fashion friday: obsessing

Definitely loving the new fall thing -- studded loafers! Never thought I would be a lover of loafers, but the studs have a-changed me. I'm in love with this look and I'm already on the hunt to buy a pair (or two... or three...).

Can I just have all the studded loafers?!

Jeffrey Campbell shoes / Jeffrey Campbell shoes / Steve Madden studded loafer / Studded shoes / Charlotte Russe shoes / Studded loafer

What do you think of this new shoe look?

Things I Love Thursday. :)

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1. This probably completely defeats the purpose, but I love eating some great food after an awesome work out. I feel great and I eat like a queen. Even if I'm not losing fat, I'm gaining muscle, right? ;)

2. Almost every night this week when I come home from work, Pretty Woman has been on tv. I love that movie and it had been years since I last saw it!

3. Did you know that apples have more caffeine than a cup of coffee? Now that I eat an apple in the morning every day, I have more energy than ever and I feel great!

4. Still on the health kick, I've been slowly cutting soda out of my diet. I've been meaning to do it for years. Soda is just too fizzy for me nowadays!

5. Did I mention I get paid today? :D

6. It's not something I love per se, but keep your thoughts and prayers with everyone getting affected by tropical storm Isaac!

What are you loving this Thursday?

diy: clean your make-up brushes!

Sorry I've been MIA y'all, the new job is kicking my butt! I'm slowly getting used to my new area and the people I work with, but nothing makes a 10 hour work day any easier! Thank you to everyone bearing with me, I hope things clear up soon. :)

I did something over the weekend that I thought I would never do -- clean my make-up brushes. I know that's a little gross that it has taken me almost 3 years to clean my brushes, but I finally got my act together and just did it! Also, thanks to Pinterest, I got a simple recipe and step-by-step way to do it! I'm glad that I get to share it all with you!

Add one tablespoon white vinegar

Add one tablespoon baby shampoo (optional)

Form soapy mixture with warm water. Stir brushes in mixture for one whole minute. Do not let the mixture get above the bristles! This can cause them to weaken and break off.

Lay out on washcloth until completely dry (took mine about 5 hours)

Now my brushes apply the make-up better, my eye shadows don't all mix into one funky color, and my brushes even seem livelier. There isn't a ton of product weighing them down, and they feel good as new. :)

Do you know of any good make-up brush cleaners?

Time for a Sunday Social

1. What is the first website you log into each day?
Yahoo.com and Google.com! Gotta check my email.

2. Give us some funny websites that you visit that we need to know about.
These aren't really funny, but they put a smile to my face!
Daily Puppy, 1000 Awesome Things, Kawaii Not, Just Little Things, & The Hairpin!

3. Pinterest or Facebook? Why?
Pinterest, definitely. I'm currently helping my friend with a wedding and it's a huge help. Plus, I've just been getting tired of Facebook lately!

4. Twitter or Instagram? Why?
Instagram. Basically because I'm getting tired of Twitter.

5. Favorite YouTube video. Post it!!
I have a ton of random dog videos favorite'd. Yeah, I love dogs. :) Here are some of my top favorites!

6. Biggest online pet peeve?
When I'm listening to music, then I go to someone's page and they have music playing in the background. For those few confusing seconds, I feel like my brain is going to explode from all the random sounds coming from my speakers!

Hope you have an awesome Sunday!

saturday funday: sweet oatmeal bake

Sometimes eating healthy sucks, I know that for a fact. You eat an orange when you really crave chocolate. You eat a salad when you just want a burger. There is no real fine line between healthy eating and eating what you want! Sure, cheat days are nice, but sometimes you want every day to be a cheat day.

I have a massive sweet tooth, so I am constantly on the search for something to satisfy my sweet tooth and stay on the healthy path. It's tough for me, and I'm sure it's tough for some people too.

I found this recipe via pinterest, and I am in love! I made a big casserole dish amount and it has been satisfying me for a whole week! You can add a small handful of chocolate chips to feed your sweet tooth if the fruit doesn't keep you completely satisfied. This recipe is chockful of fruit though, so you probably won't need the chocolate!

This oatmeal bake is the perfect balance between sweet and healthy!

Do you any of favorite healthy recipes that satisfy your sweet tooth?

fashion friday: green with envy

Going on a spending freeze, but that doesn't mean that I can't dream! I can't really pull off green, but I saw this dress and wanted to make it work. Also, it reminds me of Belle's green dress so it wins in my book.

