This Post Not Approved For A Younger Audience

Another summer weekend has come and gone, and realizing that Labor Day is next weekend has blown my mind. The good news, is that I got to have my very first whoopie pie before this summer went vamoosh. Maybe I'm wrong, but that seems like a summer thing... Right up there with grilled fish, playing by the pool, and chatting by the light of tiki torches.

In case you missed the mankini photobomb above, enjoy Will and our friend Justin doing the most dangerous thing I've ever allowed them to do. Kids...don't try this at home.

It was one of those things that I knew was a bad idea, but it would have happened when we turned our backs so I figured I should record it supervise.  Don't worry, I made them put the ladder up right after. They tried to sneak it back to the pool again, but even they didn't have the balls to deal with their wives after we said no mo'. They like to push the limits, but they know when they step over the line and the consequences that come with said line. #wearemarriedtochildren #atleasttheyarehot

I'm happy it was another great weekend, and yet I'm going to state the obvious and say I'm not ready for the upcoming week. I'm realizing that I have a LOT on my plate: a doctors appointment, I have to type the minutes up for our last FRCSC meeting, an all day meeting on Thursday, make plans for this coming weekend, pack for this coming weekend, and run like twenty miles...ugh. I took a break from running because of the summer heat, but I hurt my wrist last week and had to change my entire workout routine until I get it figured out. I wish I could just take the week off, but not before a beach trip. Gotta fit in that 'kini, guuurl.

Any of you have big plans for Labor Day? If you are going to Gulf Coast Jam, I'll see you there! Countdown: FIVE flippin' DAYS.

Where There's A Will There's A Way

One thing you may not know about military life is that even when they are off on nights and weekends while stateside, they could be called in for cleaning, duties, Honors, and pretty much any reason that the command deems necessary. Not that I'm complaining because yes, we 'signed up for this', but it does make planning ahead extremely hard. For example, we have been 'planning' to go to Panama City to celebrate the homecoming for MONTHS, but nothing could be set in stone until we got the official okay on Friday. Do you know how hard it is to get a hotel on the beach with that short of notice in the middle of the summer?

However, where there's a will...there's ALWAYS a way. Will, Dustin, and I spent all afternoon checking every website and making phone calls, and we managed to finagle a room at the AMAZING Sandestin Resort in Miramar Beach. It was perfect timing too, because we were just about to give up. Well, we never give up, but we definitely wanted to. Anywhosit, the boys needed some beers after that, so Drinking Jenga seemed like a good idea. I wasn't drinking, but I decided to play, and I think I regret it. If you watch the following video, you will see why.

Joel actually cheated, so I could have said no, but it was the principle of the matter, and I just solidified my title as the best wife ever. I would tell you more about the weekend, but I'm still recuperating. Let's just say, there is a reason I swore off Rumple Minz years ago. Hey...it was free because I got kicked out of the bar mistakenly, and you all know I can't say no to free. I'll fill in all the details soon, but now I'm going back to sleep.

If You Want To See What Hyper Janna Looks Like

Confession: I went out drinking last night.

I know, it made no sense, and even less so now that I am barely avoiding this hangover.

See what had happened was...

I had to learn how to close the restaurant last night in preparation for my closing manger shift next weekend, and I was tricked into drinking a little too much after work. I honestly didn't drink that much, and even made the bartender cut me off, but miss-low-tolerance-over-here just can't hang like she used to!

Since it's already Monday afternoon, I will just share this little gem of a video that I recorded for y'all last week. You will have to watch it to get the full idea of my mental state at the time...If you want a sneak peak of  my Halloween costume, get a peek at a few Birthday presents, and find out my favorite sub shop, then you should probably check it out. I swear I only sound ditsy because I'm hyper. At least I'm pretty sure I don't sound like this all the time. Those of you that know me IRL, do I always sound like this?

This was my first time playing around with the transitions and jump cuts, so feel free to point me in the direction of a good tutorial, 'cuz I obviously need practice!

