Chocolate and Peanut Butter...enough said

Seriously that is the best combination, in my eyes at least. Influenster recently  sent me the Reeses Peanut Butter and chocolate spread to try and review. It was good timing too, I am FINALLY feeling better after months of morning sickness and sluggishness. 

Naturally the first thing I did was stick a spoon in it and gave it a good taste, it is so delicious plain on it's on. Then I headed to Pinterest to see what other peanut butter chocolate concoctions were being done. I had it spread on an english muffin with cut up banana, I used it on top of a waffle instead of syrup, I also spread it on fruit such as strawberries and of course bananas. And are you ready for it....I used it to make an ice cream sundae ( that was my favorite use for it ) It's good on graham crackers and next time I make bacon I am going to dip it in this spread. 

This is a fantastic spread and I highly recommend you seek it out especially if you love the chocolate and peanut butter combo ! 

Home made goodies made in NY !

I was recently sent some amazing hand made soap and roll on perfume. I was super excited to receive them and now review them. And the sweet woman named Minnie who is the woman behind it all is generous enough to give you, my readers 50% any regular priced item using the promo code RAMBLING ! 

With that being said I was sent soap chips in the "Satin Berries" scent. I adore the scent it was sweet and not over powering. The chips are a great size for showering and I feel like I am not wasting soap, for some reason I feel like cutting off smaller pieces of a bar of soap makes it last longer ! The soap did not dry out my skin nor did it make it feel tight like some soaps can do to you. My toddler liked the chips, I gave her one to play with in the tub and she had a blast with it, perfect size for her ! I highly recommend the soap chips. 

In addition to the soap chips I was sent roll on perfume in " Sage Dream ". I like that it is in roller ball form, so easy to apply and a great size for your purse. I applied this scent in the morning and it stayed strong all day long. As for the scent itself it was quite calming and light, my nose is really sensitive at the moment and was a little iffy about wearing any kind of perfume ! I cannot tell you how much I adore the scent and wish I could spray some on your pulse points through the computer so you can sniff for yourself. 

I love the fact that there is an actual person behind the company and making these things by hand and made right in New York. If you are looking for quality products which include body butter, lip and body scrubs as well as soap subscription boxes in addition to the soap chips and perfume go check out www.nycmetrogirl.com and do not forget the 50% any regular priced item just use promo code RAMBLING

Tis the season for giving- Let's help Titan !

I am not one for asking for money however if you know me then you know my love for animals ! In addition of my love for animals I am a Lush addict with all of this being said let me tell you about Titan and how Lush has anything to do with this post.

I adore Lush and follow fellow Lushies on Instagram, one person in particular @floral_queen recently posted about her dog Titan. Titan recently was playing with his sibling and was not paying attention to the stairs, poor little guy fell down the whole flight and hurt his leg badly. So badly that they were given three choices; send young Titan over the Rainbow Bridge, remove said leg or have surgery to set the leg with pins. They obviously chose the surgery, after all Titan is only 6 months old and he is their fur baby ! The surgery has been done and now poor Titan is restricted to his crate the whole day only to be let out to use the restroom to ensure the pins stay in place. Do you know how hard that is for a rambunctious puppy ! So far so good and just a couple more weeks to go.

Now let me tell you about @floral_queen, she is a sweet person who is quite generous. She also takes the best photos ! She has a Go Fund me page set up for Titan ( correction it's her I believe boyfriend that set the page up ) and she is having a giveaway for anyone that donates at least $5 to Titan. For every $5 you donate equals one entry into her giveaway on Instagram. I posted a pic below of everything included. Another Lushie donated items as well for the giveaway ( see how caring and giving the Lush Community is ! ) I am late writing this post so if you want to donate and enter do so by tomorrow since tha is when the giveaway ends. But don't just donate for a prize do it for a sweet young puppy that hurt himself. And go follow @floralqueen, seriously it's a great account ! Here is the link to the Go Fund Me page http://www.gofundme.com/hs5sag

Quick update: the giveaway has been extended to December 15th and open to Canada ! Also poor Tiran had a set back, his leg got infected which added another $500 onto his bill to treat it. 

