Archives for February 2016

What We Can Learn From Leonardo DiCaprio

February 29, 2016 By Sarah Fader

On February 28, 2016 Leonardo DiCaprio won the Oscar. After years of being turned down, Leo kept on and did not lose hope. Actually, I can’t claim that he didn’t lose faith.

Nomination upon nomination he was rejected. We don’t know what he was experiencing on the inside. Perhaps it was frustrating and devastating to him to not win the Oscar. Despite these feelings he was then nominated again. And he won.

We have all been through trying times. As human beings we have been hurt, rejected, tossed to the side and even demeaned. I know I have been all of these things. Yet I kept persevering. Rejection email after rejection email I was convinced that I would never publish a book. Today I stand before you having published four books. Two of my books are on sale at Barnes & Noble.

I would never have dreamed of this seven years ago.

We have all been where Leonardo DiCaprio has been. We have all experienced rejection on a profound level. It is our duty as human beings to fall on our faces. Without being tossed aside, we would not appreciate success.

Success is something that is earned. You appreciate being able to achieve your goals when you have fallen in the proverbial mud one too many times.

I know I do.

It was a pleasure watching Leo take his Academy award with a big smile.

We are all Leonardo DiCaprio.
We are all humans who fail and pick ourselves back up and kick some ass.

So go out there and succeed.

Forgotten Music

February 14, 2016 By Sarah Fader

My best friend is a lyrics person. I am a music person. I feel the beat, the soul, the rhythm of music. I forgot how much I loved Linkin Park. Today I remembered and I pulled up Meteora on Spotify and started to feel things that I forgot existed. The music awakened in me emotions that were laying dormant until I felt the beat. I can feel the raw pain in my chest cavity; it wants to release through words. That’s why I don’t hear them words because I am writing them.

Sharp

February 13, 2016 By Sarah Fader

I open the door and a cool breeze blows in

hard

fast

sharp

tiny icicles hit my face quickly with great force

I breathe

in but I can’t see

I hold my arm up to defend myself

against the war raging outside

and it’s just not enough

none of it is ever going to be enough

I know what I need to do

with one foot I step into the storm because it will

never

ever

stop

and I bravely step one boot after the next and force my body through it

and I know you said

I can’t remember because I told you I would forget

promised that I would (in fact) because you didn’t want to share yourself with me

and I made it possible

to for you to open like budding flower but you chose to close yourself off and I listened

and so my only choice is to walk alone through this ice

the wreckage of what used to be

and never was.

Staying Ahead with Anti-Aging Procedures

February 10, 2016 By Sarah Fader

Staying Ahead with Anti-Aging Procedures

Just about everyone has skin problems as they get older. If you are finding yourself starting to develop a few wrinkles or fine lines, it’s time to look into anti-aging treatments. You can’t avoid getting older, and you can’t avoid wrinkles and sagging skin either. But you can stay ahead of them a bit by using certain anti-aging procedures.

Simple Ways to Protect Your Skin
First, you should start by protecting your skin on a daily basis. There are some easy ways to do that, including using the right cleansers, exfoliants, and sunscreens. You can also use a cream or lotion that is specifically designed to correct minor wrinkles or prevent new ones from popping up. Usually such creams contain retinoids, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. There are even some prescription creams and lotions available for tougher skin problems.

Having Clinical Skincare Procedures Done for Skin Health
No matter how hard you work on your daily skincare routine, you might find that you need to seek anti-aging help at your local clinic or spa. If that’s the case, you have several options. One of them is to have your top layer of skin removed with a chemical peel or microdermabrasion. The idea is that the layer underneath has more live cells and should look healthier. While that can correct minor damage, it might not get rid of deeper wrinkles, even after multiple appointments.

If your skin problems run a bit deeper, you can try treating them with medical lasers. Another option is to use Intense Pulsed Light Therapy. Alternatively, you could try soundwave treatment or micro-needling. It all depends on how complex your skin is.

Why Different Skincare Methods Work on Different People
You see, not everyone’s skin responds the same way to the same procedure. Your results are going to be strongly influenced in either a positive or negative way based on the consistency and color of your skin, as well as what types of skin problems you have. For example, those who are prone to outbreaks of acne may experience bad results from anything that irritates the top layer of their skin.

