Autumn TAG!

Hello my lovelies!  I was tagged for the Autumn Tag by the fantastic Jackie of Five Two Certified.  Jackie has a great beauty blog, with some fun DIY tutorials thrown in there too.  Head on over and check her out.  Go ahead, I'll wait.

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You back now?  Awesome.  On to the Autumn Tag.

This is the FIRST seasonal tag that I've been tagged in, so I'll TRY to stay on topic.  Autumn is my favorite season, with summer being a VERY close second.

Favorite Thing About Autumn

I love the way the leaves change, how it's warm during the day and cool in the evening.  Autumn has a beautiful smell, and I love that too.

Favorite Drink

Hot chocolate with a cinnamon stick.  The hubster makes it at Trunk or Treat every year, from scratch, and it's better than any other I have ever tried.

Favorite Scent/Candle

Pumpkin Pie or Apple Cinnamon.  I use a tart warmer, and am seriously loving the Pumpkin Pie scented wax that I picked up at Dollar Tree.  It smells SO SO good, and lasts a good while, for a buck!

Best Lipstick

This is a tough one, because while it is technically autumn here, it doesn't FEEL like it yet, so I've not really changed a whole lot up.  I'm loving EoS lip balm, and how smooth it makes my lips, and will be busting out darker lip shades soon.  I'm not sure I'm ready for a full on red lip but a nice mid-berry shade will likely be my go-to this season.  Anyone have a suggestion?

Go-to Moisturizer

I am currently loving Dermalogica's intense moisture balance.  My skin gets SUPER dry in autumn, and this is really helping with that.  A tiny dab goes a LONG way!

Favorite Go-to Color for the Eyes

I LOVE me some color on my eyes, but I'm gravitating a bit more towards neutrals too.  I am going to say: Green and Gold for Friday night football at the school (go Indians!- KTween Angel is in the band :) ) and purples or browns at other times.  Purple is just so flattering with my dark blue eyes, it's hard to say no.

Favorite Music to Listen To

I listen to KLove more than any other station- I find it comforting, relaxing and affirming.  I'm currently loving Casting Crowns.  If you haven't heard of them, go ahead and check them out on YouTube, they are incredibly talented.  For non-Christian music, I think I love Marie Digby the best right now.  She's amazingly talented, and I love many of her cover songs better than I do the original artists- but I've also always been a sucker for acoustic guitar.

Favorite Outfit to Wear

I have a fun brown and orange paisley shirt that is a fall favorite for me.  I pair it with blue jeans (is there anything else but blue jeans?) and flip flops.  I don't start wearing real shoes until Christmas.

Autumn Treat

I love pumpkin, and it's hard to pick a favorite!  Pumpkin pie, caramel apples, pumpkin spice latte, pumpkin roll, or birthday cake.  What?  My birthday is in Autumn.  I'm allowed to list that :)

Favorite Place to Be

I love going "home" in the autumn, but because of a variety of reasons, it's tough to do it.  Home is Upstate New York, by the way, and it is beautiful this time of year.  We love to visit the Virginia mountains in the fall too- the trees are SO gorgeous.  Honestly, though, curled up on my couch with my babies is my favorite place to be any time.

I think that's it for the Autumn Tag! Now, I'd like to tag the following lovely ladies:

Leigh at Whimsical Adventures of a Magical Mom

Erica at Diary of a Trendaholic

Jenny at Love My Randomness

Dalisay at Beauty Rehab

Want to play along, but you didn't get tagged?  Too bad!  Muahahaha...just kidding.  

Link your blog post for Autumn Tag in the comments below and I'll add it to this post!

And tell me- do you enjoy Autumn?  What's your favorite Fall thing?

Until next time, my lovelies- stay Average!

Disclaimer: The links in this post go directly to the blogs of some really fantastic ladies.  Their blogs may be addictive.  There are no referral links.

Liebster Blogger Award Nomination

Hello all of my OnlyAverage friends!

Most of you know that I almost never post on the weekends; my family life is absolutely crazy from Friday evening until Monday morning most weeks. When I popped online Sunday to check my messages, and look over my blog, I saw something that was (to me) unexpected- I had been tagged  for the Liebster Blogger Award!

The Liebster Award was created to honor bloggers with under 200 followers, to help them expand their readership and blogosphere.  I did a little research, and "Liebster" is German for "favorite", so the nominees are for the favorite blogs of those who were last nominated.  I was nominated by The Drunken Beauty, and this is my first nomination, like ever. 

As with any of the fun tags going around, there are some rules for the Liebster Award:
1. Each blogger should post 11 random facts about themselves.
2. Each blogger should answer the questions the tagger has set for you.
3. Choose 11 new bloggers to pass the award to and link them in your post.
4. Create 11 new questions for the chosen bloggers.
5. Go to that bloggers page and tell them about the award.
6. No tag-backs.

My 11 random and OnlyAverage facts about myself:

