life

Make Money From Home

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 23:01:17 +0100

I have been able to make money from home, and I wanted to share how I've done it, because this topic comes up a lot among the domestically entrenched.

A little over 4 years ago, I was pregnant with my third baby, and was interested in creating an income stream in which I would have to do as little as possible. I knew that when the baby came, hosting home parties, and other ventures would be out of my league. Last I checked, hosting a home party in one's pajamas is frowned upon. As is smelling of milk and spit up. And plus, I heartily agree with the following:

Yes.

I mean, I enjoy buying and reviewing products, but I have NO desire to pack boxes and facilitate sales to friends. And I cannot stand high pressure sales 'to your friends and family'. No way, Hosea!

Another consideration for me is the need to set my own hours...in short, I am willing to work, but only on my terms. Because I already have 4 full time jobs, plus the housekeeping and chef gig going.

But I found something that really, really works for me.

I decided to learn how to build a website that generated income from ads through a company called Site Build It.
I loved the idea that I'd be learning how to do something new, that would maybe be useful at other times and places in my life. And the whole 'make money without doing anything' idea that is pretty do-able by using ads (Google Adsense) to generate long term income through a well-designed website.

So, after talking with my husband, we decided this would be a good fit for me, and invested the money into a one-year subscription for Site Build It. That was somewhere around 4 years ago. By the end of the first year with SBI, I was making $100 a month. Not earth shaking, but nothing to sniff at either! And the really cool part...

My income has tripled since I started, and I have done next to nothing in the past 2 years!

Wait a minute...Can't anybody easily build a blog or website now?
Sure! There are even places where you can create a site for free! But building a blog or a website is not a guarantee that you'll make any money. What I wanted to build was an online *business*, and there is a LOT more to building an online business than just starting a blog or website.

With Site Build It, they set about teaching you how the whole internet business scene works. Basically, you and I 'drive' the whole internet with the things we type into the search boxes everyday. Google and the other search engines 'see' what we are looking for, and match it to 'key words' that web pages are built around. What SBI helped me do is to understand the ins and outs of what Google (the "King" of the search engines) is going to be looking for in my site, when they 'crawl' through it...scanning key words, and making sure it's laid out right. Then, they helped me understand what I needed to consider to make my site 'valuable' to real people, because Google *LOVES* it when real people enjoy your site.

How can they tell? Google tracks how long visitors spend on each page, on your site, and how many link click-throughs and comments each page or blog entry gets.
(Thank you guys for the comment love and for sharing links!)

What do you get when you subscribe to SBI and build a site?
I feel like I got a comprehensive education about how internet business works from the ground up...as well as amazing tools and planning advice for my first site. Bring your skills and passions to the table, and SBI offers the framework to create a home business where you can make money from home. Site Build It's model works for any king of internet business venture, including direct sales, service and performance businesses, and informational sites that make money from ads. I chose the latter, since I would only be able to invest time in the setup, and didn't want to maintain a sales business with my other life commitments.

The biggest thing that I've learned is that to be successful with a website, you've got to get *FOUND*. You can design a stunning, well organized site, but if you don't know how to catch the 'eye' of the major search engines, then no one is actually going to be finding your site in searches. And if no one is finding your site, then no one is clicking your ads, and you will not make money from home.

Site Build It also hosts your site, and the only other investment that you make is a yearly 'rental fee' to hold your web address (which is standard...you'd have to spend the money for your domain name whether you're with SBI or not.) I think one of the most valuable aspects that SBI offers (beyond the basic education) are their tools and forum. There is a wealth of information and simple but very powerful tools to give you all the information you need to make great decisions on your new site.

But what if I'm not a computer whiz?
SBI is relatively 'low tech', in my opinion. It's written so that even the technically 'challenged' (raising hand) can follow along and learn at their own pace. Some of their tools are even slightly 'cluncky' they're so low tech, but the plus side is that they're VERY easy to use.

I also utilized their forums many, many times in the building process, and got great help and support whenever I got stuck.

What will I write about?
There are endless options with building an informational site. Basically, you will brainstorm about all of the different areas that you'd feel comfortable writing about...it can really be anything. You can build a successful website around any concept or focus, so long as there is enough 'traffic' looking for information on that topic. It doesn't have to scream 'high dollar'. In fact, my site often uses keywords that contain the word 'free', since I know that I love to find free things on the internet. Want to take a sneak peak at my SBI site?

