Be My Galentines Pamper Pack Giveaway!

I am a fan of the show Parks & Recreation, in one of the episodes the main character Leslie Knope host what she calls a Galentines breakfast for her gal pals the day before Valentines day. She gives each of them a gift, they spend time together chatting and catching up. I thought it was a great idea and so did hundreds of other people so now a lot of people celebrate Galentines day. Galentine's Day, is a nonofficial holiday, is celebrated as a day for "ladies celebrating ladies." it is celebrated on February 13th.

I enjoy sending a card and a little gift to my best friend and this year I decided to celebrate with a giveaway here on my blog as well! I have a set of really cute treat bags that I've been holding onto for quite some time, I bought them several years ago at Target and I didn't know what to do with any of them until now. I've put together two small goodie gift bags!

Each gift bag includes a number of "Treat Yo Self" goodies including pampering goods, nail polish, makeup and of course chocolate, because how can it be Galentines/Valentines without chocolate? Both bags are slightly different so I will be labeling them as Pack 1 & Pack 2 below, If you have a preference of which one you'd prefer please include it in your mandatory blog comment entry. Now let's get onto the goods:

Prize Pack One includes:

A Bolero Beverly Hills facial mask, a nose mask (helps with black heads), Cherry Blossom bath salts, Hot Pink gel nail polish, dark blue glitter polish, NYX lipstick, a blue fabric hair tie, two ceramedx lotion samples, a lip balm, a travel lotion, a Hershey's chocolate bar & a packet of Caramel hot coco.

Prize Pack Two includes:

A Bolero Beverly Hills facial mask, a nose mask (helps with black heads), Sweet Clementine bath salts, shimmery orange mermaid nail polish, purple glitter polish, NYX lipstick, a black fabric hair tie, two ceramedx lotion samples, a lip balm, a travel lotion, a Hershey's chocolate bar & a packet of Chocolate supreme hot coco.

Each prize pack should make for a nice relaxing self care night. Speaking of giveaways if you haven't seen the January Beauty & The Book Giveaway yet you should head over and check it out, you could win a brand new book and a set of makeup! It ends on Feb 7th and the new February Beauty & The Book Giveaway will be up soon as well.

This is open World Wide! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! This giveaway is hosted by ME and is not associated with any of the brands mentioned above. Giveaway winners are announced on Facebook so please like my page to see the winner announcements! 

This giveaway ends on 02/15/2020

Giveaway entry question: Leave me a blog comment telling me your favorite way to treat/pamper yourself. Also include which prize pack you'd like if you have a preference.

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Spring Reading Bundle Giveaway from Candlewick Press!

We always encourage our children to read whether school is in for the year or not, and I am very happy that both of my children willingly grab a book and sit down to read when they have a day off school. Spring break is coming up quickly and I wanted to host a giveaway for a set of books that would make great reads during the time off! Both of these books are recommended for ages 10+ and all four books are hardcover.

The Raymie Nightingale Three Book-Collection

By Kate DiCamillo

Hardcover with box Retail value $54.99

Each book follows along with the story of a young woman and how all three of them intertwine. The books go over the topics of family and social issues. The first book of the trilogy was a National Book Award Finalist! All three books have adventure, life changing events and moments you are sure to remember. The cover art is also stunning, I love how they captured the face of each character.

Black Beauty

By Anna Sewell

Hardcover; Retail Value $24.99

Originally released in 1877 this novel has been brought new life with over 50+  beautiful illustrations throughout the book.

This book is not only about the life of a young black colt, but the book is written in his perspective. When I was in middle school I read a book series that had a similar perspective, and it was actually pretty interesting. Black Beauty will take you on a journey from the time he is fairly young into adulthood, you'll read about his adventures, his feelings and more.

This is open to US Residents! Please remember if you DO NOT leave a comment on this blog post as your mandatory entry into the giveaway then all of your entries will be void. Doing the Daily entries will increase your chance of winning. Winners have 72 hours to respond to the notification email! 

This giveaway ends on 02/09/2020, Total Retail Value: $79.98

Giveaway entry question: Leave a comment letting me know another activity you enjoy engaging in during breaks from school. 

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Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Candlewick Press for the giveaway free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Learn new projects with the Sew What Box!

