I'm Blogging?

Wow. It's been two years.

Everything changes in two years. Everything. 

I've kept up with a couple of people, silently. But I have!

In two years I have

...gotten married

...moved in with my husband

...still work at the garden

...become a makeup enthusiast

...adopted another cat

...fallen in love with Eureka Springs, AR with a few trips there

...who knows what else.


Pictures of life lately

Ok I lied, they're mostly pictures of my wedding. But oh well! A couple were of makeup too. Oh and the cat we got. Her name's Malley.

I don't have much else to add right now. 

Maybe I'll see you later. 

Here or There

Here I am. I haven't been here in six months. I've thought about this place for six months though. Day in and day out.

Life has been crazy. Wedding planning is interesting. It has it's ups and it's downs. If there was ever a time in which I wished I was a millionaire, it would be while planning a wedding. And not even because I want expensive stuff or a crazy expensive wedding. Just because everything costs sooooo damn much. I just want something nice and glamorous. Do you know how hard it is to find glamorous stuff for not a million dollars? Ok, it's not too hard but still. Why does the wedding industry have to make everything cost so much??

Anyway, enough about me blabbering about the price of a wedding. Let's get back to the dirt. Blogging. I don't know where my place is here. I've fallen out of lust with a lot of blogs I used to love. Lifestyle blogging doesn't just have it's appeal like it used to. I want to blog with purpose. I want it to have meaning.

I don't just wanna say "this is what I did today and this weekend." all the time. I mean, it's fine sometimes, but it's not really for me anymore. I got bored with it. I look at the blogs I like, and they encourage people to find themselves. To help themselves. To grow further in a journey in their life. I hope some day I'll get there. But first I need to blog more.

I've thought of just shutting this one down, and starting from scratch. But I really love the name of this babe. All That Good Stuff, it encompasses the good of everything in my life. Sometimes the bad too. But that makes the good even better.

As I grow in my life, my blog will find it's place. At least I hope it will.

xoxo

As The Year Goes By...

I couldn't stay away from my blog on the last day of the year! That's just silly talk.


2014 was a good year. Not too memorable, but a good year none the less.

A couple of things that I will always remember...

The time Luke Bryan and I shook hands and I cried happy tears.

We got engaged!!!!! 

Marley came to live with us.

We found baby Penelope.

We took a weekend trip to Tulsa that was just way too much fun. 

We went to George Strait's last show in Dallas, Texas. 

I just know that 2015 will be epic though! I'm getting married and going to the ACM awards!

To all of you that have followed this blog and didn't leave even though new posts have been sparse, thank you. If you've thought about leaving, I understand. I'm not promising that I'll post more than I have been, but I sure will make an effort to do so.

For all of the people who've been in my life and by my side for 2014, thank you and I love you. Even if you don't think you played a significant part in my story, chances are that you have. Friends and family, I can't wait to see where 2015 takes us!

When the clock strikes midnight tonight, I'll be popping my bottle of champagne and cheersing (my favorite made up word) those around me! I'll give my fiance the best kiss of his life (besides the one that makes us man and wife), I'll text the bests to tell them I love them and wish them a happy new year. I'll silently say a prayer for guidance through this year. I'll silently say a prayer for everybody in my life, that their 2015 is filled with peace, happiness, and love.

Have a great night loves! Here's to 2015!

My Thoughts

I don't normally post about current events or anything that can be deemed political. I was brought up to know that politics aren't something you talk about with other people all that much. If my post offends you, I don't really mean for it to. Hopefully we can all agree to disagree. However, it's my blog and I want to talk about the matter at hand.

I live in Missouri, although I'm about 4 hours away from St. Louis. At least that's how far away I think it is. I'm not really good with those kinds of things.

I don't pay a lot of attention to the news, because most of the time it just breaks my heart.

You all know that my home state has been in the news a lot lately. You all know that last night the grand jury decided that the evidence they were garnished and the accounts that they heard, for 70 hours, made them decide to not indict Officer Wilson on any charges.

I agree with what they decided. That's neither here nor there.

What I really want to talk about is the unrest that is going on.

 I don't understand why people feel that they need to loot the town of Ferguson. What good does this do? Burning down buildings, stealing things from businesses, that is no way to remember a young man who was laid to rest.

