Tried and true

Don' t you hate it when something is hyped up and you get so excited to

 try it but it fails miserably to live up to your expectations?

Yeah, me too.  

You learn pretty quick on Pinterest that just because something says pinner 

said it was the best thing ever, it does not necessarily ring true.

Does that mean you shouldn't try it?

Heck no!

You should still try it for yourself, just know that it might bomb instead of being "the bomb" ;)

Today I thought I'd share some of my Pinterest successes with you.

~ From my "In the Kitchen" Board ~

Snickerdoodle Blondies

These babies were pretty delicious, must have been all that butter and sugar ;)

Substitute Greek Yogurt

I've substituted Greek yogurt for Mayo and sour cream so far and 

I tell ya, 

I don't miss them at all!

Baked Onion Dip

This one is from one of my favorite bloggers...Ruthie!  

I made it for 2 parties over the holidays and it went quick! 

Simple to make but oh so good...perfect!

~ From my Luscious Locks Board ~

Honey and Oil hair treatment

This made my hair so sleek and shiny.  

I do this about every 2-3 weeks.

Double Bun pin-up

This was one of my favorite ways to wear my hair when it was longer.
 Took only minutes to put up and looked totally put together,
that's what I need in the mornings!

~ From my Beauty Board ~

Clean your makeup brushes

It's one of those little science experiments where your grossed out by how dirty your brushes are
but you secretly like seeing how much gunk is coming out.

Oatmeal and Baking soda exfoliant

This works way better than the St. Ives exfoliating scrub I was using.
It leaved my skin feeling so soft!  But only leave it on for a minute like the site says
...cause it can start to burn a bit after that.

So there you have it.
Those are some of my tried and true pins.
Hope you may have found something useful to try!
Do you follow me on Pinterest? You can do so here.
I'd love to see what you're pinning!  Leave me your username!

*given the ending of GFC, I do hope you'll follow me on Bloglovin!

Linking up here today!

A little pampering does a mama good

We all know that as moms that we spend so much time being there for our husbands and children but that we really need to spend a little of that TLC on ourselves too.
This is so much easier said than done.  So many of us still let ourselves fall by the wayside.
But I'm slowly finding a way to pamper me a bit too.

I haven't spent much money or time on beauty for the majority of my life but in the past year I've become much more aware of putting a little effort into it.  To me when I feel pretty, it overflows into other areas of my life and my entire mood is just a bit more pleasant.  I find it easier to put on that smile and take the world head-on with a positive attitude.

And who couldn't use a little bit more of that huh?

So on my quest to actually put a little effort into myself,
I have found several blog resources that are extremely helpful. 
Unfortunately even with all this new found knowledge and inspiration, I still don't have much moolah

to devote to the cause.   But I'll take it one baby step at a time.
A new shirt here, a new hair tool there....

My favorite blog for hair inspiration
Miss Kate over at The Small Things blog

My favorite blog for fashion/style
Miss Anna at In Honor of Design

And of course Pinterest is a never-ending source of info for beauty tips.
Follow me here. 

And now I finally have somewhere 
to go for some make-up help.

About a month ago I attended my first organized "vendor sale"
and during that evening I had the pleasure to meet Melissa....a mother and entrepreneur,
a girl after my own heart if you will.  Well a few days later I received an email from her that I had won her giveaway that I entered.  I was thinking it may be a bottle of lotion or something when lo' and behold I won a hand treatment, spring makeover, and a $20 gift certificate!
I was completely floored!  

I needed a little pampering....like BAD.  

So Hubsy offered to occupy the boys so I could get my "girl" on.
I was afraid Melissa might be a little turned off because I wanted to
post about the makeover but she was totally cool about letting me take a few pictures,
even if I was struggling with the self timer ;)

Meet Melissa, my new Independent Beauty Consultant with Mary Kay!

Setting up

I got a fantastic hand treatment that left my hands feeling so smooth but not greasy at all.

I got to try the entire Mary Kay TimeWise skin care system.  It's time to face it girls, I'm at "THAT" age where I really need to be taking care of my skin.  And can I just say my face felt FAB-U-LOUS!  What a difference it made, I can only imagine what it will feel like after weeks of using it.  

