luminous dreamer

s this year began to unfold I wondered if I would be able to come up with amazing things that happened at the end of the year, or if I should just give up and call it a wash. It has been the most heart breaking, difficult year I can remember, with one blow after another, but instead of letting ourselves sink into the pain that we experienced, as a little family we decided to rise above our circumstances and look at the brighter happier blessings we did in fact receive. So with 2020 coming to an end, we are choosing to release those harder aspects of the year and hold on to the beautiful parts. 

1. Jamaica

We were so lucky to enjoy an absolutely blissful week in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The most relaxing and peaceful vacation of all times. We saw sights, swam and swam (with dolphins!), read lots of books and fully re-charged. We’ve held on to these warm memories throughout the year and let the caribbean sunshine continue to warm our hearts.  As we flew out of Jamaica an earthquake shook the ground, sending everyone at home into a panic. Luckily for us, we flew out safely and happily. Haha maybe it was a sign for the year to come!

2. Maple Syrup

While everything is frozen around us, in a cold Canadian winter, a bright spot for us is making maple syrup. Chris and Bobae spend hours outside collecting sap and boiling it down to create the glorious liquid gold. There is nothing like pouring maple syrup from our own trees onto fresh pancakes. Sitting around the fire with a the sweet smell of syrup wafting in the air is pure winter/spring happiness. 

3. We planted a garden!

This year we planted a garden. It grew and grew until it didn’t. It was a really dry year, and our sad little garden didn’t quite make it. We did get 2 beans and a handful of tomatoes so we will call that a success and a learning year. Chris and Bobae built garden beds which made caring for the garden much easier. We will hope for more rain next year and try again! 

4. Playhouse 

Chris built Bobae a beautiful playhouse. I drew a picture of what I wanted it to look like and he made it happen (!!). Bobae helped a bit with each step and the final product is a magical little oasis! 

5. Work + School From Home 

When the pandemic reached our area, we switched to school and work from home. I had a lot of mixed feelings, worrying that I was letting every one down switching to a home office for a few weeks. I worried and fretted and felt a sadness that I didn’t feel safe or confident to come to the office but made the decision to switch to at home work until things stabilized, feeling like I had disappointed.. who?.. I’m not sure.. I guess.. everyone. I worried that some were left in the office potentially exposed, working hard and picking up slack or jobs I couldn’t do from home (answer the phone, etc).  I missed the daily chatting with co-workers and the ease of a fully equipped office, but found such a sense of peace being home with my family. Safe, sheltered and together. I desperately needed to unplug from the world, that’s what my soul truly needed. In my life I never would have had a chance to stay home that long. Ever. And as an introvert, that space and time away from every one and every thing, was a blessing that I will forever be grateful for. 

6. Campfires at Home

When it became apparent we would need to stay home for a long time, we made the decision to take our home off the market and commit to staying in our current location for a few years.  With that decision made, we settled in and enjoyed many warm evenings around the campfire in our backyard, roasting marshmallows and hot dogs, lighting sparklers, watching flames, making wishes, and eventually boiling cobs of corn.  There is no better place to be on warm summer and fall evenings. 

7. Tree Climbing 

This was the summer to learn to climb “the tree”.  We have a lot of trees, but there is one large maple tree in particular that seems to beckon everyone.  It’s large, welcoming and beautiful.   Sine we were spending hours and hours in our back yard working, playing, doing school and relaxing, Bobae decided she wanted to learn to climb it. It started out with many attempts, getting stuck, getting up but not getting down until one day it clicked. We couldn’t keep her out of the tree. Any friends that visited would immediately go with her to climb the tree. 

 8. Bobae’s 9th Birthday 

Bobae turned 9 during the pandemic. In lieu of her usual big birthday party we had a small gathering at home. The weather was beautiful and the kids enjoyed a mostly outside party.  Bobae’s only request was a pinata, which we tied to her tree. 

9. The Haircuts

Chris needed a haircut.  Hair shops were closed. GUESS WHAT HAPPENED! I got to cut his hair! It started out rough when I tried to use scissors. Which resulted in some unsightly bald spots, especially around the ears. We moved on to a set of clippers and that’s where the fun began. The amount of pleasure and satisfaction I find in cutting his hair is unparallelled.  I love it. I love it so much. He’s agreed to let me continue cutting his hair forever. We even let Bobae give it a try. Bobae and I also cut our long hair short. I was terrified to let her cut her beautiful hair but she was so very happy! 

10. Grand Manan 

Since we couldn’t leave the province (and really didn’t want to), we decided to take a vacation to a place I had wanted to visit for 30 years. Grand Manan. A remote fishing island off the coast of New Brunswick, where my grade 1 teacher grew up. She told us stories of her childhood and I dreamed that some day I would visit.  It did not disappoint. We enjoyed an amazing few days, soaking in every drop sea water, fresh breeze and peacefulness. I am so very happy we decided to take this trip and we are looking forward to visiting again. 

11. Saint Andrew’s Girls Trip

This year, the work girls took a trip to Saint Andrews.  We are so lucky to have such an amazing group of women working together, who really enjoy each other’s company. We could stop thinking about work for a while and really relax into a much much needed mini break.  We ate delicious foods, shopped the boutiques and saw minke whales on a whale watching expedition.

12. Kombucha Production

We learned to make Kombucha! Our pilates instructor Hannah supplied us with a mother and at work we learned to ferment, bottle and enjoy this probiotic drink. We felt very accomplished. 

13. Book Club

I’ve always wanted to be in a book club. But I’ve never really had a group of people to book club with. This year, my pilates instructor Hannah invited me to join her book club. I was so nervous. Scared. Terrified. How could I go to a place with people I didn’t know? How could I drive there and back myself? How could I be brave?  I’m not someone who can go places.. make friends.. 

On the first night of book club, we arrived at Andrea’s home, to a room full of strangers. I was terrified and out of my comfort zone. But from the first minute, I had a happy happy feeling in my heart. I was so happy. I felt like I had found my people. I felt like I was in a movie! Plants all around the room, snacks, welcoming faces, and conversations about books. I left that evening feeling like it had been a dream. I was finally in a book club.  As the year has gone on, these strangers have become dear and loving friends, supporting each other through so much more than books. Women who welcomed this introvert gladly into their inner circle. And for that, I am so grateful. 

14. The Year of Friends

I didn’t think I could have friends. I thought that adults can’t make new friends. If they aren’t your childhood friends, they couldn’t possibly be real friends. I didn’t have time for friends. I didn’t have enough mental space left in my heart for real, in person, friends.  Guess what? That was all wrong.  It started with Ashley, and extrovert who loves people. She wanted to be my friend and I couldn’t understand why! But I finally decided to accept friendship and from there on my life has been enriched. Ashley introduced my to another friend, Dee. Together we made a pact to share something we are grateful for each day. It was hard a first, scraping up items from otherwise bleak days, but as time went on, our lists grew longer and brighter.  We’ve had times where we miss a few days, and I always notice that those days don’t feel as happy as the days we actually make an effort to dig deep and create the list. 

I’m so grateful for those friendships, as well as the friendship from Hannah and the other book club members. I’m shocked. Honestly, I can’t believe that it’s true you can make real friends as an adult.  I needed extra support this year, and it took me a while to understand when my friends really cared, and wanted to listen and support me. It was not easy to believe them, that it was okay to tell them my troubles.  The gratitude I feel for you, my friends, is infinite. 

15 Renovation 

We did a renovation! Since we decided to stay in our home, we made plans for a renovation. Phase one is complete now, we opened up the kitchen, changed countertops, smooth the popcorn ceilings, built a fireplace unit, and changed the flooring throughout. Phase 2 to start next week is adding a master suite with a walk in closet and SOAKER TUB! And renovating the current bathroom. 

16. Anniversary Trip 

We celebrated our two year wedding anniversary in September and decided to splurge and spend the night at the beautiful Algonquin Resort. I have never stayed there and always considered it out of my price range, but there was a good deal and we booked it. It was so fun! It’s been a long time since we had that time alone and we really really enjoyed it.  We ate delicious foods, shopped for antiques, and enjoyed quiet drives and sight seeing. 

