Monday, April 30, 2018

When Farmers Have Black Thumbs

This is a sponsored post by Theisen's Home Farm & Auto. All opinions and views are entirely my own. 

I have a confession to make. Our picturesque farm isn't always picture perfect. Things that I am good at on our farm. 1. Raising calves. 2. Feeding cattle. 3. Killing every thistle in sight. Things that I am not good. 1. Growing stuff other than grass 2. Painting fence/building. 3. Raising things other than cows. 


Every spring I get super excited because all the farm stores start to put out their flowers and vegetables. I mean going to a farm store like Theisen's has its perks. They have popcorn. Like really good popcorn. Old Navy or Target does not serve popcorn. 

However, over the years I have recognized that I am a poor flower and vegetable farmer. We would end up with scurvy if we had to raise our own food because all we would have it beef. Yet, walking amongst all the gorgeous plants at Theisen's I knew there had to be something that I could grow. Enter the sweet Theisen ladies and HERBS. They promised me that I could conquer these and when I saw these tea time varieties I knew it was destiny. Yup, that is herb is called chocolate mint. I mean how could I resist? 




The best part about these tea herbs is your can use these to make tea. You take green tea and then a few of these fresh leaves boil and strain. So now I can look at our falling down fences while sipping tea on our porch. Ah, farm life. 


Last fall, we had some fence posts start to rot, and then a windstorm happened early spring knocking a section of fence over. New posts had to be reset and unfortunately wood fence posts don't come in the color white. So, that means painting by this lady because the the boy is currently planting rows and rows of corn and soybeans. 

The staff at Theisen's recommended a mitt would be the way to go. I painted some fence last summer with a roller, and I wish I had this mitt back then. They also recommended that I wear a latex glove under the mitt because although it has a lining the paint would likely soak through. Another good call. 

It was nice to visit a store that had multiple people willing to help. With strong roots in agriculture they have literally everything whether it be something for you home town, acreage or farm. I mean there was a WHOLE section on bee keeping, which is something I would love to do but I figured I maybe should do some reading first. There are 23 Theisen stores across Iowa and Wisconsin. You can use their store locator to find the nearest store to you so you can get started with #springatTheisens.

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Sunday, April 8, 2018

Spring Beauty Finds

Yesterday, the boy and I celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary. I am pretty lucky to have a guy that supports me in everything I do - building my Keep Collective business, sharing in our dream of growing our farm and putting up with my makeup and Instagram obsession.

Since, Jon would be participating in the state bowling tournament (that's what guys in small town Iowa do for fun), I decided to spend the day doing some retail therapy before we met up for dinner and drinks. Yesterday, what Ulta's last day of 21 days of Beauty so the store was packed but I was really excited to grab a few of my favorites and try a few new things.


Brows: First if you ever have a chance to have your eyebrows waxed at a Benefit Brow Bar do it. People are always asking me what makes them so good and I think it is too things. 1. Consistency. All the gals are trained the same way so I can go into any Ulta, sit down at the Benefit Brow Bar and get the same result. Also, I love that they mark out how your brow will look after waxing so you can confirm that is the shape you are going for. 

I'll admit that I am more of a Sephora gal than an Ulta gal, but I do love that Ulta carries MAC cosmetics now. I've been noticing a lot of pop of color trends this spring and wanted to give it a try myself. The MAC assistant and I went through a lot of purples and blues, but decided that this pop of coral-y pink would be perfect and I am loving it. I apply it right to the center of my eyelid, staying out of the crease, and to my lower lash line. This coppery liquid eyeliner is going to be fun for the spring and summer. It goes on lighter and dries darker, so don't feel like you have to apply a lot to start with.

One of the problems that I have been trying to fix is when I wear mascara on my lower lashes I feel like some transfers to my skin throughout the day leaving dark smudges. I had to laugh when the associate said, "girl if you can find a mascara that won't do this let me know!" I guess we are all on the hunt. However, she did say that she has been using a primer on her lower lash first and then applying her mascara and it has really helped. I am on day one of this method and so far so good. Thw Josie Maran mascara is only available at Sephora but it is one of my favorites!



Talking about hair care products I noticed that Ulta now carries Drybar. This is one of my favorite mousses, and it is awesome for fine hair. I had mentioned in my IG story thought that I am not a fan of any other Drybar product, especially not the dry shampoo. You overwhelming agreed. Now, if you are looking for a great dry shampoo I am in LOVE with Klorane and have been for years. One of my favorite bloggers Jen from The Sister Studio raves about Dove Volume & Fullness Dry Shampoo and that girl has dang good hair. I am really excited to give this a try especially since it is a great price. 

So, what are you looking to try this spring? Sephora's big spring 15% off sale is going to be happening soon so you can bet I'll be stocking up on more favorites.

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