Ending the Year on a Good Note!

Ending the Year on a Good Note!

Nov 29, 2015

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of UPS for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

A few days ago I wrote about UPS #WishesDelivered campaign and about a company that was doing good for their community and it resonates with me because this year has been a bit tough on me and made me realize that doing things for others actually did make me feel better. What an idea, right?

In keeping up with that I want to focus on nothing but positivity in 2016 and helping people out is one way to make that happen. I’ve never been one to lack gifts--if I wanted something, there was always someone willing to get it for me--so being able to pay it forward kind of gives me a fuzzy feeling.

Any reader of mine knows that I’ve been blogging for less than three years and in that time I’ve had to deal with a lot of trial and error to get to where I am now. I’m not done yet but compared to March 2012, I’m in a whole other league. I’m on the fence of whether I would consider myself an expert or not. Some say yes, others say no way and me....not sure. But I do know that I’ve helped a few people in my circle of bloggers and it’s a great feeling to know that people are actually being helped by listening to how you’ve failed at something and then of course, fixed it.  

Of course, this doesn’t impact a community as much as let’s say an after school or GED program but blogging gives people the freedom to be themselves, to write about whatever they want and in many ways, earn income that can go towards paying much needed bills or for much needed entertainment.  

During this holiday season UPS is donating $1 to one of their charity partners for every #WishesDelivered story or wish shared--up to the tune of $150K. So What’s your wish? Post your wish for good on Twitter, Instagram and check out their #WishesDelivered Site if you’d like to submit a story and don’t forget to share it with me via a comment!

PS: if you need a little inspiration, or a reminder of how cool it is to not only give things to people in need but also giving something to someone handmade check this video out. Handmade gifts are always awesome for the giver and receiver!

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A Cordless Vacuum to Match My Wireless Life

A Cordless Vacuum to Match My Wireless Life

Nov 25, 2015

Thank you Hoover Air Cordless Vacuums for sponsoring this post. Cut the cord with Hoover! No cord, no bull.

I moved into a fabulous 3 story condo earlier this year and while I love the space and the view I get from my balconies I'm not a fan of having different types of floors to constantly clean. The entire downstairs, minus the bathrooms, and the all the staircases are carpeted whereas the main and top level all has bamboo wood which gets dirty super fast and has to be cleaned weekly. Poor me, right?


But even with cleaning the floors every week or so I still have the issue of needing to get the carpets cleaned and surprisingly enough in such a big apartment we don't have a closet that we can use to store or large cleaning supplies. Instead we have to stick it in our guest bathroom which I dislike doing. So imagine having to put a monster vacuum in there as well. No way! I've only lived in one place with carpeting before and luckily my roommate had a vacuum but when I moved into this place it wasn't something that I thought of doing. Our go-to solution has been to hire a cleaning service to come in once a month with their own vacuum but they complained that while they didn't mind bringing supplies that their cords weren't long enough to take car of the stairs leading to the top floor and the landing due to the lack of outlets. That was a problem because going to a hardware store wasn't something I was ever planning on doing just to get an extension cord.

But along came the Hoover Cordless 2-in-1 Stick and Handheld Vacuum. Oh how happy was I when I learned that Hoover wanted me to give this vacuum a try and let my readers what I thought about it. On top of having carpeting in my place I have two couches so the fact that this is a full and handheld vacuum had me over the moon. When I first received the vacuum I didn't realize that I was also able to use it on my hard floors as well so that added an extra touch to how much I like this machine because I always sweep but end up leaving piles of dust everywhere because I promise to get back to it but seem to forget. The Hoover seriously  makes cleaning my hardwood floors that much easier because then all I have to do is pass the mop over it real fast afterwards until I get their Floormate Cordless Hard Floor Cleaner that will do that for me.

I really like that this vacuum is lightweight because I have zero upper body strength and the charge on the battery is long enough to clean two downstairs bedrooms, all of the staircases and my hardwood floors without losing any bit of power thanks to their LithiumLife battery that has double the capacity of their standard 18-volt ones which means it has a longer run time and fade-free power. Since I have really big bedrooms as well as furniture it was cool to be able to weave in and out without having to constantly unplug and replug it. The fact that it's super flexible and moves with ease is a great advantage as well because it's small enough that it can go deep under my bed and grab all the dust that's collecting under it.

