What Jean Likes

Aloha Friday...Blog Hop Time!

2013-06-14T07:53:00.000-10:00

I know I've been seriously MIA lately. I have a ton coming up including the announcement of the winner of the $750 cash giveaway. I also have some featured bloggers in the coming weeks that are and were sponsors....yeah... I'm running that behind. I've enjoyed the break and look forward to blogging again. Won't you come and hop with us?

Hey there people and a very Happy Aloha Friday to you all! Welcome to the most hoppingest of all hops - The Aloha Friday Hop :)

We have a great team for June - I know you're going to love them! Just don't forget to head down to the linky to click and follow them when you link up your own lovely blogs :) Our hosts and co-hosts links are always the first you will see, so it's easy for you to click and follow.

Grab a button and link up below! If you'd like a different sized button click here.

Don't worry if you already have Jean's lovely Aloha buttons on your blogs - switch if you'd like to. Or choose one of Jean's buttons here.

The rules are the same as before and are posted below. The Aloha Hop is one of the most hoppingest hops of the week, attracting over 400 linkups on the regular. Let's keep that blogging tradition going people!

If you'd like to host future Aloha Hops with us then please get in touch at our swanky new email address alohahop@gmail.com

I believe we're all set for June with lots of lovely co-hosts but feel free to get in touch about July onwards.

If you'd like to spread the love even more, why not tweet and twitter all about it? Just click the pic below :)

Here's the extra special addition to our lovely hop. It's an oh-so-easy opportunity for you lovely participants of the Aloha Friday Blog hop to get some exposure to your blogs!! What do you have to do to enter? Just link up to the Aloha Friday Blog Hop Below!! It's that easy!! No extra forms or hassle, just link up! Each week we will pick a linker to featured at random and invite you all to say ...

Grab a button if you were featured this week!

Aloha Hoapili translates as Hello Close Friend. So, without further ado let me introduce you to this week's featured friend ...

Leyla at This Day I Love.

Leyla blogs all about life, love and her littles. Want a little taste of her blog? Check out these posts to find out what you've been missing:

Kiddies and Tidy Books A Mile in Memory A Birth Story

Now let's start hoppin'! Click on the links in the linky to visit some lovely bloggers and make new friends. Oh, and don't forget to link up yourselves!

Aloha and have a great day people!

Summer Cash Giveaway of $550!! Come on and enter!

2013-05-31T13:00:00.001-10:00

Welcome to the $550 Summer Cash Giveaway. How would you like to win some free cash to perhaps brighten up your wardrobe, treat the kids, or even pay those dreaded bills! I've teamed up with some lovely bloggers to give you the chance to win $550 in Paypal cash!! Simply complete the tasks below to earn entries for this giveaway.

Rules:

-Giveaway starts June 1st at 12:01 am GMT – June 15th at 12:00 am GMT

-Open to everyone worldwide

-You must have a paypal account

-You must be at least 18 years to enter

-All entries will be verified, so please don’t cheat.

Please take a moment to visit our co-hosts below.

Hosted by: Ohsoamelia, Co-hosts: Berice Baby, Life In A Break Down, Aka Chymecindy, Raising Reagan, Mumfection, Mama Fashion Flies, My Life Of Travels & Adventures, Part of That World, All My Happy Endings, Faith, Love & Hope, Dear Beautiful You, Chrissy Bernal, Plucky's Second Thought, Simplistically Sassy, The Dwelling Tree, What Jean Likes, Glossy Blonde, CuddleBug Cuties, Snack Cups & Smiles, Sew Crafty Angel, Then I Laughed, Bugs Beans,

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I have received no compensation for this post. Any opinions are my own and may differ from your own. Please contact ohsoamelia@hotmail.co.uk with any questions or if you would like to take part in the next big event sign up to the mailing list here.

Aloha Friday Blog Hop, a free for all and a big Mahalo

2013-05-31T09:22:00.001-10:00

As many of you know from my post earlier this week, I'm a little burnt out. Thankfully the lovely Sarah, my co-host for this hop has really stepped in and taken SO much of the stress from me. This step back I'm taking is such a wonderful opportunity for this hop to have a fresh look and feel as we see things from Sarah's lovely point of view. Mahalo Sarah for being such an awesome co-host. This week there is no team, the June team starts next week. This is a free-for-all. I hope you all have a blessed weekend. Now, come link up with us!

Hey there people and a very Happy Aloha Friday to you all! This week (as May has 5 Fridays instead of the usual 4) it's just myself and the lovely Jean hosting this most hoppingest of hops.

If you are a regular reader of What Jean Likes you probably read her recent post about The Aloha Friday Hop and how she's finding it hard to fit all of the coding and all of that into her life. I am not surprised at all - Jean puts together such complex code each and every week for all of us to use and really works so hard on building up this gorgeous hop we all love. I have been doing my little bit for a while with the Aloha Hoaplili section but honestly - Jean does all of the heavy lifting! I am so grateful to her for doing all of that and felt it only right and proper that I take on the mantle from her and try to relieve her burden a little if I can.

So, Jean will be staying on as co-host (yay!) and will be helping with newsletter stuff (and when I get stuck with anything code related!) but the hop posts will be mine all mine from now on (insert evil cackle here!)

Hence everything has turned all pink and been mysteriously covered in illustrations. I don't know how that could have happened ...

*Clears throat* On with the hop!

Grab a button and link up below! If you'd like a different sized button click here.

Don't worry if you already have Jean's lovely Aloha buttons on your blogs - switch if you'd like to. Or choose one of Jean's buttons here.

If you'd like to host future Aloha Hops with us then please get in touch at our swanky new email address alohahop@gmail.com

I believe we're all set for June with lots of lovely co-hosts but feel free to get in touch about July onwards.

If you'd like to spread the love even more, why not tweet and twitter all about it? Just click the pic below :)

Grab a button if you were featured this week!

Aloha Hoapili translates as Hello Close Friend. So, without further ado let me introduce you to this week's featured friend ...

Gertrude at The Chosen Remnant.

Gertrude blogs all about life, spiritualist and dealing with life.

Want a little taste of her blog? Check out these posts to find out what you've been missing: Dealing with bitterness Rough Days If you had the chance

Now let's start hoppin'! Click on the links in the linky to visit some lovely bloggers and make new friends. Oh, and don't forget to link up yourselves!

Aloha and have a great day people!

Stepping Back...

2013-05-29T22:57:00.002-10:00

I haven't really posted in a couple weeks. I'm so very sorry for neglecting this blog. I've had so much going on in my day job and in my day to day life that it left little time for writing. Truth be told, I'm a stressed out person, super stressed out and I needed time off. For those of you who aren't all that familiar with my blog, I'm a Christian. I don't shove my beliefs down anyone's throats but I like to share my love and devotion to Jesus and I believe that sharing Jesus' love with my readers is the priority.

Lately I've just been burdened because I feel like I can't do anything 100% because I'm stretching myself too thin and burning the candle at both ends. I'm back to dieting and working out which depletes me at night so there's no late night blogging sessions so the blog gets neglected. Daytime is consumed by work and my son so it's a very delicate balance and juggling act and I feel like too many balls have been dropped. I am working on Sponsor Love posts for early next week and the Aloha Hop goes live tomorrow. This week's hop has no co-hosts with Sarah and I as May has 5 weeks and the last week is a "break" for me as far as coding and co-hosts go. June 7th will launch the June team of the Aloha Friday Blog Hop and I may be stepping away from it at least as a main host for awhile. I am not sure exactly how it will work out and I'll still be sharing it on my site and doing the mass email but it will no longer be something that is "mine".

