Rave~Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover!

I wanted to write a quick RAVE for all my ladies today! I stopped getting professional manicures recently because they always cut my cuticles which made them rough and raggedy in a few days....no bueno! Now I do my own mani at home and use this AMAZING cuticle remover that corrodes the rough edges of the cuticle away, leaving only a smooth edge on the bed of the nail. I LOVE this stuff! I think it's one of these products that if discontinued, I'd definitely freak out. It's absolutely changed the way I take care of my nails! Here's what I do at home to keep my nails looking good without the expense of a professional manicure~I file my nails, or buff them, to make them smooth, soak them in warm soapy water for a minute or so, and then apply Sally Hansen ICR all around the nail. I wait for about half a minute and clean around the nail bed with a manicure stick. You will actually see the cuticle coming off...it's pretty amazing how much gets whisked off! Then I apply a cuticle oil and rub it in. This will put moisture back into the cuticle so it won't be dry. Then clean, polish, and go! That's it! I notice that the cuticles grow back much smoother. I should start keeping a good stock of it in case it's ever discontinued! This is the only cuticle remover I've used that actually *works* and the bottle lasts FOREVER, although I use it every week and my daughter does as well!! I hope this helps you all with your dry cuticle issues!

Kiss A Stingray for 7 Years Good Luck! Who Knew?!

I just had to show you all this hilarious photo of me kissing a stingray in Grand Cayman. They say that it brings you 7 years good luck and since we just broke a HUGE antique mirror at my home last month, I needed to wipe the slate clean!! BTW...that's the OCEAN, NOT a swimming pool! Can you believe the color?! Heaven!!

There you go! 7 years good luck! I kissed it twice, so I figure one got rid of the broken mirror hex and the second kiss was a bonus 7 years!! Well, I gotta go buy a lottery ticket now! You guys have a great day! XO

Grand Cayman, Ritz Carlton~~Not Too Shabby Baby!

I'm just back from a quick little getaway to the Grand Cayman Islands. I stayed at the Ritz Carlton which I can now, HIGHLY recommend to all of you! The water was crystal clear and the hotel staff was phenomenal! Here's a few of the beach looking out from the hotel! Gorgeous!

Nachos and margaritas are always a good thing!! And these were divine~~So much so that they became the starter of choice at each lunch!

The chef at the hotel made me a special vegetarian dish of quinoa with a mango, coconut milk, honey, curry sauce.....stop drooling....it's mine!

Long walks along the beach are the perfect way to start the day~~or end the day for that matter. I only got one long walk in because I was so preoccupied lounging around in my room or floating in the clear water. You just can't go wrong with whatever you choose!

This is the view looking back at the hotel from the ocean. It's low season right now so as you can see there weren't any crowds!! I actually prefer low season~~the hotel was only 25% full! No running down early to throw a towel on a chair so you have a place to sit!

Need I say more?

The sunsets were amazing. We had cocktails in the ocean each evening at 6:00 to watch the sun go down. Oh I want to go back already!

This is a room at the hotel. They're all done so tastefully! Very roomy and comfortable!

I did not enhance these photos....the water really is THAT blue. It's insane. So there you go. Let me know if you go and tell me how you like it!! XOXO

Happy Birthday Kyla the Super Sheltie!!

Few things in life bring more joy than the unconditional love of a family dog!! Anyone who has a treasured dog in their life will agree. Our baby girl, Kyla, is all grown up now! Today is her 7th Birthday! Kyla is a Sheltie and is our 3rd child, no doubt!

7 years ago, when we decided to get a dog, I started researching breeds. I went all over the internet learning the different characteristics of breeds. I went to dog shows and spoke with the owners of all the breeds we were considering: Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers, Pomeranians, and Papillons. My husband wanted big and my little girl wanted small. I wanted something that would train easily, be small enough so we could cuddle with it but big enough so it wouldn't get broken easily with young children around! I didn't want a big slobbering mess that would attack other animals as they walked by and I wanted something that wouldn't shed too much to be an indoor pet. Every single person I spoke with said, "SHELTIE SHELTIE SHELTIE!" And oh my gosh, were they right. Kyla is what we lovingly call a "Puppa Person" She's SO smart and full of personality that we know if she had the vocal cords to do so, she would have intelligent conversations with us! LOL She LOVES to snuggle into my neck and under our legs in bed....she's a hugger!

