Merry Christmas to you!

One of my favourite things to do, which I don't get to do enough of these days, is film and edit videos.

So for the day we put up the Christmas tree I got out my camera and set it up to film this little fun thing.

I've sent the link to all my family and friends to act as our Christmas card type thing this year since I won't be sending anything else because they're all in New Zealand.

So here it is! Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!!

KD xo

Snow!! Well... kinda...

Living in Texas is certainly different than living in New Zealand for so many reasons...

Here's another:

The Weather!

For a couple of days we've been getting warnings about "Winter storms" and I guess I just kind of shrugged it off like "oh it's going to be cold."

Yes! It is cold, but this ICE stuff is just crazy! I've never seen anything like it.

Now, when I say Ice, I mean ICE. There is ice on every possible surface. The trees are weighed down so heavily that they are all bent over or have branches that have snapped and fallen off. This tree in the photo below is just outside out patio and was completely split in half.

The car was frozen solid. I had to go out this morning and chisel it out so hubby could leave for work. Even the handle was covered in ice.

I took the two youngest out to walk around to see the snow and ice. They love cracking the ice, finding big chunks and smashing them. We found these gorgeous pink flowers that were hanging upside down and covered in ice. We picked a couple and then smashed them - they shattered like glass.

A couple of kids were riding down a hill near the playground on a skateboard deck. The girls each took a few turns and I even gave it a go!

I love seeing their reaction to things like this, they're always so excited by the smallest things.

Hope you're all having a warmer day than us!

Kelsey Dina <3

Sunshine Blogger Award

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Alia of "Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining" has nominated me for something called the "Sunshine Blogger Award". Seems to me the purpose of these nominations is to bring a little sunshine to other bloggers by nominating them if they have brought sunshine into your lives through their blogs.

I thought it seemed like a cute idea, so why not have a little fun - get to know some other bloggers, and pass along the sunshine?

I love the idea of the community that comes with blogging - between other bloggers and readers. It's something that I would love to achieve with my own blog, so I figured this is a good opportunity to get to know a few people just a little bit better. :)


The Rules:
1. Post 11 random facts about yourself
2. Answer 11 questions from the nominating blogger
3. Nominate 11 bloggers that you feel bring sunshine to the blogging world. (Be sure to notify them)
4. Write 11 questions for your nominated bloggers

So here we go then

Part 1 ~ 11 Random Facts About Me.

1. I over analyze and over think everything. I couldn't decide what my first random fact should be and this is the result!

2. Through High school (College in NZ) I played hockey - field hockey - none of this ice hockey business. I am clumsy enough without adding ice in the mix.

3. I am 1/8th Indian - Might explain why I love curry so much (but makes me wonder why I have zero tolerance to spicy foods...)

4. I only now, in the last month, bought a smartphone - and up until then I had gone 2 years without any phone at all. I have finally caught up with the times & I love it!

5. I am fascinated by random American things that most people wouldn't think twice about.

6. After living here for 2 years I have lost most of my original accent and sometimes stop to say a word in "Kiwi" if I realize I have said in with a different accent.

7. I studied Fashion Design for two years. 

My final range for my first year.

8. I have also studied Biology, Classics and Ancient History. All of which are my favourite subjects.

9. I love Sci-Fi & nerdy things - I am a total Trekkie and my absolute favourite show is Firefly.

10. Coffee makes me want to sleep. I prefer tea or hot chocolate.

11. I have had many different pets - frogs, mice, rabbits, a pony, cats, dogs, a lamb, fish, hermit crabs.

Part 2. ~ Alia's Questions For Me

1. What's your favourite movie?
Hmm... this is a question that I always have trouble answering... I don't have a favourite movie as such - It changes often and fully depends on my mood or many other things. One of the movies - or rather Trilogy of movies - that means the most to me is Lord of the Rings. It reminds me of home and makes me proud that I come from "Middle Earth".

