{Who is this girl we call Nikki?...FAQ}

So I have been getting tons of new readers from the All you challenge and all of my awesome blog friends sending people over that I thought I would do a little FAQ session with you all!

These are all questions I have had from people over the time that I have had from this blog, so I wanted to put them all together in one place.....HOWEVER, if you have a question for me that I am not answering here, please feel free to leave it in the comment section below and I will answer it for you! :)

So...HERE WE GO!! (this is so exciting! hehe...I'm SUCH a dork!)

ok, so #1...
Q. How old are you?
A. I am 25 believe it or not!

Q. Is your real name Nikki or is that an Alias?
A. No, my real name is Nikki, but most of my family calls me Nic.

Q. What kind of camera do you use for your pics?
A. I use a canon digital rebel XT with a 50mm fixed lens (the 1.8 one). I LOVE my camera, we will never part...well, unless it breaks or I get a better one or something like that! :)

Q. What do you do for a living?
A. I am a graphic designer. I own my own business, Expressive Style Graphics, and mainly design blogs, but I also do websites and logos and things. I also design free lance for companies when I get the chance! :)

Q. Who taught you how to cook?
A. Growing up, everyone! I learned a lot from my mom and my sister. My grandmother also taught me a lot when I was growing up, BUT cooking is in my genes! My Dad was a chef, so was my uncle and the women in my family are amazing cooks! However, I tuned my culinary skills when I went to culinary school and I hold a degree in Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts.

Q. You never mention you husband, what does he do?
A. lol, you tell me! When I meet him, I will tell you! hehe I never mention my husband because I am not married, nor am I dating anyone. I just have not found that special someone yet...praying he gets here soon! :)

Q. Where is your favorite place to shop?
A. That's a mean question because I don't have just one place! I LOVE to shop at Goodwill, Hobby Lobby, Michael's, Walmart, Target, I could go on and on! I'm a total bargain shopaholic!

Q. Who designed you blog?
A. I did...see 4 questions up! lol

Q. When do you find the time to do it all? (I love this one!)
A. I don't! I'm just like you...I don't have enough time! I don't work during the day when my daughter is at home, so I only work at night after she goes to bed. The rest of the day I work on my craft projects, cooking, etc. So I try to fit as much into my day as I can!

Saving the best for last:
Q. Have you always been a Christian?
A. NO! In fact, I was not raised with God in my life. We went to church on holidays and that was about it. I started my relationship with Jesus about 4 years ago when we started attending Shoreline. I was living a very wreck less life (if you want to hear a true testimony of how God works, email me and I would love to share his miracles with you!) that would have either really hurt me or killed me, literally, that bad. A very self indulgent life. And My brother-in-law and sister had found Jesus and went to church all the time, so I thought I would give it a try, and I have never looked back!
I got saved about 6 months into attending Shoreline and my life is so full and rich now, I cant even imagine my life without Him in it!

So there you have it, but like I said, if there is something you would like to know about me, I would be more than happy to post it here! Don't be shy...ask away! :)

{Mexican Style Salad}

Hey Everyone! I wanted to pop in real quick and share what we had for dinner tonight. This recipe is so easy and everyone just loves this salad! Its filling, low fat, and delish!

Mexican Style Salad
What you will need:
1 head iceberg lettuce, cut into bite size pieces
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 C red onion, diced
6 TBSP. shredded cheddar cheese
1 can ranch style beans, drained and rinsed
1 C Kraft FREE Catalina Dressing (more if needed)
1 C. Frito's (I crush them in my hand before tossing)

How to make it:
Throw all ing. into a large bowl and toss!
See, SO simple! :) Enjoy!

{Notice anything missing?}

Lagan officially has a lisp and a whistle when she talks! :) She lost both of her front teeth last week and raked in $11 bucks for it! I guess the tooth fairy didn't realize we are in a recession! lol

{Why I was and wasn't cool in 2008}

I know everyone has already done their new years posts, but I thought it would be really funny to look back on 2008 and see what we did that was "cool" and what wasn't! :)
I can defiantly say, no matter how young I am, I am still not on point with a lot of the trends that this past year had to offer. So I thought I would make a list and feel free to make your own and link back to me. After all, I don't want to be the only loser from '08! lol


What I DID DO that was cool in 2008:
I wore footless tights
I wore high waisted belts (A LOT!)
I got side swept bangs
I did the "Posh Spice" hair cut
I bought 20 pairs of ballet flats
I joined facebook and sent "flair"!


