Thanksgiving

I know it has been a while since i have posted a blog. I don't know whats wrong with me, i get so busy with everyday life at the present time that the whole blogging things gets put on the back burner.. and just kind of stays there for a while.
But it is the time for giving thanks for all that you have and sharing what you have in your life that you are grateful for, so i really wanted to write a post to share with the world what i am thankful for.
These are in no specific order, because i could never rank the important things in my life in order with some above the other. They are equally important to me.

• I am thankful for my children, they the reason i get up in the morning, (literally, they wake me up every morning lol) They are the reason i smile every day, the reason i am who i am, and they are the reason I'm on this  earth right now. 
• I am thankful for my husband, and for all of the years that we have been together. We have had some of the biggest ups and downs that any relationship can have, but i am still thankful for those as well, because with out those, we would not be the amazing happy couple that we are today. e helps me conquer each day, he is the support i need, he is by support, my back bone, when i need to be strong, and he is the pillow i need when its time for me to come crashing down. He is the strength i need to push forward with my dreams, and with anything in life that i need. He is truly my other half, and i cant imagine myself without him in my life. 
• I am thankful for my parents. they are  huge part of my life! The are always always there when i need them. They always have the advice i need to hear. They are always there to listen when i need someone to talk to. When i need someone to watch the boys, they are always there and willing to take them, no problem. I am thankful that they live next door to us. We almost always eat all together as a huge family, because thats the way we like it. I am extremely thankful for them in my life. I don't know what kind of person i would have turned out to be if it were not for the amazing parents i have. 
• I am also thankful for all of my friends. My friends to me are like my family. If they need something, i will do anything i can to help them. And they are the same way to me, and for that, i am thankful. 
• I am thankful for YOU, for you reading this. Someday i want to have a huge successful blog or Vlog channel, and these are the stepping stone blogs for me to get there. so i am thankful for you reading these little randoms posts i make to get me going to the big time :) 

Rimmel London ScandalEyes Retro Glam Mascara

Rimmel London SandalEyes Retro Glam Mascara 

I was given a great chance to try the super NEW mascara from Rimmel London. It came in my Rose VoxBox from Influesnter and i thank both companies for allowing me to try this new product! i am so excited about it because mascara is another one of those products where i can try a billion of , and can still never find just that right one that i love. I have very sensitive eyes, and tend to be only able to wear mascara for a couple hours before my eyes start hurting and i need to take it off. I wore this mascara out to dinner with my husband and he commented several times on how amazing my eyes looked that night. And i didn't feel the need that i needed to take it off once.
The retro look of the mascara  just makes your eyes pop open and makes your eyes look wider. Paired with a great winged liquid liner and a bright vintage red lip, you will be ready to rock a night on the town with someone special too.

Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation (say that two times fast.. lol!)

Rimmel London Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation

     I got this foundation in a VoxBox from Influesnter. and the moment I put it on, I knew it was like no other foundation I have ever used before! i LOVE it! If you know me at all you have heard me many times complain about how much I hate foundation..liquids.. 

powders.. mousse... any kind. They are all heavy, and cakey, and make me feel like I'm wearing a mask in stead of wearing make up. Well not the Rimmel London Stay Matte Mousse. This is so airy, and light when you put it on, its not heavy, and you cant even feel that you are wearing it at all. I was able to keep it on all day long, and in to the night, and never once had the urge to take it off.
Here is another note, my husband wears black.. a lot of black, in fact almost all black all the time, lol any way, my point is that i HATE when i would give him a hug, and my makeup would rub off on his clothes. Well now with this, i never have to worry about that any more. It never smudges, budges, or wears off at all while you're wearing it. its amazing.
I cant wait to see what it's going to be like this summer, its a Stay Matte foundation, and I'm going to put it to the test :)
If you are tired of all the problems that come along with choosing a foundation, i suggest trying the Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation, you wont be disappointed. 

Mani Monday: Whitening!

So everyone who has finger nails wants them to be whiter right! Of course!
Well I read a trick on Pinterest, and I had to try it! And it works great!

So everyone also wants whiter teeth right!? So I'm sure everyone has at least one whitening tooth paste in their bathrooms mm somewhere right? Of course you do!
I use Colgate OpticWhite, (Because I I got a tube from and Influesnter VoxBox, and didn't like the taste of it, so now I use it just for my nails)
Well here is what I do!
Grab an extra tooth brush, its can be an old one you used to use on your teeth, but it shouldn't be grimey or anything, and it does still need some life left to it.

Then from here its simple. Put some water and tooth paste on your brush away at your nails like you would teeth. With in seconds of starting you will see the bubbles and suds on your nails doing their job!
Scrub the tops, underneath your nails and all around them and your cuticles to get amazing clean results. You can even let it sit for a few seconds or minutes for brighter results. 

Now remember for this to be used as a whitener, your nails need to be clean from any kind of polish. But this can still be done when you do have polish on, it will just clean your cuticles, under your nails, and around f your finger nails. It may even still whiten the under side of your nail.

I also wrapped a rubber band around the tube of tooth paste and the tooth brush to keep them both together, so no one accidentally uses my nail tooth brush to brush their teeth Lol. (Yuck!)

I have been doing this about twice a week for 3 weeks now, and my nails a nice and white and even a bit stronger. Its just something mice I get to do for myself when I don't have a lot of time :)

I promise, your nails will never look so bright and clean! So go grab a sample of your favorite whitening tooth paste and give this tip a try!

