SALE ALERT **** If you e-mail me within the next 24 hours with an order at merrelincandleco@hotmail.com AND mention that you found me in the Buy Michigan Now Holiday Gift Giving Guide, I will give you FREE SHIPPING and 10% off of your ENTIRE PURCHASE! Check my website for my scents, sizes, and prices!
The #ShopSmall Movement is in full force across the US and I can see why! When you shop at your local small businesses you are putting money back into the pockets of your friends, acquaintances, and your community. With the devastation of the economy as a whole, I feel it is VERY important to start right outside your door.
I am a small business owner in a small community so I see first hand the effects of shopping small and local. I make my own natural soy candles and sell them out of a cute boutique called The Great Lakes Artisan Village. This store houses crafters and artists whose products are made in Michigan. It is a great venue and I am thankful to be a part of it. Pretty much all of my customers live locally or within 50 miles of the store location. I also run a website but see most of my traffic and purchases through the store. I have a family to support and when people purchase my products they are helping me pay my bills and buy my children necessities.
Another great reason to shop small is that the customer service is always nothing short of amazing! You are not dealing with a huge corporation where, if you are unsatisfied, who cares? because they have a million other customers who will still buy from them. Local small business owners are the heart and soul of great business practices. Support them. Without small businesses the options to buy would be limited. Where would you be able to go to find an eclectic piece of furniture or a hand crafted petoskey stone candle holder?
I am a member of Klout.com and they sent me a $25 American Express gift card to use on Small Business Saturday to shop small and I will be. Right at the store that houses my candles and probably their sister store, The Great Lakes Marketplace (all Michigan made food products!) as well. I am lucky to live in a small town that has a lot of cool stores. But these types of small businesses are everywhere.
So, please take this to heart and SUPPORT YOUR SMALL BUSINESSES this Saturday November 26, 2011. Black Friday ain't got nothing on us! We are the new movement and we are the people who are going to turn this economy around.
Visit the #ShopSmall Facebook page for a lot of great information. They have a search area where you can plug in your zip code and find small businesses in your area as well as small business owner tools/logos.
You can check out MY small business website to see the amazing candles I offer too. Every little bit helps :-)
What are some of YOUR favorite small businesses? Do you own your own business? I would love to hear about it!
I recently wrote a post about my Cosmo VoxBox that I received through Influenster.com. One of the products that came in it was Vitabath Body Wash from the NEW Fragrance Collection. The particular kind I received was called "Spa Day™" and had a Cucumber and White Tea Scent. I have already spoken of the benefits of this body wash but just wanted to re-visit and talk a little more about it now that I have used it for a few weeks.
I absolutely LOVE this body wash. It smells so clean and refreshing. It lathers well and is sudsy on my skin. It rinses clean and leaves my skin feeling soft and refreshed.
Plus, the Vitabath collection is sulfate and paraben free. It contains vitamins A, B3, B5, C, and E. It has an antioxidant Rich Superfruit Blend of Acai, Goji, Coffee Fruit, Noni, Pomegranate, Green Tea & Mangosteen. It contains NO petro-chemicals or triclosan. AND it is free of propylene glycol, DEA, TEA, mineral oils and silicone. Did I mention it smells wonderful? Oh yeah, I did.
I am planning on trying some of the other scents like Spa Day Citron Leaves with Lemongrass Extract, In Bloom Asian Orchid and Coconut, Fruit Fanatic Grapefruit Vanilla, and Cupcake Couture Dreamy Pin Frosting. This is only a small selection of the scents available. You can purchase them online for $9.99 each which is WELL worth the price. Believe me, I have tried many many different body washes from the cheapest to the most expensive and the Vitabath Body Wash beats out the competition by leaps and bounds.
I plan on purchasing a few as Christmas gifts/stocking stuffers for my mother and sister. Unless I decide to keep them all for myself ;-)
Also, check out my video review and let me know what you think! I am still a video newbie but I think my videos are improving!
Have you tried Vitabath before? What do you think of it? Or, if you plan to try it, what products do you intend to purchase?
DISCLAIMER: I was sent one Vitabath Body wash in my Influenster Cosmo VoxBox to try out. All of the opinions are that of MY OWN mind.
I love blog hops! Join in on this one :-) This is re posted from my lady over at Frugal Experiments. So be sure to check out her blog as well and show her some hop love!
