Online Shopping Adventures

I love shopping! It is even more exciting when it comes right to your door! haha Online shopping is kind of exhilarating in a way. At least for me. :) The past few purchases I've made online have been quite successful. It's relieving and gives me hope for the next purchase. haha...

Anyway, speaking of, I've made two new purchases! One from sheinside.com and the other from dsw.com. I've never bought anything from She Inside, but saw a dress and a review from them on another blog and browsed the website. I found something I thought I'd like and bought it!

Leopard Dress

I also bought a new pair of heels. I've been searching for a pair of white heels. I really wanted an all-over white pair, but found these at dsw. I have another pair in a different color, so I thought since I already loved the other pair I'd just get the white.

White Shoes

I'm excited to get my packages in the mail soon! And hopefully this will stave me off of shopping for a bit... :P

The McD's

I've started a new blog called The McD's. It is my new family blog where I will share our adventures. A lot of friends and family have family blogs and I have thought that it sounded so fun to have one. I will be keeping this blog up because it is my rant and rave, personal blog, but we will see how long that lasts.

http://tonyandmeganmcd.blogspot.com/

A review

I looked through old blog posts and a few thoughts came to mind.

I'm glad I don't do outfit posts anymore, I have a lot of clothes, and I am always growing/changing.

Lots of rambling.

I think people who have fashion blogs are insecure. I really think that...It is okay to want to see what you look like and to get feedback. We all do it. It is just second nature. But I think people who focus on fashion, beauty, and what they look like are in a negative frame of mind. 

As I looked over my outfit posts I felt foolish about what I wrote some of the time. Sometimes we are so concerned with looking good and looking like everyone else.

Another thought I had while perusing my blog posts was that I have a lot of clothes...or at least I have a lot of clothes that fit before becoming pregnant. haha. I have about 9 shirts I can wear right now, 4 pants (shorts, capris, whatever), and maybe 6 skirts. If that were the size of my normal closet I would...well, I would probably go shopping, but I would also have a ton of space left over. And laundry would take one load. Besides underwear. haha... Anyway, I have missed my two-closets-full-of-clothes wardrobe. It has been a good experience being pregnant and I have gotten along fine without my ginormous wardrobe, but I am definitely excited to wear my old clothes again. 

I am also glad that I am growing and changing. I am grateful to have gotten through many experiences. I am really grateful now that I am married and that I am not homesick. That was really a struggle...I am grateful to have written down parts of my testimony. 

New shoes!

I love shoes!

I bought a new pair of shoes... I am a little guilt-ridden, but I am still excited to have them... I have had my eye on them for a while and considered getting them when I bought the same pair but in a different color.
I have a bajillion pairs of heels. And I love them all. 

I bought the greenish bluish pair sometime last year and got the orangey pinky ones today in the mail. hehehe

I got both of these beauties at dsw.com. I usually only get shoes from DSW because I have a points card there. I rack up my points frequently enough that I get coupons for $$ off and by that time it is usually celebration time (i.e. birthday, christmas, some random thing that is worth celebrating) and I usually ask for a gift card. hahaha!!! 

Anyway, I am excited to wear them soon! 

Life is what you make it!

I thought I should write this down somewhere before I forget it.

My grandpa is in town and we got to make lunch and sit and talk for a while. It was so great. My dad and husband were there as well, but I really felt my grandpa was just talking to me. One thing he said that I want to take to heart was about how to go about life: He said not to be so serious and that you make life miserable or pleasant-just by your attitude. It has nothing to do with others. Just let things be, let people do what they're doing, don't be nosy, don't be controlling. Of course you can be straightforward and have differences of opinions, but do it with a kind heart and attitude. Spend time with your family. Teach your children, but let them make their own choices. Just enjoy life. Don't be so stressed about it.

Another point he made was that cars, money, houses and toys are fine and dandy, but what it really comes down to is family. You need to spend time with your family. At this point in the conversation he looks over at my dad and says, "We had all the toys, didn't we? Boat, trailer, horses..." and my dad nods. Then my grandpa says that they were fun and at times made life easier, but spending time with family and being with them in the end is all that matters.

Right now I have friends building and buying new homes, getting new (or better) cars and other things. I have tried really hard to not compare myself and situation with them because I know I am in a different place in life, in addition to the fact that I am a completely different person. It is hard to remember that and to not get jealous or start comparing. I really like what my grandpa said and I just pray in my heart that I can be more easygoing about life and just enjoy where I am.

Good luck to myself and not having to do it the hard way! 

lately

Here are some photos from the past few days and thoughts that have been on my mind.



I have been wanting to make fast, easy, or leftover-friendly food lately. My husband and I have gotten tired of boxed foods and eating out. It is more fun to make your own food. Sometimes it can be healthier. haha. Sometimes it costs less. Sometimes it is more fun than eating out! The hard part is finding good recipes. Especially when you want something different all the time.

