**REVIEW** pureSol Konjac Facial Sponge

You might remember my saying that the Konjac fiber was going to be a trend. Well, I have now been lucky enough to try Konjac more than once. This time, I tried the Konjac Facial Sponge

from pureSol.

Good thing in a small package

I can't help but think that these are perfect stocking stuffer gifts!

As I just said, this is not the first Konjac sponge I've used. The Konjac fiber seems to be a beauty care wonder-find and I just know it's going to trend in 2015.

This sponge by pureSol is a quite small and handy. I do prefer something a little bigger because I tend to be clumsy with small items, but my friend loves this one especially for its size.

shown dry & still in plastic wrapping
(along with the handy hook)

On top of the amazing things this does for your skin, another thing to love about the Konjac sponge fiber is that it's natural, and is eco-friendly. This particular one is produced to be softer and better suited to super-sensitive skin (again, my friend loves this part the most).

It's so gentle that I opt to use it only on my face and neck because it wouldn't be as exfoliating for the rest of my body. Where the other sponge I tried is big enough (and more exfoliating) for all-over use on a once-weekly basis, this one is perfect for regular use on extra-sensitive skin. It is shaped nicely for working around the contours of the face. My personal routine is to use this sponge daily to get ride of the blackheads and pores around my nose area. I use the other sponge less often.

It took quite a bit of soaking for this sponge to soften up for use and it didn't expand very much once it was ready. Even though the fiber is soft and gentle, the sponge is very firm and seems like it will last quite a while.

There are lots of reasons that folks are going to love what this sponge does for their skin but there are additional positives:

1. Natural fibers (biodegradable), and
2. No added chemicals
3. Cruelty free & vegan
4. You can compost the sponge, (try adding it to your flowerpot)
5. Even the packaging is 90% compostable

Another nice little touch was the suction hook for handy attachment. For me, I like the idea that this sponge is effective but still gentle enough for daily use on my face. I can see a difference in the amount of icky blackheads on and around my nose. 

Check out more about the sponge on Facebook and on pureSOL's site. They also have a Konjac sponge that's infused with bamboo charcoal.

When you start hearing all about Konjac next year, remember that I predicted the trend! 

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE:
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** Smart Weigh Body Fat Digital Precision Scale

Remember when I talked about another scale that was perfect for the non-smartphone person in your life? Well, here is one for the gadget guru (like me, if you go heavy on the 'gadget` and lighter on the `guru' in that phrase).

The Smart Weigh Body Fat Digital Precision Scale is loaded with features:

• Is very sturdy and well made.
• The design simple and is neat-looking (see the body shape in the center? Makes me envision my future self!) This will compliment any decor.
• Measures weight, and
• Body Fat, and
• Water mass, and
• Muscle mass, and
• Bone mass.
• Has a 440lb weight capacity, and
• Recognizes up to 8 users.

Nice looking scale

Whew! 

Now, because of all the features, I did need to use the instruction book to get acquainted and comfortable with this beauty. That doesn`t take long - though impatient technophobes like my sister would probably recruit help using it the first time.

This is the second scale that I have fallen in love with. (The name, "Smart Weigh", is cute, right?) When you are on a quest to get in shape, it`s somehow motivating to have lots of information about your stats at hand. Also, most people (okay, *me*) hate dealing with charts about BMI and water and muscle, and blahblahblah... This puts it right out there for you.. in private!

The display is nice and large. There`s nothing not to like about this scale. It even came with batteries so I could try it out immediately. And the warranty is for 2 years from date of purchase.

Just to give you a better look at the display area:

I like that the symbols are easy to decipher

This is the first of 2 products from Smart Weigh that I am reviewing, so stay tuned for the next one.

There are some Warnings: This, like other scales using an electrical current, should not be used by certain people. If you are pregnant or have medical implants and devices, you should not use these types of scales. 

