Christmas 2009 in Oklahoma

A glance at James' brother Fred's car. It had to be dug out of the snow!

A view of the aftermath. It glistened and was so pretty...

Some parts of the snow drift were so deep!

Piles of snow pushed aside to create a path

View from Kathleen & Steve's driveway

All of the decorations were blown around by the blizzard

I loved the way the ice formed on the glass - classic white Christmas

Crazy snow drift in front of the door. And, we took this during the halfway point in the storm

View from inside the house - so many more pictures but takes forever to load!

Christmas 2009 in Oklahoma

Since James and I have been together, I've gone with him every year to visit his family in Oklahoma. We usually stay well over two weeks - even staying to celebrate the New Year.

Unfortunately, due to many reasons, we were only able to stay for a week this year. It went by so quickly, and we arrived back in Miami last night.

We did have a lot of fun there, though. And, for how crappy 2009 was, Christmas was really spectacular. Additionally, I experienced my first white Christmas - a fluke for Lawton, Oklahoma - and I got to witness it first-hand. Not only did I see snow, but we were caught in a blizzard that hit Central U.S : Oklahoma, Texas, North Dakota & Minnesota (I think - don't quote me on that)

Lawton, Oklahoma got 6-8 inches of snow while Oklahoma City (about an hour and a half northwest of Lawton/Fort Sill) got 14 inches of snow. Needless to say, we were trapped inside the house while cars piled up on the roadsides - frozen and helpless - and the roads began to shut down.

There were tons of reported accidents and even some deaths. The snow also ruined some of our plans as James, myself, James' Mom and his Brother were planning on doing some last-minute shopping at the mall in Lawton. Most of the roads were closed and we spent Christmas Eve eating all day and sleeping. Nevertheless, our Christmas was great and I was thrilled to see so much snow. I regret to say that I didn't make a snow angel, snowman or even have a snowball fight because I caught a bad cold and was afraid of getting sick-er.

I did walk to a friends house and fell into a pile of snow drift that was over a foot deep. I was up to almost my knees in snow it seemed - and my trusty faux-ugg boots were not cutting it.

Not to mention, it was below freezing and my Miami body wasn't too pleased. I was glad to experience it though, and want to share the pictures.

Enjoy and I hope everyone had a merry Christmas, happy holidays and great winter season :]

TinyTea5's Contest Winners

TinyTea5's Contest Winners

I just returned from my trip to Oklahoma for Christmas, and checked out the contest winners for TinyTea5's "Sexiest Going Out" makeup look on YouTube.

I was so excited to see that I won second place. Check out the contest winner's video here. I don't know what the prizes are as Tami (TinyTea5) added a second prize package later in the contest. I went back to the original contest video on YouTube, but it's now private - so, I don't know exactly how many entries there were. But, I believe the contest had several hundred video responses and over 1,000 views!

I'm excited to see what the prizes are!

Last Contest Entry for TinyTea5

Last Contest Entry for TinyTea5

So, I decided to do one final look for TinyTea's contest. Stating that her subscribers could enter as many times as possible was very tempting...But, I don't want to flood her box with only my videos. I really do like the other video responses so far, and hope that my blogs and tweets about the contest will gain some more subscribers or entries for her.

My last look isn't that exciting...a warm earth tones look. I'm feeling a bit lazy, so find the links below :-)

TinyTea5's "Sexy Going Out Look" Contest - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LZqTOKenrw

My Channel where you can see my 3rd picture montage - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5WWxfM3zgw

2nd Contest Entry for TinyTea5 on YouTube

2nd Contest Entry for TinyTea5 on YouTube

For the video response portion of the contest, TinyTea stated that one could enter as many times as they'd like. So, I decided to enter a second video with a more feminine, soft, and sultry look. I think that while my other dramatic look was sexy, this one is sexier :D Check out my channel on YouTube and let me know what you think. You can view the second montage/entry there.

Makeup Contest on YouTube

Makeup Contest on YouTube

TinyTea5 is a member of YouTube, whose videos mainly pertain to Makeup/Beauty/Fashion. I met her on a BlogTV chat for JuicyTuesday's makeup channel. She is a very sweet girl and very knowledgeable about makeup. TinyTea5 is now hosting a makeup contest with some AWESOME prizes!

I have entered this contest with a simple but dramatic and very glittery makeup look created on One True Media. I've attached the link to my YouTube channel so you can check out my video if you like!

At this point, I'm not sure whether or not I'll continue to make videos. I'll probably just be uploading contest entries for now. This took up a couple of hours today, so I'm unsure whether I have the time to devote to this.

Anyhow, I definitely encourage anyone else to enter TinyTea5's contest. Check out the contest video for rules and details...there's also an option to enter with a text comment. So, be sure to enter for a chance to win all of her amazing prizes!

