Ten Things Thursday

1. This morning my coffee maker wouldn't work. I nearly cried and had a melt down. That's the grip my Keurig has on me. It's sad....but true. (Turns out all I needed to do was unplug it, then plug it back in and it worked just fine! ThankTheLord!)

2. Currently listening to some of Elvis' Gospel music and enjoying a cup of coffee. It's such an amazing way to unwind. Try it!

3. I am still really loving the DIY Gardner's Hand scrub that I made recently after discovering it on Pinterest. I love it so much that I even made a small batch of it for my mom!

4. Nothing makes me happier than having fresh flowers in my house. I guess that's just the florist in me. :)

5. True story: my mom just called a while ago and asked if I needed anything from the grocery store while she's out near my house, since we are going to get snow tomorrow. Want to know what's hilarious? The Weather Channel's site says that we *might* get a slight dusting of snow...as in under 1". I love my mom lol. She thinks we're going to be trapped in our homes for a week! This is what happens when it snows in the South. Everyone panics, buys out the grocery store, forgets how to drive, and then we only get a few tiny snow flurries. Calm down people! (In a side note, if we did get a significant snow accumulation, I would welcome it! We haven't had anything truly significant in the way of snow in years around here...it'd be fun to have some true snow for a few days!)

6. Lip Balm Favorite of the week: Nivea's Lip Butter in "Vanilla & Macadamia Kiss" (I found mine at Rite Aid in the lotion section of the store.)

7. Tonight I plan to depot some makeup singles and smaller compacts into my new Z-palettes. I'll do a blog post soon and let you guys know how that turns out! Wish me luck, because I've never attempted to depot anything before. Thankfully, there are some terrific depotting tutorials on YouTube, so that helps. (The purpose of depotting all of the smaller containers is to have everything organized into one nice, neat palette, rather than cluttered all over the place. If you're a MAC fan, don't toss those containers, save them because when you return six to the store (Back to Mac) you'll get to pick out a free lipstick! For your other containers, Origins offers free recycling for any cosmetic containers.

8. I had such a fun lunch with my sweet Cousin Barton today! You would think given our age difference (I'm 27 and he's 72) that we would have nothing in common to talk about...but it's just the opposite! We can talk about anything and everything. There's never a lull in our conversations. Over the years, he's truly become one of my most cherished friends and confidants. (He's my dad's first cousin. He's like a second father to me.) Today's hilarious moment included me hoping into the car to go to lunch with him, and hearing Ke$ha playing on his radio! When I asked him if he knew who Ke$ha was, his response was "Yes, she's the girl with the dollar sign in her name, right? I like that song of her's about the pendulum ("TiK ToK"). It was hilarious! Our conversation over lunch ranged from gun control, to the Manhattan Project, "Family Man", to pop music.

9. On the note of lunch, while were were eating earlier, I discovered that I had been wearing my shirt backwards all day. Awesome! (I am NOT a morning person lol.)

10. I'm counting down the days until Nick and I go to the Elton John concert. Who's excited? This girl!!!

Doggy Review: PawBox, BarkBox, and SpoiledRottenBox!

Looking for a fun way to spoil your furbabies? Try out a monthly pet subscription service for them! They are filled with terrific samples, products, foods, treats, chews, toys, and such to try! These boxes are a great way to discover new items that you and your pet might enjoy. Below are reviews the pups and I made today for three of our favorite boxes: BarkBox, PawBox, and Spoiled Rotten Box. Be sure to check out the reviews (and the description boxes) for more information! 

BarkBox Review: Jan & Feb 2013!

www.BarkBox.com

PawBox Review: Feb 2013

www.PawBox.com

PetFlow "Spoiled Rotten Box": Feb 2013

www.PetFlow.com

Quote of the Day: Booker T Washington

This is such a true, powerful message!

My Scarf Collection and Organization!

My goal for this week is to begin Spring cleaning a bit early. My first order of business will be tackling the chaos that has become my closet...one organization project at a time! I don't know about the rest of you, but I always feel more peace in my life when my surroundings are clean and organized. When there is disorganization around me, it definitely affects my mood, so I prefer to try and keep things as tidy as possible. My closet could definitely use a redo right now, so I'm putting my focus on that this week during my spare time. I'll try and take pictures as I go to hopefully give you all some inexpensive organization ideas! 

