Makeover Monday- Rain Day Manicure

Another Makeover Monday is here and this past week I got a chance to spend some special one on one time with my little one to share a rainy day manicure together.

Thursday was a rainy day and we were stuck inside. Both of us were sick of movies and so we decided to do something special. I'm glad we were able to pamper ourselves in the morning because it turned out that my little girl was coming down with something. Later that afternoon she had a 103 fever and slept the afternoon away. That morning, however, she was all about the sparkly nail polish.

1. We started by cleaning our hands. We removed all our old nail polish and washed our hands. Then I scrubbed my hands with coffee grounds. L would have nothing to do with this.... but she told me that she didn't mind if I did it. All I did was remove the cooled coffee grounds from my coffee pot and scrub my hands all over. It left a residue from the oils in the coffee but it felt really nice.

2. Then we softened our nails and got our hands really clean by soaking them in some warm water with a nice lavender/vanilla bubble bath thrown in. L loved this part.

3. Next we pushed our cuticles back using a damp cotton swab.

4. We also trimed our nails and shaped them to make them even and strong.

5. Next I applied a hand mask. Once again little L. wanted nothing to do with it so I massaged a little sesame oil into her hands. For myself I simply combined a couple of tablespoons of warm cooked oatmeal with 4 to 5 drops of almond oil and spread this on my hands to dry. I sat there for about 15 minutes while we enjoyed a glass of lemonaide.

6. Next we took turns massaging cream into each others hands. She was very sweet and took her job very seriously.

7. After that it was time to apply the polish. I painted her nails a pretty shade of light pink and sadly forgot to snap a photo. For myself I tried to use a natural nail polish. I read that you can use henna to add a slight tint and shine to your nails. I'm not sure what I did wrong... it looked uneven with more color on my cuticle than anywhere else. I wasn't very happy with the effect so I applied some copper colored nail polish to cover up the mistake.


After all the time and care my hands felt fantastic. I'm not usually the type to paint my nails and take so much time on my hands... but days later, although the polish is chipped and needs a touch up, my hands still look and feel better for the care. I also had a great time with my little one.

Do you like to get a manicure? Do you like to do your manicures at home or go out for a little pampering? Leave a comment and tell me about it.

Also feel free to link up with Mr. Linky. Any makeover posts are welcome... whether you write about fashion, makeup, or maybe you just make things (sew, knit or whatever) to add a personal touch to your wardrobe. Any posts about making yourself look and feel better are what Makeover Monday is about... so come on... post a link... You know you want to.

And don't forget to visit the Zany Housewife and read her Monday Makeover post.

Blogging Award

I was planning on writing this post during the week... but due to Blogger's little glitch I was unable to do so... I just wanted to pass this award on to a few blogs that I read often. I wasn't sure how many people to hand it off too... but 10 seemed like a nice round number.

Avante Garde Parenting
The Zany Housewife
Megwetch, Gitchie Manito
Hipstir Fresh Cooking
Spoon and Chopsticks
Trailer Gypsy
A Rural Journal
Messy Mind
Leigh vs, Laundry
My taste

I've received this award once before and I have a list of 7 things about me that you can read HERE if you'd like.

Thanks again to

Seeing Red!

My oldest daughter came home today from her school field day with a horrible sun burn. I sent 50 SPF sunscreen with her this morning... but due to the morning rush I didn't apply any before she left. It's hard to think about sunscreen at 6:45 am when you know that it'll all going to wash off in the water play anyway. That said there is no excuse for me not applying it this AM... but couldn't they have done something at school? I was unable to attend due to a sick 3 year old... and a six year old is not capable of applying sunscreen properly without help. If they are going to be out in the sun all day shouldn't someone be making sure that they are protected all day long? OK there is my rant... I'm done.

What's done is done and I just needed to find a way to make her more comfortable. In my research for Makeover Monday I've stumbled across many home remedies for sunburn care and so we tried a few out. It seemed to work. She is tucked in bed right now and seems to feel much better.

First I made a strong cup of tea (I mixed green tea and black tea) and added some mint leaves to make it more refreshing. I iced it down and then sponged it onto her red skin. She loved this and I think just the attention and care worked wonders. I put the rest in the fridge in a spray bottle to spray on as needed. The green tea is suppose to be especially soothing and I've read that drinking green tea is good for the skin as well.


I also made a cool bath for her and added vinegar and lavender oil. When I was a kid my mother always poured vinegar over us when we got a sunburn. In the 70s and early 80s when we used tanning oil instead of sun block it seemed like we got at least one bad sunburn a year. Parents just expected it... in fact it seemed like every year you just went out in the sun to get burned that first time to get it over with... similar to the way parents used to expose their kids to chicken pox. But due to the excellent protection provided by modern sunscreen my daughter has never had to experience a sunburn before other than a pink nose or a spot on her shoulder that we missed.

