Feel Grateful Friday #6

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So it's another Feel Grateful Friday but this one's going to be a little different. While I have countless things to be grateful for this week I want to talk about one very specific thing. Warning: It's about to get deep over here. 

I've been a little MIA recently as far as commenting on my sweet friend's blogs or being present on my social media. The fact of the matter is it boils down to a few things, not the least being that I've been super busy. As I've been really trying to meditate more and be present in the moment, I find that when I have had time to be on social media I just really didn't want to. Some of that is because I want to actually be with my family and friends when I have the time to, but also that I was finding I just legitimately didn't want to. Instead, I wanted to read a book or watch a show I've been meaning to catch up on or just do other things in general.

And wouldn't you know it, I feel like I've had the exact break I needed at the exact time I needed it. I think this happens to a lot of us, at least according to the ones who are brave enough to share those heartfelt posts, that at some point in our lives we feel less than. Less than our friends, less than our loved ones, less than what society tells us is right. For a long time, I've been feeling less than. I've felt like I needed to do everything, and when I couldn't accomplish that at the end of each day I began to wonder why I couldn't just adult the way everyone else could. Why can't I get up at 3:30 in the morning and work out and then put on a full face of makeup for my 15 hour day, and then go home and cook a nice meal, all while trying to spend time with my husband and finish up the work I needed to get done, whether that be blogging, chores, etc. 

Lucky, I had an epiphany, and for this, I am so grateful. Instead of starting my week off beating myself up over all the things I didn't do this weekend, I thought, "I'm doing my best." It's true. I do what I can and I do a lot of it and I'm proud of that. Each and every day I wake up, I get out of bed, and I keep the wheels turning. My family is happy and healthy. We don't go without. Our lives are full of love and smiles and positivity. This, at the end of the day, is what it's all about. I try my best. I do what I can when I can. And I'm okay with that. More than okay with that. Whatever it was in my brain that told me to let go of unrealistic expectations this week and to just be, came just when I needed it the most. 

Know that you are enough. Know that we all are doing the best that we can, no matter what other people's lives might look like. Love yourselves. Be kind to yourself. Speak lovingly. You guys are all the best and I am always inspired by you! Thank you for letting me have this moment to share. Have a truly amazing weekend my friends! XO

Buena Skin Triple C Vitamin Serum

I've only been using serums for about a year and I haven't experimented with very many. Okay, if I'm being honest, I've actually only ever tried one, maybe two tops. I figured the one I used worked well enough so that's where I left it. When I received this Triple C Vitamin Serum from Buena Skin, I thought it sounded nice, but I expected it to be like the other serum(s) that I've tried. Still, I'm adventurous, I thought why not give this one a go.

It claims to boost collagen, repair sun damage, block melanin, fight acne, fade age spots and fight wrinkles. That's a big claim and while I can't promise it does all this, I will say this serum has made my skin look amazing. Upon first use it made my skin look much brighter and healthier. I'm lucky in that I don't have much sun damage (thanks mom, for the SPF 80) and acne, I am starting to see fine lines and wrinkles. While I'm not sure if this serum will work complete miracles on them, I can say the serum seems to hydrate my skin, making it look plumper and definitely making those wrinkles look less defined. I don't know if I can say this is a miracle in a bottle, but it's definitely impressed me beyond being just another serum. If you're interested in trying this serum out yourself, you can purchase it here. If you use the code BSTRIPLE $3.99 you can purchase the serum for just $3.99 now. That's a steal and I'm planning on buying myself a couple backups!

*this post contains products that were sent to me free of charge for my consideration. 

I am not obligated to like the product.

Magnifying Lighted Makeup Mirror

I'm sure everyone has seen those magnifying mirrors. You know, the ones that zoom in so close you see every nook and cranny of your face. Believe it or not, I've never actually owned one of those, although I have seen them in countless hotel rooms and dermatologist offices. Which, while I'm thinking about it is quite strange because I am one of the few people who still actually plucks my eyebrows. So when I had the chance to get one I thought, "Why not?"

