DIY Spa Day Giveaway!

Happy 11/12/13! I'm way too excited about this.. Anyways, when I first started this blog, I didn't know how it would go/if I would like it/etc. I'm lucky to have [virtually] met all of you awesome people who come back to read what I write everyday! It kinda blows my mind that I already have over 260 followers between GFC and Bloglovin combined. 

So since I'm in a happy mood, I decided to also be in a giving mood and do a little giveaway. Even though I love winter, snow, and cold weather (I know, I know, I'm weird), it wreaks havoc on my skin! Plus, this time of year everyone is so busy trying to buy gifts for other people and rushing around doing other holiday stuff that they don't really get a chance to spend time on themselves, so I decided to put together a little DIY Spa Day from LUSH for one of my lucky readers! This is not a sponsored post, I just really like LUSH stuff (it's all vegetarian!) and I thought it'd be fun! Here's what you'll win:

1. For your body- Melting Snowman Luxury Bath Melt. Drop this yummy hot toddy-scented snowman into the bathtub while it's still running to start your spa day off right! It has cocoa and shea butters so you know it's going to make your skin soft!

2. For your feet- Stepping Stone Foot Scrub. Use this to scrub your feet til they are all pumiced and sea salted out! And if you have stinky feet it even helps deodorize them!

3. For your lips- Lip Service Lip Balm. Use this combo of olive and tangerine oils, and cocoa and shea butters, on your lips, your heels, your elbows, and anywhere else that needs softening!

4. For your face- Tea Tree Toner Tab. Finish up your spa day by dropping this tab into a bowl of hot water and steaming your face. Then, if it were me, I'd take a nap :-)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Make a Wish!

Happy Monday! My weekend was pretty uneventful. It was a great lazy weekend, and we saw that new Rachel McAdams movie, About Time, which was really, really good (so good in fact that I'm posting about it on Wednesday). Oh, and I created a blog-specific Twitter account this weekend and I'm super excited about it, so you know you want to follow along here (I'll be deleting my other one this week)! 

Anyways, it's 11:11, make a wish! Does anyone else do that? When I did my post on superstitions, I completely forgot to include this one. Well since today is 11/11, hopefully it will be a super lucky day. Maybe I will hear about a job? Or win the lottery (I guess I'd have to play first, huh? haha)? Anyways, when I was a kid and saw Aladdin I'd always try to think of the things I'd wish for if I found a genie in a bottle lamp, so I thought it'd be fun to list the 3 I probably wished for back then, and the 3 things I'd wish for if I found a genie today!

My 3 Wishes, circa 1992 (the year Aladdin came out):

1) Polly Pockets. I had like 15 of these, but they never could fit in my pocket! 

This was definitely one of my favs, with the lights and swan and all

2) All the Barbie dolls from the McDonalds Happy Meals.

3) Trolls! I had doctor ones, Christmas ones, Easter bunny ones, and so many more, not to mention Troll slippers (except I puked on them at my Grandmom's house and she washed them and the hair went inside their heads), and even Troll Barbie! 

My 3 Wishes, today (not including wishing for unlimited wishes, haha):

1) Either a really good job that makes 6 figures and allows me to work from home, or to win the lottery so I don't have to work! 
2) A super fast metabolism, so I can eat whatever I want and be skinny without having to exercise like crazy! Is that really so much to ask?
3) A world free of disease. 

What would you wish for if you found a genie who granted you 3 wishes? Come back tomorrow for my awesome giveaway! 

I'd also like to take a minute to thank all of our veterans and active-duty military (and their families). I can't even fathom all of the sacrifices you make on a daily basis, but I thank you for all you do/have done for our country. 

Twitter Update!

