To Cut or Not To Cut?

I have been wanting a change for my hair.  I constantly battle cutting it short then growing it out. It's what I do.  I have been growing it out for a while now and, surprise surprise, I want to cut it short again.  However, I have been pinning a lot of this lately. 

Now I am contemplating bangs. I've never really done the bang thing, so I can't make up my mind if I want to do it or not.  My thought was that I can keep my hair long and just cut the bangs.  If I don't like them, I can just pin them back for a while until they grow out a bit. I don't know- oh the challenges of being a girl! :) 

Any thoughts?  Any new hair styles or changes for you guys? 

All I Want for Christmas

This. 

 

Plus this.   

Plus this. 

Plus this. 

Equals this. 

Christmas came early for me this year. And Santa knew just what I wanted.  I have been wanting a DSLR camera for a while now so that I could take some of the informal photography classes available at UT.  I really like photography and want to someday be semi-good at it (a LONG time from now!). One day I came home from work and there it sat.  A new Canon Rebel EOS T2i.  In all its glory. 

Kyle decided to give it to me early so that I could take pictures during the holidays.  I am very, very thankful and very, very, very excited.  I have been taking a lot of random pictures just trying to learn all the setting while playing with the lighting, shutter speed, etc.  My favorite model? My nephew Cooper, of course.  Here are a couple that I have taken.  (Also, I have been trying to learn Photoshop to edit the pictures, so that is why you see some of the same pictures with different edits. The Coffee Shop Blog has TONS of free PS actions for anyone who is curious.)

I <3 baby feet! :) 

Any ideas on removing eyeglasses glare?
I think the best suggestion is to take the picture better....shucks. 

So there you have it, pictures of Coop, the handsome Haug boys, and Moose (yearning for someone to play ball with him)! Anyone getting an early Christmas too?  Or enjoy taking pictures of baby feet? No? Just me? Well never mind then... 

                                                          

It Was Mint to Be

For the past year I have developed a new love- a love that runs deep, and I'm afraid to say that it is here to stay.

Enter coffee.

OMG why did I spend so many years not liking it?  It's a crazy thought.  Anyway,  last year for Christmas my wonderful husband bought me a Keurig.  It has been the most wonderful and most used present of all time. (Let me just throw in a side note that you all should try the pumpkin spice k-cups (Green Mountain, I think?).  They are great for the holidays!)  However, I still love those dang Starbucks' frappuccinos, and we get them by the dozen whenever they are on sale at Cosco.  The coffee and mocha fraps are great to supplement my morning coffee regimen.

I recently found a dangerous addition to my coffee addiction.  Enter Mint Mocha Frappuccino.

Starbucks Coffee Mint Mocha Frappuccino- must buy now! 

I love these things.  Not only are they delicious, but they also give me the warm, cozy feeling of winter (which is weird considering it is iced).  It is too bad that they are limited edition.  I am hoping if I buy enough that I alone can make them turn the "limited" into "forever".  

That's it.  That is all I wanted to share today.  I hope you go and buy one today.  I think I might be headed that way...

Big Things A' Comin'!

Just wanted to give a HUGE shout out to my BFF Leisha for helping me change the look of this whole blog.  My previous title "The Adams" was a big snooze fest (I mean, talk about creative huh?), so I decided to go with something a little bit more catchy.  It still is a long way from being complete, but with Leisha making the header (yeah, she made it in Photoshop in what felt like 10 minutes- rock star, right?) it is on the right track to getting there.  I don't have a post ready for today so until then you can admire my precious nephew.  It isn't hard to do. :)

Cooper at six weeks! 

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for:

1. Cold-er weather. Doesn't it feel good? Doesn't it make you happy? Yup and yup.

2. A snuggly puppy to be with me while Kyle is at games/practice.

3. Lovely friends to help me fix this blog (notice the 2 backgrounds? Yah, that wasn't intentional and I can't fix it). Please ignore and consider this blog officially under construction. :)

Trick or Treat...

...Smell my feet...Give me something good to eat! (Yes, I am a 25 year old trapped in a 13 year old's body :))

Happy Halloween!

Who else is as excited as I am that today is Halloween? It is a great time of the year and I get excited at just about everything, so you will have to bear with me!

I did my dressing up this weekend for a friend's bachelorette party. We had a pirate themed party so all the mates donned our loot and had a jolly roger of a good time! Too much? I think not. Anyway, we went downtown in Austin and saw all the sites (if you have ever have been in Austin during Halloween, you know just exactly what those sites entail). We had a great time!

