Fancy "Grilled Cheese" with Tomatoes and Basil

I love gardening so much, but right now my basil is coming in like crazy, so I have to find new ways to work it into foods!
To make this fancy grilled cheese you will need

Goat cheese
Feta cheese
Fresh minced garlic (I used two pieces of a clove ~2 t)
Ground black pepper
Tomatoes diced (I used one garden tomato--big and round and one Roma)
Fresh basil!! cut into ribbons ( I used about 20 leaves or 1/3 c)
Spinach
Whole wheat bread
Olive oil

Once the garlic is minced, tomatoes are diced and the basil is cut into ribbons, you can heat up your pan. Coat the pan in a thin layer of olive oil and place the pieces of bread on it. On one slice of bread, spread the goat cheese, and on the other slice, sprinkle feta cheese--as much as you desire. Next put spinach on one side and tomatoes and basil on the other. I next mixed the pepper with the minced garlic and spread that mixture over one side of the sandwich. Once the cheese has slightly melted, press the spinach into it (so it doesn't fall off) and place the spinach half on top of the feta half. Flip your sandwich until grilled to your desire.

I made these sandwiches for three people, so if you're thinking, "dang, this girl loves her garlic," well, you'd be correct, but those ingredients were spread among three sandwiches. I loved it, and you might need a napkin as the tomatoes tend to be juicy! Enjoy!

Shower Delights

So, showering is one of my favorite times of the day! It is one place where I can enjoy hot water and a reprieve from life--a break from social media and other people. I was offered the chance to try Tone's body wash. I didn't think that I would like the wash. I haven't always been keen on the scent of roses, but I absolutely loved the smell of this! Oh, it is so lavish and wonderful, and the wash truly makes me look forward to showering.
Cheers, loves, and happy smells and showering!

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Feel Good, Smell Good

Let me just brag on Glade for a minute! Yesterday I was looking at being stuck inside for days as a result of an imminent blizzard on a warpath to ravage the south. Naturally I took a trip to the store to get some yummies, and while i was there, I decided I needed something to help my room smell amazing. I chose Glade products, and they didn't disappoint! They have this amazing plug-in that alternates between two scents daily. I'm currently losing myself in Sunny Days while it's cold and terrible outside. The plugin has three different strength settings, so if you have a small room like my roommate and me, then it doesn't overpower anyone who walks in the room, but it also can be strong enough to make a whole house smell delightful!! AND, when I want to mellow out, I also got some warm vanilla wax melts. They warm up the room and make me so happy! I mean, honestly unless you're allergic to scents, why not surround yourself with amazing smells all the time? It makes for a happier me (and also tricks people into thinking my room is completely clean all of the time!

Let's Face It

         To anyone who cares, sorry I haven't written anything in forever. I wanted to share with anyone who happens to read this poor excuse for a blog something I've discovered. I've struggled for acne for the past 3-4 years or so. I thought that I had escaped the bad skin genes, but they caught up with my in my senior year of high school. After spending time in the dermatologist's office, paying for bottle after bottle of pills (some of which were so atrocious that they made me violently ill), and slathering my face with harsh, drying chemicals, I finally called it quits, and I stopped treating my acne.
         I've noticed that French women have beautiful skin. They take such good care of their skin, especially their faces. I've started moisturizing--moisturizing like crazy! I try to keep it as natural as possible. I use a St. Ives moisturizer (trying to keep it as natural as possible). It's so important for us to keep our faces supple and lovely looking! When I told my friend that I had started trying to be conscious of moisturizing, she suggested something she does to keep her face clean: the Oil Cleansing Method (OCM). If you've never heard of this, it sounds crazy. As someone studying chemistry, I can tell you that substances comprised of similar intermolecular structure dissolve other substances structured similarly (like dissolves like). I found more in formation from the Mommypotamus Blog. So, washing your face with oil will dissolve the oils your face has produced. By washing your face with oil, you're not stripping the skin of all oil--you're moisturizing and cleaning!

Here's how I do it:
1. Find a clean glass container (an old mason jar or one of the Starbucks frappuccino bottles will do).
2. Pour your oils into the bottle (it may take some trial and error to find the types of oils and in what ratio they need to be added).
**I use 1 part castor oil (this is your astringent oil) :1 part avocado oil or jojoba oil     and finally I top it off with about 0.5-1.0 oz. of tea tree oil (oil known for antiseptic and anti-fungal qualities).
3. Take a clean washcloth, and run it under hot water (I like to use really hot water!). Place the washcloth over your face, and allow the steam to open your pores.
4. After your pores are open, remove the washcloth, and pour a small amount of the oil mixture in your hands. Massage the oil onto your face, making sure to work it into all parts of your face.
5. Rinse your washcloth out, and run it under water as hot as you can stand. Place the hot washcloth on your face and once allow the pores to open. Leave the washcloth on until it cools (this will close your pores), and then wipe off the excess oil.

Yay, you're done!

I really look forward to cleaning my face every day. It's one of the times I get to relax and destress. I know a lot of people have had a period of breakout as their faces adjust to the new cleaning method, but I haven't really noticed any rebellion from my face.

Happy Cleansing! Let me know if you have any questions!

Love,
MJ