DISCLAIMER: THIS POST IS INTENDED FOR THOSE OF 18 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER. ALSO, THIS POST CONTAINS ADULT MATERIAL. IF THIS IS IN ANY WAY OFFENSIVE TO YOU - DO NOT READ IT! Enjoy my other PG rated posts. Thanks :-)
Yes, I said love affair. And yes, with toilet paper. I have been a loyal consumer of Scott Toilet Paper for over ten years now. I used to be a "cushy ripples" type of girl. Really, i just liked to say "cushy ripples". And it was soft too. When I moved in with my dad at the age of 19 I had to "settle" for his one ply Scott. At first I was disappointed. I liked the softer thicker toilet paper. As a woman, it only makes sense to want to use something soft. But after becoming accustomed to Scott Toilet Paper I knew I would never switch again.
What makes Scott so great? Well, I speak of "soft" toilet paper - make no mistake - Scott is not rough. It is not super soft either. What I like about it is the fact that it doesn't create little dust pieces and break off.
Another great use I have found for Scott is wiping the excess mascara off of my brush. I despise clumpy lashes and when I tried using other toilet papers to wipe my brush i would end up with dust particles. Ugh. Not with Scott! A nice clean sweep of my brush and I have amazingly separated lashes. Also, Scott lasts forever! There are 1000 sheets per roll. Any other brand of toilet paper would last a day in my house. Scott will last at least three to four days.
Scott Toilet Paper is also competitively priced. It runs around 43.50 - $4.00 for a four pack and sometimes stores like Rite Aid will have a "Buy One Get One Free" sale and I always stock up. One thing though, I wish they had more coupons available. I always see coupons for "Extra Soft" but not for the regular kind. I e-mailed the company once and they sent me a few dollar off coupons so that was cool.
I also use Scott Toilet Paper to wipe any excess make up off from under my eyes. I just wet it a little and gently wipe. Again, no dusty particles are left on my face and Scott is pretty durable so it doesn't rip as easily as other brands. Scott Toilet Paper also works great to blot shine off of my face and excess foundation or powder. I also use it to do a quick wipe down on my toilet seat and sink when I am getting ready in my bathroom.
I love to try new brands and products and get excited when I find "the next best thing" but I can honestly say that I have not found a better toilet paper than Scott Toilet Paper. The only time I don't buy it is when I am broke and have to pick up the dollar store brand. Though...I must say that I can pay $3.00 for 12 rolls of that and the Scott will still last longer. I learned that from experience.
Also, Scott participates in Box Tops for Education and I save them for my daughter's school :-)
So ladies, if you are looking for a great toilet paper that can also help you on the makeup front, choose Scott!
Good times! I am so busy this weekend since my daughter had surgery today and is at the hospital! But I couldn't resist joining a few blog hops :-) Check it out and add your own info!
I will admit it, I do not even own a Keurig Brewer. But I am so IN LOVE with it. I even subscribe to the newsletters and follow them on Facebook and Twitter! Why, you ask? What is there NOT to love???
First of all, Keurig uses individual K-Cups to brew your drink - which means FRESH great tasting coffee EVERY time! And the Keurig is not just limited to coffee (though I am quite the coffee addict as well). You can brew Hot Tea (like my favorite tea - Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime® Herbal Tea), Hot Apple Cider (Yum!), and Hot Chocolate. You can also use the hot water to make oatmeal and Ramen Noodles :-)
Second, The Keurig Brewers look sharp! There are so many different models to choose from and they have a price range from $79.95 to $249.95 depending on your budget. Here are a couple that I REALLY like:
The Cuisinart is my FIRST choice!
The Platinum Brewing System is my second choice.
I drink coffee everyday and can barely crawl out of bed in the morning without drinking a cup of coffee first. I am a busy woman. I run my own small business, blog (almost full time these days), have a household to run, and have two children - one of which is in school. So it is always go go go for me from the early morning when I wake up until the late night when I fall asleep. Sometimes I just nuke my coffee from the day before because I don't have the time or energy in the morning to make a pot. Keurig would solve that. Just put some water in the reservoir, pop a K-Cup in, and let the coffee brew. A lot of the brewers also have different settings so the coffee can be made based on strength preferences. I would drink coffee in the morning and tea at night. Busy moms around the world should rejoice for such a great contraption :-)
And there are so many different flavors of coffee to choose from. It is ridiculous. I have seen the selection at stores like WalMart and Kohl's. It is decent. But the selection online is absolutely AMAZING! They have the Green Mountain Pumpkin Spice, Glorias Jeans Butter Toffee, Timothy's® Cinnamon Pastry, and those are just a VERY select few of the flavors carried. Plus Keurig now also has Starbuck's K-Cups! Of course, if you drink coffee as much as I do, then the K-Cups can get expensive. But that is easily resolved if you buy a reusable K-Cup. Then you can just put your own coffee in. I would still want to buy the K-Cups just because of the variety of flavors.
