Minimizing my Makeup Collection.

August 28, 2019September 8, 2019 MidwestMattie2 Comments

Hello, my dear friends! I’m writing this post for you on another day that is just on the cusp of fall. And once again, it has me feeling very cozy and content.

I wanted to write a blog post today about minimizing my makeup collection. My makeup collection is decent sized, I would say. I think some people could view it as me having way too much stuff, and some people could see it and think it’s nothing! It’s just somewhere in-between, I think. I wanted to start another segment on my blog about my journey with not only condensing my makeup, but also what I plan on replacing the items with once they’re used up.

The categories I’m going to feature are:

Blush
Bronzer/Contouring Products
Mascara
Eyeliner
Eyeshadow Singles / Eyeshadow Palettes
Foundation
Concealer
Lipstick
Lipgloss
Eyebrow powder/pomade/pencils
Highlighter

Makeup is so fun to experiment with, and I don’t think that I’ll ever not love it, but, I want to be more mindful in my purchasing of makeup. I want to still have fun products that I can play with, but I don’t want to have makeup that I don’t like or don’t use. I want to find the best of the best for each category of makeup, and I thought I’d take all of y’all along for the journey!

I’m one of those people that can’t seem to get rid of makeup no matter how old it is, or how unflattering it is on me. I hate getting rid of makeup when it can still be used! So, my goal for this is to use up all of the makeup products I do not care for, and replace them with items that are better for me, and better for the Earth!

I’m thinking as I do each makeup type, I’ll link them so that you can go read all of them through this blog post!

I’m really excited for this process, and I’ve been doing some research on different products and companies, and I’m so excited to share everything I’ve learned with all of you! This post is kind of the equivalent to a movie trailer, I suppose. A little teaser! I’m hoping to start our first segment of it on Friday, so look out for that!

Thank you so much for reading, my friends!

XOXO,

Mattie Mae

Simply Summertime: Five Simple Living Activities for Summer.

June 17, 2019 MidwestMattie1 Comment

Hello, friends! A very happy Monday to you all! Today I wanted to write a post that is slightly reminiscent to this one, but different enough that I thought it was worthwhile to share. I felt compelled to write this in order to provide some inspiration for summer activities that are simple and don’t include spending unnecessary amounts of money.

Admiring the flowers. I suppose that this one could work for spring as well, but I’m from Michigan, and you never know when these beauties will finally make an appearance. Appreciating flowers can happen all sorts of ways. You can find flowers in their natural habitat, or you can go to a grocery store to admire all of the beautiful pots of flowers they have. And maybe buy one or two… Or, see if anyone you know has a garden and would be willing to donate to your flower fund! I especially like the thought of that because then you have a patch of flowers that represent so many wonderful people that are close to you! My mom has a beautiful variety of flowers that come from many loved ones’ gardens.
A picnic lunch. I absolutely adore picnics. I think they’re a lovely way to feel as though you’re eating out for much smaller of a cost! You may even be able to make a picnic lunch using food you already have in your kitchen. It’s a wonderful thing to do, especially when all you have are bits and pieces. A couple odd carrots, a handful of berries, and a chunk of cheese could be the base to an absolutely lovely picnic. And if the weather isn’t being kind, it’s also fun to have an indoor picnic! It’s the perfect rainy day activity. Rainy day picnics with a board game are such a wonderful way to pass the day!
A scenic bike ride. Owning a bike is so wonderful because it can be put to practical use, when you have somewhere you need to be, or a leisurely purpose, when one has nowhere they have to be, but they just want to be out and about. You can look and see what sort of trails your town has, and take advantage of them. Some towns may not have such trails, but you could still bike all the same! You could maybe even sneak in an errand or two, especially if you have a nice little basket attached to your bike. Maybe a quick trip to the farmer’s market or to return some books to the library.
An air-conditioned read. Speaking of libraries… I think that libraries, of course, are wonderful year-round, but there’s something about summertime library visits that are all the more magical. Maybe it causes me to reminisce of my summer breaks as a child, or maybe it’s because the air-conditioning in the library is such a wonderful refuge from the heat outside. Either way, this is one of my favorite activities to do in the summer. And once you have gotten your fill, you can continue your read under a nice and shady tree. How lovely!
Wandering the Farmer’s Market. And speaking of farmer’s markets… I love a good farmer’s market. It’s so heartwarming to see so many hardworking individuals with so many wonderful things to sell. Maybe switch out getting your green beans from Meijer one weekend to buy a package of them from your local farmers. Or skip baking a loaf of banana bread to buy one from a local baker. I love making my own food, but I also love supporting local people as well. Bigger companies won’t care if you do or don’t buy one single loaf of bread, but for small businesses and local farmers, it will mean much, much more. I think it goes without saying that you shouldn’t spend yourself broke at farmer’s markets, but I definitely would suggest going and supporting your neighbors!

