Upgrade your Hair!

You guys, I FINALLY caved and purchased a hair wand!  I know, I know, hair wands are probably old news to you all but I had a couple curling irons and just couldn't justify spending $ on a good wand when I didn't "need" it.  Lately I've been so frustrated with my hair.  Every time I curled it I would lose the curls within a few hours it and then I was stuck doing it again which meant double exposure on my blonde hair.  I thought it was the Oregon climate. Humidity does not bode well with achieving bombshell curls.

Then I got the Curling Wand.  

Life Changed.

With this wand, I can curl my hair (including extensions) in less than half the time it took me before with my irons AND my curls will stay for days through practically anything!  Wind, sleeping on it, workouts all have nothing on these curls.  I don't know why I waited so long to get it!  Obviously my irons were definitely going downhill and not doing their job.  That or this wand is just way better.

Another great thing about the wand? You can easily achieve all different kinds of curls very easily just by changing the angle slightly. It is seriously amazing. Lately I have been enjoying more the loose, longer waves and they look so good thanks to my wand! 

I also wanted to show you all this side by side comparison of my hair to show you the difference in the tone (a belated example for my last post.). 

This tone was the difference in one day.  I went back to my stylist after it turned out too yellow for me (pic on the right), put on a toner and voila, you have the picture on the left!  

So back to the wand, if you love to curl your hair but don't have one, I highly recommend it!  It is a great investment and totally worth the $.  It will save you time and give you curls that last through a LOT more than if you use an iron.  

I have heard great things about the Cortex wand because of the negative ions (better on your hair) so I posted a link to one below.

Have a fabulous day!

XOXO

Joy

Is the Tone of your Hair the Problem?

We are going to talk hair tone today. This is something that I have been focused on lately as I try to get a more ashy blonde. Fortunately, I have a sister who is an amazing stylist and she will patiently explain things to me that sometimes my stylist doesn't take the time to.  I thought I would share with you all as it is an important concept to grasp in the hair world.

The tone of your hair, especially if you color it, can make a big difference in the overall color/look you are going for.  You can tone your hair to be more cool or warm and your color will look immensely different!  As a blonde, I have to specifically ask my stylist to tone the highlights that she gives me to achieve the right color of blonde that I want.  Just getting bleach put on is not enough!  I have some examples to show you because I think this is an important concept to understand if you are not happy with the way your hair is turning out.

I am going to use pictures of blonde hair to make this point today but the idea still applies to other hair colors as well.

WARM Blonde Hair:

If you want a more "yellow", "buttery" blonde look then ask for a warm toner.


COOL Blonde Hair:

To get a more "white", "ashy" blonde, you want a cool toner (it should be purple in color) AND you will want to purchase purple shampoo and use it with your regular shampoo.

BRASSY Blonde Hair:

Brassy hair is what happens when your blonde color gets old and starts to turn "orange" because of sun exposure and time being un-treated.  If your hair is looking brassy, putting on a toner and letting it sit for a couple minutes will lift it right out and give you back your beautiful color.


I hope this clears up any confusion.  As you can see, putting a toner on your color can make a big difference!  If you are unhappy with the way your hair is turning out, ask your stylist to use a toner to change it up for either a warmer or cooler look.  Your stylist probably is doing a fine job with your color, you  just need the correct toner.

XOXO

Joy

Double Date Night

Peter and I had the pleasure of going out last Saturday with a couple we met when we first joined Mars Hill.  Dan and Krista Briley were our Community Group leaders at a time when we were fragile and going through a lot in our marriage.  They were instrumental in shepherding us, coming alongside us and guiding us through some growing pains.  We spent a lot of Saturday nights at their house, having a meal and digging into issues/discussions that we needed help with having.  As a result, we have grown to love and appreciate them in a deep way and feel indebted to them for all the help they provided us.  We truly would not be where we are today without their presence in our lives/marriage.

  Last Saturday we all got babysitters and went out for a nice meal and then some pool afterwards.  It was so fun to be with them and celebrate how much Jesus has done in our lives over the past few years.  

I got this dress online and it was the perfect chance to wear it so I decided to snap some pics and give their website a shout out.

Of course I had to get a close up of the shoes!  I love these shoes and wear them with a lot of different things from shorts to dresses and everything in between. 

