Thursday, September 7, 2017

Inspirational Quotes for Students

Monday, August 18, 2014

Mrs. Cool's Little School

We are a home school family in Tennessee and we blog about everything from curriculum, to field trips, to every day life as a Christian family. We have a lot of fun and would love to share our experiences.

Friday, December 30, 2011

The New Year

It's hard to believe that I haven't written in so long and so much happened.  I am so happily married that I can't really describe the complete joy of every day other then to say that I stay in such a state of peace that I wish everyone in the world could know the same. There is nothing better then being married to your best friend and having a new opportunity to explore the world with eager anticipation each and every morning, hand in hand.
Rather than try to play catch up I am recommitting to my blog starting as of last night. Micah had mentioned he would like to try Scandinavian food. We have been having so much fun trying all kinds of international foods. Cooking together is one of the most relaxing parts of the day.  He has been working so hard though that last night I flew solo on the prep. Haleigh was here so I printed off some cool Scandinavian prints in black and white and Trenton and Haleigh colored them to use for place mats. I fixed roast pork in a red currant sauce, sugared potatoes, cucumber salad and an apple and lindonberry bread pudding. Honestly, it was all delicious. We also did the research to see what we could learn about their culture. Trenton thinks they have it figured out having cookies for breakfast. Haleigh thought the fact they have the largest mall in Europe was worth a trip there in the near future. I thought it was interesting that on Easter they do Halloween. Micah thought the mustard sauce for dipping should be steadily available in our own refrigerator. It was a lot of fun. We then had an all out Nerf War and then played Toss Up until bedtime. I wish Christmas break were so much longer. We have had  the best time!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

The Final Countdown


I am getting married in two days.  TWO DAYS!  My mind refuses to slow down but I am happier then I can ever remember being. Then off to Florida until the 16th and then home and moving into the new house.  So tonight I write about the wedding preparations. 

I have the dress which I got an amazing deal on at David's Bridal.  I have to say that if you are searching for the perfect gown and want to feel like a Princess while you shop then this is the place to go.  They are by appointment only but they got me in the day after I called.  My consultant Kristy was so friendly and seemed sincerely into finding me exactly the right dress.  She was fun and I had fun.  I tried on the simple gowns and the fancy gowns and the gowns that couldn't fit through a standard door frame.  They gave me flowers to hold and a veil to get a feel for the whole look and it was a blast!  The gown I fell in love with was a whopping fifty percent off! Yeah!  They also offer lay away but with pricing like that you probably won't need it. I shopped around a lot and I am telling you, save your time and start here and end here ready to stand in front of your man and God feeling beautiful.  They have everything in every style a bride could imagine.
A gorgeous gown needs jewelry that works. I looked everywhere but just like the dress I wanted to keep things simply lovely.  I surfed and surfed and almost settled on an adorable set I found on www.etsy.com -click here to see the runner up.  At the last minute I came across a set on eBay that a lady had purchased at an estate sale.  Antique and exactly the right set.  I don't have a pic to show you now but I will be wearing them in the wedding pics so check those out soon.
Oh the things I had to find.  The cake topper was fun.  I ended up with this topper but I have to say if grandparents would not be present I would definately have gone with this one.

This was another eBay find and it arrived in perfect condition within a week.  The sellers store can be found here and she has a lot of great stuff for weddings. 

The list goes on and on... The shoes - the decorations - the flowers - the music - the cake - the unity candle - guest lists and invitations - food and drinks and on and on and on...

But at last two days from now and we will have our moment.  I will marry the man of my dreams and I can not wait.

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Wen Hair Care

Ok so we have all seen the oh so convincing infomercial about Wen.  If you happen to be the exception to that rule, Wen is a natural conditioning system that gives you amazingly beautiful locks and reduces your need for all other hair care products.  Considering that my hair is almost to my waist, I love the idea of less hair care products. 
So after seeing this infomercial I surfed and surfed finding many reviews about the product.  I was hoping to hear nothing but rave reviews.  Turns out about half of us love it and half of us hate it.  OK, no worries.  Still worth a shot.  During my initial research I discovered that Wen is ordered through a membership which automatically sends you more.  I am ok with this because I have had an excellent experience with Sheer Cover which offers a similar program.  At this point I was still in.  However after seeing that this product runs around twenty dollars a bottle and considering how much hair I have I decided I needed to seek an alternative and try before I buy. 
I started finding reviews where customers who loved Wen had changed to a product offered only through Sally's.  Hair One it was called and it was offered in similar formulas to Wen.  So off to Sally's I went.  Just $10.99 and I had the product.  Crossing my fingers and hoping this was going to be my miracle find I headed to the shower...


