Taking a Break

Due to some medical issues, I will be having surgery this next week. Because of that I am going to take a little break from blogging. I hope to return in 2 or 3 weeks. I will miss you and look forward to returning as soon as possible.

Remember to take a break every once in a while. I have found that as I have moved into my 40s that I get more done in a day when I take breaks. I take a short break and then get back to work at full steam. When I take little breaks all through my day, I can go on and on and on. It is amazing how much I will accomplish. I hope to return at full speed this time too.

Until I return

Debbie

Have You Seen My Tweezers?

When my daughters were still at home (they are all grown up now); I would constantly have to ask "Have you seen my tweezers". Of course the answer was "no, I haven't seen them". I would then proceed to go through their things and of course find the tweezers stuck in one of their drawers or laying on their dresser or even under their bed. I guess they must have walked themselves to those places. I can not tell you how many pair of tweezers I would buy them but to no avail because my pair that I have owned 20 plus years would disappear once again. This became a source of huge aggravation for me. I had this special pair that just really were great at grabbing splinters or that stray hair and no matter how many others I tried they just didn't measure up to this pair. (maybe that is why my girls kept taking them) I finally found a strategy to keep my tweezers from disappearing. I disappeared them myself. I hid them under the cushion of my chair (you know down in the scary place) They never disappeared again. I always knew exactly where they were. I know it seems extreme, I guess my frustration just got the better of me in my determination to win the battle of parents vs. teens. I still remember the day my hidey hole was discovered. Someone was looking for something and they checked there and discovered my stash. By this time I had hidden my favorite pen, and several other small items that I wanted to keep from disappearing. The looks on all the faces of my family was priceless. You would have thought I had committed a horrible act. We all laugh about it now and it even became a joke to visitors to be very careful when they sit in my spot because there is no telling what they will find under the cushion.

I still have those beloved tweezers. Now I keep them in a little box near my chair. Thankfully my son doesn't have the affinity for taking them like the girls did. This Christmas I received in my stocking a gift that made me laugh from my oldest (who stole them more than anyone). She had given me a pair of tweezers with a girl painted on them. My first reaction was "Did something happen to my tweezers?" She laughed and said that no but she had found the best tweezers on the earth and bought me a pair. I laughed because I knew I had pretty much tried them all and they never even came close to being as good as my old pair. (they just don't make them like they used to I guess). She encouraged me to try them so I did. You know what? They really were as good as my old silver metal pair. Shocked and delighted is how I would describe my emotions upon discovering this. I will still hang onto my much beloved old pair (after all they have served me well) but I will have a really pretty new pair that can match their ability as well. She also gave her sister the pair below. I looked them up on Google and discovered they are called Miss Tweezies tweezers.

Until next time.

Debbie

When the Weather is Bad

Hopefully you have all your Christmas gifts purchased because the weather is bad in many parts of the country right now. There are people who will be enjoying a very white Christmas this year. There are many good things and bad things about inclement weather. . .

One really good thing about being stuck inside is that you may have more time to read. I thought I would let you in on a magazine that I really enjoy. . .

It is called All You. This magazine packs lots of punch for its size. It focuses on enjoying life for less. It has tons of diet advice as well as beauty and makeup tips, finding fashion for less, crafts, recipes, decorating ideas, as well as many many coupons and deals. The amount saved with the coupons outweighs the low cost of the magazine by far. In the harder economic times we have at the moment; I thought you might really appreciate the coupons. There are coupons for groceries as well as beauty products. The coupons and deals they offer have really helped me to stay on budget better this year. So if you find yourself with some extra time on your hands you might want to check this magazine out and until you can get a copy be sure to visit the awesome All You website as well.

Hope you are staying warm and have a very Merry Christmas.

Debbie

(This post was not sponsored or paid by any other entity and their was no compensation in any way for this recommendation.)

Winter Time Blues

Do you ever suffer from the winter time blues? I will confess that I have struggled with it many times over the years. I have learned a few tips that help me to keep them away when the skies stay gray for too long. I use light bulbs that say daylight on the package. They have a broader spectrum of light which helps to stimulate the serotonin in our brains. I have learned that increasing the light sources around me will help. That is why I have so many lamps and lights around my home. It is important to get into the sunlight any time it is shining in the winter. Just a few minutes of sunlight can make a huge difference. I also have found that just getting outside even on gray days helps tremendously. The fresh air really rejuvenates me. Increasing exercise is another activity that helps to keep me from progressing to SAD (seasonal affective disorder). As I have moved on into my 40's closer to the 50's I have become much more conscious of getting the right vitamins and minerals in my diet. The winter time blues and SAD will cause an increase of craving for starches so it becomes even more important to make sure I am getting the right nutrients in my diet as well as more exercise to offset any extra eating. Last of all my advice is to get dressed up. There is nothing like being dressed at your best to make a woman feel better. I love to stay in my pj's lots of days when I don't have to get out so it can be tempting to not get dressed up but it always makes me feel better about myself when I do.

