Thanksgiving, Birthday, and Junior League!

Hey all! Hope you are all staying nice and warm!!! Today's drive took me just over an hour, whereas a good day is normally 20 minutes!

I hope you all had a {FANTASTIC} Thanksgiving!! I know we did!

A few days before Thanksgiving I took this picture... I looked out my bedroom window and thought mountains grew overnight! But really, those were just clouds that were on their way to cover us with some more snow!!!

The day before Thanksgiving, I had Ariel with me.  After getting bloodwork done (me), Alex, Ariel, and I met up with my Mom (Nana) for breakfast at this amazing little café called Four Corners in Eden. After we finished, we came back home and Ariel and Nana sorted the cranberries! Ariel initially thought they were red grapes and tried to eat one! But the policy in my house: try it once & if you put it in your mouth you eat it! She didn't like it! :) After sorting through a few more, she thought she would get away with putting another one in her mouth and then put it in the "good" pile.  Not in this house! She had to eat another cranberry.  Thank you to Alex for getting a little temper tantrum controlled before it turned ugly! <3

Thanksgiving Day! Because, Mimosas.

Alex made a huge pot of Stuffing this year! It was{SO} good!!!! Cranberries, Granny Smith apples, mild sausage, herbs.  Such an awesome job  honey!

Alex also made a green bean casserole {below} which was to DIE for! He also made salt potatoes for his mom, mashed baby red potatoes, the turkey, and helped Dziadzius heat up his kielbasa.  So thankful to have such a wonderful family and husband!

Alex, master chef working in the kitchen! {Note the new kitty next to Alex, watching his every move!}

Alex helping Dziadzius move the Turkey.  Dziadzius' job is carving the turkey! He loves participating! {And so does my puppy! He's a good vacuum cleaner to have around in the kitchen!}

So these next two pictures are from my phone, which I really feel need to be shared. 

PEOPLE! I MADE AN INSTAGRAM! Follow me for some silly kitty pictures, quotes, and some other awesome shots! @simplyjennifered

My birthday: what a thing to wake up to!! My loves curled up next to me. <3

I have... semi long  hair?!?! When did  this happen?  My birthday included brunch at Four Corners with my mom and Aunt Julie, and dinner at the Roycroft with Alex and his parents.

Another few pictures in need of sharing...

JUNIOR LEAGUE!!! Below is a pic taken from the Bus Tour I went on a few weeks ago.  {The Saturday before Snowvember!} We had so much fun seeing all the different recipients and touring the Darwin Martin House! Clearly I didn't get the memo about dressing "dark".  I wore a nice, warm, and soft fleece jacket which kept me warmer than some of the ladies wearing leather!  {I'm the one in white... hey, at least I stand out!}

Tuesday, the 9th, was our Holiday Party! While I couldn't stay very late because it's exam week, I still had so much fun looking at all the decorations and meeting a few new people!

I kind of want this tree and fireplace in my living room.  Right now... Doesn't it look so cozy??

Below, photo courtesy of JLB

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Below photo courtesy of Jennifer Lane {my advisor}

Soo... this next picture was taken immediately after I left the hair salon... I knew I needed to get my ends trimmed, so I waited until the day of the Holiday Party! Kill two birds with one stone: Trim the ends and get a free hairstyle! Less for me to worry about! :)I love how the curls loosened up by dinnertime.

Now that the semester is at an end, I'd like to blog a bit more.  Tomorrow I have three exams, and that's it! Then a Pure Romance Party I'm hosting, and then Sunday I get to call in to see if I have to appear for Jury Duty on Monday.  Never ends, does it? :)

Some things I've been working on for the blog includes a few different series, such as:

 "Mama's Lessons" {Things that I've been taught/learned throughout my life (not just from my mom) that I think other people would benefit from knowing.}

"Pushing Jen's Buttons" {Things that happen in life that make me... well... mad.  I'm sure people can relate when I say it makes me mad when people are in the left turn lane, and decide to make a RIGHT turn at the last minute. Am I right??}

"Hey, it's perfectly okay to..." {Hey, it's okay to watch a Discovery Channel documentary and feel it is a sufficient history class for the day. It's okay to go to bed before 9 p.m. on a Friday night.  It's okay to... It can go on and on!}

What do you think should be included in any of these different segments?? I'd love to hear from you!

