This is how you wait for your ATT!

Anyone who has graduated nursing school has had to endure the wait.  This is the time from graduation until the respective board of nursing and pearson vue (the testing center) get their shiz together and give you an ATT, which basically means "Yep, we read this paper from your school saying you graduated and your background check doesn't show any nefarious activities, now go take your boards!"

So, I've heard this process can take MONTHS, and you basically have your hands tied because it's an actual person inputting that they received your background check, graduation info, etc. and they can only go as fast as they can go.  I graduated exactly 18 days ago (not that I'm counting), and still have no ATT. I just want a J O B, with a paycheck - is that too much to ask for?

Our school utilizes the Kaplan Review Course and I do have QBank questions and sample tests to do, but I wanted to try to pace myself with those so I don't finish all of the questions and then still have to wait even longer for my boards.

So how do I occupy my new found "free time" (at least I think that's what this is...)

I have literally cleaned my house from top to bottom.  I even deep cleaned my refrigerator and stove/oven.  The only real chore I have left is laundry and dishes, but those are never ending tasks and you can only go as fast as the washer/dryer and dishwasher run sooooo.  I moved my son upstairs to his new bedroom then transformed his old room to my office/makeup room/craft room/mom's hangout where the door locks.  This entailed literally throwing 7 years of saved up kid stuff out a window and either donating it or junking it depending on condition.  Then, I went through all of his current toys and clothes and got rid of all of the broken, taken apart, worn out toys.  Once that was done, we moved everything else upstairs.

Then I got to work on my new room!  I painted the walls a nice neutral sandy beige color (I think it was called Mexican Sand?)  I transformed an antique dresser that was my Great Grandmas into a shelving unit of sorts.  The drawers were all broken and it was a fake wood grained pistachio green (no joke), so I got rid of all of them except for two drawer fronts.  I mixed up a pretty dusty sky bluish color from paint I had laying around and slapped on a couple coats over some primer.  Let me tell you, it turned out beautifully!  The only thing I have left to do is hang those drawer fronts with some hinges to make a couple cabinet spaces.  I also hung some makeshift curtains out of fabric that I found upstairs, they will work until I find some that I like  better.  I also hung up a cabinet/shelf thingy that I won at a Chinese auction and painted this the same color as my dresser and added some white "distressing" on it.  This makes great storage for my nail polish and perfume and such.  Then, only because I was bored and found a cool stencil lying around, I decorated the back of the door, that probably no one will see, ever.  But it looks so cute, so who cares!  Here's some pictures of the progress so far.....

My Stenciling......

My antique dresser that I painted/re-purposed

Close up of dresser.  The two drawer fronts will be hung with small hinges to make some cabinets.

Makeshift curtains and my wall cabinet

Desk area...

 The only thing I have left to deal with is the floors.  When we moved in, there was pink marbled carpeting in here.  I left it in until I decorated Cay's room in a spongebob theme.  Under it was hardwood that needed refinishing.  We sanded it, but never got around to sealing/staining it.  Well 6 years later, it is covered in stains from a certain child spilling anything and everything on it.  I have decided that I am going to slap some white pain on it and be done with it.  I've researched and found that porch and floor enamel is the best way to go, so that's what I bought!  Now, I just have to find a night where I can start painting and just do it!

I also started our bathroom reno.  This just consisted of taking down the bathroom surround and putting in a new window and some tile.  I still have to paint the walls, but I am looking for a new vanity and I don't want to paint until I purchase one (pure laziness on my part, the vanity will cover a piece of drywall that we used to patch up a hole in the wall, I just don't want to mess with filling in the joint/hole right now...).  Here's a few before and after of the tub surround....

Before...

I found an old window!

New Window....ripping out some walls

The finished product...

I am so happy with the results!  It's amazing how much bigger our tiny little bathroom looks now.  I like having a window to let in some natural light too.

That's all I have for now.........

I DID IT!!!!!

AHHHHHHH!  I graduated nursing school!  It is still hard to believe that after 2 long, hard years, countless hours of studying and having absolutely no social life, I am a Nurse.  I now have to prep and pass the NCLEX-RN so I can get a J O B.

In the infamous Cap

I told myself I wasn't going to cry at all during graduation, and I didn't, until I saw my family walk in.  My mom already had tears in her eyes and my grandma was smiling from ear to ear.  I instantly welled up, but held it together.  It happened again after the ceremony when my grandma pulled me aside and said I am so proud of you, I wish your grandpa was here to see you accomplish this, but he is with us in spirit.

My and my Mommy

Getting Pinned

The best husband in the world! 

I followed in the footsteps of my Grandma Dee, who is the best nurse I know.  I was so honored to have her at my graduation ceremony.  At the end, one of the Sisters (our school/health system is part of a Catholic Order) performed a blessing of the hands.  She asked that all new, current and former nurses rise to take part.  I was so ecstatic that my Grandma, who just gave up her license at 81 years old, and has been a nurse for 61 years, got to stand up and be recognized and blessed for all of the great things she has done.

