Five on Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day, friends!  Another three day weekend is upon us--praise the Lord!  Linking up  for my favorite post of the week!


{one} I think it's amazing that Natasha, April, Darci and Christina have challenged us to make this our first pic.  I hope this brings a lot of awareness to Menkes Syndrome.  Here's to sweet Teddy!

{two} Instead of going out and dealing with the crowds tonight, we'll be staying in for a snazzy dinner at home.  It's something we've done for the last few years.  It's kind of our thang.

On the menu: 

Filets with Blue Cheese Onion Sauce {thank you, from the bottom of my heart, Ree Drummond.}

Roasted Asparagus 

Garlic Mashed Potatoes.

{three}  My coworkers will be on the receiving end of Dark Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes with Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting today.  I stashed a few away for our dessert tonight...anddddd we may have tested a few last night too...

{four} This sweet pup just turned 7!  Where has time gone?!  It seems like only yesterday that I was waking up in Radford with a hangover to this tiny pup biting my nose.  Literally, the thought brings tears to my eyes.  Maybe because I sometimes miss college, or miss Iz being so tiny, OR because it amazes me we both made it out of Radford alive...

{five} I jumped on the Waterlogue bandwagon.  I spent more than half of the workday on Thursday turning every picture on my phone into a watercolor.  My favorite?  A picture of our house the day we closed!  It always looks so pretty in the spring!  

Speaking of spring....where are youuuuu?!?!  Happy Valentines Day!

Desperately Seeking Sunshine

I saw this line on Loft's Beach page the other day.  I now know for a fact that they've been reading my mind.  They're speaking directly to me.

With so many days looking more like this:

Instead of this:

It's no wonder I have Winter-itis.  I'm thinking if I start buying spring and summer items, it'll hurry things up.  Think along the lines of "if you build it, they will come."  In a Ray Liotta whisper, of course.

On the warm weather wish list:

dress ~ shorts ~ suit ~ cover

I can't be the only one stocking up on spring and summer clothes.  Have you jumped ahead yet?

Drybar at Home

For some reason, I'm obsessed with Drybar.  I've never been to one.  We don't even have one close to where I live {which is probably a good thing.  Because I'd be there ALL.THE.TIME.}  But I'm obsessed!  I have no idea why.  Oh wait, yes I do.  I LOVE a good blow out after a haircut.  And why not have one all the time?

After browsing their online store, I was encouraged by my glass of Riesling to make an impulse buy.  Or three.  Whoops!  Good thing I had leftover gift cards from Christmas...

I shared a few Fridays ago about my exciting little delivery!  So many of you commented on my post and on Instagram that you'd love to know more about my purchases.  I really wanted to give them a good run before I formed my opinions, but first things first:

• I have A LOT of hair.  My stylist always adds on more time to my appointment because it takes FOREVER to style.  My hair "hides" water.  It appears to be dry, but then you feel it & there's damp patches.
• I don't wash my hair everyday.  Mainly due to the reason above.
• I have no idea how to "fix" my hair.  I either dry it, or it goes up in a ponytail. I'll occasionally run a curling iron through it if I have time.  Again, it comes back to the too much hair issue.
• I'm impatient.  And I like sleeping in.  So getting up a little earlier to style my hair never seemed like a route I wanted to take.  That is, until I had a few "ugly days," and decided to make a change.

So here's what I got:  Full-Pint Round Brush, The Morning After, Big Hair in a Cute Little Box.

How great is the hand written note?!  That added so much for me!

My main goals were to get a little more volume, enough to last through day two & have more of a "style,"  not just dry and flat iron.  My new cut has a lot of layers, and I know it has the potential to look as good as the day I left the salon, every day.

What they say really is true: the right tools and products make all the difference in the world!  I LOVED every.single.thing I bought.

• All of the products I purchased have the same scent--vanillaish, maybe.  Whatever it is, it smells awesome. 
• I watched the "How To" videos {link at the bottom} on the site to gain a little more knowledge about how to maneuver the brush and dryer, since that takes a level of coordination I clearly don't have.
• The Full-Pint Brush is the perfect size to create just enough flip and movement through my hair. I love the smooth handle
• The Southern Belle Mousse!  My word, y'all--this has made the ugly days disappear.  It is lightweight, and doesn't make my hair stiff, crunchy or icky.  Once my trial size runs out, I will most definitely be getting the full size!  Paired with the Full-Pint Brush, it creates enough volume that lasts well through day two.  
• Speaking of day two... The Detox Dry Shampoo is great!  A little goes a long way, and is barely noticeable in my dark hair.  I also LOVE the lined shower cap, which keeps the hair free of water or steam in the shower on the second day.  Know who didn't like the shower cap?  My dogs.  They barked at me.
• The Money Maker Hairspray is so light & still allows for movement.  No helmet head here.

