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Friday, April 27, 2018

Friday Favorites

* This post contains affiliate links.

Well I survived my first week back after vacation. That is always a hard one. We don't have a lot planned this weekend, but we do get our first taste of 2018 college football. We have our Spring scrimmage game and I am pretty excited to see what the Pack has done in the off season.

Onto Friday favorites.

ONE. Shape Tape. So I finally gave in and bought some Tarte Shape Tape. I wanted to get it while it was on sale at 25% off, but I didn't know my color and didn't have time to stop in Ulta before the sale was done. So I paid full price. Ugh. But it was worth it.

I am a full coverage kind of girl when it comes to foundation and concealer. I want to cover all the freckles, zits and sun spots. Prior to using Shape Tape, I was using It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye. I really liked it, but everyone raved about Shape Tape, so I got it. Plus I was almost out of my It Cosmetics one.

After using it for a week, I really like it. You don't have to use much for even full coverage. It goes on smoothly, covers my dark circles, my blemishes and lasts all day long. Even in Mexico heat.

I use the Light Neutral and it blends in so well you can't even tell the difference between my foundation and concealer.

TWO. New dress. Before going to Mexico, I went to a local boutique (they ship, go here) to buy a small purse to bring to Mexico. I didn't want to spend a bunch, wanted something cute and something small. I got this one and it worked out amazingly. It was my purse for my whole trip too.

Anyways, I looked at other things while there and several of the dresses caught my eye. I want a new dress for my sister's wedding rehearsal, so I tried on a few and got a really pretty one. I had ever intention on wearing it in Mexico as well, but we never needed anything fancy or dressed up. #vacatoinlife
floral wrap dress

THREE. Did you catch my post yesterday on my first two days in Mexico? If not, go here. I will be recapping more of our trip next week. I love going through the photos, but it makes me want to go back again. Rory's great uncle isn't doing that well and we are just hopeful that he will still be around next year when we plan to take the girls back there. We were going to skip a year, but we want to take the girls again before their passports expire and they asked to go back. So we are planning on it.
Puerto Vallarta sunsets

FOUR. I finally gave in and bought the highly coveted Brazilian Bum Bum Cream. Everyone has raved about this stuff. They say it smells heavenly, is extremely moisturizing and helps tighten the skin. Hey even if it did nothing other than moisturize my horribly dry skin, I would buy it. It seems like no matter the time of year, I need a gallon of lotion on my body. Sometimes several times a day. But with the promise of helping tighten the cellulite areas, that sold me.

It may not be the cheapest, but since everyone raves about it, I went in. I just hope it helps. Have you tried it?
Brazilian Bum Bum Cream

FIVE. I was looking at Facebook this week and an ad for Tom's came up. It showed the cutest Spring collection, so I went over and took a look. Big mistake. Now I really want the cutest little Mary Jane's in a floral print for my girls. The problem...they are $39. Ugh, say what? For kids shoes?! My girls go through shoes a lot since they play hard. It seems like the only shoes that hold up well enough are Vans (hello, skate shoes) and I don't even pay full price for those. I go to the outlet store. But seriously, how cute are these?
Tom's floral kid mary jane's

Have a great weekend all!

Thursday, April 26, 2018

Puerto Vallarta Days 1 and 2

It's time for my first round of recaps from our trip to Puerto Vallarta. If you have been following my blog for some time, then you know that I go to PV almost yearly. We are extremely fortunate to have family who has a condo for us to use in the Romantica zone, near the Melacon.

Rory and I dropped the girls off on Friday to my parents house. But first we took them to our work to let them visit a bunch of our co-workers since it had been a year since they had seen them. After we dropped the girls off, we had to go back to work and work a few more hours. Boo. But once we got off, we ran some errands, grabbed some lunch and took Walter for a walk. Then we decided to go to dinner at a favorite Italian restaurant. We sat in the bar area and had an amazing salad to split and then pasta dishes for each of us.
mushroom ravioli
Mushroom Raviolis

We took a walk after dinner and then went home to pack. Nothing like waiting until last minute.

