Twinkling Trees

Get Ready With Me

2013-05-17T00:14:00.000-07:00

I was getting ready to put my makeup on the other day and I thought to myself why not see if I can make a video while I am doing it. So I brought everything out to my computer table and started filming away. It wasn't exactly how I had envisioned it because I'm not talking and such during it but for a trial I think it came out pretty decent. Hey, you have to work out the kinks in order to make things better right?

Products Used:

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation in Ivory
tokidoki - Lion Pappa
Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Very Fair
Estee Lauder Mascara in 01 Extreme Black
e.l.f. Translucent Matifying Powder
e.l.f. Blush in tickled pink
mark. Luxe Lipstick in Petal

Weekend Wrap-up

2013-05-12T06:30:00.000-07:00

This past week has been a bit slow but also crazy with all of my homework (college homework is no fun) writing up some new blog posts and creating/editing new YouTube videos. But apart from all of that I have been able to take some fun pictures here and there and thought I would share some of my favorite ones.

I just love this picture of my son. It wasn't until after I had uploaded my pictures and started to edit them that I realized what he was doing. He is definitely my child, lol. And it goes perfectly well with his Imagination Movers Rock-o-Matic tour t-shirt from last year. Awesome concert by the way.

I absolutely love this tree and find its flowers amazingly gorgeous. I actually crawled underneath it to take most of the pictures that I got of it. My friend asked if I was Instagramming, hahaha. I was like "No, just trying to get the best shot."

Aren't these flowers just beautiful?

He is such a funny little monkey. He was playing peek-a-boo but it looks like he is trying to inconspicuously spy on someone.

A rare (at least for us) glimpse of baby geese. They usually just stick to their island.

This little birdie was in my tree in front of my house and would not be quite. I say he was talking to me cat who was down below talking to him.

And here is my kittie, Salem who was talking to the bird. He even climbed all the way up the tree to try to catch the bird. Thankfully this one got out of the reach of his paw.

Salem all grown up since I introduced him in this post. He'll be a year in August.

The tree right outside of my bedroom has started to bloom. They are very pretty but irritate my allergies.

It totally looks like an angry face in these clouds to me.

Contrary to what some may think it does rain here in the desert. Not enough for my liking, major reason I want to move, but I do cherish the times that it does.

I want the rain to come back :(

Did you do anything fun this past week or have anything exciting planned this coming week?

I'd love to hear about it.

xox Kimberly

Happy Mother's Day

2013-05-12T01:19:00.000-07:00

My kiddo and I wanted to wish every mom out there a Happy Mother's Day.

We hope that every single one of you has an amazing day.

xox Kimberly

April Birchbox Unboxing

2013-05-11T14:55:00.001-07:00

I found this box to be a bit of a disappointment.

Mother's Day Word Search Printable

2013-05-10T01:07:00.000-07:00

Click image to Download via Google docs

Here's a fun little word search I made just in time for Mother's Day this Sunday. I hope everyone enjoys their special day and this word search. If you download this please let me know in the comments section below and what type of word searches you would like to see soon.

Any big plans for Sunday?

Nail Polish & Accessories Haul

2013-05-09T06:00:00.000-07:00

I've totally caught the nail art itch. For Valentine's Day this year I used an orange stick and added little red hearts to my nails to make them less blah looking. I've always been one to add a decal to my nails once in awhile but I think when I did that I became hooked. So I went down to ULTA and bought a little dotting tool for like $1.99 and tried out my first real design. It was cute for my first attempt but there is always room for improvement. So.. I went out and bought a few things to help me progress in the art of pretty nails.

My first attempt. Looks a bit like soccer balls, lol but gave me the first steps into learning and improving. And for some reason even after a day of it drying the top coat I used moved the polish. Odd!!!

Quick & Easy | Last Minute Pasta Salad

2013-05-07T21:49:00.000-07:00

Of course the night before I went grocery shopping I had no idea what to make for dinner. usually when that happens I tend to make some sort of random concoction and hope that it comes out edible. This night was no exception. I went through the pantry and both of our fridges and ended up with a pile of yummy goodies. This isn't the first time that I have made this sort of meal so I was pretty sure that it would tasty. It definitely was and the few days after that it lasted in the house.

