Sand Art!

 So this is my family annual beach week at the Outer Bank, NC. Last night we took a walk on the beach and saw some great sand art. We didn't have to walk very long to find the first one, a very spirited Virginia Tech family began work at 10 am and where finishing up around 5. From what I had gathered the entire family is a Hookie. The granddad directed as his sons/sons-in-law did the heavy jobs and the little kids ran finding the sea weed for the lobsters head. When I asked why they add the spray paint he said it was so hold the sand down in the wind because once the sand dries it is easily picked up by the wind-clearly he is an old pro!  

As we continued our walk we ran into what I only assume as an Angry Bird. I don't play the game but the detail is amazing! 

I loved to play in the sand when I was little but never created anything like those! 

Loving Yourself

  Self Confidence - where does it come from? 

       Being a nanny, I get to see an outsiders view of how hard young teen years are. If it isn't tough enough trying to learn the ropes of juggling 7 teachers add in changing to a larger school and finding a group of friends. The littlest things can make or break a young girls self confidence. I watched my poor sweet nanny little sister go from feeling fabulous in her new dress to falling flat after being called heavy. I personally wanted to go meet this girl who called her that and give her a piece of my mind; I didn't though because that wasn't going to improve my nanny little sister's mood. What she really needs is a way to help keep her head high even when "haters are gonna hate" I dug up a little research on building self confidence and this is what I have come up with hoping that its going to help her and anyone who doesn't feel fabulous about themselves.  

1) Working Out- you feel more energized and accomplished after any sort of work out

2) Speak up- start with small comments during group discussions and focus on adding more every time, over      time  you will gain confidence in your thoughts and become a better public speaker     

3) Sit in the front- the front isn't only for overachievers it is for confident people, sitting in the back reflects a fear of people. 

4) Compliment other people- bringing out the best in others indirectly effects how you feel about yourself 

5) Remember the positive things about yourself- you aren't gonna feel better about yourself if you don't think happy thoughts 

6) Walk faster- you feel more important if you have a place to be

7)  Dress Sharp- clothes are proven to improve moods if only for a few hours

8) Do a small amount of things great instead of many things mediocre - again a great sense of accomplishment  

9) Bounce back from your mistakes- remember everyone makes them & nobody is perfect (Thx Miley Cyrus!)

10) Be thankful you are alive- "If you can't be happy about anything, be happy you have a pulse" 

skinny isn't always sexy

When polled 59% of people thought that the size 12 model was the sexiest. They didn't know at the time that she was a size 12, instead they comments on how healthy she looks. More people voted for the size 16 model then both the size 6 and 8 models. Isn't that crazy to think we go through so much work to get skinny, granted the article was done in 2009 but it is still a confidence booster!

Please check out my other Post regarding women appearances! 

Olive Oil Suger Scrub

     I found the idea on pinterest. With that being said I have tried a couple of things already and they are really hit or miss. This was defiantly a hit! I wasn't happy that it left my legs initially feeling super oily but couldn't complain about the results the next day. Soft silky legs and not just for a few hours but for the next day also!!

   It honestly didn't look promising, but it works!

Scrub:

2 1/2 Cups of Sugar 

1 Cup of oil-I used vegetable but any fragranced body oil you have works

5 Tablespoons of a citrus juice-I used lime juice

 Go Time:

-Draw you a warm/hot bath

-Soak for about five minutes or longer

-Shave one leg 

-Take a small scoop of your homemade sugar scrub and scrub that leg and then rinse off 

-Shave your leg again- the same leg you rised off 

-Take a scoop of sugar scrub and scrub your leg again. 

-Repeat on your other leg. 

-After your bath, dry off and then lotion your legs. 

When you shave your leg the first time it removes the hair. When you scrub after you shave, it removes any dead skin. By shaving your leg again after you use the sugar scrub, you are getting all of that dead skin off of your leg. You will need to rinse your razor frequently also I suggest sitting on the side of the tub as the water gets kind of gross. It does not need to be refrigerated although should be kept in a tupperware container. Thanks Gluten Free Navy Wife

Cardio Tennis Mishap

For the love of all things holy, do NOT wear a thong with a tennis skirt.

 I can't stress this enough, a lady during the session did and nobody enjoys it. 

Watching her pick you tennis balls was just ugly I can't speak of how awful it was!  

Baby Blue Dresser

    I have painted my first piece of furniture! The idea came from pintrest and with the help of Bobby from Home Depot it came out exactly as I hoped. Sorry for my lack of pictures I had not idea this project was going to be blog worthy. 