This one from Mirror on a Rope has a 10X magnification and is also lighted, which is nice even in the day time to really see all those pesky tiny hairs. I'll admit, when I first used this mirror I was intrigued by the zillion pores on my skin, only made bigger by the mirror. When I finally settled in to doing what I intended to do, tame the unruly hairs that claim to be eyebrows, I wondered why I never thought to get one before. This mirror also has a suction cup which makes it super duper convenient. I just stuck it right on my bathroom mirror and it's ready to go. The other thing I love is that the light is powered using batteries so you don't have to worry about finding a plug, which makes this easy for travel, to use in your office, or basically anywhere you want.

If you are interested in snagging up one of these mirrors you can buy it here. Even if you don't pluck your eyebrows (I'm sure most of you are smart enough to have found a less torturous way to keep yours in check), this mirror would be excellent for precise makeup application. Hello, brows on fleek.

*this post contains products that were sent to me free of charge for my consideration. 

I am not obligated to like the product.

Feel Grateful Friday #5

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I am pretty darn thankful for all of you guys! No matter how many times I fall off the blogger wagon, you guys always leave me the loveliest comments and are still so sweet and still come to my blog. I sure do appreciate all of you! I figured a good way to get back into the swing of things is with a Grateful Friday because things have been crazy over at chez Petersen as of late. 

- Firstly I'm grateful for all the positive affirmations. I'm a self-diagnosed seasonal depressive, I seriously become worthless as the weather changes from season to season and it's all I can do to get out of bed. I know, I hear you, "But Kim, Fall's your favorite." It is, it's true, but still, every time the season's change I get really mopey and unproductive. I've been making it a point to practice positive meditation and affirmations in the mornings while getting ready and this has helped. I'll talk more about that in another blog post.

- Date night. The hubs and I went to see Blink-182. I know, I'm totally showing my age, but I seriously get flashbacks of high school and driving around for hours listening to my Blink tape. Yes, tape. Do you guys even know what cassettes are? Anyhoo, I'm way too old to waste gas driving around aimlessly these days but I still love throwing on some Blink and giving my house a good clean out. It was so much fun and it was nice to spend some time with my bae.

- The weekend! We made an executive decision not to open the coffee shops at all on Sundays this year and I don't feel a bit bad about that because I actually get a weekend. I mean, it's technically a day but when you haven't had a day off in ages and then you get one day it's like a whole weekend. I don't actually do anything productive but I give zero cares because curling up in bed with a book sounds like the perfect Sunday to me so I'm really grateful to have that day!

Let me know what you guys have been up to this week and what's making you feel particularly grateful. Again, you guys are quite literally the best people ever. XO

Hohenstein : A Novel

Amazon says: Anything but a typical aristocrat, young Baroness Marie-Louise is not afraid to roll up her sleeves and get to work, especially when it comes to saving her ancestral estate. Determined to shake loose the shackles of propriety and gain the warm family life her upbringing denied her, she has vowed to marry a man of lower rank. Blue-bloods need not apply. 

I say: This was a fun read. While it was pretty predictable (it is a romance after-all), there were still some twists in the story I did not see coming and couldn't have even guessed at. It was light and easy and a perfect last book of summer read. I'd say if you're looking for something that's quick and fun with some romance and history thrown in, this is a good book to check out. 

What books have you guys been reading recently? Let me know in the comments!

Find the book here

*this post contains products that were sent to me free of charge for my consideration. 

I am not obligated to like the product.

Feel Grateful Friday #4

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I can't believe I'm already on #4 of these posts, it will never cease to amaze me how time sure does fly! Happy Friday friends, I hope you guys had a wonderful week!

- I'm grateful that my natural deodorant finally started kicking in. Yep, you read that right. I switched to using a natural deodorant about 2 months ago and it's been a journey, to say the least... all I can say is I'm sorry to everyone that had to take the journey with me and I'm happy to report I think my body has finally adjusted. 

- I'm grateful football season has started up. Not only am I an avid football fan (see here), but my husband tends to be a little bit happier this time of year as well. Plus, all the football snacks. Did anyone else see last nights game? So good!

