A Beauty Tip From Me

Don't pay attention to the lone little hair that's out of place. I tried to edit it, but I'm not savvy enough. You get the picture.

This is the only one you will ever get, because, lets face it, I'm slightly helpless when I comes to all things make-up and beauty. I just basically started wearing tinted moisturizer; and I've only actually worn foundation and powder a total of MAYBE 3 times in my life. However, there is one thing that I'm very adamant about, and this is eyebrows.

Notice how my face looks "neater" when I have well-groomed eyebrows.

I am of the possibly harsh opinion that it is impossible for a woman to look truly pretty unless she has properly groomed eyebrows. I am also fully aware that sometimes, my life gets ahead of me, and my eyebrows are slightly scruffy. As a result, I go through my days, wishing I had a paper bag to cover my head. To me, having shaggy eyebrows is as much of an offense to humanity as not wearing deodorant and not showering for weeks on end. Ok, maybe not, but really, there's no excuse.

When I was in middle school, and my friends started to tweeze their eyebrows, my mom sat me down, and gave me a stern talking to. She said, "Anne, I'm going to take you to get your eyebrows waxed. We are going to continue to do this for the rest of your life, because heaven help me, you're a pretty girl and I don't want you to ruin this by over-tweezing." Thus, a relationship was formed. The only time in my life that I've ever let tweezers within 30 feet of my face was in Russia when I had no other choice. Getting your eyebrows done will not break the bank. I go to a school in town, and it costs me $8. The girl who did it yesterday was so good that I almost kissed her on the mouth. I hope she never graduates and she can do my eyebrows for the rest of my life. I only need to get them done about every other month, although sometimes I forget, and it goes a little longer than that. It doesn't hurt, but since I'm so fair, I'm really red for a few hours. Ain't no thang. It's worth it for the exchange that I can reach my full beauty potential later. :)

So ladies, there's no reason to have shaggy eyebrows. Do yourself a favor, and go get them done. Don't go too thin, but ask for a nice shape. You'll be happy you did.

Wait, what do you feed YOUR kid for breakfast??

Yesterday, Aubrey and Jason came over for breakfast. We made a delightful meal of waffles, but while Hazen and I were waiting for them to come upstairs, Hazen made a mad dash for his new favorite snack: dried peas. I have no clue why he's so obsessed with them, but at any chance, he eats them by the handful. He was so funny while he ate them, he'd get the silliest look on his face, and then dance around as he had his cheeks full to the brim. He sure is a cutie!

Happy Birthday Abbie!

On Friday, my sweet little Abbie D had her 7th birthday party! Heather ROCKED the theme, and it was awesome! It was a "Rainbow Party", but don't google it, because it wasn't THAT. Perv. Jason, HAL, and I went over, thinking that we were 1/2 hour late to the party, but it turns out that we were 1/2 hour early; which worked out well so we could help Heather in the preparations. Heather made food that was nothing but bright, rainbow colored fruits and veggies, and it looked adorable. When the kids got there, they painted each other's faces while Heather and I sat back and let the destruction occur. It was hilarious. Jason had both of the boys at the park, and it was cute to look out the window and see the boys walking together and having fun.



Next on the agenda was tie-dye. Mental note: don't do this anytime soon until you have a backyard and no fear of getting dirty. It was really funny watching the kids dye their shirts, and they seemed to have a great time. My favorite overheard quote? "Why does Abbie's birthday party always have to be so cold!" Abbie was born in February, so her birthday parties tend to be a little on the chilly side.


After the Tie-dye, we whipped out the Pinata. My favorite part about the pinata was that we used a piece of re bar for the bat. Ain't nothin' safer than giving a bunch of 7 year olds a jagged piece of metal to swing around. Jason's job was to be the photographer/daycare provider for the babies. He did a great job. I just followed the kids around cleaning after they had moved on to the next activity. Finally, it was time for cake. We blew out candles, gave presents, and then shuttled the kids out as quickly as we could, and it was over almost as soon as it began. It was the most fun I'd had at a kids birthday in quite some time. I love you, Miss Abbie-babbie!

A Wake-Up Call

So, tonight, I went to Abbie's birthday party to help out. We had a great time (post coming), and the birthday girl seemed to be thrilled with the turnout. As we loaded into our car, I noticed that something was slightly off with the passenger side. As I looked further, I realized that the glove compartment was open, everything was strewn on the floor, and all of the contents of the center console were thrown on the seats. I asked Jason if he had come out to the car- he said no, and I knew that I hadn't done it, either. I asked Heather, and some others, and the general consensus was that no one had been in my car. It looks as though someone had tried to break into my car. Luckily, I didn't have anything of value in the car, but that was actually an exception to what I normally have in my car. Usually, when I go to Heather's house, I leave my cell phone in the car, my purse, and more often than not, my keys are sitting in the ignition!! Now, Heather doesn't live in the inner-city! Her house is in a quiet neighborhood in the middle of a small down. The ballsy thing about this event is that there was a BIRTHDAY party going on! People were constantly in and out, and a decent portion of the party was actually outside! I've learned that I need to be better with locking my doors, because, hey, even small town Utah isn't always safe!

