Halloween...

This year for Halloween, Jase is going to be....

wait for it...

a BRAVES BASEBALL PLAYER!

I know... it's not the usual cowboy or Indian, but I thought it'd be cute... and I already had the outfit.  

My parents are huge fans, and my mom bought him an outfit over a year ago that he's NEVER WORN!  It fits perfectly, now, so it just seemed like a no-brainer.

I ordered him a bat, ball and hat to match and he LOVES IT!  He's never been one to wear anything on his head so I was a little worried he wouldn't cooperate.

But it came today, and he hasn't taken it off!

Isn't he the cutest baseball player you've ever seen???

Excuse me while I take a load off...

My husband did it again... stuck his foot in his mouth.  

We rarely argue.  But when we do, it's usually his fault.  HA!

Now,  I admit.... I have a problem.  I am TERRIBLE at holding grudges.  I have tried working on it, but I just can't change.  

Oh well.  Guess that's just me.

When we do argue, it takes me several days to get over it.  And since he knows this, you'd think he'd just steer clear of making me angry, right?  Of course not.

So last night, after telling him a story about something that happened to me online yesterday, he jumps down my throat about how "this computer thing is getting out of control."  

This computer thing???  

Um.... excuse me, but we do live in the 21st century where computers are quite useful and will continue to be a major part of our existence.  

Now, again, I admit that I stay on the computer a lot, and I can KINDA understand where he's coming from... yes, I admit that, too.  But still, that doesn't give him a reason to fuss at me like a little girl.

This is my point.

Last Saturday, he ticked me off majorly (yet, I refrained from talking to him about it... instead, I just went to bed and got over it all by my lonesome).  But after last night's disagreement, it all became clear to me.  He thinks I spend too much time on the computer, when in actuality, I am doing something I enjoy.  

See... Saturday night, while he was piled up on the couch watching football, I was watching makeup tutorials on YouTube - something I love doing.  I wasn't bothering anyone.  I had tried to carry on several conversations with him throughout the evening (since he'd been in the woods ALL FREAKIN' DAY) but he was too interested in the game.  Then it happened... he made a comment about how I was going a little "overboard" with all of this "makeup stuff."

EXCUSE ME???!!!???

I have found something that I ENJOY doing and am PASSIONATE about, and you are going to tell me that I am "OVERBOARD"?  

I don't think so, my friend.

I don't hunt... I don't fish... I don't play basketball.

No... I stay home everyday (which I am NOT complaining about) to take care of YOU!!!

I wash your clothes... I clean the house... I cook dinner... I take out the trash... and I entertain YOUR CHILD all day long!

And you are going to criticize me for finding something I ENJOY DOING???

 

WOW!  It feels good to get that off my chest.  Mind you, I haven't discussed this w/ my dear husband.  After he lashed out last night, he QUICKLY realized he was in the wrong and spent the rest of the night apologizing.  

You know how they get when you ignore 'em for a while.

Maybe he'll end up reading this and I won't have to discuss it.  I really do like to avoid confrontation if at all possible.

Now, I must end by saying... I love my husband.  He is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.  I would be lost without him.  

But... he sure knows how to crank my tractor!

Makeup Junkie...

… I have become one.  Actually, I have always been in L.O.V.E. with makeup.  Recently, I have rediscovered my passion for “all things makeup” (as you saw in my recent post about my new makeup “station”).  I discovered a store called Ulta and now am in Heaven.

I have been following several people’s beauty blogs and found some things I couldn’t wait to try.  So, after a trip to Ulta last week, I grabbed some of them and thought I’d share.

 

First of all, I have to say; I’m a Merle Norman girl at heart.  However, since I don’t work there anymore, I can’t afford to shop there all of the time.  When I can, I do buy their products.  But, recently I have been reading A LOT of reviews and trying new things in order to find products that are comparable to Merle (without the cost).  Some people disagree, but I believe there are some drugstore products that give great results!  Why not save a little money whenever you can?  I think it’s a great idea!

 

Since I love to blog AND I love makeup, I thought I’d combine the 2.  Hopefully you won’t get bored, but I plan to do more and more posts about “all things makeup.”  I hope you enjoy them!  I also hope to do some more “vlogging,” since it’s so fun.  Then, you’ll actually be able to see the products at work!

 

For this post, I thought I’d share some of my favorite products with you!