Mani Monday (on a tuesday!?) Topic: Cuticles

I am sorry this is a day late... Only my second week I to the Mani Monday posts, and I've already missed one. Well its for a good(ish) reason, my whole entire family got hit HARD with these horrible colds! And each person who gets it, gets it a little differs t than the one before them.. Its been awful.

And of course one thing I do when I'm sick is... Bit my nails.. So I had started to grow my nails nice and normal length to start posting picture (or even videos) attached to these blogs with photos of bail designs, but of course now I need to grow them out again.
But that's ok, because there is still a lot of "before a manicure" type stuff I'd like to brush on anyway.
Like today, cuticles. You can have the cutes polish in the world, but if your cuticles are a mess, your manicure is going to look like a mess.
Mine are not perfect by any means people! I am still on the hunt for that perfect product while still maintaining a small budget. Right now I am using a Donna Mitchell cuticle cream that I came across at the dollar tree and LOVE it! It has a cute little tube with a point to aim just on the cuticle. I carry this in my purse and use it all the time when I'm bored Lol.
Another thing I use is Sally Hansen hand and cuticle cream that I got from a voxbox. I do like that a lot too, I usually use that before bed and my hands will be soft by morning.
Another thing that I use that may be a little controversial by some, but I use a cuticle clipper. Some say to never ever use them because they can cause infections and damage to your cuticles. But that hasn't happened not me yet. And I can't see just pushing mine back, I need to push them, and cut them too.
But of course if you don't feel comfortable doing that, than you can just soak your nails in warm water, and slowly push yours back, or even go to a salon.
How ever you do it, maintaining nice cuticles will help your manicure and help it look that much better each time.

Now some back next week for another Mani Monday (actually ON Monday next time! Lol)

Mani Monday: Mary Kay Satin Hands

So I would like to start a Mani-Monday theme here.
I see a lot of other sites, vloggers and bloggers who do it, and I'm not trying to rip them off or copy them, i just want to join in on the fun! :)

And in my eyes you the way to start a beautiful manicure is to start with beautiful soft hands.
And the way i do this is with Mary Kay Satin hands collection.

It is a three step kit that starts with a hand softener, which has a balm like texture. Smooth this all over your hands (add a touch of water if desired to make a little go a long way) This step instantly provides intense hydration to your skin and seals in nutrients to protect the delicate skin for the next step of the kit. Do not rinse this step off.

Next is my favorite part, the exfoliation! A couple pumps of the Satin Smoothie and some light rubbing of your hands will leave your skin the softest they have ever been in your life! It buffs away all dirt and dead dry skin, all while cleaning them and leaving them super soft, and beautifully smooth.
Now unlike step one, the Satin Smoothie comes in a choice of two scents, Fragrance free, which to be honest has an ever so slight almost cucumber scent too it, but it is very mild, and just very fresh. Or you can also choose from a Peach scent which also smells heavenly.

When you do choose your scent, you will also get the Satin Hands Hand cream in the same scent. This hand cream is the perfect way to end your hand beautifying experience. It is a fast drying formula but it lasts for hours, leaving your hands soft and hydrated all day long.

This whole set goes for 34$ through a Mary Kay consultant in your area.
Also if you would like to try it before you buy it, most consultants have free samples you can try, or they can even come over to your house and have you try it an many other products you will love.
You can also order each step individually, which is GREAT because i don't know about you, but i ALWAYS run out of one product in a set faster than the other... thats why i have a cupboard in my bathroom full of one steps of sets.. like conditioner that i don't have shampoo for, or face cream that i don't have a cleanser to, that sort of thing lol. Not that they are not just as good with out their partner product, i just like things that go together.

P.S. I have very sensitive skin, and have had no problem with this steps, in the scented of the fragrance free. Step one with the hand softener it really does protect your hands so you don't need to worry about the particles from the exfoliant being too rough to damage your skin.

So with these three steps you should be well on your way to beautiful soft hands, perfect for adding a splash of amazing color with a perfect manicure! :)

Luster NOW Whitening Daily Tooth paste

Luster NOW Whitening Daily Tooth paste 

     Yay! I got this new tooth paste in my Something Blue VoxBox from Influesnter, and i must say, I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! First of all, it was  huge bottle, which is great! and i just love getting new tooth paste, because it always seems when i get a new tooth paste, i brush my teeth a lot more because it makes brushing them fun again! lol (strange i know, but it's true haha!)
     So i immediately opened it and tried it. When i squeezed it on my tooth brush, i was supprized by the bright blue color of the tooth paste. But as i started brushing, i noticed that the bright blue color actually helped show you where you had brushed, i loved it. 

I also love the squeeky clean feeling it gave my teeth! and how LONG that clean feeling lasts! Even well after eating and drinking.
     When i use this tooth paste in the morning my teeth feel so super clean all day long, its the best clean i have ever felt from a tooth paste. Then the fact that it visibly whitens your teeth right there on the spot as you are using it, is AMAZING! and it WORKS!!! My teeth are already so much whiter then when i started using this just a few days ago. I can actually feel myself smiling more, because i love showing off my teeth.
So if you want whiter teeth (and face it, who doesnt!?) go try this Luster Now Whitening Daily Tooth Paste, i swear, you wont regret it! i love it so much, i use it all the time!