I am so proud of the Aloha Friday Blog hop, how much it's grown and how many wonderful ladies and blogs I've found because of it. I will continue to interact and love on everyone that participates but as a host, it's a lot of stress and time and I can't afford much of either it seems. I'm wrestling with issues not only with the blog but with my own personal life and walk with God and not having time to do anything right. I apologize to any of you that are let down or upset with me for stepping back and doing this but it's something I need to do.

To those of you in the June team, don't worry, you're still co-hosts!! I am transferring all the emails and the lists to a new email: alohahop@gmail.com so that Sarah can easily access it all. If you're interested in co-hosting with Sarah, shoot us an email there. Please keep in mind that the Aloha Hop is a really time consuming enterprise and that she's going to need someone willing to do the work, network and be a partner with her through it all. Sarah is one of the most amazing bloggers I know and I'm so honored to know her and to have spent the last 6 months having her as my co-host. If she will have me, I will still be hosting in some way shape or form to help network, spread the word and email everyone but my part in it is going to be far diminished.

My blog will still be up but I really just want to post things I have a passion for and lately I feel like it's all business, no fun, all work, little about what I love. Time for a shift in focus as I step back and let a new team bring a fresh face to the Aloha Friday Blog Hop. Thank you all for being a part of the growth, the love and the Aloha. My focus has to shift to Jesus, my son and my day job. I can no longer burn the candle at both ends every day, it's just too much for me. My blog will still be here and I'll be regularly writing on it but it will be shifted in many ways. I want to love blogging again instead of dread it. As a result of me stepping back from the Aloha Hop, I've reduced the prices of my ads in half permanently.

Love you all. Thank you so much for understanding.

Aloha,

Jean

Aloha Friday To Remember. May Team Giveaway!

2013-05-24T10:23:00.001-10:00

You can click on each of the hosts & co-hosts links and labels to easy follow them! If you want to go to their main blog and follow from there, click their link in the hop below!

You can also share any blog hops you are hosting by linking your blog hop post in our linky below! I love to join new blog hops, so please share them! We had over 400+ link ups!! Each name gets clicked on average 5-50 times so link up, get some followers!!

To ensure a follow back from me, leave a comment with a link to your blog!

An easy, quick way to follow each of the hosts is by clicking on buttons labeled "GFC" or "Bloglovin'" under each picture!

Grab our button!!

(Other button sizes {big & small} available HERE)

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.whatjeanlikes.com/search/label/aloha" title="Aloha Friday Blog Hop" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee419/whatjeanlikes/AlohaFridayBlogHopbutton.jpg" alt="Aloha Friday Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Welcome to WEEK 57 of the Aloha Friday Blog Hop!

<div align="center"><a href="http://acatlikecuriosity.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Aloha" title="Aloha Hoapili" target="_blank"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U4bM2HwNLY8/UKnx1zTR7aI/AAAAAAAAI1I/jrflm1VMyzw/s1600/Aloha+Friend+button.jpg" alt="Aloha Hoapili" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Aloha Hoapili translates as Hello Close Friend. So, without further ado let me introduce you to this week's featured friend...

Aimy Michelle at
The Ramblings of Aimy Michelle.

Aimy blogs all about books, love and life in general.

Want a little taste of her blog? Check out these posts to find out what you've been missing:
A Book Review and a Giveaway
The Internet is Funny
VoxBox Review

If you're interested in co-hosting future month's Aloha Friday Blog Hop, please email jean@whatjeanlikes.com for more info.

Want a chance to win $750 Cash?
Come enter my Big May Giveaway
Linking up to the Aloha Friday Blog Hop gets you an extra 10 entries into this giveaway!

Follow our lovely Post Sponsor!

Want your link to be one of the first people see? Sponsor What Jean Likes by purchasing an ad space!! All Sponsors are automatically linked up! More info on becoming a
sponsor {here}
50% off ALL ads this month! Use code: MAY

Link up to this week's hop.

get the InLinkz code

Enter The May Team Giveaway Below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Aloha Friday + Extra Chance to Win $750!

2013-05-17T03:57:00.000-10:00

You can click on each of the hosts & co-hosts links and labels to easy follow them! If you want to go to their main blog and follow from there, click their link in the hop below!

You can also share any blog hops you are hosting by linking your blog hop post in our linky below! I love to join new blog hops, so please share them! We had over 420+ link ups!! Each name gets clicked on average 5-50 times so link up, get some followers!!

To ensure a follow back from me, leave a comment with a link to your blog!

An easy, quick way to follow each of the hosts is by clicking on buttons labeled "GFC" or "Bloglovin'" under each picture!

Grab our button!!

(Other button sizes {big & small} available HERE)

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.whatjeanlikes.com/search/label/aloha" title="Aloha Friday Blog Hop" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee419/whatjeanlikes/AlohaFridayBlogHopbutton.jpg" alt="Aloha Friday Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Welcome to WEEK 56 of the Aloha Friday Blog Hop!

<div align="center"><a href="http://acatlikecuriosity.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Aloha" title="Aloha Hoapili" target="_blank"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U4bM2HwNLY8/UKnx1zTR7aI/AAAAAAAAI1I/jrflm1VMyzw/s1600/Aloha+Friend+button.jpg" alt="Aloha Hoapili" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Aloha Hoapili translates as Hello Close Friend. So, without further ado let me introduce you to this week's featured friend...

Melissa at This Girls Life.

Melissa blogs all about DIY, food and the adventures of life!

Want a little taste of her blog? Check out these posts to find out what you've been missing:

Tips for Happy Feet
DIY Spring Wreath
Cake Mix Cookies

If you're interested in co-hosting future month's Aloha Friday Blog Hop, please email jean@whatjeanlikes.com for more info.

Want a chance to win $750 Cash?
Come enter my Big May Giveaway
Linking up to the Aloha Friday Blog Hop gets you an extra 10 entries into this giveaway!

Follow our lovely Post Sponsor!

Link up to this week's hop.

get the InLinkz code

Big May Giveaway Today!! Win $750 Cash! Free To Enter! Spread the word!

2013-05-17T02:55:00.001-10:00

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Week of Random

2013-05-15T07:27:00.002-10:00

Oh man, the last week has been chaos guys!! My brother moved to the other side of the island into a new gorgeous place so I have been watching my eldest niece Kaliko a lot because she still goes to school on this side of the island because it didn't make much sense for her to have to transfer so late in the year. So it's been a lot of waking up early and transporting the littles here and there as my brother and sister in law get situated and organized. Needless to say, I'm tired.. Yawn. Though tiring, the week was a good and busy one. I even managed to squeeze in a pre-Mother's Day photo session at Waikiki Beach on Saturday. I took a ton of photos and so far have only edited one as you can see from the photo above. It was a truly magical evening at Waikiki Beach that I spent with my son and an old friend. A nice way to say aloha to the week past and welcome in Mother's Day.

