My favorites

From time to time I list a few of my favorites on here. It’s been a while, and so I think it’s long overdue. Although on my budget, there are a few things I still find a way to fork the cash over for….or beg my family to remember on holidays or birthdays. These are a few of my favorite things. If you’ve not tried them…you should.

Victoria’s Secret Lip Gloss is always a must. I prefer the chocolate flavor, but couldn’t find a picture of it. Any flavor will do as they all really taste soooo yummy. They are long lasting and smooth. They don’t get tacky as a lot of lip glosses do. And they’re light and I think a little sexy….hence it being from Victoria’s Secret.

  Merle Norman Concealer is the ultimate in covering or camouflaging uneven skin and dark skin.  I’ve lived my whole life trying different concealers, and feeling extremely unhappy with the results.  My dark circles were never what some would look at and say they were really noticeable.  BUT I noticed them!  I’m a young woman of 35 (36 soon) and didn’t want to deal with my under eye area anymore.  I went bare for a few years, until I stopped in my mom’s local Merle Norman shop on a whim.  I asked her if she could help and did she ever.  This stuff is an amazing tool.   You’ll need to apply it with their concealer brush.  She also recommended covering up the sides of my nose, at the bridge area.  This is amazing stuff!Their slogan is true…this is my best friend as far as make-up goes.  This is the one I use, and it’s got so many shades that shimmer and slide on evenly.  They can be as translucent or as heavy as you want them to be.  I’m more on the tame side of things, as I’m not a teenager anymore…but I love a little sass when it comes to glam.   This is a must when it comes to drawing attention either subtly or dramatically to one of our best features…our eyes!  The eyes definitely have it with this product.

For those of you who know me, you know I’m the furthest thing from high maintenance when it comes to out ward appearances.  It doesn’t take me but 30-45 minutes to get ready.  I’m what you would call a natural girl, but one who knows how to fix up.  These are my essentials for the day, so I thought I’d share them with  you.  They’re worth every penny!

faithful friday 2/22

I’m going to start challenging you all to start counting your blessings each Friday. Life is full of stress, fatigue, family drama, or whatever else is thrown at you. It’s so easy to focus on the negatives we’ve encountered. To live in a constant state of negativity is the easy way out. It’s toxic and it keeps you bound in a constant state of oppression.

I challenge you to break the cycle and literally list 7 things that you can look back on as blessings, that have occurred in your week. Those in my own life, that I encourage to do this, have noticed a huge change in their outlook on life. How can something as simple as focusing on your blessings make such an impact? If you’re not sure…than all I do is ask you to do it….starting this week.

Keep a mental or physical list of the things in your world that have blessed you, and then post your blessings next Friday.

As far as my own life:

I’m 8 days down of little or no sleep from my life circumstances. I’m worn thin and sleep deprived….BUT my blessings are these:

*My son has finally turned a corner and recovered from his nasty bug. Hallelujah!

*I’m hugely BLESSED from the amount of time I’ve been able to spend with him this last week and a half.

*I got to eat lunch with my sister today, and with a coupon. Our lunch cost $6.00—yay!

*My mom bought my Starbucks Frappacino’s, which I’ve not been buying due to budget cut backs at home.

*My sister and I layed out the ground work for our new business this week. Next Christmas we’ll have our 2 year project in local shops. (another—yay!)

*I gave a photo project to a family friend for his birthday. It was a shot I took of him, at one of his races, made into a magazine cover. He was so excited about it, and it was a huge blessing to see him react to it.

*I’m stripping the wallpaper in my kitchen, and found TWO other layers underneath. It feels good to peel off that nasty busy wallpaper, and it’s so motivating to start another DIY project.

*My husband is out right now driving to the grocery store to buy me yogurt for my upset tummy, (think I’m getting more flu like symptoms) and I’m so blessed to have someone in my life who takes care of me.

It is sooo normal to get a little frustrated, but it’s highly important to let go of the negativity in your life and focus on your blessings. Life is too short to hold onto the anger or negativity in your life. Give yourself a break by focusing on what good things God has given you.

One week from today, post about your blessings through all life’s stuff that was thrown at you. Blog it and let me know each week how many blessings you’ve had and how it’s making an impact in your life.

CHALLENGE ON people!

Wordless Wednesday

Monday’s update

God is so good.  Each night, for the last night, I’ve asked for very specific things in my son’s recovery.  Each night and day after, my prayers have been answered.  So thank you to all of you who have been praying.  I can feel that my son and I have been lifted up in prayer, and it’s through God’s grace that he’s improved so dramatically.

