a few things: shameless plug

a few things: shameless plug

Sunday, June 30, 2013

I know that I am terribly late with this post. What's the point in writing a weekend post two hours (now thirty minutes) before the weekend ends? I'm not sure, but, I'm doing it anyway!

Chili powder in the eye smarts. I started the week with a bang. I managed to get chili powder in my eye, at the start of this past week. I'll take another concussion over that excruciating experience.

Aubrey, over at The Kinch Life, accepted my last minute sponsorship. Obviously, this is not as exciting for you as it is for me, but, YAY!

My sister (otherwise known as Tuna Love) has packed up the niblets, along with most of the house, and hit the road. Facetime hangouts just weren't cutting it. We'll be celebrating someone's fifth birthday Tuesday, so we're already decorating! There will be no time once the munchkins get here. My sister and the hubs are taking driving shifts all night to get here. Let the misbehaving begin!

If you haven't visited Everyday Elise, you should at your earliest convenience. I love her blog, it's a favorite. Go check her out!

I'm going to shamelessly plug myself. After July 1st, ( that's tomorrow/today people! ) you will no longer be able to use Google Reader to follow your favorite blogs, it's biting the dust. So, hop on over to bloglovin'. It's super easy to create an account and follow your favorites. If you follow Boone+Owl via Google Reader, scamper on over to bloglovin' now and follow. Or not. No pressure. I love you all anyway!

All right, I think that's about it for this post.

I hope you had a beautiful Sunday!

a few things: you're killing me smalls!

a few things: you're killing me smalls!

Sunday, June 23, 2013

I haven't done a few things post in a while. I really like them, they are a fun way to sum up the week's little events. Large events too. Those aren't as common though. I acquired the shining idea to make this a weekend ritual! I firmly believe that their should be consistency in blogging (I'm still working on the multiple posts a week issue).
So, I am committing to writing A Few Things post at the end of every week. I'll do my best not to be a complete bore about it. There are always great giveaways, new blogs, and linkups to share. Plus any craziness that ensued during the week.

Let me start this by saying, The Sandlot is such an amazing movie! I have watched it more times than I can remember. It makes me feel like a kid again. After an amusing exchange with a friend, I popped Sandlot in the DVD player and reveled in it's youthful dramatics. "You're killing me Smalls!" I realize it's not the typical movie to be adored. That should be The Notebook, right? I'm not much of a chick flick watcher.

I am three days into The Lighten Up Project ( I'm lightening my hair as I write this ) and it does indeed work. Slowly and subtly, but, it works. My concoction of honey, lemon juice, and chamomile makes my hair smell like a yummy cup of tea. If nothing else, my hair is super soft and shiny now.

At the suggestion of K, I skipped off to the drive-in, with my father, to see Man of Steel. Going to the drive-in is terribly fun no matter what, but, it helped that we found out World War Z was playing first in the double feature. My dad and I decided that this was "epic". It doesn't take a whole lot to get us pumped. 

Four things. Shanna has a great giveaway going on right now. There's still time to enter! Three days and eleven hours left, to be exact. You could win a pair of these!

I love jewelry. I recently found Amy through a blog that I follow. Amy has an adorable jewelry shop with so many pretty pieces to choose from. You should check it out!

Bre over at Peacoats and Plaid has a delightful blog that I came across this week. Bre hosts spectacular Bloglovin' Collective Blog Hops every week where you can discover many new bloggers. Link up and make new blogging friends!

Last but certainly not least - Melyssa from The Nectar Collective wrote a super helpful post on how to grow your blog: like a boss. It is a must read.

That's the round up for the week. I didn't bore you too badly. I hope. My hair is dry and I'm going to rinse this concoction out of it ( before the fur baby tries to lick it out again). 

Have a happy Sunday!

the lighten up project

the lighten up project

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

I have no problem admitting that I color my hair. Yes, I dish out an outrageous amount of money so that I can have roots every six weeks or so. I am neither ashamed nor proud of this. Actually, my mother generously dishes out the money. She participates in the whole foiled head and girl talk ritual. It all started with a few highlights for my sixteenth birthday. You and I both know that it never ends at just a few highlights. I have been quite blonde, caramel blonde, and burgundy..
The burgundy was a very regrettable mistake made by my hairdresser. She fixed it. Sort of. I was a red head for some time after that. On the plus side, it made my green eyes pop!

                                         Enjoy this unfortunate picture from my ginger days.

This is not my first rodeo with naturally lightening my hair, but, I and my mother, have set out to find a more natural and less expensive way to add a little life to our hair. I asked the google about the various ways to accomplish the task, and I have narrowed the info down to the five best (and my five favorite) ways to lighten hair naturally. 

