Goings on

So what's been going on these days?  Here's a few things...

I've made a total of two shopping trips to Aldi's!  We're taking Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University, and are currently motivated to be thrifty.  In case you've never heard of it, Aldi's is a grocery store full of boxes of food.  You rent your shopping cart with a quarter, then get it back when you return your cart.  There are no plastic bags, so bring your own!  If you don't, you'll have to just throw a cartload of groceries in the bag of your car...and they'll roll around the entire way home.  Trust me.

We just got brand new windows!  So no more of this business...

Anyway...  I'm finally going to make some curtains!  But that means I need to find the fabric...the perfect fabric...

Maybe?

And this past Monday was Veteran's Day!  That means that Kyle got a free meal at Olive Garden!  It was awesome.

And more fabric... Maybe?

Ipsy Bag October 2013

I blame YouTube.  And you should too.

That's right, YouTube has sparked my interest in all things make-up and skincare.  This little pile made me oh so happy!  Living the dream, living the dream...

Right, well, YouTube beauty guru I am not, but I've really been addicted to enjoying the fashion, diy, and beauty videos over the past year.  Most of them subscribe to a beauty box or two, and so actually getting one of my own is way more thrilling than it probably ought to be.

So what exactly are these things?

1. Every bag comes with...well...a bag!  This one's adorable!
2. LA Fresh make-up wipes- Nice size right?
3. Zoya Nail Polish- I've already tried this out, and love it!  I stink at applying nail polish, but this stuff just melted onto my nails with a mind of it's own, and did the job with just one coat.
4. Starlooks Lip Pencil- I did try this one...and...well...I'm honestly not much of a lip pencil kinda girl.
5. Big Sexy Hair Blow Dry Gel- I've tried it, and really wanted to like it (obviously), but either I'm not applying it correctly or it's not that great.
6. Nourish Organic Deeply Nourishing Coconut & Argan Body Lotion- Cute little sample, and I thought it was ok, but Mr. Brown wasn't so sure.  He said it smelled better in the tube than on my hands...

That's it!  And that was my first review-ish post!  Excitement!

A First Anniversary Weekend...

So I've been married for a year now!  And all year I was looking forward to our one year anniversary for two reasons:

1) There's a well-loved tradition of eating a frozen bit of the wedding cake AND

2) The first anniversary trip!

#1 was a bit on the dry/freezer burned side, but the trip was great!  We went to the zoo & tried out a Japanese restaurant.  Both were pretty interesting... There were eels at both!  What an adventure :)

iPad Love

Evie!

In case I haven't mentioned it...  I have a new kitty and she's A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!

Curb Appeal

Finally back into art journaling after some inspiration from http://marloesdevries.tumblr.com/ and my old favorite http://www.annadenise.nl/.

I planted my first ever flower garden and veggie patch this spring!  Small steps is the name of the game...  Watering them on a regular basis has been a bit of a challenge, but so far so good!

The Great Couch Swap of 2013!

Last weekend, Mr. Brown, myself, and my brother-in-law switched the couches of 4 houses, and we did it in less than 3 hours!  Now, I suppose I should clarify that when I say "we," I mean that the strong men did most of the work, and that they ought to get most of the credit.  I did my share to be sure, as I was in charge of moving the various cushions and pillows back and forth, and of course was the only one documenting the adventure.

In case you're wondering...

The chubby green love seat (my husband's $20 purchase) was ours and the first to travel.  It went to my mom & dad's house where it replaced a lovely neutral couch.  The neutral couch traveled about 20 minutes north to my sister's house to replace a mauve sectional (a remnant of her husband's bachelor days).  The sectional traveled back to my hometown to my youngest sister's house to replace the cream of the crop of sofa's...  Can you pick it out?  Process of elimination, I know, but really, it's so beautiful! And it's mine at last!  

Where Do You Take a Scot?

Summer came to Kansas this week!  I turned on the AC on Wednesday night, and that's the official beginning of summer for Kansas folk.  Along with summer, came my dear Scottish friend!  Just in time to enjoy the heat...

Now when I say "my Scottish friend," I mean she actually came over from Scotland, herself...  Technically, I think I've got some Scottish ancestry, along with what seems like 95% of the American population, but this girl even has the telling accent.  So there!

Anyway, she came for a visit, and one of the highlights (for me at least), was a trip to Jamesport, MO.  There's a high concentration of Amish/Mennonite families in this area, so over the years it's become quite the attraction.  Not only does it have small Amish-run businesses and shops, but also a load of antique shops!  Gotta love the antique shops!

My favorite purchase was a pair of blue furniture coasters
that I'm using to even out my kitchen cart!
Hence, my haul pic taking place on the kitchen floor :)

I didn't break the bank or anything, but I had a blast looking around and listening to the musings of my friend.  Twas an awesome day!

One Fine Day

Our spring has been a bit tardy this year, and March was full of freezing and snowy days.  However, there was this one day...  Literally, it was one nice day, and it was crazy warm!  One crazy warm day, and we took advantage of it.  Well, if you'd consider going to Brown County Lake taking advantage of a beautiful day.  

Regardless, it was lovely...  Mr. Brown brought his fishing gear, and I brought reading material, music, and food.  We both had a pretty good time, and it was nice to be able to relax and be warm.  Here's hoping that spring wins out before too long!

Weekend Getaway!

If there's one thing I love, it's going places.  I'll go just about anywhere if I'm asked, and recently, I was asked to go away for a weekend with a certain young man.  He said he'd reserved a room at a high class hotel in the Old Market district of Omaha, and we could spend the weekend shopping and eating...  AAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Needless to say I was pretty excited, and the weekend definitely lived up to my expectations.  Especially the food bit!  We took advantage of the opportunity to try a few new things (including room service!), and the whole experience was awesome.

We ate at a swanky italian place...

Room Service!

Mr. Brown even got to shoot the breeze with one of his favorite people!