25 Books of Christmas

  

My Sister~in~Love came up with this awesome idea. She's the mommy to my favorite little 2 year old Kenlee. With Christmas season here she headed over to a bargain bookstore and picked up 25 childrens books. All of them Christmas related except for two extras she purchased if they wanted a little extra bedtime reading. Kenlee's been allowed to open one each night starting November 30th. When Kenlee came home to see the house fully decorated and presents under the tree she was extremely excited to know she could open a wrapped gift. She sat there with mommy reading her book before bed time. Of course she wanted to open more but this has been a great patience lesson for her. 

I helped with the wrapping and wrote the name of each book on the outside so that mommy could pick the book for that night. She wanted the books read closer to Christmas to have more to do with the story of Jesus than Santa Clause or Polar Bears. 

What a wonderful tradition she started. I think this is a great idea for any kid especially if you're wanting to introduce regular reading into their days. And this could easily be started December 1st if you wanted to do the unwrapping and reading in the mornings.

What traditions do you have for Christmas?

Happy December! 

~Rayah

Quick & Simple Dessert ~ Turtle Cheesecake Dip

Mmm I absolutely love deserts that aren't overly sweet. Earlier this week I was volunteered to bring something to our weekly bible study. I don't have much time the night before and only a short hour prior to our group so I didn't want to cook or bake anything. This sweet treat was perfect, it only took a few minutes to prepare and we were ready to enjoy! 

Ingredients ~ 

1/4 cup butter 

8 oz cream cheese 

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

1/3 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1-1/2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 package of dry vanilla instant pudding mix 

1/2 cup caramel topping plus little more for decoration

Choice of dippers - Nilla Wafers, Chocolate Graham Crackers, Ritz Crackers, Flat Baked Pretzels

( Pretzels were the biggest hit - a perfect combo of sweet and salty )

Directions ~ 

Cream together softened cream cheese and butter on # 1 or 2 mixer setting. 

(I use a handheld mixer ) 

Add caramel and beat on higher setting. 

Add brown and powder sugar, beat on higher setting. 

Next add vanilla extract and dry pudding mix, beat until creamy. 

Lastly, fold in chocolate chips and pecans. 

Pat into a ball or place in bowl and refrigerate for about an hour. Now that the ball is molded to be rounder place on a serving dish and decorate with extra caramel, pecans, or chocolate chips. Add a spoon or knife for serving plates or dippers for quick bites. 

I wish I would have thought to bring sliced apples, that would have been delicious! 

I also made a Dark Chocolate version of this. I simply substituted the vanilla pudding for dark chocolate dry pudding and chocolate chips for white chocolate chips. This was even a bigger hit! I should have know... what woman doesn't love chocolate??

Enjoy!

~ Rayah

Grilled Cheese Rollups & Homemade Croutons

I know I saw this somewhere on Pinterest but can't find the source anymore.

This is one of the easiest meals to make. It's hardly different from frying a normal grilled cheese sandwich only more fun. Perfect for those who don't like the edges on their sandwiches or don't mind cutting back on that 2nd slice of bread.

All that's needed is ~

Butter

Sliced bread

Sliced cheese

Instructions

Flatten bread with a rolling pin. Cut the edges off the bread but save the edges, we'll use them later. Place a slice of cheese on each piece of bread. Roll them up and warm the stove to medium heat with a little butter in the pan for flavor and browning. Place about 3 roll ups in the pan seam down (helps seal them shut, found that out the hard way). Fry until golden brown and DEVOUR!

I would love to know if anyone has tried any difference versions of this. 

I think adding different mustard's or cheeses would be delicious.

Now for the Croutons

You'll need ~

Sliced edges from rollups

Cooking oil

Seasoning

Cut the bread edges into 1/2 inch to 1 inch slices. Lightly cover them with oil and seasoning. Place evenly on cooking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.

I paired with a delicious tomato florentine but these would go well with any soup.

My family and I loved these so much we added some to our salads the next day.

Hope you enjoy!

~ Rayah

Fluffy Nerds Cupcakes

mmm these were delicious. 

If you have a sweat tooth or like things on the tangy side this is perfect.

I had to wait to share this recipes because I served this at my husbands birthday party. He likes his dessert to be a surprise and has no problem with me being creative.

Now this isn't from scratch but I still believe it's blog worthy.

My husband's favorite cake is Funfetti but I like to change things up so I purchased a $0.98 white cake  mix and 2 boxes of nerds. Followed the directions on the package and they came out AMAZING!

