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ANTI-PROCRASTINATION/ HOME

Anti-Procrastination Tuesdays #21

***Please read before linking.
There are 2 areas to link up, with 2 different themes.  Read more below and please link up in the right area.  Thanks!***
To learn more of what this is all about, read this post.
To read my original “Doozy List,” read this post.
To read my “Summer Doozy List” read this post.
I am procrastinating.  Right this moment.  I am not going to tell you my progress on procrastination this week (you are not missing much, not much progress!), because I am dying to spend some time curled up with a book.  My girls have camp this week, so we were up early and I’M TIRED!  So glad you are an understanding and gracious bunch!
New Nostalgia
Marie has been featured a couple times here at New Nostalgia.  Her posts really jive with you, my readers, because she was the most clicked on link this last week at “AP” Tuesday, by far!  I loved her post and was very inspired, but I have to go give her a hard time for showing us this beautiful food, but not posting the recipes!  I know I want that Spaghetti Pie recipe.  Maybe if I tell her I will feature her recipe post, she will write one for us.  🙂
*UPDATE! She is officially awesome, click here for her recipes, and while you are over there, scroll down and become a follower!  You won’t regret it!!!

This post was runner up for most clicked on link.  It is a great post, I had a similar household notebook which I loved, but decided to go paperless and now use Circus Ponies Notebook on the computer, which I love, but there are days I miss turning pages…

I’ve had fun getting to know Jessica through her blog.  Her blog is beautiful, she is beautiful, her little girl is beautiful–even her husband is beautiful.:)  I can’t tell you how happy the above picture makes me.  Such a calm room.  I’ll take that circle mirror, please.

If You Give A Girl A Tomato @ Sweet Country Life
Kristin is one of those people I have just ‘jived’ with.  I like her…a lot.
I also like those jars full of tomatoes…a lot! 

Posts like this is exactly why Clean Mama is one of my favorites in blogland.  She made homemade ice cream easy, and to top it off, IT’S IN A MASON JAR!  I’m smiling.
NewNostalgia









All right, let’s get to linking!
Looking forward to seeing what you all have been up to!!
Be encouraged, Be Inspired, And Get Something Done!
***Stop And Read Before Linking!***
I will have 2 different themes for you to link to.  Please choose the correct theme, or I will need to delete your link.  Thanks!
*If you are a tweeter, hitting the tweet box at the bottom will help get the word out.

***”Anti-Procrastination” Themed:***
~things you want to accomplish (lists, goals)
~things you did accomplish
~thoughts on procrastination/ways you beat procrastination

***Flexible Themed***
~Recipes
~Projects
~Crafts
17
Beauty/ Frugal/ HOME

Whiten Teeth For Cheap

I first heard about PlusWhite 5 minute speed whitening gel from a Kandee Johnson video (click here for video).  She always has the best recommendations, so I tried it.  I’ve done 5 applications and I love it.  The kit comes with the whitening gel, some pre-whitening rinse, and a mouth piece.

The first time I did it, I filled the mouth piece with gel, and it was way too much!  The directions say to squeeze the gel into the mouthpiece, and the opening of the tube is pretty large, so a lot came out.  It got all over the place, including my tongue which I noticed made my snack taste weird for awhile afterwards.

The next time I did it, I used my finger to spread some of the gel all over my teeth, (mainly the teeth that you can see), making sure I got between the teeth, then stuck the mouthpiece in.  Doing it this way will make the tube last a long time, so teeth whitening becomes ultra cheap!

I have used Crest Whitening strips, but they were messy, expensive, tasted nasty, and made my teeth sensitive.  PlusWhite gel does not taste bad, and I have not had any sensitivity.  It is super easy to use, and because of Kandee’s suggestion, I do it in the shower, so it just becomes part of my “getting ready” routine.  It is suggested that you use it twice a day at first.  I didn’t because I noticed whitening fairly quickly, so I have just done it once a day. I will continue a few more days, I have a feeling I’ll have to stop myself because it really is kind of addicting!

Some people on Amazon. com reviews have said the mouth piece is kind of uncomfortable for smaller mouths.  I have a super small mouth and it is fine for me, but if you would like something softer that molds to the teeth, you must watch the video that Kandee made.  It shows how she took a regular sports mouth guard,(at Walmart for a buck) softened it by boiling it, then she stuck it in her mouth and sucked in with her teeth together.  It molds to the teeth and–voila!  A custom mouthpiece for a buck!  That is impressive, but since my kit came with a mouth piece, I skipped the custom one.

