I Applied to be a Ford #FiestaMovement Agent!

fiesta movement

So a good while ago a blogging friend of mine told me about an amazing upcoming campaign by Ford.  This will be the second year of the campaign and it’s going to be BIG!  I’ve applied and I’m anxiously waiting to hear if I’ve been chosen.  Let me tell you a bit more about the #FiestaMovement.

Ford #FiestaMovement Campaign

The Movement needs 100 agents to introduce the Fiesta. As an agent, you will be the voice of the 2014 Fiesta. You’ll complete missions, have tons of fun, and share the outcomes with your fans and followers. And here’s the twist. We’re going to share the best of the best content with the rest of the world. So if your stuff rises to the top, it could be your photo in prints ads or your face on TV.

How incredible is that?  The best part though will be driving a new Ford!  Ford will gas up the car that you get to keep for quite some time, insurance included. Those chosen will get to drive around town strutting their stuff, talk about it with friends and family, and make fun videos to share with the world.  Plus, to make it even more fun you get to do select missions.  I should say, you have the opportunity to participate in these missions because not everyone would enjoy jumping out of a plane, bungee jumping, etc.  For each mission you take you’ll bring along 1.) Yourself (duh!) 2.) your stylish Ford Fiesta, 3.) your video camera!  If I get selected I hope I can bring along a friend or two to celebrate Ford with me.

What You Need to Apply

A valid drivers license (that’s a given though, right?), a great attitude, and a video camera.  You will fill out a form with the required information, name, address, phone, email, etc. The form is simple, they really just want to know who you are, what you do, and what are your “mad” skills (for example I can whip out a video camera in .2 seconds at any given notice!). Then you are going to put those skills to the test and submit a video telling Ford (and the PR company) why YOU should be the next Ford #FiestaMovement Agent.

I’ve sent my video and application in.  I was even contacted the next day for a phone interview and they were over-the-top nice!  Yay! I got an interview!  They asked  fun questions about me and my hobbies and interests. I thought it went well but I know they have hundreds and hundreds of submissions to wade though so I hope I stood out.  {Ford, if  you’re reading this, please pick me!}

Please show me your support and leave a comment. I’m just really excited about this opportunity and can’t wait to see who all will be chosen on April 30th. If you are interested in applying you can do so here: Ford #FiestaMovement Agent Application.

Wordless Wednesday: Dirty Dog

What Green Cupcake

Our dog Lucy was caught red handed…or green nosed!

For those wondering and worried if our dog is going to get diabetes, she’s not.  She’s fine.  She didn’t really eat a cupcake she just enjoyed the sprinkles my little girl left behind on the floor.  It still makes for a cute picture though, right?

Piggy Paint – Non-Toxic Nail Polish & Giveaway Ends 4/9/13

I’m so very excited that I don’t really know where to begin.  I guess I’ll start at the beginning!  Mom Central asked me if I wanted to participate in a campaign they were hosting for Piggy Paint.  I jumped at the chance because 1) I love nail polish, 2) I love Piggy Paint nail polish!

Piggy Paint Colors

If you haven’t heard of Piggy Paint nail polish let me tell you all about it.  It’s incredible!  It was made by moms for moms.  Once upon a time, a mom was painting her daughters nails on a styrofoam plate and she noticed that the nail polish that spilled on the plate actually ate through the plate.  It was at that time that she decided to research nail polish and make her own nail polish for her kids.  That lady was Melanie Hurley and her nail polish is Piggy Paint.

Piggy Paint vs Solvent Nail Polish

Piggy Paint is a water-based polish that is specially formulated of natural ingredients. Finally, a kid-friendly, pregnant-mama polish!  They say it’s as natural as mud!  It is free of formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, biphenyl A, ethyl acetate and acetone…and it’s made in the USA!  Check out their cute new spring colors:

Piggy Paint

(From left to right)  Girls Rule, Forever Fancy, Dragon Tears, Tea Party for Two, Sometimes Sweet, Jazz it Up, Ice Cream Dream, & Mac-n-Cheese Please.  Aren’t those cute names?  Speaking of cute…check out my little girl!

