Rantings of a Creole Princess

Presenting Mama Biscuit!

www.MamaBiscuit.com 

I'm country so yall know I was raised to not eat everybody's cooking.  It's a country thing.  You can tell alot about a person's cooking skills and presentation by the way they handle themselves in other situations and yeah...I don't eat from many folks.  Office potlucks?  Yeah...I always ate what I brought.  LOL!  Too many of yall come out the bathroom too quick for me.  I'm good.

My dear framily is about to follow her dreams and audition for a cooking show.  I'm so proud of her decision to do this because it's way outside of her comfort zone.  She is an EXCELLENT cook, a true kitchen cook and she cooks for me so often that I just call her for her grocery list so I can run to the store for her.  And yall...I'm not talking regular food.  I'm talking RESTAURANT looking food.  It's always so pretty you almost don't want to dig in...oh but you do.  Like...she be inviting people over for dinner and I GET MAD!  I'm like...WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FOR THEM!!!!!!!!!  I WAS PLANNING ON HAVING SOME FOR LUNCH TOMORROW HELL!

SIP:  Just evil.  But for good cause.

Since she's gotten serious about honing her skills, she decided to start a Facebook fan page and a blog.  The blog is going to have tutorials and all sorts of fabulousness.  I'm sitting here now after just finishing checking it all out this morning and man...I'm about to burst the buttons on this henley I'm wearing I'm so darn proud.

When you see your people living their dreams out loud...you're supposed to raise 'em up...waaaaaaaaaay up.  You're supposed to dig in and let them know, without a shadow of doubt, that you believe in them and want what they want for them.  

You show up and show out.

Please visit her social media links and add her if you don't mind helping her out as she's super new to the online world and needs to get her weight up quickly so the producers on the show can see that she's somebody people 'LIKE' and, quite honestly...if you knew her...you'd love her as much as I do.

I'm proud of you Mama Biscuit!  So very, very proud!  You know I'll be there rooting you on the entire way!  Relax, relate, release!  You got this!

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/lesleyrileymamabiscuit

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/mama_biscuit

YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJkoP8x2THKy3eF8iwzYFNQ

Don't forget to send her some good wishes!  Auditions are this week!!!!!  SO EXCITING!

 

Mother and Daughter

Ages 42 and 60.  Thoughts?

Prince. New Orleans. Family. Framily. Friends.

So...I went to see Prince in New Orleans and BAAAAAAAABY!  I had a good dang time.  

Listen up.  That concert was, hands down, the absolute best concert I have ever, ever, EVER attended.  Prince showed his behind off.  Dude danced MAGICALLY!  Did you hear me?  It was MAGIC!  The music was on point.  The dancers were on point.  His outfit was on point.  It was just all amazing.  There were a few technical issues that I'm certain a sound engineer got zapped for...but hell...nobody but Prince seemed phased by the issues and yeah...he pointed them out.

The day was just full of awe.  I woke up that morning thinking to myself...today is the day I get to see Prince.  And that feeling carried over the entire day into the night and into the next day since we didn't get home until 4:30 am on July 5th.  LOL!

We got up, got dressed and headed out for brunch and I was excited in my pre-Prince purple:

"I'm Articulate" - TED Talk

Amy has GOALS!

Amy started a bootcamp in Richmond, Texas after identifying that there weren't any consistent ones in her area.  Get this...she started it only two months ago and has AWESOME SIZE CLASSES now!  

And...she now has MAJOR guns!  LOL!

Let me tell yall how awesome my girly is.  Wait...I just did huh?  LOL!

If you're in Richmond and need a jumpstart...GO SEE AMY!!!!!!!!!!!  Tell her I sent you and you'll get 0% off and she'll give you 10 extra burpees to do!  LOL!

GOALS Bootcamp

 

TEACHER OF THE YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's been an amazing couple of weeks!  Guess who was her school's Teacher of the Year?  Yup!  MELLY!!!!!!!! She is every.single.thing to her students and it shows in their testing and grade reports!  SO AWESOME TO WATCH HER DO THE DARN THING!!!!!

kiz4tj DID IT!

A few years ago, after working for law firms most of her adult life, kiz4tj decided she wanted to go to law school.  She finished her BS and applied to law school.

She started studying for the LSAT and applied to her dream school.

She got in.

Of course.

She packed up her life as a single mother of two daughters and moved.

