Tips to Give Back and Get Back While in College

Hey Treasures, hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and are now ready for Christmas.

Mr. Aguila goes back to school tomorrow after a couple weeks off. I give you college students lots of props and I pray you all excel in your studies. I see that it isn't easy especially for those who work full time plus go to school.

On top of that the cost of education is pretty steep these days and it varies depending on what type of school you choose. So in case you don't already, one way you can save is by renting your textbooks instead of buying them. 

I have a few tips on how you give back plus get back in the book rental process.

First for the giving back part, Last year I shared about Operation Smile and you can read my post Making A Difference where I shared about this great organization that offers free surgeries to children and young adults born with facial deformities.

CampusBookRentals (www.campusbookrentals.com) and RentBack (www.RentBack.com) donate to Operation Smile with each textbook rented with their "Making a Difference program.

Some perks for renting your college textbooks from CampusBookRentals instead of buying are:
-save 40-90% off of bookstore prices
-free shipping both ways
-you can highlight in the textbooks
-flexible renting periods
-they donate to Operation Smile with each textbook rented

Here is a video on how it works...




Secondly you can get some cash back.  If you are like me and love to shop online then you may have already heard of Mr. Rebates.  You can sign up and get cash back for  shopping online. There are many retailers to choose from and CampusBookRentals.com is one of them.

Here is a diagram of how it works from the MrRebates website. So you can search Campus Book Rentals and this will come up. You get 4% Cash Back Rebate. Campus Book Rentals   4% Rebate CampusBookRentals.com rents textbooks to college students across the nation saving them hundreds of dollars every semester. With the largest selection in the nation, flexible rental periods and free shipping both ways, it makes sense to shop here!

I hope this information will help you to save some money while you pursue your dreams.

This post was sponsored by CampusBookRentals.com.  All opinions are my own.

  

God is Greater

Hey Treasures, how is it going??  I hope and pray that you are having a great week.

Have you ever had those days when you just feel tired or when you are battling shame, guilt, condemnation?  Days when you are just wounded, the pain in your heart is not letting up?  When sorrow suffocates you and you just feel like you can not take another breathe?

I have had these days sometimes all that and some all in a day. In our lives here in this world, we will go through things, we will experience things. Many times we allow our emotions to get the best of us. We allow the enemy to whisper lies right into our ear when he should be no wear near our ears but rather under our feet.  He has been defeated.

We can overcome doubts, fears, hurts, condemnation, lies and sin. We are no longer bound to any of this " `cause the cross already won the war" (from the song Greater by MercyMe)

Romans 6:6-7 The Voice (VOICE)
⁶ We know this: whatever we used to be with our old sinful ways has been nailed to His cross. So our entire record of sin has been canceled, and we no longer have to bow down to sin’s power. ⁷ A dead man, you see, cannot be bound by sin.

Source

This is why it is so important for us to read our Bibles, and read them again and then read them once again! The bible is clear and it is not a book of rules for us to follow. It is God's very own love letter to you and to me. It is the greatest love story there is and you know what Mr. Aguila and I have a pretty amazing love story BUT God's love for us is far GREATER. 

A few months ago, I started listening to AIR 1, a Christian music station. The stations mission statement is pretty cool, "To Create Compelling Media that Inspires and Encourages You to Have a Meaningful Relationship With Christ." (Read this on their About section on the website).  The website is pretty cool as well. You can look up the songs and listen, buy them and/or find the lyrics.

On my way to work I usually start my day with this station and the other day while driving into work, I heard this song by Mercy Me. I am sharing the video because it's pretty cool. The video has the lyrics but I want to share them with you.
No matter what is going on with us we must remember this scripture,
1 John 4:4  The Voice (VOICE)
My children, you have come from God and have conquered these spirits because the One who lives within you is greater than the one in this world.


MercyMe - Greater 
From the album Welcome To The New
Bring your tired
Bring your shame
Bring your guilt
Bring your pain
Don't you know that's not your name
You will always be much more to me

Everyday I wrestle with the voices
That keep telling me I'm not right
But that's alright

‘Cause I hear a voice and He calls me redeemed
When others say I'll never be enough
And greater is the One living inside of me
Than he who is living in the world
In the world
In the world
And greater is the One living inside of me
Than he who is living in the world

Bring your doubts
Bring your fears
Bring your hurt
Bring your tears
There'll be no condemnation here
You are holy, righteous and redeemed

Every time I fall
There'll be those who will call me
A mistake
Well, that's ok

There'll be days I lose the battle
Grace says that it doesn't matter
‘Cause the cross already won the war
He's greater
He's greater
I am learning to run freely
Understanding just how He sees me
And it makes me love Him more and more
He's greater
He's greater



I am still trying to keep up with 30 days of Radical Growth with Havilah Cunnington and you can also watch the videos here. They are each about 7 minutes long so you can catch up really quick. The playlist for the devotion is HERE.

