#JollyVoxBox by Influenster

Hey Peeps!!!

Happy Happy Happy Monday to you!!
I'm just sitting her at 11:15 in the recliner, typing away with 55% battery remaining on the ole' mac book. I've had no shower and I'm wearing the leggings and sweatshirt I had on yesterday.  The dog is doing goodness knows what, the TV is still on and you know what......I'm OK with that.

Well Samma, you SAID you were going to choose to be productive and believe me when I say the last week I have been very very very productive.   I'll save all that for another post but for today one thing that's been put on the back burner is the review of things I have received in the mail for free in exchange for my honest opinions.  I need to get those things taken care of so the nice folks who send me fun things will keep on sending me fun stuffs!!!

Influenster is a great program where you answer some survey questions, unlock badges and then if you are lucky you will get a lovely little box in the mail and that will have all kinds of cute little things to check out and review.  Yes, we review honestly, I'm never told what my opinion should be on a product, they just give me the opportunity to try something I might not otherwise try!





Pictures are few but thoughts aplenty....

The #JollyVoxBox included:

Skinny Cow Divine Filled Chocolates with Peanut Butter Cream

Duck Brand Ducklings Mini Rolls - Blue Surf Flower

New York Color HD Trio in Bronzed in Brooklyn

Puff's To Go tissue

Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Celestial




Let's talk about each of the items individually:

The NYC HD Trio Eye Shadow        

I LOVE this eyeshadow.  The colors were perfect for my blue eyes and I have used them several times.  The shadow goes on smoothly and stays on quite well.  Eye shadow isn't something that I wear but maybe once or twice a week at the most so it's also not something I tend to spend big $$ on.   This is a great solution for me.  I love the product and the price comes in under $4 so that's a big plus for me.   Good product + great price = thumbs up

Skinny Cow Divine Filled Chocolates with Peanut Butter Cream

You can see the product hung out with me on the plane on our recent family vacation to San Francisco (yes, I'll eventually blog about that).  These are OK, I mean they are no Reese's Cup that's for sure but you do get 2 in a pack for a serving size. They have 130 calories and 7 grams of fat, that is roughly ½ of a regular Reese's cup package.  Personally I just think I can plan my day/activity level so that I can enjoy a Reese's but if you can't control yourself then by all means you should give these a try.  We do love the Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches in this house so this product is getting a neutral review for me, a thumbs up and a thumbs down.  

Duck Brand Ducklings Mini Rolls - Blue Surf Flower

I love Duck tape and I adore this tiny little roll.  It's only .75 inches wide and it's just cute.  I mean new puppy cute, so many options for crafts and I know I'll use this little gem for something fun.   Maybe I'll make another little goody like we did at this fun party.

Definitely a thumbs up!

Puff's To Go tissue 

Puff's plus lotion To Go tissues

Nothing but good things to say.  When you get sick on vacation and you need a lot of tissues, it's nice to have this small pack in your bag.  It's soft on the nose when the allergies are being unkind.  These are always in my car, in my purse (for those no TP in the stall emergencies) and in my carry on bag on the plane.  Thanks Influenster for sending me a pack just in time for vacation!

Thumbs Up for sure!

Last product in the box

Rimmel Show Off Lip Lacquer in Celestial

Truth is, I didn't like this product at all.   I thought it felt really weird and heavy on my lips.  The color they sent me was called Celestial and for a lack of better words, it looked cheap.   To be fair though I should tell you I am in a minority with my opinion, most reviews are raving.  I just thought it to be heavy and "thick" and too sticky.   Not for me at all.

So that's it peeps!  My reviews on my first ever box from Influenster.  I'm hoping for more upcoming opportunities to try things and give honest reviews.  

Just please know that I will always disclose to you when I've received free products and who I received them from.  Also know that I will never give a positive review to something I really didn't love.   I have a few more reviews to do to catch up on all the samples and free things I've received in the mail and some are good and some are not...that's life.  We are all different and we like different things at different points in our lives.   I hope you take my reviews as just 1 in many and make your own decisions and as well, I hope you take a chance and try one of these if it appeals to you and give me your opinions!!  You may be the reason I give something a second chance.  

Be kind!

Peace, Love & Yummies!!

This Little Word of Mine

Well Happy New Year Peeps!!!

There is so much to catch up with you about but we are going to save that for another day.  Today we are going to talk about our word of the year.

I did my first word of the year instead of a resolution 2 years ago when I chose the word yellow. 
You can read about my word and why I chose it here.   I never settled on a 2013 word and I think it's safe to say that 2013 as a whole reflected that.  I never felt focused or directional this past year.  It isn't because I didn't pick a word, I think it's just because I allowed the year to happen and didn't take any kind of control.  For some people this may work but I think I've found that for me, I need direction and goals and something to "guide" me.   In 2013 I blogged so little and so sporadically that I'm amazed anyone is even still reading this little ole' blog.   I became less social (and if you know me that's just crazy talk) and less organized than I have been in my life.  I let life happen around me.  I didn't enjoy the little things, I didn't get out of the house and as a matter of fact it has kind of become a joke about how long I could go without leaving the house.   This isn't normal people and it certainly isn't a reflection of who I am at my core.  I feel like I lost interest in cooking, cleaning (which is ok because I probably tipped the scale too far the other direction on that anyways), crafting, just everything.   Much of it comes from just life as it goes...kids growing up, moving out, moving on. You know the things everyone else seems to be handle with ease and until the past 6 months or so I thought I was handling.  Turns out I've not handled things as best as I could have.  This brings us back around to word of the year.  I'm hoping that my word will inspire me, direct me and guide me back to the paths I need to be on.  Without further ado I give you my little word of the year........CHOOSE.

