Here for some puppy cuteness? Meet Olive and Bernadette.

We love our woolly bullies...even when they flooded our house!

The Secret to Soft Summer Feet

I hate shoes.

There, I said it.

To all you strappy sandal gals and stiletto doo-dad fans, I just don't get the shoe obsession. Sure, there are some cute pairs out there, but really, what's better than the comfort of simply going barefoot?

Nothing. Right now, while you're reading this, stretch out and wiggle your toes. Aaaaah.

I work at a dental office and the first thing I do when the last patient leaves is kick off my heels. Of course, there is a downside to all this gallivanting around with naked feet.

You know, apart from the occasional stray piece of used dental floss that makes its way between your bare toes.

KIDDING! We're a sparkly clean pediatric dental office. Really.

Nothing like a little black carpet to make pasty legs seem even whiter.
Look away, everyone, before you're blinded! 

And, please, do ignore all those bits and specks you see all over the carpet. I really was kidding about the dental floss. I promise.

Galavanting around barefoot can leave your feet looking and feeling slightly short of polished.

Photo borrowed from my Spring Cleaning post. Lovely, right?

When Dove sent me their new VisibleCare Body Wash, I hoped it would live up to all the promising things I'd heard.

Looks like any other body wash, right?

But, it's different.

You saw the yucky feet photos above. I was thrilled to see this!

I faithfully used the Dove VisibleCare Softening Body Wash daily, focusing especially on my feet. I even left it on extra long - applying the body wash to my feet first, then taking care of everything else like conditioning my hair and shaving my legs. I like to think that this gave Dove extra time to work its magic.

Creamery. Ooooh.

TMI?

Alternate photo caption: My brother would never have loaned me his expensive Canon DSLR lens if he'd known I was going to bring it in the shower! He doesn't read my blog though.

Really, how do you review a body wash and not take a photo in the shower? You have to show that you actually did try the product, don't cha' think? At least the drain isn't full of hair.

After a week of using the Dove VisibleCare Softening Body Wash, my feet did seem to be more smooth. I have been using it as my go-to body wash for almost a month now and LOVE it. Even my heels have softened up.

Here I am at a wedding we attended recently. Do my feet look so silky and pretty? I suppose it's hard to tell from a photo, plus I'd been romping around in the dirt all day. Fancy wedding sandals be darned!

Although I'm not quite ready to stop harassing my husband for foot rubs, (sorry, Sexy Nerd) I do think Dove VisibleCare Softening Body Wash is a worthy addition to my daily beauty routine. Really, why wouldn't I use it? I'm going to use body wash every day anyway, so I might as well use one that leaves me visibly softer from neck to toe. Plus, it comes in a huge bottle with enough body wash to last you forever so you really get your money's worth. I'll definitely be buying it again in the future!

You didn't really think I would end this post without some mention of the price, did you? I love a deal!

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Moderna VS Pfizer: All You Can Do Is Laugh

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I received my second COVID vaccine on January 25th. It went much better than my first dose . ( Read all about it here. ) In New Mexico, we were randomly assigned a vaccination site with no input on which brand vaccine we were receiving. After being vaccinated the first time, it was revealed that I'd received the Pfizer.  It's not a big deal - I'd happily sign up for either brand just to get closer to a post-COVID world. (Come to think of it, that's exactly what I did.) Still, it seems I lucked out by receiving the Pfizer.  Moderna VS Pfizer This is just anecdotal evidence, so feel free to roll your eyes at me, but everyone I know who received the Pfizer vaccine has been perfectly fine after both doses and everyone I know who received the Moderna vaccine has gotten sick after one of the doses.  It's merely anecdotal...except I'm in the healthcare field, so I'm basing this on lots of people, including dentists and pharmacists. I follow a professional message b
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This article has been updated! My new chemical peel post, which includes pricing, Jessner peel before and after photos, product recommendations, and a helpful timeline for scheduling your treatments, is at the bottom. My original Jessner peel post (one of the most popular on my site of all time) is at the beginning. I still highly recommend a Jessner peel or TCA chemical peel every 6-8 weeks, though now I save a fortune by doing my own at home. In this article, you'll find everything you need, including a helpful Jessner peel timeline, post-treatment care, and the best products to maximize your results, whether you're going the professional or DIY route. Perhaps I should have arranged these  Jessner peel before and after  photos differently. It looks like I'm having a Microsoft Teams meeting with myself. Also, do you see the gray hair in my larger photo? OMG. Chemical Peel Before & After Since posting my chemical peel photos, detailing the stages of the process,
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You're in for a treat. Today I'm sharing my best canned cinnamon roll hacks and improvements for turning store-bought cinnamon rolls, like the Pillsbury Grands ones or even the store brand, into something special.  Dry cinnamon rolls? No thank you. They need to be OOEY and GOOEY. That's just Cinnamon Roll 101. All of these ideas make Pillsbury canned cinnamon rolls company-worthy and delicious. These are also great for taking homemade cinnamon rolls up a notch, but what a pain that is. With these better-than-homemade canned cinnamon roll hacks, you'll never bother to bake them from scratch again. Test out some of these ideas tomorrow. Won't it be nice to dig into a mouthwatering cinnamon roll for breakfast? You can't get a better start to your day than that. Canned Cinnamon Roll Hacks Hack #1:  Always cover your pan. For some reason, the directions almost never say to bake your cinnamon rolls covered. This is the secret to soft, doughy rolls like at C
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When making Cake Mix pancakes , the scrumptious possibilities are endless. Red Velvet cake mix pancakes. Chocolate cake mix pancakes. Butter Pecan cake mix pancakes. Funfetti cake mix pancakes. (Yes, Funfetti cake mix pancakes!) With this 2-ingredient recipe, you can turn your favorite cake mix into your favorite pancakes. Cake Mix Pancakes Personally, I think my funny napkin is the icing on the (pan)cake. It's Sunday morning and you're planning to do all the things today - scrub those grody baseboards, polish your quartz countertop that was supposed to be low maintenance but actually isn't at all, sort through the disaster that is the freezer.  While on your superhuman kick, you think I'm going to make my family pancakes for breakfast. Not just any pancakes - the best pancakes ever. I may even serve them as breakfast in bed! Yeah, you're awesome sauce.  But oh no! You're out of eggs. No pancakes today, right? I was once like you (minus
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Hello Fresh (Complaints)