So I pray that we all begin to walk in the power and authority that God has given us and that we remember that He is greater than any fear, any sin, any doubt, any condemnation, any lie, any emotion and His grace is sufficient. Let us continue to press forward and love Him more and more and continual in radical growth, In Jesus name amen.

Football Season is Upon Us!

Hey Treasures, I hope you all had a great weekend and are ready to conquer a new week.

Football season is upon us and if you were following my blog last year you read all about my love for football and my team,.  If you weren't following my blog yet, no worries, check it out, Are you Ready for Some Football?  Do you like to watch football?  What team do you like?

 

If you read my post, I mention that Mr. Aguila bought me my very first Dallas Cowboys jersey. It was a Miles Austin #19.  Boo Hoo, he is no longer a Cowboy and now playing for Cleveland Browns so I will surely be getting a new jersey when I visit Texas this year.  What am I suppose to do with this jersey though?

I posted this on my Instagram

I love, love, love football but I do not like when my team looses.  I can be a very sore loser, however I don't like to trash talk.  Oh don't get me wrong I can totally trash talk and some BUT I choose not to (well publicly that is).  I guess it is part of the fun that goes with football BUT the thing with that is I can pretty mad and well as the scripture goes, "In your anger do not sin" SOOO the battles begin and I found the perfect Someecards to describe the struggle.

I just love to read all of these but I will only share a few that I came across and had to save. These are not mine, I just find them on Bing Search. 

Pinterest

 

I loved this one.  This is my prayer. (Big Smile)

Source


I hope you are ready for some football because social media will be full of football talk.  "ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?"

Have a great week and may it be full of love, joy, peace and blessings.

 

 

Are you THRIVING?

Hey Treasures, welcome back to my blog.  I am so glad you are here with me and I hope you enjoy this.

So a blogged about Change with Seasons and in continuation with the theme of change and growth and seasons I wanted to talk a little about what it means to THRIVE.

According to Webster Dictionary, the word THRIVE means, to grow or develop successfully;  to grow vigorously;   to gain in wealth or possessions (prosper);  to progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances.

My favorite definition was, "to grow vigorously".  In this season, that it my goal, to grow vigorously, to grow radically. Any growth, however, is good growth. Even if I am growing in small increments, growth is growth BUT let's ponder on THRIVING.

In Proverbs 11:28, (NIV) the scripture tells us that "those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will THRIVE like a green leaf." 

We must always trust in the Lord and His riches and glory, not our own. We must remain righteous in the eyes of God (not man) so that we can THRIVE like a green leaf.  When I think of a green leaf, I think of watered. refreshed, liveliness, growth. What about you?

Jeremiah 17:7-8 gives us a great description of a growing tree with green leaves and compares this to a man who trusts in the Lord.

7"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD And whose trust is the LORD. 8"For he will be like a tree planted by the water, That extends its roots by a stream And will not fear when the heat comes; But its leaves will be green, And it will not be anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit.

This portion of scripture is so rich. As we trust in the Lord, we will be blessed and we will be like that tree that is firmly planted by the water and our roots go deep into the fresh wet soil and our leaves remain green and fresh and alive and growing and we will not stop growing fruit.

Psalm 1 is a great chapter. I would recommend reading through it. I enjoy reading the VOICE version but of course you read it in any translation that speaks to you.

Psalm 1:3 Voice says this,
You are like a tree, planted by flowing, cool streams of water that never run dry.
Your fruit ripens in its time;  your leaves never fade or curl in the summer sun. No matter what you do, you prosper.

The Voice (VOICE) The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.

I would say these scriptures depict THRIVING.  "the righteous will THRIVE like a green leaf." (Proverbs 11:28b).  So that means to me, like a leaf that is watered, like a leaf that is alive, like a leaf that is growing.  Let us plant our roots by the streams of Living Water. Water our leaves with the Word of God that refreshes our spirit and progress towards our goal of continued growth. We can not wither away or dry up but THRIVE both despite and because of our circumstances.

Maybe today you find yourself withering away or as if you have dried up. Maybe you are feeling the thirst for the Living Water to refresh your leaves once again. I have been there!  It's a good thing if we are able to discern that we are withering away or drying up and in need of drawing closer to the stream of Living Water to get refreshed and renewed.  We must continue to Thrive. Ask yourself if you are you THRIVING or withering away and then let's make the necessary changes to be back in alignment and THRIVE.

Let's pray:  God we praise your mighty name and we thank you for who You are. I ask you to increase our thirst for Your Living Water. I pray that you will refresh each and every one of us. As we draw near to you, we thank you that our roots are going deeper and our leaves are getting greener and we are growing in this season.  Thank you for the grace and the mercy that you have for us and thank you for your love that draws us to the Sweet Sweet Stream.  Be magnified Oh Lord, IN Jesus name I pray Amen.

