DIY Lip Scrub

Hey guys! I wanted to do a quick post today. We are in the dead of winter and it sucks. Full out S-U-C-K-S, sucks!! I've said it before and I'll continue to say it, I hate winter; for so many reasons. However, here in the Ohio Valley, we went from legit blizzards where the kids were out of school for almost 2 full weeks due to freezing temperatures and snow upon snow upon snow, to tornadoes today. Yep. Tornadoes. In February! What's up Mother Nature??? I need to relocate.


Annnyyyway, aside from the bipolar weather going on here right now, one big reason winter always sucks, that a lot of people suffer from, is the dry air. My skin is ashy and itchy, my hair is full of static and my lips are cracked and in dire need of moisture. Well, yesterday I lost my Carmex and I darn near had a panic attack. I can't survive winter without my Carmex! It was a full-on tragedy! Something had to be done! 

Kristy Hamilton Photography

Hey guys! I've got some eye candy for you today! If you've kept up with my recent posts, you know I've gone back fashion posts again. I went on a 3 month hiatus because of freezing temperatures and a temperamental photographer. It ain't easy talking my uninterested husband into braving the cold for my outfit pictures. Lucky for me though, I have a friend who is a wonderful photographer. She has so kindly offered to take my pictures for me, so I wanted to share more of her amazing work today.

Kristy is a natural light photographer and personally, I think they make for the most amazing shots. She has the gift of capturing genuine expression and personalities from even the shyest of subjects (i.e. my daughter). From newborns all the way to weddings, she has an eye for catching emotions and saving the most precious memories.

Pocket Perfection

Hey guys! It's another day, another outfit! Still keeping the fashion train rolling. I love when simplicity, in itself, makes an impact. There isn't any one "statement" piece that gives this outfit it's appeal; it's the right combination of simple pieces coming together that's makes the statement.

This outfit is the perfect example of how having staple pieces in your closet can be a huge benefit. A black blazer can be worn so many ways and it has real lasting power; it's always in style. This is definitely not news to anyone. We all know this already. But once you have it in your arsenal, so many options immediately open up; pieces like these are definitely a secret weapon to looking great on a budget. Same with this shirt. A shirt neutral in color, with a classic cut, gives you so much to work with. Once I have my basics, I can add my trendy piece; today I chose colored skinnies. I also chose simple black boots for a casual look but throw on a pair of heels and this outfit can go straight from daytime to nighttime. How's that for stretching a tight budget? One outfit: two ways. Boom.

Polka Dotty

Hey guys! Aren't you so proud of me? I'm sticking out my return to fashion and braving the cold once again. Look at me all outside in the snow and stuff! In a skirt no less! Booyah!

I feel like this outfit is another perfect return to this blog's fashion side. I absolutely love the way it came together; and that's saying something because a lot of times I just feel lost and like I have no real sense of style whatsoever. Do you ever have those days where you just feel like you have no idea what you're doing? It seems like those days produce the best outfits though! Especially when you have an effortless piece to work with. Enter: my new polka dot skater skirt. And at $15 it was a steal! I'll admit, I was a little weary when I ordered it because my 5'8 stature can instantly make any skirt too short but I was so relieved to find that it fit perfectly.

You've Got to be Sh*tting Me!

Sooo you may have noticed that instead of seeing my normal blog images, you are now seeing a message from Photobucket that looks something like this:

I have had this image (and others) uploaded to Photobucket for ages and I haven't altered them or uploaded any more images since then so what's up? Idk. Apparently Photobucket has changed their terms and it is no longer free image hosting or something. Yay.

In true cheapskate form, I refuse to pay for this. This means I am now going to have to find another image hosting site that is actually free. So I can then re-upload ALL of my dang images and re-link them and re-code them...because HTML is soooo fun. I apologize for this ugliness that takes my blog's proper images place in the meantime. If you have any suggestions on where I should look, PLEASE leave me a comment!


UPDATE: So as I have found out, Photobucket accounts are measured by bandwidth. What's that mean? Well, instead of your account being measured by the size of each image you upload (as I originally thought), it is measured by the views each image gets. This should be good news for me; a lot of pageviews is a good thing, right? Honestly, I'm just irritated that I have to redo all of my work. So my advice to you is: if you have a blog, save yourself the headache by not using Photobucket. (Unless you want to fork over some mullah!) I have now switched to Imgur; it's free and there aren't any limitations that I can find. I have already replaced my images and they look (and function) perfectly. Yay Imagur!

 

Back With a BANG!

What? A fashion post? You say, "We haven't seen one of those in so long!" I say, "No kidding!" 3 months long to be exact. I think I've made it perfectly clear that I do not like the cold. This "polar vortex" (said in my snarkiest voice) has not been my friend; even less of a friend to my fashion posts. I can barely talk myself into getting out in the cold for pictures but my husband? Fagetaboutit! Can't exactly do pictures when you have no one to take them, can you? Well, that's what friends in high places are for! Enter: my bestest photographer friend, Kristy!

Kristy and I have become friends via our daughters. They were in the same dance class together and now they are in the same homeschool group. Needless to say, we have had plenty of opportunity to get acquainted over the years and I have learned that Kristy is an amazing photographer. She has done gorgeous pictures of Izzy in the past and now she has so kindly offered to do some for me. So not only am I back, I'm back new and improved with some fabulous shots!

Send a Mug, Get a Mug

Hey guys, I have a neat little post for you today. Kallie over at But First, Coffee is hosting a really fun swap for you guys. It's a super cool opportunity to meet some new bloggers and make new friends. Cause who doesn't like making new friends, right? The idea is that you sign up with all of your information and Kallie will pair you with another participant. You spend a couple weeks emailing and finding out about each other and then after that time, you send each other a mug. So at the end, you have a new friend AND a new mug! Fun, huh?