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Friday, April 21, 2017

Grove Collaborative

I feel like I just skimmed over the grove.com site in last night's post. So tonight I want to tell you a little more about it.

As if they knew I was telling my friends about the site, I got an email this morning from Stu over at Grove Collaborative. They personalize with names so the emails don't seem like random mass mailings. I don't know if Stu exists, but we're going to pretend he does.

Anyway, Stu said that there is a VIP sale going on right now for 10-40% off because of Earth Day. I have my items already picked out for scheduled mailings at the beginning of the month, so I won't be participating in this sale.

Part of why shopping through Grove is so good for the Earth is because part of their mission is to help save the rain forests. With every VIP membership, they donate 100 square feet of rain forest they do a carbon offset for your shipment, too.

We've had one problem with my product coming in damaged, and they fixed it right away. When you sign up for the VIP program, you get connected with you own person on the staff. They even give you a text message, so when something ever comes up, you can just text and go. As the busier we get, texting is definitely the way to go with this family. There's usually some kind of noise happening that makes phone calls a dreaded thing. So when my one caddy came broken, I took a phone picture of it and texted to my personal "Grove Guide" and they let me keep it and refunded me the amount in credits plus a little more for inconveniencing me. They're also good at making sure I know my next shipment is coming before it ships in case I want to make any changes to it.

And this weekend, when you ship $49 or more in products, you will also receive a free Grove Collaborative Hand Cream. Pretty sweet deal to try something nice out for yourself and for the Earth.

And don't forget to use my referral link to receive a free $10 credit and 3 month trail of the VIP program, making trying new Earth-friendly stuff even easier on your wallet!

Click here for the referral link in case you couldn't see the hyperlinked texts above and read more about some of my favorite products here.

Earth Day



Happy Earth Day, everyone!

So, has anyone heard of grove.com yet? No? Let me tell you a little about it.

It's a site that offers free shipping for VIP members and great customer service (I know because I had to use it) on products that are good for the Earth. And good for the Earth, means good for us!

I've been battling acne pretty much my whole life. Pregnancies and birth control have sent my skin into a horrible downward spiral. I don't claim to have it figured out yet, but my skin seems to be getting better. My main switch is the addition of essential oils. Sounds backwards, but apparently they work.

I've been washing with Yes! brand charcoal soap. Then I add a few drops of both tea tree oil and clary sage oil to a pump of moisturizer twice a day. And don't forget to do whatever skin care regiment you do on your face to your declate and back of your hands, too. The skin in those areas often times get forgotten about even though they have similar sun exposure and skin thinness as your face. My skin is the best it's been in years.

What does any of this have to do with Earth Day?


The products I've been using have come from grove.com! Everything in this picture, except the clary sage oil. You can probably find all of this at Target, I know at least some of it is sold there, but why do that when you can use my referral link for a free $10 and 3 month trail of the VIP service? It is a referral link, so I'll get some to spend as well, but free's free.

Picture taken from product description on grove.com


And if you already have a skin routine that works for you, great! First of all, I'm jealous. Second, why not try wool dryer balls? I also have them from Grove, and love them. I usually just forgo the dryer sheets, but these help keep the lumps out of my bedding. And I wash bedding a LOT.

Whatever you chose to do, celebrate Earth Day by taking care of the earth. Even little step helps!

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Dude, You're Getting A Dell

Hey guys! I didn't forget about you, I promise. I got a new toy. Came this week, so still trying to set it up. I got a laptop! In case you couldn't guess, it's a Dell. And I soo want to say "Adele".

Part of the big drop off in posts was due to big family changes. And part was due to lack of easy access to a computer. Kinda hard to type a blog post without one. We have a 21 inch all-in-one desktop that I got right at the beginning of this blogging adventure. It used to sit in my room, but has been moved and shifted through different rooms to make space for everything and everyone. As it turns out, it wasn't really the easiest thing to get to. Or use. That thing is huge.

The last few posts were from Brian's laptops. He has 2 for work. But they're for work and I hated to have to keep asking for one. So he said he's gonna get one for me. One so I can post, and edit pictures, and shop online....

So I got a Dell, and it's pretty. I have to learn it, since I'm so used to my phone. But as I do, I'll be able to start posting more.

I've already started some home "improvements" to tell you about. Pumpkin doesn't like it, and Sonny keeps telling me to "buy new one". Good thing it's my house :)

Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Modern Map Art

2 posts in one week?! I'm already beating last year's schedule record, by about 200%!

Remember in the last post I mentioned about product reviews? Here's your first one. It's pretty cool, too.

I was contacted awhile back, like maybe a month ago, by Jennifer from Modern Map Art asking if I would like a free print in exchange for a review. I actually hesitated. I couldn't just take time off from posting and then spam you all with product reviews. That's never been what this blog was about.

But I took a peek at the site. Then another. Then showed it to my husband. Then looked again.

I wanted to do this!

I don't know about you, but I hate buying things that I feel like I could do myself. Unless it's time vs. money. My husband is real big on saving time vs. money. But I've always thought prints, and art in general, are something that should represent yourself and style. Should be selected with care, or have some kind of memory attached to it. SOMETHING personal involved with it. I'm very picky.

So for me to actually purchase art, I have to like it. REALLY like it.

