Hair Curling Tutorial (With Extensions)

Goodmorning!
  Here is a tutorial on how I curl my hair (with extensions in).  I only did one side but it's still longer than I intended so feel free to fast forward if you want.  =)  Surprisingly, the way you curl hair is not something that stays the same - it is ever changing with the fashion world and the hairstyle of the present.  Currently,  one popular look is what I have heard referred to as "mermaid" curls:  long, loose and more wavy looking.  That is what this tutorial will show.

  Youtube is your friend for learning how to achieve different looks or curls. =)

Traveling, Holidays and 2014

Belated Merry Christmas!
  Wow, where to even begin?  Our original plan for the holidays was to travel to Colorado to see both sides of our families for 2 weeks over Christmas.  While this was accomplished, we also ended up getting a horrible flu the 2nd week (over Christmas Day of course) and were so sick that we extended our trip.  We will now have been gone for 3 weeks total and yes, that feels like a long time!  I am so thankful that we were able to be flexible and change our plans because flying home with the flu while holding a baby with the flu sounded like a nightmare to me.

  Our wonderful brother and sister-in-law (who we spent Christmas with) are now out of town and letting us "house sit" for them until New Years.  Now that we are on the mend, I am excited for a few days of family time to turn into an unexpected vacation.  We are making some plans and hoping for snow. =)

  On the very bright side, I am now the proud owner of an Ipad Air!  Peter surprised me for Christmas by giving me one so that my blog will not have to suffer anymore due to a lack of a computer.  I am so excited to try out the video feature and promise that lots of tutorials will be coming your way!  I have some ideas of tutorials or posts that I'd like to do but ultimately I would like to hear how I can best help you?  PLEASE let me know!  This blog is for helping you and others  so if there is a need, I want to know.

Coming up in 2014:
  -How to curl your hair (with extensions in)
  -How to properly wash and care for extensions
  -Skinny Jeans:  The new short trend
  -Long trenches
  -Fun and Funky Tights
  -Mid-calf trend
  -Makeup, makeup, makeup
  -Self tanners: How to tan at home and on a budget

This is some of my ideas so far...more to come!  Enjoy the pics. =)

Simon's very 1st Starbucks! (Estes Park, CO)

Playing with his cars on the flight

Christmas Cookies!

Gingerbread Houses

Christmas Eve Dinner

Estes Park,CO

Mama and Simon

Clark Christmas

Playing in a box 

Cousins

Opening his stocking

Estes Park, CO

SNOW

Playing with cousin Axel

Merry Christmas!

Hair Extensions: How to Put Them In

Good morning ladies!

  I finally got the video uploaded!! Yay!! So this is how I clip them in when I wear them. It really takes very little time and is super handy. I wash and curl them about once a week and will do tutorials eventually on those as well. Let me know if you have questions!!

Have a great day!!

XOXO
Joy

"At Home" Eyelash Extensions

I have tried lots of different forms of eyelash extensions.  Eyelashes are something I'm kind of obsessed with so I love to try new things with them.  When I paid for actual extensions I didn't love them.  I'm not sure if it's because I tried to go the cheaper route and didn't get the right place to do them or if it's because I'm hard on my eyelashes but either way they seemed to get bent all wrong and annoyed me for various reasons.  I found that they would itch my eyes some and as they grew out they would rip out my own eyelashes which horrified me.  It just wasn't worth the money. 

Next I tried doing my own.  I bought the individual lashes and glue and would put them on.  Those I liked better because I could do them whenever I wanted and how I wanted.  I found that I could put on some and they would last about a week before I had to touch them up again.  I am such a perfectionist that I probably re-did them too often and once again, they would rip my eyelashes out when I took them off. 

I began to look for another solution (since now my eyelashes looked even worse than before) because I was pregnant and knew that I wouldn't have time as a Mom to keep up my eyelashes.  I wanted naturally long and thick lashes that could look great weather I had mascara on or not.  I googled celebrities and what they said they did for their lashes.  I took what the Kardashians admitted to using and figured I'd give it a try.  It was expensive but if it worked and lasted as long as it's reviews said it did, then it was way cheaper than extensions.

Enter:  Revitalash. 

This stuff is my biggest beauty secret to date.  It is amazeballs.  I cannot even tell you how much I love this stuff.  It truly, truly works.  My eyelashes are so long, thick and dark now that I don't mind not wearing maskara.  Of course, if I'm wearing makeup I do wear some but now I still feel feminine and like I have a little "something something" even without makeup.  I have so many people ask me where I got my extensions or are those really my lashes?  I just smile and say, "why yes, those are my actual eyelashes." 

I have purchased this on amazon.com or on drugstore.com.  The bigger bottle is a little more pricey (around $80 I think?) but will last you for months! (at least 6 months I'd say?)  Find it here. 

It is so easy to use - I just put some on in the morning after I have moisturized and voila, my lashes grow on their own. 


This is my lashes without makeup:

And here with makeup:

With Mascara

With Mascara

See??  Amazing!  If you can save for it - totally do it!  It is so worth it!

Let me know if you guys have any questions!!

Xoxo

Joy

Quinoa Black Bean Bowls

This is another meal that we eat a lot!  You can use rice or quinoa - I use whatever I have in the pantry.  It is such an easy, quick meal to make.  I usually use it as an opportunity to clean out my fridge.  If you have any leftover meat from a previous meal (usually a roast chicken for me), it goes great as a topping and is a way to use it up.

Basically it goes something like this:

-Cooked quinoa or brown rice (I season mine with some liquid aminos and coconut oil)

Top with:
-Black beans (you can either simmer them on the stove so that they're softer or eat them straight out of the can - drained and rinsed)
-Fresh cut tomatoes
-Avocado
-Shredded, roast chicken (or any leftover meat)
-Shredded raw cheddar cheese
-Steamed Kale (or whatever veggie you have in the fridge that needs to be eaten)
-Nutritional yeast - we love this stuff!  If you don't know what this is, this explains it.
-Salsa

As you can see this is a very easy meal with lots of options.  Feel free to mix and match or substitute to your heart's desire.  It is also a great meal to make for a group because it's not hard to make in bigger quantities and it's not expensive!

I eat this a lot for lunches and love it.  Simon loves it too - I just blend his all up and he eats it with me.

Enjoy!

XOXO

Joy