Makeup haul

Last week I was on Pinterest a bunch of makeup dupes. I will confess I'm a total M.A.C. whore and would own all of their products if I could actually afford it. Let's be real, I'm a stay at home wife who rather spend the money on pretty things for my home! So when I came across the attic of different dupes from Sephora to M.A.C and everything between and they mainly led me to E.L.F cosmetics I thought I'd get on the site and see what all they have to offer. I've used a total of ONE brush from E.L.F that I got from Target previously and I really liked it but I wanted to see what they had on the website.


I got oodles of great deals! I got all of this for only $30!! I can't wait to use my new goodies and write a review on them! So what did I get for my $30?

Baked bronzer in Maui
Baked blush in pinktastic
Baked highlighter in blush gems
Baked eyeshadow pallet in California
Makeup lock and seal
Lip exfoliator
Matte lip color in nearly nude
Mineral eye brightener in buff
84006 Contour brush
84011 blush brush
84004 fan brush
84021 mascara and shadow shield
High definition powder in sheer
32 piece eyeshadow pallet in natural

The day I made the purchase they had a deal spend $25 and get a baked set for only $3 (normally $25) you best believe I rounded up $25 worth of makeup pretty quick! It came with all of the baked items listed above along with 3 brushes. I am one happy camper!


xoxo Haley

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xoxo Haley

Gardening Sunday

Coconut oil shave update: it's day three and I hardly even have a stubble! So not only did it give a great shave it gave a lasting one as well!

I could shout from the rooftops on how amazing my Sunday has been so far! It's been a couple months since Kyle and I have had a peaceful and relaxing Sunday together. We started our morning with a cup of coffee on the front porch and chatted as we waved at the early bird walkers. We then headed out to breakfast at the buffet and then went to Lowes which is my new favorite place! We picked up some caster wheels for one of the recent DIY projects I have going along with some sandpaper and bird netting. Being my first time for tackling a garden I didn't know birds stole strawberries and tomatoes so I had to put a quick end to their garden heist by covering my plants in bird netting:






You can hardly tell the netting is there in the picture. This morning Kyle trimmed our crepe myrtle so I just snagged some of his clippings to hold up the net so the birds couldn't just pop their little heads through!

While Kyle has been playing in the garage, reorganizing and moving stuff around, I decided I would finish up some of my planting. I still have to get a pot for my tomatoes but then I think I will call it quits for this year and maintain what I have. I decided to plant everything in containers instead of the ground this year because it's my first go with gardening. I wanted to see what I liked to plant, where in my yard they did the best, and if I would even consider doing them again next year before I went digging up the grass that my husband has worked so hard for.

This years garden list:
Cucumbers
Chives
Tomatoes
Strawberries
Mint
Parsley
Oregano
Thyme
Rosemary
Basil
Stevia

I can't wait to get an herb grinder so I can make my own stevia sugar substitute! Also I finally get to use my rosemary for the first time tonight. We are having rosemary ranch chicken tenders, which I will post the recipe later depending on how they turn out!

xoxo Haley

A clean shave

Last week my mom started telling me about how she's been using coconut oil in replacement for her Clinique facial moisturizer. The idea of it being used as a moisturizer didn't come as such a shock due to hearing about it previously. However my mom has extremely oily skin so hearing that she had joined the bandwagon of people who swear by coconut oil was quite the shock. The other day her and I went to get pedi's together and I was even more so shocked at how clear and smooth her skin looked! Her pores were so much smaller and the wrinkles around her eyes and mouth were so much tighter and hardly noticeable. Not that her wrinkles were even that noticeable in the first place, she's aged very well! Seeing the results my brain started ticking. What else could coconut oil be good for? I've seen it used for hair a multitude of times through Pinterest and Facebook statuses by friends. I'd seen it used as moisturizer as well but what about for shaving?










On a whim I decided to give it a go. I cannot brag enough about how amazingly soft and moisturized my legs are! I have extremely sensitive skin when it comes to shaving my legs. Normally I can't put lotion on right after I shave because it irritates them. Shaving with coconut oil I didn't have to worry about it because the oil did the moisturizing for me!

I just used an all natural pure coconut oil. My oil was actually solid so I just took a tablespoon and put it in a plastic bowl then sat it on the shower ledge away from the water. I went ahead and washed my face and spent some time under the water to make sure my pores were good and opened up. Normally if my shave day fell on a hair wash day I would just wash my hair then shave however today I skipped the hair wash so I just spent a little more time under the hot water. I then just took a big pinch of the oil (which is now softer due to the shower steam) and rubbed it all over my legs and continued with the normal shaving process. I made sure to keep my blade cleaned out because I didn't want the oil to build up. You know the results are good when the hubs comments on my legs :)

Hmm...what to use coconut oil for next...

Miracle mixture

There's nothing better than spending your Friday cleaning house! ...just kidding. There's plenty I would like to be doing but let's face it, as a queen procrastinator it's the end of the week and I've yet to do anything around the house. Housewife fail. This whole week has been off balance due to the holiday weekend. Now I'm stuck here looking at the mess I've gotten myself into and shrugging my shoulders.

I would like to go ahead and brag a little about my accomplishments though. It's not even 11:00am and I've already folded two loads of laundry, have a third in the dryer and a forth in the washer. I've unloaded the dishwasher and reloaded it with the pile of dishes in the sink that has accumulated over my lazy week. I've also cleaned my toilet that was long overdue and thanks to Pinterest and all it's goodness my toilet now sparkles!






