Birchbox

posted on: Saturday, April 27, 2013



Birchbox. Birchbox. Birchbox. If you say it enough times it turns into a jumbled mess that sounds faintly like bird box, try it you'll see. Anyway, for those of you who have lives and don't tinker around on social media or blogs all day long Birchbox has kind of made a name for itself around blog-sphere  The basic concept is that you can pay for a box of free samples to be delivered to your home each month (ingenious, right). Sometimes the boxes are themed such as this month which focused on well-being, hence the raw vegan macaroons #yikes. 

After my hair fiasco and the barrage of unsuccessful attempts at finding the perfect shampoo, gambling on samples each month just seemed like the obvious choice. This past week I received my  first box. Honestly, my expectations weren't very high. I was paying ten dollars for a box of samples and the likelihood of getting products that would cater specifically to my needs and wants seemed low. Nevertheless, I have been pleasantly surprised, the nail polish from Ruby Wing dried in less than a minute (seriously cool) and the hair serum from Nexxus obviously caught my eye, and while I haven't seen a complete transformation I'm optimistic. 

And honestly, what girl doesn't enjoy getting a box in the mail each month chuck-full of surprise goodies? I mean that right there is totally worth paying ten dollars. Want to sign up and try it for yourself? Go here, you won't be disappointed!

*note: this is not a sponsored post I'm just a girl as frustrated as the rest of you with paying full price for products that end up not working. #aakkk 

Eleven Months

posted on: Monday, April 22, 2013

 
You turned eleven-months-old last Thursday. We were out of town and away from our everyday routine--of which you made me pay for dearly. You really are a great baby, but holy cow, you become a force to be reckoned with when your schedule is changed. And after spending six exhausting hours at the car dealership on Friday night you really hit the ball home by taking three itty bitty steps all by yourself. Naturally, you were less concerned with walking and more intrigued with the toy Brecken had stolen from you earlier. Nevertheless, three steps and I'll take it! Of course you wouldn't repeat the walking for your Dad, and yes, I was so excited that I forgot to take pictures, but we're making progress I (dare) say!

And as if my little baby girl is slipping through my fingertips, three more teeth joined the party! Now it's all sippy cups and eating by yourself which really makes me crave (and cherish) those moments where you still need (and like) me to feed you. Your Dad cautiously suggested I wean you by your birthday. Quite frankly, I think we both enjoy our little moments together too much to call it quits. yes? 

Oh Addy, you really are the apple-of-my-eye. It's the simple things like your tousled bed head each morning and your dainty little fingers that play with my face that make me smile. One more month down baby girl, can you believe it?!

Love, Mom





Instagram+Three Things

posted on: Wednesday, April 17, 2013


One//I'm sure you've already seen the newest beauty campaign video released by Dove. But if you haven't please watch it. John will attest to the fact that I am not a crier, really, it takes a lot for me to shed tears. Prepare yourself for a tear-jerker with this video however. Whenever I watch this video I become a blubbering basket case. 

Two//One of my favorite shops is having a 50% off sale. And they are discontinuing some of my all time fave t-shirts. Run fast and get one or two or three...

Three//It may still be snowing here but we brought out the kick/balance bike. This weather will not stop us from "imagining" that it is Spring (and bike weather). And so far Brecken is loving his "new" bike (I prematurely got it for his second birthday). He is still learning how to balance, but his speed is kind of getting scary (yikes). The frame is metal (crash-proof), there is a foot rest for balancing, and an adjustable seat (great for my short stack). It really is an amazing bike, find it here.

See you tomorrow!

Boating.

posted on: Monday, April 15, 2013



What a day, I puttered around the house as usual--cleaning, feeding, tending to the kids oblivious to the outside world. It wasn't until John returned home from work that I learned about the awful news in Boston.  My sweet cousin and her husband were at the marathon when it happened. Luckily they're both safe. The whole event has left me a bit anxious, perhaps it's motherhood and the carnal nature to protect my children or any child for that matter I suppose. I guess in some respects it's also due to the day-in-day-out news of bad things happening to good people. Simply, it makes my heart hurt so much.  

******

Earlier tonight I was looking through pictures from weekend and I came upon this beauties. Even though there is still snow on the ground (say what?!) the ice has finally melted off the lake making it adequate boating weather. I've often referred to John's little boat as a death trap seeing as it only fits five and if it hits a three inch wave it's bound to sink. All joking aside it has served as a great escape for our little family. Brecken loves to sit with gleeful eyes all the while laughing as the wind blows across his face. Now that his life jacket fits a bit more snug and he has mastered the art of sea legs he can usually be found navigating with ease around the boat. This was Addy's first time out on the boat and she was beside herself with excitement when the boat would skim across the water, jostling her little body back-and-forth. I guess it was a win-win afternoon for us as parents. 

