Since I finally got some time to paint my nails I thought it would be fun to join the MANICure Monday link up hosted by Lipgloss & Binky and LA Lynn's. My mani isn't anything special but the fact that I got a chance to paint my nails is pretty special to me.
I used Sally Hansen's Black Out and Milani's Gems. I'm a little disappointed in the Milani glitter polish. Next time I'l use it over a color instead of as a stand alone polish. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying your Halloween so far. We'll be taking Savannah to the Trunk or Treat at church. I'm looking forward to it!
In an effort to keep trying new things with my hair I did a twist out on my hair this past Friday. After watching eight million YouTube videos I got the confidence to give it a shot. I normally do twist outs on Sav's hair all the time. Mainly because it's the only thing I know how to do and secondly because it doesn't take forever to get it done.
I started my own hair by shampooing with Shea Moisture and doing a deep conditioner. I can't remember the name of the deep conditioner but it's the Aloe one in the mustard yellow pack. They sell it everywhere. I then did two strand twist all over using Cantu Shea Butter leave-in conditioner.
I didn't use the hair dryer. I took them out Saturday morning using Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie and grape seed oil. The grape seed oil that I used wasn't anything fancy. It's an all natural grape seed oil I found in my beauty supply store. The pics below are from days one, three and four (today). Have you tried anything different with your hair lately?
Unfortunately I do not have any major updates to report. I do not know what I am doing wrong. Perhaps maybe I could be a little more consistent with putting Savannah back into her bed right away after she wakes up. She normally comes to our room so I don't know she's awake until she's standing next to my bed.
I have thought about keeping a sleep log, but then I decided that I didn't need to see on paper what I already knew. She literally wakes back up every time she's put back into her own bed. Every. Time. Sav may sleep for an hour or so before coming back to our room. So things have not progressed at all. There have been a couple nights (like exactly two) where she's slept in her bed from about eleven to four. She goes to sleep at eight and she wakes up around ten thirty to start making her way to me.
Not to mention that she has also developed a pretty bad cough so even if she was going to sleep all night in her own bed (which I doubt) her cough is waking her up. I picked up some nighttime cough syrup today. Hopefully it will kill her cough and put her in a more restless sleep. I am at a lost for what to try next. All I know is that I want her out of my bed so that I can get my good REM cycle back.
Just wanted to give you all an update. Happy Monday.
Lately she has been doing the "Snow Angel" and "H is for Hell".
It finally got chilly enough here in Texas for a light jacket. Since it was a nice sixty degrees I decided to wear a striped mini dress that I got from Target. I found it on clearance for thirteen bucks.
I paired my dress with the leopard flats I found at Payless earlier this week for ten dollars. I only ended up paying nine after my military discount!
My favorite part about this dress is the exposed zipper on the back of the dress.
I even tried something different with my hair. Last night I did a two strand twist set on it and I'm loving the results. If you're team natural then you know there's a lot of trial and error with styling. This was my second attempt at a twist out and I think it came out great!
Happy Friday!! We are hoping to take Savannah to Sea World tomorrow if the weather holds up. I can never really call this Texas weather. What are your plans for the weekend? I hope you enjoy my funny picks of the week! By the way, WELCOME to all of our new readers! I appreciate you so much! We will be having another giveaway soon so please stay tuned!
This Monday my soldier and I had the rare opportunity to go on a Savannah free date night. I wasn't expecting to go out that night. I had already cooked dinner and was ready to put Sav to bed. When he surprised me and told me that he wanted to take me out I admit I was a little conflicted. I was tired and I didn't feel like pulling it together to go on a date. I was looking forward to going to bed early and trying to catch some Zs before our little one made her trek to our bed.
Then I looked at my soldier's face. I could see that he really wanted to go out. He wanted to take me on a real date. No babies allowed. A part of me thinks that he knew I needed to go out even if I didn't know myself. So. After dinner I got Sav ready for bed, cleaned up the kitchen and proceeded to get dressed. Some where between my outfit change and painting my toes I started getting excited.
I decided to wear a black peplum top and my black cigarette pants. We were going out for dessert and drinks so I though the outfit was perfect. I felt really good about myself. I hate that I didn't snap any pics. We had a great time. We people watched and just hung out. The way we use to before the baby. I didn't realize it until Monday but I do miss being able to go out on real dates. I had a great time. It reminded me how important it is to tap back into what made me great before Savannah. I haven't fallen off but I have certainly forgotten about some of the little things that make up who I am. Not as Savannah's Mom but as my husband's wife. I needed that reminder.
