Made up make up

So, I've been thinking about what to do with my ever growing yet increasingly neglected cosmetics collection. Then Ginger posted her beauty goals, and so I'm doing the same. Making a list of house stuff has led to us getting new towels & soon an actual bed skirt. Maybe doing that with beauty stuff will help too.

1. Wear make up. OK. It sounds simple, but I rarely leave myself the time to put on  makeup. Between toddler wrangling, baby whispering, housekeeping, and the swiftly expanding list of kdramas I NEEEEEED to watch, eye-shadow & blush are falling off the radar.

2. Blush. I have some that I like but my naturally pink face means I rarely wear it. It seems silly to cover the pink with foundation just to re-pink it with blush. I don't have highlight/contouring skills, so blush is just something to add a "healthy glow." Anyway, I put some of my pretty MAC blush from the Disney Villains collection. It's Maleficent & the cookie is canned Briar Rose. I don't have pictures, but all day I was quite pleased with my reflection. So now I want to figure out how to wear all my blush.

3. Highlighting & Contouring. It's all the rage on Pintertest. When I got a MAC makeover a few years ago, I remember being stunned at how they changed the shape of my jaw & gave me cheekbones with just make up. It's nothing new, but I want to learn how to do it on my own face.

4. Good skin care. I have a Clarisonic Mia (it's purple) & my skin really seems to like being cleaned with oil. I've been pregnant/nursing for almost 3 years, so I'm not really sure what my skin is really like, but I'm (hopefully) going to be nursing most of this year too, so best to take care of this version of my skin.

5. Neutrals. I want to learn to use the pretty nude palettes I bought, like Naked3 & some Benefit stuff. Natural eye-shadow isn't what I'm used to or good at. But with blush, I think natural might be a good direction.

I think that's a good start.

What I can control

I've been thinking about resolutions & goals & what-not. I'm a few weeks late to that party, but I'm going to ride the coattails of my 2 week late baby.

There's stuff that I want out of 2014. I want a whole calendar year where no one I love dies. Eleanor has been to more funerals in her tiny life than I'd been to in my whole life before she was born. I'd rather Garrison take after me in that respect, not her. But other than resolving not to commit murder, I can't control that.

I'd really like to see the people closest to me have true joy & peace in their lives. Other than resolving to be less stressful to them, I can't control that.

I'd like my dad's cancer to stop growing. Forever. But I can't control that.

Here's what I can control & what I do want to do.

I want to have more dinners with my friends. I want to invite my friends to dinner for no reason other than I thought of them. I love when folks call and say, "Hey! It's a day that ends in y, wanna have tacos?" So I'm going to do that too. Come to Dallas. We'll have tacos.

Today I stepped on a scale while holding Garrison. The number I saw was still smaller than what I'd been seeing at this time last year. Right now I'm in the grips of The Nursing Hunger, but I would like to have some more protein/veggie snacks & less cake. Well. No. I never want less cake, but I'd like to continue to fit into my smaller sized clothes.

Oh, speaking of clothes, now that I'm (most likely) done being pregnant, I want to purge my closet. Adjusting my expectations to being a mom & wife as primary job duties comes with a shift in wardrobe. I have plenty of yoga pants. I don't want to look schlubby all the time. I want to be comfy but still feel like my clothes make the most of the shape I am.

Speaking of closets, I'd love to purge towels too. Move the ratty ones to the "dog's bath" cabinet & replace the decades old ones with absorbent & colorful ones. Ditto for sheets.

I want to get each of our cars outfitted with a proper emergency kit.

I didn't quite make my goal of 500 miles for 2012. I made it to 489. Not bad, but 500 this year.

I want to wear my stuff. Jewelry & makeup. I think this means I'll have to get up earlier, which I'm not excited about. For now, I'm going to choose sleep over accessories, but as Garrison sleeps longer at a stretch, that might change.

That's what I can work on. That's what I can control.

And now gratuitous pictures of my kids.

Schmooblies, dreams and some other stuff

A quick review, in case you forgot:
This is my husband.


I know, right?

 He's a musician. That has lots of perks, and also some drawbacks. Right now (as I type this, probably not as you read this) he's in Houston, auditioning for The Voice, which is sort of American Idol-ish, only, a little different, but essential the same--singing competition reality show, and stuff. Anyway, he never was interested in American Idol, that I remember, but has LOVED The Voice. And being the awesome, ambitious, dream-chasing man that I love, he signed up for the live auditions in Houston. And that's where he is. Singing his heart out. I'm so stinkin' proud of him. Mostly because he's chasing his dream of making music full time. Which is funny, because he also loves his "day job" so much. I don't know anyone who is so happy with both their 9-5 and their hobby jobs. He's very lucky in that way, and I totally reap the benefits of a happy husband, so I'm lucky too.

So, dreams, in the "life goals" way, not the "what happened in my brain last night" way, because what happened in my brain last night is just disturbing and not to be shared with the internet, because no one but me cares. But life goals... see, mine are vague. I have a card with this quote from Jack Kerouac, "...the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars."  and a fridge magnet that says "To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."--Ralph Waldo Emerson  I really think that sums it up for me in lots of ways. Perfectly ambitious I think.

I was going to have more to say, enough to add a third "and other stuff" paragraph, but it's my wonderful coworker's last day & we're headed out to lunch to celebrate. I'm really gonna miss him, so that's all I have to say about that.  Oh, and good luck to him. And to my husband. And to everyone today--have great days. Do well at the things you want to accomplish. Be well, because I probably like you a lot.