WOW!

First off, congratulations to the winners of re•solve's September ad spaces!

Now, there's MORE to win!


Here's Natalie's August Sponsor giveaway. An ad space from me for October is among the prizes!
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And it's not too late to enter for a free box of Woolzies (seriously, why wouldn't you want these? Laundry products are EXPENSIVE!):


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Oh, and Chelsee's monthly sponsor giveaway is almost done, too:




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Whether in a post or its own designated tab, bucket lists of one sort or another show up all over blog land.

Do I have one? Sure. It's in my head. Just like many of my mental notes-to-self, I only remember a few at a time, but it's there. Sadly, life has repressed a lot of it.

Ah, the joys of adulthood. Time is precious, and I haven't had enough until recently. Honestly, being unemployed at the moment has it's downfalls, but it also has its perks.

Before now, I can't tell you the last time I had a Saturday to myself. Many commitments and desires were pushed aside to make a living. Granted, it was a living I enjoyed, but the lack of personal time was a regular stressor.

As I've been job hunting, I've definitely been counting my blessings. It's nice to have time again to do the little things like visit with friends and do some extra cleaning in the apartment. I've even realized that some of those things on my list are finally taking place. They may be trivial, but they are something, and I am thankful:

• Learn to can: It should be no surprise that my crunchy self has wanted to learn to can for awhile. I took one friend up on her offer last week and learned to can peaches. mmmm. I have 12 (well, now 8) pints to show for it! 

2 of those 4 already missing peach jars may or may not have gone into this yummy dump cake...

• Shoot a gun. Whoa there! How did we get from crunchy Bekah to violent Bekah? I'm weird, I know. I've always wanted to try just to say I did it. Sean and I are good friends with a couple from the Midwest who grew up with firearms as a norm (they just love the Maryland legislation!). When the husband told his wife she needed to take me shooting to relieve my stress, I said YES! YES YOU DO! So, that is finally in the works! I will update when it happens and you can laugh at me then. 

This is the fifth in a series of posts telling our "love story." The series begins with a prequel here.

After Sean and I cleared the air about his friend Michelle (guys are such effective communicators!), we agreed to meet the following weekend.

I also noticed around that time that his match.com profile was absent.

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It's currently hanging in our living room.

Yikes!

On one hand, I am so ready for fall. This summer has not been my favorite.

On the other...yikes! It's almost fall! How is this the last week of August?

As mentioned previously, I am no longer using Passionfruit for blog sponsorships beginning in September. But I am still offering sponsorships. Yes, indeed. I'm offering them free.

Each month, five 250x250 spaces on my sidebar will be up for grabs. Also included are the option to guest post and some social media love. All you have to do is win and get me a button!

For September, I already have one winner from an outside giveaway, leaving four more chances for you to win! Just enter below.


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Also, today starts the August Sponsors Giveaway on Southern Beauty Guide! We have some amazing prizes up for grabs this month! Make sure that you enter to win!



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Late last year, I decided to give making my own laundry detergent a try. The idea had been dominating Pinterest to the point of being trendy, but it made sense to me: I cringed at the store every time I saw the prices of detergent. It was so pricey, and I had to by more so often! On top of that, I am very sensitive to fragrance. Many synthetic fragrances give me headaches or worse, nausea.

It was definitely time for me to give it a go. I opted to make the powder version, and haven't looked back.

What is equally frustrating in terms of fragrance and insane cost is fabric softener. I made the switch to vinegar. My clothes were never Downy-soft, but they weren't crunchy and they weren't loaded with the headache-inducing imitation scent of a mountain spring.

Admittedly, though, I like a little fragrance. Something light, clean, and natural. And static was sometimes still a problem. I hated myself for it, but I would occasionally resort to dollar store dryer sheets. They were wasteful and full of the very chemicals I was trying to avoid when I went DIY with the rest of my laundry, but I didn't know what else to do.



I was thrilled when a bloggy friend of mine mentioned that Woolzies Dryer Balls was in need of some reviews. I had seen them mentioned on a blog when I first started re•solve, but I'd never seen or heard of them and thought that certainly I would be too new to be considered. This time, I jumped at the chance and threw my hat right in the ring.

And I'm so glad I did!

