Author: justanothertaylor

Simple & Thoughtful Valentine’s Day Ideas

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Men- When your significant other says she doesn’t want anything for Valentine’s Day, she is LYING. She is a big big fat liar and you shouldn’t listen to her. Don’t have a lot of money to spend? Me either. There are lots of free options on this list.

1. Print out your favorite picture of you two and write at least 5 things you love about them on the back. (this one cost 27 cents and she will love it)

2. Buy her flowers. Who cares where they come from, she won’t be able to tell the difference.

3. Pay attention to things she says she wants throughout the week. Girls want stuff 24/7. Don’t ask her, just listen when she is talking. Things that I’ve mentioned I want to family and friends in the last 24 hours: running shoes, car charger, cinnabon cinnamon roll… You get the point.

4. Make her breakfast & dinner. (If you already to this- make something heart shaped)

5. Give her more kisses than usual.

6.  Make a coupon book filled with things like: good for 1 back-rub, designated driver for the night, 1 romantic movie night, and whatever else she likes. (THIS IS MY FAVORITE- and its free!) Then whenever she wants, she can use the coupon. Women, this is a perfect one to give to men too!!

7. You can never go wrong with a Mani/Pedi gift certificate.

8. You can also never go wrong with a love playlist made just for her.

9. Starbucks waiting for her when she wakes up.

10. Stalk her Pinterest. Either buy or attempt to make her something that she has recently pinned. (If it turns out bad its the thought that counts)

Women- Some men really probably don’t care if you get them anything or not, but I always feel weird receiving and not giving. Plus it’s so fun to give gifts! So here are some ideas for you, too. (This list was actually a lot harder to make than I thought it would be)

1. Money clip. Amazon has cool ones for cheap, they also have two day shipping- so it will get here in time.

2. Purchase his fishing license for the year.

3. Make him a “man bouquet”

eb25a06be3d2fe6747c06cd3cc9960f4(ideally it should look something like this)

photo(mine turned out like this and he was still pleased)

4. Six-pack of his favorite beer.

5. You in lingerie.

6. Write him a list of reasons why he is your best friend on a paper that will line a mason jar, then fill the middle with his favorite candy.

7.  Make him a heart shaped hamburger. (I also think this is an amazing idea for women too, men)

8. The coupon book idea.

9. If you have kids- have them make Valentine’s themed drawings. Hang them all over the fridge before he wakes up.

10. Personalize something for him. A golf ball, keychain, pillow, beer glass, pocket knife, shot glass, coffee mug. The list is endless. Etsy is your best friend for this!! I guarantee anything you could ever want to give is on there with a personalization option.

The most important gift you can give your love this Valentines day, whether you have been together for years, or just two weeks– is to let them know you special they are, and how much they mean to you. Express your feelings towards one another and show your romantic side– that’s what Valentine’s Day is for!

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Changing your mind

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This is one of my favorite quotes of all time. The reasoning behind that is probably because I am the most indecisive person on earth. As I have shared before, I recently got a job in Kansas City. I knew from the beginning that I wasn’t wild about the job, but it paid well and it honestly was the best option. So, I packed up and moved here at the beginning of January. Well, turns out this job is not for me. I thought long and hard about it and I know what I am never going to enjoy sitting in a cubicle everyday with no human interaction. So guess what? I’m changing my mind. I started looking for something that I knew I would enjoy doing and now I have accepted a job in Joplin, MO which is two hours and 30 minutes away from where I live in KC. Not only will I be enjoy what I am doing there much more than what I do here, but I’ll also be closer to my family. Does it look bad that I am quitting something after only a month of working here? Probably. But I decided that waking up and being miserable is much worse than what my resume says about me.

A lot of the people I have told my unfortunate situation to act surprised by my decision to change careers so quickly. Yet they know none of the back story, and they probably never will. Don’t be so quick to judge others and their decisions. Changing their mind about something may be the best thing they’ve ever done for themselves.

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Ballin’ on a Budget

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I am so ecstatic about the MOUNDS of money I saved myself clothing shopping last week. Somehow, now that i’m an “adult” and actually have to spend my own money and not the governments–student loan reimbursement I miss you dearly– I have decided that I need to be frugal.