Thank you so much for reading, my lovely friends. I hope that your day has been wonderful so far, and that you’re able to take a minute or two today for yourself. A small thing or two that makes you happy!

XOXO,

Mattie Mae

Musings · Uncategorized

The Art of Keeping a Cozy House.

May 6, 2019 MidwestMattie2 Comments

Hello, friends! A happy Monday to you! I hope that you all had a lovely weekend! I definitely did. I was able to spend lots of time with my family, which I always love. Not to mention how BEAUTIFUL it was outside. Finally! Spring weather! Sundress season here I come!

I spent most of my Saturday at my Momma’s house, which got me to thinking about how cozy it is. How could I have forgotten that? How can I have a house that’s half as cozy?!

I have never wanted to live in a large home with expensive, white appliances and impractical white furniture. My heart skips a beat whenever I see old farm houses way out in the boonies. I love houses filled with antiques and well-loved furniture. Anything handmade or passed down from generation to generation, I adore. I understand that this is not everyone’s style and that some prefer a more polished and expensive home, but I am not one of those people. For us regular folk, it is also probably out of our price range. We shouldn’t feel ashamed about this, not at all. It’s not what makes a good home anyhow.

I’ll use my Momma’s home as an example, since my nest isn’t quite where I’d like to be yet. Especially right now. I’m trying to sell items I don’t have use for and in the process, I’ve kind of turned my apartment into a big ol’ mess. And let me remind y’all, it is far too small for a big ol’ mess. All part of the process, friends…

The flowers that I posted for the featured image are my mom’s. She bought them for $3.00 at Aldi, then put them in various clear jars and put them at both windows. It’s something that cost very little money, but made her home feel so much happier. It also kind of reminded me of one of my recent blog posts where I talk about little luxuries. My mother bought those flowers to brighten up the space and to give her just a little extra pep in her step. She only spent $3 on them and paired them with some jars that she already had. Not only is it the flowers that cozied up the place, but also the way she arranged them. Coziness goes hand in hand with ingenuity. It’s doing something unique with items, repurposing them when needing a bit of change. I took some inspiration from her and picked some daffodils that grow outside my church and put them on my windowsill. My aunt lent me a beautiful white vase to put them in and it pairs so nicely with the bright yellow of the daffodils. Just that little added something makes a home feel much cozier.

Bobby and I went to Goodwill yesterday and scored BIG time. We’re trying to find home decor for when we end up moving to Traverse City. We were able to find so much wonderful stuff. I bought some wicker baskets, a little homemade cup, and some wooden crates from a winery in Traverse City, two of them! (I also bought a beautiful red and white polka dot skirt, and Bobby found 13 DVDS) and we spent less than $50 on all of that! I want to scream from the rooftops that it’s not about where you buy something or how much it costs that makes the item a treasure. I spent the remainder of the day giddy about my $3.00 wicker basket.

A cozy home is one where people feel comfortable. It is a tidy home, but it does not need to be spotless. It’s simply doing your best. Life gets busy sometimes and maybe laundry isn’t number one on your to-do list. That’s okay. It also doesn’t mean you have expensive furniture or a freakishly large TV, instead, it’s a place where everyone has a place to sit and a feeling of belonging. Where everyone can relax and enjoy each other’s company. Play a board game, talk to each other, maybe even share a meal.

A cozy home is one where the host/hostess is friendly and makes their guests feel at home. You may not have the most expensive food or be the best cook, but let your guests know that they’re welcome to what you have. Offer them a coffee, a tea, or a glass of water. If they’re spending the night, let them know where the extra blankets are. Act as though you are happy that they’re there, do not act as though they’re a burden! The kindness you give, mixed with the coziness of the home can make for a wonderful time, for both you and your guests!