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE:
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** Gurin High Accuracy Digital Bathroom Scale

Since I have been trying out various types of bathroom scales with all sorts of features, I thought it would be nice to try out a basic one. This Gurin High Accuracy Digital Bathroom Scale is one that I would feel comfortable giving to someone in my life who still can`t figure out their smartphone. (Don`t laugh. My sister is one of those people.)

From the product page, but...

...It's even more beautiful right out of the box

Let me get right to what's great about this scale:

• It`s nicely designed. Will look great in your bathroom.
• There`s no set up. You literally can take it out of the box, step on it and read your weight.
• And you will be able to read your weight with NO problem. The display is HUGE. (It measures 4.3")
• It`s accurate measuring in small increments. (It matched the weight reading from my recent doctors appointment, which was, um, slightly disappointiing...)
• NOT loaded with complicated features and buttons to figure out.

I don`t want to forget to mention the tape measure that`s included  (for a limited time, I believe) . It`s got a handy lock-notch feature that I`m crazy about. 

Look, no hands

Basically, there really are no negatives I have to report about this scale - unless you are like my nephew who was stunned by how large the display was. His comment was something about being able to see the numbers from space (or from his girlfriend's apartment about 3 miles away!) Another thing that lots of people will like is the lack of complication. I know that many of us are into gadgets and technology. I`m in that group. However,  I actually like that this scale gets right down to business in a simple and easy way.

This scale is basic in low-tech to use but gives you high tech readings from its "high speed precision sensors". And it looks good. On top of all that, it comes with a 100% guarantee and a 2 year warranty. Winner.

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE:
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** Kobert Mobile Premium Waterproof Case

Those of you familiar with this blog know that I am weirdly phobic and you might be wondering why I need a waterproof case for my phone. After all, I don`t swim - or even get close to where water touches beach sand. Besides, I live in Alaska. Beaches are not a main feature in our travel brochures.

Kobert Waterproof Case

But... This is a neat product from Kobert that I am trying out.

I live in Alaska, yes sir. This is the home of almost never ending winters where we (usually) get enough snow to turn our driveways into ski destinations. And when the winter finally decides to make room for what the rest of you call Spring, we Alaskans get our 5th season: Breakup. This is when all that snow starts to melt, giving us puddles and rivers of salty, grimy water. Did I mention that slipping and sliding is another unintended exercise we get plenty of? (An intended sport is that of drivers splashing pedestrians with some of that lovely, um, water!)

And, because of my disability, I am extremely clumsy. So, yeah... I need this waterproof protection for my phone. Of course, I needed to test the waterproofing feature (which the label suggests users do).

I inserted a piece of used notepaper, closed the case, then submerged the case in a Tuppperware bowl of room temp water for around 5 minutes. (By the way, be careful not to insert a too-warm phone in the casing & don't dunk in hot water. #CondensationHappens)

No smeared/blurry ink here

I'm sure "dirty, gritty, icky Breakup water" should be included...

For my test, the paper and ink survived.

Notice the pic showing what all else this protects against.  I myself am not bothered with all that "certified to 100 feet" bidness. If I ever get that far underwater, I'll have no need for any calls other than a direct line to Jesus.

Next up was to see how well my phone fit into the case and how well it worked when enclosed. The label advises that any photos taken while the camera is covered might not be top quality, but the one I took (labelled pic 000) fine. The touchscreen worked well for me even though you'll hear later where I had a minor problem.

Fits just fine

Since I am going to be putting my cellphone on the line (or, rather, in the water), I'll procrastinate by telling you some other points I noticed:

• I spent 2 ot 3 minutes trying to find a place to attach the lanyard. I checked the product page and saw that it's just to be attached to the top of the case. (see pic 2)
• The closure for the case itself was a little odd to me. It was hard to see the "close---> open" embossed on the black casing. Duh.
• Using the phone while its encased is not too difficult. The touchscreen was good. Using the side buttons (Power, Volume) was tricky because I had to sort of contort the plastic to get to them. I am afraid to damage the case because of this:

Read that 2nd bullet point if you can (pic 000)

You know what? Smack the procrastination! I don't have to test this using my own phone (at least until I land tail-down in a puddle later this season) because Kobert already has a video highlighting the features. 

