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It's been over a year since we've been in our house now and the really cool thing about home ownership is that you can never get bored with your home because there's always things you can update and refresh.   Speaking of... you know when people say "Oh, there will ALWAYS be something that needs worked on in your house"? Well that's totally true.  It's like we just go from one thing to the next.  It doesn't mean the house isn't in good shape, it's just that literally a house is made up of so many components from the yard to the inside to the details around the outside structure that there's always something that can be tweaked.  So here are a few things we did:

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Pixie's 11th Birthday!

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So last week Miss Pixie turned 11! I could cry.  I can't believe I've had her for over a decade.

 Pixie loves tiny fuzzy toys so that was her gift as well as a doggie donut and doggie peanut butter cup. 

 Pixie is the queen. She was the first dog I ever owned and she's the best dog I've ever owned. She came potty pad trained. She listens, she knows the rules, and when the other dogs act up, she comes to get me or James to show us what they have done, or she'll bark and jump on them herself!

Pixie brings me SO MUCH joy.   Here's to another 11 years :)

Also, can I just tell you that it was so ridiculously hot in August? I really wanted to still be out in the porch with the doggies a lot since it's their favorite spot so I ended up trying new Nestle Splash water out there.  OMG it's so easy to just chug the whole bottle! I am definitely more hydrated now because water is usually boring to me but with the fruity flavor it's so much more enjoyable!  I got a free sample of Nestle Splash to try out but obviously my opinion is my own!


I received my Nestlè Splash products complimentary from Influenster and am entering the Brand Challenge for a chance to win a prize.

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Wedding Attire [OOTD] w/ 7 Charming Sisters

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Last month I attended a rather casual wedding so I didn't want to overdo it with a fancy shmancy look. 

 So I chose this... I thought the green was classy and the dress isn't over the top. It's so comfy too.   But you know what they say about fashion - the accessories can make or break the look.  Well, I of course chose my Avocado Bag because how perfect is it to go with the green dress.   But I needed something more.

So I chose this gorgeous gem necklace from 7 Charming Sisters.

Bib necklaces are a great statement for any outfit but I really love coordinating the colors.  Even though this statement necklace was a lighter green than my dress it still drew a lot of attention and got a few compliments.  The gold color on the chain really looks nice too.  

The wedding was a blast and once again, I am proud of my outfit!

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The Most Hilarious + Interesting Garden Update Yet

So as you know, I've been vegetable gardening for quite a few months now and I am so impressed with what I've been getting from it.

Zucchini
So I only had a few zucchini come up and unfortunately I there wasn't enough cross pollination because I only had one plant left.  So next year I think I'll be planting TWO zucchini plants in containers since they take up so much damn space in the garden bed.

Cucumbers
My cucumber plants are out of control.  I mean legit out of control. But I have so many and I'm so sick of cucumber salads right now so I'm giving them all away.  I also have an annoying amount of Cucumber Beetles on them so I'm glad to have my toad (you'll see later in this post) to eat them!  Luckily, they aren't really affecting my crop because my plants were doing so well already and are strong.

Bell Peppers
So my bell peppers were on the other side of the backyard and they got the afternoon sun but it was always from an angle, never directly overhead.  Once it got super hot and humid out they stopped producing and I learned from Google that actually that's a normal thing that happens and they'll start producing again when the weather isn't so harsh.  Well, they are on a different side of the house now, the side with the raised garden beds.  So now they get more direct overhead sun and the afternoon shade and they have started producing again. Hooray! I know I'll have lots of peppers for Fall.

Banana Peppers
My banana peppers are kickin' some serious butt and producing like crazy. I'm so excited!

Tomatoes
Next year I probably won't grow tomatoes because I honestly never use them.  I end up just giving them all away and my tomato plant is too big for my raised garden bed.  If I do manage to grow them next year I'll do it in containers but I probably will just get my tomatoes from the local market in the future.

Lettuces
I planted new lettuce in August so I will have a steady supply of lettuce throughout the Fall. Woohoo!

Onions
I've learned something interesting about home grown onions...they don't make my eyes water as much as store bought ones do.  And they have better flavor.  I've planted more onion bulbs so I should have them coming up through the Fall.

Blueberries
My blueberry bushes (2 of them) in containers did great and are producing a pleasant little handful each week.  I'll keep them going here on out.

Raspberries
My raspberry bushes (2 of them) in containers didn't do so well and ended up dying. I don't think I'll have them again in the future.

Butternut Squash
I have so many butternut squash coming in and I'm so ecstatic because it's my favorite fall food!




Potatoes
I planted some baby gold potatoes in a pot this year just to see what happened and it was a success so next year I'm going to grow some in one of those giant plastic storage bins. 


Toad
No really, I grew a toad! Just kidding. It's Fred. You may remember him from my Facebook and my snaps in the Spring when we found him on the other side of the porch.  He went MIA for a bit until I found him in amongst the cucumber plants.  He was outside of the garden in the stones so I picked him up and put him in the one raised bed so he can eat the cucumber beetles.  

I broke a flower pot and put it in there with him for shade and he also digs himself down into the ground when it's really hot out. He even has a water dish.  In the Fall I'll let him out of the bed so he can do his thing and eventually hibernate in deeper soil.  They say toads will come back every year if they have a safe place with food and water. 

