H54F ..Plus My Favorite Dog Treat Recipe

Hey ya'll..  Hard to believe Christmas is next week, huh?!  Didn't we just have Christmas?  Feels like it.  Every where you go people make conversation by asking "are you ready for Christmas?"  Umm, no.  I'm not..and all the people that say they are..are just over achievers..Show-offs!

I'm sorta mellow this season...mellow is my way of making myself feel better about being completely lazy when it comes to anything Christmas related..  I'm not in a huge rush to wrap any presents.  Sitting here looking at my tree I have seven gifts - six of which I have wrapped myself.  I have a ton locked up in my spare bedroom...I'll get to em eventually aka tomorrow..Not feeling so merry and bright...But tis the season..I will put on my Santa shirt, a smile, and I will make it a memorable Christmas for Trey.  

Trey and I have baked a few batches of cookies here and there that we have already given away, and I've made 5 batches of candy - which is amazing by the way.  My house is decorated - I hung the last of my Christmas decor last night, my elf is on vacation, my to-do list is getting longer, my radio has been playing Christmas music since November..Christmas is coming..ready or not. Fa la la la la la...

I made my first ever batch of candy this week..I have never used a thermometer while baking, so I was a little overwhelmed and freaking out.  I made Kyle help me in case I needed a few extra hands.  It turned out to be so good...like so seriously good that I had trouble sleeping that night because I was trying to come up with a name for my new candy shop.  I'm not making this stuff up, and yes...admittedly, I have issues.

Parker Peppermint thought it would be a good idea to take Brodie for a ride...Next thing I knew he was saddled up and on the ride of his life while they were rockin' around the Christmas tree.

Before Parker went on vacation he tp'd the tree...wise of him to disappear..

  

I took this picture on one of my runs last week..

I love running while the sun is setting..

Sonnie and I experimented with the leftover greenery from my wreaths, and came up with this for my mailbox.  Turned out pretty great!

My skin has been so extremely, painfully dry...mostly on my face and lips.  I am really picky about what I put on my face, but I was desperate and dug through my box of samples looking for a new type of moisturizer, since mine obviously was not working.  I found this sample of Carmex healing cream and within twelve hours I had relief and my dry skin was gone. 

Every Christmas I make my dogs special treats for their stocking..They have (what I consider) healthy ingredients for dogs, and they absolutely love them..

Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Treats

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 eggs

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350

Whisk together all ingredients in a bowl.  Add water as needed.  I add a tablespoon of water at a time until I get the desired consistency...

Remove the dough from the bowl and using your hands roll into a ball.

I pull a handful at a time from the ball and roll it out.  You can roll the entire ball, but I find it easier to do a little at a time.

Using cookie cutters, of your choice, cut your treats and lay them on a cookie sheet.  

I bake them on my round stone.

Bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes.

Let them cool and then get ready for the poor pitiful begging to begin...

Your dogs, or your dog friends will love them!!

xo,

Carrie

High Five for Friday

Hello there, Friday friends.  I've been busy, busy lately, so let's get straight to my highlights...

Last week I was in Louisiana.  I was there for a funeral service the day after Thanksgiving, so until that day we spent our time traveling and making the most of our trip with family.

We rented a house on the Liberty Bayou in Slidell.

This was our lovely view each morning at breakfast.  My first morning waking up at the Bayou house I went straight to this window to see if I could spot the supposed gator that resides in the back yard.

Once everyone was up we were all looking for the gator..

Pretty sure Marcie and I could be voted best dressed gator hunters.  We were just killing time waiting for everyone to get ready to spend the rest of the day in New Orleans.

No gator.  Only this adorable teenager.

I loved being able to show Trey around the French Quarter.  I don't think he was as excited as I was, but when he is older I hope he will look back and appreciate the memories we made.  Teenagers can be so very hard to please..

It was a beautiful day..

The following day was Thanksgiving...Myself, Kyle, Trey and these fun cousins all registered for a five miler turkey trot.  They could quite possibly be the coolest and funniest people I know, and I am so glad that they like to run, even if they do all run faster than me...

We had a blast doing this run together.  Nothing like pumping out a five miler bright and early in the morning with some of your favorite people..

I was pretty proud of my time, I would have been jumping up and down elated had I crossed the finish line under one hour, but better luck next time.  I'm still way faster than I was this time last year, and that's good enough for me.  A year ago I could barely run 4 miles, and I was ready to keep running when I was done with this race.  I was feeling pretty awesome..We celebrated our victories by making a trip to the Quarter and stuffed our faces with fresh beignets..coffee and hot chocolate (for me).

Once I got home from Louisiana this little guy of mine was stuck to me like glue.  We've done a whole lot of snuggling, and I love it!

