Want to Smell Delicious?

Happy Tuesday Bloggers!! Don't ya just love a short week? We had a wonderful weekend, we went up to Lake Tahoe and took the pups on their first ever boat ride...it was the funniest/cutest thing ever :) Now I'm here today-but I leave tomorrow morning for St Louis to visit my sister and my darling niece. So this will be my only post this week-but trust me, I'll be back with lots of goodies to discuss next week!!
The products above are too yummy not to blog about. They are Philosophy Apricots and Cream Body Lotion and Body Wash/Bubble Bath. I got them both at Nordies. They are huge-32 oz and smell divine. I love to take a soak in the tub at night before I climb into bed and now I use the bubble bath and after use the body lotion and every single time I do this Kevin makes a comment on how good I smell :) The bubble bath/body wash gets nice and sudsy and the lotion is a pretty good moisturizer-so not only do these products smell great-they work well too!! They feel luxurious and now that I'm getting bigger and bigger-I need all the luxuries/treats that I can get ;)

Best Pumpkin Candle

Bloggers-Anyone else is complete shock that its already September??!!?? I love it-but time sure is flying!! Yesterday I was wasting time before I met one of my best friends for frozen yogurt (Jules! At 21 Choices in Pasadena!), so I popped into Crate and Barrel. I wanted to get Kevin some BBQ accessories and the Weber Grill Cookbook (bc he just got a new grill and I'm encouraging him to be a "grill master"!). I started to walk around and check out the fall stuff and I got a whiff if the best smelling pumpkin/fall smell!! I looked around and there was this small-ish tin on the display table and I picked it up and sure enough-pure fall bliss!! It is the Crate & Barrel Harvest Pumpkin Scented Candle. It comes in this small tin (pictured above) and is $10. The approximate burn time is 30 hours and even with out being lit-it smells sooooooo good (I'm smelling now as I write this!). Ahhhh I can picture it now: A nice cool Sunday afternoon, football on, Kevin BBQ-ing and my scented candle burning away.....heaven!

Delish Skinny Soup Recipe

I told you guys a couple of weeks ago that I was going to make lentil soup...I did and LOVED it!! So did Kevin! The reason I want lentil soup is Im trying to get more iron, magnesium and protein in my diet and of course any way to get more veggies is great. I call this a "skinny soup" because it is really good for you and fills you up. It has a TON of fiber (which I love!) and protein in it and not much fat at all. This is Ina Garten's recipe for Lentil Vegetable soup. I suggest cutting down the recipe a bit unless you want tons left over. I also added fresh chopped tomatoes and right before I served mine I threw in some spinach. I ommitted the parmesan because I didnt need it but definetly add the red wine vinegar, because it tastes sooooo good in this soup :)


Cook Time:1 hr 30 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients
1 pound French green lentils
4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large onions)
4 cups chopped leeks, white part only (2 leeks)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus additional for drizzling on top
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups medium-diced celery (8 stalks)
3 cups medium-diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)
3 quarts chicken stock
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine or red wine vinegar
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Check the seasonings. Add the red wine and serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.

Call me Mix-Master!

Bloggers, I have decided to become a chemist...well kind of...I just have found the most delightful, anti-stretchmarks, anti-dryness mixture that I have created by combining 2 of my favorite products. I combine Lalicious Body Oil in Coconut Creme (smells amazing!) and Cetaphil Moisturizing Body Cream and voila instant moisture that is the perfect consistency. What I do is pour about 2-3 tablespoons of the oil into a half filled tub of the Cetaphil. I stir it around and then just keep it in the tub. I love this stuff! I slather it all over my body right when I get out of the shower and am still a tad damp. Then I wait for it to dry a bit (So yes this preggo is walking around naked for a few minutes during this time! Scary!) and while I'm waiting I put on my face moisturizer and put on my leave in conditioner. This dynamic duo that I use is fantastic and leaves my skin so soft. Love it!!

Hair Rehab

Happy Monday! I have to say that this was one of my favorite weekends :) The temperature was perfect (70s) and Kevin and I had no plans. We had a few nice meals out together, did a little baby stuff shopping and relaxed...So nothing crazy, but it is just so nice to relax and spend time with Kevin. We laugh a lot and daydream what life with Baby B will be like...Its a very sweet time for us :)

This summer I have not been kind to my hair. I have been swimming a bunch and haven't had a trim in 4 months (the woman who does my cuts has been out on maternity leave). I also just had it colored/highlighted last week (different person cuts vs colors me) and that always makes it dry. Also, I haven't been doing much as far as deep conditioning either. So basically my hair is the longest its ever been and pretty dry :( So, first thing is first, I just scheduled my hair cut and will take off a few inches. Next up is I need to find a good mask/deep conditioner (and you better believe I'll post about it!). 3rd is I need to use my "go to" dry hair products. So today that's what I'm writing about. An old but effective favorite: Redkin Extreme-Anti Snap Treatment. This leave in treatment has proteins in it and it smooths your hail cuticle making breakage less likely. It also has fruit acids that help with shine. I use this after I'm out of the shower (and have already shampooed and conditioned). I towel dry my hair and put a quarter size amount onto my ends. I really feel like this makes my hair stronger, which now that I'm rehabbing it-it certainly needs :) This stuff is sold at beauty supply stores and isn't too pricey. A bottle will last for a long time. Have a great day!!

