Day 3....Already Getting A Little Annoyed...

Day 3 is here!!! 

I started to get annoyed earlier today with this whole "Vegan" lifestyle.... It just takes me a while to adjust to things I suppose!

BREAKFAST : None - I was running late to a meeting and forgot to grab something! Oops!

LUNCH: I called my dad to see if he wanted to grab something....he suggested Olive Garden. I figured I could just eat my weight in their salad since I love the salad dressing so much! Once we got there....I smelled all of the smells and saw all of the food and I ALMOST CRACKED! I couldn't really find anything without cheese, or meat for that matter, on the menu!! But I finally settled for the salad and their minestrone soup (this diet is making me try new and unexpected things!). The soup was actually delish! So it worked out well!

DINNER : We are going out to eat with my husband's family to a restaurant where I can grab a strawberry fields salad and tons of good veggie sides!

So far...I am still on track!! Although....I MAY or MAY NOT have had a few bits of an Olive Garden buttery garlicky delicious breadstick before I remembered that bread usually has eggs in it!! Dang it! But I quickly put it down and pushed the plate away....for good.

Happy eatings!!

XO,

Hilary

Day TWO of being a Vegan

(This was supposed to post yesterday and apparently was let as a draft!!) 

Well...day one was pretty easy! I really think I can probably eat like this all the time...it just takes getting used to!

Today I really didn't have any genius recipes that I stuck with...I'm sure I will be creative again tomorrow. Here is what I ate :

• Breakfast : oatmeal with blueberries
• Lunch : (oatmeal really filled me up from earlier) a bowl of Smart Start cereal with Vanilla Almond Milk       *side note....I was really skeptical about vanilla almond milk....but it might be my new favorite  thing! It tastes like a vanilla milk shake almost and it's SOOOO good in cereal. Plus.... it last a WHOLE lot longer than regular milk...like a month! 
• Dinner : We are going to the local hibachi restaurant to get fried rice, vegetables, and salad with their ginger dressing!

SEEEEE! It really is as easy as that! I have found so many great recipes on Pinterest that I am really excited about trying! But a lot of the call for you to cook stuff in the oven and our 6 month old oven just decided to stop working yesterday. Awesome. So...we will try them soon! :)

Happy Tuesday!

XO, 


Hilary  

Day ONE of Veganism - Plus a GIVEAWAY!

Well...after hearing about it from so many friends, hubs and I decided to finally watch the documentary "FORKS OVER KNIVES". It was so interesting to see these two doctors explaining how meat is not necessarily a good ting to have in your diet. All of the statistics were very interesting! If you haven't watched this yet....you def. should! You don't have to be a person that's super into diets or anything like that...it's just an interesting thing to watch! 

That being said...hubs and I have decided to challenge ourselves to 30 days of being vegan. YEP...that's right! 30 whole days of NO meat, dairy, eggs, cheese, white breads, etc! It is kind of scary and overwhelming to think about it but I have actually found a lot of great recipes on Pinterest. For me, the thing that is throwing me off the most is that we tend to plan our meals based on what meat we are having. You just have to get that out of your head and dive on it! 

Day One has been pretty good so far! Here are the recipes that I threw together for my meals : 

Fiesta Lime Corn Salad : 

1 can sweet corn (drained)

1/2 can black beans drained

1/2 lime

A handful of cherry tomatoes - sliced in half

1 avocado - cubed

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

• Throw the corn in a skillet and let it simmer a little and just cook some....then move it into a mixing bowl.
• Throw the black beans in the same skillet after the corn is done and let them warm up a little...then dump them into the same bowl.
• Add the avocados and tomatoes into the same bowl.
• Squeeze the half of the lime over the ingredients.
• Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and then salt and pepper to taste. 

IT WAS SOOOOO MUCH BETTER THAN I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE!!!

