Young, Fun, &...Married?

Remember the days when husbands would go off to work with their briefcases and come home to a smiling wife wearing an apron with food ready on the table?  No?  Yeah, me either.

This day in age, few people really believe in marriage.  Some think it's just an old tradition or it's just an outdated custom.  We used to believe in gender stereotypes where the man works the 9-5 job and provides for his household, meanwhile the woman is home cooking and cleaning and raising the children.  However, I'm 24 years old and have been married for 3 years and my marriage has never been like this. And really, whose is?!  Obviously I'm no expert, but I wanted to share some of the ways that I've been able to stay on this crazy roller coaster and maybe even offer some inspiration to the rest of you young folks who are married and in love!

1. TALKING IS A GOOD THING.

When was the last time that you talked to your spouse?  Like, really talked?  Not just asking them what they want for dinner or if they have any laundry they want you throw in.  Try asking them if they're happy with where they're at in life.  Ask them if they're satisfied with their career.  Ask them what kind of superhero they would want to be.  'Cause let's be honest- we want to ask the questions people want to know the answers to.  :-)  And remember, he's supposed to be your best friend- now talk to him like he is.

2. HAVE FUN TOGETHER.

When was the last time you and the hubs went dancing or out to a bar?  Have you ever gone skinny dipping together or went and stole a stop sign?!  I'm not saying you need to go out and do illegal things, but hey, the idea is to HAVE FUN!  Enjoy being together.  Date nights are great, but just make sure they don't become routine and boring.  

Me and the Man at an 80s party.

3.  SHARE THE REMOTE.

OK.  I love me some 90210, Kardashians, and The Office.  When it is my time to watch TV, you best leave me alone.  Buuuuuut every now and then I have to let my hubby watch his nature shows and airplane documentaries because healthy relationships are all about compromise, right?!  :-P  But in all honesty, you don't have to like the same shows as eachother, but you do have to learn to share and let your other half enjoy what they like as well.  And what's even better is that he might pretend to not watch 90210 with you while he's sitting next to you on the couch.

4.  BE HONEST.

No matter what it is.  Whether it's about going over your shopping budget, that you ate the last cookie, or that you threw away his hideous torn up sweater that he's had for years.  Honesty really is the best policy.  Now, exercising good judgement and using your perception definitely come into play here.  You don't just want to confront your spouse and blurt out whatever's on your mind- think of the way your're saying it, the timing, and how they're going to feel.  Be considerate and loving and honest with them and yourself.

5.  LOOK FOR THE GOOD.

Let's be real- marriage and relationships in general are never a rose without thorns.  The question is, are you going to focus on the flower or the thorns?  The beautiful thing about being in a committed relationship is that you're teaching yourself how to fall in love over and over.  You have to choose to look for the good and the positive things and be happy and content with that and learn to maintain that love.

At the Seahawks Superbowl Victory Parade.

6.  DO YOUR OWN THING.

Do you like getting your nails done, but your husband doesn't (yes, there are men who get a mani/pedi combo and there ISN'T ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT)?  Do you like going to the movies, but your man can't stand it?  Do you like DIY projects, but he has no idea what all that glitter is for?  Newsflash:  That's OK!  It's completely fine for you to do your own thing.  You two do not need to do everything together.  In fact, it's healthy to have your "me time" and relax.  Do things that you enjoy and love.  And be OK with your husband doing the same.  But just remember, you want to have a fine balance of doing things independently and doing activities together.

7.  WATCH YOUR MOUTH.

You know what I can't stand?  A wife who undermines and disrespects her husband...especially in front of others. Sure, there are going to be things that bug the crap out of you- his dirty socks everywhere, his tendency to collect glasses of water on his bedside, or his amazing gift to make every conversation and situation awkward around people.  Wait.  Where was I going with this??  haha, But still, don't start making jokes at his expense or disrespect him in front of your friends.  Have his back.  Be his biggest cheerleader.  Don't spend happy hour after happy hour complaining about him to your girlfriends. It's OK to vent, but it's another thing to make your husband out to be a monster, when really, you're just complaining and are refusing to do anything to change the situation.

8.  GO AFTER YOUR DREAMS...& HIS!

Don't feel like you have to put your goals on hold- it is possible to achieve what you want and for your spouse to do the same.  The key is to work together, be flexible, and be realistic.  Your man isn't just a pretty guy who is forever obligated to hold your purse while you kick butt and take names- he has goals and ambition too.  Support him with his journey in finding out what he wants and who he wants to be and he will do the same for you.