Lesson learned this round: 

No background music, and I should probably quit using the camera on my computer.

Anywhosit, Will and I usually chat it up about our day, work, and other goings on when we get home, and since he's not here, you guys are my stand in. Do you know how hard it is to have a million things to say to someone, and only the dog to listen? Six days left! I hope.

Just Call Me Miss Chloe!

An introduction won't do this video justice, so just watch...

I will keep you updated on who ends up being preggers ;)

Sometimes: I get crazy Deja Vu.

Always: When I get it, I can tell you what will happen next.

creepy.

Sometimes: I dream that I'm pregnant.

Always: So far it means that someone I know is pregnant.

Sometimes: I get bad vibes from people that others don't feel.

Always: Those people always end up being bad news.

Sometimes: People call me a witch because I was born on Halloween.

Always: I'm beginning to wonder myself...

kind of kidding.

Do you ever get Deja Vu or have strangely significant dreams?

Tell me about them, and then come back tomorrow for my newest endeavor!

It's fun and very dear to my heart.

Girl Behind The Blog- VLOG!

I love days that start with the letter V.
V as in Vlog-day!

Today we share our goals with 5ohWifey and Lindsay, so that we can all continue to get to know each other! Have you recorded yours yet? If not, then get on it!

You can find my previous videos here, and without further ado...

Look, they are his and hers:
{without being matchy-matchaay}



In other news, Kelly is revealing the results of the Messy Challenge!
{Not to be confused with the Messy Project}
Many of us embrace her Messy Hair lifestyle, and you will get to see ALL of our messy hair over on Kelly's blog. Yes, I said messy hair, as in messy-dirty-hasn't been washed in a week- hair.
You may think we are crazy, but I can vouch that it helps your hair grow, is great for time, and even saves on your water bill.  I know you are curious, so head on over!

I'll leave you with a picture of my messy dirty hair:



That was after five or six days of no washing, and minimal handling.
Between that and the vlogs...this is going to be a goooood day.

PS. I'm adding one more surprise! Head over to our facebook page to find a vlog that Is dedicated to the Hubs! I promise that y'all will get a kick out of it.

Final Check In & MDH Hair Tutorial!!

Oh boy, what a week this has been...Definitely not how I pictured it.

An emotional roller coaster at best, but we are making it.

So you all know about the The Messy Challenge, right?

In case you don't, it is a challenge to "embrace the mess", and embrace life's imperfections, while ridding yourself of insecurities.  I highly advocate this, because we all think we have to be perfect all the time, and what we don't realize- is that we are already perfect by just being ourselves.

In fact, watch this video to understand more.

I happen to have been participating in this before Kelly made it "cool"{thank goodness she has},

but I did it because I have REALLY long hair, that is a pain in the @ss to wash.

Luckily, quite a few years ago, someone suggested the use of baby powder to me, and I ran with it.

I have talked about it on the blog and have gotten many questions, so as prompted by Alana, I created a Baby Powder Tutorial!

And yes...those would be the mirror decals that I put up for my love for Valentine's Day.
They remind me of him, so I haven't had the heart to take them down.

Think about how much you will save on your water bill by cutting your shower time in half, using less shampoo/conditioner, and not buying dry shampoo!
Speaking of saving...How'd we do this week?

As most of you know, I was cooped up all week, so I didn't have ANY spending issues.
In fact, the only money I spent was getting gas on the way to drop off donations to the evacuees, and veggies at the Farmer's Market.

Gas: $42
Farmer's Market: $8
Residual: $100
Virtual Piggy Bank: $369

That means that in one month, I saved almost $400 ABOVE what I usually save!
I understand that not everyone can or will have these results, but I want you to see that it is possible. I don't live frugally out of necessity. I do it for comfort and security.
I don't know about you, but I find money stress to be the worst, so why go through that?

