The Weekend, and The Weather

 
Dear Friday, today was my first day of work, and the weekend brings more new work days with new people. I am excited.
 
Dear New Job, I am very excited for you. I love art, and I love being able to help the kids. So far it is going good.
 
Dear Mom, I had fun with you tonight. I love spending time with you!
 
Dear Weather, I am all for the heat, but 100 degrees really?!
 
linking up with Ashley


May 2013 Favorites

Hello!

As May is coming to an end I have decided to do a Favorites post. I think I want to start doing this at the end of every month. I have started watching YouTube videos lately and have really been loving them. Most of my favorites this month comes from some of the products that I have tried. Two of my favorite girls that I have been watching are Ingrid and Torilynn. Check them out and tell me what you think!

Here we go! My May Favorites!
 


1. Maybeline The Rocket Mascara I bought this awhile ago and it has sat in my makeup bag. I bought the waterproof one on accident and I hated it. It was such a pain to take off. However, I have realized that when using waterproof formula you have to use the right product. I really have fallen in love with waterproof mascara! It doesn't clump like anything else I have used, and it doesn't smear. My eyes water so easily and my mascara used to smear so fast. I love that this mascara leaves my eyelashes looking so full and it doesn't drop half way through the day.
 
2. Maybeline Clean Express Waterproof Makeup Remover This brings me to number two! I just shake this up then pour a little on a cotton ball and rub it on my eyes. It takes off my mascara so easily! I think the only bummer is that it is going to be gone quickly.
 

 
4. Up and Up Moisturizing Lotion This is compared to the Aveeno Moisturizing Lotion I haven't used Aveeno, but I didn't want to pay that much so I bought the Up and Up version since it said it was like the Aveeno. I only use this in the morning, but I really like it. It has a slight sunscreen smell, but that doesn't bother me at all.
 

 
5. Neutrogena Shine Control Primer My friend Kelsey recommended this for me. She guest posted on the blog here. My skin is very oily, and this really has helped keep my skin matte. I forget to use it yesterday, and I could really tell the difference!
 
6. NYC Bronzing Face Powder. I can't find the link on target.com, but I know that you can get it in stores. I just started using this after watching Torilynn use it in a video. I have never really used bronzer before, but I can really see a difference. I like this stuff because it is inexpensive, and it really gives my face a glow.
 

7. Lush Tea Tree Water I wanted to try out the smaller size, but they didn't have any at the store so I just bought the larger size. I am really happy that I did though because I love this stuff! It doesn't make my face greasy like other toners. So far I am really impressed!
 
8. Grease Lightning This stuff is like a spot corrector. I have a tendency to break out in spots, and so far this has really helped. I put a small amount on the problem area, and then I go to bed.

Dream Lumi™ Touch Highlighting Concealer
9. Maybelline Dream Lumi My concealer is almost all gone. I really like this product. I do not know if I will buy it again. However, it does really make your under eye area look brighter.
 
 
10. Villa Bergamot is a candle from Bath and Body Works. I love the smell! It smells like a men's cologne which is amazing! I love it!
 
Okay so that was a very long post, but I hope you all enjoyed it! Please tell me what you think, or products that you have been loving this month!
 



Borrowing From The Men

shirt: no clue..
jeans: pacsun
shoes: target
bow is just a ribbon
 
Hello Pretties!
 
How are you all on this fine day? I am blessed! God is just so good! Psalm 31:4 says, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Well I have been praying for awhile now about where the Lord has me work wise and if I should get a new job. Well today I had an interview and I got the job! I am so excited! I work at color me mine now. It is a little shop in my local mall where you paint a ceramic something. Whether it be a vase, plate, or figurine. Then we glaze it for you and you take it home in a week. It is very cool. I have done it many times as fun little outings with my mama. Now I get to work there. I am so excited since I love to paint and I love kids.God truly is amazing and I am just so blessed! I will definitely miss my daycare staff and all the little kiddos though.
 