17. Halloween Parties 

Restrictions lifted and our province was doing really well with no new cases.  We’ve always wanted to have a Halloween party but never really committed to it.   We decided to go all out, bought boxes and boxes of decorations from a marketplace post and got to work. We decked out the garage with everything imaginable, and a smoke machine, making everything super creepy. They loved it!   On the actual day of Halloween, I embraced my “Year of Friendship” and had a full moon witches party. It was SO FUN.  We all dressed as witches, talked about creepy things, did oracle card readings and a full moon ceremony outside.  All of my heart’s desires were fulfilled.  

18. Blossom & Boo Arrived! 

We lost our Mystique this year, and she left a large space in our hearts to fill.  We adopted Boo, a scary sweet black cat from the Debec animal shelter and also welcomed Blossom, a baby goldendoodle pup.  It’s a busy busy place at our house now! 

19. A Real Christmas Tree 

Chris has been wanting a real Christmas tree for years and I have resisted. The maintenance, the mess, the worry.. But this year I decided we could get a real tree, IF we left it out on the porch and decorated it there.  We drove to the tree lot and the magic of the place was so strong! I felt so happy.  We picked the perfect tree and brought it home.  There was no way I could leave that tree outside. It grew it’s whole life to be a Christmas tree and deserved to live inside with us. So now we have a real tree, and it’s beautiful. I was feeling sad that it would just die now, but Chris said not to worry, it would be used to help us make the fires for maple syrup. 

20. Kings Landing Christmas 

Every year we go to Kings Landing HIstorical Village for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. This year we did book a Christmas dinner but it was cancelled due to a two week orange phase restriction in our zone due to a sudden increase in cases.  They opened up two last minute tables for a special new type of experience. Instead of eating in the restaurant, it was a full experience. Dressing up to co-ordinate with the year of the house we were visiting, a horse and cart ride to the home, and eating in the real historical house! It was wonderful and a great way to wrap up the year. 

Here’s my top favourite things looking back to 2017.

1. Cruise!  We took a family cruise to the Caribbean, it was FANTASTIC! I ended up having pneumonia that week, but despite being so sick, we had a blast! Everywhere we went was breathtaking, the ship was beautiful.... I cannot wait to go back

2. All the shows!

This year I wanted to enjoy things. I made a real effort to see as many shows as we could.  We probably did more this year than I have in the last 15 years!  We saw Tomato/Tomato, Old Man Leudecke (twice!), Terry Fador, Jimmy the Janitor, Theresa Caputo (wahoo!) and the Nut Cracker.  The joy from seeing these live performances is just so surprising.  

3. Bowling League

Can you believe that I joined a bowling league? Me? Well, I did. I’m a terrible bowler, but in an effort to get out and do things, I joined a team. I can honestly say I did not improve over the year. ha. (sorry team!) but I did have fun! I even bought my own bowling balls. 

4. Maple Syrup 

This year we Chris and Bobae tapped all of our maple trees and made maple syrup!  It was a really exciting winter project for them.  They checked the traps tap buckets frequently, boiled it all down, and lo and behold we had maple syrup!

5. Flip House!

We took on a HUGE project this year: The Flip House.  We’ve been working on it all year, and we’re finally nearing the end for the house to be put on the market this spring.  There’s something so exciting about starting with something old, and beautifying it into a better version of itself. 

6. Camping!

We took two camping trips this summer.  The first to Island View outside of St. Andrews. Saying it was beautiful is an understatement.  We were directly on the water, and could have lived there for months! A refreshing mini vacation during Paddlefest.  

Our second trip was off to Mactaquac with Chris’s brother Adam’s family. Bobae had a great time with Noah & Bennet.  Camping is so great.

7. Bobae turned 6! 

How did this happen?!  My little baby is 6 years old! She woke up in the morning with a visit from her Elf Cinnamon, and we celebrated her birthday for a few days. She was so proud to have a big party with all of her school friends and family.

8. Dad turned 60!

This year was my Dad’s 60th birthday.  We threw him a big party, complete with an alien visitation.  Bobae was excited to stay up late and party with Gramp.

9. BOBAE GOT A HAIR CUT!

Okay, this isn’t technically one of my favourite things.  But it was a big deal.  Bobae got her hair cut for the first time! She had long beautiful hair, but wanted it cut to be more like her friends’. She was completely over the moon happy with her new hair cut. She’s now decided to grow it back out and says she will never cut her hair again haha (yay)

10. Mini Vacation to Harvey

Bobae was away for the weekend, so in an effort to enjoy ourselves despite her not being home, we rented a little cabin in Harvey, that was off the grid. It was wonderful. We brought Zeus with us, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. 

11. Santa’s Village

Okay, this is one at the VERY top of my list.  This summer, we went with my parents to New Hampshire, and visited Santa’s Village! This is a place I enjoyed twice as a kid, and have never returned. UNTIL NOW! Everything was the same.  The smells, the food, the rides. Nostalgia rushed back with every turn. In addition to Santa’s village, we visited Story Land, did some sigh seeing, and shopping, and hit a few flea markets. It was perfect. 

12. French Immersion

This year Bobae started Grade 1 French Immersion.  This means all of her classes are in French, and no English education begins until Grade 3.  I was a bit nervous about this, worrying that she could fall behind in her English reading and writing, but miraculously, it has also flourished at home. She insists on reading the bedtime stories to us.  She is loving French, and is very proud of herself. I’m proud of her too.

13. Family Pontoon Ride

This year we joined our extended family on a pontoon boat ride in Grand Falls. It was great!  We went up the river, stopped for an out of this world BBQ, and then headed back.  The kids had lots of fun listening to music and taking turns steering the ship.

14. Thanksgiving at Kings Landing

I love King’s Landing in the fall. As a kid we always went in the summer, and it was SO hot and sticky.  Now as an adult I always plan for us to go in the fall.  Then we can smell the wood fires burning and if we’re lucky, we get to have a Thanksgiving Feast (THE BEST) at the King’s Head Inn. 

15. Baby Norah Arrived!

My cousin Kayla welcomed a beautiful little baby girl, Norah. She’s so sweet and perfect. Bobae is constantly asking me when she will get to see Norah again! She misses her! I was so proud of my big girl being so good with Norah. 

16. Pilates

In the continuing effort to do more for my self and my health, I, along with my sister in law and mom, joined Pilates. I was so scared. Scared I couldn’t do it. Scared I would be embarrassed.  But this has been a fantastic decision! Our instructor Hannah is amazing, and each week I can actually feel my body getting strong, I can do things I couldn’t do a couple weeks prior.  I can’t recommended this enough.  Bobae has been so interested in what I do there, that she was thrilled when Hannah offered a special kids weekend class.

17. Watercolour Class

Last but not least, I joined a watercolour class!! This is something I have ALWAYS wanted to do. And something I always felt I couldn’t take the time for myself to do.  When a class was offered in Lakeville, just a few seconds from my house, I couldn’t NOT go.  I have been gobbling up these classes like a guilty pleasure and I can’t wait to continue. Here’s a barn I sketched and painted last week.

I was just going through all of our photos from 2015 and so many things happened! So many little moments, and a whole lot of big ones.  Charles is now 75% of the way through his acupuncture course, and our baby girl is now Four. Years. Old. !!

So, I’ve widdled down the list to my top 10 moments of 2015.  Here they are!:

1. New Job Position

After working happily at Avondale Kitchens for a year in the accounting position, I moved out to the front lines of the office.  I enjoyed learning and understanding the financial ins and outs of the business, but now I get to work one-on-one with our customers, help with all of the fun stuff (like colour choices! doors styles! cabinet bling!), and interact more with my co-workers.  A bonus, since I moved to the front office, we were lucky enough to welcome a new employee to fill my position.  This employee has made such a fantastic addition to our team that we are grateful for her every single day. Business is booming, and we’re happy.

Working with my family is always exciting. Especially when they agree to wear matching co-ordinating outfits in public. 

2. Dream Disney Vacation

We’ve been to Disney before, many times. But this vacation... this was an absolute dream come true.  My parents, brother, sister-in-law, nephew, daughter, and.... husband (!!) took the trip together! Charles flew out of Halifax and missed a few days of school to make it happen. 

We were so lucky, that for the first time, we got to stay at a Disney resort! We stayed at Art of Animation and enjoyed three days at Disney world. 

Since we were able to get a special package that included all of our meals for free, the kids were able to have awesome character meals! It was so exciting!!