Whew! 

the 2:27 mark is where he submerges phone...

I noticed that the touchscreen didn't seem to work very well for him while the phone was submerged. That's cool with me though. I figure that if I end up testing this in a real-world situation, someone will already have dialled 911 for me. Hah!

My phone is the Galaxy S3, but there are cases for many phones, including the following:

• iPhone 6, 6 Plus(Without Case), 5, 5s, 5c, 4, 4s, 3
• Samsung Galaxy s3, s4, s5, Note 2, Note 3, Note 4
• Nokia Lumia
• Windows Phone 8x
• Nexus 4 
• HTC One/One X/X+

Not bad for the $13 the case is currently priced at via Amazon. Also, the kit comes with that lanyard I told you about and a stylus which are both of decent quality. Finally, for any fraidy cats, here is the best part from the product page:

"ZERO RISK INVOLVED - At Kobert International we stand by our products and offer a no questions asked 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. We will offer an additional 1 YEAR REPLACEMENT GUARANTEE on the waterproof case. Your satisfaction is our top priority. So try it now. TOTALLY RISK FREE!"

For my fellow non-beach-going but possibly-skiing and definitely break-upping Alaskans, this is a good investment. Considering the price of cellphones and how pricey other protection options are, this works for me.

Peace
--Free


DISCLOSURE:
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

**REVIEW** Joyal Beauty Timeless Skin Renewal Serum

Yes, yes, I know that I said something about taking time off from reviewing skin care products, but...

I checked out this Joyal Beauty Timeless Skin Renewal Serum (aka: Royal Jelly) because I've been wanting to try something with bee propolis for a while now. I had heard about its natural antibiotic and anti-fungal properties. What I wasn't sure about was how this serum would work on my skin.

It has a slightly slick-ish texture (not slimy), and no real odor that I could detect. Because of this texture, you don't have to apply much since the serum sort of glides over the skin. Of course, that means that this 1-oz bottle will last me for a good long while. Nice.

So that you can see how moisturizing this can be, I washed my hands and let them dry without applying lotion. Notice the result of applying just a dab of the Royal Jelly and rubbing it across the back of my hand?

Death to Ashy-ness!

This is just from a drop of the Jelly

That example of using my hand was to show you what I meant about the texture and the moisturizing effects. On your face, this works differently, depending on the climate you live in and how your skin reacts to the climate. I used it both here (dry, cold) and while visiting Arizona (currently hot and made me sweaty).

In the drier/colder climate, I tend to develop dry patches on my combo (dry/normal) type skin. When I used the Joyal Jelly, I used it underneath my regular moisturizer and foundation. After just a few days, I noticed most that my dry patches were evening out. I also noticed that my skin seemed more toned - but I don't remember if that happened in the first week or after week 2.

In AZ, which I never thought of as humid, I was sweating my makeup off like someone had sprayed water in my face. I ditched my moisturizer and just used the Royal Jelly under my foundation. Genius!

Like I said, I'm not sure at what point I noticed some firming and toning of my skin, but my family and friends (who I always recruit for help with reviews) did notice that my skin looked, as one of them put it, "more set". I didn't know what that meant until I asked  (not so nicely) for an explanation. Apparently, even without makeup, my skin looked as if I had used some of my Garnier Blur. I was told that I didn't look as "soft" around the cheeks and jawline. A compliment, I guess? Hah.

Anyway, I'm continuing to use this product to see what my results will be like after another couple of weeks. So far, I like this one. The only suggestion I have for anyone who is going to try this: depending on your climate, continue to moisturize with your usual product also until your skin evens out. There are some astringent ingredients in the product.

