For someone who doesn’t Believe you can change your life in a year, you must not want to enough. Just in the last year, I have grown so much. A year ago today I was just going through a break up with a guy I thought I would be with forever. I was lost, broken & confused and suffered from horrible anxiety and panic attacks that sent me into counseling, but I still kept my head up and believed everything happened for a reason. From that I grew into who I am today… i found myself, I bought a home by myself, started two more businesses, started school, explored places and marked them off my travel list. Did the things I wanted to do. Things I wouldn’t have even thought about doing if I was still in that relationship. I was fine with being a house wife working just to get by, throwing away passions for someone else. You never know why things are happening when they do but it always seems to be for the best. I’m still growing and still learning but super proud of how far I’ve come! At the time it doesn’t seem like what you would want but looking back now this is exactly where I want to be.
Snicker doodle mug cake
So, I was in the process of packing to go out of town and a sweet tooth hit me but I didn’t want to dirty up a bunch of dishes just to wash them before I leave in the morning!
I have tried a bunch of mug cakes and none of them turn out too well. It’s rare to find one that actually tastes like a cake!
So, I thought I would share it with you guys!
•1/4 cup all-purpose flour
•2 tbsp brown sugar
•1/4 tsp baking powder
•1/4 tsp cinnamon
•1/2 tsp vanilla extract
•1/4 cup milk
•1.5 tbsp butter (melted)
Mix all together in a microwave safe mug for 1 minute & 30 seconds!
Enjoy 🤙🏼
•Your life •
I was scrolling through my newsfeed earlier just passing some time and I saw a post about a young man who has been battling cancer for many years and each time he has fought it..he has been in the hospital for awhile now .. but this time he didn’t fight it, this time he is going home to spend his last few days with the ones he loves.
This really hit me and made me realize… everything we do is in autopilot. We are constantly going through life as a routine.
In the life of autopilot:
Wake up to go to work, hit the snooze button one too many times, get dressed, grab your coffee and rush out the door, get stuck in traffic on the way to a job you probably dislike with coworkers who annoy the living crap out of you, work for 8 hours, hit traffic on the way back home, cook dinner, take a shower, go to bed & wake up to do this all over again tomorrow.
But what if we stopped living in autopilot and started living like it was our last day here. Our last day to love, live, feel.
Why not quit the job you hate? Eat the food you want? Say what you’re feeling? Do what you want? Travel the world?
If we were dying…. or knew we were about to, we would do all these things. The truth is.. we don’t know when we will die. So why aren’t we doing these things now? As humans all we know is to live, but we take life for granted.
We tend to fight over things that won’t matter next week, cause drama over things that is none of our business, get mad over things that in reality are stupid.
Stop fighting with your boyfriend or spouse, give them the love they deserve and love them with everything you have. Stop making drama out of something that does not concern you, you never know what someone else is going through. Stop getting mad at things that aren’t going to matter in a few hours. LIVE, live happy and live freely, live with love.
How would you spend your last day? Wake up with this thought every day because you never know.
Permanent makeup?
So… I have never had much of a top lip so I started getting juvederm in my lips last year… it became super expensive and because I have such a fast metabolism my body was expelling it super fast out of my system. Everyone is different but mine would last about a month or two tops.
I wanted something that would enhance my lips and have a more dramatic and longer effect.
I was online one day and did lots of research on permanent makeup or lip blush.
I made my appointment and went to try it out!
Let me just say…. I am covered in tattoos and this was by far the worst pain I have felt & yes I was even numbed up!
If you are thinking about doing your lips… they are the most tender part of your body… so go somewhere that can perform a dental block on you!
As nervous as I was about going super dark with the color at first, I didn’t want to get it retouched every year or two! So I went for it!
DAY 1:
This picture was right after the procedure.
Day 2:
Still looks pretty fresh and the peeling hasn’t set in yet!
DAY 3:
Eeeek! It started and I have to say I was pretty disappointed how much it looks like it faded back to my original lip color!
DAY 4:
It looked pretty much like I heavy lined my lips!
DAY 5:
Crusty, oozing and gross.
DAY 6:
The peeling has stopped and now the color is starting to come back!
Lips normally take 10-14 days to fully heal.
So far I am pretty pleased and would recommend this only if you get a dental block!!!
