Oh, baby.

If you didn't already know- I have two babies! Both girls- one is almost 3 and the other one is 1 1/2. Well, they're not really babies anymore, they are toddlers but they are still very small and I carry them everywhere. They have names on their birth certificate : Leighton Harper & Holland Day, however I call them almost everything but. The Bear and the Bean, Munch and Crunch, Tiny Bot, Sweetsie Railroad, Babette, Bonkie, Muncher, Bear Cub, Bean Louise, Teence the Weence, Pumpky, Holl Doll, Holly Wog, Bean Cake...the list goes on and on. I know they won't be little forever, but I don't foresee me ever not using their nick names. I will be dropping them off at the DMV for their driver's test one day yelling, "good luck little Bonkie doodle!" and they will in turn look at me the way I looked at my mother at 17, with a face that says: "good God, woman- pull yourself together!" But while I will have to eventually let go of things like that, there are a few things I will continue to hold onto even when they are no longer my tiny baby buglets. Like, nipple cream for example. Yes, NIP-PLE CREEEEAM. Having a baby opens you up to a world of toiletries and products that you otherwise would have assumed you didn't need because you no longer poop your pants. I hope. These are some that I have found alternative uses for and will continue to purchase long after diapers and Dora the Explorer.

Baby Powder

Most women know the shortcut of dusting some on your roots for days when you don't wash your hair. It absorbs the oil and creates volume. I wouldn't suggest it if you're brunette though, it might look like dandruff.

A less commonly known trick is to bring it to the beach. If you shake baby powder onto sandy legs or feet it makes it makes the sand brush off easily and gently. My parents live at the beach, and this is super helpful for getting sand off of a small child. It's not painful for them, so you don't have to look like that crazy person restraining a screaming 5 year old.

Lanolin a.k.a Nipple Cream

Used for cracked or irritated skin from breast feeding.
Sorry, I'm not gonna put up a picture of any crackling nips.



I got a small sample size tube of Medela Lanolin in a gift basket at a baby shower and I keep it in my makeup drawer. I always put it on my lips after I wash my face or before make up. It literally makes them feel like butter and when they are chapped, it heals them better than Carmex, Burt's Bee's, or any chapstick I've ever had- combined. It's not at all sticky and it's pretty shiny.

I swear by it.

Baby Wipes

I have baby wipes planted all over my house and car. I use them for everything. I keep a box in my nightstand because I am soo lazy about washing off my makeup after a late night. I know that cosmetic and skincare companies make make-up remover towelettes, but they only have like 30 in a pack for about $12. A box of baby wipes usually contains about 80-100 and is around $2. They're also way more gentle and don't have a ton of fragrances and chemicals. I don't usually wear makeup during the day (also too lazy), but when I do, I always use a baby wipe before I wash my face to get off all the initial bronzer, eyeliner, mascara, etc. Pampers Sensitive Skin is my favorite, they are super soft. The Huggies are a little tough. #justsayin



Diaper Cream

Even though diaper cream is intended for a baby's bottom, the irritation it is made to prevent/ treat is essentially the same type of skin inflammation as a shaving rash or "razor burn." I have super sensitive legs and have a whole routine I have to do to prevent getting a rash, but when I do break out -I cover my legs in Desitin or Balmex and it calms the redness and cools the burn.  

Baby Oil

Obviously, adults use baby oil for the same reasons babies do- to moisturize, but I also use it to exfoliate.

I mix one part baby oil and two parts granulated sugar together to make an exfoliating body scrub. It makes you feel really clean but really soft and shiny too. If I have it in the fridge, I squirt a little lemon juice in. Even mid-range body scrubs can be over $20 for a small jar, but a bottle of baby oil is around $4 and a bag of sugar is around $2 -so for about $6 you get about 20 times as much.

"Don't wait. The time will never be just right." - Napoleon Hill

High Street

As I've conveyed many a time- my clothing budget it tighter than Ricky Martin's butt cheeks, but sometimes I like to window shop "on the high street" on these two British sites- Matches and Browns.
I've combed through the entirety of both and these are my favorite picks:

MATCHES 

 BROWNS

"Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." - Winston Churchill

If you sprinkle when you twinkle, please be neat and wipe the seat.

A few items from my Pinterest "CLOSET" board.

I've noticed a theme...glitzy apparel and neon footwear. I think the glitter from my two-week stint of blinging out everything but my turkey baster has circulated through the air vents in my house and redeposited into my cerebral cortex. Seriously though, every surface in our home is covered in gold flecks. Apparently even my husband's head. He had a physical last week and after the nurse said to him "well you don't have lice- but you do have a disco ball for a scalp," he came home to find me hot gluing sequins on a shirt and said "STOP.BEDAZZLING....NOW." Oopsie Daisy.

"A man's errors are his portals of discovery." - James Joyce

In the Navy

Blue & Green & Glitter

RED BERRY Jean Moto Jacket, MOSSIMO Striped Tank, FOREVER 21 Perforated Cuff,
DIY Glitter Bow,Vintage Stetch Gold Belt, Vintage Green Pencil Skirt,DIY Glitter Heels

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde

Topsy Bow



topsy tail+ baby bow + glitter & red Pendleton blazer

"There are three keys to more abundant living: caring about others, daring for others & sharing with others." -William Ward

work with what you've got.

