Howdy Doo! Just a few things and places I am "lovin right now".
Piper Wai natural deodorant. I never really thought that anything besides the junk I've always worn for sweat protection would work. I love this deodorant. I haven't quite decided if I like the roll on or rub on better. The rub on takes practice but it still works great. Summer is coming! So we'll see!
Hanes Ultimate Comfy Wireless Bras. When I had my thermogram I was told to stop wearing bras with underwire. I actually had fun bra shopping because I actually had something specific to look for. These bras are my favorite bras completely ever. So comfortable, no cuppage, no padding, great price... I can't say enough. Check them out here.
I am in love with a blog and especially her free desktop calendars each month. They aren't loud colors. I look forward to them each month. I change mine on my laptop and my computer screens at work. Please find her wonderful site and blog at mindingmynest.com.
In hopes of Spring Cleaning and making an effort to become more organized, I found a terrific blog called www.cleanmama.net She has fantastic and free checklists. I have three of them on my fridge right now. Maybe as I get things done I will check them off the list.
I've shared this before but this smoothie has been my breakfast for about a month now. I don't really like starting my day without one. I found it a couple of years ago on freepeople. Find the recipe HERE. I am also really into boiled eggs. One is more filling than you think.
I can picture painting this watercolor of Black Rose
Lacey... please let me know when you flip out over this Palm Springs Themed Baby Shower. Not for the baby shower... just the succulent cake and goodies.
I made this coffee scrub. I want to eat it, it smells so good. It feels great too.
I want this shirt. Yes I'm still hooked on that site.
I'm thinking of shoe shopping today. What do you think about these?
Since I am apparently down to blogging once a month... you can buy this if you miss me.
Tree Hut lotion with Shea. I buy it at Kroger and it's not real expensive but it works marvelously.
Josie Maran color stick. I got this from QVC in a duo with face lotion. I didn't use it much at first but now I love it. My blush lasts all day with just a sweep up my cheeks and a little rubbin' it in.
Pure Illumination lip gloss. My friend Kim get this fantastic lip gloss for me at her beauty supply place. There is a mirror on the side and lights in the wand so you can always see what you're doing. The lip gloss is fabulous too!
Poo-Pourri is a wonderful little invention. My cousin Jennifer gave me some on a recent trip to Houston. My favorite scent so far is Royal Flush. It really saved us in the close quarters of our camper a few weeks ago.
Well I have been in love with lots of things since my last Lovin Right Now post I'm sure.
Here's what I am actually... Lovin Right Now.
I found these at Kroger last weekend and haven't stopped eating them! They are good to snack on. For breakfast, I use almond milk (unsweetened, no vanilla) and have diced apple... yum! Last Saturday I made granola bars and included this cereal in the mix. So good!
I've been using Josie Maran body butter since last year and LOVE IT! My most recent purchase of lotion included a jar of face butter. Before I got it I had just been using the body butter on my face. I really, really like the face butter. It is wonderfully silky and not heavy on my face. I use it on my face and neck. I order mine from QVC.com.
My Vitamix is a couple of year sold now and I don't use it all the time. It actually goes in spurts as to what I am into making. Lately I have gotten back on my smoothie kick. I made the berry beet smoothie and my favorite green smoothie the most. Recently I found another one with cranberries and chopped ginger that I like too. The recipe is HERE. I have a sensible breakfast fairly early, then have my smoothie about 10:00 A.M. For lunch I have sliced carrots and celery with almond butter on melba toast.
For the longest time I ran across people that quoted the movie Office Space. I had never seen the movie so I didn't know what they were giggling about. I glanced through the five dollar movie bin at WalMart one day and the movie was there so I bought it. I bet I have watched it fifteen times since then. Each time I pick up on something else that strikes me as funny. It's not the best movie in the world but I like it. It also makes me every so thankful to not work in an office/cubicle environment anymore!!!
Last month, my niece and I took a trip to my cousin's house in Houston, Texas. She had a house warming party and had these teeny candles as party favors. Sine Shaun doesn't care for strong scents from candles and air fresheners I brought my little candles to the day care. Man does this one smell good! It is from Bath and Body Works and is called Pumpkin Pecan Waffles. YUM! Really covers up that... day care smell... sometimes.
