Your face is dirty.

Micellar water. 

I've written about it before, but I'm about to write about it again. 

Why? Because it's a magical tonic? 

Yes. 

Everybody, by this point in life, probably has a face wash to which they are loyal. I have been married to a few face washes in my lifetime: Aveeno Exfoliating Scrub, Clean and Clear Exfoliating Scrub, and Aveeno Foaming Cleanser. 

But nothing, nothing, nothing compares to my micellar water. Because micellar water is my face wash AND my moisturizer. 

(Especially since I found out that microbeads are about to be outlawed because of the way they slip through shower drains, don't dissolve, and kill the fish!)

Micellar water is the simplest cleanser out there, and, in my opinion, the healthiest for your face. The science behind it is really easy to understand. Micelles, which are just molecules of oil, attract impurities like dirt and makeup.

When you sweep a cotton round soaked with micellar water across your face, it's basically the skincare equivalent of a Swiffer: all those things you don't want? Sucked like a magnet onto the round.

In addition to cleansing your skin of all the stuff you don't want on it, it's also depositing healthy oil onto your skin, which is great for keeping your face young-looking. Normal cleansers strip your skin of makeup, but they also strip your skin of healthy oils, creating dryness and tightness. 

The thing that sold me on micellar water was exactly what I'm about to show you, because it really is such an easy-to-grasp example of exactly how micellar water is more effective than other cleansers. 

When I put on a full face of "everyday" makeup, I use: 

• Moisturizer mixed with foundation
• Under-eye concealer 
• Bone-colored eyeshadow on my brow bone
• Sand-colored eyeshadow in the crease of my eyelids
• Liquid eyeliner on my top lids
• Mascara on my top lashes 
• Darker brown eyeshadow to fill in my brows
• Brow gel 
• Blush 
• Some kind of lip color 
• Loose powder 

...that sounds like a lot when I type it all out. Yikes. 

Anyway, so for this experiment, I put on all of that makeup. I washed my face with Aveeno Foaming cleanser, then thoroughly removed my eye makeup with Neutrogena Oil Free Eye Makeup Remover. 

Just so you can see that I've taken all my makeup off, I took a (really unfortunate) makeup-free bathroom selfie. You're welcome. 

Hi. 

Right. 

Then, I soaked a cotton round in Caudalie Micellar Cleansing Water.  (The bold text there is a link if you'd like to purchase some yourself!) 

This is what was removed AFTER I washed my face and took my eye makeup off (I included a clean round for comparison): 

I thought, "I wonder if there's anything else left..." 

So I repeated the experiment and the second picture includes the SECOND round that collected makeup and dirt. 

It's mind-boggling, honestly. Despite my face appearing to me squeaky-clean after washing, I still had enough junk on my skin to fill up one and a half cotton rounds. Ew. 

The best part about this process? You just watched the entirety of it. Sweeping your face with cotton rounds = done. That's the whole thing. 

You never wash your face with water. You just sweet micellar water over your skin twice a day (morning and night). Your face never gets dry - it just keeps getting better. 

I use a homemade mask (coffee grounds, greek yogurt, lemon juice, and honey) once a week to exfoliate. Otherwise, it's all micellar water, all the time. 

If you need more convincing (because I would - I like second opinions), read about it here and here. If you don't need more convincing, go buy you some daggum micellar water and prepare to be amazed. 

Nonnie's Oatmeal Chocolate Cookies

Because sometimes, cookies are just the ticket. 

This is not your average oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.

As you can see from the picture above, they're crunchy - brittle, almost - which makes them absolutely irresistible. 

These cookies are a staple of my childhood. My mom (who got the recipe from my grandmother, Nonnie) would usually make two batches: one with nuts (for my dad and me) and one without (for my younger brother, who, for the first 15 years of his life, only ate things that started with "ch," like chocolate, chicken, and cheese). 

I whipped this up for Jordan to take to work last week and he said they were a big hit. They're not complicated (nor are they healthy - full disclosure), but they are perfectly delicious. 

