Gettin' Comfy

We all know what it's like to "get comfy" in a relationship

And you all probably just rolled our eyes at that saying.

Getting comfy can be good... in some ways, but in more ways than some, it can be very bad. Why? Because it forces the relationship to lose the spark.

Tell me, what happens when a person sits down on the couch, stays there a while, and gets comfy? That person is no longer motivated to do anything. Do you see where I'm going here? Getting comfy can be, well, comforting, but it does nothing for our motivation, and it's exactly the same in relationships.

People can get comfy in their relationships. It's so easy to do. You love him, you know he's going to be around all the time, you start taking some of the little things he does for granted, you get comfy, and pppphhhhhhhh.

That was the spark. Fizzling out.

How do you get that spark back in a long term relationship? 

You start dating again. Sometimes it takes a rough patch. In extreme cases, it takes a break or a break up to realize just how comfy you got, but once you realize it, you've got to do something about it, or things will end for good.  You may not realize right away just how downhill things are going, but once you hit a certain point, BAM! You're snowballing down a cliff and you can't hold on to anything.

Dating

So how do you avoid that? Like I said, start dating again. You don't have to text your boyfriend how much you loved your chipotle burrito bowl. You don't have to text him about how hard your class was today, and you certainly don't have to text him constantly throughout the day.

Texting

Text him the big things, and leave the small, or otherwise funny stories for when you see him. It will save you from texting him every. little. thing. you do during the day, and you'll only be able to tell him the things that stick out in your mind when you do see him. Whether that's at the end of the day, or at the end of the week, however much you want to see each other.

Consider his feelings, and he'll return the favor

Another thing about actually dating your boyfriend, when you were first dating, were you afraid to hurt his feelings? Yes, you were. Because you were so afraid to lose him at that point. When you get the idea in your head that he isn't going anywhere, you stop being afraid to hurt his feelings. You start nitpicking, and nagging.

Be afraid to hurt his feelings. You want him to be nice to you, so be nice to him. Don't be so quick to point out the "You never do this's," and "You never do that's," because they're so arbitrary! If you constantly argue, you're taking him for granted, because you're taking for granted that he'll always be there for you, no matter how much you nag on him.

Well girls, the nagging and fighting pile up, and eventually he's going to get fed up and weighed down.  Who knows what'll happen then? Do yourself a favor, and check yourself before you wreck yourself, or worse, wreck your relationship.

You are you and I am I. And in the end, if we end up together, it's beautiful. 

That's one of my favorite quotes from Boy Meets World.

It's also a great piece of advice for relationships. Don't be afraid to take your own time away from him. Especially if you two don't live together yet. This is extremely hard for girls to grasp, but you don't have to see your man every day. He's going to get fed up with you. If you live together this is different, but trust me, giving yourself some "me" time, can really help you find yourself in your relationship.

Getting lost in your love may sound romantic, but it just isn't. If you get lost in your love, you lose more than yourself, you lose the relationships with your friends and family.

In a relationship, you need more than just each other, you need friends and family. So do yourself a favor, tell your boyfriend that, hey, I'm taking a weekend at home this week, and next week I'm taking a girls weekend. Oh, and I'm visiting my sister this weekend, and trust me, you'll still find time to hang out.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder and the more time you spend doing your own things, the more you'll look forward to being in his arms again. Plus, you'll be a lot happier because you're spending time with all the people you love, not just one of them.

Keep it Classy, Keep it Country,
Gretta Patrick <3

How do you keep your spark in your relationships? Tell me in the comments below!

Coffee time with Gretta No. 4: Tech Detox

How turning off can seriously de-stress your life

Good morning loves! I'm so glad you joined me so bright and early for today's coffee time with Gretta! Today I'm doing a coffee time post in my pajamas for a very good reason. Watch and see! 

Don't be turned off by the title of this post. I'm not going to tell you to give up your phone for three days. I'm simply going to tell you how turning off your technologies - all of them - can help you get the one thing that keeps you de-stressed throughout your day: Sleep. 

How long do I have to detox? 

Really, I try to turn all technologies off for about an hour.  I read here that you should turn off your technologies from sundown till you go to sleep, but in the winter, it's sundown for what feels like most of the day! So I think turning off your technologies for an hour is much more doable than for multiple hours. 

