How Well Do You Know Me?

TGIF!

Natasha over at Schue Love did an open tag yesterday and I thought it would be fun to join in! As much as I want to be an open book on here; I feel like sometimes I don't share a lot about me. Because of that, here are some fun facts about me... :)

Eleven Fun Facts About Me

1. I went to school for English Education, but have also graduated from a Makeup Academy and went through the Police Academy in 2009. The best part? Currently I am getting certified in Interior Design. I think I will forever be a student because I absolutely love learning.

2.  Michael and I planned our first date on a Tuesday evening. Surprisingly enough, he was my second date that day. He never lets me live down the fact that I saved the best for last! :)

3. I have had my baby names picked out for as long as I can remember. I guess I picked well because Michael actually likes them!!

4. I have a birthmark on the tip of my nose. My dad used to call me his "little brownnoser" when I was little...

5. I change my hair color with the seasons. In the Fall/Winter I tend to be brunette and in the Spring/Summer I am usually a blonde. Whenever I go brunette Michael always whines "Where did my blonde wife go??" It's too funny!

6. I am a total bookworm and refuse to jump on the kindle bandwagon. There is just something about having a physical book in my hands...

7. I have gone through my closet in the last 6 months and got rid of everything that didn't fit or I didn't love. It is so nice to walk into my closet and know I want to wear absolutely everything in it!

8. I am allergic to spiders and Morphine...neither of which was fun finding out about.

9. I have a photo of my cat, his collar and a cedar box filled with his ashes in the butler's pantry. Yes, I am one of those people. Haha.

10. I graduated from high school early and went to junior college while all of my friends were still in high school. Even though I wasn't there every day, I still got to go to prom, the senior picnic and walk with my class at graduation.

11. I am absolutely OBSESSED with The Real Housewives of New Jersey. I was a giddy school girl when I realized the season was starting again. It's sad, I know, but I love it. Please don't judge....

Ten Questions...Answered

1. What is your profession? I am an HR Manager/ Admin Assistant for a BioEnergy company. I love my job and really love my co-workers. I was very blessed when I joined their team.

2. How would you describe your style? The 3 C's. Casual, Classic and Comfortable. I am not as into the trends as I was in high school/college. I would rather spend sixty dollars on a shirt that will last me a few years versus thirty on one I can only wear one season.

3. What is one make-up product that you can not live without? Eyeliner. I seriously look dead without it...

4. If you could be besties with one celebrity, who would it be? Jennifer Love Hewitt. I don't know what it is about her, but every show she's on I am/was obsessed with. I was seriously devastated when Ghost Whisperer ended too!

5. What is your dream vacation? I want to start at one continent (North America would be the most likely) and hit all 7 of them before them before I came home. I think that would be the coolest experience ever!

6. What magazines do you subscribe to? Flea Market Finds and People. I think I buy like 5 others at the supermarket though...

7. If you could have a special talent (that you don't currently have) what would it be? I would want to sew/knit. I have a few friends that do and I am always amazed with what they are able to create.

8. What is your favorite breakfast food? Hands down, hashbrowns. I could eat them morning, noon and night.

9. If you could do anything, what is your dream job? I want to own my own vintage/country cottage boutique. Don't laugh...but kind of like the one on Ghost Whisperer. :)

10. What is the best piece of advice you've ever received, and who gave it to you? You create you. Only you are in charge of whether or not you are happy. You are in charge of what you accomplish in life. You are in charge of you. Don't rely on others to fulfill you because at the end of the day, only you defines who you are. It was part of a poem we chose to have recited at our wedding and I have officially made it my new motto in life.

Natasha was able to openly tag everyone, so I am going to do the same. Let me know if you post this tag because I would love to see it! :)

My Spring Addiction Is...

Nail Polish!

While I also love polish in the fall & winter, my addiction really comes out in the spring & summer.  I probably have over 40 bottles...and unfortunately for my husband, they aren't the cheap stuff. My collection mainly consists of O.P.I., Butter London, Orly, Essie, Chanel, Zoya and China Glaze.