Guys, these prints are beautiful.

They're definitely something I could do. If I had the time, the patience, the equipment, the desire, etc. These aren't as easy to recreate as you would think, and I'm one to underestimate the time it takes to create something. So you know these took forever to master.

Time Vs. Money.

I don't have the time nor the money to make something this quality for the price they're charging.

The best thing? New orders receive 10% off when you sign up for their emails.

To order something, click here.


Now that I talked the product up so much, maybe I should show it to you?

It took me probably longer than a normal person to decide which print and size I wanted, and they were great at helping me.
So communicating: Check!

The turn around from ordering to receiving was quick. I ordered it on a Thursday and got the print, I think, on Tuesday. She even emailed me with the tracking number and asked that I let her know when it comes, and I had to reply with "It already came!"
Delivery: Check!




It was delivered in a super sturdy tube too, so no damage. The print was also wrapped in tissue paper so it didn't stick to itself or anything.
Packaging: Check!







My ONE complaint. And it's not a complaint, really. It's a matte print. Which makes it way higher quality than I was expecting. But I'm not a high quality person usually. Remember? Lots of pets and kids in this house. Things get destroyed fast. Because it was rolled up so well, it wouldn't lay flat for a good picture without rolling back up. Because of it being a matte print, it scratched a little bit. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that can tell. And It's only because I was examining the thing to be fully honest with everyone. So I went and got a poster frame for it as fast as I could to keep it safe. I knew that it would never be able to be freely hung all cute on a board like the pictures on the site show. Maybe in another house, it could survive that. But not here. Because of needing to frame it though, I don't have any good pictures of the complete print. Once framed, you don't see any of the scratches (told you I was probably the only one that would've noticed them in the first place) and it stays protected.

Can you see the scratch? Yeah, me neither now.




So if you get one, and I highly recommend you should take a look (the watercolor skylines are beautiful, but didn't have Pittsburgh), make sure you use those 4 days waiting for it to get your frame. I just got a cheap one from Target. I didn't want a thick one to take away from the print.

And the kids think it's super cool. They like looking at it trying to figure out what everything is on the map.

Can you find Point State Park? Kids loved figuring that out!


Currently it's mixed among the family pictures in the living room. One day, we will have a proper game room, and I know exactly where it will go then. It's the perfect team colors to tie all the sports together. Not too yellow, not too orange. Perfect colors.






To be completely clear, because I don't want you to think I'm trying to deceive you, I will get a percent of what you buy when using that link, and I did receive the product for free in exchange for a review. But I would tell you if this was crap and its not. All opinions are my own.

Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Didn't Expect This

Betcha didn't expect to see a post from me when you checked your email today, did you?

Hello! I know, I know. December 2013. That was the last time you had a smiley post from yours truly. I'm sorry. I missed you guys. Since we last talked, I would write posts in my head constantly! I would try a new product and be like "I HAVE to post about this!" I even took pictures sometimes, too.

But nope.

Never put the words to post.

I'm sorry.

I'm gonna let you in on a secret.

Blogging is hard.

Like, really hard!

Even harder when you're pregnant.

So, since the last time I've posted I've had 2 more children. TWO MORE! And added a puppy and 4 snails to our little collection of pets.



So let's recap, shall we. There's me, my husband, Pumpkin (who's now 7), Snowflake (just turned 5), Sonny (will be 3 in June), and the Baby (a girl, born December 1). Toots (black and white cat),  Ziva (mostly all black cat), Colby (a guppy), Mia (the puppy), and the 4 snails that they wanted to name after ourselves but can't remember who's who.






That's a LOT!



But I missed talking to all of you, so I'm back. Probably won't be every day. Some weeks might have daily postings; some might have none at all. But we'll go on this adventure together.

I have some stuff to talk about though. Some product reviews to do. Some projects to do around the house. Some small room shake ups. So I hope you all want to join along with me on the ride.


Friday, December 13, 2013

The Christmas Song

I almost didn't do a post tonight. The girls took a late, and long, nap, so bedtime was a bit later and more hectic than usual.

Usually, Pumpkin gets a song before bed. It's always been the same 3, although she includes another one every once in awhile.

But since it's late, and it is the Christmas season, I'll post to you all the best rendition of The Christmas Song ever recorded as far as I'm concerned (although *N Sync's is a close second) and is one of her most requested bedtime songs.

Enjoy...


Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Pizza Underground

This. Is. Awesome.

Everyone remembers their first celebrity crush. Everyone has had one. Mine were Macaulay Culkin and Devon Sawa. I even share a birthday with Mac, which meant it was fate, obviously.

Devon Sawa is still looking pretty nice and has a reoccurring spot on the CW show "Nikita". With another 90s teenage heartthrob, Shane West. If you didn't know about it, now you do.

But Macaulay Culkin hasn't been in the limelight too much lately. Ever wonder what he was doing? No? Bet you do now....

Brian found this out. I tell ya, best husband award.

He is in "an underground cover band that only sings about pizza."

Yes. Pizza.

You can read about it here. The article even lets you listen to the demo.

(CD cover picture taken from the Huffington Post article I linked to above.)

This is amazing. I can't wait to hear more. But not until our next pizza order. I have a feeling it'll be making me hungry.

I just thought you should all know about this.