|| Home Is Where… ||

I always have a hard time defining where my home is. Is it my little apartment in Glendale Arizona? Is it 242 East Harker Ave in Magrath? Is it where I feel the most relaxed and happy aka the cabin at Bitterroot Lake? I recently came across this little quote on Pinterest and I think it sums up exactly where home is for me! 

Right? Seriously home is a lot of places for me! Any place where I have taken the time to enter in the wifi password must mean I like it a lot! 

I thought I would share a few pictures I took from my recent trips that all remind me of HOME.

These boys playing on the pad. It doesn't matter if it's blowing 100km/hour you can find them here shooting pucks.

The last ones living at home! Love these crazy siblings of mine!

My favourite candy! Ignore the American bill ;) The Easter Bunny was good to us ;)

I always wait until I am home to get my hair done by AJ. She is the best and no other hairdresser will do.

I didn't take a photo of this handsome guy and I FaceTiming but we do that a lot. And since he is so dang hot I will put up a fav picture of him. Also coming back and seeing him when I exit the airport doors is the greatest feeling ever. It always reminds me of when we were dating and the butterflies I would get when I would see his car coming to get me at the airport. Ahh young love <3

I got to take some pretty pics of my bestie while I was home! Seeing her makes me feel at home. (to see more go to meghanmaxwell.com)

Got to see another gorgeous girly friend and cuddle her adorable baby and shoot a quick family pic for them! Being with friends who have known me since forever is the greatest. You never really make friends like the ones you made in preschool who are still sticking by you. 

This is a selfie. I wish it had Amber and Jenni in it! This was right before our little girls night out! Sometimes you just need a little girl time and they are who I call when I need it! (sent this to Brett… yes I am that kind of wife) 

This girls laugh. She is the happiest girl I know. She is always laughing, goofing around, and making fun of everyone, including herself! No one is more excited to see me when I get "home"! I look forward to her bear hug every single time.

Okay this doesn't have anything to do with home... but on our way to the cabin Joc accidentally threw away $20 in this trash bin… she only came out with $10. I literally almost peed myself laughing. She is hilarious!

The sight of this mountain gives me the most instant feeling of happiness. There is just nothing like it. It means Southern Alberta and it means Home. 

|| Sister, Sister ||

I once cried so hard when I was told my mom had given me another baby brother that I soaked my grandma's night-gown (sorry Russ). I had wished on every first star, every birthday candle, every 11:11, and every fallen eyelash that I would get a sister. Obviously once I met Russell I loved him and it made the devastation of his gender a little less painful. On February 15th, 1996 when I headed home from my grade 1 classroom to eat lunch I got the greatest news … I was the proud big sister of a baby girl named Jocelyn. I ran back to school so excited to tell all my friends and my teachers! I even wore a pin with her picture on it for a week! Even though it's been 18 years I am still the proud big sister of a gorgeous girl named Jocelyn.

 photography by me - meghanmaxwell.com

|| Peace & Happiness ||

As I sit here in the Seattle airport waiting to board my 3rd and final flight of the day, I am overwhelmed with a feeling of peace and pure happiness. Travelling all day long by yourself leaves a lot of time to think. I feel so completely blessed to be living the life that I am. As I was saying goodbye to Brett this morning, so hard by the way, I kept thinking how is this my life? Do I deserve to be this happy? Did I cheat the system somehow? How does one girl get so much. I have the sweetest husband who makes me laugh and laughs at my stupid humour and honestly makes me feel so loved and needed. I have the single greatest family on the earth. I am so excited to see them in a few hours. This is the longest I have ever gone without seeing them and I miss them so much! I was able to hear from the leaders of my church this past weekend and it was so uplifting and inspiring. Conference always gives me a push to try a little harder and be a little better. I know I belong to the only true church on the earth and that knowledge is the greatest blessing in my life and it makes all the other blessings in my life so much greater. I am going home to do a job that I love and am so passionate about! I am blessed.