I gave my mom a lovely card and fixed, restructured , cleaned and organized her pantry for her. It was a huge job I spent a ton of time doing on Saturday but she wanted it done so badly so I decided to give that to her as a Mother's Day present. It was a better present than anything I could have bought her. Seeing her pantry clean and organized is wonderful and seeing her face when I did the reveal was even more amazing. It was a big ol' mess guys.... like a cluttered, mess. You see, the pantry shelves were breaking after 10 years of use, hard use so she needed me to put new struts and supports to make the shelving sturdy enough to reorganize it. Pats self on the back. 'She has a huge pantry and I didn't take pictures except for the one you see above. Needless to say, it's a big improvement.

How was your Mother's Day? I had a pretty darn good one, spent the early part of the day praising Jesus at church and then the rest of the day with my son Alaka'i. We ended the night with my mom, dad, aunt, sister-in-law, brother and nieces having dinner at the Pacific Beach Hotel while mermaids swam. The kids loved it because of the big aquarium and desserts. The adults loved it because of the big buffet (even though I didn't really eat all that much because I'm on a diet). It was still delicious and wonderful.

I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful family and group of new friends. I pray so hard all the time for God to just reveal His plan for me because I feel like I'm in neutral sometimes so it's been quite a journey these last few weeks of really letting go and letting God work in my life. I've been quite challenged at times and blessed. The only "down side" to this week of chaos and having my son and nieces is the looks I get when I'm out with them alone. My nieces look enough like me in their own way to pass for my daughters and I get looks from people, especially older women. Looks of disapproval and judgement and they don't even know me, don't even give me the opportunity to explain that the boy is my son but the girl is my nieces. But I don't have to explain myself to them. Then I wonder, do I ever give looks like that without realizing it? Do I ever come off as judgemental even if I don't mean to be? It was an opportunity to look at myself in a whole new way and think about how the looks I may give people might affect them. I'm a people watcher myself so I notice the looks I get and man, it sucked being judged like that.

Being a single mom is lonely. Being a fat single mom... lonely. Though I'm working out and eating right now to fix my weight problem, it isn't an instant fix all. Plus, my weight loss is more centered around taking care of myself and my health so I'm around for many years to come. I often wonder if I'll ever find love. I must confess the view from where I sit on that front is looking rather gray but maybe it's just not God's plan for me. I fell in love and got pregnant by the first guy to tell me he loved me. I was terribly abused by him and thank God he's out of me and Alaka'i's life. I only had one boyfriend after him. Bleek. Hawai'i is full of these super gorgeous girls, in good shape and without kids. Guys have all these other opportunities to find girls they actually would want to be with and then there's me. LOL. I think it's also due to the fact that my day job, parenting and just not going out limits my alone time with adults... perspective. Whatever God's plan for me is, I'm just thankful for all the blessings I do have. I am quite fortunate and have a pretty awesome life so I need to quit feelin' bad for myself. But hey, girls tend to do that from time to time, get dramatic and emotional- at least once a month, ya know?

This week started off with some awesome Alohi time during the day. She's a real character, that girl. Oh and my darling niece Kaliko lost her first tooth... ever!!! She's so excited. The Tooth Fairy gave her $1. She was so excited when my brother dropped her off this morning.

To all of you, I wish a happy and blessed Wednesday, whether it's a Wordless Wednesday or filled with words. Know that you are loved, you are wonderful and you are beautiful. Happy Wednesday! Tomorrow is the Big May Giveaway by the way.... $750 bucks!! So excited!This scripture always gives me comfort when I'm feeling lonely and down on things.

"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me."

Jeremiah 29:11-13

Aloha,

Photo Inspiration: 11 Secrets of Really Photogenic People

2013-05-14T06:51:00.004-10:00

I read this article when I woke up this morning and found these tips to be quite helpful so I decided to share. Do you have any tips or tricks for posing and taking great photos of yourself? Do share and read some helpful tips from Glamour below!

Having just renewed two government-issued IDs, I have been harshly reminded of what NOT to do when being photographed: stare straight-on at the camera, do a weird half-smile. As a beauty blogger, I've mastered looking cute in selfies, but as evidenced on my license and passport, when I don't dig into my bag of photo-posing tricks, I look...intense.

The experience ~~traumatized~~ inspired me to investigate further why some people look so amazing in photographs. I picked three of my most photogenic Facebook friends (they always look gorgeous!) and asked them to reveal their personal photo-taking tricks. And, oh boy, did I get some good, extremely specific advice for you. Read on.

Eleanor Langston, beauty writer—like me, she's photographed frequently for work and is constantly surrounded by beauty-obsessed people. All of this teaches a girl to pose. She also has unfairly perfect hair, but let's not get hung up on that for now.

Eleanor's look-great-in-photos tricks:

1. Play up your brows. "Darkening them by one shade with a pencil, wax, or powder will frame your face and balance out your makeup," Eleanor says. "If I have to leave the house quickly, it's the one thing I do that makes a big difference."

2. Dress in sleek clothes. "It's sad, but some outfits (billowy tops, tunics) that look fab in real life often photograph oddly because you don't get the proportion of your skinny legs. For special events when you know there will be lots of Instagramming, either wear a slimmer-fitting top that hugs your silhouette OR throw on a tailored blazer on top of your loose top to give you a more streamlined shape."

3. Master the chicken arm. "Everyone in America has gotten the memo that the 'chicken arm' (the cheerleader, hand-on-hip pose) will make your arms look more toned, but they often miss a key point: You have to put one arm on your hip but then angle it BACK (not straight out), so that your elbow is facing behind you instead of perpendicular to your body. This angle makes your pose look more natural than the chicken arm, but you still get that same toned effect."

4. Create angles. "My general rule for finding the most flattering picture is to remember that it's all about ANGLES. Never stand facing the camera, but position your body to one side or the other and even cross one of your legs. If you don't want to cross your legs, then at least bend one of them to break up the shape."

5. Use this body-shrinking move. "I've found that if you lean into the camera and stick your head out forward and tilting down a little bit (it definitely takes practice, and you may look cray from the side!), your head will look bigger, giving you the optical illusion of a smaller body. I also cock one hip AWAY from the camera because whatever is closest to the camera always seems bigger."

Monica Widmann, product development manager—Monica is the sister of my camera-obsessed sister-in-law, has a boyfriend who's into photography, and happens to be half Asian, which may involve a dominant photo-posing gene (according to my sister-in-law). OK, that all sounded really confusing, but all you really need to know is that Monica has truly mastered always looking amazing on camera.

1. Wear bright lipstick. This is one of the things that always makes Monica's photos stand out in my Facebook news feed. "I've been addicted to pop-color lips since kindergarden!" Monica says. "Whether it's pink, red, orange, or coral, every girl should have a go-to shade that brightens her smile in photographs. It really makes a difference."

2. Know your good side. "Any time a photo is taken of me, I fight my way into posing from my left side. This is difficult to explain, but the main reason is that my bangs swoop to the left. When I pose on the right, the focus is on where my hair parts
and it makes my forehead look bigger. Also, my nose looks smaller when I pose to the side vs. straight on."

3. Squint just a little bit. "Like Tyra Banks says on America's Next Top Model, I always try to 'smile with my eyes'. The best description I could find for this was
'squinting slightly to create small pillows beneath your eyes'. I also describe it as half-moon eyes, like you see on those cute Japanamation characters."

Robyn Myhr, model and photographer—OK, fine, Robyn has a leeetle advantage given her resume (oh, and her husband Bryan is a professional photographer), but I think that's just all the more reason we should steal her secrets.

