2014 Re-cap And 2015 Resolutions

Oh my neglected blog and my beautiful readers, I promise I have not deserted you completely. I promise in 2015, I will be posting more and showing some love! We had a great year in 2014! My Coco Bear sold 2 Million this year! And we are a bit closer to our home-ownership goal in 2014! We enjoyed some new toys in the household...most notably a telescope, a sewing machine and wireless internet. I bought a brand new car in April after it was determined that my blue P.T. Cruiser had went to P.T. heaven. I still love my new car :) We went on a couple of weekend trips. We spent a lot of weekends holed up at home. And I could not ask for more. Which brings me to... 2015 Resolutions... I've got to lose weight... I'm putting 10% of my pay into savings... Create more awesomeness!!! I Can't Wait!!!

Insta-Natural Argan Oil Hair Mask

Insta-natural Argan Oil Hair Mask

Good Morning Lovelies! Another great product from Insta-Natural today! I'm not one who spends a whole lot of time on their hair but I do see the need to now as I'm getting older and my hair is getting a bit harder to manage.  I'm always on the lookout for products that bring the moisture and I was very pleased with this Argan Oil Hair Mask. Easy to apply and use! Simply wash your hair, coat strands with the hair mask (comb through if necessary) and leave on for about 20 minutes. Rinse off and enjoy your soft, silky locks! I almost forgot the greatest thing about this product...the scent is amazing, like a sweet,  fruity candy! I use this mask about once a week, although I may use it a bit more in the wintertime.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Body Merry Cellulite Defense Gel-Cream

Body Merry Cellulite Defense Gel-Cream

Good Morning Lovelies! Just wanted to share a new body/skincare goody I have recently tried...
Body Merry's Cellulite Defense Gel-Cream! Yes, I have cellulite and I rarely use anything other than regular lotions on my skin. I guess I'm resigned to the fact that when you hit 35, you just deal with it. Lovelies, it's not so!!! This great, non-greasy cream has come to the rescue! It has a creamy almost gel/serum feel that is easily absorbed into your skin and the scent reminds me of a Mojito! Lime and mint really get the senses flowing! The best part though, is the "tingle" that you feel when you apply! You can just about feel it working! I have noticed that my skin, is softer and my "dimples" have plumped out some. Along with proper diet and exercise, I feel this cream would be unstoppable!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Keeping It All Organized! ( A Daily Planner Review)

Sue Hooley's Daily Planner

Good morning, Lovlies! I have been wanting to do a post about daily planners for some time now! I am an old fashioned girl and I have to have a paper and pencil planner to keep me organized! Electronic planners are good too, but I need to write things down!

About six weeks ago, I found the best planner! It is geared toward homemakers but can be used by anyone. It is the Daily Planner by Sue Hooley and it is fabulous! Beautiful artwork, sturdy cover and tabbed! ( I love tabs as I usually use paperclips to keep my place.)

To begin with, there is a front page for your personal info and a four year at-a-glance calendar. There is also a section that instructs on how to use the daily planner and a little info about the author/creator, Sue Hooley. She has been a wife for 23 years and a mother to six children, so she has definitely brought her experience to the table as this planner leaves no stoned un-turned.

The planner is divided into 7 sections (each section includes a small motivational quote too!):

1.) Year - The Year section has a mini calendar (which I use to block off the days I have to work for the year) and  a "Dates to Remember" section (this is where I write down birthdays and anniversaries).

2.) Month - The Month section features December 2013 to January 2015 ( to help with transitioning to a new year). The blocks are a good size and there is a "notes" section that you could write down things that need to be scheduled and such. It also has cut away areas so that your months can be tabbed.

3.) Weekly -  My favorite part of the planner is the Weekly Planning section! It begins with a "Tasks List" to list those items that need to be done that week (in my case, usually blog posts that need to be written), then each day, Mon-Sunday is given its own lined block so that you can organize your day. Each block includes a "Menu" area so you can plan your dinners in advance! I love that each week has a verse from the book of Proverbs to reflect on.

4.) Tasks List - There are 14 blank "lists" here that you could head up with each month and schedule things that fall into those months, which is how I like to use mine. For instance, April, one of my tasks my be switching out my winter clothes for my summer clothes.