One thing that I have learned is that you should never buy anything full price. Buying something on sale not only saves you money- but it also gives you a shoppers’ high. The key is to look at the end of the season. You may not get to wear it for awhile, but once the weather changes– you’ll have something brand new hanging in your closet that hardly cost you anything.The second lesson I have learned is that brand name really doesn’t matter. Sure, the quality may not be quite as good with non-name brand stuff, but it’s usually pretty dang close and no one cares WHO you are wearing as long as it looks cute on YOU. Anyway, these are the steals I found and they’re too good not to share:

Black Zip-Back Black Sweater

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This sweater cost $131.50.

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I found one that is almost identical for $9.98 at Burlington Coat Factory.

Winter Boots

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$99.95 for something you can wear 5 times a year? Nah.

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Found these at Old Navy for $35. Now I just need some snow!

Grey Skinny Jeans

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Love, love, love, these grey skinny jeans and I have been dying to get some.

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I found a similar pair at Old Navy for $8.99. (btw, that shirt is from Burlington Coat Factory and was only $10 too.)

Hunt for deals and you will find them! Even if I don’t get to wear my boots this winter, which is highly unlikely since I live in Kansas and there could possibly be a blizzard in July, I can wear them next year. Saving the $70 is worth that to me. In my opinion, having style and finding bargains is what makes you fashionable, not the label –or the price tag that comes on the clothing.

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Rushed morning make-up

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Doing make up takes a big chunk of time out of our mornings. I like to feel put together, but I would honestly rather sleep in extra 30 minutes, then wake up ANY earlier to put my mask on. After countless times of running late, or looking like a sleep deprived witch- I have found a balanced, quick routine to still feel pretty AND make it to work on time.

1. Face lotion-

Whether you use a BB cream or an actual lotion– this is the most important step. Your make up will go on much smoother, your face will be less dry (OR OILY!– moisturizing oily skin will end up making your face produce less oil), and it will also help your make-up last longer.

2. Powder-

In high school, I only used liquid foundation. I have big pores, so I never thought that powder would work for me. I was wrong– I started using Tarte Amazonian Clay Powder foundation and it works like magic. Powder takes half the time to put on that liquid does so this is a great solution for me.

4. Eye shadow & Eye liner-

For days you’re in a rush, it is best to stick with a neutral eye shadow and just use that one color. Put your brush in the crease of your eyelid and press harder there to create a more diminutional look.  Definitely don’t pick to do a cat-eye on rushed days. (Which literally take me 10 years to make even)  Put some black liner on your bottom lid, and maybe a thin line on top like I did here, to make you look more awake.

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5. Mascara & Lip gloss-

Use a mascara that gives you length & volume. (I use L’Oreal® Paris Voluminous Original Mascara) This helps you only have to go over your lashes a few times. Which really helps with the time it takes overall. For your lips, just use your favorite chap stick or lip gloss. Lipstick and lip-stain require more time and effort to make look good.

This routine gives me enough coverage that I don’t feel like everyone at my job is wondering who their new co-worker is, but it also doesn’t take long. Figure out a routine that works best for you, because from experience– sometimes just having a little makeup on can give a boost of confidence to rock the day ahead.

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Things I’ve Eaten So Far Today:

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I want to be skinny fit in such a bad way. It’s what I think about approximately 25% of the day. I am not blessed with a body that easily transforms, and when I eat one m&m I gain 5 pounds. (That’s an exaggeration but basically.) So every night when I go to bed I think “I am going to eat ONLY healthy stuff tomorrow. I can’t wait to see what my bod is going to look like come summer”– wrong. Here’s how today went:

8:00 am- An apple (started out strong, was going to stick to my meal prepping plan)

8:15 am- “I think i’ll just have this banana yogurt that is supposed to be my afternoon snack right now”

10:30- “I’M STARVING! Why isn’t it lunch yet?!?!” *Eats cucumber slices that were brought as a second back-up*

12:00- Chicken, zucchini and peas. (At least it’s all been healthy so far???)

12:30- Left for my actual lunch break to run to target and get some things I needed. Stopped at sonic. Got mozzarella sicks. Fail.

2:45- A cookie that some natzi decided to bring to work to torture me with.

Seriously what’s wrong with me?! Lets hope the rest of the night plays out better than my morning has. Some days (or weeks in my case) you just have to let yourself go before you can get back on track.

