Happy New Year!

How was 2013 for you? Mine wasn't awful but it wasn't some kind of wonderful. Here are some of my personal highlights of 2013!

What To Do If You Lost Your Pet

You lost your pet! Did it run away? Kidnapped? Where could your baby be?! Losing a pet is one of your worst nightmares if you're a pet owner and that's exactly what happened to me a little over 2 weeks ago in April. 

(I know my story is long so if you like you may skip to the Tips listed right below.)

My Story

I always let him play outside in the grass where I can keep an eye on him. Everyone on my side of the building where I live all know each other. I was planting a flower. One second he was there, next he wasn't. He never strays and after a call or two he always runs back to me and drops whatever he was doing. Where was he? I called for him for a while and walked all around. No sign. My husband called for him for 4 hours and we searched everywhere and still no sign. I was positive he got snatched. He had his collar on so people would be able to tell that he belongs to someone. We left the door open all night  the first 2 nights hoping maybe he will run through it any moment. No doggie came through the door. 

 

NC Trip Pictures

Tony and I went up to NC for a couple days to get some work done while visiting family and friends. We couldn't push it back any further and really needed to make time for that. I believe it keeps you well grounded. Time flew by so fast! That's why I didn't make any videos this week or put up any posts on my blog. I did go shopping though so expect a lil haul soon before my spring makeup tutorial!

Mamabear and I. Yes, she is shorter than me! 

Paint, Roses, & Cupcakes O My!

A lil update! Last month was my birthday month sooo I was having fun the whole time getting spoiled. It's also a week away from Valentine's day so I got some extra lovin haha. It was an expensive month going out to eat often and I shopped A LOT more than usual. I didn't even post the things I bought but I wanted to share some lil tid bits! Hauling is another post! 

I came home one night from work to this. 

A table canvas? I don't even know I've never seen one before. Hubby said he remembers me saying I missed painting. Awwwww! Cheesy Valentine's Day flower pick included, it wasn't even Vday lol

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

As tradition follows, I've been thinking about ways to improve my life in 2013 and have been taking mental notes for a week now. I for one loved 2012 and it was a year that I will never forget! It was a very good year for me and along with the good came the bad but overall I felt very blessed by the end of last year. These mean nothing to the ordinary but they are milestones in my life.

• 1 Year Anniversary married to the love of my life

• My parents met and approved the love of my life

• My parents moved to Bangladesh which means I can't crutch on them by any means. I'm a real adult now. SCARY.

• Working for and being in the military has taught me more than I can imagine. Thanks to the Army I appreciate and view things like family and TIME differently. I feel like that's all I want more of from life. Time and family. They're two things that once they're gone, they're gone. You can't replace time and family but you can use what time you have left to make wiser decisions and always love your family more.  Also, any time I feel like I can't I think of what I did and how long I've come. It makes the problem in front of me seem like child's play. 

• I moved away from North Carolina. Something I've always wanted to do but was very afraid to because of the fear of losing my friends.

• Tony and I adopted Guiness! He is my baby!! I understand the love pet owners have for their lil ones now.

• My 3rd Christmas with Tony went by and we finally got our first tree. I've been wanting a white Christmas tree for years! It was also a blessing to have presents under it :)

• I stopped biting my nails. Thank god I don't have gremlin fingers anymore!

• Last year I was able to maintain the best shape of my life and the healthiest me for at least half a year. In the past it was for 1 week or 2 max. Great improvement I say ;)

And now onto goals for 2013...

• Get more organized around the home. I can't wait to go shopping for baskets and pretty boxes, haha!

• Make smoothies 2x a week

• Cut down on coffee and caffeine in general. My poor teeth!

• Walk Guiness for at least 1 hr a week but until it gets warm try 30 mins. His lil body starts to shiver in the cold.

• Start painting again

• Read more books. Maybe 1 per month. Easier said than done for me! Last year I only read the Hunger Games series and lots of magazines...and that was it! No good.

• Now that I've got blogging down as a regular part of my life, time to commit some more time to YouTube!

• Start doing outfit of the days no matter how horrid the comments may be about my body or style. I  just want to look back and laugh at my "fashion" sense really haha!

I hope that you are ready to start 2013 with a bang! What are your new year resolutions? I would love to hear them! By the end of January I will also be giving away a Sephora Gift Card to one lucky subscriber who comments and participates the most on my blog. Which honestly shouldn't even be all that hard considering I don't post every single day or have that many followers! I just wanted to show that I really do appreciate you all for even taking the time to take a peek at my blog. Thank you and love you all!

XOXO

B

Merry Christmas!

Loads of photos up ahead  =)

Ornaments!

I love ornaments. They're so pretty!! I didn't even want any dark colors on my tree but once I bought those teal flowers I had to add a lil color. I didn't buy any normal ornaments yet haha, just tiny lil round ones and  various random ones. My tree has little birds all over it too which I find sooo cute!! And apparently so does Guiness because when I came home from work I found my tree on the FLOOR! -_- He broke a couple of ornaments, chewed a glittery pine cone to death, and chewed off the tail of one of my birdies lol. I had to redo the whole tree for these pics and I'm not done decorating but this is it so far!

