My Grunge Look

I love getting dressed up but hate formal clothes. Does that make sense? I love to do my hair and makeup and put on casual but cute clothes. The grunge look is so much fun!!

I bought these American Eagle jeans when I was pregnant with my last child. They were tight then but since losing baby weight, they now fit baggy. I love this about them now. My shirt is a boyfriend tee from Target and the booties are from Target (I paid like 6 bucks for them!)

Anyways, it is my new go-to look. Who knows what look I will be on next week!

Lenci

Relationships....

I love to pin a ton of marriage advice stuff. I think it is fun to read different perspectives on the subject. But in all honesty, experience is the best tool for having a good relationship. See, I did not say perfect because that does not exist. I don't care who you are and how in love you are, perfection is not an option for you. Or me. My husband just got home from an eight month deployment and we are getting back into the routine of living with each other again.  Today while I was sitting in the line at Starbucks, I had a few ideas on the matter....Oh, first let me remind you I am not an expert. Oh my gosh....I am SO far from it. But I have been married for almost ten years (since I was 19) and I have learned so much along the way.

1. Forgiveness. No matter what you pin or read about having a good relationship, I can guarantee forgiveness will be somewhere on the list. Let me tell you why it is so important and why it has worked for us. When you hold a grudge you aren't hurting the other person near as much as you are yourself. Trust me. You can let things eat away at you and it will start bringing you down fast. Being able to forgive is a way of letting go. And how can you move forward if you keep looking back? I used to bring up arguments my husband and I had from ten years ago. What?! It was so pointless. And trust me, I am not the person I was ten years ago so I am not sure why I wanted to even relive those moments. It's silly. Forgive. It will make you feel free.

2. Laugh. Do it. When my husband would walk through my dirt pile I had just spent twenty minutes sweeping up, I would become so furious. And start a fight. Over a DIRT pile. Now, I am not saying it is wrong to get irritated, but learn to laugh at things. Laugh at their dumb jokes and goofy smiles. It really is a contagious thing. My husband and I can look at each other and laugh at absolutely nothing. I fall in love with him even more when I see his smile.

3. Priorities. People, get them straight. When I first married, my Nana told me to put God first, my husband second, my kids third, and everything else after that. I thought she was a nut. Putting God first was easy but you want me to put anyone before my kids?! No way. At least I thought. But as I have matured, it ALL makes sense. When you put your spouse first it makes for a better marriage. A better marriage means happier kids. Trust me on this one. I could not fathom putting him before my kids but it has made a huge difference. As a couple we put God as a priority in our house. Then we put each other. Then we put our kids.

4. Learn to love the imperfections. When you can do this, you know it is love. When you can accept the fact that you yourself are not perfect, you will be able to accept that others aren't either.

4. Go on dates. When I used to think of dating my husband post-kids it consisted of dinner. And that was it. How boring. And it was so rare because I trusted absolutely no other human with our kids. When I was able to get over that, we started dating each other more often. It is so healthy for a relationship. We like to play pool, putt-putt golf, race cars, bowling, etc...Don't be boring. Do something that makes you feel young. And go without your kids sometimes. It doesn't make you a bad parent. I had to realize that and when I did, it was awesome.

5. Get on the same page. If you have kids, GET ON THE SAME PAGE. Parenting is hard enough, but you throw in two different parenting styles and you have disaster. You will not agree on everything but this is when you need to talk about it. Do not involve your children in on this conversation. They need to know y'all work together so they don't start working against you (kids are smart like that). If you disagree with your spouse, don't tell them that right in front of your kids. It can wait until you are alone. My husband and I are both guilty of this. Do not ever question each other in front of the kids. It is humiliating to each other and can make the kids feel insecure. Also, they will start playing it for all it's worth and will learn how to spark an argument to get their way. Just wait and discuss it alone with your spouse.

6. Lastly, trust. This one is simple. You have to trust each other to love each other. You cannot have a healthy marriage or relationship if you are always questioning the other person. My husband is in the Marine Corps and is gone a lot. We have to trust each other to survive. I can't imagine living my life wondering if he's up to something. Thank God we have a mutual trust with each other.

There it is. My list of how to make it work. Like I said, I am not an expert. We have had a lot of trials and errors. We have had to forgive each other and let go of the past. We have had to remind ourselves why we fell in love in the first place. We have had to fall in love again when we felt ourselves falling out of love. We have had to compromise and let go of things we had no control over. Marriage is a learning process. Find your balance with each other and never give up.


Listen to Remember When by Alan Jackson. LOVE that song. It is pretty close to what a lot of us experience.

Product Review #2

Hey there! I have three more things I want to share with you today...But after this post I will go to doing reviews only once a week. All the other days will different stuff:)

First up, Arcona Eye Dew.

I read about this stuff on another blog. I knew I needed to try. The price is high, but you only use a tiny bit around your eyes so it goes a long ways. You can use it night time and day time; however, I use mine usually only at night. Let me tell you why...this stuff is dewey. Who would have thought? It leaves under my eyes sticky and if you do not wait a long time after putting it on to put on your makeup, it makes the skin under your eyes look weird. Maybe not for all people, but for me. And for that reason, I use it only at night. It just makes the skin around my eyes feel hydrated and when I wake up my bags look less visible. Don't let the price turn you away from it, because like I said, it goes a long ways.

You can buy it right here

Next, a cleaning product I have come to LOVE. Mrs. Meyers Honeysuckle Spray Cleaner. 

Oh. My. Gosh. This stuff smells amazing. If you clean your house with this, you will never want to leave it. It just smells that good. I love to add a splash of it to a bucket of hot water and mop my wood floors with it. I wipe my countertops, bathrooms, doors, whatever I can with it. I actually love all of the scents, but this is my all-time FAVE. 

