Gel Polish

Happy Last Monday of the School Year!

 Today I'm doing a happy dance that the last week is here. 

As much as I'm excited, it's definitely bittersweet.

Some GREAT students will leave me and transition into a new environment in the high school next year. 

As much as I love some of them, they need to spread their wings and fly. 

Over the weekend I started prepping even more for SUMMER!

One thing about me is I love to have my nails done.

I've always enjoyed polishing my nails, but it's SO expensive to have them done regularly. 

A couple of years ago I got my own little light to do gel manicures myself!

This was the perfect little gift that my aunt had planned to get me, but my mom loved it too much for me, so she stole the idea and gave it to me instead. 

The best part is it is SO tiny. 

Have you seen these lamps before?

via

They work great but are just so big and bulky.

My aunt and I shared this one for a long time until I got my new one. 

This is all the bigger that my new lamp is. 

The top opens up, and there's just enough room to slide your fingers in. 

Now my aunt is a beautician and she bought it, so I'm guessing it's something you can only buy at salon based stores because I couldn't find it online. 

I love that it's so little that I can throw it in my purse or luggage and not be missing space. 

I really have been wanting some new colors. 

Just over a week ago my mom and I went and got Mani's and Pedi's before her cruise and to celebrate Mother's Day. 

Usually when I go to a salon I will try a facial or massage because I know I can do my nails myself, but I wanted to do something that we could both do at the same time and to get her beach ready, so I opted for the nail route

Well I was a bit hesitant of the polish they used. 

Gellish is one brand of gel polish that some salons use. 

I've used it before and wouldn't say I'm a fan. 

Gellish polish is much thinner than other polishes. 

When I used it before I had to do 3-4 coats of my color polish.

I asked the nail tech that last week and she agreed that it does take more coats, but she said she liked it better. 

At the time, in the salon, with just two coats my polish seemed to have taken full coverage. 

It was a cloudy, dreary day on that day. 

Unfortunately, when the sun came out you can see through my polish. 

Now most people probably wouldn't notice this, but I do. 

In addition, I showed my aunt my polish later on and asked if she could tell and she COULD!

So, I'm not a fan of Gellish, but I tend to love CND Shellac. 

My aunt will typically let me go with her to the supply store and pick out my colors, but she is just so busy that I hate bothering her. 

I put it on my to-do list to find someplace reasonable online to buy polishes. 

These three places made my list

The Nail Superstore

Beyond Polish

Sleek Nail

At the end of my investigation I found that Beyond Polish was the cheapest, and they offered a 20% off code. 

So, if you do your own gel manicures or if you want to start, go to Beyond Polish. 

I've tried some of the gel polishes at other stores like Sally's, but they just don't wear as long as Shellac.

Here's a little peak at some of my new colors.

Yes I love pinks, corals and oranges this time of year. 

Just a slight variation of each is great for me. 

Doing your own gel manicures is so simple. 

While I do get my nails done from time to time, I really love doing them myself!

If only I had the whole color variety at home that they have at the salon!

Friday Favorites: ONE MORE WEEK+ The Perfect Palette!

It's my last Friday with students!!
Hooray!
Now, I love my students dearly, but they are just done.
D. O. N. E.
So, we are going to celebrate this last Friday and look forward to our few days next week and then summertime!!

As always, I'm linking up with Erika, Narci and Andrea. 

We're sharing our favorites from the week.

Grab their graphic and linkup with your favorites from the week, too.

Teacher Appreciation Treats

This technically isn't from this week, but I kept forgetting to post it as one of my favorites. 

This is actually from two weeks ago!

Our student council gave each of the teachers a little treat each day during Teacher Appreciation Week. 

I'm really not sure when that week was. 

One place I read said last week and another the week before that. 

Anyway, we celebrated at school the week of  May 1-5.

One day we got "You're all that and a bag of chips!"

Another day we got "We donut we would do without you" and a bag of some donuts. 

On another day we got some chap-stick with "My teacher is the 'Balm'!"

Another time we got a thank you card.

It was so sweet to receive little gifts like this!

Linkups

This week I linked up with Allie from A Gal Named Al on two different days.
On Tuesday I shared some shorter yet great workout videos.

