Monday, February 20, 2012

Pretty Fingers, Pretty Toes

I love having painted nails.  When I was in high school I would do them about every other day, or as soon as they chipped.  I remember getting mad at my high school boyfriend because he didn't notice they were different than the day before (it was high school, that was apparently a way to prove if you loved someone).  I love to coordinate my nails with a fancy outfit or do them in a theme for a holiday.  I personally find this one of the easiest ways to express myself and the girliness that I just can't contain.  It's a cheap way to play around with a look without spending lots of time and money on yourself.  Someday when I have a baby girl I'll paint her nails (I joke with Lee that I would paint her nails in the hospital if we could get away with it.) 

Here's a peek at the tin I keep my nail polishes in:




I usually do them myself for a few reasons: 1) It's fun to do them 2) I'm cheap 3) After the yucky toe fiasco I'm scare of fungi.  I came across this adorable manicure on LoveMaegan.com and figured it was a fast, easy way to celebrate Valentine's Day on my nails.  (she frequently has cute manicures on her site).


Here are the colors I used:



The first is Essie Grow Stronger.  I try to use that as a base coat or use it when I haven't painted my nails.  My nails tend to peel fairly easily.  Then I used Ulta Lilac Chrome as the base color and NYC 131A Big Apple Red as the heart color.  I sealed it all off with Sally Hansen Miracle Cure as the top coat because apparently I'm out of top coat (I usually use Essie).


Here's my finished result:



Did you notice that I'm not wearing my wedding rings?  I actually frequently don't wear them....For a variety of reasons I won't bore you with here.

Hers turned out a lot cuter than mine, but this is an idea I would love to try again.  I would probably make the hearts bigger.  This was much easier than I expected, even on my right hand (which I think actually looks better than my left hand).

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Due Date

February 5th was my due date.  I was caught unaware by the tidal wave of grief, guilt, loneliness, and sadness that engulfed me.  It's been 18 months since we found out that our baby had already gone to Heaven to be with the Lord.  In those months I have found healing that could have only come from God.  Most days I am ok.  But knowing that we were so close to what would have been our first-born's birthday hit me much harder than I expected.

My cousin went into labor on the 5th.  Her whole pregnancy I had prayed that she would have her sweet baby any day but that day.  I hated hearing the regular reminders of when her baby was due- for the past eight months it's kicked me every time.  When I found out her water had broken I was beyond depressed.  I found myself thinking the kind of nonsense thoughts that appear in the mind when emotion rules over logic.  I was happy for my cousin, but the unfairness of the situation sent me over the edge.  My poor cousin had a rough birth story, and her baby wasn't actually born until the 6th.  A selfish part of me was overjoyed.

I think February 5th will always be hard for me.  And I think that's ok.  It is ok to set aside a day and mourn for what never was.  I am giving myself permission to cry, to scream, to sit, to shake, whatever it is that helps me emote how I feel.  I am honored to have held my baby in my belly for 12 weeks.  She was a part of me, a part of Lee, a part of us.  She'll always be a special part of our lives, and I thank God that we had her for the time that we did.

Grief doesn't follow a timeline.  In fact, grief knows no time.  But my God is bigger than my grief.  He holds me in my sadness and wipes away my tears.  He reminds me that my precious child is already in Heaven with Him.  How beautiful!

Thank you for letting me speak of my darling baby.  Thank you for letting me remember her today.







Saturday, February 18, 2012

Painting My Face

I love makeup.  I have loved makeup since Santa brought me Jane brand blush and powder in the eighth grade.  I don't wear it everyday (who am I kidding, I don't wear it most days), but I love it still.  At my current job I get messy and sweaty and dirty, so I skip makeup during the week.  But then comes the weekend and all the fun color combinations and possibilities and I just get happy. 

But something bad happened.....

.......

.......

....... I lost my makeup bag.

