{ " My Valentine " }

I know I'm a week late... but, better late than never, right? 

Needless to say, my wonderful fiance was my Valentine this year. 

It was a totally new concept for me, because I've never actually really celebrated Valentine's Day. I've given friends little valentines, and I've always acknowledged the day, but I've never had a Valentine. And, to think that next year my Valentine won't be my fiance anymore... He'll be my husband! 

John spoiled me to death on Valentine's Day. I guess I should have seen it coming though, because he spoils me every chance he gets. I had the most wonderful day. It started off with him arriving at our house with roses, and chocolate. I've never liked roses. Or so I thought... Because it was him handing me those beautiful roses, I couldn't not like them. We were going out to lunch, so we headed to the car, and in the passenger's seat was a little brown bear, an envelope, and a little blue box. Inside the box was a beautiful sterling silver bracelet. The outer edge has the coordinates to the place we met engraved on it, and inside it reads "forever and a day", which is our little saying. That was such an amazing surprise. A few weeks prior I had been telling him, and mom about wanting a bracelet just like the one he gave me, and the thought was really what struck me. He had to find the coordinates, find somewhere to get the bracelet, and remember exactly how I had said I wanted it. So after I almost cried, we went out to have lunch at Uno's, which was amazing! Then we went to see a movie... The only movie that was even the slightest bit intriguing was Paddington. Believe it or not I actually loved the movie. It was so cute, and definitely not too childish. I do believe we were the only young couple that went to see that movie on Valentine's Day... but, we're supposed to be different!

So I had a wonderful Valentine's Day, and I wouldn't change one part of it! 

I'm so blessed that God gave me such an incredible man to spend the rest of my life with! 

xoxo, 

{ " Smiles. " }

Just thought I'd share these pictures that Abigail snapped of John, and I last Sunday. A couple people have mentioned now that we look like Flynn, and Rapunzel from Tangled. I think that's pretty amusing, and I can even see the resemblance! Anyways, I love these pictures, and I wanted to share them. I can't wait until we get our engagement pictures done by the photographer we're working with for our wedding. She's incredible, and I'm so excited about having our pictures done this spring! I actually cut down on decoration, and venue costs so I could get a good photographer. I think we'll have a blast with our engagement pictures! 

Hope you're all enjoying the snow if you're in New England! ♥

xoxo, 

{ " Craving Change and Vitamin D " }

I've realized that at the beginning of every year I am vitamin D deficient, and I slip into a slightly depressed state. It happens at the end of January, and seeps into February. I hadn't really been aware of it before, and plus I had had reasons in previous years to become slightly down in the dumps.

This year I had absolutely nothing to be down about, and yet I once again slipped into that depressive state. Unfortunately not only mom noticed, but John noticed as well. It started on Saturday afternoon, when I just felt drained of life. I wasn't even tired just... bored. Then Sunday it carried on, and by Monday I felt absolutely wrecked. I didn't want to get out of bed, I didn't want to play games, eating didn't even seem like a good idea. Since John is a teacher, he was here, because of the snowstorm, and school being cancelled. So, he even noticed the way I had started acting. I just felt emotionless, I didn't feel happy, sad, or otherwise. I sat on our couch, silently, and knitted for who knows how long. The feeling was horrible. I kind of just felt empty. I didn't really feel discontent, but at the same time I wasn't content. I wasn't excited about being awake, or alive, or anything really. I was just living. I know it sounds silly, that this all seemed to come on so quickly in one weekend, but it's possible. My mind was wandering, and telling me I wanted things that I couldn't have, and that I needed things that I didn't. Little did I know, I was craving change as well. I hadn't really thought about it. I love change. I love being active, I can't stand sitting around anymore, and I love exciting things. Life had been go-go-go since September, then in December we got engaged, and then all of a sudden things just stopped. John was back to work, I was at home, and life slowed back down. I'm not able to go to the barn like normal, because of issues the cold weather afflicts on me physically. Sure, being engaged was (and still is) exciting, but it wasn't new anymore, and it wasn't as exciting. My mind craves new things, and craves changes. I guess in the mix of going back to the barn, meeting John again, being with John again, and then suddenly being engaged, my mind had been hyped up on change. When the change stopped, life seemed to also stop. It probably sounds silly, because most people aren't fond of change... and, if you're one of those people, that's okay. But, I'm not. I kind of thrive on new things, and changes. When life becomes placid, I need little things to mix it up. I realized I was craving change when I suddenly wanted to cut bangs in my hair, and I actually picked up my shears to do it. I also started wearing red lipstick, and red lip gloss, which is new. I wanted to rearrange my room, and I started styling my hair differently. Plus I was itching to get a job somewhere... even Walmart! It all pointed to the fact that my mind was craving something new, something it wasn't getting anymore.

So, I taught myself how to knit.

I bought more red lip gloss. 

And, today I rearranged my room. 

