Valentine's Day Gift Guide- Precious Moments Figurine.

Valentine’s Day is almost here again – let those closest to you know how much you care with Precious Moments. Express your love to family and friends with an assortment of thoughtful gifts, ranging from functional tableware to heartwarming figurines.

My Thoughts:

 I've always adored everything Precious Moments since I was a little girl. My mom was a huge fan and every holiday season her and I would enjoy the new decorations and figures that would come out. This season for Valentine's Day, I was excited to surprise my parents with the Love Is Our Secret Ingredient figurine.

To say this figurine is gorgeous is an understatement. It's so beautifully crafted with bisque porcelain which has a nice weight to it. What I admired the most was the attention to detail. How the recipe paper had ingredients painted on it, the clothing is lifelike, the classic Precious Moments expressions and art style on the couple truly standout on this piece. The brunette and blonde hair colors reminded me of my mom and dad perfectly.

The reason I was so drawn to Love Is Our Secret Ingredient as a gift was because my parents love to get into the kitchen together. Growing up, I watched them bond over cooking meals, especially during the holiday season. Love was certainly their secret ingredient. I know this figurine will be perfect for any couples that also adore making memories in the kitchen. If you're looking for the perfect Valentine's Day gift look no further than, Precious Moments!

Connect with Precious Moments-

Website  Facebook  Instagram  

February Isn't the Only Time for Love and Relaxation! Music Review + Giveaway.

February is the month of love! We rush around for the perfect placement settings, gifts, candy, and flowers. Once Valentine's Day finally arrives, we are able to kick back and relax with our loved ones. Wouldn't it be great to harness that calming feeling and take it with you all year long? Well, there is a way we can do that! Through music! Music has been known to set the mood in any room, but also within us! It is a great tool for meditation, soothing your emotions, and assisting with better sleep. Out of all the genres in the world, nothing brings the positive energy like, New Age Music. This review and giveaway features new selections from today's top ambient/New Age musicians who are ready to share their passion for music with you!

My Thoughts:

Music has been my lifelong love. Whether I'm studying, working, meditating, or playing something to relax my art students and bring fourth creative expression, I always find myself leaning towards the genre of New Age. For a deep connection with the mind, body, and spirit, there is nothing better. Here are some of the newest must have albums for any New Age collector, as well as anyone who wants to bring more calming energy into their life:

Anaya: AONKI: Gateway of Love. Award winning Brazilian artist Anaya's new ablum, AONKI, was recorded from Brazil with a virtual symphony orchestra in the heart of Prague! Inspired by eternal love for her husband, her soaring compositions stir the soul with passionate melodies of timeless inspiration to awaken our heart's song. www.anayamusic.net

Neil Tatar: After the Rain. Neil's heartfelt and sensitive piano and guitar work will touch you in the deepest parts of your soul, and help you realize just how grand life can be at every age! Alternatively, melodic and rhythmic, the album offers a mix of profoundly introspective piano pieces and playful spirited guitar-driven works. www.neiltatar.com 

Byron Metcalf and Jennifer Grais: They Were Here. They Were Here is a powerful collaboration between drummer, Byron Metcalf, and shamanic vocalist, Jennifer Grais. Inspired by their love for the majesty and magic of America's wild horses, the music is highly evocative and emotional - a mystical infusion of beauty and tenderness - of power and potency. Album Sampler Here! http://www.byronmetcalf.com/splashpage/

Fiona Joy: Signature - Synchronicity. Self love is, perhaps, the most difficult love of all to attain, which Fiona Joy explores in her critically - acclaimed album, Signature - Synchronicity. This is a gorgeous collection of instrumental piano tracks laced with ethereal layered vocals. The interaction between the piano and the soft vocalization is incredibly deft, and Joy brings her signature power, sensitivity and grace to each track. Heartbroken? You'll feel as if these cathartic songs were written especially for you. http://www.fionajoy.com/

Michael Whalen: Kiss the Quiet. The latest work of Michael Whalen has finally arrived. Kiss the Quiet, will guide you through a fantastic view of life and love, a musical journey that will have you feeling rejuvenated. As you listen to the powerful piano and ambiences created by Whalen in songs such as Full Moon Dance and My Obsequious Tear, you will be transported to the depths of your inner being. Take the time to meditate anytime, anywhere with this profound album. https://www.michaelwhalen.com/

All five titles bring fourth a unique and beautiful meditative, and listening experience. There is something for everyone in this bundle. Whether you love powerful vocals like the ones you will hear on They Were Here, and Signature - Synchronicity, or the deep bass and rhyme of an orchestra, guitars, and piano like within the albums Kiss the Quiet, After the Rain, and AONKI: Gateway of Love, you will adore being transported to a place of light. Keep the vibrations of love and relaxation going not just on Valentine's Day, but all year long! Let us connect with love all day, every day!

Connect with The B Company:

Website Blog Facebook  Twitter Youtube  Tumblr  Pinterest  Linkedin Google+ 

The Giveaway:

The B Company was kind enough to offer a beautiful giveaway for our readers! The winner will receive each of the five titles in a lovely CD bundle! Thank you so much to, The B Company, for this opportunity! I know everyone will love them as much as I do!

Entry-Form

SEATTLE'S OK SWEETHEART HAS YOUR 💟 VALENTINE'S DAY CHEAT SHEET! 💗

OK SWEETHEART‘s Erin Austin has a treat for you this Valentine's Day! Her songs make go from poppy and upbeat to heartfelt and inspirational. The artist has had her songs featured on multiple hit TV series including CW’s One Tree Hill, ABC's drama Revenge, and most recently USA Network’sRoyal Pains. A big feat for the artist who is quickly becoming television's "go to” hit maker! 