Here is the video of the song that spoke to me and caused me to look up the word Thrive and then God gave me all the rest. Take a watch and be blessed by these lyrics.

Casting Crowns - Thrive from casting-crowns on GodTube.

Lets Talk Avon

Hey Treasures, thank you for stopping today.

With my blog you can always find posts about Faith, about Hope and about Treasures, mostly makeup and Avon treasures.
Today we will be talking Avon Treasures.  I sell Avon as a hobby, that's what Mr. Aguila calls it. I sell locally to my family, friends/co-workers and myself (of course).  I have always loved Avon and people continue to buy it so I have continued to sell it.

The Labor Day Sale is still going on and valid through tomorrow, 9/3/14 at midnight, if you shop my website you can get free shipping on your $20 or more direct delivery orders. Use Code:  LABORDAY14

I have a few customers that order on line via my personal Avon website, Victoria Aguila. I want to increase my online customer base. If you love Avon or want to try Avon, please visit my site and browse around. It is an easy site to navigate. If you have any questions about a product, let me know and I will be glad to assist you.

Also once you our the home page of my site (Top Left, shopping with Mrs. Victoria Aguila) it will look like above.  If you want to receive beauty and product updates from me, click the little box on the bottom right hand corner (Mega Effects mascara pictured) and fill out your information.



http://victoriaaguila.avonrepresentative.com/

Also remember you always get free shipping on your orders of $35 or more.

 

I love being an Avon Representative and being part of a great company. Come by and Shop with Me.

From my Avon site

 

Leave me a comment and let me know what your favorite Avon item is. Let's Talk Avon.

Change with Seasons

Hey Treasures, welcome to my little piece of the world wide web. 

I am over the top excited to welcome September and the Autumn season and kiss Summer good bye as well as sit down and blog a little.
I hope and pray that you are all doing well and ready for the new season.

We have all heard the saying "Seasons Change" and "It's a New Season" this is something I have been hearing for the last couple of weeks. I am one that doesn't embrace change easily. However if we can learn how to CHANGE WITH THE SEASON then we are well on our way to grow in the season. After all growth occurs through the seasons.

At Sunday service, our pastor taught on "Recognizing the Time" this message really gave me some insight. Maria-Isabel of Agape Love Designs posted a question on her Facebook page asking this, "Did anyone feel especially moved in church today? Or learn something new? If so, please share."
Here was my response,
"At my church it was on recognizing the time. We go through seasons in our walk with God and it is important to discern what season we are in. For example, as we approach a new season in the natural, Fall(my favorite time of the year) we prepare or do things like put away our shorts and flip flops and bring out our boots and cardigans. So it is with our seasons with God, we must be in tune with what God season we are in, so we know, what to do, what to say, what to pray."

In the natural, we make changes and/or adjustments according to the seasons which I believe are mostly subconscious changes. In the supernatural it is important to make the necessary adjustments and align ourselves with what God is doing or we can get stagnant.  Change must take place in order to get in alignment.  Once we are in alignment, then comes the breakthrough. We can break FORTH into the new season. (on my next blog post, I will be discussing more on breakthrough and breaking forth) 
So if we don't make the adjustments or change with seasons we will continually stay the same. My pastor spoke on if we keep doing the same things, we will keep getting the same results. Change is necessary if we want to continue to grow and who doesn't want to continue to grow. We don't want to get stale and stuck in the same ol' same ol', at least I don't.

This leads me to the next thing I want to talk about. Today I started an online devotional, 30 days of Radical Growth with Havilah Cunnington. I went to a conference a couple months ago and heard Havilah teach an awesome message about the different ways God speaks. She is such an anointed woman of God and so relatable. At the conference I picked up this book and so when she announced the online devotional I was happy to participate.

The book, Radical Growth also touches on some of the stuff God has been speaking to me and what my pastor spoke on. She references this famous quote, "If you do what you've always done, then you'll get what you've always got." and she says "if we want growth, we may need to change our thoughts and/or our behavior. "  I am excited to participate in this devotional and to see the Radical Growth as I purposely set out to grow in this season.

If you might be interested in joining us for the online devotional, here is a preview.



Leave me a comment if you decide to join in. I would love to hear what you get from this as well.

Let's pray...
Lord I thank you for the work you have begun in us. Open our ears to hear what you are speaking in this season. Open our eyes to see what season we are in so that we can make necessary adjustments. Help us to get in alignment with you Lord. Throw down the plumb line and let us adjust and align accordingly.  I pray that we will continue to grow at a radical rate and that we will enlarge our faith.  I pray that we would all desire more of your Word as your Word tunes our minds into the channel of your voice.  May we catch the time we are in, the season we are in, all for your glory, for your honor and we thank you for loving us too much to leave us the same. We seal this in the name of Jesus, amen.

