A Few Of My Favorite Things

A while back I posted some of my favorite products with the hope that I would do a weekly "favorite things" post....but that just isn't possible for me right now. So I hope that you'll take whatever little tidbits I can toss out and maybe you'll find something new to you to try that you will enjoy as much as I do.

Before I list my new "favorites" let me tell you how some of these products came to be for me. Recently I was contacted by an old friend from high school telling me that we needed to get together to see if there would be any interest in having a class reunion next May/June.   We've been out of school for a number of years.  According to my kids, I'm "older than dirt"!   When my friend contacted me I knew I had to get my game on since she is still as beautiful now as she was in school.   I wanted to step it up so I looked like I had it together after all these years. My husband sweetly said I didn't have anything to worry about but of course he'd say that (if he wanted to continue living here ---ha ha)!.

I started my search on Pinterest for the best mascaras. I rarely wear mascara and was amazed at all the different ones available.   I ended up buying Maybelline the Falsies Volume Express.

This stuff really delivers!   I brushed on a couple of coats and wondered if I would even be able to put my reading glasses on.   It didn't clump and I liked how full my lashes looked.   So this gets an "A" in my book.

The next item I bought was for the bags under my eyes.   These have recently developed and I think it's partially because I'm not sleeping good.  I think a lot has to do with my stressing over the situation with my mama....plus I've heard the older you get the less you sleep.    I usually turn out the light between 10:30 p.m. and midnight but then sometimes wake up around 3:00 or 4:00 a.m.   I've heard a lot about this next product and bought a tube of it but the jury's still out on the results....so far I haven't seen a difference in my "bags".

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For the last couple of years I've been using an eye pencil as my eyeliner but with all the humidity we have here, it doesn't take long for me to get "raccoon eyes" and I'm just not into that!   So when recently shopping with my daughter she picked up some liquid eyeliner (her eyeliner always looks good) and I used to wear the liquid liner so I got one too.   I'm really happy I did because it stays on all day without smudging and I don't have to keep re-applying it.   Here's the one I use:

L'Oreal Telescopic Waterproof Eyeliner in Black/Noir

For my base I recently switched from Merle Norman to Neutrogena Healthy Skin makeup.   It's a little lighter than the one I used from Merle Norman and I just want a little light coverage.   Although the Neutrogena covers very well, it's just not as heavy to me as Merle Norman.

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I've been reading a lot about skin brighteners/primers and while looking around for the eye products the other day, I saw one that sounded interesting and made a lot of promises so I picked it up too.    Wow!   This stuff is a-m-a-z-i-n-g!    A little goes a long way.   I found (on Pinterest) the points where you should apply face illuminators and followed those instructions.    I can't recommend this product enough and will NEVER EVER be without it!

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This product states it is a 'light infusing primer; instant illumination and enlightened complexion'.   It truly delivers what it promises.   But don't get carried away with it....a little goes a long way.

Another product that I'm loving is by Suave.    

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It's their Moroccan Infusion Dry Body Oil.   I squirt this on my legs and arms for a little healthy glow.  I also will squirt on some of the L'Oreal Magic Lumi on my shoulders and down my arms with the Dry Body Oil....makes your skin gorgeous!   My granddaughter Taylor tried it at the house the other day and loved the smell (like a day at the beach) so we got her a little bottle too.

I also believe in using a good moisturizer.    I featured the one below on my first products review and still love it.    You can't beat the price point either!

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I also like this next product and mix it with the St. Ives moisturizer.   It comes with a day and night serum.    Saw this one advertised on Dr. Phil and bought mine at Target. 

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One product that my hairdresser recently introduced me to is by Redkin.    

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 I like to use this along with my regular hairspray when I need a little "poof" to my hair.   I bought mine at Ulta with a coupon...makes it a little more reasonable.

If you decide to try any of these products, I hope you love them as much as I do.   Also, please feel free to share any products you recommend....I'd love to know!   I don't spend like to spend a ton of $$$ on my beauty products and I think most of these are affordable for anyone.   I know there are a lot of crazy expensive products and they may be worth every penny but I don't know if I'll ever make that kind of investment.  

I do plan to research other products that offer some maintenance programs for "mature" skin and will share my thoughts on those when I add those to my beauty routine.     If you'd like to check out some of my pins about beauty products on Pinterest, you can see those here.   I am by no means an expert on any of this but I have found a lot of helpful information and inspiration on Pinterest and of course, my own experience with these products.

Oh, and for the record, we had our first reunion meeting the other night where we had about 8 classmates there...3 girls and 5 guys.    I'm happy to report that I got a lot of compliments and one of the guys said it looked like I'd been drinking from the fountain of youth!    So now if I can just lose about 20 pounds by next summer....I'll be good to go!

