TRESemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of TRESemmé for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

My hair and I have not been getting along lately. I suffer from what I call "combination hair". The roots of my hair get oily very quickly while the ends of my hair do not. Because of this, I have always washed my hair everyday.

 

But I suppose hair changes with age. Lately I have noticed the ends of my hair are very dry. I have tried trimming, extra conditioning, etc. I know the reason for the dryness is too much shampoo use, but the roots of my hair get oily and dirty without the daily washing. I need a solution.

 

Perhaps it's time for me to consider using dry shampoo on the roots only to give my dry ends a chance to rest for a day or two before washing again. TRESemme has a new product called TRESemmé Fresh Start Dry Shampoo that I am excited to try. They are rated one of the Top Hair Products for School. They have a complete line of dry shampoos that revive your style’s look and feel on days you skip a shampoo. Uniquely formulated to absorb excess oil and remove odor, the full line of dry shampoos rejuvenates hair without a drop of water. With a renewing burst of citrus extracts infused into every product, it leaves hair with a clean, fresh scent.

 

Here are their tips for using dry shampoo products properly.

 

- Do shake vigorously before use and in between spray bursts for best results.

- Do lift sections of dry hair and spray lightly at roots

- Do spray in short bursts, holding 8-12 inches from head

- Don’t spray it like hair spray (all over and continuously)

- Do leave in for 1-2 minutes.

- Do use fingertips or a brush to distribute product evenly

- If clogging occurs, remove nozzle and rinse the nozzle under warm water, then reattach.

 

Check out this video tutorial about it:

 

The full line includes:

o Strengthening Dry Shampoo: The formula, with B12 vitamins and keratin, helps strengthen hair and leaves it full of healthy body.

o Volumizing Dry Shampoo: The formula, with mineral clay and citrus, removes oil while injecting hair with salon-gorgeous volume.

o Smoothing Dry Shampoo: The formula, with Vitamin H & Silk Proteins, refreshes your straight style by removing excess oil, impurities and odor to ensure your smooth look lasts.

o Moisturizing Waterless Foam Shampoo: The formula, with Witch Hazel, Citrus, and Aloe Vera, refreshes your hair by removing excess oil, impurities and odor while moisturizing hair.

I can't wait to check these new shampoos out and hopefully make peace with my hair. After all, I don't plan on dressing as a scarecrow for Halloween!

House of 1000 Psychos 2011

House of 1000 Psychos will be held in Hattiesburg for 2011. What kind of delightful terror will they perform this year?

It's my favorite time of year again! This Halloween's costume and decoration planning is already underway at the Heully house. We are looking forward to some ghoulish Halloween fun! I am stoked to see a few good haunted house attractions this year. Each year these haunted walkthroughs have become more and more popular. They are now topping out as the top form of Halloween entertainment. People are willing to pay money to see their friends scared out of their wits. I know I am!

With realistic special effects, simulated paranormal phenomenon, and talented actors, these haunted attractions have the power to make you feel as if you are in the middle of a real horror movie.

I found out that House of 1000 Psychos will be located in Hattiesburg this year. I am excited because Hattiesburg is closer to us than Laurel. The location will be the old Forrest Paper Building on 511 E Pine St. The admission cost is $15. If you want to skip straight to the front of the line, you can purchase a Panic Pass. You can call 601.297.8917 for more information about dates and times.



I had the pleasure of speaking to the Psychos directors, Curtis and Brandi Lowery. Mr. Lowery has been in this business for over 27 years. He knows his stuff when it comes to frightening and tormenting the minds of viewers.

"I am very excited about this year's location." says Lowery, "We had much more room to work with. We were able to make everything even better than last year."

These folks are perfectionists when it come to the effects, costumes, and sets. I can't wait to see what they will dish out!

Funny Hand-Written Signs

Have you ever read a sign that was so absurd it made you speechless? I can think of a few I've seen in my lifetime. It's absolutely crazy what people will write and display on a piece of paper.

