Bear Naked Granola

Fresh fruit, yogurt and granola is one of my favorite breakfast or snack combos.  I recieved Bear Naked granola from Influenster for testing purposes in the Blossom Vox Box.

The "coconut almond" got my attention, but the "curry" threw me off a bit.  Upon pairing the granola with farmer's market raspberries and yoplait light raspberry yogurt...my initial though about the curry was correct.  The coconut and almond tastes were delicious, but the curry made the whole sweetness of this treat completely messed up...I was a bit disappointed and upset, because I could tell the potential it had--just without the curry!

The Sea Salt Caramel Apple one was much better suited for me and how I wanted to use my granola!  I ate it mixed with a little bit of Almond/Coconut milk...making it a little soggy and very enjoyable as a "cereal".

I found Bear Naked in my local Neighborhood Market in the protein power/health good stuff for $1.19...pick up a packet or two to try today!    

Products courtesy of Influenster, but all opinions are my own.

Chatbooks Y'all!!

Someone posted about Chatbooks on IG a while back and I knew I had to see what the fuss was all about! I  instantly downloaded the app and gave it a try!  After some looking around and thinking what a deal $6.00 was for a book of 60 pages...I knew this was exactly what I needed and had been wanting for all my pictures!  

It took me some time to go through and "exclude" some of my IG pictures that I didn't want in my books, and once I did that...I had 17 volumes worth of pictures.  I knew I had to start somewhere--and this was it!  I bought them all and couldn't wait for them to get in!

I actually had forgotten that I had ordered them, especially with all the Christmas gifts I had been ordering for other people, and when I got them in my mailbox I literally SCREAMED--R thought something was seriously wrong!  Ha!  Nope...just my order of Chatbooks! 

The past two months since we have had them...I've caught myself looking through them, I've caught R sitting down looking through them, and extended family (who may or may not have IG) have gotten the chance to sit down and look at them, which just makes my heart happy!   

I opted to have a "subscription" with them, which has been so nice!  As soon as you have new pictures on IG, they know about it.  No uploading them, e-mailing them or getting them from your phone to your computer, etc. Once you have filled up a new books with 60 pictures, they e mail you and tell you that your next volume is full and you have 48 hours to edit the book to your liking.

I'm thankful for this, because I usually go back and have about 5-10 pictures I want to exclude from the book, which makes my book no longer "ready" to print, so they don't print it.  And then the whole process starts over again.

When I get another e-mail telling me it's ready to be edited, I go back again and exclude any pictures I might want to exclude, and then pick the picture I want on the cover and leave it as is.  They will see that I still have 60 pictures in there...and after 48 hours they will print and ship!  Easy as that!  They basically take care of everything for you, which is so nice for busy, working-mamas like myself!

I recently saw Chatbooks post about these Target Dollar Spot baskets on their IG.  I knew I had to have them, and luckily my store had some!  They were just too perfect for housing my Chatbooks!

Right now I have them on the sofa table behind our love-seat...but I love that they are all together if we want to just pick them up and take them some where else to enjoy.  

Here's where it gets FUN!

They announced a while back, that they were starting to offer books with up to 300 pages.  I thought this was GREAT, but commented to ask if they would ever consider going up to at least 365 pages, so that we could print "A Photo A Day" pictures for an entire year...so that you could have them all together in one book, instead of being chopped up into a bunch of different books.

They (@chelsprince) quickly commented back stating they would, "Keep this in mind for the future."  Good enough answer for this customer, and I was just impressed I got a direct reply at all!  But I honestly didn't really think about it again....UNTIL...

I saw this!!!

I about screamed when I saw it!  I was so excited that they took my idea and RAN WITH IT!!  My dad says I need to ask them for royalties!  Ha!

I haven't had the chance to order my "Pic a Day" book from 2014 yet, but I plan to do so soon!

An awesome feature that I love that Chatbooks offers is being about to pull all the pictures off of IG that has a certain #hashtag.  This way you don't have to go through and pick out all the picture you want in your book one-by-one, and IG/Chatbooks basically do all the work for you!  

So, there ya have it!  Are you ready to go order your own Chatbooks now?!  YOU SHOULD!  

Use my referral code QPANHW2K to get your first Chatbook for FREE!!!  Yay! 

first aid {in a bottle}

I was skeptical at first when I saw the FIRST AID SHOT THERAPY bottle in my #SurfsUpVoxBox from Influenster.  It reminded me of the 5 hour energy bottles...I was skeptical of those at first as well until I tried one when in Kansas City for Allison's Bachey party last December.

I quickly researched it to figure out what it was all about and it's known to help people overcome pains, headaches, body aches, or even hangovers.

