There is something about a rainy day and a cup of tea. Even during the summer I find myself drinking a cup of tea here and there.
I've found tea is a great way to help calm my body down after a long day or even too much food.
Buddha Teas has such a great story (which you can check out here). I absolutely love the aspect that all of their teas are organic and wild harvested. They also see teas as a form of alternative medicine for many people (me too!) and that is why they strive to make the teas as clean and natural as possible from the harvest of the tea to their non- bleached tea bags.




*Disclosure* I was sent a box from Buddha Teas in exchange for a review. 
All opinions are 100% my own

On the eve of a photography trip around the world, Gabriele Galimberti sat down to dinner with his grandmother Marisa. As she had done so many times before, she prepared his favorite ravioli—a gesture of love and an expression of the traditions by which he had come to know her as a child. The care with which she prepared this meal, and the evident pride she took in her dish, led Gabriele to seek out grandmothers and their signature dishes in the sixty countries he visited. The kitchens he photographed illustrate both the diversity of world cuisine and the universal nature of a dish served up with generosity and love. At each woman’s table, Gabriele became a curious and hungry grandson, exploring new ingredients and gathering stories. These vibrant and intimate profiles and photographs pay homage to grandmothers and their cooking everywhere. From a Swedish housewife and her homemade lox and vegetables to a Zambian villager and her Roasted Spiced Chicken, this collection features a global palate: included are hand-stuffed empanadas from Argentina, twice-fried pork and vegetables from China, slow-roasted ratatouille from France, and a decadent toffee trifle from the United States. Taken together or bite by bite, In Her Kitchen taps into our collective affection for these cherished family members and the ways they return that affection.

In Her Kitchen is an evocative, loving portrait of the power of food and family, no matter where in the world you sit down for dinner.


My Review:
I loved this book. Everybody loves the meals their grandmother make, that's for sure. To be able see what meals other Grandmothers make around the world is so interesting and a great idea on Galimberti's part. It is such a treasure and an interesting cook book to have on your shelf. Galimberti captured every country so well in just one shot. I highly recommend getting this cookbook, it would make a great gift for your own grandmother! 


*Blogging for books sent me this book to review. All opinions are 100% mine* 

I personally have never had anything but peanut butter my entire life.
So when Artisana Organics asked if I want to try some of their yummy nut butter's, I said "Absolutely!". They sent me a lovely package with a jar of their Cashew Nut Butter and snack packets of all their other flavors.
When I received my package with the goodies, I immediately hopped on pinterest and started looking up recipe's for cookies I could make with cashew butter.
I found this awesome recipe and made the best gluten free cookies I have every made!

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup cashew butter
• 1 cup chocolate chips (use dark chocolate for a dairy free option)

1. Set oven to 350F
2. Whisk the egg and sugar together until well blended. Beat in the baking soda and cashew butter and then fold in the chips.
3. I use a 1 1/2 inch cookie scoop to scoop out balls of dough. Space them 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.
4. Flatten the balls of dough just slightly with your fingers or a spreading knife.
5. Bake for about 12-13 minutes. The cookies will puff up and just barely begin to get golden on the edges. They will look soft and a little under done, but will firm up as they cool.
6. Cool the cookies for a few minutes on the pan, then transfer to a rack.

Influenster is probably one of my favorite websites right now. Not only do I get great reviews of products from other users there, but I can use my love for social media to spread the word about certain products I enjoy.
I was able to receive a box of Influenster goodies that are for us college students to help survive the semesters of school.
The Vox Box I received was called "The Deans List Vox Box", perfect for this college student wanting to be on the deans list this semester :)


Left to Right
Kiss Eyelashes : I will be honest. I don't know if I'll ever use these. I am a very "natural makeup" typer of girl. However, I was impressed about how natural they did look and feel. 
Playtex Sports : Every girl needs feminine products. We are never NOT going to need them. I tend to prefer the pad over tampons (not afraid of a little TMI here on the blog ;)) but it is always good to have a box around incase of a spontaneous trip to the beach. 
SoftLips Cube : Besides the pens (which I wrote about below), this is probably my other favorite item of the box. It was so sweet and made my lips super soft and smooth. PLUS (a bonus for us GF peeps) this chapstick is Gluten Free. Says so right on the back! Yay! 
Cover Girl "Ready, Set Gorgeous" : I used liquid foundation for a while as a teenager, now I have switched over to powder but I do like to keep some liquid on hand incase some stubborn pimples won't fade away. The color of this foundation was a little "orangier" (is that even a word) then I had hoped for, but it has great coverage and felt very light on my skin.