As with anything worth having...it wasn't easy.  There were challenges.

Challenges she ALWAYS met.

She went to law school.

Full time.

Her daughters went to new schools, made new friends, had new experiences.

She just graduated.  

Yall...SHE.GRA.DU.A.TED!

SHE GRADUATED.

I'm so proud of her I could and have squealed.  So very, very proud of her.  She is such an inspiration and is the true testatment to the saying...NO.EXCUSES.

I'll get to hug her neck soon and tell her in person just how proud I am of her.  I mean it.  I'm so proud of her...it chokes me up.

She graduated.

Congrats to the baddest legal beagle I know.  My dawg.  I love the mess outta her!

Order the best cakes online! Q's Cakes! Gluten Free!!!!!!!!!!!

This is my girl Queeny.

She bakes cakes for a living.

It was her dream and now she owns her very own bakery.

Her cakes are THE.BOMB.

She ships anywhere.

My favorite?  

Her Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cheesecake.

She made it specially for me.

And it's the ONLY cake I think of often.

LOL!

If you call her...tell her she has a big head.  LOL!  

She'll know I sent you!

LOVE YOU FOR A LIFETIME QUEENY!!!!!

What does love feel like?

Most Beautiful People

Meryl and Pharrell were ROBBED!

Lupita. Lupita. Lupita.

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EQUALS

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SHELLY BEAN!!!!!!!!

A long, long, long time ago, my best girlfriend arrived in my life in an unexpected kinda way.  We clicked immediately and started our daily, several times a day talks.  Our first big fight was because I laughed at something because I couldn't believe it happened and she thought I was laughing because of something else. 

I wish I could say we've grown enough to not fight ever...but hell...as close as we are...that ain't EVER happening.  We fight.  We love each other.  We'll live to see another day.

Type A Creole women.  JOY.  LOL!

And I do love her.  With all my heart.  She's my absolute best girlfriend in the world and, because of her, I have no secrets because she knows them all.  I'm a better person because she makes me mo'betta'er!

Today is her 40th birthday and I couldn't be there to help her celebrate.  No worries...she's going to be surrounded by her family and friends at her party...but I'll still be sad I couldn't see her face...hug her neck and do whatever it was she needed done in preparation for her party.

Shelly Bean...I love you.  WE love you.  More than anything.  You're the only person outside of my home I speak to daily and I'm so grateful you know me so well.  I don't want to know what life without you is ever like and I look forward to spending the next 40 years together.  I can see it now.  Porch, ferns, ceiling fans and rocking chairs.  Sitting outside rocking...talking 'bout what we need to talk about watching Coley's kids run in the sunlight.

Happy birthday my beautiful inside and out bestie.  

I love you.

Punkette.

Lupita

Which is YOUR favorite look on her?

7 Things to Remember When You Think You’re Not Good Enough

1. The people you compare yourself to compare themselves to other people too.

2. Your mind can be a very convincing liar. 

3. There is more right with you than wrong with you.

4. You need love the most when you feel you deserve it the least. 

5. You have to fully accept and make peace with the “now” before you can reach and feel satisfied with the “later.” 

6. Focus on progress rather than perfection and on how far you’ve come rather than on how far you have left to go.  

7. You can’t hate your way into loving yourself.

Read the article here:  http://tinybuddha.com/blog/7-things-to-remember-when-you-think-youre-not-good-enough/

Question...

What are you good at?

Houston Police Officer Stops to Play Catch with Kid

On Gabourey Sidibe: And then there's that...

Who is your biggest supporter in life?

I've always been blessed with unconditional support from people who love me.  Sometimes their support was only in the areas they WANTED to support me in mind you...but only because they wanted me to have what THEY believed was the best life.

My biggest supporter however?  Hands down?  The Robinator.  Fair, balanced, challenging.

What about you?  Who is YOUR biggest supporter in life?

AWESOME.SAUCE!!!!!!!!!

JOY! JOY! JOY!

This made me smile and smile and smile!

"For some background on this video and my uncle - Henry is hearing & speech impaired. He has a heart of gold and everyone who meets Henry absolutely loves him. Henry is also a kid at heart and loves hot wheels, cars, and especially games on his iPhone. Because we appreciate Henry so much and wanted to show him how much he is loved, we all pitched in and got Henry the ultimate gift (as you can see, he was quite happy). That moment was pure joy and excitement. Henry is probably playing games on his new iPad right now :)"

Something New?

