The Beauty Aisle: Spring Routine

My beauty routine changes a bit with each season. Spring is really drying for my hair and skin and so I usually do more moisture masks and treatments. Spring is also a time when we are busy having fun outside. I find myself with less time for primping each day because really, I'd much rather be out in the sunshine with Harper and Colt than in my bathroom applying eyeshadow. 

Here are a few of the things that are part of my spring routine:

Coconut Oil/Moisture Masks: I already wrote this post about coconut oil. To say that I love the stuff would be an understatement. 

My skin gets really dry in the spring and I hate it. I've been using coconut oil as a moisture mask before showering. I wash my face and then apply a pretty generous amount of coconut oil to it about 10 minutes before showering. Then I wash it off in the shower. I have pretty dry skin so this is definitely a skin (and wallet) saver for me. 

I've tried other moisturizing masks. Burt's Bees Intense Hydration mask is a good one- you know I like anything that I can pick up from Target. I also love Origins Drink Up 10 Minute Moisturizer Mask. It's a few dollars more than the Burt's Bees one but, overall, it's a better product. It's not as thick and it leaves your face feeling really soft. I use it a couple of times a month on a year-round basis. I really love to use it after swimming or spending a lot of time in the sun. 

Olive Oil: My hair was really healthy this past winter so I cut back on the olive oil a bit. I've been doing it more lately, however, since my shorter hair requires more washing and drying. My hair isn't overly processed right now so I'm just putting it on my ends 20 minutes or so before showering.

Lipstick and Blush: I love lipstick and blush in the spring. I wear little to no eye makeup throughout spring and summer (hooray for coconut oil- it keeps my lashes longer and thicker so that mascara isn't a daily must). I like a clean, bright face in the warmer months. Always Apricot from the L'Oreal Infallible collection is my favorite lip color and I like any bright, pinky blush. 

Sunscreen: I wear sunscreen on my face every day of the year but use a lot more once spring hits and I start spending more time in the sun. I put it on my face, neck, hands, arms, and legs (if/when I'm wearing a skirt or shorts). I dislike the smell/feel of most sunscreens and absolutely hate when they get in my eyes and make them sting, which is why I use only Blue Lizard. It's fragrance free, it doesn't hurt your eyes, and is waterproof. It's also really moisturizing and feels more like a lotion than a greasy sunscreen. You can learn more about Blue Lizard here. It's a little pricey but well worth the money. 

If you don't go for Blue Lizard, go for another brand and use it daily. No tan is worth dryness, premature aging, and an increased risk of skin cancer. 

Self Tanner: I am very pale but feel like I generally look okay without a tan. There are times when I do want a little color (no need to blind Colt's family when we go boating, you know?), and I prefer to get it from a bottle. I have been using Jergens' Natural Glow for years and love it.  

That's about it, I think. I love spring and always feel a bit prettier when the sun is out. Don't you?

Does your beauty routine change in the spring? What are your favorite spring products?

If you're needing to stock up on products (and who isn't, really?), head on over here and enter my Much Love, Illy giveaway. You could win a $25 Target giftcard!

The Beauty Aisle: Coconut Oil is My Best Friend

I love coconut oil. I cook with it because it's healthier and contains no animal products. I give it to our dogs on a daily basis. It keeps their skin/coats healthy, boosts their metabolism, and keeps stinky dog breath at bay.

I also have a jar of coconut oil in my bathroom cabinet because it has countless beauty benefits. I am quite obsessed with it because it is so versatile and so inexpensive. I use Spectrum Coconut Oil, which is around $8 for a 14-ounce jar. Also, it's scent free, which is wonderful for someone like me who doesn't like super smelly products.

Here are some of the ways that I use coconut oil:

~To repair split ends/unhealthy hair. You already know that I love olive oil for my hair. Truly, I haven't yet encountered a deep conditioner or hair treatment that leaves my hair as soft and healthy as olive oil. Coconut oil can be used much the same way. Warm a little bit up and apply it to your hair (ends or all over, whichever you prefer- I actually alternate) as a mask 20-30 minutes before you shower.

~To reduce the appearance of cellulite. Seriously. Rub coconut oil into your legs or bottom or anywhere you need it vigorously for about 30 seconds every day.