Hip-hip-hooray for more boating excursions and if we're lucky the arrival of Spring. #wishfulthinking

that's all. 


This Bug.

posted on: Thursday, April 11, 2013


The last three weeks or so have been one for the books. We got a bug, it went away, then morphed into a different bug, and somehow it disappeared just in the nick-of-time for us to enjoy the warm weather for a few days. But Karma decided justice was necessary so it came back for a third time to give a whooper-of-a-finale (we must be just that fun to be around I guess). So we slept a lot. Ate lots of chicken noodle soup. Caught on all our favorite television shows. And I even attempted to clean the house one particularly grey afternoon, which resorted to no real cleaning and lots of hot cocoa drinking. 

I am happy to report we are now on the mend (crossing my fingers). Bed sheets have been thoroughly sanitized, showers and baths have been had by all, and my head feels about twenty pounds lighter. While I loved the extra cuddle sessions, and the endless supply of 7-Up I am now ready to move on to sunny days and playing outside. Thanks for the reality check, you sick bug, hopefully, we don't see you again until next year (say whaat?!).


Beauty 411

posted on: Friday, April 5, 2013


Guys, this cold, it's killing me. I must have spoken too soon yesterday because it came back with a vengeance and this time it means business. The sinus congestion alone is enough to make me not want to go up-and-down the stairs because of the change in air pressure (A little dramatic, I know). I guess on the bright side there is no excuse for me to not purge my email box and closet today--every girl's dream for a Friday afternoon.

Anyway, this post has been in the back of my mind for awhile. A few weeks ago I went on a small tirade about my skin and hair issues since having a baby. Well, I am happy to report that it has been a little over a month of no shampoo and I can say that while my hair may be a bit more frizzy my scalp has loved the change. My skin issues on the other hand have required a little more trial and error.

Now let me just say for the record that I by no means am a makeup snob. I will, however, fight to the death for certain products that I love. While I have remained loyal to a few brands for years I've slowly started to gravitate towards individual products instead of entire lines. Since Addison's birth my skin has tended to be more dry and what use to be a simple process of putting on foundation, now requires moisturizer, primer and concealer beforehand. My face seems to have welcomed the presence of a few lines as well. I'm sure they all derived out youthful ignorance and my choice to not wear SPF. "Wear sunscreen!" my Mom always said...

After months of trying multiple brands here a few of the products that have been baby-tested//mother approved

1//L'Oreal Voluminous False Lashes //perfect for giving the illusion of fake lashes without the price.
2//Mary Kay Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover //I've been using this eye makeup remover for years and I may cry if they every stop making it because it just works that well!
3//Too Face Primed and Poreless Skin Smoothing Face Primer //This junk is amazing. It fills in my creases and creates a flawless look once I apply my foundation.
4//Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Candy Apple & Sorbet //Goes on like lip gloss, but looks like lipstick without the "cakey-ness." Plus it doesn't come off on my kids when they hug me. 
5//EOS lipbalm //put this stuff in the refrigerator then use it--amazing.
6//bareMinerals Purely Nourishing Cream for Dry Skin //This cream kicked my flakey-dry skin dilemma. I use it at night before I go to bed. And the ingredients are natural i.e. watermelon extract. Um, yes please. 
7//L'Oreal true match in sand beige W5 //So finding a foundation has been tricky. I tried nearly every brand out there but they all seemed too thick and would sluff right off my skin. Because this isn't a "one-color-fits-all" brand I was able to do a perfect color match to my skin and so far I have been pleasantly surprised. As a bonus that fine ladies at MAC recommended this brand if I didn't want to spend the big bucks. 
8//Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Color Adjust //I have a reddish hue to my skin and this color adjuster nips it in the bud. When I pair it with the Too Faced Primer it creates an even/smooth tone on my face. 
9//Too Faced Powder Blush-Who's Your Poppy? //Love this blush. Not to pink, not to red. Yet still looks natural. 
10//Anastasia tinted brow gel in Granite //I was graced with naturally dark hair and naturally light eye brows, so it has always been a battle trying to find the right brow liner. This gel is amazing. It goes on like mascara and provides just the right darkness so as not to look fake. 
11//Lorac Liquid Liner //Need a perfect liquid liner. This it is. 
12//Victoria Secret Summer Seduction Eye Kit //I have yet to use any of the colors in this palette except the gold tones. What I have used is the bomb. It's my favorite color combo to date. 
13//Benefit -Watt's Up Highlighter //use this highlighter on your chin, above you lip, t-zone, and cheek bones to highlight your face. two words: life changing.
14//Bare Escentuals/bareMinerals-i.d. Mineral Veil //After I've applied my foundation I use tinted mineral veil to eliminate shine as well as set my foundation. I've used it for nearly five years and I have never been disappointed!
15//Benefit-Hoola Bronzing Powder //Bronzers are tricky--too much and I feel like the love child of Snooki and  Carrot Top. Yet if I don't use it, my face seems super round--baby face round in fact. I use it under my cheekbones, along my jaw line, along the sides of my nose and near my temples. 

