February 2013 Favorites - Beauty, Craft, Food and Lifestyle

I tend to wait until the last few days of a month to think back about the products I used the most in each month. Sometimes it changes a lot from month to month and sometimes it stays the same. I was quite surprised to see just how many products stayed the same this month - and how many more I added!

And now on with the show!

Beauty

Beauty Blender

I know a couple of months ago I thought my new stippling brush was the most amazing way to put on foundation. Boy was I wrong! I am totally in love with the Beauty Blender. It makes putting on my foundation, and getting even coverage, so easy! Let me know if you'd like a full review of this - though I'm sure a quick Google search would also lead you to tons of reviews.

BloggyCon 2013 Here I Come!

In case you haven't noticed the addition of the little button to the right, I'll just let you in on a little (not so) secret now: I'll be attending Bloggy Conference 2013 at Cedar Point in Ohio in September!

So what is Bloggy Conference (henceforth referred to as just BloggyCon)?

According to their website:

...Bloggy Conference is first and foremost designed with community and information as its cornerstone.  Our goal is to provide real and useful information to further your social media longevity, to help you build strong connections, to provide support and resources in your areas of interest.

It starts Friday, September 13 and goes through Sunday, September 15. It looks to be a weekend full of having fun, making friends and sharing ideas.

I'll admit that I'm a little nervous since I have never been to a blogging conference, but my sister is going along so it should be ok!

The schedule hasn't yet been posted, nor has the list of speakers or sponsors but I'm sure they'll be great. I've read up about some of the past conferences and they seemed to be amazing - lots of food, fun and friends!

Another reason I'm excited is that Cedar Point is just a fairly short drive from my house! It's so close!

So far I'm unsure if I'll be wanting or needing sponsors of my own to attend. However, please don't let that discourage you from contacting me if you're interested in sponsoring part/all of my trip!

Are you attending any conferences this summer? Which ones? What are you most excited about?

Project Pinspiration Survey

I'd appreciate it greatly if you could take a minute and help out with this Project Pinspiration survey. I'd like some input from my readers about what project(s) to do next!



If you have any other suggestions, please feel free to link to the pin or blog post in the comments below and I'll add it as a possiblity to the Project Pinspiration board on Pinterest.

Thank you!

Life Update - February 2013

Already February?! What?!

I know, I know. I'll probably say it a lot, but I feel like the older I get, the faster the months tick by. Months turn into years and before I know it I'll have just turned 40 instead of having just turned 30. Yikes!

The job is going pretty good yet. I managed to work 8.5 hours of overtime one week. Another yikes! Thankfully 8 of the 11 extra hours I picked up were an asleep overnight. I really don't know how people can work a ton of overtime hours and be awake for all of them. Since my work is scheduled in a 2 week rotation (and the schedule is the same for each 2 week rotation), I generally work 37 hours in Week 1 and 35 hours in Week 2. Magically that makes me full time.

Everything else in life is slowly chugging along. I go this week to talk to my doctor about further testing to see if my one remaining fallopian tube is open or blocked. My gut says there's something wrong with it, but my gut has been wrong before. If it is blocked she said she would probably refer me to a reproductive endocrinologist who may have more insight into things and/or information about starting the IVF process. I really don't want to jump too far ahead of myself, but I think that's the most likely scenario.

In other medical (somewhat) related news. I had my first dental cleaning in several years recently. I went in because I had a cavity bugging me and also got a cleaning while I was there. I ended up getting 1 cavity filled and another refilled because the existing filling was eroding. I go back in March to get another 2 small cavities filled. I'm so glad to have dental insurance now.

My last surviving grandma celebrated her 87th birthday on the 19th. We took her lunch, a cake and presents at the nursing home. As always her moods are hit or miss - sometimes both in the same conversation! - but for the most part she was glad to have all the attention on her. So glad she enjoyed the meal with her daughters and two of her granddaughters.

What's new in your life lately?

Strawberry Ice Box Cake - Foodie Friday - Project Pinspiration #6

When I saw this recipe I just KNEW I had to try it. It looked so delicious and strawberries were on sale at the grocery that week. It was destiny - or at least a great idea with some potential savings at the grocery store.

My version turned out a little different because I just made a half recipe due to the size of pans I had.

