Kayleigh vs Nandina: A Day Spent in the Dirt

Who likes to get dirty?! I know I do! We recently moved into a house and the first thing I wanted to do was build a garden. But with the wedding and honeymoon around the corner we just didn't have the money (and we still don't). So when we got back I slowly started to at least get us a couple herbs, veggies and some pretties for the backyard and our front flower beds. Luckily my mom had some leftovers that she gave to me; which helped curve my craving! 

 

We had a pretty good sized Nandina in our front flower bed that had to be removed before I could plant our goodies. While Phillip was at work last Monday I decided to get to work! This lil project ended up being an all day workout! If you ever have a Nandina that must be removed I would recommend doing so while the hubs is home! (Or get him to do it!) For those of you who don't know, this is a Nandina

And this is one stubborn bitch! It has a huge system of viney roots that ran through our whole flower bed. I started by pulling up as many as I could around the plant. They were coming up fairly easy so I thought that maybe I could just kinda pull the whole thing up, BOY WAS I WRONG! After staring at for a bit I decided the best thing to do was to cut off all the foliage so I could see what I was working with. I then naively started to try and dig it up, this is when I realized what I really got myself into.

I started working on the little vines coming out from the main root. Pulling them out or at least disconnecting them from the center. An hour or so later I FINALLY started to get to the main problem.

By this point my whole body was sore so it was time for a break! My back was killing me and I needed to lay down but by this point I was far too dirty to lay anywhere inside; so I took a  blanket outback and laid down for a bit. 

And then it was back to work! I tried pulling on more vines but that was getting VERY tiresome and really not working much anymore, so I took my aggravation and put it to good use with the shovel! I started using all my might to throw the shovel down into the roots to break them. I did this all around the root base and freed it of all it's exposed vines. Once the root base was as free as I could get it, I started digging around it. I finally started to see the main bulbs! And just in time too; I was well over 2 hours in and I was almost fed up! I worked hard for another 30 minutes and I FINALLY got them bitches up! 

 

YAY!!!!! 3+ hours later...

Those are all the roots I pulled up! And as tired as I was I couldn't stop there. I now had somewhere to plant all my pretty gifted foliage! So I started working on planting while Mijo kept me company.

(There is an elephant ear bulb planted in the void there)

I was sore all over and covered head to toe in dirt but I did it! I literally looked like I took a dirt shower!

I was sore for the next four days! And I'm pretty sure all the pulling on vines bruised my right hand. But my front flower bed will look awfully nice once everything grows in :). There's something quite satisfying about finishing a hard days work, isn't there? Getting to stand back and say "That was hard as fuck! But I did it!" Has anyone else conquered the Nandina bush?!

Don't Try This at Home: DIY Manicure Failure

I very rarely paint my fingernails. It takes too much patience and they always chip the next day. But every now and then I get the urge to paint them and this weekend was one of those times. We were off work, so I'd get to enjoy them for at least a day AND we had just sat down to watch a movie. Since I don't paint my nails much I only have a few polishes to choose from. I wanted to use two colors and the only two I was happy using together both came from Forever 21. I wanted to add some triangles to my mani so I begun to search for masking tape, unfourtnately we didn't have any, so I grabbed the clear packing tape. Tape is tape, right? I sat down and started cutting the tape into little triangles that I could put over my fingernail after the first color coat dries and set them aside. Then I started to paint my nails, first coat goes on and I let it dry. I then apply my triangles on top of the first coat of paint and then paint over it with the other color. I was extra careful with this part and I let the triangles dry for the rest of the movie. BUT apparently I was not careful enough. I removed the tape triangles only to see that "tape isn't tape".

 

The packing tape was having a hard time sticking to my nails, so the polish had seeped underneath the tape ruining it all! BUMMER! I spent just under two hours on this manicure and now it's ruined!

 

(The red on top worked out much better)

Oh well, I'll just take it off before work....nope! Because I was using cheap nail polish (that might have been passed its prime) I used multiple layers of paint to achieve the look. I had to wear this look for a couple days. It was all quite frustrating. So if you ever decide to give yourself a manicure that requires taping off a portion of your nails do yourself a favor and use painters or masking tape; I wouldn't suggest using old cheap nail polish either!

We Did It! We Said "I Do!"

