It's a New Dawn, it's a New Day, it's a New Name! (Giveaway)

Hello, everyone!

Notice the new changes? I am still trying to get my old URL to forward to my new one, but my feed should be the same and you should be able to still see me in your google reader! Let's hope so, at least...

So would y'all do me a huge huge favor and make sure if you are linking me or if you have my on your blogroll, that you update your links to www.megoonthego.com? Thanks so much, buttercups!

It has been quite an ordeal changing URLs, and I totally do not recommend that without consulting a professional first. I still have a lot of kinks to work out, but I am happy that the process has started!

So, as a welcome to my new blog name, I want to celebrate with a $25 Ulta gift card and ad space giveaway! There's not a million things to do to enter. Make sure you're following me or subscribed, leave me a comment and tell me something funny.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

ONE MORE THING!

Have you thought about possibly advertising your blog or shop with me? I do things a little differently around here, and I am probably the cheapest place to advertise with the amount of pageviews I get. If you are disappointed, I give free months of ad space. Visit my advertising page to learn more and book your ad!

What's in a Name?

I started this blog back in 2009, right after I got married. It seems like many bloggers do just that - they think, "Okay! I'm married so I'm going to tell everyone about how awesome my married life is!" Ha, you know you were one of those. I totally was.

Then my blog evolved. I had to give myself a name. I  thought.... My last name starts with an "O." It's cute to go by "Meg O." - like "Leggo my Eggo!" And there were so many things I could do with "O" in it. And I'm a drama teacher (and rather dramatic myself, I might add), so putting a play on words, I came up with "O. is Me."

O. is Me has brought me some very good years, some very good inspiration and I really feel like I have found my niche. My blog has evolved with me through the years and I have always used this as a place to chronicle my obsessions.

I just felt like my name hasn't really evolved with my blog as I had hoped. I feel like it doesn't really portray what my blog is about, and I would like my name to do as such.

I just keep going back to that in Juliet's soliloquy in Romeo & Juliet...

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."

Basically - I'm contradicting myself right now by wanting to change my name to reflect on how sweet smelling my blog name.

But on the other hand, giving myself a new name wouldn't mean that I had to change anything else about my blog if I liked the direction it was going. I know I have built up a following, and it is kind of strange just to up and change your name, but I want anyone who lands on this page to know what I'm about within 20 seconds of reading my header, tagline, and my top sidebar.

So what do I want to say with my name?

I want to tell my readers that I am a ridiculously busy, full-time working (and by full time, it's super full time when I'm directing shows) mother and wife who is passionate about looking and feeling good. If  I do anything right, it's put on a beautiful face of makeup, have incredible love for my family, and make time for a healthy meal on the dinner table. Sometimes I'm horrible at all three of those, but nobody needs to know that.

What if in the future I  get to live the dream and be a SAHM and sip champagne (Nothing else, people. I have high standards.) all day? If you know me, I keep busy. I mean, even during summers I am constantly doing something (Remember last summer when I did over ten blog designs? Yeah, that was a lot of late nights and carpal tunnel). There is at least one or two things I probably should eliminate from my plate. So I'm still going to be busy? Yep.

Which brings us to my new name.

I will give credit where credit is due for this... and that would be Michelle! She suggested "Meg O.: Beauty Guru on the Go", and I got very inspired by that and condensed it.

I give you:

I'm the kind of person if I come up with something and I just feel it, I go for it. So that's it. If you are great at coming up with witty taglines (I'm ususally a great tagline gal but I'm at a loss), suggestions are welcome!

Greg gave me his blessing because "GO" are his initials. And he liked how "Meg O. would be on the GO." If Greg can make a sexual sarcastic joke about it I think we're good.

I'm going to go for this. Over this week I'll probably be switching things up and around, and I'll keep you updated. Thank you to my awesome friends who helped give me that push!

So, out with the O., in with the MOOTG (do we like this acronym? hmmmm)!

Daytime Smoky Eye Using the Naked Palette

I have had some requests for some tutorials on how I use the Naked Palette to create a wearable smoky eye. I decided that a video tutorial was in order! I find that it's easier to explain rather than photos. Y'all better watch it because it took me forever to do. I mean, the filming part is easy and what not, but my iMovie hates importing HD files, so it took 30 minutes to import each clip. And about three hours to export it. So yeah.... watch the video already. And excuse my non made up face. I also kind of hate the way my hair looks here. I curled it up real tight to comb out later. Blah. Whatever. Just watch it.

Question: How do you wear your Naked Palette? Leave me comments letting me know how you use yours!