Sunroom Vignette

Yesterday morning was dark and rainy and I woke up before daylight. I decided to sit in the sunroom so I could watch the rain coming down.   I took a few pictures of the vignette on my sideboard and wanted to share them with ya'll, you know, mix things up from all the gloom and doom I've been posting about lately!

We bought this sideboard at an auction several years ago.   Someone had slapped some varnish on it before bringing it to the auction...it was still sticky wet!   But I bid $25 for it and won it!    I painted it black (back in the days when black furniture was all the rage) and loved it for a while but later stripped it down and painted it white and staining the top a dark walnut color.  

I found this wonderful old turquoise chippy "tray" in Gulf Shores a few years ago in a little shop and loved it....love the handles.   I added some old books tied with ribbon, a faux plant in an old terra cotta pot and a stack of smaller pots I bought for $2.00 in a local antique mall.   I love how it all looks together.

Here's the burlap monogrammed canvas I made a while back.   You can read about that little project here.

 And some close ups that I took.....

Here's my wet, sad looking deck.   Please forgive the floppy umbrella...that's not staying.   I have a newer cable spool that I'm working on to use as a stand for the umbrella but just haven't got around to replacing this old one yet.   

Most of my plants have wilted in the hot summer sun and I'm just not going to replace them.   They looked really pretty this spring.    I also bought new black and white cushions for our chairs.  I used hot pink flowers and ordered some pink pillow covers for the chairs....it looked really nice but the pillows have been brought inside so they don't fade in the sun.    The hot pink and black and white combo looked so pretty together.

Now if you've been following along with me lately, you know all about the situation with my mama.   She's back here at a rehab facility and so far (fingers crossed) she's doing remarkably well.    She will most likely remain there for 20 days then we're hoping she can go back to her assisted living facility.     Thank you for ALL of your prayers for her.

I have a fun week planned....I'm meeting up with a couple of friends from high school....one I haven't seen in years....not saying how many but it's a lot!    This particular friend was the "it" girl in school....head cheerleader, beauty, homecoming queen, you get the idea.    We're on the reunion committee together and are having dinner one night this week to start planning for next May....I've been shopping for outfits cause I gotta look good! (LOL)   

And I'm also going with my daughter for her dr. appt. the same day as the dinner party....hope to find out the gender of the baby but daughter doesn't want to know that day....she wants to have a "gender reveal" party!    I told her she needs to have the party that same night cause my heart can't take "not knowing" what she's having much longer!

Hope you all have a fabulous week!

Life Lately

It seems like all I do lately is post "debby downer" stories but that's the reality of my life. I love a good decorating post as much as the next girl but since my "job" for the last 4+ years has been my 94 year old mother's caregiver, decorating, DIY-ing and other "fun" things don't always fit in. And while being a caregiver is sometimes an overwhelming and thankless task, being able to see that my mom is happy and in the best place, as strange as it may sound, I'm grateful I have this time with my mama.

Okay, so with that being said, here's what is happening around here this week. A little background....my mom turned 94 years old on June 22nd. The very next week she started going downhill quick, to the point that the director at her assisted living thought it might be helpful to have her sent to an out of town hospital for elderly patients to run extensive tests to see what might be causing her depression and other symptoms she was exhibiting. She was transported to the hospital this past Monday...and let me say here that God always goes before us to meet our needs no matter where we are....the town where she was sent is where my sister lives and in fact she was the social worker at the hospital mama was sent to so she knew all the right folks there. The staff and personnel were so very kind to her and took their time in answering our questions and putting us at ease. It was found that her potassium levels were very low so that was treated and by Monday evening and Tuesday morning she was more like her "old" self....which is a good thing! So now the plan is to put her into a rehab facility back here at home (in fact she's on her way here right now) to try and build up her strength a little bit. Then she can go back to her "home" at her assisted living residence...that's our hope. So please forgive me if I don't have any pretty pictures or wonderful DIY projects to share like I have in the past but right now my focus is my mama. I know all of you understand as you have shown me such wonderful support in the years I have posted about my mama.

And on top of all this, I developed a pretty severe rash on my stomach and back.   I went to see my doctor yesterday and he said it most likely is related to stress!    I don't like to take any kind of medicine but he thought it might be helpful if I had something for anxiety and stress to take from time to time, as needed.   I took 1/2 a tablet yesterday and it did seem to help me.    It's not something I will take on a daily basis but only as I feel that I need to.  

I want to thank all of you that let me know you have our family in your prayers.    

