Hello, Helen. Goodbye...Helga.

Today I plucked and waxed my eyebrows. It felt good. Life feels so much better when you feel more like a Helen of Troy and less of a Helga of Trouble. No offense to those who are named "Helga." I've decided that I need to take care of myself. Not that beauty is all that matters, not that I'm not--err--content with what I'm rocking right now...It's just that I don't feel confident. I feel squishy and lost...two things which never go together well, e v e r. Speaking of which, I don't care what every one else is saying, I want to lose 50. I'd settle for 35. Steven and I are going to--come @#!*% or High Water--take a getaway trip to this DIVINE bed and breakfast down in southern Utah this fall or next spring (see: http://thecrescentmooninn.com/).

The luxurious B&B in Kayenta, UT. Been dreamin' of escaping to the Crescent Moon Inn for a year...

 And I want to feel like a hot mama by then. So, baby steps. Unfortunately Mother Nature messed with my plans to get my butt in gear exercise wise. So it's yoga for this week, walking daily next week...and we'll see what comes next after all that. Next month's menu is going to be less Macaroni and Cheese (which I kid you not, we have eaten Mac & Cheese 15 times this month...can you tell I haven't been functioning?). Time to get back to cooking from scratch and have the bulk of our diet be fruits, vegetables, nuts, and meat. Butter is non-negotiable though. :) I also am dying to try this "Sassy Water" detox recipe:

Sassy Water 
1 Cucumber Sliced thin
2 TBS grated Ginger root -- you can use a microplane (just be careful don't injure yourself like Matt)
1 Whole Lemon - Sliced
14 Mint Leaves
Add to 1 Gallon of Water and Drink daily for 7 days!

The month of May shall be a fresh, new month to start renewing my energy and to boost my esteem. And to detox from all the junk and crap I ate in April...

And I want to start maintaining a confident, neat, comely appearance. No more crazy awful eyebrows. And I am dying for a hair cut--haven't had one for a year and a half and I feel like Mahana. Maybe I'll just throw caution to the wind and spend my last tiny paycheck on a haircut.

I have not let myself go...I knew what was happening...I chose to diaper my children instead of investing in haircuts and hair dye and pedicures. I chose to pursue other things than taking the time each week to pluck my eyebrows. I rarely have occasion to "goose up" (as Steven puts it...) aka gussy up. But I still have to look in the mirror and see Tiffany each morning. It felt good to take care of the kids. It feels good to spend a little time on me.

Shaping those brows got me on a kick. I want to keep going. I'm going to try a couple of things I've seen on pinterest and see how it goes. And who doesn't love a Queen Helene Mint Julep face mask...it's in the works. I also want to paint my toenails a fabulous color and get my heels under control. Fetchin' genetic trait. I hope Kaia doesn't have to deal with the obnoxiously dry and cracked heels that seem to mock every step you take. And then you feel all self-conscious when you wear flip flops which just should never be the case. Long live Teva flipflops. I live for the warmer months when I can live in flip flops.

Pinterest Experiment #1: The Blackhead Buster

Take gel facial wash (I am going to use Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap...because it's so lovely...) and mix 1 T of baking soda, 1 T sea salt. Apply to damp skin with a cotton pad. Leave for 5 minutes...

The link wasn't working, but that was in the description. I'll let you know how it goes. And what I did to get it off of my schnozz.

UPDATE: It did indeed help with the blackheads on my nose and chin. It did not extradite them, which would be too good to be true, anyways. I'll keep searching for a good blackhead remedy.

Pinterest Experiment #2: The Heelinator

A simple and very moisturizing exfoliating foot and body scrub that is easy and fast to make at home.

Author: Wellness Mama

Recipe type: Beauty

Ingredients

• 1 cup of epsom salt
• ¼ cup olive oil or almond oil
• 1 teaspoon liquid castille soap (optional, makes texture slightly smoother)
• 10-15 drops of essential oils (or more- optional)

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix all ingredients and add essential oils or scents until desired scent is achieved.
2. Store in airtight container and use a teaspoon sized amount to exfoliate feet or body as needed.
3. Rinse after use.

All while catching up on last night's episode from The Voice. Woot woot! This is gonna be good...