To Dye For

Well, well, well, look at me, three posts in as many days. I'm on a roll!
Anyvajazzle, I thought I'd do a quick post because I dyed my hair tonight and wanted to do a review on the product that I used. Firstly, let me say, I have not been compensated for this review. I bought the dye with my own money and L'Oreal has no idea I even purchased their product. Ok, now to the goods.


I saw this advertised, and decided that I needed to try it because they bragged about how easy it is. I normally go to a salon to get my hurrs did, but after I went to brown back in January, and did it at home, I've skipped the salon and rocked my $12 color. Anyway, I saw this in the drugstore the other day and decided to give it a shot. I went with the darkest brown, it was a bit darker than my current hair color, but I was looking to go a bit darker.
L'Oreal advertises that the "Sublime Mousse by Healthy Look™ is a permanent conditioning hair color that provides beautiful, natural-looking color without the drips. The luscious mousse is as easy to apply as shampoo – no more parting or separating. Lively, shiny color with perfect gray coverage, it’s hair color to fall in love with!"
Now, I will say there really wasn't a mess at all. You mix two bottles together and then pump the foam into your hands. No paste, no brush, nothing. It's really a lot cleaner than the normal dyes. I thought that it would stay foamy in your hair, but it doesn't, which actually makes it easier to see where you've got the color.


See the dye on the forehead? Obviously I'm a pro

After applying the dye I had 30 minutes to kill, so I sat in the tub and read a magazine. Which basically means I got 30 minutes of "me time". Score! After the time was up, I hopped in the shower and rinsed the dye out. There's a conditioner that comes with the color that you use after the initial dye and about once a week after that. It smells wonderful, but I don't think it does it's job, because after I washed and blow dryer my hair, the ends were dry.


Overall, I was pretty pleased with the mousse dye. I loved how easy it was to apply, and, even though the darkness was a bit of a shock at first, I think I'm getting used to it. It really is a pretty color. I'd definitely give this a thumbs up, and it would get two if it had made my hair a bit softer. I'm almost certain that if I dye my hair at home again, I'll use this, mostly because of how easy it is. If you're looking to do a DIY dye job, you should definitely give this a shot!
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This Is Where The Magic Happens

Hello lovahs! How is everyone's Tuesday? We're a little dreary over here in our neck of the woods, so we've been cooped up all day long, which has left me feeling very uninspired. But, a little search of bedroom images on weheartit and the inspiration comes rolling in.
Lately I've been itching to makeover our bedroom. We only have two small windows in our room, which basically means it's never sunny enough for me. It's also not big enough and our furniture is a very dark oak and very large, which also makes it appear darker. I don't want to sell our bedroom suite, because it's somewhat of a family heirloom, but I'm dying for some sunshine! So, I'm looking at colors to liven up the walls as well as new bedding. I want that clean, crisp look, but I'm not willing to break the bank to make it happen.
So, as of right now, we're just in the "planning and gathering inspiration" phase. And boy, let me tell you, there is a lot of inspiration out there! Wanna see what's currently inspiring me?


I love this simply because, despite not having a lot of windows, the room is still very light and airy. Plus, it's got that earthy, southern appeal to it that I simply adore.


Then we have this one. I'm in love with the colors and the picture frames. Everything just goes so well together.


My favorite thing about this one is the fact that the furniture is so dark, yet paired with the other colors in the room, it manages to lighten up the room. This is the exact effect that I'm going for.


I love this one so much simply because it's so crisp and clean. Although, I could never accomplish this look without replacing my furniture, but it's still something to admire!


I want to make babies with this room. That's how much I love it. The small pops of purple make this a perfect room. And that picture over the bed? I die.


This bedding stuck out the most to me. The ruffles are so girly, yet the grey is so masculine. I love it, but I'm not sure how well it would go with the dark brown color of our furniture.


I love this one because it looks so lived in. It's so simple, yet so beautiful. I think this is definitely my favorite!


I love this lamp and the pillows together. I would never have thought they would look good together, but, I was wrong. I guess that's why I'm not an interior designer!


