FUN/DIY Archives • Page 18 of 50 • New Nostalgia

Beauty/ HEALTH

Best Moisturizing Hair Treatment – Coconut Oil!

I recently went from a blond to a red head. I love a fun hair color change, but to get the exact shade of red that I wanted, I had to put 3 red applications on my hair. This left my hair feeling a bit dry and brittle. Boo.

You all know I’m a fan of coconut oil around here, and thanks to this pin on Pinterest from How Does She, I found one more way to use it! Coconut oil is the best moisturizing hair treatment. Now, if you don’t know, I am a licensed hair stylist, and I have tried SO MANY top- of-the-line professional hair moisturizing treatments. I know a good treatment when I use one, and friends, this is a good treatment!

This is a pre-shampoo treatment, so you put the coconut oil into dry hair. Take a handful (amount depends on the thickness and length of your hair) and work it into dry hair. The goal here is to make sure all strands are coated. If your coconut oil is in a solid form, no worries, it will melt as you work it into your hair by the warmth of your hands and head.

How I Used Coconut Oil As A Moisturizing Hair Treatment

I put it in, combed through my hair to make sure it was evenly distributed, then scrunched it into a messy bun, I then walked around like that for about 20 minutes. Although some other sites recommend adding heat, I’m all about keeping things simple and who has time to sit under a hairdryer? I found this works wonders without heat. You could put a shower cap or bag on your head, then wrap your head in a towel and allow the heat from your scalp to work. I didn’t do this and still had great results.

Click Here For My Favorite Brand

After 20 minutes, shampoo and condition your hair like normal. If you don’t get a good lather the first shampoo, lather a second time, then condition.

TA-DA! Healthy, moisturized soft luscious locks.

My hair is back to how it was before I colored it. It is super soft and shiny!

My little one kept putting her hands through my hair and saying how soft it was. Even my oldest girl who is short on compliments these teenage days commented on how good it looked.

I will spare you the details of what my Todd thought of my new, soft red hair. Let’s just say I got some extra smooches. Hee!

Beauty/ Sponsored

PEOPLE’S Special Double Oscar Issue + A Peek Into My Refrigerator

So did you watch the Oscars? I sure did…I especially loved the red carpet show, which really is my favorite part.

I sat on my living room floor with my big bamboo cutting board and chopped vegetables for the week while watching the Oscars. I tend to feel less guilty watching hours of TV when I double task!

Look what I accomplished! Not bad for a night at the Oscars, huh? I will be writing more about prepping healthy food and what we ate for the week in an upcoming post.

Back to the Oscars…I swooned over Ann Hathaway’s look. Her hair is growing out from her role in Les Miserables where she shaved her head. I think she looked so pretty and ladylike! I loved watching her win “Best Supporting Actress.”

Image credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Did you see how she wore her necklace backwards? Double swoon! Great idea.

Photo Sources: A Retail Salmon and UK Lifestyle.

I’m enjoying the aftermath of the Oscars, thanks to PEOPLE Magazine 2012 Oscars Double Issue. It came out at TARGET stores March 1, and will only be available until March 18, so hurry and get your copy.

Speaking of TARGET, we have a winner of our $25.00 TARGET gift card giveaway! Congrats Sara!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We have not been feeling well around here– a little one with a stomach bug– so I have enjoyed having some great reading material while I lay around with her.

I have also been testing my PEOPLE trivia skills for a change to win! You can too. Enter each week for a chance to win one of hundreds of rewards cards! Click the link to play now.

“This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and PEOPLE Magazine but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #PEOPLEforOscars http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

Drinks/ FUN/DIY/ Healthy Eating/ RECIPES

My New Favorite Way To Drink Lemon Water – The Aqua Zinger

If you have read my post, 5 Reasons To Drink Lemon Water In The Morning, you will know I’m a HUGE fan of lemon water. I feel like I can’t function well in the morning without hydrating with lemon water, and I always have it before my cup of coffee in the morning.

Now that I know about this awesome water bottle called AquaZinger, I have been drinking lemon water all day long!

This is really the coolest thing. It is a water bottle that has a built in grinder in the bottom. It also has a filter, so seeds and chunks stay at the bottom.

You simply start by cutting a lemon in half. I’ve learned that by cutting off the very end of the lemon, it makes grinding a whole lot easier! When I first purchased my water bottle, I felt frustrated at how much muscle it took to do the grinding. Now that I watched the below “tips” video and know the tricks, it is easy and I love it!

You then take the filter piece and push it down into the fruit.

Like so…

…then you take the water bottle part and twist it on. The twisting action is what grinds the fruit.

See? Isn’t that so nifty? It really is easy.

Here is a view inside the AquaZinger bottle. That filter keeps all the seeds and chunks of fruit from going down your throat!