~To make your eyelashes healthier, and thus, longer and thicker. Apply to your lashes and lash line daily. I'd reccomend doing it at night, however, because it can make your mascara flaky.

~To soften cuticles.

~To repair dry skin. I use coconut oil on my elbows and feet every day.

~As an anti-aging mask. I apply coconut oil over my night cream two to three times a week. It's so moisturizing and makes my skin feel amazing, especially right now when the cold is really drying me out.

~To safely and effectively remove makeup. I love olive oil as a makeup remover because it does the job without stinging my eyes.

See what I mean? I'm sure that there are even more uses than the ones I've listed here(side note: coconut oil is one of your best choices for a lubricant, if you know what I mean... sorry if that's TMI but I thought I'd let you know that it's safer, scent free, and is actually beneficial because it can kill bacteria).

And you can get it at the grocery store. How awesome is that? Heaven knows that I dislike errands and never want to go to more places than I have to in order to get what I need. I can pick coconut oil up at any of the stores that I frequent. That, in and of itself, is amazing.

Do you use coconut oil as a beauty product? If so, what for?

Parents: I Need Advice- Big Advice!

You guys all know Calli, my sister-in-law and friend. She's a huge part of our lives and we couldn't be more excited about the fact that she's expecting a baby.

 

The problem is that Harper wants to know all about what she calls "the baby in Calli's belly." I didn't think she'd be too curious since she is only three, but I was wrong. Harper has asked some pretty big questions about her future cousin (by the way, it's a boy, and Harper wants to name it King Triton).

She wants to know how it got in her belly.

She also wants to know how it's going to get out.

I've got the second question pretty well covered. The first one, however, has me speechless. Totally speechless.

I have no idea how to answer such a big question when such a little girl is asking it.

So I'm coming to you, blog friends. I need your experience and expertise.

I need your advice and stories so that I can figure out what to tell my curious three-year-old. How did/do you answer questions like this? I don't want to lie to Harper, but she is only three and can't handle to much information, if you know what I mean.

Please, please help steer me in the right direction here. I'll take any stories and tips that you have to offer.

This Week

I haven't blogged this week and I'm sorry. I can't lie. It's been a tough week- a heavy week.

Someone- a sweet girl who was only 21- in a family close to me passed away, which made this week a week of reflection. There was also a bad visit to the dentist for Harper, troubles with upgrading my phone (which is broken for the third time) and two 45 minute calls with AT&T, a broken vase, work issues, a messy kitchen, and a really low level of energy on my part.

In short, this week has been one of my least favorites and I'm quite ready for it to be over. I'm hoping for a quiet weekend with my family. I'm hoping for some solid reading time and for some fun. I'll be back Monday and I know that next week is going to be a good one.

In the meantime, feel free to enjoy some adorable giggle faces.

Much love.

New Faces

If you are new around here, welcome! I love Megan and her blog and am so glad to see so many new faces dropping in from the giveaway. Hopefully you'll stick around for a while.

I had a beauty aisle post planned for today but due to some personal circumstances, I'm not posting it yet. It just doesn't feel right.

I did want to make sure and say hi to all of the new followers. Good luck in the giveaway- if you win, what will you buy? Hopefully it will be from the beauty section. I'm a bit obsessed with beauty products. Read more about that in The Beauty Aisle section.

I'll be back in a few days with Mother's Day in Las Vegas pics and a post on my spring beauty routine.

Much love!

Tiny Feet

This is probably one of my favorite instagrams. Forget instagram. It's probably one of my favorite photos ever.

Tiny feet, like great art and beautiful music, are profound for me.

Tiny feet- Harper's tiny feet, to be more specific- humble me and make me feel vulnerable. At the same time, they inspire me and strengthen my soul. Tiny feet, like the masterpieces of Bach, Rachmaninoff, Van Gogh, and Degas, give me hope for more. They affirm for me that we are not alone, that God is, and that there is more for us than this short life. Some people find God at church or in the Bible. They feel closest to him when they are praying or serving others. I find that the presence of God is strongest for me when I look at or hear something really wonderful. It is even stronger in the quiet and simple moments of motherhood- holding Harper while she sleeps, sharing a book with her, or tickling her and calling her silly names until she can't stop giggling- are the moments that bring me the most hope and the greatest peace.

