Nail Polish Swap!

Thursday, 12 July 2012

If you know me well, slightly well, or even barely well, you know that I am an avid nail polish collector. I may even be the one on your Instagram that is constantly bombarding you with photos of new "nails of the day" and so on. 
Well, today I am teaming up with another fellow polish lover, and easily one of my most favorite bloggers, to put together a fun swap. If you don't know Jenn from Perfectly Imperfect, go say hi - she's fantastic!

If you're unsure of exactly what a swap is, here are some details to fill you in on what we're doing here!

• Sign ups begin today and will go through Wednesday, July 18th
• $15 minimum limit before shipping is required - we want this to be exciting for everyone involved!
• We will email you your swap partner by Friday, July 20th
• Your package must go out by Tuesday, July 24th
• Swap review posts will go up beginning August 1st and there will be a separate link-up on our blogs that day (but please coordinate with your partner so that you post together)
• Please let us know if you are willing to partner with someone outside the USA and/or if you live outside the US 
• You must have an active blog and post a review about this swap

<center><a href="http://www.iworeyogapants.com/" target="_blank" title="Nail Polish Swap"><img border="0" src="http://i623.photobucket.com/albums/tt318/jshields8313/nailpolishbutton2.jpg" alt="Nail Polish Swap" /></a></center>

Help us spread the word by adding our button to your blog and tweet about the swap

" Join @_Whitneyyy & @PerfectlyJenn for a fun Nail Polish Swap! Sign up through Wednesday, July 18th!  www.iworeyogapants.com "

And here's a little extra info for those of you who are ready to sign up!

• Please visit your partners blog after you are emailed their info and get to know them.
• If you are willing to partner with someone outside of the USA then please note that you will have to fill out a customs form at the post office and you should list the contents as "cosmetics".
• You must wrap each polish bottle in bubble wrap (or similar) and place in a plastic baggie before sealing your package.  No one wants to receive a broken bottle they can't enjoy!
• Anyone who signs up should send something out that you would enjoy receiving.  The more creativity the better!
• Do not sign up if you are not serious about spending the $15+ and sending the package out on time.

We want everyone to enjoy taking part in this swap so please make sure to read the details and tips before you decide to sign-up!

Please fill out the form carefully and be sure to email me or Jenn if you have any questions!

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So What Wednesday - I'm Back, Baby: Edition

Wednesday, 11 July 2012

Gooood morning and happy you-made-it-to-the-middle-of-the-work-week day! Today I am kicking it old school, well old school for myself, and linking up with one of my favorite bloggers (who has THE CUTEST CHILD of life, ps) Shannon from Life After I Dew for a little "So What? Wednesday".

Today I am saying "so what"...
-So what that I cooked salmon for the first time ever last night (thanks to Pioneer Woman and Perfectly Jenn) and I'm still impressed with myself. No, really, neither one of us got food poisoning and we didn't have to order pizza! 

See? Totally edible. Mmm mm!

-So what if my day was made somewhere around 3am this morning when I was awoken to my boyfriend requesting "more green beans" in his sleep, which I'm assuming he was referring to the ones I made for dinner last night. They were a total Pinterest success. Think french fries, but healthier!! (go make them right now)

-So what if I was in bed by 9 last night and asleep well before 10. I was tired... and I didn't even finish my glass of wine!

-So what if I just dropped ketchup on my sofa because I am attempting to multitask while I write this, before work. (my bad)

-So what if I really am wearing yoga pants to work today. I didn't come up with this ridiculous blog name out of nowhere... 

-So what if they look like leggings. ;)

-A biggg olllld so what to my hair, who hasn't been worn down in who knows how long. Seriously, it's just too hot. Ballet bun today, it is. (and tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day.)

And I think that's a wrap for my first So What Wednesday back in blogger town. I hope everyone has a lovely day!

See you tomorrow with some exciting news from Jenn and myself.

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Clarisonic Mia 2 - thoughts and feelings.

Tuesday, 10 July 2012

It's Tuesday, which means we all made it through yet another Monday. Congratulations!

