Spring Colors Are Here

Florida must be bringing out the color-loving side of me, because usually my wardrobe color palette is rather bland. Each year now, when spring rolls around, I find myself getting a little bit more adventurous when it comes to color. Last year I bought a bright neon skirt from Anthropologie, and this year I'm loving everything from lavender and turquoise to coral and poppy.

I think that pretty spring colors are a safe place to start when it comes to introducing color to your bland wardrobe. It never hurts to start with colorful nail polish. The $7 dollar commitment is much less scary than dropping $30 on something colorful that you keep hidden in your closet all year.

Who knows, maybe some day I'll even yearn to wear some bold and colorful patterns. Let's not push it though. For now, I'm enjoying my pretty spring colors. Maybe next year I'll go all print crazy on you. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Are you a fan of colorful clothing?

Current Beauty Favorites

Growing up I wasn't much of a girly girl. Makeup wasn't really something I thought much about, and you could find me sweating on the volleyball court most days. However, over the years I'm slowly developing an appreciation for certain beauty products. I don't go crazy over many items, but I do have some favorite items that I can't stop using. Mascara and perfume are items I tend to splurge on when it comes to beauty products. Here are some of my current favorite items.

lip color  |  bath bomb  |  black orchid  |  mascara  |  flowerbomb

Maybelline color whispers : For a girl who's afraid of lipstick, these are perfect. Something about lipstick scares me. Maybe I have an irrational fear of lip color ending up all over my teeth. I usually opt for sheer, or nude, shades on my lips. The first color whisper I purchased was Lust for Blush, and that wasn't quite enough color. After realizing the colors aren't too pigmented, I got brave and purchased Coral Ambition too. I love them both. Maybe I'll even go crazy and buy a fuchsia color. Probably not though. I need to start thinking of my lip color as part of my whole outfit, and think of it as art.

Lush products : Like I mentioned in this post, I just recently discovered the amazingness that is Lush. After smelling just about every single bath bomb in the store, I finally settled on the Twilight bath bomb. It's a combination of lavender and vanilla, and I kept going back to it's calming scent. I still have yet to use this. Not sure what I'm waiting for, but it's supposed to help you sleep. I usually don't have a problem sleeping, so I'm hoping this thing doesn't induce a coma-like sleep for 12 hours or something.

Black Orchid by Tom Ford : After watching Christina's perfume video on Pretty.Shiny.Sparkly, I learned a lot about the different notes within a perfume. It makes perfume interesting! Black Orchid has notes of bergamot, citrus, sandalwood, patchouli, and vanilla to name a few. I recently got a sample of this scent from Sephora, and I've been enjoying what little bit I have. Perfume is like wine to me, what goes into it is mostly a mystery to me. I just know when I like it. I tend to gravitate towards scents that have some sort of sandalwood or patchouli base. Black Orchid may be my next perfume purchase.

Benefit's They're Real Mascara : I've splurged on good mascara for quite a few years now, and there's no going back now. Many people swear by drugstore mascara, but I've never really had good luck with it. For years I wore Diorshow, but after trying some of Benefit's new They're Real mascara it's all I wear. It goes on nicely, stays all day, and doesn't clump. Those are all good things in my book.

Flowerbomb by Viktor & Rolf : This was a recent birthday gift from my husband. After sampling Flowerbomb in a department store, I knew I had to have a bottle for myself. This perfume smells so delicious I want to eat it. It's not too floral, and it has base notes of patchouli like so many other perfumes I love. My previous favorite scent was Miss Dior, and it had the the base note of patchouli too. Apparently when it comes to scents, my nose knows best. :)

What are some of your current beauty favorites?

Do you like any of the ones I mentioned?

Obsessed with Flowerbomb

I found my new favorite fragrance yesterday, and it was love at first sniff. My husband even agreed with my perfume pick. He really hates to shop, so it was amazing we were even at the mall in the first place. My husband tried his hardest to hurry me through the delicious smelling fragrance counters, but I stalled long enough to pick up the closest bottle for a test spray. What can I say? This girl loves to shop.