Faux granite countertops
Since it was a “snow day” today, I had off work… which never happens on a Saturday. I decided to do a diy home project…. & I am in LOVE!
Ever want those granite or marble looking kitchen counter tops without the price tag?
Whole project cost: $20!
Yep, $20!
I started off with a quart of black matte acrylic paint. Roughly painted all countertops & let it dry for about 2 hours.
I then needed one of those rough coral sponges but didn’t have one on hand so I remembered back in art class in middle school to get texture we used crinkled up Saran wrap! Ta-dah!
I then got samples of beige and silver paint from my local Home Depot! These are eggshell finish!
I took a paper plate and poured some of the sample beige paint onto it and crinkled up my Saran Wrap and started dabbing it all over the countertop!
I let the beige dry and then did the same thing with silver!
I was able to redress my counters within a hour of finishing! You could always go over the top with a clear coat to protect it:)
Super easy & super cheap!
New year, new me.
Happy 2017!
Everyone normally goes into the new year with some type of New Years resolution.. it could be… weight loss, quit smoking, get closer to God, get a promotion.. etc.
whatever yours is… may you follow through with it all year!
But what if your New Years resolution wasn’t focusing on making yourself better… it was learning to love yourself?
Society has made us think we aren’t good enough no matter what… we can always be skinnier, dress better, work harder, try better…
don’t settle… but love yourself how you are while you are slowly becoming the person you want to be!
Now… you don’t need a new year to do this resolution… you can wake up tomorrow and do it, because it’s a new day! Start in a hour because it’s a new hour! Start now! It’s a new minute…
when did we start relying on other people for our happiness? When did we start wondering and caring what others think of us? Know your self worth!
Accept yourself… the good and the bad!
The thing is… when we love ourself… New Years resolutions will always fall into place… if you love yourself you will take care of your body and slowly without trying lose the weight! If we love ourselves we wouldn’t put harmful toxins in our body and quit that nasty habit of smoking! If we love ourselves we will become better…
“In Japan, broken objects are often repaired with gold…the flaw is seen as an unique piece of the objects history…this adds to its beauty. Consider this next time you feel broken.”
Happy new year & much self- love. ❤
Perfect for a cold day!
So I’ve been out and about all day and it is super cold and rainy today, I had this craving for some comfort food!
POTATO SOUP!
Ooey gooey cheesy and bacony potato soup! YUM!
I always cook but never really go by a recipe… but this one came out so good I figured it could be a recipe I share with everyone else!
- 3-4 potatoes (unpeeled)
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Milk
- 6-8 slices Bacon
- 1 box progresso Chicken broth
- 1 Onion
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
- Garlic (I used one tablespoon minced)
- 1/2 cup Sour cream
- Cheddar cheese
- Rinse and chop potatoes into large cubes
- In a large pot pour in chicken broth and chopped potatoes
- When potatoes come to boil mix in garlic, salt, pepper and onion.
- In another Pan cook your bacon, drain it to cool on a plate.
- Pour bacon grease into soup pot
- Let it boil for about 5 minutes
- Cut the heat down and add sour cream, heavy cream, cheese, milk and crumbled bacon pieces.
- Let simmer for about 10 minutes!
This is a perfect winter soup!
Serves (4)
Work that body!
With the holidays approaching you’re probably either trying to burn off some extra calories so you can eat more food or have a New Years resolution of a workout plan, am I right?
I have tried just about every workout… hiit, treadmill drills, yoga, boot camp, insanity, p90x,Pilates…etc. then one day I decided to try out this thing people are raving about… ZUMBA!
I loved it.
Now most people think you have to go to a class… the problem with that is, you have to have enough motivation to leave your house and plus classes can be expensive! Not for me! I do Zumba at home.
Yep, you heard me right… I use YouTube!
Some of my favorites are:
- Popsugar fitness
- Cardiopoli workout
- Your favorite workout
- & fitness total
Scroll through & subscribe to their videos!
The videos range from 20-60 minutes!
Start out slow and fall in love! I just typed in the search bar… Zumba workout! It’s so much fun because there are so many different ones!
Did you know in 1 hour Zumba class you can burn 500-800 calories?!
When you’re dancing you forget you’re exercising!
Give it a try:)
When in doubt, dance it out!
