July Birchbox

It finally came!!  I got my first Birchbox delivery today and I was soooo excited to open it and see what kind of goodies I had gotten.  It was no disappointment either, let me tell you!  They packed some good stuff in there and I can't wait to try it all out!  Here's what I got!

Bronzer by Ada Cosmetics

The color I received was "Peach."  I tried a little on the back of my hand just to see what it was like and it was quite nice actually.  Granted your hand and your face are two totally different things, but still.  It is a loose powder, like the Bare Minerals line that most people are familiar with, and it leaves a nice shimmery glow on your skin.  So you look sunkissed without the UV rays!

Luxe Salt Scrub in Lemon Leaf by dirt.

This stuff smells so good! It is a combination of seasalts, grapeseed oil and avocado oils with a sprinkling of lemon leaf and raspberry seeds mixed in.  The company is also organic so there are no mineral oils, parabens or dyes in any of their products.  I can't wait to use this stuff because I'm positive that my skin will feel like silk afterwards.

Eau Flirt perfume sample by Harvey Prince

If you know me, you know that I LOVE perfumes, body sprays and lotions. My vanity is covered with all kinds of perfumes and the drawers are stuffed to the brim with lotions and sprays.  It is quite ridiculous lol.  I could probably never buy another bottle of the stuff and still smell good until I was 105.  So that said, I was excited to see a perfume sample in my box.  It was actually the first thing that I picked up.  It has a very feminine smell to it, sort of a floral undertone.  I generally don't go for the floral scents, but this one is very nice.  According to the company, the perfume contains pumpkin and lavender along with a little undertone of freesia, jasmine, nutmeg and cinnamon.  I know (because I would have thought the same thing if I would have read this description prior to smelling the perfume) that this sounds odd and seems like it wouldn't work together, but I'm telling you it does!  If you run across it in the perfume section at the department store, please smell it!  Aside from that, the most interesting thing that I read is that this perfume holds true to it's name.  Eau Flirt is specifically formulated to attract a man's attention and "heat things up."  Apparently, studies have shown pumpkin and lavender to spur passionate reactions in men.  We'll see about that when hubby gets home *wink wink*!

Stainiac lip and cheek stain by theBalm cosmetics

Another fabulous item that I can't wait to try out.  I hate lipsticks.  I NEVER wear lipstick.  I will wear the heck out of some chapstick though lol.  My lips almost never have any color on them though because I refuse to wear lipstick.  I do wear lip stain though.  I have one other lip stain already in a lighter pink shade, but I'm excited to wear the red.  I think it will make or a nice shade for date night with the hubby out on the town :)  The cool thing about this lip stain is that it's a gel.  The other stains I have seen have been liquid and you brush them on with sort of a nail polish like applicator brush.  This is more like a lip gloss wand. 

Sample size Larabar

It's nice that they threw a little something in the box related to health and nutrition.  Not only do women like to look pretty and feel pretty on the outside, but we should feel the same on the inside.  What better way to do that then by making sure what we feed ourselves is good for us. 

The cutest set of Earbuds EVER

Ok, this was TOTALLY unexpected.   These Earbuds are super cute with their neon colors.  Pink and blue are my favorites together.  It reminds me of cotton candy :)  How the heck did Birchbox know that I needed an extra set of these bad boys??  Major score!

All in all, this box definitely receives my stamp of approval and I am now looking forward to next months box with great anticipation!! 

Birchbox and Bluum Box!

I’m super excited because I just got invited to sign up for the Birchbox AND the Bluum Box!  My day has been officially made!  If you don’t know what these are, let me school you a little bit!  Then you’ll know why I’m so excited!

Birchbox is a company that will send you a monthly box of beauty samples.  These can range from skincare to makeup and even health and nutritional items.  You will get samples of things from companies like Philosophy (I LOVE them), Redken, Befine, Spackle, Bare Minerals,  Benefit, Boscia (a new favorite of mine), Dropps (a laundry detergent), Juicy Couture, Sweet Riot (organic chocolate), Smashbox, and sooo many more!!

I’m excited about being able to try these things out and find out about new products without having to go to a store and look around.  It’s like I have a personal shopper haha.  I can’t wait to get my first box!  I’ll be sure to share with you when it comes!

If you’re interested in learning more about it, their website is www.birchbox.com.

Here is a picture of what a Birchbox might contain!

