lovin' right now

 

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. 



lovin right now

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

P.S. Happy Birthday Jessica!!!

lovin right now

Lovin right now... bath time edition!  Long overdue if you ask me!

Do we really take enough time out of our day or evening to enjoy a good soak in the tub?  

Well, last night I did!  These four things, along with some good music, candle light and a butler (Shaun) refilling my wine glass, are favorites and must haves when it comes to enjoying a good long dose of me time. 

My sister Tracy introduced me to Schick Intuition razors a month ago and I am loving it!  It has the soap already there for you so no shaving cream is needed.  The shave is good and close and the sensitive skin version seen here is what I use and what is needed, apparently, for my ever sensitive psoriasis skin.  So far it hasn't bothered them a bit!  Much thanks to you sister Tracy!

Mad Housewife, Sweet Red wine.... preferably chilled.  Aaaahh what a nice edition and something sweet and cool to sip on.  Pairs nicely with Pepperidge Farms chocolate hazelnut Pirouette wafer cookies which are my guilty pleasure for sure!  Sometimes I pretend they are cigars (nerd!).  

Lastly, my bath wouldn't be complete without my homemade bath oils.  Of course I have to give my tub a wipe down with Dawn after my bath but it is so worth it.  Using oils and herbal oils, I don't even have to use lotion when I get out.  You can use a tad of olive oil added to the water and a couple of drops of lavender essential oil and you'll be just fine.  I also enjoy a sprinkling Epsom salt that is combined with lavender flowers that float in the water yet leave a wonderful scent.  

Here's my personal recipe for bath oil.  Mind you, I have psoriasis and have studied different herbs that help with my skin condition.  You can add them or not, but if you have excessively dry skin, eczema or psoriasis, this combination will surely help.  I have steered more towards taking baths than showers and incorporating my bath oil specifically for my skin.  Showers, even though we have a filter on ours, tend to dry my skin out much worse than a bath and with the addition of oils I don't even use commercial lotions at all.  It has truly made a difference for me.  I know it contains a few odd ingredients to some.  If you only had a few, I would recommend the almond and jojoba oils, vitamin E oil and comfrey oil and maybe the lavender for relaxation.

As far as my scalp,itching and dry skin around my hair line goes, I recommend Paul Mitchell, tea tree shampoo and using it at least every other wash for mild itching and dryness or every wash until the itching and flaking is under control.  If it continues once you have backed off the tea tree you may want to consider the shampoo that you are using in the mean time as part of the culprit for dryness.

I am not any kind of a skin doctor... just a skin sufferer and one who has tried so many products until I have come to a semi-comfortable place.

Eating Journal

Ever tried to figure out what foods or drinks are triggering an allergic reaction?  I have spent the past several years of my life trying to figure the cause of my skin condition.  This year I decided to look to the inside for clues.  I have seen a nutritionist GP that got me started and have read and read and even had some food allergy testing done of which I showed allergies to so many things.  It is hard to change my way of eating and take out certain elements that I have been used to my whole life.

When I was in my twenties I kept getting mouths sores inside my mouth like ulcers.  They hurt and bothered me whenever I ate anything.  I decided I needed to cut some things out to figure out what was causing them.  I changed my toothpaste, stopped drinking coffee and orange juice, cut out berries and all sorts of things.  I decided to cut out all soft drinks completely and to my surprise my sores went away.  I gradually added the other things back over a few weeks and didn't get another sore.  One day I drank a Coke... nothing.  I started feeling silly until another day I had a Pepsi to drink.  Within just a few minutes I could feel a tingling in my mouth and knew that a sore was coming on.  I haven't drank a Pepsi since and luckily haven't had a mouth ulcer since either.  Something in the chemical make up of that soft drink triggered the allergic reaction.

So why not my skin?  Something is bound to be causing my breakouts.  And I know they say that psoriasis is an auto immune disorder and people who suffer from it know it will never go away.  But!  Since my diet changes and herbal detox from my doctor, I do feel better.  My skin isn't as aggravated and mean feeling as it has been and patches on my arms and torso have gone away, just leaving white "scars".  My main problem is patience and sticking with my diet changes.  I assume it is like any diet you go on.  But my cravings are still there for junk food.  Junk food meaning simply things that are or contain items that I have "cut out" and showed allergies to.

I made myself a little journal the other day, tailored to my needs, thinking that if I made myself write down it might be easier to stick to.  Also, I have an area where I log how my skin looked and felt that day and how I felt that day.  This part stemmed from making a casserole Sunday night that included beef and lots of dairy and my skin feeling like it was on fire the next day.  I'm just a few days in and already I feel better and a little proud of myself for taking action and forcing discipline on myself which isn't easy to do.  I am the first one to say "awe... that delicious casserole isn't going to hurt you that bad!" but it did.

It's a work in progress.  My skin problems didn't come up over night therefore will not go away over night!

Seriously... if you like the way my journal looks and thought to yourself "now that's what I need"... message me and we will create one for you.  It's simple really and I was able to print four days on one sheet of paper and simply fold and string them together with a piece of card stock as the cover.  Mine has enough room for 28 days.

I modeled my journal pages after the one I found HERE.

If you really want to read more about my skin you may do so HERE , and a little bit on my diet changes HERE.