Stay WARM, stay SAFE, and stay POSITIVE!!

XOXOXO

Snowvember 2014

It's winter in the Buffalo Area!!! 

They're calling this storm Snowvember, the Snowpocalypse, and Winter Storm Knife. 

They're saying this storm is significantly worse than the Blizzard of '77 in regards to snowfall and drifts.

Governor Cuomo, Erie County Exec. Mark Poloncarz,and Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown have declared a State of Emergency since Monday night. (It's Friday!)

Poloncarz deployed the National Guard Tuesday, and they were in service around the Buffalo area by Tuesday night.

Fire departments from all over New York State have been helping out our area to start digging out.  Even the FDNY has a crew up here! Shout out!

Apparently Cuomo or Senator Schumer talked to President Obama, who is apparently "concerned", and might declare it a federal disaster and send in FEMA resources. 

Death toll is 12 at the moment.  

Forecasts of snow were being predicted in FEET, not INCHES! Totals have started coming in, and so far, the highest is 86 inches of snow in Hamburg! 

Lets start on Saturday, when I came home from a Junior League Bus Tour and found this on my porch. 

Okay, no biggie.  It's Buffalo, we get snow.  Heading on to Monday, I make it to school (most of the snow melted on Sunday, and the snow wasn't predicted to begin until late Monday night). I remember my last class, Honors Colloquium, looking out the window, and thinking that it was nighttime! It got dark so fast that it was a little creepy - only anticipating what was in store for us!  

Monday night was the first of the 'bad' days.  Alex had Paramedic school that didn't get out until 9:30.  His drive home is normally around 25 minutes.  He didn't get home until nearly 10:45! He said visibility was horrible.  Thank GOD that he didn't have to go back to work until Saturday.

Early Tuesday morning, I got a text saying that school was closed, so I ended up staying in bed for a little bit and woke up to this picture. And it just kept getting worse. 

It was decided that it was cuddle day, with lots of tea and blankets.  And socks. You know it's cold when I put on socks!

Window was covered in snow, coming in through the screen! Thought it looked a little bit like a leopard print. 

Wednesday was Alex's Birthday!!!!! :) And snow day number 2.  After having an awesome morning of sleeping in on flannel sheets, we woke up to puppy cuddles, and even more snow.  

We had to go out and snow blow the driveway again - this marked the end of part one of the storm. So far, we only had about a foot and a half, and clear roads.  There were travel bans in the towns all around us, and even a few had declared a State of Emergency.  

We also used this little break in the weather to run to Save a Lot to grab some more essentials.  We walked in and there was little to no produce! Okay, fine.  So we walked to the back towards the deli & dairy.  There were signs saying everything had been moved to the back coolers due to 'cooler issues'.  Honestly, there were no cooler issues, just the staff trying to ration what they have, and so people have an equal chance to get what they need.  We also got orange cranberry muffins, which Alex wanted instead of a cake for his birthday!

We skyped my Grandparents in NYC when I brought out Alex's muffins and sung Happy Birthday.  It was nice to see somewhere that didn't have any snow after seeing the color white all day every day for the past few days! 

Throughout the day, we noticed our puppy wasn't 'normal'.  He didn't want any peanut butter, he was sleeping all day, not running around, lethargic, and just plain not himself.  We ended up driving ourselves to Hamburg Veterinary Office (through a driving ban, which wasn't being reported on the news at the time...)  Our little man tweaked his back somehow! He also has a bit of an ear infection.  So now ear drops twice a day, and pain meds.  

Hamburg was the hardest hit in regards to Part One of the storm - the snow was taller than my vehicle! 

We came home and cuddled. 

Thursday, we woke up to the start of Part Two of the storm.  Mind you, this car was the one we took the night before to the vet's, and it was completely cleared off!!!! Obviously we had some work to do outside.  Another day outside snow blowing.  Even though it was snowing at rates of 3-5 inches per hour, we knew that if we didn't keep up with it, we wouldn't be able to use our snow blower and we definitely did not want to shovel all that snow if we could avoid it.  