Speaking of ingredients, Joyal's Timeless Skin Renewal Serum contains the following:

• Organic Herbal Infusion (Excellent base to provide natural herbal protein and minerals); 
• Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Aloe Vera) (Moisturizer,Wound healing and anti-inflammatory, Antioxidant); 
• Hamamelis Virginiana (Witch Hazel) (Control acne by reducing inflammation and decreasing oil; Tighten skin; Help de-puff or reduce under eye baggage; Tighten pores; Eliminate water loss; Treats sunburns; Helps ease symptoms of eczema and psoriasis); 
• Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM)(Nutrient in superfood. Softening, Deeply hydrating and smoothing; Anti-inflammatory and skin-repairing effect, useful for inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema, acne and psoriasis); 
• Organic Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba Oil)( Natural moisturizer); 
• Mel (Honey) (Antibacterial,helps in fighting acne and pimples; skin cleanser; moisturizer; natural remedy to prevent wrinkles);
• Organic Resina Propoli (Propolis) (Natural antibiotic,Anti-inflammatory,Treat acne, eczema and skin disorders including shingles,Treat Skin cuts, burns, rashes, infections);
• Organic Centella Asiatica (Gotu Kola)(Antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties; Treatment for skin conditions such as psoriasis, dermatitis, and minor burns; collagen-boosting, Diminish the appearance of stretch marks and keloid scars;Toning and tightening;
•  Carbomer (Safe thickener); 
• (2s)-2-Amino-5-guanidinopentanoic Acid (L-arginine: Heal damaged skin,Reduce symptoms of burns and rashes; 
• Royal Jelly (Anti-inflammatory. Protection against skin damage due to sun exposure. Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and improves skin texture and firmness. Skin conditioning benefits, acting as a humectant to draw water to the surface of the skin from the environment to keep skin moist and conditioned);
• Melissa Officinalis (Herb antioxidant);
• Organic Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea)( Herb antioxidant);
• Ethylhexylglycerin (Skin-conditioning agent); 
• Phenoxyethanol (Safe preservative )

The label states that 72% of the ingredients are organic. If you check out the Amazon product page, you will also see the following:

Joyal Beauty Products are proudly manufactured in USA by our advanced FDA registered facility under strict GMP compliance. We are Natural Products Association alliance and only carefully choose vegan formulas, highest quality sustainable and biodegradable raw materials without animal testing. We adopt strict Quality Control Systems and every product passed the stability test. All of our products are paraben-free, alcohol-free, no artificial fragrance or dyes. Most of our products contain over 70% organic ingredients from certified source. Every Joyal Beauty product is guaranteed to meet or exceed the quality standards of similar product line of the leading national brands. If you are not completely satisfied, we will happily refund your money! 100% satisfaction guarantee!

I sort of highlighted the part about the guarantee... You can visit Joyal Beauty at their site.

Peace
--Free

DISCLOSURE:
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Oils, Oils, Oils (for skincare)

I'm baaaack!! Vacay was wonderful. I got to spend lots of time with my brothers and sister and nieces and nephews and my crazy-beautiful-sweet sis-in-laws. I swear, I would just look around every now and think, not just what a great bunch of folk I'm related to, but also how hot they all are. Dang! One s-i-l hit a birthday (and it's not her 30th) and she holds down nursing school, fixing meals for the kids, keeping a great-looking house, and going to the gym. And the heffa still looks as good as she did when I met her many, many, many (hahaha) years ago.

Anyway, I didn't shop like a maniac. I did shop wisely. I hit all the local bargain spots and scored a handful of makeup, some boots and.... some oils. Let's talk about these oils.

Here are the ones I picked up at T.J. Maxx and Marshall's:

• Grape Seed (and please don't ask me about that stuff in the sidebars!)
• Sesame
• Sweet Almond
• Avocado
• Marula
• Sweet Orange

My 2 favorites are the Marula (because it made my skin feel amazing) and the Sweet Orange (love the scent!), but those are also the ones I've been using daily. By the way, while the 1 fluid ounce bottles for most ran at $3.99, the Marula was $9.99.