Always a Momma

Some days, when it is quiet, and the kids and my husband are sleeping, i start to think about what i would like to do with my life, like what career path i would like to have some day. There are so many choices, a beauty guru, an amazing cook, a photographer, an artist, still have my dream of having a day care. There are just so many things that i love to do, that some days its hard for me to chose one that i would like to focus on, because I know I can't excel at all of them.
One thing I know I am and always will be, is a mother. And I want to work really hard on being a great one! Some if you (maybe who don't have children, so you don't understand) are thinking "how do you work hard to be a mother?" Well you do! At least I do! I'm not going to lie, I have awful moments with my children some days. Moments of yelling and scolding, and doing and saying things I told my self I never ever would do or say. But those moments are the ones that make me want to work so hard to work to a goal of not having as many of those. I feel that there is always a goal I can work towards with my children and the way we interact with each other. There is always room for improvements for all of us. The way we talk to each other, the way we treat each other, the way we spend time together, it all could be better. Now don't get me wrong, its not bad now, I just like to look at things that can be improved, but that doesn't mean that they are not amazing already. Now we have all heard of the saying 'If it isn't broken, don't fix it" well I don't look at it as fixing, just modifying and improving :)
So working at being a good mother is hard work in it self, but needs to be done, and I enjoy it.

So maybe someday i will be a famous chef with cook books and a cooking show, or a beauty guru with a web show and a makeup line, or a photographer or painter with my work hanging in beautiful Museums, but I will always be a mother first, and that is just the way I like it. :)

Pink Armor Nail Gel

When i first saw the infomercial for Pink Armor on tv, i had the same reaction as i usually do wen i see things on tv. "Wow that looks amazing, if it actually worked like it says it does". So i knew i wasn't going to buy it from the tv and play the shipping and all of that and find out that it didn't work. But then when i started seeing the pretty pink bottles in all the stores.. i started to think, well its only 10$, and if it didn't work, maybe i could return it. So i finally took the plunge and tried it out! i was so excited hoping and praying that it would work! i couldn't even wait until we got home to try it, i busted it open in the car and tried it on a couple of nails. ant by the time i got home, those two nails looked amazing! So shinny, with a little pink tint to them. It made the whites of my nails whiter and the pinks pinker, it was amazing. i couldnt believe it. My nails looked so naturally beautiful, i was so impressed!
So i thought to my self, if it does this like the comercial said, maybe it actually makes nails stronger and protects them like it says too. So after i painted all my nails, and let them all dry, i gave them hell! i scratched them on rocks, and banged them around to see how much abuse they could take. The Pink Armor did protect my nails from normal everyday abuse like chips and dings and things, but when it comes to scratching your nails against rocks, yea, your gonna notice that, but how often do you do that?  well i dont, so thats not a big worry for me, so im good with the protection from normal every day abuse.
I am also a biter of my nails, and because i do this, even when i dont bite them and let the grow a bit, they are really weak. But the Pink Armor really makes them strong and makes them not chip or break at all, my nails have never been so healthy.
I use it as a base coat to strengthen my nails, and i use it as a top coat over color to protect it.
I love this stuff. and so worth the 10$
Go try it! i bet you will love it too!

Ivory® 2-IN-1 Hair & Body Wash

Lets be honest, As a busy mom,I dont get to shower as much as i would like to! (if your not a mom, you wouldn't understand, if you are a mom, you completely understand!) So any little thing that saves me time in the shower, i love! So when i was given this Ivory 2 in 1 hair and body wash to try from Influenster i was so excited to save time in the shower!! the same soap from head to toe!? yes! :) And i also didn't need to add conditioner to my hair either! so i was able to take 3 steps down to 1! this is amazing! Also saves room in the shower! as a family of 4 we have about 7 or 8 bottles of stuff lined u in our shower..(and it is a small shower... we are always always nocking those things down...) But as soon as those 8 or so bottles run out, i will never buy any of them again, we all will only be using the Ivory 2 in 1 hair and body wash.it is now replacing my shampoo and conditioner and body wash. My husbands body wash (he just always used my shampoo anyway lol) My 8 year old sons body wash and shampoo. and my 15 month old's shampoo and baby soap as well. Also as a added bonus, i used it to shave with, and it worked great!gave me a close shave and NO razor bumps! This stuff is a miracle product! I honestly didn't think i was going to like it, because i have never even had a 2 in 1 shampoo conditioner that i loved, never mind head to toe and shampoo and conditioner in it too! no way! i figured i would love it as a body wash and still continue to use my other shampoo and conditioner that i always have, no way. when i washed my hair with this, my hair felt so soft, and so clean, it was amazing  it was a little weird to not have to use a conditioner in the shower, but i got used to it, and ill never go back! when i get out of the shower i do still use a spray in conditioner, and a anti frizz serum, but thats all! I honestly have not bought any other product since i was given this by Influenster to try! I used up all the coupons by buying a stock and handing them out to friends to try, and i even got some coupons in the new paper for some too! I cant wait to try all the scents, and i hope they introduce more as the product becomes more popular! Thank you Ivory and Influesnter for giving my the great opportunity to try this 2 in 1 head to toe body wash out and fall in LOVE with it! :) 

Watch this little video and see if this is you in your shower, and if it is, try Ivory 2 in 1 head to toe body wash. 




Also check out the Ivory Facebook page, Here

Wow! i cant believe how long its been!!

WOW!

I cant believe how long t has been since i have blogged about anything! no product reviews, no recipes, no food blogs, no tv show,  no projects with kids, no weight loss... nothing!
WELL lets just say a lot has happened around here since my last blog! it doesn't feel like much as its happening, but whoa, you get busy.. and all of a sudden its been way over a month since you have even logged on to blogger!