Me and my Grandma!!

I am so proud of not only myself, but our whole class.  When we all first met during orientation, the instructors had told us that when it is all said and done, you will be a family.  We looked around the room and said Ya Right!  How wrong were we!  We have cried together, laughed together, studied for hours on end..sometimes seeing more of each other than our actual family.  We were there for each other at 2 am when we would call each other crying "I'm going to fail this test!  I don't think I studied enough!" and then again at 10 am laughing at how over dramatic we were when we did in fact pass the test with flying colors.

This is a second career for me, and I can't believe how different it is than any other.  Nurses are a close knit, loving and caring bunch.  I have never had a "college" experience like this one.  Everyone knows each other, how many kids they have, if they are married or seeing someone, the health of the parents, grandparents, literally everything about each others lives.  We laughed together, cried together, screamed together, worried together, vented to each other.  The instructors are equally in the know, asking you about your family, friends, life in general.  They actually WANT you to succeed, even though at the time we are thinking they have it out for us!

I can not wait to pass my boards and get a job, doing something that I absolutely love.  Nursing is my passion, I love to take care of people, make them feel better, help them out in their time of need, and I will be getting paid to do it!

Thank-you to my family and friends for helping me out on this amazing journey, I could not have done it without you!

Sephora Haul....and mini reviews

I had a wedding to go to a few weeks back, my husband was in the wedding, but alas I was just a guest.  I found the perfect dress to coordinate with his suit, I'll post up a pic below.  I was shopping in JC Penney's to look for shoes and a clutch and ran stumbled into Sephora and walked out with a few things and then went home and shopped some more online......

I have always wanted to try some Makeup Forever HD Foundation....so I got matched...with their new fangled Color IQ system.  They hold it up to your clean skin and it takes a picture of your complexion or something (like a square inch or so).  It is pretty cool because it gives you shade references for a few different brands.  It was surprisingly accurate too, the first shade it brought up was MUFE HD in 118 "Flesh".  The associate put some on me and it matched perfectly.  Since I was in the mood to try MUFE, I also purchased travel sizes of the HD setting powder (pressed, not loose) and the setting spray...primarily because they were in those pesky bins by the register.  I love love love the foundation and powder.  I have come to find out that I do not need a full coverage foundation and a full coverage powder (especially in the summer).  The finish on this foundation is amazing, it somehow manages to look like you have on nothing, but still provides coverage for those areas that need it.  The powder sets it beautifully to a nice finish, not too matte, but not glistening at all!

I also wanted to try out something from Hourglass, but didn't want to shell out 45 bucks for a powder.  I opted for a travel size of the veil mineral primer and boy am I impressed!  It has a unique feeling when you apply it, not at all like most silicone based primers.  This is white when you pump it and dot it on the face, but disappears into the skin and hides pores.  It makes the foundation go on super smooth and doesn't grab on dry spots if you happen to have any.  I also notice that I don't need to touch up my oily t-zone during the day, this somehow controls that too!

I finally jumped on the Naked 2 train.  I already own Naked 1 and thought - why do I need another neutral palate? I ordered it anyways and thought - why didn't I buy this sooner?!?!?!  I know these are neutral palates and they are supposed to suit all skin tones, but let me tell you - 2 suits my coloring way better than 1.  I used to watch tutorials on YouTube with 1 and try it on myself and it never looked right.  Now I know why, skin tone makes a difference!  I Love Love Love Naked 2!  I also got a travel sized primer potion....those darn bins right by the register get me every time!!

I am loving bright lips for the summer, and I hear quite a lot of hype about the OCC lip tars.  While I was browsing the website, I came across the Lip Tar: Test Tubes x3.  It comes with 2 colors, the lip primer and a small brush.  I figured this was a good way to try it out, especially since you get a couple of colors that you can mix together. I ordered Champagne Shores, which includes Trollop (matte) and Pris (metallic). I haven't done much mixing, but I am IN LOVE with the Matte formula and the color Trollop.  It is the PERFECT summer coral shade and it goes on so opaque and lasts on the lips (as in stains your lips perfectly after the tar wears off).  A little little teeny tiny bit goes a long way, so this will last forever. And the primer is awesome too, it makes the perfect canvas to apply the tar to. I can't wait to try more!!

Left to Right: Primer, Pris, Trollop

Last but not least, I ordered a mascara.  I've been looking for a new high end mascara that actually makes my blonde short lashes look amazing.  I've used Tarte Lights Camera Lashes before and like it, but wanted to try something new.  I came across a kit from Estee Lauder that comes with Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara, a 1 oz bottle of Gentle Eye Makeup Remover, and a .17 oz Advanced Night Repair Eye cream.  I love the mascara, and the eye cream (more like a gel than a cream) has really hydrated my under eyes - after about a week of using it, I already notice less fine lines when I conceal my under eye area.  The remover is Eh, not so great.  I find you have to rub to get mascara off, which kind of defeats the purpose of an anti-aging night cream.  The cream will last a long time, even thought it's only .17 oz, and you get all 3 items for the price of just the mascara.

