2.24.2016

What's Up Wednesday :: February 2016

It's the last Wednesday of the month, that means it's time for our What's Up Wednesday Link Up!



Link up with  me, Sheaffer & Shay the LAST Wednesday of each month so we can read about What's Up with YOU!

Here we go!
What We’re Eating this week..... 
 Monday: 
Easiest Dinner Ever {Recipe HERE}
Tuesday: Taco Tuesday! {Recipe HERE}

Wednesday: Homemade Calzones {Recipe HERE} & Caesar Salad

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Friday Night Pizza Night

Saturday: Out to dinner in San Francisco for Kevin's sisters birthday!

Sunday: Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan {Recipe HERE}

Yes, I use my crock pot a lot....2-3 times a week!


I also make some treats/after school snacks each week.
This is what I made this week:
Blueberry Lemon Muffins {Recipe HERE}
What I'm Reminiscing about.....
 I have a love/hate relationship with the Timehop app.
This pic popped up the other day & it reminded me of when the girls were younger & they did some modeling for a few years. They did several gigs for Pottery Barn Kids. One of the last jobs Claire did was 3 years for their everyday chairs & it ended up on the website & the catalog:
After Luke was born & both girls were in school we stopped doing the modeling because it took up a lot of time to go into San Francisco or to Napa for different jobs. Life just got too busy. It was a fun little thing they did for a few years :)
 
 What I'm loving.....
    I am loving our Rodan + Fields Microdermabrassion paste!


I apologize ahead of time for getting the song stuck in your head, but I truly am ALL ABOUT THIS PASTE!
R+F Micro-dermabrasion Paste will be your best friend... Not only does the jar seem to last forever, but the uses are endless!
The gentle exfoliation can be used a couple times a week on your face to help cell turnover and improve skin tone and texture.
Its also great for rough spots like knees, elbows and heels!! You don't want to go through winter without it!

Exfoliation is key to glowing skin!
If you want radiant skin you NEED our Micro-Dermabrasion paste.
I LOVE it and one jar lasts me about 6 months.

I use it 2-3 times a week at night to wash my face.
Our Micro-Dermabrasion Paste is a high-glide, oil-free formula designed to promote maximum gentle exfoliation, featuring vitamins C and E.
Use it 1-3 times per week on dry skin in place of your cleanser to refresh and renew the skin’s surface  & then follow with your skincare routine (one of our Regimens!) Helps to enhance cell turnover and improve your skin tone and texture.
It smoothes away the rough spots.

Right now it is a life saver for my skin because we are having such warm weather during the day (60's & 70s), but since it is February (and technically winter!) the temperature drops to the 30's & 40s at night & we are running our heater.
All those drastic temperature changes can be rough on your skin and dry you out, but I swear our paste is saving my skin this month!
I use it on my face, arms & legs 2-3 times a week.
 I know so many friends who are IN LOVE with our Microdermabrasion Paste AND our Foaming Sunless Tanner, so I am placing a BULK order this SATURDAY just in time for Spring!
I am offering these at my CONSULTANT PRICE!

Microdermabrasion Paste-$68
Foaming Tanner- $21

These prices include tax & I will ship them to you for FREE!
For best results I ALWAYS exfoliate with the Microdermabrasion paste first on my legs and arms and then use the sunless tanner.

If you want the Sunless Tanner for FREE, then you can take advantage of my February Special!
For all new preferred customers you get $20 cash back, 10% off your order, FREE shipping AND a FREE  Foaming Sunless Tanner.
This deal ends on Saturday at midnight!
ALL of our products come with a 60 day empty bottle, 100% money back guarantee!
You have nothing to lose for trying them out!

Email me to place an order or if you have questions.
I would LOVE to help you with your skin care needs!
melissa_larson17{at}yahoo.com
 Email or comment below if you want me to add you to the bulk order, and how many you would like!  

What We've been up to.....
 February has been such a fun month.
It started off with going to San Francisco to check out Superbowl City.
So fun.
Claire lost her 2 front teeth within 10 days of each other....she let me tie a string the 2nd one & slam a door to make it fall out.
 It worked! I can't believe she let me do that!

What I'm Dreading.....
 Kevin is getting a new car in the next few weeks, so I am dreading car shopping......I am not a fan of car shopping....it's the worst!!


What I'm Working On.....
 Running.
I signed up for another Half Marathon. This will be my 3rd one in 6 months.
It is on March 26th, so I am in the middle of training for it. 
 Luckily, we have had amazing weather this entire month, it's been in the 60's & 70's so training has been great.

 The hills are so green right now, such pretty views when I run!

