Sunday Social: Thankful

This Sunday, it's all about being Thankful for the year. If you're interested, come link up with Neely!


image via thethriftyqueenspeaks

1. The house I live in. After living in hotels for over a month, our house finally closed a couple days after Christmas which is a huge blessing for us at that time. The people rushed everything just for us and I am forever thankful to them for doing that. I am thankful for a roof over my head even though my downstairs bathroom is having issues and I'm super annoyed about that right now.



2. My husband who gave me a house to live in, a car to drive... supporting me financially and emotionally. As you know, this year he is not home for the holidays which really bums me out because it would of been our first one in our new home. What can I say, duty calls!
3. My dogs Frankie and Maggie. As much as they drive me insane since my husband left with barfing things up or lately, pooping in the house twice, I do love them to death. They keep me company all day every day, snuggle with me in bed at night even though my bed turns super hairy... overall, they're really great dogs!
4. My less than a handful of girl friends who I call my sisters. I don't have a real sister to begin with and for me to literally tell you that I love you like a sister means more to me than they'll ever know. These girls are my rock! We might not talk every day, but when we talk again, we pick up where we left off :)
5. My blogger friends, whether I've met you this year or 5 years ago. Seriously, you guys are awesome! :) A HUGE Thank you to Jelli for putting my blog out there in blogland and another HUGE thank you to Tookies for supporting me and my blog the last 3 months ♥
6. I rarely talk about us being a military family, but I am thankful for those friends who I have met, who I still keep in touch with, who has become family. We constantly move and always dread when it's time for our goodbyes.... point is, I want to give a special Thank you to SSG Israel Nuanes who gave the ultimate sacrifice earlier this year in May. I won't talk about it, but I did post about it earlier this year. Love you and miss you Iz ♥

That's all I got for you, but have a great Thanksgiving and if you're doing the whole Black Friday thing... be safe!

Happy Monday!

How was everyone's weekend? Mine was pretty quiet. It was a pretty quiet week overall, but, I did get to have a short Skype date with the hubby ♥ Still applying for jobs and still hoping someone will call. On Sunday, N's friend came by to drive his BMW which has been sitting in the garage collecting dust.



Him and his wife brought their new puppy Mushu and he's just so cute!! He's about 13 weeks or so and he's a Siberian Husky. Makes me really miss when my dogs were that little with their sweet puppy breath. Now I have 2 large dogs with stinky dog breath haha Anyways, his wife went back home to Hawaii a couple months ago and I was so excited to see all the goodies she brought back for me! I have yet to try the Guava jelly and jam and I like that the sugar content on all the goodies were low :)



So, if you follow Evani, you guys know she came out to Seattle for a week and we decided last night to meet up halfway. I knew that if I didn't, I would of totally regretted it especially since she was willing to meet me half way. So, glad I did! We went to Starbucks and I probably rambled about God knows what and her boyfriend walked around the mall while we chit chatted away. Evani... Girl! I'm so glad I got the chance to meet you in person today and Thank you so much for the goodies! I can't wait to dig into my strawberry shortcake after I finish posting this.



Evani is actually my very first blogger friend I've ever met up with (actually, I've only known her for about a month) and she also gave me some good blogging tips and things. My husband was a little wary of me meeting up just in case she ended up being some old dude trying to kidnap me. If you don't follow her already, you should! I have to say though, for someone whose living out of her suitcase, she showed up looking all cute while I came looking like a bum next to her!!



After meeting and chatting away, Evani and Rob had to get going, so I ended up going to Daiso really quick since this one is better than the one in Tukwila. I picked up a couple things here and there. I loooove this store! Just about everything is like $1.50 unless otherwise marked and you can find everything from snacks, to household goods to stationary to beauty products.

Definitely a great day and what a great way to start off the week! :)

Almost One Down and 11 More to Go

I miss you so much! I miss your smell, your laugh, your kisses, your hugs. I miss cooking and baking for you. I miss you picking up dog poop. I miss you driving us around exploring. I miss you taking care of the yard work. I just really miss you.

I know there's a good amount of people out there who are so negative towards the military and the lives that we live. I am in no way complaining, because YES, this is the life I've chosen and I wouldn't have it any other way. We're nearing our one month mark and I have to say, I've done alright. Like I said awhile back, September has been really good to me. I turned 29, made lots of new friends through blogging, had my first sponsor from the amazing Tookies, finally finding someone to do our yard, my A1C went down to 5.8 and my friend Jenny is coming to visit in 2 weeks!!

I feel very blessed and so thankful for those who have recently come into my life... and that includes all my new followers. I'm just very grateful.