     Here's what you need ~

1 box of your favorite cake mix

2 medium boxes of Nerds candy

4 fun colored frostings

4 egg whites

Coconut oil

Follow the directions on the box or your favorite recipe but add 1 box of Nerds to the mix right before you put it in the cake or cupcake pan. The 2nd box is for decorations later.

They wont need any additional cooking time and will come out super moist.

The nerds dissolve and all that's left is a pop of color when you bite in and this super tangy Nerds taste. I loved it!

Let them cool and decorate as desired.

Enjoy!

~Rayah

DIY Sparkly Jeweled iPhone 5 Case

So I've had these jewels in my craft room for about 5 years now. Just collecting dust since the first time I decided I wanted to bejewel my old Verizon flip phone case... you remember those ;) . So since that never happened they're finally seeing the light of day. The jewels I had were all the same clear/silver color but had many different shapes.

 The most difficult part of the project is figuring out what kind of pattern you want. I thought I'd like my whole phone to be covered but after about 4 different patterns the simple chevron was my favorite. It's especially fun to play with colors because the black or white of the iPhone will show through. Mine is black so the diamond color really shines.

Once the pattern is picked simply dab a dot of any liquid glue right onto the back of the jewel and adhere. Press on for a few seconds or readjust if it slipped the wrong way then continue until you're finished. As long as you don't use an instant glue you should have wiggle room if you need to move anything.

Make sure you don't dab too much glue if you're not fully covering the case or you'll be able to see the residue on the sides of the jewels. 

Let dry overnight then enjoy your uniquely you phone cover.

All my supplies can be purchased at your local craft store. 

Iphone 5 case might have cost a dollar on ebay.

So many fun things to do with a clear iphone case!

~Rayah

Desk to 5k in 6 Weeks ~ My Color Run Story

I know you're prolly looking for a couch to 5k story but to be honest I spend more time at work sitting on my butt than I do in front of a tv.
If you want to skip my story the tips are at the bottom of the page.

I signed up for a 5k when I came across a color run on groupon. They motivate us non runners to join with these fantastic pictures of happy people covered in all these fun colors. I figured why not. It was half off the usual price, I'd get some fun pictures, and might even be able to finish the race. Only problem, I don't run... ever... and I only had 6 weeks to prepare.

Well I had just started going to a new gym. I've been doing pilates, yoga, and strength training about 3 days a week so I figured on my days off I could start training for my 5k... then I found out what a 5k was... 3.1 miles. ugh it no longer sounded like fun.

My sister-in-love, that is more fit than I, (even after a baby!) always kept me motivated with her encouraging words reminding me that something was better than nothing. Running means endurance, that is one thing I don't have. The most I could do on the treadmill at first was warm up walks or 15 second runs. I knew I needed to improve my breathing habits or I'd be a mess of exhaustion. I'd like to say no real progress had been made but any effort is better than nothing. We downloaded all the free apps about running or 5k daily training. We planned to stick to one that had us doing walk and run intervals. She took me to a nearby high school track and we tried our first outdoor run. Being outdoors kicked my butt! I hate humidity! I needed a controlled environment for my training and would eventually go back outside. 

It wasn't until she needed to buy a new pair of running shoes that I realized mine hurt. They were too narrow for me and wouldn't let my toes spread out a little. Once I got these awesome Asics and a few cute running shorts and I was motivated all over again. I must mention I wear a size 5.5-6.5 usually but these are a kids 3.5.... who cares, they were cheaper!

I decided to start taking this seriously. We have a long driveway so I planned to walk up it then run down it---fast! About 8.2 mph, and my dog thought I needed to go even faster because she kept jerking ahead of me. I'd do that for about 30 minutes and come home exhausted. I tried doing this each night I didn't go to the gym. I just wanted to finish the 5k as fast a possible... yeah don't do that.

It wasn't until we started going to AM classes that I realized I could get in 20 minutes of training after class when my body was already stretched and awake before I had to head home to get ready for work. This was so helpful and my time was improving with each run but I was still pushing myself too fast too hard.

First AM Run. No inclines

A few nights at the gym and I learned our treadmills had 5k training on them. I'd set it up and away I went. The motivation, besides the distance left tracker, was my heart rate. I could walk forever thinking I was still cooling down but when I saw that my heart rate was in the 140's I knew I could run again. Before I knew it I was completing 3.1 miles on a treadmill! Wooo Whooo YEAH ME!!