Tonight, I tackled my scarf collection and organized it. I LOVE how it turned out! Over the weekend, I spent some time with my aunt, and she told me about a scarf organization idea that she saw on Pinterest. (She knew it'd be perfect for me since I'm a total scarf junkie!). Tonight after dinner, Nick and I went to Target for a bit and I found the perfect tool for organizing my scarf collection. (It was in the shower organization area with all of the shower caddies and organizers). It took me all of five minutes to assemble it, and then I went to work placing all of my scarves on it. I may change up the order I put them in at some point so the colors are a bit more organized, but for now I really love how it turned out, and that my closet is a little less cluttered! (Before, I had them on two circular tie organizers, but the metal picked tiny holes in my scarves, and it just wasn't holding them well to the point that they would fall off easily. My new organization solves that issue!)  

Here are a few pictures of how it turned out: 

(This is the organizer that I decided to go with. It's a towel holder intended for shower doors or standard interior doors. It was a cinch to put together, and I couldn't be happier with it! Like I mentioned above, I found it at Target in the shower organization section. It was on clearance for $17. Since it's so sturdy, I think it will be a nice long-term investment in how I organize my closet.

The laughable directions that were included with the organizer. 

(No worries, it was super easy to figure out and assemble. I was done in around 5 minutes!)

The finished product!

(My favorite thing about this is that every single one is visible and won't get overlooked. I also like that they are allowed to drape easily over the bars, and aren't tucked away somewhere collecting wrinkles. The more visible they are, the more they will be used...and now I don't have to worry over wear and tear from the way I'm storing them, unlike my last storage solution for them.)

If you're a scarf lover like I am, I hope this post inspired you to organize your collection and take good care of it! I don't tend to purchase a lot in the way of clothes or shoes, but I do love a nice accessory to make the staples in my wardrobe pop...that's why I adore scarves so much! If you're not an avid scarf collector, this particular organization idea can be used for so many different things! Necklaces, purses, belts, ties...the possibilities are endless! If you're into tech-related things, you could use this to store your extension cords, chargers, and cables so they don't tangle. (You can even add plastic or silver shower curtain rings onto the bars, and use it for more organization if you prefer that!) 

Do you have a great organization idea or tip? Feel free to leave a kind comment below and share! 

Pinterest tested: hand scrub!

Pinterest Tested, Lydia Approved!

I recently decided to try out a hand scrub recipe that I found on Pinterest. Since I'm really enjoying it, I thought I would share it with all of you! This is supposed to be a dupe for Mary Kay's "Satin Hands", which I've used in the past and really enjoyed. While this is a very, very close dupe, it is not the exact same thing. Nonetheless, I still find it to work very well, smell terrific, and leaves my hands soft and clean. It is very simple to make and quite inexpensive too. I highly recommend it! 

Here is the link to the the blog post "recipe" I found via Pinterest. All credit goes to "One Good Things by Jillee"! : http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2012/03/make-your-own-gardeners-hand-scrub.html

What You'll Need:

-A jar with a lid

-White refined sugar

-Dawn Ultra Hand Renewal with Olay (The pink bottle in "Pomegranate Splash") 

(As far as the jar went, I just used a recycled Mason jar from the latest candle I finished. (Candles by Victoria candle in "Cinnamon Gingerbread Latte". If you'd like to see my review on that candle you can watch it here . If you'd like a tutorial on how to clean wax from candle jars, you can find that here. )

Once you have everything you'll need, you just fill your container 3/4 full with sugar, and then add in the soap the rest of the way. Stir slowly, until you reach a nice consistency. (You want it to be a nice paste consistency, not too runny.) That's all there is to it! It's that simple to make. :)

The next time I make this, I think I will experiment with adding in some moisturizing oils, and essential oils for fragrance. I think these would make terrific little homemade gifts if you decorate the jars a bit and add in a cute label to spruce things up! 