With that being said, I am so excited to give you a sneak peek of what's to come on Monday. I am going to be hosting my very first giveaway on this blog! I'm going to be giving away 2 Zoya nail polishes, $10 GC to Starbucks and a FREE 250x250 sponsor ad spot. It'll run for about a week and a half, but it's ONLY for US residents only.

Question for you: Is it better to have it open to everyone? Open to only bloggers? Should I make following me on GFC mandatory? Any help would be great!

Me, Myself and I: September

*WOOT WOOT* It's my first link up party!

1) When you're feeling down, what do you do to pick yourself up?
To be honest, there has been quite a few "feeling down" moments in the past couple weeks since my husband left and I... I, hmmm... actually have no clue what I do. Usually I just bake, but since it's just me, I don't bake that often. I probably paint my nails, have a good cry, listen to my KPOP/Dubstep extremely loud or I text my husband.

2) If you had to live in a different time period, which would you prefer?


I don't know why, but I've always found the 50s to be interesting. It's probably just my secret love for poodle skirts.

3) What is the most creative Halloween costume you've ever worn?
I am the least creative when it comes to Halloween! I just NEVER got into Halloween like most people. I know when I was younger, my mom would always make me wear my traditional Chinese outfit which was bright pink satin with red trimming and flowers. One year she did let me borrow my neighbor's dress and I was a flapper. I think that was my favorite of all time. One year, I just honestly didn't care so I put on sweatpants and a hoodie and called myself a "jogger".

4) Five weird things about you we wouldn't know without being told?
- Up til winter of 2010, I couldn't drive a car if my right foot had shoes on. Since we were stationed at Drum and it snows like crazy, I had to learn to drive with my shoes because it was freezing and I really had no choice.

- When I'm nervous or scared to do something or even when I'm just bored, I start picking the skin around my thumbs. I don't know WHY I do it, but I've been doing it since I was a kid and I use to get scolded for it. So, um sorry my thumbs are sometimes icky to look at.

- I sorta like to count people's fingers and toes. When I was younger, I met a family friend who had an extra finger and when I got older, I use to go to my best friend Jeannie's and I discovered her mom has an extra pinkie toe. So, YEA.

- I have an unhealthy addiction hoarding of nail polishes. And I'm picky of what brand I buy.

- On top of hoarding nail polishes, I also hoard hand soaps from Bath & Body Works and candles.

5) What would you tell your 16-year-old self?
Be more adventurous, more out-going, more fun, less shy, do better in school and don't worry about boys!



Come join in at My Beautiful Crazy Life

Sunday Round Up

September thus far has been very kind to me. Except missing my husband like crazy, because that part is lonely. Oh so lonely. To start off the month, I purchased my first ad space at Jellibean Journals. Then it was my birthday on the 2nd. Though it was a very quiet one, I still had a good one and feel incredibly blessed and loved by my family and friends. I received some things I ordered online from Zoya, Macy's and Erin Condren. You know what's really funny? All 3 orders there was something either broken, missing or wrong color, BUT I have received AMAZIIIING customer service from Zoya and Erin Condren, so it makes up for it :)

Then, on Sunday evening I received not only a tweet, but an email saying Oh My Tookies purchased a sponsor ad from ME! ME. Little ole' me! I literally screamed, started getting a little shakey and was so overwhelmed with excitement. Who is Oh My Tookies? They make homemade jar cakes, cookiewiches and their famous gourmet marshamllows. I do not recommend looking at their Etsy shop on an empty stomach! So, if you have no clue who they are or curious, check out there blog and their shop!



I've also been keeping a gratitude journal on my phone and have posted each day on Instagram except today. I plan to keep up with it for a year while hubby is deployed. It'll be interesting to see what I was grateful each day he's gone. Alright friends, I'm watching Breaking Amish right now and getting completely sidetracked! Hope you guys had a great weekend!!

All Hail Erin Condren!

Who here doesn't know who Erin Condren is? It's okay if you don't. No shame in that, but this amazing woman has been sweeping the nation with her famous life planners which everyone and their grandma's now own or in the process of owning one.



I, am one of the few who did not order a life planner, but I am a very very proud owner of their jumbo calendars which I have been looking for one for a really long time now. About 2 years ago, I purchased this Martha Stewart branded wall calendar which I LOVED to death until I used up the last page. I went back to Target quite a few times and it seems like they stopped carrying it. I've also gone to one of the office supply stores that carry Martha Stewart brands and they also do not carry it. I was so disappointed no one carried and I know I could of just purchased one of the ugly plain ones, but I wanted something colorful and fun.