Well what has been taking up all of my time? a few things really... Trying to keep ahead of house work with 2 boys and a husband isn't easy! lol Trying to do ANYTHING with a toddler is NEVR easy! lol!!
He has switched from taking 2 naps a day to taking only one. Which isn't a big deal at all, thats what he was ready to do, but i used to use those nap times to blog, clean the house, and rest myself lol.

I have been relaxing a little more and trying to just go with the flow of things instead of not getting so worked up over little tiny things. I have also reconnected with an old friend who i havn't seen in years and i LOVE her! she is another REAL MOM like me :P
Not a "perfect, organized fake mom who gets everything right the first time" kind of mom, but a "imperfect, unorganized, real mom who makes mistakes a few times before we learn the right way to do something" kind of mom like me :)

My husband and i have also made the choice that it is time to get heathy! We have been walking a few miles a week, and we hope to increase those miles soon, and maybe even start jogging them. We also bought a weight machine for strength training :) i love it so much! and as soon as we pay that off, i think we will get a little treadmill so that we can run or walk at night after the kids go to bed, so we wont have to squeeze in a run after dinner, after my husband gets home from work.. so even though i dont want to spend the money on one, i think it will be better over all if we had one.

My husband has taken a hold of his over all health as well, he had surgery on his sinuses, because we found out that he had a blocked sinus passage in his head that was constantly infected. And it turns out that it was an underlying contributor to a bunch of his health problems. Since the surgery he has not had any sinus infections, he has not had any asthma related issues, he has not needed any prednizone which he used to need to help to breath, and that would raise his sugars into the 400s for his diabetes  So since then is sugars have been in the normal range, and his A1C has dropped 4 points! He has been able to stop taking a bunch of meds! and his diabetes doctor gave him a goal of losing 20 more pounds by his next appointment (which is in 6 months) she will consider taking off another one or two meds form his everlasting long list! lol

My mother and i have also taken up the growing art of couponing! so i have been organizing coupons and reading about ways to organze them, and even teaching a few friends how to coupon too! its getting to be pretty fun! i might even start a once a week couponing group with some friends of mine!
now im sure none of us will be on an episode of Extreme Couponers anytime soon, but its still pretty fun when you see the numbers falling off the end of your receipt at the grocery store :)

So needless to say, all of these things have kept me very very busy. Not to mention the normal every day things i already do like running after my 15 month old, playing with my 8 year old when he gets out of school, and trying to keep the house from falling down :P
So blogging has been on the bottom of my to do list, and as a busy mom... i never finish a to do list lol
But from now on i will try and work harder on getting more time to blog :) :)

The Taste: Finale review :)

So as you can see, there is a smiley face in the title of this blog, which mean, i am happy from the results! and this is true! VERY HAPPY!
My girl Khristianne won it all! YESS!
but before we get into this amazing news, lets break down the whole night, because each thing that happened, was better than the last :)

So first, where there usually was an immunity challenge, there was an elimination instead.
The cooks were asked to make three spoons for the elimination challenge. and each person had the three spoons go up for review, not just one from each kitchen like before.
Because Nigella didn't have anyone left in her kitchen, she was a floating mentor for all the kitchens,a long with the help of their head chef.

Who was eliminated from this challenge  Gregg! now i know most people were so happy to see him leave (me included! lol) but i was also really shocked. Because the guest chef had some things to say about the other chefs spoons, but he had nothing bad to say about Greggs, so i thought for sure he was safe, and so did he. When he was leaving, he said that of course he was eliminated, because he was completely alone out in the kitchen, and everyone else had a chef working with them. But Ludo always paid more attention to Sarah, so he was alone. SO he was basically blaming Ludo for not teaching him properly. Oh well Gregg.. get over it. bye bye :)

Now on to the final three :)
Dianne, Sarah and Khristianne :)

Again, they each had to make three complimentary spoons for the judges, and serve them witha glass of wine. They needed to pair nicely and knock the judges socks off, because tonight, you weren't just going in to the bottom four, you were going home.

First they announced the 3rd place. Sarah. I know i said yesterday that i didn't like her, and didn't want her to win, and that is still true, but however, i am still somewhat proud to see a home cook make into the final 3 :) made me kind of proud even :) Good Job Sarah.

Then it was doen to just Dianne and Khristianne.
I was so nervous, i was shaking and tearing up as if it was me standing up there.
and then they pushed the button and a gold start appeared above Kristianne's head, and the look on her face of pure joy and excitement brought tears to my eyes.
I was so so happy for her! and Brian Malarkey couldn't have been happier either!

Im not sure what will happen for her from now on. But i cant wait to see :)
Maybe a tv show :) maybe her own restaurant :)
I dont know, but i will be following her on FB and Twitter.

I also hope that there will be another season for this show, and i will be watching from day one for sure :)

Sorry to say, but i am a geek. :)

So i just realized that i am a geek.
Well i didn't really JUST realize this... I just realized how much so last night.

So Brian (my husband) took me to the Maine Mall (which is a big deal to me because we never ever ever go to Portland haha!)
and after the mall we were going to go to Ulta (another big deal because i have never EVER been there but have always wanted to! lol)
Anyway, it was raining, and we had to park far away from the main entrance  so we entered the mall in the Best Buy door to get dry, and to just looked around a little. Well of course the Best Buy there has a few of each gaming system set up for you to play, and the WiiU caught my eye, and i played for a few mins... well i fell in love with it! And i told him i would really like one some time. And he told me to get it. i knew we didn't need it, and had many other things the money should have gone to. but he told me it was only fair that i got this, because he had bought a new lap top a couple months ago. i thought that was a very fair statement. So needless to say, we bought that instead of a shopping spree at Ulta.. lol :P :P

Guess ill have to save up some money and plan another trip to Ulta soon :) and maybe we wont even enter the mall.. or maybe we will hahah :P

The Taste: Finale tonight!!

