Makeup My Way

Today, I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner to talk make-up!!

I have to start with 2 disclaimers.  

1. I'm cheap. 

2.  Convenient is the name of my game!

I've never put a lot of time or money into makeup or pampering goods. $10 was my cap.   I'm the girl that used mascara WAY past the expiration date.  Then my sister moved in with me for a while and I'd occasionally use her makeup.....best/worst mistake!

Suddenly, I realized the fancy stuff from Ulta was kinda amazing.  I was still too cheap to buy it for myself, but after one birthday gift from her, I'm addicted.

So, here's my favorites collection (last 3 product pics borrowed from company websites)

1. Urban Decay Naked Palette - YDK is my favorite color.  The brush is also amazing.

2. Benefit Roller Lash Mascara in black.  It actually gives me the appearance of lashes!

3. Clinique Eye Liner.  I have about 5 colors. They last forever!

4. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer. Old Holly never knew she needed this.....a sample came with my palette; now I'm hooked.  I don't wear it to work because I'm not sweating, moving, etc., but on weekends, vacations, trips, etc. I haul out the good stuff.

5.  Eye Shadow Crayons.  I'm still on the search for the perfect brand, so suggestions are welcomed.  I just love the convenience....I can apply while doing something else. 

And you can't wear makeup without the perfect remover/cleaner....

6. Cetaphil Cleaner. The only product I've ever found that doesn't leave my skin greasy or dry.  Takes eye make-up off without irritating my contacts too!

So now I have an Ulta account and an expensive makeup addiction.  Thanks Sister ;)

Don't Blink

Um where did August go?   I feel like I blinked my eyes and there was September.  

The highlights:

Scott and Jenn came to visit. It was nice to see them and have them stay with us!

Jimmy Buffett concert with my sister.  A memorable time, as usual. 

Weddings and birthday parties. (missing some pics)

Father-in law turned 81

Mackel turned 80

Heidi turned 30

Uncle Bob came to visit. (not a single pic - we ate, we got pedicures, we gossiped!)

Perry's first football game of the season.

When did my kid grow up?!?!

Did some painting and redecorating in our master bathroom. Doing yellow decorations throughout. 

Clean eating challenge.  Keith thinks I am trying to make him a rabbit. 

Next up is my favorite time of the year....bring on the pumpkins, mums, cooler air and fall leaves!!!

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted.....

We ventured on another memorable family vacation last week to the Outer Banks in North Carolina.  The trip was amazing from start to finish. 

Sunday: Arrived, unpacked, grocery store and take out High Cotton BBQ for dinner.

Monday: Duck Donuts!  Pool time!  Sun, relaxing, reading and my dear friend, Chirleen and family came down to say hello and join us for dinner at Rundown Cafe.  They brought us an awesome goodie basket!  It was SO cool to finally get to hug her and squeeze her!!

Tuesday: BEACH.   Pool, outlet shopping, Black Pelican for dinner.

Wednesday: Pool, dinner cooking and more pool.  Chris dropped off some fresh Mahi for dinner YUM!

Thursday: Said goodbye to Bob,  beach, pool, and date night with my husband.  Hello crab-legs.

Friday: Pool, more shopping and Barefoot Bernies for lunch.  Cooked some picnic food for the arrival of Scott and Jenn.

Saturday: Maybe another Duck Donut run happened.   Pool!  Chirleen, Chris and Gabby rejoined us for the day.  We did another pasta night and enjoyed the awesome company.

Sunday: Packed up and drove home in nasty traffic.  Hated saying goodbye to everyone :(

Five Friday Favorites

OK so I started this post on Thursday.  Sue me ;)

Thanks to my super cool phone, all pictures will be at the bottom, but you get the idea folks!

1.  My dear friend Boom Chicka Pop in Frosted Sugar Cookie.  Dear God above don't let this be a limited time flavor.

2. This beach house which I will be making my home one week this summer!

3.  The sunshine that FINALLY made its appearance yesterday.

4.  The awesome dishes I found while antiquing with my Sister.  Vintage Pyrex *swoon*

5. Sisters Sleepover.  I'm staying with Heidi and the furry kids this weekend.  Watch out shopping, we're coming for you!