Every time I use this vacuum on either my carpet or hard floors they look like they did when I first moved in. It's a really powerful machine and the fact that I can do so many things with it means I don't have to hire a cleaning service for my vacuuming, cleaning my hard floors or dusting--because I can use the handheld attachment for that as well. Like I mentioned before, I'm interested in getting their Floormate Cordless Hard Floor Cleaner as well so that I  don't have to mop and I like I can use the same battery for both machines because it provides versatility to tackle a variety of messes with just the right tool for the job, whether it's the entire apartment or just picking up a quick mess.

Overall this is a super cool product and think that this line is a total musts for anyone moving into a new place, needs to clean any type of floor and can't be bothered by cords.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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Embracing the Scent of the Holiday Season with Glade®

Embracing the Scent of the Holiday Season with Glade®

Nov 13, 2015

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HolidayWithGlade #CollectiveBias

While I adore the spring and summer because it lets me wear cute dresses, sandals and go to the beach all the time. But with that said I really love the holiday season and all of the great things surrounding it..


I have a very close knit family in which I consider my cousins not just my best friends, but my sisters. While we always have a great time when we're together, it's even more so during the holidays. Growing up in New York City means I had the most festive holiday season ever. The street lights were decorated, Rockefeller Center screamed Christmas and if you turned the right corner you'd see oversized ornaments taking over the median on Park Ave.


For this holiday season I’ll be staying in Los Angeles, away from my family, and so it’s nice to feel the holiday spirit all around my apartment when I come home from work or when I’m lounging around. Not to mention the fact that I haven’t seen snow or felt the super crisp air of winter since I live in the land of summer, as I always mention.

I firmly believe that scents have a connection to powerful memories so I was happy to be offered the chance to give the Glade® Limited Edition Winter Collection a try and share my thoughts on it. I decided to try some jar candles, PlugIns® Scented Oils and premium room sprays in the new SHARE THE SPIRIT™, SEND A LITTLE LOVE™ and BE AT PEACE™ fragrances. The new fragrances from the Glade® Limited Edition Winter Collection was created to help embody the special moments that have been shared with friends and family and each scent reminds me of the holidays and spending time together with family and friends.





I decided to put my SHARE THE SPIRIT ™ Jar Candle in my bathroom because I spend a lot of time there getting ready or taking a relaxing bath and I found the scent very relaxing and soothing. It fills the room with notes of vanilla biscotti™ and creates a warmth that makes me feel fuzzy inside. It reminds me of spending time with the people I care about the most. I also used the same scent in the PlugIns® Scented Oil for my bedroom because I love to smell the fragrance when I’m relaxing and reading a book.




When it came to my living room I wanted a candle that not only looked like it was decor for the holiday season but made my apartment smell festive too. The BE AT PEACE™ Jar Candle did the trick. Placing it at the center of my massive coffee table made it pop because it was a nice contrast to the browns and reds in my living room. Not only did the jar candle look amazing but the scent of balsam fir & juniper totally puts me in the holiday spirit.





To keep all areas of my apartment smelling like the holiday season.  I placed the Glade® Premium Room Spray in the SHARE THE SPIRIT™ fragrance in my guest bathroom. It’s a perfect fit because I love the color of the can and it’s such a unique scent that makes me feel like the holidays are already here.




Overall I think the new Glade® Limited Edition Winter Collection fragrances are great and give a nice touch to your home during the holiday season. So head over to your nearest Kroger or banner store and let me know which fragrance is your favorite!

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Life in Coloring's Adult Coloring Book

Life in Coloring's Adult Coloring Book

Nov 4, 2015

I've been under a lot of stress lately due to things that won't leave my mind and I'm trying to find good ways to relax my mind, clear my head and do something productive while doing so. A while back my good friend started posting some photos of 'adult coloring books' and it got me interested. She said it was a nice way for her to relax and wind down so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Life in Coloring's Life Lessons adult coloring book not only came with 12 amazing colored pencils but every page had an inspirational quote to go a long with it. I saw it as a little reminder of what I was doing and the reason why. The book is a great size and it's made really well--as are the pencils--and it's great to carry around in my purse. I've found myself sitting on my desk, listening to Air or an equally chill band and just getting lost in reliving my childhood while taking a little break from the insanity that is work.

One of the things I want for next year is to be as stress free as possible and I plan on getting that any way that I can. This is a great start!

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