If you are like me and haven't seen or heard of Woolzies, you will want to get them on your radar. Think the eco and wallet-friendly version of a dryer sheet. These are handmade, chemical-free wool balls that you toss in the dryer with your laundry- and they are guaranteed to last for 1,000 loads!

Size Comparison

Aside from being chemical and fragrance free (my favorite!), they are hypoallergenic (even safe for people with wool sensitivities!), and like dryer sheets, reduce the static in your laundry. They also help to reduce wrinkles and drying time!

I was already excited to do some laundry so I could give these a whirl, then something on the enclosed instruction sheet caught my eye: I could add fragrance!

More specifically, I could add whatever fragrance I want! When your clothes are dry, just add the essential oil of your choice (I used tea tree) to the balls and leave the clothes on an air fluff cycle for ten minutes. You will have good smelling laundry with the safe fragrance of your choice! Sold!

I've been using these for a week now. While I live in an apartment without in-unit laundry and cannot comment one way or another on the reduced drying time, my laundry definitely speaks for itself. As I pulled my clothes and linens out, they were noticeably soft to the touch. Nothing was stuck together. Oh, and the pieces that tend to come out the most wrinkly? I definitely did a double take. Some wrinkles could still be seen, but there were definitely less!

Overall, I am thrilled to add Woolzies full-time to my laundry routine and would definitely recommend them to anyone. They can be purchased via  Amazon, or directly from the company website for $34.95/box. Not too shabby for 1,000 safe loads!

I didn't mention one last great perk: the folks at Woolzies are quite generous. They are giving one free box of their dryer balls away to one of you lovely readers! Just enter below!

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Organized by: Mom Powered Media

Happy Friday!

I am happy to have a kindred spirit on the blog today! I met Holly when I realized she, like me, had suggested a "green" theme for the Cara Box back in April. I contacted her immediately and we've been in touch ever since. Today, she is sharing a popular vegetarian recipe while I continue to envy her CSA membership. :)

Yay, I really am included!



This time, miss Karla tagged me. I'm not going to tag more people, because honestly, these things can get real old real fast if you let em. But, nothing wrong with answering a few questions. Here you go:

What are you reading right now?
I just finished reading 3500: An Autistic Boy's Ten-Year Romance with Snow White. I am a Disney NERD and was sad when the Snow White ride went away in WDW to make space for new Fantasyland. Turns out, I wasn't the only one. I followed a blog about an autistic boy named Ben who was in LOVE with the ride.  

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The things Disney did for this family were amazing- you will likely cry. Anyway, Ben's father wrote a book which I have been dying to read. I got the kindle edition as an early birthday gift and devoured the whole thing in less than a day!
If you could have dinner with a celeb, who would it be?
I'm not sure that I would. I mentioned before that I am a fan of Sierra Boggess and Julia Stiles. I'm a fan of lots of people, but I fear that meeting them would likely alter my perception of them (I didn't meet him, but let's just say, I heard things about Hugh Grant that made him a lot less attractive to me!). Finding things aren't what you thought they were is such a huge let down sometimes. I might as well stay ignorant.
If you could eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Oh goodness. This is hard now that I'm being healthy. And I like variety. 

I'll say my Mediterranean Pita as it's healthy and yummy and wouldn't upset my stomach if I ate it too often.
 If I could travel back in time, I'd travel right back to < insert whatever date here > !!
There are so many historical periods I would love to visit. Back when ladies wore pretty dresses and life seemed simpler. (Kate & Leopold, anyone?) I think it would be fun, but then I remember a thing called women's rights and how different, ah, hygiene would have been. So I would visit, but not stay forever.  
Favorite photo of myself: 
This one from back in the day. I wanted to be a model. I was much skinnier.

Favorite alcoholic beverage?
I'm not a huge drinker. I don't enjoy beer at all and rarely drink wine (though I do like Trader Joe's Amour Di Paris peach champagne!), so if I do get something, it's a mixed drink. Usually a vodka cran or bay breeze. In the fall, I like cranberry mixed with sour apple pucker. Smooth and crisp!

Today I can be found with Chelsee at Southern Beauty Guide!

If your skin is sensitive or red, you definitely don't want to miss the safe solution I am sharing here!

