here we go again....

so, its no secret I've battled with depression off and on for years. there are plenty of sad sappy posts in this old blog to prove that.

I finally got off anti-depressants (which, was really hard) after suffering post partum depression in 2012 when Adelynn was born. By the time I was 12 weeks pregnant with Penny, my doctor put me back on them after diagnosing me with pre natal depression, which I didn't even know was a thing. I was nervous about taking them while pregnant but it proved to be a blessing and really helped me- and penny girl is here, just fine & healthy.

Lately I've been skipping doses on random days. Sometimes because I just do...and sometimes because I just get so busy I forget. Its pretty stupid, I know. I thought about it a lot today and am definitely not going to skip it intentionally anymore.

That, along with some situational stress...has put me in a big funk.

I had 12 weeks off of work to be home on maternity leave with Penny- which was a welcome change from the short 8 weeks I had with Adelynn. During these 12 weeks a LOT happened: recovering from a section, a touch of post partum depression (despite the medication) getting in to a routine with a newborn & 2 year old, having all my wisdom teeth out, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Joey's bday, New Years, and our sixth wedding anniversary. Oh, and Penny got RSV- ended up taking her to the ER and then to the pediatrician every week for three weeks. After that I didn't leave the house unless I HAD to, I didn't ( and still don't) want to get her out in the cold if I didn't have to.

I started back work almost two weeks ago. I work from home 4 days a week and go in to the office on Fridays. Awesome, right? I was so excited to have this time with Penny, that I didn't get to have with Adelynn when she was a baby. I worked really hard to make this happen- I've been striving for it for over three years, got really close once, but it fell through. This whole me working at home gig was my way to enable us to grow our family. Before Penny we knew we couldn't afford two in daycare. And obviously can't afford for me to be a SAHM. Thats how this plan went in to motion. We wanted to grow our family, but wanted to do is responsibly.

Looks like history is about to repeat itself. Hence why I said I WAS so excited...

I don't know what happened. I'm hurt, disappointed, and confused. I didn't do a thing wrong- followed all the rules- did what was asked and expected of me...so I can't help but thing "why? WHY ME?"

hence the whole battling depression thing. again.

I think the stress is what is causing my insomnia, so I'm running on about 4 hours of interrupted sleep every night. I can't sleep. I'm sad, angry, confused, hurt, stressed. Its a vicious cycle.


but, I'm doing what I always do. As much as I'm feelin' all the feels, I'm chugging along and pushing onward. Doing what I have to for my family.

Younique By Kelly-- BB Cream!

I don't know about you, but when I first heard the term BB Cream I had no idea what it was!

Shortly after trying Younique's mascara, I looked in to the BB Cream and decided to give it a shot. I'm glad I did, because next to the mascara- its something I wear every single day.

The BB Cream is light weight (not cakey, yuck!) and gives you a flawless, dewy finish. It truly is a complexion enhancer. I have awful circles under my eyes, they almost look purple-- and after my first pregnancy I've had super splotchy skin, which is very noticeable as I am very very fair skinned. (I use the cream colored cream) This stuff works wonders on evening out my complexion and giving my skin a nice, even finish. A lot of times I will only wear BB cream, no concealor or foundation!

I absolutely love the results I get with it. It also acts as a moisturizer, which is perfect with all this cold weather we're having now.

As for application, everyone does it differently. You can use a brush, sponge, or just your fingers! You can also use it for highlighting and contouring.

I've had a lot of girls try this out shortly after getting hooked on the mascara, and every single one of them love it!

Needless to say, it is something I will forever keep in stock for myself! When I have my baby girl next week, mascara and BB Cream will for sure be in my hospital bag ;)

Get yours here: BB Cream

 mini make over  by ME!

and an after shot with better lighting outside ;)

www.3DLashesByKelly.com

Vanity Primp

make up lovers, take note!

I stumbled across this sweet lady on instagram a few weeks ago, and I'm so glad I did! She makes customized compact mirrors- THAT HAVE LIGHTS! she can also do phone cases too! Her work is AWESOME.

Go follow her on IG @vanityprimp and take a look at all her goodies.

Working with her to create my mirror was a breeze- we emailed back and forth a bit so she could get an idea of what I liked, what I was in to. I told her: hello kitty, younique (duh), starbucks, pink, flowers, etc etc and this is what she came up with:

um...hello gorgeous.

right?!

I'm also getting a phone case, check it out:

I mean...I love it.

So like I said, go find her on IG @vanityprimp, and you can also email her vanityprimp@yahoo.com

Tell her Kelly sentcha ;)

Below are some more pictures of other mirrors she has done!

Younique By Kelly -- Eye Pigments!

NEWS FLASH!

