All Kinds Of AWESOME...

 

Is it really Friday?

Someone pinch me.

This week has felt like the longest week in the history of weeks.

However, all is right in the world because I have my iced coffee buzz

and ready to take on the world.



Speaking of coffee, can someone please tell me why I limit myself to coffee

only once a week?

I may have to do away with this rule soon.
I think I've said this before.

So, guess what?!

I have so many awesome things to share today.

1. Our wood floors are FINISHED! The outcome? Now, I want wood floors in our whole house and not just downstairs. Love 'em.

sneak peak...

2. I am all kinds of teeny bopper OBSESSED with this video, "Call Me Maybe" featuring Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, and Ashley Tisdale. Tell me you've seen it?

 I've even gone as far to download this song.

Ashley Tisdale is the absolute CUTEST in this...

....and when you start singing this nonstop later,

don't blame me.
or do.

3. I'm trying to round up some of you guys to cheer on my BUCKEYES for their big game tomorrow against Kansas. WHO'S WITH ME!? Gametime is at 9pm tomorrow night so please feel free to tune it & send me loving tweets throughout the game. I will probably be shaking in my chair the entire time...

4. I got the most amazing pitcher from Tar-jay ($7.99) last week where you can infuse your water with cucumbers, lemons, limes, berries, or anything you'd like. It's so refreshing and awesome. I'm sure you could do this in a normal pitcher, but it's just not as fun or cute.. ;)

5. Please look at part of Billy's side of the closet and part of my side of the closet.

These don't look similar at all....

Anyways, speaking of awesome things--

I have a really awesome, strong woman I really want you to meet today.

Jodi has dealt with a few struggles (read below) in her life

but she doesn't let them hold her back! I love and admire that.

Ooh, and her birthday was on Wednesday.

just sayin'...

Meet Jodi :)

*

 

Hi everyone!  For those of you who don't know me I'm Jodi

and my blog is Jodi Bean's Blog. 

I recently got a blog makeover and I'm loving my new spring colors!

 

I started my blog in April of 2010 to share about my life with MS.  You can read my diagnosis story here.  Every year my family, friends and I get together as The Bean Team and participate in the Boston MS Walk.  The walk is this Sunday and we are really looking forward to it. We have raised over $5,000 this year and over $40,000 since the first walk we participated in 2009!  

As you can see The Bean Team has grown bigger each year.  Last year, The Bean Team wore blue shirts and we really stood out in the sea of orange MS shirts. This year we will be wearing green and hope to stand out again. 
Be sure to check my blog next week to read all about the Boston MS Walk.

When I'm not blogging about my life with MS, I like to blog about my many vacations.  In the past I've shared about my adventures in England, Ireland, California, Florida and much more!  In April, I'll be going to NYC for a birthday celebration weekend with one of my college friends and another weekend I'll be visiting a college friend in Chicago and we'll be seeing a Red Sox game!  I'm really looking forward to both of these mini-vacations.

You will also hear a lot about my adorable nieces Peyton (4) and Ella (3) who I see often.  I love to blog about our fun adventures and all the cute things they say and do!  I talk about the rest of my family and friends a lot too. I have to say that I'm one lucky girl to be surrounded by so many special people!

Lastly, I want to share with you about my upcoming fundraiser for MS.  It includes two of my favorite places to shop - Stella and Dot and Sweet Tea Paperie. All you have to do is shop Katelyn's Stella and Dot and enter my name (Jodi Dwyer) at checkout and a portion of your purchase will be donated to MS.  You can shop from now until April 12th.

  If you purchase anything from Sweet Tea Paperie on April 12th a portion of your purchase will also be donated to MS.  Awesome right!? 

I love to "meet" new people through blogging
 so leave me a comment and I'll be sure to visit your blog too.

*Stop by my blog and follow along with my adventures!

Thanks Katie for letting me be a guest on your blog today.

*
..Now girls, be so kind and go give the girl some birthday love
HERE :)

Have a WONDERFUL weekend.

