Christmas Trees

Hey! I know it has been while since I have done a post, but 'tis the season of projects, midterms and papers. I absolutely cannot wait to be done with this semester!

On a happier note, as of 3 days ago, it is DECEMBER!! I would have to say that December is probably one of my favorite months. I love snow (Nebraska needs some by the way!), making cookies, anniversary and of course Christmas! This year, I was so happy because I got to decorate two Christmas trees!

The first one I decorated was the one for my house. Now usually, my mom, sister and I would sleep in on Black Friday, then stay cooped up in our house and decorate the tree. This year though we had to wait a little longer. Also, this year we had to decorate our 4 foot tree instead of our 6 foot. We also used to alternate each year between the "kids" tree, and "Mom's" tree. This year we put on my mom's tree and it looks beautiful!

 

 

The ornaments on this tree are all my mom's, some from her childhood and some she has bought. I always think her tree is beautiful with the white lights, and white and gold ornaments.

 

 

The second tree I decorated is also special to me. This year is the first year my boyfriend is in his own apartment, and we decorated what we are calling "Our First Tree" together <3 Every year for both of our lives we have gotten at least one (for me more like 2 or 3) ornament for Christmas. I love this tradition and I plan on continuing when I have children as well. My parents and grandparents did this so when I had my own tree (or sharing one) we have something to decorate it with. :) I loved every minute decorating this tree with my boyfriend and it was a nice "first" for us.

 

"Our First Christmas Tree"

 

 

Well that is it for now. I will have more Christmas posts later, but for now I have some more school stuff to do before break!

 

-Michelle





Dark Magenta Mani!

One of my favorite things to do in my spare time is paint my nails. I have an entire case full of different nail polishes and I love picking different ways to expirement!

A couple of things to keep in mind about polish and nails...

1. You should always keep the same nail polish on for at least a week, using remover that often strips your nails making them weaker
2. Always, always, always wash your hands after using nail polish remover to get it off your nails and hands

When ever I give my self a manicure, I always start my cleaning my hands and nails. I use nail polish remover if I have to then wash my hands with warm soapy water. I use a nail brush cleaner to clean the top and under neath of my nails. Polish sticks better and lasts longer on clean nails.

Here is a picture of my nails after cleaning them.

 

After cleaning my nails I will either cut or file them, if needed. If you are going to cut your nails, soak them in warm water first. This makes the cut easier and smoother. If you are going to file your nails, Only File Them Going One Direction!! Filing back and forth tears the nail apart and they will split and crack easier.

 

 

When I am done cleaning my nails, I add one of two things. I add either a base coat or a nail hardner. This time I used a hardner to help my nails stay strong. I use Rock Solid by Essie. It is nice and smooth and it works. I put one coat of the hardner or base coat on. Once that dries, I move on to the polish.

 

A little tip, to make sure to get just enough polish on the brush. Too little and it doesn't go on smoothly, too much and it is way too messy. I just clean one side of the bristles by running the side of the bristles on the bottle top. Also, to get the right color and lasting wear, always put on two coats of polish. For this manicure, I went with a pink color.

 

This is the color after one coat.

 

This is the color after two coats.

 

I usually give about 10-15 minutes to dry. I am always afraid about messing up my nails when they are wet or tacky. This color is Hot Magenta by Sally Hansen, part of the Hard as Nails line.

 

Hope you got some good and useful tips, and enjoy!

 

<3 Michelle

 

 

 

Halloween!

Hey everybody! So Halloween is on Wednsday, and I'm so excited! This past weekend I got together with some friends of mine to get into the spirit, now I will share with you what we did. C=

These pictures are from a sleepover I went to this weekend. On the left is a cookie decorated by my friend Jenny and I thought it was so cute! The picture on the right was what I decorated. We thought it would be fun to each do one Christmas cookie, so I picked a snowman and decorated with Halloween colors. I think its funny and just a little cute.

The cookies were just simple Pillsbury sugar cookies, nothing too fancy but still delicious. 

