Vanity .. changing it up seasonally, and spring flowers

{Thoughts and prayers to those affected by the tornado in Oklahoma}

There are some fun moments that make being a woman feel special..

candles, sweet perfume, lipstick, an endless variety of pretty things .. 

that look and smell lovely.

As seasons change and skin matures, minor adjustments in our routine can help make us feel better and freshen our skin. 

It's okay to use a variety of products from several lines if that works for you. 

Remember to toss your make up after about six months.

Warmer weather might make skin feel oily. If you are prone to breakouts a lighter moisturizer may help. 

Clean your make up brushes every couple weeks (I always forget!).  Use a gentle soap and warm water .. that's all there is to it! 

Love little perfume bottles on the vanity

I need to fill this up with small soaps.. until then, I've placed some sentimental shells and sand dollars inside that we've collected on one of our beach vacations.

tray, basket

Soft, plush, white monogrammed towels in my RH wire basket and

I also have a stack of finger tip towels that I use for my face. 

It's best for your skin to use soft cotton or natural sponges.  Clean them daily or every other day.

May Lindstrom cosmetics.

This is a very nice line for women that are interested in the "all natural" approach.  

The Hydrating Facial Serum is very nice and smells wonderful.

As skin matures, adding the RIGHT essential oils can help nurture skin that is sensitive, dry, or fragile. 

                                                                             silver tray, here

The bowl is pretty and will looks nice on my vanity.

  Above is a wonderful May Linstrom cleanser that I mix with a skin tonic such as rose water.  A foaming wash is created that helps to deep cleanse the skin.

When I'm not using the bowl I toss in bits of jewelry. 

 

I keep the Sara "the lip scrub" in my shower. 

My shadows are stored in this little white basket.  It's easy to grab what I need quickly and I can just toss it back when I'm finished.  

I'm one of those that thrives a bit of chaos so it may not surprise you to hear that my work days are always crazy and I'm always pushing my time .. to the minute. 

 Do you do that?

My work day~  A natural neutral look, well blended.

 When you see a celebrity that looks like she's not wearing make up and has that NATURAL beauty, guess what?  Chances are she's wearing A LOT of make up.

  It's not easy to get that look.. takes practice and soft lighting  helps.

Getting dressed..  one heel off and one on, running down the stairs still buttoning the blouse and applying lipstick.  

Yep, that's me friends .. and my husband is always saying "Why do you do this.. every time?" 

I say.. "I know, I know...."

Also like ESSIE .. been a fan for years.  I recently purchased this apricot oil and I'm anxious to try it.  Extra protein on the nails is helpful too.

I picked up this gorgeous Azalea Topiary today! Sadly this was the last one so this is it. 

Here are a couple pictures of a local winery.

  It's so pretty here and right now the green is at its peak thanks to warmer temperatures and some sunshine.

On my walk today.. The lighting was gorgeous.  After a long day, what could be better?  I appreciate all that mother nature has to offer.

..and because Mother Nature understands the importance of POPS of color, I couldn't resist sharing this picture of Layla in a field of yellow flowers.

I just brought these in from my garden.  There are two different types of Lilac here.. slightly different fragrance. With such a heavy fragrance I can only take a few branches at a time!

vase, here

Our Wisteria is finally blooming over the trellis!

  

Also wanted to thank you SO much for all the excellent party planning ideas! I'm so excited and already have a menu in mind with your wonderful ideas!
 Pinterest and cookbooks are great but is there's nothing like recommendations from friends.

xxleslie

Easy entertaining and Make A Wish!

My blue and white shown with grey candles.

  

Simple ~ easy entertaining.

1/2/3

I mixed RL with Apilco.

1/2

Alfresco dinning .. time passes so quickly when we are outside.  I had my husband put on the area heater as the evening cooled, and I provided a light blanket for the ladies.

This was an instagram photo.

A little snack while I cook ;) and on the right is my skinny margarita.

Cheese

This pot

I prepared a slow cooked lamb dish over the weekend.  My husband likes to grill so I had him make grilled zucchini and garlic bread.

For the garlic bread:

I grill it with a little olive oil and then rub a fresh garlic clove over the top of each slice when it's done.  This seems to be JUST the right amount of garlic.

Most of us like to boat here in the pacific northwest.

Here are a few pictures that I took with my phone while we were kayaking this weekend.  It was a gorgeous day!

Small planes are used to get to the local San Juan Islands

Our kids spent many summers boating back and forth to here.

A few readers asked me for my GREEN JUICE recipe.  Here is the link to the blog post.

Go Ahead and Juice It

With the sudden warm weather and sunshine.. our garden is going crazy!  Lots of green lush leaves and flowers.  It's a constant effort to keep things trimmed back.

We set a hammock up in the yard during the summer.  The perfect spot to take an afternoon nap or relax with a book.

My girls.. Layla and Ginger (look at those grey eye brows!) relaxing in the spring sunshine. 

Images from our local wineries.  I like the tea light holders on the tree branches.  Great idea for my own yard:) and will be so pretty at night.

The FIRST of my lilac!  I'm so excited. It's unfortunate that they only bloom once .. and my kids brought me flowers and Japanese Maples over the weekend.

..and here's my youngest..

Not sure what happened here.. 

We spend 20 years raising our kids to be successful, kind, and happy individuals and then suddenly they are gone.. and are doing exactly what you wanted them to do!! 

Miracles DO happen:)

A few of many things to keep in mind..

Follow your heart ~ no matter what your age.

Never take people or life for granted.

Take care of your body.. you only get one.

Realize you/we are not perfect and neither are the people that you will encounter each day .. whether that be at the grocery store or in the work place.  Have patience and find goodness in people.

 Don't beat yourself up if/when you mess up.  
Recover from mistakes quickly and then learn from them.  

Embrace change and use it as an opportunity to grow and learn about yourself and others.   

Life will throw many curve balls .. get ready and know that you are well equipped to handle what comes your way. 

There are so many things that we tell our kids through the years.

last...

Have a sense of humor in life ... just go with it!

My baby graduates (already been through this with my son)

and starts a one year masters program in accounting.

 In June I have FIVE birthdays and a graduation.  LOTS of entertaining ahead and a couple of house guests. 

I'll be hosting a graduation party for around 50.

  Thought I'd ask you all for ideas to feed the crowd. We may do a little grilling but I want mainly finger food.  I'll be having a little help .. but I'm not having it fully catered. 

I know you are all experienced at this sort of thing so please send in your ideas! You can email me by clicking the link at the top of my blog or leave me a comment.  Thank you so much!!

Make a wish!!

xxleslie