Life Lately

Life Lately has been....interesting. 

There has been good, bad & ugly.

When the Summer first started a month ago, I definitely didn't think I would be having skin cancer removed from my nose which would slightly alter my summer plans. But, life must go on and even though this Summer hasn't gone as completely as planned, we are still having fun and I am still trying to make the most of it.

So, here is a sneak peak of our Life Lately.

We are checking things off our Summer List:

We made Strawberry Jam.

Every Summer, my mother in law make a year supply of Strawberry Jam. We have been doing this for the past 15 years! I love this tradition. You can see our recipe HERE.

We went on a Road Trip to Oregon & the Oregon Coast....blogging this SOON!!!! It was so fun & so beautiful. Promise to blog it by next week :)

The kids and I headed to Lake Tahoe.

Our trip got cut short because I had to come back early for my surgery, but it was still good to getaway to my happy place for a few days.

Then I had my skin caner surgery....you can read more about it HERE.

I am not going to lie...having skin cancer removed from my nose has been more traumatic than I thought it would be. I was not prepared for the size of the hole on my nose. Yes, there are thousands of things worse than having to wear a bandage on your nose for 4-6 weeks, but I didn't realize how self conscious I would be of it. It's been 10 days since surgery and I am snapping out of my funk, it's just getting some used to.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade...or wear your favorite lemon pj’s while reading a book about Lemon Pie.

 Lemon Pajamas {HERE} and Luck, Love & Lemon Pie Book {HERE}

I guess I’m in a lemon-y mood.

 I heard about this author last month and read  2 other books by her, loved them both (Coincidence of Coconut Cake and The Simplicity of Cider) 

They are all Perfect summer reads that have a sweet story line and all involve food of some kind.

I've spent a majority of the past 10 days in pj's either reading or cleaning and working on my 40 Bags in 40 Days Project! Look how many things I've crossed off this Summer!

 I even added 2 more items....the fridge & freezer. Totally cleaned those out.
All I have left is the kids closet and our Guest Room/Office.
I can't tell you how good it feels to GET RID OF STUFF!!!!!!!!
Look at my closet..I got rid of so many clothes (and shoes!)
 
 It feels like a huge weight has been lifted, getting everything so organized.
I have donated over 30 bags to the Goodwill and I have thrown away probably 15 bags of stuff.
Everything in my house has a place now, so it makes keeping it clean so much easier.
Let's see how long this can last.
I am hoping to get the Guest Room & Office done this week.
The kids closets will be a little tricky because I their help with it and they aren't too excited about that task :)

Because I've stayed home so much the past 10 days, I also got caught up on blogging our Universal/Harry Potter World Trip (Read about that HERE) and then I blogged Part 2 of that trip which was Disney for 2 days (Read about that HERE)

The day after my surgery Kevin texted me and said he got me a present to cheer me up (we never exchange presents..not even for Christmas or birthdays, we would rather do experiences, so I had no idea what he got me) Imagine my shock and excitement when he came home from work with this!?! And 2 wireless controllers  Apparently, the day after my surgery was the re-release day and Kevin was able to get one for me. 
I had been trying to buy one of these for over 1.5 years. 
Fact: When they first came out in November 2016, I set an alarm on my phone to buy one but they sold out. For the next 2 months, I kept that alarm on my phone and every day for 2 months I called Game Stop, Target and Best Buy to see if they had been restocked. I wasn’t willing to pay $$$ on eBay. I gave up hope.
My favorites are Balloon Fight, Excitebike & Mario. Next up, Kid Icarous & Dr. Mario
You can get it HERE 

 4th of July was 6 days post surgery...it's one of my favorite days of the year. For the past 10 years we have gone to our friends house for breakfast & their big party before the parade, but they are getting a pool put in their backyard so no party this years. So, I  signed up for a local 4th of July race.

I haven’t consistently run in the past few weeks because of traveling & skin cancer surgery, but I still wanted to make sure I got my July race in since I am doing a race every month until I turn 40 in May. Originally planned on the 10k, but after the crazy few weeks switched to the 5k. It’s a local 4th of July Run.
Felt good for my soul to get out there and run again, but man that hurt!
 When I got home, Kate had made 4th of July waffles for all of us!

So creative...she even put white sprinkles in the blue to make it look like stars.

We rode our bikes downtown to the parade. 
Who doesn't love a small town parade?

 Then, we got home and watched the Hot Dog Eating contest. Joey Chesnut won by eating 74 hot dogs in 10 minutes...So gross, but we watch it every year.

We got ready to have friends over for a 4th of July Pool Party & BBQ. 

 I made my Corn Dip....YUM!
 
We usually have a 4th of July Party, but because of my surgery we decided not to have one because we didn't know how I would be feeling, so we were going to meet our friends at the Pool for the party.
 
The day before I told everyone to come here for the party instead.

Filling my house with family & friends is the best medicine.

 It was great...8 adults & 11 kids.

 The kids swam, the adults hung out and we had hamburgers & hot dogs for dinner. My friend Annie made this gorgeous berry trifle.

 We even got to see a few fireworks that someone in our neighborhood illegally set off.

 It was such a fun day!

Last Saturday was the first one in forever when we haven’t had any plans at all. 
Woke up early to watch my people (England) beat Kevin’s people (Sweden) 
Well, at least we think he’s Swedish, waiting for his 23 & Me results.
I made my light & fluffy pancakes & also had bacon, fruit, coffee and mimosas. 

These pancakes are the best. So light & fluffy.

We also watched Russia vs Croatia & the kids swam all day.

 Kevin set up the "slide".

 2 years ago when we took down the play structure, Kevin saved the slide and made it into a pool slide. It's been on our side yard for over a year and the kids begged him to put it up again.

 I sat in the shade and devoured this book!!! 
I LOVE Elin Hildebrand and this was one of my favorite books of hers.
I could not put it down!

Grilled Tri Tip for dinner, had fresh corn & my Caprese Orzo Salad.

I always cut the corn off my corn on the cob....easier to eat & doesn't get stuck in my teeth :)
It was pretty close to the perfect Summer Saturday.


Like I mentioned last week, my Rodan + Field team is having Christmas in July Specials every week this month!

Today until July 18th, the Special is if you buy a Regimen/Travel Regimen Special, you get $20 cash back, a FREE cosmetic bag and a FREE mini eye cream!

They only sell travel sets every once in a while, so get one while you can!

This deal is good for new and current customers!

 Lash boost is my #1 product, but Unblemish is my most popular selling regimen because it WORKS. Teens and adults can use Unblemish.

 Personally, I love the Reverse regimen...it got rid of my pregnancy melasma and sun damage that I had.

Our regimens last 3-4 months and like all our products, this offer comes with a 60 day, empty bottle, 100% money back guarantee. You have nothing to lose!
What's your biggest skin concern? I am here to help!

We have products for all skin types.

Take THIS quick 5 question survey to find out what products are best for your skin type.
(Ignore the prices you see on my website, those are retail prices & I can get you discounted Preferred Customer pricing!)

Email me to place an order ASAP! You don't want to miss out on this AMAZING offer!!
I am also happy to answer any questions you have! 

melissa_larson17@yahoo.com

So, there you have it...Life Lately.
It hasn't been all sunshine & roses, but I am trying to have a positive attitude and not feel too self conscious with a bandage on my nose :)