Also, my outfit. I cannot get enough of my pink pants! I also seem to be wearing a lot of men's shirts recently. They are just comfortable and I love how you can style them in so many different ways! My sister had this ribbon laying around and so I just grabbed it and tied it around my waist. Which if I do say so myself looks pretty darn cute!
 
How are all of your weeks going?
 
linking up with Lindsey
 


Not Leading At All


Hello Friends!

Today I want to talk about leadership. Not just the kind of leader in the work place, at school, or maybe in a small group. I mean being a leader that God wants you to be. Every person is different. God made us that way. Each one of us has different talents or gifts and each one of us has different callings. Some may be called to be a worker and help out with others goals and ideas, while we need the people who lead and create the ideas for others to carry out.

Leaders are not always looked at as fun people. They can be bossy, rude, and just hard to be around sometimes. Being a leader means not always getting to be the nice guy. However, leaders are called to lead in love and to show God's love while they lead. The best leaders can find that balance.

I have known since I was very young that I am a leader. I have never liked to follow the crowd (this gets me into trouble as sometimes listening to authority is difficult) and I have never been one to just go with the flow. I am my own person. I like to be by myself, and I love to be given responsibility. I work hard no matter what the job I am given (blog post about that here).

Lately God has been showing me a thing or two about being the leader that God has called me to be. I have realized that just because God has given me the talents and the capabilities to lead does not mean that I am always called to take control. Sometimes being a leader means letting someone else lead and backing them up. God is showing me that sometimes being a great leader for him means not leading at all.

This is not easy hard for me, as if something needs to be done or fixed I am prone to just jump in and get the job done. Even if that job was not meant for me at all. As I learn this lesson I must just let those jobs pass if I am not the one called to do them. Maybe right now is not my time to be the strong leader up front, but I know that God has given me these gifts and talents for the proper time. For now I must just wait until I can use them to bring him glory. It is all him preparing me for the time in which he has prepared. During this time being the best leader I can be means supporting the ones that God has put in front of me.

Have you ever had to do something like that? What kind of person are you, a leader or a helper?



Lots of Disneyland, and Happy Birthday To My Mama

Hello Dear Ones!!

I am so sorry for my lack of involvement in the last 5 days. I have just been on the go so much! I meant to post last Thursday, but I got busy and ran out of time. Please forgive me and do not stop reading! I am still here and still writing.

Thursday I had to go out to my sisters school and be her parent participant for the day. After, I took her to Disneyland so we could get her pass. After that we came home and packed for the 24 hour day at Disneyland on Friday. We were up at 4 in the morning so we could leave by 5 and be at Disneyland at 6. We met my friend, her boyfriend, and her sister down there. It was a ton of fun.




Sadly, we did not make it for 24 hours. We left at 21 and a half. However, I think 21 and a half hours at Disneyland is an accomplishment. We made it on about 20 rides. I had a blast!

Saturday I slept. Obviously...Since I had been up for about 25 hours. We had a birthday party Saturday night. Mostly I just relaxed.

Sunday Donny and I went over to his uncles house for a BBQ with his family. It was nice to hang out and fellowship with his family. He works with his uncles and dad, but I rarely see them outside of when I visit him at work.

Shirt: target (it's a men's small...my mom got it at a garage sale)
Shorts: old
Shoes: Target
necklace: Forever 21
 


Now today is Memorial Day, but it is also my mother's birthday. So Happy Birthday to my wonderful mother!! Now off to celebrate her!
 
 
linking up with Sami

Kind Words and a Smile

source: pinterest
 
This quote is true. A simple smile and kind word can help a person who has had a really hard and rough day. So this post goes out to the man in the grocery store who exchanged my very nasty rotten naked juice for a brand new one without a question. I appreciated it after a very long day. Thank you. 

Lemony Lemon Brownies

Hello My Dears,

How is your week going so far?