INGREDIENTS

- 1 bag pasta (any type)

- 1 can of peas

- bag of pepperoni

- 1 bell pepper chopped

- 1 12.5oz can of chicken or tuna

- 10 to 15 chopped sweet pickles

Spices to taste - seasoned salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder and parsley

6 tbsp of mayonnaise

3 tbsp mustard

Once the pasta has finished cooking, drained and put back into the pot I throw in the chopped pepperoni, chicken and bell pepper in so they can cook down a bit. The pasta is still really rather hot so it cooks the bell pepper just enough to where it is still crunchy but is not too raw. Then I just chuck everything else in and in a small bowl add the mayo, mustard and spices and mix together fully. Add the mixture to the pasta and make sure everything is fully coated. Tasting time. Grab a spoon and taste to see if you need to add more of this or that. My Grandmother absolutely loved this stuff and actually had two bowl fulls which was surprising since she hardly eats much. Score one for me. Woohoo :)

What kind of pasta salad do you enjoy to make?

March & April Glossybox Unboxing

2013-05-06T19:33:00.000-07:00

I am seriously enjoying quite a few of the products that I got in my March and April Glossyboxes. I think the fact that many of the products in March's box makes up for the fact that it didn't come well into April. Opening two boxes at once was even way more fun than just doing the normal one.

I cannot wait to try this blush in the color Brilliance by TIGI out soon.

Book Review | Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble

2013-05-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

Sometime last year I was perusing through the book section at Smith's and came across either this exact book but most likely one of the newer ones I would think from the series. The cartoon witch on the cover and the name of the book is clearly what drew me in. I am very childish, in a good way, at heart. Since I didn't want to spend around $10 bucks for a book that I may not like (so should have bought it) I decided to head on over to my local library and see if they had it. To my disappointment they did not, BUT they are so awesome that they actually ordered the 1st, 2nd, 5th & 6th books for me. Where the heck did 3 & 4 run off to? I waited 3 months for them to come in and finally got the 1st and read it in a little over 48 hours maybe. Definitely two thumbs up, A+++++ from me. This series is addicting.

Fire Burn And Cauldron Bubble: The Jolie Wilkins Series (Volume 1) is obviously the first book in the Jolie Wilkins series. So far there are 6 books in this particular series done by the author H.P. Mallory. Before I go on any further, I just have to say that even though I absolutely love this book/series and have been recommending it to pretty much anyone, it may not be the best book for all or at least minors depending on what a parent deems suitable or not. There is a bit if not quite a bit of sexual content throughout the book that would make it inappropriate for some and more of an adult book. The cartoon cover makes it seem like it would not have any sexual content in it to me which can be misleading for those thinking it will be a sweet and innocent book. Like I said, that is depending on the parents views and standards.

Synopsis & Review

The series is centered around a psychic by the name of Jolie Wilkins with her best friend by her side. Her psychic powers are pretty much (to her knowledge so far at least) reading tarot cards and getting visions now and then. Everything changes when the gorgeous warlock Rand Balfour enters his life. He informs her of who she truly is and gets her to help him with a job of his that involves a ghost and his client who turns out to possibly be the worst witch in their world. Jolie falls into a world that she never knew existed full of witches and warlocks, werewolves, vampires, ghosts, fairies and demons. She encounters a complete lifestyle and living situation change, love, relationships, a dangerous yet sexy vampire and many people that want to use her because news of her amazing power has spread like wildfire. Can Jolie get her bearings and assert herself in her new life or will she forever be doomed to live as the evil witches servant? Hey, I'm not giving everything away :)

I found the beginning of the book rather hard to get into but once it started to pick up and the ever so gorgeous Rand Balfour came into the picture a bit more heavily I was glued to it. The way the author describes him throughout the book makes visualizing him rather easy and oh man is he gorgeous and out of every other character he is the one that I can envision more clearly even when compared to the main character of Jolie. A rather easy read for me with it only 306 even though I never wanted the book to end yet I wanted to get to the end and find out everything that was happening. There is definitely a lot of sexual tension in this book between multiple characters and quite a bit of sexual content. Some of which I wanted to smack and tell them that they were being stupid. The author provides just enough details to be able to envision everyone and everything that is going on throughout the book with ease even though some may not be as strong as others. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone that enjoys reading magical/romance novels like myself.

Zoo Animals Word Search Printable

2013-04-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

Click image to download via Google docs!

I mentioned on Facebook the other day that I had new word searches in the works.

Zoo Animals is the first out of many that I am currently working on.

If you aren't already, be sure to follow my blog and anyone of my social media networks to know when the new ones are published.

What kind of word search would you like to see?

Goodbye Floppy Boots & Creases

2013-04-29T00:59:00.002-07:00

Do you deal with boots that constantly slump over and get those horrible creases in them?

