Third time is a charm! Parson Desk Hack!

It's been a busy summer and I am so excited to be back at it with a little bit of down time while Little Man enjoys some time at school! So I thought I would kick off the holiday weekend with a fun and easy DIY that I procrastinated on for the WHOLE summer! I am linking up at Serenity Now :)

You might remember this entertainment center from our old house. It got replaced by the coral dresser because we cut cable and had nothing to fill up all the nooks (and because it was pretty bulky!)

It lived in our new play room for a bit as an entertainment center (aka - toy storage unit) but I hated that it was open and you could see all the clutter. So I was about to put it on Craig's List when I had a better idea... why not hack it and make the Parson's desk/table that I was stalking the internet for? But time got away from me and I decided that a quick fix was a better option so I flipped it over and made it into a window seat using the top portion of an ottoman that was in storage.

Well, I finally decided to work on the hack and wouldn't you know it took me all of 5 minutes to finish it? I was so kicking myself that I waited all this time to do it! And look at how cute it is! There are no pictures because all I did was unscrew everything but the top and three sides. So let this be a lesson to you that - A. Just do it! I spent longer thinking about this than it actually took to finish it and B. Keep your eye out for pieces that you might be able to hack into something you really love!

PS - More info on some of the other changes coming next week!

Christmas in July - FREEBIES!!!!

I know it's not Skincare Saturday but wanted to pass along this amazing deal!!! It's Christmas in July FREEBIE time! Click the link below and complete the quick survey (easy questions... like your name, address, etc!) Then wait for your mini facial kit to arrive in your mailbox! It's that easy! Mini facial kits include 1-2 uses of Microdermabrasion Paste, Night Renewing Serum, and Lip Renewing Serum. I'm also going to include a special treat for anyone who chooses to order after using the mini facial kit items. You have until midnight on Wednesday, July 24th to fill out the survey and get your FREE items! Ready, set, GO! 

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/X79MMJP

 

And if you are wondering if Rodan + Fields might be for you.... Here is some more info on the 4 regimens. As a Christmas in July special if you join as a Preferred Customer TODAY you will receive a week's worth of our miracle Night Renewing Serum FREE (and of course 10% off and free shipping!) It's totally risk free with our 60 day money back guarantee! 

Click here to enroll as a Preferred Customer and to get started on the best skin of your life! 

Parmesan Crusted Chicken.... My Way!

I pinned this super yummy looking parmesan crusted chicken recipe over the weekend and was so excited to try it out! But when it came time to cook dinner last night, I could not find the recipe! So I turned to my good friend google and ran across this one pictured below.

And in typical me style - I was missing half of the 4 needed ingredients... namely the parmesan and the bread crumbs! Never one to let little issues slow me down I moved forward with my own version!

Cheesy Ranch Crusted Chicken

1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup Mexican Cheese
1 TBSP Ranch Seasoning
1/4 cup Ground Flax Seeds
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Mix together the mayo, cheese, and ranch seasoning in a bowl.
Place the chicken on a baking sheet and cover evenly with the ranch mixture.
Sprinkle the flax evenly on the top of the ranch mixture.
Bake for ~20 minutes. Finish with 2 minutes on broil.

Voila! The most tasty and juicy chicken I have had in ages!!!!

It's all about the Protection!

So last week I touched on how damaging the skin can be to our skin and how to remedy the damage you have inflicted. But I didn't get a chance to touch on the most important aspect of summer... Sun Protection! Its the best way to prevent skin cancer, wrinkles, acne, and more! Don't forget to see your dermatologist for regular skin cancer checks too!

I was shocked to read some of these skin friendly tips! Seriously a shot glass of sunscreen??? I should be going thru a bottle of sunscreen a month :)

So do your skin a favor this summer (and all year round) and wear a broad spectrum sunscreen whenever you are outside. Look for a sunscreen that exceeds the FDA's criteria and that has been awarded the Skin Cancer Foundation's Seal of Recommendation. And if you are looking for a great sunscreen for your whole family look no further than the R+F Essentials Body Sunscreen. It is non whitening, non sticky, water resistant and broad spectrum SPF 30.

Happy Birthday America!!!!

Hope that you have a wonderful day celebrating all of the amazing

 freedoms that make this country America! 

Pinspired for July - 1 Coral shirt 3 ways!

I am so excited that it's almost the 4th! And love that I get to start off this holiday week with a fun stroll thru Pinterest to gain some outfit inspiration and a link up at Pinterest Told Me To! And since I love my new Old Navy purchases so much - I decided to use my new coral tee as the base for all 3 outfits! It's kinda fun to see multiple options for one piece right? So this is my base piece... and I just might have gone to the store and gotten every single color they have... just saying - it's that good! And in stores it was marked as $10 vs $12 online. If you are curious on sizing I got a small and its still got a decent bit of room to move in without a wardrobe malfunction while chasing the kids!

Source

Coral + Turquoise

Source

 Shorts - Old Navy ($10 in store) 

Stripe + Polka Dots

Source

 Max Studio Skirt - TJ Maxx

Scarf (no tag!) - TJ Maxx 

Coral + White + Animal Print

Source

 Leopard print cardigan - Forever 21

White Crops - TJ Maxx

And although this is not Pinspired... I had to throw this in b/c my hubby is a HUGE Florida Gator fan! So anytime I see orange and blue together that's all I think of! 

Your Skin + the Sun - the good, bad, and UGLY!

It's summertime and the #1 thing that makes me think of the summer is the beach... the sun... the pool! But the last few summers something else for has been front of my mind when it comes to this season - sunscreen! I will admit I was a sun worshipper when I was younger. I frequented the tanning bed in high school and college. And I rarely wore sunscreen. I did not feel pretty (or skinny) without a tan. Its no wonder why when I just recently noticed this while reading my kids a bedtime story...

I am thankful that I have repented and that there is a way to not only protect my skin now but also reverse the years of pain I inflicted on my skin (and even look nice and golden safely!)

Did you know that the biggest culprit in aging is sun exposure???? Yikes! And is certainly doesn't help with acne, wrinkles, skin discoloration, and texture changes. And even if you can't see it yet - changes are that you have sun damage and it just hasn't reared it's ugly head yet. Look at this UV camera shot of the sun damage that is not visible. This underlying sun damage is often the cause for loss of clarity, increased dullness, and uneven skin tone even for people without the telltale age spots.

The Reverse regimen is a simple solution to remedy the damage of year's of sun damage. It exfoliates, lightens, improves skin tone, brightens, AND defends against future damage! In an 8 week clinical trial, 98% saw improved brightness, smoothness, and skin texture and 90% saw an improvement in spots and more even skin tone. This stuff is no joke!

Knocking out those sun spots...

And melasma discolorations too...

And it's working wonders for freckles... 

And it's not just for women.... 

or only for your face...

It's pretty crazy to see these incredible results across a variety of different types of sun damage (or hormonal spot damage too!) I actually JUST realized that I have quite a bit of discoloration on my skin in the last several weeks. So stay tuned for some before and afters! 

But in the meantime - enjoy the summer, keep protected, and if you need to be tan, faking it is the way to go! Love our Foaming Sunless Tanner - totally natural and no risk of skin cancer!

Next week in keeping with the summer trend - it's time to talk sunscreen!