Let me know what you think!

Selling Pumps & Sneakers

Selling Pumps & Sneakers

I'll keep this pretty short--I'm selling two pair of pumps and sneakers that I don't wear/don't fit. I order a lot of shoes online, so these are ones that I have never worn or worn once. Depending on how quickly I sell these items, I may post some more pumps. I've sold shoes on eBay in the past and the pumps sell the quickest...So, if you're interested, please let me know!

I'm also thinking of posting these items on my local Craigslist to maximize the possibility of sale. I've included three small pictures for you all to check out!

Thanks for helping me out.

Sunday Night Dinner

Sunday Night Dinner

So, today has been a very lazy Sunday. James and I have just laid around and slept. We're up now, and I decided to make some good home cooking for us tonight.

At the Publix I go to, there is a section where there are some prepared chicken and fish items. One of them is usually chicken cordon bleu wrapped in bacon. So, I took this concept and made it fresh.

Basically, I took boneless skinless chicken breasts and pounded them out to be thin, laid a piece of ham over the top, some shredded provolone cheese, and rolled it up. The seam-side down in the casserole dish. Then, sprinkle with paprika, salt, pepper, oregano, and parsley.

Once this was in the dish, I cut up one whole red pepper and a whole yellow pepper and arranged them around the chicken. Then, I cut up small yukon gold potatoes and did the same thing. I finished by sprinkling cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, and olive oil over top.

Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. I usually make a small slit on the top of both pieces of chicken as well, just to ensure everything is cooked through. The juices that come out of the chicken will give amazing flavor to the potatoes and vegetables.

I also paired this with garlic cheese toast :)

Has been totally scammed...

Has been totally scammed...

So, a couple of weeks ago I purchased what I thought was a BlackBerry Javelin 8900 from a wholesale company based in China. That should have been my first clue, right? Well, when purchasing my current phone, Arctic White Palm Centro...I searched around the depths of the internet looking for the best deal and ended up finding one.

Some website somewhere was selling the phone for $49.99 when I could find it on eBay for no less than $150. Obviously, I was thrilled and it turned out to be a really great phone. So, when I began my search to join the BlackBerry cult, I didn't think I'd be scammed like I was. As I mentioned in my previous blog, I purchased this phone for 1/3 of what it goes for with AT&T or T-Mobile. I honestly thought I had just stumbled upon a great deal. I'm too trusting apparently.

It took about two weeks to receive the phone since it was coming from China (the long shipping time also had to do with me placing the order during a Chinese holiday...so the order was delayed initially). I received it today and was pleased at first. Having never been part of the BlackBerry community, I didn't really know what to expect. I began by charging it up, changing the settings around to my liking, and basically just trying to navigate around the interface. Then, I called AT&T to switch to the BlackBerry plan and most importantly...GET MY BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) SET UP! This is when the trouble began!

There is no PIN anywhere on the phone; not on the sticker under the battery, not on the box, not under the options tab in Settings, and not saved in the phone's text message automation as "mypin". I was on the phone with AT&T and BlackBerry attempting to get this issue resolved by downloading software for nearly TWO HOURS! My computer froze and I was disconnected from the call, and I decided not even to try anymore.

When James got home, I asked him to help me. He's great with electronics and I figured he'd be able to solve this mystery. After much searching with the serial numbers on the phone, he discovered that what I actually received was a BlackBerry "knock-off" A.K.A Micxon S900. This phone basically got a BlackBerry logo stamped near the screen, and got the BlackBerry menu button to replace the home button that's normally on this phones' keypad. Additionally, the phone has "motion sensors" on the screen, making it a touchscreen phone.

The original BlackBerry Javelin 8900 that has been released in the U.S.A. does NOT have a touchscreen. As you can imagine, I was very upset when James told me the news. I've since opened a dispute with the seller, contacted the website, and left extremely negative feedback. If anyone else has had something like this happen to them, please let me know. I hope to receive a full refund and warn any and all BlackBerry consumers to beware! It's really sad people like this take the time to run huge scam operations.

P.S. The first picture I've included is one that I found through Google Images searching "Micxon S900". This is what the phone looked like prior to them adding the BlackBerry images. I'm also including a picture that I took myself of the phone I received, and what the phone should actually look like.

P.S.S. I also want to note that the stylus featured in this photograph is not identical to the one I received with the phone.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday!

...To my eldest brother Sean, who turned 23 yesterday and my second-eldest brother Shamus, who turns 22 tomorrow. I went to my Mom's house today for a double birthday celebration and had lots of fun. Also, today my cousin Brandon turned 16. So, Happy Birthday's all around :-)

JuicyTuesday's BlogTV

JuicyTuesday's BlogTV

Yesterday JuicyTuesday did a BlogTv and I showed up early to the chat room. I met some really nice people who I am now subscribed to on YouTube and who are also following my blog now! I'm thrilled to have conversed with such kind and intelligent people.