Next up: evening smoky eye!!

If you Really, Really Knew Me (Part 2)

I have to admit... I kind of feel like that post last week was a bit of a cop out. Like I said, I wanted to incorporate more personal posts into my blog and stretch myself. So what if I am deathly afraid of unfinished wood and have freakishly hyperextendy elbows?! I don't even give a crap.

So, I'm going to do this in the most voyeuristic way I can possibly imagine. Miss Kennedy has gone down for the night and it's time to get these blogging juices flowing.

I know I like to see a little snippet of a blogger's life. I am a nosy lady. Really nosy. What better way to show you snippets of my life, this evening.... RIGHT NOW?! Okay, you'll be reading this tomorrow morning, but you get the drift.

If I were a true blogger, I would show you my fancy clothes, how amazingly decorated my house is, my impeccable makeup organization, and how beautifully my nails are painted.

I'm afraid I am currently no such thing.

I'm wearing yoga pants. I change into them immediately upon arriving at home. Like you don't do the same thing. Psh. Those aren't some fancy lululemon pants. Girl, they be Old Navy.  But because I have made myself into an animated gif it means I am automatically funny and cool.

Hurricane Kennedy worked her way through my living room. I'm not even going to show you what her room looks like. Just picture sparkles and rainbows. Oh and tons of chevron and glitter.

This is all of my "new" makeup that I haven't found room for yet. That includes about 7 eye palettes. I have yet to come up with a better organization method for my stuff, but I have a feeling it is going to involve multiple plastic drawers. And of course my tampons had to go somewhere.

That's my counter right now - the way I left it this morning when I rushed out the door. Hello, Lorac Pro Palette. You are amazing. I think I will write a review on you soon. And I keep my brushes in coffee mugs (one mug is for face brushes, the other for eye). And they haven't been washed in about three weeks. And that's my eye/lip drawer. It surprisingly holds a ton of stuff.

This would be my face drawer. It holds a lot of crap. It doesn't look like a lot but it is a TON of crap. Now I'm inspired to do a post where I take out all of my makeup and line it up on the floor to see how much crap I actually have. Would anyone want to see that? Probably not.

My nails' current condition. I start peeling and picking off the polish after about five days. I won't leave the house with them like this, and I am going to repaint them after I am done typing this blog post (or just go bare nailed if I'm too lazy). And for all those that are wondering (because I know you all are... duh), it's OPI Bubble Bath. Think I should link this up for the Nail Files, Tara? Feel free to pin this to your Pinterest Nail Boards immediately.

I store all my polishes in a huge old Tiffany box. It sounds fancy, but I promise you it isn't. I think this packaged a wedding gift... I believe a crystal mug (that Greg obviously drinks his beer from every Sunday while he watches football). There are also polishes randomly around the house I haven't put back in the box yet. Blogging has made my nail polish collection grow exponentially so I should be a true blogger and get myself a spice rack for my bathroom.

And because there's no better way to be a voyeur than to peek into someone's fridge..... here's mine.  Nothing exciting, except there's a lot of beer and ingredients to make mimosas (the Cupcake prosecco is in the very back). Brunch, anyone?!

So there you have it, unwatermarked photos and all! Because, really... who in their right mind would even want those pictures? Did I just blow your mind?  I almost uploaded them all to PicFX and put little bokeh hearts all over them to "spice them up a bit," but decided that might be a little overkill. I totally understand after today if you want to unfollow my blog and my totally horrible makeup organization and nasty nails. I get it.

Have a great Tuesday!

Okay, I really should slow it down with those animated gifs.

Linking up today with:

What's Getting Pinned from Here?

We all love the wonderful phenomenon known as Pinterest, but did you know you could see what was getting pinned from your blog/website? I know some of y'all probably do, but just in case...

I've noticed that not everything that has been pinned from your blog shows up here, just the most recent ones. It's a great tool to see what content is really popular among the Pinterest crowd, especially since most of the people on Pinterest are not bloggers! I actually went ahead and made a board that is pins specifically from my blog, and I plan on going back and repinning pins to it that others have pinned.

Maybe you'd like to pin some things that are highly pinned from my blog? Yep, I know you do. 

I don't mind. Go ahead. Happy pinning!

Source: oismeblog.com via Liesel on Pinterest

Source: oismeblog.com via Erica on Pinterest

Source: oismeblog.com via Meg on Pinterest

Source: oismeblog.com via Meg on Pinterest

Source: oismeblog.com via Meg on Pinterest

Source: oismeblog.com via Meg on Pinterest

Source: oismeblog.com via Meg on Pinterest

Source: oismeblog.com via Meg on Pinterest

Linking this up with one of my BFFs Michelle today for OHP!

