My Cyber Monday Faves

Black Friday? Blech... so four years ago. The new fad is Cyber Monday! Shop from your bed in your PJ's and no interrupting your Thanksgiving. Don't pretend like your inbox isn't blowing up with crazy good sales right now. Get on it, girl!

Here are my favorite Cyber Monday sales!

Sigma Beauty

Sigma only does 20% off once, maybe twice a year so use this opportunity to try their brushes. They are OUTSTANDING. I don't know how I lived without them before. I ordered a few things I have been dying to get my hands on, but had to have a sale of course!

Converse

25% off nearly everything! That includes custom designs. You can bet your sweet little tush I designed some radical Chucks at about 6:30 this morning. Can't wait for those bad boys to get here!

Target

Love me some Target furniture. Don't love me the Target shipping prices. Today is the day, my friends, to order whatever you may desire from Target!

American Eagle

I live in American Eagle jeans. Are they worth their on average $45 dollar price? Yes but I like getting things on sale so 40% off is the prime time to buy!

Go get'em ladies!

How to Keep Invisalign Clean

Here are some tips and tricks for keeping your Invisalign clean. I have learned a lot over the passed four months and want to share. I hope this helps you and good luck with your treatment!

1. Don't eat any food while your aligners are in.

2. If you drink anything other than water, rinse with water directly afterwards.

3. When you remove your aligners, put them in a dish with warm water and denture cleanser. Leave them to soak until you are ready to put them back in.
I use the plastic cup that my nurse gave me for my Invisalign when I had my septoplasty.

I use this denture cleanser from Target. It is $2.89 for 108 tablets.

4. Avoid letting your aligners dry out. When the aligners dry out it is harder to remove the plaque.

5. Get an end-tuft toothbrush to clean the nooks and crannies in your aligners. I use this one from Gum.

6. Use a wet toothbrush to clean the aligners when you remove them before eating. Don't use toothpaste as it can scratch the aligners.

I hope my tips help you keep your aligners clean! I am currently on #20 out of 53 aligners.
Here is my progress so far. I'm changing my aligners every week.

Please keep in mind. I am not an orthodontist or a dentist. I am simply writing about what works for me. Consult with your ortho/dentist before you use these techniques.

Invisalign Survival Kit

Invisalign. I have it. This is what they say...

More like clearly the most annoying thing that I have ever experienced.

Yeah... no one will know except for all the random people in the bathroom at Longhorn Steakhouse staring at you brushing your teeth.

If you don't have Invisalign, you might not know that you are not supposed to put your aligners back in until after you have thoroughly flossed and brushed your teeth.

Going to dinner with the hubby?

Brush your teeth at the restaurant.

Grabbing some quick fast-food on a busy day?

Nope, gotta have a bathroom close by.

Going to a cocktail party?

Stuff your face with hour'derves for 15 minutes then hit the restroom.

It sucks but if that is what it takes to have a perfect smile, I'm in! I put together a little survival kit to help get me through my lifetime year or two of Invisalign.

What You Will Need:

A cute little pouch.

Mine is Clinique from a Bonus sale a few years ago. I like it because it is semi water proof and washable.

 Here is a cute one from Target.

A Travel Toothbrush

Mine is from Colgate.

Travel Size Mouthwash

I use Crest.

Travel Size Toothpaste

I use Aquafresh.

Glide Floss Picks

I put mine in a small zip-lock baggy.

A little container with orthodontic wax.

Sometimes my aligners dig in to my tongue so I just put a little wax on them.

I keep this little pouch of goodies inside my purse at all times along with my Invisalign aligner box.

This has been my Invisalign life-line. I whip it out after every meal and proudly brush my teeth.

I hope this helps! Good luck on your Invisalign Journey!

Read mine here.

Last Post of 2012!

This will be my last post of 2012! What a year!

NOW...

Let's talk about this crazy-busy Christmas that just flew by!

I made those banana bars and cookies I talked about in my previous post.

The banana bars were soooo moist and sooo delicious. The icing was killer! I couldn't stop eating it!

I left Joplin on Christmas Eve Eve and got to have dinner with Mallory!

no she isn't bald

love you Mal, lol

Christmas Eve was different for us this year. Since my dad is not at home, and I had to leave the lake around 2pm on Christmas, we decided to have Christmas Dinner on Christmas Eve. Needless to say, it was pretty lonely without my dad having dinner with us.