I mean, who wouldn't want their skin to look this great?

And of course, you can read up on all my guest posts and published work here.

This is the fourth in a series of posts telling our "love story." To read from the beginning, start with our prequel.

Sean and I had gone on our first date. While it wasn't a bust like some I mentioned here, I wasn't sure that it was a success either.

I got home and e-mailed him to assure him I'd made it home safe in the snow (upon his request). Soon after, I got this reply:

Since I'm sure you all know how the story ends, I'll mention Michelle was in our wedding. She is on the right.

I'm not gonna lie - inside I'm still that awkward kid who is hoping not to get picked last...or get overlooked completely. Even in blog world, these feelings can sneak up on me. That darn liebster award finally made it my way (twice, I will have you know)! And then suddenly this "you should know" starts circulating. I was feeling left out again until the lovely Miranda sent a nod my way. Thanks girl!

So, here you are: the things you get to know about me that I'm sure you were just dying to.

If you could meet any blogger in person, who would you choose?

Oh my. Many of them make my day. I will narrow it down to three but I would love to meet so many!

Karla and Veronica from The Newlywed Game linkup. Love them! And Aleshea, one of my Cara Box partners. I read her "about" page and knew we were supposed to be friends!

Oh, I lied...my first "little," Mandy! She lives somewhat nearby so really I have no excuse!

















Blogs you're loving right now?

Carolina Charm is the one that really got me back into blogging, so I always read her posts.
I also enjoy Back East Blonde. Half of her posts are things I've thought but never actually written...and funny!
Last but not least....he's not a social blogger and he certainly isn't a "20-something," but oh how I love Jack Spence of The "World" According to Jack. I am a Disney nerd and love love love his various write ups regarding the parks. He is on leave and I am counting the days til he returns with new content in January.

What's your biggest struggle in life?

I would say financial worry. My love life is where I thought it would be, but the rest of life often seems rough because my career is nowhere near where I thought it would be! I am often frustrated that I did so well in school only to earn what I did with just my HS diploma. Losing my job recently didn't help either. I'm currently in an OK place, but I know once I see some bills, I will go right back to panic. I need to trust that God will provide, even if I don't understand how.

How did your blog come about?

You can read more here, but I wanted to improve my quality of life and learn to do more myself. I thought of this during the New Year, but didn't want this to be some flaky resolution that came and went in a week. So, I started the blog to document what I wanted to do/have done, and also to be writing regularly again (I was a journalism major).

Name one good deed you did that went unseen.

Here's where my cynical side comes out:

"No good deed goes unpunished."

Yep. It's true. So I'm not telling. I'm OK to let it be.

Favorite thing to do in your spare time?


Right now, I'm really really focusing on getting my Arbonne business up and running. I LOVE the stuff and I really want to succeed. I haven't had much of a personal life because of work, and I feel ready to just take my life back! So I am increasing my online presence and trying to get more workshops booked!



Tagging:


Choose six to answer for yourself!

A couple of months ago, I finally did what everyone swore was so easy: I tried making my own hummus.

Everyone was right. You essentially throw a ton of stuff in a food processor, and voila! Hummus (if you do it the lazy way like me with canned chickpeas, anyway)!

Ever since then, homemade hummus is almost always hanging out in a tupperware container in the fridge. When I'm too lazy to even cook, I've definitely had dinners of pretzels and hummus more than once (I add baby carrots if I feel like behaving)!

No, seriously. This is the tupperware container I just pulled out of my fridge to show you. You can tell I've been enjoying it!

It should be no surprise then, that this hummus found a place in my most recent super lazy eat. I've been munching on this one for the last week or so. The good news is, like most of these eats, that they are super customizable. Just a starting point for what you want your new lazy yumminess to be.

The first time I made this, I got all fancy. Multiple diced veggies, rice, some balsamic vinegar. Yum. But let's be real. I'm not fancy. And I'm often in a rush. So, the recipe has become as simple as my tomato sandwiches or cucumber sandwiches:

Mediterranean Pita

You Will Need:

Whole wheat pita: 1 
Hummus: 1-2 tbsp. 
Cucumber: ~1/3

Directions:

Open pita and fill/spread with hummus.
Chop cucumber and stuff into pita.
Enjoy!