Somedays, I'm Lazy

Yesterday was ONE of those mornings. Hazen and I leisurely got up, puttered around the house, played play dough, played blocks, I talked on the phone, we watched "Little Einsteins", and trashed the house. Somedays, it feels good to let Hazen go to town, and not worry about what happens. It cracked me up, though, when I looked at the clock and saw that it was noon and we were both still in our Pajamas and the house was a huge wreck. So, I stripped Hazen down, and continued to enjoy our day. I love our lazy days!

An Ode To Sunflower Markets

I have a new favorite thing. This thing brings me joy. I get stomachaches of anticipation for Wednesdays, because I get to enjoy my new favorite thing.



This thing, is Sunflower Markets. Now, I don't know if you've been to Utah before, but, (gasp), the produce here sucks. It's not that great tasting, and it's inordinately expensive. That sucks, because if you want a fighting chance of eating healthy, you need to be willing to pay the big bucks. Not anymore. Sunflower is a new store in Orem that has fresh, beautiful, delicious produce at REALLY affordable prices. The best thing about Sunflower? Double Ad Wednesdays. Every Wednesday, the sale prices from the previous week are accepted in addition to the sales from the upcoming weeks. Do you know what this results in?? Crazy, unbelievable, fabulous prices!!! I know, I sound like an infomercial, but do you realize that since I've discovered Sunflower, I've mainly subsisted on Fruits and Veggies? **Side note: I MUST have the VitaMix. If you get it for me, I WILL love you forever. And probably kiss you on the mouth.

What's more, they have an INCREDIBLE selection of dried fruits, veggies, and nuts. Yep, that's what I've been snacking on these days, and I couldn't be happier!

Believe it or not, Sunflower even sells doughnuts, even though it's a health store!

Sunflower makes me happy. Sunflower, you are the rays of my sunshine. Thank you for encouraging me to eat delicious, fresh food in the middle of this cold, cold winter.

A Letter of My Thoughts

Dear Hazen,

Mommy is starting something very new and important tomorrow. It's my first day of classes, and I hope I make you proud. Do you know how many times I've held you and cried, praying to KNOW that my going to school is the right choice? I feel that it is, and I HOPE that you'll understand that. Hazen, there's something about your Mommy. She is the happiest when she feels that she's being stretched. While being a Mother has stretched me more than I ever thought possible, it's time for me to do more. It's so important for me to be educated. Sadly, I didn't understand how important this was until recently.

I've found the best possible people to watch you and take care of you when I can't. I hope that you're good for them, and know that they love you, and are going to make sure that you're happy and healthy. Did you know what a HUGE sacrifice your Daddy has made, Hazen? Daddy has changed his schedule so that he can't go to church for months. Instead, my love, he's working Sundays so he can stay home every other Monday with you while I'm at school. We're both doing as MUCH as we possibly can to make sure that you're with either one of us as much as possible. We're trying, Hazen.

I love you, my darling, and you know my life is for you. These next 18 months are going to have their ups and downs, but know, regardless of what happens, I love you.

Love,

Your Mama

Play-Dough!

I bought Hazen Play-Dough for Christmas, but he had so many presents, and I honestly didn't want to open that can of worms. It's amazing how much he's grown up in these past 2 months! He literally is such a big boy! He did such a good job with the play dough. He only started to put it in his mouth once or twice, and when I reminded him that it was yucky, he stopped. It was so much fun helping him roll out the dough, and he loved pressing the tools into it. He would make the funniest grunting sound, just to display his exertion, and then let out an "Ah" of relief, when the shape had been made to his liking. Today, we learned 2 new words. Purple, and Blue. For only one day of knowing the words, his association with them was actually quite good. We'll continue to practice. I love my sweet, smart boy.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day has always been my favorite holiday. This year was a little different because a- I spent all of our money in Vegas, and b- Jason had to work from 6am to 6pm, but it was still a nice day. Hazen and I had a really nice morning. I was meeting some friends for lunch, so I hopped in the shower. I normally hop in the shower while he plays in the bathroom, but when he heard the water running, he started dancing for joy, so I just pulled him in with me. I haven't done that since he was an ITTY BITTY BABY, and it truly was the highlight of my day. He didn't want to stand, so he snuggled with me, like he did when he was just a few months old and played with my hair while I held him and sang him songs. I had tears in my eyes as I saw his wide smile, and remembered, "This is what love is about".

We went to lunch with some old friends, Kirsten (not so old), and Keisha. I went to Russia with both of them, and neither Kirsten or I have seen Keisha since we said goodbye in Russia 4 years ago! Keisha has a 5 month old, and Kirsten is pregnant with her first. It's so crazy to see how much we've all changed! We went to Rumbi for lunch while Kirsten was on her lunch break. It was a lot of fun, and something that we'll definitely have to plan again!

