Birchbox Favorites

When it comes to makeup and other beauty products I am not an expert. I would actually consider myself a beginner, as if I was just turning 14 and learning how to apply makeup. I don't even recall how I learned to apply makeup or anything else girly, most likely my sister (who is 4 years younger than me).  I am that girl who walks into Sephora, tells them generally what I am looking for, they suggest something and I buy it. Pathetic, I know. I honestly will buy anything that someone else has tried and will continue to use it, even if I don't really like it. I'm very low maintenance when it comes to make up and beauty products. I normally want the cheapest thing. Well recently I have figured out that as we get older, we need to pay more attention to what we are putting in and on our bodies. Just as I shouldn't  can't eat 4 donuts in one sitting as I did when I was 15. It's not good for my body. And as I grow up, some products I have recently used, aren't working for me as good as they used to.

About 4 months ago I was reading this blog, please do click that link and check out Lauren's blog. You can read about her new adventures in mommy hood as she and her husband welcomed a cute little boy a couple months ago! Lauren had a post about Birchbox and how much she loved it. I checked it out, ordered it right away and anxiously patiently waited for my 1st box to arrive. I absolutely love the concept of Birchbox. I filled out a little survey of what I liked and didn't like and what my style was and then I would receive monthly little samples of fun and interesting things that I would normally not buy for myself.  A girl can not go wrong with that!!! One thing I also love about Birchbox is you can buy so many different products and not just the ones you receive as samples. I love being about to browse all the items online instead of standing in a store clueless as to what I am looking for :)

Here are some of my recent favorites!


Gives my thin hair lots of volume!

lightweight and smells great!

 

 

Perfect for those little blemishes that sneak up on us out of nowhere !

 

For the days when I am too lazy to wash my hair before work

 



 



My August box will be here soon and I can't wait!!

xoxo
A



Love the Life You Live

Today I had lunch with a long time friend. We don't get to see each other a lot but we stay in touch through texting and emailing. She was with me last summer for my 1st wedding dress fitting. She is like a big sister to me and always has the best advice!

Last fall she was diagnosed with 2 different types of tumors, one in her neck and one on her right breast. Since her diagnosis she has had multiple surgeries, countless amounts of medication, and millions of doctor visits. She is so brave! Throughout all of this heartache she has been so upbeat and positive. Emotions I am not sure I would have the strength to have in such a hard time. During our lunch today I felt such a calm presence. Like all of my worries, fears, negative thoughts were gone. Which if you know me.... isn't an easy thing. But sitting across the table from someone who has endured such pain and hardship these past 9 months, I really embraced the saying "Love the Life you Live". No one's life is perfect and all put together, but those people still love their lives. They are thankful for what they have and don't worry so much about what they don't have.

My friend was telling me of all these amazing things that have happened to her since being sick and she said, I am so thankful for these, even though its been a hard road, I have had some great things happen. And I literally had a pit in my stomach. I thought to myself, "Damn it Ashley, she has gone through all this bad and still finds a way to see the positive, you should be ashamed for thinking so negative." My goodness is that true or what!

Not every day is going to be rainbows and butterflies, but I do need to remind myself that today or this week might not be everything I want it to be, but it's my choice to rise above and see the good instead of soaking up the bad.

I am so thankful to have such great people in my life. I truly believe life is great if you are surrounded by great people and not great things! I don't believe we have to be friends with everyone and believe we should be friends with people who benefit our lives.

xoxo
A

When I'm Afraid

Another daily devotional that speaks right to what I am dealing with. How do I trust and How do I let go? Those are 2 very hard things.

You can find this exact post and more here.  Trust me :) you won't regret taking a look at this website!
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When I'm Afraid
Written by Kristi Huseby

King David penned these words, “But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. I praise God for what He has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4 NLT)

When I’m afraid, when I take my eyes off of Jesus and put them on my circumstances or on myself – I have now given fear the power to overwhelm me.

How do I trust? By KNOWING God. If I don’t know Him and His goodness, then how can I trust Him?

As I write this, I’m reminded of how much I have failed to trust. I say I trust God but find myself living in a world of fear and worry. That worry and fear then lead to anger and attempts to control things on my own.