I recently watched a special on QVC... HHHAAAAA I always watch specials on QVC!!! But really... Josie Maran, vanilla cream, whipped body butter with Argan oil is fantastic. It feels so smooth and silky on my skin and smells fantastic.
I think it was last Christmas or there-a-bouts that my Aunt Dea gave my sisters and I these neat little handmade gadgets that fit a soup bowl and goes into the microwave. You can heat up your soup and not singe your hands trying to get the hot bowl back out when it's done. It's genius! I really use mine a lot at the day care when I am heating up my lunch. I like to make batches of soup for myself and freeze lunch servings for easy eatin.
Sweet mini peppers... Mmmmm. I use these babies for everything. I eat them plain and cut up with my sandwiches, cut up in salads, cooked in the oven with other veggies... you name it. They are crisp and great. I just get mine at Kroger or Walmart's produce section.
Here's a picture of my microwave cozy that my Aunt gave me.
Maybe I do my series "lovin right now" a little too often.... who cares?!?!
There's always something new to me that I get stuck on or think... what a great story or invention!
Here's where I share it with you... my loyal, faithful and loving readers... whoever you are.
Here is what I am lovin right now.
Adjustable elastic in kid jeans. Whoever though of this was a damn genius. My only question... can you get it in adult jeans too? I hate a pair of jeans that fit everywhere else but the waist and the waist band sticks out in the back. Adjustable elastic would solve this!
Honey roasted peanuts. When we were in Windrock, our buddy Stevie kept graciously sharing his nuts with everybody. It was a big joke all weekend if you got the pun. Since then I can't get enough of the honey roast ed variety because someone left a box of snack packs at the cabin when I was packing up everything that was left, being the last ones to leave. Thanks though!!
Oh such a healthy snack we have here! As if the peanuts are just fantastic for you! When my family would go on vacations growing up, Mom would always break out the Sociables and squeeze cheese... probably to keep us quiet and vacations were the only time we had them. Well Mom... have you ever tried Chicken in a Biskit crackers? They're pretty good!
Let me tell ya! Shaun got me one of these Yeti travel mugs for my birthday and I tell you I use the thing all the time! I even put my initials on it. I like that it keeps my coffee hot a lot longer in the mornings than my usual cups but I especially like it for my ice water. Ice will keep all day in this bad boy.!
I am LOVIN this book! I originally rented it from the library and wound up buying it from amazon.com because I found myself really wanting to underline and write thoughts in the margins. So I got my own copy and feel like a student or something making notes and re-reading stories. The book is by a psychoanalyst and each section, only being a few pages long, describes what a particular patient was going through and his analysis in so many words. It is extremely interesting to me and has brought me to really think about mental stuff from a different point of view.
Oh and this little bit saying my name over and over and over and over. Sometimes I wonder just how many times a day these kids say my name. Gives Mamas a break from hearing Mama over and over and over I reckon. Still... so precious because one day she won't do this anymore... over and over and over.
I tell you what else I love... hearing that somebody loves my blog! Or that they liked something I posted about. Or how precious the pictures of the kids at my day care were. Or that they made a recipe. Or picked up a library book... which never happens... weird!! Anyway, I love that you like what I have to talk about. Thanks a buncho for being you and being interested!!!
I've said it before and I will say it again.... This hand cream is the best stuff for overly dry, cracked hands. Our mountain four wheeling trip, even though I used my Nivea hand crème, was so dusty and dry that it played absolute hell on my skin. I have dry skin as it is anyway but on our last morning there I was literally counting the cuts and open cracks in my hands. While we were at my Mom's that night my Dad reminded me of O'Keeffe's and luckily I had some at home. I put it on, heavily might I add, before bedtime that night and when I woke up I only had one bad crack still open. On the tip of my middle finger to boot... no way that's not going to hurt all day. I am typing this on Tuesday and after using it Monday night as well as this morning, the last cut has closed and all of the stray skin things that snag of fabric have gone. I don't know what they put in this stuff but it is fantastic. Thanks for the remind Dad!
BTW you can buy the hand cream at Walmart or Ace Hardware or I'm sure online somewhere.
