My 2018 Word of the Year

December 31, 2017 by Show Me Sassy

Word of the year vs. resolution

The end of the year always includes quite a bit of reflection and goal setting for what is to come. Honestly, I’ve never really been one to stick with a resolution. I think it’s the multi-passionate side of me – one specific thing is hard for me.

A couple of years ago I learned about having a word for the year at a convention for a company I represented. A few months after attending that convention, my word for 2016 became “Bold.” Looking back, I chose the word because that was the word the presenter used. Really creative, right?

As I reflect on that word choice and the year that followed, I know that I didn’t use the power of one word to its fullest potential…but ultimately, I grew more bold (bolder?) in the year that followed and continue to work on this.

2017’s word choice didn’t have quite the same impact on my life as I had hoped. It was “consistent”. Maybe because there are too many varied areas in which I need to be more consistent and it felt overwhelming. It may also be because early in the year it became apparent that my struggle with endometriosis (and complications from surgeries) and infertility had left me in quite a state of depression. My focus shifted to a more important task of pulling myself out of that state.

What is my 2018 word of the year?

Well, now that you’ve made it this far into the post, you’ve already seen it in the graphic above. 😉 Clever, huh? Yes, my 2018 word of the year is “growth.”

How did I pick my word of the year?

There is a semi-complicated back story about how 2017 progressed but there was a point in mid-summer where I had an epiphany of sorts. The plan and dreams I had for my future changed because of endometriosis and the fact that I cannot conceive. We may adopt someday but I have spent a lot of time reflecting on what I truly want in my life – not what my life is supposed to look like.

I really felt like it was a struggle to decide on my one word because I want to feel successful a year from now when I reflect on my word (I failed at consistency last year haha). So, this year I choose to focus on a word that has already been on my mind.

Growth

I cannot wait to grow in 2018…in all areas of my life except my waistline. Haha.

Here are some of my thoughts on how I will let “growth” impact my life this coming year:

acceptance
moving forward
moving in a positive direction
change
learn
business & team growth

Most importantly, I’m working on growth for myself. I’m not picking a word of the year because it’s what I’m supposed to do. I want to discover my purpose and passion (whether that is one or more!) and feel fulfilled in life.

8 Tips To Make Your Nail Polish Last Longer

October 8, 2017 by Show Me Sassy

How I get nail polish to last…

Since I stopped biting/picking at my nails about 3 months ago, I started to research tips for making nail polish last longer. Lucky for me (and my clients), Color Street’s 100% Nail Polish Strips last up to 14 days and they include a base coat, color/nail art coat, and a top coat. These are some of the other tips that I have found helpful:

1. Do not soak your nails before applying polish.

Soaking causes your cuticles to retain water and expand temporarily. After a while, the cuticles will shrink and your polish will not look as neat. Using a cuticle oil for prep is recommended.

2. Avoid getting polish on your cuticles.

When polish gets on the cuticles, it can cause the paint to lift from the nail (which leads to chipping). Using an orange stick and cuticle oil to help push back the cuticle will help keep the polish off of the cuticle.

3. File your nails into a shape similar to the shape of your cuticle.

Filing your nails to match your cuticle will make them less likely to break.

4. Clean your hands and wipe down your nails with an alcohol prep pad before applying polish.

Using the alcohol prep pad will help remove any remaining dirt, polish, or natural oils from the nail bed.

5. Avoid using hand sanitizer after a manicure, which dries out your nails and ruins the topcoat.

Using a mild soap is a much better option.

6. If your nail polish starts to chip at the tip, file the tip down and seal with a topcoat.

7. Apply nail oil daily.

The less moisture your nails have, the more likely they are to dry out and split. Please wait 30 minutes after doing your nails to use lotions/oils if you’ve just applied Color Street nail strips.

8. Wear gloves when cleaning or doing the dishes.

Hot water and chemicals are two of the fastest ways to ruin a manicure.

For more tips on getting the most out of your manicure…

Make sure you’re hanging out with me over on Facebook – Show Me Sassy and make sure you “Like” the page. I would also love to share Color Street with you. If you’d like to try a sample, you can fill out the form here: http://showmesassy.com/try-a-sample and I’d be happy to send you one.

Halloween Nail Art from Color Street

August 29, 2017 by Show Me Sassy

Halloween

I’ve never been the biggest fan of Halloween. Perhaps it’s because my parents were never super excited about having to come up with costumes for my brother and me to wear. If we could use a costume more than one year in a row, they were thrilled!

