Walmart Beauty Box UNBOXING

I got my "Fall" Walmart beauty box last week. They cost $5 shipped and you get a random amount of women geared items. Mostly travel/sample size but I have gotten a full-size bottle of nail polish or lipstick in the past. Walmart also has a baby box but it is a bit different and only $5. This is not shipped monthly like other subscription boxes but seasonally (4x yr).

Tuesday Tunes

While my original idea was to make a musical Monday post, life happens & that usually involves changes. This week is an old one from the 90's. Something about this song makes me want to dance and I did just that as I spent time cleaning. On a side note, I once had this song sang to me over the phone. Enjoy it (and the songs to follow)...

Ginuwine "Pony" 

While I'm all about the original (above) I soon found that this song as many renditions. Maybe try one out? 

Ed Sheeran 

Voice of Germany  (why is a German show singing in English?)

Bruno Mars 

Ciara 

Gee I...

GI!

What a complex system of the body! Liver, spleen, pancreas, mouth to anus. I'm guessing that most adults have had some sort of GI abnormalities, acute ones at least. The doctor may listen, look, poke around but all in the great effort to diagnosis without causing excessive unnecessary testing. So to all my future patients who come to me with GI pain disturbances, forgive me for palpating you. Just trying to assess the location & size of your vital internal organs. 

Know Your Poop

Evaluation of the GI patient. 

My Favorite Deals

The deals are a popping & the bank accounts are dropping

Have you done any post-holiday spending?

I definately have and here are a few of my favorite deals, catch'em if you can...

• Kohl's: They are having a variety of sales, coupon codes for extra percentage off, & my fav $15 Kohl's Cash!!!!!
• Shutterfly: Use code PREVIEW to get 10 free cards & 40% additional cards (there are probably other deals too or codes). 
• Good Earth Tea Co.: Get a free sample here. But once they meet the quota then it's shut down so don't hesitate. I know I've been getting into tea more (I'm not cold/sweet tea person, I like green, herbal/medicinal types). 
• Maple Holistics: Get a free sample here, I've not tried this company but have requested a sample. 
• If you just wanna save on some groceries or other items then download Ibotta, use my link & we'll be teammates toward bonus goals & I'll receive a referral bonus too. (Make your Kohl's purchase thru this app and you'll save more). This year I'll earned over $95, probably gonna turn that into gift cards. Or you can use my referral code htmsmac
• Walmart: My First Christmas teddy bear. I gotta get this for Trinity's 1st Christmas! Also some of the black Friday deals are online now. 
• Academy Sports: Fleece blanket for $1.99, free shipping!!! LIMITED TIME deal here.

Brandless

Have you heard of Brandless?

Apparently, it is a sweet online shop that offers everything for $3 in simple, no excess/hassle packaging with high-quality wholesome products because they reduce the need for all the extra pizzazz. So when they had a free shipping promo I ordered the Maple Pecan Granola & the Maple Cinnamon Twists. I haven't tried the granola yet (I usually eat mine with yogurt but due to family illness I've been off dairy for a week) but the M.C. Twists are yum yum!

Maple Cinnamon Twists
 Very flaky with a good coating of a maple, cinnamon sweetness. Crispy but not crumbly. The package is on the smaller side but I only eat a couple at a time which is satisfying (if you tend to eat a large quantity at one time you might order more than one). Vegan & no artificial anything.

                                                                      (copyright Brandless)

They have a variety of items like health, beauty, household, etc. and appear to be expanding. Also, my items were shipped pretty quickly after I ordered them. Very satisfied customer.

[my opinion is my own and I have NOT been compensated to post this, just a personal review of my own experience]

23 & Me

Have you done your Ancestry & Health genetic screening yet?

I did mine a few months back when I was in my epidemiology class because I found it was interesting to see what my genetic map may hold for me in my future health. And I've also been fascinated at what my ancestry holds. 

I'm mainly northwestern European, some Irish/British, French/German, & Scandivavian. 

TODAY ONLY you can for half off, $99 on Amazon!

Don't tell my husband but I ordered one for him....

Get yours HERE

The Pie

4 Way Sheet Pan Pie 

I made a few alterations 

• Streusel topping instead of pie crust over the apple section (1/2 c flour + 1/2 c brown sugar + 1/2 t cinnamon + 3 T butter)
• My local store didn't have jarred cherries (& the canned ones were just too $$$) so I cheated and bought premade canned pie filling (next time I'll check another store or use fresh)
• Pumpkin section I used my own homemade pumpkin puree
• Crust dams = because some people are just picky and don't want "extra" flavor in their pie

***UPDATE***
So  the pie was good but I would say...

• Apple - needed more apples. I weighed mine at the grocery store prior to peeling/coring to get near the 2# mark but maybe it should be 2# post prep? I'd definately use more as my husband, the apple pie connoisseur , said "there is no apples"...
• Pumpkin - section was the thickest or more filled section which was close to normal pumpkin pie thickness/depth
• Pecan - was thinner or less full than a normal pecan pie, good ratio to pecans vs gooey filling. This was more the thickness of pecan pie bars that I've made in the past
• Cherry - one can of filling as appropriate (although next time I want to try homemade)

I'd this was a good recipe for a family or if wanting options. I sliced each section into 4 moderate/large pie slices, equaling 16 slices.