I can't wait to catch up on all of their videos. If I met you in JuicyTuesday's chat yesterday, thank you for the great conversation and laughs! And, if you are now subsequently following my blog, thank you for your support! The room got so packed and I ended up checking out early, but I'm definitely looking forward to the next one :-)

New Blush!

New Blush!

Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips in Rose Glow

This is a blush I've been eyeing for a while at CVS, and I heard some good things about Shimmer Strips from Emilynoel83 on YouTube. So, I decided to go for it. What's stopped me from purchasing this in the past is that Physician's Formula products tend to run between $12-22 even in the drugstore. I believe I paid $12.99 although some websites online have the same product for over $20:

http://www.tameraonline.com/servlet/the-564/blush-and-highlighter-illuminates/Detail

This blush is really versatile since you can concentrate light, medium or dark blush on your skin all with one palette. These can also double up as eyeshadows.

I used it today concentrating more on the two dark pink shades toward the bottom of the palette, and used the top three shades as a nice highlight. It worked out well and I plan to use it again tomorrow and test its staying power.

I officially have braces

I officially have braces

After a very long journey with my dental office, I finally have braces. The estimate on how long I'll have them has been changed several times. I'll go ahead and say two years total both top and bottom should be completed. It's not too bad...I'm sure the time will fly and I'll be used to them in no time.

My smile, obviously, looks really odd at the moment and I'm kind of bummed/excited about the other things the ortho told me. But, I am very glad that this is finally getting taken care of. Another year without them and my underbite would be back. My smile definitely would not be attractive then, would it?

NYX Cosmetics Order from Cherry Culture

NYX Cosmetics Order from Cherry Culture

Yesterday James was nice enough to buy me a whole bunch of products from Cherry Culture. And I decided to share the items I bought with you! I probably have one NYX product in my entire makeup collection. I know it's prevalent in North America, but it's not easily accessible for me. NYX Cosmetics are pretty affordable, have great quality and packaging, and are pretty well known among the makeup community.

Cherry Culture is one of the websites that sells NYX products at (sometimes) discounted prices. James spent about $40 including priority shipping and I got many goodies!

Here's the rundown:

NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk $3.00
NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Cottage Cheese $3.00
NYX Diamond Sparkle Lipstick in Sparkling Nude $4.00
NYX Auto Lipliner in Natural $3.00
NYX Glitterati Glitter Cream Palette $12.00
NYX For Your Eyes Only 10 Color Eyeshadow Palette in Green Eyes $8.00

I wanted to include a photo of each item, because I think the Cherry Culture website has some decent swatches and photos. But, for the NYX Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencils, the swatches are barely visible on the site. Milk, as you can imagine, is a very creamy prominent white shade, while cottage cheese (from my understanding after discovering it from YouTube Makeup Guru emilynoel83) is a more off-white shimmery shade.

As for the Diamond Sparkle Lipsticks, the swatches are pretty amazing. I only hope the lipsticks look that nice in person! The Sparkling Nude shade seemed the nicest shade to brighten up the face during winter. I'm looking forward to trying this color out. The lipliner is pretty self-explanatory, just a shade that looked like it might match my lips quite well, and decided to go for it!

Now, the Glitterati Glitter Cream Palette, the swatches look absolutely gorgeous and I really hope these are pigmented and easy to work with. I need a good palette of dramatic glittery shadows I can use for the upcoming Halloween festivities. I'm very excited to try this palette out.

Lastly, the 10 Eyeshadow Palette designed for each specific eye color. I purchased the palette for Green Eyes, as my eyes are a dark forest green. The palette contains purples and greens, the classic colors for making green eyes pop. I hope they are very pigmented and soft!

I suppose I can post an EDIT once I've tried everything out! :-)

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub

I decided to try out some of the products from Target's Soap & Glory brand. I tried out a lip plumper that I didn't like at all, but the Sugar Crush Body Scrub was a different story. I am absolutely 100% impressed AND obsessed with this stuff!

I have to start out by discussing the smell of this scrub; it smells like a Mojito or a Margarita. The best part is it's not overpowering, and you don't smell like a walking cocktail after you've showered. The packaging describes the product as "...smashed brown sugar & sweet lime, almond oil & macadamia grains." Just the name alone is so tantalizing to my senses. I swear I've considered eating this several times, but I'm sure that won't turn out very well! It's a truly delicious scent. If you shy away from heavy fruit or sugar scents I absolutely do not recommend this product!

