Spring Favourites

Hello Everyone!

So I took a little break from the blog, but I am back and I have a great blog filled with all the products and things I have been loving this March and April! I took Easter off to enjoy the long weekend and time with our families and than Spring came along and with that chores around the house and yard and the annual spring cleaning...long story short, Sunday's have become far too busy a day to get down to writing. So, if you see my blog posts pop up allover the week, do not be surprised! I would still like to produce a weekly blog but I may change my routine and put them out on a Saturday or during the week. I think you can all relate, there is too little time during the weekend's to get everything done. Let's get down to business, here's my current spring favourites:

MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation- Wow, that is a mouthful, but let me tell you, this foundation is my new-found love. I used the original Pro Longwear foundation formula for our wedding in Mexico and it was fantastic. Once I ran out of that (which lasted me over a year) I decided to try the newest nourishing formula which boasts that it is tear proof, lasts an insanely long time (24 hours, who needs to wear their makeup for that long anyways?!), can be worn as foundation or concealer and is medium to full coverage with a satin finish. I can attest to the fact that this baby does last me the entire work day with no touch-ups needed. I agree it is medium coverage that can be built up but without a heavy or cakey feel. I love the satin finish, it's not too matte and it's not too dewy, it is just the right amount of natural pigmentation that looks flawless. I would recommend this to anyone, even those who don't typically wear foundation. I "buff" it on with my 130 MAC circular foundation brush, in a circular buffing motion that blends it into the skin without streaks and goes on quickly and easily with very little fuss. I have worn it under the eyes as a concealer and although I think it does a good job, I still prefer my Pro Longwear concealer. The ONLY downside is that this product is a whopping $40 and you only get a 25ml tube, sadly most of the other foundations MAC offers are the same price but almost double in volume. I have been using this foundation almost daily for a month and a half now and I sure hope it lasts me a few more months at that price! I would highly recommend you go into a MAC store or counter to get matched with the correct shade, as I find this is the only foundation that runs a lot lighter than the others and I wore a different shade than usual.

Just Natural Bee Refreshed Calypso Coconut Invigorating Conditioner- This natural, phosphate, paraben and dye-free product smells amazing and for a 700 ml bottle I paid only around $7 from the grocery store. I love anything coconut scented and thought it would be a nice alternative to my more expensive hair products, but with more natural ingredients. As I have thick and tangly hair I find this conditioner leaves my hair feeling tangle-free and easy to brush. It moisturizes without feeling too heavy or leaving a residue behind. I like that the consistency is thick but not like a mask, just enough to coat my hair easily. Since I am not currently colour treating my hair and no longer need a colour-safe product, I would buy this again, as well as try the shampoo. 

MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly- This is another product I purchased to wear for our Mexico wedding but only in the last two months have I been wearing it daily and loving it. Paint Pots are a cream eye shadow that set to powder. They are great to wear as a primer or base under powder shadows because they help them stick and intensify the colour. I started wearing this as a primer and I am addicted. I truly cannot understand where this has been all my life and why I didn't discover it earlier! This shade is the perfect pinky nude and actually looks very similar to a concealer on my skin tone. It helps create a lovely even base and cancels out all of the blue veins that naturally show through my transparent skin. Some other very popular shades are Bare Study and Soft Ochre, which may work well with other skin tones. I use my finger to apply this allover my eye lid, right into the inner corner, and than apply powder shadow overtop. This shade doesn't add much colour but really makes my light coloured shadows stand out far more than if they were going onto bare skin. It also helps my shadows last all day and prevents fallout or smudging. These pots are $26 and I beleive they would last you a few years. 

Batiste Dry Shampoo Clean & Classic Original Scent- This is an old favourite that I recently re-purchased in March from Costco. I have tried many different dry shampoo brands and this is by far the best. I have naturally thick and dry hair, moreso than oily, but my roots and crown area do get a bit oily after two or three days of not shampooing. When I was dyeing my hair a darker red the dye was susceptible to fade quickly, and as it was expensive to have done you want to make it last. I found that washing my hair only twice a week worked better for me, and in between I used this dry shampoo. I hold the bottle a foot or more away from my head and spray it, concentrating on my roots. The powder spray can appear white at first but if you brush it through or rub it in with your fingers it goes away. The bottles are around $10 each but I got a three pack from Costco, which contained two full sized bottles and a smaller travel size, for around $12.

Colgate Optic White Platinum Express White Toothpaste- We recently purchased this toothpaste and I'm really liking it. It says it whitens teeth in as little as three days, I have been using it for about two weeks and do not notice a significant change. However, I really like how clean my mouth feels after using. It has a foamy texture that seems to get in between teeth and gums and really makes your mouth feel sparkly clean. So even if my teeth don't get dramatically whiter and I just have a really clean mouth, I still think this is a great product.

