>U Mom Knows Best: My Fabulous Fall Finds From A Crazy Month

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

My Fabulous Fall Finds From A Crazy Month

 This past month has been a crazy busy month but at the same time, it has been awesome. Keep reading to discover some awesome products that I am enjoying this month.


 The month of October started with my boys and I attended the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. This is a yearly event that we attend and for the past 6 years, I have had the privilege of working on the media side. I never get tired of seeing all the hot air balloons in the sky and I love that I get an up-close view of the bot air balloons.

 Last year, the Balloon Fiesta did not happen thanks to Covid. That past year gave the Balloon Fiesta media team time to do some updating in the media tent. The best improvement that the team did was to relocate the media tent, so the media tower had an awesome view of the balloons. So that made for some pretty amazing photos.

 My boys both earned plenty of money last year so they both purchased their first cell phones. My boys were also old enough to go up in the Balloon Fiesta media tent. They had a great time taking pictures of the hot air balloons and I just soaked everything in. We attended the Balloon Fiesta a total of 3 days out of the nine days and I have plenty of hot air balloon photos to share.

 My bathroom project is almost complete

 Then a week later I flew to Missouri to visit my mom. My brother and sister also were there. So we all had a good time and I helped mom get all her bills on auto-pay, while my brother fixed things. My sister and my brother's wife helped mom with shopping and organizing. 

While I was in Missouri, my husband was working from home as we finally had the workers come to build the shower in the kid's bathroom. This bathroom has been unusable since February when we had plumbing issues that resulted in a hole in the wall. We decided to convert the bathtub to a shower which led to discovering mold in the laundry room. The mold was discovered when the plumbers were moving the shower drain. So the month of August we had the mold remediation folks working in the laundry room and garage. My family spent 10 days in a hotel while some of the work was being done.

 The bathroom is almost complete as it still needs a shower door. The new bathroom looks wonderful and the boys no longer have to take showers in my bathroom. I almost forgot that in July, we replace all the carpet on the stairs and upstairs with vinyl flooring. We also declutter and painted the master bedroom. My bedroom got a new tropical-themed look. The house is almost complete as we are still waiting on the new dresser that I bought back in June. It is crazy what shutting down the country due to a pandemic, can do with getting things delivered. Thank goodness the boys have recovered from the Covid slide and I did not suffer from the Covid 15.

My fabulous fall finds

 So the month of October ended with my family being able to enjoy our home again without having any more house repairs. I can concentrate on my writing again without the disruption of all the many workers who have been in our home. This month I was also able to enjoy some new products, that you might enjoy.

Fall Pumpkin Face Mask

I am one who loves the fall pumpkin craze. From drinking pumpkin spice coffee to eating pumpkin pie and also making pumpkin hummus, I can't get enough pumpkin. So when I discover a pumpkin face mask, I had to have it.


 If you are obsessed with all things pumpkin, then you need to try Marianella 's Exfoliating Pumpkin Seed Clay Mask. This face mask has a wonderful pumpkin scent and is the ultimate pampering treat for you. This mask not only detoxifies but also replenishes the skin and removes dead skin cells, giving you gorgeously fresh glowing skin. So make a batch of my Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies or these Holiday Pumpkin Pie Spiced Sugar Cookies and treat your face to a wonderful pumpkin-scented facial. It is the best way to enjoy pumpkin season.

Delicious Haitian Chocolate 

 While I forgot to celebrate National Chocolate Day, I did enjoy some delicious chocolate that was made in Haiti. I am always overjoyed when I discover vegan chocolate that tastes good and supports a Woman-Owned Business.