On our (Lacey and me) most recent trip to our favorite thrift in Nashville, Ladies of Charity, I purchased only one pair of jeans... and one jacket. Most of the time I find more... depending on mood and availability of goods. I paid ten bucks for a pair of Express Stella skinny jeans and I am in love. I would wear them every day if I could. I've had skinny jeans in the past that smothered my calves and I could never wait for the day to be over to take them off. These fit dreamily and have just the right amount of stretch so I don't feel confined at all. I got this picture from the Express website and the jeans pictured look tighter on her calf than these are so I'm wondering if mine could possibly be the barely boot cut that they advertise. Either way... I'm in love.
I know this picture of the whole box of Froot Loops is weird but it's the best I could find. Mary Evelyn found these Spooky Froot Loops at the Hendersonville Walmart and got a box for us at the day care. The cereal has marshmallows that are skeleton bones and you put the skeleton together. Talk about playing with your food! Not only did I enjoy them in milk because what's better than Lucky Charms-type marshmallows in a big bowl of Froot Loops?? But the kids at the day care enjoyed them for a snack as well and it kept them busy for a little bit putting the bones together. They thought that was pretty cool. Probably why they like Mary Evelyn so much!
Usually, when my nails have the chance to grow out some, which is normally in the Fall for reasons I don't know, I am into darker nail polish. My usual love and "go to" is OPI Lincoln Park After Dark or OPI Russian Navy which are two of my ultimate favorites. But for now I just want something simple and clean. With OPI Altar Ego I find that upon first glance you may not notice I have polish on at all. But when the light hits you see a hint of pearl that I like. It's a simple clean look that I am really enjoying right now. The darker nails just aren't doing it for me and I am happy that I have found a new "go to" in a much lighter polish.
This is definitely not my hand! Photo found on pinterest.
AND I am for sure in love with THIS POST from CloverLane which is a blog I've read for years.
I know a few younger people who spend a lot of time taking pictures of themselves. (I'm one to talk with all those shoe pictures yesterday!) The kissy mouth face... I've had enough. I love your face the way it is and most of the time it doesn't look any slimmer by puckering up if that's what you're going for! Wow... that feels better. Kissy mouth has been bothering me for a while and the post by CloverLane says it very well! That's one smart Mom!
P.S. I swiped the picture from her post too.
Are you ready? This is a jammed lovin right now! I just couldn't stop. I probably could have added more. I love sharing things that are just ticklin my fancy with you. Yea... AND on a Monday! So here goes...
OK let's start with the Nivea Crème. I am hooked. I have had some pretty rough skin issues over the last ten years and while I don't complain right now because it's not as bad currently as it has been in recent years I still deal with it daily. I started out by buying the little purse sized (navy blue) Nivea crème at Kroger because it was one dollar and I thought I'd try it. I put it on my spots, as I call them, when they were at their driest. It really did seem to nourish and keep them from being painful. So when I ran out of my other lotion I bought the Nivea Crème Soft at the Kroger two weeks ago. My, my, my soft skin! I'm in love with this lotion and kinda regret ordering my other kind that's not here yet. Believe me, with my psoriasis/eczema/like skin issues, I have tried LOTS of lotions and creams. So when I come across one that works, even for a little while, I pass it on to other possible sufferers. Ok.. gross I know... but sometimes the skin in my eye brows freaks out and gets REALLY dry and bad flaky. I lather this stuff on a couple of times and it clears up. Even without using my steroid cream. NICE!
Ah Kacey Musgraves. My niece took me to her concert two weeks ago. I already was a fan of KM's music but seeing her in concert was the bomb. While there I bought two shirts (sucker!) and I bet I have worn the one pictured here ten times since then. It fits me perfect and I love the song Die Fun by Kacey. It reminds me of Shaun and I... pretty much being able to do what we want to (but still work and be responsible).
Another suggestion from my niece, Lacey, upon searching for a 2016 day planner. She is a big Lilly Pulitzer girl and buys herself this planner each year. Since I couldn't get the one I wanted I got this one above from Amazondotcom. I do like it a lot and know I will fill it with many plans and memories because most of the time I write more about what we did than what we're going to do.
