Stuff and flowers

Well I cleaned out ONE of my dressers and I ended up with this huge pile of clothes...its about two feet high, the picture doesn't do it justice. haha.

I guess I need to stop hoarding everything because I like to be comfy...it was my PJ drawer.



School is going well, we had our health fair last week and I gave millions of flu shots. I shit you not. Millions.  I'm not a huge believer in flu shots, I rarely get the flu and have never had the shot.  I think our bodies are strong enough to protect us and getting the shot will only make our immune system weak...but thats a different issue.  I had to get a flu shot since most hospitals require you to either have the shot, or wear a mask and goggles and gown around every patient which is definitely not going to happen. I picked my patient today and am a little bit apprehensive about tomorrow, my last clinical day wasn't what I expected so I'm hoping tomorrow goes a bit better.  It also gets a bit boring with only one patient for a whole 10 hour clinical day. I only have one test this week and 3 the next so here's to a little break in the madness!!

We our in the process of getting our first quote on flowers for the wedding!  I've never been a huge flower person until now, and I am so so so excited about the flowers for the wedding. We went with neutral tones (white, ivory, light pinks, champagnes [?], ect) and pearls.  I am very blessed to have a mother and father in law who want to help (and are able to help) with the wedding as much as possible. I will post pictures of my inspiration eventually...I'm just still trying to find a way to put pictures on here that doesn't take an hour. Things are slowly coming together :))

Next...trying to pick out invitations and save the dates which is a LOT harder than I expected.

Have a wonderful week!!!

I'm back!!

I can finally breath!!!! ahhhhhh.
Well, I'm half-way through my first semester of nursing school and although it's an experience I could never replace, I'm counting down the days.
I don't know if it's just california, but this shit is craaaaazy.
The last 8 weeks have been some of the most stressful, intense, emotionally exhausting, and eye opening weeks of my life.
The semester only goes up from here and I'm so ready for a little "break".

On another note, school and planning a wedding don't mix.
I've gotten no wedding stuff done and just finally started looking into invitations and other stuff (since you know, the save the dates should have gone out months ago...)

Until I've got more time (and more sleep), I will talk to you soon, and post some pictures from our engagement party :)

I got into Nursing School!!

Life is so crazy sometimes and I feel so blessed.  If any of you know anything about nursing school in California, you know that all of them (except private ones that cost 5 billion dollars) are on a lottery system.  Basically, you finish all the pre-reqs, apply for the program, and hope your name gets picked out of a hat to be chosen for one of twenty spots. Every year you apply, your name goes in the hat again. Ex- Year 1, one entry. Year 2, two entries yada yada. It's normally on average a 2 year wait, at best, 1 year, or a year and a half.  I know people who are on their 3rd time applying, and not getting in.  So, I applied for the first time this year and found out I was on the waitlist!! Even though my chances of getting in were slim, it was a positive way to begin the process.  I had just finished Medical Assisting School, and had gotten a job at the local hospital since I planned on a couple years wait.

Two days before I was supposed to start my job, I got a call that I got in!  It is absolutely incredible news and things could not be any better.  As you know, I'm getting married in a year so I'll be halfway through the program when I get married!! 

Even though I'm already in the program, there are SO many things to get done before the semester starts.  Even more stressful, since I was on the waitlist I have way less time to get these things done (medical clearance, background checks, paper work, ect...). 

But on another note, I will still occasionally be posting things about wedding planning, but I just won't have time for alot of my DIY projects until about 1 month before the wedding.  So blogging about it may be pushing it.

Instead, I will be posting about Nursing school and the daily struggles, stresses, and horror stories involved.

YAY!

Life

Hello.  I'm pretty sure no one reads my blog, which is okay.  I noticed I only blog when things in life are hard for me, kinda like an online (edited version) of my diary.  I don't actually keep a diary on paper.  I blog so randomly because it takes me FOREVER to upload pictures onto here. Unless I'm doing in wrong, I hate uploading pictures. HATE IT.  So that's why I don't blog alot. 


But anyways, I just came to put my thoughts down on "paper".  I'm generally a pretty positive person, I enjoy the little things and try and think that everything happens for a reason.  But sometimes, there are things in life that really just get to me.  Which pretty much is people who make little things big things, or do things just to get something in return.  Also, I feel like I'm constantly doing things to make other people happy, all I want sometimes is to do what I want and not over think it.

These above problems have been causing me to battle with myself inside my head...do I deal with it and accept it for what it, or get rid of the problem?  I decided today, as in right now, to accept it for what it is.  Be happy no matter what, and if doing things I don't want makes other people happy, which in turn makes things less stressfull for me, then I'm going to do it.

