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Today my dad would have been 58. 🙁 I’m still so upset that he has already missed so much since the last time we spoke in November 2015, we’ll never reconcile, and he’ll miss out on so much more in the coming years than he should have. Wishing and hoping for things to be different won’t make it so.

However, I do want to remind everyone that if you’re unhappy in your life you CAN change it. You don’t have to live in misery. As much as people may disagree with me, at the end of the day YOU DO HAVE A CHOICE! We all do!

You can choose how you react to the cards your dealt. In some ways, you can even choose some of the cards. I wish my dad could have seen that he had so many choices, and I’m still devastated that he made the ultimate bad one by leaving this earth too soon nearly a year ago.

I know everyone has been telling me this year that he took his life because he saw no other way out. And, yes…I believe by the time he let that much darkness take over…he did believe that. But, I also know that there were so many times he could have chosen to step out of the darkness, but instead opted to shun the light.

Looking Back, We Did All We Could

Nothing I or my family could have said or done could have changed his choice to repeatedly choose the darkness. You can only show someone a different path so many times before letting go, and ultimately letting them decide which path they want to take. Looking back I see how many times we did try to intervene.

No, we never hospitalized him, but we did try everything we knew how to do to make him happy and show him how to be happy within himself. We did the best we could, and it was actually never our choice of how he would move forward after each intervention. There is a saying that you can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved, and I feel like at the end of the day, as much as it hurts, he didn’t want to be saved.

I forgive him for taking his own life, and am saddened at how much I understand now what he did and even why he did it. I just will never accept it was the right choice, or that he couldn’t have found another way. Happy birthday dad. I guess you finally found your peace, I’m just so sorry for you that you never found the light.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Call 1-800-273-8255

It may be hard to believe, but even with all the advancements in skin care, people are still destroying their skin daily. Some people don’t even realize they’re doing it, and what’s worse is some people think things they are doing are helping their skin when in fact they couldn’t be more wrong. Check out the 5 common ways people are damaging their skin and see if you’re guilty of it too and how you can stop it.

You may think that you’re doing everything right when it comes to your skincare routine, when in fact, you could be causing more harm than good. But that’s nothing to be ashamed of. When it comes to your skin, everything that you do becomes a learning process, and you’ll soon establish the best cause of action and products to help you get better skin.

1. Despite your best efforts you are killing your skin with UV rays. Just because you put on sunscreen in the morning, does NOT mean you’re protected all day. Just 15 minutes can cause a burn that leads to premature wrinkles.

A re-application of sunscreen midday might be a good idea even if you’re just going to be in the sun from your office to your home during your commute.

Oh and by the way, don’t think for a moment that there is anything such as a safer ray. Many folks make the mistake of believe that the rays of a tanning salon are better for you.

2. You’re exfoliating too much/ too often

Yes, exfoliating is great for your skin, but you can do too much. For most people exfoliation shouldn’t be done more than 2-3 times per week and for others it should be done even less! Over-exfoliation can cut, break, tear and wear down your skin leading to rashes, breakouts and more

3. You use soap to wash your face, and worse you do it with a wash cloth.

The soap you use on your body is not okay for your face. Why? Because not matter how gentle you think it is, it’s likely too abrasive for your more sensitive skin on your face.

As for the wash cloths, use those on your body, not your face. A washcloth can be too rough and breakdown your skin and could have more bacteria than you realize on it.

4. You don’t take off your makeup before bed.

Sleeping is one of those wonderful times that your skin’s cells can renew and heal, but if your face is covered in makeup at bed time you’re blocking the pores and asking for breakouts.

5. You don’t get enough facials.

Not only does it feel much better to have someone else care for your skin, having a professional give you a facial can give you additional insight as to what your skin is missing and help you learn the proper way to do facials to yourself at home. Plus, who wouldn’t want to visit day spas austin (if you live in and around this area of Texas) to help get your skincare game on top form? You may also learn a thing or two while you’re there.