Several Fridays ago, I phoned Shaun to tell him I was thinking of going to the grocery after work and he coaxed me into just coming home and taking it easy after a long week. When I got there that Mister of mine had a little surprise for me! A Yeti koozie of my vary own. They keep the last drop of your canned beverage just as cold as your first drop! For real! If they last that long.
While I had too much time to kill between dentist appointments when I was having problems, I stopped in Bath and Body Works briefly and bought a few new things. One of them was a purse sized Iced Coconut Colada body spray. I adore the scent and carry it with me always and keep one in the bathroom at home. I love the coconut beachy smell of it and know I will this winter when I'm down in the mouth because summer seems so far away. I will just spray it and inhale with my eyes closed!
Last but certainly not least... we found the problem with our internet GB usage. Yes... it was me, but it was mainly that my internet USB needed an upgrade. So my smart husband got me one from Verizon, which is who we use for internet access and now all of our troubles have gone! This past month I downloaded two games, got back to blogging, chatted with friends via FB, ordered a few things and for sure cruised my blogs. I even looked up kids stuff and crafty ideas! All that would have eaten our old GB up in a week. Thank goodness for upgrades! No more overage! Who'd have thought that that's what we needed. We were already preparing our pockets for a new computer which I now do not need!! YAY! I love my old little laptop.
Here's the Kacey Musgraves song Die Fun. It sounds sad at first but it's not! Although it has made me cry... and dance.
And here's another one of hers I like.
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I don't want to but I'll stop now. Now I'm Lovin YOU Right Now for putting up with this long ass post!!! XOXO
I really, really like sharing things that I am lovin right now with you.
First up... I am for sure lovin this orange and black pekoe tea blend! The dollar tree in white house used to carry a kind that I enjoyed but the store went out of business. Two weeks ago I wandered into the dollar tree in Hendersonville but alas they don't carry it. I found this brand at walmart and enjoy it so! It's just different than the usual instant kind I've used forever. I call it my day care tea. You need special quirks where you spend your time.
I recently rented Bloodroot by Amy Greene from the library after eyeing it on a blog somewhere. I love to see what other people are reading. If I didn't browse with that in mind sometimes I fear I would never happen upon some really good reads. I really liked this one.
At the day care this year we decided to plant a flower garden where we usually have a vegetable garden. I am actually glad that we did because this did not turn out to be our best garden year. Our garden does have a couple of tomato plants but also orange zinnias, pink zinnias in large and small and also orange cosmos. We pick a fresh batch to go in a jar on our eating table each week. The boys have also enjoyed plucking the nasty green horn worms from the tomato plants and squashing them. I can't stand those things! We have also enjoyed the plethora of butterflies and bees and even hummingbirds that our flower garden attracts.
I like this little quote.
I feel like I am the queen of beliefs. I've got some odd ones as many of you do too. Not really major beliefs like religious stuff or all the mish mosh on the news. Everybody has opinions and beliefs like that. These are more personal. I believe I will do yoga for the rest of my life. I believe that if I use the wrong body wash in the morning if can affect my day. I believe that certain bras that I own and wear will result in friends coming over in the evenings although I can't ever remember which bra does which. I also do believe in waiting for the Lord. I have been minus a few kids at the day care and trying to enjoy my time with less kids to worry about but the money part stings. I believe the Lord will send them when I am ready to receive them and I just need to tough it out in the meantime. Although the idea of job hunting does cross my mind. When we first decided to open the day care I wasn't totally sold on the fact of it working out for us. Mainly because I had never been in business for myself/by myself and always worked for others. I was walking the driveway one afternoon after work, before I had quit my job in Nashville, and after we had been remodeling and working to prepare the trailer for my new job and suddenly stopped in the driveway feeling doubtful and scared as I looked at the trailer at the end of the driveway. I asked the Lord out loud if this was the right thing... was I going in the right direction by quitting my job and doing this. At that moment I felt a breeze come up and wrap around me like warm arms. It felt like a hug and right then I wasn't scared anymore and knew we were doing the right thing. I have to trust and believe in myself and these decisions and that this is where I am supposed to be career-wise right now. Well, that just went in a different direction. Talk about typing what you're thinking!
