HBL Hair Care Review and Giveaway

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this product, free of charge, from HBL Hair Care for review

 purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind,

 has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about them.

HBL HAIR CARE

Curl Enhancing Hair Care System

A few days ago I was sent the HBL Hair Care Curl Enhancing Hair Care System. Humidity in Louisiana is at an all time high since it is in our hot season now. This sub-tropical climate does a number on my hair every year. My curls go from waves to curls to frizz and back again all day long. It has a way of making my hair look like a rats nest on some days. 

This is a picture of a typical hair day of Stacey:

Yep, it looks like a rats nest sometimes. So I tried the HBL Curl Enhancing System. This is what the website said about it:

"Tout your tendrils with the HBL Curl Enhancing System. Cleanse and condition you hair with the HBL Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner and enhance natural curls with Spray Mousse, specially formulated to create lift, flexible volume and texture."

I figured anything was better than what I had been doing. I was so shocked at the outcome. Both pictures are of the back of my head. Hubby got the best pictures that he could. What was the finished product shocked me. What a big difference!!

In case you can't see how much of a difference there is, here are the pictures side by side:

The system consists of the Volumizing Shampoo and Conditioner and then the Spray Mousse.

I love the light weight feel of my hair now. All day it has been shiny and soft. The curls have stayed exactly the same. 

HBL has an entire line of hair care products for different hair types.

There are different systems catered to your hair type and needs. Find out more at 

HBL Hair Care 

There is even a Product Recommender that will help you find the best system for your hair.

Click Here to Start

Product Recommender

One Lucky Person can win the same system that I received. Enter Below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MEMORIAL DAY

Memorial Day is a sacred day to all war veterans. America demands that all citizens be reminded 

of the deaths of their fellow countrymen during wartime. By honoring the nation's 

war dead, we preserve their memory and thus their service and sacrifice. All U.S. flags 

should be displayed at half-staff during the morning hours. At noon, they should be raised

back to full-staff. 

Memorial Day has become just another day off of work for some. Please take some time

and remember the sacrifice the brave men and women. Teach your children something

about Memorial Day. Teach them about service and sacrifice. Take a moment and really look

at our flag and be thankful. 

Oysters Bienville Recipe

Oysters Bienville

Ingredients
6 slices of bacon

4 oz. sliced mushrooms
6 cloves garlic-minced
1/4 bunch green onions chopped finely
1/2 stick butter 
2 c. flour
1 1/2 qt. milk
1/2 cup boiled shrimp diced
1/2 pt. oyster juice
1/2 c. lemon juice
1/2 c. cooking sherry
1/4 c. chopped parsley
6 doz. oysters with shells

Cut bacon into small pieces and fry until brown. sauté mushrooms, garlic and green onions. 
Add butter and when it has melted, blend in flour. Cook slowly 5 minutes, then gradually stir 
in milk. After sauce thickens, add shrimp, oyster juice, 
lemon juice, sherry, and parsley. Simmer slowly 15 minutes.

Have 12 pie pans half filled with rock salt. Arrange 6 oyster shells in each pie pan. Put a raw oyster (at room temperature) on each shell and top with sauce. Place under broiler (6 inches from heat) 
until heated thoroughly and browned on top.  Serves 12.

Things I Have To Have When I'm Sick

All items were purchased by myself and I was not given any compensation from any of these companies. 

A round of the flu hit my house the last two weeks. I was the last one to get it. It was the typical flu..body aches, fever, stomach issues, sinus issues, coughing, etc. I couldn't seem to shake it so I went to the doctor and he said I had bronchitis. The medicine has helped some and I'm starting to feel a little better. 

There are several things that make my life better when I'm sick. Here are a few of them that I wanted to share with you:

1. Yoga Pants-These things are my favorite. I may not look like the model in this picture, but I sure love my comfy pants. There is nothing better than yoga pants when you are sick. I wore these and my fuzzy robe. They kept me warm when I had the shivers from the fever. I found these on Ebay. 
Here is the link:
Regular Sizes
Plus Sizes


2. Heating Pad- Nothing takes the chill out like a heating pad. Great for the body aches too. There are many out there, but this one is affordable and easy to use. 

CVS Heating Pad Standard Size With 3 Variable Heat Settings

3. Fuzzy Soft Pink Robe- Amazon

This has to be one of the best things Hubby has ever bought for me. When I'm sick I'm not trying to make a fashion statement. I just want to be comfy. This robe is perfect. 

4. Water bottle- New Wave Enviro

I did a review a while back about New Wave Enviro. The water bottle they sent to me is my favorite. I use it every day. Thankfully, I have two of them. I keep this by the bed when I'm sick. Got to have those fluids right?



5. Puffs Plus Lotion-I know I am a wimp. I just need my tissues to have lotion when my nose hurts. These are soothing and feel so soft. They are a must have. 



What are some of your favorite things to keep around you when you are sick?

Navitas Naturals Review

Navitas Naturals has provided me with products for purposes of providing a review. I received the products at no charge to me and I am under no obligation to return the product but can keep it for my own personal use. The following review is the opinion of the owner of this blog. As with all products, your opinion may vary.  

