A few of my everyday reads. . .

There are SO many wonderful blogs out there, and it's often overwhelming to read them all!   When I was blogging before, at my old space, I followed -and became friends with- several bloggers.  Since coming back to the blogging world, many of those amazing people have stopped blogging, leaving me to find new reads.    I miss my old reads, but I love discovering new blogs, too!

Even through the pause in my blogging, there are a few blogs that I stick to and I read daily ((or as often as they are posted)).  Below are just a handful of my tried and true favorites:

A Cup Of Jo
I love this woman.  I love her take on things, her ability to share so much in so few words, her family, her life. If you don't read her posts, make it a habit to do so!

Kendi Everyday
I generally find style blogs intimidating and a little unobtainable.  I mean, who can afford those clothes and honestly dress up EVERYDAY?!   Kendi's style blog includes wit and her sense of style seems to flow pretty well with mine ((or, what I would LIKE mine to be, anyway...)).

MFAMB
This girl is awesome.  Hilarious, stylish, slightly inappropriate = all of my favorite things.

#myfriendsaremarried
These just make me laugh.  As in, laugh-out-loud laugh.

Suri's Burn Book
Another funny one.  There's no depth here.  Just ((mostly innocent)) snarky comments.  Imagining that they truly come from the brain of Suri Cruise makes this site oh-so-funny.

Of course, I love so many more than these five- but these tend to be my most often read blogs.
What about you?  What blog(s) do you love?  Please, share!

Sorry, not sorry. . .

When I was in college, I read an AMAZING book by Susan Jane Gilman, titled "Kiss My Tiara:  How to Rule the World as a Smartmouth Goddess."   This has remained one of my very favorite reads, as it hilariously takes a look at all of the ridiculousness that women put up with/are expected to succumb to in  society.  While it may be a little outdated now ((it was published in 2001)),  I suggest it as a quick, funny read to any woman who doesn't take life too seriously.

One of the chapters was about how women have a tendency to apologize for everything, TO everything.  It has been programmed into our brains to quickly apologize when someone else is even in the slightest bit inconvenienced by the act of us just being human.   Even when this inconvenience isn't our fault- think about how many times someone bumps into you and you quickly apologize for being in their way. . .   

it was a topic that I had never thought of, because saying "I'm sorry." is the polite thing to do, right?

Turns out, maybe not.  

This ad (for shampoo?) perfectly touches on the "I'm sorry" epidemic women suffer from.  I think it is fantastic, and thought-provoking.

What do you think?  Is this over-apologizing stereotype true?  Do you find over-apologizing as polite, or as a  unconscious sign of inferiority that women need to reevaluate?  

Five things I'm loving on the internet this week. . .

Whenever I am dealing with that "I've hit a brick wall" feeling at work, I find it best to distract myself for a moment.  I'll minimize whatever window I am working in and go the internet for a quick break.  ((The trick is not to let yourself get too distracted, which is why I rarely head to pinterest while on a break...))

Below are a few links to things that I've found ((and loved)) around the internet this week:

The trailer for this documentary on marriage.  I'm looking forward to watching this one!

The film-nerd in me loves this slideshow of the visual spacing used in When Harry Met Sally. 

((I blame Professor Gorham and my college film class for this one!!))

Blake Lively's new lifestyle website, Preserve.  I'm not sure about its user-friendliness yet, but Lively's first letter was inspiring, and rumor has it her husband Ryan Reynolds will be contributing.  Who doesn't love that?

This spoof trailer from Wil Wheaton is HILARIOUS.  And so very dead-on.  If you grew up in the 80s/early 90s, you MUST watch this!

...and speaking of trailers...

Fifty Shades of Grey is hitting theatres in February.  Have you seen the trailer?  ((Of course you have.))

What do you think?  I read the book series, and was very mixed about it all.  The story-telling was atrocious and I found all it very annoying- but I read all three books within a week.  I think I'll eventually get around to seeing the film version- but I don't expect to head to theatres to do so.  

Will you go see it?  

If you've got something great on the internet that I need to see, give me the link in the comment section!  

xoxo

Red.

I have never really been "that" into makeup.  A part of me has always wanted to be, but when it comes down to it I am bare-faced more often than not. 

((And I know, I am not one of those that can pull off the no-makeup look.  I really shouldn't go without.  But I do anyway.))

Maybe it's because I am terrible at actually putting the stuff on... or maybe it's because I'm lazy.   Either way, I like the stuff alright, but generally I'd prefer not to wear it at all.

This shifted for me a bit when I decided to give red lips a try a few years ago.  I decided to try it, and after a while (and more than a handful of "I look like Bozo the Clown" moments) I started really liking the bold look.

Fast forward to now, and I don't like to be without my red lips.  Even if I have no other makeup on, I tend to go for the lipstick before I leave the house.  It's as though I feel naked without it.  There's just "something" to having a set of red lips that makes you fell put together and polished.  

And bold. 

Who doesn't want to feel bold?

I wore bright red lips on my wedding day, and when I look back at wedding photos, those lips are the only thing that feel like "me" in those photos.   I've grown out my hair and I've lost weight since my wedding- I really look quite different than I did just 18 months ago- but those red lips remain.

I am the WORST about being a creature of habit, so I tend to stick to the same one or two brands of red that I like the most. 

 ((It took a LOT of trial and error to find the tried and true reds!))

However, thanks to my wonderful friend ((and makeup junkie)) Claire, I have broken out of my habits and have been trying new reds again.  It feels fun to experiment!  ((Even if some of those experiments end in "Bozo the Clown" moments again. . .))

Here are the reds that my sweet friend sent me to try:

I LOVED getting this little goody package in the mail.  

I have the best friends. 

I laughed at myself when I was digging through my lipstick bin to see how many reds I have acquired...          I may have a problem. 

So, with 14 red lipsticks in the makeup drawer, I'm still wanting to try more! There are a few MAC colors I am dying to try, below.

  Do you have a favorite shade or red?  Please share!

All you need to know about Essential Rewards, thanks to Emily at Decorchick!

Happy Friday!

My Young Living Sponsor/Enroller just posted a GREAT blog, describing the Young Living Essential Rewards program.  I sometimes find myself having a hard time trying to explain how the program works.  I think I talk too much and make things too complicated- and anyone who knows me can attest to this, in all situations!  ;) Luckily, I have a wonderful team of folks FULL of oily wisdom that offer advice and information all the time!

I encourage you to head over to Emily's blog, Decorchick!, and read her wonderful breakdown of how the ER program works.  (Be sure to follow her blog, too- it's a great space for oily info, as well as some awesome design ideas.  She's great!)

As I mention in my "Oily Information" page at the top of my site, I didn't sign up for Essential Rewards right away.  I am a skeptic by nature, and wanted to try the oils out before I decided to order them on a monthly basis.  After a couple of weeks, I was hooked- and after all of my oils from my Premium Starter Kit started running low, I quickly signed up for Essential Rewards.  When signing up as a wholesale member, you have the option to check "No Thanks" on the ER program - but you can always enroll at a later date!  Trust me, you won't regret it!

You can click HERE to get started as a wholesale member of Young Living (meaning you receive a 24% discount off the retail price!).  As always, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me at jessica_coody@yahoo.com!