Tonight is the Finale of The Taste competition, and i am very excited by the line up of who is left!
I have been saying since day one that i have absolutely love Khristianne  Uy!!
I hope she goes all the way tonight! Not only is she a fantastic chef, but she is funny, down to earth, and just seems like she deserves this :) Oh and by the way, i would absolutely love to watch her have her own cooking show! :) Id SO watch that :)

When the show first started, i also really liked Sarah. She is beautiful, seemed sweet and funny. and is a home cook like me. i was equally rooting for her aswel, but as the show continued, i started to like her a little less because she seemed to not really know what she was doing in the kitchen. She either had Chef Ludo showing her what she had to do, or she had the guest mentors showing her what she needed to do and helping her make her dishes. This may have been part of a plan of hers, or she may actually not know what she is doing, but gets lucky every now and then.

Dianne. There is something about her that im not sure i like... I do feel bad for her, thats he has had a hard like and has a family at home that needs her to win this thing so they dont have to go back to that hard life.. but at the same time, that is not what the challenge is about, and i hope that other people dont forget that this competition is about who can cook the best one taste dish, and not about who ha had the hardest life. im sure they will some day make a show about that, but this one is about cooking. Im sure that the other contestants could give you a sad story and ask to stay too. but that is now why they are there. they are there to prove they can cook.

And as for Gregg. He may be a wonderful chef and can make amazing meals, but as for the competition  i dont like it when people show favoritism to one person all they time. Who knows, maybe thats be past in working in child care centers for years, you cant show favorites, so i dont like when i see it in other placing of life. I dont like how Ludo always chose his dish, i also dont like how he always won immunity  Ludo should have gave other chefs a chance to get something up there too, and when he did, He chose Sarah, and hers one too. So maybe he could have won all those times, but with other cooks. So my point is, he has won a lot already in this show, let someone else have a chance.

So those are my opinions,
Tune in tonight at 9pm on ABC to see who wins.
And i will be back tomorrow to talk about the results.
See you all then, and until then, this is just my life :)

The Best way i have found to make iced coffee :)

I have had many iced coffees over the last few years, some at home, and some from coffee shops. Some delicious, and then... some not so much.

Now i have found the prefect way to make the best ice coffee at home. Its always ready, and always cold, all day long :)

Now this was involves using left over coffee and drinking it later that day or even the next day. My husband thinks that's gross because he can taste that its old, I personally can't taste the difference from a fresh one made 2 seconds ago, and the ones I make from my fridge. But I'm also not a picky person when it comes to my coffee. So I'll save you time, if you don't like the idea of drinking yesterdays coffee today, stop reading. :)

So here goes!

First, Brew hot coffee like you would normally do, how ever much you want, i promise none will go to waste. (The first time you will want to make a full pot to dedicate to this, but once you get a stash going in your fridge, you wont need to brew large hot pots (unless you want to) you will just be able to add the extra to keep your supply up :)

Feel free to enjoy a hot cup of coffee now, because your perfect iced coffee won't be ready until later.

Take an empty ice cube tray, and fill all the the squares with the coffee and place in the freezer.

Then take the rest of the hot coffee your not going to drink now and put it in a container with a cover in the fridge. (If you do like sugar in your coffee I like to add it now while its hot, just so it melts better, but that is just a personal preference.)

Now we just wait, wait for the coffee in the fridge to chill and the coffee ice cubes to freeze. And when they do, you will have the best tasting, home made iced coffee that will stay so cold all day because everything is already so cold to start with.

The special part is the ice cubes! Have you ever gotten an ice coffee, at a restaurant and the ice melts before you can drink it.. and waters it all down... gross. Don't add regular iced cubes, add ones made of more coffee of course! so when they melt, it will just add more coffee to your glass! How simple and how genius! If you like a sweet coffee with cream and sugar like I do, you may need to add more sugar and creamer as the ice melts to keep your flavor right. (I have not tried freezing coffee that is already mixed with cream and auger to see if that would work, but I should try that! Then as it melts it would still add the same flavor to the coffee! If you try it before I get a chance, leave it in the comments below and tell me how it turned out!)

With this recipe, your home made ice coffee will taste great and be fresh and cold ALL day. :)
Try it out and let me know what you think!!

Nivea Soft Moments Skin and Lip Care Collection

I got this gift set for Christmas this past year, and let me tell you, it is a heaven sent for dry winter skin! (and i cant wait to see what it does for dry summer skin aswel!) 

The kit includes a:

Nivea Minerals and Mint Refreshing Lip Care

Nivea Soft Moisturizing Skin Cream Mini
Refreshingly Soft Moisturizing Cream Tube 

I am not going to speak much about the Minerals and Mint lip balm because i actually already have a dedicated blog review for that already. You can go check that out in my previos blog list.


As for the skin cream, these are some of the best skin creams i have ever used on my skin ever.
The Mini jar type i throw in my purse and use it on the go, and it is great. I little of it really goes a long way this this stuff. I just dip my funger in and its enough to smooth over most of my arm.

And the tube kind i keep next to my sink and use it after i wash my hands to keep them soft.
it works great!

It goes on so light and smooth, you barely notice it is there. It is not greasy at all and just leaves your skin so soft.

