i don't like it

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FRIDAY!!!

 This week seemed to drag by. 

I absolutely love the quote above...

so have you ever heard the saying 'try everything once'...however, there are things I will NEVER try like eating liver or sky diving, but there are some things I will try but that doesn't necessarily mean I am going to end up liking it. SO here are just a few things I have tried but did not like....one.single.bit.

one. harry potter.....i fell asleep in the movie & the books make me yawn - pass

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two. carrots...i have tried SO hard to like them, because I love dipping things in ranch but i just hate them

three. beer...one time playing 'edward 40 hands' and that was it for me & beer

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four. country music....besides taylor swift, i can't stand to hear it, ever.

five. sirius radio....my new car came with 3 free months & for being the huge music buff that I am....i'm not impressed at all

how gorg is my new car?! 

six. mixing prints...you have seen me try it here & here and I still am not a fan...this trend needs to fade out...NOW

seven. licorice....i can't stand the smell or the taste

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eight. soccer....i apologize to anyone who loves the sport but i rather set myself on fire then watch people play soccer

nine. an office job...i have way too much creativity to be sitting all day in a 9-5 job...it just not gonna happen

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ten. water proof mascara....sure its a good idea at first, but have you tried taking it off?! WAY to time consuming for me

What have you tried that you didn't like? 

so moving on from dislikes to someone I do like. Today I have a blogger who me, myself has just gotten to know. I am excited because she is one of my Cara Box partners this month so I will be able to get to know her even more! But what I do know is she a mom, but doesn't look like one because she's gorgeous and she writes a fun lifestyle blog that has something for everyone. When I read her blog I have such a calming feel over me & just leaves me feeling happy. SO without further ado meet 

Hey there! I’m Mandi and I blog over at All My Happy Endings.

// I love bum chins, and dimples… I have neither.

// In my life I have been able to recite a total of 3 movies from start to finish: Goonies and Pretty Woman and A Knight’s Tale.

// I have a strange connection to French cafe music.

I tell stories. 

About me. 

My life. 

About being a mother. 

A wife. 

A friend. 

A Working woman. 

A product consumer. 

A DIYer. 

In no particular order. I write from a personal perspective and hope you will find something inspiring in the words, something that perhaps calls courage out from places within that have been forgotten.

As a writer, I often suffer from “writers block” which can be a major hurdle for a blogger. But I’ve come to realize that my readers don’t expect to be hypnotized by my prose. 

They appreciate the simple moments of my daily life – inspired by my children and my husband…my favorite people in the world. For it is with them, that I’m often reflective, about life, about humanity, about love. 

Children, with their fresh outlook on life, can change the way you view the world.

Initially, my blog was nothing more than a means to stay connected to loved ones across the miles. A method of sharing our goings on, but also a mode of journaling my experiences and thoughts along the way. 

My blog has only become public since November 2012, and it’s morphed into a myriad of topics from lifestyle, parenting, inspiration, to blogging tips, mama fashion, and giveaways. But above all, it’s my story.

The name All My Happy Endings pretty much describes my mission in life – to choose happiness no matter my circumstance. And to share my deliverance from life’s everyday challenges.

Here are a few of my most cherished posts:

// WEEKS. MONTHS. YEARS.

// WHAT YOU ARE MADE OF

// PEEKS INTO THE FUTURE

Isn't she just so sweet. I love the way she looks at life. SO you can keep up with Mandi on all of her social sites…stop by her blog & say hello, you'll be glad you did!

BLOG // FACEBOOK // TWITTER // BLOGLOVIN // PINTEREST

PS. the MINI project is LIVE on Wednesday.....& it's a fun one

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the mile high club

have you ever played Never Have I Ever back in the day? Well I did...I actually played it the first night I hung out with the bf....its a good way to get to know someone fast....in the past we played it with our fingers and whoever had to keep putting a finger down would have to drink. Some how though the game always ended up with sex questions only....oh the college days. 

so today my favorite blonde Nadine of Back East Blonde, along with Whitney of Keeping up with the Cyberts & Meighan of Heaves to Meighan are hosting a Never Have I Ever linkup - so of course i'm going to play....but I promise to keep it clean

been to europe

held anything slimy - like a lizard, frog, snake....i don't ever plan on it either

stolen anything from anyone or any place

asked a guy out on a date

gotten in a physical fight....unless you count fights with my sis? 

