SurfsUpVoxBox

I recently received my second complimentary box from Influenster.

I really enjoy being part of this community because it gives me a chance to try new products and items that I may not otherwise look twice at. The last box encouraged me to switch my eye shadow, so I was excited to see if there was anything that would change my routine this go around.

Here is what I received:

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1. Jamba Juice Smoothie Kit coupons:  I was really pumped to see this in my box because I have a smoothie every single morning on my way to work. I thought it would be good to try this brand to see if it was better than my other frozen fruit options. The bags are normally about $3 and say they are a 2-4 serving. I used a whole bag for one morning. There was nothing special about this bag, and I think you can get more out of your money buying the large store brand bags. It literally was just frozen fruit in a small bag. Mind you it was still good, but I don’t think the price is worth it considering the other options I have.

2. Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration After Sun:  I don’t normally get sun-burned so I was a little skeptical about this product working. Plus, since being pregnant my skin hasn’t seen a lot of sun, so I wasn’t sure if this would be used any time soon. I did end up joining my family for some pool time on July 4th and was able to get some adequate rays. Just to safe guard against any sun affects, I used this that same night. I wasn’t really impressed. It was a thick gel that was kind of sticky going on. It also wasn’t very refreshing as I feel most after sun products are. Not so much a fan.

3. First Aid Shot Therapy:  I did not try this purely because I am pregnant. I have been trying to stay away from any medications if I can, so this just went into one of our camping prep bags for emergency use later on. I feel like it would be really handy on long races though.

4. Sinful Colors Professional Nail Polish:  I am glad this was in the box. I am always skeptical buying new polish and trying different colors. I haven’t used it yet because I haven’t had the time to sit and do my nails in the past week, but I am sure that this will go to good use. I feel like it is a color that you could use any time of year too.

5. COVERGIRL Bombshell Curvaceous by Lashblast Mascara:  I love CoverGirl! They were my first make-up product when I was 13, and I have been hooked ever since. Mascara is also that one make-up item that I rarely leave the house without. So naturally this was the item I was most pumped about! It is a combo mascara with two different applicators that you layer on each other for a real pop factor. CoverGirl mascara is my favorite mascara by far, and rarely (if ever) have I been disappointed. Until I used this. It really isn’t that bad of  a product, but it is really difficult to apply. The casing is really bulky, and I can’t get the wand into the corners of my eye very easily because the base runs into my cheeks. I feel like it causes a real uneven layering because I have to position the wand in weird ways to reach all of my lashes, whereas other wands I can hit all the lashes in one direction. I think this is what has caused some clumping, I think if the body of the casing wasn’t so thick I wouldn’t have any issues. The other qualm I have is that it is really hard to clean off. I normally wear waterproof mascara, which is traditionally difficult to get off. I have no problem getting that off, but this product I had to clean my eyes, wash my face, then clean my eyes again, and then I would still wake up with some mascara left under my eyes. So sadly, even after trying to make it work for a week, I was not a fan. I will be sticking to my other Lashblast mascara.

While this box was kind of a bust for me, I still really enjoyed getting the box. It enables me to try some new things, as well as appreciate products that I have been using for years.

I did receive all of these complimentary for the review, and these thoughts are my own. If you are interested in getting a box (you don’t have to be a blogger), just let me know, and I can send you an invite. They are a fun surprise! The community is also really easy to navigate. The more you interact the more they will be able to find boxes that fit your style and needs. It is really versatile, and you can use it a lot or hardly at all. I have really enjoyed it so far!

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Granny Square Crochet

I just love crocheting.

This most recent creation was for my cousin who is expecting a girl here real soon.

Her last child absolutely adored the blanket I made for her. (Not to toot my own horn…I think it was just opportune.) She drags the thing everywhere and cuddles with it at the most random times I have been told.

So when making this one for her new little sister, I knew that it needed to be a soft blanket with the potential to be another snuggle object.

I used this video as my pattern.

I am not really sure why I had been avoiding doing granny square patterns. It is actually really simple once I got started. I think following the video really helped.

I used Baby Bee yarn. It is super soft. Something I didn’t notice until after I started was that they were not all the same weight of yarn. I don’t think it made a difference once it was all together, but some were thicker than the others. They were all in the same section so I didn’t even bother to check.

I really do love the colors. Sweet and romantic. Perfect for a new little girl in the family.

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I used a J hook. If I were wanting it to be a blanket for more warmth than snuggle, I would use a smaller hook size and all thick yarn. But the outcome was perfect for what I wanted for this little lady.