The bride-to-be is in the middle, her sister on the left, and me on the right.

A closer up version (I like this one better :)). And yes, in case you were wondering, I did make everyone call me Cap'n all night. What's wrong with that?!?

Tonight will be pretty low key. The hubs and I will be passing out candy to the trick-or-treaters (we usually have a lot) and tortilla soup, which screams fall, and pumpkin milkshakes, never tried before, are on the agenda for tonight. It is sure to be a good time! Best witches for a happy halloween! (get it, get it?) :)

Thankful Thursday

Sad that I haven't posted since last Thursday? A little.

What I am thankful for:

- Beautiful weather we have been having. We even had RAIN here this past weekend. I almost forgot what rain is.

No, it isn't snowing here. Just dreaming of colder weather. :)

- - A wonderful husband who, remarkably, is understanding at all times. A used to not think that I was high maintenance, but maybe I am ?!? J

Understanding is loving a dog in a pirate costume. Isn't he adorable? Thanks.

- Creativity. I grew up in a household where creativity was fostered from the games we (the kids) used to create to play to a mom who would assist me on any/all crafts that I wanted. While I may not be the most talented or crafty person ever, I am thankful for those childhood experiences and feel I am always thinking of crafts to do now.

Our new nightstand dressers. Rast dresser from Ikea with sunbleached stain and Anthropologie knobs. Still want to modify them a little but it is a start.

*Sorry the picture quality of this post was terrible. These pics are from my cell phone.

Have a happy weekend!!

Megan

Thankful Thursday

It is officially time to kick off Thankful Thursday! Every Thursday I will post a few things that I am especially thankful for that week.

(Here I should say that I am thankful for the person that made that fabulous design. I don’t know who did it but Google Images does J ).

Today I am thankful for:

* I am thankful for my sweet new nephew who was born two weeks ago. I am so glad that after a week in the NICU he is now home with his proud mom and dad! Babies are such a beautiful blessing!

*I am thankful for wonderful friends that I can turn to whenever I need a helping hand. They are always there for me but their support has been steadfast these past few weeks.

*I am thankful for DVR. Man, are there a lot of good shows on these days or what? I can never watch them in real time, so I rely on that DVR to maintain my tv addiction! Plus, it allows me to skip annoying commercials. YAY! J

*I am thankful for Claratin! With all the weather changes my allergies have been a monster!

I hope everyone has a great Thursday and finds something to be grateful for!

For this I am grateful!

"It is always possible to be thankful for what is given rather than to complain about what is not given. One or the other becomes a habit of life." ~Elisabeth Elliot

It’s fall y’all! Fall is by far my favorite season. I have been asking Kyle what city has the longest fall season- because I want to move there. stat. Fall is not only my favorite season because of the weather and the football that it brings, but because of the atmosphere and the feeling of thanks that surrounds you during this season. Thinking about this the other day brought me to the above quote, which then brought me back to something that I use to attempt (with no success) back in the day.

Enter a gratitude journal (can you follow my random train of thoughts yet?). Starting this week I am beginning a gratitude journal. Not to detail the events of each day or even say anything memorable that captures a particular point in time, but to remind myself that no matter what the struggles or the downfalls are of the day, there are always things (no matter how small it might be) to be grateful for and that should be the point of your focus verses complaining (which I am the first to admit I have been doing too much of lately). My goal is to jot down something…anything…at least one thing…to remind me of happiness, of thankfulness, and of love that surrounds me each day.

The second thing I would like to try is this:

(And yes, I took this image off of Google images so to whoever designed it, thanks! It's super cute!) In a double effort to be more thankful as well as blog more, I hope to share something with everyone that I am thankful for each Thursday. I hate to confess that my gratitude journal is going to be my number one goal, but Thankful Thursday will run a close second! :)

So who wants to join me on this endeavor? Or who is already ahead of me and isn’t getting bogged down in complaining/missing out on the happiness that each day brings? Anyone want to join me for Thankful Thursday? Tis the Season (oh wait, wrong seasonal reference huh?)

The Windy City

A couple of weeks ago Kyle and I took a trip to Chicago. We are not much on planning (we didn't even plan the trip until 2 weeks before), so it was fun to just go without an itinerary or a plan of what we were going to do. It is great to have nothing planned but to relax and have fun!

