FUN AT THE LAKE

FUN AT THE LAKE

My husband and I have loved our second home on Lake Sinclair, and needless to say, we are in love with lake life ❤

We bought our home last November and have completed a lot of exterior improvements.  We have a lot of steps that lead to our boat house, and when I mean a lot, I mean 75.  We had to have the support and a lot of the steps repaired and added banisters and railings.  What an improvement!

                                               BEFORE

                                           AFTER

                                       

Our dogs safety is a priority and we made sure they had their own area to hang out while we run into Milledgeville or head out on the lake without them.  We had extra fencing from our main house and we brought it and it was a perfect fit for the area we had designated for them 😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

Of course we cannot be on the lake without a little fun right?  Our fur babies LOVE the boat and going out on the lake with us.  We bought them all life vests from Amazon and they have literally been perfect!  We love the handle on the top of the life vest which made it easier to help the dogs on and off the boat.  Another great feature is that they come in different sizes from XS - XL.  What we really love about this life vest is the snug Velcro wrap around the body.  It fits better, it's more secure and definitely more safe.  We bought another life vest that did not have the Velcro body wrap and it is not the same.  I highly recommend this life vest for a secure fit.

                Click the Amazon Link to get yours :)

                                                                                         

                      

 

               Gracie                                     Jack                                                           

                                               Shadow

POP UP SHOP 'TIL YOU DROP

As most of you know, my daughter and I own aMour Boutique.  We started this boutique in April.  We have a love of fashion and providing trendy clothes to girls of all ages. We have had so much fun going to mart and picking out clothes, doing live sells and having photo shoots with models.  

This past weekend we had our first pop-up shop at the Georgia Elementary, Jr. High, High School, and Collegiate Pageant.  aMour Boutique is thrilled to be a state and national sponsor for this organization.  

We are so excited to share with everyone that we had our first pop-up shop this past weekend.  aMour Boutique is a Georgia sponsor, as well as a national sponsor, for the Elementary, Jr. High, High School, Collegiate Pageant.

The Georgia State pageant was held this past weekend at the Henry County Performing Arts Center.  Over 100 girls and their parents, siblings, friends and family all came to participate and cheer for their favorite contestant. 

I cannot tell you how blessed we were to be able to not only sponsor the queens but set up shop and sell clothes.  We didn't bring the entire shop, but we took quite a bit and had a big and rich time meeting and talking with everyone.  We saw friends we haven't seen in a while and met new ones as well.

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It was such a thrill to have customers, young and old, ask my opinion about styling outfits and getting feedback about how much they loved our clothes and the brands we carry.  The customers complimented us on the quality of the products.  

 

When we go to mart we touch and feel the fabric and talk to each vendor about the factories that make the products.  We research in depth about what the latest trends are and what fits our brand that we offer to our customers.  It is very important for us to know that we are offfering quality products and to hear more than one customer compliment our products was very humbling and affirmed we are on the right track.  

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I need to share this one customer who made my heart leap for joy.  She was one of the last customers of the day, a young girl about 14 or 15, she was with her mother.  She liked our This Is Me Mid-Rise Distressed Jeans and asked if she could try on a pair.  When she came back her face was beaming.  She said this was the first pair of jeans that fit her perfect!  She loved the jeans, she was happy, mom was happy, and we were happy.  That's what this is about for us.  We added confidence, love and inspiration to this girl by design, with a single pair of jeans.  

We had such a successful day in sales.  We had girls buying bralettes, dresses, and our pullover popcorn sweaters were a HUGE hit! We sold out of every sweater we took.  Our children's clothes, sizes 7-14, well those were a big hit as well.  What was funny was the older girls were trying on the younger girl clothes because they loved the quality and style of the young girls clothes.  

It makes us feel so good to know we can put a smile on someone's face or make them feel good by providing them with clothes they will love and wear many times over.  

We weren't able to get pictures of everyone, but here are a few of the happy faces we were able to capture.  They are forever our aMour family.

  

   

  

We are adding inventory every week.  Please let us know what you would like to see and shop 'til you drop.

BE THE MIRACLE

LAKE LIFE LESSONS LEARNED

My husband and I recently bought a second home at Lake Sinclair.  We always knew we wanted to retire on a lake.  Although we are not at retirement age, we decided to go ahead and buy a lake house so we can start enjoying everything owning a house on a lake can offer.  Our home sits on a steep incline, which means we have a lot of steps to go down to get to the boat house. Until we sell this house and buy another, we need to be young and fit to go up and down the steps. 😄

My husband and I have 3 dogs, that we adore and dote on.  My husband added fencing and gates so that our pups have a safe place outside.  Before we did anything to the house, we made sure our dogs were safe first.  Our fur babies mean the world to us.  My husband and I could not wait to go out on the boat with our fur babies and see how they would react to the boat, the lake, and all the surroundings.
        GRACIE                              SHADOW                  JACK (maltese) & my husband, Tom

  

Heart Healthy Eating

Heart Healthy Eating is a subject that is near and dear to my heart. 