And even though she was played out, Bobae had a magical time.  Except for the time when I wouldn’t let her play on the road:

After our three days at Disney, even MORE magic happened when we boarded the Disney Dream Cruise. Wow. It was unbelievable.  This is a trip I will remember for the rest of my life.  We cruised around the Bahamas, enjoyed out-of-this world food, and had a blast together!

3. Uncle Tim Came Home

A quick highlight, but a pretty great one.  My Uncle Tim, who lives in Alberta, came home to help us celebrate my grammie’s 75th birthday. It was such a great time, and we managed to keep a little suprise party an actual surprise for my grammie! Bobae fell in love with her Uncle Tim, and has declared him her new favourite uncle. (Sorry other uncles).

4. Price Is Right!

Come on down, to the price is right!!!!!!! Another dream come true, my mom and I attended the traveling Live with Price is Right show! It was SO fun! We didn’t “come on down”, but we still had so much fun making our t-shirts, and watching everyone else win some pretty awesome prizes. It was also one of the rare times thatI ended up kid-free for a night!

5. We Bought a Camper Glamper

My husband is a camper. A camping type of person. I am a hotel type of person.  Somehow though, I ended up reading some blogs about Glampers, and agreed to buy an old camper to fix up. And- it is awesome.  We’re still in the process of renovating it. The interior has been painted, new curtains made, new floors.  Soon our new cabinetry will be installed and it will be ready to reveal! We still took it out for one trip last summer, and had the best time with two of our friends.  Here she is! Bobae has named her “Star on the Sky”

6. My 31st Birthday

My husband was away at school for my birthday, so my mom packed us up and we (with Bobae) headed off on a mini vacation to St. Andrews and St. John.  It was so fun and exciting. We stopped at the most beautiful beach, ate delicious foods, and just had an all around fantastic time together.

Bobae loved the Aquarium and touch pool in St. Andrews.

7. Summer Vacation! Shediac and Moncton

Every summer Charles, Bobae and I try to take a little vacation together, somewhere not too far away. This year we chose Moncton and Shediac.  Adam and Heather ended up vacationing at the same time so we got to hang out with them too. Mom and Dad ended up getting lonely, so they crashed our vacation in the end:)

We had the perfect overcast beach day... ahhh it was so nice.

We visited the giant Lobster in Shediac

And we ate lots and lots of sushi

8. Fred Penner.

This was an absolute child hood fantasy come true. We saw THE. FRED. PENNER. I bought the tickets as soon as they came on sale and ended up front row and center. I have to admit I cried. I cried with tears of happiness at the memories that were brought back with each song he sang.  When he finally got to “The Cat Came Back” I almost lost it. This day was everything. 

9. NFLD & Halifax Trip

This year, we were so lucky, we ended up going on a business trip to NFLD for the Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Assosiation meetings!  We flew out of Halifax, so we took a quick vacation around there first. 

We visited the beautiful Peggy’s Cove where it was super duper windy.

I drooled the whole way to my favourite restaurant, Darrell’s, where I ordered my favurite meal “Chicken Barbie on a Pita”.... I need another one now. 

Next we headed off to Newfoundland. Look at this AWESOME picnic we had at a lighthouse in Ferryland! It was unbelievable.

It was a longish walk up the hill to the lighthouse, but so fun!

We took a boat trip to try and see some whales. I forgot how scared I am of the ocean/boats/rocking/waves/whales, but Bobae ended up having the best nap of her life in my mom’s arms.

10. Surprise Trip To Disney!

Since we started the year off with Disney, it only seemed fitting to round the year out. Mom had been wanting to go to Hollywood Studios to see the last year of the Osbourne Family Lights.  She was deeply sad that she would never see them again, so we decided to take a weekend trip to Florida.  We surprised Bobae in the hotel room in Bangor with “tickets” it was so fun! We’ve never gone on such a short trip, but it ended up being perfect.  Look at that face...

I  had decided before we left, that this would be the year Bobae could chose a princess dress.  She chose snow white and it was so fun escorting this princess around the kingdom. 

We were able to get in to see the lights. It was pretty wonderful. Everyone else thought so too..it was quite sardiney there! So packed. 

A Christmas Timing Miracle, we were able to meet up with our great friends, who we haven’t seen in three years! An added bonus that made our trip even MORE magical!

We were even lucky enough to join Mickey’s Magical Christmas Party for the first time!!  Free cookies and hot chocolate, empty-ish park, Christmas Lights parade! It was so much fun. 

What?!  2014 is over? That's okay because I hear 2015 is going to be a great one. I really like thinking back and remembering my favourite things that happened in the past year. So, here are my personal highlights of 2014.

1. Florida Trip!

In January, Mom, Bobae and I took a week long trip to Florida for vacation together. We had matching T-Shirts made up to wear:

We did the unthinkinable and went to the parks five days in a row. We got a really good deal, buy three days and get 2 free so we couldn't resist. We had such a great girls trip, and arrived home exhausted and satisfied. 

Bobae was big enough to ride the rides herself, and we had a blast!

2. Charles Went to Korea

This highlight initially gave me slight anxiety. Thinking of being alone for 4 weeks with Bobae, while working full time.  One of those weeks my parents would be away as well, so I worried and panicked.  We made out totally fine, and in the end it was a blessing in disguise, since it prepared me for the coming fall when Charles would be leaving more often.  We slept with a crowbar on the night stand and we made out fine. 

When Charles came home, on Valentine's day, we were beyond happy to get him back, and he brought lots of goodies home for us!  Also it was a highlight because it game him some rejuvenation to be able to spend a month with his family. I know he gets homesick, even though he says he doesn't. 

3.  King's Landing Sugar Bush

We love King's Landing. We always go in the fall, to walk through the historical village, smell the smoke coming from the chimneys and enjoy the harvest weather.  This time, we decided for the first time ever to go in for the Sugar Bush in March.  It was SO great! The best activity we could have come up with!  We walked through, had a nice breakfast, and ate maple sugar from the snow. So fun! Definitely would recommend this to anyone. 

4. We Got A New Neice!

My sister in law in Korea gave birth to the MOST adorable little munchkin ever (After my own of course!).  Yoon Seo arrived happy and healthy early in the year, giving our Newphew, Yoon Hu (3) a baby sister. 

Seriously. So cute. 

5. Bobae Turned 3!

My sweetie pie turned three!  Can you believe it?  Three already.  She is a smart, sweet, intelligent, kind and feisty little kid.  I always wonder if every parent thinks they got the best kid ever. Most of the time :) Here is a comparison of me and Bobae around the same age:

She had a fun birthday party with just a handful of her best friends.  They enjoyed a tea party, crafts and of course a pinata that Appa eventually had to break down and release the treats.

  6. Summer Vacation to PEI!

This year we took a summer vacation to PEI.  We met our friends Jason and Min and had a wonderful trip! We rented a cottage, spent time at the beach, visited Anne of Green Gables, took a Harbour Hopper tour, and ate lots of delicious food! Yay for vacation! Yay for vacation!

7. Disney Jr. Live on Stage

Mom, Bobae and I took a trip to Bangor to see Disney Jr. Pirates and Princesses Live on Stage. It was FANTASTIC! We had the best seats possible (accidentally) and Bobae was able to dance the entire show and run around with other little princesses and pirates. She was very proud. 

8.  Outlander came to Television!

This was a dream come true.  My beloved book series finally came together and was broadcast on Starz. Ahhhh it was really really an amazing thing.  Mom, Heather and I planned a premier party for the three of us, with little cut out Jamie Frasers, snacks and cold ciders wearing kilts. A highlight of the year for sure.

9. Intuitive Boot Camp

In the spring, I attended a class in Oromocto called "Intuitive Bootcamp" It was an amazing opportunity were I learned to develop my intuitive skills, met wonderful like minded women, and was included in a group of "Simply Us" women, who later attended a retreat together in the summer.  I was scared and nervous to join this group, but funnily enough, when I walked in the room the first night, my aunt was there as well!  

10. We moved. Charles started school.

In the spring, we started thinking about the direction of Charles' future. He had been practicing hand accupuncture and loving it, so we looked into him going to school full time to learn full body acupuncture. Everything fell into place.  We rented our house out, he got a student loan and approved for TSD funding, he found a room to rent. Everything was so seamless we knew it was the right direction.