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*Update on 4/21/11* This giveaway is CLOSED ! Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter! I have a funny  Shabby Apple dress  story, plus photos of my all-time favorite Shabby Apple dress , the Baja (worn in the snow - I was freezing!). Thanks to everyone who voted for their favorite Shabby Apple dress! The results are clear - you love all the dresses, (no surprise there) but there's one in particular that makes your heart skip a beat.  Behold the ruffled, rusty-orange Cider: Cute, cute, cute! Haven't heard of them? Shabby Apple sells super-cute (obviously) women's dresses and little girls dresses. They even sell swimsuits and maternity dresses! There are a lot of things I like about the Shabby Apple website, most notably their Helping Women Worldwide page, which explains that "every $100 donation from Shabby Apple Dresses provides at least 20 women with access to financial services - and the chance to live a life without poverty." Not too shab
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We've finally broken ground on our dream home ! Can you believe it? (You can follow our construction progress here , along with lots of construction drama - the neighbors building their fence on our property, discovering we'd placed our house on a bunch of expensive rocks, our concrete footings being destroyed by a freak hail storm, etc.) Even more surprising than finally building the house we've dreamed of for years, we actually managed to work a good chunk of our ridiculous wish list into the actual design. *Update* Construction is finished! It took longer than expected and cost more too (that's how construction works, right?), but we are finally living in our mountain dream home and it's even better than I'd hoped! Here is a photo of our new kitchen and living room.  Our Dream Home Believe it or not, our budget was meager. Really! My husband built the coffee table from an olive trunk and did the thin brick backsplash himself. Eventually, he's
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Link Up/Blog Hop - Share Your Links!

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Still no news about Omaha . Phooey! How's the weather where you are? I hear we made the national news here in Albuquerque for being so stinking hot. It actually didn't seem that bad to me, but to be fair, I've been spending my days with my good friend, Mr. Air Conditioner. Have a great weekend, everyone!
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There are many reasons to attend a blogging event like Camp Blogaway and many people would argue that the swag bag is not one of them. To these fuddy duddies, I give an enthusiastic "CHECK OUT MY SWAG!!"  Hey, I didn't wear pajamas 2 nights in a row for nothing. Let's begin with the Camp Blogaway swag successes: Spuddy Buddy! There was actually a trivia contest at camp where I could have won a life-sized Spuddy Buddy from the Idaho Potato Commission. I just don't know enough potato facts. Also, a 6 foot tall Spuddy Buddy sounds slightly creepy. I would have insisted on it sleeping in our bedroom just to mess with Sexy Nerd. The California Avocado Commission was also present. The insulated shopping bag, the high-quality avocado slicer, and, of course, the avocados - I loved everything about this! And the avocados led to a yummy new recipe, Avocado and Egg Salad . Whoever came up with this swag idea at Wilton was really thinking. It's everythi
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10 Most Popular Home Posts  If you only read 10 interior design posts on my site, make it these: 1.  Stucco, Tile, and Maybe a Roof. Oh, and a Tractor! 2. Luxury Home Tour in Santa Fe, NM 3. Party Ideas from Your Antisocial Hostess With the Mostest 4. Kitchen and Dining Room Remodel - Before & After 5. 3 Bathroom Styles, 1 House 6. 6 Ways to Get Luxury Lighting on a Budget 7. Our $5,000 Master Bathroom Remodel 8. The Great Wallpaper Mural (In)Decision 9. 15 Decorating Ideas from the Summit County Parade of Homes 10.  Hilariously Bad Real Estate Photos - What NOT To Do When Selling Your House Decorating Ideas From Our New Home We love living in the New Mexico mountains. 1. White Kitchen with Brick Backsplash 2. Fun Powder Room in Spring 3. Rustic Holiday Decor 4. Kitchen with White Cabinets and Red Brick 5. Hallway Bathroom Reveal - Reclaimed Alligator Juniper Vanity 6. Overbudget? LOL 7. 3 Bathroom Styles, 1 House  (Rustic, Spa, and Glamorous)
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