Laura Mercier Lip Glace

The more and more I try Laura Mercier products one by one, the more I love them. My new favorite is "lip glace" in blush. A great neutral for all skin tones, lasting, and not sticky. I highly recommend and plan to try more colors after this one runs out! Have a great Friday!

My First Bridal Appointment: Alabama Chanin

Wedding bells are ringing in my ear all day today. Tomorrow is my first official bridal appointment at Alabama Chanin. For those of you that don't know, Alabama Chanin is Natalie Chanin's company, based out of Florence, Alabama. She uses local artisans to sew 100% organic cotton garments. Hello? I am in heaven just hearing those words. She also does custom wedding gowns, which is the reason for our (Dr.K and I) visit tomorrow. We are embarking on what I feel might be my greatest fashion adventure to date. Fabric, thread, stencils, design, I do not have the words to express my excitement. I cannot wait to see what she has to offer, as my jaw is on the floor even with the thought of it. None of this feels real but I am living it up in bridal land!

Would you like to watch a video about Alabama Chanin? CLICK THIS

Soda for the Sparkler

I perused around on the internet and found that baking soda with a dab of warm water to make a paste proves the perfect concoction to clean your engagement ring. I tried it, and oh la la, that thing is just like new. I mean, it kind of still is new, but this helps it maintain the newness in my eyes. You just rub the paste all over the ring with your fingers, no towel needed. Then you just rinse the ring off and dry it on a towel. Economical and easy, give it a try!
P.S. Works well on other jewelry, too. I've already tried it to be sure!

"Real" Coffee Creamer

I can dump more than my fair share of coffee creamer into a hot cup. I love vanilla flavored, especially Coffee Mate. I just now tried the natural bliss vanilla one, and love it so much more than the standard. It has better vanilla flavor. The sweet cream option is also just as tasty. I've converted from chemical version to all natural, making this a sweet switch I can get behind. Have a great week!

A Lovely Leisure Book

I've recently discovered a great book, The Five Love Languages. I thought it was a great find, but apparently not as new to others as it is to me. It is an easy, fun, lighthearted read. It offers advice on loving people as they were programmed to receive love. I highly recommend it  so far. I'm at that bridal phase in life, reading lots of relationship material just because I can! Visit the website here, 5lovelanguages.com

Noosa Yoghurt

I'll try any new yogurt on the market. I'm in love with the honey flavor. It is low in calories and grams of sugar, always something to watch out for in yogurt these days. It supposedly became popular in Australia, but is gaining popularity here. I use half a container for a large fruit purée smoothie. I can't say enough great things about it!

My Favorite Chocolate Bar

THE best chocolate bar anywhere is Ritter Sport Dark Chocolate with Whole Hazelnuts. I've eaten plenty of chocolate, all good, but this is my very favorite. It's PERFECT for Valentine's or any day for that matter. I don't need an occasion for chocolate. Target and Kroger stocks these gems. There are many flavors to try. I haven't been able to stray from this one, but all of them sound so great! Treat yourself and have an excellent week.

Fresh Face Wash

Neutrogena puts out great products. They have a new Ultra Gentle Cleanser. It smells great, doesn't burn, and removes makeup easily. At Target, white and mint green bottle, a great product, now one of my beauty faves!

Buffalo and Blue Cheese

Every year, I attempt a Super Bowl spread for my favorite man. This year, I tried making wings for the first time, baked wings at that. Also, I made a Greek yogurt blue cheese dip, yum. I did not stick to one recipe for either item. I just mixed the best of all my internet findings. You guys know this is how I cook, by now! I don't love wings, but Billy does. I ate two and was up all night with heartburn, and these weren't even spicy! Still, worthwhile recipes to share.

For this platter you'll need:
Washed celery sticks
Fage 0% Greek Yogurt Plain, medium size
1 pack Ranch Original
2 lbs. wings
Blue cheese crumbles
A couple tablespoons low-fat sour cream
Small pat of butter
Frank's Buffalo Sauce
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable Oil

Directions:
1. Chop off wing section of the wing. Weird, I know.
2. Rinse wings.
3. Place on baking sheet and toss in veg oil, salt, and pepper.
4. Cook in oven on 400 for 40-50 minutes. No raw chicken here!
5. While wings are baking, make the dip.
          Combine Greek yogurt, Ranch, blue cheese crumbles, and sour cream. Mix, place in fridge.
6. Remove wings from oven, allow to cool for a few minutes.
7. Melt butter and add in buffalo sauce, I used about half the bottle.
8. Toss wings in sauce.
9. Place back in oven to warm up and adhere sauce to meat.
10. Baked, just as good as fried. Plus, you can eat an extra piece of fruit pizza! Enjoy!

Powder Perspective

Spending money on nice makeup seems a double-edged sword. We use it so often, sometimes it feels dreadful to put it on once more. Still, a never ending cycle. I feel conflicted to buy nice powder, but I can tell an obvious difference when I do. Do I drop some serious change on something nice if it makes all the difference? If it makes us feel great about the way we look, why don't we? You get my drift. We need to switch things up a bit, and often. Our aesthetic is SO important.

