Get In My....

Love this cute little post idea! I totally stole it from Polos, Pearls and Pacifiers!

GET IN MY GARAGE:

(I totally have fallen in love with the new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited! We need a bigger vehicle but I do love our current Jeep Wrangler Sahara but the whole two door thing and no trunk space is not fun with a kid or for traveling. I'd love to have this in this lovely orange!

GET IN MY TUMMY:

(I can't get enough chips and salsa from Chili's! I love how light their chips are and how totally yummy their salsa is!)

GET IN MY EARS:

(I really want the soundtrack for Beastly. There were so many great songs and so many great artists on it including Regina Spektor, Mat Kearney and Death Cab For Cutie!)

GET IN MY JEWELRY BOX:

( So I adore owl jewelry and this little pendant is stunning! I absolutely fell in love when I saw it!)

GET IN MY LIVING ROOM:

(I kinda love the burnt orange color.....is you can't tell yet! My hubby and I saw this couch at IKEA last time we were there and I want it so much!)

GET IN MY CLOSET:

(Again, I want to FILL my closet with adorable summer dresses this year and this is totally one of them - gotta love Old Navy!)

GET IN MY HAIR:

(Is this not amazing?! So pretty!)

GET IN MY BEDROOM:

(We need a new bedspread and I love the stripes and the brown's of this one.)

GET IN MY KIDDO'S CLOSET:

(Can't wait for summer, tans and putting Bug in adorable little things like this!)

Choosing.....

Doesn't it seem like every time you turn around these days couples are breaking up and divorcing left and right? I hate it, I hate to see love go wrong. But more then anything I hate that it truly seems like no one works at making relationships last and work. It's so easy to just walk away and be done when you get bored, frustrated or just tired of trying. I was raised in a home where once you say 'I do' then that's it, you are committed for life. Unless of course there is infidelity or abuse. And in that case I believe a spouse has every right to walk away. But for the most part I believe splits and divorces happen simple because people are selfish and think only of themselves. It's hard to truly take a step back from yourself and think of someone else first and foremost.
When it's your child it's a little easier but choosing someone to love forever is a little different. Marriage is anything but easy, and the pressure and stress of every day life, each other family's, figuring out where you are going in life.....it can all get to you. I see so many marriages where each spouse thinks only of themselves and then wonders why their marriage is crumbling. They feel like the victim, they feel like they have every right to dislike or distrust that person and perhaps they do but if your spouse has done something so bad that you can forgive them or can't trust them again then maybe it's time to walk away instead of living life miserably. BUT, the key is that it's a true reason. Not just a feeling you have.

I think there is a balance to dating and not dating. I know there seems to be so many extremes these days too - people who go through "boyfriends/girlfriends" like water but others who are strict to only dating the person they are going to marry. I don't want my daughter to be a serial dater by any means but at the same time I don't want her to become so obsessed with the idea of dating only one person that she gets stuck with the wrong person. Let me tell you, what that person does or is while you are dating isn't going to change once you get married! If they are jobless, lazy, boring, etc. while you are dating, it's probably not gonna change a lot. It's sad because I do feel like too many girls get obsessed with a one man dating life and then have to sacrifice their dreams because they are stuck with a guy who can't support or encourage them. No, I don't think you should run around dating and sleeping with a bunch of men to "try them out". But casual dating to get to know guys is a good thing. There may be a lot you like about someone but after being with them for awhile you may discover things that bother you or hold you back. And if those things can't be changed then it's time to step away.

Finding your balance is dating and then one day marriage isn't easy. But more then anything it takes work, effort and a true commitment. Too many people opt for splits and divorces because the other one won't do what they want or act how they want them to......and most often if we truly stop and take a look we will realize that it's because of US that they act the way they do. If you spouse blows up on you when you ask them to do something maybe you should take a look at yourself and see if you are demanding or nagging. Does your spouse shut down when you try to talk to them, maybe it's because you don't listen to what they have to say or what's on their heart. It's amazing how far stopping and truly thinking about the feelings and wishes of your significant other can take you. I don't always do that, but I try! And I can honestly say that when my husband and I think of each other first in the end we both usually get what we wanted in the first place!

It's all about effort and true commitment, people. But make sure you are making the right choice in the first place.......

Oh, Beauty!

So I thought I would share a few of my favorite beauty products and beautiful people!

1. Gigi Wax - I have this wax warmer and I use their all purpose Honee Wax. I love it! It's so nice to have it and not have to worry about going to a salon and having it done. And to be honest I do a lot better job then they usually do at any salon I've been to. And ladies, let me just say, facial hair isn't pretty. Period. I don't care if it's blonde or not. It can still be seen! So either go to a salon and have it taken care of or invest in something like this - I think it costs less then $40 to get everything you need including after wax gel, the sticks to apply to wax and the strips to pull it off plus the warmer and wax. And the wax lasts forever! Love it!

