A few of my favorite things...

Every episode of Dexter (season six [6]) has pulled me to the edge of my seat.  I love all the religious inferences made through out this season. Yes, I understand the former seasons (one [1] – five [5]) all brought in the concept of morals via Harry’s code; but this is different, Dexter is considering that every person has a dark passenger, but they also have the light that Brother Sam talks about. This season has seriously blown my mind on a few occasions; I cannot wait to see how this twist with Travis pans out.

This show! This show is like Kingdom Hospital meets The Shining. It’s weird, deranged, and creepy; the plot line keeps you wondering; and it’s well written. It is a little coarse; so, I wouldn’t advise watching this with your grandmother.

Thanksgiving my nephew had this on the television; I had already seen Super8 in theaters over the summer, but even then I knew it was worth a re-watch. This is undeniably a mash up of S. Spielberg’s greatest movies. The kids are all part of a film group (The Goonies), and while shooting a new scene, they witness a horrific train crash. Later, it is found out that the military was using this train to move alien technology (E.T.). There are even some vague references to Jaws, Close Encounters, and Arachnophobia. I found the ending to be a bit lack luster and abrupt. This movie takes the position of showing a mystery through the eyes of children. I highly recommend it!

During the holidays I get into crafting mode. This year I even made my own advent calendar. I’m also trying to get all list of home project checked off before the New Year. Here’s a pick at what I’ve been doing around the apt:

·        I have legitimately become a home barista:

Pumpkin Spiced Latte.

After I found the recipe for the mocha below I started adding about one (1) tbsp. white chocolate chips, and it seriously is better than Starbucks.

White Peppermint Mocha.

I replaced the truffles with two (2) – three (3) tbsp. white chocolate chips; because the chips are half the price of a small bag of truffles.

·        After researching thousands of cute inexpensive gifts to give colleagues (i.e. co-workers, professors, classmates, ect…) I stumbled across these cute little guys.   

via this blog 

·         “Decking the halls” hasn’t popped out of our advent calendar yet, but that hasn’t stopped me from finding a multitude of inspiration, namely these two.

 DIY found here.

DIY found HERE.

·        I start listening to Christmas music in the early November (award yourself 5 awesome-ness points if you caught that reference). Here are the two (2) I’ve been listening to on repeat.  

A Very She & Him Christmas. 

 Sufjan Stevens - Songs for Christmas

·        Favorite memory from November was our day trip to St. Louis. Thanksgiving was fun, and I enjoy spending time with family, but this trip was seamlessly perfect.

Christmas Gifts for the Beauty Conscious :

 

$15 E co Tool Limited Edition Beautiful Expressions Kabuki Set.

This can be a multipurpose gift, when split into two (2) or four (4) different homemade beauty kits. One idea would be to give a mineral powered and attach one (1) of these brushes along with it. Another would be to pair it with a must have beauty item (i.e. blush or bronzer). Need a stocking stuffer? Wrap one (1) or two (2) of these with cellophane and topped with a pretty ribbon: toss into stocking. Standing alone, these brushes would be a beautiful gift. Eco Tools are a steal for the price.

Benefit Crescent Row Limited Edition Gift Set $36.

Benefit is basically inviting people to commit a robbery by selling this product so cheap! These bottles are such beauties that you could easily break these into individual gifts. These would be a lovely addition to a beauty set for a lucky lady. At this price you might be tempted to purchase a set for yourself.

 Lump of Kohl Beekman $15.

With all the festivities going on this time a year a girls skin can start to look lackluster from little sleep and lots of celebrating. This little lump does wonders to restore skin’s grandeur. This could be a little gag gift for a secret Santa; just place inside a mini stocking.

Antropologie DIY charms $15 - $20.

I had wanted to give my girls something similar to this, but couldn’t find charms that would mean anything special or that didn’t cost three (3) times my budget. These little guys are super reasonable in price, and mega cute. This is a fun little gift that can be personalized to mean something dear to the most close of friends.

Beauty Boxes

This is great for a true beauty guru. It gives an opportunity for exploration by letting the subscriber sample a variety of products; some they may have never even heard of. These types of services provide a choice on how many months you want to provide as a gift. Below is a link showing the various websites and the regions they ship to; there are also a few clothing, shoes, and food sites listed as well.

http://www.makeuptalk.com/a/subscriptions-and-sampling-programs

last two (2) weeks via instagram.

01. Pepper trying to distract me from homework, by enticing me to play. 02. Work station fully stocked with sweet tea and snacks. I have seen this spot of the apt. a great deal lately. There was a homework pile almost reaching the ceiling, but I have got it to a much more manageable height now.