If You Really, Really Knew Me

One thing I wanted to accomplish on my blog this year is get a little more personal. Dig a little deeper. So, I guess today would be fun to do one of those "if you knew me" posts. Because they're fun. And there's nothing like spouting off a bunch of random information about myself. So....

IF YOU REALLY, REALLY KNEW ME...

• I have really weird double jointed elbows. If I hold my arm out straight, it looks hyper-extended and curvy. It's actually quite disgusting. So don't ask me to do it.
• I have this fear of unfinished wood. Think popsicle sticks, wooden spoons, chopsticks, tongue depressors at the doctor's office. Just thinking about it makes me cringe. To me, it feels like I'm going to get splinters everywhere and die. If you don't believe me, watch this vlog that Katie and I did a while back but never put on our blogs. And look at how teeny Kennedy is (and how fat I was)!

Okay, that's all I got. That's all you really need to know about me.
Call me an crooked elbow unfinished wood fearing freak.

Insta-Food: Layered Tortilla Casserole

I mentioned I wanted to start blogging more about food, and I think posting dinners on instagram is a great way to get that going again. I am by no means a chef, but I do enjoy cooking and exploring healthy dinners. Greg and I have felt much better the cleaner we eat (less processed food, simple ingredients), and when we menu plan weekly we end up eating the best.

We bought a few recipe books for some of our family members this Christmas that are vegan and vegetarian friendly (my brother is vegan, my stepmom was looking to cook more vegetarian, my father in law eats more vegan foods for his headaches). We tried one of the recipes and ended up buying ourselves a copy! The book is Quick-Fix Vegetarian and I highly recommend it!

Anyway, this is the recipe we tried that made us want to get a copy for ourselves. What's nice about it is that you can adapt it to your desires. Use whatever cheese you like (the recipe suggests soy cheese but we use a part-skim mixed cheese), use sprouted grain tortillas to clean it up more, or even leave out the cheese.

So, you ready for it? This one is a crowd pleaser. I'm not a big meat eater (in fact, if there is a veggie option available I will always eat it), but this is very satisfying for those that love meat. Promise. And it's got 4 ingredients.

LAYERED TORTILLA CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS:

1 (24-ounce) jar tomato salsa

8 tortillas (we usually use no-lard whole wheat)

2 (16-ounce) cans refried beans (we use organic vegetarian fat free black refried beans)

1 cup shredded cheese (you can use soy, Monterey Jack, Mexican Blend, etc.)

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread a thin layer of salsa in a lightly oiled shallow baking dish (9x13 works fine). Arrange 4 of the tortillas on top, overlapping as needed. 

In a bowl, combine the beans with 1 cup of the salsa, stirring to blend well. Spread the bean and salsa mixture over the tortillas and top with 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Arrange the remaining 4 tortillas over the cheese and top with a layer of salsa. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake until hot, about 30 minutes.

Take out and uncover, then put under the broiler on low for a few minutes (3-5 minutes, depending on your oven). 

Top with sliced avocado or guacamole, if desired. I would put an entire avocado on it if I had no restraint.

Told ya. Easy peasy!

p.s. I'm guest posting for my BFF today over here! Check it out!

Kennedy Lately - Walking, Dancing, and Tail Pulling

I just gotta show off my little girl here in video form. Short and sweet little videos for your viewing pleasure. So watch them. And tell me my baby is omg the cutest everrrrrr.

Miss Kennedy is full on WALKING everywhere! I'm kind of surprised it took this long for her to walk, but I honestly think it was because she didn't have the confidence (reminds me of someone I know....ahem....her momma). She had these little push/walker toys that she would push everywhere, even steer them and maneuver around. She would always want to hold on to them, even though I knew she could let go. It just took her a little while. So, she went for it on New Year's Eve. While I'm "partying" it up (i.e. doing nothing) in my slouchy sweatshirt and yoga pants. My sister was over and caught the whole ordeal, too (no you're not hearing double. We do sound alike). And my house hadn't been cleaned for... like five years. But nevermind that! You just gotta love this girl here - her sense of accomplishment. How she says "Good girl" just like we do.

And this girl loves to dance, as evidenced by this video. She is not feeling so well here, and nor am I. But every time she hears the "Acorn Song" (on the Baby First channel) she goes nuts. Even though that song is probably the most annoying song I've ever heard. She loves music. She recognizes songs, even if her mom sucks at singing them. She will just stop and dance. So here you have Miss Dancer.