Bluum is a company exactly like Birchbox, only their boxes contain baby and toddler related items.  So this one is for Caden!  They also throw in some things for mommies too.  I looked on the website and this month’s box contains some cool stuff!  There was a tube of lip balm by BabyGanics, who I am a fan of.  I have used their cleaner from Walmart.  There was a Babybug magazine, a Luna bar, a sample of Rockin Green Laundry detergent, a sample of Nassim Naturals Soothing Balm for baby’s skin, and a sample of Pangea Organics facial toner.  I can’t wait to see what comes for me and Caden in our box! 

If you want to check out Bluum, their website is www.bluum.com.

Here is a picture of what a Bluum Box might contain!

The best thing about both of these companies is that you can cancel your membership at any time with no penalty.  It’s a month to month subscription (unless you opt for the yearly subscription).  So if I don’t like it, I can just cancel it.  No big deal!  The boxes come at the same time every month, similar to a magazine subscription….only much better!

I will be sure to update you guys as soon as one of these treasure boxes makes it to my house!

Jailbird, by Heather Huffman

The book opens with the main character, Kali Langston, making her escape from prison.  So your attention is immediately demanded and easily kept throughout the story.  I will try not to include too many spoilers for those who plan to read this book, but I can’t make any promises!  So now is your chance to stop reading!

The back story is that Kali is incarcerated for murdering a very rich and powerful man from an equally rich and powerful family.  You will later find out in the book the reason that she murdered this man and the reason that she feels her actions were justified.  As I’ve already said, the book opens with Kali making her break from the prison in which she has just spent 10 long years of her life.  It’s very dramatic to say the least.  As the story continues she makes her way through the woods squatting and hiding until she stumbles upon a group of Hispanic workers laboring and decides to join them.  Taking on the name “Neena,” she is invited into the home of one of the families and they take her under their wing.  They do not know her past and don’t ask her any questions.  She begins working with them on their farm to make a small living while sleeping on their couch. 

It is through this family that she also meets the town lawyer, Charlie.  This is where the story takes a turn.  Neena (Kali) and Charlie are falling in love, but Charlie doesn’t know who Neena really is and this haunts Neena and scares her to death.  When Neena is forced to tell Charlie who she really is the story really gets interesting!  Does she get to live in that small town and live out her dreams of having a family and a normal life with Charlie and does she end up back in prison?

This book tells a very unique story and is very beautifully written.  I enjoyed the style that the writer uses and was pleased with the pace of the story.  I didn’t feel that the writer rushed the story at all, but the timing was perfectly played out so that you didn’t lose interest while the characters were being built.  I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more novels from this author.

Chicken Parmesan

Easy Chicken Parmesan (Heaven on a Plate)

What You Need:

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

½ cup Italian bread crumbs

6 chicken breasts (or 3 split if they are really thick)

Jar of pasta sauce (or use the recipe below for homemade sauce)

Mozzarella cheese slices

Oil

What to do:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Get two bowls/dishes to use for battering your chicken.  Your beaten eggs go in one

     bowl and in the other bowl mix together the parmesan cheese and bread crumbs.

3.  Dip chicken into the egg and then coat with the parm/bread crumb mixture.

4.  Heat oil in a large skillet or pan and sauté chicken for about 10 minutes or until chicken

     is cooked through (juices run clear).

5.  Pour your pasta sauce into a 9x13 baking dish and add chicken.  Cover each piece of

     chicken with a slice of mozzarella cheese.

6.  Bake for 20 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

7.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve over pasta.

This dish is so simple and easy to make, yet it tastes like you might have slaved in the kitchen over it for hours!  It’s a definite crowd pleaser at my house. 

Homemade Marinara Sauce

1 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced/chopped

28 oz can crushed tomatoes (I like Tuttorosso)

15 oz can diced tomatoes (again, Tuttorosso)

¼ cup fresh chopped parsley

1 tsp dried oregano (because I can never find fresh)

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

1 ½ tbsp sugar

Dash or two of cinnamon (to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes)

salt and fresh pepper to taste

First, separate your parsley and basil into two piles.  You will add half in the beginning and half at the end.

Throw the first half of your basil and parsley into a large pot along with all the other ingredients and simmer for about 20 minutes.  Then add in the remaining basil and parsley and simmer for about 10 more minutes.

Taste sauce and adjust salt/sugar as needed.  If it is still too tart and acidic, add more sugar.  If it is too sweet, add more salt.