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Why I got over being embarrassed

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Okay, so, talk about the most awkward life ever. = ME!!! Seriously. Last weekend I was at the bar and walked out of the bathroom to meet my new (which makes this even worse) boyfriend –who was waiting outside for me– with a 2 foot long, maybe longer, piece of toilet paper stuck the the heel of my boot. I literally HAD NO f****** clue it was there until he told me to look down………….

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Cool. Really cool. This isn’t the first embarrassing thing I’ve done in front of Austin either: 1. 1st time I ever met him- Got hit in the forehead with a frisbee that he and his friends were playing with, it left a bruise. 2. Tried to send a HIDEOUS, and I mean hideous as in I looked like Sloth off of “The Goonies” snap to my friend Haleigh- put it on “my story” instead and he’s the only one who actually opened it (thank god no one else had to witness it). He then proceeded to text me saying “haha nice story”……… 3. Was at his grandparents house for only the second time, and broke their standing lamp in the basement. (How? I don’t even know.)

The list goes on and on, but you get the point. I have seriously done countless embarrassing things in front of my friends, family, and larrrrrrge amount of boys. But there has been one good lesson that came from these “omg I want to die” moments.

WHO CARES?!

Everyone does embarrassing things. Quit fretting over something that people are most likely not going to remember a day, a week, or a year down the road. It’s funny. Life would be so boring if people didn’t do embarrassing things. And that’s usually the takeaway– humor. I try not to worry about what other people think of me, and that has helped me be a much happier person. And if i’m going to do embarrassing things –which I am– I might as well be a happy person while I do them. 🙂

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Remembering time spent at grandma’s

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My grandpa and grandma Osborn lived on an old dirt road in Gridley, KS- where the population is around 400 people. My family and I lived two hours away where I grew up, so visiting on the holiday’s and for a week in the summer with my sister- was always an adventure. We got to do lots of things while we were there that we never dreamed of doing at home: feeding cattle with grandpa, going fishing, riding horses, and making mud pies in the back yard were a few of my favorites.

There is something about a grandma’s cooking that literally cannot beat anyone else’s in the world, something about playing board games with her at the holidays surrounded by your family, and something about snuggling with her in a recliner chair when you’re little– that make you feel more loved than anything in the world.

Those “somethings” are what I will always remember about my grandma. And they’re things I don’t want to forget, so that one day when I am at that point in my life, I can make my grandchildren feel the same way as she made me feel.

Rest in peace to a very beautiful angel that god gained yesterday, January 26, 2015.

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Fake vs. Real: Blueberry Oatmeal

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We all have busy lives and cheap, fast meals are easier than spending the time to make something healthy. But, what if I told you there was a way to make your breakfast oatmeal healthier and just as fast as the instant stuff?

If you like oatmeal but don’t ever have time to cook it in the morning, this is going to blow your mind. Overnight Oatmeal. You put a half of a cup of old-fashioned oatmeal in a travel container (so you can easily take it to work with you) then add a half of a cup of milk, almond milk, coconut milk, etc. to it. You can then add whatever else you like into the mix. Cinnamon, bananas, peanut butter… You name it. Then put it in the fridge overnight and in the morning you will have a perfect, easy meal waiting for you. I like to put a teaspoon of brown sugar and blueberries in mine. You can warm the oatmeal up in the microwave for 30 seconds, but it is even good cold if you are running late.

This alternative is so easy and not to mention has no added chemicals to it. Breakfast IS the most important meal of the day, don’t skip it because you don’t have time! 🙂

Instant oatmeal-(those blueberries look REALLY appetizing huh?)bluberry

Overnight Blueberry Oatmeal– Yum

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Big difference!!–

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Maintaing Long-Distance Friendships

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Moving away from the people you love is hard. Moving away from your best friends is even harder. Letting high school relationships slip through your fingers is so easy after graduating and going your separate ways. I do not like losing friends, but sometimes you have to pick your battles and realize that some friendships just aren’t worth your effort. There are plenty of friendships that are worthy of effort, though. The people who still ask you to do things although they are busier than a bee, the ones that text you as much as you text them, and the ones who truly care about how your life is chugging along– those are the ones you want to read this post for. I am so lucky to have four amazing best friends who have been willing to put in as much effort to stay a part of my life, as I have put in to stay in theirs. There are many reasons as to why we have been able to remain so close to one another, and here they are:

1. No matter how many days pass without talking to one another, we will always know that we share a special bond.

These days everyone is so busy; Haydn has two kids to take care of, Alyssa is part of a D1 cheer squad, Erin attends KU and has accumulated enough new friends there to fill a convention center, and Haleigh is a studyholic/workaholic/rave kitten (lol) We UNDERSTAND that about each other. We aren’t going to flip a lid if one of us forgets to text back or can’t make a birthday party- it’s just life.