There you have it. I promise as soon as I have a little sun on this washed out face of mine I will provide a tutorial. Maybe even a vlog if you're lucky. ;)

Have a fun weekend!



Easter Weekend.

posted on: Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Did I ever tell you about that one time when I was eight or nine-years-old and my older cousins made us hold hands and then one of them would grab the electric fence. The electric shock would slowly ripple from hand hold to hand hold until it surged out of the tips of the last child. Those of us that were younger were usually placed at the end--a sign of submissiveness to the older kids I suppose. It wasn't traumatizing because we were naive (or dumb enough) to believe that no matter what kind of pain was placed on us we were still cool enough to be in the presence of the older kids. Twenty years later, I can still feel the shock. 

Anyway my tangent does relate to Easter, I promise. 

My family, which includes a whole bundle of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and anyone who decides to marry into our brooding mess, is never satisfied who mediocre celebrations. If there is a party to be had, we hold it. If there is a celebration in order, we go above and beyond. If there is something completely ridiculous and almost life threatening to be tried, it has happened. Easter is no exception. Of course we do the typical things like Easter egg hunting and making enough food to feed a small country, but my family also enjoys a wide array of non-traditional events too. The before mentioned electric fence game being one of them. And have you heard of a cash calf. It's simple--tape gobs of money to a calf and left it go. Then send every kid (adult included) after said calf to retrieve the money. I presume we're just like every other God-fearing American family out there. There really is no end to the things my family will concoct in the name of celebratory fun.

I savored this Easter holiday a little bit more and it's low-key nature. Somewhere the roles switched from being the recipient of Easter tidings to becoming the giver of magic for my son. His eyes that morning were satisfaction enough of a job well done. How great is it as parents that some of our greatest joys resonate out of the excitement and complete wonder in our children's eyes. 

Here's some pictures of our weekend. 

//Sharpies were the medium of choice this year for egg decorating//
//The stickers were a "meh" idea. They kind of created a filmy residue on the eggs, but the design turned out neat//
//Clothes were optional while dying eggs--just for the kids of course//

//He was skeptical of this elusive Easter Bunny fella//
//This was the best shot I could get of the two of them together. When they get within two feet of each other they kind of go psychotic//
//And as luck would have it the Easter Bunny showed up during our Easter egg hunt--our skeptical little guy may be a believer// 
//And when we got back to Bozeman during the Bishop family Easter egg hunt John's nephew proposed to his girlfriend. He's a real Casanova. Let the ohh and ahh's begin//

 //Hopefully your Easter was amazing and (of course) electrocuting-free...//




We are alive.

posted on: Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Somewhere between my head is going to explode and my stomach is doing somersaults, John and I managed to pull ourselves from the depths of self-pity and still take care of the babes this past week. It was a sad state of affairs around here, we both sequestered ourselves to our respective rooms and spent most of the week consuming  7-up and an obscene amount of saltine crackers. Poor Addy caught the same nastiness and spent a good portion of her time crying the saddest and more defeated sobs her little body could muster. It was down-right pitiful to say the least. Brecken on the other hand somehow missed the sick train and learned early on that his wish could usually be granted without much of a fight.  Knowing he'd won the battle he took full advantage of the time to watch Blue Clues while simultaneously eating my house dry of Goldfish for a good portion of the week.  

By Friday we pulled ourselves out of a germ-infested cocoon and ventured south  for some much needed family time. It also provided an opportune time for us to shower and become productive citizens once again. If only being sick was my excuse all the time for not getting dressed or showering. ;) So we packed our bags and headed to Cody, Wyoming once again. While neither John or I felt completely well having family around was a welcomed blessing. They loved on Addy and Brecken  all day long which made fighting through the last round of our bug that much easier. 

Writing more would be too easy right now, but it is 60+ degrees in Montana without a stitch of wind or a cloud in sight! The kids or itching to run and their wish is my command. Tee-shirt weather is upon us my friends! 

I promise Easter shenanigans to follow...

Thanks for sticking with us--this bug was a real damper to my writing.

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