 This pasta dish is from @sonylise (her instagram). She is a student at BYU-I and put this recipe up on her instagram. It is really easy. The only problem I had with it was that my body had had too much rich and heavy stuff that day and needed something lighter. (My preggy belly is actually poking in down at the bottom. haha...) Hence, the smoothie...

This was basically my dinner instead of the pasta. I'm glad I made it. I put in three small yellow peaches, a container of raspberries, one serving size container of greek yogurt, ice, some orange juice, and two spoonfulls of sugar (I had to sweeten it up even more...). I don't really like measuring for smoothies so I just winged it. It was really good and I want to make more smoothies!

It was my first time using our blender. We got it as a gift at the wedding. I hope to use it more in the future!

This lovely creation is from The Cocoa Bean in Provo. They grind cocoa beans instead of coffee beans and basically make frappuccinos. They also have cupcakes, but I'd rather drink my dessert. My husband and I decided we should take short stay-cations down to Provo just to get drinks from here because of one time when we had had car troubles on our way to California for a vacation. It was a serious let down to turn around, but on the way home we stopped at the Cocoa Bean and as soon as I started drinking that frozen chocolatey goodness I immediately felt better. Seriously. It stopped my tears. It was amazing.

 Finally, and not food related, is this wonderful carseat!! My father-in-law took me and my husband shopping last Saturday to buy a carseat/stroller combo and crib and mattress. It was fun to see my f-i-l excited about the baby and to get such a generous gift. I was so excited when I got home that I put in my bunny in the carseat to "practice". haha. I have even tried to get the carseat in the car, but my husband doesn't want to put it in yet. He thinks we'll have friends over or something. Yeah...friends over...

Anyway, we are slowly getting prepared with all the things we need for the baby. It has been fun so far. Hopefully baby will let me still have fun when she comes along.

modest fashion blogs/blogging thoughts

So I was on the Mormon Fashion Bloggers list a few months ago (from clothedmuch). I was really excited to be on the list. It was kind of... It was definitely a step outside of my comfort bubble. When I saw my blog on the list I was actually really excited. To be on the list, though, you have to post a monthly photo of a modest outfit you wore (there are a couple other things you need/have to do). Well, eventually I just stopped blogging because I felt so ill from the baby-dooder that is kickin' around inside of my tummy... I checked if I was still on the list and I wasn't. A few others weren't and the list has been very well updated. I'm glad that it has been updated and that I have been removed from the list. It shows that the list is a serious thing and that clothedmuch is a serious blog. I am grateful for that! It shows integrity. Anyway, I had fun being on the list just because I was a part of something. If I ever decide I'd like to be on it again I hope I can keep it up for a while.

examples of 'fashion blogging'

At the same time, though, I feel like blogging is kind of...superficial?? I don't know. Maybe it is just superficial for me? I've had mixed thoughts on it. When I feel well and life is good, I like blogging. But then life does its thing and eventually I take a blog break because I feel so blah that I can't even finish a sentence when I go to write during those times. You know?? Besides that I kind of think fashion blogging is really self-centered... Beauty is really hard to depict objectively. We all think of beauty differently. I think that is the hardest part for me when I look at a fashion blog. The way I look at beauty and what is modest is certainly different than what someone else thinks. It is human nature, totally normal.
So, maybe I just need to keep doing what I'm doing and share what I want on the blog, with total confidence that I love it and think it is wonderful. I'll also keep up with blogs that share the same sorts of views and whatnot.

Anyway, those are my thoughts for now.

Preggy!

I'm 27 weeks! Woo hoo! Here's two semi recent photos. 

This shirt is not flattering, but it does fit... Which means its going to get worn. And apparently stretched out. My supply of belly bearable shirts is running out. I've got two maternity shirts with the ruching on the sides, but I am trying to save them for days where I want to be "put together", ya know?

Woo hoo for golf! I'm glad I can still golf. Well, I really just like being on the range. Haha. Real golfing involves aiming. I have yet to learn that skill.... Luckily I just paid an insane amount of tuition for my one-credit golf class at the university, so hopefully that'll help!! (By George, it'd better help!!!)

Spring is in the air (an old unpublished post from March!)

I logged onto blogger just now and found this post waiting to be worked on. Even though it is from March I think I'll still post it. I have been thinking about our apartment and how I felt there, so it was a coincidence to see these photos pop up! We moved out of our apartment in March during my spring break for the semester. It was also my birthday that weekend. haha. I was also feeling ill and nauseous because of baby-doo. It was a sad goodbye and a confusing one... It was hard to go but we decided to do it and we did! It feels good to do. To actually make a decision and do it. We are a lot happier where we are now, but it is still hard. It is hard because I am being prideful and ungrateful. Other than that, life has actually been a lot happier. Warmer weather and getting past the first months of pregnancy also have helped!

decorations on the apartment door for February/winter

Midnite is the awesomest cat ever...

tattoo from the gum with the zebra...helped me stay awake in class



My old lady cat Sassy. She is so pretty.



March/spring decorations on the apartment door.

