Buffalo Appointments

We are currently out of town right now, we are in Buffalo NY! My husband is getting his pre-transplant appointments done today, tomorrow and then again next Monday we will have to drive out here (3 hour drive) so he and I can do our orientation appointment. This is big news for us, in early March he will get admitted for his Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant, which means that his donor passed all their tests and is in the process of collecting the stem cells for the transplant process. Monday we will learn all about what happens when he gets admitted and what I will need to know to take care of him and be his 24 hour care-giver, which is required for him to be discharged from the hospital. It all gets a little complicated from there because we have the two small children. Luckily though my mother will be able to come over for a few months (starting when he gets discharged) and watch the kids, because my husband is required to stay in the Buffalo area--with his caregiver for approximately 2 months after he gets discharged from the hospital after the transplant. It would be so much easier if we lived closer then he could just stay at the house and the boys would be there, but because we live so far away that is just not possible. Of course I can't have the boys with me either because if my husband needs to get admitted I would still need someone to watch them, only now in Buffalo instead of at home.

Right now, the boys and I are at the hotel. I finally managed to get my youngest Z (1), to take a nap and my other son Shane and I are doing quiet activities. We would go to the zoo or something but it is raining and snowing off and on so it is not really the right weather for doing anything while my husband is at his appointments. Tomorrow will be a little more interesting since we have to check out of the hotel by 11, but my husband still has appointments most of the day.....not sure what we are going to be doing while he is gone. We shall see!

It's been a Crafty week here

It has been a crazy past few days here at the house! It is just me and the boys right now while we wait for word to go pick up my husband from the hospital. His numbers are starting to come back up after the chemotherapy but his platelet count is being stubborn, so he is stuck there until they decide to come up. Meanwhile back here at the house we had that lovely winter storm come through and dump at least 16 inches of snow on us in just about a 24 hour period. There was a couple days where my oldest (3) and I were able to get outside and get some fresh air, and get some energy out!

When stuck in the house we have been doing many crafts, from coloring to working out of our Green Kid Crafts box, our WonderBox (which sadly they are discontinuing, we are going to switch over to Kiwi Crate) and lately water color painting! I have also taken up some crafting and have been working on my quilt that I started, and a second quilt piece that I started while waiting on more fabric and fusible interfacing for the first one. I also took the time to finish up a diaper liner/doubler for my cloth diapers and I think it turned out pretty good for my first one, of course you learn as you go and I can always make improvements in my design for the future ones.





I also took the time to roast up some chickpeas which turned out super tasty! Here is a recipe if you want to try it for yourself!

Roasted Chickpeas
You will need:
2 Cans of Chickpeas
A drizzle of Olive Oil (maybe 1Tbsp)
Seasoning of your choice, this is such a great snack you can really make it any way you want! I recommend plain old Salt and Pepper, Paprika, or even Cayenne if you want a kick. (I wanted a sweet snack so I used a sprinkle of Salt, Brown sugar, some Cinnamon and some Vanilla and Almond extract).

Preheat oven to 375 (I use 400 because my oven is off)
Open your canned chickpeas, wash/rinse them well.
Dry them off! Be sure they are super dry or they won't get crunchy when you bake them. I let mine sit in the pan and air dry for 10-15 minutes before I proceed.
Add your Olive Oil to the pan and shake it to coat all of the chickpeas.
Sprinkle your spices and shake the pan again to make sure they all get coated.
Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until crunchy, they will get too hard if you overcook them, again my oven is off so I end up baking for around 55+ minutes.
Pull them out and let them cool for a few minutes on the pan and then transfer to a container of your choosing!
These are such a great snack, instead of reaching for those unhealthy chips or anything else, you can munch on these versatile, delicious and healthy (they are full of fiber too) roasted chickpeas!


Got more free stuff in the mail today! My sample of Elmer's ProBond Advanced arrived, which is super neat and I can't wait to try it, it is supposed to work on just about any surface! I also got my new L'Oreal Advanced Haircare sample, I chose Color Vibrancy--plus it came with coupons! Last but not least, I received my TV Diary from Nielsen and CASH for incentive to complete it! Great mail day today, I love getting freebies in the mail, do you get a lot of free stuff? I don't think my mailman likes his route some days!


