So first of all…sorry for the hiatus. I’m not gonna lie…this “blogging” thing is totally something you have to be in the mindset for when you create a post. And for those of you that follow real bloggers that do this for an actual paycheck, not the amateurs like me, there is a reason why they are doing this full time. They have people that take pictures for them, post on their behalf, upload all of their videos and pictures, find all of the deals, etc. Obviously, that is not the situation I have going on over here on the Westside as I type from my garage. And now that school is in full swing and the weekends are still very summer like around here, we’re trying to enjoy the pool before fall finally realizes it’s late to the game. With all of that said…I just haven’t really felt the “blogging vibes.”
And since it’s been so long since I’ve put a post together, I have plenty of crap to share! First of all, I just finished binge watching the new Netflix limited series called, “Unbelievable.” OMG people…you need to check it out. It’s only 8 episodes, 45 min each, and are all based on a fascinating true story about a girl who was accused of falsely reporting a rape. It’s one of those that you just can’t stop watching. I watched while putting laundry away earlier today and just couldn’t stop so I sat on the bed until all 8 episodes were done. The “based on a true story” is what really gets me. It was so gripping and very disheartening all the same. It’s definitely worth a try if you’re looking for something else to enjoy that won’t take a full life commitment to finish.
Last weekend I committed to decorating the house for Halloween. Since you only get to enjoy the Halloween decor for 31 days, I figured I’d get a head start so that come October 1st, we are all set! I totally forgot that I had bought some decor items from Target when the season was over last year and that was a little bit of a bonus when I went to get all of the bins out. See pics below of most of the spaces that I decorated. I’m loving the mantel spider web runner from Jane. And you’ll also notice I’m a big fan of the cotton stalks. These are good all year around as long as you pair them with the right things. These will stay up when Halloween is over. I’ve been getting mine from Amazon and I’ll link them below. You can get them at Hobby Lobby and Michael’s as well, but they’re pretty pricey so I’d bring a coupon. The deal I found on Amazon is better than the ones I have seen in the store.
The cork pumpkin has a snowman face on the other side for when it’s time for winter. I made it out of wine corks I bought on Amazon.
When I don’t make time to create a post, I also find myself with waaaay too many pictures of my outfits on my phone. So I’ll be glad to delete these. I’m starting to get antsy about wearing some booties and scarves, but until these temps break, you’ll see sandals and skirts! Although I work in air conditioning, there’s only so many layers you can appropriately remove when you go outside for carpool duty!
And for those of you that have known me for a while…please make a note of how long my hair is right now! I haven’t had my hair this long since I had Makenna 10 years ago. I haven’t had a full blown haircut since last October. Only one trim in May since then. I can’t believe it myself. I usually cave and chop it all off for my favorite haircut of all time, the angled bob. Just for fun, I’ll post pics of my last haircut. I loved it so much I took pics! Pics were taken on October 27th. Even looking at the pictures makes me want to go get a haircut, but I’ll stay strong. I’m liking having options with hair accessories and being able to put my hair up in a messy bun. I just can’t believe it’s taken this long to get my hair barely shoulder length.
For my last segment I’d like to highlight some products that I’m loving right now. I told myself that I’d take pics of all of them and then link them, but that just seemed like it would take too long so I’ll just describe the items before I post the link. Because let’s be honest…I think all of them I got on Amazon so those are easy to link.
- Has anyone ever heard of the handbag line, Daisy Rose? If you haven’t…you need to search them on Amazon and/or follow them on Instagram. They create very quality bags that look like the very expensive (and ridiculously over priced) Louis Vuitton Neverfull bag line. And unless you are right up on the bag looking for the LV branding, you can barely tell the difference. And for 1/20 the price…SOLD in my book. They even just came out with a backpack version of each color. I have a Michael Kors version of the grey/white bag, but even that is a fraction of the cost of the real LV Neverfull line.
The clutch wallet is adorable and fits my phone, checkbook, and cards. I have an insert in the bag to keep everything organized. I’ll link that too.
2. Next up…skin care. I have definitely tried the R&F line for my skin and have also been through the Clinique line, Avon products, and who can forget Noxema from the 90’s? I’ve just never really felt that any of them really made such a difference in my skin that I had to keep purchasing it over and over. I’m pretty lucky with my skin type, but I have always wanted to make sure I was avoiding fine lines, including SPF, and preventing the dreaded “once a month blemish” that appears on my chin still. Am I in high school still? Geez.
So one day I stumbled upon some Neutrogena products and I’ll tell you what…I’ve been pretty impressed. I haven’t had my monthly blemish in over 3 months I think, and overall, my skin looks very healthy. What’s even better is that each item is less than $10 so there’s not much of a financial commitment if you want to change things up. I’ll link the products I’ve been using below. The anit-wrinkle retinol cream that is also a daily SPF moisturizer only requires a very little dot to go a long way so you don’t have to worry about going through a lot of it.
The foaming face wash has a very subtle fresh scent and is both a daily face wash and make-up remover. The price below includes 2 bottles. I keep one in the shower and one by the sink. I used to use their make-up wipes and now I just use this. The oil free daily lotion I use at night before bed and then use the moisturizer with SPF in the morning. The toner is alcohol free so it’s very gentle and fresh feeling. All in all, it’s not like I had a big mess to fix on my face or anything, but for the price, this line is great for people looking for products that are affordable and gentle on the face.
3. The last product I’ll feature here has to do with security camera options. On Amazon Prime Day we bought an Amazon Ring because it was bundled with an echo and was too good of a deal to pass up. Although I really like what it shows me, without paying the monthly fee you literally can only see things that are live and be notified when someone rings the doorbell. Pretty jenky if you ask me. After your 30 day trial you can no longer go back and see anything that is recorded. In fact…nothing is being recorded! So what is the freaking point in my book? Other than being able to see who rings the doorbell in real time and then maybe talking to them from your device, that’s about it. We’re still keeping our Ring on our front door, but we knew we were going to need something else to be able to go back in time to see things that have triggered the cameras.
A couple of our neighbors informed us about the new Blink cameras. Also an Amazon product, but not able to be connected to your doorbell. They are basically the same besides that though. They detect motion and record. You can go back in time and keep/delete whatever clips you want from your phone. One downfall is that only one person can really have access to the cameras so you’ll have to share login info. Not a deal breaker for me, but some people have complained online about it. I’m sure that will be a feature that will soon come. I highly recommend the Blink cameras. We bought the 2 camera pack and have one that films the pool and then one in the front yard. I’ve included a link and a screenshot of what you see from the app. You can take a still camera shot of what the camera is looking at in real time or click the camera to have it start recording. You also have options as to how long it will record once it detects motion and so on.
If you have any questions there are so many already answered on the Amazon site you can sort through them all before buying. I read through so many reviews and answered questions before I pulled the trigger. I will say that we are satisfied customers at this point. And NO payments of any kind for this camera. Forgot to mention that part.
I’m sure I could highlight a few more things, but I’ll go ahead and end with that. I’m going to end this evening enjoying what we think will be the last “summer like” weekend I’m sure we’ll all be wishing for this weather when we’re sitting in front of our houses on Halloween freezing in the rain. Isn’t that always how it is?
Until next time friends… Meibs signing off!
