NYC New York Color? NUDE York City!

I figured the word "nude" would send some of you clicking! But this post is actually a review on New York Color's Liquid Lipshine, called Nude York City, which you can get here (http://www.newyorkcolor.com)

I received this product as a part of my Influenster Voxbox and now that I've tried it, I need to blog about it. Recently I've been using E.L.F. gloss but was disappointed, as I don't like having sticky lip gloss. When I got NYC's brand I was skeptical but tried it anyway.

OMG ladies! Its wonderful and creamy..still a bit sticky but not nearly as bad as most glosses. Its also tinted in nude, which is a lip color I rave over.

Here is the product review information from Influenster's site:

"Straight from the city that never sleeps, NYC New York Color offers products with uptown style at down-to-earth prices, from $.99 - $4.99. The energy, style and color of New York City shines through the wide range of shades, textures and innovative products. NYC always delivers the most on-trend products & shades hot off the runway!


A beauty-editor favorite is Liquid Lipshine ($2.49). It has pure pigments that created a 3-D gloss effect. Vitamin E provides shine and a moisturizing feel. The formula is non-sticky, super shiny & soft. Available in 10 on-trend shades from neutral nudes, to berries & fuchsias. Start shopping for NYC at these stores nearest you: Walmart, Target, Rite Aid, CVS, Family Dollar, Duane Reade, Kmart, HEB, and others.  Visit newyorkcolor.com to check out all shades and fun products from New York Color!"

Seriously - go out and try this product. For less than $3, its worth it.


(Please note I received this product through Influenster, however all opinions are my own.)

I've been thinking

I don't want to have a memory of this Christmas being terrible so I'm going to suck it up and be thankful for everything we have. It isn't the ideal Christmas but that's okay..we have a home and our dog and an adorable little tree.

I'm so blessed to have the husband that I do - devoted to his country and his family. He provides for us and has really shown me what the meaning of Christmas is.

It is really easy to feel bad about our situation but it takes a lot of work to bring myself out of this funk. So I'm going to celebrate our life together, regardless of what has happened and make the best out of this Christmas.

First Christmas

It's Christmas Eve and I can't sleep. I can't deny that I'm sad that our first Christmas is going to be terrible. I'm angry that someone got $10,000 in parts out of Lieutenant's car and I'm mad that because of it we had to spend $16,000 on a car, putting $2500 down leaving us with $60 in the bank so we decided against making a traditional dinner and against a gift exchange. I got Lieutenant a new wallet anyway because he's had his old one since he was eight.

It is our first Christmas as a married couple and I really thought it was going to be different, especially since we're away from home for the first time. I'm trying to be positive but I'm upset and I feel like I have the right to be.

Sorry - I know this isn't the type of story people want to read..

Please, if there is a God listening, make 2012 a better year.

XOut Acne!

I received my Influenster Holiday VoxBox and in it came a bonus item Called XOut. XOut is a one step acne cleanser from the creators of ProActiv. At first I was skeptical because ProActiv has never worked on me but I was really pleasantly surprised by XOut. I don't usually get acne but the week before I had gotten my VoxBox I had all kind of small bumps and redness. My face is almost completely clear after just a few days use.

Here is the statement from Influenster's website:

The unique, one-step X Out™ Wash-In Treatment is formulated to help kill the bacteria that causes breakouts, help banish existing pimples and help leave the skin feeling smooth and looking healthy.  


X Out™ works to lift away the dirt and grime that can clog pores.  The Wash-In Treatment also leaves behind powerful medicine to help keep pores clean.  Learn more and purchase at XOut.com.  X Out is sold as a 30-day supply and comes with a bonus Shine Control product to help you fight oil all day for $19.95.   

I'm in LOVE with this product and at just under $20 per month, it is definitely worth trying it for a month to see if it works for you :)

I received this product complimentary to test through Influenster’s VoxBox program, though all opinions on the product are my own.

I think I have something wrong with me.

Not mentally - though, don't cross that off the list! Ba dum tss.

But seriously, I've been the fat kid my whole life and SORRY TO THE BOYS reading this but my lady cycle basically ceases to exist these days. I mean it hasn't been around for months. I also have insomnia, emotional roller-coaster moments and I can work out for hours and eat right and my metabolism doesn't change.

So I'm headed to the doctor soon to find out what the heck is going on. My biggest fear is that it is going to be something unfixable or something that is going to screw up my chances of being a mother, if they aren't already ruined.

Anyway, I'll keep updating until I get answers.

Starting Over.

We got the estimate for the car today and USAA was only willing to pay a little over $3000 for Lieutenant's car. So I did what any crazy woman would do for the love of her life...I sold my car. Granted, the head blew up and the paint job was both gold and silver..but it was my first car. It was my literal vehicle of escape when things got too tough.

We're both miserable and not to mention broke. Its terrible that all this has happened around Christmas. The one good piece of news is that Lieutenant was reclassified to Force Support so we get to stay with the Air Force. We're trying to stay positive in all this but its really hard to. I'm just glad that we're all healthy and that we still (for now) have a place to live.

So now, all there is left to do is pick up the pieces of everything we've lost and move forward with our new lives. Everything from our past is gone now...its sad because in a way our cars were a piece of home. They were the last things we had to hold on to from there.

Here's to finding a new home, car, and life.

Grandma's dipped chocolates!

I figured this blog needed some positivity for a change so I wanted to do a recipe post. I am reluctant to post this recipe because its been in my family for years but I am pretty sure my grandma would want me to share in the holiday O-M-G goodness that is this recipe.

Step 1: Melt down 16 ounces of margarine (not butter!)