Cuteness Nailed!

I think she’s cute but I might be more than a bit biased.  She loved having her nails painted!  I was worried because I’ve never painted them before.  We played with the bottles all week and worked on her colors with them.  (So far she can say them all except orange!)  Then on Saturday I got my hair dryer out and sat in the floor.  She sat in her little red rocking chair and held perfectly still while I painted each nail.  Then I held her hand and sang the ABC song twice while I blew her nails dry.  The song and hair dryer helped keep her distracted and she was happy the whole time.  I occasionally blew it in her face and she liked that.  Then we painted the other hand and repeated the drying process.  Perfect nails without a smudge!  The bottle recommends two coats but one coat covered well and I didn’t want to press my luck.

Piggy Paint Completes the Outfit

Here’s a picture of my little princess with her Daddy.  Her nail polish matched her Easter dress perfectly and everyone at church commented on her nails.  I was surprised how well the nail polish stayed on considering it’s a water-based polish.  It stayed on for two good days before it began chipping at all which is all I would expect anyway.  I think there’s going to be a lot of fingernail painting in our future…and I’m excited about it!

Want to buy?

You can buy Piggy Paint at Walmart and at PiggyPaint.com. To save 15% off your order enter “PiggyFun” at checkout.  This code expires April 30, 2013.

Toe-Tally Nail Polish Set

Want to win?

I have one “Toe-Tally Fancy” 3 polish set to giveaway to one lucky reader.  This is a $24.99 value!  Enter via the Rafflecopter code below.  Winners must be 18 years or older and from the continental United States.  Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Piggy Paint. I received a product sample to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.

Dazzle Dry Nail Polish & Easter Egg Nails

4 Steps to Dazzling Nails

If you’ve never tried Dazzle Dry’s 4 steps to dazzling nails then you are missing out!  It delivers a glorious shine that lasts and lasts as long as  your nail polish does.

Step 1 – Nail Prep gently cleans and conditions your nails.

Step 2 – Top Coat dries in 2 minutes flat and helps your nail color stay put for the long haul.

Step 3 – Nail Polish goes on smoothly in just one coat but the bottle recommends two.

Step 4 – Top Coat goes on and dries in a breeze leaving you with shiny, gorgeous, dazzling nails!

 

Dazzle Dry Nail Polish

Check out these four new beautiful spring colors Dazzle Dry just came out with.  Aren’t they lovely?

 

Dazzle Dry

Dazzle Dry says that they’ll dry manicures completely in 5 minutes and it’s true!  It takes longer than 5 minutes for all the steps and for the painting itself but once painted they dry very fast.

 

Base Coat Tip

I’ve used Dazzle Dry for years ever since my mom bought be my first set.  When I received this set in the mail, compliments of Dazzle Dry, I noticed that the base coat looked different than it usually did.  I thought it was just a new formula but as I was reading the small instruction booklet that came with it I found out that my base coat had actually turned to gel in the cold weather.  I’m glad I had read about it before trying to apply it like that!  The weather should be turning warm soon but I just wanted to post this and warn anyone who may be purchasing these in the future and who may receive a gelled base coat in the mail.  It’s a simple fix, all I had to do was soak it in warm water for just a few minutes and it turned back to liquid again.

 

Easter Egg Nails

Check out these Easter egg nails I painted in celebration of spring!  For the full step by step tutorial you can visit Shore Savings with Patti.

All in all, I highly recommend this set to anyone who is serious about beautiful nails.  It holds the color for a long time and the shine is unsurpassed!