We got up super early to catch our 5:30 am flight. The flights were quick and our layover in Denver was easy. We arrived in Puerto Vallarta and went through customs very quickly. Once we got our luggage, we grabbed a cab to our condo.

After getting settled into our condo, we took a quick shower and then sat on the balcony watching everything below. Then we went next door to visit with Rory's great uncle. We caught up and then headed out for a snack and a drink before going to dinner. Puerto Vallarta is two hours ahead of us, so the time change messed us up for meal times.

We went to Joe Jack's Fish Shack, a favorite of ours. We were surprised when we arrived and saw they did some extensive renovations. They can accommodate so many more people. We were sat upstairs overlooking the streets of PV.
Joe Jack's Fish Shack

We shared some ceviche (shrimp) and had our first cocktail of the trip (in Mexico. We drank on the plane too).
Joe Jack's Fish Shack

After our snack, we walked around a bit and then headed a few doors down to Pancho's Takos. This place was an amazing little find a few years ago. They serve THE BEST tacos, more specifically al pastor tacos. There is always a line, but you can watch the guy carve and serve up the al pastor.
Pancho's Takos

Pancho's Takos
They give you the three salsas, plus limes and a pineapple, onion and habanero mix.

We got some al pastor tacos and a chili and onion quesadilla, plus some beers. Our meal total was $14 including tip.
Pancho's Takos
 Al Pastor Tacos

Pancho's Takos

After dinner, we were sooo stuffed. So we walked down the Melacon (the boardwalk) and took everything in. We watched the sunset and made our way back to the condo to finish unpacking and go to bed.
Puerto Vallarta sunsets

Puerto Vallarta sunsets

Sunday morning we slept in which was so glorious. Then we made some coffee and sat out on the balcony. After being lazy, we got ready and headed to Coco's Kitchen. This is another favorite (shocker) place of ours. Since it was vacation, I decided to enjoy a mimosa with my breakfast along with an omelet that had bacon, onions and avocado. It came with hashbrowns, a simple salad and a biscuit. Let me just take a minute to say how amazing Mexico eggs are. They are different than the eggs we get in the US. They are more orange and sooo flavorful. Rory got the vanilla almond crusted french toast with eggs and bacon. No mimosa for him.

After breakfast, we walked around some more before heading back to the condo for some pool time. Our pool is a roof top pool (salted water, not chlorinated) and we spent many hours there.

After several hours at the pool, we freshened up and then went to a local brewery that we had never been to before. It was called Monzon Brewery. We were there during happy hour so we got some small bites, a play off of japapeno poppers and mini chorizo corndogs along with a beer for each of us. I went with the sour ale and Rory had a saison.
Monzon Brewery

After happy hour, we walked more up in the hill area and started going into shops to look for gifts for everyone. It is best to start shopping early in the trip otherwise you scramble and don't get the best deals nor the best gifts.

We saw the iconic church (Parish of our Lady) which was in session, so we stopped in for a bit.
Parish of Our Lady Guadalupe Church

Parish of Our Lady Guadalupe Church

Then we made our way into the hills to go to Pipi's. We had never been there before, but TripAdvisor had great reviews and offered traditional Mexican food along with the biggest margaritas. Are you getting the idea that we ate and drank our way through Puerto Vallarta?!
Pipi's Watermelon Margarita
 A massive fresh watermelon marg

guacamole
 They prepare table side guacamole, on the house and as spicy as you like it. I may have eaten this by the spoonful at the end of dinner.

Pipi's Margaritas

Pipi's Margaritas

Pipi's Margaritas
Combo Fajitas

After eating way too much, we walked back down to the Melacon in time for the sunset and took a ton of photos, sat by the ocean and just took it all in. We were finally all settled in and enjoying ourselves.
Puerto Vallarta sunsets

Puerto Vallarta sunsets

We came back to the condo and spent the rest of the evening on the balcony people watching.

