Blissful Style: My First Pair of Riding Boots!

Autumn is here and it's one of my favorite times of the year! I love the cool crisp air and watching the leaves change color...and I also love that it's boot season! 

I've had winter/snow boots and black dressy boots with a heel many times in the past...but I've never had riding boots before and I've wanted them for such a long time! I'm so excited that I've finally found riding boots in the color/style I want, in my size, with a comfortable fit, and for a great deal!  

Behold: My new "Legend" Riding Boots by White Mountain!

I just love them! I love the gentle slouching and the strap across the ankle! The additional side buckles add an extra touch of style. The "Legend" boots have comfortable lining and a very small heel, giving feet a little more support than a pair of slippers or flats, and allowing them to be worn longer than a heeled boot. White Mountain calls this color boot "taupe," although the color is more of a light brown. I found my 'taupe" boots at TJ Maxx, but online they are only available in black and dark brown. I'm not sure if this is because the "taupe" version is temporarily out of stock or if this color has been discontinued. 

I scored these original price $89.00 boots at TJ Maxx for just $39.99! If you don't have a TJ Maxx near you, you can shop for these boots and other boot styles online at various websites. This exact style can be found online at White Mountain, Macy's, and Amazon for $89.00  at Ebay for $49.99, Overstock.com for $26.00. But again, online these boots are only available in black and dark brown. Also note: some sites call "dark brown" and others just say "brown."

Happy Boot Season!!!

Beauty Bliss: A'kin Leave-In Conditioner

My newest natural hair product is Lavender & Anthyllis 24-Hour Intensive Moisture Leave-In Conditioner by A'kin. This moisturizing product is recommended for normal, dry, and textured hair, and works great on my thick curls. The product nourishes hair with amino acids, antioxidants, herbal extracts, and vitamins to give hair a smoother look and feel. The product also contains Australian jojoba oil and certified organic avocado oils to give added moisture. But don't let the contents fool you, the consistency is not oily at all--it's actually a thick white creamy substance. The label's instructions state you can use the conditioner on wet or dry hair, but I find it works best on wet hair after a shower. For me, this product helps control frizz and define curls. An added benefit is that the conditioner contains no parabens, no sulfates, no silicones, and no artificial colors. And for all you animal lovers and activists, this product is formulated without any animal ingredients or animal testing. The product can be found in select stores or online stores. Currently on Amazon it's going for about $13...but I got it at TJ Maxx for...$5.99!

Hubby Review: Trader Joe's Sprouted Whole Wheat Bread

Hubby wants in! Here's the first review from my hubby:

Brand: Trader Joe's
Product: 100% Whole Wheat Sprouted Fiber Bread (Certified Organic)
Made with: organic sprouted whole wheat berries, dates, and raisins
Bonuses: Low Fat (0.5g total fat, 0g saturated fat, and 0g trans fat per slice), 16g whole grains per serving, and excellent source of Fiber (5g per serving)

What the Hubby Thinks: He likes the soft texture of the bread. He's glad the bread contains 5g of protein in every slice. The Hubby also appreciates the added nutritional value from the sprouted wheat berries. He's happy that the bread is free of harsh chemicals.

Note for those with diet restrictions:
This bread is a vegan product.
This bread contains gluten.

Blissful Home/Baby Bliss: Multiportion Freezer Trays

Here's a great item for the kitchen! Food Freezer Trays! These are not only great for storing leftovers in the fridge or freezer, but also great for storing homemade baby food! Two brands are Beaba Multiportion Freezer Tray and the OXO TOT Baby Block Freezer Storage Containers. Just put your leftovers or homemade baby food into the portion slots, snap on the tight-fitting lid, and stick it in the fridge/freezer until you're ready to use it! Another great thing about these trays is that they're far less messy than freezer bags, and the snap on lids prevent freezer burn better than regular ice cube trays. The Beaba trays are made of soft/flexible silicone which allows you to pop out the contents more easily. The OXO TOT trays are stackable, so if you have multiple they can fit nicely and securely into your fridge/freezer space. The OXO TOT also has the option of taking as little as 1 serving out of the fridge/freezer at a time. With the Beaba tray, on the other hand, you have to take out the entire tray even if you only want one portion. Both the Beaba and the OXO TOT are BPA free. A bonus use could possibly be using these trays to make some fun frozen treats!

BEABA MULTIPORTION FREEZER TRAYS

OXO TOT BABY BLOCKS FREEZER STORAGE CONTAINER

Blissful Style: Studded Flats by Kathy Van Zeeland

Check out my new stud embellished flats by Kathy Van Zeeland!

These are the Kathy Van Zeeland "Royce" flats in black with silver studs. A basic black flat with a bit of edge. I've been looking for both black flats and an edgy shoe for a while--then I found these! Perfect! Other colors available are olive with silver studs, Cocoa with gold studs, and pewter (a shiny silvery grey) with black studs. I like all the color options except the cocoa because I don't like the gold studs. If I were the shoe designer, I would put bronze studs on the cocoa flats.