It doesn't have much of a scent at all, so it is great for people who dont like scented lotions, or have allergies or something like that. (also great for people who work in places where they wash their hands a lot but cant wear scented lotions, like day cares and hospitals) 

I really do love these little mini lotions to throw in my purse and keep on the go, but when they run out, i will buy the original size for at home too.
I love them that much! 

Cover Girl Nature Luxe Mouse Mascara

So after many years of hating all the mascaras i had tried, i found this wonderful find, and i dont think i will every use another mascara again.

For many years i hated mascara because it made my eye lashes feel so clumpy, and heavy, and stuck together. And that feeling actually would give me headaches.
So about a year of so ago i decided i wasn't going to wear mascara at all, i had given up on it.
Until i saw the commercial for Cover Girl Luxe Mouse Mascara, and it said that it was a weightless mascara with no heavy particles and it was made from bees wax! i was very intrigued.
So when i found it at my local store, (and it was on sale!) i knew i had to have it!

the first time i put it on, i knew it was amazing. I honestly didn't even feel like i had any on at all, but my eyes looked amazing. No clumps, my eyes didn't look or feel heavy at all, and my eyes didn't look heavy with layers and layers of mascara either.

It is a very natural looking mascara, I definitely wouldn't say this mascara is going to give you a fantastic runway big huge lashes by any means, But it does give the average woman fantastic looking and feeling lashes, while still feeling comfortable. 

It does come in water resistant and in three colors, Black, Brown Black and Very Black. 

I currently use the Very Black, and would try the others to see what they are like too. 

It runs for about 8$ and has lasted me a while already, and doesn't even seem to be running low at all.
Defiantly worth the money and worth a try if you like a natural eye look. 

Go try it and give your eyes a beautiful light natural look. 

The Taste: The Art of the Sandwich

The Taste is on Tuesday on ABC at 9pm
(The time has moved from 8pm to 9pm!)

So last week was a sandwich Challenge!
And to quote one of my favorite cooks on the show Khristanne
"If you cant make a sandwich, then what the hell kind of chef are you?"
Perfectly said! if you cant make a good sandwich, you should not be cooking.

So the cooks first had to create a basic club sandwich, a PB&J, or a salad sandwich like Tuna, Chicken or Egg for the guest mentors. When each person makes those sandwiches, each kitchen judge will chose one from each kitchen to be tasted by the guest mentors.
The sandwich chosen by the guest mentores will earn immunity for elimination, and his/or her team will have the help of the guest mentores to help them when making their dishes for the regular judges that night.
And big surprise, Greg won immunity.
And its a good thing, because his sandwich was terrible at the end.

Lauren won with one of the best sandwiches of the night, and it looked delicious! it made me want to try and make a spicy yogurt dressing for a sandwich real soon!
Lauren was also left the only one standing on her team when Huda was sent home.
Also sent home was Mia, the first to be send home from Anthony's kitchen.

As i said i am really routing for Khristanne to win!
i just love her! :)





Like them out on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/TheTasteABC
And Follow then on Twitter
https://twitter.com/thetasteabc
And check out the lastest episode
http://abc.tv/Z3jimp
and see how you like The Taste.


check back next week for another review of the episode :) 

NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine

With the Influesnter 2012 Holiday VoxBox I got a NYC New York Color Liquid Lipshine in Nude York City (Adorable name!!)

Well lets see, how much can you actually write about a lip gloss?

But let me start with how much i love it!
I love how it looks, feels, i even like how it smells.

It goes on so smooth, It feels great on your lips and is not sticky at all.

It has Vitamin E to add moisture to your lips even after it wears off.

This color is pretty sheer color with a sparkling tint to it so i can wear it any time of day, and with anything or any make up style. It looks great with a full eye of make up on a night on the town, or still looks great with no make up on a all. :)

Another bright spot of this lip gloss is the applicator brush. Its not a normal lip gloss applicator  It has the shape of a regular applicator, but has the flexibility of a brush. It is the perfect size for my lips to apply the color.

I love this lip gloss so much, i cant wait to try all the other colors they have.
In fact, i just bought Prospect Pink :D its is a sweet pop of pink that i think i will love this summer :)

I Urge you to try a shade of your favorite color. :D

The Taste: Tuesday at 8|7c on ABC

Sometimes i write blogs about things that i love, and well, i love this show!
You can simply turn on one episode, and with in one min you are sucked in and in love with it.

The show first began the season with a mixture of professional and amateur cooks competing against each other infront of four very famous chefs and food writers:
Anthony Bourdain - an American chef
Ludo Lefebvre - A French Chef
Brian Malarkey - And American Chef
and
Nigella Lawson - A Best Selling English Food writer

     On the first episode, the cooks were broken down into 4 teams, one team for judge.

These teams were chosen by the judges, but only by the taste of the food each cook created.

The judges had to vote yes or no on the chef, just by the taste of the dish they created.

Once the Celeb Chefs had chosen all their contestant, they became their mentors and teach them things in the kitchen. Now some of the cooks being professionals dont need as much teaching as the stay at home cooks, but then again some do need just as much help. 

Once the teams are chosen, Each night the cooks have to make a dish (a spoonful really) for the judges to taste. Each judge has to choose one dish that is the best of the night, and one that is the worst of the night. The best part: they still dont know who made these dishes. The could be choosing one of their own cooks as the worst, and even choose one of their competitors as the best taste of the night.
The four cooks that were chosen as the worst dishes of the night are then looked at and one of them will be sent home.

