I'm Baaaack!

After much personal debate about whether or not I should step back into the blogging world, here I am.

It's been over a year since my last blog post- terrible I know- but I realized how much I missed interacting with you all and sharing my little life with you. Much has changed in the past year, I'm now a married woman, Baby Bella is {2.5 years old}&& I adopted two pets. I am now part of a bigger family, with {four} new brothers and sisters, {five} amazing nieces, and {two}supportive parents.

My idea's & creativity have flourished more than ever in the past year and my small hobbie of {Bella 406} has evolved into a full fleged small business! WOOHOO! I've pinned over six-thousand pins on pinterest, taken countless new photos & have the knowledge to wire, insulate, sheetrock, tape, texture, prime, paint and lay wood flooring in a house. {Whoa} I've been a busy lady while I've been away. Life has turned my sails to a fresh new wind & I'm starting to pick up speed.

As many of you would like to hear from me on a daily basis, I've decided not to set my goal that high. You can, however, expect a couple blog posts a week from me including new pictures, products, and adventures. I hope you look forward to hearing from me more often than not & stay entertained by my crazy life experiences.

<3

Olive Oil Hair Treatment {A Tutorial}

We've all heard
{at some point}
of the benefits that
        Olive oil
has to offer.

Olive oil contains
       at least four antioxidents
which can neutralize
damaging free radicals,
{leading to skin aging
       & cancer}

It can be used as a
         lubricant for shaving,
lip balm, cuticle treatment,
          kitty groomer
& diet enhancement,
&& lastly,
     hair treatment.

With winter coming on
my hair gets terribly dried out.
& highlighting it doesn't help either
            :)

I decided that conditioners
leave my hair greasy,
& only last temporaritly.
I wanted a deeper treatment.

I....
1) coated my hair in
         Olive oil,
2) used a comb to brush it evenly,
3) twirled it into a ballerina bun,
4) completed chores around the house
& 5) 120 minutes later
            washed it all out.

I didn't get pictures of this process
since my hands got all oily,
but it's pretty self explainatory.

The end result?
My hair is super soft,
& the ends aren't so dried out.
         {It's even shinier}

Knowing I
        always have
olive oil in my cupboard
it's safe {for my hair} to say:
        Bring on Winter!
           
Although
I'd still love some
       sunshine

Fire-Woman

I went to pick
       Baby Bella up from daycare
& was informed that
they made a field trip to
                the fire department.

The young-in's
aka Baby Bellas class
      stayed in back
so they wouldn't get scared
        of the big equipment
   & men in fire suits.

Apparently
my little Baby Bella
was sooo excited
she was fighting the teacher
to get a closer look at the
     Firemen.

As always,
they got fire hats
& I think my baby girl
rocked hers the best
            :)

{She's gonna start more fires
      than she puts out... }

"THE" Playdate

I'm always talking to other moms
     about how
 we should get together
                 {soon}
& let the kiddo's have a
      playdate.

Of course,
being a busy Mom and all
it's hard to get together
      with everyone,
                all the time.

That's why I decided to host
ONE BIG PLAYDATE
                      at my house.

Yes,
I knew what I was
getting myself into.

& Yes,
I knew it would be
a huge mess.

However,

Keeping in mind all the kids
would have SO much fun together
& all the Moms can also
have a quality conversation

ruled out any and all uncertainty
I had about {hosting}
        a playdate of this magnitude.

Unfortunately...
there were cases of
      sickness. sleepiness.
             & calls from work
that kept about
       half of the mom's
who were invited
               from coming.

But among those Moms,
were {four} brave soles
that attempted
        & conquered
the feat of showing up
      & not just showing up...
but bringing absolutely delicious food
                     with them!

I understand how hard it is
to get your kid(s) out the door,
fully clothed, cleaned up,
& committed to getting in the car.

So I want to
thank all those Moms
               who made it.
&& for those of you who didn't,
let me fill you in.