Robyn's look-great-in-photos tricks:

1. Get silly. "Many people freeze up when the camera comes out, making them stiff and awkward-looking. To help you feel relaxed, think of something funny or just giggle to yourself."

2. Smile with your eyes. Wow, turns out this trick is pretty legit! "Yes, Tyra Banks knows what she is talking about!" Robyn says. "Try smiling without moving any muscle in your eyes—it feels fake, flat, and boring. Now try smiling just with your eyes. They say eyes are the widow to your. Even when you don't smile with your mouth, but just with your eyes, you can take a good picture. Now put the both together—smile with your eyes and your mouth. Voila—beautiful!"

3. Create a little mystery. "There's a time and a place to look straight into to the camera, but for the most part, giving a little tilt to your head or turning your body slightly away from the camera gives your body a more interesting and relaxed shape."

What are your go-to tricks for looking great in photos? Will you be trying any of the advice here?

Aloha Friday... Looking Forward To The Weekend!

2013-05-09T13:43:00.000-10:00

You can click on each of the hosts & co-hosts links and labels to easy follow them! If you want to go to their main blog and follow from there, click their link in the hop below!

You can also share any blog hops you are hosting by linking your blog hop post in our linky below! I love to join new blog hops, so please share them! We had over 370+ link ups!! Each name gets clicked on average 5-50 times so link up, get some followers!!

To ensure a follow back from me, leave a comment with a link to your blog!

An easy, quick way to follow each of the hosts is by clicking on buttons labeled "GFC" or "Bloglovin'" under each picture!

Grab our button!!

(Other button sizes {big & small} available HERE)

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.whatjeanlikes.com/search/label/aloha" title="Aloha Friday Blog Hop" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee419/whatjeanlikes/AlohaFridayBlogHopbutton.jpg" alt="Aloha Friday Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Welcome to WEEK 55 of the Aloha Friday Blog Hop!

<div align="center"><a href="http://acatlikecuriosity.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Aloha" title="Aloha Hoapili" target="_blank"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U4bM2HwNLY8/UKnx1zTR7aI/AAAAAAAAI1I/jrflm1VMyzw/s1600/Aloha+Friend+button.jpg" alt="Aloha Hoapili" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Aloha Hoapili translates as Hello Close Friend. So, without further ado let me introduce you to this week's featured friend...

Karina at Mom In The USA.

Karina blogs all about charities, decor, jewellery and much more!

Want a little taste of her blog?
Check out these posts to find out what you've been missing:
Giving Back In May
Good For You
Did You Know?

If you're interested in co-hosting future month's Aloha Friday Blog Hop, please email jean@whatjeanlikes.com for more info.

Do you want to be part of my Big May $675+ Cash Giveaway? Click here for more info on how to get involved:
Big May Giveaway

Brand spankin' new giveaway from your lovely co-host Sarah:

A Curiously Gorgeous Giveaway

Some exciting contests Jean's co-hosting that you may want to enter:

Win $500 VISA Gift Card (ends 5/10) | Win $100 Cash (ends 5/10) | $230 Cash Giveaway (Ends 5/17) | $100 Visa + Jewelry Giveaway

Follow our lovely Post Sponsor!

Link up to this week's hop.

get the InLinkz code

$230 Dolla Billz Giveaway with Olive & Ivy!

2013-05-08T14:14:00.000-10:00

$230 DOLLA BILLZ GIVEAWAY!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We Speak Now! Join Us For A Giveaway & Link Up & Empowering Women!

2013-05-08T08:30:00.000-10:00

Happy May Speak Now friends, both new and old!

Today is an exciting day for Speak Now

Today, some fabulous ladies have teamed up to link up and tell you that you're beautiful.

Speak Now is all about beauty from the inside out.

We believe in your dreams + passions. We believe in you.

Today we want you to look in the mirror and tell yourself that you're beautiful.

Identify what makes you feel beautiful. Make this feeling an obligation in your life.

Today we are here to remind you that you can do anything.

Today and everyday, you are lovely, you are perfect, you are bold, you are unique.

Today and every day- you are beautiful!

Speak Now is a women empowerment organization

built around the philosophy that self-love, self-respect, + self-confidence will make you beautiful.

We empower. We create. We educate. We inspire.

Link your blog up to connect with other bloggers who believe in the empowerment of women and help us spread awareness about the importance of women empowerment!

Once you link up, no community experience would be complete without a little welcome gift! We are giving away a $100 visa gift card and any piece of beautiful jewelry from the Speak Now shop!

So link up, enter our giveaway, take a look at some of our blogging friends, and share our mission with your friends, family, and fellow blogging community.

We are an online community designed to believe in you.

Today, we want you to join our movement.

_________________________________________________________________________________

HOW TO ENTER OUR GIVEAWAY

& win a $100 visa gift card and a custom jewelry piece from our jewelry store

MANDATORY TO ENTER:

****MUST FOLLOW SPEAK NOW ON EITHER FACEBOOK, TWITTER, OR INSTAGRAM TO ENTER*****

*****MUST LINK UP BLOG BELOW TO ENTER*****

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES: +1 for each // Follow Speak Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram - COMMENT FOR EACH + 1 for each // Follow via GFC, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for any of our co-hosts - COMMENT FOR EACH + 1 // Share Speak Now's I AM BEAUTIFUL May link up with your FB or twitter friends - COMMENT FOR EACH +1 // Spreading the word via status/tweet/instagram post- COMMENT FOR EACH COMMENTS ARE OFF ON ALL WEBSITE'S CO-HOSTING THE EVENT SO YOU CAN HEAD ON OVER TO SPEAK NOW'S WEBSITE AND COMMENT TO ENTER! { WWW.WESPEAKNOW.ORG }

A very special thanks to Aunie of Aunie Sauce, Casey Wiegand, Keri-Anne Pink, and Salena Lee for sponsoring our link up!

Beauty Tips: Getting Rid Of Puffy Eyes & Dark Circles!

2013-05-08T07:00:00.000-10:00

Image not my own

Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I have puffy, dark under eye circles. It’s not a good look for me. In fact, I reckon it’s not a good look for anyone.

There are a number of reasons why you could be suffering from this nasty case of puffy eyes, such as staying up too late the night before, tossing back one too many cocktails or suffering from allergies. Whatever the cause, I’ve got the solution!

Step One: Find the Perfect Concealer

This sounds so simple, but most people don’t know how to choose the correct concealer palette for their skin. Choosing a shade for your under eye is different than the rest of your face.

What you want to do is pick a shade that is slightly warmer than your natural skin tone. You may need to test drive a few shades, but you’ll know when you have found the right one when it disappears into your skin naturally.

Concealers found in pots tend to be better than those found in sticks or wands, so keep this in mind when you are shopping.

Step Two: Blend and Hide

To perfectly apply your concealer, use a makeup brush. A brush reduces the likelihood of over application which can make your under eye situation look even worse.

Dip it into your concealer and dab it gently on your under eye area and blend. You want to focus on the darkest areas first. Dabbing a little on your inner eye and eyelid will help brighten your eyes as well.

Step Three: A Flawless Finish

To get the most flawless, incandescent finish, sweep some translucent powder underneath your eyes. The shimmery flecks in this powder will give your eyes an instant eye boost.

Top this look off with a perfectly lined upper lid and mascara. Your eyes will look brighter, bigger and more beautiful.