ABCs

A - Artist: I'm so out of the music loop.  I couldn't name a popular artist if I tried. My Pandora station of choice this week is Air Supply

B - Bar: KIND bars.  Yummy.

C - Celebrity: Anyone but the Kardashians..... They make me cringe.

D - Dessert: Oh sweet dessert, I miss you.  I would kill for a Strawberry Shortcake Blizzard.

E - Exercise: What's that?  Does cleaning house count?

F - Flower: Purple roses, Gerber daisies and tulips

G - Guilty Pleasure: The Bachelor.  My oh my how did I get sucked in?

H - Hope:  That this IUI works!

I - Iphone App: Cartwheel for Target

J - Jewelry: My wedding rings.  I still look at them and smile

K - Keepsake: My quilt made from my Mom's pajamas.

L - Laugh: Keith's belly laughs

M - Movie: Good Will Hunting

N - Number: I'll go with 2. Second time is the charm

O - Outfit: Yoga pants and sweatshirt with flip flops.  Classy lady walking

P - Pin: Mississippi Mud Roast

Q – Quote: You’ll have bad times, but it’ll always wake you up to the good stuff you weren’t paying attention to. -Good Will Hunting

R - Restaurant: Muriales Italian Restaurant

S - Store: Target and TJ Maxx

T - TV show: Reality TV.  Ugh it's bad folks.

U - Urban Decay product: Naked Palettes...life changing! 

V - Vacation spot: Puerto Rico beaches or any beach for that matter

W - Website: Blogs blogs and more blogs

X - Um skip

Y - YouTuber: I only listen to music on YouTube

Z - Zodiac Sign: I'm not a believer.

TV Time

Winter is my television season.  I cuddle in my big ole bed and watch shameful amounts of Netflix and cable.  I tell myself that this will be a thing of the past when we have kiddos, so I'm enjoying it while I can.

The line up:

1. The Bachelor: Two words: train wrecks! I'm fascinated by these women.  They're straight nuts.  I'm still choosing Whitney, Britt or Jade.   If Ashley I and Kelsey don't go home soon, I'm gonna scream.

2. My Big Fat Fabulous Life: Exposure for PCOS and this girl's personality have my attention!

3. Gilmore Girls: So I'm 10 years late for this party, but I'm loving it.  I adore Luke.

4. Everwood: Another oldie I just found.  They just don't make shows like this anymore.  Ephram won't be on the baby name list though.

5. Big Bang Theory: I hope this show never ends, but even if it does, I'm pretty sure I can continue to watch reruns and laugh just as hard.

6. Bringing Up Bates: I'm a sucker for these breeding fools.  PS Duggars are coming back on soon!

I'm waiting for new seasons of Revenge, Scandal and OITNB on Netflix.  I'm also starting Parenthood at some point. 

Wow, this post just highlights my pathetically uneventful life.  I'm OK with that (hits publish because Big Bang is on lol.)

You Gonna Have A Football Team?

Mani and pedis are my happy place.  They're the perfect mix of pampering and relaxing and give me sister time. 

We've been customers of the same shop for over ten years.  The owners have given us birthday and wedding giftcards and know us by name.  We love chatting with them!

Since we both got married, they've now moved on to asking us about babies every time we visit.   I brace myself for this and know it's part of the visit, but totally I got an extra twist.   "So honey you gonna have one baby or you gonna have a football team?"  Oh silly lady.... This uterus doesn't wanna grow one, let alone eleven plus.  

Today,  I was in a good enough place to just laugh.  My sister offered to inflict bodily harm, but it didn't come to that this time lol.  

I might have a defective reproduction system, but at least my nails and toes look pretty now ;)

Happy Mail

So excited to receive the beautiful bracelet I won in a giveaway on Dreaming of Dimples' blog.  Thank you for cohosting this thoughtful giveaway with Fertile Gems.  I'll definitely be ordering more items :)

I love my bracelet and can't wait to wear it during upcoming appointments.  This is also my first gift of baby dust so that was a nice surprise!  Xoxo

(My camera phone doesn't do the bracelet justice.)

