liebster award!

I was awarded the liebster award by the sweetest of all sweets, Chelsea at Happy Bow Lucky!  She is seriously one of the cutest girls out there with the purest of hearts, and she is planning a wedding.  If you haven't checked her out yet, I highly encourage you to.  You will just be filled with joy!

liebster is German for loved, beloved, dear, favorite, or something like that.

and this award is given to bloggers with less than 200 followers to bring attention to their blog.

The rules to this award are as follows:

#1. show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.

#2. award the award to five of your favorite bloggers with less than 200 followers & link them.

#3. post the award on your blog.

#4. bask in the love from the most supportive people on the internet - other bloggers of course!

#5. and best of all - have fun & spread the LOVE.

Picking 5 of my favorite blogs was truly hard because, as we all know, I just love so many!  It made me appreciate so many pure blogs  that have close-knit followers.  

Here are the lovelies:

Katie Lately

For Lauren and Lauren

Imperfectly Polished

Biggest Little Blog

Shades of Gray

keep it simple {makeover monday}

My mom has always filled my mind with lots of wise says.  These include "It's an EGBOK=Everything's Gonna Be Okay", "And this too shall pass", "Fun is my favorite F-word".  One of my favorites is her anthem to keep things simple. I have applied this anthem with my makeup and it's the perfect union.

Simplicity+Makeup=Perfection!

The next topic for Makeover Monday is foundation!

I don't consider myself to be a "foundation" wearer.  My mom taught me how to put makeup on when I was in middle school as she basked in the glory of her old modeling tips from when she was a teen.  The number one thing she told me was NOT to use liquid foundation.  She warned that it would clog my pores and give me a "cake-y" look.  I always used powder.  As I grew older I realized that good ol' powder doesn't quite cover everything up...and then came bareMiners....ahhh, bliss!

Before applying this super easy makeup I cover up any spots with Mary Kay concealer.  A little goes a long way, and I use the Max Coverage Concealer brush from bareEsentuals.  I love it because it covers up any blemishes I have, and I avoid putting it under my eyes because it makes my little wrinkles look even worse.  So we just let the under-eye area go all natural.  

I use bareMinerals Matte SPF 15 foundation in golden fair and I am in love.  I've been using it for the past 5 years (and I just gasped thinking how fast time flies by!).  At first I struggled with the coverage, thinking that I wanted more.  But I've grown to love it, it is the easiest to put on, and I even wore it on my wedding day! 

Eep! I almost forgot!  I love doing make-up for friends and have done several weddings, so I have a "secret weapon".  Make Up For Ever Professional line has an HD primer in neutral that I am just in heaven about.  I put just a small amount on before applying any makeup and it is the perfect primer for any occasion.  If you are looking for something that helps your makeup go on smoother and stay put, this is most definitely it!

Can't wait to read all about what you use!

give it to me raw

The other night during bible study we were talking how we bring up things with our spouse.  How do we reflect with our spouse or tell them something that may be bothering us.  Now, you may be just hunky-dory about life and never have any problems but I  know that I like order and have to gently remind him where the dirty clothes hamper is.  

Some were saying they want their spouse to just "rip off the band-aid" and others wanted it to be brought up more lovingly.  I know that the Mr. can tell it to me straight or beat around the bush, but I love that we have raw love-that we are open and honest to one another and keep each other accountable.  We want the other to be the best they can be, we want to be raw with each other, that's what marriage is.  He knows me better than I know myself at times, the good and the bad, the raw me...

with no make-up on

with morning breath

with smelly workout clothes on

with a smile on my face after he's gotten me to laugh after being cranky

with 1,000 things on my mind

with "perfectionist" tendencies

There are lots of things I like raw

Like our marriage and friendship.  My friendships.  My relationship with God.  

And my food....

I'm not sure when it happened, but there has been a big transition in my eating and health and I will definitely blog about it one of these days, but I enjoy whole and natural eating.  Raw eating is good for snacks and some meals, and the rest of my cooking I try to make pure and natural.  It just makes me feel good, in fact I'd say amazing inside.  I've noticed that my health has improved too, I haven't been sick as often and I have more energy.  

