MckMama's house is in foreclosure! AGAIN!

Foreclosure number FOUR! Can you believe it? Who does that? Better yet, what financial institution(s) continue to loan to someone who has multiple home foreclosures? The best news is kids typically love new things, new houses, so they'll handle & adjust to another move just fine. Poor little souls. Have no clue mom mismanages her thousands & all of their homes are being taken away.

Can't wait to see where their next home is! Will she be capable of scoring a new financial lender for financing? Will someone owner finance for her? (Which is how the red (ok, pink) barn started out - owner finance.) Will she rent, with 5 kids & 2 labrador dogs? We'll have to sit tight for 6 months or so to find out.

The scoop:

Our lovely, professional Tracy Coenen did another little website post & you can read all about it here.

You can catch up on all the extras (& have many laughs!) on MckFacts, here.

Merry Christmas!

The PERFECT Christmas gift for ladies!

Hi there! Are you stuck on what to give for Christmas? Do you have a beautiful woman in your life that has 'everything'? Wife, Mom, Daughter, Aunt, Niece, Daughter-in-law, Cousin, Girlfriend, Fiance, Babysitter, Housekeeper, Employee, Dentist, Doctor, Neighbor & oh boy, the list goes on! And you're stuck? I'm going to help you out. Because Younique provides the most perfect Christmas gifts! And Anniversary, Birthday, Wedding, Graduation, etc., etc. gifts, too! What woman doesn't want to look & feel beautiful? NONE!

Nature Is the Inspiration Behind Our Science!

Younique's cosmetics development processes utilize scientific research to ensure that our products contain high quality ingredients without unnecessary fillers, that may be safely compatible with virtually every skin type.

Nature. Love. Science.

Younique's cosmetics development processes utilize scientific research to ensure that our products contain high quality ingredients that enrich and nourish the skin. The result is a beautifully efficacious product that is safely compatible with virtually every skin type..

Younique begins by looking to Mother Nature for the inspiration behind our cosmetics. Our in-house scientific team then formulates a product that honors that inspiration while delivering cutting-edge cosmetics. Our goal is to provide healthy, clean, and pure cosmetics..

Let's go!

Let's start with Younique's #1 best seller - Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lash Mascara - $29.00. The Magic Mascara! Get it before it goes on back order! Goes on & off just like regular mascara. Amazing stuff!



Divine Daily Moisturizer - $39.00! I love this NON-greasy (no really, non-greasy!) moisturizing cream! This 1.69 fl. oz. bottle will last months.



Uplift Eye Serum - $65.00! I can no longer go to bed at night without my eye serum! Actually, I wear it all over my entire face & neck. Love it! Rich in vitamins, natural skin lipids, and antioxidants, Uplift Eye Serum is formulated to replenish, moisturize, and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. As we age, our bodies produce lessening amounts of these vital nutrients. While we may never be able to recover these nutrients, we can supplement them. Uplift contains vitamins E and C–powerful antioxidants which help fight the effects of free radicals and long-term sun exposure. Squalane, derived from sugarcane, acts as a natural skin lipid to help deliver moisture below the surface of the skin. Uplift also contains Sweet Iris, which helps the skin appear firmer and more supple. Uplift is nutrition for your skin! This 47 fl. oz. bottle will last 4-5 months.



Glorious Face & Eye Primer - $39.00. This applies & feels like silk! Glorious creates a flawless canvas as it evens out the skin's texture, and primes and prepares the skin for premium application of mineral makeup. The resulting appearance is porcelain-perfect, velvety-soft skin with incredible long-wearing, sweat-resistant coverage of mineral makeup that lasts all day. Ingredients are naturally based, free of parabens, oils, synthetic fragrances, and cheap fillers. This 1.35 fl. oz. bottle will last about 3-4 months. It's so great in your hair, too!



Precision Eye Liner Pencils - $15.00. 10 colors to choose from. Long-wearing eye liner color that pops and accentuates your pretty peepers with precise and deliberate color placement. Love these & boy, do they stay put! No smudge, no smear until you remove your liner.



Precision Lip Liner Pencils - $15.00. Equally as awesome as the eye liners! Long-wearing lip liner color that pops and accentuates your perfectly-shaped puckers with precise and deliberate color placement. Five colors to choose from. Stays put until you take it off!



Moodstruck Eye Shadow Pigment Powder - $12.50. These are so fun! Looking for long-lasting, sweat-proof cosmetics you can feel good about wearing? These luxurious eye shadows are formulated with finely crushed minerals, amino acids, and vitamins that provide key nutrition for your skin. Apply to eyelids for dramatic color or a soft, blended look. The possibilities are endless as you tap into your "inner mood" for the day. So many colors to choose from - from simple to sexy to dramatic! And these are safe for our little girls, so they are super for dance/cheer recitals/competitions. In addition, mix with some Glorious Primer for some fun & dramatic hair color streaks!