Years ago, my family and I lived in Osyka, MS. It's a tiny dot on the map that consists of a tractor lot and a country store called "Ray's". We shopped at Mr. Ray's store when we didn't have the gas to make the drive to the nearest supermarket. Mr. Ray was an old, grouchy fellow. His store was his livelihood. Taped to the back of his cash register, at eye level to the customers, was a hand-written sign. This is what it said:

"Do you enjoy pain? Would you like to meet Elvis? Do you want to know what it feels like to die? If so, then write Mr. Ray a bad check."

What's amazing to me is the fact that we saw this sign EVERY SINGLE TIME we shopped at this store. We were so used to seeing it that we were oblivious to the fact that it was a direct threat on the life of every customer. 

I don't know how old Mr. Ray never got in trouble for displaying that ominous sign. Good thing we always paid him cash...

Wanna hear another?

Once when I was stopped at a red light, I noticed the car in front of me had a hand-written sign taped to the back windshield. This is what it said: 

"Do not allow [some girl's name] to borrow money! She borrowed $300 from me 4 months ago and still hasn't paid me back. Consider yourself warned."

Now THAT'S what I call getting the word out! LOL. I wonder if they ever got that debt settled...

How about one more?

Earlier this year, I had to make my own hand-written sign for our mailbox. 

"Please do not let your dog shit under our mailbox. I'm tired of stepping in it. Thank you, Vickie Heully"

Because sometimes you just have to get right to the point. And that, my friends, is the power of hand-written communication.

Straight Talk: No Contract Wireless Service

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you looked at your contract cell phone bill lately? I mean really gone through it with a fine-tooth comb? Do you even use half of the services you pay for in your plan? I bet you can't even change your rate plan due to being tied into a contract term. They have you Hook, line and sinker .

Straight Talk is owned by TracFone Wireless, a top no-contract cell phone service provider.  Straight Talk is a no contract month to month cell phone service from TracFone, generally at Walmrt. It truly is the most you can get for the most affordable price without a contract.

I love the thought that I feel richer with Straight Talk because I could cut our cell phone bill in half. You have to be crazy to be on a contract these days when you can get everything you need without one.

 Imagine the amount of money you could save switching to Straight Talk. I could use the extra money to help pay for gas in my truck.

This would be a great phone to get your your daughter or son. No worries about contracts or overage fees. You can also pay for their cell phone service for up to a full year. Talk about hassle-free! They can Call a friend , text, and use the wireless web.

There are no contracts, no surprise bills and no credit checks. Great nationwide coverage and exceptional reception/connectivity. Finally, Straight Talk only uses reliable phone manufacturers like LG, Motorola, Kyocera, Nokia and Samsung. You can even get Android on Straight Talk with smartphones like the Samung Galaxy Precedent.

Monthly Plans:

• The “All You Need Plan” meets even the needs of heavy phone users with 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts and 30 MB of web data.

• Unlimited Monthly service is only $45, and includes calls, text, picture messaging, and web.

• Imagine unlimited calls, text, picture messaging and web for a whole year, for only $499.00!

• 411 calls are included at no extra charge.

• Free from activation, reactivation, or termination fees

International Long Distance:

• Straight Talk International Long Distance Service is a flexible prepaid calling service that enables you to make international calls from your home, cell or office phone at low rates.

Phone Selection:

• Reconditioned phones are available from $10.00 with camera, mp3 player, mobile web access, and blue-tooth capability. Great for young users!

• Amazing smart phones; touch screen phones, and app capable phones with features like voice navigation, camera, video recorder, music player, instant messaging, and Bluetooth®

For more information on what these phones offer, please check out this YouTube video:


For some real Straight Talk customer testimonials please check out the video below:

Funny Bird Dance

This is cute!

Yet Another Sunset

One of these days I will get tired of taking photos of the evening sunset. Not today though...

Adreine Sparring

When you begin sparring in martial arts training, often one of the first obstacles to overcome is the fear of it. Even with protective padding gear on, it feels uncomfortable to get hit at first. Some people (like me) just aren't naturally agressive, and it takes time to get used to the idea of hitting someone else.

But practice makes you better at anything. Sparring is no different. The more I do it, the more I like it. It's terrific exercise and helps increase your coordination and endurance.