If you had the time and the resources to learn something new...what would it be?

Dear Mr. Google:

This was so hot.  :)

Bring in 2014 With a SMILE!!!!!!!

Dear Founding Farmers:

I eat at Founding Farmers pretty regularly.  I love their food, the ambience, etc.  The concept of clean eating feeds my soul and, when there isn't much out there that I can eat on the fly...it's nice to know I can pop over to Founding Farmers and grab a seat at the bar and have something I can eat relatively quickly.

Well...Saturday I had my first bad experience there and it was pretty bad.  I won't go into all the specific details...but I basically stopped talking so I didn't snap and curse and let my friend do all the talking.  Long story short...we were there for about an hour and a half before our meal came and those around us were coming and going.  The truth never really came out...but I sense our waitress simply forgot to put our order in.  Wouldn't have been a big deal except she didn't tell her manager the truth so there was a tad bit of confusion that I decided to NOT participate in.

Before we left...a manager came over and gave us his card.  He told us to email him or call him before we ever came in again so he could personally make sure our experience was a good one.

I thought about it all day and determined that I liked that.  Dude was, quite obviously...a class act.

So I emailed him:

Think like a GIRL!

Flash Mob Mandela Tribute

 

This gave me chills.

Are you KIND to yourself?

I was talking to some framily the other day, catching up. As always, we were going back and forth catching up on all the important things which have happened in our lives since the last time we had a catch up conversation.  The discussion turned to something about Christmas and their significant other walked into the room.  They put me on speaker phone to ask my opinion about a disagreement they were having about Christmas.  I listened feeling a bit nervous because suddenly...the light mood of the conversation changed.

Instantly.

40's Hair #MoreMagazine

I was reading this month's More magazine and there was an article about how to have your best hair at 30, 40 and 50.  I quickly skipped to the 40 page and read up on what I'm supposed to look out for and what I can do.

I couldn't find the current article online but this basically what they said:  

Why hair plays a disappearing act after 40

Great.  I have going bald to look forward to.  The more I read about this aging shit...the more I want to opt out.  Seriously.

This shit is for the birds.  LOL!  I canNOT stop laughing at this shit!  Eyes bad and baldness in my future.  One of my surrogate mothers told me that my face looks ashy.  And I was moisturized.  LOL!  WITH BRONZER!  LOLOLOLOL!  Now...in my defense...she wasn't wearing her glasses and she's way older than me but hell.  What the hell is next?  I'm not taking this ish lying down.  

If you know of some secret stuff to fight all of this inevitable ish coming down the pipeline...Imma need yall to speak up hell.  Don't be keeping the secret of the bees to yourself.  That shit is not sisterly.  If you have a fountain of youth out back...ship me a bottle.  Please and thank you.

Have you started noticing some of these things happening?  What are you doing?  Do you FOCUS on aging well?  Are you eating right?  Working out?  Drinking water?

Google Chromecast Review!

Woman Loses 205 Pounds

Inspired By A Breakup, Barbara Marie Cuadrado Lost 205 Pounds

Gordon Parks Exhibit: The Making of an Argument

Gordon Parks:  The Making of an Argument

If you're in New Orleans before January 12, 2014, I sure hope you make your way to the Gordon Parks exhibit, "The Making of an Argument."  

The exhibit is produced really well and the story of Mr. Parks' Life magazine article, "Harlem Gang Leader" based on the life of the gang leader, Red Jackson, is well documented with pictures and the information printed along with the pictures gives a summation of a really interesting situation which will probably irk you even as you're grateful for the opportunity to view the work first hand.

A Lifetime of Friendship Indeed

I've been friends with this FABULOUS woman since the first day of first grade in 1975.  We were in Ms. Gatz's class and shared a tremendous love of books and reading.  

She kinda took her love of books and reading to a major level.  LOL!

And we LURVED us some Ms. Gatz.

38 years later...and I still adore her and am still grateful for her friendship.  There aren't many like her.  She's TRULY a joy as a woman.  Strong and AWESOME.  Simply put...I love her.

I got to spend some time with her and other of my  classmates from the 1rst grade this weekend and I thought about that saying my mother always said about being careful of anyone who has no old friends.  Old friends know who you are.  They've seen you through your highs and lows and TRULY know who you are.  I'm blessed to say that I have many dear, dear old friends.  