That's about it for the Sephora haul!!  Here's the pic of me and hubs at the wedding, and the dress that I was trying to accessorize at JC Penney that just made me go into Sephora.....

And of course, I didn't find any accessories at JCP!  Unless you count
the makeup from Sephora!

Thanks for reading, bye loves!

Sunday Funday!

It is really hard to wait on mail order items to get here.  I have an order from sephora.com, jcpenney.com, and my VIP FabFitFun box on the way and let me tell you - I want it all NOW!!  I wish there was a mall close to me where I could purchase what I did online in store, but alas there is not.

I shall pass the time by cleaning my house and hopefully starting the remodel on our teeny tiny (and only) bathroom.  It has a 1980's plastic surround on the walls, which covers up a window, why would anyone want to do that??  I have tile for the walls and also new tile for the floor.  I can't wait to get it all done!!  Right now it is beige and purple, but my new colors are aqua and grey.  I have new towels, rugs and a shower curtain already, just need to go find the perfect shade of light gray for the walls!  I will need to figure out a way to keep the walls dry after the tile goes up while I wait for it to dry then grout and wait some more...  I was thinking of just duct taping up some of the thick plastic painters cloths to protect it while we shower....

I will put up some before and after pics on another post that I will dedicate completely to the remodel.

So far today, I have deep cleaned the bathroom and kitchen, cleaned and vacuumed the living room and put a pistachio cake in the oven.  Now on to the laundry - which is my least favorite chore to do....and while that is running, I'll organize a few shelves in the living room.  Told you it was Sunday Funday!

Hope everyone had a great weekend....ta ta for now!

Organ Donation

Good Morning!  Just wanted to type a real quick post about organ donation.  This is a topic near and dear to my heart.  My dad is in End Stage Renal Disease and is in need of a Kidney Transplant.  He is on the list and they said it could take up to 5 years for a match to be found.  We are in the process of seeing if I am a match for a live donation (which is best), but being his daughter does not guarantee that we are a tissue match.  They have a "donation chain", where they take a group of live donors and their family/friend that they are donating to, but can't because of tissue typing, and try to match them to other recipients.  If they can find a "crossmatch" between a group of people, they do a mass transplant session on the same day.  I don't know if this makes any sense, so here's a quote from the Alliance for Paired Donation:

"The Alliance for Paired Donation can help. Kidney paired donation matches one incompatible donor/recipient pair to another pair in the same situation, so that the donor of the first pair gives to the recipient of the second, and vice versa. In other words, the two pairs swap kidneys . APD has also pioneered a new way of using altruistic, or good Samaritan, donors, so that the transplants no longer have to be performed simultaneously. Non-simultaneous Extended Altruistic Donor Chains (NEAD Chains ) allow donors to “pay it forward” after their loved one receives a transplant."

You can check out their website here for more information.  

Please Please Please, if you are not an organ donor, become one!  You won't need the organs once you are deceased - seriously.  Think of all of the lives YOU could save with your organs - lungs, eyes, kidneys, liver, heart.  There are so many people waiting for organs, from newborns to parents, and grandparents.  All you need to do is check a box on your drivers license to save lives - it's that easy!!  If you don't want to donate certain organs - that's fine too!  Just make sure your wishes are known to your family - they can make them known if the time comes.  

I have two Kidneys and only one Dad, the choice for me is easy - put yourself in that situation with anyone you love, What would you do?

Julep Maven Subscription Box - June

Guess what came in the mail?  I am super excited for my Maven box this month because I added on a couple of things and I was happy with the colors for my profile.  Lets get right to it......

The first thing I see are some pixi stix - how fun! They were yanked out of my hand I handed those over to my son....

 

Next is the Boho Glam Selections........

Harlow on the left and Natalia on the right

Harlow is a gorgeous gold shimmer that changes from a pale gold to a deep gold with the light.  Harlow is a gorgeous copper/rose gold with a silver shimmer in it.  You can see the Swatch Me stickers below....  We also got an Oxygen Smoothing Base Coat.  I normally use the Orly Bonder but I'll give this a shot!  I can not wait to try these on, I love a good metallic polish!

Harlow on the right and Natalia on the left

 Now for my add ons!  I added two colors and a "Mystery" bombshell color

Left is Kayla, Middle is Mae (mystery color), Right is Phoebe

 I love all three of these colors.  The swatch for Kayla does not do it justice at all.  It is a duochrome purple/electric blue (see my previous blog here to see the swatch from Julep's website).  Mae was my mystery color, it is a Satin Finish which I am interested to try, it's not quite Matte, but definitely not shiny.  I've never worn a polish without some type of topcoat, but I'll give it a whirl!

Left is Kayla, Top Middle is Mae (mystery color), Right is Phoebe

 Now for the real surprise,  I also received these two colors in my box.  Not sure if everyone got some extra colors or if this was some type of mistake, either way - I'll take it!