This battle for control and the effort to let go was such a vicious cycle in my life – and one that I struggled to break free from until I began to realize what I was actually doing and saying about God by my actions and words.

If I’m honest, when I worry I am really saying “God, you don’t know what is best for me but I DO! I don’t think I can trust You to handle this – so I’ll handle it myself!”

What I’ve been saying by living in the world of worry and fear is, “God I believe and trust that you can save me from my sins, but even though I know You are the God who created everything, Who has power over life and death and came to earth to die for me, I can trust you with my salvation, but not the everyday things of my life.”

1 John 4:17-18 says (NLT) “And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid … Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.”

“Perfect love expels all fear” That’s what the Bible says and it’s true: but do I believe it? If I know and comprehend this crazy love that God has for me – there is no room for doubt or fear or worry.
Lord, You are TRUST worthy! I can place my worry, fear and doubt on You. It’s a burden I no longer have to carry because You never intended me to carry it in the first place. You love me. You died for me. You sent Your only Son so that I could know You! Show me how to live dependent on Your perfect love. Amen.
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I can definitely relate to the writer on this one. I often (almost daily) find myself living in a world of fear and worry. Not a good way to live. I am missing out on all the wonderful blessings in my life!

Let's all make an effort to let go of one thing we can't control. Offer it up to God and let him take care of it!

xoxo
A

Hello World Wide Web

Today marks my 9th post since starting my blog. I have been waiting to "release" my blog to other people until I felt the blog had some substance to it. So today I am taking the plunge and putting my blog on Bloglovin .... click the button to the right ------------------->

Follow my blog with Bloglovin
I love reading blogs and it definitely helps my work days go by faster. Shhh...don't tell my boss :) Bloglovin is a great way to manage all the blogs you follow. It shows you when there are new posts and once you read the post, it grays it out so you know it's been read. Pretty clever idea if you ask me.

I had a blog probably 5 or 6 years ago and to me it wasn't very interesting so I deleted it. My husband has been telling me every since we got married that I should start a blog. I was very scared because I don't find myself funny or witty at all. But one thing I am is HONEST. I love it, it's refreshing yet very very hard for some people to "be". Almost all the blogs I currently read are women who are honest, raw and very truthful. They admit when they are wrong or not that great at something. They admit as much as other people say or portray they have a "perfect" life, that such life doesn't really exist. And that is OKAY... nothing to be ashamed of. They don't throw their houses, cars or money in other people's faces. They just enjoy the life they have!

I really believe we all should own the life we live and be proud. The good, the bad, the ugly !!

So be HONEST ... be PROUD ... be TRUTHFUL

xoxo
A

Good Times

This last week was very very busy! I was at work early every day and thankfully left a little early each day as well. I had 2 big meetings mid-week so they helped to make the week go by fast!

Tuesday we went to a networking function for Rob's work. Normally I am not a fan of these things. I rarely know anyone and I don't understand a thing they are talking about. Lucky for us me it was at one of our favorite wine places, Brix . We absolutely love this place and they have one very close to our house.  One main reason we love Brix, is because we can buy a bottle or two of wine in their retail area and drink it on their patio area and no corkage fee. Can't beat that! You can find us there regularly on the weekends enjoying a nightcap glass of wine! Have I mentioned before, we LOVE LOVE LOVE wine!

 After a couple glasses of free wine (the best wine) we went next door to The Grey Plume. This place buys all their food from local farms and their menu is constantly changing. All their food has an interesting twist. Rob got the chicken wings with Root beer BBQ sauce and I got the flat bread with apples, prosciutto, and homemade buttermilk cheese. Both of these dishes were soo yummy!   We have heard amazing things about this place, so we couldn't pass up their Happy Hour prices and food choices. They had sparkling red wine on their HH menu. I had never even heard of it before, so I definitely gave it a try. Very refreshing, not too sweet and you can bet I had at least 2 glasses :)

 

 

Early Friday we headed to Kansas City I had a couple of interviews and Rob had 2 meetings. We love that both our jobs have offices in KC. We usually try to add some fun while we are there. We enjoyed a late lunch in the Plaza. We did a little shopping and then headed out to our absolute FAVORITE restaurant in KC. The Bristol Seafood Grill  ... it does NOT disappoint. We literally go here every single time we are in KC. One time we even went 3 times in 2 days. We are addicted  and we are aware :) 

Love my new navy & cream chevron dress !