Stay warm!

HTY Gold Review!

Recently, I have been given the great opportunity to try out a product that I had never heard of and I do not know why because it works wonders! HTY Gold (Hide The Years) is an Anti-Aging creamed oil that is all natural! They do not test on animals or even use animal by-products and they do not use harsh chemicals, so you can trust what you are putting on your body or even in for that matter since you absorb through your skin.

I was so excited when I received the box that I opened it right away. I was confused at first because I went to use it and it was not creamy like I expected....it was hard as a rock! Of course this was because it was in the mid-to-low teens outside that day and of course anything on a delivery truck would be the same temperature! I used what I was able to get on my arms and set it aside to get to room temperature. I turned to the Intensive Body Serum and used that on my legs and stomach. They immediately felt hydrated and soft to the touch.

When I went back later and grabbed the cream to use I was very surprised, it of course had become room temperature by then but I scooped it out and it was so soft--just like whip cream! It literally melted in my hands and turned to oil as I rubbed it into my arms. This too made my skin feel so hydrated, but it did not absorb as quickly as the Intensive Body Serum and it was like a layer that was moisturizing and locking in that moisture all in one.

After several days of using these products (2x a day, once in the morning and once in the evening) I can safely say this cream and serum are a must have! If you are concerned about aging, the appearance of aging or just have dry skin, this is something you should check out! I am very interested in trying out the face and eye products they offer as well. I feel confident in the ingredients and their ability to help my skin look its best.

Even looking at their ingredient list, you don't wonder what something is; here is a list of the Body Gold's ingredients:

• HTY Gold All-Natural Ingredients:

Elaeis Guineensis (Palm Oil), Theobroma Cacao Seed Butter (Cocoa Butter), Red Elaeis Guineensis (Red Palm Super Olein), Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam Seed Oil), Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose Oil), Triticum Vulgaree (Wheat Germ Oil), Lecithin

I was curious and took the time to look at the ingredients list of my previously go-to lotion that claims it is natural, here is what I was shocked to find:

Water

Glycerin

Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)

Isopropyl Palmitate

Dimethicone

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Cetearyl Alcohol

Cyclomethicone

Butylene Glycol

Stearic Acid

Biosaccharide Gum-1

Acrylates/C10-30 Alkyl Acrylate

Crosspolymer

Sodium Polyacrylate

Glyceryl Stearate

PEG-100 Stearate

BIS-PEG-18 Methyl Ether Dimethyl Silane

Sorbitan Stearate

Honey

Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil

PEG-32

Polysorbate 60

Polyacrylamide

C13-14 Isoparaffin

Laureth-7

Fragrance

Triethanolamine

Glycereth-2 Cocoate

Benzoic Acid

Disodium EDTA

BHT

I have no idea what half--more than half of these ingredients are or what they do. Makes me cringe!

Something about this combination of Oils makes your skin glow! My dry winter skin looked fabulous and well-hydrated after using these products. One thing I have to comment on is that obviously these products are made from natural oils, this does mean that you may feel "greasy" after using some of the cream. I didn't mind but I know some people do not like that feeling so I felt I had to forewarn you, the Intensive Body Serum however, absorbs very well and doesn't feel greasy!

Overall, I give this product a 10/10 for its consistency, its use of natural ingredients and for not testing on animals to provide a unique and truly valuable product! I highly recommend it!

Right now if you check out their website they are running a Valentine's day sale! If you buy a 12 oz. Body Gold, you get a second for FREE! This is such a great deal and is only good until 2/13/2013!

Blogger Opp: Boppy Travel Pillow Giveaway!

Boppy® Travel Pillow Giveaway!

Hosted by: Spit Up is the New Black

Event dates: March 1 - 31, 2013

Prize: Boppy® Travel Pillow [(Mama Dot/Basket Green color) $45 retail]

TWO free links with announcement: Facebook AND Twitter

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Post the giveaway announcement - HTML can be found here Agree to post the giveaway HTML on the date the event begins Promote at least 2x a week during giveaway period Open to U.S. residents only

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