And that's it for now. I will be recapping more next week.
Wednesday, April 25, 2018

What's Up Wednesday

*This post contains affiliate links.

And just like that, April is almost over. The time is seriously flying. Maybe that is because I was gone for over a week of it. 

What's Up Wednesday

WHAT WE ARE EATING THIS WEEK...

Sunday: I made a new take on my classic spaghetti with meat sauce using ground beef and pork and letting it simmer for hours. So good. I paired it with a garlicy kale salad.
Monday: Black Rock Tri-tip (from a local butcher shop) with asparagus and rice.
Tuesday: Using leftover tri-tip for a play off of Philly Cheesesteaks (I hope I remember to photograph it and post the recipe).
Wednesday: Korean Beef Bowls
Thursday: I am getting my hair done (finally), so I will grab take-out on the way home.
Friday: Not sure
Saturday: Going out. We have our football teams scrimmage game.

WHAT I'M REMINISCING ABOUT...

Our trip to Mexico. We had the best time. I missed the girls terribly, but to have over a week away with just my husband was amazing. We slept in, we did some day drinking, we hiked, we ate all the amazing things and sunbathed. My tan is on point right now.

WHAT I'M LOVING...

I could dedicate a whole post to this, but for now, here are some of my favorites.

Sun Bum sunscreen

We used Sun Bum sunscreen for our trip. I hadn't ever used it before, but after using it for a week, we loved it. It applied easily, the coverage was amazing, it smelt great and it has good ingredients in it. We used this one on our face.

AE FAVORITE SCOOP NECK TANK TOP

I bought this tank in two colors prior to going to Mexico and I wore them probably more than I should have. They are soooo soft, versatile, a great length and so comfy. I need to order more of their tanks and soft tees.


I got my jewelry organizer while I was away and I put it up the day after I got home. I went through all my jewelry boxes and organized everything. I even wore some jewelry that I haven't touched in years. I so wanted something to organize my jewelry since it basically just sat in a box because I was too lazy to pull it out. I wore the same necklaces over and over again. But now it is up, organized and now I am wearing my jewelry again.

I will save more of my favorites for another post.

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO...

Well I just got back from Mexico, so that is pretty much been my life lately. I am writing posts to recap it, but it definitely makes me miss it.

WHAT I'M DREADING...

Not really anything right now. We have sunshine and Spring is officially here.

WHAT I'M WORKING ON...

Still purging in my house. We are getting ready to have a yard/garage sale at our house. I have been going through the girls clothes, toys, my clothes, and household goods. I need to go through my old purses and sale them. They just sit pretty in boxes in my closet. Ugh. Speaking of purses, I need a new summery one.

WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT...

My sister's bachelorette party the first weekend of May, sunshine, beach trips and my sister's upcoming wedding.

WHAT I'M WATCHING/READING...

So I had every intention on finishing The Wife Between Us, but then someone recommended One of Us is Lying and I quickly downloaded it and started reading it. I finished it in no time and then went back to The Wife Between Us. I liked One of Us is Lying. It was a quick read, it had me guessing (though I figured it out early on, but had other back up thoughts on who it was) and I really liked how short the chapters were. You get different perspectives quickly and it made for a great read.

As for TV, I have been watching the same things as last month....Santa Clarita Diet, Riverdale, Jane the Virgin (did you see the season finale?), Grey's Anatomy, Silicon Valley, Life Sentence, The Americans, La to Vegas (so funny). 

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO...

The same old, way old. Though I finally got my co-worker to change his Sirus XM station to Lithium so we have some amazing old school rock music playing now.

WHAT I'M WEARING...

Well I am finally in sandals, shorts, dresses and tank tops all weekend and then short sleeve shirts for work. I have been getting compliments at work on my dresses (from my female co-workers), so I think I need to incorporate more of them.

WHAT I'M DOING THIS WEEKEND...

