially with 4 kiddos. The packs make it convenient & portable. The portion is a definite plus as well. Makes keeping an eye on added calories & sugar so much easier. Of course don't forget the fact that they're all natural!

And so the days of sticky are gone, enter the era of Nektar Honey Crystals!!

You can purchase the Nektar Honey Crystals at Stash Tea's online store as well as Englishteastore.com

Be a sweetie & like Nektar Naturals Facebook page here!


Disclaimor: I received this complimentary product from Influenster.com. I have not & will not be compensated for my time or opinion by either company(ies) whether it be monetary or otherwise. My opinions are solely mine based on my own experience testing this product!

Something Yum This Way Comes: Stash Tea Review

I have found many great complimentary products through the Influenster voxbox program to test & review. Stash tea (follow them on twitter! @stashtea) definitely goes on my products I loved & will continue to use list. In the Love voxbox & in my most recent Mom voxbox, I received two different sampler packs of Stash Tea, one of each in each voxbox. This is a unique brand of herbal teas that can be bought in select stores and online in the Stash Tea store.

If you visit their site, you can sign up for a newsletter as well as view & order their catalog. The variety of teas they have is quite impressive from green tea to a special Chanakra blend. They also offer their herbal teas in tea bag or loose leaf. My Superfruit Sampler box this round came with a double coupon. Useable on 2 boxes for a dollar off in store and for 15% off a $25 or more purchase at their online store! 

Now I do love me some herbal tea. The taste, the benefits and the fact that its essentially naturally enhanced water! I must say though I am a bit fickle when it comes to the brands I like. I enjoy a full robust flavor when steeped for the full amount. When I delved into the first box I received I was hooked! The variety, the crisp taste of the tea (no matter the flavor it was full on), and the aromatic experience sucked me right in! I followed them on twitter, liked their Facebook page, signed up for their newsletter & went out for some more!  When I opened my lovely Mom Voxbox I was so stoked to see a superfruit sampler! First I tried the Goji Berry Green tea. 

It fizzed when I steeped it which I thought was so neat. The flavor was a touch tart & very refreshing! The flavor I'm going for today is Yumberry Blackcurrant. WIth a name like Yumberry how can you go wrong?  These teas are great with a couple teaspoons of honey or a little sugar but they're as equally (if not better in my tastes) without any sweetner at all! 

I have searched around my local stores & have found a few varieties at Wal-Mart & Kroger. For the more unique flavors & styles I'm going to have to rely on there great online store! 

Stash Tea has been blending premium teas since 1972 so they've worked on perferction & have pretty much reached it! All their teas are Kosher-certified, all natural ingredients & of course gluten free. I have had them both hot & cold and love them equally at either temp. 

You can purchase it at most grocery stores, coffee houses, club stores, mass merchandisers, and natural food stores.

So a quick recap of where to look for Stash Tea info. Check out & like their Facebook page here. Follow them on twitter here. Check out their site here. And lastly but not leastly, follow their pins on pinterest here.  

Give them a try & enjoy! 

Disclaimor: I received this complimentary product from Influenster.com. I have not & will not be compensated for my time or opinion by either company(ies) whether it be monetary or otherwise. My opinions are solely mine based on my own experience testing this product!

And the Mom Voxbox is here! Quick Take

So yesterday I received my much anticipated Mom voxbox! It was chocked full of goodies! I will be fully reviewing the new products in their own blogs & giving a quick recap & links to posts about previously experienced products right now!

                                   
I received another set of Broadway Nails imPress press-on manicure. Lovely purple shade! These are great, fast, & fun nails! You can check my full review of them here.
These last a decent length of time if applied properly. My 2 best tips for application & ut-most stay power... 1) press them on firmly & hold firmly for at least 25 seconds. 2) do not immerse your hands in any amount of water for at least 30 min. Just to be clear these are not requirements for application just my tips from experience. ;-) And they also came with a great $1 off coupon.

                                             
I also got another sampler box of Stash Tea. I will definitely have a review up either today or tomorrow giving all my take on this brand! This one came with a double coupon. Good for a $1 on 2 boxes in store and 15% on a $25 or more order online
                                        

Along with the Stash Tea I received some Nektar Honey crystals. My first experience with this product & I will give you a full on take on it in the next few days!

                                         
A bar soap I received was Ivory. Used this before & love that its 99.4% pure (no dyes, no heavy perfumes & such). I'll give a more in-depth take on it in the days to come.
                                           

Got two travel packs of Dentek floss picks. One for grown ups (Comfort Clean Thin Silky Floss in Fresh Mint) & a Fun Flosser pack for my kiddos. Another product that I have plenty of experience with & I'll unload my take soon!

                                            
And the final little goodie I got was a Quaker Soft Baked Oatmeal Raisin Cookie. First time trying this & I'll let you in on my tastey thoughts (& those of my boy-o's) soon!

                                                       

A sweet little testing project & hope y'all enjoy my take on these & more soon!