TMI Week: Body Mint

Happy Friday!! Doesn't it just feel like time is flying by?? Love it. So thank goodness today is the last day of TMI Week. Honestly, I haven't enjoyed blogging about the unglam stuff as much as my usual products. But i committed to a week of it so here we are on the final day. Today's product is called Body Mint. It is called a "breath and body freshening tablet". Here is info from the company that makes its:

"Body Mint tablets are made from an all-natural, highly specialized, derivative of chlorophyll. Body Mint's unique formulation gives it the power to remedy body odors from multiple sources, like bad breath (halitosis), underarm odor, perspiration odor and foot odor. Body Mint works from the inside, out. Take it twice daily and it works to reduce everyday bad breath (halitosis) and body odor both day and night."
And
"Body Mint Is The New Way To Smell Your Best! Made From A Special Derivative Of Chlorophyll And Taken Like A Daily Vitamin, Body Mint Reduces Breath, Underarm And Foot Odors, As Well As Oll Over Body Odors, Also Has Been Proven To Help Bad Breath Cause From A Low Carb Diet Lifestyle
The First 100% Natural Total-body Deodorant, Body Mint Was Originally Created F Or The People Of Hawaii To Suit Their Outdoor/Active Lifestyles, "barefoot" Cul Ture And The Year Round Tropical Heat."

I think it kind of boils down to: you are what you eat. And that includes how you smell...if you eat a lot of onions, cumin, garlic, curry, etc. and don't drink a lot of water then you might not smell as sweet and fresh as someone who eats a lot of fruit, cucumbers, lettuce, etc. So these pills are like short cut!
Whew-done with TMI Week!!! Have a fab weekend!!!

TMI Week: Sweat Buster

Bloggers-Its hot out there!! Especially here in Southern CA where we are having a major heat wave. So in addition to bathing and deodorant what can we do? Well, I personally am a baby powder fan. I sprinkle anywhere that may get sweaty (which when you are preggo is everywhere!). I especially love the Johnson's Baby Powder in Lavender and Chamomile-it smells amazing!! Original baby powder smell reminds me of diapers-so I avoid that smell when possible! Good new is that it is supposed to cool down this weekend!

TMI Week: If All Else Fails...

Bloggers, by now you probably know that I'm a fiber fanatic! I think it is the key to weight control and it is such a necessary component to a healthy diet. And the obvious bonus is that it keeps me, um , well, regular. So this product isn't very necessary for me on a day to day basis...but when I travel everything doesn't stay as "regular" as I'd like. So today's product is great-it is called PlumSmart and is available at most grocery stores in the juice section. It is prune juice with added fiber. It tastes pretty good (so be careful to just have one serving!) and it works like a charm! Especially my fellow preggos (who can suffer from constipation) this drink gets things going. And its healthy! Not only does it have fiber, but it also has potassium and over 100% of your daily vitamin C. They make a diet version too that has fewer calories (which I like bc I normally don't want to waste my calories on juice if I can help it!). So drink up and enjoy!

TMI Week: Pull My Finger??

Ok, so there are few thing grosser and more embarrassing than gas...especially when gas translates into stinky farts. I'm sorry I have to be so vulgar Product Junkies, but we are all friends here :) So if you know that there are certain foods that make you, well, pass gas, then I have the remedy for you!! Charcoal Pills! They work like a charm!! And are cheap! Much better than Gas-EX or Beano. Just take 2 caps w/ water (or what ever you are drinking) when you are eating your "trigger food" (for some its beans, high fiber foods, dairy, etc). The charcoal pills will protect you and the people around you from having to deal with the smell :) Also if you don't have specific foods that you know make you gassy-but you notice that you are indeed tooting, you can take these magical pills and it should take care of the problem :) They are natural and safe (although Preggos-I'm not sure if these are a go for us-so Id avoid them!). There are a bunch of different brands and are sold at all drug stores and of course at Target and Amazon. A Must-Have!! Well-I'm glad we got through this stinky subject!

TMI Week!!!

Happy Monday Bloggers!! So today starts what I am calling "TMI Week"! Lets face it-products aren't always glam, in fact, there are some things that need products/attention that are just plain embarrassing which leads me to TMI Week. Most of you (who know me) know that I am very open...about everything...maybe too open? Well, I don't believe in hiding stuff. No one is perfect and the people who pretend to be are bound to get tired of living a fake life.

To kick off this week I thought I would post about an old favorite...Certain Dri! It is a prescription strength antiperspirant roll on that is doctor recommended but you don't need a prescription you can get it a CVS or Target...And this stuff works!!! I first discovered this in college during sorority rush. Its was very hot and we were wearing tight baby tees (they were in style back then-I promise!) and I was looking around to a sea of sweaty pits...not very cute. So I did some investigative work and haven't had a sweaty pit since!! Certain Dri can be used for men or women. You should put it on at night right before bed. It does have an annoying side effect: it makes your armpits itch, which is why I liked to use it after I had a few cocktails bc then I'd pass out w/out the itching keeping me up :) In the morning you can use your normal everyday deodorant. You don't need to use this daily maybe start with doing it a few times in a week and soon-you will have dry pits!! I havent used it in years (and wouldn't use it while preggo) but you better believe I have a bottle of it in my cabinet!