The eye pigments are about to go up in price, so stock up now if you've been thinking about it!

Currently they are $10/pigment, but starting in just two days (11/1) they will be going up to $12.50/pigment.

What is great about these pigments, is they are so versatile. You can wear them wet or dry. You can also apply them as a liner, make your own nail polish, or even use them as hair chalk!

Not to mention they are free of all the harmful junk that comes in most makeup. No chemicals, oils, perfumes,talc, synthetic dyes, no fillers, or parabens. 100% natural!

Get to it ladies, a couple colors have already run out of stock and are on back order- so if there are colors you've got your eye on, snag 'em at the $10 price before 11/1 !

Thinking of getting a few? Check out the sets, you'll save money that way. You can buy individually (for now) at $10/pigment, OR do a set of 4 for $35 (saving $5), OR do a set of 8 for $65 (saving $15). *And yes, you get to choose the colors!*

Single Pigments

Set of 4 Pigments

Set of 8 Pigments

And as always, we do have a Love It Guarantee-- nothing to lose!

Holler at me with any questions, and to shop for pigments as well as all other products, go to my site: www.3DLashesByKelly.com

Also find me on instagram @youniquekellyr

Younique by Kelly -- 3D Fiber Lashes!

If you haven't heard yet.... I'm now a Younique rep! I know I know...direct sales *insert eye roll here*. But man, this company and these products really ARE different!

Today I'm going to talk about the best selling product: the 3D Fiber Lash Mascara!

Before I joined Younique I had a friend ask me to throw an online party for her, so I said sure, why not. I ended up having a decent party sales-wise so was able to get the mascara free with my hostess rewards. I wasn't really all that interested and was kind of having a take or leave it type attitude. BUT...once I tried it? I was hooked. The difference it made in my lashes was crazy. I've been using Cover Girl Lash Blast for years and thought it was the bees knees...boy was I wrong.

On one eye you can see Younique, and on the other- the Cover Girl Lash Blast I've used forever.

Guess which is which!?

This is when I knew this makeup was different. I started using the mascara every single dang day and fell in love with it more and more. A couple weeks later I was curious about selling...and here I am! Business is booming!

The mascara is two tubes, one is the Transplanting Gel and the other are the Green Tea Fibers.

What I love about this company and these products, is a lot of them are hypoallergenic! Also: vegan, cruelty free, gluten free, and so on. My skin has been so sensitive since I had my little one, everything makes me break out in a rash- not this stuff!

Step 1: Gel

Step 2: Fibers

Step 3: Gel

DONE!

You CAN use your old mascara as a base if you want- I've done it both ways and tend to change it up daily. At first, it will feel weird-- cause its different that what you're used to! But now its like second nature to me and takes no time at all.

Here is a good video going over the application- and you can see the difference in her lashes right away- its like magic! (you don't need sound either, she uses captions!) Not only does she show how to apply, but she shows you how to make them even longer.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=i7ru4t8DM8I

Whats cool is you can layer the mascara as much as you want, to get your lashes as full and thick as you want! On a daily basis I only use 1, maybe 2 coats. But if I'm going out or going to an event, I'll go more bold. The below picture is from a wedding I went to a couple weeks ago- this is 3 coats of Younique!

What is even more awesome about this company? We have a Love It Guarentee! Don't like it? Return/exchange it! I've been selling this since August, and so far- NO returns. Everyone who has tried it has LOVED it. Skeptics turned to believers, I have a group of loyal customers ordering over and over cause they can't imagine using their old mascara again!

The cost? $29. Seems high right? BUT, this stuff will last up to 3 months! I use it daily, applying anywhere 1 to 4 coats, and it lasted me over 3 months! I just had to re-order a new mascara recently, and I'm actually still using my original one.

So! What are you waiting for?? 

Get it here: www.3DLashesByKelly.com

Next time, I'll talk about BB Cream!

It's A......baby!

GIRL!

another baby girl for the Rickels :) No one was surprised ha.

So, this cute little baby is Penelope Ann Rickels, or Penny :) a baby sister for Adelynn!

