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.

Nail Polish of the Day

  I love this color by Sinful Colors called Endless Blue. Bright and vibrant!  What a great summer blue. 

Hydrangeas in My Garden

  First I have to say, happy (official) first day of Summer!  One of my favorite things to do is to watch my garden grow. (I just aged myself by 30 years...oh well.)  Seeing everything start to take off and really flourish is so rewarding.
 
  Today I have two tips for planting or designing a flower bed that are really simple and will save you some headache (and heartache) later on.
1.  Look to see what kind of sunlight your garden gets.  Is it full sun (8 + hours) or part sun or both?  This will make a huge difference in the type of plants you get and where to place them.
2.  Once you purchase your plants place them in the spot where you want them while they are still in their buckets.  Don't plant them right away.  Sit back and see if the color goes, if it gets as much or as little sun as it needs.  Take a couple of days to decide.

  We mostly have full sun in our backyard.  While this is great for growing a vegetable garden it's not when you want to grow flowers and other more shade friendly plants.  After we trimmed up our lilac bushes we noticed that we had a part sun area!  WOOOOHOOOO!  See how excited I am.  Now I am finally able to have hydrangeas.

Here are the beauties in my cart at The Home Depot:

Here is a before:

  I really wanted to add some color to this area.

Here is after:

  Next to the giant lilac bushes they look dinky but they are actually quite huge.
Now I have some gorgeous flowers to look at after my lilacs are done blooming.

Happy Flag Day!

  Today is flag day. I just wanted to share a photo a took a few weeks ago. It was a memorial to our fallen soldiers. 

Bookcase Revamp

  One of my favorite tools to use to "revamp" something is paint.  I have talked about this before and believe I have shared something like this with you but I couldn't resist sharing this bookcase I repainted.
  I painted it in my all time favorite color Antique Earth by Behr.  First off, this color is amazing in all sources of light, it blends in with anything and can make something look like a classic piece of furniture.
  Before I get to the photos I wanted to share a few tips that I have picked up along the way from using this "revamp" method, and from painting my rooms a million times over.
 
 1.  When choosing a color whether you're pairing a piece of furniture or a room look to see what color "payoff" you are going to have.  What I mean by this is take something pink and something yellow and put them against your color swatch.  What comes out the most in it?  Do you want those colors coming through?  Then think of how much light you get in that room.  For instance, my office (where the bookcase is) gets a ton of a lot and sees the evening sun while it sets which generally gives off pink hues.  Some colors are very neutral and don't give off a particular color.
 2.  Think about the sheen you want your paint.  Flat, Eggshell, Gloss, etc. will make the color look different.  Ask your paint counter person at your Home Depot what would look best in the area or on the object you are painting.  They have been through class after class on these things and can give you great advise.
 3.  Don't skimp on brushes.  Yes, I know I am the cheap one saying this but it's true.  Especially if you are painting something in a glossy finish it will make the biggest difference.  Now, I am not saying you have to go and buy professional grade brushes however, buy something you will be able to wash and reuse.

  These are not "rules" by any means it's just a few things I have learned along the way after many many home improvement projects.  So, without further ado....


Before:

After:

  I love this bookcase and the color is incredible in my office.  Hope you enjoyed this post and my little tips to help you.

DIY Puff Flowers

  Recently I redecorated my office and I was going for a natural, laid back look.  Natural, earth tone colors have been my thing.  I love to change things so keeping things neutral makes it easy. 
  My shelf above my desk needed some sort of floral element but I didn't want a typical flower.  Does that make sense?   My husband and I have been obsessed trying to find these one kind of flowers to add into our garden.  They are round, purple, snowball like flowers.  Well, that was my inspiration with this project so I decided I would make my own version for my office but in my favorite colors, and this is how I did it.

  What you need:
1. Yarn 
2. Scissors
3. Sticks of some sort (I found some from my yard)
4. Hot glue

  How to make the puff ball:
1.  Start by wrapping your yarn around your fingers (see picture below)

2.  You want to wrap the yarn pretty thick so that you can have a nice full puff ball.
3.  Once you get it to your desired thickness remove it from your fingers and tie a piece of yarn in the middle making two ends with multiple loops like this...

4.  Now cut all the loops and then fluff!  You have now made a puff ball.  

5.  Glue the puff ball to the end of the stick and put them in a vase.  

  I really like the natural element from the twigs and that it's different from other flowers you would find in a store.  
  You can buy a tool that helps you make puff balls (which I do have) it works the same way.  
  I hope you enjoyed this project.  

