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Stingray Photobomb Whale stud earrings by Figs & Ginger The Amazing iOS6 Maps Custom Inspector Stamp Star Wars Plushies by Octokitty

Okay, so, I knew that if my hair held any kind of curl this morning, I would have to share. So, this is day three. I brushed my hair with a paddle brush and boar bristle brush right before these pictures. And, as you can see, the right side of my hair (your left) held the curl the best. That's were all my layers are. Don't even ask me why my hair has layers only on one side. My new stylist and I are currently trying to fix this. Lest you think these are some kind of super curl that will withstand anything, let me tell you that I did shower right after these photos. Any my hair is still curly . Just kidding. No it's not. I've got my standard post-shower frizz going on. Anyway, while the curling wand takes some getting used to, I am definitely sold on using this tool. Granted, your milage may vary, depending on your hair's ability to hold a curl. Example: Lauren's hair cannot hold a curl well. I curled her hair, with the wand set to its lowest pos...

So, you'll recall yesterday's post included some fabulous curly hair. Well, I just had to share how my hair looked on day two. Now let me take you through the timeline real quick: Sunday, 3pm-ish: Curled hair. Did NOT use hairspray. Brushed it out after curling it. 11pm-ish: Brushed hair with a boar bristle brush. Went to bed. 8pm-ish: Woke up. Brushed hair w/ paddle brush (to de-tangle) then a boar bristle brush. ----cleaned house, lunch with girl friends, picked up kids, homework, sat outside for an hour during swim practice--- 7pm-ish: Brushed hair w/ boar bristle brush. Took these pictures. As you can see, I didn't really do anything to encourage these curls to stay. I didn't apply any hairspray or product. I didn't baby my hair. In fact, with all that brushing, I was practically begging the curls to leave. Not really...I just hate how curly hair tangles so easily. Also, I want to see if my new brush really does distribute oils. I am so ...

I got this dress off the clearance rack at TJ Maxx for $12. It's not really something I think I would have normally picked up, but I decided to go for it. I had left the tags on because I wasn't 100% sold on it. I tried on this outfit. Mike liked it. (He said it looked a little "cowgirl." And I said, "Um, in a good way, right?!?) And I liked it, so I went ahead and wore it to church. I was feeling pretty good. You know, I curled my hair fairly successfully, I had actually remembered to wear makeup, and I was wearing an outfit that I thought qualified for a "So Much Pretty" post for the first time in a long time. Well, about 15 minutes into the service, I realized I never cut off the tags. The tags were attached at the back collar of the dress which meant everyone behind me could see the bright red tag through the kind of sheer cream colored dress. I threw on my cardi, cringing. Why couldn't it have been a cream colored tag to at least blend ...

Follow my blog with Bloglovin   Mike and I went up to Michigan at the end of August to spend a few days with family.  My main camera of choice for the trip was my Minolta x-700. Some people still think I'm crazy for using a film camera when I could be using digital. ..don't you know that you can take hundreds of photos without spending money to develop them?! But I don't care, I love shooting with my Minolta. These couple photos are just shots from around my MIL's house. Right next door is a soybean field. There are fields upon fields in that part of the state. Mostly corn and soybeans. There are also really pretty weeds growing in the ditches. It's not me cultivating a flower that makes it a thing of beauty. God plants pretty flowers wherever he wants--even in the ditches. :)

[ source ] I love this passage. I especially loved it when it was finally explained to me. Count it all joy when you encounter trials of various kinds. And it's like, What? No, I don't think I will count trials as joy . In fact, they are no fun at all. But if you keep reading, you know that the joy comes because you know what being faithful through the trials brings. Steadfastness, which is defined by Google as "loyalty in the face of trouble and difficulty." Count it all joy. Because you know that God will bring you out on the other side of these trials a stronger person. I could write a novel about what has been happening in the Kuechenmeister household lately, but for the sake of brevity, I'll give you a timeline. June 17: 3rd menstrual cycle of 2012 July 11: blood test shows that Femera actually worked (i.e. I ovulated) July 19: very faint positive pregnancy test July 20: negative pregnancy test July 22: faint positive pregnancy test July 27...

DISCLAIMER: I received the Sally Hansen Magnetic Nail Polish in my Influenster Summer Beauty VoxBox. I got a whole box full of FREE products to test and review. Check out the whole contents of my VoxBox here . And go to Influenster to sign up! [ source ] So, this was probably the item in my box that I was most excited to receive. I don't know that I would have ever purchased the item myself, but I was eager to try it out. First of all, I buy almost exclusively Sally Hansen polishes. I love them all. (I'd love to buy OPI, Essie, etc, but all that polish is just pricier.) Secondly, I thought it would be fun to have these wavy designs on my nails. I did my nails like this for the Fourth of July. My nails had been lavender and I thought this might be a wee bit more patriotic. The polish feels thick and goopy if you try to apply it like regular nail polish. That's because it dries so quickly that you can't do multiple thin coats. Here's how you ...

Retails at $8.99 for 6ox bottle. Available in SPF 12, 30, and 50. [ image source ] I'll start right off the bat and tell you that I didn't have high expectations for this lotion. And then, after typing that, I'm realizing, wow. Second review for the items in my Influenster VoxBox that I wasn't expecting to be all that great. What a negative nancy, am I right? Anyway. I showered yesterday post-work, pre-fourth-of-july-party and I used my new Clear Scalp & Hair Beauty Therapy shampoo and conditioner. (That review is coming later.) I usually lotion up with Suave Natural Oatmeal Body Lotion , it's just what I picked up last time I needed lotion because it was cheap and I liked the "natural oatmeal" bit. I decided to use my new Hawaiian Tropic, but because I'm all crazy-like, I decided to do the right half of my body in Hawaiian Tropic lotion sunscreen and the left have with my regular Suave lotion. The first thing I noticed right off the...

So, I wasn't sure why this was included in the Beauty VoxBox but Influenster says it's because you can "perfect treat for your taste buds without comprising your beach body you worked all year long for." Though, if I was on a diet and I wanted a treat, I probably wouldn't go for this. Gimme something chocolate...or greek yogurt. Anyway... I wasn't too excited about trying this bar, but I decided to bring it to work with me for a morning snack. I liked the texture. It was a nice mix of chewy and crispy. I wasn't too crazy about the flavor, but then again, banana nut bread isn't my favorite. I really liked the texture, especially the crispy rice. The almonds were tasty too. I ate half of it at room temperature and then headed up the 2nd half. Much yummier when headed up! The first 10 ingredients: whole grain rolled oats, soy crisp rice, brown sugar, invert sugar , oligofructose , almonds, water, polydextrose , vegetable shorteni...

Just got my first ever VoxBox today. Pretty excited about trying all this stuff! Influenster is basically an online program where they send you free samples (or even full-size products!) to try out and review. I didn't pay any money to join and I'm not being paid any money to write this review. So, anyways, it's pretty cool. If you aren't a member yet, go to influenster.com to join. I'm not required to say that, but I still think you should. I mean, who doesn't want free stuff? There are badges that you can get to qualify for different boxes. I got the "Dog Lover" badge, so fingers crossed for a doggie voxbox one of these days! I'll be posting reviews as I try out these products, so be on the lookout for those!