Weight Loss Update - February 2013

As of 2/18/13

I would be lying if I said the ticker above didn't shock me. My weight has been so up and down and up and down and up and down again over the last few months that I'm really surprised that number is so high. It also means I lost 1 pound since my last update.

It's taking me a little longer to settle into some sort of routine with my work schedule than I thought it would. That means that both trying to eat decently and blog have been falling by the wayside. I hate that it's happening but it is so really I just need to figure out how to work on both while working around the rest of my schedule. Both will come eventually.

Until then, I think all I can do is just keep trying. I know that it won't always work out the way I plan, but eventually it all works out. Things will settle down. I'll get into more of a routine. I'll learn to pre-plan things a bit more. Most nights around here, dinner is almost a last minute thought. With me leaving several days to be at work at 2:30 and then I'm not off until 10:30 or even 9:30 the next morning, it's hard. I would really like to get back into meal planning so we'll see how that goes.

How has your weight loss been going if you're also trying? What have you been doing to keep yourself motivated and well fed?

Palmolive Fresh Infusions Dish Soap Review - Influenster

Have you tried the new Palmolive Fresh Infusions dish soap? If not, you really need to!

There are three scents currently available, and I kind of hope they come out with more eventually:

• Basil Lime
• Lemon Thyme
• Ginger White Tea

February 2013 Ipsy Glam Bag

This is my first Ipsy bag. After a few disappointing Birchboxes I decided to dip my toes into something else so that I can decide if I really want to continue my Birchbox subscription. From the looks alone, it's a pretty decent bag!

February 2013 Birchbox

The theme of this month's Birchbox is Red Carpet Ready. It's supposed to be "an assortment of products worth of the red carpet," according to the info card that came with the box. Guess we'll have to see!

How I make my laundry soap

Sometime about a year ago, I stumbled across a pin for this homemade laundry soap. I checked out the recipe and it didn't sound too incredibly hard or even really that complex and I pinned it for "later." As many of us know, "later" on Pinterest means "probably never get to it." This turned out a bit differently though. I actually did make it!

It took a couple of weeks to price and find the materials. I found that everything I needed was cheaper, and available, at Walmart. For less than $10 I was able to purchase everything to make the soap and still have tons of some of it leftover.

Here's what One Good Thing by Jillee's recipe calls for to make 2 gallons:

• 1 bar Fels Naptha soap
• 8 c. hot water
• 1 c. Borax
• 1 c. Washing soda
• More hot water to fill bottles

 I think that somewhere along the line I must have also discovered another, similar recipe for laundry soap and did as I often do when I'm cooking: I mentally tweaked the recipe and came up with my own version.

Here's the recipe I use to make 1 gallon:

• 1/4 bar Fels Naptha soap
• 2 c. hot water
• 1/4 c. Borax
• 1/4 c. Washing soda
• Hot water to fill rest of bottle

Obviously somewhere along the line I cut the amount of Fels Naptha down farther than the original recipe. It still works amazing for my family's laundry. In the future I may try making it again with the "proper" proportions but we'll see.

Quite honestly though, that's the amazing thing about making your own laundry soaps at home. You can tweak the recipes to suit your family's needs. Maybe your family has particularly stinky dirty laundry. You can add more Washing soda to the mix and see if that helps. You can also add scented detergent boosters to add scent if you'd like also. Personally, we don't add a scent because as my mom always says "Clean doesn't have a scent."

Aside from the tweaks in the actual recipe, I follow all other steps found here.

I've recently started making 4 gallon batches in a 5 gallon bucket and it lasts several months. It only takes me about an hour from start to finish to make the huge 4 gallon batch and I'd rather take the hour to make more than make several small batches as we need them.

I also make our own fabric softener so keep an eye out for a post on that coming soon!

Do you make your own laundry soap? What recipe do you use? Has it saved your family money? Would you be interested in seeing a cost savings update for a period of time - 3 months, 6 months, a year, etc.?

Bottle Cap Stamps - Project Pinspiration #5

When I saw this pin I just knew I had to try it. Foam stickers are so cheap to find (I think I've even seen them at the Dollar Tree) and many of us have access to various bottle caps - from pop bottles to medicine bottles.

It also seemed like a great way to keep kids entertained. I know I loved playing with stamps and ink when I was younger. Not much has changed either. Now, as an adult and paper crafter, I still enjoy playing with stamps and ink. This could be a great way to add to your stamp collection without breaking the bank. You'll also get some more unique shapes you may not be able to find in "real" stamp form.