We celebrated friendsgiving the Thursday before Thanksgiving; it was a big hit; lots of yummy food, fun people, and brilliant times. 01. JP made some scratch mac & cheese (can you spy the secret ingredient?).  02. I tried my hand at baking, and made miniature pineapple upside down cakes.

01. Theses sweet little miniature Dunkin Doughnut items made my Monday night. Does anyone else thing they would be even cuter as key rings?  02. Festive nail polish. True story, this color, Get in the Espresso lane by OPI, is meant to be a very chocolate-ly  brown. For some reason, it decided to be a very muddy black on my finger nails.

01. Thanksgiving day outfit 2011. I was on the schedule to work Thanksgiving day, but since my unit was close I got the holiday off. J I love Thanksgiving because I can wear a simple outfit with jeans, and not feel underdressed or outta place.  02. While driving, in the car, to JP’s family function I came across this little beauty. What is even better, I saw a hawk take off from in front of the shed. It was quite magical.

01. Walmart’s Black Friday lines at 12:30 AM. This is when we decided to go back to bed till 6:00am.  02. Pepper with a belly full of turkey. She is telling me how thankful she is to have a lap to nap in.

Sunday Summaries

 Monday’s Highlights:

• Caught up on Dexter.
• Skipped Origins of Law.
• Came home to these two faces.
• Went to look at watches with JP.
• Bought/Found a truly spectacular under garment from Aerie (Drew).

The Strange: 

• While JP and I were looking at watches, the lady that was helping us was also hitting on me. This happened twice while inside Macy’s on two separate occasions with two different women.

Tuesday’s Highlights:

• Walked through downtown Memphis.
• Found good cases during my research.
• Picked new glasses up.

The Strange: 

• We started The Human Centipede which was way too creepy to watch all the way through, without nightmares.

Wednesday’s Highlights:

• Got a sweet pot holder.
• Went on a mini date night at El Toro Loco.
• Spent some time with my mommy and the pups.

The Strange:

• Finding clumps of used litter all throughout the house. Upon closer investigation, I found that little Zooey had stepped into used litter.

• Giving the Zooey 3 baths that day (because of above reason).

Thursday’s Highlights:

• Purchased new tires.
• Ate a yummy homemade supper.
• Went to the Sephora VIB event with a friend.

The Strange: 

•  The fact that I just realized I have three (3) weeks of recyclables in the back seat of my car.

Motivation ... or lack there of ...

It has been brought to my attention that this past week I have been ridiculously LAZY! I skipped Monday and Tuesday night class, along with the homework. I passed out before 10 and slept in late four (4) outta five (5) days. The gym only saw me twice for a very limited time; even, random people in my building asked why I stopped going to the gym. Oh but, it all felt so wonderful. I deserved every bit of that slacking off. I have had a nonstop crazy busy couple of months, and I really needed that week of rest. Sadly, I must drive back into my routine starting tomorrow (11/13/11). 

Now I am slightly worried about this. I have heard it only takes fourteen (14) days (I'm halfway there, yikes!) to form a habit, and twenty-one (21) to break one. I am kinda smack dab in the middle of these to numbers; only 7 more days to form habits of not showing for class, not doing homework or housework, and never working out again. Luckily, my trusty brain has formed a wonderful solution, GOALS!

Things to Accomplish by the end of Next Week:

1. Drink more water & less coffee & pop. I probably consumed, at least, three (3) coffee type beverages daily. Nobody needs that much sugar and milk in their system. 
2. Hit the gym everyday. Skipping my workouts, coupled with eating junk, is the reason I feel asleep so early.
3. Allow 2 hours of the day for some school work. Skipping those classes really put me behind. If I am ever going to catch up I have to get serious. 

These goal are things that are with in my reach. I just cannot succumb to mindless television shows, celebrity gossip magazines, trashy novels, and sweet rich coffees. I am optimistic about the results of this week. Wish me luck!

October’s Favorite Things

A few of my non-beauty related favorites for the month of October …

1.       Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children – Ransom Riggs

The notion of “Peculiar Children” drew me to this book; I can never resist a story about unusual children, and the vintage photos supplementing the story line add to the beautiful eerie-ness. I find the way in which Riggs represents Jacob’s insight to the world around him exceptional. The first half of the story was face paced and mesmerizing; however, most of the second half is messy and jumbled together. Overall, for me at least, the good points outshine the bad. The sequel will be a long awaited read. paced and mesmerizing; however, most of the second half is messy and jumbled together. Overall, for me at least, the good points outshine the bad. The sequel will be a long awaited read.

