We've been hit!

By a nasty ice storm! Saturday evening (the 21st) into early Sunday it rained. And then froze. The trees look beautiful! However, the ice is so dangerous! We've lost several branches and part of our fence. We're also without power. Over 100,000 people are without power and several won't have power returned to them after Christmas! 400 powerlines were down in the area, what a storm!

Luckily, we were able to head to my family's home an hour north! Our power is expected to return tomorrow. Hopefully the storm which is supposed to hit tomorrow night won't take out the power, again! 

Our Little Ladybug Turned ONE!

Ms. Emily's first birthday was on the 11th of December, her party was on the 14th. Of course, there was a wonderful snow storm! Only a handful of guest were able to attend, do to the ice and snow. None the less, it was a great party!

I served soup and sandwiches which turned out to be great for such a cold and snowy day.

We had wonderful decorations, set up by yours truly.

A lot of D.I.Y projects. Like the "ONE" pictured here. This was her "year" table, on which I placed her baby book, photo album of pictures I took during the first year, a few onesies, a newborn diaper, and her growth chart.

Since the party was mostly adults, there needed to be some kind of activity. A time capsule was the perfect idea! Each guest wrote a note to Emily which she will open on her 18th birthday in 2030. I also created sheets of the top 10 artists, songs, albums, movies, and price averages of her first year. My dad stopped and purchased a newspaper.

I made these adorable ladybug strawberries

And cake of course!

Overall, I'd say it was a big hit! Emily enjoyed herself, and I had a lot of fun planning! Next year: The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

Look at my free stuff!

Recently, I receieved what is called a VoxBox from Influenster. All the contents of this box are free! Which was is totally awesome. In this particular box (the Violet Vox Box) I receieved a Goody Athletique headband, a Soy Joy bar, Triple Shine nail polish from Sally Hansen, Not Your Mother's Clean Freak dry shampoo, and Montagne Jeunesse Clay Spa Mask.

Oh my, all of these things were all so wonderful! The Soy Joy was surprisingly delicious, the headband was just plain awesome because I love headbands, and the clay mask smelled soooooooo good! Good enough to eat, even!

The dry shampoo was a new adventure for me, I had never used dry shampoo. It wasn't bad! It's probably not something I would use on a regular basis. It made my hair feel very stiff, like I used too much hairspray. It did remove all of the grease from my hair which was uber exciting!

Not Your Mother's Clean Freak...

Recently I received a bottle of Not Your Mother's Clean Freak dry shampoo. I was a little apprehensive. I had never used a dry shampoo and I was skeptical!

I waited a day or two, as I had washed my hair the day I received my sample (complimentary of Influenster in my Violet Vox Box). I let my hair get a little greasier than normal, as I wanted to see how well the dry shampoo worked!

Much to my surprise, it really did soak up the grease! My hair did feel stiff (like I had used a lot of hair spray) and I would not recommend using it anywhere but on your roots. It does the job though, and has saved me a lot of time this past week.

While I might not use this every day, or every week - it would be great for traveling. It's light, so therefore easy to pack. Especially if you're camping or hiking!

Fun part of this dry shampoo, it briefly turns your hair grey before you brush it out, I thought it was super funny!

Montagne Jeunesse Clay Spas

Recently I received a sample of Montagne Jeunesse Clay Spa Mask (Pomegranate and Cinnamon). Cutesy of Influenster.

This mask was awesome! I LOVED the smell. I love all things cinnamon so this was the best scent I could have been sent. The mask was difficult to put on, I wasn't sure which side went against my skin. Also, the holes were too big and parts of my cheeks, nose, and chin were not covered by the mask.

HOWEVER, the mask made my skin so soft and smooth. It was rejuvenating! I would totally buy this product again, especially with Christmas approaching. The masks would make great stocking stuffers!