You can't buy it online, so hurry up and go to Target and buy it there! It won't disappoint!

Last thing up...Sephora Rose Glow Cream Blush.

I love this blush! It took me a year to figure out how to open it, but once I did, I loved it. The color looks dark, but goes on so smooth and creamy. This is NOT a powdered blush. It seriously takes a tiny dab on each cheek and needs to be blended well. This color is good for the colder months and will buy a more springy color soon. Just be sure to not to load your brush up with this because it will not look good. It just takes a tiny bit and it lasts all day. This is definitely my new fave line of blushes!!

You can purchase it right here

And that's it. All three products are the bomb so go try them out!!

Lenci

Disclaimer: I am NOT paid to review this stuff and I am NOT given this stuff. I buy it, try it, like it or hate it, and review it. 

Product Reviews

Ok, I am a "product" junkie. If I see a good review, I buy it. This can be makeup, hair stuff, candles, cleaning stuff...anything. I love to try new things. But the thing I have come to realize is one person who loves it does not mean I will love it. Duh. So, I have decided to do a little product review on some things I am currently loving and not so much loving.

First, the beauty blender. Ok, so this thing has good reviews. It really does. So, I ordered it from Sephora. The first thing that I was really set back by was the size. It is tiny. Like, really tiny. Secondly, it cost twenty bucks. TWENTY bucks for a tiny sponge. I get the idea behind it. It's supposed to help blend your makeup and the tip is supposed to help get makeup into creases and around your eyes. But what happened to the little, cheap wedges we all had twenty years ago? I wanted to love this pinkalicious sponge, but I can't. With that said, I bought it, I am now the owner of it, so I will use it. If you want to try it out, do it! Maybe you will end up loving!

Beauty Blender

Beauty Blender

Second up, Say Yes To Carrots Cleansing Face Wash. Okay, I first saw this line of "Say yes..." at Walgreens. The price set me off but when it went on sale, I tried it. I have tried several things from their line and this face wash is really awesome. For 8 bucks at Target (don't forget to use your red card!), you can't go wrong. I love how it makes my face feel clean and isn't harsh. I would much rather invest my money on a good moisturizer than a face wash. I mean, seriously, the moisturizer is what stays on your face the longest. 

You should totally try it out! Yes to Carrots!

Third thing up---Elf Lip Exfoliator. I saw this somewhere online. Maybe Pinterest? I don't know, but for the price, I had to try it out. It's three bucks and you can only buy it in stores. For some reason my lips get really dry out here in SoCal. This stuff is simple. You wet your lips, put it on like lipstick, rub your lips together, then wipe off with a wet cotton ball. It smells good and goes on good. However, I have found something I like better...sugar. I use it to scrub my face every morning so I started adding some to a soft toothbrush and gently rubbing my lips. Afterwards, I put Vaseline on my lips (before my lipstick) and love it! For the price of the exfoliator, it wouldn't hurt to try it out. I don't hate it, just found an alternative that works just as well. 

You can check out the reviews for yourself! Reviews!

Ok, last thing for today...I could go all day with this! But I have a baby waking up from her nap, one driving me nuts listening to "I whip my hair back and forth" and a dryer buzzing for me to empty it. A bodysuit. Yes, a bodysuit. I was browsing Forever 21 online and came across it. It's like a onesie but for big people. I liked the idea. And for under ten bucks, why not?! I ordered the heather gray and when it came in, I threw it on. Ok, I am short. Like maybe 5'1. Of course, just like everything else, it was too long. But who cares. No one would be able to tell that. I snapped those two little buttons (a bit awkward, really) and put on some tights with denim shorts over them. And I fell in love with my onesie. I mean bodysuit. I want it in every color now! I think you should totally try it out. It is just a good piece of clothing to have, and I promise it doesn't feel weird wearing it. Here's the best pic I could get of me wearing it:

Cute, yes?!

You can purchase here and thank me later:)

I will be reviewing more tomorrow! Stay tuned!!

Lenci

Disclaimer: I am NOT paid to review any of this stuff. I am NOT given any of this stuff for free. I buy it with my money, I use it (or not), and review it. 

Life Is Like A Dang Box Of Chocolates

It really is. You know what I mean. You get that dreaded box of chocolates for whatever occasion. They are pretty in the little paper and box. You figure you will eat them because they are there, so why not? You pick the prettiest one and take a bite. And then nasty, oozing gunk comes spewing out of it and you spit it out. You make note to not eat its identical twin and pick up another one. Same. Thing. Happens.

And that is life, my friends. Sometimes it is pretty on the outside and a big, old gunky mess on the inside. And vice-versa! For real. Anyways, I had big, huge plans for this blog but my chocolates got all messed up. But now I am back. This will not only be a DIY blog, but a fashion/parenting/griping/ blog as well. I am ready to get REAL. I am ready to relate to others and have others relate to me. A few months ago I started a fashion Instagram. I was so excited about it and gradually tapered away from posting on it. But I am back to doing that, too. I can guarantee that you will not find my outfits non affordable. I was following a fashionista and LOVED her style. But every time I would click on the link to buy the outfit, the top would be $2,500 or the shoes were $900. Um, no. I can't do that. And I don't want to. I have four kids. Do you know what a $2,500 shirt would look like at the end of the day?! There is just no way. So, I buy on the cheap. It is all about pairing it together to create "the" look.

So, there it is. My commitment once again to actually keep up with this thing. If you don't read this blog for the DIY or fashion stuff, I promise I will entertain you with my parenting. I have four kids...13 (girl), 8 (boy), 5 (girl), and almost two (girl). That ALONE is pure entertainment. The stories I have to tell......:)

Lenci

P.S. My fashion Instagram is lencielizabeth:)