I'm in Countdown Mode!

Howdy Y'all!

Sorry for the long absences..... But hey!  At least that leads to a nice lengthy post to read ;-)

This week I'm counting down!  I'm going on vacation..... And it's just right around the corner!
When I woke up this morning my first thought was "I only have to get up this early 3 more times before vacation!!!!!"  I'm a little excited, in case you couldn't tell!

Thursday is our last day in the office,  vacation officially starts at 4:30pm Thursday afternoon! This vacation is pretty special.  It's my hubby's and my one year anniversary!  A part of me can't believe it's already been a year,  and yet another part of me feels like we have been together forever already (I guess almost 7 years together is still a pretty good chunk of time.)

Friday we are going down to Galveston,  we have a romantic afternoon/evening planned,  an overnight
hotel stay at a really nice hotel,  and then bright and early Saturday morning we board our cruise ship! We are going on a 7 night cruise this time.  We have stops in Mahogany Bay - Isla Roatan,  Belize, and Cosumel!  Our cruise leaves on the 17th,  and our anniversary is the following day.  Since it's a day on the water without any stops,  we have an amazing day planned aboard the ship starting off with a romantic couples massage, and finishing up the day with an amazing steakhouse dinner!  I will do a post when we
get back with pictures from the trip along with details on our excursions ;-)

In the meantime,  I'm working on getting through this work week.  It feels like it is absolutely dragging!

Over the weekend we had plenty going to keep us busy!  We got my step-son's Halloween costume for this year,  he is super excited for Halloween this year!  We also bought a new outdoor grill, and it's NICE!  Tested it out Saturday for dinner,  and the steaks and chicken we cooked up were amazing!
 Sunday Daniel and Aidan washed cars,  and I worked on a couple of my horses; trimming feet,  trimming whiskers, worming, exercising -- and I even got in a nice ride on Flag, my first horse!  It was a great weekend!

 

Here are a couple more of my guys that I got to mess with this weekend:

Angel -- Head shot

 

Angel -- Body Shot

 

Tender -- Body shot (she's my old lady at 22!)

 

Now that you've seen a bit of my country side,  here is the "Fashionista" side of me ;-)

Here are some recent OOTDs that I have worn.  Just the highlights,  since we are still in-between houses I don't have a great spot for taking my outfit selfies....  I kinda miss my old porch! LOL  It's ok,  our new house will have a nice new porch once it's done,  and I can have my horses as my background. Best of both worlds!

This dress is available through Gwynnie Bee,  it's a  Taylor Dresses dress

 

This dress is another GB dress,  it's a London Times dress that

looks lovely on everyone I've seen wearing it!

 

This lovely dress is an Adrianna Papell dress --

I'm completely in love with this brand!

 

This next one is through GB,  I love this brand --XTwo 

and look -- I'm wearing pink tights! 

 

This one is a Kiyonna top that I have been chasing forever,

and finally got this one via resale ;-)

 

This top is currently available through GB, but I got it

resale also!  I love Eloquii !!

Now for some recent makeup looks I have been playing around with,  I don't have a product list for each,  but here are some of my new favorite products I have been playing around with and LOVING!

• If you are in search of an AMAZING foundation brush,  I'm in love with my Tarte Airbuki Brush This brush works amazingly with both liquid and powder foundations to create a wonderful airbrushed look.

• My new favorite setting powder is to die for!  Laura Mercier is life itself!  

• Kat Von D makes a really nice eyebrow marker of sorts.  It creates such a natural looking brow!

• And of coarse the old favorite of Anastasia Beverly Hills has not been forgotten for eyebrows either. 

• An amazing new brand for lips that just launched last month (and has already sold out on a couple of their items) is Black Moon Cosmetics as an up and coming all natural makeup company, they have a very small offering of liquid lipsticks (4 colors to be exact)  but OMG,  their formula is to die for!  Lasted all day easily!  You really need to check them out!

• Another brand I have become very quickly fond of is Colour Pop,  their prices are really reasonable, and their formulas are great!  The shadows, blush and highlighter are a smooth creamy texture,  and their lippies stay on a crazy long time!  Check them out!