What I DIDN'T DO that was cool in 2008:
I didn't buy an iPhone
I didn't wear skinny jeans (yikes!)
I never bought Gladiator Sandals
I didn't go "Green" (I bought some reusable grocery bags, but that's about it)
I didn't read any of the Twilight books (or see the movie!-GASP!)
I never caught on to Bikram yoga (or "Hot" yoga, where you do your moves in an 80+ degree room! NO THANKS!)
I didn't see "The Dark Knight"
I never bought leg warmers

So, it's YOUR turn now! What did you do or not do in 2008?

{Thats a Deal Thursday, Baking, Baking Baking}

Baking, Baking, Baking!....Baking, Baking, Baking! (I'm singing in my best conga line voice)
So many of you know that I am always on the hunt for a good bargain, and lately that bargain hunting has transferred to the grocery store. I have been trying to find more ways to stretch my hard earned dollars and still feed my family what they like.
This can prove to be some what of a challenge, but most of the time it's really fun!

One of the ways I have learned to save money is by making things in LARGE batches. Like soup, I made 5 gallon sized Ziploc bags of baked potato soup the other day for the freezer. I also made three bags of homemade pasta sauce, and this weekend I will be making chicken stock. But the one meal I always have trouble with is breakfast! I despise having to get up at 6:00am and not only make Lagan's breakfast and lunch, but then make breakfast for everyone else and I haven't even worked out yet! So my breakfast is always cold and gross and I'm the one that made it! (Can you see my frustration here?)
So I read on several blogs about baking, and freezing, muffins.

Brilliant Idea! Cheap and easy muffins that last for months! So Mom and I put on our aprons, rolled up our sleeves, and baked FIVE different kinds of muffins all on one day! And ended up freezing over 30 muffins for future use!!

Here is a glimpse into our "Baking Day"...



We ended up making banana nut, zucchini and nut, pumpkin chocolate chip, apple spice, and blueberry muffins! YUMMMM.....



So what's a girl to do with 1/2 a can of leftover pumpkin? Well, make pumpkin pancakes...duh!


All in all, I had a great time spending the day with mom and baking! We will defiantly be doing this a lot! And since this was a "That's a deal Thursday" I will let you know that the supplies to bake over 7 dozen muffins cost about $10.00!! Now, I defiantly think that's a deal!

{Getting better, Getting worse, and Getting presents!}

I feel so behind! I hate being sick. I have this terrible cough now and my throat feels like I swallowed razor blades! But at least I don't feel achy anymore, and I'm not as tired. So that's good news.


But some more bad news on top of being sick...my last wisdom tooth is coming in and it is killing me! I had one of them removed 2 years ago, plus another tooth that had given me problems since I was able to remember. My second wisdom tooth came in and I didn't even notice, so that was nice. But this one (the last one) is KILLING me! My dentist said that this one and the last one that came in are no big deal because they are coming in straight and I "have more than enough room for them"! Did my dentist just say I have a big mouth?!

So to help me get over all of this terrible-ness, (I know I totally made that up!) I am so happy get some awesome gifts!

First, I won a giveaway over at Nester's blog the other day. Thank you Nester for supporting women in business, and your email was so sweet! Your compliments on my designs made my day!
The giveaway is an awesome card design from Keri at Keri's Card Design on Etsy. Keri is so sweet, I cant wait to work with her!
Wouldn't these make AWESOME Christmas Cards?



Then I got an awesome gift from my buddy Leslie in the mail this weekend. She sent me an awesome Glade Plug in Scented Oil. It's Apple Cinnamon, and my entire house smells like hot apple cider! YUM!! I LOVE it! :) Thanks so much Leslie for hosting such awesome giveaways on your blog too! :) What was totally special was the sweet little note she sent with it, I love her little cards. They have her initials engraved in them...how cool is that?

So that has pretty much wrapped up the good, the super awesome, the bad, and the really ugly from the past few days. I want to say thank you to everyone who sent your prayers over, I really hope I get over being sick by the end of this week so I can share a NEW TUTORIAL!! :) I'll give you a hint, its NOT for your home or for a scrap book, but it involves scrapbook supplies! Any guesses?...

{I have fallen ill...}

Yep, that's me! Sick as a dog! See, My mom and I have started walking to go pick up Lagan from school in the afternoons, its about a mile walk, and yesterday it started POURING down rain! So we had to walk in the rain that was like a white sheet! As soon as we got home we all stripped down and got into dry clothes. My mom dried Lagan's hair while I was changing, and it didn't occur to me to dry my hair. Well, I sat around in wet hair all afternoon in the air conditioning and under ceiling fans. So needless to say, today I have a cold!

So I might not be around to post much in the next few days while I try to recover. While I was walking to pick up Lagan today, it was cool and windy (NOT good on my swollen throat!) and all I could do is have a conversation with God. I just asked Him to heal my body. I have Bible study tomorrow night, so I hope I am better by then, or at least I can have everyone there pray that I get better. I can't really afford to get sick!

