Charleston Naturally

If you've been following this bloggy for a little while, you've heard me make a very serious confession: I'm a product junkie. Never sure where my next fix will come from, I'm always on the hunt for fun, new products to try out and reveal my looooooooove for, because I also become obsessed with products that work well. Like, tell your mom, grandma, and great aunt to use this stuff, it's made of pure gold and a little bit of fairy dust.

Needless to say, because this tangent is getting awkward, I was so excited when Charleston Naturally reached out to me last month to offer me a few of their skincare products. Cha-ching, GIMME ALL THE FACE THINGS! Charleston Naturally's slogan is "Safe, effective beauty," as their products are natural and organic, and they also don't test any of their products on animals. Animal testing is a big bone I have to pick with many cosmetic and personal care companies out there, but for today let's just say I've chosen a cruelty-free lifestyle and only use products that are proven not tested on wittle bitty cutie animals.  :)

The first product I pulled out of my CN box, which I may or may not have shamelessly ripped open with my bare hands when it arrived, was their Dr. Hauschka Melissa Day Cream. I'm pretty picky when it comes to daytime face lotion, as I have super sensitive skin that's prone to both extreme dryness AND cystic zits. Mmmm such fun. The first thing I noticed about the Melissa Day Cream was the smell - LEMON! Seriously, this stuff smells almost good enough to eat and I happily slathered it on my face right away. The cream is also very light yet covering, so a little goes a long way to smooth your skin out before applying makeup. {Which means the tube lasts an extra long time - jackpot!} You can learn more about the Melissa Day Cream here, and I highly recommend you click that pretty yellow "add to cart" button.

The next product in my box was the Dr. Hauschka Regenerating Eye Cream. Listen here, y'all: dark under-eye circles and crow's feet are the hottest thing on the red carpet this year. Said no one ever. Because you better believe if they were, I'd be standing up there right next to J. Law, accepting awards and tripping up stairs and doing backstage shots. The usual. But alas, my dark circles and crow's feet have instead just got me in every store around the country looking for a solution. I'll be honest, this Charleston Naturally eye cream didn't touch my dark circles, which is fine because that's not even on their product label {Anyone wanna offer me a lifetime supply of concealer?}, but I did notice its brightening and tightening effects on my eyes! I've applied this religiously every morning and night immediately after washing my face, and I can tell you I do believe it works to diminish wrinkles and tell fine lines BUH-BYE. And again, a little goes such a long way. I've been using a drop the size of an ant, and it smoothes well over both undereyes and eyelids. You can find the Regenerating Eye Cream here.

The last item in my box was the most yummy-smelling cinnamon lip balm. If I'm a product junkie about facial care, then I need to go to rehab for my lip balm+gloss+stick addiction. Cannot. Have. Enough. However, I've found that some mainstream junk sometimes makes my lips itchy and bumpy, so I'm all about natural products with ingredients I can actually pronounce! Enter: S.W. Basics Organic Lip Balm. With only a few ingredients each, all easily pronounced, these lip balms take the cake and made my lips so super smooth. Again, addiction is an understatement. 

Get your balm on here.

Charleston Naturally is a wonderful company that truly cares about kindness to the environment and is committed to perfection in every one of their products, and I'm so glad I've gotten to try a few of their amazing items. Now, you can get to shopping here!

Wanderlust - Do you have it?

I sure do!

Happy Monday, y'all!  Eh, are Mondays ever happy?

Wellllllll they are when you're in a place whose name rhymes with Schmaschmamas and you're chugging sipping the most delicious beer in the world.

2008

I'm shameless, I know. So.....
In order for you to not completely hate me, I've brought an amazing guest poster to the bloggy blog today! Reasons why Belinda is cool: SHE'S AN EXPAT WHO MOVED TO THE UK FOR LOVE. I'm 100000% certain there are other reasons she's cool, which you'll find if you read her sweet blog, but seriously, expat-ism for love takes the cake. Err, crumpet? I'm so cultured, y'all, it's insane.

