DIY Flower Crown

Ready to rock a flower crown? The perfect Spring accessory is so easy to make and SO fun to wear. It just adds an extra little pep in a girl's step. :) Grab some thin floral wire and wire clippers (bought both of mine at the Dollar Store), pick your flowers, and get to wrapping! You'll have a beautiful flower crown in under 5 minutes for under 5 dollars!

Cut a piece of wire about 1.5 times the circumference of your head (or of how small you want the crown). Don't worry if you run out, it's wire- you can wrap more on! Save time by cutting off lots of flower pieces now. If you want it big and poofy, cut farther from the bud so that it can stick out more. If you want it neat and tight to the circle, cut very small stems, closer to the bud but still with enough (maybe 2") to wrap the wire onto.

You can use any flower, but if you are using thin floral wire, try to stick with lightweight flowers such as baby's breath. Now go rock that flower crown!

 

+ Hold fast to what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. +

Bloggy mini Break - Getting My Fitness On

Hi friends! I've been away for almost two weeks now. :( And I have so many great posts planned and so much to share, but the break is going to last at least into next week too. Maybe. We'll see. Here's the deal... I'm on this really fabulous weight loss journey that peaked my interest in fitness.

So about 6 months ago I bought a Groupon for one of the certified personal training classes and certifications. Any CPT out there may be rolling your eyes right now because no it is not from one of the top providers. But I'm not doing it for other people (not at the moment anyways). I'm doing this for me to learn more about health, fitness, and my body.

Unfortunately I've spent the last 6 months pretty wrapped up in my job(s), lay off(s), and new business. The package expires in 11 days. Not sure if it's even possible for me to do this in time, but I am definitely going to try!!! It means a lot to me and I know y'all understand.

Hopefully I can schedule out the studying easily enough and get some blog posts out soon- I have great fun to share with y'all- camping, hiking, eating, exploring, painting, shopping, etc. I promise to be back asap!!! :)

 

P.S. You can always keep up with me on Facebook and Instagram (happyalison180)! And if you live in the Charleston area and are interested in weight loss and having a walking and accountability group, I would love for you to join me at the Charleston Body Turnaround!

My Story: Becoming a Professional Blogger {Part One}

Oh yeah! I'm officially a full-time, professional blogger. You are my #o-uno work related care in the world. I love it!

My senior year of high school I had to make that dreaded decision- which college to accept?
It was College of Charleston (CofC) vs. Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and I was torn in half. Short story- I chose CofC. CofC meant that I would be getting a Business degree with a minor in Political Science. I knew that from the moment I accepted. So my dreams of living a creative life, designing furniture, painting, and decorating were put to the side with SCAD. And I was okay with that and still stand by that decision, but it had its effects. Still, it was just another part of the process, the plan, life.

via (<- fantastic lifestyle blog, btw)

Fast forward to senior year of college, when I was first introduced to the Charleston Aerospace and Defense Industry. My eyes twinkled and heart skipped a beat- this is where I was meant to be. I was enamored with everything this industry had to offer from the smallest contract to the idea of working at the Pentagon.

As a senior with limited extra curricular activities besides wasting 4 years on a stupid boyfriend and an equally dull GPA, I was willing to work at the bottom of the bottom to prove my worthiness. I'm not a traditional-test-taking type of gal. I fail multiple choice every time. But give me a computer and some random new software everyone else is taking classes to learn- I'll be testing (applied knowledge tests) as an expert in an hour or two. I always knew I could prove myself, if I could just get my foot in the door.

So I set out on my job hunt before graduation. I knew every defense contracting company in a 30mi radius of Charleston. I even attempted to go door-to-door with my resume, which is near impossible since you can't get into most offices without badges and can only talk to the receptionist in the others. I joined all the defense related clubs and networked like there was no tomorrow.

Still, no dice. I broke down in August 2008 (3 months after graduation) and took a job as an assistant at an insurance agency. Gag me. It was awful, but it was something!

Lay-off One

Then in February 2009 I was laid-off a few days before Valentine's Day and my birthday. Either me or the office manager had to go and since she was the boss' girlfriend, I lost. ha.

After the most miserable 6 months of my life on unemployment, I got a job hostessing part-time for the restaurant that was going to cater our wedding.

So there I was hostessing downtown just 2 weeks before my impending nuptials. I don't think Kent and I brought home even $500/month between us. I was still applying to at least 10 defense jobs per week, calling anyone's number I could get, and attending all the networking events I could find. I was not the most scholarly candidate and these companies get to pick from the best!

Finally my break- September 2009- I overheard a diner talking about a company that I had just applied to that morning and I told his waiter to make him pay upfront. {so sneaky!}
I hurried to seat a table and ran back and took a chance, asking him if he worked for that company. He replied no and I was momentarily crushed. When I explained why I asked, he said the most amazing words I'll never forget... "Oh well you don't want to work for them! You want to work for Lockheed Martin!"

HOLY CRAPOLA!!! I had never even applied to a job at Lockheed. LM is the #1 defense contractor in the world. They get the top pickings of the world. I was in heaven.

