Things My Husband Doesn't Understand About My Hair

To be fair, my hair has a mind of its own. But after 5 1/2 years together, there are some things that the husband still doesn't understand. 

1. All of my hair products. 

This one didn't really become an issue until we got married and moved in together. Husband took one look at my arsenal of hair products and went, "do you REALLY need all this?" Yes. Yes I do. This mane does not like to be tamed. Husband also doesn't realize that these products actually do different things. One is for scrunching, one is for anti-frizz, one is for detangling, one is for volumizing... It takes a village. 

2. I don't wash my hair every day. 

As every major beauty magazine and website can attest, washing curly hair every day is really, really bad for it. Husband cannot wrap his mind around why I don't wash my hair every time I shower. I've tried to explain, but I don't think he actually wants an explanation, he just wants to be perplexed. 

3. Blonde ponytailers and bobby pins. 

He's finally starting to get on board with this one, but he still doesn't get why I prefer to use blonde hair accessories over brown or black. It just looks nicer to me! Mystery solved. 

4. Why I don't straighten my hair every day. 

When we first started dating, I straightened my hair regularly. Two years into our relationship, and nine years of regularly straightening had taken its toll on my hair, so I decided to embrace my curls. Husband has asked me a few times why I don't always wear my hair straight like I used to, and I feel like I break his heart a little when I remind him that in order to have healthy hair, I can't straighten every day. Poor guy fell in love with a straight-haired girl but married a curly-haired girl. 

5. Why I dry my hair with a t-shirt, not a towel. 

Again, the fashion mags can back me up here. It makes my hair less frizzy and poofy to wrap it in a cotton shirt, but that doesn't mean I don't get a weird look every now and then. 

Boys have it so easy. They wash their hair, rub some gel into it, and go. My hair has to be on a schedule! It takes soooo loooong to air-dry that I have to plan my day around it on days I wash it. I can fully see why women go for mom-cuts. Way less maintenance. 

Netflix Docs

I’ve gotten really hooked on Netflix true crime stories and documentaries lately. Here are my top five documentaries recently!

1.       First Position

This documentary is my absolute favorite and I could watch it over and over. It follows students throughout their ballet careers and all of the rigors that come along with it. The dancing is so lovely and it’s a really interesting look into the world of ballet.

2.       The Woman Who Wasn’t There

This one is a close second. This lady pretended to be a 9/11 survivor for six years and helped found a 9/11 survivor group. Once a major news station started digging into her story, they found that she had lied about everything, including her name and occupation.

3.       Tallhotblond

This is a really interesting story of catfishing gone very wrong. There are a lot of connections that are woven within each other and the ending isn’t one you’d expect.

4.       I Know That Voice

This is a fun documentary that looks at the voice actors that have provided the voice of so many popular cartoon characters. I really enjoyed the interviews with actors who’ve voiced dozens of characters. Watching them switch from character to character without skipping a beat is amazing!

5.       The Waiting Room

I found this documentary to be a little too long, but it was still interesting. It goes inside the waiting room of an inner-city ER and really sheds a light on all of the problems with our medical system.

Happy Things

Sometimes when life isn't the best, it's all about the little things that make a girl happy. Here are some of my happy things lately!

My number one happy thing recently is Bethany Mota's perfume. She has a whole clothing line at Aeropostale, but I am having a quarter life crisis and can acknowledge that I am too old for crop tops and mini skirts. However, I am in love with her perfume, and I've never gotten so many compliments on a fragrance! Bethany describes it as "cotton candy, peaches, bergamot, and vanilla sugar, with a smooth, musky finish". I have never in my life bought a fragrance with vanilla or cotton candy in it, but I cannot get enough of this scent! Sometimes if I catch a whiff of the perfume during my work day, I get happy all over again :)

My next happy thing is a book I just finished called An Amish Buggy Ride by Sarah Price. I love all things Amish {and am impatiently waiting for the next season of "Breaking Amish" to premiere...} and this book was a really fast read that really made me feel like I was in the Amish culture. It's a sweet little love story with a message on the importance of forgiveness and perfect for anyone looking for what I call a "fluff" book. 

I've always loved the music from Beauty and the Beast, but I have been obsessed with the song "Belle" lately. I bought it on iTunes after using all my data playing it on YouTube on my phone when I was driving anywhere because my CD has mysteriously gone missing. Tragic. It's an amazing song with so many layers and a huge finale. I try to sing all the parts at once, pretty unsuccessfully, and husband is not amused when I try. Haters gonna hate.

I am super picky about Chapstick. I don't like mint or anything that tastes like food, so I usually stick to just plain old original Chapstick. My mom put this Softlips thing in my Christmas stocking and I am in love. She got me the blueberry pomegranate flavor, and as I am a huge fan of tropical fruits, I highly appreciate this flavor combination. It keeps my lips soft all day long and doesn't flake off or dry my skin out after a few hours. 