Now, we want to hear from you. Are you guilty of any of the above bad skin acts? If so, now is the time to change! Stay tuned to our blog for more great ideas to help take better care of your skin.

Warning! This is not a warm and fuzzy blog post. If you are looking for warm and fuzzy go google sweet cat pics or something. This is me being sick and tired of writers (and all artists for that matter) being asked to work for free. I’m over it! This trend of websites popping up all over posting job openings for unpaid positions ticks me off!! In my opinion they should not be allowed on job boards because unpaid= not a job in my book!

What prompted this angry blog post from me? Welp, I’ve been trying to get more writing work because my husband is planning on going back to school in the fall and I am going to need to take over more of the money making responsibilities. I’ve been filling out lots of applications and stumbled onto a website similar to one I’m already getting paid to write for. So, I sent an email to this writing website because I heard they too are seeking new writers. In the email I listed my credentials, how long I’ve been writing and ended with an inquiry about compensation. Was promptly emailed this:

“Right now, we are only inviting people to join our writers community, which offers a link and Google+ authorship, but they are not paid positions. It’s a steadily growing group of writers who want a bit more exposure with their work. If you’re interested in that, you can read more and sign up at (website redacted).”

Below is the response I WANTED to send back to the company but instead opted to not respond at all.

Dear evil company that plans to make money off the backs of unpaid writers,

Most writers don’t need exposure. For the most part, we all get plenty of exposure by excitedly sharing what we write with friends, family and our social networks via facebook, twitter, LinkedIn and more.

What most writers DO need is rent money, food money, gas money and money to pay the rest of our bills. Would you expect your dentist, your plumber, your landlord/ mortgage loan officer, your doctor or any other service provider to be paid in word of mouth advertising? I highly doubt it, so why can’t you pay a writer for their services?


No, I’m not interested in working for your company and I sincerely hope other writers will refrain from writing for your company for free as well. Continuing to make websites and publications think it is okay to not pay us is unacceptable and needs to be stopped. However, as I’m not a jerk, I do wish you good luck in your future ventures.


All the best,
Ashley Grant

In the television show Revenge– Fauxmanda aka the “real” Emily Thorne makes a drink called The Black Dahlia. In it she puts 3 oz. Vodka, 1 oz. Creme de Cassis and a little Blackberry Liqueur. She then puts it in a martini shaker with ice, shakes it and strains it into a martini glass.

I figured- Since I was at a blogging conference…and could not check in until an hour later, I was bored and my bartender Vince was nice- what better time to try it?!?

Vince added some flair by garnishing the drink with some raspberries and voila! I had my Black Dahlia.

Verdict of this cocktail? Sooooo good! Somewhat sweet with a kick and very smooth. Would definitely order it again!!!

This post may contain a link to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.

I'm a brand ambassador for Citrus Magic, and though this post is sponsored, all opinions and images below are my own.

I can’t stand a stinky space. I’ve got an incredibly sensitive nose, and when I walk into a space I don’t want it to smell bad. I don’t want to smell your pets, or your garbage, and certainly not last nights dinner. This is why I LOVE Citrus Magic Solid Air Fresheners. They absorb odors and stop the stink. My favorite two fragrances so far have been Pure Linen and Lavender.

Here are 8 spaces that I feel NEED a Citrus Magic Solid Air Freshener:

1. Under the seat in your car and/or your RV – I’ve got the New Car scent in mine right now!

2. On the back of your toilet in the bathroom – You know why.

3. The floor of your walk-in closet – It smells nice while you’re picking out your clothes.

4. Inside your home office – Though NOT scientifically proven, I feel like a nicer smelling space makes you more productive.

5. Laundry room – Come on now, you know darn well you don’t wash and dry all of your clothes every night. Absorb the odors that come with piled up dirty laundry. You’re welcome!

6. The garbage can – I put one in the bottom of mine and place the bag over it. It keeps odors out of my can surprisingly well!

