New Years Day Food

Posted on by Mandy

To some, this might be called traditional New Years Day food, which is supposed to bring good luck.

 

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Black-eyed peas

Cornbread

Cabbage

Hog jowl

But here in the South, this is just “soul food”.  This particular plate of food came from the best kitchen in the Mississippi Delta:  my grandmother’s.  Yes, I am totally biased, but she makes the best comfort food ever.  Her chicken and dumplins are to die for.  Our family enjoyed this traditional New Year’s Day lunch at Maw-Maw’s house and then sat around and visited.  It was a bittersweet day for us as a family, but we were all happy to be together and have learned this past year to cherish these times as much as we can.

Did you enjoy any of these foods on New Years Day?  I would love to know what you had in the comments.  It’s so neat to hear about different traditions.

Walgreens “Night At The W” Beauty Prize Pack Giveaway

Posted on by Mandy

If you love looking your best and want to learn a few new tips and tricks for your beauty routine this new year, you will definitely want to attend “Night At The W”, a beauty themed event aimed to helping you look your very best, on January 10, 2013 at every Walgreens store in the U.S. from 4-9 PM.

Beauty Advisors will be on hand to answer your questions and tell you how you can get your own glamorous look for the new year.  There will also be chances to win some fabulous prizes!  This is being billed as the official after party for The People’s Choice Awards. I’m excited about stopping in and I hope you will make plans to visit your local Walgreens store to get in on the fun!

LOOK YOUR BEST

According to Fashion Consultant/”Godfather of Style,” Tim Gunn: you don’t have to spend a fortune to get your own “red carpet ready” look. On behalf of Walgreens, Tim offers the following great tips and tricks:

·Get a Camera-Ready Smile: A bright white smile is absolutely necessary whether you’re walking the red carpet or the runway. A simple tip I tell all the runway models is use something like a Crest Whitestrips. There’s this 2 hour treatment you can put on when you are getting ready.

·Get Ready for Your Close-Up: When it comes to facial hair removal, there’s nothing to be ashamed of, and there’s everything to gain. Olay has something new that is perfect for this and because it’s from Olay you know your skin will look fabulous!

·Every day is a new chance for you to “walk the runway,” so I like to encourage woman to try new things whether it be a new lipstick or nail color.

·Some of the most stunning looks I have seen lately are topped off with healthy-thick hair. Not every woman has thick hair and as women age their hair tends to thin. There is a new hair thickening product on the market from Pantene that will give you that gorgeous hair

·To keep your skin glowing, it is important to stay hydrated by using a good moisturizer and drinking lots of water. And you can make your features pop with the right makeup and brightest smile.

GIVEAWAY

 

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Would you love to win the products pictured above?  I have a special giveaway package for one lucky reader which includes the following:

Crest® 2 HR Express Whitestrips

Olay® Facial Hair Removal (Medium to Coarse)

Pantene® Expert Collection AgeDefy Thickening Treatment

CoverGirl® Clump Crusher (Very Black)

CoverGirl Jumbo Gloss Balm

CoverGirl Nail Gloss.

To enter, use the Rafflecopter form below.  Giveaway open to U.S. residents 18 and older. Void where prohibited.  Ends January 21, 2012 at 12:00 AM EST.

I was sent the following products by Procter & Gamble to facilitate my review and an identical prize pack to give away to a reader.  All opinions are my own.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy New Year!

Posted on by Mandy

happy new year

 

I can remember this exact time last year, I had so many little items on my New Year’s resolution list that I wanted to accomplish.  Some of those things were serious, but most of them were frivolous.  I was so excited about the new year ahead and all of the great things I wanted to make happen.

A few days later, something happened that really made me see how insignificant most of those things on my resolutions list were. It made me see how self-absorbed I was.  It made me see what truly mattered and what wasn’t worth dwelling on.

It’s totally ok to set goals for yourself.  In fact, that’s a wonderful thing to help you become a better person.  However, I would encourage you to also look outward, around yourself.  Look at your friends, co-workers, family members, even the strangers you come in contact with everyday.  Are they smiling?  Are you picking up on anything different about them?  Often times we have a thought about something and then dismiss it as inconsequential or nothing to worry about.

This year I would encourage you to do these things:

Love your people.

Check on them often and ask them how they are doing.  If your gut tells you otherwise, keep checking in with them.  Encourage them.  Tell them how important they are to you.  Remind them of what makes them special and how appreciated they are.

Be merciful.  You really don’t know what someone is battling on a daily basis.

Always practice kindness, even to strangers.  Your smile may just be the one they need that day.  A kind word of encouragement goes a long way.

Yes, these are very obvious and basic things we’ve all heard before.  But sometimes, it’s easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of life that these things get pushed to the back and far down on our list of priorities.

Make looking out for others a priority this year.

I wish you a very happy and healthy New Year.