Sharing is Caring.

Writing can at times be therapeutic to me... Like now for instance, it's exactly 2:30am and I don't think I'll be shutting my eyes any time soon - as much as I'd like to. 
 It's times like these that I remember my 'calma' music playlist. A very random mix of songs that just calm my energy, just what I need. Now playing: Stickwitu ~ Pussycat Dolls, hahaha. Never was much a fan of them, but this song has always been a favorite. 
 I'd love to be able to share and connect with all who are out there more, be it youtube, twitter, this blog.. I don't need a 'fanbase' or any popularity status from it, but just knowing that I could positively instruct, encourage, help strengthen and support others, just connect with others, that's what I want this all to grow into. A positive place to visit when you're feeling down, or can't sleep ;) Help me turn this dream into a reality? I think it's crazy important we never forget our dreams and desires, what makes you want to live life to the fullest? 


I send love, hugs, blessings and hope your way (a goodnight's sleep, too!) 
 :)
~ Sara 

Be who you're made to be.

(As a Christian) 
 Just because we believe our destiny 
isn't of this world, does not mean our time is just for passing by and not enjoying it. 
We have dreams placed in our hearts for reasons. We were made to enjoy what is around us. Let us not take for granted what we're capable of here, now.


 Go out today and move forward on your dreams, be it music/entertainment, teaching/leading, entrepreneurship or encouragement of others, whatever God has placed in you heart. 
 
 Don't waste what you were made to do, who you are made to be.


 We are who we are for a reason, and no one does you - better than you.


Love & encouragement to you all,
Sara :)

Looking forward to some savings!

One of my favorite types of videos on YouTube is those of 'extreme coupon-ing' (so to speak). Not so much like that tv show - but more of a realistic approach to how useful coupons can be! Some of my favorite gurus for this are DealLovingDiva and GlamLifeGuru. Both wonderful and beautiful ladies who continue to impress and inspire me with their mad coupon skills! I'm so excited to return to the states and start my own couponing adventures, blog posts and videos included!

Any money saving tips you love, or gurus you follow? Let me know in the comments!

Links to my favorite money saving beauty gurus' channels:
(funny how their user names are so similar!)


DealLovingDiva - http://www.youtube.com/user/DealLovingDiva
GlamLifeGuru - http://www.youtube.com/user/GlamLifeGuru




Happy savings ;)
Thank you for reading and hope you have a truly wonderful day,
Sara

Do you ever have those kind of days when you just need to take a break from 'life' and have more fun with makeup than a normal day? Somedays for me, it's a darker smudged liner to go with a slightly put-off mood. 

Any way that you change up your makeup depending on the day/mood? Tell me in the comments below, I'd love to hear it. 

I try not to 'encourage' any downer mood of mine, or anyone's, but I don't believe in living a facade, that is - a false front. We always have the choice. Choose to be happy or choose to surrender negativity just because we woke on the wrong side of the bed, are letting things in life drag us down. 

Or, 

we can choose to take control of how we feel, kick those bad moods in their rear-ends and out the door!

Sure, I love 'wallowing' and doing a bit more dramatic look with my make up. But by the time I've done up my eyes as such, I look at myself in the mirror and am able to laugh at my own reflection. I started from a bad place and spent that extra time with some 'makeup therapy' getting out my anger in my makeup, and now it's time to move forward - I kinda feel like a rebel. Got my smokey eyes and a kick-butt attitude to match, but that doesn't mean I have to still be in a negative place.  

The day is mine, ours, YOURS to conquer. 

Go make the best of it. 

~ Sara

Moisturizing scrub-love!

My skin and I had quite a fight in October and it decided to peel like none other! I needed an abrasive scrub that WOULDN'T contribute to the massive dryness, and fast! No better solution than one I didn't have to buy, took about 10 seconds for me to make and was natural!
What I'm talking about is the ever simple and classic olive oil and sugar scrub. 


What makes it so great? 
The vitamin E in olive oil is an antioxidant, it's super moisturizing and from nature! I suggest using (cold pressed) extra-virgin olive oil for the most benefits. The sugar (I simply used normal white refined granulated sugar) works as a fairly abrasive exfoliant to slosh off those dead skin cells, but without being overly harsh. 


**How to make your own scrub** 

I always make enough for one use and still have enough to scrub my face and hands with just this!

*1 teaspoon granulated sugar

*1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Combine in a small bowl.  -- and that's it! (picture below shown before I mixed them)

To use: I like to use this in the shower, as my last task, allowing the steam to really open up my pores beforehand. 

Simply apply and scrub, the sugar tends to melt into the oil as you scrub, so when the sugar's gone, you're done! I do believe it's best to cleanse your skin afterwards, especially oily or acne prone skin types. 


I hope you try this out for yourself and find it helpful!
Join&follow this blog for many more informational posts to come :D

Thank you so much for reading,

Sara

*twitter* let's chat! http://twitter.com/#!/HappyHeart907


youtube fanatics unite!  http://www.youtube.com/happyheart907

Sore throat?! :(

   Nothing like waking up to your alarm, feeling achy, with a sore throat! Needless to say, that alarm was turned off and I slept another three hours. Haha. Now I'll admit, I'm very blessed in my life right now, to have a very relaxed schedule and not many time consuming responsibilities (hello, YouTube!). So first off, I was able to get a lil' extra sleep which is always good when you're feeling under the weather - but I know that's not always possible for everyone. Regardless, I'm here to share my favorite, most effective, convenient and healthy ways to treat a sore throat/help when you're feeling under the weather.


