Bestway Airbeds

Long time no see! It has been quite a while since I have written anything here but I am hoping to start up again now that we are settled back in the United States. 

In the past few years, I got married, moved to Germany, was locked down for a couple years due to COVID, and finally moved to a new state. After househunting for six months, we gave up and found a nice house to rent so we are finally starting to feel at home. The most important thing to do now that we are in our new house was to have some family and friends visit for a pre-Holiday get-together. It has been over three years since we have seen any friends or family, besides my sister. 

Enter Bestway Airbeds! I have an office/craft room but it is not quite big enough to have a permanent guest bed and we didn't have time to order and set up furniture in time. I have two airbeds from Bestway. A queen size and a twin. They both have a headboard, which I thought was so cool. They both have built-in A/C pumps to inflate and deflate in a few minutes. This is the most convenient feature. No more searching all over for your separate pump, or the worst-case scenario...leaving it behind!

When the packages arrived we quickly opened them so we could pump them up and let them air out because air mattresses always have that strong plastic smell. It dissipated a ton after a couple days. Yay!

The flocked material on top is so soft. I loved the gray color. They came with storage bags which is a big plus for storage. 

Check out how fast these things inflated! So fun to watch! 

The queen bed pumped up in less than five minutes. 

The twin, in about 3 and a half. It was amazing.

  I have never had a mattress up that quick. Easy Cheesy!

The pumps even have a little spot inside to tuck the cord away, my only complaint is that this cubby is just a little too small. It was tough to smoosh the cord back in.

Unfortunately due to illness, our Holiday Slumber Party was smaller than intended but, one little boy was super excited that now he had his very OWN bed at Auntie's house. He went to bed every night with zero complaints. A book, a blanket, a giant stuffed hampster, and sometimes even a kitty. He slept like a rock! I would say that is a win!

My sister and her husband shared the queen. They said it was pretty awesome for an air mattress. My sister said it was even comfier when my brother-in-law wasn't in the bed!

They also stayed inflated the whole 3 day weekend! Unheard of!

I didn't see a weight rating in the manual, but it held up great for this small family of three, plus a cat! 

The guest room was the place to be that weekend. We had a starry sky nightlight, hot cocoa, and lots of snuggles.

I am still not sure how well these deflate because my cats have claimed both of the beds and basically live on them. It's the holiday season and we are supposed to have more guests so they will probably stay intact until the end of December. They look so nice and are so sturdy, I don't even mind, it is nice to have another room to have cuddle sessions with our fur babies. 

You can check out Bestway products here! My sister has one of their pools. We both love this brand. 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Lexicon Go! and Top Trumps Review

Top Trumps was a little too easy for all of my friends. The themes were cool. I played Harry Potter with the J.K. Rowling fans and Star Wars with my Jedi pals, but the concept was just a little blah. You get a hand of cards and pick a stat off of the top one and hope you have the highest one. It's basically all luck. The cards do have fun facts on them, and would be great for kids. Not even much of a filler game for more experienced gamers though. I don't think I will ever play them again. 

If you have kiddos and would be interested in playing Top Trumps, you can check it out here.

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While Top Trumps was a bust I loved Lexicon GO! I have never been a fan of fast paced games, and Lexicon GO requires a bit of speed and dexterity which I am not very skilled in... but I did really well. I liked it more than I expected and have played many times with many people since receiving my copy of it. 

I love that it comes in a little travel case. The tile quality is great. I love the tactile sensation of placing and moving the tiles. Game play is simple. There are two versions to play. Lexicon GO! the fast way, or regular Lexicon which is slower and great for kids to learn spelling and gaming. 

Learn more about Lexicon GO! here.

Both games are great for kids, but it you want something more challenging, I would go with Lexicon GO!

~Crystal Vicious

Goddess Garden Pool Party

I was first introduced to Goddess Garden a couple years ago through their essential oils which are awesome! Last year I had head that they were making natural sunscreens but hadn't come across any in my local stores.