Guess what!! I took myself shopping last weekend! I know... that doesn't happen. I mean I might order a shirt online or dream about it but the last time I went into a store and bought something new was last summer before we went to Florida on vacation to get a couple of new bathing suits. This time I was in the market for loose shorts and tops and something new to sleep in (my old tanks are getting ratty!). Luckily, and I promise I didn't even think about it beforehand, summer clothes are on the way out so everything is on sale!! BONUS! I picked up five tops at Loft that are light colored and very airy (although when I washed them one of them shrank in the dryer to the size of a 2T dang near.. ugh!) I got five pair of loose, flowy shorts at Belk and I bought a few things to sleep in that are super comfy at Kohl's . Now I'm set to play outside in immense heat for the rest of the summer and sleep in thin comfortable bliss each night.
And then we get on to the other reason I will probably need loose clothing that I can grow into after forming an addiction to Lil' Drums! When you want a little something sweet these are perfect at about five inches tall and 130 calories each. Tough part is there's twelve in a box and somebody's got to eat 'em!!
And when I need a lil' something else, I grab onto a handful of seasoned croutons. Am I the only one that snacks on croutons? They have such flavor. It's like an entire Italian meal in one little cube... if you close your eyes and imagine it.
A friend of mine introduced me to Ferti-Lome blooming and rooting plant fertilizer this year and I really like it. I've only used Miracle Grow in the past but all of my flowers really seem to like this stuff.
And that's what I am "lovin' right now" kids... besides loving summer itself! I truly to the depth of my soul am a summertime child. I like to grow plants and watch flowers bloom. Eat vegetables right out of the garden and have tomato juice drip off my chin. I love to hear all of the different voices of summer like birds that are here for the summer, katydids, locust, hummingbirds zooming by. I love to go barefoot (my heels pay dearly for that!) everywhere and was my feet under the hose pipe. I enjoy sitting outside with Shaun and friends anytime we want to from morning to evening or all night long! I don't even mind wearing bug spray... Lord knows I need it! I love that my laundry takes longer to pile up because the clothes are thinner and smaller than winter clothes. I like the quick summer meals that are sometimes not made or served until after nine pm. I love being able to take the day care kids outside at any given moment to play instead of being cooped up inside because it's too cold. I even like being chilled by air conditioning and curling up with a blanket and watching the original Parent Trap. I could seriously go on and on.
Look around before it's gone.
Soak in each part of the season that you walk past every day and just stop for a second.
July is almost gone yet again.
This is my forty first summer. I hope to see many, many more!
1~The Secret Garden adult coloring book by Johanna Brasford. I actually bought this a year ago and pick it up from time to time. Lately I have really enjoyed stepping into calm and creating by coloring. I have found it's best to use gel pens of which I have several... even neon, shimmer and glittered colors.
2~I am in love with pre-peppered pork loin from Kroger. All you do is pop it in the oven for thirty minutes and it's ready to go with whatever sides you prefer. So good!
3~This is the second book of Alice Hoffman's I have read lately. I started this one on Monday of this week after reading Practical Magic last week. I am really enjoying the ease of reading in her writing and so far am enjoying this one to the bone. I want more of this oddities museum!
4~I bought this sunscreen in 30 spf last year when I went to Florida with my family. I am still enjoying it. It's not greasy or heavy and I've even been wearing it on my face everyday and have yet to over do it in the sun and I am out in it a lot.
5~Guilty pleasure in snack size. Little Kit Kats have me hooked right now.
A few things to share with you that I am lovin right now.
I really like these morning and evening meditations from Louise Hay. I have gone to sleep listening to the evening meditation for two weeks now. I feel it has made a difference in some areas of my life so far.
Seduction scented incense in this brand from my health food store.
I have a few favorites that I am "Lovin Right Now." I am sure they will change soon enough as most things do. But currently this is what I'm into.
Downton Abby season 2. I didn't start watching Downton until the televised season was on season five. Much like other TV shows I get hooked on. So I rented season one from the library and borrowed the rest from my Mom. Shaun and I began watching season 2 on Sunday night and I already have plans in my head to watch an episode each night this week if I can. I'm hooked... just like everybody said I would be!
