Keep Fighting

Surgery....!

Today I am tdying to stay positive about my surgery tomoorow but it is so hard when I leave my daughter for the first time. Best case scenerio I will be an hour and a half away for 3-5 days. 

This is my 20th surgery in 32 years and it is so difficult to keep fighting your own body. Thank God for my beautiful girl who makes the fight worth it. 

Photo 101?!

Okay, I was finally able to upload the very first pictures I have taken so far in "project: get a hobby" and they aren't too bad, of course my daughter Alice and flowers from Vanlentines Day. This is the camera I am using, the Nikon D3100.

Alice: I got my eye on you

Alice: silly dancing 

This week I have also been obsessed with my hair, mostly because I am really bored. 

I got a trim and asked my hairstylest about dying my hair lavender/lilac like the photo below I found on Instagram @nothingbutpixies and she said I would hate it, booooo. So I inlisted my mom to dye my hair dark purple with manic panic and it came out SOOOO Dark, like Black with purple undertones, not exactly what I was looking for. 

What I WANTED

What I got was this by using ManicPanic color in ultra violet actually looks blackp in some lighting- ugh 

Currently...

1. Thinking of Valentine's Day and how glad I am that I am not teaching tomorrow.

2. Enjoying watching BBC Survivors, it is like The Walking Dead without the zombies. 

3. Feeling anxious about impending surgery on the 24th. 

4. Wearing Uggs because it is freezing in NE.

5. Needing sleep because my insomnia is awful lately. 

6. Wanting the Stella and Dot 'Rebel' necklace, check it out on stelladot.com 

7. Listening to "I'm a Believer" on repeat because my daughter loves the movie Shreck.

8. Making photo collages and photo canvases. See the tutorial here

My inspiration, so pretty!

9. Eating croissant roll-ups 

Pinterest:

mine:

recipe here

10. Drinking infused water daily. I love lemon water with cucumber and mint, my daughter does too she will take sips and say "MMM, that's cucumber?" There are supposed to be a lot of benefits too. Check it out  here

Things That Make Me Happy

We had a fun and productive weekend. I finally got out of the house in order to go to the mall to get a birthday present for our neighbor's child. Of course we did a little shopping too. I love Crazy 8, when they have sales (like this weekend an extra 30% off the entire store) you can get great quality clothes at Salvation Army prices, which makes me happy. Check out their website here .

While walking around the mall Alice noticed this Ariel hat a mile away, she looked so cute and happy how could I not buy it :)

While at the mall I was able to purchase and try bubble tea, which I have seen around Instagram forever; however, it is the first time I have seen it in New England. I liked it but I'm not sure I would get it too often.

I found this quote on Pinterest and feel like it totally relates to how I feel right now.

On the photography front I have my battery charged and bought a memory card that is supposed to be the best. The price at Best Buy made it worth it (normally $100 for $40).

I also finally finished my Pinterest inspired collage wall. I made the canvases by modgepodging them on to cheap canvases and they came out great and saved hundreds of dollars. See how to do it here yourself. I also was inspired by these images display  display 2

I am in the process of creating my second wall collage and trying out my camera.

Hobbies, Loves, and Finds

Since I have had more time on my hands than I have ever been used to (while waiting to have my surgery) I decided to pursue a hobby of mine, photography. In order to do this I first need a better camera than my iPhone 4S supplies (my old digital camera has even less megapixels than than my phone). After a few days of research on entry level DSLR cameras and shopping online for the best price I decided to get the Nikon D3100 at Best Buy. You can read the review and comparison here . Just by shopping a little a bit online I saved $15 going to a Best Buy near me who had the camera on clearance vs. a Best Buy equally close who did not. 

While researching online I saw this Nikon bag with DVD on sale from $70 to $40. In store it was still the $70 price, thankfully I researched online and they price matched their online price-SCORE!! The bag is great and I love it, see the sale here

 Right now the battery is charging and I need a SD card because apparently I need a special one. I can't wait to try it out and while I am stuck in the hospital read the manual and become an expert! 

Here is my baby :)

Another exciting event in my life today is finding out there will be a Pitch Perfect 2!!! I love this movie, love, love, love. I have the movie in 3 different formats, the soundtrack, a cup, sunglasses, pens, etc... This is just a fun, happy, silly movie that always makes me feel better. You can still purchase this set on Amazon here

The next thing is my Diamond Candle ring reveal number 2: In my last post I wrote about these candles that I received as an early Valentine's gift. Neither ring is worth much but they are pretty and I like the candles so much I ordered another one for myself :) You can purchase yours here . What are your hobbies, favorites and finds???