I'm sure you've seen it a million times. Even if you haven't searched for cleaning remedies on Pinterest you will come by a pin revolving around the miracle cleaner. The Dawn soap + vinegar remedy. And that pin is just one of many you can come by! Last week I decided to give it a go. If some many people are pinning and praising the power couple then it must be something, right? Oh most definitely. First I mixed the combo in a spray bottle and I decided to go around the house testing out the different theories that I had come by.

vinyl siding cleaner: I sprayed the mixture on and didn't even let sit and just wiped with a plain ol rag. It immediately removed the last two years of dirt build up and the color of my siding was instantly restored! I only tried it on one spot so when I do the whole house I'll provide before and after photos.

shower: if there's one place I had to pick in the house that I HATE cleaning most the shower takes the bait by a long shot. I've always hated it. Soap scum and I are not friends, we are enemies and the whole task at hand makes me want to sit in the floor and pout like a toddler who just got told "no" to cookies. Oh friend! Not anymore. Obviously I still do not take delight in cleaning the shower but this has made it a lot easier! I've seen several ways to do it. Steam up the shower, spray on, let sit, wipe clean. Spray and wipe, which I could only assume that this is for a shower that is kept clean daily. And also to put the mixture in a dish wand that can dispense it as you please and scrub scrub scrub. I personally combined a couple of methods. I sprayed the mixture and let sit for 10-15 minutes. I then took the dish wand and scrubbed. I use the term 'scrub' lightly here because there wasn't a vigorous amount of scrubbing that had to take place. I was SHOCKED at how easy my shower became clean! Now I just leave the dish wand in the shower so when it needs a little spot cleaning it's readily available! Best part: it's cheap and it requires minimal cleaning products.

toilet: well this is simple. I just sprayed it on and let it sit long enough for me to go down the hall to the other bathroom to retrieve my toilet bowl brush. I returned and pretty much just did a quick go around the bowl and wahlah! Sparkly. I did however spray the lid, seat, and the awkward spot between the lid and the tank and just wiped it down with a rag.

I love that the dawn soap and vinegar doesnt have a harsh cleaning chemical smell. I don't have to feel like I'm going to get cancer from inhaling the fumes because there aren't any! That my friend is a breath of fresh air! There's lots more uses for the miracle mixture but I haven't tried them out yet.

Now, off to try to do something about this house!




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Project: Organize

Am I the only one? Whenever I have a ton of stuff to do I instantly freeze, have an almost-anxiety attack, and want to go take a nap.

Kyle and I have lived in our house for two years now and it's no where near the organization level that I want it to be. I constantly feel like my house is a garbage dump when in all reality it's just cluttered. When moving in we were instantly given many hand-me-downs (which I'm very grateful for!). Then not even a year later we get married and got even more junk lovely gifts. Still grateful. Hey, I know someone feels me here! So over the course of time I've accumulated hand-me-downs, wedding gifts, and of course goodwill decor that I ended up flipping or turning into a DIY project. So where is all of it now? Well after moving it room to room, thinking that maybe I would find a good fit or spot for it, it has grown into a mountain-metaphorically speaking- that now takes over what was once upon a time a guest room/future nursery and also what was once my mancave craft cave. My goal this summer is to completely organize my entire house from top to bottom. Therefore I will have to put together a yard sale to at least try to get some sort of profit and then the rest is adios to goodwill!

I'm tired of living in a crammed space when really it's not the space itself it's what is taking up all the space! Now that I'm a stay at home wife this bothers me more than ever. Hopefully I will remember to document my progress and be able to post before & afters!


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Background check

So who's behind Simply Southern? Well let me just tell you!

My name is Haley! I currently live in Clarksville, TN with my amazing husband Kyle and our two furbabies Koby- our Bichon poodle mix and Sophie-our sweet schnauzer. I'm originally from Hendersonville, TN (right outside of Nashville) and I moved to Clarksville in 2006. I graduated high school in 2007 and then headed to college at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga. I completed two years and then my sister had my nephew, Jacob, in 2009 so I moved back home to be closer to the new addition. My original plan was to work my sisters maternity leave at my dads barbecue business and then return to college that spring. However God led me in a completely different direction! I became the manager and ran my own store until February 2014. Meanwhile...
December 2010- I met my husband, Kyle.
April 2012- we purchased a house together. The same month we added two fur kids to our mix.
September 9, 2012- Kyle asked me to marry him. ...I said yes.
May 4, 2013 we said "I do!"
February 22, 2014 I officially quit my job and closed down my location of the two BBQ locations that my dad owns and I became a stay at home wife. God kept tugging me in so many ways to leave my job. At first I thought that it was to start another career or maybe return to school. After applying to a multitude of jobs Kyle and I decided that it would be best for our family for me to stay home.

And the rest has yet to be written.
Random things about me:

I am the BIGGEST mamas girl you will ever meet. I love my mama and she is and always will be my best friend! One day I pray I can me half the mom that she has been to me.

I have always been a crafty and artistic person and I finally have time to put my gifts from God to use. I love taking cheap old, and quite ugly, finds and making them into something functional/beautiful.

I was raised in a Christian household and though I went stray from my faith for a period of time in my younger years i have found my way back into my heavenly fathers arms. I am so thankful to have such a forgiving God that continues to bless me every single day. I am a sinner saved by His grace and unconditional love and for that I couldn't be more thankful!

I was always single through college and though I didn't mind, apparently my friends did. They set me up on a free dating website and after returning to Clarksville I logged on to deactivate my account and just so happened to check out my "top match". Long story short (which one day I will write an actual post just for this story on my timeline) I ended up marrying my top match :)

Why Simply Southern? Because I LOVE all things southern! Campfires, mudding, back roads, Dixie horns, guns, fireflies, sweet tea, pearls, cowboy boots, country music, flannel, ripped jeans, and of course a good ol country boy who loves his mama!


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