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22 but I pretty much keep my blog secret. My Mom and Brian know, but that's it for my "real life" people. I guess I want to feel like I can write whatever I want without people asking too many questions. So I finally decided to make a brand new, blog-specific Twitter account and I am super excited about it. Now I can tweet all I want about my blog :-) 

My Twitter button on my sidebar is updated, or you can click here to follow along. I'll be deleting my other account next week, since I doubt I'll really use it anymore, so definitely hop onto my new account train. Thanks!! Also, if you do, you will be ahead of the game for my exciting DIY Spa Day giveaway next week as a thanks to you guys for following along!! Have a great weekend everyone!

Take Me Back..

Happy Friday! So is it just me or did we totally have better TV shows when we were younger? Some of the crap on TV today sucks! It really didn't get better than the shows we had in the late 80s/early 90s, but buzzfeed and all those other sites that try to make us nostalgic seem to leave out the late 90s/early 2000s shows (what I'd really like to leave out is my yearbook photos from middle school.. "Jessica, your pictures, woof!") No worries, here I am to save the day! to make you super nostalgic for my favorite shows from late elementary/middle school: 

Sabrina the Teenage Witch. This show was the best. Everyone wanted to be Sabrina. What I wouldn't have done to be a witch and have powers! I even had the Salem Giga pet and the CD-ROM computer game (complete with glitches when you got too far in the game). And in case you're interested, umm a *friend* told me that Amazon Prime has all seasons of Sabrina streaming for free.

Braceface. "My life is complicated, boyfriends.." I could totally relate to this show. I had braces, blonde hair, and went to middle school, did it get more relatable than that? But I want to know why my braces could never pick up phone calls and radio stations like hers could?!

Two of a Kind. Ahh Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen before they went off the deep end. I was OBSESSED with them to say the least. I took pictures of them to hair salon so I could get my haircut like them, I had every single book, VHS, and any other merchandise they ever came out with, and I even subscribed to the short-lived Mary Kate and Ashley magazine. Needless to say, I was VERY disappointed when this show got cancelled, ecstatic when they got a new show (So Little Time), and then devastated again when that show got cancelled. My poor little pre-teen heart could barely take it.

I may or may not have printed this picture out and taped it to my folder.

Clueless (the TV series). Alicia Silverstone was definitely better as Cher, but that didn't stop me from watching this show every morning on TV before I went to school. I was so sad when Cher's dad lost all his money and they had to be poor, but when he got rich again it was just oh so inspiring. 

Brothers Keeper. Does anyone else remember this show? I don't think it had a long run, but while it was on the air it quickly became a favorite of mine. 

Lastly, no childhood TV show list is complete without.. 

Boy Meets World. My FAVORITE ABC TGIF Friday night line up was: Two of a Kind, Brothers Keeper, Boy Meets World, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. It seriously didn't get any better. Is it just me or are the later seasons of Boy Meets World better? Cory and Topanga's relationship was THEE relationship to aspire to, amiright? I am still so sad by the news that Topanga got married to a man that is NOT Cory. 

Did I leave any shows out? Linking up with Whitney! (Does anyone else remember this song from the Rugrats Movie? hahaha) Have a great weekend!

I Have Long Lashes!!

So I'm late posting today, but I have an excuse! On this rainy nasty Thursday I have some cool news.. I went to my last follow-up for my Latisse this morning. I first posted about it here back before I had any followers, and then again here. 

I am super happy with it! I had extremely short and light lashes before, and now they are so much longer, have some curl, and are much darker! It's amazing really. You just apply a little to your eyelid with a brush each night, and 16 weeks later, voila! Now I only need to apply it a few times a week to maintain my new, long lashes. Anyways, here are some pictures for reference.. I think there is a huge difference! 

Before, no mascara

After 16 weeks, NO MASCARA!!

After 16 weeks, NO MASCARA!!

After 16 weeks, with Mascara (I rushed so it's kinda clumpy, sorry!)

Note, I am not being compensated or anything for this, I just had great results and wanted to share them with you!! If you have any questions, or want to see more before/after pictures (I have a TON!) definitely feel free let me know, or contact your derm, since you need a prescription.