...and cheer on my Buckeyes!!!!!!

*PS-Want to see a Kentucky CATS fan cheering on OSU?
Go HERE for that awesomeness.

Makeup On My Mind {My Routine}

I don't know about you, but when girls talk about their favorite makeup products on their blogs - I'm always sucked in. Being that I used to be somewhat completely makeup challenged (I would need help applying eyeliner..let's be honest), I love hearing about what girls are using and how they achieve a flawless face!

Today, I thought I'd take a stab at it and share with you
my makeup routine // favorite products...

{clearly this is not the order I apply them on my face}


1. Elf's Face Primer-$6.00. I used to use PrimeTime (which comes with the Bare Minerals kit), but that bottle is expensive. Elf's face primer I LOVE..it creates the perfect base for my makeup and makes my skin so soft. The bottle doesn't last as long as it looks like it would, but for $6.00 you just can't beat it.
 Elf products can be found at your local Tar-jay.  
2. Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess-*my favorite product! Girls, I've been using this bronzer since high school. It's $30.00 and lasts me almost a full year. That's $2.50 per month. NOT too shabby! It is the BEST bronzer I've ever found and I've tried many. I use this even with my Bare Minerals bronzer because it gives such a good glow.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this stuff.
3. Bare Minerals (Original) Kit-For foundation and bronzer (along with Bronze Goddess), I use Bare Minerals. I'm not good with liquid foundation, so this suits me best. It's easy, covers my face, and looks natural. I've tried both the original and matte, but prefer the original.
4. Elf Tinted Moisturizer-$3.00. Cancel your lunch plans and go out and buy this stuff! This product works just as good as the $30.00 tinted moisturizers out there from Sephora. I swear by this product! I'm pretty sure mine is the "honey" shade. I will use it with just bronzer during the week and it's enough.
5. Benefit High Beam-*another favorite! This bottle is $26.00 but I've yet to run out of it. This product is a great way to achieve that "glow" on your cheek bones and can even be used as an eyeshadow primer! LOVE.
6. Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara-best mascara I've ever used. the end.
7. Clinique's Smoldering Plum blush-$15.00. I love Clinque's blush. It's not too expensive and it lasts forever. They have so many shades you can pick from.


As far as eyeshadow goes, I've recently found that I like MAC the best, so I will buy a couple good base colors from them that I will use daily, and then buy cheaper eyeshadows from the drugstore to use in my crease or brow bone.

The eyeshadow I use the most is
Mac - "All That Glitters"...

A couple tricks of the trade I've learned about having your makeup last longer and not breaking the bank on the products:

1. Unless it's a really important day, I typically don't wear much makeup during the weekdays on my face. I will use a little bit of bronzer, blush, eyeliner, and mascara. I save my Bare Minerals for the weekends or nights out. 

Not only is it healthy for your face to give it a "makeup break", but it also makes your makeup last longer..aka more moo lah in your pocket.

2. Spend the most money on products that make the most difference/ones that you really need (ie: foundation, bronzer, maybe some good eyeshadow), and then try and find cheaper altervatives to expensive products to help save money. I can tell you (and as you can see from above), I do this with: my face primer, makeup brushes, concealer, and tinted moisturizer.

This saves me a lot of money and most of the products I've found, work the same/or even better than the ones that cost an arm and a leg!
(My Dad would be SO proud of that statement.)


What are your favorite products?
SHARE with me!

*Word just in..if you unscrew Elf's face primer and use it that way vs. the pump then you can use it a lot longer. Supposedly the pump doesn't work too well but there is still primer left in the tube (when I had thought I had run out). Thank you Jenn!

*According to Steph and The Bargain Blonde, ELF's Facial Whip is comparable to Benefit's High Beam but only costs $1. $1 DOLLA peeps.

Husbands and boyfriends across the country
 won't be complaining with that purchase. 
Do you have any of the same makeup favorites that I do?!

Xo.

