Counting down the days until Christmas 2014

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Growing up I always had a chocolate advent calendar to count down the days until Christmas and its something that I have always done when I moved out, got married and had Michael. Its something that we still do to this day.

Granted we have added to our advent countdown as you will see. It was a few years ago when we moved from those cheapie chocolate ones (you know the ones that the chocolate just taste blah?) to the yummy Lindt ones that we all love. Once Michael got a little older we started to add another one to his countdown and its the Lego one. He absolutely loves the Lego one. He gets to eat a little chocolate and build a toy daily until Christmas.

So this year we will be doing the following Advent calendars and I plan on doing a daily post and vlog (it will be one of those one takes no editing kind) talking about them.

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The Lego City Advent Calendar #60063. I always purchase this once it comes out because sometimes they are hard to find.

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The Lindt advent calendar has a delicious piece of chocolate daily.

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David’s Tea has brought out their 24 days of Tea again. This one is always hard to find. I literally stalk their facebook page to find out when its going to be on sale and get my butt to the store on that day before it opens. I really enjoy this one because you get to try a new and different tea every day in December. Plus you always get a few cups out of the leaves.

 

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Finally the last advent calendar is from Starbucks and I have literally been trying to get one of these for quite some time now so imagine my surprise when I was in Chapters one weekend and we went to Starbucks. There was literally two left so of course I had to nab this one.

Do you do Advent calendars? If so which ones?

Next year I am thinking of making my own, have you done this?

Be sure to come back daily in December to see what goodies we got in our advent calendar.

Review/ Drew Barrymore’s Radiant, Sultry & Cherished Perfume

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Something I never thought would actually happen has happened. Drew Barrymore’s Flower Beauty collection has finally come to Canadian Walmarts. I was super thrilled when I heard the news because for the longest time I was picking up bits and pieces every time I went to the USA and now I will be able to pick up more items from this line.

The talk amongst people online was that it wasn’t going to be the whole line of Flower Beauty and as far as I can tell the only things we seem not to carry….yet is the bags and I am holding out hope that we will eventually get them if not I will check them out when I go to the USA in February. It seems like the display is growing every time I go and look at Walmart.

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Today I am going to talk about the three newly released perfumes. I have to say that I think this is probably only the second or third time that I have ever bought a celebrities perfume for myself. I am not one that will jump on the hype of  purchasing every single perfume that comes out by celebrities or even my favorite celebrities.

I decided that I was going to buy the Eau de Parfume Rollerball Roll-ons instead of buying the bottles although I have to say if I was going to buy them I totally would because I love the look of the bottles.

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photo taken from Walmart.com

The bottles are super cute and would probably look so pretty sitting on a vanity or dresser or make up table. I love the packaging and I think if I can get through my roller balls that I might actually ask for these as a present.

IMG_0034 I love the packaging of the roller balls as you can see below and I think the rose gold caps make it look like its an expensive perfume. I even like the outer packaging as you can see above. I have to say the whole packaging of her line makes everything like expensive in my opinion.

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Cherished: (30ml  MSRP $24.98/ 15ml $19.98 / 10ml $9.98)

  • A comforting and nuzzly powdery floral featuring Lily of the Valley, Tahitian Vanilla and Creamy Sandalwood.
  • Each FLOWER fragrance contains the FLOWER Heart accord which is a blossoming bouquet of Pink Pepper, Cabbage Rose and Peony
  • Wear alone or combine throughout the day with RADIANT and SULTRY so your fragrance evolves with you.
  • A scent for your every mood.

Radiant:

  • A striking and confident sparkling floral featuring Dewy Greens, Magnolia and Pink Amber
  • Each FLOWER fragrance contains the FLOWER Heart accord which is a blossoming bouquet of Pink Pepper, Cabbage Rose and Peony
  • Wear alone or combine throughout the day with CHERISHED and SULTRY so your fragrance evolves with you.
  • A scent for your every mood.

Sultry:

  • A sensual and alluring oriental floral featuring Purple Plum, Night Blooming Jasmine and Patchouli
  • Each FLOWER fragrance contains the FLOWER Heart accord which is a blossoming bouquet of Pink Pepper, Cabbage Rose and Peony
  • Wear alone or combine throughout the day with CHERISHED and RADIANT so your fragrance evolves with you.
  • A scent for your every mood.

These Eau De Parfumes are right up my ally. I loved each scent on its own and all together like Drew has suggested she wore them.

To give each one a fair try I wore each one on its own for a week. I found that Radiant is light enough to wear during the day. I loved the scent and this is something that I would definitely gravitate towards in the spring and summer more but this is something that I can see myself wearing all year long.