 

The first product I want to show is something new I bought last week from Ulta.  In case you don’t already know, you MUST wash your face twice a day.  PLEASE don’t go to bed with your makeup on!!!  You’ll thank me later, I promise.  Also, in order to have glowing skin (and reduce pore size) it’s important to exfoliate your skin.  If you have sensitive skin, you may not want to do this everyday.  I, however, have oily acne-prone skin.  I LOVE exfoliating…. if it’s with the right product.  I have been using a Merle Norman scrub for years called Polished Perfection.  If you have a chance, try it!  It’s got a great scent, and it is safe to use EVERYDAY! 

I am almost out of Polished Perfection, so I thought I’d see if I could find something similar.  I found a scrub that is WONDERFUL.  I’m sure there are a lot of them out there, and I will try others later.  But for now, this one works great!  I’ve been using this for several days and can tell a big difference in my skin.  Clean & Clear Morning Burst Facial Scrub is an oil-free scrub that will help open your pores and exfoliate dead skin cells, revealing brighter and more refined skin.  And the scent is amazing.  Really wakes up your senses in the morning.

This next product is for hair.  If you are like me, you use some sort of styling tool everyday… whether it’s a curling iron, flat iron, or just a blow dryer.  It’s important to protect your hair from heat damage.  (However, I didn’t really start worrying about this until recently.)  I’ve always had pretty healthy hair, but I want to keep it that way.  I tried this product and love it!

GOT2B Guardian Angel Heat Protect Blow-Out Lotion helps to protect hair against the heat of your blow dryer (and any other styling tool you use).  They also make one for flat irons, which you spray on your hair after you blow dry.  I don’t like spraying things on my hair when it’s dry (it tends to make it oily and tangly).  That's why I really like this product.  It makes your hair smooth and soft.  It’s great!  It can be found at Wal-Mart and drugstores and is very reasonably priced.

Recently, I’ve had several people ask me about concealors.  In all of my years of working with makeup, I’ve only found ONE concealor that does what it’s supposed to do.

Cover Up by Merle Norman also doubles as an eye shadow base/primer.  It is a little more expensive (running about 13 dollars) but it will last a LONG TIME, if you use it correctly.  I like to use it AFTER I’ve applied my foundation (unless you are using a powder foundation).  Take a SMALL amount (I'm serious... like the tip of a pen) on your finger and smooth it under your eyes or on a blemish.  Do the same thing for your eyelids.  Smooth it from your lash line to your brow line.  It will not only create a blank canvas (helping if you have dark shadows on your lids, like I do) allowing your shadow to be true to color, but it will also make your shadow “stick.”  It works wonders! 

 

*If you are extremely dry, make sure you moisturize very well… this concealor dries to a powder-like finish.  It can have a tendency to look dry on the under-eye area if you don’t moisturize first!

Those are some of my favorite products right now!  There are many more to come!

 

I hope you enjoyed this post and found some of the information helpful! 

Stay tuned for more beauty bites!

Xanax...

Occasionally, my mother talks me into "accompanying" her to the mall

as she plays chauffeur for my 2 grandmothers. 

I love them dearly... they are precious.  

However, when you get all four of us in a car with a 2-year-old, it can get quite interesting.

(Especially, since they are both head over heels for Jase 

and they feel the need to "touch & occupy" him the whole time)

After an experience like this,

I need something... stiff.

 Yesterday was one of those days.  

But, we had a great time. :)

 

If you happened to notice that Jase has on 2 different shirts in these photos, it's b/c he had a little "accident" with his coke during lunch.  Had to make a run to Children's Place for a backup.

All things makeup...

So, if you didn't already know, I'm a makeup freak.  I LOVE everything about makeup.  And thanks to a certain friend who introduced me to ULTA, I'm now beyond addicted.
(Thanks, Kayla!) 

I've always wanted a vanity... even as a little girl and teenager, I thought it would be so cute to have somewhere to actually sit down and fix my face.  

I still dream about the day when I have a brand new house with a fancy bathroom... and, hopefully, a built-in vanity area.  However, since it seems that our house is NEVER GOING TO SELL, I decided ... WHY WAIT?

So I talked my husband into letting me create "my own little area" in our bedroom.  I promised that I wouldn't spend too much money and I wouldn't go overboard.  

He willingly agreed... he's such a sweetheart.  