A Little Pre-Concealer Prep

Some days my under eye circles are worse than others. On days when they’re looking extra dark and puffy I like to treat them to a simple potato paste.

Potato juice naturally lightens and reduces inflammation so it’s perfect to use before your makeup.

All you need to do is liquify one raw potato in a blender or food processor, close your eyes and place the puree over your peepers. In 20-30 minutes time you can rinse it off and you will see a noticeable difference.

Simple, effective and not very time consuming; I’d say that’s a beauty win!

Author Bio: Sabrina is a DIY loving beauty blogger for BESskincre.com. Whether she’s jet-setting or hanging out at home, she prefers to use her own skin care products like her Homemade Anti Aging Cream rather than buy them. Connect with her on Twitter or Facebook .

On Broken Computers...

2013-05-07T23:27:00.002-10:00

image not my own

This isn't actually my computer but man, I felt like making mine look like this because I was so darn frustrated this week!! I bet more than a few of you know the feeling when you're working on a computer, in the middle of something amazing and it crashes.... I got it to turn back on but every word I typed was on a half minute delay where I'd type and it would stall and then like 30 seconds later the words would show up. Crazy. So after almost 5 days computer free, I finally got a new computer up and running so that I can approve ads, get giveaways going and work on some new and exciting reviews and posts. I haven't had much time for photographing this week which is regrettable but normal considering my schedule.

How is your week going so far? I hope it's going smoothly and that all your devices are working properly. I don't know what I'd do without my iPhone. I would literally be out of the loop without it. Sure, I have a computer at my "day job" but I have tons of different work deadlines piling up so going on my site at work isn't happening at all this week. Man, I miss being a kid sometimes. Remember when all you wanted was to be a grown up? Yeah... so do I...

Happy thoughts, prayers and big hugs to you all.

Aloha,

Happy Hump Day Blog Hop Time!! I'm a Co-host! Come link up!

2013-05-07T16:06:00.000-10:00

If you haven't joined Bloglovin yet, you can do so HERE for free.

Welcome to The Bloglovin' Hump Day Hop!!

Hosted byMommy Needs A Break

I thought it would be fun to add a mystery giveaway for the bloggers who link up! It will usually be something small but unique :) So, pull up a chair, pour a glass of wine, and lets have some fun!!

Very Simple Rules:

- Follow your Host & Co-hosts on Bloglovin'

*Just click on the Buttons and then "Follow" from their Bloglovin' Pages*

Host

Co-Hosts

- Link up your Bloglovin' Profile using the Linky Below

- Follow at least 2 other Blogs and leave a comment so they can Follow you Back - Follow Back any one who Follows you - Grab the Blog Hop Button and Share!!

<a href="http://www.mommyneedsabreak.org/" target="”_blank”"></a>

Now, Link up your page and enter the giveaway!! Co-Hosts are allowed to enter too!! I'm also putting in a spot to link your Facebook Pages under the Giveaway..

Same rules apply

Up to 2 Co-Hosts each week! Email me at mommysbreak2012@gmail.com if you are interested in Co-Hosting

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Does your Facebook Page need some Love?

Aloha Friday, Happy May & BIG Giveaway Opportunity & Ad sale!

2013-05-03T02:26:00.001-10:00

You can click on each of the hosts & co-hosts links and labels to easy follow them! If you want to go to their main blog and follow from there, click their link in the hop below!

You can also share any blog hops you are hosting by linking your blog hop post in our linky below! I love to join new blog hops, so please share them! We had over 429 link ups!! Each name gets clicked on average 5-50 times so link up, get some followers!!

To ensure a follow back from me, leave a comment with a link to your blog!

An easy, quick way to follow each of the hosts is by clicking on buttons labeled "GFC" or "Bloglovin'" under each picture!

Grab our button!!

(Other button sizes {big & small} available HERE)

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.whatjeanlikes.com/search/label/aloha" title="Aloha Friday Blog Hop" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1226.photobucket.com/albums/ee419/whatjeanlikes/AlohaFridayBlogHopbutton.jpg" alt="Aloha Friday Blog Hop" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Welcome to WEEK 54 of the Aloha Friday Blog Hop!

<div align="center"><a href="http://acatlikecuriosity.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Aloha" title="Aloha Hoapili" target="_blank"><img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U4bM2HwNLY8/UKnx1zTR7aI/AAAAAAAAI1I/jrflm1VMyzw/s1600/Aloha+Friend+button.jpg" alt="Aloha Hoapili" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Aloha Hoapili translates as Hello Close Friend. So, without further ado let me introduce you to this week's featured friend...

Ann at Cairn Cottage.

Ann blogs all about cottage life, including decor, gardening and lake living.

Want a little taste of her blog? Check out these posts to find out what you've been missing:
Time for Tea to Warm the Soul
Renovation: A Before and After
Two/Too Cute Chi's

If you're interested in co-hosting future month's Aloha Friday Blog Hop, please email jean@whatjeanlikes.com for more info.

Do you want to be part of my Big May ~~$300~~ $500 Cash Giveaway? Click here for more info on how to get involved:
Big May Giveaway

Some exciting contests Jean's co-hosting that you may want to enter:

Win $500 VISA Gift Card (ends 5/10) | Win $100 Cash (ends 5/10) | Cash & More Mother's Day Giveaway (ends 5/5)

Follow our lovely Post Sponsor!

Link up to this week's hop.

get the InLinkz code

PARTICIPANT SIGN UP CLOSED. May Birthday BIG Cash Giveaway! Sign Up!

2013-05-03T02:04:00.001-10:00

Two years ago in May I started blogging on What Jean Likes. I had the blog name for years (since 2008, I think), back when I had an idea but was so busy running my other site that I never did anything with it. After I quit my job as a beauty blog writer/editor/photographer, I decided to take a break but missed blogging so much... I decided to write about a large array of things I like so I came here and sporadically posted every few months when I had time, no biggie.

Over the last year or so I really started actively posting here, finding my voice and sharing the things I like with this blogosphere. My blog has grown so very much and I want to do something super special not only to celebrate my bloggy birthday, but to thank all of you for being a part of the family and sticking with me through it all. Did I mention I'm having a 50% off sale on all ads for my site in May to celebrate? Just enter the code: MAY at checkout to get half off ALL ads!! Sponsor & Advertise

I am putting together a cash prize for one lucky winner of at least $600. I get tons of emails asking me about how to do giveaways, how to find giveaways to get involved with and so on.. I thought, what better opportunity to allow others to chip in, help this prize grow and get new followers along the way? If you want to be part of this giveaway, I'm accepting sign ups now. Giveaways are an amazing way to get followers, I've gotten tons of followers by hosting or co-hosting several giveaways. If you'd like to buy links into the rafflecopter prize widget (which will be mandatory follows for anyone who enters the contest), you can do so below.

Here's how it works:

1 link = $10

2 links = $20

3 links = $30

and so on

ALL the monies received for this giveaway will go to the winner. If I get more than the $600, then the giveaway will be much larger and will get a TON more traffic. If I don't get enough to make the $600, I will put the rest of the money up myself. I want to make this a fun and easy way for people to enter. This giveaway will be featured on my blog regularly for two weeks and will also be mentioned in the Aloha Friday Blog Hop email every week that goes to over 1,000 people. Super fun and easy way to celebrate and get followers.

