Your Questions Answered (Part 2)

Ew, how is the weekend over already? Weekends are always so much more fun when the weather is nice, so it's even less fun to get back into the weekday swing of things.
I'm sure this foxy little lady is feeling the exact same way.

Fox, Hi Onesie, Hair Bow

I wanted to thank you all again for the sweet feedback on Part 1 of Questions & Answers, and to finish answering a few more questions here in this post! :) If you have others, feel free to leave them in the comments!

What camera do I use for my pictures & what apps/programs do I use to edit them?

For the longest time (up until about two months ago) I used only my iPhone 4 to take pictures. I think it takes great photos for the most part, especially since you can rapid fire & catch as many shots as possible in hopes of getting one clear picture.

I just got a big girl camera though. It might be a little too advanced for me at this point but I am determined to figure it out. I won't even talk about the things I think that I like about it, because if there are any real photographers reading this, I'm just going to sound like an asshole trying to speak photography-lingo. You can take lots of pictures, really fast, without even pushing the button each time. I think it's called shutter speed. But I could be full of it. Anyway, it's the Nikon J1. I originally liked it because it was white, surprise! But read great reviews & learned that it was it was the perfect bridge between a standard point and shoot & a DSLR. I totally love it.
For photo editing, sometimes I don't edit them at all, but for the most part, I just use Instagram (@jlgarvin). I am just now learning how to use my Adobe Suite to actually edit pictures. Slowly but surely. I desperately want to be good at it.

What Philosophy skincare products do I use & how do I store/organize my makeup?
This was a hot topic after I mentioned using Philosophy's products in the last Q&A. Like I mentioned before, Philosophy is the only brand that I have loved every single product that they make. I originally started loving them for their body wash, if you haven't used Pink Frosted Animal Cracker before, put it on your Christmas list. The Supernatural Airbrush Canvas & Purity Facewash have been my favorites forever & I was recently given a sample of a few of their moisturizers. Then I got a Philosophy facial & decided it was time to invest the money in all of their skincare products. I know everyone's skin type is different, I have very sensitive/combination skin. I use the Take a Deep Breath Oxygen Cream as my everyday moisturizer & Miracle Worker at night. I've since started using the Kiss Me Lip Exfoliator & Kiss Me Lip Balm (this is like crack for a chapstick addict) & the Here Comes the Sun line. Like I said before, it's a little pricey but lasts forever & everything is well worth it (remember, cost-per-use).

As far as storing my makeup, I've come to realize that my side of the bathroom is always a hot mess when I try to keep things tucked away in a drawer or makeup bag. I'm always digging for something that I can't find & leaving things slung all over the counter top. So I opted for leaving everything out where I can see it, with all of my makeup in a glass canister. I don't use a ton of products, so I just have the medium sized one that fits it all. The rest is just kept in a lucite tray, which can be found at The Container Store.

  How did I deal with postpartum hair loss & what hair products do I use?
Ah, the antlers. The unicorn horn. Four thousand strands of my hair slapped up on the shower wall, shaped into masterpieces. What a shitshow.
My hair started falling out when Harper was around 3 months (I was still breastfeeding at the time) and lasted until she was about 6 months old. It started growing back (mostly around my hairline) right around my brother's wedding in August, just in time to look like a total dipshit with my wedding updo. I'm not sure if there is a way to prevent or combat this, but I did find that using a Tangle Teezer instead of a regular hairbrush helped for brushing through wet hair, when it is prone to fall out the most. I also rocked the top knot for weeks when it was falling out, but once it started growing back, messy curls were the best way to disguise the regrowth.
As for products, I have always used Pantene shampoo & conditioner. I also use Moroccan Oil every few days (on damp hair after washing) it is AMAZING for keeping your hair shiny. Other than that, I don't use any product on my hair, it's really fine so adding anything to it really weighs it down. I also let my hair air dry every day, which I'm sure is part of the reason that it stays healthy. I don't have the time or patience to blow dry it, but my hair is also stick straight so I get the same result either way. When I curl it, I use this Conair 1 Inch Barrel Instant Heat Curling Iron.


