Funky Friday ~ What's in the Box!

2 of my favorite things...Surprises and Products!

Recently I signed up with a couple different companies to try out their monthly subscription boxes.  Ever heard of them?  There are quite a few out there and on just about any product you can think of.  Beauty products, products for the home, garden boxes, wine sampling...the list is endless - which is NOT good if you are like me - it can get addicting!  At any rate, one of the subscriptions I signed up for is POPSUGAR MUST HAVE.  I've gotten 2 different boxes now and I must say I've been delighted with the contents of the boxes.  It's $35/month and each month a box is shipped to you with full sized products for you to try and hopefully enjoy.  The general idea is most likely it's products that you might not buy yourself and therefore not yet know what you're missing and I like that!  Another thing that attracted me to POPSUGAR MUST HAVE, is that because the products are full sized, if you receive something that is not your personal style, or to your liking, you can give it as a gift or share it with a friend!  Comes in handy for those last minute hostess gifts!  So far I've received the March and April boxes and here's a few photos of what I received.  

Again, you have no idea what you're going to receive so it's really exciting when you get home from work and a package is waiting for you!  The suspense continues when you open the box to hot pink tissue paper hiding what's inside!

 Unwrap the tissue and 'VOILA'!  It's full of goodies!!

It's kind of hard to tell from that photo so here's a little better photo of what I received.  

(Check out the specifics on the March POPSUGAR MUST HAVE)

 I had so much fun inspecting everything and honestly the only product I wasn't crazy about were the nail polish colors.  How lucky for me them that I have 2 teenage girls at home who thought the colors would be perfect for them!  I wasn't really sure about the necklace either.  I mean, it wouldn't have been something that I would've given a second look in a store but several days later I decided to wear it and I really liked it!!  What do you think?  For more info on each of the specific items, check

Given that I really liked my first box, I was even more excited to see what my April box would bring.  One thing I forgot to mention is they send you an email letting you know your box is on it's way.  The thought is never far from my busy little mind that in the next few days, when I get home, another 'surprise' will be waiting for me!

Although my display photo doesn't do the contents much justice, I again was pleasantly surprised by what I received.  

(Check out the specifics on the April POPSUGAR MUST HAVE)

I loved the Shashi nugget bracelet and as someone who has mostly silver jewelry, I liked that the nuggets were gold to match my new necklace from the March box!  I also liked the Kai fragrance and I would've never bought it for myself!  The 'green' garment bag will definitely come in handy.  The fact that it's a four-in-one reusable bag and eco-friendly will make both my life and the world a better place!

I also signed up for the MUST HAVE Summer edition which was just shipped so I'll be sure to share that with you when I receive it and I'm sure my May box will be on its way shortly.  So much to look forward to!!  Have a great weekend everyone!

Until next time...

Funky Friday ~ Your Nose Will Thank You!

It's supposed to be spring!  I should be looking out my windows and seeing something like this!

There should be a bounce in my step and a smile on my face and I should be feeling light and airy!

Instead - I crab.

And I wait for better days ahead.

And I find other things to be grateful for!

Like Puffs with Vicks!

I discovered them a couple of years ago and fell in love.  Vicks says "If your nose could talk, it would tell you it wants this".  Well, my nose and even my kids are addicted!  And it makes me feel great to know that there's a touch of me in every tissue!  And then they were discontinued and I was crushed.  

About 6 months ago, in the height of cold and flu season, there they were on the shelf again!  We were thrilled and the stock ups began.  Not only are they some of the softest tissues out there, but for allergy sufferers, being able to inhale that great sent of Vicks after a solid nose blowing, is so great!  (I know, I'm weird - but it's the little things, right?)  And we all like to put our best face forward and according to Puffs, their facial tissues have Air-Fluffed™ pillows for 40% more cushiony thickness so we can do just that!

One very important thing to note about these wonderful tissues.  You do NOT want to have them handy while watching a sappy movie or use them to wipe your kids tears.  The sent of the Vicks will burn your eyes and while temporary it does not feel good.

Thankfully they're not that much more expensive than regular Puffs.  Maybe .01 cent per tissue and they're not available just anywhere.  I have seen them at CVS and Walmart.  You also can get them in bulk at Amazon.com.  Better yet, subscribe through Amazon to have them auto-shipped every 1-6 months and save even more!

