Copper Peptides

There are just some weeks my skin hates me, and a lot of people have been describing this phenomena with the stress of the lockdown. I was waiting to open this bottle until I’d used up another serum (#1empty1newbie) but desperate times call for desperate measures. Enter the healing help of copper peptides! While the results aren’t instant, my skin was less inflamed and finally seemed to start healing by the next day!

Spices Starter Collection

I shared about this spice company last week, but found this collection to be the perfect wedding gift for couples just stocking their kitchen!

Facing the Darkness

My bro B says it’s always an appropriate time to watch this movie (he’s a nurse with Samaritan’s Purse so he might be a little biased ;-) but it especially was impactful during this pandemic. It made me admire those who go into the fire to help others even more, and made me thankful that though COVID-19 is horrible and is taking many lives, it could be so much worse! The doctor who ended up contracting that disease reminds that audience that it wasn’t his faith that saved him. It was his faith in God that led him of putting his life at risk to help others, and it was God who saved him through people and crazy “coincidences” – all glory to Him!

Earl Grey Decaf

I’m just as surprised as anyone to be an earl grey convert! Granted I’ve gotta have some stevia and cream added, but it has become my afternoon drink of choice which requires the “decaf” to be necessary. So tea aficionados, which brand is the best??

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Make Makeup Last

Jordan Liberty shares an old-school trick that is especially great for those with oily skin to help makeup last and not turn into a greasy mess!

Beauty Pros Safety

Coming from a medical background, I’ve always been extra cautious about working clean and disinfecting well. So while I don’t think I’ll have to change any habits, these podcasts for beauty professionals are a good listen to make us think through everything as we start working again!

Beauty Sponges

Speaking of working clean, I’ve heard amazing reviews of these $1.55 beauty sponges and might add them to my kit! Anyone try them out?

Bon Appétit Best Bolognese

Moving on from beauty, this BA Bolognese is on my list to make this week! I have another recipe I love to make in the middle of tomato season, but reviews of this have me wondering if this is a new winner?

Spices

I wouldn’t be a girl of my generation if I didn’t say that good branding and packaging doesn’t catch my eye! But while the tins first got my attention, I loved the idea of buying straight from a spice company that offers affordable pricing and refills!

Day 37 at home so here’s what is keeping me more than sane – actually pretty content and happy!

Jewelry Hacks

It’s not that I don’t like jewelry, but I’ve found my style = less is more. I don’t own a lot and it takes sometimes too much consideration for me to incorporate new pieces! So I loved these jewelry tips that help you to enjoy what you have to the fullest!

Madewell Sale

I haven’t investigated myself yet but 40% off almost everything!

Perfecting Your Manicure

Goals:

Strawberry Shortcake

Can someone just make this for me??

Gentle and Lowly Podcast

I’ve been pretty ok the past month, but not going to lie, there have been some pretty sad moments and tears for friends truly suffering during this time. This podcast, I think based on a book, has been a beautiful devotional to remind me of how wonderful a Savior Jesus is!

Southern Styled Wedding Featured

This spring elopement “wedding” at River Highlands Ranch was a dream come true!

Aix en Provence

When my sister and I traveled to Europe, we knew we wanted to experience France outside of Paris, but weren’t sure where to go except the Provence region. My friend lived in Marseille for awhile and suggested Aix en Provence. But when we got there, we weren’t exactly sure what to do – enter Google! These three resources ended up giving us more than enough to see, do, and eat!

Walking around here and here

Best bakeries

French Beauty

Speaking of France, I just found an online site where you can order French beauty products delivered to the United States, including the best lip repairing balm I’ve ever found! If you want a dedicated blog post of fav products I picked up in Paris, just let me know!

Ok, maybe books next week… ;-)

I don’t know about you but I didn’t begin 2020 thinking I would spend at least 6 weeks sheltering in place at home in California. It’s day 29 (almost a month!!), and while I’m not yet stir crazy, it’s still very weird. So I wanted to pass on some randomness that has been filling my time and keeping me sane!

Free Classes

CreativeLive has free classes streaming every day covering topics like health, music, cake decorating, and more!

Custom Zoom Backgrounds

Elevate the look of your next Zoom meetup by using one of these backgrounds! Now to find a way to add a makeup filter…

Online Shopping

I have been good at resisting online shopping, but if there’s something you’ve been meaning to purchase, the sales might make this the perfect time!

Phone Alarm Schedule

The first three weeks were more about soaking in a figuring out this new life, but I was ready to get some work done! Implementing this phone alarm idea gave me back some structure to my days!

Make Time to Connect

Going off the idea of a phone alarm schedule, I made time in my afternoon to check in on people. Whether it’s a text to ask how they’re doing or a video chat, I’ve found it’s easy for days to go by without checking in and reaching out. By that time of the day I’ve gotten the most important work done so I can turn off my business brain and just connect.

Free Episode of Epic

Tim Challies new book and documentary, Epic: An Around-the-World Journey through Christian History, recently released, and you can view an episode free online.

Group Memes

A little thing that has given me great joy is the group chat where we share memes we’ve found around the web. I’m proud to say we’ve now collected the creme de la creme for daily laughs!

Organize Family Photos

Ok I haven’t done this myself during this time, but if this goes on my longer… But seriously it’s one of those tasks that’s forever on the list to do, so I may take this free webinar to see if I can pickup some helpful tips!

5 Minute Abs

Adding this 5 minute ab routine into my daily workout is just a small thing that make me feel so much better! Little by little making changes…

Torta Caprese

There has been some experimenting with a gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe, but the recipe we’ve officially chosen to perfect during this time is Giada’s Torta Caprese. A friend was able to make it with the middle was a little melty and gooey, so we’re trying a few different ways to get it exactly how we like it best!

Next up, books I’ve been reading…

Ah, be still my heart! San Antonio is not only one of my favorite cities but the Alamo is one of my favorite historic sites. I can still remember watching a movie about the battle there at the Imax across the street then walking through the gates of the Alamo envisioning the bravery and sacrifice that happened on those very stones. Men who were already legends in their own right came together to defend freedom! Remember the Alamo and the sacrifice given to preserve something greater than themselves.

Alamo Cenotaph, The Spirit of Sacrifice

Menger Bar is where Teddy Roosevelt gathered and called the Rough Riders

We didn’t look through the museum but it was a fun place to stop and just look around!

I fell in love with the King Williams Historic District with all its old houses and history!

Guenther House was built by the founder of Pioneer Flour Mills for his family and is now a cute museum and restaurant.

Something new we did that I highly recommend is take a boat ride down the River Walk. We learned so much history we had never heard and the views from the water were so beautiful!

And of course a trip to Texas wouldn’t be complete without some Blue Bell ice cream to round out the day before driving to the airport and flying home!