Everyday I'm Shufflin...

Hey there! If you are anything like me you are doing your little morning dance because yet again we have made it to the best day of the week, FRIDAY!

Here's a little example of how I might look right about now

 

Oh well maybe not exactly but I am for sure doing a little jig! Quite a few exciting things have happened for me this week and I love that I get to share them with you!

I am linking up with Lauren over at From My Grey Desk to bring you my High Five For Friday!

1. I have a feeling that great things are headed my way in the career world. I am not sure exactly what is yet to come but it feels like nothing but greatness!

 

2. We have decided to start preparing for the sell of our house. After 9 years in our home we find it's in our best interest to get out now.

 

3. My wonderful bff came and met me for lunch while she was on Spring Break this week. Having her inspiration and positivity pushed me in the right direction.

 

4. I hosted a wonderful Kate Spade giveaway with the help of Kaitlyn and found it to be very successful! I have "met" some wonderful new friends!

 

5. The yummy Frozen Strawberry Lemonade is back at McDonald's and my taste buds couldn't be happier!

 

What kind of week did you have? 

High 5 2 Self!

It’s always so much easier to pop right out of bed on a Friday isn’t it? There is something so relieving about making it through another work week and getting some time off! It has been a couple of weeks since I have linked up with Lauren for High Five For Friday but I have had such a good week that I feel the need to share my “high five to self” moments!

 

1. I paid off my car!! A long awaited announcement that I loved sharing! What an accomplishment!

 

I love paying it forward so Madison and I went and got two dozen donuts for the co-workers and she snagged her own little goodie bag!

 

I put together Madison's Easter basket! I won't spoil the surprise just yet! More details on this later :)

Madison & my niece Skylar at Easter last year
 

Froyo! Spur of the moment we went and grabbed some dinner with Nana (Madison's grandma, my mother in law) and visited Orange Leaf. The bomb.com peoples!

 

I received my first Influenster Vox Box and loved every minute of trying the great products included! I cannot wait until next month!!

 

It has been an awesome week! How about yours? What are your plans for Easter weekend? Stay tuned for my Easter weekend recap!

 

Cheesier than Mac and Cheese

As I sit here staring at my white blank screen and flashing cursor I find one huge topic that lays heavy on my heart and mind.
I am a very attached "type" of girl.
NO I don't mean relationship, boy crazy stalker type attached. (Okay maybe I have that in me too)
I mean I attach myself to everything I love and devote my time, efforts and thoughts to it 24/7.
No matter what it might be I dedicate my heart, mind and soul to it completely.
The one thing that I feel like I have always put in 110% was my friendships.

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I invite girls shopping. I call, email, instagram, fb message, tweet you name it I keep in touch almost daily. Buying great gifts for each and everyone of them, joining parties, celebrations and monumental life events together.

I loved sleepovers as a little girl. I loved spending time with all my bff's. Telling stories, painting our nails, eating way too many fattening foods, staying up late and just being our crazy selfs.
I guess I can finally admit to myself and to the world that I let others fulfill my happiness. I can't get past it. The time I spend with friends is when I am the happiest. I feel like the large hole in my heart is full and complete. Knowing someone else wants to see me, talk to me, share things with me or cares about me makes my heart happy and calms my mind.

I ask myself almost every day "What is it that I could be doing to make someone want to hang out with me, call me, send me a text or even want to drop by and say hello?" "What does it take for a follower blogger friend to become a closer friend?" "Should I be doing something different?"
"Is it that our lives are too busy now? That the older we get the less friends come in and out of our lives?" That all of this is to be expected? Not to take it personally?

I'm not saying I don't have friends or that I am completely alone. I would love to make new circles. I get jealous hearing about the Blates that are happening all around me or the bonds made between friends. I want that!

My mother always told me to stay close to your family because friends come and go and you are lucky to keep a handful throughout life. Do I need to suck it up and admit to myself that like all other situations my mother is pretty much been right?

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I once had this conversation with the hubs grandmother who might I add is a very genuine, sweet, down to earth, giving, self motivated remarkable individual. I inspire to be just like her.
I asked her this one question "Do you ever feel like you do all of the work and expect the same in return, and then when you don't, you find yourself hurt and questioning yourself?"