One of the most surprising things to me is that eating clean, whole, and natural doesn't cost more of my time or money.  I have found ways that we stay on budget and I enjoy spending my time cooking to better our bodies.  When I was younger I would eat trail mix like it was going out of style, telling myself proudly that I was being "healthy".  Now, I wasn't eating a cheeseburger or a burrito so it was some-what healthy.  But, lets just talk about the salt and sugar I was consuming, especially the Costco trail mix (that was my love affair)!

Making my own trail mix is super simple and I control what goes inside of it AND my body.  It helps me control how much sugar and salt I'm getting, and it is incredibly easy!  I love mixing it up and adding new types of nuts and fruit to it as well.  Basically, I walk through the bulk section at Sprouts and pick out what looks good to me at the time.  Each time I make it, it's always different.  

To make the perfect trail mix you need a mixture of the following:

nuts (preferably raw)

dried fruit

seeds

chocolate :) YES!

In my mix this week is:

raw almonds

raw pepitas

sunflower sees

raisins

jumbo golden raisins

Put all of your ingredients inside of your favorite mason jar and give it a good shake.  I keep one jar at home and one at work to snack on.  The husband always seems to find all of the almonds and pick them out at home, so I keep my secret stash at work :)

I typically like to add in mini chocolate chips but was sadly out of them.  My other favorite combination is:

raw almonds

raw walnuts

pistachios

dried cranberries

pepitas

chocolate chips

Check out two more recipes I'm dying to try out here and here!

lock it in the glove department

No, I promise, this isn't a repeat of my last post.  I'm sure the picture threw you off and I guess you'll just have to see our pretty pic just one more time.  I'm here today to tell you about one of my favorite dates!

So, we definitely have opposite schedules-especially on the weekends.  MLK day was the perfect day for some quality Mr. & Mrs. LaFuze time.  We started the say with some coffee, bagels, conversations, and reading.  Ah, it was glorious and so utterly relaxing. 

Then, we did what any other normal couple would do and went to Costco!  

Once all of the errands were done we planned our evening and set our for the movies then wine and cheese.  As we pulled up into the parking lot I was convicted of what my husband likes to call "cell phone gay".  I was checking texts, twitter, instragram, just checking in.  He called me out and at that moment I opened the glove box, put the phone inside, and shut it.  He was totally right, I totally get caught up in my phone instead of being intentional with us and our time together.  

You would think that I was itching to get back to the car after the movies, but I didn't even check it!  As we pulled up to our wine bar the phone sat, locked up in the glove box, but this time with a companion-his phone.  We had wine, scrumptious melt in your mouth cheese, and bread.  It was absolutely superb.  The best part was that it was just us, with no distractions.  It was seriously one of the best dates ever because we were just so engrossed in each other.  I felt as thought we were back in high school dating all over again, and I realize that this is what marriage needs to be like.  

Ever since this date we have made it a goal to be more intentional with each other.  I have been really making it my goal to come home and focus on my husband, not my work email, my blog, or school work.  I want my husband to know that I'm his #1 fan, that I support and love him, and that he comes before everything else.  

overwhelmed

Do you ever just have so much you want to say and don't know where to start?  Well...that's me, right now, yep!  2012 has just flooded my heart with joy, love, wisdom, faith, hope, goodness, warm fuzzies, the list could go on and on.  And there is nothing major happening in our lives on the outside, but on the inside I can feel God's transformation of my hear.  

Blessed.

I just feel utterly blessed.  

God has been answering prayers, prayers we have had for over a year, prayers that I have intimately prayed for so long.  I just feel blessed to have God's peace running through me.

At church last Sunday our sermon stopped me dead in my tracks, I'm pretty sure God wanted me to be front and center to hear it too.  Our sermon was on REST.  We talked about how our society has become "workaholics" and do-ers, that we fill every box in our schedule and every ounce of our time just to find what we think will make us complete.  

"Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.  And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had due, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.  So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation."

Genesis 2:1-3

God rested.  My husband and I were talking about this and he reminded me that God is God, he doesn't need rest, and yet he rested because He knew how important it was.  I don't know how I've become this way but I am a perfectionist, a mutli-tasker, and a people-pleaser.  I fill my time trying to always be better and seek approval in others eyes (even you readers).  When I'm not being productive I feel like a failure, I feel as though I should be doing something.  Hearing this sermon brought me freedom.  God gives us rest for freedom.  He rested and so should we.  