The gorgeous packaging caught my eye first, but the name Flowerbomb grabbed my attention too. I had smelled that fragrance in magazine samples before, but I wanted to try it straight from the bottle this time. Stumbling across that perfume was a happy accident, because the scent had me hooked immediately! Like I said, love at first sniff.

Flowerbomb by Viktor&Rolf

After obsessing over the smell for what seemed like an hour, my husband and I continued through the department store in search of gifts we actually needed. (aka not gifts for me) After finally making it to the right department, a store employee immediately complimented me on the fragrance I was wearing. I haven't had a perfume compliment in quite some time, so I was sold! Flowerbomb by Viktor&Rolf was definitely a winner. I'm pretty sure it was made for me (said every woman ever). I think I found the perfect scent!

I even saved this tester strip just in case my husband forgot....

this perfume is the flowerbomb.com ;)

Since I probably won't be getting this for Christmas, I'm adding Flowerbomb to my birthday wishlist. I suppose I can probably wait a month or so for this heavenly scent to arrive in my life! It's actually perfect timing, because I've just about finished my current bottle of perfume. Come to me, Flowerbomb. We were made for each other. Clearly I am obsessed.

Have you smelled Flowerbomb?

What's your favorite fragrance?

Reasons We Need a Smartphone

My husband and I just might be the only two people on planet earth who still are not the proud owners of a smartphone. When finally we do get them, something better (possibly the smarter phone) will most likely be released and we'll be left in the dust once again. Until then, I keep dreaming of all the uses for my non existent smartphone. Obviously I have navigated life perfectly fine without a smartphone thus far, but for convenience reasons my husband and I really do need them. Do you see where this is going?

Here are some reasons

why I we need a smartphone:

{ my husband's list would be different than mine...

he would have more weather related and pilot-y things I'm sure }

{ whoa, this photo is old school }

Musical Curiosities:

Take for instance a couple nights ago, my husband and I heard a song we liked on the television and simultaneously asked "who sings that?". We typically try and remember some lyrics to 'google' in an attempt to find the artist name or song.

Oh Shazam, how you would take the guesswork out of learning artists and song titles. We could use you in a grocery store, elevator (depending on our service provider), at a baseball game (that would have come in handy last week), or in the car whenever a new song plays. The opportunities to learn new artists and songs would be endless. Until we got sick of you and downloaded some fun new app. Then we might forget all about you.

Starbucks and Chik-Fil-A Curiosities:

Oh nonexistent smartphone, you would have been invaluable on our cross-country road trip last year. There were times when I feared I may never see a Starbucks ever again. Clearly I had plunged into a dangerous haze induced by lack of strong coffee.

iExit Interstate Exit Guide would have helped us find the closest Starbucks, and I may have become slightly less crazed had I known when to anticipate my next cup of tasty coffee. Not to mention, the endless number of times I've craved Chik-Fil-A as soon as we get in the car for a short road trip. iExit, you would help keep me more calm during road trips.... I need you.

{ clearly this is a mirror shot, hence the "nonaC" camera }

Photographic Tendencies:

Boy do I remember the heydays of the film camera. It was sort of like the days before the smartphone. I often took 5 rolls of film and got 5 great photos. What am amateur! Thank goodness I have a digital camera now. They're much easier on the wallet when it comes to not spending on film and developing.

*Segue* Instagram. I need you. I want to endlessly snap photos of pretty things all around me, make them prettier with your neat-o filters, and I want to share my pictures with people all around the world. Thank you.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I cannot believe my husband and I are still willingly living in the days before the smartphone. Some day I'm sure we'll each have a smartphone, but I never want to become one of those people who is glued to their phone 24/7. It will be difficult for that first week I'm sure. Like a child with a new toy, I'll probably be excited over ever nook and cranny of my new smart phone. The novelty always wears off though, right? Or will I be a smartphone addict? I hope not. Are you someone who happens to be addicted to using your smartphone? What are you favorite apps or smartphone features? Obviously I already have some favorites. Now I'm just waiting for that perfect iPhone to fall into my lap.

