Guardians of the Galaxy Posters Released

 I know my husband is getting excited to see Guardians of the Galaxy! They released new posters and they are definitely something that shows me a bit more about the movie! With a month left until release, I'm sure it will take that long to have my husband talk me into going with him. This is usually not the type of movie I watch but with it being Marvel AND the fact I could have a date night, I think I might take it! 

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

MARVEL STUDIOS

Website and Mobile site: marvel.com/guardians

Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/guardiansofthegalaxy

Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/GuardiansGalaxy

Genre:                                       Action-Adventure

Rating:                                       TBD     

U.S. Release date:                     August 1, 2014 

Cast:                                         Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, featuring Vin Diesel as

Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, with John C. Reilly, Glenn Close as Nova   Prime and Benicio Del Toro as The Collector

Director:                                    James Gunn

Producer:                        Kevin Feige, p.g.a.

Executive Producers:      Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Victoria Alonso, Jeremy Latcham,

 Nik Korda, Stan Lee

Written by:                    James Gunn and Nicole Perlman

STORY SYNOPSIS:

From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team—the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel's “Guardians of the Galaxy” expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits—Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand—with the galaxy's fate in the balance.

ONE-LINER:

Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” finds space adventurer Peter Quill the object of a bounty hunt after stealing an orb coveted by a treacherous villain, but when Quill discovers the power it holds, he must find a way to rally the quartet of ragtag rivals hot on his trail to save the universe.

OFFICIAL BOILERPLATE:

From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team—the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel's “Guardians of the Galaxy” expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits—Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand—with the galaxy's fate in the balance.

Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which first appeared in comic books in Marvel Super-Heroes, Issue #18 (Jan. 1969), stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, featuring Vin Diesel as Groot, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Lee Pace, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, with John C. Reilly, Glenn Close as Nova Prime and Benicio Del Toro as The Collector.

James Gunn is the director of the film with Kevin Feige, p.g.a., producing. Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Victoria Alonso, Jeremy Latcham, Nik Korda and Stan Lee serve as executive producers. Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” is written by James Gunn and Nicole Perlman and releases in U.S. theaters on August 1, 2014.

DreamWorks Pictures' THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY - Omelette aux fines herbes Recipe

I have to say again, the best thing about this movie right now is all the recipes that are coming out!! This one, Omelette aux fines herbes, shows a great recipe of an omelette and much different then what I do whenever I try to make an omelette! I am getting so excited for this movie! 

The Hundred-Foot Journey hits theatres August 8th!

Weekly Menu for June 30th to July 4th

Monday - Spaghetti

Tuesday - Grilled Burgers

Wednesday - Alfredo Chicken Roll ups

Thursday - Dad's Choice

Friday - Dad's Choice

I am starting to run out of ideas!! What are some of your favorite family meals? Let me know!

Day 7 - 30 Day Shred

I don't know about you, but I think I'm not as red and sweaty! Yesterday was Day 7 of the self imposed 30 Day Shred. After 7 days, I can do it almost completely through! I stop because of a muscle pain in my calf when doing jump rope but that's about it! I can tell my endurance is getting better. Jillian even says in the video if you are on day 5, 6, or 7 you are probably seeing that difference.......YUP! It's crazy what you can put your body through and then see how my lungs don't hurt as bad and the "rush" I am getting from that 2 minutes that I am out of breath. Of course my favorite part is when it's over, who wouldn't feel that way?! Now that I have done this a week, I am hoping I can change up my eating habits/styles/portions/overeating a bit to see that weight melt off. I have been having the issue that I do great usually 5 days a week but then weekends especially I go over on my calories and I think that's why I stay evened out. Food is a passion and a downfall for me so of course this is the hardest thing for me to do! 

What do you do to help keep yourself in check with food? Is there things you can't even have in the house?

What I'm Reading Fridays

Do you ever get in little funks when you are reading? I was doing great, almost reading 3 books a week and now just don't really want to read! I know I don't have to, but it helps me keep from being bored which turns into eating or spending way too much time on the computer! What do you do to change that mood? Do you have any recommendations on books to add to read?