2. I am a big fan of body sprays. I'm not into perfumes, they can be overwhelming and "thick" and I like a light scent. I'm not big on scented lotions mainly because my skin doesn't react well to scented lotions, it's burns and itches most of the time. But I do love Bath & Body Works body wash and body spray and right now my absolute favorite scent is Secret Wonderland! It's amazing!!! Although I still think my all time favorite scent is Moonlight Path by B&BW. It brings back so many memories when I smell it. Just like the men's fragrance Tommy. It's what my hubby work when we first started dating and to this day that scent holds so many happy memories for me! Isn't it funny how scents can trigger so much in your mind?!

3. I love nail polish - I always keep my toenails painted and I hardly ever paint my finger nails. Mainly because washing dishes and bathing Gianna and taking showers, etc. it doesn't stay on very long and I hate, hate, hate wearing chipped nail polish. But I was introduced to O.P.I nail polishes while I was in Cosmetology school and I LOVE it! The best colors, it dries well and lasts for a long time - it doesn't get gummy and thick like a lot of nail polishes.

4. Mascara - it's one of my favorite make up products and I've tried just about every kind out there. My Mary Kay selling mother wouldn't be pleased to read this but Clinque has THE best mascara ever! Their Lash Doubling is perfection. I'm pretty sure it is absolutely worth every penny is costs!
5. I've never been one for lipstick. Occasionally if I'm dressing up I'll wear a tinted lip gloss but even then I hate how sticky it feels on my lips. So usually I just opt for a lip balm. And I recently discovered Burt's Bees Mango Butter Lip Balm. Heavenly!!!

6. I love, love, love all Aquage hair products but if I was forced to pick only one it would have to be the Healing Conditioner. This stuff is amazing and wonderful and does absolute wonders for your hair. You do have to be careful because Aquage products have to be used in very small amounts, too much and it can get greasy. But like a nickel's worth of this conditioner will do! And my hair is so shiny and healthy when I'm using this conditioner!

7. Favorite hair - seriously, Vanessa's hair is perfect! I love it! Even though I can't say I'm a Vanessa fan at the same time I don't dislike her and she was great in Beastly. But I will say I have always loved her hair. It always looks great yet so effortless.

8. And of course, my favorite abs! Seriously, Shakira has the best abs. She has that sleek dancer look and I totally want her mid section and I wouldn't mind being able to move my hips like she does too! That would probably help alot at Zumba!!! Haha!!!

So what are you favorite beauty products and tips? Share them with me, I love to learn!

A Link to "Favorite Things"

So this post about "Favorite Things" by my sister, DeeAnna, is totally brilliant and I loved it and it made me feel happy so I thought I'd share it with you. And this is why she is totally worth following....because she'll make your day with these lovely little posts! So go right now and check out:

FAVORITE THINGS

Waking Up

So I was going to blog this morning, I had all these ideas floating through my half awake brain at 6:15am. But suddenly, now that I've had breakfast and I'm feeling awake I can't think of a dang thing! Lol! I guess I should blog when I'm tired, I'm more creative.

I will say I am absolutely frustrated with Facebook right now, I used to be able to save pictures from there. You know, "right click" on it and "save picture". But now you can't do that. It does this stupid thing and saves it all weird and then I can't use it on my blog. So hence there have been no pictures of my sister and there are none of my cat, who by the way is starting to drive me nuts.....let me explain.

Gandalf is old, he'll be 13 this year. We got him right after we got married in 2005 and he has always kinda been a keep-to-himself kinda cat. After a couple of years he warmed up to my hubby, he would climb on the couch to sleep with him, etc. But he generally avoided me and especially Gianna. But after Gypsy he seemed to lighten up and really became super affectionate after Gypsy died. Which I didn't mind, he started climbing in my lap when I'd sit on the couch and follow me around the house, he'd be at the door when I'd get home. While Gypsy was alive we started a morning "snack", a small spoonful of wet food (which Gandalf NEVER got before.) and it became part of our routine. And then I leave dry food out for him all the time. I have still kept up with giving him a morning snack but now he's become obsessed with it. Every time I go in the kitchen he sits there waiting even if he's already had his treat for the day, if i open the fridge he tries to climb in.....he is driving me nuts, crazy old cat! Lol! But I do love him! I can't wait to get another kitty because it really seemed to liven his life up a lot.

Oh, and did I mention I totally have a little celebrity crush on Alex Pettyfer at the moment?! Um, yeah. I do! Haha! He's totally adorable and he's just so cute in Beastly. I'm ready to see it again...yeah, I know, I can be kinda odd about movies. But hey, there are a few movies you just get hooked on and no matter how many times you see it you still love it - for me Twilight and Pride & Prejudice are those kinda movies. I can watch them over and over and still love them! I think Beastly may be one of those too!

