Thursday, March 5, 2015

In Case You Missed It…



In case you missed the memo, this week I moved my lovely home on the internet here at The Best Of Intentions to a new home - Champagne Laced.

If you want to keep up with me and see the new changes and content I'm going to be sharing, click here to read my welcome message and then stay awhile! Once there, you'll also find all of my links to all of my social media accounts!

This week I've also posted 30 Unique Blog Post Ideas and a drink recipe inspired by "The Dress". Is the drink black and blue or white and gold? Click here to find out!

Again, I love you guys and I can't wait for you to join me on this journey!

Monday, March 2, 2015

My Big News

Today is the day!
I'm here to announce my big news!
I'm moving! Kind of. I'm moving my little space on the internet to a new home!



Oh, and did I mentioned I'm not taking any of my furniture or clothing with me? Aka, I'm leaving all of my content currently on The Best Of Intentions on The Best Of Intentions. If you'd be so kind, head on over to my new internet home, Champagne Laced, where I will be explaining more about this decision!

I'm really hoping to bring all of you with me on this new journey.
I love you all and I can't wait to make some new memories with you! Xx

Monday, February 23, 2015

Prequel To The Big News

I'll have you know that a very large part of me didn't want to write today's post.
Because I'm going to be that girl.

I typically find it unnecessary when a blogger tells me they are going to be taking a break, just take the break! I also typically find it unnecessary when a blogger tells me they have news they're going to be announcing in X number of days, just wait until that day and announce the news!

So I'm currently doing something that I typically find unnecessary.
I'm that girl.


If you haven't figure it out already, today's post has 2 jobs.

Job #1:
To tell you that I have some news to share with you, hopefully next Monday. That's the plan anyway. It's big and very exciting news to me and I'm hoping that you also find it exciting? I wasn't going to tease you with it at all, I swear. I had planned all along to just announce it when it could be announced and then throw confetti in the air and pour myself a celebratory martini! However, I'm teasing you and telling you now because…

Job #2:
Because of the big news, this is going to be the only post on The Best Of Intentions this week. There's no hidden reason for this. It is strictly because I really needed to prioritize my time and I felt that my time needed to be spent on "the big news", because it is currently a very time consuming project. I've been working on it for quite a long time now, and brainstorming it months before that. I had been pretty quietly working on it behind the scenes, but now I need to throw myself into it 100%.


So in the meantime you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram. That way you'll be able to keep up with me and you'll be the first to know about the big news.

I hope you guys don't mind the break, although I don't think you will because you guys are the best. And I really hope you come back next Monday for my big news. I'm "8-year-old-the-night-before-their-first-time-at-disney-world" excited about this!


Xx love you guys!
See you on Monday!

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

My Current Sephora Wishlist

On Valentine's Day my friend came over, we drank wine, watched a few stupid Netflix movies, and laughed our way through our old favorite YouTube videos we used to quote at the bars when we were 21. We also talked about makeup.

We're both a little makeup obsessed and we were browsing Sephora's website together and we came up with a little list of items we'd really like to own. Here's our sweet little list.

*no affiliate links, etc. etc. I wish.


1. Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Eyeshadow Palette ($44.00) - I'm in love with this palette. The colors are right up my alley and I love that they're all matte! Perfect palette to pair with all of my favorite shimmer shades!
2. Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick ($21.00) - I had swatched these in store a few months ago, but they really only had mostly bold colors that I wasn't sure I'd get enough use out of, BUT they've come out with new colors and I need them. This one is Melted Fig. *insert heart eyes*
3. Too Faced Melted Liquified Long Wear Lipstick ($21.00) - In Melted Peony *more heart eyes for this perfect nude*
4. Fresh Sugar Lip Polish ($22.50) - I'm just interested in trying some new lip products and I've heard really good things about Fresh.
5. NARS blush ($30.00) - Everyone hears about this all the time, but I want it in the shade Madly, which I rarely hear about, but I've swatched before and I loved!
6. NARS Audacious Lipstick ($32.00) - In the shade Brigitte. So many beauty bloggers rave about this lipstick and I just want to be a part of the in crowd! I love the nude rose color of Brigitte too, seems very wearable.
7. Clinque Bottom Lash Mascara ($10.00) - Some of the British vloggers I watch absolutely rave about this mascara and for $10, I'm willing to try it out. Especially if it's a bottom lash mascara that doesn't transfer!
8. Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit ($40.00) - Contour kits are all the rage right now, but Anastasia started the trend. I don't want this as much as I just need it. Ya know? Also if you watch any YouTube beauty guru, then you've heard about Anastasia's Banana powder approximately 1,000 times. I need.