Adreine seems to have experienced no fear since she began sparring. She comes swinging right out the gate, and never seems to get tired. The video below shows her demonstrating her tenacity perfectly. She is the one in pink.

The other girl's objective was to catch an opening to grasp Adreine and throw her down to the mat. It takes her a few moments, but she succeeds.

Cajun Framed Art

I recently talked my dear mother-in-law into giving me this black cat art photo. The creepy image is perfect in our household, and the cajun/voodoo coffeehouse flavor of it is simply fascinating!

I hope to have time to paint the dining room, living room, and kitchen soon.

When Will Social Spark Pay Me?

I was asked this question earlier this week, so I thought I would write a quick post to answer it. Social Spark is by far one of the highest paid blogging sites out there. I have been blogging for them for about 2 years.

Their leads tend to come in bursts. You may not get an opp for a couple of weeks, then suddenly get ten. I rather like it when this happens. It gives me the feeling that I am reaching payout quicker.

But how long after you have submitted a sponsored post can you expect to get paid?

As soon as your post is approved by the advertiser, the amount you will make goes to the Pending Payments tab of your dashboard.



From that point, you will receive your points 30 days after your post was approved. I assume this is to prevent bloggers from posting and then immediately deleting the post as soon as they collect the cash. You can check your dashboard to see how much longer before you will get your payment for that opp.




When your payouts add up to 5,000 points, then you can cash out to your Paypal.

I know it seems like a hassle to have to wait 30 days, but as long as you are considering new leads and blogging new posts as the opps become available, it won't be long before you will be seeing the money you've earned arrive to you.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Recipe

Nothing says fall season like something pumpkin flavored! Where I live, pure canned pumpkin goes flying off the store shelves this time of year. By Thanksgiving the shelf spaces for it will be bare. I am buying what I can of it now because I love cooking with pumpkin.

I want to share one of my best recipes for making pumpkin spice latte at home. I say it's one of my best because it's not nearly as fat laden as some of the coffeehouse versions.

Ingredients:
freshly brewed coffee
non-dairy creamer to your taste
sugar to your taste
1 tablespoon of pure canned pumpkin (you can store the rest in the fridge for the nest cup and, trust me, there WILL be a next cup!)
1 tablespoon Torani caramel flavored syrup (the sugar-free version is less calories)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Calories estimate: about 110

That's pretty much it. Mix everything else while the coffee is brewing and stir in the coffee when it's done. If you want to get fancy with, you can add whipped cream and a dash of the pumpkin pie spice on top. I don't usually do this though. Just add more sweetener if it's not sweet enough.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to the kitchen to make one for myself :-)

Open House at Jacob's School

Thursday Jacob's school had open house. This was the first time I have ever been nervous for one. With Adreine, it's so easy. She always has perfect behavior, perfect progress, perfect everything. I'm not showing favoritism towards her though. I have no worries whatsoever about Jacob's grades. It's his behavior I worry about. I think it went well though.

Me (to Jacob's teacher): "So did you realize I wasn't kidding when I said he is a bit on the energetic side?"

Ms. Bedwell: "Oh my goodness, you weren't kidding!"

But I can see the smile on her face. Despite the fact that Jacob is like the energizer bunny, his charm makes him irresistible.

Ms. Bedwell: "Jacob never actually WALKS in line with the other students. He hops, he jumps, he skips, he dances, but he never really walks."

Lol, that's my Jake! What can I say, he's a firework!"

Butterfly Photos

Our butterfly bush really did its job this year of attracting butterflies! You should've seen the look on Adreine's face!

Examples of a Blonde Moment

Example one:
As we are passing by a closed down Sonic restaurant, I exclaimed to Adam,

"Hey look! That Sonic restaurant is closed down. It used to be open."

Adam: "Really? Ya think?"

Example two:
I am at the computer.

Me: "Adam, what's another word for incorrect?"

Adam: "Um... wrong?"

Me: "Oh yea, thanks!"

Example three:
I am goofing off on Twitter.

Me: "Hey, there's a paranormal study going on and they think it's Ted Bundy's ghost!"

Adam: "That sounds interesting."

Me: "Yea, but what does the ghost do? Scratch his balls and moan about working in a shoe store?"

