Defying the odds...

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my inspirational messages in the mornings, whether I'm reading them or listening to them over the phone.  This one came from one of my Mary Kay hotline phone calls the other day. 

This person based their discussion this morning about the story of the bumblebee.  It's such an incredible life story because the bumblebee was never intended to be able to fly because of its body size and wing span/size, it would be just impossible for this thing to fly through the air. Good thing the bumblebee never "read" that, right?

So what's to stop anyone from doing what they might be able to do if they never tried. If we never try something we will never know.  So..."if you thing you can, you can.....and if you think you can't, you're right!"

Turn the "impossible" into "I'm Possible!" Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."  I love this verse! 

There's so much packed into these words. When we try to do things by ourselves we fail every single time but when we let Christ in and follow His plan instead of our own, things just seem to "flow" better. It may not be easy and and it may be really, really hard but it's extremely possible and always worth it! 

My favorite quote from "Soul Surfer" just happens to be, "I don't need easy, I just need possible!"  

Blessing to all,

Support our troops with Operation Sunscreen!!!

 

For the month of June I am promoting the Mary Kay Sunscreen (SPF 50) and Lip Protector (SPF 15).  With YOUR $20 donation you can help support our troops and I will be sending the MK Sunscreen and Lip Protector that you purchased to our troops!

Plus, your donation is 100% tax deductible! (see flyer attached).

Feel free to share this flyer with friends, family and co-workers.

Message me with any questions and orders at tgregor@marykay.com and I will answer any of your questions and process your orders. 

Thanks in advance for helping out!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Grace and Peace,

 

 

Sharing Christ through drama….

Christian Drama has been my passion for several years now.  I’ve loved performing for my whole life, but it was at a Women of Faith conference that I saw sharing skits in a whole new way.  Being able to witness and share with people on so many different levels through each skit that I perform.  It’s so amazing to be able to share my heart to the hearts of other people through stories of laughter, prayer and sometimes even through tears. 

I was able to be apart of the Good News Players (serving as President for a term as well) while I was living in Southern Indiana, where I was able to gain even more of an insight about being able to work with and minister to so many people around me. We not only traveled from church to church, but we attended youth rallies, and youth all-night events, and there were times we came back extremely exhausted but all the while loved what we were able to do. :)  We were able to share at drug/alcohol meetings, and just be there for our community and the communities we were traveling to, where we were able to pray for and with them as well.

It was also such a blessing to be able to share skits with The Remedy (my church while I was in Southern Indiana). To be able to be apart of a great church family while away from home was so amazing and to be apart of sharing Christ to 'the world' with them.

Here is a skit that I shared while I was in the Mid-West….

This is Rocks!…..

              

Tami Gregor (ME) sharing Rocks! (Skit) at a church in Illinois with the Good News Players (Oakland City University)

 

Proverbs 31 Woman

Just a little something I came across recently. A great reminder....

A day on the farm….

What better way to spend a Saturday morning than going out to a farm and being able to pick some blueberries and cherries.  Ott Farms in Modesto is one of the best blueberry and cherry farms around the area.  I would highly recommend coming here with the kids, make a day of it and just have fun.  

One of the best parts of choosing which ones to pick is “taste testing.”  It is always recommended to taste the different varieties of  what’s out there, so you know whether you want a sweeter taste or a more tart taste. Of course, by default, by the time you are ready to leave the farm, you’ve eaten as many as you have picked….and loved every one of them.  There are rows and rows of blueberry bushes just ready to be picked for your bucket and taken home. It was a especially nice day on the day we went, so it was nice being able to just take our time and have fun while we were out there.  The bushes were loaded with blueberry clusters as well as the cherry trees.  There were at least 5 varieties of blueberries and a couple varieties of cherries as well.

You can check out my post about Baking with Blueberries as well for some more delicious blueberry recipes. 

Next, it was time to take home our stock of fresh fruit.  I had a recipe to try for blueberry muffins again…and….they came out…
A-MAZ-ING!!!

Blueberry Cream Muffins

Now for a little bit of CREATIVITIY…

I even tried out a great blueberry smoothie recipe as well, another great breakfast on the go drink.  I love smoothies on a hot day and I can’t always make it over to a smoothie place to buy one, so it’s great when I’m able to grab some fresh fruit and yogurt to make some of my own when I have a craving for a smoothie. 

Strawberry-Banana-Blueberry Smoothie

1 Banana
1/2 cup Strawberries
1/2 cup Blueberries
2 TBSP Greek Vanilla Yogurt
about 1 cup of Milk

Ice (if needed for consistency/thickness)

Grab your favorite blender and add the ingredients and mix it well until the desired thickness is achieved.
Then pour into your favorite glass and enjoy!  

I tend to vary my ingredients by what I have on hand, but this mix usually produces a really great smoothie to start off your morning with!