Let me know if you try this and what you think.
Do you whiten your teeth?  What do you use?
More From New Nostalgia
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ANTI-PROCRASTINATION/ HOME

Anti-Procrastination Tuesdays #20-Double Link Week!

***Please read before linking.
There are 2 areas to link up, with 2 different themes.  Read more below and please link up in the right area.  Thanks!***
To learn more of what this is all about, read this post.
To read my original “Doozy List,” read this post.
To read my “Summer Doozy List” read this post.
It is good to be back on board for Anti-Procrastination Tuesday!  Because I missed last week, today is double up your links day so please feel free to link more then one under each section.  

I am eager to hear and see what you have been up to.  I took some time off the blog last week to just focus on and enjoy my family.  We left for a few days to visit Mall Of America, IKEA, and a water park.  It was such a great time, but I feel like I’ve been playing “catch up” ever since we got back!   I’ve been busy doing lots of hair, (I am a hairstylist and even though I do not work in a salon anymore, I do hair for some friends and family), celebrating my 14th wedding anniversary, getting laundry caught up after our trip; cooking for a bunch of teenage boys for an event with my husbands work, keeping track of my kids and a slew of neighbor kids that keep our door revolving when we are home.
  This is the first week where I have found myself longing for the predictable schedule the school year brings. I think having “chill time” on our mini-vacation, then coming home to busy life, has left me ready for structure in our schedule.  My personality does much better with structure, so I’m hangin’ on to fleeting moments with my kids before school starts and trying to tell myself “downtime” will come. Today was a “get things done” day, as the rest of the week we have something going on every day and we will not be home much.  I got my house in order today, so now I am ready for the crazy week!  Sort of:)
I’m also longing for extended writing time!  I’m not sure how some of you mom bloggers do it in the summer, keeping up such quality blogs with kids home.  Yes, I am blogging, but barely, and with posts that are a bit thrown together and far from quality! 

I am happy with  my progress on our Summer To-Do List.  Many things on the list are ongoing, so I have not crossed them off, but I am doing them!  I am thankful for the list, it not only keeps me on track, but is an encouragement to see that we are accomplishing things that are important to me even though life is at a frustratingly fast pace right now. 


One of  my favorite things on my summer list is read at least 3 books.  I am at the very end of “3 Cups Of Tea.” I have LOVED this book, it is so inspiring and has taught me much about the way of life in another part of the world.
Another one of my favorites on the list is have cousin sleepovers.  We have cousins that live an hour away, and I make sure each one has a separate sleepover with us in the summer.  We are down to one more cousin, and it has been a joy to have them!
I have yet to take my early riser on a surprise breakfast picnic.  Tomorrow may be the day.  We’ll see how early I get to bed to make it happen!
NewNostalgia  

All right, let’s get to linking!
Looking forward to seeing what you all have been up to!!
Be encouraged, Be Inspired, And Get Something Done!
***Stop And Read Before Linking!***
I will have 2 different themes for you to link to.  Please choose the correct theme, or I will need to delete your link.  Thanks!
*If you are a tweeter, hitting the tweet box at the bottom will help get the word out.

***”Anti-Procrastination” Themed:***
~things you want to accomplish (lists, goals)
~things you did accomplish
~thoughts on procrastination/ways you beat procrastination
***Flexible Themed***
~Recipes
~Projects
~Crafts
7
Gardening/ RECIPES/ Sides

Harvest

For those of you who have been gardening forever, or those who are just not interested, please bear with me as I FREAK OUT ABOUT GARDEN SUCCESS!
I’m a newbie gardener and have so enjoyed the process, and EATING the outcome.
See that big tomato?   We ate it tonight on BLT sandwiches.  Mid-sandwich, my husband looked at me and said “wow, that is one goooooood tomato!” It is ridiculous how happy a compliment on my tomato made me, he’d be a smart man to keep complimenting my tomatoes!:)
See that monster cucumber I am cradling in my right arm?  It’s huge and yellow.  Not sure it is edible, we were out of town for a few days and came back to that beast hanging on the vine.  Anyone know if it will taste good?
I’ve had a hard time catching my squash while they are still young and tender.  It seems like one day they are babies and the next day they are too big!  I’m planning on using my food processor to chop up  the big ones, then freezing them in 2 cup portions to make a zucchini type bread.  I love to grill the tender, young ones-I just got to get on top of harvesting regularly!
So what do I do with all these cucumbers besides making pickles, and raita?  Does anyone have any good summer squash recipes?
To view my square foot garden, click here.
This post is linked to:
Gratituesday @ Heavenly Homemakers
30 Minute Blog Challenge @ Steady Mom
Saturday Night Special @ Funky Junk
giveaways