She had the best answer and story which made me see a new side of things.
She has this summer girls retreat that a friend of hers had thrown every year since they were younger. This one girl out of the group always planned every last detail. Where they would stay, what they would do, who would be attending etc. So every year a month or two in advance this other girl would send invites out or call each of the other girls with the details. His grandmother and all of the other ladies never once contacted this other girl in all the years this retreat evolved to find out if it were still happening or not that year. They just expected every year that this event would take place as it always had. Even though no prior conversations had been made between any of the ladies, every year the ladies became more and more excited for the event and when the retreat happened the best memories were made. His grandmother ended the conversation saying this "Even though we didn't always exchange conversations with this other friend of theirs they knew she would always come through. They knew she was the coordinator between all of them. They could count on her to bring them all together and to keep the friendship alive."

So in that quick lesson I learned that maybe my friends count on me for communication, party planning and phone or social media conversation?
Are you the coordinator or the expecting recipient? Do you have similar feelings about this issue?

If you are the recipient and rely on the other friend to keep the friendship alive please share your point of view. I need a different perspective on this topic so I can see both sides. Is there a right or wrong to any of this?
It all comes down to me wanting to feel needed, wanted and loved by others. It's the key to my heart. I love my bloggy friendships and my real life every day friendships. Don't you?


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Everything Is Changing

Welcome to Sunday fun day!!

I'm linking up with Neely and Ashley for the Sunday Social!

I love the topics this week.

With Spring right around the corner and winter coming to an end what better way to spend the Sunday Social but with a few questions related to the wonderful time of year!

 

1. Favorite thing to do on a rainy day?

I love sitting in my pajamas with a cup of coffee on my front porch. There is nothing more calming than the sound of rain. The breeze and the smell of nature is all I need on a perfect rainy day!

2. Favorite thing to do on a Summer weekend?
Go to the grandparents lake house! A beach, a cabin and a boat! Fun in the sun is definitely what I am in need of right now! It has been under 40 degrees for I don't know how long! Laying out on a beach towel, splashing water around and soaking up the sun makes for an awesome weekend! How many more days until summer again?

3. Favorite Spring accessory?
Necklaces! I have a collection evolving of bright colored jewelry! Pink, green, teal, white and purple! My obsession use to be hand bags but I have moved on! We have a store here in Indy where all of my necklaces are $3.99 and usually marked down to $1.99! Can you say winning!!

4. Favorite way to spend a Winter day?
Bundling up in coats, boots, hats and gloves and running out into the heaping piles of snow with my daughter! Her laughter and her happy spirit improves my mood and way of thinking so much! We love watching the snowflakes fall and having snow ball fights! The best part is coming in, snuggling under a blanket and drinking hot chocolate!

5. What is your favorite season and why?
Fall! Oh I love the changing colors of the leaves and everything pumpkin! The weather is still warm but starting to cool down. I love wearing jeans but still wearing flip flops! Bonfires and barbeque's put a smile on my face! Tractor rides, the pumpkin patch and apple cider I say YES!!

6. Best birthday you ever had?
I don't have a BEST birthday that stands out among the rest but the year I was preggo four years ago turned out to be a great one. We had dinner at this fancy restaurant called The Journey. They literally have every kind of food and dessert you could think of. Every plate was worth a photo op moment. We then left and went next door to outdoor putt putt. The sun was shining and for ONCE it didn't rain! It always rains on my birthday! I also was two weeks overdue with my daughter and five days later had her. Can you say best birthday present ever!

I hope you learned a little more about me! Feel free to leave a sweet comment answering any of the questions above! I love hearing your stories! If you have participated in the link up as well and would like me to swing on over to your post leave your link in my comment box!

Have a positive, carefree amazing day!

Ipsy MyGlam Bag March

I usually walk outside, open my mailbox and I am surprised that yet another month has flown by!

I did NOT feel that way this month! Even though it is already March and it will be spring soon it has felt like the weeks and days have crept by ever slowly!

I am SO ready for warm weather, barbeque's, swimming pools and flip flops!