I had an opportunity to try products by Navitas Naturals for a review on this blog. I am not a health food guru, but the older I get I have become more aware of my family's nutrition. We are always on the go and live on snacks some days. We also love the outdoors and are always looking for different snacks that travel well. 

I was sent two products the Dragon Fruit and the Power Snack Cacao Goji Superfood. 

I loved the Dragon Fruit. It had a light somewhat crisp to it. It reminded me of Fruit Roll Ups but with bits of fruit you can actually taste and feel in your mouth. They are just a little sweet but not overly sweet.

The next one I tried was the Cacao Goji Superfood Power Snack. It was different from other snacks I tried. It had a slight flavor of chocolate and a hint of the Goji. They are very filling. I was stuffed after eating two pieces. 

Navitas Naturals has a great variety of non-GMO products. Check out their website for delicious recipes.

Navitas Naturals 

My favorite is all of the smoothie recipes. The Chia Chiller Smoothie looks so yummy. 

Good Luck Charms

This week had the biggest Powerball Lottery Jackpot. One lucky winner won a huge amount of money. While everyone was making their wishlist, I started thinking of all the lucky charms that we surround ourselves with. I'm not sure if any of them really work, but I know a few of them I'm not willing to live without...you know, just in case. I carry an Angel Coin with me at all times. I keep it in my wallet. It was given to me not long after I started my job. I'm not sure if it is a lucky charm, but I'm not going to leave it at home. 

Ladybugs

When a ladybug lands on you it is suppose to be good luck. Killing one is bad luck. 

Rainbows are known for being lucky. If you find the end you get that pot of gold. There are also 7 colors in the rainbow. The number 7 is also considered lucky. 

Hang a horse shoe on the wall or above a doorway for good luck. 

"See a penny pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck. Leave it there and you'll despair".

When we were kids we would fight over the wishbone. All of the cousins wanted to be the ones to break the wishbone at Thanksgiving. 

Do you have a lucky charm?

Popcorn Bistro Review

I was not paid or compensated by Popcorn Bistro for this post. The view are mine and yours may vary. 

My daughter and I had a rare girl's day out yesterday. We both work and it is getting harder to have days when we are both free. We spent the day shopping and went to lunch. We stopped at a little business that we have been wanting to try, Popcorn Bistro. It is like a candy store for popcorn. There were so many flavors of popcorn it was really hard to choose. The huge tubs were lined on the wall with the flavors.

The first one that I had to have was the Red Velvet Cake.

 

There were big chunks of cake mixed in. It was so rich and delicious. It was definitely the favorite of the ones that I bought. 

Next was the Oreo Cheesecake.

I bought this one to bring home to my son. I knew he would love this. I had to try it though. It had big pieces of Oreo Cookies. The flavor was spot on. It tasted like Oreo Cheesecake. It was just a little too rich for me, but my son tried it and wanted more. 

Beignet was my whole family's favorite. 

It is very sweet with just a hint of the "fried donut" flavor. 

My daughter bought the Chocolate Dipped Strawberry. It looks so yummy. I told her that I wanted to try it. Unfortunately, she ate it all so now I have to wait until the next time. Here is a picture:

The last one that I tried was White Truffle Oil. If you like white truffle oil you will love this. It has a strong flavor. It is so good as a salty snack with a smoky flavor. 

The girl that was working was really nice and helpful. There was a rude customer that was in the store and the employee kept her cool and served that woman with a smile. 

Love the store and the popcorn. We will be back soon. 

They have an online store in case you don't have a local store. Here is a link: Popcorn Bistro

Check out all of their delicious popcorn flavors like:

Birthday Cake

Bacon and Cheddar

Loaded Baked Potato

Mississippi Mud Pie

Snickers

Vanilla Butternut

Hot Boiled Crawfish

Cinnabon

And lots more....

Scooter Love

Mother's Day

The origin of Mother's Day goes back to the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans. But the roots of Mother's Day history can also be traced to the United Kingdomwhere "Mothering Sunday" was celebrated.  Thanks to the hard work of the pioneering women of their times, Julia Ward Howe and Anna Jarvis Mother's Day came into existence. Today, Mother's day is celebrated across 46 countries but some on a different days. It is a day of celebrating Mothers everywhere and their love and dedication to their children. 

As my children get older it is harder for us to be together on Mother's Day. My oldest two had to work, but were able to call this morning. Both came by after work. I was able to spend time with my sweet mom this morning. I spent the rest of the day cooking with my youngest son. It was so much fun spending that time with him. 

I hope everyone at least makes a phone call to the women in their lives that are 
Moms or have chosen to be a Mom figure. 

NSD Spinner Exerciser Review/ Giveaway

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this product, free of charge, from NSD SPINNER, for review purposes on this blog. No other compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it. As with any product, my opinion and experience may be different from your own. 

