Crystal Nails In Oz

I'm 35 years old, and until last week, I had never had a professional manicure! I have good nails and don't wear polish, so doing them myself has always been easy. Enter my pal Rcena, who gets her nails done regularly. The last few times we have hung out, I found myself starring at her perfectly shaped and colored nails. She told me that she gets the gel nails and that they last a long time and don't chip. I filed this information away in my "maybe one day" folder and forgot about it.


My sister Sara and her family made a last minute decision to come to town for a visit this past Friday. For some reason I got the idea stuck in my head that I should get a gel nail manicure before we went to visit them at my mom's house that night. I didn't want to drive in to Springfield though (where Rcena gets her nails done), so I looked for a place in Ozark. There are several salons that do nails in town, but I chose a place called Crystal Nails. Randomly.

Crystal Nails Salon

The first thing I noticed when I walked through the door was the intense smell of acetone. If you don't like the smell of finger nail polish, I'm afraid you wouldn't last a second! After a few minutes I adjusted (or was high off the fumes and forgot about it). The salon is clean; the staff was nice, and they had me choose my color and began the manicure right away. I had called to make an appointment, but walk-ins are welcome too. Half an hour later my nail technician, Cam, had finished, and I was really happy with the look. She charged $25 (gel nails are considered a deluxe manicure) and I felt it was a fair price.

I probably won't be getting manicures regularly, but a few times a year when I'm feelin' fancy I will definitely pop by Crystal Nails to get the royal treatment. I would recommend their services to anyone looking for a manicure or pedicure!

My gel nails by Crystal Nails in Ozark.

Crystal Nails

1742 s. 20th st.

Ozark, MO. 65721

417-485-4456

~ Love & Light ~

World Of Magic: Exploration #32

Exploration #32


WORLD OF MAGIC


Collect objects for their potential magic quality. Attach a story to them, or create a fictitious history about the object.

Mirage perfume.

Magic perfume, when worn causes all who smell you to see you as the most beautiful person in the world. Spray with caution.

Gypsy coin necklace.

Magic gypsy coins. When worn or carried on your person you become invisible! These are the only invisibility coins known to exist.

Witch Bottle for psychic powers.

Magic herbs, when inhaled open the Third Eye and enhance psychic abilities. The herbs in this bottle were collected from all over the world in places of magic.

The Seeing Stone

Magic crystal that allows one to see into the future. Place the crystal under your pillow at night to have visions of the future during your sleep. This crystal belonged to a Tibetan Shaman who lived high in the Himalayan mountains.

Me in my magical sweater from Ireland. When I wear it I am happy!

~ Love & Light ~

Leanne Retana Shares Her Health And Beauty Secrets

I get questions in my inbox quite a bit from people asking me about herbs, nutrition, and beauty tips. So, I had an idea the other day that I am going to try. I'll use the blog to share my answers with you too!


What is your ultimate stress relief?

I would have to say sleep. Nothing resets your mood like a good night's sleep or a power nap.


The one song that gets you moving without fail?

I really need to spend more time on workout soundtracks! But one song that always motivates me to keep going is Girl On Fire by Alicia Keys.


Do you do any other exercise besides yoga?

Yes! I have a stationary bike that I ride, free weights for arm days, resistance band workouts and I like to take the dog to the park to run around.


What is your favorite face moisturizer?

Right now I am using Living Libations Best Skin Ever in Rose. This oil is the best quality and super nourishing. I consider it food for my skin. I have also been using First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream. This cream is ultra hydrating to get me through the dry cold winters in Oz. Bonus: It is unscented and I can use it on my face and my body!


What is your must have herbal remedy for winter?

Osha root tincture. For me, it is a miracle in a bottle. I use a dropperful when I have a sore or scratchy throat, a cold or the flu!


Ok, guys! Those are the latest questions I've gotten. If you have a question you would like to see answered in a future post, drop by my Facebook page or leave a question in the comments here.

Leanne at Loch Leane in Ireland.