Since it looks like we're in for a dreary weekend, the outdoor work will have to wait for better days ahead.  That's not the worst thing since I just saw this photo on TotallyTarget.  I love that site because it not only shares with me how to get the best bang for my buck at Target stores, it also shares all sorts of other savings opportunities with me!  Check them out!  Anyway, a whole end cap full of Puffs with Vicks on clearance! For 74 cents a box!  I guess I know what I'll be doing this weekend!

So - that's it!  Give them a try and let me know what you think.  Or better yet, if you're at Target and happen upon an end cap filled with my fav tissues, send me a note and I'll be on my way!!

Until next time...

W.A.T.W. ~ The Bachelor in St Croix!

Love Monday nights! I get home from the office, eat a quick dinner and volunteer to do the dishes so everyone gets out of the kitchen and I can watch The Bachelor without interruption!  I was really excited for this week's episode as Sean and the remaining 6 women were visiting the island of St Croix!

St. Croix is the largest of the US Virgin Islands. Formerly the Danish West Indies, United States purchased it from Denmark in 1916 for $25,000,000 in gold. The capital of St Croix, Charlotte Amalie, is located on the island of St. Thomas. Although English is the most common language spoken on the island, a native English-based creole known on the island as Crucian is also spoken by the majority of the population in informal situations. Tourism is one of the main sources of income on the island and that's where I come in! I love doing my part to help support the community and approximately 51,000 Crucians that call St. Croix their home!

Now, back to the Bachelor. Sean and the girls arrived on the island via a Seaborne Airlines sea plane. The girls were whisked to their home for the next few days, The Buccaneer Hotel.  Founded in the 17th century and family-run for generations, Buccaneer is the Caribbean's and Virgin Islands' longest running resort. Both historic and modern, the resort blends old world charm with warm hospitality and the amenities expected by today's traveler. Why am I telling you about this fab resort?? The Buccaneer is offering us the same package, including a romantic and private dinner in the sugar mill, as Sean experienced with Tierra!!  The five-night package includes: a Luxury Beachside Doubloon for two, full American breakfast buffet for two, his and her bathrobes, welcome bottle of champagne and a rose (of course!), private half-day BuckIsland trip for two, a private lunch at secluded Whistle beach, a private island tour, a private dinner on the Mermaid Dock, his and her infinity bracelets by IB Designs, a Jeep car rental for one day, and a 50 minute in-room couples massage. Whew ~ Sign me up now please!! Bachelor Package rates are $7,250 through April 15th and $5,900 through December 19th, per couple (paparazzi not included!).

Now on to the dates!  AshLee received the first one on one date. Her and Sean spent the day on the Zingara Catamaran, a 76 foot sailing catamaran with a crew of 4. They sailed to the private island of Buck Island where they swam and hung out for the day. Dinner is served on a private beach where AshLee professes her love for Sean. Sidenote: the way she chose to profess her love was a little weird for me but he seemed to like it...

Sean's next one on one date is with Tierra. Man, this girl is nuts!  I go back and forth wondering if she is for real or is she a plant by the producers to make the show more interesting and frustrating, both at the same time! Watching her alone, makes the 2 hours fly by each and every week. Anyway, they spent the day in the center of Christiansted eating, shopping and taking part in a carnival-like street parade. Although she told the girls she hated the heat and having sweat/her make-up run all over her face, she told Sean she was the happiest girl on earth! She was 'sparkling' all day long (those of you who watch the show know what I'm talking about)!

The next date was a group date with Catherine, Desiree and Lindsay... They had the coolest date in my opinion. Sean woke them at 4:45 am to travel to the farthest East point of the island, Point Udall. They were the first people on American soil to watch the sun rise that day! They then headed to the most Western part of the island, Sunset Beach to watch the Sunset. Along the way they spent time at a Sugar Mill, Jungle Treehouse and a few other adventures.  Although they were seemingly on a date with their 'boyfriend', there were 2 other girls along as well.  They made the best of it and we saw some pretty cool areas of St. Croix!

Sean's final date was spent with Lesley. Their (I thought) awkward date was spent at Mount Washington, an old sugar plantation. The whole day was somewhat boring and unremarkable.  My favorite part of their date was her skirt! She is my favorite dresser of all the girls and I loved the skirt she wore on their date!  The photo does not do it justice at all but you get the idea.

How cute is that!  Although the actual skirt she is wearing is no longer available, I found this one online at Kohls.  And - it's on sale!!