7. In the pet area – I know my furbabies can stink a good stink, and Citrus Magic stops it before they can say woof!

8. In the garage – I don’t have a garage right now, but I remember the odors that came out of my parent’s garage after dad mowed the lawn. This space could have benefited big time from the odor absorbing magic of Citrus Magic Solid Air Fresheners.

BONUS – if you live in a state that has basements, I’d recommend adding one there too! Heck, put one in every room, because friends don’t let friends have stinky spaces!

Do you want to get some of the Citrus Magic Solid Air Fresheners for yourself? They are on sale at select Lowe’s, Wal-Mart, Publix, Winn Dixies, and here on Amazon.

This post may contain a link to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.

Today, I thought it would be fun to switch things up a bit and offer the readers of this blog a guest post. In fact, it turned out so wonderful, that I would like to do this many times more in the future. But, back to today’s guest post. This post comes from the amazing Tammy Furey whom I met in the group Screw the Nine to Five Facebook group. Without further adieu, here’s Tammy’s post:

If you visit London and dare to ride on the underground trains, the one thing you will hear constantly is “mind the gap”. People do their best and take wide strides to bridge the gap between the platform and the station.

This is the essence of Law of Attraction. We are trying to bridge the gap between where we are and where we want to be. We try to mind the gap between these two states and jump onto the train of manifestation. At least that is the idea. What usually happens is that people end up with one foot on the platform and the other foot on the train whilst staring, in desperation, at the gap! All they can think about is the gap between where they are and where they want to be (and their legs are being painfully slammed by the train doors).

This is what a lack based mindset looks like and it means that your train is never going to have the chance to leave the station! You are blocking yourself from the life you dream of.

Luckily there is a solution: it’s name is Gratitude.

Gratitude is the fastest way to shift this self-created block in your life. You may have bumped into gratitude practices before and questioned the relevance on your life. You may think that your current life circumstances are so nasty that you just want to get on with manifesting a better life: “Anything but this!”. Yet this is where the gap widens to the size of a canyon.

My question is this: how can gratitude not be the most important focus in your life? If you don’t embrace life, how the heck is life going to even want to play with you and give you more gifts? “Well I gave them all this cool stuff and all they do is whinge and moan. Why should I do that again?”.

Gratitude removes the thought of lack even existing in your life: it removes the gap. It helps you see what you actually have in your life rather than being trapped in the strangle hold of lack based, depressive thinking. You start to see how you have innocently, through thinking, constructed a life that appears to be so unhappy. Notice I say “appears”? It is your thinking which paints the world with the brushes labelled “good” or “bad”, not the objects and people themselves.

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance”. ~Eckhart Tolle

When you love what you have, you do not desperately look to change your life’s circumstances to get your happy going on. Rather, you enjoy playing with life and moving into new experiences. There is no lack. There is no gap except that which is constructed through your thinking. You get out of your own way and life starts to flow again.

“Appreciation is the secret to life. Become a person who appreciates, and you will thrive; you will fulfil your reason for being”. Abraham-Hicks

How do you do this and get more gratitude flowing in your life? I invite you, each day to take note, preferably on paper, of three things that you are grateful for. The first week may seem easy but as the practice continues you will start to look deeper into your life and get more specific about exactly what is pleasing: in all its forms. You will dive deeper into life, into this amazing universe that we hang out in. Your eyes will become open to the continuous conversation that you are part of, and finally notice all the gifts that you are continuously been given. Then you will naturally allow the gratitude that you are to flow. Life will respond in kind.

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough”. ~Oprah Winfrey

To learn more about gratitude, visit www.fureycoaching.com/gratitude

Tammy Furey is a coach, blogger, writer, speaker who is in love with life in all its colours, seasons and tastes. She loves to guide parents to grow as their children grow (whilst freeing themselves from stress, anxiety and depression that so often haunts the lives of parents).

www.facebook.com/tammyfurey
www.facebook.com/groups/getthegratitude
www.fureycoaching.com

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm a sucker for a fun craft project. Though this post is sponsored by Citrus Magic, the ideas, opinions and images below are my own. Check it out!