This contest is open to anyone in any country (open internationally). Payment will be made via PayPal. No companies are sponsoring this giveaway (I get asked that a lot), it's just something I wanted to do for all of you. I have other giveaways coming up this week with Blogs Jean Likes and my April Sponsors Team Giveaway as well!!

Burnt out....

2013-05-01T15:59:00.003-10:00

Gonna keep it short and sweet today, I mean..it is Wordless Wednesday after all!! Today is a long day, a hot day, a sweaty day here in Hawai'i nei. I had to work in the hot sun today all day long. I got burnt on my arms and the back of my neck, ouch. Wasn't sufficiently prepared for how broiling hot the sun is with the southern Kona winds making everything especially muggy and sticky. On the plus side, I sweat a lot so I know I lost some weight and I juiced lunch so it's pretty much a day of pure caloric burn. Trying to stay positive! I was approached by a lady I knew as a child who is so sweet and kind who asked me about Jesus and we had a nice conversation about Him and I invited her to come to church Sunday and gave her my number. I hope she comes! It was such a blessing for me to be able to chat with her and share God's love.

It is a very hot day here... thank God for cold showers! Anyway, I hope you all had a lovely Wednesday. I have a blog hop for May to code tonight and a giveaway to launch Friday. Oh did you check out some of the other giveaways I'm blessed to be a part of? Check them out here: Giveaways . Some have ended but there is one for $500 bucks going on which is pretty awesome and a few more that are still active. Check them out! Who couldn't use some extra cash or some awesome ads and prizes?

I hope you are having a wonderful week. Don't you wish you could go to Waikiki Beach with me? Let's pretend right now, we're at the Hilton Hawaiian Village on the 31st floor balcony looking down at sunset, listening to the waves roll in and watching the sky turn a gradient color of blues and purples as the lights below twinkle. That's how the night rolled about a year ago when I was hanging at that hotel for a photo shoot. I need a vacay!

Hugs and love to all of you. Know that you are loved, you are precious and you are one of a kind. If you're having a bad day, here's a big cyber hug for you. {{{{{{{{{{{{H U G S}}}}}}}}}}

Aloha,

HUGE $500 Mother's Day Giveaway!! Haaaayyy!! Come enter!!

2013-05-01T08:00:00.000-10:00

I've teamed up with a group of fabulous bloggers to bring you something very special for Mother's Day. One very lucky reader will have the chance to win a $500 Visa Gift Card to buy their Mom (or themselves) a great Mother's Day gift.

To enter, simply use the Rafflecopter below and complete as many entries as possible. You will earn points for each item completed - remember, the more entries you complete, the better your odds will be at winning this amazing prize! The $500 Mother's Day Giveaway will run until 11:59 PM t Friday 10th March 2013 and is open to participants worldwide.

The winner will be notified on Mother's Day!

So, now all you have to do is enter, meet these other lovely bloggers, and start thinking about how you would spend your Mother's Day gift. Leave a comment and tell me how you would spend your $500 for Mother's Day.

fashion-a-holic // The Serena Saga // Fuggs and Foach

Hot Fun Stuffs // LA by Diana Live Magazine // Dress Up Files

Ava Grace's Closet // fashionchalet // Not Dressed As Lamb

Sandy a la Mode // What Jean Likes // Chicago Chic

[oomph.] // The Awkward Magazine // The Chic Sheet

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms & Conditions:

The Mother's Day Giveaway is for one USD $500 Visa Gift Card. This giveaway is open internationally to people 18 years and older. The giveaway will run from Wednesday May l 1st, 2013 12:01 AM to Friday 10th May 2013 11:59 PM. ALL mandatory entries must be completed in order to win, including the winning entry. Once you have completed the mandatory entries, the optional bonus entries will be unlocked. Optional bonus entries are not required to win, but will increase your chances of winning. ALL entries WILL be verified, so please be honest in completing the entries. The winner will be announced on this Rafflecopter after the winner's entries are verified and the winner is contacted via email. To claim your prize, please respond to the email within 24 hours, failure to do so will result in a re-draw. Once the winner has been selected, the decision is final. This giveaway is not affiliated with Visa, Facebook, Bloglovin, Google, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or any other social media platform.

Healthy Is The New Skinny: Love Campaign

2013-05-01T00:15:00.001-10:00

So I came across this Bust Magazine article while browsing Facebook tonight. Basically, Healthy Is The New Skinny is launching the Love Campaign and I have a few things to say about it... Okay, okay, I get the concept and I think it's a great idea done with the best of intentions... Seeing the too skinny Victoria's Secret models juxtaposed to the models with more realistic and healthy body types really makes you realize how truly skinny the VS models are.

Though I think the concept is a beautiful idea and a wonderful way to help encourage young women to foster a more positive body image, I can't help but notice that none of the models are over a size 12. The media really perpetuates this unrealistic idea of beauty and health using size 0 models who usually pose suggestively and hey, if you're a healthy size 0 more power to you! Statistically speaking, the average size of women in the US alone is between a size 12 and a size 16. So one has to wonder, why no models over a size 12 in this campaign?

I'll let them explain it all in their own words below but let me just say this... I know that being overweight is unhealthy, I am overweight and literally working my butt off to get in shape so I can be healthy. If the concept of this ad were to inspire girls to get in shape, this ad would make more sense. That's not the purpose of the Love Campaign though... Considering the fact that the entire campaign is supposed to make young women feel beautiful at any size, I think that they could have included at least one model that was larger than a size 12. Just being honest here, if I were a size 12 right now and I plan on reaching that size by summer.... I'd be super duper happy. Yes, it's healthy to not be overweight but as this campaign is strictly about body image, I think that they somewhat missed the mark. Anyone who is misconstruing this post as something about skinny vs fat, it's not.

This post is merely about the fact that on the premise Healthy is the New Skinny states that the Love Campaign is meant to empower all young women to feel good about their bodies. I don't know about you but if I were a teen girl who is bigger than a size 12, this campaign wouldn't make me feel all that good. ALSO, I wish I could say how wonderful it is to show "real" girls in their natural state but all the photos are retouched by photoshop and airbrushing, albeit the Dove campaign has much less airbrushing than the others, they all have retouching. Just sayin'. To my skinny ladies out there, I have NOTHING but love for ya!! I'm not attacking or cutting you down either. I know quite a few naturally skinny girls who want more curves. Body image is always such an issue with young women, we always want what the other has and always feel inadequate no matter how gorgeous or thin we are. Let's build each other up and show each other some love!!

What are your thoughts? More info about the purpose, premise and how this ad came to be... (Any views expressed beyond this sentence are those of the Healthy is the New Skinny campaign and Bust Magazine and not my own).

It all started with a simple Facebook posting placing the slim Victoria’s Secret models side by side with the women featured in Dove’s Real Beauty campaign.

“We just posted that photo to show how small the Victoria’s Secret models were because the Dove models are average-size,” Halchishick told us.

But the post received thousands of comments, many of them trashing the bodies of these ladies. Case in point:

“We were shocked to read how many people called the Dove models fat and ugly and said the most horrible things about these women,” Halchishick explained. “Then, others would claim that the Victoria’s Secret models were gross and looked like they were starving.”

And who loses? We all do. In their lacy panties and sexy poses, the Victoria’s Secret models are meant to exude sex appeal. But if you haven’t already noticed, all seven models have very similar body types. The underlying message: You can look and feel like your best self, but only if you’re sample size.