It's not 'finished', but it works!

During the brainstorming period, I was looking for the 'golden nugget' site concept. That is a concept that I enjoyed, and felt that I can write a good bit on, but that also has a good number of 'traffic' searches daily , and not a huge 'supply' of quality sites offered. Then, I learned how to lay out a plan and find supporting keyword phrases that support the main idea of my site. So I was able to start out with a sort of 'map' of how to plan and build my site.

How long did it take to build your website?
True confession: I am not a great time manager, and I spent WAY too much time on design and layout...since I'm artsy...but that's TOTALLY not necessary for a building a successful website. So, the first 6-9 months, I spent a LOT of time reading, planning, studying, and basically learning the ropes of the hows and whys of how a site works. Then it was time to start building. I tend to work in spurts and fits, and then let it sit for a wile. By the end of 18 months, I had the site pretty much finished, and was earning money from the ads. It was a slower start with the income, but it built on itself, and has sustained growth with very little time invested since then on my part. I did start a site remodel, but have not finished it.

Right now, my free time is seriously limited, and I'm really enjoying blogging. As my kids get older, and I have more free time, I hope to build several more SBI sites, which should bring in a nice income. But for now, I'm just seriously enjoying the ability to help bring in a little extra every month, with no time invested. I just get a check in the mailbox every month.

SBI is not a short term solution to a financial crisis, but it's a GREAT long term solution to stretching a budget! It's not a fast process, but it's simple enough that I believe most people would be able to follow along with no problem, and create a site that allows them to make money from home just like I am.

If you'd like to know more about SBI, just click below.

(Full Disclosure- SBI offers a $75 bonus to me for any friend who signs up through my link. While I don't love the idea of this type of marketing, I already tell my friends about SBI, because it works for me, and I think it's a great company and product.)

Oh, and there is a buy one/get one sale going on through today...if you'd rather not make such a quick decision (I wouldn't), SBI often holds good sales at other times of the year. I'll post again, probably around Valentines day to let you know about the next sale.

If you have any questions, I'm more than happy to answer them.

Little Fashion Miss

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 23:09:30 +0100

This girl. She loves fashion. She jumps and claps if she opens a gift that contains 'only' clothes. Fancy socks are a favorite as well.

This particular day, she's chosen a vintage Raggedy Ann & Andy dress, and accessorized with lace stockings.

Really beautiful lace stockings...ones that I have no memory of her owning. And upon further inspection, there's something a little odd about those stockings...

Hrmmm. I'm guessing a few other things may turn up missing from big sister's drawer of cotillion accessories. Our little fashion bandit strikes again.

I just love 3 year olds. Especially this one.

Betta Mama: Meet Lizzy

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 03:02:02 +0100

Meet the Mama Betta: Miss Lizzy. Here she is enjoying her new habitat, just after giving birth to 30 some offspring. She bounced back quickly! Mr Darcy took a nip at her tail in their courtship, and she's still on the mend. So far, Mr. Darcy and Mrs. Elizabeth have remained apart after the initial mating. We still haven't made a final choice about their final living arrangements once the babies are done with the big tank. Her new quarters are kept up nicely by Madame Cheng...the golden snail that my kids named after a famous pirate.

The glass is pretty wavy in the top photo, but you can tell that Miss Lizzy is mostly bright blue, with a black face. Now, we were told by the guy at the pet store that the Male Betta fish are much prettier than the females. While their fins are much showier in many cases, we think Miss LIzzy is really lovely in her own right.

And what's really cool is that she can show you how she feels! In the first photo, she's happily swimming around in her home. This next photo was taken on the Friday morning after she came to live with us. Mr. Darcy had created his bubble nest, and was letting her know that he was interested.

See the red coloration and brighter colors here? And the really cool thing is that she showing vertical stripes to let Mr. Darcy know that she, too, is willing to dance.

One of the other aspects of Betta fish that we've enjoyed a lot is how social they are. I've been around a good number of aquariums, and fish are generally not interested in the presence of humans. Bettas seem to be different. In the photo below, she swam right up to my camera lens and was looking out at me.

Notice the horizontal stripes going down her sides? My daughter had just moved the tank in by the window to take these photos, and Miss Lizzy was rather nervous about this. Horizontal stripes tell you that she's stressed. Pretty cool, huh? She calmed down quickly after investigating the camera and swimming a few laps around her bowl.

