In my last post I admitted that I was behind on my fall cleaning. I’m putting in some domestic over-time to catch up and I’m seeing and smelling the results of my labor.  I fell in love with Mrs. Meyer’s Sweet Basil multi-purpose cleanser a month or so ago when I became an ambassador for ePantry and started using their green cleaning products.  As an ambassador, I am happy to share a great offer on Mrs. Meyer’s Seasonal Scents with you today so you can get your home holiday ready as well. 

This post contains my ambassador affiliate link and I may receive a small commission should you make a purchase using it. However, I only share products and brands I feel are of benefit to you.  

The holidays are the most wonderful time of year for almost everyone I know. I love all the hustle and bustle, the planning, the warmth of an adorned home, the meals, but the cleaning? It’s a necessity that we all must tackle, so why not make your home sparkle with one or more of Mrs. Meyer’s Seasonal Scents line? This year they are available in Cranberry, Orange Clove and Iowa Pine. 

I have to admit it was hard for me to give up my Sweet Basil, but once I smelled the Cranberry- I have been using it every chance I get! I could use either scent as an air freshener they smell so good! My family always compliments the scent of our home each time I use a Mrs. Meyer’s product and they love to use the cranberry hand soap I put in the family bath as well.

I am really excited to share ePantry’s exclusive offer just for my readers so that you can experience the magic of Mrs. Meyer’s seasonal scents for free. It’s easy to give yourself the gift of a cleaning and delightfully scented home!

Just sign up for ePantry this week and receive a free Mrs. Meyer’s seasonal hand soap, dish soap, a $5.00 credit and free shipping with a $20 minimum purchase. That’s a $20 value! Choose from any of Mrs. Meyer’s fantastic, festive scents ­­ Cranberry, Orange Clove or Iowa Pine ­­ or get creative and mix and match all three.

Here we are, just three short weeks away from Thanksgiving and I haven’t finished half my fall cleaning chores found on my checklists here and here.  Being a homemaker at heart, it’s tough for me to admit my home isn’t in “company ready” condition and I could share with you a handful of excuses, but instead- I’m going to swing into action and share my Holiday Hostess cleaning checklist that will help you and I be ready to greet family and friends in no time.

We all know that feeling- the dull ache in the back of your head, the itchy nose, and the tickle in your throat. I woke up to all those on Sunday morning, but refused to name it. By Tuesday, I was waving the white flag and admitting I had a cold. I have zero energy and appetite by this time, but thankfully, I had received a complimentary bundle of Greens Plus superfood powders and energy bars to try and I am really thankful I did!

When Love, Hallmark sent out an email to their blogger group asking if we’d like to work on this campaign, I practically begged them to pick me to review and host a giveaway. Thankfully, my “enthusiastic” email was rewarded and I am honored to present the Hallmark 2015 Keepsake ornament giveaway for the flying Ace! While I did receive this ornament free of charge to thank me for my time, my love of all things Peanuts, and most especially Snoopy,  are 100% my own. 

My family and I aren’t alone in our love of the Peanuts gang.  Young and old alike love all things Peanuts- but when Snoopy becomes The Flying Ace, something magical happens. That magical essence has been lovingly captured in this Hallmark keepsake ornament. 

Jim Kemme, the Hallmark Keepsake artist who worked on this piece missed no detail. The grimace on the Flying Ace’s face, the perfect shade of red on the plane, the goggles and cap, all work brilliantly to help us root on the Flying Ace as he races to save the day! When duty and adventure calls, he’s up, up and away!  You can learn more about the artist and the ornament by visiting Hallmark here. 

This ornament has an extra element of cool because with the push the button you will hear the Flying Ace sound off!  The batteries are included when you purchase or win it- but be warned, getting the batteries in is tricky! You’ll need a small screwdriver to open the back and a bit of patience as you jockey both button batteries into place. Dexterity will prevail and you’ll hear the Flying Ace take off in no time!

If you love the Peanuts gang, Hallmark invites you to enter to win a hometown screening of the new Peanuts movie for you and 300 of your closest friends and neighbors!  Hurry! This sweeps ends October 31, 2015! 



Win The Flying Ace Keepsake Ornament:

With two weeks to go until Halloween arrives, Americans coast to coast are gearing up for this fun filled night in a big way. At our house, we still need to carve our pumpkins and find a few more accessories for our costumes, but we will be ready to celebrate in style! Yes, we do have to drive to celebrate now that we live in a rural area, but there is fun to be found in neighborhoods all around us.  As a matter of fact, Nashville, TN. made the list for top 20 cities for trick-or-treaters compiled by Zillow. 