The Budweiser Clydesdale's were in town for our Christmas parade.  They were on display for public viewing one day, so in between doctors appointments and movie dates we stopped by to check em out. They are so gorgeous..and their dog is the cutest!  

Speaking of movie dates..Have you seen Catching Fire yet?  Loooved it!

Our elf...Parker Peppermint, showed up one evening this week.  Trey chose Rice Krispies for his cereal of choice, and the next morning we discovered that Parker busted out of the box and made a huge mess.  Apparently he offed one of the Keebler elves.

Another night he gave Kyle a uni-brow and took it upon himself to improve his mustache.

Such a naughty little guy.

Yesterday I found him admiring sweet baby Jesus.

Bella was once a dog I fostered for the Humane Society.  When she came to me she was severely malnourished, had mange, three different kinds of worms and wasn't quite sure how to act around people. She was pitiful..she had never been loved before.  Just used to make babies, then thrown in a ditch when she was too old to make any more.

During the first four weeks I had Bella she had to be secluded from all of my other animals..she had to be on a different schedule and was given some extra, extra..(extra) TLC..after four weeks she was mange and worm free and got the thumbs up from the vet to be ready for adoption...She was adopted almost immediately from another Humane Society volunteer.

This is Bella now, and this is the picture that her sweet Mom sent me this week.

She often shares pictures and videos of Bella and they always make my day.

So proud of how far this little girl has come!

For the last several years my Mother in Law has made me a natural wreath to enjoy during the holidays.  This year, she stopped making them and decided to teach me her craft.

Earlier in the week she took me around town to show me the places where she gathers her greenery.  I was seriously freaking out.  I was like "you get it here..??  Really??  Are we allowed to be here??...are we going to get in trouble??" I found myself lecturing her telling her I wasn't sure this was the best idea. I was terrified of the thought that my one phone call would be to my Father asking him to please come bail me out of the slammer because Sonnie and I got arrested cutting the green for my wreaths. Her only advice was.."well, just act like you're supposed to be here" Oh, Lawd..I'm telling you what!!  I was running and hiding behind these trees so no one would see me.  I seriously looked like I wasn't supposed to be there..It was hysterical. 

So after a few hours we had three tins full of beautiful fresh greenery.

This afternoon was wreath making day..

dun, dun dun...

Slowly my very first wreath began coming together..

Sonnie was making one right beside me..Teaching me as I went along..

Here's my finished product!!

I couldn't wait to get it home, hang it on my front door and put a bow on it.  I am so proud of myself, and can't wait to make them for others next year!  

I'm taking over the wreath making business and couldn't be happier!!

I hung the amazing wreath Sonnie made on the old mirror on my mantle.

Now my home is officially Christmas ready.  

Everything in my area is iced over, so we're staying warm and snuggled this evening.  

I have the sweetest little snuggle buddy!!

Thanks for stopping by...Stay warm out there!!

xo

Carrie

Bonjour Jolie - October Box

Subscription boxes seem to be all the rave the last few years, and I have to admit I've jumped on the bandwagon with more than a few.  I love nothing more than paying a minimal fee and having some fabulous products that I actually use delivered to my mailbox each month.  It makes me pretty happy to open my mailbox and see a box waiting for me..it's like my birthday all over again (without aging)..

I did a google search and found an extensive list of reviews on some of the best subscription boxes out there.  No fooling guys, this list is massive, and it has any and every box imaginable...you can mark everyone you know off your Christmas list just on that one single page.

Okay, onto the good stuff.  This box I am sharing with you today is called Bonjour Jolie. It is a period box, which costs $16.00 a month plus shipping and handling.  They are a fairly new company..(I believe since February 2013), although you would never know it.. They are pretty fantastic and wonderful people to deal with.

So, what is a period box?  It is a monthly subscription box that is tailored to your specific needs for your time of the month...Upon signing up you set your preferences..your cycle date..your preferred brand and type of tampons or pads that you use.  

For example..when Aunt Flo visits me I am all over the place with regular, super and super super flows all in the 4-5 days of my cycle.  It's pretty ridiculous.  So, when signing up for this box I chose the brand I always use. They have a list of every brand on the market.  You have the option to pick one type of tampon you need..ie. regular, super, super plus, etc.. Since I needed all three I wrote a note in the additional info box saying that I use all three, and could they please include them in the box.

As well as the specific brand and flow of tampons and/or pads in your box you will receive a special gift, handmade bath and body pampering items, specialty teas, sweets, Advil, etc.  

I have never been disappointed in my box, actually, I have always been pleasantly surprised and I do look forward to receiving it.  

