Final Thoughts on 2016

Hello all!
I decided that I was going to do one last blog post for 2016 and I finally decided that I was going to give my final thoughts on 2016 in general. This is going to include my own personal experiences of 2016 and what I think of 2016 in general. I also am going to include some goals that I want to achieve in 2017.

My personal experiences of 2016 have 3 major events that occurred. Two of them where amazing beyond belief and one almost spiraled me into a depression so let's start with the two happy events first.

First I finally opened up an Etsy shop where I began selling planner supplies. It's still a small Etsy shop but I have got big plans for it in 2017 so I'm really excited to see how much I can make it grow.

And even more amazing event that happened was that I became an aunt! My sister gave birth to a happy bouncing baby boy at the end of June and I am so in love with my little nephew! He's so cute and already has the entire family wrapped around his fingers.

The event that almost spiraled me into a depression took a toll on not only myself but my entire family. My father passed away on Nov. 14 and it hit us all very hard. He had been in ICU for almost an entire month due to liver failure from years of drinking alcohol to excess. For the last 2 months before he was administered into the hospital, he lived with me and I became his main caregiver along with my grandfather and uncle who has down-syndrome. It was hard, I'm not going to lie but it was worth it. Over the years, we've grown apart because he was a man of harsh actions and even harsher words. But in the end, we did make up and bury the hatchet. I was able to tell him that even though I will never forget anything he has said over the years but that I could forgive him. And in fact, I forgave him the moment he said those hurtful things and even forgave him for things he never said out loud; but spoke with this eyes.

Okay that's enough of that because emotions are still raw on that one.

Sadly this year has been horrible when it comes to not only deaths of close family but also of celebrities. I cannot believe that some of my favorite actors, musicians and authors are no long with us. And we seem to be losing more and more every day and I just want 2016 to be over with.

I am so excited for 2017 to come and I can't wait to see what I accomplish in the coming months. I have several goals that I want to achieve and if I'm honest some of the goals aren't just a want but a need. I'll list them below but keep in mind I change my mind like the wind changes direction. But I do want to keep these this year.

My Goals for 2017
1. Lose weight!
2. Expand my Etsy Shop
3. Finish writing at least one book, if not more.
4. Budget better
5. Grow my blogs
6. Spend more time with friends
7. Do things that I say I'm going to do and don't go back on my word.

And that really is all that I have in mind for goals next year. I'm pretty sure that I will add more to my list and that it will grow as the year progresses. But I really do want to achieve all of my goals this year. I just hope that I can cross off a few of these by the end of next year.

Thank you for reading my blog(s). I will list my other blogs below so feel free to check them out!

Until next time!

My Experience as a Caregiver
http://my-experience-as-a-caregiver.blogspot.com/

A Southern Girl's Weight-Loss Journey
http://southern-girl-weight-loss-journey.blogspot.com/

Daily Zenscape
http://dailyzenscape.blogspot.com/

Truvia Nectar Review

This is a liquid sweetener that is made from Stevia sweetener and blended with honey.

I love to use this in my green tea that I make nearly every other day. There is just something about mixing honey with green tea that just makes it extra special. It has the sweetness of Stevia and the added sweetness of the honey so no extra sweetener is needed. I have come to brew my green tea a bit more bitter than usual due to the sweetness that this liquid sweetener adds to my hot drink.

I do recommend this because everyone needs a little honey in their life. Not to mention with the weather getting colder and colder, honey is good for soothing sore throats which comes in handy.

There really isn't much else I can say about this product and once again I apologize for the recent being a little short. I am trying to get back to my old self but with the holidays coming up, it is hard to move past memories that seem so fresh and new. But please bear with me and hopefully with the new year coming in, I can make the reviews much longer and this blog better than ever!

Until Next Time!

Truvia Review

I tried this sweetener a while back but I just never got around to reviewing it for one reason or another. But now that I've recently used it, I was reminded that I had yet to review it.

This sweetener reminds me the most of sugar and for that it makes it easier to use than other sweeteners out there on the market today. It tastes so similar to sugar that I find myself having to double-check myself to make sure that I am actually used it instead of sugar. This makes the transition of removing myself from sugar entirely more easier because my body doesn't crave the familiar taste of sugar when I use this sweetener.

Now I have used other sweeteners alongside this one, in order to get a full comparison of this product and others. And in all honesty, no matter what sweeteners I try, I always find myself coming back to this one. The only one that comes close to taste is the Splenda Naturals, which I just reviewed. I feel that since is has more natural ingredients that out of all the other sweeteners out on the market that it might be the safest, healthier one to use. But for now I'll stick to Truvia every now and then because even though I use Truvia now instead of sugar, I still don't want to overdue it on any sweetener/sugar.

Well that's it for this short review, thank you for reading!

Until Next Time!

Tasty VoxBox Review - Kashi GOLEAN Dark Cocoa Power Plant-Powered Shake

Now I've had my share of powered shakes, especially in the mornings. I really like to have them in the mornings because I just feel like I get the most good out of them if I drink them in the mornings. Not sure how true that is but it motivates me to drink them so I'm not gonna complain at all.

I'm not one to drink cocoa flavored shakes in the mornings, I tend to lean more towards the fruit and veggie flavored ones. I just like the taste of them better in the mornings but I was willing to give this a try.

Now it does have a great taste and it mixes really well with almond milk. It didn't have any chalky residue which made me happy, because that is one thing that I just can't stand in a shake is the chalky residue that gets left behind; even after you mix it. However, I wouldn't have this everyday. For me, it's just too sweet to have everyday but some might like that. I would have this certain shake maybe once a week as a pick-me-up. Especially if I'm going to have a busy day, I feel that this would be the perfect pick-me-up shake to have.

