Blog Everyday in May: Days 6-9

Day 6: What do you do?

If I can't answer with my job, I'd have to say not much of anything! Ha! :) Matt and I love to eat at new (and old) favorite local restaurants here in Nashville, and we like to be outside as much as possible. We love going for walks on the Green-way here in Nashville and just signed up for a B-cycle membership so we are excited to start using that this summer!

Day 7: Things you're afraid of

Two words: freak accidents. I'm always scared that the one thing that happens to only .000001 people in the world will happen to me or someone I love. Car accidents, getting kidnapped, plane crashing, etc. All those things that you have no control over!

Also, I'm super freaked out by bugs, frogs, and snakes!!!!!!!!!

Day 8: A piece of advice

Hmm... I'm not one to usually give out advice (but I'll take it all day long!). I'd have to say the best piece of advice I can give is to always do what you want. Try out new things if you need to, but always stay true to who you are and don't feel like you have to do something if you truly don't want to.

Day 9: A moment in your day

No pictures, but today was a busy one. My Pre-K class is graduating next week, so we are busy preparing for that, PLUS the awesome Mother's Day party we are throwing tomorrow! I'll be sure to take some pictures and post all about it!

Blogging Challenge

Turns out, I spend too much time reading blogs, and not enough time writing them.

To help me out, I'm going to join in on the "Blog Everyday in May" challenge issued by the lovely Jenni from Story of My Life. Since I'm a tad bit behind, I'll start off with days 1-5.

Day 1: The story of your life in a paragraph

I was born in Charlotte, NC and lived there until right before 7th grade. We moved to Memphis, TN where my sisters still reside. I went to college in Kentucky at Murray State University and majored in Interior Design. Throughout the last semester of college, I realized that it wasn't really something I wanted to do for a living (although, I loved designing as a hobby for myself), but I finished my degree anyway. The summer of 2009, my boyfriend Matt and I decided to move to Nashville. We took that giant leap of faith and I found a job as a pre-school teacher (first as a floater, then teaching 3's, and now teaching Pre-K). I've been working for that same company ever since and absolutely love my little kiddos! OH, and Matt and I are getting married on June 21 of this year after dating for almost 6 years! We can't wait!

Day 2: Educate us on something you know a lot about or are good at

Hmmm... this is a tough one. I guess one thing I know a lot about is interior design (hello... degree... see above!!). I'll mention a few of my pet peeves when it comes to design and maybe this will give you a glimpse into why I didn't choose it as a career! :)

First of all, one of my biggest pet peeves is art that is hung entirely too wrong. For example, a painting hung too low. The perfect height is 6" above a sofa---but the painting should be big enough that is is also 6" from the ceiling--making it look "even" between the sofa and ceiling. If your artwork is not that large, just center it in between for the best look--or gather more artwork to make it into a gallery of sorts.

Another pet peeve is when people create gallery walls (love them!) but they aren't spaced out evenly. I'm a huge stickler for symmetry--everything has to be even and balanced!!!

Pet peeve #3 is when clients say what they want, then don't take your suggestions or you do exactly what they want and they end up not liking it---when you suggested something totally different. Then, they blame it on you. Working with clients is a huge part of why I didn't want to do interior design!! Either people don't like anything or they love everything and can't decide--which still makes things hard!!

Day 3: Things that make you uncomfortable

PDA!! Holding hands is perfectly fine, but if you are full on making out in public, you are making everyone else around you uncomfortable, so save it for the privacy of your own home!!

Also, people standing way too close to me and still practically screaming in my face!! So uncomfortable--you can back away, but they keep lunging closer and closer to you!! I hate that!

Day 4: Favorite quote and why you love it

I went to PodCamp yesterday with Matt and the first session we went to was called "Elephant Love, Ubuntu, and Why Everything is Possible" by Zachary Hamilton. I'll admit, this was the one session I chose (it was a tech conference, afterall) and I chose it strictly because it was about elephants. Of course, it wasn't actually about elephants, but he did tell a really sweet story about some. There were quite a few "take-away" quotes, but I think my favorite of all was this one:



Think about that for a second. Lifting one another up--encouraging each other--is in OUR best interest. I love that...and it's so true! Click the picture above for the rest of his slideshow--there are a few other great quotes in there!

Day 5: Publicly profess your love for another blogger friend

Well, I don't know her personally, but I found this challenge on Natasha's blog: Hello! Happiness. I can't remember how I stumbled upon her blog, but I've been reading for years and always look forward to her posts each day. We both live in Nashville, so of course I love hearing her reviews of all things local, but also look forward to seeing pictures of her little cutie pie, Caroline! I love Natasha because she's so honest and real. She is who she is and she isn't going to apologize for that!

Stay tuned for Day 6...

Estate Sales

Matt and I recently got into going to estate sales (and by "recently," I mean last weekend...). 

