hubby and i went to maui in june for our 7th year anniversary and my birthday. maui is just gorgeous!!

this month, i bought myself a refurbished laptop from costco. it’s been ages since i owned my last laptop. it will be arriving as we speak. i can’t wait!

then today, i bought the nikon 35mm f/1.8g AF-S lense for my nikon d40. this is the first lense addition since i bought my camera back in 2007. i think it’s time, don’t you? i really only take photos of my kids and my other lenses just doesn’t cut it in low light. this one looks fabulous at an even more fabulous price from amazon…this is arriving saturday and i can’t wait to play with it too!

more later!

noah’s naturals cleanser and moisturizer with spf 15

i’m back after a long haitus with some new products to try. things have just been busy (kids and all).

i was at walgreens almost a week ago to pick up a few things and this new line on the shelf – Noah’s Naturals, with it’s sophisticated colors and packaging caught my eyes. it looks like these new repackage products just debuted this February (it’s not even on their website yet!). the anti-aging cream cleanser tempted me. i have been using Zia‘s lotion cleanser but thought i could use a change. it retails for $8.99 for a 3.4 oz squeeze tube.

i’ve been using it everyday (morning and night) and hasn’t broke me out yet. in fact, i like it so much better than zia’s. it seems to clean better yet doesn’t dry out my skin and that’s what i want. my skin feels very nice after too. the smell isn’t too strong for me but may bother some people who can’t stand fragrances. the first time i used a nickel size dollop and it was too much. after that, i use just a dime size and that was much better.

today, i picked up the  moisturizer with spf 15 and can’t wait to try that since i do not have a dedicated day cream. i have just been making due with cetaphil’s moisturzing cream and i want something with a little bit more anti-aging prevention or so i hope.

the moisturizer retails for $15.29 for a 2.5 oz squeeze tube.

here are some of the ones i bought for alex; aren’t they adorable?

so here’s what i did today (you guess it, more shopping):

1) replaced our old cotton sheets with these rayon / bamboo sheets from jcpenney (used thank-you giftcards). they feel SO soft!!! what a difference!

2) replaced our pillows with new organic cotton ones – again using giftcards so my wallet is okay.

3) replaced our plastic food storage containers with pyrex glass storage containers. bought 4 sets.

pyrex 6 piece storage set

4) i was just browsing and saw these oh so cute incense holders so i grabbed 3 from gaiam. about $7.08 w/ t & s.

zen incense holder

aren’t these just beautiful??? as much as i love the colors and idea, i’ll hold out for now. see more here.

decorative bamboo charcoal

multipurpose decorative air freshener

last but not least, you have to visit this website i somehow stumbled on. i love the concept of it – all kinds of neat things and ideas to decor your home with. maybe i won’t look much so i won’t spend much but still, it’s a great blog!

green your decor

i got wash clothes, hand towels, and bath mats in “natural” and “green tea” for both bathrooms from west elm. vegetable dyed shower curtain from overstock.

tomorrow i’m ordering these sets of rugs from jcpenney. they come with a 5′ x 8′ area rug, 24″ x 40″, and 22″ x 60″.

we bought this memory foam mattress from overstock. it’s going to be our first memory foam. keeping fingers crossed. also bought a mattress protector.

this is on our shopping list from jcpenney. looks great huh? it’s on backorder so we probably won’t place an order until the weekend.

my new bedding from west elm!! i love it, don’t you? it’s a duvet and 2 shams – i got it in “sea spray”.

in white.

after using all gift cards, we would end up spending about $100 out of pocket. i’m also getting another $100 giftcard from thank you and this time, it is most likely for bed bath and beyond. i need a new pull-out trash and laundry sorter.

guess what? thank you points no longer have their fix flight option (for 20,000 in us or 50,000 to hawaii). what a big bummer!!! and i wasn’t keeping tabs on the whole thing so i missed redeeming our points for fix flight options at the end of february. sucks huh? yea, tell me about it. should have checked flyertalk more frequently. the thing is i missed it by a week!! Urgh!

we have been using our cards to pay for almost everything (since we get 3 points per dollar on the amex for the first year) and paid all our balances off each month to accumulate more points.

so now, the points are only worth 1 penny each. really sucks. if we can’t spend it on flights, we are going to buy something we need – here are what we’re planning to buy:

- new platform bed for us

- memory foam mattress instead of coil

- new beddings – it is going to be spring

- new twin bed and beddings for faith

we have traded our points for $400 to JCPenney, $400 to Overstock, and $200 to West Elm (their stuff looks so cool!).

we can probably get another $100 or so in the next month but i can’t wait to start buying.

23 little lions prefolds

13 newborn fitteds

6 small gdiaper covers

9 small/newborn covers

some doublers and pins.

i was practicing using a prefold on one of jaelynn’s dolls to get a feel – i’m going to need more practice. LOL

OT: get 1 year of prevention magazine free by filling out this short survey! (i did!) thanks to slickdeals! i have always receive my magazines from rewardsgold. i actually have a bunch of subscription magazines that come every month. the ones i don’t bother to read are elle (only flip through them), interview, and some others. i just throw them in the recycle bin. i do love shape, glamour, redbook, and body and soul.

i bought some new things for the household again (i always buy things *sigh*. and i use “household” because it’s not really for me. )

preserve toothbrushes in soft – you can recycle them afterwards. i’ve tried them before and love them! $16.22 for a pack of 6.

preserver toothbrushes for kids in soft – these are so cool! i love the idea of recycling, don’t you? and comes in colors. $17.22 for a pack of 6.

dropps laundry pacs - you use 1 small liquid pack per load of laundry. biodegradable and eco friendly. looks great huh? i’m going to use them for the baby’s diapers. they’re suppose to be low sudsing too. can’t wait to try them. $25.50 for 84 pacs (2 x 42 pacs each).

for two of the above products, i subscribe to their auto-delivery and save an additional 15%! that’s a great way to save. you can always cancel the subscriptions after. what a great way to try some of these more eco friendly things that i can’t get at the stores or cost a bunch somewhere else.

as for the bella b tummy honey (see post below), i love it!! smells great and the cream is very nice! will love to buy when run out…but at $15?? ouch!

oh and my bella b glowing face wash/mask should be here tomorrow.