First, I want to aplogize for my absence. A month ago (almost exactly) I married my best friend, and it was perfect :) We did everything ourselves; and we did it all in only six months time! We were originally going to do it in 2014, but 13 has always been my lucky number so we decided to move it up. I'm not going to lie, that definitely put the pressure on. So as we got done to the wire I decided to not work on anything that wasn't wedding related. We had it in my grandparents front yard. Orginally we were going to use the lot next door, we cleared it out and were just about to lay out some grass seed and we got an ice storm that up-rooted several trees destroying our hard work. But everything turned out great! I didn't care at all that it wasn't in the spot I had been dreaming of. My Nana and Pappy own a bit of land that they rent out for mobile homes. Their front yard is rather large and with all the trees the house could barley be seen. We rented a tent, tables, chairs, a port-a-potty and a COTTON CANDY MACHINE!

 Phillip made a doorway that we used for a backdrop

and we spent countless hours making decorations.

I made tutu dresses and flower crowns for our beautiful little flower girls. I really enjoyed working with him on this. We really are a great team. Our friend Kevin married us and we had our friends and family taking pictures and video.

It was small and intimate. Perfect. Oh! And the weather couldn't have been better! Of course that was my biggest fear but we couldn't have asked for better weather. It was a perfect 75 degree night, with clear skies and NO RAIN! We all hung out listening to good music, eating BBQ, cake and cotton candy enjoying each others company.

We didn't have near as many people turn out as we were expecting, and there were a good handful of people we really missed being there, but for the most part all the right people came. It was so nice to have everyone out there to celebrate with us. It really meant a lot to have the people that did show up. The fact that they took time out of their busy schedules just to come out and support us warmed my heart :) We couldn't stop smiling, and neither could everyone else! We headed home with full hearts without a care in the world! We spent the next few days settling in the new house and then spent a week in Texas (but that's for another time). When we got back I woke up one morning to our wedding highlights reel completed. OH! MY! GOD! I am SO in love with it! I may have squealed once or twice. Tim and Jake did such a good job capturing everything.

 They run Rolling Productions, if you ever need any video production work hit these guys up! To check out the video Click Here! You won't regret it :) I'm looking forward to start blogging again! We still have three sets of pictures coming to us so you'll definitely be seeing more of our wonderful day. Till next time - Kayleigh 

March Goals

Man did Feburary fly by! It was a frustrating month for us; we kinda lost track of the date and before we realized it the month was gone. However I did accomplish some of my goals. With my health in mind I drank more water and started eating more fruits and veggies. And I have to say I notice a difference. I'm not dog tired like I was feeling before. I can wake up early much easier and have been drinking less coffee. The wedding is coming up quick (less than 2 months! Eek!) so watching less tv was not a problem. And you know what? I don't miss it. I was never really a fan of TV anyway; I just got onto the habit of tuneing in and zoning out. I'm trying to be intentional with me time and getting shit done. Carpe Diem. However, I didn't have as much luck with the budget or meal planning. I wait tables so I make most of my money in cash by the day. This makes it very very hard to budget because I never know how much money I'm going to make. If there are any other servers out there with tips on how to budget I would LOVE to hear them. Phillip works day shifts and I work night shifts so we don't have a set time to eat, we just eat what we have when we get hungry; which makes meal planning hard as well. I've been trying to work out a solution to this and I think I'm getting close.

But now it's a March and it's time for some new goals! It is starting to feel really good outside and I love it.  

March Goals

- Finishing Wedding Preperations

I will finish making the decorations and planning the honeymoon, get our rings and wedding certificate and get everything paid for.

- Get a new car

My dad is giving us money for the wedding and we are going to use a bit of it to get me a new car, because I desperately need one.

- Start looking at rent houses

North Little Rock has a ban on pit bulls so we have been needing to move for quite some time now. We are going to use whatever money we have left over from the wedding to help us move to Little Rock where we can have Houdini as long as we register him with the city.

- Get Houdini more exercise 

He's been on lockdown for months now. He has already been picked up once and tattooed, so if they have to come get him again they will "humanely destroy" him (sounds awful doesnt it?). I'm terrified that someone will see him in our yard and call animal control so we keep him inside all the time. He's been hiking with us twice now and has proved himself good and I think he really enjoys it.  So we are going get him out more; I know he's been deprived of the exercise he needs.

These next two months are going to be crazy busy for us, but I know it's ALL worth it. I'll be back the first week of April to recap and state my new goals.