Left is Marjorie and Right is Veronica

Marjorie is a bright orange with a sheen, not glittery, but a sheen, ya know?  It will be a nice accent color or maybe for fall on all my nails.  Veronica is a creamy salmony mauvey pink.  It's a good neutral if you have somewhere business like to go.

Well...that wraps up this month's maven box!  I am really happy with what I got.  I can't wait to start experimenting with these new colors!

Want to join?  Click here!!!

School's out for the summer......ADHD Update

Well, Cayden is finally on summer break, and excited to say the least.  He is a typical 8 year old boy who moans and groans about going to school.  This was our first year on medication for his ADHD and I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of good days vs bad days we had.  We finally have him on a medication regime that seems to be working, and that definitely contributed to the good vs. bad.

I am also a proud momma....not only has he adjusted very well to a new ADHD diagnosis, new medications, new school, new kids, new teacher,\ he has also earned the "Cool Kid Award" in his class twice - once at the beginning of the year and once just this past April.  The class votes on this and then each student writes a compliment on a post it and hands it in (anonymously of course lol).  He has received so many nice compliments that it is almost overwhelming.  He also made Honor Roll every single 9 weeks this year, earning straight A's for his final grades; except handwriting which he was given a U in (Unsatisfactory).  But he's a boy that thinks way faster than he can write, so what does the teacher expect?  Anyways, I'm totally ok with that, maybe he will become a doctor....  

Since we got straight A's, I told him he could pick some colors to dye his "Faux-Hawk".  We used Manic Panic temporary colors and put a few in, they should wash out within a month.  He already has light blonde hair, so no bleaching is required and it won't damage his hair because it's a natural temporary dye.  He is so pumped by such a little thing and that makes me so happy.  It is his reward for the Straight A's

Dealing with ADHD has definitely been a struggle for our family.  We yell, scream, argue, probably more so than other families.  We just take it one day at a time.  If we have a bad day, I put him to bed and tell him it is ok - we can start again tomorrow and have a clean slate.  When we wake up, I tell him it's going to be a good day, the past is the past. We try to set some short term goals for attitude, listening, following directions etc. and assign rewards for what we can complete.  I use the word We to describe our days, because it's not just his bad day, we all have one and it's not necessarily because of his actions/words/tone/attitude etc.  I have noticed that if hubs has a bad day at work or I have a bad day at the hospital, he picks up on it and it kind of takes him over as well.  It's something we all have to work on and will do it together.

I have instituted a few different reward/consequence programs over the past year to try to help out with our behavior issues, some have worked and some haven't.  The one we are sticking to is the token program.  We have a set of poker chips and we made a list together of all of his responsibilities. We assigned token values to each one and also made a list of "rewards" he can cash his tokens in for.  It ranges from 5 tokens for an hour of video games to 20 tokens to pick a night out for dinner and choose the restaurant, to 50 for a new video game.  This seems to work out well and also teaches him the principle of saving.  We tried a chart with stickers for completion of tasks and rewards for getting a full weeks worth of stars, but it isn't something tangible that he can keep with him and see and feel in his hand.

Since we are entering summer months and focus isn't really needed, I might discuss a small drug holiday for him to cleanse his system and see how he is doing without medication.  I feel like summer break might be a good time to try some natural fixes like no food dye, no sugar or artificial flavors, and see if this has any impact on his focus and impulsiveness.

I think that is all for now, everyone is in bed and I think I am heading that way too.

HAUL! Miss A - www.shopmissa.com

I heard about this website on YouTube and thought - this can't be real life!  It's a website that carries accessories like jewelry, socks, underwear, sunglasses; makeup, lashes, nail accessories, hair accessories like bows, hair ties, headbands; makeup tools...just a ton of stuff!  And the best part is.......IT'S ALL ONE DOLLAR!  Everything on the website, all of it! 1.00!

I didn't order any makeup, but you can find reviews of the brand that they carry the most of "Kleancolor" on YouTube.  I did notice that they have sent a lot of "complimentary" boxes to some of the more popular guru's to review.

I'll start of with the fact that shipping is REALLY reasonable.  I ordered 23 items, my total before shipping was $23.00 and shipping was a whopping 3.95, so grand total came to $26.95.  This is so nice, since most companies that sell stuff so cheap try to make up for some of the cost with shipping and handling charges.

Ok - so on to the goods!!!

What I Got!

All together I purchased:

• 2 pairs of sunglasses
• 8 charms for inside an origami owl locket
• 2 rings: 1 owl and 1 set of tiger midi rings
• one owl necklace
• one owl keychain
• 1 card of earrings (6 sets)
• 2 packs of individual lashes: one short and one medium
• tweezers that have an angled tip
• 1 pack of hair clips
• 1 pack of hair ties
• 1 pack of nail tip guides
• 1  three pack of 3d nail charms
• 1 black rose mirror compact
• 1 blue gem hair pin

Overall, the quality is what you would expect for a dollar on most of these items.  The nail tip guides are nothing but those hole fixers for notebook paper that was ripped out of a binder, and you only get 16, so they are a single use item.  