Wether or not this is the right thing to do, I don't know.  But like I said above, everything happens for a reason, this just feels right.  And I'm willing to take that risk.

Long time no see!!

Hey everyone!

I've been gone for a while,

I just didn't feel like blogging.

 School was ending, we were getting some

of the main wedding

planning finished, blah blah blah.

Anyways, we now have a venue,

caterer,

photographer,

baker (best gluten free cakes EVER)

DJ, and

a WEDDING DRESS (AHHH).

Still no color choices yet though.

I know I want it romantic and subtle,

but I also don't just want white...

So for now, I'm stuck.

A little on my dress...

It is from the local bridal store,

only one in town.

Me and my mom just went in to

get a feel for dresses...and

we left with one. hehe.

We had planned on doing a whole day

with all my family, and I'm

not gonna lie, it was stressing me out.

So I tried on about 6, the one I bought was

the third one I tried on.

If I could have wrote them a list

of what I wanted, and given them my

measurements, it would be my dress.

It's everything I wanted and more

and I can't wait to walk down the isle

in it.

I have a HUGEEEEEEE, and I mean

HUGEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

list of stuff to DIY for the wedding, and

I'm wanting to get back to blogging and

make tutorials about all of them.

SO excited to share things with you guys :)



Unknown

I'm not sure what to title this post since it's not

really about anything in peticular.

I'm trying to plan a honeymoon.

...

...

.......

I know NOTHING about travel.

I know I should hire a travel agent, but that involves

finding one.  Did I mention I live in a small town?

Very small.

Hard to find anything.

Also, in this whole process of getting married,

finishing college,

getting a full time job,

and growing up,

I've realized theres a lot to do.

And a lot I want to do.

Like make reusable snack bags for future hubby.

and reusable stretchy bowl covers.

and make washable swiffer covers.

and a home organization wall.

and homemade laundry detergent.

and everything reusable cause I'm cheap and

I want to save money.

Sometimes my brain is just so full of things I want to do

that I can't seem to actually do any of them.

Like right now.

And with everything that has to do with the wedding.
I don't even know where to start.

Poop.

Hope you guys have a good day :)

These are a few of my favorite things...

Hey everyone!!

So, this is NOT a wedding post.

Whaaatttt??

I know, I do have a life other

than planning, blogging, and pinning

ideas about and for my wedding.

This post, is about my new FAVORITE etsy shop.

I'm sure I'm a bit late on this since they seem very

popular.  But anyways, here it is...

alissa jacobs

I know its bad quality, but thats the only size.  I could get it.
I take no credit for this photo.

This shop is amazing. 

I would post pictures of my favorites but

it would be about 50 pages long.

They have shopping list organizers, that also fit kindles, yay!

Reallllly cute bridesmaids gifts.

Ipad cases.

Card holders.

Amazinggg fabric choices. Where can I find

some of those prints and patterns??

Did I say they have AMAZING fabric choices?

I mean seriously, go check it out.
The picture is a link, so click and look at all the

amazingness.

And the poppies on the clutches are soooooooooo

cute :)

Also, a little update on my life outside the wedding planning...

I am finishing up the semester at both my schools.

Sociology at the local community college and my full time

Private Medical Assisting school. I say "private" lightly...

I'll be starting my internship soon at an OBGYN office.

YAY, I love babies and pregnancy, I think it's amazing.

One of the doctors there actually

delivered me, it's a smalll world.

So I'm super hopeful this might turn into a job :)

I have been unemployed and my awesome parents

have been helping me out, aka supporting me financially,

since I'm going to school. I can't wait until I'm

financially independent again.

I get to apply to nursing school in May.

this is the first year I am able to apply and I'm SOO excited

to get the ball rolling on my future.

It's taken ALOT of hard work to get here, if

I could do it all over again I would go out of state

and get my nursing degree.

California has such a screwed up and complicated system.

Also, future hubby and I are on the hunt for a perfect house.

We won't be moving in together until

after the wedding and honeymoon, but

we want to have it all ready, moved in, and painted

before the wedding.  And since it takes FOREVER

to but a house these days, we want to get started soon.

Things are just working out so well

right now and I feel so blessed to have  

found such an amazing man.

Anyways, I'll talk to you guys soon.

Have an amazing day :)



Life Changes

So, I'm pretty sure a couple months ago I mentioned

how I got pretty sick with some digestive problems and

stomach problems?

This resulted in a trip to the ER and

a really miserable Thanksgiving...anyways,

every since then, I've been enjoying suffering through

a wheat free diet.