...While I was sick my husband and Sav tore this place up. I've spent the entire morning cleaning.
...I can sing pretty much any song that comes on Nick Jr. Anything from the Fresh Beat Band to the Bubble Guppies.
...The movers damaged our couch and I am hoping the reimbursement is reasonable. Anything less than what my two year old couch is worth is going to insult me.
...It is still too warm for my liking in Texas. I need the crispness of Fall right now.
...There is a Chipotle very close to my house. Since discovering this last week I have eaten there at least twice.
...When Savannah says "Coming Mommy!" it warms my little heart. But sometimes she says it like she's sixteen and not two. She's got so much sass for a little person.
...My husband is an awesome person.
...I need a pair of colored corduroys in my closet. JCP has them for twenty seven bucks. Gotta count my cash and think about that.
...Carrying cash has made me extremely frugal. I never knew I had it in me, haha!
...As it turns out my Sangria pitcher with the fruit infuser works great for non alcoholic beverages too.
And for your viewing pleasure here is another review from the Influenster Beauty Bloggers Vox Box. This review is on the EBOOST effervescent powder. I really enjoyed the taste. I'm normally pretty skeptical of energy drinks but this one actually worked for me. It even made me feel better! You can get a box of twenty powders for $28, thirty for $39 or twelve shots for $39.
Here is the second video for the Influenster Beauty Bloggers Voxbox 2012. In this video I review the Not Your Mother's Kinky Curl Cream and the No7 Beautiful Skin products. Hopefully, I will become more familiar with my video software and the production of my videos will get better. Until then, I hope you all are enjoying these videos. This one even has a small cameo from Sav. Have a great weekend everyone!!
Ugh. The sleep situation at my house has got me struggling. I've been getting up all night with Savannah taking her back to her bed. That's a start right? Hopefully, we get her back into her own bed soon. Mama needs some sleep, ha ha! Since I've been in need of a good laugh I've been playing with the "Keep Calm" app and of course laughing at all those ecards all. Enjoy my round up of the week!
You may have seen me celebrating my acceptance into the Influenster BeautyBlogger VoxBox on all of our social media sites. I was so happy when I got home from the grocery store this afternoon and found the box at my doorstep. Instead of rushing and opening it (like I wanted to) I thought it would be nice to open it with you all. So here is my very first (and best attempt) at a video post. I hope you all enjoy it! Let me know what you think. Have you heard of or tried any of these products? I must say I'm a little intimidated by the eyelashes, LOL!
I'm not sure why but making this video made me feel like a "real" blogger for some reason.
If you are familiar with Dora the Explorer then you know all about the Swiper the Fox. Swiper the Fox steals things from Dora and Boots. It's cute. Luckily the title of my post has nothing to do with stealing. It has everything to do with my family's new approach to spending. No swiping.
Last month we decided to ditch our ATM cards for a cash only lifestyle. I know everyone has heard about the envelope method of spending. You fill envelopes up with money and when the money runs out, that's it. We initially learned about this during Oprah's debt diet years ago. After moving we figured now was as good as time as any for a fresh start with our finances.
It's only been a couple weeks and I can truly tell we are saving money. My ATM card made life so easy. I never thought about anything. I just swiped. If I wanted to take baby girl out to lunch after a play date I would swipe. If I needed to go to the grocery store I would swipe. Retail therapy, swipe. I was swiping all the time. Using this cash only system has made me really have to think about what I'm buying. Do I really need that new pair of shoes? Or that sweater? Don't I already have something like that? And I've made eating lunch at home a staple in our new routine.
I have to admit that it's been really hard adjusting. I have totally embraced shopping sales and using coupons. Not that I didn't before but now I make it a priority. I actually take the time to plan meals, clip coupons and study the circulars for the best deals. Then I execute. It feels so good watching the total on the register drop when I'm at the cash register. Every little bit helps.
We hope to add to our family soon and eventually retire when my husband is done with the Army. If this new cash system is going to help us save more money for all that then I'm going to stay on board. Even if it means I have to limit myself and be more disciplined with my money. It's worth it. So this Swiper will be doing absolutely Noooooo Swiping, haha!
Has anyone used this approach toward their finances? How did it work for you? Got any tips for us?
