My Life Lately [Through a Camera Lens]

Also... THIS. Which made me almost die from hyperventilation and feels, so... prepare yourself if you have yet to see it. :D

À la prochaine! (until next time!)

Captain America Cosplay - Boots!

Okay, I don't know about ya'll, but I'm getting bored with the stuff I've been posting on here lately. "Personal" posts are great, but I want to get some cosplay action going here. ;D

As we don't have the BOTFA trailer, (though all signs are pointing to it being premiered at the Hobbit panel at San Diego Comic Con this Saturday!!!) and I'm STILL not decided on what costume I'm going to make for the premiere of that, I'll go ahead and share some of my Age of Ultron plans with ya'll. :D

If you follow me on Pinterest, you've probably seen that I've been pinning boots lately. Specifically, boots for my Cap cosplay. Seeing as I'm obsessed with boots, I've been having waaaay too much fun scouring Amazon, eBay, etc. for the perfect pair. ;D

Oh, yeah - did I mention boot shopping online is one of my favorite things? Mmhmmm. I could - and do - spend hours doing it. xD

So - about the boots.

I'm just gonna be frank here - I'm not trying to be screen accurate. xD His First Avenger boots are too masculine, I really really really don't like his Avengers boots, the boots in Winter Soldier are extremely similar to his TFA boots, and his Age of Ultron boots are just boring.

Soooooo I'm gonna be taking some creative license here - because my fem!Cap boots must be fabulous. B)

For color, I've decided to stick with brown, like his new AoU costume, because I really don't like how the bright red looks. Brown is much cooler. ;)

But the big thing I'm trying to decide about le boots is whether I want them to be laced, combat style, like Cap's costume from TFA, or just with buckles and such, which is more Avengers and AoU esque.

I was originally completely set on laced boots, but now I'm leaning more towards the plain-and-buckled look. I think it just gives a bit more of a "super hero" look than the lacing. However, I'm still open to the laced possibility. :)

And now that you know all the details, I give to you my top 5 options! :D

(Prices are for the color and size I'd get, and include shipping - also, each picture is embedded with the link to the listing, in case you guys want a pair. ;D)

Option 1:

Brinley Co.

$45.94

This is the only non-high-heel pair in my top 5 list. While I prefer the heeled look for the femininity it lends to the costume, the buckles and the cool look of the shaft opening caught my eye on these.

Option 2:

Ursela by Mia

$39.99

While I really like these, they're actually currently not available (in brown). I had found them a few weeks back, but they went out of stock and I couldn't find them anywhere else, so I e-mailed the seller to ask when they'd be back in stock, and they said they didn't know. Soooooo this one is dependent on whether they actually do come back in stock.

Option 3:

Darleen by BareTraps

$17.98

Not only are they cute, but they also have an extremely tantalizing price tag. ;D (note: the listing name on Amazon is wrong.)

Option 4:

Arizona (used)

$38.47

These ones are a vintage pair, but they're in really nice condition, and are pretty cute. They might be a little bit too "Victorian" for Cap, but I think they're still a possibility. Another thing, was the size of the shaft; there's a possibility it'd be too big for my calf.

Option 5:

N/A

$33.74

These are my personal favorite. :D The heel, the buckles, the price... pretty much perfect - IF I am, indeed, going with the non-laced look.

Welp - that's the lowdown on my Captain America cosplay boot situation! Vote in the commentsssss on your favorite pair, because, as always, I'd love to hear ya'lls opinion! :)

Beautimous

I have a problem.

No, actually had a problem.

Concerning... me.

It was a problem of looks. I didn't even know it was a problem, for a while. But eventually, over time, I began to realize it.

I refused to leave the house without my full makeup regime meticulously applied to my face.

I didn't/don't wear many products. Just eyeliner, mascara, concealer, and light lip stick. But even though they are few, I came to rely on those items alot. Too much, as I came to realize.

My makeup didn't become a "protective wall," as I've heard many girls say. No, for me it was rather a secret weapon I used with the wrong mindset and motives.

I was using it to get every one to like me. To want to be me. To admire me. Isn't that awful?

Of course, I hadn't ever spelled out these reasons in so many words. But, subconsciously, I believe those reasons were there.

Then, one day, after I had fully realized my own weakness, I decided to beat it. With God's help.

The first step was surprisingly simple... I went to French class without the eyeliner.

And ya know what? It felt good. Light. Fresh. Simple.

The thing is... when I got there, I was treated exactly the same as when I wore my full regime. And I remember feeling actual surprise at this. Is that messed up, or what?

By the way... this doesn't mean I'm going to stop wearing makeup. In our culture, it's kind of become a part of looking put together. And I enjoy wearing it. And, of course, I like to look my best. (Who doesn't?)

What I am going to do, however, is not wear it all the time.

Like, when I go horse back riding, no way do I need to be wearing a face full of makeup. (Dirt, sweat, and horse hair end up ruining it anyway! ;) Or, when I have to grab some eggs at Walmart. Or if I'm just hanging with mah besties.

And now that I have a healthy mindset about wearing it, I can feel better about wearing it - and not wearing it.

All the above is why have presented to you, my friends, followers, and the whole world (heh), the picture above. Me without makeup. Not a speck. (And no photoshop either. ;))

Just... me.

I'm not trying to get compliments. I'm just proving to myself that I have the confidence, self esteem, and self respect to be cool with people seeing me sans makeup.

Because, in God's eyes, I'm beautiful no matter what I look like. :)

Liebster Award!

