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FRIDAY FAVES| Jan 5

January 5, 2018January 26, 2018 StephanieRaeOrtiz

Hello & Happy New Year My Beautiful Friends,

It’s been a while and oh how I’ve missed you. I’ve been a little consumed with work, enjoying time with my husband, raising our little loves, managing home, preparing for & enjoying the holidays, along with every moment of our time with family and I’ve somewhat neglected my blog yet I took some time to plan out 2018 and let’s just say I’m uber excited about it!

What an amazing year we closed out in 2017! Lots and lots of hard work accomplished.

I am so happy to have gotten www.stephanieraeortiz.com off the ground, up and running. I have a lot planned for this year’s blog and I’m so excited to share the little bits of our life with you all! I’m really pumped and excited for 2018!

So in 2017 I published 28 of the 52 blogs that I set out to accomplish but I couldn’t be happier with the blogs that were published in my first year. I acknowledge the struggle I faced when it came to not being as prepared yet desiring to still publish content on the blog and quite honestly it goes back to what my Great Grandpa would say ‘ Plan your work & work your plan’ and I didn’t have a plan I just had the desire to publish 52 blogs last year yet I didn’t know what was going to be behind those 52 blogs so I got caught in the creativity trap so to speak however, I’m more well prepared for this year and looking forward to all the goodness! All of your support in 2017 is savored & appreciated and hope you enjoy all I share in the years to come!

Now onto My First Friday Favorites of 2018!

First Up I’m sharing My Faves from the 2017 Holiday Season

You can shop the items by clicking on the links below the pic

SHOPPING LINKS >> Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa (here) Pottery Barn Alphabet Mug on sale (here) Pottery Barn Oversized Faux Fur Leopard Throw (here) Programmable Crockpot (here) Williams Sonoma Dry Brine Sold Out similar (here) Quilted Personalized Stocking on sale (here) ZAK Stainless Steel Tumbler more colors (here) Pottery Barn Buffalo Plaid Pillow Cover (here)

Next Up I’m Sharing My Favorite Gifts Received & Given this Christmas

You can shop the items by clicking on the links below the picSHOPPING LINKS >> Fitbit Ionic Watch my husband loves it (here) 1 1/5 Carat Diamond Platinum Ring Set (here) Dimmable Make-Up Mirror in black (here) Faux Fur Bean Bag (here) Garmin – vivofit jr. Activity Tracker For Kids (here)

TIME WITH MY HANDSOME

Will’s Birthday is December 30th so December was his Birthday Month and we enjoyed cherishing and celebrating him all month long. He is such an amazing man, person, heart and, soul! Love me some him!

SHOPPING LINKS >> Shop My Dress on sale (here) Earrings (here) & (here) Necklace on sale (here) Velvet Teddy Lipstick (here) topped with Saint Germaine Lipstick (here) Will Dress Shirt (here) Will’s Tie (here)

REFLECTIONS OF THE HOLIDAY

We soaked up an amazing amount of Family Time and I couldn’t be more blessed and My Heart couldn’t be more satisfied. It’s not about what you want, it’s about embracing all you have! So grateful, thankful, blessed! #GloryToGod

SOFIA REIGN ORTIZ

follow SOFIA on Instagram (here)

Our Australian Golden Labradoodle Sweet, Sofia Reign Ortiz is the BEST! She was born July 16, 2017. She is a true combination of her Mohter ‘Sailor’ and father ‘Micah (here). We adopted her officially in early October. We actually were planning to only Puppy Sit for our friends Abby & Bryce while they were out of town for the weekend and it just so happened they were actually looking for an adoptive family and we were so excited to Puppy Sit as we were considering buying a Golden Doodle for Christmas so it was the perfect timing. We were actively looking (here) and had been in contact with a few breeders at that point. We were originally considering a male pup and planned to name him Samson Rock Ortiz however after a little research we could have went either way truly so when Sofia (formerly known as Maple) arrived we were smitten and it was love at first sight. She is just the sweetest being.

Sofia Reign is Affectionate and Oh So Cuddly like the English Cocker Spaniel. We love nose kisses, I put my nose to her cute little black snout & she just soaks in all the lovin!
She is Super Intelligent like the Poodle, Loyal and Devoted like the Labrador. Totally Sporty and Loves to do Tricks like the Irish Water Spaniel. She is Great with all People Simply the Best! Australian Labradoodles are Allergy Friendly and Non-Shedding so that’s also an added bonus and she is soooo soft!

Our Breeder Information: Website (HERE) Facebook (HERE) YouTube (HERE)

Sofia’s Litter on YouTube (HERE) and (HERE)

We are so thankful for God’s provision and His hand in all of this as we believe it was truly destined. She has been such a great addition to our family and we just love her so much!

SHOPPING LINKS >> Sofia’s Sweater (here) Sofia’s Dog Name Tag (here)

Well, Happy First Friday & Have a great weekend!

XOXO,

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MY MAKE-UP LATELY | FALL 2017

October 18, 2017October 18, 2017 StephanieRaeOrtiz

Hey You!

