Growth of Ethan

My baby boys first year in pictures...

Day One:

7 pounds 5 ounces

21" long

Didn't like baths or being cold. Had dark curly hair and curly little bat ears. Loved to cuddle with mommy and daddy.

One Month Old:

Little personality coming out. Makes cute baby noises and tries to talk. Hair from birth thinned out. Mommy and daddy already so in love.

Two Months Old

Started to chunk up 

Three Months Old

Holds head up well

Four Months Old

Smiles so much and loves to play

Five Months Old

Little love bug and started to bald 

Six Months Old

Growing hair back and starting to really teeth

Seven Months Old

Went to the zoo for the first time 

Eight Months Old

Loves to be outside, camp and hike

Nine Months

Showing interest in toys and can clap his hands

Ten Months

 Smiles all the time and can now crawl

Eleven Months

Has fun playing with cousins and friends

One Year Old!!!!

Got first pair of shoes (black Converse!), babbles, picked first pumpkins, says dadada momoma nonono

My Mommy Body Story

First off I would like to say that I have LOVED being a mommy. Every precious minute of it. Granted my little munchkin is 11 months old tomorrow so how much mischief can he get into. Not really very much right now. He is such a good little guy and it is the biggest joy I have ever experienced watching him grow, learn new things and show me things that he comes up with all on his own.

His delivery was hard. Hard on my body especially with the added taxation of having pre eclampsia. That be nasty to deal with. Recovery was harder. Not just for my physical body but my emotional and mental state took a punch. It is so hard not to be able to do things for yourself and to wait for when you feel better. To sit in a state of not feeling well and not being able to do anything about it was the worst. At one point I even thought I needed meds to make it through the day. One dose of that and I changed my mind. I was determined to feel better. 

Before my doctor gave me the ok to work out I did very light excersizes. I would put in P90X and do the warm ups and the things that didn't require my core muscles. After a few weeks I started to notice a difference in my mood. After I had my last checkup I kicked it up a notch. I tried tae bo, yoga, zumba and even some Jillian Michaels while little man was napping. This was the best anti depressant for me. Natural. Healthy and I was doing something extremely good for my body. 

I had gained way more weight than I dreamt I would with my pregnancy. Getting it off was my goal but instead of focusing on pounds I wanted to choose one healthy change and do that until it was second nature. 

I stopped drinking soda and drank more water.

I stopped eating white breads and pasta and ate whole wheat.

I stopped eating so much red meat and switched to turkey and more chicken.

I stopped expecting myself to workout every day but would be satisfied with a few times a week.

I started eating more fruits and vege's. 

I ate every few hours. Boys napping schedule helped me stay on track.

Well it has been almost a year since I started this journey. It has always been about doing well for my body and being happy. I have lost 70 pounds and have 11 left to lose before my pre pregnancy weight and a good 20 more to loose after that. Lately I have lost focus. We have been eating out more. It's hard to say no but I always try to get the healthiest thing on the menu... that is until I get bored of salads. 

I am back on the wagon. I have been thinking of doing Ragnar next summer which means I would need to start training. Now. And I would be starting from scratch because I run but it's mostly walking. My average mile is around 16 minutes but I need to be under 11 minute miles. Can I do it? 

All this and I am beginning to really love my mommy body. I love my curves. I love my strong muscles. I love being able to improve. That is half the battle. Being happy with yourself. I hope that I never lose sight of that. 

Quick Asian Style Dinner

Hello Everyone,

I have a delicious Asian style dinner I would love to share. Full of flavor and you don't need a lot of ingredients. Best of all it only takes around twenty minutes to prepare. Bonus for my busy home girls ;)

Here is the menu: 

Tangy Asian Meatballs 

Ham Fried Rice 

Start with the fried rice. It is easier to use cold leftover rice for this recipe but if you don't have any you can make a quick batch on the stove or rice cooker. About 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice per 2 cups water. 

In a greased wok (or large saucepan) on stove at medium heat drop 3 eggs and scramble. Add rice and diced ham and a few tablespoons of olive oil.

Mix well. Douse rice in soy sauce and mix until soy sauce is evenly distributed and to your liking. Let sit on low until you are ready to serve.

Meanwhile warm frozen Italian meatballs in microwave for five minutes on plate. Transfer to bowl and drizzle sweet chile sauce and stir until lightly coated. 

Serve ham fried rice and tangy Asian meatballs immediately while warm. Enjoy! 

Modifications:

Skinny Fried Rice

Use brown rice instead of white. 

Instead of ham use chicken. 

Use low sodium soy sauce not regular. 

 

Recipe: 

Ham Fried Rice 

1 1/2 cups uncooked rice

2 cups water

3 eggs

1 1/2 cup diced ham

2 tablespoons olive oil 

3-5 tablespoons soy sauce

Fry egg in wok until done on medium heat.

Add rice and ham and olive oil. Mix.

Cover rice in soy sauce to taste. 

Let sit on low heat until ready to serve.

