A Few of My Favourite Things...

I always love reading posts that list the authors favourite products, I usually end up adding a few to my list! So, here is my own list, in no way exhaustive (in fact, I've already thought of more but it's harder to add the pics now) and I'm sure I'll have five more items come to mind while I'm trying to sleep tonight.

This lip shimmer is my go-to for summer. I like to keep one in my purse, one in my bathroom and one in my car cause I'm always smearing more on. It's looks especially nice when I'm tan. But, who am I kidding? I'm usually sunburned and freckled! Even so, I still put it on and pretend that I'm tan. Want an easy "how-to" on making your own lip colour? Pop over to my sister's blog for inspiration.

As I stated above, I don't tan easily, so I give my face a little help. I use this bronzer daily, sometimes I don't even put eye make-up on, I just swirl a little fake tan, do up my brows, glide on the lip shimmer and call it good. I'll take any ol' bronzer, really, this brand just happened to be given to me.
Ooh la la, this shampoo is for those of you who, like me, don't like to spritz on perfume. I would much rather wear a lotion or have a yummy smelling shampoo. I like to use this on my little girl's locks also, and then when they run by, the scent wafts and lingers. It is very floral, just to warn you. I know some can not stand perfume. Take a big whiff of it next time you're at the store and tell me if you like it!


I splurged on this lotion two years ago with some birthday money and I still have half a tube. Amazingly, it hasn't dried up or lost it's pretty scent. I still have it, partly because I love it so much that I don't want it to be gone, and partly because I don't want to spend that much on handcreme again. But, then again, I think this one is oh. so. worth. it.

This may sound weird to some, but I use coconut oil on my face all the time. I do it at night after I've washed my face and I let it soak in all night long. I love it and it's super natural. I'm not sure how one with a more oily complexion would like it, but it doesn't hurt to try!

I use coconut oil in my cooking also. No, I don't dip into the same tub for smearing on my face as I do to cook with! I use a different brand for cooking that I can't remember the name of right now. Have you ever scrambled eggs with coconut oil? The light flavor it adds is delish!

I don't get lattes very often, they make me kind of jittery, but boy, when I tried a "Cupcake Latte'", I knew I'd be back for another! I convinced a friend of mine, who kindly makes me a latte when I visit, to buy this flavor and now it's their favourite too. Tastes like cake batter. I LOOOOOVE cake batter flavor. Shhh, don't tell my mom that I used to mix up a box of yellow cake batter and not bake a cake. Yep, I just licked the bowl. But, I learnt me a lesson the day that I got a stomach ache.

On the six days of the week that I don't get a latte, I'm a good girl and I drink me some Pregnancy Tea. I like the hint of licorice flavor that comes at the end.

Now for some household items...

When I light up this sweet thang, it smells like I've been cleaning all day. It is lemon-y fresh and makes me smile and have a happy face!

I know this light has been around for a season or two, but I thought it would look super cute in the girl's bedroom. Will post pics when their room is complete!

I have loved this colour since I laid eyes on it. This pic doesn't show it in all it's glory. It really is a lot more green, exactly like it's name, "Sea Glass". I painted a few squares on my bedroom wall to see if I wanted to be immersed in it everyday. So far, I wake up and say, "Oh, I love that colour!" then at night, change my mind.

Now, I am thinking of using a lighter grey like the one below. Then I could add in any bright colored accesories, like pillows, curtains, etc.

Decisions, decisions.

What do you think?

Well, there ya go! I forgot to add in things like sushi and strawberry sour punch straws, but oh well. Hmm, now I'm hungry... talk later.

~christa jean

A Milestone.

We celebrated the five year mark with this bundle of Joy this week.

The crown stayed on all day, and the next day, and the next...She requested ice cream cone cupcakes, same as last year. Although, last year I cheated and shoved store bought cupcakes in the tops of the cones. This time, I actually baked them (do follow the instructions when they say only fill 3/4 way full if you don't want them to volcano all over the sides), with a hidden surprise in the bottom. Only, the hidden surprise melted into a chunk of goo at the bottom of the cone. Oh well, it was still tasty! Nerds were the choice of topping, with strawberry frosting, lemon cake and colored cones. So demanding, I tell ya!

