Red Cup Living Review & GIVEAWAY

Red Cup Living is a company that was founded by a husband and wife when they decided to rekindle their neighborhood’s sense of community by holding more get-togethers with red cups. At the end of the day, when everyone was arriving home from work, school, etc. they would stop by their house and have a red cup. Regardless of what was in the red cup, it was a sign of a fun, spontaneous get-together. A time to talk, connect and just relax from a long day or week. Soon their neighbors started to come over. Most people they knew and some people they didn’t. Neighbors met each other and new friendships were born. After a while, it became clear that the red cup and patio parties were a fun way of life, a philosophy – Red Cup Living. During one of their get-together parties the idea of reusable red cups was envisioned.

I was really excited to get my Red Cups in the mail. When they arrived, I was very impressed
with the quality of the cups. I was actually surprised to be honest, because when I think of red cups, I think plastic and cheap. These are definitely a high quality stoneware AND are
dishwasher safe, which is great! I also love how you can order lids with straws for the cups too!

We love hosting and getting together with all of our friends, and now that we just bought our first house we will be doing that alot more of that! These will be a great addition to our party and I know our friends will be asking about our red cups.

My husband also drinks a TON of water. He normally uses those big plastic colored cups,
 but after I brought these home, this is the ONLY cup he uses now. 

Red Cup Living sent me 4 18oz cups with lids/straws and a hot chocolate mug

The mug is definitely my favorite. The weather is getting a little chilly here in Arizona 
and this is the perfect mug for some hot cocoa! I just keep it in my desk at work. 


GIVEAWAY
One lucky winner with get $50 worth of Red Cup Living  products

a Rafflecopter giveaway

In addition to the review/giveaway, you can also use the exclusive blogger promo code to get 15% off your full order – one time use per customer, and good until the end of the year!  

The code to be used at check out is: REDCUP15

Be sure to also follow Red Cup Living
Pinterest // Facebook // Twitter // Blog

Thrift Finds

 It's dangerous having a Goodwill practically within walking distance from my work. 
Let me tell you!! Here were my finds. I still can't believe how much I saved! Wahoo!

New York & Company cardigan. This looks SO good on. I love all the different lengths at the bottom. Normally around $40-$50

Charlotte Tarantola Jacket. Normally $99 

My best find! Suit from The Limited Collection.  The jacket normally sells for $158 and the pants for $80


Estimated Total: $375
Thrifted cost: $28.87

***Be sure to check back tomorrow  for a GIVEAWAY***

Bloggers Give Back

Jalynn from The Red Closet Diary created this amazing event called Bloggers Give Back. She created the event for all bloggers to unite and to help someone else in need. This year, she

has chosen to help two families in need instead. The Peterson's and the Hancock's. Both of these families have been burdened with not only medical expenses, but tragic news of cancer to both of their sweet little boys. As I read their stories, all of my trials, struggles and tribulations seem SO small compared to what these families are facing and going through. 

Today my heart is filled with overwhelming gratitude and love for my God. 

For His infinite love, His faithfulness, His blessings, and His promises.

<<Carson's Story>>

Carson "Tuff Boy" Hancock was born Friday, February 13, 2009. He spent the first 5 days of his life in the NICU: with a rare airway condition called Bronchial Malaysia, causing his airway to be weak and narrow. His father wanted to name him "Tuff" because he was a very "Tuff" baby from the very beginning! "Tuff Boy" stuck as Carson's nick name. 

Carson's first surgery was when he was just 6 months old and he has since had 5 surgeries for his airway. You would think that would be enough for one little boy to endure in his very young life, but on May 10, 2012 our sweet little 3 year old was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Within hours of the diagnoses he was rushed into surgery and immediately started chemo therapy. His Father and I were paralyzed with grief! Why Carson? Hasn't he already been through enough? What if he can't beat it? 

We feared the worst!

