Since today is my 37th birthday, I thought I would try to come up with 10 things I know for sure at this point in my life. That can be harder than you think it would be, but I think I've done it....
1. I know that God made Robbie and I for each other. We have been married for 15 years now, and I wouldn't want a do-over if I could get one. Sure, there are days that we don't like each other and some days are harder than others, but looking back on our marriage, I can only think of a small handful of major disagreements, and really can't remember what those were even about. I know that at the end of the day, he is my soft place to fall. He is my rock. He holds me together when I'm about to come undone, and I don't even want to imagine what my life would be without him as my husband.
2. My favorite way to drink water is in a room temperature water bottle. Cold water is too hard to swallow. When I'm at work, I usually have a bottle of water with me everywhere I go.
3. It took me years to figure this one out, but I NEED alone time. And I need it often. It is how I recharge. Without it I get stressed out, overwhelmed, and can't think clearly.
4. God loves me like CRAZY. He calls me 'beautiful' even on my ugliest day. Because I am aware of that, I love others more easily. It is not my job to judge anyone, but it is my job to love them.
5. Cooking is not an area that I enjoy or am gifted in.
6. Neither is small talk.
7. Listening to Christian music gives me peace and makes me happy. It makes my heart happy to hear my kids singing along to lyrics such as "you're worth more than gold", "no matter what, I'm gonna love you", and "He reigns". Really. It's just good for the soul.
8. Over the years, Robbie and I have collected way too much stuff. I'm really feeling that this week since we have cleaned out 2 of our storage areas. I don't even know where all of this stuff comes from or why we have it, and I feel guilty knowing that we have so much extra that we don't need when there are so many homeless that would do anything for just one more blanket to keep them warm.
9. It's important to me to have fun with my kids while I still have them here. I'm fully aware that these days will pass sooner than I'm ready for, so I want to savor every moment possible. Austin and I played outside together all day long earlier this week, and it was just perfection. When Aaron and I are alone in the car together, we like to turn the music up and sing. Loudly. It's the smallest things that I wouldn't trade for all the money in the world.
10. Anyone can do anything they set their mind to with hard work. A few months ago, Austin would look at a book and not even attempt to read it because he would immediately get frustrated. He has struggled through 1st grade, but we both decided in January that he would read 200 books so we could get his reading level up. Today he finished that project 2 days before the deadline. It was not easy and took a lot of discipline (from BOTH of us), but we stuck with it, and I can tell a huge difference in his reading ability in just a little over a month.
So that's it...that's all I know. Y'all have a great weekend :)
As a woman, I'm always interested to see what beauty products other women are using. If I'm gone overnight on a girls weekend, I like to see what products other girls felt they couldn't go a night without. Or, if I'm looking around in Sephora and someone walks in a goes straight towards something, picks it up, and buys it, then you'd better believe I'm going to go over there (after they're gone, of course) and see what they came in there for. Maybe it's something I NEED. What if it's the one product that will solve ALL of my problems? If you are a woman in that situation, how could you NOT go check that out?
So today I'm telling you what my top 5 beauty products are at the moment, in hopes that if you have some favorites, you can share your secrets with me as well!
1. The first one on my list is the product that I have been using the longest. And I love, love, love it. It's called Naked, and it is THE best eye shadow compact I've ever used. It is expensive up front (around $45), but I have been using the same compact daily for at least 2 years, and it barely looks touched. I have the Naked 1 pallet, but they have come out with the Naked 2, and also a smaller compact with only matte colors. I didn't like the #2 as well because it has a lot more of the shimmery colors, and I prefer matte most of the time.
2. A couple of months ago when I was in Sephora, I was told (by a guy that wore WAY more makeup than I do), that I should think about getting a BB cream. I had never even heard of a BB cream, but I HAD to see what all of the fuss was about. So he grabbed me by arm and off we skipped (not really, but he was so excited and moving so fast, we may as well been skipping) to the BB creams. Y'all. I'm not usually such as easy sell (except for that one time with the vaccum cleaner), but when he put a little of this cream on my hand, it felt like silk. And I had to have it. (Good job, makeup boy.Good job.) Anyway, this cream goes on like a liquid foundation (a little goes a LONG way), but it works as a primer, moisturizer, light foundation, and sunscreen. It can be worn alone or as a base. It helps even skin tone and diffuses light (which is apparently good for the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles) and it minimizes pores (mine are sinkholes, so this is a good thing). It's not heavy at all, and feels like I'm not wearing anything. There are lots of different lines that carry a BB cream, but the one I use is by Tarte (and my new best friend at Sephora swears this one is the best.) I love it and hope they never quit making it.
3. I guess you could say I'm a little lazy when it comes to taking makeup off at night, but really...what woman likes to splash water on their face every night before bed? That just seems to get my hair, clothes, and sink area all wet, so I tend to avoid doing that. This is where these No 7 wipes come in handy. I've used other makeup wipes before, but these are hands-down the best in my opinion. They leave my face feeling really clean, and they even get off mascara, which cannot be said for most other facial wipes. These can be found at Target and cost around $7.00 for 30 wipes. Well worth it in my opinion.
4. Ok, you know how I said the BB cream can be used alone? Well, I usually put a powder on top of it. It's called Sonya Aloe Mineral Makeup, by Forever Living. You have to buy Forever Living products from an individual that sells it (kind of like Mary Kay) (and no, I do not sell this product so there is nothing in it for me), but I do like it more than the Bare Essentials foundation (even though I still use their Mineral Veil, on occasion). This makeup has all natural products (including aloe) and I like that it doesn't feel heavy on my face. And the foundation brush that they have is really soft and just feels good, so I would recommend getting that, too, as long as you're buying. I do know a few people that sell this product if you're interested.
5. I saved hair care products for last, but I couldn't just choose one. They are all the same brand, however, so I feel it can still count as one. All of the products are by Kenra and need to be purchased at a place where professional beauty supplies are sold. I use the shampoo, conditioner, boosting spray, hairspray, and thermal styling spray. They all smell yummy and work just as they are supposed to. I use the boosting spray on the roots when my hair is wet, before I blow dry. If I'm going to use a curling iron or flat iron, I use the thermal styling spray before I apply the heat, and it helps to hold the style. I finish with the hairspray. I love all of these and know several others that use them that share in that love.
Ok, so these are my favs, and I would LOVE to hear yours! I can't seem to find a mascara that I like, so suggestions on that would be great!
