7 Minutes to a Fresh Face!

We are all busy! Unfortunately, between getting hubby and kids out the door, we ladies often neglect ourselves. No more! Getting a simple, but fresh, clean make-up is super easy. It doesn't require a lot of time, either! It can be as simple or as fancy as you want! I have literally nailed my make-up routine down to 7 minutes (or less!). Want to know how?! You're in luck!

1. Foundation: I have 3 "favorites" that I rotate between. I have a slight system that determines which foundation I use. If I'm just throwing on make-up for work, I use E.L.F. High Definition Powder. I really like it because it keeps me from getting shiny during the day while running around the hospital or the office (and it provides a simple base for my make-up that doesn't make me look pale or too yellow!). If I'm going for a more finished look (like for date night or drinks with friends), I'll use MAC Studio Fix Pressed Powder Foundation. It makes my skin look amazing and it provides a flawless finish! If I'm going to a super fancy event where lots of pictures are going to be taken (i.e. a wedding), I use my Younique BB Cream. It really evens out skin tones so that you don't look splotchy with all the bright flashes from the camera!

2. Blush: I used to be a Clinique girl, but then I discovered Revlon Matte Powder blush at Target. Way cheaper, and it works just as well as Clinique blush. When I first started learning how to apply make-up, a consultant for Mark Kay told me that the best tool a girl can have in her make-up bag is her make-up brushes! I love the brushes by E.L.F.. They are fairly inexpensive, but work really well. I use the E.L.F Blush Brush to apply my blush.

3. Mascara: I also have 3 options depending on the look I am going for. Generally, I wear my Younique 3D Fiber Lash mascara. It makes my lashes look ridiculously long and full! It's almost as if I am wearing fake lashes, but they are mine! If I'm going to a pool party, I'm all about the waterproof mascara (just incase I get in the pool!). I love Rimmel London ScandalEyes (Waterproof version!). Sometimes, if I want a little extra thickness to my lashes as the base for my Younique Mascara, I apply some Urban Decay Perversion Mascara. Just a head's up - it's not waterproof!

4. Eyeshadow: I don't usually wear eyeshadow, but when I do, I wear Maybelline. I love these little sets. If you flip the case over, there's a diagram for how they recommend you apply the make-up to achieve a smokey eye. Sometimes I follow their diagram; sometimes I make up my own way of applying the eyeshadow. I use my E.L.F. angled brush to apply the darker colors as liner. Sometimes, I just apply the darkest color as liner and leave it at that!

5. Lips: I'm a chapstick girl. Even for fancy events, I'm applying EOS chapstick on my way in the door.  The only time I haven't worn chapstick is for my wedding! I love e.l.f. lipsticks, particularly the Studio Moisturizing Lipstick in Wink Pink!

As we have established in previous posts, I love things that give you options! This make-up routine is quick, easy, and allows for you to customize the routine to your liking! I generally apply foundation first, then blush, and save my eyes for last. Here's my finished look: 

5 Crockpot Recipes You Can't Live Without

Summer is winding down, and school supplies are lining the shelves at the local stores. It's about to become the busiest time of year: school, after-school activities, sports, more traffic... You get it. Life is about to get busier while the days get shorter (literally, but I love my extra hour of sleep when we "fall back" an hour!). How on earth are you supposed to get all this done and put dinner on the table in a timely fashion?! Enter, my best friend during the season of winter: the crockpot.  Crockpot recipes often contain "cream of something" soup. Not ideal, and certainly not healthy. I have made an effort to try and cut back on the amount of processed foods in our diet. I can't say that I've been 100% successful (particularly in the crock pot arena), but I certainly have made headway in cutting back! (Pats self on back). Generally I do this by avoiding crockpot recipes, but I do have a few I keep in my regular repertoire. What I've done is compile a list of my absolute favorite crockpot recipes that stay in my regular dinner rotation (complete with ingredients and directions).

1. Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup (**Disclaimer: this isn't healthy, but it's AMAZING!)
5 pounds Russet potatoes, washed but not peeled. Diced into 1/2 inch cubes
10 cloves of garlic, minced (If you use jarred, it's 5 teaspoons)
64 ounces (8 cups) chicken stock or broth
16 oz cream cheese, softened (we chose low-fat)
4-5 strips of bacon, cooked and chopped
Cheese!
Optional: Ham, cubed

1. Add potatoes, garlic, and chicken stock to slow cooker. (You can add 1 tablespoon salt. I just leave it off and allow people to salt their own soup - everyone has different tastes/preferences)
2. Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 10 hours.
3. Add softened cream cheese and puree into potatoes with an immersion blender until the cream cheese is well incorporated and about half the soup is blended. There should be a creamy appearance, with some small chunks of potatoes throughout.
4. **Optional step. Add ham and stir well. Cook for another 10-15 minutes.
5. Top with cheese, bacon, chives, etc. Enjoy!

2. Weight Watchers Slow Cooker Potato & Bacon Chowder (4 Weight Watchers Points!)

Original Photo courtesy of Pinterest

2 cups potatoes, cut into small cubes
4 oz. Canadian-style bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 large carrot, diced
3 medium garlic cloves, minced (jarred garlic, use 1/2 teaspoon)
4 cups fat-free chicken broth
1/2 uncooked barley
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup fat-free half and half

1. In slow cooker, combine potatoes, carrots, garlic, broth, barley, bay leaf, thyme, pepper, and bacon. Cover & cook on low for 4-6 hours.
2. Stir in half-and-half. Heat through, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.

3. Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumplings
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each cut in half
Salt & Black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of dried thyme (optional)
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 can cream of chicken soup
Water
1 can Grands biscuits (8 ct.)

1. Add the cream of chicken soup to the slow cooker. Pour in 4 cans worth of water.  Drop in the

Original Photo Courtesy of Pinterest

bouillon cubes and add the garlic powder and thyme. Using a fork or a small whisk, mix everything together in the slow cooker.
2. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and drop in to the slow cooker.
3. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.  Then break up the chicken a bit. I generally just do this right in the slow cooker. We like to shred the chicken so it's in fairly small, thin pieces.
4. Cut each biscuit in to 8-10 pieces. You can use scissors or a knife for this step. Add the pieces into the slow cooker.  Stir in, making sure that you cover all sides of each biscuit piece with the liquid mixture.
5. Cover, and cook for 2 more hours. Check on the soup every so often, just to ensure that the biscuit pieces don't stick to the inside of the crockpot or brown on the top too much. Just press the biscuits down, don't stir the mixture.
6. Give the mixture a good stir just prior to serving.

4. Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup salsa (I used mild simply because T hates anything super hot. This is where you can have some fun!)

1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (my least favorite thing about this recipe, but hey - at least it's only one can!

1 packet taco seasoning

1/2 cup sour cream

6 tortillas (J & T like the extra fluffy, and I'm all over here like "I'll have a corn one, please.")

1. Place the chicken in the bottom of the crock pot (The beauty of this - we dumped in the chicken still completely frozen). 

2. Sprinkle taco seasoning on chicken breasts. 

3. In a separate bowl, combine soup and salsa.  Pour over chicken.  

4. Cook on high for 4 hours.  

5. Shred chicken (I use the 2 fork method) and stir in sour cream. Serve on tortillas.

5. Beef Stroganoff  

1-2 lbs cube steak, cut into one-inch strips
2 cans condensed golden mushroom soup
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1-14 oz can beef broth
8 oz. mushrooms, cleaned and diced
4 ounces cream cheese, warmed to room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream

1. In the crockpot, combine the meat, soup, Worcerstershire sauce, broth, and mushrooms. Cook on low 5-6 hours.
2. Stir in cream cheese and sour cream, about 1/2 hour before serving. Make sure to stir the mixture every ten minutes to break up the cream cheese.
3. Cook egg noodles according to package directions. Stir in to the crockpot mixture for approximately a half hour.
4. Add cornstarch and/or water to change the thickness of the sauce to your liking.
5. Serve (I generally prefer bowls and large soup spoons!) and enjoy!