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I did a simple crab stitch for the border.

It took me about a month to complete this. I didn’t even use a full skein of yarn in each color.

Even if the new little girl doesn’t like it, I think big sister will have no issue making use of the blanket.

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Or she will learn the value of sharing…

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I hope they enjoy it, and I can’t wait to see pictures of the new baby!

Now I can focus on a few projects for George. Some are even going beyond my normal blanket expertise. Get excited!

Going to the Chapel…A Lot!

Summer is wedding season. And I love both summer and weddings, so naturally it is a fun time for me.

I love watching two people show their love and make that commitment of partnership.

I love seeing groups and communities rally behind them for support and encouragement. (It’s also fun seeing these groups intermingle.)

I love dancing, eating, and drinking-all of which are staples of most wedding celebrations.

I love seeing children dressed up in suits and flower girl dresses. I am already gearing George up to be the perfect ring bearer-any takers?

I love seeing the couple’s personality come through the little wedding details.

I love wedding cake.

I love singing/chanting the Clemson cadence count and Tiger Rag at weddings…oh wait that’s not a normal wedding activity? (Sorry Tom did not do very well catching the video of this little wedding wonderfulness that occurred at the last wedding we attended. Too good for video I guess.)

I love dressing up all classy-like just so I can cut a rug later.

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Golly! Isn’t my husband just as handsome as can be?

 Weddings are just great.

We had our fair share of wedding invites this year. We made a majority of them, but unfortunately there were a couple we were not able to make due to conflicting schedules. It has also been interesting attending these with my temporary latch-on, George. It has made the dressing up part, dancing the night away part, and other wedding festivities different. Not bad, but different. Don’t worry, I still boogied and ate my heart out at buffets, I just had to take more breaks than usual. It did give me more opportunity to people watch, which is fantastic fun at a wedding. The things seen…

Each time I am at a wedding it reminds me of my own marriage and the blessings I have because of it. It’s rejuvenating to witness someone else’s love and think, “Yep I have that too, and it is pretty great.”

I have talked a lot about weddings and marriage on this blog, but it never gets old!

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Wedding One in Iowa

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Wedding Two in Missouri

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Wedding Three in Oklahoma

We missed out on a wedding in Minnesota and South Carolina, but I am so excited for those couples and hope that they had the best day!

Our whirlwind travels to weddings is now done for the summer since this baby is due soon. After this weekend of being home for the 4th, we will be staying put probably until the holiday season. (We are welcoming visitors any time though!)

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I am a new mom, and she is a new wife! Yessss!

It was fantastic and amazing to be able to see old friends and celebrate a new beginning in their lives. I wish the best for each of the couples, and can’t wait to see how awesome their marriages are!

To Infinity and Beyond

While we had the sewing machine out for the baby bedding, I figured I would work on a quick project that I have set aside since winter.

I have a handful of scarves that are an awkward length scarf-wise. I don’t get all fancy with my scarf tying, but the few ways I finagled these scarves they always looked awkward because they were too short.

So in the middle of this winter, I started using safety pins to make them infinity scarves. Doing so made them just perfect!

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Grace is an apathetic model.

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I had four scarves that I wanted to turn into infinity scarves. I just put the two ends together and sewed a straight line down the ends. It was a a little trickier than I had imagined to keep the fabric still for a straight line. I ended up having to use a lot of pins to keep them together so it wasn’t a complete zig-zag hem once I was done with it.

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So there you have it. An easy upcycle to transform normal scarves into infinity scarves. Now these four scarves that I hardly ever wore will probably see a lot more than the inside of my closet.

Have you been doing any fun projects lately? Any ways to turn around a piece of clothing that may have otherwise been dead to you?

Talks with Tom # 24

There are a lot of food fads out there, one being the new craze of Paleo.

If you do this, good for you. If it is helping you make better choices and be healthier, I am all for that.

But I will admit, I don’t get the actual practice of it.

And neither does my husband.

Here is his take on it:

As I understand paleo, it is eating food as it would be eaten in the Paleolithic era. That is berries from the ground and raw meat. Foraged food. You can’t make paleo brownies. Paleo people didn’t eat brownies. If the idea is that as long as it is made out of natural or raw ingredients, wouldn’t that mean that anything is paleo? Corn is from the ground. Corn makes high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup makes candy. Thereby jolly ranchers=paleo. Ok so I love the Paleo diet.

Since this first conversation, at almost every meal/snack, Tom denotes how what he is eating is actually ok according to the paleo theory. From chipotle, Now and Laters, to grilled cheese…it’s all paleo to him.

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