Just Out Walking

Good afternoon ladies! Well we are just about through with July! It will be Christmas before long.

I don't have much this week. Its been a little crazy around here. My schedule has been thrown off a bit and I am a creature of habit. Plus, it takes me a minute to adjust and I will admit it, I don't like it. I wish I were one of those people that could adjust with no problem and fly by the "seat of my pants." but that's not me.                                                                                                                                            

I do want to talk to you today about different walks. Not the kind you take in the afternoon or early mornings, but our life walks. What they look like and what they may represent. I have been struggling to be honest, lately with my walk and what it is supposed to look like. Especially at this stage in my life. It may just be the COVID struggle that has me feeling some kind of crazy. Anyway, what I want to say is this... 

Not everyone's walk is the same. Even though we may have similar backgrounds, come from the same family, raised by the same people. We will all have different walks, depending on the choices we make. Like the dress I have on in this picture. I "stole" this dress; as my daughter would like to say, a few years ago while we were out shopping. This is a Nine West dress, not too awful expensive, but kind of pricey. I think the retail was something like $129. Ya'll I got this baby for $5!! That's right!! FIVE DOLLARS BILLS!!  Belk's was having some crazy sell and I snatched it. No matter if it didn't fit. I was not gonna let this by. I got home with it and took the dress to have alterations done so it would fit. I still do not have a lot of money in the dress. It was worth every cent. 

What I am trying to say is this. My daughter could have bought the same dress and it fit perfectly. But we are two different people so that is not going to happen for us both. Same as our personal walks in life. My walk is not going to look like someone else. Some walks require more time on the path. At times, if I'm truly honest with myself, I get caught up in other women's walk; especially on social media. But ya'll, that stuff isn't always real, they have real problems and heartache too. So I have to put it down for a while and come back. We have some much wanting our attention it is so easy to forget our reason for being where we are.

God put us where we are with who we are with to be who He made us to be. So just because something looks just right, doesn't mean it was always right. We don't see the behind the scenes, the work and prayer that went into that "dress". Girlfriend, lets remember that when we are struggling with our "dress" someone  else is too. Its not all pretty pictures and flowers. Sometimes its weeds, holey jeans, and snotty t-shirts. We are here for such a short time on this scared earth. Enjoy the snotty t-shirts and the behind the scenes action. It made (or making) us who we are.                                                  

Thanks for stopping by today. Please leave a comment or suggestion so I will know that you came by. Subscribe to the email so you don't miss a post.

Love and Blessings.

Dawn

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose."- Romans 8:28 ESV

Getting That Perfect Glow

 

Good afternoon ladies!

 

Hope you all had a great Monday. They come really fast, the weekends just fly by. 

Terry and I went shopping this Saturday, well I went shopping, Terry walked. Anyway, went to downtown Goldsboro. The community started a few years ago to bring some businesses back there and updated a lot of the buildings with art, structures and just some funky little places to eat and shop. We had fun; even if it was so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk. If you live in or close by a downtown area, I encourage you to visit there. You will always find something you will not see in your corporate locations. Plus, you will be giving back to the community and I am all about that.

Today we are going to talk about self tanner and a few LimeLife by Alcone products I use to help keep that glow. I have used a number of self tanners; from Fake 'n Bake to Jergens. Although some are good I always go back to MineTan. I get it from Amazon. I wish they sold it locally but that's not the case. I was introduced to it by another blogger, Cyndi Spivey.Cyndi It has an express formula so it develops quickly, which a major plus for me and this formula does NOT stain my sheets.

MineTan has a few different shades. I use the Super Dark Coconut. There have Olive, Coffee, Moroccan, Violet, Caramel, Mink; even a workout formula so you do not sweat off your tan. Minetan Like I said the formula is a dark foam so you will be able to see where the tanner is going. You can leave it on up to 3 hours. No need in leaving longer because that's as dark as you get. Step in the shower and rinse off and wa la, you have a beautiful tan from the comfort of your own home. I am as pale as a ghost and this does not turn me orange! That's the magical part about it. I also do a few things so I don't get patchy when the tanner starts to fade.