So far he’s not had an allergic reaction to Cephzil.  His cough is almost gone, and his fever is banished for good!  Hallelujah!

2nd prayer request needed:  The doctor also put him on an allergy medicine.  One of the side effects is bad dreams for children.  Random enough for ya?  I thought so.  Anyways, he’s been a very active sleeper since taking this med which has left me with barely any sleep for 6 nights.   Mommy’s a tired girl!  Please pray for comforting dreams and quiet sleep.  I know that is a random request, but I thought I’d throw it out there.

Rain Check on Valentines Day

My husband is such a quirky but love-able guy. For anyone that knows him, they always ask me…’does he make you laugh…like…all the time?” I just raise my eyebrows and give them the answer they want to hear, “uh huh.”

He’s the guy who sings a song lyric when something happens that similar to a song. He’s the guy who always has the quippy line in a group that will inevitably make everyone laugh every time. He’s the comedian. And not the annoying kind either…he’s just genuinely likes to laugh and makes others do so too. His voice is louder than most, so even when he’s trying to be quiet he can be heard across a stadium. When he gets on the cell phone, he proceeds to get louder…like someone can’t hear him. LOL. I shake my head most days.

At home, he’s a little more subdued. The energy it takes to be him, is exhausting I think. He’s actually a loner, like me. He’s not ‘that’ guy at home, and I’m glad I would need a serious break from that energy at home. Yet, he still finds funny ways to make me laugh. With a comment about something, in only language he and I speak. When you’re close, you speak your own language that no one else is privy too. It’s something just for two.

He does things he knows will annoy me just to get me out of my grouchy mood. You’d think it would back fire, and although I may growl and bark, inside I’m laughing 🙂 because I know it’s all in good natured fun. So does he.

He’s always the one who does things to surprise me. Take for example our honeymoon: He saved for a year to be able to afford the nicest 5 star hotel in Disneyland so we’d have a honeymoon to always remember. Although we could have never afforded something like that, and probably never will again…he toiled and slaved extra jobs to save up and pay in cash.

He makes mental notes of things I like, and when my birthday or Christmas roll around (even if it’s 6 months later or longer) that gift will be wrapped and waiting. He knows I never buy for myself so it’s a safe bet that he’ll get me something I wouldn’t buy for me. He’s a thoughtful and generous guy.

Most days I feel like the neglectful one in our relationship. I don’t feel like I measure up in comparison to what I should be for him. So this Valentines Day I asked my mom to keep my son overnight, so I could surprise him with a date night just for us two. This is something we don’t do much of because of our schedules. He works most week days and weekends, so it’s hard to get couple time.

Great idea in theory, but my son came down with an extreme case of Bronchitis plus there’s an ice storm. So last night, Friday night, our date night got canceled. I feel so bad that I couldn’t do something special for him … again.

I know we’ll reschedule it soon. All that really matters is that our son gets better and we’re home safe…all three of us together.

If you’re wondering about the picture above. That was my Valentines Day card from my husband. It read, “I love you from the bottom of my heart!” What’s so ironic about this card, is that he’s done this exact thing to me….and I’ve had that exact expression on my face. He couldn’t have found a more perfect card. Again he’s ‘that’ guy who has the right thing to say, to make everyone laugh. He makes me laugh and I love him.

*post note — he just walked in and commented on the card I posted, “Hey you look hot there.”  (rolling my eyes)

Update on my son…

It’s no wonder everyone and their dog has been getting sick lately. It’s 70 degrees one day and 30 degrees the next. In a few more days, it will warm back up to high 50’s and then probably more 60’s.

Everyone I know has had severe severe health issues from the flu to bronchial infections. I got some of the former a week ago, so I’m just blessed to only have had minor stomach issues. It’s a wonder I wasn’t stuck to the bathroom like most of my friends and family were. I was very blessed to have gotten over it quickly before it even began. And just in time to begin the care taking involved for my son.

Thank you to all of you who have left such sweet comments, and have prayed for my son’s health. It is always such a relief knowing I have a support network of prayer in blog land.

We just got back from the doctor. After a chest Xray and a nasal swab, his ped dr determined it’s not the flu…whew. However the orignial diagnosis stands…bronchitis. Since his fever is being so persistant and he allergically reacted to his last antibiotic, he’s changed him from a z-pac to cephzil. At this point please pray that he doesn’t have an allergy to the new antibiotic. If the cough doesn’t subside by Monday, they’ll put him on an inhaler.

Tylenol seems to be going a good job of getting his fever back down, however after it’s four hour duration it’s back up into the lower 100’s. Thank you to all of you who will continue to pray for his recovery. I pray God blesses you in return.

