Some things you didn't know about me...

I saw this post by Samantha recently & thought why not! I've never done a post like this before. So here you go... Here are some things you probably didn't know about me... :)

1. I took drum & piano lessons in my preteen/early teen years. & I cannot play either! I suck at life! Haha j/k. I can sing though, hence the name of my blog ;)

2. I met my husband, got engaged & married all within a 10 month period. When you know you know!

3. I remember stupid/bad things I've said & beat myself up over them for a long time. Its a problem I am working on. #learntoforgiveyourself

4. I am a super OCD anxious stressed out control freak. But I am trying to be better.

5. I was horrible, HORRIBLE at math in school but now I work in accounts payable & really like it! Ironic.

6. I live in a small southern town in Florida. I love it & I am never moving! (unless God has other plans.... please don't! lol..)

7. If I had a chance at being some big singing star I don't know that I would actually take it. I don't think I could handle it. I love having a normal 9 to 5 life. Being home on weekends. Or just being home, in my hometown in general. Laying down beside my husband every night in our cozy bed. Seeing my family all the time. I like being just plain normal.

8. I was raised in church (literally I've been in church since I was in the womb) But I feel like, now that I am older, that I am really learning the true meaning of having faith. Not letting it be something you just do on Sundays.

9. I am addicted to Coca Cola. I don't do coffee.

10. I can be the sweetest person ever & the next minute the meanest! Just ask my husband. Maybe its a woman thing???.... I hope I am not the only one.

11. I am not a compassionate or a sympathetic person. I am pretty harsh most of the time. I guess this is a bad thing? Maybe I will naturally be more compassionate when I am a mother? Maybe?

12. On that note I am terrified of having children. This post. I have mixed emotions about having kids. Sometimes I get kinda excited thinking about Andrew & I having a little baby. But then I am scared again... LOL. I'm nuts.

13. I have a new found love for antique old rustic stuff. You can thank Pinterest for that.

14. I love to cook. Or I should say I love when I cook & it actually turns out good. It makes me happy when I make dinner & my hubs loves it. I really feel like I accomplished something then.

15. I HATE fruity candy! Give me some chocolate! Candy was made to be chocolatey!

16. I lived in NYC for 6 weeks by myself for a Musical Theater program at the New York Film Academy that I won a scholarship to through a Singing/Acting competition. It was probably the best & the scariest thing I have ever done in my life. I was super home sick. (refer to # 6 & 7) I had a blast but I found quickly I couldn't really live there forever. I was up there in the dead set of winter. This Florida girl was COLD!

17. From the time I was 4 years old until 17 I took tap, jazz, hip hop & ballet classes. But I am the clumsiest person you will ever meet! Go figure! I really wish I would've stuck with it. But I started working at 16 and really didn't have time for it anymore.

18. I don't like animals. Some dogs & kitty's are cute. But really I could do without. (don't throw stones at me please!)

19. SHOPAHOLIC. I blame my mother & my nana :)

20. I would be in heaven if I could just work in a little office by myself all day. I know to some people that sounds like torture. But I don't really like to socialize with people at work. I am content being quiet. I guess I am that weird girl at work who doesn't talk often. Oh well!

Shopping!

Well hello Thanksgiving week! It came so fast! This is probably the best Monday I have had in awhile because its only a 3 day work week! I can't wait to spend time with my family & eat lots of (too much...) yummy food! & of course get my shop on for Black Friday!

I don't really have my eye on any of the major Black Friday deals. I am just going for the shopping in general! Hopefully I will get most of Christmas list marked off. We do it every year. Some people hate getting out on Black Friday because of all the crazy people and the traffic. But I LOVE IT! Its so fun. You just have to sit back and laugh at the crazy people!

On a side note have you heard of Hopes? They are the cutest online boutique! They have actual stores in St. Simons Island, GA & Jesup, GA. St. Simons isn't too far from where I live. If I ever get the chance I'm going there! I have ordered from them online. They always have the cutest styles! & a lot of items you don't see anywhere else. The best part is they have FREE SHIPPING! ALL THE TIME! How awesome is that?! I hate when I have to pay shipping online! Especially when some of the boutiques do a flat rate shipping of like $8 or more. I could definitely use that money on something else! & when I have ordered from them, the shipment is always delivered pretty quickly!

Here are some of my favorites from Hopes right now.....

Source: shophopes.com

I am obsessed with tunics/dresses right now! I love this "Take Me Down A Back Road Dress"

Source: shophopes.com

 Also I am obsessed with boots! I don't get to enjoy wearing them too much in Florida, but I take every chance I can get! I love these leg warmers with the little bows on them! How cute! I would really love some boot socks with lace at the top too. Gotta find some!

Source: shophopes.com

I LOVE this mustard color! Such a cute fall color.  "Loving You Is Fun Dress"

Source: shophopes.com

 I love cute little plaid shirts like this! & its pink! My favorite. :)

Source: shophopes.com

Who doesn't love Piko tops?!


Where are you shopping for Black Friday? Do you have any favorite online boutiques?