So let's make a deal...You pray for me to get better, and I will pray for you. No matter what you need prayer for, I will pray. You can send me an email or leave it in the comments, but no matter what, I will faithfully pray! :) Love you all!

{Im a weiner...I mean a Winner!!}

I know, I know, I'm so un original with my titles! Oh well, I never claimed to be a writer!! hehe But I am totally a winner this week! I feel so awesome! First I won a giveaway, then two blog awards, all in a matter of two days! Soooo cool!!



First up, the giveaway. I actually love catching up with my graphic design clients and occasionally I will leave a comment. Well, I guess I left the right one, because I won a giveaway over at the AWESOME Danielle Marie's blog! I am getting some beautiful custom made cards and a $10 gift certificate! Plus her post about me is so flattering, I totally blushed! Danielle, you are so wonderful! Go check out Danielle's blog, see the awesome design that we did together, and leave her some comment love!!

Second, a Kreative Blogger Award. Now, I got one of these a while back from another awesome blogger, but this one came from KatyLin over at The Great Adventure


she was so sweet to send it over! Thank you so much KatyLin! Now, we are supposed to say 6 things that make us happy, plus give it to 6 people. Well since I gave this award out one already, I am not going to pass it along because there are WAY to many blogs that I love, and it would be wrong to only pick 6...maybe 60, but not 6! hehe
But I will tell you 6 things that make me happy!
1.) Scrap booking Paper
2.) Blogging
3.) Cooking comfort food
4.) Fresh Squeezed Lemonade
5.) Printable Coupons
6.) My special time with God



Next up is another awesome award sent to me by Lora at My blessed Life. The award is called Permio al Esfuerzo Personal which is translated to mean Prize to the Personal Effort, and here are the rules!
Rules:
1. Mention the blog that gave it to you.
2. Comment on their blog to let them know you've posted your award.
3. Publish these rules.
4. Share 6 values that are important to you
5. Share 6 things you do not support.
(your supposed to share this one too, but I stick with my story from before! lol)

6 Things that are important to me:
1- spending time with my family
2- going to church and having a special time with the Lord everyday
3- getting lots of comments on my blog posts! (lol)
4- being creative and always thinking of something new
5- my health
6- being a good friend to those that need one

6 things the I DO NOT support:
1- People that claim to be something, but do not live their life in a way the reflects that belief.
2- Arrogance
3- Abortion
4- Abuse of any kind
5- bad Mexican food (if you live in Texas, you know what I mean! lol)
6- People who cut down on other people to make themselves feel better!

So that about wraps it up! I had a fun day reading some new blogs, and seeing my awesome readers give me some really special gifts! I hope you all have a wonderful day too!!


OHH!!! P.S. I wanted to add that I also got another awesome award from Lora at My blessed Life. It's the I HEART your blog award! I feel so special!! Thank you so much Lora, your such a sweetheart!!

{Lets not judge people!}

Ok, so can I talk politics for a minute? I know that no one wants to read this, no one wants to know my point, and no one is going to leave me comments, and I might even loose a few readers. But that's ok with me, because this is a subject that I feel really passionate about. Not politics, but the junk being spread about McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin.

Now, you might have heard, that Gov. Palin has a daughter who is 17, unmarried and pregnant. Does this make her a bad mom? HECK NO! Does it make her daughter a bad person? HECK NO! And let me tell you why I think that. Because I too was 17, unwed, and pregnant. Am I a bad person? No. Did I throw my life away so I could live in the streets? No. Am I a good mom who runs a full time business that I solely own, give my daughter everything she needs and wants, and walk with Jesus as any other mother does? YES!! Is my mom a bad mother? No. Was she responsible for me laying with someone that wasn't my husband? No. Could she have done a better job as a parent and kept a better eye on me? No. This is why....TEENAGERS LIE PEOPLE! This is not new news!! They have been doing it forever. Kids get pregnant when their parents think they are at a friends house or the mall. Parents give the sex talk, that doesn't mean your kids are not going to have sex! Millions of girls that are underage give birth in this country every year. Its nothing new. We just used to send them to convents instead of school!

So hear me out. I know what its like to be that girl. The one who walks through the halls at 9 months pregnant and has people call her a whore and a slut to her face! I have been there. I have seen it. I have felt the pain. And I saw what it did to my mom. Her friends all abandoned her. They said she was a bad mom. Well honey, look in your own closet and a I guarantee you there are a few skeletons!

No one is perfect.
Lets not judge this lady on her kid's actions. Lets say, look, she is standing by her daughter. She is doing what a good mother should. She isn't kicking her out or forcing an abortion on her. She is being strong for her, and that is what she needs. She needs support and love. That's what I needed.
I think that the McCain/Palin team could really rock this country and do some amazing things for us.
Remember.....he who has no sin must cast the first stone. Are you throwing yours?

(...stepping down from my soap box now!)

{Not Ignoring you!!}

Hey Everyone! I just wanted to do a quick post so you all know I am NOT ignoring you! I am just totally busy!!

I have so many posts to come in the next week, but I have to focus on the task at hand! First, Lagan got to take a surprise trip to the beach with my sister and her husband. Then she came home today and had a birthday party. I got to go meet her new teacher at school, by myself since she was still out of town! lol

Then tomorrow, my family will be celebrating something really awesome!

My mom and her husband are going to be renewing their wedding vowes!

I cant wait to share photos...you know I will be snapping away!!

Then Lagan has ANOTHER birthday party tomorrow after the ceremony. I also have 10 blogs and 1 website in the works over at ESG, and I'm working on a new blog template!! YAY! :)

But all of this takes tons of time, so I have been slacking in my blogging.

But Lagan starts school Monday so that will give me some time to blog more and get caught up!

(Plus I will be all alone again because my mom and her husband will be leaving for a month on the truck)

So please pray for me that I get some sleep, get photos to document everything, and don't loose my mind in the process!!

OHH...and before I forget! I want to thank EVERYONE for their AWESOME words of encouragement on my last post! You are all so wonderful, and I am so happy that we are all on this journey together, and everyone is supporting me! I already feel better about myself!!

{So what did I REALLY do?}

Hey Everyone!! WOW I loved hearing all of your guesses, and I REALLY wish I had done ALL OF THE ABOVE!! That would have been GREAT! But I didn't....so lets see what I did do shall we?......

Well, I didn't do the laundry (even though I should have)....


Or spray paint something black...


or put my house up for sale (not QUITE ready for that one yet!)...


or do NOTHING...even though that would have been BLISS...


But I DID GET A NEW HAIRSTYLE!!!!
Here is my BEFORE:



Here is my AFTER:





So, what do you think? I am in LOVE with it! After I got it cut, my awesome sister Brittany, did my highlights because the girl is super talented with some hair color! She also took my pictures! ;)
(Love ya Britt!!) I had the best time going shopping with the girls today strutting my new do! hehe

Thanks everyone for playing along, that was fun! :)

{Lets Play a Game}

I thought it would be fun today to play a guessing game...then later tonight or tomorrow, when I'm not being lazy, I will post the answer!! So get to guessing on this question:

What did I do today?

Was it:

A. Do three loads of Laundry?

B. Get a new Hair Style?

C. NOTHING, and it was bliss?

D. Spray paint something black?

E. Put my house on the market?

Put your guesses in the comments section! I don't have anything to give away (YET), but I do get satisfaction that people actually read my blog and care that I am talking! hehe

See you with the answer real soon............

{So you think you can Dance...dance..dance}

YAY JOSHUA!!! Wow! I L-O-V-E this show! I don't normally blog about TV, but this show is so close to my heart! See, I danced for 15 years but then I shattered my growth plate in my ankle and I cant ever dance again. But dance was and still is a huge part of my life!

So my sister and I watch it religiously, and tonight was the huge finale, and Joshua, my favorite from the beginning, won!! This is huge in the world of dance because he has NO formal training!! Hes a street dancer, and that's saying a lot for him. They made this man do so many styles of dance, and he mastered them all. From hip hop to ballroom, salsa, modern, Broadway, and even Bollywood, he ROCKED!!

I totally cried when his partner Katie got eliminated, because that girl was born to dance! But I was just thrilled with the outcome! I have to give a HUGE shout out to Twitch and Courtney for making it to the top 4, they are both amazing dancers!

And now I am so jealous because my sister is going to see the top 10 LIVE, and I cant go!!!! I hope she takes LOTS of pictures! So here are some photos from tonight's finale! Enjoy, and CONGRATS JOSHUA!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!! hehehe :)

{CLOTHES!}

Hey Ladies and Gents! I am really bad about doing my "spring" cleaning in the middle of the summer! But I decided to clean out Lagan's closets (yes, she has more than one...is that normal for a 6 year old?) and pass some really cute clothes on to you!
I have items in lots of sizes, just click the appropriate link below. I also have shoes, and Designer and Name Brand clothes. I will be adding more as the week goes on! If you like anything, just email me at expressivestylegraphics@yahoo.com and I will get you a total with the lowest possible shipping!

Click here to get your items at great prices!
Size 2T

Size 3T

Size 4T and 5T

Size 6 and 6X

Girls Shoes

Girls Designer and Name Brand Clothing

I also have some plus sized womens clothing if your interested! lol
Womens Clothing