made it into the mile high club.....{yet}

been on a motorcycle....& i never will

dated or hooked up with a friends ex....huge no no girls! 

was prom queen....le sigh

had my eyebrows waxed.....that's all me baby

what have you never done? Are you guilty of any of mine? 

so now moving on to a bad ass b*tch....this girl doesn't hold anything back. She stands up for what she believes in & i love that about her. But besides being a bad ass she is also a wonderful mom & wife. I have really enjoyed getting to know her from Twitter, & then from her blog...she's just a real, down to earth girl & you guys are lucky because she's here today to give you some honest & real blogging advice... So without further ado meet 

webcam power...YEAH!

Hey guys! I am Ashley from Being Ashley: My life unedited! 

I am so excited to be sponsoring Kelly this month and even more stoked to chat with you guys for a minute! Like I said, I blog over here and it is a pretty big mash up of all facets of my life. I post a lot about my crazy 3 year old, my marriage and just being 23. 

We are currently expecting our second kiddo and things are madness on the home front! Right now we live in FL- home is Indiana. We do things a little crazy in our house, and I would love for you to come check out all the fun! I just started a super new link up for moms of all kinds! It's called Mom's Tip Jar and it is a place for tips & tricks! I am also starting a book swap in April and would love to have you join us! 

Before I go, Kelly asked me to share a few of my blogging tips with you, so I shall!  My favorite thing about blogging thus far is the friends I have made! These girls are some of my closest friends now! I love meeting all these new people from all over the place! 

1) Do you. Just do what feels right. There aren't really rules...if someone tells you there are- they are full of it. Keep it real. Just be yourself! We are all such nosey people, we just want to know who you are and what you are about! :)) 

2) Do not be passive aggressive or "vague" when angry...it gets you nowhere at all. Be a grown up- you are a grown up, just remember "if I cant say this to a person IRL...I probably shouldn't tweet it about them on the web"...  

3) When in doubt- type it out. This is kind of a life thing for me. Sometimes I post the ramblings, sometimes I don't- but your blog is your place to vent and find peace. So don't be afraid to write about what you want when you are upset, or need help etc. 

For more Ashley you can visit me on Twitter, Facebook or even subscribe to my newsletter!

Be sure to stop by & say hello to Ashley! 

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the dirty tay

And to think Messy Dirty Daily Tay was a nickname I tried 

so hard to get away from in middle school.

You wear your hair in dreadlocks for two months after coming home from a family vacation to the Bahamas and suddenly everyone thinks you have dirty hair....

Thirteen year olds can be so mean.

My name is Taylor and I am no longer in middle school 

(thank God)

I am actually twenty five and I live in Chicago with my two guys, Chris and Harlow.

Chris is pictured above in case you weren't sure.

And Harlow (below) is my assistant and partner in crime.

He makes sure I stay active and carry enough plastic bags with me at all times.

But enough about that, let's talk about the evolution of my 

messy dirty hair.

Figure 1- The time the hairdresser talked me into getting a "Bob."

I called it the five-year-old-Bobby cut.

Figure 2- (right beside it) This is me growing out said Bobby.

I call it the San Diego shag because that's where I was living at the time.

I was also working for the Men In Black it would appear by my sunglasses.

Figure 3- (below Bobby) This is the product of me growing out the shag/cutting my own bangs.

It didn't work.

Figure 4- Jessica Simpson hair extensions in the house!

Sadly the box did not warn me about swimming in the ocean with these on spring break.

They didn't make it home from Acapulco 2007.

Figure 5- More homemade bangs.

And glued in extensions...

Figure 6- The "big city Chicago" cut. 

No more extensions. No more bangs.

For now...

I also just started a site called The Browse,
the blogging society at its best.

You should stop by and see who's being featured this week, maybe it's you!

Thanks again, Kelly, for having me on your wonderful site!

The Daily Tay/ Twitter/ Facebook




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my cat has a facebook

okay sooo I had a little bit too much fun with all the new Halloween themed fonts & fun on picmonkey......