5.) Projects - Do you have any projects that you need to schedule? This is the place for those! 28 blank spots to plan for all those projects! Gardening, Sewing, Parties...keep track of it here!

6.) Information - Important contact information goes here with spaces for names, numbers and addresses.

7.) Shopping List - This is a great section! A spot for all the store phone numbers and 18 pages of perforated shopping list, so you never forget an item! I love having a spot so that I can add to a grocery list and take it with me when I go!

Finally, there is a handy pocket at the back of the binder to hold all those important slips of paper that sometimes gets away from us.

I love this planner and definitely will be using the 2015 version that can be purchased here.

Adovia Sulfur Soap

Adovia Natural Sulfur Soap

Adovia's Natural Sulfur Soap is great!  I was hesitant to try it as I felt that sulfur would be smelly and harsh, this was not the case at all! The sulfur soap left my skin soft and clean. I am plagued with an oily t-zone and I wouldn't advise using this soap on dry skin, but oily, acne prone skin will greatly benefit from a daily wash! I also love the fact that this soap can be used on the body (bye-bye, back acne!) and has antiseptic and anti fungal properties which makes it great for those smelly feet as well!

Adovia's natural skincare products are becoming a fast favorite of mine!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Bangers and Mash: A Tragic Tale of a Supper Gone Wrong

Bangers and Mash

Results will vary...

My beautiful Lovelies, I have a confession. I cannot cook. I try, I really do. But I have no skill. I feel like such a fraud, since I have a homemaking blog and all. But now I feel it is time to come clean and tell you all about The Saddest Supper Ever.  It  all started Saturday before last, when my Coco Bear took me to an Irish pub and I ordered the Bangers and Mash. Bangers and Mash is a traditional Irish/British dish containing sausage, gravy and potatoes. It is comfort food at its finest and super simple to make...or so I thought...but I was WRONG!!! Coco Bear seemed pretty taken with it and I thought I would make it for him last Thursday night. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

The components to Bangers and Mash are simple, inexpensive and easily obtained at your local grocery store. Potatoes, gravy and sausage, simple right? WRONG! I guess you could say that my first mistake comes from not knowing the difference between a hot dog and a sausage...they both are basically ground up meat and seasoning in a casing, right? Not so much...So what I thought were "craft sausages" (according to the package) were actually fancy hot dogs.

(oh, so that is the difference!!!)

Homemade mashed potatoes...easy to make, right? Why were mine mashed on the outside and crunchy on the inside?  And gravy? Comes in a packet, just add water!!! Well I managed to mess that up too...it was supposed to "thicken" once taken off the heat source, but  the gravy flavored water that was in the pot, sloshing around five hours later determined that was a lie.

So I'm pretty much off the hook for cooking now...

Apothecary Extracts 100% Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil

                                                                        Tea Tree Oil


I just want to mention that I love Tea Tree Oil and I've been using it for a couple years on and off, so I was very pleased to receive Apothecary Extracts 100% Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil. Tea Tree Oil is a natural anti-fungal and anti-bacterial essential oil that can be used to cure everything from nail/foot fungus to yeast infections. It is also an effective treatment for dandruff, ringworm and head lice.

I started using Tea Tree Oil as a treatment for Athlete's Foot. I work approximately 13-15 hours at a time and I wear very heavy boots and consequently got a rather virulent case on my left foot. I tried everything, powders, sprays, creams to no avail. I read online that Tea Tree Oil worked. I didn't have anything to lose, so I gave it a go and I was amazed! Within a week, I noticed the redness was gone and even though the skin was still peeling, healthy soft skin was underneath. I continued to use it and within about a month, my foot was clear! I still use it a couple times a week, as it kills bacteria that causes odor.

Apothecary Extracts 100% Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil is awesome. At 24.99 for a 4 oz bottle, it is a great deal as most drugstores only carry 1 oz. bottles and they are pricey.  It has a very strong, but pleasant scent and can be used in cleaning and disinfecting as well. A definite addition to the first aid kit, medicine chest and cleaning caddy. This post is sponsered by Brand Backer and provided free of charge for an honest review.