Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Product Spotlight: Burt's Bees Deep Pore Scrub



Do you ever find a product that when you try it, you scream and jump up and down? 

Well, I almost did just that when I first tried this scrub.


I had been using a similar scrub from a different brand when I saw this from Burt's.  Since I love scrubs like this, I decided to pick it up.  It's completely different from any of the other scrubs I've tried and I love it.

It's a mixture of gritty peach stones with a creaminess to it, so it leaves the face feeling refreshed and moisturized.  The willowbark is a form of salicylic acid, which removes dirt and oil.  It's not harsh at all.

Because it's so gentle, I use this every morning and my face can even be somewhat sensitive.  I don't want to over do it, so I use maybe a dime size amount and that's plenty for my face. With what's left on my fingers I just rub on my elbows to exfoliate them as well. 

The smell is also really pleasant...not real fruity, but doesn't smell like cleaner either.  I think this costs around $8, so it's not too bad at all because it lasts for several months.

I would give this 5 out of 5 stars.  There really isn't anything I don't like about it.  It's actually probably one of my favorite beauty products of all times.

If you use this or something similar, let me know.  I would love to hear about what you use!

Happy Tuesday!!


Sunday, February 26, 2012

Sponsors...



Here are my final sponsor spotlights for the month!

Go check these girls out if you haven't yet.

They are daily reads of mine and I love their blogs.



- Susan @ 2 cats & chloe



Hi Y'all!

My name is Susan!  You can find me and all my adventures over at 2 cats & chloe.
{Yes, I have two cats and a Chloe.  All of which are proud rescue animals.  Don't worry, you'll meet them when you visit me!}

So you may ask what kind of adventures I partake in... 
I travel.  A lot.  Road trips, mission trips, backpacking trips, business trips... lots of trips, sometimes falls.
I eat.  Paleo foods mostly.  No, I don't eat dinosaurs.
I craft.  Usually as my creative release at the end of a stressful day.  (Along with red wine!)
I blog.  About life with my 2 cats and Chloe.  (And my friends, family, and boyfriend - don't worry, I'm not some crazy cat lady who only talks about fur balls and litter boxes.  Eek!)

I would LOVE IT if you took a little trip over to my blog by clicking here, looked around, and dropped me a line!  I can't wait to meet you! 

http://www.2catsandchloe.com

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 - Heather @ Living at 1...2...3





Hi, I'm Heather. Just Heather... I'm married to an amazing husband that finds the humor in all my antics and I will soon be a mom. That's right, as in parent to a child. Not a furry, four-legged child like I already am, but a human one this time. It has been a LONG 9 months with most of it spent on bedrest growing this baby. I'm anxious to get back to life and ME. I love crafting, some of which does not turn out so crafty. Decorating my house or your's if you ask... Reading, I was a reading/writing teacher for 7 years. This comes natural to me and I read everything! Magazines are my guilty pleasure. Cooking, it is good to burn something occasionally to keep those of us considered Top-Notch Chefs humble. I love going to flea markets and finding trash to turn to treasures. I haven't been in quite some time due to the pregnancy, but plan to get back into treasure hunting. I also LOVE LOVE LOVE all things beauty and product related. I'm a junkie. I can't help it.
 
 I strive each day to make it better than the one before. Grab a cup of coffee or wine and stop by and visit!
 
Heather @ Living at 123
 
 
============================================
 
 



Hello!
I am Liz! I started blogging just a few days before New Year's and since starting my blog I have had the opportunity to meet many wonderful ladies (like Jessica), increased my tech/internet skills (WOW! I know!) and really found my passion for writing, trying new things and just finding happiness in the simple things.
I am 22 years old and got married this past May- less than a month after graduating from my undergrad!! I am studying to become a teacher and come April I will graduate with my B.Ed.  I hope to be a high school French/History teacher.  I live in a small town called Spencerville (population 500) in Ontario, Canada.
I enjoy cooking and baking, crocheting, Pinterest(!!!), reading, running, praying and of course- blogging! 
Meeting new people is the best part of blogging so please drop on over to my blog and say hello!!

And Thanks Lesley for being so awesome and having me!!
 
http://lizslovelylife.blogspot.com/




Friday, February 24, 2012

high five for friday!

I can't believe it's already Friday.

  Where did the week go?  I have no idea, but I'm not complaining.  I've got some fun things coming up this weekend.

Here are my top 5 favorite things of the week!

1)  Eric and I went out for crablegs.  While he didn't eat any, I sure had my filling of the all you can deliciousness.


2)  I am jumping on the bandwagon.  I ordered the Hunger Games.  It should be here tomorrow and I'm so excited to start reading.  I'm hoping to have the first read by the end of the weekend!


3)  I found out that I passed my boards and I can officially add to my name, RN, BSN!  It definitely wasn't an easy process and despite my many breakdowns, I made it.  Now on to bigger and better things in life.