I love Halloween time! I'm a big holiday person in general so any type of holiday that comes up, I most likely celebrate in some way....plus its my GF birthday month so even more reason to celebrate! 

But there's another special reason why I love & look forward to Halloween so much.......

& it involves a cat. 

you may have heard me mention her before around here...& whenever I speak of her I always compare her to an actual person & today you'll get to find out why.

Meet Dolce - my sassy, human like, queen cat.

just your average house pet.....right? 

nope. 
Dolce is far from average. 
In fact she's actually a star. 

Now I'm sure you're all shaking your head & thinking ok crazy cat lady whatever you say - but before you sum this post up as just another girl talking about her cat let me tell you why Dolce is so special....

Every Halloween for the past 6 years I have dressed Dolce up in costumes & entered her in pet contests. 

I'm sure you're wondering what I mean by costumes.......because she is a cat. 

Well, when I went to buy Dolce's first costume I had to get her a dog costume because obviously they don't make cat ones. I never had put any type of clothes on Dolce before so I was taking a risk hoping this would work out. 

To my surprise Dolce not only let me put the costume on her without fussing & moving, but she kept it on for as long as I wanted without trying to take it off or anything. 

She literally would sit in her costume & just pose.  

She wouldn't even make a move when we were at the contests with tons of dogs running around. Everyone would ask to take her picture & she would let them. 

With all the fuss that was going on around her, Dolce was as cool as a cucumber.  
I knew I had something special here.

Do I consider myself a stage mom? 
Absolutely. 
& proud of it. 

Soooo the very first costume Dolce ever got was a princess - we won 1st place in this costume! 

Dolce standing proud next to her prize! We were very excited for this win since it was our first! 

The next year Dolce as a bumblebee, however we did not take home any awards for this costume. We didn't even place.....but in Dolce's defense the dog that won was wearing a matching outfit as her owner so they had that advantage....'oh look you match your dog how cute'....blah blah

After the loss we didn't let it get us down. We just knew we had to blow them out of the water with next years costume....& boy did we.

With this costume not only did Dolce enter the usual pet store contest but I also entered her in the Orange County Register online animal costume contest....

Put your hands up because Dolce the cop is here! 

& I'm happy to report we not only won 1st place in the pet store contest but we also won the OC Register contest!!! And her prize for winning the register contest was a professional photo shoot in her winning costume....& look how fabulous they turned out! Dolce means business!

we took home 1st again the next year when Dolce was a witch -

and then last year we took home 2nd when Dolce was a cowgirl - & the back story on this costume is the plaid shirt is actually a baby boys shirt I got at Target. 

Besides these fun costume contests........

Dolce was also in an infomercial for a new type of cat litter box. She didn't make the final cut of the infomercial but she did get paid $25 for her work & to me that's a win win! 

She was also invited to a casting call at Hollywood Paws in LA. The casting call was for pet agents. Did you know all the animals you see in movies & TV actually have agents? 
The agents loved Dolce, of course, but like a lot of places in LA they wanted Dolce to do training & the training wasn't cheap. so we passed on that. 

Dolce also went to an audition in LA for a cat food commercial. The studio that it was held at was where a lot of magazine have their cover shoots. They had a binder in the warehouse that held every picture of all the celebs that had been there before. It was pretty cool to see Dolce & I were in the same place where celebs like Jen Antison & Cameron Diaz had been. 

But it's Hollywood & Dolce did not make the commercial....but that's show business ---> however like everything else the experience was still really cool. 

So as you can imagine i am super excited for the contest this year...& I'm even more excited for her costume....but you're all gonna have to wait to see that one.

I brought Dolce this hat back from my trip to Mexico in 2008

However if you want to keep up with Dolce & her glamours life you can do so on her facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/dolcedolcedolce or you can follow her on twitter at @IamDolce

yes, my cat has a facebook & twitteryes, she is active on them& yes, she actually has over 100 facebook friends & over 200 twitter friends

so what do you think? crazy cat lady? or very cool cat ?.......& just so you know I am perfectly fine with the phrase crazy cat lady, as I'm sure all my cat lovers are :)

Dolce even has her own graduation cap & gown...of course we graduated together too. 

so be her friend now before she gets too famous & forgets us all....

Hollywood has already gone to her head, god help me. 

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