Loves, Wants, Lusts... Oh My!

Wow. I don't even know where to start with this blog post. I have been MIA lately due to some mini vacations we had planned and I still haven't been doing to much wedding planning so I haven't really been inspired. I mean I don't want to just come on here and ramble because we all know my life is not that exciting.
My days consist of: laundry, scrubbing the apartment to get the disgusting smell of curry out of here (thank you neighbors! NOT!!!!), cleaning bottles, making bottles, and keeping Harlow and I clean, dry and happy! Who could ask for a better life? :)

Oh and exciting news we have less then 91 days till the end of June! Which we all know that means less then 91 days till moving day!! AHHH...EEEEKKK!! I am so excited, I want to start packing now! I have definitely been inspired lately in the home decorating area and can't wait to get into a house and make it feel like a home.

Without further a due lets get to the topic at hand. With mothers day, my birthday, and moving day all coming up there has been a few items I have been hinting around about that I would like to have, eventually. These things are not necessities just "wants", "likes", and "lusts".

Okay, the first thing I want to lust over is a thing called Mashed Potato Martini Bar. A couple of summers ago I went with my cousin Kristi to Las Vegas. She went for a business trip and I went to keep her company. It wasn't just a business trip though we got to go out on the town, enjoy some good food, watch a cirque de so lei show, and on the last night enjoyed a little cocktail party thrown by the company. At the cocktail party they had a Mashed Potato Martini Bar, one of the most unique and creative ideas I have ever seen. Who doesn't love potatoes with a ton of different options for toppings, all served in a martini glass? It was such a neat idea I decided right then and there we would use that at our wedding. It is one of the things that I am most excited about! :)

The 2nd thing I am lusting over is scentsy. I need more!! They smell so good and are so decorative and pretty. I can't wait to get into our house so I can see how many I need and which ones will look best with our decor. I even plan to get Nathan one for his office. Good thing I have a family member that sells it. :)

note: pictures are clicky.

 ^^The one I'm getting for Nathan^^

The third thing I can't wait to get or maybe I will attempt to make some is Fabric Cord Covers. I saw these for the first time this weekend and I am in love with this idea. They help disguise cords and make your house a little more decorative. I think it would also be a great way to distract Harlow from going after cords.

The fourth thing I am lusting over is throw blankets for the couch's in the living room. I love blankets that are so pretty they become part of your decor. I love big, cozy blankets to snuggle up with and this one is definitely one I have my eye on. It's from pottery barn and retails for $79.

What would that beautiful blanket look gorgeous on you ask? How about his couch? I saw it in Macy's and it is one of the first things I would love to get when we move. I am obsessed with these couches.

This next thing I have been lusting over for a while now. It is Bobbi Brown Blush in Peony. It has rave reviews and is beautiful on, not as bright pink as you think. I think it would be perfect for this summer.

What better way to display this lovely blush then with the perfect summer dress. I saw this dress in PacSun over the weekend. I am in love with it.

To top off the look I have been dieing to get this lovely ring from Yellow Pocket Boutique in Jet. I have the white and adore it. I have been wearing it everyday since I received it in the mail. I also have gotten tons of compliments on it, it is a keeper!

note: picture is clicky.



The last thing is Jessica Simpson leopard print luggage. I have been wanting this for over a year and I think it is the perfect set to take on our honeymoon.

Hopefully, I will continue to keep up with my blog and not abandon it like I have recently. Do you guys have any things that you have been "lusting" over lately? If so leave me a comment I love to hear from you guys. :)

xoxo,

Merinda

Yellow Pocket Boutique Giveaway

My friend Shanna over at Yellow Pocket Boutique is doing a giveaway in honor of St. Patty's Day. Shanna and I have known each other for literally ever and I am very excited for her starting her business of making handmade jewelry. I can't wait to purchase some stuff from her and show all of you. I have been hinting to my mom and Nathan about some possible Easter presents from her shop. :)

The winner of the giveaway will receive a birthstone necklace. The necklace is a silver plated ripple heart with 6mm round birthstone, your choice of color, on an 18 in. silver plated infinity link chain.