Looks like we will be spending the weekend in the shade. There are worse things in life. We are still recovering from fevers and pink eye anyway maybe a chilled out weekend is just what we need.

Anyone have any tried and true sunburn remedies? Leave a comment I'd love to hear about it.

Jenn

52 Weeks of Happiness:Mother's Day, Guest Post, and Blogging Award

Mother's day weekend was terrific and certainly a very happy time for me. We spent Saturday geocaching (treasure hunting) in a gem of a spot in Central Texas called the Benini Studio and Sculpture Ranch. It is a huge outdoor area with tons of stuff to see. Here is just a sample of what you can find there.

After a hard day of hiking and hunting it was nice to relax at a pizzeria and brewery in Wimberly... The kid ate pieces of pizza that were bigger than there heads and their parents enjoyed equally big beers.







A great time was had by all!

Jenn

I am doing my first guest post today. You can find it at Simply Kate. Swing by to read about my adventures in hair care and make sure to post a comment and wish her a happy birthday!

I also wanted to thank Pinay (In Texas) Cooking Corner for awarding me the versitile blogger award.
I would like to pass this one on to a few of my fellow bloggers... I will be posting my picks on tomorrows post.

Makeover Monday.... Mother's Day Pampering

I had a fabulous Mother's Day weekend and part of the fun was a little bit of pampering.

Saturday we had an exciting day of geocaching and exploring the Texas hill country (find out more tomorrow). My day of fun left me in need of some serious relaxation, however, so that evening I mixed up a lemon rosemary hair rinse and a baking soda body scrub and rinsed off the weariness of the day. After that my hair felt clean and smelled delicious and my skin felt revitalized. After that chilling with the family and watching a movie was the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Lemon Rosemary Rinse

1 T. finely chopped rosemary
Juice of one lemon
Water
Heat herb in enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Cool and strain. Add to the juice of one lemon. Pour over freshly shampooed and conditioned hair. Rinse after a few minutes.

You can also use Chamomile (good for light hair) or parsley (excellent for a deep clean) instead of the rosemary.

Baking Soda Scrub

2 T. baking soda
2 T. ground rice (use coffee grinder)
1 t. grated lemon peel
Mix all ingredients and place in a container with a tight fitting lid. Due to the preserving nature of baking soda you can store this for a long time.

After the kids were in bed my husband gave me a pedicure. First he filled a tub with warm water and used a lemon grass/mint tea to infuse the water with a pleasant smell and soothing herbs.


After that he scrubbed my feet with the baking soda scrub I had mixed up earlier. All he did was add some olive oil to moisturize. It was pure heaven. I just sat back with a glass of wine, listened to some Bob Dylan on the stereo, and enjoyed the pampering.

After my feet had been soaked, scrubbed, and then massaged with cream he applied some polish and then finally the fun touch a neat design done with henna.

Here are my feet all done up the next day for our Mother's Day get together at the house.... complete with the cool dolphin toe ring that my kids and husband gave me for mother's day.

My mother's day henna tattoo was so popular that everyone got in on the fun.

Here is my mother getting her foot adorned with a dragon fly.

And the kids enjoyed a post party soak in the "pool" (it's really just a large storage bin that I fill with water) and showed off their new body art as well.

It was a terrific day and a wonderful way to spend Mother's Day weekend. What did you do for Mother's Day?

Post a comment, link up, and be sure to visit the Zany Housewife. The winner of last weeks drawing is Michelle at Evil City Woman. I will send the Monday Monster scrubbie her way.

Cinco De Mayo

Contrary to popular belief Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day... but a celebration of the Mexican army's defeat of the French in the battle of Puebla in 1862. After years of being involved in various wars Mexico was short on cash. When they failed to pay their debt to the French France decided that it was time to start their own Latin-American empire. The battle of Puebla didn't bring an end to the French occupation... but it did boost the morale a bit. It was several years before they managed to rid themselves of the French. It isn't a very big celebration in Mexico unless you happen to be in the state of Puebla... but in the United States it is a huge event especially in Central Texas where I live.


To celebrate we made Fajitas and my daughters went out in the yard to play with the piñata she made at school. She also made one for her sister when she got home so that they both would have a chance to break one.






Pinto Beans

These make a great side dish or filling for tamales or tacos. You can also make these in a slow-cooker. Just throw all the ingredients in a crock pot except the tomatoes and salt and cook the beans all day. Throw the tomatoes and salt in during the last hour or so of cooking time.