And here's another random thing - yesterday I had some time to kill at our local outlet store and I noticed they had swim wear up. So I grabbed a couple to try on.......Holy cow! Talk about inspiration. I am SO not summer ready. Yikes. Zumba tonight, and Turbo Fire right now. yeah.

Guess Who Has A Blog?!!

My computer is being stupid tonight......

it won't let me upload a picture of my uber cool sister who

now has a blog!!!

Woohoo! I've been waiting and waiting for this to happen because

my sister is fun, creative, witty, crazy and is FAR more talented and

interesting then she lets on.

She also is a brilliant photographer.....

you can check out her photography blog at

www.whiteumbrellaphotography.blogspot.com

But now she has a personal blog and already it's awesome

and she's just getting started!

So head on over, follow her and you totally won't regret it!

DeeAnna's Dialogue

1, 2, 3....

Just a few random things I thought I'd share with you before I finish watching Gladiator (started it last night....) and then crash. I have to get up early in the morning and get a few things done around the house before I head out to do some errand running. And then since tomorrow is Tuesday that means tomorrow night is ZUMBA! I'm excited!

1. So the first thing is I've decided not to color my hair any more for the next year while it grows out. I color my hair mainly because I like how it looks after I color it, all glossy and rich. But I only dye it a shade or two darker then my natural and the main thing is I use a blue based color that covers my natural "red" that I have in my hair. I've been doing it for several years now and I think it's more of a habit then anything. But I want to try and get it grown out and back to "virgin" hair and then for the first time in FOREVER I want to go lighter. Not blonde, no way! That does not look good on me at all. Maybe something in a kinda caramel tone, sorta like Jessica Alba's hair (above) but without the blonde highlights. At this point, getting my hair lifted to something even close to that would absolutely fry it because I have so many layers of "black" right now. And I hate when it has that frizzy fried look. Ugh! But it will take a year, at least, to get it grown out and most of the color cut out. So, unless I discover I have early gray hair, I won't be coloring my hair until next summer! Yeah, like 2012 summer! Goodness!!!

2. This is Gianna's new obsession. Don't ask me how or why it started. I think the Mister showed it to her for some reason. He has never really been into Star Wars but suddenly Gianna can't get enough of Yoda and has declared she will be Yoda (or "that little green man"!) for Halloween. Of course that will change - she also wants to be Ronald McDonald, a cat, a frog, a pirate (again!), a ballerina.....and the list goes on and on! But anyway, she got a Star Wars cartoon from the movie store yesterday and has already watched it like three times! She's been playing "light sabers" with Beej using umbrella's.....lol! This girl - she picks up on the oddest things. Not long ago she was obsessed with Wonder Woman all because there was a tiny picture of her on a package of Pull-Ups I had to get for her to wear when she had her dental procedure done. So funny!

3. I was hoping my shoes would magically be here by the time I went to Zumba tomorrow night but I got a tracking number from UPS today and they weren't shipped until today so they won't arrive until Wednesday. Yeah, I'm bummed but at least I know they'll be here soon!!! I absolutely can't wait to put them on. There is nothing like awesome new kicks to totally give you a boost of confidence and "umph" when you are working out!!! And by the way, I did a 45 minute Turbo Fire work out this morning that was totally kick butt....yeah, it rocks! I'm still learning the choreography but it's fun and intense!

When Photography goes too far....

I love photographs. I love what they capture. Beauty. A moment. I think back to days when they didn't have the joy of grabbing a camera, a phone, an iPod or something to capture the moment happening before them. To be able to share images with those you love far away. I wish I had the talent to take photos like I see other photographers take but that's just not a gift I have so generally I leave it to the actual photographers. I love following blogs where people share LOTS of photos of their lives, their kids, them, places they go, things they like, food they eat. Whatever! The more pictures you share the better I like your blog! Lol! But I'm getting off course here......

I know that a lot of photographers view nudity done "tastefully" as art. To me nudity is nudity. I don't know what separates the line between art and porno but whatever! Lol! But recently I have come upon a development (hehe!) in photography that bothers and disturbs me greatly. I know that I have seen photos of dead people - taken during wars, after disasters, etc. These bother me as well but the other day I saw where a photographer I "know" has become a part of a group of photographers that do free photo sessions for people who's children are sick or disabled which I think is a wonderful thing! But this photographer also takes photos of dead babies. (insert stunned silence here. seriously.) I was like, "WHAT?" How wrong. I mean, it's pretty disturbing that she would be willing to take them but almost just as disturbing that people would want a photo of their dead child. Why would you want to remember your beautiful baby that way? She recently put up photos from a shoot she just did with newborn twins - one was born fully developed and healthy, the other was born only half developed and dead. I wouldn't want the parents not to mourn the death of their other child. I believe that is right, I believe it is needed but photographs of a undeveloped fetus? I find this just simply morbid and wrong. Not only did they take photos of the dead baby all dressed up but they also took photos of the other baby holding it. HOLDING IT. I'm sorry, my stomach absolutely turned. Again, mourning the loss of your baby is natural and right but taking pictures of it especially in the state it was in is just revolting. I was so surprised at many people praised the photos and said how beautiful they were and it was such a sweet thing. I did talk to a few people around me about it and they too found it to be extremely disturbing and morbid.

