February Graze Box

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My February Graze Box arrived while I was sick with one of the worst head colds I have ever had. I could neither talk or taste anything so I just looked at the box for almost a week. It was torture because I knew that there were some wonderful and tasty snack just waiting for me. I did open the box up enough so that I could take a peek at what was inside and that made me even more anxious to feel better so I could get into those little packets.

Here is a link for you to use if you want your own Graze Box, with this link you will get your first and fifth boxes for free. The first one is a 4 snack size box, I am not sure about the 5^th one yet I'll post about it when it arrives.

The first thing I pulled out this month was the Protein Cashew Kick, since my preference is for the savory over the overly sweet this one was perfect.

Next on the tasting was another savory item, the Sour Cream Garlic Crostini. I do love the different versions of this item. They remind of what would happen if you crossed a really nice cracker with a really nice bread stick.

For the third item I picked a sweeter one,the Stars & Stripes. This is a mix of dried fruits (some flavored) with a product that is similar to a fruit leather. Even though these are definitely sweet they are not overly sweet and have a nice fruit flavor.

The last item on the top level was the Boston Cram Pie mixture. While the custard raisins, chopped dates and vanilla pumpkin seeds were all really good, the mini cocoa cookies are always a bit of a disappointment. Don't get me wrong they are okay but that is just about as far as I will give them. They seem to lack something in flavor. So not bad just not wonderful.

On to the bottom layer.

The Mocha Walnut Cake was the first thing I tried on this level. I love, love, love chocolate covered coffee beans so if the bag was filled with them I would have been in heaven. I am still a very happy camper since they mixed really well with the walnuts and the jumbo raisins.

Protein nuts came out of the box next. They were pretty good just a few too many peanuts for my taste. I love the cashews so they made up for the amount of peanuts.

Berry Compote, this is I think the second time I have gotten one of the versions of the Graze shortbread cookies and I really like them. They have not only a good flavor but also a nice texture. The compote mixture was very nice, it reminds me of the berry jam I make almost every summer.

And lastly, yes, I saved the item I was most looking forward to for last this time, the Spicy Sriracha Crunch. OMG, I think I am in love. It is a bit on the spicy side, I do know a few people that would tell me it was way to spicy to even taste but I love it!

So that was this month's Graze Box. Remember to use my link to sign up so you can get your first and fifth boxes for free.

If got a box this month and posted an un-boxing video be sure to let me know I would love to see what you got.

February Ipsy Bag

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I am so glad that this month's Ipsy Bag is better than the one I got last month. That one was such a dud that I didn't even edit the video.

This time for the most part I am excited to try the items I got.

I have to say I really don't care for the bag, mine looks like it has a few of the bumpy texture things missing right where the white highlight on the heart is. It just looks cheap and I don't care for it.

The first item out of the bag this time was the “paula dorf enhancer baby eyes” since I had no idea what this even was (although I made the assumption it is an eye pencil) I did some research online. I am partially correct the website (here) says it can be used either in the lower waterline or just above the lip line. I am really excited to try this one. The sample size is .02 oz while the full size says it is 0.4oz and the price is $20.

The next product to make an appearance was the Photo Finish Primer Oil from Smashbox. I am always on the lookout for products to help with my dry skin so this is a product I am going to try out right away. I really hope it does what it claims. The tiny little sample weighs in at 0.13 oz while the full size is a full oz at a price of $42 and you can find it here.

For me the third item in the bag is a total miss, I would never be able to wear this perfume, Jor'el Parker Eau So Divine. Just the little bit I put on to test it for the video is giving me a horrid headache. I have tried washing it off twice and I can still smell it. It smells like something my grandmother would have worn and it is just not to my taste at all. I really prefer something much lighter and more natural smelling. The bottle in the bag is the 8.8 ml size which can be purchased for $23 online. A full size bottle (approximately twice the size comes in at $57)

I do love makeup brushes and this one is no exception, I have been thinking I needed to add one this shape to my collection but hadn't gotten one yet. This one has the bonus of being a pretty pink color too. According to the website this brand is not only cruelty free but also Vegan. On the website this brush retails for $12. Not bad at all for a nice brush.

And lastly the Pure Brazilian Deep Conditioning Masque is another product that I am anxious to try. I think I will be adding a note to remind myself to indulge in this one over the weekend when I have the time to enjoy it. The tube in that Ipsy sent contains 1.5 oz of the hair mask product. The website sells a 2 oz size for $8.

So that was what I got in my Ipsy bag this month. Did you get a bag? What was in yours? I would love to hear what you got and if you got some of the same items I did what did you think of them?

Plan with Me- Wizard of Oz

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A while back when I was thinking about what themes I wanted to use in my planner for the month of February. The first couple of ideas were pretty obvious ones, to me at least. Of course I had to do a Valentine's week and when I saw the pink my first thought was of pink roses. Next I wanted to highlight the red and one of my first thoughts was of Dorothy’s ruby slippers in the Wizard of Oz. I was so happy to find the clip art and digital papers to use for this week.

I hope you enjoy the close up photos of the pages in my spread.

Plan with Me- Valentine's Day

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I love this week's spread!! I was so happy to find the digital paper package that I used. I love how the red and pinks are accented with the grays. I think it really tones it down and makes it the perfect combination.

Here are some pictures of the individual pages in case you want to see details better.

January 2016 Graze Box

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My Graze Box for January didn't come until the very last of the month so I feel like I am really late in getting this up.

Anyway, here are some pictures and my thoughts on what I got in the box.

I do love these boxes because of the variety of snacks I get to try. For the most part they are pretty healthy and most have been downright good.

The first item this month was the Banana Caramel Dippers. These things are so good!! I'm not a huge fan of most caramel sauces but this one was just right and it paired with the banana cookies really well. I have to admit when I saw the label I was a bit worried, some times when labels say banana the items have that fake banana flavor but these tasted just like real bananas. So good! I hope these make their way to my boxes again in the future.

Next out of the box was the Flapjack, these really are just granola bars, nothing really special but they do taste good.

The Brooklyn Bites were really good and my very well be my favorite so far. I do always lean more toward the savory snacks over the sweet ones and this one was really good.

The popcorn will have to wait until I have time to try it.

Tom Yum- so this is really first thing I have gotten from one of these boxes that I would rate as "nasty" I love the idea but the only flavor that came through was the lime flavor and it over powered everything else. I was really excited about trying this one but so disappointed by it. 

Peachy Orchard was another really good choice. I do love dried fruit and this was a fun combo. I don't think I have ever had dried rhubarb before and it was very good.

The Protein Granola topper was okay, I think I really need to get back in the habit of eating yogurt so I can enjoy it more.

Since I do love my nut and dry fruit combos the Vitamin E Defense was another one I will really enjoy this month.

So overall I am very happy with my box, there really isn't anything I don't like and I really am enjoying several of the items. I can't wait to see what comes next month.

Do you get a Graze Box?? If you do what did you get? Let me know.

Plan with Me- Pink Roses

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For the first week of February I decided to go all out with the pink! I found the background papers a long time ago and had been holding onto them just waiting for the right week to come up to use them. I love the combo of the pink with the green and the floral elements are just perfect too.

Here are the rest of the photos I promised. I hope you enjoy them.