Letter to My Daughter – About Life

My Girl

 

My Dearest Daughter,

When I was a little girl, your grandmother and I had a nightly tradition.  She would lay with me in bed and just listen as I told her about my day.  I’m sure I rambled on and on about nothing but she was always good to listen to me.  I would often ask her to share stories from her own childhood, something I could relate to.  I can still vividly remember many of her stories.  I think I rehearsed them over and over in my mind because they made me feel like I was normal, like I was on the right path.  I cherished those times and I hope to share this tradition with you soon.  You’re learning many new words everyday so I don’t think it will be too long now before we can start this.

I’m astounded at how fast you’re growing and learning!  Here is a small list of the things I want you to always remember:

  1. You are loved, very loved! By everyone in your family and by so many others.
  2. You’ll have lots of friends in life.  Some will stay with you for a lifetime but most will come and go.  Always be the best friend you can be.
  3. Learn from your mistakes.  You’ll make mistakes, everyone does, but it’s important to learn from them and move on.  Don’t waste an opportunity to learn.
  4. Love your body. You are beautiful just the way you are. You don’t have to be skinny to be pretty.  Beauty is found in all shapes and sizes.  Take care of your body by eating healthy and exercising but don’t put too much focus on outward beauty.
  5. Try your very hardest in school but don’t worry too much about what your grades are.  Believe in yourself.  I believe in you, your Dad believes in you, and so do all of those other people I mentioned before that love you.
  6. Work hard.  My grandpa taught me the joy that comes from working hard.  I hope you’ll learn this lesson too.  Don’t be afraid of hard work.  Take a break from time to time but don’t give up, even when you feel like it.
  7. Don’t worry about the cool kids and what they think of you.  The less you care about them the happier you’ll be.  Don’t ever do anything just because someone else is doing it.  Trust your instincts.  If you have to think twice about doing something or if you’re worried you’ll get caught doing it, walk away.
  8. Don’t be discouraged by the word “no.” You will hear it many times from your Father and I but there’s always a reason behind it.  Remember #1 when you’re tempted to be discouraged.  You are loved!  There is a reason for the “no.”  Trust us.
  9. You can’t change people.  You can’t change your friends, your parents, and even men later in life.  Always accept people the way they are and if they aren’t someone you want to become then don’t hang around them (except your parents of course, you’re stuck with us!).
  10. When you’re having a down day, find something that makes you happy and do that.  I like to listen to music and dance like a crazy person.  You might like to run, draw, sing or write a poem.  Find something that you like to do that brightens your spirits.
  11. Your attitude is your choice.  This is a great lesson to learn early on!  You control your thoughts.  Always try and see the bright side of a situation and see the good in people.  You can’t always change your circumstances but you can always change your attitude.
  12. God loves you.  He created you special and He cares about you more than you can comprehend.  He wants to be your very best friend.  He’s always there to listen, even when Mom and Dad are busy.

I enjoy spending each and every day with you and I look forward to the watching you grow up.  You’re a beautiful little girl!

I’ll love you always.

– Mom

 

A few bloggers and I decided to put together a Letters to our Children blog hop and we hope you’ll enjoy reading these heartfelt letters to our children.  There are 9 blogs in total and to hop over to the next blog please visit, Penelope’s Oasis.  She’s fabulous, I know you’ll enjoy her!

April Photo A Day Challenge

Because each of our Photo a Day Challenges have been more fun than the last I couldn’t help but host another one.  Welcome to our April Photo a Day Challenge!

A thousand apologies for those who were waiting on this and waiting patiently for it.  I’ve been dreadfully laid up in bed sick this past week and I haven’t been able to get this together until now.  Please forgive my tardiness!

Did you play along with us last month?  If you’re a regular photo-a-day’er or if this is your first challenge we welcome you to come and join us!  This is all for fun so if you skip a day or two you can make them up later or just forget about them.  No pressure!  This is just a fun way to slow down and focus on the beauty in life.  Every day moments in life are beautiful!

 April Photo a Day Challenge

 

It has been a true joy to see all of your fun pictures and to get to know some of you better!  More and more people are participating and I’ve been trying my best to make it around and comment or like everyone’s pictures every few days.  I can’t wait to get started looking at this month’s pictures.

