A Really, REALLY, Late St. Patrick's Day

Hi!

I'm sorry you haven't heard from me in a while! In the past few weeks a lot of people have come to visit, and I hosted a St. Patrick's day party on the 15th. There were 27 people in my small house for that party. Yeah, you read that right. Therefore, it has been kinda crazy around here. The party was awesome though, and we got to see family that we don't get to very often :)
 The week after the party was my recuperation week, just to do nothing or anything I wanted. Well, kind of anyway. Work doesn't fall into the "fun" category, but other than that I had a good bit of time to tackle some small projects. I utterly failed at convincing myself to sit down and blog. That is something I need to work on.
 In my next post I'll be posting about some of those projects, but for now I'll just show you some of the St. Paddy's day pics.

Unfortunately, I can't share pictures of the people who came to visit. Most of my family doesn't want their pictures out on the web, and I completely understand that. Some I still have to ask, but I'll save that for another day. It kind of stinks, because I love family blogs with lots of pictures and I would love for my blog to be like that......but there are also a lot of weird, creepy people online that I don't want my family exposed to. So for now it's just me and Robert.

Here are some pics of the par-tay:

My rainbow with a pot of gold. I put corn chips in it for the "gold" :D

A rainbow of Jelly Beans for a project below.

Rainbow Bark! I found this on Pinterest. Here's the link to the recipe.

A project for the kiddos, also found on Pinterest. Source.

I bought the Reeses miniatures that are wrapped in gold, and Mom helped hide them in the basement for the kids to find :)

Celtic decor.

A quick picture of what I was wearing, before the party craziness.

My sister made a veggie Irish flag and......

.....a fruit rainbow! Nice,yes?

It looks like leprechauns invaded my bathroom!

And here I am in the sheep shirt I found in Ireland :)

I hope your St. Patrick's Day was a blast!

Mardi Gra/Fat Tuesday

HI!

I meant to post this earlier today, but you know how that goes. Time flies by without you noticing :P

Right now I'm watching "The Princess and the Frog" with my hubby. It's at the part where Ray *spoiler alert* passes on and becomes a star. *sniff sniff* *sob* That just chokes me up!

I'm sorry, I'm getting distracted.

There it's done.

Okay, where were we? Ah.

I always like watching that around Mardi Gras. It just gets me in the mood for all the New Orleans goings on this time of year. 

That brings me to the subject of my post. Mardi Gras. A.k.a Fat Tuesday. My family never celebrated Mardi Gras growing up, but being Catholic, Fat Tuesday was always a big day of eating up the last of whatever you were giving up for Lent, before Ash Wednesday. 

I wish people wouldn't look at me like I had a chimpanzee on my head when I have a cross of ashes on my forehead. I realize some people have never heard of it, but it's still kind of ridiculous. Anymore, I just brush it off. (Not the ashes! People's comments.)

So, back to Mardi Gras. I didn't really know the reason why we had never celebrated it until recently. And I was like, oh that's why.

If you didn't know,  here's a link to a website about how it all started and why it's ended up the way it is now. Just go to the history and traditions section.

But I also discovered after reading up on the history of Mari Gras, that I actually kind of like it. The beautiful masks, the beads, the king cake, the beignets (french donuts), the colors, etc.
And if you ever want to visit New Orlean's during Mardi Gras, but have been afraid to because of the wild college spring-breakers, you just have to know where to go. There are family friendly streets to go to that don't allow the wild people or any of that nasty stuff to pass through.

I was really happy to hear that :)

So today, I dressed accordingly:

I even wore my beads to work.

The masks in the pic below are one I've been working on for my Etsy shop.

And here are some random Mardi Gras pictures that I thought looked pretty awesome.

Look what my sister got me for my late Valentine's Day present! Just look at it! IT'S ADORABLE! I need to think up a name for it.....

For dinner tonight I made Chicken breast with Chili seasoning, chopped up tomatoes, and cilantro. It smelled and tasted wonderful!

And french cut beans, just for kicks. I seasoned these with Garam Masala, and Salt and Pepper.

Well since it is so late, I shall end this post here. 

Happy Beginning of Lent to you! And Happy CLEAN Mardi Gras!

Cheers!

What Do You Use?

Hello there!

I don't know about you, but I'm always interested in reading or hearing about what hair, toiletry, and beauty products other people use, so I thought I would share with you what I normally use on a daily basis.


Shampoo:

My shampoo is always changing. There are two that I have bought repeatedly, but other than that I don't really have any favorites. I like Herbal Essences a lot. Tousle Me Softly and Long Term Relationship are the two I've bought more than once. I like trying different ones though, if they match my hair type. I stay away from anything that says "volume" on it. I don't need to add any more volume to this vast mess of hair.
Herbal Essences just has a wonderful smell that stays with your hair, even several days after washing it. I LOVE IT.

