Christmas music I love

This is the song that Lincoln plays every year as we decorate the tree. He says it isn't Christmas until we listen to this song. I have to admit, it brings a tear to my eye every time I hear it. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!

Christmas music I love

Lincoln actually turned me onto this song. It is just beautiful. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!

Christmas music I love

I am a firm believer that every holiday has its turn. I don't listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving just as I don't wear Halloween costumes in June. Ok, maybe I do wear costumes on other occasions then Halloween, but not often. The point is, I love Thanksgiving so much that I wait until after to listen to music, decorate, or think about anything "Christmasy." Once Thanksgiving is over, it is a free for all and Christmas is ALL over the place. One of my favorite things about this time of year, besides the spirit, is the music. I hate bad Christmas music just as much as I LOVE great Christmas music. Here is a sample of one of my favorite Christmas albums this year. It is a must listen. Don't you just love all things Zoe? I sure do. Enjoy, and Merry Christmas!!

P.S. This isn't even my favorite one, it is just the only one I could find.

Confusing our kid one fake beard at a time

The hand-off

The attempted getaway

The pleading and crying

Finally, saved by mom... wait, who is that behind the beard?

We are back from our (amazing) trip. I have many pictures to share, but in the meantime I wanted to show you all what we did today. Lincoln was asked to be the Santa for our Ward Christmas party. He did a great job. His Santa voice was jolly with a little Sean Connery mixed in. He would ask the kids the funniest things and almost always used their names. Their reactions were so cute. Clark was the only kid who tried to pull his beard off. I am almost tempted to buy a nice Santa outfit (the outfit he was given was lame) and have him do this as a second job!

We decorated our house (finally) and I have purchased almost all of my gifts. It really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Thankful for getting away

I know I have not blogged all week, but I have been busy with a very sick baby and a crazy work schedule. Not to mention, I have been busy getting ready for our trip to HAWAII on friday!! I am SOO excited to go. I finished my long 11 hour work day today and I drove away feeling all giddy knowing I don't go back until December 7!!! I am thrilled to have this time to spend with my boys. We are going with Lincoln's family and I just can't wait!!

If I was a really dedicated/crazy blogger, I would have set up a bunch of guest bloggers to fill in while I am away. Well, I didn't, I just don't want to worry that much about this little hobby of mine. So, I will see you on the flip side. I will be sure to have many great pictures and stories to share (a one year old on a 13 hour plane ride!!) and I have some makeup tutorials and posts for you once I get back. Love to all and Happy Thanksgiving.

Activity Day

My adorable niece asked me to come teach the girls all about hair for her activity days. I would do just about anything for that girl, so I gladly said yes. Activity Days is something they do at my Church were the little girls ages 8-10 (I think that's the ages) go and learn about different topics and work and crafts and just have a fun time. I wasn't sure what I would need to talk to these girls about, but they all seemed so excited to talk about hair that it really didn't matter what I said.

We talked about how often they should wash their hair, when and how to condition it, who should cut their hair (meaning, they should not cut their own hair), and how to pull their hair back in a ponytail, half ponytail, twist, and braid.

I had so much fun. I went to the dollar store and bought them each a brush and hair twisties. I tried teaching them how to braid with three pieces of yarn.

Some of the girls were experts, but some had no idea how to braid. It was so much fun to get them to figure it out. I was hoping they would just use the yarn to practice on, but some of the girls had other fun ideas with their finished braid. (This is my adorable niece, Sydney.)

After I was done, my sister helped all the girls make a silk flower to wear on a hair clip. Almost all of the girls wore the hair clip to church on sunday.

I have never been around so much giggling in all my life. We really tried to let the girls know that it doesn't really matter how you wear your hair, just as long as you keep it clean and healthy. These girls are adorable. I am so happy my niece asked me to do this for her. I love sharing what I know and seeing the delight in someone's eyes when they learn something new.

Happy Birthday Clark!