If you have any prayer needs please leave a comment or email me and I will be happy to pray with you according to God's Word and Will.

Sharing is Caring {Subscription Version}

So the first one is JustFab and I think I have shared about it before. Here is some information about them from their site.
"Did you know that most department store shoes sell for 5X MORE than what they cost to make? We don't think that's fair. Do you? At JustFab we deliver designer quality at an amazing price. How? It's simple. By cutting out the middlemen and working directly with the same manufacturers that make your favorite designer brands, we offer shoes that are identical in quality, exclusive to JustFab, and only a fraction of the price.

We've said goodbye to middlemen and ridiculous markups. Instead, we design and manufacture our own shoes and sell them exclusively at JustFab. New styles each month delivered directly to your door. Always $39.95"

I have quite a bit of the shoes from here and the most recent pair that I want to add to my collection are these BUT I am on a no buy (extremely sad face) because I have been looking for shoes like this for sometime now.

ISABEAU

I know for this one I am late to the Ipsy Party but JUST IN Case there is anyone that has not signed up I wanted to share this one. (Big Smile)

Join me on ipsy and subscribe to the Glam Bag! You get 4-5 beauty products every month delivered to your door, for just $10. Michelle Phan curates the bags! Check it out here: http://www.ipsy.com/r/jck1

I see a lot of Bloggers, YouTubers and IGers post about their Ipsy bags. I had got an invite sometime ago but they said I had to be on a waitlist. Finally I was able to sign up last month and this month I am waiting for my very first Ipsy Bag. Yes I am excited to receive this in the mail especially since it is NO Buy July. Yes I have to keep saying this to remind myself. One week down, 3 more to go.
If you already subscribe to it, let me know your thoughts if you are interested in subscribing, use my referral link;  Please and Thank you!

This one is pretty new to me, LIP MONTHLY, "Everything Lips! Every Month!"
For only $10/month, LipMonthly helps you discover the best lip products on the market. Every month we’ll send you a unique box straight to your door and help you discover the best of Lip Glosses, Lip Sticks, Lip Balms, Lip Stains and much more.  Check it out here:  http://mbsy.co/6ZN2N
I seen one of the bloggers I follow on Instagram post her box and I just had to check it out. I have tried signing up but I keep getting an error, waiting to hear back from customer service BUT I did sign up as an ambassador and earned a box for free so I am very excited about that.  Visit their website for more information and you can also like them on Facebook.
Let me know if you have heard of this subscription box, are signed up for it and/or what do you think about it.

 

Well this is all for today. You can check out yesterdays, Sharing is Caring, if you missed it and check back tomorrow for the Sharing is Caring Continued.

Let me know what subscriptions you love. I'd love to hear about it.

Sharing is Caring

Hey Treasures,  today I thought I would do a post regarding some awesome sites that I use and that reward you for shopping and sharing. I am doing that NO BUY JULY challenge thingy and so I have to find something to occupy my time. So just so you know if you do sign up, I hope you will use my referral links so I can get the rewards (each site is different regarding rewards) Once you sign up with these sites you can start sharing and earning the same way. 
First up is Ebates.com.  This one is for all my online shoppers. If you shop online at all, you need to be signed up with Ebates.com. My friend Andrea shared about it on Facebook I think and so I checked it out. This was in May. I am sharing my account information thus far. I have also shopped at JCPenney, Sears and Ulta. I have earned $10 just for going to ebates.com and looking up the retailer I am going to shop at and clicking the link. It's that easy. 

 Ebates Cash Back Summary

• $6.28 Pending Cash Back
• $0.27 Build-A-Bear Workshop 
• $0.63 Nordstrom                                                         
• $1.08 Groupon                                                         
• $4.63 Big Fat Payments
• 8/15/2014 Next Big Fat Payment Via Paypal
• $10.91 Total Cash Back

The motto for ebates.com is, "Where it pays to shop online"  The only thing is that they only send you the money quarterly via PayPal so if you don't mind having the money stored up there then go ahead and sign up here HERE.

 

Next one is GROUPON I know most people already have an account but in case you don't, I encourage you to browse the deals they have for your area and if you see any you are interested in please use my referral link to sign up and purchase the deal.   I am always browsing the deals.  I have bought many deals from Groupon including Starbucks deals, Sephora deals, spa deals and local foodie deals plus many others.  Even when I was in Vegas, I shopped and purchased some deals for a hair salon and a couple restaurants.
They have Food and Drink Deals, Thread deals, Beauty and Spa Deals, Automotive Deals, Date Night Deals, Girls Night Out Deals, Foodie Deals and Nester Deals.
You can also pair up your Ebates.com shopping with Groupon shopping and get some extra money back.

