We engaged in a lot of holiday activities this year; I think we are embracing the fact that we will soon be leaving this little place we call 'home'. When we first arrived we hated it here; but it has grown on us, now I think we might actually be sad to leave.
I keep seeing cute Christmas Day blog posts and I am just over here wondering how the heck they had time to capture all of their perfect pictures. Literally, from the time we woke to the time we went to bed I was bouncing around doing something. As much as I would have liked to had the time to photograph every little bit of our day I was just too busy with cooking and enjoying the smiles of my little family to even pick up a camera. Although we weren't able to have a Christmas gathering with our families we definitely felt the love from across the country. We miss them all so much and spent a great amount of time Skyping with them. When we finally had a chance to sit down we realized something that just slipped our minds; we might not be spending the next Christmas together. We're suppose to find our next duty station soon and we are unsure if Alan will be deployed. It got us sad and you can bet I shed a few tears, but it just made us appreciate this Christmas so much more. We woke up and opened presents, I made the most delicious homemade cinnamon rolls ever, then cooked a feast and with out tummies full we played with all of new toys/gifts. It was an intimate Christmas but one of my favorite Christmases yet.
The face of Christmas
Couples that cook Gingerbread together, stay together.
Okay, little model. //Happy 18 months Baby Girl
My little helper making Sugar cookies.
Waiting for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.
This city has my heart; you can never run out of things to see or do in this place. There is so much beauty and history everywhere you look. I feel like I am always posting pictures of our adventures here, but I promise you they're all very different. I am so excited to go to The Nights of Lights in St. Augustine, I have been anticipating seeing the lights since I found out they even existed back in April. St. Augustine is listed by National Geographic as one of the top 10 places to see holiday lights and I cannot wait to share the experience with those of you who can't make it out this year!
I named her Frita.
Poor little Alligators
It's what's inside that is truly captivating.
It's that time of year again! I don't know about you, but I am way behind in my present shopping. Good news is, there are 34 days left until Christmas is here! During the next few weeks ,while I am trying to get my own Christmas gifts together, I am going to help you as well. Keep an eye out because I am going to have a wide variety of ideas to ensure you get something special for all the special people in your life. Happy Holidays!
Oxox
It's so easy to get caught up in everyday routines and it's easy when life is moving at a fast pace to lose sight of all the little things that matter most . I try often to remind myself to slow down and not take for granted what's in front of me, but none of us are perfect and a lot of the times we do accidently take things/life for granted. It's the little things that mean so much that can so easily become just a routine and when life gets chaotic it's easy to just wisp them under the rug or push them aside because we can just do it/say it later; or maybe it's just so routine we forget to do it or we do it and don't even know we did, I'm not sure which is worse. It was a quick slap back into reality when I received a phone call from Alan saying he had been in a motorcycle accident; it took me back to one of the worst memories I have. It's so cliche to say that at any given moment your life can change forever; and as lightly as you may take it, that's the reality we face everyday. I know what it's like having the goodbye you just said be the last one you'll ever get to say to someone.
As a child I listened to the heavy dreaded knocks on the front door only to watch my parents open it and be faced with every parents worst fear. I can still feel it like it's happening right now, all of the emotion from that night is still present within me and I don't believe it will ever go anywhere. I knew when I got the phone call Alan was obviously okay (alive and banged up), but it surfaced my ultimate fear; losing someone you love unexpectedly. It's probably a fear most of us have but don't really think about or haven't yet had to deal with. I realize that death is a constant variable in our universe and we don't have much control over it. I don't think that living in fear and avoiding risks is the answer (even though the less risks you take might improve your lifespan), but I also feel like we can't go around thinking we're invincible to the world that surrounds us. That's exactly why every time I say goodbye, every time I say I love you to Alan (or any other loved one) I say it with a full and conscious heart.
It's important to me that I take time to reflect on what's present in my life and make sure I tell the ones I care for how much they mean to me. If something we're to ever happen to me unexpectedly; I want my husband, my daughter (as well as any future child of mine),my family, and friends to know how much I truly do love each one of them and that I will miss them dearly. I hope that after reading this you will take a mental note and make sort of a self-promise to make time (even if it's not all the time) especially when life is moving fast to just slow down for a second and embrace everything you are grateful for in your life, most importantly the ones you love.
Thanks for reading some of my thoughts and feelings.
P.S I took the picture in St. Augustine my favorite place ever I always see this man there.