My mom and niece Payton came to the ultrasound along with my in-laws too-- so it was nice having them there to share in the anticipation/excitement, and they got to see miss penny swimming around on a big screen. they gave us a dvd of all the pictures as well as a dvd of the ultrasound, its about a 10 minute video. we got the same with adelynn when we found out she was a girl, so its cool to have both of those for the girls.

we're pretty dang excited! we've already somewhat started working on her room. theme is gray,pink, white, elephants. we've already got a dresser/changing table- its wood colored so joey will be sanding it down so we can paint it a light gray. i also have her crib, gray. and an antique telephone table that was refinished in gray/white, to use next to the glider. we just need to paint the walls and start putting everything together! which is a ton of fun, i had so much fun doing this with adelynn so i'm excited to get started with penny.

i have my next doc appt this week for a check up, 16 weeks along now! its flying by so far. all is looking good and healthy too which is always awesome.

i'm not sick anymore- and thankful for that. but i've been dealing with awful headaches every day, and some serious insomnia at night. i just lay there, wide away. the last two nights i've gotten up about 4am and gone downstairs cause i cant fall back asleep. it sucks! i'm anxious to ask the doc about it thursday - never had this with adelynn.

so, thats all for now-- exciting stuff! excited to meet miss penny in November!

shit just got real.

ha. thats right. baby 2 is on the way :)

MAN i miss blogging. it has been so long. it keeps going on the back burner. half the reason is life is just crazy busy, and the other half is cause sometimes i just have nothing awesome to write about. but alas, baby 2 is definitely awesome to write about.

we found out pretty early, i was 3 weeks! back in March, joey was putting together adelynn's swing set (for her birthday, yes...she turned TWO a couple weeks ago) and i was dying to tell him. once he finished the set i took baby out there to swing- and i started taking pictures but really, my sneaky self was taking video. i said " say cheese!" then said " say, I'm a big sister!". His face was priceless. Glad i got it on video!

We kept it between us till her birthday party- we figured by then i'd be almost 9 weeks, had my first doc appointment, and what better way to tell everyone? the whole family was all in one place, everyone was there at her birthday party. i wrapped up three big sister books and a big sister tshirt to open last. but miss birthday girl had a melt down (she was tired and over it) so my cute idea of having HER open it fell apart. bummer. but my neice payton was helping open gifts since adelynn had no desire. i have a video of that too-- no one was paying attention ha so it took a few minutes. but we surprised everyone and got lots of congrats. it was a lot of fun!

this baby is due November 18th. But since i'm having a repeat section my doctor said they' probably schedule that in my 39th week- so we're looking around November 11th. (if i dont go in to labor before then). i am now almost 12 weeks, and this pregnancy has been very different than the last! for one thing, i started showing at about 5 weeks. 4 weeks along flat tummy, then all of a sudden BAM--BELLY! so it was hard to hide for 6 weeks. (picture below is actually 10 weeks)

 i also had a lot of morning sickness in the beginning- thats actually how i knew i was pregnant. we were trying so obviously i was hopeful but i remember being SO sick at work one day and i just knew. i waited till the weekend to take a test, i really didnt think id get a positive for at least another week but sure enough, there it was! ive also had a lot of pain so far. the sickness wore off so really all i've been dealing with is fatigue-- but this pain has been off and on, and out of nowhere. i never really had that with adelynn so it worried me. this week i had it pretty bad, i ended up calling the doctor. sure enough they told me to come in. they did an ultra sound and said baby looked fine, heart beat was strong (169-- at 8 weeks it was in the 170s), and my cervix was closed. all good things. when i was pregnant with adelynn i actually developed cysts on my ovaries (but it never caused me pain) so they thought maybe it was that again. the way the baby was sitting though they couldn't really get a good view of them. i go back next week for my regularly scheduled appointment for genetic testing, so they'll probably try to look again at that ultra sound.
and the fatigue i mentioned? a whole new level- woo wee! i don't remember it being so bad with adelynn but i also didn't have a two year old to chase around then, so i could nap whenever i wanted, sleep as late as i wanted, lay on the couch all day,etc. not so much this time- so i've been what i like to call drunk tired. it has been hard, especially at work- just feeling like a zombie. but i'm almost in the second trimester so i'm hoping it calms down!

as for gender- we're going to Stork Vision again and they are even nice enough to give me a referral credit! i get 30 bucks off for referring three people to them, love saving some dollars! we go May 31st and i'm so anxious to find out. we have both a boy and girl name picked out already too- and nursery themes! you know me, ahead of the game. i'm an OCD planner fo sho. in my head the baby is a boy, and i've had a couple dreams that it is a boy. but i keep telling myself it is a girl. one of my friends had a dream it was a girl, and my boss/mom dreamnt it was a boy. so who knows. i'm curious to find out.

i'm excited to meet this little one. but also very nervous as to how it will change things. we have such a close bond with adelynn, the three of us. its been all about her- i know it'll rock her little world. she adores babies and baby dolls, so i know after a period of adjustment/jealousy she will be a huge help and a great big sister! i'm just nervous! i know it'll all be okay though. one thing i am dreading though is when i'm in the hospital, being away from her- that'll be really hard. i'm also a little nervous about figuring out daycare. i may end up staying home, or we may be paying an arm and a leg for two in daycare. we're still figuring all that out. so stay tuned ;)

i'll leave you with the first picture of baby 2!