Lizzy also has two little pointy fins that point straight down as a way to balance herself, or fold up under her. We've noticed that these seem to change color from a dark grey to red. It's fun to observe her behavior and coloring signals as we learn all about our beautiful new pets!

I wish I could offer a Betta baby to my readers...they are SO fun and easy to care for. If you live locally, let me know if you'd like to adopt one!

Betta Babies I

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 19:41:46 +0100

there was a baby here just a second ago!

To pick up where I left off from the last betta fish post: Daddy Betta, aka Mr. Darcy, was vigilantly watching over his little bubble nest and eggs. He was pretty bored, because watching eggs isn't that stimulating. But he was keeping his eye out for the annoying frog, and anyone else who threatened his future fry.

The mating happened on Monday morning, so on Sunday morning, I ran downstairs to see if we had babies yet.

Yes!!! Look at all these babies!!!

They were so, so, so, so tiny!

All the sudden, Mr. Darcy's Daddying gig got a little crazy. These newly hatched little ones, called fry, didn't have any sort of flotation device yet. Their air bladder doesn't develop until day 2 or 3, so they just hang there wiggling in the bubbles for a couple of days. Ideally, they hang in the bubbles, but with all that wiggling, they'd inevitably fall out of their nest, and float down to the bottom. Darcy would dart down after the little guys, and scoop them up in his mouth. Then he'd return them to the surface, and blow a few more bubbles. He was a very busy guy, since the babies were very wiggley, and he was pretty short on bubbles by this time.

betta fry family portrait

It was fun to watch him darting back and fort, gathering his fry in his mouth...they seemed to be falling constantly, so he was very, very busy. Sometimes, his mouth would get so full that little fry would come shooting out of his gills, and he'd have to go catch it again.

Mr. Darcy is very, very protective of his babies. I was trying to photograph one of them that was clinging to the side of the tank, and had my finger there to show scale. Just as I was about to snap the photo, Daddy Betta swam up and snatched him off the side. (top photo)

Betta's natural habitat is shallow streams and rice paddies in the Philippines. So, the water needs to have a good bacterial mix...the new babies actually live off of the bacteria that break down plants at first.
By day 3, the babies were doing a lot less 'hanging' and more swimming, so Daddy was returned to a smaller tank with our frog. Once the babies start swimming, they become food...adult Bettas eat anything that moves quickly.

The babies are growing quickly. Here is a photo of one of the little guys at one week old, hiding among the plants.

can you see him?

The babies stay very, very still most of the time...probably a defense mechanism to keep from being eaten. When they do move, though, it's as fast as lightening. It's amazing how fast they can scoot! Wanna see a one week old Betta fry closer up? So did I!

This is way more detail than we can see with the naked eye!

I've really enjoyed watching and trying to photographing these little guys with my old point-n-shoot. The focus mechanism is getting cranky on my camera, so this shot was a rare fluke...I can't believe my camera focused this well on something this tiny!

This is week 3 with the babies, and they are growing so quickly. Some of them look more fishlike, and less like tadpoles now. We have begun to notice that some are darker than others. Several of the babies are slower in their growth...we've been marveling at how they seem to be developing at different rates.

Next time, I want to give you a closer look at Lizzy...she's a lovely and fascinating gal with how she can change her stripes to tell us things!

Do you have any questions about our bettas? Let us know in the comments, and I'll let the kids research and answer your questions.

Beautiful Breeding Bettas

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 22:42:33 +0100

On a whim, we bought a pair of Betta fish at the pet store two weeks ago. This would be a Thursday afternoon, and buying pets on a whim is something that I am opposed to philisophically, spiritually, and logically. I think I either had a mental breakdown in Petsmart, which is a strong possibility, supported by the evidence that I even attempted to go into Petsmart with my four kids. Or maybe they play Muzac with backwards hidden messages that bamboozled me. Anyhoo...

The idea that we came up with on the spot was to add some low maintenance fish to the aquarium where our little aquatic frog lives. I'm all about low maintenance pets. Ziggy the frog was sort of lonely looking in there with just his snails to keep him company, so we brought home a beautiful crowntail male Betta, and a lovely deep blue female to the tank that evening. I did a bit of reading about their care and how to condition them to their new home, and we were up and running with a nice collection of class pets.

The kids worked on naming them all afternoon, and we finally decided that Mr. Darcy and Miss Lizzy would be appropriate. Male Bettas are known for their aggressive behavior, so there was the strong possibility that some sparks might fly, and altercations would arise between them. Boy, we had no idea.

