Laughing Lindsay

Travel Reviews, Giveaways, & More!

Tips to Protect Your Skin from the Sun

By Leave a Comment

May is Skin Cancer (and Melanoma) Awareness Month. I hadn’t posted about it here yet, but I’ve had a few atypical or pre-cancerous lesions removed over the past couple of years. After those experiences, I started taking steps to attempt to prevent that from happening again. So, here are my tips to protect your skin from the sun, so you don’t have to endure what I have.

Protect Your Skin from the Sun

Protect Your Skin From The Sun

Unfortunately, I didn’t grow up wearing sunscreen frequently or really thinking about protecting my skin. However, ever since my surgeries, you can bet you will find me wearing everything I can to cover up when I’m outside. While I am not a doctor or expert, I am sharing what I have found works for me in hopes that it helps someone else.

  • Wear sunscreen. I will start with the most obvious way to protect your skin from the sun. Sunblock. I think mineral or physical is best because it sits on top of the skin to form a protective barrier. These sunscreens will contain Zinc Oxide and/or Titanium Dioxide. However, it is more likely to cause a whitecast or white shading on the skin. So, I highly recommend trying one before wearing it out. In fact, I recommend purchasing Sephora’s annual Sun Safety Kit that comes with a great assortment of sunscreens to try! This year’s kit is pictured in my Instagram post below. It’s also important to look for something with SPF 30 or higher for full coverage as well as re-applying frequently. I like to use a powder sunscreen to re-apply on my face as it helps with oiliness/sweating and is easier to apply when it’s hot. I’ve linked the one I use as I also avoid talc in my beauty products now.
  • Wear a hat. Even though I wear sunblock, I also wear a hat to cover my head and ears. The more closely woven the fabric is, the better it is. I have two hats. One for regular travel and another with a neck flap if I’m planning to be in a swimsuit or working outside. It doesn’t always look nice, but I prefer that to getting burned.
  • Wear UPF clothing. I wanted an option that was easier than remembering to re-apply sunblock, so I discovered UPF clothing. I also love a good theme park shirt and didn’t want to quit wearing one when I travel. So, I have purchased several UPF sun jackets from Amazon and wear them over my shirt. I also keep them near the door of my home on a coat rack, so I can just grab one whenever I head out. I wear these even if I’m just riding somewhere now. I feel a little weird wearing jackets in the summer, but I’m getting over it. I also have a pair of pants for around the house and a skort. When we visited Discovery Cove, I wore a swimsuit with UPF (and a rash guard) from Land’s End.
  • Avoid being outside between noon and 3 o’clock. This is when the sun’s rays are the most intense. It’s also when it is the hottest. I typically take a mid-day break out of the sun to rest up.
  • Get regular skin checks. Due to my history and my family history, I’m currently going every 6 months to the local dermatologist for a skin check. If you can’t afford to go to the doctor, you should become familiar with your own body and check for anything new or changing.

Do you have any other tips to protect your skin from the sun?

Easy Orange Dreamsicle Cake Recipe

By Leave a Comment

My mom’s birthday is this week! So, we had her over for some cake and presents this past weekend. When I offered to make her a cake, she requested this orange dreamsicle cake and provided this recipe from a lady who used to make it. I thought I would share it in case anyone else it looking for a super easy orange creamsicle cake recipe.

Easy Orange Dreamsicle Cake Recipe

Cake Mix with Add-ins

This orange dreamsicle cake is so easy to make because it actually uses a cake mix for its base. So, that cuts down on the number of ingredients you need to buy and measure. You also add in a few other ingredients to add even more flavor and moisture to the cake itself. Note: I had to search around for a box of orange cake mix. I eventually found a box at my local Food Lion. If you can’t find a box, you can substitute a box of yellow cake mix in for the orange. It would have less of an intense orange flavor, but I’m sure it would still be good.

I love that this orange dreamsicle cake recipe uses a homemade cream cheese and Cool-whip frosting as I personally don’t like frosting from a can. This would actually make a great summer dessert, but since mom requested it for her mid-September birthday I’m sharing it now. Also, I didn’t find this exact recipe on other sites.

