22 December 2015

Peppermint Mocha Body Scrub Recipe

This peppermint mocha body scrub recipe smells amazing!  It uses coffee grounds and sugar to naturally exfoliate dead skin cells from your body.

I love the app Timehop.  It's so much fun looking back over the years since I've had Facebook over 6 years now.  I like seeing my photos, status updates, and conversations with friends.  Today, my…
17 December 2015

DIY Massage Bar Recipe

Ladies, let’s talk openly for a few minutes.  Think back to when you were dating your husband.  Then think about that first year you had after you were married but before you had kids.  

Now think about the last few years.  What’s different?  Without knowing you, I can probably guess correctly that there’s a lack of intimacy now versus your first f…
16 December 2015

2015 Top 10 Posts From Everything Pretty

I'm having a hard time with it being almost 2016.  Wasn't it the 90s like 10 years ago?  With the new year approaching, I like to look back and reflect.  That always helps me see the bigger picture.  Take 2015 for example.  I tried posting some different type of posts, but if you look below, it's fairly obvious that you all love my DI…
15 December 2015

DIY Gingerbread Sugar Scrub Recipe

Can you believe that Christmas is next week?  I'm having a hard time with this. I live in Ohio, so we've usually had several rounds of snow by now.  It was in the 60s yesterday!  I am definitely not complaining about the weather, but it's making it a little hard to get in the Christmas spirit.  My tree is up, the house is decorated, a…
16 November 2015

Teaching Emotions to Children With Autism With Inside Out Charades

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #InsideOutEmotions #CollectiveBias
I'm an autism mom.  Times two.  Both of my boys have high functioning autism, and I also have a neurotypical daughter.  I believe that autism is a superpower, but that doesn't mean that my boys don'…
03 November 2015

Different Types of Hair Rollers And How to Use Them

If hair rollers conjure an image of an old lady in a bathrobe surrounded by cats, you may be surprised at what all you can do with hair rollers.  They can transform your hair from straight to wavy, curly, and even trendy beach waves.  You can even use them to add some body to your existing style without using heat appliances, which can damage your…
22 October 2015

Easy DIY Catnip Toy

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.  #MyCatMyMuse  #CollectiveBias

My younger son, Caleb, has autism.  When he was three-years-old, he stopped talking.  For almost a year, he used a crude form of sign language to communicate with us.  We tried several ways to get him to talk, but…
19 October 2015

Whipped Chocolate Body Butter Recipe

This whipped chocolate body butter recipe is perfect for dry skin!
If my readers only take one thing with them after reading my blog, I hope it's that you don't have to be perfect to be beautiful.  Beauty comes from within, and when you are confident, your natural beauty shines through.

We've all got things that try to beat down our c…
16 October 2015

Whipped Preshampoo Oil Treatment for Dry, Damaged Hair

In the fall, my hair really starts to get dry.  I dye my hair and get blonde highlights, and I also flat iron my hair a few times a week.  All of that wear and tear coupled with the drier air means damaged ends and frizzy hair.  I created this whipped preshampoo oil treatment to use before washing, so it deeply nourishes my hair without leaving m…
15 October 2015

Plus Size Halloween Costumes for Women

Halloween is my favorite holiday.  I love the fun, whimsical decorations.  I love helping my kids pick the perfect costume and walking around town with them.  The last few years, we've gone trick or treating in a large group with about 10 kids and several adults.  I think the adults have more fun than the kids!

One thing I don't like abou…
09 October 2015

How to Choose the Best Eyelash Curler

Nothing in your beauty bag opens your eyes like an eyelash curler.  The best eyelash curler for youdepends on the shape of your eyes, but there are some features to look for when selecting one.  If you've never used one before, they can be intimidating.  A good curler should not pull or tug on your lashes, and it should be comfortable to use.�…
08 October 2015

Pumpkin Spice Latte Scrub Recipe

Confess.  How many pumpkin spice lattes have you had this year?  Be honest.  I won't judge.  If you just can't get enough of these yummy drinks, maybe you should try a pumpkin spice latte sugar scrub recipe.  It has the same yummy fragrance, but a lot less calories, and you can make it at home!  This easy recipe will slough off dead skin …
02 October 2015

Pumpkin Peel for Oily Skin

Try this natural pumpkin peel for oily skin to naturally exfoliate your skin and tighten pores.