Our 1st Thanksgiving

Our 1st Thanksgiving!

...ALONE =( 

We were going to go up to Maryland again but then we realized it was just too much driving for the moment. We were up there only a week ago anyway and that 12 hour drive is not a joke! Alone, yes but we had fun cooking and bickering all day. I also was able to dye my hair in the meantime haha.

Breakfast

Apple Strudel Pancakes *deliiiiicious!*

I thought I'd be romantic for myself. That heart shaped pancake was made by me FOR me. O yeah. 

Mr. & Mrs. Clunie

Hi everyone! I've been out of state catching up with old friends, going to a wedding, saying hello to my new baby niece, then showing my city to a friend after I got back! I've been running all over place preparing for thanksgiving and planning for black friday too while working. I'm actually super excited about that, I just hope I actually DO get up at 5 and run out the door. Speaking of out the door, that's exactly where my diet and workout plan went once I hit NC. My friends took me to Red Robin, Cheesecake Factory, Red Bowl, etc. I didn't care I just wanted to have fun haha! Here are some pics from my pumpkin's best friend's fall inspired wedding :) ! His family is from Jamaica and my goodness can his momma cook!! The house was full of people and I stayed with them. It reminded me of Bengali weddings and I loooved it and felt so welcomed and close to home. They are the sweetest!! 

Pumpkin Head October

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

I love Eggs

My Jelly Belly - Week 2

I didn't do all 5 days with 1 hr of cardio out of pure laziness...hehe. I did do my normal upper body and lower body days though. The thought of doing 1 hr is just exhausting sometimes after all that strength training. Nah, I'm just being lazy.

Savannah's Sweet Water Taffy

 

I went to Savannah for the first time and my gosh it is *soooo* beautiful! The live oaks are creepy yet romantic when the sunlight peaks through. The shops by the riverfront are adorable and paved in cobblestone. We went to a lil pub and got fresh gelato and candies!

First Meet + Greet Desi Version

When our families met, my mom made us wear ethnic clothes right after.

He looked pretty cute in them actually :)

I've Been

Happily torturing him ;)

Life is great. 

xoxo

B

Clark Hill Park + A Hello!

A little update:

I'm home!!! As I sit here unpacking my what feels like hundreds of boxes of clothing and house ware items I wanted to take a break and share with you what's goin on. I've been home for about a week just relaxing and taking a little break from working. I visited my mom and the husband was introduced in person for the first time ever. See, me being desi and him being NOT it was a little complicated at first. We've been recording little tidbits of our marriage adventures. I don't know if I would want to share them to the public but would any of you be interested in watching? I know a lot of desis have actually asked to share our experience and how we broke it down to the parents. I'll just tell you this for now, it wasn't pretty.

Here are some pictures I took at Clark Hill Park in SC. If you have a chance to go, GO! It's absolutely beautiful and I wish I had known about it earlier. Every spot seems to have a different view. It's huge and perfect for picnics, family time, jogs, or romantic strolls. They have trails and cabins and horseback riding and everything! It's seriously one of the prettiest parks I've been to. Too bad I didn't have enough time to explore more of it.

I was greeted by vultures (?) ...creepy!

Let me introduce you

Hello my lovely ladies and gents!

My name is Bushra. Once upon a time (about 2010) I used to blog as "Le Midge" and created videos on YouTube as "MidgetMakeup". I began making YouTube videos around 2006 when only a handful of people shared their love for beauty on that site. Back in the day it used to be as a slideshow with music playing in the background. Ah..the days when it was so easy to add music to your videos! I didn't make videos often because it was very time consuming, I was about to start college, and because of my lovely desi-bengali parents. I'd record in my room when they were busy watching Hindi soap operas downstairs so they couldn't hear me talking to myself, haha.

Once I finished college I took a bit of time off for myself. I moved out on my own and enjoyed working and just living life. I loved it. I took time to find myself, everyone should! I didn't answer to anyone, I read books by the pool, I cherished time with my friends. I didn't even watch tv or have internet for a few months. Crazy huh?! But it can be done! It was like a detox for living life! I was alone and I was doing me and I enjoyed every minute of it. I am very happy for that time between me, myself, and I.

During the last few months (2011-12) due to my job I was not able to have my life on blast. Everything had to be on the down low. I didn't get to wear makeup and heels or cute little outfits. Not even ugly ones. I just had to wear my uniform, the end. The first thing I bought when I regained my freedom of style was a purse. A green satchel. It made me so happy! It reminded me of the days I used to blog and make YouTube videos. I missed it so much. I missed it even more when I received messages now and then about how someone missed my videos or why I don't make videos and if I'm coming back. I kept saying I was coming back. Well, I'm back! And better than ever :) I missed all of you so much! By the way, I live close to Atlanta now. So exciting! I haven't had time to go around the city yet though so I look forward to sharing my new city with you all.

Before I go I want to mention that this blog is a subject of my attraction. At times some topics may not be for the weak of heart or the young soul. Don't say I didn't warn you! It's not strictly a beauty or fashion or food or fitness blog. It's everything all rolled into one. Just like me :)

XOXO,

B