I wanted to do an upcycle project, because I love, love, LOVE taking something that would ordinarily be garbage and transforming it into something super fun! I’ve been looking at my Citrus Magic Solid Air Fresheners since I got them, and have been thinking about the fun things I could do with the white containers once the product inside had dried up and the containers were ready to be thrown away.

Inspiration suddenly struck while I was watching videos on Youtube about how to decorate for Halloween. Pumpkins! Yes! That’s what these sexy containers would be transformed into. And, so I went to Wal-Mart and bought orange and black acrylic paint, and waited until my Citrus Magic Solid Air Fresheners were ready to swap out for new ones.

I confess, I got a little impatient, lol. Me? Impatient? No! YES!!!!! So – instead of waiting, I went ahead and played with three of them that weren’t quite finished, and the fourth one that was. Haha!

I took the three that weren’t done and painted the exterior orange, and the one that was finished – I painted it black inside and out. Here’s what it looked like with a single coat of paint:

I noticed some white splotches after the dried, so I gave all the containers another coat of paint and let them dry completely again before moving onto the next step.

For the orange ones, I simply painted pumpkin faces on them like this:

The black one though… I got extra creative with that one. I took the top of it off, and using an X-acto knife cut out the center ridges so I would have an opening to stuff something into. I had some black webbing and some orange spiders from last Halloween, so I did this:

How fun is that?!? I just adore how these upcycled crafts came out, and feel like with a little creativity there are so many things we can do with items that would normally just go in the recycle bin. I can’t wait to share my ideas for upcycling the jars from my Citrus Magic candles!!! Spoiler alert – it’s also Halloween themed! Until next time friends, may your crafts be creative, and your messes be minimal.

This post may contain a link to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.

I’m all about making lists to help myself stay organized for big events like moving. While this post is sponsored by Citrus Magic, all opinions and the list I created below are my own.

A Must Haves List for Your Dorm Room

So, all the little children are back to school, and now it’s time for the big kids to go back. Yep, I’m talking college students. With that in mind, below are a few must haves for your dorm room.

1. Bedding – mattress covers, bed sheets, blanket or duvet, duvet cover, pillows, and pillow cases. It’s also a good idea to have more than one set on hand.

2. Clothing – because well, streaking is illegal in the United States.

3. Toiletries and person hygiene products – you know the usual suspects like toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, soap, etc…

4. Towels and washcloths.

5. Kitchen appliances – although microwaves and mini fridges are still acceptable in most dorm rooms, confirm what appliances are allowed and which or prohibited.

6. Things to eat with/on/whatever – utensils, plates, cups, bowls, Tupperware, you get the idea….

7. Computer – nuff said

8. Notepad, pens and pencils.

9. Snacks

10. Medication

11. Art – get the 411 on how you’re allowed to hang it before just plowing holes into the walls.

12. Photos of the family/boyfriend/girlfriend/ pets

13. USB cables and backup batteries for electronics

14. Some cleaning supplies like laundry detergent

15. An alarm clock with backup batteries for the inevitable power outage that might make you miss that midterm!

16. Backpack for carrying books

17. Extension cables – trust me, you’re welcome!

18. Surge protector – you never know especially if you live in Florida like me. A power outage could fry your stuffs!

19. Air freshener sprays for those awful times your roommate stinks up the joint. I recommend the Citrus Magic non-aerosol sprays. While you’re at it…grab some Citrus Magic Solid Air Fresheners too – you know, for the odor absorption of those weird meals you and/or your roommate insist are healthy but smell awful.

20. A willingness to learn and make friends

Did I miss anything? If so, leave a comment below and tell me about it!

This post may contain a link to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.