Hello apple. If you would like to send my husband and I free iPhones, we would not be opposed to that. I'm just saying. Or if you're someone who would like to help a young married couple be more "hip", you can email me with details. I kid.... sort of.

Do you remember life before the smartphone? Has life now changed for the better, or do you feel even more obligated to stayed plugged-in? What is your favorite escape (turn off the phone, vacation, etc.) from technology?

Wants vs. Needs { My Spring Wish List }

Yesterday I spoke of a spring fever that has taken over.

preppy   +   leopard print   =    love

{ Throw in a little neon and I'm sold }

left to right :  shoes  //  ring  //  top  //  skirt  //  necklace  //  bracelet  //  wristlet

I've been feeling a serious need to buy these leopard print Sperrys that I found while browsing the internet recently. It doesn't help that we live dangerously close to beautiful beaches, and I obviously need those shoes in order to fulfill my mind's idea of a picture perfect preppy (sort of) nautical life.

I've been having a serious problem lately determining my fashion needs from my wants.

I obviously need everything in sight right now.

It's clearly not safe for me to be working in retail sales!

-- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - --

Of the items on my 'spring wish (need/want) list' : I did buy the Tucked Tiered Skirt

and the Celadon shapes necklace from Anthropologie.

Here's the necklace.... isn't it "purdy"?

Please tell me I'm not the only one with
a serious case of 'the wants' right now.... please.


Oh, and just in case you didn't get enough 
of my nail obsession yesterday...

Yeah, I'm a little late jumping on board the ring finger trend train, but who cares.

Oops... I Did It Again!

There must be something about the month of March

that makes me go crazy for color.

I either have spring fever
or a different kind of March Madness?!
One that involves nail polish... not basketball.

Around this same time last year
I posted a blog about all of the different nail polish colors I tested on my finger nails

If you ask me, I notice quite a difference in my favorites since last year.

Move over pretty pastels... hello dark, rich colors!

I like my nail polish the way I like my men... dark and rich.

{ Totally kidding! }

My husband isn't exactly dark...

and we're working on the rich part. ;)

-- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - -- - --

These are the colors I ended up

purchasing yesterday while at Target.

{ please ignore the layer of dust on my desk }

{  left : no more film  //  right : a crewed interest  }

Olé Caliente came in a very close third.

I could not wait to take off my current polish and try my new colors,

so here's a peek of A Crewed Interest over top of my ring finger which is covered in Lilacism.

Is there such a thing as NPA (nail polish anonymous)?

I may have a problem.

disclaimer : I may appear to be a bit of an Essie snob, but I promise I'm not. They just have amazing colors to choose from, and I always end up being drawn to their products while in the nail polish aisle. I don't discriminate, but I do love a quality item with great color and coverage. So sue me. ;)

{please don't actually sue me}

Excited About Makeup!

Growing up I was never much of a makeup lover.

As strange as it may seem, I just never put much thought

into the products that go on my face.

Don't get me wrong.

I like wearing makeup,

but I rarely (if ever) get very excited over it.

That all changed when I recently read about some NARS products on a makeup blog,

and it reminded me of how much I had been wanting to buy a NARS blush.

While my mom was here, we visited Sephora and I found the perfect NARS makeup set!

My mom bought me the limited edition NARS Wicked Attraction set

that I sort of fell in love with while at Sephora.

The set includes a couple of NARS products

I had been wanting for a while:

the Orgasm blush and the Laguna bronzer.

This might be one of the first times that

I've been truly excited about a beauty product.

1. { Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base }
I'll give it a try, but I do like the Shadow Insurance primer by Too Faced.
I guess a little comparison never hurt anybody. (:

2. { Larger Than Life Lipgloss in Spring Break }
The moment I put this shade on my lips I loved it! I've been wanting that perfect nude lip color
that looks like you're not wearing color but really are. This pretty golden beige is sheer and ah-mazing.

3. { Blush and Bronzer Duo in Orgasm and Laguna }
I am thrilled with these colors! I tried the Orgasm blush over a year ago and have wanted it ever since. The Laguna bronzer looks a bit dark and shimmery in the compact, but it's a nice natural color without shimmer on the skin. I'm super excited about these two together!