(Storm clouds began to move in before I got to snap more pictures)

     After I removed all of the hardware, I gently sanded all of the surfaces I wanted to paint. This took off the glossy finish and gave the piece a unique look. I used two coats of Kilz primer, I chose this one because the spray paint can was cheap and less mess and it worked out great. Once that all had dried I used Krylon Ocean Breeze spray paint for my main color. It only took three cans which gave the entire dresser three coats! Has that dried I went and saw Bobby at Home Depot and he showed me the Martha Stewart Bronze Glaze. This is the first item I could not buy at Walmart and was the most expensive- a whooping eight dollars. With an old cleaning rag I applied the glaze fairly generous over the Ocean Breeze color. The glaze highlight the destressed look I was aiming for while I was sanding. I haven't added a sealer, not sure if I need to because I have a piece of glass that is going to protect the top. 

July Fourth!

    
   I am so excited to say that I just booked my flight to spend the Fourth of July in Oxford!!! It is a much need break from living at home, work and being apart from Matt. I am going be there from 5 days because the fourth falls on a wednesday and I took off work thursday and friday! Naturally, Matt has to work those two days so of course I am going to meet up with sorority sisters, friends and spend spoil Isla rotten. Last year I left for home the day after the Fourth of July, on the left is a picture we snapped that night after we watched fireworks! I can't wait to get back to my little Oxford family, I can't believe how much I miss it! 

Gavin DeGraw

   




      So a few months ago Gavin DeGraw came to Ole Miss and I wanted so desperately to see him although the night he came it rained. With the stage being the Grove, the concert didn't end well.  So while at home, my very thoughtful mother decided it would be fun to get tickets to his concert. He came on tour with Colbie Caillat and they were amazing!! We sat on the lawn and had ourselves a little picnic dinner. After a little dancing and my phone dying we headed home. It was a great break from my summer classes and nannying! 

Rules of Fashion

Being a summer nanny has given me tons of time to catch up on my reading! First I tackled The Official Preppy Handbook, second of course was True Prep. Both are fast reads with a ton of very true rules to being a prep. I consider myself to be a modern prep so naturally I agreed with majority of the articles. One in particular I feel very strongly was the rules of fashion which applies to everyone. I got the list from True Prep and of course add some of my own. 


1) Your undergarments must not show, use a belt, put on a strapless bra just do something. 


2) Do not display your wit through T-Shirt Slogans  


3) Purses and Shoes do not need to match although belts and shoes must


4) Don't knock seersucker until you have tried it. Give it a chance before you claim "its not for you"


5) Nose rings, belly button piercings, tongue rings and ankle bracelets all scream TRASHY so think twice. 


6) Sneakers are NEVER to be worn with skirts. Riding boots are okay for non riders same goes for cowboy boots.


7) Jewelry doesn't need to match although the metals should, excluding the wedding band/engagement ring


8) Tattoos- They have to mean something or they just look stupid & for the love of God please put them in a spot       where they won't stretch or be seen. 


9) The price of your clothes doesn't matter what does is that they properly fit. 


10) While on the theme of clothes, dress your age, you look pathetic wearing your teenagers clothes. 

"The best fashion statement is no fashion statement" 

Occoquan Craft Fair

        It was gorgeous this weekend! So Sunday mom & I  explored the Occoquan Craft Fair. It was a little disappointing it seemed like all of the booths had the same thing. Maybe I am just used to Oxford's Double Decker Weekend but the crafts last weekend all seemed like things I had saw on pintrest. 

      We did walk away with really cool hair clips, they come in different sizes and are supposed to replace those plastic claws/clips that always break. Anyway I wore mine today and it worked perfect! They are called flexi 8 and hold and incredible amount of hair. I didn't have to restyle once, nor did it feel like it was coming undone. Totally recommend it!! 

a little preoccupied

        Busy does not even begin to describe the end of my spring semester. Between classes, sorority obligations, finding a job and the sudden death of my granddaddy I hardly had time to myself. Some days I was lucky if I had time to check my email. Things went from manageable to "ahhh" in the blink of an eye. I found a summer job as a nanny, sorority obligations were filled, finals came and went and I said an extremely hard goodbye. 

   Granddaddy was the closed thing I had to home while down at school. Matt & I went to visit him often, I loved listening to them swap old war stories. His door was always open to me and several times he jokingly asked for rent - I stored so much of my stuff there. Before I came to Ole Miss, he and my grandma would visit every Christmas. Besides being such a help around the house he always read The Night Before Christmas to us. And while growing up they would make a second appearance around summer time as they made their trip up to Lewiston. He will be missed by all who knew him.