Our Anniversary Weekend!

*This post contains affiliate links. A small percentage, stipend or credit helps support my blog without any additional cost to you. Thank you!
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Bryan and I had planned on spending the weekend at Harris Ranch for our 5th anniversary, but the hotel was booked because of the horse races so the plan changed from "weekend" to "dinner". Then, it was so crazy on Friday night that I didn't want to deal with Shepherd out there on Saturday, for three hours and all those visitors in the lounge, so Bryan and I decided I would just stay home the whole weekend and we'd plan on going out another weekend.

Bryan was super bummed that we weren't going to get to spend time together, so I asked my boss if I could take a few hours off in the afternoon to surprise Bryan! I was going to go get him his gift (yeah, I'd lagged a bit) but then Bryan, Rick and Shepherd were at Round Table for lunch, so I just decided to "show up for lunch" and my lunch hour never ended! I think Bryan was pleased (and Rick was more than happy to take Shepherd for his nap and the rest of the afternoon) that we could hang out for a few hours before he left for work.

I had a coupon for a free mascara at Ulta as part of my birthday rewards, and I had a few gift cards for my birthday, so we headed there. I made out like a BOSS! I got so many things! I plan on putting up a haul/review of the products once I've used them a bit more. Stay tuned!

Then, we headed over to Famous Footwear and bought Bryan a new pair of Vans. He desperately needed them. We didn't have much time after those two errands so we headed home and continued to watch the Harry Potter series out of order, because Bryan is super weird. I went to pick Shepherd up after Bryan left for work and stayed for hamburgers and to hang out with Rick and Olivia. Shepherd had fun digging in their plant pot.

Later that evening, my sister Alison came over to hang out. We watched My Best Friends Wedding and played with my new make-up, ate popcorn, I taught her a pinterest hairstyle and we ended up painting our nails. We kept sending pictures to Kari to encourage her to hurry up and come over!

Kari, Owen and Parker joined us at about 10:00pm and then Bryan got home shortly after. An hour or so later, Adam showed up! He's been working on their new house until late in the evening so he was starving! I baked him some bagel bites and poured him a Dr. Pepper. Gotta love food like that after house projects! :) We all sat around talking and watching TV until about 12:30am.

It was so fun. I love having Alison and her family back in town. I love that I have both of my sisters and their families around to do life together.

On Saturday we slept in late, got ready and headed to the Friends of the Library Fall Book Sale. They have them twice a year and I rarely miss them. I stood in line for twenty minutes and then picked up eighteen books. FOR EIGHTEEN DOLLARS! Ahh, it's so fun. Bryan walked around with Shep and let him play in some dirt while I got my shop on.

Something that I love about the sale is that almost everyone there is so polite. We are all book nerds so we queue peacefully and move along at an appropriate pace. There is no cutting or book grabbing. Everyone is so kind and we all just end up chatting about our favorite books. It's a great community event!

I've been really into weird books lately, especially random autobiographies. Don't ask me why, I just enjoy reading other peoples stories! I already put them in my new library (yay! That post is coming!) but I'll try to remember what I picked up:

Kind of random but Kendra Wilkinson was my favorite when they had the show, and I love how tom-boy and crazy she is. I'm interested to read this. Don't judge me! :)
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Yup. For all the internet to see, I picked up Roseanne (Barr) Arnold's autobiography. I couldn't put it down. That hair. That pose. She's always been pretty annoying to me but that doesn't stop me from wondering what her story is.
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A complete shift from Roseanne's autobiography, but Max Lucado's In The Eye of the Storm looked really interesting, especially in the season of life I am in. I can't wait to read this one!
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The Vacationers by Emma Straub looked like a good vacation book, so I picked it up. Basically, an America family goes on a two week vacation and a bunch of stuff happens. I should write book descriptions for a living. ;)
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Not sure if I've mentioned it before, but I'm a HUGE Castle fan. Castle is a show on ABC that airs on Mondays. I watch it on Hulu on Tuesdays in the morning now that I don't have cable, Anyways, I knew that they released books based off the books that Richard Castle writes about his muse (and now fiance) Kate Beckett. I'm extremely interested in reading this books to see if they really feel like the Castle character wrote them.  (Heat Wave is book one, Heat Rises is book three. I couldn't find book two, Naked Heat, at the sale so I'll have to pick it up on Amazon.)
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I remember when the Jon Benet Ramsey fiasco happened and how it consumed the nation. It was so sad, all around. I'm interested in reading Jon Benet: Inside the Ramsey Murder Investigation to see where the author is coming from and what their research has determined.
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This books hardly needs an introduction because I'm sure everyone in America has heard of it. But I've somehow gotten away with not reading it. Again, since I'm going through a season of growth in my personal and professional lives, I figured this book may contain some tools that will aide me in my journey!
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I picked this up mostly for Bryan, since I am always on the lookout for books that he may want to read. I know that he wants The Fountainhead but I only managed to find We The Living. I still need to read Atlas Shrugged.
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Again, random autobiographical books. Who doesn't like Michael J. Fox though? Seriously.
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I've heard that David Sedaris books are pretty funny, so when I saw this I thought it was the perfect chance to see if I like him as an author.
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I've read Barbara Taylor Bradford before and I enjoy her books. This one is about an art consultant in London with a gritty past. Playing the Game will be a perfect rainy day read.
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WHAM! You didn't even see that coming huh? I picked another weird autobiography, this time from Fran Drescher, She's a pretty spunky woman and I bet she has a lot of hilarious stories.

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Of course I had to pick up a Nora Roberts book! Her books are always quick reads, but are interesting and the characters are always realistic.
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None of you are surprised that I picked up a Danielle Steel book are you? Cause you shouldn't be. I am a huge Danielle Steel fan and I had to add this book to my collection. Yes. Collection. I have a LOT of her books. 

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I also purchased a two books for Shepherd (they were pretty picked over by the time I got there. :( ) and a Kit Carson book that I need to take to work. I couldn't pass it up! My books are a lot like my music choices - all over the place! I will pretty much read anything, I do not judge a book by its cover - or it's author! You'll never know if a book is good until you start reading it and when you buy used, you have a lot more freedom to explore authors. 

Okay, back to the weekend, so Saturday I had plans with my Mom and Larry to eat Chinese food, so Shepherd and I zoomed over to their house when Bryan left for work. I got a call about an hour later from Bryan saying they weren't going to have him play since they had customers that wanted to watch the World Series that night! He got to come home! We hung at my mom and Larry's for a little while and then we dropped Shepherd off with Rick and Lee so we could go catch a late movie. We saw St. Vincent, which was great! It was funny but with lots of feels. I'd recommend it!

We slept in too late to make it to church on Sunday so we got ready and took some bread to the park to feed the ducks and geese. Shepherd had a great time throwing bread at them and then he played on the play places there. That evening we met up with my Dad and Delia to attend their church harvest festival! My Dad, Bryan and I all took turns taking Shepherd on the little train and Shepherd got an Elmo balloon animal!

Our plans may not have worked out as we had hoped but we still spent meaningful time with each other and the people that we love. It was a great weekend!

It's Amazon Official!

That's right! I've been approved to be an Amazon Affiliate!

Basically, all that means is that if I buy something, love it and link it and then you happen to click on that link and buy the something I love, I get a small percentage from your sale. It doesn't cost you a thing, you get all the amazing deals Amazon has to offer, but you'll also be supporting my little blog and the costs associated with running it!

I find this to be the least invasive way to 'monetize' the blog. I have zero plans to have sponsored posts, sidebar advertisements or even Google Ads. I would love if I could not do that...ever. But if you could use my referral link and maybe buy from the product links if I link to something you are interested in, I sure would appreciate it!

Also, if you'd like to go a step further, you could replace your Amazon bookmark with this link, http://www.amazon.com?_encoding=UTF8&tag=embrthecraz-20, so you would support my blog even when I don't link to items on Amazon! The funds I receive from this program will go directly back into the blog. I have grand plans of buying a domain name and asking a pro to help with the 'brand' of my blog, among some other things. I have a lot of pots cooking in the kitchen and your support would mean the world to me.

