My Beauty Tips

Life is Good: I have everything I need

If you read this post's title and laughed at the thought of me giving beauty tips, then we are kindred spirits! ; ) Right now, with a 2, 5, and 8 year-old, I am lucky to wash my face in the shower each day. I don't know the latest wrinkle cream, youth serum, or natural rejuvenator. Right now, I am just too tired at the end of the day to do anything more to my face than let it hit the pillow. I regret that each morning when I look in the mirror. But I forget that part by the end of the day! Ha!

So, for now, these are my beauty tips...

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Easy Snowman Cheeseball Recipe

Life is Good: and cheesy!

While I was under the weather, I spent some time looking at what was "Pinteresting". I also downloaded what seemed to be MILLIONS of photos!

Here are some scenes from Christmas:

Our annual pics in front of the fireplace of stockings. My mom made a stocking out of felt for everyone in the family. I've lost count...they've totally taken over. 

Yes, you might notice we have one little Santa missing. You must be lightning fast to photograph our 2-year old these days!

Lego Nexo Knights were the big hit of our holiday.

The Lego art wall at Kansas City's Legoland Discovery Center included an homage to Princess Leia. We visited a day or two after the passing of Carrie Fisher. 

Here's a peek along the highway. Somewhere between Minnesota and Iowa...

And the only snow we saw on Christmas...my snowman cheeseball! Quite possibly, the easiest cheeseball recipe ever! Just blend together a softened block of cream cheese, two cups of shredded cheese (I prefer sharp cheddar for this, but I used mozzarella so that I could make it into a snowman), and 1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch salad dressing seasoning. Then, spray your (clean) hands with Pam spray (so that the cheese doesn't stick to them) and divide the mixture into three portions: one large, one medium, and one small. Roll each portion into a ball and place on a platter. In my case, I didn't have a large platter to use (all of my mom's had food on them!) so I made the balls all the same size. Add craisins for the eyes and raisins or olives for the buttons. I cut a small piece of orange bell pepper for the nose. You could also use a baby carrot. If you wanted, you could use a strip of a flat fruit snack to make a scarf or a hat. Add crackers and you're ready for a winter party!

This is a garlicky, salty cheeseball. I like it that way, but if you need to, you can double the cream cheese (2 blocks) and shredded cheese (4 cups) to lessen the flavor of salt and garlic. 

Happy Holidays!

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Life is Good: I'm feeling better!

Admittedly, I don't usually admit to being sick. (See what I did there? wink!) But this past month really threw me for a loop and so, the past couple of days, our last ones of winter break, I have been trying to spend more time resting. It was a bit easier to do this since the kids had lots of new toys to keep them busy! ; ) But of course, I was bummed that we didn't do some of the fun cooking & art activities that I had planned. Next weekend!

So while I was attempting to lounge, I caught up on some reading and visited my old friend, Pinterest.  Here are a few things I pinned:

A whole lotta Valentine's Day school party craft ideas. Like this one: 

And you know I love me some QUOTES! ; )

There are a ton of great quotes on this site.

I've also been pinning a bunch of Lego builds like this one. Because they occupy our world so much now, we might as well change our last name to Lego!

And of course I'm pinning ideas for a trip to London with the kiddos, organizational stuff, and recipes I want to try to convert to eggless. If you want to see everything I've been pinning, just go here! 

How to Sleep Well

Life is Good: rest easily

The first day of the new year is in the books!

How to Make 2017 a Happy New Year

Life is Good: we are a fresh lump of clay ready to become anything!

Since we are a house full of sickies, I was perusing the interwebs last night and found this gem. I think it is perfect for the first day of a new year.

My wish and my prayer for any eyes that fall upon this post is that 2017 is filled with joy, good health, and peace. GLYASDI.

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What to do on New Year's Eve when you are sick and have kids

Life is Good: new beginnings are great

I admit it. I'm sick. After taking a round of antibiotics for a bacterial lung infection, double ear infection, sinus infection, and pleurisy (ouch!), I caught a virus while traveling to KS for Christmas. Sigh. Not to mention that Grant caught the same bug and so did our Big Kid. So we canceled our babysitter. I just ordered pizza. And it's going to be an early night for everyone (with hopes of waking up to 2017 with renewed energy!).

But not before I do one thing. Not before I get rid of the junk of 2016. 

I tend to hold on to stuff. Emotions. Experiences. Memories. And not just the good ones. I've been told many times that I am an empath. I don't know if that's exactly it, but I do know that when I feel, I feeeeeeeeel. And I've come to accept that when you live with your heart wide open, you feel all the beautiful feelings with incredible glory. And it is uh-mazing. But it also means that you feel the sad stuff, too, with depth. But for me, it's worth it. I would not give up the undefinable, no word really describes it energy that I get from smiles and laughter and love...for anything. 

But as I grow, I know that I need to find better ways of dealing with the depth of sadness, guilt, and regret that comes along with feeling so fully.

An idea came to me about a month ago from out of the blue (thanks, God) and I'm determined to do it. Tonight, I wrote the things from 2016 that caused me sadness or pain, the things that drained me emotionally, on pieces of paper. The people who weren't kind, the friends who let me down, the clients who didn't appreciate me, the mistakes, the failures, the disappointments, the negativity, and the pain of loss. And I put those things written on pieces of paper into a glass jar. I turned the lid on the jar tightly. And I said goodbye. Goodbye to all of those not so great things that took up space in my heart. So that I might have more room for the joy of 2017. 

So here's to letting go. Here's to release. Here's to joy! Happy 2017!

Music for Two Year Olds

Life is Good: Thanks to Taylor Swift and Amazon Prime

Our two-year old is utterly bored with me and I am sweating & panting from chasing him throughout the house. He's our own little weapon of mass destruction. I mean, wild child. I mean, spirited child. I mean, cherub. Yes, he's a sweet little cherub. Right now. Because, today, how we are keeping the moment pleasant is with Baby Rockstar: Taylor Swift. 

And, breathe.