Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Bam-Blue-Zled


Here's another beauty related post!

Last Saturday 
colorfulpen, better half, and I went shopping. We stopped into Ulta to check out the left over sales from Black Friday. Right infront of the store was a table with a sign that said, "5 for $5." It had lipgloss, eyeshadow, hand lotion, nail polish, and more set out in baskets on the table. Colorfulpen picked up 5 Ulta brand nail polishes, including this periwinkle-blue colored one. The name was as cute as the color; Bam-Blue-Zled. (Want to know what other colors she got? Go here.) I tried it out and I have to say that I like it a lot. I think we were both skeptical since neither of us had ever used anything from the Ulta brand before, but the polish went on fairly well and only needed two coats to look perfectly covered. Typical for most nail polishes. Colorfulpen has also tried two of the other colors she got and noted that both of them went on just as well. As far as chipping goes - I've only had the polish on for about three days, but it hasn't given me problems yet.

If I try another color from the brand, I will be sure to make an update post!

Photo-A-Day! Wednesday, November 30th



Last day of November! Tomorrow starts the 25 day count down until Christmas! Are you excited? What's on your Christmas list? Are you going shopping for those special someones soon?



"How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?"
- Dr. Seuss


Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Dear Santa

Photo-A-Day! Tuesday, November 29th



Colorfulpen, better half, and I went to a local park today to take pictures of the Christmas decorations they have been setting out. There were lights strung on trees, red bulbs on a bush, candy canes and lolipops sticking out from the ground - with ginger bread characters hoping you'll come join them. It was festive, cute, and a perfect photo op. Thankfully it wasn't as cold as it has been. Winter is definitely trying to make her entrance.

Colorfulpen let me try out her tripod today, too. I had never used one before but have to say it did make my pictures come out a lot clearer. I guess depending on what you're trying to snap a photo of or if you're like me and sometimes get a shaky hand - a tripod can help a lot.


So, with that said - Here is my photo for today!



"And finally Winter, with its bitin', whinin' wind, and all the land will be mantled with snow."
- Roy Bean



Monday, November 28, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Monday, November 28th


Our little heart's sing,
Rudolph and Jingle Bells;
November is ending,
And the winter season begins;
Merry Christmas!
Every child is gleaming,
Nothing out of place on the -
Tree; The lights glowing,
Season's Greetings.
- KeyRawr 11/28/11



"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other."
- Burton Hillis

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Sunday, November 27th - It's feeling like Christmas!



Do you feel that? That twinkle of spirit you get in the pit of your stomach around this time of year? No, that isn't gas from Thanksgiving dinner. It's the anticipation of Christmas!

Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday - which I'm sure it is many peoples' favorite holiday for various reasons.
I love the smells of Christmas and winter. Like that sweet cinnamon aroma that you usually smell at stores or on Christmas decorations.(Except for Walmart's overpowering cinnamon cloud that hits you when you first walk through the doors. I talked about that in another post.) I also love the sweet treats - like Christmas cookies and fudge, Christmas decorations in general, the Christmas tree, the lights, the excitement, and seeing someone's face when they get the exact present they were hoping for.

Now don't get me wrong, I know what Christmas is really about. It's right in the name - our Christ, Jesus. I am a Christian and do celebrate the Lord's birth. I know that it really isn't about material items.

However, in my opinion giving presents to your loved ones only passes the love and celebration around, as long as you do it with a good heart!

I'm sorry if anyone who reads this is not religious or does not practice the same religion or even Christmas. I hope that this does not offend you in any way. :)

Anyway! I've rambled haven't I? Who knew you could do that without actually speaking! Ha!

Today's picture is of ornaments that colorfulpen, better half, and I put on the tree yesterday. Have you put your tree up yet? If you don't celebrate Christmas - what holiday do you celebrate this time of year? Or how do you spend this time of year?



"A good conscience is a continual Christmas."
- Benjamin Franklin

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Friday, November 25, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Friday, November 25th


It's Black Friday!
Black Friday was never something I was into. After all of the horror stories of people getting trampled, mugged, or worse I never figured a sale could be more important than my life. Or somebody elses.
Not that there wasn't items on sale today that I would have loved to have - make up, clothes, shoes - but I'm okay with missing out.