 The 20 Minute Bikini HIIT Workout
and
The 5 Minutes Standing Flat Belly Workout

And then yesterday I shared what I've been cooking recently, which is Rhubarb.

Great American Mail Race

 Have you guys ever heard of The Great American Mail Race?

It's a little procedure where one school has their students fill out a survey/questionnaire about their school and community, each student writes a letter to a school in another state, and then they mail their items to that other school. 

Earlier in the year we received a letter from a student in Nebraska. 

A couple weeks ago we participated and my students wrote their own letters to students all across the country. 

The students were very questionable on if we would even receive any responses since school would be out in less than a month at the time that I sent the letters. 

At first I received some letters back that couldn't be delivered! Ahh!

Then, we finally got some replies. 

So far Idaho, Oklahoma and D.C. are on my favorites list!

I'm anxious to see if we receive any more!!

Granola Bars

On Monday I shared some of my favorite granola bars. 

I've been on the hunt for more healthful granola bar options. 

I'm still looking for some, but I've found one brad that does hold me over for longer. 

Zing Bars can easily be ordered online, and there are so many flavors. 

To find out more about them head on over to my post from Monday.

The Perfect Palette

If I had to guess I would say that last year when I was planning our wedding I started following 

The Perfect Palette

It has a TON of wedding inspiration and ideas. 

There's a website, and I follow on Instagram. 

Earlier in the week I was scrolling through, not looking as intently since I'm no longer planning a wedding and something caught my eye. 

Often they feature wedding ceremonies and receptions. 

On this particular morning, it was about 4:15 while I was drying my hair I saw a local barn venue. 

I've actually been to a wedding at this quaint little barn.

Now I live in a pretty small area, so I was so shocked to see that something close to home would make it on this Instagram post where they have nearly 100,000 followers. 

Here is the picture that I saw. 

Gorgeous!!

And some more images to make you smile

If you'd like to see the whole post, click here. 

This weekend starts our wedding weekends. 

This weekend we have one wedding at a local winery, and then the following weekend we have another wedding for one of my best friends at the same winery!

Have a great weekend!

One more week left of school...who's counting?!!

Try It Thursday: Rhubarb

Today I'm sharing a recipe that I've been wanting to share for weeks. 

It's a spring and early summer recipe and so easy to make. 

I'm back at it linking up with A Gal Named Al to share 

Rhubarb

This is one of my favorite childhood recipes. 

My grandma would walk out back, cut her rhubarb, clean it, cut it, cook it and serve it to us. 

And that's exactly what I've done twice this year. 

It's so easy and simple and when you're done, you have a nice sweet treat.

First, cut the rhubarb as close to the base of the plant that you can. 

Then, cut off the leaves. 

The leaves are actually poisonous, but they're big and leafy, so you will definitely have to cut them off, no worries there. 

Take the rhubarb inside. 

Wash it off with water. 

Recut the ends.

Then, cut into smaller chunks and place into a saucepan. 

After you have all of the rhubarb cut and ready to go add just a little bit of water. 

I never measure, just know that it shouldn't come up over the rhubarb. 

A little bit goes a long way. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. 

Cook enough so that the rhubarb falls apart into little strings. 

Once the rhubarb is all mixed up turn the heat to low and add in some sugar. 

I probably add 1/2 -1 C. but again I never measure. 

At this point the rhubarb will be a brownish color, so add some red food coloring to make it look bright red and yummy. 

Cook the rhubarb just enough for the sugar to mix in. 

Then, cool, refrigerate and serve!

My stack of rhubarb fresh from our backyard. 

 Re-cutting it.

Chunks in the saucepan.

 You can see below that I just barely have any water in my pan. 

Boiling, and it looks like a LOT of water, but no more than before. 

The rhubarb really cooks down.

Starting to break apart.

Food coloring and sugar added.

Ready to enjoy!

Tuesday Training: PopSugar Videos Under 20 Minutes

It's been a while since I linked up with Allie from A Gal Named Al.

On Tuesday she shares different training videos and tips for working out. 

I admire Allie so much because she says that she doesn't love running yet each year she trains for a local 5k. 

I really admire someone who doesn't love doing something yet they train and do it anyway.

The rest of the year she does various workout videos to help stay in shape. 

While I love working out and enjoy it most days. 

I applaud those who don't love it but keep at it!