Since Bonjour Jolie knows when my cycle begins and ends I always receive my box two days before my period begins.  For months now I have not had to buy tampons myself, or send my husband to the store on the way home from work to grab me a box because I forgot (don't you know he loved doing that for me..)  Now I am very well taken care of - pampered, if you will..by the lovely ladies at Bonjour Jolie.

Now, let's check out my October box..

The box always seems small to me, but I promise you it is jam packed..air tight..like Mary Poppins' carpet bag.  I don't know how they fit everything in this box, but they do.

When you open the box (which is always so exciting) it is always wrapped in very pretty, feminine packaging.

It has a very nice detailed list of everything in your box..a description of each item, what it's use is, where it came from, and a price breakdown.

Everything is packaged very neatly.

There are usually three organza bags filled with goodies..

Your tampons and pads are very neatly and discreetly packaged.

I love a company that listens to your needs and follows through.  As I requested my tampon bag is always filled with all three types of the tampons I need in the brand I requested.

After receiving three months of pads and pantiliners I contacted Bonjour Jolie..I also have to mention that you do not have an "account" to log into on their website.  Which was surprising at first, and I actually emailed them to find out how to log into my account.. They told me that they prefer to talk to each individual to personally meet their specific needs...  Seriously!  Are you starting to see why I love this company so much?!  Their preferred method of communication is via email, and they guarantee to get back with you within 24-48 hours.  I don't think I have ever had a response from them that was more than a few hours later during a normal business day.  

Ok, so the point of this is..that I contacted them and asked if I could stop receiving the pads and pantiliners..1. because I rarely use them, and 2. I have a pretty big pile of them stocked up in my cabinet now..and I felt like it was a waste.  So, within a few hours I received an email and they were happy to oblige.  This change will be applied to my November box, and so on, until I ask them to change it again and I will receive all tampons..no pads.

Each box contains several teas and always a sweet treat.  I love drinking tea at night and since subscribing to this box my tea station in my kitchen has several teas that I would have never tried if it were not for Bonjour Jolie.  I even have some new favorites.

I was talking to a girlfriend earlier in the day - on the day I knew my box would be in the mailbox when I got home - and I said "I sure hope there is some sort of milk chocolate in there.." Each month I secretly wish for a Hershey bar to be in my box.. So, while others may be excited about the fabulous teas they will receive in their boxes..just give.me.chocolate!!

This little milk chocolate treat was eaten within minutes - I feel like I should send a thank you note just for the chocolate..

With the occasional exception of one or two different items all of the boxes are the same..meaning..if you get a box, chances are I got the same box.  

In my October box I received a nail kit..it contained a fingernail file, a cuticle pusher, argon oil, two nail polish remover pads - perfect for travel, a nail polish pen, and a nail art pen.

I love argon oil..it is wonderful for your cuticles..especially in these dry Fall/Winter months, it smells ahhmazing..and it is also fabulous for your hair, which is a bonus, bonus if you ask me!!

I have never used a nail polish pen...

It was quite easy and I painted one nail with two easy swipes of the brush..

I was like..eh..a nail pen..

I'll give it to the neighbor girl, then I decided to try it.. 

 I don't think I will ever use it, but it was fun to play with.

This pumpkin soap is to die for..I haven't actually used it yet, but I have smelled it..a lot.  It smells so nice that I opened it and made each person in my house smell it.  My husband wanted to know what it tasted like..it smells that good.  (I wouldn't let him eat it..)

I received a few feminine wipes and some Advil..both of which are perfect to toss in your purse or your travel bag.  The sample of the apricot and ginseng hand scrub is fab-u-lous!!  I love having soft skin, so I'm all about exfoliating products.  Works great..smells great!!

This little gem is a lotion bar.  Omg..it's amazing..you hold it between your hands - as you would a bar of soap - rub it together and it moisturizes.  I don't know how it works, but it does, and I love it!!  Use it on your hands, bottom of your feet, elbows, cuticles..anywhere that needs moisturizing.  Another great item for the cold months.  Besides the chocolate, this was my other favorite product in this box..and let's just say if you are on my Christmas list..you may just be getting one of these puppies for Christmas!

I am excited to finally share this box with you.  Please visit the Bonjour Jolie website and read more about this awesome company.  Also while you are there click the "shop" link, Once on the "shop" page you will see a breakdown of each months products...and also an option to purchase any of the items.

I would love to hear your thoughts or questions about this box, and I would love it even more if you subscribed..if you do be sure to tell them that you were sent from me at The Way I See it.

Thanks for stopping by..and I can't wait to share my November box with you..here's hoping for some more milk chocolate!!  :-)

xo

Carrie