"Is that your daughter or your friend?"

I'm no longer a student, I can't get away with making my mommy go to all my doctor's appointments with me anymore, and I can't shop at certain stores without feeling out of place, not to mention my metabolism is not who she used to be (I refer to my metabolism as a 'she' because that way I can call her a b*tch and it makes sense, I think..), but apparently the fact that I am 25 years old is hard for people to believe. I get a lot of "really?" and "no way!" when I tell people my age. Here are some interesting examples:

One. Brian and I have been carded more times than can fit on one hand. Carded for what you might ask? Alcohol? Nope, well yea, but right now I am actually referring to... rated R movies. Yup. Now, this hasn't happened probably in the past year or two, but even when I was 22 and 23 years old we were consistently carded going to the movies, something you only need to be 17 to do. 

Like the ghost on my dress? lol

Two. I've been asked multiple times in the past year what grade in high school I'm in. No, not what year in college, which is way more understandable, but what grade in high school. I've been at appointments during the day and been asked "oh, is school closed today?" or "when is prom?" haha you should see the look on their faces when I tell them how old I really am!

Okay this is the closest picture I could find on my computer of me in high school.. I'm basically in high school here. It's like September of my freshman year of college.. I couldn't have changed too much in a few months haha

Three. Nearly every time I buy alcohol my ID is scrutinized, scanned, and I have sign a piece of paper saying that I'm over 21. They act like I'm joining the FBI a sneaky little teenager trying to score some underage liquor. And every time I get a little nervous and tell myself "act natural, act natural darnit," like I'm not actually over 21 or something. I mean, the looks I get, especially from the women cashiers (I've found that men are less suspicious in the alcohol-buying context) make me actually question myself sometimes! 

My 21st birthday

As annoying as it is to constantly need to have my ID at-the-ready, I actually don't mind it so much because I'd rather look young and when I get older I will definitely appreciate looking young even more. Wanna know how I know this? Because the other week my nearly 20-year old sister and I went to a nail salon. While she was getting a manicure, I was getting a pedicure, and the woman seriously asked me, "Is that your daughter or your friend?" 

Well that really frosts my cookies (if you know what movie I'm quoting I love you and you've listened to my past advice)! Now, she barely spoke English so she may have been confused and probably meant to say 'sister' instead of 'daughter,' but needless to say I was freaked out and will definitely never take for granted being carded anywhere ever again (also, we are never going back to that salon..)!

I mean, do we look like daughter and mother to you? I think not. 

Do you have any funny stories about getting carded/your age/getting old? Please tell them to me!

Mitchie

When I was in 9th grade and the oldest of 5 kids, my parents sat us down and told us they were going to have another baby. My brother and I were not amused. We whined, "we're going to be like the BRADY BUNCH!" 

Well on August 13, 2003, right before my sophomore year of high school started, my Mom was 24 weeks pregnant and started to go into labor, which was way too early. My wild little brother kicked a hole in his little home inside her stomach. She went into the hospital where she stayed on bed rest for nearly 3 months, until my little brother was born (a month early) on November 5th. 

My Dad had to work full-time, yet had 5 busy kids at home, ages 15, 13, 11, 9, and 5. Relatives and family friends really came through though, with meals, cleaning duty, rides to soccer and school, etc. 

But on November 5, 2003 it was all worth it because the little whirlwind named Mitchell was born and he changed our lives forever. He is full of energy, yet so polite and sweet, and I am so glad he was born and rounded out our Brady-sized family. When asked what he wants for his birthday dinner, he answered Burger King, go figure. So Happy Birthday, Mitchie, it blows my mind that you are 10 now.      "Go Mitchell, Go Mitchell!"

P.S. Don't forget about the giveaway over at Living on Sweet Tea, and I'm also participating in a $100 Visa Gift Card giveaway over at Two Third's Hazel!