gwynnie bee review!

 So I always go up and down in weight and that has been even more so lately post baby.  I had lost all the weight but now am back up a bit (might have to do with my thryoid #s being way off...might have to do with mac and cheese my guess is a bit of both) but anyway that being said I was very curious when I saw a ad for Gwynnie bee.  It is sort of like netflix for clothes.  You can do up to 3 outfits at a time you send them back and get new ones.  For someone who varies in sizes quiet a bit this is a great idea.  They have everything from casual tops and maxi dresses, to work appropriate wear, to jeans, to dress outfits for events.  The part I love they are size 10 and up.  They have something for all of us average to curvy girls.  They are running a free month trial so I figured give it a shot.  

Start by measuring your self so you know what to order.  Then you go onto the website and start putting outfits into your closet (queue).  The more clothes you have in your closet the quicker they will mail your things out.  Once you send back a outfit you go on the site and click that you sent it back and they automatically mail your next one no waiting. Also if there is something you want to put in your closet but it is seasonal or dressy and you don't need it right now put it on hold until you do. :) 

My first three outfits came today.

 Here are the three that came I got a top and two dresses.

 This is a cute dress jessica howard.  It is polyester/spandex with a scoop neck.

 This is a faux wrap dress by inc.  It is cute but I should have ordered it a size smaller.  That being said it is comfy and cute and I will wear it for sure. 

 This is the igigi arabelle top in black.  This is soo stinking soft and comfy.  It has a flattering neckline with elastic in it so it doesn't fall down and open up on you and some ruffling in the front so it blouses around the mom tummy.  I am loving this shirt big time.

So there are my first three outfits.  My finally thoughts.  I LOVE it and can't wait to try more.  I am thinking this is soo great and only wishing I had a wedding or some fun event to go to this summer where I could use one of my fancy dresses in my closet lol. Hereis a link check it out and get your free month trial.  Start filling your closet with cute outfits.  Let me know if you give it a shot and what you think.

Sewing projects

 I have had a few sewing projects I have been working on lately.  Let me preface this by reminding you I am a knitter not a sewer.  I have only been sewing off and on a few years and am pretty much self taught.  So don't judge.  Okay so the top of my list was a baby gift for a girl friend.  She had seen this..

 I made max this earlier this year from this tutorial

 and before people start in about how it isn't safe to have things in a car seat and blah blah blah...it was literally -40 a good part of the last 7 months!!!  My baby would literally have frozen and  this was thin enough I felt safe but thick enough it kept him warm and cozy.  I used fleece and flannel instead of two fleeces and batting like the tutorial called for.

 

Anyway  Dee wanted a car seat swaddler blanky for her baby girl she has on the way and n since I love her so much I stepped it up a notch and used minky and some adorable chevron flannel.  I also used the left over fabric to make some burp cloths for her.

Another sewing indevor I took on was a quilt!!  My first one.  I had saved the receiving blankets I got with Max and wanted to make a quilt with them.  I dug through pinterest for a pattern I thought I could maybe manage and I chose this one.  I took a sunday afternoon cut my fabric and set to work. 

  I used some of the left over fabrics from other things I made him and love like the tandem bikes and minky. 

I think it turned out cute especially considering it is my first every attempt at quilting. Last but not least is this cute little bugger. I was shopping for some cute flannel to go with the minky for dees blanky when I saw this prequilted fabric and I thought it was too cute to pass up.  So I grabbed what was left on the roll ( just over a yard I think) and used my coupon.

 I backed it with some matching satin.

It is cute and snugly and light enough for this time of year.  This is just the type of blanky my little Max loves.  So it is perfect.  speaking of which he is ready for nap time!  Have a good day guys.

Drugstore clearance haul/ review

I have a huge haul to share with you guys.  Our kmart is closing and before everything went on clearance they had a huge table of make up on clearance.  I went in and dug through it a few times and here is the haul from the last time I went.  I used I think two coupons and it came to 19$ for all of this.  And a few things weren't in the clearance bin but just things I needed.

 Okay lets start I swatched the polishes over my polish I had on.  I love the covergirl formula you can pretty much get away with one coat.  It is great stuff.  Here is the kicker though I sent my lovely daughter down to put this on our nail polish rack and they disappeared and I can't for the life of me remember their names.  I want to say the revlon was timeless, the cover girl ones aren't listed on their website so they must have been limited edition but I want to say always naked and crushed berries.  I hope I find them because I am dying to use them!

