Journals Unlimited - A Hiking Journal

I have always been fond of writing, and I have always been fond of hiking as well. When I discovered that Journals Unlimited carried a journal from the Write it Down collection solely created for writing about hiking trips, I just had to have it! I am always forgetting some of the coolest places I have visited, and now that I have the Hiker's Journal I don't have to worry about it anymore. I can see myself filing this journal up pretty quickly. There are so many things to love about this journal:

*It is printed in the USA

*It is printed with soy-based ink

*Made with acid free recycled paper

*Has a durable hardcover design

Printed in the USA

Soy-based ink

Acid-free recycled paper

Durable hard cover design

- See more at: http://journalsunlimited.com/shop/hiking-a-hikers-journal/#reviews

Not only does Journals Unlimited carry the hiking journal, they carry many other journals and products as well! A few of my favorites include the:

 Bird watching Journal

Ever after, a Couple's Journal

The Gardeners Journal

Lighten Up!, a Weight Control, Workout Journal

Disclosure: I received the above item/s in return for an honest, sincere review. I was not expected to leave a positive review, and would never post something I didn't feel fully confident in. No monetary compensation was provided. The above opinion is the sole opinion of me and my family, and may differ from your own. I am disclosing in accordance with FTC 16 CFR Part 255. 

Skunkfunk- Totally my style, and perfect for fall!

Skunkfunk

If you know me at all, you know I love being comfortable. I also love looking stylish (hopefully without much effort!). Owning a piece of clothing that is both comfy and stylish is a rare find. That is what first drew me in to the Skunkfunk line. They offer several adorable and funky styles, certainly boasting something for everyone. When I saw the Hiruborda Sweater from Skunkfunk's Fall/Winter Line, I knew I had to have it. It is so bold and versatile. This sweater goes well with many pieces of clothing, making it the perfect touch to any outfit! I love how soft and warm it is, despite being short sleeved. I had the chance to wear it many places, and it has quickly became my new favorite sweater.

 The sweater is 85% Acrylic and 15% Wool. I honestly never knew clothing could be made from acrylic, but it makes sense now that I think about it! Acrylic fibers can be used to make faux fur, and are often used as lining for the insides of boots and gloves. Acrylic fibers are resistant to moths, which actually can come in handy where I live! The wool helps keep the wind from chilling me to the core, and feels really soft.

The first time I put this sweater on, I could immediately tell that it was of great quality. It is woven together so well, and fits rather comfortably. It is baggy enough to keep me warm, giving me plenty of room to snuggle up inside of.

I absolutely love the pockets! They are so deep and stretchy. I can fit anything and everything in there! They are woven into the sweater really well. I have not yet had a problem with anything falling out of them, although I was a bit worried about that at first. The pockets also seem to be well insulated, keeping my body heat from melting my lip balm. 

I got to wear this sweater on several different occasions. All of which happened to exhibit a different weather pattern. In the photo above, I was at the Houston Botanical Garden. Houston is so close to Galveston and the coast in general that it is typically always humid there. This day was particularly sticky, and believe it or not, the sweater made it more bearable! It kept the moist air off of a lot of my skin, and prevented me from sweating. I wish I could say the same for those darn leggings...

As you can see, I love the deep pockets! They are a great place to store my essentials, and they make excellent hand warmers! I love being able to keep my hands comfortable while hiking around.

The botanical gardens are so nice! I mostly visited the arboretum due to it being wintertime. I cannot wait to revisit once the weather warms up, and the plants spring back to life!

I love how cute this sweater is with a belt! It goes so well with jeans, as well as skirts and leggings. It also makes a comfy sweater to wear around the house. It is definitely serving the purpose of lounge wear as well as being my going out sweater! I love clothing with multiple purposes. 

I encourage you to check out Skunkfunk! They are pretty amazing, and I can see myself wearing their clothes for a long time. They totally fit my style, and I love almost everything they have to offer. Even the clothes that don't scream "PAISLEY!" are still rather cute. 

Skunkfunk strongly believes fashion, environmental and social concerns can and should go hand-in-hand. Their stylish digs overflow with bold versatile threads, made mostly from sustainable textiles and shipped in recycled and biodegradable packaging. Based in the Basque Country, north of Spain, Skunkfunk collaborates closely on its urban European garb with a menagerie of diverse and talented artists, musicians, and illustrators. Many of the clothing items are reversible or adaptable, such as skirts that morph into shirts and shirts that morph into dresses. Skunkfunk continues to reinvent itself through its design and personality, with an eclectic and vigorous style that is full of color and multi-concept designs.

Connect with Skunkfunk

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest 

Disclosure: I received the above item in return for an honest, sincere review. I was not expected to leave a positive review, and would never post something I didn't feel fully confident in. No monetary compensation was provided. The above opinion is the sole opinion of me and my family, and may differ from your own. I am disclosing in accordance with FTC 16 CFR Part 255.  