2. We still make time to see each other.

It is rare and magical when I get to spend time with each one of them. I think the last time I saw Haydn we were giving her kids a bath for the day. It doesn’t matter to us that she has two children and that I can’t even take care of a pet fish. We both still want someone to share our lives with. It honestly doesn’t matter what any of us do when we are together because we can still make the little time we have together count.

blogbff10(P.S. Aren’t they adorable?)

3. We don’t get upset over petty things.

Oops, just dropped a huge spot of something mysterious from that loaded BBQ fry stand onto Haleigh’s white dress that she let me borrow.

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It happened shortly after this photo was taken– I was completely sober as you can see. Luckily the stain came out- but even if it didn’t, she wouldn’t be mad at me. And she would still let me borrow her clothes. (thank god, she has an amazing wardrobe.)

4. We are there for each other when times get rough, even through the distance.

There has been countless times where I have been down in the dumps so I text one of them, and they reply with an amazing response that instantly changes my perspective on the matter.  Just yesterday I was asking Alyssa’s opinion over something I was really unsure about and she replied with “Maybe it’s meant to happen. Maybe you’ll find yourself this way. Just let it play out and enjoy it!!!” Okay, bitch. Thanks for about the most perfect reply ever. Situation averted. I can always count on them to make me feel better. There has also been countless times that they’ve texted me when they were having bad days. Be there for your friends, tell them that they rock your socks off, support them, and tell them that everything is going to be alright– because ultimately that’s all they need to hear.

Maintaining true friendships isn’t easy to do as we get older since there are so many distractions in our own lives. Friendship is a quality that, I believe, you cannot live a truly happy life without. Take time to make those around you feel special– it will make the biggest difference in your day. I love you girls!

“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” ― Elbert Hubbard

Haydn and I–

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2006 (hoodrats)                                 2014

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2007(more hoodrats)                              2015

Alyssa–

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2012 (Alyssa’s eyebrow piercing phase)             2015

Erin–

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2007 (that necklace & that phone, OMG!)              2015

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2011 (Wow, cute smile right?)

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2012

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2013

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2014

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2015

Selfies and Why They Are Great

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I hear so many negative comments throughout the week about how annoying, narcissistic, and ridiculous selfies are. During my last semester of college, I was required to do a research study over something I was passionate about.  With those critical comments in mind, I decided I wanted to find out why selfies were viewed negatively– yet people still chose to take them. After conducting 7 interviews and 100 surveys from a variety of people, I found some interesting things.

1. When people get “likes” on their selfies, they feel better about themselves. 

“I think it confirms that people like my outfit or my hair that day.”–Haleigh

2. Selfies aren’t discriminatory. 

All ages, all genders, and all nationalities take them. Whether you’re an important person in the community (the president of my university took one at the commencement ceremony and it was AWESOME), or just some regular joe it doesn’t matter. Selfies appeal to a wide range of people.

3. It’s a creative outlet.

I have a question for people who despise selfies– why? Don’t you get tired of instagramming your plate of food or your cat everyday? Everyone wants to see your beautiful face sometimes, too! There are so many ways that you can make selfies creative and even look like art. Honestly, it’s a fun pastime if you really get into it. (do your hair and make-up different ways, find cool scenery, wear a fun headband)

4. Memories 

I think selfies are awesome and I’ve been known to take a few (or many) and upload them to my instagram. I like to go back and look at how much I have changed over the past few years. It’s interesting, and seeing those changes wouldn’t be possible if I was too afraid of what people might think when I uploaded them.

Selfies have become a phenomenon. Think of all the hashtags created by people taking them: #selfiesunday #sweatyselfie, #nomakeupselfie etc. In May 2013, instagram said that the hashtag exceeded 20 million. Self-confidence is beautiful, so what’s wrong with sharing yours with the world? If getting likes on their picture makes someone feel better about themselves for even thirty minutes of their day, why be annoyed with that? My friend, Hallie, got a selfie stick for Christmas and we recently had a lot of fun with it:

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See, selfies are awesome and don’t let people tell you otherwise. Signaiture