 As for the rest of the makeup.  I swatched it out for you.  Bottom is the loreal infallible in eternal sky its not a everyday shadow but I do love it and have worn it already. next is the wet and wild single in kitten it is nice as wet and wild always is and not as metallic as the loreal. Next is the remmil wake me up looks like would work okay as a highlight, The covergirl lip crayon I thought was going to have to wait for fall but it is actually a bit sheer and I love it the color is berry twist.  The wet and wild gel liner in plum...super disappointment.  It doesn't go on smooth and it erases it self if you try to go back over it.  So boo for that.

   

I also grabbed a clear brow gel and a few mascaras (I originally went for the almay one coat waterproof because I love the forumula but it smudges on me and the water proof still does!) Anyway I am glad I got to grab the stuff to try.  Have a good day guys.

Chunky cozy knit throw

A while back I made one of the arm knit throws and I hated it.  It was pretty much worthless.  Yes it was chunky and quick but it snagged all the time and was good for nothing but sitting there.  So I decided to unravel it and redo it with my own pattern. 

 I love how it came out.

I love how this came out.

It is soft and cozy and I love the way it looks.

 It is chunky and fuzzy and perfect.

Everyone loves it.

 Cozy chunky knit throw

Materials needed: size 50 needles

6 skeins homespun quick and thick yarn.

finished product was 42''x62''

guage was 4x8 for 6''

Start by taking 3 skeins of yarn at a time and winding them into a ball.  This will make it easier to knit from since you will be knitting three strands at a time.  It will make a huge ball.  this is after I had knit about half of this one.  

Cast on 30 stitches and knit across row one.  

(you can do a few extra stitches if you want it wider and shorter you can cast on 35) 

purl the next row.  Keep alternating knit and purl rows to make stockinette stitch. When you come to the end of that ball wind the other three skiens and tie in and keep knitting stockinette  until reached desired length then bind off. 

I found the easiest way to weave in loose ends with to just reach through and weave with my fingers.  

 This was super quick I knit it up in the length it took to watch two movies with my girls.  :)  I hope you guys knit this and It keeps you and yours warm and cozy :)

haute look nyx haul and review.

Nyx was on haute look last month and I had to place a order.  It was too good to pass up.  Haute look has some good sales but it does take literally like a month to get your stuff.  So keep that in mind.

I ordered the nyx butt naked eyes pallet and the wicked dreams pallet.

The butt naked eyes pallet comes with 15 eye shadows in both matte and shimmer. It also has a pull out underneath that has 4 blushes a bronzer, and two highlights.  The quality is good but you need a good primer and it cost me 15$

I swatched them for you by row.  This is the top row.

Middle row.

and bottom row.

blushes

bronzer and highlight. 

incase you want to see more of this pallet in action here is a video review of it by bailey b.

I have worn that pallet almost every day since I got it and I am super excited that it will be perfect for travel.  I will just have to pack mascara, foundation, and concealer.

Here is the wicked dreams pallet.

These swatches are a bit more sloppy I apologize.  I did them in order from left to right this is the first 5 rows.

and these are the last 3 rows.  This pallet was 9$ and it is great quality.  I used it the other day and it was very nice.  I would say use a good primer underneath though

here is a quick video review of that one.

Worth the money esp. if you can use a ulta coupon or grab on haute look (even though they drive me crazy taking soo long to ship).

Thank you moms.

With the approach of mothers day I have had some things on my mind lately.  I am a stay at home mom.  I don't want you to think this is going to bash working moms.  I have been that too, but I am lucky enough that I get the choice to do what I want.  My heart is truly here in my home with my babies and my husband.  I am a home body at heart and it isn't for everyone, but it is for me. :)  That being said I have had some people lately act as if what I do is nothing and even implied that I sit on my butt all day in not such nice words. Even was appalled that my daughter would want to do what her mom does when she grows up!!!  Because I am unemployed and do nothing!!

I don't buy that and someone who would say something like that has one never spent a day with me, and has never done what I do.  I have known stay at home moms who don't stay at home, and who aren't there to take care of their home and children.   (mine being one)  We always had a filthy house (she was a hoarder) and We never had clean clothes, If we were home sick she had better places to be then to stay home and care for us, to say the least. When your moms a hoarder there are no sleep overs ,or play dates, or birthday parties.  I could tell you stories that would curl your hair.  We were the children who fell through the cracks of the system and lived in a unsafe home with a mentally unstable mom who beat us.  So I know not all stay at home moms are great. 