Mother's day that year was spent in the hospital with me holding Carson and my own mother holding me while I cried my heart out for my sweet little boy. The next morning I knew we had to fight. Not only just fight, but fight with the best attitude possible and reach out to as many people as possible to gather support. I would not let cancer get the best of me or Carson. Since that Mother's Day, Carson has had 15 lumbar punctures to receive chemotherapy directly into his spine, as well as 2 surgeries on his airway from his original condition at birth.

Carson has endured countless pokes, surgeries, hospital stays, horrible medications and many, many sick days -  and yet he continues to fight and be happy and act like any normal 4-year old. He loves to play and recently participated in the Mutton Bustin Competition at the rodeo. Carson will continue to receive chemotherapy treatments until July 2015! That will be 3.5 years of treatment.

Carson is in need of another very evasive surgery to fix his airways, but really can't because of the cancer. The surgery will involve breaking 4 ribs, cracking his chest open and using bone from his ribs to reconstruct his airway. Doctors are now saying he needs the surgery regardless of the risk. Carson has to sleep with leg braces on because of the damage the chemo has had on his leg muscles. This family has to pay 100% of all medication and 20% of everything else. His chemotherapy alone is thousands a month.

<<Beckham's Story>>

Beckham is a very active little boy; he loves to run, jump, climb like most three year old little boys. His parents were concerned with how easily he bruised, but doctors chalked it up to his high energy and just being a little kid.

​This last August things started to get a little worse. Beckham started getting some darkness around his eyes. His parents decided to watch it and see if it would go away on it's own. The bruising started to get better and Beckham's parent's worries went away. Just when the bruising was about healed and looking normal it started to darken again. His parents decided to take Beckham back to the doctor. 

​Following the doctor's appointment the doctor called saying that Beckham's complete blood count test came back abnormally low, and that Beckham needed to be taken to Primary Children's Medical Center. When Beckham met with the doctors one of the first things they said was, "this boy does not look like he has cancer." 




As a precaution, they did a more specific test to check for a specific type of cancer. Following the test, the doctors told Beckham's parents that he had stage 4, high risk, neuroblastoma. 


Beckham has had his first round of chemotherapy, and is fighting like a champ; his family is still encouraged that doctors still say, "he does not look like a boy with stage four cancer." Beckham has a 40% chance of beating cancer, and we want to do everything possible to help Beckham beat this.

Lets make this as successful as possible! 

Even if you can only donate $1, every little amount matters.

You can donate at any Wells Fargo in the country under the name

 "Bloggers Give Back" or donate through PayPal below!

**Accepting Donations from now until December 6th**

I Am a Mormon Monday: Meet Jessica From Afternoon Style

Bloglovin  Twitter   Facebook  Etsy Blog Instagram: jess_walt

About me

 Hello! I'm Jessica. I am a married college student living in Colorado. I'm studying communications and I love anything that has to do with marketing and social media. I'm also a blogger, a jewelry designer, a business owner, an avid DIYer, a friend, a sister, and a daughter of God. 

 What is hope and what do you hope for? 

    I think hope is everything good that this life consists of. You can't see it, but it more powerful than the winds of the earth. I did not grow up with an LDS faith, but it has brought me more hope than anything else in the world. I have lots of friends who share my faith and I have many friends who do not and I think that we all look for hope in similar ways. We start each day in an effort to find this hope... to have good days, to find happiness, to live a happy and long life with our families. I hope for a long life of this so-called hope. I hope to find joy in everyday that I live and that I can share that joy with others. 

 How I live my faith

 Love, hope, and faith. Above all in life, I try my best to just love others. I think love gives people a hope that can't be achieved by anything else. Through love and hope, we can have faith that all things will work out and that happiness is indeed possible. I truly believe that if we try to see and love others just as our Heavenly Father does, that we can discover amazing things and we can bring lots of light and happiness to others. 