Favorite products at the moment..
If you’re anything like me you have trouble sticking with beauty products for long periods of time and you constantly try new things. These are my newest favorite products that I have used for the last month or two and have fell in love with!
Charcoal mask! I use origins clear improvement mask & from the first time I used it, I LOVED it! I tend to get large pores and breakouts and this seems to shrink the pores while it tightens and brightens everything up!
Lay it on thick after cleansing!
I leave mine on for about 20 minutes because I like the way it gets tight and I can feel it drawing out impurities!
Rinse!
My next favorite product recently has been for wrinkles, the other day I was at a red light, pulled down my mirror in the car and saw some wrinkles around my eyes… oh goodness…. we can’t have that!
Dermarché labs biorewind, Pm.
I don’t use this all over my face, only where the wrinkles are. Mainly because this is a pricey product… roughly $125 from your local sephora! Use sparingly!
Moisturize !
To hydrate my skin, I mix two things together. The first is… Mary Kay facial moisturizer (for dry skin) you can use any base facial lotion. The second is phytomer pionnière white. Equal parts!
This product is used to even out your complexion, helps with wrinkles and dark spots! It’s not the cheapest stuff out there either… but this stuff works and is totally worth it!
You get what you pay for!
This combo lately has left my skin super soft with the weather changing in Georgia and a dewy finish!
All about the face (DIY)
There are so many diy face masks out there but I’m going to tell you which ones I like the best and which ones I think are worth the try!
If you’re anything like me you have troubled skin…red marks, dark spots, occasional break outs, oily skin and dryness in certain spots.
For the red marks:
It took me forever it seemed to figure out what helped with those red marks that look like old acne scars! Exfoliate! You have to get rid of the old skin so the new can show!
Equal parts:
- Baking soda
- Oil… (grapeseed or coconut work good)
For dark spots:
These can be from aging, sun spots, scarring… etc.
equal parts:
- lemon juice
- Honey
For breakouts… (acne)
Even as an adult, I still get blemishes and those nasty pimples from time to time. If you want a quick fix, ice for 5 minutes and then apply liquid ibuprofen or sleep with toothpaste on the pimple. These are great and all but what if we could prevent the breakouts from even happening? You can!
Healthy skin has to do with what we put in our body, yes. But, it also has to do with what we are using topically.
Drink lots of water. It really will do your skin wonders. But in the meantime..
- 1 egg white
- Honey
- Lemon juice
- Milk
Do you have dry skin?
Equal parts:
- Oatmeal
- Milk
- Honey
Wrinkles?
Vitamin e oil works wonders! I take regular capsules that I can break open and get the oil out of! Rub this anywhere you have wrinkles or that you would like to prevent them!
Now you’re probably thinking… what should my skin care routine consist of at night and in the morning? I’ll let you in on steps that you can try and see if it works for you!
NIGHT!
- Wash face twice. Once to remove makeup and second time to cleanse.
- Tone! (My favorite is witch hazel or tea tree toner from the body shop.)
- Moisturize, this is key to healthy skin, most skin problems happen when your skin is dehydrated.
- Pick a mask! (can be used 2-3 times a week since they are natural ingredients.)
MORNING!
- Your skin collects oils that are left on your pillow that comes from your hair… (nasty!) wake up and wash your face! One wash will do!
- Sunscreen spf 30 is recommended for the face!
- Moisturize (you can find moisturizer with spf already in it… but, keep in mind these spfs are diluted making it not a true spf 30. If you choose this option choose a moisturizer with spf 35+.)
- Apply your makeup!
If you have anymore questions about skin care or I did not cover your skin care need.. comment below and I’ll find you a DIY mask that would work good for your skin problems!
Mindful meditation…
The first time I ever meditated, I was on the beach and heard the birds and waves in the back ground and it was the most relaxing thing I’ve ever experienced, I thought… I have to do this more often! Problem is… I didn’t do it again for a whole year.
With our busy lives, we are constantly GO GO GO. But we really need to stop, breathe and clear our mind.
Your mind can get sick, just like your body can get sick. It is very important that we cleanse and detox our thoughts. De-stress!
It will take you months to finally grasp the concept of meditation… this is normal, don’t give up! You have to train your mind to be still.
