Goodbye Summer

Here I am. Sitting on my bed past midnight and it's officially September 1st. I didn't get to say a proper goodbye to summer. Rather than ending it off with a fun day at a beach or carnival, I ended it off with a shopping trip. That's okay though. We had a pretty awesome, low-key summer - just enjoying each other's company, barbecuing like there is no such thing as tomorrow, and taking our first camping trip as a family.

I'm now looking forward to cool breezes, falling leaves, pumpkin spice lattes, lots of red lipstick, and over-sized knit sweaters. There's something about a new season that makes me super inspired too. New goals and perspectives, Carter's third autumn, more room to grow, a different palette of colors.

Anyways, I guess what I'm trying to say is Goodbye Summer 2013. You've treated us well.

How was your summer? Tell me about it in the comments below!

Head Over Heels {3}

If you watched my latest haul, you'll know that I have this obsession for neons and spiked accessories - two trends I never imagined myself wearing, but somehow I've come to love them. And dressing in all black? It's not something I do often yet I love how it makes the neon pop in this case. So, after a few weeks of not wearing heels, I slipped on a pair yesterday (oops! wore them in this post too!). I have to say I love this outfit. I can see myself wearing it again and again this summer.

As for the makeup, this is something new to me too... wearing pale pink lipstick that is! It has become one of my everyday makeup looks and I might just need to film a tutorial to show you all soon! Down below, I added an instagram photo to help you see the makeup a bit better (I hope!).

Anyways, hope you all are having a perfect weekend! If you're not having the best one, try getting dressed up or putting on heels or makeup - even if you're not going out anywhere - and most likely it will lift your mood!













blouse, shorts, bracelet & necklace, Forever 21heels, Costa Blanca Xwatch, Fossil

Little Bits of Happiness {3}

Every night, before I go to sleep, I say a prayer to God and thank Him for everything wonderful - and even the not so great things - in my life. I ask for guidance and protection and for the safety and well-being of family and friends. It feels amazing to take those few minutes to reflect on what is really important in my life and to notice how lucky I am to be alive and to have a family and to be happy.

Little Bits of Happiness makes me the feel the same way. By making these posts (all thanks to my blogger friend, Stephanie), I get to reflect on my life and share it with the world. And sometimes finding little bits of happiness makes you realize that they aren't so little at all. In the grand scheme of things, most of these little things mean the most to me.

For this week's Little Bits of Happiness, I'm sharing with you a day trip Kyle, Carter, and I took to Niagara Falls a few weeks ago. It was a last minute decision, the weather was beyond perfect, and we cleared our day to make time for each other. It's a fun place to be for the day just to adore the falls, walk around the gardens, buy tons of candy, and go to fun houses and arcades and wax museums. Anyways, it was a sweet day with my little family and of course we snapped a whole bunch of pictures with my DSLR!

the American side of the falls



the Canadian side

Photo Love: My Third Mother's Day

This Sunday was my third Mother's Day! I can't believe how blessed I have been since becoming a mom. Of course, the best part is my sweet Carter who just brings so much greatness to my life! There's nothing like watching your child grow. Just his smile is enough to make my day. And I love being able to see and understand the world through his eyes.







Every day of motherhood is a step of the journey and an opportunity to learn. Seriously, the way I see it is that becoming a mom has changed the way I look at life. It has helped me to be more appreciative and loving. And it made me realize that my main purpose in life is to be a mom, to have a family. Being a mom has allowed me to let love guide my life. How amazing is that?

Well, this Sunday, Carter joined me, my mom, my aunts, and my grandma on an outing at our favorite farm. The weather was fabulous and we just sat and laughed and enjoyed the scenery - while nibbling on fresh tarts and muffins. Carter had a blast rolling in the grass, gazing at all of the flowers, and visiting the little animals.
















Once Kyle was done work, it was his turn to spend some time with me (Trust me. I had a blast using the "it's my day" line). And we went out to see The Avengers. We had been dying to see it ever since it came out. Let's just say that I was not let down. Pretty awesome movie.

So, a day with my Carter and a night with my hubby... a lovely Mother's Day indeed!

Hope all you mamas had a great Mother's Day too!

DIY Ombre

I have dyed my hair countless times at home, but I've never bleached it by myself. Bleach is scary - it damages your hair and often pulls a lot of red tones. And I've seen a lot of hair colorists work their butts off to get rid of those red tones in my hair (back when I used to get highlights).

Yesterday, my cousin asked me to do a bit of ombre on the ends of her hair. I surprisingly said yes and used my previous experience as knowledge. Well, it ended up being super easy and it turned out to be amazing! Very effortless and beachy and the tone is so pretty for this season! 

I couldn't help but share the final results with you! And share my process, too! 

Note: I am not a hair colorist. I have no training. This process will not guarantee anyone the same results as everyone's hair is different - tones, texture, damage, and all. Be careful with bleach and hair dye and consult a hair professional!

Now, let's move on to the fun stuff!

WHAT I USED:

• Plastic gloves
• Plastic bowl
• Hair dye brush/applicator
• Tin foil
• 20 & 30 volume developer (levels of developer depend on current hair color and hair color objective)
• Powder bleach
• Level 8 Ash hair color as a toner

THE PROCESS:

• STEP 1: With my gloves on, I combined 30 developer with bleach powder (according to the package) until it became like a whipped cream consistency.
• STEP 2: Taking a 1 inch piece of hair, I applied the bleach to the ends of my cousin's dry hair using the hair dye applicator.  I also made sure it wasn't perfect by somewhat brushing and teasing the hair upwards. 
• STEP 3: I wrapped the piece of hair in a piece of tin foil.
• STEP 4: I repeated steps 2 and 3 for the rest of the hair.
• STEP 5: I checked on the hair every few minutes and then rinsed it when it reached a desired level of brightness (the time it takes varies depending on hair type, color, and damage).
• STEP 6: Since her hair pulled lots of warm orange and yellow tones, I had to tone it with an ashy color. I mixed a level 8 ash color with a 20 developer (following package directions) and applied this mixture to the bleached ends.
• STEP 7: I checked the hair every few minutes and then rinsed it once it reached a desired tone that was not brassy (length of time varies depending on hair type, color, and damage).
• STEP 8: I rinsed (no shampoo!) and conditioned the hair and then styled it!

And voila! Lovely ombre ends!

Photo Love: Sunny Weekend

The sun came to stay this weekend and it was perfection. We spent most of our weekend outside with family - and their pets! You can't go wrong with a toddler, parks, running around, and beautiful skies. And the hubs and I even snuck in some weekend bonus points when we squeezed in date night to watch the Mayweather-Cotto boxing match. Winning weekend? I think so.

Also, don't forget to check out which heels I wore this weekend! And my latest makeup tutorial!