4. { Eyeshadow in Fathom }
I'm not a huge fan of shadows with glitter in them, but it is fun for a little pick me up once in a while.
I'll use this color but probably not very often.

Here I am wearing the Larger Than Life Lipgloss in Spring Break:

{ you can see my homemade jewelry organizers behind me }

Do you love makeup?
What are some of your favorite beauty products?

Is It Too Soon?

Halloween has come and gone, the leaves have fallen from our trees, and the shelves are already stocked with gifts and holiday merchandise in preparation for "Black Friday". Before we know it, we'll be ringing in the year 2012. Where has the time gone?

Wait a minute, let's slow things down for a second here!

Why the rush?

Is it just me, or does this time of year always seem to rush by in a hurry?

I know one thing.

Seeing how eggnog is only available for a short stretch of time each year,

we're enjoying a glass (or two... don't tell anyone) tonight.

We always enjoyed some eggnog during Thanksgiving when I was growing up,

and over the years that's something that will not change.

Good thing my husband loves eggnog too,

because I'd sure hate to drink a whole quart all by myself. *wink, wink*

There's also no shortage of holiday candles around our place either.

{ candles both from anthropologie Aloha Orchid tin and Balsam & Cedar }

In our household we do have a pretty steadfast rule

of not putting up our Christmas tree or listening

to any Christmas music until after Thanksgiving though.

You have to draw the line somewhere.

Fall Smells Good

I know it's already November and winter will be here before we know it,

but it's not too late to share some of my favorite scents for fall, right?

{  mulled wine candle: anthropologie  |  nail polish: essie  }

Anthropologie's website describes the mulled wine candle as
"red wine stewed with oakwood, cinnamon, and citrus."
I think it's the cinnamon that has me hooked.

The smell from this candle easily fills your whole room....
and maybe even your whole house*.
* { Depending on the size of your house. We live in a small two bedroom apartment. It works for us. }

I love the smell of food
cooking on Thanksgiving day too!

What are some of your favorite fall scents?

Tunes on Tuesday

Today I simply wanted to share

some of my favorite music with you.

My playlists change a lot, but right now
I'm listening to the following:

Stereo Love by Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina. We heard this song a while relaxing next to a pool in Las Vegas, and now it makes me think of sunny skies and chilling by a pool. "Aaaah".

My cousin introduced me to this song.  Lovers' Carvings by Bibio. It starts out sort of slow, but after about a minute and a half the song becomes more upbeat and sort of makes me want to jam.

What You Know by Two Door Cinema Club. Not sure exactly what it is about this song, but I love it. I hope you enjoy this one! (The music video is fun too.)

This acoustic cover of an Outkast song is amazing. Hey Ya by Obadiah Parker is such a beautiful version of a great song. I challenge you not to sing along with this one.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Have you listened to any of these songs before?

What are some of your favorite songs?

Happy Tuesday!

Latest Obsession

I've been rather obsessed with nail trends these days. A couple of days ago I saw a nail polish tutorial over at Pretty Shiny Sparkly*, and I knew I had to give it a try! I actually really like my half-moon nails.

* Kristina also hosts the 'Bloggers Do It Better' (BDIB) series, so if you're interested in seeing what

other bloggers are doing with trends, go check that out too.

{ Nail Polish : Revlon and Essie }

I used to go without nail polish pretty often, but I think since I've started painting my nails on a regular basis over the years that they grow longer now. My longer nails could be a coincidence, but maybe nail polish protects my nails from the elements. Not to mention they don't chip and peel like they used to. See. Nail polish is pretty and functional. You can't beat that!

{ You can read about another nail trend that I recently tried - HERE }

{ left to right  :  Lilacism  Tart Deco  Sand Tropez  Chinchilly }

Happy Friday everyone!

Do you have any fun weekend plans?

Coasting Through Life

The thrill seeker in me has always enjoyed been obsessed with roller coasters. I grew up about a six hour drive from Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. Not sure if you've ever heard of it, but it's kind of a big deal. Cedar Point calls itself "America's Roller Coast". It's actually really clever, or cheesy depending on how you look at it, because the park sits on the coast of Lake Erie. Roller coasters + the coast = America's Roller Coast! I actually experienced my first roller coaster ride at Michigan's Adventure,* but we won't go into detail about that place. Let's just say I was hooked from my very first ride, and it's been all downhill, and uphill, from there.

* When I was in 8th grade I broke my ankle on a water slide there, and I ended up needing surgery to fix it. The words Michigan's Adventure sort of leave a bad taste in my mouth now, but I'm not bitter. No.

This is really embarrassing, but growing up I had a VHS tape consisting of front seat rides on the best roller coasters in the country. So what. I'm an only child, and I had a really great imagination. I actually thought I might want to be a roller coaster engineer at one point. Then I realized that engineers need to know crazy complicated math, and then I didn't want to design coasters anymore. I would rather ride them. However, I digress. The 3-D video tape really made me feel like I was there in the front seat. Don't judge me. After watching my incredibly thrilling 3-D roller coaster tape, I had the itch to ride these roller coasters in real life! Only makes sense right? Let me tell you the rides are much better in person than from the couch, or chair parked in front of the television, in your living room.

Desperado Roller Coaster at Buffalo Bill's Casino in Primm, Nevada

Over the years though, in real life I've ridden roller coasters in Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Texas, Colorado, California, and Nevada. Basically if I am anywhere near a roller coaster, I try need to ride it. Pretty simple.

While in Nevada last week, I asked my husband begged relentlessly to ride the Desperado roller coaster at Buffalo Bill's casino in Primm, Nevada. It was one of the coasters on my VHS tape, and I have always wanted to ride it. I mean I grew up "riding" this ride already. Let me tell you this was a serious life goal, and I was so thrilled to get the opportunity to get on that Desperado and coast! We hopped in the pickup and drove the almost 30 minutes to Primm. Upon arriving at the casino, we find that the roller coaster was shut down due to high winds in the area. We had driven past dust devils and massive dirt clouds on our way to the casino, so it shouldn't have been a surprise. Finding the Desperado, my dream, temporarily closed was one of the biggest disappointments in my life! Maybe I'm a little dramatic, but there was no way I was going to leave the state of Nevada, for possibly quite a long time, without riding that roller coaster! No way.

Instead of sitting around the casino waiting for the slight possibility of the Desperado reopening, we did what any defeated young and adventurous couple would do. We put on our game faces and took off for the Hoover Dam! I mean, the next best thing to a dream roller coaster ride is a tour of a massive dam made of concrete right? I think so! More on the Hoover Dam tour later though. That's a whole post of its own.

For good measure and bragging rights of saying we were in California, I asked my husband if we could drive across the Nevada/Cali state line before heading to the Hoover Dam. Score!

After touring the Hoover Dam, it felt like the wind had died down quite a bit. It crossed our minds my mind to call Buffalo Bill's casino and see if the Desperado had reopened for the evening. After some number punching to speak with a human on the 800 line, we found out that the roller coaster was indeed open for the night. Although, in the same breath the woman said that if the wind picked up again it would close. My husband decided it was probably in his best interest to get me on that ride, so off we drove again to Primm! Let me tell you this seemed like the longest ride ever. I kept hoping the wind would stay calm, because it would have been heartbreaking if they closed the Desperado due to wind again. A girl can only take so much heartache.

We arrived in Primm, parked the truck, walked/ran (guess who was the one running) to the front doors, rushed through the casino to the ticket booth, bought Desperado tickets, waited for a few endless minutes, and boarded the roller coaster for our ride. Let me tell you, I will never get enough of that "clink, clink, clink" as the train climbs the first hill. Then most everything was downhill from there! We laughed/screamed/cried (happy wind-blown tears), and we had an exhilarating ride to end our fun filled day. Hopefully I'll get more opportunities to coast my way across this country, because I, Ashley, am a roller coaster addict.

White Out

Today is all about white.