This Valentine’s Day the songstress decided to gift her fans with some fun V-day ideas as well as "We’ve Got Love,” the new love track which can be heard on the new Zales commercial.  Happy V-day!

1. Experience something new and meaningful

Do something random and fun! Go play mini-golf or to in indoor water theme park, check out an exhibit at a museum, go to a comedy show, head out on a hike or snowshoe around a park.

OR do something you’ve been meaning to do together. Take a plane trip or helicopter ride to see your city from a new point of view, go skiing and sip cocktails at your favorite lodge, take a romantic stroll through a botanical garden or drive to a state park and explore. Whether you're on a budget or splurging, experiencing something new together will create priceless memories

2. You learn a lot just by looking around

Stressing about finding the perfect gift they’ll never expect? Relax. To love them is to really know them and their likes, so get a gift they’ll actually use. Have an artist in your life? Get them those art supplies they’d never splurge on. A reader? Find a vintage copy of their favorite book. Are they using a hair tie as a wallet? (Yes, my boyfriend actually did this) Get them a fancy new money clip with their initials on it. They will appreciate that you pay attention to them and their routines. And you won’t have to look at that hair tie wallet anymore!

3. Treat yourselves!

(General) Does your other like a fresh cut and a shave? Find an old-school barber that will do the whole towel service deal with a straight razor. Maybe a Chinese foot massage? Find an old school co-ed bathhouse where you can hang together. Go for a float in one of those pod things … I’ve done it, it’s fun!

4. Tour de Grub

(General) Spend the whole day casually enjoying and exploring your favorite food in your city. Pick your favorite foods and find out what restaurants in town make that one thing the best. Then go from place to place eating your favorite things together! If you live in a place with few restaurants, why not explore cooking your favorite things? If you’re convincing someone who’s not good at cooking, but is always the one volunteering to make the fire, tell them when you make creme brûlée, you get to use a blow torch. It’s a blast!

Spice Up Your Valentine's Day with the Fantasy Box from Fantasy Boutique

If you're looking for something special this Valentine's Day, the Fantasy Box has your night covered!  For couples interested in a sensual pampering experience, they're offering a version of their best-selling Platinum Spa Fantasy Box that was created exclusively and featured on The View. You can get his amazing assortment of romantic treats for just $99!

I received one of the Spa Fantasy boxes to check out, and it was everything I imagined it would be. First, it came beautifully packaged in a lovely box that was discreet, but also sturdy enough to keep to store your goodies when they aren't in use.

Inside the box is everything you need to create the perfect romantic evening. Start by surprising your partner with a room filled with the gentle glow of tea-lights, and a bed sprinkled with silk rose petals.

Next you can dress for occasion.  Each box contains one stunning baby doll negligee in the size of your choice-pick from red, black or blue. You can pair them with  matching thigh high hosiery. This set is  gorgeous and form fitting, and will make every woman feel like the goddess she is.

Of course, you want to taste as good as you look. With the delicious Kama Sutra Souffle, you can drench yourself in the arousing scent of chocolate. Later, allow your lover to sprinkle you with the kissable body powder, scented with honey dust to make the moment even more arousing.

Finally, a massage is a wonderful way to finish off the perfect evening. Choose from either the unscented massage oil from Sliquid Organics, or perhaps heat things up all over again with the Jimmy Jane Massage Oil Candle. After the candle melts down, you can pour the hot wax for a delightful warm massage you'll never forget.

Of course, we all know that Valentine's Day isn't the only time of year to make someone feel special. The Fantasy Box could make a great gift for bridal showers, anniversaries, birthdays, or just to bring a little romance back into your relationship. To learn more about the Fantasy Box and all the beautiful lingerie and adult products available at Fantasy Boutique, be sure to visit their website or follow them on their social media.

Connect with Fantasy Boutique

Book Review: Carried In Our Hearts

"Product was received for free in exchange for an honest review."

153 million children in the world have lost one or both parents. Many, through no fault of their own, are destined to live out their childhoods in institutional settings or on the street, devoid of loving caregivers, sick, hungry and listless. Worldwide Orphans (WWO) is working to ensure that orphaned children can have a happy, healthy childhood in spite of their circumstances.

What many of these parents didn’t know before hand was that a child loses one month of developmental skills for every three months spent in an orphanage. By the time a child turns three, they are often a full year behind in development, and the disadvantages start to mount, including learning disabilities, motor delays and attachment issues.  Carried In Our Hearts also examines the often painful process of adjustment after the adoption process is completed.

Our Thoughts:

Having a friend who has adopted three children and has went through one bad adoption (agency they thought was credible was in fact false), this book hit home for me. I have always thought about adoping, with so many children out there already who deserve to be loved.

This book pulls the heart string of every parent, and would-be parent. With it's poignant reminders that adoption is hard; not just on the parents and children, but everyone involved. Good or bad, happy and sad, this book shows the ins and outs of adopting a child. 

Showing it's not "done" even after the adoption is finished is another heart tugging aspect of this book. There are check-ups and such that must be done over a period of time. Once again the beauty and devastation are depcited wonderfully with each story told.

I love that this book has stories from different perspectives, as it really allows the reader to grasp that just like children, not every adoption is the same. It's not a cut and dry process all the time, there is so much more than most people realize. 

Two thumbs up for this book (5 stars)! I am thrilled to have read this book and honored that I could read something so raw and heartfelt.

Reviewed by Steph

***Please note that I received no form of monetary compensation for this post. The opinions expressed in the review are my own and were not influenced in any way.***