Thanksgiving Re-Cap!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  I love the food, spending time with family, and the fact that it means that it is almost time for Christmas!

This year was the first year that I really enjoyed my Black Friday shopping experience.   

Jules and I headed to Target to check some stuff out at about 8:30 pm for it's 9:00 pm opening time.  We stood in a long line but were in the store within 15 minutes.  We found some great deals on DVDs and picked out some stuff for Christmas.  After that, we headed to Walmart just to look - and immediately left because the lines were too long and we weren't really looking for anything in particular.  We headed home after that. 

Around 11:15, Mom, Jules, and I headed out to Old Navy and Bath and Body Works.  They both opened at midnight, so we waited in line for Old Navy for a little bit.  We got some great deals at Old Navy (including my favorite v-necks and baseball tees for only $5), and then headed to B&BW where we got some great deals too.  Then we went home to get our beauty rest. 

We woke up around 9:00 am and decided that we wanted to go to Kohl's.  So we went out to breakfast and then hit up Kohl's.  We saved so much money at Kohl's it was ridiculous.  It was definitely a success for the whole family.

After all that madness, it was the weekend.  I was looking forward to it because it was that time of year for our annual trip to the Embassy Suites to celebrate my dad's birthday.  We had a great time and it was relaxing to not do any homework and just read and relax together.

It was hard to get out of bed today and get back to school, especially since I have a cold, but what is keeping me going in the fact that I only have 9 more days of class after today.  I am so ready for this semester to be over and I am ready to have a full month off for Christmas Break.

Here's to helping that you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving and remember to keep your head in the game for these final classes, projects, and exams that you have coming up!

Much love,
Jen

QOTD 11/6/12

"Be kind for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."

I basically live by this quote.  I'm the kind of person that when someone makes a joke about a waiter or someone else that we don't know - I feel terrible and I tell everyone to stop because they don't know what has made that person the way they are.  I always think about this.  I think about how when I'm having a hard day, I wouldn't want anyone to be anything but kind to me, and I wouldn't want anyone to think they know me when they don't.

I think it is important to remember this quote daily because of how many strangers we run into on a daily basis.  I know that I am not perfect (nor will I ever be), but I try my best to give everyone the respect they deserve.  I really do try to treat everyone like I would like to be treated.

Have a great Tuesday & get out there and vote!

Much love,

Jen

A Video You Should Check Out :)

Just a little fun for today - check out this adorable video that I made last semester for my final project in EMB 140! :)

Special thanks go out to Kaylyn, Claire, Hannah, and Brooke who were the stars of this and I couldn't have done it without them!!

Much love,

Jen

Julie's Fall Ball Prep!

So, on Friday I got to help my baby sister get ready for her final Fall Ball at MND (PS I can't believe she is a senior :/).  ANYWHO - I did her hair and (shoutout to) Kaylyn did her make-up.  And basically, I think we did a kick-ass job.  My family is the kind of family where, if you can do something yourself and it will suffice - you don't spend the money to get it done by someone else.  And obviously for this occasion, Julie wasn't about to run out to the nearest salon and drop a bunch of money on a hairstyle for a night, when I could do something that was still very pretty and it was fo free :)  So, on Friday afternoon - Kaylyn and I began to get Jules ready.  We started with her hair - which I first ran a straightener through to make it easier to handle. (If you don't know Julie - her hair is over 2 feet long from root to end and it is normally very curly and frizzy).  

We started by sectioning off a piece in the front to use for the french fishtail braid.  We french fishtail braided it to her ear, and then just fishtailed the rest of that section and secured it with a hairtie.

After that, I pulled the rest of her hair (not including the fishtail braid) into a ponytail where I wanted the center of the masterpiece to be - which happened to the the lower left side of her head.  Then I sectioned it into 4 pieces and braided each one and secured them each with a hairtie.

The next step was taking the braids and making them a little looser and messier.  We did this by pulling the pieces of the braid up and out.  We repeated this process up and down the braid a few times to get it how we wanted it.

BEFORE

 AFTER

After that, I just started picking the braids up and pinning them down.  I pinned them in a circle, but not a perfect one.  Basically just wherever they looked good, I pinned them.  After I had pinned two braids, I added in the fishtail braid, and did the same thing (pinned it where it was hidden and looked good).

And that was basically it!  I gave it some hairspray and called it done!

Onto the make-up.

The make-up wasn't anything too intricate, and it wasn't too bold.  Kaylyn used Urban Decay Primer Potion to prime the eyelids, and then an ELF palette where she used a few silvers/grays to shadow the eyelid.  After that, she applied fake eyelashes and some liquid eyeliner, and finished off with some mascara to blend the natural lashes into the fake lashes.

AND THEN SHE WAS DONE :) AND BEAUTIFUL AND LOOKED LIKE CINDERELLA!

Much love,

Jen