Music Motivation

What a dull world it would be without music! I love to sing (in the privacy of my own house) played the clarinet for a year, and own a piano. I love music. It soothes my soul, it gets me moving, it inspires me, it comforts me. Music is therapeutic. So for this episode (yes, I'm calling this post an episode because when I write it is an extension of my voice, sure maybe no one is listening & I'm talking to myself but so be it) my motivational music is ....

Destiny's Child - Bills, Bills, Bills

I used this song (& similar songs) during my study session today. And yes I might have been seat dancing (is that what you call the movements that take over your body when you are seated?). Perhaps the title correlates with my task at hand (studying) because I got to get the grades to pay those bills (student loans?). LOL 

Check out the link, it's to Pandora if you have the app or use the website. I was listening to it on the TLC radio channel. 

Want more information on musical therapy? 

- American Music Therapy Association 

- Music As Medicine 

- Music Therapy: What is Music Therapy? 

- How Music Can Help You Heal

Lily's Future Christmas Gifts UNBOXING

This one is geared to the family who may have a desire to buy darling daughter Lily a gift this holiday season. This is most of our gifts for her. I can't recall when I started this collection but it has been accumulating for months. My 3 yr old loves cooking/kitcheny stuff. She has some characters that she likes too like PJ Masks (new), Disney, and probably others but she is the kid that is like "oh I want that" "ahh yes I need that", etc. But the God honest truth is, she has no Need for any more toys, which is why she is getting dress up stuff and a mod podge of randomness. Please refrain from toys unless it is on her list, like a play microwave, or something educational. She loves to read to as well. her piggy bank can always use a few dollars... seriously my house is well stocked with toys.

P.S. forgive my not so clean room

Happy Thanksgiving Week

If you ask me, Fall time is the best season. While the end of this fabulous time is fading into colder days, longer nights and a glimpse of what winter has in store for us lets enjoy the time we have left.

Are you cooking a feast this week? I sure am. I cooked my first turkey when I was 12 & for years have been doing the same or similar feast to celebrate Thanksgiving. In fact, I bet I posted about it in early years of the blog.

My Menu 2017

• Relish Tray (this is what my family calls dip with veggies, cheese, crackers like an appetizer)
• Deviled Eggs (no mayo, no relish)
• Rolls
• Turkey
• Gravy
• Stuffing
• Scalloped Corn
• Green Bean Casserole
• Mashed Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• 4-way Sheet Pan Pie (it's a new one I'm trying) 

Way more food than my little tribe need but how do you cut out a dish that you usually only get once or twice a year? I just don't know if it would be T-day without them all... 

Here is my rough draft plan:

Tuesday: Make brine & bath the beast

Wednesday: Make the mammoth pie, rolls, eggs, prep relish try.

Thursday: Bake the beast and finish the feast! 

My plan for Thursday will also include a trip to CVS (gotta score some deals) & watching the Macy's parade. My husband has to work on T-day, poopers, so we eat Thanksgiving Lunch = Lee wakes up super Early! 

Facebook Shopping ads?

I have noticed that a few clothing type shops have been on my facebook. Dresslily, Gamiss, Rosegal, and probably others. Have you shopped these places? Visited their sites?

While they appear to offer discounted fashionable clothes, is it too good to be true? Or a just a hot seller? I'm about to find out as I just purchased 4 items from one of the listed retailers above. Once my items arrive I will blog it. And if I don't fizzle out or neglect my real life then maybe some other posts I will create will include:

• Black Friday/Holiday Shopping
• DIY projects
• Cooking
• Life of a graduate student

Anything you'd like me to post about?

FYI: Here is a flash of my life changes since I was a blogging.... Since the birth of my Lil in 2014, I've... gotten my BSN, delivered child #2 (3 yrs & 1 day after Lil), started grad school, almost done with 1 yr grad school to be the most awesome WHNP. Living in the same house but lost a cat and a dog then gained another dog but had to give him away. Decided to move then took it back, then decided to move, and.... I'm not sure what is happening anymore. I'm a mom, a wife, a nurse, and faithful to my studies to achieve WHNP.

I'm Back...

So it's been a long time, years lets say. But I miss my tiny blogging world. While I will not begin to dabble in the thoughts of what others have of my nearly non-existent blog. I'm doing this for me and my story. Or better yet, my family's story. So enjoy my blog revamping and I will try to post on a semi-regular basis as I continue my journey through graduate school. So here we go...

I have a Samsung G5 but ran out of storage... And grad school wants me to download apps.... uhh umm... so.

As I googled, struggled my way to find how to get my old sd data onto my need sd card. After an hour at a website, a car ride to the lost prophet, and one lucky break while at Walmart my solution was found. I'd like to believe this would work on any phone but I have no knowledge to base this on.

I found this Sunpack high-speed card reader. Hooked up to my computer with my old sd card, uploaded and copied to a file. Then replaced it with my new sd card, copied the file onto my new sd card.... wham bam thank you, Mam! And now I have tons of space to clog my phone with.

It's just what I need to reinstall the Amazon app and score some Black Friday deals! bahahahaha