Tips

As I stated above, my mom received the original recipe from an older lady who used to make it fairly frequently. Her original recipe left out some information I think is important. For starters, you definitely need to use two nine-inch pans for this cake. Also, I highly recommend placing the cake pans on a cookie sheet in the oven. My cakes actually bubbled up and over the rim of the pans and a little bit of cake fell down in the oven. So, learn from my mistake! Additionally, I added extra baking time since the cake wasn’t done at 24 minutes. You may want to watch yours closely as you approach 25 minutes.

Orange Dreamsicle Cake

Easy Orange Dreamsicle Cake

An easy orange dreamsicle cake recipe that uses a cake mix.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

Cake Ingredients

  • 1 Box Orange Supreme Cake Mix
  • 1 3 Ounce Box Orange Jell-O
  • 1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
  • 1.25 Cups Water
  • 3 Eggs
  • 1 Teaspoon Orange Flavoring

Frosting Ingredients

  • 2 8 Ounce Packages Cream Cheese, softened
  • 2 Cups Confectioners Sugar, sifted
  • 16 Ounces Cool Whip
  • 1.5 – 2 Teaspoon Vanilla Flavoring

Instructions
 

Cake Instructions

  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Flour and grease two 9'' cake pans.
  • Combine cake mix, Jell-o mix, oil, water, eggs, and orange flavoring. Mix until well blended.
  • Pour batter into the two greased pans. Place the filled pans onto a cookie sheet before putting it into the oven. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes.
  • Remove from oven when a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.

Frosting Instructions

  • Whip up the cream cheese with a mixer. Add sugar a little at a time until combined with a smooth consistency.
  • Add Cool Whip and mix until combined.
  • Add vanilla flavoring and mix until smooth.
  • Once cake is cooled, assemble and frost a two layer cake.
Keyword Cake Mix, Cupcakes, Easy, Summer

If you are looking for an orange dreamsicle cake recipe, then I hope you will give this one a try. Also, in case you were wondering, I decorated the edges with a vanilla buttercream frosting dyed orange.

Summer at Dollywood 2022

By Leave a Comment

If you are planning a summer vacation and are wondering what all there is to experience during the summer at Dollywood, then I’ve got you covered! From the new Roadside Attractions around the park to the delicious foods and awesome drone show, there is lots to do during Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration!

Summer at Dollywood

Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration

During the 2022 summer at Dollywood, Dollywood has Roadside Attractions around the park to fit the theme of a summer road trip! These attractions include a Bubble Foam Zone (one for children and one for adults), Lazy Loungers (chairs to lounge in), Giant Spinning Tops (to sit on and/or spin), the Largest Bean Can, Noodle Takeover (a beautiful rainbow of hanging pool noodles), and the gorgeous Kite Sky (to replace spring’s Umbrella Sky)! It’s lots of fun to simply wander around the park to look and play with these things.

Summer at Dollywood Food

Another wonderful part of the fun of summer at Dollywood is the food! I personally recommend trying the Mountain Berry Lemonade, BBQ Burger, and Cookies and Cream Liege Waffle! My husband really enjoyed the Melon Delight, which is a great dairy-free way to cool down on a hot day! We both purchased a Tasting Pass and enjoyed walking around the park selecting different foods to try throughout the day. You can see most of the things we enjoyed in my Instagram post above. Although, be warned that some of the locations sold out of items before we got to try them around dinner time. Also, note that most dining locations close before the park does so get snacks for the drone show early.

Summer at Dollywood Entertainment

Dollywood is known for having some great entertainment, so it should come as no surprise that summer at Dollywood is no different! For instance, they have the Gazillion Bubbles Show Aurora returning this summer and it is definitely worth seeing! It’s hard to explain, but it’s a neat bubbles/laser show that allows you to sit in air conditioning for 40 minutes! You can also catch the Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration shows Hydro Jive Junction and Liquid Beats.

Lastly, you can’t miss the amazing Dollywood’s Sweet Summer Nights 3D Drone and Fireworks Show, shown in my Instagram post above! It was our first drone show and it won’t be our last. It was neat to see all of the drones in the sky coming together along with the music. Plus, there’s a fun Summer Nights Dance Party prior to the drone show that gets you in the mood. It’s a wonderful way to end a summer day in the Smoky Mountains!