Well I hope that you will enjoy these sites as much as I do.  Tomorrow I will be sharing on some subscription sites.

 

 Thank you for stopping by and please do share any sites you are loving right now.

The Power of the Word of God

Hey Treasures, so its been awhile since I blogged. I don't really have a good reason but here I am finally sharing some thoughts with you.  I hope everyone is doing well. I'd love to hear all about what you are up to.

So I shared this on my Facebook page the other day.  It was one of those "aha" God moments for me. Does that happen to you? Like you have read the scriptures before BUT this time that you read it, it just came out and slapped some revelation into you?  Afterall, the Word is Alive and Powerful right?

This is the scripture I was reading,

Hebrews 4:12 Amplified Bible (AMP)

For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.

I often ask myself, why am I feeling this or why am I feeling that. Issues of the heart arise and I sit in frustration and think I don't understand why i am feeling this way. What is this God, Help me God, Show me God, Expose it God, Heal me God! Pleading for my sanity because sometimes my emotions get the very best of me. I know it's deeper, surely I know it's deeper than the small triggers BUT I struggle to get to the root issue to "dig deep" within myself and figure this out.

Today I am finding comfort in knowing that it isn't about me digging deep or figuring it out but it is about me getting into the Word and letting the Word that is alive and full of power penetrate in the deepest parts of my nature.

I love that it says DEEPEST, like not just the deep rooted stuff but it gets all the way to the DEEPEST rooted stuff and it continues with this..."exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart."  While I love this, it is also makes me uncomfortable. I mean think about it, God, the creator of the universe, my Heavenly Father, the Holy One of Israel, is exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of my heart. EEEEEEKKKKKKKK

Matthew 15:18-19 Amplified Bible (AMP)

¹⁸ But whatever comes out of the mouth comes from the heart, and this is what makes a man unclean and defiles [him].

¹⁹ For out of the heart come evil thoughts (reasonings and disputings and designs) such as murder, adultery, sexual vice, theft, false witnessing, slander, and irreverent speech.

 While it makes one uncomfortable, it is necessary to get into the Word and allow it to fill us up and flush out all that is unclean.  I am one that tries to be careful about what I say and how I say it. Try to tame the tongue and use my words to build up and not tear down and that is all fine and good HOWEVER, we also have to be careful with that because we can walk the walk and talk the talk but when God starts searching our hearts and analyzing and judging our thoughts and the purpose of our hearts, he isn't going to base it on how well we walked that walk or talked that talk. He will see right through all that and He will expose it. In a moment of anger or disappointment or disputing, the evil thoughts in our hearts will come out. (see Matthew 15:19 above)

 It is by the Word of God that we guard our hearts.  We can try and try and work on this area BUT that alone will not guard our hearts. We need to be reading and studying and meditating on the Word of God.  This will build up boundaries of Truth and Holiness around our hearts so we can recognize the lies and the uncleanliness that try to penetrate into our hearts when it should be the Word of God penetrating into the deepest parts of our nature.

Proverbs 4:23 Amplified Bible (AMP)

²³ Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.

While it is good to guard our mouth gates, it is better to guard our heart gate.  That is where the deepest stuff is at. Today let us commit to studying the Word of God and be vigilant and above all else guard our hearts.  Let the Word of God be our shield against the fiery darts,  against the lies of the enemy, against our unclean thoughts, against anything that would defile our hearts.

Who is with me, to spend more time with God and asking Him that through His Word, He cover our hearts with His shield of Truth and Love?

We can do this Treasures!!
Please contact me with any questions, prayer requests or your own "Aha" revelations as you study God's Word!


 

MAC A Fantasy of Flower Lipsticks

Hey Treasures, how are you all lovelies doing?  We are getting ready to say good bye to April.  I hope you had a great month and are ready to welcome in May.  I am not a fan of the summer at all. Here in California, we are getting a sneak peak of summer, we are having 90° weather all week long. The crazy thing is that on Friday night we had rain and it was windy. 

So anyways, my shopping madness continues but I am planning a no buy next month HOWEVER, MAC is coming up with some amazing collections that I need to buy so I don't know how that will go for me. 
I will be sharing about the beautiful MAC collections coming up on the blog so be sure to check back.

Before I share about the upcoming collections and even though I am late to the party, I purchased a couple of lippies from the A Fantasy of Flowers collection.  They are sold out on the MAC website but thanks to lovely social media, Instagram @mrsaguila09 and what they call #makeupexchange, I was able to buy a couple  from Meli C. @sexxymakeupswhore702. 

Naked Bud and Dreaming Dahlia

I have to be honest, I have been out of the loop on MAC stuff. I love MAC but I had been staying away and just trying out more Avon and Mark products since I do sell it and it is much easier on my wallet. 

Just really quick I want to share that right now you can get these lovely bag for free. 