Along those same lines, certain laser treatments can be perfect for treating some issues, but they can aggravate others. For instance, the more oily your skin is, the more likely you are to have blisters after a laser treatment. That’s because the lasers heat up the skin on purpose to get the body to repair the cells naturally on its own. That’s great for treating wrinkles, but it can be horrible for those with oil glands that are larger or more active, which are usually people with darker skin.

The best way to stay ahead with anti-aging procedures is to discuss your treatment plan with a professional who can assess all of your skin issues at once. You also need to be willing to adapt as time passes. Methods that work for you now may not always continue to work, through no fault of your own. Skin just continues to change with age and exposure to various elements. Your skincare professional can help you to adjust your skincare treatment plan, as needed.

*Full disclosure - This was a sponsored post.

For Cat Month - Francesca by Drew Sheldon

February 8, 2016 By Sarah Fader

I met her on a Monday

I met her on a Monday, and she didn’t have a name. She was only referred to as “Blue-Eyed Baby”. Soon, despite my objections to having a pet, she would be my blue-eyed baby.

It was my first night volunteering at the cat rescue shelter. My ex-girlfriend had invited me to give it a try. It sounded like it might be fun, so I figured I’d give it a shot. I’ve always been an animal lover but never had a pet as an adult. Living situations and military service had always gotten in the way. Besides that, I didn’t want responsibility or to deal with an animal dying on me. I’d dealt with so much loss during my military career, including both my parents. I was wanting to avoid grief as much as I could, and the easiest way is not to get attached in the first place.

Normally, my ex-girlfriend cleaned the Kitten Room, but extra help earlier in the day shifted duties around. She and I would be cleaning Quarantine that night. They had just taken in a number of cats from a local animal control facility, so it was quite a full house. A lot of them were very cute and playful, but I had prepared myself ahead of time. I steeled my heart. I wasn’t going to fall for any of them.

I didn’t pay much attention to this “Blue-Eyed Baby” at first. The pair of brothers above her were wild and distracting. She was hiding back in her cage, shy and scared. She was estimated to be four months old, so tiny and scared. She weighed about four pounds, a beautiful flame-point Siamese mix, mostly white with little reddish accents. Her eyes were a sweet blue. When I took her out to clean her cage, she snuggled up to me for a while and purred. Eventually she climbed up on my shoulders and then bounced around the room. She was so sweet and adorable. It was hard for me to put her back.

As we cleaned the rest of the cages, she kept pawing at me anytime I got near hers. This shy little creature had clearly become attached to me. When we were done, I took her back out for another visit. She was so small that she almost fit entirely in the palm of my hand. I had been feeling my heart melting throughout the night. She spoke to my paternal instincts. She clearly wanted me to take her home, protect her, care for her, love her. My resolve was crumbling.

My whole plan was to enjoy these kitties and appreciate the fact that I didn’t have to take care of one myself. But there I was, asking about taking her home that night. I was informed that health concerns alone would make that impossible, not to mention the adoption paperwork. I thought of smuggling her out, but I decided to be an adult about it. (It also would’ve been next to impossible. People would’ve noticed, and I had gotten a ride to the shelter that night.) The next day, though, I made sure everyone knew that I was adopting her.

My next big question was her name. Her beautiful blue eyes made me think of my mom’s favorite singer, “Old Blue Eyes” Frank Sinatra. My mom hated cats. I had wanted one as a child, but that was never going to happen. We had a couple dogs instead. So that ensured I’d have to name my little kitty after her man Frank. Being the beautiful girl she is, I knew she needed something quite feminine, and I chose Italian female equivalent of his Mr. Sinatra’s full name Francis. And so she was dubbed Francesca.

It took another month before she came home. She still had to be spayed and caught a little cold at the shelter that required antibiotics. Another week of paperwork issues almost drove me crazy. I had my house well-prepared for her. She had tons of new toys to play with. I was beginning to worry she wouldn’t make it home by Christmas, but then I got the call. Just a couple days before my mom’s favorite holiday, Francesca made the big trip across town and took possession of my house. A little over two years later, she continues to let me live there.