Let Me Tell You About My New Best Friend

I've got curly, thick, unruly hair.   Some of my most traumatic childhood memories are tied to my mother brushing my hair and me screaming.  I'd beg her to "let Daddy do it" because for some reason, he didn't try to rip me bald like she did.  (Seriously y'all she was wicked with a hairbrush - Sweet Mama turned ugly when the hairbrush was involved.)  I think her plan was to do the most brushing possible in the 10 seconds she could hold me down.   She also had a major paranoia that we would get lice at school so maybe she was just trying to kill any random bugs (PS we never got them.)

Maybe I should stop writing and schedule therapy to deal with the whole meltdown above.   ANYWAY!

My bestest friend.   I bought her (she's yellow) at Target and I'm in love.  It's a miracle brush.  No yanking. No ripping.  No breaking.   GO BUY YOURSELF ONE OF THESE!   You and your kids will thank me later.  My sister even bought one for her dog's tail.

Happy brushing and you're welcome.

Griswolds and Goodies

Saturday morning was spent running errands and feeling sorry for the people with a sheer look of panic in their eyes as they rushed to shop for gifts. 

Stumbling across some awesome coupons at Target for baking ingredients (Cartwheel and text to save) inspired me to attempt peanut butter balls for the first time.  

I quickly learned it's time to invest in the commercial size KitchenAid, but overall it went well.  I of course turned on Christmas Vacation to enjoy while rolling the filling. 

It's nice to enjoy some laid back days before the holidays. 

My Grandma's Super Healthy Recipe
3 sticks of butter softened
1 bag of powdered sugar (2 lbs)
1.5 jars of peanut butter (27 oz.)

Mix together and form into balls. Freeze for an hour or more. 

Melt candy coating bars and dip balls. (I obviously haven't perfected this technique)

Dry on wax paper.

Enjoy!

Christmas Cookies

When I was little,  my Grandma helped us make Christmas cookies every year.  It is one of my favorite childhood memories, so of course it was time to teach Perry how it's done.  

Now don't be too jealous of our artistic skills!  Luckily we bake better than we decorate!  These things are delicious!

Gotta love a good Pinterest recipe (Yes the sour cream sounded nasty to me too, but it made the best cookies I've baked in my 32 years).

Deck The Halls

We've been decorating!  It was delayed and it's nothing extravagant, but it's just right for us! 
 

I love Christmas....the twinkling lights, the scents, the traditions and the reason for the season, make me jolly. 
 

So here's a tour of our home. 

 

First stop:  My Mom's tree.   After she passed away, I inherited this beauty.  She's not pre-lit, the colors on the branches that guide setup are falling off, and she's massive, but she's mine.   Like my sister has said 20 times, "They just don't make trees like this anymore."   (Of course the pic doesn't do it justice).  I've always dreamed of having a real tree, but my aforementioned sister is allergic, so game over lol.

 

 

 

Next stop: The boys' tree (that I hijacked.) There's a battle in our house, colored lights vs white lights, and this year we compromised.  The boys put up a tree in the kitchen nook and I forced them to add ribbon.   Our family ornaments have migrated to this tree too.   I think our 2014 ornament turned out pretty cute!

 

 

 

 

Next up: The random touches throughout the house.  My musical tree that has been in my family forever and other randomness.   Of course the candles and Scentsy scents are all gingerbread, cookies, cinnamon, etc.

 

 

 

The latest addition: An answer to one of my greatest Christmas issues!  My sister found this lovely piece at TJMaxx and I LOVE it!   I love cards but never had the right place for them, until now. 

 

 

 

What's missing: Stockings and a nativity scene.  These are on my "buy during after Christmas sales."  We have mismatched stockings and no holders.  It's a mess.  And I'm still on the search for a perfect yet affordable nativity.

 

Last stop: Our front door decor and light up packages.   We can't have the neighbors thinking we're Scrooges! 

 

 

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!