But Santa Bonz cheered me up!

Christmas morning my dad got to come home to open presents and relax.

He thoroughly enjoyed witnessing my horrendous Christmas.

What better to wear with my red sequin Uggs than an oversized, sequined, old lady sweater straight out of 1985?

Christmas night I made it to Joplin with enough time to stop at Tyson's before we went to his sisters for dinner. Of course he had my amazing bright orange luggage setting on the pool table! Then he told me to "shake" one of the bags. I was so confused... so I shook it and nothing really happened so I unzipped it a little and pulled out a dollar bill.

I'm all like...

WTF?

While he's sitting there grinning ear-to-ear.

So I open my suitcase and it's FULL of dollar bills with a print-out that says "Invisalign"!!!

THIS GIRL'S GETTING INVISALIGN!

or something of that effect

He said he couldn't think of a better way for me to open my "grand-finale" Christmas present.

I think it was pretty clever.

I have been wanting some orthodontic work for a while but it is sooo expensive. I've had one consultation but didn't care much for the doctor so I've been shopping around for a different doctor. Now that I know it's going to cost me well over $5,000 dollars, I want the best doctor for my money. I watch YouTube videos of peoples' experiences with Invisalign. Basically, I'm obsessed with getting my teeth straightened.

I can't wait to get started!

Anywho... after all that awesomeness, we went to his sisters for dinner. It was very fun opening gifts and drinking wine!

The next day, his sister and I braved the mall and Target for some post-Christmas bargains. We scored some great goodies! I also ordered Tyson and I new stockings from Pottery Barn.

Two velour stockings with names embroidered from PB for $32 doll-hairs.

YES PLEASE!

I got these totally cute ornaments from Hob Lob today for 66% off!

Anything nautical/fish/boats... I'm in!

One of my Christmas presents was a cute monogram bracelet. It makes for some great armcandy stacking!

And I got the Lorac palette with a gift card from Ulta. If you don't have this palette, and you like nude/natural eye shadow, go get it, RUN!

After some deep thought and a few returns, I invested in my first pair of Sperry boat shoes.

Which is perfect because tomorrow I am going to Miami!

Out of the blue. I know. It was for me, too.

Yesterday, Tyson came in the office and talked my ear off about hauling boats to Chicago, Texas, St. Pete, Miami and driving and flying and engines and all this crap for ten minutes before he cut to the chase and told me we were going to Miami with Jim on Saturday morning...

at 8am...

Gee. Thanks for the early notice.

I'M KIDDING.

I love flying with Jim!!

Don't have to go through security...

No smelly people...

No layovers...

No lines...

A little getaway sounds great right now!

So I won't see talk to you guys until 2013!

Be safe and have a Happy New Year!

30 Days of Thanks {Catch Up}

I told you I would royally screw this up.

Haha... so here's a recap of what I have already posted...

Day 1: I am thankful for my strength. I have learned over the last few months that my family readily relies on my assertiveness and strength of mind. I am also the voice of reason to my loved ones.
 

Day 2: I am thankful for fried egg sandwiches. My mom makes a mean egg sandy. After a cup of coffee a fried egg sandy starts my day!
 

Day 3: I am thankful for my dad. He has taught me so much about life. He helps guide me through new experiences so I don't make the same mistakes he has made. The passed few months he has been fighting cancer and I continue to thank God for everyday he is with us!

(and right now he is sitting in his recliner, taking a nap, and snorrrrrring away! Lol!) 
 

  Day 4: Today I am thankful for my mom. She is very intelligent, loving, and always worried about me... like a normal ma! She has been taking amazing care of my dad... feeding tubs, dressing changes, IV bags... all of which are things a nurse would usually take care of. She took the initiative and learned how to do everything so my dad could be comfortable at home. Thanks mom! Love you!
 

Day 5: I am thankful for Tyson and all of the great adventures he takes me on. He loves to show me new things and places.

Day 6: I am thankful for Jim, and all the great things he does for Tyson and I. Not just anybody will invite someone to Miami and Key West to spend 10 days on a yacht and powerboating in the ocean. We work very hard to make sure the speed boats are ready when Jim is ready but in return he is very grateful and the most humble man I know.
 