A short recap of my Budget Plan:

Source: perceptioniseverything.blogspot.com via Janna on Pinterest

Subtract bills and expenditures from monthly income, subtract savings goal from that, and the remainder can be "fun" money! Do you know what "fun" money means? It means you don't have to feel guilty! I wish I could explain it so that you would jump right in, but you won't ever understand how great it feels until you are able to truly embrace your frugal side.
Have power over your money, don't let it have power over you.

I have to say, even though there weren't a lot of link ups, I was quite impressed with all of the people that participated! It was awesome to know that we were inspiring bloggers that we didn't even know. For future reference, I am always happy to help with budgeting, so if anyone has any more questions or needs motivation, feel free to ask. I want you to all feel the freedom that I do.
{end cheesy rant}

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, but take some time to think of the soldiers, and send positive thoughts our way.  It's going to be mid-July before they have full fire containment, so let's just hope that we maintain zero casualties.
*Update...one soul lost in the Waldo Canyon Fire.*

*Update #2...I'm beginning to realize that a lot of people don't know about the soldiers and shooting in  Fort Bragg. You can read that unfortunate story here, and my thoughts and prayers go out to their families, and the Fort Bragg community.*

Getting my mind off things with a Vlog.

It was hard for me to post this with everything going on.

I have been through tornadoes, tropical storms, and hurricanes, but NOTHING has made me as scared as watching my town burn. Especially when the FLAMES can be seen from 15 miles away.

I didn't even know that was possible.

As Weiser and I were walking to the Farmer's Market today, I saw a plume of smoke that seemed worst than it should be, so I took this photo:

Unknowingly, I had taken a picture when the fires had begun destroying homes.

Unless you live under a rock, you have heard that there are Colorado fires, but we thought we were improving, until yesterday. We had a false sense of security when they let evacuees go home, and then  the worst happened. Wind-driven flames took us all by storm.

There are more than 32,000 people that have been evacuated from their homes.

I hope that the brave firefighters can save as many as they can, but more importantly- I hope all the people and animals stay safe. Material things can be replaced, the lives of my fellow Coloradians (two-footed and four) cannot.  My heart goes out to the brave Firefighters, and our amazing local and state government, for all that they are doing. Let's just hope our national government steps it up a bit. The whole "we need to save resources in case there is another emergency" doesn't fly with me. We are IN an emergency in THIS COUNTRY, so come save us.

I am so incredibly thankful for all the messages, comments, and tweets from friends, family, and especially bloggers. Every one of them meant the world to me, and Zara not only put a smile on my face, she offered up her home and her parents home, as did Sami. Both of which are also from this area, so they are feeling the heaviness of this situation too. Don't worry y'all, Pamela has a prayer army going, and I have faith in her :)

As I sit here at a loss for what to do, I know that getting my mind off things is necessary, which is why I am still posting "The Girl Behind The Blog", Vlog. I hope you like mine, but more importantly-your vlogs better be good, because I need some serious distraction.

Welcome to the original post, pre-natural disaster:

A while back, I participated in this, and thought it was just awesome, so I was ecstatic when a new one came up! Do you know Ashley and Nicole? They are the hostesses of this shindig.

I feel like Vlogs are a fantastical way to connect to each other, which is why I always love participating  and sharing in these types of things. I do find myself quite cheesy in them, but all I can do is be myself and hope that you find it endearing ;)

Like I said, I need something to get my mind off of everything, so if you link up- lemmeknow!!

Thoughts and prayers, much obliged. Keep 'em coming.

Show And Tell Vlog

I'm baaaack, and back in action!

What better way to kick off my first day home than a vlog linkup!

I mean, who doesn't love a good vlog linkup?

ESPECIALLY when it is hosted by Raven and Becky.

I guess I was super excited, because it ended up being quite long. 

I didn't want to go too overboard, so I trimmed it quite a bit for your viewing pleasure.

Enjoy!!

Have you done your video yet?

If not, answer these questions and link up.

I want to hear your answers too!

That surprise I mentioned ;)

Back story:

Will loves it when I sing to him, but I never sing a full song.