On Sunday I was going to do my regular Jillian Michaels workout video, but I was dreading it. 

When I turned on the TV and went to YouTube the normal recommended videos popped up. 

I decided to forgo my regular video and try a new one. 

I opted for one video, but as you will read only did half of it, so then I found another short one. 

Both are by PopSugar Fitness.

20 Minute Bikini HIIT Workout

This was the first recommended video. 

It pulled me in by being only 20 minutes long, which is the same as my normal video. 

I loved the enthusiasm of the instructor. 

In addition, there's a timer at the top right of the screen. 

I love being able to see how much time is remaining!

There are 5 moves in this video and they are repeated again and again and again. 

Each set they are amped up or modified a bit. 

My problem is I don't like doing the same thing over and over and over again. 

I did two rounds, which was 10 minutes and decided to find another video. 

I thought the moves we beneficial and really loved adding in the jumps because that's not something I do a lot of. 

If you enjoy doing the same moves over again, try this out!

Or try half of it like I did and move on to the next video!

5 Minutes Standing Flat Belly Workout

After doing half of the above workout I wanted a little something else to add on. 

This video caught me by being only 5 minutes long!

No equipment is required. 

You do each move for 30 seconds.

The moves can be simplified for those wishing for a little easier workout or modified to make them a bit harder. 

It was just what I was looking for to end out my 15 minutes workout session before church. 

Snacks: Granola Bars

In the summer I never really catch myself snacking too much. 

I'm too busy doing this or that or I guess I can grab an apple or some grapes and be on my way. 

During the school year I always find myself hungry after I get to school. 

I eat breakfast around 5 daily. 

I try to be quick because I want to get to school early and get my stuff done, but perhaps I should be eating a bit more. 

I usually have an egg over medium and some juice. 

Some days I will add in a banana or toast with peanut butter. 

Other days I will have a packet of oatmeal and some milk. 

What I find is that sometimes by 7 am I'm hungry, and definitely by 10 am I'm starving!

This year I've tried to add some more healthful and whole snacks to my daily consumption. 

Some days I have an apple, some days cheese and crackers, sometimes a cheese stick. 

It all just depends on what we have when I'm packing my lunch. 

So, I've been on the hunt to find a healthful granola bar. 

When I was younger we always had the Chewy bars. 

I like these, and they're still only 100 calories, but I felt like I should be eating something better. 

For a while I was buying the off brand from Walmart or our local grocery stores, but then I realized all that I'm eating is junk. 

So, I kind have accidentally started eating these Clif Kid bars. 

I actually bought them for Halloween to give out as a more healthful treat, but we weren't able to be home to pass out treats, so no one got them. 

I left them in the pantry for a while and then decided I would see what they tasted like. 

I really really like these!

They were tasty, but I felt like they were more to eat before I workout, and I'm the type of person who doesn't consume something right before they workout. 

I base my whole diet for the day around the fact  that I should be able to go home and workout any day. 

Now, if I'm going to run 17 miles, sure I'll eat something.

But on a regular basis I workout and don't eat right before it. 

So I stumbled on these Nature Valley Protein bars. 

The hard thing about me and any granola bar is that I don't like nuts. 

I hate things in my teeth, and I just don't like them. 

So, this one is Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate.

I like peanut butter and dark chocolate, so that made the nuts (which there aren't too many) bearable. 

Again, this one is 190 calories, and I felt like it was too much. 

I asked my health nurse at school, and I really stumped her because everything she was going to suggest was based around nuts. Yuck!

She suggested I try out the Zing bars. 

Unfortunately, they don't sell them around me, so I ordered them online. 

You get a reduced rate if you buy $75 worth, so I ordered in bulk and tried them out. 

The cool thing about this company is they put you on automatic renewal and send out an email ahead of time. 

I still haven't finished my 3 boxes from April, so I deleted my shipment for May. 

 These have 200-210 calories, but they are all natural. 

They are filled with good carbs, fibers and protein.

 I tried out three kinds. 

1-Dark Chocolate Mint

 This is probably my favorite. 

It has the zing of mint and reminds me of a peppermint patty or Girl Scout thin mints. 

2-Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip

 This would be my second favorite. 

It tastes like peanut butter and chocolate chips!!

