What's in my Beach Cooler

  Rather than doing another What's in my Beach Bag post I thought I would share with you the things I like to take with us to the beach.  Now, where I live we don't really have a beach, but we have sand and water and as far as I am concerned that's a beach.

  First, I always pack plenty of water.  My husband and I are huge water drinkers and being in the hot sun it is essential.  Any water with electrolytes is what I grab for and I like the squeeze tops.  No lid to loose and you don't have to touch the mouth part. We also love coconut water.  It's extremely hydrating and great for you.

  Second, I like to have fresh fruit, vegetables and pretzels with hummus for snacks.  A nice healthy option to keep my appetite satisfied.  The hummus has protein and the cup is small enough that you are not overloading on sodium.  I always keep in mind that you will be in the hot sun and you want things that will replenish your body.  Filling up on a lot of salty foods and things that don't really make you that full will dehydrate you faster.
  Third, I pack some sort of treat.  As you can tell I have some Nutter Butters.  I also had some Chips Ahoy bites.  You have to live a little.
  Fourth, I pack sandwiches or something for a lunch.  After swimming I want something that's going to give me a boost of engery and by the time I have played a little it's lunch time.  Chicken from the deli is great.  I like the baked chicken so when it's cold I don't have the hardened grease.

  For the things that I pack that don't really go in the cooler are:
 - Nuts
 - Napkins, plates & flatware
 - Extra bag for trash
 - Wet Ones or Baby wipes to wipe off the sand and clean your hands before you eat

  I found these napkins at the grocery store and was so excited to get them.  What a perfect find.
  It's always so exciting to pack up a picnic and go somewhere to relax whether it's on the beach, in the park or on top of a mountain.  I hoped this gave you some new ideas for your next outing.
 

Favorites

  Because of scheduling conflicts I wasn't able to film a favorites video with my husband.  I did manage to take some pictures of a few of my favorite products and his as well.  So, let it begin.

#1 Favorite
  First we have this dish scrubber I bought at Williams Sonoma.  My husband found this while we were shopping in the store and it is the coolest thing.  First benefit is how nice it looks, kind of fancy.  Second, is that the brushes you can take off and washed in the dish washer!  WHAT?!  Yep, that's right.  Trust me I have already put it to the test.  The brush cost me $14.99 and the two pack of replacement brushes were around $10.  They are all natural brushes and the handle is made out of bamboo.

#2 Favorite
  This pita bread by Stonefire is amazing.  No preservatives and they make delicious pizza crust.  They have whole wheat, garlic and original.  All of them are very good and we buy them every week and throw them in the freezer (if you can't tell by the picture).

#3 Favorite
  My foundation is Cover Girl's Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1.  This foundation is truly amazing.  Basically it has a primer, foundation and concealer all in one.  The staying power without a powder is fabulous.  Just like it says.  Not to mention that it has broad spectrum SPF 20 and didn't break me out.  This is an all around winner.

#4 Favorite
  My blush by Rimmel in Pink Rose.  A perfect shade for day or night and the color stays.  I have had this for quite a while and it's one of my go to shades.

#5 Favorite
  This one comes from my husband.  He loves Old Spice products more than he likes Axe.  This deodorant is amazing.  He works 10 hour days in a "warehouse" environment and he comes home smelling like he just put on cologne.  For the first few weeks he started wearing it I kept asking him why he just put on cologne.  It keeps him dry (as dry as you can be in 100 degree heat) and he smells handsome.  Makes me swoon over him.

#6 Favorite  
  Another Old Spice product.  The 2 in 1 shampoo and conditioner.  This stuff is amazing too.  His hair is so soft and the entire bathroom smells like it when he shampoos.  You got to love a good smelling man.

#7 Favorite 
  My shampoo and conditioner by Bain De Terre is my next product.  A few months ago my hair was in desperate need of some nourishment.  So, I was given this.  Truly life changing stuff.  My hair feels so silky, keeps a curl and SHINES!  Major benefit is the price point.  I bought these for $6 a piece.  Check with your hair stylist.

