Keeping Productive + 3 Summer Makeup Must-Haves

               Proverbs 10:5 NIV

              He who gathers crops in the summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during
              harvest is a disgraceful son.

How many people sit around all summer long waiting for the next school year? A lot! Well, instead of watching TV and being inside all day, you should get out and be active! Maybe you could go to the beach, go swimming or go on walks! Make sure you get lots of exercise and stay healthy!

You know, The Bible says a lot about harvesting but the only way you can really harvest is if you're an actual farmer. But, maybe you should change your perspective. There are other ways to harvest, too! Like in your community. How about going to a neighbor's house to see if they need help mowing their yard or other projects with their home? Don't be afraid to help other people!You'd be amazed at how good it feels. Below we have 3 summer makeup must-haves, but there really is nothing like the natural glow you get from serving others.

Summers in Louisiana are HOT. It's pretty pointless to put on a full face of makeup during the summer months because it practically melts off of your face! Here are the only 3 products you'll need to look great this summer whether you're spending it at the beach, on a walk or helping in your community!

1) Great Lash Waterproof Mascara in Very Black- Waterproof mascara is a must during the summer. It keeps your eyes looking fresh and alert all day, and you can swim and not worry about it dripping down your face. This stuff stays put. Don't forget to use an eye makeup remover before bed to get it off!

2) Garnier Skin Renew Oil Free BB Cream in Light/Medium- If you haven't tried BB cream yet, it is a must! It has tinted moisturizer and sunscreen in it! It corrects imperfections in the skin AND protects you from the sun. The coverage is great and this one is oil free, so if you're prone to oily skin in the summer you won't have to worry about it.

3) Any lightly tinted lip balm, but we chose Revlon Colorburst Lipbutter in Sweet Tart. It moisturizes your lips and adds a bit of shine and color.

You can do this look in 5 minutes or less and look great like me! Who doesn't want more time at the beach anyway?

The Ties That Bind: An Easy, Affordable Tutorial for Colorful Hair Elastics

Romans 12:10 NIV

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 

For me, this verse is the epitome of family. The ties and the bonds of a family. The mutual respect. The love. God has hand picked our families for us. What greater thanks can we give Him for these gifts other than love and mutual respect for each other?

These elastic hair ties are all the rage in hair accessories at the moment. They don't leave the dreaded dent that other hair ties do, and they don't put your hair out of your head once you take them out. Wait until you see how easy (and cheap!) these are to make. 

First, find an online retailer that sells the elastic. We buy ours from here. Look for the 5/8" elastic for this project. You can make 4 hair ties per yard. 

Cut your elastic 9" long.

Fold elastic in half.

Pinch folded elastic(cut side facing you) with your thumb and forefinger. Knot elastic by pulling bottom part over your thumb.

It will look like this.

Snip end with very sharp scissors on a diagonal. TIP: These will fray. Either use a lighter and gently swipe the flame across the edge(adults should do this part) OR use a product such as Fray Check to prevent fraying.

There you have it! You can make set of these and put them on cardboard if you'd like to sell them. Grace and I did this and added faithful words with stamps to the cardboard so they could be sold. Have fun with this! You can make headbands too! Just cut the elastic to 21" and follow the rest of the directions. By the way, these look exceptionally fabulous on the ends of braids.

Birthday Baking Traditions + A Zebra-Print Cake Almost Too Cute to Eat

Ecclesiastes 11:8  NIV

"However many years a man may live, let him enjoy them all."

It's that time of year for us! The month of May. This year we have two birthdays, Mother's Day and a high school graduation.

When I first became a part of this family, I wanted to incorporate all sorts of my own traditions into it. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. Now I see importance of making new traditions when you're part of a blended family. So, when it comes to celebrating Grace's (now almost 14) and Sarah's (just turned 18) birthdays, that's exactly what I did. Every year, I ask them what kind of cake they want me to make them. It can be absolutely anything. We've done basic cakes, rainbow cakes and a few different cheesecakes so far. I do it because I love them, but I would be lying if I didn't mention how much joy baking brings me too.