4)  I'm not catholic, but I wanted to take advantage of their 'giving up something' opportunity.  I am a chocoholic.  Not a day goes by without eating some form of chocolate and it's time to lay off for a while. I know I'm selfish, but I'm going to reward myself with something grand if I can make it the whole 40 days.  Go me!



5)  I finally got my hair done.  While in school, I didn't have the money to get it done every 4 weeks so I did it myself.  While I absolutely loved the color, it was nice to get some depth put into which helps with my pale, wintery skin.  I just looked too washed out!




Once again, I'm linking up with Lauren!

Happy Friday (:



Wednesday, February 22, 2012

pinteresting wednesday. . .

It's Wednesday already.  One of my favorite things is to post my finds from pinterest!

Here we go.



Finally!  A way to get rid of that nasty armpit fat. If I attempt these exercises, that's another thing....




My motto.





I love this outfit! 










 Always dreaming of this!




 Make more room in your bathroom with just a spice rack!







 A cute way to upcycle!! This was probably my most popular pin, ever!





 Love this one, too!



Skinny recipe.  Mushroms and garlic.




I have a problem believing this sometimes....



Once again, linking up with Vintage Apple


Tuesday, February 21, 2012

hair recreate // updated header!

First of all, how do you like my new header?

I know I've had it up for a couple weeks now, but I have been so busy with work and passing my state boards that I haven't had time to mention it.  

I love it, and it was made by my friend Susan over at 2 cats & chloe.  She is so talented with everything she does so when she offered to make me one, I gladly accepted!

Secondly, I wanted to show my version of the braid that I had posted a few weeks ago since some people asked and it's always fun to see someone else's version. Well my didn't exactly end up like Lauren's, but I think it's cute.  I love braids and am always wearing one (well, not always, but a lot!).  

My hair is pretty layered so the braid itself isn't real thick, plus I had a lot of fall out pieces that I had to hold up with some bobby pins.  It was annoying and pieces of the braid also poked out like little pieces of wheat or something.  The bottom part of my hair is definitely long enough to pull this off but because of the layers, they make the braid a bit short.

I will definitely wear this again, but I honestly couldn't tell too much of a difference between a regular braid and this version.  Nevertheless, it was fun to do























 If you try this, I wanna see!

Sunday, February 19, 2012

stripes!



I have worn stripes for lots of years. In fact, I just realized I'm wearing a striped shirt now.

Lucky for me, they are the 'in' thing right now, so they're everywhere. 
That means there isn't going to be a shortage of stripes for at least the next year!

I was looking online at some stores this afternoon and ran across so many pieces that I want.

Clearly I can't buy them all as having the majority of my spring/summer wardrobe would be absurd.
But, I can pick a few!

They are just so versatile so they go with just about everything.

Here are some that I like:




































Saturday, February 18, 2012

showing more sponsor love!

Here are a few more of my lovely sponsors!

They are awesome girls so go check them out and say hello.

==============================================================

First up is Carmon at saylavee.




Hi there! My name is Carmon, and I'm new to the blogging community.  I decided I would begin my blog, Saylavee, last year because I followed several blogs and thought it might be a great way to document our lives for our family and friends who were far away, as well as a way to meet new people.  So far, it has been fun and I've met some really sweet girls!

Right now, my husband and I live in North Carolina and are parents to our three Furbabies (although we've been talking about expanding our family to real...human..babies, lol)  I fill my time with photography, reading, traveling, crafting and spending time with friends and family.  I work full time, but I have also begun my own Photography business - and that has been a real blessing and an enjoyment to me in the past year and a half. 

I really look forward to seeing what my "blogging future" holds and I'm always up to meeting new friends! 
Come on over to Saylavee, introduce yourself, and stay awhile; I'd be glad to have ya!

PS. I want to say thank you to Lesley for giving me the opportunity to talk about myself for a minute ;) 


 
 =================================================================================
 
 
Next up is Megan at Hearts Prepared  
 
 
 
Hi yall! My name is Megan and I am the founder of Hearts Prepared Ministries! I am your Southern Belle from Alabama and I am a Mass Communications and Public Relations student at Auburn University Montgomery, and my ultimate goal is to end up working PR in NASCAR. I love the little things in life and I get such joy out of helping others! My passion in life is Jesus and I want to share Him with the world!!

