Photo Finish

I got my haircut this afternoon, which means I usually stock up on new hair products! My salon just started carrying makeup, so on impulse, I picked up Smashbox Photo Finish primer.

Thoughts anyone? Good or bad purchase, we shall see!

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50 Shades of AWESOME

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Yes, I am going to talk about that recent (or maybe it was last year, but who knows because I’m always behind the literary times) book phenom: 50 Shades of Grey.

I’ve obviously been hearing about this trilogy for some time now, but never really considered reading it until I saw Barbara Walters interview of her most fascinating people of the year. When Ms. Walters admitted that SHE read the books, I thought, OK, I can totally handle this. So, over the Christmas holidays when my hubby, toddler, and I were bored to tears with no television and in the middle of nowhere visiting my MIL, I thought it would be a good time to start reading said books…

HOLY SHIT BALLS (technical term), I could literally not put the book down! Within a week I had read the first 2 books read and had started on the 3rd. Whew, I am now completely finished and telling everyone I can think of to read these books. Don’t be afraid of the whole BDSM thing, that’s not the main part of the story….READ IT!

You’ll thank me, E.L James, and start begging Hollywood to make the movie already! 🙂

 

New Years Survey: Sarah

I seriously cannot believe it’s been almost a year of NO POSTING!!!! As the other girls mentioned, so, so, so much has happened in the past year, which, in turn made 2012 gone in the blink of an eye. When I last posted, I had an almost one year old, and now that sweet little baby is about to turn TWO and is in full-on independent toddler mode!

Here’s 2009, 2010, and 2011, and here’s a glimpse of what’s been going on in 2012:

  1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before? We MOVED!!! Not very far, but into a new zip code, fabulous school district, and a gorgeous home that we have extra room to grow into.
  2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Yes and no on keeping my resolutions from 2012. I totally kicked booty in the workout department. I did start to slack off the last month of the year, but I will still call it a success! My other resolution was to blog more and I would say that was an OBVIOUS fail. I will/did make more resolutions this year, and as per year’s past, I’ll post them soon! 🙂
  3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Der gave birth to a beautiful baby girl! (I’m also expecting my very first niece or nephew in the next couple of weeks, but that’s 2013 isn’t it!?!?!?! Still, sooooo excited!)
  4. Did anyone close to you die? No, thank goodness.
  5. What countries did you visit? None, zippo, nada! We had a couple of mini vaca’s this year though, which was nice.
  6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012? I probably need a new ride; although, I’m struggling with this. I mean, my car is paid for and my husband’s will be paid for this month. Do I REALLY want another car payment?
  7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? January 31, 2012: We closed on our house after only being on the market for 6 days! February 29, 2012: We closed on our new home!!!!
  8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Selling and buying homes was the biggest learning curve. I will also call my son’s transition to his mother’s day out/pre-school program a huge achievement too because it was HARD on this Momma…
  9. What was your biggest failure? I don’t think we had a failure, whew, lets hope it’s the same for 2013!
  10. Did you suffer illness or injury? No, thank goodness.
  11. What was the best thing you bought? Not to sound like a broken record, but our new house! 2nd best thing was the plantation shutters FOR said house! 🙂
  12. Whose behavior merited celebration? My son. He has become such a fun little boy. Hard headed for sure and he definitely gets in a LOT of trouble sometimes, but the rate at which he’s constantly learning new things makes me want to celebrate him every.single.day.
  13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? This probably doesn’t need to be elaborated on…
  14. Where did most of your money go? (Broken record) Our house! We drained the bank for this bad boy, but it was so, so, so worth every cent.
  15. What did you get really excited about? The house, duh, but also hearing the news in May that my baby sister was going to have her own BABY!
  16. What song will always remind you of 2012? “I Remember When” by Kristen Kelly. Was introduced to her music by a high school friend, who just so happens to be KK’s best friend! KK released her first Nashville album this year and she’s great…should deff check her out!
  17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a)happier or sadder?happier b)thinner or fatter? thinner c)richer or poorer? poorer
  18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Stayed at home. We are on the road at least 2 out of the 4 weekends a month and I am SOOOOOO OVER IT!
  19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Work, but who likes to work!?!?!
  20. How did you spend Christmas? Like 2011, we travled all over the state of TX again…
  21. Did you fall in love in 2012? Keep falling more and more in love with my little family!
  22. What was your favorite TV program? Parenthood, the Good Wife, Nashville, Scandle, and ALL stupid/ridic reality TV programming. (teen mom, real housewives, etc.)
  23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?No.
  24. What was the best book you read? 50 Shades of Grey. I avoided this book for a LONG time because I thought it would be too much for me, but it’s seriously an amazing series and I am officially obsessed with Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele!
  25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Kristen Kelly
  26. What did you want and get? A new home!
  27. What did you want and not get? To have my house completely organized. I have some HIGHLY questionable closets.
  28. What was your favorite film of this year? I’m agreeing w/ AK. Breaking Dawn part 2. I’m pretty sure this was one of the only movies I watched this year and it was GREAT! Lawless was also pretty great.
  29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned the big 2-9 and  spent a fab day w/ the girls shopping and drinking at the Round Top antique/craft fair!
  30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Less stressing about the little things. Everything really does work itself out…
  31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012? Comfort and easy! I’ve been trying to stay out of sweatpants/work out shorts, but working from home makes it REALLY hard to get dressed. However, I’m hoping to do a better job in 2013…hmmmm, resolution maybe?
  32. What kept you sane? My husband and my Mom. I had several meltdowns with C going to school and she was always there to reassure me that I made the right decision.
  33. Who was the best new person you met? Probably our new neighbors! They have been great and really made our new neighborhood feel like home.
  34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012. Don’t sweat the small stuff.
  35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year“On the pontoon Makin’ waves and catchin’ rays up on the roof Jumpin’ out the back, don’t act like you don’t want to Party in slow motion Out here in the open Mmmmmmm…motorboatin’ “ ~ Little Big Town (I heard this song umpteenmillion times this summer…)