I know I do and it irritates me to no end because they look horrible all slumped over and the creases that they get in them are even worse.

Well, I finally found a way to stop both from happening and I wanted to share it with you.

This is exactly what my boots used to look like sitting on their shelf in the closet.

They look so depressed all slumped over like that.

Don't they look all perky now after I found a way for them to stand up?

It's like they are standing there saying "Pick me, pick me. I look pretty now so show me off."

The remedy?

Wacky noodles.

It's as simple as a pool toy cut up to fit that fixes this entire boot issue.

All I did was buy two wacky noodles (you can find them at various stores) and cut them to fit .

Just stick the noodle into your boot and with a pair of scissors, cut the noodle close to the top .

If you don't cut it close to the the top and there is excess hanging over than it will either cause the boot to fall over or the excess to flop over and cause a crease which is defeating the whole purpose of adding the wacky noodles.

Vlog | Las Vegas Strip

2013-04-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

It is so nice to get out of the house especially when I get to have grown up conversations. Well Friday night my best friend and I decided to head on down to the Las Vegas Strip and pretend to be tourists. This is a fun pastime of ours along with watching all of the real tourists, especially the drunk ones. It is like live tv and you never know what you might see. Since we were going down there I decided to vlog bits & pieces while we were down there.

This is one of the signs inside of the Paris Hotel & Casino. There are quite a few throughout the casino and some of them were a bit confusing but I think they look really cool.

Jacket : Thrifted

Shirt : Target

Jeans : Target

My outfit for the evening. I went for something laid back but also cute. Even though the sidewalks are filled with women wearing tight dresses and high heels (my feet ache to look at them) there was no way we were going to kill our feet since we were just walking around looking at things.

CLOSED - Kitchenaid Mother's Day Giveaway

2013-04-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the

Kitchenaid Mother's Day Giveaway Event

Hosted by Budget Earth & A Spectacled Owl

If there is one thing all of us know, moms are pretty busy people! Those of us who are moms know that it's a big job that has horrible pay, but some of the best rewards in the world. While we may not want to admit it, a little part of us looks forward to mother's day since we know we get some nice heartwarming gifts from those who are most special to us - our families. Sometimes though, we can't help but feel a little pang of guilt that we couldn't afford that new gadget that we have been eyeing for months, knowing that it really isn't part of our budget - especially that brand new Kitchenaid Mixer that we know would look lovely in our kitchen!
Well, we are happy to announce that we are working with some of our favorite bloggers to bring you a giveaway directed at special moms like us - this Kitchenaid Mixer Giveaway Event! While many of our giveaways are sponsored by a company, this giveaway was actually paid by 28 of us bloggers. We wanted to make Mother's Day extra special for our favorite Mom (or Mom in waiting) and know this will make one lucky Mommy light up on May 12th. Budget Earth will even be emailing the winner on Mother's Day, so make sure to be watching your email!
Before entering, make sure to read all the rules below before entering the Rafflecopter. We do verify entries so no cheating! Also, there are no follow pages on this giveaway so it should be a little faster for everyone. Good luck and we hope that you have that Mother's Day 2013 is the best one yet for all of our readers!
Kitchenaid Mother's Day Giveaway

1 Winner will win a KitchenAid Classic Plus Tilt-Head 4-1/2-Quart Stand Mixer in White.
Open to US.
Winner will be chosen at random through Rafflecopter via Random.org.
Giveaway ends May 12th at 4:00 am EST.
Winner will be notified through email.
Winner will have 48 hours to respond before new winner is chosen.
Must be 18 Years or Older to Enter Rafflecopter.
Entering the Rafflecopter Means You Agree to Terms Above.
If you have any questions, feel free to email budgetearth@gmail.com
Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Twinkling Trees did not receive compensation for this contest and is helping pay for the Kitchenaid Mixer being given as a prize. The opinion of said blogger may differ from other bloggers in this giveaway. They are also not responsible for prize shipment. Kitchenaid, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, & other social networks are in no way associated with this blogger sponsored giveaway and are not responsible for anything involving this giveaway.

Liebster Award & Nominations

2013-04-04T05:30:00.000-07:00

"The Liebster Award is for blogs with under 300 followers and the rules of the award is that the nominee must link back to whoever nominated them, write 11 random facts about themselves, answer 11 questions from the award giver, and then nominate another 11 bloggers and make up 11 questions for them to answer. It's a great way for new and undiscovered bloggers to meet new people, get more followers and find some blogs that they want to follow."