Green cocktail dress / Velvet flat / satchel handbag / Cuff jewelry / Painted Crescent Hoops

How do you work with green?

Things I Love Thursday!

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1. Even though this diet has been going well and eating healthy is fun, I still love my cheat days when I can have ice cream with chocolate! I have a terrible sweet tooth and I love being able to give in to some of the "bad foods" at least once a week.

2. Work days have been 10 hours long all week (which explains my inactivity around the blogosphere!), but I still take the time out to enjoy the people I'm working with and appreciate the fact that I have a job right now. The money is worth all the long days put in!

3. I miss my family, but daily phone calls make the distance seem less hard. I know it seems a little juvenile since I'm 22 and still call my parents every day, but it's the little things!

4. I'm helping my friend plan her wedding, which is so exciting! April is going to be a fun month! :)

5. I've been taking a lot of time to talk to God lately, which I am always thankful for. My faith has been strengthened since I've moved away and it's something that I've started relying heavily on. It's awesome to feel some strong support when I need it.

6. This is a pretty old story, but it still warms my heart when I read it!

What are you loving this Thursday?

tunes for your tuesday: random favorites

This playlist is REALLY random. I can't even explain why I've been listening to these songs on repeat. I just love them all! It's a weird mix but I hope you can at least enjoy one of these songs! :)

What are you listening to today?

Weekend Update: rainy days

This weekend, it rained the whole time! Which was nice in the end, because now it feels so much cooler and I don't feel like I'll melt into the ground! It's the little things, y'all. :)

Friday: I was going to go to the lake with a few people from work, but right after we got out (at 5:30!!!) it started storming. :/ Such a bummer! But I stayed inside, drank tea, and watched movies in the dark. Not what I expected, but it ended up being a pleasant time.

Saturday: I slept till noon! How embarrassing! I spent the rest of the day cleaning, hanging pictures, and trying - to no avail - to find a new comforter. There's nothing wrong with my old one, it's just 5 years old and too short for my bed. I want something new and 'grown-up' looking but I can't find anything I like! It sucks. I did get my new Lilly planner in the mail though. :)

Sunday: Went grocery shopping, cooked some week-day meals, watched Mr. Deeds, and colored! I just kept sitting around wishing that Monday was more than 24 hours away. Mondays come wayyyy too quickly!

What did you do on your weekend?

fashion friday: back to school

Even though I am out of college and enjoying the working world, sometimes I wish I could go back to school. The feeling of new classes, new experiences, enjoying times with friends, and being on the cusp of my favorite season... fall! Plus, shopping for new clothes + supplies in the name of school is a great excuse. :)

This outfit would be my perfect first day of class wear. I would totally be rocking the cute skirt and hoping that it wasn't 90+ degrees outside!

knit top / short sleeve shirt / pleated skirt / shoes / engraved jewelry / jewelry / Crystal jewelry / Bracelet

What are you planning on wearing for going back to school?

Things I Love Thursday V.10

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1. Hello to all my new followers! I'm so glad you've decided to stop by and follow! I've been busy at work but once the weekend hits I'll be visiting everyone's blogs! I'm excited to get to know everyone better. :)

2. Work and life things have been stressful, but a phone call from my dad completely cheered me up. He was so diplomatic and nice and helpful and it made me so happy that I have a wonderful man like him in my life.

3. I'm having so much fun playing with my new make up palette! I love make up but I rarely treat myself with the nice stuff. Making new looks and experimenting is really bringing out my creative side!

4. Speaking of being creative, I've been doodling and drawing a lot more lately. I'm more into painting and photography, but sketching can help calm me down (plus, I need the practice)!

5. I've decided to test myself and go on a small spending freeze! I've heard of many people doing it and I think it's a wonderful idea. I'm going to see how I can do in one month's time; hopefully I can be proud of myself for learning a lesson and enjoy all the extra money I didn't spend!

6. This is going to get sappy -- but I'm really glad that God is giving me signs of what to do with my life. I've been having this feeling but now I know He's sending the message loud and clear. I wish I would have listened earlier, but the Lord works in mysterious ways, and sometimes I can be pretty deaf.

What are you loving this Thursday?

Let's make some lists!

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My good friend Kristin of My Life as a Teacup is an Ambassador for the 30 Days of Lists! Kam and Amy put together a little link-up of listers and give us a way to be creative with our lists! It's also a great way to get to know each other.

If you go to 30daysoflists.com you'll be able to learn more and sign up there, too! Or you can go to Kristin's blog and sign up with her. :)

I hope you end up doing this great project with me, Kristin, and a bunch of great fellow listers!

