fix it up friday!!!!

the number one essential tool in my gigantic bag of makeup (why do i have so much? and what was i thinking with that bright pink lipstick? oh well.....that's another day..)

meet my best friend....

my eyelash curler.

i assure you it isn't a device created for torture of poor unsuspecting women.....when used correctly and perfected (which takes some time believe me...) it can truly be your greatest trick up your sleeve. i never believed it...i have always had one.....many poor eyelashes have lost their short little lives to the horror of an eye lash curler....

your eyelashes can be fuller, thicker and really open your eyes up with an eyelash curler and some good mascara.

lets start with a few basics....

first you need this

and this......

once you have your equipment you can begin. use a mirror with good light.

make sure most of the rest of your makeup is finished, especially with the eyes so you aren't trying to avoid smudges.

start with clean eyelashes

i find it is easier to start with one eye at a time, first apply one coat of mascara to top and bottom lashes

then grab your eyelash curler and carefully, with it open, put your eyelashes through the slit being sure to get every eyelash through and clamp down for approx. 10-15 seconds. it should be as close to the lash/skin line as possible (and you'll know if its too close because you'll get pinched when you clamp).

apply mascara to the other eye (top and bottom lashes) and curl those lashes.

now your lashes are curled...

add one more coat to top and bottom lashes on both eyes and

FABULOUS!!!!!!!

see the difference....

then the finished product.....

its that easy.....in words

in reality? it takes a few times to get it right but once you do, your eyelash curler will be your best friend!

I hope you are now more prepared to face the world....i know my eyelash curler has changed my life.

any suggestions for the next fix-it up friday? let me know in the comments!

seriously, i realize that this is not a life altering post, but it sure is fun to share and learn new stuff from others......and makeup is something i am working on, i mean we can't be deep and spiritual every second, i am sure God understands the need to be pretty :)

have a great weekend!

i had the best intentions...

Technically it's tuesday, i know this, however i have been reading not me monday for a bit and so wanted to participate wach oand every time and then i never ever do. i always can think of good things to say and sometimes it is even funny stuff, but then i get caught up and miss out and figure it will have to wait until next week.

Well enough is enough, though it is already 2 hours into tuesday, i have not gone to sleep yet and so it is still monday for me....

ok even if you don't think so, can you just agree for my sake?

thanks....

and now, without further adieu (sp?)

the moment i have been waiting for....

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her/'>http://www.mycharmingkids.net">her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.


so, i did not allow my son to go 4 days without a shower simply because i was TOO TIRED from my girls night out. i also did not wait until 3 am monday morning to get started on all the laundry from the past week, and then throw a dirty towel over top the remaining part of the clothes in the basket to attempt to make it look better.
I did not wait until 7 am monday morning to run to acme and pick some groceries and pay double for the convenience of only driving 2 miles. I certainly did not spend 5 hours trying to download a mediaplayer play list onto my ipod (unsuccessfully). and i did not take TWO free days from my diet instead of the one every 7 day thing i have been doing!


Yippee!!!! i FINALLY got to do it, and you know what i feel fabulous! So what didn't YOU do?

just right

yup, that's right ladies, i had a night out with girl friends last night and it did not include hubby (though i do enjoy time out with him) or child (though again i do enjoy time out with him too) or work, it was just a night out with friends. and it was a whole night, not just a few hours! i left the house shortly before 4pm and did not return home until 1am.

But it was so much more than that.....

the whole day was great, not in the way that i really accomplished much, but just great because i got to do everything just how i wanted. You know what i mean, i had plans and i had ample time to get ready, my hair went just right, the outfit i planned to wear looked just right, the child behaved just right, even the directions were just right!

I got up in the morning ( i use morning quite loosely here because it was actually just after 12pm, and though that sounds incredibly lazy, i didn't go to bed until 3 am, i work night shift remember? it isn't so easy to get off that schedule)
anyway...