What makes these cookies so different from others? 

The balance of salt against sugar is really the star of this recipe. They're crunchy, but light, so when you finish one, you feel like you could go back for five more. (And if you're me, you do go back for five more.) Trust. These will knock you out. 

Ingredients: 

1 cup Crisco
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
1 ¼ cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups Quaker Old Fashioned oats
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a mixing bowl and set aside.

2. Cream crisco and sugars together.

3. Add vanilla and eggs. Mix well.

4. Add flour mixture and mix thoroughly. (Tip: Make sure your flour mixture is whisked smooth - no lumps!)

5. If you're a nut kind of gal (or guy), add pecans and stir them in with a wooden spoon. 

6. Drop by the rounded tablespoon onto a greased baking sheet, parchment, or (my favorite thing in the world) a clean Silpat. 

7. Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes, depending on your oven. The cookies will be golden brown and have a light, crunchy texture when they're cooled. If you can manage not to eat the dough, this recipe yields 48! 

This is a perfect, quick, and seriously crowd-pleasing cookie to make if you ever need to bake for lost of people - a work event, bake sale, party, etc. People will be begging you for the recipe! 

5 Things: Easy Recipes for the Fourth of July

Since we'll be traveling tomorrow, I'm going to share what would typically be a "Friday" post with you guys! 

There are so many yummy things to make/eat/drink for this holiday. It's summer, so all kinds of deliciousness is in season (namely berries, my favorite) - and that leads us to some perfect summer bites. Click the photos for quick links to each recipe!

1. Ina Garten's Flag Cake

Okay, okay, so this isn't EASY. But it's is a classic. I'm sure you've seen it on many celebrity Instagrams in years past (cough Taylor Swift cough). If you don't want to pipe the frosting in for the white stripes, just use whipped cream. My favorite part about this recipe is that it includes over two sticks of butter. Because #yolo. 

2. Cucumber Margarita

Still packs all the punch of a traditional marg, but is SUPER refreshing and crisp thanks to the infusion of cucumber in the tequila. Dangerous, because they are quite drinkable. Proceed with patriotic caution. 

3. Pasta Caprese Salad

Let someone else handle the main course - if you bring this side, you'll be the talk of the party. It's incredibly easy to make, and is a nice, light antidote to the heavier dishes that will inevitably be served. 

4. Martha's Firecracker Popsicles

This is a great one to involve kids in making. The whole thing takes under 30 minutes - all you need are the ingredients, some popsicle trays, and some popsicle sticks! The yogurt base makes them super creamy instead of watery, so they'll last even in the heat of the day. 

5. One-Pitcher Sangria

Had to add at least one more cocktail. Ha! This is a "dump" recipe - you dump everything in, and voila! Nothing beats a cold drink on a hot day. 

I hope everyone has something fun planned for this weekend, and that, especially in an international climate that includes refugees and airport shootings, we all take more than just a few second this weekend to consider the enormous gift of living in the United States. It's overwhelming. 

Love y'all!! 

Bikini Body.

We're approaching a big holiday weekend in which I, and I'm guessing many of you, will be in a swimsuit. 

Oh, the anxiety that comes with being in a swimsuit. 

The process to even GET into a swimsuit. Dieting. Working out. Spray tan. New bikini for a new season after trying on what seems like 400 of them. And, of course, it's best to try on bathing suits right after you've eaten a big meal and in bad lighting. That's just a personal tip from me to you. 

For the Fourth of July, Jordan and I always travel down to his family's house in coastal Alabama. We always have SO much fun - this is one of the trips I look forward to every year. We get to see family we haven't seen for a while, drink on the pier, eat delicious food, play board games - it's one of my very favorite weekends. 

Because I've been going to Pure Barre for a few months, I decided I'd really kick it into high gear and get into my best shape for the 4th - my best bikini body. I've been going to as many classes as I can, eating clean - you know the drill.

Over the weekend, I had a little flare-up with an old ankle injury (you can read about that here). My ankle has been really bugging, so I've been tentative to work it out in case that led to re-injury. 