When Tryazon launched their Goddess Garden Pool Party I knew I had to get in on the action and try this stuff out! 

They have a whole line of sunscreen products including Everyday tube, Everyday spray Sports Kids spray Facial tube, Kids Sport tube, Sport tube, Kids Sport stick,

Face the Day Daily Moisturizer

& Aloe Spray.

Goddess Garden sunscreens are made from minerals so they are effective immediately and are safe for my sensitive skin. Traditional sunscreens absorb the sun’s rays and take 20 minutes to work and break down quickly. So ditch the cocktail of unpronounceable chemicals in your traditional sunscreen and discover Goddess Garden! 

Mineral sunscreens, like Goddess Garden’s contain zinc and titanium. These are simply tiny rocks that work like mirrors to reflect the sun’s ray. They aren’t absorbed so they won’t irritate your skin or get in your bloodstream. They’re effective immediately and won’t break down in the sun. Best of all, you aren’t coating your body in chemicals! Since they’re natural minerals, they’re just as safe for the earth as they are for you, and they don’t affect the reefs! 

We all tried out a whole variety of goddess garden sunscreen products this weekend and they worked great for everyone, even my nephew approves! 

~Crystal Vicious

Find more Goddess Garden

 Tips for Applying Natural Mineral Sunscreen 

Start with moisturized skin. Goddess Garden’s sunscreen lotions contain nourishing ingredients your skin loves. If your skin is very dry, it can absorb the lotion faster than you can spread the minerals, resulting in a whitening effect.

Cover small areas of your skin at a time. Because the lotion spreads the minerals, apply mineral sunscreen to small areas at a time so the lotion isn’t absorbed before you get it rubbed on. Applying too much in one place can result in the minerals layering up on your skin’s surface. An even application of mineral sunscreen will provide sheer, yet thorough protection.

If it’s white, you’re not finished. Minerals aren’t absorbed into your skin or bloodstream, so if the minerals are not spread evenly and dry white on your skin’s surface, they’ll stay white.

Try the Facial Sunscreen. If you have a darker skin tone, or if you’re still having trouble, you may want to try Goddess Garden’s Facial Sunscreen. It’s made with a unique polished zinc that creates fewer reflection points that contribute to the whitening effect. Minimizing reflections results in a sheerer look, while offering the same protection. While it’s a facial sunscreen, your arms and legs will love the extra benefits.

What's Cracking?

Halloween is over...which means it is time for Christmas shopping and decorating! It really is the most wonderful time of the year! I like to add new pieces to my holiday decor every year. For 2017 I thought nutcrackers would be a great addition. My Uncle Ricky used to collect all types. Every Christmas I would help my mother pick out a new one for him. I'm excited to continue this tradition in his memory. 

The Clever Creations Christmas series is the best in holiday home and office decor.  This series features a wide array of unique and whimsical home décor perfect for celebrating the holiday season. They offer over 175 nutcrackers to fit any decor theme, or area of the house. Our traditionally designed nutcrackers come in many different colors, outfits and nationalities. Every Nutcracker is built from 100% real wood, painted and coated for durability, and decorated with care. Buy with the confidence that each nutcracker is long lasting and durable.

This Beach Santa Claus is my absolute favorite! He is 14" tall and wears a snowflake covered Hawaiian shirt. He carries an umbrella and an adorable stripped beach chair. His sunglasses are great and his flip flops on the "sandy" glitter base are the perfect touch. I love all things nautical so this one hits it out of the park.

The Lady in Red Nutcracker is 16" and super sassy. I love her red dress and furry hat. Her blond hair flips up into a fun style. The best part is her leopard print purse and trim on the base. Perfect for a fashionista. 

I also love this Traditional Chubby Scottish Nutcracker. He is smaller at 7" tall. He wears a kilt and has bagpipes. He is perfect down to his painted on teeth. 

I'm thrilled to add these guys to my shelves when the Winter comes. I will definitely be back next year to see what Clever Creations has. I will want another and may want to give some as gifts.  

