A blogging we will go...

I've been so busy trying to build a following (and enter the really cool giveaways) that I've neglected to do the very thing I should be doing... writing!  It seems like there just is not enough time in a day.  I tell you what, having an almost 3 year old is exhausting if you  are in your 30's - nevermind in your 50's!  Sheesh.. if I could only get a little of that energy by osmosis!  But, as tired as I can get, there is nothing like hearing her ask me to have a tea party with her.  Or build a castle with her in the floor.  This little girl makes me smile!  I honestly cannot imagine my life without her! 

Ah well, writing and rest can come later.  Right now I have to build a castle in the floor with my little lady! 

Pay It Forward...

In this day and time, many are struggling to make ends meet.  It's times like this that we need to get together and help.   That is what this amazing group of Fabulessly Frugal bloggers are doing.  They are banding together to help someone in need.  Someone who has given in their own lack.  While I don't live where the fund raiser is operating, I can donate my tickets back to them so that they can pay it forward to another who otherwise would not be able to go.   Can my FB and Twitter peeps help pay it foward too?  Go here and read the story and if you are lead to do so, please go HERE to buy a ticket or two, or more :)

Giveaway at Ascending Butterfly

Ascending Butterfly has a great back to school giveaway!   It's her
Back to School with Play-Doh Sesame Street Shape & Spin Elmo Playset Giveaway!
 Lots of great chance to win!  Stop by and check her out!

Halloween Express review and give away

"Tales from Tammylyne is giving away 75.00 gift card for Halloween Express to help you buy a Halloween Costume .  Check out her review and enter to win!!

Tales from Tammylyne

My 2-1/2 year old Gleek!

My little Sweat Pea is a trip!  She would rather watch Glee than cartoons!  That's the truth!  Fortunately, so would her daddy and I!  We are anxiously awaiting the season premiere!

This child will stand in front of the TV and mimic the moves, try to sing along, and has learned how to rewind the DVR so that she can sing the song again!    We try to catch her on video, but everytime we pull out the camera, she forgets the words and gets all distracted.  Oh to be able to get her on video, unaware!

<--  Here she is, "microphone" in hand, getting down with Mr. Schu (Matthew Morrison)  and Bryan Ryan (Neil Patrick Harris) while they are singing "Dream On"   

oops..  she caught me recording here   -->
Check out that pretend microphone!  I've even caught her using her brush LOL! 

Cracks me up to watch this little Gleek!

Mommy Katie: Magic Cabin Toys Review and Giveaway

Mommy Katie: Magic Cabin Toys Review and Giveaway: I will certainly have my fingers crossed for this one :)

Woo Hoo - cool give away -- enter for your chance to win~~

Mommy Katie is offering you the opportunity to win a Luminess Air ~ Air Brush Makeup System and she is giving you a lot of opportunities to win!!


Be sure to visit her blog and read her review of this AWESOME system... I'm in!! I want it BAD!!

Garnier - Sleek and Shine Blow Dry Perfector

OK.. I have some wacky hair.  It has curls and waves that look good wet.. but not so good when dry.  I accidentally happened upon the Garnier  Sleek and Shine Blow Dry Perfector .  It says it will keep your hair sleek and shiny for up to 7 washings.  It had my attention!

When I got the product, I did not read the box too well.   Imagine my surprise when I opened it to use it and a plastic glove was included.  I was too curious to not continue.  So I followed the directions.  For lack of better words, it's like a semi-permanent straightener.  It is heat activated, thus the name blow dry perfector!

First, I washed my hair then I combed in the Smooth It Serum.   I was instructed to let it sit for 20 minutes then rinse out.  It does have an oder, but very livable and short  lived

Next, I put in the Heat-Activated Perfect-It Cream.  It had a nice smell to it. 

I then proceeded to blow my hair dry.  I have chin length hair, but a lot of it so it usually takes me a while to dry it effectively.  Therefore, I typically do not dry my hair, but let my flat iron do the straightening later.  Since it is heat activated, I did as directed.  After blowing my hair dry using a nice round brush, my hair came out shiny and straight!  I did use my flat iron to take seal the deal!  However, I have not had to use my flat iron as often during the week to fix the sleeping on the hair mess that I usually have. 

My hair has stayed in place and I am quite pleased with the results.  Please note that I also work out a lot and sweat profusely.  My hair is soaking wet when I finish.  And yet, my hair still straight when it is dry!  I am in serious like with this product. 

Garnier recommends waiting 2 weeks before applying color.  It was perfect timing. I went to get my roots touched up 2 weeks later and my stylist even commented on how much easier my hair was to style. 

All in all, I see this as a great product to have!!  I will be stopping at my handy dandy Wal-Mart to pick up my next box very soon!

Luminess Air Brush Tanning

I will be the first to tell you that I love a good tan. Back in the day I was a fake and bake girl! That was the only way I could get a good base tan all over. My legs are resistant to tans any other way... (possibly because I always wear pants?)


Then as I turned 50, I noticed that there were a few more deep wrinkles that I had not been able to reverse. Now, at 53 I am still trying to turn back time... Ah, vanity, thy name is Cindy...

Wrinkles, however, should be the very least of my concerns. My younger cousin passed away this spring from Melanoma. It's a nasty cancer (not that any are good), but one that could have possibly been prevented with sunscreens and cover ups. This cancer seems to run in our family as I have other family members who have had to have this nasty thing removed from various parts of their body.

So, for my very life, I must stop soaking in the rays. Be it outside on in the tanning beds. But how would I then have a tan?? Clearly, sunless tanning would be the way to go. In the past, I've tried the drug store products, department store lines, as well as once even forking out the money for a spray tan at my local tanning salon... Some worked, some not so much.. some affordable, some not so much!! ALL provided me with a dirty foot look, no matter how careful I was.

Last week I was presented with an opportunity to try the Luminess Tan system. Let me tell you this... I AM IN LOVE!!

What is Luminess? I'm so glad you asked! It is an airbrush application (NOT to be confused with spray tanning or misting) which is so easy to use. The tanning solution smell is not unpleasant. Actually, my husband had a migraine the night we tried it and was real sensitive to smells; yet he even commented that it did not smell. The tanning solution has a bronzer in it to help you see where you are spraying. (and it looks good, too!) If you accidentally overspray an area, just blot it with a dry paper towel.

I tried it on my daughter. We did have a few operator errors but totally not the fault of Luminess. Might I suggest you actually WATCH the dvd first! She, like me, can make Casper the friendly ghost look like he spent a week in Hawaii. We opted to just do her legs in case we messed up. After spraying her legs, they now have a nice tan color. It's not orange! VERY natural looking. One area I am really a stickler about is feet. Hers look awesome. There is no signature sunless tan dirty feet look.

Once I was satisfied that her tan turned out ok (hey, don't judge me! She knew what she was in for!) I tried it. I LOVE IT. It looks very natural and was very easy to use. I even used it on my face with great results. (remember, Vanity, thy name is Cindy? yeah)

For those who like the tanned look, I highly recommend this as an alternative to laying out in the sun, tanning beds and tanning salons in general. The price is very reasonable (how much do you pay for spray tan at a salon over and over again?) This will pay for itself quickly! I promise you won't be sorry. Go to their site and sign up for it. Use your sunscreen and cover up!

https://www.luminessspraytan.com/

Tell 'em Cindy sent ya! :)

Disclaimer: I received the Luminess Air Brush Tanning to review. I was not compensated monetarily for the review. All opinions expressed in the review are my own!