Currently I am using Melaleuca's Affinia moisturizing shampoo. Robert's Mom has an account with them, so I was introduced to their products through Robert's family. I use a lot of their cleaning supplies. That is entirely a whole other topic, but I'll say this: They are a bit on the expensive side BUT they try to use natural ingredients in their products. And their stuff smells wonderful. Moving on.

 

Conditioner:

I've used it, but I haven't seen much of a difference. Plus, I try to keep it simple when it comes to my hair. I don't like spending a ton of time on it (except with different hair styles). Conditioner is just one more thing. When I have used it, I usually bought whichever one matched my shampoo.


Eyeliner:

I used to use the cheap eyeliner pencils at Wal-mart until I found Mary Kay's eyeliner. I'm in love with their bronze eyeliner at the moment. I just glides on so easily. I've tried all of their colors, except black, brown, and steely.

Eye Shadow:

I rarely wear eye shadow. But when I do, I use some of Melaleuca's Sei Bella colors.



I have their 'Ice' and 'Mermaid' colors.



Lip stick:

I don't really wear lip stick. It tastes nasty. Not that I'm trying to taste it, but you know...it just happens! I usually just stick with lip balm.

Chap stick/Lip Balm:

I love Skittles Strawberry Star-fruit lip balm! I wish I could buy it in bulk. I have tried all of the flavors but this one is my favorite. It smells wonderful!

 

 

 

I am currently using Melaleuca's Peach Mango lip balm....just because I'm out of the skittles.

I've tried all their flavors except peppermint, I think....

 

Deodorant:

This might be TMI for you guys, but I use Men's deodorant. It may seem weird to you, but it smells a whole lot better than anything I've found in the ladies section! It lasts longer too.
 I like Speed Stick's Ocean Surf. Unfortunately I discovered that my brother uses the same one, because when he was home for a visit, he accidentally used mine thinking it was his! EWWW, boy germs!

Toothpaste:

I believe I mentioned that I hate anything peppermint in my last post. Well, finding a toothpaste that doesn't have peppermint in it has been a nightmare. I've used TONS of different ones, but I've finally settled with Melaleuca's Cinnamon Tooth Polish, for now.

Hairspray:

I currently do not have a hairspray. I don't have any favorites either....I am open to any suggestions though!

Hair Color:

I love temporary hair color. I've been known to color my hair with markers. I have even tried the nasty smelling spray stuff that stores have around Halloween.
 I recently found one that doesn't smell too bad, and looks pretty good on my hair color. Blonde's would have better results, I'm sure, but I'm not blond and I don't think I ever will be. I like my hair color, and I don't want to permanently change it. Bleaching might help make the colors brighter, but I'm not up for doing that either...
So, here they are. Splat Washables. I think they only come in these four colors.....but I did try them and they DO wash out. I have only tried the blue so far, but I am planning to do a review on these in a later post.

Other random hair products:

I love the split end protector. My hair is just FILLED with split ends and breakage. This also helps with frizz. A remedy for all those short, broken hairs that like to stick up on top of my head.

The mousse makes loverly wavy hair and it looks (but doesn't taste) like whipped cream.




Herbal Essences Long Term Relationship Split End Protector



Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Mousse

 

 

 

 

Can you tell I love bright rainbow colors? That is what usually attracts me to the product in the first place....hehe :)
What do you use?
Let me know in a comment or in a blog post!

~Mary

Random Things About Me No. 1

 

The King and I

Getting to know yoooooou. Getting to know alllllllll about you!

I love that movie.

So. Today I thought I would share a random post about myself. My likes, dislikes, etc. Y'know?

I guess I'll start with ten random things:

1. My favorite colors are purple, aqua, sage, forest green, black, black and white, and burgundy.

2. I can be a picky person. I don't try to be. Sometimes I don't realize when I am. My husband usually points it out for me, though ;) It is mostly with home décor. If I'm going to buy something, I'm not just going to go out and get the first thing I see. I re-search it to death, until I find something I love. Ladies, you know what I'm talking about, right?

3. I would live in Ireland if I could. We visited in 2011, and I fell in love.

4. I have a passionate hatred for snakes.

5. I really hate jealousy. It tears people apart, and no one ever has a good reason to be jealous. Be happy with what you have. Be happy for others. Life is better when you don't spend your time endlessly wishing or wanting for something you don't have right now.

6. I am not a morning person. Robert says I get the grumpiest look on my face when his alarm goes off. Well, yes. His alarm is obnoxiously loud and I can't reach it. Or smash it.
My alarm is a ringtone on my phone, and I don't hate it. I might resent it, but I've never had the urge to pulverize it.