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Denim and Diamonds: Centerpiece Options

We received a comment on our Facebook page recently asking about some inexpensive options for a  “Denim and Diamonds” themed party, and here’s what we came up with!

Hope this helps…keep us posted on what you end up using!

Hump Day Happy Hour: Wine-A-Rita

Here you go ladies…our two favorite things: Wine + Margs = HEAVEN in a glass!

A whole new hair doo!

So, I have naturally jankywavy hair, but for the VAST majority of my life I have always worn my hair straight. Partly because I didn’t 100% know how to fix my hair when it was wavy, and partly because I had the time to spend on my hair so it didn’t really matter. BOY HOW THINGS CHANGE!

After C was born I learned right quick how to make my wavy hair look less janky and more CUTE…here are a couple of the products I use:

I spritz my wet hair w/ the curl booster and crinkle my hair up all over. I then use a diffuser to dry my hair. After that, I use a 1 inch curling iron to fix the janky parts of my hair, rub a small amount of redken glass through my hair, spray with hair spray, and voila! This process takes all of less than 10 minutes from start to finish (versus the 30+ minutes it takes me to straighten it from shower to door)…WOOHOO! Not too shabby eh?

 

Oh yeah, my fellow Tipsy gal Der took this pic. She has COMPLETELY found her calling in life ya’ll!

 

Hump Day Happy Hour: Rose

Fell in LOVE w/ Pedernales Cellars during my anniversary weekend in “Texas Wine Country”. (Honestly, We liked their wine so much, we joined their wine club!)

The Garnacha Dry Rose was my absolute FAVE! I actually liked it so much that I came home w/ a case of it…

Please don’t be a wine snob and turn your nose up at a Rose…it is soooo yummy…and absolutely worth a try!

New Years Resolutions: Sarah 2012

Man oh man…I cannot BELIEVE it’s already 2012! I need to get this year started off right, so I’m actually going to create some very attainable resolutions for myself.

1. WORKOUT!!!! Yes, I have lost all my baby weight (+5 pounds), which means I’m actually at my ultimate goal weight and I was NOT at that weight pre-preggo. However, I’m thinking the main reason I’m at my ultimate goal weight is because I have lost a lot of muscle mass…? Hahaha…I’m not sure this is actually the reason, but my workouts have been few and far between. In July, I started the post-baby weight loss process and hit it hard, including at least 2 sessions of bikram yoga a week mixed in with cardio and weights. I had a great routine that I was really happy with until the end of August, when my hubby took a new job and was out of town Mon.-Fri . I mean, who wants to work out after taking care of a baby ALL day by yourself???? NOT ME!!!! His traveling has calmed down a LOT, so I’m joining the YMCA and going to get back into fighting shape!