I'd love to hear from you guys! Feel free to comment! :)

DIY: Detox Bath

Lately we have been watching a bunch of documentaries on how our food is grown. It has been very eye opening and we are starting to watch what we are putting in our bodies. We have started our journey to healthy living. It's going to take awhile to change our habits, but I think it's important to get healthy before we have kids. I was never really taught how important is to take care of our bodies.

  

For me the first step to this lifestyle change was to start eating more fruits and veggies and a detox bath. I always do a ton of research before I start doing anything new to my body. I have read countless forum threads, blog posts and comments. We are surrounded by toxins in the air, water, cleaning supplies and these days in our food; not to mention the toxins we knowingly put into our bodies like cigarettes. These toxins can slow us down and make us feel fatigued and groggy. A detox bath can help remove these toxins and absorb needed nutrients leaving you fresh and energized. I've also read that detox baths can be useful helping your body regain balance after the use of anti-biotics. I never knew that anti-biotics kill the good bacteria as well as the bad and that it's important to put good bacteria back into your system.

Most recipes out there call for the same ingredients: Epsom Salt, Baking Soda, Sea Salt, Apple Cidar Vinegar and fresh Ginger Root. Epsom Salts help the cleanse by making you sweat; it also helps form proteins in brain tissue and joints helping reduce inflammation and pain. Baking Soda helps to cleanse the body and even has some anti-fungal properties, while helping to keep your skin soft. Sea salt helps to soothe open pores and purify the body. Apple Cidar Vinegar is used to help restore the balance of acid-alkaline metals. Fresh Ginger is added to help improve circulation and heat. I've read that most people will sweat like crazy when Ginger is added, so I would be careful with this one and don't over do it. You should stay in the bath for at least 20 minutes, but you should really push for 40. For the first twenty minutes your body is expelling the toxins and the other twenty it is absorbing the nutrients. The water should be pretty warm, not so hot that its going to burn you though. Once you get out of the bath (carefully, the tub maybe slippery) you can continue the detox process by wrapping yourself up in a towel and continuing to sweat. Or you can take a warm scrubbing shower, but you should turn the water colder towards the end to allow your body to return back to a cooler temperature.

It is recommended to use a chlorine filter for these baths. However, I know most people (including me) don't have one. A couple of tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide can be added first to the water to help to get the water pure. Its important that you make sure you are hydrated throughout the ENTIRE process. Make sure you drink plenty of water the day you are going to bathe, and don't stop drinking water until you go to sleep. (This means you need to drink water while you bathe) From what I've read these baths can get pretty intense, I've read about people passing out while bathing and having flu like symptoms afterwards. If you have ANY known medical problems I strongly suggest you talk to your doctor before you start using detox baths. 

Now that I've got all the technical stuff out of the way I'll tell you my experience with detox baths. Once I got this idea the beginning of last week I could not wait to try it out, but I didn't have a day off till Sunday. Im very impatient. After doing my research and seeing how exhausting it was for some people I decided to use a small simple recipe and go ahead and do it before I had to go into work. I used two tablespoons of peroxide, two cups of Epsom Salt, a cup of Baking Soda and a cup of Apple Cidar Vinegar. I decided to leave out the ginger because I didn't want to sweat too much and wear myself out before work. At first I was very disappointed with this bath. It definitely didn't live up to its reputation and make me sweat, but I don't think I had the water hot enough. My hands are always freezing, and I think that since I tested the water with them it felt like it was really hot when it wasn't. I sat in the bath for twenty minutes regardless and then stood up and took a hot shower. At this point I was completely skeptical, and then about half way through the shower I realized I felt more awake. I thought about the fact that could be just because I took a bath and a shower. But over the next couple of days I realized that I just felt better and my bowel movements seemed more regular. Come Sunday I was super excited to try the full recipe bath with the ginger added. This time I used two tablespoons of peroxide, two cups of Epsom Salt, a cup and a half of Baking Soda, one cup of Apple Cidar Vinegar and one tablespoon of fresh grated ginger (most recipes I saw called for ground ginger but I didn't have it or the tools to do it but I found a couple of recipes that said to grate it). This time I ran mostly hot water with very little cold. I'm pretty sure I had the water hot enough this time, but I still did not see the results I wanted. The bath still didn't make me sweat. I've read that you can use up to two thirds a cup of grated ginger. So next time I think I'm just going to go for it and put the whole two thirds in and give that a try. After the bath I took a quick shower to rinse off and went right to bed. Man did I sleep good! Phillip woke me up that morning and I didn't more AT ALL in my sleep, and that is very rare. I'll also say that I continue to feel better rested and have a bit more energy. So even though I didn't get the results I wanted I still think it did some good and will try it again. I recommend everyone to do as I did and try a small recipe first if you have never done a detox bath. We are all different and everything affects us differently and I would hate for someone to harm themselves in anyway.