All of the rings have an adjustable back which is nice and they are not to bad quality wise, but not something you would want to wear every single day.  Here's a closeup of the rings and the nail charm

 

I'm excited about the rings and the 3d charms.  I can't wait to stick them on, but I'm not sure if I will use glue or if they would stay with just a couple coats of top coat?


The only other thing I was really impressed with were the charms that fit into an origami owl or living locket.  They were also a dollar a piece and I got the colored birthstones, 2 "enameled" owls, and 2 blinged up revolver charms to clop on the chain.  Here's a close up of those:

Sorry for the sideways pic, blogger loads them weird sometimes?? But you get the idea!

You can tell the revolver clip-ons are definitely not origami owl, especially when you put it next to other originals, but the owl and birthstones are good quality.  But for a dollar a piece as opposed to $5 + I'll take it.

The lashes seem OK quality - Which is fine by me because I'm still teaching myself how to apply them, so when I screw up or don't like the way that they look I won't feel too bad about throwing them away.

The key chain and necklace are what you would expect for $1.00 and the earrings are about 3 times the size I thought they would be, so I probably won't wear them.

The hair accessories aren't too bad either.  The blue jeweled hairpin seems to be good quality, it should last a while since it's not something you are wearing everyday.  The couple of hair clips I tried snapped and unsnapped fine and didn't pull my hair out when removing.  The hair ties are cute and will match different outfits so I can wear them on my wrist until  I need one.

Overall, I would probably purchase from this website again.  I am interested to try some of the cosmetics and maybe some socks.  It's a great place to find "On Trend" costume jewelry if you have a limited budget or need jewelry for a special occasion.  The shipping is super cheap too at a flat rate of $3.95.  The only thing is that there is a lot of "out of stock" products, and I really liked some of them.  This will probably only get worse as the site popularity grows.  So check it once and check it often.......

Here's a link to their site so you can explore!

May Ipsy unbagging!

Got my ipsy bag a few days ago and super excited about what I got! I know this is late in the month, but I wanted to get it up anyways.  I just took my last unit test ever in school so I have some free time!!

 Lets get right into it.....

Here is the bag, I did get it, I Promise!  I just can't find it???  

Super cute "Earthy" felling bag.  Made from a muslin like fabric with bright green ink.

Here's what was in that super cute bag:

First up is a SPF 50 sunscreen

Hang Ten Clasic Sport Natural Sunscreen UVA/UVB Broad Spectrum Protection

It says this is water resistant for up to 80 minutes and is described as:

Protect and nourish your skin with our non-greasy , lightweight, naturally scented sunscreen.  Provides maximum water resistance and full body coverage against harmful UVA/UVB rays.  

Oxybenzone free, paraben free, retinyl palmitate free, non-greasy, non-nano, synthetic fragrance free. 

This does have that "normal" sunscreen smell, synthetic or not.  It is a thinner consistency than other sunscreens I have used and it did leave a greasy feeling where I put it to try it out, just not as greasy as a normal sunscreen.  

Next is a facial moisturizer that I Love:

pur-lisse pur moist hydra-balance moisturizer for normal-dry skin

I have been using this since the day I got the bag morning and night.  I already have a holy grail lotion for my face (and body) by First Aid Beauty.  But I figured I would give this one a try, and I really really like it.  This lotion is not heavy at all.  It sinks in to my skin and just makes it feel so moisturized.  I would love to purchase the full size, but it's a little bit pricey for me at $55.00 for only 1.7oz.  You can check it out here on their website.  We did get a discount code with ipsy, but my First Aid Beauty is $28.00 for 6 oz so I can't really justify the purchase.  Here's a link to that one too.  It says it's for crazy dry, ezcema ravaged skin, but it truly works for normal types too (and doesn't break me out at all).  It's like the CeraVe at the drugstore, but not greasy at all - more of a whipped texture.  

Next up is a face mask that I DID order a full size in - it's that good:

Hey Honey take it off, exfoliating honey peel off mask

I have never used a peel off mask in my life and really didn't even know what it was when I pulled it out of the bag.  The first time I used it, I was hooked.  My skin felt so smooth and rejuvenated afterwards.   It doesn't take much and I can probably get 3 uses out of the sample, but I was afraid to run out so I ordered a full size from their website.  You can check it out here.  I use it about once a week at night (I'm not totally sure how often you are supposed to use it).  Seriously, just check it out!  I am seriously considering trying more products from them because this one is just so good!

Now for an eye shadow duo:

Pacifica natural beauty in Duo 2

I was hoping I got this shade when I peeked on Ipsy's website for a preview.  This brand is 100% Vegan and Cruelty Free.  I just tried to locate this item on their website but can't find it.  While I do like the colors, the color payoff isn't amazing without a primer.....