So, the Keurig is on my Christmas Wish List (It has actually been on my wishlist for a couple of Christmas's). I have K-Cups that I purchased because I have a couple of friends who own Keurigs so when I go to their homes I bring along my K-Cups and use their Keurig. Whatever, LOL. Someday, I will own a Keurig ALL FOR MYSELF. Sigh, Hopefully sooner than later! I just recently started my own business and I know that when I make my first profit that doesn't have to go towards household expenses it will be going towards a Keurig.Coffee + Tea + Keurig + Me = ECSTACY =D
It is just the little things that can make all of the difference.
Do you own a Keurig? Well, you can rub it in my face and comment here by telling me what you love about your Keurig or what model you selected and why.
Also, like Keurig on Facebook. You never know when they might run a Facebook only promo!
FYI - I was not compensated for this post. Keurig did say they would send me a box of K-Cups if I wanted to do a review but I did this review completely on my own because I love the Keurig brewer. All of these opinions expressed are that of my own. Thank you.
Melissa & Doug want you to tell them which of their educational toys you think is the best!
Just click on the image below to place your vote in the North "Poll!"
You'll Get a Melissa & Doug 25% Off Coupon** to use at MelissaAndDoug.com just for voting!
This is a GREAT deal. Melissa & Doug toys are TOP OF THE LINE! Both of my daughters play with them regularly. MY favorite Toy is the "Butterfly Treasure Box Peel & Press Sticker by Numbers". How cute is that? My daughter will LOVE this! She loves butterflies and stickers, plus it has educational value by teaching her creativity and discipline. I also like the Magnetic Responsibility Chart. She is 7 1/2 now and we have been introducing chores to her and this looks like a fun way to engage her in chores without her feeling like she is doing a chore!
As a member of BzzAgent, I was sent a couple of products from the Burt's Bees Natural Skin Solutions for Sensitive Skin Line. I really like Burt's Bees products overall and was pleased whe I opened my BzzBox and it contained a FULL SIZE Sensitive Daily Facial Cleanser and a Sensitive Daily Moisturizing Cream. My skin is becoming especially sensitive with winter looming and the weather change.
I was pretty excited to try these products and see how they worked on my skin. It has been a couple of months now since I have received them so I can really give a full review of how well I think they work.
First, the Facial Cleanser:
I have combination skin leaning towards the oily side. My t-zone gets pretty oily and I have larger than normal pores so it is important that I keep my skin clean. I have to watch what products I use on my face because I tend to break out easily with the wrong product. What I like about the facial cleanser is that it contains a "softening cotton extract" and that just sounds neat. It falls right in line with what I feel the Burt's Bees brand stands for - all natural products. Unfortunately, I really did not care much for the cleanser. I did not feel that it cleaned my skin well enough and I still had residue left around my nose. I will also say that I have YET to find a facial cleanser that gets rid of the gunk around my nose (stupid pores!). On the plus side, the facial cleanser did not make me break out and it was very gentle, maybe a bit too gentle for my skin. I also would have preferred more of a lather type cleanser whereas this was a lotion based feeling cleanser. I did use it for a couple of weeks but it just was not what I needed in a facial cleanser.
Now, the Facial Moisturizer:
While I am not too hip on the facial cleanser, I absolutely LOVE the Sensitive Daily Moisturizing Cream. It has worked very well with my skin. As I stated earlier, the weather is changing here in Michigan. It is getting colder, the air is crisp and dry, and the wind has been brutal lately. My poor skin has been through a lot! I like this moisturizer because it leaves my skin feeling fresh and plump after I apply. It doesn't have a greasiness to it and it doesn't leave my face looking shiny and greasy. And, since my skin is on the oily side, i really need a moisturizer that can do this. Some that I have tried leave me looking like I haven't even washed! this moisturizer has also helped prevent against dry spots on my face that I sometimes get - around my lips and between my eyebrows. The moisturizer also contains the cotton extract (awesome!). I would definitely recommend it to a friend. For any skin type really. It retails for $15.00 in store and you can also purchase online through the Burt's Bees website.
Another great resource on the Burt's Bees website is the Sensitive Skin Guide which talks a little bit about sensitive skin, how to figure out if you have it, and how to take care of it.
Overall though, I just love Burt's Bees. The Sensitive Skin Line is 99% Natural Ingredients and is fragrance free and hypo-allergenic. Right now if you purchase online you can score a $2.00 off coupon too. Love coupons! I was actually sent moisturizer samples and coupons to hand out to friends, family...whoever and received a great response to the moisturizer. And the coupons, of course! I still have coupons available too. If you would like me to mail you one please message me at amlaurie@hotmail.com and I will send you a $1.00 off coupon!
