Some Finished Projects - Crochet/Knit

I've finished a few projects that I'd  like to share.  I didn't get a chance to crochet/knit since my baby was born, but I'm finally able to sit down and finish some stuff.

First is a hat I whipped up for my baby.  This was the only one I could snap before he pulled it off :-)  Oh well.  He fits him perfectly and keeps his little head warm.  Mission accomplished.

I actually made this one for him first.  As you can see, it's a tad short.  After this picture was taken, I grabbed some white yarn and added a couple more rows.  Much better.  Sorry I don't have a picture of the revised version.  

My makeup stash

Happy Election Day Eve!  I hope everyone plans to get out and vote tomorrow.

My family and I have recently gotten over various sicknesses.  All three of us had colds, and while Matthew and Micah beat theirs, I had a nasty ear infection for a few days.  Let me tell you, they SUCK.  I'm really glad to be over that crap.

Anyway, I have a lot of things I want to blog about, but it's late and I want to get a quick post in.  So, for my beauty and makeup loving friends, I thought I would follow the "show your stash" trend.  My makeup stash used to be huge, then it dwindled when I went through a purging phase.  Finally, I started getting interested again and re-building my stash.

I have one of those three drawer on wheels things from Target.  The top drawer is my "face" drawer.  I have all my foundation, powder, blush, ect.  I got the little white boxes at Wal-Mart for like $1.50 for a 3-pack.

My second drawer is the "eye" drawer.  The boxes on the left are all my shadows (with the exception of big pallets, which have a different home).  The top right box is mascara, primer, and my eyelash curler.  Then I have my primers randomly by the little tube with my liners. 

Finally my most sparse drawer: the "lip" drawer.  I've only very recently started getting into lip color.  I used to hate lipstick and refused to wear it.  The makeup girl had to bribe me to wear it at my wedding.  Anyway, I've started to experiment, which is why the little box on the far left is so empty (the lipstick box).  The middle is all my glosses, and the one on the right is all my balms.  

That's it for now!  Not pictured are my pallets and my brushes.  I keep my brushes in a vase on top of the three drawer thingy.  I bought paint at Hobby Lobby this weekend to paint the vase and make it prettier.   :)  

A easy recipe success!

Whoa, I haven't posted a new blog in awhile.  My semester is in full swing.  My two second half courses started last week, and while neither of them are hard, they are taking up more of my time.  Fitting in all the things I love with the things I need to do is getting harder and harder.

Anyway, the other day my husband and I tried a new recipe that had been sitting on my Pinterest board.  We love (especially me) French Dip sandwiches, and I had tried a crock pot version  a few months ago that turned out okay but was kind of complicated and the bread was really soggy.  Well,  we tried this recipe  for crescent roll french dip bites and they were uh-maze-ing.  And super easy.  I love the blog poster's recipe for au jus sauce, too.  It's so easy, in fact, that the au jus takes longer than the crescents!

If you're looking for a tasty and easy addition to your menu, give it a try.

Manicure Roundup

I hope everyone had a good week.  I'm sitting here catching up on season two of The Walking Dead.  Yes, I love this show.  I can't wait for the third season premiere.  What better way to spend a TWC marathon then with a manicure post??  :-)

Of course, this is just a collection of manis I've done over the last couple of months or so.  I usually change my manicure about every week.  That's generally how long they last.  I don't have the time, patience, or desire to do it more often then that.

I had been waiting for this one!  OPI's Mod About you.  I got my bottle on Amazon for around $6 with shipping.  I was looking for a light pink that was opaque.  It was a little goopy and not perfect, but I was in a hurry, so I'm not going to blame the polish for that one.  

Another accent nail mani!  The purple color is Lincoln Park After Dark by OPI.  I can't remember the green color (it's by Sinful colors) or the shimmer I used over top (it was a Pure Ice).  Turned out nice, though.  Put me in the mind of grapes.  

Ok, so I saw this glittery silver idea on Pinterest and had to have it.  The chunky silver polish is by Milani, but don't ask me the name.  The other nails are in black by Sinful Colors.  I think it's literally called Black Out but I could be wrong.  It takes buttloads of shades to get the silver to cover completely  but it was  worth it and dries pretty quick.  

