Mad for Madigan: Summer Beauty Edition

Dear Readers,

If you haven’t been keeping up with Mad for Madigan, CLICK HERE to read past features!

Today I’m talking summer beauty. Obviously, I am pretty much an expert on being beautiful. And since Mom is pretty clueless, I thought I’d share 3 indispensable beauty tips to bring out your inner babe:

1) Drink plenty of water and leave the makeup at home. Mom thinks I just lick her face because I like the taste of her foundation. Puhleeease, girlfriend, you need to wash that gunk off and let the summer air do the rest!

2. Get outside with your pets and enjoy the sunshine. Nothing to put color in your cheeks and a spring in your step like a walk with your furry pal. Trust me. I’m GORGEOUS.

3. Accessorize with kindness, not trends (think: smiles, not purse dogs). It’s hot outside and people are in a hurry. Take that extra minute to hold a door open, thank a grumpy salesperson, pick up that stray piece of trash, offer to help your neighbors with a chore, and give your people and puppies kisses. There is nothing more beautiful.

Stay excellent.

Madigan

PS: If you own an Etsy shop that offers pet accessories, I would be happy to review and advertise any product you would like to send me or to host a pet-friendly giveaway!

PS2: Have a topic you’d like Madigan to cover? Submit your suggestions to loveisadventure@gmail.com.

Flower clip: Goody

Collar: Bow-Wow Couture on Etsy

Gorgeous fur coat: Mine, all mine.

Clean House: 5 Things To Make Your Space Sparkle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cleaning house today and thought I would share a few things that make it easier for me. Nothing like a

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

clean home to make you feel creative and energized!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: 4.bp.blogspot.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

  Yeah. Whatever. I WISH I looked like this when I cleaned house. Maybe lingerie and heels are the secret?

 

Pet Fresh Odor & Dirt Eliminator Plus Oxi Clean Dirt Fighters

So if you have a pet, you know that animals + carpets = nightmare. Gotta say that after all the Rug Doctors and professional carpet cleaning companies, it’s THIS stuff that really saved our carpets! Sprinkle, sit, vacuum. So simple and smells great, too.

 

Seventh Generation Natural All-Purpose Cleaner

Everyone needs a good multi-purpose cleaner. This one’s mine. I like that it uses primarily natural ingredients, as opposed to harsh chemicals, and that it’s marked safe for humans and the environment. And it’s effective, especially for cleaning the kitchen.

Microfiber Duster

I used to ignore the dust in the house because I didn’t notice it. But it really makes a difference in the air quality and in the polish of a room, especially one with a lot of furniture/knick-knacks! For the wood that needs it, I’ll pull out the furniture polish, too. I know. Fancy.

Sponges

I’m a big fan of the soapy bucket of water and the classic sponge. But those suckers can hold a lot of germs like e.coli and salmonella viruses so CLICK HERE for a Good Housekeeping article on getting those sponges REALLY clean between uses (hint: the microwave method is one of the more effective cleaning options).

 

A Happenin’ Playlist

If someone tells you music is a non-essential to the contemporary house-keeper, you should run away. Because they’re probably a robot. Growing up, my mom had two or three CDs that were the house-cleaning CDs. To this day, if I hear one of them playing at her house, I feel like picking up a mop. Hey, Mom, that’s pretty sneaky! Here’s a peek at my actual House Cleaning mix.

What about YOU? What is your indispensable house cleaning tool? 

What’s the best song to scrub to?

love, elizabeth

Sacrifice: A Work-Out

Hey, people! I know I don’t normally post on here. Most of the time I’m just the test subject/photographer/figurehead but today I thought I’d offer some thoughts. 


Over the past two years, I’ve been asked one question, repeatedly, “What are you doing now that you’ve moved out to Ohio?” When I tell them I’m working this night shift full-time to help support Elizabeth through grad school, the look is pitying. Poor guy. You have to work this awful job so your wife can go to school.
All of this has made me think about sacrifice. How we think of it and what it really is…The dictionary defines ‘sacrifice’ as ‘the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.’ I don’t think of myself as “some poor guy.” I’m honored to be able to do what I do.
It seems like we often view sacrifice as a negative. Surrendering something I really want for something I want even more- in this case, to build a life with my wife - can be difficult and painful. In fact, in order for it to be a sacrifice, it has to be painful to give it up. But it’s not just the end result that makes sacrifice worthwhile. It’s the practice of it. We think of sacrifice as “giving something up.” But just like you train a muscle (and it sometimes hurts to do that), you’re not giving up that muscle, you’re making that muscle stronger, ready to do more when it’s called on.

