NATURE NURTURES: my MYCHELLE skin regime

I have decided to start a series of posts on living naturally- using things from nature rather than things fabricated by man to nurture our bodies through nutrition and beauty and medicine. Due to some health problems in the last years and finding that natural medicine and products were the only things to help my body heal, I am very passionate about nature's healing abilities. I believe God created our bodies to thrive off of what grows from the ground. I want to share with you the things that have helped my body get back on track in hopes that they'll help some of you.

For the first time in my life I love the skin care line I use. I have been using it for a couple of years and don't see myself finding anything better. I finally feel okay going out in public with no makeup because MyChelle has given me skin I don't have to hide. (And if I happen to want light coverage, my MyChelle foundation is perfect.) MyChelle's products are natural, paraben-free, fragrance-free and made up of mostly fruit and vegetable ingredients. I am all about putting natural things on and in my body and I am confident my skin is soaking up all sorts of goodness with my MyChelle products. It doesn't hurt that most of the products smell yummy because of their ingredients. I love their skin care line so much that anytime the subject of skin care comes up, I have to join in and recommend MyChelle... as I am to you now! The products I use and love daily are:

Fruit Enzyme Scrub: Made up of fruit acids and bamboo and jojoba beads, this fine scrub is gentle enough that I use it daily to clean my pores and remove the grime and dull skin from the day.

The Perfect C Serum: I swear by this stuff. Made of 17% vitamin C, it strengthens collagen and minimizes the signs of aging. It has made my skin tighter, smoother and brighter. I just love it.

Fabulous Eye Cream: This is a thick cream that has smoothed out some of my smiley eye lines. Other eye creams irritate my eyes but this one just nourishes.

Pumpkin Renew Cream: I love anything pumpkin and love being able to slather pumpkin on my face. It smells divine but most of all, the shea butter and organic pumpkin seed oil truly feed my skin. My favorite face cream ever.

I've loved each and every MyChelle product I've used, even those not mentioned. I want to get my hands on one of their masks next. If you want to try their products, check out their trial sets that include sample sizes of most of their products.

How about you? What natural beauty products make you glow?

my new LIVING ROOM

diy via Simply Grove

I am in love with this living room. From the amazing yellow couch to the rug to the chartreuse (one of my favorite color words) table to the dog silhouettes and the pendant lights... it's all perfect. I'm sold. I'll take it. I'll be home between 8am and 10pm tomorrow. You can come by and set it up for me then. Thanks.

i need a WEDDING

I most definitely need an occasion to wear this J. Crew silk chiffon skirt for. C'mon, friends... give me a wedding to go to!

SUNSHINY decor

With the beautiful summer-is-near weather that showed up on my doorstep this past weekend, I am loving this sunshiny house from Hus and Hem. It would be hard to have a gloomy day in such a bright place! And what kid- or adult- wouldn't love a bunkbed or reading nook like that? Hubby and I are inspired to create such a nook in our guest room. The only problem is that we might fight over it. We'll just have to make it big enough for the whole family to snuggle in!

GRANDPA was a stud

1. My grandparents on their wedding day. My grandma was gorgeous, wasn't she?

2. Grandpa and his buddies just hanging out on a roof like any other day.

3. He started smoking a pipe at a young age and did so till the day he died.

4. Grandpa and more friends. It looks straight out of Leave It To Beaver.

My grandpa was a stud. I wish I could travel back in time and meet him as a spry young man, but then I'd run the risk of falling in love with him and messing with the space time continuum and we don't want that now, do we?

i love me some KEDS

Back in the day I thought of Keds as mom shoes, then while I was in college, I found a pair of cute slip-on Keds at a discount store for $10 and snatched them up. I was ecstatic when I found that they were comfortable as comfort and shoes were two words I never used together in a sentence. (I was still trying to find a husband at that point, so comfort had to be sacrificed for beauty..... ironically, it wasn't until I stopped trying to impress and started dressing for fun and comfort that I did find my hubby.) Later that year I found another pair of Keds at the same discount store and bought them immediately. To this day, my Keds are some of my favorite shoes and I haven't paid more than $12 for a pair... not because I refuse to, but because I keep finding them at discount stores. Well, the day I may end up paying full price is drawing near because Keds has come out with some pretty fabulous summer styles and colors and I want to get my hands on them... or rather my feet in them... before they are discontinued. Cute, comfortable shoes cannot be denied access to my feet.