It’s so easy for us to get caught up in photos and lives we see online. We go to Pinterest for inspiration and instead we start feeling bad about our own home. We follow an Instagram account for DIY tutorials, but instead we feel bad about our skills. This is so harmful to us! We’re so lucky to have these resources, but we must remember that our homes do not need to be copies of what we see online. What’s the fun in that anyways? What makes a home beautiful is the people within it. It’s fun to decorate and create a cozy environment, but at the end of the day, what’s truly important is the time we spend with our loved ones, our home is just a place to make that possible.

Thank you so much for reading!

XOXO,

Mattie Mae

Musings

The Importance of Community and Game Night.

April 29, 2019 MidwestMattie1 Comment

Hello, friends! I hope that ya’ll are having a great Monday! Today was such a gloomy lil day, which I usually enjoy, but I’ve been really craving some sunshine lately. April showers bring May flowers though, so that’s a thought full of sunshine on its own!

As an introvert, I generally default to wanting to be alone, but I think it’s times like those that make it all the more important to seek community. I grew up being so excited for holidays because it meant that I would be surrounded by all of my favorite people. It was always so fun to me and made me wish that there were more holidays. But you know what’s really amazing about being an adult? There’s nothing stopping you from making your own holidays! Anything can be an excuse for getting together with the people that you love.

That being said, I still get very nervous being the host, so I haven’t done that as much as I’d like to. My apartment is also the size of a hallway, but that’s neither here nor there. Hosting shouldn’t be about what your home looks like, but the sense of community felt is what’s important. I lose sight of that sometimes. I question what I have to offer, I don’t have the nicest apartment, I’m not the best cook, and I’m not the best hostess, but those things aren’t the most important thing when it comes to building a community. We all have our talents and when everyone is able to come together to create a fun night, it makes the night all the more special. There are so many ways one can contribute, making a homemade dish, supplying chairs, or even bringing a deck of cards. The list really goes on.

I think with social media we face a brand new problem, we’re so connected with one another and disconnected at the same time. I love that phones are able to connect us with people that are so far away from us, FaceTime is one of my favorites. I love being able to FaceTime Bobby when he’s away for work and I’ve been able to FaceTime my Grandma recently! It’s so much better than talking on the phone! There are so many wonderful ways that the internet allows us to connect with people and it’s a great way to make an online community, but I will say that it does not replace having that community in person.

Sometimes we aren’t so lucky to have friends near us, or maybe even friends at all. I remember my summer before college, all of my friends had already left and I felt so alone. I would bike around town and it made me feel a lot better. I yearned for that interaction with people and wanted nothing more than to feel that sense of community. I think that sometimes we just need to be around people, even if we don’t directly interact with them. Humans naturally need that interaction. I know that on days when I’m feeling especially down and lonely, it does me so good to be out and about.

Just as we need our alone time, we really need time with other people. A sense of community is something that is so important. As an introvert, sometimes it’s hard to recognize that I need that time with other people. And not to isolate myself! That’s another thing that I tend to do. One of my favorite ways to socialize with people is to have a good, old-fashioned game night. It’s especially great if you’re just getting to know people. It busies everyone and makes sure that there aren’t (as many) awkward silences. Add some yummy snacks to the mix and BAM, instant success.

The amount of social time people need varies, but it’s important for us all to build a community. I think that community is an overlooked aspect of life. I think it’s crucial that we don’t let community fade into the past. We have to be conscious in our efforts to create our own community filled with people who lift us up and help us grow.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope that you enjoyed this post!

XOXO,

Mattie Mae

Musings

5 Ways to Stop Needlessly Spending on Clothes.

April 24, 2019 MidwestMattie1 Comment

Hello, friends! Happy Wednesday! I hope that your week has been going great so far!

I wanted to write a little blog about how I’ve been saving money lately. I’ve mentioned before that I love shopping, but I’ve been trying to stop spending frivolously. These are some tips that have helped me. Some of these ideas are going to be repeated from past blogs, but I think that they’re good tips nonetheless. I hope that you’re able to find some use in them!