So, Happy Birthday Kyla!! You brings us so much joy!! I love you~~~

Mommy

Another Day In Paradise~~

Grand Cayman Island is beautiful! I'm going to put up all my photos when I get home for you all because when you get a chance~this is a really fabulous place to come to for a quick getaway. It's not too far from the US and it's the #1 safest island in the Caribbean. We went on a excursion to Sting Ray City. It's a sand bar out in the ocean where dozens of sting rays gather around you. It's a little unnerving to have them come all around you but as long as the stingers were pointed away from my, I was fine. I'm off for a walk on the beach right now. I'll post more when I get home!

Have a wonderful day friends~~

Blessings~

XOXO

Crave Rave! Pop Chips

Have you tried Pop Chips? They're my latest obsession!! These chips are light and airy and have tons of flavor!! My favorites are the barbeque! They're not fried like ordinary chips, which makes them a healthier alternative to all those greasy, fattening chips we grew up with!! Give them a try~~I'm sure you'll love them as much as I do! Available at your local grocery store for about $2.50.

Indian Cuisine Lesson with Priyanka!

We had the most fun evening the other night, when a new friend came to teach us about how to make wonderful Indian dishes!! here are some of the ingredients laid out on my kitchen island!

My friend, Stephanie, was visiting from India with our new friend, Priyanka, who offered to teach us how to cook some Indian chutneys and Dosas!

All the wonderful spices and herbs all ready to make chutneys!

Priyanka in her beautiful traditional Indian dress!

Here are the ingredients ready to be blended for a mint/coconut chutney! Delicious!

Sambar is a spicy and comforting Indian soup! It was perfect for my daughter who has been fighting a bit of a cold for a week or so!!

Mustard seeds pop in hot oil and then are put into the chutney~~the aromas were amazing in my house!

Here Priyanka was cooking curry leaves with peppers~~~I never even knew there was such a thing as curry leaves!!

Adding the leaves into the soup~~

And the finished product! So fabulous!

I forget the name of the pancakes we ate with the chutneys~~they had cheese and spices inside!

Dosa batter~~Dosas are crepes that you dip into the chutneys~~my mouth is watering!!!

Priyanka making a dosa!! The evening was so fun~~we hope to make Indian food at home again soon!!

Finally~~My Santa Barbara Photos!

I Love little white picket fences that grace the streets~~so sweet!

Here's a little fence with all the beautiful flowers in full bloom~~

My cottage at The Four Seasons. Its was very old and stately. Charming and comfortable! A little home away from home~~

We found this adorable and popular little breakfast place called Jeannine's. The food was amazing and I was SO happy to see a little "V" for vegetarian next to all the veggie dishes they had on the menu!! They had a vegetarian chorizo scrambled egg dish that was BEYOND amazing!! Loves ya, Jeannine's!!

This is a view of the front lawn of The Four Seasons. Lovely walk ways all around the property. The ocean is just in front~~

The walkway leading to the ocean from the hotel. I love the flowering ivy growing up this light post~~

And there's the ocean in all her splendor!! I would walk along it each morning to get my exercise in the cool air! Such a joyous way to start a day!

A view looking back up at the hotel at the funky trees....see how is grows sideways?

The entrance to the hotel....I have a thing for ivy. It's just so pretty!

A sunset from my friend's beach at her home~~

Another moment of a California sunset~~

A HUGE tree at the hotel~~oh my daughter would LIVE in this tree if she could!

Another view of the old tree and it's root system~~

A beautiful sculpture that was in the lobby. Hank Azaria was checking in as I was checking out. He's such a great actor. It was a fabulous trip! I highly recommend Santa Barbara for a quick little getaway if you ever have the occasion! XOXO

Scaphoids, School, and Scotch!

OK ~ I'm just kidding about the Scotch but it rhymed well and seemed to describe my state of mind lately. The summer ended with my little one finally getting her blasted cast off of her poor little wrist. (She had a Scaphoid fracture and bad sprain back in June) She's now just in a splint that she can remove and is SO happy to have that gross, itchy cast off! It was a looooong torturous healing and one that I'm grateful is O~VER! And as for school it's a year of excitement and fear~~middle school for one daughter and the JR year (the year of the dreaded ACT's and SAT's) for the other! The only thing I like about school beginning is that it hearkens the ushering in of FALL!!! Cool weather and hopefully, God willing, SOME RAIN! This is the first time ever that I feel the anticipation of joy when the weather man mentions that a hurricane is headed our way....let me make this clear~~people are DESPERATE for some rain around here. It's dry as a bone. My rose bushes have been growing potpourri!! And I'm NOT kidding! So I hope you all had a nice back to school week! I look forward to turning my attention back to blogging a bit more again now that the house is quiet! Let me know how you're doing~~I love hearing from you all! XOXO