So here's where I get vulnerable and confess something kind of ridiculous. For the last three days, I've been fixated on how disappointed I am that I wasn't able to get my last week of hardcore workouts in. I've been thinking about what my body could've looked like, and probably won't now, without those last few calorie-burners to (as we say in PB) "lift, tone, burn." I went to bed thinking about it last night. I woke up thinking about it this morning. 

*needle scratch* 

What. The hell. 

When I got up today and one of my first thoughts was insecurity about my figure, I realized how out-of-control I'd let this fixation about my "4th of July workout goals" spiral. The fact that my physical appearance is driving whether I can imagine myself having a fun weekend is so silly.

It is really easy for me to get sucked into thinking about "bikini occasions" as moments when, if I don't look my best, I won't have a good time. It's even easier for me to get so wrapped up in looking my best that I forget that IT DOESN'T ACTUALLY MATTER. 

When I think back on vacations when I was in a bathing suit (my bachelorette party, beach trips with my family, my honeymoon with Jordan, etc.), my first thought is never about how much I weighed or how I looked. It's about the hysterical laughter shared among best friends, card games around the kitchen table, the incredible sunset meal we shared in St. Lucia, respectively. Not one of my first thoughts has anything to do with my appearance. I was way too "in the moment" to have time to worry about the way I looked. I was living my life! And that's what I remember. 

Now, I'll admit: there have been times when I've looked back at pictures of myself in a swimsuit and thought, "Yikes. Could've tightened that up, Mary Catherine." 

But the truth is, that's not what's important. The other truth is, NOBODY ELSE CARES. 

Nobody's memories of you being at a specific event are going to be colored by what you look like in a swimsuit. No one's. They're going to remember the time they spent with you, that joke you told, you spectacularly falling off a paddleboard, the great new game you introduced to everyone. 

If you, like me, are fixating on your bikini body this weekend, here are some things I'm going to be doing to combat that. Maybe they'll work for you, too! 

1. Don't talk about it. I don't mean the off-handed, subtle complaint to your boyfriend/husband/mother. I mean the talking about it where you drop a little remark about how you "wish you were in better shape," or something similar, into each conversation you have. You know this trick, ladies. It's the whole "I'll point out I have a zit before anyone else has a chance," thing. Let's just skip that, shall we? 
2. Treat yourself. There are certain things that always help me feel a little more "together" when I'm in a bikini. Getting a spray tan is one of them. Throwing on a pair of earrings or bringing a great cover up is another one. Maybe style a funky braid! It's funny how taking that extra time to show yourself a little love can make you feel like a million bucks. Make it a "look," then work that look, girl! 
3. Choose gratefulness instead. Because, are we alive? Then we should be grateful. We're beautiful, wonderful people, and though it's easy to get wrapped up in the airbrushed/Facetuned/color corrected universe of Instagram where no one has so much as a frown line, LIFE is what happens in the messy, imperfect, non-photographed moments. We have air in our lungs, and strong legs to carry us from place to place, and arms to reach out and hold people, and eyes to see the faces of those we love most -- not to mention having a weekend where we celebrate the blessing of freedom - yeah. Suddenly a bathing suit seems pretty insignificant. We're alive. We're here. What good does it do us to waste time with the silliness of something as impermanent as physical appearance?

So, whatever your bikini body looks like - whether it's exactly what you wanted or far from it - can I just say something to you (and to me)? 

You look great. You are so loved. You're full of moxie. Now go have a margarita and jump in the pool, because that's just the sort of thing you'll always remember you did. 

Happy (early) 4th of July!

Greenies

I posted about this on my personal Facebook page on Saturday, but since I got such a strong response on Facebook, I thought I'd re-post in case it helps anyone new.

Whenever I leave for work, I give Tom Hanks (our dog) a treat. For the last 6 weeks or so, I've been giving him a Greenies treat a day. (We usually fill a Kong with peanut butter and give that to him, but a Greenie was so quick and easy that we made the switch.) 

