Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Its October so lets paint the town pink and help aid in those who have suffered breast cancer and the research and development to continue to save the lives of those diagnosed and to provide early detection.

According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, it is estimated that 200,000 women will be diagnosed with Breast Cancer each year. The evaluation of men with breast masses is nearly close to that number as well. Breast cancer can affect, me, you, your/our: Grandma, Sister, Dad, Mother, Aunt, Brother, Best Friend, Neighbor. The list goes on of who could potentially be affect by this terrible disease.
Knowing these facts, there are many things big and small that you can do to help those affected and the future development for more cures.
I wanted to make a special post and dedicate it to the many survivors I know, you know who you are, are were so brave to battle this disease and I will do all I can to try to help with this foundation and its study.

Many companies such as NFL, Columbia, Philosophy, to name a few,  have teamed up with the Susan Koman foundation and the National Breast Cancer Foundation to give opportunity to help make a difference. Here are 5 easy ways you can help too!

1.) Dannon Yogurt. On specially marked Dannon yogurts, under the peel away top is a site (click here) with directions and a code provided by NBCF. Go to the site, enter your code and wa-la you have just donated 10 cents!! You have helped!! Just by buying yogurt you have provided a donation to helping others. This is completely priceless!

From official Dannon site.

2.) Athletic Wear. Dick Sporting Goods has teamed up with NBCF to provide awesome pink athletic wear to help raise awareness with them and support them for the large donation they make yearly to the foundation! A bonus, order something pink and you get FREE shipping! Wahoo!

Dicksportinggoods.com

 

3.) Sephora. One of my other favorite go to sites for all things beauty related has teamed up to provide several pink options to you! I've chosen my favorite that is a Perfect Pink Brush Set complete with a travel size bag. It's value is $150.00 but now sold at $60.00. BARGIN! Not to mention super cute! For each one sold, $1 is donated to the NBCF!

Sephora.com

 

4.) Vino anyone? That's right! J. Lohr Vineyards has teamed up as well and donates $2 for every bottle of their Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon sold to NBCF. Throw a wine and cheese party! Cheers!

From official J.Lohr Vineyards Site.

5.) National Breast Cancer Foundation. Last but for sure not the least is the foundation it self. There are multiple ways to help there. Donations, Volunteering, Fundraising, Partnering, etc. Go directly to their site, explore and learn. At the very least educate yourself on Breast Cancer. Help save a life, or your own. :)

NBCF official logo.

6 Scents

I love making my home smell good and when I'm not cooking up a storm, I love to burn candles from Bath and Body Works. Their scented candles capture the exact fragrance of all the yummy simple pleasures in the world. Some of my recent buys are: Hot Chocolate, Fireside, Apple Crumble, and Autumn. I hoping to get two more of my favorites; Pumpkin Patch and Cinnamon Stick.

Another wonderful thing about these yummy candles is you can burn more than one scent at a time and it just creates this world full of happiness!!! Bath and Body Works keeps you on your toes by always updating and changing the scents often!

Oops, I almost forgot! You can also get these cute little metal tins that have different patterns to them to place your candles in. See the first photo for how they glow!

Hope enjoy my favorite 6 scents ;-)

Nothing but the Beat

Feeling the need to shake ya tail feather? Need a new workout playlist? Long drive ahead? Buy the David Guetta "Nothing but the Beat" CD. I recently purchased it and I have to say, I listen to it almost every single day! I downloaded it onto my ipod and listen to it when I run! Song #5 "Without U" featuring Usher is one of my favorites!!!

You will be amazed by the talent and great beats in this CD. Popular artists like Nicki Minaj, Usher, Lil' Wayne, and Jennifer Hudson to name a few are featured in this album.

So, get movin' and go gettcha' this CD! Happy booty shakin'!

Sunday Sweets

Tonight we are going to have dinner with the family so I decided to whip up a fall inspired special treat to take over! Today I made White Chocolate Bark. I took the idea from food networks 5 Ingredient Fix show and of course made it my own!