Add cold, filtered water. Then give it a little shake.

I refill it all throughout the day, and usually only use one lemon half a day, sometimes two if I am extra thirsty and find myself filling it up more often.

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5 Reasons To Drink Lemon Water Every Morning

Number 1

It balances pH–Lemon is an acidic food, but once metabolized, it becomes alkaline. I work very hard at keeping my body alkaline. Why?

To put it most simply, alkalies help keep the oxygen in our blood at a safe pH level, and this helps our body heal itself, assimilate nutrients and fight off unwanted sickness.

-Nicole Bennet

Number 2

It keeps skin clear and glowing! I have noticed this. Hydration from drinking lemon water is great for moisturizing our skin from the inside out. Lemon also contains lots of Vitamin C, which helps with wrinkles and blemishes.

Number 3

It kick starts the digestive system–a big glass of lemon water is a great way to start the day. It encourages the liver to produce bile which in turn aids in digestion. It increases urination which helps purify it. It also helps with heartburn and constipation.

Number 4

It helps with weight loss–I have read that keeping the body in an alkaline state helps people lose weight faster. Lemons are high in fiber pectin, which helps keep one full, longer. They also have a diuretic effect, which helps with water weight gain.

Number 5

It helps control the coffee habit–I will drink coffee sometimes, but only if I have had my entire glass of lemon water. Many days I feel like the lemon water wakes me up more than coffee does…

…which brings me to bonus Number 6:

It helps kick the pop habit--I have found that adding lemon to sparkling water and adding a whole lot of ice satisfies any soda craving I might have. I gave up soda pop the minute I was diagnosed a year ago, and I really don’t miss it. I don’t think I could stand the sweetness of it now, but I DO miss the fizz, so my “Lemon Spritzer”–lemon +sparkling water+ice–is the perfect solution!

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My sister-in-law has the Citrus Zinger and loves it. I may eventually get one of these, too, but I have really grown to love my Aqua Zinger. I like that it grinds the lemon peel up, too, so the lemon flavor is extra strong and I get the benefits of the essential oils in the peel. If you watch the video below, you will see that the Aqua Grinder is not just for lemons, but for any type of fruit. I have not experimented much with other types of fruit, but when I do I will let you know!

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To purchase the Aqua Zinger & Citrus Zinger – Click here.

To purchase the Aqua Zinger- Click here.

To purchase the Citrus Zinger – Click here.

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Beauty

SnowPocolypse & Scarves

I live in Nebraska, and we have been gearing up for what has been called the storm of the year. The Weather Channel guys are even here! 6-12 inches of snow are predicted, and my girls are thrilled that school was called off and it is a ‘snow day.’

{that’s a nice looking storm, huh?}

{the Weather Channel is in town!}

So, I’m propped up in my bed, still in my pj’s & crazy, cozy socks at 10:00 a.m. I’ve got a cup of coffee and we are going to make pumpkin waffles & eggs for lunch. Yep, lunch. My girls are 9, 12 &13, so sleeping in on snow days is quite popular around here. Breakfast was skipped altogether.

trader joe's pumpkin pancake and waffle mix

{Trader Joes Pumpkin & Waffle Mix–Buy Here}

I thought it would be fitting to share some of my most favorite scarf looks with you on this cold, blustery, SnowPocolypse day. I’ve been organizing my Pinterest boards, and noticed I had a ton of scarf pins in my ‘Outfit Ideas’ board. I decided they deserved their own board, so I created one!

{My Pin Boards-Click Here To Follow}

I love scarves. I love how they can add instant warmth and comfort to an outfit. I love how they can add a pop of color to an outfit. I love that they come thin and soft or thick and cozy. I love that you can use them to cover up bad hair days. I think the scarf is the ultimate, all season accessory…but for this post I will feature my most favorite cozy-looking scarves in honor of snow day!

Click on photo above for 12 Ways To Wear A Scarf

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Cute stuff, huh? Now I’m off to make some Salted Caramel Chai.

Cheers to snow day & happy scarf tying!

Books/ FAMILY

Three Books To Strengthen My Marriage 2013-Part 1

These posts written by Todd (Amy’s husband) are designed to model a system of purposeful living. At least once a month, he spends time setting meaningful goals around one of seventeen core priorities.

If you missed it, consider reading the foundation post – Purposeful Living #1.

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Correct Priority

Priority #4 – Social Health – Immediate Family–Spouse

Goal Setting & Reflection Date
December 2012

Goal
Invest in the social and emotional health and strengthen my marriage by reading and discussing two books with Amy in 2013. The first book must be a mutually agreed upon marriage book. The second book may be any book of Amy’s choice. Specific goals include:

Mutually choose a marriage book.
Amy chooses a book of her choice.
Decide how often to read and discuss each book.
Develop a plan to ensure relevant discussion and dialogue.