And finally, Dexter probably takes the most torture from her. He kind of loves it, though. Most cats would just get up and leave, but no, Dexter has to stay around and just stretch out and ask for more. But apparently a flipping tail is the funniest thing ever.

So there you have it. Current snippets of this precious girl (and her cat).

Peace out.

2012 Reflections / What's in Store for 2013

These past couple of days I have really thought about how 2012 was full of great moments. It was full of new learning experiences. Most importantly, it was full of blessings.

It's just crazy to think that one year ago, Kennedy was only two weeks old. It feels like I blinked and she all of a sudden became a toddler.

2012 was basically Kennedy's first year of life. I started out the new year on maternity leave, getting her on a schedule, making sure she was nursing enough, tummy time, all the while recovering from a c-section. She has been such an easy baby, even though I worried for the first six months about her coloboma (keyhole pupil). Luckily, her vision is perfect and it's only a cosmetic birth mark. Yes, it still hurts when people make off hand remarks, but I know that it's mostly because her coloboma is so rare (1 in 10,000). Usually when people meet Kennedy they are taken away by her beauty and her sweet personality.

I went from nine weeks of baby bliss at home to going back to work full time. I was so reluctant and anxious to go back. I was lucky enough to have my best friend watch Kennedy for those few months until summer. I then had to learn how to work, pump, and be away from my baby.

Summer was amazing. I got into a great routine. I worked out pretty much every day and started to lose the majority of my baby weight. I had gained 50 pounds (yeah, way more than you should), and I finally got down to the under ten pound mark at the end of the summer. I am currently 5 pounds up (I think, I haven't weighed myself in a month). My pre-pregnancy jeans fit again! In July, Greg and I  celebrated 3 years of marriage. He is my rock and such an amazing daddy. Not to mention we went on an amazing trip to Cape Cod and a cousin's wedding in Atlanta!

When fall started again, I was even more nervous to go back to work because I would have to spend more time there for rehearsal. And Kennedy was starting a Mother's Day Out, which was going to be a different experience. Luckily Kennedy loves her school and does amazingly on her routine. When I was in the midst of directing my fall show, she would come with me to parts of rehearsal and Greg would come get her. It was nice to have her around a lot. Once the show ended, I had some down time and then I felt like all of a sudden Kennedy turned one year. We had an awesome birthday party for her!

Blogging has brought me a lot of joy. I have found a really awesome creative outlet (not that I don't get that out of my system directing plays) and I feel like I've found my voice. My blog has evolved with me into motherhood, and I am so happy to be a "mommy beauty blogger".... or whatever the heck I am. Blogging has brought me amazing friendships, a thicker skin, and a great way to challenge myself.

I've made a few personal hopes for the new year. I also think it's appropriate for some "blog resolutions." I am hoping to have some new things happen on my blog for 2013. I want to continue to challenge myself and build a great space on the internet. I don't want to pressure myself to get into this "I have to post 5 times a week" mentality, because I have always felt that it's more important for me to post when I have something to say. If it's at 10:00 p.m. on a Wednesday (yep, that's right now), then I'll post it if I fancy.

For my blog, I would hope to:
- Post more recipes, especially healthy ones
- Improve my photography
- More specific product reviews
- More routine posts (skin care, hair care)
- More about healthy living and getting back into pre-pregnancy shape

I also want to incorporate more personal posts. I tend to be either "omg look at this pretty makeupz!" or "I am super mom with the best baby ever." I might even consider doing some style/fashion posts to help me get inspired to challenge myself in the wardrobe department. I mean, my students tell me how much they like what I'm wearing. If an angsty teenager thinks my fashion is cool, perhaps the blog world will.

What do y'all think? What would you like to see?
Here's to 2013!

p.s.  Don't forget to enter my group giveaway for a $100 Amazon Giftcard and Ad Space!
p.p.s If you are thinking about growing your own blog in 2013, consider  advertising with me. I am cheap. And I have some pretty decent blog stats.

6 Blogger BFFs, 1 Epic Giveaway!

Well, hello there, 2013!

To celebrate the New Year, I have teamed up with my blogger turned real life BFFs to give you one epic giveaway! Happy New Year, indeed!

TOP ROW: HEATHER, KATIE, ME
BOTTOM ROW: MICHELLE, MYRA, TARA

What are we giving away, you ask? Let's take a look!

Enter below using the Rafflecopter Widget

Good luck!

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