Wisdom Teeth and Turkey

This was mere hours after the wisdom teeth surgery...two were impacted...don't judge.

The Thursday before Thanksgiving, this was me:

Yeah, that was a cute look...

I got the wisdom teeth yanked. Besides a little swelling, lots of sleeping, itchy skin from the pain meds, and crying right after surgery when I learned that I couldn't get a frosty because Wendy's was closed, I recovered pretty well. They are still a little sore sometimes, but the gums are healing and I look a lot better than the swollen, ice-pack-age-bandage-wrapped hot mess above.

On to what I really care about:

I SUCCESSFULLY COOKED MY FIRST TURKEY!!!

Mmmm look at that browned skin!

I did learn that it takes hours among hours to thaw a turkey, so we had our Thanksgiving dinner a decent amount later than I planned...but it turned out delicious!

I made buttery cream cheese mashed potatoes, cornbread muffins, turkey, buttery green beans, corn, and my auntie's homeade stuffing.

The dinner plate of glory...sorry, I'm just super proud I made such a big dinner and didn't burn anything!

Oh my gosh this food was so good! Not to toot my own horn, but wow, I was impressed with my first Thanksgiving dinner made by me was a success.

And I also made a homeade pumpkin pie.

I LOVE pumpkin pie!

And you see the big 'ol glob of whipped cream? Also homeade. Side note: it's super easy to make. Throw some heavy cream in a Kitchenaid mixer, put it on as high as it will go without the cream flying out, and as it solidifies, add a dash of vanilla and sugar to taste. Done.

It was strange to be away from the extended family for this holiday, but it was so much fun cuddling with my own little family.I so enjoyed watching the parade, the game, snippets of the dog show, all while cuddled up with my man and pooch. Oh, and cooking of course.

I am so thankful for my family, my friends, that I am able to further my education, and have so many blessings that I don't even realize. While the food was great, being able to spend time relaxing with the man and the pooch was what made this day so amazing :)

Love and Blessings,

Annmarie Faye

P.S. Only a few hours left in the extended Black Friday Sale for Lilla Rose! Check out my site by Sunday at Midnight for 20%-50% off all items and free shipping for orders over $50! A great way to find some hair accessories at a great price for that girl on your Christmas gift list who has everything!

Chop the Mop

I've had long and thick hair for a very long time. I loved how it flowed and waved. I loved how feminine it made me feel. It was part of my identity.

But after the wedding and settling down in PA, I've gotten so lazy with my hair. With being so busy with school, plus the 40+ minute commute to and from school, I don't feel like taking the time to fuss with my hair. So up in a messy bun it goes.

Trying to make my messy bun cute with a bandanna...still not as cute as a hair cut!

Long hair is gorgeous, but it takes a lot of time, shampoo, and money to look attractive.

So I suddenly got the urge to chop it off. I had it long for my wedding, and now I do not have a reason to keep it long besides my attachment to it.

I called the best friend, Erin, who has donated her hair in the past. She encouraged me to do it, and I knew I needed to get it cut ASAP or else I would wuss out.

I did my research to see where I would donate my hair. Locks of Love, the default donation organization, will not take processed or dyed hair. Plus during the research I did, I found that they often sell the donated hair they get to make money for their organization instead of putting it directly into wigs.

Children and Hair Loss is a organization that takes processed hair. I did my research and felt confident in donating to them.

So off I went to the salon with this hot mess of hair:

Yeah, it was getting bad. 

I walked in when they opened and asked if they had an appointment available. Luckily they had a rare last minute opening. The stylist told me Saturday morning openings are rare and that it was "meant to be."

We talked about how much hair I wanted off. She put a pink cape on me (only those donating get to wear the pink cape. I felt special haha), braided my hair, and before I got a chance to chicken out, she snipped! It was very freeing.

My hair was so thick, she had to make two braids!

No going back now.

She washed, snipped, and styled my much shorter hair. And this was the end result.

It's so short!

I LOVE IT! My face looks so much less round, I look older, and it is SO much easier to care for!

I donated 11 inches of braided hair.
I felt like I lost 10 pounds from my head.
I helped give a child with hair loss a chance to feel confident.
I also gave myself more confidence with this hair cut.

Overall, I am so glad I did this. It took a lot of guts for me, but it was an amazing feeling and I am so happy I had the guts to chop the mop.

Love and Blessings,

Annmarie Faye

P.S. I can't write a post without a picture of my pooch!

My obsession, Maisy

I Once Was A Racist

I have a confession to make: I used to be a racist.