The next morning, we awoke to discover that the water appeared to be foaming one corner of the tank. Mr. Darcy was busily preparing and guarding what is called a 'bubble nest.'

"He was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which tuned the tide of his popularity" -Pride and Prejudice

Ziggy (playing the part of annoying Mr. Collins) had also chosen that corner to play in, and was popping holes in the nest, so he was moved into a holding tank so Mr. Darcy could have some peace.

We thought it was a little odd that Darcy was behaving aggressively toward Lizzy, and had bitten off part of her tail. Naughty, naughty Mr. Darcy!

Lizzy was wisely hiding in the plants, but as his nest neared completion, she emerged and boldly trespassed onto his estate.

We were surprised to see that Lizzy was now sporting vertical stripes!

"Elizabeth, having rather expected to affront him, was amazed at his gallantry" ~Pride & Prejudice, ch.10

The pair began circling and dancing together; the mating dance had begun! They swirled, and circled tightly, and then Mr. Darcy wrapped himself around her, and clasped her tightly between his body and tail...

like this.

We grabbed the camera and did some (rather poor quality...sorry) video, to share with you all. Mr. and Mrs. Darcy gave us quite an educational experience, as this continued for several hours. We watched in amazement as they danced, courted, and mated over and over.

When Lizzy was released each time, she would be slightly stunned for a few moments. The newly released eggs would slowly fall down into the tank like little snowfakes, and Mr. Darcy would dart down and collect as many eggs as he could in his mouth. You can see this in the video. He would then carry them back up to the bubbles, and deposit them safely. As soon as Lizzy came to, she would swiftly dart down and gobble up any eggs that he hadn't collected. Here is an overhead view of the bubble nest with clusters of white eggs in it!

As we neared the 3 hour mark, Lizzy was releasing fewer and fewer eggs, and Mr. Darcy became increasingly annoyed with her. She retreated to the plants, and we rescued her and moved her to a nice little 'condo' so that she could enjoy some alone time. The males can become so aggressive while guarding the nest, that they can kill the female...so it was time for her to take a holiday.

One of the really neat things we discovered in reading and talking to the Petsmart folks is that this is a VERY rare occurrence. Betta don't just breed casually like this, so we feel very privileged to have had this opportunity and to share it with you.

My daughter confessed that she prayed that they'd have babies on the way home from Petsmart after buying them. She has been banned from praying for pet reproduction without express permission from her parents. And we've got her praying for some infertile couples instead. :)

Here is the promised video...sorry about the quality. We were really taken by surprise that this was unfolding before us, so it's a pretty shabby job, but an amazing event nonetheless.

Stay tuned for part II...the legacy of Pemberley continues <que dramatic music>

The Biltmore Estate Architects Tour

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 03:08:23 +0100

My man and I went on a little overnight get-away back in February. Why, yes...I'm a wee bit behind on my blogging. *ahem*

The Biltmore house

We got to enjoy a day at Biltmore Estates in Ashville, North Carolina. Biltmore is the historic home built by George Vanderbilt in the 1890's. It's an amazing home, constructed after the styles of several famous French villas. And it's a really cool destination for weekend get-aways for couples and for families. They have a historic community area called Antler Hill Village that is targeted at family and kid activities. And then there's the winery and vineyards, featuring wine tastings and farm-fresh foods created from ingredients raised right on their farm.

We enjoy historical and architectural tours, so I lined up tickets for the 'Architects Tour.' It boasts "a closer look at the design and construction of Biltmore House by going into areas not on the regular house visit," *and* "stunning views and photo opportunities from the rooftop and balconies." Cool!

I thought I'd share.
Consider this the tacky home slideshow post...or as an educational get-away...your pick.

We began outside, at the grand staircase. Here it is from the outside of the Biltmore house. You can see the grand staircase in the second photo above, to the left of the main entrance.

You'll get to see this from the inside in just a minute. The facade of the home is intricately decorated with carvings that were created in place, after the stones were set in place. I really loved all the details...lots of grotesques (non-functional gargoyles that don't actually divert water), and cool characters were carved everywhere. Here were a few favorites...

This wise old fellow was on the balcony right off of George's bedroom.

grrrr

more amazing stonework

And this lovely lady is Joan of Arc.

Joan flanks the grand staircase on the outside of the house. Our tour started outside, and we learned about the architect who built the home, and admired the exterior of the grand staircase and the general grandeur of the home.