As it turned out, I didn't have any foam stickers just laying around so I borroed some from my sister. She apparently had a bag of jungle themed stickers that had shapes like giraffes, suns, grass, elephants and various other jungle animals. Most of the shapes were too big for any of the bottle caps I had available so I just chose the ones that fit the caps I had.

I used my regular crafting ink on these homemade stamps because it's what I had around the house. I really don't think this project needs to break the bank AND I kind of think it might also work with paint if you're so inclined to try.

If you look at the images I stamped and then at the original stickers, you'll see why the monkey is sort of two-toned. Apparently the different texture on his face and belly took the ink differently and thus stamped a bit lighter than the rest of his body. I actually think that kind of looks better than if he had come out all the same.

I used the grass as a crown to make a dancing princess monkey. That's the great thing about some of the vague shapes you find in foam stickers. You can use them to be just about anything you can imagine. The package says it's a grass sticker but you see a crown? Great! Now you've got a 2-fer. A grass stamp AND a crown stamp.

I don't think the stickers turned out any worse for the wear either. Yeah I did get a little ink around the edge of the monkey cap, but his arm was so thin and I couldn't help it. Otherwise, they did great I think. They're obviously not going to be stamps you pass down, especially if little hands are using them, but they'll work great for a while.

Probably one of the best parts is that if/when the sticker falls off, you can either glue it back on or replace it with a different sticker.

These are the inks I used for my stamping. They're just regular inks you could buy at any craft store.

So what do you think? Will you be trying out your very own foam sticker stamps? I'd love to see what you create with yours so feel free to share links to your projects below!

Jolly Rancher Vodka - Foodie Friday - Project Pinspiration #4

I'm not much of a drinker but when I do drink it's either Long Islands or something fruity and girly - with the occasional shot of something thrown in for good measure. I used to drink more when I was younger - meaning in my 21/22/23/24 years - but some stomach issues, among other things, keep me from drinking much anymore.

However, that didn't stop me from wanting to try this recipe. I love Jolly Ranchers - watermelon and blue raspberry are my favorite - and I thought this might make a decent drink - or shot - to enjoy every now and then. When I decided to make this, I only had enough candies on hand to make two small batches - cherry and green apple.

The cherry is by far my favorite of the two flavors I made. The only down side is that it does kind of have that cough medicine aftertaste. I think that maybe using more candies may help with it. Also, I tried it as a shot - aren't my beer mug shot glasses cute? - and next time I think I may mix it with some lemon-lime pop to help cut down on that cough medicine taste.

Because I liked this so well I'd really like to try making the watermelon and blue raspberry kinds as well. Maybe next time I venture down the candy aisle I'll pick up some more.

I wasn't that fond of the green apple flavor, and like the cherry I'd probably mix it with some lemon-lime pop next time. I really think that most of why I didn't enjoy this flavor as much is because I'm just not that fond of green apple Jolly Ranchers. I don't think it was really any flaw in the flavor itself, just my personal preference.

I made smaller batches of each flavor because I didn't have many candies on hand, along with the above mentioned reasons why I don't drink alcohol so much anymore. I did use the same ratio of candies to vodka though so the taste should not have been affected by using less of each.

If I make this again the future I would add a few more candies to each batch. While the flavor of the candy did come through, I feel like it wasn't quite strong enough and ended up tasting a little more alcohol-y than fruity.

Overall, they're pretty good as shots but if I were to be drinking them over the course of a night I would most definitely mix them with some lemon-lime pop. It would help cut down on the amount of alcohol you actually consume and make the drinks last longer.

It might also be fun to try other flavors of Jolly Ranchers since they have branched out from the original flavors of cherry, blue raspberry, watermelon, grape and green apple.

Have you tried making this yet? Which flavor was your favorite? If you haven't tried it yet, which flavor do you think will be your favorite?

*I do not condone drinking under the legal age limit of your country. If you are of legal drinking age in your country, please do so responsibly*

2013 Resolution Review - February

I thought it might be a good idea to have a monthly review of my New Year's Resolutions so that I can see on a short term basis how I'm doing with keeping up and I'll know what I need to work on for the next month.