3-Oatmeal Chocolate Chip

I love oatmeal and chocolate chips, but for some reason I didn't like this one. 

I've only actually had it once, but I'm that person who if they eat something they don't like will try to avoid ever having it again. 

Now, I will say these bars to taste a bit gritty, but I try to remind myself that they are BETTER for me!

I have noticed they keep me fuller longer. 

Sometimes I don't even eat the full bar. 

So those are my top 5 bars I've been enjoying lately. 

What bars do you guys like?

I know some people make their own. 

I've never tried that, but I'm curious if anyone has. 

The key to eating for me is moderation. 

I wan't something yummy and healthful.

I will keep looking, but for now I have those bars on rotation for my snacks.  

Friday Favorites: Linkups, Recent Finds, Mother's Day Spa Evening

Hey, hey Friday!
Thankfully this has been a fast week, and that's just what the teachers around here are needing!

As always, I'm linking up with Erika, Narci and Andrea. 

We're sharing our favorites from the week.

Grab their graphic and linkup with your favorites from the week, too.

Recent Finds

On Monday I shared my Weekend Finds, again.
They included a whole lot of hair products, some sunscreen, shoes and earrings.

There was new curly hair care products.

And an old wavy favorite. 

There were some cute new heels

And some new dangle earrings. 

To see all of my finds, check out my Weekend Finds post here.

Linkups

This week was busy with linkups.
On Tuesday I blogged with Andrea for Show and Tell about a trip down memory lane.

I shared toys and shows that I played with/watched when I was younger.

There were cash registers

Nanopets

Legends of the Hidden Temple

and Double Dare 2000!

If you're interested in taking a trip down my memory lane in the 90's, click here to read all about it.

And then on Wednesday I joined Shay and Erika (who is a bit busy right now in China :)
to share how we're workin' it with preparing for summer vacations!

This summer Erika has planned our cruise. 

In addition, I shared some tips that I use before we go on any trip like shop ahead of time, make checklists, book excursions early, etc.

Last year at this time I was putting the final touches on our destination wedding over 1,000 miles away. 

I'm a planner at heart and love being prepared, especially for vacations!

To read all about my trip tips, click here. 

End of Testing

This is every teacher's dream!
This week we finished the LAST day of testing for the YEAR!
Hallelujah!
We had 6 days of testing: 2 language arts, 2 math, 2 science
We spent about 9.5 hours walking up and down rows of students watching them work their hearts out!





You can imagine this image but with a student typing on a Chromebook.
I hated saying "You have 10 minutes remaining" and watching students' faces as they finished up the tests!

Housework

Alex was away for work this week, so I tried to get ahead on a few things. 

Freeze Meals

I browned ground beef and made taco meat. 

I sealed them up in freezer bags and will have them for a later date. 

Organize Winter Clothes

I got more container totes to put my winter clothes in. 

This is my first year having to put all of my clothes away from season to season. 

My closet now is much smaller than my older closet, so I need to store more things in the attic for the summer. 

I tried to put my winter clothes away last weekend, but they just didn't fit. 

This week I got more totes and am in the process of getting everything organized and labeled. 

Wash Down Front Porch

I was able to wash down our front porch earlier in the week. 

I always wipe down the back porch, which is much bigger and takes a long time. 

This week I decided to break up the tasks and get a jump start on the front porch. 

Last summer we power washed the house, and I've already cleaned our windows a couple of times, so I don't think we will power wash it again. 

Mother's Day Spa Evening

Last evening my mom and I spent some time together at the SPA!
Mother's Day is this Sunday, and it also happens to be Alex's birthday.
Since Alex has been gone all week, I decided it would be better if we got to hang out on Sunday for his birthday, so I moved Mother's Day up a bit.

My mom is going on a cruise next week.
This is her first cruise, so I wanted her hands and feet to be all prepped and ready to go for the sun, sand and water.

We spent the evening at the same place where we went for her Christmas gift.

A little reflexology

before mani's and pedi's!

This week seemed to fly by.
I'm so ready for a relaxing weekend at home!

If you are a mom, Happy Early Mother's Day to you!

I hope you are treated like a queen, as I'm sure you deserve it!

Next week I'm eyeing the 80's here, which sure beats the 30's we had earlier this week. 

Have a great weekend!