Saturday is the Spring scrimmage game for the Nevada Wolf Pack. Our friends are hosting a tailgate before the game (like they would for a normal game), so Rory and I are going to that. My parents are watching the girls. Sunday we hope to go look at cars. I will explain more later, but we are in the market.


WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH...

May brings my sister's bachelorette party, hopefully some trips to Lake Tahoe, construction of a new fence at our house, a birthday party and hopefully lots of sunshine!

WHAT ELSE IS NEW...

The girls are learning soooo much. They can spell their whole names, they know their birthday, they are learning their phone numbers and just changing soooo much. Three is a hard age, but it is so much fun!


BONUS: FAVORITE MOTHER'S DAY GIFTS...

I was going to share a few of the things that I want for Mother's Day, but I already created a post for that coming soon, so I skipped this question.
Friday, April 20, 2018

Friday Favorites

*This post contains affiliate links.

Happy Friday all. I am still on vacation soaking up my last two days of sunshine. While I am sad to leave Mexico, I am excited to see my girls so very soon. In the meantime, enjoy these favorites.

ONE. Last week, Lindsay posted an IG story showing more of her organization skills. She posted a picture of her jewelry organizer and I was immediately intrigued. So I started searching amazon and found the one she had pictured, except in black. Then I saw that it came in white, gold and black.

My jewelry is currently in a jewelry box and on a necklace tree (old: from West Elm). You can guess how often I go in the jewelry box. Barely ever. And I have the cutest jewelry, but I am just lazy and never get in there unless I am going on date night.

So I knew I needed to get something to have it all on display. So I bite the bullet and bought the same organizer. You can hang in on the back of your door or mount it on the wall.

I am excited to display my jewelry and wear it more often.

TWO. Did any of you watch the final episode of Fixer Upper? The one with the Rockstar from MXPX. I LOVED MXPX growing up. Heck I was a huge punk band lover. Ha. But anyways, during the reveal, they showed the little girls room and it was a ombre style with lots of colors in it. There was a tapestry/rug piece on the wall and I am dying to find something like that for the girls room.

I have been searching google for an image and I can't find one. Ugh.

THREE. Super Troopers 2 comes out today. I loved the first movie and quote it all the time, so I am determined to go see this in the theaters. I can't remember the last movie that I saw in the theaters. We just never make it there now with kids. We either wait for Redbox, Netflix or borrow the movie from my parents. Ha. Are you excited for Super Troopers 2?

FOUR. So I finally gave in and bought the cutest gingham flats from Target that I have seen all over IG. I tried finding them in my local Targets, but I had no luck. And when I purchased them, they were 20% off plus I used my Red Card which gave me an additional 5% off and free shipping. Score. They arrived this week while I was on vacation, but I can't wait to wear them all summer. They are perfect for wearing to work or on the weekends. They are currently full price (as of this writing), but only $22.99. That is a great deal.
Jayme Bow Gingham flats

FIVE. Did you check out my Guilty Pleasures post from yesterday? It was our monthly Girl Chat link up and I shared some pretty funny and slightly embarrassing guilty pleasures. If you didn't, click here and read mine and go check out some others.
Girl Chat link up
Have a great weekend!

I am linking up with April, A Little Bit of Everything, Meet @ the Barre and Cup of Tea.
Thursday, April 19, 2018

Girl Chat - Guilty Pleasures

It's time for another round of Girl Chat. This month's theme is Guilty Pleasures. We all have them. Some of them are embarrassing, especially the tv shows that I enjoy and binge. So grab the images below, share your guilty pleasures and come back here to link up.
Girl Chat

So as I mentioned above, I have some total guilty pleasure tv shows. Some of these are embarrassing, well at least to me. So enjoy.

TV Shows

Riverdale. My new favorite. I started watching this show in Ireland and I binged a season and a half before coming home. Once I got home, I caught up to the present day and now watch it weekly at the gym.