20
Beauty/ Frugal/ HOME

How I Saved Over $200 By Not Going To The Spa

Tonight my husband and I are going out to celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary.  I’m so excited!  It is a special occasion, so I decided to put some extra effort into making myself look somewhat special for our hot date!:) 

 The last few months, in the name of simplicity and being more natural, I have not put much effort into my physical appearance.  Don’t worry, I have showered (ha), but I have not had color in my hair for the first time in years, I stopped polishing my nails, and it was the first summer where I really didn’t care if I had a tan.  There are numerous reasons, such as:

~I wanted to experience my natural hair color before it started turning gray
~I’ve had Melanoma, so baking in the sun is not the best thing for me
~Nail polish was time consuming and always needs reapplied a few days later
~Beauty products are expensive
~I was trying to use more “natural” products. Hair color chemicals and acetone nail polish remover do not quite fit under that category.

All good reasons, but I’m a licensed cosmetologist, and it seems like I just can’t go too long without wanting to practice my creative beauty skills on myself.  It is just too much fun being a woman not too!

So, the last 2 evenings, instead of writing blog posts, I have turned my home into a spa and have played beauty shop.  It has been fun and worth it, and I feel ready for my date.  I have to admit, I did pout a bit thinking about how great it would be to have someone else shampooing my hair and doing my pedicure, but in the end, I SAVED A TON OF MONEY!  That is a good feeling.

Here is what I did:
~Cut my hair.  I kept in long but put a ton of layers into it.
~Highlighted my hair.  My natural color is a coppery red.  I added pale blond highlights.
~Shaped my eyebrows
~French Manicure
~Pedicure
~Whitened teeth
~Tanned using self tanning products

Now just because you are not a licensed cosmetologist does not mean you cannot do this, too.  The web is a great resource for tips and tutorials on how to do things yourself. It is where I get a ton of ideas!

Haircut
For the most part, I would recommend you leave this to the pros, unless you are trimming your bangs or making a side swept fringe.  Kandee Johnson has a great tutorial on how to cut a fringe.  

Highlights
Another thing to leave to the professionals, UNLESS you are a natural light brown or blond.  If you were to try and highlight hair that is darker, it will tend to pull a brassy gold color and it will not be pretty.  If you are already naturally light, you will have much more luck.  Depending on how much warmth you have naturally in your hair and eyes, you may still tend to pull some yellow, but it will be much easier to tone with an ash color and many would not even need to tone.  Because I am a natural red head, with lots of warmth, I definitely needed to add a toner to my hair after the lightening process.  


Highlighting My Hair
~Last night I bought a highlighting kit that comes with a plastic cap and hook.

~I pulled strands of hair through the cap (kinda old school process compared to foiling, but I can’t foil my own head of hair!) If you want natural, slight highlights, pull less hair through every other hole.  I wanted to be quite blond so I pulled it through quite heavy, every hole. Since I couldn’t see the back, I just stuck the hook through randomly, not caring if I got in the marked holes or not.  🙂

~I put the lightener that came with the kit on the pulled through strands of hair. (it is usually a thick pasty white or purple color, essentially hair bleach)

~I put a plastic Target bag over my head and secured it with a clip. This holds heat in to help process faster.

~I let it lighten until a pale yellow color. This took about 25 minutes for me. Your goal is the color of the inside of a banana peel if you are wanting a beachy, light blond highlight. If you can get it that color, great.  Like I said earlier, some people have a lot of warmth in their hair and will get “stuck” in a yellow stage and will not reach the “inside of a banana peel” stage.  If you have had the lightener on for the maximum amount of time recommended and you are still too gold, you will need wash and tone with a light blond ash color.

~I shampooed the strands without pulling off the cap, and towel dried with the cap on.

~I mixed a light ash color to tone. If you were at the store you would look for a light ash blond. (as apposed to a light natural blond or a light gold/warm blond)

~I put that on for just about 5 minutes. (it does not take long, if using hair color to tone, do NOT follow the timing directions on the box, or you will end up with strands that are too ashy) Wipe a strand off with a paper towel to determine if the yellow has been toned down.  Keep a close eye on it!

~I rinsed the color off with the cap still on, then took it off and shampooed and conditioned my hair.

