SATURDAY MEET AND MINGLE BLOG HOP

FASHION FRIDAY LINK UP

    Dress: TJ Maxx // Shoes: Thrifted // Necklace & Earrings: Charming Charlie // Ring: Jewerly place in Colombia //

Black bracelet: Made by Paola // Cluster of bracelets: store at Santa Barbara mall // Sunglasses: Jessica Simpson

Happy Friday my lovely friends!!

I am in love with this color combination of bright turquoise blue with black and white stripes. I found this cute

dress at TJ Maxx on CLEARANCE for a whopping $9.99. Wahoo! Yup.................THIS girl knows how to shop!

Do you have any fun plans for the weekend?

 Mine will be filled with family & friends. Can't get any better than that!

HP PHOTOSMART 7520 PRINTER REVIEW PART #2

I have been continuing to use this printer all week and can I just say how much I LOVE it!!

Last night, my Husband and I were watching a movie. I needed to print a document from my ipad. 

I was able to do it right from the couch without even having to get up!

 It's amazing to me just how much technology has 
changed and how it continues to change day by day.

Here are some of the things I really love about this printer:

1. It was easy to hook up the wifi and print photos right from my laptop

2. I love how the printer screen has a "tilt" option to adjust it to view the options better.

3. I love the quality of the pictures that it prints. They are clear and really sharp looking.

4. I love the fact that I can hook up and SD card in the front of the printer to print photos
and bypass the computer altogether.  

Full disclosure, Staples provided me with the HP Photosmart 7520 Printer to review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. To check out Staples full line of HP Printers, visit Staples.com.

DOWN EAST BASICS: TICKLED PINK-SHOP NEW SUMMER ARRIVALS

Pink is my favorite color. Especially this pretty pink pictured above. 

I got an email from Down East this morning and just about died when I saw this look!

Shop the top HERE

Shop the skirt HERE

BE YOURSELF. BE YOU!

"I wish my stomach was thinner"...."I wish my thighs were skinnier"...."I wish my hair was curly"....

"I hate my body"...."Why can't I look like her?"...."I wish I could dress that cute"...."I hate my nose"

Do all of these thoughts sound familiar to you? I know they do to me!

Yes..we have all been there where we look at ourselves in the mirror ever so often

 and nit pick at every little thing that we don't like about ourselves. Sometimes daily.

It's really tough to enjoy and get the most out of life when we are constantly being negative towards ourselves. People who haven't learned to accept and get along with themselves sometimes tend to have more difficulty accepting and getting along with others around them. We are told to "love your neighbor as yourself." A few years back, I confess that I spent my fair share of time focusing and comparing myself with others while having constant negative thoughts about myself and who I was.
I also found myself comparing other's lives with mine and focusing on the work God was doing in THEIR lives rather than focusing on all the many blessings and work that He was doing in MINE.
All of this got me no where. I was negative, jealous, bitter, and really tired emotionally & physically.


The Bible says a good tree will bear good fruit, and a rotten tree will bear rotten fruit. Likewise, the "fruit" of our lives comes from the "root" within us. If you're rooted in shame, guilt, inferiority, rejection, lack of love and acceptance, etc., the fruit of your relationships will suffer along with that also. However, once you know of God's unconditional love for you and begin to accept yourself and others, eventually these new roots will produce good fruit, and your relationships will thrive and prosper!!


Here are a few tips that I believe will help you succeed at being yourself and loving yourself!!

1. Never say or think negative things about yourself

Examples:"I never do anything right." "I'll never change." "I'm ugly." "I look terrible." "I'm dumb." "Who could ever love me?"

Matthew 12:37 

by your words you will be justified..., and by your words you will be condemned….

Proverbs 23:7

as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.

The way we talk and think about ourselves reveals how we feel about ourselves. 

2. Speak not good but GREAT things about yourself 
For example: "I am the righteousness of God in Christ." "I am made acceptable in the Beloved." "God created me and formed me with His own hands, and God doesn't make mistakes." "I am fearfully and wonderfully made"

I like starting part of my day by making good confessions about myself. I do this while I am driving to work, sometimes during work, while I'm cleaning the house, etc. I encourage you for a few days to look in the mirror at yourself and say "God loves and accepts me unconditionally, and so do I"  
You might feel uncomfortable or stupid doing it at first, but I promise you this really does work!!