First Sunday wearing something other than boots and/or tights. Plus the sun was out!
(I'm glad March is gone and it is May now!)

lately

Hello friends! I haven't been updating the blog like I've wanted to for the past couple of months. First off, my husband man's camera had to be sent to little brother-in-law for his journalist classes and second, I'm preggers. I'm Pregnant!
It has been very up and down for the past few months. The (morning) sickness started a couple weeks after Christmas and has been a really difficult thing to deal with. It has gotten better each week, so this week was better than the last, etc, but I'm not very hearty so it has still been hard.
A few of the blogs I love reading have also had baby on the mind. If you read Clothed Much, you'd know she had her baby. I am totally going to refer to her blog for clothing inspiration. Whenever I get out of my slump. And Spring comes. I usually dress like a hobo in the winter, and add in being sickly, and you've got an expert hobo dresser.
Anyway, a couple other blog girls have yet to become pregnant, for medical reasons (I'm supposing). This makes me so sad. For a couple of reasons... :( I'm being a big boob-head and selfish about feeling sick a lot, so them wanting to be pregnant kind of makes me cringe. Why would you want to be pregnant if you could possibly be sick for 9 months? You know? Another reason it makes me sad is because it is such a wonderful thing. I know, I sound contradictory. It really is a beautiful thing, and they can't experience it. It is amazing cuz you're a human with a human inside of you! What! A humanoid thing has been created from almost nothing! Seriously, things so small that you have to look under a microscope. And then the cells split or divide (or whatever) and grow and grow and then all of a sudden a human baby thing is born! haha... There are also great things from being a mother. The love you feel for a child is one that requires having a child. I haven't quite figured this love out yet, but I think as the weeks go on I'll feel it more.
Anyhow... I'm hoping when Spring gets here I'll feel even better. Then I can ditch my hobo clothes and attitude and start blogging more...

Casey

A year ago we put Casey girl to sleep and buried her in the back yard. She was a sweet doggy.

Laugh!

These pictures and video are cracking me up. 

The following two photos were taken on a walk in the snow.

It looks like he's taking a wiz, but he's really just standing up to his knees in a giant snow pile. 

This mailbox is awesome.

Laying in bed together, making frowny faces-via facetime. I had to play with my new iPod!  

The song about rainbows by Kermit played on the ukulele by my brother video:

Bro: NO!

Mom (singing): Why- 

Bro: Are you recording it? I can't see!

Me (like a creeper): I'm not...

Bro: What are you lookin' at?

Why does this video crack me up? My brother being a punk head and playing the ukulele, my mom singing one word, my creeper response and checking if the flash was on. So awesome. 

Hat day

I wish I had more hats. It was the best decision I made this morning to wear a hat. Always go with your gut.

instagram: mostly a cat obsession

This is what my instagram looks like:

Midnite on the 'nip

Look at that cat smile! haha

Homemade plastic Christmas tree from dad. So awesome.

Mom-in-law's dog Kona. 

Golem Lego version. Getting excited for The Hobbit.

Midnite looking dapper with a fruit by the foot bowtie.

Apartment cat Butters

Presentation partner's giant fuzzy cat

and a pig in a blanket. oh, a pig filled with cheese, might I add.

This is how I do it!

You know those blogs that have their own photographer and perfect photos from their perfect camera? Well, this is how I do it.
Via Photobooth. 

 Headless 

 With indecent exposure...of my skirt underneath

 And with awkward dance moves trying to fit my head into a shot...

:D

Eco footprint, take two...

All righty... I did it again, and this time with a screen shot. 

Yay Shift-command-4! I'm so glad I figured out how to take screen shots. 

Anyway! 4.93 earths! Holy Moly! This basically means I use more than what can be replenished within a year (goods, fuel, food), in addition to carbon emissions and other such emissions. Four earths is the average for any American citizen. We are definitely at the top of the list when it comes to having a large ecological footprint. 

Why I do what I do...or at least try!

Why we believe what we believe. Why we do it. Why we live. Because God would have it so. 

Israel, Israel, God is Calling

Listen to Elder Holland's talk!

Pro-life

I found this article on one of my friend's facebook pages. I fully support Hobby Lobby's efforts in promoting life. Read the article! 

Hobby Lobby's values put to the test

what I want: kitty cat

I've been missing my kitties. There's Midnite and Sassy. For some reason I just don't miss Mid as much, though. He's a middle aged man cat and is doing fine. But then there's my sweet 17-year-old, matted fur, stinky breath, no teeth, I-can't-chew-anymore, happy cat Sassy. She doesn't look as crazy as I say.
 Here she is.

 

 

what I want: toys

I have asked my mom repeatedly for an iPod. Since it wasn't practical in her book, she said no. So finally earlier this year I took the plunge and bought an iPod. Something like a 32 or 64G...Anyway, it gets stolen right out of my car. Along with my snacks. Seriously. Don't touch my snacks. So, here I am again, wanting an iPod. Maybe this time an iPod touch? They come in red...

photo via