I saved myself at least $120.00, just by cutting my own layers and doing my own color.

This post is a “to be continued…”
{My New Favorite Self Tanner} saved $30.00!!
I have to get ready for my date, but I will write soon about teeth whitening, manicures/pedicures, self tanning products, and shaping eyebrows and how doing it all yourself can save you a ton of money!  I will write a break down of how much money I saved and let you know what products I used.  
More to come…


This post is linked to:
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Thrifty Thursdays@ Tales From Bloggeritaville
Penny Pinchin’ Party @ The Thrifty Home
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ANTI-PROCRASTINATION/ HOME

Anti-Procrastination Tuesdays #19

***Please read before linking.
There are 2 areas to link up, with 2 different themes.  Read more below and please link up in the right area.  Thanks!***
Hi Everyone!  Welcome to Anti-Procrastination Tuesday!
To learn more of what this is all about, read this post.
To read my original “Doozy List,” read this post.
To read my “Summer Doozy List” read this post.
This week I have been concentrating on getting to know my neighbours and having neighbour kids over.  Our front door has become a revolving one this summer, just today there have been girls from 4 different families here at 4 different times.  It was only this past winter when my girls prayed specifically for new neighbours to play with (we had lived here 3 years and there were no kids to be found!).  God heard and answered, and I am grateful.
New Nostalgia 




Here are a few featured posts from last week, starting with the one that got clicked on the most! The Morris Tribe’s total clicks were double everyone else’s, and this is the second week in a row that happened! Pretty impressive!

For me, it will have to be August or September, but what a great idea to start early!
Look what a beautiful bathroom “anti-procrastination” can get you!  Love the blue and brown.
  
My girls would have great fun opening their lunch box and finding one of these inside!
All you need is fruit and orange juice, and some little hands to mush it up for you.  Fun!

Mason Jars!  I plan to use take this idea and make a different shape, spray paint the jars (too lazy to do it by hand), and fill it with goodies or a candle to give as a gift.  Cute, huh?
Such a good looking garden, and a great idea to protect little seedlings!
NewNostalgia  




All right, let’s get to linking!
Looking forward to seeing what you all have been up to!!
Be encouraged, Be Inspired, And Get Something Done!
***Stop And Read Before Linking!***

I will have 2 different themes for you to link to.  Please choose the correct theme, or I will need to delete your link.  Thanks!


*If you are a tweeter, hitting the tweet box at the bottom will help get the word out.

***”Anti-Procrastination” Themed:***
~things you want to accomplish (lists, goals)
~things you did accomplish
~thoughts on procrastination/ways you beat procrastination

***Flexible Themed***
~Recipes
~Projects
~Crafts
7
HOME

What I Buy & Why-Lemonade

I have learned so much about food by asking people what they buy, where they buy it, and why they like it.  These conversations inspired me to start writing some posts on the food items I buy and why.  Not only do I want to share with you what is working for us, but my hope is, that in the comments section, I will get to hear from you and what is working for you! 

I love lemonade, especially in the summer.  I have tried a few recipes this summer, but keep going back to just purchasing it at the store, because of “Simply Lemonade“ brand lemonade.  I love this brand because it tastes good, only has 4 ingredients, and contains NO high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  It is 11% lemon juice, and it is not from concentrate. 


The ingredients are filtered water, lemon juice, sugar, and natural flavors.  


Now, I would like to know what “natural flavors” are, and hope that does not mean some chemical cocktail added, but honestly, it is easy to turn a blind eye as it is the last ingredient and again, it is one of four ingredients.   


Check out this long list of ingredients in Minute Maid Lemonade:
 Pure filtered water, sweeteners (high fructose corn syrup, sugar), lemon juice from concentrate, less than 5% each of the following: natural flavors, citric acid (provides tartness), modified cornstarch, glycerol, ester of wood rosin, sodium hexametaphosphate and sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate and EDTA (to protect taste), yellow #5.  It only contains 3% lemon juice!  


 I don’t often bring simple processed sugars and HFCS in to our home.  I try to sweeten our food with honey, maple syrup, sucanat or stevia.  But when it comes to lemonade, (& ice cream!-post coming soon), I break our rule.  I tried a lemonade recipe that was sweetened with maple syrup, and it just was not what I was looking for.  I want the true, old- fashioned taste of lemonade, like Simply Lemonade or one like  this recipe at “How Does She…” –will be trying that one soon!
What about you?  Do you have a favorite recipe?  Do you know of any great recipes without processed white sugar?  


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