Confinement

So this morning, I got in my car, opened the garage door, and almost backed right into the delightful new hole the County created RIGHT by my driveway! I was not expecting this today! Guess I will NOT be running errands today after all.(You'd think they'd at least give you some sort of advanced notice.) 

Hopefully this will be repaired asap so my neighbors and I can drive around without our neighborhood resembling a war-zone! It's not just the road in front of my house, it's all up and down the street that they're repairing pot holes and damaged areas. I'm thankful they're fixing things; I just wish we would have had some sort of heads up! (They're working on the roads near my home that were damaged during recent storms.)  

In the mean time, I'm taking advantage of this "confinement" and enjoying a day around the house. I've got a yummy meal in the crock pot that should be ready in a few hours! (Roast with carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, garlic, basil, parsley, tons of yummy seasonings, and two fresh ears of corn!) I'm also enjoying watching one of my favorite DVD's with the puppies! (Any of you lovelies remember, "The Land Before Time" movie from the 90's? It was one of my very favorite childhood movies! I stumbled upon it in the $5 movie section at Target the other day and had to bring it home. I'm watching it now and I feel so nostalgic! :)

(In a side note: for those of you who watch my videos, I'm a bit behind in filming. I've been quite sick to say the least! I have a huge list of exciting new videos and reviews to come in the next few weeks once I'm feeling up to it,so stay tuned!) 

Tug of War

Friday Funny: When wax strikes back! (Wax warmers & clumsiness!)

Throwback Thursday

This little gem of awkwardness is circa 1985. It's the only professional family picture I've even seen from when I was a baby. (My parents divorced when I was little). My dad told me that Sears offered a free family photo around Christmas time that year, so we all piled into the car and went to have this moment of delightful awkwardness captured for all eternity. I rather like it! (Notice: Mom's awesome glasses, Kimmy's dress with the collar, my "get me out of here" expression, and Dad's attempt at a smile. Love it!)

Ten Things Tuesday

1. It's the simple things in life: cup of tea, a good laugh, nice company, funny movie, my puppies, so on....that make me really happy!

I took these tonight. Aren't they cuties?!
Mykelti, Rosie, and Ranger

2. I'm currently burning Candles by Victoria's "Cinnamon Gingerbread Latte" candle. It smells amazing! I plan to do a "wax review" video on it soon.

3. Hair clips are bad hair day saviors!

4. My dogs enjoy chasing the laser pointer more than my cats. It's so funny to watch them bounding around the house trying to chase after the little red light that they think is a bug!

5. When I went to the doctor yesterday, the receptionist called out a lady with the exact same name as my sister. So of course, I stood up and looked around for my sister, only to realize the lady just coincidentally had the same name as her. (Slightly embarrassing!)

6. I'm obsessed with Harney & Son's Hot Cinnamon Tea! I highly recommend it to all of you out there who adore tea as much as I do! 

(You can pick it up in the cafe section of Barnes & Noble bookstores.)

7. Today I got fitted for braces for both of my wrists. I'm supposed to wear them when I sleep and during the day. Apparently, my immune system is attacking my nerve endings in a rather painful way, so having braces on my wrists might help a bit. We shall see if they're worth the annoyance! 

8. I love quirky, whimsical coffee mugs! I'm planning on doing a video/blog post soon to show you all some of my very favorite ones. 

9. After a lot of tears and soul-searching, I've decided that I would rather keep my friends few and genuine, than have unnecessary fake, toxic friendships that do not add to the quality, joy, and happiness of my life. It's a tough lesson to learn, and even harder to cut the metaphoric string when you care about someone. When they continually cause you more grief than happiness though, it is  the right thing to do when you really look at the big picture. True friendship is not selfish. It should add joy and happiness to your life. A true friend should be there to be build you up out of love and care, not cause you misery. Life is just too short for drama. The older I become, the more I've discovered that I'd just rather not have any, nor associate myself with it. On that same note, I've also grown to appreciate and cherish the sincere, amazing friendships that I do have. They're such wonderful blessings in my life! 

10. Am I the only person out there who is absolutely going crazy to see the movie, "Warm Bodies"? I think it looks adorable! The previews remind me a bit of the, "My Boyfriend's Back" movie that came out in the 90's.

