Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Merry Christmas!

      I want to wish my followers a very Merry Christmas, I hope that you and your families are blessed this year. Christmas is a time for giving, family and friends so try to always remember that despite the way retailers have commercialized the true meaning of this holiday. This is mine and Scott's first Christmas as a married couple and I am so blessed to have him. Our house is finally finished, but we have yet to get the go ahead from the bank to move in, so we will be spending Christmas at my mom and stepdads house. 
      I'm a little disappointed we won't be spending our first Christmas in our new home, but oh well, there is always next year. I apologize for the lack of posts and visual stimuli in the meantime due to the fact that my mom lives in the Stone Age without Internet. 
     Again I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year, I love you all!



Monday, December 23, 2013

Healthy Living and Clean Eating for the New Year

Let me apologize and say that I'm sorry there's no pictures to entertain you visually, there's no power in the great land of lower Michigan so my post comes to you from my lovely IPhone! I was given the opportunity to post on Codi's blog, The Art of Balance (http://www.artofbalanceblog.com). She is a fellow Michigander, and in the little time I got to work with her I have learned she is a very positive and enlightened person! Catch the First three tips at her Blog, but here are my three remaining tips to help you prepare for a new year, and new you with healthy living and clean eating! 



  1. 4)  CHEATING: It is okay to cheat. No I’m not talking about going out to the club and grinding on that guy with the hot accent and praying your boyfriend doesn’t find out. I’m talking about no more than once a week you can have a little cheat day. Don’t go all out and order a large pizza with the works or eat a whole pie by yourself, but if there is something you used to love but it isn’t considered clean eating you can work that in every so often. It’s not going to ruin all your progress and it will keep you from dropping the lifestyle all together. 
    5)  FIND A WORKOUT THAT WORKS FOR YOU: Any workout is better than no workout. You have to figure out what is right for you and there are a variety of options these days. Gym membership, Jillian Micheals workout DVDs, Yoga class, your boyfriends XBOX Kinect, buy an elliptical off craigslist, Pinterest workouts. They all will work toward the greater good, find what works for you. I do 20 mins of cardio on my elliptical and change it up with Jillian Micheals or XBOX about 4 times a week. 
    6)  PINTEREST: Pinterest is the God of clean eating. Okay not really, but the recipes you can find to cut the preservatives out of your diet are amazing. I make homemade crescent roll dough for snacks like apple pie roll ups (sliced apple, cinnamon, wrapped up and baked). I also make homemade taco seasoning (because store bought is FULL of sodium). Use pinterest to your advantage, you can still eat clean and have it taste good! You just need to cut out that middleman that adds things just to save a buck on producing it.

I hope these tips help you get started on the road to a healthier YOU.  Honestly, clean eating feeds your soul more than anything else, because you feel better overall knowing that you are doing this not only for you, but your family as well. 

I want to personally thank Codi again on the behalf of Dear Marleigh for the opportunity to do this guest post. I have a very creative soul and want to spread whatever small amount of knowledge that may be beneficial to others, so I hope you keep returning (;

Merry Christmas! 


Saturday, December 7, 2013

Cleaning Calendar

Its saturday, and what am I doing? Blogging. Yeah I'm an old lady in a 24 year old body, what of it? (; We all know what a pain it is to clean your whole house in one day, so I want to share with you the cleaning calendar I made to help spread it out over time instead of doing it in one lump sum. I printed this as a 8x10 and put it in a 11x14 mat frame. I can use a dry erase marker to mark off what I have already done that day, so it's cute and efficient! I know I have disabled right clicking on my page, i'm very sorry for that but I had someone take my picture at one point and pretended to be me, and thats always a scary thing. If you would like a copy of this either email me at shayleigh19@gmail.com or click on the picture, this will take you to my photo bucket account to get it (: 



P.S. If there is something you would like me to change (colors, wording) I would be more than happy to do that, just drop me a line!


Tuesday, December 3, 2013

My Vision for Our Home

I have yet to do a Decor post because as you know, we are waiting to move into the fabulous 4 bedroom/2 Bath farmhouse we purchased about 2 months ago. It has been a very long journey to get to this point. We found the house this spring, after convincing my then fiancé to check it out as I had been looking at it for a couple of months online after we decided we were going to buy a house. The house was not in pretty shape, a foreclosure, the previous owners did a number to it when then found out they were losing the house. They literally took a sledgehammer to the lovely tile flooring in the kitchen, and most of the house was add-ons that were not properly built. We have dumped over $35,000 into the house since purchasing it, and NONE of that is cosmetic, just structure. Here is some of my vision to turn our house into a home.

