For You Marissa!

So I told my BFF that I would post some pics of a recent project! So today is for you Marissa, all of it, the pushing everything out in the hall to make it look clean, the open curtains for lighting, the made bed, and the frog doing yoga on the dresser to the left! Oh and please don't ask about the sock between the headboard and the wall (how embarrassing)

New Skin!!

I am taking a mini break from editing to post. Recently James got some new digs and he LOVES them, he wears them all the time, as if he has found his new skin!

Oh and I got some fun new items as well

It's true. I love Football season, especially the Denver Broncos!! I have been a fan pretty much my whole life, I even had a poster of John Elway on my wall in the 4th Grade!!

Do I Dare.....

Even try to catch up at this point? We have had such a busy Summer and especially the last few weeks since school started, I haven't had the chance to blog about it all!!

First off I am thoroughly enjoying the "back to school schedule", we are up and going early every morning and the day just feels more, and is more productive! Lexi has to be to the bus by 6:40am and then Grace is there at 7:40am so by 8am it is just buddy and I!

Lexi went back to school on Thurs. Aug 12, she started Middle School and was BEYOND
excited!! For the first time she has a locker and she was even able to "open it on her first
try!", when she got home that afternoon at 3:10pm (they have longer school days here than in
Vegas), she told me she felt like "she had always belonged there" (only slightly dramatic). Lexi
has always been a bit advanced maturity wise, so I think getting out of Elementary school is
exactly what she needed!


She is playing the flute in band, which makes me happy since I also played the flute, (which I
would still have if I hadn't traded it in for a guitar in college, but don't worry I don't have the
guitar anymore either since my mom decided to give it to my BIL, whatev, I'm not bitter or
anything. I kid I kid). Back to Lexi, it was fun to show her how to hold the flute and help her
figure out some notes, she felt really good the next day when she was "the only one that
knew how to hold it!" I love that as a 6th graders she still gets excited and impressed with
just the simplest of achievements, she must be like her mother! Yup, that's us, just simple girls!








Grace had an assessment day on Aug.12th, but she didn't officially start until Monday
Aug.16th. Grace is in the 1st Grade and after the second day she told me she "wanted to go
back to Kindergarten, because it is more fun." It has been a huge adjustment for her,
going from half days to full days, she is exhausted after school! I have been surprised by how
much she loves sitting at the table with Lexi after school doing homework, I think it makes her
feel like a "big kid", but hey no complaints on my part!

So far it is going well for her, she likes her teacher and she is making some new friends. I love my
sweet Grace, school doesn't come so easy for her, as we were walking to the bus stop on the first
day she looked up at me and said "You know what I dream about mom?, I dream
about being the SMARTEST girl in the world!" with tears coming to my eyes I said,
"Well if you keep working hard you CAN be the smartest girl in the world." which
she responded with "Or I could just wish on a star." touche Grace, touche. I pray that
things will start to get a bit easier or that she will at least be given the strength to overcome her
struggles.

(and if my Spunky girl wants to be colorful and bright who am I to say no)

Just A Simple Girl

I have been trying to convince my husband for years that I am just a simple girl, no need to try and move the earth for me, just a little TLC, and not the "Say Yes to The Dress" kind. I find myself smiling and happy at the most unexpected, yet pleasantly surprising things. So as once perfectly stated by a nearly nun, children loving, border crossing Maria "Here are a few of my favorite things"


Men standing in line to use the bathroom

A vanilla ice cream cone from Goodtimes

Sitting on a bench and "people watching"

Walking around Home Depot or Lowes looking at power tools

Garage sales/Craigslist/thrift stores

Trying a new recipe for dinner and my family LOVING it!

My kids eating popcorn while watching me do Zumba in my office

Riding my cart through the parking lot at the grocery store

Reading in bed while my husband works on his laptop next to me

Tim McGraw in a white t-shirt, jeans and his cowboy hat (this is a new find)

When my friends and family call just to say hello

Long evening walks with my man

Dreaming my way through Target alone

Listening and getting my groove on to my favorite songs while I get ready

The few hours in the afternoons when two kids are at school and one is asleep!!