Without further adieu or embarrassment of my so-SouthernAmerican-it's-adorably-sad self, meet Belinda!
*   *   *

Hello Southern Living readers! My name is Belinda and I blog over at Found Love. Now What, and I am so excited to be here while Alexa is off enjoying an amazing vacation. Did you see the pictures of tropical hideaway from Friday's post? Amazing. {Let's admit it right now, we are all jealous, right?} Since Alexa is off on an amazing trip, I thought today I would share with all of you my top three travel spots. Kick back, snag a iced tea (or large glass of wine) and let's take an adventure together!

1. Paris

Our first trip to Paris was just last March, and it was a wonderful week abroad. Being in a city filled with so much history and art {and tourists} was overwhelming at times, but it was an adventure. I loved eating {and not being judged on having} pastries for breakfast, macaroons for a snack plus a sandwich made of crusty baguette bread for lunch. Sign me up. {I have to confess: I have a bit of a carb issue.} Seeing Versailles, Notre Dame and, of course, the Eifel Tower were easy highlights for me!

2. Hawaii

I love Hawaii {duh, who doesn't?} for so many reasons. I love that each island is so different from the others. I love the food from fresh produce like mangos and papyas to locally caught seafood. I love the bright colors of flowers {not to mention how lovely they smell} that are everywhere. Take all of those elements, blend them together and add the most welcoming, friendly people ever and you get Aloha. Returning to Hawaii with Neal is easily on our travel list, now I am just wishing that it wasn't so far from the UK.

3. Rome

Similar to Paris, Rome is chock full of incredible history, museums, carbs {hello pasta} plus culture. When I was there, I was dumbfounded by the beautiful Italian women walking the cobblestone streets in super tall stilettos. {Does anyone know how they do that?} Visiting Rome for me was a humbling experience, as this is the epicenter of the Catholic faith, from the Sistine Chapel to the outlying cathedrals, it is impossible to see it all. Neal and I are hoping to make a trip to Rome this fall, paired with maybe a trip to Venice too.
 {I threw coins in the Trevi fountain, so I have to return, right?}

Since Neal and I live in the UK, we have all of Europe on our doorstep. Traveling is something we both love and I love sharing our adventures on my blog, Found Love. Now What? Feel free to hop over to learn about why this American moved across the pond, my adventures as an expat and being a new wife.

 Thanks Alexa for letting me take over your blog! Enjoy the sunshine!

Pool boy, I'll have another.

Here we go, a random Friday post because my brain can't handle the logic of "Think of single topic --> Write whole post on one topic --> Go on your merry way." Nope, today is smorgasbord day and you get a sampling of my brain, running on after-hours of work {for the entire last month... safe to say I'm a hawt mess} and not many hours of sleep. Buckle up!

Perhaps I'm being dramatic though, because after the past month of craziness in our lives, next week we'll be sitting with this view, in a place where phone service might be a little spotty.

Turning it all off and I'm so excited!

The last time we went on a true vacation where work emails went unanswered and days weren't spent on iPhones was our honeymoon last year. Give me relaxation or give me death! And also give me a tan, because that was fun once...

and my conscience finally wised up to learn that tanning beds are one of the stupidest ways to spend time. Natural Vitamin D, come at me, dude.

***

Do you wanna see the cutest picture ever, of a service dog in a graduation cap and gown, accompanying his human as she received her Master's degree? I knew you'd say yes, so go here and hold onto your heart really tight.

***
Blog emails. Lately I've sucked at responding to comments and I feel so guilty! So, guess who's about to have a wild Friday night with her Gmail account? Oh yeah, that's right, gonna get crazy.

***
Last night I spent an hour in the bookstore, somewhere I could reasonably spend a whole day and it would be the best day ever, and I'm pretty sure I walked in a pescetarian who also eats chicken+turkey, and walked out a strict pescetarian. Ya see, I picked up this book, and flipped through to read a random ten pages or so.