Fresh Basil and Garlic Pasta :

Whole Wheat Linguini

1 teaspoon Garlic

Olive Oil

Italian Seasoning (like a tuscan mix or something like that!)

Fresh Basil - about 4 leaves - chopped into bits as big as you like them! 

Cherry Tomatoes (halved)

Asparagus

• Cook your pasta according to the package.
• While the pasta is cooking, in a skillet, add olive oil (i just wing it, I basically want it to lightly coat the pasta in the end), the garlic, italian seasoning and let it heat up.
• Once this is heated up, add the asparagus and let it cook.
• Drain your pasta and add it into a big bowl with the olive oil mixture and asparagus, tomatoes (uncooked), and the basil.....

THIS IS OUR NEW FAVE MEAL! IT"S SO EASY TO THROW TOGETHER!

As you can see, I like to thrown together recipes that don't have exact measurements....I just like to wing it a lot! It just makes life a little easier and less stressful! :) 

Do you have any favorite vegan or vegetarian recipes?! I would love to hear them!!

ALSO... don't forget to hop over to the ACCESSORY DASH Facebook page! We are having a fabulous new giveaway for this Inslee By Design painting : 

The giveaway ends TOMORROW morning! So get over there and get your entries in!!!

XOXO, 

Hilary 

Yet ANOTHER Giveaway!

Guess What?! Yep...that's right! We have added ANOTHER giveaway to the Accessory Dash Facebook page!

You have the chance to win one of these two pieces...it is YOUR choice if you win! 

Hop on over there right now and see what you have to do to win!! Please help spread the word about Accessory Dash!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Accessory-Dash/273646386038992

GOOD LUCK!

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Well....I finally opened the Accessory Dash page on Facebook yesterday!! 

We are kicking off the opening of the page by having an amazing GIVEAWAY!! 

Want to win these bad boys?! They are Ippolita inspired earrings...I LOVE the navy color!! 

Perfect for your summer wardrobe!

Jump on over to the Accessory Dash Facebook page and see 

what you have to do to win these amazing earrings! 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Accessory-Dash/273646386038992

Good luck!!

XO, 

Hilary

Life Update and Accessory Dash!

Well...Well...Well...


Here we are again! Life has thrown so many changes our way and we are making lemonade out of lemons for sure! We have all been so crazy and busy lately that I have put my blog on the back burner...With that being said, I am going to try to make it more of a point to keep it somewhat updated!

Quick Little Life Update : 

• Jackson Robert finally made his debut on February 15 - Holy Cow! 3 months already!! It's FLYING by!
• After a few weeks of prayer, soul searching, and BIG talks....we decided that the best thing would be for me to stay at home with Jackson and not go back to work! I LOVED my job but LOVE being home with my baby even more. My job was super demanding and I wasn't sure I could do it all and then give my leftovers to Jackson...if you know what I mean! It's been a wonderful experience so far! I love getting to see him grow and learn every day!
• Casey's job has taken off lately and he has been SUPER busy 
• Again....after tons of prayer, soul searching, and TONS of other big talks....I have decided to start a side business from home that will both keep me busy AND allow me to stay at home with the baby!

PROUDLY INTRODUCING :

 Accessory Dash is a fabulous new auction for all sorts of amazing accessories via Facebook! To give you a little idea about it.....we will host auctions every Wednesday night (starting in June). All of the pieces will be first come, first served...there will be a limited quantity of each piece of jewelry, scarves, bags, etc. The first ones to claim them and pay for them via paypal, will be the lucky winners of the pieces!

I have been busy researching vendors, placing orders, building the Facebook page, and spreading the word to friends! I am so happy to announce that the official Facebook page should be open any day now! The first auction will take place June 20....but until then, we will be hosting some giveaways and running some fun contests! 

Until then, keep up with us via Twitter @accessorydash !