I found that Cherished was just a little heavier in the scent and it would be something I would probably grab if I was going out in the evening. This is sort of like a fall/winter scent for me. I liked the smell and its totally different from what I normally wear.

Finally the last one is Sultry. I instantly thought of my aunt when I put this on. This was sort of her scent and the one she liked to wear all the time so having this is sort of like having her near by when I miss her. This one is well is a heavier scent and ideal for the evening.

I love how you can layer the perfumes and get many scents out of them. You can wear them alone or combine them with the other scents to make your own which I really like because you will have that different scent no one else will have with different cominations.

I am thrilled that I was able to pick all of these up in a Canadian Walmart and that I decided on the rollerballs because I will be able to slip them in my make up bag and take them with me when I am going out or traveling.

If your looking for a stocking stuffer or gift from that special someone I highly recommend these. I think I might ask Santa to bring me the bottles.

Please be sure to check back often as I will be reviewing more items from the Flower Beauty collection.

Please note that I purchased these Eau De Parfumes with my own money.

Top 10 of 2014 (announcement post)

 

This past month I have been taking part in 30 Days, 30+ Pre-Scheduled Blog Posts and I have been trying to get things a little bit planned ahead on the blog with doing scheduled posts etc its been tough not going to lie but I am so very thankfully because the bloggers that are taking part in this have been amazing with offering tips, articles, and ideas how on to do it. I am thankfully for any advise they have to offer.

This past weekend someone had posted a fun feature that would be happening in December and its called Top 10 of 2014, A week of Looking back and Looking Forward. How fun does this sound?

If you are interested in knowing more about this and how to take part or what is required to take part please CLICK ON THIS TEXT and it will take you to the information page.

Now I am off  to do my posts. Have a good day everyone and be sure to check back December 22nd.

CD Review/ The London Sessions by Mary J. Blige

  • Band/Artist: Mary J. Blige
  • Title: The London Sessions
  • Date: December 2, 2014
  • Label: Capital Records

Track Listing
1. Therapy
2. Doubt
3. Not Loving You
4. When You’re Gone
5. Right Now
6. My Loving
7.Long Hard Look
8. Whole Damn Year
9 .Nobody But You
10. Pick Me Up
11. Follow
12. Worth My Time

I was super excited when I was given an advance copy of Mary J. Blige’s newest cd The London Sessions. Mary J. Blige sounds amazing. Each song is so different from the previous one and the whole cd just blends in so well.

I have been listening to this for a little while now and its been playing in the house. I love playing it will I am alone because I can turn it up loud and enjoy it.

I always find it hard to pick a favorite song or two and it was especially hard with this cd because I honestly loved the whole cd. Each song had a different feel and vibe to it. I really did enjoy listening to Doubt because listening to the words I realized that I could relate to them and I gotta get it through my head to stop doubting myself. When You’re Gone made me think of young love and how you realize now how much you appreciate it when its gone. I know it sure made me think about that. I also love Right Now and I have included the video below.

If you know someone who loves Mary J Blige then this would make a perfect gift for them  but I also think if you have a female in your life she would love this because Mary J Blige is a strong woman and a powerful voice. This cd is making it my birthday/Christmas wishlist so that goes to show you how much I love this.

 

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*Official Mary J Blige Websitewww.maryjblige.com
* Twitter @maryjblige
* Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/maryjblige
* YouTubehttp://bit.ly/MJBVIDEO

I participated in the Mary J Blige The London Sessions album review program as a member of One2One Network. I was provided a free album to review but all opinions are my own.

All I Want For Christmas #2

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Danya from A Tapestry of Words started this fun little feature on her blog called All I Want For Christmas Is… and basically what you do is share your wishlist of books. I thought that this would be something fun to do perhaps on a weekly bases until Christmas. Can you believe we are a little over a month to go?

I am no where near being started so over the next few weeks I will be shopping, shopping and more shopping for gifts for my family and two Secret Santas I am taking part in. Are you ready?

Here is my 5 books this week:

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(I love the cover of this book, don’t you?)

madeforyou

thesebrokenstars

theboywiththehiddenname

(This is the 2nd book in the series)

stolen

(This is the 2nd book in the series)

Are any of these books on your wishlist?

Exposed Ezine Release Blitz

Welcome to the Exposed Ezine Release Weekend Blitz! A Quarterly magazine where amazing authors bring you outstanding stories! And yes, there’s a giveaway too!

 

“Exposed,” an
electronic magazine featuring short stories from hot, independent authors, is
Butterfly Publishing’s debut publication. Giving readers a glimpse into each
author’s writing style and stories, Exposed does just what the title suggests,
exposes readers to new titles and new authors. With its low cost and varied
content, every reader is sure to find something he or she enjoys.