 

How to participate:

All it takes to join in is to simply take a photo and post it on a social media site with the hashtag #EmbracingBeauty.  I’m using Instagram and sometimes I’ll post them on Twitter and Facebook too.  When you tag your photos with the #EmbracingBeauty hashtag they’ll join the list of photos under the #EmbracingBeauty hashtag (on Instagram & Twitter).  If you click on the “#EmbracingBeauty” it will pull up everyone’s photos who are playing along.  You can see all the fun photo ideas other Embracing Beauty readers are sharing.  What fun!!

 

Who’s ready to join me?

SuperJeweler: Sapphire Ring Review & Coupon Code!

I love jewelry and it’s probably safe to say that a lot of women do as well.  While I may not have a huge collection of nice jewelry (yet!), the pieces I do own are unique and each tell a story.  Some I bought myself, some my parents bought me when I was in high school, but most of them were bought by my husband.  I much prefer unique pieces of jewelry found at smaller, independent stores (in person or online) over the ones you’ll find at the big jewelry chains.  You know the ones!  It’s not that they don’t have lovely pieces.  Obviously they are very pretty but the thing is, everyone has them.

Recently a company called Super Jeweler contacted me to review a piece of their jewelry.  I was overwhelmed by the beautiful jewelry, unique jewelry that they had on their website.  It took me a while to decide on a piece but once I saw this sapphire ring I was in love.

 

Sapphire Heart Ring

Isn’t it lovely?  It’s unique because it’s a rough cut sapphire.  That means that it isn’t a clear gem but it has a variation of color and cut marks on the surface (I don’t know the official name but I’m sure it’s not “cut marks.”). I’ve never owned a rough cut stone before so I was eager to receive it and when it arrived, it exceeded my expectations.

 

Sapphire Ring Detail

Do you see the detailed texture on the top of the stone?  I think it gives it character.

 

Tiffany Blue Box

The ring came packaged in this very cute Tiffany-blue colored box.

 

Sapphire Ring!

I just adore it!  Here are the specifics that the website gives, “HUGE sterling silver diamond and sapphire ring. Sterling silver diamond and sapphire ring contains one rough cut sapphire and four sparkly diamonds for a total gem weight of 7 carats. Diamond content is .02 carat in J/K color, I2 clarity. One star diamond.”  The diamonds are barely noticeable but I didn’t choose it for the diamonds anyway.  I bought it for the main stone and the sweet hearts on the side of the ring.

 

Blue Ring Standing

Beautiful, right?  It’s not too big and not too small.  Just elegant.

Sapphire Ring Up Close

From this angle you can see two of the four diamonds.  The two diamonds are beside the second heart down from the top.  As you would assume, the other two diamonds are in the same place on the opposite side of the ring.

 

Sapphire Ring Laying Down

I have been enjoying wearing my new ring out and about. I even had a few friends and family members ask me about it and compliment me on it.  It’s an eye-catcher for sure!

 

Sapphire Ring

All in all, I’m very pleased with my experience.  Super Jeweler has been great to work with and order from.  The ring I’ve got is amazing and I’ve made sure I let my husband know how pleased I am with their products. *wink wink*  The next time you’re looking to buy a piece of jewelry for yourself or a loved one be sure and check out Super Jeweler.  They have unique, high quality jewelry at reasonable prices.

*Here is your exclusive coupon code to save 15% off just about anything at SuperJeweler.com! Just enter embracingb1 at checkout to save 15%!*

Connect with Super Jeweler:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SuperJeweler
Twitter: https://twitter.com/superjeweler

 

Disclosure: Please note that the opinions and views expressed in this review are my own and based on my personal experience with the product and company. You may encounter a different experience with this than I did. SuperJeweler.com provided me with free products to review and did not see my review before it was published here.

