Friday, November 25, 2011

Deck The..uh..Walls?

I love decorating for Christmas.  My brother’s birthday is early in December, so growing up; our tradition was to wait until after his birthday to decorate for Christmas.  After he moved out, I ditched that tradition and started decorating right after Thanksgiving.  And, since Thanksgiving was yesterday, it’s TIME!!
Walking in the house with a Christmas tree lit up fills me with joy, every time.  To me, the perfect sized tree is one that almost scrapes the ceiling once you get the angel on (or if you’re like my younger brother, the star).  Last year, I was so excited to get to put my tree up again after not being able to decorate the year before.  This year, having more furniture and a toddler instead of an infant, there just won’t be room so it’ll be another year without my big pretty tree. 

However, I don’t intend to let my lack of space stop me from adequately decking my halls, or more accurately, walls.  I’m in the process of making a (sort of) wreath for my front door.  I got the idea from this blog, which I found through Pinterest.  I’m doing it a little different, so I’ll be sure and post pictures of the finished product.  I’m also thinking some garland hung on the beam in the living room/kitchen, and a miniature tree on the piano.  We’ll see what else we can come up with. 

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

A Look Back

I sometimes struggle with keeping this blog alive.  I slack off in writing.  I start thinking there’s no point.  But, the truth is, it’s serving its purpose.  My goal in starting this was to give me a way to document life, and to give me a way to look back in the future and remember what I was doing and thinking and struggling with and achieving.  The other day, I actually went back and read some of my old posts.  It was so nice to be reminded of what’s happened in the last two years.  Some of the things I wrote about I had forgotten.  Some things I remembered, but this gave me a clearer picture of my emotions during each time.  It’s amazing what has happened in my life since I started this.  When I started, we had just moved out of our apartment and were living in a hotel.  We went from there to living in a travel trailer, to house-sitting and then staying with our pastor and his wife, to finally moving into our house.  We sold our vehicles and bought different ones.  We faced a layoff the same week we found out we were expecting a baby.  We went from two incomes to one and a half.  We became parents.  The list goes on.  Things have turned completely upside down, for the good and the bad.  And this is where it’s all documented.  It’s amazing to look back.  If you don’t blog, or keep a journal of any kind whether online or paper, I highly recommend it. 
This week, I’m looking back on everything, and giving thanks.  I’m still standing.  My husband is still standing beside me.  God is good. 
Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Beauty Products

I’ve found that when it comes to makeup and hair, but particularly makeup, I don’t just walk in the store, grab what I need and go.  Dean doesn’t understand why I don’t just grab what I used the last time and get on with my life.  Well, if I find I like it particularly well, I do just grab the tried and true.  But, if it didn’t stick out in my mind, I peruse the aisles and wonder if there’s something better out there.  Every so often, I get a wild hair and read review after review of products trying to find that extra special product.  It doesn’t usually amount to much. 
I am by no means someone you’d go to for style or beauty advice, but sometimes you find the best things just by comparing notes with people you know.  So, here are a few of my favorites and/or go-to items. 
1.   Almay Smart Shade FoundationI’ve been using this for the last few years.  I wanted to try it when it came out, because I liked the idea of not having to match the right shade.  Since I started using it, they have come out with Smart Shade/Smart Balance and Smart Shade/Anti-Aging.  I’ve used them all.  I didn’t notice much difference between the normal and the smart balance.  Most recently, I decided to try the Anti-Aging, and it’s not as runny as the others.  I’ll probably stick with this one. 


2.   CoverGirl LashBlast Mascara
I tried this mascara and liked it, so I bought it the next couple of times.  The last couple times I’ve bought mascara, I tried something different.  Once my current tube is out, I’m going back.  It’s by far my favorite. 

3.   Napoleon Perdis Mighty Concealer Pen
I haven’t been using this concealer long.  I haven’t tried a ton of different ones, but I’ve never found anything I like.  I found this one at Ulta.  I was looking for something to cover the dark circles that plague me thanks to a teething baby, but I didn’t want it to settle into the creases like the others I’ve tried.  It’s definitely pricey, but so far it’s much superior to anything I’ve tried in the past.

4.   Aquage Uplifting Foam
This is THE best root lifter I’ve tried.  Thanks to my growing addiction to pinterest, I found this great hair blog.  If you’re on pinterest, you’ve probably seen it.  That’s where I heard about this product, and because my hair can always use help in the volume department I decided to try it.  It’s also a little pricier than I’ve used in the past, but so worth it.  My hair has looked worlds better since I started using it. 

5.       Redken Body Full Shampoo
Another discovery thanks to my new favorite blog.  It costs about 3 times more than what I usually spend on shampoo. I had some Amazon gift cards, so I decided to use those and give it a try.  It lathers really well, though, so I use about a third of what I normally use.  It cleans pretty well, and like I said, my hair has had much more volume lately, but I attribute most of that to the root lifter.  I don’t know how often I’ll splurge on it, but by the looks of it, I won’t run out for quite awhile.  So, we’ll see how much I think it’s worth it by then. 

So those are my current favorites.  What do you love? Please share!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

As The Cold Wind Blows

Possibly one of the best known facts about me is that I HATE FALL.  Yes, I had to emphasize it.  Plain text would not do if I was going to convey my sentiments accurately.  I dread fall and, worse, winter all year.  I’m not kidding.  In the middle of summer when it’s 110 degrees outside, if the thought of winter comes to mind, I cringe.  Yesterday, after I stepped out work, my fears were realized.  It was cloudy, 45 degrees, and windy.  Because I hate cold, and unless I move it is unavoidable for the next few months, I’ve decided I need to come up with a list of things about Fall/Winter that I like.  I guess you could say I need to look on the bright side, find the silver lining.  So, here’s my list in progress.  Please share yours with me.  I can use all the help I can get. 
Reasons to love tolerate Fall/Winter
1.       Boots
2.       Fireplaces
3.       Starbucks

Okay, so that’s all I’ve come up with so far.  It’s going to be a LONG winter.