This is what I'm wearing currently.  It's Suzi says Da by OPI and You're a Piza Work by OPI on my ring finger.  I used Essie's Matte About You topcoat.  

The Generations Photo

My son is lucky enough to have three living great grandparents.  So when I saw an awesome idea for a four generations photo on Pinterest, I HAD to do it.  Well, after taking the trip to Illinois, Florida, and back, I have my photo and I LOVE it.

Okay, I know the quality of this photo is lacking because I'm  taking a picture of a picture, but you get the idea.  The small, blurry image at the very bottom is my son, which my husband holding the frame.  Then my father in law, and my husband's grandfather (grandfather in law?).  Four generations in one photo without having to wait to get them all in one room!  I'm so glad I was able to do this, and so thankful to my mother in law and my husband's aunt and uncle for helping me snag the final two photos.

What's on my hook/needles?

I hope everyone is enjoying their week.  My husband is on leave (military for vacation), so it's been really nice to have him around. School is going so well.  I know it's only the 5th week  of  the semester, but I'm carrying all A's. This is something that never happened the first time I was in college. It was probably because I was young, immature, and on my own for the first time, but I didn't take college very seriously at all.  And so, my GPA reflected it.  This time, I'm out to prove (to myself mostly) that I have what it takes to succeed.  Plus, I want a nice padded resume so I can score a good job after I graduate.

Anyhow...  One of my favorite hobbies since my husband was in Iraq has been knitting, and later crochet.  After Micah was born, I didn't have a lot of extra time to devote to it, so it's slacked off.  And when I say slacked off, I mean that I haven't completed a single project since Micah was born.  He's 8 months old now.

I'm slowly getting back into it, though, so I thought I'd share what I'm working on now.

Here's what I've got on my hook.  It's going to be a hat, the link of which I found on Ravelry, which is an awesome site by the way.  You should follow me. Anyway, I'll post a picture of the completed project.  Hopefully that will be soon.  The pattern can be found here.  

And here's what's on my needles.  Yet another project I've been working on for what feels like forever.  This is a headband.  The pattern is free and is here.  

I'd love to have the top one done by next week.  Crochet goes a lot faster for me than knitting.  Oh, and please excuse the crazy ass balls of yarn.  My cat keeps deciding to make her own projects; all over the living room.  

Pinterest, Part Two

I have a few more Pinterest projects I wanted to share.  I had these saved from  my first Pinterest post, but I had  other things I wanted to blog about first.  Then I realized I hadn't updated since the 1st?!  Shame on me. I'm trying to learn to prioritize my time, but I have a lot of things I want to squeeze into that time. I have my To Three: Micah, school, and keeping the house looking like it hasn't be hit by a tsunami.  To my credit, I think my home looks pretty darn good considering I have an infant, three pets, and a husband who is less than neat.  (Still love him).  Finding room  in between all that for my Other Three (fitness, writing, crafts) is where it gets difficult.  I'm still trying to get the hang of it.  

Anyway, onto the Pinterest stuff!

Ok, I love this one.  I got the idea here, and even though we changed it up a bit, I did love this template she did.  I have to give credit where credit is due, and that also extends to my husband, who actually did about  65% of this.  He's pretty crafty.  My kitchen and dining room are done in a vineyard/winery theme, so this looks perfect.  Besides looking cute,  this is a great tool for helping us plan our dinner menu for the week.  We know what we're having from day to day (or at least what we have in the kitchen), and it cuts way down on the number of times we'll ask each other what we want for dinner, only to settle on fast food... again.  

This one was so easy it's crazy.  The original blog can be found here.  It's a heck of a lot cuter than the normal dry erase board, too.  When I did this, Micah was about 6 to 8 weeks old, and we actually had to have a photo of all three of us taken for the frame.  It was the first time I had worn makeup since he was born, and I'll be damned if I'm photographed without it.  

Onto an awesome and FREE printable (find it here).  I just love this saying, so I had to have it on my wall.  Total, it was $10. $5 for the frame and $5 to have it printed at Wal-Mart.  The original file is for a 16x20, but I found the 11x14 fine for my wall.   I just love it.   