What I'm Excited About.....
 Fuller House comes to Netflix on Friday!!!!!
 Ahhhh!!!! I can't wait!!! I am way more excited for this than I should be.
Did you see the trailer? I may have teared up :)


What I'm Watching........
 American Idol...I've watched every season so far :)

 And, of course....The Bachelor! Haven't missed a season of that either!
 I am also watching The Biggest Loser. I just love this show, the Finale was on Monday..did you watch?

I need to catch up on Grey's, How to get away with Murder and Scandal! 
I am behind on my TGIT shows since they started up a couple weeks ago.
Starting on Monday we will be watching The Voice since one of our friends auditioned!
Her name is Grace...she was my student in 7th grade, my Teacher's Aide in 8th grade, I was her soccer coach all 4 years of high school and now she babysits our kids! She has an amazing voice...so proud of her for following her dreams!
What I'm Reading.....
 I read a lot of books this month! I have gone to San Francisco 3 times already this month & I took BART, so that mean I had a lot of reading time!

The Bookseller 
 I really loved this book! I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

 At Water's Edge
 This was good, not great. It was slow at times....3.5 out of 5 stars

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
 This book was fascinating. It is based on a true story & if you like science, you will love this book. I am not a huge science fan, but I still liked this book. 4 out of 5 stars!

 Smart Girl
 This was book 3 in the series and I LOVED it! This series is a fun, easy, beach read. You will love the characters! 4 out of 5 stars!



The Cinderella Murder

Oh, how I love books by Mary Higgins Clark. This was book 2 of her Under Suspicion series ( I read book 1 in January) I really loved this book! 4.5 out of 5 stars!



Shopaholic to the Rescue

I have read all the other Shopaholic books, so when this one came out, I knew I wanted to read it even though I haven't been loving the series since after the 3rd book. It was okay. Better than the last one, but still not my favorite. I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars.



The Opposite of Me

I think I have found a new favorite author! I loved this book about sisters!
4.5 out of 5 stars!

Skipping a Beat







I am on a Sarah Pekkanen book kick...this was also good. 4 out of 5 stars!


 These Girls

I just started reading this last night & so far so good! I love it when I find a new author I like. Last year I discovered Liane Moritarty books, this year it seems that Sarah Pekkanen is my new favorite author. Can't wait to read her other books!


What I'm Listening to.....
I am still loving Today's Hits on Pandora when I go on my runs. 
 One of my favorite songs lately is My House by Flo-Rida


What I'm Wearing.....
 It feels like Spring here in California, so lots of light layers.
I've been wearing booties & flats instead of my Uggs or taller boots.



 Shirt // Necklace // Jeans // Booties



Shirt & Pants (Stitch Fix)  //  Jacket {HERE} // Flats {HERE} // Necklace (Premier)

Like I mentioned, I have been wearing my flats instead of boots/Uggs.
THESE are the most comfortable flats I have EVER worn. 
I got them almost 2 years ago for Back to School. They feel like I am wearing slippers.
 They are so comfortable that I got another pair last Spring (the tan ones)
As a teacher, I need comfortable shoes & these are heaven.
Get them HERE
 I wear them 2-3 times a week!

What I’m doing this weekend.....
On Saturday Claire has a basketball game & then Kevin and I are headed to the city for his sister's birthday dinner! 
I also need to go on a 10 mile run sometime this weekend. Yikes!

What I'm Looking Forward to next month.....
Weekend away with Kevin to Pismo Beach to go to a wedding of one of our former youth group kids! 
I love Pismo Beach, I love weddings & I love weekends away without kids!

What else is new.....
 I am searching for a new paint color for Claire's room.
She got new bedding a couple months ago & her old wall colors don't match anymore.
Her walls are light pink....from when it was her nursery...the room hasn't been painted in 6 years & the paint is looking a little dingy. It's time for an update & new color.
She still wants pink, but more of a bubble gum pink to match the pink in her bedding.
But I don't want it too bright/dark because I think we will get sick of that.
 Her room gets a TON of natural light.
Let me know if you have any paint recommendations!

 
Question of the month is:
What is your favorite Easter Tradition?
I couldn't just pick one favorite...there are several things we do with the kids the week of Eater
to get you in the Easter Spirit! Many of these will help you focus on the true meaning of Easter....that Jesus died on the cross for all of us and rose again 3 days later.  Some of the other activities are just for fun!

Planting Jelly Beans
We do this on Good Friday & have the lollipops appear on Easter Sunday representing that God has taken the old and given us new life. 
 You can read Luke Chapter 18 in the Bible with this activity.
 Talk about how Jesus’s body was laid in the tomb then on the 3rd day was raised from the dead and lived again.
 Bunny Prints
 On our front walkway made with flour on Easter Morning:
Bunny Trail 
(Marshmallows leading them to their Easter Baskets)
 
Empty Tomb Easter Cookies with Scripture 
(Recipe & Instructions HERE

Making Resurrection Rolls:
(Recipe HERE)

Easter Egg Coupons:
Instead of filing eggs with candy, you can add these coupons to some of your kids eggs!
My kids LOVE getting these in their eggs!