It is a very beautiful piece of jewelry and who ever wins is going to be very lucky!

The contest goes till Sunday, March 20,2011 at 3:00pm. So hurry up and go over to her page and enter for your chance to win!

All you have to do to enter is...

1. Like Yellow Pocket Boutique on Facebook.
2. Follow Yellow Pocket Boutiques blog @ ypboutique.blogspot.com
3. Blog, Tweet, or Facebook about this giveaway. 3 possible entries here!!
4. Donate to Japan. This entitles you to 5 additional entries. Just look back at her post from March 16th to receive a free tutorial on how to donate.

For each item above that you complete make a separate comment under her blog post that you completed it. She will randomly pick the winner on  Sunday after 3:00pm. Good Luck to you all, I can't wait till Sunday to see who wins!

xoxo,
Merinda

Millionaires and Love...

This morning it was nice enough outside to take Harlow out on a walk on the trails behind our apartments. The trails are a pretty popular thing here in Plano because they go for miles! I love going for walks on them becasue there is so much to look at... there are parks, football,baseball, and soccer fields, a rec center, big beautiful houses, and hobby lobby. It's so nice being able to get outside and get some fresh air. I find it very relaxing to just walk for miles, listening to music, and just thinking.

When I first walked out of the gates surrounding the apartments and saw people walking there dogs and riding there bikes, I started to wonder if I will miss this...

We have lived in Dallas for nearly 3 years and while I don't consider this home, this is what we have come to know. We know where things are and how to get there, what roads to take to try to avoid traffic, and where to not speed because that's where cops always sit. This has become our everyday, this is where we fell in love and started our lives together, and this is where our precious daughter was born. As much as I complain about living here and as excited as I am to move and be closer to family, it will be hard to top this city. I am so glad our parents gave us the opportunity to move here becasue I dont know where I would be today without Nathan and Harlow in my life. It has been a life changing move and it may be hard to leave it.

The title of the post is kind of random but before I had ever moved to Dallas I read in a Cosmopolitan magazine that Dallas, Tx has the most millionaires in the U.S. and statistics show that more millionaires are married to dark haired women more so then light haired women. So one of my arguments to my parents before I moved here was... " I have to move to Dallas to fall in love and marry a millionaire." I have for sure fell in love in Dallas and I am 100% certain I am marrying a millionaire. :) He may not be a millionaire yet but with his talent and ability I believe in him that it could happen. Regardless of how much money is in our bank account though, just having him and Harlow in my life is all I need to be truly happy.

I also started to think about the friends we have made here. People who have made living here so much easier. We are so blessed to have friends to go on weekly lunch dates with, that threw us a baby shower, that invite us over for dinner,and are planning to drive 6 hours to come to our wedding. I will miss them but I will never forget them. You guys know who you are and I love you! Thanks for always being there and spoiling my daughter with tons of love.

I know we will be happy once we move and get settled in, in a new a city, a new state, new jobs, and a new house. We will make more friends and be able to see our families a lot more which is a plus! I come from a large family and my cousins have always been like brothers and sisters to me, I hope that by raising Harlow closer to her cousins she can have that same bond. We will never forget Dallas, we miss our families and we miss out on a lot of family things, but I do not regret moving down here, it has been one of the best descions we have made. So I guess I have to admit...

I will miss this...



Picture taken by Nathan while working.



American Airlines Center. Where Nathan works and where the Dallas Mavericks, Vigilantes, and Stars play.

Picture taken while walking up to the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium Summer 2009. We were able to watch the Cowboys practice while sitting in the 3rd row.

One of Nathans Ads in a Dallas Magazine.

Posters Nathan made for the Vigilantes season 2010.

Dallas Galleria taken Winter 2010.