Because I know that for myself and lots of other folk, it's important to know have some info on where our products come from, I did a tiny bit of checking on these oils. Also, I know that quality of oils might vary depending on how they are produced and by which brand. If any of you have more info about these brands, do let me know. For now, I will share what I have so far:

Except for the Marula and Sweet Orange, these oils are from the Little Oil Shoppe (a trademark of Jocott Brands). They are labeled as being "100% pure and chemical-free". I did find that one site gave Jocott a low score when the brand was reviewed. I won't link that here because, while the site was clear on what each rating stood for, it was not clear on why it issued the scores to the brand. 

As far as how the products I bought were labeled, I liked that statements were clear and uncluttered. Each of the items I purchased have one ingredient listed - which lines up with the 100% pure statement. Directions for use are just as clear. There are symbols showing the oils as "not tested on animals" and another symbol I had to look up. That turned out to be the "PAO" symbol, indicating  lifetime of a product after opening. Live and learn, right?

now you know

The labels for the Little Oil Shoppe oils show a PAO of 24 months. 

The front of Marula oil bottle itself is labeled as Sonoma Naturals. Closer inspection of the bottle and the box packaging shows that Dermapeutics is the producer. (Love the oil but that name seems just made up to lure in the hopeful-wishful among us who are obsessive about our skincare!)

Marula

Silly name, IMO

I mentioned that the Marula oil is one of my faves. This is because, after the first 2 days I used it, one of my relatives mentioned how soft my skin was after they kissed my cheek. They didn't just say my skin was soft, they went on and on about it. (It's not like I had hard skin before! Really.) I had noticed a fresher kind of softness myself, but hearing it from someone else is always nice. 

Let me mention now that the Marula oil I bought is actually labeled as "Marula Anti-Oxidant Facial Treatment Serum". 

"Omega rich" caught my eye.

Notice that Marula is not the only ingredient (but it is listed first) 

I'm still learning about oils and how to best use them internally and externally. The ones I've talked about here are, of course, those that I use in my beauty care regimen. I'm looking into some other oils to try for this and for my hair care and body health. I am pretty ignorant of different uses for oils and only just now learned (thanks, Adrienne!) that not every fragrant oil is an "essential" oil. I learned some other stuff too, but I'm still learning more.

If you are like me and enjoy scanning random information, here are a couple places to check out when it comes to oils and their uses.

• I like this site especially
• A directory of essential oils
• Making your own perfume oil
• One place for wholesale oils
• Info from Rocky Mountain Oils
• Plantlife Natural Body Care is another resource
• Some home cleaning and body care recipes
• Mountain Rose is a very popular site
• WebMD on aromatherapy

I really encourage you to be careful when dealing with essential oils for various uses. This goes for when dealing with anything you are knew at are in general ignorance of. I have a close personal friend who is no dummy. She is into all things natural and healthy, and even she had a close call recently. She was taking oregano and learned firsthand that taking too much can stop your breathing! So... careful, careful, careful.

As for finding these oils at a good price (and quality), I am going to be checking lots of different sites and doing some research. My local health food store is reputable but can be very pricey. Still, I wanted to share this info with you guys and stir up some interest. (I sure wish I had been using all these oils and potions about 25 years ago!)

Anyway... Now that I am back from the vacay, I am catching up on reviewed products. This is what I came home to:

TONS of stuff... ~sigh~

And more is coming every day. That's the beauty of Tomoson - which I will be doing another little review of soon.

Peace
--Free

P.S.:
If you are interested, here is more info on cosmetic labeling:
http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/Labeling/Regulations/ucm126444.htm

Also, be sure to check out this wonderful posting here: http://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/essential-oils/. Matter of fact, the entire Whole New Mom site looks interesting.

L'Oreal Is Looking For... YOU!

Just got an interesting letter from L'Oreal. Remember back when I scored this wonderful Thank You box full of goodies from them?

Yep.

I joined their consumer panel because I like the idea of letting brands know my preferences and opinions on products. Brands like that because, well, they want to market what will sell to their customers. Or that's my take on it.