 

 

Phoenix Silverstone more commonly known as Nix, is a twenty-one
year old that has finally discovered her freedom. After living under the strict
rules and protection of her mother, Nix moved out with her two best friends in
a quaint little Seattle apartment. For the first time Nix is finally able to
spread her wings and breathe. Together, they get a job working at a bar and for
the first time everything is perfect.
Freedom, friendships, a great job and fantastic man on the verge of becoming
hers. Tristan is the suave, intelligent, not to mention gorgeous law student
that Nix has her eyes and heart set on. For the first time, she has her life
together; that is, until her path crosses with Levi. The charming, tattooed and
downright sexy bad boy that Nix knows she needs to avoid.But when one of her friends moves out she is shocked to find that her new
roommate is none other than Levi. Flirting. Desire. Undeniable
temptations. Nix can’t deny the chemistry surging between them but she can’t
forget her mother’s extreme hate towards bad boys.

Will Nix have the strength to listen to her heart? Or will her mother’s rules
cost her everything?

Jude was
born and raised in a small village named Lacolle. She now lives in Montreal,
Canada. She is the proud mother of a beautiful five year old son, and has spent
the last thirteen years with her partner, Cedric.

 

 

French is
her native language, but she prefers to write in her second language, English.

 

 

Besides
working full time and being a mother, Jude has a passion for books, both
reading and writing them.

 

 

Her first
novella, Under the Sun was published at the end of July 2013.It is part of an
anthology called Heat Wave. Her second novella, Wonderland, was published in
March 2014 and has hit the bestselling rank. Lost Dreams, a military romance,
was published in May 2014, Body, Ink, and Soul in late June 2014 and Ophelia in
October 2014.

At fifteen years old, Nick DiMarco got news
that changed his life – he was going to be a father. Stepping up, he took
custody and raised his little girl, whom everyone calls Harley. Hard work and
determination gave him the lifestyle he wanted for the two of them. Now,
twenty-one years later he’s flying Harley and some of her friends to the
Bahamas for an amazing birthday bash. As a special treat, he invites Victoria,
Harley’s long lost best friend from elementary school to surprise her. When the
flight carrying Harley and her friends is delayed due to weather, Nick finds
himself alone with Victoria who has grown into a beautiful woman. What starts
out as a few hour delay grows as a hurricane develops just off the coast. The
storm brewing outside is nothing compared to the passion brewing between Nick
and Victoria as each tries to fight the attraction of a forbidden love affair.

NJ Cole is the author
of five published books, Midnight Caller, Midnight Eternal, Landslide, Second
Chances and Yes, Mistress. Unlike many of today’s authors, she chooses to write
in first person, allowing the readers to experience life through the eyes of
the unique characters that live in her head. Her love of those characters and
respect for their stories come through loud and clear in her writing. With over
two million reads of her online work in the past year NJ Cole is clearly an up
and coming author.

Be sure to subscribe to her blog for all her books:NJColeauthor.com

 

What happens when a natural submissive bumps into a polished Dom while
spending a day at the beach? Wild, hot, explicit sex! Explore Steve’s seduction
of Maya in this exhilarating tale. Warning, graphic language, some forced
situations.

Fossbrook, author of Broken Tides, is a UK based writer of erotic fiction. He has been writing for a number of years but it wasn’t until his collaboration with Cole that he believed his stories might just be worth reading.



In his spare time Fossbrook is a huge sports fan and loves the occasional glass of wine.

Reeling after being blindsided by a bitter divorce, club
manager Chase Milligan relocates from his home in Austin to Dallas, to start a
new life. Soon he finds his interest captured again. But who is Baylee Andrews?
What dark secrets is she hiding? Will delving into her mysteries bring heal
Chase’s heart and faith, or will he find himself embroiled in more trouble than
ever before?

 

 

    MEET THE MAN BEHIND THE EXPOSED DESIGN

Bobby Kim is a publicist to several independent authors. He
markets, formats and analyzes current trends to help promote books to their
fullest potential. He co-founded Butterfly Publishing with author NJ Cole.
After meeting various authors in 2013, Butterfly Publishing, an independent
publishing house, was launched in 2014. Bobby Kim has been known to put pen to
paper, so to speak, and fellow collaborators would not be surprised to see some
of his own work appear in his magazine in the next few issues.
BUY LINK TO EXPOSED MAGAZINE: Only $ 2.00 EXPOSED! BUY NOW
GIVEAWAY!
5 lucky people will win the first issue FREE! Just Enter the rafflecopter giveaway and GOOD LUCK! 

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