In case you hadn't been adding the prices up as you went, don't worry, I did. The total cost of my Sephora Wishlist? $220.50

So I'll let you know when I hit that lottery.

In the meantime - Who has more recommendations for me? I have makeup obsession, it's okay. Feed my addiction.

Monday, February 16, 2015

Usher, Baby! || Analyzing Lyrics

Way back when on TBOI, all the way back to last summer, I wrote a post analyzing the lyrics to Jason Derulo's Talk Dirty To Me. Good times. On Friday I was listening to a random Spotify (you can follow my playlists here if you'd like) playlist and a song came on that I DO NOT LIKE. I tweeted about it. Melissa remembered my Talk Dirty To Me post and demanded I do a post about this particular song and I am more than happy to do so.

I just tell you, I hate this song. So I'm forcing myself to listen to it over and over again while writing this just for you guys. You're welcome.

Usher - I Don't Mind

PS. What happened to Usher? Where's Confessions and Let It Burn? Classics. Caught Up? Love. You Make Me Wanna? U Got It Bad? I love that song! MY BOO?! I mean, really? I miss you, man.


Shawty, I don't mind if you dance on a pole
That don't make you a ho
Shawty, I don't mind when you work until three
If you're leaving with me.
Go make that money, money, money

So far I don't necessarily have a problem with these lyrics. He's supporting his girl, who happens to be a stripper from what I gather. He's making sure she knows that he doesn't think any less of her, as long as she doesn't go home with a client. Ya dig?

The ballers in here tonight, they gon' buy a hundred bottles
As soon as you shake it, I know they gon' make it colossal in here
Cause shawty you thinkin' them tricks that you do with your body
Got all of these ni**as they crowding around you like they seen Beyonce in here.

So far, Usher still just seems super supportive, right? Even comparing his girl to Beyonce and we all know that's quite a compliment! So okay, I'm with you so far Usher (even though i still think this song sucks).

You want your own and you need your own, baby, who am I to judge?
Cause how could I ever trip about it when I met you in the club?
I make enough for the both of us, but you dance anyway
You know I was raised in the A..

NOW I see. You met her while she was dancing on that pole you talked about earlier, so yea you're supportive, otherwise you'd be a hypocrite. You get a few points for that. Hypocrites are annoying. What's "the A" though? Atlanta? Alaska? Albuquerque? I mean, I need some clarification. (actually i know it's atlanta, but i also kind of wish it was albuquerque) 

When you get off of work I'll be ready to go in the 'Rari
And when we get home we'll have us our own private party in here.
So I don't worry at all about the things they do or say
I love you anyway

First of all, love that he called it a "'Rari". You're so hip, bro. Now it sounds like she's just gonna give you her own little show, and you know what? You do you.

Actually, 50 Shades of Grey came out over the weekend, so this song seems fitting for this Monday morning. You can't go see 50 Shades and then come here and judge Usher for loving his pole dancer.

You can twerk it while in a split, you racking up them tips
Your body rock and your booty poppin', I'm proud to call you my bitch.

Okay, so that line right there is the one that annoyed me. I mean, I do want to acknowledge that his girl can twerk while in the splits, because okay, impressive. But the sentence "I'm proud to call you my bitch" really rubs me the wrong way. If a guy ever called me "his bitch" I'd break his nose. Why is that sentence even okay? First Usher is saying he's proud and then following that up with something demeaning. Get outta here, asshat.

Then we get to Juicy J's part.. Which I've just decided not to even type out or analyze, because wow. There's just too much. You can read it here and let me know your thoughts!

Happy Monday, LOL!

Friday, February 13, 2015

The Flash || TV Friday

This is the 3rd time I've started this post. The first time I sounded way too peppy, like I was trying too hard to be excited and happy. I tried a second time and I sounded like someone had "pissed in my cheerios" as my grandma would say. I'm off my game. But I'm working on it.

Let's talk TV.


So, The Flash.
I'm super caught up on this show, because Grant Gustin.
I don't feel the need to elaborate on that sentence.


Honestly this is one show where I feel like the casting is just so, so freaking good. There's actually only one character I'm not a huge fan (iris) of and I'm not 100% sure it's the actress' fault. I'm almost a little heartbroken that Robbie Amell's storyline has ended. Or I think it has? I don't read the comics, so I don't know for sure.

Speaking of, that's one of the things about this show that kind of annoys me. I haven't ever read the comics, actually I've never read any comic ever, and from what I've heard the show is following the comics pretty closely. So for those who have read the comics, they expect things to continue this way AND they already know everything that is going to happen. My beef with following the comics too closely is that sometimes the actors or the side story lines can evolve and there's the potential to take things in a new direction. If the writers and the directors on The Flash are too concerned with sticking to the comics then they could miss out on something better. Then the show could tank. Which would upset me.