The color on the left is sort of a dusty purple that isn't quite matte, but not really satin either and the one on the right is a cream with hints of gold and a gold glitter.  This is good for me over a primer if I just want a light wash of color to run errands in or something.  

Last up is a brush:

Crown Brush: Chisel Shader, # C408

It has short stiff bristles, works great for smudging out the lower lash line or packing on color precisely on the lid.  Check it out here on their website. 

That's all for my May ipsy bag.   I had never heard of any of the brands and loved all of the items.  My standouts were the moisturizer (which I wish I could justify the price for the full size version), and the peel off mask - which I ordered immediately.  

Stay tuned this month for my Bulu box, Julep Maven box and maybe even some hauls!

Dishwasher update and Julep Maven Box...

So, I submitted a new service request online via Samsung's website.  The confirmation page said you will be contacted by phone or e-mail within 24 hours.  That call or e-mail never came.  Interestingly enough, I did get a phone call from a Service Quick rep wanting to know how my experience was with my repair.  I let him know that it worked once and then stopped, then told him that I talked to the manager at Lowe's and he said bring it on back and we will refund your money. The rep was so shocked that Lowe's would take it back, he literally was stuttering and had nothing to say but have a nice day.

I love Lowe's.  All of my major appliances along with countless other things around the house (and outside too) have come from there.  I've never had to return anything, but I found that the process was so smooth - even without having my receipt.  All they needed was the date of purchase and their item number (which you can find on their website).  They took back the P.O.S. Samsung, no questions asked and helped me pick out a different brand with all the bells and whistles.

The new dishwasher is a Whirlpool Gold and it is Amazing! Our refrigerator is also a Whirlpool Gold, and our washer and dryer are the Whirlpool Cabrio Platinums.  They are all at least 2 years old and are still going strong (with no service needed), so I felt really comfortable purchasing this brand.

It matches my microwave and refrigerator (we still have a black and white stove, but hopefully a new one is in the future!).  It has top controls, which I am not crazy about since the way it sits under my counter makes them impossible to use once the door is closed, but I will deal with it and figure out a way to make it work.  It has a bunch of different cycle options, a sanitize cycle, and even a top rack only wash cycle - what the what??  

I (Me, All By Myself) installed this.  We already had the rough in with the water line, drain hook-up and power line, but I connected the wires, hooked up the drain hose and water line and put it in it's place all by myself!!  Hubby came home and was a little shocked and really happy that he didn't have to install a dishwasher for the 3rd time in just as many months.  My kitchen is now completely clean again, no more paper plates, plastic utensils or solo cups.  The dishwasher has ran more times in the past 3 days than the Samsung did the whole 2 weeks that I had it. Moral of the story:  Samsung is good for phones but not so much for dishwashers.......

On a totally different subject - I have a new Julep Maven box coming soon!  I am super excited for this months box.  The colors in my style are so pretty and I chose a few add on colors including a mystery bombshell color.  Here's what I'm getting this month:

This is the Boho Glam box this month - how Gorgeous are these colors??

This is Kayla: An Electric Iris Sheer with with Violet Sheen

This is Phoebe:  A Vibrant Jungle Metallic

I. Can. Not. Wait. to get this box and try out all of these colors!  I will probably use the two from the Boho Glam Box together and Kayla and Phoebe together, one all over with the other as an accent nail.  I'm super excited to see what my mystery color will be.  Can it be in my mailbox tomorrow please?

If you want to subscribe to the Julep Maven Box, click here.   They just started a new "Pick Your Own Box" subscription that ranges from 24.99 to 39.99 per month ($5.00 cheaper each month if you purchase a 3 month subscription).  Check out their blog to learn all about this exciting new service!

What a let down.....

As you may have read before, we have been having dishwasher troubles.  The old one flooded the kitchen.  The new one worked 3 times then gave us an error, it was under warranty and they always say call the company before you return it, so I did (we also didn't want to have to go through the hassle of un-installing it and carrying it and loading it etc...).  I called on a Friday and was asked to unplug it and wait one full minute then try it (cause that always works??).  Of course, it did not fix the problem.  They said a rep from the service company will contact you in 24 hours.

Got my first phone call from a rep at Service Quick (Samsung's contracted service co.) on Monday at around 2pm -ish.  I was in class and called back literally 2 minutes later and got their voice mail.  I tried the main number and got a general voice mail.  So I called the rep's number again and left a message.  Never heard back.  I called the main number again on Tuesday.  I was either on hold for over 10 minutes THEN transferred to general voice mail or went straight to voice mail.  I e-mailed through their website, which is a joke by the way, seriously, look at it www.servicequick.com  

By some miracle, I got a call back Tuesday afternoon at 2:40 and of course, I missed the call again.  The voice mail that was left was rude, to say the least.  The rep said: This is my second message I have left for you regarding your service ticket.  If we do not hear back from you, your service request will be cancelled.  I have the call logs to prove that this person only called once and that I tried calling them over 10 different times, and they have the nerve to tell me that my service request on a one week old dishwasher that worked only 3 times and is under warranty is going to be cancelled if I don't call back? UGHHH!!

