It's the Little Things.............

That soothe the spirit, refresh the mind, make you smile. Little things come in many forms: your child's laughter; a litter of wiggling puppies; a great cup of coffee and a good book. And sometimes they come in a fabulous little box. Specifically, the #JollyVoxBox from my friends at Influenster.com

Just in time for Christmas, a little box of goodies arrived as if from Santa himself! In it I found some of a girls' best friends: HD Color Trio eye shadow from NYC cosmetics, Rimmell London Show Off Lip Lacquer, Skinny Cow chocolate candy, mini Ducklings from DuckTape, and Puffs-to-Go tissue packs. Oh, What Fun! Fabulous, little treats just for me!! I've had so much fun sampling these products (did I mention they sent me free CHOCOLATE???)that I just had to give those guys and gals at Influenster.com a shout-out. Do you like getting free stuff? What? Who doesn't, you say?? Then head over to their page and check it out. Maybe you can score some fabulous, free "little things", too. It will make your day, unless of course, you have an endless supply of puppy cuteness overload to make you smile. I don't think anything beats puppies.

The Last Harvest

I love Fall.  I really do.  Cooler days; chilly nights.  Home made soup.  Pumpkin spice everything.  The list goes on and on.  But it's also bittersweet.  No more fresh tomatoes.  Time to put away the garden tools and drain the hoses.  Cleaning and raking out the garden beds.  I was out this past weekend clearing the beds and picking the last of the veggies.  A nice head of lettuce and a handful of peppers.  And even though I was out there clearing, and not planting, the time in the garden was soothing to my spirit.

Unfortunately, the Fall, and yard work, bring some problems, too.  Like dry skin.  I'm already seeing itchy, scaly patches on my problem areas, and my hands are dry and tight.  Fortunately, I've found a new moisturizer that really takes care of my skin.  Curel Intensive Healing Cream is a new product I've been able to sample, courtesy of the good folks at BzzAgent.  It's wonderful!  It's creamy, smooth, absorbs quickly and easily, and is working wonders on my dry heels and callouses.  Curel Intensive is an amazing hand cream - my hands feel good for hours, even after washing my hands.  I'm already using it on my shins, an area that typically is severely dry over the winter months.  This product is a keeper.  If you suffer from dry, itchy, winter skin, I would recommend you give this product a try.  Be sure to stop back and tell me if you like it.

Dr. Scholl's For Her Comfort Insoles

The Good folks at Influentser.com recently sent me some Dr. Scholl's For Her Comfort Insoles and asked me to give them a test drive.  I was more than happy to oblige. My day job requires that I wear athletic or other sturdy type shoes to work - no Vera Wang or DKNY kicks are seen skipping around my office.  Which is fine, except for those times when I want a look that's a little more suitable for Fashion Week as opposed to the NY Marathon.  I find it's a little tough making the transition to 3 inch pumps after spending day in and day out in Nike footwear.

I was hoping that Dr. Scholl's might help with that, and I was eager to try them out.  Not having anywhere special to go, I dressed in good trousers and pumps one Saturday morning and put those insoles to the test.  I spent a good couple of hours walking around my house while picking up, carrying laundry baskets, etc. and just generally being on my feet.  Normally I like dressing up - but hate the uncomfortable shoes that go along with it.  Dr. Scholl's insoles made a big difference in my comfort level.  They cushioned the balls of my feet nicely and relieved the pressure points that normally cause me discomfort when standing/walking around in my heels.  I will definitely give them a spin on my next dress-up occasion, which is right around the corner. I'll be sure to come back and update my thoughts.

In the meantime, go check out Dr. Scholl's right here and see all the great products they have to offer.  Let me know what YOU think!

A Better Mac n Cheese?

The good folks at Influentser.com recently sent me their MamaVoxBox filled with all kinds of little treasures that keep a busy mom moving and grooving.  One such little gem was a sample of Annie's Homegrown White Cheddar Mac n Cheese cup.   

