My positive pink bubble

I often talk about the "pink bubble" of Mary Kay with my friends.  It is this happy, positive environment of a Mary Kay event or meeting.  Everyone is excited, supportive and eager to learn and share ideas with each other.  We know we all have "stuff" in our daily lives we are dealing with, but we leave our stuff at the door and focus on supporting one another.  

Today, I am thankful for my pink bubble.  I am blessed that God placed these women in my life to support and encourage me in my life and in my business.  I am thankful for my consultant friends and directors who are there to cheer me on and challenge me to think a new thought.  

I think we are all guilty of letting the "stuff" get in the way - myself included.  From time management, outside commitments, sick children, CCB's daily hormone injections, doctors appointments, and a  traveling husband, it is easy to get bogged down in the stuff of life.  It is in these moments I need to channel my inner pink bubble and get back to my positive space.  If I get bogged down with all of the negative energy, I can't effectively get anything done.  I may take a 5 minute time out, say my positive affirmation, focus on what I have gotten done or count my blessings to get back on the right track.  It is not always easy  and I am guilty of not always remembering to get myself back on the right track.  But when I do, I am always amazed at the results and my mind shift. 

In the spirit of Mary Kay, I am going to issue a challenge - when the stuff of life gets in the way and bogs you down, take this moment to remember your blessings.

Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!

Halloween Teacher Gift

This may be a day late and a dollar short, but I wanted to share what I did for CCB's teachers for Halloween.  I bake for them for every holiday, and after a year of doing this, I'm getting requests!  One of CCB's teachers was telling me how they were all excited with the holidays coming up because they love all of the treats.  It is so fun to bake for people that love it. 

I found these cute tins at Tarjay a couple of months ago when they first put their Halloween stuff out.  If there is one thing I have learned about Tarjay is to get it if you think it is cute.  For if you think it is cute, chances are that everyone else does as well! 

This year I baked Brother Boniface's Pumpkin Bread from Southern Living 1998.  Instead of the pecans, I substituted chocolate chips because what isn't better with chocolate?!  They were a hit.  I'm not sure if they made it home with any of her teachers.  This year I was smart and made up a cute little recipe card so if they want to try out the recipe, they can! 

So, even though this is a Halloween theme gift, these are fantastic all fall and would be a great Thanksgiving gift.

Brother Boniface's Pumpkin Bread

• 4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 3 cups sugar 
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 4 large eggs 
• 1 cup vegetable oil 
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin 
• 2/3 cup water
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Preparation

• Beat first 14 ingredients at medium speed with an electric mixer just until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in pecans. Spoon evenly into 2 greased and floured 9- x 5-inch loafpans.
• Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

Happy Halloween!

Spiderman and my Ballerina Butterfly are now safely tucked in their beds and mama is glad Halloween is behind us for one more year.  On to Thanksgiving!!  The kids had a fantastic day filled with CCB's preschool Halloween party, trick or treating and all sorts of Halloween fun. 

CCB's preschool class

 

 

My cute Spiderman.  Don't think I'm supposed to call Spiderman cute though.

 

The kid candy haul.  We may need to buy stock in toothpaste.

My getting bigger by the minute Butterfly Ballerina.

We  had CCB's 4 month post-medication start date checkup with Dr. Potter at Vanderbilt last week and it was a great appointment!  Dr. Potter was very pleased on how well she was doing on the medication and told us to "keep on keeping on" as my grandfather would say.  She has gained about 3 pounds and 3.5 inches!  Hurrah!  She is still in the first percentile for weight at 30 pounds, but she is now in the 2nd percentile for height at 38.5 inches.  Very proud of how well she is growing and eating.  We are gearing up for the big 0-5 on Friday! 

I'm also gearing up for Mary Kay Fall Retreat the weekend!  I'm looking forward to being back in the pink bubble for a bit and getting some great training and inspiration!

I am so excited!  I have my first team member!  Mary Kay is offering our starter kit for $75 this month so I have been doing several interviews hoping to start building my team this month.  A friend of mine was interested and decided to take the opportunity and join my team.  I have been smiling all day and can't believe it.  I am so excited that I get the opportunity to "do life" (as Linda Toupin would say) with her.  She is a fantastic person and is going to be fabulous.  I am on my way!

In celebration of my first team member I am having a 1 week special!  I am taking 10% off anything in our new fall redefining elegance collection.