• For face care, I'm completely loving the Philosophy line available at Ulta.  I have pretty greasy skin, and between the Face Wash and the Face Mask my face doesn't get near as greasy as it used to. I can get well into the afternoon now without looking like a grease slick!  I got as a free gift their Body Wash and I completely love, love, love how squeaky clean I feel!  Definitely money well spent!

Face Mask Time:

Anywho,  I hope that has at least sorta caught you up on what's been going on in life.  We are hoping to have our new house done middle of November,  so we shall see how that all goes!  So exciting to see what life has in store!

XOXO

 

 

Happy Monday!

Hey There!  Sorry for the almost week between posting!

With the combination of staying dark later in the mornings, and leaving earlier for work in the mornings
it has been impossible to get good outfit photos!  So,  my apologies, but you are going to have to make due with bathroom selfies for a little while ;-)

Everything with the house is right on schedule!  I have a cleaner coming in Thursday to give the house a full scrub-down, and then on to closing on Friday!  I'm so excited!  I will miss the house,  it was a great first house.  But being out in the country again has been so amazing--so refreshing!

Sunday Daniel got to spend time tinkering on vehicles which he really enjoyed, and I got to spend more time with my horses than I have in a long time.  I have so missed the country life!

Here are some of the highlights of my OOTDs from last week:



Thursday of last week,  Luci Lu shift dress I bought out of the Gwynnie Bee Shop a while back.  Love the colors,  but it's a tad bit shorter than I remembered it being! Lol

 

Friday of last week,  Kiyonna top I bought from a resale group I'm in,  wore it with jeans, and cute black flats.

 

Today's OOTD, I'm wearing a black Kiyonna pencil skirt, and a sheer(ish) top I got from Thredup

(http://www.thredup.com/r/I2CA9D) <-- link to get a free $20 off your first order!

Here are a few of my favorite FOTDs,  I don't remember the products used each day though :-(

 

And now for a couple pics from my weekend!

Xena was a sleepy girl on Sunday Morning:

 

Doc's Cherry Blossom (Blossom for short):

 

 

Ima Slow Sweet Dream (Bunny):

 

 

That's all for now,  maybe next time I write I will be officially homeless ;-)

XOXO

It's a Tuesday that Feels Like a Monday!

Hey Guys!  Sorry for the long gap between posts,  this last weekend was crazy busy!

Last Thursday was my boss's last day in the office,  so Friday and today have been a little odd getting used to the new flow of things.

Then over the weekend my husband and I finished our move out to the country!  It feels good,  but I'm still sore....  Now we wait to go to closing selling our house so we can buy our new house!  I'll be glad when the shuffling is all over and done with!

My photos may become a bit sparse for a while....  We leave for work when it's still dark outside, so
not the best lighting for taking outfit pictures! LOL  we shall see about when we get home ;-)

So for now, I'll catch you up for Thursday and Friday of last week in this post:


Thursday OOTD:

 

 So,  when I put this dress on, I felt it was a little boring,  but it definitely grew on me through the day!  This

London Times Shift Dress is the perfect little black dress.  You can accessorize it however you choose, and it's really very comfortable!

Thursday FOTD:

I really liked the way this look turned out.  Natural,  yet still elegant.

-Younique Divine Moisturizer

-Smash Box Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer

-Makeup Forever  Ultra HD Foundation in “Golden Sand“

-Younique Touch Mineral Pressed Powder Foundation -- Chiffon

-Younique blush in “Stunning“

-Eyebrows are Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz -- " Taupe" 

-Eyeshadow is Urban Decay  Electric Pallette & Kat Von D  Moncarch Pallette

-Top Eyeliner – Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner

-Bottom Eyeliner, Water Line Younque Precision Pencil -- Pristine. Under Lashes -- Perfect.

-Mascara is Too Faced "Better ThanSex" mascara
-False Lashes are KISS

-Lips are Kate by Rimmel, but I don't remember the shade I'm wearing.

Friday OOTD:

The jeans are City Chic (outlet sales again) and the top I got off of Thredup.  A fun,  flowing outfit of the day!

Friday FOTD:

I honestly don't remember what I used for this one....  But hey,  it turned out pretty good!  I know eyebrows were Kat Von D Tattoo Brow  and I love the way they turned out! Lol

Oh, and check it out!  A while back I got to do a photo shoot for Gwynnie Bee!  Their blog post featuring me is up!  http://blog.gwynniebee.com/member-moments/were-inspired-by-paddee/

That's all for now!