To say I was convicted would be a huge understatement, I was ready to run out of the church telling everyone what I had just heard and how I feel.  In order for me to rest I have to tackle those thoughts in my head that tell me "I should be doing something right now" or "I'm not doing enough".  I feel a huge sense of relief when I stop believing these thoughts.  There are only 24 hours in a day, and a third of them should be sleeping.  I can only do so much, and what I don't get done will be there tomorrow for me to do then.  My house doesn't have to be perfect, the laundry can sit in the basket neatly folded for a week and it's okay.  

"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord."

Jeremiah 17:7

I have been memorizing this verse this past week and just feel blessed knowing that God is looking out for me, loving me, and speaking to me.  

Thanks for letting me share!

oh, happy hair day!

When I found out that Katie's next edition of "Makeover Monday" was all about hair care, I jumped for joy!  If there is one thing I love, it is hair!  I have lots of hair, "lots" may be an understatement.  Sometimes it feels like a workout doing it because it is thick, thick, thick.  But, I love it so I try not to shed tears over it.  

I thought I'd share the many ways you may see my hair and then show my products.

This is typically my Day #1 look-freshly washed, curled or straightened, with bangs down.  I guess you could say my bangs are my trademark, I've perfected them over the years, tried life without them.  It was like trying to live life without almond butter and chocolate, it was just a tragedy.  

By Day #2 the bangs are back, typically pulled to the side.  They just got all greasy, especially if I worked out the day before.

By Day #3 I have to figure out another way to wear my bangs, so my go-to is typically a mermaid braid.  

And by Day #4 (YES, I can go 4 days between washes) it's the bun to the rescue!

Now, you may think that I'm crazy that I can go 4 days between washes but it's the perfect marriage between my hair and I.  It takes me forever to blow dry my hair, so I always wash my hair at night.  I'm also super tired at night so I've found the perfect way of making it so my washes last a lifetime.  If you're tortured blessed by thick hair, try to push it just another day and pull it up into a bun-it will save your life!

Let's move onto my products.  Contrary to what some may think, I'm not a product hoarder and find that the less I use-the better.  I also really try to find a balance between expensive products and store brands.  As much as I wish I could spend a gazillion bucks on hair products, I've found those that work great for my hair that don't brake the bank and make the Mr. happy!  

{1} Purology Antifade Shampoo

This is my splurge, but it kisses my hair beautifully.  I actually have to wash my hair twice in the shower and this never dries it out.  Make sure you focus on your scalp when shampooing versus your ends, the shampoo will always seep down into your roots when you rinse.

{2} Purology Purify Shampoo

Because my hair is thick it can have some build up so I use this shampoo every 3 washes.  It makes my hair squeaky clean.

{3} L'oreal Ever Pure Sulfate-free Conditioner

This is my favorite conditioner.  I only put it on my ends and it always make my hair feel super soft and smooth without making it greasy or oily.  Best part is the price at Target!

{4} L'oreal Ever Sleek Frizz Taming Serum

I use this ever so often after I wash my hair, especially if it's dry outside.  It helps tame this wild mane (it can get pretty ugly up in the bathroom when I'm blow drying).  I use just a little bit because it can make my hair oily if I use too much.

{5} Herbal Essences "set me up" hairspray 

So I rarely use hairspray.  I was super blessed to have hair that holds curls and stays in place.  But, for those styles that need that extra satisfaction that each place will stay in its place I love this hairspray.  It holds it like crazy without making it look like it has hairspray in it.  

That's all folks!!!  I hope you give your hair some lovin' this week and try to stretch your wash an extra day with a super cute "bun"!

P.S. I'm contemplating doing a video tutorial on my bun.  What do you think????

lessons from Belle

Every girl wishes she could be one: a princess.  But not just any princess, a Disney princess.  My grand dreams included singing while wearing a teeny-tiny top in the ocean along with my little sea creature friends then dancing in a grand ballroom along with "Chip", the cutest teacup on the block.  I relived life of a five year old all over again when I went to see "Beauty and the Beast" in theaters this past weekend with a dear friend.  It was everything I dreamed and more.  And there's no shame that this 20-something year old went to a G rated movie.  

