Living a Joyful Life

I'm sorry that I haven't blogged much this month. Between my jobs, Christmas shopping, spending time with my family, and getting ready for my trip back home, I've been busy. With that being said, I'm putting my blog on a Holiday Hiatus. I will be back with catch up posts about the holidays and new posts for the new year in January. I hope you all have a very happy and wonderful holiday season and a very happy and healthy New Year! <3

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving! I hope you're all having a lovely start to December and the holiday season. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.... I have finished my Christmas shopping. I finished early this year due to going home to visit my family and home state for the holidays. I love this time of year.. the joy, peace, love, and magic of the season is one of my favorite things about the holiday season. I have been listening to Christmas music and watching Christmas movies since November 1st because I love to celebrate both the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays as long as possible. I'm nuts for the holidays and I've grown up that way and I can honestly say that I wouldn't have it any other way. I love...  spending quality time with my family giving thanks for my family & friends watching the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting seeing the Tree in person baking Christmas cookies decorating for the holidays s...

Influenster Review #5 for the #RoseVoxBox: Kiss Gradation Polishes PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Give yourself a trendy gradation manicure in no time with Kiss® Gradation Polishes. Quick and easy to apply in three easy steps, you will end up with a mani filled with glitter and shine in no time! Available at Walgreens. MY REVIEW: I did not care for this product simply because my nails aren't very long and it was an ordeal to enough of each of the 3 polishes on each nail. I'm sure if I had longer nails, I would have liked this product more. However, I love the colors that I was sent (the dark ones). If I had longer nails, I would highly consider buying this product in the future. On a scale of 5, I would rate this product a 3/5. Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

I'm beyond thankful and blessed all year round but I would like to take a minute on this week of Thanksgiving to write a post about some of things I'm thankful for all the time. 1. My family: I have the most amazing family. My mom, dad, siblings, nieces and nephews, step-dad, step-grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins, and my furbabies Davey Eli & Pumpkin are a huge part of my life. I've always felt extremely blessed that I was able to grow up with such a big family. I always looked forward to our holiday parties and family get together's. Growing up with so many cousins was so much fun and I look back fondly on the memories we've made together. 2. My job: Starting at my new job in October has been amazing. I absolutely love it and I look forward to going into work each day. 3. The health of my family & myself : I'm so thankful and blessed that my family and I are healthy. 4. Having a place to live, food to eat, & clothes to wear: It is so...

Influenster Review #4 for the #RoseVoxBox: Dr. Scholl's For Her Cozy Cushions PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: Dr. Scholl's® For Her Cozy Cushions help keep feet warm and dry while providing all-day comfort. Their multi-layer design helps insulate the foot while two plush layers provide extra cushioning. Cozy Cushions help keep feet dry by absorbing perspiration and offer superior support on hard surfaces. MY REVIEW: These cushions are definitely cozy. They will be great for the rough and cold winter weather. They were very comfy and I could easily leave them in my shoes all day and be comfortable walking. I would not recommend using this product if you’re going to be indoors for a long amount of time because my feet got really hot. On a scale of 5, I would rate this product a 4/5. Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

My fabulous sister has a blog and an Etsy site. She is an amazing sister/wife/mother and friend. She is so creative! She knits, sews, scrapbooks, bakes & cooks. Since I was younger and she got me into scrapbooking, I've always called her "the Martha Stewart" of scrapbooking. Below is the link to her blog and Etsy site: Blog:  http://loopsbykeri.blogspot.com/ Etsy:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/LoopsbyKeri I love my big sister so much. She has more creativity in one finger than I have in my whole body. I'm so thankful to have her in my life. Some of my fondest memories of the two of us from when I was younger, are spending the weekends scrapbooking and stamping and making crafts at her apartment and going shopping in town together, especially to the stamping store.

I'm not expecting a lot for my Christmas and birthday simply because I'm older now but I still wanted to make a wish list. Christmas & Birthday Wish List: Gift Cards to any of these places are always awesome gifts: Amazon, Itunes, Target, Barnes & Noble Beverly Hills Season 10 on DVD Third Watch Season 2 on DVD The Vampire Diaries (all seasons on DVD) Safe Haven DVD Erin Condren Life Planner for 2014 Cuptakes Iphone 4S Cover: http://store.cuptakes.com/collections/all/products/candy-stripes What's on your wishlist for the holidays?

Influenster Review #3 for the #RoseVoxBox: Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: The 60s are back in full swing with a thicker, fuller, wide-eyed look! Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara brings you a bold, wide-eyed look, fanned out volume, and no clumps for lashes that are up, out and over the top!" MY REVIEW: This is my new favorite mascara! The brush is longer than my current mascara’s brush and it makes it much easier to get on without creating a clumpy mess. This mascara really makes my lashes pop and it created a great, bold effect. My lashes definitely looked more fanned out thanks to the volume of the mascara. It was super easy to get off too. I’m ditching my old mascara and using Rimmel London Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara from now on! On a scale of 5, I would rate this product a 5/5. Disclaimer: I received these complimentary from Influential for testing purposes.

