LOTD #73 and Planning a Planner

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Rose ($22.50 at Sephora)

 

Rose was the first tinted Sugar balm that Fresh released, and it's definitely the least pigmented off all the ones I have. There's enough color that I wouldn't pass this one to my husband to use, but not enough for me to wear out and about.

 

Speaking of pigmentation, I thought I'd show some swatches of the other four I have. Berry and Cherry are definitely the most pigmented.

 



Left to Right......Plum, Berry, Passion, Cherry

 

Planner?

 

2 years ago  I joined in with the rest of the blogging world and ordered an Erin Condren planner. I loved it!

 

 

For 2013 I wanted something different, so I ordered a shimmering pink folio cover and spiral planner from Mom Agenda during a fabulous sale. (Loved that too!)

 

So now I'm deciding what to get for 2014..... the Erin Condren is $50, and a refill for the Mom Agenda folio cover is $24.....

 

Thoughts?

LOTD #72 and #StickWithIt

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Passion ($22.50 at Sephora)

I really like Cherry better than Passion. Much like how Berry was what I wanted Plum to be, Cherry is what I wanted Passion to be. Still, all these have a place in the stash because I love the scent and feel.



#StickWithIt

I am currently in Week 4 of an online bible study with Melissa Taylor on Lysa TerKeurst's What Happens When Women Say Yes to God: Experiencing Life in Extraordinary Ways. It is AMAZING.

 

Melissa has provided us with some great hashtags to concentrate on and use each week, and this week's is #StickWithIt. Melissa talked about how sometimes in the middle of something, the excitement wears off and you start to lose focus.

 

But I've got to tell you, I am having no trouble sticking with this study! This study has been pretty much life-changing for me and I absolutely love all the features they have built in for us- daily emails, a study blog, videos to watch, and conference calls. I subscribed to the conference call package, and those calls have really kept me going. My favorites are the Prayer & Encouragement calls- they are usually just what I need to hear to get through the week.

 

I am looking forward to doing more Online Bible Studies with Proverbs 31.

LOTD #71 and American Girl Paper Shaper

 Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Plum ($22.50 at Sephora)

Fresh Plum reminds me so much of Clinique Black Honey! However, I do love the smell and texture of Fresh Plum so much better. When this came out, I did want this to be a little darker, but then Berry was released and fit that bill, so there's still a place in my stash for this one.

 

American Girl Paper Shaper

 

Following a chorus of "I'm Bored!" the other night, I went hunting in our playroom for something fun to do that didn't involve electronics. You know, old-fashioned fun!

I found this American Girl Paper Shaper Chic Boutique book that WC received for either Christmas or her birthday (with them only being a week or so apart, it's hard to recall!).

 

Get ready to create specialty shops of your very own! Inside this book, you'll find mini-clothing, accessories, and furniture waiting to be folded and displayed in two 3-D pullout boutique scenes. Each shop and boutique piece is fun to assemble and set up, and they make darling desk displays or great little gifts for friends and family. All you need is a glue stick--everything else is included!

We have had the best time the last two evenings working on this. At 7.5, she can do most of it herself, but I step in from time to time when she's confused. It's just darling and I'm sure well work on it again tonight.

LOTD #70 and Magic Jinn

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Cherry ($22.50 at Sephora) 

Every time Fresh comes out with a new shade, I'm sure to buy it. They must know this! I have all of them except the Honey and love them all. The most pigmented are Berry and this newest shade, Cherry. Although they aren't long-wearing, the way they feel on the lips is just divine.

When we took our vacay to CO a few weeks ago, all of our lips got terribly chapped while hiking and I was so glad to have the original formula in my purse- the citrus scent is so nice and the whole family used it to give some relief to our lips.

Magic Jinn!

BzzAgent sent us a Magic Jinn to try and we opened it this weekend and it is so cute!

Whether your child’s favorite animal is the family puppy or they’re fascinated by exotic cheetahs, it won’t be long until they’re amazed to realize Magic Jinn can figure out what animal is on their mind. All your little one has to do is pick an animal, any animal, and answer a series of questions with either YES, NO, I DON’T KNOW or IT DEPENDS, and before they know it Magic Jinn will guess what they’re thinking of!

The funniest part is Jinn has a British accent and a pretty good sense of humor. One of my favorite phrases he says when you answer yes to his question is "That's what *I* thought!". WC has been playing him non-stop, but I think he's on to her because she keeps picking a giraffe for her animal of choice. I'm pretty sure he's going to tell her to pick a new animal soon! Ha!

Chuao Review and Endless Summer Sweepstakes

My friends at my favorite chocolate company, Chuao Chocolatier (pronounced chew-WOW), sent me some goodies and I was excited when they were delivered the day we were leaving on our End-of-Summer-Vacay to CO.