About Hearts Prepared 

When God laid the desire of ministry on my heart I knew He was up to something. I soon found myself seeking Him on how I should go about Hearts Prepared. Then came the Hearts Prepared Blog! I have a passion for Jesus and I have a passion for speaking. I am in the process of starting my own ministry for women; young and old. The purpose of this blog is to be an inspirational and motivational, piece of my heart from me to you. I want to encourage women and I want to be a constant reminder that God has a plan for YOU and that you are NEVER alone! Remember; YOU are BEAUTIFUL!!

www.heartsprepared.blogspot.com 

=============================================================================================


Hey guys :) My name is Jessica and I blog over at Lovely Little Things! I’m a 20-something just living and learning as I go, and loving [almost] every minute of it. I'm all about picnics, laughing til it hurts, good book, coffee dates, & bike rides. I a passion for life, and I'm always up for an adventure! There is no limit to what you'll find on my blog. I like to share recipes that I try, product reviews, [wannabe] fashion tips, organization ideas, good books I read or music I listen to, my triumphs and failures, fun pictures from my everyday life - anything and everything. I hope that by continuing with Lovely Little Things that I will discover lots of fun new things about myself (and the not so fun things, too) so that I can grow as a person, and maybe even inspire one or two people along the way! Come visit and let’s do life together!



 
========================================================================
 
 Elizabeth at Fearless and Frugal



{About Me} Hey everyone! My name is Elizabeth and I’m a 20-something senior college student. I’m new to blogging, so I’m still getting the hang of this…but I love writing, trying new things and saving money (who doesn’t, right?) I’m obsessed with organizing, drinking coffee and listening to country music. I have a newfound love for the outdoors, old movies, crafting and cooking. I’m a yoga enthusiast and have just recently started Pilates (which I love!).

{About My Blog} After the summer of 2011 I found myself with an overwhelming number of credits to take my final year of college so I had to quit my job of 2+ years. Although I had spent my entire summer working and taking classes, I still found time to shop, vacation and spend way too much money. At the end of the summer I was hit with a wake up call -- despite all the hours I had put in at work, my bank account was devastatingly low. I realized I couldn't spend like I had been any longer.

Now I’m finding it more important than ever to save money. I thought that by starting my blog, I could share my tips and tricks I've developed and learned along the way to help others who were living on a budget, or just trying to save a buck or two here and there! I am by no means an expert (I'm studying history and then going on to grad school to be a teacher), but I have developed and adapted a lot of tricks that work for me. I also want to offer a few health, beauty, fitness and other tips as well! Come visit me at Fearless & Frugal and bear with me while I get started! :)

http://fearlessandfrugal.blogspot.com 

Peace.


I know that peace within myself is something that I constantly strive for.  In this crazy and stressful world, it's easy to be overcome with worries.

I ran across this quote and fell in love. 

I know I will never be completely at peace, but if I can at least be calm in my heart it will make a world of difference.

Think about it.  

Problems will never be eliminated, but if we can learn to handle them and still carry on, we can be at peace.

I just thought this was a nice saying to start off the weekend.

Love your life.

Happy weekend!

Friday, February 17, 2012

Liebster Award



I was so excited when I found out Lauren nominated me for the Liebster award!  If you haven't met her yet, stop by and see her.  She's beautiful and sweet!

I really am honored that she nominated me in the fact that she (and others) feel my blog is worth reading! I had small expectations when I started and it truly has grown into something fun and amazing.  

So, with this award you also nominate others that you feel deserve this.  

The rules are:

1. Link back to the blogger who nominated you :)
2. Copy and paste the award to your blog
  3. List at least three blogs (with less than 200 followers) you would like to award
 
Here are some of my favorite blogs and girls that are entitled to this.
 

 
 
 
 



Thanks again, Lauren!  Go check out these sweet girls.  

The weekend is near!!!

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Pinteresting Wednesday.




Happy Wednesday!  

It's that time to show off all my weekly favorites from Pinterest
It was hard to choose these because I had so many, but I narrowed it down.
Bam!

Drum roll please....


St. Lucia.  Can't wait to visit this beautiful island.
 




 I would love to do this in a bedroom.  Looks so tranquil.





I have a desk that I can redo so I'm excited to tackle this project.  It looks pretty simple, too!





 My friend made these yesterday and they were excellent!  Give them a try!
Who doesn't like rice krispie treats + chocolate.







 I love plants.  My house could look like this if I had the room.







 Perfect for spring. Hurry up warm weather!







Enough said...





Once again, I am linking up with



Monday, February 13, 2012

Fluffy, White, & Beautiful


I'm excited.  
It's snowing pretty good right now.

I love the snow, but then again I complain about having to drive in it.
 Yes, it makes my hour drive home nerve wracking and frustrating, but on the other hand I think it's absolutely beautiful. 

Where I live we don't get a lot of it - maybe a few inches a few times a year.  Of course, there are other places that obviously get way more than that and then others that get none. 
I should be thankful for it either way.

With the crazy weather system and global climate, who knows how much snow we will get in the years to come.  I definitely need to be appreciative for it and enjoy the small amount we do get.

I would just prefer to have snow all winter long as long as it's going to be cold out, but that's not going to happen unless I move to the north pole and that's not in my plan.

