Wednesday~ What we're looking for in a home!

 What are we looking for?

Even though this will be the first home we buy, we don't plan to (have to) ever move again. Been there, done that. We've moved 8 or 9 times in 15 years, we've been in Tennessee for 13 years and here for 4 (as of March).

My mom is going to move with us, and pay rent so we need something with a somewhat separate living space, ideally she'd like to have (at least)  her own Bedroom, Living space, and Bath. So garage apartment, basement, etc would work perfectly for her and her 2 dogs.

We would like to have 3bd, 2ba (though one bath is ok) of our own. (Bedroom, Office, Guest/My office. I currently share an office with hubby, and always have, but he's to messy/cluttered for me, so It'd be nice to be able to shut the door on his space and not have to look at it.) Style of home doesn't matter to us, nor does it matter if it's needing a little bit of work.

We also have a dog, so we need enough space for Mom's dogs to play and ours to have her own little space. Anywhere between .25 and 2 acres is on the list. I garden and can (food) a little, but other than that and space for the dogs, we don't want a ton of acreage to keep up with.

We'd like a 2 car garage, but are fine with none. It'd be nice to keep the car(s) out of the heat /cold, but we've never had a garage, so it's not like we'd miss not having it.

At this point we've driven by, and eliminated to many to count. We've also now looked at 9 in person, it seems like each one is worse than the last. We've now expanded our area to include all 3 nearby towns, instead of just the 2 closest to the city (where we currently live). Still nothing.

We have one to go look at on Friday, I don't really like it from pictures, but we will see. It's 3 bd 2 ba, 2 car garage, and 2ac and the last house on a dead end road (of 4 homes). Other than that there is only one more on the list we'd like to see.

House hunting isn't so much fun anymore....


Have a great day,
~CraftinWife

Monday~ Physicians Formula Review

Physicians Formula BB Cream, Powder, & Concealer.

Physicians Formula is top middle, 2 eyeliners and a mascara in silver packaging.

Physicians Formula BB Cream products, a bronzer (pink package)and Mineral Face Powder.

I've had nothing but great experience with most Physicians Formula product(s). I've purchased them from: Target, Burlington Coat Factory, & Ross.

By far my favorite is the BB Cream Products (Light/Medium), though I don't use the Concealer very often. The cream itself is the best BB Cream I've ever used.(I don't use foundation, ever.) The packaging has around 11 claims, which is a lot, but for me it met most of them.  I really notice a skin improvement when I use it, and it has the right amount of coverage, moisture, etc for me. I set this with the BB Powder, and as you can see in the above pictures I've hit pan on the powder, and plan to repurchase. I also use the powder alone, on days I'm not going anywhere, or don't really want to wear much makeup. ( I am naturally reddish on my cheeks and like to cover that.)

The eyeliners are Shimmer Eyes, Custom Eye Enhancing Eyeliner, Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Trio. I got two (black & brown) with purchase of the Happy Booster, Glow & Mood Boosting Baked Bronzer (Light). I love the black eyeliner, it glides on smooth and stays all day. The brown isn't as noticeable, and doesn't wear as long.  If these were available separately I'd repurchase the black.  The black is only 1/4 gone (since September), so I have plenty of use left.

The mascara, Organic Wear CC Mascara in Ultra Black is nice, it's not my favorite mascara, but is great for sensitive eyes and is somewhat build-able. The wand is very stiff and only brings out a minimum amount of product, and even in Ultra Black it doesn't seem that dark. I like it because generally mascara makes my eyes itch after a few hours, and I don't get that issue with this product. It does assist in the curling of my lashes, but not dramatically. I love that it's for sensitive eyes but probably wouldn't repurchase, because I like a thicker (NOT MANGA) & dark mascara.

The bronzer (linked above) is a great color for me ( It works well over my natural redness). It has a nice glow, but no "mood boosting" which is a silly claim anyhow. It does have a bit of shimmer to it, so if you prefer matte finish this isn't for you. I would most likely repurchase this same product, or (since it's almost Summer) in a shade darker.

Lastly the 3K Mineral Wear, Mineral Face Powder in Translucent is ok, I use it to define certain areas (lips, nose, etc). It doesn't have much coverage (I've noticed as a general rule most mineral products don't.) For me it's not enough (coverage) to wear as a face powder, and I have other products that do it's job much better. I wouldn't repurchase this either.

  All opinions are my own, this is not a sponsored post, I personally purchased all these products.

What works for me may not work for you, and vise-versa. I urge you to read reviews, especially from people who have a similar skin type/issue as you, do your research and make an informed decision.

Have a great day!
~CraftinWife

Friday~ Easter cards.

For some reason my camera (SD card) won't communicate with my computer to upload my pics, but I've found an awesome blog to share with you.
This lady creates (FREE) digital stamps and shares with everyone. Really quite generous, and she so talented.
All of my Easter cards are using stamps from her collection. My first time using digis, wish I'd have know how east it was earlier!

Her blog:
Dearie Dolls


Enjoy!!

~CraftinWife

Playing Catch Up (2 blogs in one) New Plans for the blog & things that I didn't know: buying a house..

Monday Blog:

I have found that completely unstructured blogs don't work well for me. So here's the plan moving forward:

Mondays: Beauty related blogs. (Favs, OOTD, Hauls, Reviews, Empties, Etc)

Wednesdays: Life stuff/Misc.