Blessings,

My favorite line of Color Cosmetics!!!

  I hope everyone is doing totally awesome this week!  Last week I talked about my favorite skin care line.  So…this week I am honored to introduce my favorite brand and line of color cosmetics! Which along with my favorite skin care is a TOP BRAND!!! Yes, it’s Mary Kay!!! From foundation to eye color, eyeliner and mascara, cheeks, lips, etc.  I love my Mary Kay makeup!!!  

So here are a few of my FAVORITE products that I use:

• Mary Kay Brushes: I love my Mary Kay brushes to apply my makeup.  They are so soft and now they have recently came out with their very own brush cleaner to keep these fabulous brushes in great shape.  Much cleaner also than applying the foundation with my fingers, I’m so glad I decided to start using the foundation brush.
•   After washing my face with the skin care, I use the Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover to get my eye makeup off.  A little dollop on a cotton ball and a couple swirls around the outside of the eye and all clean.  This stuff is truly fabulous!!!
•   Love my eye colors from powder to crème, I have to say I am a huge fan of the crème eye colors.  So many choices and they last a long time as well.  (btw, love my pink eye crème,  and I just got in new colors and tried our newest green).  I use them quite often also.  My favorite eyeliner would have to be the gel eyeliner they just came out with…love the way this stuff glides on.  And, the Lash Love Mascara(comes in black or brown)…who doesn’t want longer fuller lashes….another great product!
• The cheek colors are awesome as well and just add to the colors I use.
  (Sunny Spice is probably my favorite)
• Love, Love, Love our lip colors, whether it the lipstick or lip gloss. When using the lip gloss’ really make the color stand out on your lips.  Use it with the lipstick or by itself.  (I love the Berry Kiss Lipstick and the Clear lip gloss, and also the Red Passion Lip gloss).

I do love the fact that this can be a very simple and natural way to wear my makeup. The colors make it easy where you can go for a nice and natural look for during the day or a fun and dramatic look for going out at night.  The choices are endless and Mary Kay provides several looks that you can try on yourself before you even buy.  AND, what makes this even better is our NEW Virtual Makeover App and you can get on my website (you can even download the App to your PC or iPad through itunes) where you can upload a picture of yourself and try on different colors, products, and even hairstyles to find what you like.

• Check out on my website also to see the NEW colors and products I have.  www.marykay.com/tgregor
• Shipping is FREE and all orders over $40 get a FREE GIFT!!!!
  

Thank you for letting me share my favorite brand of color cosmetics with you all today!

Blessings,

 

My Favorite Skin Care line! :-)

Hope everyone is doing great! I thought this week I would chat with you all about my

favorite brand of skin care and color cosmetics.  If you don't already know, I sell Mary Kay, and use these wonderful products on a daily basis...and I love the way they make my face feel!  I never thought much about being a sales person but it can really be a blessing, even if it's disguised at times.  :-)  That’s another blog posting in itself though.
So...I wanted to share some of my favorite MK products and when/how I use them.  First, I want to dedicate this blog post to skincare, next time I will talk about the makeup part....so stay tuned to this series.  :-)
Did you know that every time you go to sleep with your makeup on your skin ages 9-17 days overnight!  Wow…crazy, right?  Well, with these couple of steps and around 3 minutes each day and night we can help this aging skin we have. Yay! 

First, I would like to introduce the Time Wise Ultimate Miracle set, which cleanses, exfoliates, tones, moisturizes and protects your skin.

I wash my face with the time wise 3-1 cleanser, this takes care of 3 of the steps (cleanses, exfoliates, freshens/tone).  Dermatologists say we need to be doing this day and night from the age of 16!  When washing our face use your last 3 fingers because your 1st 2 fingers are the strongest and can cause pulling and tugging.  Always go in an upward and outward motion.  Remember, up is young and down is old.  And, wash our faces 2 times per day, no more!
Next, I use the Time wise Microdermabrasion and replenishing serum (twice a week— Wednesdays & Weekends). This is one of my favorites, because it’s going to shrink our pores  and help with dry patches, wrinkles, blackheads, whiteheads, scarring on our faces as well as on the body, and stretch marks. Now the replenish serum is the “layer of luxury,” this is after the microderm scrub and it floods a NEW layer of healthy skin with vitamins, nutrients from it’s tri-tea complex(red, green & white teas) and most importantly anti-oxidants which are HUGE to help keep our skin healthy, even fighting off free radicals which could drastically alter the overall complexion of our skin! Plus, LOVE how it feels!  
Next is the Time wise Replenish Vitamin C Serum.  Did you know that by the age of 15 the collagen in our bodies start breaking down?  What naturally happens is that with age our elastin fibers start breaking down, causing unwanted drooping and fine lines in our faces, ugghhh…   What this does is it allows the production of collagen back in, as well as tightening, firming and lifting our skin to produce a more healthy GORGEOUS GLOW!