2. Matched – Allie Condie

I had very low expectations for this book. At face value it’s very similar to the Hunger Games, but when writing for this type of genre (dystopian society) a few key elements must have to remain the same; given that, this book was good. The way Condie writes is a mixture of  prose and poetry. The characters are well formed, and the transformations they go through are natural. I’ve already begun the sequel, Crossed. So far, I like what I’m reading; thought, this one make take a little longer to read because of midterms

3. Sweet little Zooey.

Wheew! This little girl is a HANDFUL! She is yet to be fully litter trained; so, if for any reason she cannot reach her litter box she goes to option No. 2, my bed. She also is constantly tearing up my wicker baskets. BUT she is also the cutest little baby kitty, and so spunky and playful. Pepper loves having someone to play with.

4. Drive was not what I expected. It was more of a drama rather than action movie it was portrayed to be.Ryan Gosling did a wonderful job, and Carey was beautiful in it. The ending was perfect. I have no complaints with this movie.

5. Dream House was another unexpected plot for me. It had a handful of twist thrown about, but towards the very end you start piecing everything together. The children did a good job acting, until the very end. Who knows, it could have been the director’s vision for them to act that way; make it all seem like a game …

6. Walking Dead, Grimm, Dexter, Supernatural are my most watch shows. I think they are the only time I watch TV.

7. The Wonder Years on Netflix has ended any and all remote control battles JP and I might have had. We have opted to snuggle on the coach and soak in our long lost childhood.

8. I’ve been enjoying many Pumpkin Spiced lattes this month and last month. I’ve even tried my hand at making them, but it has yet to turn out as good as Starbucks. I made a pumpkin pasta from a recipe I found off Pinterest. I also have a few pumpkin spiced candles in my apt. They make the inside feel like fall. Pumpkin is the flavor of the month!

9. Speaking of my apt, I have really been enjoying being a homemaker. Work has been slow; so, I’ve had some extra days off to stay at home doing this and that. I’ve done lots of work to the walls, and tonight I am going to try to tackle my closet, and possibly later this week the kitchen.

Beauty & Fashion Favorites for the Month of October.

I am not only a little late for monthly favorites, but this is my first time compiling a favorites list. I classify the items into two (2) different groups; so, tomorrow I will have non-beauty favorites, without further ado …

1.       Nars Danmari All About Cheeks Palette $65.00 only at Sephora.

Top Row:

Hungry Heart (ivory colored highlight with golden flecks),

Super Orgasm (pigmented pinky peach blush with lots of chunky gold glitter),

Desire (matte bubble gum pink blush with blue undertones)

Bottom Row:

Casino (true deep matte brown bronzer with very fine gold reflects),

Orgasm (sheer peachy pink blush with small specs of gold glitter),

Sin (pinky mauve blush with a gold shimmer)

When this beautiful palette found its way into my life I had been on a mission to simplify every aspect of my little life, a detailed post on this later this month. An overwhelming aspect of my life is my gigantic makeup collection, half of which is unused. Okay, before I go off on a tangent, I received an e-mail from Sephora about this item, and I took it as a sign. This was my first NARS product, and I am seriously impressed. I was scared that Casino would be way too dark for me, and Desire looked like it was made for cooler skin tones; but with a light hand all turned out fabulous. I have been wearing Sin over Casino in the contour area of my face. It give a warm natural flush to the face.

http://www.sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P298106&categoryId=B70

2. Lush’s Color Supplement in Light Yellow $17.95

While catching up on Youtube videos, I saw Dulce Candy rave about this. Even though I already recently purchase Revlon’s Photofinish foundation, I rushed out to my Lush to try this out. (My skin is technically combo, but I can get a good deal greasy on my forehead and nose area.) I tried mixing it with a bit of moisturize, but even with my mineral powder it was not a pretty sight. I then opted to use it under my mineral powder, and have not looked back sense. The finish is just so natural; sometimes, I don’t even use a powder. The only semi con is that even with two (2) coats the coverage is barely medium. If you don’t mind using concealer on problem areas then its not a big thing. A BIG pro to this is my skin has never been in better condition.

For a little more information on the product please click the link below.