I'm not sure if I blogged about this last summer, but a coworker tipped me off to the fact that you can get other flavors of limeade at Sonic, not just cherry. Specifically, he got me hooked on mango limeades. When husband and I were looking at houses last year, we would stop at Sonic during happy hour to get half-price drinks and I started mixing it up a little. My favorites included peach mango, mango raspberry, peach raspberry, and mango blackberry, but my all-time favorite is still my usual mango limeade. The sweetness of the mango balances out the lime without being sickly sweet, the way cherries are. I could honestly drink one of these every day, and it's my mission to convert as many people from cherry limeades to mango limeades as I can.

Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

As you've probably figured out, I'm a big fan of quick and easy recipes, and this one is probably my favorite recipe that I've tried lately! It's sweet, but not too sweet, and the chicken turned out super moist. The spices give it a really nice flavor but it's not too out there.

8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

4 cloves garlic, minced (I cheated and used garlic powder. Still turned out well!)

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side. Set aside.
3. Melt remaining tablespoon butter in the skillet. add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in brown sugar, honey, oregano, thyme, and basil until well-combined. Return chicken to the skillet.
5. Place into oven and roast until completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 175 degrees, about 25-30 minutes.
6. Serve chicken immediately. Garnish with parsley if desired.

This one was a big hit with husband and me! Highly recommend!

The Bandiversary!

Okay, this makes it sound like I'm not talking about our wedding anniversary, but I am. Our first anniversary is a mere three months away, and while we went a little overboard on our honeymoon expenses, we are trying to be more frugal this time around. {I want a finished basement!} I've also been nervous to book a trip because of all my fun little health problems - why be miserable in another state when I can be miserable at home? But I found a good deal on a hotel and decided to bite the bullet. 

We're going to Colorado Springs!

It's hard to find someplace within driving distance {for husband, this is less than eight hours} that we haven't been a million times that will also keep us entertained for more than two days. We've been to Dallas, we've been to Oklahoma City, we've been to Kansas City, so we decided to head west for this trip. I fell in love with Breckenridge when my family went in 2001, and I'm hoping I can make a casual detour a few hours out of the way at some point to revisit it. 

I really, really hope this will be a fun trip {like most of our others have been!} and I won't be sick the whole time. I've got a whole Pinterest board of fun activities to do while we are in Colorado Springs and I am so excited!

I briefly worked at a Hilton hotel right after college, and one of the perks of working in a hotel is that you get crazy discounts on all Hilton properties. Consequently, I am officially a Hilton snob. I have only stayed in a Hilton property since my time at the hotel, with three exceptions - one was on our honeymoon, because we opted for a hotel right on the beach {totally worth it}, one was when we got stranded in Charlotte after missing our connecting flight due to a hurricane {and this hotel reminded me why I only frequent Hilton properties}, and one when we took a 15 hour trip to Kansas City so I could interview for the sign language interpreting program there {I was disgusted that this chain hotel was not up to Hilton standards. Husband - boyfriend at the time - was more concerned about the free breakfast while I was at my interview.} To sum up this novella, I am pumped that we got a good deal at a Hilton property and I look forward to all the luxuries that go along with it!

Cheesy Rice & Veggie Crockpot Casserole

Two things you need to know about this recipe: it is probably the easiest Crockpot recipe I've ever made, and it makes a TON. My entire Crockpot was filled with this casserole. We don't usually have leftovers in the Band Life house, but this one gave us leftovers for days. It's super delicious, so eating it isn't a problem, there's just so much of it! If you do not have a large family {or a husband who eats an exorbitant amount at one time}, I would recommend halving this recipe.

• 1 bag frozen broccoli
• 1 bag frozen carrots + peas
• 1 bag frozen diced onions
• 2 cups instant rice (uncooked)
• 2 cups Velveeta cheese (cubed)
• 1 cup water
• 2 cans Cream of Mushroom soup
• 11 tablespoons butter

Thaw vegetables and remaining ingredients in Crockpot. Cook on high for one hour, then turn to low and cook until ready to serve.

I made this the night before and after that one hour on high, the cheese wasn't very melted and most of the peas still had frost on them. I turned it on low for two hours and that helped, but I was glad I had the rest of the night for it to warm!

There's no photo of this one because I fail and forgot to take one. But this is what it looked like!

Favorite YouTube Channels

I must confess: I didn't really "get" the appeal of YouTube until last year. I would look up a song or cute video, but didn't know how people could spend hours watching video after video. 

I have seen the light!

I can now click from video to video and completely lose track of time, just like the kids do! Snaps for Emily for becoming a more efficient time-waster. With that said, here are some of my very favorite channels!

Jenna Marbles

Okay, I am fully aware that Jenna is not for everyone. She's a little crude, has a tendency to curse like a sailor, and isn't afraid to call people out. But I think she is hilarious and although I'm not a fan of some of her more recent videos (yawn), her classic videos make me laugh every time. 

Bethany Mota

First off, I know she's like 18 and I am 26 and so I should not like or care about this person that is apparently very famous but that I have only just discovered in the last month. That being said, I cannot stop watching her videos. She is absolutely adorable, endlessly perky, and while I can't really benefit from her "how to decorate your locker" or "cute first day of school outfits" videos, I still like watching her stuff. Like I said, I haven't followed her for long, but I get the sense that the more famous she's becoming (she has a clothing line at Aeropostale and was on Dancing With the Stars), the fewer videos she's posting. I like watching her older videos and I hope she doesn't get caught up in fame and neglect her YouTube channel!