Then I use the Time wise day solution (and at night, the night solution), also known as “fountain of youth/miracle eraser, or Spanx in a bottle.” During the day we are going to protect our skin, and at night we are going to renew it!  Plus, the day solution has a SPF 35.  It has calming peptides that relax expression lines, contains antioxidants that neutralize free radicals, light diffusers to soften the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and it’s gluten free (not oily or sticky & great for those allergic to sunscreen.)  The Night Solution repairs your skin while you sleep by counteracting daytime damage with botanicals & peptides.  Will help restore, stimulate collagen, & restore the elasticity & firmness, helps fine lines and wrinkles fade away. The pump burst beads in the bottle, giving you a fresh dose of these vitamins daily.  (Vitamins A,C&E)
**great for acne, cuts, scrapes, mosquito/bug bites, burns, shingles…etc.
Then the Firming eye cream, which firms, tones, brightens and moisturizes around the delicate eye area.  Ending with the Time wise Moisturizer with SPF, have to love that, right? This will give you 10 hours of hydration, restoring the moisture in our skin.  It’s oil free, and there’s a special humectant blend which will draw moisture from the air, plus powerful antioxidants,  Essentially it will form a protective barrier to keep the good things in and the bad things out!

After these steps I add the final skin care step, Time wise Foundation (Matte wear).  I love the finish of the foundation and a little goes a long ways. 

The foundation not only matches with your skin tone but your undertone as well.  It work amazing with the foundation primer to last through out the day.  I also love using it with our foundation brush! 

Then I add color, eyes, cheeks, lips, but that’s in another post. 

I hope you enjoyed a look into some of my favorite skin care items.  Comment if you have any questions.  I do love to hear from my readers.  Oh, and check out my website as well.  Leave me a comment or send me a message if you are interested in knowing more about the Mary Kay products or career as well.

www.marykay.com/tgregor

Blessings,

Making dinner fun! (Meatloaf Cupcakes)

So what up, readers?  How have you all been recently?  I would love to stay connected with each and every one of you on a regular basis.  I love being able to share my heart with people through this blog, whether it's from a devotion or novel that I read recently or just something that I have been think about lately.   Also, I love being able to share a recent recipe I  tried or a craft that I made.
This past week I was able to get together with family over Easter Weekend.  So we were talking about different recipes to make and we came across the Meatloaf Cupcakes from Pinterest.  This dinner is a fairly easy meal to make and your family should love them.  I love that it's a way to, well...not make "meatloaf"  look not so much like, you know..."meatloaf." lol.  :-)  More kid appeasing also. :-)

Meatloaf Cupcakes

Ingredients
Meatloaf1 teaspoon olive oil1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup ketchup, divided
1 1/2 pounds ground beef, extra lean (raw)
1 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
Cooking spray
Mashed Potatoes 4 cups cubed peeled Yukon gold potato (about 2 pounds)1/4 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Garnish3 tablespoons chopped chives4 pieces of bacon cooked and them chopped

PreparationPreheat oven to 350°.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, chopped carrot, dried oregano, and minced garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Cool.
Combine onion mixture, 1/2 cup ketchup, and the remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a large bowl.
Spoon the meat mixture into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Top each with 2 teaspoons ketchup. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 5 minutes.
While the meatloaf is cooking, make the mashed potatoes. Place potato in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until tender. Drain. Put potatoes into a ricer for best results. Return potato to pan. Add milk and remaining ingredients; stir with a spoon to desired consistency. If they are not creamy enough for you, add up to 1/4 cup more milk - although they need to be stiff enough to pipe on top.
Put the potatoes into a pastry bag with a wide star tip and pipe the mashed potatoes on top of the meatloaf. Sprinkle with bacon crumbles and chopped chives.
***If you've tried these please let me know what you think about them.  Thanks.  Talk to you soon.
Enjoy!!!

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The Lone Nut....

The Lone Nut + The First Follower = A  Movement!

A Lesson in Leadership!

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a great leader?  Well, this video gives a fun glimpse at what just stepping out of your comfort zone and being willing to...well....look 'like a nut' for a short time, until we gather enough people to join in with us. 

Whatever you're doing in life, whether it's starting your own business or career (such as MaryKay, as I did), moving into a leadership position, or just getting up and dancing for thousands of people. :-)  You might ask yourself these questions:

1. Am I easy to follow?  Can others do it to?
2. Am showing people how easy it is to do if they are just willing to try it?
3. Am I producing "activity" in what I'm doing?  So that I am continally moving and doing something.

Then just start dancing! See who comes along and joins you.  Be willing to step out of your comfort zone and be that "lone nut" for a while....and see what happens! It just might be the most thrilling experience of your life!  So why not?!?!

Ready....Set....

Until next time....DANCE!!!!