After finally checking my email the other day I found one that not only surprised me but also made me super happy. Jennifer from thistle bear had so nicely nominated me for a Liebster award. I was completely overjoyed that someone liked me blog enough to nominate me for it. Especially when it is an award that bloggers simply pace from one to another so it is awesome to receive it.

11 Random Facts About Me!

1. My first ever concert was 'N Sync and I was 16.

2. If I could go to Disneyland every day I would.

3. I used to want to work for Disney as an animator. Now I just do my art for the love of it.

4. I HATE clowns. To the point that I freak out if I see even a picture of one.

5. I've been single since a few months after my son was born in 2010. Love it since it gives me a lot of more time with my son.

6. Absolutely love hot & spicy foods and make my own salsa that makes my eyes water.

7. I'm obsessed with vampires to the point that I watch The Vampire Diaries, True Blood, Twilight saga constantly.

8. I love going to thrift stores and buying awesome stuff that people think is junk.

9. When I was 19 I shaved my head to where I only had half an inch of hair. I didn't date for a while after that.

10. I used to sword fight until my last car accident seriously messed up my body.

11. I don't have any tattoos but I have 2 earrings in one year and 3 (2 in bottom & 1 in the top of my cartilage) in the other. I used to have my belly button & my tongue pierced.

Jennifer's 11 Question's

1. Do you have any pets?

Yes. I have 2 cats but live with 4.

2. What is your favorite movie? What is your least favorite movie?

Favorite movie......ummmm. I can never pick just one. Top 3 though would be Harry Potter series, Twilight series and You've Got Mail. Least Favorite movie would be IT.

3. Have you ever been on an ocean cruise? Where did you go?

No I haven't. I am rather afraid of big ships.

4. What was your best subject in school?

Recess. lol.

5. Name three kitchen utensils you can't live without.

Whisk, Spatula and a knife.

6. Chocolate or vanilla?

Chocolate

7. What was your most hated job?

Timeshares I never even made it out of training it was horrible. Who wants to pressure someone into buying something the don't need.

8. Can you play a musical instrument and if so, which one(s)?

None. I tried learning guitar when I was young but that didn't last.

9. Can you roller skate? Skateboard? Ride a bicycle?

All of thee above.

10. Who is your favorite character on the TV show "Friends"?

Rachel.

11. Wine or beer?

Neither. I gave up all forms of alcohol a year ago.

My Questions for other bloggers!

1. Why did you start blogging?

2. What is your favorite season?

3. If you could live anywhere in the world where would you?

4. Have you met "the one"?

5. Where is the best place that you have taken a vacation to?

6. Do you like or despise cartoons?

7. What is your favorite sci fi/fantasy tv show?

8. If you read books often, which one do you think everyone should read?

9. Night Owl or morning person?

10. Which Winnie the Pooh character would you be?

11. Who is your favorite blogger or YouTuber?

The following bloggers are those that I quite enjoy reading so I would like to pass this award on to them. Please go and check out their blogs as I quite find them fascinating.

Be Beautiful

Foodie Friends Friday

A Mouse in My Kitchen

Chitown and All Around

Pursuit of Functional Home

Unboxing: March Birchbox - Finally

2013-04-03T17:50:00.000-07:00

So much has been going on recently but I was finally able to film the unboxing video for Birchbox's March edition. I wish there were more goodies in March's box that I could use. Hopefully April's will bring something non nutty and full of awesomeness. The nail file is super cute though & I realized one product is missing from this picture because I gave it to my mom to smell, lol. Ooops.

As you'll be able to tell in this video apparently sugary breakfast cereals and me do not mix. I seem to of been bouncing off the walls from my Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal and it is very apparent. At least it was when I was editing this video.

Unboxing: Influenster Sugar 'N Spice Voxbox 2013

2013-03-30T04:00:00.000-07:00

Last month I received an email that made me super excited. It was from Influenster saying that I was going to receive another voxbox full of products to test out. This is my third box since I joined last year and after my last box (dish soap) I kept wondering what I would be getting. No more need to wonder as I finally received it and I am completely overjoyed by what I got. I cannot wait to try out these products since quite a few of them I have been wanting to buy anyways. I had to laugh though when I saw the toothbrush because the day before I had bought a brand new one, lol.

~Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer Total Moisture

~Nectresse

~Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel Oil Controlling Towelettes

~Colgate Optic White Regimen

*Toothpaste

*Mouthwash

*Toothbrush

~belVita Breakfast Biscuits

Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer Total Moisture

$7.99 for 6.5 oz can

This is a new product by Vaseline that is a continuous spray lotion that is supposed to moisture & adsorb within seconds without any sticky or greasy feeling. I tried this out on my son and he thinks it's funny every single time I spray him. He laughs and runs away but comes back for me to do it again. It is definitely convenient and cuts back on time and trying to rub lotion onto a wiggly child.

Nectresse

$6.99 for 5.9 oz container or $3.99 for a box of 40 packets

(Received the box of 40 packets)

A sweetener that is supposed to taste like sugar but with zero calories and from the maker of Splenda. It is made primarily from monk fruit but also contains erythritol, sugar and molasses. Thankfully it doesn't contain aspartame that supposedly causes cancer. I usually only use sugar when I bake and like my tea unsweetened but I am sure that I can find a way to use these packets. I might just have to open one and try it straight just to see what it tastes like.

Dickinson's Original Witch Hazel Oil Controlling Towelettes

$5.99 for a 20-count box

Witch Hazel and aloe towelettes that rejuvenate the skin by lifting dirt, oil and impurities from pores that even works on the most sensitive of skin. I seriously cannot wait to try these out and if they work I am definitely going to have to buy more of these for the summer here. It gets up past 115 degrees here during the summer months which does not make for clean feeling skin when you are outside. These might be the perfect addition to anybodies pool bag.

Colgate Optic White Regimen

Toothpaste $2.99 4 oz tube / Mouthwash $2.99 for 8 oz bottle / Toothbrush $2.99 per brush

Used together these products are supposed to whiten teeth within five days. I usually buy those white strips that you stick on your teeth for however long and they fizz but they always leave my teeth sensitive and hurting. Hopefully these won't do that and will actually whiten within five days. One less reason to go see the scary dentist.

belVita Breakfast Biscuits

$3.69 for a box of 5 packets containing 4 biscuits

(Received 1 packet)

An energy releasing biscuit that is also a good source of Fiber & B-vitamins. It also does not have any high fructose corn syrup and contains 18-20 grams of whole grain. Never have I tried anything like these. I am a really picky eater and for me to try these would definitely have to be outside of my food bubble. Yes I have a food bubble, lol. But as my mother told me and I tell my son "You never know if you'll like it or not if you don't try it."

"I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes."

How To Make Easter Confetti Eggs

2013-03-28T22:47:00.001-07:00

My son & I are absolutely obsessed with these confetti eggs that we found for the first time this year in the Easter section. After buying a dozen for $2 bucks a pop (and I bought a lot at first) I figured why not learn how to make them myself. They are super easy to make and even better I am reusing the egg shells that just normally get tossed away.

Products Needed

~As many empty egg shells that you want

~Confetti of your choice

~Tissue paper

~Glue stick

~Egg coloring

I think opening the egg shells to get the yolk out would have to be the most time consuming part and one that you have to be the most careful with. How I did mine might vary differently from other people. I held the egg in one hand with the pointier side up and with a spoon I lightly cracked it. Then I used my fingers to peel away the shell. You'll want to be really careful on this part as I fully broke a few of mine. Make sure that you make a decent enough sized hole to get the confetti in through.

Fully submerge the eggs into the dye (bubbles will come out of the eggs) so that you get the best coloring all over the egg and don't have to sit and turn it.

Delicately, add however much confetti you want to your egg. If you didn't make the hole big enough than you can do that here. Which I had to on a few of mine. I just love how this photo came out :)

Tear (or cut) a piece of tissue paper in a smallish size and rub your glue stick only around the outside edge. Just remember that the tissue paper will move with almost every movement and will stick to whatever you have underneath because the glue will most likely not just go on the tissue paper when you do it. Then you just put the open part of the egg shell in the middle of the tissue paper and stick the glued parts of the down.

This is the first one that I got done and let my son smash it. He laughed and ran into the house saying "Let's make more."

We did and this is only part of what our driveway looks like. The rest looks exactly like this. Can you only imagine what it and the yard will look like come Easter? Oh the fun that we shall have smashing eggs everywhere :)

Now that I know how to make these I can totally make them anytime of the year and not have to wait until next year for them. Christmas or Halloween ones will be cute and even 4th of July ones with red, white and blue confetti would be super cute. Uh oh, lol, the glitter lover in me just thought of making glitter filled eggs. hahhah oh what a fun mess that would be. Now I just need to find biodegradable confetti and these would be perfect. What do you think?