2. Do you have a special talent? I don't think so. I think the closet thing to a special talent is that I can play violin - I took lessons for seven years when I was younger and only recently picked it up again. I love being able to read and play music. It is one of the skills I will always cherish.

3. What's your favourite colour?
Probably purple. It's the colour that I think suits me best.

4. How many languages do you speak?
Just the one - and various random bits of other languages that would never be helpful in the real world.

5. If a fantasy world was real, which one would you want to live in?
Lord of the Rings. I would totally be a hobbit. Living in a cozy hole in the ground, eating constantly throughout the day and just generally being lazy and comfortable.

6. What's your favourite animal?
Probably cats - I am such a crazy cat lady. Since my parents bought me a cat for Christmas when I was seven I've absolutely loved them. That cat was my best friend for 14 years - and now since moving to the US I've gotten two over here that I love to bits.

7. How would you describe your personal style?
Lazy. I have to admit that I don't have much style at the moment. I am basically a hermit housewife and don't get out enough to justify buying fancy clothes. So I just love wearing something that is practical and comfortable and I am not ashamed to admit how much I love my fluffy PJ pants and socks - especially now it's starting to get so chilly.

Kiwi <3

8. Do you have any pets?
Yes! Two cats - named Kiwi and Kaylee. We also have two hermit crabs that we picked up on vacation in Galveston. I forget their names... I think one is Fluffy and one is Glowy. (The kids named them.)

9. What are some of your hobbies?
Photography, Blogging (obviously), Video games, Sewing and Craft. I like to draw when I have motivation to. I love to Snowboard. I will occasionally pick up my violin when I have music I want to learn.

10. Television or movies?
Usually I prefer television. Mostly because I don't like sitting still for 1-2 hours at a time. I like television because it doesn't require a lot of my attention and I can be doing other things while watching/listening.

11. Where were you born?
In Takapuna, North Shore City, New Zealand.

Part 3 ~ My Nominees

I'm very new to this blogging universe and I'm going to have to go off script here because I don't follow enough blogs to nominate 11. I have spent a few days browsing on bloglovin and found a couple of blogs that I have chosen to follow. So here are the lovely ladies and their blogs:

Jenna Spayd ~ Freckled Fashionista
Kristina Ross ~ Kristina in Retroworter
Jamie Hart ~ You Gotta Have Hart
Louise Nickel ~ Beauty and Louise
Hemylle Karollyne ~ A Chick-Lit Diary

Part 4 ~ My Questions

1. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go and why?
2. If you could travel to any point and place in history where would you go?
3. Which person do you admire most?
4. What app could you not live without? (Or website or other such thing)
5. What is your most prized possession?
6. What is the number one make up product you would recommend to someone?
7. Whats one piece of advice you have been given that you would give to someone else?
8. Why did you start blogging?
9. What is one thing you want to accomplish with your blog?
10. What is your favourite part about blogging?
11. What is the number one thing that draws or attracts you to a blog?

Well that's it all, I hope I didn't babble on too long. I had fun answering and coming up with my own questions. I'll have to find more of these things to do in the future. :)

KD <3

Girls Desk Makeover!

So, we wanted to add a desk area in the two younger girls rooms so that they would have somewhere to do their homework. Up until now they would just sit at the dining room table and there are usually just too many distractions going on for them to be able to concentrate fully.

After looking around for awhile we just couldn't find anything that would work for the space- it's quite a cramped little corner in their room between the bunk bed and the wall where we used to keep a bookcase. 

So, the idea was forgotten for awhile. Until a couple of weeks later I spotted a very basic white desk sitting out by the dumpster that looked perfect. I grabbed my tape measure and made sure it would fit before lugging it inside up a flight of stairs. (Yup, I am definitely not too proud to take things from the dumpster. I did inspect it and give it a good clean though.) :).