(It will pull up the shade I use but you can easily find information on the other shades Lush offers)

http://www.lush.com/shop/products/face/colour-supplements/light-yellow

3.      Urban Decay Naked Palette $48

Yes yes! I know, I am late to jump on this train, but as I said earlier I have been on a mission to simplify, and palettes are perfect for this. There are hundreds upon thousands of reviews and post on this product. I will my final word on the matter is believe all the hype; this palette is fantastic!

4.      Butter London Wallis $14

Butter London Polishes are amazing in general, but Wallis is once of the prettiest colors I have come across. It looks like a metallic olive color in the bottle, but when you actually apply it your eyes pick up the massive amount of gold flecks the polish contains.

5.  Forever21 Camel Blazer

So just incase it’s not obvious by not now I become easily OBSESSED with things. When I noticed the world around me wearing camel blazers, and looking especially chic, I decided my black blazer would no longer do. I began the search by scouring the interwebs, mainly eBay. I found some great blazers that fit neatly into my price range, about fifty ($50) dollars; but sometimes the quality of eBay clothes aren’t what you expect from the pictures. This was to be one of my key pieces this fall. This particular one was 29.95. I have found that if you treat your Forever items like designer (ei. take care in washing, no drying, ect.) they can last longer than expected. This blazer looks fabulous with EVERYTHING; it might be one of my top purchase of 2011.

5.  Tights, Socks, & Boots

I wear tons of dresses and skirts; I have never felt one hundred percent (100%) comfortable in jeans. When the  weather turns cooler I must put more layers on my legs; tights, socks, and boots are not only a favorite look of mine, but a MUST to keep me warm.

Tomorrow I will be back with non-beauty favorites for the month of October.

Sunday Summaries

I have been completely unmotivated this month, and also uber busy with school, work, family, and friend things. Unfortunately, this baby blog has suffered, but I have some exciting things in store for the next month. Many things to help keep me motivated! Here's a peak at what my month has looked like.

Making a few tweaks to the apt to make it more homey.  

Taking the boys to the park. It's been the perfect weather this month for this!

Trying out new makeup things! Red lips are a new favorite. 

Zooey, the newest addition. 

Just in case you were worried how Pepper was getting along with her. 

What's not pictured, lots of time spent in the library, at work, and class.

Sunday Summaries

This was a fun filled week! A mini get-away was just what I needed to breathe some life back into my lazy tail. I feel so motivated, and ready to finish so many half started projects.

Monday the girl & I both seemed to be feeling rather puny. We did a lot of lounging on the couch while reading Green Eggs and Ham or watching Max and Ruby. Later in class I found myself literally falling asleep (I was like centimeters from crashing into the ground). I have not slept in class since freshman year of high school. I am chalking that weirdness up to whatever 24 hour sleepy bug I caught.

Tuesday My ladies and I went back to that Thai Bistro place, but it was not as yummy as I remembered; next time, I will have to order something different. Since both my ladies had to work, I ventured off on a solo shopping excursion. My plan was to find a pair of Jeans for Thursday’s appointment, but I didn’t have any luck. I have come to the conclusion that my body was just not made for jeans; my waist to hip ratio just doesn’t allow for it.

Wednesday started off a bit chaotic. Because of our work schedules JP and I had to drive as far as Jackson in separate cars, and then we joined forces for the remaining 2 hour journey to Clarksville. We ended up getting a REALLY crappy hotel room at a Super 8. While JP was partaking in bike night festivities I was doing what I do best, shop. The Clarksville TJ Maxx is one on my very favorites. They always have interesting jewelry, purses, and things for your home (pictured below are the two items that I purchased). After reading a tiny bit for class I met up with JP @ one of his buddy’s house and chilled there for a while.

Thursday could not have gone more smoothly. We found the perfect parking spot, free and a block away from the building. The tattoos turned out stunning. I was lucky enough to get a nice photo on the one on my arm; so, I will shared that below. After spending close to six hours in the chair I was starving. We found ourselves picking this little pizza place located in Edge Hill. It was mediocre. I’m not a huge pizza lover, but this dough was a burnt and wet.

Friday I was supposed to attend traffic court that night, or was I? In reality, the court I was “supposed” to attend was actually scheduled for nine o’clock that morning. By the time I realized this I was two hours late. To lift my mood, Jp & I went to see Drive; which was an exceptionally wonderful movie. Granted, there are a few “awkward” silent parts, but in real life I feel that those parts would have also been awkward silences. It would seem that I was just a couch potato that day, the only other thing worth mention is Supernatural’s season premiere. I could ramble on about this show for months, but all that needs to be said about this episode is watch it!