In case you didn't know, I've never done any "blog award" posts before... I've been nominated a few times prior to this, but I never took the time to write up a post, 'cause I 1) am lazy and 2) didn't want to clutter my blog. Does that sound weird? Yeah, kinda. Oh well. You OCD peeps out there will understand. ;)

However, I decided to break my rule this time. I've seen the Liebster Award floating around quite a bit, so I was rather honored when I was nominated. ;) Also, the objectives behind the award are actually very near and dear to my own heart... getting unknown bloggers known! :D

So, with that intro, let's get into the rules...

1. Thank and Link

Thanks so much to the super awesome Ely who so graciously nominated me for the Liebster Award in the first place! You should go visit her at What Can I Say?. Yeah, like, right now. Leave a comment, say hi. All that good shtuff. ;)

2. 11 Facts About Moi

1. Boots are my weakness.
2. Movie trailer music by Audiomachine is my go-to music. Not kidding.
3. (Lord willing) I'll be in New Zealand next January. Call that a "spoiler" for my life. ;)
4. I'm obsessive when it comes to underlining in my Bible.
5. I just recently watched Doctor Who for the first time. And surprised myself by actually liking it.
6. I'm rather proficient at hula-hoop-ing.
7. I hate flimsy handshakes. If you're gonna shake my hand, give me a firm grip.
8. Car racing games are da best.
9. I've never drank a Coke in my life. Or a Pepsi, for that matter.
10. I hate Monopoly. So much. Perhaps because I always lose...
11. Some of my first memories of the internet are playing on Webkinz. Oh yes.

3. Questions from Ely

1. winter or summer? Erhmm... both. I love summer, but you can't wear boots in summer. Or cuddle up with hot tea and a book. Or...

2. Your opinion on mayonnaise and bananas (not necessarily together, tho if that's your cup of tea...) Mayonnaise is gross, unless used in a recipe. And bananas are good -- but don't you dare try to give me a strawberry-banana milkshake. *gag*

3. how many books do you have checked out from the library right now? *Mentally counts.* Six!

4. do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it? Ahhhh both! I love taking pictures, but also having pictures taken...

5. If you had to permanently paint your fingernails one color for the rest of your life, what color would it be? This color.

6. do you like your days to be busy or lazy? Busy! Well, with activities that I want to do, anyway...

7. most played song on your iPod (or music collection). I honestly haven't the slightest idea... xD

8. would you say that the word 'adorkable' is the thing that sums up these two dorks? Sure. Or maybe just 'dork.' xD

9. where is the first place you want to travel to? New Zealandddddd

10. funniest childhood story? Way too many. That one time I zipped around the house on my new scooter... or climbed all the way to the top of a ginormous apple tree... or changed into a new outfit in the check out line (I was 2 xD)...

11. mountains or beach? Mountains, probably. Though I could never say no to a nice, warm, sandy beach.

4. My Nominees

1. Madison @ A Wanderer's Journey

2. Hannah @ Life of a Nerdy Girl

3. Kayla @ Miss Kay's Corner

4. Morgan @ Gardener of the Hill

5. Karis @ The Horse Nextdoor

6 Maggie @ Ladies of the Press

7. Grace @ Eruanna of Edoras

8. Laura @ Gazing Wonders

9. Rebekah @ Running His Road

5. My Questions for My Nominees

1. What was your very first fandom?

2. Makeup or no?

3. Could you survive on an uninhabited tropical island for a week with nothing but the clothes on your back? 

4. 3 websites you visit daily? 

5. Do you have any secret boards on Pinterest? 

6. Favorite book/series as a kid? 

7. Tea or coffee? 

8. Are your ears pierced? 

9. How many pairs of shoes do you have? 

10. What's your go-to breakfast food? 

11. In your opinion, what is the best blog post you've written so far? (Link, please!)

Now go forth, my friends, and write your own posts! ;)

Summer Life in Washington

So much has been going on while I've been up here in Washington.

For the first time I...

...baked with coconut flour.

I've worked alot with almond flour, but coconut flour was completely new to me, so I wasn't sure what to expect. They turned out perfect! To me, they tasted just like cupcakes made with normal flour. And they looked so pretty too! White and fluffy. ;) Btw, coconut flour smells absolutely divine. ;D

The first thing I made was vanilla cupcakes (from this recipe). They were so good, I couldn't believe it. I then made a batch of banana muffins with this recipe, as we had obtained a nice collection of too-ripe bananas. ;)

...jumped an Icelandic pony.

I've ridden Icelandics. I've jumped. But never together... so this was a fun new experience!! Sure, the jumps were fairly low, but it was still fun. I hadn't jumped in ages, and I didn't realize how much I missed jumping until I, well, jumped. xD

Aside from jumping, my little sister Danielle and I have had so much fun at a friend's Icelandic pony farm, riding, grooming, feeding, etc. ;)

There's 6 ponies at the farm we go to help out at: Stjarni, Karl, Aegir, Skila, Scoogi, and Thunder. (They're all icelandic names - except for Karl and Thunder - so that's why they're a bit odd.)

Photos of a day at le pony farm...

This seriously precious pony is Aegir (his Icelandic name). I secretly call him Mango, tho (because of his coloring). xD

Meet Karl. B)

Sweet Stjarni.

Tacking up Skila for a ride.

Boots. ;)

A late-afternoon ride on Karl. (:

Danielle trots a jump on Skila. Are they not adorable???

...drove a 4-wheeler.

Sadly, I don't have photo-proof of this. xD It was actually pretty fun -- a bit tricky at first, but quite thrilling once I got the hang of it. ;D

Welp, my time grows short. I must fly. Until later, my friends. :)

P.S. THE HOBBIT TRAILER IS COMING.