#ShareBreakfast with Kellogg’s

Kellogg's share breakfast logo

Everybody knows that breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  It’s the meal that gets your metabolism jump started in the morning and preps you for a good day of energy and concentration.  Being a mom with a toddler at home I need all the energy I can get and since I’m a blogger I need all the concentration I can get.  I don’t have a lot of time to blog so when I do it’s nice to be able to focus completely on what I’m doing.  My husband used to dislike breakfast but he has found that when he eats breakfast he’ll make better food choices the rest of the day.  If he skips it, he’s starving by the time lunch comes and makes unhealthy choices.  My little toddler sleeps tremendously at night but when 8 o’clock rolls around she is ready to eat!  Giving my family breakfast is a small thing that I can do to help my family have the best start to the day that they can have!  Kellogg’s believes the same way I do and they want to make sure as many people as possible can have that same great start to their day.

The sad truth is, not every child is able to have the great start to their day that comes from eating breakfast.  1 in 5 kids may go without breakfast everyday and Kellogg’s wants to do something to change that.  This is where their “Share the Breakfast” campaign comes in!  This is the third year they’ve hosted it.  This year Kellogg’s and celebrity Taye Diggs have teamed up together to help reduce this high number.

We can all help a child in need with a few simple actions!  This is what I like to call a Free Donation.  You won’t pay a dime, you only donate a few brief moments of your time.  For each of the following actions Kellogg’s will share breakfast to a kid who might otherwise go without.

Until April 15th we can all share a breakfast with a child in need with a few simple actions. A dollar will never leave your pocket and it won’t take more than a minute. For each of the following actions Kellogg’s will share breakfast to a kid who might otherwise go without:

Here’s what you can do to help:

It’s very sad to think about any kid not being able to have access to the food that they need.  As a child I was never without food and it just breaks my heart to think of a little one going hungry.  Head over now and let’s take these simple steps to help feed needy children.

 

Kelloggs Share Breakfast Infographic

Here’s a few pictures from a #ShareBreakfast get together I had with a bunch of friends.  We had Kellogg’s cereal bars, fruit, eggs, and biscuits and gravy.  It was yummy!

 

Breakfast

This is me and my little lady.

 

#ShareBreakfast

Friends of mine enjoying breakfast.

 

Breakfast Line

Here the men are at the food table.

 

#ShareBreakfast with Kellogg's

Cute kiddos enjoying their breakfast!

 

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Kellogg’s. I received a product sample as well as a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.

Little Remedies…because kids get sick!

Little Remedies Logo

 

Despite my best attempts, my little girl has gotten sick.  She’s come down with an awful bug and it breaks my heart.  While I just hate seeing her so miserable I am enjoying the extra cuddling.  It’s cough and cold season and there is only so much you can do to protect them, right?

 

As a mom I want to do my best to keep my family healthy and some of the ways I do that is by fixing nutritious meals, staying active, and keeping the house clean.  When they do get sick though, it’s important to me that the medicine they take is good for them.  As natural as possible.  You moms out there know that it’s not always easy finding an effective medication out there that fits that bill.  There are so many choices, different wording, different dosages, and it’s easy to become overwhelmed.  That’s why I was so happy too learn about Little Remedies products early on.  They are fabulous!

 

Little Remedies® products do not contain any artificial flavors, artificial colors or alcohol and are created with the very specific needs of children in mind. Little Remedies® Everything they need. Nothing they don’t.™

 

Little Remedies uses the “Less is More” approach with their products.  That means that they use as few ingredients as possible and they keep their products free of alcohol, artificial dyes, or artificial colors.  Isn’t that comforting?  You don’t have to look for the dye-free version of one of their products because they all are!  If you’re trying to be more natural in how you treat your children then you’ll want to check out Little Remedies.

Little Remedies New Parents Survival Kit

I registered for Little Remedies’ New Parents Survival Kit because this sounded like a dream for a new mom.  It came with a good selection of safe, gentle, and effective products for relief of common disorders.  I remember reading that each of the items included were recommended by pediatricians.  It even came in a convenient carrying case.  Convenient, safe, baby products, organized, easily accessibly and able to be stored neatly out of kids reach?  Check!  Before I went into labor I was feeling like a good mom.  No one ended up buying this for me off of my registry but it was important enough for me to have it that I bought it myself.  I am so glad that I did and I’ve recommended it to every new mom that I know.