We took pictures,
        played with toys,
ate,
    laughed,
          played with toys,
gossiped,
       played with more toys,
            laughed,
        shared stories,

&

laughed some more.

We also decided

this {large} playdate

needs to be arranged

once a month.

I believe I can speak for

all the Mom's who came

when I say...

We all grew from the

experience, gained friends
& attained reassurance that
   {we're not in this alone}

Playdate 
               =
                         Success.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip

It tastes as good as it looks...

Just ask {four} wonderful Mom's
& myself.

I would suggest using
Mini Nilla Wafers
     to eat with this dip.
They were wonderful
& bite sized.
       {making me feel less guilty
                        if I ate more...}

INGREDIENTS:
* 1/2 cup Butter
* 1/3 cup Brown Sugar
* 3/4 cup Mini Chocolate Chips
* 1 8oz Package of Cream Cheese
* 1/2 cup Powdered Sugar
* 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract

STEP ONE:
Melt the butter & sugar together in a small sauce pan.

This step can also be done in the microwave,
in 30 second sections of time
    {or else it will bubble over}

Stir constantly till mixed.

STEP TWO:
Add vanilla
& set mixture aside to cool.

STEP THREE:
Beat the cream cheese
& powdered sugar in a bowl
       for approx 1 minute.

STEP FOUR:
Slowly beat in the cooled butter mixture
and mix again for
           another minute.

STEP FIVE:
Stir in Chocolate Chips
        {MMM....}

STEP SIX:
Pour into a serving bowl
          & refrigerate.

STEP SEVEN:
Garnish with chocolate chips
            or other goodies.

CAUTION:
This dip is highly addicting
& may cause you to
hide it from all other guests
defeating your inital purpose of
             making a yummy dip for your company.
                    :)

Late Night Motivation.

Running.
Running.
& more Running.

I love it,
don't get me wrong...

but my pants are getting tighter,

scale numbers increasing,

& I'm craving more food.

No seriously.

Statistics said
       {running could make you gain}

not lose

          weight..

They were right!

UGH.

This is such a personal battle

to look good

& to be physically fit.

So tonight

I needed a little motivation

        to keep a stricter diet

& push myself {THAT} much harder.

Pinterest, you saved me.

&& along with {retail therapy} at
                    Nike.com

I'm inspired...

to kick ass.

to get the body I've always wanted.

to eat healthy.

to earn every ounce of muscle.

to achieve my goal.

& finally...

to look and feel 

     how I've always dreamt.

The following images are

          just a little taste

of what I browsed through tonight...

                     <3

For my love of Fitness.

Motivation.

Determination.

Sweat.

Inspiration.

Desire.

Strength.

Do you have it?

Pore Peel: A Tutorial

Tired of spending tons of money on products
      to reduce/remove pores!?
Well look no more...

{totally kidding, haha...}

Another wonderful idea I found on
Pinterest
&& decided to try it,
            why not!? :)

INGREDIENTS:
* small microwavable bowl
* makeup brush or Q-tip
* 1 tsp unflavored Gelatin
* 1 tsp milk

Easy right? ...Cheap?

Definitely.

Step ONE: add 1 tsp of gelatin to your small bowl

Step TWO: add 1 tsp of milk to your small bowl

Step THREE: Stir milk & gelatin

Step FOUR: heat in the microwave for approx 10 seconds, until the mixture becomes a thick liquid.

Step FIVE: once hot, but not unbearable.. apply to your face with a Q-tip.

Step SIX: Wait 10 minutes, then peel off
       {I didn't realize this might actually hurt a bit, this gelatin is some serious stuff!}

PS. I realize this is quite an unattractive picture
but I'm hoping that most of you
                who take time to read this,
are all nice people
       & won't make fun of me...

&& for the men reading this,
I apologize, but this is how us girls look
                                when getting
"ready for bed" or "cleaned up"
            See what you make us do?!
It's not pretty...  

&&
After I finished this peel
   I cleansed my face
& applied lotion.

BOOM.