This map shows the top 10 cities. Zillow says they picked areas with the greatest share of their residents are under 15 and the houses are closest together. That would help explain why San Francisco tops their list for the 5^th year in a row! 

Another way these cities made the cut was by giving out the most candy to all those cute goblins! Speaking of candy, do you know that the average kids gets at least 50 pieces of candy on Halloween? Some kids have reported getting more than 100 pieces! I know we gave out and received a huge amount of candy each year we lived in suburbia, maybe that helped Nashville, TN. make the top 20 list! 

How did your city do? Are there any surprises on the list? I was delighted to see Milwaukee on the list. Can you imagine all those brave parents and kids bundling up against the cold to go trick-or-treating? Way to go! Please stop by Zillow to read all the fun facts on how they came up with their top 20 list and see the in depth neighborhood breakdowns. 

From our home to yours, we wish you a happy, safe, and fun Halloween!

Football season is heating up all over the country and here at Casa Kinsman, you can hear us cheering touchdown on Saturday and Sunday afternoons as we root for the VOLS and the Titans. If football fever has struck you family too, you’ll want to take a look at this crowd pleaser of a meal I served this weekend- Easy Pollo Verde Tacos with sides and Guacamole. True Game Day Favorites!

If you’ve read my blog for long, you know I’m a fan of family dinners and tasty snacks. I try to plan out my meals for the week well ahead of time, so when I saw that Old El Paso dinner kits and Avocados from Mexico were on sale at Publix, inspiration struck and I knew I’d be serving tacos on game day. Not only would I be saving money with the dinner kits being BOGO’s, I could stock up on the best tasting Avocados in town. That is a budget touchdown!

• 2- pounds chicken breasts
• 2- 10 oz. cans Old El Paso Mild Green Enchilada Sauce  
• 1- 4.5 oz. can Old El Paso mild green chilies
• 2- small gloves garlic
• ½ large yellow onion
• ½ cup water
• 1- tablespoon Canola oil
• Salt/Pepper to taste
• 10- Old El Paso soft taco size tortilla’s (from soft taco dinner kit).
• Red Taco Sauce (from soft taco kit).
• Cilantro for garnish

I have always been a lover of a good skincare regimen, but until I hit 40, I never worried about fine lines or the dreaded adult breakouts I’d read about.  I like taking care of my skin, and sharing great products with you. This week, I’m pleased to introduce you to Reviva Labs Glycolic Acid facial toner, cleanser and their Sun protective moisturizer, all made to help us fight fine lines and breakouts because of their active ingredients, including Glycolic Acid.  I received these complimentary products a few weeks ago to review and host a giveaway. All opinions are 100% my own. 

If you are a beauty and skincare lover like I am, you’ve probably heard of Glycolic Acid peels and cleansers.  Admittedly, some brands out there are harsh and can and will burn your skin.  Don’t let those brands stop you from giving Glycolic Acid products a try. In the right formulation, they can help improve your skin. I feel Reviva Labs got the formulation right. 

So what is Glycolic acid? This skincare ingredient is derived from cane sugar and has small molecule’s, so it can penetrate deeply into your skin making Glycolic Acid an effective ingredient for treating fine lines, acne, blackheads, dullness and oiliness. 

The products and my thoughts:

The first Reviva Labs product I tried was the Glycolic Acid Cleanser. The bottle says for mature or sun damaged skin, but don’t let that detract you from trying this creamy cleanser! This is a water activated cleanser that contains no oils or soap substances that remain on the skin. It rinses off easily and my face felt smooth and silky. I did have to apply cleanser twice to get all my makeup off, but it never irritated my skin.

I used the Glycolic Acid Facial Toner on days I didn’t wear any makeup.  Since I don’t wash my face in the shower in the morning, preferring to just rinse it with tepid water, I used the toner after my shower applying a small amount on a cotton swab and applying to my T zone. I never found it harsh, but did notice that I needed to apply a little more moisturizer around my nose on days I used the toner, maybe that comes from the toner’s extra cleansing benefits. 

Finally, I applied the Sun Protective Moisturizer. This is a light cream that feels good on your skin. I did notice a bit of sweating on my face right after applying, so I would suggest allowing a few minutes for moisturizer to absorb before applying makeup. Even though this product says it’s for mature skin, my teen daughters love it! 

This really is a great unscented moisturizer that softens, makes skin look dewy fresh and offers an UVA-UVB SPF 25.  Reviva Labs states that this light cream is ideal for daily use for the outdoor type, male or female, so if your guy or son needs a little protection and moisture to those windblown cheeks, see if you can get him to try this moisturizer.

