I had already made plans to meet a friend that I hadn't seen all summer at Chick-Fil-A for lunch this afternoon. It was a rainy day and all our other plans had been cancelled for the morning, so I was blissfully scrolling Facebook while the kids were upstairs playing. Suddenly, I came across a big, huge ad that said it was NATIONAL COW APPRECIATION DAY and anyone who wore a cow costume would receive free kids meal or adult entree!!! WHAT THE WHAT?? I texted my friend and asked if she was up for the crazy. We decided, if you can't beat 'em -- join 'em! So with about 45 minutes before we had to leave our house, the girls and I started whipping up some quick cow costumes.

I had just cleaned out my closet yesterday and knew that I had at least 3 white t-shirts sitting in the "Goodwill" pile, so I grabbed those and found one for Joey then handed the girls some Sharpies and let them have at it! I then printed off the "EAT MOR CHIKIN" signs here: and voila! A costume was made... almost.

We needed cow make-up. Enter: ShadowSense by SeneGence. This stuff is absolutely amazing. I've just started using it in the past month or two and I have thrown away all other make-ups-- even my Naked2 palette!! These shadows are a cream to powder formula that actually contain our SenePlex complex, which is a patented anti-aging component that actually helps your skin get younger WHILE you wear the makeup! Its incredible. The ShadowSense is also water resistant and SUPER long wearing!! I knew it would be the perfect medium for our cow faces. It wouldn't get all over the girls clothes or my car/furniture. Here is a quick video I did while I was putting on my makeup.... after you watch it, scroll down to see the finished look!!!


If you're not on my Facebook page, Shey's Beauty Squad, be sure to join us over there. I can't wait to do more fun things like this with our makeup. As I add more colors to my collection, I'm going to start doing some really fun looks along with videos and tutorials!!!

Here's our super quick Cow Appreciation Day dress:

--Mix cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar and egg.  Beat well.  Spread evenly over baked crust.  Bake at 250 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Cool.

I can't believe that another month has flown by!!! I only read 4 books this past month BUT that is because I've been super busy about a new endeavor I've begun.... I joined SeneGence International as an Independent Consultant. Their flagship product is LipSense which is an amazing lip color that lasts up to 18 hours!! It is truly incredible. BUT that's not all-- their other cosmetics stay through EVERYTHING too-- swimming, sweating, sleeping-- everything! If you are interested in any of these products let me know! But... thats not what I'm writing about today. Today it is my April Books!

February Reads

March Reads

The Devil Crept In- After reading a lot of real-life (non fiction), heavy memoirs as of late, I was looking for a mindless mystery. There was a twist in this story that would normally disinterest me, but I found myself sticking it out till the end. It was pretty good!

Help Thanks Wow- I take Anne Lamott with a grain of salt, but for all her kooky thoughts on God (whom she refers to as "she"), this book on what she calls 3 essential prayers, is pretty good. I wouldn't recommend it for a newer Christian who is seeking theological truth (warning: look elsewhere, like the Bible) as some of her doctrine is definitely off, but for a discerning heart it can be encouraging and through provoking.

It Ends With Us- I didn't remember what I was expecting when I started this one, but it was different than I thought it would be. I can't really even tell you what its about because it will ruin the first part of the book! Part love story, part love triangle, part tragedy turn to triumph. This book had me up reading WAY past my bedtime and feeling all the feels.

The Guineveres- This book was on last year's summer reading list (I'm still working on it! Maybe I'll be done by this summer!) and I'm just not getting to read it. It is a novel about a group of friends-- all conveniently name Guinevere, who live in a boarding school/convent. Its their story of teen life, friendship and coming to grips with their own family situations. There is a strong catholic element, which I thought was interesting. Every other chapter had a brief converse about a particular Saint. Its hard to describe the novel, but it was good & interesting, if not a little lofty.

This Life I Live- I fell in love with Joey + Rory after Joey got cancer. I followed her fight and was in awe of Rory's selfless love for his wife. This is the story of the man behind the woman. This book is full of redemption in every sense of the word. Its a story of God's sovereignty and goodness and how He prepared Rory his whole life to love Joey. A true modern love story that is simply amazing. This is one book on a short list that actually made me cry real tears as I read. Stunningly beautiful and well written.

Hillbilly Elegy- How does a redneck hillbilly with kin from Kentucky & no family who has ever graduated high school become a successful Yale-educated lawyer? J.D. Vance expires the nuances of those who live life in the margins... the unrecognized and unacknowledged poor among us. His social commentary is something everyone should read. I HIGHLY recommend this book.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency- This is the first in a series of detective novels about a woman detective in Africa. It is absolutely charming and gives a fascinating glimpse into the daily life of Africans. Its stories are witty in a grown-up Amelia Bedelia meets Nancy Drew kind of way.

So You've Been Publicly Shamed- I LOVED this book. Its a non-fiction book, written by the king of quirky books, Jon Ronson. (His previous works have included "The Psychopath Test" and "Men Who Stare At Goats") It takes a long hard close look at the reviving use of public shaming via social media. He uses real-life stories of those who've been publicly shamed-- most to their lives' extreme detriment-- and explores the when's, where's, why's and how's of how it all happened, and how (sometimes if) they were able to get their lives back together. His conclusion alone was worth reading the whole book. It will stay with me for a long time.