Jane the Virgin. I was looking for a new show to binge while at the gym (when I run, walk, elliptical or bike, I like to watch tv shows to pass the time) and a friend suggested this. I watched one episode and was hooked. While it is like a telenueva, it just captured me. Sure it isn't "great" tv, but I enjoy it.

Scream Queens. I have been guilty of watching all of the seasons of this show. I love Ryan Murphy's shows (minus Glee, I never got into that) and thought this was pretty funny and so very weird.

The Bachlelor/Bachelorette. Enough said.

Gossip Girl. I was late to watching this show, but I started it a year before I had the girls if I remember correctly and I binged my way through all seasons over a summer. It was soooo good. I still go back and watch it to this day.

My 600 pound life. I watched an episode when I was on work travel and while I fascinated me, it also made me shake my head. I don't watch it often, but when I am on the road for work, I tend to catch an episode or two.

Pretty Little Liars. I loved this show. My sister got me into watching it and while it is hard to fathom that ever happening, I just couldn't stop watching. I had to know who A was, and all of the other A's out there.

Pretty much any cooking show competitions....Top Chef, Master Chef, Beat Bobby Flay, Chopped, etc.

Grey's Anatomy. I have watched this show since day 1 and while I think it isn't as good as when it first started, I just can't stop watching it. I have to see how it ends and watch my favorite characters.

Food

Sonic's Cherry Limeade. I have loved cherry limeade forever. Since the first time I tried it in high school. I have a Sonic across the street from my work and when I am having a bad day, I go grab myself a cherry limeade. I don't really get anything else from there, but I could have a cherry limeade everyday and I so rarely drink soda.

Flaming hot Cheetos with salami. Yep, sounds gross, but it is so good. I picked this up when I was pregnant with the girls and I just LOVE it still. Something about the spicy and salty together.

Funfetti cupcakes/cake. I am not a big cake person, but when you put funfetti in front of me, I can't resist it.

Dark chocolate salted caramels. I don't remember who introduced these to me, but they are my favorite candy ever. Period. I buy a box from Williams Sonoma every Christmas season and I secretly eat the whole thing all season.

Wine.

Other

Sleeping in. If I was allowed to (kids won't allow it), I would sleep in until 11 am or noon. Not everyday, but every so often, I would love at least 12 to 14 hours of sleep. Oh the days of college. I miss that.

Rapping in the car. I love singing in the car because no one can judge me and I think I sound really good when I rap. Ha.
\
Online shopping. I prefer to online shop because the lighting in dressing rooms is soooo awful. It makes me cringe when you see the cellulite, blemishes and not so flattering angles. But when I online shop, I buy, it comes to my door and I can try it on at home where my lighting is more forgiving.

Brand new socks.

Watching shark attack videos. I am soooo scared of being eaten/killed/attacked by a shark. It has been a fear of mine since I was a little girl. I used to not go in the ocean farther than my knees because sharks come in that close, but as time went on, I would go in further and further. But I still think about sharks being around me the entire time I am in the ocean. It is a crazy fear and something I just can't get over. So I feed my fear by watching the shark attack videos, Shark week, follow a page about cage diving with great white sharks, etc. But I do want to say that I went swimming at Bondi Beach in Australia and went in where I couldn't touch. I did that because I had to conquer my fear and there were so many others in the water that I figured they would get bitten before me.

I could go on for days about my weird habits and things that I love, but I will stop here.

To link up - just grab our graphic, link up, and let's getting to chatting!  Make sure to stop by a few others linked up for an extra bit of girl chat! 
Girl chat monthly link up

Danielle / Sparkles and Lattes - Bloglovin' - Pinterest - Instagram
Emily / A Little Bit of Emily - Bloglovin' - Pinterest - Instagram
Lindsay / Lindsay's Sweet World - Pinterest - Facebook - Instagram - Twitter
Lizzie / This Happy Life Bloglovin' - Pinterest - Facebook - Instagram
Sierra / Beautifully Candid - Bloglovin' - Pinterest - Instagram - Twitter




Wednesday, April 18, 2018

My Experience with Botox

We all age...some gracefully (like my mom) and others not so much. I feel like I have taken pretty good care of my skin over the years, but having children while in my 30s has definitely taken its toll on my face. I have bags under my eyes from lack of sleep and more wrinkles around my eyes, on my forehead and in my 11's area (area between your eyebrows).