Bought this beauty from ShopDandy Boutique. I follow her on instagram and all her clothes are GORGEOUS! Check her boutique out here.

                                      

        

 

We went ended the night drinking and dancing in the Power and Light District. We always have a great time in KC. It's our weekend get-a-way spot! Sunday we spent the afternoon at the pool with friends. Low key and relaxing. I really wish weekends were 5 days and we only worked 2 days!

I would say this was a successful day at the pool ... I think the Barbies agree :)

 

 

Hurry up next weekend, I want to have more fun!!!

 

xoxo

A

 

 

 

 

Quotes

I love quotes and Bible verses. And I will admit I'm extremely addicted to spending minutes or hours :) looking them up on Pinterest! Here are a few that I absolutely love! 

xoxo

A

Life's Awkward Stages

Life has a lot of awkward stages, everyone goes through them, some pass through swiftly with no worries and other people are like me. I want this awkwardness to go away as FAST as it can. Whether it was going to college and experiencing life on my own, I wanted it to happen NOW because the summer before college was awkward. When I got my Associates Degree and was struggling to find a stable job. Everyone else was still completing their Bachelors Degree. I hate school and was never good at. So I took the long route to getting my Bachelors... slowly but surely... 6 years later :) But it was awkward.

I was still in the dating part of life and high school and college friends were getting married. I remember praying, "God, please please just let me meet the man I am supposed to be with. I can't do this dating thing anymore." It was awkward. I guess some girls have to kiss more frogs than others to find their prince charming!

Then I met my husband and we had soo much fun dating, but there came a time where I wanted more. Most of our friends were married and some of them were just starting a family. It felt awkward not being able to relate to some of life's greatest blessings.

As of yesterday the Hubby and I have been married for 10 months. (I'm actually listening to our wedding song while typing this post. You can find it here) It feels like just yesterday we were planning our wedding. I guess they are right when they say "Time flies when you are having fun." I am so thankful to have met a man who loves me so much ... more than I love myself sometimes!

Through these past 2.5 years we have been able to do what we want, when we want, and for however long we want. Sounds awesome right?!? wrong. I am over it. Sometimes I feel like I am so "lost" in our life. Don't get me wrong, I love the freedom, but in the last couple of months, I have recently reached that point where I need change. I feel like we are stuck in the life of monotony.  I would call it one of those awkward stages of life. Blake graduated in May, so we are kind of empty nesters. I have one less person to worry about at the house and I miss it.

Waking up, going to work, coming home, cooking or going out for dinner, watching TV and going to bed is getting old to me. While I could add a lot of important things to that list, such as working out, I don't. I feel like I am caught in the whirlwind of the monotony.

As you can see throughout this post, patience isn't easy for me. I have a very small attention span and want things to constantly be changing around me, not so much me making the choices to change them.Very much letting life happen instead of taking the bull by the horns. It's also me looking at things negatively and "half empty".

I really should be very thankful that I got through all the awkward stages, maybe not in the time frame I had hoped, but it all has worked out. I should focus on how LUCKY we are to do whatever we want, when we want because hopefully some day that will change! I really need to trust God that everything will work out the way it's suppose to and leave the worrying about the timing to him and starting enjoying what I have today. This is just one of those steps on my journey to viewing my glass 1/2 full instead of 1/2 empty!!!!

xoxo
A

Faith

When Rob and I first started dating, one of Rob's goal, besides persuading me to fall in love with him, was to teach me more about FAITH and less about Religion. A lot of our friends don't know this side of my husband, but he has soo much Faith and its a huge part of his daily life. It's very intimidating to me, but I am slowly learning my path to having faith. I grew up Catholic and in a very stereo-typical judgmental/perfectionist Catholic way. Growing up Catholic and going to a Catholic grade school and high school I didn't know any better, or should I say different.

