Gelish Nails

I've had my nails done in the past...my own nails are weak and never get long before splitting.  But with my fast-paced "style", I am hard on the nail tips and am having to get them repaired every few days, it seems.

One day while getting a pedicure last month, I saw a customer getting what was called "Gelish - Soak Off Nail Polish" nails and she seemed uber impressed.  I made a note and thought if I got serious with work, I'd try them.

Source

Just this week, while pointing out floor plans and information to customers, I wished my nails looked professional.  At my next pedicure, I asked about this "Gelish" nail procedure.

I LOVE THEM!!!  It is a thickish product that gets spread on your nails repeatedly, nails "set" in the UV machine and then voila' - your nails are dry the SECOND they are done.  No drying time, no waiting, no going over to the "dry the wet nails" section.

And, no "tips" - the product goes over your personal nail.  Long or short.  As you can see, mine are short, but I took a side picture to show you how natural it looks overall.

I asked for the French manicure, but most options are one color and it would have gone faster.  Check out the info online and then ask your local salon if they offer it.  These last up to 3 weeks and you just get them redone - no "filling".

Anyone else tried the Gelish nails too?


Clarification:  There are 2 different products - Gel Nails and "Gelish" Nails.  With "Gelish" nails, there is no sanding, the product is soaked off and reapplied.  I read online some salons do lightly sand off the top of the product before soaking off the product, but mine does not.  Ask your local salon if they offer or can get "Gelish" brand products.  After one week, my nails look brand new and I am tough on my hands.

Great new mascara!

I've been looking for a new mascara for a while but wouldn't spend the extra money to get ones I had read about.  When I noticed that even at Wally world and Walgreens mascara was running up to $12, I thought I'd give this new one a try.

Benefit Cosmetics They're Real Mascara

I had to write and let you know - this is worth trying.  WOW.  Even my husband noticed!

Anyone else try this yet?  Any mascaras you love?

Phyto Botanical Hair Relaxing Balm!

Stop the presses!!

A few weeks, I saw a video by Sardun on You Tube about a new product she had tried - Phyto Hair Relaxing Balm.  Her hair looked beautiful and shiny and I HAD to try this product.  My hair is unruly and unbehaved unless I really work with it.  If I let it dry untouched, it is frizzy and wild.  Before this product, I spent forever blow drying, the flat ironing, then curling if I wanted the look I now get with this product.  I love the body my waves give me, but my arms get tired!    lol

The directions say that with repeated use, the results get better and better.  I've used it 3 times and I've already noticed continued improvement - not just with each use, but each time getting easier and less to do.

Here is a photo of my hair wet (from last year):

My hair is longer now and it really takes forever.....

So now, check this out (and this is AFTER a long day.....probably 7 hours from shower and style):

This is such an improvement and the key?  Very little work.  I get out of the shower, put some Phyto Botanical Hair Relaxing Balm in my hand, put it through my hair, use a wide tooth comb through my hair, then do it again.  Blow drying is then a breeze!  My hair is now silky smooth and so easy to manage.  I run my fingers through it all the time!

I am telling everyone I know about this... I purchased mine at Sephora directly, thinking it would be easier to return if it did not work for me.  I was thrilled when it did.  More time in my life now!

Let me know if you try it and how it works for you!

100% Pure

When I saw the 100% Pure company, I knew I had to check it out.  I'm always trying to watch what I put on my skin and this company really stands out regarding ingredients.  Their products state:

Truly 100% Pure - naver any harsh detergents, synthetic chemicals, chemical preservatives, artificial fragrances or any other toxins.


I had a coupon and combined with a major sale, I ordered 3 products:

First, I wanted to try this silicone-free primer:

Luminous Primer - Vitamins + Antioxidants with Resveratrol

I've used this 2 days so far and LOVE it....so happy with it.

The sale I ran across was on all their Grape Cabernet products and I ordered the hand cream.  The minute I put it to my nose, I thought...Oh no, Koolaid.

Cabernet Grape Nourishing Hand Cream

I put it on and Andy noticed right away....and kept coming close.  I was waiting for the complaints.....and instead, he told me he LOVED the smell.

Last night, I said, "I am shocked smelling like Koolaid is such a good thing" and he exclaimed "THAT's what it is...I've been trying to figure it out!"

Despite the odd scent, this stuff is crazy amazing.....they have quite a few other scents to choose from, too.

And finally, I got a sample of:

Red Wine Resveratrol Nourishing Cream

(Smaller container in photo above.)

You guys, my skin feels amazing....really recommend this.

One of these days, I want to try their fruit-pigmented makeup.

Have you tried any of their products?

What to say after a miscarriage...

With the rates of infertility and miscarriage seemingly rising, it is often difficult to know what to say or not to say.....

Source

When we lost our third pregnancy to miscarriage, it was completely unexpected as we had had 2 fairly uneventful successful pregnancies prior.  (Holt almost miscarried but ended up fine.)

