My Most Recent Love!

I'm a huge fan of lots of things and recently I've been watching YouTube videos of other fans and I've been joining message boards for some favorite retail companies. One of those companies is dishing out one of my favorite things, CANDLES!

Candles by Victoria is a small, family-made company out of Van, Texas with a HUGE following! I stumbled upon Victoria and her candles after watching hauls and reviews of other small companies. One night, I went to the website and was simply awe struck. The amount of fragrances was endless (actually, it's over 700 scents long!). I literally spent a few hours over two days just reading scent descriptions and wondering just how many candles did I really need. I have purchased candles from many main stream retailers in the past, but none of those companies had a list this large. Anyway, as I was reading, I was tasting the descriptions! Lovely names such as Cinnabon, Cinnamon Apple Berry, Caramlized Pralines and Kettle Corn were just begging me to purchase them! I tend to love bakery scents, so these were the most mouth watering and dreamy. After a few weeks of plotting and wishing, I broke down and placed my very first order. I will never forget that first box! The smell...OMG, Heaven must smell like that box. For real.

My order was shipped in a little over a week and was perfect when it arrived. Every candle was wrapped tightly in tape and bubble wrap. After fighting and ripping the wrapping off, I braced myself and sniffed my very first candle. It was a 16oz. royal blue candle I had created myself. OH YEAH, in the wonderful world of CBV, you can create a scent! You just combine two of her scents, pick a color, give it a name and it's all your's! My scent is called Cubmaster's Delight and it's divine! It's a mixture of Chocolate Chip Cookies and Marshmallow Campfire. So yummy! I went through all of my treasures and found myself opening jars on and off hours later just to sniff and smile. I did let my candles cure, or settle, for a few days before lighting them. Victoria encourages curing so you can get the most from your scents. These scents are so authentic and if the description say there's something there, it is there. I promise! She has fun candles too! Candles mixed to make realistic looking deserts. I want to post pics, but my laptop is in shop and I can't upload pics from my iPad. I have made about six orders in total and two of my favorite candles are called S'mores Galore and Chocolate Fudge, Cinnamon Sugar Cookie Surprise...these are just lovely works of art that I will post pics of ASAP. The detail Victoria and her family puts into each candle shows how much they love and care for their customers!

Aside from candles, Victoria offers Scent Shots, which are small tubs of hardened wax that can be melted on a tart warmer. She also offers warmers on her site. If the scent if in a candle, it's in a scent shot. These come in handy in places where lighting a candle may be difficult, or if you want a powerful punch from a scent. I have purchased A LOT of these, along with two warmers. She also sells her authentic scents in oils and reed diffusers.

Overall, Candles by Victoria is a fantastic company that will forever have my home scent/gift giving business! I will post often about them and I will try and get pictures up often, so fasten you smelly seat belts!

The Very First BLOG!

Well hello there, and welcome to my very first blog post! I used to do this blogging thing a long time ago. I kept a blog for almost two years then stopped writing. It's a long story that I may one day tell you all, but for right now, I'm feeling that familiar writing itch and I'm ready to open the windows into my thoughts, feelings, likes and dislikes. First let me introduce myself. My name is Christina, or Chrissy to anyone who has known me since I was born. I'm 32 and living in Philly, PA with my hubby, Doug, and my two children, Calvin (10) and Amelia (3).

When you read this title you may be thinking that this will be a blog about things that I love. Well, you're absolutely correct! I have a very long list of those! First and foremost, there's the family. I live each day for them...don't we all? I have the most awesome kids who make me laugh each day. My hubs is my best friend and I'm so glad we found each other. I have two very cooky parents. Seriously, they're cooky. Dad was in the Vietnam war, Mom was a hippy protesting against it. I'm the oldest of their two children. In February 2010, my brother Chris took his own life. He was 15 months younger than me, and was my very first best friend. We were always mistaken for twins and we also acted like it. Chris was a Philadelphia Police Officer of almost six years, and I was so very proud of him! After dealing with years of depression and anxiety, his road, and our lives came to a crashing hault. My life is forever changed and I miss Chris terrible each and every day. My family and I have our tough days, but we have each other and we know that as long as we have each other, we'll be OK. I have the bestest friends a girl could ever ask for! They are my extended family and count on them as much as the family I was born into.

I do TONS of volunteer work! Everthing from church, to cub scouts, to helping with suicide awareness and prevention, to work in the AIDS/HIV community...I'm working for free more than I am home most weeks. I love every bit of it, and I do it to show my children that there is more to life than just "us". Our purpose is to serve others as the Lord wills us to.

I. Am. A. Product. JUNKIE, and believe it or not, I hate shopping. Now, I know what you're thinking, "Um, you like products, but you hate to shop?". Yep...that's me! I'm selective about where I shop, and when I find something good, I want to share it with the world. Now I can do that! I want to use this blog to review things I'm using, and tell you what I like, and what I can live without. As for now, I'm writing to myself, but I hope I can expand my audience and help others. I will try and post often and keep things current.

So, thank you for taking this journey with me and stay tuned!