I'm mentioning this because of this Barry/Snow thing. Look, the first time I ever talked about The Flash on this blog I said I totally was a shipper of Barry/Snow. My mom has gotten to hear it from me a lot more than you have, so yea, I'd love for it to be a thing. A couple reasons -
1. The on-screen chemistry between Grant Gustin and Danielle Panabaker is fabulous. I love scenes with the two of them! TELL ME YOU DIDN'T LOVE THE DRUNK CAITLIN SCENES!
2. I don't like Iris. I'm not even a little sorry about it. Maybe she's great in the comics, but guess what? She's not great on the show. I haven't liked her since episode 1.
3. I think it'd be a really fun slow-build kind of relationship!


I know the comic book lovers vehemently disagree with me, which is fine, because I also don't mind having a solid male/female friendship on a show like this. In fact, that's really nice too. I just hope that following the comics doesn't necessarily become the end all, be all.

Quick Notes
-- Cisco and Joe teaming together is my favorite.
-- Cisco getting more of a storyline, also my favorite.
-- I said from the first episode that the blur looked red and yellow, so I said "I bet Barry as The Flash was there." and now look.. Gosh I'm so good at this TV watching thing.
-- I can not 100% figure out Wells and I love it.
-- I have super sketchy feelings about the new girl Barry is dating. I don't trust her.
-- So annoyed with how Iris got this random job at the paper. Apparently it's because she works for the paper in the comics, but her randomly getting that job was the stupidest thing ever. And explained very poorly. Also I might be extra annoyed just because I don't like Iris.
-- I like Eddie again now that he's all #TeamFlash.
-- How about my use of "vehemently" though?! In my Senior year of high school in my Advanced Composition class I used the sentence "…and he concurs, vehemently." and my teacher read it to the class and said "Now THAT, class, is an excellent use of a thesaurus, because the sentence 'he really agrees' doesn't have quite the same punch, does it?" and I got an A.

Any other Flash fans out there? How do we feel about the comic book thing? Also, do you ship Barry and Caitlin?

Monday, February 9, 2015

Heavy Heart

On Friday night two families, from opposite sides of our county, lost their homes in a fire.
First of all, everyone is okay. Both families made it out of their homes, including their pets, without any injuries. Unfortunately, both homes are total losses. Saturday morning when I found out about both fires I was mostly in shock, because what are the chances? What are the chances that two families that I know and am connected with would both have house fires on the same night? Let me tell you their stories.

Family #1
Husband and wife living with their 2 handicapped foster children. I work with the husband at IU, which is his second job, and my dad works with the husband at his main job.
The fire started at about 10pm, while everyone was still awake. They heard a loud pop and smoke instantly began filling their home. From what they're guessing right now, it was an electrical fire that started in their electrical box, the loud pop they heard was their electrical box exploding. They live fairly close to town, so the fire department got there relatively quickly, but because of the explosion, their speed didn't make a huge difference. At the moment they haven't even been allowed back into their home, because an insurance representative couldn't be their until this morning. So they don't even know what, if anything, can be salvaged. From my understanding, it would be very little. Her purse was inside of her car, so she has identification, but no one else does. They also had no shoes or coats, which has since been remedied by some wonderful helping hands.
Honestly, until they are allowed back into their home today, that's the only information anyone has.

Family #2
Husband and wife living with 2 of their 3 children, a high school senior girl and a 5th grade boy. I've known this family for years and years. Their oldest son was in my grade throughout school and we were involved in some of the same activities. The wife volunteers in my volunteer group I supervise at IU, so I see her very frequently and her best friend of 25 years works with me constantly, including yesterday.
The fire started between 12:30am and 1am, while everyone was sleeping. The fire alarms went off and woke the husband up, who then woke up everyone else. The fire started in their food stove chimney flue and the winds blew that fire into their attic, which took over the entire home. Unfortunately, they live very far from town, in an area with only a volunteer fire department and no fire hydrants. By the time the fire department got to the home, the family had been watching their home burn for a long, long time. Except for the 11 year old boy, who they had taken to the neighbors so he wouldn't have to watch. They were able to get back into what was left of their home Saturday morning. Perks of knowing your insurance agent personally since the 70's. They spent all day Saturday sifting through their home and managed to fill about 1/4 of a U-Haul truck of things that "might" be salvageable. They all made it outside with shoes on, but all they grabbed with them were their cell phones. They found the husband's wallet, but it is completely burned and melted into one piece. The wife found most of her purse, which had half of her unburned drivers license inside. She had to spent a half hour convincing the bank to let her withdraw cash from her account using the half of her drivers license and issue her a new card.
Everyone in the community has donated bags and bags of clothes and just keeps stuffing cash into their hands to help them out currently.