Stepping Into Stepmom-Dom: Ripping Off the Bandaid

T is obsessed with wearing bandaids now. And not just while there is a scab. He continues to wear a bandaid on the area until the scar has faded! Want my advice?! Go buy stock in Bandaid brand. I'll single-handedly drive up the stock value just from the amount of Bandaids I buy for this kid. I understand the fear associated with taking a bandaid off while a scab is still in place. What if it hurts? What if it bleeds? As a 4 year old, I can see where that could be scary. What I don't get is the fact that he insists a bandaid stays on once the scab is gone. Anyways, we've been working with him on taking off bandaids for bath time. Can you say "lead balloon?" He's not too thrilled with us, and he generally whimpers and whines through bath time. Then he insists on a new bandaid after he is out of the bath. Frus. Trating.

It did make me stop and think the other night about something, though. As adults, we don't generally apply bandaids to our physical wounds (unless they are really bad). We generally have more emotional scars or wounds - that we don't often deal with. We sweep them under the rug and ignore them, saving the problems and monsters in our closet for another day when we have time to deal with them. We do this without realizing what effect this has on our family, our kids, or even our co-workers. We think we can shove emotion down into the corners of our lives and everyone in our life will be none the wiser. Think again. Kids are incredibly intuitive. I have seen many situations personally where children act like their parents are acting - without the parent even realizing it! When T's mom was uncomfortable around me, T picked up on it. And when I was with J during pick-up or drop-off, T was shy and almost anxious or afraid around me. His mom was never outwardly rude to me, but he sensed her discomfort and mimicked it.

Remember: just because you think you have it under control doesn't mean someone else isn't noticing what you are doing. So please, as a parent, friend, coworker, rip the emotional bandaid off. Take some time. Maybe it's after your kids go to bed one night. Forego the laundry or the dishes or whatever else is on your to-do list, and rip the bandaid off. Then let it go (sing with me now, Frozen fans!). You'll be amazed at how much less stressed you will feel. Isn't it amazing what our kids can teach us?

Stepping In to Stepmom-Dom: New Mom

We had a fairly busy weekend visiting J's family in Alabama for the 4th of July. We haven't been there in quite a few months, so it was nice to visit them and catch up (and let T see his grandparents). They live on a cattle farm, which provides for a lot of entertainment for T that he doesn't usually have while visiting us. Example: riding a golf cart (called "The Workhorse") to feed the cows.

Driving to dinner the first night we were there, T announced (out of the blue): "Mer, you're going to be my new mom soon."  Gulp. Gasp. Shock. Pride. Panic. Don't get me wrong, I have loved acting in a motherly role to T when he has been visiting J, but there's a lot of pressure that comes with the official title of "Mom." I certainly back J up in his parenting decisions, help in the discipline when J hasn't witnessed a misbehavior. However, a minor freak-out ensued after hearing the title of "Mom" attached to me. While T does look a bit like me (although he resembles his Daddy more), and I am quite often mistaken for his mom, I am not sure that I am ready for that title. I'm not perfect and being called Mom is a lot of pressure.

Being "New Mom" or "Mom at Dad's House," even without the title, gives me lots of opportunities to be with T! I mean, who doesn't want to have lots of quality time with this cutie?!

This cutie who insisted we take a selfie in the middle of dinner!

After the panic subsided, and J calmed me down (much later), I realized that whether or not I have the title of "Mom" in T's life, I act in such a role, whether or not I like it (and whether or not I have the official title). Being a mom (or Stepmom) doesn't require me to be perfect. It does, however, require trial and error, patience, time and love. I have plenty of those. And the best part is - I get to be "New Mom" with J as my co-pilot. That couldn't be any better, to me!

Don't Forget Dad!