i exercised, spent some time talking with hubby, showered, had LOTS of time to do something with my hair, (and if you read my earlier posts, i did find a way to do it....curled and with some teasing which i have never done before and of course my trusty bobby pin so as to be dressed up) (which by the way i received an text earlier in the day from my girlfriend letting me know that she spotted no less than 4 people at the mall with said bobby pin in their hair, letting me know i am in fact quite trendy even if i don't know it-lol)

so the hair was probably the best i have ever done it and my husband even agreed (and seemed somewhat jealous it wasn't for a night out with him)

i put on the good bra (lets be honest here, every woman has one, it just fits perfect, keeps the girls exactly where they should be- and more importantly keeps them from being exactly where they shouldn't) (ahem......mid abdomen...ahem)

so as i said it was just right

we had dinner, did some shopping and then had some drinks back at Darnita's house. it was relaxing, and fun. we talked and talked and laughed and talked and laughed, and there were no interruptions and no problems needing immediate solving by me!

my husband didn't care that i was out late and i could truly enjoy myself. Tell me, why did i think i needed to give this up? why did i spend years wishing for girlfriends and never allowing it to happen?

the good thing about being this age and getting new friends, i know what i want, and more importantly how to stay away from those friendships that just swallow you whole. they all have families too, and work and other things in their life, they don't need me 24 hours a day and they get it that i don't need them that way either.

God has truly blessed me with these woman, and i cannot remember the last time i had such a fun time!

and the other bonus? no guilt!
(i apparently have some inbred feature that causes me guilt anytime i do anything for myself and not the other members of my family)

so even though this post isn't super enlightening and i have nothing very valuable to add to your day, i am so happy that everything went just right!

stepping it up

ok, so i have now decided that i am going to be a woman instead of just wife, mother and provider. as i hinted at in my last post, i have lost myself somewhere along the way. forgot how to "do" my hair, forgot how to be excited to get dressed up and go out.
why would i spend time shopping and getting dressed up just to go to walmart? i don't.


so step one: get friends.

step two: actually engage in friend like activities with these friends

or more exactly, actually accept invites to go out with friends. there was a time long ago when my husband and i just sort of stopped having friends. we were happy with eachother and didn't have much time or money to go out (both in school and working.) add a sick kid into the mix and there just wasn't time. most of friends at the time of our marriage didn't agree with us getting married at 18. and most of our families didn't think we'd last. so in an effort to completely dispel those thoughts, we spent every waking moment together. we enjoyed being together as a family and though we still do i think we have come to a point after 8 years of marriage that we realize it is important to have things other than eachother that make us happy.

it was rough going at first.

getting used to the idea of the other going out with others, having fun enjoying themselves was a bit hard. harder for husband than for me. some jealousy and insecurities and fears had to be discussed. some limits had to be set.

After a few times and a few months, we both now see that we are BETTER to eachother and our family if we have some things separate.

so, wen friends would ask me to go out instead of saying no, i would say maybe. but still limited time saw me saying no in the end more often than not. feelings of guilt that i am already out of the house 3-4 nights a week for work would take over and i would think well, i only have 3 nights off, i better spend that time at home.

i have now come to know that having 2 nights at home and one night out with friends is ok. sometimes (ok everytime) it is fun. and i am a better person.

now i come to the part where i talk about how these other women have the same busy life as me and yet they have time to look great. while i generally lounge about in my jeans and t-shirts- a.k.a. the uniform. no accessories, no fabulous hair.

let fridays now be known as FIX IT UP FRIDAY.

i will post my newest revelation each friday about my quest to be myself. to regain my self confidence. (this idea is totally stolen from other blogs such as big mama's where she had fashion friday which i live for)

so this week is hair. i have long hair, closer to my bottom than my neck. i am told it is the kind of hair people kill for, though in my opinion it is more hassle than anything else.

i do own a straightener and a curling iron. i even have a brush. but beyond washing and adding some conditioner i dont do much more.

here are some facts i do know:

1. my hair and a blowdryer NEVER and i mean NEVER mix well

2. i do get it highlighted to be blond (it is brownish reddish naturally)

3. i wash it every other day to keep it from getting dried out

4. i..... well that it.

i joked this week at work that i was REALLY DRESSED UP due to the fact i had a bobby pin in place to keep my longer bangs out of my face. the sad things folks is that i wasn't kidding.

so this weekend i am going out to dinner and then working on a basket for a work raffle (you will soon get the idea that my job often spills over into the rest of my life)

i am so excited because this is a new group of friends for me and i want to look good. so i have a plan to scour all magazines i have ( which is a lot since i am addicted to glamour, shape and cosmo to name a few)

and try and find some fabulous way to do my hair. any and all input is welcome and needed! and that will be fix it up friday, i ask a question set in place my plan and we can all share our tips with each other!

and keep your fingers crossed for me tomorrow when i prepare to WOW my friend with my hair knowledge!
jineen

i never thougt about this stuff when i was a teenager

so today i am feeling thankful that my job has such good benefits. i have always been aware of this, due to dom's medical issues that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars...but today i am REALLY thankful.