XOXO, 

Hilary

Southern Mom 101....Perfecting The Pie

If you are Facebook friends with me, you may have noticed my post from

Thursday night, which read :

"I believe that every good southern mom should have the chicken pot pie perfected... I perfected mine tonight. Jackson, you are officially allowed to make your debut now!"

Yes...it's true! I am officially at 40 weeks and 1 day along! And yes...it's true....I DID perfect the best chicken pot pie recipe ever Thursday night! DOUBLE WHAMMIE! My husband was especially excited about the second part...even though he was a little skeptical while I was cooking and kept trying to take ingredients OUT of the mix.

While I don't think Jackson will make his debut today...at least I have something yummy to take my mind off of it! If he doesn't show up by Wednesday, I have been scheduled to be induced that morning. I am praying that he comes on his own before then though! Prayers are needed!

Just in case you are curious about this new magically delicious recipe...I have typed it up below for you to use! And yes, you are more than welcome to print it off, laminate it, and frame it up in your kitchen for safe keeping forever.

Also....just a little thought...I absolutely HATED chicken pot pie growing up! My mom would always pop the frozen ones in the oven for a quick meal and I was NEVER excited about it...glad I have changed my ways! But that has not been said for other childhood hates....such as meatloaf, brussel sprouts, or ham. SICK.

Hilary's Magically Delish Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients :

• Carrots (3-4 medium ones)
• Broccoli (a small head)
• Yellow Onion (i used about 1/4 of an onion)
• Red Potatoes (2 medium sized red potatoes)
• Celery (3 stalks)
• 3 chicken breasts
• Salt
• Pepper
• Butter
• Olive Oil
• Garlic Powder
• Milk
• 2 cans of cream of potato soup
• 2 pie crusts (I just used the Pillsbury already prepared crusts!)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon of water

*just a side note...I wrote about how much of the vegetables I used but I really just kind of winged it on everything...so I don't have exact measurements! Just play and have fun with it, you don't have to stick to specifics!

Directions :

• Thaw your chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook with a little olive oil in a skillet until just about done (if it's still a little pink, that's okay b/c it will cook more in the oven!)
• Let it cool and then chop into bite size pieces (not too big)
  
• Slice up all of your vegetables into bite sized pieces
• Throw about a tablespoon of butter and a couple drizzles of olive oil into a pot with all of your sliced veggies and let it all cook together for a bit (don't let your veggies get TOO cooked and soggy bc they will cook a little longer in the oven too!)
• While the veggies are cooking, place your bottom pie crust into a pie pan or round metal cake pan, poke a few holes in the bottom with a fork and go ahead and cook this at 350 for about 5-7 minutes, just to get it going - you don't want it to be doughy on the bottom!
• Once the veggies and chicken are done, mix them all together in the pot with your 2 cans of cream of potato soup and about 1/2 cup of milk, to make it a somewhat thick/soupy consistency. It will thicken as it cooks, you don't want this to be too dry!
• Sprinkle with about 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste
  
• Pour over the bottom pie crust and top this off with the second crust. Poke holes in the top so that the air can move through it while in the oven.
  
• Mix the egg and water together to make an egg wash and brush this over the top crust...it will make it a little more golden and crispy in the long run.
  
• Bake on 350 degrees until the pie crust is golden.
• EAT IT UP!!!!
  

Let me know if you make this and what you think! I would love to hear any tips or tricks you have for the perfect chicken pot pie or if you make any changes to this recipe!

Enjoy!

XOXO,

Hilary

Question For My Internet Saavy Friends...

Have you all messed with any of the Facebook/online auctions at all? I think it's become a small obsession for me lately. Even if I don't win anything or even bid on anything...I LOVE watching them and seeing what is going to come up next! It seems like a big game!

What are your favorite Facebook auctions that you follow?

I tend to lean more toward the jewelry auctions...

I would love to hear from you on this!

XOXO,

Hilary

So....We Got Hungry...