Meanwhile, in the Dove campaign, average-size women are featured in plain white bras and underwear. They’re beaming and beautiful, but if you ask teen girls who they’d rather look like, I’m banking on them picking the Victoria’s Secret models.

“There has been a push for more ‘real women’ in the media, but what does that mean?” Halchishick asked. “The Dove campaign is attempting to show ‘real women’, but being compared to the Victoria’s Secret campaign, it sends the message that this is less-than and not as attractive or desirable. Clearly, people want to have the discussion of size diversity, but it is not a fair comparison. That is why we created the Love Campaign. We want people to realize that you can use various body types and still have the glamour and appeal like the Victoria’s Secret models while presenting more realistic bodies to the girls who idolize them.”

You can check out the new HNS campaign video here. Are you feeling the love?

Images courtesy of Healthy is the New Skinny

Mere Feet...

2013-04-30T08:00:00.000-10:00

Not everything you see is what you imagine or assume it to be. Sometimes the greatest beauty can be found in the least likely of places. In a world that places so much emphasis on the aesthetics of beauty, how does one see beyond the facade of it all? True, there is beauty everywhere and usually it's the obvious beauty that catches the eye and inspires the soul... after all, who doesn't like something that is pleasing to the eye? It's human nature to gravitate towards the person, the object, the scene that is aesthetically pleasing. It's instinctual, animalistic nature at it's utter core. When a man and a woman are in search for a mate, they tend to initially gravitate towards the one that is most pleasing to the eye but pleasing to the eye doesn't necessarily equate to pleasing of the soul.

Beauty in all its forms fades as time withers away the outward exterior piece by piece but inner beauty can last forever if nurtured.

Could I go on and on with this topic? Yes. Will I? Not today... As tempting as it is to continue the observations I've made over the years of how men and women tend to gravitate towards the visually pleasing, that's not what this particular post is about. This post is about something more profound, something much deeper and meaningful than the manifold attractions men and women have for each other. This is about seeing true beauty in the most unlikely of places.

Last Saturday my son and I went down to Kaka'ako Park with the Entertaining Angels ministry at our church to feed the homeless. I've been slowly getting more active in our church and when I was invited to go help, I jumped at the chance and decided to bring Alaka'i along. Some of you may cringe at the very idea of taking your child near the homeless or in an area where there are homeless and implied danger. I took all of that into consideration before I went but decided to give it a chance regardless. After all, Alaka'i is 11 now and he's at that age where the attitude starts and the "mom I know" rolling of eyes becomes more and more prevalent. As my sweet boy journeys towards being a teenager, the sass factor slowly kicks in and he gets so wrapped up in himself and what he wants that I thought, hey why not let him see the other side of the coin?

Alaka'i was surprisingly excited to go so we went to One Love and met with the awesome group of people who go to feed the homeless. Mind you, I've been going to the church for 2 years on Sundays and only recently began dipping my feet in so to speak and getting busy and active with the church. One of the girls knew Alaka'i from the youth ministry and he being the always outgoing dude he is, took it upon himself to make an introduction so he could get to know everyone there. We followed them in our car a few blocks from our church to Kaka'ako park to feed the homeless. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't nervous. If it were just me, I would have no problem but this is my baby, my precious son and I was having a moment of regret as we pulled up. Leave it to Alaka'i to wipe my fears away as he got out of the car and immediately poured himself into serving. I was truly humbled by my boy in that very instant... to see him ask what he can do to help, to see him dish up the homeless and needy, to see him engage them and talk to them... It really made me so very proud of my boy.

Why the picture above you ask? Well that beautiful scene is at the waterfront at Kaka'ako Park, mere feet from where there are dozens upon dozens of homeless men, women and children huddled up on the sidewalks in tents or under tarps sleeping because they have nowhere else to go. I've actually spoken with people before who had the audacity to say that the homeless ruin the beauty of this waterfront.. Can you imagine that? I was taken aback by that statement when someone told me that while Alaka'i and I were walking around passing plates out to the hungry. It was a tourist so I can kind of understand why they'd think that but I digress.

Mere feet from the photo above were these people, these families, with little children, starving and hungry. It may sound trite but I saw more beauty that day in the faces of the people I met, in the smiles their children had on their faces though they had nothing.. I saw more beauty in the sun and wind battered face of a woman who is struggling to find a home for herself, in the face of a little boy name Brand who laughed and played as if he had not a care in the world despite the fact that he had sores on his legs that hurt to look at. No person, no human, no child deserves to live in such circumstances.

Lucky we live in Hawai'i where the weather is consistently warm. It warmed my heart to see my son eager to play with the kids, to help teach them how to make a lei out of paper, string and beads. It blessed me so much to meet these people and see their smiling faces as we dished them up. To hear their stories, to see their kindness and their souls so eager for nourishment for the body and the spirit. To see people so receptive to God, to see them shocked when we told them to come to church as they are, that they would be welcomed and not judged. The gift of giving is more a selfish thing for me now because I feel like I'm the one that truly gained something that day. Stereotypes and assumptions are often wrong. My son and I walking with a few brothers and sisters from church, went down the sidewalk where there were tents for many of the people who didn't come to eat, a place I would have avoided in fear prior to this day. We were welcomed with gratitude and smiles and seeing them eat that food that nourished their bodies and then to pray with them and see tears stream down their faces... To see the Holy Spirit working. It was a truly selfish experience for me because my soul was so greatly blessed that day.

Regardless of what you believe or don't believe, I ask you to try to let go of stereotypes. Just because something or someone isn't aesthetically pleasing doesn't mean that they aren't beautiful. Take some time and lend a hand to those in need, I promise you will feel such gratification that words alone cannot begin to express it. Mere feet from the beautiful beach in the photo above exists some truly beautiful people who are just down on their luck. Where do they exist in your neighborhood? Under different circumstances that could be any one of us. Serving those in need is a truly humbling experience that just blessed my soul.

My son literally begged me to make it a weekly occurrence, man am I lucky to have such an amazing son or what? Amid the busy and hectic work week I often whine about, how lucky am I to have a job, to have a son, to have my health, to have a home? Let's all try to bless those in need, let's be thankful for what we do have instead of griping about what we don't.

‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Matthew 25:40

I hope you are having a good week thus far!

Aloha,

Reset-ish..

2013-04-28T09:00:00.000-10:00

So I started out the year strong, did over a month on a juice fast to reset my body... lost nearly 40 lbs... and then I went to regular food again and lost my focus. Though I didn't gain any of my weight back, I don't feel quite as energetic or balanced as I did when I was juicing every day. In fact, I got quite lazy the last month or so only juicing a couple times a week. My body craved the veggies and fruits and I deprived it making excuses like I'm busy or cleaning the juicer is such a pain in the butt or organic vegetables and fruits are too expensive. All excuses.... all ways for me to try to justify depriving my body of the micronutrients that it needs and craves, all valid in a way....but still...not valid enough..

It's funny how easily we can create excuses to justify doing or not doing things. I mean, my excuses were all valid but I think I conveniently turned to them when the holiday candies and treats came out and then I just kept using them for all the foods I shouldn't be eating all that much of but wanted to eat. Oh another one of my favorite cop outs is PMS apparently... I've used that one for years. Hey, there's nothing wrong with eating different types of foods but I know my body and what it needs and doesn't need right now and until I reach or come closer to my goal weight, I need to cut out all the comfort foods I normally turn to and opt for healthier options.