Gillette Simply Venus 3 Blade Disposable Razors- I got these in a 4 pack for around $7 at Walmart. I think for a disposable razor these are awesome. The head pivots, they have three blades and a strip of moisturizer. The handle is ergonomic so it fits comfortably and has a shape that prevents slipping and nicks. I'm For the value I think these are a great product and each razor has lasted me several shaves. 

I hope you can try one of these products and will love them as much as I do. If you do go out and purchase something I have recommended I would love to hear your feedback. I have missed writing and today's blog has been a really fun one for me to write and I hope you all enjoy it. Enjoy the start of the warmer weather and the change of season into spring.

Teal next time....xoxo

Kathleen

Weekly Meal Planning

Happy first day of Spring! Today is a dreary and rainy Sunday (not much of a first day of spring!) and I spent a few hours meal planning and cooking for the upcoming week. We try to do a weekly grocery shop on the weekend for items we have run out of and need for the following week. To stay organized and within our budget I do try to envision a meal plan. Now, in a perfect world I would write down this plan, shop for those set meals, make them and stick to the plan but that rarely happens! I cannot sit here and tell you that we always have a home cooked healthy meal, we never have frozen or processed foods and we never have take-out, that's simply not true. However, I try my hardest to have several home cooked meals a week, whether a certain meal falls on the day we had planned to have it or not. I love to do a lot of cooking on Sunday's, it is the one day where I generally stay home all day and can focus my energy on cooking. I try to make large dish meals like soups, pastas and casseroles that go further and can be divided up for several lunches or dinners. If I feel really ambitious I will make a meal large enough that some of it can be frozen. I find it helpful to fall back on tried and true recipes we love but rotate these favourites so that we aren't getting tired of them. Also, it is fun to try new recipes to have variety (it is the spice of life after all). I love reading recipes and adapting it to something that works for our family. I rarely follow a recipe exactly but I find a lot of joy in collecting recipes from friends, family and all different types of cooks. Pinterest has become my greatest source of inspiration for food and cooking, I just love it as a resource when I'm searching something specific or if I just want to browse. I find grocery lists, meal plan charts and lists of what to buy for specific recipes helpful in staying organized. Meal planning helps us save time through the week when we are tired after work and don't really feel like cooking. It also helps save money, or at least stay within a budget, by buying only what we need. It can also prevent waste of food because you only buy items that you know you will use up. Today I went through our fridge and pulled out food that I needed to cook due to expiry dates, produce that was on the verge of spoiling and things I just felt like using up.

Clockwise from top Left : Ground Chicken, bacon, Apple, orange, vegetable cocktail, brown eggs, yellow flesh nugget potatoes, purple kale, smoked cheddar, green onions, cherry tomatoes, white mushrooms and farmer's sausage

From this assortment I came up with three meals to make. The first was a crustless quiche using the eggs, smoked cheddar, green onions, pork farmer's sausage and mushrooms.

Next I made a soup with the cherry tomatoes, potatoes, green onion, purple kale and vegetable cocktail.

Lastly, I used the ground chicken to prepare tonight's dinner of homemade chicken burgers. I combined some of the smoked cheddar and green onion with the ground chicken and some spices to make up the patty mix. These will be served on whole wheat buns and garnished with the bacon!

This goes to show you that with a bit of organization and time you can prepare healthy meals for your family. We now have a breakfast, lunch and dinner option to have this week. Be creative and get inspired and cooking can become very enjoyable!

Teal next time....xoxo

Kathleen

Do It Yourself: Wedding Welcome Bags

Happy Sunday everyone! 

Welcome back to my blog, today I thought I would share with you one of the creative DIY projects I took on for our wedding in Mexico. With a destination wedding you hand over a lot of control to the hotel wedding coordinator, I made sure that the things I could focus my attention on were really unique and special. I came up with a wedding theme or logo, a starfish, and made sure to bring that detail throughout the whole wedding. We chose decor items that were light and easy to transport and wouldn't be too breakable to pack in a suitcase. I will continue to share more about destination wedding planning on my blog but today's post is specifically all about creating a "Welcome Bag". 

I found this idea on Pinterest when searching "Destination Weddings". The concept is to provide your guests with a little goodie bag filled with items that set the tone of the wedding, are native to the area where the wedding is held or will be helpful in making them feel at home or comfortable. Instead of doing favours I thought it would be really fun to give every guest a bag filled with items that they may want to have in Mexico. I merged the idea of an emergency kit and a welcome bag together and gave guests helpful information, useful toiletries and little gifts.