Some closet favorites all in one outfit.

MERONA Leopard Cardigan, ASOS Feather Skirt, MILEY CYRUS MAX AZRIA Denim Shirt, FOREVER 21 Necklace ,OTK socks, and heels

"Not appreciating what we have now, robs us of our abundance even when it exists." - Marshall Sylver

Retrospect

ARK & CO Dress tucked into Alfred Dunner Skirt, great Grandmonther's Cashmere and Mink Cardigan, ASOS Jewel Bee Studs, Grey turban, FOREVER 21 Clutch, MERONA Watch

"Revealing the truth is like lighting a match; it can bring light, or it can set your world on fire."

Pink & Grey

If there's ever a time when I dress subtly, it's for the exchanging of vows. Because...it really is all about the bride couple, and I wouldn't want to draw attention to myself. Unless I hate the b%&!# or something- in which case I would wear my highest heels and a cheetah unitard. Last weekend though, I went to the very sweet wedding of a good friend of my husbands and wore this:

Ark & Co. dress, Forever 21 Snakeskin Envelope Clutch, Forever 21 Heels, gifted Turquoise and Gold Earrings

Layers and layers of petals- the reason I got this dress.

"To get the full value of joy, you must have someone to divide it with." - Mark Twain

PIN the Tail on the Donkey.

I'm the donkey jack a$$, because ONCE AG-AIN I was stupid enough to tap into a whole nother world of online distractions that I 390% didn't need- PINTEREST.
I've known about it for a while now, and every so often I would venture to the homepage just to see if anything caught my eye, but it was all a little too A.D.D for my A.D.D. And something about taking other people's pictures just rubbed me the wrong way, so I was able to refrain from clicking on anything or typing in the search box. Because there would go my entire Saturday afternoon. Don't all social media outlets start just as innocently? Take the mother of all soul-suckers for example: Facebook- first you join to see what's up, then you get some friends, you upload some pics, and BOOM! The next thing you know, you're looking at what some Canadian girl named Pepper wore to her cousins Bat Mitzvah in Vancouver last July! No? That's never happened to you? Yeah, uh...me either. But still, I knew where the path was headed if I were to create an account. But in true Bethany fashion- I ignored the shred of self-restraint I have and made one. I guess the next thing I search for online should be a lifetime supply of Aspercreme since I'm about to have carpal tunnel like nobody's biznass.

Okay, okay- so Pinny town isn't all bad. It's actually not bad at all- it freaking rocks. And here are some of my "repinned" pictures to prove it:

The motherload for two of my all time heart-melters:

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TURQUOISE AND CHANDELIERS!

Dreamy locales:

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An abundance of recipes for my drinks of choice:

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SANGRIA

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MARGS MARGS BABY

 Limitless things to Crunch and Munch:

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FRIED GOAT CHEESE- heaven help meh.

 And things you'd see in your dreams:

(unless you're like me and have recurring nightmares about being mugged by a bag pipe player on Christmas eve)

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But how healthy can an internet-based relationship be if it's all take-take-take and no give? I decided to contribute a sizable amount of collages from my blog and some other pictures from my computer and was super stoked when some girls "liked" them! I'm very easily flattered. I'll respond to almost any landscaper's cat call.jkjkjk....kinda.
I will do my best not to blog about things I find on this website- because how fair is that? You might as well read the blogs that the pictures originated from! However, if you have Pinterest- follow me (bethany_diffey) and we can be friends or however it works. If I'm gonna waste half my life looking at other people's lives on the computer- I'm gonna drag you down with me!

"I know God will not give me anything I can't handle.  I just wish that He didn't trust me so much."  -Mother Teresa

HOW.COOL.

...is this skirt?? 3D gold embellishments on a yellow mini. Yeahh G.
 If you've seen it before- my apologies get over yourself. I must take a moment to relish in all its wondrousness.

DIANE von FURSTENBURG Yvan Skirt $490

How I'd wear it:

L AGENCE Blouse $475, NICOLE ROMANO Earrings $35 (to rent), ASOS Satchel,  JIMMY CHOO Heels $950

 It also comes as a dress, which is equally as neat-o (sans the belt...)

DIANE von FURTENBURG Yvan Dress $1,101

How I'd wear it:

MSGM Tweed & Leather Jacket $768, JEFFREY CAMPBELL Booties, CLAUDIA LOBAO Earrings $148, ZOE & MORGAN Love Ring(appropriately name because I do love this ring) $116,  Black Opaque Tights, YSL Clutch

"Deal with the world the way it is, not the way you wish it was." - John Chambers

We're a Bright Knit Family.

SONYA RYKEIL

LULU & CO

FOREVER 21

FOREVER 21

ASOS

  

WAREHOUSE

I'm halfway there on this outfit! All I need is the sweater, bracelet, and bag.

WAREHOUSE Sweater, JOSEPH Leggings, MERONA Boots, ASOS Sunglasses, TINLEY ROAD Earrigs,
 TOPSHOP Snood, DANNIJO Bracelet, ASOS Satchel

"If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere. "-Frank A. Clark