If you are one of those people who struggles to be "bright eyed and bushy tailed", then remember these tips and do not be embarrassed to seek help. I have done it and it is surprising how many around us have to from time to time. Depression can be overcome but we must first admit we are there and be willing to take the steps to better mental health when needed. There is no shame in getting help. The shame is when lives are ruined because they refuse help.

Debbie

Giveaway

There is a giveaway going on over at one of my other blogs! Hop on over and check it out!

Glory feathers Starlight and Roses

Ooops, I took a picture of myself if you look really close. You caught me in my pj's!

Have You Ever Noticed?

Have you ever noticed Womans World Magazine? I know what you may be thinking and I can assure you that it is not a gossip rag. I do not care for those and although this magazine is placed next to them at the checkout stand, I promise it is not one of those. It is not the most glossy glamorous magazine I have read either. I will share with you what it is though . . .

This magazine is a great source for information on the latest diets, style tips, beauty tips, super foods, nutrition, recipes, menus, and much much more. It is a really great magazine. One that I really look forward to. Really, I do. It is one that I did not notice for years because of where it was placed and it just didn't look glossy like the magazines I usually read. I was really missing out. I don't know why I picked it up when I finally did. I guess I was having a bad day or something and was out of reading material but whatever the reason, I picked it up. I don't even pass this magazine along. I keep them. There is so much nutrition information in this magazine that it really is helpful in my life and the tips are just so cool. If all that doesn't convince you of the value of this magazine just go to ebay and do a search on it. I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw those prices. I kept double checking to make sure I was seeing right. I even went looking for my sparkly drugstore glasses to make sure. I found some pretty current issues for huge prices. I haven't checked again since that day so it could have been just that moment but I was shocked. I also found out that this magazine has been around for a long time. I mean it is as old as dirt. All these things confirm to me that this magazine is worth picking up and checking out. Catch you later.

Debbie

(The recommendation in this post are in no way paid for, sponsored, or compensated for in any way.)

5 Minute Youth Treatment

Have you ever looked in the mirror and been shocked to see an old woman looking back at you? It is bound to happen to all of us eventually. It happened to me one day. I wondered who would play such a joke. Even more important, why didn't my daughters or even my mother say something? And while I am thinking about it where were my girlfriends? After all; we women need to stick together. I know they had to notice so where was the kind voice advising me that things were taking a turn for the worse and something needed to be done? I guess they didn't want to hurt my feelings so I will let them off the hook this time. The worst part of all this was that I knew better than most how to help keep this at bay a little better than I had done. I knew proper skin care was important but I had become lazy in my skin care routine and I needed to get back to better practices again.

I know looking younger in 5 minutes sounds too good to be true, but there is something you can do on a regular basis that will help so much. Most women are very good about cleansing and moisturizing their faces but a much neglected part of good skin care is exfoliation. Exfoliating your face can help in so many areas, some of which include looking younger, having brighter more radiant skin, and even helping treat acne. Exfoliation is a method of scrubbing your face that removes the dead skin cells and reveals the freshest and most radiant skin. Exfoliation can be achieved chemically or manually. I personally use both methods. The chemical method that I choose is through an Alpha Hydroxy product that chemically breaks down the glue that holds the dead skin cells together and helps them to be shed much easier. My personal preference in this kind of product has been a product by BeautiControl Cosmetics called Regeneration. I know there are many products out there that will do a great job. Mary Kay has never failed to deliver great products in this area. There are also products on the market that include retinol which also helps to exfoliate your face chemically. Just 1 more minute to apply products like these can really help you look much younger, more radiant, and healthy.

The manual method involves manually scrubbing your face with products designed for exfoliation. This can include products like Mary Kay Timewise or Olay Age Defying Renewal Cleanser, where the exfoliating step is added into the cleansing product. It can also come as a separate product like BeautiControl Skinlogics Facial Scrub. I have personally used all of these and would highly recommend them. I also recommend that you use a wash cloth to cleanse your face with rather than just your hands because this adds an extra bit of exfoliation to your day. Some cautions when exfoliating that you need to know are that you should never exfoliate when you have inflamed acne. Always wait till the inflammation has subsided. Also never over scrub. exfoliation should be done gently so that you do not cause inflammation or irritation. Each product has different instructions on use so be sure to read and follow those recommendations. Remember as you go through your daily beauty routines that just 5 more minutes can make all the difference for you.

Until next time.

Debbie

Note: This post was not paid for and there was no exchange of goods or services for any of my recommendations.