In the last couple of weeks, I've noticed him gagging a lot. Two of his bottom teeth have broken off. He's been having a hard time swallowing and (sorry for the overshare) using the bathroom. On both Friday and Saturday of this past week, he threw up. So I finally called our vet, since Greenies were the only change in his diet. 

Once I said the word, "Greenies," our vet immediately knew they were the culprit. She told us that Greenies, like rawhide treats, can splinter off after being eaten. Instead of breaking down like normal food, they stay whole and snap off into sharp pieces, causing dogs to choke and vomit. In the worst-case scenario, dogs are rushed to the vet to undergo intestinal surgery because these treats have gotten lodged in their intestinal tract. 

She told us that Greenies are a huge no-no at their office, and that they actively discourage their clients from buying them. 

When I posted this on my personal Facebook page, I was overwhelmed with the number of people who commented that have had similar experiences: Greenies = sick dogs.  

Of course, I immediately felt horribly guilty that the reason my dog was sick had everything to do with what I'd been feeding him. I mean, who am I, the mom in The Sixth Sense? Poisoning the soup? (Anyone? Anyone?) It's been a little over 24 hours, and since Tom Hanks has stopped eating Greenies, the vomiting has stopped completely. 

So here's my Public Service Announcement about these treats. If you've been giving them to your dog, stop and watch for signs of retching, gagging, vomiting or (sorry) constipation. Those are all signs you may need to take your dog in to see your vet. 

It's terrible that there are products out there that can be so harmful to our little pups, who feel like family - especially since the back of the box boasts that these treats are "Safe and easily digestible!" But, as with anything, information is power. Good to know before we'd used the treats for any longer than we had. 

The more you know! 

DELICIOUS Cauliflower Pizza.

All the mmph with none of the ouch. 

...well, some of the ouch. There's some cheese in here. But you can adjust that to your preference! 

This pizza is a staple in my diet when I'm trying to eat relatively clean. I am a huge fan of 'za, to the point that I regularly wear this tank top to Pure Barre: 

...everything in moderation? Except pizza, which I usually eat by the pound. 

But I'm tryin' to look cute in my bikini on the 4th of July, okay? 

The grain-free crust means that I can enjoy the flavors without blowing my efforts to make healthy choices. If you're like me and are skeptical about the idea of cauliflower serving as a crust, let me assure you that cauliflower assumes the taste of whatever is around it. And what's around it in this case? Cheese. 

Ingredients::

1 cup riced cauliflower
1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella
1 t minced garlic
1 egg
4 T pizza sauce
1 t olive oil
2 t Italian seasoning
1 t salt

...and whatever toppings you'd like! 
 

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Rice your cauliflower if it didn't already come that way. If it's a whole head, like I bought, then chop it into florets and pulse the rest in the blender until it looks a little like cooked rice. 

2. Take one cup (a head of cauliflower usually yields two cups) and store the other cup in the freezer for next time! Dump the cauliflower into a medium bowl, then the Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, egg, and 1 cup of the cheese. The rest you'll save to sprinkle on top! Stir thoroughly.

3. On a pizza stone or round cookie sheet, spray a little non-stick and pat your mixture into a crust-shape. The thinner your "dough," the crispier your crust will be. After you've patted it flat, sprinkle the olive oil over the top and gently spread it over the top with your fingers. This will prevent the top from burning! 

4. Pop your dough into the oven for 15 minutes!
5. Once the crust is cooked, carefully spoon your pizza sauce onto the center and spread over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over the top, then whatever other toppings you'd like! 

When I sprinkled my cheese, it melted immediately. YUM.

6. Put the pizza back into the oven and broil it for 2 minutes, keeping an eye out to make sure it doesn't burn. This will soften your veggies, melt your cheese, and crisp up your crust.  

7. Bada bing, bada boom, DELICIOUS. Add a green garnish like I did, or just go for it! Best enjoyed with a local beer while watching Jurassic Park, which recently got added to Netflix.