Clark is one. I can't believe it. Time has literally flown by. Ok, I hate when people say "literally" when it isn't necessary, but it gave the statement meaning. Anyways, I just can't believe it. I love this little boy so much. Lincoln and I can hardly remember life without our little guy. Today I was day dreaming about not having him in my life and I almost started to cry. I grabbed him and gave him the tightest hug possible. This is a very difficult task since he is so not cuddly you have to practically hold him to your chest and pin his arms to his sides so he doesn't push you away. I just held him there for a few minutes thinking about how lucky and happy I am. I know SO many people who are struggling with trying to have kids. I recognize how fortunate Lincoln and I both are to have Clark. I don't take any of it for granted and I try to love every minute.

We celebrated his birthday with my family on Sunday and had some cake and ice cream with singing and gifts.

Clark was so unaware of what was going on but he seemed really happy. I wanted it to be all cute and decorated for his big day like all the pictures you see on other people's blogs, but give me a break, who is that really for when the baby is only turning one? I know he wouldn't care about or even notice the decorations. So, instead of freaking out and spending hours on making little banners and signs, I made a cake.

This is the first cake with frosting I have made from scratch, and I am SHOCKED at how much butter goes into making a cake. I am pretty sure it ruined cake eating for awhile. Ok, enough about me, here is a little update on what my dear boy is up to.

Clark is a very active boy. He loves the stairs so much that we had to finally give in and put a gate at the bottom of it, not before he fell down a few steps and "literally" got the snot scared out of him. (I didn't use that word out of context, he really did have snot all over him after the fall.) Clark refuses to walk and just wants to crawl, really fast, all over the place. He sometimes likes to tease his father and I and stand for a few seconds on his own before he sits down just to show us he knows how, but doesn't want to do it yet. I truly think Clark will eat just about anything. He makes a really funny face when he tries things for the first time, but still goes ahead and eats it. He LOVES suckers and will eat one through the wrapper if he has to.

He also loves cheese and cold cuts and will eat both so fast that I sometimes question if he even tastes it when he puts it in his mouth. Clark has a little giraffe blanket thing that he adores. He sucks and chews on all the corners of the little blanket even the head of the giraffe that is at one of the corners. I am pretty sure we need to find another of these blankets for backup in case the original is lost or dirty. Clark loves all electronic things, especially cords. He has also taken a liking to one of the drumsticks for our Rock Band and carries it around with him. I don't think this means he will be musical in his future, I think it just means he likes sticks. Clark is still a big fan of nursing and doesn't seem to have any interest in weening anytime soon, which is fine with me. Clark has been a HORRIBLE sleeper waking up about every two to three hours every night of his entire life! This has been very difficult for me and right when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, he has been sleeping ok for the last week. Let's hope I didn't jinx it.

Clark loves kids and babies waves with excitement when he sees them. Clark is a very cool boy, he is laid back and just goes with the flow. I really don't think he has given us any trouble besides the nighttime sleeping. I never imagined I would have so much fun with a baby. Lincoln loves that he can play with Clark and throw him around. Every time Lincoln comes home from work, Clark is so excited to see him.

Lincoln and I find so much fulfillment with our little buddy. We laugh all the time when we see his funny expressions. It is so amazing what a difference a year can make. We love our little Clark so much. Happy Birthday, Buster.

I love Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

Please tell me you have seen Marcel on Youtube. It is a must see.

Well, they just came out with a second one. It makes me so happy and I find myself smiling the entire time I watch it.

When I was in college I tried really hard to have everyone call me "Sunny." I thought it would be a great nickname, but it is true that you can't give yourself a nickname.

Didn't this just make your day?

You were a little late

If Clark was born on his actual due date, he would be turning one on 11/11/11. That would have been so cool. Alas, he was five days late and missed out.

I was not a very happy camper this time last year. I was beyond ready to have this baby. Today, however, I am overjoyed at how fortunate I feel for having my baby at all. Even if he did make me wait the extra five days... I was two weeks late for my mom.

