fifty

I wanted to post a shout out to the number 50. 

This marks my 50th post on the blog and 50 days until I marry my favorite person ever.

There are so many ways I would describe Conner but these are the first 50 that came to mind:

patient - caring - genuine - funny - intelligent - kind - wise - loving - smart - strong - quick

knowledgeable - handsome - fit - true - loyal - polite - humble - healthy - resourceful - clean

organized - methodical - willing - able - real - talented - determined - thoughtful - gentle - tough - witty

selfless - prepared - capable - attractive - eager - enthusiastic - spontaneous - comfortable - natural

practical - dedicated - faithful - passionate - devoted - careful - clever - attentive - good

Darling, I can't wait to be your wife.

a sad story

This week the good ol' laptop crashed. Long story short, the hard drive had to be replaced. 

And of course, I had nothing backed up. Data gone. Notes from the whole semester gone. Finals are next week. I cried. I feel so disconnected from the rest of the world, and school. 

One the plus side, I have Apple Care so the replacement was free.

five tricks for faking it

Mostly, I love getting dressed. But let's face it, some days you didn't get a lot of sleep. Some days the last thing you want to do is get dressed. Some days you look at your closet and think, "I don't have any clothes". Some days you just have to fake it. So these are five of my favorite tricks for the days I have to fake it.

one: Blush. Now, while you can achieve an instant put together look with lipstick, blush gives you a super effortless look that you won't have to touch up throughout the day. My current favorite right now is this new body shop blush in 04.

two: Jewelry. For quick glam that dresses up even the most plain outfit, add a bunch of arm candy. I made a big chain bracelet like the one pictured using supplies from hobby lobby for about $5. Super easy and super cheap. I've had my eye on this diesel watch for a while now.

three: Bows. When you don't feel like getting dressed you usually don't feel like doing your hair either. So throw that mane up into a top knot or a messy bun and add a bow to make it look a little more polished. Plus they'll distract people from your less than awesome outfit and make you feel girly, which is always a plus!

four: Scarves. Adding a big chunky scarf to your jeans from yesterday and that staple tee [that you just might have slept in, possibly] is just enough to make your boring outfit look cute and laid back. You don't sacrifice comfort but your plain tee sure looks a lot better. Loving this airy one from Nordstrom for the warmer weather.

five: Patterns. Wearing patterned pants will take the focus off plain shirt and messy hair. They add just enough spice to make your outfit look fully planned without the planning. It's the fastest way to add that little something and people will be complimenting you all day long. How fun would these Cotton On pair be for the 4th of July?

darling

Sometimes this describes exactly the way I feel.. especially when I see lovely things like this..

the best weekend of all

I'm interrupting my usually scheduled 'tying the knot' series to talk a little bit about one of the best weekends all year. This weekend is General Conference, which comes only twice a year - on the first weekend in April and October. I just love General Conference. I love being able to listen to the Prophet and the Apostles, I gain such strength from those wonderful men and their testimonies. I love being able to hear what it is Heavenly Father would have me hear. I always come away from this weekend feeling renewed and wanting to do better and be better. I know I'm going to have a great weekend, I hope you have a wonderful weekend, too!

all images via Pinterest

a story about dry shampoo

Once upon a time, I used to wash my hair everyday. I have somewhat oily hair and I didn't think I was one of those people that could just skip out on shampoo. One day as I was browsing the beauty aisle, I stumbled upon this TRESemmé dry shampoo and thought 'huh, this might help me do the every other day thing or be a quick fix on mornings I'm running late'.


While I'm sure that this product is great for some people it did not work on my hair. It kinda turned my hair gray and it didn't really cover up the grease that much. I also wasn't happy with the weird texture I was left with. All in all, if I used this then I would have to put my hair up for it to look ok, but if I left my hair down ... yikes! I had these sort of clumped and dry looking roots with smooth and shiny ends ... odd.

So I decided dry shampoo was just not my thing and I started braiding my hair or just putting it up into a top knot on my in between days - you know the drill.







Fast forward to a few months later when I was watching some youtube beauty videos and came upon a review of hair products. According to the video I was watching (I don't remember which one it was!) the dry shampoo I should have been using all along was the Big Sexy Hair Volumizing kind.

This product was better than the first stuff I tried. It did cover up grease and add a ton of volume, which is great for a fine & thin haired girl like myself. However, again I wasn't happy with the texture I was left with. Definitely not as bad as the first stuff I tried, but I'm not one to use a lot of product in my hair and this dry shampoo left my usually silky hair feeling super stiff and product-y.

This dry shampoo is also a little more expensive for a smaller bottle. So I was fine with this, but I still wasn't in love. It was definitely better than the first product I tried and I used it all up.