Amy's White Chocolate Bark

1- 12oz bag of white chocolate chips
1/3 cup of Cranberries
1/3 Chopped Walnuts
3 drops of Lemon Extract, just enough to get a little extra flavor (any flavor will work, whatever flavors you like! Orange, Vanilla, Etc.)
1-2 drop of Orange Food Coloring

-Melt White Chocolate in a double boiler on stove OR follow microwave directions on package but don't over heat.
-When Chocolate is melted, reserve about 2 Tablespoons aside in a separate dish.
-Mix Cranberries and Chopped Walnuts in with big bowl of melted chocolate.
-Immediately pour chocolate mixture on to a wax paper lined cookie sheet.
-Next quickly mix Extract and Food Coloring into the 2 Tablespoons of reserved chocolate.
-Once mixed, take a fork and drizzle colored chocolate on top of mixture on cookie sheet and spread out as even as possible. *Note, this will not cover the entire cookie sheet.
-Place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour for chocolate to harden and set up.
-Take out of refrigerator and break apart bark with finger into pieces.

-Wrap as you like and enjoy the special treat!

Have a super sweet Sunday y'all! :)

Something old, something new!

As you will notice from some of my other posts, I love to combine styles (ie. Leather and Lace, Army and Sequin, Rocker and Princess). I also love to make something old, new again!
I cannot take all the credit for this idea as I picked it up from a Benefit Chicago Pearl Company party I attended but I took the idea into my own jewelry box and here is what I made.

I took my favorite Marc Jacobs safety pin necklace and my pearl bracelet from the Chicago Pearl Company and hooked them together.

Thus creating a new look to a necklace and combining two styles together!! Fun, Fast, and cost zero to do! You can do this with any necklace and bracelet that have clasps to them. The options are endless with this one! Try it out and post your pictures on facebook!!

Do a body good!

I'm sure most of us have heard the daunting statistic that 90% of the dust in our homes is dead skin cells right? Ew!!
Well, the best way to combat that statistic and have smooth glowy skin is to exfoliate and moisturize. Since the summer is over and now the cool crisp air has flown in, its time to treat our bodies and skin to prolong that bronzed summer glow and stay smooth.

A few tips I recommend:

1.) I always try to make an appointment with my local spa for a body glow treatment. This is a special once in awhile treatment that not only feels and smells great but my whole body feels like all the skin cells have been rejuvenated. In addition, a scrub stimulates the skin and muscles optimizing healing and detoxifying. Lots of benefits!!! So get in a make that appointment! Trust me, you are worth it ;-)

2.) One of my favorite penny-pincher moisturizers is Johnson and Johnson's 24 Hour Body lotion. Now a days they have changed the scent slightly so don't worry, you won't smell like a freshly powered baby's butt! lol It isn't greasy, absorbs well, and leaves your skin ohhhh so smooth!

3.) Lastly, moisturize from the inside out. I promise, the more water you drink in a day, the better you will feel. Your skin will be glowy and clear. Don't go guzzling down your entire Sigg at once, just make sure you are sipping all day. You should be drinking, half your body's weight in ounces. Example: 150lbs = 75onces of water PER day! Check out my past article about the Bobble!

Now go do your body some good!

Buy a hat. Change a life.

Krochet Kids Internation official logo direct from site.

Feeling inspired today by people doing good things in the world...

I recently saw a commercial for Bing presenting a company called Krochet Kids International. It immediately struck my attention and I went to their site and quickly became a supporter and a facebook fan.
This incredible company was created by three young brave men hoping to not only make a difference in the world but induce change. After spending much time in Uganda, these young men began the Krochet Kids International company providing work for the people of Uganda, equal opportunity, and fair wage to name a few things by knitting items. Items such as hats and scarves are hand crafted and signed by each individual that makes them, making them one of a kind. Please visit the site and enjoy their story along with me and help support a country and company that deserves not just opportunity but someone who believes in them.

The Waldo

Purchases can be made on their site directly and today, September 14, 2011 marks a special day as they have released the new fall line! I made my first purchase today and bought the The Helm and The Waldo.

The Helm

Thank you for helping change lives with me, every little bit helps! :)