And lastly, I want to give props to Burt's Bees in general. They are an awesome company. They are very eco-conscious and environmentally friendly. NONE of their products contains chemicals and synthetic ingredients like phthalates, parabens, and sodium laurel sulfate. They do not test on animals and they are advocated for preserving honey bee health! I believe it is important to support and invest in companies that return the goodwill back to the earth and its consumers. Read all about their beliefs and practices HERE.
Thanks to Bzzagent.com for choosing me to try out these products and the Burt's Bees for choosing BzzAgent to do this campaign!
Find Burt's Bees on Facebook and tell them what YOU think!
Well, I love to cook. I do it often and I do it well (not to toot my own horn or anything). I have so many cooking magazines but lately just haven't tried any new recipes or experimented much. I haven't had the time! So tonight I came up with this wonderfully delicious recipe and I just had to share it! Now, I will call my recipes "nontraditional" because I do not have a set amount for adding ingredients. I will try to make it as simple as possible though. (This is an EASY TO PREPARE recipe).
Cheesy Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Bake
Ingredients:
Johnsonville Chicken Sausage ( I used the kind with cheese, red bell peppers, and garlic) Use the whole package of four (4). If you like more meat, use more!
One Jar of spaghetti sauce ( I used Prego Garlic and Parmesan Cheese but you can use whatever you like)
1/2 Large Onion - diced
1/2 of EACH diced- Red, yellow, and orange bell pepper
Bouquet Garni Seasoning - about 1 tsp. (OR use savory, rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, dill weed, marjoram, sage, and tarragon)
Spoonful scoop of chopped or minced garlic (OR fresh finely chopped)
1/2 box thin spaghetti noodles
Shredded Colby Jack and Italian Cheese (as much as needed to cover the top)
Parmesan Cheese - about 1/8 cup or so to spread on top of cheese before you bake it
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook spaghetti noodles according to directions on box. Cut sausage into bite sized pieces and fry in a pan with a splash of olive oil on medium heat. After the sausage has cooked alone for about five (5) minutes, add the diced vegetables, garlic, and seasonings. Cook over medium heat to soften veggies and brown sausage a little. Add spaghetti sauce and stir occasionally until warm.
When spaghetti noodles are done, drain them and add to sauce mixture Stir well and scoop into 13 by 9 baking pan. I used a glass Pyrex pan. Sprinkle cheese over top and bake for 30 minutes. By then the cheese should be a nice golden brown color and it will be ready to eat!
If you try this recipe, let me know what you think and if you added/changed anything!
I am really busy today and just don't have the time to write much! I am making candles for an event in my town tomorrow and want to have a good supply in stock. Plus, I am doing a gift basket give away and am running a little behind. The little girl I was babysitting today was sicky so I had to tend to her more than usual. Late night! But it is well worth it. I can only sell as many candles as I make :-) It doesn't feel like work, I enjoy it (much better than working a low paying job 40 hours a week). Now if I can start making some money.....which hopefully soon will come. So, I am just posting a picture of my candles :-) Or two!
Sharing Smiley360 Mission: I signed up for Smiley360! http://smiley360.com *Please remember the FTC requires you to mention that you received a free sample courtesy of Smiley360 when sharing.
I decided to use the writing prompt for today's NaBloPoMo and kind of debated (and am STILL debating) whether or not this is a topic I want to write about. The writing prompt of the day is "Has anything traumatic ever happened to you?" I am sure many things in my life have traumatized me in some way or another. The stupid boy in high school who cheated on me or maybe even my parent's divorce. But none of those thoughts popped into my head when I read that question.
Just reading the question makes my heart sink a little and my stomach turn into knots. Because I see the first thing that comes to mind and it is, to date, the most awful-painful-almost unbearable sometimes-life changing event-life shattering event...And it still can make me cry at the drop of a hat. In fact, just sitting here thinking about it, but not really thinking about it has a few tears forming inside of my saddened eyes. In fact, I have thought many times of writing on this and just could never bring myself to do it.
So, can I do it now? When prompted by some random website that is telling me to write about it? I will try. In a nutshell at least. I probably could write a short book with all of the lucid memories I keep inside but for this post I want to keep it short. We always think "it will never happen to me" about awful events like a car accident, AIDS, homelessness....Well This is one tragedy that I thought would NEVER happen to me.
I lost my son. My beautiful baby boy Kellaen. I lost him before I even knew him. But he was here with me for a short period of time. He spent almost eight months growing inside of me - kicking, jabbing, squirming. He spent another month outside of me - doing nothing that a baby should do.
