April Birchbox...fashionably late

I actually lost misplaced my April box, but found it this week while looking for something else.  It totally figures, and I never did find what I was searching for either.  I will be the first to admit that I am lacking in the organizational skill department, and seldom put things where they belong.  Unfortunately, this is a very frustrating flaw, but finding things that I lost can also be quite exciting because I get to enjoy it for the first second..or third (or more) time all over again...

MicrodermaMitt body mitt works harder than your usual washcloth to get rid of dead skin and dirt. You'll have smoother, healthier skin. Plus, it helps prevent razor bumps and ingrown hairs.  The mitt is made of all-natural floss silk.  MicrodermaMitt’s exfoliating body mitt removes all forms of pore-clogging gunk, from product residue to expired skin cells. Plus, its buffing action encourages collagen production, leading to healthier skin over time.  I love exfoliating, and this has become my new bff!!

This was an item that went out in a lot of Teen Vogue boxes, so I was pretty excited to find it in my April box since I missed out on the Teen Vogue box a few months ago.  Tarte lip surgence lip tint goes on semi-sheer..the color is Peaceful, which is a beige toned neutral tint.  You can layer on several coats for buildable color.  It is very smooth - almost like a moisturizer.  I'm not too crazy about this color, but I really like the concept.  No sharpener is needed.  When the tip runs low all you have to do is twist the bottom and it sharpens itself.

Yu-Be moisturizing skin cream is in the tube with the orange top. According to BBox it is popular in Japan, and something that mountain climbers use to protect their skin while scaling mountains.  It smells horrible, but it is a fab moisturizer.  You can use it from head to toe...even on your lips. I like to put it on my dry, thirsty cuticles, and it works very well.

The clear tube contains Maurla oil....Omega rich pure Maurla oil has magic anti-aging powers.  Over the long term, it will firm skin and boost elasticity. Marula oil also has a host of natural healing properties, from soothing redness to fading scars. It reduces the look of existing wrinkles, from pesky crow’s feet to the parentheses marks around your lips.  It has a very nice scent, and can be used alone, or on top of a lotion.

Wonderstruck is Taylor Swift's perfume. I ordered a sample back in December when I bought it for my niece for Christmas.  It has a very subtle floral scent.  I happen to really like it.

I was pretty pleased with this simple little box.  My favorite item in it is, of course, the Microderma Mitt.  Love it!!  I hope you all are still enjoying your boxes!

Thanks for stopping by...

Stay tuned for my May box..this is starting to feel a little like a Birchbox marathon..

 Fun!

Carrie

High Five for Friday

Hello, my friends!!  Can you believe that after today there is only one more Friday in the month of May?!  This week was absolutely beautiful..we had perfect weather..plenty of sunshine, and it wasn't super hot.  My morning and evening walks were pleasant, and I even took a little dip in the pool.

Trey walked home from school one day, while I planted some flowers in my Mom and Dad's pool yard.  The upside to planting flowers by the pool...is..well...of course, the pool!

As soon as Trey got home from school he asked if he could take a little dipster in the pool...It was a little cold, but he wouldn't admit it.  He was a real trooper..a real cold one, but still!

Anyone that knows me well knows that I heart pancakes!!  Seriously, sometimes I crave them so much, and usually can fight the urge, but this week I found a homemade buttermilk pancake recipe, and I couldn't resist the urge...I just so happened to have gone to the grocery and bought some buttermilk this week...it was for another recipe, but what are the odds....it was a sign..it was like a higher power - more like my subconscious telling me to do it, do it..you can walk farther this weekend and drink more water, but puhlease make the pancakes - just do it!!...So, I felt that the best thing for me to do at the time was to listen...I didn't want to disappoint my subconscious.

I totally caved!!

** This is the bloggers picture..my pancakes never turn out pretty..they are always a hot mess...no pun intended.

They were so good, but totally not worth it.  Later today I will totally regret it because I will be bloated and feel gross.  You can pin the pancake recipe by clicking here.




My husband and my son let me sleep in on Mother's Day...they didn't really let me..I just did it anyway!  I must have been in la la land because they had to wake me up around 9:00 A.M. They made me close my eyes and walk into the kitchen where they surprised me with cards, fresh flowers, breakfast, and they had even gone to the grocery store for me...all before I woke up.  How sweet are they!! They love me..they really love me, and I am very blessed!!

Since, summer is right around the corner I have been wanting to tan.  In reality it would take me until the end of the summer to reach my desired color if I chose to use the sun as my only means of tanning.  Since I have to wear such a strong SPF, and my time in the sun (not covered up) is limited I have gone the self tanning route for the past few years.  Each year I still get mad at Lupus..I will never forget how before I got sick I had the most amazing dark brown tan and would get it in only a few days by laying out in the pool, or at the lake. Some things are easy to adjust to, but not being able to stay in the sun like I used to..I don't think I will ever get used to.  On the bright side...maybe in 30 years I will have less wrinkles than I would have...had I been able to sun bathe like I wanted to. 