In 2014 I've decided to 

Choose

Choose-  To be productive...or not.   I'm not going to say that I'm going to be productive every single day because that's not the way to live.   Some days you need to be lazy and have no plan but not every day. For me one way to do this is to go back to the planner.  I mean the old fashioned actually use a pen to write in planner.  I'm a visual person and for some reason the electronic business never has worked for me and I've tried them all so I'll find me a nice new "brain" planner in the next week or so or maybe I'll break down and order myself a spiffy new Erin Condren planner.  I've wanted one for so long and this may be when I break down and get one.   Also it's back to FlyLady routines, honestly my house and my mind function so well when I fly instead of flutter.   (check out FlyLady and that sentence will make tons of sense!).  I CHOOSE to be productive.

Choose-  To get out of the house at least once week that doesn't involve a grocery store.  Making this also means that I'm going to choose to get up every morning and get dressed and slap a little makeup on and comb my hair, wear jeans instead of yoga pants a little more often and in general make myself presentable for a ringing doorbell or a neighbor calling to see if I want to ride along on an errand.   This past year I've been pretty content to sit back and just make sure I've had a shower and changed before Hubster got home from work.  This year I want to start the day ready to go for whatever I have planned or whatever comes along.  I will CHOOSE to be ready.

Choose-  To learn a new skill.  Maybe it's finally learning to make crepes,  learn to create webpages, a new language, etc.   You never know maybe I'll do all of them, maybe none of them but I will learn something new.  I need a challenge and a goal so we'll see all the things I can accomplish.  I know for sure this blog is getting improved because I've been paying for a URL for a private page for over a year and never created the actual webpage and moved to a hosted site so that'll change and I know that I have the skills and the mindset to design my own webpage plus it gives me the opportunity to turn this blog into the blog I see in my dreams.  I still believe in the blog and me and that's pretty cool.  I CHOOSE to learn and expand my mind. 

Choose - To turn off the TV after the morning news.  If I force myself to turn off the TV after I've heard the news highlights I tend to get much more accomplished.  I do so much love the Today show and even the later hours and the Kathie Lee and Hoda hour but sometimes you just have to cut ties.  Maybe I'll allow myself one day of keeping it on for the duration of the show and no worries, I'll most definitely be tuning in during the "where in the world is Matt Lauer" series and during the winter Olympics but otherwise it'll be no TV after 9 in the morning.    I CHOOSE to do great things instead of watching others do great things. 

Choose - To spend more time crafting which also means making the time to get that craft room on a roll.   We've agreed to be financially responsible this year and cut way back on unnecessary things but crafting on Wednesdays with LL is something I enjoy and honestly we have so many craft supplies hoarded up we could probably craft for months without spending hardly any money.   So maybe getting out of the house means hitting up some yard sales and thrift stores and getting crafty with things to turn the "crap" room into my craft room!  I CHOOSE to be creative and find my niche in the world.  I deserve a spot of my own in my home and I'm gonna make it happen!

Choose - To more conscious of health, exercise and natural remedies. We recently vacationed in San Francisco and spent some time in a Tea shop in Chinatown and it was truly one of my favorite parts of the trip!  I want to learn more about tea, oils and natural ways of healing and preventative care.   I have already weaned myself off one medication (working WITH my doctor) and now I have only one prescription drug that I take on a daily basis.   I know that getting rid of that medication isn't possible but I can strive to not need any other medications and research my vitamins and supplements to choose the most natural/least processed way to go.   Also to continue my daily weekday walks with Sir Winston Churchill, dogs need to get out too even when it's rainy or cold.   I CHOOSE good health and positive ideas for 2014. 

Choose - To be happy and make things happen.  To be positive, to be encouraging, to be spiritual, etc.  I think you can see where I'm going with all of this.   I want to be an active part of deciding how my days, weeks, months, thoughts, goals progress.  I don't want to sit back and let life happen I want to sit in the driver seat and steer in the best direction for me and my family.  I want to talk to God and tell Him my thoughts and learn from Him the plans He has for me.   I have so many more life changing moments ahead of me this year and I need to mentally prepare and focus, enjoy life and the moments and the time with people I love.  I want to hug more, laugh more, love more, learn more, observe more and never forget being Yellow.   I want to decide what I believe in and not what the media tells me to believe.  My mama and daddy raised me to be a smart, self thinking, moral daughter and I need to remind myself that I am still Samma Michelle and not to let myself get lost in the "world".   I CHOOSE to be me. 

What about you?  What does this year bring to you?  Do you make resolutions?  Do you stick with them or are they gone by the wayside by February?  If you have  your own "little word of mine" and would like to share with me I'd be super dee duper happy about that!!  I mean we're all good folks and we all have such great ideas and we should share them and make this world a happy place again!!

Choose to be kind

Choose to be smart

You already are important. 

Peace, Love & Blessings!!!