shocks. pegs. lucky.

this isn't going to be my full post about Christmas, but rather a quick little post to brag about one of my Christmas gifts.

That's right you crafty ladies, It's a Cricut 2. And for those of you who have no idea what that it is, it's basically a die cutting machine. Top o' the line die cut machine.

Taylor totally surprised me with this one, I didn't even ask for it. I mean, I have said off and on throughout the year that I wished I had one. But, you know what I'm saying.

Anyway, I don't scrapbook. I don't have the money or the patience for it. I think this is mostly used by scrapbookers. But I feel like the possibilities are really endless for me.

I used it for wrapping our nieces birthday presents for their first birthdays that are coming up. I realize a 1 year old will not care about the wrapping job, or even probably care about what's inside. But this is mostly for me OKAY?

Oh yeah, I have also gotten into making my own bows. Did I mention that yet? It's super easy and fun and cheaper. You can find the tutorial by clicking HERE.

I am excited to get down to some serious crafting business after the holidays are over.

In other news, we are still down in Valdosta and I am sick and Taylor has bad allergies. Boo. I woke up the day after Christmas super sickly and I mostly laid on the couch all day. Lux was my super cuddly buddy.

Also, Thomas:

merry & bright

We've had a good Christmas so far. 

(And hope the holidays have been good to you too!) 

I'll blog about it later. But in the meantime, Merry Christmas!

I just wanna thank everyone who helped and supported us this year (Especially our families!). Between getting married and moving 3 times (even living abroad), it's been a seriously crazy [fun] year. We love you all and couldn't have done it without you!!

Tay & Kyns

“May each Christmas season remind us to lift up our voices and fill our hearts with joy and gratitude that Christ the King has come! Christ lives! He is real. He is our Redeemer at Christmas and always.” 

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf

party in our house and our mouths.

Yesterday was Taylor's Birthday. To celebrate, I attempted to throw him a party on Saturday, which ended up being really small, but also really fun. Niki came to stay from Atlanta and Thomas came up from Valdosta. We also had some new friends from our ward come over.

On the actual Birthday, we didn't really have a party. But I gave him some gifts and made him a roast. Gifts which included, Birthday Chex. Get it? 

It just so happens that it was also Lux's birthday. We didn't really do anything for her except she wore her snuggie like a boss and I kept calling referring to her as "birthday." I also gave her a bone. She only cared about the bone.

Now to the most important part of this blog post. There was this recipe I found on pinterest for Caramel Buttermilk Syrup that claimed that it would change my life. Well it was not kidding. I decided to finally make it tonight and just have breakfast for dinner.

The recipe is super simple and can be found by clicking: here. 

Just as a warning, this is not healthy at all, in any way. But the holidays aren't about eating healthy are they?

I swear I wasn't trying to be trendy by storing it in a mason jar, that's just all I had.

Taylor has been on this kick of taking pictures of things I cook for him.

It could be because he's worried that my kick of cooking things will fade.

After I made this I was getting my panties in a bunch stressing about how it was too runny, but it thickens up as it cools. I'm probably gonna make this for the fam this weekend for Christmas festivities. I just want everyone to try it once. 

In other news, not having a dishwasher kinda sucks. The only plus side is that it forces us to keep up on our dish washing. Because I HATE dirty kitchens. I hate food mess. So if you have a dishwasher, don't take it for granted. 

how to be a mormon hipster.

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming of boring married blogging to bring you:

HOW TO BE A HIPSTER WHILE KEEPING IT REAL WITH 

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER DAY SAINTS.

If you are of the LDS faith, being a hipster might seem to be an impossible task what with the V-necks and the excessive drinking of Pabst Blue Ribbon. But I am here to tell you that it is not. Through observation, google search, and this thrilling article in the NY Times (it can be found HERE) I have done a minimal amount of research on how you can make this possible.

1. Everything you do, DO IT IRONICALLY.  

This is the most important step. I can't stress that enough. This will help you seem super cool with anything you do. Wear stone wash jeans from the thrift store, ironically. Listen to hip hop, ironically. Watch VHS tapes instead of DVDs, ironically. Basically, be poor, ironically.

