Happy Valentine's Day

Hope you all have a great one! Here is my first "real life" post - i thought i would share the treats i sent in for my youngest son's class today. We made these last night and he was such a great helper! He put the sticks in all of them (you have to dunk them in melted chocolate, then freeze or refrigerate to get them to set, before you decorate), and he also made some for home.

I do these the "cheater" way and use the Babycakes Cake Pop Maker. Making real cake pops is a lot of work that i'm just not willing to get into! And to me, they do not even taste that great. The texture reminds me of uncooked cake! To each their own i guess ;)  I feel it's much simpler to do them this way, and since they are a process to get to the finish point, i'm all about cutting corners any way that i can. I usually make these for kids, so lets face it - if it's covered in melted chocolate and sprinkles, they don't really care what it took to get to that part! After the sticks have set, you melt down some of the wafers in the microwave in a deeper bowl.. i just use a 2 cup glass Pyrex measuring cup. It helps to angle it so you can kind of swirl the cake pop in the melted chocolate. Then you decorate them with sprinkles, jimmies, cake decor items, etc. There are some really cute ideas online for more intricate ones too.

So here it is! I put shredded white and red basket filler over a piece of floral foam. I already had these items on hand, but good news for you if you want to try this - you can get those items for cheap at the Dollar Store! The little tin pail was from Ikea. I also sent Birthday cake pops in like this before, so that little pail comes in handy. They sometimes have these in the Target Dollar area too, so keep your eyes peeled.

Suave products

I've been pleasantly surprised and impressed with Suave lately, so i wanted to share some faves.

First, for the kiddos: the Morning Hair Tamer. My youngest son has a bunch of cowlicks and pretty much every morning involves wild hair at this house! I have tried EVERYTHING - gel, hairspray, pomade - you name it. I came across this stuff and since it's so cheap, i thought i'd try it. I have been very happy with the product! It totally reels in the crazy hair without making it look matted down or feeling sticky. It's almost like a watery consistency, but with enough product in it to control the hair. Very pleased!

Now onto the good stuff - for us! The Professionals line is pretty fantastic. Target (my love!) was running a sale on the double packs of shampoo/conditioner (only 3 bucks!), so i got the Almond and Shea Butter and the Rosemary Mint. Both bottles say to compare to Aveda, and i really do feel they are quite comparable.

The Almond and Shea Butter is such a dreamy scent! It is a creamy shampoo, and it lathers up really well. The conditioner is thicker than most, which is nice. And your hair will smell so yummy, while also feeling really soft and luxurious.

The Rosemary Mint is my once a week shampoo. I use it like a clarifier. The smell is really invigorating and there is a slight tingle when you use it, to really feel like you are getting the whole week's worth of hair gunk officially out of your roots! Your hair will feel really clean after using...ahhhhh!!!

 

Enjoy!

Cereal - another free sample!

These sound good! If you like Quaker Oatmeal Squares on Facebook, you can get a free sample box! Click the link below :)

https://www.facebook.com/QuakerOatmealSquares?sk=app_277249082332707

Free Purex Sample!

I'm sure this won't last long, so hurry and grab yours via the link below!

http://www.freesamplepurex.com/

(they limit it to 1 per household)

New fave scent!

Bath & Body Works Sweet Pea has been a long-time favorite mine, but i'm always looking for something new to switch things up a bit. Enter B&BWs Holiday Collection - in Pink Sugarplum. Mmmm.. it is such a yummy fragrance! It has a real candy-like scent to it. You can smell the sugared plums, but also a tinge of tangerine. I love B&BWs Triple Moisture Body Creams, so i picked up that, the reg. shower gel, and their foaming anti-bacterial soap (another favorite product!).  If you're not a big fan of the floral fragrances and are more into the fruity stuff, give this one a try! Looks like the cream is sold out on their website, but try in store for after holiday stock, or ebay if you don't mind purchasing on there. Isn't the packaging just too cute?!

Scrubbing Bubbles Toilet Bowl Cleaner

LOVE this product! It really does help keep the bowl fresh and clean! It comes with a disposable dispenser, which houses a gel that you just press into the inside of the toilet bowl (see in the pic below). It's kinda like making a spritz cookie! Then whenever you flush, the water goes over the gel, activating the cleaning product. It's really great when you have company coming short notice, to not feel like - ack, i gotta freshen up the toilet! With this product, it already is. I do clean the seat and all in between, but the gel lasts about a week. Then i do a regular clean with a toilet brush and put a new "dot" of gel in :)

What do you use to clean your toilet?

Laundry Stain Removers

Hi there! Thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog!  What's the best way to learn about new products? Usually from your friends and/or family, right? So I thought I would share some faves, and i plan to throw in a little "real life" stuff along the way too :)  (Please note: I am not paid to promote these products)

I want to start off with both an old and a new favorite of mine. I've been using the Spray and Wash Stain Stick for nearly 20 years - ever since I still lived at home with my parents. My Mom used it, so that was how i got started. And let me tell you - there was NEVER a stain that thing couldn't get out! From ketchup to even pen marks, it always did the trick. It has recently been changed and while it still works the same, i just cannot get over the fact that it looks like a stick of deodorant now!

I haven't noticed much difference in the newer product, which is good - don't you just hate when they change an old favorite? It's never as good! Another great thing about this product is that you can treat it and leave it for a good week. I normally never wait that long - i tend to stain treat and do the load that day - but i have waited a few days and it still worked like a charm. The only thing about the stain stick is that it is a little more time consuming if you have a particularly messy clothing item - you have to cover every surface with the stuff.

Which leads me to my new fave, that i use on the more soiled items. Three words - I. Have. BOYS. :)

My new favorite laundry stain remover is the Clorox Laundry Stain Remover with Foaming Action. This stuff is pretty fun (about as fun as stain removing can get!) - it totally does foam up, so a little can go a long way. It is safe on all colors. You just spray away, pop the items in the laundry and poof - stains are gone! I haven't found a stain this little spray can't tackle either. There is nothing more frustrating than pulling an item from the washer, only to find that all of your pre-treating efforts have been thwarted!

So if you're looking for a good stain removal product, give one (or both) of these a try. You won't be disappointed.

Do you have a different laundry stain remover that you like? If so, please share in the comments section. Thanks :)