So, Bobae and I moved to my parents house, while he moved to Halifax.  We packed up our entire house, and got rid of a lot of JUNK!

Bobae and I easily moved into my parents house where she has to take baths in the sink. I don't think she minds.

11. Bobae started Dance Class

I wanted Bobae to have a chance to do something fun, with her Dad gone.  Every Monday after work, I take her to Dance class where she dances Ballet and Tap. She loves it. She loves it so much she almost turns inside out with excitement.  

I sit outside the door and watch on a little silent screen as she dances and has fun independently.. 

She has had one little recital, and the last class before Christmas, her Dad and I were allowed to come in and watch a little performance.  So proud of this little cutie pie! I always say she's small, but she's like a small dog who thinks she's a big dog, and she can definitely hold her own.

12. We experienced a great friend crossing over to her new home.

Finally, what may be considered a sad event was a very happy one for us.  Our 99 year old friend Thelma finally passed on and was reuinted with her family and especially her husband.  Thelma has always been a part of my life. I don't remember life without her.  I always left her home feeling smarter, prettier, like a better mom, a better person and just completely cheered.  I am so grateful that her daughter and granddaughter shared her with us, and even more grateful that she's now looking down from heaven free, and happy.  

The butterfly above was given to Bobae from Thelma's daughter and granddaughter.  Since she was a little Baby, Bobae was always interested in this, checking on it every time we visited, always remembering it. It's so special for us to be able to keep this precious treasure in memory of Thelma. 

So, there we go.  My favourite highlights of 2014.  When I started to think about what I would write, I wondered had anything great happened this year? Now I have a long list in front of me and ended up choosing only my favourites!

Last month I got an email from Glossybox saying we could buy some mystery past boxes. I bought two, and have been kicking myself ever since for not buying three. ANYWAY. Here is the first box, Glossybox for Harper's Bazaar.

Isn't it fancy looking? So sleek and white and black. I opened up the lid to find:

So fancy! I wish I could be a person who uses minimal colours and looks neat and fancy all the time. But really I'm all about pinks and pastels.

So, let's get to it! Here's the line up.

I know, compared to Memebox, this looks kind of piddly, but the brands are nice.

The first item is Essie She's Pampered Nail Polish Full Size $8.50. I love Essie polish so I was really excited to receive this. It's just a regular red colour, but I don't think I have a great red, so this is perfect for me. Great coming into the Christmas season as well.

My baby sitter's daughter was sick today so my three year old ended up coming to work with me this morning.  She wanted her nails painted so I used this. She also wanted glitter, so we did one nail with ciate sequin manicure. My office is now covered in glitter. The results are adorable though. 

Next up Benefit They're Real Mascara 0.3oz Deluxe Sample. I have a few of these samples and I'm really not crazy about it so it will go up on my board. I love the company though, so I was still happy to see this in my box.  

Bvlgari eau Parfumee Au The Vert Conditioner  Okay, so Green tea perfumed conditioner. I wish they had given the shampoo that goes along with it! Oh well, I'm still excited to use this. It smells AMAZING. I never buy conditioner because I always somehow just end up with it. I go through a lot more shampoo than I do conditioner anyway so this is definitely a welcomed item in this box. 

Vichy Liftavtic Night. Okay let's be honest. Who is going to refuse a night time wrinkle cream. Not this girl! I don't have much for wrinkles, but I would like to keep it that way. I have small smile lines forming which I'm trying to keep under control! It all started this year the day after my 30th birthday. YEESH.

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar: Matte in Black Dahlia. Okay this is confusing. It looks like a liqued but it's a matte. I'm really scared of this. It does look like tar.  It does look black. But the description says not to judge by the tube colour and that it's a beautiful matte dark red that compliments all skin tones.  Have you guys tried this? Is it less scary than it looks?  I think I will keep this anyway and just give it a try. 

Memebox Global Editions are random boxes every month. There is no theme so you never know what you're going to get. It's usually an amazing value, and most likely heavy on the skin care products. After all of this time, this is my first Global box. My husband gifted this to me, using all of his Memepoints from a promotion Memebox was having, when I forced him to open an account.

This box was $23 plus $6.99 shipping, and arrived in about two weeks, after the shipping date. 

This is the last of my recent boxes to review. I went from a memedrought to a sudden overload!

Here is what I found when I opened up the box, super jam packed:

RiRe Style Black Head Brush Cleanser & Skinny Black Head Closing Serum 40ml + 20ml $18. This is neat. It's packed with black rice, black beans, and black sesame, rich in protein and iron.  The first item is a brush that removes oil, dirt, blackheads, ect. After using the brush you use the skinny serum to control oil and close the pores back up.  I already received a blackhead scrub brush item in a previous box so this one is going up on my swap/sell board. 

Elizavecca Shrink Lifting R Pro 120ml $28. When I first saw this item, I thought it was gimmicky and thought about swapping it. It says it will literally shrink the size of calves.  It contains mandarin extracts, coffee extracts, sage oil, peppermint, winter green and mate leaf extracts.  Then I had a brain wave that it might be nice for vacation this winter, after long days of walking around Disney with my family.  Tired legs saviour? I went to my MemeBox FB group and asked for opinions, and they all said it was excellent and felt amazing on tired legs. SOLD! So excited to try this out in January! I may have to bring it along for my pre-Christmas shopping trip too!

Hair+ Velvet Nutri-Injection 12ml $5.  I love receiving hair treatments, and I also love one time use products because it doesn't add to my Memehoard.  You apply this product to damaged ends and then just dry your hair. I don't really have damaged hair, but this couldn't hurt, right?

Unni Recipe Vitamin Recharger Mist 130ml $15. Oh this looks nice! It's a mist though. Agh. I hate mists. Like I've said before, they just don't fit into my routine. This contains vitamins and hyaluronic acid and free of lots of bad chemicals.  It looks very nice, but since I don't enjoy being misted, it's also going to my swap board. 

Mizon Snail Reovery Gel Cream 45ml $24. Yay snail cream! Snail mucin is super good for your skin you know. Even though it's creepy. This product looks awesome, but I have soooo many creams that I can't justify keeping this. I know it will go to a loving home.  Greedy self wants to keep it, but practical self knows I would get around to using it until 2019.  

Delskin Centella 90 Powder Ampoule 30ml.  Yay an ampoule! I love these skin quenching ampoules.  It contains centella asiatica extracts.  Good for reddened skin! YES! My poor pink and white skin loves things that help it to de-stimulate. Very pleased with this! I also only have one ampoule so this is a welcome addition to my mound of products.

So those were six great products!  A couple of months ago, the Global boxes were disasters, and I was hoping they had learned from those in time for this new Global box, which I now see the certainly did. Way to go with this one, Memebox!

Here they are, all lined up for their family photo:

So are you ready to buy your own Memebox?

Head on over to Memebox and use this code 8XLCKU for $5 off your purchase of $30 or more. Shop through this link and you will also automatically receive $5 off your purchase of $100 or more. Have fun!

Skinfood box! Another shop I used to frequent when I lived in Korea. There's something so attractive about products made from food.  This box was $29 plus $6.99 shipping. The value of the box is $57, but I would rate this box higher than the Face Shop box, because the item selection is much better, in my opinion. 

So let's start with the product cards:

Facial Water Vita-C Cream 75g $13. A blend of vitamin C and Alaska glacier water.  Raspberry, acai berry, cranberry and strawberry,  Ooooo I like this.  It's got sort of a dense gelly type of consistency, and is very fast absorbing.  I am very happy to receive this product!  

It feels really nice on the skin, and I love it for morning. You can kind of see the consistency here on my hand:

Black Sugar Mask Wash Off 100g $9.  I've been using this for years and it really is as great as everyone says. Here's my tip though: Don't use it in the shower. When I kept it in the shower, water would get into it and melt all of the sugar and it would no longer be an abrasive scrub. I now only keep it in the medicine cabinet and use it at the sink. A friend suggested this to me in 2007, and I believed her claims and bought it myself. I've been using this, and the rice wash off mask (my personal favourite) since then. 