On my "tanning" day; which is usually Saturday; I use a body scrub called Bamboo Renew from LimeLife by Alcone. Its a fine body scrub that has bamboo and lemongrass in it. Its very important to exfoliate before you tan. The scrub suds up so I exfoliate with that, I also shave. When I towel off I DO NOT apply lotion on my body. I DO apply lotion only to my elbows, knees, wrists and around my ankles. ( Basically the rougher places.) This keeps the tanner from "grabbing" to your skin. I use a tanning mitt, makeup face brush along with gloves to apply the tanner. I start with my legs and work in an upward circular motions. I do this on my legs, torso, arms and back. I save my hands and feet for last. This where the brush comes in. I use the brush to buff the tanner on. To me it gives a more natural look. MineTan is safe to use on your face, but I wash and exfoliate my face so much, its pointless to do that. So I use a darker foundation to match my face to my neck. This tan will last about 4-5 days. 

The face mask I use is Skin Polish by LimeLife by Alcone. I love it. It smells wonderfully clean. Skin Polish is a lemon and Jojoba Bead face mask. I use this product twice a week. I cannot say enough good things about it.This mask is not gritty as some of the store bought brands are. Skin Polish has done an amazing job of renewing the texture of my skin. You can visit my website and discover both of these products and more. my website

So these are the products I use to keep my tan all year long. I have not visited a tanning bed in almost 4 years. The last time I went was in 2016 when Terry and I went to Aruba. Tanning beds are not good at all for your skin or your health. I know there are bunch of people who love them, I was one. But the way cancer runs in my family; I will pass.

I hope this helped you out. Leave me comments, questions or suggestions below, sometimes I need help on what to talk about, lol.

As always, THANK YOU for stopping by and saying "HI". I really appreciate it. Have a good week.

Blessings,

Dawn

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God”-

Ephesians 2:8 ESV

Friday's Recipe

Hi friend!! We made it another week!!!

I don't know about y'all but it has been HOT here in Eastern NC! The dog days of summer are here sweet friends!

I will be pretty quick today. I have a busy afternoon. Got to get my workout in, dinner with the family tonight and back home to work on my LimeLife by Alcone packages. That's one of my favorite things to do. Putting my customers packages together. Giving them a personal touch, they appreciate it and I'm so thankful for them!

Today I am sharing another side dish with you all. I made Pasta Salad the other night and put a little bit of my spin on it. Usually when I think of Pasta Salad its my mama's macaroni salad with elbow noodles and tons of bell pepper and mayo. This is not that for sure. This Pasta Salad is colorful and light. My favorite, yum! You can serve this with any main course you like. Terry grilled salmon for us. (the recipe is below)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend spent with your loved ones. Praying all this sickness goes away, not just COVID19  but this sickness of spirit and mind. We had to stay prayed up people. 

As always, thanks for stopping by! Please leave a comment below, share or subscribe to the email listing so you don't miss a post.

I love you all!

Blessings,

Dawn

"for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and  love and self-control."-2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)

       

Pasta Salad

1 12 oz box of pasta (your choice, I used tri-color)

1 English cucumber, diced

3 oz. Parmesan cheese

1 pint of grape tomatoes (halved)

1/2 of a med red onion, sliced thin

Vinaigrette for salad (you can whisk this together while pasta is cooking)

1/4 c of EVOO (your choice)

3 Tbsp of red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp lemon juice (I used fresh but bottle is fine)

2 tsp of dried oregano

1 tsp honey

2 tsp of minced garlic (fresh or jar)

1/4 tsp of black pepper

pinch of salt and red pepper flake

Instructions:

Boil pasta to directions of the box. Drain and rinse under cool water. Place in large mixing bowl.

Add cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, and cheese. Mix together along with the vinaigrette you made. Mix well until evenly coated with vinaigrette.

Serve immediately, garnish with extra Parmesan and pepper if you wish.

New Find Monday

Hello Monday!!! Hope your day has gone well. 

I just got through working out and decided I would drop in and share this dress I found at a boutique I have featured here before. The dress is from McLamb Design and Co. They were in Clinton, NC but are moving to Mt. Olive and let me tell you; I'm excited about it! They will be carrying all sorts of things. Hats, accessories, jewelry, shoes, a men's line. All manner of things!

Anyway back to the dress...

The dress is a size small, brand is BomBom and made in the USA.  Which I like that part a lot. I am more aware of where things are made now. I want to support our country. It has pockets and you know I love pockets; fits TTS. You cannot tell in the pictures but I paired the dress with LimeLight corked wedges in taupe. I'm sure you can dress up or dress down this little dress anyway you would like. It would look super cute with some plain white tennis shoes; like Adidas or Converses. Of course, flats or gladiator sandals would work as well.

