Moments of the Week+ Car troubles again?!?! and Graduation!

Y'all. I have been a terrible blogger. Pleeeeeease forgive me :)

My life has been a teensy bit crazy the last 4 days. This whole '16 hour class schedule' thing is kicking my butt. I seriously don't know how people with full time jobs do it! {My mom told me that she took 18 hours a week, plus a full time job, plus three kids!}

I am worn out. Between three tests, a lab assessment and a paper due, plus work starting this week, I haven't exhaled in the last 5 days. 

So that's my excuse for being MIA, like I said, forgive me! I plan on writing several posts this weekend to spread out through the week. 

Anyways,  ( I feel like that was a long tangent to go off on...)

Moments of the week:

1. 

This past weekend my family and I got out all our fall decorations {we like to celebrate early ;) } and we made a new wreath (we never got around to it last year. I think it looks fabulous, especially seeing that the majority of what we used to decorate it came from the Dollar Tree. I think it cost less than $10 to make!

2. 

Like I said, I had a math test this week. I really really suck at math, and it's been over 4 years since I've had a proper 'math' class. I was so lost and I was extremely nervous that I'd fail the test. But I studied my little arse off and finally felt prepared for it!

Oh, I feel the need to post this picture since we were doing quadratic equations:

3. 

Picture this: I wake up extra early for my 8am Algebra test, quickly get ready and study for the rest of the time before I had to leave to get to class. I live about 5 minutes from my school, so I leave at 7:45 to get there a bit before to cram a bit before the test. So here I am, running out the door at exactly 7:45 with my calculator and two perfectly sharpened #2 pencils in my hand. I hop in my car and turn the ignition over....and nothing. No bueno. So I try again and the same: nothing. Despite having a mini anxiety attack I try and troubleshoot the problem,

 keys in ignition-check

car in park-check

lights off------oh. 

I left the dang parking lights on from the stupid night before. 

So I completely break into a full-on panic attack. I can't breathe and I burst into tears. I'm freaking out thinking I am going to completely fail math because I missed the FIRST test, which means I won't graduate in December which basically means I will be a failure for the rest of my life (or so I thought in the moment)

I called my mom, no answer. By then, my heart is throbbing out of my chest and I completely lose it.

Finally after 20 missed calls, she finally answers and she turns around from her way to work to come drop me off.

It was now 7:51. 

I was screwed. There was no way I was going to make it by 8 and my professor locks the door right at 8 so no late people can get in. 

So I move on to my next solution. Riding my bike... but I had no bike lock and couldn't get there in less than 8 minutes (it was now 7:53)

So I went inside and emailed my professor explaining everything and called AAA to come rescue me. But then I realized that 'car troubles' is the new 'dog ate my homework' excuse. (I have to admit that I've overslept a few times and used that very excuse in high school). But this time it was for real!! I was the girl who cried car troubles.

Anyways, he emailed back and I took the test this morning. (the test was supposed to be yesterday)

But then he wanted proof that AAA really did come out to jump my car. 

 I grabbed the receipt from the battery test (The only sort of proof the AAA guy could give me) and highlighted the date and time so I could scan it to him.

Well, when I highlighted it, it smeared the date off!!! 

At this point I'm like "SERIOUSLY ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?!?!?@$#U%!@#$%^&*" Story of my life. 

So pray that he will except it, ok? Thanks in advance ;)

and I swear I'm not making this up. I

Whew, that was a long story. 

Where were we?

Oh yes.

4. 

Today was a big day. BIG.

Today I officially applied for graduation! (with a 4.0 GPA nonetheless and despite the drama from the day before)

I am so proud of myself. I've worked hard and fought through blood sweat and tears to be where I am today.  I really feel like I've earned this. 

I am so excited for the next chapter in my life. I'm nervous about the change, but I know it will be worth it.

Next stop Bachelor's and then Master's!

Happy Friday y'all!

