Sponsor Spotlight & a Giveaway

This month we have some fabulous sponsors, with great blogs and websites you NEED to check out! I just love all of these gals and am so glad they are on my sidebar this month! We asked our sponsors to talk to us about their summer, and asked them, "What are you looking forward to this summer?" Here are their answers! 

Now for some fun, a giveaway! Use the Rafflecopter Widget below to enter to win some goodies!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Mani Monday: Rebel

This last week I got my Sunkissed Voxbox in the mail, and was so excited to see not only a new brand of polish that I haven't tried yet, but a different color than the reds and pinks I was seeing on other blogs. This is  Sinful Shine's Rebel. 

The Pros: It is shiny, glossy and super easy to apply. It also dries in a little less than two minutes, making it ideal for me, with my short attention span, little patience, and a toddler. I also like the "boring" shade I received, because it is actually quite pretty and subtle for day-to-day life and work. 

I also had zero need for a top coat, and when I took this picture, the polish was almost four days old, with no chipping!

The Cons: I went to three different stores this weekend and could only find its sister polish "Sinful Colors", which I had tried before but didn't like. I wanted to find other colors of this style of polish, but I may have to buy it online. Either way, I totally would!

The overall review: LOVE IT. When the only con is that I can't find more of it, I'd say thats a darn good polish! Have you tried this polish? If so, what were your thoughts?

Happy Monday!

Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes. All opinions are my own. Aside from receiving the product, I was not otherwise compensated for this post. 

Crock Pot Beef Tips / Beef Stew

I know, I know, it is two hundred degrees outside and here I am making stew.
Let me explain.
We've been feeling icky and sick the last few weeks. Little dude got a cold that he kindly shared with Mommy and Daddy and we've all been struggling to get over it, so to us, Stew in July sounded divine!

That being said, I had this recipe pinned HERE originally, and used the basic instructions...
...or used the instructions as a base and did my own thing like I usually do. 

What You'll Need:
1 lb Stew Meat (Beef tips)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 packet of brown gravy mix
1 small can mushrooms

1 cup water

How to do it:
Mix, and cook in a crockpot on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
We just got a new crockpot, so our food is cooking a LOT faster than usual, if that's the case for you, make sure to give yourself time to check on the food so it doesn't burn.

They advised you serve over potatoes. We improvised and used rice. It worked well, not as well as potatoes though (I'm advising you of this too, get potatoes!).

Enjoy!

Fun at the Gateway Fountain

Sunday we celebrated my Dads Birthday Early. We met for a brunch at Hoppers (if you haven't had their brunch I highly recommend it, and go on a Sunday when the service is excellent and there is almost no one there!), then decided to utilize the warm weather we've been having and go down to Gateway for some fun at their fountain. I took some photos while we were down there... come see the fun little dude had with the boys in his life!

He insisted on dragging Uncle Nick around the fountain, soaking him as well. Lets be honest, he loved it and had so much fun playing with him. Uncle Nick really is the best. (Hey, ladies, he's single!)

The proof is in this cheesy smile! I just love seeing that kid ham it up.
(No, that isn't for the camera. He does that whenever he is really happy.)

It took him awhile to figure it out. The water wasn't consistent, and sometimes went to the beat of the music, and sometimes didn't. But once he did figure out the fountain, he loved it.

Drink break! He did so well with keeping hydrated!
Psst... That swimsuit? On sale at Sears! (I scored the set for $10 total!)

Bubba and Little Dude got splashed at the same time! Look at those smiles!
Although I didn't publish the photo, all the boys got into the water with him. Daddy, Uncle Nick, and Opa. They all had a blast!

Do you think he had a little bit of fun? :)
Have a happy Wednesday!

Review: Sammy's Fabulous Jewelry

While signing up for a giveaway earlier last month, I came across Sammy's Fabulous Jewelry company. I just loved their jewelry and was super-excited to possibly win some much needed summer arm candy. When I found out I had won I was simply giddy. They shipped out my order quickly and it arrived within a week! 

I am usually am pretty hesitant when it comes to buying from shops like Etsy or other small sellers. I've had some bad experiences and had instances where the quality of the product was simply not up to par. That being said, Sammy's is the total opposite! Their bracelets are so well made, they fit great, and they are durable! I wear them to work all the time at the hospital with no problems whatsoever! 

If you haven't checked them out yet, I seriously suggest you do! Their items are great, they're wonderful with contacting you and making sure to keep in touch with their customers and are simply wonderful! I can't help but love their jewelry, and I'm sure you will too! 

Go check them out today!

Note: While Sammy's asked me to contact them when I received these items from a giveaway, this post is strictly my own and a product review. While I did win these items in a giveaway, I was not paid for this blog post and opted to do this on my own because this is a product/company I genuinely love! 

Mani Monday: a Star-Spangled Mani

Today's Mani is perfect for the 4th, with tons of added Glitter!

Red Polish is NYC with a Wet'n'Wild Clear Glitter Polish top coat
Blue Polish is Revlon with a Silver glitter Forever 21 top coat.

Have a happy Monday!

It's Never Really the End

If you haven't heard yet, Google Friend Connect is going away as of July 1st, 2013. That means you will no longer be "following" us. We don't want to lose you! If you haven't found a new way to follow us, here's a few ways:

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