 

Little Tummys Gas Relief Drops

 

I started out using Little Remedies when my sweet newborn had an upset tummy.  The Little Tummys Gas Relief Drops helped soothe my little one’s tummy.  They were such a blessing in those early days!  I really don’t know what we would have done without them.

 

Little Noses Nasal Aspirator

 

Ever since those early days I’ve been grateful for the nasal bulb that came with that kit.  It has a smaller tip than the many others I was given, which makes it much easier to use.  It’s also the only one that has a clear tip (so you can see what you’ve got) and that has a removable tip so you can clean it out (I recommend using pipe cleaners).

 

Little Noses Saline Drops

 

During these cold and dry winter months I’ve come to truly appreciate the Little Noses Saline Drops.  They are fabulous!  My daughter used to mind them but now she sits still and lets me use them.  They help her breathe better when she’s stuffy and help keep her nasal passages moist when she’s not.  Bloody noses are an awful thing to deal with but especially for a toddler.  I’ll do anything I can to help keep bloody noses at bay.

Little Remedies for Fevers

 

This latest cold has been rough and we pulled out the big guns, Little Remedies For Fevers, Infant Fever/Pain Reliever and Little Remedies For Colds, Honey Elixir.  My little one’s fever just broke.  Yay!  I have been using Little Remedies For Fevers to help bring down her fever when it gets too high.  There’s nothing worse that a sweet little one with a fever.  It’s pitiful. I’m so glad to have a safe fever reducer that I can turn to.

 

Do you remember when my whole family was sick earlier this year?  You might not remember my posts but I sure remember being sick!  My whole family had a horrible cough and I researched every homemade cough remedy I could find.  One of the things that was safe enough for my whole family to use was honey.  It worked well at temporarily relieving our coughs but it was so hard to dispense to my daughter, well, because she doesn’t drink tea.  I was relieved when a friend of mine recommended Little Remedies Honey Elixir.  She gave me her bottle to use until I could get my own and my daughter loved it.  A syringe was much less messy than a teaspoon, it tasted great (because you know that I had to try it!), and it had no artificial ingredients, saacharin, or gluten.

 

Kids will always get sick but Little Remedies safely helps them get better, safely.

 

What’s your favorite Little Remedies product??

 

 

“I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Little Remedies. I received product samples as well as a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.”

 

Big Changes!

You are already naked!

 

Do you remember the post that I wrote at the end of January about living on the edge?  To save you from reading it all over again, here’s a snippet of it.

 

 Without spilling the beans, I can say that this is a big decision and I would love your prayers.  It’s a God-sized dream, if you will.  It’s BIG.  Either God will bless it and it will succeed wildly or it will fail and I’ll be humiliated.  Because I’ve prayed about this and I’ve had the desire to do this for a while I’m leaning towards making the leap.

 

Well, I did it. I’ve made the leap!  Some big ole changes are going to be taking place around this blog soon so keep checking back for updates.  I really think it’s going to be good.  I’ve worked my tail off, Marisa from 5 J’s Design has slaved away and worked her design magic, I’ve prayed and prayed about it, and you’ll be able to see the changes taking place soon.

 

That’s why I’m writing this to you now, to warn you that changes are coming.  I personally dislike changes of any kind whether that means getting rid of old furniture, a store’s new layout, a new coupon policy, a discontinued shade of lipstick, and I could continue but I think you get the picture.  I dislike change and I figure some of you do as well so I felt I owed it to you to warn you in advance.  Hopefully this change will be good though!  Like new Spring flowers blooming and listening to song birds for the first time all season.

 

Thank you for reading my blog, commenting, and just for being you!  I’m blessed to have you here.

 

More details to come…stay tuned!