Disclaimor: I received these complimentary nail products from Influenster.com. I have not & will not be compensated for my time or opinion by either company(ies) whether it be monetary or otherwise. My opinions are solely mine based on my own experience testing this product!

A Couple Hot Weather Tips...

I'm always looking for good tips for health, beauty, around the house & well for about anything really. Recently I came across 4 that caught my attention. Now, I've only used 2 of these so please do let me know if you use any of these & they work or don't!

The first thing I knew I wanted to tell you all about was this spiffy lil' idea I came across in all You magazine. Spring and summer are the ultimate outdoor times. Parties, cookouts, just hanging with the family, gardening, just so many things to do outside. The article discussed tips for fun helpful tips for having outdoor dinner parties & such.

Okay okay on to the actual tip.  Take cupcake liners, turn them upside down, place a straw through & then place in your drink. The cupcake liner becomes a cheap, cute, easy lid to keep all the pesky flying guests out of your drink. Easily found to match most themes, inexpensive & cute- gotta love it!

Tip two for this time of year came in an email from a friend.  It can be used on people & pets. Bugs of all sorts come out when the sun shines & the mercury rises. Ticks can be an extremely dangerous pest. If you or a pet happen to get bitten by a tick, take a cotten ball soaked in dish detergent & hold over the tick. It should release its bite & back out within a few seconds of exposure. Tried this once with one of our dogs & it worked!

Staying on the bug issue, I want to relay some possibilities for natural mosquito repellents. With 4 lil' boys I'm always looking for safe, effective ways to keep them bite free. I haven't tried any of thes combos out so again if you do please let me know! I read about these on about.com

Take any of the following essential oils & add to either an oil base (such as cooking oils) or witch hazel. Add 10 to 25 drops of essential oils to 2 Tbsps of the carrier, then either spritz or rub onto you body and/or clothes. I would suggest only basing it with witch hazel if you're going to spritz onto clothing. The article said it was best to reapply after an hour & after being in water. The list of oils were: cinnamon oil, lemon eucalyptus oil, citronella oil, castor oil, thyme oil. It's definitely worth a try!

My final tip is in regards to dry summer hair. This tip came from an article on the Woman's Day magazine website. Use half a cup of honey (a natural humectant) on hair for 20 minutes. If hair is super dry add an egg yolk to the honey before applying. When you're ready to rinse add 1-2 Tbsps olive oil to ease the mix out of your hair. Rinse with warm water. Another tip which comes from myself & my mom, follow with a cool rinse (even after conditioning) it closes the cuticle on your hair locking in more moisture!

Summer & spring constantly have fun stuff to encounter & I hope these tips can help everyone have an even better time!!

My Palmolive Fresh Sponge Goodie Basket (via Influenster thanks to Colgate)

   Yay! So I received my goodie basket I earned doing the Palmolive Fresh Sponge challenge for Influenster!

Included in this delightful little entourage was a sweet little Palmolive pot holder! Love it! With my four boys cooking happens a lot & never can have too many of these!

Also was thrilled to see some Softsoap Pomengranate soap bars! Love the smell & cleans wonderously! Already us the body wash ;).  This is really a yummy smell! Really should give it a go!

And of course love the Softsoap Pampered Hands foaming hand wash! Got the "scentilating" Tangerine Treat!  The foam is rich, only needing one maybe two pumps. It cleans great and leaves your hands feeling silky & moisturized!

Finally but definitely not leastly, the Colgate Optic White toothpaste! I am uber excited to try this out & will do a review after using it for about 2 weeks. I will have pics & all and let you lovely people in on just how optic it is!

So that sums up my "uuuhhh-Mazzzing" (of course done in a lovely sing song voice!) goodie rewards! Great products & fun testing!
Hope you enjoyed my quick take on these products! The Mom Voxbox is on its way & I'll have more Influenster reviews to come soon!!! Oh & some craft blogs too!
DISCLAIMER: THESE PRODUCTS WERE COMPLIMENTARY & EARNED BY BEING AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE INFLUENSTER COMMUNITY. I HAVE RECEIVED NO MONETARY OR OTHER COMPENSATION FOR MY TIME OR OPINIONS FROM INFLUENSTER OR ANY OF THE BRANDS. MY OPINIONS ARE UNBIASED AND SOLELY MY OWN!

Mom Voxbox Here I come!!

   This is one happy chic right here! I qulaified to test an Influenster Mom Voxbox!  Very soon I will have great new Influenster voxbox products to chat about!
    We, the Influenster community, recently had a twitter party to discuss the upcoming Mom Voxbox. We got various clues as to what we'd be fortunate enough to test. I must say that as a mommy to 4 wonderous lil' boys (ages spanning from 1 yr to 8 yrs), I am uber excited about the organizational tool that was hinted at!! After all life can be chaos at any time, add kiddos to the mix & well... ha ha you can imagine!
    I'm sure all the goodies will be as wonderous as I have experienced with past voxboxes. This will be my fourth voxbox & I can honestly say I have not tested a single product that was a total flop. Some haven't been my thing but they've all been good products.
    Keep an eye out on my blog for the upcoming reviews! Plus I'm going to possibly do a giveaway soon!! Being my first and all, it will probably be completely unsponsered but hey still awesome free stuff!!
    Oh and check out the Influenster Facebook page!