Unboxing: GLOSSYBOX February 2013

2013-03-27T01:04:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, this post is ridiculously late but I always say late is better than never. Since my March box will be here in the next few days I figured it would be best if I get this up now instead of doing both at the same time. The oohh and awweee has totally worn away since unboxings of last months box have been up everywhere for a long while now but hey, I can oohhh and awwwhhh years from now right? :)

~Bvlgari | Eau Parfumeé Au Thé Blanc soap
~Da Vinci Cosmetics | Shimmer Powder in Champagne
~Lisi | Sheer Sparkle Lipgloss in Central Park
~Missha | Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Hydro Gel Mask
~Nail Rock | Nail Wraps in Meadow Kirchhoff Halloween/Fantasy
~February Glossy Mag

Bvlgari | Eau Parfumeé Au Thé Blanc soap

Full Size $30.00|5.3 oz / Sample Size 1.76 oz

A deluxe creamy beauty soap that is supposed to be lightly scented and hails from famed Italian Jewelry hose Bulgari. I think I would only use the description lightly scented after it has aired out for awhile because once I take the lid off I am overwhelmed by the scent in a very strong way. It does smell rather nice and exactly like a perfume but I'm not sure if I ever would use it on myself because I'm more of a neutral scented person when it comes to bath soaps. However, this would be a great addition to a bathroom soap display to help freshen it up.

Da Vinci Cosmetics | Shimmer Powder

Champagne

Full Size $15.00|.06 oz Sample Size .06 oz

A shimmering mineral powder to add a subtle glow and to highlight cheekbones and under the eyebrow. There is no way in the world I would ever use this to highlight my cheekbones. It is so shimmery and glittery to the point that it would look like I had gotten into a glitter fight and lost. The color is beautiful and the powder is so fine that there is no granules which is super nice when applying any type of glittery stuff on your face. I'll definitely wear it on my eyes and it would look super pretty for a night out at a club or party.

Lisi | Sheer Sparkle Lipgloss

Central Park

Full Size $7.00|.31 oz (Received full sized product)

This lip gloss is sold exclusively at a beauty boutique in New York and is formulated with a semi sheer performance that would be great to layer over a lipstick. It contains a lot of glittery shimmer so if you don't want disco ball lips than stay away from this gloss. The color is very pretty and would be close to a light red with pink thrown in. This is definitely not my favorite lip gloss as I found it to be really sticky which I cannot stand. I'll use it since I got it but I would never pay for it alone.

Missha | Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail Hydro Gel Mask

Full Size $6.00|.98 oz / (Received full sized product)

An Innovative hydro gel mask from Asia that is supposed to moisturize, soothe and regenerate skin as well as possibly reverse skin damage. The fact that this literally has snail slime in it grosses me out so I'm not sure if I want to put it on my face. Think I would have a visual of nasty slimy snails all over my face. Doesn't exactly make for a relaxing pamper time.

Nail Rock | Nail Wraps

Meadow Kirchhoff in Halloween/Fantasy

These designer nail wraps are meant to last up to 10 days without chipping or the annoying drying time. The set that I received are more along the lines of Halloween (eyeballs & teeth) and Fantasy (Unicorns & Mushrooms) which is totally fine with me as I can just use one on each hand as an accent. The fantasy ones are more up my alley but the eyeball ones will be cute this Halloween if they are still good by then.

Merging Google Reader with Bloglovin

2013-03-25T13:38:00.001-07:00

Have you heard about Google getting rid of Google Reader on July 1st? If not than they have a post here that you can read all about it! Since this is happening it might be a good idea to merge the blogs that you are following with a reader like bloglovin so you don't miss any posts. There are others out there like Hellocotton but since I merged all of mine with bloglovin last night I decided to make a tutorial for you guys just in case you didn't know yet.

I hope this was easy for you to follow.

What are your thoughts about Google getting rid of Google Reader?

You can also follow my blog by clicking this button :)

Easter Word Search Printable

2013-03-23T03:09:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed making my St. Patrick's Day word search that I decided to make one for Easter. Hopefully you will like this one if you enjoyed the last one. These are super fun to make and it seems like making these will become a regular thing because not only does my 73 year old grandmother love them and keeps asking me for more but my mother's boss also prints them out for the kids that come into their work and for her church. Enjoy and if you do please let me know and don't forget to share with your friends & family.

Click the image to download via Google docs!

