Friday Fab Five 08 • Everyday Lifehacks from Barb

This week we are doing things a little different, We are going to explore five categories of one area. Why? Well, the more things change the more I feel that I need things that keep me grounded. Not to get too personal, but this week’s news has left me a bit wobbly and wanting to better understand how my actions can move things forward in a positive light. So let’s start this Friday Fab Five with five things we can do to reset our mental and personal health.

1. Color

How does color play into mental health? Well, here’s a little color lesson. Some colors make us feel hungry (red and yellow). Have you every wondered why McDonalds and In-N-Out have those colors? Green makes us feel excited, pink can do the same, so let’s go with calming colors this week. Those are the blues and lilacs. Blue is proven to reduce stress

We told you we bought Peacock by Americolor We took this color and created a ombre pallete. (See piping tubes, above) We also threw in Chartreuse to balance the color palettes. Now, after five ombre blue colors from a bottle of Peacock and we are well on our way to tranquility.

2. In The Fridge

Do you eat your feelings? I do. I 100% eat every feeling that comes into my world. So if you are turning to the fridge this week, Let me give you three of my favorite snacks (eating them right now actually). Frozen grapes. Yep. So simple, and not really in the fridge, but pleasantly delicious. I also believe in dips. If chips and salsa were part of the 5 major food groups I could live happily for the rest of my life. I love peach salsa, mango salsa, and homemade salsa. Let me give you the quick and easy family recipe to the most amazing salsa.

• 2 14 oz cans cans diced tomatoes
• ¼ cup onion or 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ cup fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp garlic powder or minced garlic
• ½ tsp cumin
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 2 Tbs lime juice

Stick it all in a blender and there you have it. Perfect on everything. I also love apples and caramel dip. I figure the healthy cancels out that bad, right? Here is my go to caramel apple recipe for a easy kid snack on those summer afternoons

Caramel Apple dip

8-12 apples (we use Gala)

8 oz. cream cheese

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup Heath toffee bits (SOOO good)

Mix cream cheese, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla in a bowl with electric beaters. beat until smooth. Stir in toffee bits and enjoy with cut up apples. Store in fridge in airtight container.

3. Media

I like to get lost in books, but this week I found myself completely lost in a show series called “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” It was a nice escape from the normal. Think teenage love triangle drama that when your done watching all eight episodes you begin to question you need to be productive at all. Lol, and let’s be honest, I binged watched it in a day, and the day before it was “Inventing Anna.” So it’s a flash back to the first summer I had a boyfriend, when my brothers constantly pestered me and family vacations with my father in places with country clubs. Have you seen it? Stream it for free on Amazon Prime. Or click THIS Link to grab it.

4. Three things for your home to bring peace

Fresh flowers, throw pillows and fresh fregrant smells is a great way to bring that serene feeling into any space. My home is mid-century modern but these BOHO pillows are the perfect compliment my space with their strong geometric design. I also love to snuggle with a good throw blanket. Yes, its in the 90’s where I live, but I am not a seasonal snuggler, I like to wrap up in throws all year, which is why I have to types: Winter and Summer. My summer throw is a lot lighter and made with cottons instead of wools.

My home usually smells like macarons, but I have found this candle line that I just adore. Do I burn pumpkin spice in the summer? Heck yes I do. This candle is willow, and it is everything delicious and earthy. All the candles are heavenly from Hearth & Hand (Magnolia line at Target).

5. What’s on the Blog

This week we are dropped a new recipe. Cookie butter with our sugar cookie crumble. It’s perfect for the summer, perfect for just about everything actually. Let me know how you like it; you can even separate the flavors and use the sugar cookie crumble on so many amazing Macs.