I must be truthful and tell you that originally I was going to write about Vaseline Aloe Fresh Hydrating Body Lotion today. I picked some up just a few weeks ago to keep by my new vanity area, and just love it. In preparing to write today’s post, I now see that it is, naturally, being discontinued. Don’t you hate every time you find something they discontinue it? It appears they are repackaging it and adding a much higher price tag to it. I’m sure it is the same dang thing. So, if you want to pick up a huge bottle (mine is 24.5 fl. oz. and I’m positive it was no more than $5 tops) here is a link on amazon.com: Vaseline Aloe Fresh Body Lotion. You can probably still find it at your local drug store or Walmart, etc. I certainly will.  It is very hydrating, and has a clean smell. It’s made with Aloe and Cucumber. It absorbs very quickly and leaves absolutely no sticky residue.

Urgh! Moving on. I’ll find my happy place and tell you all about Spongeables.

See at the top of the package where it says “anti-cellulite”? If you believe a scrub gets rid of cellulite, I wish you good luck with that. What I can tell you about these little darlings is that it is a great exfoliant. If you are using any kind of self-tanning products this summer, this would be a great thing to use before using your tanner. I am currently using the Grapefruit Pink. I loved it so much that on my next trip to Ulta I purchased the Orchid Black Tea. I’ve only smelled the box but I think the Orchid Black Tea smells the best to me. They both smell very fresh and clean. What I can tell you is this, even though it says it is good for 20 uses, I’ve used mine more than that and there is still plenty of soap in it. What I can also tell you is once the soap is gone; I think the scrub side will still hold up for a long time. That’s why I can’t review the Orchid Black Tea version yet. I’m not done with the first one! I purchased mine for a little over $7 at Ulta, and found them on line for you for $7 at Amazon with free shipping (and no tax). So, do what I always tell you to do, and add to your wish list on amazon, and when you have something else to order, you can either add this to it, to qualify for the free shipping, or combine it with whatever you are getting to qualify for the free shipping. You have to spend $25 to qualify. Now, can you stock up on these? Absolutely. Can you give these as gifts? Absolutely. Can you keep some in your guest bathroom? Absolutely. These are a must-have girls!

Now, I have to go dig through my beauty products and find what I am going to blog about next week, since that durn Vaseline lotion is discontinued . . .

As always, if you have any suggestions, leave me comments! This is a lonely job! xxxooo

Etsy.com is still one of my favorite places to shop. It’s been my Website of the Week before, and I can assure you it will be Website of the Week again. I can search Etsy all day long and never get bored. I have blogged about Etsy before, but for those of you may still be unfamiliar, let me just say that it is a social commerce website where artisans can sell their wares. Etsy is very strict about all items sold on their site; they either have to be vintage or be handmade. It is designed to make small businesses or artisans have a place to sell their craft without huge overhead. Oftentimes, I find something gorgeous in a store, whether it is a piece of jewelry or clothing, which comes with a huge price tag and/or name brand. I can find something very similar, often times better quality, for much, much less. But I go to Etsy more often than not just to explore, or when I am just looking for something specific, and always end up with something in my cart.

Okay, so the Etsy lesson is over. Let’s look at some great finds!

Kraftykash has beautiful hand crafted jewelry made from vintage maps, dictionaries, and bibles.

How about your own personalized shower curtain? Pamperyourstyle has lots of personalized items, including coasters, blankets, and shower curtains. Fun!

You can also find tons, and I mean tons of stuff holiday related. Look at this adorable 4th of July tutu from All Dolled Up Boutique! Think it will fit?

I hope this has given you a good idea of why you need to remember etsy.com when you are looking for something for yourself or to give as a gift. It’s great to always support small business!

This time of year I have several cooks in the kitchen getting food ready for outdoor grilling get-togethers. I love the Joseph Joseph Index Style Chopping Boards. This handy set of multicolored cutting boards is great for two purposes: 1) If I have extra hands in the kitchen, everyone gets a cutting board, and we draw straws to see who has to cut up the onions for the burgers. 2) If I have been abandoned by my help, and am all alone cutting several things, the boards are pre-marked so that there is no cross contamination. The cutting board’s categorization system offers four color coded boards to distinguish at a glance which board is intended for which use: red for raw meat, blue for seafood, green for veggies and white for cooked foods. For further ease, the boards also have an illustrated tab indicating their use. The four boards store in staggered order making the right board readily accessible and are contained in a neat ABS storage case that has a non-slip base. Each board is made from dishwasher safe polypropylene. And they display great on the countertop.

If you want to be even more OCD about it, you can get the Joseph Joseph Cutting Boards With Coordinating Knives. There is a color dot on each knife to coordinate with the matching cutting board.

Now, who wants to come over and help? Chop, chop!

I have shared with you before that even though I do not have small children, or grandchildren, I have several children’s apps on my iPhone. Makes me sound kind of creepy, huh? Well, I am anything but creepy. I keep children’s apps on my iPhone to entertain children at my office when the parents come in with their kids. This always happens more frequently in the summer.

I also keep my nieces and nephews entertained when they come to visit. Makes me kind of the cool aunt. Oh, and it makes the children quiet. Score!

Animatch is a 99 cent app but well worth it. I have had in on my iPhone for years, and it is always one that the small kids love. It not only is a matching game, but it makes animal sounds too.

Great for learning animal sounds, and memory skills. So while they are being quiet they are learning. It’s a win-win.