1. I once wore Winona Ryder's underpants.  Ok, I'm not sure that she ever actually wore them, but I was working on a movie set, and they had been tagged with her name, but they needed me to use that particular wardrobe selection for a scene, so I wore them.  I think this still counts, don't you? :)
2. I'm a Stay At Home Mom, and it really really irks me when people say to me (my husband included), "What do you DO all day?"  Quick rant: Um, why do you think day care cost SO much?  Raising children is hard, and some days all I do is follow one of them around and clean up the mess.
3.  I am obsessed with television, and I blame it on Netflix.  The ability to watch 8 seasons of a show, with no commercials is just too tempting for this OnlyAverage girl.
4. My family exceeded our data usage, of 249 GB this month, with over a week to go.  I don't know whether to be embarrassed of this fact, or proud of it.  (and yes, we did up our contract to the next plan up, for $15 more, double the speed and 100 more GB)
5. I'm the kind of girl that will break all the rules, just to go down the inflatable slide at the kid's bouncy house play place.  And I'm also the kind of girl who has the luck, where while doing, so, I'll skin my arm while doing so.  Instant karma, gotta love it.
6. Most of the time, while hanging out with my BFF, people aboslutely believe that we are drunk, or high.  99.9% of the time, we are stone cold sober.
7. I once got in a line for the ladies room at Sunfest, and wound up getting the country group Lonestar's autograph.  Guess I was in the wrong line.
8. My dream car is a new-style Volkswagen Beetle, light green, with a tan convertible top.  I'm not entirely sure why, but I really, really want one.  However, I NEVER want a car payment EVER again.  Our vehicles might be pieces of crap, but they RUN WELL, and are PAID FOR.
9. I have a fairly high IQ.  I'm not bragging or anything, because I don't think it's something to brag about.  It gets me in trouble ALL the time; my friends have told me that I've upset others by saying something "smart" and offended someone.  Most of the time, I have NO idea what I even said that was horrible, and have to have it explained to me.
10. I HATE HATE HATE hearing the question, "how tall ARE you?" Yes, I'm a tall person.  I'm 5'10".  No, I don't particularly think I am lucky that I'm tall.  You can shorten pants really quickly; lengthen them- not so much.
11. I've been to both Canada and Mexico, and have never had a passport.  I guess I totally just dated myself there.  Smart move, chicky.  See number 9. 
12. Yes, I know, I was only supposed to list 11 random things, but I'm an over achiever.  My last random fact is that I am probably the MOST socially awkward person that you will ever meet.  I don't understand small talk; and I panic really quickly at a social gathering, and am alone.  I enjoy my own company- don't get me wrong- but in a social setting, I NEED to have someone with me, just so I don't feel like I stand out.  

The 11 questions Drunken Beauty has set for me:

1. If you could only use/purchase one makeup brand for the rest of your life, what would it be? Urban Decay.  Hands down, no contest.
2. What is your go to shade of nail polish for spring? I'm not MUCH of a nail girl, but I really am into Teal right now.  I just purchased a cool new-ish polish, that has magnetic bits in it, that react to a magnet with a pattern in the lid of the bottle.  Super cool.
3. Does cruelty free status impact your decision to buy a product? Absolutely.  I try really really hard to only buy cruelty-free products.  Sometimes I forget to check out a label, but I do make every effort to purchase cruelty-free items whenever I can.
4. Are you a cat or dog person? Why? I used to be a cat person, but then I got a Siamese.  Honestly, it's the only cat in the world who HATES me.  Now I have a fantastic dog, my Jack Russell, and a Chihuahua. My dog (the Jack, named Freckles), loves me, and I am his entire world.  He comforts me when I am upset, he is my protector, and helps round up the kids when it's time to go.  Who wouldn't love that?!
5. What is the last great movie you watched? I think maybe The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  I think that those movies were epic, and I am a total Sci-fi/fantasy nerd; these movies are fantastic, and I can't wait to see The Hobbit when it comes to Netflix next week (or so I hear).
6. Do you prefer red or black licorice? Red, hands down.  I really don't like black licorice.
7. Tell me about your favorite makeup brushes. I have a set of five brushes that was given to me by my best Sister friend, T.  They aren't high end, and I have other brushes that I really like, but the fact that she KNOWS me enough to give me this set for Christmas, means the world to me.  They are awesome brushes, and a pretty blue color (my favorite!), and every time I pick one up, I think of her, and how she "gets" me.  She is an awesome person, and a great friend.
8.  Can you recommend a good eye makeup remover? Yes, I can, but you probably have heard about it.  I use olive oil.  Works great.
9. If you could spend a day with one historical person who would it be and why? Hmmm, this is a hard one.  I might choose Laura Ingalls Wilder because she lived in a changing time, much like this one.  I have always loved her spunk, and how she kept on keeping on when she needed to.  She did anything for her family, and was brave when circumstances called for it. I have a lot of respect for her.  I'm talking about the REAL Laura Ingalls, and NOT the one from TV.  Just sayin'.
10. What is your favorite summer activity? Beach.  That's an easy one.  I could beach every day, for the rest of my life (provided it was warm enough and not raining more than a mist), and be completely and utterly happy.
11. Do you wear the same makeup everyday? Actually, no, I don't.  Depending on my mood, I do lots of different things.  I do have a few "go to" looks, but I change it up ALL the time.  THIS is why I'm a beauty box subscription addict.  I always want to try something new, and it helps keep my shopping addiction at bay.  Sometimes.

 My 11 Questions:

1. If you were stranded on a desert island, and could only bring five things, what would they be?
2. Are you more of a hair, nails, or makeup person?
3. What is your favorite tv show or movie?
4. What is your greatest achievement, and why? (Your kids, if you have them, don't count for this one!)
5. Do you tend to listen, or wait to speak?
6. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose, and why?
7. Why did you decide to start writing a blog?
8. What is the best food you have ever eaten?
9. What is your favorite subscription box, or beauty product if you don't currently subscribe to any boxes?
10.  Are you an "Elvis person" or a "Beatles person"
11.  Who is your role model?

 11 Blogs that I nominate/tag (in no particular order)

1. Whimsical Adventures of a Magical Mom
2. Technicolor Stardust
3. Dahnie Coco
4. Love My Randomness
5. CHUBBYLAM
6. Biggest Little Review Blog
7. The Secret Life of a Pharmacy Student
8. Beauty in the Breakdown
9. Makeup Junkie Life
10. Rebel Damsel
11. This Bliss Life 

I am very honored to be tagged for this award, and this has been really fun! 

Well, what are you waiting for?  Head on out there and check out some amazing blogs!

Until next time, my Average friends, stay lovely!