When I first started to meditate regularly, I did it every day for 10-15 minutes… I found this was way too much for me, So I now cut my meditation down to 3-4 times a week 10 minute sessions. It’s all about finding balance and what works for you! What works for me might not work for you, you may need to meditate everyday for 20 minutes, try and see what works best!
Starting out I used a free app called headspace! This app will be your bestfriend. It looks like this in the App Store…..
Meditation has many health benefits… it’s not all just for a clear mind.
- Reduce anxiety and depression
- Helps focus
- Reduce stress
- Increase creativity
- Reduce pain
- Improves brains grey matter
- Can lower blood pressure
- Relaxes the nervous system
- Can help with weight loss
- Improves digestion
Don’t worry if it’s your first time meditating, you can do shorter sessions. Set a timer for a minute or two and breathe! Inhale and exhale whatever it is that bothers you and has control of your mind… it could be anxiety, worry, negative thoughts, racing thoughts, etc.
what I do is pick one of these things and for example….
- Sit Indian style on the floor
- Take 3-4 deep breathes and let your muscles relax.
- Gently close your eyes
- Think In your head…. with my inhale I will breathe in positive thoughts, with my exhale the negative thoughts are going out of my body.
Repeat this for however long the timer is set!
Another list of things you can practice for small sessions in the same way as above…
examples:
Don’t give up on meditation, it will change your life!
Practice, practice , practice!
That terrible thing called ANXIETY …
If you’re human you most likely have suffered from some type of anxiety or panic attack in your lifetime.
I myself suffer from panic attacks on a daily basis and just want to share with you my research and what has helped me keep it under control…
When I first got a panic attack, I had no idea what was happening! I seriously thought I was dying and in my head I kept telling myself “this is it, this is how it ends.” Thoughts we’re racing, heart was pounding, i was Nauseous, dizzy and shaky.
Now you’re probably thinking…. ” you suffer with this everyday?” YES.
Anxiety and panic attacks are two totally different things from what I have found out.
Anxiety is overthinking things…. did I turn off the stove before I left the house? Did I lock the front door? Did I turn off my straightener? What if I wreck on my way to work? What if next week I get sick? What if next year I’m not where I want to be?
The problem with anxiety is you’re living in the future and not in the NOW. They classify anxiety as a mental illness….doctors will throw you on antidepressants so fast…. & let me tell you, they make anxiety soooooo much worse! Do not do this. Antidepressants are for depression…. unless you’re depressed this medication will not work for anxiety.
Things you can do that help with anxiety:
- Get rid of stress… bubble baths, glass of wine, massages, treat yourself.
- When you start to say what if… think but what are the chances of this happening? (Am i being realistic)
- Ask… Can I change it?
- Breathe
- Meditation (which I will post a new blog about meditation this week)
Now for panic attacks….
what I’ve been able to notice lately is when I feel a panic attack coming on is my mind starts to race…. this is normally the first sign I am about to freak out. When I notice this, I simply change my thoughts…..sing… think of what I have planned the rest of the day… get up and move around or stretch… anything that switches your mind off the racing & you’ll soon notice that you’re not in freak out mode anymore….
Yeah you could take medicine for panic attacks, which I do but in all honesty the attack is over with by the time the medicine even kicks in. No, there is no preventative medicine for panic.
We just have to live with it…
but some things that may help you next time you’re having a panic attack….
- Tell yourself, this will pass… I’ve survived plenty of these and I know I will be fine.
- Tell yourself you’re okay, panic is just your body being out of wack for the second.
- Tell yourself you’re not dying, this is just uncomfortable for the time being.
- Breathe… make them deep. (Most of the time I notice that I hold my breath.)
Favorite products for anxiety or panic attacks! Essential oils! Smells can take you to a “safe place.”
My favorites for anxiety are chill pill by aura cacia (lavender, chamomile, sweet orange) & frankincense.
If you’re going to take a bubble bath to wind down at the end of the day.. anytime I go to my local herb shop or Whole Foods… I pick up a few of these bad boys!
One of these packets lasts me about 2 baths! This is peaceful foam bath by aura cacia pure essentials. Love these things & they leave your skin smelling so good and soft.
Go get relaxed & forget about things for awhile!
I’m sure this won’t work for everyone but at least it helped me some and hopefully can help the next person!
❤️
Brooke Williams 