I don't know how.  I'm not sure when.  The last time I remember putting makeup on was for New Year's Eve.  I always put my makeup on in my bathroom, and that's where I keep it.  I am soooo sad to have lost it, if for no other reason than all of the money invested into my makeup toys.  (But let's keep that a secret between us and not tell my husband.  He might go into cardiac arrest.)  I kept thinking I would find it somewhere, but it's been well over a month, so I'm starting to doubt.  So now I'm stuck trying to decide if I should replace everything or just wait.  What is the bare minimum amount of makeup I can get by with?  I miss all of my old stuff.  The only good aspect of this is the potential for all the new makeup I get to buy (again, let's keep that on the DL and not tell Lee exactly how much makeup costs, even from Target).  My friend Tara did help me out by giving me some makeup, which has been a lifesaver for church and social functions.

So in the spirit of new makeup, let's celebrate the fun that is makeup!  Here are a few of some of my favorite products:

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer

Best eyeshadow primer ever.  It glides on smooth and really lasts.



Works great alone or under makeup.  Makes my pores look smaller, which is a miracle.

Benefit Powder


Comes with a sponge and a brush.  Got this when I went to visit Lee for his basic training graduation in May and it had had lasted until I lost it.



So creamy and lightweight.



I feel like I look so pretty when I use this around my temples or to highlight my cheeks.  And it looks amazing in photos.


Benefit Blush


My favorite blush.  It is so bright and pink and has tiny little sparkles in it.




These are expensive.  But they glide on so smooth and effortless and come in so many colors.

There's not mascara on here because I can't commit to a mascara.  I pretty much try every new one that comes out.  I love DiorShow mascara most of all, but I go through it so fast that I'm not sure it's worth the cost.

What's your favorite makeup?  Where do you like to buy it from?  Any suggestions for me?

Friday, February 17, 2012

Fitness Loves of the Week


So I found this awesome "Fitness Loves of the Week" from In Sweetness and In Health.  I plan on trying to participate from now on.  My husband is currently on overnight shifts on Friday nights, and I've been attempting to make sure that I still work out on Fridays.  It's a pretty dead day at my gym, and it's nice to have space to myself.

Today I was home sick.  I went to the doctor on Wednesday after being sick for a few days.  My primary care doctor was out (which was kind of stinky because this wasn't one of my random hypochondriac visits where he had to tell me to stop looking things up on the Internet- I was actually sick this time).  I had to see another doctor in the practice who started talking to me about politics, which I so did not care about as I huddled wanly in the fluorescent lights on that tiny chair/bed thing covered in paper.  The dr told me I was either getting over the flu (which I don't think I had) or it was just a virus.  He told me not to go back to work until Monday, which was outrageous to me.  It proved to be true though (of course), because my fever didn't break until late last night and my cough still sounded ferocious until this morning. 

So while the extent of my working out today consisted of actually getting out of bed and into the shower (which was really quite a feat), I figured I would tell you about what I have been doing to work out.

Jamie Eason Live Fit Trainer

I've never lifted weights before, not really.  Here and there, but just little girlie things with five pound weights.  I started doing this trainer and I have LOVED it.  I have such a sense of accomplishment when lifting weights.  I adore it so far.  I've about eight weeks in and have truly enjoyed it.  There is a video accompanying each exercise in case you don't know how to do it (I watch every video because I don't know what 97% of it is).  I've used machines I didn't now existed.  I really like seeing progress- it's awesome to try a harder weight and be successful.

Do you lift weights?  Do you follow a program?

Bumper Pads

Picture from Google Images

The above image is adorable.  I love owls.  And a nursery with owls?  That's great.  But what concerns me is that the crib has bumper pads.  The American Academy of Pediatrics had recommended for years that parents not use bumper pads in cribs due to the increased risk of SIDS.  In 2010 they came out with their official ruling mandating that there should be nothing extra in the crib, including bumper pads.

For the last three years I've worked with low income families with children aged birth to three.  My job is great because I get to do a lot of education, especially with teen moms.   Even though my job is to educate, I think I do a pretty good job of turning it off when I'm with family and friends.  I don't tell my friend to stop using flashcards with her one year old or make judgment calls about how another disciplines.  I just smile, because I know everyone has to figure out what works for their family on their own.  It's not my business.  But when I see my friends and family practicing something that could be potentially fatal, it scares me.  I worry.  I want to call people outright on it, but I don't know where the line is.  So that's why I'm blogging about it.  :)  And I did post on Facebook, haha.