My Spring/Summer Collection

From Left to Right: Essie Shine of the Times, Chanel Mimosa, O.P.I. Bubble Bath,
Butter London Fairy Lights, O.P.I. A Grape Fit!, O.P.I. Mermaid's Tears, O.P.I. Gargantuan Green Grape

From Left to Right: Butter London Trout Pout, O.P.I. Melon of Troy, China Glaze Love Letters, O.P.I. In My Back Pocket, Orly Passion Fruit, O.P.I. Elephantastic Pink, O.P.I. Got A Date To-Knight, Essie Mambo

I usually change my polish 2-4 times a week depending on how much time I have. I tend to change my polish either in front of the tv or right after I've soaked in the bath (Is that a TMI moment? Sorry if it is!). If I am really enjoying a color I usually will just touch-up the chips, but most of the time I like to switch it up.

What spring/summer colors and brands are you addicted to?? I'm always in the market for trying new brands!

Wardrobe Wednesday

So I see fellow bloggers post photos of their outfits often and I love the idea. I really like how this blogger outlines her OOTD's and decided I wanted to use her outline.

Honestly, the only problem is I forget to take pictures of my outfits way too often. I think instead of promising to make this a weekly thing, I will just post it when I remember to take a few photos throughout the week of my outfits. Some of you may have picked up on the fact that I got very bored with Favorites Fridays and haven't written one in awhile. I don't want that to happen with Wardrobe Wednesday because it is such a fun idea. Some of my favorite blog posts and youtube videos are of people's outfits. If any of you follow me on pinterest you will notice that the clothing board is the one with the most pins. What can I say...I love fashion!

Saturday

Top: Nordstrom BP Tank

Jacket: Black House White Markey

Bottoms: Hudson Black Skinny

Shoes: Jessica Simpson

Sunday

Dress: Jessica Simpson

Shoes: Anne Klein

Monday

Top: Limited

Bottoms: Limited

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik

Tuesday

Top: Splendid

Skirt: Limited

Shoes: Nordstrom's BP Brand

Tuesday 10

I've posted about my top beauty products here in the past, but I wanted to link up with Mom2MemPhisandRuby for her weekly Tuesday 10 tag. This week it is Favorite Beauty Products and I thought it was a great week to join in.

Here are some of my favorites for myself and not necessarily for my pro kit...

Clarisonic

Chanel Vitalumiere Fluid Makeup

Beauty Blender

Two Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer

Urban Decay Naked Palette

Maybelline One by One Mascara

ESOS Lip Balm

Cocoa Radiant Vaseline Lotion

Nail Polish (any brand)

Zoya Nail Polish Remover

What are your top 10 favorite beauty products?

Weekend Recap

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Mine was fun and not nearly long enough! I ended up going back into the doctors on today so it was not the best ending to my weekend, but it was an ending none-the-less.

Friday

Friday was my FIL's birthday so Michael got Kings tickets for him. It is a running joke in our family that in the last 4 years of dating Michael, the Kings have not won a single game that I was sitting in the stands for. Now if you watch the NBA you would know that isn't saying much...but still! I was hoping that night would be different since it we were there for a birthday instead of a just because game. WRONG. They lost by like 10 points and the only time it was close was in the first quarter. I love my husband and FIL, but the Kings really are not that fun to watch.

Saturday

I love Saturday's because it means one thing...garage sales! Michael and I love scoping different garage sales to see what we can find. It is very hit or miss, but when it's a hit...it's a huge hit. This last Saturday we scored holiday decorations, a creeper for working on the vehicles, some pictures for the dining room, 3 vintage barbies for an AMAZING price (I collect vintage barbies) and a coffee table. We are still in the process of redecorating (pictures will be up when we are finished) and the coffee table was exactly what I was looking for. The best part? It's ZGalleries and it was only $40 bucks! Like I said, score! 

Honestly, I don't think there was one thing we bought that I wasn't completly over the moon with. I think I left every garage sale thinking it was that much better than the last. It was crazy and I loved it!

Then I met up with my MIL & SIL for a Stella & Dot party. I love jewerly and found some really amazing pieces.