Flooring:
Basically all of the flooring needs to be replaced, I'm huge on having consistent flooring through most of a house so we decided on the new looks like wood, 25 year warranty vinyl flooring (see above for the color I choose). That is going in the kitchen, laundry room, both hallways, both bathrooms and two of the bedrooms. I'm devastated that we have to put carpet in the living room due to that room being built without an insulated foundation, so I will choose a carpet that works in the final two bedrooms and my bonus craft room. 


Kitchen:


Currently, the cabinets and countertops make me want to scream, and we cannot afford a new kitchen so my mom and I are going to take on the project next spring with Giani Granite countertop and cabinet paint. I'm going to do this color on the countertop, a dark brown for the lower cabinets and a creme color for the uppers (an idea sparked from HGTV). I am dying for a apron front sink, i don't care if some sites say they are so last year, it will bring in the perfect touch of vintage farmhouse that I love. We are ripping out the current panty to create space for the oversized fridge therefore my coat closet will become my panty. I have a small obsession with vintage 1920's Blue Mason Jars (and i just bought a TON of them for our wedding this past September) so I will be storing my food in those and containers from The Container Store. I intend to make an 8ft farmhouse table and two benches for the dining room (See tutorial here). To make up for taking my coat closet for the panty, there is a small space I will make a makeshift mudroom with a coat rack, mail slots, vinyl calendar and key holder on the wall. I just emailed a guy about this


church pew on craigslist. I'm in love! Just imagine baskets underneath for shoes, and maybe a new paint job!
 
Here is a picture of my beloved china hutch, my mother in law found a FULL SET of vintage china in their attic when they moved last winter and gave it to us, I'm so stoked because it matches perfectly! 


Living room:
So I went to Ikea and a Detroit Tigers baseball game as my bachlorette party, and this is what I found. This is the inspiration   for my living room, I love how clean and natural it looks! I have a few awesome pillows I got from TJ Maxx that will add some color to the room but still keep it soft. We also will be adding a electric wood burning stove in the living room because of those heating problems in that room and for a nice vintage looking touch. I almost forgot, there is an antique library card catalog that I have requested Scott to get me for Christmas, think of all the organizing possibilities! 


Bathrooms:
Both bathrooms in my house are a nightmare so I really need to get in there and process what I can salvage and what needs to be replaced. I know the master bathroom will eventually have double sinks (the white porcelain bowl kind) and the oversized claw foot tub my hubby got me for valentines day (I love practical gifts). I have no idea what direction I am going with the main floor bath yet.

Bedrooms:
My bedroom ideas are going to be a surprise, I have to leave some form of mystery to keep people coming back right? hahha!


I cannot wait to get into our house and start making my visions, reality. I honestly have had insomnia the last 4 nights because I have been up dreaming of all the stuff I am going to do to it, & I hope you keep coming back for more! 


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

My Christmas Wishlist

With Thanksgiving coming in just a day and a half my mom has already called me with a request for my Christmas list. I can't believe I'm 24 years old, newly married and my mom still wants to buy me Christmas gifts like I'm 10 years old. God love her. My mom and I are very close, I would consider her my best friend (other than my husband) because she is the person I talk to just about everyday and I tell her everything.

Well, the only problem with my Christmas list this year is I am an online shopping guru. My mom? Not so much. she is the type of person that hunts and pecks the keys like no ones business and couldn't tell you how to sign up for an Ebay account to save her life. Haha. So this put me in a dilemma, all the stuff on my wish list is online, and I have no idea what to tell her to get me other than the things I have my eye on. Maybe some ideas can be thrown my way by posting them (:

P.S. If you are interested in any of this click the picture for the link (;




Okay, I am OBSESSED with this Faux Deer Mount on Etsy. Scott is an avid hunter but we have gotten in full out fights about me not letting him hang a real dead deer in our house, something about it is truly disturbing to me. So, this is my compromise and to be honest, I think I love it more than he does



I have had my eye on one of these dolly rugs for quite some time now, I'm not sure where I am going to put it once we get the new house but it totally reflects my antique style and I think it would make a lovely addition to whatever room I decide to put it in. 


I would wear this all the time if I had it, think of all the possibilities! I would pair it with my thick tan belt, tan combat boots that are next on my wish list, and my cream Jennifer Lopez Leather jacket.  

Steve Madden Troopa combat boots are one of todays newest styles, and you can never go wrong with Steve Madden shoes because they sell quality products. Love!



Who knew overalls would come back in style? Not this girl because I used to HATE when my mom would make me wear overalls. Of course these are much more stylish than they ever used to be but I would so rock these. 