I have this slight obsession (as I am SURE that a lot of you do by now...) with a well-known little website called PINTEREST. Holy Moly...you can find SO many things through Pinterest. I am always showing Casey the cool things that I find on there....and he usually seems to roll his eyes at me and tell me what a waste of time it all is.............UNLESS it's an idea for a future house to build or cool new recipe! You see, I have a husband who really likes to experiment and cook new random good dishes. I love that about him! I seem to always stick to the same 'ol faithful recipes when I am cooking....but not Casey!

This morning I was so pregnantly exhausted that we decided to skip church, sleep in, and just lay in bed for a while and do nothing. I, of course, grabbed my iPad and started looking through all of your fun pins! One of my sweet friends posted THIS little recipe for homemade chicken nuggets......

(via 100daysofrealfood.com)

So we decided that we would try them for dinner tonight! While preparing our groceries...we then found THIS great recipe for Chick-Fil-A type nuggets too! So...we got a little crazy and tried both recipes out!

(via housefulofhandmade.com)

Oh my word...you MUST go to these two fun blogs, grab the recipes, and try them out for yourself! Casey and I are obsessed! They were both equally good and the Chick-Fil-A ones really tasted pretty dang close to the real deal!

I just wanted to share those with you all really quickly before I slipped into a heavy food-coma!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. Hopefully you won't have a horrible case of the Mondays tomorrow...and hopefully I will continue to update the good 'ol blogaroo more and more! Let me know what you want to hear about!

XOXO,

Hilary

Sorority Life...

Today was bid day at Ouachita Baptist University....

I thought I would find a few pictures of me and some of my pledge sisters

to commemorate the day!

I vividly remember this morning 9 years ago, when I woke up and became an EEE! I'll never forget hearing the songs outside my window, waiting to put on my red sweater...and hoping to see that bid slide under my dorm room door! Becoming an EEE was a huge thing for me... I learned a lot from those girls and made so many of my best friends through it all! Congrats to PC2012, whoever you stunning ladies are! Put your BIG red bows on and always remember that BLOOD MAKES THE GRASS GROW!!!

Love and miss you all!!!

XOXO,

Hilary

The Perils of Pregnancy - Final Days...

Well...as you can tell, I have been so incredibly busy and overwhelmed with life that I haven't even had a chance to blog since I was 15 weeks prego (also, i cannot get my stupid blog to work from my ipad!)! I am now, as of TODAY, officially 38 weeks pregnant! Holy Moly! It's all gone by WAAAAAY too fast! I cannot believe that my due date is in TWO short weeks!

I was laying in bed last night thinking of how excited I am for sweet little Jackson Robert to be here....but also how excited I am to have some small things semi-back to normal! So.... since I had a minute, I thought I would write a quick post about it all.

Perils Of Pregnancy - WHAT I WANT BACK!

1. SLEEP - well, okay, not REALLY sleep because we all know that will be a lost cause once he is here....but really the comfort of sleep. I am normally a REALLY good sleeper but now I cannot get comfy at all! I toss and turn all night trying to find that one perfect position...and it never seems to work! What I would give to have one night of sleep on my stomach again....

2. MEXICAN FOOD - let's be honest, I can really have this anytime that I want (I mean we DO live in Texas where it is totally a staple in our regular diets) but I am ready to really enjoy it again! I don't have much of an appetite these days -mainly because there is not a whole lot of room left in my body for anything but baby! So when I do eat, I can't seem to eat much at a time. Plus...mexican food now gives me the WORST indigestion that I have gotten to a point where it just isn't even worth it to fight the battle all night anymore!

3. ANKLES/ FEET - I work retail and I love it! I wouldn't trade it for the world. But....one thing that I hate...is that after being pregnant and on my feet all day, they are the most swollen/tired things in the world! All I want to do at the end of the day is get home, take off my shoes, and lay down! Or wear nothing on my feet but my stupid looking puppy dog house shoes! It's tricky because I want to look cute at work every day....but how do you do that when your feet don't quite fit into your cute shoes anymore? I even went and bought some TOMS in a whole size larger - and yes, they ARE the most comfy shoes EVER - but now I have realized that with the way my feet swell, they are bruising the tops of my feet! I am so ready to have my normal feet back and all of my cute fun shoes!

