Sunny Side Up!

  What can I say about this product...oh I know, I LOVED IT!! It made my hair feel so soft and nourished after using this mask. I plan to repurchase it when my hair gets longer (my hair is currently short and growing out). The scent is not strong and overwhelming like some can be. My only complaint is that it is in a tub and not a tube where it can be squeezed out instead of having to dip your fingers in to scoop it out.  I know, first world problems, but when you have press-on nails, your don't really want to get it under them. If you know, you know! I do have a couple other conditioners that I could use as hair masks too so I want to use them up before I repurchase another tub. I hope I can still find it...I purchased it at Dollarama for $4 CAD. Do you have a favourite hair mask?

I choose Sundays as my day to indulge in some beauty self care. I take a nice relaxing bath, I put on a face mask...sometimes a sheet mask, but most of the time it is some kind of mask you spread on your face manually.  The latest one I tried was this Life Brand Revitalizing Cucumber and Witch Hazel Peel-off mask. It was goopy and spread over the face nicely. It's a clear gel-type mask so you it's hard to tell in the picture below that I have anything on my face, other than it looking wet. I let it dry while I relaxed in the tub.  Once I could feel it was dry, I peeled it off. It left my face soft and glowing, but I wouldn't say it felt overly hydrating or plumped. Overall, it was nice mask to try and not overly expensive either, about $3 CAD at Shopper's Drug Mart. If you can get them on sale for 50% off, stock up on a few different kinds! After my mask, I washed my hair, shaved and washed up. That is how I like to relax each Sunday. What is your self care routine?  

  Image courtesy of edutopia.org "The dance is good when the music is good" - Philippine Proverb Dancing isn't just an art; It can also be therapeutic, and it is definitely fun!   Just like the proverb above says, there are certain songs that just make want to dance because they express our joy and happiness. There are many kinds of formal dance classes out there that we can find; some are ballroom, jazz, classical and jive. Ultimately, however, it's all about just having fun and moving to the beat, any which way you like. Just watch a toddler when they hear a song they like, they start shaking their little booties and bouncing up and down...They've got the idea! When was the last time you danced?

In today's post I want to show how basic hand sewing skills saved two of my sweaters from being thrown out. If you don't know how to sew, you can find videos on YouTube that show you basic stitching techniques that can help you to prolong the life of your clothes!! I had a couple of small holes in a couple of my sweaters that I fixed with just a needle, thread and simple sewing stitches. One of them is a grey sweater that had a small hole in the sleeve where the cuff attached:  The second sweater is a glittery gold shell (sleeveless) that had a small hole in the collar. Using the same stitch I used to mend the grey sweater, I was able to quickly mend this small hole: With the most basic of sewing skills, you too can prolong the life of your favourite clothes. Do you have any clothes you would like to mend?

Image courtesy of unsplash.com "A boat doesn't go forward if everyone is rowing his own way"   - African (Swahili) Proverb. This proverb speaks of cooperation. Darwin, in his iconic book "The Origin of the Species", speaks of cooperation, not competition, helping species to advance and evolve. It is true that tasks get done faster when all work towards the same goal. Even those who seemed to have accomplished their individual goals, did so with the help of many along the way. A single wasp does not build an entire nest, just as a single bee does not create an entire honey comb. It takes the cooperation of the whole swarm together to accomplish what is needed. Here's to your boat moving ever forward!  

 Meet Quinn, our now 5 month old Yorkshire Terrier. We got him from a hobby breeder in Alberta. He was a bit of a handful for a couple of months with potty training and teaching him basic manners. But now he is about ninety percent house trained, sits before he gets fed and is a sweet little snuggle bug! Next steps are to train him to stay and go to his bed, but we are also having so much fun with him. He is getting well socialized at doggy daycare and in the park with the neighbourhood dogs. He is also quite friendly towards people too, which is good. He only barks when people walk too close to the front door or come near our patio which is awesome. He is not a yappy puppy which is a true blessing!

  This was a great clarifying and exfoliating mask for the face. The ingredients exfoliated not only chemically, but also physically with the blue corn powder. I used it about once a week for best results. Unfortunately this product is no longer available on The Body Shop website or in store. However, similar masks at The Body Shop include the Chinese Ginseng and Rice Clarifying Polishing Mask, from $6 CAD for a 15ml tub, or $28 CAD for the 75ml tub.  Another clarifying mask, especially for acne prone skin, is the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Clay Mask ($10 CAD for the 100ml tub, regularly $21 CAD), and the Himalayan Charcoal Purifying Glow Mask ($6 CAD for the 15ml tub, or $28 CAD for the 75 ml tub). Of course there are other clay masks on the market that you can try, but these are the ones that are closest to the Blue Corn mask above. What kind of mask do you like to use?