Now if anyone knows me, this might be shocking to you. It was to me. But it also might be shocking to say I was not the average racist.

I was a "color blind" racist.

To me, this is ignoring race completely. This is separating the person from their color.

Wait? Isn't that a good thing Annmarie?

Well, it is a great thing! It is truly a wonderful idea. At least in the perfect world.

But we live in a broken world. A world where race affects a person so deeply, that ignoring their race is ignoring a core part of their personality.

I am a white woman. I will never have to wonder if I'm being pulled over by a cop for "driving while black." I will never wonder if a "random search" on me at an airport is due to my olive skin.. I will never have to wonder if I was denied a job because my name reflects my non-European culture.

Yet so many people have these struggles each and every day.

I will never truly understand what it is like to live as a racial minority. But I can acknowledge that. I can ask questions of people to try and understand more. And I can see that race does matter. Race is a huge part of who we are, and by not only acknowledging it, but celebrating it, we can ease the tensions and enjoy this complex tapestry of differences in our world.

Because lets be honest, a quilt would be very boring with only one color and texture.

Love and Blessings,

Annmarie Faye

My Amazing 21st Birthday!

Yes, November 7th was the big 21st. And I learned just how seriously blessed and spoiled I am.

I was woken up at 6AM to my handsome man carting this:

French toast, bacon and sausage for the win!

He woke up at 5 to make me breakfast and bed before work!

So after eating with the man he brought me gift number one: blue-rays of The Heat and Identity Thief. I am OBSESSED with Melissa McCarthy, so this was perfect! These movies are hilarious! Then the man went to work and I cuddled with the pooch most of the day.

Oh, and got the coveted horizontal license.

I got home and he had told me to be ready by 5:45 so we could leave for dinner. I was getting dolled up, browsing the mail (My parents sent me a card from them, as well as one from my dog. They know me too well...), and wondered where we'd go.

We ended up at the Bonefish Grill! Gah it is so yummy! We had Bang Bang shrimp (fried shrimp covered in a creamy spicy sauce) for an appetizer, the man had lobster and steak, and I had a cheesy crab stuffed tilapia.

And of course, I had my first legal adult beverages:

Bonefish Martini 

Their winter special martini...super sweet and good!

We got home and there were two dozen roses and a teddy bear waiting on the door step from the man.

And a chocolate tower from the sister-in-law. It was filled with chocolate pretzels, chocolate covered peanuts, chocolate peanut butter cups, chocolate chip and toffee cookies, and pecan clusters. I am going to be huge just looking at it!

Thanks for making me fat Rachel! ;)

The man also brought ice cream cake (my favorite) and got a little carried away decorating it...but it was delicious!

The 630-8 is for our wedding date (6/22). The other stuff...I'm not really sure. 

The next day, I got my next birthday gift in the mail:

New Boots!

I picked them out by the way. It was his idea to get me boots...but he didn't trust himself to pick them out. Probably for the best :)

That evening we went to a French cooking class. Not going to lie, we followed the address on the website and ended up at a residential house, so we were sure we were going to be murdered.

But instead, we had a blast! We signed up for a creme brulee class, but she also taught us how to make another variation of creme brulee with caramel, caramel sauce, and langues de chat cookies. 

Creme brulee! I feel like a gourmet chef knowing how to make this haha

Caramel sauce!

Langues de chat cookies...which is French for cat tongue...but they were yummy!

Not only did we learn to make some amazing food, but we learned a lot. Sylvie, our chef, is from France. She told us all about French culture, cooking, and life. She even pulled out some chocolate cake that she was working on for us to try (the way to my heart!) and gave us a small class of French wine.

What I loved the most was learning about how the French have decadent foods, but only have small portions because they enjoy each bite. They don't shovel down huge plates on the couch while watching How I Met Your Mother. They treat each meal as an experience to talk and laugh and enjoy great food. It inspires me to do that more often.

That was my super spoiled birthday extravaganza. I am so blessed and had the best birthday a girl could ask for.

Love and Blessings,

Annmarie Fate

P.S. And because everyone loves a dog in a cone, here is a shot from out Saturday nap:

She loves cuddling! Even if she looks possessed...

So It's Been Awhile...

So I jumped off the blog bandwagon for a bit. But I really missed it! Not only is a good way to let my Michigan people know what's going on, it also helps me sort through things going on in my life. It helps me realize how truly blessed I am :)

I guess I'll just do a list update for now, and hopefully get back to blogging regularly.