You can enjoy Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration until August 7th!

If you are planning a visit to the park during another season, here are my posts to help you:

Sonic Milkshake Review: Shaking Up the Competition

By Leave a Comment

Today, I am eager to share my Sonic milkshake review with you. You see, we have a Sonic right down the road from out apartment. So, the boyfriend and I have been taking full advantage of their half-price shakes after 8 PM this whole summer. I have developed a bit of an addiction to them and was totally pleased when Sonic offered to allow me to get one to try and compare to another famous chain’s milkshakes.

Disclosure: I received gift cards to facilitate this review.

Sonic Milkshake Review - Shaking Up the Competition

Sonic Milkshake Review

For my Sonic milkshake review, I chose a small Real Ice Cream Chocolate Shake from SONIC Drive-In and a small Chocolate Hand Spun Shake from another restaurant chain. Then, I compared the two to determine the better milkshake. Using several different criteria categories, I set out to determine the better of the two.

The initial category seems a little unfair to put anyone in the same category as Sonic for. However, it can’t be ignored that Sonic offers so many more flavor options than other places. One of the reasons that I’ve enjoyed their summer shake special so much is because of the varieties available. I’ve been able to try a few different ones each week and thus am never bored of their shakes. However, other restaurants usually have just the three traditional flavors (which is why I went with the chocolate at Sonic, to keep things fair in other categories).

Next up is presentation. Here are the two milkshakes I purchased. You can kind of see the other brand’s milkshake has some uneven distribution of the chocolate. Plus, I think it has way too much whipped topping. It’s almost like they are trying to hide something in or on their shake. Plus, the Sonic one comes with a cherry on top and a bright red straw.

fast food chain milkshake comparison

Similar to presentation was their texture. The Sonic one looks great and has a smooth drinkability to it. The other one was too thick and I couldn’t really drink it with a straw. I had to wait for it to really melt in order to drink it (which defeats the whole purpose of a milkshake). Thankfully, both of them had pretty consistent flavors in it though.

I saved the most important factor for last – taste. Hands down, the Sonic Real Ice Cream Chocolate Shake tasted better than the competitor’s. You just can’t beat the real ice cream with chocolate flavor. The other shake’s taste was a bit off and not exactly what I was expecting when reaching for a chocolate milkshake.

best restaurant chocolate milkshake

I think it’s plain to see that Sonic wins this one without any problems. They beat the other brand in every category. They look good and taste even better. I can’t say enough good things about Sonic’s shakes. So, which restaurant is your favorite place to go for a milkshake?

Travel Razor Kit Venus Snap is My New Favorite Accessory

By 3 Comments

It may be March and blustery here, but I’m already planning my summer trips and the new travel razor kit from Gillette is on my must pack list.

travel razor kit

Travel Razor Kit

I’ve already got 2 blog conferences on my calendar for this summer. Both of those conferences are in California. So, I’m going to be doing some more flying (woot!). However, that also means that space will be a premium on my flight back (with the swag and souvenirs I pick up). I’m all for a product that will save me some room while giving me the full benefits of using a regular sized one that I’m used to. That’s why I was interested in the travel razor kit that is the Gillette Venus Snap mini razor.

Gillette Venus Snap Razor

The Venus Snap is a mini five blade razor that comes in a portable compact that makes toting it around even easier! I love the portable compact that it comes in because it’s so cute! It’s blue and it keeps you safe because it covers the entire razor. I know that I won’t accidentally cut myself on this razor thanks to the container that it comes in.

compact ladies razor

I would be remiss not to mention the fabulous mini handle that makes the travel razor kit my new favorite accessory. It is super easy to hold onto and makes shaving a breeze. Plus, the small handle is what keeps the razor so small and portable.

Lastly, I love that this travel razor kit is from Gillette Venus and it comes with the Venus Embrace 5 blade razor! Venus is my preferred brand of razor because it gives me that close shave that only they can provide without making me cut myself. I have actually wondered before why Venus didn’t have a more portable razor. However, they finally do and I’m happy about it.

Venus Snap

If you want to pick up a travel razor kit, the Venus Snap, it’s available at Target, just in time for spring break.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.