One of my favorite parts is when the judges are tasting the dishes, they are very honest about how the dishes taste, and if they hate it, they will say it out loud and say exactly what is wrong with it. And the cooks who made the dishes, are watching them as they say these things.

My favorite part of the show is watching the judges taste the food and see their reactions.
I may even get an inspiration or two for an upcoming meal ;)

Watch the latest episode Here and see how you get inspired. 

Burt's Bees Intense Hydration

Burt's Bees sent me two of their new products to try for free and write a review about them and tell the world what i thought.
They sent me two products from the new Burt's Bees Intense Hydration Line, the Intense Hydration Cream Cleanser, and the Intense Hydration Treatment Mask. Now right off the bat i was very excited because i love Burt's Bees products! i love their lip products, so when i found out that they started making a face line, that was awesome! And even on top of that, it was and Intense Hydration line!? WHAT!? i was very excited because i have very dry skin, and especially with colder winter weather hear, my skin gets really dry.

Of course because both of these are Burt's Bees products, so they are 99% natural. Also what i really like about Burt's Bees company, is that you can go on their website and find the product you want, and it will list all of the ingredients that are in that product, like they are proud of the ingredients they use, i guess thats what happens when you use natural healthy ingredients.


Lets start with the Intense Hydration Cream Cleanser
It removes makeup, dirt, sweat, oil and all the stress of a long day with its cooling ingredients like Clary Sage. It is also a cream cleaner, so it has no exfoliating beads or anything else that may irritate your skin, so even people with the most sensitive of skin will still be able to use this no problem. Speaking of skin types, you would think they because it is "Intense Moisture" that must mean someone with oily skin would not be able to use it, or it would make their skin too greasy. But that is not the case at all. They have made this cleanser for use with all skin types. No matter what your skin type you have, your skin will just drink in all of this healthy moisture and leave your skin radiant!
This is also different than most skin care sets that you would buy, or at least ones that i have tried. Have you ever washed your face with the cleanser, and for some reason, some how forget the moisturizer... and your skin is dry and tight because the cleanser has taken all your natural oils from you skin leaving it dry and tight. But this cleanser doesn't take the natural nutrients out, it puts more in because it is made from natural things! So even if you forget the moisturizer, your still good :)

Now on to the Intense Hydration Treatment Mask i also received. This is so smooth and refreshing when putting it on. Its not sticky at all like other masks can be. I love to throw my hair up and put this on and sit in a nice hot bubble bath and just relax. There is something about it that the moment you put it on your face you just feel so relaxed. You can not be angry when wearing this, its just not possible.
This mask helps your skin look and feel healthier, because it is making your skin healthier by making your skin be able to hold in its own moisture.
Also by replenishing misture into your skin, this product helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles.
To use it is so easy, apply a generous amount to your face and leave on for 5 to 10 minutes (or longer if you are in a bubble bath like i do :)) Then when ready to take it off, remove the large amounts of extra with a soft cloth or tissue. rub what is left on your skin in gently to leave skin feeling hydrated all day.

Also a great tip, try using this after a great work out when you are all hot and sweaty. It is just the perfect thing to cool your skin down, clean it from all the sweat and dirt, but still leave it soft and hydrated afterwords.

Wow, i think i am going to run a bubble bath and use these two products right now.

Now of course these opinions are all my own, i beg you to try the product and form your own opinion too. Have a great night.

Kiss Nail Dress (Final Update, 15 DAYS!!)

In my 2012 Holiday VoxBox I received a Kiss Nail Dress set in Teddy and this is my review.
(I received this product completely free from Influenster and Kiss, if you dont know what Influenster is, please see the link at the bottom of my blog and check it out)

At first i when i saw this in my VoxBox i was a little hesitant of it because i have tried a product like this from another company before.. and it didn't work well at all. However, i was going to try them anyway.

Plus, i mean, these are so super cute!
Another thing that i really loved about these that i saw on the package when i first say them was that it said that you could use them on your toes! :) now i dont know about you, but i never think of using adorable things on my toes like this, (especially in the winter time) but i thought that was such a cute idea, that that it what i did. I used these last night on my tose and they are still looking great! (unlike the other ones i tried which came off in just a couple of hours..)

When i do a review on something like this, i like to tell you how long the product lasted, and obviously i cant tell you yet, because they are still currently on my toes, but i promise when they come off i will com on and chance this blog and tell you weather it was the full 10 days, just under 10 days, or less than that.

So because i can not yet talk about the longevity of the Nail Dresses, i will talk about all other aspects of them.

First off, you can see how absolutely cute they are with the diamonds on them and the design. I was thinking the diamonds might irritate me, get caught on my socks, fall off or something like that, but no, nothing like that, i dont even notice they are there, it is just like any other nail polish. It has no pealed off or got caught on the blankets last night in bed or anything.

Next, They were so so easy to put on, it was awesome. They come on a clear sheet so that you can find the right size to fit your nails or toe nails. Each set comes with 28 sizes to make sure you find just the ones you need. And each size has a very rounded side, ideally for fingers, and a more flat curve, ideally for toes. Or if you are like me, you will mix and match them depending on each toe (or finger).