4. SITTING - I know this one sounds really odd. But to be quite honest....I am a lot more comfortable standing these days than I am sitting! It sounds really backwards, I know. There is an odd spot on the right side of my back that really starts to bother me and hurt when I sit for a few minutes. It's really uncomfortable... even when sitting on the couch. You will notice me start moving around and trying to stretch it out. I hate this! It's REALLY annoying! But hopefully once the baby is here...this will resolve itself. I'm sure it's from pressure and frontal weight gain pulling me.

Hmmm....that's all I can think of at the moment. I am sure more will come to me as soon as I publish this post. I do have two weeks until my actual due date (February 10) but the doctor is telling me that it will probably be closer to the 15th! What do I do with that?! There is no more room for this baby to grow...plus I don't really want a Valentine's baby! I am kind of over it all and uncomfortable all of a sudden. I am so ready to meet Jackson...so pray that we go into labor sooner than later! We have no plans of inducing at the moment...but that could change!

Be on the lookout...I might get crazy and post some prego pics in a minute!

XOXO,

Hilary

The Perils of Pregnancy...

As of Friday....Baby H is officially at 15 weeks!

According to www.thebump.com, Baby H is the size of an orange this week - approx. 4 inches! So crazy to know that little life is forming inside of me! God is amazing and does such cool things!

Casey and I have been so busy lately with working on the new house, living with our parents, working in general, and so on...that we really haven't done much baby stuff or talked a whole lot about the baby! We just tell eachother how excited we are and all of that...but haven't focused much on it. I really still don't feel like I am pregnant since I haven't been sick or anything (the only thing affecting me at the moment is hunger pains and fatigue) ...........until TODAY.....when my pants officially wouldn't button! I FINALLY had to whip out the BellyBand! I bought it about three weeks ago but never used it because I didn't think I was pregnant enough yet.... but today was a slightly different story!

It's an odd thing to gain a little weight during your first pregnancy. I have always been a smaller person - about 5'1" and 105 pounds. Now it's okay to gain that baby weight but it's still odd when you have always tried to keep yourself FROM gaining weight! There are about 5 girls that I see on a regular basis at church that are as far along as I am, give or take two weeks and are showing a lot more than me - clearly I have been sucking in my baby belly! Is that normal?!?! It's just such an odd thing for me! I'm not ashamed of it or anything....I feel like I should hide it a little while longer and that I'm not far along enough to really have a baby bump yet! HA - I'm four months along!!!!

Oh the perils of being pregnant....I just had to share!

Have you had this issue or one like it?! I would love to hear!!!

XOXO,

Hilary

Friday Fabulous Five - Nail Polish Edition

Do YOU have a signature nail color that you ALWAYS gravitate to? I feel like the same goes with nail polish as it does with perfume - every girl should have a signature color/scent that is yours to claim! Mine? Yeah... I am still debating... my signature has usually always been just to go with a clean, simple, classic french manicure. But...from time to time, I have to change it up a little bit! Yesterday, I had a day off and decided it was WAY past pedicure time for this momma! I decided to run to Ulta and grab some polish to take with me so that I could do touch-ups if I needed to in a week or two. I scoped out all different colors of polish and even asked my Facebook friends what their faves were!

Here is my list of my new top five go-to nail polish colors - minus the french manicure of course!!!

1. ESSIE - FIJI

I really like this because it's a pretty light ballet pink WITHOUT any shimmer to it! I love the opaque-ness!

2. OPI - ROAD HOUSE BLUES

(Touring America Collection)

Why?? Because I have recently gained an addiction for the color navy! This will be great for Fall toes!