So I can't use my phone at all?

I never said that! If someone calls, you, then answer it. It must be an emergency if they're calling an hour before bedtime. If someone texts you you can reply, but really it's the flickering lights on your cell phone screens and computer screens and TV screens that messes with your sleep patterns. What you don't want to do is aimlessly scroll through Facebook for hours directly before laying down, because that's when you run into problems. For me, it takes me twice as long to fall asleep when I mess with my phone right before bed. 

Tips for de-toxing

A couple of things I like to do are to put my phone charger in the kitchen. That way my phone isn't even in my room to wake me up. 

I also like to completely turn my computer off. I know that if I'm already tired, flipping the computer screen up may be easy, but to my sleepy brain, turning it on and waiting for it to power up is super unappealing. 

Read a book

Also, instead of turning on the TV or something before bed, I like to read a book. You all know I've been reading the bible lately, and for sleepy eyes, the bible is the perfect sleep aid. However, I also noticed that in college, reading anything would make me instantly tired. Then it hit me: If reading can make me want to nap in the library during the day, then it can certainly help me unwind at night. So besides reading scripture, what better way to fall asleep than with... The Great Gatsby, or Wuthering Heights, or Great Expectations, or even Twilight! (Not ashamed). 

 
 

How do you like to get ready for bed? Comment below! 

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country, 

Gretta Patrick <3

A Happy Mint Julep Day how to!

Hey, I just realized that today is mint julep day!

I’ve never had a mint julep, but doesn’t it just make you think of Jay Gatsby and the Kentucky Derby and the old south barbecues? They sound fabulous! I mean, I love mint! So let’s give this a try

The Recipe.

To make my mint julep, I did what every 21^st century girl would do, I googled it! This cute little blurb popped up! And I did exactly what it said.

So easy, right? 

The verdict.

Mint juleps are strong! I mean, it’s bourbon, sugar, water, and mint leaves. I won’t lie to you, my mom and I are both wimps. We had to water ours down, but with some water, they’re just right for sipping after a long day of work! (Or before work, if you’re a blogger)

My dad’s wasn’t watered down at all, and he actually wanted another once he finished his first! I’m not quite, shall we say, tough enough to drink basically straight bourbon.

I think we shall become a proper, mint julep-drinking, group of pseudo-southerners. Okay, we’re such wannabes.

Fiddle Dee Dee. Cheers.

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country, 

Gretta Patrick <3

Tried the recipe? Comment how you like it! Or use #ChiCountry and let me know how the taste test goes! 

How I became a wino: my journey through the vintages

Lately I've been writing a lot of posts about wine. 

That would make sense to those people that know my family.

I'll explain: My parents are pretty much winos. They own a restaurant with possibly the biggest, most extensive wine list I've ever seen. The wine cellar in our basement is as big as a bedroom - if not bigger. My dad owns a winery and vineyard. My parents drink things like Shiraz, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Malbec, and Chardonnay (that simply cannot be oaky). I repeat: My parents are winos.

For those of you who know me, however, you know that for the past couple of years, I've been a sweet wine, vodka lemonade, and appletini person. Hardly the type who drinks wine on a regular basis.

In the past couple of months, I've been trying different things. You can even read this post on the red wines that I like. I've tried some kinds of scotch, and to my surprise, I like it! I've been trying different kinds of gin martinis, and I've found I like them dirty - with lots of olive brine. However, the thing I'm most interested in trying is wine.

My three favorite wines. Stellina Di Notte Pinot Grigio, CK Mondavi White Zinfandel, and Sante Pinot Noir

**Disclaimer, for those of you who don't know diddly about wine, the spectrum goes from sweet to dry (Sweet to non-sweet or bitter).

What's the big deal about 'nice' wine? 

Here's my opinion. A, "good," wine is something that a person who has developed a taste for dryer wines thinks is outstanding. That's why the wines cost so much.

However, an amateur wine drinker, who buys Barefoot on sale whenever he or she can get it is just throwing their money away trying to impress someone if they buy a bottle of wine over $50.