First 5k Completed. See how up and down my
walk/ runs are?

No, it wasn't in competitive time, but it was proof that I could do this. I could finish it. So proud I could prove those people that told me I could quit in the middle of a run and no one would know... psh yeah they would know. Most color runs have color stations spread out over the whole run. If you didn't have that last color on you it was proof that you ditched! I wanted my monies worth of color!

What happened next wasn't so fun... I over stretched my groin. One day in yoga we were doing the pigeon hip opener move and seemed like we held the pose longer than usual. I was giggling in my head at the noises the men in the class were making... it's not an easy move, especially for men. Well I guess for non limber women too as the next day I was in plenty of pain. I spoke with my teacher and she knew exactly what I did and made sure I didn't further injure myself during classes. Only problem was the run was in just a few days!!! I wanted to train. I just wanted to run!!! I was so excited to run and feel accomplished and I couldn't even walk without pain now. Lesson learned. Don't overstretch then over train. I am very competitive with myself and it bit me in the groin...er uh butt*. 

Third 5k!!! Even better time!!!
This is where I injured myself
pushing too hard after overstretching

I googled all I could about how to speed up the recovery and the best answers were to keep doing light stretches and give it time since it wasn't a serious injury. 

Well race day came and I hadn't trained in a week. I was determined to do this...after all... there are no refunds in a charity run :) 

We grabbed some Tylenol and were off. The chance of rain was not stopping us today. I was still nursing my pains but I was going to finish even if I walked the whole thing. We parked where we saw the majority of cars were only to find out the race was on the other end of the park.. ugh oh well. So we ended up having a 1 mile warm up walk... there's always a positive way to see it. We arrived 15 min early all ready to run. Everyone dressed in all white and ready for color! We met a group of Pentecostal ladies that run in FULL LENGTH SKIRTS. If that's not motivation I don't know what is. 

3...2...1... GO! and we were off. The nice ladies let us skip to the front of the line with them if we took their pictures. I was more than happy to do this so that I wasn't completely in the back of the pack once the 2nd and 3rd groups ran past me :) And I'm off... run run run run run walk walk walk after awhile my sister in law noticed that I bolt... like super fast. She taught me how to jog right in the middle of our 5k. It's because of her that I made my best time ever of 45 minutes by not exhausting myself by pushing my runs so hard. Oh and did I mention that I was no longer in pain? No... well I'm not. The pain killer I took kicked in AND I do believe that finally getting my mind off the pain and warming up properly has everything to do with it.
I have completely learned my lesson.

Listen to your body. Don't push beyond your limits.

After our first mile we had a pleasant surprise from our husbands. Mine told me he'd be busy helping a friend so I kinda gave him a hard time for not being at my first 5k event but I understood. Sly little booger. He was there and took awesome pictures for us.

All week we had been watching the weather for Saturday. It was forecasting a 70% chance of rain. I really didn't want my first 5k to be in the rain but if it happens it happens.

We went through the first set of colors, the second, the third... we didn't even know the finish line was in sight by the time we finished. "Oh, that was it? I would have ran faster in the end had I known?" But we made it for the last 2 color parties. So much fun.

After we were all done the boys were going to return us to our car.... now the rain comes. Pouring, freezing rain! We're getting soaked. Not wanting to get his truck dirty we have to stay in the back. With the traffic lights it would be at least a 5 minute drive. Cold...So cold. My husband quickly jumps out of the truck and we yell that we don't want to get in ( the color stains EVERYTHING). He laughs and just hands us an umbrella.

We had a blast. Loving our color and proud of ourselves.

If I can do it you can do it!

My Desk to 5k Plan

I know you prolly want this magical formula but it's all about starting somewhere more than finishing

• Get off your butt! Get active, do something. Something is better than nothing. Even if you can only find 20 minutes to catch some time to walk, do it! Baby steps still bring your closer to your goal.
• Motivation. I'm not going to pretend everyone can go out a buy a new wardrobe to workout in but it certainly helps. I needed better shoes if I was going to stick with running and spending a pretty penny keeps me motivated to get my monies worth out of them.
• Eating habits. If you always feel sluggish you'll never want to go workout feeling like that. Or worse you'll make yourself sick. Eating healthier makes a huge difference.
• If you're highly motivated, like numbers, and love to push yourself in a short amount of time then this is what you're looking for...
  