Smoke & Mirrors Fall 2011 Nail Polish Collection by Zoya

I'm SO excited about these gorgeous new colors from Zoya for Fall. I'm especially eager to get my hands on the Jem, Jana, Petra, Anja, Marina, and Neeka!! You can find these at finer Salons and Spas. (Or go to the Zoya.com website for details on where to find them!) They're safe and non-toxic. Such beautiful colors and always elegant! Let me know what your current favorite nail colors are! XOXO

Favorite Things Friday A Day Late (LOL) ~ EcoTools Makeup Brushes!!

Hi Friends~~Now that summer is almost over, I'm going to be much more available to start blogging again! I'm sorry I've been neglecting you these past few months, but it's been a bit of a mad house around here with wisdom teeth surgeries and broken wrists!! Ahh~~Summer 2011~~~not so sorry to see you go. :) But I just found out that one of my FAVORITE THINGS is having a wonderful FREEBIE PROMO I wanted to share with you guys. Now I don't know if you know this about me, but years ago I was a makeup artist for a bit while my 1st daughter was a baby. I LOVED being a makeup artist because I've always had a love of makeup and products~~they're just one of my favorite things!! I did a lot of brides, which was so fun to be a part of their special days, but eventually the hours just weren't conducive to having a baby and hubby at home that wanted me around on the weekends. So I hung up my makeup brushes but still love to dabble and play with products when time permits!!

So these brushes I'm about to tell you about are my *favorite* brushes. I've had Chanel brushes, Trish McEvoy, Bobbie Brown, you name it...I've used them and these EcoTools brushes are the BEST! They're Eco friendly, as the name implies, and have **super soft fluffy*** bristles that never fall out all over you face! I believe the handles are bamboo and they are Fab Fab fabulous!!! And best of all...they're at your local drugstore! CVS, Walgreens, Ulta....they should all be there. (But call first to be sure) And right now, on their website, they're having a promotion that's pretty fabulous called the Choose To Live Beautifully campaign. All you have to do is send in an old or new beauty product that you have for them to recycle(LOVE!) and you'll get back a coupon for an EcoTool product valued up to $7.99! And you can get 2! I'll add the link below for you guys!

And even more than the wonderful quality of the brushes, I love the company. They are an earth-friendly company (Alicia Silverstone is the celebrity endorser so I'm pretty positive they're also animal friendly~~NO ANIMAL TESTING!! Yay!) On their site they say that, "EcoTools is a brand from Paris Presents Incorporated and a leader in eco-conscious beauty products, most notably known for its incredibly soft cosmetic brushes. We take pride in offering a collection of cosmetic accessories and bath products that feature innovative, earth-friendly materials. In a continued effort to give back, 1% of EcoTools annual sales is donated to 1% For The Planet®, an alliance of businesses committed to leveraging their resources to create a healthier planet." So there you go....run don't walk. I promise you'll LOVE these brushes! I just purchased them for a friend and my teenager and they both loved them. Have fun ladies!! XOXO http://www.choosetolivebeautifully.com/howitworks.php

I Feel The Lazy Summer Days Slipping Away~

How does time go by so quickly?! We're counting down the last 2 precious weeks of summer before the girls go back to school. My eldest will be a Jr in High School and my little one will be entering Middle School as a 6th grader! It doesn't seem real. Summer is my least favorite weather due to the extreme heat where we live, but my favorite time of year because my girls are home. I'm making a list of the things we want to do these last few weeks that will make it fun and memorable before the hustle and bustle of early mornings and test schedules take over again!! I'd love to hear about your summers! Have you gotten to make some new memories for your family? Did you travel somewhere new and exciting or hunker down and home and enjoy the peace and quiet? Do tell! Now I'm off to finish up the HUGE puzzle on our kitchen table that I've been tackling with my girls! It's a really fun way to gather together and have quality time! Make it a great day friends! XOXO

I Just Love This Kid~~This is so sweet~Ronan Parke - Britain's Got Talent 2011 Audition - itv.com/talent - UK V...

Now This Kid Can SING! Enjoy Ronan Parke - Lady Gaga Edge Of Glory Acoustic Ronan Parke Sings