Egg White Pore Medingue Foam 200ml, $13. I was happy to see this! Even though I don't have oily skin, I'm still happy to use this after my oil cleanser.  I haven't tried it yet, but it seems to be a run of the mill foam cleanser, which is perfect for me because I just finished off my berry foam cleanser. I hope it doesn't smell like eggs though :|

Tomato Whitening Toner 180ml $17. This is the first toner I have ever received from Memebox! I'm so glad this was in the box. I've heard that tomato extract is excellent for skin and I can't wait to try it. I'm still working on my wonder pore toner which is ALMOST finally finished, so I will open this baby up after that's gone. Yay for toner!

Choco Eyebrow Powder Cake 4g, $5.  I already have this, and I've been using it for a few months. I did not realize until know that it actually smells like chocolate. BONUS! I like it. The little brush is perfect, and the light brown colour is perfect for me (Phewf for not getting the khaki!). Sometimes I used it alone, and sometimes I use it to set a waxy pencil type brow colour. 

 There were only 5 items in this box, which is okay with me. If I had curated this box I would have added a sheet mask or something to make the description card look more plentiful. 

So are you ready to buy your own Memebox?

Head on over to Memebox and use this code 8XLCKU for $5 off your purchase of $30 or more. Shop through this link and you will also automatically receive $5 off your purchase of $100 or more. Have fun!

I've had this box for a couple of weeks now, but I am just getting time to unbox it for you guys! 

So, I bought this because it was grouped with Skin Food and I didn't want to wait for standard shipping so I bought the bundle to get a free upgrade to express shipping. 

This Memebox box was $29.00 and I feel like it was a waste of money... sadly.  Faceshop is a shop that I could always take or leave. Sure I would spend my money there when I was in Jeju, because at the time it was the only cosmetics shop in my town.  But, with other choices around once I moved to a larger city, I never bothered to enter.  

The total value for this box was $43. That is super low for a $29 box. I would have rather used the $29 to buy a few things separately that I actually wanted. Ohhhh well. That's the risk we take right? 

So here it is! I think I'll show you all of the items first this time:

I'm really not into "cute" these days. It used to be my thing, but I feel like I really outgrew that stage of life a few years ago. I know lots of Memeboxers will love the cute factor though. My three year old loved the little kitty hand cream container. 

So let's start with the info cards, and then we will go item by item.

Calendula Eden Essential Moisture Cream 50 ml $9. This cream should restore your skin's most natural glow. Packed with calendula extracts and hyaluronic acid to "firm up sagging skin". I'm not sure if I have sagging skin but hyaluronic acid sounds promising! 

I do have this on my swap board right now because I just have to many moisturizers, but maybe I will pull it off and save it for the dry winter. Hmmm.. I think it's time I take an inventory. 

Lovely Me:ex Pastel Cushion Blusher 5g $7. This is a cute little blush. I received the random choice of Plum. It's not really too much of a plumy colour so that's a plus! I have SO many blushers at the moment so I thought of swapping this, but may just add it to the makeup I let my daughter play with.

Lovely Me:ex Mini Pet Hand Cream 30ml $6. This little hand cream isn't really special. I don't like hand cream pots, I definitely prefer the squeeze type but my three year old daughter thought this was adorable. I will probably let her have this to play with. I received the baby powder scent. 

Lovely Me:ex Dessert Lip Balm 6g $8 This is actually pretty adorable isn't it?  A little jam pot of strawberry jelly lip gloss. Awwe!  So sweet. It actually smells really delicious and is quite moisturizing! It comes with a little honey pot stick to apply as well! I'm happy with this and I'm curious how the other flavours smell.  

Lovely Me:ex You & Eyes 05 Sand Brown 1.6g $5.  A little single eyeshadow in a sparkly gold colour. The colour is nice and I would never say no to a gold eyeshadow.  The packaging is cute with a little moustache.  I've used it once and it's a run of the mill eye shadow, but it's cute and I'm happy to have this. 

Milk Plus Calming Moisture Shower Cream $8 I think I was happiest with this item. Funnily, the original memecard described this as a body lotion, and tonnes of my memefriends slathered it on their bodies and were like "Ew! What the...", So guessing it works a lot better as a body wash haha!  Anyway I was really happy to have this nice large full sized shower cream! 

So, there we go! I'm going to give this box a 2/5 because of value and items. I know it was probably a great box for some people, just not my taste.  

So, go ahead and run over to Memebox and try your luck at your own mystery beauty box! 

Use code 8XLCKU for $5 off $30 or more. 

Can you even believe an Ireland Box exists?! OMG. There is nothing to describe my sheer happiness at this discovery. I am crazy about the Emerald Isle. I love anything and everything that has to do with Ireland!  When I graduated University, I moved to Galway for three months on the SWAP program. I loved it. When my husband and I got married, we took a beautiful and amazing honeymoon to Ireland and went from Shannon-Galway-Cork-Blarney-Kinsale-Dublin.  It was the best time of my life and I can't wait until we can someday go back, with our daughter.  I watched the Quiet Man last night just to be closer. Yep. Obsessed.

So today I went to the mailbox, and it had arrived! SO exciting!

I signed up for a three month subscription which was $125 plus $25 shipping (for all three months), very reasonable! Each box is a surprise gift, two to three handcrafted Irish items waiting to be part of your life. Lovely.  

So, this is the box that my beauties arrived in:

So many official looking postage stickers! Eeee!

I opened it up to find it wrapped in appropriate green tissue paper with a message from My Ireland Box with detailed explanations of this months' craftspeople. I thought it was very nice to know the extras about the people who made these beautiful items. 

So, I'm going to show you item, by item first.

First we have A Little Irish Cookbook.  It's a cute little recipe book, published by Appletree Press.  It is 60 pages long with lots of little Irish recipes and cute painted photos to go with it.

I think this was just an extra since it wasn't mentioned on the information letter, but I was very happy to receive it.

During our honeymoon I ate soup and soda bread everywhere we went, so here's the perfect soup for the beginning of winter:

The first official item in the box is a Matt Jones Woodturner Teardrop Wine Stopper.  This is beautiful! My husband makes his own wine, so I'm always on the look out for the perfect wine stopper. Found it! It is so smooth and perfectly beautiful. I can't wait to use this, and I almost feel guilty keeping something so special for myself!

It is crafted from Irish hardwood, so that alone makes my hear slightly flutter.  The maker, Matt Jones, says "I choose shapes that fit comfortably in the hand. The simple and modern design allows the warmth and beauty of the wood to speak." Well done, it's gorgeous. 

The second item in the box is a Ursula Celano Designs That Say Ireland Apron. I love this!  Ursula Celano is known for incorporating designs that say "Ireland" into her items, with a contemporary flair.  I absolutely love this apron with pink Irish lassies dancing a jig. It's totally perfect for me. There are two other aprons featured on the packaging; one with Irish Cottages and one with sheep. I would have been happy to receive any of them. 

I wasn't sure how to take a photo of the entire thing, but here is my slightly sad attempt.

Look at this pattern, isn't it just so sweet??

I can't wait to put this on and start baking some Irish dishes!

So, as you see, there were only two items, plus one extra in the box. It's quite small as far as a subscription box goes, but I think the quality of the items and the sentimental value makes this box more than worth it.

Thank you My Ireland Box! I can't wait to receive next month's Christmas box! xo

I've always loved Etude House. When I lived in Korea, I used to spend so much time and money there. I lived on Jeju Island, where there was no Etude House, but every month I would fly to Pyeongtaek to visit my boyfriend (now husband), and he would take me to Etude House.  All of the girls knew me there, and they were so kind, and so pink. I wished my home would look like the inside of an Etude House, all pink and pink. 

Anyway, so, when Etude House box was announced, I didn't really care what was in it, I knew I wanted it! And, I'm very happy with this box.

It was $29.99 plus $6.99 shipping.  I ordered it as a bundle with the Banila Co. Superbox.

So, here's the first look:

It looks so exciting!!! Right?!

The first item is the Oh My Lash Mascara 01 Top Coat 8.5g $5. This is an interesting product. It's a top coat for mascara to make your lashes glossy and smudge proof.  This in neat, I wonder, does it make non-waterproof mascara become waterproof? Because if it does, that's really cool.  

Moistful Collagen Cream 60ml. $18. I was SO happy to see this! And it came with a cute little bonus sample as well.  I've been sort of eyeing this product for years.. wanting to try it, but humming and hawing about the price.  So happy cheap self waiting and bargain self got it in the Memebox! Yay!  I LOVE this. It's like a gelly/creamy texture and super moisturizing without being heavy at all.  Super super super love this.