I called her back and went through the hoops to set up a service appointment for Friday (today) between 1 and 5 pm.  Luckily, the tech called at 12:30 and said he would be here in a half hour.  He arrived on time, I showed him the problem and he took pictures of it acting up.  He was confident that it was some kind of water fill circuit inside the tub and even had the part to fix it.  An hour later, he plugged it in, turned the water back on and it was working!!    I said my many thanks and he was on his way.

By this time, we needed to leave to pick up our son from school.  I loaded the dishwasher up and let her rip.  When we came home, the damn lights were flashing AGAIN!  I was in shock.  I turned it off, and started it again.  It ran all the way through the cycle this time, I thought maybe something needed reset before it could run again, and it was good to go now.  How WRONG was I?  I unloaded the clean dishes, loaded it all back up and pressed start.  4 minutes later, it's beeping, draining and flashing.   I am so fed up with this damn thing, I think we might actually consider returning it to the store.  I have NEVER had this much of a problem with an appliance, EVER!!  How can it work then not work, then work again once after repair then stop AGAIN?

I am fed up with Samsung and Service Quick.  Their customer service is horrible at both places, they do not care if the customer is inconvenienced.  What a waste of money!

The BIG Move

No, I'm not moving to a new house....

We live in an older home, it was built in the late 1940's.  It has a tiny tiny tiny kitchen, a large-ish living room, a small rec room in the basement, 2 bedrooms on the main floor and 2 bedrooms upstairs.  Currently, my son occupies one bedroom on the main floor and we occupy the other.  The 2 upstairs bedrooms are used for storage (as are the stairs that lead up to them.......)   One contains my great grandma's dining room set (oddly enough, we don't have a dining room, we have around "kitchen" table in the corner of our living room....) along with all of my sewing and craft supplies.  The other contains a futon, my antique makeup vanity, an old TV and all of the stuff you accumulate from being on this earth for 31 (35 for my husband) years.

Lately, I have been lusting for my sons room...I want it to be mine.  I have a desk in the living room that I use to put on my makeup (our bathroom is really tiny too), I have a couple sewing machines and a serger, I have a lot of clothes, I basically want it to be my dressing room/office/craft room.  I have broached the idea of giving him his very own "man cave" upstairs and he is all for it.  My husband is kind of worried because he does have a tendency to get out of bed and sleep walk, but I think he will be ok. I mean, he is 8?

The only thing standing in my way is.....all of the stuff on the steps and in the 2 bedrooms.  I have FINALLY decided that I am going to start to tackle the mess.  I am throwing away almost everything, I just need hubs to back up his pick-up truck below a window so I can start chucking!  The biggest hurdle is the steps.  They are closed off from the world by a door that is in my living room. So anytime I clean and don't actually feel like taking something to it's "home" (or someone is coming over for a short noticed visit), it goes on the steps, the door closes and it is never heard from or seen again.  I feel like a hoarder when I open that door.

I am trying to motivate myself by picturing the cluttered desk, my antique vanity, my craft supplies, all in a nice room that is allllllll mine.  I even go to TJ Maxx and look online at amazon and etsy at all of the cute organizing things I could get.  The only thing I'm missing is time!

Also, want to give a quick update on the dishwasher repair.  I FINALLY got a hold of someone at Service Quick, the company contracted by Samsung ( I will have a separate post on this company after I see how the service call goes).  They are sending someone out on Friday 5/16 between 1 and 5.  The repairman (or woman) will call 30 minutes prior to coming....what a vague window.  I am to the point where I do not care if they come at midnight!!  I just want my darn dishwasher to work.  My cuticles look ragged and my hands are dry constantly from having to wash dishes by hand.

I'll let you know how it goes with the clean out and the dishwasher repair.

Good Night Loves!

 

Happy Mothers Day! and a rant.......

Real quick...wanted to wish all the moms and the dads who have to be a mom to Happy Mothers Day!  

I also wanted to rant a little about my new dishwasher....and my old one too!  So, we have a tiny kitchen and it didn't have a dishwasher when we moved in, I hate, hate, hate doing dishes by hand but have been for the past 8 years in this house. I finally convinced hubby that I can live without some cabinets, and for valentines day he bought me a built-in dishwasher!  Fast forward to about a week ago when I was cooking dinner and I hear and see water leaking from underneath it :/  I was heartbroken!  

So, we went out to lowes and I picked out a new one, a samsung with top of the door controls......so cool! Well, it ran 3 full cycles and now it is throwing an error code that means over water fill or something. I tried everything...turned off breaker, put a fan to finish drying floor underneath it (I read online there is a "flood" sensor underneath it that can detect moisture and shut it off).  Nothing worked so I finally broke down and called customer service, who asked me to turn off the breaker for 1 minute then try to run it again.....of course that didn't work. 

 This was Friday, and he said within 24 hrs someone from a repair service will call to schedule a visit......it's been 48 hrs and nothing.  I know it was wishful thinking to hope for a Saturday phone call, but I was really trying to put off doing the dishes in the sink.  