"So, you think you can Sew"

I am entering a contest, a sewing contest. I know, I am crazy. I just can't help myself, I love a challenge. I might be crazy, but I am not delusional. I know that my sewing skills are WAY below most of the sewers out there, but if I don't push myself, how will I ever grow. My friend, yes, the same girl I mention ALL the time on here, is having a sewing contest on her blog with awesome prizes. There are tons of people entered so I am not holding my breath. But without further ado, here is my first entry.

If I was really thinking ahead, I would have ironed it before taking this picture. Oh, well. It is a pattern called the school house tunic and it was really easy. Maybe I should have entered a more difficult project... I swear I can make harder stuff, this is just my most recent project. Oh, man, now I am wondering if I should have entered with something different...

Anyways, there is a funny story about when I made this. I was just about finished with it when I realized that it fit everywhere but over my stupid nursing boobs. (Nursing isn't stupid, just the crazy size that your boobs get while doing it.) I was so frustrated. I had to take the entire thing apart and sew panels on both sides to make it work. I bet Tim Gunn would have been proud.

Oh, did you notice my new cut and color? I really do need to make a post about it. I think it is my favorite color and cut on me OF ALL TIME!!!

How to cut a baby's hair

It is happening, Clark is getting older. I can't believe it. I wouldn't believe it if it wasn't for how big he is getting and how long his hair is (was). I normally really like little boys with longer hair, but Clark only had long hair over the ears and it wasn't cute curly hair. It hung down past his earlobes and would stick out like a Umpa Lumpa. We just couldn't have that, so my husband and I decided to bite the bullet and cut his hair.

Cutting a baby's hair is way different than cutting a kids hair mostly because all the hair is grown out at different lengths and there might even still be some bald patches. Don't fret about those bald patches, they will grow in time. But until then, just cut the areas that are getting out of control and leave the rest to catch up.I would suggest you have your baby sitting in the highchair so he is strapped down and high enough for you to cut his hair without having to wrestle him with a pair of scissors in your hands.

Always have something to distract your baby. Clark doesn't watch T.V. or I would put a show on for him, but he does love to eat. If you do decide to give them food, make sure it isn't something that the hair could stick to like suckers or fruit. Instead, try crackers or puffs.
I just cut his hair dry since it is so fine, getting it wet might make the hair harder to work with. I pulled the area that I wanted to cut out straight from his head. Clark's long area is above the ears, but your baby might have a long section in the back or top. Cut the hair at a vertical section with a slight angle having your fingers closer to the ear, and going farther out towards the top of the head. Having your fingers between his head and your cutting line will help you to not cut his hair too short.
After you finish that section, drop it and comb it down to see how it looks. If it seems too long, just pick it up and cut a little bit more. I always suggest leaving it longer rather than cutting too much. Next, pick up a little bit of that section as well as another bit of hair behind it to cut. Using the cut section as a guide, cut the long hair you just picked up. Keep doing this until you go to the back of the head. You might find when cutting a baby's hair that the next section you pick up isn't long enough or you don't have any hair to cut. This is due to the unevenness of their hair growth. Clark has very short hair in the back, so I didn't have to cut too far back before I ran out of hair to cut.

Once you have finished the one side, go to the other side and start over. Be sure to double check your first section you are cutting to see that it is even with the previously cut section.

You can tell my the pictures that Clark was not enjoying himself near the end. Just be sure to work fast and watch for any ears or fingers that might get in the way, you don't want to cut anything more than just hair.

If you have any questions, just let me know. There is so much more to cutting a actual kids cut, but I thought I would just start with cutting baby hair.

After giving him the cut, Lincoln and I are just shocked at how old he looks with it shorter. He for sure looks better, just too old. I can't believe my baby is going to be 1 next week. Boy does the time fly.

Just ROLL with it

I had the great opportunity to be a guest blogger on one of my good friends blogs while she was out of town. I know what you are thinking, why would she ask me? I am not the most consistent blogger these days. But, for whatever reason, she asked me and I was happy to do it. I did a silly little video about hot rollers and I thought it was time I shared the post with you. Please check out her blog when you get a chance, she is awesome and she does some creative outfits. You might remember her from this post too.

Enjoy!

Well, hello Mommy Crafters. I am Mallory from splitendsandnewbeginnings and Ashley asked me to guest post for her today. Ashley is sort of my blog mentor if you will. She is super encouraging when it comes to making my blog a better place for all things hair and beauty, but I just don't seem to have the blog skills that she possesses. With her guidance, I am sure I can find my inner blogger. I am just so happy that she asked me to guest post so I can work on said blogging skills.

Let me tell you a little about myself. I have been doing hair now for over 10 years and I LOVE it. I think your hair is your BEST accessory. I say "accessory" and not a "feature" because you can change it and adjust it to your mood and to whatever look you want to show for that day. You can do so much with it and it can do so much for you. I feel my best when my hair has fresh color and cut. After having so many of my clients ask me how to do their hair in different and fun ways I decided to challenge myself by styling my hair different for 30 days. I got the idea from my good blog friend over at Hair Romance. It was such a fun challenge and it really helped to inspire both myself and many of my clientele. After finishing the challenge I decided to try and keep my blog going with the occasional hair and beauty tips and ideas. I think it is very important to look and feel your very best. Even in a pair of sweats and no makeup, we can still learn to appreciate the beauty that we possess inside (I sound like a Whitney Houston song.) Anyways, I am getting a little off track. I just want to share the love of all things girlie.

I have a few video tutorials on my blog and I made one special for all of you who follow Ashley. I have to warn you, I am a little embarrassing. When you watch yourself doing your hair or looking at yourself in the mirror, it is totally awkward. I drop things, I repeat myself, my throat gets totally dry and I get a really itchy nose once the camera starts recording. At least I remembered to put the toilet seat down this time and I was able to edit out the two phone calls that I received. Oh, the joys of blogging! Enjoy!

If you have any questions, let me know on my blog, and I will get back to you.

Have a happy hair day!

The Costumes

Don't you hate it when you work so hard on something, but don't take ANY good pictures!!! We got all dressed up in our family costumes for our church Halloween party, but it was so cold that we had our coats on the entire time. The pictures we did take were rushed and you can't really see how cute Clark is. You will just have to trust me that he looked adorable. Lincoln wanted us to be the "Super Family" so I made us all capes and shirts with a "F" for Fielding on it. I wanted the costumes to look homemade, and I think I achieved my goal. They looked VERY homemade.

Clark loves his suckers

We all had a lightning bolt on our capes to add a little pizzaz. I wish I took some better pictures, but it was so crazy and cold that taking pictures was the last thing on my mind.

Oh, well. It turned out to be a great night. I love my "Super Family."

Halloween- then and now

This is what Clark was doing last year.

This is what he was doing this year.

Ok, so he wasn't really doing much in the first picture other than sitting REALLY low in my hips. My cute niece decided to show her artistic ability and color my big "pumpkin." This year, Clark couldn't get enough of his favorite new treat- suckers. He is a pro at the tootsie pops. He was happy as a clam just chillin' in the wagon sucking away on the sugary goodness.

Oh, what a difference a year makes.

Stiff Upper Lip

I am about to get very real. Let's put everything out on the table and discuss something that every women needs to think about. Let's talk about FACIAL HAIR.

"Hi, my name is Mallory and I get my lip waxed."

WOW, that felt so good to get out. Not that it was some huge secret, but I needed to share it in order for me to talk about it. I want you to take a long hard look in the mirror and ask yourself if you need your lip waxed too.

Pros of getting your lip waxed-

• Skin appears smoother.
• Lipstick looks better.
• You don't have a mustache.
• Makeup goes on better.

Cons of getting your lip waxed-

• NOTHING!!!

I swear, it hurts for like a mili- second, and that's all. My husband loves that I get my lip waxed. In fact, I think he wishes I got it waxed more often. There are just way too many ladies walking around with she-stashes.