When we then lost our next 2 (3 out of 5 pregnancies, one being twins), I was beyond devastated and Andy had to be the strong one. The girl who "never is seen without a smile" suddenly was in a deep spiral....  He was the public support...answering questions but comforting me at home.  I holed up in the house because every time I left and went somewhere, namely church....someone would inevitably bring it up and cause a torrent of tears again.  I might have just gone one day without crying and here it came again.

There were things folks said that were NOT appreciated.  This post is about what TO say...

I found this article this morning and liked it -

4 Right Things to Say after a Miscarriage

Even if you've never experienced a miscarriage or pregnancy loss, you know that the minute you found out you were expecting, you got excited most likely, started dreaming of if it was a boy or girl, what he/she would look like....Even pregnancies that end 2 weeks later have lots of dreams attached.

I remember being in a holding pattern until the due date of the particular pregnancy...until then, I would notice all pregnant women and be sad.  I was supposed to be that pregnant.

Once the due date passed, a calm came over me.  I was finally OK....pregnant women didn't trigger tears.  I recommend being sensitive to the due date and it would have touched me greatly if a close friend had said, "I'm thinking of you today".  So often, folks will ignore and act like nothing happened rather than acknowledge the loss.

We will see our 4 babies in Heaven one day and it gives us hope.  Especially knowing at least one of them is another boy (had testing to see if docs could figure out why we were having recurrent losses), it warms my heart.  I AM a boy mom!

Many gentle ( ( HUGS ) ) to those of you who have personally experienced the loss of a pregnancy or child.  Sometimes only those who have been there truly will ever understand.

Shades of Purple

My favorite color, hands down, is purple.  Eggplant, lavender, especially brown based purple....bring all purple to my party!  Being the only girl at my house doesn't allow for much purple to be here, but I did bring that color into my Christmas decor...yay!

Today at The Foundary, a free online boutique store with primarily household goods, had a sale called "Shades of Purple".

Here are 3 items they had:

OH MY!!!!!  Doesn't this look luscious?  Wonder if it feels as soft on your feet as it looks like it would?  For a mere $800 for a 5X8 or $1800 for 8X11 (COUGH COUGH)...regularly $3149... this could be yours!  Just dreaming over here....

Lavender anyone....

And then this eggplant headboard caught my eye:

$295 for a King size...thought that was quite reasonable, relatively speaking.....

Anyhoo...if you've never heard of "The Foundary" and would like to check it out, click HERE.  It is the usual email a day, showing what they are offering - delete if uninterested.  Joining is free and some great sales come around.  I've never purchased anything from this site, but love dreaming, getting ideas and planning decor at our new home (one of these days).

Today, they have faux fur blankets/items, canning tools, jewelry armoires, kids rugs, picture frames and more....

In other news, today was my first full day as a sales consultant.  After a very slow start, I was slammed with several couples in a short period time.  After gathering my thoughts and collecting all notes in one place, I realized - I LOVE helping people.  I truly truly do.  I wish you could have seen those eyes just light up when I was able to specifically help answer questions....our homes sell themselves.  All I have to do is be helpful....

I feel very blessed to have had this job drop in my lap.  Last night, I almost passed out...before 10pm, I told Andy I had to go to bed.  And in minutes, he said I looked frozen, out like a light.  I was TIRED! Even though my body is trying to decide what just happened to it, my heart and mind are very full....

Hope you had a great week/Saturday!

Scented Dryer Sheets = Toxic Air?

My husband and oldest son are asthmatic and allergic to the environment at large and there are things that we noticed cause immediate issues:

Scented ANYTHING.  

This means no cologne, no perfume, no scented laundry, fabric softener or dryer sheets, no air fresheners, no carpet potpourri, no candles, no scented "thingys" hanging in the car.......NO FEBREEZE sprayed all over furniture and rooms!!!!!

We are looking for a house as we speak and when we walk in a house that someone Febreezed all over or sprayed air freshener....we LEAVE.  In SECONDS.

DO NOT DO THAT TO YOUR HOMES if you want to sell it!  If you just have a "scent", put some cinnamon on a cookie sheet in your oven with the door cracked at 250 degrees...will smell like cookies from grandma.

When I eliminated scented laundry products, my husband had an immediate and noticeable improvement in his respiratory health.  As a result of that, we take our OWN unscented laundry products with us when traveling and also have purchased such products and have left them at our extended family and have asked them to use those ONLY when helping with our laundry during trips.  Because we live a scent-free life as much as possible, even a short trip WITH scents can cause health issues and literal headaches.

So today when I saw this study, I felt validated yet more worried than ever.  I knew scents trigger asthma and some behavior issues, but cancer-causing substances?

Study Shows Scented Dryer Sheets Emit Cancer-Causing Substances

If this topic fascinates you as it did me, please find and read:

Is This Your Child - Discovering and Treating Unrecognized Allergies by Dr. Doris Rapp

Do scents bother your family?