Today’s blog post is going to be all about My Make-Up Lately.

makeupbysteph

So if you know me at all, you probably know that I love Make-Up! I always have and I’m sure I always will. Every fall I just get so inspired to shop for a few new favorite finds in the beauty department and today I’m going to share with you a some of my favorite picks I’ve found this fall. I hope you can find a few new suggestions for yourself that you’d like to give a try as well! Enjoy.

SHOP BY NUMBER

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5a) (5b) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12a) (12b)

Below is some of my personal feedback on each of the items, how I use them and what my thoughts are of them.

1 | Estee Lauder The Smoother Universal Perfecting Primer I have mentioned this product now a few times and I really do love it! In short it seems to minimize the appearance of pores and bring a real perfecting foundation prior to me applying my foundation + it literally helps to keep all my make-up in place all the day long! You can purchase (here) to try for yourself. What I love about this most is that I am so picky when it comes to products that I apply to my skin and this has a real satin smooth finish and is not sticky in any shape or form nor has it proven to clog any of my pores! I’m in love with it.

2 | MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation Spf 15 – I wear NC42 True Medium Golden This foundation is great for me. I feel that it provides a natural matte finish and it’s not full coverage (which I like) but it’s buildable without looking like cake face in the event you did need to build for more coverage. You can purchase (here) however I suggest going into the store and/or calling their Beauty department so they can assist in matching you. (always remember that Nordstrom has free shipping & free returns)

3 |Anastasia ‘Dipbrow Pomade’ in Ebony along with a duo eyebrow brush like (this) $3 one for application has been what I use for my brows for years now. Love these products! To purchase the Dipbrown click (here). This past year I’ve added this Volumizer by Maybelline to keep all my hairs in place and I love the volume & dimension it adds, you can purchase that (here).

4 | Stila Written In The Stars Glitter & Glow Liquid Eyeshadow Set I have this in the Kitten Karma and just apply a little to my ‘lid only’. I highly recommend this set because I love the one I have and paid that much for just the one. This way you will get to try them all and with the Holidays coming up I think I will pick up this set also because ,well it’s going to be just the perfect amount of glitz & sparkle for the holidays. You can purchase the set (here)

5 | I recently was trying out a few primers and tried the benefit primer on my eyelids for some odd reason and LOVE it! So random – I know, but it works great for keeping my shadow on and in place without creasing throughout the day. You can purchase the benefit primer (here) My recent go to eyeshadow has been this basic brown by Urban Decay in the color Secret Service you can purchase that (here)

6 | L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Lash Paradise Macara in Blackest Black is every bit of AMAZING and uber affordable! You can purchase (here)

I see they have this in a ‘duo set’ that couples this amazing mascara with their primer. I have used the Volumious Primer before in past and it is well known to add so much length prior to your mascara application. Just need to give it time to dry prior to applying your mascara. To check out the set for just a few bucks more click (here)

7 | Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder is used to set under my eyes and any place that may typically be known to be more oily or more prone to crease my foundation/concealer. You can purchase the Setting Powder (here) I set my under eyes with this tapered brush from Sigma – truly love this brush. It’s pretty much perfection.

8 | Speaking of Concealer, Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer is a good go to of mine for M-F. I guess my faves so far in this category are by MAC, Maybelline, IT Cosmetics and, Tarte. Love the concealers that I’ve tried so far from those brands. You can pick up the Maybelline Age Rewind (here)

9 | Benefit Dandelion Shy Beam Matte Liquid Highlighter for highlighting, just a drop will do ya! I apply highlighter at the tip of my nose and at the peak at my cheekbones.

10 | Stila ‘Stay All Day’ Bronzer For Face & Body in Medium is what I use to add warmth and definition to my face.

11 | Nars Blush – Deep Throat on the apples of my cheeks is just bliss. I also love their Orgasm & Super Orgasm blush as well. I believe it’s MAC has a Peachy Keen blush that is much like Nars Orgasm also. It’s a pinky coral with Gold Specks in it, just makes you glow!

12 | Lippies to finish the Look, I’ve been combining both MAC’s Velvet Teddy which is a Matte formula topping that with Saint Germain Lipstick which is an amplified lippie so it adds a little shine and smoothness. It’s my perfect combo at the moment for my lips. You can purchase the Saint Germain (here) and the Velvet Teddy (here)

Well those are my recent faves for Fall. I hope you all enjoyed this blog post and I’ll see you back here soon!

XOXO,

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Back To School | Shopping Haul

August 11, 2017August 21, 2017 StephanieRaeOrtiz

Hi there, Loves & Happy Friday!

We are just a few weeks away from the 1st day of school and that means we will officially have a 3rd grader and a 2nd grader on our hands!!! They have both grown so much over this past year that it actually blows my mind but with that said and with Christ front and center, it gives me no doubt that they are ready to conquer this next year of awesomeness!

Today I’m sharing Five Friday Fave’s via a Back To School edition and I must confess… I kind of love back to school shopping! It’s like a great reason to shop for the kids + there is just this fresh start and new outlook that comes along with the BTS (Back To School) season and I just love it.

