As you may know, I really admire and love makeupgeek.com. Marlena is an expert in beauty. Not only does she now have her own line of makeup products, which, ps, are fabulous, but she also has great how to videos on all things makeup related.

I now use her DIY Lash Growth Serum. It was easy to make, and easy to apply. AND A LOT cheaper than what is on the market already prepared for you. I have noticed more growth on my eyelashes and eyebrows using her DIY serum than I did back when I purchased Rapid Lash Serum.

After watching her video, I made my own batch, and the only thing I have changed is that I use an eyeliner brush to apply on the base of my eyelashes instead of using a mascara wand. I find that it is a lot less gloppy and easier for me to manage.

Here is her DIY formula, which is also contained in the link above:

• Empty jar 
  
• 1/4 of the jar with Aloe Vera Gel –  To Lengthen Lashes
• 1/4 of the jar with Castor Oil – To Thicken Lashes
• 1/2 of the jar with Vitamin E Oil – To Lengthen Lashes

Are you enjoying the DIY series so far? Leave me a comment!

Most tragic day. I will never forget. I watched children on the news last night who have no idea what it was really like. This is how history works. They will grow up hearing the stories, but not really knowing the fear. How scary it was. How frightened we all were. For days. For weeks. Still. Something that we in the United States thought never would happen – that we would be attacked. I still remember watching it on the Today Show as it happened, and a caller said that it looked like the first plane was heading right toward the World Trade Center on purpose, and I thought that was so ridiculous. Everything else after that was just one shock after another. I live in Texas, far away from New York. But we all were scared, and our hearts broke for everyone in New York. Watching the grieving family members on the streets days and weeks afterwards with photos of their loved ones just hoping someone knew where they were and that they wouldn’t be dead.

I also remember the firefighters. Going into the buildings. Knowing they would probably die doing their jobs. And they did.

What heroes. I will never forget.

I have a great fall decorating tool for you! The Barbuzzo Candle Carver makes it easy to carve out a perfectly round center in any fruit or vegetable just perfect for dropping in a tea light candle!

Imagine how cute your table will look this year?

You can cut out an apple or pepper or a mini pumpkin and decorate your table, or a relish tray, or cheese tray for a party!

I love the Barbuzzo Candle Carver, and at under $8, it is a must have! Think stocking stuffers too people!

Recently my little kindergarten buddy, Reid, came over for a visit. I used the opportunity to find an app he might like to play while he was here. I searched and downloaded the Rocket Speller app. He COULD NOT stop playing it. It got to the point where his parents were getting a little irritated that he didn’t want to leave until he made sure they put the app on their devices!

Rocket Speller is a terrific kid app that makes it fun to learn to spell. Instead of just playing a game, it’s a learning tool for the little kiddos.

From the developer:

Kids join Zip the alien on an out-of-this-world spelling adventure to build a fancy new rocket. Now with 5 levels of difficulty, kids spell words to fuel his spaceship and help him choose the rocket pieces he needs. Once they have built their custom rocket ship, kids steer it through space to collect stars in an entertaining mini-game.

LEVELS:

1: 3-6 letter words. Place letters in any order. Audible and visual hints.
2: 3-10 letter words. Order required. Audible and visual hints.
3: 3-4 letter words. Order required. Audible hints. Adaptive assistance.
4: 5-6 letter words. Correct order required. Adaptive assistance only.
5: 7-10 letter words. Correct order required. Adaptive assistance only.

“What are audible hints?”
Players can touch a letter to hear its name or sound.

“What are visual hints?”
In the early levels (1 & 2), players see where specific letters should be placed.

“What is Adaptive Assistance?”
Smart technology that recognizes when a player is struggling and assistance is provided.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
– Learn to spell words in a way that is fun, interactive and promotes self-initiated skill progression
– Develop awareness of how letters combine to form words
– Develop awareness of left to right order
– Promote letter recognition
– Reinforce knowledge of letter names
– Enhance vocabulary

FEATURES
– Kid-friendly interface
– Balances skill development with play, making learning fun
– 5 levels of difficulty engage children at different stages of development
– 140 simple and complex words to enhance vocabulary
– Words are different every time you play
– Choose upper or lower-case letters
– Hundreds of possible rocket combinations
– Interactive alien (touch Zip on the spelling pages and see what he does!)
– High quality production standards