As I was watching I was reminded of the beautiful theme that fills this movie:

 beauty comes from within

not from make-up

not from my eye cream

not from my beloved curling iron (we're best friends)

not from the girly pink lipstick

not from my ever so perfect perfume

I've been thinking so much lately about what impact I want to leave on this world.  One thing that I loved doing and continue to dream about is working with young women.  To look at a teenage girl and tell her "you're beautiful, you're loved, you're special" fills me with to the brim with excitement.  To remind a girl that she has a Heavenly Father, that she is loved unconditionally no matter what her past or present may be, and share the importance of loving yourself.  As a teenager my life was blessed by some older girls that shared these with me, helped me love who I am, and deal with the insecurities of being a teenager.

It's a dream that hopefully God will make come true again soon.  

In the meantime I will take pictures with this cute little girl that makes me smile bigger and brighter each time we are together, reminding me that your smile is the prettiest thing you can wear, and to look for the beauty within...

first hair tutorial

One thing I really love is doing hair and make-up, especially on other people!  I love trying out new hair styles and just playing.  This week I played around and fell in L-O-V-E with this hair style because I felt so pretty wearing it.  Plus, it was pretty simple and easy.  I have tons of hair and it curls pretty easily so please don't fret if your curls don't stay! 

(P.S. The pictures aren't the best, my bathroom has horrible lighting, but hopefully it gets the job done!)

The little lovelies you will need include:

1-1.5 inch curling iron

headband

bobby pins

comb

round brush

Start by curling your hair.  

Make sure that everything is curled like so.

This is my favorite part...tease the heck out of your hair.  If you don't know how to tease your hair you can look here. Mine never looks smooth afterwards like hers does so I break out the round brush and lightly go over my curls.  The round brush tames the top while keeping the volume.  

So you should have some volume like so.

Grab your headband.  This one I handmade following this flower tutorial.  After I made the flower I hot glued it to a stretchy headband that I get from Target to wear when I workout.  Super simple!!!

I loved the way it looked with just the headband and curls but knew that the curls would get in my face teaching so I pulled the top-half of my hair back and pinned it.  

Gently grab the top half of your curls and smooth them back.  Make sure to leave some volume so be gently when you pull them back.  I have very thick hair so in order to get mine to stay I twist the hair a little bit and then put bobby pins in the twist to make it stay.  A video would explain this a little bit better but I hope you get the gist of it!

You can see the other side of the twist hear.  

Then pull some curls over your shoulders, smile, and say "Cheese"!!!  

Let me know if you have any questions! 

 I hope you try this out and feel extra pretty for the day!!

makeover monday

I have become smitten with many blogs, but one I recently found just fills me with joy.  

Katie is starting a new link-up on Mondays called Makeover Monday and I was super excited because one thing I love is beauty products.  This week is all about skincare, and I was thrilled because this is something I think I have finally gotten a handle on.  My mom ingrained good skincare practices from an early age, starting with the good ol' ClearSkin that I think every teenage girl uses.  She was very stringent with using her cleanser, toner, and moisturizer every night and taught me to do the same.  

I'd like to say that I always follow this routine but there are some nights that I forget to wash my face because I fell asleep or was sleepy.  I've tried lots of products and have learned to try and balance quality with my pay check because some products can just get way too expensive.  I grew up using Mary Kay because that's what my mom used, but have since discovered the perfect brand for me.  

Here are my tips and favorite products:

#1 Take your make-up off!

My esthetician got me hooked on this about a year ago and I swear by it.  Dermalogica's Precleanse takes away every speck of make-up (AND mascara) on my face.  Getting some mascara off can be hard but this always does the trick.

#2 Find the good cleanser for you skin-type!

I have combination skin (oily/dry) and I need something that won't give me make me too oily or dry me out.  I've tried several generic brands and the one that makes me face feel amazing is Aveeno Positively Radiant. 

#3 Moisturize with SPF!!!!

I stick with Aveeno for my moisturizer, too.  I've found that I'm starting to get fine lines around my eyes and whenever I talk to my esthetician when I get my eye brows waxes she preaches about the moisturizer.  It's true that it is super important!  I put on a little extra at night so that it soaks into my skin making it smooth and radiant.  In the morning I use a little because I tend to have drier skin in the morning. AND make sure your moisturizer has SPF 15 or higher.  I have very fair skin and have to protect my skin on a daily basis.  Save your skin from the sun ladies! 

#4 Exfoliate!

               

I still use Mary Kay when it comes to exfoliating.  Exfoliating gets all the dead skin off my face so that my skin feels smoother and clear.  I try my best to do this mask once every two weeks.  