This is a little too much for my bedroom, but I still love it. The florals are gorgeous and the view is amazing!
So tell me, what is your inspiration? Do you have any tips or advice for me? Which room is your favorite?
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Weekend Wrap Up

Happy Monday, lovelies! How was everyone's weekend? I hope it was as good as mine! We were supposed to go to see Becky because, SHE GOT MARRIED!! But, unfortunately, that fell through. I honestly don't know why she continues to be my friend, I'm always flaking out on her! (Love you, Bexley!) Anyway, we were determined to make the best of our spoiled plans, so on Saturday we made our way out to a local antique fair.
Let me tell ya, if you're looking for something, you can find it at the Warrenton Antique Show! They've got everything. But, I will say that everything is over priced. It's all about the wheelin and dealin out in Warrenton. Anyvajazzle, we browsed around for a while and then decided to grab a bite to eat. This is where it gets good. We ate lunch. In a bar. With Baby Butterbean present. We so classy, huh?


Just hangin out
Now, it wasn't really a bar, more of a general store/cafe/local watering hole. So there's no need to alert CPS. After lunch I found the lost adorable overalls for her. I'm definitely going to have to post a pic of that soon. Just trust me when I tell you that they are the cutest things ever!
Then, on Sunday, we ran over to Houston for a day at the zoo. And folks? Houston has the greatest zoo! There are so many different animals and they have so many ways to get the kids involved! There's a petting zoo, and all sorts of demonstrations, and you can even feed the giraffes! Speaking of which, there was a baby giraffe and a baby elephant. My head pretty much exploded from the adorableness.
There was also this guy


Bad ass, right!?
And Baby Butterbean had the greatest time! She loved all the animals, and especially loved getting up close and personal with them. And she obviously loved being escorted around all day!


Overall, we had an amazing weekend, even though we had to miss out on Becky's gorgeous wedding. Obviously we're just going to have to plan a trip up there to see her soon!
So, how was everyone else's weekend!?
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Fitness Friday

First and foremost, let me say that it is perfectly acceptable that I'm eating a taco salad while I'm writing this post. It is, after all, a salad. Sure, it's wrapped in a deliciously fried bowl, and loaded down with greasy taco meat, BUT STILL!! It's a salad.



Heavenly

Anyvajazzle, back to the case at hand. You've all heard (read?) me whine about losing weight, and how I was going to do something about it, and wuddaya know? I still haven't done anything. I'm still sitting on my couch stuffing my face with M&Ms. Well, friends, that's all changed.
Thanks to a few wondeful tweeps!
Let me explain, a few nights ago, a few of the lovely ladies that I follow on the twit were talking about the 30 Day Shred. Ya know, the one that tried to kill me once before? Anyway, they decided to start a little twitter Shred group and I just had to jump in.
And guess what!? It's definitely what I needed! The encouragement and support of other people who are in the same place as me is paying off greatly. I don't feel like I'm going at this alone. Granted, it's only been three days, but if it weren't for my Shred Crew, I probably would have called it quits after the first day. Or definitely after yesterday, seeing as how I lost my dinner once I was done with the workout. But, I'm not giving up. If these girls can push through the pain, then I can also.
So, my question is, who wants in on the Shred Crew? You don't necessarily need to have a twitter account, but it's definitely easier because you can follow along and chat with us all in one place. If you're on twitter, just give me a shout and I'll get ya going in the right direction, if you're not on twitter, no worries, just leave me a comment, or email me (lilmissbutterbean @ the gmail) and I'll find a way to get you included. I think we're currently talking about a blog button possibly, and I'll definitely be doing weekly blogs about it, so maybe we can get everyone linked up! I'm so excited about this y'all, and I know that the Shred Crew would be ecstatic to have more people join in!
So here's to being fit and fabulous... Or at least not being out of breath by the time I reach the top of my porch stairs!

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Letting the Sunshine In

Friends, I have spent my morning spring cleaning


Not that type of spring cleaning, although I should probably check into that

The weather is absolutely beautiful down here in our little corner of Texas, so we've had our windows open and our a/c off. I love this time of year. The wildflowers are starting to bloom and the birds are singing outside of my window.


Ny favorite wildflower
It always seems that once this time of year rolls around, I'm coming down with cabin fever. I start to itch for the warm sunshine. The first signs of spring get me all giddy. And strangely, I start wanting to clean. I guess since everything is so much brighter outside, everything inside appears kind of dim. As though winter left a gray film on everything. So, I bust out my army of cleaning supplies and I go to town. It's exhausting and it takes all day, and I feel disgusting afterward, but in my opinion, nothing feels better than having an entirely clean house.