Try out our new lip suede - a matte look that feels lighter than lipstick.  Regularly $14, in plum and pink

The new filigree eye and cheek colors are fantastic as well!  They come in splendid and stunning and are regularly $20.

And who doesn't love the Mary Kay nail polishes?!  They are regularly priced at $8 and come in gold, plum and suede. 

There is much more on my website, but this is just a quick look at the collection!  It's a great time to get a jump on those Christmas gifts!  Check out my Mary Kay website!  Sale ends October 31st!

6 Most Important Things

I had a Mt Everest moment the other day.

You know those moments we have has women and moms where what we need tp do seems completely insurmountable? And we don't know how we are going to get it all done?  Even better, where to start?  Do you know what I did when I was having a moment the other day?

Went to the paint store and bought paint.

Yes, I started another project to avoid doing all of the tasks that I knew I needed to do.

Painting gives you a great opportunity to think.  I thought about all of these other tasks I needed to get done and why I was feeling overwhelmed.  And then I had my light bulb moment.  I needed to write it down.

Mary Kay believed in the "6 Most Important Things to Do" list.  At the beginning of every day, she would write down the 6 things she wanted to do during the day and when she accomplished these tasks, she would call that day a success.  Clearly, I was not doing this.  This lover of lists was not creating a list.   

For the past couple of evenings, I have been coming up with my :"6 most important things to do list" for my home and family and then another list for my Mary Kay business.  I try and be realistic in what I can accomplish in a day.  I'm not going to put "paint entire house" and "re landscape the yard" in one day, but I can get "call 5 customers" and "clean out the refrigerator" done in one day.   I am slowly climbing my Mt Everest.  And, not freezing my tail off.

By the way, the paint color looks good.

CCB needs a new pair of shoes

In the past couple of months, I have gotten to experience something that most parents consider "normal".  I have gotten to purchase 2 different sizes of shoes in about 2 months for CCB.  Her foot was a size 7 in July and we are now up to a size 9!  My child's foot has never grown so fast in her life!

You see, CCB was diagnosed with human growth hormone deficiency this past spring.  She has always been a little girl, and Philip and I haven't been concerned until recently.  Our old pediatrician told us not to worry because "we need to have some fat kids and some skinny kids to balance out the normal kids".  I just assumed our kid was one of those "skinny" kids that didn't make the growth chart.

As she got older, her weight didn't change much and she grew very slowly. Thanks to a very good family friend who is also a doctor, he encouraged us to get her tested once she turned 4.  After several rounds of blood work, a MRI and some extended testing at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, CCB was diagnosed with Human Growth Hormone Deficiency.  Her body does not produce the amount of growth hormone it needs to produce to grow.  Many just assume that if you don't produce growth hormone, you will just be short.  Not so my friend.  Growth hormone effects every organ in the body.  Without her diagnosis, CCB's lung and heart function could have been affected, puberty could have been drastically delayed, and she still would have been very short.

So, we have been giving CCB daily hormone injections since July and we have seen some growth.  Kids are apparently like puppies and their feet grow first, so we have the feet growth covered.  She has also grown about 2 inches.  No weight gain, but height is a good thing.  Her appetite has improved, but she is still my picky little girl!

I'll be sharing about our journey as the days, weeks and months go on, but if you want to know more about growth hormone deficiency, check out the The Magic Foundation.  It is a fantastic organization with a wealth of information.  We are so blessed to have some answers about her growth issues and the ability to help her body do what it needs to do.  Daily injections were no fun to get used to but, they quickly became routine. I am just so thankful she is going to continue to grow up our happy girl.

Lookin like a Mannequin

I love love love Sarah Mae's Blog - Like A Warm Cup of Coffee.  She is such a fabulous writer and often makes me think after I read her blog.  She is also the author of a fabulous cleaning book as well - 31 Days to Clean. 

Well, Ms Sarah has started a new challenge to encourage all of us to start dressing from frumptastic to cute and stylish.  She says that many women can end up in their pjs all day doing things around the house and chasing after the children.  Her goal this 31 days is to challenge all of us to get dressed, look great and feel great about ourselves.  And, who doesn't love a challenge about clothes and cute shoes?!  And in this challenge, I don't have to clean my house!  Just get dressed!

While I do end up getting dressed every day, but I want to look like the mannequins at the store. 