(In fact he chastises me for it ;)

Thus, I got the brilliant idea to send a few songs over to him in the 'Stan.

 What was the first I chose?

Watch the video. hehe.

I am not a professional by any means,

 just a wife singing her heart out ~ hoping that it makes it's way all the way to her lover.

This is also my inspiration this weekend.  

I can't tell you why (don't you love when I'm so cryptic), but hopefully- if all goes well, I will have some pretty cool news to share soon!

"The Girl Behind The Blog"

I feel like today is going to be a good day.

I get to participate with Erin and Ashley in this Vlog link up, I am guest posting for Bethany over at 

Skinny Is A Mindset, and on top of that,I only have a four day work week this week! I'm not sure how I got so lucky- 

but I'll take it.

First up- the link up.  It is an inspired opportunity to get to know some of your fave bloggers, as well as meeting some new ones in the process.  I was pretty excited about today, so I made two videos.  I wasn't sure which one to share, so I figured- why not both?  Especially since they show two completely different sides of me.   I'm sure you will be able to differentiate...or just choose to watch whichever one looks fun ;)

This one is my best foot forward, "I want you to take me seriously" one:

And this one is my candid, "Don't take me seriously" one:
(If you don't like gum chewing- don't watch this one...I forgot to spit it out. Fair warning :)

At least now I know that I am better recording vlogs outside of my home...I guess it distracts me, so that I don't over do it.  I do still enjoy the first video, though.  I feel like I let my emotions flow a bit more. Yay for transparency. Right, Erin??

Now it's time for you to go check out my guest post and show Bethany some love!  You will regret it if you don't go, because I shared a video, that I can't promise you will ever see on this blog.  This could be a once
in a lifetime opportunity, and no matter what- you will get a good laugh on my account!

Thank you Erin, Ashley and Bethany for starting my week off right!

**UPDATE**

I had to add one more short video, because one more lovely friend deserves an extra shout out too!

Pinky, I put myself out there in PJ's and NO makeup, so please forgive me for the oversight in my nervous vlog ramblings. Love ya, girl!!

Now it really is past my bedtime!!
Nighty-night!

Kreativ Blogger & Accent Vlog

Miss Pinky, also tagged me in a post this post week, and I am pretty dang excited to share!  I didn't necessarily get tagged in the accent vlog, but thought it was too fun not to try. 

The instructions are to say these words:

Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting Image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught.

And then answer these questions:

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?

What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?

What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?

What do you call gym shoes?

What do you say to address a group of people?

What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?

What do you call your grandparents?

What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?

What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?

What is the thing you use to change the TV Channel?

C'mon...you know you wanna do it ;)

PLEASE forgive me for all the "ums" I used...obviously I was nervous. I also blame it on the fact that I was looking at a split screen...I recommend writing everything down for easier reading.

Then home girl gave me the Kreative Blog award, which I am pretty excited about!

I'm sure you have already come across her blog, because she's pretty awesome, but just in case-

GO VISIT NOW!

Here are the rules for the award:

1} Link back to the person who gave you this award.

2}Complete the form.

3}Award 5 blogs and let them know in a comment or email.

4} Share 7 random thoughts about yourself.

The form:

1} Name your Favorite Song:

Phil Collins "In The Air of The Night".

Only because it was my favorite when I was little and my daddy would crank it in the 'Stang on the way to school every morning. Good memeories.

2} Name your favorite dessert:

I actually don't like having 'dessert' because I am full after I eat. 

 I do love sweets on their own, and my go to would be carrot cake.

3} What ticks you off?

Disrespectful people.

4} When I'm upset:

I try to talk myself out of it.  I think about all the good things in life and why I shouldn't be wasting my time on negativity that gets you nowhere.  Especially when it comes to Will,  I ask myself: "Is this worth being angry?  Wouldn't I rather cuddle with him and talk it out at some point?" 

5} What's your favorite pet?