Book Review | Nancy Drew Diaries-Curse of the Arctic Storm

2013-03-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

Now, I know what you are probably saying right now seeing this post. But yes, I really am doing a book review on a Nancy Drew book. Why not? I love these books and always have ever since I was much younger. Much? hahha I'm not that old lol. I even have numerous boxes in my garage that are full of different Nancy Drew books. Some things from your childhood just stick with ya. Did you know that the author's name Carolyn Keene was not actually a real person but was actually a pseudonym and the Nancy Drew books were and are actually written by various different people (ghost authors)? Interesting little fact there eh.

I was surprised when I saw this at the library in the NEW section. Really? A brand new Nancy Drew book, score. This book is the first in an all new series titled "Nancy Drew Diaries" and there are at least two more with the third one coming out in May. This first one Curse of the Arctic Star (Nancy Drew Diaries) was actually a pretty good read and kept me guessing. I've always loved trying to guess who the person behind all of the mayhem was in anything I read or watch. This book has a decent plot line and along the way gives you a few clues as usual but just as soon as I thought that I had pinned down the culprit "BAM" I was completely wrong even though the culprit was one of my guesses. But then......the ending leaves a little something that started to make me think that maybe I was at least half way right.

Synopsis:
Nancy has been contacted by a friend of hers who just happens to work for a cruiseliner but things have been going wrong of late and she needs Nancy's help to figure out who is behind everything. Nancy, along with her friends George, Bess and Bess' new boyfriend, all make their way from Riverheights for a "vacation" on the cruiseliner. But things hit a rough start not even twenty minutes of everyone boarding the ship when a blood curdling scream rings out across the deck. Nancy does her best to investigate this and every other incident afterwards discreetly but it seems someone might be onto her. Everyone has become a suspect and why is Bess' boyfriend acting so weird towards Nancy? The case comes to a close when Nancy finally finds the missing piece of the puzzle or has it? Maybe Strangers on a Train (Nancy Drew Diaries) will resolve the lingering questions.

I've already got the next book waiting for me at the library and I cannot wait to see if I was at least somewhat right. Did you ever read Nancy Drew books as a child or an adult like myself?

St. Patrick's Day Parade in Henderson, Nevada

2013-03-18T01:15:00.000-07:00

Saturday was not only the eve of St. Patrick's day but it was also Henderson's annual parade for the holiday. This was the first time that I've ever been to it since I moved here in 1994. And really, I was not missing anything. It was great to get out of the house but it was just a total let down. There was also a carnival and vendors so I was hoping to have a great day with my son. Sadly my hopes or more likely my standards were just too high.

This was what their floats looked like.

There was a car show going on after the parade during the daily event and so they had every car in the parade as well. This lasted for what felt like for forever.

Things never start on time and so we sat in the sun for a long time waiting for the parade. I took my scarf and put some water on it to keep him cool and attempt to stop his head from getting sun-burnt. He so does not look amused.

Even if I felt like I let him down by us not having any fun or being able to do anything at the carnival he was still happy and willing to give mommy a cheese, wait no it was "shamrocks" at the camera.

We skipped out during part of the parade for a potty break and just decided to check everything else out. It's sad and amazing how many rude people there can be in one place at a given time. The lines for food were just way too long and after not eating anything all day and being tired of dealing with rudeness we came home and had our own fun. It was an experience and now I will know what to expect if I decide on whether or not to go next year. I did however buy two really awesome scarves since they are an obsession of mine.

Since I love documenting things that I do in life and especially that I do with my son I decided to record the parade. I've edited it a lot because much of what I got was a bunch of different cheerleading and dance groups. Would you have stayed and watched this parade or find it boring like I did? The best parts were the fire trucks and some of the really cool cars. Even though I just bought my camera brand new last year I need a new one or at least an actual camcorder. This one does not pick up sound properly as you'll be able to tell in the video.

St. Patrick's Day Word Search Printable

2013-03-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

With St. Patrick's Day coming up really soon I thought I would create a free word search printable. I'm even printing off my own copies to hand out to family, friends and to take up to the library that we frequent quite often. Let me know if you enjoyed this in the comments section and if you would like me to things like this more often. I'm working on one for Easter right now as well. Click the image to download via Google docs!

Wizard of OZ | Yellow Brick Road Nail Tutorial

2013-03-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

With the new movie "OZ: the Great and Powerful" coming out tomorrow I was inspired to do something special to my nails. What first sparked my inspiration was the nail polish that I received in my February Birchbox (you can view that post here) and my mind just started flowing with ideas of what to do from there. My idea behind this is that the emerald polish represents the Emerald City. The yellow brick road starts out small on my little finger and gradually increases to my thumb where OZ is represented. Isn't it interesting how something so small and colorful as a nail polish can spark creativity?