I have kissed Harper's tiny- and sometimes stinky- toes countless times. I love them. I love her. I love being her mother. Motherhood has given me purpose and peace. It has strengthened my faith in ways I never imagined possible. It has tested me and stretched me and has made me unbelievably happy. I've said it before and I'll say it a thousand times over: motherhood has made me whole.

This cutie and I are headed to Vegas later today. I'm so excited for a weekend with my two favorite ladies.

Happy Mother's Day and much love.

Currently

Loving: my hair. I can't say enough how awesome it is to have a stylist that can give me exactly what I ask for.

Short hair is seriously low-maintenance and I feel like it makes me look younger, which is a plus since my dirty thirty is right around the corner- Eeek!

Watching: Nothing really. A lot of my shows are over for the season. I can't say that I'm not relieved. It's hard keeping up with several at a time (talk about a first world problem). I'm definitely ready for a bit of a break from television. Colt and I Redboxed The Impossible tonight. I loved it. It was one of the best movies I've seen lately (confession: Ewan McGregor is a major celeb crush of mine- I love his laugh). 

Reading: Les Miserables. I'm going to see the musical with my sisters-in-law in a week and a half and I'm so excited. Pioneer Theater Company is doing it again. I saw it when they did it back in 2007 and it was really, really good. Les Mis is my second favorite musical of all time (Funny Girl is number one, now and forever) and neither of my sissy-in-laws have seen it live. I can't wait to experience it with them. 

Listening to: lots of solo piano (Chopin and Brahms mostly) and lots of J. Wride. Did you watch the video I posted Thursday? What did you think of his Can't Hold Us cover? If you liked it, you should check out Lego House. 

Thinking about: so many things- big thing... confusing things. 

Working on: my parents' histories, which is a project I've wanted to do for a long time now. 

Looking forward to: hiking season! Harper is excited, too. We got her her first pair of hiking shoes yesterday and I can't say that I didn't wish they were mine. Seriously. How cute are these?

Serendipity, Some Photos, and a Bit About Harper

Whitney, my friend (anyone who introduces me to something as divine as Nutella S'mores is my friend forever), relative (by marriage, but I claim her as my own because I love her), hair stylist, and thrifting buddy, just happens to be an amazing photographer. She also just happens have the prettiest field of purple wildflowers behind her house.

Serendipity? I'd say so. :)

A few weekends ago, Whit took a few shots of Harper in her totally-random-but-still-so-perfect field of wildflowers. They turned out to be beautiful (not like I was surprised since they were coming from Whitney) and I am so excited to share them with you. I thought I'd also share a little bit about Harper since it's been a while since I did an official Harps update.

Harper still loves Ariel and wants "Eeer" everything. She is a Princess Sofia fan now, too. She got the official Sofia the First soundtrack last week and has been in dance party heaven ever since. Her favorite track is Blue Ribbon Bunny.

Harper loves (times a million) being outside. She is getting really comfortable with her new bike and can pump herself on the swing now (we are both saying hooray!!! to that one... I love pushing her but don't have an hour or more each day to devote to it). She also likes going on stroller rides (probably because they typically end in a visit to the ice cream shop) and asks for one daily.

She enjoys going to the driving range with Colt and me. She has a putter of her own but prefers to hit my driver because she likes when her ball goes "fast up in the sky."

Harper also loves to learn. She knows all of her letters (upper and lowercase) and numbers by sight and is working on learning to write them.

She is getting more and more open to outfit suggestions from me. She still wears a skirt daily but is okay with changing into something more practical for outside play. In the past month has worn jeans, shorts, and non-princess shirts. High-five, Harper!

Harps loves to sing and she definitely got my lungs (right now the only dynamic she knows is forte... we are working on softer/prettier sounds). Right now, her favorite tune to belt out is Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

She also loves puzzles, games, coloring, crafts, and movies (her current favorites are Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, Enchanted, and The Spongebob Squarepants Movie).

Harper is a little jokester and chatterbox. She asks approximately 200 questions a day (give or take), some that I'm not quite ready to answer (seriously, the girl is already asking about where babies come from and how they get out of their mommy's bellies), and  loves to tell stories to anyone and everyone that will listen to her. She is smart, silly, fun, and energetic.

She is also adorable.