I guess it just hit me hard today that I need to be better at acknowledging the many things that my Father in Heaven has given me. As I was so sad to leave Arizona but so excited to get to Alberta today I realized I have so many people in this world that care about me and that I care for in return. My heart is full today and I am grateful.

|| One Year and Paper ||

photo by alixann loosle

Can you believe it? I have been a real married girl for a year now! Time really went fast. Like lighting speed fast. It is kind of freaking me out actually! I swear I was just picking out flowers, dresses, table linens, and center pieces yesterday. To say that this year has been incredible would be an understatement. It has been the best year yet! I have had so much fun with Brett this year and we have done a lot! I have loved the new adventures that living in Arizona have brought and I hate thinking that we only have one more year here! We aren't sure what the future will hold for us as far as where we will live, where Brett will work, if he will specialize or not, the whole kids thing, and so many more choices to make but I am so glad I have such an amazing partner to go through it all with!

I am currently working on a wedding day post (a little late I know) so look for that in the next week or so! I just wanted to share with you something that I made for Brett for our anniversary! I am a pretty traditional girl and I knew this list existed so I looked it up to see what I was "supposed" to get Brett for our one year anniversary, it said….

Okay paper it is! I will be making sure to show Brett this list come our 30th anniversary and on! I can't wait for my diamond at 60 years! So during one of my late night Pinterest sessions I came across this idea! I knew I could make it myself so I whipped it up :) I think it makes for a good idea and a cute decoration!

{FYI blogger is making the colours look terrible for some reason!}

I think it's a nice keepsake we will have of our first year of marriage! As we move I will update the "we live" part but always keep the past copies.

Ane because I LOVE it so much I think all of you should have one too! For $10.00 I will email you a JPEG image that can be printed, it is 14"w 11"h. All I need from you are the places you met, married, and live and the colour you would like the banners to be! This is a great wedding gift idea too! If you are interested just shoot me an email at meghaneholt@gmail.com!

Happy Friday Everyone!!

|| My Top 10 Must Have Drugstore Beauty Products ||

I always LOVE when other people blog about this kind of stuff so I thought I would give it a shot! I think a lot of girls I know are in the same boat as me with the whole makeup budget thing… as in it is under the category of "spend as little as freaking possible". This wasn't always the case for me though. I used to be a high end makeup buyer and a frequent Sephora, Mac, Makeup Forever, Bobbi Brown customer but as of a year ago that all changed! I am now a Covergirl, Maybelline, Revlon, Aveeno and other such drugstore brands customer! At first it was hard, I missed my regular makeup ammo but now I am growing used to the new guys. It has taken me a year of sorting through crappy eyeliners, cakey foundations, and clumpy mascaras to come up with this list! It was a struggle. Seriously. I still can't really find a good foundation that I love though. If any of you know of one PLEASE let me know! I hope if you are on a budget like me and are struggling to find good cheap makeup, some of these products will help you out too! Happy shopping!

1. Aveeno Positively Ageless (Face Wash | Day Lotion |  Night Creme) - I love these products. I am obsessed actually! I wanted to get a jump start on the whole anti aging thing and thought I would try these out. Best decision ever.  The lotions aren't to heavy but still leave your face feeling creamy and soft and the face wash totally washes away all my makeup at the end of the day. 

2. Revlon PhotoReady Concealer - This concealer is great. I don't get as many zits and blemishes as I used to (thank goodness) but I do still get some and this hides them so well! Also it helps hide my perma dark circles I have under my eyes. It also blends into my skin really great so it doesn't leave behind a light coloured ring around your zit because no one wants that.

3. Revlon Custom Eyes | 020 Naturally Glamorous - Another great Revlon product. I usually just use 2 colours from this palette the one with arrow pointing to it and the lightest cream colour! The brown is perfect for the crease of my eye to just give it some depth. It lasts all day and I love it! 

4. Maybelline Master Drama Eyeliner - I use this eyeliner a lot. I like it for making the cat eye effect or just for a little darker line. It goes on so easily and lasts a long time. The only downer is that I find that it transfers onto my upper eyelid sometimes so I don't love that!