So, after a couple of trips to Hobby Lobby (trying to make everything fit perfectly), Wal-Mart for the table, Target for the mirror, and ULTA for some new makeup :) 

... it's finished.  

And, I LOVE IT!

I couldn't wait to get busy organizing...
I am a tad OCD.

And I think I did pretty good...  
everything fits perfectly!

Although, I'm already thinking about what else I can add to my collection... 

I feel a shopping trip coming on!!!

It's a Sad Day...

...when the only "quiet time" you can manage to scrounge up is while you're vacuuming.

I know, I know.... crazy. 
Nowhere near quiet.  

But for me, it works.  

It's the only time I don't have to listen to Dora singing in Spanish, SpongeBob's obnoxious laugh, or the sound of toys crashing down onto the hardwood.

This morning, I was thankful for my
"quiet time."

Memories...

I finally decided what to do with all of Jase's seashells from our Hilton Head Island beach trip this Summer...

Making memories.

attached at the hip...

I've never really understood why people become so attached to their cell phones.  I always get in trouble for not having mine on... but, being a stay-@-home mom, I rarely leave the house.  When I do, I seemingly forget to turn it on.  

I've never been a text-er... I think my fingers are too fat.  And it bugs me when people use their phones during times they shouldn't - like church. ;)
Just one of my pet peeves.
 

Now, with all that being said... a few weeks ago, I decided that I wanted a phone I could text on.  Seeing that my phone was from 1999, it wasn't possible.  My brother-in-law came to the rescue.  He's a major "techy" person and buys every new kind of phone as soon as it comes out.  So, he just happened to have a Blackberry that he wasn't using.  He was gracious enough to give it to me!  

I was SOOOOO excited.  Now, I don't really NEED a Blackberry... especially since, like I said before, I don't really go anywhere and can usually be reached at home.  But I wanted to be able to text my hubby at work instead of having to call him 10 million times a day.

After spending an entire day on the phone with AT&T (literally, I called like 4 times in one day - pretty sure they were tired of dealing with me), having all my questions answered about data packages, texting, and megabites, I got it handled. 

So now, I have stepped into the 21st century and can text AND surf the web.... all from my cell phone.  Even got myself a cute little cover for it! :)

And... now I totally understand how people's cell phones so easily and often become attached at the hip.

Time Out...

 So, now that we have reached the "I'm 2, and I'm going to act like it" stage, I have resorted to new methods of discipline... the Time-Out Chair.

Jase has always been so easy.  I've really been blessed to have a child who listens well, minds well, and knows what I mean when I say, "No."  But it seems like for the past couple of weeks, he wants to test my patience.  I realize they all go through this stage... the terrible 2's, right?  Well, I want them to pass QUICKLY!

After a couple of meltdowns this weekend, I decided I need to approach it from a different direction.  Before, all I had to do was sit him down and talk to him... he would listen, understand, and everything would be just fine.  Now, he's become a tad more independent and his new phrase is, "I don't want to."  And he says it all the time... not to mention the whiny-ness.  It's got to stop.

So, Monday morning, after arguing with his daddy about something (I'm not sure what, I was in the other room) Daddy went and got "the chair" and sat it in the corner.  He sat him down in the "time-out chair" and told him not to move until he was ready to start acting like a big boy.  A few minutes later, I came to the rescue, sitting down beside him and explaining what he did wrong, why he was in trouble, and how he was going to act from now on....

and IT WORKED!  No more crying for the entire day.  He was back to his precious little self.  

Let's hope it works this well tomorrow... and the next day... and the next day!

Heart Attack...

Last night, I almost met my maker.

Scared myself half to death.

If you don't know, my husband works for the power company, and he often gets called out in the middle of the night.  Well, yesterday was one of those days where he never actually came home from work until I had already gone to bed.  

It was about 12:30 a.m.  I had just spoken to him @ midnight and knew he was going to be heading home soon.  I had just enough time to fall into that "between" stage of sleep where I could hear what was going on but couldn't make myself wake up.  So needless to say, when I heard the sound of someone trying to rip the doorknob off of our back door, I panicked.  

Now, in all actuality, he wasn't being that loud OR doing anything out of the ordinary, but for some reason, the noise was multiplied... I guess because I was dreaming, my mind was playing major tricks on me. 