If any of you are familiar with the old show "Dallas". This is South Fork Ranch the house they used to film the show. I pass by this house everyday I go to work. It's in Parker, TX and it looks beautiful in person. There are always people parked out front taking pictures of it.



 

What's in my make up bag? Top 5 items

Even though I am a girly girl and I love make up, I never really learned how to put it on. I was blessed with  good skin and have never had to wear a lot of make up thankfully! That is why with my wedding make up I would like to wear a more dramatic look rather then a subtle look which is what I'm used to. I showed pictures in an earlier post of the wedding make up looks I'm going for if you would like to refer back to that here. 

In the last few years I have stumbled across some beauty products I can't live without. I have tried MAC, NARS, Benefit, and Chanel make up products. As well as drug store brands Maybelline, Cover Girl, Revlon, L'Oreal. I have tried A LOT of different cosmetics and there are still a ton more I would love to try out... Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier, Dior Cosmetics, just to name a few.

Today I am featuring 5 items I have been using daily and really love. They are all drug store brands and very affordable!

My first product I am featuring is Revlon Colorstay Foundation. It retails for $10 and it does exactly what it says. It stays on your face all day long, I never have to worry about reapplying my foundation. It gives medium to full coverage based on how much you use, and does not leave your face feeling oily or shiny. As I said before I don't use a ton of make up so one bottle lasts me about 4-5 months.

Product number 2 has been a long time favorite, I have tried other bronzer's but always come back to this one. I even got my mom hooked on it! It is Cover Girls Trublend Minerals Bronzer and it retails for $7. There only 2 shades to this bronzer 435 Golden Sunshine and 440 Natural Bronze. I use the 440 Natural Bronze it gives me the perfect bronze glow. Isn't that what bronzers are supposed to do? (: It is a shimmer bronzer but I like how you can use it on other parts of your body and not just your face. This is another product that lasts a while since a little goes a long ways. I do not recommend this product for light complexions as it could look un-natural due to the darkness of the colors.

My third product I use daily is Victoria Secrets Wet/Dry Beauty Rush Eye Shadow in Smokin, it retails for $7. These shadows have some shimmer to them also but you can't notice it once it's on. I mainly use this shadow on my lash line, it gives me a little color without having to use eye liner on the days I keep my make up more simple. It is also great for a smokey eye. The shadows from Victoria's secret Beauty Rush line are not really pigmented, which means that even though it is black it doesn't really show up super dark. I really enjoy this shadow and plan to buy more colors.

Product number 4 should be in every girls make up bag, it will make a world of difference to any ones eyes! It is what I like to call an Eyelash Curler. You can get a eyelash curler anywhere and they retail from $5-$20. I have about 3 different ones and I use it everyday even if I don't put mascara on that day. I know they can look rather scary but they will make your eyelashes look beautiful and curled. You may even notice your eye lashes look longer and your mascara go on smoother and look better.

My fifth and final product is the last thing I always put on, mascara. I have tried so many different mascaras and this one has been my favorite so far. L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara retails for $8. I use blackest black and it is not waterproof. I have never really liked waterproof mascaras I can't ever get them to come off and they go on clumpy. L'Oreal's Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara goes on clump free and it will not flake or smudge, it also stays on all day! The packaging is pretty as well so that's a plus. :)

I hope some of you ladies enjoyed this post and learned a little more about me just by seeing what is in my make up bag. I also hope I inspired some of you to try out these drug store products or if your currently using them I hope you enjoy them just as much as I do. I enjoy doing posts like this and will be doing more in the future. I also plan to watch more beauty gurus on YouTube to learn more about applying make up and so I can do some funner things with my make up and show you guys. :) Thanks for reading!

XOXO,
Merinda

Finally an Update

Hey Everyone!