Google-ing all the places I want to visit someday

...and knowing that in just a few days I get to see my Mommy and Daddy!!

(thanks Rachel for the photo)

See I am TOTALLY A Simple girl, no, really, I am!!!

Spiderman in THE HOUSE!!!

Having a little boy has brought so many new things into our house and lives! James is ALL "Boy", he loves dirt, swords, guns, cars, sports and comic book characters, especially a web flinging, wall scaling, red suit wearing Spider man!!! I MEAN HE REALLY LOVES HIM, in fact he thinks he IS him, no, really, he does! He tells me several times a day "I Pider man, mom", he thinks he can climb walls, mirrors, ceilings, and when he watches it he sings the theme song! A week or so ago we got him is very own Spider man action figure and for the following several hours he just kept repeating "Pider man, Pider man, Pider web, Pider man...." over and over and over as loud as he could! We LOVE our "Pider Man" and I am so glad he decided to stay with us!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Coming to the End of Summer

Well this past week I had aspirations of doing some fun things with the kids since it is their last full week of Summer break before school starts.  It didn't really go as planned but I think we still got out and did a few things, Monday we went swimming with our friends the Andersons and the kids LOVED it!  Grace had been anticipating the Ward Swim Party the previous Friday but when the afternoon thunderstorm moved in it was canceled, which for Grace, means devastation so when my friend Jen asked us to come down to their community pool I was ALL for it!

And if your sister won't let you out the gate when you want out........

.......it makes you sooo mad!!!!

This little love is my friend Jen's daughter Lucy and I just want to eat her, so funny and so expressive!

Tues and Wed we played at the park and hung out at the house just chillin! I must say that while I like to get out sometimes, I am kind of a homebody and I don't mind having days where we aren't scheduled and busy! However I have had TONS of editing to do so that took up much of my time.

Thursday evening we went over to the Kelley's for a birthday for our nephew Jr., aka Baby Will, aka Little Will, aka Little Willie, seriously the poor kid won't know his name because EVERYONE calls him something different lol, he turned 3 so we went over for a mini party.

Friday I woke early to head out to some garage sales, my true love, (it was a friends that is moving) where I ran into a new friend, Michele, from my ward, she and I headed to another garage sale and then back to my house to hang out for a little while. Michele has the cutest little girl my kids were wanting to hold her and love on her, poor thing. After they left we all got our chores done and headed to the library, where I had to handle some mean girls that were playing tricks on Grace, James was addicted to the water fountain, and Lexi wanted to check out every book they have. Since I am already reading a few I restrained myself from checking any out.

As we were leaving the library Jimmy called to say he was on his way home, which made me very happy since it was a little early. He said that he and Rob were gonna go hit some golf balls but thanks to the normal afternoon thunderstorm they changed plans and we decided to have dinner and then they went to do boy stuff at Best Buy! I got the kids to bed and then enjoyed some quiet time reading for the night!!

Saturday we were up and going pretty early because Lexi had a practice with the activity day girls who are singing in church Sunday.  While she sang, James and I headed to another Garage sale (another friend is moving) :(   we hung out and talked and James enjoyed punch and cookies.  Then it was back to pick up Lexi and home to work around the house and eat lunch, followed by an afternoon out with Daddy.  He sweetly took all 3 kids out to spend some time with him, I was able to edit and take a short nap, then we were off and headed to Granny and Grandpa's for dinner.

 After a delicious "Granny cooked meal", we played out in their back yard for a while enjoying the beautiful Summer evening!

I am gonna miss the luxury of lazy days and Summer evenings here in the big CO, but getting back to a school schedule will be nice too! 

SYTYCD!!!

I have LOVED SYTYCD (So You Think You Can Dance) for years now, since season 1 baby, and this season I have a NEW favorite! Oh he is just amazingly talented and such a cute boy, Kent Boyd!   He is a small town farm boy that just graduated from High School.  GO KENT!!

Guest Post!!

So I was given the chance to guest post by my bloggy friend Janelle over at Queen of the House of Boys. The post is about raising boys, and while I have just the 1 son and he is a wee sprite of only 2 1/2 it felt great to say why I LOVE having my boy and the joys of raising one!! Here is a link to her blog, my guest post will be posted tomorrow but she did a small introduction on me today!!