My heart hurts for these families.

**Update: A few of you asked me if you could help. I did find this morning that someone has set up a way to help Family #2, you can access that here. Do not, in any way, feel obligated to contribute. I'm just putting the link here for those who have asked and those who would like to help.**

Yesterday at IU while working the IU men's basketball game, because all of us working knew both families, we just kept saying "I don't even know what to say" over and over again. I know I said it no less than 20 times. Because what do you say? I've been close to grief and devastation and I had this same thought back then. What do you say? It doesn't matter how much you mean it when you tell them that you're so sorry for them, that sorry doesn't seem like enough. I still say it. I still said it. All weekend I said it. Because what do you say?

I originally thought "I can't imagine losing everything" until I realized that I could. I can absolutely imagine it, because it's happened. I mentioned it briefly on this blog in 2013, but the short version is that just shy of my 3rd birthday my home was destroyed in a tornado. My mom, dad, and I were lucky and we made it out injury free. Our home was quite literally in a million pieces, scattered across our yard, the road, our neighbor's yard, etc. We lost a lot. My dad's high school yearbooks are covered in dried mud, some pages stuck together forever. I don't have cute baby things to pass down to my kids, because those are long gone. We started over. I was a child, so I obviously don't remember how hard that must have been for my parents, but I've heard the stories.


I'm an adult now (ish, i'm adult-ish) so now when I think about losing everything, I get a little scared and I don't think it's weak to admit that.

Thoughts and prayers to these 2 families today and to anyone else starting over.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

January Favorites

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kitten.. These are a few of my favorite things!

These are all products I used in the month of January that I LOVED and would recommend to you, my sweet friends! I tried to write a little mini review on everything, but if you have a specific question, definitely comment below and I'll answer in an email for you!


Also, sorry for the horrifically bad picture, it was late last night when I tried to take this, so I'll try to have a better picture up later today!

Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Sultry - I wore this lipstick OUT last month. I wore it so much! First of all, I'm really into a matte lip right now and this whole line is really awesome. Second, I found that depending on the lip liner I use, if I fill in my whole lip with it and then top with this lip color, I can change the hue. Like I wore a dark purple-ish lip liner and covered it with this? Obsessed. Or a nice pinky nude lip liner and this? Obsessed even more. #KaysTips

Neutrogena Naturals Mulit-Vitamin Nourishing Night Cream - Holy. Moly. I have normal to dry skin, but in the winter my skin is dry like the Sahara. It's a good time. Oh, and my skin has decided in the last year or so that it's going to be really sensitive. Yay skin! So I went out specifically looking for a really good night cream, decided to try this based on a few good reviews, and I'm SO glad I did! I love it and use it nightly. Also, it smells good and it's free of all kinds of bad stuff.

Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil Light - I bought this right after the holidays and I told you all about it in my Haul post, here's the follow up to that - I'm obsessed with this. I love it. I like the Light version because it is almost like a dry oil, if that makes sense? It dries quickly is what I'm saying, but it hydrates your skin for hours. I absolutely love using this under my makeup during the day. This is perfection, like I don't think I'll ever be able to live without it.

Colgate Optic White Toothpaste - In my experience, people are either Crest people or Colgate people. I am a Crest person. BUT I had heard so many people talk about how wonderful the Optic White toothpaste was, so I gave it a try. I love this because I definitely feel like it made my teeth whiter, so I already bought more. I will say that I don't really like the flavor and I don't like that it isn't very foamy, but I'm willing to deal with it for white teeth.

L'Oreal True Match Lumi - I'm a fan, a big one. This is perfect for my dry, winter skin! It helps that I got a color that matches super well, I got Natural Buff. If you have very oily skin then I don't know if I'd recommend this, but if you're a fellow dry skin gal, pick this up. Totally in love. Blends well, is decently long lasting, medium-full coverage.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer - I can't even say anything about this other than you need it in your life. One of the best under-eye concealers ever, especially for drugstore. I am just so in love. It has officially hit holy grail status for me. You need, you need, you need!

L'Oreal Total Repair 5 Damage-Erasing Balm - This is a drugstore hair product that feels high-end. Smells amazing, really nice and think formula, and HOLY WOW - totally saved my hair. This is my new holy grail. Also, a little goes a long way, so for $5 - $7 (depending on where you get it) it is just absolutely beyond worth it. I'm telling you now, you will not be sorry if you try this.