I'm sure you've heard of the benefits of alpha hydroxy acids for your skin, especially if you have oily skin.  AHA deep cleans your pores to help prevent acne and can even help reduce the appearance of pores.

Pumpkins have AHA as well as other …
01 October 2015

Pumpkin Body Scrub Recipe

What better way to celebrate fall than with a pumpkin body scrub recipe?  Pumpkin is full of skin-loving vitamins and alpha hydroxy acids.  The alpha hydroxy acids scrub your skin to remove dead skin cells, so your skin will look better, feel smoother, and get nourished. I also added ground oatmeal and white sugar to this recipe to gently slough o…
30 September 2015

Pumpkin Spice Rebatched Fall Soap Recipe Without Lye

My pumpkin spice rebatched fall soap recipe is third in a five part series of pumpkin bath and beauty recipes.  All of the other recipes have pumpkin puree, but not this one.  There are soap  recipes that have pumpkin puree, but they are hot or cold process recipes with lye.  I was originally going to make this recipe with melt and pour soap, but …
29 September 2015

Pumpkin Foot Mask Recipe to Naturally Exfoliate

Naturally exfoliate your feet with this pumpkin foot mask recipe.

Pumpkin, pumpkin everywhere!  Yep, it's fall!

This is the second in a five day series of pumpkin recipes.  I used organic pumpkin puree from home grown pumpkins.





Making your own puree is a labor of love.  First you have to cut the pumpkin and bake it to soften it.  Then I ran …
28 September 2015

Pumpkin Face Mask Recipe

This pumpkin face mask recipe naturally exfoliates and moisturizes your skin.

To celebrate fall, I've got 5 great pumpkin recipes to share with you this week.  Four of them have real pumpkin, and one is a pumpkin spice recipe.



We grew pumpkins last year, and I processed them and froze them to use in pies.  If you've never made a pie from …
25 September 2015

Pumpkin Spice Is Here!

Last week marked the official start of fall.  Fall is my favorite season, and I wish it would last all year.  If I could find a place that had fall temperatures all year, I would be there.  I love the smell of the air, the colors on the trees, and the perfect temperatures.  We are still having beautiful weather in the high 70s and even 80s, so it…
24 September 2015

Peach Iced Tea Recipe with Zing™ Zero Calorie Stevia Sweetener

Thank you to Zing™ Zero Calorie Stevia Sweetener and Her Campus Media for partnering on this post!
School has been in session for a month now, so we are finally in a good routine. Homeschooling is a lot different than when the kids were in public school. My days are crazy busy until about 3 p.m., but our evenings are a lot less hectic because we …
23 September 2015

How to Prevent Bed Head

I'm not sure which is worse for bed head: long hair or short hair.  When I had long hair, I'd wake up with a tangled mess.  Now that my hair in chin length, it tends to stick up in odd places some mornings.  I straighten my curly hair, so wetting it really isn't an option unless I want to dry it and straighten it again.  My poor daught…
11 September 2015

DIY Shine Spray for Hair Recipe

The last time I got my hair done, she bleached all of my blonde highlights again to get them a little lighter.  It looks amazing, but I noticed that my hair isn't as shiny as it could be on the top.  Since I have curly hair, my hair tends to get a little dry anyway, so I made this shine spray for hair recipe to boost the shine and add some go…
04 September 2015

Transitioning Your Beauty Routine From Summer to Fall + Pumpkin Pie Lip Scrub Recipe