XOXO

I'm Back!!!

Happy Wednesday!  I’m back to my normal self today.  I don’t know if it’s from getting a good nights sleep,  or if it had anything to do with that bowl of Blue Bell that I had after dinner last night – but either way,  I’m glad to be out of that funk!

We finally got word back today on our house appraisal that was completed over 2 weeks ago!  We appraised just over where we needed to be in order for the contract to go through!  I’m so very excited about this!  I was worried that we might have to come down a bit on our price,  but nope!  Onward we march towards closing,  it will be here in no time flat with how quickly the year is flying by! 

Today is also special because it’s my Xena’s 1st birthday!  After work today I’m taking her to Petsmart to celebrate and pick out some new chew bones, and then maybe to the dog park if we have time.  Hard to believe my baby girl is already a year old!  It seems like just yesterday I brought her home not even weighing a whole 4 lbs!  Now she is almost 11 lbs, and a fuzzball full of life and energy.  Xena brings such joy to my life, and is truly the most loving affectionate dog I have ever owned.  Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

My OOTD today is all my own stuff,  though I only just bought the dress this morning ;-)

The dress is the London Times ColorBlocked Printed Maxi Dress.  I got a dress of this style from GB in my second shipment after I joined, and I always regretted sending it back.  So when I was notified this one was heading my way, I knew instantly that I needed to buy it.  Sadly, when I got it in last week,  the buy it price was more than I wanted to spend on a used (albeit gently used) dress.  This morning I woke up to discover I have 35% off my at home items!  So.......  Needless to say,  I snatched this one up in a heart beat! :-)  The jacket I added is City Chic (http://www.citychiconline.com) that I got out of their outlet a while back.  It’s super stretchy and comfortable,  and I think it’s perfect to bring this dress to the more work appropriate level.  Shoes are Madden Girl that I got from Thredup a while back,  and they have proved to be one of my favorite pair of black pumps.

Now for my FOTD,  first time in a while not wearing falsies!

-Younique Divine Moisturizer

-Smash Box Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer

-Makeup Forever  Ultra HD Foundation in “Golden Sand“

-Younique Touch Mineral Pressed Powder Foundation -- Taffeta

-Younique Beachfront Bronzer-- "Malibu"

-Younique blush in “Stunning“

-Eyebrows are Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz -- " Taupe" 

-Eyeshadow is Anastasia Beverly Hills -- World Traveler Pallette

-Top Eyeliner – Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner

-Bottom Eyeliner, Water Line Younque Precision Pencil -- Pristine. Under Lashes -- Perfect.

-Mascara is Too Faced "Better ThanSex" mascara  

-Lips are Kat Von D’s Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in “Lolita”

Remember,  for your Younique needs you can visit my website www.empowermylashes.com

That’s all for now, have a wonderful and blessed day <3

XOXO

Bah-Humbug!

Happy Tuesday!  I’m having “one of those days“ where I just feel blah. I’m not particularly loving my outfit today, or my hair today, or even my makeup today. It’s not that anything has happened today, or gone wrong.  I’m just feeling an extreme lack of motivation and a slight case of the bah-humbugs!

I think my mood most likely has to do with all the changes happening this week.  I’m a routine person.  I don’t like it when things happen and changes to my daily routine occur.  This week, looming in front of me:  Thursday is my boss‘ last day in the office.  She is moving out of State, and the company is hiring someone to fill her position.  The interviews are starting on Thursday.  That alone is frustrating me a bit.  I have been with the company for almost 7 years, with a great track record.  I’m always here, have vacation time left un-used at the end of the year, never late, and always get my job done efficiently all while helping in other departments where needed. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I could fill that position, and yet the company is hiring from the outside. I’m trying to keep my chin up,  but it’s a bit dis-heartening.  

The idea that we are moving is getting more and more real every day. Yesterday and today we made arrangements to have all our services at our house (water, power, gas etc.) all shut off once we go to closing. This lovely 3 day weekend we will finish up moving out of our house. There really isn’t a whole lot left that we will need to get out.  It’s starting to worry both kitties that all our stuff keeps disappearing. When we get home from work they are more clingy than normal.  I think they are afraid they might be left behind.  Xena (who turns 1 tomorrow) couldn’t care less.  She is just as happy-go-lucky as ever.  As long as she has her food and toys she is good.