Thank you for being awesome readers!

October 2014 Ipsy Glam Bag (Value, Swatches and Reviews!)

*This post contains affiliate links. A small percentage, stipend or credit helps support my blog without any additional charge to you. Thank you!
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What is better than an Ipsy Glam Bag review with pictures taken with zero natural light because they were taken at 9:30 at night, after a hours and hours of homework?!

Nothing, obviously.

I am working like a madwomen trying to get all of my homework done so that I can celebrate my five year anniversary without it hanging over my head! Yup! This weekend marks five years that I've been married to my musician and I want to spend it relaxing as much as possible!

So, forgive me if this post is a little loony tunes. Let's get to reviewing this Ipsy Glam Bag! 

The October 2014 Glam Bag is themed Beauty Candy although, if I'm being honest... I don't know why. I mean... I don't feel like this bag is candy-esque in any way. There is nothing in the bag that smells like candy. And nothing tastes like candy either. Don't ask me how I know that. Ha! It's because it's October. Halloween = candy. Still, instead of fall colored items, we should have gotten like vibrant purple lipstick and eyelashes that had feathers attached or something. However, I loved the bag. It leans a little blue in the picture but it'd say it's a little more green in real life, but its very cute and it will definitely be something I use consistently! And, if you are new here, Ipsy is a beauty subscription service that costs $10 a month. A subscriber receives four to five deluxe size samples (with the occasional full size thrown in!) and a cosmetic bag monthly. 

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This month, the bag held some cleanser wipes, a mini lipstick, Mango scented hand cream, eyeshadow pigment and some false lashes! I like when the bag comes with three to four cosmetic items and one to two skincare items. It's a nice ratio, in my opinion! 

What: Figs & Rouge Mango & Mandarin Shea Butter Hand Cream (20ml)

Value: $6.56

Review: This UK-based brand is made with pure and natural ingredients. If you are expecting this hand cream to be really thick and heavy you couldn't be more wrong. It's one of those creams that is not watery at all, but it kind of has that texture where it just disappears and dries really fast when you spread it. You need a little more than with a typical thick hand cream to cover the surface area of your hands but the formula absolutely softens your hands. I have this weird complex where I ABHOR lotion and I specifically don't like that greasy feeling on my hands. I will often lotion my arms, legs, etc and then wash my hands because I just can't stand it. This hand cream does not bother me in the slightest! The scent is fresh, and while I feel like I'm more of a vanilla girl than a Mango one, the scent doesn't stick around long enough to become obnoxious in any way! 

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What: Noyah Deeply In Mauve Lipstick 

Value: $4.50~

Review: This is an all natural brown-red (very Kylie Jenner) lipstick that is very pretty, very creamy and is not sticky. Other than applying it once to check it out, I haven't worn it to see the lasting power of the product. Typically, natural products don't last as long as preservative filled ones, which doesn't bother me in the slightest. When I swatched it, I didn't notice any staining of the skin or any emphasis on dry, cracked lips (which mine are since the weather is all over the place, going from cold to hot in a moments notice) which is really great! I think I'm going to love this product and I can't wait to check out other items from the brand!

Here is a swatch of Deeply in Mauve along with a swatch of the Mineral Eye Shadow pigment in Harlequin!

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What: Mica Beauty Cosmetics Mineral Eye Shadow in Harlequin

Value: $14.95

Review: This is an interesting product. I want to preface what I'm about to say with this, I haven't worn this loose eye shadow on my eyes. However, this is what I've noticed so far. The packaging has a typo. The back lists my color as 'Harliquin' while the website spells it correctly as 'Harlequin'. Okay, no big deal. But the eye shadow I received is definitely green. The picture on their website looks silvery. The pigment swatched beautifully, but I noticed that when I wiped it off, it left a brown stain. I am almost willing to bet that when I wear this, my oily eye lids will break it down and I'll end up just having a patchy, brown stained eyelid. I hoping that isn't the case, but I'm not optimistic. 