Source: thinkfit.tumblr.com via Gina on Pinterest

Love is worth the sacrifice.
- Kyle

Sparklers, etc.

 

“That’s me: an old kazoo and some sparklers.” – Bette Davis

 

Independence Day: Still Fighting

Today I just wanted to take a minute to honor some of the veterans and service members in my life.

There are quite a few that aren’t pictured here, only because I didn’t want to include their photos without permission. Those include: my grandfather John F., Garrett, Kate W., Andy, Paco, Elizabeth R., Jimmy D., Ben C., Uncle Caleb, and Uncle Jonathan. 

Henry Alexander

United States Army, Company Clerk & Sniper

Elizabeth’s grandfather

Earl

United States Army, Field Medic

Kyle’s grandfather

 

Eric Henry (pictured right)

United States Navy, Second Class Petty Officer, Cryptologic Technician

Elizabeth’s father

Janet Elaine

United States Navy, First Class Petty Officer, Company Commander, Sailor of the Year

Elizabeth’s mother

Benjamin Eric

United States Marine Corps, Lance Corporal, Cannoneer

Elizabeth’s brother (currently deployed)

 

Happy 4th of July to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces and their brave families! We love you! Come home safe.

Stay tuned for Kyle’s post tomorrow! Happy 4th!

Inspiration of the Month: Emily

Alrighty, everyone! Now we’ve officially made it to July, I’d like you all to meet Emily.

Square Peg Round Hole Photography

Emily and I go back. I’m talking back to the 10th grade back. We happen to have one of the more bizarre stories of friendship I’ve heard. Very long story short, Emily and I “met” online on a fiction writers website when we were about 14 or 15. We became steadfast penpals/phone buddies for…six or seven YEARS before we ever met in “real life.” Then, two years ago, graduate school brought me to her side of the country and we met halfway between our cities for a whole weekend in a little place called Cleveland, Ohio (perhaps you’ve heard of it?).

There’s about a million and eight nice things to say about Emily but I’m going to focus this post on her current job, working for the American Cancer Society. I asked her for a quote about her job and this is what she had to say:

“I wanted to work for the ACS because I knew the work that I would do there would allow someone else's mother to survive her battle with cancer. And because very few fundraising events are as fun as a Relay For Life. My favorite part of my job is that I get to work with college students. I was a sophomore at CUP when my mom was diagnosed and I feel so blessed to be able to be there for some students who are--unfortunately--in my same position. Plus, they are full of so many creative ideas and it's awesome to see them realize the scope of what they're doing.”

I’m not sure there’s anything I can say that won’t sound trite after that but let’s just say Emily continues to challenge me as a writer and a friend and a person (and I love her for that!).

To learn more about Emily’s pursuit of health, happiness, and love (she’s getting married this October to an amazing guy who happened to take both the pictures featured in this post!), you should definitely visit her at her blog, Full Figured and say hello!

Square Peg Round Hole Photography

Five Fast Emily Facts:

- She gets really excited about brushing her teeth.

- Emily has a great love story: “Jeremy and I…have the sanest and silliest life. And I know he's the one for me because he leaves me without words to describe how I feel.”

- She thinks her bicycle is sexy and misses her nose ring.

- Thrifting for trinkets is her favorite form of retail therapy.

- Someone once told her she was their reason to do Relay for Life. She calls it one of the greatest compliments of her life.

 

If you haven’t had a chance to see past inspirations of the month, CLICK HERE and scroll down to read the posts from March, April, and June.

The Teeny-Tiny Spa GIVEAWAY Winner!

Source: google.com via lily on Pinterest

True Random Number Generator

Min:

Max:

Result:13

Powered by RANDOM.ORG

And after calculating number of entries (including Twitter), the winner is...

Karm from a karmalicious love life! Make sure to stop by her wonderful blog and say hi!

Karm said...

I am excited!! This is a cute giveaway and I FOLLOW your blog... thru google connect (:

June 27, 2011 12:38 PM

Karm, I hope that this little package is a small help in being kind to yourself this summer. Email me your mailing address and I will send this off this weekend!

Thanks to everyone who entered! Stay tuned - I will hopefully be holding another giveaway in a few weeks.

love, elizabeth