#8 Favorite
  L'Oreal's Total Repair 5 Damage-Erasing Balm.  I don't know where to begin with this stuff.  Hands down this product is my all time favorite deep conditioning treatments.  True to it's name my hair has been radiant ever since I have started using it.  I am always outside gardening, working out or just hanging out so my hair sees a lot of sun.  Total Repair comes to the rescue at the end of the day.

  There you have it, favorites of the month.  Let me know what your favorite things are.  See you in the next post.  Don't forget sharing is caring *wink wink*.
  I can't forget to mention that I will be kicking off my new blog soon.  My web name won't change by much at all it will be www.ohthethingsrobyncando.com.  So, if you are subscriber now please be a subscriber to my new blog once I kick it off and don't forget to bring a friend.  It will be much EASIER to subscribe to my new blog.  I will let you know when I launch it and we will have a big party!  Love you guys and all of your support.

Outfits of the Week to Beat the Heat

  This week is suppose to be HOT!  As soon as the 4th of July comes around the temperature here seems to spike.  I have put together 5 different outfits that will keep me cool, at least I hope so.

    My first outfit is a light weight shirt from Mossimo I bought at Target as well as my shorts.  The bright colors on my necklace make the outfit fun.

  A tube top dress and a light cover up is my next choice.  If I wasn't going to wear this to work I would replace the cover up with my jean vest.  I chose flats for this outfit but I may change my mind. My dress is from Old Navy I bought a few years ago.

  Here's a better shot of my accessories.  The bracelet is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry I got a long time ago at Fred Meyer on clearance (of course).

  Simple white t-shirt and jean capris with a pop of color on my wrist is perfect for a casual day.  I hesitated with the jean capris but that's why I chose sandals to keep me a little cooler.

 A close up shot of this bracelet still doesn't do it justice.  The colors in this are so bright.

  My tank top is so comfortable and my red shorts a fun to wear for my fourth outfit!   I kept it simple with my flip flops.
Below is a better close up of my accessories.

    My last outfit is highlighter yellow!  I bought this shirt at Aeropostale for around $4.  My skirt I bought at Kohls last year or the year before.  It looks shorter in this picture than it really is.

  

  

   This arm candy I scored at Target for cheap!  Glam and dangerous all in one.  

  Well, I hope where ever you are you are staying cool, or at least at a comfortable temperature.  I hope you enjoyed this post.  Remember, if you liked it share it, it's one of the best compliments I could get.

Home Decor: Night Stands

  A few months back I was redecorating our bedroom on a very slim budget.  Like, tell your mama to keep an eye out at the yard sales budget, and found myself with everything I needed right at home.  Speaking of yard sales I need to hit up some of those this year.  Anyways, so that's why I am posting this home decor idea.
  I was wanting night stands but not new (at least looking old) and I could care less that they matched.  Some times I don't want something to be exactly center or equal numbers or have the same look.  To me, it adds character and gives a more laid back feel.  Don't get me wrong I love things in line and organized looking but with this I didn't.  I had this really small, low style table but it was too low for a night stand.  So, I added some height by putting an old picnic basket on top.  This is how it turned out.

  I am really thinking of painting the table gray but I am not positive.  I painted the basket the same color as our other night stand that sits on the other side of the bed.

 
  To give it the "traditional" look I put matching lamps on the night stands.
  I repurpose things in my house all the time.  So much, in fact, that my husband has to ask, "where did you put that?"  OOPS!  I have a pile of baskets, candles, and everything else waiting to be used.  Do you do this?
  Hope you enjoyed this post.  Pin it, share it, spread the word.  See you in my next post.

4th of July Outfit of the Day

  First I must say thank you to all those who have served our country.  I am honored to know many of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice as well as those that are still with us to have them call me their friend.  Thank you.

  For the past 3 or 4 years I have worn the same dress I am about to show you for the 4th of July.  That sounds lame right?  I have good reasoning though... this is the most comfortable dress to wear for hot weather.  I bought it at Walmart for like $10 ish.