I went into into early labor at 35 1/2 weeks. There were no signs of distress before the fact and up until he actually came out of my body we had no idea that anything was even wrong. It was awful. 2:00 in the morning and I was having the worst contractions ever and started to bleed. I had to wake up my boyfriend and tell him. He said, "Just go back to sleep." I said, "No, we HAVE to go to the hospital." we awoke our (then) five year old daughter and went to the hospital. My son was born at 5:30 (ish) that same morning on June 6, 2009. He was not breathing. I didn't even know what to do. I just remember looking at my boyfriend with probably the most scared look. Our daughter just sat there watching everything. They whisked my baby away and intubated him. And he was breathing. Then they took him from the room and we did not hear anything for a good few hours. They said he had suffered brain damage but could not give us any more details and he was going to be taken to another local hospital with a NICU unit. I couldn't even hold him but they did bring him into my room in his incubator before they transported him An initial MRI showed some serious brain damage but the doctors said that we would have to take it day by day and see how he/or if he would improve. He was diagnosed with neonatal encephalopathy. They had no reason for the cause or when it happened or anything. But we had hope. No answers to all of our questions, no peace to our agitated minds, but we did have hope. Funny thing with hope...Sometimes when you feel like giving up, something happens to keep you going. Our son was only alive for a month and I felt this way almost every day. As each day passed and there were no improvements I would lose a little more hope. He had no reflexes. He could not swallow and had a NG tube down his nose to feed him. I pumped breast milk everyday for him to have. I did get to hold him a few times but he was hooked to so many tubes and I was always worried that I would hurt him. He looked so fragile at his weight of 5 pounds 5 ounces.
As the days passed he just seemed to get a little worse. It came to a point where he had to constantly be suctioned to stop him from choking on his own spit. They had to "bag him" once. I was not there to see it and I am glad. But we kept on with hope that some miracle would occur. You hear stories of babies who are on death's door and make these amazing recoveries and I always hoped it would be mine.
We were faced with some very painful decisions. Try what we can to keep him alive knowing his quality of life would never be anything? Take him home to pass with us in privacy? Just walk away and never look back? You would be surprised how many little babies were in that NICU without anybody visiting.
About 3 1/2 weeks after he was born we decided to go through with a surgery to put a feeding tube in his stomach to help him eat. He was transferred from out local hospital to U of M children's Hospital (the most wonderful place ever, even in that desolate time). It was there that they gave him a second MRI and the results were not good. The doctor told us that the brain basically ate away at all of the dead tissue and showed us the picture of his scan. There were big black holes all over in his brain. And here is this doctor, along with the residents and nurses, everybody just staring at us - like they are gauging our reaction. I just cried and cried. There was no hope anymore.
It is just the worst feeling to be so helpless and not able to protect your child from something so destructive. I can't even count how many times I heard a doctor, nurse, friend, family member, total stranger say "don't blame yourself".
So, we were given a private room and they unhooked all of his tubes and gave him some morphine so he wouldn't be so "air hungry" as they put it. They did keep his nose breathing tube in with an oxygen tank. And we layed in a bed with him for a few hours, just loving him the best we could. Then the dreaded moment came. I looked down at him and then looked over to my boyfriend and said, "I don't think he is breathing." And he put his head down on our son's chest and looked at me and he didn't have to say a word. I already knew. It was then that I picked him up and held him with the vigor I had wanted to all along and cried. And held him until I knew I had to let him go. My son had heard me weep many times but I never heard it back from him.
In a sense, I felt relieved. He was no longer suffering. The fight was over. But so were all of the dreams. What was once normal never was again. Life has become a new normal. He passed away on 7-10-2010. Ironically, that was my due date. We had him cremated and I still have his ashes. Someday I would like to spread them somewhere beautiful - as beautiful as he was to me.
We dedicated "Let it Be" by The Beatles in our son's honor. It just seemed so fitting.It has been a hard recovery and I don't think it is something I will ever get over. But I have learned to accept it for what it is and not dwell on any what if's.
I delivered my **rainbow** baby girl in October of 2010. She was healthy and beautiful (and still is!!). I really appreciate everything more this time around because of the loss I experienced. We also had our oldest daughter (now seven) attend the most recent birth to show her that not all babies are born sick and not all babies die. It was really hard on her and still is. She saw things that no child should see but we are very open with her. Anytime she wants to talk about it, I am there to listen. And she is a wonderful big sister. So helpful!!
I hope that in writing this I can help others out there who have been through what I have. Whether it be a miscarriage, a stillborn, a childhood death or later....a mother's love is still the same.
Childless people rejoice because last Saturday night not only did they get an extra hour at the bar (hurrah!) but they probably got to sleep in as well. Yeah. Not me. I just got woken up an hour EARLIER by my seven year old daughter. On a Sunday. Bah. I love my children. They are the light of my life and I could not imagine life without them. It is funny because I spent 24 years without any and had the time of my life - young, carefree, no added responsibilities.....But now as I look back it feels like my girls have always been in my life or like the life I had before children was just a dream.