 See details on my website. 

http://victoriaaguila.avonrepresentative.com/

Ok that was my Avon commercial and moving along with my MAC lippies!

 

Top is taken with a flash and Bottom with no flash, using my camera phone, Nokia Lumia 920

 

 

These lipsticks are Lustre Finish which give you some color and texture.

The Nude Bud description is, Neutral Sheer Nude.  I have pretty dark lips so it is exactly that on my lips, a sheer nude. 
I paired it with Avon Glimmersticks Lipliner in Nude.

 

The Dreaming Dahlia description is, Sheer Red Coral. 

My description of these would be compared to that of a tinted lip balm. A creamy sheer finish.

 

There are or were a lot more beauties to this collection which is described on the MAC website as,
"A glorious garden of irresistible shades unfolds, its hidden pleasures unearthed as delicate pastel Pigments unfurl and the dewy sparkle of Cremesheen Glass casts a luminous gleam. Rose-coloured hues burst from lustrous Lipstick, while a heavenly hybrid of Mineralize Eye Shadows blossoms with natural splendour. Cheeks are kissed with the graceful glow of Mineralize Blush, and vivid pops of colour flourish as Fluidline and Nail Lacquer bring this flowery fantasia to life."

Since I am late to this A Fantasy of Flowers party, did you get anything from this collection?  Let me know what you are loving or not loving from MAC right now.  I'd love to hear since I have been out of it for a little bit.

I am linking up here...
 

Mighty Leaf Tea Giveaway

Hey Treasures,  I am once again bringing you a giveaway!

Welcome to the Mighty Leaf Tea Giveaway! Tales From A Southern Mom had the great honor of trying and reviewing the wonderful teas from Mighty Leaf! Everyone from all parts of the world loves tea! These tea flavors are far superior to most teas you will find out there.
I am co-hosting this tea giveaway and so glad you stopped by for this. Please be sure to click on the entry form for your chance to win.

Entry-Form

Pampered Chef Haul

Hey Treasures,  today I wanted to share with you about my The Pampered Chef haul.  In case you are not familiar with The Pampered Chef, it is a direct selling company of kitchen tools. This is a snippet on the About us page from my consultant's website.
"We believe that multipurpose tools are the cornerstone of an efficient kitchen, and we're committed to developing timesaving tools, tips and recipes that enhance shared mealtime and suit busy lifestyles."

If you love to cook you have to check out The Pampered Chef.  They have some very versatile kitchen gadgets.  I own quite a bit of them.  I have yet to purchase a big item.

 

So if you want to see more details on the items I bought most recently (pictured above), here is the list, I may have left a few out but these are some of my favorites.

Round Scrub Brush
Ice Cream Scoop
Fruit & Cheese Cutter (One Of My Favorites)
Color Coated Utility Knife, Green
Smooth-Edge Can Opener, White (Also available in Blue)
Egg Separator

My consultant is very sweet. Her name is Licette and I have nothing but good to say about all our interactions.  She offers amazing customer service and I love dealing with her. She doesn't know I am blogging to promote her but that's what bloggers do. I hope you will get to know her as well.

You can follow her on Facebook, Pampering Meals, One Family At A Time.  She shares some really great tips and recipes on her page.

So I just done a Catalog Show with her last month and decided to do a live cooking show.  The theme was Mexican Fiesta and she made a delicious Enchilada Casserole in the microwave.  It was really good and she used the Rockcrok® Dutch Oven which I am getting for 60% off as the host during this month of April, regular price is $135 and I get it for $54, score!!!!

Safe to use on the stovetop, oven, microwave, broiler and grill.

If anyone would like to place an order, my show is open until Tuesday. 
Here is the link, www.tinyurl.com/victoriaaguila then click the "shop now" button.

Let me know if you have heard of The Pampered Chef and if so what your favorite item is.

If you have any questions let me know or you can reach my wonderful consultant, Licette on her THE PAMPERED CHEF WEBSITE. I know she will be happy to help you.

Moody Sisters on Open Sky

Hello Lovely Treasures!! It's been some time since I sat and took time to blogity blog about Life as Mrs. Aguila and I am so sorry about that but hopefully you keep up with me on social media which to be honest I have been laying low on as well.

I will say that I have been busy shopping, shopping, shopping and shopping. Been receiving so much happy mail. Yes I call it happy mail even if I buy it! (Happy Face)

Today I wanted to share with you about two things and one is a small business, Moody Sisters, that specializes in naturally organic skin care items.

I found this skin care through Maria-Isabel's blog Agape Love Designs.  She had a review and a giveaway and one of the entries was to follow this shop on Open Sky. Here is a video about OpenSky.