9.  FORGIVE, FORGET, & ADMIT YOU WERE WRONG.

Humility is not my strong suit and I have to make an extra effort to apologize for something that I've done.  But can I tell you something?  The more you do it, the easier it gets.  Now, that doesn't mean it becomes less sincere each time you do it.  Rather, by making good practice of apologizing and taking the heat when necessary, you're promoting peace within the marriage.  None of us are perfect and we need to start accepting the blame and accountability for our own mistakes and learn to truly let go of things.

The hubby looking dapper.

Love. Peace. And buttermilk biscuits.

Nadia

Makeup Organization

When it comes to storing your makeup, there are a lot of options.  You might first think of what is most practical- how much storage do I need?  How much space is it going to take up? Do I want my makeup on my vanity, in the bathroom, on my dresser? There's so much to consider!

Personally, I like to have all of my makeup on my bathroom counter.  It's easy for me to access and I like having everything on display so it's easy to find what I need.  I just bought an acrylic tray from Caboodles.com, that was actually being sold at Target.  It was originally $19.99 and I got it on sale for $13.98!  I couldn't get home fast enough to try it out!

 My whole makeup collection is now neatly organized.

I use the top left partition for my foundations and other compacts.

The narrow holders are great for my makeup brushes.

The narrow holders in the front are perfect for my mascaras, eyeliners, and brow wiz.

The left bottom compartment is being used for my eyeshadow pallets and blushes.

I use the last section for my concealers, primers, and any other small miscellaneous items.

I absolutely love this "Object of Desire Tray" from Caboodles and highly recommend it to anyone looking for some pretty organization for their makeup collection!

Love. Peace. And buttermilk biscuits.

Nadia

Love It or Leave It? Maybelline Baby Lips Dr. Rescue

Time for your next roundup of Love It or Leave It!

Maybelline introduced the Dr. Rescue line from their Baby Lips lip balms to offer a medicated option for dry and sore lips.

Mine in shade Coral Crave.

Pros:

1. Lips feel super soft!

2. Smells great!

3. Easy to use!

4. Cute packaging!

5. Awesome price point!

Cons:

1. Leaves an odd white, filmy build up on your lips after a while.

Verdict:  LIKE IT!  :-P  This product is very cute and you can purchase it from just about any drugstore, which is great. It's nice quality and makes your lips feel soft, but I will be honest...it's not my favorite.  I do like it and use it often, so my verdict is go try it out and see if you like it!

Love.  Peace.  And buttermilk biscuits.

Nadia

Mini Drugstore Haul

Sooooo today I got a $40 tip...and naturally I spent it like any other girl would.

My first purchase is something that I have been wanting for a while now and was really going back and forth on whether I should get it.

The L'Oreal Youth Code Texture Perfector is a fairly newer skin care product in the drugstore market. It serves as a day and night cream designed to refine fine lines, uneven texture, and pores.  I've heard a lot about this on YouTube and how it's a great drugstore moisturizer option, so I wanted to try it out!  

I've already used once since I got home tonight and my first impressions are:

- Smells great

- Skin feels really soft after application

- Really smooth and thicker consistency

- Pretty packaging

I look forward to using this product a lot more and will have to keep you posted!

The next product I'm excited about is the Garnier BB Cream (Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector).  I've really been on the hunt for an easy to use BB Cream, so I'm super stoked about this.  Again, this is another beauty product that I've done a lot of research on with YouTube.  Tons of people have professed that this is the BEST drugstore BB Cream, so it's been on my to-buy list for a while.  :-)

It promises 5 different things:

1. Reduce wrinkles

2. Firm skin

3. Even skin tone

4. 24HR hydration

5. Serves as sunscreen protection

I'm really interest in evening my skin tone, so we'll see how this baby works!

And the last thing I bought today is super special!!  I have been wanting to try the new Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation for for-EVER!  

I'm intrigued with the packaging because I like the idea of just being able to squeeze out my foundation instead of using a pump or pouring it out of a bottle (a la L'Oreal True Match).  I'm going to try it in the shade True Beige (it was the only one that Bartells had in the beige family, so I wanted to give it a shot).  I've heard that this foundation gives a great matte finish and that a little goes a long way, so I'm really stoked to get to using this!

Love.  Peace.  And buttermilk biscuits.

Nadia

A Post Dedicated to My Mom

These past few weeks have been nothing short of being surreal.  I've been debating on whether to make this post or not, since I like to use this blog for fun topics.  And I can't exactly consider discussing the passing of my mother as FUN.  However, I started to think about my little motto that I have up on the top of this blog: Lifestyle. Beauty. Keepin it real.  I wanted to stay true to the "keeping it real" portion...this blog really is just about me talking about things that I'm interested in and I really try not to take it too seriously and just want to have fun with it.