Wining on a regular basis

Since I started drinking wine, I liked the sweeter stuff. But as a couple of years went by, I started to realize that those rieslings and moscatos started to taste... syrupy. Almost too sweet! So I started drinking dry riesling. My favorite is Relax.

After a while, relax started to taste too sweet. So I went to the experts to find a new go-to: My parents. They said that I'd probably like a white zinfandel or a pinot grigio. Guess what? I did.

And that's where I am. I'd be lying if I said I haven't tried any other kinds of wines. I got into red wine, and found I like Pinot Noir. I tried Merlot, and found it was way too dry for my taste, and it just tastes a little bitter. I tried some of my dad's wine, A Westbrook Cellars, and I found that I like the white he makes, Two Girls, and that the red he makes, Chambourcin, is too dry and bitter for my taste.

I tasted some different kinds of chardonnay and found out what, "Oaky," means. I tasted zinfandel and found out what, "legs," are in wine terms. So the only way to become a wino is to taste, taste, taste. In other words, you have to wine on a regular basis.

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country,
Gretta Patrick <3

What's your favorite type of wine/drink? Or do you even drink? Comment below!

Face of the day: Everyday smoky

Today's face of the day is a look I like to call: Everyday Smoky. 

It's all in the eyes and the lips. I used a combination of Mary Kay products, Physicians Formula, and my favorite underexposed beauty product, Vaseline, to achieve today's everyday smoky look. Just look at that smolder ^^

The eyes: 

I used the Physicians Formula Classic Nude eyeshadow pallet to create the smoky eyes. I only used the three colors to the far right of the pallet. They were like a pink-ish blush color, a silver, and a deep grey.

*Just a note about the Physicians Formula eyeshadows, they'e amazing! In fact, all Physician's formula products are top notch, especially for those of use with sensitive skin! Also, it's a great nude eyeshadow pallet if you don't want to spend upwards of $50! It's only $11.95.

I brushed on the pink-ish blush color onto my upper eyelids, swept the silver onto my eyelids, and used the deep grey very sparingly, with an angled eyeshadow brush, on my creases, and in a large sweep above where my eyeliner would go.

The liner is Mary Kay eyeliner in Steely. I've been trying a new thing lately where I only put eyeliner on the upper side of my eye, not the lower. I really like how natural it makes my eyes look: Not so high-schooly. Much more grown up.

The lips: 

I used Mary Kay Nourishine Plus lipgloss in Sweet Raisin. It's an old tube of it, but these suckers last for years! In fact, this is the same lipgloss I wore to my Senior Prom. Yep, I still have it.

The cheeks: 

The finishing touch of today's look is a little tip I use to highlight my cheekbones. I have fat little chipmunk cheeks, so any kind of highlighting other than pink blush is a welcome change.

I used Vaseline and dabbed it slightly over my makeup to highlight the tops of my cheekbones. It gives them a nice natural look I think.

Hardly noticeable, but just subtle enough to give my cheeks a POP! 

If you try out this color scheme on your face, I'd love to see it! Post in the comments, or put it on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #ChiCountry so I can see it! 

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country, 

Gretta Patrick

** Full Disclosure: I used to sell Mary Kay, but no longer have an affiliation with the company besides just loving their products. I have no ties to Physicians Formula or Vaseline either. 

Club W review

The wine club for finding what you like. 

I've been a member of Club W for the last few months. The gist of the program is this: You sign up for this wine club. It's kind of like a wine-of-the-month club. However, it's for people like me. It's the wine club you join if you don't know what kinds of wines you like (besides Barefoot Moscato and... any kind of Moscato... and not Chardonnay, or most red wines)

So you sign up, then you take a quiz on what you like to eat and drink, then they match you up with wines they think fit those tastes, and they call it a, "Palate profile." Then, you pick 3 or more wines  at $13 a bottle for your, "Wine box," that they send right to your door, so long as you're there to sign for it.

If you don't pick your own wines month to month for your box, they'll send you four wines that they think you'll like. Which is what I had them do for a while, since I have no idea what I'll like.

Now, I'll be upfront with you and tell you that I've decided to cancel my membership to Club W. However, I will be nice, and tell you the good points of the program before I tell you the bad.

The good of Club W

First of all, the concept is good. They send you wines that they think you'll like to take the guess work out of getting into wine.