I don't enjoy it, in fact, I hate it. I love food.

I love pizza, pasta, all things italian, and cake.

Well, I don't feel that much better...WTH!!

So at this point, I'm seriously considering going with a

completely gluten free diet.

YUCK. But anyways, I wish I had some followers to

give me some feeback on their gluten free lifestyles...



New DIY soon :)

Hey everyone!!!

So I'm actually starting to pin point exactly

what I'm going for on my wedding day.

I know it's a whole year away, but since I want to

DIY alot of the decoration and accessories,

a year will barely be enough time. hehe.

So, we have a venue!!!

Union Hill Inn!!!



Click picture for Union Hills Website. Click
HERE for the blog that it was featured on!



Also, I picked out my colors!!!

I will be using royal blue and bright green!! Check out

my centerpiece picture below for the green

I plan on using. Here's a picture of the blue.

PS...I also want this as the flower girl dress.
{from giselleboutique} picture is a link.

Also, I've decided on chalkboard mason jars as escort cards

and as their favor to take home. DIY!! But no paper tag, just a nice

pretty piece of chalk.

My centerpieces! Which I will DIY nearly for free!!

I have manzanita in my front yard and the venue comes with

large mason jars for the base!! Also, I found an AMAZING wholesale

wedding website where I can get 200 rhinestones

for 8 bucks. When I do the tutorial I'll put the link up for you guys.

Instead of individual programs, I want to make

something like this for the outside of the

chapel. 

The program can sit on the drink table that will be outside the chapel!

The wedding is in June, so it may be hot and

we don't want anyone too thirsty :)  The venue also comes with

tons of drink dispensers like this.

Instead of having a guestbook, or in addition too, I

LOVEEE the idea of a thumbprint tree.

Especially since our centerpieces are trees...I sense a theme here...

also, another DIY. My mom is an amazing artist,

I'm sure a tree would be a piece of cake for her to draw.

Also, NO individual dinner menus. Those can get very pricy and are so

unneccesary.  And since my venue comes with a HUGE chalkboard that

looks very similar to this (did I mention I love my venue?!) I will be putting the menu

on this :) For all to see. Maybe on the guestbook table? Idk yet.

Okay, enough of the pictures.  Since I pretty much am on track

with where I should be in the planning process, I think

I need to start focusing on the little things.

Such as the engagement party (which my MIL is throwing),

the engagement photo shoot with our AMAZING photographer,

and creating decorations/photo props for the party and shoot.

I also am going to use an amazing idea to ask my

bridesmaids to be in the wedding :) 

Ring pop..to pop the question. AMAZING. I'm so excited to do this.

I'm using an amazing website, theknot.com, to help me with

inspiration, planning timeline, and vendors.

I need some followers, so spread the word people!!!

Have a great day, talk to you all soon!!



The Little Things

I think the little things are what matter in a wedding.  Here are a few little things

that I plan on doing myself or purchasing:

The custom hangers...from lilafrances

The Chair Signs...from braggingbags

The bird cage for cards...from Southbury Treasures

The Little Chalkboards...also from braggingbags

Other things I can't find pictures of..

Custom Bridesmaids gift bags, with fun stuff inside

DIY tissue paper pompoms

ruffled table runners

so many ideas..and only a little over a year until the day!!

I plan on using chalboard mason jars as their favor and as

their place cards. Two birds with one stone!!

I'm also going to DIY a fingerprint tree as part of the guest book.

I just LOVE that idea.

I want the letters of our soon-to-be same last name :)) wrapped in twine.

mason jars with tea lights hanging from the trees

TONS of banners

lots of signs.

It's all in the details people. And all along the way, I'll

be posting tutorials for everything I make.

So JOIN me on my road to the isle :)

oh...btw, every picture is a link the etsy store it came from :)

So excited!!

We're goin to the chapel...

next summer!!  Hopefully the begging of June, depending on

if the venue we want is available or not.

I live in a very small town and there aren't many choices...

especially since I have my heart set on an old barn :)

So this place...

Will hopefully be my venue!! I am just in love with it.

I have an appt on friday for a tour. I know it's more than a

year in advance, but it's a very popular place.

My head is already spinning with so many

ideas. It isn't even funny.

For the most part, I'm just trying to figure out colors and

the general theme I'm going with.

So far I love peacock feather colors. But

the main focus I want is burlap and mason jars.

And classic for me is sparkles. So it needs

to be done right for it to look like it goes together.