And then? Five minutes after I'm done? The babe comes along and my living room looks like the toy box threw up all over the place.


So much for my clean house!

So what about you? Do you itch to "come clean" once spring rolls around?

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Semi-Wordless Wednesday iPhonography Edition

Friends, we've been struck with a case of the sickies around here. The croup has settled in and made itself right at home. Though oddly enough, the hubs is healthy as an ox. Exactly how healthy is an ox? Anyvajazzle, the babe and I haven't been feeling well, so we've just been lounging around and spending most of our time reading. And being waited on. Maybe we'll milk this a little longer...











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"Some of my best leading men have been dogs and horses"

I have always adored Elizabeth Taylor. She was so stunning and had such class. She always reminded me of my grandmother. She will be missed by so many people, even if they never knew her.

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For Japan With Love

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Souther Shenanigans Part Deux

Hello lovahs! How was everyone's weekend? Mine was absolutely fabulous!

Wanna know why? Because I got to see one of my favorite people again, Miss Kora Bruce!

Our friend Mike from Bite Me Houston was hosting a benefit, so KB came to town and we all hit up the Texas Tequila Throwdown!



Aren't we awesome at awkward poses?

And let me tell you folks, some of the tequila samples were amazing! Thankfully the hubs got to come this time, so he was my designated driver. After the 3T, we headed over to my new favorite hipster bar, Grand Prize, where the photo booth magic happened.




Our night was full of my favorite things, inside jokes, weird dancing, vending machine shakedowns, and lots and lots of awkward poses.



Joey, my favorite country hipster, bringing the awkward.

And then Sunday rolled around, and the lovely KB had to go home, but I'm willing to bet that she'll be back soon!

I hope everyone had a weekend as great as mine!

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Perspective

I woke up to news of tragedy this morning, just as everyone else in the world did.

I sat in front of my tv and I watched the videos that were shot during the earthquake, I saw the photos of the aftermath, I watched the footage of the tsunami as it hit Japan. As with any other disaster, I couldn't wrap my head around the images on the screen. My heart wretched for the victims and the families. Words couldn't be formed and tears fell from my eyes for complete strangers.

All of this occurred before my daughter woke up.

When I heard her first peeps through the monitor I ran in to get her out of her crib. I held her tightly in my arms and I thanked God for every blessing in my life.

It's a shame that it takes something as devastating as an earthquake, a tsunami, a flood, a fire, or a terrorist attack to make us step back and look at the things that we're thankful for in our lives. We all move to fast to stop and breathe. To be present in our lives. Our friends drift away, our loved ones grow weak, and our babies grow up right before our eyes and we don't really see it. People say that life happens in the blink of an eye, and it's true, because we're all running through life and letting it speed right past us.

As I write this, there are families who have been torn apart by todays events. Parents who've lost children, children who've lost parents, wives and husbands who've lost their best friends. And yet, they still hold out faith. Faith that their loved ones will be found. And they're thankful for the ones who are there with them.

All day I've been thinking how I handle losing my daughter or my husband. To have someone whom you love so much, who is such a great part of you, just ripped away from your life like that. One minute they're there, and the next they've vanished. I cannot count how many times I've cried today. For the victims and, selfishly, for myself. I've already let a year of my daughter's life fly by. I feel like I didn't take enough pictures, shoot enough video, give enough hugs. I'm constantly running behind and rushing, just like everyone else.

But, it's time to stop. To make a conscience decision, and actually change my life. I want to slow down, I want to actually live my life. I want to cherish every hug, every kiss, and every laugh. I want to let go of my past and stop worrying about the future. I want to live in the present, in the now. Because yesterday is gone, and tomorrow isn't certain. All we really have is today.

Tell someone you love them, take that walk in the rain, stay up all night laughing. Whatever you want to do, just do it. Because you never really know if you'll have the chance later on in life.

Now I'm off to rock my baby to sleep before she's too big for me to do it. Please send a prayer, a thought, a good vibe to those who were effected by today's events.

viz