Being Thankful

Thanksgiving is a day for thanks, with that being said I am thankful for my parents, healthy kids, all of my extended family (especially Auntie Lou Lou ) and my best friend Amanda. Without them I have no idea where I would be. 

Everyday I am grateful for the roof over my head and the food on my table, I may not have a lot but I have enough. 

I think this is one of my favorite holidays. I love the tradition of it all; Macys Day Parade,having lunch at my parents then of course my aunt comes over with her boys for dessert. I like looking over the Black Friday ads ( I don't actually shop just look ) and just relaxing in my turkey coma. Which I am currently in the middle of !!

Now onto Christmas ......

Flu season is around the corner

Summer is over and we are into fall we all know what comes next...Winter. Blah, winter is my least favorite season and with everyone being cooped up with no fresh air and colder temps it usually brings around colds and the dreaded flu.
Sorry for sounding like a Debbie Downer !

Luckily I was chosen by Influenster to try out the new Braun No Touch forehead thermometer ! With a 2 year old this thing is a blessing. I do not have to fight with her and it does not go in an unmentionable place. However she does think its a toy so it stays high up. It's quick to use, easy and efficient. Quick is important with a 2 year old who is very busy ! It was easy enough for me to use on myself as well not awkward at all. 

All in all I am quite happy with this thermometer and it came at a perfect time. It only requires two batteries which it comes with when you buy it. And it is accurate, that is THE most important aspect of it. Would I purchase this if it were not given to me...YES ! Take a peak at my picture of me taking my daughter's temp, excuse the jammies and messy hair.

 "I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes."

Let's get cooking

Now that there is a chill in the air I like to make soups and cook a whole lot more. Recently I was selected to try out a Garlic Press from Priority Chef, prior to this I was using a KitchenAid on that I adored let's just say she has been since replaced ! 

The first time I used my new press I made enchiladas Suisas ( recipe can be found on www.allrecipes.com ) I only used two cloves so it was just a little test. I like that it does not come apart into pieces like my other one, it's one cohesive piece. Night number two I made a kale,spinach, bean, potato, quinoa soup I have concocted up and I use LOTS of garlic in that and the press stood up to the test. Not once did any of the garlic skins get into my soup or enchiladas, I did not have to use a ton of muscle and I like that it is stainless steel there will never be any flaking/chipping of paint. Perfect size garlic for me every time and no need to risk my fingers with a grate, mandolin or chopping. It was easy to clean too, very easy to get into every nook and cranny. 

Overall I am quite happy with this addition to my kitchen ! Today we are making a lemon chicken orzo stew I found on Pinterest ...yummy !! 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Out of Darkness Walk North Shore

This past Saturday was the Out of Darkness suicide awareness walk and it was a great success ! There were over 1200 walkers there and I believe I heard over $10,000 was raised, but do not quote me on that since the stats were not up online and I could not really hear well from where I was standing..however I do know it was a huge chunk of change !

Team Lourenco ( my team ) had 19 walkers, a dog which whom was my uncle's dog ( the uncle in who's memory we were walking in) and my toddler. My daughter walked for a bit but was kind of a hazard because she would randomly stop and cause a traffic jam so up on grandpa's shoulders she went then into the carriage. It was a nice walk with perfect weather. Lucky the dog was a surprise and the perfect touch, Lucky was my uncle Carlos' little buddy those two were inseparable. He now lives with my other uncle and is doing very well, I am sure he misses me uncle like we all do. 

The sponsors of this walk thought of everything and were so considerate, they had tissues on hand for anyone that would need them, snacks, water, music, and a Wall of Remembrance for anyone to write on. I am glad I did this, if I can prevent just one family from feeling the pain and anguish my family has been going through then my job is done. 

Take a look at Team Lourenco, the wall of Remembrance and maybe one day there will be a world without suicide till then hug your loved ones and tell them you love them.