I hadn't heard of it but in order to follow the shop I had to create an account and so I did. I quickly started to love this platform.  Some of the buzz in the press on this is, "OpenSky is creating a marketplace for indie brands to flourish." and this pretty much sums it up for me "If eBay and Facebook had a baby it would look a lot like OpenSky."  I love eBay and I love Facebook and pretty much all social media so you can understand why OpenSky quickly is growing on me.

You can create your account here with my Referral Link and if you do please let me know.

They run some pretty awesome promotions and send you a lot of emails and because of it, I was able to order a few items from Moody Sisters that I had been eyeballing.  I just ordered it on Thursday and today it has already arrived. Very impressed and I can't wait to try this stuff.

I ordered the Coffee Body Butter. I think this is pretty cool, "Handmade fresh weekly with natural earth-derived and kid-friendly ingredients."  So this says that it, "Turn that cottage cheese into silky brie" 
And this is the description from the site,
"Some of us have more cottage cheese cellulite on our butt and thighs than we’d like to admit – and let’s be frank – only baby butts look cute with dimples! Never fear, the Moody Sisters are here to stimulate and hydrate your skin with our natural coffee body treatment! Our coffee-infused oil, natural Shea butter and pure essential oil combinations have all the important nutrients to naturally make those cottage cheese thighs melt into some sexy, creamy brie."

Sorry for the blurry photo I think my lens is dirty.

I also ordered the Dry Shampoo from Moody Sisters. I usually use the spray dry shampoos and my hair is very oily so it is must have for me especially because I color my hair and love red hair so I can't wash my hair daily so dry shampoo is my best friend. The dry shampoo from Moody sisters is pretty interesting as it is not a spray. It's actual powder and the container is very packed and comes with a cute puff.

Here is the video they share that I actually just found and so glad I did because I was a bit perplexed on how it would work out for me without creating a mess and wasting product. I haven't tried it but here is the link to the how to video.

 

Ok and the description on this item is,

 "From Greasy to gorgeous in 60 seconds."

"You wake up at 7:45 in a panic -- apparently someone set the alarm clock for 6 PM, not 6 AM. We know it wasn't you. You skip the shower, throw your clothes on, happen to look up while brushing your teeth and realize that the hairball of grease in the mirror is actually the top of your head. KEEP CALM! Our organic natural and vegan Dry Shampoo will instantly absorb oil, and leave your scalp feeling and looking fresh and clean."

I will do a review on this items once I start using them.

I want to hear from you, do you use Dry Shampoo? Are you on OpenSky yet?  Talk to me treasures and thanks for stopping by.

 

Puritans Pride Allergy Gift Set Giveaway

Puritan's Pride Allergies Gift Set Giveaway 

LIFE AS MRS. AGUILA, has teamed up with  Nanas Deals and More to help bring you this great giveaway.

Puritan's Pride Allergies Gift Set Giveaway 

One Winner will win EVERYTHING Pictured Above! 

ENTER BELOW ! 

Giveaway Open to U.S and Must be over 18. One Winner Starts April 01, 2014 at 12:00 AM/EST
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Marriage - Keeping Your Focus

Hi Treasures and happy Tuesday to you. Thank you so much for joining us. 

Today we continue with the final entries of the Marriage Series collab with some sweet, faith filled, women of God, beauty bloggers;  Andrea of Wink For Pink Blog, Maria-Isabel of Agape Love Designs and Tawny of Glamorously Mommy.
Just in case you missed it, this is a mini series for the month of March and as a recap and for your convenience here is Week 1 Marriage and Respect, Week 2 Love and Marriage and Week 3 Reviving the Spark.  Each of us link up our posts for your convenience. Be sure to read all of the posts as they have been very candid and yet so encouraging.

I want to start off with this scripture plus a lovely photo that Mr. Aguila took on our stay at the lake.

The Voice Bible Translation

This is how Paul closes his letter to the church of Philippi and I like to read the different translations available and in doing so I found this translation on Bible Gateway. It is called Living Bible and this translation states this scripture like this,
"And now, brothers, as I close this letter, let me say this one more thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about."

We must always remember to keep our focus on the good things. We must fill our minds with beauty and truth.  We have to train our minds to focus on things that are good and right, pure and lovely and this is especially true for our marriages.  If we can focus on those things that are good in our marriage the rest will begin to dim.  Now I am not saying to be blind to things or to be oblivious to truth because I do know there are certain situations where doing so isn't the best option HOWEVER, I am saying that we don't need to nitpick or nag about our little pet peeves.

2 Corinthians 10:5
"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

As wives we must encourage and uplift and set the atmospheres in our homes. We need to demolish arguments and take captive every thought into the obedience of  Jesus Christ. In doing this, we begin the process of fixing our thoughts on those things that are pure and lovely and think on that which is good and fine and we will be able to see more clearly the good in our spouses.

Source

Paul gives us the keys in Philippians 4:8. I like what the Living Bible Translation says, "Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about."  It reminds me of this picture above.  I seen it on Instagram the other day and when I read it, it really made me think. 