Today is Father's Day. Yay! I am glad that the Daddies that do right by their families have a day to be celebrated! While it is one of those holidays that occurs during a time when it's easy to forget things (summertime is busy in my house!), try to do at least a little something for those dads in your life! It doesn't even have to be a big gift - just a card that says "thanks for all you do" goes a long way. I plan way ahead. Like, I wait until the Monday after Father's Day and purchase cards on clearance for the following year. This way, I have cards all stocked up without having to take the ridiculously high prices of cards (and fight the crowds, too!). Check out your local Dollar Stores, too. A lot of times, they have 2 cards for $1 after the holiday is over!

We are on a fairly tight budget this year, but I wanted to do something super special (but small and inexpensive) for J. What I try to do when I pick out smaller (but more meaningful) gifts is narrow down specific interests, hobbies, and likes.  J loves to cook (particularly grill). He loves what we call "Man Stores" (Home Depot, Lowes). He loves board games. He loves science fiction shows (enter Dr. Who). So, with that in mind, I began to troll some stores about a month ago.  What I ended up with was this: a grilling cookbook (with tips, stories, and recipes galore) and a Dr. Who magnet, along with the card.

Total, I spent about $10 and some change on Father's Day this year for J. Not a huge chunk of change, but enough to say "Here's something I think you will like. I picked it out just for you."  Other options I came up with (that could apply to all Dads) were:

A nice bottle of wine/new 6-pack of beer:  Not all Dads like alcohol, and I'm not saying it's the perfect gift for everyone.  However, J and my dad have become very interested in broadening their horizons in both wine and beer.  They have been really experimenting with craft beers and exotic wines, but some of these come with a $15-20 price tag.

Time: As simple as it sounds, time can be an incredible gift! It can be time by himself, wandering aisles of Lowe's or Home Depot without trying to keep up with kids, tell you just 5 more minutes, or being asked "Can I go potty" for the millionth time. It could also be quality time with just you (or you and the kids) doing what the he loves to do.  J loves to play board games (and between you and me - I loathe them!), so I promised him an hour of board games tonight after dinner.  While the number of games he owns that I can play (or understand how to play) is limited, it gives him an additional gift of my time doing something that he enjoys.

Small paraphernalia items: magnets, stickers (that can be made into magnets), pens, etc.  I got Josh this magnet (pictured below) for about $3. Super simple, small, and probably unnoticeable to others, but it's something that J will look at and smile because I took the time to think of him and find something that he loves.

Acts of Kindness: You know that to-do list (or honey-do list) you gave him months ago that he hasn't even started to look at? Maybe knock a couple of those items off the list for him! I've been complaining for months that I wanted to personalize our patio a little more. While I didn't do it for Father's Day, I went ahead and did it myself a few weeks ago (Check it out here!). One less thing for J to worry about in the future. Actually, now I think he enjoys sitting outside more (with a glass of wine or a beer) than if he had done it himself!  Also, I hate cleaning the kitchen after meals, but today, I cleaned the kitchen after lunch and dinner.  So simple, right?! But J knows how much I dislike that chore, so he appreciated the effort I made to do something to help him out (despite the fact I would rather clean a bathroom than clean a kitchen).

Small Treats: Maybe your hubby or Dad loves Starbuck's. Or maybe they love a local brewery. Or maybe they even love a local park that charges a small fee for admission. A $5-10 gift card (or I.O.U.) will never be frowned upon or scowled at. It doesn't mean you have to go big, just go thoughtful!

Massage: Whether you have skilled hands or not, your hubby will certainly appreciate a back or neck massage! Something like that can be very personal and a great way to spend a few extra minutes to say "thanks for all that you do!"

I would highly recommend (if you haven't already done this) that you both read the book "The Five Love Languages." It makes your relationship stronger and gift-giving easier! If you know your spouse's love language is quality time, then get him some quality time for his special day! It simplifies your understanding of each other, as well as the gift giving process! Hopefully, while you have another year to plan, this will give you some good, inexpensive gift ideas for next year (or maybe even for Dad or hubby's birthday!).