Category: Tips and Tricks

I think it was about two years ago that I read an article that totally changed my mindset on winter. I have tried to find it so many times since then, to no avail. I really wish I could so that I could share it with you. The article was about how people that live in extremely cold climates, including those that have very few, if any hours of daylight, do not have an increased number of cases of depression. In fact, the article mentioned how these people actually looked forward to winter. As a time of opportunity, and enjoyment. A time to look forward to.

This article has really stuck with me and I think of it often. In the US, it always seems like winter is something to dread, something to get through. There are exceptions for sure. Many people love skiing, and most everyone I know likes some snow and winter weather for Christmastime. But once January rolls around and the bitter temperatures continue in February, most people start complaining and pining for spring.

I have always loved living in Iowa where we get the opportunity to experience all four seasons to their extremes. Sweet springs, hot summers, beautiful falls, and cold winters. However, a few years ago, I found myself less enchanted with winter. I was a hassle to always have to scrape the car in the morning. A pain to shovel the driveway. So annoying to have to wear a coat everywhere. And as people around me grumbled about the cold, so did I.

Then I came across this article and read how people in other countries, countries much colder than it is here in Iowa, looked forward to the coziness of winter. They looked for ways to actually enjoy it, not just endure it until the warmer temps of spring came. I felt so convicted. Here I am in the middle of Iowa (I love Iowa by the way. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.) where compared to these extreme climates the article was referencing, our winters are mild and our hours of daylight long. Our winter season much shorter, and temperatures much higher. Yet I was grumbling about the cold. Shouldn’t I be able to look forward to winter and enjoy it as much as the folks living in Norway, Canada, and Russia?

So ever since then I have tried to be so intentional about finding things to take advantage of during the winter time instead of complaining about its inconveniences. Instead of complaining about the cold, I get to enjoy wearing all my favorite sweaters. Instead of complaining about the snow, I get to wear my new snow boots. I get to build a snowman with my husband. Instead of resenting all the lost hours of daylight, I get to enjoy candlelight in the evening. I read many more books in the winter than I do in the summer, since I often feel guilty about being inside and reading a book while it is a lovely, warm day outside. So I take advantage of the cold to “hunker down” and curl up with a book. This winter I have started to crochet, another hobby I would feel a bit guilty indulging in in the middle of summer. I can bake and cook all day to help warm up the house, whereas in the summer I tend to avoid “heating up the house.” I enjoy more hot cups of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and apple cider. I get to enjoy watching the beautiful snowfall and the peace and quite that comes with a fresh layer of snow at night. The beauty of the moon reflecting off all the intricate snowflakes.

It sounds like I’m romanticizing winter, doesn’t it? I’m not denying that winter has it’s struggles. Try getting a puppy in mid February. Potty breaks at 3:00 AM are not very fun when it’s 5 degrees. Ice covered windshields, fender benders, slick sidewalks, freezing rain, weather delays, cancelled flights, frozen pipes, and countless more struggles exist because of winter. But there are also so many splendid things because of winter. Ice skating, sledding, building a snowman, icicles, snowflakes, cozy evenings at home, hot drinks, warm sweaters, handmade mittens, any many many others.

I am choosing to look for, and celebrate those wonderfully special things about winter, and resist complaining about the struggles of winter. Keep in mind it is -4 degrees F outside where I am right now and the wind chill is making it feel like -22! But I am inside my cozy home, sitting next to our space heater writing this, so it is okay. I am warm. I am cozy. I am so grateful to have a warm, cozy home.

I encourage you to finish out this winter with a positive attitude. Enjoy the extra time you have to spend inside. Read more. Do more crafts. Cook new things. Enjoy the inside of your home. Work on making your home a place you enjoy. Use all the scarves and mittens and hats that you’ve got. Sit by the fire. (Or space heater that looks like a fireplace in my case.) Make a cup of tea. Start a snowball fight. Use the opportunity to serve your neighbors, shovel their sidewalk, bake them a loaf of bread. Stack up all your cozy blankets on your bed. Wear your favorite slippers and bathrobe around the house. Light some candles. Take a hot bath. Rest. I know that for us, in the summertime we are constantly outside working on projects. Winter is a time for rest. For recharging. For slowing down. Winter is a special time to experience coziness and comfort in a way that no other season brings. I hope this year that you can appreciate all the wonderful things that winter brings and avoid complaining about all the struggles that come with it as well.

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! Are you a lover of all things sweet and red and pink or are you a V-day hater? I have to admit, all of the years I spent single on Valentine’s Day, I was definitely on the hater side. It just wasn’t fun and I didn’t see the point. But being in a relationship has definitely made Valentine’s Day something to look forward to!

Whether you’ll be kissing your someone special this February 14th, or you’re going out for a fun Galentine’s Day dinner with your girlfriends, everyone needs a bold lipcolor to wear for the occasion. In the past, I would have hesitated on wearing a bright red or pink lipstick, especially if I was hoping for a few stolen kisses! How embarrassing to get red smudges all over your face! And what a hassle to have to keep checking your teeth throughout your date. Well, ladies, no more! I have the solution for you and I’m going to go through the process that I use for perfect, smudge-proof, kiss-proof lips that are perfect for Valentine’s Day.