I came so close to buying it because I've heard great things about the research and information, and I even walked out of the aisle with it in my hand three times {read: I have a problem making decisions} before I realized that I don't think I'm ready to read it. Weird, I know, but the ten pages gave me a good enough glimpse at a world I don't need to read details about to know I don't wanna be a part of it. Once I read it, though, you can trust I'll be back with an update and book review.

Speaking of such things, our first Vegan Before 6 week went so well! And with the exception of tortilla soup one night, which I left the chicken out of but did use some chicken broth in {32 oz. veggie broth and 8 oz. chicken, so next time it'll be all veggie and all vegan!}, I actually ate fully vegan three out of four days and LOVED it. My body on fruits and vegetables is so much happier and I really hope we can continue the lifestyle. I've already realized a few changes it'll require as far as meal planning goes, so after vacation I'll be back with a post about that.

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Last night I also went into Bath & Body Works for a minute ~ let's be honest, to sniff all the summer candles ~ and heard a mom tell her little boy he couldn't have a bottle of lotion he wanted, simply because "You're a boy, and this is girl stuff." Oy vey, don't even get me started on the dimension of pissed off I almost got before I just walked out.

***

And because they're delicious and it'd be selfish for me to eat the yumminess and not share, here's my super easy recipe for kale chips! I may've eaten them as the main "entree" to my dinner twice this week... they're just that good.

EASY KALE CHIPS
You can use as much or as little kale as you'd like.
Every week I buy a huge bag of the loose kale at the store {it's SO cheap there's no excuse not to eat it} so one "serving" of kale chips for me is about six ribs' worth.

1} Preheat oven to 400
2} Tear kale off ribs and wash+dry well in a strainer
3} Spread kale evenly on foil-lined baking sheet
4} Lightly coat with drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Lightly is key or else it'll get oily-soggy instead of crispy.
5} Sprinkle with garlic salt {or sea salt if preferred} and black pepper
6} Roast in the over for about 15 minutes or until desired crispiness
7} Burn your fingers picking up the pieces because you can't wait to eat it

Happy weekend! Happy next week! Happy everything!

How much Chipp could a Chippmunk munk?

OK, so, who here just loves paying full price for everything? If a discount hit ya square in the face, you wouldn't even take it, because you just really like paying sticker price and not getting a discount. Clearance, schmearance, ain't nobody got time for saving money!

SAID NO ONE EVER.

I absolutely love getting a deal on something {err, everything?} and get such a tinge of satisfaction if I can walk out of a store saying, "I spent $17.28 on what should've cost around $25.00" ~ Aka every time I go to Bed, Bath & Beyond and use one of my twelve discount coupon mailers. And every week while meal planning, I browse our grocery store specials before shopping to make sure I'm getting the best price on an item, often one that costs even more at another one of my nearby stores. We're not made of money over here, ya know! Hollybug is, but she's not very good at sharing.

Enter CHIPPMUNK to save the day wallet! 

The newest, most innovative online coupon site, Chippmunk makes saving money simple. Presenting coupons and special savings to every store your little heart desires, all in one place, a quick visit to Chippmunk before you do your online shopping could save you dollhairs galore!

Whole sections devoted to Chocolate and Wine? Dude, I'm in.

To begin, you can adjust your spending budget to anywhere from $1 to $500, as well as choose which department{s} you'd like to browse. From there, Chippmunk does all the work for you! Even down to presenting the "Best Coupon" top and center, so you don't miss the greatest deals.

Obviously I searched "Pet" coupons :) This is just a small sampling of the first three coupons Chippmunk presented for my budget, out of a total of seventeen coupons ~ that's seventeen chances to spoil the Buggins with goodies and love! The savings you find on Chippmunk are coupons and deals that may or may not be listed on your choice shopping website, but I've found that such things always tend to get bogged down in fine print or in pop-ups that you simply click out of, and you'd never know you missed a helluva deal. But Chippmunk puts all of those special deals in one place, with colorful, easy-to-read formatting and options to save you money!