This Demeter perfume came in a cute roll on container it had a very light sweet scent, but for some reason when it comes to perfumes any sugary smells give me a headache. If you're into sweet fragrances I think you should try it out. I actually gave it to my mother who loved it. The sample size; which I received from Ipsy, is offered on the Demeter website for $10.00 for .29 oz.
This was one of my two favorite products in this month’s glam bag. The Glitterati formula obviously contains glitter,but I love that it is noticeable when you glide it along your lid; which makes this eyeliner really fun and flirtatious to wear on a Friday night out or any other time you want to add a little shimmer to your lids. The only thing I didn't like about this formula was that it’s not as waterproof as it claims to be, but as long as you're not planning on watching the Fault In Our Stars I think you’ll be okay. When I went to visit this website I actually saw some other products that I would love to try from them, so if you aren't happy with the eyeliner I suggest browsing through some of their other products.
This Lipstick/ Lip gloss is not really an option for me it just doesn't work well. For it to show pigment you have to apply a lot and it almost makes your lips too moisturized, that kind of slippery feeling you get when you put way too much chapstick on. The only thing I can see myself using this product for is dabbing it over another lipstick for a glossy finish. Sorry L.A colors but you’re my least favorite item from this bag.
I received this polish in Guys and Galaxies and it is so cute! It’s perfect for welcoming the colder weather. This is easily my favorite item that was in the Girl Meets Glitter glam bag.
I recently have been experimenting with highlighters and I do like this one because it gives a nice subtle glow. I have been using it in the shade pink pearl which works perfectly with my skin tone.
The bags aren't just limited to carrying Ipsy products; I always find other creative ways to use them. Sometimes I'll use them to carry feminine products during that time of the month, or to carry snacks, ’ve also used one to organize hair ties, and I even paired one with an outfit I wore to our anniversary dinner. The glittery glam bag by Forever 21 is beyond adorable and my favorite so far. Based on my own research, my November Girl Meets Glitter glam bag came to a total of $40.62 , you can subscribe to get a monthly glam bag here for only $10.00 a month.
I love shopping but I love it even more when there’s Christmas music playing, lights dangled, and the weather is cool. There’s something exciting about walking into stores and seeing all of the holiday products on display not to mention all of the great deals. Tis the season!
I have been wanting to try Tarte cosmetics ever since Ingrid Nilsen mentioned it on her youtube channel and I finally got around to it. I have only had it a few days but I can honestly say that Tarte Amazonian Clay foundation is by far my favorite mineral foundation ever. I usually opt strictly for Bareminerals mineral powder but I am so glad I stepped out and tried something new. I don’t know what is about this product but it just feels so light on the skin and gives great coverage that looks natural and lasts. You don’t necessarily have to buy the mini kabuki brush to go with it but it does work extremely well with the foundation and it’s just so cute how could you not? This is also my first time using YSL Touche Eclat; I have seen a lot of great reviews about this product and was also directed to it by one of the employees there so I decided to try it. The YSL pen is great as a highlighter and also helps cover fatigue; which let’s face it keeping up with an energetic 15 month old can be exhausting. One of my greatest accomplishments during this haul was being able to convince my mom to also try these products. While I was wandering aimlessly through the Sephora isles I also got a glimpse at their glittery holiday makeup brush set I haven't quite got my hands on it yet but I'm thinking I might soon!
When it comes to friends asking about Lush I always tell them to go for the Vanilla Dee Lite body lotion; it’s seriously my all time favorite it’s light aroma gives off fragrance all day and leaves you feeling so smooth. There’s a noticeable difference when I am just using a regular body lotion verses when I use VDL. I recently ran out of my shower scrub from the body shop so I decided that I wanted to try Rub Rub Rub by Lush and I actually like this one better. It smells great and just works better overall. Whatever you do don't make the mistake of shaving before you use this scrub it contains sea salt and lemon and it will burn if you do. Trust me I know. In fact maybe just save shaving for a totally different time.
When there is more than one make up store present you can't just go in one of them right? Right! They had this really great 5 for 5 deal at Ulta right before you walk out so I grabbed a few holiday themed rubber duckies for Lyla and some hand cream as well as some new nail files. I was pleasantly surprised with the hand cream usually they have an overpowering scent to them but I can see why they decided to call it pleasant plum. As for the filers I just really like their pattern. The Chi Aragon Plus Moringa oil was just a random filler or the 5 for 5; I have used it before and it adds a nice smooth touch to the hair so I figured I could use that every once in awhile when It’s looking a tad dull.