Last Week I Read:

• Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke

I Am Currently Reading:

• Gingerbread Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Summer Reading Bucket List

Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke

Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke

Gingerbread Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Devil's Food Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke

Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Lemon Tart by Josi Kilpack

Last Licks (A Sunny and Shadow Mystery) by Claire Donally

Divergent by Veronica Roth (Currently 12 holds at the library! It might be a bit!)

To Brie or Not To Brie, A Cheese Shop Mystery by Avery Aames

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

The Ex-Debutante by Linda Francis Lee

First-Degree Fudge by Christine DeSmet

Bran New Death by Victoria Hamilton

Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

The Hollow by Jessica Verday and if I like it then

The Haunted by Jessica Verday

The Hidden by Jessica Verday

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Day 4 of 30 Day Shred

I was going to post this yesterday but didn't get around to it! So, I figured better late than never right?

 This is me after Day 4 workout. 

See all that sweat?! Yea, it has been bad! I won't complain too much but definitely do this workout and take a shower after! And see here where I'm pointing?

Yea, that's my calf........OUCH! I think for all the pain that I have had, that has been the worst! It starts to hurt and then burn! BUT you know what I have been noticing after 4 days, I have MUSCLES! Like my leg muscles are actually getting stronger!

And, with being on Day 4 (will be doing Day 5 here in a few!) what difference did I see? Well, I'm not as out of breath as I was. Who knew?! Not me! And another thing, after this I put on my swimsuit and went to the Y for a water works class! Yup, I am going into crazy mode! I am not proud of this picture right now, but will be later.....

I know I don't smile often, another thing I am working on! But with this picture, I can see all the fat that I need to work on! I see this picture and can't believe I'm that big! I don't see the whole picture (I don't like looking in the mirror!) so this is definitely a wake up call for me! It is time to start living the healthy lifestyle I should so that I can be in love with myself. Yes, I try to act like I don't care but it really does hurt thinking that people are looking down on you. Well, it's time to get to where I love my body in everything I do and be proud of myself! In less than a week, I can tell you I am starting to feel better about myself. I am feeling myself get stronger and watching myself say no to foods I would eat no issues. Made a whole pan of brownies for my kids for a play date......I went back AFTER and ate just one. ONE!!!!! Some people will look at that like oh, you shouldn't have done that. To me, that's just one! I would usually eat about half the pan by myself! When you get your mindset right and start on the work, it shows that the rest just flows!

What do you do to help accomplish your goals? 

What do you do to help with your body image and self-esteem?

Wordless Wednesday - I Found The Pineapple!! (If you ever watched Psych, you will understand!)

+1 Pancake Mastery

So we had some leftover waffle mix from the weekend and it pours and flows much smoother than standard pancake mix. You don't get as many of the weird ridges you do with pancake batter thats a bit thicker. While we like waffles the kids usually want pancakes and I have slowly been getting better at my pouring techniques. I think I'm really hitting my stride now.

 Lately they have been asking for dinosaur pancakes. If I pour right they are usually in pretty good proportion.

 Had to make this one for bubba, he didn't want a pancake until it was a batman pancake.

 My signature pancake :)

 Finally the nice batter gave me some ideas and I was able to to make this baby.

 Which flips over to be...an Arc Reactor!!!

Transformation Tuesdays Week 25

My body and I were in a fight last week. It's going on this week too a bit but I'm going to get over that bump in the road now! I explained it in my 30 Day Shred Day #1 Again post, but I'll put it here too. I have PCOS. (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) It sucks. A lot. I take medicine to keep myself "regular" but there are times my body decides to do other things still. Or I being stupid don't take my medicine when I'm supposed to and forget to get the refill until 2 weeks after.....meaning basically 2 in 1...... so in some ways this is my fault. BUT my kids made me work out yesterday and instead of in a bad mood, I started to get in a better mood :) I am hoping this week brings some great transformations for myself both physically and mentally!