So like I said, I used up all of my BSH dry shampoo and I wanted some more cause some days you're just in a rush and need a time saver. I for sure didn't want to use the TRESemmé again cause it was so bad on my hair so when I was at the grocery store I decided to take a shot with Suave Dry Shampoo cause it was so. dang. cheap.

This product totally surprised me. I was a bit judgmental and thought 'no way can a $3 dry shampoo be very good'. But, I was also scared of spending a fortune on more dry shampoo when I'd had such bad luck with the product. I just needed some for the days I'm in a rush so I figured, what the heck, can't be that bad. 

Wow was I wrong for judging this! This is the best stuff I've tried. It covers up grease nicely and the texture is actually not that bad, it feels practically like normal.

So I really liked this stuff. Best I've found. I recommend it - it works and it's dirt cheap.





But, I'm one of those people that always buys new shampoo and conditioner when I run out. I just like trying new brands and scents and all that. I do occasionally repurchase my favorites, but mostly I like to mix it up. So I'm in the market for some new dry shampoo. And here's a few I've been eyeing...

Pssssst! Instant Dry Shampoo | Aveeno Pure Renewal Dry Shampoo | Blow Pro Faux Dry - Dry Shampoo

Anybody know anything about these brands? Have you used them before? Are there any other brands out there you recommend? Help a sista' out! Thanks lovelies :) Have a great Thursday!

biscuits & gravy

This is the fiancé's favorite breakfast. And I think I've gotten pretty good at making it now. It's actually a pretty simple and quick recipe that doesn't take long to whip up. There are about a million and one recipes out there but this is a super simple and delicious adaptation we've loved.

And p.s. as usual it's all in iPhone pictures, because I don't own a fancy camera, nor would I have time to haul it around snapping photos. You're pretty much lucky I even remembered to stop and snap a few with my phone...

Begin with 1 lb. sausage. We think it's really best with spicy sausage and we like this one 

(although I think it would be even better with turkey sausage seeing as I'm not really a pork fan). But I'm serious on the spicy sausage, we used plain sausage before and the result was a little bland.

Brown the sausage in a large fry pan according to the instructions on the package.

{ Make sure to stick your biscuits in the oven while you do this because if you wait your gravy will be done and getting super thick while you're sitting around waiting for your biscuits to bake. }

For the gravy I suggest using whole milk because it has a creamier and thicker texture to it. You can also use whipping cream but I like the whole milk better. As far as how much of everything to add I just eyeball it (remember how I told you here that we don't really use measurements when we cook?) - but I did put approximations in the recipe below.

Start the gravy by stirring in some flour. It should start to thicken the meat up. When the flour is dissolved stir in milk and add salt and pepper to taste. Cook your gravy until it's all thick and bubbly. It should look a little something like the pictures below:

Your biscuits should be done about now so get those puppies out of the oven. We like to use the Pillsbury buttermilk kind (but any buttermilk biscuit will do - you can even try your hand at homemade if your feelin' especially fancy). Bake them until just golden.

Cut your biscuits in half and top with the gravy. The more gravy the better according to fiancé. 

Bon appetit!

Biscuits & Gravy

servings: 4 { but if you're eating with a bottomless pit who's favorite breakfast is biscuits and gravy it may be just 2 - one for you and the rest for him ;) }

• 1 lb. hot/spicy sausage 
• 8 biscuits
• Flour - about 1/2 cup
• Whole milk - about 2 cups
• Salt & pepper to taste

mcgurked

Do you ever find yourself wondering if your professors just make things up sometimes? I've watched this video in probably three of my ComD (communication disorders) classes and every time my teachers bring it up I think 'wait, what?' because it just doesn't even sound real. But it is ... and this is what I study.

 

The music just kills me.

today is happy

Today is happy because yesterday was Easter, one of my favorite holidays. We had a pretty great Easter weekend. On Saturday fiancé and I got our wedding invitations all designed and ordered { can't wait to see the proofs! } and then we dyed some eggs with one of our favorite couples. Sadly, I completely spaced it on documenting our festivities, so I have zero pictures of our cute eggs. On Easter Sunday we went to church as usual and then I baked dessert for a family dinner we had that evening. I made homemade oreos - one batch chocolate, and one batch red velvet { also forgot to take any pictures of these }. We had Easter dinner at Andrew & Lauren's with a few of the future cousins in law. There was delicious food, good company, and overall it was quite a good night. Below is just a short Easter message I love. You can find more here.

Today is happy because it's April, one of my favorite months. Spring is here and the sunshine and flowers are finally beginning to show their faces.

Today is happy because this upcoming weekend is General Conference, which is always a highly anticipated and wonderful event in the Siddoway home. This upcoming weekend there is also a baby shower for one of my cousins, and it's sure to be a darling event.

Today is happy because the date April 1 means that we get married in just two more months.

Can't wait to spend forever with this guy

I hope today is happy for you too.