Sarah's birthday has passed (I made her a chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake and will save that for another post), but Grace's approaches. Tonight she has six of her closest friends spending the night. In fact, they've painted designs all over their faces because they're about to play flashlight tag in our backyard. I believe this is the part where I hear their joyous high pitched screams. Anyway, this birthday, Grace asked me to make her a zebra striped cake. So I perused Pinterest, as I almost always do, and came across this.

I usually bake everything from scratch, but I must admit that I was nervous about this one. I was worried my cake would turn out marbled rather than zebra. I didn't want to put the extra effort into a scratch cake if I wasn't going to be 100% happy with it. Plus, it's a great time saver! A couple of boxes of cake mix and an unbelievably delicious Martha Stewart frosting recipe later, I got this!

Let's just say, not only did we celebrate a sweet young lady's birthday, but we celebrated the zebra surprise inside this teal beauty. The gasps from the other girls made me giddy. It actually worked!

Baking a Zebra-Print Cake

1. Take a box each of white cake mix and devil's food cake and mix according to the directions on the packages. Put each mix in a separate pourable container. I used Pyrex liquid measuring cups.

2. In two greased round cake pans, starting from the center, pour a bit of white cake mix into the center of each pan. Next, pour the chocolate cake mix into the center of the white you just poured. Keep doing this until your cake pans are half full. They will appear to have rings in the alternating colors.

3. Bake (according to directions or recipe) and cool your cakes. Once cooled, I level them with a serrated knife.

4. Now it's time to decorate your cake. I used Wilton's gel icing colors in blue and green and the above mentioned recipe to create this teal frosting.

5. Slice and be amazed! It really is that easy!

Well, I should go finish my slice and there's more celebrating to be had.  Remember to enjoy each day that God has blessed you with and maybe do a little something for someone else to help them enjoy theirs.

Bake a cake. Share a slice.

Through His Eyes {Natural Eye Shadow Tutorial}

Psalm 139:13-16  NIV

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

It is so comforting to know that God knew every detail about us before we were born. He knew the count of every hair on our heads, the color of our eyes, the curves of our noses and the emotions of our hearts. It's important to know that God loves each of us and through His eyes, we are all beautiful.

As women, we're notorious for spending a lot of time putting on makeup, getting our hair done and shopping for the latest outfits. We love that stuff, but we are also the hardest on ourselves when it comes to our appearance. That's why, when you're having a bad hair day, or obsessing over the size of your thighs, you need to remember this:

This is the way God made you. You are beautiful in his eyes. Magazines and the television are not the definition of beauty. God's love for every detail of you is. That being said, it doesn't mean we shouldn't do things for ourselves that boost our self confidence.

Grace is turning 14 years old next week. She loves looking on Pinterest at the latest eye makeup tutorials and is always asking me to help her. Hank and I let her start wearing makeup last year, but we had limitations. She was only allowed to wear powder, mascara and lip gloss. Today, I decided it was ok for her to start wearing eye makeup, as long as it's appropriate for daytime. The below tutorial shows you an every day look that's perfect for school, work or a walk in the park.

Products: Wet 'N Wild Coloricon Trio in Walking on Eggshells, Covergirl Clump Crusher in 805 Black, and any eyeliner of your choice. Since Grace is blonde, we chose a deep brown.

1. Apply the browbone color(off white) from the Wet 'N Wild set under the brow bone and in the inner corners of the eyes.

2. Apply the eyelid color(pink brown) over the eyelids and into crease.

3. Apply the crease color(dark brown) on the outer corners of the eyelid and in the crease. Blend with a fluffy brush up towards brow bone.

4. Add brown eyeliner on the top eyelash line. With a skinny brush(eyeliner brush will work) line the lower lash line with the crease color. Do not line with eyeliner.

5. Apply mascara to the top lashes only to make them look big and gorgeous!

That's it! Enjoy your easy new look and remember that YOU are beautiful inside and out!