3. ESSIE -PANSY

A lot of times I have a dark pink on my toes - especially in the spring!

4. ESSIE - CHINCHILLY

A GREAT color for fall! I love this tone of gray!

5. CHANEL - LOTUS ROUGE

What a timeless red! It's a great color for any season of the year! Southern girls love our red nailpolish!

Now it's your turn!! What are your most favorite nail polish brands and colors to turn to?!

Happy Friday!

XOXO,

Hiary

College Days...

This post is specifically dedicated to ALL of my Ouachita Baptist University friends. May we always be friends forever...no matter where we are and what we are doing!!

LOVE YOU ALL!

Earlier I was thinking back about college, all of the fun we had, and the memories that were made. Here were some of the memories VIVIDLY that came back to me...see if you remember these as well as I do....

• The monsoon/flood of finals week - May 2003 (RIP the blue bug)





• The drowning of Mandy's explorer in the river - finals week/graduation week - May 2006





• Longest EEE meetings ever....





• Any time spent at the Marks' house boat





• Many beer runs to Hot Springs





• The Pink Palace





• Orange juice from a milk jug in the middle of the living room





• Circle of death





• Miss Arkansas - and the parties afterward





• Long nights of weary Tiger Tunes practice and spying...





• Champagne Campaigns





• Lip Gloss Cellys





• Q Dawg Inn





• Any time spent at the V - with or without beer being spilled all over you...

I know that there are many more...but these are the first ones that came to mind! Leave comments with other memories if you think of any! I would love to hear them!

Happy Saturday!

XO,

Hilary

Friday Fabulous Five - Hair Essentials (One Day Late!)

I started this post yesterday and NEVER got a chance to finish! SO..here it is a day late!

Think about the hair stuff that you HAVE to have in order to get your mane looking good every day! What are the things that you cannot live without?!

Well...I put together a little Fab Five list of my top hair must-haves just for you!

Here Goes...

1. BIOSILK - seriously...if you have never tried this stuff...run to Target or wherever right now and splurge a little on this little bottle of miraculous clear liquid! A little bit goes a LONG way...but massage this into your hair while it's wet and when you blow-dry you will notice a huge silky difference in your strands! It's amazing! Go get some...NOW!

2. AUSSIE THREE MINUTE MIRACLE - gone are the days when I didn't care about which conditioner I would use. I LOVE this stuff! At about $3 a pop...how can you NOT? Again...a little goes a long way with this product! I notice a huge difference in my hair when I use this...it makes it soft and shiny but it doesn't seem to weigh my super thick hair down! Plus...it smells good too!

3. MY FAMOUS TEASING COMB - (no...it doesn't laugh at you or tell you jokes...it's used to TEASE your hair) You really cannot tell from this picture, but it actually has three offset rows of bristles. It does an AMAZING job of grabbing your hair and teasing it perfectly! Keep in mind...if you went to Ouachita Baptist University, are from Arkansas, or Texas....we ALL love big hair! This is the perfect thing to have on hand! You can find this comb at Sally Bauty Supply for pennies...no really...I am pretty sure it's under $2! Grab a few and give them to friends...I do! If you don't know how to tease your hair yet....I am sure you can find plenty of youtube tutorials!

4. CHI FLAT IRON - need I say more? If you use a flat iron and haven't splurged on a Chi yet... you DON'T know a good hot flat iron! For example...I didn't dry my hair completely last night, so I woke up with a funky wave to it. Woke up, straightened with my Chi, and now I am at work with perfectly straight hair!
5. AUSSIE INSTANT FREEZE HAIRSPRAY - a must have for sure! I don't like those stupid hairsprays that say that they are a hard hold hairspray and you can't even feel them in your hair! This stuff is not heavy...but you know it's there and it holds REALLY well! I love this! Everytime I buy it, I go ahead and grab two bottles...it's under $4...so it's a great hair product to keep on hand!

