Oswald and Dilly Bars at the Park

My sister and her fiance Marcus have the sweetest dog you could ever meet. (Apart from Zoe of course.) Oswald is such a funny dog. He's a big goof ball to say the least.

 Casey and Marcus were packing to leave on their trip the other day and Oswald just didn't know what to do with himself. I was checking off items from Casey's list while Casey was grabbing random items. Oswald decided he was human and sat next to me on the stairs.

 He kept trying to find just the right position to sit comfortably. He just couldn't quite get it right. 

 Look at how cute that is!

   Such a pretty puppy.

 He did not want to leave the stairs but he was starting to get tired so this was the next position that he decided to try out.

 He even had his knee up on the step to hold himself up. Hah.

 Look at that face.

The other day I actually put some makeup on and decided to send Derek and pretty picture of myself. I thought it turned out kind of neat. 

Yesterday Stratton, Mom, Aunty Pam, Grandma Marge, John and I all went to the Cape Municipal Band concert. They were handing out Dilly Bars! Score! 

 Oswald joined us of course. He wined so much because he wanted to go say hi to the other puppies in the park.

 Stratton loves his Aunty Pam. She always tells him "huggy huggy kiss kiss"

 I love that big ol smile of his. He makes the best chessy face. Strat was getting so mad because his dilly bar kept melting and dripping on his pants.  

 Oswald just had to make his rounds and give everyone kisses...including me.

 My mom and I inhaled out Dilly Bars. You can't tell we like ice cream at all can you?

 Oh Oswald.

The theme for the music was Christmas music. There was also a steel drum band that played. It was so neat to hear all the different kinds of music.

 

 

A Year Ago Today

A year ago today...

I found out that the little bundle of joy that Derek and I were expecting had gone to heaven to be with our Heavenly Father. We drove to the doctor with a fear in our hearts but also a hope that something, some kind of miracle, could happen. We watched as the nurse practitioner searched for a heartbeat unsuccessfully. We watched as the ultrasound technician turned the screen away from us. We saw the face of the nurse practitioner as she had to tell us some of the worst news anyone could hear. We went home and that night Derek and I went through some of the worst pain in our lives. For him it was an emotional kind of pain, for me it was a physical and emotional kind of pain. I have never experienced that kind of pain in my life before; both mentally and physically.

I had the support of my amazing husband as well as our wonderful families to get me through everything. I was bitter and hurt for a long while. I still hurt and carry a little bit of sadness around with me when I think about it. I'm not sure I'll ever fully get over it. It's just something you can't explain to someone unless they go through it. I was mad at God for a while but that too has passed.

I know I have a little guardian angel to protect and watch over me and I'll see that baby again some day.

Made Up Monday

Yesterday I went to Sephora (surprised?) and got a makeup bag that I had been eying for the last month. It's not the actual bag that drew me to it but what was inside the bag that I was wanting. I wear A LOT of browns and golds when it comes to my makeup. I have this weird blue/gray colored eyes and they don't really pop with any other colors. Most of the time people think my eyes are brown because they're so dark. But, alas, they are blue/gray. Anywho, back to the bag.

The collection is called "Dare to Wear Gold" and includes a 5-piece kit from bareMinerals. I'm always looking for makeup bags that are small enough for my to lug around but big enough that I can throw some brushes in it without messing up the bristles. This little bag is the perfect size. It's just long enough for me to put my bushes in and they don't get smashed up on the sides. Not to mention I can throw A LOT of makeup in it without it weighing me down too much. I love the gold and snake patten on it too. 

The compact that is included in it contains a blush and luminizer in the shades "The Natural High" (blush) and "The Shining Moment" (luminizer). I tend not to use really pink colored blushes but I'm always willing to try something new. I really like the color of the luminizer. It's light and works great for highlighting your cheek bones, nose and under your eyes.

 The main reason why I fell in love with this little bundle was because of the eyeshadow. The colors are "Double Dare" which is a super pretty light gold. This color is perfect to use in the corner of your eye closest to your nose. I also use it right below my eyebrows as a highlighter. The other color is "Wild Thing" which is a gold-flecked bronze color. I would use the "Wild Thing" color to go in the middle of my eye between the "Double Dare"  and a darker brown or black on the outer corner of my eye.

I am a HUGE fan of Moxie lip gloss. They discontinued a lot of the Buxom lip gloss and started to phase in these Moxie glosses. "Rockstar" is the color they included in this collection. It's very nude and really only has a bit of gold/pink to highlight your lips. Super pretty and just enough color to give your lips some highlighting.

It also has that oh so wonderful tingle that Buxom included to make your lips plump. If you're like my sister and don't like that stingy/tingly feeling from the lip plumper I wouldn't recommend the Buxom or Moxie lip glosses. 

The collection also included a "Round the Clock" waterproof eyeliner which I of course forgot at home. But, I'm not much on pencil eyeliners so I probably won't wind up using it very often.

Family Loss and Family Gain

Today has been a roller coaster of a day for me. I received great news today about the birth of my niece and horrible news about my step cousin. 

This afternoon my niece Camile Blaine was born. She weighed in at 9oz 19 1/2" long. She is simply beautiful. Ashley went into labor and progressed SUPER fast. Camile was so anxious to come into this world she didn't let her momma have an epidural. Both baby and momma are doing wonderfully.

I got a phone call from my dad not much after I got the news that Camile had been born. He said my cousin Brandon got out of prison on Tuesday and that last night he had been in a car accident. He was driving his girlfriends car and crossed the median hitting another vehicle. Brandon was pronounced dead at the scene. The other person that was with him is in the hospital. The other car had an infant and three other passengers. The infants parents are in serious condition. 

