Unlike this guy, let your attitude be filled with gratitude to the Lord for His mercy and provision. (I had to use this picture after I found it in one of my folders from earlier this fall…makes me laugh!)
Seven Quick Takes November 20, 2009
I’ve read this bloggy carnival over at Conversion Diary before, but never taken part. Well, today it is the perfect thing for me, since I have some random things to mention, but not much of a coherent post.
1. I missed my own 2nd Blogiversary. Oops. Does a blogiversary count when you only post about once a week? These last few months have been insane, I tell you, and blogging really was on the back burner. I’ve missed it, and I’ve missed my usual rounds and comment-making.
2. My blogroll disappeared at some point. Maybe it was during a WordPress upgrade? I don’t know, but all my linky love is gone. I hope to resurrect that sometime in the near future, and maybe even update it a bit!
3. A guest poster (whom I love dearly) will be sharing here on Monday how to make lefse! I can’t wait for you to read her tutorial and see all the fantastic step-by-step photos to go with it. Also, remember that day will be the drawing for the Disney on Ice tickets, so sign up while you can!
4. Pioneer Woman is here in the Twin Cities tomorrow! Anyone else going to meet her or get your cookbook signed?
5. Another thing I’ve been slacking on is Anja’s monthly progress updates. She has changed so much since her 23-month post (since she’s now almost 27 months!), and I have so much to share. Be prepared for a doozy of those coming up!
6. Though I haven’t had the mind to put up any Christmas decorations yet, we’ve been listening to Christmas music around here for several weeks. I have several favorite CDs that get played over and over. Any you’d recommend I add to my collection? I budgeted for one new CD this year. Speaking of which, if you haven’t been over to see Tsh’s 12 Days to a Peaceful Christmas, I highly suggest you go. We’ve been using it to plan our holiday season. Probably my favorite exercise she’s had us do is describe our ideal holiday and make a plan to celebrate in such a way.
7. What are you doing for Thanksgiving? Do you have any family traditions?
And a photo of my girly girl, dancing in her tutu and jammies…
My Experience with MAC Cosmetics November 9, 2009
Normally, I am that girl who doesn’t venture beyond the aisles of Target when buying make-up. But last month my buddy Ingrid visited from California, and we decided to go to the MAC Cosmetics store in the Mall of America and get makeovers.
Let’s just say I left with my wallet a little bit a lot lighter. After using the products, I wanted to review them for you here, in case any of you are considering making purchases there.
1. Holiday Brush Bags – I purchased this one since it had the foundation brush I wanted. It also included a blush brush and three good brushes for eyes. I am not impressed. To be fair, my consultant warned me that the brush sets aren’t as high quality as the individually-sold brushes because they are machine-made, not hand-made. But when I pay $49.50 for 5 brushes, I don’t expect them to shed 47 bristles onto my face every morning, which is exactly what the foundation brush does. I end up having to use a different brush to get those bristles off my face. I have a brush set I got at Target last year for $10, and those brushes are, in my opinion, far superior to the MAC ones. They are softer (making application less harsh-looking) and have hardly shed a single bristle. Save yourself $40 and buy these somewhere else, ladies!
2. Fab-racadabra Bronze Face Kit – Another one of the holiday kits that I bought to try and save a little rather than buy three separate items (bronzer, blush and iridescent powder). I’m pretty neutral on this one. It gives my cheeks a nice glow, but I’m not sure it’s that much better than my previous Cover Girl blush. I may change my tune in a couple weeks when my skin has taken on its usual “death” pallor for winter. That bronzer could be a winner.
3. Mineralize Skinfinish Natural – Though, again, much more pricey than my normal Cover Girl pressed powder, this one is worth the money ($25). I get a nice finish by dusting it over my makeup with a brush, and I’m not greasy (I’m prone to that in my T-zone) for hours. Sometimes I don’t even have to reapply it all day! It also works great when I don’t have time for anything but a little mascara. It goes on more evenly than the Neutrogena mineral makeup I was using for those gotta-get-out-the-door-now mornings.