Today I am sharing a new beauty tool I recently dropped a couple bucks on, which took a lot of convincing and even caused a little (a lot of) buyers remorse. I'm not a big budgeter by any means and really I should get better at saving in general, but I still feel the heat from dropping large sums on one purchase.

[Clarisonic Mia 2 in Peony]
Friends, I'd like you to meet my new Clarisonic Mia 2.

This thing is one pricey little face washer, if you ask me, especially for something you'd think you could conquer with the bare hands the good lord gave you. Which would be wrong by the way, but I'll get to that in a little bit. I've been putting off purchasing one of these babies for nearly a year, but after reading about 8,000 reviews and hearing all of the great things so many ladies have to say about it, I finally decided to cave.

First of all, the fact that I could actually have a Clarisonic that was a beautiful shade of hot pink was nearly enough to sway me into the purchase. "Peony" is the Clarisonic name for this pretty color and it is fabulous.

Once I got over the initial love affair with the color I had to wait 24 hours, for the battery to get a full charge, to use this pretty baby so I had a lot of time on my hands to admire this little gadget without actually putting it to use. The charger? It's magnetic and totally, freaking, awesome... if you're easily amused, like myself. I could have played with it for far longer than I care to admit on this sweet public blog. It also comes with a really unattractive and unexciting "travel case" which I'm guessing I'll be less judgmental about it's looks once I embark on a vacation with my Mia 2. Stay tuned on that one.

[Clarisonic Mia travel case]
Unexciting, no?

Moving on even further, let's talk about the brush head. Clarisonic offers a lot of different brush heads, which I was completely confused on because some of them sounded similar enough to not really care... wrong again, of course. After reading reviews, I decided to go out and get myself the "delicate" brush head that Clarisonic offers to use instead of the "sensitive skin" brush it comes with. The delicate brush head is the softest and most gentle brush they offer, and with my ridiculously timid and sensitive skin I went straight in that direction. I haven't experimented with the sensitive skin brush head, but I really love the delicate. It works perfectly with my skin and hasn't caused any negative reactions. A+ on the delicate brush head, Clarisonic.

[Simple Sensitive Skin Facial Wash]

Now that I've been using my Clarisonic Mia 2 twice a day for a week, I can honestly say that this thing is worth every single penny (and more) that I dropped on it. My pores have already noticeably started shrinking and my skin has a glow similar to the glow I had back in my early (uhem) twenties. I love that you can use just about any facial cleanser with it, too. I don't hate the Clarisonic cleanser that came with it but I do hate the price tag on a full sized bottle of it (about $25 a bottle.. no thanks), so I went and got some of the new Simple sensitive skin brand face wash I've been seeing around at stores lately and it works just as well... smells a little better, too. Also very gentle, for you sensitive skin ladies. Don't forget your moisturizer!

I can't say enough about my love for this product and if you have even lightly considered taking the plunge and getting one, go for it. Seriously!

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Preparing to Say Goodbye

Monday, 9 July 2012

If you've been reading my blog for a few years you might remember that in 2009 my dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

We celebrated when he was declared in remission in 2010.

We were frustrated when it was discovered that the cancer metastasized to his liver in Nov 2011.

Over the past several months he's been through a lot. The cancer spread to his lungs. He was on his 3rd different chemo; side affects were awful. His CA19-9 (cancer marker in blood work) kept rising. It should be around 37. When his numbers reached 5000 he felt like chemo wasn't working any more and he discontinued it. He was still doing relatively well, considering. He would sometimes have a lot of pain, but mostly he kept active. He and his wife still took long walks, rode their tandem-bike, and camped.

In June, while we were in Denmark, we received word that he was in pretty bad shape - in a lot of pain - and checked in to the hospice house. They eventually got a morphine pump in his port and he was able to go home after several days.

We got back from Denmark on Sun and by Wed we were in FL. It was great seeing my dad and knowing he was 'ok.' even though he was on morphine.

The next day, Thur, he had swelling and pain in his leg and it was suspected that he had a blood clot. We later found out blood clots are common with pancreatic cancer. He checked in to the hospice house and by Fri evening was admitted to the hospital for treatment.