   
  It's not about being the fastest, just being faster than you were the last time.
• Bonus. Set a prize for you for completing your 5k. Mine was my favorite musical. Legally Blonde just happened to be in town the same weekend so I bought tickets and told myself I would finish and the musical was my reward. It was fun to look forward to doing something else that night.

What I learned

• How to breath ~ I've always took breaths from my chest rather than my diaphragm. It's very hard mentally to change that but after some practice completely filling your stomach with an inhale while trying to keep your chest still you will feel the difference. Continue to practice this until you can do it without thinking about it. Also, I've found I breath properly while singing ( or at least mouthing the words to a song ), and it made a huge difference on my time, so upload your favorite songs or use the mix tracks from this app (Rock my Run) to hear all of today's popular songs mixed with some old favorites.
• Stretch ~ Stretch correctly. Don't overstretch. If you're body is saying it hurts more than saying I'm being pushed a little then you're doing too much. 
• How to jog ~ walk walk walk run run run walk walk walk... yeah I was doing it wrong. I was exhausting myself by running so hard then having to recover. Jogging at a slower pace like 4.5 mph kept my heart rate steady and allowed me to jog longer before needing to recover. Keep in mind I am only 5 foot and not a runner so your comfortable jog might be a lot faster.
• Stay hydrated ~ This should be a no brainer but we did see people on the side of the trail sitting and recovering from dehydration. 
• Know when to run ~ My track star cousin gave me this awesome tip- I find that anytime there is a slope up hill or down hill you should try to go faster. Downhill will already take you faster you might as well not fight it. Uphill will take you longer to manage so go ahead and sprint up it and get it out of the way. 
• Run outside ~ I know I mentioned that I hated running outside before but that's because it was too blasted hot. When the weather is to your liking go outside. There's so much to see and let your mind wander to that before you know it your run will be over. 
• You wont die ~ You'll always think this while you're overworking yourself and then realize you wont once it's over. Just remember, there is always an end.

Tips for the color run

• Wear white ~ duh. Most color runs provide you with a shirt to wear. Double check it's white though because sometimes you have to pay extra for the white ones. 
• Wear glasses ~ this is also sometimes provided. Definitely needed in case you get a face full of color like I did. You don't want that stuff in your eyes.
• Find out where to park ~ kinda stunk parking in the wrong spot and walking a mile.
• Walk though the color stations ~ well only do this if you want more color. We did and we loved it. But remember to keep your mouth closed, NO laughing... lest you want to eat it. bleh
• Bring your own water ~ some places have water stations but we didn't see one until the very end.
• Enjoy the run!

How to keep the color in your 5k shirt

• Don't wash it!!! Not yet anyway. Soak it in vinegar for 15 minutes.
• Let completely dry.
• Now wash it by itself.

Keep in mind that some colors stick better than others. For us it was the pink. It stuck so well that my sister-in-love had to go get her hair redyed after a week... we'll wear hats next time ;)

I plan on running another 5k in October and in November. I'll gladly take any additional advise.

~Rayah

DIY Eye Primer

I'm so thankful I finally made a new batch. I use this every morning before I put on my eyeshaddow. No more fading, no more creases. I absolutely love it.

Just 3 simple ingredients. No need to buy expensive department store primers.

Corn starch

Liquid foundation

Chapstick

Sealable container

I didn't use any exact measurements. Basically 1 part of each. Mix well. The chapstick may need to be heated up before mixing with the other ingredients.

 A little goes a long way so this'll last me a few months.

Happy Savings!

~Rayah

BAHNANUH!

Thank you Lord for quirky things that bring us joy. My niece got me this from McDonalds. She knows how much her Aunt ReRe loves minions and she couldn't wait to show me. I keep it on my desk and it just serves as a friendly reminder that people think of me at random times. Now to collect them all! :)

~Rayah

Happy National Father-in-law Day!

I'm gonna brag for a minute and let everyone know that I'm blessed with
a wonderful Father-in-law that is super kind and always looks out for his family.

We recently went on a mini vacation with his family
and he took every opportunity he could to spoil us girls.

Even my 2 year old niece learned that if she wanted something to say "Papa pays?"
Who could say no to that??

 

He also must be something special of a man to raise two wonderful sons. ;) Both us daughter-in-laws benefit from it everyday.

Love you Scott!

~Rayah

Ps it's also national Cheesecake Day!!

Flower Child - Vintage Rose Wraps

My awesome mom recently went to the Atlanta Market with The Vintage Pearl. There were so many vendors and visitors there I heard it was so much fun and non stop talking. Anyways, she fell in love with this one vendor - Vintage Rose Wraps.