Below is an image of some of the items I put in the bag for ladies, I did a separate one for the guys.

The first photo includes the bag itself. A lightweight cream canvas bag which I had printed with a starfish logo and our names, wedding location and wedding date in a teal font to match our wedding colours. I ordered the bags from a company called the Wedding Chicks, below is the link to our specific bag but there are tons of other awesome designs to choose from on their shop:

http://shop.weddingchicks.com/little-sea-star-wedding-tote-minimum-of-20/

The totes were an awesome idea, everyone loved them, they were sturdy and durable to hold all the goodies and our guests used them as beach bags to transport their towels, sunscreen and magazines to the beach!

The next item on the top left of both photos is a vintage Mexican postcard that I ordered from Tesoros Trading Company: https://secure14.inno-tech.com/tesoros/results_lg.php?productid=2544 

It has an image of the country and cute little graphics showing what each region is called. Originally these were ordered a few years prior to our wedding when I had the idea that a Save the Date on a real postcard would be fun. Later we ended up choosing paper packages for the invitations that included save the date cards that matched so we didn't use the postcards. I wanted to make use of and incorporate these unique postcards so I decided to write a little personalized welcome note to our guests thanking them for joining us in Mexico and signed it from myself and my husband. It was a little keepsake from the trip that everyone could keep with their photo albums or scrapbooks. We also included a map of the resort, our wedding coordinator provided us with a PDF version that I printed off, and a wedding week itinerary that I had created. The itinerary had a weeklong detailed schedule that had everything from when and where to meet for meals, what days we planned to go into town or do an offsite activity, the bachelorette/bachelor night at the disco and the wedding day timeline. Of course these plans slightly changed as the week went on, but it gave guests a good frame of reference for what we had in store. If you do take the time to create an itinerary, be aware that things will change and people will want to do things differently, so do not get stressed out by this. I was told by several guests that they did appreciate the itinerary, even if it was only followed loosely, because it kept everyone fairly organized.

Each bag had a little label that I hand stamped with a starfish and wrote the Spanish word for hello, hola, and on the other side was their name. I tied these tags onto the strap of the bag with jute rope to keep it nautical and beachy. I purchased the rope, teal Sharpie, teal ink pad and tags from Michael's. The starfish stamp was purchased from a stamp company on Etsy. 

The girls got Eos Lipbalm in mint, band aids, Emergen-C packet of vitamin C and Kleenex. The guys got a few different items in place of the Lipbalm: Tums, Advil and a mini shave cream and aftershave. I wish I had photographed the men's bag too but sadly I wasn't thinking that I would be writing this blog! I put the guys emergency kit items inside a plastic tumbler drinking cup and than wrapped them in tissue paper and rope so that these things didn't spill out everywhere. I picked up most of these items from Target (when Canada had these stores!) and the dollar store.

Everyone, guys and girls, got a pair of brightly coloured Ray Ban-style sunglasses. This was a fun way to incorporate colour and the glasses looked cute in photos. I picked these up from Ardene in a 5 for $10 deal. The ladies also got a pashmina, which you can see folded up behind the sunglasses. I picked up three different colours that went with the wedding colours: mint, aqua and teal (The first image is of the darker teal one and the second image is of the aqua). These were also purchased from Ardene as part of a bundle deal. 

I also included a little gift for all the ladies that attended. You will see a silver starfish pendant on a chain in the first photo and a small teal drawstring bag, which contains the chain, in the second. These sterling silver pendants and chains were purchased off EBay and the teal pouches came with each necklace. My mom, mother in law and grandma in law each got a personalized locket necklace in place of the starfish. The lockets were purchased from a company called South Hill Designs (not shown in the photos).

My girlfriends, that attended the wedding, each got a customized tank top in their bag. 

We did a combined bachelorette/bachelor night where we all went to the hotel disco and myself and my friends wore the custom tanks. 

I purchased the tank tops in an aqua colour from Old Navy for around $5 each.  I got the fabric glue and rhinestones from Miachael's and used a paper starfish template to trace the starfish on each tank. I rotated the starfish so that each tank was slightly unique and used different coloured rhinestones and patterns for each. I loved the result and I think my friends did too!