Although my air conditioning is still running, the days are getting shorter and the leaves are starting to turn.  There's no denying it; it's almost fall.  Along with swapping my flip flops for boots and tank tops for longer sleeves, I also switch my makeup products.  In the summer, I'm more worried about preventing breakouts from swea…
01 September 2015

Purple Hair Care Tips

I've wanted purple hair since...well forever...and last week I got it! 
 I went with a shade of dark brown on top with light blonde highlights and purple underneath in the back. Since my hair is so dark, she had to bleach it first. I've been dying my hair with streaks of bright red for two years, and my hair has always stayed healthy.
Gett…
26 August 2015

Top Beauty Picks for Fall

It's almost fall, y'all!  Fall is my favorite season.  I love the colors, the crisp air, the perfect temperatures, and bonfires.  The only problem with fall is that it's followed by winter, and I hate winter.  When I'm old, I'm definitely going to be a snow bird.  
To get ready for fall, I'm featuring my favorite fall prod…
24 August 2015

Calendula Soap Recipe for Dry Skin

How to make a calendula soap recipe. This is an easy melt and pour calendula soap recipe that has real calendula petals and shea butter so it’s moisturizing for dry skin. This is a beautiful bar of soap, but it’s actually easy to make in under half an hour.



20 August 2015

Fall Boots to Splurge On

If I can't wear flip flops, then I'm wearing boots.  Maybe it's because I'm a country girl now, but there's just something about a good pair of boots!  These fall boots will look great with jeans and a cute top or a dress.  While I'm not opposed to wearing less expensive shoes, I do splurge on a few good pairs for each seas…
18 August 2015

Skinny Piña Colada Smoothie Recipe

>This skinny pina colada smoothie tastes amazing, and it's good for you too.  It's made with real fruit and coconut water for a healthy summer treat.
Life is full of choices.  Of course, we'd all like to make the choice that requires the least amount of effort.  It's much easier to grab a bag of chips for a snack than to wash and…
07 August 2015

Cooling Cucumber Facial Mask

How's your garden doing this year?  We had a lot of rain and got our garden in late, then we got even more rain.  Most of my friends had their gardens flooded out.  Our garden plot is heavy in clay and loam soil, so it has excellent drainage.  This means that I have cucumbers coming out of my ears.  We've had sliced cucumbers or cucumber …
04 August 2015

Softening Beer Bath for Your Feet

Today, I've got another "crazy but true" recipes for you to try.  This one came about because I'm cheap frugal and don't like to be wasteful.  I had bought beer for a party that we had last summer, but I didn't realize that beer goes flat after just a few month.  I used a few bottles to cook with and do a beer hair rinse
29 July 2015

DIY Eczema Lotion Recipe

It's been a year since I got eczema on my hand.  At first, I couldn't imagine that after 30 years on Earth I would suddenly develop an allergy or irritation to something.  At the time, my mom was in and out of the hospital for about two months.  I spent a lot of time there, which meant I spent a lot of time washing my hands and using sani…
22 July 2015

Does Oil Pulling Work? What it Is, How it Works, My Experience

I heard about oil pulling a few years ago, but I dismissed it as another fad.  I do love coconut oil, and I use it for cooking and a lot of my beauty recipes, but I didn't see how swishing it around my mouth could do anything for me.  I was wrong.  Oh, so wrong.


19 July 2015

How to Build a First Aid Kit

I think every mother of two or more kids has that one child who keeps her on her toes.  The one who never walks and instead runs everywhere, getting in to everything.  The one who loves to climb and spin.  The one who is never still, who is always getting in to something.  The very reason you had to quickly learn how to build a first aid kit.


02 July 2015

Chocolate Clay Facial Mask Recipe + Period Survival Kit

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CycleSurvival #CollectiveBias

There are many advantages to being a woman: Men offer to lift heavy things for us, we can get our tires checked and gas pumped by batting our eyelashes (I totally did this as a teenager!), and some of us get to ca…