I get regular facials and chemical peels, but I still want to look more youthful. After talking to so many of my friends (blogging friends especially), I decided to try Botox. I have researched it, talked to my esthetician about it and got my friends accounts of it.

I wanted to have a more youthful look for my sisters wedding, so I thought this was the perfect time to try it out. First time results usually last around 3 months and my sister's wedding is 2 months away. Perfect timing. Plus, it can take up to a couple weeks (usually only a week) to fully see your results.

When you go in for the first time, you have a consultation with your doctor about your wants, fears and expectations. My doctor went over everything in great detail. He told me the differences between Botox and Dysport...how long each of them last, when they take effect, the cost, etc. He also went into what goes into what part of your face. From your eyes up, you get Botox or one of its competitors. From the eyes down, you get fillers. He showed me which muscles are affected and how the process works.

Then he had me do some facial expressions to get a better idea of what I would need. For me, he recommended I get my 11's taken care of (what I had gone in there for) and then recommended a Botox brow lift. What this means, is he injects Botox in certain areas of my forehead so that it pulls my eyebrows upwards to get rid of the drooping eyelids which make me look more tired. When I told my mom this part, she said she has the same thing. But back to the Botox brow lift. He said if my eyebrows raise too much, he can correct that by putting Botox in my upper forehead which will draw them back down a bit. But this doesn't happen to many people.

He said I would come back in after 2 to 3 weeks to see my results and if I needed any adjustments. Then he asked if I wanted to wait and think it over and get it done today. I opted to get mine done that day.

Here is my experience with Botox/Dysport.

I chose to get Dysport because you see the results quicker and it was a favorite in the office and from my friend who recommended that I go to this place.

Here are my lovely before pictures. Please don't pay attention to my awful selfie skills. I was just trying to capture my lines.

Botox Before

Botox Before

I got 20 units of Dysport injected into my 11's area. This is the area that needed the most help in my opinion. I got the total freeze in this area. This means that the muscle will be completely "frozen". It won't move much. Then I got 5 units (each side) near the ends of my eyebrows/temple area to give me a slight Dysport Brow Lift. This will get rid of the hooded, droopy eyelids.

Does it hurt? Not really. The doctor uses a very fine needle. I barely felt the needle enter my skin. What I did feel was the liquid going in my skin. It didn't necessarily hurt, but felt weird and stung just a bit.

How does the doctor determine where to inject? They have you frown and relax, frown and relax, so they can see the muscle movement. Then to do the outer brows, he had me close my eyes shut really tight and relax, tight and relax.

Did I bleed? I did bleed a bit on the upper dots. He applied a bit of pressure using a gauze and it was fine.

Did I bruise? I had one little bruise on the top right eye (left looking at the photo). It was just a small dot bruise and it went away two days later.

When will I see results? With Dysport, you can start to see results in 3 to 4 days, with full effects in a week. My doctor also told me to not freak out if one side of my face starts changing before the other. The other will catch up.

Can I wear make-up to my appointment? Yes you can, but he will remove make up from the area that is being injected. You don't want the bacteria from my make-up entering the small wound holes. They will also use alcohol to sterilize the area.

After care? You can not touch your face for an hour. You don't want to let any bacteria enter the wound. You can not work out or lay down for 4 hours after the injections. Basically, don't sweat or get anything near your injection sites. Once the 4 hours are over, you can clean your face and go about your day as usual.

Botox injection sites

The areas with the black dots are to show you approximately where I got injected. This photo was taken that evening.

