Burt's Bees All Aglow Opal Mist and Bronze Splash

By the time you read this, I'll be back from vacation! HOME for the first time in over six years. I wanted to get down for Mother's Day to surprise my mom, but of course my passport didn't arrive until the Wednesday after. So I told her that her "gift" was late due to "delayed shipping". I'm scheduling this post, so at the time of writing it, I haven't left yet. I can't wait to see her face and hug her and the rest of my family. She won't know until I show up in the driveway, as long as my stepdad can keep the surprise a secret. I didn't allow myself to look at this trip as a real possibility until my passport arrived and now I can't stop smiling and shaking with excitement!

And tomorrow is my husband's birthday, so we are celebrating his special day/weekend right after we've gotten back into town. Busy busy busy! I'll be back to my regular schedule the 27th and I'll probably need double the coffee to get back to reality. I'm okay with that!

If you saw my last Burt's Bees post, you know that I wasn't swept away by the Goodness Glows foundation. It just was not for me at all! Today, I am showcasing the All Aglow Highlighter in Opal Mist and the All Aglow Bronzer in Bronze Splash.

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VDL Creamy Stick Jelly Blush in Heidi

I was gifted the most glorious box of VDL Cosmetics to try. And today, I'm diving into one of the items and providing you with my thoughts and swatch. I've already raved about it on Instagram and now it is time to bring it to the blog! I guess with that sentence that we know where this review is heading, don't we?

I'll talk about the other items I received on here soon, as well. To catch a small synopsis and to see them all in action, you can find the post on my Instagram. Sometimes I give sneak peeks there first. Let's dive in!

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InstaMonth for April 2019

April ended horribly with my dog Indy getting sick and May came in with him on antibiotics and our car battery dying. So these past few weeks have just been going swimmingly. There's a few good things about those: the antibiotics are working and Indy seems much more like himself and the battery died while the car was parked in the garage and not while we were out!

It's just really unfortunate that they have happened so close to each other, because our wallets are taking quite a hit between the vet bills and now saving for a battery replacement. Thank goodness for living in a city with public transit! Our van is more of a weekend vehicle for us, but its absence is still incredibly noticed. Hoping we can get it back up and running soon. Sometimes it just feels like one thing after another, doesn't it?

A quick note to my readers that are moms, Happy Mother's Day! And to my readers that are nurses, Happy Nurses Week! After my first prolonged hospital stay in 2015 for my knee surgery, I have such a deeper appreciation for nurses. They tended to me day in and day out and made me as comfortable and at ease as possible, especially calming me during the embarrassing and painful moments that came about like me trying to get out of bed in my big cast to get to the bathroom. Good mothers and good nurses are pure gold and I am so happy to celebrate you!

On to the post. It's a bit delayed this month, but here are a few snaps from my Instagram during April.

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Blog of the Month for May 2019

In April, Miranda from A July Dreamer was my featured blogger. You can read that post and see other past featured blogs under the "blog of the month" label! Being my blog of the month gets you a designated blog post, a sidebar button, and a mention on my Twitter account. The sidebar button stays up all month long. I don't believe in necessarily making bloggers pay for advertising and I'd much rather show you blogs that I really enjoy reading. And I hope you end up enjoying them too!

This month, I've chosen Ashleigh from Ashleigh's Tea Party. Ashleigh recently came back from a bit of a blogging hiatus and is changing a few things about her blog to make it more of a space that she is happy with. If you've been blogging a while, I'm sure you know exactly what that is like. I certainly do! She's also currently having a house built and I can't wait to hear more updates about it. I'm a sucker for house posts: decor, floor plans, ideas, etc. It must be so exciting to know that you're going to be the first in a house and get to make it completely yours right out of the gate. If you visit her blog, feel free to let her know I sent you!

April 2019 Faves

I had hopes of getting this post up a little earlier this week and possibly another post, but life happened. Well, my dog getting sick happened. It's been an emotional week. He started acting differently and sick late Friday/early last Saturday. I spent the weekend loving on him through heavy streams of tears. On Monday, we took him to our vet for blood work and x-rays. By Wednesday, we had antibiotics to give him for what the vet believes is a gastrointestinal infection. So far, so good. We're on day 3 of 10 doses and he's responding well. He's playing, eating, and wagging his tail again and acting more himself. And I just pray it is not the calm before the storm and that he is okay.

So with dealing with all of that...I just couldn't sit in front of my computer and form words. I barely got on social media and when I did, it was a massive attempt to get my mind off of things. If it wasn't hugging and spending time with Indy and my husband, I just did not have my heart in it. I was operating in an automated fog. I can't thank those of you that have offered well wishes, prayers, and positive thoughts enough! I felt and appreciated every single one of them, I assure you. Here's hoping these antibiotics are all he needs!

My only post this week will be my favorites. These are easy and lighthearted and just what I need to ease back in. Plus, Indy is snoozing away on the couch so this is a good time to plug away at the computer and catch up a bit!

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