Weekly Wrap Up-New Car and Sunsets

I totally forgot last friday to post my weekly wrap up! oops. 

I figured I'd make it up by posting it on monday instead :)

1.

 Remember how I told you that my mom ran a rental car out a gas?

Well, we had a rental car because our beloved fiesta was having severe transmission issues. We were so sad, but it was time to replace it. I know it sounds weird but that car was a part of our family! It was the first time my mom was able to buy a car with cash, and it totally was 'her' car. She named it the island girl and I swear to you it became her signature. We drove it to Georgia and Florida, we somehow hauled a 500lbs fountain in the back, all our yard sale finds would be shoved in it's little trunk, and even though the keys got locked inside it all the time and it hardly fit what we really needed to, we loved it. It was our car, you know? 

So anyway, last saturday we traded it in and got a bigger SUV (you can see it behind the top right of the red car next to the tent) that can certainly hold any garage sale find we need it to hold, and before we said goodbye, I had to grab my mom's picture in front of it. We will miss you, little hot tamale island girl!

(yes, my mom is wearing a duck dynasty shirt)

2. 

 I finally caved and bought my first 'fall' item of the season. I love Bath and Body Works candles. They rock and these scents are my favorite!

3. 

 We took our new car out for a drive one night and we got to watch the most breathtaking sunset over Lake Grapevine. Texas seriously has the most beautiful sunsets. This picture doesn't do it justice. 

We also got sno-cones at my favorite place (strawberry colada is the bomb)

4.

Last weekend a couple of my friends from high school met up before they go off to college. It was fun! We went to our favorite place to eat, drove around our town like dorks and then went swimming. It kinda made me miss that time in my life, but at the same time, it made me realize that I'm so much different than I was back then. A part of me wants to go back to that time, but this stupid thing called time is constantly pulling us to move forward regardless of what we want. That sounds kinda silly and cliche as I type it, but it's true.  

5. 

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month! Childhood cancer is something I hold very near and dear to my heart. (if you've been reading my story posts, you kinda know why). Anyways, a while ago, I signed a petition to light the White House gold for childhood cancer month since they do the same for breast cancer. I was so angry when I got an email saying they wouldn't do it. I was heartbroken...especially when I read this post, I was enraged. Seriously... thanks for nothing white house!

Did you know that childhood cancer is the LEAST funded out of all the cancer foundations?

That's so heartbreaking to me. We should be fighting for these kids who are basically getting murdered! 

Okay, I'm done. But I just want to say, please please please help anyway you can. Even just good thoughts and prayers for all of those poor kids can help. 

Chapter Two: Finally, An Answer

*If you haven't read chapter one, read it here:

Chapter One

{via}

After the residual shock wore off, I asked the only question that my brain could muster up:
"So what's the worst thing that can happen...to me I mean?" I needed to get straight to the point.

-silence-

"Mom,  tell me."

She looked down and I saw a faint trace of fear cross her face. She spoke softly "Amber, I mean, we won't know for sure until we get our appointment with the neurosurgeon, but the doctors think the tumor on your pituitary gland is pushing on your optical nerves...which means you could go blind....or....."

"Or what? MOM! OR WHAT?" My voice came out louder than I intended.

But the thing is, I already knew the answer to the question. It was an unspoken understanding.

And you know, the crazy thing is, in that moment, I didn't feel fear. I was relieved.

 Finally, I had an answer.

I wouldn't have to be a science experiment anymore... I had an answer.
 Even though I had a brain tumor, at least it was an answer.

After I felt somewhat satisfied with their (non) answers to my several other questions, there was again that ever-present, stuffy pause.

It was terrible. No one said a word. We were all so clueless. Truthfully, there wasn't much to be said. It was a simple fact. I had a brain tumor. I could die. There were no spoken words that would change it.