Well... that is about all i can think of right now, i will update this post to let you all know how long they lasted on my toe nails (it has been about 24 hours now and there is no sign at all of them coming off, yay!). I will also try and get my photo of my toes and add to here too :)
but right now, it is really late, and i am really tired, so good night :)

Check out these great links when you get a second.
Kiss Website
Influesntser Kiss Page
Influenster

Update:
(I didn't want to change those whole format of the blog and rewrite it, so instead, i want to leave everything i said before the way it is and just add some comments down here, because i want you to see my first impressions and my final impressions together. )

So i shared that i was a little skeptical because i have tried these type of nail polish designs from another company and was not successful. Well i was WRONG with these!!! 
Today is the 10th day of the Nail Dresses being on my toes, the packaging says "lasts up to 10 day" and oh boy they dont lie!! :D these are still on strong, they show absolutely no signs of even coming of today! They still look kist as perfect as the day i put them on! They actually last longer than when i normally just paint my toes, and they are so much cuter than anything i could do myself!
This design has little rhinestones on them, and not one rhinestone fell off, they do not feel rough at all. They dont get caught in my socks or sheets when i sleep. You dont notice the feel of the stones at all, you just notie how adorable they are when you look at them! :)
I didn't feel at all that i had to keep my feet out of water or anything, i stil took showers and washed my feet as i normally would with regular polish. 

So the verdict is that i absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE these nail dresses and will be buying them over and over and over again. 
And when i buy my next set, i am going to get one for my finger nails too and see if they last as long on my busy hands as they do on my toes. Who knows, i may never actually paint any of my  nails again :)


Final Update!
On the 15th day these came off from my does as i was drying off from a long bubble bath.
who knows, if i had not taken the bath, maybe they would still be on. but still 15 days!! AMAZING
i WILL be buying these A LOT more often this summer for fantastic looking pedicures! and maybe for my nails too :D :D :D 

You should try them too! So Easy, So Cute, so Perfect!

Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal

In my 2012 Holiday VoxBox from Influenster i received a Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal in Cherry Pistachio flavor. I have to say that i did not care for that flavor, but i do LOVE oatmeal, so i had to go to the store and try a couple other flavors so that i could give the oat meal a true review, and not just based on that one flavor. I bought the Peach Almond and the Apple Walnut, and the Peach Almond was pretty good, but the Apple Walnut was amazing! So i will be talking about that flavor because it was my favorite, but just because i didn't care for the others, that doesn't mean they were not good.

Each cup is made with such healthy ingredients it is fantastic for breakfast or a snack when ever you want it. The Apple Walnut has real apples, cranberries and crunchy walnuts and other real ingredients like oats, rye, barley and wheat.

It is so easy to make, you just add hot water in to the little cup up to the fill line, and wait three minutes for the oats to cook.

As i said, it comes in its own little cup that you cook it in, eat it from, and then just throw it away! if you use a plastic spoon to eat it with, than there is no clean up at all. Great for on the go or to keep in your desk at work. (I just had a thought, this would be perfect for camping, just heat some water in a tea pot on the fire, and then three minutes later, delicious oatmeal where ever you are camping! Perfect!)

I urge you to try these all if you love oat meal, or just the flavors that sound good to you! But they are amazingly delicious.

And Check out these pages when you have a chance.
Quaker
Quaker Real Medleys Oatmeal
Influenster

Goody QucickStyle Paddle Brush

I received this Goody QuickStyle Paddle brush in the 2012 Holiday VoxBox from Influenster.
If you do not know what Influesnster or a VoxBox is, i beg you to take a look at the links at the bottom of the page and check them out. They are and amazing company.

I must say that i absolutely LOVE this brush! As you may know, I am a busy mother of two boys, so anything that helps my beauty routine along (or just get me ready for the day faster) helps A BUNCH! lol

So now that i told you how much i love it, let me tell you a little bit of what it is. From the picture you can see that in between all of the bristles there are blue fibers. Those are microfiber cloth pieces that dry your hair as you brush it! It removes 30% of the water from your hair! Its like towel drying and brushing your hair at the same time. And honestly if im in a rush, i dont always blow dry my hair, and this makes it even better.

The soft blue bristles are made of a special antimicrobial material that resists agains any kind of mold or mildew growing on the brush, so you dont need to worry about any kind of funky things going in your hair as you brush. But like any other brush, you do need to clean it every so often. This is very easy, you can just wash it with water and shampoo. Then you can just dry it with a hair dryer or let air dry on its own. And it the microfiber bristles become flat as brushing, you can just tap them on your hand and they will stand up again like new.

It is e very light weight brush, with air holes more air flow for an even easier brushing experience.
Even though this brush is a little on the big side, i still threw it in my purse while i was testing it and hardly knew it was there. (this just occurred to me! this would be a great thing to throw in a gym bag! because who wants to spend more time in a gym locker room then you need to! just brush your hair with this a little and be on your way!)

You may be thinking, why would i want a brush for when my hair is wet, and another one for when my hair is dry. You wont, this brush can still be used when your hair is dry and when wet. You may think the bristles will cause your hair to be frizzy, but i have not seen that at all. When your hair is dry, it is just liken any other brush, you dont even notice the microfiber bristles.

I really enjoy this brush and i can honestly say that if anything were to happen to this brush, i would defiantly buy a new one. Now i was only given the paddle brush to try from Goody and Infuesnter, but i noticed in my research that they also have a Half Round brush and even a comb, if one of those is more your style, give them a try.

I just love this brush.
brush your hair a little with this, and your hair is half way dry and able to by styled.
If you like your hair to be air dried, well then after using this you are haf way there, and there will be less heat damage to you hair when you are done.
So it is a win - win. saves time and saves damage to your hair.



When you get some free time, check out the links below :)
Goody Website
Goody Reviews on Influesnter
Goody Paddle Brush
Influesnster
Influesntser Facebook Page