The other request was Chuck E. Cheese. Not my favourite past time, nevertheless, we went on a night that was not busy and had a lovely time with cousins and friends.

Sweets for the sweet!

Happy Birthday Joy Sprinkles!

~christa jean

MUST. BE. CREATIVE!

{Be prepared to be bombarded with photos}
It flows from deep within, this desire to design, create, craft, decorate, transform and all other such suitable words.

What do I do when I don't have my own house to be creative in? I use my gifts elsewhere!
I helped create/update the decor in our church for this spring season.


IKEA always comes through for me. The tulip panel set is from there and the purple panels (only 5 bucks each!) we made into lighted panels. Took some ingenuity and hubby help to rig 'em up, but I'm pleased with the result!

These next few pics are from the ladies restroom.

This verse was quite a challenge to paint because the only place I could fit the projector (yes, I like to do things the easy way) was at an angle to this wall. It was quite tricky to make the curves line up.

I borrowed this idea from another church. I love that you see this little sign as you are walking out the door and it is so matter-of-fact. You ARE beautiful. Really.

Little details make all the difference. And I love fake orchids that do not die. I think I've killed 10 in the almost 12 years I've been married. Finally, my hubby got a clue and stopped buying them for me. He's the one with the green thumb, not I.

Do you recall these pretty little birdies? I said I would show you what they looked like on the wall, well, that was over a year ago. So, here ya go.

The next couple of pics are from a gal pals house.

She scored on a used couch and then re-decorated her room around it.

The lovely, funky couch! I got excited about it too and "helped" just a little. I found those pillows for her at Ross on clearance for $5.49 a piece! And, if you look really closely, you'll see a lego guy lying there. She homeschools five boys, people!

The lamps were another one of my "helps". I suggested that, because the couch sits so low, she give the illusion of some height and put lamps behind the couch. Cool lamps are not cheap, once you include buying the shades. I found these lamps for $2 a piece. Read, TWO DOLLARS! They were ugly brass, with even uglier shades, but I saw the potential. I used Krylon's "Fusion" spray paint which will adhere to anything, even plastic. Then I searched for shades. The ones I wanted were $15 at Target and I just couldn't bring myself to do it, not after spending $2 per lamp. The lamps sat at my friends house for a few weeks with no shades, poor girl. But then, HOORAY! We found shades at Ross for $6.99 each. She also put up some pretty white sheer panels and it looks FAB!

Before I sound too much like a decorating diva, let me just give you (and my blushing self) a piece of advice... always check a lamp out before you buy it at a thrift store. In my excitement, I left the store without even plugging them in. When I finally did plug them in, it was at my friend's house. And, OH, the aggravation I felt as I realized that the switches didn't work. Or work well. Now the only way she can turn them on is to plug them in each time.

Oh well, I laugh at myself!

This is me beaming because I actually made asparagus without overcooking it and it getting all mushy-nasty! And it was sooooo easy! I just melted a couple tablespoons each of butter and olive oil together in a big saucepan. Trimmed some of the woody stems off the ends of the asparagus spears. Threw the spears in to sizzle. I quickly and finely chopped some garlic in-between turning the asparagus. That's really the trick I found, don't cook them longer than say 7 minutes and turn them a lot. I added the garlic in after about 5 minutes, if you add them at the end and turn down the heat, they won't burn. I then sprinkled them with freshly ground pepper and "Real Salt" (the only kind of salt I buy) and voila! Perfecto! I also found that buying the skinny, baby looking asparagus makes them taste nicer. Maybe the huge ones are too far grown? Who knows.

Silly me, I had to take a picture of my salad also. It was so pretty. And so yummy. This recipe is from my girl Tiffany, who passed it on to me years ago and it's my go-to salad for every special event. It has a homemade poppy-seed dressing that I love.

My oldest daughter is quite crafty herself. She has been writing her own "recipes" for a few months now. Here is one of her concoctions that she made for me one sunny afternoon. Mango cubes with drizzled honey and sprinkles.

Note to self: make sure she washes her honey fingers before touching every cupboard and doorknob in the house.

I leave you with this pic of my "Kung Fu China Dolls"

It happens to be a perfect candid of what I see most days. Someone frowning at some injustice done by another sister. What the issue was, I don't even remember. But it was a big deal in the moment and I caught it on film!

Happy creating!

~ christa jean