2. BLOG!!!! When us gals started this blog in 2009 it was a fabulous creative outlet, but I obviously put writing on the back burner when baby C came along in March. I work full-time from home and between managing my baby, work, and house-hold chores, I never really got a good grasp to make time for ANY creative outlets. This is ALL changing. I’m literally forcing myself to get back on track because it’s a great way to get your thoughts out AND to fake shop…I mean, lets face it, it’s hard to justify that uber-cute new spring wardrobe when you have a new little one, but it will never hurt to look! 🙂

Happy 2012 everyone!

New Years Survey: Sarah

Soooooo….like Der, I have been, obviously, HORRIBLE about posting since my little guy arrived, but all that is about to change. I have 10 months of ideas in my head, so hears what has been going on!

1. What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?

Well, had a baby was the biggest thing and most profound…it actually pretty much trumps everything else!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don’t THINK I made any resolutions last year, but I do have a couple for this year I’ll post later.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

For the second straight year, it was the year of babies!!! Me, AK, and several other best buddies!!!

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No, thankfully.

5. What countries did you visit?

Nil, vaca’s were at a minimum, but we did manage to take C on his first beach trip!

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you didn’t have in 2011?

A new house…we’re in the process of getting our current one on the market…so a new house would mean ours actually sold!

7. What dates from 2011 will be etched upon your memory, and why?

March 3…my baby boy came into my life and made our family infinitely better! 🙂

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?

Having my son AND keeping him alive…it is funny that what they actually say is true, taking care of a baby somehow comes natural.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I’m not sure I “failed” at anything…

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Not really…woohoo!

11. What was the best thing you bought?

My Shark steam mop…LOVE IT!!!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

My mother…she has been a HUGE help w/ the baby. I know I could have done it without her, but I’m soooo thankful that I didn’t have to!!!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

Nobody in particular…was too busy to notice…

14. Where did most your money go?

My boy…man, kiddos are PRICEY!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Finding out we had a baby boy after waiting 9 LONG months!

16. What song will always remind you of 2010?

“F*&$ You” by CeeLo Green…for no reason other than I LOVE that song.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?

Happier…Babies make everyone happier!

Thinner, YES…baby weight be gone!
Richer….ehhhh, who needs $$$!?!?!?! (This stayed the same as 2011)

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Sleeping

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Stressing

20. How did you spend Christmas?

We spent a hectic weekend with my family in Gatesville, TX (Christmas Eve) and Gordon, TX (Christmas Day)…

21. Did you fall in love with 2011?

YES!!! I will NEVER forget seeing my baby for the first time!!!!

22. What was your favorite TV program?

Real Housewives of Orange County, Bev Hills, New York, New Jersey…I know…

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Nope…I sure don’t!

24. What was the best book you read?

“Decision Points” by George W Bush

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?

??? I didn’t have one I don’t guess…

26. What did you want and get?

A healthy baby boy

27. What did you want and not get?

Nothing…I was really blessed in 2011

28. What was your favorite film of 2010?

Hmmm…I’ll get back to you…

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 28 in 2011 and spent the day with my 4-week old baby!

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

If my hubby was home more…

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2010?

Cheap and casual…anything I can throw on in 30 sec or less!

32. What kept you sane?

My friends and family…and google chat!

33. What political issue stirred you the most?

Again, I avoid voicing political opinions.

34. Who did you miss?

My sister honestly, she lives 6 hours away and that’s just too far…(This is the same as 2011…I REALLY miss her!)

35. Who was the best new person you met?

My son…Charles Leland!

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.

That everything my parents ever told me about having children is 100% true, and I never imagined you could love another human as much as I love my son. (Mushy, I know…) 🙂

37. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

“Life’s not the breath you take, the breathing in and out, that gets you through the day, ain’t what it’s all about. You just might miss the point, trying to win the race. Life’s not the breaths you take, but the moments that take your breath away…” — George Strait

Holiday Gift Guide: Bracelets

I do not know what it is about bracelets this year, but I can’t get enough of them! Here are a few I wouldn’t mind finding under the tree with my name on it:

  1.  Gold bangles; Etsy
  2. Turquoise and gold; Etsy
  3. Cara accessories leather and stud wrap; Nordstrom
  4. Simple initial bracelet; Etsy
  5. Gold eternity circle karma bracelet; Etsy