A few days later he went back to the hospice house for continued treatment and pain management and blood thinners for the 4 clots in his leg. We went home on Sunday.

We thought he would be going home soon after getting the blood thinners, but when he called me the following Sun he was still at the hospice house. He was in a lot of pain in his leg and wasn't able to walk. He didn't sound too well.

On Mon the kids and I drove back to FL. My dad had a great day on Wed - the 4th of July. He was peppy, lively, talkative, moving around a bit more, playing bingo with Kayla and Lucas.

We brought him outside to watch fireworks from the parking lot. 

On Thur we stopped by to see him before heading home and he was a little out of it -definitely not how he was on Wed.

He's steadily declined since then. On Sat he started sleeping most of the time. He's hard to rouse awake and when he does wake he's experiencing 'terminal agitation.' His voice is hard to hear and he's extremely weak.

I went back to FL on Mon and the change in him is unreal considering how he was on Wed. The nurses at hospice think he might have a week. Of course no one knows when it'll happen, but he's going through the stages.

I can't believe I have to say goodbye to my dad. I'm just not ready. I'm not ready for him to not be here. I am so saddened that he won't be around to watch my kids grow up and they'll miss out on having "Pepere" in their lives.

As I was packing this morning I debated whether or not to pack an outfit that would be acceptable for a funeral. I wondered if I even have such an outfit. And I wondered if I didn't, how would I even go shopping for such an outfit? I hate this.

I hate seeing my dad like he is - so weak. I hate knowing his time is coming nearer. But I know he has fought a good hard battle with this pancreatic cancer - almost 3 years. Longer than they originally thought he would have.

I know his body needs some peace and to be pain-and cancer-free now. You can never prepare for saying goodbye to a loved one. No one ever said it was easy. Praying God will surround us all with some peace and strength during this time.

 

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Weekend Escapades.

Happy Monday! Yes, I'm overly cheerful this morning. Mostly because the boyfriend and I went to bed ridiculously early last night - I'm talking grey hair status. We needed it after our weekend, which turned out to be a little more eventful than usual. In a good way!

Saturday morning was a hot one. Seriously though, I melted.

We had to take a little road trip to Gainesville to turn in the boy's old apartment keys and, of course, wave goodbye to his old bachelor pad. I got the pleasure of tossing out some scrumptious looking frozen meals, one that comes to mind is spaghetti and meatballs. Mmm... so. appetizing. Really though men, how hard is it to boil noodles and dump sauce on top?

[Color Club - Modern Pink stamped with Wet n' Wild - Black Creme]

Shocking enough, I rocked these rose nails all weekend and am still rocking them today. Bundle Monster really knocked it out of the park with these last plates!

Saturday, when we got back from our mini road trip we had a little dateski night. First up was a little nosh and vino at Wine Room. I savored it because soon after I found myself in a sports bar watching men beat the shiz out of each other. Girlfriend points, fo sho. At least it was a place where it's socially acceptable to drink multiple whiskey cocktails, yeah?

Sunday I had a little lunch and retail therapy session with one of my besties. I picked up this fantastic bow ring from, where else, Forever 21. Leopard, bows, awesomeness.

We spent the latter end of last night hanging out on our front porch grilling and having some brews. That boy of mine made some OMGKILLER boneless BBQ ribs on the grill. He's going to wish he never sprung those little bits of heaven on me because I'm going to be requesting them on the reg now.

Me and my girly hanging out, watching the grill master at work.

[Urban Outfitters - Smush, Urban Outfitters - Sea Dust, Love & Beauty - Fuscia, Lush Lacquer - Birthday Cake, Party Rockin, Lite Brite, Models Own - Purple Blue, Aqua Violet Beetle Juice, Golden Green Beetle Juice]

Lastly, I figured I'd share my weekend polish haul. Mostly because the last 6 bottles in this photo make me incredibly happy. I've been so obsessed with Lush Lacquer lately and these are my newest additions to my LL collection. I found the Models Own polishes at Urban Outfitters for $4.99 a piece, which is a total steal considering they're normally $10 a bottle. Score! 

I hope everyone has the least Monday-like Monday possible!

Find me on Instagram:

whitneyellen

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