Illuminate Clean Facial Cleansers - $39.00. These cleaners are the best! This is all I use to remove my Younique makeup & 3d fiber lash mascara. Made with Horse Chestnut, Ginko Biloba, and Super Leaf Extracts. For normal/dry skin. This 3.3 fl. oz. bottle will last you months. So gently, so awesome.

Illuminate Clear Facial Cleaners - $39.00. Made with Garden Chrysanthemum, Aloe Vera, and Licorice Root. For oily skin.



BB Flawless Complexion Enhancer Foundation - $39.00. Another best seller! There are so many, really. lol I love this lightweight, simple foundation! With a smooth powder on top, it is flawless. Apply this all-in-one moisturizer, treatment, and foundation as a single-step cream to help even out skin tone and complexion, and to help protect your skin's youthful appearance.
This multitasking cream moisturizes, perfects, protects, and works beautifully as a lightweight foundation on its own. It provides a flawless appearance and fights shine to give a natural-looking matte finish. Consider it your skin's new best friend. Six colors to choose from.



Touch Powder Foundation - $32.00. One of my favorites, for my 'quick' days! Smooth on & go. An ultra-fine, long-wearing, and breathable foundation powder that provides a beautiful, touchable, even finish. Ten colors to choose from.



Collection Kits - starting at $99.00 - $290.00. Want it all? Here you go! Choose from five different collections. Our collections save you time & money!




Sets - prices vary. Choose from 10 different sets, including brush sets (example: here are all of Younique's incredible brushes!), lip glosses, lip liners, eye liners, foundations, eye pigments, etc. To shop, click here & then click on 'Sets'.

Younique offers the most amazing, natural brushes for makeup application! Click here & then click on 'Tools' to view.



And this! This is amazing! Every single month, Younique offers a Customer Kudos as a great big thank you to their loyal customers! November is almost over, so hurry! Anyone who places a $150.00 order gets a FREE lip stain & it is gorgeous!



Ok! That covers most of Younique's phenomenal, non-toxic products, but there are a few more!

Check out all of Younique's products & give the gift that all women love - makeup! If I can help in any way, if you have any questions, email me - adoringthesimple@gmail.com. I'm always happy to help! :)

Oh, I almost forgot! If you interested in making extra money for the Holidays, purchase a Presenter kit for $99.00 & start making money immediately! Best network marketing company I've ever, ever worked with. Easiest money I've ever made, too. Still blows myself & my husband away when we think about it. Younique has what ladies want! All ladies want to look & feel beautiful. We offer & provide that! So simple, so fun, so important.

Click here to purchase your Presenter Kit & have so much fun with me!

Live out loud, gorgeous & proud! <3

Younique's Fiber Lash Mascara was on The Doctors!

Are you ready to try this stuff yet? In the video, she demonstrates! Watch the video (I had to turn my volume up high to hear it) & see her results - yep, it works! :)

http://www.thedoctorstv.com/videos/magic-mascara

Younique offers a Love It Guarantee, go ahead, try it!

Click here! :)



And if you order (any product), I'll add you to my private Facebook group, where I share tips & tricks!

Top 5 reasons to be a part of Younique.

Love this. Love them. Love the company. Love the products. Love the compensation plan. Love the love!

Interested? I wasn't either, at first. Then I changed my mind.  <3

Click below to watch the video on YouTube!  It's not a long video at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1pHizz1HXo



Click here to join my company!

Have a blessed Friday!

I LOVE my Moodstruck Fiber Lash Mascara!

Met a friend for dinner tonight (ok, I sold some lashes tonight, too!) & did the basic makeup, which, of course, includes my fiber lashes. Oh, & my eye liner is Younique's Moodstruck Precision Eye Pencil & I LOVE it, too! It's a pencil, but it goes on so precisely & it does not budge! Look at my straight lines! I don't have my lip liner on tonight, but you can see my eyes!



Get your lashes here!

Get your eye liner pencils here! (I'm wearing 'Proper')

Want to join my company for $99 & start making money? Join here! It'd be my pleasure to help you!

Happy looking beautiful! :)

Younique's Special Anniversary Presenter Kit for October 2014!

Happy Anniversary, Younique!

Younique is now 2 years old! Get this - there were 999 Presenters their first year. There are now…in just their second year…over…100,000 Presenters! How's that for a 99,000 increase! Holy fiber lashes! That's incredible. And that number is going climb & climb rapidly so come on - join me!

Here's the Presenter Kit for October:

(This is only a special anniversary kit, so get it now!)