Other products in the box were 
Pilot FriXion Clicker Pen's : These things are the best. I am a HORRIBLE speller (if you've read my blog for a while you probably know that by now), so having a pen that has an eraser is amazing! I had to write a check last week and accidentally wrote the wrong number and it was so nice to be able to erase it and fix it. Thanks PILOT! I'll be buying these pens from now on. 
Sinful Colors No Text Red : I am always up for getting new nail polish. This color was amazing. Perfect for fall.  It doesn't last to long (but I also didn't put a base/top coat on when I painted my nails), but thats ok with me. I like to change up my nail color every couple of days. Sinful Colors is also running a great campaign with this color to raise awareness to people to not text and drive. Tweet #NoTextRed to help bring awareness. 
Airhead Bites : These did not last long. My husband loves him some airheads so we ate them within 48hrs of getting the box. My only complaint is they taste similar to Skittles, just a little bit more chewier. They are a great in-between class sweet snack though.

Book Review :

Broken Wings

By Shannon Dittemore 

Published by Thomas Nelson

Eshakti is this great fashion company that lets you customize your dress style and size. I didn't have to customize my size too much, but I did make my dress a little shorter to keep up with the very mild winters we have here in Florida.
Eshakti makes getting a dress that fits you in the right way easy and accessible  Also, all their dresses are decently priced. If your looking for a nice dress and a willing to spend just a little more to make sure it fits to your exact measurements, Eshakti is the place for you!

And let me say their customer service is great! The first dress I picked out ended up not fitting me right, so I emailed them and they were more then happy to send me a new dress in a new style! Yippee.

To learn more about Eshakti visit their site here! 


*this dress was sent to me by Eshakti in exchange for a review. The opinions and photos are 100% all mine.

I saw the trailer for the movie a couple weeks ago, and even though i haven't succubus to the "zombie's are cool" hype lately, the movie looked almost cute, and after doing some research I found out it was based off a book. SO of course, being the bookie that I am. I had to read it.

What its about


What I think/though
I found myself "awwing" quite often while reading this book. "R", though a zombie, thinks like a human and draws you in and makes you sympathize with him, it's sometimes unbelievable that you slowly find yourself feeling sorry for a zombie. Isaac Marion's ability to make a zombie relateable its quiet funny and genius. I finished this book RIGHT before the New Year, but I hope you take the time to put it on your "to read in 2013" list.
The ONLY thing I disliked about the book was the use of bad language. Sometime it was a little unnecessary for me. But overall its a great book and you should read it!

My Review-
I wasn't sure if I'd like this book to be honest. I am hesitant with prequels to begin with. The only prequel books I have enjoyed is "The Infernal Devices" by Cassandra Clare.  And as much as I loved the Maze Runner series, I still had my doubts about this book.
Guys.
If i can finish a book in under a week, let alone 3 days, it is pretty dang good.
I cried reading the prologue. No lie. It was so heartbreak yet so amazing.

If you loved the Maze Runner trilogy you have to read The Kill Order.
I gave it 4/5 stars on my goodreads profile. More like 4.5/5, the only reason I didn't give it a full 5 is it took me a good couple chapters before i was really into it.

About the book

About the author 
To be honest,I've been so busy lately I haven't really had time to really sit down and read this diligently. But I did get to read a few chapters a couple days ago and what I did read was amazing. Such a greats story's that are written so well. This book is a quick read but a good one and definitely one to check out! 

As One Devil to Another: A Fiendish Correspondence in the Tradition of C. S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters