A Blogger Gift Guide

It's finally December!  Can you believe it?  I can't.

It seems that time has just flown by this year and I've just been trying to keep up!  This month is going to be cuh-ray-zee because I'm working ridiculous hours (damn you retail job!) and trying to work on redesigning and promoting this little blog.  I'm also trying to start my own online clothing store as well as creating my own line of clutches, bags, and tops.  Those of you following me on Instagram may have seen the mini-clutch I created a couple weeks ago (here).

Anyway, now with Christmas literally right around the corner I'm stuck with an extremely long shopping list so instead of all of us going around and scratching our heads about what to get for whom, let's kick off this month with a gift guide!

I personally love "gift guide" posts because it just makes things so much easier for me and it also helps me to "think outside the box" to give my friends and family a truly unique gift.  And what better way to kick off the gift guides than a gift guide made especially for us bloggers!!

Nerd Party Ebook | ILWF #blogger Crop Top | PayPal Funds | Flexible Tripod | Coffee Mug With Their Blog Name On It | Some Ecards Desk Calendar | A Pretty Little Notebook | Custom Blog Design Package

Okay, some of you non-bloggers may be scratching your heads at this (*sigh*, they don't get it), so let me break it down for you:

1.  All bloggers, whether newbies or not, need to know a little coding and design.  It's pretty much the building blocks of a successful blog - because no matter how you try to flip it, people are gonna choose to read the pretty/clean blog over a dull/cluttered one.

2.  I wrote about these personalized crop tops before and I really cannot get enough of them!  This is a perfect gift for that fashion-forward blogger in your life.

3.  One word: PayPal.  EVERY blogger could use a little cash, and PayPal is a great way to show your favorite blogger a little support.  The money you transfer to their PayPal account can go towards purchasing ads, hosting giveaways, and getting a new blog makeover (which I'll get in to a little further down).

4.  A flexible tripod is a great gift for any blogger because it allows them to take photos and videos from angles and aspects that they wouldn't be able to with a regular tripod.  Great photos are the key to successfully shared posts!

5.  Our blog is our baby.  And just like any proud parent, we love to see our blog name/URL everywhere, so go on and get something customized for your blogger.

6.  Even you non-bloggers get a kick out of SomeEcards so this could be a neutral gift I guess.  We just love to use these in our posts!

7.  Bloggers are writers.  Sometimes we need to take a break from the computer and find a quiet place, away from technology, to gather our thoughts.  Give your blogger some time to unwind with a cute notebook to jot down some ideas, doodle, or just make lists (we LOVE making lists)...

8.  Giving your amazing blogger a custom design package is like giving her (or his) blog a spa day.  Custom design packages give bloggers a chance to make over their entire blog's look without having to do it all themselves.  These can get a little pricey, but they are an amazing investment.

Alright, so now you've got a Blogger Gift Guide from a blogger's perspective - you have no excuses left on what to get your favorite blogger.

 

P.S.  If you're a blogger, please feel free to share this with others as your wishlist - so they won't get it wrong this year!

Easter Weekend Recap

Happy Easter everyone!

Not trying to brag or anything, but our Easter weekend was pretty AWESOME.

Saturday was Joey's 31st birthday and unfortunately he had to work that day.  It really kinda sucked because he couldn't come with us to the Easter egg hunt at the Asan-Maina community center.  It was our first time going there since we're not really residents of the area but I was really amazed at the effort that was put into it.

I didn't have much time to take pictures of everything because I was by myself with the kids so I wasn't able to go around and take proper photos of the set up and activities they had.  Plus we didn't really know anyone there so we were kinda hiding in the back.

Before the egg hunting began, they started the festivities off with an Easter hat and Easter basket contest.  The contest was announced previously so kids came with their home-made hats and baskets all ready for competition.  The winners received baskets full of goodies (the kind you see at the store that your kids kick and scream for but you don't buy because it's like $40)  and my kids have already started planning what they're gonna make for next year's contest.

After the contests, the egg hunts began!  I was really surprised that they had every single age group!  Even adults were able to participate so it really was an event that the whole family could get involved in.  Once all the eggs were found, the kids opened their eggs and found tickets in some of them.  We were kind of confused as to what the tickets were for so we thought there would be some sort of raffle drawing.  Then the mayor announced for everyone to bring their tickets to the stage to redeem them for prizes.  Every ticket gets a prize - how awesome is that?  Uh, SUPER AWESOME!

Oh, and another super awesome thing:  food!  Yup, they had several tables full of fried chicken, bbq ribs, pulled pork, spaghetti, fruits, cakes, and even a punch station!  It was really an amazing thing seeing how well the Asan-Maina mayor and her staff put this event together.  They really take pride in their village and show it well.

By the way, did I mention that the whole event was free?!  Free egg hunt, free prizes, free food, all of it was courtesy of the Asan-Maina community and other sponsors.  I really cannot say enough about how spectacular it was.  The kids and I really enjoyed ourselves and we are definitely going back next year!

When Joey got home from work that afternoon, we took the kids to the movies and watched The Croods (in 3D, of course).  It was such a fun movie and the kids really enjoyed it - they were laughing the loudest in the theater!  I'm so glad they're already old enough to sit through a movie - no more running up and down the aisles and jumping up and down on the seats.

That night we went down to Joey's mom's house to celebrate Joey's birthday with food, family, and friends.  It was nice being able to hang out with everyone away from the field...though all they talked about was baseball anyway.  Lol.  The boyfriend enjoyed himself, and that's all that really matters.

On Easter Sunday we headed down to Merizo to Joey's sister's in-laws' house where they have an Easter celebration every year.  The food there is always delicious and the kids have so much fun! 

Dress:  Macy's  //  Earrings:  Claire's  //  Sandals:  Soda

Oh, and a few of you may have seen this picture on Instagram already, but it was just such a funny scene I had to post it here and explain it to you.  But first, what do you think is going on in the photo below?



Okay, now get your minds outta the gutter!  He wasn't checking out my backside and trying to cop a feel (though I really don't mind when he does) - I tucked his sunglasses into the back of my dress and when I told him that he was looking for it in the wrong area.  Typical guy.



See?  Sunglasses found.

♥ Duckie.

In the Spirit of St. Patrick's Day... *an alcohol-related post*

I got drunk.

Okay, not really.  But I did drink all weekend.  And that's festive, right?

We spent the weekend on a little vacay from our normal routine because Joey surprised us with a weekend stay at the Marriott hotel.  It was a nice change of pace and allowed me to relax and unwind a little.

My grandmother's birthday was on Friday so we all got together and celebrated it on Saturday at Ladera Towers, where she lives.

 

Celebrating with the family.

Just some of the women in our family.  Trust me, there's LOTS more.  And can you spot the cups?

I had to squat on the ground since his leg is still fragile.  For some reason, he looks ultra skinny and I look like I have a huge head in this picture.  Annnnnd another cup.

There was tons of food on the table and lots of drinks to go around.  I had a couple glasses paper cups of Pink Moscato and Red Velvet Wine, both of which were delicious!  Our kids are great swimmers so they were in the pool all day, only breaking to eat and sing "Happy Birthday".

Saturday night we went back to the hotel and ordered in from Outback Steakhouse.  It had been a long time since we'd eaten there so I was finally able to get my Bloomin' Onion fix.  We stuffed our faces full and then called it a night.

On Sunday, we checked out early and drove down to Joey's mom's house and spent the day in Merizo.  The kids were still itching to swim so Joey's dad took them to the Merizo Pier and we followed.

 Joey and I watched the kids swim and hung out with his cousins under the shade.  We ate a little and drank a little.  I had a couple beers - and I usually don't drink beer because it usually gives me gas - but it was St. Patrick's Day so... #YOLO!

Joey had a baseball game Sunday night so we spent the evening at the field.  Since I had had my fill of beer earlier in the day and that's the only alcoholic beverage they serve at baseball games, I decided to sneak in some of my own drink.  I felt like I was back in high school pouring mixed drinks into an empty plastic bottle to sneak into a game...

Don't judge me!  I never said I was a good role model.  Don't follow my lead, kids.  Bad things may happen.

The girls and I left the game early because it was a school night (see, still got my priorities in order!) so we didn't get to see the end of the game.  Thankfully, they ended up winning - their first win so far - and the whole team was stoked so they ended up celebrating in the parking lot last night.  So while the kids were sleeping, I celebrated with more margaritas!

I'm not fully hungover today (thank goodness) but I'm still really tired and lazy so I'm ending this post right now.

♥ Duckie.

Makeup Mondays: Holiday Haul + A [Giveaway]!

I was planning on doing a review on a super amazing product that I got for Christmas today but then I thought, 'why not show you all the awesome makeup that I got over the holidays first?'

And because I don't wanna be one of those "Look at me!  Look what I got!" kinda girls, I'm giving away one super awesome prize to one super lucky reader!

So let's get started, shall we?

This first batch of goodies was given to me by my sister Jaxx (who's blog I'm in the process of designing - check out my madd skills so far) for Christmas.

Sorry for the ugly pictures.  I was a little lazy to take better pictures.

L-R: Maybelline Mega Plush Volum' Express Mascara, Make Up Forever Aqua Brow, Hard Candy Stroke of Gorgeous Eyeliner, Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner in Blackest Black, and Hard Candy Stay In Line Eyeliner in Black Pearl.

The second batch of stuff was part of my Christmas present from my mom, who allowed me a shopping spree on Coastal Scents.

Coastal Scents 252 Ultimate Palette, 10 Blush Palette, Liquid HD Foundation in ST-07, 22 Piece Brush Set, and the Eclipse Palette.

 Coastal Scents 22 Piece Brush Set

Blush, Eclipse, and 252 Palettes


Now that you've seen what I got, here's the part I know you've been waiting for:

Coastal Scents 88 Original Palette

Yep, this baby could be yours soon so enter below!  Like, uh, NOW!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck!!!

♥ Duckie.