L'Oreal's consumer testing site is where I go to apply via survey for the chance to test out various products: hair care, makeup, skin care, etc. Believe it or not, I received my Thank You box even though I have never been selected to test a product for them.

The other day, I got an email from them showing interest in attracting more consumers to the panel - especially consumers of color.

Wow.

How long have I been griping about not being able to find enough quality beauty and hair care products in the right shade or for the texture of my hair? I'm really glad that brands are taking notice of the diversity among all women. Even Caucasian women will tell you that it's often hard to find a flattering shade of makeup for their skin tone. None of us women, no matter our race or ethnicity, are dolls with a set skin color or tone, right? We are various shade of peach and pale, umber, amber, ebony, ivory... ~cue a song here~

Anyway.

This is the letter I got from them (minus some of my personal information):

Dear TRUDY,

Thank you for being a valuable part of our L'Oreal USA's Consumer Participation Program. We hope you are enjoying your experience.

If you have not had the opportunity to qualify for one of our studies, please don’t give up! Remember to log on often as we update our studies on a daily basis. Many of our studies have specific qualifying attributes to ensure that we produce the best skincare/hair care and cosmetics worldwide.

We are hoping you can help with referrals.....L'Oreal USA's Consumer Program is looking to grow our database for "WOMEN OF COLOR" to participate in studies.

If you know of anyone who is not in our database and would like to join our program who are African American, Afro Caribbean, or Hispanic/Latino, please forward the email for them to join by clicking on the link below to complete our "JOIN NOW" survey.

https://consumertesting.lorealusa.com/survey87.asp

To all NEW panelists joining our program: Once you click on the link below and join, please allow 2 - 3 days to receive a "Welcome" letter with your Panelist ID and Password to log on to our website to view available study opportunities.

We look forward to your participation.

If you have any questions, please contact our toll free number 1-888-866-4953 or e-mail us a consumertesting@rd.us.loreal.com and someone will respond to your questions or concerns.

Regards,

L'Oreal USA-Sensorial Testing
Terminal Avenue
Clark, New Jersey 07066

Nice, huh?

So, ladies - if you are interested, get over there and get signed up. Tell your friends about the opportunity.

Peace
--Free

**REVIEW** Ultimate Travel Pillow

Ha! This travel pillow from AirComfy Travel is NICE. I get exactly why they call it "The Ultimate" Travel Pillow.

Since it arrived while I was out of town, I didn't get to test it on my plane trip. No worries, though. I put it to the next best use I could: I took a nap with it while waiting for my sister to get out of clinic. I'll be using it for that more than I will for plane travel anyway. Was it comfy? Um... yeah! I fell asleep, sitting straight up in the passenger seat for about 35 minutes. Woke up to find the cute tech guy smiling at me. (All I could think was, "Please, God, don't let me have been looking haggard!")

Comes in this handy carry bag with clip-hook

Here's what I like about this pillow over the other travel pillows I've seen:

• It's not just for travel. You can use it just about anywhere. It can also be used for back support (think: office chairs for 8+ hours a day) 
• Deflates for storage. No heavy bulkiness. So easily portable for stashing at the office, in your car or for carrying onto the plane or car ride. 
• Comes with a carry case that clips onto your bag, backpack, etc.
• Self inflates (though you can breathe more air via the tube for extra-firmness).
• Easy cleaning (by wiping with a cloth).
• So comfortable and has just enough "squish" to it even when firmly inflated.

Funny "me" note: When it's inflated, it reminds me of an eye mask! 

Out of the case...

expanding... expanding

Beautiful!

The strap to secure to seats if wanted

Little air tube to inflate and adjust firmness

This is probably the easiest review I've ever done. The Ultimate Travel Pillow is not just for "travel" (as in planes), but is great for my car naps (while parked, guys, not driving), and the times when I'm going to be sitting in a clinic for hours. My sister has already agreed to take it to dialysis with her to see if it makes her time in the chair more comfortable. (She's heard my car-napping story, so she probably just wants to have my pillow.)