 I remember we prayed.
We prayed in the middle of my principal's office.
I don't exactly remember why we prayed or what was said, but I had to fight back tears. They burned in the back of my throat.
The thing is though, I didn't know if I actually believed it... the prayer I mean.
Except, it was all I had. Since prayers were the only thing in that moment that made sense.
 Nothing really did make sense.

I couldn't stand to be in that room any longer. I'm not sure how much time had passed since I was taken out of class, but I wanted to leave. My mom told me that the principal had given us the O.K. to take me out of classes for the day. I told them no, I wanted to stay in school. I needed to hold onto some sort of normal. I could tell this confused my grandmother. She was unsure about my reaction. Obviously, she was upset, but she was being cautious. She was waiting to see how I'd react, and I think she expected me to be upset too. I couldn't though. I had to pretend I was okay. My mom was standing there, trying to be strong, like she normally was, but I could see through her. She was scared. She was like me; trying to be strong, even though we were both scared to death. Literally.

After their several attempts to persuade me to leave, they finally gave up and hugged me goodbye.
They told the principal what I wanted to do, then hugged me again (something I'd have to get used to in the coming days). After I watched them walk to their car, I went and checked my blotchy face in the mirror hanging on the wall in the dull office. I wiped my snotty nose, grabbed my bag and opened the door. As I walked out of the office, it was like I could instantly breathe again. It was like my body was responding saying "Ahhh, yes. Back to normal." Well, except that my head was pounding, throbbing really. I wanted to scream "F YOU BRAIN! NO REALLY! RUB IT IN!!!" but I digressed.

I noticed that no one was in their classrooms and after looking at the clock in the hallway, I concluded that it must be lunchtime.
 Although to me, time was irrelevant. Time just stood still.

 I walked in the direction of the cafeteria when I saw *Kate, my best friend, waiting for me with a quizzical look across her face. She saw me, and grabbed my hand and dragged me into the nearest bathroom.
As she pulled me into it, she checked to make sure no one else was there. Once she was satisfied that we were in fact alone, she sort of whispered curiously
"Amber, what's going on? "
before I could even muster up a response, she asked again, this time adding "Why was your mom here? Isn't she supposed to be in Canada?" She was always looking for information, drama if you will.
 I tried hard to answer her but my brain was mush. I couldn't speak.
(what I really wanted to say was "I have a fricken brain tumor and I could die. DIE!")
 but I literally couldn't find words those words in my head.

The only thing I could do was laugh.

So I did, I laughed.

I broke out in hysterics, in fact. I was laughing harder than I had ever laughed before.

So much so, I fell to the ground with my hand over my belly (which was burning because of my laughter.)

Kate was confused, but my laughter was infectious. It was so contagious that she broke out in laughter too.

So there we were, sitting on the floor of our schools bathroom, laughing our asses off.


*Names have been changed for their privacy*

$5 Chair Transformation

Are you guys prepared for some serious transformation!?!?

My grandma is a jack-of-all-trades. For real. 

When she showed me the chair she bought during her stay here in Texas, I have to admit that I was pretty skeptical. 

I thought she wasted $5 on an ugly chair that just might be stuck in the 80's. 

But little did I know, she had big plans. 

I so wish I had taken a before picture before we primed it, but you get the general idea. 

Whilst I was up visiting for the summer, we went on a search for new fabric. Believe it or not, we found the perfect match at the Longest Yard Sale from (who we believe) was a retired interior decorator.  It was really good quality upholstery fabric and we scored over 5 yards for $5. Can't beat that!

The first thing we did was prime it using a spray paint primer. The wood was pretty dark and we didn't want to sand either, so priming was a must. We didn't bother covering the original fabric because it was just going to be recovered anyway. Next we painted it a buttery cream color, and this really changed the entire chair!  We then roughed up the edges with sandpaper to "un-perfect" it if you will. Our goal was to make it as shabby chic as possible. 

After the paint dried, we broke out the staple gun and began stapling!  We weren't concerned about the staples showing because we knew we were going to put a trim to cover them. 

Covering the back was the most challenging part, but once we finished, it already looked 1000X better.