Sure there are things that we want from and for our marriages but we can not allow those things to make us forget what we have right now.  It is important for us to continually get our focus back on the things that matter and we need to think about all that we can praise God for and be glad about those things.  We should continually ask ourselves, where am I putting most of my energy?

1 Thessalonians 5:18
"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

All the answers to our hang ups and issues are found right in God's Word. We need to be thankful in ALL circumstance.  If we belong to Christ Jesus this is God's will for us.  If we begin to follow God's instruction and be thankful and truly live to put God first and surrender our own will, our own agendas, our pride, and our selfishness we are on the road to many more years of being happily married. 

It has to start with us.  As Andrea had suggested read Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian.  We can even do a blog series/study together on that book.  That book really helped me take a good look in the mirror and taught me how and what to focus my prayers on for my husband. 

There is power in prayer ladies.  There is no situation too hard for God.  God is full of love, grace and mercy for us and what He has joined together let no one separate. Once we allow Him to join us together and we become one with our spouses, no one can separate us.  We have the bible as our tool to a successful marriage.  It will take work on our parts and it will take retraining our focus and retraining our minds but every good thing is worth fighting for.  Let us continue to fight the good fight of faith and make God and our marriages more of a priority in our busy hectic lives.

I have enjoyed sharing with you about God and Marriage.  These are two of my passions in life. Thank you for sticking with us and for allowing God to minister to you through us.

Our prayers continue for marriages.  Revive the Love treasures. Please share with us what you have gotten out of our mini series. We love to hear the testimonies of how God has touched lives. 

Be sure to check out the posts from my beautiful friends linked below.

PayPal Cash Giveaway

Hey Treasures, I have a giveaway to share with you!

Welcome to the $300 Cash Giveaway!

Sponsored by Michael Phillip Cash.

Schism was recently chosen as a BOTYA 2013 Finalist in Science Fiction. To celebrate, Michael Cash would like to offer a everyone a chance to win $300.

 

On the planet Darracia, an ever-widening social gap between its inhabitants is causing turmoil that is fracturing a once peaceful world. Struggling with his identity, nineteen year old Prince V'sair must harness the power of the elusive Fireblade, the secret to a warrior's heart, in order to overcome his uncle Staf Nuen's lust for supremacy. Will the energy of the Elements guide the young prince to his true destiny or will Staf Nuen conquer Darracia?

Dii, an Amazon reviewer said:

"Does intolerance of people’s differences go beyond our planet? What of jealousy and the quest for power? Is it thicker than blood? Schism by Michael Phillip Cash is a fascinating and intense dark fantasy/Sci-fi filled with everything that makes for excellent, magnetic reading! Prejudice, love, greed, trust, the lust for power, deceit, cruelty and bloodshed, it’s all here in the first book of what looks to be an amazing journey to another planet somewhere in the heavens.

The ever-widening gap between the different classes is causing unrest to the once peaceful plant of Darracia, the haves get more, the have-nots lose what little they have and are beginning to fight back. Considered inferior to those around him, young Prince V’sair struggles to be seen as warrior material, in spite of his smaller stature and different skin coloring. He is a half-breed, part Darracian, part Planta. Smart, filled with knowledge from books, he still longs to feel the power of the Elements in the Fireblade, a weapon that can only be wielded by one blessed with a warrior’s heart. Forbidden to risk his life in a quest to find the powerful weapon, V’sair chafes at being trapped between wanting to help his people and needing to obey the King and Queen. But there is more to the unrest among the classes than meets the eye. Someone nearby is a traitor and it may be up to V’sair to save his world, but how? Unprepared for what awaits him outside of his castle, V’sair finds strength in love, honor and in believing in himself as he stands against the odds and the evil betrayers around him.

No doubt about it, Michael Phillip Cash can build a world with depth and clarity and then populate it characters that one can see in their minds. Soar above the clouds on a flying horse-type creature, feel the tension, feel the fear and wonder of V’sair as he runs into danger, faces near death and the love of a girl whose skin is as red as his is blue. Mr. Cash introduces each character with ease and enables the reader to see who to watch for, who to root for and who to hiss at. He has created magic with his words that transport you into another world as good battle evil in the takeover of Darracia and a boy becomes a warrior with heart. As the foundation from which this series will build, Schism is a powerful testament to the power of the imagination when guided by a masterful storyteller."

Book 2, Collision: The Battle for Darracia (Book 2) (The Darracia Saga) is now available on Amazon.

After the success of his first three books (Brood X, Stillwell, and The Hanging Tree) Michael Phillip Cash is fulfilling a dream and creating his own epic fantasy world. The third book in the series is coming soon!

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Enter to win $300 Cash via PayPal

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Ends at 11:59pm EDT on April 8th, 2014.

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