2014 Favorites

Hey Peeps!!!

I'm just dropping in to say hello and since I was so very bad this past year about posting I don't really have a favorite post of each month to do so instead, I'm posting a photo.  Lots of things changed in our lives in 2014, some have been good and some I'm still adjusting to but in the end we move forward and we try to make each day better than the day before!!

So without further ado this is my year in pics!!
(I'm trying to hold it to two per month)

Last year we left on December 26th for a family vacation to San Francisco.

At the time I said that I never wanted to be gone during the holidays again but this year I was kinda wishing we had planned a vacation.   Anyway, we had a BLAST in San Francisco with all the kids and their respective spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend.  What a way to kick off the New Year!

February brought the Stock Show to town.  Always a good time and one of my favorite local "festivals".

It also brought this to our front yard.   *sigh* One of those changes I'm still not used to yet.

It's hard to leave a great neighborhood but the time was right.

We put our house on the market in February and it sold in 24 hours and then the moving and remodeling began.

In March my poor car was used very much like a pickup truck.

March also brought with it a second sold in 24 hours home.

Yes people, we were selling like hotcakes but not finding much in the way to buy!

Things finally came together in April and we purchased this house.

Solar panels and Earth,Wind & Fire ties made this the hands down fave for the Hubster.

And we celebrated Easter amongst the many unpacked boxes.

May brought much excitement.

My not so little anymore boy and his sweet girlfriend attended their last college formal together.

As luck would have it the theme was Kentucky Derby and quite frankly these two just look the part of Derby goers!!!

Nothing can kick you into gear faster than having a party right after you move into a new house.

We celebrated with a Mary Kay Andrews "Ladies Night" House Party.  While I may have forgotten to take photos I sure did enjoy the party even though I certainly wasn't quite unpacked yet.  Hopefully none of the party goers minded either.

And the biggest event in May.....Abogg graduated from Baylor!!!

Yes indeedy cotton petey!!!   Can't be more proud of the young man he's become!!!

World's best Geologist is on the loose now!!  

June brought a family vacation to the beach.  We stayed two wonderful weeks at the condo and once again were so blessed to have all the kids and +1's with us!

(aren't the fishing shirts we picked out awesome!)

Then we came home from two great weeks to watch the Cowboy Ride Away.  My combined Christmas, birthday, Mothers Day gift of George Straits' final concert.  It was a blast!!! 

July means 4th of July and our new neighborhood has a parade!  We gussied up the new riding mower and threw some beads and had a bubble machine going!  Tons of fun, just tons of fun!!!

We made a little trip to Atlanta to see a beautiful girl get married!

July in Atlanta is quite lovely for a wedding!  Of course we had a lot of fun before the wedding too!!

And let us not forget July also brought us a snake wrapped around the fan of the Aboggs car.

Seriously how bizarre!!!

(I'm sorry to report neither the snake or fan made it out alive.)

August ushered in with more than enough yellow squash from the garden and I was making this yummy soup.  

August also gave Hubster a new job that requires him to be out of town most of the week and found me eating SALSA all the time. Fresh out of the garden and even this yummy twist with green tomatoes.  

September brought us an impromptu week at the beach. 

Just me and the Hubster. Unfortunately he worked up in the condo all day but we did get to have some good quiet time together.  Well we had the dog too but hey, every thing is better when it has dog slobber on it.    :-)

We ushered in October with a trip to the State Fair. Always good fun!!

October also means our annual Parents Gone Wild trip to the beach.

Deep Sea Fishing was back on the agenda this year and we caught so many fish and had so much fun!

Not to mention our escapades of deep sea fishing will be on TV Jan. 9th on the Destin To Fish show.

Here we are bright and early and ready to leave the dock to fish!

November means Thanksgiving and I made the family get up early on Turkey day this year to do the Grub Run.   It was just a 5K and we walked it (well Abogg ran) and it was fun. Then we stopped at a gas station and pigged out on weird combinations of food before driving home to finish getting things ready for the T-day meal!

(I might also mention it was a bit cold when we started too!)

And finally December brings Christmas.  It's been a tough season for this mama.  For the first time in 23 years my sweet boy has not been with me for Christmas.  I'm holding out and keeping the decorations up until he comes home so if you see me just give me an extra hug because this mama needs it!!

I did make a little trip to Waco to see a sweet girl graduate from Baylor.

Now she can go forth and GeoPhysic officially.  

(Seriously I do NOT even know what her and the Abogg do-it sounds like a foreign language when they talk)

Poor Abogg had to miss her graduation too but I got to spend the morning with her and her wonderful family in his place and it was quite delightful to share her special day!  (excuse frumpy sweater with my dress but it was way colder than I anticipated)

Other than Abogg not being able to come home, I'm not even sad that my tree is still up. I'm actually kinda digging it!

I hope that 2015 brings you and yours a wealth of peace, happiness and love. 

Hopefully my next post is my Word of the Year but I make no promises because I'm still not sure which way I'm going on that just yet!

Peace, Love & New Beginnings!