Awhile back, Danielle of Framed Frosting held a 10 day giveaway and I was one of the lucky winners who won the $50 credit to Erin Condren's store. I was sad to find out that I wasn't able to use my credit towards a life planner, but I've long gone gotten over that. Even though my order is missing my colorful pens which I've already called them about, I am over the moon in love with my calendar. It sits beautifully in my kitchen and it makes remembering appointments easier and jotting down birthdays or notes quicker since I don't have to search for my little notebook.

I just want to personally thank Danielle of Framed Frosting for her amazing giveaway and Erin Condren for all her amazing goods!

NOTE: I am in no way affliated, paid or sponsored by Erin Condren. This purchase was made using my own money.

New layout!

Life as of late has been alright. The dreadful August is here and DH will be leaving soon and I feel very unprepared as most deployments go. My birthday is coming up next month and I think I'll be okay. First birthday completely alone, but glad to still have the dogs to keep me somewhat sane.

New layout up for August! As well for Beauty School Dropout and if you haven't friended us, please do! Giveaways in the future and hopefully for here too! :)

Oh, Life Stuff

One week my life was completely hectic and a bit sad. I'm talking about an overwhelming amount of sadness. It was pretty devastating. Then we went on this amazing drive couple weekends ago which I should be posting about, but I have yet to edit the photos that were taken from my iPhone. Ended up taking on another blog project with my friend Jenny @ Beauty School Dropout. Hubby went on leave for a week, went to Utah the next and yesterday at midnight, we are officially on leave again woohoo! The dogs and I are about 90% packed, Hubby has packed 0% and we are leaving Wednesday morning. To where? Hubby is dropping me and dogs off in HB (Huntington Beach, CA) while he goes to Vegas to visit his parents for a few days. I am over the moon excited to go home and see my family/friends and just chill out.



So, this past weekend, we kinda fixed up our front yard by taking out plants that the contractors put in before we moved in and sort of rearranged some plants and finally planted the flowers we bought the weekend before. Lazy much? Lately, the sunset here has been amazing and I was able to capture a few shots here and there.



It was a beautiful day, clear skies, big fluffy clouds and the sun was out. While trying to capture the first photo posted, which by the way, is this farm/field down the hill, across the street. I wish you guys were here to see it in real life! The shot above is of Mt Rainier peaking over the top of some new construction. On a really clear day, I can view Mt Rainier, Mt Baker and even Mt St Helens from upstairs. That really won us over when we first looked at this house.



Alright friends, it's almost 230AM here and still have some more packing to do. Probably won't be updating this much while on vacation, but if you haven't already, follow me on Instagram @ yenlinge.

Our 4 day Weekend

How was your Memorial Day? N had a 4 day and we didn't do too much... mostly yard work, or I watched my husband do it haha Friday, was Iz' funeral and even though we weren't able to attend, we were definitely there in spirit and I gave myself a moment alone. So, this Memorial Day, I want to thank the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice so their brothers and sisters can return home safely. Also want to give a personal shout out to Darby Morin and Israel Nuanes (pictured above). Bittersweet weekend.



We did some random drives this weekend... exploring and I was able to capture some pretty awesome shots. The one above is somewhere in Bellevue. You know what, this post is a little silly, but I just wanted to post photos from this weekend, so enjoy! :)

Still Grieving

Let's be real for a minute. My intentions for this blog is to be happy and carefree, but with recent events I feel like I want to dig a little deeper and show a side I usually would never show, especially on a public forum like this.

I know I have relatives who has passed, but I was either young or I honestly just didn't know them well enough. I have lost a friend or two, but we weren't friends, more like acquaintances. Two were girls I went to school with it and they were tragically killed in a car crash just months after we graduated high school by a drunk driver. Another one was from my old best friend's close friend, but her story is a little complicated to tell. I also mourned. One of the biggest blow to my heart was the death of a close friend of my husband and I's. SGT Darby T Morin, who will forever hold a special place in our hearts. He passed away August 2009 in Afghanistan. We met the Morin's at our first station in Fort Eustis, VA and we were about to reunite at Fort Drum, NY. I miss you Darby!
And currently, my heart is heavy again. It is painstakingly hard to write about and I can't help but to bawl at the same time. So, sorry if everything is so jumbled up. I first met Iz at a friends poker night where I must say, I totally won allllll their money *wootwoot* I didn't meet Rosina til we moved to Drum and they followed a month later. Let me just tell me, Ro & I hit it off quick and she quickly became my best friend at Drum. When our men deployed, she was my rock. When our husbands were gone at training or VIPS, she was my date. When her and Iz moved to a new station, I was so devastated! She is like a sister that I've never had and she always will be. But I am so blessed to have N meet Iz at EOD school and for me to meet Ro and have her be my sister. I am very very blessed to have them in my life. His funeral is being held this Friday on May 25, 2012 and I feel like it'll be that much more real. And I really don't want it to be. I didn't get to know Iz as Iz and I wish I got more time to. I do have a few memories... like how he and Ro came over for Thanksgiving and cooked because my husband was gone. My favorite was him letting me ride on the back of his motorcycle!! It was absolutely terrifying, but I felt like that was my special him with no one else around. Just the other day.. the sun was out, it was gorgeous and I spot a white butterfly flying around my backyard. First off, this is the first butterfly I have seen since we moved back and it was completely white. I honestly felt like it was Iz making his presence and blessing our home. And flying all over the weeds to show me that I need to learn to do some yard work haha Oh Iz... Wherever you are, please know N & I are always thinking of you, missing you and you have left a huge imprint in our soul. I love you and can't wait to see you again ♥ ♥ ♥