Music Love: J. Wride

I first heard of J. Wride when Jesse's (the lead singer/pianist) sister tried out for Miss Nebo last year. I started watching their youtube videos when she would post them to facebook. I was an instant fan.

This morning, they posted their newest cover and I was so excited to see that it's from one of my other current favorites. Go here to see J. Wride's interpretation of Macklemore's Can't Hold Us (I tried three times to post the video directly to blogger but it didn't work and I don't know why). You'll love it.

p.s. Follow J. Wride on facebook or find them on iTunes.

p.p.s. I did it!

Thanks for all of your advice. I love this shorter hair so much and am looking forward to a life with less tangles.

A Sunday Morning Harper Moment

This morning, as she was learning to swing by herself, Harper melted my heart when she said, "I love you mommy. And I love daddy and Grandma Paulette and Papa Jack and Grandma Carrie and Papa Doug and Grandma Rushton. I love all of my people and that makes me happy."

What a big thing for a little girl to say. I could do nothing but agree with her as I choked back a whole bunch of joyful tears and resisted the urge to grab Harper off of her swing and hug her until she turned blue. 

I love all of my people, too, Hazelnut and Tucker included, because my people are awesome. My people love me and support me and keep me laughing. My people make this life worth living. Loving my people makes me happy- so happy. 

It's been a beautiful Sunday. We spent today relaxing in the backyard. Sidewalk chalk, bouncy balls, iced coffee, cheeseburgers, ballet flats, doggy snugs, a porch swing, Colty, my Kindle, and my Harper have made for a perfect day. 

Bloglovin'

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Currently

Loving: Little people yoga mats. I mean, really. Toddler yoga might be the cutest thing a person could ever see.

I'm also loving my time at the piano. Things are really starting to flow for now and I'm loving it- absolutely loving it.

Watching: The Americans on FX. The first season has been so good. Have any of you been watching it? The season finale is next week and I just know it's going to be a cliff hanger. Keri Russell is in it. I've loved her since her days on The Mickey Mouse Club. She's such a hottie.

Reading: I'm still working my way through A History of God (first world problem alert: it's really hard for me to read actual books now... my Kindle really has ruined me with its built-in dictionary) and I'm getting ready to start something new. I just don't know what it's going to be yet. The Elegance of the Hedgehog was so good- definitely a hard act to follow.

Working on: Growing this little blog a bit. I'm sponsoring a couple of blogs right now and trying to be better about being more involved in the blogging community. I've been on the fence about this blog. I think I've finally decided to see if it can grow. I have some buttons made up if anyone would like one for their blog. Find them here.

Also, if anyone is interested in doing a guest post swap, let me know!

Looking forward to: Mother's Day- Harps and I are going to Vegas and can barely wait to spend the holiday with my family.

P.S. Check out a couple of the blogs I'm sponsoring. Trust me, they are good ones.

The Beauty Aisle: I Need Your Opinions!

Please forgive me because I'm going to be a bit shallow and vain for a moment. I'm going to write an entire post and ask your opinion about my hair. I realize how unimportant hair color/length is is the grand scheme of things but I really need some good advice and I think you guys can give it to me.

I have a thing about changing my hair. I do it a lot.

Just since meeting Colt, I have had long hair, short hair, light hair, dark hair, hair with bangs, hair without bangs, ombre hair, and red hair.

 

 

Right now, I have long red hair with thick Zooey D. type bangs.

I spent a lot of time and effort growing my hair out including, but not limited to, sleeping on a satin pillowcase, washing my hair only every fourth or fifth day, doing olive oil treatments, and avoiding heat styling as much as possible (read more about that here). Now that it's long, I'm tired of it. It's high maintenance and it's always tangled. I find myself missing my short hair and am thinking of doing a drastic cut (I've even made an appointment with my stylist). When I look back, I think my favorite length was medium/shoulder. I could wear it straight or wavy without much effort and could still pull it back if needed. I had this length when Colt and I got married and always miss it when I look at our photos.

I love my red hair but am really tired of the cut. I'm considering something like this...

What do you think? Honestly, do I go short or stay long? I'll take any and all advice (my feelings are like steel so don't worry about hurting them). 

P.S. If you are in SLC and in need of a good stylist, let me know and I'll send you to mine. She's amazing!