Tip 3 : Hair Coloring

To pay or not to pay...that is the question. To pay big bucks to get your hair colored that is. The difference between doing it yourself or paying someone else to do it can be well over $100. Here is what I found in my research:

If you want to color your own hair:
· Don’t go more than two shades lighter or darker than your natural hair color

· Keep it simple – if you are looking for a new base color with highlights, let a professional handle it

· Always test a few strands first

· Maintain your color with a shampoo and conditioner made for color treated hair

· If you colored your hair yourself and the shade is all wrong, for semi-permanent wash your hair with clarifying or dandruff shampoo…these are known to strip color (which is why you should stay away from them if you want to keep your color). For permanent color, go to a professional. Do not try to fix it yourself.

My personal opinion on hair color is to leave it to the professionals. Hair color needs to match the tones in your skin, and trying to match a box color to your skin is not an easy task. If Travis wants highlights I will do those for him, but that is because his hair grows out quickly. If you go to a professional they can do things that most people can't do themselves...and should not attempt to do themselves. If you don't want to pay the money, play it safe and stay close to your natural tone. That being said, good luck in all of your hair coloring endeavors!

Next week's tip will be finding the right eye shadow for your eye color.

*Snow Day*

On Tuesday morning we woke up to about 5 inches of snow. Yes, you read that right, I said SNOW! Ok, so I know that I barely posted on how I am over winter, but we had to take advantage of the snow. We haven't been able to play in it for 2 years! Me and Travis had snow gear, but Audrey....let's just say I put A LOT of layers on her. Her "snow boots" consisted of her sneakers with plastic bags wrapped around them and I put some of my long wool socks over that. Did I mention she was wearing about 6 pairs of sock under her sneakers? Audrey was soo excited! I only have one pair of thin mittens for her, so after about a minute of playing in the snow she took off her mittens and Daddy let her wear his (which meant that she basically could not use her hands). We do not have a sled, so we did what any beach going person would do...we used my body board! And it actually worked really well.

Travis had to force Audrey to go sledding with him, and she LOVED it! She keeps talking about going sledding.

Conveniently enough, we have a little hill in our backyard. We used it to its fullest. After me and Audrey went in (she took Trav's mittens off and wanted to go inside after about 25 minutes) Travis got his snowboard out and built a jump. He successfully landed some 180's and he attempted and almost landed some 360's. I was impressed.

Tip #2: Eyebrows

So the beauty tip for this week is about eyebrows. I remember watching a makeover show with a guy who said "If you don't have time for anything else, at least do your eyebrows before you go out." He felt that the eyebrows are the most critical part of a woman's (maybe man's) face. So after I heard that I started paying more attention to my eyebrows and other people's. First let's start with basic shaping:

If you take a stick and line it up with your nose as shown, you should be able to tell where your eyebrows should start...they should be in line with your nostrils. Some people over pluck their eyebrows in this area so be aware of this rule and it may save you some time. Then for the arch. If you line a stick starting at the tip of your nose, making a diagonal line through the pupil of your eye you should be able to tell where the arch should be. And last, but not least, where should your brow end? Start with the stick at the tip of your nose, and make a diagonal line past your eye (look at the diagram). This is where your eyebrow should end. Once again, this is a major area that people are prone to overpluck (meaning their eyebrows are too short).

So now that we know how to shape our brows, here are a few tips that I learned in my research, and through the years:

• Though people in the profession are expected to know the rules, do not think that they all do. In fact, of all of the times I have ever gotten my eyebrows done there has only been one person who did a really amazing job, and she was a student! So with that being said, sometimes you are better off leaving it to a professional, and sometimes you can do it fine on your own.
• It is better to have a thicker eyebrow than a thinner...if you want to see scary thin look at a few of the girls on the current season of The Bachelor. I have noticed that Keira Knightly keeps her brows thicker than how most people would do theirs, and she looks amazing!
• Most people do not have perfectly uniform eyebrows. Fill in spaces, or length with an eyebrow pencil or powder. I prefer powder because I have had pencil clump up or wear unevenly in the past.
• Generally your eyebrows are naturally darker than your hair. If you lighten your hair, do not lighten your brows to the same shade. If you highlight your hair, keep your brows their natural shade.
• Work with what you've got. Some people are born with a great arch in their eyebrows, other people have almost straight eyebrows. Don't try to warp yours into something they just aren't. Make the most of your natural shap.

K, so we went over the shaping, some tips, and now for a few examples of what I consider to be poor shapes:

After seeing these amazing graphics I did up in paint, I know what you are all thinking. Why did I go into accounting when I show so much promise in graphic art?

Next week's tip will be about dying hair. Pros and cons of DIY.

WiNtEr, WiNtEr Go AwAy...