I did get out there today, however.
Colorfulpen, better half, and I went ice skating. Actually, better half just sat and watched - but colorfulpen and I got out there on the ice and were complete naturals... okay that's a lie. I hung onto the side wall like there was no tomorrow and poor colorfulpen hurt her knee. It is definitely NOT for the clumsy. Ha! The experience was really nice though. I think we both had a very good time.

I have three pictures today!




When we got home I was in the mood for hot cocoa. So, I made a cup for better half and I.



“Love is like swallowing hot chocolate before it has cooled off. It takes you by surprise at first, but keeps you warm for a long time.”
- Unknown Author


Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving! Photo-A-Day! November, 24th



Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I am so thankful for the year god has given me, the adventures I have taken, the love and support my amazing family gives me day in and day out, my second family who has done so much for me, and my better half.. who I really could not breathe without.

I hope that everyone has a special and safe holiday season and that you can find things you are truly thankful for in life. I think the feeling of knowing what you have and how important it is to you is one of the best feelings in the world.

I also hope everyone enjoys their holiday food!





"The world could not spin without the force of love."
- KeyRawr



Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Wednesday, November 23rd


"Go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my sense put in order."
- John Burroughs

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Tuesday, November 22nd



 
I am SO excited for today's post!

Today started off like any other ordinary day. Truth be told - I didn't even want to get out of bed this morning. The weather lately has been cold and rainy and it just makes me tired. There were no plans, nothing really special going on.
However, the sun was out today. It was a little cloudy and cool, but a lot better and prettier than it has been lately. So colorfulpen, better half, and I embarked on a small adventure to find photo ops. Colorfulpen suggested an area she passes frequently when taking and picking up her youngest from school. It was a field that looked out to the lake, and since the days are shorter when it comes to sun light, the sun was just about an hour away from sunset. It actually made for really good lighting and gave my pictures this mystical vibe.
Then, colorfulpen suggested we drive around and see if we can find anything of interest. After driving for a little while we saw a parking lot for a Karate center by some horses and stopped. I noticed there was actually an older lady standing by a shed and suggested we could ask her if it'd be alright to take pictures of the horses. I let colorfulpen do the talking though - I'm a little shy. Haha!
The lady was very nice and gave us permission. She even pointed out more horses a little further down from us and said we could take pictures of them, too. I was so excited!
When I was smaller horses were my absolute favorite animal. I have since graduated to wolves but still hold horses very close to my heart. These horses were particularly friendly and posed next to the gates for us. I even got to pet most of them.

We also discovered two donkey's (I had to google and make sure it was a donkey and not a mule..) in the field as well. For today's picture - a very cute fuzzy eared donkey by a vintage-ish bike.



"Life is like riding a bicycle: you don't fall off unless you stop pedaling."
- Claude Pepper




More of these photos to come! Including the field and lake photos!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Sunday, Novemeber 20th


 Colorfulpen and I went shopping today and had a very good time. Colorfulpen had been looking for fall/winter boots for awhile and saw an ad on TV yesterday for an Old Navy sale specifically on boots. We decided to go check it out - sadly better half opted to stay home, he wasn't into a shopping trip today - and she found a really cute pair for a very reasonable price! There were also sales on other items of clothing, mostly winter apperal. I got a couple of long sleeved shirts since the weather has been getting colder and I mostly have summer clothing. It was a good deal and I like the style of them. :D

Our trip didn't stop there either. We ventured over to the mall and went to JcPenney's, Charolette Russe, Victoria's Secret, and Forever 21. I didn't buy anything in either stores (even though I was EXTREMELY tempted to,)  but had a very nice time regaurdless. I always like doing those girly things - which is what my picture is based off of today.

All things GIRLY.



"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous."
- Coco Chanel




For laughs:

"A girl phoned me the other day and said... 'Come on over, there's nobody home.' I went over. Nobody was home."
- Rodney Dangerfield

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Movie Review!


Breaking Dawn
Part 1

If you are a fan of the Twilight series (books/movies) then this is a MUST SEE. I am very pleased with what was incorporated into 2 hours. I was afraid that with so much going on in the last book of the series, the movies - even if broken into two parts - would not be long enough for fans to get a full taste of what we envisioned while reading the book. The wedding, honeymoon, and pregnancy played out smoothly and didn't seem rushed, a feeling I got with second movie - New Moon. I also really like how the movie ended. It definitely had my mouth watering for the second part.
May next year come fast!