Now it's time to catch up on the last two weeks I missed.
 

Day 7: I am thankful for my girlfriends! The lovely ladies that I went to high school with, college with, and the ladies I have met after. I love that I can say-

"We've been friends for 15 years!"

Day 8: I am thankful for Bonzai. He's my little bundle of joy! Love my lil' boy!

Day 9: I am thankful for my health. I am so blessed to have a strong body that has yet to fail me.
 

Day 10: I am thankful for my faith. The good Lord does some amazing things and I trust him with my life!

Day 11: I am thankful to have a lovely home to live in. Keeps me warm and dry and safe!
 

Day 12: I am thankful for the difficult people in my life. They have shown me exactly who I don't want to be.

and on a lighter note
 

Day 13: I am thankful for cheap champagne. Nothin' quite like a tasty mimosa!

Day 14: I am thankful for Uggs. They allow me to be so freaking comfortable and yet "fashionable" all at the same time. Uggs... you are a lifesaver.

  Day 15: I'm thankful for washers and dryers. I freaking love doing laundry.
(no that's not my washer/dryer... I wish!)

Day 16: I am thankful for boats. I love boats.

 Day 17: I am thankful for hair dye. Without it I would have mousey brown hair and that just doesn't look good on me.

Day 18: I am thankful for LOL CATS.

Day 19: I am thankful for Target. Target is my zen... I go in there, wander around aimlessly, find cool stuff, and two and a half hours later I go home and look at it all.

Day 20: I am thankful for Pinterest. What would we do without Pinterest? We wouldn't find hilarious things to do to our children/nephews to embarass them when they become adults.

Day 21: I am thankful for chips and salsa. Preferably extremely-hot-light-my-mouth-on-fire salsa.
(oh and tequila... tequila is pretty good, too.)

Day 22: I am thankful for my iPhone camera. How else could I capture moments like this?
(sweet duds, dude)

and this

So what are you thankful for? You can find my link-up here. Have a great holiday!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Three Favorite Makeup Products for $1.00 or Less

Hello lovelies!

I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off getting ready to leave for MIAMI!!! Sooo I wrote this last night and decided I would try out this "scheduled post" thing. I've never done this before!

You probably aren't as excited as I am...

Anywho...

I've been thinking about this post for quite a while now. I have a few makeup products that I bought on a whim and have turned out to be the most fabulous products EVER. I use these products EVERY DAY!

First Favorite Makeup Product for $1.00 or Less

Sally Girl Brow Powder

Oh. Em. Gee.

This powder is $0.79.

LESS THAN A DOLLAR!!

It does pretty amazing things with my cray-cray brows.

See Exhibit 1-3

Pic 1: This is what my eyebrows look like when I wake up. Crazy, unruly eyebrows. Drives me nuts.

Pic 2: Eyebrows after using that sweet powder. I use the ELF Defining Eye Brush to apply the powder to the thicker part of my brows and then I use the EcoTools Angled Eyeliner Brush for the narrow part.

Pic 3: My eyebrows after I put on my

Second Favorite Makeup Products for $1.00 or Less

ELF Brow and Eyelash Clear Mascara

 This mascara holds my brows in place all day. It is not too wet and does not soak my brows with mascara like other clear mascaras. It is the perfect consistency to hold each hair in place!

And it's only a dollar!

My Third Favorite Makeup Product for $1.00 or Less is

ELF Waterproof Eyeliner Pen

This is the only eyeliner I use for my top lash-line anymore. It is the most amazing felt-tip eyeliner. It does not crease or smear and it has terrific color payoff. And it lasts alllllll day!

I get my ELF products from Target but you can order them from the website, as well. Sign up for their newsletter because they are always having really great sales!

So do you have any great beauty products that are $1.00?

Please share!!

And for my 30 Days of Thanks link-up...

 Day 4: Today I am thankful for my mom. She is very intelligent, loving, and always worried about me... like a normal ma! She has been taking amazing care of my dad... feeding tubs, dressing changes, IV bags... all of which are things a nurse would usually take care of. She took the initiative and learned how to do everything so my dad could be comfortable at home. Thanks mom! Love you!