UPCOMING

I will attempt to make my own pumpkin spice lattes; and folks, I DO advise for you to try this in your own homes. I have about 4 DIY projects that have been left hanging around in purgatory, and some reading to catch up on. I am hoping for this week to be pretty chill.

ABCs of Lyndseelou

Age: twenty-four.

Bed size: queen.

Chore that you hate: any thing involving the floor; mopping, sweeping, vacuuming.

Dogs: technically one baby dog (Gilbert), but he lives with my momma since she has a backyard, and can give him all the attention he rightfully deserves. She also has 3 other Pekingese puppies; which are basically mine as well ;)

Essential start to your day: Morning cup of coffee, an episode of whatever TV show I’m addicted to atm (right now its numbers), Pepper in my lap, and Blogloving.

Favorite color: any shade of yellow or green; preferably, a shade of butter cream or avocado.  

Gold or silver: rose Gold if possible, but gold over silver always.

Height: 5’1’’ in heels maybe 5’6’’

Instruments you play: harmonica.

Job title: student, mca, girlfriend, sister, daughter, nanny.

Kids: 2 furbaby – Gilbert & Pepper. 1 featherbaby – Jasper (working on the second)

Live: tennessee, united states

Mother’s name: momma or mommy, but you can call her patricia (just as long as you never call me that)

Nicknames: lyndseelou, patty mayo, patsy, pooh, knee-cee, and my baby sister affectionately calls me big butt.  

Overnight hospital stays: N/A

Pet peeves: mean/rude people, not using a coaster, asking how much a tattoo cost, and then proceeded to grab & inspect them (that one really disturbs me!)

Quote from a movie: “… [T]hat woman that you just have to spend the rest of your life with … that was me.”

Right or left handed: right.

 
Siblings: paiger, 5 years younger.

Television: Supernatural, Being Human, Dr. Who, and Eureka.

Underwear: helps you not get infections.

Vegetable you hate: pickled beets.

What makes you run late: the universe working against me, everyday.

X-Rays you’ve had: collar bone, finger, hand, knee, pelvis, shoulder, sinus, skull, teeth.

Yummy food that you make: pancakes and salads.

Zoo animal: birds & animals of the night.

Sunday Summaries

Regrettably, I do not have too many pictures of all the fun things that happened this week. Most of the time my phone was either foolishly left at the apt or hiding somewhere in the car. Regardless, I truly had a first-rate week!

Monday was a good day! The girlie and I spent the day cuddled up watching movies and reading books. After my nanny gig on Mondays I have class, but it was let out early; taking this as a sign from the shopping gods, I headed to the mall. My first stop was the MAC counter at Macy’s but they were sold out of everything that I looked appealing. I then went to the juniors section, and stumbled across the Material Girl line. This line is really cute and trendy, but it tends to run a size small in the bottoms. I ended up spending a few dollars at Forever21 (post on this later). I was in a bit of a hurry because there was goings on happen at the apt. I ended the night falling asleep during the start of Breaking Bad.

Tuesday I escorted my BFF to the court house to pay some fines; yes, an escort is needed whenever you have to go to 201 Popular. We then ventured a little further downtown to eat lunch at Huey’s, but those plans were nixed when we came across this little Thai Bistro place. When I got back to the apt JP was making black bean burgers and sweet potato fries for supper. Went to class; which was let out early and canceled for this upcoming Tuesday.

Wednesday is a total blank.

 Thursday was my mommy’s birthday! There was quick trip to Bath and Body Works for a few fall scented candles, and then we headed 5 mins down the road to my mommy’s house for a celebration! This time was mainly spent in the backyard with the dogs. Afterwards, JP and I went to lunch at Chili’s, checked out the homey sections at TJ Maxx and Target, and headed back to my mom’s for a quick Birthday bite of cake, The rest of the night was spent cuddled up on the couch.

Friday I got all made up for a movie day with my mister; we went to see Contagion, which I thought was a pretty good movie. It was not a thrilling or suspenseful as the trailer would have you think. We had dinner plans that were about an hour away that night. So, much of our time home was spent packing, cleaning up, and getting the animals situated.

 

So, typing this, my week does not sound very eventful, but for the past two week I have been sleeping in until at least 10 and going to bed mega early, like before 12. So, when you add homework, extra house work, crafting time, and squeezing in some JP, Pepper, and Jasper time to the equation it makes for quite a busy day.

UPCOMING:

Goal this week is to start waking up earlier, and checking off everything on my list for the day.

Week is going to be filled with fun girl day dates, mister and miss road trips, tattoos, bike night, shopping trips, and maybe a movie.