Photo-A-Day! Saturday, November 19th



"I am very willing to share whatever I know or feel I know about finding some serenity in this lifetime."
- Dirk Benedict

Friday, November 18, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Friday, November 18th



I've had a very fulfilling day today.

Colorfulpen, better half, and I all went to Payless Shoes on a mission to find colorfulpen some stylish fall/winter boots. Unfortunately she didn't see anything she was head over heels (no pun intended) for. I did see a nice ring there that was about 3 dollars - but I passed. You never know when you might stumble upon something better.


The place we did spend money in wasn't even a place we had planned on going to. A Bath and Body Works shop was right next to the shoe store, so we decided to go inside and see what they had. Right when you walk through the doors a wall of aroma hits you in the face. It's not a bad smell, but how on earth are you suppose to sample the different kinds of scents if they are all blending into one big fragrant cloud? Anyway, there was a buy 3, get 3 free sale going on. Needless to say that not all sales are as glamorous as they sound, but the body mists and lotions smell amazing. I got a body mist and lotion (called Paris Amour) courtesy of colorfulpen. The scent is very girly and sweet. <3


This evening we went to Walmart to get groceries and items needed for Thanksgiving dinner. Can you believe it's in only 6 days? What are you thankful for?




"Even though we're a week and a half away from Thanksgiving, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."
- Richard Roeper

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Thursday, November 17th


 
Today has proven itself eventful. I went with colorfulpen and better half to a Sonic where colorfulpen had seen a tractor parked in a grassy area nearby on Tuesday. She asked me if I wanted to go and see if the tractor was still there - since it'd be a perfect photo op. The idea seemed very exciting; so with cameras ready, we made our way back to the Sonic and recieved a pleasant surprise. There were two tractors, one on each side of the parking lot.
After taking numerous pictures of both, we ordered some lunch and went home.
Yum.



"Life is a gift, and it offers us the privilege, opportunity, and responsibility to give something back by becoming more."
- Tony Robbins




Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Wednesday, November 16th





Fly me to the moon
Let me swing among those stars
Let me see what Spring is like
On Jupiter and Mars
- Frank Sinatra "Fly Me To The Moon"

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Tuesday, November 15th


Went on a walk with my better half today. Still recovering from a nasty cold, but felt well enough to get out in the fresh air. The temperature was perfect, though it was cloudy, and we could hear thunder off in the distance. Luckily it didn't start raining until this evening.

I got a few pictures while out and couldn't decide between two - so why not post them both?





"Character is formed in the stormy billows of the world."
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


Monday, November 14, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Monday, November 14th



"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.




I'm sick, so please forgive me for this descriptionless photo today.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Sunday, November 13th



It's going to be a double photo day! Why? Well, because I want to use two pictures - that's why!

The first is from one of the places I mentioned in yesterday's post. Out of the all the shops and restaurants they had in the small area, this one stood out to me because popcorn is one of my favorite foods. Who doesn't like popcorn, anyway?



* Colorfulpen took this picture for me because my camera was having problems focusing with the light. So all credit for this picture goes to her!


The name is super cute and trust me, it smelled amazing outside of the little shop. I didn't go inside but hope to one day. Mostly because I saw a sign inside the window that said "FUDGE." Yes, please!



This second photo relates to popcorn. Everytime I see this building I get an urge to have some!




"Movies are like an expensive form of therapy for me."
- Tim Burton



Saturday, November 12, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Saturday, November 12th


 

Yesterday I took this picture at Frisco Square with Colorfulpen. It was really cold outside and the lit trees really got me in the mood for the Winter Season and Christmas, which is my favorite holiday. There were also a lot of shops and restaurants that smelled amazing, it was a really cool experience.



"A good conscience is a continual Christmas."
- Benjamin Franklin

Friday, November 11, 2011

Photo-A-Day! TGIF, November 11th




Happy 11-11-11 Everyone! What magical day.

For today's photo - Meet Mia!



A cat is a lion in a jungle of small bushes.
- Indian Proverb


This quote is very true to Mia. She has a very wild and hyper personality, always curious about what's outside the window. She also loves to cuddle. If she can get into your lap and curl up - she will.

  Mia was brought home by Better Half's younger brother. However, it is very clear that Mia is colorfulpen's baby. They have a very special relationship.