  Oh yes, you got a front yard selfie today.  My bag is the Poppy East West Satchel from Coach in Navy.  One of the best investments I have made to be honest, and I made sure I got it on sale.
 

  Loving my nails for the day today.  I used Revlon's Revlon Red with Sally Hansen's Red Carpet on top.  It's a fine red glitter.  My blue is Sinful's Endless Blue and on top I used Wet n' Wild Fergie's Hollywood Walk of Fame.
  I hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July.  Please be considerate to those around you.  You may have neighbors that suffer from PTSD, have animals that are truly terrified of fireworks or may have to go into work the next day so please be understanding while still celebrating this wonderful country and those who have served us.  Thank you.

The Wonders of Summer

  My husband and I love to go hike and it gives me the opportunity to take pictures of interesting things.  So, last week we went to a local park and they have a trail that goes around an island where we found GIANT dandelions!  

  As you can see I am not lying.  We were amazed at how big they were.  

  Standing tall in the grass, they were beautiful.  The song Strawberry Wine sung in my head as we walked through the trail.  *That reminds me I have to download that song. 

  Believe you me we made our wishes....

  This shot was fun to take.  Needless to say we got maybe two good shots out of....a million.  But hey, we got it.

  Down the path a little ways we ran into these crazy looking beetles.  

  Seriously, no photo shopping this is really their color.  They were bright, metallic and they were in groups so they really stood out. 

  Exploring and taking photos really reminded me of the days of being younger and having all Summer to do anything my heart desired.   Go hunting for rocks, collect butterflies and lady bugs.  Nature is an incredible thing. 

  I hope you enjoyed my little adventure.  What have you explored this Summer so far?  Please share in the comments below.

DIY Coat Rack

 You know how you get sick and tired of looking at the same thing everyday.  There is no zing or pizazz to it.  Well, this is how I felt about my mirror/coat rack in my entryway.  So I decided to fix that problem and gave my husband a list of things to pick up at The Home Depot.  Now, here's the tricky part... I forgot to right down the measurements of our cuts.  OOPS!  My bad.  However, I think you will get the idea of how we build this thing.  To be honest it was pretty easy and we didn't have any directions to go by.
 
  Disclaimer:  If you are going to be working with power tools (or any tools for that matter) you need to be extremely careful!  Make sure you use all safety precautions and that you are being responsible with your tools.  I am in no way, no how responsible for your actions or the results of anything. 
  Basically what we did was cut a 4x4 post to our desired height (5 foot) and then made our legs out of a 2x4 post.  Then we put a decorative topper you usually use on top of fence posts.  We put corner edging (I don't know the "technical" term for that piece but I will show you a picture) on the four corners of the post.  It adds dimension.

                                                         Above is a picture of the legs.  

                            This is the corner edging I was talking about.  This and the hardware were the most costly
                                                  thing of the project.  These bad boys were $10 a piece and I needed 4!  
                                  

  After we got all of that done we filled in all of the gaps and screw holes with wood filler.  We used Elmers wood filler.  This stuff dries pretty fast and its easy to sand.

                   We used the wood filler at the largest gaps and screw holes.  It was better to use our fingers to get the wood 
                                                                                  filler into the gaps.

  Once our wood filler was all dry we sanded the entire coat rack to make it smooth so when we painted it would have a nice finish.  Now, if you want more of a rustic look to yours honestly there is no point in sanding prior to painting.
  A satin finish for my paint is what I chose to use on the coat rack.  I wanted something with a slight glossy finish but nothing crazy.  You guessed it, I painted it in Antique Earth by Behr.  I just can't help myself.  I ordered the hooks off of Amazon.
  To make this a more budget friendly project (which is really what I was trying to do) you could leave off the corner edging.  As far as the hooks go, Cost Plus World Market have a great selection of hooks and knobs that you could use.  That was actually my first stop, but, I had this vision that I just couldn't shake.

  Well, there you have it... our glorious, customized masterpiece.  We are very proud of our handy work.  Now, onto my next project with the spare wood.  Look for an upcoming post of my entryway redo.  I just have one more thing that I need to complete it and I should be able to get it soon.  Then you can really see the full affect.