But I want to keep it real and talk about things that actually matter.  I don't want to come off as some superficial brat who only cares about hair, makeup, and purses.  Now don't get me wrong- I love all of those things and I certainly don't bother myself too much with what people think of me.  :-)  But I love my family, flaws and all, and just want to put it out there. So this post is dedicated to one family member in particular- my mom.

She's playing with a dog she was dog-sitting.

When I was 8 years old, I moved in with my aunt (my dad's little sister) and uncle.  It was a very stressful and confusing time for me.  I came from a pretty broken household with having bounced back and forth between split parents and spending time living in a children's home.  My father had just been sent to prison and my mother was busy with other things going on in her life.  My aunt took me in and began the long journey of raising me.  This certainly wasn't an easy adjustment for everyone- my aunt had a 2 year old daughter of her own and her husband didn't really know me that well and perhaps wasn't even for having me live with them.  Regardless, I continued to live them until I was 11 when I briefly moved back in with mom, but that didn't end up working out, so back to my aunt and uncle's I went.

My aunt and uncle.

My aunt and I used to have a great relationship.  When I was younger, we used to have "dates" when we would go out for dinner and a movie or go shopping.  I remember one time when we were driving back home, I confided in her about how I felt fat and was embarrassed about my body.  I was 10 years old and was a size 8 in women's.  She tried to comfort me in telling me that I was beautiful and psst- here's a secret: Mariah Carey was also a size 8.  Now that I'm 24, I WISH I was a size 8. haha  Throughout this time, our relationship grew stronger and I began to not need my birth mother.  My aunt was becoming my real mom.

As I got older, I started to go through a lot of growing pains.  Lying, keeping things from my parents, seeing boys that they didn't approve of, and trying to gain my independence.  You see, my aunt was amazing- she was very intelligent and incredibly well-read.  She was an artist...but she was also critical, hard, and quick to cast her judgement. A lot of the times when I wanted to talk about something, she would shut me down and make feel like an idiot.  So I began to do the only thing that I could think of that would be easier- shut her out. I started to push her away and stopped communicating with her.  I figured that I'd rather just not talk to her than have to deal with arguing with her.  I didn't want to fight with her anymore.  And most of all, I didn't want to be reminded of how much she was disappointed in me.  I know my aunt loved me, but I was just making it really hard for her to do so.

We went through this estranged relationship for a few years with scarce ups and lot of downs.  We really didn't start spending time with one another until a couple of years ago, when she was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer.

About a year ago, she had surgery to remove all visible signs of cancer and we thought she had finally beat this thing.  But we were wrong.  Her cancer had never really left, but instead disguised itself and clung to her body with a vengeance.  She started to lose so much weight and began bulging in her belly with fluids that she had to get regularly drained.  She began to look like a lollipop- a round head stuck on a thin stick.

I wish I could say that I was there holding her hand every step of the way, but I can't, simply because I wasn't.  I'm married now with a husband who has Epilepsy and a brain tumor.  A lot of my energy goes to him and to supporting my small family.  Now that's no excuse for my absence at a lot of doctor's appointments for my aunt, but I certainly did the best that I could to be there for her.  I visited her at the hospital when I could and made sure to spend time with my family as much as possible.  I got updates from my cousins and uncle and followed her Facebook and social media accounts to get the latest news on how she was doing.

As time passed, her condition began to worsen.  She couldn't eat anything.  She was in constant pain.  She just wasn't herself anymore.  On the day that she passed away, I had to leave the house for a couple of hours for an important meeting with my congregation.  I had the privilege of being an Auxilary Pioneer and had the opportunity to attend a Pioneer Meeting with the Circuit Overseer.*  As I was sitting there in the meeting, my mind began to drift and I started to think about how the very first Pioneer Meeting I attended was when I was a teenager and was with my aunt.  I started to fully realize a big reason as to why I was auxilary pioneering: I was doing it for my aunt because I wanted her to be proud of me.  Of course, that isn't the sole reason as to why I was taking part in this amazing privilege, but it certainly put things into perspective.

My aunt was a wonderful, awe-inspiring individual.  She was crazy, loud, and funny.  She always went to bat for me and tried to protect me.  She taught me how to be a fighter and to be passionate about something. She taught me good manners and to have respect for others.  She emphasized how no man is an island...no one can do it on their own.  Even though the last days of our relationship weren't perhaps ideal, I truly believe one thing: we both knew how much we loved eachother and how the past is in the past.  All we have to look forward to is what's to come.