 I am a stay at home mom.  I keep a clean home (beds made, floors clean, laundry washed, bathrooms wiped down, dishwasher unloaded, clean, organized home).  I feed my children, I cook and bake and we go out to eat maybe once a week  for a break for me.  We have library day on wed, when the kids have a short school day.  We eat every meal at the table together as a family. We have special family time on the weekends to do things like swim bonfires sleep overs what not.  I love my children and I am glad I get to be here to see them get on the bus and am the first person I see when they get home.  I bake at least once a week, so they have a special treat to come home too.  I make them warm drinks on cold icky days. 

 I have been lucky enough to stay home and snuggle this sweet lovely baby every day of his live thus far and see every thing he is learning.  I didn't always get that choice with my girls.  I did work at points in their life and I missed things that I can never get back. 

 Yes my family could use a extra income besides my part time job (I am a breast feeding peer councelor).  We aren't wealthy we live paycheck to paycheck (when we are lucky) but you know what, I will budget, I will clip coupons, I will scrimp, and do what ever it takes to be here while my kids want me here.  I know all too well those days are short and I want to be there for them.

Every day isn't peaches and cream.  We have days that are ugly and there isn't enough coffee in the world some days. (that is how my coffee carafe made it in the cupboard the other day)

 We have days where it seems like all we do is fight.  I do expect my children to clean up after them selves and have chores and responsibilities, because they need to know how to take care of things in the real world when they get older.  Some day they will under stand why I have rules and expectations.   I am a hard ass but it is because I love them.

You don't get sick days you don't get thank yous allot of the time.  what you do gets over looked and the meals you work hard to cook are "gross" or go half eaten.  There aren't bonuses or promotions.  but I want them to know I will be there to dig them out of the situations they get them selves into..

I am not bragging or complaining.  I am just saying there are lots of moms out there who work their butts off to make sure that their husbands have a clean house and warm meal to come home to and their kids have memories with their families playing at home when they grow up.  If any of my children are lucky enough to stay home and care for their kids I would be proud and thrilled and take their kids for a night to give them a break because god knows I can't remember the last time I got one lol. 

To all you mamas working hard to make more good memories then bad and fighting off the ever growing mountain of laundry that always looms over you head. No matter if  you work outside the home and deal try to juggle this on your days off or work hard from home like me  I appreciate you and I hope you get enough hugs and love on mothers day that your cup flows over :)  hugs.

home progess (revamped lamps and diy) and back porch

I have still been working on pulling things together around my new home.  One thing that came up was that the old residents had put in a dimmer switch down stairs and they aren't rated to work with florescent or led bulbs so it was getting hot!!  Very alarming.  So a electrician came and put in a regular switch.  That left us with only bright lights down stairs so we moved our floor lamp down to the family room and I went to the goodwill and lucked out on finding two matching ugly lamps.  These were originally dark green with a flower painted on them. I took the little doohickey off that goes around the light bulb painted them krylon sea glass and got two lamp shades from walmart for 12$ each. 

I have them on either side of the couch.

I think they are cute and give off the perfect amount of light.

This lamp was too cute to pass up so I grabbed it a shade for 7$ at walmart too.

Another project that went up in our livingroom dining room area was this.  I took a frame that used to be above our bed in the old house lined it in chicken wire and spray painted it in the same color as the lamps.  I think it is cute and it pulls things together well.

The weather has occasionally been cooperating lately,  So we have been turning out attention to the outside space.  We got some plants to add color. A few for the front step.

And some for the back.  We got hyacinths, pansies, violets, snap dragons, and tulips.  I will be planting the tulips and what not in the yard once the ground is ready.

I also got two of these cute guys and painted them.

We moved the palette bench up to the deck.  We gave the deck a good thorough power washing and fixed any lose spindles.  I took some beach  buckets and drilled holes in the bottoms and we used those as planters I think it is super cute.

We also cleaned up all the cigarette butts, dog poop, sticks and other junk from the yard.  Last but not least we hung a baby swing from the deck for this little guy.

I would say it was a big hit.

Have a good day guys.