Supplies you will need:

• a clean cloth
• a lip scrub – I use LipSmooth Conditioning Polish
• a Lipsense color of your choice – I am wearing Kiss For A Cause
• a Lipsense Moisturizing gloss – I recommend the Glossy Gloss

Step 1. Wipe your lips off with a clean, damp cloth. and then dry them thoroughly. You want to start with a clean surface.

Step 2. Scrub your lips with a lip scrub. I use LipSmooth Conditioning Polish. I spread it all over my lips and then rub my lips together until I can’t feel the grit anymore. This step will get rid of any dead skin cells you have hanging around on your lips to give you a nice, smooth surface for your color.

Step 3. Wipe those smooth lips clean. Use just a damp cloth and then dry them well. This is important because Lipsense will actually molecularly bond to your lips and that how the color will last so long. You don’t want there to be any residue (makeup, saliva, etc.) on your lips that the Lipsense will bond to. You want it to bond directly to your lips.

Step 4. Shake up your Lipsense. This step is important. It will mix all of the color particles in your Lipsense so that you get a smooth application and even color. I recommend shaking your tube for about 30 seconds or so.

Step 5. Scrape all of the excess product from your Lipsense wand. You don’t need or want that much product. The magic results are going to be achieved by doing 3 very THIN layers of Lipsense.

Step 6. Assume the position. You want to keep your lips spread apart and stretched out so that you don’t have any wrinkles or lines in your lips so that you can get a very even application of color.

Step 7. Apply your first layer of Lipsense. Use only a single stroke going in one direction. Do not go back and forth. I start at the middle of my upper lip and go down one side. Then I go back to the top and do a stroke down the other side. Then I do a stroke across my bottom lips. I also do a stroke on the inner part of my lip, the “waterline” to get every part of my lip a thin, even coat of Lipsense, without going back over what I have already done.

Step 8. Let your first layer dry. This takes about 10 seconds. Not long at all, but it can sometimes feel like a long time when you are in a rush to put your face on. But trust me, the 10 second wait time is worth it in the end when you get 12 plus hours of smudge free lipcolor. After about 10 seconds or so, I usually just touch my lips with my finger to check that it is dry. If it is, continue to Step 9, if it isn’t, let it dry longer.

Step 9. Apply your second layer. Use the same technique as you did for layer 1. The reason you apply 3 layers is because layer 1 will get naturally broken down by your body. Layer 3 will get broken down by your saliva, food, napkins, kissing, the environment, etc. So layer 2 is protected in between those two layers and is how your Lipsense color will last all day!

Step 10. Once layer 2 is dry, repeat for your third layer and let your third layer dry.

Step 11. Time to gloss! Take your glossy gloss and gloss away! There is no special technique to this part, I just like to apply a LOT of gloss right after application.

Step 12. Enjoy your gorgeous, smudge-proof lips! Remember to keep applying your gloss throughout the day for hydration, and also protection. I like to gloss before and after I eat, and whenever my lips feel like they could use more moisture.

I hope you are not overwhelmed by this process! Once you get used to it, it take just a couple of minutes, which is totally worth it in order to have beautiful, smudge-free lips all day!

I hope you all have a great Valentine’s Day and get lots of kisses! XOXO

We’ve all been there. In the clearance aisle. You just hit gold with the markdowns you found. You are so proud of yourself as you take your treasures home. Only to realize that the store has placed about 12 markdown stickers right on the front of your product and they are STUCK! You then spend an hour picking and peeling. You ruin your nails (as seen in the photos)  And for what? A gross, sticky residue left on! Then you scrub with soap and water and it still lingers! Ugh! Well my friends, no more. I have found the answer to getting those sticky clearance stickers off pain free!

I found these perfect little glass containers to pack my lunches in, but of course they had dreaded stickers on them. I, however, did not dread taking off these stickers, because I have found a super easy, super quick solution!

First, you will need some lemon essential oil. I use Young Living. Just from research that I’ve done on essential oil, they seem to be the best quality brand, but that is also the only brand I’ve ever used. I know some people have very strong feelings about their essential oil brand, and I do not claim to be any expert, I’m just telling you what I used, and that’s Young Living. If you use a different brand, I would certainly recommend trying it for this, as I would assume it should work just as well.

Okay, so take your Lemon essential oil and just place a few drops over the sticker. I usually just do one to two drops depending on the size of the sticker. Just make sure the whole sticker is covered with the oil and if necessary, spread it around with your finger. Then just let it sit there awhile. Go do the dishes or the laundry or something. Or sit on the couch with a cup of coffee. Later, once you’ve been productive enough, or have consumed enough caffeine, check out your sticker and see how it looks.

  

I find that a lot of stickers come free with the lemon oil alone if left to sit for long enough. The sticker should be completely loosed from the product and you should be able to just lift it off and wash off the excess oil from the product. If you have a particularly difficult sticker, or still have a bit of sticky residue when you lift the sticker, place a dollop of dish soap on the area and rub it in with your finger and it should come right off!