Personal Goals Last Week:

• Write 10 Posts Will be better this week! :)
• Daily Devotional 5x Main Goal/Focus This Week!
• Track Food 7x Missed Saturday evening....not a good weekend!
• 4 Days Under Calories  Right at!
• Work Out 4x This Week  Barely!
• Read Two Books Just One.......it's been a week!
• Take Kids To Library Ran out of time :( AND kids not good on story day so missed that too!
• Don't Weigh In Until Next Tuesday! ONLY 2 EXTRA TIMES! GETTING THERE!
• Drink 72 oz a Day (especially needed on work out days!)
• Clean Kitchen AND Dining Room/Computer Desk Think this week will be better to finish!

Personal Goals This Week:

• Write 10 Posts
• Daily Devotional 5x
• Track Food 7x
• 5 Days Under Calories
• Work Out 5x This Week
• Read One Book
• Take Kids To Library
• Don't Weigh In Until Next Tuesday!
• Drink 72 oz a Day (especially needed on work out days!)
• Clean Kitchen AND Dining Room/Computer Desk 

Starting (January 7) : 278.4 lbs
Week 2 (Jan 14): 279.0 lbs
Week 3 (Jan 21): 280.8 lbs
Week 4 (Jan 28): 278.8 lbs
Week 9 (Mar 4): 281.4 lbs
Week 16(Apr 22): 285.8 lbs
Week 20(May 20): 281.4 lbs
Week 21(May 21): 281.4 lbs
Week 22 (June 3): 283.0 lbs

Week 23(June 10: 283.2 lbs
Week 24(June 17) 282.6 lbs
Week 25(June 24): 282.0 lbs

DreamWorks Pictures' THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY - Quiche Lorraine Recipe

If anything for this movie, they are releasing some very yummy looking recipes! One of the latest is Quiche Lorraine! Have you ever made a quiche? I never have but thinking I might now! The Hundred-Foot Journey will be in theaters everywhere August 8th! I can't wait!

30 Day Shred Day #1.....Again

Well, I can throw every excuse out there but I didn't do 30 Day Shred from Thursday until today. One reason, being a woman the wonderful time of the month comes and for me having PCOS, sometimes there is no issues and it comes and goes. But about every 3-4 cycles, they are like this. I am knocked down and in bed for at least a day, most the time two. I feel like I could just die and I would die from a head ache, cramps, biting people's heads off, crying so much I can't breathe. My poor family had to deal with it this week. I have been in a major depression that just has gotten worse and worse waiting for a week for the storm to finally hit. Yesterday I spent most of the day in bed that I could. I got a nap in, meds in, and my WONDERFUL husband came back from the store with the cure for all!!!

Now back in the day, I could have ate all this in one setting....and a pan of brownies....and some ice cream...with hot fudge! BUT I had him get me some fun size. And he got me a couple of the full size Kit Kats because he is awesome like that! I have more than half of that left for the rest of the week to get my "fix" in. In fact today I had on full Kit Kat bar. Am I mad at myself? HECK NO! I wanted it! I wasn't going to work out but because my kids started it and said they wanted mommy to exercise, I had no excuse not to. So, with that I can be even happier about that Kit Kat bar. First, I worked off enough calories from my workout to be a bit more than that wonderful chocolate goodness. Second, I didn't throw it up!!! Jillian Michaels workouts are hard and there are many times  I think I could faint or puke but so far so good and today was fine too! Last, I started it again. I showed myself that I can feel MAJORLY bad and sick and could curl back up in that ball in bed but instead I worked out. I SERIOUSLY worked out, not my usual go swim a few laps to feel the stretch. I might still do that tonight but I think now that I did this, I will go get a fun size 100 Grand and eat it happily knowing I am getting my life back on track :)

What I'm Reading Fridays

Last Week I Read:

• Last Licks by Claire Donally

I Am Currently Reading:

• Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke

Summer Reading Bucket List

Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke

Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke

Gingerbread Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Devil's Food Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke

Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Lemon Tart by Josi Kilpack

Last Licks (A Sunny and Shadow Mystery) by Claire Donally

Divergent by Veronica Roth (Currently 12 holds at the library! It might be a bit!)