Last weekend I sat next to a guy on an airplane that told me "When you stop loving the winter you have officially grown up". Well, I guess it is official then...I have grown up. When I was younger I enjoyed the winter time much more than I do now. It was fun to hope for a snow day,to build snow forts, to go sledding and skiing. I no longer look forward to winter. I think I was scarred when I lived in Idaho. Not only did you have to deal with the frigid temperatures and the chilling to the bone wind, you had to hope with all of you being that you wouldn't slip and fall on the 2 inches of solid ice coating the roads and sidewalks. And if you did have the misfortune of falling, you could guarantee that those dang lava rocks would stain your pants, coat, and everything else they touched. It was in Idaho that I decided I was not meant for weather conditions like that. Luckily, both me and Travis agreed that a warmer climate was better. So we moved to Raleigh, NC. Yes, the winter here so far has been much more mild that NY or Idaho, but I am soo ready for it to be over. We keep our house temperature at a brisk 65 degrees during the day (who knew a house was more expensive to heat than an apartment?), 63 at night. I rotate between 3 pairs of soft fleecy socks (thanks to Joanna for getting me a pair two Christmas's ago), and fleece pants are a must. I avoid going downstairs as much as possible because as we all know, hot air rises...which means the top floor is at least bearable. I am tired of always being cold. Please winter, hurry up and go!

YAY!

Yay for me! I finally got a new phone that is....wait for it...text friendly. After using a Razor (which is the WORST texting phone known to mankind) for two years, it was time for an upgrade. The best news? I got it for free! So it has a touch screen on front and then it opens up to a keypad. Watch out sisters! I will be annoying you from now on.

Audrey: Flava of the week

Audrey, like most kids her age, changes every week. She will love something one week, and the next week she will be totally over it. So, I thought I would start keeping track of her interests.

Favorite Movie: She has been requesting Chitty Chitty Bang Bang all week...I ordered it from Netflix so hopefully she will have it soon! Alice and Wonderland (or Mr. Rabbit) is still high on the list.

Favorite Meal: Bean with Bacon Soup (she basically eats this everyday for lunch and dinner, and she would eat it for breakfast if I let her)

Favorite Shoes: For daily wear, Clear Flip Flops (I got them on clearance last summer and they are waay too big for her). Her definate favorite shoes are the shiny black church shoes my Mom got for her, they have a little heel and they click on hard floors. Audrey steps extra hard sometimes to get the maximum clickage out of her shoes. I only let her wear them on Sunday though...I have to hide them during the week.

Favorite Outfit: An adorable dress that Aunt Jessie gave her for Christmas, and for casual wear a yellow thermal outfit my Mom gave her (she has worn it 3 days in a row...and counting)

Favorite TV Show: When we are at a place with cable, she loves Wonder Pets and Backyardigans.

Favorite Hair Style: A ponytail with a bow (yes, it is a very small ponytail). I put one in her hair the other day and as soon as she saw herself in the mirror she started singing "I'm too cool to know you".

Favorite Interest: Audrey is extremely religious for someone her age. She tells me to read my scriptures and she brings them to me, she will randomly say prayers, and she LOVES everything about Jesus. A few Sundays ago she drew circles on the palms of her hands and she said "Like Jesus" and if I let her wear one of my T-Shirts she says "Like Jesus" (big, billowy dress I guess), and when she wears on of my T-shirts she always put her flip flops on to complete the look (Audrey noticed that He wore sandals). One day I put my hair on her head so that she could see what it would be like to have long hair...and who do you think she thought she looked like? That's right, Jesus. She makes me and Travis draw pictures of Jesus all the time.

Favorite Toy: This week it has been her Glo-worm.

Favorite Song(s): Single Babies (aka Single Ladies - Beyonce), Love Story - Taylor Swift

Favorite Activity: Hands down, playing on a playground

Funny Things She Does: She sometimes calls me and Travis by our first names (Trav for Travis, Tatel for me), she constantly asks for candy throughout the day every day, the past 3 days she has been walking around with her fingers through her hair saying "My hair is so pretty!" She started to climb out of her crib last week (can you hear the tears in my voice?) and instead of waking up at 9:30-10:00 she is now waking up at 7:30-8:00. She sometimes talks in a scary voice, and she makes a scary face while she is doing it. She changes the shoes she is wearing about 20 times per day (obviously she is a shoe girl). She always says that she loves me and Travis and she will give us kisses and hugs without us asking her to.

This is Audrey this week. Next week a lot of these things will change. She is almost always sweet (last week was an exception), and she is very affectionate. I love Audrey.

It's Official...

Hooray! It is officially Valentines Day season! I am very much a seasonal candy person, and as far as holiday candy goes Conversation Hearts are probably in my top three favorites. I bought the first (of many) for this year today. V-day was so much fun when I was in elem. school. The exchange of Valentine's with everyone in your class was always something to look forward to. On The Office (tv show) it showed that they all brought in little valentines for each other. Last year when I was working at an accounting firm I was hoping for something similar, so I brought some skittles valentines (I always brought those in school) but unfortunately I was the only one who brought anything. The good news: I ate all of the skittles valentines myself to help get over the dissappointment.

Beauty Tip Tuesday

I always hear and learn new beauty/fashion tips so I thought that I would share them regularly every Tuesday. We will see how it works out. I do not consider myself an expert on make-up, clothing, or anything in between, but I do read a lot about the subject so I am merely trying to pass on what I have learned. FYI, most of the tips will be geared towards females.