Pain Relief Summit

As I mentioned HERE, my pain lifted in June, 2011 after 6 long years.  3 lumbar surgeries, multiple attempts at other healing modalities and severe nerve damage later (What happened to me?), I thought there was no hope.

When I saw that this Pain Free Summit was being offered for free, I had to share it.  The woman that wrote the book that triggered my healing, Rue Anne Hass, is a speaker at this summit among many others.

2011 Pain Free Summit
Starts October 3rd.

If you are in pain of any kind, please check this out.  Suspend your worries..suspend your disbelief.  As one guy says, if we can be traumatized in 30 seconds, why can't we be healed quickly?  It doesn't have to make sense.

My story doesn't make "sense".

But it is real.

You have nothing to lose from this free seminar - and everything to gain.

My pain was REAL.

Your pain is REAL.

But it can get better, despite how long it has been here, how much worse it has gotten, how dismal it all seems.

I wish you much pain relief and healing.

"I am nourished by the spirit within.

Every cell of my body is filled with light.

I give thanks for radiant health and endless happiness."

Affirmation Thursday - Just Got Promoted!

"My supply is endless, inexhaustible and immediate and comes to me under grace in perfect ways."

My first week of work (only 2 days!) was rougher on me than I expected...I hit the shower and my recliner and stayed there when I got home.  lol

One of our "Silver" package homes - "Signature" adds even more amenities.

Other "Silver" spec home...

On day 3, my boss mentioned they had decided to go ahead and build a model across town to put me there as a salesperson, in 4-5 months.  I didn't know how I felt.  Full-time??

Then this week, I did fine....my body adjusted.  I was vacuuming the specs, going up and down stairs like a pro - and started to imagine working full-time....

Walk-Through Shower standard in our homes, if desired.

Right now, I'm a hostess for the builder - greeting folks who visit and if they are interested, the current sales person contacts them and goes from there.

Well, my inner real estate agent has been chomping at the bit and frankly WAY more information to these visitors than I'm technically supposed to be doing.

I just can't find my inner "hostess".  lol

On work day 2, we were hosting our first Realtor open house (I was in one of the available spec homes) and as agents walked in, I would greet them with a firm handshake, a big smile and say, "Welcome to  *** homes, this is our  **** model......" and one lady said,

"Hi, I'm Beth.  The owner's wife."  Her husband, the owner, was right behind her.  I'd never met them...only seen his picture online...

They then stood by and watched me interact/educate/answer questions to 8 other agents (being a licensed agent made that easy...) but nothing like a little pressure...on day TWO.

So this morning, my boss (the owner's brother-in-law, Beth's brother) called and offered me the same great hourly pay PLUS commission when I sell...I don't have to pass my customers off to the other gal.

No more hostessing for me!!!!  I am SO excited!!!

And this also means it is still a part-time job until that other model gets built, perfect timing.

Just PERFECT!

"I have a wonderful work in a wonderful way.  I give wonderful service for wonderful pay."

I have chills!!!!!!!!!!!

What blessings did you have this week?

There is a God!

My sister emailed me yesterday with the declaration - There IS a God! - with details and photos of her son's unfortunate wreck this week.  All 3 teenagers (driver and 2 passengers) walked away with very little injury.  Police said if one of them had been in the jump seat, he/she would be dead.  The truck fishtailed and rolled......it is a miracle everyone is OK.  Unfamiliar curvy roads can be dangerous!

"I am safe and protected by God 

in every situation."

I am praising God for the safety of all involved!!

These photos just give me chills.  So thankful everyone is OK.

Affirmation Thursday - Are you a "Good Girl"?

"I banish the past and now live in the wonderful now, where happy surprises come to me each day."

Have you seen this video?  Today, Emily P. Freeman's book, "Grace for the Good Girl - Letting Go of the Try-hard Life" is released.  (She is "Chatting at the Sky" in the blog world.)

I have not read this book nor been paid to write about it.

But I am a good girl.





As I was forced to recline and be still (story HERE), I had no choice but to face WHO I WAS without the activity I used to mask my insecurity and fear of failure.

Frankly,  I had been 

a human DOING 

rather than 

a human BEING.

How many of us are truly OK with ourselves 

when we are stripped of everything besides stillness?

I related to a little bit of each woman on this video.....from my past.  The "pre-injury" Cheri.

What people SAW was an over-achieving perfectionist.  That behavior masked a girl trying to outrun her fear of failure.

I am good.

I am enough.

I am loved.  Period!  No qualifications!

I thank God for the opportunity to learn this lesson, and others.

I'll be getting this book.

Read the first chapter HERE.  You won't be the same after.

Are you a "Good Girl"?  If not, I'm sure you know one.  And if so, read that first chapter to being to understand her.  You will be glad you did.