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper - Yes. Let me just hit the highlights - Long wearing, easy to use, thick to thin line with ease, the brush tip glides so freaking perfectly, very black. My only bummer is that it doesn't dry to a matte finish, but I love everything else so much, that I can forgive it. I especially love how easy to use it is. Big fan.

Burt's Bee Sensitive Facial Cleansing Towelettes - I've been trying to find a cleansing towelette that I really liked and worked well the last 4 or 5 months. I think I've found "the one". I love that it's for sensitive skin, I love that the towelette doesn't fall apart in my hands, and I love that it gets off my makeup. It helps that they smell good and not like a chemical, which was one of the problems I was having with others I've tried. They also kept irritating my skin and these don't. I likey.


#KaysJokeOfTheDay
What is the difference between snowmen and snowwomen?
Snowballs.

HAHAHAH.
I hate me as much as you hate me.

Monday, February 2, 2015

You Choose My Next Mug Purchase!

So, the Super Bowl XLIX happened. Who watched? Who was sad about the winner? Who was happy? Who would have run the ball instead of throwing it? Everyone, except Pete Carroll and his gum. Who loved the commercials? Who didn't? What were your favorites? Which ones made you say "wtf" the most? Obviously the answer to the last one is the Nationwide commercial - "Cause I died." What in the hell? How about that halftime show? Katy or Missy?

If you want to see my thoughts from Super Bowl XLIX last night and you missed them, you can view them on my Twitter here. I tweeted.. A lot. There were some really good ones too, here's a small sample:



This morning though? I'm tired. As I was making coffee this morning in my Christmas Grinch mug, I decided I needed new coffee mugs. So I quickly began searching for some and I've gathered some options. Now I need YOU to help me choose!

#1
Harry Potter, so obviously I'm in love, but with that floral? YAAASSSS. I literally did a double take when I saw this one.

#2
Beyonce quote + gold. I mean, duh.

#3
It's my favorite curse word. I'm not sorry. I only wish it wasn't orange, but I didn't do a lot of in-depth research to see if I could get it in another color. That'd be key.

#4
This is one of my favorite HP quotes! Also, major words to live by, am I right?!

#5
LOOK AT THIS MUG. That's hand painted. That's a hand painted mosaic owl on a glass mug. And did I mention that it's hand painted?

#6
I just think this is so cute! I love that the letters are all filled in with a print or something and the crown and obviously, it's the truth.

#7
I love the quote a ton, but I really love the font and the gold lips on this particular one. Love.


Ugh, I love them all.
I want them all.
So help me choose! And if you insist that I need 2 or 3 or 4 of them, well then, who am I to argue?


#KaysJokeOfTheDay
Why did the walrus go to the tupperware party?
He was looking for a tight seal. 

wink.

Friday, January 30, 2015

TV Addicts Resource List || TV Friday

Before I say anything else today I want to send a big huge THANK YOU hug to everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday yesterday. When I wrote my first blog post I had no idea that I'd find so many wonderful and amazing people and that those wonderful and amazing people would end up being important pieces of my life. The sappiness is so real right now, but I can't even help it!! I came home last night to find flowers in front of my door from sweet, sweet Allie and I may or may not have cried. It's those little things, guys. This blogging thing is so awesome.


25 is lookin gooooooood.

Now, I know I said I was going to have a birthday post for you guys yesterday, but that didn't happen. Because I couldn't decide what to write, so I just didn't. Moving on..

It's TV Friday!


One of my in-real-life friends asked me last week how I always know so many things about the TV shows we watch together.
Answer #1 - Because I'm an addict.
Answer #2 - I do my research.

If you've been a reader for a while, then you know my ultimate, ultimate goal in life is to know a little about a lot, just enough to make me dangerous. I also truly enjoy reading about TV shows and Television related things. I'm going to share some of my favorite sites and let you in on all of my secrets. This is a big deal.

#1 - TV.com
This website is almost my holy grail. It has a little bit of everything I'm looking for. On the homepage it shows the TV schedule for the night, which is such a cool feature. But my favorite, favorite parts are all of the episode reviews. There are always a ton of community posts too that are fabulous, fabulous. They always post any news about TV shows, like cancellations, renews, casting changes, etc. I'm also addicted to their round-up posts like "Top 11 ****" and "Top 10 drama shows of 2014" and "Your Everything Guide To ***".
I probably check this website every day. Ain't no shame in my game.