Happy Birthday To My Son!

You know that Kenny Chesney song "Don't Blink"? That's how I feel today...my son is turning 40 years old! How can that be? I still think of him as my "little boy" even though he towers over me.

Me and my baby boy at 2 1/2 months.    I still remember the day this photo was taken.   My husband was working full time and in college part time and we didn't have much money at the time but I couldn't wait to have some pictures made of our darling boy.   So off we went to K-Mart (which was basically all we could afford at the time).   I had dressed him in one of his Feltman Brothers outfits.   Since he couldn't sit on his own, the photographer had me hold him....I sure wasn't dressed or made up for a photo but I didn't care....sorry it's so grainy but it's quite old!   

Of course, we've had our ups and downs over the years, what parent and child haven't, but he has far exceeded my expectations as an adult.   He is so successful in his job and is a great daddy and husband.

Both of my "babies" at the Summit in Birmingham a couple of years ago for another birthday celebration....aren't they "purdy"?

Shane and his sweet family.... (this granddaughter loves to "pose"!)

I took this one at the lake over the 4th of July...look at those dimples!   That was the first thing I noticed about him when he was born...he was such a pretty baby!

A few years ago, my sister gave me a book entitled "I'll Love You For Always".   I thought it was a little strange but after I read it, it became one of my favorites.   I can't read it without crying.   I loved it so much I gave a copy to my daughter and daughter in law when they became mommies.    It still makes me cry!

 (source unknown)

Happy Birthday Shane!   I love you!!!

Mom

Thankful for.....

I had planned to post about our 4th of July lake weekend but instead I'm going to give a shout out to my wonderful son-in-law. Let me tell you briefly about "The Don".... He was a friend of my son's and was 21 years old when I first met him. He came by the house one day and as corny as it sounds, when he saw my 16 year old daughter, I think he lost his heart to her that day. He kept hanging around and "dropping" by when my son wasn't home....after several weeks of this he asked me how I felt about him asking out my daughter. I told him it wouldn't work, he was too old for her, she couldn't go places with such an "older" guy and while I didn't mind him being her friend, that would be as far as it could go. Well.....five years later the week she turned 21 they got married!

 
He hung out at the house for those five years and I really got to know him. He was always respectful to me and my daughter and at that time, her dad and I were going through a long, drawn out messy divorce, my son had joined the Navy and to be honest, he was a real blessing and joy to have around. They had their twins (now 10) after 7 years of marriage and now are expecting baby #3 in January 2015. 

 (Shannon and Taylor - 10 weeks)

(Chilling at the lake)!

 When the twins were in day care and they would act up, the helper would say "I'm going to call your dad" to which Jackson (the boy twin) would reply "don't call the don" (their dad's name)! So now he shows up as "The Don" on my caller id!

Today my daughter and her husband were supposed to leave for a week in the Big Easy. I met them at the mall for lunch and Jackson had a meltdown about them going. My precious grandson has a mild form of Asperger's and is very attached to his daddy. While he can go a day and sometimes a night at our house, he just wants to be at his house and with his mama and daddy. He had a little meltdown at the mall and was very upset. I tried to comfort him by telling him we were going to the zoo, would get ice cream and all the other things I know he loves to do. My son in law got very teary and said they just would not go...it wasn't worth Jackson getting so upset. I really don't think my daughter wanted to go anyway....walking around in that heat and being 15 weeks pregnant she just wouldn't have a good time. When we got to our cars, Don said he didn't like going anywhere without the kids anyway....they are a very, very close family and do everything together....which I think is so sweet. He kept saying to my daughter "Honey, are you alright"..."what do you want to do"...."don't worry about going to work this week, we'll all just do something together" (they own their own business and she works there). I guess the point of this rambling post is to say how very blessed I am to have "The Don" as my son in law. He's truly like a son to me and while we've had a few ups and downs, we've never ever had words or disagreements. The only thing "bad" I can say about him is he's a huge Alabama fan....and we're all Auburn fans!

I'm still planning on doing a post on our lake weekend....it was wonderful.

Also, I would appreciate you all remembering my 94 year old mom in your prayers. She has been having some set backs at her assisted living residence and next Monday we are taking her to a hospital for testing for depression, dementia, etc. After that, she may be entering a 21 day rehab facility to try and get some mobility back in her legs....she has been confined to a wheelchair for over a year now. She is very confused and depressed....not like her at all. If the hospital stay followed by rehab doesn't work, we will be moving her into a nursing home....something none of us want. Any prayers would be appreciated.

Have a great week!

Happy July 4th!

Long May She Wave

 

Hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July!