NATURAL BEAUTY

This weekend I was left Home Alone. So I decided to have a spa day, dinner and a movie ... all by myself and from the comfort of my home.

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Treatment 1: Yoga

I started with an hour session of yoga. I did Ravi and Ana's Fat Free Yoga. Exercise of any kind, but especially Yoga will help your organs work better for you and in turn make you and your skin look better.

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Treatment 2: Salad

Ingredients - What is good about it. [why]

Arugula - Vitamin A [good for your skin and hair], K [good for your blood and cell growth], and Folic Acid [good for your brain, and helps your body breakdown sugars]

Tomatoes - Vitamin A, C [good for your skin and immune system] and Lycopene [helps your fight certain cancers]

Carrots - Dietary Fiber [good for digestion], Vitamin A, C, K, Potassium [is an electrolyte - helps keep you hydrated], Magnesium [essential for every organ in your body including teeth and bones], and Thiamin [helps your metabolism]

Almonds - Vitamin E [helps out Vitamin A and Fatty Acids], Protein [good source of energy], Magnesium, Dietary Fiber, Potassium, Calcium [good for your bones], and Phosphorus [good for bones and energy]

Shrimp - Vitamin D [good for your bones and immune system], B12 [good source of energy], low in calories and low in fat

Olive Oil - Vitamin E, Fatty Acids

Croutons - just because they are good and crunchy

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Treatment 3: Honey Nourishment Mask

Ashley found this recipe on Sephora's website and I am so glad she did. It is by Ole Henriksen, who has become my new obsession. This all natural homemade facial mask is made out of many things you will find hanging out in your kitchen and its good for all skin types.

What you need:

1 teaspoon plain yogurt

2 teaspoonfuls honey

1 teaspoonful finely ground oatmeal

1 Vitamin A capsule -10.000 I.U.

1 Vitamin E capsule - 400 I.U.

5 drops of Lavender Essential Oil

This mask will calm, soothe, nourish, and renew the skin. Create a smooth paste with the above ingredients. Apply on clean skin and leave on for 20-30 minutes. Can be used once a week.

Via: Sephora.com

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Treatment 4: Mani and Pedi

I read in the recent issue of Real Simple that to get the whites of your nails whiter, simply dip your fingers in a lemon. I have to agree, mine certainly looked whiter after a couple minutes in a lemon.

I shaped my nails with a file and topped them off with OPI's Nail Envy. I really love this stuff, it makes your nails strong and keeps them healthy. I did the same on my toes, but added a little color there.

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Treatment 5: Dinner and a Movie

I cooked one of the my favorites, BBQ Shrimp Linguine pared with a good Cabernet Sauvignon and watched "He's Just Not That Into You" ... it was funny and cute. It was all good for the soul!

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Treatment 6: Plain Yogurt

My very good friend Kelli has found a pinkberry type place down the street from where I live! Its called Cherryberry. I will post about all the nutritional facts of yogurt and fruit another time. It is so pretty with all the fruit, but it was too good to wait and take a picture of it.

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My Natural Beauty Spa Weekend was a true success ... next time I might make a party of it and invite friends.

SO LONG SWEET SUMMER

I am back after my summer hiatus! It was a summer full of adventures that I will never forget. (I will be sharing some of the highlights later.)

So I am getting back into blogging again. My goals for this blog is to share the things that I find interesting and helpful in my life with you. I do not promise to post everyday or even every week for that matter. I will post as often as possible, and I promise when I do that it will be both fun and informative. I hope you will enjoy it.

Pictures via: my trip to LA and NYC.

SUMMER GOAL #3: TRAVELING

Since I will only be a student for 2 more summers, I feel like I need to travel as much and as often as possible! I bought a cute map of the USA a couple months back and I have pined all the places I have been and want to go.

On the Summer 2009 agenda:

And the annual summer trips to 

A couple trips here to see the Family

And maybe here in the fall 

SUMMER GOALS #2: READING

I asked my wonderful English Professor to recommend some books to read this summer ... since I have so much time on my hands now that school is out. I bought two last night that I am very excited about!

The first is Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, which won a Pulitzer Prize. It is full of local New Orleans flair. My Professor said for those who have lived here, it will most certainly make you laugh. 

The second is Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins. My Professor said this is her favorite writer. She said it would definitely be a fun summer read! The reviews say its wonderful. 

She recommended some others, but I thought I would start with these. I really loved the books we read in class this semester. The first was Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. I really enjoyed this writer. The book is the definition of modernism. There are four main characters: Tomas, Terza, Sabina and Frank that form a strange love square? (I guess). The book exposes the imperfections of marriage and government. Kundera show the reader what is not truth, in hopes that the reader can find real Truth. It is a pretty easy read, and it really makes you think. I loved it. 

The second we read was Chronicles of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marques. It was a good book. I think I enjoyed it more in an English class setting picking it apart, but just reading it on your own may not be quite as enlightening. Although the "moral" of the book I love. It shows that people rely on others to do the right thing instead of doing the right thing on their own. Our society is so guilty of this, I am guilty of this. Seeing the homeless or people dyeing because they do not have food or proper medical care ... things we take for granted everyday. As a society we push the responsibility off on someone else; expecting someone else to fix it instead of standing up for our fellow human beings and helping. "We must be the change we want to see in the world" - Ghandi.

Ok and the third, Sula by Toni Morrison. Morrison is the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. She has also won the Pulitzer Prize. The story follows two young black girls living in Ohio. The book explores racism, flaws in society and the fierceness of friendship. It is a very easy read and also very good. 

HELLO SWEET SUMMER

The semester is officially over! My summer began at exactly 10:00 pm last night as I walked out of my Accounting Final. After a week of this ...

It was time to get out of my dark study corner. 

So to kick off my summer I had a Me Day. It was relaxing, fun and productive! 

The day started at 7:30, and dropped Oscar off at the Vet for 8:30. 

Quick breakfast at Starbucks.

Pedicure at 10:00, Hair at 11:00

Lunch with the little sis, Ashley (margarita included)

Some huge bargain shopping and a quick stop to get Oscar some treats for being such a good boy today! Then off to pick up Oscar. Spent the rest of the day in bed with my little man watching TV (while he recovers). 

Hopefully the rest of the summer will be just as fun, relaxing and productive. Next week will be a list of my goals for this summer. I did pretty well on my goals last summer but this summer ...

Summer Goal #1 : ACCOMPLISH ALL GOALS!

BICYCLE, BICYCLE, BICYCLE

This post reminds me of the Queen song "Bicycle Race"

Bicycle, Bicycle, Bicycle

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride my bike

I want to ride my bicycle

I want to ride it where I like

- Queen

[You have to listen to the song to get the full effect.]

This one got lucky and made it on my wall!!

 

These lovely creations are done by Hillarie Tasche

EARTH DAY

Yayy, Earth Day!

I am very excited to go see the new Earth movie by Disney tonight. For every ticket sold in the first week, a tree is planted. See the movie, plant a tree! Sounds great to me!

The trailer kinda gives me chills!