This recipe is linked up at Vegetarian Mamma, The Best Blog Recipes, Glitz n' Grits, A Peek Into my Paradise, Sensational Creations, and Sumo's Sweet Stuff.

This is the third in a series of posts telling Sean & I's "love story." Click here to start from the beginning.

Sean and I started having frequent conversations via AIM. All the obligatory "getting to know you" stuff: opinions, beliefs, hobbies, and lots of chit chat.

He expressed early on that he was interested in meeting me. I had nothing against him, but after some of the losers I'd recently dealt with (the ones I mentioned last week here), I didn't know if I was up for dealing with another potential bust.

Sean persisted in a nice way, making the effort to let me know my terms of a public place with a friend in tow were all totally fine (even then there were creepers on the internet). I finally agreed and we picked a day to go see a movie.

This is the part where I mention a fun detail. We both lived in the suburbs. It just so happened that his was in Maryland while mine was in Northern Virginia. We lived about an hour apart (sans any DC traffic).

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Given the weather, the mall where we were meeting was rather empty. I waited on a bench outside the box office, guessing who he might be. A few guys walked by including one in glasses and a blue sweater. He passed by me without a glance. I knew it couldn't be him. All the better, I thought. He looks too smart for me.

Our first "professional" pictures together (2006). That is the sweater!

I watched Toy Story with Sean and a friend this week. It was the first time I'd seen the film in years. It was fun to observe all the detail Disney/Pixar put into the film, as well as to see how far animation has progressed since then.

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What surprised me the most, however, was a religious parallel that I doubt was intentional on Pixar's part.

Last week, I vaguely posted that I wasn't having such a good day. You see, I lost my job. It was very sudden and the worst part about it was that I really couldn't have done a thing to prevent it from happening. Even knowing the fault wasn't mine, it hurt my pride. Aside from a few close friends, I haven't talked much about it. I even asked my mom not to spread the word to the rest of my family. I didn't want the sympathy - or the gossip.

What does all this have to do with Toy Story? It's all about identity.

Buzz Lightyear goes throughout most of the film convinced that he is, in fact, Buzz Lightyear. It's where his self-worth is entirely found. It is his identity, purpose, and pride.

Of course, we know that Buzz Mistakenly learns his true identity via a TV commercial later in the film: he is a toy. A mere placebo. The depression takes over as Buzz suddenly feels he is a phony who no longer has a purpose. He's embarrassed to be seen by those he knew before this event.

Sound familiar?

The parallel really hit me when Buzz, dressed up from tea time with Sid's younger sister, Hannah, is reunited with Woody, who is ready to get back home to Andy, his owner:




It's easy to get stuck here and wallow. It even seems like Buzz will do just that. He's ready to accept the rocket strapped to his back and call it quits. But then...

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I told y'all I was a Disney nerd!



Today, I am a part of A Peek Into My Paradise's lineup of Disney posts. You can read mine here.

I was thrilled to be able to discuss my favorite Disney park, Epcot!

And remember, all my guest posts and other features can be found at any time here.

I'm going to take a minute to be completely real here. In an attempt to "make it," or at the very least, score some free stuff many bloggers accept sponsored posts. I have also heard bloggers comment that they don't trust these posts, or even the bloggers themselves, referring to them as "fake."

To each their own. I'm small and haven't "made it" if you compare my blog to many others, but I am honest, even if it means losing credibility to businesses. Hopefully I will have gained the more important trust of you, the reader.

So, why  am I bringing this up now? I've written a few reviews. Some sponsored, some not. All have been honest. I avoided writing a review recently because I was so appalled at the contents, and now I face the same situation again. I am sad to say it is a program many bloggers know and love: Influenster.

I saw the boxes of free stuff bloggers were scoring and I was curious, so I signed up. I was sure that given my diet and lifestyle I would likely never qualify for a box, but there is no harm in trying.

Quickly enough, I qualified for the Spring Fever VoxBox. I excitedly ripped it open to find mostly items I would never use: Secret Antiperspirant and Deodorant, artificial nails, tinted lip balm, and a Tastykake snack.

