Shopping!

I would love to be writing a fabulously funny post for all of you right now, but I just realized that it's 10:18pm and there are only a few more hours left to Loft's Bring on the Sun sale.

If you'll excuse me, I have some serious shopping to do.

Letters of Intent #7

It's Friday and that means I'm linking up with Foursons for Letters of Intent!  Do you have something you want to say?  Need to tell someone something?  Join in the party and tell it like it is!

Dear Monkey,
Happy Summer!  School ended Wednesday and with it comes later bedtimes (my end of the bargain) and sleeping in (your end of the bargain).  Make your end happen and I'll make sure my end happens.  BTW, just because you like to wake up at 6:30am, that doesn't mean that 6:45am is sleeping in.

XOXO,
Mommy what wants to get her sleep on

Dear Charlie the Beta Fish,

Please start swimming more.  I'm glad you're a part of our family now, but when you float in one spot near the top of the tank for an extended period of time, you make me think you're dead.  I'm pretty sure you're going to give me an ulcer.  Swim, my dear, it's good for you.

Sincerely,
The woman who makes sure the three year old doesn't over feed you

Purple Poppies

Every few months I get together with the Beta girls and we paint.  It's therapeutic, it's cathartic, it's relaxing.  This particular painting is called Purple Poppies and while it's not my favorite painting that I've done, it's still high on the list.  

I started with a blank canvas, then added yellow and white paint in the top left to begin crafting the sun.  After finishing the sun, I started to add red to the yellow to create orange in the sky.  After adding half of the form as orange, I added more red and less yellow to finish out the sunset colors.  

After drying, I began with the black and green stems at varying lengths.  I tried to make sure that there was nothing overly patterned or matchy in an effort to keep the stems more life-like.  I began with the purple poppies and added in a hint of white to lighten les fleurs.

The final creation adorns our living room wall.  I'm happy, but always looking forward to the next creation!

I'm linking up with Your Whims Wednesday at My Girlish Whims and Feature Yourself Friday at Fingerprints on the Fridge and the Weekend Wrapup Party at tatertots & jello today! 

Thought Provoking Thursday

What is one aspect of your life that you never expected to be there?

I NEVER expected to be a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant.

What?  You expected an intense, life-changing answer?

Let's stop for a minute and consider the source.  We are talking about a woman who, prior to becoming a Mary Kay consultant, washed her face with water.  Just water.  And only when she was in the shower.  [Don't I at least get points for knowing that I wasn't supposed to wash my face with soap??]

I didn't wash my face, I didn't use moisturizer (much to Prince Charming's chagrin.  He regularly admonished me for it.), I didn't wear makeup and I surely didn't use supplements.

And then one crazy day, worn down by my mom (who wanted a girls day out), I attended a Mary Kay event.  I was blown away by the way the products made me feel and I knew that I liked them enough to actually take the time to start washing my face and maybe, just maybe, start wearing makeup.  I became a Mary Kay consultant that day.  Craziness, I tell you.

Fast forward fourteen months and I have the clearest, softest skin I've had in 31 years and a fabulous career that I love.  Not only do I love what I do but I get the opportunity to continue to be a stay at home mom to the Monkey while still contributing to our family financially.  In a word? Awesome.

[Shameless plug for my business?  Well, okay.  Since you asked... check out my website here: www.marykay.com/SamZ]

Now it's your turn!  What do you have in your life that you never would have expected?

Source: lanipauli.tumblr.com via Pinterest on Pinterest

5x7 Folded Card

Happy Day Cocoa Father's Day 5x7 folded card

Invitations, announcements and Valentine's Day cards by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

I made all of this year's Father's Day cards on Shutterfly.  It's fun, it's easy and it's personal.  Now, go make your own cards!

It's My Giveaway!

Welcome to The Answers Are Simple!  I'm glad you made your way over from Fairly Fabulous!

The Answers Are Simple is my way of letting off some steam in this crazy life of mine. You'll get a glimpse into my brain and hopefully some laughs, so I hope you'll follow along!

Like Meagan said, I'm an Independent Beauty Consultant with Mary Kay Cosmetics.  What the heck does that mean?  

It means that I teach skin care and color cosmetics.  It means I take the difficulty out of both of those things and help you understand why you should wash your face and what's the best color for you. It means I call you and remind you that it's been three months since you ordered a mascara so it's time to order a new one so that you don't get eye mites (yes, I'm completely serious.).  It means if you don't like a product that you buy or a color that you totally thought you'd love and totally don't, I'll take it back from you and find you a new one at no charge.  