This includes a full size Uplift - Younique's brand new amazing eye serum! It alone sells for $65.00!
Full size face & eye primer - $39.00!
Lucrative Lip Gloss in Luxe - $15.00!
Three Moodstruck Precision eye pencils - $40.00!
And of course…
Younique's famous Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes!  Tada!  $29.00!

That is a total of $188.00 in products for a mere $99.00!  Cha ching!  :)

I am so excited to be a part of this company. I am so excited to sell makeup! I am so excited to make money. A lot of money. Nothing is holding me back! Think it's not possible to make a lot of money with Younique? Think again! Read this:

"Wow! Who knew this little make up business would be so life changing to so many I'm hearing of many new 6 figure earners on Team **********. I received a $6,000 pay increase myself this month, I am so thankful for this opportunity and sooooo glad I sold that Coach purse to get the money to join 1 yr ago! This month is a big accomplishment for me.. I matched my husbands previous yearly income (his best year) in my monthly income. Take a chance it could change your life!"

She sold a Coach purse to pay for her Presenter kit. Oh, she's an 8th grade drop out, too. If you have a desire, if you are committed, if you have a mouth & want to make money - Younique's your answer. Get your kit now!

Click here to purchase your Presenter kit!



Make it a beautiful week!

Questions? Email me! adoringthesimple@gmail.com Place 'Younique' in the subject line!

I no longer sell Shaklee.

Just a reminder - I have officially resigned from selling Shaklee products. I am so in love with & so successful with Younique, I just didn't have time (as well as many other reasons) for Shaklee any more. That said, I still have a lot of Shaklee posts on my blog, but the links are no longer active. I will leave my posts because they are loaded with awesome information. If you are interested in purchasing the products, please find a distributor in your area. Thank you! :)

Choose your Younique Presenter Kit!

Well hello! I'll be honest - I'm super busy because my Younique business is hugely successful! Truly so successful, I make money every day & selling makeup is so much fun! I had no idea it would be this simple.

FYI -

Younique Presenter Kits are changing 10.1.14! Same price of $99, but contents are changing. If you want all the colors of the blush/concealer/pigments in the current kit - get it before Oct. 1. No monthly quotas, no autoships, no website fees, $25 free birthday money & make commission (get paid within 4 hours) on every sale, including your own orders! There are many top leaders making a lot of money…get this…who never wore makeup before! No kidding! That is inspiring. I have a meeting next week & even though I don't use/wear all the colors, I'll be taking my entire kit to show her the Younique line.

Click here to get yours!

Younique is still not quite 2 years old yet. Last year, there were 999 Presenters. As of today, there are almost 100,000! Can you believe that? There is a reason for that! If Presenters weren't successful, if the products were not good - this growth wouldn't even be possible. It's because Younique, as a company, is delightful. Presenters are so successful. The cosmetics & products are so effective, comfortable & amazing.

I want my Younique organization to be huge! Get your presenter kit & start your own organization - there is tons of training & we'll do this together! All of us, because we are a family. Yes, we are a family. And that's just how it should be. Click the link above & just do it! I promise you, for $99, you will not regret it. Heck, call me & I'll help you! I LOVE people! 817.300.7755. That's how much I love Younique & that's how much I want others to be successful, too. :)







Click here to shop! Happy shopping! :)

Mexican Chicken. Mmmmm.

Yum! Quick, easy & dinner is done! This is not my recipe - I altered Bonnie's recipe to fit our tastes. Thanks, Bonnie! (Btw, since I no longer sell Shaklee, be sure to order your Shaklee products from her! Link is on her site.)

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts (that's the only type of chicken we really eat)
Sliced onion
Onion flakes
Garlic Salt
Celtic Salt
Pepper
1 can Rotel
1 can black beans - drained/rinsed
1 can corn - drained
Sharp shredded cheddar (or mexican shredded)
Plain Greek yogurt (we use this for everything! In place of sour cream)
Add whatever else your family desires - make it your own!
Bake at 425 for about an hour. I check mine often, to make sure the chicken is not overcooked. Don't like rubbery chicken.

**********

Place chicken & seasonings on bottom.



Add beans, corn & rotel. Slide on in oven.



Pull out periodically to stir & blend flavors.



Once the chicken is cooked, remove from oven & top with cheese. Cover with foil & let sit for a bit.



Mmmmmmm!



We top ours with Greek yogurt. Next time, I will drain the rotel & add a bit of taco seasoning for more flavor. We like a bit of a kick.



Healthy & delicious. Enjoy! :)

Younique's August Customer Kudos & an overdue update!

Well hello! I have come to the conclusion that my blogging will not return to normal, or consistent, until my kids return to school. I know I say it every summer but good heavens, it's so busy here! School starts in three weeks & I'm in official freak-out mode. We still need to finish our summer fun & there's still so much to do to get four children ready & prepared for the return of school.

