Summer Nails for 2013 and Other Ways to Brighten Your Life

Proverbs 15:13

A glad heart makes a cheerful face...

That's right, there's nothing more beautiful than a glowing smile brought on by pure happiness in your heart. I might even go as far as saying that we may not need to wear makeup if we felt so much joy on the inside. Of course, I'd still wear mine *wink*! 

Try to find little ways to add "pops of color" into your every day lives and the lives of others. It could be calling up a friend for lunch, doing an unexpected favor for someone or writing a sweet note telling someone how you feel. Go outside, lift your arms up to the sky and look at the beauty God has created in this world. That alone should put a smile on your face. And while you're doing that, take a peek at your fabulous nails against that gorgeous blue sky!

 

What better way to celebrate the arrival of Summer than treating yourself to a pop of color on your fingers and toes?

We can't all afford a fabulous new wardrobe every time the seasons change, but you can update your looks affordably with some chic nail polish. These are my personal picks for Summer 2013:

Ciate in Big Yellow Taxi  $15 Nordstrom.com

Essie in Bottle Service $8 online or at Walgreens

Maybelline Color Show in Tenacious Teal $2.99 anywhere that sells Maybelline

Zoya in Sharon $9 zoya.com 

When it comes to color these days, it seems like none of them are out of style and you can change your nail colors as much as you change your moods. I mean, we are female, are we not? Try something daring, or go with a different shade of an old standby. No matter what, have fun with it!

Nutella Popsicles + A Word on Patience

“Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them– every day begin the task anew.”  ~ Francis de Sales

This quote really hits home for me. It's important that if you have a goal in mind, that every day you take one step closer to achieving it. Don't look too far ahead or the task may seem too big. That makes it so much easier to give up. Instead, take it one day at a time. The days will pass whether you do it or not. It only takes 17 days to create a habit and before you know it, you will look back and say, look what I've accomplished! And if you fall one day, you get back up and do it all over the next day. It CAN be done!! It's a lot easier to be patient when you're working towards something, rather than waiting for it to happen.

Speaking of patience, have you ever sat around waiting for popsicles to freeze? That's practically what I did today. I couldn't wait to show you all the Nutella Popsicles I made. 

By the way, if you like the taste of Nutella, but find it too rich, you will LOVE these popsicles. If you are already an all-around Nutella lover, you shall remain one. 

I was inspired by this recipe, doubled it, and instead of using full fat milk, I used 1%. They came out deliciously amazing! Here's what you'll need:

 

A bowl, 2/3 cup of Nutella, 2 cups of milk, a popsicle mold and a blender.

You can use any milk you'd like. Coconut milk would be delicious, and soy milk would work just as well. Blend the two ingredients together and pour into the mold. The mold I purchased is by Norpro and I got it on Amazon(my home away from home).

 

Stick it in the freezer and wait....tick, tock, tick, tock. Try and find something productive to do. Don't spend all day wiggling the sticks to see if they're set yet! Not that I know anyone who would do such a thing(eh hem).

Once they're set you get this:

These looked so delicious, I had to take a bite before I took a picture. I'd pick these over store-bought fudgesicles any day!

Cake Pushpops You Will Love + Advice on Prayer

                  P.U.S.H.

                  Pray

                  Until

                  Something

                  Happens

How many of us only pray when bad things happen, or when things simply aren't going our way? How many of us don't pray at all because we either think we won't receive an answer, or we don't have to time to wait for one?

By the way, whether it's quick or not, God answers prayer. This is something I am 100% sure of. I know this because I've received answers to my prayers numerous times and I used to be a "prayer skeptic." The truth is, God has his own timing. We have to be patient. Just know that whatever the answer is and whenever He gives it, it is the RIGHT answer! I've waited years for some of my prayers to be answered, and some of mine have been answered within minutes. You have to trust Him! He knows what's best for you, and no matter how hard you try to control everything in your life, He is truly The One in control. So, my advice to you is that you keep praying and pray often! Praying doesn't have to be kneeling by the side of your bed, either. You can have a constant dialogue with Him in your head. Just mean it. Pray with all of your heart. Let Him know you love Him and let Him know about all of the things you are thankful for. After that, all you have to do is LISTEN. 

So, along with our P.U.S.H. theme, we have something that has hit Pinterest by storm.

Cake pushpops! How cute are these? The best part is, you can experiment with so many flavors, ice creams, cakes, frostings...anything! Just search for "cake pushpops" on Pinterest and be amazed. Ours are chocolate cake(box) with this amazing peanut butter frosting. When I say amazing, I mean OUT OF THIS WORLD and yes, it includes an entire stick of butter.

Here's how we did it. First, we bought the containers on Amazon.com. These were $8 for 6 pushpop containers. You can buy bigger lots and save money, if you so choose. These would be GREAT for a party!

Mix your cake according to your recipe, or in our case, the directions on the box. Find a sheet pan with sides and bake. Our cake only took 20 minutes to bake this way, so keep your eye on it!

Make your frosting. Once your cake has completely cooled(cooling is important!!), punch out circles using the pushpop container.

Assemble your cake pops by alternating cake and icing. Ours ended perfectly with cake so we could ice the tops nice and high. Also, we used piece of styrofoam to work these. So much easier than holding them.

There you have it! It's THAT easy! We decorated ours with a tiny Reese's Peanut Butter Cup on top.

Enjoy!

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!