Do YOU still have any friends from grade school?  Middle school?  High school?  

How long is your OLDEST friendship?

GIRL.POWER!

Lisa Kudrow and Plastic Surgery

I met Lisa Kudrow a year or so ago and  I was struck by how lovely she was inside and out.  She had on minimal makeup and wow...her skin was simply gorgeous!  Did yall know Lisa is 50 years old?

I saw her last night on Scandal and then again on the late night talk show that comes on after and I was, once again, struck by how amazing her skin looks.  She hasn't done a thing "Hollywood style" to her face and it shows in her natural beauty.  Totally makes me wonder why so many others don't or didn't do the same.  

Really makes you wonder what some of these celebrities could have looked like today had they left well enough alone huh?  Especially Meg Ryan.  She used to be so cute to me and Madonna?  I love me some Madonna...but Baaaaaaaaby...No.

With all of the examples  you've seen...what plastic surgery would you be comfortable with on your face?

BABY I'M A STAR!

You have to watch this at least twice. Once to watch the super exuberant Princess and once to watch the Princess next to her do the dance as rehearsed. JOY! LOL! I watched this 5 times and cracked up each time. LOVE!

Our Greatest Fear —Marianne Williamson

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other

people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of
God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,
Our presence automatically liberates others.

—Marianne Williamson

You Mad at Maria Kang?

Do you consider this fat shaming?

Tiny Rooftop Gardening

I was in Baltimore today and looked up and saw a guy on a roof with lots of plants.

I put the long lens on my camera because honestly...I was confused.

Dude was harvesting his veggies.  

On a tiny roof.

Without rail the first.

Then...he started watering them with a hose he'd hooked onto a wire on side of his tiny roof.

I couldn't stop watching him because I was confused as to how he'd gotten out there.  SERIOUSLY.  It couldn't be through the window right?  I mean...there was no door sure...but um...his shoulders looked bigger than the window so yeah...how'd he get up there?  I didn't see a ladder or anything but his veggies were totally impressive.

I.HAD.TO.KNOW. 

And then...I looked up and he'd rehooked his hose and climbed back inside...THROUGH THE WINDOW.

I have to say...in a world where some people wouldn't eat veggies to save their life...it's refreshing to see someone go above and beyond to make sure they have fresh, organic veggies.  

I mean really.  

Eat some veggies.  NON cooked to death or fried.

It will help your quality of life...provided you don't fall off a tiny roof growing 'em.

Don't Overthink Your Diet, Just Eat More Plants: A Cardiologist Explains

Kid President on Meineke

Good Counsel

Whenever I'm struggling with something I go over it and over it in my head until I'm comfortable with my action or reaction.  There have been periods in my life where I've been quick to jump to the worst possible conclusion and I've grown enough to realize that it was because I wasn't in a good place in life.  The times in my life when I wasn't in a good place I made poor decisions.  VERY poor decisions.

And I stunted my personal growth.

The most perplexing part about it is that I knew good and well that I was wrong.  I felt it in my gut and in that nagging, burning feeling I had whenever I thought about it and then...I had to fill my brain with other stuff just so I didn't think about it too much and allow the guilt to eat me alive.

You'd Better WORK!

Short Term...BIG Goals!

Remember those goals you put to paper at the beginning of the year?  

How many of them have you reached?  

How many did you even start?  

You have 3.5 months left in the year.  

LET'S GET IT!  

What can YOU knock off that list before the end of the year?

FIND.YOUR.TRIBE!

"Too many women out there screwing for free."

Being from the South I've heard plenty of harsh advice.  A lot of times I was dipped down in a hallway somewhere listening in on grown folks conversation that I didn't have any business listening to.  Had I been caught...oh yeah...I would have been called a "fast tailed lil girl."

Which was the worst thing you could have been called in my world.  Nobody wanted to be fast tailed.  NOBODY!

I remember overhearing once that "too many women out there screwing for free."

Now...to a simple brain...that sounds like the woman speaking was advocating for women to be prostitutes.  To someone who knew her...they knew EXACTLY where she was with that.  Basically...she was saying that women need to understand the power they have and that there was no reason you should be with a man who can't do anything for you.  See...they were quick to peep the lil boys who were sniffing up behind you and, if they didn't have potential...they didn't have nainh problem letting you know this.

Straight up.