Well folks...there you have it! What are YOUR favorite go-to hair essentials?! I want to know! I am always looking for things to add to my collection of must-haves!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I am off to work for the day!

Updates on the house and baby to come later!

XOXO,

Hilary

BLUE DOG

Have you ever encountered the famous Blue Dog paintings by George Rodrigue???

I absolutely LOVE these whimsical prints! I think it might be fun to have a few prints framed in the baby's room! There are ALL different Blue Dog paintings....one where Blue Dog is at the Whitehouse, Blue Dog riding a motorcycle, Blue Dog in a hurricane. Blue Dog with his friends, etc! You could pretty much find a Blue Dog to go with anything!

Blue Dog even has a series of children's books now and they are ADORABLE!

If you have a family of dog lovers...you will definately need to grab these! Check them out on Amazon! They have names such as: Why Is Blue Dog Blue? , Blue Dog Speaks, Are You Blue Dog's Friend?, Blue Dog Man, etc! Love them!

So when you get time....google Blue Dog art work...I know you will fall in love too!

Contemplating tomorrow's Friday Fave Five post... what do you think my topic should be tomorrow? Places to shop? Ingredients to cook with? Toiletry essentials? Favorite websites? Books? I need some help deciding!

What do YOU want to know about?!

Happy Thursday!

XOXO,

Hilary

I Hope To Be...

...i hope to be a cute little prego momma like these celebs...

i am so ready to be out of this semi-pudgy stage and get on to having a

baby bump! i am so sure that when i actually do have a baby bump,

i will be singing a different tune!

hope you have a lovely wednesday!

XOXO,

Hils

Friday Fabulous Five!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

I am sure that you all are looking forward to the much needed weekend as much as I am!

As I was putting on my make-up this morning, I started going through my make-up bag and noticing things that I felt like I just could not live without in my morning routine. I thought that I might put together a little list of my top five make-up picks! Here goes...

FRIDAY FABULOUS FIVE : MAKE-UP MUST HAVES!

My newest and most recent must have item : Rimmel Day 2 Night Mascara

I love THICK black mascara! This stuff is perfect since it has two brushes included (and did I mention that they both fit in the tube at the same time?!). One brush is for length and one is for thickness. The lengthening brush is good for a soft day-time look and the thickening brush is good for a night-time look. Let's face it....I use the lengthening first and then the thickening on top of that in order to get the best of both worlds! I love this stuff! It doesnt get gunky and it stays on really well all day long!

My Must Have of All Time : Mac Lipglass in PRRR

I love the thickness of this specific lipgloss. One tube will last a very long time and it is actually a flattering color on everyone! It's a light pink with a little hint of gold shimmer. If it's a windy day...watch out for your hair getting stuck in this thick stuff!

My Super Cheap Must Have : Fabuliner

Okay seriously.....I love the look and they saying power of liquid eyeliner but sometimes it can look realy harsh...right? Well...this easy to use liquid eyeliner pen is PERFECT! It's easier for me to control and it seems a little less harsh than normal liquid eyeliner...almost like it's watered down just a touch. Plus....I find this stuff at Walgreens for a dollar or two! It's amazing!

My Splurge Must Have : The Supernatural by Philosophy

Okay yes......I am not a HUGE make-up splurger anymore like I used to be (pre-marriage and pre-shared bank account days...) but this stuff was worth the money! I think I bought it about 6 months ago at Sephora for $36 and I bet I have about another month or two left in it! It's a loose powder with this great little spongy poof connected to the top of the bottle! I put it on first in the mornings...it just gives a soft airbrushed look and covers small flaws well! I love keeping this stuff in my purse in case I need any touch-ups. It's light enough that I can dab a little over my bronzer mid-day and it doesn't look like a big white powder circle on my face!