Tangy Asian Meatballs

Plateful of frozen meatballs

Few tablespoons of sweet chili sauce 

Microwave the meatballs until warmed up. Around 5 minutes depending on microwave strength. Place in bowl. Drizzle sauce until lightly covered. 

Now serve together! Enjoy friends 😁

Dark Smokey Eye Tutorial

I love what a smokey eye can do for you. I love the drama and the depth and it is just plain fun. I do this technique almost everyday with variations. The depth and drama you can achieve with this look is something that can make a girl feel oh so special!


So let's get started...

First off you will need to apply foundation. I like to use liquid foundation, conceal and set with powder. Give yourself a clean canvas to work with. This is art baby!

Next I prime my eyes with a shadow base to give me lasting staying power. Above my face is all ready for the fun stuff.

The Eyes.

To give us the smokey goodness we want we will choose 3 colors to work with. Dark for depth, lighter medium shade and a highlight. The shadows we will be using is Gunmetal (Dark), Money (lighter medium) and Skimp (highlight) from the Urban Decay Mariposa Palette.

Take a medium brush to apply your Skimp (hightlight) underneath your brow and then in the inner corner of your eye making a V shape. This will brighten your eyes and will so pretty. Next take a new medium brush and pack Money (lighter medium) on your lid using short outward motions toward the middle of your lid making the shadow gradually blend.

There should be no shadow on your outer lid. Take a short bristle blending brush and pack Gunmetal (Dark) in a circle motion at the end of your eye. 

This step is important and critical to the whole look. Take the residual on your brush and extend the color along the line of your lower lash. See the different between the two pictures above? Now blend it back toward Money that is already there. 

Blending takes a little practice but keep your strokes light. You can always add more if you want it darker. You should end up with something like this when you are done. 

Take a liner brush and Gunmetal under on the lower lash line blending nicely as you go. Stop about the middle to 3/4 of your eye. You can decide for your eye shape. Ignore the sun light coming through my window blind LOL.

Take your medium brush you used with Money (lighter medium) and connect Gunmetal (dark) to Skimp (highlight).

Line your lower and upper lash line with a black pencil stopping 3/4 of the way in to keep your highlight looking bright. Add some mascara and curl. Also I fill in my eyebrows. 

Now for the cheeks!

For dark eyes like this I would use a lighter peachy shade of blush. You want the focus to be on your eyes so let's keep the cheeks on the softer side. With an angled brush apply in the hollow of your cheek in quick back and forth motion and blend in the apple of your cheek.

Next take a new angled blush brush and apply on the top of where you applied the blush. Dust what is left down the center of your nose, in between your eyebrows and up and on your chin.

The completed look- with bangs up.

And with bangs down. Smashing ain't it? What we want to do with this is darken the outer edges of the eye and draw attention there while at the same time brightening the inner eye. This will make it look clean and effortless. Use a neutral or nude lip gloss and you're all set. 

Before ........After 

Products used:

Liquid Foundation: Flower Cosmetics About Face in LF4

Concealer: Maybelline Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser in 20 Light 

Powder: Bare Minerals Original in Fairly Medium 

Eye Makeup Primer: StillGlamorus Cosmetics Shadow Base in Light
Eye Shadow:Urban Decay Mariposa Palette in Skimp, Money and Gunmetal
Eye Liner: Almay Intense I Color pencil in Black
Mascara: Covergirl flamed out mascara in Very Black Blaze

Brow Powder: Mac Eyeshadow Pot in Handwriting
Blush: Sigma Paris Palette Peche
Highlight: Sigma Paris Palette Lumiere
Lipgloss: BonneBell Vanilla Swirl

Disclaimer: I am not a cosmetologist. I am not an expert. I love makeup and have been experimenting with it since I was very young. The techniques described are what I have found to work for me, my skin tone and texture. Comment if you have questions. Thank you for reading! I appreciate your support.

Natural Glowing Full Face Makeup

I am not one of those women who are comfortable with my face unless it has some makeup on it. Shallow I know. Going to the store with out makeup? Nope. Running errands? No way. Being around my husband and his hotness? NEVER!!!!

Actually I do go without makeup around him but I always try to look my best when I can. On the days I don't want to go crazy with the coverup and just need something quick and easy todo I go for a glowing natural face.

 

Start off with a freshly washed and moisturized face. Here is mine.

Foundation goodness to even everything out.

Liquid: Dot all over and blend with sponge or fingers.

Conceal: Under eye area. I am pointing out the difference it makes with my dark circles. Also dot and blend on other trouble areas.

Powder: Set your liquid and concealer with a powder foundation and a powder brush. This will keep you looking fresh and even. You don't need a lot depending on your coverage but for natural I go with minimal. 

Eye Makeup Primer: Using your fingertips apply to your whole lid area.

Eye Shadow: We will be using 3 different colors of shadow. Medium tone- Smog (dark copper). Dark for depth- Creep (shimmery black). Really light for highlight- Virgin (Pearly). 