It's just such a cute, handy little pillow that I fell in love with it during my nap. Since I wanted to test it in every way I could, I sat in different types of chairs (car and waiting room). The waiting room chairs had lower head rests, so I used the pillow's strap to anchor it, then just leaned back and prayed that another cute guy didn't wander by to see me looking like I'd passed out. By the way, I'm not recommending that anyone slack off at work, but... This would be a great "nap time" pillow for the break room. Don't blame me if you get busted sleeping on the job! (Should I even mention that I also tried resting my head on this pillow by leaning it against the bedroom wall while I watched TV? Still comfy...)

Like I said, this is a easy review. If I could, I'd just tell you how comfy, cute and convenient this pillow is in ten languages.  Those are the best three words to describe this: Comfy, Cute, Convenient. 

I don't think you will need to use this, but there is a 100% money-back guarantee. 

Peace

--Free

DISCLOSURE:

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Tales from the (End of) the Vacay

What happens when you take grown siblings and throw them together for a few weeks? And throw in kids and friends and a little bit of holiday time?

• You act like you're teenagers again, not middle-aged 
• You will have so much fun that you kind of forget that you aren't still teenagers
• You don't even want to act like adults because, well, that's no fun
• You will argue a little, fuss a little and gossip a little
• You will laugh and tease and giggle a lot
• You will kid your sis-in-law about the Rock (private joke there!) and she will never get the beauty of your love for Keanu or Kevin Spacey, but you will love her anyway (the poor, sad, deluded woman...)
• Some nights you'll sit up until dawn because you don't want to miss a minute
• Some of you will drink too much, eat too much, say too much
• You will wander a strange city in a borrowed or rented vehicle (Okay, that was just me!)
• Their will be some tears as you remember the loved ones who aren't still here
• Their will be lots of smiles and great memories of those loved ones
• You will marvel over the fact that the kids you saw "not that long ago" are driving, wearing makeup, dating, graduating high school, going to college, falling in love, dealing with heartbreaks, heading into adulthood and not being the "little kids" they were a minute ago.
• In the middle of all the togetherness, there will be some stress, crankiness, pettiness, and love. There will be lots of love.
• Your crops on Farmville will be neglected (Okay, again, that was just me)
• You will hope that your mother and father can see from Heaven what a wonder they have left behind in their kids who are still brothers and sisters.
• You will be thankful for the storms and trials that your hearts and bodies have made it through and you will know that it was love that brought you here.
• You will learn all over again that these people are people you want to smack, slap, yell at and judge - but are the same people you'd die for, kill for, and reach up and pull down stars from the sky for.

I know how lucky I am, how blessed and favored by God. I have people in this big and sometimes cold and frightening world who love me. I am never going to be alone, forgotten, forsaken, unprotected or unattached. Not as long as I have this big, crazy, dysfunctional, beautiful, amazing family of mine. And they are mine forever, God help me!

Peace

--Free

P.S.: Chubby, we love you and we wish you had been here with us. I think that maybe you were.

Tales from the Vacay

Last night was the first night that (almost) all of us were under one roof for the evening. It was madness. And I loved it.

We are almost all together. Repping Alaska, Colorado, Texas, Maryland, California, and our host city of Arizona.

Sisters....
the one on the left wants to be
an astronaut. One of the right is just
spacey! LOL

Repping the AZ

She's going to kill me for this one!

DJ went wandering the halls
when he got bored with adults

He found the laundry room
but couldn't escape!

2 brothers, 1 sister, a sis-in-law and a niece
#Ohana

Nephews and girlfriends
and video games

Hope they aren't talking bizness
#realtors & #brokers

 Tonight is the biggie. I missed the morning's Turkey Bowl games (I mean, 7 in the morning! Really?)

Our last bit of family made it in at noon and midnight. We are now complete (except for the couple of us that couldn't get away from work and school... :-(

Let the Thanksgiving pre-fam events begin.

Peace
--Free