As I said in my post yesterday I made lemon brownies this weekend. I found the link on pinterest and it took me to this website here. This is what the brownies looked like on the website.


Mine did not look that good, but I did like the way they tasted. The recipe said to use an 8-by-8 pan, but as everything in the house is still in boxes the only pan I could find was an 11-by-7. That is why mine are much thinner.

Anyway! Here is the recipe!

The "Brownie" Batter

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt {Sea Salt}
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
 
Tart Lemon Glaze
1 rounded cup powdered sugar
4 tablespoon lemon juice
8 teaspoons lemon zest
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease/Spray an 8-by-8-inch baking dish with butter/cooking spray and set aside. 
 
Zest and juice two small/large lemons; set aside. {whatever you have}
In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined. 
 
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined. Pour into the flour mixture and beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. 
 
Pour into baking dish and bake for 23-25 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before glazing.  Do not overbake, or the bars will be dry. {even with the yummy glaze}
When brownies are cooled completely, make the glaze...sift the powdered sugar, add lemon zest and juice, and whisk together all three ingredients. Spread 1/2 the glaze over the brownies with a rubber spatula.  Let glaze set.  Spread the remaining glaze over the bars, and let it set.  This glaze does not harden like most.  Cut into bars, and serve!
 
 
I can start my process by saying I have never zested a lemon before. That proved much more difficult then expected. Also, I can say zesting a lemon is easier done before you cut it and juice it.
 
Once we were finished my mom said that they tasted a like they had a little to much flower in them. My recommendation is to put 1/2 a cup then add more as you see needed into the batter.
 
Also, the glaze did not set for me. I left half the glaze in the fridge and then poured it on which helped it set a bit. Honestly you could skip the glaze completely and just use lemon frosting if you wanted.
 
Here is my final product!
 
 

 
Try it out and tell me what you think or how yours turned out!
 
 

Spontaneous Trips

Hello My Friends!

It is Monday. BLAH! Mondays are just gross if you ask me. They always seem to have a way of sneaking up on you. Plus they never are warmly welcomed. However, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend! Such a fun two days!

Saturday, Donny and I spent the day with my parents. I know that at 19 and a college kid spending time with the parents isn't something that is normally looked forward too. Yet, my family is super close and since the week seems to be very very busy I really enjoy spending the weekends with them. That being said Saturday we went thrift store shopping, ran errands, and went to see Star Trek 2. Which was really great!! I am such a nerd when it comes to movies like that. I mean three more Star Wars. Um..you bet I am looking forward to those!! So after the movie we came back home and ate dinner and I made lemon brownies!
 

I'll be posting the recipe and experience tomorrow. It was really fun to bake. I am not the baker of the family. That would be my sisters job! I stick to the making dinner aspect of cooking.
 
Sunday, my mom, sister, and I watched church service at home. Then Donny and I had a baby shower to go to. I wore this adorable dress from Marshalls and my shoes are from target.
So while D and I were at the shower I was kind of trying to figure out something to do afterward since my family and sister were all busy. So ofcourse what do you do when that happens??? You text your best friend. AND that is just what I did! She told me that her and her boyfriend were taking his daughter and her little brother to Disneyland and we should join them. So I said "LET'S DO IT!" And we did. We bought our passes and joined them down there. It was seriously so spontaneous but yet such a fun evening.
 


 
Finally my friends I am an annual pass holder! I cannot wait to start enjoying it! Also here is my shameless mushy girlfriend photo because my boyfriend is just so adorable.
 
 
Who can't love a picture with guys and kids? AND, I am taking my sister to go get her pass on Thursday and then on Friday we are spending a full 24 hours at Disneyland. I am not sure how I am going to last all 24 hours, but I know coffee and red bull will be my best friends!
 