Here's some of my inspiration, hope you enjoy :)

Classy and rustic

Can totally DIY that whole centerpiece

colors. mostly just the blue.

colors again...

If I could just change the light blue to dark blue
it would be perfect. Everything I want
at my wedding.

This centerpiece to, can easily do it myself.

Engagement. Love it.

Lights!!

chalkboard!!

Mason jars, twine, and burlap. Yes please.

Obsesses with mini foods.

Thank you cards!!

Love the tissue paper balls
not so much the colors

All this pre-wedding planning has taken me away from my

school work...Uh oh...

Got to finish school if I want to be able

to live comfortably with my soon to be hubby ;)

So for today, that is all.

Thanks for reading!!



Update and some BIG news!

So I actually did have the flu.

I got sick that night and was down for about 3 days.

Apparently it's going around my town.

Yuck. Gross.

Along with being sick, it brought another

health problem to my attention.

It never seems to end.

Hopefully I will get everything taken care of before to long.

It's like my life doesn't want me to do p90x right now because the next day....

I GOT ENGAGED!!!

I'm so excited and such a happy girl.

I get to marry my best friend.

I couldn't ask for more.

So the next two days after that were celebrating and telling the family...

which unfortunately didn't leave much time to work out. Excuses, excuses, I know.

But I don't care right now.

Obviously I'm still continuing my healthy eating habits, with a new restricting of dairy food.

Apparently it's causing a severe reaction in my stomach

causing me to have acid reflux which in turn is making

my stomach bleed.

Fun right??

So as of right now I'm not eating dairy or wheat.  It's HARD.

But I will do it to feel better.

I am already having so much fun beginning to plan this wedding.

I'll probably blog about it all the time.

Hopefully more people will read so I can get

awesome suggestions from other amazing DIY bloggers.

Did I mention I'm having a DIY wedding??

SO EXCITED!!



Day Two!!

Okay, so today was plyometrics, the "X in p90x" according to the guy.

It was hard. Lots of jumping. Not impossible.

The moves are easily modified.

I'm very sore.

But the workout wasn't my problem.

It's how I feel now.

Like shit.

shit.

shit.

shit.

I feel like I'm going to die of the flu.

My stomach hurts, my head hurts, I feel like I'm going to puke.

I'm having digestion problems to put it lightly.

I looked this up on the internet to see why its happening.

There's a name for it.

Supposedly my bodies cells are getting rid of all the toxins. All at once.

So all my nasty endotoxins are getting into my blood stream.

I believe it. I just hope I really don't get the flu.

I think I might cry actually.

That's how bad it hurts right now.

I am very dedicated to this program and I would hate for my

previous "unhealthiness" to get in the way of my goals.

So I'm gonna get some sleep and pray that I

fell better tomorrow.

That's all.



Hello!!

So I've been gone far to long, no excuse besides I didn't feel like blogging.

I can't seem to find the happy medium where it doesn't feel like a job..

anyways, I did NOT like insanity.  I knew I

hated it after day 1 so I did one week

and decided on something else.

So I started p90x.

It's so much better for me and way more of what I

am looking for.

Insanity is cardio, plyometrics, and using your body.

p90x is much more resistance training

and I love it so much more.

I'm going to keep a diary on here for myself and others to know what to expect.

Day 1:

Chest and back plus abb ripper x.

Almost an hour and half.

You will need a chair, a pull up bar, and weights or resistance band

In short, expect lots of pushups and pullups.  LOTS.  Actually,

it's nearly the whole video. My "bra fat" hurts and in between

my shoulders.

Also, this video brings to light how many muscles

forgotten about in most other workout videos. This one move, thats like a

diving pushup roll thing, is KILLER.  I could only do 4. And even

those barely count.  No real pullups.

Im starting from the beginning and will probably have to do 3 rounds for full results.

THe diet was good today, I ate good portions and

healthy food. I bought a recovery formula for after my workouts

at walmart, and it is DELICIOUS. I'll post what it is later.

Wish my luck. I'm sure I'll be much more sore tomorrow!!



Day 2!!!

Just finished day two which was a plyometric cardio circuit.

I have to be honest...I didn't finish it.

I got through 3/4 of it and my heart rate got WAY to high.

I think I need to completely change my eating habits as well.

I think I'm going to have to ease into this instead of just going for it.

I mean, I could rest through half of it but I would rather give

it my all for half of it instead of bullshitting my way through all of it.

So I guess I will still consider it the insanity 60 day challenge,

since for me, it really is a challenge.

I'm still going to do it for 6 days a week, just maybe not the whole video until

I feel I can honestly give it my all through the whole thing

without putting my self in danger.

