Time for Tuesdays

Lincoln and I have been going over our budget and we came across some very interesting information. We spend a FORTUNE on groceries!!! I don't get it. We are just feeding the two of us and I rarely (sorry Lincoln) make anything extravagant. I just don't know how/am terrified to try. We eat basic food and I even buy lots of generic stuff. Unfortunately, I am CONSTANTLY throwing food out after it goes bad. Looking back on our expenditures we noticed that we were going to the store like three days in a row and making big purchases. I have no idea what we are doing.

My Time for Tuesdays today was going to be about how to take care of a chlorine head of hair, but today we need to talk food. How do you spend your time preparing your menu, grocery list, budget for food? I don't have the answer, I need them from you.

Let's make a deal, I will tell you about how to save your hair from chlorine, if you give me good ideas on how to save money on food. Deal?

Time for Tuesday

My hands are very special to me. I use them ALL day at work and home. I use them to cut, color and style my clients hair, and I use them to clean, cuddle and nourish Clark. I use them to give Lincoln a head scratch (although, he would say I don't do it enough). I use my hands until they are sore, cracked and tired. I am sure you use your hands just as much. Are you taking care of your hands? I know I need to do a better job at keeping my hands looking good, but not just my hands, my nails too.

picture found here

I usually don't think about my nails, and before I know it, they are all grown out and looking ragged. I used to paint them once a week and keep them all short and trimmed. Now I don't seem to even think about my nails. I have been so inspired with all the great nail colors and polish ideas I am seeing on Pinterest these days. I want to dedicate this "time for tuesday" to painting your nails. Having polished nails makes such a difference in how I feel about the look of my hands. I have always complained that I have "man-hands." However, when they are all fresh and polished, I feel so much better about them.

picture found here

Is this not the coolest idea ever!!

picture found here

Tips on giving yourself a great manicure-

1. Having a free edge (the part of the nail that grows past the nail bed) can cause your polish to chip faster. When the free edge bends, the paint chips and peals off. If your nails are shorter, your polish will last longer.
2. A good top coal and bottom coat will totally keep your manicure going for much longer.
3. Make sure your nails are clean and dry before you start to polish. Any oil or wetness on the nail bed will keep the polish from drying properly.
4. Let your nails dry for a good 30-45 minutes before you do anything that might damage the paint. When you think they might be dry, touch two of your nails together, if they stick at all then they are still wet.

Now, I am sure I need to take some baby steps with getting back into painting my nails before I try anything as fancy as the nails in the pictures. But, I am sure these girls all started small too. I think just a little extra love for our hands and nails is all we need to make sure our digets stay looking and feeling there very best.

Time for Tuesdays

Take a good hard look at yourself in the mirror. Look at your hair, is it luxurious, or is it fried?

There is just no reason at all to have dried out hair. It is time to take control of your hair. After this long hot summer you need to be honest with yourself and think whether you got too much sun damage. Are you due for a haircut? Probably. By the time your hair grows to your shoulders the ends are about three years old!! Think about that. How have you taken care of your hair during those three years? We don't even want to mention how old your hair is if it reaches the middle of your back!

My point is we all need to take better care of your hair, and it takes just a few minutes once a week. It is time to DEEP CONDITION!! I deep condition my hair every other week sometimes every three. I just put the deep conditioner in my ends and let it sit for a few extra minutes while I shave my legs or luffa my body. I rinse it off with cooler water (hot water is too drying) and I am good to go. That few minutes is all it takes to help me have stronger, shinier hair. Let's be honest, I do SO MUCH to my hair, but with the regular deep conditions and trims, I can get away with it.

It's time, go out and get yourself a good deep conditioner today. You will be glad you did.

My favorites are Moroccanoil Intense Hydrating Mask (duh, have I mentioned how much I love Moroccanoi?) and Schwarzkopf Bonacure Repair Rescue Treatment

The Schwarzkopf is cheaper and it will condition your hair, but the Moroccanoil is more concentrated and I don't think I need as much to do the job. So, you are almost spending the same money since the Moroccanoil seems to last longer.

Time for Tuesday

Don't you love to learn a new hobby? I love it. For the longest time I have wanted to become a better photographer. To capture my little family with some amazing photos is so important to me. My good friend Amelia Eve is a great photographer and she has started a little club where we go out to a park around town and shoot away. She teaches us as we go and everyone gives great feedback.

Obviously, I am still at the very beginning of my photo taking skills, but practice makes perfect.
The best part, besides me learning how to use my camera, is the chance to get outside. Taking his picture is pretty fun too.
Take a moment and capture some sweet moments on film. The more you use your camera, the better you will be. I don't ever expect to become a professional, but the time I take to learn now is helping to capture some really special memories.

Time for Tuesday

We are all so different, from our style to our habits, to our likes and dislikes. We are so unique. The one thing we have in common is we all have exactly 24 hours in our day. Some of us might be busier than others, but some of us also might spend our time a little smarter than others. I want to start a new segment every tuesday that will help you find the time to do the small things. If we are challenged to accomplish little goals or tasks, we will feel so much better about ourselves once those goals are taken care of. Each tuesday I will feature a small easy task that will take you no more than five minutes to accomplish that when finished will help you feel better about yourself on the outside as well as on the inside. I know everyone can find five minutes in their 24 hour day to accomplish something to better themselves. Are you up for it?

Let's begin-

My BFF had the best gift idea for me on my birthday. She sent emails to 25 of my friends and relatives asking them to print off a post card she sent them and write a birthday note for me. It was awesome getting those cards in the mail. I heard from people I have not talked to in ages. Reading the messages brought tears to my eyes and I will keep those cards forever. Once all the cards were here I put them together like a puzzle to write out a message for me on my birthday. It was awesome.

Now, I am not asking you to do anything this grand for your "Time for Tuesday" task, this probably took Sarah WAY longer than 5 min. Instead, I want us all to write a simple card or postcard to someone special. There is something about the written word that is just so special. Don't get me wrong, emails are nice, but we all LOVE getting letters in the mail especially when they are not bills. Just take five minutes, it doesn't have to be fancy. After you send it off I promise you will feel great. And remember, feeling great and looking great go hand in hand. I know just the person I am sending my letter to. Let me know if you accomplished the task. Have fun.