7. I love to sing. I have never excelled at playing an instrument, but singing always came naturally to me. I sing best when I'm by myself. I don't know why, but when I sing around others, my mind is always racing. What are they thinking? Do they think I'm annoying? Do I look weird when I sing? Does my voice sound different to other people than it does to me? AM I NORMAL?!?!
*Clears throat* Yeah. You get the picture.

8. I really love fairies. Modest fairies, that is.

9. I dislike fish, peppermint, coconut, and coffee. Iced coffees aren't bad, but I just don't like the bitter taste of coffee.

10. I am the youngest of four children in my family.

So there you have it! Things you might not have known about me.
 I might make this a continuous thing. I don't know. Other bloggers seem to have a schedule they go by...like Picture Saturday, Random post day, etc. A schedule would be a good thing for me. They have deadlines.

On the other hand, I only have one day that I really sit down and post something....anything else is just whenever I have a brilliant idea. So, that is something to think about.....decisions, decisions.

Also, do you have any suggestions for my blog?

Such as:

Is the font okay? Is it hard to read? Does my background color make it worse?

How did you design your header? I need to sit down and do mine soon....

Input is appreciated. 

Have a lovely weekend!

Valentine's Day 2014

 

Hi peoples! 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day, single or not.When I was single, I used V-day as a great excuse to eat more chocolate and watch sappy romance movies that guys can't stand ;) My hubby has been a pretty good sport with those though.....unfortunately he isn't up for watching one every night in February like my sister and I did while we were still living at home. Drat. I enjoyed it while it lasted! I guess I need to plan a girl's night out to sate my girlish heart.

Despite my hectic past few days of work (why does everyone wait until the last minute?), my Valentine's day was pretty awesome. Got home at 5ish and got a call from Mom and Dad asking if Robert and I were interested in getting Chinese. She got an enthusiastic yes. No cooking? Count me in! So I changed into my new dress from ThredUP (which I'll show in some pics below) and Mom and Dad brought the Chinese :) 

Here are some pics of the day:



The Dinner Table and Pink and Red Roses from Robert.

A Valentine garland I made a few years ago.

The greenery garland is from our wedding table. I just recently placed it above our dining room door to add some color to the room.

The "Love" sign was something I made a few years ago with wooden letters from Wal-mart and scrapbook paper cut to fit, then modge podged onto the letters.

 

We finally got a frame for this! I found this picture at Hobby Lobby awhile back. Originally I swapped it out with another picture that hung in my childhood bedroom, but now it will be kept out year round. I LOVE these pictures!

When V-day comes around I usually set out all my romantic books and movies to show my appreciation. These are a few good reads. (Warning: P.S. I Love You has some adult content which I DO NOT support. I may do a review on it someday, but for now, please read with caution. Otherwise it is a good story.)

More decor. Again, these romance movies both have fast-forward worthy parts in them, so keep the remote ready, especially when watched with little ones.

Cutesie window stickers from Wal-Mart.

My ThredUp Dress! You can see how I layered with it in pics below.

Chocolates from Robert :) He even remembered that I liked the design on the box!



My card. We always use sealing wax on our cards to each other

Robert's present from me. I work at a candy store so I get to make special packs like this. My inspiration was from the Percy Jackson series. If you haven't read them, Percy's mom works at a candy store and buys him blue candy to prove to her unfortunate husband that blue food does exist. We just finished the series so I thought this would be perfect!

We're adorbs, I know.



Our activities fro the evening. I found a Romeo and Juliet puzzle at Jo-Ann Fabrics last year (I fell in love with the pic on my copy) and plan to frame it once we put it together. We're still working on it. Er, well, Robert is working on it, mostly. I'm horrible at putting together huge puzzles.


I combined the roses the next day.

 



My Mother- in- law, or "Mother-in-love" as she says, spoiled me with some pretty jewelry for my V-day gift :)

I put some of the roses in this re-usable vase that my aunt gave me.

I forgot to add this in the Christmas post! Robert made me this AWESOME pot rack for part of my Christmas present!!!!!! It is so perfect for our kitchen. I was completely surprised. He knew I wanted one, but I wouldn't have dreamed he would make me one! I couldn't have pictured anything better than this.

 

He also made this side table with my Dad for our stove, to fit in the gap between the wall and the stove. I am just absolutely loving it!
 



Tonight I made Chicken Breasts with Bacon wrapped around and Sage sprinkled on top. They were delicious!



For our side, I made fresh Brussel Sprouts, halved and cooked with a chopped onion in olive oil.
 



Last, but not least, dessert. Banana Crumb Muffins



 Happy Late Valentine's Day to you all!