• Lemon Juice. This works best if you have time to sit in the sun and let it work it's magic. Lemon juice alone will dry your hair out, so dilute with an equal part of water or olive oil. Olive oil is best because it also has lightening properties.

• Honey. A form of Hydrogen Peroxide forms in honey. Add 1 tablespoon of honey to one cup of water and let sit for half an hour. Coat your hair with the mixture and leave it in for at least twenty minutes. The longer the better.

• Salt. This works amazingly. Mix salt with water (the ratio is up to you) and let sit in your hair for at least ten minutes. If you live on the East Coast, an even easier way to do this is to soak your hair with the abundance of saltwater at the beach and then sit back and relax.

• Chamomile Tea. Make yourself a cup of Chamomile Tea, rinse your hair in it and let dry. The rinse and repeat method works best for this.

• Cinnamon. Mix Cinnamon with water and apply to your hair. Let sit for an hour. It will lighten your hair and give it a slightly caramel color. the ratio on this is up to you as well.

This is my favorite part. You can mix methods to up the lightening and get it done faster.

• Mix lemon juice and chamomile tea. Use as a rinse or put the mixture in a spray bottle and mist your hair every little bit while you're at the beach.

• Lemon juice and salt it a great combo. Add a little Olive oil to the mixture so your hair doesn't dry out.

• Honey, Lemon juice, Cinnamon, and/or Chamomile tea or Olive oil. This is the mother of all mixtures. Remember though, the cinnamon will give you a slightly caramel color.

I will be using every single one of these methods from now till I leave on the Hawaii trip. I have dubbed this The Lighten Up Project. Obviously, none of these methods are going to give you dramatic results the first time around. Naturally lightening your hair is a process. Be patient.

Also, today is Random Wednesday on Shanna's blog. This is one of my favorite days of the week!

  Join the fun - link up on Shanna's blog and grab the button. It's a wonderful way to make new blogger friends! Have a wonderful Wednesday.

wait, who are you? (five things friday)

wait, who are you? (five things friday)

Friday, June 14, 2013

Life has been a little stirred up these last few days. The weather cannot decide if it wants to be warm and sunny or muggy and rainy. I sustained a concussion on tuesday. My laptop left a nice burn on my leg. I really wanted to be eleven again last night. And as of twenty minutes ago, I am going to Hawaii this August. I would jump for joy on that last one, but concussions really hurt and that level of joy makes it worse!

Let me backtrack a little bit.
I was out at the plantation riding with everyone this past tuesday. I was trying to work on Ice's canter ( the thoroughbred that I lease ) I guess the ex-racehorse in him took over. He took off. It was all okay until I lost a stirrup and the saddle started to slip. At some point I realized that I had to jump off, so I did. Unfortunately for me, I whacked my head a little too hard when I hit the ground. I am told that I was never unconscious. I have to take my friends word for it, because my memory of pretty much everything after I hit the ground is completely gone. It's like everything is black and then little memories from hours later start to come back as though they are from a dream.
So, concussion + whiplash + everything else hurts = a really good story to tell later.

I had a grand time trying to convince my sister that I had no idea who she was. I think she might have been spooked for a minute or two. Maybe. Were you, Tuna Love? The Dr. said I'll be good as new.. eventually. Rest is the name of the game.


Today is friday which means it is Five Thing Friday! Though I believe it's a bi-monthy shindig, I'm still doing it today. Since I cannot describe it any better .. "I've gotten together with some of my good bloggy buddies and decided to start a linkup on Fridays called - Five Thing Friday. We're launching it for this Friday, you can blog about any Five things you like! Five things you want, pinned, love, hate, ate, drank, you name it. Creativity is encouraged! So grab the button and play along!"

I am playing along. I love link ups! They are so much fun, they connect you to so many other bloggers, and they connect many other bloggers to you! It's a win, win, win. I am making this a bullet item five things.

• I recently discovered a blog < doppelhanger > It is now a favorite. They are like a "match making service for your closet". I love the idea of Doppelhanger, and I had the privilege of being interviewed for the blog. Thanks again, Monica!

• When I was little I wondered what it would be like to have a concussion. Well now I know, and let me put it out there, that it is none too pleasant. Painful. Dizzying. Painful. At least I have the right to brag about having had a concussion. The little kid in me believes it makes me more legit. 

• If for some reason you have not heard of Shabby Apple, you are missing out. Skirts and dress and shoes - all with a vintage flair! It is truly fantastic. I am really excited to spend my fifty dollar gift card today! You can check them out here: twitter here: pinterest here: instagram and here: facebook.com.

• I realized the other day that cookie dough should be eaten like this --

• I miss hand written letters. There is something so personal, so authentic, about writing and receiving a hand written letter. More care goes into putting pen to paper. I am seriously considering bringing it back into fashion. 

Okay, I'm off to do some shopping! Have a lovely Friday.