 

No, not the hard plastic look.  I admit, I can be pretty white in the winter though.  But you know how polished, accessorized and classic mannequins can look?  That is how I want to try and look on a regular basis.  Put together and stylish and not just pants and a sweater.  My goal in this challenge is to remember the necklace, the scarf or the sweater.  

Do you know the best part of the challenge?!  I do believe a little shopping may be in order.

Especially for shoes.

And cute ones.

Sarah's challenge today was to get dressed and to try a new eye makeup look.  You know this Mary Kay consultant was all over that one.  

Meow!

CCB got her face painted at the Hadi Clown Booth

 It is no secret that us Southerners love fried food.  If you can grow it, farm it or make it, we can find a way to fry it.  And, I would guess that most Southerners were taught how to fry chicken from childhood.  If they don't, they were told where to get the best fried chicken and how to invite yourself to that house.  Or, how to purchase it and pass it off as your own. 

Any Southerner would feel quite at home on Franklin Street during Fall Festival.  For those not "in the know" the Fall Festival is put on by the West Side Nut Club and is the 2nd largest street festival in the United States (Mardi Gras being the first).  Non-profits set up food stalls all along the sides of the streets selling all sorts of fried goodness. 

I've been several times this year and have a new favorite.  I'm a big fan of the fried coke.  Yes, fried coke.  Somehow they put coke in donuts and fry it up and pour cherry syrup on it and top it with whip cream.  No, it is not healthy for you but calories don't exist at the Fall Festival.  Loving the fried pickles as well.  I didn't get a chance to eat the Donut Bank donut burgers or a brain sandwich this year... maybe next year. 

One of VAB just cause he is cute

Off to Mimi's house we go!

I am such a lucky girl to have so many special women in my life.  One of these such women just became a Mimi yesterday afternoon.  Because Melissa is one of Lisa a mine's favorite people, we wanted to honor her and her new grandbaby boy.

We unfortunately didn't get to many photos of the event (fancy schmancy camera's battery died), but it was a lovely, intimate affair with some fabulous food and women.  Cucumber sandwiches, salmon mousse, fruit (cause you have to attempt to be healthy at a party), truffles, key lime pie, and other tiny desserts.  We had a great time laughing and being with each other.  The theme was "off to Grandmother's house we go" and we had cars on the invitations and decorated with gerber daisies and bright colors.  We wanted to honor the baby boy, but still wanted everything to be feminine.  And, how often do you really get to go to a tea?!  Not that often at my house!

One of my favorite parts (cause I made them myself) were our favors - Rocky Road Fudge (get it?!).

 
  I used Paula Deen's Dummy Fudge recipe because I discovered that I really am a dummy and can't make fudge the "real" way.  So, here is her recipe and it is so darn easy and it tastes so good!

Paula Deen's Dummy Fudge

1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (12 oz bag)
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup of mini marshmellows
1/2 cup pecans

Melt semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave or double boiler.  Once chocolate is melted, add 1 can of sweetened condensed milk and 1 tsp of vanilla.  Once that is well blended, add in your mix-ins and in my case they were marshmellows and pecans.  Put in an 8 by 8 brownie pan and put it in the freezer until firm. 

I put mine in the freezer first for about 10 minutes and then I let it really cool off in the fridge, but that is not necessary.  I brought to slightly below room temperature for cutting.  I packaged them up in little cello bags and hung them from everyone's chair in these cute cones.  Easy peasy!  They taste fantastic and are super quick to make.

Lisa, Melissa and Me

It's Fantel Time!

What is a fantel you ask?!  Why a mix of the words "fall" and "mantel" of course.  I am not the originator of this fantastic word, The Nester is.  Y'all know how much I love a good nickname or made up word.

While Christmas is my favorite time of year (minus the cold), fall is a really busy time of year at our house.  The anniversary of my 29th birthday and Philip's birthday are both in October as well as CCB's birthday in November.  Throw in our wedding anniversary and Thanksgiving at the end of the month and the Auburn/Alabama game and you have a busy season!  I'm not a big Halloween decorator as much as a fall/harvest time decorator.  It is my "practice time" as I figure out what I want to do for Christmas decorating. Here is what I came up with this year with the aid of my oh so expensive glassware.

 I'm "borrowing" my father's fancy schmancy camera and I'm learning how to use it.  I discovered it is hard to take a good picture of my mantle.

I found some faux (sounds fancier than fake, right?!) pumpkins, pinecones, parsimmons, and leaves at several different craft stores and filled the containers with them.  

