Sharing my tips and things I have learned about living and beauty -- inside and out! I believe in living life to the fullest and being the best that you can be.
Optional: chicken, chopped (I
use Trader Joe’s Just Chicken)
Sauce
2 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp canned coconut milk
1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp peanut butter
1 garlic clove
1 Tbsp reallime juice
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
Topping
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
1/4 cup freshly chopped
cilantro
Combine sauce ingredients
together in a bowl.
Add in chicken, carrots,
edamame and green onions, stirring to combine. Taste and season with a little
salt and pepper if needed. Top with peanuts and cilantro.
I realized that I was using a bit of everything and not using up anything. I decided to start this Use Up Back-up Stash (B.U.S.) for 2 reasons:
1) to make me organize/inventory what I have 2) to make me aware of how much I have
This is not a no-buy as I can buy whatever I want but, it has to go into the Back-Up Stash. I have to use something up before I can bring something out of the B.U.S.
These products do NOT include what is in my regular stash and current rotation and I have kept out a lot! That means I have to use up at least 1 item in order to pull out an equivalent item from the B.U.S.
B.U.S. Inventory for Make-Up Products as of July 2014 (with 4 pictures/videos to hold me accountable!)
Foundations NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat Powder Foundation Milani Cream to Powder Make-U Warm Beige Neutrogena Healthy Skin in Nude Bourjois Healthy Mix in Light Beige Revlon Colorstay Combination Oily Skin 250 Fresh Beige Revlon Age Defying 30 Spice Beige Revlon Age Defying 20 Soft Beige E.L.F. Foundation in Porcelain E.L.F. Foundation in Porcelain NYX Invincible in Porcelain Cover Girl + Olay 225 Rimmel Lasting Finish 100 Ivory Rimmel Lasting Finish 200 Soft Beige CoverGirl Smoothers Buff Beige CoverGirl Smoothers Creamy Beige CoverGirl 3-in-1 Buff Beige Palladio Wet & Dry Foundation Cypress Beige Hard Candy Glow All The Way Glamazon Bronze
Bronzers, Powders & Highlighters E.L.F. Bronzer St Lucia E.L.F. Bronzer Turks & Caicos E.L.F. Bronzer Warm Wet N Wild Starlight Bronzer Rimmel Bronzer Sunlight Physician's Formula Youth Wear Powder Beige Jordana Forever Flawless Powder Creamy Beige Milani Multitasking Powder Tan Wet N Wild Reserve Your Cabana
Face Primers & Concealers 2 x Monistat Chafing Powder Gel E.L.F. Mineral Face Primer Garnier Anti Dark Circle Concealer E.L.F. Corrector in Yellow 2 x NYC Coverstick in Light Maybelline Age Rewind in Fair NYC Concealer in Light Maybelline FitMe Concealer Essence Cream Concealer
Mascara Brows & Liners 25 Eyeliner Pencils 4 Liquid Eyeliners 3 Eye Primers 8 Mascaras 4 Gel Eyeliners 5 Eyebrow Pencils 2 x Milani Brow Powders 2 Jordana Eye Shadows NYX Blush in Taupe Maybelline Shadow in Linen Maybelline Shadow in Champagne Fizz 2 x Wet N Wild Shadows in Nutty Wet N Wild Egyptian Sands Eyeshadow Wet N Wild Cool As A Cucumber Eyeshadow Jordana Eye Pencil in Eternal White NYX Eye Pencil in Milk 2 x E.L.F. Under Eye Primer Maybelline Eyeshadow Primer Essence I♥Stage Eyeshadow Primer Jordana Eyeshadow Primer
I realized that I was using a bit of everything and not using up much of anything. I decided to start this Use Up Back-up Stash (B.U.S.) for 2 reasons:
1) to make me organize/inventory what I have 2) to make me aware of how much I have
This is not a no-buy as I can buy whatever I want but, it has to go into the Back-Up Stash. I have to use something up before I can bring something out of the B.U.S.
These products do NOT include what is in my regular stash and current rotation and I have kept out a lot! That means I have to use up at least 1 item in order to pull out an equivalent item from the B.U.S.
B.U.S. Inventory for Face & Hair Products as of July 2014 (with 2 videos to hold me accountable!)
Shower Body Products
2 x Caress Passionate Spell Body Wash
Bliss Blood Orange Body Wash
Philosophy Hazelnut Espesso Body Wash
Bliss Blood Orange Sugar Scrub
Trader Joe's Lavender Salt Scrub
Yardley Oatmeal & Almond Soap
Hair Shower Products
Vatika Olive Hair Oil
Suave Almond & Shea Butter Shampoo
and Infusion Conditioner
2 x Shimmering Lights Brunette &
Red Shampoo 16 oz
This month’s Ipsy Bag came in an
adorable pink faux leather bag with scalloped edges.
I got a Pur-Lisse Sunscreen. I prefer my spray sunscreens so will be giving this to a friend.
Faith Aeromatherapy Citrus Ginger Body Lotion this smells really nice (although the ginger sort of smells like a household cleaning product lol!)