P.S. excuse my messy blog. somehow I accidentally deleted my header & nav bar. but the wonderful Lisette is fixing it for me! :) It will be back in order soon!

Do you know how blessed you really are?

I had lunch with one of my bestest friends Amy, yesterday. We don't get to see each other very often ,but I always love our talks when we do get together. We were talking about some family drama, or some family members of ours in some messed up situations or what have you. (there is always some drama to catch up on when we get together!) And I told her sometimes I just sit back and think about how really blessed I am. I look at other peoples lives around me & think "that could be me.....". I am not trying to be judgmental or boast about how great my life is. I am just recognizing that I have a pretty awesome life only by the grace of God. Not by anything I have done. I have awesome parents & "in law parents". I have a very close knit family. I have an amazing husband. I have girlfriends I can always count on. I have a good job. Etc etc etc! I could go on for days.

Amy would be surprised how much blog post inspiration has come from our girl talks! But it seems like we always have this conversation when we get together. We reminisce on our high school/college days and see how far we've come. We both were in a really low place in our lives shortly after we became close friends our senior year of high school. We both were in HORRIBLE relationships. (or at least I was for sure) I wasn't myself. I had become a completely different person. & now I look back at that, which seems like another life time, and think "Wow... where would I be now if I would've continued to live my life like that..." Its a scarey thought. (my mom is shaking her head right now agreeing with me while shes reading this.. lol) My point is when you really sit down and think about where you could be right now ,but your not because God has a plan, you really start to be thankful.

I am trying to be more thankful. More grateful. Not just because its Thanksgiving & everyone is "being more thankful" & posting their "thankful" statuses on FB everyday. Its just been on my heart a lot lately. I want to be happy with where I'm at in my life right now. I want to be thankful for God's overflowing blessings. I want to recognize that "every good & perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights...". (James 1:17 NIV)

Do you have a thankful mindset?

source Google

Marriage Advice

The other night I was glancing through my husband/marriage journal. I started this journal right before I got married I wanted to right down any marriage advice, prayers & blessings for my husband, bible verses/devotions on marriage etc. I was reading all of the advice I received from ladies at my bridal shower. We did a thing where everyone took a note card and wrote down their advice for me to read later. There was some pretty good stuff to read so I thought I'd share. :)

-Laugh a lot. Keep fights clean, no name calling. 

-Learn to compromise, not argue. 

-Always leave with a hug & a kiss. 

-Learn not to always say what you think. 

-Have patience. Be forgiving. Sometimes you need to keep your comments to yourself. 

-Always be open & honest. Talk about everything. 

-Be slow to anger & quick to forgive. 

-Marriage is what you make it. 

-Learn to give & take.

-Always keep your husband first. If you keep him first & spoil him you will notice you get spoiled even more in return. 

-Learn to laugh in the middle of a stupid fight. 

-Enjoy the little things in life & your small times together. 

-When your Papa & I got married he was told always kiss her goodbye when you go & when you get home & always good night. Be happy & have some grand youngins. & most important keep God in your life. 

(This one was from my Mema. When I read this one it honestly hurt my heart A LOT. Because my Papa holds a special place in my heart. I have always been his "little girl" as he calls me. This one struck a chord with me because my Papa is not in the best of health. He's not in the worst but definitely not the best. & I have no intentions of having kids anytime soon. As I have mentioned before. Not to be morbid or doom & gloom I just don't know if he will actually get to see my kids one day. Honestly it made me cry & I felt really selfish. I was blessed to have my great grandparents in my life when I was a child. My kids may not have that & that makes me really sad. & selfish for possibly denying my Papa the joy of meeting my children one day. But then again I can't just start having babies for that reason. When I'm not ready. All I know is its in Gods timing. & it will happen like He wants it to happen. He's always got a plan.)

-Don't hit your hubby first thing when he gets home with problems or to do's. Give him time to come home, relax & enjoy coming home. Our homes should be a haven from the outside world.

(That is one of my favorites "our homes should be a haven from the outside world." A husband & wife should both strive to make their house a home. Somewhere away from the world they feel safe & relaxed. Somewhere where they're loved. That they can be theirselves & not worry about anything else. That's what I want my home to be.)

-Maintain good communication & a positive attitude. 

-Marriage is not 50/50. It's 100/100. You both have to give your all. Forget "me". It's now "us". 

-Pick your battles. Think before you speak. 

-Always put God first in everything. 

-"Every good & perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows." James 1:17. Always remember that our God is the giver of good gifts. I am so thankful He gave you to all of us. 

(This one makes me smile. My mom in law wrote this one. I thank God everyday for Andrew & his family. I have in laws who do not feel like in laws. I feel like I've always been a part of the family. That is a blessing in itself. Not many people can say that. Now when I hear that verse I always think of my mom in law. :)

-Do not go to bed angry. 

(I got this one multiple times. It's a biggy!)

-Never let a day go by without settling arguments. 

-Do little things for each other. 