It all started back a day or so ago..... i work 12 hour night shifts from 7pm to 7 am 3 times a week. this week they were straight in a row....

oh and my new working out being healthy endeavor? well that includes a one hour trip to the gym at work every morning after work...

anyway, i get home after the second night, exhausted from all the stuff going on because well work wasn't any different than usual but working on the cardiac step down unit as the charge nurse wears on your nerves. your mind and your body and i was TIRED!

anyway i got home stinky and tired, got in the shower and he ( he meaning me husband) casually enters the bathroom and says " so i think i need a dentist appointment......tomorrow".

well, this is coming form the man who pretty much refuses dental work except in an emergency and the last time involved drilling, antibiotics, titanium screws, and about $1500.00.

so obviously he has chosen to tell me while i cannot chase him with a bat.

"well, jerm whats wrong?"

"well you remember a couple weeks ago when i got the beef jerky stuck in my gum and i wanted to get toothpicks and floss because other food kept getting stuck there and bothering me?"

"yes....."

"well, it never really got better and now it is hurting pretty bad and i can squeeze it and get blood out".

"ummmm...."

"and i know i should be taking better care of my mouth and i know we made a deal the last time that if you would just get it taken care of for me that i would never let it happen again, and i would go and get my teeth cleaned every 6 months...."

i get out of the shower and request to see it.

AAAGGGGHHHH!!!!

it is the size of a lima bean in his mouth, swollen and bloody and the gum looks infected!

"uh, yeah you have an abscess. i will call the dentist."

so the story is anti climactic.. i call the dentist he gets in the following day, they clean and clean and clean. he has some bone loss, but it can be fixed. penicillin, pain meds and prescription strength mouth wash, plus a visit next week to drill and fill.

and only about $80 when it is all said and done, dental work and prescription included.

so today i am thankful for the fact that i do not hold grudges about previously made promises and also that we have good benefits.

oh yeah, and when i was 16 and so in love with this man, (which i am still SUPER in love)
(abscess and all) i never thought i would be happy to have good dental coverage:)

what are you thankful for today?

i am still a woman

*note: i should mention here that i am HAPPILY married to the same man for 8 years now...*



So, i have been married to the same man for over 8 years now (much better than being married to multiple men in 8 years) and our son just turned 7. i often find myself walking around the house ( well, wait, i guess i don't often find that, i often find my self at work, but when i am home...) in sweat pants.



Now, don't get me wrong there is nothing wrong with a good pair of sweatpants, (especially this particular pair dark gray with pink GAP on the side). but i am laughing at the fact that i never, ( yes i am saying NEVER) ladies, ever wore sweatpants before i had a child. i didn't even own a pair.



Now i have many pairs. They are warm and comfy ( both necessary in this 10 degree weather we're having...)



But then i pass a mirror and realize i haven't even combed my hair.



And i have been awake for 8 hours.



I did however manage to wash my face...



with water.



There was a day....many moons ago...when my husband would never have seen me this way. let alone any one else. I would get up early just to BE READY for the day with makeup and perfectly sculpted hair.



Now i am happy if my teeth are brushed. I have let myself go.



Not all the way but close. I realized it maybe a few months ago and have made some steps toward being me again. I guess i thought that being a mommy and wife, working full time and trying to maintain relationships with friends and extended family meant something had to go and apparently it was me. (not to mention the 120 lbs i put on during pregnancy-whole other story there- but i still weight that much and my kid is 7!)



So, my new years resolution this year is to get me back!

I love shoes and handbags and hair dye and painted nails, and pedicures and whatever. I like looking nice.

So here we go, lets make the outside and the inside beautiful! want to come along for the journey?

I promise the whole blog wont be about that, but just some here and there....

So i am reading these other blogs that i love and have learned two things, one is courtesy of big mama which is i need to get some scarves....you can learn all you need here http://thebigmamablog.com/index.php/2009/01/16/the-real-fashion-friday-edition-47-how-to-tie-one-on/

and number two is that i need to have some common things that you can come to expect when you log onto my site.