Next, we entered the house, and went up the staircase from the inside. The cool thing is that the stone stairs are not held up by internal support systems. Because it's a spiral staircase, each step goes from very wide at the outer edge, and then narrows toward the center of the spiral. The staircase was designed so that the steps extend beyond the wall of the house, and the outside section of the step is the same weight as the entire inside section of the step...it's called 'cantilevered'. So the stairs are essentially balanced with the weight of the walls holding it all in place. Crazy, huh!

Here's a pic of the inside of the stairs, and the grand chandelier...

Our tour group was ushered up the stairs to the attic room that holds the architects model of the house. The house was designed with a special room to hold the model. On the way up the stairs, I noticed that the windows opened outward like small doors, so servants could go out onto the narrow staircase outside the wall, and clean windows. Eeek.

We were taken into a small study (later an art studio for Vanderbilt's daughter, Cornelia). It was designed with a sort of nautical feel, like a captain's quarters, and it had a catwalk around the top of the room. We went up on the catwalk, and got out onto the roof!

I wasn't supposed to take any photos inside the house (oops!), but I can show you our view from the rooftop.

The walkways on parts of the roof were very narrow, and we walked single-file to an overlook that had more space and views of the mountains and east side of the house (I think). Here is one of the narrow passageways:

Thankfully, the stone railings made me feel very secure.

Our first view was overlooking the domed "winter garden" room, and Edith's private balcony. Here is a view from that vista.

I think this would be the eastern wing of the house, and the stable rooftops.

Here is our tour guide, pointing out the slate tiles to one of our group.

and we were up close and personal with a few of these guys too.

We traveled to another part of the roof to see the dome at the top of the grand staircase that holds the massive chandelier in place with a single bolt. <shiver>

ta-da...the copper dome

We were able to peek into an attic storage room to see the inside of the slate roof, and how each tile was individually wired onto the roof. There was a lot of beautiful roof details from this area, and I got a few photos here too.

decorative copper edging lined the rooftops...love the acorn motif!

incredible details carved into each decorative tile

cool little flag ornaments

We were also able to see the west wing of the house and the landscape and gardens from this vantage point.

After the architects tour ended, we did the self-guided tour of the house. Take snacks, and comfortable shoes if you plan on doing back to back tours...it's *extensive*. My favorite places were the kitchen and basement rooms, including the Halloween room (painted by guests at a party!) and the bowling alley and work out room.

We had a great time, and would love to go back with the kids and see the Antler Hill Village. If you'd like more information about the Biltmore house, the website is: http://www.biltmore.com/

A New Look

Tue, 14 Jun 2011 16:46:51 +0100

Hi friends!

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I've been busy, busy, busy.
One of the things I've been working on is a new look for the blog. Really, I just wanted to add in some new features to make it easier to find things. And I've also added a few ads. Hope you don't mind.

In other news, I'm working on a new look for me as well. I'll tell you more about that later.
I'm working on a new post today about a getaway trip that Kyle and I took in February to the Biltmore house and the rooftop tour. I have lots of stuff to share...including some great summer recipes.

It's good to be back!

Love,
Gwen

Exercise with Mr. Darcy

Fri, 15 Apr 2011 02:24:14 +0100

Since the weather has gotten warmer, we've moved the Wed/Sat. bath night to Tues/Thurs/Sat (and whenever the kids are too stinky and or dirty to crawl in bed).

My smart man also wisely suggested that we fit in a family run/walk/woggle on those evenings, so we all get some good exercise in.

Excellent! I do so much better, and feel safer, considering the wildlife around here. I love it when he helps me gather all of my 'details' into the big picture...it is not my strong point.

So, this week, I planned easy and/or leftover meals for those nights, and I’m trying to have it ready by the time he gets home. After we get back from excercising, my girl and I finish up getting dinner on the table, while my man bathes the littles, and then we sit down to a light meal. I’m thinking dinner salads, taco salad, sub sandwiches, and things like Mexican re-fried bean layer dip. We’ll see how this goes!

We started this past Tuesday, and I ran and walked 2+ miles! He kept with me for 2/3 of a mile, encouraging me to keep 'running'…even though my 3 year old was lapping me in her ‘slip-slops’. He encourages me to push myself harder, and it worked! It's worth it to be a bit miserable out there if the time is spent with my favorite man.