These "Royce" flats are pretty comfortable for a night out. If I want to wear them all day, I definitely need to slip some Dr. Scholl's into them to give me a little more shock absorption. One thing nice about these flats is the back of the shoe doesn't dig into your heel--at least not for me. Another nice thing, is these flats have a limited amount of "toe curl." What I mean by this, is that many flats are made in a way that causes the toe of the shoe to curl back and upward, but these flats barely do that.

The best part: the deal I got of course!
On Endless.com & Amazon.com, the shoes go for different prices depending on the color, with black being the most expensive at $69.00.
But I got them at TJ Maxx for only............................$19.99!

Blissful Bites: Amy's Mac & Cheese

The best organic mac & cheese pre-made dinner I've tried is definitely Amy's Kitchen Macaroni & Cheese with organic pasta (original recipe).

These little frozen dinners aren't too pricey, and are great for a quick, easy meal when you don't have time to cook. When heated up in the toaster oven they come out as a warm and gooey comfort food at it's best. You can cook them in a conventional oven, but it uses more electricity. You can also cook them in a microwave, although I don't recommend this, as they come out better (and have intact nutrients) when cooked in the toaster oven.


Amy's also makes a gluten-free version with Rice Macaroni instead of traditional pasta. I've tried this and it's also very good. If you're trying to limit your sodium intake due to high blood pressure or another health issue, Amy's makes a Low Sodium Mac & Cheese as well. This one I haven't tried. Lastly, Amy's makes a Lactose-Free version with Soy Cheese instead of regular cheese. This one I've tried and I can really tell the difference between this and the original recipe. The soy cheese version is not as creamy, and has a different texture--and overall just tastes weird. I would not recommend the soy cheese version.

Also I want to point out this product has No GMOs (no bio-engineered ingredients), No Preservatives, 0g Trans Fat, No Added MSG, and all dairy ingredients come from rBST hormone-free milk with No animal enzymes or animal rennet.


Amy's Kitchen Macaroni & Cheese with Organic Pasta (Original Recipe) Ingredients: Organic macaroni (organic semolina flour, organic whole wheat flour, water), organic lowfat milk, Cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, culture, salt, annatto, enzymes [without animal enzymes or rennet]), grade AA butter (cream, salt, annatto), organic sweet rice flour, sea salt, organic annatto. Contains wheat and milk.

Dining Bliss: Stonersville Hotel & Viva Bistro French Onion Soup

Last night was date night with the Hubby and we went out to eat at a locally owned, small business restaurant & tavern called Stonersville Hotel. We like to support small business restaurants whenever we can. But like most one-location eateries, this place is a bit pricey. So we usually only order drinks, appetizers, soups, or sandwiches. We haven't ever tried any of their regular dinner entrees.

The restaurant's French Onion Soup is definitely delish--and this is coming from a gal who never used to go anywhere near onions! In fact, I still don't eat any onions unless they're cooked or chopped finely in Spanish or Mexican cusine. 

I have to give credit to my Hubby--he was the one who got me into French Onion Soup--which is his all-time favorite soup. He ordered it in front of me many, many times, and encouraged me to order it too. He made me long for the cheese and buoyant croutons. Then he would give me bites of the cheese only. Next I tried a spoonful of the broth, which had such a soothing, comforting flavor--not the strong onion flavor I was expecting. Finally, I tried a full bite--onions and all--and I loved it!

Stonersville Hotel and Viva Bistro are 2 restaurants that have delicious French Onion Soup. Stonersville Hotel charges $6.00 per bowl, and Viva charges $4.99 for the same size bowl. Viva also has a cup of French Onion for $3.79. 

I also tried this soup at The Knight's Pub at Stokesay Castle, where a bowl also costs $6.00. But at The Knight's Pub they use their own "rich beef stock" instead of the traditional recipe. This makes the color of the broth much darker and in my opinion, ruins the whole soup. It tasted completely different except for the cheese and was very disappointing. The menu does say the soup is made with beef stock, but they still call the soup French Onion Soup and there's no notes about the flavor being totally different. 

Viva's French Onion Soup

Blissful Home: Kitchen Sinks so Beautiful...you might actually want to do the dishes!

Look at this built-in beauty:

Beauty Bliss: Lauren Brooke Creme Foundation

I should start by saying I've been using natural & organic beauty products for almost 2 years now. After trying 5 different brands of foundation, and trying 4 different foundation types (loose power, pressed powder, creme stick, and tub-of-creme), I have finally found an amazing all natural foundation!!!!

It's Lauren Brooke Cosmetiques Creme Foundation!!! I love it!!!! I'll be using this everytime! Finally a natural foundation that works!!!






Click Here to see my YouTube Video Review for this Product!

Blissful Bites: Trader Joe's Sweet Potato Chips!

Trader Joe's Sweet Potato Tortilla Chip Rounds are the best sweet potato chips I've ever tried. They have a hearty sweet potato taste. The chips are thicker than most chips and very satisfying. They have a touch of salt, but they aren't overly salty. I love pairing these chips with fresh parsley hummus or guacamole! They are definitely a blissful bite!!!