Tip #1: Dress for your figure

Silks and Satins will make you look more curvy. For some people this is a warning, for other people (like me) this is a good thing. Obviously if you are wanting to hide your tummy (it happens to the best of us) wear dark colors (black is best) and wear clothes that hang or drape rather than hug your body. When I say hang I don't mean to wear your husband's T-shirt...there are many feminine styles out there right now that are flattering to almost every figure, whether you are a size 2 or a size 20. I found a few examples of what I am talking about...

Great Shirt - this shirt is great because it is cute, stylish, and yet figure friendly to most women.

Cute Dress - I love this dress because the belt around the waist will have a slimming effect on everyone, but it still leaves you with room to breath. This dress would look great with a nice pair of stilletoes.

Jewel Dress - This is an example of a dress that is less forgiving than the above two examples (both with the fit and the material). Once again, paired with some tall stilletoes this dress would be quite flattering when worn correctly.

Please note that all of my examples were found in the clearance section...I am a firm believer that you don't have to pay a lot to get the look you want.

If you have any requests of what you would like me to post for this category, please let me know. Next week I will be posting on the ins and outs of good eyebrows.

A Great Start

Last weekend I went to SLC to see my brother John and his beautiful bride Brooke get sealed. I flew there one day, was there for a day, then woke up at 4:45 A.M. to fly back to Raleigh the next day. For the past two weeks, but especially last week Audrey was not her usual cheerful, self-entertaining self. Instead of asking for milk, she would scream for it. Instead of playing in her room she would be connected to me at the hip....demanding things left and right. My patience was wearing thinner and thinner till Friday which was basically my breaking point. I considered having Travis drop me off at the airport a few hours early so that I could get some peace. Anyway, after a very fun/busy/exhausting weekend I came home to find Audrey back to her sweet self. I was still recovering from the weekend this morning, so my wonderful husband decided to let me sleep in (till 10:30) and just as I woke up he opened the bedroom door and brought me breakfast in bed! I could really get used to this. It was so thoughtful of him, and he makes the BEST eggs!

So to wrap it up, I had an emotionally draining week last week, a busy weekend, and a great start to a new week. All thanks to Travis and Audrey. I love you both!

2009 Goals

There are a lot of things that I can work on this year. To make achieving my goals more realistic I will choose only a few things to really focus on...otherwise I will give up and NOTHING will get accomplished.

• Be better about Family Home Evening - we go through spurts
• Stick to my daily/weekly chore list- have you figured out that I am a major procrastinator when it comes to cleaning yet?
• Do more myself - I usually ask Travis to do things if I am feeling lazy or tired (i.e. put Audrey to sleep), but I will try to be better about doing my fair share...especially when he works long days in the summer. (How many wives are lucky enough to say that their husbands help out so much?)
• Start a food storage - we dont have any excuse not to
• Do my visiting teaching - my average is 0%, so obviously this is an area that needs a lot of improvement
• Potty train Audrey - it would be really sad if I dont get this one done in 2009
• Teach Audrey her ABC's (or buy a movie that will)
• Go to the temple once a month
• Make the house we are living in more homey (or "homely" as Travis would say)

Christmas in New York

It has been TWO years since my family has been all together, so I was really glad that I was able to go up to New York for a few days to be there with everyone. My brother John married a beautiful girl, Brooke, and I got to know her a little better. I don't have a lot of pictures from NY because our camera wasn't working very well. We drove up the day after Christmas. I made sure that my parents saved me some of Dad's cinnamon rolls (Christmas isn't Christmas without those).

Please note that me and Jo are wearing MATCHING pj's. As always when I go home, I wanted to stay longer...

Outer Banks

All of Travis's out of town family flew in so that we could all be together for Christmas this year.

Audrey thought that Jason could use a nap so she let him lay down on her pink reading pillow and she brought him her blankly (blanket) and stuffed animals to make him more comfortable. She even read him a book.

We stayed at a beach house in the Outerbanks. My favorite thing we did while we were there was visit this lighthouse. When my family used to go to the Outerbanks in the summer we would visit the lighthouses. Good memories.

Audrey's favorite thing was to ride on the ferry. She cried both times when we got off.

Trav's parents got Audrey a Baby Alive Doll. She "pees and poops" (it said so on the box). This doll is supposed to be a great learning tool for potty training, which I am planning on starting hardcore in about 2 weeks. I will keep you posted.

Brighton got Transformers, and a Thomas Train. He had absolutely zero interest in Audrey's doll, but she really wanted to play with his train.

Most days the weather was too cold to stay outside but on our last day the weather was nice so we got to run around on the beach. Audrey found a bunch of big seashells.

Christmas Take 1

We got to celebrate Christmas 3 times this year! Our first one was just with me, Trav, and Audrey(we didn't want to bring all of our presents to the Outer Banks).

Audrey got a kitchen set, she also got a Kelly Barbie set, and lots of candy. She was a happy girl!
Can you tell how excited Travis was to get this puzzle?
Yay for me! Trav got me a bread maker. I made bread that day and it was delish.