The first box I received was delicious wine.

It got me to realize that the region where the wine is from is the important thing about finding which wines you like. For example, I really like red wine from Chile, and anything from New Zealand. So figuring that out was a good first step in becoming a bonafide wino.

They allow you to skip the month unlimited times without getting charged. And I've skipped a lot of months.

The bad of Club W

The price: when you're in college and can get a bottle of wine from Trader Joe's for $5 or less,  $13 a bottle seems like way too much.

I don't think they really took my palate profile into account. I got sent all these dry white wines, and as I've stated above, I really like Moscato, and I'm recently getting into Pinot Grigio. I got sent some Zinfandels, and some really dry Pinot Grigios, and some wines that just said, "Red," or, "White," wine on the label. That was very vague since it didn't help me figure out what kinds of wines to stay away from. So in a sense, Club W didn't help me figure out what I liked or disliked as far as wine types. All I figured out was that I didn't like what Club W was sending.

Most of the wines are sold exclusively on Club W. So you can't even go out and buy a case of a wine that you drank and liked. Unless of course you fill your box with it from Club W.

When you rate the wines you drink, they update your palate profile accordingly. However, the only thing you can do is rate it on a scale of one (bad) to five (good). I would have liked to enter reasons why I didn't like it, so that they could update things accordingly. For example, I'd like to say, "This wine is too dry," or, "This wine is very heavy," or something that is actually helpful in altering my profile. A 1-5 ranking simply doesn't give enough information in my opinion.  For that reason, consulting a friend who really knows wine is better than the Club W system.

You can't order less than three bottles a month, so for someone who wants to save money, ordering $39 worth of wine I don't really want to drink, every month, is just a completely unappealing concept.

Since you have to be there to sign for the package, and since I'm in college, I knew that getting the wines sent to my apartment wasn't going to work, so I ended up skipping the month most of the time.

What's the verdict?

Although the concept of Club W is good, I'm afraid it gets a resounding thumbs down from me.

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country,
Gretta Patrick <3

What's your favorite wine? Comment below!

Psssst! Dry shampoo tutorial

Ever been confused about dry shampoo? 

Be confused no more! In this video, I'll show you my preferred way to use this particular dry shampoo. Psssst! dry shampoo is one of my favorites, and I thought it would be helpful to tell you how I like to use it.

**Full Disclosure: I'm not being paid by Psssst! Nor are they sending me any free product. I just like to use their dry shampoo. I also do not own the rights to Billy Currington's song, "I Got a Feelin.'"

What does it actually do? 

It's supposed to be your savior on days where you don't have time to wash your hair. Well, let me say, it really is. But the trouble is, how do you even use the stuff?

It's not like hairspray, so don't spray it all over your visible areas of hair. You actually have to spray it on the underside of your hair. The reason you don't spray it directly on your hair is because it'll give off a greyish tint if you do that. There's actually a distinct art to spraying this stuff on your hair.

A good rule of thumb is to actually read the directions on how to spray it. Personally, I lift my hair up layer by layer and briefly spritz between the layers. Then, wait at least a minute before touching it with a brush, comb, or teasing comb.

So what do you do about styling your hair? 

I don't know about you, but I had always been really unsure of what to do about styling my hair when I use dry shampoo. So in the interest of **not** getting any excess residue on my straightener or curling iron, I heat-style my hair before I use dry shampoo. Then I comb, brush, tease, and otherwise style my hair after I use it.

I'd be interested to know if anyone has tried heat-styling their hair after spraying on dry shampoo. So if you have, and you prefer it that way, please leave me a comment!

Some tips

If you know you won't wake up in time to take a shower the next morning, then spray dry shampoo on your hair the night before. That'll give it enough time to really soak into your hair and soak up the grease and oil.

Spray your part, and your bangs, but no other visible places on your head. These two areas get the most oily throughout the day, so you'll need the dry shampoo to soak up the oil real nice!

Any other places that you notice getting oily? Make sure and spray them.

Less is definitely more! The more you spray, the heavier and gunkier your hair gets. Plus, you will deplete your supply quicker. Achieving a balance with how much product to use takes some trial and error, but trying it out is the fun part, right?

Keep it Classy. Keep it Country,
Gretta Patrick <3