I am able to stitch by hand but I have always wanted to learn how to use a sewing machine so I can sew faster. My daughter has also recently shown an interest in learning how to sew and we decided we will try to learn together. When I came across the "Sew What Box" it  was the perfect match for us. What is the Sew What Box? It is a monthly subscription box that sends you a sewing project to do each month, it includes the materials needed (fabrics, string, needles, pins) and information on where you can find their video tutorials to watch.

We received a box with a baby blanket inside! It came with two different types of fabrics, black thread, pins, and a needle to help us create our project. Having an online tutorial is perfect for people who want to learn from home, don't like dealing with instructors or just don't have the time to attend an entire class.

We were very excited to get this going however we have to put the complete project on hold, our sewing machine is a bit old and it decided it didn't want to work during our project, so we have someone who is going to see if they can fix it, otherwise we will get a new one. However we've had this box for a little while so I want to get the review done for them. I like that they included everything you need, I honestly wasn't expecting them to include the needle needed as well.

The fabrics included are perfect for a baby blanket, they included a section of soft white mink blanket and a smaller section of floral pattern to go in the middle of the baby blanket. The only thing I would change about it is if they had an option to choose girly or boyish cloths, or include a small section of two different cloths. A friend of ours is having a baby boy, and isn't looking for a floral pattern so I think when I get our sewing machine fixed up I will swap out the floral pattern material for a different one. The tutorial that they provide is extremely easy to follow along with, even starters like us are able to following along without any issues and it is a great way to learn along the way. You won't end up using the entire spoon of thread, and the needle/pins are able to be reused so you can add them to your sewing kit.

How much does it cost? The Sew What Box is $35 a month, and each month will have a different project. They offer duffel bags, baby blankets, aprons and more so you can learn different techniques.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by The Sew What Box for the Review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Women's Fur lined boots by Lugz!

Everyone should own a comfortable pair of boots for when the occasion calls for them & also to be fashionably cute. I adore boots that have a little extra flair like a fur liner so when I was offered the chance to review the Women's Empire Hi Fur 6-inch Boots from Lugz, I couldn't say no. They offer the boots in six different colors include a lovely rose pink color, however I usually am dressed in all black so I went with the all black boots.

We enjoy going hiking together as a family, we go camping and we enjoy being out in nature so these boots are perfect for when we are out and I need better protection than sneakers offer. We recently drove a few hours up to Northern Arizona to play in the snow, which provided the perfect opportunity to really test these boots out. The fur isn't only around the liner of the ankle, but it also goes down the inside of the boots tongue which adds extra cushion for your feet. The fit of these is perfect for me, no squished toes or heels rubbed raw.

The bottoms are made of rubber and are built to be slip and water resistant, they did fantastic walking around in the snow. The only issue I had was that the snow we were in was fairly soft due to it being fresh so with all of the walking around it got a little packed in the bottom of my boots, so when I was going down hill on a sidewalk that was already a little slippery there was an instant where I felt a little slippage but once I knocked all of the snow out of my boot everything was fine.

Even though I was running around in the snow, some spots even going up past my ankle these boots didn't let any snow or water into them. My feet stayed dry, comfortable and most of all warm the entire time we were out, I loved having them on because not only were they comfortable but they look great as well. I did end up re-lacing them before wearing them as I usually don't like the way shoes come pre-laced.

The insides of the shoes have a Flexastride memory foam insole that feels like a little cloud in your boots. The boots have a deep pure black coloring to them that looks gorgeous in person, even after playing in the snow, walking in a little bit of a muddy area and walking around in a wet grassy area the boots still stayed fairly clean. If they do get dirty they are easy to wipe off with a damp wash cloth. I am a some what short so I also like that these boots give me an extra 1 to 1 1/2 inches in height. The boots will help keep your feet protected while working, hiking or playing and they aren't that heavy so you won't feel weighed down walking around for long periods of time. These boots can be purchased for $84.99 on their website along with a dozen other styles.

What do you look for in a boot when you go to purchase a pair?

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Lugz for the Review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Malamander & Gargantis A Monster Book Reivew With Walker Books!

My children are always so excited when we open the front door to see a package marked from Walker Books U.S (A division of Candlewick Press) because it means we have new books to read! I love that my children enjoy reading, we have tons of books but we are always happy to check out new books we haven't read or seen before. We were recently sent two advanced copies of books coming out within the year and my daughter highly enjoyed reading them.