A Bare Minerals 5-in-1 Cream Eyeshadow this is an interesting product that I was interested to try. It goes on very nicely
Pop Beauty Sunkissed BronzerI love bronzers so am very excited about this product! I immediately tried this on and it is very pigmented and with a big fluffy brush makes a beautiful bronze color. I think I will really enjoy this product.
Tints & Sass Lip & Cheek Stain - I have never tried a stain product so was super happy to get this. I tried it on my lips and my cheeks. It stained very nicely but, personally I would still layer blush or lipstick over top. I won't use it on my lips as it is quite drying but, I will use it up on my cheeks. Still, fun to try something new.
Overall, I was super happy with what I got and thought it was more than worth the $10. It is always fun to try new products and this definitely gets me doing that :-)
Grieving is such a difficult uncomfortable emotion. We just want it done! Unfortunately, there is no quick way through it but, it does help to understand what to expect and some coping mechanisms.
Rebuilding by Bruce Fisher http://bit.do/DrvC On Death & Dying by Elizabeth Kiebler Ross http://bit.do/Drv5
Smiley’s Yarns is a great site
for ordering reasonably priced yarn. I order a
lot of my yarn for baby blanket and scarf yarns from them and wanted to share this site with
all knitters and spinners out there http://www.smileysyarns.com/
I immensely grateful to all the soldiers who have served to protect our freedom. I also want to acknowledge the many children out there who are fighting battles and are also heroes.
My 14 year old niece was
diagnosed last December with leukemia (she was 13 then). She is very strong and upbeat and absolutely
amazing through all of her grueling treatments.
She has made it her mission to educate people about leukemia. Below is a speech that she gave to her class at school (30 people) and then again at a fundraiser (100 people):
I just wanted to thank all of you for your support and
all that you have done for me and my family in these past 5 months. It has
meant so much to me. All of your support has kept me going and kept me strong.
I thought I
would take this time to fill you in a little bit about my type of leukemia, the
treatment I've been receiving, and my experience so far.
Did you know that the body is made up of trillions of
living cells? Just one of my cells developed wrong….just one. And it changed my
entire life. Imagine playing hockey 4 times a week, doing boxing, plus being in
school sports. Now imagine your doctor telling you that you have cancer. Seems
unbelievable, right?
As most of you know, in December of 2013, I was
diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. This is the most common type of
childhood cancer. Leukemia is caused by immature white blood cells continuously
multiplying and overproducing in the bone marrow. When the doctors discovered
my leukemia, it had taken over 84% of my bone marrow.
When I received
the news, I couldn't breathe. I thought to myself…this can't be real? Honestly,
I half laughed-half cried, because it seemed so unbelievable. Before I even had
a chance to think, the doctor told me I would begin chemotherapy in 2 days.
Chemotherapy? I had heard of it before, but I had no idea what it was all
about, but I knew I would soon find out.
The chemotherapy treatment I'm getting is given in
cycles. The cycles are induction, consolidation, interim maintenance, delayed
intensification, and maintenance is the final cycle. I know most of you
probably have no idea what that means. When I first heard about these cycles it
sounded like a foreign language to me too. It will take about two and a half
years to complete all these cycles.
During my course of treatment I will be given 10
different kinds of chemotherapy drugs because each drug destroys cells in a
different way. Unfortunately many healthy cells are damaged by the chemo which
can cause side effects. The side effects I have experienced so far are joint
pain, mouth sores, muscle weakness, headaches, nausea, and hair loss. My hair
used to be very long and beautiful. I really miss it, but come on, I'm rocking
this hairdoo don't you think?
A cycle of chemotherapy includes a rest period to
allow the body to build healthy new cells before the next treatment. I can tell
you from experience that chemotherapy is not an easy thing to go through. There
have been times that chemo has kicked my butt, I'm not going to lie. I've felt
pretty weak and tired, sometimes barley able to walk half a block without
feeling like I just ran a mile. I've had nausea and a couple of wicked
headaches that have landed me in the ER, but I have also have had some good
times where I have felt strong, had energy, and have been able to do stuff with
my friends.
Never in a million years did I think I would be where
I am today. Sometimes when I think about it, my brain still tells me it's a
joke. Hearing the words "I have cancer" come out of my mouth doesn't
feel right. It doesn't sound right, but
I have come to realize that when
a difficult time is thrown at you,
it is important to stay strong and remain optimistic. When you think
about it….I really only have 2 choices. I can either remain optimistic and get
through this…. or I can sulk and make the experience harder for myself. So…I
have chosen to be optimistic.
I have realized
that cancer can just be a word if I let it be.
Of course there are times that I have been scared, but
I know that I will come out of this stronger than I ever have and ever would
have been.
I will not let
this experience break me, because I am stronger than Cancer. I will never give
up, because I know in my heart that extraordinary things happen to
extraordinary people.
Thank you again for all of your support.
You can see her beautiful spirit in her smile
Liv with her hockey team
She either learned from her "YouTube Aunt" and/or she needs her own YouTube Channel. Isn't this make-up look stunning?!