That brings me to the end of  The Bachelor stay on St. Croix.  Oh, one other thing as long as I was on the subject of Lesley and her clothes, I also fell in love with the dress she wore to the Rose Ceremony (right before she got the boot).  I was bummed, not because I liked her for Sean but because I love her outfits!  

I thought it was the perfect dress for an evening in the Caribbean!  It's currently sold out, but I'm hoping  Foley + Corinna will produce at least one more...in my size of course!

And, in case you were wondering care, Tierra was the other engagement-hopeful sent home Monday night.  It was entertaining watching her try and muster up some actual tears!  All I can say is Thank God she is gone.  It restored my faith in Sean, and humanity in general, to see that good always conquers evil! Tune in next Monday to see the hometown dates and who is 3 weeks closer to a possible proposal.

Until next time...

Funky Friday ~ Brief History of the Bikini!

It's that time of year that most of us dread...shopping for a winter getaway swimsuit!  Recently, I was searching the racks of tankini's, (passing by all the teeny, tiny bikinis with a quick thought of 'some of these are so small!'), and it got me to thinking.  What would people of years ago think of how time has changed the sizes and styles of the bikini!  And how it has changed!  Come along with me as I give you a glimpse into the revolution of the bikini.

Who would have thought that the bikini went back as far as 300 AD!  This mosaic  from Villa Romana del Casale in Sicily, Italy shows women looked great in bikinis even then!

Here is a photo of French engineer Louis Reard who is credited with designing the bikini in 1946. He decided to name his creation the bikini, after the nuclear testing the US military had just completed at Bikini Atoll.  He was hoping it would be as 'explosive' as that test!

Bridget Bardot is widely credited with the popularity of the bikini.  He she is at the Cannes Film Festival at the ripe old age of 18!  In my opinion, the age that the tummy looks best!

1960 This popular song reaches #1 spot on the Billboard hot 100!  Can you name it?

1962 - Ursula Andress emerges from the Caribbean as 'Honey Rider' in the James Bond Flick, Dr. No.

1964 - Sports Illustrated debuts it's first Swimsuit Issue.  The story behind it is the editor at the time was having a difficult time finding a decent sporting event to write about so he asked his fashion reporter to fill some space, including the cover.  The rest is history!

1966 - Raquel Welch wears a fur bikini in the film, 'One Million Years BC.  Years later she was quoted as saying she never wanted to wear it.  For the life of me...I can't understand why!  She looks gorgeous!

1983 - Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in 'Return of the Jedi'.  She referred to it as 'the titanium thing'.

1997 - Miss America contestants were allowed to wear 2 piece swimsuits during the swimsuit competition.  It was the first time since they had been banned from the competition in 1947.

2002 - Another James Bond stunner emerges from the Caribbean.  Halle Berry looks amazing as Giacinta "Jinx" Johnson.

There you have it!  I'd post a pic of some of the more recent versions of the bikini but since this is a family friendly site, I'll let you go research those on your own!  My moral of the story (blog) is, not all of us are bikini ready and some of us never will be!  Be courteous to others around you.  Bikini's are NOT one size fits all!  Wear it only if it fits!

Until next time...

Funky Friday ~ More Holiday DIY

Have I mentioned I LOVE this time of year??  For the most part I'm usually a day late and a dollar short, so the frantic crowds and last minute hustle and bustle of this week never bothers me at all.   My house is perfectly disorganized and cluttered with things I've seen on Pinterest or my favorite blogs.  I fall in love with them and decide I'm going to make them for myself or one of my cherished friends.  It's a constant frustration for my husband whose daily task is trying to organize my piles in different corners of the house by asking me what he should do with this or that - something or other.  My answer is always a 'Oh, leave that.  I'm going to get to that this week.'  And he does.  And I don't.

So.  Although the crafts are purchased, and the piles in the corners remain, I've decided to save them all for a rainy day and display them next year.  BUT - so all is not lost - I'm sharing a few of my favorites with you.  Maybe you are one of those I aspire to be and have all of your shopping done, cookies baked and presents wrapped and you're wondering what you should do with these last few days before Christmas.  Or maybe you're hosting a get together and are looking for a few simple ideas that will 'wow' your guests.  These should do the trick.

I love this Black and White Christmas Tree from The Inspired Room

The Nesting Place is one of my fav blogs to follow.  She has such cool ideas like this Anthropologie inspired wreath!