My beauty routine is so basic it's almost comical.  Not that this system is complicated in any way, 

the coolest part is that each step is made to build upon the others.  

No washing in between.  Talk about quick!

Feeling cheesy in front of the camera

She also helped me branch out into some other colors of eye-liner, blush and lip gloss.  And one of my favorite items was the Cream Eye Color which Melissa said is like a primer for 

your eye make-up but can also be worn alone.  

Versatility? Yes please.

Matching my skin tone

It was so much fun to actually have someone knowledgeable to talk to one-on-one about my skin and make-up routine.  And Melissa was so patient and helpful with all my questions.

Needless to say, I'm realizing that you get what you pay for and my usual regime is pretty crappy.  

Why not invest in my face?  After all,  it's the only one I'm going to have.

Feeling a bit sassy after my makeover :)

If you would like to talk to Melissa about any of the wonderful Mary Kay products or 

about how she can help you too, please contact her below.  She can help you no matter where you live.  And if you happen to be in the Pittsburgh area, she can schedule a one-on-one with you too :)

Check out her website!
Melissa Rorabaugh
mrorabaugh@marykay.com

Her website is awesome, there's even a virtual makeover tool, lots of tips, and of course info about all their amazing products.

Thanks Melissa for introducing me to Mary Kay products but also for treating me
to such a wonderful and much needed makeover!

And now I encourage you to take a little time to pamper yourself....

even if its in baby steps like me :)

Don't let all the "stuff" of life drain you.  
As women we tend to take care of everyone else first.   
When you take care of yourself, it's so much easier to take care of everyone else.

Please make sure you are taking some time for yourself, you'll be so glad you did.

Call me Blessed 

Favorite Things Friday

A few things I'm loving these days....

1. My Bodycology fragrance mist in Coconut Lime.  My husband says I smell like a Pina Colada.  I can think of worse things...I bought this on a clearance shelf at Wal-Mart ~ love it!  Light and fresh!

2.  My new Target Mossimo sandals.  I wear them constantly now.  They seem to go with everything and are so comfy!

3. This Feta and Poppyseed Salad....perfect for spring.  Mixed greens, feta cheese, sunflower seeds, raisins, and poppyseed dressing.  Can you say delicious!?!

4.  This song by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.  I love the raw sound of her voice.

5.  Handpicked flowers from my boys.  Buttercups and columbine...they bring such cheer to the house and a bright smile to my face.

6.  These pretty little lace mirrors from  Sunny Inspirations on Etsy.
I may be getting quite a few of these to have on hand for gifts.  Love them!  So dainty and perfect for your purse.

7.  This T-Shirt from Neena Creates on Etsy.
I love the romance of all her items...check out her shop!

What are you loving?

Finding Joy

The jury's still out.....

So here's my new hair...hmmm...just not sure.

Haven't decided what I think yet. Those of you that know me know my hair is usually some version of "short" or "even shorter" but now I am trying to grow my hair out long.  Yep, I'm one of those gals that is never completely happy with my hair.  It's just so thin and lifeless.  In a way I am resolved to it I guess.   I usually keep it short to maximize the "lift" but I recently decided to give longer hair a try again.   Knowing that my hair would just hang sadly, I thought a body wave may help give me bit more volume.  Enough to pull off a longer style.  I delayed a haircut for 6 months just to get it this long so I could get the body wave!  It's far from long yet but it really couldn't wait any longer.

These styles are more along the lines of what I'm going for but I'm starting to think the only way to get this kind of hair is to have a personal stylist work some magic while I sit in a elevated chair for hours sipping coffee and reading a magazine like the celebs!

The length will come in due time (if I can be that patient!) but how to get these lovely relaxed waves....hmmm.  Mine are tighter and more frizzy looking.  Through no fault of my stylist however.  I was thankfully forewarned that I would need to go for a tighter curl if I wanted it to last longer than a week.  No way am I going every other week to get this look.  I'd have to get a second job!  What I am loving about it is the ease to style it...just scrunch and go!

 So, any tips out there on how to get less frizzy curls?  Maybe a styling tip or a particular hair product?