What are your wearing?~Blue Monday hosted by Smiling Sally

O.K., it's not a decorating or house post but thought it would be interesting. What kind of perfume are you wearing these days? I received a variety pack of Ralph Lauren perfumes for Christmas from my dear hubby this year. I had one in particular in the pack that I was interested in trying but wasn't sure. I had caught a wiff of it at Carraba's (I know the food is suppose to be more frangrant) on a waitress, and asked her what she was wearing. She said it was Ralph Lauren's "Blue".  Here's a pic of the little guy, even the bottle is pretty!

I love it!!! I have had several compliments on it. Here's everything that was in that pack....

The only thing it doesn't seem to last all day. Which is a bummer. Do you have any tricks on making perfume last longer? I've tried the lotion before and the powdering before. A co-worker said she loves the perfume, but on her it smells too musky. It's funny how the same perfume can smell different on different people. Ever had this happen? Interesting..... I love Bath & Body Works stuff, too!! I have worn a vareity of it from Warm Vanilla Sugar to Dancing Water.

My sister's favorite is Moonlight Path.

For awhile I was wearing "Nina" by Nina Ricci, but tends to go on strong then fade through out the day, but this one did seem to last.

I use to wear this one back in the day and  I still smell it on some women occassionally.
My friend even named her daughter "Ciara" after this cologne, she loved it that much!!! My daughter's favorites have been from Aeropostale. They smell good and are reasonably priced. They seem to last on her, too.

A very favorite of mine is Estee Lauder's Pleasures Delight.

I wore it for the longest time and still wear it on occassion. I always got compliments when wore it!... So what do you wear? Do you wear any at all? Let me know your opinion and share any fragrance secrets that you have. I will be joining Smiling Sally for her Blue Monday. I thought this suitable with my "Blue" perfume bottle. You can find more blue items and join in on the fun at her blog Smiling Sally. Thank you Sally for doing this meme, this is my first time particpating in this party. I, also, want to mention some giveaways going on. Diann at the The Thrifty Groove is giving away two beautiful rooster chargers. You have to check them out, they are gorgeous.  Also, Linda at Coastal Charm is having her first blog party Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays starting March 2. Please join in  on the fun and post your great finds, she also is doing a giveaway of money!! I know that's dollar, dollar bills, ya'll.  LOL....Hope to hear from you.....Michelle

Our Daily Visitor~Sunday Favorites hosted by Chari at Happy to Design

Here is our visitor! My son took the photo one afternoon sitting on our  back patio. We do not feed him(technically). He decides to dine in the birdfeeder. How squirrels can cling to screen is amazing. We thought this photo was funny because it looks like he saying "Let me in!!!"
(P.S. Do not mind the butterfly garden in the background, it will be getting redone come spring. :)

Table Top Tuesday

Here is a vignette I did previously. We love coffee and have quite a few collection of Starbucks mugs. A friend of ours found the Starbucks's book for us. Who knew there was a book? My husband even visited a few overseas while deployed. Thank you to Marty for hosting this party, you can check out more displays at her blog A Stroll Thru Life. Now for that evening cup coffee....

Mosaic Monday & Mellow Yellow Monday

I am combining my Mosaic Monday and Mellow Yellow Monday.Birding is just a little hobby of mine. My father was with our local Audubon society and he taught me quite a few things on birds, I couldn't help but to follow suit. Here are a few pictures I caught a couple of days ago, I love these little Goldfinches. They are a dull yellow in winter and will brighten up by spring. (I hope this counts as yellow). Sometimes these little guys will cover the thistle sock and if you look closely you can see little heads peeking out of the platform feeder. I have a variety of more birds that show up in my backyard, I hope to get pictures of soon. If you want to see more mosaics join Mary at her blog Little Red House and more Yellow items at Mellow Yellow Monday. Thank you to both for hosting these parties!!

My Mini Home Tour

I'm particpating in the Home Tour Party hosted by Danielle at Transforming Home. Welcome to my home!!! Come inside....

I love color!! Being a military wife we moved so much that there was never time to put paint on the walls. So, I knew with our home and our getting roots that I would have color. I have never been afraid to try different colors on my walls (many of my friends are terrified!). We bought this house before my husbands last deployment. I painted the whole thing myself while he was gone. I got up and down from the ladder to paint up to those 10 foot ceilings. So sore and lots of motrin later. LOL!

This picture is of the dining room as you walk in....My husband did the molding for me in it. Do you see the iron piece on the wall in the back? To make it look bigger, I stenciled all around it.

This is shot from the dining to what is suppose to be a formal living a.k.a. Xbox room. We want to add french doors to that room someday.

This picture seems to have such a glare(sorry). This is what you see at the entry niche. I hope you can the see  leaves I painted on the sides of it. I did those free hand one day. I taught myself to paint, quilt, and craft, while hubby was in the military.

This is our breakfast nook. It's actually bigger than the dining room which is nice. I hope to get new furniture for this room one day....

This is the hall from the entry to the family room. I have a book case here and this is the display and pictures above it.

This is the fireplace. The big picture I got on clearance at Kirland's. Gotta love that!!

This is my kitchen area. We were stationed overseas in Sicily  for 3 years and I have some dishes that are from there displayed. I'll do a post with more pictures of them later. I love the blue that pops out!!

This is another picture of the kitchen. It has a built in desk area and cabinets. Very convenient!!