That was a really long..thinking out loud story.  The point was to share my favorite self tanner.  It is simple to use, it does not streak, and it is a pretty natural brown.  You can use it as little, or as much as you would like. When I tan I will only use it twice a week.  You will find this tanner at most stores that carry sun safe products.

I began this blog on February 9th of this year, and this week I wrote my 30th blog post. If you missed post #30 it was a delicious side dish recipe...you can see it by clicking here.   There is no way I could have made it this far without the support from all of you!!  I am grateful for all of you, your support, your comments, your encouragement, your suggestions, and honesty...All of the texts and emails telling me you can't wait to read my next post.  I keep doing it because of my amazing readers!!

Happy 30th to The Way I See it!!

Well that's it for H54F!!  I took some adorable pictures of my pups this week that I want to share...

Brodie didn't want me to make my bed the other day..

and then there were two...

and then there were three...

Have a great weekend, and thanks again for stopping by to read H54F!!!

Carrie

Get your purple on!!

Tomorrow is World Lupus Day..

To show your support please wear purple!!

This is a cause very close to my heart.

I never knew what Lupus was until I learned that I had the disease.

I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) in February 2008. After months of being in debilitating pain..I finally knew what was wrong, and that I was not imagining things.

Lupus not only affects the sufferer but it also impacts their family, friends, and peers.

SLE is an autoimmune disease, which means the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue.

I am one of the lucky ones, and after hardcore treatment and lifestyle changes I have been in remission since December 2009.

I feel blessed to once again feel "normal."  I was so sick, I thought there was no way I would ever get better.

Tomorrow lupus organizations and their supporters around the globe, call for increases in public and private funding for medical research on lupus, targeted education programs for health professionals, patients and the public, and worldwide recognition of lupus as a significant public health issue.

 Lupus is hard to diagnose correctly and there is still not nearly enough knowledge about the disease, even among health professionals.

So, please...put your purple on!!

Thank you!!!

Carrie

Creamy Confetti Corn

This is a regularly requested recipe for Sunday dinner with the fam.  We call it "fancy corn."  So, when my Mother asks me to make corn, I say "fancy corn, or regular corn?"  Years, and years ago my cousin, Lynn, made this and we all loooved it. Basically anything Lynn makes is fab-u-lous, and to be quite honest a lot of my favorite recipes I got from her. After finally asking her for the recipe; I was delighted to discover that I already had the recipe in my Southern Living 2002 Annual Recipe book. It is so easy to make, and to say it is amazingly delicious..is far from exaggeration!

Ingredients

8 bacon slices, chopped

4 cups fresh sweet corn kernels (about 8 ears, or one family sized bag of frozen corn)
1 medium - size white onion, chopped
1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, cubed
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon , and drain on paper towels, reserving 2 tablespoons of drippings in the skillet. 

Set bacon aside

*** I prefer not to chop the bacon, but rather crumble it after it cools.  It is less time consuming, and not as messy as cooking chopped bacon.

Saute' corn, onion, and bell peppers in hot drippings in skillet over medium-high heat 6 minutes, or until tender.

 Add cream cheese and half-and-half, stirring until cream cheese melts.

*** Milk can certainly be used as a substitution, but it is best with half-and-half.

 Stir in sugar, salt, and pepper.

***  Be sure you do this as your very last step..I like to stir these ingredients in about 5 minutes or so before serving.

Top with bacon

Prep: 15 minutes, Cook: 22 minutes
Makes 6-8 generous servings

I hope you love this recipe as much as we do.  Please comment on my blog after you try it, and let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

Carrie

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!!

 I hope you are all surrounded by love today!

<3

Carrie



High Five for Friday

Good Friday to you!!  The days are longer, but the weeks feel shorter.  Perhaps it is the anticipation that school will be out soon, and we can start to enjoy our rockin' summer!

This week I made a new friend.  My new neighbor invited me over for coffee one afternoon.  I will admit that I was really excited because I have never been invited over to a friends house for coffee.  It made me wonder..why haven't my friends ever had me over for coffee? Errr..maybe I should have them over for coffee..or tea.?  Well, the neighbor on the other side of me invites me over for wine..so I guess I have the best of both worlds!  Anyway.. We spent about an hour chatting, and getting to know each other.  It was interesting to discover that we have many things in common.  I am looking forward to having coffee with my new neighbor again soon.

I got my BirchBox a day earlier than I thought I would get it, so it was a nice surprise!  It was different than boxes I have received in the past.  Apparently, it's a Gossip Girl box.  I got some super cool stuff! Watch for a blog about it soon!

My goal this summer is to write more blog posts.  I would like to post at least 3 times a week....no less for sure!  That doesn't sound like very many, but lately I have only been posting once a week...usually on Friday.  Boooring!!!  Most def I will have more time, so that is the plan!