Gardening Tip: Save Your Plant Tags

  When I was younger I always admired how my mom could tell me what a flower or plants name was.  Once I became a homeowner and started to garden and plant flowers I wanted to know what I was planting and know how to perfect my green thumb just like my mom.
  For quite some years now I have been saving my plant tags and journal where I planted things and how they did.  This is honestly one of the best tips I could ever give someone who is starting out gardening.  Whether it's a vegetable garden and/or a flower garden this is extremely helpful.  Now, I don't write in it every day, just when something happens...like when a plant dies, or seeing that my tomato plants are producing a lot.

  These tags are chalked full of information like where to plant, how often to water, etc.  I only save the ones that are new to me.  In other words, if I planted it last year and I saved the tag I don't keep it for this year.  How I journal each plant is really pretty simple.  I write down where I planted it (I even draw a chart, no it's not pretty but it does the trick), I keep track of it's behavior and I write down what type of fertilizer I use.  I will add pictures of my good work.  The dead ones don't make the cut.
  I hope this helps you in the future with anything you plant in your garden.  Every year I look forward to doing it all over again and looking at the previous years.  Now get out there and get in the dirt.

Just to Blab

  The past couple of weeks have been hectic to say the least.  My means of transportation was limited and we had quite a few friends in town throughout the week during Memorial Day.  I enjoyed every bit of it.  Well, except the means of transportation thing.  That sucked.  However, a little down time gave me the opportunity to really amp up this month's posts.
  I am so excited to share my projects with you and I am going to start doing the "every day" life posts.  I have hesitated for so long because it is a little weird for myself to do.  Not that I find it weird for other bloggers to do (because that's really what I find most interesting) but it's a "me" thing feeling weird.  But, I will get over it.
  In this month of June I will be sharing my gardening/landscaping tips and tricks, home tour, outfits of the days, favorites (I finally convinced my hubby to film with me), and much much more.  Now, I am actually running into the problem of trying to fit it all but no worries there is always next month.
  Being consistent is a bit of a challenge.  What has really set me back from that is the thought in my head of, "I don't know if they would really like seeing that."  Then I neglect to share the millions of pictures I have snapped of things I have come across to share.  Now, that I have been told by quite a few of my closest friends to just share, I will.  So, look out because I am about to open up my world of randomness but still sharing all the other stuff I have in the past.
  Okay, enough rambling.  I hope you are looking forward to it and I hope your day is going well.
 

Book Review: From This Moment On by Shania Twain

  Let me start by saying I have never done a book review so bare with me.  This kind of post has been well requested and long over due.  Sometimes finding the time to read let alone prepare to write a book review is a little challenging with everything else that I have going on.  However, I enjoy sharing the things that I love with you guys and this was something I had to share.

   My Overall Review:  

  I for one have been a huge fan of Shania Twain so I was already interested in reading her autobiography.  However, I did find as I read the book that this was a great read for someone who is or has gone through rough times in their life.  I always believe that it is such a learning experience to know and hear of someone else's journey.  As everyone has heard at least once in their life, "someone else has it harder/worse than you," which is true.   However, I don't believe we should compare our "hard/worse times" with everyone else because we all have our own battles with different things and view life in another way than each other.  Our "hard" may not be the same as someone else's but it's still hard.  By sharing our own battles we find comfort in knowing we are not alone and see ways that maybe we haven't tried to get through something listening to someone else's journey.  

  As I read her stories of her early life I set aside the perception I had of her being famous and put my self in her shoes.  I opened up to the fact that this wasn't just a young girl who went through some hard times and became famous but a woman who still has her ups and downs and how she manages to get through them.  I really think that this would be a great read for anyone and it gave me a greater appreciation for who Shania Twain really is.    

  There are times that I found myself not as interested in the details of her stories but she has good reason that leads you to her point of what she is sharing.  It also brings to light that she was and is just like everyone else.  Being famous isn't all glitz and glamour and I think we ,as a society obsessed with fame and fortune, tend to forget that they put their pants on one leg at time like the rest of us.  They are human and not immune to life's challenges.   

  I would recommend this book, which I have already.  If you are someone who is into autobiographies or someone who is looking for some insight on going through a difficult time in life it would be a great book.  