I added a few of the glitterfied acorns to several of the containers.

How fun is this pumpkin?!  I found it at Hobby Lobby.  The scrollwork on the top matches our rug in our living room well without being too matchy/matchy.  I'm really loving the bling that seems to be everywhere this fall.  As long as you don't overdo it and look like a sparklepants, you are ok. 

I added a couple of candles for some texture and light and there you go!  The wick is so burned down on these that I ended up putting one of the battery operated votive down in each candle.  No one can tell and it is so darn easy to switch on and off.  And, no wax on the mantel!  That college education of mine is paying off! 

I've had a great time this year putting this together.  I also love that I can change it and move things around pretty easily.

It is my first link party!  If you don't visit DaNita's Blog, Delightful Order, (go now I'll wait...), you need to!  One of my favorites.

In which I discover the meaning of "well ventilated area"

You know those expensive hurricane-type vases you see all over Pottery Barn and Crate and Barrel?

Yes, those.

So you know all of the tutorials that have been around on the blogs for awhile?  Like, here and here..


Well....

I decided to try them today.  The kids and I went and picked up some oh so expensive glass vases at the Dollar Store.  I take them to the nicest places you know.

And then we went to JoAnn's and found some candle stick holders because apparently there was a run on them at the Dollar Store today.

 

  Meet my friend E6000.  Many other tutorials tell you to use Gorilla Glue.  And that is all fine and dandy, but I do love my E6000. Add a bit of glue to the top of the candle stick and there you have it!  Inexpensive hurricane lamps fit for decorating!

 You will see these the next few days as I post about my fall decorations.  I'm pleased how everything is turning out, but I'm still moving things around a bit.  A little sneak peak of what is to come...

What house doesn't need a glitterfied acorn?!

Just in case you were wondering - a well ventilated area is a must.  We found that out the hard way.

Ribbit!

And now, back to 52 Bites.  I decided to start at the beginning with the very first project - eat your frog.

Tsh says that we need to do one of the things we dislike to do at the beginning o the day and get it out of the way. That way, you can focus on the rest of your day and not dread the inevitable.

What is my frog you ask?! It is a big fat toad.

The laundry.

I detest the laundry, especially the putting away and ironing process. In Gracieland, there are these magical creatures called laundry fairies. Kind of like Tinkerbell and her posse, but they wash, dry, fold and put away your laundry. It is just like magic.

When I was in grad school in Auburn and newly married, I was getting used to doing laundry for a man who created massive amounts of laundry. Being the busy student that I was, the laundry would pile up and we wouldn't have a thing to wear. Well, instead of schlepping to the laundry mat, I would pile the laundry in the car and take it to the magical laundry place where they would do your laundry for you. Yes, laundry by the pound. The best part?! Philip never knew. A real life laundry fairy existed in Auburn, Alabama. I did have to retrain myself on how to fold his tshirts so he would think I did it. No, I shouldn't have "lied" to my new husband. But a busy girl has got to do what a girl has got to do.

Since laundry fairies do not exist in Southern Indiana, I must eat this frog.

My solution? Take the laundry one bite at a time. This week, once we are up and ready for the day, progress will be made on the laundry. My other goal is to get CCB involved so she can put away some of her laundry. She is short, but not too short to put things in drawers. I think the key to this particular toad is to take the laundry one day, one load at a time. 

Mary Kay Monday

Ta da!  It's Mary Kay Monday!  I'm going to feature a new product or favorite Mary Kay product on Mondays.  The first one is one of my personal favorites.

Eye Primer

I do not know how I ever lived without this product.  I adore it and it is a "must have" in my makeup bag. You apply it to the top of your eyelid instead of foundation.  It helps to "set" your eye makeup.  Ever put on your eye makeup in the morning and about 3 PM wonder what happened to it?!  Well, wonder no more!  This stuff keeps it on so well.  My eyelids crease and I wear contacts so that means for a great decline in eye makeup as the day goes on.  So, I LOVE this product. 

One of my customers wrote this on my Facebook wall after she tried the eye primer out. 

"I heart the Mary Kay eye primer I got from you last night too! I used [another brand] before and really liked it so I thought I wouldn't like this one as well, but I like it better!!! Thanks!"

Since this is my first Mary Kay Monday, I'm offering a 1 week special on the eye primer!  Order this product from me this week and receive a 10% discount.  Place your order on my Mary Kay  website.  Discounts are taken when I process your card and shipping is always free!  