I feel that which ever way the verdict was going to go, would cause this chaoticness (not a word but my blog). That in itself is a very unfortunate view to have.

What bugs me the most about this whole thing, is that the media has played it out to be about race. This wasn't about race. Playing the race card here should not matter. Every story I've read has said "a black man was shot by a white officer". Fair journalism should read "a man was shot by an officer". The media needs to get their heads out of their asses and get away from this situation. They are only making the looting and destroying of the town worse. It's like they're the big brother who has to antagonize his little brother just for fun. They have to see what they're doing, and until they stop, the violence in Ferguson will continue.

I work with a girl who's in the Missouri National Guard. She got pulled away from her life on this holiday week to deal with the madness that is going on. I know she signed up for the Guard knowing full and well what in entailed, but my heart still goes out to her and the family she's left behind. Her significant other also works with us. Her heart is shattered. She's scared for her girlfriend. As long as the media keeps this story floating, the longer she'll be there.

The looters see the attention they are receiving, which is what they want. They say it's in "justice" for Michael Brown. How do they tell themselves that? Especially when Mr. Brown's parents said that they don't want people destroying their community. Peaceful protests are fine, rioting protests aren't.

Let's all just agree on one thing, this country does have a long way to go. One day, maybe there will be peace, one day maybe racism will be a trivial thing of the past, one day maybe we all can come together. Until then, I leave my thoughts too the Brown and Wilson families. Because if I know one thing to be true about this, neither of them wanted what has happened or what is currently happening, to be something that's happening at all.

A Major Question

Sometimes, I wonder if I"m the mom who's fucking up more than the others. Wednesday was one of those days.

I had decided to make a pot roast in my crockpot for dinner. I pumped myself up about it quite a bit. Not to mention, it was kind of expensive. Geez, I don't eat much beef and therefore, didn't know how much money I would be shelling out for a roast! So I started cooking in the morning and went about my day like normal. Except the smell wafting through my house was great and I kept peeking at the roast. Teagan came home and it was getting to be dinner time. I checked the roast while Teagan was outside playing, and lo and behold, something wasn't right with it. I was pissed. I wasted all day, some extra money I had, and didn't have anything to show for it. I said something to my mom and she told me to calm down, which in turn made me more upset and off to my room I went, crying and feeling sorry for myself. A few minutes later, in comes my little girl. She sits down on my bed and starts to rub my back. And she says the wisest, most mom like thing to me. " It's not ruined mama. My teacher always says that nothing is ruined if you try your hardest. You need to at least try it." And my jaw fell to the floor.

In that moment, I wondered, who was the mom in this situation? Me, the 23 year old, emotional, hot mess, or the sweet 6 year old sitting beside me on the bed? Had I messed up that bad, that my daughter knows that I've prone to tantrums when I've messed up? Is this something my child should even be seeing? I tore myself down for a few minutes. And then pretended that all was well. For her sake. I don't feel like she should see me that way. That's how society makes us feel. That we need to hold it together all the time for everybody else around us. We need to take care of everyone else, and not worry about ourselves. I sat and asked myself all these questions, with answers that made me sound like the worst parent in the history of parenthood.

And that's when I realized, I've been doing a pretty good damn job of helping this little girl grow up. She came to make me feel better when she knew I was upset. She came to encourage me, when I didn't think that I could continue on. I realized that I was the one that helped her learn to do this. I've always told her that she shouldn't be afraid to help people and to be nice to them. I've made it a great point in her little life. I taught her that she should act how she would want others to treat her. All these positive traits she was showing to me, was just the kick in the ass I needed to quit wallowing in my not entirely perfect dinner. It was still edible. Just not how I thought it should be.

And as for my daughter, knowing and seeing that I got upset about something trivial, well that's not the worst thing that could happen. Yea, I don't want it to happen a lot, but she needs to know that sometimes a good cry and a back rub from somebody you love, can help you out immensely. It can make you feel a thousand times better than before. I'm showing her that it's ok to feel passionately about something. Whether that something be dinner or the injustice she sees in the world. Just feel passion.

I'd say, I'm doing this right. For now anyway.
.

Wedding Wednesday!