Prayers for my son

I may not be on here tomorrow depending on how my son is.  He’s either got a bronchial infection or the flu.  Right now his temperature is 102.4.  I gave him some tylenol and will alternate with motrin in a few hours.  Please keep his little body in your prayers.

He definitely needs them.

Thank you.

Wordless Wednesday

Birthday Giving

So today my son & I have two birthday parties to attend. It’s going to be a loooong day for mom ;), but it should be a fun one. My son’s 5th birthday is next month. I know how quickly the crud can pile up at this age…stuff that he may play with for one week and then it’s stuffed in the toy closet. With a birthday not too long after Christmas, I try not to imagine the toy clutter.

Last year I thought I would do something different. I asked for pet food in lieu of gifts, so my son could donate it to the local ‘Pets for People’ animal shelter. I explained to him how needy some animals were, with no homes or love, and asked if it would be a good idea to bring them gifts instead of opening up a bunch of gifts for himself. He loved the idea. I was worried the day of his party. What if this new 4 year old wouldn’t understand about giving back….only that he wanted something for him on his birthday? After all he was only 4 and the world is all about them at that age…as it should be.

He didn’t bat an eye. He opened each gift bag and unwrapped each cat food or dog treat with as much joy as if someone had given him a power ranger. Although he also got plenty of gifts of his own, we loaded an entire trunk up with pet food. It was a huge donation that my son got to personally deliver. The day of the drop off, he was as excited as could be. He fed some dogs treats and left feeling like he’d done something really good. …He had! This was the best birthday gift I could give him…to understand the value of giving to those in need and recognizing the payoff in how it effected them AND him.

This year he wants to give to FEED THE CHILDREN . He’s really concerned with kids in Africa living in mud homes with no food or education. He’s amazed that they have no grocery stores, and that they have to farm or hunt for their food unless in a program to get help. We already sponsor a child, through Compassion International, who my son loves to send letters too. BUT he knows Feed the Children helps with kids all over, not just Africa.

When I asked him if he wanted to help a charity this year for his birthday, he answered, “Oh yes, but will I get presents for me too?” I told him we’d only ask for $1 to go toward any charity he wanted, and that we wouldn’t ask for the donations to be in replacement of his own gifts this year. Now his gifts would accompany a dollar donation to the charity of his choice. That made him so happy. He’s excited to bring money so that other kids will have food. He even mentioned, “The animals still have plenty to eat from last year…I want to help kids eat this year mom.” My child is an amazingly compassionate kid for his age.

AND Of course I’m not going to be a cruel mom and NOT let him have gifts. I want his birthday to be just about him. I only want him to recognize how blessed he is and to learn to re-pay some of it back. And I think he does. He’s a very civic minded ‘almost’ 5 year old.

Faithful Friday 2-8-08

Can Christians Drink????

I know that Catholics partake in a few now and then. I know that a lot of Protestants do as well. How much is too much and what example is set for non believers?

I think there is a difference between all out drunkeness and have a few glasses of wine. I’m a prime example of both. In my wilder days, I used to imbibe to just let go of the pain of certain things in life. I had what some would call a problem. Before I finally looked in the mirror, and asked God for help in re-directing my life, I was drunk or tipsy 2-3 weekends a month. This resulted in bad behavior, mind altering issues, and in essence more pain.

Now I may have a few glasses of wine or a margarita once or twice a year. Last night for example at my husband’s swanky dinner, I had a few glasses of a white chardonay. I was getting over the stomach bug, and it was the only thing that settled my somewhat queezy tummy. It was a great glass of wine that went well with my dinner. I didn’t get tipsy nor alter my behavior.

They say a glass of wine a day is good for your heart. But how many people use that as an excuse to partake in a few too many? Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding celebration. But who uses this as a crutch to excuse their behavior and have another?

Question for you today on Faithful Friday:

Can Christians still have a glass of wine and still hold to their faith? How much is too much?

I personally think it’s what God is calling for you in your own life. When I hit rock bottom in college, I needed to let go of my behavior and the desire to drink. God took the urge from me completely and I stayed away from people I had once circulated with to ensure my walk stayed on His path. I know it was something He wanted me to cut from my life completely at that time.

I don’t think He condemns me for a glass or two of wine when I’m out for my anniversary or birthday, as this is once or twice a year in celebration. Not only because I don’t get drunk, which the Bible clearly states in wrong, but because I’m not in a situation that would expose me to danger. I’m not bar hoppin’ with the girls…I’m with my husband who would watch out for me.

Let me know what you think….