Life Via the Camera Phone.

We haven't exactly had a ton of uber exciting things happen around here.  Which is actually quite fine for me, I like having a schedule and set plans for the family.  I was definitely more spontaneous in my 20's!  With Amira finished with pre-school we are finding fun things to do around our town.  I love having play dates with friends and letting the girls socialize with kids their ages.  It's also really nice and therapeutic for this mama to see her girlfriends too.

I have been taking full advantage of my Mothers Day gift, aka my Kitchen Aid Mixer.  I have baked three from scratch cakes and one ice cream candy pie.  We have some serious sweet tooths here!

Around our house the hubs and I are finding home projects to start, and finish lol.  We had a huge pile of topsoil delivered last weekend that we are using to grow more grass around the fence line and fill a dip we had in the backyard.  Night, after night Mario has been outside with his wheelbarrow doing man stuff.  I took a trip to Lowes and purchased some perennials and other flowers.  I'm praying that I can keep them alive!  Mario picked up a new hummingbird feeder for me and I put it out on the front of the house.  I love hummingbirds!

The filled dip/slope

 

The coming weekend we are ripping out our front porch and building a new one, which I am super happy about!  The girls love hanging out there finding bugs and caterpillars.  I don't know about your place, but caterpillars are everywhere these days.  Amira is literally obsessed with them.  I have been asking to see her hands when she gets into the car just in case she tries bringing them or potato bugs along. (It happens)

As for me I've just been taking it easy.  I need to loose a few pounds this Summer, boo!  I have a bridesmaid dress I need to fit into in August.  I have been living in loose fitting pants and I'm not looking forward to anyone seeing me in a swimsuit, except my girlies of course.  We be lovin' the backyard pool ;)

I made my way to Ulta and picked up a few goodies for Summer, I'm really excited to try this Benefit Primer.  I've also been looking for a good BB Cream and this Revlon one is my favorite so far.  If you love the Beauty Blender I heard this Real Techniques one is the best dup and a fraction of the price $

This is just a random picture from last weekend of Mario's grandmas bull.  We are so lucky to be able to visit her farm when ever want.  Amira and Gia absolutely love Nona and her place!

Well that's all folks. Have a happy weekend and thank you so much for reading!

Essentials for a Clean Face.

Hello y'all, today I'm talking about my facial routine.  It is not anything fancy or found at the department store.  I keep it pretty simple and easy to find, aka the drug store.  Nothing I use is over twenty dollars, but if some miracle cream came out that would erase my laugh lines I'd so be in line to get it.  Being in my thirties I really try to cleanse my skin and keep it fresh, seeing as I do wear makeup on a daily basis. The products I'm mentioning today I've been using for quite some time now or even tens of years! 

Yes To Cucumbers Facial Towelettes  These are my favorite makeup and dirt removing cloths by far.  I feel like I've tried about every single one out there, and they either burn my eyeballs or don't take anything off.  These ones have a slight cucumber scent, they're soft, big and remove my makeup very easily. Around five buckaroos. Sometimes I'm so tired and lazy, the last thing I want to do before bed is wash my face.  So if that's the case I use one or two of these and follow up with my favorite toner.

Witch Hazel This is our my all time favorite toner/astringent.  I have been using this for well over a decade!  My grandma used this all the time and I looked up to her so much.  I always buy the Target brand, it is so cheap, two dollars!  It is natural and removes my makeup and impurities amazingly.  Witch Hazel doesn't contain alcohol like common astringents that dry your face out. Perfect for sensitive skin, it is also soothing for bug bites and things like that.

Burt's Bees Orange Essense Facial Cleanser This stuff is like orange gold.  It has such a wonderful smell, but I love its cleaning and softening capabilities.  This cleanser leaves my skin bright and super supple.  It is also made with 100% Natural ingredients which I love!  It's right around ten dollars and available at most drugstores.

Alba Botanica Natural Acne Dote Scrub This can be used on your face and body.  I primarily use it on my face a few times a week. It has 2% salicylic acid which helps fight breakouts. It works wonders keeping dry skin patches away and sloughing off any dull dead skin.  Using this with my Orange Essence Cleanser is my go to duo.  This brand does not test on animals so I love it.  It just under ten dollars too.

Burt's Bees Radiance Day Cream  I basically love this brand, sorry.  Their products are so well made with natural ingredients I just gravitate towards them.  I've been purchasing this face cream for a while now and I love how it leaves my skin.  The texture is thick and creamy but it goes on lightly and absorbs quickly.  It never leaves my skin greasy or feeling weighed down, I hate that.  This one is around twenty dollars, but a little goes a long way.

As I mentioned before I haven't found my holy grail wrinkle or eye cream, so if any of you ladies can recommend a great one I'm all ears!  Oh and another great thing for your face is drinking water!  So good for your skin and keeping it clear.  Thank you so much for reading.

These days.

It feels good to wipe the dust off and open my computer to write something.  It has been a few weeks since I've even turned this thing on.  I feel guilty I haven't been keeping up to date on my favorite bloggers stories and family lives.  Because I honestly do read them and I feel like we are friends.  I have of course been on IG and FB so at least I was able to see pictures that way. 

I just wanted to blog something small and get back into the swing of things.  I also wanted to say Thank You to all my incredible family and special friends for always giving me inspiration, positive vibes, and prayers over the last few weeks.  God knows I appreciated it and my heart felt such love from all of you!  You, special people know who you are and I thank you so much!

I've grieved over losing this baby and I can honestly say I believe that these things happen for a reason.  I may not understand them right away, and my heart is allowed to feel as much sorrow as it can.  At the end of my day, I remember I am strong woman, with two magnificent little girls and loving husband. I count my blessings everyday.