#2 - Wikia
This one is a little more specific depending on what TV show you watch. Most TV shows have their own Wikia or Wiki page. Such as the Supernatural Wiki (which is just oh my god, amazing if you like supernatural) or the One Tree Hill Wikia. Those are the last two I visited, which is why they're the two examples I'm showing you because they're on my brain, but really a ton of TV shows have them. Fans run them and they are always FULL of information. Trivia, to episode quotes, to breaking down a character, to just everything.

#3 - imdb.com
If you don't know about imdb, then you need to figure out your life.

#4 - Google
Honestly, I wasn't going to add this to the list, because how obvious, right? But it's the honest truth. Quickly typing in a TV show into Google, especially the day after an episode aired, will give you awesome results. I do it all the time! I especially LOVE when that Google search leads me to someone's blog post. Heaven.

#5 - Twitter
Girl, have you ever searched your favorite TV show on Twitter? What are you doing with your life?! A quick little #TVD search and I'm lost deep into the hole of Twitter life. This can back-fire on you though. Last night I clicked on #Parenthood and I decided that that was a terrible idea approximately 15 seconds after I did it because it was just full of tweets about crying. Also, side note, I'm glad Parenthood is over now so that soon Netflix will have the whole series on there and I can jump on that bandwagon.
Because day-late-dollar-short is my middle name.

Now I also have to tell you guys if you're reading my TV Fridays posts, I'm assuming you have at least a small TV addiction. First step is admitting you have a problem, it's ok. But if you do have a TV addiction, then you need to take your butt over to Becca.
I can not, CAN NOT even tell you how serious I am about this, but you need to be reading her.

On that note, I have to go, because I have a lot of TV to watch. I need to get on Becca's level. The struggle.


Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Do You Like Wine? Do You Love It?

Just stopping in really quickly today. I'm going to make it short today because I'm sort of planning a bonus birthday post for tomorrow. I wasn't going to stop by at all, but then I got a reminder email this morning and just had to share everything involving it.

Has anyone heard of Club W?


Totally understandable if you haven't, but that also means that you're missing out. Like a lot.

I don't want this to sound like an infomercial, but damnit, I have good things to say about it! So just bear with me, I guess?

Club W is a wine delivery service. So first of all, wine to my door? Yea ok, sign me up. But it's actually more than that I think. It's based in California, so most of the wines you can choose are California wines, usually from small, local wineries.

You can fill out a palate profile and have them choose wines for you based on your tastes and what they recommend or you can just select the wines from their offered wines that month. You get new choices every month to choose from, with a couple wines that repeat for a few months. You can choose to get 3  or 4 bottles a month (i choose 3), but you can take a month off if you need to. For instance, I took December off because I already had so much wine stockpiled for the holidays, I didn't want 3 more bottles. ...Who am I?

I really, really love Club W though because I've gotten to try so many different kinds of wines, which I'm in love with. If I could wine taste every day, I'd die happy. I also love that every bottle is $13 and from my experience so far, the quality of wines you're getting are worth much more than that, so I consider this a steal.


Now, Club W doesn't know who I am and I doubt they give a flying fig one way or another, so I wasn't asked to write this post and I'm not getting paid or perked for it. However, Club W does offer referral links. If you sign up using my link here, then I get some perks and YOU earn $26, that's 2 free bottles. You can use $13 on your first order and then another $13 on your second order. Oh, and you can also get your own referral code. Because life is awesome like that.

Having said that, if you don't want to earn $26 and you don't want me to earn free bottles either, then feel free to click this regular Club W link here. I'm not mad at ya!

Just thought I'd stop in and let you guys know about this cool thing, since I'm currently deciding on my next 3 bottles for them to send to me!
Also, I asked on my Twitter, but I have a little Poll for you guys..

White Wine person or Red Wine person? 

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Winterize Your Nails & Hands || With Julep!

I've been on this earth just shy of 25 years now. In that time I've made a bad decision or two.. or three. Who's counting though, really? I'm not going to sit here and admit to all of the bad choices I've made, but I will tell you about one.

In high school I wore acrylic nails. Eventually I decided I no longer liked the look of them on myself, but mostly I hated what they were doing to my real nails. Destroying them. The acrylic nails destroyed them. Looking back, I really wish I had never subjected my nails to that kind of torture for so long. In recent years I've put quite a bit of effort into taking care of my nails and hands. I am rough on my hands. I use them daily, obviously, and I'm not at all dainty about it. I also find myself washing my hands a lot and that combined with my already dry skin, I mean.. by the time the cold January weather rolls around, my hands and nails are a mess.

Last year I came up with the perfect solution for my dry hands, that I'll share at the end of this post, but first let's talk about my other problem area - my nails.