NSD SPINNER

          

     Recently I was sent a NSD SPINNER to try out. This is what I had read about it on their website:

The design of NSD Power products is protected under more than 100 patents worldwide. And as Nano-Second Technologies continues to improve and evolve the original design, countless numbers of golfers, ball players, athletes of every kind benefited from the improved strength and control over their forearms and wrists. Eventually, as the growth of the personal computer increased our daily use of the mouse and keyboards, millions of suffers of repetitive stress injuries and Carpal Tunnel Syndromes found solace with a few minutes of exercise on an Original NSD Spinner.


 We had so much fun trying it out. You can really feel the burn to your muscles. It is like using a hula hoop in the beginning. Once you get it moving it is easy. My son tried it and couldn't believe after one minute he could feel the muscles in his forearm starting to burn. Another minute and he had to stop. He was worn out.


 He couldn't believe that it really worked his muscles.



 So after letting my son try it out, I brought it to work. The guys at work laughed at it. They thought it was a joke that this thing that looked like a toy was really a work out. Watching the guys practice to get the right momentum going was very funny. It is was more difficult than they thought. It was almost like watching them with a hula hoop. We all had a good laugh. After the laughing, they started to say they could feel it. Next came the look... 



They all had the same reaction. They could believe the workout they got from
something like this. 






After working with it for a week, I can tell a big difference in the strength in my arms. My wrist doesn't ache when I'm on the computer. My son's forearms are showing signs of strength.  I have to say that the NSD SPINNER really is helping me.

Like any other workout program your results may differ from mine. I strongly recommend checking with your doctor before starting any workout program.


 Check out their web page for more info:

NSD SPINNER

This contest is over

Computer Crashed

Ughhhh....What a week! My computer crashed yesterday. Thanks to my iPhone I'm able to give an update.
I promise I will be back tomorrow. In the mean time, feel free to check out my giveaways. *Hugs*

Givers and Takers

 

       Everyone at some point in their lives has had it happen to them. You wake up and it dawns on you that someone in your life is a Taker. We have all had friends, family members or co-workers that fit into this group. They are the ones that drain everything out of you. You find yourself avoiding them whenever possible, but somehow, you feel guilty. That's what Takers do. It is an art form. Guilt is used as a tool to attain whatever it is that they want. Have you ever had people in your life that you try to avoid because they make you feel guilty if you don't do what they want you to do? 

   I remember growing up and seeing my parents take care of so many people. We always had family members living with us at different times. My dad has admitted paying bills for some family and also for some friends. My parents are the complete examples of Givers. Now that I am much older, I can see so many examples of the Takers that used them. Now, don't get me wrong, not everyone that needed help was a Taker. Everyone needs help sometimes. Takers are a different breed. In a Taker's world, your wants and needs do not matter. Only their happiness and their wants are what is important. 

  History has a way of repeating itself. Although my parents have warned me many times about helping people that are Takers, you learn by what you see. It will always be in me to be a Giver. That is why I chose the career that I have. That's why I married another Giver. That's why we have been hurt by people many times. 


   I am working on saying, "NO". The problem is, when Givers say "NO" or refuse to be taken advantage of, Takers will despise the Givers. If you stop the taking, you are no longer useful and then will be discarded. The older I get, losing Takers from my life gets easier. I started standing up for myself. The word, "NO" is a beautiful word. I strive to still help people, but my help will come freely from myself and not forced upon me by Takers. 

Here are some signs of Takers:


1. Their wish is your command, and if you don’t comply, you don’t love them.
2.They believe their problems are always someone else’s fault.
3.They aren’t motivated to know, care or do anything unless it gets them something.
4.They act entitled to whatever they’re taking from you.
5.They treat you as an extension of themselves.
6.They hold everyone else accountable, but evade being held accountable.
7.They can feel needy, demanding, and overwhelm you with their own drama which is often largely self-created.
8.They use guilt and emotional tools for you to comply to what they want. 
9.These people are often jealous of your ambitions and of your successes. 
10.They disappear if you need them. They reappear when they need you. 


Which one of these are you? Who are the Takers and Givers in your life? 

Southern Sayings

I love getting into discussions with my parents. They use so many of those old sayings that I love. Southerners can't live without them. One of my favorites is, "He's about as useless as a screen door on a submarine". I'm not sure how many are famous and how many my parents and grandparents just made up. They are adjectives and they add color to any conversation. Here are some of my favorites:


1. He's as drunk as Cooter Brown ( I would love to know who Cooter Brown was).
2. Every dog has a few fleas (No one is perfect).
3. She's about as low as a toad in a dry well (She's lonely).
4. He's as crooked as a dog's hind leg.
5. We were so poor we didn't have a pot to pee in or a window to throw it out of.
6. I'll slap you naked and sell your clothes.
7. Every black crow thinks her baby is as white as snow.
8. You can lock the door on a thief but not a liar.
9. The wheel's still turning but the hamster is dead.
10. It's hotter than the hinges on the the gates of Hell.
11. He squeezes a quarter so tight the eagle screams.
12. She's two cards short of a full deck (I've used this so many times).
13. He doesn't know whether to check his butt or scratch his watch. 
14. There's a cypress stump in the swamp with a higher I.Q.
15. She's about as useful as a football bat. 

There are so many more..these are just a few that I could remember.