4. Paint Pot in Rubenesque – Far and away my favorite product purchased. This glorious, shimmery little pot acts as a base for eyeshadow, but unlike another color they sell, Painterly, Rubenesque has enough color to it that it can actually function as eyeshadow if I don’t have time for anything else. And the most amazing part–it lasts ALL. DAY. LONG. No creasing, no smudging; this stuff stays put. Even after an 8-hour day behind my camera, which usually has my eye makeup in ruins, I came out looking virtually the same as when I’d started that morning. Worth every penny of $16.50.
5. Eyeshadows – My consultant informed me that I would save money by getting a palette of these and inserting these little pots ($11 each), but that they contain the same amount of product as the individually-sold eyeshadows ($14.50 each). I currently have three colors – one for filling in brows, one for my crease, and one for highlighting below the eyebrow. I am still waiting for them to call me telling me they have re-stocked the fourth one (for my lid), and Rubenesque has been filling in as my main shadow. MAC is known for their highly-pigmented products, meaning you have to use very, very little to get a saturated look. I merely tap my brush on top of the makeup and it’s enough to begin application. No smushing or swirling my brush to get enough on, which is nice (plus, it doesn’t leave layers of eyeshadow dust all over everything!). These shadows also stay put (I’m sure partially due to the paint pot product) and will no doubt last me a long time.
6. Fluidline Eyeliner – Normally an eyeliner pencil will last me several years. I just don’t wear enough to put much of a dent in it. So when MAC girl put what looked like a thick black inchworm on my upper lashline, I wasn’t terribly excited. However, I decided to give it another chance and had her switch it to a dark brown. This looked much more natural on me. After a couple of days, I got used to applying my liner with a brush rather than a pencil, and again, this takes very little product to make a huge impact. It will probably not last me as long as a pencil, but it doesn’t smudge all over my face like pencil does, either.
There you have it–my experience with MAC.
I have continued to use my own cheaper mascara (Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof–love the stuff! And pros use it.) and foundation (Cover Girl TruBlend), since I had just purchased new of them both and I didn’t particularly care for MAC’s version of either (my face was THICK with foundation; I looked fake).
What makeup do you use? Have you ever gotten a counter/store makeover done? Did you fall for it as hard as I did? Have you stuck with any of the products?
Yikes October 16, 2009
This video made me cry. I can be quite emotionally volatile when pregnant, especially when it comes to babies. Thank goodness the baby survived!
These Days September 29, 2009
September has been one of the busiest months I remember having in my life. In between taking care of the baby (2 yr old…still a baby? Yes, yes she is.), I’ve been working quite a few 12-14 hour days. Not my cup of tea. Husband keeps trying to get me to take breaks, but it’s hard, knowing there’s no one else there to pick up the slack (self-employment is great, but has some down-sides).
This business God has given me (because truly, I never went looking for it; I really feel that He’s pushed me through one open door after another) has been blessed beyond what I could have imagined, and I owe it all to him. That said, it has come with its stresses.
Other things I’ve been able to squeeze into September:
- A haircut (nothing exciting, just a much-needed trim)
- Bible study
- A MOPS meeting
- A visit to an apple orchard
- An overnight visit from an old friend and her baby girl
- A meal out with friends at a restaurant I’ve been wanting to try
- A couple morning trips to the zoo with Anja, which she loved
Today I took the day off from processing photos and cleaned up the house and did some Autumn decorating. I told Husband that even though cleaning is not really a break, it seemed like one, so that counts, right?
So far I’ve gained about the same amount of pregnancy weight as I did with Anja (which was more than I wanted to gain, but still in healthy range). I can’t imagine the weight gain will slow down with my typical menu of hearty soups, yummy breads and fall baked goods coming up, followed by the holiday season. Yikes! But friends have reassured me that it is oh so cozy to have a big belly keeping you warm in January, unlike in August where you just wish you could remove it and get the swelling in your legs to go down… 
October will likely be less busy with photo shoots (though I have four this coming weekend), but more busy with client orders. Can’t promise I’ll be around a lot, but I’d love to hear what you’re up to this fall!