Tomato Girl/ Tomato Baby Company Review and Giveaway!

Tomato Baby Company is devoted to growing the tomato and pepper seedlings that their customers want.
This company was formed as a sort of a co-op to provide the many types of plants gardeners want to try at a fair, decent price.
Substantial, quality plants are their goal and they will continue to grow them for you, as long as they get the quantity of orders they need to operate.

So, please pass their name on to your gardening friends and neighbors, hobbyists and commercial growers alike!

Remember to shop for tomato, pepper and basil plants and seedlings here because they ship throughout the continental United States!

Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa,
Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota,
Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming. 

 I have not yet received my plants, but I wanted to do a preliminary review anyway! The wonderful plants at Tomato Girl/Tomato Baby Company sell out rather quickly, and I want my giveaway winner to be able to choose something awesome before they are all gone! I will be posting another (more detailed) review when the tomato plants get to me (and into my garden)!

When I contacted Tomato Baby, I got a response quicker than I expected. I had the pleasure of speaking with Alainia (the owner) several times. She was very kind and so very helpful. By browsing her site, you can really tell how committed she is to her tomato babies. She made a few suggestions on how, what, and when to order. You can really tell that she is genuinely helpful and involved, not just trying to make a sale like a lot of other companies I have ordered from in the past.

The Tomato Baby website has SO many different varieties of tomatoes as well as several other veggies to choose from that it can be a bit overwhelming (especially for the beginner gardener.) Luckily, the site has an option to have the grower pick the plants for you. All you have to do is leave a detailed description of what it is you are looking for. For instance, when I ordered I  put in the description box:

1 unique cherry tomato variety that will be great in salads.
1 variety that is perfect for cooking (stuffing)
1 variety that produces striped fruits.
1 variety that loves hot climates and is disease resistant.
1 variety that produces HUGE fruit.
1 variety that that has an early season.
1 variety that just sounds cool, and will make me proud when showing it to others!
(can be a mixture of each quality! Such as a large, striped tomato that is great for cooking, etc.) I typically only enjoy cherry tomatoes, so I am trying to focus more on those.

I tried to follow Alainia's suggestions:


How should a new customer pick plants? Pick at least one for:

taste alone

its color (black, white, yellow, orange, green, even striped jobs)

production - so there WILL be guaranteed tomatoes

disease resistance

its size (Big ones, little ones, Huge ones)

an early season (60 days is about the earliest)

a mid-season variety (approximately 80 days)

late season (90-100 days) - probably worth the wait!

something that just sounds cool....there is a lot of character in these plant names and their histories

cherry tomatoes for the babies and grandbabies

I am super excited and cannot wait to see what she sends me!! 

 

ONE lucky winner will get to pick 5 plants of their choosing from the Tomato Baby company. Giveaway is open to the continental US only, and will end on April 21! To enter,  just leave a comment below telling me what plants you would choose. For extra entries leave separate comments for:

Follow/Like Living the Paisley Life on Facebook

Following @loveofpaisleys on Twitter

Thank you all, and good luck!

November at a Glance

Kleb Woods Nature Preseve

It is always remarkable how quickly the weather can drop. Here in Texas, cold weather is never taken lightly. We tend to freak out about it. The weather here in general changes A LOT. At least we where I live it does. It dropped almost 40 degrees in the matter of 24 hours. The high today was in the low fifties.This kind of weather makes me so giddy. I am not a huge fan of the freezing cold, but a proper chill is rather enjoyable. I chose today to visit the woods, after throwing together my first ever pork loin. I discovered this little gem several years ago as a young teen. It has really expanded since then. I have loved watching it grow up, so to speak. I have lived many places throughout the years, but I always find myself coming back here.

There are many trails throughout the 133.5 acres of luscious woods. More and more signs have popped up, informing me about the flora, buildings, machinery, and several other park amenities. While more trails have been created, and old ones made more accessible and family friendly. I could easily spend hours here.
I always find interesting things, like that fuzzy yellow guy.


Despite the cold weather, some things continue to grow. It amazes me how this place keeps a running garden going. I saw some tiny eggplant as well as several flower gardens dedicated to hummingbirds and butterflies. I didn't see any of those guys today, but I look forward to seeing them again in the spring.

My all time favorite discovery at Kleb Woods was the windmill in the woods. There is a funny little sign saying "Why is there is windmill in the woods? Where are the woods in the windmill." There is actually a clever little tree growing right through the middle of of it! I have no idea how old the windmill is, but seeing old thins like this really makes me ponder about the lives that went on when this windmill was in working condition.



Are there any places like this around where you live, or that you like to visit whenever you get the chance?