Alright, enough crying for tonight! I need to clean and do some late laundry because my babbbby is coming home tomorrow!!

Life in Instagram

I must say, it has been quite a week. My emotions have been like a roller coaster and I am still deeply saddened by the lost of a close friend. Actually, today marks one week since his death occurred and I have contacted his wife every day just to tell her I love her. She has been an important part of my life for a few years now and I can't imagine the pain she's going through. I am definitely proud for our husbands to go through EOD school at the same time and being stationed at Drum together. I honestly cannot imagine my life without her. She was a great rock when our men deployed and great company when either one or both husbands were away. I know deep in her heart she knows I love her and I'll always be here. Services and things will be held soon and due to financial reasons and N's schedule, we will not be able to attend, but one day we will go to La Cruces and see you Iz.

Aside from lots of over thinking and lots of crying... N left on Wednesday to go on a VIP (mind you he just got home Friday afternoon from being away for 2 weeks) and he won't be back til next week. I miss him so much every day! The one advice that I can give to brand new and future EOD wives, is that it can get really really lonely sometimes. Depending what battalion you go to, sometimes you go on a lot more VIPS and Incidents and just be prepared for extremely short notices. I'm not saying other MOS' (jobs) aren't like this, but when we were a Chem family, there wasn't any VIPS or Incidents. This is just my personal opinion. Come to think of it, when N first decided to join EOD, someone else actually advised me to be strong because he will be gone a lot. As long as you have a great support system, you'll be alright. Sadly, I do not have that here, but I am ever so grateful for my friend Jenny who has kept me sane these last few days.

This week I picked up some pretty awesome things. I am so excited for my ring haul I got from Target (top right pic)!! Anything chevron is very in right now and Asos had very similar rings on their site and I was so glad to have found them at Target instead. The other 2 stackable rings are just so dainty and cute. They were all $7.99 too. I also picked up a couple China Glaze nail polishes at Sally's Beauty Supply store. The blue is called Sexy in the City and it is absolutely gorgeous! I'm more of a pink/neutral girl, but I went out of my comfort zone and purchased this blue and also a neon yellow. YES, a neon yellow. Which neon is also very in right now.

Alright my lovelies, time to end this post and I hope you guys have had an amazing weekend! I am just praying for the weekend to be over and move onto Tuesday :)


Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Rest in Peace Israel- We Remember

Where do I begin this post? This past weekend, I received some tragic news about a close friend and have since then been carrying around a heavy heart, eyes constantly watery, lots of thinking, lots of crying and just grieving.

On May 12, 2012, Israel P. Nuanes died in Afghanistan due to wounds of an IED. He served in the 741st ORD Company, 84th EOD Battalion, 71st ORD of Fort Bliss, Texas.

Please keep his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers through this rough time.

I would also like to personally Thank my friends and IG friends for the all likes and condolences you have sent my way and to his family and friends.

What's Inside My Bag

I have always wanted to do one of these! Thankfully the sun is out and there's a lot of natural light inside the house and figure today is a good day. Thank you Frankie & Maggie for lending me your doggy pillow as a back drop, though when I told them to go to their bed, Frankie plopped down on this pillow while I was sorting out my goods haha

This is what I normally carry in my fabulous Michael Kors purse that I received on our 8 year wedding anniversary this past February. I really need to clean out my purse though! I have a mess of paper and old receipts, candy and just junk on the bottom of my purse.