The wedding welcome bags were one of the most fun and creative projects I did for our wedding. It allowed me to be creative and thank our guests for flying down to Mexico, from Canada, for a week to celebrate with us. I tried to make each bag special, personalized and useful. I wanted a mix of practical and keepsake items. The map and itinerary were useful to all. The Tums and Advil were appreciated by many after nights of too many margaritas. The sunnies and starfish necklaces were keepsakes that were worn in many of our special photos. We had one child at our wedding so I included a few items just for him in his mom's bag: Spider-Man snorkel set, blow up beach toys and water bottle. I hope this is helpful for anyone planning a destination wedding or are having out of town guests come to their wedding and want to give them something special to thank them for travelling. Stay tuned for more wedding related blog posts and as always,

Teal next time....xoxo

Kathleen 

Review: Origins Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask

Good evening and happy Sunday! I have to be honest, I just spent the last few hours prepping dinner and some meals for the work week and I was going to skip today's post, but felt I should at least get a short one up!

This evening, before my shower, I'm doing an Origins face mask called Clear Improvement Active Charcoal Mask to Clear Pores.

It's charcoal or black in colour, thick and creamy in consistency and sets up like a clay mask. 

My dog seems to be a bit frightened of my appearance, I have caught her staring at me with wide eyes! I picked up the 10ml trial size from Sephora for $5 and have been able to get 3 full masks out of it and I still have enough for a fourth or a few spot treatments. 

Below is the product information found on the Sephora website:

What it is: 
A mask with activated charcoal to draw out deep-dwelling pore-cloggers. 

What it is formulated to do: 
When environmental toxins, dirt, and debris get under your skin, its waste-filtering system gets jammed, pores get clogged, and skin looks cloudy. Nature's complexion clean-up crew gets to the bottom of skin's overcast condition and clears the way for it to act its best. 

What it is formulated WITHOUT: 
- Parabens 
- Sulfates 
- Phthalates 

What else you need to know: 
Activated charcoal acts like a magnet to draw out deep-dwelling pore-cloggers. White China clay absorbs environmental toxins, and lecithin dissolves impurities. Without all that stuff down there, skin breathes a sigh of relief. Best for all skin types.

So now to give you my opinion: I have sensitive eczema prone skin so I have to be very careful of what goes on my face. This is the reason I purchased the trial size first to test it out. I had heard great things about the brand Origins but this is the first product I have tried. The mask goes on thick like any clay mask but has a bit of a gel feel so it is easy to spread over your face. Once it starts to set the colour fades to grey, from charcoal, and gets really tight. I prefer to put it on before I shower, I give it 15-30 minutes to harden and work its magic and than I wash it off in the shower, just seems easier and less messy this way. I have had no issues with this product causing any rashes or reactions. It has left my skin feeling soft and clean and refreshed. I do have some problem areas on my chin and nose where my pores are larger and dark, I have yet to notice a dramatic improvement or change in their appearance. I have only used this mask once a week for the last three weeks, so it is possible it may take a few more treatments to really get all the gunk out (ew sorry, yuck)! I will definitely purchase this product again. I have been very impressed at how many masks I have gotten out of the tester size, the next size up is a 50ml tube for $21 and I can imagine it would last you a very long time. I have read reviews that people do not like the scent of the mask but it is not an issue for me at all, it's not something I even noticed and seems like a subtle herbal smell. I like the way my skin feels after using this mask and hope that I do notice an improvement in my pores after continued use. I hope this review has helped you discover a new product or encourages you to do a face mask,

Teal next time...xoxo

Kathleen

Sunday Soup

Happy Sunday! I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine has been busy and fun. Friday night my husband and I had a late dinner and watched a movie with wine and Lindor chocolates (de-stressing from the week)! Saturday I did our weekly grocery shop and ran errands then visited my mom at her house. We took wine and potatoe chips down to the beach and sat and talked until the sun set and it got too chilly. Today I had a friend's baby shower to attend, such a beautiful event. I wasn't sure what to write today for the blog, it was a full weekend so I hadn't given it much thought. I decided I would share with you the soup that I planned to make and photograph the cooking process. A friend gave me this recipe from Skinny Kitchen: http://www.skinnykitchen.com/recipes/super-healthy-beef-vegetable-quinoa-stew/

I didn't follow the recipe exactly, however, it inspired me to make a soup with some spicy Italian pork sausage I had picked up. Below are the main ingredients I used, not pictured are salt and fresh baby spinach l added at the very end. 

I followed the recipe loosely, so have a look at the link for the full version and see my photos for my adaptations. I started by browning two spicy Italian sausages, with casings removed, in my teal Cuisinart cast iron dutch oven over medium heat. To that I added a small chopped cooking onion.

Then half of a large zucchini that I chopped into small pieces.

Then I added a chopped red pepper.

I used a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes, I thought they would add a nice smoky flavour.