This last picture is of my bedroom. I'm hoping to get new bedding and redo this room for birthday. I still have so many plans and decorating ideas. I'll be showing more pictures of my home on later post.(You definitely don't want to go in the kids rooms right now, not pretty pics).  I hope you enjoyed your tour!! Thank you again to Danielle at Transforming Home for hosting this wonderful House Tour Party!!

Get Your Face On Party!~hosted by Beth at The Stories of A to Z

Oh my, what am I thinking? Well, I do love make~up just about, as much as, I love decorating. Beth has asked us to "Get Our Face On" by hosting  this party. O.K. I'll be brave and do a post.You can find more post on her blog The Stories Of A to Z. Just a warning the first few pics may not be suitable for all audiences. LOL!!  With that said, let's get started. The first thing, where the transformation happens, is in my closet which doubles as an office. Yep, that's right, it's big enough on one side to have an office area. It has 10 foot ceilings and is about a 5X9 room. I'll show more of this on a later blog. I just move the laptops when I get started.

I start with washing my face and using a moisturizer. I always use a moisturizer with an SPF in it. I am a natural red head and burn just sitting in my car. So sad, but true.

Yikes!!  It's O.K. it's just me in the before shot.

I didn't realize how much I like Revlon products until this post. I use a primer before my foundation. If you haven't used one yet, try it. It smoothes lines and minimizes pores. I love Revlon's Colorstay foundation, but they came out with a new one that's suppose to be better. I can't wait to try it! I have an Ulta coupon calling my name. I powder after to set the foundation.

Well, we have finished the powdering, now time to get some eyebrows!!  I have blonde eyebrows and lashes. I pencil my brows everyday that I'm wearing make~up. I have been doing this since I was 15 years old. I turn 40 I mean, I'm having a birthday next month, so I have been penciling for awhile. I have used several different techniques for my brows, but the pencil has been the best so far.

Whew, the brows are done! Time for some color!! I love eyeshadow and liners. I always start with a eyeshadow primer first, this keeps the eyeshadow from creasing and last all day. I use Bare Minerals or Urban Decays eyeshadow primers, both are great! For eyeshadow application, I use a light cream colored eyeshadow on my entire lid, then I use the method of darker in the crease, medium on the lids, and light on the brow bone.  To do a smokey eye just use darker on the lid, as well, and smudge your liner. This is great night time look.  I received a Bare Minerals kit for Christmas and love everything in it. The brushes are so soft and cover very well. The kit is called "The Jewel Collection".

Do you how hard it is to take a picture with your eyes closed? Let's just say a little weird. Eyeshadow added.

Time to add eyeliner. For this, I just use basic black from Cover Girl. I, sometimes, use green, blue, bronze, etc. to play up my eyes, especially for a night time look. I apply the liner all around. I smudge it to soften the look.

I need mascara on!! I use Cover Girl Professional Lash mascara. It's cheap and my favorite. I would have never used it, but a friend (make~up snob, let's say) recommended it. It's great for even if you wear contacts. Oh, we also, need blush!! I'm using Bare Mineral blush in Warm Radiance, a peachy shade.

Last, but not least, lips. I outline with lipliner in a mocha/coral color and use about the same shade in lipstick. To top everything off a little gloss, also, from that fabulous kit. WaLahhh!!!

That is my morning routine. Now what to do with my hair??? Hmmm....

We'll do another post on that at another time. Hope ya'll enjoyed!! Thank you again to Beth for this "Get Your Face On Party!!!"

Mosaic Monday~hosted by Little Red House

Here is a collage of the flowers I recieved for my anniversary. I thought they were beautiful. Hope everyone has a great Valentine's Day!!! Thank you to Mary for hosting this meme you can find more Mosiacs at her site.

Fun Foto Friday~hosted by Debbiedoos

I am joining Fun Foto Friday hosted by Debbiedoos. So, my husband and I we're invited to a Halloween party last minute this past year. What to wear? Let's dig out the mask the boys' had found on clearance at Spencer's a couple of years ago. O.K. hubby says. Then, I had an even better idea, "Honey, you be Hillary and I'll be Bill!!" So, we did just that. Yep, I'm Bill and he is Hillary. Yes, he has on my shirt and my pearl necklace!! I have on his suit jacket. We fooled alot of people when we showed up at the party that night. (I stood taller and hubby stooped down for the pic.) Hope everyone gets a laugh, thank you Debbie for hosting a great meme idea!!

Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan from Between Naps on the Porch

I thought I would share with ya'll, sorry you all,(I'm in FL remember), my wedding anniversary flowers. My hubby and I celebrated our 20th yesterday. Where does the time go? Actually, I could tell you but that's another story, LOL. Here is the tablescape I did with them. Besides the flowers, there is the vintage table cloth found at an antiques market and the plates were from the thrift store. A friend and I split them up since we both spied them at the same time. I use to have the plates diplayed on my wall but have since changed decor. I love the floral pattern! To look at more tablescapes go to Susan's blog at Between Naps on the Porch. Thank you Susan for hosting a great party!

Mosaic Monday~Hosted by Little Red House

This is my first participation in Mosiac Monday hosted by Mary at http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.com. I'm very excited! Bare with me, as I'm still learning how to do everything in blogland. These are a few pictures inside my house. I do love red, thus my dining room!! Now to get the pictures bigger.Mmmmm....

My Starbucks Table

We love Starbucks!! We don't go as often anymore, we're trying to cut back on the little things. My husband even visited a few overseas when he was deployed and we have quite a mug collection. I thought the display was appropriate for this subject. A friend found the Starbucks book for us. Enjoy, I feel a need for a cup of joe, now!!