Needless to say, the little changes seemed to perk my mind up a bit. Plus I have been taking vitamin D now, which I'm sure is also helping to balance out the weird depressive state. By Wednesday morning I was back on my feet, and feeling mostly like myself again. Today I'm back to my normal, crazy self, and I'm so glad. I even went outside to play with the kids this afternoon, which was a crazy amount of fun, especially when I stepped into a drift where the snow came to my hips! (Realizing I only have 317 days left in my house has caused me to cherish the little moments I have with my siblings, because I'll miss them someday very soon.) Now I know never to forget to take vitamin D in the winter, and to make sure I keep a normal amount of little changes going on in life to keep my mind from getting too bored with the every day, even if it's just rearranging the way my nail polish is in my boxes... 

I can definitely say that in my mind:

Change is good!

Not too much change of course, but just enough to keep my active little mind content! I was also reminded of how incredibly full of love for me my fiance is, and just how thankful for him I am. He stuck with me through those few miserable days, wiped away many tears, held onto me really tightly, chose to love me despite my depressive cranky state of mind, and he did his best to remind me of just how much he loved me, even though I definitely wasn't doing a great job of reminding him of how much I love him.

Have you made any little changes in your routine lately? Do you enjoy change? Or do you prefer things just as they are? 

xoxo, 

Jane

{ " Favorite Red Lip " }

As my last post stated, I've been trying out some more bold choices for lip colors. I am particularly fond of red lips on fair skin, so I was drawn to trying out some red lip colors. I have finally found the one! It doesn't make me feel like I'm trying too hard, but it still makes me feel glamorous, and done up. It isn't quite as bright as it is coming off in the hand swatch, and that is why I love it. It is suuuuuper glossy, and happens to be from one of my favorite lines of lip products. 

This color is 020 Signature Scarlet from the Maybelline Color Elixir line. These glosses are incredible! They're highly pigmented, beautifully glossy, and not sticky at all. They feel super light on the lips, and they're rather low maintenance. They don't last very long, and they're higher up on the price range (around $7.99 at drugstores) but the rest of the pros make up for the couple of cons! 

This red is a gorgeous somewhat bright, mid toned red. It's definitely my kind of red! I've definitely fallen for this gloss, and I'm planning on buying a back up too! 

What do you all think of the Maybelline Color Elixirs? Would you be interested in tying them? I'll have a post up with some more swatches from this line, quite soon! 

Thanks for reading! 

Xoxo,

Jane Ashley

{ " Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm " }

Well, I've been quite daring as of late, and I've been trying out some more bold lip colors. I've mainly been playing around with reds, and while this particular one isn't my favorite shade, I've grown to like it.

I wear very minimal makeup, as in tinted moisturizer, and a small amount of mascara. So, I never knew if I could pull off something as daring as a red lip. It's definitely intimidating, and I'm not sure if I can technically pull it off, but I'm trying! My fiancè didn't run away in fear when he first saw it, in fact he complimented me on my bold choice!

This color is a little bit bright, and a little bit orange for my tastes, but I'm warming up to it. The one thing I noticed is that it is super drying. The color is extremely pigmented, and it wears for a good while, without leaving a dark stain. It is quite matte, not too too dry, but pretty matte.

I suppose this is more of a swatching post than an actual review, because I'm out of practice, and reviews seem so difficult right now! I would describe this as a slightly warm red, which I think I should have opted for a cool toned red, but that's okay! I'm still not sure if this particular red suits me, I actually prefer a glossy red. I used a very light application with this, and I blended it in with  my fingers. The crayon shape helps for more precise application, but you definitely need a lip liner. I used a universal/clear lip liner from Rimmel (which actually feels like dragging a candle on your lips, definitely not fond of that one!). I did find that I was left with a red rim on the edges of my lips, and the color definitely wore in the center first. I would like to try other colors from this collection though, so I can try out some more matte lip colors.

** Just a note, the color is a lot brighter than it is appearing on my lips in the photos. It's closer to the color of the actual hand swatch. **

What do you think? Can I pull off a red lip? Are you one to dive into bold lip colors with very minimal makeup?
I'll have a swatch of a Maybelline Color Elixr coming up soon, because it's my new favorite gloss to wear! Hopefully I'll have that up by Tuesday.

Thanks for reading!
xoxo,
Jane

{ " A Little Love Story " }

In my last post you all got a little snippet of what God has been doing in my life. Well, He has certainly been doing some extraordinary things!

Everyone, meet John.
In less than three hundred and thirty days, he will be my husband.

On December 25, 2014, said, "YES!" To the man of my dreams, and my very best friend.

Now that you've enjoyed that little snippet of what happened on that day... I just have to get this out...

I'm getting married!

I still can't believe it, and it happened weeks ago, now! I've been collecting more things for our home, and starting to plan our wedding. It seems quite insane that I'm planning a wedding. I mean, I wasn't counting on that time coming for a long time, and now here it is, at my doorstep!

I'm so blessed to have such a godly, intelligent, loving, and brave man in my life. The fact that I get to call him my husband in less than 12 months is unbelievable! I am still freaking out a little!