Next was the trim! We found the perfect trim at an auction house for $1 a yard. It matched the fabric perfectly. 

All we did was hot glue the trim to the edges and we were done!

Here is the final product:

Isn't it gorgeous! I just love the houndstooth and the pale green. It's so quaint and it fits in perfectly with her decor!

I'd have to say that that is the best looking $5 chair I've ever seen.

Just to remind you... Here was the before/after:

Drool worthy right!?!?!

{and aren't you lusting after that suitcase side table in the after picture? See, I don't lie when I say she's a jack-of-all-trades!}

August UN-Favorites

This month I haven't experimented much with makeup because I've been trying hard to use up what I have so I don't waste. 

So instead of doing my monthly beauty favorites (which would be a bunch of repeats) I thought I'd do something different: my UN-favorites for the past month or so.

Actually, most of these are products I've tried throughout the year that just didn't work for me. 

Without further adieu:

1. Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua (in shade 10)
I really really wish this one worked for me! (I even talked about it in my everyday makeup!)
Overall, I actually adore the foundation. It smells nice, but not overpowering, it blends easily and feels like you don't have anything on your face at all. So why is it an Un-favorite, you ask?
My only issue with this is that it oxidizes so badly on my skin. If you don't know what that means, basically the foundation goes on one color, but as it sits on the skin, it turns darker or more orange. Initially, it looked wonderful on my skin, but about 15 minutes after I'd apply it, it looked like I had these horrible orange splotches all over my face. Like I said, I'd absolutely love this foundation if it didn't oxidize on me (and wasn't $45).

2. Bobbi Brown Extreme Party Mascara
I got this mascara in a sample and was so excited to try it, as I've never tried anything by Bobbi Brown before. It so disappointed me! It did absolutely nothing to my lashes even after several coats. If you want a natural lash, go for this, but if you want so high impact (I do!) then skip it.

3. Mabelline 24 Hour Color Tattoo Cream Gel Shadows
After all the hype these received, I wanted to try them. I loved the idea of just quickly swiping this over the lid and going.  Not only do they go on splotchy, they are hard to apply and dry up so quickly! I was so disappointed that after only a few uses, they dried up (yes, I screwed the lid on tight).  With the extra time it took me to attempt to blend it out, and how fast they dried up, I got about one use out of it. Bummer.

4. Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Face Wash
Again, I got a sample size of this just to try it out. The purpose for me was to be able to use this once or twice a week to exfoliate and really get off dead skin. This product is barely gritty at all and barely even cleansed my skin. Normally, products like this are very gritty to get in deep in your pores. I wouldn't even call this an exfoliater, but more of a face wash.

5. Mabelline Volum' Express The Rocket Mascara
Oh man, I have an immense hatred for this mascara. Not only is it grey (not blackest black like the tube says), but it leaves my lashes so hard and crunchy that it literally pains my eye to blink. When I go to remove it, I end up losing more lashes in the process. It doesn't add any volume and clumpy. I hate it. Period.

Do you have any beauty products that you dislike? Let me know!

My First Annual Mug Swap 2013

Guys. I am so excited. I successfully completed my first annual mug swap!

What's a mug swap you may ask?

Read my post here to find out, or go to our wonderful host's blog, acuppakim.com

Thanks so much for hosting Kim!

Anyways, I want to show you first what I sent:

This was the mug I picked for my recipient. 

I fell in love with her blog and chose a mug to match it.

She told me she was a "wanna-be" writer (I disagree, she's wonderful!) so I included a notepad and pencils to help.

It was so nice to get to know someone else and to find out you both have similar interest (hello single ladies!)

Hope you like it Danielle!

I was so excited when I got this in my mailbox:

I think I literally did a happy dance singing "Yay! Yay! It's here! It's here!"