Drew Sheldon is a disabled veteran, blogger, and writer-in-progress. Raised by a single mother who hated cats, he is now the single father of a feline she probably would’ve adored. Constantly curious, he blogs about his journey to understand the rest of the world at www.swmseeks.wordpress.com

Win a bracelet supporting mental health from KNot Cause @EWBkNotCause

February 3, 2016 By Sarah Fader

I was on Twitter one day when a company reached out to me. Their name was KNot Cause and they told me they created bracelets that supported mental health as well as bullying, cancer awareness and Multiple Sclerosis. Immediately, I was intrigued and I asked them if I could see a sample. So they shipped me a few bracelets. I have to tell you I was completely and utterly in love.

The company was created by Diane and her husband.

In 2009, 12 of Diane’s friends were diagnosed with Breast Cancer. It was devastating and she wanted to help them in some way. She felt powerless and despondent. A few years later, Diane was diagnosed with melanoma. It was truly a shock since she had been careful to wear sunscreen her whole life. After her experience having a life-threatening disease, Diane felt compelled to do something to help others. That’s when she and her husband came up with the idea for KNot Cause.

Diane says:

“BY WEARING THE KNOT, YOU ARE WRAPPING YOURSELF AROUND THE CAUSE AND IDEA THAT WE HAVE THE POWER TO ENTWINE OUR EFFORTS TO WORK TOGETHER TOWARDS ONE GOAL. ”

Diane believes in giving back.

“THE SIMPLE TRUTH

KNOTCAUSE IS NOT A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION WE ARE FOR-PROFIT COMPANY THAT WANTS TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND WE WANT BE UPFRONT AND TRANSPARENT. WHETHER LOCAL OR ON NATIONAL LEVEL, $5 IS EXACTLY WHAT WILL BE DONATED WHEN YOU PURCHASE A KNOTCAUSE BRACELET. WE DON’T CONFUSE ANYONE BY SAYING “A PORTION OF PROCEEDS” WILL GO TOWARDS A DONATION. YOU CAN BE ASSURED IT WAS GIVEN ON YOUR BEHALF.”

Now it’s your turn! You have a chance to win a KNot cause bracelet. Enter below!

*Full disclosure -KNot Cause sent me a bracelet in exchange for an honest review.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

839 reasons YOU are buying the wrong lettuce

February 1, 2016 By Sarah Fader

The lettuce is bruised.
It’s the wrong kind of lettuce - Romaine instead of iceberg.
You bought cabbage and thought it was lettuce because you are a moron.
The lettuce expired.
It wasn’t lettuce, it was green yogurt. You thought wrong.
It was a lettuce robot dressed like lettuce.
The lettuce was actually a robot.
You thought the label read “organic lettuce” but instead it just said “lettuce.”
You bought the lettuce thinking it was a good source of vitamin C, because it is. But then when you took it home and opened it you had no desire to eat it, because it was lettuce and not cake.
The lettuce gave you a dirty look as soon as you left the supermarket.
It wasn’t lettuce at all, but rather your ex-boyfriend. He was bad in bed too.
You bought the lettuce because it seemed like a good idea and it was sitting so nicely next to the broccoli. But the truth is, you don’t like lettuce or broccoli that much. But your doctor said to eat more vegetables.
You saw a commercial for lettuce and felt compelled to buy it. But once you got to the cash register, the cashier was actually an evil super villain whose power was to shoot lettuce lazar beams from her eyes.
Your friend Veronica told you that there was a new religion where people only worshipped lettuce, and she suggested you buy some. So you did. But then when you got to her house, she told you that she was playing a joke on you because you are extremely guidable and devoid of spirituality.
Lettuce was purchased by you because it has a lot of fiber. But you have irritable bowel syndrome and sometimes you over do it with the fiber.
You had a dream about lettuce so you went out to buy it because you thought it was a premonition. It turns out that all you have is this head of lettuce.
Healthy people eat a lot of salad. You wanted to be healthy so you bought lettuce. But you also don’t exercise. So oh well.
Your cat looks like lettuce and you wanted to get her a friend.