If in doubt, please take out your bumper pads.  According to the AAP, "there is no evidence that crib bumpers protect against injury, but they do carry a potential risk of suffocation, strangulation, or entrapment because infants lack the motor skills or strength to turn their heads should they roll into something that obstructs their breathing."  I know it seems trivial or pointless, but I think it is a small thing someone can do to make sure they have no doubt about the health of a child.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Blogs are like Journals

Sometimes I critisize myself for my lack of blogging.  Other times I want to delete the whole thing and start over.  Or set myself a schedule that has me posting a minimum of three times a week with a carefully selected variety of topics.  I'm currently home sick, mulling over life from my king sized bed, sipping my husband's Mt Dew and watching wedding shows on Netflix.  I was debating about what to blog, if I should blog, if I should erase it all and hide myself in shame for terrible blogging. I realized that my blogging habits perfectly mimic my journaling habits.  I hate going back to read my own journal entries.  I find myself annoying, immature, and vapid.  I would journal for a few days and then not touch it again for a few months.    Then I usually throw my journal away, burying it in the trash can before anyone else can see it.  Hello, that's exactly what it's like when I blog.

And that's ok with me.  I don't (overall) blog for others.  Yes, I love it when people comment on my blog.  I think it's fun when I can pass on something to another because of my blog.  But at the end of the day, I blog because it's therapeutic.  I blog so I don't forget my own life.  I blog because it's constructive.  Because typing out my fitness routines encourages me to be better.  I blog because then I can read and comment on other blogs and not look like a creeper.

Speaking of other blogs, I thought I would give a list of some of my current favs:

Girl's Gone Child (also check out her book Rockabye, From Wild to Child- it's wonderful)

Love Maegan (Her DIYs are fun and easy, her engagement ring is gorgeous, and I like her hair tutorials)

Cotter Crunch (probably the blogger I would most like to meet in real life)

What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear? (because I would dress just like her if I could)

Skinny Runner (I adore this blog.  And I have two Skinny Runner shirts.  So comfy and cute.)

These are the five blogs I try to read with any consistency.  I have close to 60 on my feeds list that I read often, but the five above are probably my favorite.  I am always on the lookout for new blogs, especially any that deal with the topics I am most interested in (running, cooking, crafting, being dairy free, high heels, makeup, Jesus), so feel free to let me know of any of your favorite blogs.

Why do you blog?  Do you also keep a journal?

Friday, February 10, 2012

Bedroom Makeover

While Lee was at technical school, his aunt and cousin helped me do a bedroom makeover.  We needed one DESPERATELY.  Two days before he left for basic training we got a king sized bed from his parents.  Which was awesome...except a king sized bed didn't fit in our bedroom.  So Lee built us a frame and we put it in the craft room/ office room/ whatever else we could shove in there room.  His grandparents gave us a comforter and a set of sheets, and we were good to go.  Right?  Except no.  Aunt Debbie and Danielle (his oldest cousin) are amzing with home decorating.  Like it should be their jobs.  Let me prove it to you.

Here is the "before":

 You like our lovely green paint?  When it was our random room, a friend gave us her leftover nursery paint.  We figured it was good for a craft room.  Who knew it would look so super special with the green paint?

The shelves in the pictures are actually made from the walls of the sauna/ old baptismal pool from my church.  From waaaay back in the day.  Lee had made them for me and I loved them.  They got relocated to our living room during the makeover.


 I sleep with a silk pillowcase.  Anyone else?




The "during":

I adore the paint color.  It is one of my favorite things in the room.  Lee's cousin Derek and his wife came over to do the paint.  Since we were just doing the two walls, it went super quick.



 I don't think there's a thing that I don't like in the room.  The mirror, the chandelier pictures, the sparkly lampshade....  They even made the headboard on their own.  Derek supermelded it to the wall, so it may be there if we ever move.

 The "after":





I LOVE MY NEW ROOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I have the best in-laws.  I am incredibly blessed.  The best part of this whole thing is that we got to surprise Lee with it after he had been gone for six months.  Awesome.

Thank you, Aunt Debbie and Danielle (who even went shopping in Texas for me), as well as Derek, Molly, Cory, Danae, Sue, and Gary.  It's perfect.