Signs of Spring



I really enjoy living in a state that you get to experience all four seasons. It makes me appreciate each of them for different reasons. Right now, I'm inspired by all the pops of color I see everywhere, recipes using fresh ingredients, fresh flowers in our kitchen, and spring home decor. Even working outside in our yard sounds appealing! That doesn't happen often with me ;) Thank you to Pinterest for making that happen.

Suddenly, I want to spend all of my time outside enjoying the fresh air...don't we all?!

Note: Who else would die for that front porch, like myself? I don't think I would ever come off of it.

I just picked up some arm candy that will gives me that pop of color I was mentioning above...

 

(can be found at H&M for $5.95)

...linking up for Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesdays with Michelle!

*Our wood floors are halfway done and the transformation is like day and night. I'm so extremely pleased with the turnout so far and can't wait to share with you all when they are done! Woo-hoo! :)

**For those of you doing the Drop 10 Challenge...have you been keeping up with your workouts/HIIT training? I've been doing mine 2-3x/week along with my running, and my body is soo sore. Hurts so good, right?

What are you inspired by lately?

Cake Batter Cookies {Tasty Tuesday}

Over the weekend, I saw an image for 'Cake Batter Cookies' pop up on my Pinterest feed
and it was a done deal. I was making these cookies & and I was making them now.

Warning: This is not my typical Tasty Tuesday..these are not healthy and probably won't help with that bikini bod I mentioned last week.
However, they are yummy and very easy to make.
So that counts for something, right?

Oh, and you will NOT be able to eat just one.
I repeat: you will not.
Take proper precautions people.


Cake Batter Cookies
{recipe from: Cookin' Cowgirl}

{my big girl camera was dead..so you only get the iPhone pics..sorry}

Ingredients:
    (makes 30-32 cookies)
1 box vanilla cake mix, 18.25 oz
1 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 C color sprinkles

Note: I used Christmas colored sprinkles because it was late at night
and it was all I had in the house.
They worked fine, but spruce yours up with some springy colors!

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and baking powder. In a small bowl, mix together the eggs, oil and vanilla. Add the egg mixture to the cake mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the sprinkles. Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet or silpat.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Allow to cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet

 before transferring to cooling rack.

Enjoy eating them non-stop!

Have you ever seen a Pinterest recipe and knew you just had to make it!?

..or am I the only one with these random cravings?

*

Today is CMae's Tail Wagging Tuesday: Instagram Edition

so of course, I HAVE to join in.

Rocky wants some love on le bloggy, too!

...and I forgot to do my normal Friday Photo Dump so this works out perfectly.

Join in for the fun and show us your fur babies!

follow me on instagram: @katiewkrysh

PS-Does anyone read my Top 2 Tuesday Tunes?

just wondering. :)

Xo.



Exciting Surprises

..and we're back to the grind!

Happy Monday, friends.

What a seriously good weekend it was. On Saturday, I finally got to take Billy on his "surprise day trip" for his birthday. Being the outdoorsy guy that he is, I had booked a day to go zip lining at Hocking Hills, which is about an hour away from Columbus. We did the Canopy Tour which was a couple hours long and allowed us to do ten different zip lines ranging from 20-50mph! It's funny because I seemed to forget about the fact that I'm scared of heights when I booked this trip, and so when we got really high up my nerves definitely started to set in, but I did them all! We had such a good time and Billy loved every second of it.

We took a ride in a jeep about a mile up to where we would be zip lining at. The woods were beautiful!

...at our highest location and next to the Hocking river!

...just zip lining off a cliff, no big deal. ;)

The week leading up to Saturday, I was so concerned it was going to thunderstorm and our trip would get cancelled. Luckily, the weather fairies were on our side because right when we were finished and got back to get our equipment off, the first raindrops came down. Billy was like a little kid in a candy store the whole time we were in the woods zip lining...he really loved doing this and I'm so happy we got to do it together.

2 pts for planning this goes to me... ;)

Have you ever gone zip lining before?
If you are in Ohio, I would definitely recommend doing it at Hocking Hills!