After lunch, Hazen and I went home and had quiet time. Hazen had around 4 hours of quiet time, which hugely hindered Jason and my quiet time later that night, but that's another story for another day. Wink, Wink. When Jason got home from work, I had prepared Lobster Tail, Rice Pilaf, and Steamed Broccolli for dinner. It was the first time I had ever made Lobster Tail, and it stressed the crap out of me. It tasted delicious, but for now, I think I'll leave Lobster to be cooked by those OTHER than me. It's kind of like chicken. I cook with it all of the time, but actually touching it still really grosses me out. Having my fridge smell like Lobster? No bueno. It was still fab, but it might be a one-time thing for me.

We had some delicious cupcakes for dessert. I gave Hazen 2. Bad choice. Hazen was more hyped up than a crack-ho in her second day of rehab. I took him into the bedroom, and he was running back and forth on the bed, then screaming at the top of his lungs, and immediately laughing so hard he'd fall down. It was hilarious! Jason became slightly less amused when, at 10pm, Hazen and I were still rough-housing. Hazen's normally in bed no later than 8:30, but Valentine's Day is for people in love, and I, am in love with my two boys.

School!

I started nursing school yesterday. I left my baby to go back to the world of school. How do I feel about it? Do you want to hear the honest, pure, down and out truth??



I.am.so.excited. I had so much fun! I KNOW that school is going to be hard, and I KNOW that there are going to be days that I hate myself for deciding to go back, but I also KNOW that this was the right thing for me to be doing. Sometimes it's hard to think about, because now, I basically live a life of little responsibility. I do what I want (with Hazen), when I want (with Hazen), and this will really change that. I've already made friends, I'm excited to learn, and I can't wait to be put to work again. My mind is excited for this challenge, because I know I'm capable of meeting it. So, for the next 18 months, if you see me in blue scrubs, don't mind me, I'm a nursing student. :)

Clothes, anyone??

I don't know about you, but I think that Hazen's good for next fall. It's so weird buying my little BABY 3T clothing! He's going to be 6 years old, and I'm going to be going on and on about how he's my itty-bitty infant. I'd like to thank Children's Place and Gymboree for their rockin' sales that allowed me to completely outfit my child for pennies.

Pay it Forward!

The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a hand made gift from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise. There's a small catch though...

Post this same thing on your own blog and then come back and leave a comment telling me you're in. Fun, huh? Remember, only the first 3 comments receive the gift!

**Editor's Note: There is no guarantee that it will be beautiful and perfect, but I'll sure try!!

Vegasss!!!!!

Last weekend, I went to Vegas with some awesome friends, Sam and Aubrey. We found some flights for a truly killer deal, and without planning, booked them! A month later, we were on our way! We got on our flight, and the fun began immediately! After we landed and picked up our car; which, let the record state, when I'm 25 in 10 months, it will be fabulous because we won't have to pay so much extra for rentals!. It was a super rad Red Chevy Cobalt. At first, I had some major anxiety because I'd never driven such a small little car, but in the end, it was good, because it allowed me to zip in and out of vegas traffic. Our first stop was to In-N-Out. Nothing better than a Cheeseburger for breakfast, right?




Thursday was spent shopping, napping, shopping, and a little bit of eating. We went to H&M, Sephora, Gymboree, and the MAC store to do some recon for our next day's shopping. For dinner, we went to the Cheesecake Factory, where we were seated immediately. This was the first time in any of our lives where we didn't have to wait a long time to eat there. That night, we actually turned in relatively early- we were so tired from our busy day!

The next morning, we were up bright and early, read, 10 am, to go buy our tickets to the show that night. We went to the Paris buffet, where we were there for both breakfast AND lunch! It was delicious, and it never disappoints! The best part about it? We took our dang time. We were there for a few hours just enjoying ourselves- something that After, we headed straight to Forever 21, then the Children's Place, and then over to the outlets, where we SCORED at Banana Republic. We went back to our hotel, as we all looked slightly homeless, and got ready for our evening out on the town.




For dinner, we went to the Bellagio Buffet, and it was incredible! First, we went to the MAC Pro store were we had our makeup done, and I was educated on some of the basics of make-up. 24, and I still don't know these things. Sad, but true. After, we went to the Cirque show, Zumanity. Word to the wise, this is not, as we were told, a study in homan movement and the body. Just trust us; you probably don't want to see it. Although, the flying midget WAS something to behold. We didn't get home until around 1, and didn't get to bed until well after 2. This made for an early morning!

The next morning, we packed up our things, got ready, and went to the Paris buffet....again! We had a little bit more shopping to do, so we went back to the Outlets, and then finished our trip off by a trip to the Bellagio to obtain some White Chocolate Cheesecake amazingness. We caught our plane by the skin of our teeth, and came home--to recover from our vacation! This vacation was the most fun I've had in a LONG time. I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard for so long. This will definitely be a yearly tradition- one that I'm already looking forward to for next year! Thanks girls for showing me a good time!