Ugh!  I had one more printable I wanted to share, but I can't for the life of me remember where I got it!  I don't want to post it without linking to the creator, however.  If I find it, I'll post the picture with the blog link.  It's a subway art type print for a boy's room.  It was a freebie, too.  

I have some blog ideas tucked away (in the old mental file), so I'll try to get a post in tomorrow.  If I know what I'm writing about, it really only takes like 10 minutes.  I can spare that, right?  

The Search Continues....

I hope everyone is enjoying their (long) weekend.  I've been enjoying the extra time with my husband, and I think Micah is enjoying the extra time with his Dad.  We checked out Spirit Halloween (only open around this time of year), which was really fun.  Trying to figure out what to dress Micah as this year was not easy, however.  And my brave little man never got scared once with all the spooky decorations; I'm so proud of him.

The title of my post refers to my quest for the Holy Grail of  mascara.  Sounds silly, maybe, but I'm a girl who loves her makeup, especially eye makeup.  What I really love is the look of false eyelashes.  What I don't love is the way they feel, or getting them on.  I'm on what feels like an eternal quest for a mascara that gets me as close to that look as possible.  I've tried a lot of mascaras, and I've yet to find one I love enough to keep buying.

When I worked at Macy's, the lady at the Lancome counter told me I needed to start using a eyelash primer to help achieve the results I wanted.  It did seem to help, but of course Lancome is pretty pricey, so  I'm  also on the search for a good primer.

Here  is what I have, or have had recently.

I bought these two together, and I do like them.  I haven't had a chance to use the mascara much, but I did use up the primer.  I like it a lot, but it is pricey, so I'm searching for something more affordable.

I found this primer by Sephora on E-bay and got it for a really good price.  So far I like it just as much as the Lancome one, and it's a lot cheaper.  This is the one I use a majority of the time now. 

I also have the above one from  Hard Candy in my stash.  It's a fiber primer, and I find it a bit difficult and time consuming to get enough fibers on my lashes.  Once I did, however, it is a nice primer.  I use this one less often, on days I want a more dramatic effect.

I got the two above on sale at Harris Teeter, plus I had a coupon.  LashBlash Luxe is supposed to have a bit of a shimmer to it.  I can't tell weather it does or not.  Both are nice, but not as dramatic as i like.  They go own easy and aren't in any way clumpy, though, which is really awesome.  They do well for more "natural" days, although I probably won't repurchase when they're empty.

With the name False Lashes and Mac's reputation, I kind of expected this one to work the best.  And it does, sort of, with a couple of coats and primer beforehand.  But it's still not as dramatic as I expected.  

There are a couple of brands I would  like to try later; a couple by Too Faced and a couple by YSL.  Of course, this is after I use up a couple in my stash.  

Taco Soup Recipe

My husband does BJJ two to three nights a week, and he doesn't get home until nine or ten at night. On those nights, I usually try to fix a meal in the slow cooker or something easily re-heated. That way, I can eat at a reasonable hour and he can eat when he gets home (if he wants). Also, we have plenty of leftovers. One of my favorite go-to recipes for these days is Taco Soup. I found the recipe last year in an old issue of Food Network magazine that I had gotten at a book sale for $.10. (Seriously, if your town has book sales at the local library, check it out. I got hardcover books for $.50, paperbacks for $.25, and magazines for $.10. You can easily walk out of there with a box of books for about $3.) Anyway, this recipe is super easy, and to quote my husband: "F---ing delicious,"

I slightly modified the original recipe in the magazine to suit me and my husband. You really can't screw this up too much, so if you want more or less of a certain food in it, it won't ruin the final result. The amounts I use are enough for four big bowls, so just add and subtract as desired.