- I'm grateful I had some time off this week to get my to-do list done. Yes, I actually got everything done! I already have another one a mile long, but starting fresh was so nice. It's motivated me to really push to get this week's list all completed.

What have you guys enjoyed this week? Let me know in the comments and as always, I wish you all the happiness and love this weekend! XO

September 2016 Goals

 

Yay! September is here which means cooler weather, Pumpkin Spice EVERYTHING and scarves and faux leather jackets! August went by in a flash and I did not accomplish any of my goals. This was my worst month yet. I don't know if I just got in vacation mode or the end of summer just made me lazy, but I definitely let August slip by without really doing much. Good thing a new month can mean a fresh start!

This month, I want to:

- Get back into baking. This time of year it's all about gearing up for the holidays and I love trying possible gift idea recipes out this month so I want to bake at least 2 new things this month.

- Get a backlog of photos. I say this all the time but it'd be especially helpful right now to stockpile some photos for the blog as the days are getting shorter and darker which means my window for pictures for the blog shorten. If I have a good stock on hand it would be helpful.

- Make a different recipe every time I cook for the month. Note, I said every time I cook, which is not every day. But I'll admit when I do cook I get into a bit of a rut where I'm making the same dishes over and over. It's time to shake things up a little bit and maybe some of those recipes will feature in the blog.

That about does it for me, I plan on spending some much wanted time in the kitchen so I'm looking forward to it. What are you guys hoping to accomplish in September? XO

For the Love of Blogging (A Little Ramble)

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I recently read a post about a blogger who was upset that the people who get nominated for all the blogger awards and build careers in this industry were doing nothing special. They were run-of-the-mill types who weren't coming up with anything original and it was all just a popularity contest.

I then read a post in response saying that all this person was doing was hating on women who found something they were good at and shouldn't we all support women being successful?

Both have a right to their opinion and even to express it on social media. We all have a right to feel how we feel and should be able to discuss said feelings without all the hate and negative backlash that seems to come so often when people post these controversial opinions.

I was really amused because being a tiny little beauty blogger in a sea of beauty bloggers who are far more creative and I, myself, not really doing anything original, often hear people ask, what's the point?

Well, certainly not to build a career out of it and certainly not for any sort of notoriety. I guess, for me, I've always just loved to write, and I've always loved makeup. When I found there was a whole community of people who were like-minded, why would I not want to join that? Suddenly, the amount of friends who shared my interests increased by, like, hundreds!

Who cares if we don't do anything "original?" We all bring something to the table with our different personalities, goals, and lives. I've enjoyed meeting women from all over the world who have different views and lifestyles. Although we all share the common interest of beauty, fashion, food, crafts, etc, we all have things we can learn from each other. I've already been exposed to so many new perspectives and I love that I would have never even known or thought about half the things you guys talk to me about.

So I say if you love blogging, if you love the community, if you love writing and creating, who cares about the awards and accolades? Do it because you love it and it makes you happy. If it doesn't? Well, then you're probably in it for the wrong reasons and should find something you do love!

I hope all my wonderful blogger friends are having an amazing week and happy, happy day! Love you all! XO

Feel Grateful Friday #3

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Ready or not it's Friday ya'll! This week has flown by for me which is my first point of gratitude. I'm always thankful when a week at work doesn't feel like a year. Let's get right to it as you all know what these posts are about by now!

1. I am grateful for the long weekend coming up and 2 full days off! Next weekend we start Sundays again at the coffee shop so I'm really going to take advantage of having this Sunday off and hopefully go on a date with the hubs. Super grateful anytime I have a day off!

2. I am grateful for my mom who makes me dinner on hard days. Seriously, moms are just the best and I definitely have one of the shining stars of moms out there. She made me dinner last night because she knew I had a long day. Coming home and not having to cook was seriously a blessing and I was in bed super early. So grateful for that woman.

3. I am super grateful for the weather this week. It's been slightly cool and cloudy which is my favorite and commuting while it's still nice out but not freezing cold or sweltering hot is the best and I am going to be grateful while I have it because I hear it's going to be a cold, cold winter!

I hope you all have a loving, fun-filled weekend, whatever you are doing. I am always so grateful for all of you! XO