Using a fluffy blending brush to cover the lower half of your lid with smog. You don't need a lot just enough to cover. Blend up so it gradually fades.

Using a shorter bristled blending brush take Creep and starting at the outer corner of your eye sweep on the outer 2/3 of your eye concentrating color on the corner. Blend blend blend!!

Brows: If you have brow products you love to fill them in, go for it. I use a matte brown eyeshadow, shade lighter than my hair and an angle brush to fill mine in. To make sure my brow hairs won't go anywhere I use a clear gel mascara to set them.

Lashes: Using a volumizing mascara apply a few coats. We didn't use any eyeliner so however much mascara you use this make your lashes look longer as well as keep the natural feel. Don't forget to curl your lovely lashes.

Now that foundation and your eyes are done let's get to the glow!

Full Face Glow: Using a large fluffy face brush, lightly sweep bronzer from your forehead to your cheeks and your chin in a 3 motion. 

Cheeks: Make a kissing face. The hollow under your cheek bone is where you're going to lightly sweep blush on your cheeks. 

 This is the finished face! Perfect for mommies with one hand and not so much time, busy working ladies and anyone wanting to enhance their inner beauty! I am always running late so I usually do my lips in the car. I forgot that step. Tip: this look would be perfect with a pop of color. Try a fun shade of red or coral for a pretty summery look. 

Products used in order:

Liquid Foundation: Flower Cosmetics About Face in LF4

Concealer: Maybelline Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser in 20 Light 

Powder: Bare Minerals Original in Medium Beige

Eye Makeup Primer: StillGlamorus Cosmetics Shadow Base in Light

Eye Shadow: Urban Decay Naked Palette in Smog, Creep and Virgin

Brow Powder: Mac Eyeshadow Pot in Handwriting 

Brow Gel: Maybelline Great Lash in Clear

Mascara: Flower Cosmetic Zoom-In Ultimate Mascara in Brown Black

Bronzer: Victorias Secret Pretty Perfect Makeup Kit 

Blush: Victorias Secret Pretty Perfect Makeup Kit

Disclaimer: I am not a cosmetologist. I am not an expert. I love makeup and have been experimenting with it since I was very young. The techniques described are what I have found to work for me, my skin tone and texture. Comment if you have questions. Thank you for reading! I appreciate your support.

Dun Dun Dunnnn!

At the beginning of the year I was pretty excited for what this year could mean for me health wise. 

Not being pregnant.

Getting my body in shape.

You know those were the two biggies. I had a plan of doing P90X everyday for 6 months. Then that plan changed. I did pretty well for a few weeks. Then I realized I was putting P90X before caring for my house and my family. So I tried the C25K phone app. Instead of working out everyday for at least an hour I would only have to run for a half hour 3 times a week. That sounded pretty good to me. 

Being a new mom and figuring a lot of this stuff out was tough. I didn't have a 8-6 schedule anymore. It was all day every day and I was in charge of the cooking, cleaning, laundry and baby boys feeding, cleaning and caring. Fitting fitness into that is still hard for me but I try not to stress about it. 

The important thing for me is that I am continually making healthy choices here and there as a lifestyle. Not some 'Get ripped in 30 days and only eat 500 calories' bull crap that I know I would get tired of. I am LOSING weight but its a few pounds over the course of a couple months. I know that I can keep this up. I still try to fit a few workouts in a week but as long as I feel good about it. 

So I started the year off at 225 lbs (ouch) but now I am down to 200! I lost 25 pounds in six months by making SMALL choices and doing what I can to stay active. I have a feeling when little man starts to crawl that will give me some more opportunities for cardio. 

This journey has been a long one for me. I started out life with my husband being 120 lbs and I'm 5'7". That is not a healthy weight and I long for the days when I didn't have a pouch but being beautiful isn't about your waistline or your BMI. True beauty shines from the inside of a person and blossoms outward. I gained a lot of weight through out the years and that affected me. Social anxiety and feeling terrible about myself were constant struggles. 

Ethan is the best gift I have ever gotten. Going through pregnancy and our awful delivery has proven that I am so much stronger then I ever thought. Austin has loved me everyday no matter how I feel about myself. My blessings are my little family. I couldn't imagine a better life with out them. 

Make Up Organization

Alright ladies what is better than make up?

Having it organized!

I just wanted to share how I have my makeup stored. This is the easiest way for me to get to it and also for me to see what I have. Let's face it if I don't know where everything it's hard for me to get what I need.

My magnetic board organizes my pigments and other things I use regularly. Then I have my brushes and double sided mirror handy.

I have a shelf with everything else I need. This jar has everything I need for my lashes and liners.

I use an office desktop organizer for my liquid foundations, lipsticks and lip glosses, primers and other random things. The basket has my palettes and my brush cleanser. 

For me I love my makeup. I love how it has the power to transform and enhance natural beauty. 

"The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart. The place where love resides."

-Audrey Hepburn