Oh geeeeee, I love talking about my wedding. I try really hard not to talk about it with people I know because I don't want to be that person. And I know I'm only getting started and the then stuff will just fall out of my mouth without even thinking about it.

Sometimes I'm so excited to plan a wedding and watch my beautiful marriage bloom, and others I'm just so worried about the actual planning part.

As much as I love Blake, he really doesn't help. I've gotten him to be serious about this about once. And we completely disagreed on what we should do.

It was all over the venue. He thought I was insane for wanting the venue I love but I feel it's very reasonable. Once I got him to go look at it and talk to the management he felt it was a good place too. However, he isn't 100 percent sold on it.

There are only two things I don't want to settle on. Our venue and our pictures. They are very high on my list of important things.

I'm sure we'll get it worked out though.

In happy exciting wedding stuff, I asked my sister to be one of the bridesmaids! Of course she said yes.

I've also gotten my dress and veil! I feel like some of the hardest stuff is over. I hear people say that shopping for their dress was the so stressful! I'm glad to not have to worry about it. I'm sad that I didn't get the experience with some of the people I wanted but my momma and Teagan were there. I love my dress. I want to wear it all the time. I haven't seen another dress that I like better than it!

I'm getting started on a guest list. I didn't realize we liked or knew so many people. I'm sure it will have to be cut because we don't want a huge wedding. I want a very intimate feeling. How did you decide who would be invited and who wouldn't? Any major rules I need to know about?

Only 367 days to go!

Less Irritation

** I got this razor free to test and review, but all opinions are my own.**

Let me let you in on a little secret, I hate to shave. I know, you're thinking that's not a secret, all women hate to shave. But no, I hate it more than most others. I can promise you that.

Want proof? Well, I'm not going to show you because I don't want to scare you away. But you can ask the lovely fiance, or any family member honestly.

I remember being a young (cough I'm still young cough) girl and just wanting to shave my legs so bad. I begged and begged my mom. She finally said yes. So I grabbed the big girl items, a razor and some shaving cream, sat down on the side of our bath tub, put my legs up and lathered the cream on, then went to town. I thought to myself "Shaving isn't that bad! Why do ladies always grump about this? I love it!!! I'm an adult yay!!!" And then I proceeded to shave in some wiggly form of a line, missing spots and not even caring.

 Until I looked up and saw there was blood on my leg. BLOOD!!! Ahhhh. I'm squeamish when it comes to blood so a little freaking out ensued. I searched high and low for where I cut myself. And then I found it. I had managed to cut my thumb. The top of my thumb at that. How in the hell did that happen? I'll never know. I sure as hell wasn't shaving my fingers! Ever since that day, shaving has been a form of cruel and unusual punishment.

I can't tell you how long it's even been since my legs were shaved last. What's even worse is how Blake feels about it. That poor poor man. He loves a freshly shaved leg. He thinks the silkiness is so nice. And I, the woman he decided he wants to marry - to be with forever - hasn't shaved since the beginning of the year at least. He begs and sometimes I oblige. Or I'll tell him sure babe, I'll shave, and never get around to it. But he never says a word, just goes on living a life of hairy legs rubbing up against him.

Side note, my legs don't look that bad. For some reason my hair doesn't get dark. It's just a bunch of long blonde soft hairs. When I do shave, I have a razor that I love. I like the Bic Soleils. I don't have a reason why, other than I just do. I've used a couple Venus razors here and there, but I haven't found one I love.

I have really sensitive skin and I ALWAYS get razor burn on my legs. It may not be razor burn exactly but there are always little red bumbs. So when Influnester contacted me about the new Venus Embrace Sensitive I was a little hesitant. But hey, if I can find something to make my man happy and that makes me want to shave more often, then why the hell wouldn't I take that opportunity?

I like it. I really do. My legs aren't all red and bumpy like they normally are after I shave.There are strips of aloe above and below the blades to ease irritation. It's a really nice razor. I feel I get a closer shave with my Soleil does but not having razor burn is a big freaking deal! And it feels nice to have shaved legs. I don't know if having this razor will make me shave more, but at least I know if I do shave my razor burn won't be so bad.

Do you get razor burn? What do you do to stop razor burn from happening?