It's such a sad situation. I wasn't very close to Brandon but I have known him since I was really little. He made a lot of very poor decision that ultimately led to this. I'm so sad for my grandma and John as well as Brandon's mom and sisters. If you all could send some prays and love their way it would be much appreciated.

Friday Confessions

I haven't confessed in a long time! I mean on here at least. I'm not catholic so I don't really know what confessing is all about. I would like to get a few things off my chest.

-I confess that I absolutely hate when I'm with someone and they are constantly on their phone. I'm taking time to hang out with you and you won't put your phone down. Rude.

-I confess that I went three days without a shower. I have seriously had one of those weeks that had me running around all over the place until it was time to go to bed. I showered this morning. FYI

-I confess that I don't really like the taste of coffee. I mean, I like some iced coffee if it's got enough sugar and soy milk in it but come on. It's so bitter! Having said that, I went to that new sporting goods store in cape and got a new thermos mug and have been drinking cappuccino almost religiously. Wow, I never knew how much better you could feel with a little caffeine in your system.  

-I confess that it has been a bit of a vacation for myself with Derek not being home. I get to watch whatever I want on TV. I've been keeping up with the laundry. The dishes are all clean. I don't have to worry about making a huge meal for dinner. It's been awesome. Now, don't get me wrong it'll be nice to have him back home when he gets back.

-I confess that I'm taking a half day at work today because it is simply too beautiful to be stuck in this.

Funfetti Fudge

I found this recipe today on Bri + Co.  This looks SO easy to make and from what I hear it is really really good to eat too. Enjoy this! I'm going to have to try to make this when I get home.


Looking for an easy and delicious treat to make for someone’s birthday? This is a dessert everyone will love. This no bake, no cook, melt in your mouth funfetti cake batter fudge recipe tastes just like cake batter- it only takes ten minutes to make and will definitely help satisfy your sweet tooth!

You can never go wrong with sprinkles and cake batter, and this fudge is great for any occasion, especially a last minute Mother’s Day treat, a birthday party or a bridal shower. You can even personalize the sprinkles to match your theme or occasion (like orange and black for Halloween). These are also great for portion control!
Ingredients:
-14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
-2 ½ cups of white chocolate chips
-2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
-3 tablespoons of rainbow sprinkles
-20 mini cupcake liners

Open the sweetened condensed milk and pour into a microwave safe bowl.

Measure the white chocolate chips and add them to the sweetened condensed milk. Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes (this could vary depending on your microwave). Make sure the white chocolate chips are soft enough to mix together easily.
Remove the bowl from the microwave. Stir every 25 to 30 seconds, until the white chocolate chips melts into the condensed milk. Add and stir in the vanilla extract.
Once the vanilla extract is mixed in, slowly add the rainbow sprinkles. Make sure to mix the rainbow sprinkles as little as possible- the rainbow sprinkles will start to melt if you mix them together too fast!

After mixing, scoop the fudge into the mini cupcakes liners and set on a tray at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.

You can add some extra sprinkles to top it off!

Voila, you’re done! How easy was that? Now you’ve got an easy and delicious treat for all of your family and friends. But don’t say we didn’t warn you – everyone will be begging you for this recipe for years to come!

Concert in the Park

Derek left for Summer NAMM Show in Nashville, TN yesterday so Stratton and I are on our own for a few days. Last night little man and I went to the band concert at Capaha Park in Cape. My grandma and John were there as well as my mom and a family friend John Price. It was hot and muggy and the mosquitoes would have carried you off if you didn't wear bug spray but it was really nice to hang out with family and friends.

The band playing beforehand was a group of men that were mostly doctors (3 out of the 5). They were called the Dochans (I think that's how you spell it) Anywho, they were really good. Dr Branson, the banjo player, used to be my eye doctor when I was younger.  

 John Price came and sat with us last night too. I pretty much grew up with him as a 2nd dad. Him and my dad are close friends. We used to be fishing buddies when I was younger. His brother Keith was the pastor who married Derek and I.

 My mom came with us last night too. I'm so glad she could take some time off from work to spend time with me and little man.

 Stratton of course had to bring his gun with him. He was getting hot so Grandma Marge was fanning him.

 Gosh I just love that cute little smile of his. It really doesn't get much more handsome than that.

 Stratton caught his first firefly last night too. He thought that it was so cool! He gave it a name and carried it around with him until he lost it in the car haha.

After the band concert Stratton, my mom, and I met some of my friends from Jiu Jitsu at Simply Swirled for frozen yogurt. It was such a great night. I really enjoyed getting to have that family time last night.

Switching It Up

Last week I bought a super cute maxi dress from Three Bird Nest. 

 It was only $22!!

I love it! It's super soft and the length is perfect on it. It has the prettiest colors that work well with my pasty white skin.  The best part about it...it has pockets! Every girl loves a dress with pockets. 

If you're crushing on this dress as much as I was when I first saw it you can keep an eye out for it here as it's currently sold out. It was half off when I bought it so that's probably why it's sold out. 

Anywho, I love love love this dress but Derek just isn't a fan of maxi dresses. I have no idea why and I'm not going to start to try to figure out his girly fashion sense. So, in order to make him happy but not mess up my beautiful maxi dress, I did a little pinning. (and I don't mean on pinterest) 

I couldn't find any safety pins in my house so I took out a needle and thread and just sewed up four corners with a little black thread. I made the stitch loose enough that when/if I want it to be a maxi again I can just cut the thread. 

So here it is in all it's short dressed glory. Derek likes it a lot better now and to be honest its the perfect length for me. Not too long and not too short.

Not to mention it's super cute with a denim jacket on for when your office is cold enough to hang meat in.