To Brie or Not To Brie, A Cheese Shop Mystery by Avery Aames

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

The Ex-Debutante by Linda Francis Lee

First-Degree Fudge by Christine DeSmet

Bran New Death by Victoria Hamilton

Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

The Hollow by Jessica Verday and if I like it then

The Haunted by Jessica Verday

The Hidden by Jessica Verday

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Weekly Menu June 23rd to June 27th

Monday - Pancakes and Sausage

Tuesday - Spaghetti

Wednesday - Chili and Cinnamon Rolls

Thursday - Grilled Hamburgers

Friday - Chicken Enchiladas

Weekly Winnings Through June 22nd, 2014

This Week I Was Glad To Win:

• Nature's Sleep Slippers

Wordless Wednesday - Princess Cuddles

30 Day Shred - Day 1

Yesterday, I decided it was time to do Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. I have done it in the past and had some great results, but only made it 20 days before I stopped. This time around I am determined to do the full 30 Days on Level 1. The 30 Day Shred has 3 levels, 1 being the easiest and 3 being the hardest. I have done level 1 and level 2. Level 2 about killed me and I dropped it back down to level 1. By the end of the 20 days when I did it before, there were a couple days I did level 2 then did level 1. Yes, I was determined and semi suicidal on the work outs! When I first started it, I couldn't get through level 1 completely without stopping in places. By the end, I could do it non stop. This time around in Day 1, OUCH! I only stopped a couple of times compared to the first time I ever did it, but crazy how much of a difference it was to me. I was down pour sweat and so out of breath.

Me After. Tons of sweat, red faced, smelly, and feeling oh so yucky!

When I did my punches during one of the circuits, I was pretending I was punching Jillian Michaels in the face. I try to think of myself as a nice person, but that lady can really make you hate her and I think that's her point. It helps to motivate you and to keep going. 

It takes 21 days to make a habit. My hope is in the 30 days, I will see a great difference and have a better endurance to be able to do much more work outs. There is so much of a rush when you work out and especially when you are DONE!

And to see how much of a change the 30 Days will make on me, including me being more responsible for my food intake AND maybe some aquatic workouts (I love them!) I decided to measure myself. It's not just about your weight, its about the inches you lose. That is what I think I need to use to see a difference.

Measurements Before:

(June 16th)

Arms:  Left 17" Right 17.5"

Thighs: Left 30" Right 30" Circumference 43.5"

Hips: 58"

Waist(measured below tatas): 46"

Chest(tatas): 52"

Jeans size: 26w (and I don't have any anymore since I got rid of them :( this estimate is because my 24w won't fit at the moment!)

Transformation Tuesdays Week 24

This past week has been a hard one on me. Summer with 3 kids at home is hard, I feel sorry for their teachers during the school year! We are trying to find fun things to do but right now I just don't want to leave the house! I didn't do too well on my personal goals this past week but I think I am on a great track compared to if I wasn't making goals. I also started 30 Day Shred again yesterday so I will put up a post later about that so I can update you on that throughout the 30 days of doing it. Hopefully this next week will be better (as my kids are screaming at the top of their lungs at each other as I typed that!)

Personal Goals Last Week:

• Write 10 Posts This Week    Only 2 short!
• Daily Devotional 5x   Really slacked :(
• Track Food 7x       Hit 31 days straight today!
• 3 Days Under Calories
• Go To Gym 4x  Went 3 times!
• Read 2 Books This Week  Forgot book at home so only finished one
• Take Kids To Splash Park 1x (since flooding/raining right now!) BROKEN :( saying it might be a couple more weeks before it's fixed! Oh well! Swim lessons!
• Take Kids To Library
• Don't Weigh Until Next Tuesday!  Yea, may as well not even have this as a goal :(
• Clean Kitchen       Woohoo!