Many of these circumstances still exist but I think we've gotten too PC to say them out loud I think.  Sure...when you're with people you REALLY care for, you have no reason to not say these type of things because you're not trying to let your loved ones go out like that.  I've had this conversation with lil cousins fo' sho.  I was on the phone with one of my cousins recently and she reminded me of something I said to her over a decade ago.  I'd forgotten it, of course, but she said she always stuck to that simplistic and harsh as hell view when making decisions with matters of the heart and well...it works and worked for her.  YOU would probably be shocked to hear what it was I said to her because I'd never say it to anyone OTHER than someone who flat out knows that I love them unconditionally and would do anything for them.  PERIOD.  I doubt I'd EVER put in print what I told her but I meant it and told her because I love her.  

Same as my Elders have done with me.  They can say some offensive azz, ratchet azz sounding ish but you can't pretend they aren't right.  You might be hurt and mad cuz they DARED say some ish to you like that but trust...if you tried to go at them they'd be like...

"And who the hell are you that I have to watch my mouth before telling you something?  I'm YOUR Uncle/Aunt/Grandmother/Mother/Father/Sister/Brother/Cousin.  I want the best for you and don't give a damn how you feel if I know you're out there fucking up and you need to do better.  Sitcho' lil azz down somewhere and listen.  Bruised feelings ain't got shit on having a fucked up life cuz you thought you knew every damn thing.  Take stock is what you need to do.  Take stock and change some thangs cuz if you don't...shit is going to stay the same.  I don't want my blood to be struggling for dumb azz reasons.  Now go in there and bring me a cold glass of water and bet not be no Ceily shit floating in it either!"

And that's that.

Are we too PC with young adults and adults when it comes to checking their ish these days?  Do you often find yourself not getting involved and not saying anything because you don't want to say the wrong thing knowing they will focus on the wrong shit?  Or do you say it anyway not giving a damn?

Mingo 44 Field Day! Free Printables!

So...my birthday party this year was an old school Field Day like when you were in elementary or middle school.  I reserved a park for the whopping permit fee of $20, bought some balls and whatnot, served hotdogs and grilled veggies with cupcakes, sunchips, etc. and GOT.IT.IN!

It was truly a blast.  Cheapest party I've ever thrown.  EVER!

I made the banner with cut out paper using this awesome blog post:   Free Printable – WHOLE Alphabet Banner!!  I used clothes pins ($1) from the dollar store to put them on the Jute Twine.

Since we were outside playing I wanted to make sure I had lots of water and I did some personalized water bottle labels using the same paper and my printer at home.  I bought the water at the dollar store (6 for $1), removed the labels and glued on my labels.  I tried finding a free label template online but folks were all about making money off it so yeah...I simply measured the circumference of the bottle and found I'd need an 8.5 inch long by 1.75 inch tall piece of paper per bottle.  Um...a regular sheet of paper is 8.5 inches long so yeah...EASY!!!!!!!!!!!  I centered 5 "logos" (made them in word) per page using 3 cell chart, blanking out the lines around all the cells except the center one and then made those lines thicker.  Personally...I think they look elegant.  GO ME!  You can download it here FOR FREE if you'd like to personalize it for your own something or the other.  Download Mingo44 WATER

Next up was something to decorate the gluten-free cupcakes I made.  Let's talk about the cupcakes first.

Cupcakes all over the world ain't cheap these days.  Ask for gluten-free and hell...you walking out of there with a box of cupcakes hitting you up for car insurance payment kinda cash.  Last weekend I made a friend a cake using this: King Arthur Flour Chocolate Cake Mix, Gluten Free (Pack of 3) and this:  Pamela's Products Dark Chocolate Frosting Mix, (Pack of 6).  

It was delicious.  

Seriously.  So yeah...I made cupcakes out of it and yeah...they were delicious too.  GO ME!  I put them on my AWESOME cupcake holder (I've since forgotten where I bought it but did so because when I saw it I was totally thinking it wasn't an icky cheesy looking one like I always see) and then...made paper lollipops using Word shapes (circle) and different fill colors and patterns.  I hot glued them to these (I found mine on clearance at Michael's for .99 cent a pack both circles and flowers): Little Yellow Bicycle - Naturals Collection - Burlap Shapes - Flowers  and then hot glued popsicle sticks on the back.  