~ Love & Light ~

Found Sounds: Exploration #31

The last time I published an exploration from How To Be an Explorer Of The World: Portable Art Life Museum by Keri Smith, was back in November! Here is the first one of 2015.


Exploration #31


FOUND SOUNDS


Collect objects based on the sounds you can make with them (for example, tubes, metal, plastic). You may want to experiment with adding or combining objects to make new sounds, or adding other elements (like water). Consider that we experience sound in all parts of our body, not just our ears. (we can feel vibrations).

Source: Evelyn Glennie


My items:

~ Rice in a butter lamp
~ Jar of spices
~ Metal Buddha
~ Turkey feather
~ Bottle of hot sauce
~ Giant pine cone

Now I will do nothing but listen. I hear all sounds running together, combined, fused, or following, sounds of the city - sounds of the day and night...    -Walt Whitman

~ Love & Light ~

Adventuring In Ireland

We returned from Ireland shortly after midnight on Monday, a day late and glad to be home. We were stranded in Canada the day before after missing our connecting flight to Chicago. Our Air Canada flight had mechanical issues that set us back by three hours; screwing up the delicate balance of our journey home. But here we are. We finally made it!

I haven't had time to publish our photo album to Facebook or Instagram yet, but I wanted to share just a few of the captures from our adventure...

We landed in Dublin and spent a few days there. Most of our time was spent in the Temple Bar district.

Street view in Dublin.

I took a class at Samadhi Yoga on the second day of our stay. The studio was tiny and we were crammed in like sardines! The class was great though, and our instructor Maggie was awesome. Listening to her guide the class for an hour with her Irish accent was super fun! 

Leanne & Maggie at Samadhi Yoga in Dublin.

The country was our next destination, so we rented a car and hit the road. Our first stop was a well in Carlow that has an "Eye Cure" spell on it. The Tobar Cranavan Well. There are hundreds of Holy Wells in Ireland. Many are said to have curing powers and some are said to control the weather. The stone wall surrounding this particular well had bodies buried in it long, long ago. In the video below, we are anointing our eyes with the well water. 

After a lovely day touring the country we reached our destination in Kells, right outside of Kilkenny. Our home for the next two nights was a 266 year old cottage with a thatched roof!

Our cottage in Kells.

I took a yoga class at The Kilkenny School Of Yoga. The instructors name was Toby and I'm really glad I made it to his class. We had a hard time finding the studio and I skated in right before the doors closed. 

Leanne and Toby at Kilkenny School Of Yoga

Mark and I LOVED Kilkenny! Much smaller than Dublin but with all the city amenities. While we were there we visited Kilkenny Castle, of course.

Kilkenny Castle.

During the Kilkenny/Kells leg of our journey we saw medieval castles, priories, cemeteries, bridges and other ruins. It was spectacular! 

Mark and I at Jerpoint Abbey (founded in the 12th century).

Visiting the Celtic Sea was in order during the journey so our next home was a cabin on Oysterhaven Bay in Kinsale. 

Our cabin in Kinsale.

My favorite artist, Tori Amos, keeps a home in Kinsale. Several of her albums have been written here. It was surreal listening to her music while looking out at the very place that inspired them.

View from the cabin.

Kinsale is a small seaside town with all the charm you could hope for. Known for its amazing seafood  and fantastic views; I fell in love with Kinsale right away.

Street view in Kinsale.

We ended our adventure in Killarney at the Muckross Park Hotel in the Killarney National Forest. 

Muckross Park Hotel.

Here we played in the Killarney National Forest and were literally blown away by the beauty! 

Muckross Lake.

Sheep run around everywhere in Ireland! 

Sheep in Killarney National Forest.

Kissing in Killarney!

I even found a lake named after me! Lough Leane means "lake of learning". 

Leanne at Lough Leane.

Ross Castle sits on Lough Leane. 

Mark at Ross Castle.

Before we knew it, we had to say goodbye to Ireland. I am forever changed and so grateful we made this journey together. 