In This Skin

Me and my spotted skin... here we go.  I live with psoriasis.  My psoriasis is called Guttate Psoriasis.  Red spots form on my skin anywhere they want to, without reason or timing or cause from anything I am doing.  The cells in my skin produce at a more rapid rate than they should.  I have been dealing with the red spots for about six years.  Before that I dealt with white spots or areas of my skin turning into white splotches which happened mainly when I would tan and mainly on my torso.  It was like my tan would peel off. This I can remember starting in my late teens to early twenties.  Whether the white spots are related to the red spots I don't know.  Doctor after dermatologist can't make it go away.  Items help and sometimes make it lighter but never go away completely.  I feel that I am in a lucky stage right now because the red spots are mainly on my shins, the white spots remain everywhere. 

 

The sad part to me is that this is the first year that I have actually thought about hiding it from people.  When you go from long pants and jeans, because of warmer weather, to shorts and skirts and the kids at day care ask about my owees and does it hurt.  The truth is that it does hurt at times and it does itch and I do want to hide it.  The good thing is that I do have ways to make it feel better and please believe me that I have tried remedy after remedy over the years.  When you have something like this, that is visible to everyone, you try everything from tar to vitamins to teas to sunlight to lotions to medicines.  One tube of cream from the pharmacy had a retail price of $860.00.  Yeah.. that is what I said... and it doesn't work... for me anyway. 

 

So there is my confession and here is what it looks like and what I use to calm it down and the best lotion that I have found to use.  I wanted to share because I know I am not the only one and you may have it or may know someone who is at their whits end and maybe something I show you that I use may help flare ups or itching.  Or maybe you have a suggestion for me that worked for someone you know. 

 

 

 

And what I use.

 

 

ugh this is as big as the picture gets.  If you can't see something let me know and I will help you find it.  I didn't include links to the products and for that I apologize.  I feel as if I have said enough.  Sometimes I let people in on the blog here before I would ever let anyone in in person.

And by the way, psoriasis is hereditary and supposedly can go into remission.  Here's hoping!

 

 



Homemade Lavender Face Toner

What is face toner you say?  Well, I use it as a skin refresher after I wash my face and take my make up off.  It helps to remove any left over make up that I missed while giving my skin a small dose of vitamin e and a light and wonderful scent.  I also use it before I put on my daily face lotion.

 

I first found face toner while shopping at the Turnip Truck in Nashville.  I had been in the market for a sort of astringent that wouldn't burn, meaning less alcohol, yet also had a nice scent and a refreshing feel.  The brand that I purchased there was Thayers.  I loved it!  When my toner ran out I thought of driving to Nashville or buying some online.  It was then that I checked the ingredients on the bottle and even though I didn't have any aloe vera and can't think of how to make it from my plants in an oil form (yet), I went to Fred's and bought what little ingredients I didn't already have.  I don't recall how much I gave for my lavender oil but I bet it was under six dollars.  The bottle of witch hazel was under two dollars and the vitamin e oil under two dollars.  Plus, once I settled on how much of everything to use, I can make bottle after bottle whenever I run out.  I even made some for the ladies in my family for Christmas this past year.  I mostly made lavender for them but added tea tree for the teenagers that might need a weapon for acne. 

 

Here is the printable recipe for my face toner.  Enjoy!  Let me know how you like it please!

Bottles with tops like these keep you from using too much.

Use a straw for a dropper if you don't have one.

Give er a good shake before each use too.

Use clear contact paper to stick on bottles.

Oh... just noticed I spelled lavender wrong!  Sorry fam!

Skinning and Cooking Quail and Feather Usage

I am pretty pumped about this.  This is my first video to make... ever.  I did guest star in a couple of videos that my nieces and nephew made that were pretty cool... here's one  .

This video is a little different as it shows the process of skinning a bird.  A Tennessee Bob White Quail to be exact.  Shaun has gone bird hunting a couple of times lately and I think it is interesting and could be useful to some. My loving husband is the demonstrator in the video and also the narrator.  If I only had actual video footage with the way he explains things.  You'd love it.  I tried to put it into his words as much as I could.

*Please excuse the imperfections on the breast.  One of the hunting dogs brought this one back and looks like she held it a little hard.*

After you skin and clean the quail, it needs to soak in a cold, salt water bath in the refrigerator at least over night.  After that, rinse off the legs and breast in water and dry them on paper towels.  In a bowl, add one egg and 1/4 cup milk and a few drops of Texas Pete hot sauce and stir rapidly with a fork until combined.  In a separate bowl, prepare a mixture of flour and add a bit of Butt Rub and black pepper or whatever kind of spices float your boat, but not too much... the quail is too fine to over spice.

Dredge breast and legs in egg mixture then toss in flour mixture and place on a plate or directly in to your skillet with about a quarter inch of hot fat or lard or oil.  Allow to cook turning after several minutes until brown all over.  The legs will be done before the breast.  The breast take about 15 minutes total time at medium heat.  You can also check their internal temperature to 160 degrees or just cut one open to check for doneness. 

Roll that beautiful Quail footage.

Throw some of the flour from the pre-fry into the skillet and work around with a whisk.  Then add milk and whisk while you pour.  Keep pouring until you get it to the right runny consistency to your likings. This'll be your gravy.  I use between a half cup and a cup depending on if it's just me and Shaun or if Otis stops by because he smelled the quail cooking at his house.  I swear I don't know how he knows but I am always willing to share.

You can also use the beautiful feather from the quail for just about any craft you can come up with.  This dream catcher necklace is what my niece Jessica made for us for Christmas.  She was smart to call me for feathers as I plucked these myself.  Aren't they gorgeous?