 

 

Last night was also fun. My boyfriend and I carved a pumpkin. A couple of weeks ago, I went to Vallas Pumpkin Patch and picked up a fabulous sixteen pound pumpkin. We waited to carve it because if it is carved too soon, then it will not last till Halloween. We picked our pattern from a magazine. This was the first year we did that, the past 2 years we have just done randomness.  I am acutally very happy with how it turned out.

 

 

It was more of a silly face pumpkin, than and scary but I think it is really cute.

 

 

Just one more piece of randomness, while baking the cookies, we made sure to use flour so the dough wouldn't stick and when we were finished with the ghost it made a flour cut out, and we decided to take picture C=

 

 

 Well that's it for today, I hope everyone has a Fabulous and safe Halloween!

 

<3 Michelle





Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ever since we started dating, my boyfriend has been teaching me to cook and bake. :) Last night we made Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies. They were delcious and now I am going to share them with you!

 

2 1/4 cup flour                       1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt                     1 cup packed brown sugar   

1 teaspoon baking soda      2 large eggs beated 

2 stick softened butter         1 tablespoon vanilla

1/2 cup unsweetend cocoa  2 cups chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In one large bowl stir flour, salt, and baking soda. In a second large bowl stir butter, both sugars, eggs, vanilla and cocoa. Gradually stir in flour mixture and mix till combined. Stir in chocolate chips and distribute evenly.

Drop dough by tablespoons onto greased pan and bake about 10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet.

 

My boyfriend and I got quite a bit of cookies from this batch, and we tend to make them larger than a tablespoon. We even like to have a little fun and make one BIG cookie that we had to cook about 15 minutes.

 

 

Also, we both LOVE chocolate, so we added the entire bag of chocolate chips instead of just 2 cups. C= However, when we offered other people the cookies, no one else could handle them...more for us! 

Photography

I know I am not a photographer, but it is till a hobby of mine. I love to wait around with my camera and capture the perfect moment. It may drive some people crazy when I am always taking pictures, and it can be annoying sometimes if you keep trying and nothing works out. However, one of my favorite feelings is going back and looking at the pictures I have taken and find one that is truly amazing.

 

The picture above I am very proud of. It was taken this past summer at a get together of my high school. My friends and I were just dancing around and I decided to snap the picture. What I love about it is the beautiful colors of the sun setting in the background and just the shadows of the people.

 

 

 

 

This picture is of my cousin, William. It was a part of my assignment for my Photography class. Being only about 7, and not too good with listening he just started doing his own thing and was playing hide and seek when I took this picture. Although it was still not what the assignment called for, I kept it anyway because I just love this picture.

 

 

 

This picture, I don't even know how to describe, besides I was so happy when it turned out perfect! Another picture for my photography class, we were dealing with shutter speed and aperture. This picture ended up perfect for the aperture part. After many fails, with both of them when I got home and saw this picture I was extatic! The entire thing is clear and in focus I just might frame it lol!

 



 

First Look of Fall

I know it is pretty basic, but wearing this outfit really got me in the fall spirit. I love hats and gloves and all the accessories that come with the cooler weather.

No matter what, I always try to wear a white hat. I love how it can brighten any outfit. Fall always has darker colors, so I like how the white contrasts it.

I love my purple winter jacket. I got it for a Christmas gift a couple of years ago and I like that it not only a jacket that is not your basic black or grey, but it is also my favorite color! If I am remembering correctly the lable is Zero Xposure.

Jeggings are always a must  have for fall. They tuck into boots or Uggs so easily and I like how these are a dark wash. I got mine at Maurices, my all time favorite place to shop C=

And of course cooler weather means boots! I chose to wear my Uggs because it was going to be 35 degrees at the football game I was on my way too.

<3 Michelle

About the Blog

Hi people! I am creating this blog to be about anything and everything! I plan on including make-up, fashion, even cooking and books and life! It should be fun, and I'm excited :)

<3 Michelle