It is just amazing how God works in our lives. When I met John 10 years ago, I never once thought he would someday be my husband. Even when I "re-met" him after being apart for five years, I didn't think at first that I would be his wife. Well... I am! It didn't take long for me to "fall" head over heels for the handsome cowboy that once again stole my heart. We talked every night after we met again, and soon chatting on Facebook turned into phone calls filled with stories, memories, giggles, and sometimes tears. By November of last year, only two months after we had been reunited, we had grown so attached to each other that when he left for a teacher's conference for a weekend, I actually cried. The timing of our reunion couldn't have been anymore perfect, for several reasons. God truly has a plan for each of our lives, and His timing was evident in our relationship. I think there are plenty of people out there who think we're crazy. Engaged after knowing each other for four months? Yeah, sounds crazy, I know. But, there hasn't been one moment that I have doubted this was God's plan for our lives. Ever since the very beginning there was this peace that flooded my heart, and told me just to be still, and trust. It took me a while to finally hand the pen of my love story over to God, but when I did, He showed me just how worthwhile that is. I am so overwhelmed with happiness that I get to spend the rest of my life with this wonderful man. Life with him is already such an amazing adventure, I can't wait to see what's down the road! Since the beginning of December we haven't gone a day without seeing each other, and I don't plan on breaking that record anytime soon! 

Seems this blog might turn into more of a wedding planning, and lifestyle blog for the rest of the year. I'm so excited to share this chapter of my life with you all! 

xoxo, 

Jane Ashley

{ " Dishes, Thrifting, and Blessings " }

It seems as if this blog is going to switch over from beauty, to lifestyle for a little while.
Things will probably get a little more personal around here too.

So some exciting things have been happening in Jane's little world as of late. I basically haven't stopped smiling for more than a short period of time in the last three months. I've always had the "life is beautiful" mindset, but it's there even more now. Life really is beautiful. God has blessed me with so much more than I deserve! I can't even describe it!

I'm preparing to start my "grown up" life, which is something I didn't see myself doing for quite a long time. God seems to give us the things we need, or desire, right when we stop thinking we need, or desire them. He has an amazing way of using the pieces of our lives to make one beautiful story. God has put an amazing man into my life (who will remain anonymous for the time being), who loves the Lord, and desires to serve Him with all of his heart. That was something I thought I was going to have to wait a long time for. I'm not sure why, but that was my mindset. Someday I'll tell you all our love story. It's quite a nice one to say the least. Our relationship progressed quickly, and before we knew it we were inseparable, and he was asking my dad's permission to court me. Marriage is our ultimate goal for our relationship, and I'm 100% sure he is the man God had planned me to marry.

Well, now here I am, buying dishes, preparing for our future together!
This blog post is supposed to be all about my latest thrift finds for my future home, and I hadn't planned to tell you all about Mr. Man, but I figured you'd want an explanation as to why I was buying dishes and what not!
I've been visiting a thrift store down the street from us, that is run by a Catholic church. They have amazing prices, and they don't sell anything in bad condition. I seriously can not believe the prices of the items! For instance, coffee mugs are $0.10 a piece, or $0.25 for three! You can't beat that! I didn't happen to buy any coffee mugs, but I bought a whole set of dishes! Service for eight, for $6.00.

The set includes eight plates, eight tea cups, eight saucers, eight little bowls, and eight dessert plates. That's forty pieces for $6.00! That is absolutely unbeatable! Really! The dishes are gorgeous, and as soon as I saw them I knew I had to have them immediately!

Tea cup and saucer.

Bowls

Here is a comparison of the bowl beside my hand.
You can see in the other photo of the bowls that they are quite shallow as well.
I bought separate bowls to go along with them, because I honestly can't see a man ever eating that little amount of food! ;)

Beautiful dinner plate! 

Comparison of dinner plate, and dessert plate.

I also picked up a few other odds and ends at Salvation Army. All of which cost $8.00 all together. 

Gold tea light holder; and gold leaf napkin holder = $0.99 each!

Green milk bottle vase = $0.99

I couldn't resist getting this! It's close to impossible to find my name on anything.
So when I saw this, and that it was only $1.99 I snatched it right up!
I mean, c'mon, what are the chances?!

Two "man" mugs = $0.59 each!

Four Pfaltzgraff bowls = $2.99 all together.

I have a bunch of other things up in my hope chest, some baby clothes, dishes, more mugs, and etc. I'll have to explore in there again, and make another post about what is stored away in my hope chest. For now I'll be sure to post about all of my thrift finds! I'm addicted to thrift shopping, but when you can get everything above for only $14.00 it's insanely exciting! I think Mr. Man is very thankful that his future wife (nope, we're not engaged yet) is a thrift-aholic, and he was very excited to see my great deals! I absolutely can not wait until yard sale season! Especially now that I have a legit reason to start buying homey stuff!

The next chapter in my life is starting, and I have to admit, this is the one I have been anticipating for years, and years! I just never thought I'd get here!

Lots of love,