   ((Before I start though, I must remind you that I'm not a doctor, these are just general health tips. But I do have a huge interest in healthcare and will only write about what I know to be true and about which I have put forth substantial research (via the internet - ehow and webmd). ))


*Water!
This is for your daily life, not just when you're feeling sick!

 Drink. Plenty. Of. Water.  

Water keeps every part of your body working properly. It helps to boost your immune system, and flush the junk (toxins and waste products) out of your body! It helps to regulate your body temperature, helps keep your joints and muscles lubricated, gosh darnit - water is just fantastic for us and you should drink at least 8 glasses per day, depending on many factors it could easily be more your body needs. When feeling sluggish, under the weather, just 'bleh', it's especially important to keep hydrated!  




*Gargling with (warm) salt water. 
If you're not familiar with this, it's an (albeit slightly odd) awesome way to help heal/sooth a sore throat!

How to: *sprinkle salt - preferably sea salt - into normal drinking glass (get that water salty!)  

* fill with enough for a few mouthfuls (1/3 to 1/2 a glass) of warm water  

*Use this to gargle! Should have enough here for a few times.

 (if you don't know what I mean with 'gargle' - google how! ;) )
Why and how does this help? Well there are a few theories to how&why it works - but if you ask me, theory or not, I know this works GREAT for me! 

   We won't go too far into the science behind it (It's basically the process of osmosis - ehow.com has a 
great article on salt water gargling.)


1) Salt water essentially dehydrates the bacteria that's causing the sore throat.

2) Salt water is helping to heal with the swelling that's causing the soreness. 


Over all - the warmth from the water will help to sooth a sore throat, and one way or another the salt helps with the healing process. 

Something to remember is that gargling one time is not effective, must be repeated throughout the day(s). It is not a successful treatment in and of itself, but with proper hydration and vitamins - these form a very effective solution.  

   I personally gargle every few hours when my throat is sore, eat as many oranges as I can handle and just keep drinking water all throughout the day - and let me tell you, I was over that sore throat in 2 short days! 




*Oranges? Vitamins! 
   - Vitamins help the body to function properly and add a boost to fighting illnesses.

Now, I won't go into depth about dosing amounts and exactly how different vitamins work in the    body, simply because I don't have sufficient knowledge about that yet! But what I will tell you is:

*Vitamin C (I'm sure you're familiar with this when cold season comes around!) helps to boost your immune system, which produces the disease fighting anti-bodies we need! You can get your vitamin C in supplements (which I try to take daily, but especially when I'm feeling under the weather or it's cold season) and also in your diet - think oranges, classic right :), but also grapefruit, raw red pepper, mango, kiwi and broccoli are great natural sources.  

*Vitamin A helps stimulate productivity and activity of while blood cells, helping to regulate the immune system. It's also great for your eyesight and healthy skin! Some foods that contain Vitamin A include sweet potatoes, carrots, cantaloupes, lemons, bananas, liver, eggs, mozzarella cheese, mangoes, spinach, dried apricots and milk. 

*Vitamin D is also very important - but I'm going to just direct you to an article instead of trying my own words!

Read more: How to Get Enough Vitamin D | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2160026_enough-vitamin-d.html#ixzz1cTeQ6GpG

Over all, I would suggest really incorporating these types of foods into your diet as a safe starter plan.

*Give SUGAR a break! 

Basically sugar is an immune suppressant. Since we need our immune system to be on it's best behavior when sickness is around, it's smart to stay away from large amounts of sugar. Refined sugar is worse, although natural sugar found in some foods can have the same effect. My advice? Limit the amount of sweet-processed food when you're feeling less than healthy. Try sugarless juices or for us coffee drinkers, stay away from those sweet lattes for a bit. (Sorry!) 

*Beat that mucus monster! 

 Let's face it - phlegm is NASTY. Do your best to stay away from dairy products, meat and soy in order to not increase the ever annoying mucus. 

*Drink up - tea!

Depending on the type of tea of course, but the heat from a nice mug of hot tea can help loosen up phlegm, and simply be a soothing experience. Green tea is full of antioxidants, lemon, ginger, and honey (especially good for soothing sore throats!) all have many health attributes - brew yourself a mug of your favorite kind!

I hope you are able to find this article informative and helpful! 

Thank you SO much for reading - don't forget to join this site&FOLLOW my blog (check upper right corner of my blog!) for more posts!

~Sara

Twitter - let's chat! http://twitter.com/#!/HappyHeart907

youtube! http://www.youtube.com/user/HappyHeart907?feature=mhee

First steps.

   I've seen a good handful of 'Starting a YouTube Channel: Advice' videos, and the reoccurring tip was absolutely: Posting your first video is the hardest step!
   Well, now that I've completed that step - I suppose I'm free to move forward, hello Twitter&blogspot! Haha. And so, I just wanted to post a lil' welcome post. (WELCOME to my blog!) I'm so very glad you're here!
   I want to really make this blog my own, with the elements of beauty/health/fashion of course, but incorporating my hobby of photography and my desire to encourage others in their daily lives.
   So if that sounds like something you could get into, please go ahead and 'follow' this blog! I'd love to interact with you, here!
   As always, thank you for spending a few minutes to check out my humble lil' blog, I wish I could give you each a 'thank you' hug!

   Hoping you have a wonderful day,
Sara :)