What you will need to complete this design:

An emerald nail polish | I've used Wild Cactus from Color Club

Your favorite top & bottom coats

Gold Polish | I used ZIV from ZOYA

Yellow & Black acrylic paints

Fine point paint brush

Fine point toothpick

Paper towel

Newspaper or local ad paper

paint palette or something to put everything on

& a little bit of water to rinse your brush off

After applying your base coat & letting it completely dry, apply your emerald color and wait for it to completely dry.

Once your emerald polish is dry add a bit of your yellow acrylic paint to your paint palette & grab your fine point paint brush. Begin with your little finger and with a small strip across the bottom of the nail. As you move to each nail make the line a little bit thicker. As always, wait for this paint to dry before moving on. Depending on how much you apply to cover the emerald polish it might take a little while for it to completely dry.

It looks like I am supporting the Green Bay Packers lol

To achieve the brick affect

Place some black paint in your palette and using your toothpick slowly make a line across the yellow. I found that doing a dotting/dragging motion helped with this part and I could slowly smooth it out as I went. Depending on how thick you make the yellow will depend on how many lines across. After this step make small dashes here and there to achieve a yellow rectangle shape and space them out instead of right next to each other. It helps give the affect of a brick road.

On my thumb I took my gold polish and with the paint brush I just wrote OZ on it.

Apply your top coat and

Your Done.

To remove any excess paint and polish just take your toothpick with a bit of cotton and polish remover and wipe the areas that need it. It was a bit time consuming with waiting for each paint and polish to dry & with doing the black lines. It maybe took me an hour to complete but this includes the breaks that I took waiting for things to dry. I just love how it all came together from a simple inspiration and idea.

What do you think about my OZ inspired nails?

Would you follow the yellow brick road?

Interesting People I've Met

2013-03-04T18:17:00.001-08:00

Last night I was going through some old photos and came across some really interesting ones. I figured why not write a quick post about them since they are really cool in my opinion and are of opportunities that I am very grateful that I got. It is definitely true that you meet some cool and interesting people throughout your life and especially in Las Vegas. So I think maybe I'll start with the oldest photos first.

At this time we were still living back home in CA and my mom & step-dad were working at what used to be called Wild Bills. They had just gotten home from work and came in and woke me up telling me that I had to come out to the living room. I was 10 or 11 at this time so I was a bit freaked out but once I walked out into our living room and saw Ed Alonzo (yes the guy that played Max on "Saved by the Bell") I totally freaked out. But in a good way. My parents were working with him in the show as he had signed on to be one of the acts in the dinner theater show. We even got to babysit one of his pets. The kids at school didn't believe me until I went to school with this photo. Definitely a highlight in my childhood years.

Ever see that show long ago called "Roswell"?

When it came out I was in high school and was absolutely obsessed with it. Well when I was 16 I got the major opportunity to meet a few of the actors from the show. And the long wait in line was totally worth it. Alyssa Milano was also there but I cannot seem to find my picture of here. We all thought she was a little kid because we could only make out a tiny head with flowers in her hair, bobbing up & down above the clothing racks as she walked to the tables.

It's amazing to think that I actually got to meet a woman that has done some amazing things (some of which are sitting in my dvd case) and who has grown so much from the actress that she was on Roswell. Even though the other actors have gone on to other things I think she is the one who has come the farthest.

Back in 2006 I worked for a company at the Rio Hotel & Casino where I worked alongside of these gentleman. Definitely made the work hours happier ones :)

The guy on the right in both picture (Mike) would always through the Mardi Gras beads at me as I walked away from him.

I blurred out my friends face just in case she doesn't want her face to be seen.

The guy standing behind me would be Brandon and I had the privilege of becoming friends with him outside of work.

This one might seem possibly seem odd to you but I absolutely love air shows and more importantly the air crafts. I have the utmost respect for those that are in any service and do the things that they do for our country. But I do have to say that I am sometimes jealous that they get to fly these beautiful things. Kinda odd as I am scared of flying.

Life should be amazing and full of interesting people & stories. It'll be nice to look back when I am old & gray and look at the pictures of the fun times that I had when I was young. To have stories to tell my son when he is older and to tell my one day grandchildren. I am always thankful for the opportunities that I get in life.

Have you ever met anyone that you found interesting?