Now I needed a chair... We have had this one sitting out on the patio for a few months waiting to be taken to the dumpster, lucky for us I hate throwing anything away and had avoided it. It was rough and weathered since it had been sitting outside for so long, so I took a trip down to the Home Depot to pick up the stuff to sand it down and paint it - I don't know a thing about paint really, so I just grabbed something that said "white" and looked about the size I needed. I did my best to smooth out the wood - though I really needed a coarser sandpaper to remove the previous varnish properly. It took me two days to do two coats and wait for the drying time between them, but I am very happy with the end result and now it matches the desk!

I wanted to make the area all colorful and cute to try and encourage the girls to use it - and keep it tidy. 

I was feeling especially crafty and creative that day. :)

I wanted to make them a cute little organizer for their pens & pencils etc.

I used some toilet rolls, a box from an alarm clock, crystal pebbles that I had sitting in jars for decoration, pieces of scrap-booking paper and these colored foam square thingies that I had sitting in the craft box. There wasn't a plan, I just kind of winged it - and it turned out pretty cute :).

I added a few extra details - a painted glass beer bottle all prettified with some fake colorful daisies - a whiteboard with a couple of flower magnets I glued together - a pink lamp and their alarm clock. It's not perfect but the best I could do with what I had on hand. All I ended up paying for the entire thing was $10 for the paint and sandpaper. :)

I'm quite happy with it! Now to see if it gets kept tidy enough to be used.

KD xx

Review ~ Sally Hansen Sugar Coat

Time to take a crack at a product review! :)

~*~ Sally Hansen - Sugar Coat in Royal Icing ~*~

I was excited when I saw this polish in the store. The pictures made it look sooo pretty and perfect and I just had to buy one and try it for myself.

I picked this light blue sparkly colour - just 'cause I love the sparkly stuff and I thought it would be great for winter and Christmas holiday nails.

When I first tried it out I was a little disappointed. I guess I expected the colour to cover more than it did. It was actually a transparent - slightly tinted blue. Luckily I had a light blue polish that I used as a base coat which matched the colour nicely.

I found the sugar coat polish quite difficult to use. It went on very uh... gunky (such a creative descriptive word for ya.). It was uneven and dried very, very slowly. I had to redo a few nails from scratch because it would rub off at the slightest touch. I finally got it to look half decent by applying a topcoat almost immediately after applying the second coat of the sugar polish. It was also quite hard to get it looking neat and tidy. The little bits and sparkles in the polish got everywhere, and even when I tried to neaten up the edges with a Q-tip they stayed behind.

Base Coat - Sally Hansen Insta-Dry no.425 "Blue-Away"

Top Coat - Sally Hansen No-Chip Top Coat

The end result was quite nice. Not as perfect as the advertisement, but that might just be a skill thing... I've tried it again since and it turned out slightly better. The textured coating is a nice effect, though with a second coat and a top coat it's not as obvious. Also - without the top coat the texture can get a bit annoying - snatching on clothes and things.

End opinion - Quite a pain to apply, but a pretty sweet end result. A nice manicure for when I feel like something a bit different and have the time to mess around with multiple coats. :)

KD xo

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** Disclaimer: I am not a professional by any means - these are just my personal opinions and observations as a consumer and  as a converted nail polish addict. If you enjoy reading this and get something out of it then wonderful! If you disagree with anything I've said then leave me a comment! **

Happy Birthday Nan!

To my wonderful Nan:

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My Nan has always been a huge source of love and support throughout my life.

In anything I have done she has backed me 100% and has always shown an interest. Whether it be violin, or fashion design, or anything to do with my studies. She has always been there for me and I never realised just how much I appreciate the awesome relationship we have until I moved away.
 

When I was growing up I loved sleepovers at Nans house. Watching movies or playing games in the spare room, the lolly stash in the biscuit tin, pineapple lumps and milk bottles, YUM! Playing pool downstairs with my siblings & cousins. Hunting for eggs at Easter, opening presents at Christmas & admiring all her pretty decorations. Trying to count all the elephants around the house & trying on all her jewelry. The many, many hours spent playing in the pool and the garden. 

I have an endless supply of wonderful memories. 

Now I live thousands of miles away and we don't talk as often as I wish we could. I'm looking into setting up a paid skype account so I can call more often to chat & catch up.