The secret to clear skin???

My biggest "secret" to keeping my skin clear is some of the most simple advice I could give: keep your makeup brushes and sponges clean! If you have a difficult time remembering what brushes you've used recently and need to wash, keep a container near your makeup area that is strictly for "dirty brushes", so you'll know which ones you need to wash. I clean my brushes daily after each use with either an alcohol-free makeup wipe (easy if I'm in a hurry), or Sonia Kushuk's spray brush/sponge cleaner that you can pick up from Target. Once a week, I like to deep clean all of my brushes and sponges. This helps keep bacteria at bay so that you have clean tools to work with, and you're not spreading germs and grime all over your face...thus causing dreaded break outs!
When I deep clean my brushes and sponges, I mix equal parts Dawn Dish Soap and EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) in a cup, gently swirl a brush in the solution, and then run the brush back and forth on the palm of my hand under warm water. (The Dawn cleans away all of the dirt and grime, and the EVOO reconditions and softens the brush hairs. This works on both natural and synthetic brushes, as well as sponges. Be sure to rinse thoroughly. Next you should gently wring the brush hairs out by squeezing them downwards between your fist. Reshape the brush, and then lay flat to dry on a thick dish towel. (You can also use a rubberband to group multiple brushes together and then a clothespin to hang them up to dry if you prefer that method.) A brush roll/reshapers are also good investments, but not necessary.
Use caution when washing your brushes, not to get the metal on your brushes wet or you could damage the brush and cause it to separate. You want to be gentle when cleaning your brushes so you do not tear the hairs out.) When you wash your sponges, I suggest washing them between the palms of your hands and avoiding contact with your fingernails so that they do not damage or tear the sponges surface.
Hope todays post helps you lovelies keep your brushes and your faces beautiful!

Mary Pickersgill: Why Every American Should Know This Name!

So lately I've been really into watching two shows that are featured on The Travel Channel, "Mysteries of the Smithsonian", and "Mysteries at the Museum." They both have all sorts of interesting facts, stories, and details that uncover many famous myths and mysteries. It's really a fun show to watch if you find yourself with a little free time on your hands!

On a recent episode of "Mysteries of the Smithsonian", they discussed our Star-Spangled Banner. When I think of this flag, it resonates the essence of our American history. What a powerful, incredible flag, with an amazing story behind it! Unfortunately, the Star-Spangled Banner is a flag that is often incorrectly credited to Betsy Ross, when in fact a young widowed lady by the name of Mary Pickersgill deserves the credit for creating this particular flag. Mary designed the Star-Spangled Banner that inspired Francis Scott Keys to put pen to paper and create the words that would later become our national anthem. I think her name deserves to be remembered in today's blog, and our history books!

Want to learn more? This link has more background on the story. I thought it was pretty interesting!

Review: Covergirl /Olay Foundation, Concealer, and Corrector

I hope you lovelies are all having a terrific week so far! I have a lot of catching up to do in my blog over the next few posts (Mainly, one dedicated to my precious new great nephew that was born on Friday! So, check back for a fun post on little RJ soon, as well as other beauty and lifestyle related mentions too!) 

In the mean time, I leave you with this quick review on some products that I am really enjoying right now from the Covergirl/ Olay line! I am not the type to typically reach for Covergirl (I prefer to use products from companies that do not sell products in countries like China where animal testing is required before being sold at market. I also think it would be nice if Covergirl offered a more broad range of shades to match more skintones so that more people could enjoy their products.) That being said, these little beauties down below have left a really good impression on me; they are absolutely terrific products! Be sure to watch my quick video review below for more details!

Thankful Thursday

I hope you lovelies are all having a great day so far! It's been a bit of a long day already on my end. Instead of griping, I thought I would do a "10 Things Thursday...Thankful-style!"

1. I'm thankful for the adorable little puppy snuggled up on my lap right now! Mykelti is such a sweet girl! I'm also very thankful for Ranger and Rosie. My dogs are the most loyal best friends a girl could ever be blessed with!

2. I'm thankful for a hot cup of Chai Latte (And for my newest Keurig obsession! I've already gotten so much use out of it!)