Adam looks at me for a long moment.

Adam: "That would be AL BUNDY, Vickie. Ted Bundy was a serial killer."

Me: "Oh..... I did it again, didn't I?"

Adam: (smiling) "Yes, you did."

Catnap

It must be nice...

Top Entrecard Droppers August 2011

Graphic Texts
Picture to People
achoshare
Comedy Plus
Superficial Gallery
BeadedTail
Denford Magora's Zimbabwe Blog
the way i see it
First Door On The Left
Anime Hunt

And there you have it, my site's top droppers for August 2011. Thanks to all for stopping by.

A Close Shave

We were awakened this morning to a crash so loud, it vibrated our house. The heavy rain and wind from Tropical Storm Lee caused a tree to fall in the wooded area across from us.

Luckily, it didn't hit our house. It was very close though.

Coffee Time

Rain, rain, and more rain...

That's the weather here today. Nothing else to do but brew up another cuppa...

Social Spark Payment Proof

Here is a long-forgotten payment proof from Social Spark.



As you can see, I've been meaning to post that since April. That's just how far I've fallen behind on my blogging *giggles*.

But anyway, I just wanted to share that to show that not only does Social Spark pay, but they pay very well. The trick is to get to the offers and post them as quickly as possible. The more offers you take and submit in a timely manner, you will build up a good reputation with the advertisers and will continue to get offers at a steady rate.

I have accounts with more than a few sponsored blogging organizations, but I like Social Spark the best because they pay better.

Hope everyone is having a good Labor Day weekend. We aren't able to barbeque because we are riding out Tropical Storm Lee at the moment. It's still pleasant though, just a lot of rain...

It's Mario Time!

Let's-a-go!

This is how a typical evening is spent at our house. I have a feeling there will be even more game-filled evenings to come since the kids have accidentally erased our Mario Wii save game (AGAIN!) The thought of having to finish that Star World 9 all over again makes me physically ill.

Lemonade vs Limeade

Yesterday I walked into the kitchen to make a pitcher of lemonade. Adam was standing at the counter, stirring.

Me: "What are you doing."

Adam: "I'm making us some limeade."

Me: "I was gonna do that already, but I wanted to make lemonade."

Adam: "Well... I'm making limeade."

Me: "But I don't like limeade that much."

My unspoken meaning was I don't like YOUR limeade. Adam doesn't make it sweet enough in my opinion. Don't tell him I said that though...

Adam: "You can still make your lemonade. But I'M making LIMEADE."

I gathered an extra pitcher and a big spoon. Adam muttered under his breath, "Mine tastes better anyway..."

My competitive spirit flamed to life, "We'll see about that..."

Adam looked at me from the corner of his eye, smirking to himself.

After preparing our beverages, we each tasted them.

"Mine's better," I said.

Adam: "No, MINE'S better!"

Our cousin Josh walked into the kitchen. We nearly tackled him and made him taste the lemonade/limeade and be the judge.

Josh: "Alright now, no matter which one I pick, y'all can't get mad at me..."

We waited impatiently while he drank both glasses. After smacking his lips for a moment, he said, "I like the limeade better."

Adam (pointing at me): "HAAAA!"

Josh, if you're reading this, you'd better watch your back dude... Lol.

Later that afternoon, Adreine came in from playing outside, red-faced and sweaty. I walked in to see her guzzling a big glass of my lemonade.

Adreine: "Ahhh.... that hit the spot!"

Me: "So you like my lemonade huh?"

Adreine knows her mommy and daddy well. She sensed the rivalry immediately. Her face tensed and she stared at me for a long moment, weighing her next words carefully.

Adreine: "Daddy made the limeade, didn't he?"

I nodded.

Adreine sighed heavily and poured herself a glass of limeade. I waited while she finished it.

Adreine: "I like yours better, but you have to promise not to tell Daddy. I don't wanna hurt his feelings."

I walked around for the rest of the day with a smug smile on my face.

But later that evening, after tucking the kids into bed, I snuck into the fridge, made sure no one was looking, and poured myself a tall glass of.....

Limeade...

So I guess Adam won the battle after all....