1 Michael Kors Handbag
2 Color block Velle Purse from Umba Box
3 Grey Checkbook Wallet from Urban Outfitters, Pen & RPM 5 Gum
4 B&BW Peach & Citrus lotion, Prescribed inhaler, Smith's strawberry lip balm, Small pink rose mirror from Target $1 section & Alba passion fruit nectar lip balm
5 Coin purse from Francesca Collections
6 Glass holder from Forever21 I think
7 Blood Glucose tester

Lazy Sunday

How was everyone's weekend? The dogs and I had a pretty chill weekend and a ever so lazy Sunday to match. It has been gloomy and rainy all week and was excited when Sunday rolled around and it was beautiful and sunny out! I am addicted to Instagram (add me! @yenlinge) and someone I am following posted a Sonic strawberry cream slush and I just had to go try it yesterday. Aside from the looooong line, it was definitely worth it. It tastes just like a strawberry milkshake, but not as thick as a regular one. SOSOSO good! And since the weather was gorgeous, I decided to whip out my lomography camera my husband bought me awhile ago. I think I finished the roll, but we'll see when I eventually get it printed. Sorry, I'm getting completely sidetracked because I'm watching the Bad Girls Club and these people are CRAZY!

We Remember

This is near and dear to my heart. Today, please remember our fallen EOD techs who made the ultimate sacrifice! On behalf of my husband (whose also an EOD tech), We will always remember.

My Life in Instagram

Life has been good. DH left Monday at the wee hours of the morning and we miss him so much! We did get a chance to have a great weekend with amazing weather (I think we had 3 days of sunshine!). Since DH had a 4 day, we went out to Outback for dinner on Thursday and on Friday we went on a hunt for a treadmill. After going to a few places, we ended up just getting one at the Lewis PX for $799. One of the best things about buying goods on post... No Tax! I think we ate out that night too... at a Greek place in Puyallup. Saturday we went on an adventure to Bellevue and Seattle and just drove around and explored. We also went to Home Depot to purchase our first lawn mower!! Sunday was Easter. We don't celebrate, but the weather was at 72F and we spent the day in the backyard playing with the dogs and DH doing yard work.

Anyways, I'll try and post a recipe soon. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and I hope it goes okay. I know I ate pretty bad over the weekend and tonight I had a caesar salad from BK... yikes! I should probably do dishes which I've neglected for the last few days and get ready to work out. Hope everyone is well :)

House Update

Sometimes it still feels like a dream... I can't believe we're homeowners! Who knew buying a house consisted of buying lots of house stuff. We always imagined ourselves painting the rooms, but we've only painted ONE room and that alone was exhausting. Let me tell you... it was a small room. A very small room. My friend Jodee has been renovating her house and I honestly don't know how she does it! I'm weak.

So, the picture above is taken from the entry way. We kept it simple so far and there's Frankie and Maggie's butt wondering what I'm doing. Frankie absolutely HATES it when I whip out my camera or point my iphone4s at him... he just knows. Then there is Maggie who loves the attention, but never sits or stays long enough to care that her momma just want some photos.

LOVE those prints I found at Ikea last weekend. Our living room area is all dark brown/black with orange, yellows and reds and these prints just fit amazingly.

Here's the living room area taken from the dining area. The one thing about all this furniture (ie: entertainment stand, table to the left and hallway table) is all the holes that needs to be filled! So far so good. I would love to fill in the holes, but with what?! What do you guys do?? I would also love to fill up more photos and things on that wall and try to add some greenery.

Don't mind the clutter and the huge dent in that seat when my butt was planted. Our coffee are just cheap ottomans we purchased at Wal-Mart back when we were living in Drum. The original Ikea coffee table we had was huge, but the bottom base board broke and when we got Maggie, her and her puppy teeth chewed up one of the legs. See that lamp in the back? LOVE IT! Recent purchase from Marshall's for about $35. Deep down, I'm cheap and prefer not to purchase super expensive things especially when sometimes these dogs destroy things and when we move (that's the Army for ya!), sometimes they mess up our goods.

Upstairs is still a mess. We did recently buy a bed frame, but we've been concentrating so much on the first floor we've pretty much neglected upstairs. Except DH's man cave.

That's all I got to show you for now. Again, sorry for dark photos. I used my iphone4s and then used a photo editing app.

A New Year

A complete belated post, but <b>we're homeowner's!!</b> After a long 3 weeks or so, our house finally closed on December 28, 2011. We just got our goods a week ago and I have been trying to unpack as much and as fast as possible. Just today, I finished unpacking our kitchen, though the kitchen is still a mess. Who knew we had so much stuff! So much stuff <i>after</i> donating/throwing away things.

Just the other day, I have decided to change what I thought was going to be a food blog into an everything blog. I haven't really cooked a real meal in months, let alone bake. Basically I'm just going to post whatever I want!

Alright, back to unpacking and maybe go check out this cupcake shop near my house. Hopefully a food post soon.