I hate that I'm so out of shape, my heart can't even take a hard workout.

Here's to a hot summer bod and a healthier life.

Insanity: Day One

Is it bad that I'm already dreading tomorrow??

Is it bad that day one is just the so called "Fitness Test" and I'm deathly sore?

No, it's not bad. Because I'm pushing myself to become better.

They say that this is a very cardio based workout plan, and it reallllly is.

I was breathing hard after the warmup. Maybe even a little sweaty.

First you stretch a little bit, do some jumping jacks, high knees, nothing new.  Actually, none of this was new, it's all just using your own body weight. Remember those things called burpees from elementary school??  I do now.  Theres a series of exercises and you do as many as you can do in one minute.  Sounds easy right? NO. TRUST ME. You have to push yourself.

You have to want this.

Did I mention I'm sore??

The fitness test is repeated throughout the 60 days so you can track your improvement. 

I hope will improve.

Now this program comes with a food guide and everything but since I am allergic to wheat (not celiac, got my test results, wooo!!), I can't follow it.  I can substitute but the calories are all different so it's easier to just make up my own meals. 

The point is to eat 5 small meals a day at about 200-300 calories

with a protein shake after the workout.

I substituted the shake today, but it is HIGHLY recommended that it's not skipped.

I'm a little hungry right now, but I didn't drink enough water today.

On to day two...

See ya tomorrow!!!



Insanity

First off, sorry I've been gone..again. My computer is finally getting fixed so I won't be without one anymore.

For now, I am still using my boyfriends.

Anyways, for the next 60 days, I will be blogging about something different.

It will be a huge change of pace.

I will be doing the insanity 60 day challenge.

To be honest...

I'm scared.

I don't want to do it.

I hate working out.

And it's going to be hard.

But I've gained to much weight for me to be comfortable with my body.

I played college volleyball this last season and I have NEVER been in better shape or seen my body change the way it did.

Unfortunately, I hurt my foot and was told to stay off it for

two+ weeks at the end of the season. 

I haven't worked out since then.  Sad.

So, now I know that I CAN do it and my body WILL and CAN change to be what I want it to be.

Just so everyone knows...It IS possible to have the body you want.

It just takes work.

Lots and lots of work.

Eventually I will post my before and afters (gross).

So for the next 60 days, I will let everyone know how my journey is going.

So off I go...

When I have more time I'll post links and such to the website

and other motivation I've had.

Oh, anyone know if theres a way to block the recipes and food from showing up on pinterest?? hehe.



Blog Design

Things may look weird for a bit cause I'm remodeling :)

And since I decided to remodel, nothing is working how I want it to.

Of course.

Pixels aren't changing, sizes aren't changing..nothing is doing what I want!!

Oh well, I'm taking a break and hopefully when I try again things

will decide to work right :)

Snow dayyy, snow day

Okay, so really the time for me to have snow days has basically passed.  But, on February 13, it has finally, and I mean finally, snowed. 

You have no idea how boring this winter has been in the foothills of the sierra nevadas. 

The local ski resort only opened in the middle of January, and I haven't had to put my car in 4wheel drive yet.  I worked at the ski resort for two seasons, and I have learned to really enjoy driving in the snow (besides the fact the 90% of people go around 5mph cause they're scared). 

As I'm typing, it just starting dumping.

If you can't tell I'm very excited.

Just thought I would share that with everyone. Not that you care, but now you know :)

Happy winter everyone!!

Valentines Day :)

In honor of Valentines day which is tomorrow, I'll be posting (along with 500 others), the story of me and my honey's love story over at From Mrs. to Mamma.  This blog is great, go check it out, and there are some pretty amazing love stories.

Here we go...

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

It will be 3 years next month.

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}

Well, it's going to sound very cliche and after thinking about it, its crazy all the things I remember.  We live in a very small town and our highschool has a student body with a total of maybe in the 400's.  Everyone knows everyone, and if your not their friend, you at least know who they are.  One of my best guy friends was his (craig, his name is craig) best friend and we had talked a few times but I was never a big fan of Craig.  One night, we even had a small little party at this best guy friends house (on "national makeout day", oh highschool...), needless to say, nothing happened and we both went our own ways.  A couple months later I saw him with some girl and I got MAD.  I had no idea why, but I did.  I let it go.  Eventuall,y about a year later, I started hanging out with his group of friends and we started up a casual friendship.  I saw him at our sadie hawkins dance (he didn't go, he was just in charge of running it since he was in FFA), and he told me he liked my outfit...gasp.  I then proceeded to write him on myspace, holy shit, I know and he texted me.  I had no idea how he got my number and to this day he still won't tell me.  We went on a date during 4th period of school (he had work experience, my dad had to sign me out early, haha) to subway and a local ice cream shop and the rest is history.  We were dating a month later and two months after that I knew I would marry him someday.  That summer we took the most incredible vacation with his family across the entire western half of the US which helped the bond form even more. 