Ok,  now on to the OOTD and FOTD that I’m not overly impressed with:

OOTD:

My skirt I love and adore.  It’s a City Chic (http://www.citychiconline.com) skirt that I bought a while back and love it. It’s so very versatile and classy, yet with an edge of sexy.  The top is an Isabel + Alice top via Gwynnie Bee.  You can find it here . I’m not a huge fan.  It seems to run a bit big, and the fabric even though it’s lined feels super thin. Definitely a one and done for me! The shoes are JustFab,  and I love them a lot!  So I guess in my outfit it’s just the top that I’m not really digging.

FOTD:

-Younique Divine Moisturizer

-Smash Box Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer

-Makeup Forever  Ultra HD Foundation in “Golden Sand“

-Younique Touch Mineral Pressed Powder Foundation -- Chiffon

-Younique Beachfront Bronzer-- "Malibu"

--Nars blush -- Orgasm

-Eyebrows are Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz -- " Taupe" 

-Eyeshadow is Kat Von D  Moncarch Pallette

-Top Eyeliner –Younique Precision Pencil in “Proper“

-Bottom Eyeliner, Water Line Younque Precision Pencil -- Pristine. Under Lashes -- Perfect.

-Mascara is Too Faced "Better ThanSex" mascara
-False Lashes are KISS -- 03 

-Lips are Younique’s Stiff Upper Lip Stain in “Saucy“

That’s all for today,

XOXO

Monday 8-31-15 **WE SURVIVED!!!!

Oh Monday.  You‘re back again,  and all too quickly! This last weekend was spent once again moving stuff. I’m really pleased with the progress we have made.  All we have left to move is our Bedroom set, last minute kitchen stuff, bathroom stuff, clothing, and of coarse, the animals.  

 We are moving the rest over this next weekend since it’s a 3 day weekend.  I love 3 day weekends,  I feel like I always accomplish way more during a 3 day weekend than I ever do in a regular 2 day weekend.  We are moving a bit ahead of schedule,  but I figured that will give us enough time to do last minute things, like a good scrub down of the house, and patching and painting all nail holes from where pictures once hung.

Now that my house is most of the way empty it really doesn’t feel like home anymore.  It was the first house my husband and I bought together so it’s a little sentimental selling it.  But the family that’s buying it seems like a good family, and soon our house will once again be filled with happiness, laughter, and family.  Life is good.

Today marks a big day for Texans,  and I am participating just like all other native Texans!  Blue Bell is back on the shelves people!!!!!!  In honor of this momentous occasion,  I’m very strongly contemplating just doing big bowls of ice cream for dinner.  I know, I know.  Not even remotely healthy – but we have survived the great Blue Bell famine folks! That alone is call for celebration!

Now for some girly stuff ;-)

Here is my OOTD:

I’m wearing a white dress from Old Navy (because summer’s not over yet people!)  and an old pair of Naturalizer shoes from Famous Footwear.  The necklace and earrings are from my Wantable subscription,  and the belt I believe was an Amazon find.

For my FOTD I’m trying out some new fun goodies today,  and rather liked the way it turned out!

-Younique Divine Moisturizer

-Smash Box Iconic Photo Finish Foundation Primer

-Makeup Forever  Ultra HD Foundation in “Golden Sand“

-Younique Touch Mineral Pressed Powder Foundation -- Chiffon

-Younique Beachfront Bronzer-- "Malibu"

-Younique blush in “Stunning“

-Eyebrows are Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz -- " Taupe" 

-Eyeshadow is Urban Decay  Electric Pallette & Kat Von D  Moncarch Pallette

-Top Eyeliner – Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner

-Bottom Eyeliner, Water Line Younque Precision Pencil -- Pristine. Under Lashes -- Perfect.

-Mascara is Too Faced "Better ThanSex" mascara
-False Lashes are KISS -- 03 

-Lips are Kat Von D’s Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in “Lolita”

I’m really liking both the primer and the foundation!

That’s all for now!

XOXO