But I have a really funny story about Fred. So did you know what toad poop looks like? I didn't.  I assumed it was small and tiny little drops.  So I went out to the garden the other week and I saw what looked like a cat turd.  it was so perfectly formed though that it looked as if it was a plug of dirt from the ground that someone drilled into. I had my gloves on so I picked it up, smelled it, realized it was some sort of poop, and threw it.  Then I couldn't find Fred so I freaked out beacuse I thought a cat jumped into the raised garen bed fencing and killed him.   All of a sudden I saw him.  He was fine.  Then I did it.  I googled "What does toad poop look like."  Do it. Just do it. You'll die laughing.  It's extremely awkward looking because it's about half the size of a toads body.  I suddenly thought of Fred a dirty boy.  And I was ready to kick his ass outta my damn garden but then I realized that it's probably okay because it's basically fertilizer. And I'm sure plenty of animals poop in my garden that I don't know about.  So Fred is still a cool guy.  But I learned an extremely hilarious and interesting facts about toad sh*t.  "The more you know".

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The Great TP Swap of 2016

This post was sponsored by Charmin as part of an Influence Activation for Influence Central. 

I'm just gonna come right out and say it...I'm a stickler for certain things that bring me comfort.  I am so much of a stickler that I don't like changing my routine, especially when it comes to personal care.   I like to stick to the same brands of cosmetics and hair products.  I have the same beauty routine day in and day out and I won't even change my hairstyle!   I like to use the same cleaning products and tools.   I'm seriously such a creature of habit, you could put me on display in a zoo!


 
 So today, I'm breaking the ice and telling you about how I stepped out of my comfort zone (and I'm glad I did!) to participate in the greatest event of all time - The Great TP Swap of 2016!   Just kiddin'! It's not a real event but I'm making it one.  You see for the longest time I used the same toilet paper.  If I went away somewhere for vacation, I'd even bring it along with me because that's how much of a creature of habit I am.  For the longest time Scott® 1000 TP was my go-to choice in toilet paper.  


As most of you know, change can be a really good thing and luckily for me (and you) Charmin® is unveiling Charmin® Essentials Soft and Charmin® Essentials Strong.  Both of these new products will give more of what we want in our toilet paper at a comparable price to what we already use.  I decided to swap and switch to Charmin® Essentials Strong because it gives me a big Charmin® roll with a comparable price to Scott®. 


The very first thing I noticed was how strong Charmin® Essentials Strong was and how much it lived up to it's name.  Of course strength can sometimes come with a price when it comes to TP but not in this case.  I didn't sacrifice comfort one bit.  It might be strong but it's still gentle and soft.  I also love that it doesn't break or tear easy like other brands I've experienced in the past. 


I also have another weird habit - I tend to use a lot of TP at a time.  But that's okay because Charmin® Essentials Strong is clog-safe and septic-safe.  It's actually Roto-Rooter approved.  That's one less thing I need to worry about. 


I'm just so happy since swapping I could literally roll around on the floor in a pile of this TP!  Okay, maybe I won't go that far, but still!






In case you still need some convincing to participate in The Great TP Swap of 2016, Charmin® is inviting shoppers to upgrade their Angel Soft® for Charmin® Essentials Soft and their Scott® 1000 for Charmin® Essentials Strong! In order to participate you can simply tweet your TP swap out request to @Charmin on Twitter using the hashtag #CharminEssentials and #Promotion.  Charmin will then send you a free roll! How cool is that?! For terms and conditions visit this page.

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The Importance of Hydration [It's Not Rocket Science] #7DaysofSparkling

I received this product for free from Smiley360 in exchange for my honest review.  You can join Smiley360 here.

It just absolutely floors me how many people are dehydrated these days.   And not only that, but they seem to be totally in denial about it and when they get a headache they don't even think it may be caused by dehydration.

Water is so so so crucial to our bodies and our brains.  I don't know about you but when I don't drink enough water I have a plethora of issues like:


-My skin is dry and blotchy
-My head hurts
-I feel hungry
-I feel tired
-I feel grumpy
-I can't concentrate
-My muscles cramp
-My hair is brittle

But don't be fooled....I'm not some water loving nut.  No way, I totally understand why many of us don't like water... for instance:

-It doesn't have a taste
-It's boring
-It makes me go to the bathroom too much because it goes right through me

 Most of us would rather drink something sweet and juicy but unfortunately much of those drinks contain too much sugar and will just dehydrate you even more!   So trust me, I get it.  But I also get that those are just cop out excuses because really there are some great solutions to the common complaints about water.


First of all, water won't make you pee as much once you get used to it. If you aren't used to drinking atleast 6-8 glasses of water a day, of course it will go right through you.   But once your body gets used to the water you intake, it will begin utilizing it more and it won't just go right to your bladder. Seriously, I speak from experience.


Another thing is that water can help you when you are trying to watch what you eat.  A lot of times when we are tired, dehyrated, and bored our stomach tells us we are hungry.   Most of the time we are just dehydrated and lacking energy.  So aside from getting a decent amount of sleep, you can tell your junk food cravings to STOP IT by drinking water next time you get them.

And finally - not all water is boring and bland.  You may just be drinking the wrong kind of water.   See, I will let you in on my secret - I drink Deer Park Brand Sparkling Spring Water.  It comes in several different fruity flavors including Lemon, Lime, Mandarin Orange, Black Cherry, Raspberry Lime, and of course original.  Either way, it's SPARKLING! It really helps me feel like I'm drinking something besides water!   And it's full of 100% natural ingredients with no calories, sweeteners, colors, sodium, or caffeine!   You can even mix it with your favorite juice or beverage to make your own little enjoyable drink and get more water.  It's delicious!








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