Here's the mug I got:

I love it! It's personalized just for me! It's so cool to know that no one else in this world will have the same mug as me. It also makes me smile knowing that someone took the time to personalize it. (There are butterflies on it guys!) Oh, and I just can't wait till it cools off so I can truly enjoy the HoCho. 

I wish my person sent me their name and info, so I could tell them thanks but if you're reading this

  THANKYOU! I love it and it's so perfect just for me

:)

I can't wait till next year now....

August Update + September Goals

 January's Goals

February's Goals

March's Goals

April's Goals

May's Goals

June's Goals

July's Goals

I'm back for another update on my monthly goals!

August Goals:

1. Be Kind. 

I kinda forgot about this one. Not that I haven't been kind to anyone, but I just forgot to put more effort into being kind to people who really need it. I think that instead of getting hurt, angry or upset, I need to stop and just be kind. So... kinda. Work in progress, how about that?

2. Use up products before opening new ones.

You should have seen my trash can before I left the mountains. 

I literally used up 3 hairsprays, 4 body washes, two mascaras, and several other miscellaneous products. Check!

3. Live in the Moment.

I'm trying. I am starting stop and relish in the now. Life goes by so fast and I hate to think that I'm wasting it. I've also started a weekly wrap up to help me remember the small things. 

4. Read "The Fault In Our Stars", "Beautiful Ruins", "The 

Spectacular Now" or "Gone Girl" 

I read "The Fault in Our Stars" and "Gone Girl." 

I made the mistake of reading The Fault during an emotional transition. Warning:

 DO NOT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE EMOTIONALLY UNSTABLE.

I was bawling, but it was so good, probably one of the best I've ever read. It is very heartbreaking and I was a wreck for a good three days after I finished it. I read it in a 48 hour period It was so good I couldn't put it down (I read it entirely in about 2 days)  but once I got to the end, I knew what was coming so I didn't want to read as fast (as if I took my time, "it" wouldn't happen). Does that makes sense? I don't know... but take my advice. Read it, but make sure you have a box of tissues.

As far as Gone Girl, like I said, it was great! I read it right after 'Fault' and it kinda helped me get over all my emotions! hehe :) It was awesome too, and I once again, couldn't put it down. 

I can't wait for the movie, too!

My 2013 Bucket List:

-Cut out processed foods-work in progress. So far Costco is winning for food with less than five ingredients!

-buy local produce/go to local farmer's market more-

-volunteer somewhere

-have my first giveaway on my blog-again, work in progress

-figure out my college plan

-save my money up for something big-My very own car!!! just starting though :(

-bake a blackberry cobbler from scratch

-eat better and be active-starting to track my calories and also starting to work out 4x a week

-make new friends

-work on my scrapbook

-go on a road trip

-write a letter to myself to open in 10 years

-go camping

-read at least 8 books- 6 down, 2 to go :)

-teach myself how to sew

and now for....

September Goals:

1. Keep up with Algebra

I am terrible at math, no surprise there but this semester I am taking algebra (required to graduate). There's a lot of homework so I know it can be easy to get behind. I want to make sure I keep up with everything and go to the math lab, call my grandpa, get help etc when I need it. 

2. Work on my Migraine Experiment

I want to keep up with my exercise and healthy eating and develop a routine to my new schedule. I also want to get some help from my sister-in-law who's a personal trainer.

3. Use my planner!!!

I can't be the only person who buys a new planner with good intentions to regularly use it. 

Sometimes I just get so behind, I just give up on it all together. But I am taking more classes this semester so I know I need to use it to remember everything I need to do.

4. Catch up with my Online Shop 

My poor shop needs some serious attention. I haven't been able to list more items, so it's looking pretty bare. I really really need to play catch up with it!

5. Read More, Watch less TV

I feel like I always end these post with a book I want to read. Oh well, I guess I really need the encouragement. It's so much easier to just flip the TV on and mindlessly spend all my free time. I genuinely enjoy reading more than TV, so I need to set my priorities straight.  

There you have it! I'll check back in at the end of the month!