 

Many of you are subscribed to or have heard of Birchbox. What about Ipsy's myglam bag?

Same cost, great products and arrives practically on the same day as Birchbox!

 

With spring right around the corner it made for perfect timing to receive my glam bag!

The March Ipsy theme is "The Great Escape". I usually cannot contain myself and I pop over and check out all the spoilers for the month. This month it has been hectic and crazy and I haven't had the time so the entire bag was a complete surprise! And we all know I love surprises!

 

Discount card

Ipsy provides this little discount card in every glam bag given. Although the bag does not contain a product card describing the names and prices, their website usually has everything you need!

Now I can say I have had better bags but this one wasn't too shabby! You can never go wrong with Nautical!

The first item I opened was the Juice Beauty Hydrating mist! This spray hydrates, tones and gives your skin a more radiant look! So far I am loving it! It does have a rosy smell, but not too overpowering.

The next two items were very basic but can be thrown into any girls handbag for a night out on the town, a day at the beach or a casual lunch date!
The GlamRX Touch Up Mirror provides two small openings for the eye shadow pallets seen below! The mirror kit has a magnetic opening that allows the eye shadows to fit inside perfectly without popping out! No spillage=awesome!

I have yet to try the La Fresh Travel Lite Make-Up Remover Wipes. I have the same morning and night routine and when it comes to removing makeup off of my face I am a little hesitant on what I use. These will come in handy though on our upcoming vacation when I am in a quick need to wipe off my face and keep it fresh just not so much my every day ritual.

This adorable trial pair of eye shadows are from Yaby Cosmetics. They are very pigmented and are great neutral colors for spring!

The March Ipsy MyGlam bag is worth $19.55.
Still above the $10 monthly cost it is not nearly what some of the other months have been worth.
I am still pleased with the bag.
Did you get Ipsy this month?
If you want to sign up for Ipsy I think they still have a waiting list but I would go ahead and sign up! Every bag has been worth it and I see that trend continuing! 

Cupcakes and Secrets

I wrote a post over at Southern Beauty Guide today! If you haven't gotten to know Chelsee, go say hello! She would love to have you! I love her knowledge for beauty products and her overall outlook of life! We have so much in common and I am so grateful to have her as a wonderful friend!

If you are stopping by from Southern Beauty Guide, thank you so much for visiting! Feel free to make yourself a little comfy spot on the couch, sip on your favorite drink and stay awhile :)

I had only had Gigi's Cupcakes once before when my generous mother brought a box back from Tennessee. I was hooked then and I am hooked even more now! I kept seeing posts on Facebook about Gigi's cupcake truck posted up around town at different locations and it got me excited! Would I ever run into one? When? Where? Well I answered my own question today and I squealed inside like a small excited child! Madison and I had a few errands to run when we walked out of a store and there it sat, the quaint perfectly decorated Gigi's cupcake truck!

We didn't even put the shopping bags we had in our arms down, we went sprinting over like the truck was driving away! Filled with glee we stood in amazement observing the perfectly, hand crafted, sweet delicate perfections!

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If you haven't heard of the story behind Gigi's cupcakes click here! The story is amazing and so are the cupcakes!

Madison quite easily found hers! I mean what three year old girl doesn't love anything pink with sprinkles?

Birthday Surprise: White cake with fluffy, pink buttercream frosting and colorful sprinkles.

Just like one of the layers of my wedding cake, I chose Scarlett's Red Velvet: Red velvet cake with a vanilla filling topped with cream cheese frosting, a white chocolate heart and red sugar crystals.

I will leave you with the eye candy that we may or may have not devoured as soon as we entered the door after purchasing the perfect box of goodness! Now I must go run a marathon, each cupcake contains approximately 800 calories! Shhhh don't tell anyone! It will be our little secret!

**Thank you Kaitlyn @ Wifessionals for the advice on natural lighting!**

Have you tried Gigi's cupcakes?
What is your favorite flavor?
Did you know they cater weddings? Interested? Click here for more details!