In case you've forgotten or can't be bothered to click on over the the original post, my resolutions were:

1. Be more present - I, like many, spend so much time caught up in what happened and what will happen that I forget to think about what is happening
2. Take more pictures - It kind of goes with the first resolution, but while it's nice to have memories of things, sometimes a physical memento is nice too. Plus it would be helpful for continuing my scrapbooks.

To be perfectly honest, I haven't been doing that great of a job at either of those so far.

I'm still stuck a lot on what will happen. It makes me anxious to think about things that have to happen at a certain time - like when I HAVE to get up at 6a to be at work on time - and I end up focusing too much on those types of things instead of what is currently happening. At the moment I am currently writing this (obviously) but the back of my mind keeps wanting me to check the clock so I know how long I have until I have to go to work today. And it's making me anxious. It's not so much that I'm anxious about going to work, it just seems like when I know I've got an hour until I have to do something like go to work, I waste the hour trying to keep my mind off counting down the minutes.

A few months ago our power went out for a couple hours during a storm and reset the clock in my bedroom. I never reset it to the correct time at first because I was just too lazy to be bothered to do so and then because I noticed I spent less time awake at night counting the hours of sleep I could still get if I fell asleep right that second. Eventually I figured out how to adjust the time the clock said to the real time, but when I woke up in the night my brain didn't function enough to do that so it wasn't an issue.

Anyone else have this problem? How do you deal?

As far as taking more pictures goes, I'm not sure what the problem is here. Maybe I'm not doing enough worth photographing? I don't have kids to take pictures of and after a while the dog gets kind of boring. My husband hates having his picture taken. Most of the time taking a picture is an afterthought. Something happens and then I wish I'd thought to take a picture. I'm trying to get better about that so hopefully it improves as the year goes on!

How are you doing with your resolutions?

A bit of randomness: Deer!

On the way home from church Sunday my sister and I were driving along one of the many country roads in the area. She shouted something along the lines of "Oh my!" and I thought she was talking about a cloud that looked like smoke - and thus thought something was on fire.

Nope!

Really couldn't have been farther from the truth. She was actually talking about a rather large group of deer hanging out in the middle of a field. She slowed down and as we got closer they started to run toward the road we were on.

Me, being the smart one that I am, caught it all on my cell phone. Here are a bunch of deer crossing the road - complete with my sister counting them in case you can't catch them all! Also, after looking at the video it looks like it was taken in the evening but I assure you it was filmed some time around 1p.

January 2013 Favorites - Beauty, Craft, Food and Lifestyle

Time for a new year and another format change for a monthly post! I hope this is easier to navigate and find things that may interest you! Let me know in the comments below how you like this change!

Beauty

Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer SPF 15

This stuff is pretty awesome. Previously I'd been using Walmart's Neutrogena knockoff but I have to say that I like this so much better - for the winter at least. I've been using it pretty much all month and it has yet to break me out. Yes, I've had breakouts but they haven't been from using this. My skin tends to be a bit particular about what I put on it, especially on my face so this is great news. I also like that it has the added benefit of sunscreen since my previous moisturizer did not.

Eyeko Curvy Brush Mascara

To be perfectly honest, the wand scared me at first. It's this crazy looking thing that might scare off mascara novices like myself. However, once I started to apply it I found it went on super easy and I really think I like this sooooo much more than their Skinny Brush Mascara I featured in last month's favorites. The formula doesn't smudge or flake and yet it's super easy to remove at night.

theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer

This highlighter is amazing. Seriously. I'm generally a non-fussy make up wearer so this was kind of a jump for me to even try really, but it's awesome. I mostly use it as an inner eye corner highlight but occasionally dust it across the tops of my cheeks and down my nose as well. It's really easy to work with and I don't feel like it's too shimmery or out of control.

Craft

Food

Kellogg's Frosted Mini-Wheats Chocolate Little Bites

 Chocolate Mini-Wheats say what? In general I'm a fan of Frosted Mini-Wheats so when I saw these chocolate ones at the store (and had a coupon!) I knew I had to try them. I swear that in some of them it's like there's a little nugget of chocolate! They really taste just like candy to me and I managed to eat a whole box of these by myself (don't worry, it took me a couple of weeks).

Lifestyle

Allergy and Sinus Meds

 I managed to get sick (again) and these were great at helping me manage the symptoms until whatever it was worked itself out. I was so happy that these didn't make me drowsy like a lot of other meds do so I could take them while at work and not worry about being too sluggish or tired.