I've visited their site. They have so many cute colors and ways to wear them. You could get a headband like mine, awesome belts (which would look super cute with a dress and boots), and even jewelry.

My mom brought me back these two headbands. I absolutely love them! Purple is my favorite color plus the chevron is super cute and the beige one will accent my dark hair perfectly.

Peace

~ Rayah

Pecan Pie Cobbler

Well I missed national Pecan Pie Day on July 12th so maybe today can be national Cobbler Day?

I was in the mood for pie last night, psh I'm always in the mood for pie, so I whipped together my favorite pecan dish yet.

 I had all the ingredients in my pantry so we ran to the market for some pecans.

What you'll need:

4 cups of Pecans

Vanilla Ice Cream

6 slightly beaten eggs

4 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla

2 1/2 cups of light corn syrup

1/2 cup or 1 stick of melted butter

2 1/2 packed cups of brown sugar

1 box of Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust, thawed as directed on box

What you'll do:

Preheat oven to 425

Grease a 13x9 or larger glass or ceramic pan with oil or butter.

Remove 1 pie crust. Roll out and fit to pan. May need to trim the edges.

In a large bowl mix corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs with wire whisk.

Chop 2 cups of the pecans in fourths. Add to large bowl and stir.

Pour half of mix into the pie crust pan.

Now place the second pie crust over the filling and pinch edges closed.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and remove from oven.

Reduce temp to 350 and pour remaining filling onto pie crust.

Top with remaining pecans and place in oven for additional 30 minutes.

Turn off oven and let cool on cooling rack for 20 minutes then serve warm cobbler with ice cream.

Yum Yum Yum

If you don't have the right size dish no worries. Fill what you can into one dish with the two layers then use a second dish to make a single layer pie.

 

Seal of approval? My hubby says it's the best Pecan dessert he's every had

*and he's a picky eater*

Enjoy!

~Rayah

Independence ( 4th of July ) Nails

So this week I've been trying to wear my Red White and Blue's but my nails didn't match. I was wearing this gorgeous blue crackle polish but what it needed was a touch of red and I'd be set. Set it with a top coat and I'm ready to celebrate.

Thank you America for all your solders that have always kept us safe

~ Rayah

Happy Independence Day

Praying is > Complaining Phil 4:6

On my way to work trying to make it through the yellow light I was slowing down to an almost complete stop as my car had to go from nice smooth 50 mph asphalt to rocky construction 25mph zone and a 4 inch change in road I had to climb to turn right. I hear something rattle in my car when I hit the awful road. great. 

I'm listening to the radio about prayer accomplishing more than complaining and thinking about documenting this on my blog today WHILE I get ready to text my husband about the terrible roads and how our town never improves....I realize I was just about to complain. I literally had half the text written out " ugh... these roads are going to be the death of my..."

LIGHTBULB

I WAS complaining. But wait, what was I just listening to? "Prayer accomplishes more than complaining does". I should bring my concerns to God instead of just talking about how much I loath something.

I feel like we realize this all the time but few actually stop themselves from complaining. "What if I spent more time praying about the condition of our city's roads", I think to myself. What If I spend more time telling God that I'm concerned about what's going on at work or at home instead of spending so much time thinking about how screwy things are?

I wouldn't say I'm much of a worrier but I do over think things (same difference?). For the most part that keeps me fully prepared but when I don't give God the reigns on my concerns it only weighs me down.

Now I understand sometimes we have to get things off our chest... That's venting, there's a difference. But we would really be doing everyone more benefit if we confided in someone that would pray our concerns with us instead of gossiping with us.

Philippians 2:14-15 says "Do all things without grumbling, faultfinding, or complaining.

15 That you may show yourselves to be blameless, innocent, uncontaminated, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation [spiritually perverted and perverse], among whom you are seen as bright lights (stars or beacons shining out clearly) in the [dark] world.

I would much rather bite my tongue and be a light to anyone watching my words and reactions that to spout off my complaints.

Philippians 4:6-9 says "Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer (defined requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God."

This morning I wanted to tell God how badly we needed completed roads and then praise Him for the car and short drive to work he's already provided for me.

7 And God’s peace beyond any understanding shall guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Him telling me there is no need to worry. He's got this.

8 Whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, if there is any virtue, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].

Uneven roads are not worthy of my time.

The person that just cut you off...

They don't fall into any of those so don't fret about it.