5. NYX Matte Lipsticks - Okay ladies if you buy anything from this list let it be these lipsticks. They are the best ever. NXY makes the funnest colours and I can't wait to buy more! Right now I have Hippie Chic, Euro Trash, Eden, and Indie Flick. They are great by themselves or with a bit of clear gloss on top! Also I know these aren't from a drugstore technically… but they are drugstore cheap so I am counting it! Don't walk, RUN and get these now!

6. Maybelline Baby Lips - I live in the dessert. Dry and chapped lips are a constant struggle. This amazballs lip chap comes in and saves the day! Also it has a little SPF 20 action which also helps with all the sun I get! 

7. Not Yours Mother's Hair Products (Dry Shampoo | Curl Cream) - I came across this product line through Cara Loren's Blog. I love the curl cream because it doesn't make your hair crunchy! I can't stand when I want to do my hair curly and it ends up all stringy and crisp. Yuck. This stuff its great! Just makes my hair a little beach wavy and no crunch insight! The dry shampoo is fabulous. I am someone who needs to shower about every 2-3 days for sure! Sometimes it's everyday if it's windy or my body just decides it's going to be greasy. This dry shampoo works wonders on my very thin fine hair! 

8. Bumble and Bumble Quenching Complex - Okay I am cheating again on this one but you have to know about this product so I don't care! First off this stuff lasts FOREVER! I have had it for over 2.5 years and use it every. single. day. My hair gets frizzy and full of static in the dryness found here in AZ and in Southern Alberta when it's windy and this stuff calms those problems right down. This is another must have in my books.

9. Annebelle Blush | 018 - I couldn't find a link to this one but I know you can buy it at Walmart and Target! This great product was recommended to me by my very own momma! It is really great stuff and I love the deep colour that it leaves. I think it looks best on a more olive or tan skin tone. So if you are fairer than me maybe go for a lighter colour! 

10. Revlon ColorStay Makeup - I'm just going to be honest with you from the start about this one. It really isn't my favourite but it's the best I have found. This is another product thank to Lisa aka my mom. The only thing that I don't like about it is that it's a bit heavy for me. It's perfect for those days you want your skin to look perfect though! Like date night, a wedding, family photos or any big event! I just don't love it for my everyday use. So again if anyone has any recommendations, I'm all ears!

11. Covergirl Professional Remarkable Washable Waterproof Mascara - Hollaaaa for the best mascaraaaa evaaaaaa! Yep it's that good. So good I had to add it to the list as a little bonus! It's the best drugstore mascara I have found. It stays on all day and washes off so easily and for a waterproof mascara that's a freaking miracle. Am I right? But it is waterproof so when you go swimming it stays on! Which I will be doing a lot of soon since the weather is getting perfect here! Yay for summer in March :) Oh and it's also under $5…. ya you hear me, under $5!!

Okay there you have it, my top 10 11! After I was done though there were a few products I left off and felt bad about it. So here are a few "honourable mentions" ;)

1. Summer's Eve Fem Spray - Just get it okay. You know why.

2. TONI&GUY Flexible Hold Hairspray - This stuff is great. Like I said earlier I hate crunchy hair especially crunchy hair from hairspray. I like to run my fingers through my hair and not get stuck halfway due to the sticky hairspray I just applied. This stuff holds your hair in place but still gives you a some movement!

3. Aveeno Stress Relief Products (Body Wash | Lotion) - Mmmm these are so lovely. They smell amazing and make my skin so soft. Even Brett loves the smell. He prefers the regular Aveeno lotion though, I guess it's more "manly". Anywho this set is great and I highly recommend it!

4. Orla Kiely Makeup Bag - Cause you gotta have a place to put all your products! I actually just bought this baby. Yesterday. So I can't really say how great it works yet but I think it's gonna be super duper awesome! It has lots of pockets and such and is perfect for all the travelling I do :)
p.s the link is to ebay for about $20 more than I spent at Target yesterday but I couldn't find it on the Target website… sorry!

WHEW that took a lot longer than I had planned! I hope someone benefits from this post! I now have a new appreciation for bloggers who do this type of stuff all the time! Anywho hope you all have a great rest of your week!

Here is just a little iPhone pic of me actually wearing the above beauty products! 

Lipstick - Hippie Chic w/ Euro Trash on Top