Hopefully, I will get a call on Monday and they can come out sometime this week....

On a brighter note, I won't have to wash any of my actual dishes (I mean I will eventually, but not because we need them!) because I ordered 4 place settings of Fiesta Ware from macys....they where Buy One Get One Free and they had a 15% off coupon!!  I am so excited, I have wanted some Fiesta Ware for a looonnnngggg time, but it is just so expensive.  So grand total shipped to my door was 106.70..for 4 place settings.....that normally cost 56 each....Go Me!  I ordered turquoise because I love that color.....it makes me happy.  

I think that's about all......have a great day and a Great Week! I go back to school for my LAST SEMESTER OF NURSING SCHOOL tomorrow...can you tell I'm excited?

Face of the Day - Ulta Gel Eyeliners and Real Techniques Sponge

I hauled a ton of Ulta Gel Eyeliners yesterday and a pretty cool Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge and I wanted to play!  I already told you how afraid of color I am.....I love my Naked palate to death.  I dipped my toe into the color world and came up with this.  I'll give you my impressions of the eyeliners I used and the sponge as I go and a list of all the products with more pictures at the end...Lets get started! Here is the Final Look...Keep reading for impressions and step by steps!

Here is my face with NO makeup... ALSO - please excuse the hair....tomorrow is my day to wash it and I worked out and cleaned the house before I played with makeup.......

I normally use my fingers to put on my foundation.  I have a few foundation brushes from Real Techniques and Elf, but I can never seem to blend the foundation in enough and it looks streaky.  I have also used those little triangle sponges that you buy in bulk.  I always reverted to my fingers - but I think this new sponge is a keeper!

Here's my face with foundation only, applied with the Real Techniques Sponge (damp)...

I really like this sponge.  It can apply a light layer of foundation and you can build up the coverage where you need it and keep it light where you don't.  It's also nice for concealer, you can build up that coverage too without making a cake on your face.  I used the flat side for my foundation and the pointed tip for concealer around my nose and eyes.  

Here I am with concealer, powder and bronzer....

Now for the finished look.......

I primed my lids with the elf 1.00 primer then applied Rimmel ScandalEyes pencil in Nude to the inner 1/3rd of my lid, I covered that with Virgin from the Naked Palate.  Then I applied the Ulta Gel Eyeliner in Golden Egg to the middle 1/3rd of my lid and covered that with Half Baked.  Next, Penny went on the outer 1/3rd and was covered with Smog from the Naked Palate.  I blended each color into the next when I applied them.  I applied Darkhorse from the Naked Palate to the crease and blended it out and used the lightest color from the Louise Young Palate for my brow bone. The inner corner has Elizabeth Mott Smooth Shadow in Pearl.  I also used a little bit of Bronzer to transition the colors.  These liners make an awesome base and the colors are such a close match the the Original Naked Palate.  After 3 hours, with a little bit of sweating there is no creasing.....

I lined my upper water line with Ulta Gel Eyeliner in Blackout and Lined my upper lash line with the Matte Black  from the Louise Young Palate and an Elf small angle brush.  

I lined my lower water line with Ulta Gel Eyeliner in Starry Night and smudged it into the lashes.  I topped it with the light blue from the Sleek Original i-Divine palate. The eye shadow really popped over the liner.  The liners (Blackout and Starry Night) seem to wear like a usual gel liner on the water line and would probably need reapplied/touched up after a few hours. I finished it up with 2 coats of L'Oreal Carbon Black Mascara.

Here's a close-up of the eye look:

 

Overall, I am happy with how the look turned out. Normally, the upper lid colors would have been smudged on the lower lash line and both water lines would be lined with a black liner.  The pop of color makes it fun and (as lame as it may sound...) I would totally start matching it to my outfits! Or mood...does that sound better?

Full List of Products

Face: 

• Foundation: Maybelline Fit Me in 125
• Concealer: NYX HD Photogenic Concealer in CW03 Light
• Bare Minerals Well Rested to top off the undereye area
• Powder: NYX stay matte but not flat powder foundation in SMP02 Nude
• Bronzer: Revlon Photoready Bronzer in 100 Bronzed and Chic
• Highlight: Philosophy the color of grace amazing graze shimmering face powder
• Blush: City Color Be Matte Blush  in Fresh Melon

Eyes:

• Elf Eyelid Primer (1.00) in Sheer
• Rimmel Scandal Eyes in 005 Nude
• Ulta Gel Eyeliner in Golden Egg
• Ulta Gel Eyeliner in Penny
• Ulta Gel Eyeliner in Blackout
• Ulta Gel Eyeliner in Starry Night
• Elizabeth Mott Smooth Shadow in Pearl
• Naked Palate (Original)
• Louise Young Palate
• Sleek Makeup i-Divine in 594 The Original
• L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara

Lips:

• Revlon Colorburst Lacquer Balm in 105 Demure