My hairy lip before-

My lip after-

Side note: The after picture doesn't do it justice and I am really regretting not fixing my lipstick before I took the picture. I SWEAR it makes a huge difference. Also, the before picture was taken forever ago. Before I actually got around to getting my lip waxed, I had a forest of blonde hair above my lip. It was horrible.

Getting your lip waxed is not expensive. It hurts less than getting your legs waxed and WAY less than getting your bikini waxed. HELLO! The point is, it just needs to be done if you have hair there.

Ok, thank you for letting me share. I am now stepping off of the soap box.

Wrap it up

I just found this on Pinterest, and it is the scarf tutorial of all scarf tutorials. I love how she does it. I WILL be trying these all fall and winter long.

Tie one on

Wearing a pretty scarf can change any look in a instant. I love a good scarf around my neck, but I also can't resist the way it also looks in my hair.

There are a million ways to wear a scarf. I seen like a million ideas on Pinterest. The picture below is a great idea of what there is out there in terms of how you can wear you scarves. However, when I took a closer look at how some of the scarves are tied in the picture, I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Obviously, some of these scarf ideas remind me of my fifth grade teacher, but some of them are really cool and I think it just goes to show you that scarves can be worn at any age. (Way to go Karen for having such a great style blog for women!)

And, if you really want to see how to wear your scarf like a pro, check out the amazing Keiko Lynn. Seriously, go, check her blog out. She can tie a head scarf and look like a model. Whenever I tried to wear my hair and scarf like that, I am told I look like bum.

Anyways, I just love a good scarf. I would have posted a million pictures of people wearing them, but you get the idea. Point is, wear a scarf. It's easy, it's fun and it will add a little pop to your style.

Have fun...

I'm not dead...

...just busy working.

I have a few posts in the works, but I have been so crazy with other things, that I just have not had the time to work on them.

Here are a few things I have been working on...

another curling iron tutorial, a eyeliner tutorial (MAKEUP!), a discussion on a serious topic that all women need to take care of, taking care of chlorine hair, and how to get that extra shine in your hair. I also want to discuss some of the best looks of the Emmys.

Get excited, and stay tuned.

Fall Trends- according to InStyle

The first thing I notice about Fall is the change in the air. Followed by the gorgeous colors showing up in nature. There is change all around. I LOVE fall. The only thing I struggle about Fall, it is followed by Winter. So sad, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Focus on Fall. It is coming whether we like it or not.

I have a giant stock of boots ready to go and the crock pot on stand by for some chili. I just cut my hair off and changed the color, so I feel pretty ready for a season change. How are you doing? Are you ready?

Here are some great color and cut ideas from InStyle for Fall. Do check them out and get inspired.

Cuts

This new cut of Dianna Agron is my favorites.

Color

We all know how much I love gorgeous red hair, but this creamy blonde of Charlize Theron is awesome.

Click on the words "cut" and "color" to look at more great ideas for Fall brought to you by InStyle.

Blonde Ambition

I tried the ombre thing and it was great and all, but I missed the brightness around my face. A few hours later, and Ta-Da! I feel like me again.

Thank you, Wendy for the great color. I think this might be step one on me going REALLY blonde...

I love hair changes.

Video Tutorial- Flat Iron Curls

I know, I know, I have been totally M.I.A. Balancing my responsibilities as a wife, mother, and hairstylist can be a little tricky. I do what I can, but if the blog suffers a bit for it, I apologize.

I did this tutorial a few weeks ago, and I hated it. I was so embarrassed with how I look and sound. I did it after a long day of running around. I didn't want to post it, but I figure it had some useful tips. Don't mind the fact that the toilet lid is up.

I wanted to show you the simple steps in curling with a flat iron. I get that there are probably many techniques and ways to do this, this is just my own little style. I do make my hair curlier or even straighter with the flat iron depending on how small the section is and how tightly I turn the iron as I go down the strand. If you want lots of curls, just use smaller sections and turn the iron around more often as you pull it down the strand. Still do the 180 degree turn at the base, just turn the iron more as you pull out. You will understand when you see the video.