I have problems with my lower back more times than not, so I knew I was going to wait to use it when my back was hurting to see if it really worked!  (in the place of ibuprofen etc.)

A few Fridays ago...I was getting my last minute to-do things checked off of my to-do list before I headed to Nashville with the girls.  

Enters lower back pain and a headache.  I did NOT have time to deal with that.  First Aid to the rescue!  

The flavor wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible!--But I didn't really care!

I am happy to say that it worked!  Again...I was skeptical--I was ready to go out that day and buy some more (especially for the upcoming weekend I had planned!)  I looked for them at Target but sadly couldn't find them!

Come to find out...they are only available in Seattle and Boston at the time.  They are available on Amazon in multipacks...so I guess I'll just have to wait to get more until they are for sale down here.

Here is there ingredients list if you are curious as to how it works! ;)

All opinions are my own, products received to be reviewed courtesy of Influenster.  

product love {june}

I may say this every month, but how is it already JULY?  It's gonna be December before we know it!

A few new things this month, and one oldie that's been slightly revamped!  

L'Oreal Paris' leGloss in the color NUDE TOUCH-I bought this after being in a wedding last weekend.  The bride used it and I snuck some on after her and loved it as well!  I already had a matte color on, but this toned it down a bit and gave it a beautiful shimmer!  I plan on trying out some other colors, but this has been my go to every since! 

Neutrogena's Night Calming makeup remover towelettes-These are a classic, but I like that they came out with a "night time" one!  The smell is so refreshing yet still get the job done of getting all your makeup off if you're too lazy to take a shower--which is especially true for me during the summer!  I've been traveling a lot and these have come in really handy late at night when I'm finally crawling in bed and don't want to "really" wash my face.

Hawaiian Tropic's Silk Hydration After Sun Lotion & Gel-I did receive this complimentary from Influenster...BUT it would have been on my product love list anyways!  I'm a HUGE after sun lotion fan and the smell of this stuff can't get any better!  I've been using their Lime Coolada for years, but this stuff has taken over!  I love that it's a combo of lotion and gel which basically kills two bird with one stone!  I dare you to just smell it next time you are at the store, and please tell me if you don't like it! ;)

That's all folks!  Happy July 1st--I can't wait to find some new products this month to share with you soon! 

Jamba Jamba!

Thanks to Influenster I was introduced to a new product that I didn't know was around!  I had heard people in bigger cities talk about Jamba Juice and how good their smoothies were!  But we don't have those here, so I had never gotten the chance to try them--UNTIL they came out in stores, to be created in your own home!

I was happy to see that my Target carried them...and at the time they had Strawberries Wild, and Orange Dream Machine.  I'm usually a strawberry/banana type person, but wanted to try out the other one as well! 

I just added the contents of the bag to 8 oz. of light apple juice...

I used a food processor because I don't have a blender...but filled her up and turned her on!

I loved that it had frozen yogurt chunks in it that made it even smoother.  The flavor was delicious and it required little to no effort from me!  CHEERS for all!  

All opinions are my own, products received to be reviewed courtesy of Influenster.

product love {may}

Lots of beauty products this month!  This aren't actually all "new" to me but I've had to restock my supply of a few of them this month and was reminded why I love these products so much!  

Physician's Formula RX Concealer in green--I've been using this for a little over a year and just ran out of my first tube.  You might be thinking GREEN--whaat?!  I decided to give this stuff a try because I have such an olive-colored skin tone and regular colored concealers don't always do the trick for my skin, especially with red blemishes.  The first time I tried it, it was a traumatic experience because I used WAY too much and I looked like Shrek!  But I gave it another try and didn't use as much and it definitely gets the job done!  I use my foundation right on top of it and it covers up the green 100% 

AND you don't see any redness popping through!  HERE is a better explanation of why green is better for some people.  

L'Oreal's Double Extend Mascara--I've been using this since Mama Laughlin posted about it years and years ago!  The white creates "tubes" on top and around your lashes to make them thicker and longer...and then the black is regular mascara to cover up the white tubes.  When taking this mascara off it will seem different at first until you get used to it.  I get my face wet in the shower and slowly drag my finger tip down across my lashes...those "tubes" will literally slide right off and you can feel and see them.  Again...not bad, just different than regular mascara!  I love this stuff though--I used to change mascaras every time I needed a new tube in hopes of finding a "better" one, but that hasn't been the case since the first time I tried this stuff!  