You'll Need:
Ground beef (we use 1 lb of it)
One can of corn
One chopped onion (any kind, I use yellow)
One can chili beans One package taco seasoning mix
One can of diced tomatoes
Shredded cheese as a topping if you want
Crackers (also optional as a topping. Matt and I actually like Fritos with ours)

To Make:



Brown the beef, cooking the onion in with it. Meanwhile, add the chili beans, tomatoes, and corn into a large pot. (I puree my tomatoes because neither my husband or I like the consistency of tomatoes, but we like the taste. Yeah, we're weird. You can add them whole if you like. Actually, the original recipe called for that). Don't add the taco seasoning yet. I found that if you add it too early, it can get kind of clumpy. Using one of the empty cans of corn or beans, fill it will water and add that to the pot. (Use more or less depending on how "soupy" you want it. My husband likes his thicker, so we have to find a compromise.) When the meat and onions are done, add them. Now you can pour the taco seasoning it. Stir it up real good and let it simmer for awhile. Really, just until the corn and beans are done. That's it. You can also do this in the slow cooker. Just add everything and let it cook for a few hours.

I hope I explained that easily enough. I'm doing it completely by memory. :)

Products Review in Blue

School started this week, and as I may have mentioned before, it's been about 10 years since I've taken a (legit) college class. I'm lucky enough to be able to use my husband's VA benefits to go back to school for free. I'm going to a local community college to get an Associate's Degree in Paralegal technology. A lot of time when I mention this, people will say: "Oh, are you going to go to law school?" Puh-leeze. Since when does everyone on the planet have to be an over achiever? If I wanted to be an attorney, I'd go to law school. But I don't want to be a lawyer. I have a philosophy: "I want to work to live, not live to work." I'm very excited and a little nervous. This is a field I never saw myself getting into. Frankly, my attempts to find a career have been a serious of epic fails. I was honestly beginning to wonder if I had a "niche" that would equal a steady pay-check. But Matthew (my hubby) has been going to school for free anyway, and his GI Bill was just sitting there, so he offered it to me. I'm hopeful that this will finally help me achieve the ever elusive goal of having a job I'm proud to talk about (or put on Facebook). Anyway, while I was trying to think of something to blog about, I realized I had a lost of recent purchases in the color theme of blue. So I thought I'd do short product reviews of things I love that just happen to be... azul.

First, Skechers GoRun. Fitness has always been another thing I've really struggled with. I'll go through periods of time where I will work out consistently (and usually see results), but it usually never lasts. Before I got pregnant, I decided that I wanted to make running a hobby AND a fitness routine. I just picked it; it sounded like something I'd like if I stuck to it. And, of course, that's the problem. Sticking to it. After my son was born, my husband and I both got Skechers because they were on sale (and we're both terrible impulse shoppers). Luckily, I really, REALLY like these shoes. They are very light and VERY comfortable. The shape of them forces you to run "right", and according to my husband (a fitness expert), that's a good thing. He loves his, too. I have this exact color. I've recently decided that fitness shoes should be in bright colors. It's more fun that way.

I saw this brush on Pinterest (where else) and had to try it. It's a little pricey for a hair brush in my opinion (about $12 at Target) but I've actually decided it's worth the price! I have very thick hair, and usually I don't even bother to use a blow dryer. Takes to damn long. The claim of this brush is that it can remove up to 30% of the water in your hair. I don't know about the 30%, but my hair is defiantly drying faster with the use of this brush. It's become an everyday tool for me.

Next is this cute Tiffany blue iPhone case by elago. I had been looking at it for awhile, but it was $15 with shipping on Amazon, and I had to ask myself if it was worth $15 since it's really only for decoration and not protection of my phone. I love it, though. It's slim, so my phone isn't bulky, and it still shows off iPhone's stylish frame. It's not impact resistant, but along with a screen protector, it's protects my phone for scratches and dirt.

My sudden obsession with Tiffany blue continued with this stunning color by China Glaze. This is for Audrey, which I wore with another bright color in a previous post. It's really a lovely color and I'm glad I found it. And because I'm a bargain shopper, I found my bottle on Amazon for under full price.

Internet crack aka Pinterest

A while ago, someone introduced me to my newest internet obsession: Pinterest. This site is so awesome, and in all seriousness is a great tool for organizing ideas. So great, in fact, that I don't know what I would do if the site ever went down. I've tried several recipes and completed numerous projects I've discovered on there since then. It's also a treasure trove of DIY ideas. Today I thought I'd share some of the projects I've completed for my home.

