National Ice Cream Month

I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!  July is National Ice Cream month and I couldn't be more excited! If I had my way, every month would be ice cream month and actually in my house it is! Ice cream is a normal staple in my home.  It is the best way to beat the heat. So, what about those winter months? Yes, ice cream is still there!  It's never too cold for ice cream!

I'm celebrating National Ice Cream month by sharing all this yummy goodness with friends and family. What better way to celebrate than with the smooth, creamy taste of  Mayfield!  I was so happy when I was informed by Influenster that I would be receiving coupons to purchase my Mayfield ice cream and was pleasantly surprised to also receive this personalized scoop.  I rushed to the store to make my purchase.

My first thought was to go with my all-time favorite flavor, vanilla, because I can top it with anything I want. Once I got to the store, I decided to try some different flavors.  Well as you can see, the shelves were nearly bare, so I'm not the only one enjoying this #MayfieldSummer.

 I decided to go with Cookies & Cream and Butter Pecan.  Butter Pecan is a childhood favorite. It was pretty much all my mom would buy so I naturally grew to love it.  Cookies & Cream is like dunking an oreo into my milk , so I couldn't resist.  And it taste great with brownies!

Having myself a #MayfieldSummer with their cookies n cream ice cream and #Ghirardelli brownies! Makes a great afternoon #treat! Received this #complimentary of @influenster and @Mayfielddairy. How are you celebrating this month? #nationalicecreammonth #influenster #gotitforfree #icecream #cookiesncream #brownies #yummygoodness #bloggersconnect #BloggersGetSocial

A photo posted by sunshineandelephants (@sunshine.and.elephants) on Jul 28, 2016 at 10:20am PDT

These hot summer days call for a quick and delicious treat.  It's like having a little mini party with myself.  But that's no fun, so I decided to share.

I'm also sharing an ice cream party in a box as a thank you to one of  sweet friends who is always so supportive!  Her kindness is infectious and I just wanted to send a little sunshine her way.  I won't be revealing who it is here because it is a surprise, but my Pinterest board will give you an idea of what she's receiving.  Similar to the box below.  I can't wait till she receives her sweet surprise!

Photo Source

So how are you celebrating National Ice Cream Month?  I would love to hear below.
See where I am Linking UP with others.

Sweet Progress Summer Box Swap Reveal

Do you guys like happy mail?  I love sending and receiving happy mail!  So, when I  came across Dean of Mrs. AOK's post about an awesome swapportunity, I was beside myself!  She and Ashley, put together the Sweet Progress Box Swap, #SPBOXWSWAP.  I immediately signed up and anxiously awaited the name of my partner! Click the button below to read about how they came up with the cleaver name.

The day came before I knew it and I was paired  with an awesome blogger, Erika of Cat Eyes and Skinny Jeans.  I scrolled through her blog that night and was like, "Wow, what a fashionista!"

Okay, now I'm like...uhhh...What do you get for someone with that much style?  I actually had to put off thinking for a couple of days.  I was at a total lost.

A few days later, my creative juices began to flow.  I came up with a few ideas and began working on my package for Erika. You can check out what I got her here.

Fast forward one week:  My happy mail has arrived and I'm so excited!  I can't wait to share with you all the goodies I received!  Erika hit the nail on the head with this one.  She really took the summer theme and ran with it.  

The first thing I uncovered was this cute little journal with a nautical theme...Ahoy girlie!  Too cute!  

I love journals, I mean like who wouldn't?  

This easy read novel continues the summer theme.  Bonjour Tristesse was written by Francoise Sagan when she was only 18.  Its a story about a seventeen-year-old on summer vacation from boarding school with her father in Paris.  To sum it up, she is a precocious teen trying to understand and control the world around her.  This looks like a great summer read with a great summer theme.  Erika must have read my post about needed to get back into reading.  

I'm really loving this box so far...can you tell?  Hehe...

Okay, how can you have summer without having some fruit and mine is everlasting.  I can use this pineapple bag for so much.  Inside, were some extra little treats.  A nautical themed pen and this cute, compass necklace! Aren't they darling? 

My box also included some purple polish and some good smelling body mist.  I actually sprayed it on right away.  

Light and refreshing and perfect for summer. 

Erika, you're a doll. Thank you so much for this adorable little package.  I love everything in it! 

 Be sure to go check out her blog and show her some love! 

To see what other participants received, scroll on over to our link up.  If you missed out on this swap, no sweat. 

 This is a seasonal box swap so be on the look out for more in the near future.

Have you participated in a recent box swap?  What did you like most about mine?

Currently: Mixed Emotions

Hey everyone! It's been awhile since I've been on here, but its been for good reasons.  As you will see below, I began working on this post about a month ago.  I haven't been in the mood to write much and my focus has been on other things.

Currently:

Closing: Out another school year.  The end of this year was a rough one.  We were presented with a new test again this year.  We still have PASS testing for science and social studies, but the last two years have been different test for English, Writing, and Math.  With new test come new challenges.  It literally took the last six weeks of the school year away from counseling.  Counselors have to prepare all the test, and the process is too hard to explain.  We spend hour after hour in what we respectfully refer to as "The Dungeon".  One of our veteran teachers, who tends to work late, saw us one evening leaving out the same time he was.  His words to us were, "The trolls our out of their cave."  We all had a good laugh about it.  I'm just glad it's all over.

Grieving:  The loss of my uncle.  The eve of my last day of work, I received a phone call from my dad that really struck me hard.  His brother had passed that morning.  I had just spoken with Uncle George about two weeks ago and was looking forward to seeing him this summer. We held a memorial service for him on Saturday and everyone had such wonderful things to say about him I know that he is in a better place and is watching over all of us from above.  I just truly miss him.

Getting Inspired:  I just returned from the 2016 Education Business Summit and received a lot of inspiration for the upcoming school year.  I even got to meet Chef Jeff Henderson of Flip My Food.  He was one of our keynote speakers and he was AWESOME!  His story is definitely worth knowing.

Disappointed;  I participated in a box swap recently and was really looking forward to some happy mail on my return from the summit, but was sadly disappointed.  My partner did not follow through.  Well I hope she liked the gift I sent her.

Reviewing: Various things from Influenster.  Most recently was ZzzQuil and it really works.  It helps me fall asleep and stay asleep without waking up groggy.  I received my sample free for testing purposes and I think I will be buying some once school is back in session.  Want to join Influenster and get free goodies? Join here.

For when you need it most. #Zzzquil. Thanks @influenster and @ZzzQuil for the free sample. How did you know that I just returned from a conference and could barely sleep? Time to catch up on my beauty rest! Sometimes we all could use a little help. #influenster #contest #gotitforfree #freesamples #freestuff #SleeoLovers #ad #sunshineandelephants

A photo posted by sunshineandelephants (@sunshine.and.elephants) on Jul 2, 2016 at 11:02am PDT

Thinking:  I have a lot on my mind and so much to ponder.  This is usually a more upbeat time of year for me and I 'm always looking forward to summer.  This year, I'm just not feeling it.  I don't feel like writing.  I don't have the energy to get out and go as usual.  I don't know.  Just kinda in a blah mood.  A lot of things to sort out for myself so you won't be seeing me much in the blogosphere.  But I will pop up every now and then. I have enjoyed reading others post and discovering new bloggers.  So you may not see much from me here, but I'll be around.  Until next time...Peace.

Do you go through periods where you have mixed emotions?  What are you currently up to?

Check out my Linking Up page to see where I'm sharing this post and others.