I hope this isn't copying too much, but i would love to have an awesome site that people come to...so any ideas for a theme/repeated event?

So 2009 is a year for a new me in many ways? what are your resolutions?

jineen

getting confused

Just a little note here that being as i share a blog with my husband and also have this one on my own i tend to get a little confused when i am thinking about what i want to post on each one. I don't want to be different on each one, and certainly not any kind of fake, just that this one is a little more private and a little more ....just me. That being said, i was logged in under our together one and left comments at some sites i love to read that were really more of my sites to read and not his. anyway, if you were confused and found sea-anno and not this site, that is my explanation. and for your reading pleasure here is the story i posted on there but thought would be funny on here as well.

his bum is now a mac machine
yes, there is a story behind a title like that:) (tho i fear some of the details may be a bit much it must be told the right way to get the full effect, so brace your self)

So thursday night is my last night of work , and not only that i get to go in at 11pm instead of the usual 7pm. I didn't get much sleep due to the fact that the house next to us is being deconstructed. so sporadically in the last few days men have been there taking bits and pieces down. lots of noise, approx. 10 feet from my head.anyway...my alarm goes off at 9pm and i have one hour to get ready for work.

i get up and being that i am a woman and this particular day is one that the cramps have subsided, i need to go to the bathroom and "clean" any mess and "rearmor" my underwear. takes a minute or two. just when i am finished i hear a somewhat frantic noise coming out of my husband and down the hall to the bathroom where i am just getting off the pot, underwear down.

BANG BANG BANG

goes the bathroom door"i don't know if your finished in there, but dom swallowed something."

well, folks, as you well may have guessed, that is never a good phrase to hear. and for that matter not one you really expect to hear regarding your seven year old, who is for sure by this time too old to be putting things in his mouth that don't belong there.

So i snatch up my underwear and rip open the door to see buckets of drool pouring from my childs mouth and my husband is carrying him by the underarms and i am not sure if he is breathing.as i grab him from his father, he looks up at me and i know he is breathing because he says...

"am i going to die?"

i try to keep a straight face as i look at him and see all that drool and realize he is ok, while his father shares with me that he has swallowed...

a penny.

i tell him to take some deep breaths and he tells me he is going to see jesus.

pretty dramatic for a 7 year old, don't you think?i give him water to drink and tell him he feels like he is choking because a big thing has just passed thru his tiny throat and he is feeling something called a carotid sensitivity.

now, you may be thinking why would she tell a 7 yr old this? well, you just dont know my son. he LOVES and i mean LOVES a good explanation. and the more big words, the better!

So any way, he is dramatically "gulping" air down and water and i am washing my face talking all the while to distract him and also to try and get ready for work, which i am still not decided if i am now going due to the fact that he may need a trip to the E.R. ( more on that in a minute).He continues to ask if the penny will kill him and i continue to assure him no. Now he knows i will not lie to him, even if it is bad news, so he says "am i going ot the hospital?" knowing i will tell him the truth.

I get my stethescope and listen to him breath for a minute or two, then listen to him swallow water and decide the penny is not in his lungs but rather in his tummy, thus no hospital trip tonight.

Just then the phone rings and it is work calling to beg for help due to the fact that we are short staffed and i will be in charge and the nurse who is now in charge needs reassuring that everything will be ok. i coddle her for 10 minutes and look over at my son who has calmed down a bit now, but is still not completely convinced that he will not become an angel tonight.He is still drinking water and has now grabbed his book on human anatomy and is searching thru it for a picture of his stomach and intestines so he can "track" the penny thru his body.

i am walking out the door promising he'll still be alive to see me when i get home and he is holding the page open to see intestines.

The story ends with me leaving for work 10 minutes late and driving 70 mph to get there on time.

Of course if you know us personally, you may remember this same story occuring a little over a year ago, last winter when he swallowed a glass marble.I swear to you folks, he never never put things in his mouth when he was little.

never.

now all of the sudden we can't keep stuff out.and of course his medical issues being what they are, he went to the hospital and had several xrays until it was decided the marble was in his tummy. where it stayed for 3 weeks before he finally passed it. (and for the record, wanted to wash off and keep as a momento).

so i repeat myself, i guess his bum is now a mac machine waiting to spit out some money. I just wish it was a little more than a penny :)