All in all, it was a great shake mix but not one for me to have everyday. I do suggest that you try it yourself as everyone's taste is different so what might not work for me, might work for you.

Well that does it for this review. Keep a lookout for more reviews coming! Thanks for reading!

Until Next Time!

Disclaimer: Influenster just sent me this product/coupon for review purposes only. My review is of my own words and is not influenced in any way at all.

Tasty VoxBox Review - SPLENDA Naturals Stevia Sweetner

Since I've been trying to get healthier lately, I've been turning to sugar alternatives for the few times that I just have to have sugar; such as in my coffee and those few times that I feel like I need in my tea.

I'm not really big on eating sugary drinks anymore like I used to be when I was younger. This especially goes for sweet tea since I live in South, it is a common drink in every household. But as I have gotten older, the need to drink sugary drinks has diminished over the years; which really isn't a bad thing at all. In fact, it is one thing that I'm happy about as I've aged. However, sometimes I do get a craving for a glass of sweet tea and instead of making a big picture; I'll make myself a small glass of it and use a sugar alternative.

So I was happy to get to try SPLENDA Naturals as a replacement for sugar. Now granted, it does have a slight off sugar taste as an aftertaste but it's not bad at all; so you get used to it pretty quickly. I would say it is a great substitute for sugar and since it is made up of natural ingredients, I feel that it is a nicer sugar alternative compared to others out there on the market.

Another short product review but there isn't much one can say about this product, except go out and try it for yourself to see if you like it. Because everyone has their own taste of things.

Until Next Time!

Disclaimer: Influenster just sent me this product/coupon for review purposes only. My review is of my own words and is not influenced in any way at all.

Tasty Voxbox Review - Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce

Image Source: Google

Hello!

Today I'm going to be reviewing Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce that I received in my Tasty VoxBox from Influenster.

I was so happy to get this product in full size and I put it right to use! I am a firm believer that every household needs to have at least one bottle of hot sauce in it at all times and I am so glad that this is the bottle that I have.

I have tried many different hot sauces in the past but I have to say that this is my all time favorite. It has just the right amount of heat to it and it is not overpowering at all; which is great for my grandpa who pretty much hates things that were too hot and spicy.

You can also build up on the heat which is always a great thing since everyone has different taste for hot and spiciness in their food. I also love the fact that they advertise this hot sauce as something that can be used in anything! I look forward to putting that to the test as I cook with it overtime!

The most recent recipe that I used this in was my homemade beef stew.

My Homemade Beef Stew! 

I used just a little in the whole pot and then added it to my bowl since I like mine to be a little extra spicy. Since I already add cayenne pepper to it, I knew that the spiciness was going to be real! And I was right! But it was so good! I'm a true Southern girl and the spicier the better in my opinion!

This was one of the things that I thoroughly enjoyed in my Tasty Voxbox! I can't wait to use this hot sauce in more recipes!

Until Next Time!

Disclaimer: Influenster just sent me this product/coupon for review purposes only. My review is of my own words and is not influenced in any way at all.

Ebates Review

Hello!

Today I'm going to be giving my review of a popular website, Ebates!

Now I've heard of Ebates before but I honestly never gave it any thought at all. Because I have always been told that if something sounds too good to be true, then it's probably not worth your time. So I overlooked this site and went on about my daily life.

However, my interest was peeked a few months ago when Influenster gave out a badge for it where all I had to do was to sign up for it. So I signed up for and after that I pretty much forgot about it. Sad to say that I didn't realize what I was missing out on. So once again I went a few months without acknowledging the website and it's emails.

But as Christmas began to grow closer and I knew I wasn't going out on Black Friday, I decided that perhaps I should look deeper into this website that promises me not only great deals but also promises to pay me back a certain amount of what I spend on my online shopping. So the more I looked into Ebates, the more I began to kick myself for not giving this website a chance earlier. It is literally so easy to do and it is so safe! I can't believe that I didn't give it a chance until now.

If you don't know what Ebates is, it is a website that you sign up for free and they give you a certain amount of Cash Back when you make any online purchase by going through their website. There is an easier way to explain that but I hope that it is understandable. If you want a much clearer explanation, check out the website and look around for yourself; to see if this site is right for you! Which I'm pretty sure it is for everyone!

For instance, right now on Amazon you can get 10% Cash Back when you purchase something from Amazon by going through Ebates so that they can record your purchase. No credit information is taken but you can apply your credit card number, if you wish to make in-store purchases. But if you're like me and you just hate the idea of shopping in a crowded store then online shopping is where you want to be. While I haven't been doing Ebates for a long time and I haven't acquired that much in Cash Back; I know that I will continue to do it and recommend it to others so that they may save as well!

I will link my referral link so that you can sign up for Ebates as well! When you sign up, you get to chose your own reward in the form of a gift card! And also when you recommend it to your friends and have them sign up for it, you get rewarded as well! If you refer 3 friends and they purchase something through Ebates then you can get $75 in Cash Back!

Referral Link: https://www.ebates.com/r/AKERAW3?eeid=28187

Until Next Time! 


Personal Note:
I know that my reviews have been lacking lately and I beg your patience. My father recently passed away, a week before Thanksgiving and it has been a difficult time adjusting to it for my family. While it was expected, we didn't expect him to pass on that soon and it hit all of us hard, especially my elderly grandfather. And I've been pretty much not myself for this entire year and I'm just now getting back to my old self so please be patient with me. The reviews will get better and longer, I promise. I just need some time to get back to my old self. Just wanted to leave a quick note!