Personal Goals This Week:

• Write 10 Posts
• Daily Devotional 5x
• Track Food 7x
• 4 Days Under Calories
• Work Out 4x This Week
• Read Two Books
• Take Kids To Library
• Don't Weigh In Until Next Tuesday!
• Drink 72 oz a Day (especially needed on work out days!)
• Clean Kitchen AND Dining Room/Computer Desk

Starting (January 7) : 278.4 lbs
Week 2 (Jan 14): 279.0 lbs
Week 3 (Jan 21): 280.8 lbs
Week 4 (Jan 28): 278.8 lbs
Week 9 (Mar 4): 281.4 lbs
Week 16(Apr 22): 285.8 lbs
Week 20(May 20): 281.4 lbs
Week 21(May 21): 281.4 lbs
Week 22 (June 3): 283.0 lbs

Week 23(June 10: 283.2 lbs
Week 24(June 17) 282.6 lbs

Weekly Menu June 16th to June 20th

Monday - Pancakes and Sausage

Tuesday - Homemade Pizza

Wednesday - Chicken

Thursday - Grilled Hamburgers

Friday - Pork Enchiladas (recipe to follow hopefully soon!)

Weekly Winnings Through June 15th

This Week I Won:

• One (1) TWIX Bites Movie Prize Pack - includes a $15 Fandango gift card, 2 sharable bags and a larger resealable bag of TWIX Bites (how did they know I needed chocolate!??!)
  

What I'm Reading Fridays

Last Week I Read:

• To Brie, Or Not To Brie by Avery Aames
• Cat Nip by Claire Donally

I Am Currently Reading:

• Last Licks by Claire Donally

Summer Reading Bucket List

Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke

Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke

Gingerbread Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Devil's Food Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Cinnamon Roll Murder by Joanne Fluke

Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Blackberry Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Lemon Tart by Josi Kilpack

Last Licks (A Sunny and Shadow Mystery) by Claire Donally

Divergent by Veronica Roth (Currently 12 holds at the library! It might be a bit!)

To Brie or Not To Brie, A Cheese Shop Mystery by Avery Aames

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

The Ex-Debutante by Linda Francis Lee

First-Degree Fudge by Christine DeSmet

Bran New Death by Victoria Hamilton

Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler

The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

The Hollow by Jessica Verday and if I like it then

The Haunted by Jessica Verday

The Hidden by Jessica Verday

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Review: Honk, Honk! Beep Beep!

Honk Honk! Beep Beep! is another book received to review! My little sweetheart automatically thought this book was hers. I don't remember how many times we read through the book that week! Whenever she finds it, we have to start reading it again! 

.

Honk Honk! Beep Beep! is a book about a dad and son (toys) that get up early and get in their jeep. They are going for a ride and on the way, they run into some friends that are going their own way that morning and even a few that need a lift. 

Her favorite part of the book was all the sheep! She loves sheep!

Honk Honk! Beep Beep! is a nice and simple book to read to my kids! She was able to recognize Honk Honk! Beep Beep! on the page so I left those for her to say and she enjoys reading the book even more from that! I would recommend Honk Honk! Beep Beep! for those special little ones in your life!

Do your kids have a favorite book? Is there one that you love sharing with your kids?

Honk Honk! Beep Beep!

By Daniel Kirk

On Sale: 3/18/14

Age: 3–5

Price: $6.99

ISBN: 1423180410

Honk Honk! Beep Beep!

Father and child rise early for a trip to watch the sunrise on the mountaintop.  Along the way they meet many friendly faces, some headed the same direction, and others in their own vehicles—big rigs, bulldozers and trains--with their own places to go and things to do. Nothing beats the start of a brand new day, especially when there are many vehicles to spot along the way.

With a simple, playful text and boldly colored, toy-like illustrations, Daniel Kirk captures the fun of a special drive.

Daniel Kirk (www.danielkirk.com) is the successful writer and illustrator of numerous children's books. He has illustrated such popular titles as Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo andMy Truck Is Stuck! as well as his own Snow Dude. He lives with his wife, illustrator Julia Gorton, and their children in Glen Ridge, New Jersey.