3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry? {do tell}

We aren't married, but we will be someday :)  I have no doubt.

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding? If not, where would you like to get married? And will it be big or small?

Well, we talk about it alot.  It's definitely going to be big and just somewhere in Northern California so my large family doesn't have to travel very far. 

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!

I call him mostly babe.  But I throw in the occasional sugar lips, stud muffin, and so on...

He calls me babe, baby occasionally, and sweetheart.

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

only three?? Okay...

1. His amazing sense of humor

2. He seriously cares about other people

3. He makes me feel loved and special

7. Tell us how he proposed? Or your ideal proposal?

It doesn't matter. At all.

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

Flowers and teddy bear for sure.

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?

I love dinner on the beach and would NEVER turn that down.  But on a regular basis I would so much rather stay at home and watch a movie.

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?

Well, get married ;)

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.

We're going to a local steak house and hopefully we'll go see the vow.  But it's snowing this week and he lives on the side of a mountain (I'm not kidding), so we may have to postpone.

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?

Well, I really just want some hairspray (I am focusing on school this semester so I quit my job.  Craig is helping support me until I finish school).  But in reality, no, I'm not asking for anything.  Just to spend some time with him since he works so much.

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

Honesty and being able to say sorry.

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.

This isn't my computer that I'm posting this from so most of my favorite pictures are on my computer.  Here is us just hanging out at his house after he got back from a two week long work trip to Texas.

I LOVE HIM

Beauty Favs

Okay, so I have found some AMAZING new products this last month.  Some lipsticks...wait, what? Yes, I actually found a lipstick I love.  Concealer, face wash, supplements, and a new curl technique that I love.

Lately, I've been breaking out like crazy so the last couple weeks all I've been doing is trying to calm it down. 

1. Equate brand of the Olay Regenerating Cleanser.

 {from walmart.com}

Now, I tend to buy off brands of face wash and that kind of thing.  I was sceptical at first since most of these types of face wash don't really feel like they get your skin that clean, but this one does.  It takes off ALL of my makeup, which even my Philosophy Purity Made Simple leaves some behind.  It smells great, it exfoliates (very lightly, the beads are small and theres not a ton of them), and it leaves my skin clean and moisturized.  I LOVE it and I will be purchasing these again.   

2. Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleansing Clothes

{from outblush.com}

Okay, now I use these after I wash my face to remove any excess makeup/oil/dirt.  Even though the face wash leaves a little behind, it really is just a great cleanser.  It is so calming and doesn't dry out my skin at all.  I can always depend on any of the purity made simple products to leave my skin amazing.  And these (purchased at TJ Maxx for half off), are just as incredible. 

3. Wet and Wild Lipstick in 901B

{not sure where this is from, so just know it's not mine}

Okay, I have looked high and low for a color like this.  I have tried on countless MAC lip products trying to find a product like this and just couldn't do it.  But thanks to youtube, I found this perfect color.  It seems to be very popular because when I went to search for it on google, there were TONS of pictures of women wearing it.  It is nice and pink, but not "holy shit that's pink" kind of pink.  It seems to go with almost any color of natural lip and it really is a great color.  One complaint, doesn't last very long, but it's 3 bucks so I'll deal with it :)  Now I just need to find a lipgloss for over the top...

 

4. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer

{from maybelline.com}

Okay, so I've been anti-concealer for so long now.  It made me look cakey and didn't even cover my under eye circles.  This. Covers. Everything.  Now, really I don't use it on anything but my under eye circles (it has an eye treatment in it supposedly...) but I have tried it on pimples and redness and it works great.  Lasts forever, lots of product for around 7 bucks, and I really do love the "poofy thing" applicator part.  One suggestion, use a setting powder or it will crease.

5. Redken Guts 10 Volume Spray Foam

{from bangstyle.com}

Now this is a great volumizer on the second day after applying.  Honestly, it seems like it keeps my roots from getting greasy and it just makes it very easy to tease and get great volume, even two days after a wash.  It smells a little funky at first but it goes away.  And anything to give my flat hair volume, I'll take it!!