My blog has changed just a bit, due to the fact that I no longer market Shaklee products. I love Shaklee & I still have my Distributors & members, but I am no longer accepting new Distributors, members or customers. I love them all & am so thankful for them! It was a wonderful Shaklee ride for 2 years & I will forever use their incredible products, but I am so very busy with Younique, it was time & necessary to let Shaklee go. All of my Shaklee posts will remain because they are full of great information, but the links are no longer active.

I have lots of Younique news! The Younique conference was this weekend (right down the street from me, but I couldn't attend due to being on vacation - I'm still so upset about missing it!) & my goodness, so many new, exciting updates! I will announce those soon, but I did want to get up this months Customer Kudos.



Every month, Younique thanks their loyal customers with a little gift (LOVE that & LOVE this company!!) & this month, a brand new product is included! Purchase one of the six Collections Kits (such awesome products selections) & get the brand spankin' new brow brush/lash comb for FREE! This is so cool - the lash comb is METAL, not plastic! This goes hand in hand with Younique's best selling product - the Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes! More information to come about all of the new products being released, but for now, I'll put the link to the Collections Kits below so you can take a peek.

Click here to see the Collections. *These particular Collections are being discontinued, to make room for new Collections!

Younique is currently standing at just over 60,000 Presenters - 59,000 of which has joined in 2014 alone. Pretty impressive! That's because the company is phenomenal, as well as their gorgeous, silky, healthy cosmetics & beauty products. Click below & be a part of history!

Click here to view the Presenters Kit & register to start your own Younique business! Only $99.00! *This particular Presenters Kit is being discontinued, to make room for a Presenters Kit with new, amazing products. Same price, but it will include different (& a few less) products. Get yours now before stock runs out!

Click here to follow me on Facebook!

Back soon & have a wonderful week! :)

Free shipping in July on Younique Presenter Kits!

Here are some stats:

If you think there is not money to be made with Younique, you are wrong:

"BIG DEAL ALERT! Amy ************ joined Younique less than 5 months ago and has already advanced to its highest rank of Exclusive Black Status! Amy has built a thriving team with unusually high efficiency in her team of 364 with 18 personally sponsored. I am a bit of statistics geek and I can tell you that what I see from Amy's team is a sign of an incredible leader. Congratulations Amy!"

Check this out - 1205 people became Presenters in TWO days!

July 1st & 2nd, 1205 Presenters joined Younique! Needless to say, this Customer Kudos (free shipping on Presenter Kits) is resulting in a very expensive month for corporate. We have received confirmation that this particular "free-shipping on Presenter Kits" will NEVER be offered again. Haha!! So, if you want to take advantage, do it, because there will never be another chance to get the free shipping off your kit. Oh yeah, this company continues to literally explode. Ready to change your life & those around you?



Younique was founded in 2012 (not quite 2 years old yet!) by brother & sister, Derek & Melanie. Younique is currently exploding, with almost 50,000 Presenters world-wide. 12 months ago, Younique was celebrating 999 Presenters & now Younique welcomes that many every 2 and a half days! That's incredible! Currently processes an average of 5,278 orders daily & due to that, they're moving into a new warehouse! Online "social selling", being paid immediately for your efforts (see below) & a 'Youniquely' (haha - made that up myself!) generous, simple comp-plan are some of the reasons Younique is phenomenal. And the products. The products are gorgeous, safe & phenomenal, too. The products literally sell themselves.

Oh, & one last minor detail: YOU GET PAID ON EVERY SALE WITHIN 4 HOURS!! Correct. You get paid on every sale within 4 hours of that sale. Nice, huh?

Ready to join our Younique family? To open your own business, work when you want, have SO much fun with Younique's amazing cosmetics & products - should run you around $105.00 TOTAL! No shipping!

Click here & create your income & future! :)

If you have any questions, email me! adoringthesimple@gmail.com

I'm always happy to help!

My first ever Younique party & Facebook event!

I'll tell ya, I'm SO in love with this company & what they have to offer. I'm SO in love with these products & how beautiful & healthy they are. My blog could very well turn into a Younique blog. :)



Interested in Younique's best selling item - Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes? Want to learn & see more about the cosmetics? Want to learn more about the company & business opportunity?

**********

I will always try to have an online party open - click here to shop! Just click on "shop from my party now" & thanks so very much!

Follow me on Facebook for more fun stuff - click here!

Happy being YOUnique! :)

Younique reviews!

Younique - my newest love. Oh my goodness. I'm not even kidding. Here are my three most recent customers & their awesome reviews of the Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes!

1.

Im in LOOOOVE

I met this cutey when she bought my lashes & she is just adorable! I have no clue who she is, but she keeps texting me before & after photos. Take a look! (Yes, I have permission from her to share her photos.)