I am absolutely hooked on the refreshing and clean scent of doTerra lemongrass. I like to add a couple of drops to my nice hot baths. Among many uses, lemongrass oil is used for toning skin and soothing muscles. Perfect for bathing!
Most of the time I read before bed. It has to be a really good book for me to read during the day. And a REALLY good book for me to take it to the day care to read every chance I get. The first novel of this series, that my sister Marty introduced me to as well as loaned me the books, proved to be a very easy and fast read and kept me interested enough to finish it in three days. I am on the second book in the series now and am quite enjoying it so far too!
This one I'm not so proud of. I really try to eat healthy and my sudden addiction to Doritos I am borderline ashamed of. They simply can't be good for you. So then why are they so hard to put down? I've even ditched my jalapeno chips for them... momentarily. I only bought a bag for the kids at the day care to have with their sandwiches sometimes and as a treat but guess who wanted a quick snack one day and spied the nacho cheese bag? That's right... me. I'm pretty sure it started with a 666 Park Avenue read, sunshine and kids playing outside, and me in my lawn chair working on my farmer's tan and eating these chips. Bad... bad girl.
AAAAHHHH Loving right now. As I type at my kitchen table that my Granddaddy built for me, all I have to do to see what I am lovin right now is look towards my right into my kitchen.
I bought a new skillet the other day. I am one gal who can flat wear out a skillet in a matter of months. Mom says it may be because of cooking at too high a temperature :) or maybe it's just because I use them every single morning and clean them afterwards. I have always had Teflon skillets and I'm pretty sure we digested some Teflon before I got rid of my last ones! Shaun and I were in the skillet aisle at WalMart and he pointed out the ceramic ones. I read about one or two and decided to give one a whirl. So far I adore it! Nothing has stuck. I've made sausage, bacon, gravy, browned deer meat. It's actually 12 inches and I have browned sausage and fried eggs at the same time! If you are in the market for a new skillet yourself, I absolutely urge you to give a ceramic one a try.
Ah my rye bread, seeded. I love caraway seeds and actually am going to grow some on the herb wall this summer. When I bake my own bread using caraway it transforms the smell and feel of my home in a beautiful way. I really like having Pepperidge Farms Jewish Rye on hand too. I like it plain (and by plain I mean I stand at the counter and eat a piece with nothing on it!) or toasted with lettuces and tuna salad or toasted and used for sopping up tomato sauce.
I am utterly hooked on avocados right now. Just plain old, peeled and sliced avocado. And they are so good for you too. I made a black bean soup last Monday and had diced avocado on the side. YUM!
True story.... Saturday morning I did about 40 minutes worth of yoga and then felt the urge to take it to the treadmill in the basement for a gentle walk. Between practices and during my walk all I could think about were these chips. Devil on the left shoulder saying "Laurie.... some of those jalapeno chips would sure be good right now". the whole time. So.. what did I do as soon as my workout was over? Finished off the open bag of chips. Yeah... I'm really gonna last through the 108 day yoga program... NOT! I am too weak. Especially with a bag of these chips around. The label says that they are "HOT!" but I have a soft spot when it comes to hot and these don't rate real high on my hot rating. Addictive rating... now that's a different story!
There is seriously nothing like stealing a good hour alone, lighting a candle and a stick of incense, rolling out my yoga mat in the living room floor and popping in the Gentle Yoga dvd of my Travis Eliot Ultimate Yogi set. I feel refreshed both mentally and physically and sometimes a little sore... in a good way. It is a great way to begin my day or end my day.
I adore all of my shirts purchased from the talented James of Skyline Fever (I like the unisex sided tees... they cover the toosh well), Danskin yoga capris from WalMart, incense of just about any variety, the Ultimate Yogi collection and of course an entire hour of just me finding my balance of thoughts, strength and composure.
Note: the link to the Ultimate Yogi is the only one currently on Amazon and is expensive. I'd try ebay maybe if you are interested. Or just hold out for a cheaper one. It's worth it if you are up to it.
I am also lovin this recipe for overnight breakfast oatmeal right now. Oh my... do I ever!