So, it smells great and does a fantastic job of really exfoliating my skin. There is a slightly sweet smell left on your skin that's very delicate and not overpowering at all. It's a pretty feminine scent, and it leaves my mouth watering.

A couple of problems I encountered with this product: it's best to use in the shower of course, since you need to rinse it off very well. So, water tends to get inside of the jar when you're reaching in and out for product. When this happens, a weird liquid forms in the jar. I try to dump that out after every use.

My second qualm was that the grains are sticky due to the sugar and can stick to your tub. It took me quite a while to get this rinsed down my drain, and I think it may have contributed to recent clogging of my shower drain as well. But, it smells and works so well, I'll deal with that obstacle most definitely. Definitely keep some draino near by for this one!

Overall, it leaves my skin feeling smooth, removes all of my dead and dry skin, moisturizes, leaves a fresh scent on your body, and your whole bathroom smelling like lime, mint and sugar!

I should mention where you can find this product, and of course...COST! To my knowledge, Soap & Glory is only found at Target stores (in the U.S.A.), but are available in other stores like Shopper's Drug Mart in Canada as well as various stores in the U.K.

Soap & Glory isn't very cheap. Its vintage packaging and bright pink display in the makeup section of Target make the skincare line extremely attractive and unique. The Target website is currently selling this product for $16.99. However, I'm tempted to say that I paid $18.99 at my local Target store.

I won't say that a "little goes a long way" for this product, because I sure haven't been abiding by that rule. I've been really loading this stuff onto my body because I am just so absolutely in love with the fabulous scent. But, I'm sure used sparingly it works just as well.

I highly recommend this product if you have access to it. Currently, shopping on the Soap & Glory website is unavailable, but will be available soon. So, keep an eye out!

Today is a GREAT day!

Today is a GREAT day!

I've come to the conclusion that today is a really wonderful day. I like these kinds of days! :-)

New Photos

New Photos

So, a close friend of mine and I decided to go have lunch at a place called Crepe Connection. She's actually in the middle of dying her hair, so it's been postponed until later tonight. I got all dressed up to go and now I'm stuck at home, very bored.

Here are some photos I just took moments ago. I did put one of these photos as my main profile picture now as well =P

Edit: I ended up not going to lunch at all! I picked up some soup from Panera Bread instead. So good!

New phone! Blackberry Javelin 8900

Blackberry 8900 - Javelin

I'm very excited to announce that I have officially purchased a new phone, which will be my first ever Blackberry - Javelin 8900.

I was lucky enough to find a wholesale website that sells these phones for very inexpensive. I won't publish the site just yet...Not until I receive the phone and it's in proper working order.

For a phone that goes for $300, maybe $150 if you're upgrading...I paid literally 1/3 of that.

Hope the phone is everything I imagine it to be! Will post my BBM PIN soon! Yayyy!!

/happydance

Spicy Sausage & Beef Ravioli with Homemade Sauce!

Spicy Sausage & Beef Ravioli with Homemade Sauce

Today, James and I were both home from work and our dinner apetites approached late afternoon, which is earlier than usual. I decided to try and put a spin on an easy pasta sauce I saw on Everyday Italian with Giada De Laurentiis.

Tonight, I took a box of refrigerated ravioli found in Publix's chilled pasta section, which was the Spicy Sausage & Beef flavor, and boiled it as the package directed. But, I wanted to take the simple recipe from Everyday Italian and make it my own go-to pasta sauce.

I basically began by heating some olive oil in a large skillet and sauteeing about 3 cloves of garlic. It sounds like a lot, but it really gives the sauce a ton of flavor. You also want quite a bit of olive oil in the pan, about 5 or 6 tablespoons.

Once the garlic has sauteed for a couple of minutes, I turn down the heat and add one tablespoon of butter, a small yellow onion (diced), and about 1 cup to 1 1/2 cup of cherry or grape tomatoes (halved).

Once the onions are translucent and the tomatoes are softened, take the back of a fork and press down on the tomatoes. You want all of the juices and flesh of the tomato to be released into the pan, creating texture and flavor for the sauce. Then, I add salt and pepper to taste, about a teaspoon of Mrs. Dash Italian Medley spice, and about a 1/2 teaspoon of Nature's Seasoning.

I let this simmer while the ravioli boils away (following package directions; boiling in 4 quarts salted water with 1 tablespoon of olive oil to prevent sticking). Once these are al dente, I drain them and add them right into the skillet with the sauce and mix it very well. I usually salt and pepper a little more here, and then squirt about a half of a lemon into the pan as well. Lastly, I sprinkle with some parmesan cheese and serve with garlic bread or rolls. Here, I served it with regular store bought Crescent Rolls Butter Flake.

This meal took no more than 20 minutes. It was an easy way to add homemade flavor to a store bought dinner.