The surprising thing is, this entire driveway was cleared off less than nine hours before! 

Village of good neighbors:  the plowman stopped and helped Alex get the end of the driveway again... Alex had just snow blowed that area.... and then the plow went by.  The plow turned around, and helped us out.  Thank you awesome plow man! 

Giving in.  Still awaiting another 2-3 feet.  

Our neighbors across the street had a plow come to do their driveway.... Even though there was a driving ban in our town that started 4 hours before, and the Supervisor declared a State of Emergency! The plow ended up getting stuck in their driveway.

Our front porch... by the time we were headed to bed, the snow was over the railings!

Friday: the end? Hardly.

It's amazing to see how much snow actually fell! (And trying to figure out where to put it all is another story!)

Again, the Village of Good Neighbors.  Alex had help from two different people to dig out the mailbox, and our neighbors were helped out by someone who rented a frontloader before the snow hit. 

I'm glad to say that I love the little village I live in.  

I'm extremely thankful that my husband was snowed in right alongside me, safe, warm, and at home. 

I'm thankful that the Hamburg Vet was staffed even during a deadly snowstorm.  

I'm thankful that my little puppy will be okay.

I'm thankful that my family is home and safe.  

I'm thankful that we are okay. 

Mom is stuck at home as well, and the plows on her street have her stuck so much that a frontloader can't even remove the snow at the bottom of her driveway. It's that heavy.

Alex's parents and Grandpa are safe and sound inside their houses, both haven't had work. 

It's been snowing hard again as I've been writing this - they're saying another 2-4 inches.  That's do-able. At least the forecast is back in inches, not feet!

Now to prepare for the weather to get into the 40's and 50's.  Flood warnings are starting to go into effect late tonight. 

Stay warm, stay safe, stay inside! 

Is it time to go back to Pawley's Island yet??? 

:)

XOXOXO

I Advocate Glamour

Tonight, I'd like to write about things I've observed and how I feel about them.

I believe:

I have RARELY worn any sort of Yoga Pants out of the house. 

I've NEVER worn yoga pants to school. 

I never have worn a crop top.

Sure, I don't blow dry my hair nearly as much as I'd like to.

Sure, I have shirts that show off the cleavage.

Sure, I don't wear makeup every day. 

Sure, I am sometimes too tired to wash my face before I go to bed. 

Yep, I eat carbs.

Yep, I love spa days at home in soft pajamas and fuzzy socks.

YEP.  Pretty sure I'm not perfect. 

BUT.

I do make an effort to be presentable and respectful to those around me.  Personally, I can't stand the crop tops with the high cut shorts that show the bottom of people's butt cheeks walking down the hall at school.  

I don't like seeing other people's mid-riffs in the middle of the grocery store.  

I don't like seeing holes in your shorts that show everything you're wearing underneath them. (what's the point of wearing shorts then?)

I don't like seeing people who wear clothes that look more like a sausage casing than a properly fitted outfit.  Or at least something more "flattering" to their shape.

 People have lost the sense of "for everything, there is a time and a place."  That includes what you wear! 

Crop tops and booty shorts? Fine at the beach, unacceptable nearly every where else!

Role models people! Find good ones! 

Some of my own:

My Grandma (Basically everything)

Hilary Duff  (One of the Disney Stars who hasn't gone crazy!)

Kate Middleton (Style, grace, charity, confidence, discipline and acceptance!)

Dita Von Teese (acceptance of self, style, confidence, discipline, etc.)

I know it's hard to want to put actual clothes on instead of having a PJ day at home.  I really do! But once you shower, blow dry that hair, and get dressed, you're ready to take on the world! {PJ days on occasion are acceptable :P }

Today, I got up, did just that, threw on some heels, and went to the drugstore and a quick stop at the grocery store! Sure, I got a few looks for dressing up {not yoga pants, not a t-shirt} and the sound of heels in a grocery store. It used to be the norm to dress up every day, regardless of what you had planned.  Now, people think they don't have to.