Our 'son' Weiser. He is the first animal that I have connected with on this level. I did have a little white dog when I was little, but it got puppy-napped, which is probably why I didn't get attached to any other family pets.

6} Black or White? .

Neither really, but white if I have to choose.

7 }Biggest Fear:

The unknown and change.  They are silly things to fear, but I guess you might say I have control issues.  I just like having some semblance of control and feeling the ground under my feet.  I've only recently begun to understand that your favorite products get discontinued, your favorite restaurant may close, styles change and that people change, but it doesn't always mean the world is ending.

Seven random  thoughts about me pictures:
I think that I have given away enough tidbits lately, so I am revising.

To change it up- I went through my phone and picked every 7th photo to Instagram.  This was great
because I ended up posting pictures that I probably wouldn't have shared otherwise.

1} This is how Will fell asleep last night.  He was nuzzling, and the next thing I knew-
he was OUT!

2} His grandma in Ohio MADE us these...They are awesome!

3}  My co-worker turned 21 and we all had a blast! 
Laughter is the best sign of life.

4} I always take pictures of my outfit.  They just don't make it off my camera/phone. 

5} This is "our" spot.  It's a random field adjacent to the dog park, where we can let
Weiser run and have a leisurely walk.

6} This is a "crustless pizza" that does have a crust, it's just made out of cauliflower. 
I made it for Will's birthday dinner!
I will have to pass along the recipe soon!

7} Will doesn't like cake or most sweets, so I made him Blueberry pastries.
Safeway had a sale on blueberries, so I threw this together and it was de-lish!

The blogs I would like to pass the Kreativ Blogger award to are:

1} Sarah @ Simply Sarah

2} Desiree @ Mama And Her Boys

3} Whitney @ Everything Happens For A Reason

4} Michelle P. @ Making Sense of Cents

5}  Steph @ The Sweet Life

Some of these ladies are like sisters to me, some dear friends already and some new interests of mine...That means you need to CHECK'EM!!

I can't wait to get through this week, to get to our weekend getaway BUT I want time to stand still because I don't want Will to deploy :(  I think for the first time ever- I am truly cherishing each and every day.  You should too <3

Makeup Tutorial

Happy Hump Day!

It's one of those busy weeks, which always seem to coincide with busy blog weeks, so my posting is all out of order.  I planned on posting part two of "Marital Bliss" on Monday, but a few lovely ladies were still picking up the book.

(That means there is still time if you haven't picked it up or now want to join in! Find info here.) 

Then there was the badass Tattoo link up, that I just HAD to participate in, and now I have been tagged in several of the fun posts that are going around, which I like to do promptly to credit the tagger(s).  One of them is an accent Vlog, thus my makeup tutorial had to be posted today, since I put such emphasis on it being my first vlog....Now I know that I am not held to that, but there is just something in me, that feels the need to keep to my promises.  Do y'all do that? Feel like since you posted that you would do something- that you MUST follow through?  I can be flexible with some things and I try not to make promises I can't keep, but sometimes I feel like I am bound by my words on blogger, in spite of everything.

Oh well, point is- Now you get a VLOG!

Preface:

This is a makeup tutorial, just as the title denotes, but I am no professional.  I'd like to think my makeup looks good, but regardless, it's what works for me.  If you think I look like a clown- please refrain from throwing it in my face ;)

{If you have any questions regarding products, feel free to ask!}

 

#1- Sorry it's longer than I planned, but it is a tutorial so I didn't want to rush.

#2 You might need to turn up the volume.
#3 I probably should have looked into the camera while applying, but just so you know- I had to set up the camera on top of a box, placed precariously on top of the sink, so my angles were hard to work with...I only just now realized that I could have used my tripod...whoops!

#4 I hope you don't find it boring.

#5 It's my first EVER Vlog. Don't judge.

 

Aaaannnnd the Finished Product:

With a little Picnik editing and the appropriate posing of course! 

Have a great day y'all!!