Very opposite of Dee - who likes to lounge and sleep - Mia is very playfull and absolutely LOVES to bite toes. Both of these cats have grown on me, which is funny since I'm allergic!

I guess that's what you get for being an animal lover.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Thursday, November 10th


Today's photo was an experiment. I have seen the same idea over and over again but had never tried it for myself. So with a water bottle and a camera, today's photo was born. Out of all the ones I took - Better half chose this one.



"A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water."
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Wednesday, November 9th



Everyone.. Meet Dee!


"A dog will flatter you but you have to flatter the cat."
- George Mikes


I had no ideas, no thoughts of what I was going to take a picture of today. Dee just happened to be near me when my camera was out and I thought, "A perfect subject." In all honesty.. I don't think Dee likes her photo taken. She always looks away from the camera at the last minute, every time you push the button. Luckily, she worked with me today and I got a nice head on shot of her! Then with a little editing - I made this.


We're half way through the week, everyone! Yay!


* In other news - Be sure to keep an eye out for some very special posts. Coming soon.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Tuesday, November 8th




"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Monday, November 7, 2011

A Little Something New


 
This'll be my first non-photo-a-day blog post. Which is the first reason for the title.

I've been trying to decide what to add to mix things up a bit and one of the main themes that
comes to mind is: beauty. I've always been a fan of the Beauty Guru's on Youtube, but I am way too shy and timid to start my own channel and join the team. So instead, I thought I could just do my own thing on my blog and ocassionally post things related to that area.



 

I have NEVER worn orange nail polish before. (Second reason for my title.) It's always been pinks, reds, purples, blues, black. Nothing crazy. I have done nail designs before - my favorite being a hello kitty inspired - but still, that was used with very muted colors. A couple of nights ago I was looking at all the nail polish colors - and remembered that colorfulpen had gotten orange polish for Halloween. Of course Halloween is over, but I wanted to see what it would look like anyway. At first.. I didn't like it. The orange polish was by L.A. colors and it had more of a yellow tint to it - plus it was very sheer and looked like egg yolk to me. Ha! So after a couple of coats I was looking at it and thought - "It's not horrible. I could wear this for awhile." Then I remembered that colorfulpen had also boughten a darker orange color for Halloween from SinfulColors.

Like I said previously, I'm a big fan of the Beauty Guru's on Youtube, so I've seen quite a few videos. One of my favorite Guru's is JulieG713 and she does stuff like make up, fashion, and nail tutorials. I sat there thinking... Should I do a design?  I want to use this darker orange to liven up my nails. Then I remembered seeing a video by Julie showing how you can use a make up sponge and sponge on another color to make a gradient effect
. Aha! So that's what I did. It doesn't look perfect - but for my first time I think it's okay and I like it. The orange color is growing on me.

My advice: Try new things - you may like it more than you thought you would. :)

Photo-A-Day! Monday, November 7th


"If you want to find out what a writer or a cartoonist really feels, look at his work. That's enough."
- Shel Silverstein


This photo was a surprise for me. While out on a walk with my better half and colorfulpen, I was looking for things to take pictures of. I noticed a nail sticking out of the fence with a crack formed above it. I snapped this shot thinking, "Hey - this looks kind of cool." I had no idea that a child's tricycle was visible through the crack. When I uploaded the photos from our walk onto the computer and saw it, I admittingly got very excited. This may not be the best photo in the world, probably nothing close to anything a professional can do, but for me.. it's a milestone. I personally really like the photo and like I said in my first blog post, even if nobody else reads this or likes it, I just want to see how far I can go and how I can shape this blog and myself. Photo's like this one make me want to keep going, and I love that sense of inspiration.

Have you ever had a moment like this? What was it?
If not, then what inspires you to keep doing what you love?

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Sunday, November 6th



It's been a nice relaxing Sunday. I've just been hanging around the house today, had yummy Quizno's for lunch, then went on a fast trip to Walmart. Nothing felt rushed, just kind of took it easy until it was decided what we'd do for the day.

For todays photo, I ventured into the back-yard. I've been wanting to take a picture of this subject for some time now, but never managed to get my lazy butt out there. With no new ideas on my mind and the clock winding down, I decided it was time to use this subject as todays photo.