In the above photo, she has on one coat of mascara on one eye & one coat of fiber lashes on the other. In the bottom photo, she said she has on two coats of mascara on one eye & two coats of fiber lashes on the other. She likes playing with the lashes. lol



Seriously. Does she not have the most gorgeous blue eyes? Holy cow. She's a cutie!

Here are my other recent two happy customers & what they had to say:

2.

OMG!!! I love this eyelash stuff!!! It is amazing! !!! Thank you for sharing this with me!!! Woo hoo I really have eyelashes now.Lol. Im ready to order more!!

3.

oh yes I LOVE IT!!! Sorry I forgot to tell you I have been working like crazy this week. I'll take some before and after pics and send to you

Love it! So fun! :)

Below is me with the fiber lashes with black liner. Quite dramatic.



Below is me again, with Younique's Pigments - 100% natural, chemical-free, mineral-based pigment powders, free of talc, oils, preservatives, perfumes, synthetic dyes & parabens. Yip! Finally an eye shadow I'm not allergic to!



By the end of the night, my shadow still looked amazing! I wish I had taken a photo when the night was over, but unfortunately, I didn't think about it. Also, all of Younique's pigments can be mixed for more dramatic looks, to create creamy textures, for eyebrows enhancement, etc. I love it! All of it!

And I love happy customers!

Are you ready to try these yet?

Click here to order the Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes!

Click here to view all other products - they are all amazing!

Follow me on Facebook for more fun stuff! Click here!

My Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes!

My left eye (actually, it's my right eye, but it's on your left) has two coats of regular mascara. My right eye (actually, it's my left eye, but it's on your right…heehee) has one coat of regular mascara & one coat of fiber lashes. See the difference?

Below is after sleeping with the fiber lashes on AND after showering! They look good the next day! LOL



Even when I take off my foundation before bed, I never remove mascara until right before I shower the next day. Typically, when I get up, I have mascara smears under my eyes from my regular mascara. I was so surprised to wake up & have no smearing from my fiber lashes! Too cool.

Order yours here! You put it on daily, like regular mascara, & it lasts about 2 months. :)

Follow me on Facebook for more fun stuff! Click here!

Join my Younique organization!

I am brand, spankin' new with Younique, but wanted to put a bug in your ear if you are considering network marketing/direct sales & love makeup. This company is new, not quite 2 years old. It is exploding! One year ago, they had 999 Presenters. Currently, they have 50 THOUSAND! That alone leaves me speechless! It is so easy to become a Presenter of their safe, nontoxic products & the cost is a mere $99.00 to purchase a Presenter kit! Hello!? That includes tons of incredible (gorgeous!!) cosmetics & products (the brushes are amazing), free website, shipping & taxes. Younique is so popular (made known by their best seller - 3D fiber lashes) that people are building organizations without even having their Presenter kits first! In addition, Younique pays within 4 hours! Holy moly! How amazing is that?! If you want in on the fun, go to my site to read more. I'm in this for the long haul & all I can see is BLACK. (That's the highest level on Younique's incredible comp plan & one of my most favorite colors!!) This is SO MUCH FUN! :)

Click here to view my (ahem - FREE) Younique site!

Click here to join my team & together, lets do this! Lets earn BLACK! Lets build teams & more teams & more teams by selling the most beautiful cosmetics & products!



Beautiful!



Follow me on Facebook for more fun stuff! Click here!

Happy lashing! :)

I'm now a Younique Independent Presenter!

I'm so excited! I have had my eye on these products for a long time now & I signed up as a Presenter! The fiber lashes are so beautiful (I'm a lash person, in case you didn't know - heck, I'm a makeup person! Love it!) & now I can offer eye shadows that are non-toxic! The only type I'm not allergic to. The reason I never have eye shadow on is because I'm allergic to almost all of it, so I just gave up. I'm excited to start wearing it again! Now I have my Shaklee & my Younique!

Here's my site if you want to check it out:

My Younique site!

More about these products & my newest journey later!

Right now we are trying to survive end-of-the-school-year week - only 1.5 days left! Whew! :)

Follow me on Facebook for more fun stuff! Click here!

Technology overdose - time to take a step back.

Below is a post I did today on my Facebook page. Thought I would share it here, too. It refers to an article (link below) that I saw via the ever so popular - internet.

**********

This is so disturbing. We are in a full-blown technology epidemic (my opinion) & it's disgusting. Of course technology has it's pros - but what's disturbing to me is the 'unaware habit' everyone has developed. And I'm just as guilty as the next person. Or, I was. Honestly, I'm tired of the computer. I'm tired of my phone. I'm tired of telling my kids "hang on just one sec". I'm not tired. I'm actually exhausted from it all.