And there's one more thing: I am way more fun than the pushy women at the mall counters and the high school boy with acne at CVS.  

I'm super excited to add to the Birthday Extravaganza Giveaway with two products from the FABULOUS new Mary Kay Limited Edition Weekender Collection.  The Collection includes two nail lacquers plus a clear base/top coat, four eye pencils and two lip pencils.  

I was a little wary of the eye pencils, but I tried one and ~  holy cow ~ amazing!

  A little secret? I'm a do-my-makeup-in-the-car kind of girl (not driving ~ I'm always pulled over in a parking space, but still...).  Let me just tell you that these eye pencils just kicked my eye color up a couple of notches.  I can throw it in my purse and ... voila ... primo eye color! 

Because of my LOVE for the nail lacquers and the eye pencils especially (though the lip pencils are great!), I'd like to give one of each to one lucky reader.  To be that lucky reader, you'll need to sweep back over to Meagan's Fairly Fabulous blog to enter in HER comments.  These are the things you can do to enter:

1. Become a follower of my  Blog.  You won't be disappointed, I promise.
2. Cruise over to my Mary Kay website and tell Meagan your favorite color in the new weekender collection.
3. What's your go-to makeup? Mascara? Powder? Gloss? Foundation?

Are three entries not enough?  You'll get an extra entry for each giveaway if:

1. You have the party button on your blog.
2. You blog, tweet, or facebook about THIS giveaway.

Are you totally wanting a piece of the Weekender Collection right now?  A long time MK lover who doesn't have a consultant?  Interested in giving the NUMBER ONE skin care and color cosmetics company a try?  Send me a message on my Mary Kay website that you found me through Meagan's blog or this post and I'll give you 20% off your first purchase!  Add that to the fact that I always offer free shipping, as well as a gift with $40 purchase, and I just knocked the mall cosmetics off their pedestal.  Give Mary Kay a try ~ you won't be sorry.  

Celebrity Apprentice

Are you watching the Celebrity Apprentice finale?  I am and I'm waiting with baited breath for The Donald's answer.  John Rich or Marlee Matlin?  St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or The Starkey Hearing Foundation?  One of the charities is going to be awarded $250,000 by Trump.  Oh boy, we're only an hour in and this is already good! I can't wait for the winner! 

Have you been over to Meagan's Fairly Fabulous blog for the Birthday Extravaganza Giveaway yet?  

So far she's posted TWELVE giveaways!  Yes, I said TWELVE!!  Craziness, I tell you.

I entered each and every one of them and I hope you're entering, too.  There are so many great things offered and I'd hate for you to miss out on any of them. So, go on over and check it out.  Enter and see what you might win. Want to get really crazy? Tell Meagan that you found her through my blog in one of your comments. : )

It's Almost Thursday!

That's right ... Wednesday comes right before Thursday and Thursday brings with it

Are you excited about the Birthday Party Giveaway Extravaganza that Meagan is having over at Fairly Fabulous?  I am SO excited.  Welcome to all of the new folks joining us today in an effort to be ahead of the game when the giveaways start tomorrow.  I'm happy to have you here at The Answers Are Simple!  

If you haven't gotten over to her page yet, Meagan announced today that there are going to be 19 Fairly Fabulous giveaways over the next week.  Holy cow ~ 19!!  Get on over there now so you can find out how to prepared when the giveaways start tomorrow!

Wordless Wednesday 2

Chillaxin' 

Ooo-wee

Dear Tomorrow,

Please don't suck as badly as today.

XOXO,

Me

I'm Baaaaaack!

Have you missed me?

Well, I'm back and better than ever!  Not only am I back, but I have some pretty spectacular news.  No, not the fact that the Real Housewives of NJ is back on TV (As of tonight.  Yes, I know you're excited.  I am, too.).  My big news is the AMAZING giveaway that I'm a part of this week!  I can't wait to Party Like It's 1999!

So, you're excited, right?  Well hold on to your underpants, you're about to get even more excited; there are other giveaways, too!  Yup, Meagan, the fabulous host of Fairly Fabulous, is hosting an amazing giveaway every day for SEVEN days, starting on Thursday!  Check back every day to see what's on the giveaway block, but more importantly, enter MY giveway!  Enjoy and may the force be with you!