Here is my template for the paper lollipops and you can personalize it your way for your use:   Download MINGO FLAGS

Cute huh?

The rest of the stuff I used was stuff I already had down in the basement.  I've collected some nice things over the years by simply keeping an eye out for things.  The best time to get good deals on stuff is when you don't need it.  LOL!  So yeah...I see something nice on a random Tuesday in March and buy it and store it down in the basement until I'm ready to use it.  GO ME!  

The best thing I've ever purchased has got to be the 54 x 108-Inch White Tablecloth $3.50 each.  I use them so much and, at only $3.50...you don't worry if something is spilled on them like red wine.  Oh...and my silverware I bought in bulk, Stainless Dinner Fork - 24 / BX - $4.68.  I started out with about 48 each of them at those prices and bought forks, spoons and knives.  You're totally not mad if someone accidentally tosses one in the trash at those prices.  I keep them in ziploc bags between parties and put them in a buffet silverware caddy for parties.  I've had it forever and forgot where I found it.  Works perfectly.

Since we were at a park...I used paper plates because paper plates are for parks and barbecues.  And that's all Imma say about that. Humph.  LOL!  Bought the paper plates at the dollar store too.

I did buy dodge balls and a flag football set but I can use them again.  If you're in the area and want to throw a field day party...you're welcome to borrow them because they will simply be in the ball bag in the basement.  LOL!

For the three legged races I used an old sheet cut up in strips.  Worked perfectly and completely throw-way-able.

Food was easy.  Gluten-free all beef hotdogs, grilled veggies and corn on the cob.  I put the corn on wooden skewers so folks didn't have to use their hands while outside.  I had a gallon of hand sanitizer on hand to disinfect before eating.  LOL!

Water and gatorade were the drink choices (G-Baby brought some drink packs for the kiddies) as we couldn't bring alcohol to the park.  I was going to make some awesome adult beverages to put into these Ball Jar Heritage Collection Pint Jars with Lids and Bands, Set of 6 :

Yall know I'm anti-drinking-out-of-mason-jars because I always dribble on myself so I drilled a hole in the top of the lid and then put Nickel-Plated Brass Eyelets - 3/8" - 8 Ct. in the hole.  I didn't put the back of the eyelet on because I did the hole exact and it was a really nice and snug fit.  Then...a straw just pops in nicely!  WHEEEEEEEEEEE!  Well...I'd already made 6 when I found out I couldn't bring alcohol so I didn't make anymore.  LOL!

We had fun.  It's always cool to do something completely different and well...we get together all the time for drinks and or drinks and dinner so it's fun to switch it up to something we never get to do.  

Before we left the park yesterday someone asked what we're doing next year.  

SIP: *HARD.STARE*

LOL!

Ms. Antoinette Tuff

Hero.

When I heard there was a school shooting yesterday I unplugged from the news cuz well...yall know.  Seeing that none of those babies were hurt was AWESOME!  Watching Ms. Antoinette Tuff this morning made my heart smile BIG.TIME.

And then I started worrying about her cuz yall know how the media gets down.  Heroes are very rarely left alone.  

EXCELLENT job Ms. Tuff!  Way to take care of those babies!!!!!!!!!

Today I am going to be HAPPY!

Join me.  How?  Just decide to be happy.  Don't let the news or anything you can't control steal your joy on this beautiful day.  Just be happy.  Smile, laugh, read funny stories.  Just be happy.  Tell someone you appreciate them.  Give munchy kisses to your loved ones.  Lay on the floor next to your dog.  Just be happy today.  Don't worry about the heat...it's summer...it happens.  If anything happens, focus on the positives.  Car breaks down?  Thank goodness for roadside assistance.  Left your lunch at home?  Drink water and think about dinner.  Kids sick?  They will let you snuggle more.

TODAY WE'RE GOING TO BE HAPPY!

What to do about discoloration on backs of thighs.

I was having a conversation with a friend who was complaining about the discoloration spots on the backs of her thighs.  She hates them.  Like...it's the bane of her existence.  She is constantly looking up ways to get them gone and has tried pretty much everything available.

She asked if I had any and I said...YUP.  I also have them on my lower back and my underarms.  She then asked what do I do about them.

My answer?

What to Pack for the Beach!

You're headed to the beach with your family.  ROAD TRIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You're going to be in a cabin on the beach for 4 days.  What do you bring?

You will have a fully functioning kitchen.