Life is so busy & I've taken a step back. I've said it a million times - life is to live! I'm still going to post & I'm still going to search recipes (way more than posting) but as I do many times, I'm simplifying. My kids have 5.5 days of school left & I'm ready for summer. I will be spending my summer with them, not technology. I already have a summer to-do list started & it contains things such as playing in the rain & making smores out back around a fire pit I've yet to build. But I'm going to. And I'm going to paint some bedrooms with them & shop at Goodwill to find fun treasures - I'm alive - why am I not purposely living?

Why are we not purposely living? What kind of message am I sending my children? If I can help you - take a look. Take a look at what you can do to live out loud. Take a look & see what you can step back from. Take a look into the future & visualize all the things you'll look back on one day. What do you see?

I encourage you to 'look' at this article. You don't need to read it, as the photos speak for themselves. Is this you? It was me. Maybe not to this extent, but enough for me to realize - why is my phone even at the dinner table? Someone will call me if there's an emergency.

Society Crumbling

Be inspired today.

My 'forever' damaged fingernail - before & after.

First, this was a chore. My pinky fingernail on my right hand has been what I thought was 'permanently' damaged since age 16. I have always hid it or had my nails painted - so finding a photo that showed the damage was almost impossible. The quality of these photos is not good, but it's the best I could do.

Back story. At age 16 (THIRTY) years ago, when I was in high school, my pinky got slammed between two car doors. Oh it hurt, alright. Now I don't remember a lot about my teen years, but I remember that like it was yesterday. Basically, my nail turned green with blood (I should have had it drained, but refused), my nail died, fell off, grew back & was never the same.

From the top of my fingernail, down the middle section only (along the edges, it continued to grow fine), the nail never adhered to the skin underneath. Therefore, the middle section of my nail was always white, like the fresh part of my fingernail that grows out. It was never pink, or flesh, like normal. There were times it did try to adhere or grow together (I have no idea the technical terms), & part of it would, leaving quite a white 'point' (as you can see in at least one of these photos), but then it would break loose again. Grossly enough, I could stick some sort of object all the way down the middle part of my finger. It grew funky in the middle section, all the way to the middle of my nailbed. That's how far down it went. Sometimes it wouldn't go as far down, but again, it always broke loose & extended down to the middle of my nailbed. *In the second photo, if you look really closely, you'll see a beige color that finishes out the 'box' shape - that's one of the times it was trying to heal itself, but never was successful.





Enter Shaklee. Never did it even cross my mind that Shaklee supplements/products could remedy this (kind of like my armpit rash miracle!). I was so used to my nail being damaged, I don't even think about it anymore. Once you have something damaged for 30 years, it just becomes second nature. I did still hide it, because I was self-conscious about it, but I never even thought it would heal itself. It did.



I guess it was about 2 months ago I noticed my nail was healed. It's normal. Totally normal. The only visible abnormal part is that there is a tiny black speck on the edge of where the damage began. I think you can see that in the last photo. That's it. My nail is beautiful again which I so appreciate, because I have pretty nails & I like them. Shaklee is the absolute only thing that could have healed my nail.

Ridding toxins & filling our bodies with healthy products makes ALL the difference in the WORLD. Our bodies respond in a way we never could have imagined. It's truly remarkable.

Here's what I use:

All cleaning products.
All laundry products.
Vivix - cellular repair.
Vitalizer - best supplements on the market.

That's it! Another personal testimony of mine. Quick, simple & to the point. :)

Follow me on Facebook for more fun stuff! Click here!

Shaklee's Basic H & Nature Bright to the rescue again!

Yesterday my daughter got chocolate ALL over her shirt. I swear I think she rolled in it. That girl. This shirt is almost brand new & had no stains. Ugh.

Today, I took Basic H & saturated all of the areas. I let it sit for a couple of hours. Then, I filled the washer & added Shaklee's detergent & Nature Bright. I turned the machine on for just a minute or two & then shut it off. For about 2 hours. Then, I ran the cycle.

Tada! Brand new again! I can't tell you how often this combination saves our clothes. No more trashing clothes due to stains!



Thanks, Shaklee!

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How I keep my lettuce fresh for days!

This is sooooo simple. I wish I had known this years ago. I love dark green lettuce, leaf lettuce being my favorite. When it's on sale, I stock up! I got all of this for $2.00. Even with making a huge, taco salad this week, there's so much remaining. But as of today, it's still crisp! I had a tuna wrap with it yesterday & we be eating more of it today.

Salad spinners are for the birds, in my opinion. I bought one & used it once. With all the emptying of the water, using such small amounts in the bucket, spinning & respinning, rinse & repeat - forget that! I can wash the lettuce & dry it faster that using that darn thing.

This is what I do to keep my lettuce yummy & crisp:

First, I lay it on a cutting board & cut off the stalk. Then, I wash it all. All of it. Under cold water. After, I put several pieces in my hand & 'shake' them in the sink, to help release some of the water. I then spread it out on towels or paper towels.