Both books are from the same series by Thomas Taylor and they are packed full of adventure, magic and monsters. Sometimes when my daughter isn't really enjoying a book I can tell because of how slow she reads it, and that wasn't the case with this set of books, she read through them pretty quickly. When I get the chance I plan on reading them myself because the covers and the summary of the book intrigue me. The series this book is from is called The Legends of Eerie-on-Sea.

The first book in the series is called Malamander and the hardcovered version was released 09/2019 for $16.99 with the paperback copy coming out in 04/2020. Here is a summary of the book:

"It’s winter in the town of Eerie-on-Sea, where the mist is thick and the salt spray is rattling the windows of the Grand Nautilus Hotel. Inside, young Herbert Lemon, Lost and Founder for the hotel, has an unexpected visitor. It seems that Violet Parma, a fearless girl around his age, lost her parents at the hotel when she was a baby, and she’s sure that the nervous Herbert is the only person who can help her find them. The trouble is, Violet is being pursued at that moment by a strange hook-handed man. And the town legend of the Malamander — a part-fish, part-human monster whose egg is said to make dreams come true — is rearing its scaly head. As various townspeople, some good-hearted, some nefarious, reveal themselves to be monster hunters on the sly, can Herbert and Violet elude them and discover what happened to Violet’s kin? This lighthearted, fantastical mystery, featuring black-and-white spot illustrations, kicks off a trilogy of fantasies set in the seaside town. "

My daughter enjoyed the main characters and their adventure through out the book, she also enjoyed the creatures that were introduced and was happy she had the second book as well so she didn't have to wait to read it. The cover art is beautiful, the few photos we had in the book were a lot of fun as well and tied in perfectly with the book. (our copy wasn't completely finished illustration wise due to it being an advanced copy.)

The second book in the series is called Gargantis which will be released in May of 2020. Here is a summary of the book: 

"There's a storm brewing over Eerie-on-Sea, and the fisherfolk say a monster is the cause. Someone has woken the ancient Gargantis, who sleeps in the watery caves beneath this spooky seaside town where legends have a habit of coming to life. It seems the Gargantis is looking for something: a treasure stolen from her underwater lair. And it just might be in the Lost-and-Foundery at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, in the care of one Herbert Lemon, Lost-and-Founder. With the help of the daring Violet Parma, ever-reliable Herbie will do his best to figure out what the Gargantis wants and who stole her treasure in the first place. In a town full of suspicious, secretive characters, it could be anyone!"

My daughter said this was a great follow up book to the second one that continues the characters grand advantures from the first book, introducing new creatures and fun scenes to delight the reader. The writter has done a great job writting a book that will make you want to keep reading to find out what happens next. Both books are reccomended for ages eight to twelve, but that doesn't limit anyone older from reading it, as mentioned I plan on reading it myself because it sounds like a good fantasty based book (Which are my favorite). I highly suggest checking out both books for yourself or for your loved one if they are a big fan of mystery, magic, myths and monsters! 

What are your thoughts on these books based off the summary, and what is another Fantasty based book you enjoy?

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by Candlewick Press / Walker Books U.S for the Review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.

Bearizona in the Winter!

During the winter month's we love going on a family trip up north near the Flagstaff area to enjoy a day playing in the snow. This year we also decided to visit Bearizona again while we were up in the area because we've never been there during the winter. The park was absolutely gorgeous covered in snow, granted we were practically freezing when we were doing the walk through part but it turned out alright. If you are unfamiliar with Bearizona it is a drive and walkthrough animal sancturary located in Williams, Arizona they have a range of wildlife from small critters to big bears.

I wanted to share some of the photos I took from our trip, we didn't have four wheel drive on the van we took out so they let us know we'd have to wait about an hour and a half before we could do the drive through part that way they could let all the all terrain and four wheel drives in to make the roads more drivable for the vehicles that would have a harder time. So we did the walk through part first.

It was just after they opened so some of the animals were still a bit sleepy especially because it was only about 18 degrees out, but it was really cute seeing how the animals were sleeping or playing in the snow. The foxes were right up at the from of their enclosure getting some shut eye, the raccoons were tucked away in a log staying warm, the bobcats were out pacing their area and the otters were digging around in the snow for food. We went back to see the jaguar as well but he wasn't out at the time, we were freezing so we went to get some hot coco. We found out though that even though the park opens at 9am, the coffee stand and restaurants don't open until 10:30-11am  so we had to wait for them to open and then were bounced around between the coffee shop and one of the cafes both telling us they didn't have coco so go back to the other one. We did eventually get our coco! A bit pricey but worth it to help warm us up. Once we grabbed our coco they let those in the walk about area know the drive through part was open for all vehicles, so we loaded back up into the van.