And even better, there's a good chance that by using an online coupon site with results as broad and diverse as Chippmunk's, you'll even be exposed to wonderful new stores and sites that you didn't know existed.

Chippmunk also presents a super handy bar across the top of your results page, rounding up the Top Offers for the current page you've searched. Have you ever gotten to Checkout in an online store purchase, thinking you're all finished and the dollar amount you see is final, only to remember that whole "pay us tons of money to ship your stuff to you" thing? No longer! Chippmunk's got you covered and you can always find the stores offering free shipping on your items.

And with a diverse selection of departments to choose from, either separately or you can select multiple categories at one time, Chippmunk truly is the best one-stop-shop online coupon site available to you now!

Really though, what reason is there not to use Chippmunk? I can't think of a single one! Providing shoppers with coupons, promo codes, and discounts galore, all based on your specific budget, Chippmunk's innovative ideas are here to save your money and your sanity.
So check 'em out today ~ your wallet will thank ya!

Website  //  Twitter  //  Facebook

HAPPY SHOPPING, Y'ALL!

So, maybe we're part-time Vegans

And maybe it sounds like a big ol' crock. And maybe it is. But lord we had to do something!

I mentioned yesterday that Glenn and I are detoxing from the weekend shenanigans by doing something that involves Veganism.
I should've been more clear...

1} It's not just a detox, but hopefully more of a lifestyle change;
2} We're not all of a sudden total vegans. Because, well, cheese and sushi are the reasons I know there's a purpose to living, so...

A few weeks ago I was watching the Dr. Oz show {he's a god, don't tell me otherwise} and he did a segment interviewing Mark Bittman, a "Vegan before 6" and author of a book+lifestyle by the same name. Bittman's health journey started like so many other Americans' ~ he had a physical, was overweight and had high cholesterol, and the doctor wanted to put him on medication. Umm no thank ya, there's often a better way. An alternative doctor and friend of Bittman's suggested he go vegan instead, and Bittman basically thought the guy was insane.

Until he thought of a better personal solution: Become a part-time Vegan, and still be able to enjoy the foods he loved, but also get healthier.
Could it work? It sure could! Through his lifestyle change, Bittman lost 35 pounds and his cholesterol dropped significantly, to normal levels, in addition to many other positive bodily changes.

But before I go on, I should point out that I personally don't eat for weight; or, more specifically, to lose weight. I know my body's average weight on a "good" day, but I'm also naturally thin and, as Maggie can attest, that comes with its own challenges. Mostly, that I'm often scared to talk about the way I eat for fear someone will assume I care about the number on a scale. {Wrong-o. The only person who cares about that number is the doctor who years ago accused me of having an eating disorder... Never did I think I'd report a doctor to the medical board, but that lady was straight crazy.} Rather, I eat clean foods so that my insides don't rebel and hate me forever.

My favorite healthy snack: crispy kale chips.

I've mentioned once before that I suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS. For as long as I can remember, I've had stomach issues directly related to the foods I ate, often called "trigger foods." Something fried? The rest of the night post-dinner won't be so fun. Too much cheese? I'll be back later, and don't come looking for me. Are you grossed out yet? Because I certainly was. But it took me years to realize that duh the best solution to not suffering anymore was to eliminate foods in order to figure out what really set off my symptoms {as opposed to medication after medication, none of which really worked, and most of which were expensive and had long-term side effects}.

One year ago this June, I gave up red meat on a whim, mostly because I think cows and pigs are adorable, and the thought of eating them suddenly made me emotional. I'm super stable, I know. Giving up red meat, even if not really for health reasons, propelled a desire in me to eat healthier all around. I was already having to find alternatives to the "main part" of our meal, as for so long that had been meat {I don't love or eat chicken or turkey much, so I'm about 80% pescetarian, I guess}, so why not find healthier alternatives for every meal of the day?

Garbanzo beans + roasted broccoli bowl

This year, seven months after my last bite of red meat, I began buying books and researching IBS more. Come to find out...
Red meat is IBS trigger numero uno. Dairy products are second.

