BALANCE

What does balance mean to you?  Do you have balance in your life?

Balance can be defined as:

• "mental steadiness or emotional stability; habit of calm behavior, judgement, etc..." 
• " the power or ability to decide an outcome by throwing ones strengths, influcence, support, or the like, to one side or the other".  

Balance is something everyone should have... or have a place to go to help with tasks that often throw us off balance.  Do you have a place like this?  

What would it take to obtain balance in your life?

Back in May, I posted a question regarding outsourcing.  

• Do you outsource?  If so, what types of things?
• What types of things would you outsource if you could to help achieve balance?
• What's holding you back?

If you had a place you could go to unwind, pamper yourself with great spa products, plan your upcoming events, call in a pinch when you need a party gift / favor, or just find your creative self?  Would this be a place you would like to have in your town to achieve BALANCE?

I'm planning a big shift for 2016 and would love your input!!  

BALANCE: "Mental steadiness or emotional stability:  habit of calm behavior" ... WHO'S IN??

LIVE ~ LAUGH ~ LOVE

Outsourcing

What do you outsource?  What would you outsource if you could?  What's holding you back?

I am asking for a reason so any input is appreciated :-)

Stay tuned for more!!

LIVE ~ LAUGH ~ LOVE

5 days on 2 days off - skin detox

This is right up my alley - I should have the greatest skin every by now, haha!  I rarely wear make-up anymore.  The 5 day on 2 day off skin detox was featured on the today show this morning.  

Check this out - who doesn't want to look younger?


http://www.today.com/health/today-wants-know-how-often-do-you-wear-makeup-2D80529959


Are you willing to take the challenge?


LIVE ~ LAUGH ~ LOVE

Barbecue Bacon Loaf Buns - GREAT dinner idea!

Sorry it's been so long since I have posted - I'm going to try and get back in the swing of things.  This blog in my "release" from reality and something I am going to recommit to :-)

Here is a great dinner idea for a cold winter night.   This one is really easy and can be made ahead - the night before or in the morning - then put in the oven at dinner time.

BARBECUE BACONLOAF BUNS

Active:  30 minutes | Total:  45 | Makes:  12

1 pound bacon, chopped

1/2 yellow onion, minced

1 pound ground beef sirloin

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

1 cup grated aged cheddar cheese

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2 cup barbecue sauce, plus more for serving

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

Cooking spray

Salted butter, for the buns

12 slider buns, split

Sliced dill pickles, for topping

1.  Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon; set aside.  Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings.  Add the onion to the skillet; saute' until soft, about 8 minutes.  Let cool.

2.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Combine the bacon, onion, beef, panko, cheese, eggs, 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce and the parsley in a large bowl; season with salt & pepper and mix with your hands until just combined.

3.  Spray 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.  Pat the meat into each muffin cup to just below the top.  Spread 1/2 tablespoon barbecue sauce on each.  Bake until cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.  Let cool in pan.

4.  Meanwhile butter the buns and toast cut-side down in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Sandwich the meatloaves on the buns; top with pickles and serve with extra barbecue sauce.

Enjoy!

LIVE ~ LAUGH ~ LOVE

Keeping your skin looking healthy

I am the worst at wearing gloves and keeping my hands hydrated and looking healthy.  My hands felt very rough and were getting chapped. When I looked down at them I was very disgusted with how OLD & DRY they looked.  The weather has really taken it's toll on my skin this winter and I haven't done a very good job at hydrating - inside and out.

Taking care of your skin is SO important - and not just your face. We hear the importance of drinking water, something else I'm not too good at, but did you know you should consume 1/2 your body weight in ounces a day in Water?  That means if you weight 150 pounds, you should drink 75 ounces of water a day.  Well I weight more than 150 pounds so that's A LOT of water ... but I am trying.  I really do feel better when I drink my recommended level of water each day. Being dehydrated as so many negative affects of your body that we don't even realize.

I'm working on a post to highlight the benefits of drinking water, but that's not the intent of this post.  Drinking water does help your skin, however there are other easy routine steps we can take to keep our skin smooth & healthy during the winter months.

Part of our morning and evening routine is taking off our make up, washing our face and putting on some sort of moisturizer to keep our face hydrated.  We should do the same things for our hands.  I would like to introduce everyone to my favorite hand produce, instant manicure by BeautiControl.  

BC Spa Manicure Instant Manicure softens and moisturizes your hands and cuticles with Dead Sea salts that gently exfoliate dead skin cells. Experience the wonders of natural oils as they nourish, moisturize and protect your hands and nails. 

Key ingredients: 

• Dead Sea Salts - Exfoliate skin for soft, smooth hands 

• Avocado & Safflower Oils - Help create a protective layer on the skin 

• Vitamin E - Helps protect skin from environmental damage 

• Tea Tree & Orange Oils - Cleanse and reduce impurities 

When you first start using instant manicure, you can use twice a day.  After a couple of days, you can begin to use once a day or as you feel necessary.  This can easily be introduced into your morning and evening routine and will have your hands looking healthy and young!  

Wonder where you can get this amazing product? You can order it here:

http://www.beautipage.com/jeneenspa4u

Feel free to browse the other wonderful BeautiControl products and if you have any questions, please let me know.

Remember ... Always:  LIVE ~ LAUGH ~ LOVE

BEING PRODUCTIVE

Is it a women thing to feel better when we are productive?  
** Am I alone here or do other feel enjoyment from "getting shit done"?**

Why is it that a woman's work is never done? 
** It doesn't matter where I am or what I am doing, I always see more that needs done - by ME or it won't get done** 

Why is being productive unrecognized & Why is it never good enough?
** Is it just me or does it seem like the more we do, the less it's recognized?  Everyone always wants more - There is someone in my face ALL day long - someone always wanting something!**


Am I alone here?

Family Fun dinner in a flash!!

My family LOVES pizza .... I think Justin and Cloe would eat it every meal of every day if they could.  While it's always yummy .... it's not always as healthy as I would like.  We have family fun nights at least once a month and we made "make your own pizza night" a tradition as well.  The challenge we had with everyone making their own pizza is everyone likes something different, and my oven is only so big!!

While we were on vacation we purchased the Breville Crispy Crust Pizza Maker from Williams-Sonoma and it is the perfect solution for a quick & fun make your own pizza night.  The pizza oven cooks the pizza at high heat so it only takes 6 - 8 minutes to make each pizza.  The size is perfect too.... Blake & Cloe typically share a pizza then Justin and I make our own (last time I made mine on sandwich thins so my crust was only 2 points)!

As a mom, the thing I like the most is that I can control the toppings and the type of dough.  If you or anyone in your family has food allergies you can make a pizza specifically for them:  gluten free, dairy free, Weight Watchers friendly, etc...  This was one of the best purchases we have made and it was not too expensive.

With the holidays coming, I recommend putting this on your Christmas list.  It's a must have in my book!  The biggest benefit - it's fun family time for the entire family!!

Happy Fall!

LIVE ~ LAUGH~LOVE