There were a bunch of people at the park so the line through the drive in part was pretty long and a person or two got stuck so it was a slow moving line, but it was nice because it allowed you to enjoy the animals longer. Many of the animals are close to the road way so you can see them and take photos, the park is great at letting you know which areas you need to keep your doors locked and windows up (bears, wolves) and to stay off the grates when it is snowing. 

We decided to drive through a second time (you are allowed to drive through as many times as you'd like and visit the walk in part as much as you want with your pass), and we are so glad we did because the animals were much more active the second time. I think part of it was because they went through and feed some of them and they let the wolves out the second time we went through so we got to see more of the animals. We also had a good laugh as there was a bear that seemed like it was messing with people trying to get their cars stuck on one of the grated sections when you first enter the bear exhibit. He kept walking across the road in from of the cars, then would whip around and go back the other way, he looked like he was having a blast. There were also a few deer up close to the cars trying to lick the snow off of people's cars. All three of the kids and all of us adults had a blast. I've been to the park both during winter, and the summer and I think I prefer the winter time. Now we will just need to visit in the spring when it is in between the two weather extremes. 

I will put some other photos up on my Instagram pages (@Burningmoonprod + @Lunas_Enchanting_Adventures), and I will try to get a video or two up as well. 

* This is not a sponsored post, my family and I enjoy Bearizona so we decided to visit while we were enjoying a snow day in Williams/Flagstaff, But maybe Bearizona will reach out and we will get to work with them to visit again in the spring. 

CompletEats has a cookie to fit your Gluten-free & Vegan needs!

Looking around for a gluten-free, plant-based treat? CompletEats offer four different flavors of cookies that are each gluten-free, plant-based and vegan! The four flavors they offer are Banana Bread, Mocha Chip, Cherry Almond and Chocolate Chia. They had a holiday flavor as well which was peppermint cacao chip, I was recently sent some of the peppermint and Banana bread to try out. I was asked to incorporate the cookies into a recipe if I could, so I want to not that I am not vegan so neither of these recipes are vegan however there are alternatives out there that are vegan and can be used instead. Their cookies are made with delicious and wholesome ingredients like cherries, chia seeds, almonds, coffee and more!

I decided to use the Peppermint Cacao Chip as a crust base for some mini cheesecakes, you can make a while cheesecake or you can make mini cheesecakes. I used a food processor to turn the cookies into crumbs and I was surprised how well they blended up, which could be due to how moist and fluffy the cookies are. Much like using graham crackers you'll add a bit of melted butter to the mixture so it form fits to the pan, however you will want to avoid doing what I did. What was that? My brain thought it would need the same time that graham cracker crust does to bake, but I was wrong and the cups got a little burned around the top so I suggest setting the timer for about five minutes less than what you normally would. Due to them not looking the best I am going to skip the photo for this one, but they turned out pretty good. I like the little addition of peppermint, it gave it a nice kick.

The Banana Bread I decided to make ice cream sandwiches with because I love ice cream sandwiches. To make them quick and easy to make I used pre-made store bought ice cream, after I brought the container home I cut the container open so I could take the ice cream out. Once the ice cream has been removed you can cut it into slices and use a cup to create perfect little circles to add in between two cookies. We have a decent selection of sprinkles so I put some on a plate and rolled the ice cream sandwich in it to add a little flair to them. These cookies do not need to be added to a dessert, they are great on their own! It is just fun to mix it up and spice up your desserts from time to time.

At the moment CompletEats sells a sample pack which comes with one cookie of each flavor, a six pack that comes with a random variety or you can buy a twelve pack of a single flavor. The cookies had a lot of flavor and they were pretty thick so they were filling. Their product packaging was nice and it was easy to open, Also how cute is their logo? I love that the "C" is a little moon.

Disclaimer- The products mentioned above were provided by CompletEats for the review free of charge no other compensation was provided. However, no product compensation will influence the outcome of any review. My honest opinions are used in all reviews, they are solely my own & they may vary from others. My reviews are posted for readers in order to provide an informed decision before purchase.