My kids are straight-up fans of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, and I have to admit, I get a yen for that tried and true original every so often.  But I mostly prefer more "grown-up" tastes (after all, I'm not a kid anymore), and was eager to give the Annie's a try.  I was not disappointed.  Annie's White Cheddar has a bold, distinctive sharp cheese flavor that I really enjoyed.  The texture was smooth and creamy without being runny or lumpy, and it cooks up in the microwave in about three minutes.  Easy and delicious.  And the Annie's cooks didn't stop at tasty.  They made a satisfying product which consists of REAL cheese, organic pasta and all-natural ingredients.  This is not your typical processed food product.  I'm definitely putting it on my shopping list to keep in my desk at the office for those times when I need to eat in for lunch, or need a late day snack to hold me over.   Look for it the next time your shopping and pick one up.  I bet you'll be surprised.

Home Based Hair Care - Do you?

I've been off work since January (that's a whole other blog post), so I've been watching my budget a little more closely than I normally do. Luckily, my good pals at Bzzagent offered me a chance to try Garnier's new Olia haircolor at just the right time. I needed a color touch up and if I didn't have to spend money at the salon this time around, I wouldn't mind that at all. When my Bzzkit arrived, I eagerly took my coupon to Target and picked up my free box. Medium Blonde was my color choice. A few days later, I had a free morning with no distractions and went to work on those roots. The box contained everything I needed: gloves, mixing bottle/applicator, color, developer and after-color conditioner. I had already read through all the directions a couple of days before (they recommend a test application for allergic reactions 48 hours in advance), and was ready to mix the color. Easy enough to do. I followed the directions for application and left it on the recommended amount of time, then pulled additional product through all my ends, and finally, I was ready to rinse and apply the Olia conditioner. Success! The Olia formula is really nice to work with. It's all oil-based, with no ammonia, which means it's much kinder to your hair. And it smells great!! I really didn't feel like I was coloring my roots. Now here's what you really want to know: Initially I was very pleased with the color. It blended well with my previous color application and my hair was soft and shiny. Smelled fabulous. Roots were the right color and no grays to worry about. But it seems that the color has faded a little after only a short time. I attribute this to possible user error, as I am not the most patient person when it comes to something like this, and I'm definitely not a professional. So to be fair I'm not giving up on the product. I will definitely try it again. I'm thinking of using a coloring brush to apply it more evenly to my roots all the way around. Give it a try and come back and tell me what you think. Did you do a better job than me??

Morningstar Farms: Hit or Miss? a BzzAgent review

The good folks at BzzAgent offered me an opportunity to try Morningstar Farms veggie products for free (we all like free, right?) recently, and I quickly said yes.  During the last year I've been watching my diet and increasing physical activity in hopes of shrinking my waistline.  Since I love meat and find it hard to reduce the amount I eat without feeling like I'm deprived, this opportunity came along at the right time. I'd tried other veggie products in the past (does Burger King still make that veggie burger?), and found them less than desirable.  Finding an occasional substitute for meat to aid in my quest for better health would be a good thing.

I tried both the Morningstar Farms sausage links and Grillers Prime Veggie Burgers.  How surprised was I that they actually tasted like the real thing?  This is one of those times when I am reminded that how you season your food can make a vast difference in how satisfying it is when removing the unhealthy fats.  (Now, there is nothing better than biting into a big juicy burger, but we all know you can't eat one every day if you don't want your arteries to explode).  



I'm a big fan of the breakfast sandwich, so I microwaved my sausage links (note to self - patties would work better here), and placed them on an english muffin with a slice of american cheese.  Being honest here, I will tell you that I missed the slightly greasy texture of real sausage, but the fact that two links is only 80 calories per serving, coupled with good sausage flavor, makes up for that difference in texture.  Same with the veggie burger, which tasted very close to a real, grilled hamburger - at only 170 calories and 39% less fat according to the Morningstar Farms nutrition gurus.  

Morningstar Farms has definitely changed my mind about meatless products, and I've found a great way to incorporate some "Meatless Mondays" into my healthy lifestyle.  Be sure to check out all their tasty ideas over at Morningstar Farms and let me know what you think.