3. Never compare yourself with other people.
I have to tell you....God must LOVE variety or He wouldn't have created us all differently—even down to our fingerprints. We will never succeed at being ourselves if we are constantly trying to be like someone else. Believe me I have tried this and I am sure you have too! Other people can be a good example to you, but duplicating even their good traits will manifest differently through your individual personality. So.... focus on YOUR abilities, YOUR talents, YOUR traits and all the many gifts that God has blessed YOU with.  

4. Focus on your potential instead of your limitations.
 Actress Helen Hayes was told early in her career that if she were four inches taller she'd be the greatest actress of her time. Her coaches tried various methods of stretching her, but nothing increased her height. She refused to concentrate on the supposed limitation of being five feet tall and decided to concentrate on her potential. As a result, she was eventually cast as Mary, Queen of Scotland—one of the tallest queens who ever lived! I love this story!

5. Find something you like to do that you do well, and do it over and over. 
If you spend your time doing things you're not good at, it'll frustrate you and cause you to feel defeated and unsuccessful. Find something that you love or enjoy and do it often.

6. Have the courage to be different and deal with criticism. 
Be a God-pleaser, not a man-pleaser (Galatians 1:10). If you dare to be different, you'll have to expect some criticism. Going along with the crowd—when you know in your heart God's leading you a different way—is one reason people don't succeed at being themselves. You won't like yourself very much if you go against your own convictions.

7. Keep your flaws in perspective.
People with a high level of confidence have just as many weaknesses as people without confidence, but they concentrate on their strengths—not their flaws or weaknesses. So try and concentrate on all the strengths that you have instead of focusing so much on the weaknesses. Our weaknesses can be made strong. God gives us weaknesses that we become humble and come unto Him. (Ether 12:27)

I hope that you enjoyed the tips that I shared with you today.

Now go out there and be the best

 YOU that God has created YOU to be!!

HP Photosmart 7520 e-All-In-One-Printer Review

Happy Wednesday friends! We are halfway through the week. Yahoo!

About two weeks ago I was contacted to see if I would be interested in collaborating 

on a product review for Staples. Hmmmmm...what do you think I said?!?! YES of course! 

I picked out the HP Photosmart 7520 e-All-in-One Printer

Here are all the details on what this awesome printer includes:

• 4-in-1: print, copy, scan, fax
• Prints up to 14 ppm black, Up to 10 ppm color (mfr specs); Copies up to 34cpm
• WiFi 802.11b/g/n and USB 2.0 connectivity
• Automatic Duplexing (2-sided printing)
• Up to 600 dpi print resolution; up to 2400 dpi scan resolution
• Paper Handling: 125-sheet input tray, 20-sheet photo tray and 50-sheet output tray
• 25-sheet Automatic Document Feeder (ADF)
• Print documents and photos, make copies and scans, send faxes, access the Web, and print on the go
• Scan everyday documents and photos straight to e-mail, and scan multiple files to a single document
• Easily use the 4.33-inch (10.99 cm) color touchscreen
• Conserve energy - this e-all-in-one is ENERGY STAR qualified
• HP Photo Creations software included
• Print up to 8.5" x 14"
• 25-sheet Automatic Document Feeder (ADF)
• Paper Handling: 125-sheet input tray, 20-sheet photo tray, and 50-sheet output tray
• 33.6 kbps fax speed
• Dimensions 8.68"H x 17.87"W x 17.91"D, 23.44lb.
• One-year limited hardware warranty

The HP Photosmart 7520 prints, scans, faxes, and copies, all in color or black-and-white, and also prints photographs in beautiful, sharp color at 600 dpi. Its wireless connection option and touchscreen commands make it easy to use from any computer in your home. The HP Photosmart is a great way to clear your desk yet keep all the office equipment functionality you're used to having.

Multiple Functions

The HP Photosmart brings the ease of an all-in-one machine plus a photo printer to your home office. Print up to 14 ppm black and white or 10 ppm color, send faxes at a robust 33.6 kbps, or make copies at a rate of 36 ppm, right at your desk.