Fridays: Craft related. (How-tos, Reviews, Hauls, Etc)

Hopefully adding a little bit of structure will help me stay on track, and help you read what you want with ease. 

(Next Monday: Review on Physicians Formula, several different products.)



Wednesday:

Hi all,
Todays life blog? The number one thing on our mind(s) right now: Buying a house.

Everyone knows that to buy a home now you have to have good credit, and that most realtors/sellers prefer you get pre-aproved before you start looking.

Something no one tells you about buying/looking for a house? 
It's hard, and at times really feels like work. 

At this point we've looked at tons (ok, more like a hundred) online, done several drive bys, and looked at 6 in person. We made an offer on one, but the counter back was insane. We are fortunate enough to not HAVE to move and can take our time, but it's still frustrating.

I always thought people who "wasted gas" to drive by were a bit crazy, but when we are out anyhow it makes sense. We actually eliminated 6 or 7 that way.

Another thing no one tells you? Even if you qualify for 100% financing, as we did, you still need money. Cash for earnest money, closing costs, and paying your realtor. Sometimes the seller pays some, or all of this, but not always. If not the total is generally between 3 and 7% of the purchase amount.

Third?
All lenders have a minimum amount, generally this is 50,000. However some are as low as 30,000. 

Fourth?
Some lenders are very picky as to the condition the home must be in, check with your realtor or lender before you fall in love with something that won't qualify for your loan type.

I hope this helps someone!
(Next Wednesday: What we're looking for in a home.)


Have a great day!
~CraftinWife 

Make up Collection & (Mostly Crafty) Hauls (Not quite Friday's Blog)

The clearance sections at local retailers must love me!
My collection has probably doubled since last time:

Glosses.

 Various Brands including:
E.L.F.
Hard Candy
L.A. Color
Maybelline

Lipsticks.

  Various Brands including:
E.L.F.
Stila
L'Oreal
Clinique

Eyeliners/Mascaras.

  Various Brands including:
Physicians Formula
Avon
Hard Candy
NYX
Wet 'n Wild

Face.

  Various Brands including:
Physicians Formula
Hard Candy
Stila
Cover Girl

Eyeshadows. (1 of 2)

  Various Brands including:
L.A. Color
E.L.F.
Avon

Eyeshadows. (2 of 2)

Both are "generic" brand.

These pictures were taken while I was cleaning out my make up case, several glosses and lipsticks were cut (all E.L.F.) as well as some eyeshadows.


Any questions? Feel free to leave a comment!



Recent(ish) Hauls:
(Also posted & up to date on instagram, link above)

Michaels- clearance.

Target- Dollar Spot.

Simon Says Stamp.

Lil Inker Designs.

Michaels- clearance.

Target- clearance.

Dollar Tree.

Kmart- clearance (plus 20-40% additional savings)

Target.

Tuesday Morning.

Dollar Tree.

Any questions? Feel free to leave a comment!

~CraftinWife

I am ready to get back into this....

For now this blog is going to be a bit unstructured, I'm keeping the craft/beauty/life theme but no current posting schedule/theme other than Monday, Wednesday, Friday. That's what works best for me right now.

WELCOME BACK!

The biggest change since February? We got pre-approval and are FINALLY looking to buy our first (and most likely forever) home! We've actually already found one we love, and it has an apartment space for (my) Mom. We are thinking/praying about making an offer. I'm excited and nervous. I'm also excited to clean out some of our junk, if hubby really lets me. :)


Other than that I've started crafting more again, & bought a bunch of makeup (part of Friday's blog). 

The crazy winter/snow has finally ended and Spring has sprung here in TN.


I'll leave todays blog with a picture of the niece & nephew playing/crafting:

~CraftinWife

It's been awhile..

Wow, life!
My last blog was in October, before that mid-September. 
It's been a rough few months.. In October we were busy, we babysat my niece and nephew for a weekend,  we went to my Dad's company picnic (HSN), we spent a lot of time with family. Dad was feeling okay most mornings, but evenings and chemo days were really rough on him (stomach cancer). 

In November Dad started a stronger dose of chemo and was generally always cold and unable to eat. He was looking forward to Thanksgiving, and I am so thankful we spent it with him (and Mom). He was his normal, comical, fun loving self.  The Wednesday before Dad was in the hospital, given fluids and released. That Friday hubby & I did our routine Black Friday shopping then stopped in and had leftovers with Mom & Dad (though he really didn't eat). Saturday Dad was incoherent & hadn't ate/drank anything all day. Hubby tried to help Mom get him into the car, but an ambulance had to be called. He passed away Sunday 11/30/14.

December was okay, we spent most of our time as a family, keeping busy and grieving. Christmas went well, the kids sent pictures to papaw (in heaven) via helium balloons. 

January we started going through Dad's closet, dressers and the basement. We also celebrated our nephews 3rd Birthday, and went to Chuck E. Cheese. The shed with his tools, and so on will have to wait until spring.

We are trying to find a home now to buy (with Mom). No luck so far, but we aren't in any rush (though we all hate our current rentals).

I don't know the direction this blog is going to take, but life goes on. Dad would want us all to be happy!

I am still passionate about crafting, makeup, & hair care. 

'Til next time,
~CraftinWife