So my Drybar blowout at home?  I'm by no means an expert--far from it.  I know the pros would do a FAR better job.  But I can live with this day-to-day {disclaimer: worst selfies EVER.}

What I've learned?

• Good hair days require a little effort.  And patience.  
• I can't wait for my hair to air-dry a bit before I pull out the round brush and dryer.  I've found that I can wait 5ish minutes {enough time to put on my makeup} before I really need to start drying.  The more it air dried, the more frizz I ended up with and it was actually harder to style.
• As soon as a section looks dry, dry it for a little bit longer.  Just to be sure my hair isn't hiding any extra water.
• That a great hair day can make you feel like a million bucks.  Even on the coldest, snowiest, dreary winter day! #ineedatan

I was not compensated for this post.  These thoughts and opinions are all my own!  But if founder Alli Webb wanted to hook a sister up next time I'm in DC, I wouldn't be mad ;)

Meal Plan Monday

Monday, Monday, Monday!  Ugh...it might be my least favorite day of the week.  But definitely my most favorite meal of the week:

Tonight: Slow-Cooker Curried Chicken {I leave out the ginger}

The rest of the week: 

Loaded Potato Soup

Pepperoni Stromboli with Salad & Ranch

Parmesan Coated Chicken, Wild Rice & Green Beans
Valentines Dinner!

I don't know about y'all, but I'm ready for warm weather, margaritas and cookouts!  Join me in linking up this weeks meal plan!

Five on Friday

Friday, I thought you'd never get here!  Linking up with Darci, Natasha, April and Christina for another very random Five on Friday!

 

{one} I have a bone to pick with Punxsutawney Phil.  More winter?! Seriously?  He must know his shiz, because Wednesday was a Wintery Mix Nightmare, and there is more in store for us this weekend.  Boo!

{two}  The Olympics!  I LOVE the Olympics!!  I love Winter and Summer equally--although, I definitely favor certain events over others.  Sorry, curling.  

PS: I totally missed the memo that the Opening Ceremonies were tonight, not last night.  I was disappointed.  But figure skating made up for it.  So did the conversation discussing the difference between an axel and a lutz...

{three}  Remember the new, cute pillows I mentioned a few weeks ago?  Yeah.  Didn't take too long for them to lose their "newness."  Iz took it upon herself to break them in....

{four}  I mentioned a while ago about my purchase of Essie's Grow Stronger.  Update: It works.  Like a charm. Left picture shows what my nails looked like at Christmas, and the right side now!  I can finally treat myself to a manicure to make them look a little more attractive ;)

{five} Spring clothes are hitting the stores--maybe Spring weather won't be too far behind!  I picked up this cute top from Loft this week.  Dots inside of stripes!  My two favorite patterns have joined forces!

I might pretend it's summer this weekend.  Jack the heat up, walk around in shorts and have a cold beer.  While watching the Winter Olympics...

Ice Day

Well, friends, it's more bad weather here in Kentucky.  Have I mentioned how I'm OVER winter?! This time, it was snow AND ice.  Yay.  But, I figured if I'm going to be trapped in my house, on a mountain, I may as well make the most of it.

We kicked off the morning with homemade waffles,

Snuggles & clearing off the DVR,

A little at-home manicure,

Clearing 2" + of snow/ice off my car, sidewalk and driveway.  Our reward after two hours of work?  Apple Cider and Hot Chocolate. #wishitwasbeer

Andddd then more eating & snuggling.  There was a little productive housework thrown in there as well.  Ok, not much.

If having bad weather meant I could stay home and do this all day, maybe I'd learn to love it...

Meal Plan Monday

It's going to be a rough one.  Someone {me} stayed up too late watching the Super Bowl last night!  I think my favorite commercial has to be the Radio Shack "the 80's called."  I love all things 80's!  Tired or not, at least tonight's dinner is planned, and so is the rest of the week ;)

On the dinner list for this week:

Chili leftovers {from last night.  Update: we went with red}

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas with Mexican Rice

Crock-pot Pork Tenderloin with Scalloped Potatoes & Vegi's

Chicken, Potato and Green Bean Bake

Cheese tortellini with Pesto-Alfredo, Salad and Bread

I hope y'all will join in the link-up and share your meal plans and recipes!  Happy Monday!