Mend items when broken. This one doesn’t apply to every situation where you may want to spend needlessly, but it’s already made a difference in my spending. When you change your mentality from buying things with fixable flaws to taking the time to fix them, buying things willy-nilly seems wrong. I’ve always enjoyed sewing, but I’ve never been an expert at it. So my handiwork isn’t always pretty, but it is functional.
Unsubscribe from mailing lists, be it snail mail or email. This is one that I’ve only recently started doing. For the longest time, I was subscribed to all sorts of different brands, constantly being bombarded with emails promising “50% off! or “Buy One Get One Free!”. And don’t get me wrong, I adore myself a good deal, but these sorts of emails are a little tricky. If you don’t purchase something, you are automatically saving 100%. If you spend that money, you are spending money just for the sake of saving money! It’s quite ridiculous. If you’re needing to buy something, you can almost always wait until it’s on sale, which is sort of a bonus tip. These mailing lists tempt you with a new sale brought by a new email almost daily. It’s so much easier to resist the temptation if you’re not subscribed to their emails.
Clothing swap with friends. We don’t always have the same style as our friends, which makes swapping clothes with them even more fun. You’re able to test out new styles without having to spend a single dime, and they’re able to do the same! It also allows you to free up space in your closet, by giving some unloved clothes to your friends!It benefits everyone involved!
Repurpose clothing. Sometimes we own clothing that we bought for just a small detail of it. A great example of this is buying a dress that you love the fabric of, but maybe don’t love how it fits you. You could make it into a different sort of dress, turn it into a shirt, or maybe use the fabric for pillow cases. It’s really fun to do and as a bonus, it allows you to have a completely unique piece! How cool is that!

These are all great ways that I’ve found to help me save money. We can’t change so many of our expenses in life, rent, utilities, and taxes to name a few… we might as well do our best to save some money where we can! And another added plus to all of this is that it’s good for the Earth! Which is always a plus for me.

Thank you so much for reading, I hope that I was able to give you a tip or two that will benefit you!

XOXO,

Mattie Mae

Musings

It’s Okay that your Pinterest DIY was a Fail.

April 22, 2019April 22, 2019 MidwestMattie4 Comments

Hello, friends! Happy Monday! I hope that you had a wonderful weekend and were able to spend time with your loved ones. I had such a lovely weekend. I was able to spend lots of time with my favorite people, eat lots of yummy food, and most importantly, celebrate the fact that He is risen!

This blog is brought to you by my Sunday morning. I found a really cute Pinterest recipe for chocolate covered strawberries that looked like cute little carrots. I bought all of the ingredients and was so dang excited to make them, but when I got to making them… they sure as heck were not coming out as cute as I had expected. Something about me, that I’ve probably mentioned before, is that I am quite the perfectionist. This does not serve me very well, because I also have this thing where if I’m not able to do something perfectly, I just… don’t do it. I have this expectation of myself that I should be able to do something for the first time absolutely perfectly, which never is the case. I get embarrassed so easily and when I think there’s a situation where I could end up being embarrassed, I want to avoid it at all costs.

It’s not a good thing, because I don’t ever want to leave my comfort zone and as you know, not much growth happens inside of our comfort zone. Being embarrassed is natural, we can’t always be perfect at everything. Which may sound super obvious, but it’s something that I struggle with a lot. I want to be good at everything and when I’m not automatically perfect at something, I don’t want to do it. I’ve talked in previous blogs about how there isn’t as much fear if you consciously choose not to do something, because you can tell yourself, “Well, if I wanted to try and do this, I probably could.”, but at the end of the day, you really don’t know what would happen or how good you would or wouldn’t be at something.

I think that Pinterest DIY’s are a good example to use for many reasons. The first one being something that I hadn’t really even though about, until Bobby brought it to my attention in the midst of my Easter meltdown. The fact that a lot of things on Pinterest are probably edited in such a way to make them look perfect. Which isn’t to discredit the hard work the creators put into their craft, I merely want to point out something that we all probably know on a deep level, but forget about it when consuming online media. This applies also to social media in general, whether it be a Pinterest DIY, an Instagram influencer’s life, or maybe even a Youtuber’s romantic relationship. It’s so easy for us to consume this media and let it influence us in a negative way. We think that we can’t create or express ourselves because we won’t be as smart, as pretty, or as famous as other people. Which puts us into a box that restricts us from getting better at things, because we worry that we won’t be able to do it perfectly.

Another thing that I’ve said before in previous blogs is that sometimes we need to look at the big picture of things, instead of getting too focused on the little things. For this, I was so concerned with how this dessert ended up that I was forgetting how excited I was to see all these people that are so dear to me, I was only thinking about this Pinterest DIY. In my head, Easter was dependent on the outcome of it. Which I can go ahead and say was not the case at all. It’s so easy to look back on myself and think about how silly it is that I was so flustered about this, but Sunday morning, this was SO important. The mean part of my brain was telling me that if it turned out poorly nobody would like me and I was a failure and that I would never be good at anything. What the heck! All because of a Pinterest DIY! These mean and silly thoughts are only amplified when it comes to other things, such as school or work.