3 days after Dysport injections. Again, please forgive the funny faces.

Way less 11 lines. This is me trying to frown and squint as much as I can.

My left eyebrow starting to raise up a bit.

On day 4, Rory noticed my eyebrows lifted a lot more and said the hooded/drooping look was going away!
 Day 5 (eyebrows more lifted)

Trying to squint and frown so you can see that the lines are practically gone.
Monday, April 16, 2018

3 Things

*This post contains affiliate links.

Earlier this month, Nadine wrote about 3 Things. As I was reading her post, I kept nodding my head in agreement on many things. So I thought I would share my 3 Things as well. Only 6 questions/prompts, so pretty easy.

Movies I quote often...
1. Step Brothers. Just like Nadine, I quote this movie a lot. My husband even took a funny Step Brothers photo with a good friend of ours years ago.
Step Brothers

2. Super Troopers. "You boys like Mex-ee-co?" "I want a damn litre o' cola".
3. Devil Wears Prada. I can pretty much quote the whole movie. I have seen it way too many times.

Apps I use everyday...
1. Instagram
2. Weather app
3. Fitbit

Words I hate...
1. Moist. Seriously the worst word ever.
2. Any word that someone shortens. Like obvs (obviously)
3. Whatevs

Most recent Amazon purchases...
1. This cookie scoop.
2. These Sam Edelman sandals for my mom.
3. These Vitamin D3 supplements.

Weird foods I eat (or that most people find disgusting)...
1. Flaming hot Cheetos with salami.
2. Ice cream with french fries.
3. Honey on pizza.

Things that I am excited for in April...
1. Mexico. Need I say more?
2. Warmer weather.
3. My dermatologist appointment. This seems weird, but I have had sooo many moles removed because they grew, turned a weird color or looked abnormal. I have had some excisions that were very large and required many removals. I always look forward to hearing I have nothing of a concern. Fingers crossed that this is the case this year.
mole excision
This is from a mole being removed and then cutting in two more times to get all the abnormal cells out. Get your skin checked!
Friday, April 13, 2018

Friday Favorites

*This post contains affiliate links.

How are we already half way through April? I feel like it will be Christmas before we know it. Time needs to slow down a bit. Am I right? Also, Happy Friday the 13th!!!

Let's get onto Friday Favorites.

ONE. Remember about a month ago when I did the 30 day trial of Third Love (here)? Well it has been over 30 days and I am happy to say that I kept the bra. If you remember, I got the Classic T-shirt Bra. I did the quiz to find my perfect fit. When I first took it out of the box, it looked huge. Ha. But after wearing it for a day, I liked it. After the first few times of wearing it, I made a few adjustments. For me, the underwire was hitting in a weird spot and felt like it was digging into my rib cage. I think it was because the bra straps needed to be tightened more. I did that and it has been amazing. Seriously, so comfortable.

I got it in the nude first because I can wear it with almost any shirt. You can't see the bra when I wear a tighter shirt which is amazing. The band fits very well and doesn't leave marks on me when I take it off after wearing it all day. It isn't the most sexy bra, but they do have the T-shirt bra with lace on it. I think I will order one of those as well.
third love t shirt bra

The bras come in around $68 a piece, so I would suggest doing the 30 day trial to see if you love it. If not, send it back and try a new one. But these bras are amazing and feel great. I definitely recommend this bra. I wasn't paid or compensated for this review at all. I just love the bra and wanted to share it with you all.