UPDATE: THE BOX WILL NOT HAVE AN ORGANIZATIONAL TOOL BUT A BEVERAGE, MANICURE, SOAP, SNACK, SWEETNER, & ORAL CARE PRODUCT TO TEST!

DISCLAIMER-CHECK IT OUT: And as always I have been chosen to test these COMPLIMENTARY products by being an active Influenster Community member! No monetary or other payment has been given or offered to me by Influenster or the brands I've tested!!

Been a Long Hard Road.

   So its been a while since I blogged :-(. Have some new products to talk about soon. I just have not had the heart to blog much lately. My life has been pretty rough as of late.
    On March 2nd of this year our community was hit by a tornado. It hit my mom & dads home (their were 15 of us jammed into a hallway about 4 ft wide & 6ft long), 2 of my uncles homes & a cousin, (all 3 homes next to my parents' home), &  an aunt & uncles home a few miles east of my parents home. They unfortunately lost their lives to the unmatched chaos. My parents home thankfully only had some damage but still livable. My 2 uncles & my cousin lost everything they had but by the grace of God we kept our lives. 
    Before we could even begin to recoup, my moms year long battle against small cell lung cancer took a turn for the worse as my dads health did too. Its a situation that still brings pain to my heart, tears to my eyes, & a sense of love knowing that our family was there for one another like we were.
    My parents are such an important part of me as a whole & they mean more to me than I can express.
     At the end of March both my parents were hospitalized. A few days later, exactly one month after the tornado, my mom lost her battle with cancer. Goodness to write those words still tears at my heart.  I'm not quite ready to talk in depth about my sorrow or my grieving process. I will leave it at this: my heart is a thousand pieces & I've yet to figure out how to put even a couple back together.
    So this is a portion of what's kept me from my take on this & that. I'm working back into it & hope to have several new posts soon.
   :-)

Kiss Nail Dress Review!

   Ah the wonderful world of nails!! In my complimentary  love voxbox from Influenster I was able to test out the Kiss Nail Dress stickers. I have tested an older version of these & liked them a lot. These were definitely no dissappointment!

   Besides the obvious no dry time, these are quite easy to apply if you just have a little patience. For a full set it can take me about 6-8 minutes from start to finish.  I always start by washing & drying my hand thoroughly. I then use rubbing alcohol to clean my nails. I allow that to dry while selecting my sizes (if I'm doing a full set). Then I remove the sizes one by one, applying each & trimming away the excess before going to the next.
   I find it easier to apply them in the center first, rolling to the right then left. After they are on I will press on my nail firmly & hold for about 15 seconds. Then I either use cuticle scissors to trim away excess of the filing method given in the instructions. Which way I use really depends on what my intentions are for the scraps. After I've applied them I wait for about an hour before I get my hands wet or in any oily/lotion like substances.

   I have gotten 5 days wear out of the stickers on my nails & three weeks as an accent on my big toe. I rarely leave my nails the same for longer than 5 days so the durability is just fine for me. And the variety of styles is awesome. They're great to mix & match too.

  With 18 designs to choose from, there's something for everyone! Each packet includes 28 strips, a small nail file, & a leaflet of creative designs to copy or inspire you!

You can purchase these at most drugstores such as Walgreens, CVS & at your local Wal-mart. Disclaimor: I received these complimentary nail products from Influenster.com. I have not & will not be compensated for my time or opinion by either company whether it be monetary or otherwise. My opinions are solely mine based on my own experience testing this product!

Gillette Venus & Olay Razor Review

     I have truly enjoyed being part of the Influenster community since joining last summer. I have been introduced to many awesome products. 

    I'm no stranger to Gillette Venus, so I was so ready to test the not-sold-in-stores-yet Venus & Olay razor.   This 5 blade, dual shave cream bar razor offers so many pros. It has the expected sharpness of a Gillette razor and the rich moisturizing properties I've come to love from Olay. 

The head is flexible to contour to all the right places.  It contains some of the key ingredients from Olay to help lock in moisture & give you that goddess glow! 

   I've used my Gillette Venus & Olay razor for a couple weeks now & am still lovin' my goddess skin! Can't wait for the refills to be sold in stores so I can stock up!!


Check out the Influenster Facebook page here. Like them for awesome product news & links to other freat reviews from other awesome Influensters!


Plus check out the Gillette Venus Facebook page here. Like it for product news & more!




Disclaimor: I was fortunate to test this complimentary product by being an active member in the Influenster community! I have not nor will I receive any payment, monetary or otherwise, from either company for testing this nor for my reviews!