Small Recipe Ingredients:

2 cups Epsom Salt

1 cup Baking Soda

1 cup Apple Cidar Vinegar

2 tablespoons Hydrogen Peroxide

Regular Recipe Ingredients:

2 cups Epsom Salt

1 1/2 cups Baking Soda

1 cup Apple Cidar Vinegar

2 tablespoons Hydrogen Peroxide

1 tablespoon - 2/3 cup of fresh grated/ground Ginger Root

Run a hot bath and mix the ingredients in right before you shut the water off. I like to do it this way because I think it helps to stir everything up. Swish everything around real good or you will be bathing in a gritty tub. You will be able to feel when everything has dissolved. Once everything is good and dissolved you can ease in. Then just get comfy and relax for the next forty minutes. I read in a couple of different places that if you have a body brush to brush your skin before the bath to get your skin ready to release toxins and to scrub your body with a wash clothe every ten minutes while in the water. Once you've soaked for at least twenty minutes you can get out and wrap yourself up or take a warm scrubbing shower. Then go get comfy, relax and go to sleep.

I'd love to know if you try this recipe and how it worked out for you...or didn't.

P.S. I found out you can add Sea Salt after I had purchased my ingredients, which is why I didn't incorporate it into my bath.

Warning: From what I have read these baths can get very intense. I've read about people's heart rate getting uncomfortably high, flu like symptoms and people passing out while in the bath. I've heard that even after a few minutes people are itching to get out because of how intense it can get. Please, please be careful when you try this at home. You should really try for at least twenty minutes, but be smart, listen to your body and don't overdo it.

Don't Try This at Home

So I came across this pin not too long ago that states: "If you mix 2 tablespoons of brown sugar with a cup of warm water and spray it on damp hair it will air dry straight." I mix up sweet tea at work all the time, so I know how sticky sugar water can be. However, this thought didn't cross my mind until it was too late. I had only sprayed my hair a couple of times before I thought "wait a second, I'm putting sugar in my hair?!". I decided against my better judgement and continued to spray the solution onto my hair (I know, I know, but I have very thick long hair that takes at least 20 minutes to blow dry out; I had to try an alternative). Thinking that maybe there would be some sort of reaction or something that I didn't know about that would make my hair as soft and straight as the picture posted with the pin. Boy was I wrong! My hair may have dried straight; I didn't give it the chance. Before my hair was half way dry I could tell that my fear was a reality.
My hair was turning into a sticky tangled mess. So, I put up in a clip and decided to call my hair done for the day. It took two shampoos to get all of the sugar out of my hair and I had to get Phillip to comb it out afterwards. It was a disaster. I don't know why I always decide to try something new right before work. Oh well, we live and we learn right?

Houdini's First Hike

The weather has been very up and down around here lately. Some days it feels amazing out and you just need to be outside, and others its so cold you don't want to go out. We took advantage of one of our early spring days by taking a little impromptu hike on Pinnacle Mountain. It was getting kinda late so we didn't have time to go all the way to the top, so we picked a different trail that went along the base of the mountain. There was quite a bit of damage done to the woods from one of ice storms this year. But with the sun setting to the side of us along a little creek it still made for a beautiful little hike. Houdini did very well. He really surprised me. He loves to meet new people so I was worried he wouldn't leave the other hikers alone, but, like always, he proved me wrong. He kept his nose to the trail the whole time and led the way!

(^^ This is what we call a "Doodle Ball" :) its just so stinkin' cute!)

I can't wait to take him out again! We want to go to Petite Jean this time. Its less of a hike and I think its prettier. Although I will say that my lungs have greatly improved since I have started doing Yoga. I used to have to take frequent breaks because I couldn't breathe and my side would hurt; I'm proud to say that we hiked a mile at a brisk pace and I didn't have to stop once! and my side didn't hurt at all! Go me!