My I'll-Probably-Never-Use-Another-Brand-For-This-Unless-They-Quit-Making-It Must Have :

Eyes Lips Face Studio Bronzer Duo

I have been religiously buying and using this for the past 3-4 years probably. At only $3 a pop...I stock up when I order JUST IN CASE they ever decide to discontinue it! It's the perfect bronzer and blush duo. It gives you a perfect glow without making you look orange at all. It's actually a close knock-off to the NARS bronzer/blush duo.

Okay...your turn! What are your five make-up must haves?! I want to know! I am always on the lookout for something new to try!

Have a fabulous Friday!

XOXO,

Hilary

New Home....New Ideas

On Monday, Casey and I will be closing on our NEW house! We are so excited! It's in an old brick street area of town known as the Azalea District. It's the old historic district in Tyler and I absolutely LOVE it! I have ALWAYS wanted to live there. All of the houses are old and most of them have been remodeled on the inside....but it seems like most people keep that old charm to them in some way. It's very much a 1950's television neighborhood, if you know what I mean....everyone is walking their dogs after work and everyone knows everyone.

Our new house was built in the 30's and really hasn't had much done to it. We got it at such a great price, that we are able to do a lot of remodeling before we move in (AND before Baby H gets here!!). I love this because I feel like we are realy personalizing the house for ourselves! Our plans right now are to basically gut the kitchen and re-finish it, re-do both of the bathrooms, re-roof, cut back the trees in the front, re-fence the backyard, scrape popcorn off of all ceilings, re-texture and paint all of the rooms.

My problem with this is....I am having a touch time picking out my paint colors! I want to do something that I haven't previously done in our house! We always have a lot of warm tones...reds, khakis, browns. But I am really wanting to add in some gray, turquoise, and navy!

What do you think of all of this?! What are YOUR favorite color combinations for rooms?? Does EVERY room have to flow with the other rooms or can they be themselves and be different????

I will have to post some pictures I have found as ideas for the new house later and see how you respond to those! Let me know your feelings on all of this! I would love to hear what you have to say!

Have a wonderful Wednesday! I am of to pick up kolaches and head to work!

Oh....and in case you are wondering...Baby H is officially the size of a plum this week!!!!

XOXO,

Hilary

Old Wives Tales

Thank you so much for your sweet comments yesterday!

We are thrilled about Baby H and cannot wait to meet him or her in February!

We haven't quite decided yet if we will find ut the gender or not....I want to REALLY bad...but Casey doesn't know if he does or not!! ARG! Surely the doctor can just tell me....riiiiight? :)

Anyways...people keep asking me about the gender and such...so I thought I would post the old wives tales that other soon-to-be mamas have posted! Here goes...

Urine test: By observing the color of your urine- if it is neon yellow or a dull yellow. Mine was dull yellow in color which indicates GIRL!

Morning sickness: They say that little girls make their mama's sick and I have had NO morning sickness which indicates BOY!

Soft or dry skin? Mine has been a mixture of both but more normal than anything which indicates GIRL!

Are you craving citrus? Nope....just some fruit here and there but nothing crazy which indicates BOY!

Have you felt glowing or less than beautiful and had lots of breakouts? My face has atually been more clear than ever in the last few months which indicates BOY!

Heartbeat indicator: Both our heartbeats were pretty fast which is said to be an indicator of a GIRL!

Craving fruit or meat? I would have to go with fruit which is an indicator of GIRL!

Pendullum test (which my mother-in-law swares by): Indicated a GIRL!

Dreams- I've heard opposite things on this. Some have said that whatever a mother thinks, it is because mother always knows. Others have said that you have opposite of what you have been dreaming about. I'm not sure but last night for the first time I dreamed about the baby and it was definately a GIRL!

I just thought I would share some of these silly and fun tests. Do any of you have tests you've heard of? Please share!! Our family gets a kick out of hearing and trying these crazy tests!

Hope you have a wonderful Tuesday!

XOXO,

Hilary