A few years ago I went to my annual check-up, expecting a good report unfortunately, my doctor called me back into her office and said I was borderline high cholesterol, as in one (1) number away from being diagnosed with high cholesterol (LDL).  My doctor told me she was going to put me on medication to lower my cholesterol. 

OK - NO!!!

I told my doctor - NO medication for me. She told me I had six months to get my number down or I was going on medication.  Again, in my brain with the sound of a bomb going off, I was thinking NO!!

How could this be?  I was and always have been thin, and healthy.  My earlier blog about understanding your body types lists the 3 different body types.  I have an ectomorph body type.  I remember friends and family commenting that I could eat anything and never gain a pound.  True EXCEPT, nobody can eat WHATEVER they want without having consequences.  I was what some might call a "skinny fat".  My body was thin, but my heart was, for lack of a better word, fat; the numbers proved it.  I was still confused as to how I could have high LDL numbers.  I worked out and I ate relatively healthy. 

My husband and I went through our pantry, refrigerator and freezer, and threw just about everything away.  The main culprit - FROZEN LOW CALORIE DINNERS.  That's right, Lean Cuisine, Weight Watchers, etc..... Full of Cholesterol, that is how they get all of that processed food to taste good, they load it with cholesterol.  I then realized I was slowly killing myself when all along I thought I was eating healthy.

Now, I eat fresh foods, avoid salt as much as possible.  I do not cheat myself, if I want chocolate, as in a brownie or a Tate's Cookie, I eat it, only in moderation.

My husband and I have traveled all over the world  and if you have been to Europe you know how good the food is.  It is fresh, the farm to table concept.  France, Italy, Germany etc., the food that is prepared is what is in season.  GMO's are outlawed in Europe.   Have you noticed the obesity rate in European countries is not to the level that it is in the United States?  Something to think about.

Every year I went to my doctor, my LDL numbers decreased.  My LDL is now 92!!  My doctor told me, "I do not know what it is you are doing, but keep doing it, and by the way, what exactly is it that you are doing?"  My doctor asked me what I was doing?? I told her I was eating a healthy balanced diet, avoiding GMO's, eating certified organic food, and I exercise more regularly.  How empowering is it to prove your doctor that yes, I CAN make changes for a better lifestyle without taking medication.

I encourage everyone to eat healthy.  The American Heart Association has an entire site dedicated to healthy recipes and videos.

Today's featured recipe is Green Chile Stew - Link below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Uniquely and Wonderfully Made

Uniquely and Wonderfully Made

Know your Body Type

As I started my journey to the Mrs. International Crown I was already living a healthy lifestyle.  I eat good food, really good food, and work out regularly. 

Once I was crowned Mrs. Georgia International, I received a lot of recommendations from different people regarding my fitness routine and what needed to be done to get my body in the best shape possible. I ultimately found myself struggling with "getting my body in shape".  Wasn't I already in shape??  My doctor has told me the past few years that I was in excellent health and shape and to "keep doing whatever it is I was doing."

I started second guessing myself and everything I was doing and started to think there was something wrong. I double checked my eating plan as well as my workout routines.    I had to eventually get real with myself, and as my trainer told me, I'm in "incredible" shape and I am doing everything right.  My muscles are in proportion to my body type. Which lead me to the question, what is my body type? 

Body types.... What are they?

Glad you asked :)

There are 3 different body types:

1.  Ectomorph - Lean and long, with difficulty building muscle (this would be me)
2.  Endomorph - Typically pear-shaped, with high tendency to store body fat.
3.  Mesomorph - Muscular and well-built, with a high metabolism and responsive muscle cells.


Okay, while we all do not have a mesomorph body type, we all have our own body type and understanding our own personal body type is the first step to understanding the work out routine and meal plan you need to be on.  If you are not sure, I encourage you to get a fitness trainer.  I use Mary Marsha-Riley, marymarsha@Hotmail.com, she is phenomenal!

God gave us our bodies.  The bible says in 1 Cor. 6:19:  "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in YOU.  1 Cor. 3:17 - "...for God's temple is sacred, and you together are that temple."  Additionnally, 1 Cor. 10:31 - "So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

We have the bodies/temples that God gave us. We as women, cannot compare body types, because we are all UNIQUELY AND WONDERFULLY MADE, no matter our body type, because our body types are God given. 

Love and appreciate yourself for who you are today.  You alone know your journey, and your journey is between you and God. 

Sharon McLaughlin
Mrs. Georgia International 2018
Ectomorph Extraordinaire

American Heart Association - The Truth Initiative

 

The Truth Initiative

 

 

 

May 31, 2018  -

I had the pleasure of attending the American Heart Association and Truth Initiative awareness event that was held in Atlanta on Thursday, May 31st.

The Truth Initiative is raising awareness in collaboration with their partnerships to make Atlanta and other major cities in the State of Georgia Smoke Free. 

Savannah, GA, has passed no smoking ordinances in the city.  As a result, research has shown heart attacks and strokes have decreased 40%. 

The Truth Initiative inspires tobacco free lives for healthy hearts, lungs, and body, as well as a healthy environment.  I had the pleasure to participate in a video to raise awareness regarding the dangers of smoking.   Please visit The Truth Initiative to learn about how you can get involved.