Did we ever find a solution to Harper's sleep troubles (around 4 months) and/or how long until she started sleeping well again?
We never actually solved the problem, but I think that it was a combination of teething & a growth spurt. Before 4 months, Harper slept like a baby man. She was in bed by eight & slept through the night until eight in the morning. Out of nowhere, she was waking up two or three times a night. This was right around the time that we had transitioned her out of her swaddle & Nap Nanny, so I know that adjusting to new sleep conditions had to play a part in it. It seemed like the only way to get her to go back to sleep was to feed her. So I would give her 3-4 oz. each time she woke up, and she would fall back asleep for a few hours. I would try to soothe her with a paci & rubbing her head/belly to get her to go back to sleep but the bottle was the only thing that would do it. Finally, after a month or so, it just passed on her own. She started sleeping until maybe 4 am before she would wake up wanting to eat. We decided that it was time then to put her in her own room, so we transitioned her out of the pack n play at that point and into her crib. Part of me thinks she was waking up to us rolling around in bed, so I think being in her own space helped. From then on, she went right back to sleeping like a champ. We still use this Sound Machine & she has slept with these Aden + Anais Security Blankets since around 5 months as well, which I swear help soothe her back to sleep whenever she wakes up.


What do my husband & I do on the weekends and for fun?
We have always been determined to make our house a fun environment so we weren't always tempted to want to go places. Especially after having Harper, it's hard to get out of the house all the time, so we do what we can to bring the fun to us!
We both work long hours, so we really live for the weekends!

Baby Jogger City Mini Stroller

We love spending time outside, so we really tried to make our outdoor space as fun as we could. We bought some hammocks, string lights & a fire pit, so there is always a fun way to relax at night after Harper goes to bed. We also love to play beer pong (we are total college kids), horseshoes or bags (some call it cornhole). When it's cold or raining, we love playing cards, pick up new seasons of shows (and watch them all at once on DVR) or turn old movies into drinking games. I could probably go on all day long about all the silly two person drinking games that we have come up with over the years, but I'll save that for another day! ;)

Hammocks, String Lights

What are our typical dinners & go-to meals?
We never go out for dinner, maybe once a month. Our favorite meal to eat out is breakfast, which we also do probably once a month, along with grabbing Chipotle, Jimmy Johns or the occasional froyo every once in a while. But for the most part, we cook every meal at home (by we, I mean me) My man can make a damn good omelet, but other than breakfast foods, cooking is usually my arena. Many would think that since I work from home, cooking should be a breeze, but it honestly makes no difference. I'm still scrambling to thaw ground beef or casually convincing Brandon that I "really wanted egg salad!" for dinner. A typical week for us looks something like this...
Sunday - Fajitas (we have fajitas every sunday, because I hate hate double hate cutting chicken, so I do ALL of the cutting on Sunday nights, including chicken & veggies for the next day). This is sliced chicken, peppers & onions, using this fajita seasoning recipe that I make in bulk once a  month, served on tortillas w/ shredded cheese. Easy. Delicious. Probably our favorite meal.
Monday - some other chicken meal, usually Chicken Green Bean Casserole (yep, just how it sounds, make some GBC & add chicken), some sort of chinese-inspired chicken stir fry (chicken with sesame oil, minced garlic, soy sauce, sea salt & brown sugar in a frying pan, served over brown rice), or chicken with spaghetti squash.
Tuesday - Maid Rites. It's an Iowa thing. One pound of lean ground beef, half of a finely chopped onion, a can of beef consomme soup all cooked (scrambled) in a pan together until all of the soup dissolves, served on a hamburger bun with american cheese.
Wednesday - Crockpot. By Wednesday, I'm ready to run my head into a wall when I hear the word "dinner". BBQ Pork or Hot Beef/Gravy over mashed potatoes is typically our go-to.
Thursday - Pasta. It's always pasta. We love lasagna, penne or chicken parm.
Friday - I like to refer to this as No-Dinner-Friday. I think my husband gets scared every week that I'm serious, but this is usually when I throw together egg salad, turkey subs or "breakfast for dinner!". Plus, it's time to drink beer by now anyway.
Saturday - Something on the grill, usually steaks & fresh veggies. In the winter, homemade pizza or chili.

Whew. I'm sick of cooking just from typing this! :) Like I've said before, my recipes are very half-assed, I don't measure a lot, but I will try to add some more to my recipe page if you are interested.

I hope you've all found this helpful! I promise to finish my breastfeeding post soon, since I know there are still a few of you with questions there! :)

You can find Part 1 here & part 3 to come! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! XOXO