2. Add 1 can of Eagle brand condensed sweetened milk

3. Add 8 cups of powdered sugar

4. Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

I forgot to take a picture of me adding the walnuts but I used a 12oz package of chopped walnuts! (This picture below is a batch I made without walnuts because I wanted different textures) Mix mix mix mix miiiiiiix until it turns into a sticky, thick paste.

5. Spoon onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet and freeze for 2-3 hours.

While its freezing you can melt down your chocolate. 

6. Take 24 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips and 2 bricks or 1/4 pound of Gulf paraffin wax and melt in a double boiler until smooth and creamy. Yes, wax in a candy. Oh come on, when we were kids we ate boogers and dirt and God knows what else! It won't hurt you and it makes the candy have a nice sheen! Do NOT let even a drop of water get into this or everything starts to separate and when you freeze the chocolates they will get really sticky. (I'm using a double handed spatula..I know it looks weird)

7. Take toothpicks and poke them in each little candy piece. Dip into the chocolate and coat all around the candy. I didn't take pictures of this because I forgot to buy toothpicks...and they came out less pretty. But anyway....freeze them for at least one hour even though that will be the hardest thing you'll ever do. Trust me, they are better really cold.

It makes a buttload FYI so these are fabulous Christmas gifts! Although, after you try one of these, I doubt you're going to want to give them up. If you make these please leave me a comment and tell me what you think of them!!

Here is a photo of my grandma's recipe card that she used every year when she made these at Christmas time. I love her handwriting..I miss it.

And here is a picture of my grandma with my grandpa, wasn't she a doll ;) She passed away in 2008 but I think of her every day!

Thank you for reading this blog and thanks for sticking around through my rollercoaster ride ;)

Vent.

In spite of everything that is happening to us I felt compelled to write this blog post because I've basically been sleeping away all of the crap. We are in a slump and for the entire weekend we've slept in until past noon. Sleeping all day is better than facing the reality that a vehicle he invested $2000 in renovations into in the last 2 months was stolen, along with a laptop containing massive amounts of personal info and an iPod that Lieutenant has had since high school with his entire catalog of music on it...and knowing it will likely never be recovered. But here I sit, five in the morning, unable to sleep because I've spent every ounce of energy I have trying to track down car parts that look like his and his laptop and iPod. I've posted on countless sites, emailed Craigslist posters that looked suspicious...I'm getting nowhere.

I wish I could just make it all go away. I wish that money wasn't an object. I wish I could make things better for my husband who doesn't deserve to be going through this. I feel like before all this happened, I was content with Texas...happy even. But now there's just going to be a, pardon my french, shit stain on the memory of this place. Our first base, the one where our lives got flipped upside down. I wish I could track down these people and ask them why they felt the need to steal from us. I want to ask them why they didn't work hard to graduate high school with honors, go to college, work their ass off, or sign up to defend their country so that they could be able to afford what Lieutenant has...instead of taking it from him because they'll never be half the man that he is. I want to ask them how they sleep at night and what their mothers would think if they knew about this. I want to ask them how they plan on facing God.

I keep trying to block it out and be positive and put on a smile for my husband and pretend everything is okay but its not okay. We both have a right to be angry and we SHOULD be angry. Nobody is going to help us and we're not asking for help. Nobody is going to knock on our door and say "Hey heard you got your car stolen, let's go buy you a new one." No. This isn't a television show, this is someone's life.

I'm just ranting now and probably not making any sense. To my followers...sorry. I know this isn't the most positive thing to hear, especially around the holidays. But I guess that makes it even worse. I'll come around to being happy again. We'll get a new car and PCS to a new place. Everything will become normal again...eventually.

Tough roads ahead.

I just don't know what to do anymore. I've given up. Lieutenant's car is gone for good...my car is going to cost over $500 to fix. That is $500 I don't have and when I do have it, I won't be able to use it towards getting braces. I've been fighting to get braces and with all the work I've been getting done lately I actually thought I stood a chance. Nope...something always seems to get in the way. Now our dog is showing signs of an ear infection.

I feel...desperate and miserable. I know that there are other people out there that have it worse but right now that judgement is being clouded by the crap that has suddenly found a permanent home in my life.

I just don't know where to go from here.

Stolen.

I am skipping yesterdays and today's photo post because of the recent events that happened here. At 10:45 last night, Lieutenant and I were watching Leno and I was writing a paper for my Psychology class. I heard a car outside and its exhaust sounded like his. I jokingly said "Babe your car is getting stolen." He got paranoid and went outside..it was his car. His car did get stolen.

I ran upstairs, grabbed his phone and called the police. I was frantic...they took all of our information but told us that the recovery does not look good. I went online and read that within 72 hours most cars are found stripped of everything and left to be towed to an impound lot. But that is not the worst...

Lieutenant had his laptop, thousand dollar stereo system, 32gb ipod and brand new sirius radio in that car. His laptop holds more value than all the electronics...it had our memories on there...his personal information. It has a password but they can easily be cracked.

He is going to call USAA in the morning to see what we can do. Both of our stomachs are in knots...I feel like crying but all I've been able to do is get angry. I'm angry at how these people can take away someone's entire livelihood...everything they worked so hard for. He has busted his ass for what he has and this happens?

Less than one month to Christmas and this is how people show it? How do they sleep at night?

December photo challenge: Day 1

Each day in December I am going to post one photo. I don't have nearly enough photos on here and this could be our last month in Texas so I want to see what I come up with. Feel free to do the challenge and let me know if you do so I can check out your blog.

Today's photo: A look back to one of the first days we had our Green girl to today.

Speaking of our last day in Texas, Lieutenant got his answer: The Air Force is keeping him in!! We find out our next PCS in 2 weeks. We are so blessed and thankful to Major General Stewart for making this decision.