3. I'm thankful that this week I've been able to call most of bill companies, and negotiate low prices on just about everything! (Thank you Suze Orman; I love her advice!) I would have never thought I could ask for lower pricing, but apparently you can do so for just everything from Utility Bills, to Internet! My suggestion to all of you: call every single company you pay a bill too, and just ask if there is any way they could offer you a lower rate. You'll be surprised how much you can save! Just an example: I knocked $40 off of my cell phone bill, and around another $40 off of my Comcast bill, alone. (Both were apparently overcharging me by quite a bit!) I also managed to get lower prices on quite a few other things as well! )

4. I'm thankful for the cute Valentine's Decorations in my home. I really love decorating for every single holiday!

5. I'm thankful for the lip balm on my lips! My new favorite is NIVEA's " A Kiss of Milk and Honey".

6. I'm thankful that I slept in a warm bed last night. A lot of people aren't as fortunate. Also thankful for a roof over my head, and a lot of the little things we often take forgranted (car, running water, shoes, food)

7. I'm thankful for the medicine that keeps my heart beating at a normal rhythm.

8. I'm thankful that we didn't wind up having a nasty Ice Storm this week. Thankfully our little "ice storm" was nothing in comparison to the one we had in 94'!

9. I'm thankful that I accidentally grabbed the wrong lids for the storage bins I picked up at Target earlier in the week. (Instead of griping that I have to take them back for an exchange, I'm thankful that I now have a fun excuse to visit in my opinion, The Happiest Place On Earth!)

10. I'm thankful that tomorrow, my sweet niece is scheduled to have her precious little baby boy, RJ! My family and I can't wait to welcome this sweet little baby! It would mean a lot, if you could all take a moment out of your day to say a quick prayer for my niece, Kianna, that she has a safe, easy delivery tomorrow and recovers quickly. Also, pray that RJ is born healthy and happy! We can't wait to meet him!

Paying it Forward: A way to show honor to the victims of Newtown

Today marks the one month anniversary of the Newtown tragedy that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School. My heart still can not fathom the grief and pain that those precious families have endured. I didn't think it was appropriate to write a frivolous blog post today. Instead, I wanted to take a moment to say that, Newtown, you are not forgotten. Americans will continue to honor the memory and legacy of those precious lives that were taken too soon. My heart and prayers continue to be with all of the families that have been touched by this tragedy.

I think one of the best ways that we can show respect and honor the lives that were lost, is to go out of our way to show kindness towards others in our daily lives. Wouldn't it be terrific if the legacy of those lives that were lost, continue to live on through others around the country who pay tribute to them through acts of kindness?! What a lovely way to show love and hope! 

I hope that this blog post encourages you to think about something that you could do for a friend, a loved one, or even a stranger, and pay it forward today...and everyday. You never know what kind of positive difference you might make! 

I also encourage each of you to take a moment today and read over the list below. We should pause to remember the victims of this shooting, NOT glamorize the gunman. (His name does not deserve mention in this blog post.) The names that should be honored, cherished, and remembered are listed below. I encourage all of you to take a few moments out of your day to say a prayer for the families of each and every victim. Their lives deserve to be honored and remembered. Today, I dedicate my blog to their honor, and to their families as they try to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives and move forward. I can not imagine what they are going through. What I can do however, is pray for them, show support, and try to impact my community and others in a positive way by honoring the legacy of the lives that were lost.

Today, I encourage you to pray for their families: 

- Charlotte Bacon
- Daniel Barden
- Rachel Davino
- Olivia Engel
- Josephine Gay
- Ana M. Marquez-Greene
- Dylan Hockley
- Dawn Hochsprung
- Madeleine F. Hsu
- Catherine V. Hubbard
- Chase Kowalski
- Jesse Lewis
- James Mattioli 
- Grace McDonnell
- Anne Marie Murphy
- Emilie Parker
- Jack Pinto
- Noah Pozner
- Caroline Previdi
- Jessica Rekos
- Avielle Richman
- Lauren Rousseau
- Mary Sherlach
- Victoria Soto
- Benjamin Wheeler
- Allison N. Wyatt