 

Ducks in a row

My dear friend Melissa is going to be a Mimi, and a fantastic one at that.  We were having lunch one day several months ago and she was telling me about how she was throwing her daughter a shower and it was a duck theme.  She also said she was having trouble thinking of things to go along with the theme. My heart began to beat a little bit faster and my mind began to swirl with ideas of what she could do.

Before I knew it, I was co-hostessing the shower and I was honored to do it. I can highly recommend helping plan and shop for a shower when it isn't your money. 

I LOVE a good theme.  I theme out any committee I am chairing, party I am planning, or room my kid is sleeping. 

Melissa had 3 requirements for the decor.

1.  It has to be cute.  Really cute.

2.  It has to be cost effective.

3 And, it had to involve ducks.  Lots of rubber ducks.

Here are a few ideas we came up with and I hope they inspire you.

 Melissa found these rubber duckies online and wanted to use them in the centerpieces.  We used some large bowls and floating candles that were leftover from Megan's wedding.  We colored some water blue, added some tulle and clear Christmas ornaments to give the suggestion of bubbles. Voila!  An easy and inexpensive centerpiece.

How cute does his name look like this?!  It was a simple decoration done with a Cricut and strung on twine.  Megan has a cute keepsake to hang in Ryker's room.  Even better, he will be working on learning how to spell his name from birth.  And his teachers will know how brilliant he is right from the start.

No matter where you live, go and find your wholesale florist!  We have one in town that sells to the public and it is the cheapest place for fabulous flowers in town.  But, I am warning you.  Bring a jacket!  Even if it is hot out - the coolers where they keep the flowers are cold!  I put the flowers in clear glass vases and added clear and blue stones in them.  We added some of Megan's maternity pictures and had one great looking food table.

   
These cupcakes and cake were made by another super talented co-hostess, Lisa.  I do believe they were the hit of the party.  How cute are they?!

Last, but not least, the favors.  Melissa and I lucked out and found some ribbon with little duckies on them to wrap around chocolate suckers to finish the theme out.  

The cohostesses and adorable Megan.

Ellen, Melissa, Megan the mama to be, Lisa and me!

One bite at a time

Do the laundry.

Make a meal plan and try and stick to it.  (Don't forget they need to be healthy meals too!)

Call customers and deliver orders.

Prepare a Sunday school lesson.

Go to a Junior League meeting.

Conduct a Junior League meeting.

Spend one on one time with my children.

Have my own quiet time.

Have an adult conversation with my husband.

Switch the wardrobes from summer to fall.

Christmas shop.

Oh yeah, and solve the world peace problem.

And, I know I'm not the only one whose to-do list looks similar to this.  If you google in Blogland, for simplifying your life, you will find a whole host of suggestions, project ideas and such to make your life easier.  And it is all oh. so. overwhelming. 

I recently found (ok, like 2 days ago) Tsh Oxenreider of Simple Mom's book - One Bite at A Time - 52 Projects for Making Life Simple I heart her blog and I LOVE a good checklist.  I'm going to give this book a try.  The beauty of this book is that it is done in a workbook format so you can check off the projects as you do them.  And, it is broken down into categories, so you can do a category or skip around if you are having a beat to the sound of your own drummer moment.

So, I'll be taking this little journey for the next several months (or year!) as I strive to simplify my life.

And then I'll get on that world peace thing.

Our little corner

I've been thinking about what to write in my first post for days.  So think no more, I am jumping in with both feet!

This is my family 

And these are my adorable kids

My big girl, CCB, is almost 5 and VAB just turned 2, and they keep me on my toes every minute of every day!  I am so thankful to be able to stay at home with my kids.  

I love to read blogs and I love to write, so I am excited about this new creative outlet of mine!

We live in Southern Indiana, but my husband and I are both from Atlanta.  After an undergrad career at Vanderbilt, grad school at Auburn, and a brief time in Mobile, we moved up here.  We may be the only family with an Auburn flag flying and a future Auburn quarterback and cheerleader, but we love our home here.

I have my Master's degree in Child Development from Auburn, but I have started my own business as a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant.

No, I do not have a pink Cadillac (yet!) - this was taken at Seminar 2011 in Dallas this summer.

I love my job as a consultant.  I love that it is my business and I have so much flexibility.  I also love our products.  But most of all, I love making women feel fantastic about themselves.  

Welcome to my little corner of the world!