*Disclaimer: I received this book in return for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Julep Subscription Box Review

I'm sure if you are like me, you keep seeing all the ads for Julep everywhere. I decided to give it a try since the first box was free, I just had to pay $3.99 shipping. It came pretty quick compared to what I thought it would be like! The box was a nice pink box too, another nice bonus to me!

When I opened it up, it was still nicely packed and looked so pretty and professional! 

I received Julep Nail Color Jane, Julep Nail Color Sydney, Julep Freedom Polymer Top Coat, and a couple of nail buffers.

I am not too much of an orange person, but it was different and went on so smooth compared to the cheap nail polish I usually buy! I think the best thing about this is that I got colors I wouldn't have ever chosen for myself and they turned out to look pretty good!

I love glitter, who doesn't?! I wanted to see if it would look good on it's own but with this one, I think it was meant to be paired with the Jane nail polish.

Does it look red? Yes it does! It was kind of weird, in the house it was orange but if I went outside it was more of a redder color which was kind of neat to see!

This picture is a week later! (It looks more red because I had the windows open!) BUT other than it "wearing off" from where my nail was growing, it did NOT chip! I was so impressed! It looked great until I took it off! I am not used to a nail polish lasting like that!

I would DEFINITELY recommend Julep to try if you haven't yet! The first box is free with code HELLOYOU only pay $2.99 to $3.99 shipping which to me was worth it!

Also currently they are having a Julep Red Marker Sale! They have things starting at $1 with most of them being $2! Make sure you hurry and check it out! They will be adding things through the sale which ends Tomorrow, Friday June 13, 2104 at 11:59 PST so make sure to check it out ASAP!!!

Have you tried Julep before? What are your thoughts?

*Disclaimer: All thoughts and opinions are my own. I paid for my own box and am sharing my review with you. There may be affiliated links within the post

Pinterest Experiment: DIY Jewelry Cleaner

I keep seeing that DIY Jewelry Cleaner post that has been going around on facebook and pinterest. I kept thinking I would get to it. I kept telling myself "oh, I'll just keep going to the jewelry store to get it done" (which, don't get me wrong, I'll still do!) BUT after seeing it for the 10,204th time, I decided I would give it a try, couldn't hurt right? It's not too hard, add things into the bowl in hot water, wait, wash, and dry.

DIY Jewelry Cleaner

1 Tablespoon Salt

1 Tablespoon Baking Soda

1 Tablespoon Dish Soap (I used Dawn)

1 Cup Water

Aluminium Foil

1. Heat your water in the microwave for 1-2 minutes to get it warm.
2. Put a piece of foil into the bottom of the bowl (yes, weird I know but you would have to ask the "geek" of the house about this and it's chemical reaction thing that I don't understand!)
3. Add the water, being careful as it is hot!
4. Add in the salt, baking soda, and dish soap.
5. Drop your ring into the bowl onto the aluminum foil
6. Set timer for 5-10 minutes and let your ring set
7. Dig out your ring, being careful as your water might still be wet and run it under cold water in your sink (might want to make sure you do it with the drain clogged or on the strain side, can never be too safe as it "might" drop and you don't want to have to deal with that!)
8. Dry it with a soft cloth (I used a wash cloth!)
9. Stand back and admire your ring!

Before:

After:

 The pictures are kind of hard to see the difference in as the lighting in them are different! I tried to get the same but it just wasn't working for me! My ring is not as shiny as it gets after handing it over to the jeweler to clean, BUT for when I can't get to the jeweler, THIS WORKS! The diamonds look more shiny and the ring looks much cleaner than it did before! I'm thinking if I get a date night or have a special occasion coming up, I will be doing this as I am getting ready so my ring can shine a bit brighter :) 

Have you tried this DIY Jewelry Cleaner before? Did you have the same results? Let me know! I'm curious to know if everyone has the same kind of luck!