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Southwestern Crock Pot Chicken Burritos

First off let me apologize about the fact that my first couple posts won't have pictures to guide you through steps and preparation. Until we move into our new house I don't have a kitchen or a place to actually do the things I am posting, I am just going off of stuff I have already done!

Supplies:
  • 1.5 Pounds of Chicken Breasts
  • 1 Can (15oz) of Sweet Corn (Undrained)
  • 1 Can (15oz) Black Beans (Rinsed & Drained)
  • 3 Tablespoons Ground Cumin
  • 1 Teaspoon Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon Paprika 
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
  • Dash of Cayenne Pepper
  • Dash of Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1 Package (8oz) Low fat Creme Cheese
  • 4 qt Crock Pot
  • Large Bowl 
Place Chicken breasts in the lightly greased slow cooker. In the large bowl, combine the corn, beans, seasonings and mix together well. If you would like you can add fresh chopped tomato and jalapeños, I do not because I'm picky, according to my husband (; 

Pour the mixture over the chicken, Stir in the cream cheese (you can soften in the microwave prior) and cook 4-5 hours on low.

When time is up remove the chicken and shred with two forks, then put back in crock pot. Cover and cook for 15 more mins. If you would like a little more kick you can add a full tablespoon of Cayenne Pepper at this time. 

Serve on tortillas (I suggest the Jumbo ones because they get messy). This is one of my favorite foods and super easy to throw in the crock pot and do your own thing for a few hours. Hope you enjoy it as much as my family does :)

Thursday, November 21, 2013

All Natural Dry Damaged Hair Treatment




I currently highlight my hair blonde (but thinking of going brown again here soon) and I have very thin hair but it is very dry and lifeless, so I do this treatment about once a week to make it soft and less brittle/straw like. 


Tools:

  • Coloring bottle (you can use one from a old home color or go to a Sally's beauty supply and buy a new one)
  • Pure Honey
  • Virgin Olive Oil
  • Full Fat Mayonnaise (The Hellman's Olive Oil kind is best)
  • 1 large Egg Room Temperature 
  • Natural Coconut Oil (I use Dr. Bonner's from Whole Foods)
  • Shower Cap or plastic grocery bag
  • Towel
  • Large Hair Clip
  • Wide Tooth Comb
  • Hair Dryer or if you have a large hair dryer like what is used at salons is perfect (Optional)
  • Rubber gloves (Optional)

Get your hair ready by brushing it until smooth, I use a natural boar bristle brush because it distributes your hairs natural oils 
Then, combine 1/8 cup of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of coconut oil (may have to melt the coconut oil first in the microwave) and the egg into your bottle and shake until the egg is well blended. Add 1/4 cup of honey and shake again until well blended. If you mixture looks really thick add a splash of water or milk to thin it out just a tad, you don't want it to be so thick you can't work it in but not so thin that it drips.

Now, separate your hair into sections using your hair clip and work through the layers of your hair concentrating on the ends where your hair will be the most dry. Really use your fingers to work it it doing your best to not tangle your hair further. Be sure to brush the dry hair that may have gotten tanged while in the clip as you work throughout your layers. Your hair should easily pile on top of your head after this is entirely added.

after that is on your head, take your mayonnaise and use 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup (depending on your length/thickness) and slather that over the top of the other mixture. after you are done with that cover your hair with your shower cap or plastic bag (if you use a plastic bag secure it with your clip or a hair tie). 

Here is where your optional hair dryer comes in (heat helps the mixture penetrate the hair shaft and will make your results better). Blow dry for 10-15 mins or sit under the large hair dryer for 30 mins. 

If you aren't willing to go thru that trouble wrap your plastic covered head in a towel, I like to switch back and forth between two towels and throw them in the dryer to create heat. Let this mixture sit on your head for a minimum of 1 hour, but the longer it sits the better (If you can stand it keep it on overnight it will work miracles).

After you have finished the sit time, rinse the mixture out with COLD water (I suggest in the shower). This is very important, as hot water will literally COOK the egg on your head and make for some nasty egg chunks. After it is fully rinsed your hair is probably going to be a ratted mess and feel awful but Shampoo your hair well (maybe even twice to get the smell out) and this is where the wide tooth comb comes in. Use a LARGE amount of conditioner (I even suggest you get a cheap bottle so you don't use your good expensive stuff) to completely cover your hair, let this sit for a min and then start to comb through that rats nest starting from the bottom and working your way up. Once your hair feels smooth fully rinse out  the conditioner, run the comb throughout your hair once more after you get out and let air dry! Hope this helps your hair problems, I know its a long process but it is worth it in the end (:

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Under Construction

Hello! 

Im just getting started, but I'm excited and working hard to get my new blog up and running smooth! :) 

xo,
Shay