Influenster Review #2 for the #RoseVoxBox: Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate Truffles Product Description: Smooth, Melting, Luscious. When you break the shell of a LINDOR truffle, the irresistibly smooth filling starts to melt and so will you. Available in 10 smooth melting flavors. My Review: This truffle just melted in my mouth. The chocolate was smooth and creamy and was absolutely delicious. The flavor was wonderful and the filling in the middle was so smooth and delectable. I’ve had Lindt Lindor Truffles before so I was very excited to see it in my #RoseVoxBox. I would definitely purchase these again and I love that they added a coupon for a $1.00 off a package. I will definitely be using it. The only downside is that there was only one in the box. What a tease! On a scale of 5, I would rate this product a 5/5. Disclaimer: I received these complimentary from Influential for testing purposes.

Influenster Review #1 for the #RoseVoxBox: Belvita Breakfast Biscuits (Cinnamon Brown Sugar) Product Description: belVita crunchy Breakfast Biscuits are made with delicious ingredients and carefully baked to release steady energy that lasts all morning. They are a good source of Fiber and B-vitamins, contain no high fructose corn syrup, have 18-20 grams of whole grain per 50 gram serving and taste great - perfect for on-the-go! My Review: This is my first time trying this product. I liked the flavor. To me, it tasted exactly like how a cinnamon brown sugar cookie/biscuit would taste. The biscuits weren’t stale, they were still fresh and crunchy. I’m not a huge fan of crunchy biscuits/cookies/etc., so I was pleasantly surprised that I liked this product as much as I did. The serving size is 4 biscuits and the serving size was filling. The only downside to these biscuits is that they made me very thirsty. Aside from that, I enjoyed this product and I would be interested in buyin...

Influenster Review #5: Broadway Nails imPRESS Press-on Manicure I'm not a fan of press on nails. The main reason being is because my nails are shaped weird and the way press on nails are designed make them difficult to stay on and I just end up getting frustrated. The color I was sent (a medium purple) was cute but not my taste. I'm more into pinks, blues, and greens. If my nails were better suited for wearing press on nails and I wanted to purchase a pack of press on nails, I would definitely purchase this product. The nails were shiny, just like how they should look after you get them done at a salon or after doing them yourself at home. For anyone who uses press on nails on a regular basis, I think this brand would be perfect for them to use! Disclaimer: I received these  complimentary  from  Influential  for testing purposes.

Influenster Review #4: Schwarzkopf Professional OSiS Dust It This product did what it said on the information card “adds incredible root lift, texture and control”. However, I have naturally curly and frizzy hair. And I  wouldn't  recommend this product for that hair type. It just did not work well with my hair at all. It did add volume but with my hair type, I don’t use products with volume because my hair is already so curly and frizzy. I would recommend this product for people with straight, non-frizzy hair as I think this would be a great product for that hair type. One downside to this product is it took a lot of rinsing/washing to get all of the product out of my hair, which was a little frustrating. Disclaimer: I received these  complimentary  from  Influential  for testing purposes.

Influenster Review #3: Secret Outlast Clear Gel Antiperspirant/Deodorant I really liked this product. The deodorant goes on clear and doesn't leave any stains on your shirt. It has a clean, fresh scent and works well. It’s really hot where I live especially in the summer and this product worked really well at keeping me odor free, which is a MAJOR plus and it is what I consider to be my personal #1 factor when deciding what antiperspirant/deodorant I purchase. I love that this deodorant is affordable. I have been using the same brand of deodorant for years but I am definitely inclined to buy this product when I run out! Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Influenster Review #2: NYC New York Color Applelicious Glossy Lip Balm I liked this product but I would have liked it more without the red color. It was a bright pinkish red color and it just didn't look good on me. I did like that my lips felt soft when I applied this lip balm. The product goes on easily and comes off easily as well, no residue was left on my lips when I wiped it off. I like how the balm itself had an apple shaped core. I thought that was a really cute tough considering it's called Applelicious!  If this product is sold in more neutral colors, I would definitely consider buying the product. Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Influenster Review #1: Tastykake Kandy Bar Kake (in Peanut Butter) Out of the three flavors for Tastykake Kandy Bar Kakes (S’mores, Peppermint, and Peanut Butter), I received the Peanut Butter Tastykake. Oh my goodness! This was delicious. It wasn’t too rich and it had the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter. I’m more of a peanut butter than chocolate fan and a lot of times deserts/etc. that combine chocolate and peanut butter, go for more chocolate than peanut butter so the combination of the two was great in the Tastykake. It was moist and fluffy and it was melt in your mouth delicious. To me, the Tastykake was the perfect size. Not too huge where it could be too filling and not to small where it could leave you wanting more, although I did want more simply because it was so delicious!!! If I was rating this out of 5 stars, I would give the Tastykake Kandy Bar Kake in Peanut Butter 5 out of 5 stars. I am definitely going to buy more of these delicious ...