It's kind of a funny story - where this big ol' tire came from. My better half's little brother, he likes to find things and bring them home to his family. This being one of those said things.
I actually really like this tire, too. It reminds me of my uncles tractor tire that I use to try and climb as a kid. Of course, the tractor tire was much larger, but it still gives me that since of nostalgia. Plus, it makes a real pretty picture!


"A photographer without a magazine behind him is like a farmer without fields."
- Norman Parkinson

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Saturday, November 5th


          The adventures I've had today! Lots and lots of shopping with colorfulpen (<-- go to her blog! It's amazing!) and my better half. I was good and didn't spend any money, however, I wanted to. Oh boy did I want to.. Of course I didn't really have a whole lot of money to spend which becomes a problem when you're in a store full of amazing things, with amazingly high prices. If I were rich, you bet I'd be walking out with atleast 5 shopping bags. (Just a little advice - If you see an employee working a make-up section walking towards you, run.)
None of this relates to my picture for today, though. Just a friendly little update. :)


 What it does relate to, is after all the shopping we stopped at a local golf course so that colorfulpen and I could scout out photo ops. We had stopped at the course yesterday evening, but poor color's camera died with no spare batteries with us! We laughed about it and decided that we would go back today and try again. Well, today MY camera died. I guess I didn't learn any type of lesson from color's mishap yesterday. Luckily, between yesterday and today I got enough shots to have a workable photo as todays picture. Phew.




"The world is wrong side up. It needs to be turned upside down in order to be right side up."
- Billy Sunday

Friday, November 4, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Its FRIDAY! November 4th



You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.
- C. S. Lewis


 This picture may seem unsual today. You're right, it is.
The truth is, I've been wracking my brain for days trying to get fresh and new ideas to use for my photo-a-day. For the past couple days I've had the urge to take a picture of my eye, a symbol of the soul. Well.. I did that and I did get a good picture and added some effects to make it seem spooky. I liked it. The reason I didn't go with that picture for today was because I also took some personal pictures of myself, to use for whatever reason(*cough* facebook *cough*). Then I got looking at one and was curious what it would look like under certain effects. I kept playing with it for awhile until I used this one effect that gave me the picture above. Something clicked. It's weird, it's indifferent, but it has the same sense of story that my eye picture idea had.
So I'm using it without a care in the world!

May your soul shine bright.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Thursday, November 3rd



"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

              This is one of my mother's most frequent sayings. Anytime there's a problem she tells me to take it one step at a time and "cross the bridge when you get to it." I can't lie, it's actually helped me a lot in life because I've learned not to rush things. She also always tells me that "good things come slow." When I was smaller I didn't want to believe that, but as I get older I understand how precious time is. I also understand that most things are earned and not given. Sometimes the adventure is the best part. Granted, I still have those moments where I want something to just magically appear before me, or have something get done without me doing any of the work. We all have those moments though, right?

Now if we could all live in a world like Bewitched and just wiggle our noses...

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Wednes It Going To Be Friday? Photo-A-Day - Wednesday, Novemeber 2nd




 
          It seems this week is going by faster than I expected it to, but I'm still being very impatient and wishing it was Friday already. Friday's bring adventure, a sense of relaxation, a feeling that the day is longer than the rest of the week. Wednesday brings... well. Wednesday just brings the joy of knowing that it is indeed almost Friday. It's funny too since I graduated High School last June. You wouldn't think I'd have a reason to complain about what day of the week it is.. and honestly, I don't. My theory is that the biggest thing everybody learns at school is how to wait for Friday. It just becomes habit.

Anyway,
for today's photo I wanted to incorporate the idea of what Friday means to me. I did not take this photo today, but have not revealed it to anyone yet. It will be brand new for everyone and I'd like to think that it counts as part of the challenge. I took this picture when "colorfulpen" and I went on a little escapade to find photo ops.





"There aren't enough days in the weekend."
- Rod Schmidt

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Photo-A-Day! Tuesday, November 1st


Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness.
- Maya Angelou


I use to play piano. I never took lessons or learned to play anything brilliant but I self-taught myself a couple of songs. One of them was "When The Saints Go Marching In." I would play that song over and over with this sense of accomplishment that made me smile every time. Sadly, since I stopped playing for so long, I've forgoten most of the ending. If only I was blessed with an elephants memory..

Yay for the first official post!