So, I'm back on my juice reset-ish... Those of you who've been reading my blog in recent months will know I did the total reset for about 42 days and lost about 40 lbs and kept it off. That was a diet of ONLY organic fruit juice and it was wonderful but I have to admit, I didn't put my all into it. I think I missed quite an opportunity to use that time while I was fasting to just pray to God and lean on Him instead of myself.

This time around I think I'm going to do it more gradually because I have a heavy workload on me from my "day job" and I don't think my body can function on all 4 cylinders on just juice alone so this time around it's going to be 2 meals juice fast and 1 regular meal. Juice fasting takes a lot out of you because your body goes into kind of a withdrawal as it's cleansing itself. I'm actually excited to start the diet again, is that crazy of me? I am honestly dreading the working out again. I finally found the charger for my Nike Fuelband so I am back to using that which really helps motivate me and keep me in check.. Funny that for over a month I didn't use it because I couldn't "find" the charger when the truth is, I never looked for it. LOL.

So ladies and gents, back to juicing for 2 meals a day and I'm going to allow one regular meal that is balanced with veggies and protein and just a little witto bit of starch because starch is my comfort food of choice so I'm trying to really, really cut back on how much of it I consume. The days of comforting myself with food are over. It's time to rest on the Lord and get my comfort from Jesus and His Word instead of a bag of potato chips, candy, or a yummy Loco Moco plate lunch. Le sigh...

Are you making any changes to the way you eat as we journey into the spring and summer months? Are you going to incorporate more exercise into your day to day routine? Share with me your tips, recipes and exercises that really just push you and help you to get your body fit and in shape!! I'm always looking for new ideas and motivations to keep it from getting boring.

For some of my older posts about juicing and some of my favorite juicing recipes, click here

In other news, I've extended the Aloha Friday Blog Hop giveaway to end on May 1st instead of today. Giving everyone a few more days to enter away at your chance to win $200, 12 ad spaces and some lovely handmade items! You don't even need a blog to enter and it's open internationally.

To check out the rest of the giveaways happening on my blog, you can click here. I'm going to do a week in review post which will link to all of them individually and I have a sponsor giveaway coming up this week too!! It's been an exciting week for this little blog of mine and for me personally but I'll get more into that later.

Have a blessed Sunday my dears!

Aloha,

Photo Inspiration: CamRanger

2013-04-28T01:05:00.000-10:00

I just purchased the CamRanger last week. In fact, it came in the mail yesterday and although i have yet to use it, I'm really looking forward to seeing how it changes the way I shoot. I really liked the concept of it all, especially for difficult night shots to really make sure the focus is sharp and perfect. I read this awesome update and review SLR Lounge and just wanted to share it with any of you who may be interested. Before I purchased I did a ton of research and this product received really great reviews across the board and the price point is rather affordable considering all that it does and comparing it to similar but not quite as awesome products.

CamRanger recently came out with a new update for their iOS app that will allow for near-instant wireless file transfers between camera and whatever device you are viewing the images on. This is great news for anyone that is going to be tethering and wants to be able to see images quickly.

For those of you who may not know, the CamRanger is a devices that you connect to your camera that allows you to control your Canon or Nikon camera through an IOS devices. This new update also ads near instant image transfer for a very solid wireless tethering feature.

You can buy the CamRanger at Amazon or Adorama for around $300.

You can read the full press release below:

Alexandria, VA April 25, 2013

CamRanger’s latest update provides near-instant, wireless review of images captured by photographers and enables clients to provide real-time feedback on an iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch or Mac.
The CamRanger device is a piece of hardware, enabling full wireless tethering control and acts as a wireless file transmitter (WFT) for Canon and Nikon DSLRs from an iPad, iPhone, iPod touch and Mac computers.

The CamRanger device includes an associated free iOS app that allows for near complete wireless control of Canon or Nikon DSLR cameras, with no Internet or computer required. The recent update also includes a new rating system, comparison feature and watermarks.

“CamRanger is great for wirelessly controlling your camera and viewing images. The new app update takes it a step further to help people with their photography business,” stated Dave Pawlowski, the lead developer of CamRanger.
For example, imagine the bride and groom happily smiling while the photographer snaps away. The bride’s mother is entertaining friends and family in the adjacent hall. With the new update, the photographer can transmit each photo wirelessly in about 4 seconds (for a medium JPG, longer if a RAW file), so the mother can compare and rate each image and add a note for the photographer using an iPad. While the technology readily benefits wedding photographers, wireless transmitted photography has many more applications.

The CamRanger device, combined with the iOS app, benefits event, senior or commercial photographers as well. Imagine a photo shoot where the owner of the company wants to see what photos his marketing director has decided to go with; or a marketing agency that wants to give their client an immediate opportunity to provide feedback on the pictures being taken.

Once the files are wirelessly transmitted, the recipient of the images can also compare as many as four photos at a time. Using their iPad, they can also zoom in on the image, and then rate their favorites. The photographer can also add a watermark to the images during viewing or saving.

“CamRanger’s free iOS app update makes sharing Digital SLR photos simpler and easier than ever before”, stated Dave Pawlowski. “By means of advanced wireless file transfer technology, the wait for proofs has now been shortened from several weeks to about four seconds long”.

CamRanger works with many different Canon and Nikon DSLRs, including:

Canon: 1DX, 1D IV, 1DsIII, 5D Mark III, 5D Mark II, 7D, 6D, 60D, 50D, 40D, T4i / 650D, T3i / 600D, T2i / 550D, and XSi / 450D
Nikon: D4, 3Ds, 3Dx, D800, D800E, D600, D700, D7000, D300, D300s, D90, D5100, D5000

About CamRanger:

CamRanger LLC is a newly created company. The co-founders, a husband and wife team, enjoy photography as a hobby and have prior iOS development experience. CamRanger LLC is the merging of these two fields as the iPad specifically, with its large, high-resolution screen, provides an excellent opportunity for improving, simplifying, and enjoying photography.
Copyright (C) 2013 CamRanger LLC. All Rights Reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone, iPod and iPad are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Disclaimer: This feature was posted merely because I bought and liked the product and review. Neither SLR Lounge or CamRanger had anything to do with this review.

Start the Summer With $100!

2013-04-27T14:49:00.001-10:00

How would you like to start the summer with a handful of free cash?! What Jean Likes & Oh So Amelia have teamed up together and are giving away $100 in cash via PayPal to one lucky person. Simply complete the tasks below to earn entries for this giveaway. One winner will be chosen at random from all valid entries.

Read below for rules and info. Good luck and as always thanks for reading!

Giveaway starts April 28th at 12:01 am GMT – May 10th at 11:59 pm GMT

Open to everyone worldwide

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You must be at least 18 years to enter

All entries will be verified, so please don’t cheat.

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Aloha Friday + 2 days left to enter giveaway? Why, yes please!

2013-04-25T11:55:00.000-10:00

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Welcome to WEEK 53 of the Aloha Friday Blog Hop!

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Aloha Hoapili translates as Hello Close Friend. So, without further ado let me introduce you to this week's featured friend

Amy at Sews N Bows

Amy blogs all about sewing, repurposing things and does some pattern reviews too. Want a little taste of her blog? Check out these posts to find out what you've been missing:

Feathers N Dots Dress
Repurposing a Dress into a Skirt
Birthday Centrepieces from Mason Jars

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