We exchanged information and I literally jumped up and down through the restaurant squeeling. LOL. It just felt like such a break and like somehow this was my moment.

And it was, but it took a while. Contracts are up and down and it's a complicated industry to be a part of. So after much patience, I finally began working at my dream job in April 2010.

I loved working for Lockheed Martin. The Charleston office felt like a small, family business while still having all the perks of being a part of a large company.

Lay-off Two

But like I said- contracts are up and down and our project ended up with a different company a year and a half later. I was laid-off for the 2nd time. So to the new company I went. :( Thankfully still working on the same project with the same people.

Lay-off Three

From there it was pretty downhill. That project ended and I was essentially laid-off again. I found another project to work on (under the same company), but that went very downhill.

Lay-off Four

One day you're rearranging your life to travel for the project on no notice and the next minute you're being laid-off because the customer (i.e., the government) has changed the goals and you aren't needed now. This was by far the worst lay-off. It broke my heart. I'm not going to go into all of that though. So if you are counting... That makes 4 lay-offs in 4 years, or 3 in 2 years.

via

I was done! Cooked! Crispy! Turn me over! Put a fork in me! Ain't ever going back!

So in May of this year, I found myself back to where I was as a high school senior- Do I choose business or creativity? Thankfully, I'm choosing both this time around. I've postponed looking for a new job, partly because I don't even know what to do now.

I had a dream in college to work in IT (computers) for a big defense contractor and I was so blessed to have made that come true at such a young age. But now I have to let go of that dream and start building new ones.

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams,

 live the life you've imagined.

- Henry David Thoreau

I'm choosing to do that with you. My blog readers. I love blogging because I get to network with so many different types of women and build my Shaklee business by helping families become healthier. Win! I'm able to spend more time with my boys and I even have time to workout now. This is what I've been yearning to do for the last year, but had been SO afraid of taking the plunge. As much as the last lay-off broke my heart, I know God is the one who orchestrated it. He knew I was too afraid so He gave me a BIG push!

I'll be back next Monday with Part Two: How I Monetized My Blog. This new dream I'm working on is amazing and I'm loving every minute of it, but it still comes with bills. :)

Now I really want to know- What is your dream? Have you ever reached a dream and then had to move on?

You Can't Airbrush Self Love

Today's post is very near and dear to my heart face. You can't airbrush self love. And that goes 2 ways... You can't airbrush yourself so much that you suddenly love the way you look (not really) and you can't airbrush away self love if you truly do have it. I touchup my pictures in Picmonkey and I feel no shame for it! I can get rid of the bags under my eyes, smooth out my skin, and brighten my hair in seconds! Still, there are two flaws pointed out to me by two not-so-smooth guys, that I can never/will never get rid of. Want a laugh? Read on!

"You Got the Thing On Your Nose Fixed!"

The first flaw was pointed out to me by an ex-boyfriend just after I had nose surgery for a deviated septum. No matter what celebrities say- surgery for a deviated septum does not change the way your nose looks! That is plastic surgery.

So there I was, finally healed and able to go on a date and the first thing he said was, "You got the thing on your nose fixed!" Um... what? What thing? Apparently, all these years I had actually had a little slant to the tip of my nose. I never knew till that moment and it had, in fact, not been fixed! Jerk, burst my perfect-nose-bubble. LOL.

"EW! What is that!?!?"

The second flaw was so ungracefully pointed out by my husband. Every now and then it comes up and we start laughing all over again.

We were talking one night, when he leaned in and exclaimed, "EW! What is that!?!?" He was pointing to a freckle. He apparently had never noticed it until that moment and was convinced alien poop had landed on my face and that was the correct way to notify me. hahaha. It's just below my left eye, next to my nose. I had never really paid any attention to it before. Naturally, he burst into nervous laughter and apologized a million times. I was not the first victim of him blurting out things, so I knew he meant no harm. But in the end there it was- this giant freckle of a flaw shining bright in the almost-center of my face.

It's not nearly as cute as the mickey mouse freckle I get on my bottom lip in the summer, but you can't cut freckles off so what's a girl to do?

Fast forward a few years, many nights of frustration with makeup, many pictures torn up for showing too many chins, and far too many bad thoughts soaring through my mind on an almost daily basis. There I was sitting on our couch in the most perfect light of the day and I started to wonder what I looked like.

Do you ever look in the mirror and see one (beautiful, glorious) thing and then see a picture of yourself later and want to cry?

I do all the time. So with nothing else to do with this free-time, I decided to start snapping pictures with my phone.

What I found is that the closer I got, the more I liked what I saw. I got goofy with it and took pictures of me fake laughing, smiling big, turning to each side, yawning, etc.  

How does the world see me when I do this _____? 

In the end I feel that I have a new appreciation for myself and my face. So my nose is a little slanted, oh well. And I kind of like that freckle. I kind of like all of my freckles. They make me who I am. I am beautiful.

Go do it! You know you want to. :) Grab your phone and snap some close-ups. You are beautiful.