While I was grabbing nutcrackers I also jumped on these Pickle Ornaments. My friend had one on her tree a few years ago and I thought the tradition sounded fun. I'm going to start doing a Pickle Present this year and I will be stashing the extra pickles in my mother and sister's trees. These are shatterproof, shiny green and has gold glitter.

Check out Clever Creations on Pinterest.

Happy Decorating!!

~Crystal Vicious

Easy Peasy Pasta

John and I had fun hosting our last Dinner Party so we decided to have another one. We even picked up some new chairs so more people could fit at our tiny kitchen table. My best friend Tammy made her famous "Gravy" with meatballs while I made with my favorite, Broccoli Aflredo. Garlic Bread in the oven and wine in our glasses. We were ready to talk about Barilla Ready Pasta.

 Ready Pasta is available in 4 cuts: penne, elbows, rotini and gemelli. I used Elbows for the meat sauce and Gemelli for the alfredo. We made Penne the week before with a yummy tomato basil sauce. They are all so good. 

Barilla Ready Pasta is a delicious, fully cooked pasta that is ready in just 60 seconds. Simply heat the pouch in the microwave then top with your favorite ingredients for a delicious dish in minutes. Each packages contains 2 servings, so they are perfect for a couple, kids or as a side. Great for people who have there hands full or are busy, because you don't have to wait around for water to boil.

I am not a fan of microwaves, so if you are like me, you can easily heat up Ready Pasta without the microwave. Just toss it in a skillet with some olive oil and heat it up for 2-4 minutes. Perfect! Not as convenient as the microwave, but still much faster and using a skillet keeps my pots free for cooking other things on the stove top. 

Barilla Ready Pasta has no preservatives and is made with 3 simple ingredients. A dash of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of sea salt & authentic Barilla pasta. Simple, Fast and Yummy. Everyone loved it. 

You can pick up Barilla Ready Pasta in Grocery Stores and Walmart.

It is even available on Amazon.

I love having Ready Pasta on hand in my pantry. It's the perfect way to whip up something quick and easy.

~Crystal Vicious

Follow Barilla on Facebook.

Swap Out Your Pasta For Something Better

My sister refers to me as a health nut, but I'm really not one. I just try to make better choices when it comes to food. I try to limit my gluten intake to help manage my autoimmune diseases. Sadly, I just discovered a love of a bunch of sauces other than the tomato sauce my mother made growing up, but I'm trying to avoid wheat noodles. Then I discovered Banza Pasta. It is made from chickpeas! 

I had never heard of a chickpea until I met my boyfriend's mother, who can basically make anything out of chickpeas. This legume is a secret super food, gluten free, low on the glycemic index and Banza's chickpeas are certified non-GMO. Just replace regular pasta in any recipe with Banza and you get double the protein, four times the fiber, and half the net carbs. 

This past weekend I did just that. Three Days, Three Recipes and Three Pastas.

Day One: Linguine

We invited a few friends over for a Pasta Game Night.

We made some turkey meatballs with a tomato and basil red sauce. The Banza Linguine cooked just like regular pasta.

Dinner was delicious.

Day Two: Shells

We visited my sister and brother-in-law with ingredients in tow. We whipped up some Chicken Alfredo and added Banza Shells. This one was also a hit.

Day Three: Rotini

This recipe was my favorite! Butternut Squash Alfredo! A perfect fall dish. The Banza Rotini cooked perfectly and held the sauce well. In this sauce, I couldn't even taste that the pasta was not wheat pasta. 

I wasn't the only one fooled by this dish. Even the kids loved it! That's a big deal. Totally a hit, I will be making this one again.

Banza is such a great alternative for those that are health conscious, have dietary restrictions or just want to add a great superfood to their repertoire.

You can find several varieties of Banza Pastas or their boxed Mac & Cheese at Target, Whole Foods or Wegmans.

Find Banza near you.

~Crystal Vicious