I am definitely a warm weather, beachy person, but I do enjoy a good snow every now and then. 

Soon this snow will melt away and turn that ugly brown/black color along the road as it fades away.

I may just spend a few extra minutes in it this evening as I take the dogs out and will throw a few snowballs at Dutch.  

Might as well enjoy it while I can!

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Sunday Evening Randomness.

I am really strapped for time today and probably for the rest of the week [so there may not be much coming from me], but ran across this the other day from Big Mario Life and thought I would do this since I love filling things like this out!  Feel free to grab and fill out for yourself.  I love learning new things about people!

1. What time did you get up this morning? Alarm was set for 7, but I think I crawled out about 724.

2. How do you like your steak?  I don't do steak really but when I did it was medium-well.  What ruined me on steak was growing up with family who liked theirs rare and then the blood combined with the rest of the food on the plate.  Yuck.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?  Hmm, I can't remember.  I think it was Sherlock Holmes. Never saw the first one so I was completely lost in this one.

4. What is your favorite TV show?  I don't watch too much tv, but when I do it's America's Next Top Model; American Horror Story; Chopped; and Survivor.  I think I'm going to try the Voice and see what it's all about. 

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?  There are lots of places.  Would love to live in Hawaii, England and Germany would be nice, and so would any of the Scandinavian countries. There are several states in the US I would enjoy as well. 

6. What did you have for breakfast?  Today it was pb&j toast.

7. What is your favorite food?  I love toasted ravioli, french fries, and rice; most desserts also.

8. Foods you dislike? a lot of meats, black olives, spam, alfredo sauce, and anything spicy. 

9. Favorite place to eat?  I like to eat at home, but I also love to treat myself to crab legs every now and then.

10. Favorite dressing?  A recently found dressing that you all must try - Newman's Family Italian Recipe

11. What kind of vehicle do you drive?  A sporty black Focus.

12. What are your favorite clothes?  Jeans and a tank with my cowboy boots or flip flops; comfy black yoga pants are nice too. 

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?  Greece



14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?  I'm trying to be better with my pessimism [I call it being a realist!], but I normally say 1/2 empty....

15. Where would you want to retire?  The lovely Sunshine State.

16. Favorite time of day?  In the mornings when I can get things done.

17. Where were you born?  Illinois.

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?  Hockey!

19. What is your favorite fragrance?  I wear patchouli everyday, but some perfumes I like are Ralph Lauren Romance and Eternal Grace by Philosophy

20. What is your favorite face cream?  The Body Shop's day cream and the nite cream.

21. Favorite baby/kids products?  No kids...

22. People watcher?  Definitely. It's gotten me in trouble a few times actually!

23. Are you a morning or night person?  Definitely a morning person.  I like to be in bed early which is gonna kill me when I have to start working midnites!

24. Do you have any pets?  Yep, down to 2 dogs now.  Dutch & Diddle [Harris]




25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?  I start my first nursing job tomorrow!

26. What did you want to be when you were little?  I can't remember and I still don't know what I want to do...

27. What is your favorite memory? The Ford Conventions my family used to go to every year.  We traveled to so many fun places, enjoyed the best outings, and met lots of great people.






28. Are you a cat or dog person?  Dog.

29. Are you married?  Yes, for 3.5 years!

30. Always wear your seat belt?  Always.

31. Been in a car accident?  A couple.  None too serious, but one totaled my car and I had to go to the ER.

32. Any pet peeves?  Poor grammar, slow drivers, girls who wear heels that can't walk in them, know-it-alls.

33. Favorite pizza toppings?  Hamburger and ham, or supreme.  Thin crust.

34. Favorite flower?  Not really into flowers.  I prefer plants.

35. Favorite ice cream?  Good ol vanilla.

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Is Qdoba fast food? Also like Sonic and Arbys.

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test?  None.

38. From whom did you get your last email? A new friend.

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?  Target, Hobby Lobby, or Anthropologie.

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? No, I'm pretty boring and haven't had the time....

41. Like your job?  I guess I'll find out this week.  I sure hope so though!

42. Broccoli?  Sometimes.

43. What was your favorite vacation?  I have several, but I'm gonna have to say my best has been when I got married in Jamaica.  It was a vacation, wedding, somewhat honeymoon all rolled into one.  We had about 20 people go and we had fun partying and relaxing.







44. Last person you went out to dinner with?  My Love.

45. What are you listening to right now?  The timer counting down the time until our pizza is done and the hockey game is on in the living room.

46. What is your favorite color?  Purple and turquoise.

47. How many tattoos do you have?  Just two.  I love them dearly and I can't wait to get a couple more.




48. Coffee drinker? Nope.  The caffeine mixed with my anxiety isn't a good combo.  So I drink lots of tea now!