One of the 1st things Rob "taught" me about Faith was that all that really matters is our relationship with others and our relationship with God. It really is THAT simple. So in his process of teaching me more about Faith, he signed me up to receive PTC (Power To Change) Daily Devotionals in my email. I receive the Women's Devotionals and he receives the Men's. While I don't read them every single day, there are days where they literally speak to EXACTLY what I am going through.

A HUGE thing I deal with on a daily basis is anxiety and what I would call "Letting Go". I tend to obsess worry about so many things that don't really matter. Or weird horrible things that are never going to happen. Everyday I try and tell myself, Let Go and Let God. Give him your worries, so you can enjoy your life today. It's a daily struggle for me, but I feel the more I focus on my Faith and my relationship with God, the easier it will be for me to let go.

Changing your thought processes or un-learning things that have been ingrained in your life for so long will not happen over night. But these daily devotionals help me slowly but surely gain the confidence to really open up my heart to having true Faith.

Here is a Devotional I received on Saturday morning.
It's called Fretting or Relaxing and these days I do a lot of Fretting and not so much Relaxing.

 

1. TRUST in the Lord

“Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture” (Psalm 37:3).

God tells us to trust Him with the things that cause us to fret! It’s really that simple… not easy…but simple. Take each concern and place it freshly in God’s hands, trusting Him with each one. If you find yourself taking them back give them to God again and again until your heart rests in the fact that you truly can trust Him to handle them.

2. DELIGHT yourself in the Lord

“Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4).

Let the fact penetrate your heart that God will be all He has promised. Ask Him to help you find joy in that. When we leave our concerns with God we can rejoice in what He is going to do. What a wonder that the God of the universe cares!

3. COMMIT your way to the Lord and trust Him

“Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this” (Psalm 37:5).

Freshly commit your day and your way to God. Each day is a fresh start! When we commit our path to the Lord we can accomplish so much more with Him!

4. BE STILL before the Lord

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7a).

When we take the time to be still before Him He can speak to our hearts and refresh us. It is so important to come before God — through studying His word, praying to Him and listening to Him! He will meet with us if we only take the time to come!

 

 

xoxo

A

 

 

Holiday Weekend

Back to the grind after a wonderful long holiday weekend. Not happy that I had to be to work this morning super early, but looking forward to having Friday afternoon off ! Hurry up Friday :) :) We had a very busy past 4 days... filled with lots of fun...friends... and family!



yummy marshmallows dipped in chocolate with sprinkles

 

 

 

 

 















4th of July parties, the lake with friends, wine night by the fire with friends, birthday party, pool time. Seems like you name it... we accomplished it over the weekend. I needed one more day for recovery!



xoxo
A

Weekend Re-Cap

Bummer ... it's already Monday! The weekend went by way to fast. I guess that's what happens when you are having fun :)

In the summer we sometimes like to start our weekends on Thursday! We headed to the Storm Chasers game with my in-laws for $2 beer night ! The weather was gorgeous and we had great seats!

Friday night we went to dinner at one of our favorite place Jams. You absolutely can not go wrong at this restaurant. Everything they have is so yummy! We met up with a friend at our favorite wine place, Brix! If you don't have one in your city, I am sorry, but you are missing out! I could spend every night at that place!

Saturday we were up early, wine hangover headache and all, and went to watch Colton play his last T-ball game. I have babysat Colton since he was born, he was also the ring-bearer in our wedding. He makes my heart so full of love. Him and I have such a special bond and I am so thankful God let me be part of his life!

 

Saturday afternoon we headed to my hometown to play golf with my parents. It was a tad windy, but other than that, a great afternoon. It makes me so happy that Rob and I are able to share same interests with my parents and have fun together! Rob beat us all ... LIKE ALWAYS ... you would never have guessed he was playing with a tweaked back muscle. Rob got my dad a J.Lindeberg shirt for Christmas. They just so happen to be wearing the same shirt, different colors!

 

No pictures from Sunday, but we ended our weekend with Church, lunch, and another Storm Chasers game with the in-laws. We grilled out and relaxed on the couch. Our favorite thing to do!

Hoping this week goes fast!!! So ready to have Thursday off and celebrate the 4th with our friends! Hope you all had a great weekend!!

 

xoxo

A