-Become a life long student of becoming a better wife. Not trying to make him a better husband. 

(Ouch! That ones a kick in the tail. How many of us wives try to pick out all the things wrong with our husband? But don't look at our own flaws?.....)

-Give 100% & expect nothing in return. You both will be blessed in this. 

I can say I have followed some of these in my whole 10 months of married life. But most things I have a longgggggg way to go on. I love my husband. I'm so thankful God blessed me with him. I hope I can strive everyday to be the best wife for him. & when I screw up (cause Lord knows I do!) I want to learn from my mistakes & keep on moving forward. 

What's some marriage advice you have received? 

Some of my favorites

Last night my beautiful favorite cousin (& the best wedding planner on the planet!) Tiff text me asking me what is the best drug store concealer. Unfortunately I didn't know! Because the concealers I use are all from Ulta or Sephora. I use drug store foundation, mascara and powder for the most part. But I branch out a little bit with everything else. & I am a make up hoarder! I LOVE make up. I have so much of it. But I don't even wear half of it. I definitely do not get crazy with the make up during the work week. I am lucky to get out the door on time. I have no time to get all dolled up! I thought I would share some of my faves though. I have done this before in this post. But here are some newbies for you :)

Source Google

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Makeup
This foundation is a heaven sent. I finally found a drug store foundation that helps keep my oily skin under control and it stays on all day. I've mentioned before I have super oily skin & I have had the hardest time finding a foundation that agrees with my skin. This stuff is awesome though. It is a creme foundation so it goes on pretty thick. So if you don't like to "feel" your make up on your face, then don't try this. I use a make up sponge or brush to apply it. I've found that that's a big help too, using your fingers does not apply your make up right, in my opinion.

Source Google

They're Real Benefit Mascara
IN LOVE with this mascara. Its a little pricey but its amazing. I am usually not a fan of the plastic spiked mascara brushes, because most of the time I poke myself in the eye! Ouch! But I love this stuff. They make my lashes insane. Definitely worth the price. I usually only use mine on the weekends and use my other favorite Covergirl mascara during the week for work. Check out this post for the Covergirl mascara..

Source Google

Amazing Cosmetics Concealer
Again another pricey one but its awesome too. This is a good concealer if you are looking for a lightweight feel but heavy coverage. I still pick creme concealers over this one, just my preference, but this one does wonders also.

Source Google

Boi-ing Benefit Concelear
This is a creme concealer. Awesome coverage. I always use a concealer brush even with the creme concealers like this. Bottom line, always use a brush when applying pretty much any type of make up. You've gotta have the right tools if you want the product to be applied correctly and stay on all day.

Source Google

Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Waterproof Concealer
I know its a mouth full! But this right here, is my most favorite of all time concealer. It is absolutely amazing. Again its a creme concealer. So it goes on thick. I usually apply it in my trouble areas just like you use a lipstick tube. Then I take a concealer brush and even it out a little. Its made in the tube like this so you don't have to use a brush but I like to even it out. I go through this stuff pretty quick. I guess because you pretty much can just draw all over your face with it! But I love it. I highly recommend this one. My only issue with creme concealers is sometimes they're more likely to crease if you have any little wrinkles under your eyes. I'm not sure how to prevent this. But to me its not a big deal, I just dab my finger on the crease and even it out again during the day if needed.

Do you have any drug store concealers you use that do wonders? What are you faves?


& thanks Tiff for giving me the idea for this post ;)

The Latest Happenings

Whats been happenin'?! A whole lot of things around these parts. & its about to get wayyyyy busier with the holidays coming up. Which I am pretty excited about!

1. Christmas Decor

Has anyone noticed all the Christmas decorations already coming out?! We can't even get through Thanksgiving without Christmas taking over. Slow it down people! BUT I do have to say I am getting a little bit of the Christmas itch. Mainly because I get to decorate my own house this year! I get to buy my first Christmas tree! I AM SOOOO EXCITED! Can you tell?! I am thinking about doing a burlap Christmas tree. I saw one decorated in Kirklands recently and I almost died. (no forreal..) It was gorgeous! Here are some ideas I've been looking at....

Google

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Now only if I had some mad sewing skills I could make that adorable burlap tree skirt! Because I'm sure its a little pricey to buy.

How are you decorating your tree this year?


 2. I found a dresser!

Sorry for the crappy iPhone pic

Tadaaa! I finally got a dresser for our bedroom. I mentioned in this post that I was on the hunt for a dresser! I love this one! Even more than the first dresser I had found at Goodwill ,but was sold when I got back to the store to buy it. The wood is really pretty on this dresser but I am planning on painting it still. I am going to get some samples first to try, to make sure I get the right color I want. I have never painted furniture before so I am little nervous. But the good thing is I am going for a rustic look so if I screw it up it won't matter!


3. I am officially a nerd!

I finally broke down and went to the eye doc. I had been getting a lot of headaches and my eyes felt exhausted at the end of the day. So I got some new specs for reading! I like them. & everyone else says I look good in them too. So thumbs up for me :)