**This post was based on my opinions alone, no compensation was received**

Save A Smile

These days everyone is trying to save money or cut back on costs wherever they can. One area in particular that I see others struggling with is school expenses. It is crazy how much college costs these days! Everyone wants you to get an education and achieve a great paying job but then you spend years after obtaining that perfect career paying off debt!

 

Need help finding ways to save money, make money and contribute to a great cause all at the same time?

Let me introduce you to a great online company called CampusBookRentals.com.

They bring students cheap textbooks with discounts anywhere from 40-90% off bookstore prices! The company also offers free shipping both ways!

 

Great additions include:

Highlighting in textbooks are acceptable and flexible renting periods based on your schedule for the semester!  

 

If you are a visual person like I am here is a video on the awesome program available to YOU!

 

CampusBookRentals.com also make a difference in the lives of children at the same time.

This company donates to Operation Smile with each textbook rented!

You save money and also help children! Isn't that a win win situation? I think so!

 

Operation Smile is an organization dedicated to operating on children born with cleft lips, cleft palates, and other facial deformities at no cost to the family of the child suffering. Below is a video highlighting the inspiring work Operation Smile does for the children around the world!

 

 

I love knowing the difference we can make by renting from CampusBookRentals.com. 

While saving money and donating to a great cause did I mention you can make money also? CampusBookRentals.com also has a new rent back option through RentBack.com. RentBack.com is a new initiative that allows you to rent the textbooks to others! Would you like to make up to four times more money compared to buyback options? This will help your fellow classmates, family and friends! Watch the video below for more details!

 

Saving money, making money and donating to a great cause just by using one company!

Isn't that awesome?!?

Have I convinced you to go check this out yet? I hope so!

Spread the word and help as many as you can!

You, Me and A Cup Of Joe

How many of you adore a cup of coffee? How about making and building friendships? Great! You have settled down in the right place! My new found friend Kayln along with the sweet Lauren is hosting a new link up called Coffee and Conversation!
Last week, Kayln and Lauren introduced this new linkup where you can come and find out what's going on in your blogger friends life.
Now, we get to sit with our cup of joe and share life together! Sounds fun, right?!?!?

So come along on this journey. Make some new great friendships - isn't that why a lot of us started blogging anyway, to share life together. :)

Each week they will have a new topic and you can link up! Grab the button below and join us!

This weeks question: What is one of the most valuable lessons you have learned this year so far?

This was a very easy question for me to answer! I have had several eye opening experiences this year and we are only three months in!
The most valuable lesson I have learned is to not let people walk over you and learn when to say no! I am known as the push over. I let people take advantage of me. I let others say and do things and I tend to let them roll off my back without saying anything. I tend to hold everything in and then I break down.
This year I have chosen that the people who I want in my life are the ones who will make an effort for me as well. Calling, texting, emailing and visiting cannot happen daily and I am aware of that but when you feel like the friendship or relationship is one sided then it is not worth it. You can only work so hard on something without receiving the love in return before you give up. I noticed the excuses and I noticed things being said behind my back. This year on my list of New Year's Resolutions, building better friendships was my main focus. I can say proudly that I have moved my main focus to the ones who show me they care about me as much as I care about them.

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As far as the "saying no" subject, I always say yes to everything. I am a people pleaser! My schedule might be completely full and I say yes. Someone needs help, yes. Someone wants to plan a dinner or lunch date, yes. If anyone asks or needs anything, yes. Trust me I am still working on this! It is VERY hard for me to say no to anyone. I am a very emotional person and I feel like I might hurt their feelings or that they won't ask again when they need it next time. It doesn't mean I will never say YES but sometimes I just cannot manage all that I have going on and add one more thing to the list. Is anyone else with me on this? Do you have a problem telling others no? Have you found a way to get around the feeling of guilt? I try really hard to balance my life with the life of others and it is still a work in progress, I just hate letting others down because I myself hate that feeling.

What valuable lesson have you learned this year?

Come back next Monday, pull up a chair, sip your warm delicious coffee and let's chat!

I am also on the lookout for anyone who wants to meet up for a blate (blogger + date = blate). If you are or know of someone near Indiana please give me a shout out!  We can meet, eat and drink coffee together outside of the little Internet world!