I’ve been enjoying these products for several weeks now and love how effective they are without stripping or burning my skin. I would highly recommend this whole product line. I invite you to learn more about them by visiting Reviva Labs website and follow them on Pinterest. 

Win it!

Thanks to the generous folks at Reviva Labs, one lucky reader will win this three piece set. Entering is easy using the Rafflecopter form below. 

Terms:

No purchase is necessary to enter using the Rafflecopter from below.  My WAHM Plan is not responsible for prize fulfillment. Winners will be notified by email used on entry form and have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.  This giveaway is not associated with nor endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, or any other social channel. 

Good Luck! 

Disclosure:

My thanks to Reviva Labs for sending me free products to facilitate today's post and for hosting this giveaway. I didn't received monetary compensation for my thoughts, however, I only share content I feel will benefit my readers. I’m disclosing this in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

By Miriam Bornstein

Say goodbye to your nightly game of hide-and-seek when searching for dinner ingredients. If your pantry looks like a war zone with open boxes of pasta, spices on every shelf and empty containers taking up limited counter space, then you are in dire need of pantry reorganization. 

Book Summary from Publisher:

“Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing endless stories about how her mother and father met. Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won the heart of Prince Maxon – and they lived happily ever after. Eadlyn has always found their fairy-tale story romantic, but she has no interest in trying to repeat it. If it were up to her, she’d put off marriage for as long as possible.

But a princess’s life is never entirely her own, and Eadlyn can’t escape her very own Selection – no matter how fervently she protests.

Eadlyn doesn’t expect her story to end in romance. But as the competition begins, one entry may just capture Eadlyn’s heart, showing her all the possibilities that lie in front of her … and proving that finding her own happily ever after isn’t as impossible as she’s always thought.”

My Summary and Thoughts:

Eadlyn Schreave is not an average eighteen-year old girl. As the daughter of King Maxon and Queen America, she has been trained her whole life to become the next ruler of Illéa. This means, among her many other duties, she is expected to marry and produce an heir. And she isn’t happy about it.

Twenty years ago, her father’s first act as king was to dissolve the caste system that had been the backbone of Illéa’s society from the beginning. At first, people rejoiced in the new era of equality. Without the old, unfair labels, people were free to be whoever they wanted to be. But now, people are rioting, and the country’s leaders don’t know why. They’d phased the castes out gradually to give people time to adjust, and it had seemed that the country had done so happily. But, prejudice can still be found, and old caste labels still limit people.

Eadlyn’s parents finally come up with a solution – one that they see as ingenious and she sees as insane – for Eadlyn to have her own Selection. They see it as an opportunity to give the people something to celebrate and give them time to think of a way to defuse the tensions, as well as a way to do something wonderful for Eadlyn, to give her the chance to fall in love. Eadlyn sees it as little better than marrying her off for an alliance (something her parents promised they would never do) and rather pointless in the end. She’s not the type of girl to fall in love, and her parents can’t force people to be fair and let prejudices fade.

So, she negotiates. She agrees to go through with the Selection on one condition: If she hasn’t found a suitable prince in three months, she doesn’t have to get married. This leaves her a perfect loophole, or so she thinks. She’ll just scare her suitors off, intimidate them into leaving, and then get on with her life. But some of the suitors begin to find their way past the walls she’s put up and into her heart. Will she fall in love after all?

I’m so glad that Kiera Cass chose to continue the Selection series, because I love this series more with every book. This time, we get to see the Selection not from the viewpoint of the Selected, but from the Selector herself. Eadlyn is a strong and sassy girl, and quite often a hilarious narrator. She can be frustrating at times, but you care for her anyway. And the romance is this book is perfect and exasperating all at once. In the first three books, I knew exactly who I wanted to end up together. But The Heir leaves no clues as to who Eadlyn will choose, and I can’t decide any more than she can. There are so many new characters to love, and the suitors are part of that. And the stakes are just as high for Eadlyn as they were for America. Eadlyn’s world is changing more everyday. Some changes are good, and she may gain the love of her life. Some changes are terrifying, and she may lose the people she’s always loved.

Happily Ever After, a collection of all four Selection novellas and bonus materials, is coming out in October of this year, so hopefully, we’ll have a review of that soon!

Comments! If you were the prince or princess of Illéa, would you want a Selection to be hosted, or would you want to try to fall in love on your own? Let me know in the comments!

I’d love to connect with you guys.  Join me on Instagram, Tumblr, Goodreads, and Pinterest!