Tonight, I was feeling pretty grateful for him. I love to watch him run. At one point, I ‘let’ him catch up to me (some call this ‘lapping’) and jogged along side him for a minute. Since I had been rather cheeky on the phone earlier, I was feeling a little guilty, and said, “I’m sorry that I am sometimes feisty in inappropriate ways.”

He grinned over at me and with a rather winded voice, said “I luh, I luh, I love you.”

There was nothing to be done but to pinch his cheek and tell him to meet me behind the dumpster.

Messy Bun: 5 minutes=2 good hair days

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 13:20:07 +0100

Can I tell you a secret? I've never been a girl that fussed with her hair much. I will not be providing photographic evidence of said bad hair, so unless you're friends with my Mom on facebook, you're out of luck. Just trust me. Hats, scarves, and ponytail holders and I have always gotten along great.

Even as a teenager, a friend of my brother's used to say "Hey, Gwen. What are you doing with your hair. Hahahahaha!"

OK. That would be washing and brushing. On a good day.

I was known for going to early morning classes with a wet ponytail. Yeah. Ick. I have major time management issues, OK? You can imagine that this only become worse after I had kids.

Enter the Messy Bun...I saw a blog post on it a few months ago (which I can't find, or I'd link you to it.) The Messy Bun has revolutionized my bad hair day woes. In literally 5 minutes or less, I can have great hair for 2 days! It works best on shoulder length or longer hair. Lemme show you how easy it is!

(I'm about to show you photos of my bathroom, me with wet hair, *and* me right after I wake up...so, consider yourself 'family')

First, grab a brush, a ponytail holder, and some bobby pins. I like to do this when my hair is still damp...right after I towel dry it. Brush through, starting at the lower ends, and then working your way up to get rid of tangles...

...and then I lean over and gather the hair into a ponytail at the crown of my head. So far, so easy, right? I'm essentially making a pony tail high up on my head.

Now, as you put in the ponytail holder, just tighten it up like normal, but instead of pulling you hair all the way through on the last twist, leave it in a 'loop'.

You should have a nice big loop, that looks like this, and the 'tail' or ends of your hair sticking out from under the ponytail holder.

I am making what my grandmother called a 'pincurl'. Here is how it should look from on top:

Cross 2 bobby pins over/through this little mini-bun-swirl. What this pincurl does is add wave to the tips of your hair tomorrow...nobody will see it today. The rest of the bun will cover it.

Bobby Pinning tip: if bobby pins slide out of your hair easily, try crossing them over one another. They 'lock' together and stay in place really well like this!

Now, you should just have loops of hair left .

This pic was before I started doing the pincurl thing, so ignore the wrapped around tail of hair.

Start pulling those loops together into a round tube or bun shape like this, bobby pinning as you go:

You want to form all those loops so that they look like a solid ring, or bun. And don't get too wrapped up in making it perfect...its *supposed* to be a "Messy Bun."

I like to tuck in bobby pins in about 5-6 places, all the way around, so my bun isn't flopping around at the back. I just stick the bobby pin at the bottom of a loop to hold it in place.

This just takes a few minutes, and you can add in a pin or two to tame stray strands, or even add a little ribbon or decorative bobby or barette to hold back your bangs. I will sometimes give it a spritz of hairspray if I have fly-aways, or use mousse if I want a smoother look.

Voila!

OK, the bow is cheesy. Don't do the bow.

The first time I wore a messy bun out, someone asked me if I was going to be in a wedding. Seriously? Well, OK! I'll take 'formal' over 'frumpy'.

It's a super comfortable hairstyle, and keeps all my hair out of my face. Since it's so high up on my head, it doesn't bother me at all to sleep in it. Which I do. That's part of the magic of the Messy Bun...the day 2 hair.

I took this photo right after I hopped out of bed, and took out the bobby pins and ponytail holder...

For the first time in my life, my hair has body...and curls! I love this 'beach curl' look, and it stays nice and wavy and pretty all day long! Since my hair dried while pulled 'up', it gives it great body and lift.

Look at that big hair!

Sometimes, I scrunch in a little hairspray if it's a damp day.

So, there you have it...my life changing Messy Bun hair secret.

A Little Stink

Mon, 04 Apr 2011 23:14:56 +0100

The small girly one on the end there.
I was sitting next to her today at lunch, and I smelled a little something-something. So I leaned over quietly and said "Do you need to go potty?"
To which she whispered back,
"No. I just poof-ted"