I wish I could say that I have advice for these feelings, but I’m still trying to figure out how to manage them myself. I suppose the biggest piece of advice I can offer is to practice, practice, practice, even if you feel embarrassed, or stupid, or like you won’t ever be good at anything. As hard as it is, that’s really the only way that you can learn to be better at things. It does not benefit you if you only give yourself one little chance to be good at something. You’re restricting yourself and making it a given that you will never get any better at something. It’s much better to try your best at something several times and decide that you don’t enjoy it than spend your life wondering if you would enjoy it and maybe even be really good at it. I think it’s okay to enjoy doing things that we’re not really great it, but I don’t think it’s okay to try something once and decide we’re never going to do it again. And as for most of my blogs, if not all of them, this is mainly a big ol’ note to self.

I like sharing my struggles and experiences with the world on the off-chance it speaks to at least one person. Blogging is something that is a combination of things that I feel confident and also scared about. And the things I’m confident in or not confident in change day by day. I love writing and generally think I’m a decent writer, but some days I convince myself that I’ve never written anything good in my life. Putting myself out there on the internet is scary, I worry that people think I’m silly for trying to pursue blogging, but the other part of me loves it so much that I don’t want to stop, even if someone were to think it’s odd. I guess that the fear we feel sometimes is worth it when we’re able to find the things that we’re truly passionate in.

Thanks so much for reading!

XOXO,

Mattie Mae

Musings

Note to Self: You don’t Have to Buy a New Dress for EVERY Holiday.

April 19, 2019 MidwestMattie1 Comment

Hello, friends! Happy Friday! The weekend is upon us, thank goodness. I am so excited because this weekend is Easter and I get to spend time with not only my family, but Bobby’s family too! How crazy is it to think that in six short months they will officially be my in-laws? It’s so exciting!

I think it’s important to celebrate our small accomplishments, but gosh, some feel so trivial. This being one of them — I didn’t buy a new dress for Easter. I typically buy a new pretty dress for every holiday, which is so wasteful, because I have so many pretty dresses already. I suppose I felt like I had to, so that when I took photos, I wouldn’t be wearing something that I had already taken pictures in. How silly is that! I looked at bloggers I liked and noticed that they seldom wore clothes more than once. I thought that to be a blogger I had to keep up with that and even try to replicate it! Lately, I’ve been trying to find fellow bloggers that enjoy simple living and don’t buy new dresses for every holiday. The people I followed were all lovely, but I found that following them on social media gave me this extra itch to shop. Keeping our social media filled with good influences as opposed to bad influences is something that I’ve really been working on lately. Along with trying not to use social media quite as often. I think that the two paired together can really improve our life.

I don’t think that it’s inherently wrong to love our possessions, but I do think we should avoid loving the idea of possessions. I think that owning things we do not love and cannot use is where the problem is. There are certainly dresses that I’ve bought that I did not love, I only bought them because I thought they would work for one particular occasion. Afterwards, it sits in my closet, unworn and unloved. To be clear, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting pretty dresses, I personally never feel more confident than when I’m wearing one. For me, they have purpose and I love them. For someone who does not love them, it wouldn’t make sense for them to buy them. I think the issue is buying clothes (or items) that you don’t love, or only buying something for one use. I’ve seen the idea online of shopping one’s closet, which I absolutely adore. I want to start doing this more. To fall back in love with what I already own and if I cannot do that, donate the piece so that hopefully someone can find joy and use from it. I am trying to get rid of pieces in my closet that don’t work with many items. I want to eventually have a closet full of pieces that can me mixed and matched with all my other clothing. This takes time and I’ve been slowly beginning the process of getting rid of useless pieces and obtaining pieces that I find to be more useful. Which sort of brings me to another topic: buying clothes that are timeless versus clothes that are trendy. Perhaps another blog about that? I get so long-winded in these! I need to be better about that, but it’s so hard when you’re so passionate about what you’re talking about!

I think I’ll finish the post here, so that this post doesn’t end up being too long! I hope that you enjoyed reading and I can’t wait to be back with another post on Monday! Happy Easter!

XOXO,

Mattie Mae