If you were only going to pick two books out of all of these to read, I would suggest Don't Miss It and Sound of Gravel. But since Don't Miss It is like 50 pages long, I'll throw in "So You've Been Publicly Shamed" as another must read. :)

What have you been reading?

HAPPY OSCAR DAY, friends!!!!

I'm typing this while waiting for the Red Carpet arrivals to begin... I can't wait for tonight. This is the first year that I have EVER seen all NINE of the Best Picture Nominees, and almost all the Best Actor, Actress, and Supporting Actor/Actress categories. This year has also probably been the best collection of nominated movies in my most recent memory. That being said, here are my TOP picks to win. I do have to warn you, that on my "official ballot" I didn't vote for what I wanted to win, but for the movie that I thought actually would win. The Academy and I have very differing opinions on what makes an award-worthy movies, and I've learned through the years how to vote so my ballot wins the prize! But here are the movies that I think SHOULD win, plus a recap of what I thought about the rest of them.

BEST PICTURE: LION



Lion was the last movie I saw in theaters and I am SO GLAD I made it to the showing. Sean actually took the girls to see Batman Lego Movie and let me sneak into Lion once they got settled. It was fantastic. I cannot praise this movie enough. Lion is the story of a young Indian boy who loses his home and his family and is adopted by a couple in Australia. Decades later, he begins a life-altering search for his biological family. The only problem is, he is going off of a 5 year old's memory with no real knowledge of where he came from, other than some place in India. He begins to use Google Earth to search for landmarks to help lead him home. The best part of the movie? It is a TRUE. STORY. It is jaw-dropping. The aerial images of earth are breathtaking and the tenacity and fragility of the human spirit is displayed in beautiful balance through all the characters. Friends, I UGLY CRIED at this movie. And not only did I ugly cry, I CRY-SNORTED in the middle of a crowded quiet theatre. The good news was, I was not alone in my sniffles. While some might think this movie would be to sad and heart wrenching, I promise you, you will leave encouraged and with a renewed hope in humanity. (And maybe a little bit of cry headache. But it hurts so good!)

BEST ACTOR: Denzel Washington, Fences

BEST ACTRESS: Natalie Portman

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Viola Davis, Fences

DIRECTING: Hacksaw Ridge

WRITING (ADAPTED): Arrival (though all in this category were fantastic)

WRITING (ORIGINAL): La La Land

So those are the main categories I look for, and what I *hope* will win. But I don't think they all really will. Here are my picks for who I think actually will win:






Now, here are my personal thoughts on the Best Picture nominees:









I hated almost everything about this movie. The acting was great, the scenery was beautiful but the storyline was heartbreaking without a single redeeming property to it. I'm interested in hearing what other people had to say about this movie. Maybe I just don't really like pure tragedies.


*Sigh* I'm not sure what to say about this movie. It was good. Really good. It was painful to watch but told a moving story of one boy's struggle to find his true self. I think that what I got out of this movie is vastly different than what the rest of the world probably gleaned from it, and even probably what the writers were trying to say. I think that the culmination of tragic events led to this boy-man not actually finding his true self, but conforming to that which his circumstances dictated. I think the movie wanted you to feel like the main character finally found his place in the world, but I just left with a sadness, knowing that the depictions of difficult circumstances this boy went through are reality for thousands in our country right now. Well done, but not my favorite.


Alight, there you have it!!! Oscars start in just a few hours!!!!I can't wait!!!

Other Oscar Nom movies I saw were:
Jackie ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Moana⭐⭐⭐⭐
Zootopia ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The White Helmets ⭐⭐⭐
OJ: Made in America ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Life, Animated ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trolls⭐⭐
Deepwater Horizon ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Jungle Book⭐⭐⭐
The Lobster (ok, I turned it off after 15 minutes. But I really tried.) 〇

I must have taken a subconscious cue from the fact that my favorite books of 2016 tended to be in the non-fiction category, because that is almost all that my January reads have consisted of. I've tried to get into a couple of novels, but just haven't been in the mood for them. So while on the surface, my January reads may seem as gloomy as our Indiana skies, they were actually quite enlightening and heartwarming. Just what my vitamin-D deprived self needed.



I fell like this month's books have helped me to gain understanding and appreciation for those around me who are in different circumstances. Tolerance, division, equal rights and societal differences are hot-button issues right now. While I am not one to play into those things, I do think it is important to not be ignorant of the world around me. Reading these books, particularly Homegoing, have helped me to gain a broader world-view. Other books like Lucky and Where The Light Gets In have increased my compassion and the sense that others need grace. I need to be extending grace to those around me, for as the old adage says, "Be kind to one another, for you do not know what battles they are facing" rings true. Above all, love. Love all. Serve all. Seek to find commonalities despite our differences and fight to find the beauty in what is foreign. 

Its the most wonderful time of the year!!!!!! Oscar season!!!!!!! If you know me, you know I love the movies. Regardless of the subject matter, I am gripped by the insane amount of art and talent that goes into crafting an Oscar-worthy film. This year, I am particularly excited because I am super hopeful that I'll be able to watch almost, if not all, of the major nomination categories. Here is a list of where to see the top-nominated movies!