Play Therapy Sleeping Pack 150ml $10. Another huge, and great, product!  I use the Play Therapy Clay mask and love it.  I have never tried this mask before, but I'm excited about the pomegranate, evening primrose (YES!) and mango seed.  It is a sleeping pack that you apply before bed and wash off in the morning. To be honest, I received 5 Memeboxes at once and forgot that I got this sleeping pack so I haven't tried it yet! I will take it home and try it this week and update you all.

Belle Dress Pretty Look Shower Cologne 100ml $8.  I love light perfumes and mists, so I was happy again to see this. The packaging is adorable and the scent is fresh and fruity.  It does smell a bit childish (I am sure I had a spray that was this exact scent in middle school).  I still use it though! I'm all about layering scents so I spray this as soon as I dry off from the shower. 

Face Conditioning Fixer 80ml $12

A facial mist. Eh.  Okay I'm going to make an effort to use this.  I don't like facial mists. I feel like they mess up my makeup, and also make my face look shiny, and lastly, how on Earth can you keep it from getting in your hair in the middle of the day!!?  I bough model in a bottle years ago and ended up giving it to my mom since it made my power foundation look cakey. Is there some trick? Some tip or something? Obviously they work for some people???? HELP ME PEOPLE!

Lastly, we have the Brow Mascara in Light brown $7.  Brow mascaras also confuse me. If I were to actually use this with the mascara wand, I would have 3 inch thick brows. I use a brow pencil and powder for precision and wonder how the large mascara wand is usable. Do you guys have luck with it? I think the colour is okay, maybe a big light. I used it and ended up with eyebrows all over my face so maybe it didn't have a chance to set. 

And now, the moment you've been waiting for, the beautiful line-up.

I did gripe and complain a bit, but honestly I LOVE this box. I am so happy I bought it and would definitely buy the next edition! I hope there is one!!!

Banila Co.! So, to be honest, I only bought this box because I wanted express shipping on my Etude House box.  I thought it couldn't be THAT bad, and I could always sell the items if it was. Turned out to be one of my favourite boxes ever!

So, this Memebox was $32, and for this and the Etude box combined, the shipping was $6.99 for express 3-5 days shipping upgrade. I know I used points, so it was probably much cheaper than that for me. (Yay!)

Let's get to it!

They really stuffed this box full!!  I had a hard time getting everything back into the box once I had it out. Although it was a really tiny little cardboard box to begin with.

So, here are the nice little info cards that came in the box:

The first item in the box is the Banilla Co. Clean it Zero 100ml + Free Sample Size 7ml $22. WHAT! Okay. So when I saw this, I didn't care what else was in this box. I am SO happy they included this item! I have been eyeing it for months and ALMOST bought it. Plus the free sample? Holy! I am SO grateful for the free sample to give me a chance to try it before contaminating the big jar and realizing I didn't like it.

No chance of that.

This cleanser is fantastic.  It's step one of the Korean 2 step cleansing routine (1. Oil cleanse 2. Foam cleanse).

It starts out like a sorbet, and melts into your skin to dissolve all traces of makeup. After you rinse it off, you use a foam or cream cleanser to wash all of the rest off.

It is SO much better than the other oil cleanser I use, and really cuts down on mess and awkwardness. THUMBS UP! 

Banila Co. Prime Primer Classic 30ml.  $22

When I saw this item, I was like "meh", I will never stray from my fantastic pore primers. I decided just to try it just in case. Wow! It seriously is fantastic! I was afraid it was going to be more like a serum, but it's a really really good primer that leaves your skin seriously smooth and ready to accept a nice coat of BB cream.  I would absolutely recommend this to anyone, and will probably end up buying more when this one is empty. Phewf, that was close! Glad I tried before passing on it.

Banila Co. Claypatra Facial Scrub 120ml $15

Again, so excited to see this in the box. I've heard great things about this Claypatra line, but have never tried any. I can always use a great exfoliater, and this one looks pretty good, containing Dead Sea mud.  You apply to a dry face and rub it in cirucular motions, then rinse. I prefer scrubs I can use in the shower on a wet face, but this is good too!

Banilla Co Eye Love Gel Liner Natural Black 4g $11

This is just a standard gel liner that you apply with a brush.  I will be passing this on, since I don't use this type of liner, but it's very cute and will hopefully make someone else happy :)

Banila Co. Glam Must Luster Lipstick 3.5g $14

This lipstick is so cute and I love the packaging. You could either get the pink or the orangey red. I got the orangey red, so with my pink cheeks and undertones it's a fail for me.  I'm going to pass this one along but it is a nice lipstick (or it looks to be anyway!)  

Banila Co. Vanila Tint Balm Pink Illusion 5g $9

This is just a regular lip balm. It's nice and has a slight tint but looks pretty clear in the jar. Normally I wouldn't be excited at all about a lip balm, but I really like this one, especially with winter coming up. I do prefer lib balm in a tube, since it kind of freaks me out getting it on my fingers but I will let it slide this time.

So that's all the products! I liked 4 out of 6 so that's pretty good I think, for a box that I had no expectations about.

Here is the pretty line up for you:

If you'd like to buy a Memebox you can save $5 on any purchase (not including tax and shipping), by using this code: FHSBNP

Click here to get started!

So this is my first ever Glossybox.  I'm such a Memebox snob that I hate to buy other boxes in case of disappointment, but after seeing this month's Glossybox I jumped on the bandwagon and got myself a 3 month subscription for $60USD. I'm not sure, but I don't think they ship to Canada. I had this shipped to my US address.

So, firstly it came in a really cute cardboard box!

When I opened it, the prettiest little box ever was waiting inside:

Seriously, that box is adorable. It's so sturdy and pretty I already know that I can never throw it away. It just feels so luxurious. I would be so happy if someone gave me this as a present!

And look how sweet it is inside, all tissue papered and wrapped up with a ribbon. Luxury!  

So, open the tissue paper and what's in here:

Lot's of goodies!

Firstly, we have the Tarte Cosmetics Power Pigment in Flush  $24, Full Size.  This is the product that made me really want to get this box. I love Tarte products, and the price of this alone is more than the box price. The colour is beautiful and super flattering. It goes on smoothly and really does last quite a while. A perfect berry colour for fall and into winter. Definitely a winner!

Isn't the packaging so cute as well? Here's a little swatch for you too.

And here is the section of the info card to give a bit more detail:

The info card is so pretty and informative. I love the tips!!

Okay, second item is the Proganix Volume Root Boost Finish + Body Builder $11.99. YES volumizing product! SO happy! The only products I use in my hair are volumizers and heat protectors. So super duper happy with this one. I haven't had a chance to use this yet, but I am over the moon that they've included this in the box.  It says to apply over towel drive hair and comb through before styling. YES PLEASE. Another win for me. 

And the info card shot:

UPDATE: I used this volume spray this morning and I do feel that it gave me an extra boost. Not crazy volume but soft fluffy hair :) I like it!

Next, Nails Inc. Westminster Bridge Matte Top Coat $10. I have never tried a Matte top coat, and I was so excited to receive this as well. It promises to matte the shiniest lacquers into soft-touch territory. I tried this over shiny Sally Hansen "gel" nails, and it did matte it down. Not quite as much as I had hoped, but maybe with two coats it will make super matte nails. Excellent product, another win.

Vince Camuto Amore Eau de Parfum Full Size $78 (This is a deluxe sample). When I saw this I thought it was adorable but figured I would probably have to swap it since I'm quite sensitive with perfumes. I couldn't help but open it to smell it though. So glad I did. This is probably one of the nicest perfumes I have tried. It smells so feminine and fresh at the same time, and it doesn't give me a headache.  I love it!  I've applied to my wrists and neck and really it's such a sweet and special scent, I will probably end up buying a whole bottle when this runs out. 

SESHA Botanical Hydro Mask $9 I will never say no to a sheet mask. I have only ever tried Korean masks, so I'm intrigued by this one. It says "Hydro Mask" which to me means it should be the more substantial masks (compared to the cotton sheet masks). I would never personally spend $9 on one mask, so I am really excited to lap up the luxury of this one. 