That person who raised their voice to you at work when you were just giving them good customer service.... give it to God. It's not worth our time to complain about what just happened.

9 Practice what you have learned and received, model your way of living after it, and the God of peace will be with you.

"Practice huh? You mean it's going to happen even after I pray?" You betcha! Practice makes.... almost perfect ;) Before you know it you won't even worry about these little things. But you have to make a choice each time until then to give your complaining to God.

~Rayah

Perfect Summer 2013 Caviar Nails

The other day I was rummaging through my vanity when I came across some caviar nail beads I purchased earlier this year. You can find these beads anywhere online or at Sally's, Target, Walmart, I've even seen them at my local dollar store.

What I purchased came in a pack of 8-10 different colors in tiny tubes. Just enough to cover 2-3 nails per color. Perfect since I don't like all my nails to be the same.

What you'll need :

Base coat

Cute summer nail color

Top coat

Caviar nail beads

What you'll do if you purchased a jar :

Paint a base coat on your nail then dip the still wet nail into the caviar jar.

I like a little extra hold so once that's set for a few minutes go over it with a top coat.

Continue with as many nails as you like or do the others with a contrasting color like I did.

What you'll do if you purchased a tube :

If you happened to purchase the beads in a tube the directions are the same for the top and base coat.

Once you've painted your base coat pour the beads over wet nail.

Make sure to do this over a bowl so you can save the loose beads.

If polish dries before you're done just wet the nail in those areas again and continue as before until nail is completely coated.

Apply 1 or 2 coats of top coat and you're set.

Finish the rest of your nails as desired.

Pour left over beads from bowl back into tube by creating a funnel with a piece of paper.

*I do recommend purchasing these in the jars instead of tubes, much easier to use * 

I must say that even after a few days these beads are much tougher than I expected. I thought for sure after the first night I would find beads all over my bed. A few days later and they actually look a bit better than my polished nails.

I'll prolly get in trouble for this post. I think that nail polish belongs to a friend who's been missing it...whoops

~Rayah



DIY Makeup Remover Wipes

I wear makeup every.single.day. Seriously, I do. And I must admit... I do not take it off every.single.night.

Gross, I know. But since making these super easy wipes it's fast and easy to remove my makeup and clean my face in less than a minute.

I had been using Mary Kay makeup remover. You know, shake the bottle till both ingredients combine then squirt a little in a towel and remove make up... and $15 isn't bad but since most of my ingredients for these wipes cost only $1 and I can make an endless amount I will never be going back.

So after work I headed to our local Dollar Store and picked up a few items...

Here's what you'll need :

• Baby Shampoo $1
• Cotton Rounds $1
• Small Air Tight Containers. 4 for a $1
• Coconut Oil - Already had in pantry

Here's what you'll do :

I opened and cleaned my new tupperware containers. I chose the smallest round ones I could find for this. Since I am only making a small batch of these all my ingredients can go into one bowl then be separated later. You'll combine 1 cup of water with 1 1/2 tablespoons of baby shampoo and 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil. Oil and water don't mix so it'll looks like this after you've stirred it a few times.

Now pour this mixture into 2 or 3 containers making sure the oil has made it into each bowl. Add about 4 inches worth of cotton rounds to the bowl and press down until fully absorbed. You may need to add extra rounds as long as there is enough solution and space in the container.

Now they are ready to use!

I store mine upsidedown so that the mixture will evenly soak to the rounds that we placed on top.

Now you have perfectly portable money saving makeup remover.

Enjoy!

~Rayah

Peppermint Sugar Body Scrub with Coconut Oil

You may now know that I love coconut oil. There are so many uses for it and it's good for you too!

Last night I put together this AMAZING smelling peppermint scrub in less than 5 minutes with a few items I already had in my pantry. I'm all about making my skin as silky smooth as possibly.

This recipe is very similar to my Shaving Scrub only we'll use far less coconut oil.

Here's what you'll need :

• Sugar
• Coconut Oil
• Jar or Tupperware with tight lid
• Peppermint Extract ( could use any favorite extract )

You'll use 1 tablespoon of Coconut oil for ever 1 cup of Sugar and just a few tiny drops of extract.

Mix until all the sugar has been slightly coated and no longer looks dry.

It's as easy as that. Dead skin BE GONE!!

And you'll smell wildly delicious too ;)

This is so cheap and easy that it would be perfect to give as a gift too... hint hint :D

I'd love to know your secrets to perfect summer ready skin...

~ Rayah