A long statement necklace would look nice with this dress. I choose to just simple silver hoops to wear. You cannot see them because of my big hair. But you know how us southern women like our big hair. I personally would not wear a lot of jewelry with this particular dress. I like the bright color of it and it is perfect for summer. I think over accessorizing will take away from it. Thin enough to be light and flowy, but also enough to feel covered.

I have had this piece awhile so I really don't know if they had other colors. I'm almost positive they did. Maybe in a different style. I just love this dress. I worn it a few times and finally got around to taking some pictures in it this weekend.

McLamb Design & Co. hope to open within the next few weeks. I think they are aiming for the first week of August. You can find them on Facebook and IG. www.mclanddesignco.com is the website. Go check them out, I know you find something you like.

Just a Thought

Forgiveness. That one word says so much to me. Our pastor was speaking about it this past Sunday. He actually stepped on my toes. I know how it is to want forgiveness and to give forgiveness. It's HARD both ways. Pastor said, "God loves the one that hurt you just AS MUCH, just as much as He loves you" Yep, that was hard to swallow, but its the truth. We need to hear  the truth especially in the times we are living in now. So if God can forgive why is it so hard for us??? I wanted to share that with you. It really spoke to me in church. God just didn't love me just to forgive me, He loves us all. To show His love, as we are called to, we HAVE to forgive others that have hurt us. In the end it sets us free from any bitterness. To turn it loose to Him that holds it all anyway.....what have we got to lose??? Healing??? Yes, I have some work to do.

Thanks for stopping by today. As always, let me know you were here. Leave a comment, suggestion or subscribe to the email so you don't miss a post:)

Blessings,

Dawn

Catching Up

Hello ladies!!

I hope you all had a good day. It was a busy day for me. I worked my regular job, got my workout in, fed the cats, you get the point, lol!

Its been a little while since I have posted anything on the blog. We had a few things going on. Just like everyone. My daughter was moving. Son's truck was damaged. Death in the family. Just first one thing then another. Life, its full of surprises that is for sure.

Today I want to share with you a recipe that I found on Pinterest. My husband and I have been trying to eliminate carbs in our diet and its been a little difficult. I love  ALL the carbs. Pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, PASTA. Anyway, I found this recipe for spaghetti squash and decided to try it out. It's "Terry Approved" so I know you will like it. Terry doesn't like change; so for him to approve of this really says something.

On to the recipe.

I used a normal size spaghetti squash. Washed, patted dry and cut in half. I scooped all the seeds and middle out. Brushed on EVOO and seasoned with salt and pepper. I laid the squash cut side down on a lined baking sheet for easy clean up. Baked on 375 for about 45 minutes. While that was baking I cut up half an onion and sauteed it a pan with garlic and butter.

Once baked I took a fork and scooped out the flesh of the squash and left the shell. I added greek yogurt, butter, cheddar cheese, onion and an Italian seasoning to the squashed. Mixed well and placed mixture back into the shells. Topped with more cheddar cheese and placed back in oven under broil until golden bubbly.

It reminds me of a twice baked potato. I served it along side of turkey burgers and mixed salad. Something light for these hot summer nights. 

Below are the measurements and pictures of the dish. I hope you enjoy!

As always, thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to subscribe to my email list so you don't miss a post.

Blessings,

Dawn

Twice Baked Spaghetti Squash

One medium size spaghetti squash

1 Tbsp EVOO

1 tsp Italian seasoning (any will do)

1 c of shredded cheddar cheese (divided)

1/2 c of greek yogurt (you could use light sour cream)

2 Tbsp butter

1 medium or 1/2 large onion

1 tsp of fresh garlic

S & P to taste

Wash and dry squash. Cut lengthwise discard insides and seeds. Brush EVOO and salt and pepper. Baked cut side down on baking sheet for 45 minutes on 375 degrees.

While baking squash. Dice up onion and add garlic, place in sauté pan; be careful not to burn garlic. Stirring frequently until onion is transulcent. Set aside. Be careful when scooping out inside of squash IT IS EXTREMELY HOT! Place in bowl, add half cheese, onions and rest of ingredients. Mix well and place mixture back in shells. Top with the rest of the cheese and place back in oven. Broil until golden brown.