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I stopped using antiperspirants probably a year ago. Not only were they not helping my sweaty self, they are linked to issues including breast cancer. Strangely enough, when I started using a natural deodorant sans the antiperspirant, my sweating actually went down greatly!

The fake nails? Honestly, they just weren't for me. They also came in a purple tint which we all know I hate. A lot of bloggers gave this item high marks, but I don't feel that press on nails are relevant any longer (I still have them in the packaging if someone wants them!)

I'll admit, in terms of the snack cake, I bit (no pun intended). It featured Reese's so I thought it would be delicious. A few bites in, and it tasted more like coffee to me then anything. Then, I read the label and threw the rest of it away. If I am going to splurge on calories, I should be loving whatever it is I'm eating.

The lip balm seemed unsuspecting enough. I know the brand do be a bargain brand which is, fine. And the packaging announced that the product contained avocado oil- sounds healthy right? Until you read the rest of the label and see that lanolin (grease from animal hair) is a top ingredient along with the other not-so-pleasant ingredients. I tried it on once to be fair, and the color bled more than any I'd tried up to that point.

Last but not least, the Osis. I didn't read the ingredients, but I know the brand from my days working at ULTA and know it is a salon brand . I received a mattifying powder that I have kept and use as a dry shampoo on emergency days.

Ok, so one win and four losses. Not looking too good. Yes, I got free stuff, but any member of Influenster knows you constantly write reviews and questionnaires that should probably signal to the marketing people that perhaps I wasn't the best candidate to review their toxic products.

I didn't do much with the VoxBox beyond check it in. I refused to write a fake review and just ignored all the rest of the hype until the program ended. I assumed I would likely never be chosen for another program, and that was fine. But then...

I got an e-mail asking me to take another survey for another program. Curiosity got the best of me and I answered their questions (related to healthy living/eating). I again qualified and again received a package. This one containing...

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SlimFast? Really? I hated the stuff when I was a teenager and I doubt I'll like it much better now. If I want a protein shake, I'll stick with my Arbonne. I know it's safe.

This is the second in a series of posts telling our "love story." The series begins here with our prequel.

I had decided it was time to meet new people and make new friends. To help me out, I turned to the internet. I signed up for assorted dating and social sites. I wasn't looking for a boyfriend, per se. I generally prefer male company to females...I just don't like the drama. Sorry, not sorry. I went into the process with the mindset that if a relationship came out of any of this, great. If not, no harm done.

Several meetings came out of this networking. Many first dates that never saw a second. My crappy relationship had given me the gift of seeing crap for what it was and moving on.

There was the 23 your old divorced guy who bragged on money and talked about his cheating ex-wife the whole time. No thanks. There was the hot army guy with the sword who wanted to stick his tongue down my throat right off the bat. Nah. There was the local marine who I had a blast hanging out with who I knew was meant to stay in the friend zone. (ok, that one wasn't crappy. He was a cool guy and he's married now. yay!)

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One of the sites I networked on was match.com. Anyone who knows anything about dating sites knows that they involve money. Money I wasn't willing to spend. So I had this free membership where I couldn't do anything beyond "wink" at people who first contacted me. No writing back, no getting other contact info: the site filtered it out.

At one point, I saw Sean's picture in a "recommended matches for you" e-mail sent to me. I remember liking the picture, but don't remember why I didn't follow up.

A beach lover? Sounds good.

Regardless, I didn't think much of it at the moment. I deleted the e-mail. It's not like I could contact any of those matches if I wanted to anyway.

Pretty sure this was my default pic.

Within a few days, I got an e-mail saying a potential match had sent me an e-mail. I'm sure you smart cookies can guess who it was. Yep, it was Sean. He sent me the brief obligatory hello message, and I responded with, you guessed it, a wink. I guess he knew I wasn't a paid subscriber, so he being the rule breaker he is, slipped me his contact info in a way that slipped through match's filters:

"my name is ********* on aimerz."

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I guess this is when I should mention that this was late 2004 and people still regularly had conversations on AIM. Regardless, it made it through the filters and I found myself logging on to AIM to say hello...



Come back to see what happens next!
[update: read part 3 here]



PS - there are still FREE "the newbie" ad spaces available on my sidebar this month. I would love to have you! Contact me for the code.