Then the monotony starts, especially when washing so much lettuce at once. I take dry paper towels, stretch out the leaves, & start patting. And patting & patting & patting. They don't have to be perfectly dry, but they need to be mostly dry.

Once that is complete, I start packing. In the beginning, I used zip lock baggies, then switched to produce bags (as seen in the photo), but discovered they are too thin & rip easily, so I'm back to zip lock baggies. They work awesome.



In the baggie, layer a paper towel, leaves of lettuce, paper towel, leaves of lettuce, paper towel. Zip it up & it will stay fresh, dry & crisp for a week or longer! Fresh, clean & ready to go. (If I have less lettuce, I only use one, or two at the most, paper towels.)

Happy leafing!

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I'm low-carbin'!

Today is day 5 for me! I love this. It's a little challenging & I'm still searching for new recipes. Haven't really made a 'low-carb' particular recipe yet, but I will! I crave no bread, no rice, no potatoes (which is surprising, because truly, I'm a carb junkie. I cut sugar, too. I'm hoping by tomorrow I'm down 6-7 lbs. If you are wondering, I am taking no supplements/vitamins/anything pertaining to low-carb or weight loss. I'm doing it solely with food alone & my Shaklee 180 protein smoothees. I got this. :)

Here are two great low-carb sites I found:

alldayidreamaboutfood.com

&

holisticallyengineered.com


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Happy Friday!

Taco Salad with Greek Yogurt.

This is so delish! Even my kids love it. I add crushed tortilla chips to theirs, but omit from mine. Recipe is so simple!

Ingredients:

1.5 lb. or so ground beef.
Chopped onion (to taste - I use about a cup).
Chopped garlic (to taste - I use just a few cloves).
1/3 cup water.
Homemade taco seasoning (to taste - I add about 2 tbsp.) Recipe here.
1 can black beans (rinsed).
1 can corn (rinsed).
Lettuce - I prefer leaf lettuce.
Shredded cheese.
Plain greek yogurt.
Dressing of choice: salsa/ranch/italian.
Tortilla chips.

Cook beef with onions/garlic. Add 1/3 cup water & homemade taco seasoning. Mix. Add black beans & corn & let flavors blend for a bit. Toss on top of leaf lettuce, add salsa/ranch/whatever dressing, add shredded cheese, top with tortillas (I omit them from mine for low-carb) & greek yogurt.

MMMMMM! My entire family gobbles it! This will become a staple here in our home.

Enjoy!

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True Tori & my unimportant thoughts.

*As of Monday evening, I'm just now reading that all this could be fake? I have no idea & the thought never crossed my mind. Here's an interesting article explaining how/why this affair may not be the whole truth: http://jezebel.com/did-tori-spelling-fake-a-cheating-scandal-to-land-a-new-1566619409

******

I have followed Tori & Dean for years, back when they had their first reality show, back when they ran bed & breakfasts. I don't even remember the name of the show. Somewhere along the way I bid them farewell & only hear about them through my favorite - celebrity gossip. I am a celebrity guru. :)

And now, as we all know, Dean had an affair & Tori is crumbling, Dean says it's "not about the sex" (cough hogwash cough) & to make matters worse, toss into the mix - 5 little children. One with Dean's ex-wife & four with Tori.

I haven't watched True Tori until today. Up until watching the first show, I was feeling is difficult to feel sorry for her, considering when she met Dean & they had their affair, they were both married to other people. It's difficult to feel sorry for the pot, when she calls the kettle black, sotospeak.

Here is the video I watched today: http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/true-tori/video

These are just my thoughts on the matter - my opinion(s) only. And no, they don't matter. :) I'm fascinated with celebrities & am so intrigued with their lives.

*For the record - I am in no way, for whatever reason, a supporter of adultery. I was raised in it. I witnessed it as a child. For years. It's deplorable. Every dwelling has a door - walk out it first & leave your spouse/partner with the one ounce of dignity they have left.

First, True Tori is heartbreaking. Truly, truly heartbreaking to watch & hear. I think most of it is genuine, but I think some of it might be exaggerated a bit to intensify an already horrible situation. Nonetheless, her life is a mess & no matter what, it's an extremely sad situation.

I think there is a lot of 'pity Tori' going on. I think a lot of pity Tori is mainly from pity Tori herself. And yes, she was screwed over. Yes, her life went to hell in a hand basket in one day. Is it turn about is fair play? Because this is exactly what Tori & Dean, intentionally, willingly, victoriously did to Dean's ex-wife (Mary Jo Eustace). Disgusting. It was a choice. And now the 'choice' has been inflicted on her.

Physically, Tori is looking really thin & fragile. It's almost as if her entire life has bitten off more than she can chew. Her physical state, in my opinion, is a little bit alarming.