Farewell, Ireland!

Over the next few weeks, I will be working on putting our travel photo album together. If you are interested in seeing more from our trip you can follow along on Instagram or if we are Facebook friends, I will be posting an album there as well! 

~ Love & Light ~ 

February Fun

Just a few changes at Chigger Chalet for February. Maybe the most fun thing I did was upcycle this Russell Stover felt chocolate box into an entry door decoration. (It was hard eating all of the chocolates, but we managed).

Chocolate box turned door decor.

A little extra love on the walls of The Witch's Kitchen.

Wooden heart and a love poem.

All eggs eaten in February will be heart shaped! 

Should those chickens really be happy about this?....eehh.

The fireplace mantel is now a shrine to our love. 

The happy couple.

For the coffee table we have Linda Goodman's Love Signs, one of my favorite astrology books. A candle jar given to us at our marriage celebration, and a heart shaped doily crocheted by my Grandma Jernigan. 

Romance on the coffee table.

I don't go crazy decorating for February, but I enjoy bringing out some things that might otherwise stay tucked away on a shelf or in a drawer all year. What are some of the things you do or decorate with in February? 

~ Love & Light ~

The Emerald Isle

Mark and I are leaving on Friday to go to Ireland! It can't come soon enough; I am itching to get out of the country and explore someplace new. I have a lot planned in the following days to prepare, so this may very well be my last post until we are home.

Below are some images that express my vision for our trip. Excuse the poor quality of some of them, I was just nabbing them off the net.


While we are in Dublin we are staying at the Conrad Dublin.

Lobby at the Conrad Hilton in Dublin.

With all of the museums, parks, and shopping in the city, we will have plenty to do.

Dublin, Ireland.

I also plan to take a few classes at Samadhi Yoga Studio in the hip Temple Bar district.

Samadhi Yoga Studio, Dublin.

After a few days we push on to Kilkenny.

In Kilkenny we are staying at The Enchanting Mill Cottage. It has a thatched roof! 

The Enchanting Mill Cottage in Kilkenny.

Of course we will have to see Kilkenny Castle, for Kilkenny is Ireland's medieval town!

Kilkenny Castle.

I am doing a class at The Kilkenny School Of Yoga too.

Studio at Kilkenny School Of Yoga.

We plan to see ruins, sacred sites, and a lot of beautiful country.

Countryside in Kilkenny

Several days later we will go to Oysterhaven Bay in Kinsale.

We are renting a cabin in the bay!

Our cabin at Oysterhaven Bay. 

This is the view from the front porch...

Oyster haven Bay.

Kinsale is where Tori Amos has a home, and is also supposed to be the place with the best food in Ireland!

Kinsale, Ireland

We will take a day trip from the cabin to Bere Island and to do some coastal exploration on some peninsulas. 

Bere Island, Ireland

We will also take a day trip to Cork while we are staying at the cabin. Cork is Ireland's second city and I have a list about a mile long of all the places I want to see there.

Cork, Ireland

While we are in Cork I have a class at the Himalaya Yoga Valley Center.

Himalaya Yoga Valley Center, Cork, Ireland.

Once we have had our fill of Kinsale, Cork and Bere Island we move on to Killarney.

Here we stay at the Muckross Park Hotel. It's a castle. 

Muckross Park Hotel, Killarney, Ireland.

We will be just a few miles from the Killarney National Forest,

Killarney National Forest

And in the perfect spot to do The Ring Of Kerry scenic drive.

Ring Of Kerry.

Our final pitstop will be back in Dublin on Valentine's day.

We are staying at the Hilton Dublin.

The Hilton Dublin.

On this last leg we want to do some souvenir shopping and have a nice romantic evening together as we say goodbye to Ireland!

We will have a romantic dinner on Valentine's Day.

So these are the tentative plans and my idea of how I want our trip to go. Of course, we like spontaneity, so none of this is carved in stone! I'll have plenty of pictures to share with you soon enough--Until then!

~ Love & Light ~