Oh and now that I have returned from Utah I have pictures and things to post about. I know, I know don't remind me that I still haven't posted much about our trip to Vegas.

A Little Lighter

First, I want to thank you all for the love and support from my previous post! I can say that I was EXTREMELY nervous about putting it out there. I have never wanted to be perceived as a victim walking around with my badge to prove it. I am so grateful for the response that was received and if it has helped anyone than that is a true blessing. I feel as though now I can share more openly my life experiences without fear of rejection!!

After a slightly heavier topic, I thought I would lighten the mood with a few beauty tips, tricks and secrets from the retired Esthetician (please note: these are things I love and work for me, you might hate them :) ).

I happen to have quite the appetite for all things Skin, beauty & makeup, the problem is that makeup and skin don't ALWAYS go together. Over the years the industry has come miles in creating makeup that won't do a NUMBER ON YOUR SKIN! Being born an albino (not really), I have VERY SENSITIVE skin, sensitive to sun, makeup, moisturizers, cleansers, air, wind and I melt in the rain (again, not really). Well when I went to school to be an Esthetician in 2001 I was fortunate to better learn the types of products that work for my skin and ones that are better in general.

Here is a little sampling of my FAVORITES, and since I have been broke at times in my life there are items at very low cost and easy accessibility. (I have not been compensated by any of these companies to promote their products, but maybe they should be)

Shall we start from the base level and work our way up, yes we shall!

Beginning with Cleansers:














On the Left we have the well known Noxema cleanser, I used this for years when I was younger because it is mild and kept my skin clear. You can find this at just about any grocery store, drug store, snack shack and lemonade stand for about $3.99 (Wal-greens)

On the Right is my most FAVORITE cleanser that I have EVER used! Dermalogica's Special Cleansing Gel, and boy is it SPECIAL!! I began using in while in school (Esthetician school) and have never gone astray. It is more expensive but it lasts a VERY LONG TIME and it keeps my skin feeling and looking great! It runs about $30.00 and can be found in many fine salons and at Ulta.

Next up Moisturizer:

(let me say first that I also suggest using a toner but as I only have one that I like, I felt it wouldn't be fare, if you must know it is also a Dermalogica product)















On the Left we have Active Moist by Dermalogica. I realize that I have mentioned them several times, but their product is fantastic, and I stick to what I like. OK, well, Active Moist is a light moisturizer, perfect under makeup! It has a small amount of SPF in it but they don't list it, if memory serves me right it is SPF8 so you will get a little protection. It is not greasy or heavy but it gives great moisture to that middle of the road type skin. Found in "fine" salons, I like saying that, and in Ulta (about 37.00 for 1.7 oz)

On the Right we have Olay Complete, I love this moisturizer, in fact I have been using it for the last several months since my Active Moist ran out. It has sun (spf15) protection, is very light and non-greasy and inexpensive (about 7.49 for 4oz bottle). It is a great option for someone on a budget, which I think many of us are, yes?


Make up is next, (tip: you will always get better results with makeup when paired with well moisturized skin.)














On the Left is Bare Minerals makeup. I began using this years ago when the infomercials ran on late night television. Now you can find it in many "fine" retailers such as, Ulta, Sephora, and Nordstrom. It runs about $20 for one container (.42 oz). This a great product because is has SPF, it's light and hypo allergenic.

On the right is Physicians Formula Mineral Wear, I discovered this little number a year ago when money was tight and I didn't feel justified in spending on my makeup. I found it at Target for $12.69 (.49 oz) and I used a coupon for 2 dollars off. It has lasted nearly 8 months and I still have about half of it left. I will say that the coverage with this product is not as much as with Bare Minerals and I don't like the brush it came with so I use my Bare Minerals brushes to apply it. It is still a great product that I would totally recommend.

(tip: to keep your make up from forming bacteria, and to keep your skin clear, make sure to WASH your brushes every 10 days or so, use a mild soap and warm water and then lay out to air dry)

Next are some of the finishing products that I have come to LOVE and NEVER LIVE WITHOUT!!




