We went from women wearing dresses and an apron while cleaning the house to what we have today!

For inspiration on this, click here and here.  

I believe in glamour.  This isn't having the perfect body or complexion.  This is having self confidence.  Accepting your own body and personality. Respecting yourself and others enough to be modest.  Having the tact to be presentable.  Knowing yourself. Holding yourself to a standard of grace, not perfection. 

What can I do, you might ask? This is what I did!

I made an inspiration book! I started it a few years ago when I was house sitting and catching up on all of the magazines I had. I grabbed a spiral notebook, tape, a pen & markers, and started going through them! I cut out anything that inspired me to live life better, help me find things that bring out the best in me, or anything I'd want to remember in the future.  

This is what it looks like:

Some of my favorite tips:

Always put on sunscreen!

Don't eat in front of the T.V. when possible

If Britney Spears can get through 2007, you can get through today.

Never underestimate the power of a well fitted bra.

Cheap face blotter that works: toilet seat cover!

When you've found a perfect product, stick with it!

Before shaving, exfoliate for a closer shave.

This all starts with forming good habits!

Click Me for inspiration on starting good habits!

I believe routine is a necessary thing for everyone in the mornings! Here's a fun little video from 1937:

With that said, this next part is a little about my own routine.

How I start my morning: 

-Shower and use face wash {I use DG Grapefruit Scrub. Only $5 people! Glamour does not have to be expensive!}

-Brush teeth! Floss! Mouthwash!

-Deodorant is a must!

-Put on moisturizer! My face gets dry during the cold months, so normally my moisturizer changes with the weather.  During the summer, I find mine at Feel Rite, a coconut milk based one that doesn't make my face shiny (It even has sunscreen in it!)  Currently, I'm using Cetaphil, which is amazing! I use this on my face and neck, and leaves a nice glow-y look.

I've found that a routine keeps me looking healthy, keeps breakouts to a minimum, and one happy wife! I do other things, like get my eyebrows, lip, etc. waxed at European Wax Center {no unibrow for me!}, get a haircut at least twice a year, and when I have some spare funds, go for a mani/pedi to relax.  Or, I'll just have a spa day at home, do my toes, nails, watch Casablanca or something of the like, and give myself a facial.  I've found an amazing product from Sephora called GlamGlow. Best thing ever! It does everything it says on the label after one use!!!

Love the stuff.  Expensive, but totally worth it!

{That's why I only use it when I really really need to... make it last!}

I rarely do a full blown makeup look - I think simple is elegant and does the job.  

I think that a red lipstick is a confidence booster, and I normally carry one during any event I'm at.  I like CoverGirl Tempt Seduction for the Fall, along with Hot. {Normally at any drug store}  I've heard good reviews about NYX's Monte Carlo - might be giving that a try in the future!

I've personally found that I prefer the look of a gel eye liner than a pencil.  It takes a lot of practice - I still sometimes struggle to get both sides to match! Rather blurry below, but it's Maybelline Lasting Drama in Black. {You can get it at nearly any drug store, I think I got mine from Wal Mart}

Next, I use a black mascara from Ulta: Plush Drama.  I've been blessed with long eye lashes, and this really helps make my eyes pop.{I managed to buy this for $5! I'm a sucker for coupons and sales}

Lastly, to top off my simple, elegant look is fragrance! Smelling nice is a wonderful thing! {especially after some of the smells you get exposed to in EMS...} It can linger after you walk away from a group of people when you're headed to get a glass of wine or out on a date will leave you memorable! {Just don't over do it! Sometimes it can be too overwhelming.  Spray 1 to 3 times in the air, and walk into it, don't spray it on you! Perfume is not supposed to be sprayed directly on things!}  I use Sexy Little Things Noir from Victoria's Secret.  With smells of amber, vanilla, blackberry, jasmine, and others, I LOVE it! 

And that's all... Sweet, simple, to the point, and it can be completed in under 20 minutes. 

Please enjoy life and pamper yourself, even if it's taking a bubble bath wearing a tiara! 

What are your thoughts??

Let me know!

xoxoxo