2. Hair

Hair plays an important role in a hipsters image. I actually don't know why, but it does. For women, it's best to have short hair. As short as you're brave enough for. If this is not possible, it has to be long, and wavy. As far as color, you can dye it or not. If you choose to color it, don't talk about it, ever. This will leave room for people to think that purple hue is your natural color. If you don't color your hair, feel free to brag about this often for street cred purposes. For men, there are several acceptable styles for the mormon hipster but these two are the most ideal:

OR

the ironic mullet

This is really a time for you to get creative. 

3. Facial Hair

It is essential for men that you have SOME kind of facial hair. Whether that be a moustache (personal fave) of any sort, beard, or five o' clock shadow. Of course, goatees and mutton chops are not acceptable, unless of course, you have them IRONICALLY (refer to step one). Female hipsters are not completely exempt from this step, though you are not required to have facial hair, you ARE required to like and date and marry men with facial hair. If you don't like facial hair, pretend that you do. Also, wear fake mustaches whenever possible and acceptable.

4. Clothes & Accessories

I am honestly not going to get super heavy into this one because this could take days. There are so many things that hipsters can wear and still be hipsters. Especially when you throw in irony. Irony can make any outfit cool. (refer again to step one.) HOWEVER the staple in the unisex hipster wardrobe is of course, SKINNY JEANS and baggy tops for women and tight tops for men. Make sure the clothes you buy are 50% from the thrift store and 50% from H&M.  If you are rich you can use some of your H&M half at Urban Outfitters, J. Crew, or Anthro. BUT you can never cut into your thrift store half. Thrifting is ESSENTIAL!  Also, make sure you're always wearing glasses (prescription or not_. These are the preferred styles of glasses. (all styles are unisex)

(we srsly <3 dallas green though)

For the guys: how to get around V-Necks

This probably seems hard. But it's possible. Honestly, the V-neck situation in the world is getting out of hand anyway. The V-necks are getting so deep that people are drowning in the sea of exposed chest hair. So don't feel too bad about missing out on this one because you are endowed. Here are some alternatives: Flannel shirts, t-shirts with wolves on them, t-shirts from bands that are so underground even Brendan Fraser couldn't find them in his Journey to the Center of the Earth and sometimes you can wear suit coats or cardigans over said t-shirts. Also, turtle necks, and ugly sweaters. MAKE SURE NOT TO FORGET TO WEAR A SCARF! Even in the summer.

What about church clothes?

A big part of being a Mormon hipster is that you are, still a Mormon, and being a Mormon means you gotta go to church. Because being inactive, is NOT hip. For the women I have 3 staples for you, Thrift store dresses, flats, and SHOULDER PADS. For the men, make sure to wear fitted dress pants, they're kind of like skinny jeans but for church. As far as ties, don't even THINK about wearing regular ties. This is unacceptable, (UNLESS, it's a tie with a pattern which is appropriate for church, and also ironic.) Some good alternatives for regular ties: skinny ties, bolo ties, or bow ties.

5. Music/Books/Movies

Navigating the hipster scene of multimedia can be daunting. What to watch!? What to hear!? What to read!? 

I'm here to sort of help.

Music

Well, fortunately you being a hipster means you are not stuck with one genre of music. You can do electronic, acoustic, hip-hop, instrumental indie rock, whatever your mood. However it is SO SO SO important that you only listen to underground music. This will give you the upper hand in situations with your "normal" friends. There might come a day when your favorite underground gets out and gets popular, but do not fear. You heard it first. Before they were cool. You are king. Also, You are allowed to listen to top 40, either secretly, or ironically. If you have a Spotify, be VERY careful to only listen to music that no one knows, or makes you look cool.

Books

Don't read Twilight. Too late? That's okay, just tell everyone you hated it. Even if you didn't. Because hating Twilight is what hip people do.

Movies

Movies can be tough because a lot of LDS members don't watch rated R movies. And it's usually pretty essential that hipsters watch and LOVE Wes Anderson movies. Which are pretty much all rated R. Fortunately for you, there is Fantastic Mr. Fox. Watch it. Love it. This is your ticket to cool.