I think we have to draw lines somewhere, people. And in my mind there is an invisible line here that has most certainly been crossed. I am sad for the parents, I truly am. I have never lost child but a baby close to me and very close to my family passed away almost 6 years ago and I know that his mother would have never wanted to remember him as he was in death. Death is not beautiful, death isn't something I feel should be celebrated and praised. It isn't something to fear if you know that your eternity is secure in Christ but to freeze that moment and hold on to it for your whole life? I do not think that is something healthy or right.

What are your thoughts on this whole idea?

What I've Been....

......DISCOVERING:

I am discovering that I've got to be better about my time management. I realize how many hours go by in the day where I don't accomplish anything or not much of anything at least. I'm trying to get better about getting up earlier and not "lolly-gaggin'" around! Lol! I get up and get focused and I accomplish so much more. Not to mention I just feel like I've got so much going lately that if I don't learn to manage my time better I'm always going to feel like I'm behind!

.......LISTENING TO:

I am currently listening to two amazing albums......one by Elbow and one by Jars of Clay. The songs from Jars of Clay feature a lot of artists, some I know of like Mac Powell from Third Day, others I'm not sure who they are. But it's another great album from JOC. They have a new sound for every album and this one does not disappoint!

The album by Elbow I've been raving about for several weeks now! I just love it....pretty much every song has become a "favorite"!

........READING:

I am desperately trying to finish up Frankenstein: City of Night by Dean Koontz. I've read the first one and loved it and Beej found me the third book in the series at a thrift store so I had to go get this one from the library. I'm about half way through and it's another great book! I just haven't been taking the time to read like I should so I'm getting through it slowly.

......WATCHING:

I've been watching a lot of great movies lately. My mother in law and I went and saw Beastly the other night and it was so so good! I wasn't sure to be honest, I loved the previews but I wasn't sure if it would be cheesy or not. And it wasn't. At all. I want to see it again! The story was adorable, the love was beautiful, etc. It was just a great movie all around. Not to mention the soundtrack was great too - I really want to get it!

I mentioned a week or so ago that I saw Red Riding Hood with my sister and it too was super good! I was really pleased with it. The director of Twilight directed this one too and alot of the lighting and angles were similar and I really liked it alot. The plot was great and my sis and I had NO clue until the end who was who! Great movie, great actors, great story!

I have really been excited about seeing Hereafter with Matt Damon. He's always such a great actor and this movie looked deep and moving. So last night we rented it and watched it. First of all, it's long. Second of all, it's slow. Third, it's confusing. Four, it just ends. Not good, not bad really. It just ends. I was disappointed. Really disappointed. Not nearly as good as I hoped or thought. I wouldn't recommend it to be honest. Blah.

Tonight we are going to watch Gladiator. I've never seen it although I've heard it's a great movie. Our pastor actually played a song from the movie this morning. It has a great story behind it and it really intrigued me and made me want to see the movie so we ran by the movie store after church and lunch and grabbed it to watch tonight. So in about thirty minutes I'm putting my rowdy four year old to bed and curling up on the couch to watch it!

Playing Around....

Today I spent some time over at my mother in law's house playing around with her new camera. She got a Nikon D90 which is my terminology means one big fancy camera! Lol! It's so nice and I have absolutely no clue how to work it. I spent some time going over the manual and reading words that I had no clue what they meant - like ISO's, white balance, etc. What does all that crap mean anyway? I couldn't even figure out how to set the self timer! Oh, well. But I did snap a few photos around the house that I thought weren't half bad. I'm not a photographer, never plan to be one but I do love how clear the pictures come out! So here are a few I snapped just for the fun of it......

(A photo of my hubby and his older brothers when they were little! And their big fluffy dog, Cagney!)

(The Mister when he was a little tot - isn't he cute?!)

(My mother in law when she was little, I love this picture of her!)

(My MIL's cat, Bella. One of many!)

(Her huge castle bird cage.....it's beautiful!)

(Bug's rain boots and my favorite Toms.)

(One thing I figured out while taking random photos of myself - my bangs are horribly blunt and I don't like them!)

(Self photos without self timers!)