Oh, and since we’re talking about hair...I cut 9 inches off this past weekend. Yep, it happened and I may or may not be regretting it. Hair post coming soon!
Friendships can be hard to maintain in general, but what happens after you graduate high school? While facebook, twitter and instagram make it easy to see your friends’ most recent updates; maintaining an actual friendship can be challenging. Here are a few things I have learned about friendship post graduation.
Priorities change and it’s okay. I know this all to well, basically after I graduated, I got married and moved away. Now I get how some people can say “well that’s your fault for moving” ,but I can argue that I tried my very best to stay connected with these individuals but to me it felt like I was just an out of sight out of mind deal; so now I don’t even bother. It’s childish to assume that while everyone is headed in their own direction, that all of your friendships will remain the same. You will outgrow certain people and it’s better to just accept things for how they are as opposed to focusing on the past. Getting married, becoming a parent or pursuing a career can all shift a friendship. If you really want maintain being friends then center your attention on building something new.
Friendships aren’t meant to be toxic. If you’re feeling emotionally drained and you’re talking in circles, it’s probably time to cut that rope. It could be your bestie from highschool who just seems to be harboring some sort of resentment towards you and you have no idea why;even after multiple attempts to solve the issue. If her attitude continues to bring you down and you find yourself questioning the authenticity of her actions, then you need to dump her. I say “dump” because ending these types of relationships can be hard, emotional, and you probably try multiple times to rekindle things; but really, you just need to let it go. Don’t allow negative bonds to grow; you don’t want to be friends with anyone who hates to see you happy anyway.
Real friends bicker and get over it. You can’t get along 100 percent of the time because that would mean one of you guys are being (oh man I hate this word) fake. If you can have a disagreement and cordially battle it out without making it a big deal; well then you have got yourself a true friend. You should be able to listen to what's being said and not take it personal, and if it is personal it’s probably something you need to hear that you just don’t want to hear; and if its completely wrong discuss it and move on.
There are different levels of friendship. There are going to be people who you can discuss your life problems with, who you can trust with your deepest feelings; whereas, there are other people whom you may just enjoy being around and just because your relationship isn’t as substantial as some others are, doesn’t mean they aren’t loved just as much. There’s no one friendship that is the same and that’s what makes them all special. While you're crying with one friend and dilly- dallying with another; take time to recognize the roles you play in each other's life and appreciate one another.
I really cannot get enough of Halloween, as a kid going to the local pumpkin patch was the greatest time ever and tradition. I remember we would go out into the field and pick out our own pumpkin and my mother would help cut it from its vine. Most of the "pumpkin patches" these days pick the pumpkins prior to opening and put them in some sort of pile for you to sort through; some will argue that this way is better, but I am totally opposed. We didn't get to pick from the vine this year in fact we purchased our pumpkins from Walmart; I'm sort of contradicting myself here but have you seen what they are trying to charge you for a medium size pumpkin these days? Well if not, I can tell you that the three we purchased from Walmart didn't even total what one pumpkin would've cost us. Although we bought our pumpkins from the store this year we still wanted to get the whole pumpkin patch (if you can even call it that) experience.
Last year while going pumpkin patch hunting with a few friends we came upon this place in St. Augustine called Sykes and Coopers Farms ; so it only seemed right to go there this year. We chose to go during the evening this year and it worked out better, we were able to enjoy all of the festivities without sweating.
He is such a hunk !
She gets so excited when she sees animals
I am glad to see she feels the same way about these things as I do.
We accomplished maze one, went through maze to and somehow ended up back at the entrance of phase one.
She instantly made a friend that just so happened to be a boy and even gave him a kiss.
They had a blast running through the corn maze together!
Oh, how I love me some World Market shopping. I remember when I didn't even know what this store actually was; I thought it was just some random food market, boy was I wrong. I was instantly in love when I walked in it and I vowed to go shopping there at least once a month and for every holiday. So, since Halloween is just around the corner I thought I share some of my terror-rific finds with you.
The boo-tiful (see what I did there) Bride of Frankenstein
Dia de Los Muertos candlesticks
Banner for a spooky mantel
For the scary Apothecary
"Hoo" will these owls be staring at?
frightfully adorable table cloth
What spookilicious treats will you be making with these measuring spoons?
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