Easy Wired or Wireless Connection

With a fast 2.0 USB connection provided by a Staples 16' Gold Series A/B USB 2.0 cable or using wireless 802.11 b/g/n networking, the HP Photosmart connects to your computer fast. It's also enabled for mobile printing using HP ePrint, HP Direct Wireless, or Apple AirPrint technologies, so you can send print jobs right from your iPad or cellphone.

Photo and Other Media Printing

This printer easily handles multiple media types, including photo paper, labels, greeting cards, and transparencies. The paper tray is set up for sizes up to 8.5 inches by 14 inches.

Automated Duplexing and Document Scanning

The HP Photosmart automatically duplexes to give you double-sided print jobs, so you can create your own greeting cards in a single step. The automatic document feeder can handle up to 25 sheets of paper, and if you wish, this all-in-one machine can even send the file straight to email. 

I am going to walk you through a couple of the

 basics to setup and install the printer on your computer.

 

 

  Here is everything that the printer included....

 Take all the tape off the printer

 Plug the battery pack into the wall and then into the back of the printer

Even Shadow was interested in what I was doing!

 Place all the ink cartridges into the right slots and lock into place

 Now it's time to install the printer onto your computer!

Go to the start menu and click on open "Computer"

This screen above will come up, click on Run Setup.

 Click next....

 It has to install 1 of 4 setups. This took about 30 minutes to run and install everything.

 Now it's time to print some pictures!

 

 Lift up the center plastic piece and load photo paper

 

 TA-DA!! 

The pictures came out so beautiful!

 I am very impressed with this printer and would highly recommend it. 

It has all the features and capabilities that you would need and want in a printer.

Full disclosure, Staples provided me with the HP Photosmart 7520 Printer to review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. To check out Staples full line of HP Printers, visit Staples.com.

COOKING WITH KIMBERLY AND PAOLA: WATERMELON SMOOTHIE TO DIE FOR

This is Paola's recipe. Funny thing is, when she told me it was a watermelon smoothie, I told her I don't like watermelon. I know.... I know!! Everyone like watermelon right?!?! Well I have to tell you that when I tried THIS smoothie, I finished it within minutes and then asked if I could have another!

INGREDIENTS

Serving: 10 glasses

• 1 Watermelon - Make sure it is ripe and sweet 
• 1/2 of a small lime
• 1 bag of Frozen strawberries - I love the Kirkland brand from Costco
• Agave

This beverage is packed with Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6,

Vitamin B1, Lycopene, Potassium, Folate, Fiber and antioxidants. 

 

PREPARATION



Now start adding your frozen straberries and make sure you put on the lid on your blender. 
Otherwise you will have watermelon all over your walls! 

Note: Sometimes the frozen strawberries are a little sour and not ripe. You can always add some Agave to the smoothie while blending it. Add agave to taste. The frozen strawberries at Costco are super sweet and then you never have to add any sugar to your smoothie.

Now sqeeze and add your lime juice and keep on blending! 

Dont you love the color of this drink? It literally smells like candy!



Paola made quite the feast! She made some yummy white rice with cilantro, onion and garlic.
Some super sweet platains with some melted cheese and guava paste coated over the top, and some chicken (Pollo sudado) with casava or "Yuca" and a side salad! 

  

Everyone gave a big thumbs up to this lovely meal.

Even little Logan looks happy and loves his mama's cooking.

 



WHAT I WORE: A WHOLE LOTTA PURPLE

Sunglasses: Jessica Simpson (Ross) // Jewelry: F21 // Belt: Thrifted // Dress: Thrifted // 

Cardigan: Thrifted // Shoes: Franco Sarto (TJ Maxx) // Purse: Kathy Van Zeeland (Ross)






HAPPY MONDAY FRIENDS!

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend! 

Mine was filled with with lots of laughs and fun with friends, family and my wonderful Husband.

Here is the highlight from my weekend:



I work for Clark Hill Law Firm

Once a year in June, our firm volunteers at Desert Mission Food Bank.

I look forward to this every year. The best feeling in the world is serving others, 
so whenever an opportunity comes my way where I can serve someone else, I am all over it!!

 This year we packaged emergency food bags and we broke the record!

We filled 10 large bins. That's 11.6 bags packaged every minute! 1,050 families will be fed!