Goal Status
Partially Completed

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Thoughts – UPDATED
Amy & I have identified the books we will read together and discuss in 2013. The goal was to select two books, but we ended up choosing three.

Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs

{Love & Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs}

The marriage book we will read is Love & Respect by Dr. Emmerson Eggerichs. I don’t know much about the book, but Amy has friends who recommended it and she liked the parts she came across while browsing through it.

We also chose two additional books to read together both on the subject of nutrition. Both are written by Dr. Fuhrman.

Dr. Fuhrman is a board certified family physician, best-selling author, and nutritional researcher who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods. He is the father (creator) of nutritarian eating. A key component of nutritarian eating is the Health Longevity Equation which he also created.

H (Health) = N (Nutrients) / C (Calories)

The first nutrition book we chose to read is Eat To Live. This is the first book Dr. Fuhrman wrote and I wanted to start at the beginning to understand the foundational theory and evidence behind his approach to nutrition.

The second nutrition book we chose is Super Immunity. This is Dr. Fuhrman’s most recent book and focuses on foods that offer the most nutritional benefit according to his Health Longevity Equation.

The first book provides theory and evidence on why nutritarian eating is the most effective way to eat. The second book provides clear advice on the most healthy foods.

We will read and discuss one chapter each week. On weeks we go on a date we will discuss the book over dinner at a restaurant or coffee shop. On weeks we stay home we will discuss the book on a Friday or Saturday night before we start a movie. We will both highlight parts of the books we consider important and want to share or discuss.

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Thoughts – ORIGINAL
This goal has become a yearly tradition and one that has proven to be very beneficial to our marriage.

Strong marriages don’t just happen by accident. They need to be nurtured through commitment and sacrifice.

Reading a marriage book together is an opportunity to prioritize our marriage. It will allow us to focus on what is important to keep our marriage strong. Reading a second book of Amy’s choice is an opportunity to enter Amy’s world. It is an opportunity to learn what is important to her and show her I care about the details of her life.

In future posts I will share the books we chose and some things I learned from each selection.

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Foundation Post
Build Your To-Do List Around Correct Priorities – Purposeful Living #1

Outline Of All Purposeful Living Posts
Purposeful Living Outline

Counting Gifts/ FAMILY/ Kids/Family/ Valentine's Day

Captured Life Tidbits – Our Life In Instagram Photos Valentines Edition

So thankful for these moments– these tidbits–that make up life.

Capturing the moments visually is a gift.

It keeps me present, it keeps me thankful, & reminds me to live NEW!

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I went to kiss Lil’ One goodnight and had to walk through these first. I love how she gets so excited and has to decorate before a holiday!

More decorations by my girl, she surprised me and had this all waiting for me when I got home.

{no our Christmas tree is not still up, that is our small ‘winter’ tree}

Had a lovely date with this middle child the day before Valentines day. I took her to her favorite Noodles & Co. & then for a brownie at a coffee shop.

Valentine sweets from our local health food store.

Valentine gifts and breakfast place setting for my 9 year old.

Valentine breakfast place setting for my 12 year old.

Valentine gifts and breakfast place setting for my 13 year old.

“Chevron” Brownie making with dear friends. Pretty huh? So easy. They actually made these for our super bowl party, but I thought they looked pretty Valentines Day-ish, too!

I pulled out the high heels for my Valentines date night.

I found an ombre shirt at Target and a fun necklace that matches the bracelet that was given to me by a special little girl in my life.

I’m a lucky lady. The cucumber lemonade is so fresh and light. I could drink gallons!

Pepe’s. A local vegetarian restaurant, perfect for our Valentine dinner out.

Todd had the Sweet Potato Quesadilla. I had the Vidalia Zucchini Enchilada plate.

I had Strawberry Coconut Cake & he had Chocolate Cake with Coconut Fudge Frosting.

Pepe is an incredible chef and just relocated his restaurant (my fav in town) to my neighborhood!

Love/ Spiritual/ Valentine's Day

A Valentine From New Nostalgia

For the above graphic to make sense, please CLICK HERE to listen.

It is a song. It is the song “Times” By Tenth Avenue North. This song alone gives me chills, especially the end. But the version linked above was one that I had never heard and was played by KLOVE. I was listening in my car and had to pull over as I was listening…it touched me so. It is words of love from the very best Valentine…the God of this Universe. I just had to share it with all of you.

Happy Valentine’s Day from me to you!

Here is a video I share every year at Valentines day. It is called “The Father’s Love Letter” and it is full of scripture truths that God says about us. They use portions of it in the song linked above, but here is the video in its entirety. Enjoy!

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