Fresh from the shower I wanted to give you my immediate impression.  First of all a lot of reviews mentioned how awful they felt the smell was.  I admit it's not Paul Mitchell, but I find it to be a clean scent not offensive at all.  For the record it comes in several styles.  I choose the one that said for dry hair - Olive Oil.  The process was not complicated.  Put it in and add a little water to lather and then put some more in and comb with a wide tooth comb.  After that I clipped it up and let it stay for about five minutes.  It felt good.  Your scalp tingles in a nice way.  When I did the final rinse it felt transformed.  My hair became like silk.  No joke.  Silk girls!  Woo Hoo!

Right now it's still wet so I will update again later.  A few last thoughts for tonight....
~Several of the reviewers who did not like it as a daily shampoo still loved it as a leave in conditioner.
~This is odd, but many people were praising it as a shaving cream.  Admittedly, I have not tested this theory..
~You can  try Wen without subscribing through Amazon.  You can also find Hair One on there.
More later....


I am following up as promised. Day Two of Hair One and so far I am still loving it.  I put no other hair care products in today but you would never know it.  Killer shine, awesome bounce, super soft.  Several people liked it for the first week though and then started liking it less.  To be fair I will follow up again next week and we shall see if I have indeed found the simple solution to maintaining long hair with low maintenance. Hoping for the best.

Are High Priced Tanning Lotions Worth the Cost?

I have worked in the tanning industry for ten years now and this is one of the most commonly asked questions. 

"Why should I pay one hundred dollars for a bottle of lotion when I can get some at Walmart for seven?"
That's a fair question.  It can seem unreasonable to spend that kind of money on tanning lotion but it is worth it.  I am not saying you have to buy the hundred dollar bottle but buying quality indoor tanning lotion makes a huge difference.  Not only in your results but more importantly in the skincare that it offers.  First of all, if you're tanning then most likely you are doing it because it feels good to look good.  You care about your appearance and that is great and as it should be.  Just be sure you are thinking in the long term sense.  Sun exposure, whether it be gained from a day outdoors or simulated sunshine purchased at your local salon, depletes your skin of necessary vitamins and oils.  The lack of these can lead to pre-mature aging.  Ugh.  No one wants to end up looking like leather.  Indoor tanning lotions are designed to give back to your skin what the exposure takes out.  The Walmart brand not only uses cheaper versions and often far less quantities of the ingredients which accelerate the tanning process but they can't afford to put the necessary skin care in there at just seven dollars for a bottle. In the case of tanning lotion, you do get what you pay for. Remembering that we are in this to look our best, it's a simple conclusion to decide it is definitely worth the money.  Ahh the price of beauty...
OK so how do you know that what you are getting is sincerely quality lotion?  Well let me start by saying this, if you bought it at the flea market, a department store, or off eBay then you can't be sure at all.  You need to purchase from a licensed distributor to be sure you are getting what you are paying for.  Tanning Salons are a safe option generally and if you own your own tanning bed you can purchase from wholesale distributors such as Beautiful Bronze Tanning ( www.beautifulbronzetanning.com )
Tan Smart ladies.  Let's be lovely and let's turn heads but let's age gracefully while we are at it.  Below I am listing some of the highest quality indoor tanning lotion brands and their sites so you can further educate yourself and find just the right product for you. 
Designer Skin - http://www.designerskin.com/  
~This is my personal favorite brand.  I love the Masquerade and their Black 20X has been a best seller since it's release.~
~Everybody has heard of Australian Gold and they are leaders in new tanning technology.  They also offer the number one and number two overall best selling tanning lotions.  Sinfully Black and Dark Tanning Accelerator ~
~Swedish Beauty came out with a new Botanicals line offering 98% natural tanning lotions- paraben free and my favorite tan extender is from this family.  Aloe There.  It's Awesome.

Ok there are many more but that should get you started.  Questions and comments are welcome.