We've Been Away

We've been away, on a quick trip to Kentucky, but we are home now!

Pictures yet to come!
 

The Handy Box Review & Giveaway

The Handy Box is a new monthly subscription box that specializes in tools and other handy gadgets that everyone should have around their house. Each box will include over $40 in value.  

It was heavy when I picked it off the porch so I was excited to see what was within!

Included in the pre-launch box was:

*25 Piece Tool Kit with flashlight ($25). This will be perfect to stick in our vehicle for on-the-go needs.

*Compass Key Chain ($5)

*4 AA Duracell batteries ($5)

*10 ft. measuring tape ($5)

*Crank Power LED Flashlight ($10) Perfect for an emergency kit.

*Hex Keyring Set ($5)

This was a nice assortment of items that everyone should have. I think that a box like this would make a perfect gift subscription for someone just moving out on their own as a way to build up their useful tool collection.

The pre-launch box got off to a rocky start with not enough postage being added to the box but I can attest to the wonderful customer service as they immediately contacted everyone, reimbursed postage, and gave an added bonus for the trouble. Sometimes it's customer service that makes or breaks a box, as I know a few subscription box companies that many people warn against solely for their bad customer service. The Handy Box was quick to rectify this mistake and that says a lot about their character.

Do you want a chance to win this exact box? The Handy Box is offering one winner this pre-launch box, so just enter in the widget below for a chance to win!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: This box was given to me by The Handy Box in exchange for my honest review.

Memories

While things themselves aren't important, sometimes an item can remind us of a person, a happy memory, a moment in time long gone but not forgotten.

I love to surround myself with things I love, usually representing a memory. My bedside table is filled with memories. 

*The table itself, my Grandma's sewing table, lovingly painted a pistachio green by my husband.

*A Yoda sticker, which I would never keep on there usually but Jacob put it up there for me (he knew I liked Yoda best) and I can't bear to take it down now, or even correct it to make it centered and straight.

*A Faith crock that Becca got me for Christmas.

*A Rainy Day Fund jar filled with coins, which was Jacob's.

*A Joyce Meyer book that my dad gave me.

*A lovely bird lamp that I bought at my aunt's consignment shop that fits in perfect with my bird decor.

*And hiding inside the drawer of the table? Some treasures of Jacob's that I have found around the house since his passing.

Life is a collection of memories.
 

inScribed Series

What a beautiful series of devotionals the inScribed series is by Thomas Nelson Publishing.

Meant for either personal devotion or group study, these books seem to be a journal, study-guide, and friendly conversation all in one. 

I love the style of these books as well as the actual Bible Studies themselves. Included in this series are:

*Dive Deeper; Finding deep Faith Beyond Shallow Religion by Jennifer Jernigan

*Leaving Ordinary; Encounter God Through Extraordinary Prayer by Donna Gaines

*Living So That; Making Faith-Filled Choices in the Midst of a Messy Life by Wendy Blight

*Amazed and Confused; When God's Actions Collide With Our Expectations by Heather Zempel

While I haven't done all the studies yet I have skimmed through all the books and love what I see and am very excited to use these as my next Bible Study. They are waiting for me on my nightstand.

These are such nice devotionals/studies that I can see giving one or the whole set as a gift to any woman in my life. It looks like three more books in the series will be coming out this fall and I'm excited to read those as well!

Disclaimer: These books were given to me by BookLook Bloggers in exchange for my honest opinion.
 

March Ipsy Bag Review

My new camera finally arrived so I'm now able to post reviews! I received the March Ipsy bag last week and had to wait until I could snap a photo before I could start using these items - it was hard as I was so excited about this bag!

Each month there are several combinations of items that your bag could consist of, and they use your profile to choose the 4-5 items perfect for you. When I saw the options this month I immediately hoped for these four items and was so, so excited to see that I received the items I hoped for (some months are a total miss).  

The theme this month was Destination Beauty and the bag itself is a selection from artist Klari Reis' and based on the street anatomy of San Francisco. It's cute and original and it looks like future bags will be by different artists as well. I use these bags for everything - to hold pens in my desk, hair things in the bathroom cabinets, loose items in the diaper bag, etc.  

This month my bag included:

*Pacifica Indian Coconut Nectar Body Butter ($7). I love Pacifica products!

*Nicole by O.P.I nail polish in "On What Grounds?" ($8) This color reminds me of robin eggs and is perfect for spring. What a pretty color!

*BareMinerals Marvelous Moxie lipgloss in "Rebel" ($15)

*Be a Bombshell eye shadow pallet ($15)

*I used my points (which you get for referring and reviewing each bag) to get the added bonus Benefit High Beam ($25)

This may be my favorite bag set to date! Ipsy is just $10 a month and extremely high value!

A Stillness of Chimes

I read A Stillness of Chimes by Meg Moseley this weekend and enjoyed the mixture of romance (not too cheesy!), suspense (a bit predictable at times but not in a roll your eyes kind of way), and faith.

This is the type of book that I chose for the cover and ended up thoroughly enjoying. The ending was a little far fetched for me but typical of suspense books so I should have expected it.

 A fun summer read for anyone interested in Christian fiction!

Disclaimer: This book was given to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.
 

Riley Mae and the Ready Eddy Rapids

I chose this book for my 10 year old daughter to read. With her stuck on books like The Babysitter Club I thought it would be good to introduce some Christian fiction into her life. Riley Mae and the Ready Eddy Rapids by Jill Osborne seemed like a good one to start with.

She says that she really liked this book. She loved the adventure aspect of the story and the fact that the whole book didn't revolve around "typical" pre-teen story lines like boys and make-up. There was adventure, drama, Faith, and even real life like cancer and hospital stays introduced. These are things which may seem deep for the age group but since my daughter has actually lived a life with this drama involved I found it to be quite relevant and good for pre-teens to read about real struggles in life.

She is looking forward to the other books in the series and I'm glad to have found an author that can write interesting, as well as moral, pre-teen books.

Disclaimer: This book was given to us by BookLook Bloggers in exchange for our honest opinion.