Lastly went in a bottle of puréed tomatoes with basil. I used this instead of pasta sauce that the original recipe called for. 

The lid went on and I turned the heat down low and simmered for 25 minutes. While the soup was cooking, I cooked the quinoa in a separate pot, following regular directions. The very last step was to add the quinoa and fresh spinach. I put a large handful of spinach in, but I didn't measure it, just used up what I had. As the Italian sausage is already spicy and flavourful, the tomatoe sauce contained basil leaves, and the fire roasted tomatoes had added garlic, I didn't feel I needed to add any other herbs or seasoning except some salt. 

The finished product was a spicy, flavourful, hearty and thick soup. 

If you make this soup and try the recipe as is or change it up like I did, I would love to hear what you all thought. I love making a big pot of soup on Sunday to bring to work for lunch or for a quick weeknight dinner. Soup is comforting and satisfying and can pack a ton of healthy ingredients. I hope you enjoy!

Teal next time....xoxo

Kathleen

Live more, worry less

I have had a tough few weeks at work lately, excess stress and more worry than needed. It has gotten me thinking about how to cope with these feelings. The Dalai Lama said "if a problem can be solved it will be. If it can not be solved there is no use worrying about it." Somehow, most of us don't live by these words. We spend countless hours dwelling on the past or stressing about the future and not focusing on the present and coming to terms with the fact that worrying does not solve anything. What would it mean to be present and focus only on today? Not wondering what will be or recalling what was, but living today just for today. The act of meditation, relaxation and de-stressing helps us do just this: remove the weight of the world and just focus on the things you can control, like breathing. Something so automatic we often forget we are even doing it, but what if you focus on your breath and what it means to fill your lungs with air and than expel it. This simple practice allows you to be present and in the moment and in your body. Helping to ground you and get you back on track when your surroundings threaten to derail you. I find when I am really stressed or anxious I forget to breathe deeply and end up short of breath because I have been breathing shallowly or not at all and I catch myself holding my breath. 

Today is Sunday, my lazy day, the day I re-energize and rest and prepare myself for the coming week. I sleep in a little later, I remain in pajamas or comfy clothes. I make myself a coffee or two and I savour it and sip it for awhile. There is a slowness to the routine, there is no rush or hustle and bustle to be anywhere, at least not too early or quickly. Sunday is my favourite day of the week, it always has been. But what makes it so wonderful? Well, there's no alarm clock, no commuting long distances, no work, no set schedule. Sunday I am free to focus on me and I get to live more, stress less. I would like to take the time to remind myself, and encourage you to recognize and make your own list, of what I love so much about Sunday's and try and implement that into my everyday life. I have identified a few above, one being, I love the act of making and drinking coffee. It makes me happy, I love picking a mug, preparing my cup, and sitting back to enjoy.

I also love doing what I like, whenever I like to do it, on my own time and without a schedule. We are so programmed by routines during the work week that we often forget how to just sit back and enjoy ourselves. On Sunday I focus on reading, organizing, writing for my blog, catching up with friends and being with family. If we focused more on what is good and positive and makes us happy, than we would have less time to worry and stress. 

So next time you find yourself getting stressed at work or in your life, take a moment to breathe and ground yourself. Remember what it is you love about Sundays, or any day of the week or activity that makes you happy, and try to fit that into your everyday life. Take care of yourself, be kind to yourself and do not forget to live more, worry less

Lots of love and teal next time....xoxo

Kathleen

  

Smoothie Sunday

Happy Sunday and Happy Valentine's Day!! 

Hopefully you have all had a great day and weekend. It's been so rainy and dreary around here that it's been a movie marathon kind of weekend. And that is quite okay by me, staying cozy and watching movies is one of my favourite past times! Today's blog is short and sweet and all about smoothies. I go through phases where I am really into smoothies/shakes and than I stop making them. I am currently trying to get back into smoothies for breakfast. They are a great way to get protein, greens and nutrient dense foods packed all in an easy to digest liquid form. I usually stick with my favourite go-to: frozen blueberries, fresh spinach leaves, one or half a banana, plain almond milk and/or plain regular or Greek yogurt. Sometimes I change it up and skip the yogurt keeping it dairy free, adding seeds like chia, using chocolate almond milk or cocoa powder or peanut butter. There are so many different recipes and versions out there, I have lots of yummy looking ones on my healthy food board on Pinterest. Today I tried my standard smoothie with the addition of frozen peaches, delicious! 

I would love to hear what your favourite smoothie is or know which ones you have been thinking of trying. I would like to make a chocolate and peanut butter flavoured one next!

Thanks for visiting my blog and,

Teal next time....xoxo

Kathleen