{Ali, Me, Marissa}

The day got even better when my Ohio State Buckeyes came out with a HUGE win over Syracuse to get them into the FINAL FOUR!!!!!! Who watched the game?! I'm pretty sure I had a mini heart attack atleast 3 or 4 times. The Buckeyes take on Kansas (we are favored by 3 pts, I think) this Saturday, and I'm already so nervous about it. LETS.GO.BUCKS!

Today, the wood floors in our house are being started! I'm so so excited to finally get rid of our old flooring and to enjoy the new wood floors. I can't wait to see how they turn out!

**Lastly...please head on over to Kyna's blog, Great Expectations, where she is featuring my Chickpea Taco recipe! If you haven't tried them yet, you better get on that. Yum in the tum. Also, Kyna has an adorable blog so make sure to check it out. Thank you for featuring me, Kyna!

Five Things // Meet Tab!

The beautiful pink flower that just bloomed in our backyard...can someone with a green thumb tell me what kind of flower this is? It's gorgeous!

My Buckeyes with a huge win over Cincinnati (...you happy BBFT?) last night!! That man up top? Aaron Craft...one of the best basketball players to watch, in my opinion. The Buckeyes advance to the ELITE 8!!!! Can I get an O-H...?

I'm still regretting not buying this hat when we were in Florida last month. I want to go back and buy it...if anyone sees it in their town and wants to ship it to me, I wouldn't be opposed to it. ;)



Currently loving big, bold gold accessories. Oh, and that dress.

You didn't think I would forget about this, did you? The Hunger Games came out last night at midnight!!! I'm SO excited to see this movie. Who is going this weekend to see it? or have you already seen it? 

Last but not least...this makes it "Six" things, but hey, who's really counting...

Tomorrow is the belated "surprise" birthday present for Billy. We are traveling somewhere in Ohio for the day (that he knows about), but he just doesn't know where or what we are doing. I can't wait. It is extremely hard for me to keep a surprise, but they are the best, aren't they?! (especially when they are for someone else..:)) 

Now, I have a surprise for you.

I've been loving introducing new bloggers to you guys.

Meet the gorgeous Tabitha!

Tab is in the wedding planning process, loves to travel, and has a great sense of humor

Girl after my own heart.

*

Hello lovely friends of the beautiful Katie
 

My name is Tabitha, and I blog over at My-Cliffnotes.



I'll be honest, I've sat and attempted this guest post about seven times; no one wants to have a guest post end in a flop. Nor do I want to leave you readers thinking things like
"I'd like the last three minutes of my life back"
or
"Wow that sucked". 

You know, those things aren't good for anyone. 

So instead, I'm going to give you some fun facts about me. 

Vanity is a strong suit. 

The Basics: 
Age: 28
Height: 5'7"
Relationship status: Engaged
Shoe size: 8.5
Occupation: Air National Guard
Favorite Snack: White chocolate M&M's

I'm eight years Sober...on Coffee; but I still get super excited about Starbucks giftcards.

 When I say "I don't drink coffee" I get the craziest looks..

You should try it sometime.

M and I are in the early stages of wedding planning.
So far the only two things we've agreed on are the ring and the dress

 Any and all wedding advice is appreciated. 

Last night M told me that he had "final approval" on the bridesmaid dresses.  

Umm what?

I Dance...With Ellen and J. Bieber all the time.

 

I LOVE awkward people

{I am guilty of following this woman so I could get her photo} 

I regret not having the courage to talk to her.

I love her mascot and the cats you can't see on her shirt

I Need...To find the motivation for my Beach/Bride body makeover.

 Today, I felt it appropriate to have a Guinness for breakfast. 

Slainte

(Cheers in Irish)

 

My name in Greek is Dorcas.
Are you jealous?

Dorcas Bacon

If I ever need an alias, I'm using Bacon.

So... come on over and visit my blog.

I'd love to hear from you!

xoxo

Tab

*

Go give her a warm welcome, friends!

and follow along during her wedding planning process :)

What are you doing this weekend?!

xo.