 

Potato Chip bar

Creamy milk chocolate, a sprinkle of sea salt and that irresistible potato chip crunch. The Potato Chip bar combines two of the most crave-able creations on the planet for total taste bud domination.

Mr. Sasha and I split the Potato Chip bar on the plane. We are big fans of the salty-sweet combo and this was perfect! The bits of potato chip are tiny and give just the right amount of salty crunch to this delicious chocolate bar. And it's just right for sharing.

Honeycomb bar 

Crunchy bits of golden, caramelized honey embrace deep dark chocolate, like secret lovers meeting on a warm summer night. Sweet and decadent, the Honeycomb bar will charm you… one nibble at a time.

The Honeycomb bar I have to admit I pretty much ate on my own in CO.... over the course of a few days. This one was all sweet, but that was fine with me. So so good!

 Pop Corn Pop bar

 

A nod to our favorite movie theater treat, we’ve mixed puffed whole grains, toasted corn chips, popping candy and a sprinkle of sea salt in creamy milk chocolate. Take a bite, close your eyes, and experience “popcorn” popping in your mouth! Surround sound not included.

And the Pop Corn Pop bar... well, no one in my house even knew about this one. I quickly hid it and saved it for myself! Ha! I was intruiged by the popping candy. It was so cool! It actually popped in my mouth as I was eating it. Love it!

 

Chuao is launching a their Endless Summer Sweepstakes to give you the chance to win a $500 Cost Plus World Market gift card.

 

With two ways to enter – it’s simple and sweet! Snap a picture of your sweet summer moment….then:

1. Click HERE (http://chuaochocolatier.com/chuaoendlesssummer-html) to enter the sweepstakes. Use Chuao’s Facebook entry form and submit your photo using the hashtag #ChuaoEndlessSummer.
2. Follow Chuao’s Twitter (@ChuaoChocoholic)or Instagram (@ChuaoChocolatier). Submit your photo using the hashtag #ChuaoEndlessSummer.

Then start voting on Facebook – and get your friends to vote too! Photos from Twitter and Instagram will populate on Facebook, so let the voting begin. The photo with the most likes at the end of the sweepstakes period will be the grand prize winner.

 

The #ChuaoEndlessSummer sweepstakes begins on Aug. 22, 2013 and ends on Sept. 21, 2013. Additional winners will be chosen each week at random to receive a set of three delectable Chuao chocolate bars, and the grand prize winner will receive a $500 Cost Plus World Market gift card for the ultimate summer adventure! 

Rules and regulations can be found on Chuao’s website at http://chuaochocolatier.com/chuaoendlesssummer-html.

 

Disclosure: I received the three bars featured above for review purposes.

First Day of School

I cannot believe how fast they are growing up! 2nd and 4th grade! We had a great morning and both kids were so excited to get their school year started.

LOTD #69 and OBS

Avon Extra Lasting Lipstick in Mauve Ice

Last week Avon had a free shipping code and I was dying to try their new Mega Effects Mascara, so of course I placed an order. I ran across this lipstick on sale for $6, so I thought I'd give it a try, and I LOVE it! It's so creamy and lasts all morning. It's also got a faint fruity smell that I really like. (I can't smell it once I apply it, just in the tube.)

Proverbs 31 Online Bible Studies

This week I started doing an online bible study for Lysa TerKeurst's What Happens When Women Say Yes to God and I can already tell it's going to be amazing! If you are looking for a study, we are only a few days in and it's not too late to join in! You can even read Chapter 1 online to see if it's a good fit for you. But let me tell you, Lysa's story in the first chapter will totally GRAB you and I think you'll feel like you NEED to read the rest of the book!

Click on the picture above to check it out! Let me know if you join in!

LOTD #68 and Nailed It!

Stila Lip & Cheek Stain in Pomegranate Crush ($24 at Sephora)

I can't imagine using the Stila Lip & Cheek stains on my cheeks, but I do love them on lips. I usually top them with a clear sparkly gloss because they can be a bit drying. Even with a gloss, they are pretty long lasting.

Dinner Last Night

Here was my Pinspiration:

BBQ Ranch Chicken and Cheddar Pizza Roll 'em Ups

(picture and recipe from Jenny Flake at Picky Palate)

And here's what I ended up with:

Ha! My very first "Nailed It!" pic!

My dough was not as cold as it should have been, and my knife wasn't very sharp..... but they still tasted good!