Did you guys have any spontaneous plans this weekend?
 
linking up with Leeann and Carissa


Summer Break, Puppies, and Walt Disney

 
Dear Summer Break, I am bored. I want to be crafty, but all of the craft stuff is packed up somewhere. I cannot wait to have something to do, or at least have my sister on summer break with me.
 
Dear Puppies, I have loved cuddling with you all in the morning time. I have always loved having pets.
 
Dear Target, I love that you let me return make up. I think that is awesome. I will be visiting you again shortly!
 
Dear Weekend, I am so happy you are here! With you comes a very short work week and Disneyland!
 
Dear Walt, I will be spending 24 hours with you in a week. I cannot wait. I really would like to just skip this week already.
 
Do any of you have any fun and exciting plans coming up?
 
linking up with Ashley


Product Review: Tresemme Thermal Creations

found here at target (not sold online)
 
Alright my friends I have just discovered this amazing, I repeat, Ah-mazing heat protectant spray. I feel like I am a little behind on the band wagon for this one. Lately, I have been watching YouTube videos from two different girls all about beauty. I will link their profiles at the end of this month..just wait and see ;) So one girl talked about this product in a video on products that she would repurchase. I decided to try it out since I curl my hair frequently. I promise I am trying not to curl it as much!

In the past, I have used Suave heat spray, and it leaves the hair kind of hard and crunchy. I would apply it after my shower if I knew I was going to curl my hair that day. I would never apply it to dry hair! I had done that in the past and it was disgusting! It left my hair feeling oily and just plain gross. Which was kind of a bummer if I had not applied it and then curled my hair. I know it is like a crime! I was curling my hair with no protectant. In the end, my hair was fried.

So! I discovered this product and have applied it to wet and dry hair! My hair was not oily or anything, and I really could like see how it protected my hair. Normally when I curl my hair you can just see the split ends that it creates. However, now using this product I am not seeing them. It is such a relief! Plus, I applied to the ends of my hair when it was dry and it felt like nothing was even there. It didn't even change the texture of my hair. I cannot rave about this product enough! Plus it just smells awesome! Who doesn't love that!

I would highly recommend if you use any sort of heat products on your hair that you try it out! Let my know what you think about this product if you are already using it. Or any other products that you love! I love recommendations!


Keep Dreaming

from pinterest
 
Today I want to talk about dreams. Not the dreams that you have at night, but the dreams you have for your life. The answer you give when someone asks you the famous question, "Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?" My family was sitting on the couch about a week ago and this topic of what we want to do with our lives came up. My mom has had the dreams of being a teacher, and owning horses. Those were her dreams. When my parents got married those are the two things she told my dad that she wanted in life. My sister wants to be on Broadway. Some little children dream of being a firefighter or a veterinarian. My dream and where I want to be in the future is different than that though.
 
However, as long as I can remember my dream has always been to be a wife, and a mother. I have dreamed of running a household. Yes, I am going to school to become a teacher, and yes my goal is to teach at the deaf school in my city. Yet, even in my head that is not my dream or my final destination in this life. I would love to teach for a few years and maybe sub a bit while my children are in school, but my dream in life is to make a great home for my children and husband. I believe that my calling in life is a homemaker.
 
I feel like our generation does not encourage our children to dream. It does not encourage our children to make something of themselves. I know so many students or even other people I graduated with who had no idea where they were going after high school. I believe that we as a generation need to instill the act of dreaming and having goals in life into our children. I also believe that we as women need to not be so afraid of being that typical stay at home mom. I feel like our generation looks so poorly at being a homemaker. Like to want nothing more than to stay at home and raise children is wrong. I believe we need to change the way we view mothers like this. Mothers are the foundation of a house and home at times. Mothers and wives form a home and at many times the attitude of those who live with them. I believe that home making is the ultimate dream.
 
 
                      link pinterest                                                                          link pinterest
 
 
Well my goal in finishing school may be to become a teacher, but my dream is to be a Godly wife, mother, and homemaker.
 
What are your dreams?