Although there was a heat wave and it was the hottest it has been in like 12 years (of course, why would we get to escape the heat?!?), we had a great time. We went to a Cubs game in Wrigley Field (the game was terrible but it was still fun to be in such an iconic stadium), the zoo, the conservatory (which was home to some of the most beautiful flowers ever!), walked around Soldier Field (another beautiful stadium where the Bears play), Millennium Park, and saw beautiful fountains and parks all over Chicago.

We both really enjoyed the city- you can be walking amongst sky rises and city buildings and out of nowhere you come upon a beautiful, serene nested park with gorgeous art sculptures. I think it would be a definite city of choice for both of us to move to if we had to leave Texas.

We spent quite a bit of time at the pier where the sail boats are docked because it was so calm and beautiful. I think this may have been Kyle's favorite part. We are destined to be water people! :)

We enjoyed great food (the pizza was AMAZING!!):

Spending time on the Navy Pier (even riding the Ferris Wheel!):

Only down side was that Kyle had a run in with Shel-the Shoe Shiner. I will skip the details on that. Just know that Shel walked away with $11 on that deal and Kyle walked away with not-s0-shined shoes. A tip to all- avoid the downtown streets after dark. Just saying.

We had a great time! We want to make another trip to go to all the museums (there are TONS!) at some point in the future. Sadly, we only had a few days in Chicago so the museums didn't get marked off our list.

So now we are both back and work and ready for another vacation. Why do vacations always leave you wanting more? Maybe that's just me. And maybe one day we will make it to Alaska like I "plan."... one day... :)

simply put

Products. Boy. Do. I. Love. Products. I have come to realize that I have a problem. Hello, my name is Megan, and I am addicted to products. It can be anything- make up, hair, cleaning, whatever. Why is it so tempting to buy a product that you read about in magazines? I mean, if People says Kate Hudson uses this product to get her hair so gorgeous in only 4 minutes I am sold. Why is this? Hmm..

It all got started a few weeks ago when I was cleaning out the bathroom cabinets and threw away a huge trash bag of half-full, barely used bottles of things I bought to try and either didn't like or just never really used. I thought to myself, how ridiculous is this? I have wasted so much money buying things that I see on t.v., hear about from others, or read about in magazines. Is it necessary to have all of this? Why not find 1 item you like and stick to it?

That is why there is a change a comin' in the Adams' household. We are simplifying the way we live. Maybe not in all areas but at least some. Everyone has to start somewhere, right? Up first was the bathroom supplies. I got rid of all my unused hair products and am down to shampoo, conditioner, leave-in conditioner, and hairspray. No more buying products just to try, I will just use what I have. Real simple. As for makeup (which I have never been big on), I have very few things in my bag-powder, combined blush/bronzer, eyeliner, and mascara. That's it. That's all I need.

Check out my bag. It feels great to be so condensed. (ps- I have switched to organic make up -Physician's Formula- and it is wonderful! My face feels fresh and clean all the time!)

We also have an over abundance of cleaning supplies.

but wait there's more...

and that's not it...

We have a product for everything- something to clean the stove, something to clean the shower, something to clean the sink, something to clean dishes, something to clean floor.... the list continues. This is the second wave of the simplifying process. After we empty the bottles we currently have (we didn't want to be wasteful and throw them all out), we are changing to an all-in-one cleaner. Actually there will probably be two. I am currently researching the options but here is what I think we have it narrowed down to. Dr. Bronner's Magic Pure Castile Classic Soap and Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day All Purpose Cleaner. These are both cleaners that can be diluted and adapted for whatever it is that needs cleaning. I cannot wait for the day that all of those cleaning products are replaced with 1 little bottle. I think angels are going to be singing. All cleaning supplies will fit in one basket tucked away in the laundry room. Everything you need in one place. More details to come when all of this comes to fruition.

I have been replacing, and will replace, everything with a natural or organic product. I love the way it feels to be eco-consious and not have to worry about the chemicals that are constantly surrounding us. Yes, these products tend to be more pricy but I will be buying less (thanks to a reduction in binge buying). So, in the long run, we are actually saving money and being more protective of our health.

Lastly, I know I already covered the bathroom but there is one I didn't mention. I had to work up the courage to talk about this to you. It is the most rediculous of them all...

I give you...my nail polish collection....

Who needs 30 bottles of nail polish? I'm not exaggerating folks. Count 'Em. There's 30!!!