Be sure to comment on any great finds or tips and tricks that help you in the BTS Season.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

This is the very 1st year that I purchased all of our school supplies on-line. I can’t say that my first effort was the smoothest operation with shopping on-line for all supplies yet I will say it did beat going from one store to another because you just couldn’t get your hands on one or two of the items, needed. Not to mention between our Amazon Prime Account and Target Red Card we scored free shipping on each of the orders. The only suggestion I had for myself for next year is that with multiple kids comes multiple lists so with that you may have duplicate items to purchase for each child.

So note to self: create a joint master list of all supplies for each child and go about adding the total items for each to my cart that way. I suppose that method would also work well in the store! 🙂 haha! The other positive of on-line shopping was the ease of checking price points between multiple merchants.

I know some stores allow you to price match select items in-store however with my on-line orders I just added it to the cart and simply checked out! I believe I may have found my new way of doing our BTS supply haul – for sure!

Here is a snippet of some of our school supplies.

I legit do love back to school shopping & being all organized!

AFTER SCHOOL ACADEMICS

Our school is great and has a lot of on-line resources for the kids to utilize throughout the year. Two of their favorite’s are First in Math, they love this one as they challenge themselves and are rewarded with points and acknowledged also in class for their work. The other favorite is Compass Learning which is a little more tailored directly to them and where they are in their overall academia. This year I decided to purchase these two workbooks for them to do 1-2 pages after school M-F. I know them and they will sure challenge & encourage one another with these little resources as well.

For our 2nd Grader

For our 3rd Grader

PERSONALIZED ITEMS

I love a good Monogram. I mean I don’t know what it is but I just love everything Monogram. I have always purchased the kids backpacks & matching lunch bags from PBK aka Pottery Barn Kids and I almost picked this one up for Mackenzie this year but quite honestly she didn’t need it as her set from Kindergarden & 1st grade is still in such great shape! And that my friends is what I love about the PBK gear, they are made so great and last for pretty much ever. I always have them personalized with our last name on them. They both have the mini’s that I purchased for them in Pre-K (so cute!) also and they are still in great shape! I know they may be a ‘splurge‘ to some for a child’s backpack but to me it’s worth it. I also purchased our Diaper Bag from PBK and still have that as a cute & classic keepsake which is also in good condition. This year, my son is really growing ‘up’ on me and he really didn’t love the selection at PBK prints so instead we headed over to Pottery Barn Teen and found a green Camo one that he absolutely loved so we got this set and he is feelin’ like a little man with his big man’s backpack. (they have sold out of this green camo but you can find a similar blue camo here.)

I also picked up these personalized Monogram decals for Mackenzie’s Notebooks and what not. I just know she is going to LOVE them, I had them printed in the teal color! You can find them (here) or by clicking on the image below.

I am also going to print these sweet prints off for their 1st day pictures! Easy, Peas-e! You can purchase digital prints of these super affordable from many – many places like etsy and what not.

HOMEBOUND

Making Home our Haven is something I have really enjoyed since becoming a wife and I think with the kick off of BTS Season we know that Fall is just around the corner and not only that but after a full day of school & work we owe it to ourselves to have our Home Sweet Homes be our cozy resting place, our happy place. Not to mention Football season has officially started and well yeah – totally random but whatev’.

So, I picked up this Faux Fur Throw from Potterybarn and it is legit amazing! I have heard many people brag about these throws in past and thought ‘oh it’s just a fur throw’ & would just pick up a fur throw from a TJMaxx or Target in previous but I am telling you. . . nothing can compare to the quality and the weight of this beauty – no joke. Let’s just say it’s summer and that hasn’t stopped any of us from reaching for this cozy comfort. Since day one of it’s arrival to la casa, the kids have been in love with it so I can only imagine how it will be come fall or winter. They will have snuggle to share or take shifts 🙂 haha! I’ll opt for the snuggle! They are a bit pricey but the weight of this product really makes it worth it! I may keep an eye out for a sale on the oversized ones. I purchased the one below in grey ombre.

I haven’t picked up my fall scents quite yet but I know these will be in the round-up as they are every single year along with a few new that sound amazing! I maybe wouldn’t call myself a candle connoisseur but I definitely love candles and I am totally all about quality over quantity and the pay off for the B&BW aka Bath & Body Works candles has not legit compared to any other in our home. They are amazing, they fill so many rooms with just one candle, they last quite a while and they burn evenly. We love them and lighting a candle is pretty much a necessity when ‘back to school & fall season’ kicks off!

MY PERSONAL BTS CHECKLIST

Here is my checklist that keeps Mommy-Me on task between the school years. When I calculated the years, my nino’s will not collectively finish high-school until 2028 – Say What! I mean that kind of sort of makes me feel so crazy inside – like lots of emotions of awesomeness. Well here is a glimpse of my ‘keeping it together list’ for operation BTS’.

I like to keep track of this in my Erin Condren Planner.

Now, the only things I have left to do is to get some more ‘clothing’ shopping done for BTS and then kind of go over the extra-curricular schedule with the family to finalize everything and then we will be off to a great start! Oh and deep clean la casa.

Well that’s all for now loves, enjoy this weekend the weather is expected to be great so planning to make the most of it!!! #BeachBum here I come.

XOXO,