January Favorites

So even though I have a lot going on right now, I like to escape reality for a while and enjoy all things entertaining, sparkly, pretty, yummy... you get the idea.

NETFLIX

The 4400
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389564/

A bunch of people go missing and all of a sudden 60 years later they show back up, with special powers. The show gives you likable characters and plot twists that keep you interested. 

666 Park Avenue

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2197797/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Okay, I am pretty sure this is the exact premise of The Devil's Advocate. There is a lawyer trying to make his way to mayor, the stay-at-home "wife" who sees all the crazy neighbors (both living and dead) and the wealthy, connected overseer. A lot of this show is predictable, but still a decent one season show, they wrapped it up so cleanly I can't even imagine a second season. 

Beauty Obsession

http://www.sephora.com/creme-de-rose-smoothing-plumping-lip-balm-P254222?skuId=1223338

BEST LIP BALM EVER! That's it, all you need to know! Well it is costly but it will last you FORVER. Not too sure about the plumping part but it is the most moisturizing lip balm I have ever used. It is a holy grail item. 

SNACK

http://cookiesandcups.com/2-ingredient-pumpkin-brownies/

Just 2 ingredients? Seems too good be true right? Well, I have tried these before and they were, well, okay. I think the tip on this blog helped a lot, lining the pan in foil. I also used dark chocolate brownie mix so it would be super healthy (pumpkin and dark chocolate), right ?

DECORATIONS
http://www.target.com/p/valentine-s-day-felt-garland-banner-love-you-so-much-5/-/A-14775265#prodSlot=large_1_1&term=love+you+so+much

This is actually much cuter in person. I have it hanging a little wider in my house and it is a cute addition to the homemade heart garlands Alice made to decorate the house. 

BOOK

http://www.amazon.com/J-D-Salinger-A-Life/dp/0812982592

I am a HUGE The Catcher in the Rye fan, I mean HUGE like I have the book tattooed on my arm huge. J.D. Salinger has always been so mysterious that I wanted to know more. This book is a little slow to get into but has some great information about one of my favorite authors. 

Why I love Valentine's Day

For as long as I can remember I have LOVED Valentine's Day! I remember as a child always getting a white rose from my dad. In my teens my first love surprised me with a dozen red roses while in Spanish class. I have had great Valentine's Days even when I was single, I made gifts for my friends and would have dinner parties together. I love just walking in and out of all the aisles at Target, Hallmark, CVS and looking at all the (mostly cheesy) Valentine's Day items. 

Here is a list of reasons why I LOVE (for some the most hated holiday of the year) Valentine's Day.

1. Valentine's Day Decorations: What is not to love? One word, PINK!! I love making decorations with Alice and having the house decorated in glittery pink and red hearts. 

2. PRESENTS (especially early presents): Since my husband and I have been together for 10 years long gone are the days of diamond heart pendants, and extravagant gifts (he does always get me flowers). This year he saw that I was looking at these candles on my ipad (the page was open) and ordered me two as a surprise. 

You can order them here

They arrived in the mail today and he told me to open it and I could burn one now (yippee). I asked Alice which one I should burn and she choose the red one. The smell was great, subtle and didn't give me a headache like some candles do. 

It took about 6 hours of burning and once I saw the foil I grabbed my tweezers and pulled it out. I LOVE the ring! It isn't one of the expensive ones but it is cute and well made. I am so glad I got one I like (some that I saw aren't really my style) even though it is really big (too big for my thumb even). I love the candle so much I just ordered another one for myself because I got a $10 off code, these are addicting. 

3. CHOCOLATE : Okay, I LOVE chocolate but I am trying to eat healthy especially since I will be nonactive for weeks after my surgery. I saw this recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it a try. 

Here is the link for similar recipes 

healthy (ish) desserts

As you can see, it was pretty good! So good in fact my husband even had a couple slices (gasp) and he never likes anything "healthy".

Today Alice and I finished making valentines for all her friends at preschool and when she asked what Valentine's Day is I told her a special day you tell your friends you love them and.... Daddy buys us chocolates and flowers. She is very excited for Valentine's Day this year. 

2012 -NOT so excited

2013- Valentine's Day = cupcakes and Alice is a happy camper, we also made crayon hearts for her friends using an idea I saw on Pinterest here

2014- Valentine's Day = making valentines with glitter, glue, and stickers and smiles