I had the pleasure of writing a short story for MommeMag. They are a new online magazine aimed at celebrating motherhood. Please head over to their site and check out my story along with a few others. Happy Monday!
Oh. And the sleep situation at my house is still killing me. I haven't been feeling well these past few days and I do believe it's because I haven't been sleeping well. They don't call it beauty sleep for nothing! Let me know what you think about the short story and feel free to share a funny story of your own in the comments!
This was a pretty low key weekend for us. It was kind of rainy on Saturday so we didn't go out. Needless to say my outfit on Saturday was not post worthy. However, this morning I think I attended church in a very post worthy frock. Do you remember when I went thrifting and scored that Lanvin shirtdress? Well I finally got a chance to wear it today!
I am in love with this dress! The fit and the details are impeccable. I love the way the fabric felt against my skin. If I were still working I would definitely be placing this dress into my "wear to work" rotation. I am absolutely in love. What do you think? I still can't believe I only paid five dollars and fifty cents for this dress.
the color here is a bit off. blame the overhead fluorescents in my kitchen.
Lanvin Shirtdress - thrifted - Goodwill
Shoes - Nine West
Doesn't my little military neighborhood look gorgeous in these photos?
As you might recall I featured the pic below in a collection of funny findings I'd seen on the internet. Little did I know that my life would turn into what I'd previously chuckled at. After reading a post on the Curly Mama blog about co-sleeping it got me to thinking a bit more about my own sleeping arrangements. Like Curly Mama, I had never thought of myself as a co-sleeping kind of Mama. As a matter of fact I still don't consider myself as a co-sleeper.
After Savannah was born she slept in our room in a bassinet for the first couple months because I was trying to get the hang of breastfeeding. Some nights I would fall asleep with her next to me. She then moved to her own room and her own bed. That's where she had been sleeping with no problem until August when we moved.
Since it took some time for our house in Texas to get ready we stayed with my parents for about three to four weeks. During that time we all slept in the same bed. If I had known then that that was going to completely destroy her sleeping pattern I would have never done it. Since we've been in Texas she has slept in her own bed once. Once. Just once. All of the other nights have been a mix of her sleeping in our bed and me getting up all night and putting her back in her own bed. Exhausting.
This morning was my "aha moment" though. I was talking to Savannah about sleeping in her own bed and sleeping in her own room. I asked her "Where is Savannah's bed?" When she pointed at my bed I knew it was time for me to start sleep training again. I had been hoping she would just come around on her own. We did switch her to a toddler bed but I know that has nothing to do with it. She just wants to sleep with Mommy and Daddy and Mommy is not feeling that at all. Wish me luck. I see a few more sleepless nights in my future.
Savannah's favorite sleeping positions are "H is for Hell", "Jazz Hands" and "The Stalker".
You're probably reading that title and thinking "Why would anyone want to do a recipe that revolves around pinto beans?" Well. I thought almost that exact same thing when I was in high school. It was a snow day and school had been cancelled. I woke up to my Dad in the kitchen stirring a pot of pinto beans. I thought to myself "Yuck, Dad, you really shouldn't have. I don't want any pinto beans."
They smelled really good but the thought of eating a bowl of beans did not seem desirable. Once my Dad was done cooking I decided to try the beans. Mainly because I was starving but also because he had made cornbread, fried chicken wings and coleslaw to go with it. I figured if I didn't like the beans I could at least chow down on wings and coleslaw. The pinto beans were delicious. They had me at first bite. I have been in love ever since. They are the perfect Fall dinner. Comfort food at its best. Here's how you can make this delicious meal for your own family...
Ingredients
Two and a half cups dry pinto beans
Ham hocks or Ham shanks (1-1.5 lbs) You can use more meat if you want a heartier meal.
One onion, chopped
Salt - one teaspoon
Directions
Before you start cooking make sure you have gone through your bag of beans and picked out any "bad" beans or rocks. Soak the beans in a bowl of water. Place your ham hock or ham shanks in a pot and cover with water. Sprinkle in a teaspoon of salt. Add your onion. Cook on a high boil for one hour. Drain the water off your bowl of beans. Add your beans to the pot with enough water to cover them. Turn stove down to a low simmer/slight rolling boil and cook for four to five hours. Keep watching the pot to make sure your beans are constantly submerged in water. Add water when needed.
my "bad" beans and rocks
soaking beans
ham shanks
ham hocks
done
plated
yum
And yes, I served my beans with fried chicken wings and cornbread, just like my Dad does!