There is something so creepy about it. Just walking through someone (who probably recently passed away) else's house and buying their stuff. The first one we went to had everything (and I mean EVERYthing) still in it's place. You could literally walk into this woman's closet and buy her grandma-looking clothes right off the hangers. This particular house also had some really great deals. There was a HUGE brand new sectional in the upstairs area that had a sign on it for $1400. Way too much for us, plus it would never fit in our apartment, so we just passed it on by. Next thing you know, a man runs up the stairs and says that the price on the sectional is slashed down to $400! FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS!!! I wish we could have snagged that up!

The next sale we went to was even better! We went to an estate sale in a nice area of Nashville in a 4-story house where we had to call and get the address because it was in a gated community! 

It. Was. Awesome.

I will say, it surprised me. The house was super nice on the outside, but everything inside, while expensive, was super outdated. The best part for us was driving around the neighborhood as we were leaving. Hey, we were already "in," so why not snoop around?? We saw cars that cost more than an average house, houses with AMAZING views, and even a special "members only" exit out of the neighborhood. 

We're planning on going to even more estate sales soon, so I'll keep you updated!

Beauty 101: Sneak Peak!

Stay tuned…this week, I’ll be showing you the ins and outs of my newest obsession…dry shampoo!

FOUR days in between washes?? You bet! :)

Beauty 101: BB Creams

What is it?

The best description I’ve found is from Birchbox:

“These all-in-one products combine the functions of a primer, anti-aging serum, moisturizer, and light foundation—plus, many contain added benefits like SPF.”

Basically, it’s one cream that does the work of countless beauty products. It’s a primer, moisturizer, concealer, foundation, anti-aging serum, and sunscreen—all rolled into one super easy-to-use cream!

What brand?

There are quite a few brands making BB Creams today (they’ve become quite popular!), but the one I’ve used is the tried and true first Korean BB Cream to land in the U.S. Can’t go wrong with the original! It’s called Dr. Jart+ Water Fuse Beauty Balm.

I got a sample of it in my Birchbox a few months ago, but I didn’t really think anything of it (or even try it! Shame on me!) until I saw Pink Pistachio’s video on her 5-minute make-up routine the other day. Well, people…. I’ve been using it ever since!

This stuff is (dare I say?) the best beauty product on the market right now!

Where to find it?

You can get it a few places online, but probably the most popular are Sephora or Birchbox. The price is higher than your average drug store (around $32), but I’d say it’s spot on with what you’d pay at Sephora or any beauty counter for foundation. Plus, remember—you’re getting like 5 products in one!! Definitely worth the price!

How do I apply?

It’s easy. After you shower or wash your face in the morning, just squirt some on your fingers (a little goes a long way!) and spread it all over your face—just like you would a moisturizer! Don’t be shy—you can even spread it all over your eyelids—it’s a great primer! I like to follow it up with a little bit of my favorite Bare Minerals Matte Foundation—just to finish it off. Add a little blush, some mascara, and a swipe of lip gloss and you’re all set!

What do I do now?

Let me know if you try it!! I’d love to hear other gals opinions on BB Creams! Has anyone tried the drug store variations? At Target the other day, I saw that L’Oreal, Maybelline, and Garnier all had their own versions. I wonder if they’re comparable??

Farmers Market

I love the Nashville Farmers Market. Not only do you get a market full of local fresh fruits and vegetables, but you also get a whole slew of , a garden center, restaurants and a mini flea market!

We went today and got heirloom tomatoes, corn, peaches, squash, and zucchini. We also ate at a newer restaurant called Bella Nashville, which is a traditional wood fire pizzeria. We split the "meat" which was tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, and (the best part) and Benton's Country Ham. They made the entire thing right in front of us and because of the bar seating, we were right in the middle of all the action.

As for the taste, best pizza I've ever had. The country ham totally made the pizza and the other ingredients were fresh as could be. We also ordered a handmade orange soda which was 5317896536 times better than your average Orange Crush.

All in all, 5 stars and we'll definitely be back soon.

Did I mention they also sell loaves of sourdough bread baked in the same wood fire oven? Definitely on my list for next time.

Ughh...21 Days...

I knew this would happen. Every single time I start a blog, I write for a week or two and then stop.

It's not like I forget about it... No, I definitely think about it all the time.

"Oh yeah, I need to keep up with the blog this time."

"I should put this on the blog when I get home."

"I really need to upload those photos so I can put them on the blog."

But then I get busy reading other blogs.

Then, I look up and realize I have a really great guy sitting across the room bored to tears while I'm just wasting away reading blogs and I know I should spend time in  real life with a real guy instead of in blog land with a thousand people I don't know.

But guess what? I have at least an hour and a half alone in the apartment before he even gets home. I could write 10 blog posts in that time. Or I could write on the weekends and schedule them to post during the week. It's really not that hard.

So... no more excuses.

Here we go...