6.  RejuviCare Hair and Nail Formula

{from shopping.com}

Okay, so I had no idea this was "Kardashian Recommended" until I got home.  But I have nothing to say besides my hair has never grown faster.  Don't use it unless you like getting your hair done every 6 weeks on the dot.  LOVE IT.

7.  Not exactly a product but a technique, new for me, old for most...

I divide my hair into top and bottom sections (half and half) and divide each of those into 4 or 5 sections depending on the thickness of the hair.  Just curl it the regular way, not around the barrel.  Spray with hairspray lightly while it's still hot, it makes it hold longer.  After its all curled, away from the face, brush it out.  It will turn into a very elegant, smooth wave.  Using your fingers, get the curls how you like it and lightly mist with hairspray.  Ahhhmazing.  Great for day 2 or 3 hair.



Internet-less :(

So for the first 5 days of february I was without internet...which meant I was unable to post the first 5 days of the photo challenge...such a bummer!!!  I plan on postponing the whole challenge until march.  And as I already proved, it is definitely a challenge!  It also meant I had no pinterest favs. 

Soooo since blogging seems to be a challenge for me, I think I just need to focus on writing about stuff that I love.  Alsooo, I may start doing videos, gasp!!  Scary thought, just cause I HATE , uhhh, dislike, the sound of my own voice. 

So I have been having baby fever lately.  I grew up in a HUGE family with babies around all the time, now, theres not so many babies.  I actually love babies SO much, that I'm going to nursing school and I plan on specializing in Neonatal Intensive Care. Anyways, all my cousins are grown (if being 10 counts as grown...) and now my cousins are the ones starting to have babies.  My "cousin-in-law" is pregnant and at her baby shower, she got THE cutest laundry hamper.  So I've just been going crazy looking at baby stuff.

I just need to figure out what to blog about...till then, I'll just be boring ol' me!!

Not so Traditional Valentines Nails

Don't get me wrong, I love pink.  But it's such a cliche color for valentines day.  So I went a little off the beaten path with these...

I used just a basic brown nail polish and drew

a heart.  You can see the brown color better in the

picture below...

.

 To make the heart, make two similar lines starting with the large part of the heart meeting at the bottom.

This is the type of nail polish brush I used.  It comes in the actual nail polish, get it?

I hope you like them!!

Photo Challenge!!

For all you bloggers out there like me who have a hard time getting on the computer everyday, this may be perfect for you!!

I'm sure you all know what a photo challenge is, so I won't explain it. The one I'm using is from

 Fat Mum Slim and it seems great.  So if you want to challenge yourself like I am, go ahead and join!!

All my photos will be posted at the link right under my blog header!!

The BEST Chili Queso Recipe

Ooookay, I'm not a great cook.  So I wouldn't even call this cooking. 

I just went to red robin and had their queso, and this is better, cheaper, so easy, and SO yummy.  It was SO good, I didn't get any pictures.  SOOO, here you go!! 

You Need:

1 Jar Tostitos Salsa Con Queso

1 Can Hormel Chili, Hot

Directions:

Mix the whole Jar of Queso, and the whole can of chili over the stove top (You can microwave it but the cheese doesn't heat evenly. Stir it very frequenty until hot.  Then, eat it!!!

The Tostitos Queso is good alone, but with the chili it really makes it taste like you made it from scratch.  Go ahead, try and not eat all of it in one sitting!!



Pins of the Week

It's finally Fridayyyy!!

Which means I get to spend some much needed time with my boyfriend and family :)

I've been very pin happy this week and have LOTS to choose from, so narrowing it down was rough.  These are my top choices, but check out my other boards too cause they're awesome.

Click HERE to go to my pinterest :)

Here is an amazing picture of my boyfriends cat. 

His name is Simba and he's a persion rescue cat. 

Hes fiesty, and hes very picky with who he likes (I'm his fav).

Have a great weekend!

XOXOX



What I wore (last) Wednesday!!

Well, today I'm wearing scrubs, and since this is my first what I wore post does it really matter that my outfit is from a week ago??

Didn't think so...

 

My shirt is billabong that I got for Christmas from my God Mom.

Jeans are Miss Me..LOVE them!!

Although not in the picture, I wore black vans.

I'm workin on creating a more mature wardrobe but I'm a broke college student, so I work with what I have ;)

I have so many great tutorials for this next month!!  So keep checking back!!

Have a great Wednesday!

 

Back to Basic Makeup Tutorial

Ok, so here it is.  The nitty gritty basic makeup.  I have spent countless hours (and money) on finding the best basic look.  And for me, most of it is focused on getting my best skin.  Now, certain brands and types of foundations or powders all depend on your skin type so what works for me may or may not work for you. 