And, one extremely exciting bonus for those of us who signed up in October? Glamglow Youthmud Tinglexfoliate Treament.  The full sized product retails for $69 which makes this sample worth about $20.  I have really been wanting to try this product and I am so happy I finally have a chance! This bonus really sealed the deal for me. THANK YOU GLOSSYBOX! 

UPDATE: I used this last night before bed. There is probably about 3 uses in this container I'd say? Depends on how sparingly you use it. It was a great exfoliation, but it left my skin very dry after.  I didn't see any noticeable difference, but maybe if I continued to use it regularly. I still liked it as an exfoliation but had to slather on essence and lotion to make up for the lost moisture. Still a great product, but I wouldn't pay $69 for the full size. :)

So, overall this Glossybox was FANTASTIC!  If things keep moving in this direction of amazingness, I'm going to have to extend my subscription. Yipee! So very pleased. 

Here is the line up of beautiful products:

It's heeeerrreee! After a few years of waiting (okay it was only a few weeks), the memedrought is over and Rapunzel has arrived! I got this box for only $0.99 because I had a tonne of memepoints at the time. So, pretty much it didn't matter what was in the box since it was all free.

There were three princess boxes released that the time, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel. I opted for Rapunzel since I knew it would be all about hair, and it wouldn't add to my overwhelming skin care collection.  

This box was $29, plus $6.99 shipping, so a bit on the pricey side for a regular Memebox. It shipped Oct 7th, and I received it Oct 24th via standard shipping. When you buy a bundle with two Memeboxes shipping on the same day, you get free upgraded express shipping, which only takes a couple of days to arrive. So worth it if there are 2 in a bundle you want.

So, let's get to it! 

I opened the pretty pink box to find:

Six products, which is fair.

Here are the nice product cards that came with the box:

I know they are hard to read aren't they?  I always think about scanning them in but I get over excited and want to post straight away to show you guys everything!

So, the first item is the Sally's Beauty Friendly Argan Hair Mask $4. This is a one time use hair mask containing Vitamin E and Argan Oil.  After washing your hair, lightly towel dry and massage essence into hair.  Put the included cap on your head and leave it there for 10-15 minute, then wash off with lukewarm water.

I know some people don't like one-time-use items, but I appreciate them since they don't add to my stash. Thanks Memebox! I've used one of these before and it left my hair feeling great, but didn't have lasting effects after the next wash.

Elizavecca Collagen Ceramide Coating Protein Treatment 100ml, $34. What's Ceramide? The computer says it's not a real word. Anyway "packed with nutritious collagen, bean protein, and various veggie extracts, this collagen ceramide coating protein treatment is a hair pack that literally coats over dry, damaged hair ends with rich nourishment, thus delivering a lasting moisture level and a healthy glow to your hair". So after washing your hair, you apply this and leave in for 5-20 minutes, and then rinse off.

So this looks pretty great! I just can't imagine myself using a whole bottle of this. My hair is pretty healthy so a once-time-use hair pack once in a while will probably due me. With a three year old, and my hubby away for school for two years I don't get much time to wash my hair, and then wait 20 minutes and then rinse. It looks like an awesome product though, so I will put it on my Swap Board.

Tosowoong 10 Hours 25ml, $12. I love the looks of this creepy syringe hair applicator. Bwahahaha. It did freak out a couple of my co-workers when I unboxed this at work today :)  So it's a hair treatment that says there is no need for an expensive protein treatment at a salon when you can use this.  The directions say to apply to your hair in the morning or before bed, and not to rinse afterwards. So.... wet hair? Dry hair?  Do you use the entire tube?  I'm curious and intrigued. I think I will try on wet hair and just use a bit. I'm always scared of a product making my hair oily.

L'Cret Hair Color Keeper Treatment Shampoo 300ml $42.  What?! $42?! Are you kidding? For shampoo? It must be good! Anyway so it contains sunflower seed oil, argan oil, and babassu seed oil. It nourishes the hair and protects from UV and de-colouring.  It says it's scented with a lovely citrus and green tea aroma.  I'm not sure about the lovely scent, I think it was kind of funny like baby shampoo but not really offensive. I'm happy to try it! My hair isn't dyed, but I think it will still be okay. 

Boutique Bebe Hair Salon Vita Clinic Mist 60ml, $24. When I first saw this was in the box I was sad because I thought I had received one before and had put it on my swap board. BUT this is different! The other one is an argan oil essence, and this one is a nutritive mist! This one is much lighter weight and I'm excited to try it.  

The description says it contains rich concentrates of argania spinosa kernel oil, lavender extracts, peppermint extracts, chamomile extracts, rosemary extracts and royal jelly extracts.  It does smell pretty great actually :)  Nice and herby. You can spray your hair as "often as possible" but I think that probably means as necessary. I would just use this one wet hair, myself, but if you have dry hair you can use it whenever you need some moisture. (I just sprayed the end of my ponytail to try it out).

ProYou Scalp Nutrition Calming Moisture Fluid 150ml $48. So this one is a scalp treatment which is interesting.  It contains hyaluronic acid, chamomile, pomegranate, allantoin, rosemary, centella asiatica, portulaca, ect,  It says morning and night apply by massaging into the scalp. Do not rinse off.   

Yay a scalp treatment! It says it's good for "dandruffs" haha. Also good for generally dry scalp in the winter, so it can't hurt to try. Something different anyway!

So that's it!

Only 6 items, but the total "memevalue" is $164.00 so that's pretty good for spending $0.99.  Right?  I will use almost all of the items so that's pretty good too!

Here are all the pretty things lined up:

Wouldn't it be so exciting if someone randomly gave you a present and it was all of this stuff?  Yes it would be. 

So, ready for a coupon?  Shop here and use coupon code MNB6  to receive $5 off! Wahoo!  

There are so many awesome Memeboxes to choose from, so go on over and order yourself a present. You don't have to sign up to anything, just pick what you want and they will ship it right to you! Yay! Shipping is $6.99 to anywhere in the world Memebox ships to. 

Oh! I almost forgot! Memebox just launched their own brand of lip tints and they are on sale RIGHT now if you want to order some. They look pretty great. Click below and it will take you right to Memebox! HAPPY SHOPPING <3

So, a few weeks ago, I went to an Office Supply show at our local office supply store (I live out in the country, we only have one office supply place). Anyway, they had a treasure chest for all attendees to try to win a prize (Cup, magnet, ect). SOMEhow I ended up winning $1000! WHAT THE! So exciting! That has never happened to me! My hubby said I could spend it on WHATEVER I want! WAAAAAAAAAAA! 

So, first off, I bought an amazingly beautiful glass makeup table and oversized pink felt chair from Home Sense. Seriously beautiful, I will show you when I have it all cleaned up.

Next, I immediately made a $82 Sephora order. After that I signed up for a three month Glossybox Subscription (after seeing October's Tarte lip pigment!). I live in Canada but had both of those orders shipped to my US mailbox. After that I just stopped spending money. I have about $500 left, and I keep adding things to my Sephora and Ulta cart, but I think I will wait a bit.

So, want to see what I bought?

It doesn't look like TOO much right? No it really isn't.

So, let's break it down!

Firstly, here we have the Too Faced Under The Mistletoe Creme Lipstick. So pretty! I was in such an excited hurry that day that I didn't realize they were all shimmery. Womp womp.... I prefer matte, but these are still so sweet and pretty that I am happily embracing them. 

In order we have:

1.Shimmering Spice Spice Baby

2. Shimmering Marshmallow Bunny

3. Shimmering Naked Dolly

Aren't they beautiful though? And that pouch?! I'm feeling happy and calm just looking at these! They are a very heavy and nice packaging.  So, on the lips, they feel very creamy, but I found they don't last very long. Well that might not be fair, because I ate an apple about a half hour after application, but you definitely need to reapply. This set was $28USD.

I posted a picture of these lipsticks on Instagram last night before bed. I just laid them on my bed as my daughter was watching My Little Pony on the Ipad beside me, and snapped a pic. A good day on Instagram for me is when 5 people like a  picture. One time I even had 8 likes! This picture, for some reason I can't even fathom has now reached 272 hearts and just keeps going! WHAT? Who are these people liking this? What the heck? How is this happening? It's only been like 12 hours too. It's like I tapped into some internet highway super speed tunnel. I only know like 5 of the people who liked it. If you're curious, here is the photo I posted:

While we're at it, here are the swatches with no flash.