Just this very minute I figured out how to post a video on my blog...so....voila'  I took a video this week of my dog Brodie.  I always tell my husband that on pretty days Brodie never wants to come inside with the other dogs (I have three.)  It always cracks me up, and Kyle never believes me that Brodie ignores me, and plays dead, so that I won't make him come inside.  One morning this week I decided to video him..so I would have proof.

Slightly embarrassed that my voice sounds like that of an adolescent 10 year old, but the dog is cute..so just keep your focus on him!  :)





This weekend is my husbands 34th birthday....today is actually his birthday eve.  So, be sure to wish him a happy day!! Tomorrow evening we will get together with his family, and Sunday with mine.  While also celebrating Mother's Day with our amazing Moms!

 I hope I can make his birthday weekend as special as he is.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KYLE!!  XOXO

I only took two pictures of the dogs this week..one was Brodie playing dead on the porch, and the other was this sweet picture of Brodie laying on my belly while I was watching tv.  He was watching Winston out of the corner of his eye.  Probably to make sure Winston saw him there... they're always trying to make one another jealous..

That does it for this weeks H54F.  I hope you all have a fun, and safe weekend!!



Enjoy!

Carrie

High Five for Friday

It's finally Friday...I'm free again....this week flashed by.  School is almost out for Trey, I will be back in a classroom myself in just a few weeks - for the first time in about five years.. meetings, appointments, reading, planning...I'm ready for summer, and excited for what the future holds...bring it on!! 

I don't know how new this song is, but I have had it on repeat all week.  I love it!!

We are Young by Fun

love, love, love...I hope I don't play it so much that I get tired of it..that's usually how it goes.

You can watch the video by clicking this sentence.

I am a loyal GMA watcher...I've even been to the set in NYC and met the cast

This is me with Josh Elliott..one of the anchors..I promise it's not a cardboard cut out..

So, on GMA at the end of every week they have a segment called Deals and Steals.  Either on Thursdays or Fridays, but it only happens once a week. They offer exclusive deals that are only valid that day, and you have to use the code provided...only while supplies last.  Last week in honor of Earth Day they offered Eco friendly items, and I scored these Eco-friendly water bottles for 50% off.  They were originally $10-$16. I got them in the mail this week.  You can put them in the freezer, and they are dishwasher safe.  I am so excited to use them.  I got colors for each of us to enjoy.  You can check out the GMA deals page by clicking here.

I finished reading the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy. I finished all three books in about 8 days. I am absolutely in love with the story, the characters, and the fantasy.  It was such a fast, and fun read.

I have no idea how on earth they are going to make a movie about it, but they are.  According to ABC news, Universal bought the movie rights a few weeks ago for $5,000,000.  I know it cannot possibly be anywhere near as good as the book, but I am still so excited to see it.

I finally decided I liked Ian Somerhalder as Christian Grey...after listening to my friends, and looking at pictures of tons of actors...I settled on Ian.  I watched an interview Ian had with Ryan Seacrest, and he said he is absolutely interested in the role as Christian.  He is dreamy, and most def could play the part to a T!

Please, please, please I hope they choose him to play Christian in the movie!!

Beginning on Monday Trey, Kyle and I started walking in the evenings after supper.  I really enjoy the time together, and being able to talk about our day without distractions.  I still walk 4 days a week in the mornings with my neighbor, so when I do mornings and evenings in the same day that puts me at 4 miles.  Go me!!  It feels great...I know I am on the right path, but it is so frustrating to not see results as fast as I want.  I am ready to look good, feel good and feel better about my body!!!

Several months ago BirchBox asked several of their favorite bloggers to make a mood board of fun spring/summer colors to design a nail polish.  Next, BirchBox asked facebook fans, and blog viewers to vote for their top three favorites.  These are the three that won....

Of course, I voted for Kate!  I follow her blog daily, and she is the one that inspired me to get out there and begin my own blog...so of course, I would support her...besides..she has the best ideas...as you can tell by her mood board!

So, a few months after the contest they offered the Zoya blogger collection as a set on BirchBox's website...it is $22.00 for all three.

You can order your Zoya blogger collection by clicking here.  If you have enough BirchBox points you might be able to get it free, or half off.  I love using my points!!

Since I had enough points built up I also got another polish that I had my eye on, but never got because it was so expensive...$16.00 just for one bottle.  So, using my points I scored it for much less.  Oh, and GMA had this same exact polish, and color on the deals and steals last week...

The color is Naked.

I love it..I'm wearing it now, and it is for reals my new favorite polish!!

If you are unfamiliar with how BirchBox points work....for every 100 points you get $10.00 to spend.  You earn points by referrals, giving reviews of items, and by spending money.

Well, that will do it for H54F..thanks again for stopping by!!  I hope each and every one of you have a fabulous weekend!  As always, I enjoy reading your comments! 

Enjoy!

Carrie