                               

    via                              via                      via                        via

They ship the orders, so I am excited to receive them.

Later that afternoon we were invited over to a friend's house for the UFC fight. They had a pool going and Michael won it! It was a really fun night full of laughs, drinks and of course, great friends.

Sunday

Sunday we woke up and got ready for church. Michael never had been to church before dating me so it is still a work in progress. He knows it is very important to me to raise our kids knowing that Sunday mornings are reserved for Chuch so he is slowly working into it. I love that he is willing to go with/for me and hopefully, one day, he goes for himself. 

After church we went to a few of the wineries that we are members at and enjoyed a lazy Sunday afternoon. 

Right now I am curled up on the sofa writting this blog while waiting for Michael to finish BBQing the steak. Dinner tonight will consist of a fruit salad, broccoli, steak and garlic bread. YUM.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and even better week!

Thirsty Thursday

So since tomorrow is Friday, which is one of two "cheat days" for my diet, I figured I would post my favorite drink recipe of the moment. Michael and I don't usually drink during the week, so I always look forward to Friday after work when I can either open up a bottle of wine or make my latest obsession of the moment. It is called the Sarasota and it is delish! I take a bottle of my current favorite Moscato, SIP, and mix it with 3 bottles of Cascade Strawberry Lemonade.

 

+  

+

= VERY HAPPY AMANDA

I add a splash of Sprite and some ice and chopped strawberries or raspberries for that little extra something. I put all of this into one of my pitchers we received from the wedding and enjoy. 

recipe via

This really has become one of my favorite drinks to indulge in on the weekends. I think it's partly because it is not too sweet, but not bland, and partly because the Moscato is from one of my new favorite wineries. A few friends and I stumbled upon Cycles Gladiator one Sunday morning when we realized that no Lodi, CA wineries opened before 11am and our husbands wanted to leave to go golfing at 9am. We really didn't want to wait around for over two hours before our day could start. After a little research we found that CG opened at 10am. Thinking it would be a Sutter Home moment, we decided we would try it out and just hope for the best. Let me tell you it was a very surprising moment when we all loved almost every wine. We actually loved it so much that all 3 of us joined their wine club and bought many multiple bottles. So, since I have a ton of SIP on hand I use that for my current drink of choice. :)

Hope you all try it out and let me know what you think! Also, if you live in Northern California and can venture over to Lodi, you should check out Cycles Gladiator. You really won't be disappointed if you do!

Surgery= Blogger’s Bust!

Well, I feel like I have officially fallen off the blogger radar because I've been gone so long! Some of you may know that I had surgery in late March and there were a few unexpected complications. After almost a month, I am finally back to work and into my normal routine. This means that I will start having some time (and energy) to get back into blogging!! :)

Since my last blog I've spent a ton of time catching up on some of my favorite shows...

 &

...and even managed to fall in love with a few new ones!!

I was able to finish planning our first annual (at least that is the goal) Mother's Day Brunch. I had some invites made up from this etsy store. It was so inexpensive and she was so easy to work with. I loved it! I really enjoy hearing from our family right now because they have all said something about how cute the invites are. What do you think??

This is what they see when they open the envelope...

This is what the invite says... (sorry it is sideways. :-/)

This is the how it pulls apart. I just loved the flower pot idea for Mother's Day!

Easter came and went. It really was a wonderful day. We spend the morning at church and then we went over to my in-laws to celebrate with them. We have lost both of Michael's grandmothers since the new year began, so spending the holiday with them was very important to us.

I was able to finally get my new layout uploaded too! What do you think? I love it so stinking much!! I had the chance to work with one of the nicest bloggers/ etsy store owners out there! I searched high and low for someone that could design exactly what I had pictured in my head, but didn't exactly know how to verbalize it. Jana was absolutely wonderful and was even making some changes for me up until this last weekend. If you ever want to spruce up your blog, and don't know how, contact her. I highly  recommend her!

Considering I wasn't able to move around or do much these last few weeks I feel like I still accomplished a lot! How have you all been??