Are you going to participate in Thirty Days of Lists?

tunes for your tuesday: intense workout

I have been on a health kick for a couple weeks and I'm still going strong! I've been cooking healthy and finding time to work out. I feel great with more energy than ever! This is one of my favorite playlists, with strong beats by great musicians and cooling down with John Mayer's sexyyyy voice. :)

What kind of music do you work out to?

Weekend Update: the best shopping trip ever.

It's that time again... time for a Weekend Update!

Friday: Got off work a little early, then I went home and cleaned my whole apartment, top to bottom. It was the first time since I moved in that I really busted my butt cleaning the whole thing. Now it smells fresh and wonderful. :)

Saturday: Went shopping!! The only place with a mall is about an hour away, so I had a huge list compiled of three weeks worth of things I needed. I got plenty of make-up, couch pillows, picture frames, and work clothes. Plus some Texas beer. ;) It was a really successful day and I ended up getting home around 4, way earlier than what I was expecting!

Sunday: Grocery shopping, laundry, and cooking. All day, errday. Just kidding, only for today! Then I spent a relaxing weekend watching the Closing Ceremony of the Olympics. Is it weird that I'm sad it's all over?! At least the Winter Olympics are in 18 months. But this year's Olympics were awesome -- plenty of records broken, lots of great new people (women DOMINATED!!), and the atmosphere in London seemed so peaceful. It's what the Olympics are really all about.

What did you do this weekend?

Sunday Social! All About FOOD!

I am a self-proclaimed food enthusiast, and the scale in my bathroom completely agrees with that. Anyways, I'm here to spread the Sunday Social joy! :)

1. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
My dad's tamales! We help him create them but he does all the hard work, so their "his". But seriously, y'all have not had good Mexican food until you've had these tamales. Everyone who's ever tried them loves them!

yumm!!

2. What's your guilty pleasure/comfort food?
Ice cream/fro-yo. It's my ultimate favorite and can always cheer me up or make me feel more comfortable!

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3. What's the weirdest/craziest thing you've ever eaten?
Alligator at the Oklahoma State Fair. Yeah, it was soooo chewy! Ugh.

4. What foods do you avoid at all costs?
Is it sad that this is a hard question for me? Ummm... I would have to say any Hamburder Helper type stuff. I think it's the mix of bad texture and odd flavors that I really hate. Blehhhh!

5. What meal reminds you of your childhood?
Really, anything my dad makes. He is one of the best cooks I know and even when he just throws stuff together, it will always come out amazing. I wish I knew what his secret was!

homemade apple pie filling!

6. Share one of your favorite recipes and the story behind it.
Let's go for something easy! These are some brownies that I made for a small get-together with friends over the holidays. They were a hit! It's a recipe from Weight Watchers, so it's pretty healthy for you, too! Good for me since I cannot resist sweets. :)

Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3 tsp. canola oil
2 Tbsp water
2 large egg whites
2 oz. light cream cheese, softened (about 3 1/2 tbsp.)
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray. Combine the flour, 3/4 cups sugar, cocoa, and baking powder in a medium-size bowl; mix well. Add canola oil, water, and egg whites; mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon and spread batter evenly into prepared pan.
Combine cream cheese, remaining sugar, and vanilla in a small bowl; blend well. Drop small spoonfuls of cream cheese mixture over brownie batter, swirl gently with knife to create a decorative patter. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Cut into 16 bars.

Hope you have a great Sunday!

Mascara & Lipgloss Swap! (better late than never!)

I know what you're thinking: Megan, you are so late with this swap link-up. What is your problem.

BLAME THE POST OFFICE.

The woes of moving: dealing with a new address and the post office that comes with it. After some hectic phone calls plus me yelling a bit (yelling sweetly, of course) at the people at the Postal Service, I got my lovely goodie bag from Kari at Cupcakes and Bling! She is a wonderful lady and from Oklahoma! She definitely knows the woes of this southern heat wave.

Not only did I get a beautiful pink heart bag, but this girl read my mind! I didn't give her much to go on but she did a perfect job!

What I got:

I've been waiting to use this mascara in forever! Plus, it's waterproof, so it won't melt on my face when I go outside!

This is such a great red shade. The applicator is angled, so it covers a lot of lip in a small swipe. It makes me look sultry and I'm in love. ;)

Thank God I got this, my nails have been looking wonky lately! Such an adorable design, too!

Thank you so much Kari, you got me some great little gifts!!

What type of mascara and lip gloss are your favorites?