I wish I could be there for your birthday but I hope this makes up for it a little bit.

Sending you lots of hugs and love. Hopefully I can make it home next year to visit. 

Miss you & Love you lots and lots and lots.

Kelsey xxoo

(I know this is a day late for you but it's still your birthday here in the states and I was holding out to try film a video but didn't manage to get around to it, so this will have to do for now. Happy Bday! Love you!)

Sparkly Nail Polish Love

Nail polish was never really something I was into in my teens. It just seemed like way too much effort for something that came out looking quite horrible since I wasn't very good at it. 

About a year ago I bought this gorgeous two-toned blue/green polish that I loved. It was a Revlon scented polish - "Ocean Breeze". I bought it for the gimmicky scent (though I'm not at all sure why you would need scented nails) and so began my nail polish collection.

Now I paint my nails about once a week, and I love getting creative and playing around with different colors and patterns. I especially love all the sparkly stuff. Which brings us to this weeks pretty polish!

I saw this Pure Ice "Watch me go" polish at the store and had to have it. It reminded me of the Ocean Breeze polish and I wanted to see what the combination would look like.

I started with one coat of the Ocean Breeze polish as a base, then two coats of the Watch me go. At first I had some trouble with the polish going gunky and not drying properly, so I made sure to wait between coats to make sure they were completely dry. Lastly I added a clear coat of Sally Hansen No Chip top coat to make it all shiny and smooth.

I'm really happy with the result! It's fantastically sparkly and I just love the color. I think this might end up being one of my go-to manicures. 

KD xo

CVS Coupon Haul

I don't know about anyone else, but when I spy a way to save money or get lots for little, I go a little nutty. Recently I had accumulated several coupons and "extracare-bucks" from CVS, so I decided to go see what kind of bargains I could snatch up. It's like a fun little game - matching coupons with in-store deals to get the most I possibly can for my cash. This slight addiction is further exacerbated by the fact that things are so cheap in the US! It would be a rare thing for me to splurge on make-up back in New Zealand, when one tube of mascara would cost close to 20 bucks. So since moving here, I've become a little obsessed.

So here's what I got!
Physicians Formula Concealer 101 - $7.99
Sally Hanson Sugar Coat, in Royal Icing - $5.99
Rimmel Soft Kohl Eye Liner, in White - $4.99
Revlon Colorstay Smokey Shadow Stick, in Torch - $8.99
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain, in Sweetheart - $9.29
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain, in Rendezvous - $9.29

And the grand total?
$46.54
and what I paid?
$18.00

The way it worked was all rather convoluted and I only managed it because of some awesome sales in store - like the balm stains at $2 off + $4 CVS extrabucks with purchase. I had coupons for $2 off of any Revlon color stay product, and $2 off of any Rimmel product. This whole thing also included 3 transactions to make it work. Next time I do something like this I'll make sure to take better notes of how exactly it all worked so that I'll remember. :)

This was definitely my best haul yet, and I'm very happy with all my pretty new make-ups!

KD xo

Big Dreams

Hi there!

My name is Kelsey, and this is my blog! :)

Welcome to my little part of this big wide internet world.

This blog has been a dream of mine for a very long time. It is one of those things that has always been brushed to the side, something that I had always planned to do but never found the time or the courage. I've even tried starting one or two times before, but soon after, when my brief moments of resolve and bravery dissipate, the whole thing gets deleted. Not this time... (I hope).

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Lately, my philosophy on life has changed and I decided that it was time to start ticking things off my mental must-do list. Time to stop waiting for the perfect time and start doing.

My vision for this blog is for it to be a place for me to express my thoughts & opinions on absolutely anything I feel like. I want to take the time to write things, just for the hell of it. This blog gives me a excuse to whip my camera out on more occasions and play around a little bit. I would also love to expand into videos or vlogs. I guess that would be the next brave step in this journey, so stay tuned!

Moral of the story for today:

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Thanks for reading.

KD <3