Thank-you, Kimberly for letting me participate in this fun segment on your blog today. 

xoxo Jessica 

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Interested in being featured on my blog for I Am a Mormon Monday?  Please email me and I will fill you in on all the details! bostonksox@gmail.com
**Booked through February 2014, but would still love to add you to the list!**

FYI: Be sure to link up your blog in my previous post!

Saturday Blog Hop

Sam Robson- Acapella Arrangements

WOWZA!!
I have never heard a more passionate, beautiful arrangement of this hymn. 
He is so very talented. The range of notes he can hit is stunning!
This is simply the finest arrangement of any piece I've ever heard. 
He also has other acapella arrangements on YouTube. 

If you like what you have heard, 
check out more from Sam HERE

Happy Friday!!

Square or Round?

Have you ever wondered what you would look like in glasses?
There are a handful of websites out there that have a "virtual try on" where you upload a  photo of yourself and then try on different shapes and styles of glasses to see what looks best.
Here is what I would look like wearing a pair of square glasses.....

Here is what I would look like wearing a pair of round glasses.....

What do you think? Which do you like better? Square or round?

God's Greatest Creation & a WINNER

Sorry my friend for being a little MIA this week. If you follow me on Instagram, you would know that we just bought our first home and moved in this past Monday. We having been feeling beyond blessed and grateful this entire week. God is so good and His blessings are so REAL! Today I want to share this amazing video with you. Hope you have a great day today. Make it a good one! Tomorrow is Friday! Wahoo!!

Our world is full of so many amazing, awesome and inspiring creations!

Everywhere we turn there’s something new and different to see, hear, smell or taste! 

It’s impossible to fully comprehend the breathtaking majesty of planet Earth, and there simply is not enough time to explore all of her wonders.

But, there is one majestic creation that surpasses them all!

Us.

As children of God, we are His greatest creation. Anyone who studies the 

workings of the human body has surely seen God moving in His majesty and power. 

-Elder Russell M. Nelson

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Winner of the eFoxcity GIVEAWAY is Sarah Draper. Please email me with your address so I can send out  your black & gold triangle necklace!! bostonksox@gmail.com

Saturday Blog Hop

GIVEAWAY: eFoxcity Necklace

One lucky winner will win this black and gold necklace from eFoxcity

Enter below using the Rafflecopter. Good luck my friends!

Thank you so much Kerrin for modeling this lovely necklace


a Rafflecopter giveaway

We Are Excited to Announce...

After months of looking and waiting, Josh and I are SO excited to announce that  we just closed on our first home! Wahoo!! Time to celebrate! <insert happy dance here>   We will be moving into our new place on Monday the 21st. Ready for new beginnings!
Betcha thought I was going to announce something else huh?!?!? 

    

 

What I Made Thursday Link Up

Hi, I'm Janssen! I blog over at Everyday Reading about all my favorite parts of daily life - delicious food, pretty clothing (that's reasonable for wearing while staying home with my two little girls), and great books. I used to be a school librarian; now I spend most of my time reading picture books (and YA novels!), cooking, snuggling my girls, and blogging late at night while eating frozen cookies. 

I have to admit that I'm not the world's biggest fan of pumpkin, but I've been experimenting this fall to find pumpkin recipes that I like - I love the flavor, but the texture of lots of pumpkin products can be off-putting to me. So far, I've found a fabulous black and white chocolate pumpkin bread, double chocolate pumpkin cookies (my favorite of them all!), and salted pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. Obviously, I like my pumpkin to have a chocolate counterpart. 

These crepes, with the world's most delicious (and not too sickly-sweet!) cheesecake filling, are another home run, even if they didn't involve chocolate. I made them for guests last week and one of them asked me afterward for the recipe. Sweet success! 

Pumpkin Crepes with Cheesecake Filling

(adapted from Somewhat Simple)

Makes 15-20 crepes, depending on the size

Filling:
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla

Crepe Batter:
3 eggs
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Maple syrup, for serving (optional)


In a stand mixer or with a hand beater, beat whipping cream and sugar together until soft peaks form. Add cream cheese, lemon juice, and vanilla, and mix until smooth and well-combined. Place in fridge until ready to use.