Drug-related Violence September 11, 2009
This one made me laugh so hard…I had to post it. It’s so “classic cat fight.”
Anja, 23 months July 30, 2009
I refuse to acknowledge that less than a month from now you will be two. Nope, just a very tall, very smart one-year-old you will be forever.
Yet here I am, celebrating your 23 months of life. You are:
- Incredibly tall for your age, still. Several times lately you’ve been mistaken for an almost-3-yr-old. You can reach the light switches in our house, a responsibility that 23 months cannot handle. Showers in the dark are not my favorite thing.
- Very interested in babying your puppy (actually, MY puppy) Sherman. He has his own special blanket that we dare not leave out of the crib at naptime, or you cry on his behalf.
- Impetuous. Not always, because you still have your sweet moments, but often you act rashly, boldly, and headstrongly. Your daddy was like this, and sometimes I wonder (aloud to him) what I have done to deserve his payback. J
- Identifying more numbers and letters. A and B still remain your favorites, as well as the number 5.
- Constantly drawing. You get out your crayons multiple times every day, and have nearly depleted our scratch paper supply (note to self: bring some home from my recycling bin at work). Your drawings have a very distinct quality to them—I could pick them out easily among other toddler drawings. You favor your red crayon, black being a distant second. You still taste your crayons occasionally, evidenced by color stuck to your teeth (doh!). And when you use your coloring books, everyone gets a black or brown face. Why, I do not know. When you get bored making your own drawings, you bring your paper or book to Mommy or Daddy and implore, “Draw circle? Draw triangle? Draw heart?” until we have satisfactorily filled the page with shapes. I love your little quirks.
- Not a very good help in the kitchen. You like to throw things and put onions (whole ones) where they don’t belong. I don’t expect much from 23 months, though, so don’t feel too badly. You may never care to cook, and that’s okay, too.
- Can sing quite a few songs to the point that one can identify what they are. Sometimes songs bleed into each other, becoming a medley: “Farmer take a wife, farmer take a wife, hi ho, farmer take a mommy, mommy on the bus goes ‘I love you, I love you, I love you,’ all through the town, Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the weerld…” and so on. I think it is so precious when you make up your own words, such as “The daddies on the bus go ‘shh shh shh’.” Haha!
- Liking to take off your own bibs. We have a conversation many times daily about how Mommy and Daddy decide when the bibs should come off, but it has yet to do any good. You have stained some of my favorite shirts of yours, you little booger!
- Increasingly affectionate. Mommy, Daddy and Baby P never tire of your kisses!
Popcorn “pops” even more inside your belly… July 20, 2009
Or at least, it sure feels like it! I just made this phenomenal (and easy!) kettle corn for the second time this month, and ate probably 4 cups of it. Ouch! That’s hard for an already-squished belly to take. But Joy’s right…it’s like an addictive drug.
Tip: Don’t use old kernels. We bought new before we made it a second time and they popped up SO much lighter and fluffier.
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Pregnant rant: Why is it that, when I tell people I’ve popped a lot earlier with this baby than I did with Anja, they feel compelled to console me with, “Oh, I don’t think you’re even showing…” That is NOT comforting, people! At 14 weeks, I’ve gained 8 pounds, and a lot of it is in my hinder and my thighs, just like last time, but my belly is already far enough out that I have resorted to maternity skirts (no pants yet…still using my Bella Bands and waiting it out) for comfort, and most of my normal shirts are a smidge too tight to be appropriate. So to gain 6 inches in the waist and be told I’m not showing…that’s just an insult to how I looked before. I was not this fat! I swear! End rant. The hormones, they made me do it.
More Weirdness from Husband July 17, 2009
He sends me the most odd links throughout the day. These don’t really have any political point, they’re just funny.
Lame Excuse for a Post July 16, 2009
But I have nothing better right now. Husband just sent me a link to this story, along with the comment, “Wow, a girl in science class shows up the doctors. Way to go doctors.”