Dress:  The Nest On Main Boutique

          

Shoes:  ShoeDazzle.com

XOXO

Joy

Labor Day Weekend

We spent last weekend camping with friends up in Washington. The setting could not have been more perfect with a site right on the water and a boat to enjoy all weekend.

 Unfortunately the weather was not the greatest and camping in the rain with a toddler is NOT ideal. :) However, we did have some good times and I got some cute pictures that I thought I would share.

A boy, water and sand

Dinner over the fire

Waking up to RAIN

Mr. Ken watching boats with Simon

Throwing rocks

Pulling his wagon

So proud of himself

Well that was our Labor Day weekend.  Needless to say, even thought it was fun, I was pretty ready to get home.  I hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing time with your family!

XOXO

Joy

Ray-Ban SALE!

You guys, I had to tell you about this huge sale going on right now! If you have never heard of Ray-Ban sunglasses you are seriously missing out. Not only are they super stylish, they are made very high quality which means no scratching etc. But because they are so high quality and a pretty posh brand, they are usually in the $200's for ONE pair. Uh yeah, I have never owned a pair for that reason!

However, they are having a huge sale on all their 2014 models. Are you ready for this???

I just ordered these lovelies for (drum roll please):

$12.99!!!

Here is the link for the website:

http://rb.inbluewave.com

Have fun shopping! 

Xoxo

Joy

Favorite Shopping Websites

I thought I would share with you guys some great websites that I have been enjoying lately!  Most of these are fairly new for me and I have not made purchases off of all of them but I will share what I do have.


www.jane.com
This website is almost like etsy in the fact that it compiles different deals from different vendors.  It is mostly womens clothes, jewelry and clothes for little girls.  I got my cute, red dress from there and if I remember right, it was about $20 (including shipping!).  The dress ran true to size and it has been a summer staple of mine. Sign up on their website for emails of their daily deals.

www.piperstreetshop.com
My sister introduced me to this place and I am so excited to find some great deals here!  So far, I like what I see style wise and they seem to have a good variety.

www.wayfair.com
This sight has lots of homegoods like furniture, rugs, decor etc.  They usually have things for around 70% off plus they offer 10% off on your first purchase. I love browsing their deals that they send me.  (sign up on their website!)

www.jossandmain.com
This is similar to wayfair.  They also offer homegoods/furniture and it's a little more pricey than some but super cute stuff and it would be a better price than Pottery Barn or some places like that.  They also will have deals going on that you can sign up to hear about.  Look for those and you'll definitely get a good price. I currently have my eye on a couple of headboards to "makeover" our bed.  =)

www.rugsusa.com
A friend introduced me to this website and I recently purchased this rug from there.  I got it for around 70% off and it is a great quality rug (with no weird smell)!  They will also have deals going on certain rugs so if you sign up on their site, they will email you their specials going on.

New Rug

Have fun shopping!

XOX

Joy

Quinoa Chickpea Burgers

I recently came across a recipe that sounded so amazing that I had to try it. It was chickpea burgers with roasted red pepper. I didn't have roasted red pepper but I did have quinoa and regular peppers so I decided to go for it and boy, they did not disappoint!

I started with peeling and cubing a medium sized potato. I then cooked it by placing it in a frying pan with about 1 inch of water and cooking it with a lid on for about 10-15 mins. I wanted it soft enough to mash up but not completely without form.

Once that was cool, I put it in a mixing bowl along with 2 eggs, about a cup of cooked quinoa, dried parsley (fresh OR cilantro would have been better!) and a can of mashed chickpeas (drained but save some of the juice!).

I then took one, chopped red pepper and sautéed it til it was soft. I added in 3 gloves of fresh garlic right at the end as well as some chopped adobo pepper (for spice).

Once cooked, these were added to the bowl of chickpea mixture along with the above spices and 1-2 tablespoons of the chickpea juice and mixed in.

Next I formed the mixture into burgers and fried them in some coconut oil til crispy on each side and cooked through.

These were served on toasted whole wheat buns with all the fixings and wow they were tasty! These burgers stayed together surprisingly well and we all enjoyed them.  We will definitely be having these again.

Quinoa Chickpea Burgers:
1 medium size potato
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 15 oz can chickpeas (drained but save some of the juice)
1/2 red bell pepper
3 cloves garlic
Adobo pepper or jalapeño for spice
2 eggs
1 cup cooked quinoa
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon pepper

After cooking the potato, mix the above ingredients, form and fry up!

Enjoy!

XOXO

Joy