#5 Treat yo self!

Facials have never been common for me, and my first one was two years ago.  A couple of months ago I got a detox mini-facial and realized how much of a difference it made on my skin. I have large pores and when I do the detox mask it gets all that yucky gunk out of there so that the pores can shrink.  When all of the dirts and oils are in my pores they will only get bigger.  I've found a way to financially get a facial once every 3-4 months and have noticed an improvement (granted I just started this past fall).   

So there's all of my products and tips!  What's your favorite skincare product?????

green-eyed monster

Are you a morning person or a night person???

I'm a morning person.  Well, as soon as I have my cup of coffee.  Before the cup of coffee I'm like a green-eyed monster.  

After the cup of Jo' I'm only half of a green-eyed monster.  But, once I drink my green-eyed monster smoothie I'm 110% ready for the day!

This smoothie is my favorite to get my greens and fruit in first thing in the morning.  And, you just feel super good knowing you took care of yourself and started your day off right.  

What you'll need:

1 cup. almond milk (or milk of choice)

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

2 cups fresh spinach

a big handful of fresh kale

1/2 c. frozen mango

1/4 c. frozen pineapple

4-6 ice cubes

YES, you read that right...KALE!  It is just so good for you.  And, NO, you don't taste it!  Trust me.  Or trust yourself and make one!

I like to put in the milk, kale, and spinach in my blender Ninja, first.  

Blend until the greens are well blended.  

There may still be some chunks, but they will be taken care of in just a bit...

Add in your frozen fruit, protein powder, (oh I also added in half a banana) and your ice cubes.  Then, blend and let it get well mixed together.  

Ta-da! 

I love the versatility of this smoothie.  This time I added in half a banana.  Sometimes I do a frozen banana and half a pear as the fruit option.  It all depends on how you like it.  If you make it and need it to be a tad bit sweeter, add a little bit of agave.

Drink this so you're not a green-eyed monster!

what i wore wednesday

It happened again.  The Target clearance rack caught my eye.  I just HAD to take a look.  And, I'm pretty sure it was meant to be.  Because as I was perusing through tops that did not catch my fancy I stumbled upon a dress. The dress.  The dress I had bought in November in yellow, went home and tried it on, and took it off as soon as possible because the sheer horror of me in a yellow dress was too much to bear.  I loved the style, but the shade did not love me.

But this dress and I knew it was meant to be, as long as it was in black.  And it was, and in my size, the only one sitting on the rack.  

It's tag was reassurance that our happily ever after would truly come true.  

$7!!!  I proudly wore it to work paired with some tights, cowboy boots, and my handmade scarf.  

It was a good day.

Dress: Target

Tights: Target

Boots: I bought them so long ago (for $10) that I don't remember where!!!

Fossil Watch: gift from mom

Earrings: World Market

Source: tumblr.com via Jamie on Pinterest

I wanted to let you know how the "me in 2012" is coming along.  We're 11 days into the new year and by God has strengthen me and challenged me.  I feel more confidant in myself than I have in years.  Things have happened lately that could have easily made me doubt myself and feel like a lesser person.  Instead of beating myself up over things I cannot control, I have chosen to pray.  Prayer changes things!  

God has reminded me so much these past 11 days that HE made me uniquely, that HE loves me, and that is enough.  This has helped me when it comes to being hard on myself and easily comparing myself to others.  Every teacher has the day.  They come home thinking to themselves that they are a horrible teacher, and ask "what am I doing wrong???". Yesterday was one of those days.  I felt inadequate as a teacher, I compared myself to others and felt lost...I felt as though all of my joy had been sucked out of me and it was my own doing.  I had to make a choice, and wallowing in self-pity was not an option.  

These past 11 days my motto has been to "Choose Joy".  There are always going to be those days, things spin out of control, things don't go quite right, someone says something that just makes you want to cry, and we must CHOOSE JOY.  When I choose joy I am making a conscious decision to find the blessings in life, acknowledge that not everyday is going to be just peachy, and know that my attitude makes the difference.  When I choose joy things roll off of my back, words don't sting, and my heart is full in tough times.  

I have to admit that it is so much easier to say "choose joy" than actually do it, but I have HOPE in times of worry, HOPE that my joy will overcome my negativity, and HOPE that God will change me.

I encourage you to Choose Joy!