I tend to like my hair on the messy side these days. I think it looks a little too messy in the video, but you get the idea from what I am doing. Flat iron curls just take practice. Once you get them down you will have so much fun and so much freedom on how loose or tight you want your curls to be. Have fun.

P.S. I promise to remember to put the toilet lid down for the next video. I also promise to find a way to not bang my comb, product, and flat iron down when I am done with them.

P.P.S. I know most people call the type of flat iron I used a F-H-I, I just say it all together as FHI. Potato, Potato.

P.P.S.S. The Lanza spray wax is now discontinued. I hope (fingers crossed) they are just working on making it better. You can use other spray waxes to achieve the same result.

Have a happy hair day!

"In the Dressing Room with Cat Deeley"

Everyone needs a style icon. I have a few icons that always seem to inspire me with how they wear their hair, makeup and dress. I am not shy about telling people who they are. In fact, I wrote a post about one of my style icons/crushes. Cat Deeley in my opinion is awesome! If she met me, we would be friends. What am I talking about? I mean if I met her! Either way, we would still be friends. I love her hair, her clothes, her makeup, her attitude. She is just all around cool. I know there are a few haters out there (Dan Heder) but I don't care, I find her to be totally awesome. Lincoln knows how much I appreciate her style and he sent me the most amazing link ever today. Did you know that Cat has a fashion blog?!?! It is so great. She has a bunch of videos with her hair and makeup girls showing how she got ready for So You Think You Can Dance, award shows and many other things. It is amazing!! She even gives away some of her old looks!!! Why didn't Lincoln find this sooner!! If you have even a second of time this weekend, do yourself a favor and check them out. I am in love!

Time for Tuesdays

Lincoln and I have been going over our budget and we came across some very interesting information. We spend a FORTUNE on groceries!!! I don't get it. We are just feeding the two of us and I rarely (sorry Lincoln) make anything extravagant. I just don't know how/am terrified to try. We eat basic food and I even buy lots of generic stuff. Unfortunately, I am CONSTANTLY throwing food out after it goes bad. Looking back on our expenditures we noticed that we were going to the store like three days in a row and making big purchases. I have no idea what we are doing.

My Time for Tuesdays today was going to be about how to take care of a chlorine head of hair, but today we need to talk food. How do you spend your time preparing your menu, grocery list, budget for food? I don't have the answer, I need them from you.

Let's make a deal, I will tell you about how to save your hair from chlorine, if you give me good ideas on how to save money on food. Deal?

Going Short

Jamie and Joanne are mother and daughter clients of mine who where ready for a big change. They both have VERY fine hair with big cowlicks in the front. Jamie, the daughter, has more curl and body, but was ready for a big change. Joanne was sick of having to spend all morning trying to give a style to her limp hair. She wanted something fun and easy to work with. They have plans to attend a big wedding next weekend and wanted to show off their drastic change to their friends and family. Let's just say, having clients like them totally make my day.

Jamie before- She wanted to have something totally short with a bang to sweep over her forehead.

Jamie after- This new shape shows off her gorgeous face shape and jaw. Her cowlick was a challenge, but with enough texture and length, her bangs lay perfect. I think she looks like a modern day Audrey Hepburn.

Joanne before- Joanne has always liked herself with bangs, but her cowlick is very strong. We find that when her hair is cut short enough her bangs and hair can blend together and it helps to disguise her cowlick. Joanne also has very fine hair and even with her bob, her hair still wasn't giving her the body that she wanted.

Joanne after- When hair is fine, you have to be careful to not texturize too much. However, when you layer and cut the hair just right it gives you the volume at the crown that everyone wants. Joanne also didn't want to mess with her hair too much and she wanted the style youthful and easy.

I really think that if you want the best haircut possible, you need to go into it like Jaime and Joanne. They both had an idea of what they wanted, but were willing to listen to my feedback and opinion. Cutting your hair short doesn't have to be scary, it can be a fun and uplifting experience.