Tuesday Tumblings

Happy Tu Tu Tuesday folks!!!!

We are going to do Tuesday Tumblings a little different this week because I have a bunch o' products I need to review for various campaigns I've done.   Hang tight with me and see what kind of free stuff I've been sampling lately and what I think about them!

First up Arm & Hammer Truly Radiant Toothpaste.  Folks when I started this campaign I was skeptical.  I mean I'm a Crest girl, always have been and thought I always would be.   I used the toothpaste (and Spinbrush) for a couple of weeks and I really didn't notice much of a difference UNTIL I went to the dentist and my hygienist was amazed, she thought I had done the teeth whitening in the office and also noted that my crowns no longer matched my teeth.  Hubster is a convert too and we are now Arm & Hammer Truly Radiant toothpaste fans!  Seriously you gotta try this stuff, like really right now add it to the shopping list!

Preparation H wipes for women.  They do what they say, 'nuff said.  

If you need this kind of thing, they're very nice wipes.  

Moving on......

Huluva Good dip.  I used my free coupon to try the Jalapeño Cheddar flavor.  What can I tell you other than I've probably bought 4 more containers since then.  I stinking love this stuff.  With Pretzel chips you can't go wrong, it's delicious!!!

CoverGirl + Olay FaceLift Effect Firming Makeup and De-Puffer Concealer.

Let's start with the concealer.  This is what the campaign material had to say:

"De-Puffer Concealer tackles eye puffiness and dark circles by combining Olay’s rejuvenating serum and cucumber extract to soothe and brighten your skin. The unique cooling metal tip ensures application perfection and massages concealer on as it glides over the under eye area."

This is what Samma has to say:

I think the metal tip is actually very cooling but did it de-puff my eyes? not really

Did it cover my dark circles? yes, as much as any other concealer

Would I buy it again? probably not, hard to beat Clinique's concealer in my opinion.

Onto the makeup and here's what the campaign materials had to say:

"With the concentrated vitamin complex of Olay FaceFirm technology, FaceLift Effect Firming Makeup provides luxurious, flawless coverage and the deep hydration of night cream, leaving you with firmer, healthier-looking skin after just two weeks."

Samma says:

Did it provide luxurious, flawless coverage? eh, a little.  I did like the feel of this makeup but I wished it were more buildable.  I wouldn't say I got flawless coverage but it was fine for wearing around the house AND it didn't break my face out so that is a definite win.

Did I have firmer, healthier skin in 2 weeks? not at all, same skin 

Would I buy it again? Probably as long as I found good coupons for it.  I mean it was in fact a great makeup to wear every day around the house so not to scare the UPS man when he rings the door bell but for going out in public, I'd like a little more coverage.

Tazo Chai tea complements of Smiley360

Oh I love me some Chai tea and I do love Tazo teas as well so this was an exciting pack for me to receive.   I received 3 flavors to sample along with coupons (which I shared).  The Classic Tazo chai was delicious and I enjoyed my cozy warm mug of yummy tea.   Vanilla Caramel.....OH MY GOSH, this is amazing yummy delicious!! Seriously this stuff is so good.  #SweetMeetsSpicy is the "official" hashtag for this campaign and it's perfect for this blend especially.   I'm so glad I saved one of the coupons to use myself on this blend. It's a new favorite of mine!   Chocolate chai, not my cup of tea at all (pun intended).   

Here's a link for you to pick up a coupon so you can try out Tazo Chai for yourself. You won't be sorry, I promise!  I hear there is a Pumpkin Spice chai blend, gotta try that one next. 

5 Hour Energy Go Pink! Experience

(another free product from Smiley360)

Here's what my campaign material had to say about the 5 Hour Energy:

The makers of 5-hour ENERGY® products team up with the Living Beyond Breast Cancer organization this breast cancer awareness month. LBBC helps to support and educate people about breast cancer.Now through December 31, 2014, Living Essentials will donate five cents from the sale of every specially marked bottle of Pink Lemonade flavored 5-hour ENERGY® to Living Beyond Breast Cancer. LBBC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting people with trusted breast cancer information and a community of support. 

My thoughts, I wasn't a huge fan of the Pink Lemonade flavor but then again, I'm not much of a fan of any energy drink but I'm always happy to spread the word about breast cancer.   

By the way, that's LL and SuePoo and I just before we left for a VERY early morning deep sea fishing excursion.  We loved toasting our friend and breast cancer survivor SuePoo!!!  

You can click this link for more info!

5 hour Energy

So that's all I have to review today folks. I've got a couple more Smiley360 missions to work on click that link if you'd like to join Smiley360 and try out new products in exchange for your honest opinions.   If you are interested in joining BzzAgent, then shoot me a quick private message with your email address and I'll send you an invite.  It's another program where I get to try out free products in exchange for sharing my honest opinions.   

I still have a vegetarian chili recipe to share with you too so hopefully with this cold weather snap we're experiencing I'll be inside and blog a bit more often.   

Peace, Love & Free Stuff