Interestingly, I’ve probably created more costumes as an adult teacher than I had growing up as a child. Last year I even bought Halloween leggings to wear in my classroom at Halloween time! So, when I saw Color Street release these Halloween designs last week, I got really excited!

The glow-in-the-dark Salem Secrets is SO much fun! I have seen pictures of how much these glow…and they are great! And, I really think the other three are versatile and are very “grown up” but “fun” at the same time. The shimmer/glitter in Haunted Mansion, Autumn Harvest, and Midnight circus will be gorgeous. I think Autumn Harvest can carry over into November as well.

Each set of 16 double-sided 100% nail polish strips is $13 each or you can buy a set of all 4 designs for just $39. You can also mix and match the designs and take advantage of our every day Buy 3 Get 1 Free promotion. Take a look at the designs:

Pre-Order Today

These designs won’t be available on the website until September 6, 2017 and are a limited edition collection (available while supplies last). But, you can pre-order now by filling out the form linked below. You will be able to mix and match these designs using the Buy 3 Get 1 Free promo. Click here to pre-order.

Alternatively, you’ll be able to order here September 6…but only while supplies last.

Top 5 Color Street Shades

August 13, 2017 by Show Me Sassy

I recently saw a list of the top 25 shades from Color Street. When you narrow it down to the top 5, I would say the following generalizations can be made: We love our glitter, rose gold is still “in,” and women want a DIY at-home French manicure. Here’s some more information about the current top 5 Color Street shades.

1. Tokyo Lights

Tokyo Lights’ silver, fuchsia, and glitter sparkles are perfect for a night on the town.

2. Meet Me In Paris

Say bonjour to perfect nails with Meet Me in Paris, a French manicure set with a clear overlay.

3. City of Love

Treat your nails to a City of Love, classic French manicure strips with a sheer pink overlay.

4. Mardi Gras

It’s more fun in NOLA! Get party-ready with Mardi Gras’s sparkling teal, silver, and purple glitter on dusty blue.

5. Charleston Blush

Top your nails with Charleston Blush, a sweet, pretty pale pink.

Want to know more about Color Street?

Head over to our Color Street page for more information on how to shop, host, or join Color Street or to find out more information about our products.

A Hysterectomy Is Not A Cure For Endometriosis

August 12, 2017 by Show Me Sassy

A Hysterectomy Is Not A Cure

Before I get any further into my post, let me go one step further: THERE IS NO CURE FOR ENDOMETRIOSIS. I apologize for the capitalization but I feel the need to scream it from the top of my lungs so that everyone can hear it! I just don’t understand how we can be living in the 21st century and still not have any more of an understanding or a handle on a disease such as this. The closest thing that we have to a cure at the present time is excision of endometriosis through laparoscopic surgery. And, there are only a small percentage of surgeons who have the skills needed to successfully perform this surgery.

Why Isn’t a Hysterectomy a Cure?

Endometriosis is a disease in which the tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside of the uterus. It can be found in many different places of the body. So, if the uterus (and possibly ovaries) is removed during a hysterectomy, endometriosis can be left inside the abdominal cavity and other areas of the body where it can remain after the hysterectomy.

Can a Hysterectomy Help?

There may be some cases where a hysterectomy may help if the person has the “sister” disease called adenomyosis. In adenomyosis the endometrial tissue exists within and grows into the uterine wall. A hysterectomy is the cure for adenomyosis but again, if endometriosis is present outside the uterus and it is not excised at the time of the hysterectomy, the patient’s emdometriosis associated pain may not be resolved.

A Cry For Better Care

In the short time I have known about endometriosis (it was first really mentioned to me 5 years ago but I’m certain I didn’t even look it up then) most people I encounter either don’t really know what endometriosis is or they know someone who has had a hysterectomy “because they had it.” I recently had a doctor tell me that if I was really certain that I was not going to look into IVF that I should just go ahead and do a hysterectomy because that would just “take care of your endometriosis, too.” The non-assertive person that I am on the outside just quietly left his office but the Sassy girl I’m becoming (or the assertively sassy girl my counselor would like me to be) wanted to tell him what I know to be true. As a teacher I have a hard time with this. I understand that teachers/doctors make mistakes and are not correct 100% of the time but I also really don’t feel like it’s the student’s/patient’s place to correct the teacher/doctor. I think it’s a respect thing.