The LashBlast Fusion Mascara ($7.29 at Target) is a new favorite! Covergirl recently came out with this new mascara and since I had been using the Original LashBlast for quite awhile and loved it I figured I would give it a try. It doesn't flake and makes my lashes thick, long and luxurious ;)


Another new product from Covergirl is the LiquilineBlast eyeliner ($7.49 on Amazon), I LOVE LOVE LOVE this eyeliner! I have tried MANY different brands and types and this one is by far the BEST, it glides on smoothly not pulling the skin and it gives the look of liquid eyeliner without the mess (plus, I don't know about you but I am the biggest DORK trying to apply liquid eyeliner)! The bonus is that it also has a blending tip on the other end which works like a charm!


The blushes and Eye shadows are all Avon, in fact they make several of my most used products. I LOVE their shadows and blushes, the above are just a few that I have tried. Avon is priced well and easy to come by since their are online stores, kiosks, and Avon representatives located in every city, town and bush!

Tip: For the sake of the thin skin around your eyes, and to help hold of those crows feat, having a gentle yet effective eye makeup remover is VERY IMPORTANT. I love this one by Avon ($1.99 on sale or $3.99 regular price)















Well I hope you have enjoyed this list of my favorite beauty products! If you have favorites I would love to hear what they are, I am always up for a new one to try!!



I mean seriously is this the face of a Covergirl or what!???? If these products can do this for me, just imagine what they can do for you!!! :)


PLUS A BONUS: A GIVE AWAY !!! The WINNER receives a tube of my FAVORITE MASCARA and a little extra surprise!!!!

All my love

Flashback Friday: 4th of July Weekend

We started the weekend off with an adventure in Letter Boxing, it was our very first time. For those that haven't heard of Letter Boxing, it is similar to Geo Cashing, if you have not heard of either of them let me give you a brief description. Using a map provided by a website you follow clues to find a treasure, with Letter Boxing there are small boxes with homemade stamps that you stamp in your own little notebook! The kids LOVED it, it made hiking more of an adventure when they knew they were looking for something! Our friends the Clarks introduced us to this fun idea and we can't wait to go again!!

The kids getting ready for the hike
(look at the stink eye being exchanged between Sophie & James)

After a few different hikes in search of the boxes we found a great place for a picnic and ate some tasty sandwiches and let the kids play, they decided that playing in a nearby stream was just too tempting! Have I said how much I love it here lately??!!



After we filled our bellies and rested a bit we decided to explore once again and headed up a trail near the picnic site! I came upon these gorgeous flowers and sitting on them were these teeny tiny grasshoppers!! So cool!


It really was a great day and when we got home that evening the Kelley kids were beyond exhausted and slept very well!!! Thanks Kari and kids, it was so much fun!!



Saturday the 3rd we went over to Jimmy's parents house for a BBQ and fireworks! Jimmy was master of the grill and made some yummy burgers, hot dogs and a ground chicken sandwich for his wife who doesn't enjoy burgers and hot dogs!!

Jimmy showing us the "Proper" way to jump the smoke from the smoke bombs!

Great Grandpa and James making their way down to the fireworks

And of course I had everyone wearing Red, White & Blue

After the food we all went out to take part in our small firework show, it was fun until some people took a few too many deep breathes of the smoke.

After that a bunch of us piled in the cars and headed out for the Town of Parker Fire Works!! The kids were BEYOND tired by the time we found a place to park and sit, but when the show started it was all worth it!! However it did take us an hour to get out of all the traffic after wards, and then an hour back home so it made for a long night, yet again the Kelley's slept well!!

I didn't even take 1 picture on Sunday the 4th of July, I know I'm a slacker. We went to church and then had friends over for a BBQ and good conversation and a late night movie at their house for the adults. It made for a nice quiet evening.

I have a deep gratitude for those that have served and do serve our Country! I have many members of my family that have been in the military and I feel blessed to be a recipient of their sacrifice. I love being an American and living in a country where I am free to practice my faith, and believe in what ever I choose!