I hadn't ever found the perfect solution for my poor nails. I really just needed someone to tell me exactly what I should be doing and how I should be doing it. Instructions people, I needed instructions. So let's all say hi to Julep and then let's follow that up with a "Thank You, Julep!" because they've got you covered.


A clear set of instructions on how you can take care of your nails all year long, but especially in these cold winter months when everyone is suffering just a little extra.

Also, let's talk about how badly I NEED some of their new winter nail polish colors.


Isla and Sawyer are calling my name. Like whoa. Also, only because I spent 45 minutes last night reading it, Julep has a blog. Which is #1, really cool, but also #2, it has a lot of things on there! I had expected to glance through really quickly, but then got completely caught up in post after post. I'm always about sharing blogs I really love and this is another one on that list. Good stuff.

Now, my perfect solution for dry hands? You don't need to get too fancy. Promise.


1. Start with some traditional Vaseline. Just rub a small amount all over your dry hands.
2. Rub your hands in a sugar or salt scrub mixture. There are tons of DIY recipes on Pinterest, but the easiest for me is just mixing some sugar and coconut oil. Easy, affordable, and effective.
3. Rinse the scrub mixture off of your hands.
4. Use a good hand lotion. Hand creams tend to be thicker than normal lotion, which makes them more effective. I love the Neutrogena hand cream. It's fragrance free and makes my hands so, so soft!

Let me know if you try any these tips! Especially if you have an AMAZING sugar scrub, because I'm on the hunt!
Also, let me know which new Julep winter nail polish color I need. Totally serious, help me decide. It's going to be my birthday present to myself.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Currently.. In A Hurry.

Time: 7:37am

Let's see how quickly I can bang out this post today. I'm on a time crunch.


Sitting >> On my bed. Waiting on my dad to get to my apartment, because guess who was gifted a gently used washer and dryer for her birthday (that's in 3 days, but who's keeping track?) ? This girl. Momma, I'm a big girl now! My dad is coming to get it all officially hooked up this morning.

Drinking >> Water. I've slacked majorly on my water intake the last couple months and I'm ready to get back in the game. So I'm determined to drink a ton of water this week.

Reading >> American Sniper! I started it last night because I need to marathon read it so my dad, my grandma, and myself can go see the movie real soon. As soon as I'm finished my dad needs the book back to finish reading it, so I'm trying to read it as fast as I can!

Planning >> Fun wedding/bachelorette things for my friend! I'm going to say it a hundred times before now and June, but I AM SO EXCITED FOR HER! This is so much fun!

Watching >> The clock. Tick tock, tick tock.

Cooking >> Haven't decided what I'm going to cook this week. I'm thinking this or this? Opinions?

Looking >> For my gym shoes for over 20 minutes early this morning. I legitimately could not find them anywhere and I was THIS close to saying "F the gym, I'll stay home" when I got down on my hands and knees and happened to find my shoes under my bed, behind my Christmas decorations. Because that makes perfect sense.. No idea how they got there since I just had them on yesterday.

Wanting >> YOU to be semi-stalking me on Insta, the Twitter, and le Pinterest. If you're feelin' crazy you could even follow me on YouTube and Tumblr. But that's only for the elite crazies, like myself.

Thinking >> I need to hurry up and finish this post because I still have things I need to do before my dad gets here. Things he told me to do last night to be ready for him today, but I ignored him because that's my job as his child.

Time: 8:02am
Boom. Done!

Tomorrow friends, I'll be back.
With something fun.
Because I'm a fun person.
Duh.

Friday, January 23, 2015

My TV Lists || TV Friday

Guys, I need a good slap on the wrist. Remember how I had plans to be productive last weekend? And remember how that didn't happen? Well that's thrown off my whole damn week.

I'M SO UNPREPARED.
And it's driving me crazy.


It's TV Friday, but I'm behind on a lot of the shows I want to write about and I just didn't have time to catch up on everything this week. So many hours of TV, so little time. I'm going to be the first to admit that today's post is a bit of a cop-out post. Having said that, it is a post someone asked for back in September, during TV Week.

*side note: remember TV Week? God, I loved TV Week*


I'm just now getting around to posting it because well, I just now remembered it. Someone (and if it was you, tell me so i can give you the credit) asked me to just make a little list of the shows I watch regularly, the shows I DVR and let build up and then binge watch, the shows on my "want to catch up" list, and the shows on my Netflix list. Since some of these lists are actual lists that exist on my computer, this is an easy post!