Fortunately I am not talking about the weather in Colorado today. However... Kristina, over at Pretty Shiny Sparkly, started a project called "Bloggers Do It Better", and today I am taking part in her White Out challenge. Who doesn't like a little challenge now and then?

The idea was to plan an outfit around the trend of wearing {mostly} white.

Here's my take on the trend:

Jacket: LC by Lauren Conrad @ Kohl's (clearance)

White Jeans: Arden B.

Tank: Old Navy

Jewelry & Belt: Forever21

Bag: Nordstrom bp

The White Out Challenge was fun, and I cannot wait for some warmer weather here in Colorado. It feels a little weird to wear so much white when there is still snow on the ground, but I think this is a fun trend that can be very versatile.

If you want to play along, go on over to Pretty Shiny Sparkly and link up!

Happy Tuesday!

Simple Pleasures at Chick-fil-A

I always remind myself that life can often use some excitement brought about by the little things. Just last week, I found myself very excited over something that most people might find silly or trivial. However, it was the first time I had seen anything like this before, and I could not contain my excitement.

Chick-fil-A's food was not the only thing that had me excited. Although the food alone is sort of special, because we don't eat it very often. It's always a welcome treat when we're taking a little road trip and want some delicious fast food. (Did I seriously just use 'delicious' and 'fast food' in the same sentence?!) I normally don't like fast food, but Chick-fil-A is some pretty tasty stuff. I think it might even be real chicken. How can you not love the chicken sandwiches?! You can't pay me to eat a 'burger' from McDonald's. Sick! My life changed the day I experienced my first sandwich from Chick-fil-A, and that was not very long ago. I resisted for a while, because I had not idea it would taste so good for fast food. I digress, so the reason that I was really excited about our meal was actually the awesome little ketchup packets that I found at the bottom of our paper bag!

I mean, how did these little buggers not come into my life sooner? When I was a kid, I used to eat ketchup on almost everything. Once my dad got made at me for putting to much ketchup on my plate when we were eating fish sticks, so just to prove a point, I ate every last drop of it and even licked my plate. Needless to say, he didn't say much after that. Ketchup consumption ensued like it was my job. I probably just loved the colorful condiment because it is full of sugar, and I did not like very many foods that did not taste like sugar. That's probably why I covered most things with ketchup. Ha! Either way, do you have any idea how messy it sometimes is to squeeze ketchup onto fries from those flimsy little packets at most fast food joints? Especially while you're riding in a car. Imagine my amazement to find these cute little ketchup-bottle-shaped packets. Hungry ketchup lovers have the option to dip or squeeze! Plus... this is America, we're all about choices. For real. This little revolutionary ketchup packet made my day. Just so you know I chose to squeeze, and it was a ton of fun.

Sometimes it does not take much to brighten my day. Who would have thought that it was going to be ketchup that would put a smile on my face on that memorable visit to Chick-fil-A?

Have you seen these amazing little dip & squeeze ketchups yet?

Hotel Toiletry Hoarding

I have a confession. I'm a hoarder. Don't worry though. We don't live in a rodent infested pig sty or anything like that. My favorite kind of hoarding is much more hygienic than that. I hoard hotel toiletries. At least we're clean around here! Over many years I've collected miniature bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. Even though I have enough to last for quite some time, I can't stop collecting those cute little bottles. I can't stop!

all the goods

When we travel, I fill travel-sized bottles with my own products from home so that I can bring home the hotel toiletries. You ask, "Doesn't that sort of defeat the purpose of the hotel provided toiletries?" Yeah. Pretty much. I use my own products while away from home, but I get to bring home these little gems. The only hotel that beat me at my own game was the Sheraton in Punta Gorda. They use toiletry dispensers in their showers, and those bad boys are attached to the wall. There's no taking their shampoo. I suppose they're sticking it to people like me. Ha!

I've scored some pretty nice products over the years. I have mini products by Crabtree & Evelyn, Gilchrist & Soames, Aveda, and some from the Ritz Carlton Battery Park. A part of me loves keeping the toiletries as a little reminder of our travels. It's fun to relive a good vacation by using the delicious smelling shampoo years later.

I'm growing quite the collection of hotel toiletries. Not all hoarding is bad, right?