I'm not very advanced at instagram, but if you want to follow me, my IG name is bobaeomma. 

Next up, tarte Pigment of Imagination Deluxe Cheek Set.  This was only $10USD! For the set! I know they are miniature but I feel like they will last quite a while. 

First is the Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Mirage, and then Cheek stain in Fantasy. They both have quite a similar colour, and I love the cheek stain most. The clay blush is a peachy pink shade, and the stain is a champagne highlighter but I feel like both are quite similar as far as colour. The stain though, oh my gosh, it is beautiful! It's like a glimmering rose gold layer of beauty. It's seriously stunning. For ten dollars, you should probably run and buy this right now.

The third item I purchased was the tarte Brushed With Destiny Makeup Brush Set, $44USD  and I am SO glad I did. This set is amazing. 

The limited-edition set features: • contourtionist™ bamboo cream blush & contour brush • the balancing act™ bamboo foundation brush  • the buffer™ airbrush finish bamboo foundation brush • double-ended bamboo eyeshadow brush • undercover lover™ bamboo concealer brush • limited-edition collector’s brush & makeup bag

Every single brush is amazing and high quality. The airbrush foundation brush is unbelievable. I cannot WAIT to use this tomorrow. Ahhh it's heavenly. I would absolutely 100% recommend this set to ANY one. The foundation brush alone is regularly $32, so this is a real steal. 

UPDATE: I used the airbrush foundation brush this morning, and OMG seriously. BEST. BRUSH. EVER. I used it with my BB cream and I was seriously done my entire face, flawlessly, in like 5 seconds. It would even be worth the $32 for just this brush. 

See them all tucked in there? Aren't they adorable? I love the gold, and bamboo combo. So lovely!

And look! A zipper pouch! Isn't that great? This makeup bag is GORGEOUS!

It looks even better in real life. The box it came in was out of this world pretty. I wish I could show you but it accidentally ended up in the garbage. Booooo hoooooooooo!

How about one more shot all lined up?

Hello my pretties!

So, as you probably know, Sephora always sends some freebies. Here's a show of what I got this time:

I'm really excited about the Shiseido eye mask with retinal. I wish I had a whole box of those babies.

Oh, and another bonus, I also received a package in the mail that I bought from another Canadian beauty lover's swap board. Wanna see? 

My Honey Box finally arrived! I saw spoilers of this box ages ago from the girls who got this with express shipping. So tick tock tick tock, it arrived! 

This box I believe was $29 plus $6.99 shipping, but I had a tonne of Memepoints burning a hole in my pocket, so I got this baby for $4.00 plus shipping.  

Seven full sized items in this box! Ready to see the lineup?

Doesn't that look AMAZING?! For $4.00?! WHAT!

Okay so I will get right to it!

The first item is Migabee Antipollution RE-Peeling 100ml $37. 

It is a peel off face pack.  You rub it on your face, and it will exfoliate all of the dead skin. It contains bee venom, honey, propolis and royal jelly. Doesn't that sound amazing? I have too many peeling gels, so I swapped this for an Iope Air Cushion (YESSSSS!), but seriously, this looks like a wonderful product. 

----------------------------------------------------------------

Mi Click Manuka Honey Treatment 30ml $5. 

Manuka Honey treatment delivers deep nourishment, repairs damaged ends, and provides an intensive protein care to your dry hair.  Ohhh Yay! Doesn't that sound great!? I can't WAIT to use this product in my hair.  It smells really nice, but not like honey, more like Korean skin care.  The bottle will probably do me about 3-4 treatments, so not bad. 

----------------------------------------------------

Enesti Apple & Honey Shea Butter Hand Cream $5

Honey and apple formula.  Ok. This does not smell like honey, but it DOES smell like amazingness. Holy. It smells sooooooooo good! Like sweet apples. I was originally going to swap this, but I'm going to run over to my swap board now and remove it, now that I've tried it. Phewf, that was close! 

-----------------------------------------------------

From Nature Multi Effect Collagen Honey Mask $1

So, we now usually always expect to receive a mask as a full sized item. It used to really annoy me but I guess I've mellowed. This mask looks great, and I'm happy to receive it! I would have been happier though if there was more than one. Come on Memebox! It's only $1! Spring for a three pack! :)

-------------------------------------------------------

Edmong Honeybee Water Cream 50ml $29

This was the item which was a spoiler for this box. It looked so amazing and ultimately pushed me over the edge. Ironically, it ended up being my least favourite and I sold it.  Ha.  It was too gel-like for me, and I thought it kind of smelled like glue.  It does look like honey, and is very moisturizing, but not for me.  

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Daycell Essential Honey Lift Massage Cream 150ml. $20.  

So I thought this was body massage cream, but it's actually for your face, and it is SO luxurious! I love it! This huge bottle will last me the rest of my life. It doesn't smell a lot like honey, but it smells nice. It leaves a super silky lovely texture to the skin. It is a bit stringy and cool as well.  It's a sleeping pack actually, that you apply at night time, and rinse off in the morning. I love it!

------------------------------------------

Pure Smile Snail Lip Treatment Honey 10g $5. 

Yippee! A snail product! I love this little guy. It tingles when you first apply, kind of like a menthol, but feels great and super duper moisturizing. I'm going to keep this on my night stand to apply before bed.  Contains honey extracts, snail mucus extracts (you get used to the idea), grape seed oil and shea butter.  Great product!

------------------------------------------

So that's the whole box. The total value was $102.00. Not bad for $29.00, but slightly lower than some other memeboxes.  I loved the box though, I'm very happy I received it.

Here are the info cards that came with this box:

Now, are you ready go go buy your own memebox?  Here are some benefits for you!

$5 off any purchase, use code: MNB6

AFFILIATE-2096-GB4D1-GQFD for $5 off on orders above $100

AFFILIATE-9040-PMC5M-AZOZ for $10 off on orders above $150

You can also click on the banner below, and the discounts for orders over $100 will automatically apply when you add items to your cart. Happy shopping! 

Guess what? Memebox has just released an Etude House box! It's their second (the first was LONG ago), and if you're quick you can snap one up here.  Be quick though, because this will probably sell out within the next day or so.  Don't forget, here's a $5 off coupon too!: N2TB

So, we have no idea what might be in this box, but I'm going to share my top ten wishlist of hopes and dreams for the Etude House Box.

1. ETUDE HOUSE Princess Happy Ending Nail Kit 3 items 

These are so cute, and princess themed. They come with 2 complimentary colours and nail art stickers for accents. Cute!

2.ETUDE HOUSE Wonder Pore Modeling Ultra Clear 80g

I love the wonder pore line (I would be happy with anything from this line, actually.  This cleaners looks really neat!

3. ETUDE HOUSE Real Art Cleansing Oil Moist 200 ml.

I've never tried an oil cleanser, but I think it would be great for removing BB cream and waterproof makeup. Also, I bet it leaves your face so moisturized and cleaned.  I should buy the new Oil box, but I'm trying to resist. 

4. ETUDE HOUSE Baby Pudding Pact

Super excited about this one! It's supposed to be creamy with the texture of pudding and give you long lasting colour and moisture. Hoping for this in the lighted colour, No02.

5.ETUDE HOUSE Silk Scarf Hair Moist pack

I'm always up for a great hair treatment. 

6. ETUDE HOUSE Moistfull Collagen Essence in Pact SPF25/PA++

Because it's collagen essence in a pact. How could we go wrong here?

7. ETUDE HOUSE Etoinette Brush Collection

This is actually what I would be MOST excited about receiving. Wouldn't that be amazing? These brushes are adorable. 

8. ETUDE HOUSE Nymphs brilliance volumer Baby Face aura balm

Okay this stuff is amazing. I have it in a bottle, but it's not mixed with BB cream. I would LOVEEEE to try this!

9. ETUDE HOUSE Precious Mineral Any Cushion SPF50 PA+++ 15g

Of course I have to include a cushion since it's such a huge trend right now. (I know this wishlist is full of compacts, but seriously, they all look so great).

10. ETUDE HOUSE Eau de Perfume 20ml

The descriptions on these perfumes look so great! I wish I could get a sample set and smell them all :)

So, that's my wishlist. I would be happy if even one item made it in!