So, after laying there in a light coma for what seemed like 5 minutes, listening to an intruder only a few feet away, I realized what was happening and jumped into action - threw the covers off, grabbed the phone (which I keep attached to me when I'm home alone) and flipped on the bedroom light (like that was gonna scare them off).  You'd think your first instinct would be to hide, but I couldn't hide... not with a sleeping baby in the next room.  

I turned on the phone and placed my finger on the 9 (ready to dial 9-1-1).  I walked SLOWLY into the kitchen, peeking around the cabinet, when I heard a familiar sound... my husband's blue jeans dropping to the floor in the laundry room.

He looked up and realized I was standing there, in my pj's, phone to my ear, with my hand on my heart... literally.

I thought I was dying.  I couldn't even speak. 

I had to sit up in the bed for an hour or so, trying to coax my heart into calming down... it was POUNDING!  

I think that's the closest I've come to having a heart attack.... and I hope I never come that close EVER AGAIN!

Let the good times roll... football, that is!

FUTURE QUARTERBACK

ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!

the dreaded...

POTTY!

I'm not sure why, but I'm just not ready... that is, until I change sTiNkY diapers ALL DAY LONG!  Then it doesn't seem like such a bad idea.

We are approaching 2 1/2 years, but for some reason, we have no desire to use the potty.

I take Jase to the potty with me... his daddy takes him to the potty with him.  

He knows what it's all about.

He just doesn't want to do it.

and I'm stuck.

craftiness...

I feel silly "vlogging," considering I hate how I look and sound on camera, but I've been watching other people's and thought it would be fun to try!  

So, here goes... my first "vlog."

Sorry about the quality... still working on that.

Poor me...

My husband will soon be married to THIS every weekend.... 

I sure will miss him.  

But I remind myself that he works SO hard for me, 

I have to let him enjoy some "Daddy-Time" alone in the woods.

smarty pants...

The other day, my husband and I were having a discussion about how LUCKY I am to be able to stay home every day with Jase.  I think he gets a little jealous, but who wouldn't?  No, we might not be able to spend butt-loads of money on things that we don't really need, but really want.  However, I think we're doing just fine.  Sometimes I just have to remind him that it's all worth it.  

His idea:  "Since you're home with him everyday and you don't have anything else to do, you need to teach him to count to 100."

My thought:  That's a little "out there," considering that most kindergarteners can't count that high!  But I took it as a challenge.  I LOVE teaching... so what better student is there than my own child???  

I don't usually brag, but I do feel that my baby boy is pretty smart.  He picks up on things very quickly, and he has a GREAT memory... just like Daddy.  You can show him something ONCE, and he's got it.  

I mean, thanks to Dora, he can count to 5 in Spanish... something I'm sure I couldn't do at 2.

I decided, since I have lots of time on my hands, that I'd make some cute little flashcards - ABCs and numbers.  We had fun printing, cutting out, and coloring the pictures... but after going through the whole deck, I realized that it might have been a complete waste of time.  He knows every letter (recognition), as well as the pictures to go along with them.  So, I guess we'll work on letter sounds and numbers.  We can almost count to 20... just a few that we skip, or make up completely, along the way.

Our next learning project - the Alabama fight song... how cute would that be???

4 years...

Yesterday, August 31st, was a sad day.

4 years ago, I lost someone very special... my granddad - my Pop.

As I was laying in bed last night, unable to sleep - which is something that is happening a lot lately - I was thinking about him.  I think about him often... I go back to that last day he was here with us.  Standing beside him as he took his last breath... our whole family there... Granny holding his hand.  That's a day I'll never forget.  The only happy thing about that night is that I KNOW he knew we were there.  All of us.  Even though he couldn't tell us, he knew.  

And the only thing that gives me hope now is knowing where he's at.  I'm sure he's running laps around Heaven, breathing deep and enjoying his time there, watching over us.  

When I sit and think about him, it makes me so sad.... that he was never able to meet his first great grandbaby.  I know how much joy his grandchildren - us 4 girls - brought to his life.  I can only imagine how happy he would be to meet Jase.  

But I know he's watching... and I know he's proud of me.

We miss you, Pop.

boring...

I have decided that I live a pretty boring, uneventful life.  I so badly want to blog regularly, and I think about it daily.  But for some reason, I just can't think of anything to talk about... go figure.  But I am determined to do better.  One's coming soon... I promise.