Download them HERE 
These are a HIT at Easter. My girls can't wait to find the coupon eggs!
You've been Egged Printable:
Last year I made an"You've Been Egged" Printable.
We have had so much fun "egging" our friends last year....this is a new favorite tradition for sure!


Download it {HERE}
So, those are some fun traditions that we have done with our kids for the past 7+ years!

Every Easter Sunday we go to church. On even years we celebrate Easter dinner with my side of the family and on odd years we celebrate Easter dinner with Kevin's side of the family at our brother in law's house/winery.

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If you are new to my blog, thanks for stopping by!
Feel free to follow along! 
You can find me on Bloglovin, Facebook & Instagram

P.S.
My $100 Visa Gift Card Giveaway ends this Friday. 
Enter {HERE} if you haven't yet!
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Can't wait to read about What's up with all of YOU!

 
              

21 comments:

  1. Girl!! I cannot wait for Friday!! Fuller house is gonna be on over here too!

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  2. We can't wait for Fuller House either! Ahhhh! So exciting! I'm also in the middle of my half marathon training! I love having an event to look forward to! Have a great rest of your week!

    -Rachel at thefashionistahousewife.blogspot.com

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  3. Mel! So many good ideas! I'm going to read several of those books AND I'm going to use some of your Easter traditions!! I love these ideas!!

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  4. Love all of those book suggestions. I like a lot of the same authors as you do, so I definitely need to check out Rachel Hollis and Sarah Pekkanen. I am so impressed that you finish so many books in 1 month!

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  5. Your Easter traditions are the best!! What creativity!! And I LOVE your Mexican CrockPot Chicken recipe - it is a regular for us!!

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  6. For Claire's room, you could always do 1 wall the bright pink as an accent and then do a light purple or blue for the other walls. We did that for my daughter's room and it looks so cute!

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  7. I loved Smart Girl! I thought it was unique from your typical New Adult romance.

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  8. I LOVE Pismo!! My Grandpa lives there and sitting here in Kansas makes me long for that beach! You guys should eat at Old Juans! My Favorite!!

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  9. I made crockpot chicken tacos this week too! I love eating the chicken with eggs for breakfast the next day as well. I really need to try the crockpot parm. Love all your traditions especially the bunny prints!

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  10. FULLER HOUSE!!!! I think everybody in the world is going to be watching that on Friday... we're going to end up crashing Netflix. Lol.

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  11. So many awesome book suggestions!! And that crock-pot parmesan chicken looks SO good!! And SO awesome you are on your 3rd 1/2 Marathon in the past 6 months!! I am currently pregnant- but looking forward to signing up for a 1/2 this upcoming fall as a good workout goal for myself- I have run 3 1/2 marathons in the past and always have so much fun running them!

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  12. I LOVED THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRETTA LACKS! What a great/crazy story!

    Can't wait for Fuller House. So much of my childhood was spent watching Full House!

    You should tell Claire if you paint the wall a light gray then it will make her bedding pop in color more! ;)

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  13. Is their a way to see who links up? Im not seeing anything like I normally do on Fridays with linking up?

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  14. I'm going to try that Crockpot Chicken Parm. I haven't been able to find a really great recipe for it yet! Going to pin it now.
    I'm on the Netflix StreamTeam and got early access to the first 6 episodes of Fuller House. It's SO good!!!

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  15. How on earth did I not realize you were in NorCal? (Waving hello from SoCal!) I guess because you collab with the ladies from TX I thought you were there too! Anyway! I went on a Sarah Pekannen kick a couple of summers ago! She's definitely an underrated chic lit author in my opinion! It looks like she has some new stuff I'll have to check out. I remember liking some of her books better than others (naturally) but all in all they were in enjoyable reads. Thanks for hosting the linkup! Always love the prompt questions on this one!
    Gina || On the Daily Express

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  16. I love your Easter traditions! I can't wait to plant jelly beans with my kids! They will love that! Have a great week!

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  17. Just wanted to offer a suggestion for car shopping: check out Costco's Auto Program. We purchased through them several years ago and it was incredibly easy! There was no haggling or drama with the sales-person, just a simple, fast, money-saving enjoyable experience. You should definitely look into it!
    -Gen

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  18. This is the third time this week I've heard/read about a kid losing their tooth by slamming a door - how funny! I'm super excited for Fuller House and The Voice!

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  19. I loved the Shopaholic books, but didn't like the last one either. But I didn't know a new one was out. Even though you only gave it a 2.5 out of 5, I still have to read it.

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