SoCraftastic

Definitely my favorite craft channel! I love watching craft videos and this girl is darn talented. She's a little awkward in front of the camera, but I love watching her craft! It's especially fun since I'm not particularly good at most crafts, and I don't like spending $20 or more on craft supplies, only for it to turn out awful, so watching someone else do a craft successfully is fun for me.

Threadbanger

Run by husband and wife team Rob and Corinne, Threadbanger is the channel responsible for Man vs. Pin, where an average guy tries his hand at popular Pinterest pins. They also do successful Pinterest crafts, DIYs, and recipes!

FunToyzCollector

This channel used to be called DC Toys Collector... not sure why the name change, but I'll roll with it. Ellen talked on her show about the strange phenomenon of people unwrapping toys on YouTube, and I am mesmerized by this lady. She has such a soft voice and she is darn good at Play-Doh. I like to put this one on when I'm falling asleep. No judgment here, right...?

Zoella

She's like a super adorable, more mature, British version of Bethany Mota. She does haul videos as well as beauty and makeup videos, and I cannot get enough of her. She's so precious! I want to be friends with Zoella and her mermaid hair.

So those are just a few of my favorite YouTube channels - definitely the ones I watch on a regular basis! Especially with being so sick all the time... I don't have have the energy to do hardly anything and I rarely leave the house except to go to work, so I watch a lot of YouTube in bed. It's quite nice, if we're being honest, but not really socially acceptable. I'm okay with that.

Organization Extras

I've been working on organizing little areas of our house that are cluttered or disorganized lately, and it feels so much better to have things organized and orderly!

I picked up this magazine holder in the dollar section at Target and I use it to keep all of my perfumes in one place, rather than scattered all over my dresser.

I got this little patterned canvas box (actually, I got two of them!) from Target, and this one is being used to store various medicines. It's nice to have them all in one place instead of cluttered on multiple shelves.

This lined wicker basket is also from Target and is perfect for washcloths! I have one in a bigger size for our hand towels. Before, the hall closet was stuffed full of towels, washcloths, hand towels, and sheets, so this organization is much needed!

I got this cute plastic organizer from TJ Maxx and it has a handle! Perfect for toting around nail polishes!

I got tired of having a ton of pill bottles in my purse for my various ailments, so I picked up this pill organizer from Target. I'm hoping it doesn't spill open in my purse at any point, but the bottles used to somehow come open all the time, so it wouldn't be much of a change...

I don't carry a lot of makeup in my purse, but I carry some essentials - eyeliner, mascara, concealer, tweezers, eyeshadow, blush, and a compact. Okay, that sounds like a lot when I spell it all out, but it's just the basics of putting together a nice look if I'm not at home! I had purchased a travel makeup bag from Target a few years ago but it had definitely seen better days. I found this cute little bag at Victoria's Secret on sale and it fits just perfectly in my purse!

I got this white plastic storage bin for some under the sink items but it has been sitting on the living room floor because I haven't gotten around to tackling underneath the sink. The cat has decided this bin is now hers!

I love how such small changes make such a big difference in daily activities!

Pot Roast Recipe

I love a good Crockpot meal but I never have time in the mornings to throw one together. We bought half of a half side of beef from a coworker and have really only used the ground beef so far (I'm hoping we can get some steaks going once the weather is nicer!) but I googled an easy pot roast recipe for the Crockpot and love how it turned out!

I don't keep a bunch of fancy spices in my kitchen, so anthing that calls for me to go buy a little jar of an obscure spice that costs $7 is out. This recipe is made of things I already had in my arsenal or that cost next to nothing to pick up at the store! It was a hit with the husband and lasted almost a week!

Ingredients:

1 boneless beef roast, 2 1/2-3 lb

2 tablespoons oil 

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon instant beef bouillon (I didn't have any, so I substituted for water and it still came out okay)

1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed

3/4 lb new potatoes or 2 medium sweet potatoes (I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes and I couldn't find new potatoes, so I went with red potatoes - my favorite! We are big potato eaters so I cut up probably a pound and a half of potatoes total)

1 lb carrots or 6 medium parsnips, peeled, cut into 2 inch pieces (I used carrots but would recommend 1 inch pieces instead of 2 inch)

2 onions, cut into wedges (I like onions but this was WAY too much. I would go with one onion.)

2 celery ribs, cut into 1 inch pieces (I just did the whole stalk and it balanced out the carrots)

1/4 cup flour

Trim fat from meat. Slice vegetables into a 4-5 quart crockery cooker. Put meat on top of vegetables. Mix liquid mixture to cooker. Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours or on high for 5-6 hours. 

(This liquid mixture was more like a paste for me, so I just spread it on one side of the roast and it turned out fine.)

Super easy, super cheap! Husband really enjoyed it too!