***I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP ARTIST.  This is a great tutorialf or people who don't know a whole lot about makeup.

I always start with toning or washing my face depending on how oily I am in the morning.  Then I moisturize, and begin applying my makeup.

I don't have the best makeup brushes, but they aren't the worst either.  But if your having trouble with your makeup application, upgrade your brushes. 

Overview of steps:

1. Liquid foundation for basic coverage.  I use FIT by Maybeline right now, it layers very nicely. A great foundation in a higher price point is MakeUp Forever. LOVE IT, just to expensive for me right now.

2. Tinted mineral powder (extra staying power and great coverage).  I use Bare Minerals

3. Translucent powder (to make it last) Just Covergirl for right now, SUPER cheap for tons of powder.  I prefer to use Sephora's brand of translucent powder, I'm just out.

4. Bronzer-Again, Covergirl.  But I also love Bare Minerals.

5. Blush- Sephora or Bobbi Brown.  I would never go back to a drugstore blush, this is the one product that I have actually noticed a difference.

6. Eye Shadow- I use Clinique every day. If you have cheap eye shadow, slurge and buy a great eye shadow primer, it won't crease!!

7. Eye Liner- I've been using Bare Minerals, but I think I'm going to switch to a water proof kind soon.

8. Mascara- Anything in the pink and green tube. Trust me.

DONE!!

Putting up a picture with no makeup took alot of courage, so be nice :)

Step by Step:

1. Start with a fresh, clean face

2. I use Philosophy When Hope Is Not Enough Serum and the Walmart version of Aveeno moisturizer.

3. Just a labeled view of my makeup bag with the brushes numbered.

4. First, take your liquid foundation and put three dots on your forehead, both cheeks, one on your nose, under your nose, and chin.  Brush 5 is the type of foundation brush I use.  I find it delivers a lighter finish than the ones like a paint brush.  Just use circular motions to blend. Make sure you cover your eyelids also, it provides a base for shadow.

5. I use brush number 2 and use it smooth out foundation and provide heavier coverage to areas where the foundation didn't cover enough.

6. Use a big powder brush to cover your face lightly.

7. Using brush 1, I apply bronzer to the upper portion of my cheek bone.  Also apply some to the bridge of your nose, lower jaw line on one side of your face, and your hairline on one side of your face.  Then I use brush 3, my angled blush brush, to apply blush right underneath the bronzer.  Use powder brush to blend.

8. My eye makeup..

9.  Light color number one goes on whole lid using brush one all the way from inner corner up to brow bone.

10. The darker color goes on outer corner using brush two. And into the crease.

11. The dark brown I normally use didn't show up well in pictures so I used a darker brown just to show you where I apply.  For liner, apply on top right at lash line and RIGHT under lower lashes. Then apply mascara!!

12. DONE!

 This takes me about 10 minutes and I love how it turns out.

I hope you like it!!

I'll have a tutorial for this soon :)



A New Pinterest Feature!

Every Friday, I will be featuring my favorite pins from that week!

I am a HUGE pinterest fan and since I took the plunge and happily deleted my facebook, I spend most of my internet time on pinterest. 

If you haven't heard of it, GO TRY IT!!  And while your at it, go ahead and follow me :)

Rolled Flower Tutorial

It's been done before..I know, I know.  But here it is, on Pearls and Paisley Co!  It's going to be called the EMMA flower (I know, bad. But it was the first fabric flower type I made)! The pictures are from two different projects but show the steps more clearly.  You can switch this up anyway you like, as with most crafts, it depends on your personal style.

It's very simple...It's under 5 steps (5 step tuesday?)

You need:

Glue Gun

Long strip of fabric

Circle of felt or push pin

Button, rhinestone, bead (or anything else for the middle of your flower)

1. Tie a knot at the end of the strip of fabric and glue it to your felt of pin

(I like the look of folds and unfinished edges so I take a thick piece of fabric and fold it in half losely)

2. Wrap it however you want at the beginning just to cover the felt of pin

3. Start folding it over itself like shown and hot glue it after every fold

4. Keep folding, rolling, and glueing until you like the size and how it looks and glue tail of fabric to the bottom of flower.

5. Glue the button, or in this case pearl bead, to the center (or off center) of the flower, trim felt of edges and ta-da!!

I have used mine on pushpins, huge paper clips to use as bookmarks (which I love and will have a tutorial for soon), on bracelets, necklaces...again, their are so many possibilities!

Linking Here:

Get Your Craft On Tuesday

Sugar Bee Crafts

Not Just a Housewife

Lady Bug Blessings