It Starts With Education

Most gynecologists also have the abbreviation OB in front of the GYN…and I have a feeling that they spend very little time learning about endometriosis. Unfortunately, there seem to be many doctors who call themselves “endometriosis specialists” but are not truly skilled in excising endometriosis. I saw one of those doctors the first surgery that I had and while I’m sure he had very good intentions, had we known what we were getting into (just how bad my endometriosis was), we would have researched it even more. I am confident that if I would have seen a skilled endometriosis surgeon the first time, my outcome would have been very different than it is today.

These doctors MUST have better training. More research needs to be done and more time needs to be spent learning about endometriosis. People should not have to travel so far to get quality care.

The same doctor who told me that a hysterectomy would take care of my endometriosis also told me: “you’re not going to die from endometriosis.” Really???

At some point I intend to transfer over all of my previous blog posts but for now you’ll want to head over to Show Me Posh – My Endometriosis Journey to read more about my personal experience leading up to my current situation.

Confessions of A Former Nail Biter

July 31, 2017 by Show Me Sassy

This Bites

My nervous habit for as long as I can remember has always been biting my finger nails. As I have gotten older, the biting lessened to picking at my fingernails if they weren’t smooth…but to say my fingernails weren’t pretty is an understatement.

As an adult, there have been various times where I have been able to grow my fingernails out but ultimately I would revert to the old habit mostly because I would fail to always have a nail file handy or keep polish on my nails.

Trial and Error

I have tried acrylic nails and gel manicures but the expense, upkeep, and scheduling involved make it next to impossible for me to maintain. I became a fan of higher priced salon quality polishes…but with that came more toxic chemicals. Finally, I tried some of those adhesive sticker-like wraps that require heat to bond to the nail. I never really cared for sitting in the bathroom for more than an hour because I was too cheap to buy the heater so I would use my blow dryer. They stayed on my nails decently for about a week and then would begin to lift.

Enter Color Street

Earlier this Summer I began to see posts about Color Street – before the company even launched or announced what kind of product they were selling. I never inquired about the company. Then, once they launched, I began to see people posting that Color Street is nail strips. I began to become interested when I heard people say that these strips are made of 100% nail polish and then I watched someone apply the strips – using only their hands! I new I had to try them but my nails were nowhere near ready!

Slow Growing, Fast Shipping

I figured since the company had just launched it would probably take a little bit for my order to arrive but it only took about 3 days! It took about 2 and a half more weeks before my nails were ready to try the nail strips. I tried High Seas Nail Art strips first. Here’s a picture of that application:

The application was SUPER easy…but would have been even easier if I would have followed the directions even better and remembered to remove the top, clear layer each time!

Longevity

And, a picture after a week:

I could definitely have gotten even longer wear out of this application but I was dying to try other styles…BECAUSE my Stylist kit was on it’s way! Yep, shortly after that first application, I decided I needed to be part of this company. I’ll share more about my feelings about Color Street and joining this type of company in a later post.

For now, I’m excited to share that I’ve gone about a month and a half without biting my nails and they are getting stronger every day with the use of Color Street nail strips.

Learn more about Color Street here.

My Life With Endometriosis

July 20, 2017 by Show Me Sassy

Life With Endometriosis

I’m working on transferring all of my endometriosis blog posts from my other site (Show Me Posh) to this one but in the meantime I figured I would give a quick health update and share about my current health situation.

Without going into TOO much health history details (I’ll come back at a later date when I have everything transferred and link everything), I have been significantly better this past year than in the previous couple of years.

I continue to have follow up ultrasounds every six months to check on my ovary and uterus for any abnormalities. I have not had any problems with my ureter since its final repair in late November 2015. I do have one other “issue” that we follow up on. I had a pulmonary embolism following my endometriosis excision surgery in September 2015 and on follow up echocardiograms my right heart pressures continue to be elevated. We believe the blood clots are gone but a sleep study showed minor sleep apnea. So I have begun C-PAP therapy and we will do another echocardiogram toward the end of the year to see if it has helped.

The Emotional Toll

Through all of my endometriosis surgeries and complications no one ever really mentioned or questioned how I was doing emotionally until I began seeing a new primary care doctor this spring. For quite a while, I was fighting for my life. Then I began to rebuild my strength and stamina. I never really took the time to mourn the loss of my fertility but with the help of medication and counseling it has gotten better. I am just now, almost two years later feeling back to my old self.