If you're ever a guest at our place, maybe you'll get to take some of these bottles home with you. I promise I'll share these some day. Unless we can no longer afford shampoo or conditioner. Then I may them all to myself. Until then, I'm going to continue 'hoarding' and hope to share them some day. Now who wants to come and stay with us?

What is your item of choice when it comes to hoarding?

Color Me Happy

Last week I mentioned that it was very spring-like in Colorado, and that beautiful weather put me in the mood for some bright colors in my life!

Spring for the day in Colorado

Chelsea, over at A Colorado Cupcake, posted a blog that inspired me to find the perfect polish, so I went on a search for some colorful nail polish that would be perfect for Spring. If the nice weather is not here to stay, at least I can force some cheer out of the day by having brightly colored nails. Yeah! Let me tell you. Choosing the perfect color was not easy. I can be incredibly indecisive, so I walked back and forth in front of all the colors for what felt like a half hour. Ouch. Hard work pays off though! Just remember that.

testing, testing

After testing quite a few colors on my finger nails, I settled on a couple of fun colors from the Essie collection. I did not buy the greens or blues (this time), but I might go back and get 'Coat Azure' sometime later, because it came in a very close third after this polish search. The 'Mint Candy Apple' came in fourth place. If only I had endless dollars to spend on polish. I might have bought them all. After testing and trying and contemplating, I bought bottles of 'Lilacism' and 'Tart Deco'. Just so you know, Lilacism really does "whisper springtime". I heard it. Go get some if you want to hear springtime whispers too! It just might brighten your day. I know it does mine.

Pretty Polishes

I still have nails that look like the ones below, because it's been hard to choose which color to paint all of my nails. Maybe I'll just leave them looking like an experiment gone wrong. Who knows? Not really. Hopefully I'll get to painting them one color soon.

hard to choose just one

Do you have any springtime favorites when it comes to makeup or polish?

Dream Big

Let the gift giving commence! Yeah... I know we just had Christmas, but my birthday is less than a month away. :) Since my birthday is so close to Christmas, it's sort of like Christmas never ended. We actually haven't had Christmas with some of our family members yet, so really it hasn't ended!

I was inspired by a wish list that I saw on another blog... you can see the list that I fell for here. (I got the "Good Morning" mug idea from her blog)

Here is my Birthday wish list:

Since I love to read, my wish list would not be complete without a great book. Some really books that I've read recently include: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, and the Harry Potter Books.

TOMS shoes have been on my wish list for a while now. I even blogged about the shoes in a previous blog. Today I saw a girl wearing this black glittery pair of TOMS... and I fell in love with them. Plus someone in need gets a free pair with a purchase, so if anyone gives you a pair as a gift they're giving to a great cause at the same time.

I drink a cup of coffee basically every morning, and I would love to drink my coffee out of this "Good Morning" mug. It's so fun! Plus one of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was drinking out of it one morning... and I'll let you in on a little secret... I watch that show pretty much all of the time once in a while when I can. ;)

I mentioned a book above that I read recently, and it was written by the real life family who inspired the movie The Blindside. While watching the movie, I noticed a beautiful watch worn by Sandra Bullock who played Leigh Anne Tuohy. I did a little bit of google-ing and found out who made the watch. It's pretty darn pricey, but hey... a girl can dream! This isn't called a wish list for nothing, you know.

Not everything that I have on my wish list is a thing. On the night that Nate proposed, he took me to an amazing restaurant in Denver called Vesta Dipping Grill. They have the most delicious food, and I would love to spend my birthday enjoying a great meal at Vesta. Yum!

Last but not least, I would love to win the HGTV Dream Home for my birthday! *dream big* You can enter every day through February 18th, and I can assure you that I'm entering every day for my chance to win this birthday dream gift. Wouldn't that be a great birthday gift?!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I don't expect any of these things for my birthday, but hey... it's fun to dream! Of anything on my wish list, I'd love to have a nice dinner at Vesta Dipping Grill. It would taste way better than a watch or house any day. 

What are your favorite birthday memories or gifts that you have received??