6. College

I am not going to tell you that you HAVE to go to college to be a hipster, but you pretty much do. This is where you will find other hipsters to hang out with OR other hipsters to avoid (avoiding people is cool). If you can't afford school, or just don't feel like it, just go to your nearest college and wander around campus with your backpack and macbook (APPLE PRODUCTS ONLY! FOREVER!) and act like you're studying. It is important to note that you can attend any college you want, EXCEPT BYU. I'm sorry. BYU is not hip. However, BYU-IDAHO, is acceptable. Mormon Hipsters tend to thrive and flourish there. Any school that is an art school is ideal, though.

In summary

If you follow all of these simple steps and add a small amount of your own imagination (but only a very small), you can be a hipster.  Follow the winds of change in the hipster scene and never conform to the norms of society. But I mean, you still have to follow the word of wisdom and the Prophet and stuff. 

Also, ride bikes. But only road bikes or beach cruisers. If all else fails, long board. Or roller skate, ironically.

ok, ok, i admit it, I HAVE A PROBLEM.

hi. my name is Kynslie, and for the first time ever, I am admitting that I am beauty productaholic.

I suppose that all women have their vices, for some it's shoes, others it's men, purses, clothes, etc. but for me, it is beauty products.

The biggest problem for me really, is hair product. I think this problem stems from growing up near my aunt Holly, who is a hair stylist.  I've always been overly obsessed with my hair. Yes, oft times I am too lazy to actually DO my hair, but I still, cherish my hair. I am the kind of girl who cries after haircuts if it gets cut too short.

My step-mom, Brooke has what I would most likely consider a dream job. She does retail for a beauty supply and she has to try a lot of their products in order to be able to recommend them to customers. She has also, on occasion assisted me in my addiction because whenever I go home to visit, she usually gives me a buttload of shampoos, conditioners, oils, and hairsprays.

AND HONESTLY, it wasn't until fairly recently that I started to realize that I might be a hoarder of product. While we were moving in, April was here visiting and she kept making comments about how much HAIR AND BODY STUFF I had. And I was like, "yeah, I mean I have a lot but not like, A LOT A LOT..."

But actually I do.

Tonight Taylor went through our bathroom stuff closet and actually organized and unpacked it all, [believe it or not, he is the least procrastinating of the two of us]. When I say OURS, I most mean mine.

And so for the first time ever, I am sharing with the world, my extensive collection.

DON'T JUDGE ME.

some of these were acquired while dressing up like Snooki.

This does not include make up in my makeup bag, or the shampoos and body washes in the shower. But this is pretty much it. This is me putting it all out there.

Am I ever gonna get rid of it? No. Am I gonna stop buying more stuff? Doubtful. Does all this stuff make me prettier? Nope. I mean I am not even one of those girls who gets ready EVERYDAY.

BUT I CAN'T HELP IT! I LOVE BEAUTY PRODUCTS! Every time I buy one it makes me feel like it's gonna be the one thing that changes my life. There hasn't been anything life changing yet, but I won't give up.

But hey, now you know who to turn to if you need advice on beauty products. Or if you need a make over, I've got the supplies.

she bes domestic.

I have been working on living room decor since we moved in. The search for throw pillows/fabric to make throw pillows has been nothing short of a nightmare. Until recently. I found some fabric at Ikea when we stopped there on our way out of Atlanta. (I didn't even know they had fabric) and then I found some mustard throw pillows at world market for only 10 bucks. Then I found some aqua-ish damask-ish fabric at Joann for the long pillow.

Using my sewing machine has been a little bit of a nightmare cause my presser foot lifter broke in half (even after we glued it.) so even though making pillows should be a simple task, even for a sewing noob like me, it took like 3 days and a couple of cut up fingers. BUT ALAS, I have finished.

the color isn't very good cause this is a cell phone picture.

the pink a little bit darker than that.

I won't lie to you though, those pillows look like a 5 year old made them. but they work for now so it's fine.

in other household news, we finally got our crock pot which I may have already mentioned, and so I went a little crazy with the whole "LET'S SLOW COOK!" kind of thing.  I've made pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, chili (from scratch!), a Sunday roast, and the list will continue on. Tomorrow I am making this http://pinterest.com/pin/82542605640025936/

And I actually really love using the Crock Pot. It's been fun. Especially since we don't have a dishwasher and there are less dishes to wash. I'm not going to go into super detail but I just wanted to share a recipe with you if you ever feel like slow cooking. Cause that is what my life is now, getting excited about crock pot recipes.