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What: Kiss i-ENVY Premium 100% Human Hair False Lashes in Diva 01 

Value: $2.99

Review: I love false lashes! I'm still a total novice and applying them but I am learning and getting better. I'll wear them semi-regularly and then stop and for me, it's not like riding a bike! I get worse the longer I go without wearing them. I love that these are natural looking. The lashes aren't extremely long which I like because I have small, hooded eyes. I haven't applied these but I know I'll like them! Can't wait to play with them. 

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What: skyn Glacier Cleansing Cloths 

Value: $5.00

Review: As I sat down to write up this post, I realized that I hadn't taken my make up off and that this would be a perfect time to use these cloths! I had extremely sensitive skin and these were abrasive on my skin and not in a good way. The scent didn't bother me much, but dang, did my skin feel uncomfortable. I immediately went to wash my face. I would NOT recommend using this to clean off eye make up if you have sensitive eyes, however, on the rest of the face I think it could be fine. The formula definitely broke down the make up really fast, so that was nice!

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Total Value: $34.00

Overall Thoughts: I joined Ipsy because I like trying new brands. In this bag, there was only one brand I've received before in an Ipsy bag and one brand I have purchased before. Trying three new products from three new brands for $10 is totally worth it to me! While I wouldn't say I absolutely love any of these items, I like the variety and I have some new brands to check out. I would say I'm mostly excited to see what else Noyah has to offer! 

So that's my review! I actually feel like I didn't get too crazy, even though it's really late now! I only rambled on like once or twice. Pretty decent, all things considered! What did you think about the items I received? Have you signed up for Ipsy yet? Do it and let me know what you think!

One Large Bubble, Please.

You know I met Bryan when we were really young... right? Throughout the past fourteen-ish years that I've been in his life, I've heard the stories of him and his cousins getting hurt.

While building a tree house, Bryan had a 2x4 dropped on his head, which resulted in a lot of blood loss and quite a few staples.

He and his cousins set a doghouse (and then the real house) on fire... I guess they didn't really get hurt but COME ON.

Nurses asked Bryan's cousin Joey if there was abuse at home because he was often getting hurt. (Joey is particularly accident prone, much to his parents horror.)

These are just three examples. They is PLENTY more. It's no secret that the Vickers boys get hurt. All the time. And you know what?

I HAVE A VICKERS BOY.

The kid won't stop getting injured. It's absolute insanity. I'm on pins and needles waiting for the next phone call or video chat where I see my kid banged up in some way or another.

SO FAR - After Shepherd's first birthday party, a propped up table slid and pinned him to the ground. He had a scrap on his head but otherwise, was okay.

He got a random cut at my mother in laws house, one that he didn't even cry over. We didn't notice it until much later and when we asked him what happened he just looked at us blankly. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't a little scrape either!

Bryan was building my library (you'll see it soon enough!) and Shepherd walked RIGHT INTO a corner.

He falls down constantly. He runs everywhere he goes but his running is still that toddler, not quite stable type of run... so he trips and falls constantly. Instead of looking where he is going, he will look at whatever toy is in his hand and will just trip on whatever toy, book, rug, pillow, stuffed animal, etc that is on the floor and he'll go flying.

Well, that's kind of what happened a few weeks ago.

Shep was walking around with a toy and he tripped over something and fell face (eye) first into a metal cupboard organizer. Here is his eye an hour after it happened...

And then his eye a few days later...

Thankfully nothing happened to his actual eye and it healed up really quickly. You can barely see the shadow of the bruise in the photo I posted a few days ago. I wish I could just put him in a bubble so that he could roam and explore without getting hurt. All of these happened in between April and October. I know it's only going to get worse as he learns to really run and ride a bike, skateboard, rollerblades and play sports. Oh man. This is only the beginning. Ultimately, he's just got to learn to slow down and think things through on his own. Until then, I guess I'll just have to keep the snuggles and band-aids readily available.

Being a boy is tough. Being the mom of a boy is worse. Being the mom of a Vickers boy is downright frightful!

He's totally worth all those extra gray hairs. ;)