Who knew? moment: Dean wears "polished toes".

In the video, Dean looks raw. Rough. To me, her really looks like a man that has been beaten as low as he can go. He totally sounds sincere, but Tori says she's heard these words before, so possibly he's anything but sincere. Or maybe he keeps repeating them because the words give him hope. He looks empty. I don't see him as wanting sympathy - I see him as a guy who is hurt & pained with guilt. Is that a free ticket? Hell no.

Watching them at the treatment center, while talking to the therapist, it's obvious their marriage has had issues for a very long time. Tori noticed changes in Dean a couple of months into the marriage & now she mentions not trusting him throughout the marriage, seeing "old patterns" of behavior - wow. I consistently watched their realities shows in the past & I never picked up on any of what they're admitting. But we all know, a lot of that material is not real life.

As the video goes on, it kind of appears to me that Dean is experiencing almost some withdrawals of some sort. I could be way off base - but he's nervous, fidgety, on-edge, anxious - could just be the entire ordeal. Reminds me of an addiction withdrawal.

Now knowing that they've had issues for so long & she was obviously aware that his behavior is inconsistent & undesirable, yet she continued with the marriage & continued to bring children into the marriage - it's almost like, geeze, she knew was this was coming. Praying it wouldn't, thinking it may. Not only did he do it to his last wife (with Tori, hate to keep saying that, but she participated), but it's as if she could predict something in the marriage was going to go wrong. Soon.

It's almost a week after the first show aired. It was just announced that Tori had been "secretly hospitalized" for 6 days, but I think she's home now. Evidently, she filmed while in the hospital. I'm trying to find her motive behind filming in the hospital - why would someone keep production going when something so serious is obviously wrong?

I have no clue what the hospitalization is about, but as of now, I believe it's time for Ms. Tori to put on her big girl panties & step up to the plate. It's been 4 months now since the affair, she knew he was an adulterer when she hooked up with him, she mentions in the video that she was on to some of his undesirable behavior…it's time to turn 'pity Tori', turn off the sympathy, own up, grow up & get this rectified & do what's right for your children.

I'll try to watch tomorrow's episode later this week. Sure is interesting, that's for sure. Sad, but interesting.

Are you watching? What do you think?

(her fingernail polish is driving me batty.)

Lots of good news!

Current photo of my cuties on Easter. This was simply a quick shot & I love it so much! I can't believe how quick my kids are growing. Time is slipping away! They aren't so little anymore. Sniff.

In other news:

Because I prefer large photos on my blog, for years now I have always uploaded my photos to Photobucket first & then uploaded them here in my blog posts. Photobucket cut me off! I reached my 'free' bandwidth or some hogwash, so they froze all my photos! Grr. :) I had to pay $2.99 monthly to get my photos back. Good news - I can cancel that anytime, so I'll be doing that before my next installment is do. I just need to switch out my photos first & that will take some time. Better news - I found a tutorial on how to trick Blogger so I can upload my large images directly to my posts & omit Photobucket all the way around, & it worked! If you'd like to do the same, you can find the tutorial here. I love free. :)

I am really, really, really into another 'saving money' mode! Oh my! I love to save money & I don't like all the areas I feel as if I'm wasting money. I think I've slipped a little. $20 for a car wash? Really? No more! I'm getting my rear end outside & washing my car myself. Heck, my kids will love that! I like my car spotless, it's great exercise washing & drying & vacuuming & cleaning - why pay? No thanks! :)

In addition, another area I just saved us money after literally wasting $30+ every single month is with our home phone landline. Because we have cell phones, we rarely use it. But with young children, & after having our number for so long, I just was not comfortable ridding it. Last month I switched to BasicTalk. It's $9.99 (+ taxes & fees) a month! No landline - BasicTalk works through your computer line. And it works GREAT! Crystal clear & works the very same. Can only have one phone, though, since they don't plug into your landline outlets. Fine by me! I actually love not having phones all over to collect dirt & dust. Our computer line is in our master bedroom, so I have our cordless phone plugged in there & it's no trouble at all. It cost me $12.22, I believe, to hook up BasicTalk. They ported my number for free, hooked us up with 911 capabilities (very important), mailed us the box (typically $29.99) for free, waived the $9.99 activation fee so that was free - hello!? - winning! OMG I love FREE! If you don't want to rid your home phone but don't want to continue paying the high price through regular carriers, check into BasicTalk! Nope, they aren't paying me to say that - it's just a less expensive option that I'm very satisfied with. :)

Starting to cook low-carb here, so recipes coming soon. One thing that I've noticed: low-carb does not mean low-fat. Yikes! I have to keep my eye on that. Hopefully, lots of yummy recipes coming soon. And more blogging!! And more thrifting - it's past time!

Have a wonderful weekend! :)