1) Junior year of college = the struggle bus. 
This year has been my heaviest year of work in college. Tons of presentations, papers, and reading. I actually just finished the hardest and most intense paper of my college career. While the work stresses me out sometimes, I realize how blessed I am to be able to get an education. And how blessed I am to have a hubby who picks up the slack around the house while I put hours upon hours into a Lit Review.

2) We found a church!
Conestoga Valley church of Christ is our church. So far, it is a very warm congregation. And they are not afraid to talk about some tougher topics. Our bible study on Sunday mornings is on apologetics and actually shows videos of non-Christians asking questions and chatting among themselves about why they don't believe in Christianity. It gives you a great insight.

Church outfit
Skirt: Family Dollar $10

3) I made my first homemade pie! 

Mmmmm apple pie 

4) I am loving how warm PA is compared to MI!
Don't get me wrong, I'm wearing my long sleeves and hoodies a lot, but there is no snow and I can still bring Maisy outside at night without a winter jacket. That's a win in this Michigander's book!

5) Trim Healthy Mama
The newleywed weight gain is no joke. While I haven't put on a ton, I am noticing my clothes fitting a bit tighter and know I need to nip this in the bud before I blow up. For real.
So I am sort of kind of trying a new eating style: Trim Health Mama.
The basic ideas behind this way of eating:
                    a) Low glycemic
                    b) You can eat carbs and you can eat fats; just make sure your body isn't burning both fuels at                           the same time.
                     c) This is a lifestyle change, not a diet.
So I will be writing out this journey of separating my food fuels and saying good bye to sugar (for the most part...). We'll see how long this goes :)
Oh, and you can buy the book by clicking here.

Oat Berry Breakfast Cake
THM Friendly!
Recipe Here

And that's about it for this girl. Hope all is going well with everyone!

Love and Blessings,

Annmarie Faye

An Ode to How My Car Died

The Before and After Shot

There once was a car named Betty. 

She was a red little Chevy.

I drove her to school everyday. 

And finally, the brakes gave way. 

The bright red "brake" light was on for weeks. 

I ignored it for awhile, as I am cheap. 

When I finally slid through an intersection

I knew it was time to take some action. 

So I drove her to the local shop. 

Gave them my keys, and said "Good luck."

The next day I got a call

saying I shouldn't be driving her at all. 

Yes, the break pads were bad.

But that wasn't the worst problem she had. 

Her brake lines were rusted out. 

Her shocks were unattached, wiggling about. 

The rust was so bad, they would barely lift her. 

The more he talked, the more I felt sicker. 

When the list of ailments was finally done, 

he said "I think this might be the one."

He meant it was time to pull out a sheet

and cover the old girl, put her out of her misery. 

So I went to drive her to trade her in. 

But I couldn't just leave on a whim. 

The mechanic made me sign a waiver

before I could even take her. 

He actually said "You really shouldn't drive it.

If I could impound her, I would've done it."

So I carefully drove the ol' girl to Chevy. 

And handed over the keys from Betty.

I said my good byes, and yes, it was sad. 

But now a reliable vehicle is to be had. 

That's right folks, I'm upgrading twenty years. 

No more lacking brakes, no more fears.

I was driving her every day

praying I make it to where I lay. 

Now I have a big girl car.

It can take me near and far. 

No more shaking, leaking and rust. 

Finally, a vehicle I can trust. 

You served me well, oh Betty of '93. 

But you've been replaced, by an Equinox of Chevy. 

Welcome to the family, oh silver SUV. 

I'll call you Duchess, cute and classy. 

Front view of Duchess 

We're a little geeked if you can't tell...

Love and Blessings,

Annmarie Faye

R.I.P Betty, My First car

Oh Betty,

My beautiful, two door, red Chevy Beretta.

You served me well over these past five years.

Yes, you broke down. A lot. Yes, you were a hot box with no air conditioning. Yes, it was hard to jam to music without a CD player. Yes, the stalling, strange noises, and leaking was inconvenient (to say the least...).

But you were the star of many adventures.

You helped friends and I caravan all over West Michigan for late night adventures.
You were filled with many toys and surprises that led to many fun times.
How about the shaving cream fight in the parking lot of my high school?
How about the foam sword you housed to protect me (assuming it was dark so no one knew I was wielding a foam sword instead of a real one)?
How about the silly string fights?
How about the many trips to the other side of the state to visit the man during out long distance days?
How about the times I cried in you riding back from those same trips?
How about the times I cried just because I was an emotional teenager?

Thank you, Betty, for getting me from here to there, and much more.

You were my first car and will always hold a special place in my heart.

R.I.P Betty. Sorry I had to pull the plug. You will be missed.

Love and Blessings,

Annmarie