Escape with the New Sweet Meets Spicy TAZO® Chai Latte K-Cup® Pods

This post was sponsored by Starbucks as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received compensation and complimentary products to facilitate my review.

Between work, kids, sports, and other extracurricular activities, life can get stressful!  Sometimes you just need to escape from reality and be transported to another place.  The new TAZO® Chai Latte K-Cup® pods made from milk, tea leaves, and spices will take you on a culinary journey to exotic lands with the blended flavors of sweet cinnamon, cardamom, and spicy ginger.

TAZO® Chai Latte

Cleaning and Staining a Wood Deck

A special thanks to Thompson's WaterSeal for providing stain for this post! This post contains affiliate links, which means I receive a small financial compensation if you make a purchase using this link

If you have a wood deck, you know that there is maintenance involved to keep it looking nice. We re-configured our deck and replaced all the railings a few years ago and it has been about 3 years since we stained it, so it was looking a little rough. I brought my deck back to life in a weekend by following these steps.

Protecting your Skin Outdoors with Smart Stuff

We spend a lot of time outdoors in the spring and summer due to my teen playing soccer and having a swimming pool in our backyard, so it is important that we protect our skin from the sun and bugs.  I also try to use products that are not toxic to myself or my family, so I was interested in trying a new natural sunscreen and insect repellent from Smart Stuff.  Smart stuff was developed by physicians and is eco-friendly, biodegradable, and not tested on animals.  When I opened the box, I noticed the pleasant smell immediately; it smelled like the Spa!

Beach Bag Essentials

As Memorial Day quickly approaches, I realize that summer is upon us and I start thinking about vacation.  We take a family trip to the beach every year with my father and sister, along with her family.  We all love the beach and try to spend as much time on the sand as possible, but this wreaks havoc on your skin if you are not prepared.

China Hutch Makeover

When I first moved into my first home, my parents gave me their old 70's era dining room table and china hutch set.  It was not my style, but it was free, so I made it work.  Eventually my husband and I bought a modern dining table and chairs from Pier One, and gave the old table to my sister.  I always kept the corner hutch because it was a nice piece for storage, but it always bugged me that it did not fit in with my style.  I have been wanting to paint it for a long time, but could not decide on a color and was afraid of messing it up.  After painting a few other pieces of furniture, I was ready to finally tackle this project.

Celebrating Mom with Homestyle Lasagna - Featuring Ragu Pasta Sauce

Usually my mom is the one that always cooks for special occasions.  She is a wonderful cook and loves doing it, but this year on Mother's Day, she was recovering from knee surgery and could not get around very well.  I decided I would cook a meal for her this time!

What I am Wearing - Aventura Clothing

A few months ago, I announced on social media that I had been chosen to represent Aventura Clothing as a Brand Ambassador for 2016.  I will be sharing some of my Spring pieces with you today and introduce you to this family-owned, eco-friendly clothing company.  I am wearing the Raleigh short sleeved tee, Hathaway long-sleeved plaid top, and Blake skimmer pants. 

Our Basement Renovation - More Plumbing, Electrical, and Habitat Haul

We finished building most of the walls (the ones with plumbing), so the plumber was able to come back and finish running the plumbing lines in the wall and we also started running electrical.  My husband is actually pretty handy in the electrical department, but we want to make sure everything is up to code.  So, he helped my friend's son, who is a licensed electrician, run all the wires and put in the new fixtures.

What I am Wearing - Styling a Maxi dress

When the weather starts to warm up, I love to wear dresses!  The only problem is that my legs are still pale from the winter...enter the maxi dress!  I love maxi dresses because they cover my legs and look great on all women.  Maxi dresses are also very comfortable and can be dressed up or down with shoes and accessories.

Blogging With Intention - Goal Assessment

I have been joining with friends over at Sweet Tea, LLC for a monthly link-up where we share our blogging goals, which keeps us accountable to each other. This month I will be sharing how things went for  April and set a plan for what I want to accomplish during the month of May.