Fergie for Wet n wild Shimmer Eye Primer--I got a sample tube of Urban Decay's eye primer with my NAKED palette and really liked the way it held my eye shadow on all day, but was looking for something with a more reasonable price.  I ran across Fergie's at Walgreens and was excited to try it.  It did the EXACT same job (if not better) as Urban Decay's at a 1/6th of the price!  I was prepared for it to not be as good, BUT IT WAS!!  They have since come out with the "Shimmer" version which I've really liked as well.  Sometimes I even just wear the primer as a shadow if I'm just out running errands for a few hours.  I've heard the shimmer is Limited Edition though but I'm not sure...You can only find Fergie stuff at Walgreens though--trust me, I've looked!  HERE is a good review of the product if you want more details and results! 

Secret's Brazil Deodorant--Well, I never though I would want to rave so much about a simple drugstore deodorant, but this stuff has changed my mind!!!--The smell y'all!!!  It won me over in the middle of the Target aisle and I couldn't get home with it fast enough to put it on!  Even if you are perfectly happy with your current deodorant, please just stop and smell this stuff next time you're at the store!  They also have a Paris and Hawaii scent that were pretty good too...but this stuff!!  {HEARTS IN EYES}  Even Ryder smelled it and said, "WOOOW Mom!  That smells SO good!" I wish I could get this in a Scentsy wax for my entire house!  Now...that's love! :P

Happy beginning of JUNE {how is that even possible?!} my friends!  We are almost half way through 2014 and headed on to bigger and better things!

tervis!!!

**UPDATE**  Use the code CHEERS throughout the weekend for FREE SHIPPING!  YAY!  

I just wanted to pop in and share a code with you guys!  I LOVE Tervis tumblers!  I remember I got my first one when I graduated from HS 7 years ago..and I've been in love ever since!  I will not turn down the opportunity to buy a cute and unique one!  I'm a fan of the large 24 oz. ones the most.  They are great for the classroom and if you drink 4 a day, that is close to 100 oz. of water a day which is not too shabby!! My favorite feature about them besides their cuteness is that they don't SWEAT!  Hal-le-lu-jah!!

I love looking online for new designs every once and a while because some times the stores that carry them don't carry them ALL!  My mom is queen of Tervis and has more than any one I know.  My dad gets so mad when she gets a new one because they take up so much room in the kitchen cabinet!  Ha!  

I got to visit a Tervis store in Gulf Shores last summer (I didn't even know these existed) and OH MY WORD...I wanted one of each!  I bought one of the handles that you can get to go around the 24 ozers there and love having them to match my cups...and it helps when I am trying to carry in my purse, school bag and lunch bag all into school in the morning.  

I've since fallen in love just a little bit with the 16 oz. cups, as I have gotten them for gifts, for my coffee in the am when I am on the go.  They are just the right size!

Anyways....FREE SHIPPING is being offered using code MAY14 if you've been thinking about trying them out, or just need a cute new cup for summer!

Here are some of my favorites! ;)  I ended up getting the peacock (even though someone told me that was BAD LUCK) and mom got the planets...because she's a science teacher and all! ;)

Happy Thursday friends!  One day closer to the freakin' weekend!  {and a three day one at that! ;)}

product love {april}

First off...can we talk about the fact that it is already May??  Weren't we just all planning what we were going to do for New Year's Eve?!  Super cliche, but time is just flying BY and will my baby seriously be FIVE in September?  That's NOT okay!

Moving on...I had a few new things I tried this month, but I narrowed down the list to three for you guys!  I also like to provide a variety of products, so this is what I came up with!  

Swiffer's Sweep & Trap--I'm not one to fall for those goofy commercials on TV, and I've never been one to use a Swiffer just because they seemed too good to be true and they were kinda expensive!  I have 100% hardwood floors in my house, and I usually just use my vacuum to "sweep"...but that's not something I wanna do every night to clean up the high traffic areas in our house!  Ya feelin me on that one?!  So when I saw somebody on IG {thank YOU!}share a video of them using their Swiffer Sweep & Trap, I knew I had to have one!  Next time I was at Kroger, I picked one up and I have been loving it every since!  No, it does not get EVERYTHING but it get's enough for me to feel better about my kitchen floor after dinner time!  It is perfect for the "in between vacuuming" days!  R even enjoys using it some times! 

NYC's BB Creme--This was a random buy one day when I was looking for something light to cover my face as the summer months are approaching.  All I needed was some tint and corrector for my face, to go under my blush.  This was just about the cheapest one at Target, but I seriously LOVE it.  Just because it's cheap doesn't mean it isn't going to do the trick!  I've been using it the last couple of weeks and the Medium shade is perfect for my skin.  I plan on using it throughout the summer as my "foundation"...it does it job, just still feels very light, which was exactly what I was going for!