Speaking of dreams...when I fall asleep at night I like to lull off to sweet dreams of great things happening. Like traveling to Greece or being hired in at a spectacular company and making a ton of cash. Now that I have children, they are always in my dreams too. But if I am out somewhere they are being babysat. I mean, I can't even dream or fantasize without my children being accounted for.
And even in my early morning tired bitchy (yes, I am not nice when I am woken up or when I wake up) state, I still absolutely adore my girls. I think that the love of a parent is the greatest most unconditional love I will ever have.
I am constantly amazed at how quickly they both learn and grow. Just today my one year old was playing with this toy she has. It is a mirror and plays music and lights up. She had her face right to the mirror, the lights were flashing, and she was cracking up at herself. It was just the funniest thing ever to her. Aah, to have that simple innocence again. So today is a late night thankful post for my NaBloPoMo. Love my kids <3
Do you have children? What are some of your favorite moments to share? I would love to hear them.
Have I mentioned how much I love sites that send me stuff to review? Who wouldn't? It really is a win-win. I love stuff (especially BEAUTY products!), I love to write, and I love to share my opinions with who ever will listen (LOL). And the brands get the best type of advertising possible - Word of Mouth.
I just recently signed up for this great website called Influenster.com and shortly after I signed up I was selected to receive a Cosmo VoxBox to try out. In your Influenster profile you can select up to five different badges that describe who you are as a person. Influesnter describes the Cosmo badge as:
"Life is a mix of career, parties, dinners and hanging with friends in the city".
Sounds good to me! The VoxBox is a package of goodies you get sent based on a particular badge. And let me tell you, this VoxBox is awesome!!!
So, I get to try out these products and tell you what I think! Here is what my kit included (I know you can tell from the picture, but I am going to give you a written description):
Vitabath Body Wash in Cucumber & White Tea Scent - Well first off, this smells wonderful. Clean and crisp. Perfect for this cold weather because it reminds me of summer. And it works great. You do not need a lot of soap to get a good lather. I love lather and sometimes use shampoo as body wash to have the rich lather. It really adds an extra umph to my daily shower. And you can use it as a bubble bath if you want! Another great selling point on the Vitabath Body Wash is that it is SULFATE and PARABEN FREE. Thank you! It also contains moisturizing ingredients like Vitamins A, B3, B5, C, and E. (It's like an alphabet train lathering up your body, uh-huh). My skin feels nice and clean and soft after washing with it. It retails for $9.99 which is a little on the pricey side but I believe it is WELL worth it. If you buy directly from the website you get FREE SHIPPING on orders of $50 or more. These would make great Christmas gifts or stocking stuffers.
Venus Pro Skin Moisture Rich Razor - This razor is pretty neat. I will first off say that I am partial to a certain razor. I have tried many many many many razors and since I found the one I use currently, I have not switched. So, I was skeptical of the claims of this razor (since I have tried so many others that never seemed to meet my expectations). But, alas, I was pleasantly surprised. I was first thinking that because the razor only has three blades I might not get the close smooth shave I am looking for but it did give me a smooth touchable leg. The Venus Pro Skin Moisture Rich Razor also has shave gel bars with body butter to help the razor glide along your leg (or arm or elsewhere). And it works. It helps moisturize and prevents the razor from feeling harsh on the skin or cutting it. The razor head itself looked a little bulky but was very maneuverable on my legs. I have only used it once as of now so my only other question with the razor is how the body butter gel bars hold up after a couple of shaves. I hope that I can get at least three to four shaves out of this razor. So far so good, I like it! I think I saw a coupon in the paper for it too and for refills which helps with the cost. I personally feel razors are too expensive these days but the price of this razor (about $9.79 for the razor itself and $11-$17 for refills - depending on package size) is comparable with other razors of this quality. And with the holidays coming up, you might even be able to score it in a gift package.