I also love these Snow Lantern / Terrariums by The Nester

Love this Wintery Pearl Wreath by Classy Clutter

Another of my favorite blogs is Centsational Girl.  She makes shopping in your own home appealing! Love how she decorates with vessels and vignettes and loving her Holiday Home Tour!

These DIY candle holders from Thifty Decor Chick?  Adorable, inexpensive and beautiful!

And sometimes, when life is crazy busy, it's easier to have someone else do the work for you.  I LOVE this idea for an advent calendar!   The options of what you could put in the little grain sacks are endless and how fun!  Check out Dreamy Whites.  Both their shop and their blog are full of inspiration.

Finally, I can't finish a Holiday post without throwing a little 'beauty' into it.  Another one of my favorite blogs is The Small Things Blog. It's definitely a daily read.  I've never met Kate but somehow, after following her via her blog and instagram, I feel like I know her!  Her hair tutorials are easy to follow and doably awesome!  This one is perfect for the Holidays!

My 'friend' Kate with a perfect Holiday Hair Tutorial!

Here's wishing you and yours the most wonderful and holy Holiday Season filled with incredible love and joy!  

Until next time...

25 Things...with Theresa

Keeping the '25 Things You Don't Know About Me' alive - and now it's my turn!  My first thoughts when I sat down with fingers to keyboard was this was going to be a really hard assignment.  However, once I got started, it wasn't hard at all and in fact, it was quite fun!  I realized I like myself and at 48 years old I can say I am mostly happy with the person I am (not in a conceited way - just a Sally Field kind of 'I'm proud of the person I am' way! :) )

So here goes...

1.  I'm obsessed with commas, and use, WAY, too, many of them!

2.  I love to be silly. My kids say I'm weird!

{A 'Selfie' from a recent trip - sending kisses home to my hubby and girls - That's me (Mimi) and the love of my life - Blake}

3.  I am a Grandma! (anyone who follows this blog knows this already, but I just wanted to say it out loud ~ again!)

4.  I am addicted to Nacho Cheese Doritos...seriously. If you don't believe me, come in the office and   check out all of my orange finger-printed papers!

5.  I can be pretty bossy ~ just ask my business partners!

6.  I'm blind as a bat and I don't wear contacts or glasses. Warning - move over when you see me coming!

7.  I prefer cats to dogs, but I have no cats and 2 dogs.

8.  I love ANYTHING to do with hair/skin care/make-up and have been known to spend upwards of 3 hours at Ulta! If the travel biz wasn't my passion, I would definitely be an esthetician or in the beauty field in some way. Until then, I practice on myself!

{Before and after hair shot - any blondes out there looking for the most amazing colorist - I have the perfect one!}

9.  I HATE professional sports. I actually don't care for sports in general but I LOVE to watch my daughter Lexie, a fastpitch softball pitcher, do her thing.

10.  I don't like the Beatles or Elvis. I mean, I really don't like them.

11.  I prefer seafood to any kind of meat and don't consider a salad a meal.

12.  I'm definitely a pool person but like the beach for walking.

13.  I don't like gardening, but I love gardens. Every year I vow to make a change and I plant tons of flowers in May. By end of June, they're dead. Every year.

14.   I'm a reality TV addict. I'm too embarrassed to list all of the shows on my TIVO.

15.  In relation to #14, I tease my kids that if, God forbid, we ever had a house fire, I'd grab my TIVO box before the family photos!  J/K (I think).

16.  I have 3 amazing girls and I'm nuts about them!! See #8. What would I have done with boys?

17.  I subscribe to 9 monthly magazines and People is the only one I religiously read cover to cover.

18.  I can't touch my toes with my legs straight (actually I'm not sure my finger tips even go past my knees, but who's measuring?).

19.  I'm obsessed with reading blogs. I especially love blogs about home design and beauty. I don't follow any other travel blogs... I think ours is the best!

20.  I think I'm a pretty good dancer.

21.  I'm not such a good driver.

22.  I think Dr. Phil is the smartest man alive.

23.  I totally believe in 'The Secret.'

24.  In relation to #23: I believe that God is all-knowing and has a plan for all of us.... A plan to give us hope and a future.  I'm so thankful for Him and for all of the blessings He has given me.

25.  Someday I'm going to be one of the travel experts for the 'Today Show.' Think that's far fetched?  Wait and see!

Until next time...