I'm just psychic and didn't know it. The trigger nature of these foods is due to their high fat content ~ someone with a stomach like mine simply won't digest them the same and it can cause allllll kinds of discomfort. Trust me, it's worth finding a solution. But veganism? Isn't that super inconvenient and hard to maintain? I don't wanna be the person who, when invited over to someone's house for dinner, has to have "special" food made because I don't touch butter. So I'm not going to be that person at all. Instead, veganism is something Glenn and I will "practice" during the day, and come dinnertime, we can indulge. {He suggested he join me on the journey, I didn't even say a word. Color me impressed!} Having eaten healthier food options all day ~ read: no weird-ingredient-filled meat substitutes, but just real, whole foods ~ indulging doesn't carry quite the effect as if we were eating animal products all day and then also a big steak at night.

Here are our "rules" :
I'm still not going to eat red meat, or much other non-fish meat for that matter. It just doesn't appeal to me.

If we want sushi for lunch, or shrimp tacos just sound too good to pass up, damnit we're gonna eat it! Because they're delicious foods and depriving yourself forever is just dumb. However, on those nights, we'd also be healthier and likely find vegan-er options.
Also, vegan-er is a new word.

I love Greek yogurt, especially Chobani, as a snack and also a healthy substitute in recipes, so that's not leaving our house anytime soon. I simply won't be eating it every day, or will at least mostly limit it to a nighttime dessert  :)

If this doesn't work out for us, we're OK with giving it up. It's an experiment and maybe not for everyone. But it's sure worth a shot.

I honestly feel that the gut {a word I hate, by the way} is the center of everything working in our bodies. If it's not happy, ain't nobody happy. And I, for one, know that when I eat a hunk of cheese, my stomach isn't too happy. But my stomach on fruits and vegetables? Picture a unicorn frolicking through a field of rainbows and sunflowers and farting glitter... It's even happier than that. I also had a sweet reader email me last month with a comment about allergies, after I mentioned I suffer from them big time; she mentioned that upon going vegan, her allergies completely cleared up. Not even a sniffle this season ~ how amazing is that?! I know that veganism isn't something I'll ever fully jump into, but a part-time vegan sounds a helluva lot more doable. Especially considering I ended up eating completely vegan yesterday, which was actually unintentional, and I feel great!

DESSERT!

So, what are your thoughts on this whole VB6 thing ~ Are we crazy? Have you read Bittman's book? Is veganism something you practice?

Disclaimer: I haven't read Bittman's book. I hope to buy it soon and read even more into this practice we're taking on, but as of now I've only seen him interviewed a few times, read this article, and just felt there was something very ah-ha! to what he was doing. I guess time will tell! Also, I'm not a nutritionist, dietician, or any other fancy-word profession. I'm just a girl with a stupid stomach who knows real foods are just freaking yummy.
~           ~           ~
And now, I'm so excited for y'all to meet Danielle, another blogger who has recently taken control of her health and made lifestyle changes to better her body!

Last summer, before I started blogging, Danielle's blog was one I started reading every day. {She probably doesn't even know that, and now I sound a little creepy.} She is a beautiful woman inside and out, an amazing writer who puts fingers to keyboard and words just seem to flow effortlessly, and she's also momma to the sweetest dog in the West, HUCKLEBERRY! He's very expressive and awesome, in case you're wondering, and neither Danielle nor he will ever apologize for his domination of her blog. Danielle was the first person I reached out to last year to sponsor and grow my little blog... Y'all, I didn't even know what a button was. But instead of thinking I was some weird newbie, Danielle actually helped me create blog buttons. Umm sweet person, table of one.

This year, Danielle embarked on a yeast-free journey {now turned more Paleo} in order to improve her health. And holy shiz did it work! Danielle's results are truly amazing and her journey {Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3} is so interesting and informative that you just have to read it to believe it. And then go make her Paleo chocolate chip cookie recipe, because otherwise you're gonna drool all over your keyboard. Danielle is just such a sweetheart and kind person, and I hope you'll go meet her and say hello!