Proactiv® 3-Step System - This came at the perfect time. Months ago I spent a ridiculous amount of money (well, not THAT ridiculous but way more than my budget allowed) on some pricey face care products. Instead of making my skin look fresh and beautiful, they made my face break out! How disappointing. Especially since I shelled out over $150 for a face wash, mask, moisturizer, and aging serum. So....it isn't like I have perfect skin but it would look a lot better if my cleanser was doing it's job. I have combination skin and large pores. It is important for me to keep my skin well maintained and gunk free. I wear make up and all that good stuff so I need a face wash that is going to get all the debris off of my face. I have only been using the Proactiv® for three days now so i will give the results at a later time. It really takes a good month to see results and that is how much Proactive® I was sent. A 30 day system retails at $19.95 which is WAY cheaper than $150!!! Plus they always run promos and right now if you order you get a FREE gift! Included in the three step system is: Renewing Cleanser, Revitalizing Toner, and Repairing Treatment. It contains Benzoyl Peroxide as the acne treatment. I used to work in a pharmacy and my pharmacist told me that Benzoyl Peroxide is the BEST for acne. I hope it works!!! My only concern is that using the Repairing Treatment every day might dry out my face, especially since the weather is chilly now. It hasn't happened yet (but I do have a pretty good moisturizer).
Like what you see here? Sign up for yourself at Influenster.com. They also have a Facebook page (who doesn't?? Every smart business has a Facebook page!)
What do you think of these products? Have you tried any of them? I would love to hear your thoughts!
As a member of The She Speaks Blogger Society, I was selected to receive two 750 ml bottles of Torani Flavored Syrups to try out and review. I was already a huge fan of Torani before applying to this program so to be able to try some new flavors is just great! I have heard of Torani Flavored Syrups in the past but never really tried them until my mother bought me chocolate and caramel for Christmas last year. She uses them to make flavored coffee drinks and flavored hot chocolate drinks for the grand children. Now my whole family is hooked!
I received Peppermint Flavor and Sugar Free Brown Sugar Cinnamon to try. I am not a huge fan of peppermint though. I mean, I like it but it wouldn't be my first choice. It is a good thing that Torani has a recipe section on their website! They have some really great recipes for the Peppermint flavoring like Candy Cane Steamer and Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie. I now really need to invest in a milk steamer so I can accurately make these awesome sounding recipes!I am also thinking of ways that I could use the Peppermint syrup in food recipes. Maybe Peppermint Mocha Brownies or Peppermint Bark! When I come up with a mouth watering concoction I will post it on here to share!
The Sugar Free Brown Sugar Cinnamon was pretty good too. I ordinarily would not purchase anything sugar free because I do not like the taste of artificial sweetener but I added this to my coffee and it was smooth and yummy. My favorite recipe from the site was the Iced Sugar Brown Sugar Cinnamon White Mocha.Good stuff!
My whole Torani package!
I was also sent FIVE coupons for FREE Torani syrups to use for myself or share. I am using a couple for myself and giving my mom some since she was the person who originally turned me onto Torani Flavored Syrups! There are a few flavors I really want to try like Pumpkin Pie (which I already bought!) and Salted Caramel.
Oh the possibilities....All good drinks deserve Whipped Cream!
We also just ran out of Chocolate and Caramel flavoring. My daughter loves to make decaf instant coffee and use the syrups. I am hoping that I can find the Salted Caramel in store! But, if not, I can buy it directly from the website for only$7.95 for a 750ml bottle. I thought the syrups were more expensive than that but it was just a misconception. And I also have a 10% off code so that makes it even cheaper!
Torani Flavored Syrups have been around since 1925 and are still going strong. I think that is due to the high quality and great variety of flavors. They have over 120 flavors! I never knew until I looked at the website. Some of the flavors sound A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Like Bacon syrup. I do not know what I would do with it but I love bacon and just the thought of a bacon flavored syrup makes me hungry! They have some really unique flavors too like Hibiscus syrup and Cupcake syrup. Oh, the possibilities! I would buy them all if I could afford it!
Something else I noticed when I received my bottles is that they were both made in the USA. That makes me proud to buy and to drink them.
Made in the USA!
Torani also supports the community and has partnered with Afterschool Allianceand they promote children's artwork on their bottles! They also have sustainability practices in place and are consistent in their environmental actions.
Torani Flavored Syrups are good to use in a variety of drinks, not just coffee. They can be used to make Italian Sodas, Flavored Tea, and Sophisticated Cocktails. On the website you can use the product locator to find where Torani is sold in your area. Walmart sells them and you can purchase through Amazon.com as well. Bonus - It looks that if you purchase through Amazon.com, the Torani Flavored Syrups are eligible for FREE super saver shipping! Plus you can always purchase the flavored syrups directly from the Torani website.They also make chocolate, caramel, and white chocolate sauces. Yummmmmmy!
Show your love for Torani and join me and a whole bunch of other Torani lovers for a TWITTER PARTY on November 17, 2011 at 9:00pm. Use the hashtags #HolidayFlavors and #SSTorani to get in and keep up on the action! My twitter ID is @merrica30. I hope to see you there. If you have never been to a twitter party you should definitely come. They are fast paced and fun! Shespeaks.com will usually send out a link and all of the twitter party details as well as a chance to RSVP and a custom tweet grid. If you "like" them on Facebook you will have access to all of this information as well as other exciting programs that are launched.