The last two visits that I made at the hospital to see her were a week before she passed away.  One of the things that she said that she wanted for me was to just be an honest person and to be happy.  She said, "Nadia, make peace with your mom."  I replied, "I don't need to, because you're my mom."  Then the last thing that she asked from me was to move in with my family because she felt that it would good for the kids to have me there to support them.  So here I sit, in my new living room in the mother-in-law apartment of my family's house, trying to be honest in this blog post and deal with my real feelings, and trying to be happy with my life.

To support my family with their struggle of paying medical bills and to cope with our new reality, please visit impermanency.org for more information.

Love. Peace. And buttermilk biscuits.

Nadia


*My family and I are Jehovah's Witnesses and attend a Kingdom Hall. An Auxilary Pioneer is a baptized Christian who volunteers 50 hours a month in the Bible education work that we do.  A Pioneer Meeting is simply a meeting to gather encouragement from the Scriptures and to learn how we can improve our teaching skills. A Circuit Overseer is an appointed person who oversees a group of congregations and makes regular visits to review progress being made and to provide Bible-based instruction.

Portland Trip & Shopping Haul!

Last weekend my siblings and I made a last minute getaway trip down to P-Town and had a blast!

We started off our crazy weekend with a late night visit to my favorite restaurant le Bistro Montage for some good ol' comfort food.  This place has such a great ambiance and the Spold Mac is da bomb diggity!

Since we used to live in Portland, we wanted to do our two favorite things:  go to Elephant Park and shop shop shop on NW 23rd!

Me, my sister, and half my cousins who were there with us!

Elephant Park is located right in the hills of the Japanese Rose Garden...and it. is. AMAZING.  I swear- playgrounds become way more fun as you get older!  haha  We had so much fun playing Chinese Tag and running around on the jungle gym!

After the park, we hit up NW Portland (where we used to live and my FAVE part of the town) for a little retail therapy. 23rd is just a whole street where there are boutiques, fun shops, and food.  I picked up a few things, trying to take advantage of the NO SALES TAX bonus, and was so stoked with what I got.

First stop was the LUSH store.  For more details, check out my post on the Mask of Magnaminty!

Next stop was my absolute favorite store 3 Monkeys where I picked up a cute jewelry dish for $8 bucks! This boutique is known for cute clothes, pretty accessories, and great little knick knacks for such a great deal. 

After a couple of other stores, I definitely made some damage at H&M and picked up some basics that I've needing.  Below are a couple of mini skirts that I got on a 2 for $10 deal!

I also found a couple of basic tanks and flowy shirts (not pictured).  My wardrobe definitely needed a few foundation pieces, so I'm really happy that we made a stop in this store!

My last big stop was at Urban Outfitters where I picked up some cute sunnies and FINALLY got my hands on some butter glosses from NYX!

 I love the look of tortoise shell and LOVE LOVE the slight cat eye.

I've hear so much about NYX's butter glosses and just haven't had any spare change to pick some up, but now I have joined the club and I am loving it!  Urban Outfitters is selling them in a 3-pack for $10, so go get some!  My favorite is definitely Apple Strudel.  :-)  I'm finding that Creme Brule is a bit frosty on my lips, so I'm looking forward to trying some bold colors.

And last, but certainly not least, I got a new...COACH HANDBAG!  Not that I need anymore, but I have to admit- this one was actually a gift from my grandmother and I've literally been using it everyday since.

We ended our quick and fun trip spending time with family and had a great night!

Love.  Peace.  And buttermilk biscuits.

Nadia

Mask of Magnaminty by LUSH

My first ever LUSH purchase and I'm crazy about it!!

The Mask of Magnaminty, made from China clay and fresh peppermint, is great for your weekly routine of exfoliation. It calms down any redness and drags the dirt out of your pores. The biggest improvement I've noticed in my skin is the texture- it's like baby bottom soft after doing 15 minutes of this mask!

 

If you're like me and you're new to LUSH, the first big thing to know is that majority of their products are freshly made by hand.  Most of their products have expiration dates, so it's important that you use them in a timely manner.  The Mask of Magnaminty will stay fresh for up to four months.

Another great thing that I love about this product is the PRICE TAG!  I bought a 4.4 oz container of this stuff for only $12.95!  I've been trying to stick to a routine of using this mask on Mondays to prepare for the week and then again on Thursdays to prep for the weekend.  So far so good! Go get yourself some ladies!!