I love illuminating powder, and recently ran out of mine. Also, it was discontinued, two reasons to buy a new one. I chose Laura Mercier Mineral Illuminating Powder in Candlelight, for $32. I wore it out for the first time, with no foundation, and received multiple compliments. This was skipping half of the normal steps in my routine. Worth the money? Hello? Yes! Guess what? A third reason to buy it! It usually takes me a year to use up one of these loose powder jars. That averages $.08 per day, money well spent in my opinion. Sometimes great makeup is worth it, sometimes it's not. It all depends on where YOU want to put your money. Most of all, make sure you're putting some money into your look. Life is about enjoying beauty in the simple things. 

Lovely Love

I'm currently reading this book and it is A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E! I love love. Nothing beats an easy read about a sweet couple. It's available at my favorite place, Anthropologie. Also, it's on Amazon if you're shopping online. I know what you're thinking, and yes, it's great for Valentine's Day. 

Healing Yoga Video

When I had my gallbladder removed in the middle of August, I fell out of my strenuous exercise routine. My incisions seemed to take forever to close and my stomach stayed sore for a long long time. I did have an unusual experience with the surgery, as my doctor did not expect it to be as bad as it was; thus, he said healing time could take longer. He was right, in many ways, as the gallbladder is one of the "mystery organs," so I hear. My incisions STILL feel raw and uncomfortable. I cannot stand to have certain clothing fabrics touch my scars. I know, weird, there goes Faith again. I guess that's just the way it will be for awhile. Some people seem to just get right back in the groove after this surgery and I envy them. One friend ate steak the night after her surgery. I, on the other hand, do that quite sparingly. I still feel out of sync with exercise, food, and obviously, what to wear everyday.

Onward with the exercise discussion. All along, I walked constantly. Walked while at work, walked while not at work, and possibly, walked while asleep. Yet, I've noticed how much this surgery changed the control I feel I have over my abs. It seems impossible to suck my stomach in, as if I've forgotten how to do it. I know my muscles are just weak, but I want to be back to where I used to be. I feel like I've gained fifty pounds when I'm still in the same clothes. My stomach is just disabled. I've slowly been trying to build back up to my old cardio routine. Tonight before bed, I tried a new yoga video and it seemed to work well. I felt like I was getting a great workout, yet not killing my stomach. If you haven't ever tried yoga, I do recommend it. Before I had my surgery, I used YouTube videos of it as constant exercise routines. With yoga, you're working hard, yet you don't feel like you are. You just need to give it a try to see what I mean! Hopefully, you'll complete a lifelong routine of these yoga videos with a healthy gallbladder in tact. If not, join the club. Humans Missing Organs, unite!

Recent Antique Find

I recently snagged this useful kitchen scale at Packard's Antiques (Huntsville) for $12.00. I love the colors and cannot wait to put it on display in our new home. It's great that one small piece can make such a statement in home decoration. If this gives you any vibe of my style, there's more to come. I hope you feel inspired to make the old new again!

Caudalie

Some of the most divine perfume can be found at a J.Crew near you. A work friend got me hooked, and I'm on this band wagon for good. A $12.95, travel size, long lasting tube of goodness. Perfect for Valentine's Day!

Learn a Little Mediation

What's a blog without some random graduate work thrown in here or there? This semester, I am taking a course on Leadership in Mediation. This was the introductory slash fun video from my professor. Yes, the best professors include GOOD YouTube videos. Take a look at this short one, as it rings true in many ways. The key here is trust. If we don't have trust, we don't have anything. That's that.

The Perfect Pen

I'm all for a handwritten note. Etiquette at its best, now and forever. I've already written a couple of wedding thank you notes, plus the cards for our wedding party. Without dispute, my pen of choice for all types of handwritten items is the Uniball Vision Elite. If you care about ink on paper like I do, it is a great addition to your office inventory. Nothing adds more polish and refinement than a card well done. A pack of four is $7.00 well spent. Happy writing!

Santa Brought Me a Husband for Christmas

People, I have not blogged in a month! Where is time going?!?! I am so excited about this blog post it is hard for me to find the words. I want to remember everything about this special stage in life, the best thus far!

Billy and I knew we were meant to be a long time ago. However, we wanted to complete six years in the Marines, four years of college, etiquette school, and a master's degree first. I have never been the kind of person to just do things. I am a planner, and when the time is right for me, it is. Luckily, he is the same way. When you experience the extreme highs and lows of life with someone, you realize how important it is to seize each day, whatever it brings. Today marks one month of our engagement. He made the proposal meaningful, exciting, and memorable, asking me at what will be our first home together. Now, I have no concept of what day it is. I go to work, I do homework, and I stalk wedding websites until the early morning. I cannot stop looking at wedding things!

We have decided on November 9th, 2013 as our wedding day. I am so excited, so fortunate, and so blessed. I would love to have all of you reading along with updates! Thanks for celebrating with us and sharing kind words. We are having the time of our lives!

P.S. Above are pictures of my ring production courtesy of Caleb Meyer, www.calebmeyer.com