Shows I Watch Weekly

  • Chicago PD
  • Chicago Fire
  • Supernatural
  • Pretty Little Liars
  • The Flash
  • The Vampire Diaries
  • Criminal Minds
  • Bones
  • NCIS
  • NCIS Los Angeles
  • NCIS New Orleans
  • Young & Hungry
  • How To Get Away With Murder


Now obviously, I don't always get to watch these shows weekly, but these are usually the shows I don't let pile up on my DVR.

Shows I DVR To Binge Watch

  • Arrow
  • The Originals
  • Grimm
  • American Horror Story
  • The Walking Dead
  • Grey's Anatomy

These are shows I let build up to 3 or 4 episodes on my DVR and then watch all together when I have time. Actually, American Horror Story I'm letting the whole season tape on my DVR so I can just binge watch the whole thing. Also, Grey's I've been recording, but I haven't watched a single episode this year. I'm just kind of over it, guys. 
Arrow is a show I want to move up to the Watch Weekly list, but that keeps not happening. 


Shows I Want To Watch

  • Scandal - Guys, I know I need to get my ish together and watch this show. I know.
  • Homeland - I just want to be one of the cool kids and know what everyone is talking about!
  • New Girl - I really need to get caught up so I can watch this one!

Next 3 Netflix TV Shows On My List
  • Prison Break
  • Friday Night Lights
  • Greek
I very recently bumped Prison Break to the top, but yes, these are the next 3 shows on my actual, real list. Prison Break because, Wentworth Miller and Sarah made me. Friday Night Lights because I'm sick of everyone telling me how awesome it is and me not knowing. Greek because it's only 4 seasons and I think it'd be a quick watch and remind me a little of One Tree Hill, which is my one true love.


So there you have it. 
Now, the big question - What should I add? Because look, I'm always willing to add TV shows to my lists. #TVAddict

#KaysJokeOfTheDay
What did Lil Jon do when the hardware store employee tried to sell him a lightbulb?
Turned down 4 Watt.



Thursday, January 22, 2015

What's Your Ultimate Goal In Life?

Yesterday it was 11am before I realized I accidentally hadn't hit Publish on my Wednesday blog post.


God Hermione, I know. I had a lot going on yesterday and I was super scatterbrained! Anyway, I decided not to post it at all yesterday, because.. reasons. The real issue here is that this whole thing totally fudged up my schedule. I had already planned a super quick and short surprise Thursday post and obviously Friday is going to be another TV Friday. Well, after a debate with myself just 15 seconds ago, I've decided to stick with my schedule and yesterday's post will get posted sometime next week, which is BIRTHDAY WEEK. Boom.

Moving on..

Today I had just planned on doing a little get-to-know me kind of thing. I've been feeling like I've been seeing a lot of new faces in my comment section and my email inbox lately. Which is awesome and makes me very happy, but I really need to probably do a new About Me page. However, since I'm still planning on rebranding and changing practically everything about this little 'ol slice of the internet soon, I don't want to take the time to do that, only to then do it again. So I took to tumblr (yes, i created a tumblr recently-ish, mostly so i could get access to more gifs, because.. gifs) and searched for some typical "About Me" questions. Here you go.



All The Things You Didn't Know That You Wanted To Know

What's your real name?
Hey, I'm Kristen.



How old are you?
24 years and 358 days.

When is your birthday?
January 29th.

Where do you live?
Bloomington, Indiana.


Hair color, eye color?
Brown hair, green eyes.

yesterday's pic of slowly transitioning back to my dark brown hair || my green eyes, but when i was unsuccessfully trying to be more blonde

What do you do?
I work in a CPA & Accounting office, I work at Indiana University in athletics, and I blog.

What's your favorite color?
I like pinks and corals, but I really like black and grays.

What's your favorite kind of food?
Carbs plus cheese. In any kind of combination.

What's your favorite social media website?
It's honestly a tie between Twitter and Instagram. I love them both for their own reasons.
Shameless plug - Follow me on Twitter @MissKayStoll and Insta @kaystoll129 if you aren't already.


Do you have any tattoos or piercings?
No tattoos.. yet. Yes, 4 total piercings on my ears.

Do you collect anything?
Candles. I think it's officially safe to say that I collect candles.

What's your ultimate goal in life?
To make someone happy, to make someone laugh, to make someone's day better, to make someone's life better, and to influence someone else into doing the same.


Ending on that high note. #LifeGoals
See you tomorrow for TV Friday.. I have no idea what I'm going to write about yet, so it'll be a surprise to both of us!

#KaysJokeOfTheDay
What do you call a man with no shins?
Toe-Knee. (Tony, get it?) 


Wow, that's enough internet for today, Kay.

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