TWO. Remember how last weekend I went shopping and bought some shoes for the girls and myself? Well I finally caved and bought the Shoreline Converse shoes that I have wanted for quite awhile. These shoes are awesome because they slip on, stay on (the scrunched back) and are classics for summer. I got the white ones since I already have a pair of the classic black ones.
Shoreline Converse

THREE. I was reading Brandi Little's blog this week and she talked about a kitchen update to her daughter's playset. We have the same kitchen, but in pink. But what I noticed was the cute mixer, coffee machine and toaster that she added. Seriously, so cute. I showed them to Rory and he said it was too many items for their already cluttered kitchen. Plus the girls already have a toaster for their kitchen. But really caught my eye was the coffee machine. The girls love "making" coffee for us. They know how bad my coffee addiction is. Anytime we pass the coffee shop by our house, they ask, "mommy needs coffee?" Yep, I always need all the coffee. So I started looking for play coffee makers and found two that had good reviews. Does anyone have any of these? What do you think about them?
Hape Kid's Coffee Maker
Melissa and Doug Coffee maker set

FOUR. Vacation life. I will be gone all next week, but I have several posts lined up. I have been writing all week and have a post lined up for everyday except Tuesday!

And don't worry, we have someone at our house all week with Walter, so I know our house and pup are in good hands. Normally, I wouldn't share when we are gone for fear of someone coming to my house unexpectedly, but we have people staying at our house. Thank you to our amazing friends and family for helping out!!!

FIVE. Has anyone used Moroccanoil Root Booster? I have seen a few people talk about it and I am very interested in it. I already use Bumble and Bumble Thickening Mousse and love it, but I heard Moroccanoil is even better. I have very fine hair and need the volume boost to it.

SIX. Don't forget, next Thursday is our monthly Girl Chat link up. This month's theme is Guilty Pleasures. I love this topic and had so much fun sharing my guilty pleasures. Some of them are a bit embarrassing, but so good. Grab an image below and be sure to come back here next Thursday and link up.
Guilty Pleasures girl chat link up

Guilty Pleasures girl chat link up

I hope you all have a good weekend!!!

I am linking up with April, A Little Bit of Everything, Meet @ the Barre and Cup of Tea.
Wednesday, April 11, 2018

DIY Cool Whip Dyed Easter Eggs

I know Easter is over, but I wanted to share my experience with dyeing Easter eggs using the Cool Whip method. I have seen a lot of people complain that they did not get the results that I did or that their color completely wiped off.
Dyeing eggs using Cool Whip Method

What you need:

White distilled vinegar
12 large eggs
Food coloring
2 containers of Cool Whip
Disposable pan
Paper towels
Toothpicks
Disposable gloves

I made my hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot and they came out perfect. I used Skinny Taste's recipe and they were cooked perfectly, though 3 cracked.

Do it:

1. Soak your eggs in a bowl filled with the distilled white vinegar for 20 minutes.
Dyeing eggs using Cool Whip Method

2. While your eggs soak, put your Cool Whip into the disposable container. Side note: I get my disposable aluminum pans at Costco. You get about 30 pans for $6. Total steal and they are good quality.
Dyeing eggs using Cool Whip Method

3. Using the food coloring of your choice, add several drops to one side of your pan. Then you can add a second color in if you desire. Repeat this for the other side using other colors.
Dyeing eggs using Cool Whip Method
This isn't enough food coloring, but I just kept adding more after I swirled it until I was satisfied.

4. Using a toothpick or knife, swirl your food coloring in. Make sure it gets swirled in deep into the Cool Whip.
Dyeing eggs using Cool Whip Method

5. Put on your gloves. Take out an egg and pat it dry using a paper towel. Then put your egg in the Cool Whip mixture. Make sure you turn it a couple times allowing the Cool Whip to cover your egg. Leave the egg in the mixture. Let the eggs set for 20 minutes.
Dyeing eggs using Cool Whip Method

6. Rinse off your gloves or get a new pair. Fill a bowl with water and take an egg out of the mixture. Gently place it in the bowl, rolling it around to get off all the Cool Whip. Do NOT run the egg under water. I would do a few eggs and then change the water out.
Dyeing eggs using Cool Whip Method

7. Take the egg out of the water and pat dry with a paper towel. 

8. Store in your egg carton.
Dyeing eggs using Cool Whip Method

Dyeing eggs using Cool Whip Method

Dyeing eggs using Cool Whip Method