Put all crepe batter ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Cook with a crepe maker using manufacturer directions, or, heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and spray with non-stick spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the center of the pan and rotate pan, using the handle, until the batter covers the entire bottom of the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes, until the edges are dry, then carefully flip and cook the other side for another 30 seconds until it's completely cooked through.

Place about 1/4 cup of filling in the middle of each crepe and roll up. Drizzle with maple syrup, if desired, and eat immediately.


Thank you so very much for having me Kimberly!!

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Be sure to check back in tomorrow for a GIVEAWAY.

Persunmall: Stripes & Polka Dots

Persunmall literally has all the clothing and accessories you need right at your fingertips. 

Prom dresses, evening dresses, cocktails dresses, homecoming dresses. But not only that,

they have tops, pants, shoes, scarves, jackets, purses, and great selection of jewelry too!

Persunmall sent me this adorable blouse with stripes and polka dots. Dont you love it?!?!

I tried it on, and lets just say it didn't fit my upper area. At all. So instead of sending

it back, I decided to give it to my best friend Paola as a little gift for being such a GREAT friend 

and asked her if she would model it for me. She was thrilled! This top literally fits her to a "T"

and looks absolutely AMAZING on her. She loves the top so much. So much that she wore it 

to church the next day and got loads of compliments on it! Paola said " I love the design of this top

with the stripes and the polka dots and how the prints are combined together. You not only get 

stripes, but polka dots too which are both my favorite prints! I also love how you can dress this

top up with a skirt and heels, or dress it down with skinny jeans and some riding boots. I would

have to say this is probably my new favorite top now! Thank you so much Kimberly. I love you!"

Well there you have it! If you are looking for a one-stop-shop, then choose Persunmall

where you can find everything you need all in one spot! Check out their LookBook too!

Kate Spade Cross-Body Purse

My birthday was definitely one to remember. I would have to say it was one of the best, if

not the best birthday I have ever had. I got to spend part of the day with my Mom. When

she picked me up, she surprised me with a new pair of Aldo boots and this new Kate Spade

cross-body purse. I just about died when I saw it! My Mom and I went shopping all day and

went to lunch. When I got home, I went upstairs to put all my birthday goodies away and 

when I came walking downstairs my Dad and Josh had an oreo cake lit with a big 29 on top.

Josh and I spent the evening together and had a nice dinner at Macaroni Grill. I love that place! 

This year's birthday was so great! I am so grateful. Next year I will be 30! Holy moly! Crazy!

Dress: Target Necklace: Daisy Gem Ring: F21  Bracelet: Mom Sunnies: Ross Purse: Kate Spade Oulet Shoes: Marshalls Cardigan: Marshalls Undershirt: Halftee

I Am a Mormon Monday: Lauren From Style After Hours

Blog // Facebook // Pinterest // Instagram  // Bloglovin

Hi! My name is Lauren. I’m a blogger over at Style After Hours, 

where I share my love for fashion, fitness, and life!

 What is hope and what do you hope for?

Hope is believing in a higher power. I hope for happiness in my marriage. I hope to make a difference with every patient I see in my office each day. I hope for comfort for those who are suffering. I hope to be a good person. Hope is knowing everything will work out.

How I live my faith:

I live my faith through service and love. By putting others first, I hope the light of the gospel will shine through to others to see. I live my faith by not being afraid to talk about the gospel with those who do not have it in their lives.

If you would like to learn more about what I believe, click HERE

Thank you so much for having me Kimberly!

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If you would like to be featured on Diary of a Brown Eyed Girl for I Am a Mormon  Monday, please email me and I will give you all the details. Email: bostonksox@gmail.com
Right now I am booked through December 9th,  but would still LOVE to add you to the list!