Ivory 2- in-1 Review

Hi everyone! I wanted to share with you the most recent product I have been

testing from Influenster.com.

It is Ivory's new 2-in-1 Hair and Body Wash.

#Ivory2in1Power

It boasts that it is a body cleanser as well as a shampoo and conditioner all in one.

So, I have been testing this since Friday along with my husband and two boys. 

So far we love it!

It has a super clean and refreshing scent, which is what we need with two stinky boys in the house!

I have been using it on the boys who typically have dry skin and are prone to eczema and this

has been very hydrating as well. I do wash the boys hair and my husband has been using it as a hair and body wash as well.

I have been using it mainly as a body wash because I dye my hair and I just can not mess with that.

But the great thing about this is the nice lather, the smell and it keeps your skin soft and hydrated.

I love that the smell lingers on your skin - so clean and fresh!

I don't know if you can tell from the picture above, but the bottle is huge.

 I did see it this weekend at my local grocery store and you simply can't beat the price.

We have more shower space now because we were able to remove several bottles and replace it with just one!

I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Time Flies

Boy time flies!! What have we been up to around here??

Well lots of DIY projects for one thing.

We inherited these bookshelves:

And a little paint turned them into this:

I am pretty happy with how they turned out. I may do a shade darker, which happens 

to be a light gray, but I am trying to live with it a little to see if it grows on me.

I rescued this baby with the help of my sister:

Totally free!

We have a "Take it or Leave it" shed in our community and when

I saw this sitting outside after our Little League Opening Day I wanted to pounce on it.

I had to wait until the following week and lucky for me it was still there!

It is old, really old.  No metal in those drawers so there will be some restoration involved, 

but I am thinking of painting it a french gray.

I will post pics of the process.

So these guys are getting pretty big!!

They enjoyed themselves at a school dance.

Here is CJ at his first game of the season:

Starting to feel like Spring here!!

Faves

Since the kids are off for a long weekend and I am just 

relaxing a little,  I thought I would share some of my current faves....

Tonight is the season finale of Downton. So sad, it is truly one of my all time favorite shows.

I just can't wait for season 4.

Nailtini nail polish in Frappe. It is the perfect nude shade.

Julep's Quick Dry Drops.

Seriously they are the best thing ever. Smell like lavender and really do the job.

No smudge or smears.

My new night cream by Borghese for Costco:

And lastly, my candle obsession from Anthropologie.

This scent has to be my favorite, but every one of them smells

delicious.

That's it for me.

Happy President's Day!

Newest Obsession

Have you ever heard of The Wet Brush?

Obsessed!

I swear it works.

I have really long hair that gets tangled super easy, especially after the shower.

I LOVE this product.

I got mine through amazon for about $7.

It's awesome.

No snags or pulls.

love it.

Have a great weekend!

Friday Five

Since it's Friday and I have not been posting regularly....

why not kick off the weekend with a favorite list.

Essie nail color in "No More Film"

perfect purlplely-blue color

Love Loreal EverCreme shampoo and conditioner. 

Its sulfate free and smells great!

Physicians Formula Nude Palette - grabbed one to try because it was on sale at CVS

this week. I have to say I love it! Way less expensive than Urban Decay Naked

palettes and the color really stays on!

Nabbed this adorable sweater on super sale at C.Wonder last week.

Mine is pink with navy hearts on the elbows. Love it!!

West Elm Ombre Heart Mugs - by far the best mugs ever!!

They are nice and big with a nice weight to them.

Love!

Have a great weekend!

DIY Powder Room

We moved into our late 1920's Tudor at the end of September.

With all the settling of unpacking and school stuff we really didn't have the time 

and money to start on any projects.

The house is very charming, except for the bathrooms.

Our upstairs bath is definitely a 1980s redo - gasp!

But since we are the only ones that venture upstairs it is on the back burner. 

Maybe I'll be brave enough to photograph it for you one day, but its awful....trust me.

But the powder room was needing some serious TLC and since guests use it that had to

be a priority.

So here is the before:

Just in case you can't make out that magnificent wall paper here is a closer look:

I honestly could afford the basics in this room so no budget for a steamer.

The paper was starting to peel in spots so we just "helped" it along and this is what was left.

The underside of the gross wallpaper!

We googled "DIY wall paper removal" and it said liquid fabric softener and warm water.
Great! Everything was sitting in the basement ready to go.
We sprayed and let it sit a bit and this is what happened:

It was just peeling off so easily.

We did remove the mirror and the switch plate.

We worked around the toilet which was the hardest part.

FYI, I am one of those spur of the moment DIYers. If mood strikes I am all on.

This was all sparked by me ripping a piece of wallpaper and now needing to complete 

this whole project.

Do yourself a favor and make sure you remove the molding and trim as well as the sink

before you start something like this.

We had to stop several times because we were just that into the amazement of the removal

of the wallpaper!

We were taking turns because the smell of the fabric softener was sickening after awhile.

FYI - USE UNSCENTED FABRIC SOFTENER - 

you will thank me later.

So here is the bare bath which needed to be sanded and patched.

I did take off the hardware and attempt to spray paint it black. The handles on the

door were fine, but the towel and toilet paper holders were not looking so great.

We did get a new faucet and bath accessories to spruce it up a bit.

We painted the trim and molding white and used left over paint from our bedroom.

It is a pale grayish color - its BEHR -"Silver Drop".

So here is the after:

I hate the mirror, but just didn't have enough time to find something I liked.

For now it is fine.

I think it looks cleaner and neater and definitely more presentable than

that awful wallpaper.

At least I'm not cringing overtime I walk by it!

Christmas 2012 Recap

Finally got my photos up.

Our first Christmas in our new home....

My mantel. Finally a fireplace for Santa to come down!

We have been enjoying a fire several times a week.

I actually white washed the brick. More on that in another post.

The stockings are from Lands End. The little trees hanging from them are

monogrammed. Definitely one of my favorite purchases.

I love this sweet little Drummer Boy pillow.

I swear the silhouette reminds me of Cooper.

I got it from Dear Lillie. Love all of her beautiful things.

Our sweet little elf "Murphy" made a return for the month.

I bet he was happy to go back up north!

These silly guys on Christmas morning.

They got some funny things in their stockings!

This little guy is shark obsessed this year. This shark scooter was the perfect gift!

The big guy asked for a real skateboard. 

We ended the day at my parent's house.

My nephew's first Christmas too!

The first snowman in our backyard!

{ten minutes after this picture was taken a very hungry squirrel stole the carrot nose!}

{about 20 minutes later he came back and stole the eyes too!}

I don't know what it is about this neighborhood, but we have some very brazen wildlife here!!