This one is Taylor's Faaaavorite

Crock Pot Chicken

In the bottom of a crock pot melt 1/2 cube butter

Add 4 chicken breasts, thawed.

2 packets dried italian dressing mix

2 cans of cream of mushroom soup

Garlic as desired

Let it cook for anywhere from 4 to 5 hours, and about an hour before serving add 1 pkg of cream cheese and 1 regular sized sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over rice or noodles.

I know I should have taken a picture of it but it looked like vomit, it was delicious though.

Also, just as an added bonus, I would like to share with you the most simple recipe of all time. Whenever I would tell people about this they were like, "yeah, I already knew that" so I think it was one of those things that everyone knew but me, but I'm gonna share it on the off chance that someone out there was like me. And apparently this is a weight watcher recipe, just what I heard.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

In a mixing bowl combine the following:

1 package spice cake mix

1 package chocolate chips

1 15 oz can of pumpkin

Preheat oven to 375. Drop spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. bake 8-10 minutes.

Keep an eye on these because they look pretty much the same in dough form as they do cooked. Since they are so cake-like you can stick a toothpick or a fork in them to check if they're done. That's what I do.

"world travellers"

Get ready cause I am about to shove more Christmas ornament stuff in your face.

Today we went to World Market, they had ornaments on sale, and also I just think that store is real fun. Anyway, last month we went and looked at the ornaments and decided we would get a couple to represent our adventures this year, since we weren't smart enough to collect them while we were actually in those places. So anyway, here's what we've got so far.

we got a hula girl for our HONEYMOON to Maui

A snowflake to represent our snowy wedding day in Utah

We wanted a Big Ben without Santa but they were gone.This one was for London.

A cute red phone booth for all of our English adventures.

We got this little globe for all of our other travels, and also, because on our boarding pass when we went to England, there was a little thing that said "World Traveller" which was for whatever reason, amusing to us, and has been a little joke between us ever since.
[also traveller is spelled wrong]

Guess you had to be there.

This is a cute little ornament that we didn't buy but we Jen's mom gave it to us while we were in Utah for Thanksgiving.

So that was fun and then also I found some Fentiman's Curiosity Cola. Which was this tasty little beverage that I had while we were visiting the Dover castle. Never thought I would see it again.

The moral of the story, is that World Market is super fun and I wish we were rich.

oh! Christmas tree.

OK, so here is our standard run of the mill newlywed first Christmas tree post.

So I don't know what it is about being married that has me all stoked for Christmas stuff, but it does. It's probably the same thing that makes me blog all the time. Marriage is magical.

Get this, I am actually listening to Christmas music, RIGHT NOW. I mean, really. Me. The person who has cursed Christmas music for her entire life. However, it is the Indie Christmas Pandora station, so it's like Sufjan Stevens, a little more my taste. But, STILL Christmas songs guys!!
[Don't worry, I am never going to be able to listen to it on my own before Dec. 1st though.]

Clear back in August while I was homesick in England I was daydreaming about our life when we get home and what I was going to do with our Christmas tree, and I decided that I was going to make miniature tissue pom pom's for our ornaments. I KNOW, it's kind of lame, and uncreative, but it was cheap, easy, and cute.

I also bought the cheap snowflake ornaments at Target.

We tried to make decorating the tree together an ordeal, but it took about 5 minutes. It was still fun though.

Behold, the tree.

We just used Lux's Santa hat for a topper cause I'm cheap.

ALSO we bought LED lights. Which are AWESOME!

P.S. if you want to know how to make the tissue pom poms..

 click HERE! and just follow the directions, but use small pieces of tissue paper. Also I just bought the cheap little ornament hooks from target (300 for a buck!) to hang them on. I'm too lazy and not pretentious enough to do my own tutorial, even though a lot of people ask me how I made those, since I also made 2000 of them for our wedding.