Made in the USA. Sold by Trader Joe's.

Blissful Home: Dream Kitchens!

Look at this Beauty! Love the dark cabinets and spacious island!

Love the island, bar counter, built-in hood, & pendent lights!!

 
 Wow. Look at that ceiling!

Baby Bliss: Easiest Way to Change Your Baby on the Go!

Here is a super useful baby item!
The Skip Hop Pronto Changing Station are a portable bags parents can carry or keep in the car/stroller/diaper bag/pack and play. Then, whenever and wherever their baby needs changing, it turns into a little portable changing area! Plus it has pockets to keep clean diapers, wipes, diaper rash creams/ointments, and baby lotion/powder. Talk about convenience!

Blissful Body: Lotion by Organic Creations

Organic Creations Organic Oils Lotion Base is a pure, highly moisturizing lotion, free from any synthetic fragrances or chemicals. This lotion is great for hands, body, and is gentle enough to use as a facial moisturizer before applying primer or foundation. this lotion is thick, high quality, and won't disappoint. The product comes unscented and is great to be used as-is for sensitive skin. You can also mix in your own natural oils and fragrances if you desire.

The best part is, it can be bought in bulk amounts, helping you get a bang for your buck! My hubby purchased a whole gallon of this lotion for us to use for only $34.00. If you shop for organic body and skincare products often, you'll know that many companies sell small bottles of lotion for $20 to $30. So getting a whole gallon of organic product (complete with pump dispenser) is a steal. We're not even done with 1/2 a gallon yet and it's been well over a year.

Available Online.

Blissful Bites: Trader Joe's Strawberries & Ice Cream

Ice Cream: Trader Joe's French Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients: Cream, Milk, Sugar, Egg Yolks, Natural Vanilla Flavors, Carob Bean Gum, Guar Gum

Strawberries: Trader Joe's Fresh Organic Strawberries

Trader Joe's calls their French Vanilla Ice Cream "Super Premium," and with its extremely smooth texture, the name fits. Each carton of this high quality ice cream is guaranteed to be made with milk from cows not treated with rBST. This product contains no artificial colors & flavors, no preservatives, and no GMOs (nothing genetically modified). Pairing this ice cream with a handful of fresh strawberries creates a sweet summer sensation!


Click Here to find a Trader Joe's near you!

Beauty Bliss: Earth's Beauty's Natural Clay Eye Shadow

Product Type: Eye Shadow
Brand: Earth's Beauty
Form: Loose Powder
Style: Matte

Color: Natural Clay
Ingredients:Organic/wild-crafted arrowroot, magnesium stearate, iron oxides, may contain ultramarine blue, manganese violet

Review: I love this eye shadow in this color! I came across this product while searching for a neutral brown eye shadow made with all natural ingredients and free of synthetic chemicals. Before purchasing any beauty products, I inspect the ingredient list and I usually research any ingredient I'm unsure about. I saw on the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database that this shadow had a green rating. 

Then I found through Earth Beauty and All Natural Cosmetics you can order a $1.00 sample of this product to try it out before committing to a larger, more expensive item. So I ordered a sample of the product from All Natural Cosmetics. (If you're shipping an All Natural Cosmetics order of $10 or less within the United States, the shipping is only $2.95.) 

The sample came in a little flip top plastic container, which looks just like the little containers watercolor paints come in. After trying it only once, I fell in love with this eye shadow! (And I still have lots of the sample left!) I do need to point out that under the name Natural Clay, Earth Beauty puts the description of taupe, but this shadow is actually a lovely medium shade of brown. Lucky for me, the color was exact shade I was looking for. 

I feel the need to mention that I also ordered a sample of Earth Beauty's Rose Quartz loose powder eye shadow. I expected it to match the site's description of "light rose" or the paper catalog's description of "soft mauve," but found that it's more of a light purple color before you apply it and a mauve after you apply it. Because of this discrepancy, and because not all colors will look the same on different skin tones, I highly recommend ordering samples of Earth Beauty products before ordering full size items. 

I should also say that Earth Beauty's Rose Quartz & Earthly Plum shadow doesn't blend well for me...the Natural Clay color seems to blend better...

On top of loving the color, I was also impressed with how highly pigmented this product was! Because this item is made with such pure ingredients, I was expecting to have to pile on a lot of the shadow to get a decent amount of color. But a little on my finger or a shadow brush goes a long way! In fact, I found this eye shadow works better than some of the synthetic or less pure drug store alternatives I tried in the past. For example, this shadow had a much better consistency, more pigmentation, and stays on much longer than the Physician's Formula shadows I've tried.

The only negative I can say about this shadow is that it doesn't blend as well as other non-natural shadows I've tried. But still, this is overall a very good, natural product.

I plan to order this shadow in a full size (0.20 oz/5.67g jar) for $9.95 very soon.