There is something about a shimmery color in a little bottle that makes my heat putter. I just love painted nails in all shades. Is it just me? Tell me its not. I would hate to think I am weird. :) This is an issue that I am going to have to combat slowly. No "that's it, I'm done" solution here. I will keep you updated on what I decide. As for now, I am getting rid of a few bottles (is 2 enough?).

Isn't it crazy how we can get wrapped up in all of this stuff? This "simplifying" process is carrying over into other areas also. I have never been one to keep a lot of stuff but boy let me tell you, I am throwing stuff away like crazy. I have taken clothes to the donation box, have stuff packed to go to Goodwill, and the recycle pick-up may need to stop by more than every other week for the next few weeks. IT FEELS AWESOME!

I am excited about this change. I think it is something that I have been wanting to do for quite a while but never had the gumption to just do it. Well now is the time ladies and gents! I'll keep you posted on the changes we make in our household. Any changes going on in your place?

* Sorry about the rambling in this post. It is hard to put into words exactly how freeing it is to make life simpler. :)

Consistency

Trying to get more consistent at this thing but I don't have much energy left tonight. So for now I will tell you what's happenin'.

We bought a new camera from Best Buy a while back (like months ago) and it came with a free Shutterfly 8x8, 20 page book. I completely forgot about it until this weekend and I definitely didn't want to let it go to waste (it has to be used by 8/1) so I have been Shutterfly-ing it up like a mad woman last night and tonight. I made a book of all my bridal portraits (since I really don't have any printed) and I am pretty psyched about it! It should be in 3-7 business days after it is printed. :) Have you used Shutterfly before? I never had (heard about it but hadn't used it myself) and let me tell you- it is pretty stinkin' awesome! I will definitely return for another project when I finish procrastinating some more. ;)

On my mind recently- I would totally like to have a catchy name for this blog rather than meganandkyleadams... zzz...snooze fest! But I am not a creative person when it comes to wit and words. Any ideas? Send them my way!

Time for bed... Moose is already having doggy dreams so it is time for me to hit the sack too! Night!

Summer Fun

It’s been a while but I’m back! We have been in full summer mode (well Kyle has, I have sadly been at work as normal) and boy do I have updates for you! We just recently got back from a quick getaway to Chicago-we had a blast! I’ll be back with a separate post on that trip for you soon. Until then, here are some happenings around the Adams’ household to tide you over.

We have had our DIY hats on a lot recently. I have the urge to redo the ENTIRE house, which is obviously not an option. So in an attempt to make our home feel the way we would like it to, we have decided to do small changes on a small budget. Of course, a small budget leads to lots DIY projects-which I love- so here are some of the projects we’ve done. (It is also important to note that we only rent our house so we are trying to get the “homey” feel we want without doing anything permanent-painting, etc.… I am sure that all of you fellow renters out there sympathize with that. J)

We made this coffee table for our living room together. What we had before was a hand-me down that worked fine but wasn’t necessarily our style. We had switched it out with an ottoman but that still wasn’t the right look. We decided to make this table with a stained top and almond colored base ourselves since it is more along the look that we wanted. It should be noted that it isn’t the sturdiest table ever (my dad said we should invest in a square for straighter legs), but it isn’t too bad for our first attempt.

I have also been in the process of re-doing the den/ugly-mirrored room/ my desk area (which I never use because I would rather be sprawled out on the couch). You may remember it here before.

I am in the process of making a pallet bed (a mixture of several that I have been eyeing on Pinterest). Kyle graciously brought me home 6 pallets from the dumpster at his school (he knew I was looking for some for free). We then sanded and screwed them together and added four casters on the bottom so it can roll around. I still need to make a cushion seat for the top and recover the pillows, but here is the beginning stage.

I also had a pink filing cabinet that I spruced up with modge podged drawers using scrapbook paper, a spray painted shell, and braided twine drawer pulls.

* Any ideas to hide a hideous surge protector? I need it, BAD!

I made some new curtains for the mirror. I had put out a search party for navy and white striped curtains with no luck. I give a big thanks to Ikea for having cheap flat sheets to make this project possible.

I have also added a few new accessories here and there in this room. I still need a rug and to finish the wall collage for above me desk that I have planned.

*Any ideas to cover a kennel in a cool way? I need that as bad as I need to cover the surge protector. Talk about eyesores. Geez. J

Whew! That’s all I got right now. I am in the midst of another project on a daybed (OMG!! SO excited!), but more on that later! Any other must-do DIY projects out there? Isn’t it the most relaxing thing? I love it.