Disclaimer:  I am not being paid to recommend this book.  This is my true opinion of the book.

Product Review: Herbal Essences Naked Cleansing Conditioner

  With the weather being crazy like it has been my hair has been depleted of it's glow and has become EXTREMELY dry.  I was watching missglamourazzi www.youtube.com/user/missglamorazzi on YouTube and she had this in one of her favorites videos.  I figured I would give it a try.  Price point it was very reasonable and if I didn't like it wouldn't be so heart aching to toss it.  Results actually surprised me but not like I thought it would.  Let me explain.
  As far as my hair is concerned it worked well enough for me to "like" the product but not "love" it.  The smell is WONDERFUL(duh!  It's Herbal Essences) and the actual cleansing part was pretty good but it weighed my hair down.  Around my crown area it was quite thick with product which I used dry shampoo on and it helped.  However, by the end of the day I felt greasy.  It did make my hair look  better.  My hair is thin and this would be great to use for the bottom half of my hair.  I do think this would be a great product for someone who has a dry roots and course hair.  I did use this all month and I discovered that it is a "once and awhile" hair product.  Until my new discovery.
Rather than wasting it I thought I might use it as a shaving gel/lotion/cream.  It's designed to be a "clean", product free product so it shouldn't make my skin go haywire.  Right?  The results on using it as a shaving product is AMAZING!  Not only has my hair been dry but so has my skin.  I lathered this on my legs and arms and shaved away.   My skin is moisturized, glowing and it didn't cause me to break out.

DISCLAIMER:   I do have to warn you to BE CAREFUL in the shower because it will get on the shower floor and make it slick.  I am not responsible for your actions or any result this product may give you.  It is recommendation and only that.  
  Let me know what you think and/or if you try it.

Nail of the Day: Simple Easter/Spring

  Sorry I have been missing for a little bit.  I just thought I would share my choice of colors on my nails for Easter.

  Light lilac purple and pale pink with iridescent glitter is a perfect and simple nail combination.  Especially if you are not wanting something over the top but that still has the eye catcher look.  

  From left to right:  Pale cashmere, Provence, Disco Ball, Revlon's Colorstay Gel-Smooth Base Coat, and Out The Door Top Coat.
  I am loving the new top coat.  I found it at Fred Meyer for $4.99.  It dries just as quick as Seche Vite and gives my nails the perfect shine without shrinking my nail polish color.  Woohoo!  Win!
  Let me know in the comments below what your favorite Spring nail polish color is to wear.  My favorite is the Provence.  Happy Easter.

My Outfits for the Week

  As you know by now I plan my outfits for the week.  Yes, I know, I am crazy.  Like I have said before it keeps me from standing in my closet, staring at my clothes with no time to spare trying to figure out what I am going to wear.  I thought I would share my outfits for the week and how I pull them together.
  I take one piece and build my outfit around that.  Jewelry, a pair of pants or shoes anything can inspire me.  So...this is my week in outfits.

Monday

  My inspiration is the scarf.  The bright colors drew me in.  I bought it this last weekend at H&M for $5.95.  You gotta love a good deal.  My shirt is a v-neck from Walmart and my jeggings as well.

Tuesday

  Inspiration behind this outfit is the necklace.  I scored this puppy (along with a pair of earrings to match) at Walgreens for $5.99.  This necklace is really light weight and can go with pretty much anything.  My jeans are from Hollister I got on clearance for $14.99 and I paired them with my gray Mossimo boyfriend tee from Target.


Wednesday

  The jean vest and pink knot earrings are both the items behind this outfit.  I have been wanting a jean vest for awhile.  A few weeks ago I went to Savers and found this Calvin Klein vest for $7.99!  The earrings are from Forever 21 and were only $3.80.  My shirt is Merona from Target and my pants are (that I have had for almost 10 years) from Hollister.

Thursday

  The earrings above are Thursday's inspiration.  $3.80 at Forever 21 really can make an outfit.  My shirt is Mossimo at Target and my jeggings are from Walmart.

Friday

  Thankfully the weather will allow me to finally wear my leopard print sandals that I got from Wet Seal for really cheap.  My shirt is Mossimo from Target and my jeans are from Aeropostal I got on sale for $20!  You can't tell by the photo but they are slightly worn.
  Let me know if you guys liked this kind of post and what inspires your outfits.