1-lb. of pinto beans
several cloves of garlic
1 onion
1-2 bouillon cubes

Sort and wash beans. Place in a large pot and cover with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes and then soak for 1-2 hours. This is the quick soak method…otherwise just soak the beans overnight.
Now you are ready to cook the beans. Add garlic and onions to the water and cook until the beans are almost tender. When the beans are done add bouillon cubes or salt. Add other spices such as cumin and chili powder if you wish... you can even throw in some stewed tomatoes or jalapenos. Be creative.

Happiness Project: Sunday! Sundae!

The Ice Cream Sundae seems innocent enough: Ice cream with a bit of syrup poured over it, a generous dollop of whipped cream, possibly some nuts and then a cherry perched on top. The story behind it's origin, however, is a story that is hotly debated. There are two communities in the US that are at the front of this war. They are Two Rivers, Wisconsin and Ithaca, New York. The Two Rivers Wisconsin story goes like this: Due to blue laws sodas were outlawed on Sunday. To get around this, a local soda fountain started serving a "dry" soda that they called a Sunday. It was ice cream topped with chocolate sauce... a handful of berries was added to make the whole thing seem a bit more wholesome. The other community that claims to have stared the Sundae fad is Ithaca, New York. Their story is not about a legal smoke screen designed to deceive the religious right but rather it is a morally salubrious tale about a Unitarian minister inventing this after church treat with a local soda jerk.

If you are a foodlore nut like me you might want to read more about the history of the sundae at The Official Website of the Ice Cream Sundae. If you just like to eat and want to get scooping you can simply follow the lead of Thing 1 and Thing 2 here and make a Sunday Sundae. All you'll need is some ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate sauce (or sauce of choice...I recommend against sweet and sour... but to each his own), and some cherries. You might also want some chopped nuts, sprinkles or bits of candy.

Sunday, May 1, was National Chocolate Parfait Day. And there was no better way to celebrate than with this layered frozen treat of perfection.

For those of you who think that they have figured it all out... The parfait DID NOT come before the Sundae... so we can't give the French credit for any more culinary masterpieces. The parfait traces it's origin back to 1894... the ice cream sundae on the other hand was invented somewhere around 1892. So maybe the folks from Ithaca and Two Rivers can just join hands in solidarity against the French. It has brought folks in this country together before...Let's give it try.

You can still win this cute toy by stopping by Monday's post and making a comment. The contest will be open until Friday and I will announce the winner on Monday at next weeks Makeover Monday.

Honey Facials, Post Number 123, and a Fabulous Prize!

Good Morning folks! Happy Makeover Monday! It also just happens to be my 123rd post. I missed my 100th so I thought that I'd celebrate when I reached 1-2-3 and here we are. I thought that on this delightful occasion I'd give everyone a chance to win a fabulous prize. I'd like everyone to meet the Monday makeover monster. It is possibly the cutest possible way to exfoliate during your morning shower. She is handmade by me... and she's all yours if you win my first ever drawing. In order to win simply post a comment below and I will enter you in this exciting contest. You can get additional entries by leaving a comment on The Zany Housewife's Monday Makeover post, becoming a follower of my blog, sending any new followers my way (they need only mention your name in a comment), or posting a link using the linking tool below to a makeover related post. Just let me know how many to put you down for in your comment.

Now for something completely different... On to what this post is really about... Becoming beautiful. Or should I say becoming more beautiful.

This week I thought I'd try out the beauty properties of honey. Honey is a natural humectrant and historically it has been an ingredient in the beauty treatments of Cleopatra and Poppea (wife of The Roman emperor Nero). Honey has tons of wonderful properties which I will explore in more detail in future posts... but this week I was only trying it out as a natural way to moisturize my skin. I found a recipe online for a facial that uses apples and honey pureed in a blender. I had a few apples, but they were too beautiful to smear on my face so I opted for a pear that wasn't long for this world. I peeled it and stuck it in the blender with 2 T. of honey.

Then the husband and I smeared this concoction on our face and sat back with a glass of wine to wait the 15 minutes the recipe suggested. It was a little slimy, but it tasted fantastic.

My husband only lasted about 5 minutes before he had to rinse it off.

I thought it felt fantastic. When I rinsed it off my skin was really soft and I'm still feeling the results today (even after finishing the above mentioned bottle of wine). I also have to give the strawberry mask from last week a BIG thumbs up. I got carded this weekend at the grocery store. When a 40 year old woman gets carded it's truly an occasion to celebrate.