Also, check out the reviews on Torani Flavored Syrups. See what other customers have to say! This way, if you are debating on which flavor to try, you can read these great reviews first before deciding!
If you have a minute, leave me a comment and tell me what your favorite Torani Flavors are. Or, if you have a great recipe that uses the Torani Flavored Syrups to share, please do! I love new recipes and experimenting with flavors!!! Thanks for reading :-)
I am a list person. I make a lot of lists with a lot of to-do's...And a lot of it never gets done. Well, it DOES get done, just not in the timely fashion I would like. Partly because of my procrastination (why do today what you can put off until tomorrow???) and partly because I just write down too much damn stuff to do! Seriously, I have set the expectations for 24 hours in a day way too high.
I am currently STILL finishing the list I wrote for LAST weekend. Yes, last weekend. But it is all good. I DO get the important things done, most of the time. So, I am working on a few short term goals for myself.
1. Write shorter lists. Very important! I am much more likely to get three to four items checked off a list than I am 20. A shorter to-do list will also leave me feeling less overwhelmed and more productive. And if I finish it and the day is still young, I can just do whatever I mentally know I need to do instead of creating another list. 2. Some things that I need to do do not need to be listed but I will write them down any ways. So, instead of adding these tasksto my list, I will just do them as they pop in my head....Like putting some clothes away or other (tedious) household duties...Maybe even a phone call i need to make.
3. Lower my expectations. I can get way more accomplished if I am not feeling like I can't meet my goals (so why even bother, right?) I don't mean that i am just going to say "F" it and not do anything. I think that I just need to slow it down and know that as long as I am working hard, I am doing good. Of course, I will never stop making lists for myself. They help me more than they hinder me. I like to see what type of day/week/month I have ahead of me and figure out the best and most efficient plan possible to accomplish all of my duties. I would probably forget to do 1/3 of the things I need to if i didn't have them written down. As a mother of two busy children, a small business owner, a blogger, and all of the other life activities I do it is a MUST for me to keep everything in order.
I am just working to be more efficient and less deficient. What about you? Are you a list person or do you strike while the iron is hot?
I was recently chosen for my **second** sample share with Crowdtap and the Old Navy Style Council. This time I was able to try out the NEW compression workout pants and top. I could not be more excited about this opportunity! Why, you ask? Well, I have a one year old daughter and even though I have lost my baby weight, I still need to tone up. I also purchased a gym membership via Living Social over the summer and have yet to redeem it. So when I was offered a chance a FREE workout clothes for myself and a friend - I jumped on it!
Yay! My coupons!
I do not own any cute work out attire and after I checked the Old Navy store online I was STOKED at the great selection of clothes to choose from. Unfortunately, the store I went to did not have as big of a stock so the clothing I originally wanted to purchase was not available. But, whatever, I still found something suitable. I actually had to have a sales rep take a shirt off of the mannequin for me to try on. I was glad it fit and I liked it! I would have felt bad since it took her a few minutes to pull the mannequin down and get the top off. Note that the tops are pretty tight, even on a mannequin.
My best friend went with me and she was excited too. I also chose her for my previous jeans sample share. Love my bestie!!!! We had a lot of fun trying on clothes and even picked up a few other clothing items on clearance!
The mannequin on the right was wearing the shirt that I wanted.
We tried on as many outfits as they had in our size. Again, I was a little bummed that the selection was not that great. There were a couple of cute tank tops but the sizes were large and extra large. And there were NO medium tops so I settled for a small. It fits a bit tight but not too tight.
An assortment of clothes to try on!
First Outfit!
I liked the first outfit I tried on but when I saw the pink top with black and pink pants I knew I wanted that instead.
The pants fit great!
My final selection!
Just being funny.
We had a lot of fun trying these clothes on and taking pictures. It was a great evening. After we scored our cute workout clothes we went back to my house, got ready, and went out to the bar to do song "working out" (DANCING!!) No, I did not wear the clothes out but I probably could have gotten away with it! The video cracks me up!
Well, as of yet, I STILL have not redeemed my gym membership but I do wear the compression pants almost EVERYDAY! They are so comfortable and I just feel sexy in them. They fit like a second skin. So thank you so much Crowdtap and Old Navy! I absolutely LOVE opportunities like these!
Do you want to have the chance to apply for your OWN sample share and be a part of Crowdtap and the Old Navy Style Council? Apply right here and join for yourself! And, if you are a fellow Crowdtapper and you had this opportunity too, leave me a comment and let me know what you thought of YOUR sample share!