Sorry I tricked you into saying I was updating the other day and then I never did. I did start to blog but then my mind just wasn't into it, maybe I will continue with the post later in the week. So much has been going on in my life lately and I have really been focusing on Nathan, Harlow and going to church. They are two of the most important people in my life right now and instead of worrying about things that are out of my control, I need to spend time with them. 
Just in the last two weeks of all this "stuff" that's going on Harlow has learned how to  babble "mama." She probably has no idea what she is saying but I was the one who taught her that so I like to think she knows! :) Harlow has also started to "crawl" I guess we are still mainly in the scooting stage but she can get up on her knees and hands and move across the floor, much faster then scooting. She is growing up so fast and in less then 2 weeks she will be 6 months old. Half a year old ALREADY! 

I don't want who ever reads this to think that terrible life changing things are going on in my life because that's not it all. I live a very blessed life. I have a loving husband to be, a healthy, smart, and beautiful daughter, and a family who wants nothing but the best for us and loves us to no end. I had a lot of time to think lately and I believe God has better plans for me and I need to be doing other things with my life at this time. Such as spending 100% of my time with Harlow while Nathan finishes up his last 10 weeks of school. His school is very fast paced and even though I only work 20 hours a week, that is 20 hours a week Nathan could be dedicating to his school work and his work from home graphic design job. 

On another note, my mom will be here in Plano on Sunday and spend a few days with us while she is on Spring Break. Then next Friday we are making a trip to Oklahoma City to look at some houses and for Nathan to look at a couple jobs. We plan to move to the OKC/Edmond area after Nathan graduates which is only in a couple months. I cannot WAIT for this move.
Also, in a couple weeks we will be heading to Amarillo, TX for a couple days to meet Harlow's new baby cousin. It will be a fun trip!

I have taken a break from wedding planning for the time being, but will get back to that soon! I also would like to start doing some reviews on some products I have bought lately. So keep an eye out on some new posts! Thanks for reading and if you want to make my day you will follow me! :)

xoxo,
Merinda

Spring Time Fashion

I mentioned in an earlier post that the main reason I moved to Dallas was to go to fashion school. I guess you could say I have a passion for fashion! I LOVE IT! The degree I was aiming to get was a fashion marketing degree. I wanted a job I loved and felt passionate about and I was excited to"help" people. I know a lot of people may think that makes me shallow and materialistic, and you are probably wondering how could I possibly think a fashion degree would enable me to help anyone!

Let's just say as a female myself I have my days... I have my days where I don't feel pretty, my clothes don't fit right, and confidence isn't even a word in my vocabulary. Everyone has those days, it's not fair, but its life...life as a female.
My dream job after getting my degree was to open a clothing boutique and be a personal stylist to all of my clients. I wanted to make people feel pretty and confident and to be able to hold there head high, no matter what there body shape was, no matter how much money is in there bank account, and no matter what career they have.

Since, I have put school on a hold for a while it has given me plenty of time to think about what I really want to do with my life. I keep coming back to the fashion industry, but in a different way.
Ever since I was pregnant and found out I was going to have a daughter I couldn't stop shopping/looking for clothes for her. She will never remember these clothes and I know she doesn't care what I put on her, but fashion these days for children is absolutely amazing! Now you should know I NEVER pay full price for any of her clothes, I just don't see the point. 

This whole post has been leading to this...My goal in life, besides being an amazing mommy to my beautiful daughter, is to now open a children's boutique and design children's clothes. These days I would rather shop in the children's department then shop for myself, and sometimes I get a little jealous and wish I could wear some of the clothes I buy for Harlow, they are just that cute and so grown up!

So without further a due here are some of the spring outfits I have my eye on for Harlow this year...

I actually found these on amazon.com

I love this color of yellow! Its so beautiful.

Seriously, baby gauchos!!

Aren't these the sweetest little bow sandals. I am IN love!

All items are either from janieandjack.com, ae.com, gymboree.com, crazy8.com
Miss Harlow might not get all of these outfits, really she does not need that many swim suits! But, I had to show you guys all of this cuteness, and all of these sites also carry boy clothes that are adorable as well! Happy shopping everyone!!

Love,
Merinda