 Chocolate lovers and connoisseurs can savor the taste of Haiti when they indulge in Askanya Chocolates.  Haiti's first and only premier bean-to-bar chocolate company.  Askanya Chocolates are made exclusively with Haitian cocoa, which boasts some of the highest-ranked chocolate in the world!  The cocoa beans are then handcrafted into bars by women in Haiti. As a Black-founded and Black women-led company, Askanya Chocolates are dedicated to using the finest, all-natural ingredients directly sourced from a network of 3,000 Haitian Farmers who provide the finest cacao, sugar cane, limes, oranges, and cashew nuts. From bean to bar, Askanya Chocolates are a true labor of love and provide direct revenue opportunities to Haitian farmers located in very rural areas. All of the bars are gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free, and preservative-free. There are also dairy-free and vegan options.  Available in large and mini-size bars. Grown in Haiti, Made in Haiti, Enjoyed Everywhere!

The Best Tuna Snack Packs

When my life gets busy, I am thankful for quick and easy healthy meals. A couple of months ago, I enjoyed a portable plant-based protein meal that I could make in five minutes just by adding hot water. Since I have many food allergies, I like portable meals that I can enjoy on the go, since eating at restaurants is not always a safe option for me. My dairy allergy became life-threatening last month when I had my first anaphylactic shock. While I discovered my food and plant allergies with this home allergy blood test, I have to have further testing in a doctor's office. While I am able to treat my asthma naturally without prescription medicine, I may need to have emergency treatment for my food allergies.


So I am glad that I discovered snack packs from Safe Catch. These delicious tuna packs make the perfect meal on the go.  Each meal has 20 grams of protein per pack as well as other essential vitamins and minerals. Each pack comes with a 2.6oz can of wild skipjack tuna, crackers, and an eco-spoon and are available in either garlic herb, spicy, or lemon pepper. So now I can grab these tuna packs to take with me when I eat at a friend's house or an event that may not have safe food for me to eat. 


 Since having an anaphylactic shock, I just don't feel comfortable eating out at restaurants. I was thankful that my husband woke up the night that I woke up not being able to breathe. I am not sure what caused the life-threatening asthma attack that night. It could have been from having to dip my hands in milk (I made the mistake of cutting jalapenos without gloves so my hands were on fire), the mold in our house, or the gas leak from our new water heater. Maybe it was a layer of all three events but I don't ever want to experience that again. 

 So that has been my life for the past month. It had good and bad things happening but my life has settled down and I am feeling so much better. My asthma has improved, since removing all the carpet in the house and removing the mold. My home has a new refreshed look from all the improvements and things are back to normal here.




15 comments:

Edohpa said...

I definitely need to learn more about that vegan chocolate, those socks would be a perfect gift for my mom this year. We are getting ready to start some projects here and i'm already ready for it to be over and back to normal! lol Kelli

Melanie Edjourian said...

Okay so for me that chocolate wins hands down. I do love chocolate!!

AiringMyLaundry said...

You found some awesome stuff. I need to try that chocolate!

Monica Simpson said...

I love the fun things you found! I need to try that pumpkin mask. I'm also super into the pumpkin craze more than I ever have in years past.

Richelle Milar said...

Those chocolates of yours looks really good! You got some really nice stuff here!

alita said...

I would love to try that fall pumpkin mask. And those chocolate look really good!

Rose Ann Sales said...

Those were some really cool stuff! That tuna snack pack and the chocolates looks absolutely delicious!

msjane90 said...

Great find indeed! Those stuff are really amazing! The chocs are sure to be delicious!

Jenn @ EngineerMommy said...

So many fun ideas here in this post. I love the idea of that pumpkin face mask

Simply Tasheena said...

So many amazing finds, I have to try some of these items.

Anne Marie said...

Great to see the bathroom results! I'd love to try an artistic tile design.

Miranda Sherman said...

OOUUU those chocolates look sooo yummy! I want to try those for sure! I love the tile you chose in the bathroom remodel too!

Marysa said...

That is great to be able to finish your bathroom project. It will feel so nice when it is completed!

Swathi said...

Sound like you had finished the bathroom project. We too have a shower and bath tub. Shower is more convenient most of time.

Angela Ricardo Bethea said...

Those are all wonderful selection of fall items you found and I'm always up for trying out new tasty snacks.

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