Maryilyn's Teasing Brush--I was on the mission for a good teasing BRUSH, instead of a comb.  I had been using got2b's POWDER'ful teasing powder, and while it was doing it's job it was simply taking too long in the mornings.  That's when I decided to try out a brush and this what I ended up with.  I got this one at Ulta and it's now my bestie.  She goes with me in my purse to school and every where in between! ;)  I like the fact that I don't need the powder when I'm it, which is exactly why I've ditched the powder and have stuck with the brush.   

I'd love to hear what you're loving this month!!  Beauty products, cleaning supplies, hair care--let me hear it! =)

Happy Thursday my friends!  

(And if anyone is interesting in doing a link up of monthly favorites in the future, just shoot me and e mail at alongfortheryde{at}yahoo{dot}com I'd love to hear from you!)

    

ice coffee yumminess

With the weather warming up, it just doesn't seem right drinking HOT coffee in the morning!  I use to make cold coffee and was quickly reminded of how easy it was and have started doing it mainly in the evenings for my nightly cup...but I'm sure it will become routine when I get out of school for the summer and have more time during my morning routine!

Our Target just recently converted to a "full" grocery.  Not a Super Target, but it now has SO much more food options and produce which is great!  As I was strolling each and every aisle with Allie on Saturday night...we ran across these K-cups from Archer Farms that we hadn't seen before.  I am a "Caramel Macchiato" kinda girl at Starbucks so these immediately caught my eye and I decided to try them out--and I'm LOVING them! 

I have used International Delight's Cinnabon for a couple of years now and will honestly cry the day they don't make it any more.  I've tried to try other things but no mam.  This is my jam and I'm stickin' to it! ;)  This combination couldn't get any closer to  my $5 grande caramel macchiato from Starbucks either!

• I use a quart size jar because I need the room for all of my ice.  Fill your mason jar with ice (I like my FULL, because the colder the better!) and creamer to fulfill your liking.
• Place the mason jar under your Kuerig and fill with coffee just like you would a normal cup.
• Once coffee is done flowing, you can place the lid on the mason jar and stick in the freezer for how ever long you like to get it even colder.  I usually drink mine right then and there and add more ice if needed. 
• This can also be done with a regular coffee pot...just pour your coffee from the pot into your mason jar full of ice!  
• Stick a straw in it and ENJOY!  No reason not to enjoy your mornings favorites just because it's hot out! ;) 

how to: clean tile grout

I recently started following iHeart organizing and ran across her recipe to clean grout.  I have white tile for a counter top.  I knew the grout was dirty, but honestly didn't know there was a way to ever clean it.  I don't have a TON of counter top space, so I just figured one day I would have to replace it all with something else and it wouldn't be a big deal.  Until I discovered that you can actually clean that nasty dirt out of those tiny cracks!  

Who knew they even made brushes JUST for scrubbing grout?!?  NOT THIS GIRL!  I found mine at Fred's for....ONE DOLLAR!  Yes mam!  Can't beat that!  I changed my recipe up a bit and ended up just using what I had on hand...and it worked great!  I am still SHOCKED with my results!  

I covered the bottom of my bowl with Fabuloso and then added BS until I got the consistency that I wanted.  

It should be a paste, not liquid-y or solid but kinda like toothpaste.  Mix the two ingredients and then using a spatula, or something that will give, to spread it out on your grout.

Here is the beginning stages of me spreading it out...this takes some time no doubt, but SO worth it!

After I finished spreading out the paste, I sprayed it with my regular cleaner and let it sit for 30 minutes.  Obviously the longer you let it sit the longer it will have to soak in all the dirt to prepare to be scrubbed away!

Before I got to scrubbing after my 30 minutes was up, I sprayed it with my cleaner again just to make sure it was moist, because some of it had started to dry.  I got my scrubber and started scrubbing!  This part wasn't easy....and I had to clean off my scrubber every once and a while, but you could literally see the dirty coming out of those nasty cracks...and it will make you want to JUST KEEP SCRUBBING! ;)

This is another section before cleaning...

I knew my grout was dirty...but know I really know how dirty it was--since I have seen that I can do something about it!  I've lived in my house 4 years in August...and I wish I would have discovered this before now that's for sure!

This was after I had done a little bit of scrubbing....can you see all that NASTINESS??  This area was a little dirtier because it's right by the oven and where a lot of meal prepping goes on, for me at least!

 And AFTER!

So happy with my results...and my light kitchen is even lighter now and I love it!  

Whether you have tile counter tops, or a tile floor...this will work for you!  I will say that it has taken multiple wipe downs to get all the baking soda residue off my counters, but it hasn't bothered me because of how good my countertops look now!  ;)

I'm happy to share my dirty tile grout with you--now that I know how to fix it! ;)  I would love to see you're before and after pictures if you try this out in your own home!