LOTD #67 and Online Bible Study

Maybelline Superstay Lipcolor in Plum 755

(discontinued and replaced with Superstay 24 Color)

This is one of the two-step long-wearing glosses that has the clear balm stick on one end. I HATE THOSE! I think it was Max Factor that originally had them, and then Cover Girl followed suit, and I have always disliked those balm sticks. They smell funny and I have a crazy nose and can still smell it hours after I apply it.

I do like the color- it's very My Lips But Better, but this is old and since I don't like the balm stick, in the trash it goes. De-stashing feels good!

Online Bible Study

Over the last year, we've had a great group of girls join together to do several of Lysa TerKeurst's bible studies. We were all set to start another one this week, but my surgery derailed things and we decided to wait until I'm feeling back to myself.

But I feel like I still need to be in a study, and I was so excited to find that Melissa Taylor will be leading an online bible study over Lysa's What Happens When Women Say Yes to God: Experiencing Life in Extraordinary Ways. It starts on July 28th and runs for 6 weeks. Has anyone done a study with Melissa? It looks great!

You can click here and read all the details on Melissa's blog. Anyone want to join in with me?

LOTD #66 and a Bundt Cake

Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Aurora

$5 at Walgreens

The earth-shattering lip lacquer from Rimmel London combining the intense color of lipstick with a lacquer like shine, Show Off Lip Lacquer is an explosive make-up phenomenon that represents the end of color as you know it.  Packed with pure color pigments, its lusciously creamy, conditioning formula promises a never-before combination of color, shine and comfort that last and last.

Although I really like the color, it wasn't very long-lasting at all. Most of it came off on the water bottle I was drinking during the morning. But I do love how vibrant the color is- it doesn't take much product to get this great coverage.

Bundt Cake

Today we did July birthday snacks at work, and I decided to try one of Mix and Match Mama's Bundt Cake recipes- Toffee Crunch Bundt Cake. 

It is amazing! And very very easy. 

Do you think I need a new cake keeper? (You know, with a domed lid.) This one came from my mom and must be a product of the 70s- how about that Harvest Yellow?

LOTD #65 and Feeling Great

Today I'm wearing another IT Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush, this time in the shade Pure Joy (this shade does not change color once applied like Je Ne Sais Quoi does). Pure Joy is described as a rich pearl mauve.

Vitality Lip Flush 4-in-1 Natural Anti-Aging Lipstick Stains take the place of four products; your lipstick, anti-aging conditioning lip balm, ultra-hydrating lip gloss, and lip stain all in one!

This shade was part of a special holiday gift set offered by QVC that included 6 different shades of Vitality Lip Flush for around $60 including tax and shipping.

IT Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush in the shade Pure Joy

 

FEELING GREAT TODAY!

So sorry for the shouty capitals, but after a few weeks of being just nasty sick, I feel much so better today. Just like Jenny Lawson, my gallbladder was trying to kill me. It was a nasty, non-functioning organ that needed to come out, so we did that on the 3rd. Sadly, I did *not* feel instantly better. Nausea and other GI issues continued, but I've got some good meds now, and BONUS I am going to have great cholesterol! (Because cholesterol meds evidently help process the bile that non-functioning and missing gallbladders can't). I'll happily swallow my 6 pills a day if I can get off the floor. Hallelujah!



LOTD #64 and Happy 4th of July!

Lancome LA LAQUE FEVER in Plum Wave ($27 at Sephora)

Holy cow this is an expensive lip product! I don't think it was that much when I bought it. I had forgotten about it, but I LOVE it. It lasts quite a while, smells nice, and I just love the color.

Happy 4th of July!

I did a really fun mani with some shades sent to me for review purposes from Pure Ice. I am definitely not artistic enough to attempt "nail art" but I think that accent nails and glitter toppers are perfect for people like me. You can add a real pop to your mani with little effort and artistic ability.

Pure Ice Siren 
with accent of Pure Ice Superstar! on ring finger (2 coats of each)

topped with Pure Ice Freedom (1 coat) 

This glitter topper is great! I only needed one coat to get the great coverage you see above. Although I only got one star out, I still loved the look I ended up with. Note that Siren does stain your fingers a bit upon removal.

All Pure Ice nail enamels are free of formaldehyde, toluene and DBP and contain a patented salon long-wear formula for a look that will last. Retailing at only $1.99, these polishes are the perfect way to bring chic looks from the runway your way with out breaking the bank! Pure Ice nail enamels are available through www.pureicecosmetics.com and Walmart stores nationwide. 

For more information, please visit www.pureicecosmetics.com/ or follow OfficialPureIce on Facebook

Twitter (@OfficialPureIce) and Instagram. Join the conversation by using the hashtag #PureIce

Disclosure: The shades featured above were provided for review purposes.

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