When I first found this adorable decal, the Pinterest link just went to an image. I was bummed, because it would have looked PERFECT in my son's room. I had one empty wall I was looking to fill, and I wanted this for it. :( But wait! After some searching, I found an actual link to the Etsy site to buy it!! Which I did, and had my husband help me put it on Micah's wall. It's too cute. If you're interested, I got the decal here.

This was actually the very first Pinterest project I did. It's so easy and cute (and inexpensive, most importantly). My baby's room has a dino theme, but I was kind of surprised to find a lack of dino decor, at least some that didn't cost a fortune. My husband and I finished these DIY cuties in a day. Yes, my husband is crafty AND manly. They look great in Micah's room. Here is the blog where I found the tutorial.

Ok. So, this wreath is one of my personal favorite finished projects. It cost less than $10 at Hobby Lobby to make. It's literally a vine wreath (about $4) and a box of those little paper umbrellas ($5ish). I stuck the umbrellas into the wreath, no glue required (though it might be a good idea; they aren't completely immobile but I haven't lost one yet). Even though my husband described it as "Margarita-ville threw up in here", I still love it. You can check out the blog post I used here.

I have a lot more projects to share, but I also have other pressing responsibilities to get to. I have my first face-to-face college course in almost 10 years tonight. Not nervous, excited. If I got a degree once, I can do it again. However, the last time I didn't have to make sure a 7-month-old had all he needed BEFORE I left him in the capable hand's of his father. Wish us luck :)

Three Manis & and Intro

I've tried to start a blog more times than I can count. It goes well at first, but pretty soon my posts happen less and less frequently until I stop all together. Part of the problem, I think, is that I tried to pigeon hole my blog(s) into a "theme". I'd think "Oh, I love to crochet," so I'd start a blog about crochet. But, I don't crochet all the time, and I like other things, too. So I started a blog about writing, but again, I don't write all the time. And so on and so forth. This time, I'm going to stick allll those things together into one random mess. Hopefully, however, it's a random mess I can keep up with. I love makeup and beauty, even though I don't wear makeup or even attempt to get beautiful every day. I have a seven month old, you see, and if we have no plans or need to leave the house that day, the biggest thing I'll accomplish is a shower. Thanks to Pinterest (internet crack), I've found and been scoping a lot of nail polish blogs, and it renewed my love of manis and pedis. For years and years I was a die-hard advocate of acrylic nails. I'd get them done every two weeks. They looked fantastic, don't get me wrong, and I love the girl that did my nails. But it's really expensive, and I realize now that I can't justify the cost. Unfortunately, when I leave my nails bare, I bite them like crazy. To solve this problem, I've been religiously keeping them painted for the last several years. It prevents me from gnawing them off, and it's one thing on me that will be done up even if I don't even wash my hair. Here are a few of the manis I've had on in the last few weeks. The photos are not professional at all (I took them with my iPhone), and I'm by no means an expert. My cuticles are a mess and I haven't perfected a good clean up method.

First is China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy and CG's For Audrey on my accent nail. FFF was a LOT brighter than I expected, but it's a great summer color. By the way, I used to think the idea of an "accent nail" was really dumb. Now I'm kind of into it. It allows me to do something fun with my nails without committing to the full ten fingers looking the same. While I think nail art is really cool and I'm super impressed with the talent (and patience) people must have to do it, it's not my thing.

Next is OPI's Ruble for your Thoughts with OPI Black Crackle on my ring finger. Of the three I've photographed, this is my least favorite. I guess it looked better when I imagined it, but once I got it on my nails it just looked like I slammed my ring fingers in a door or something. I was too lazy (and busy) to change it, so it stayed until it started to chip. Looking back, I think it would have looked better if I had painted all of my nails black and then done the accent nail the way it is.

Finally I have a Sally Hansen polish called Black Out (I think) with OPI's Brand New Skates layered on top. When I first got BNS, I was bummed that it was so sheer, but when I realized I could layer it with a different color, I was stoked. I know, it seems silly that I didn't think of it before. Once I finished this mani, I was pretty pleased, but then realized it sort of looks just like OPI's Baby it's Coal Outside, which I also have. Oh well. I might try it over purple next.