It’s been about a year since I’ve been completely surrounded by males. Boys. Men. Testosterone.  A YEAR.  While I love them all to death, I’ve been feeling like I might turn into one of them if I don’t do something. It’s pretty easy to relax around the dudes.  Nobody (including my husband) cares how I look, what I wear around the house, if I fart (they all do it. UGH!), if I eat like a pig, or if my hair isn’t done.

I may not be the girliest girl on earth, but deep down inside, I am a GIRL. I like to smell good. I like my hair to look nice. And I LOVE makeup. I started playing in it when I was about 11 years old.  I got so good at it, my momma let me wear FULL makeup when I was 13. I was in heaven.  I bought and played in it until I had my son. I had TONS of makeup! Then it all came to a halt. First, being a single mom doesn’t leave you a lot of time to be in the mirror experimenting. Second, it doesn’t leave you a lot of money to try things out.  So while I still wore makeup, it was no longer one of my favorite pastimes.

Then, when Sweet Pea was about three, I discovered MAC. Whoooooooo!  I had never been so grateful for my little chubby-cheeked tax deduction as I was then.  First time at the MAC counter I spent over $200.  And fed my addiction almost every payday after.  I still didn’t really experiment; I just had a lot more tools to get my face looking good.  I fell into a routine, and could do my face in 5 minutes.  But I fell into a rut. My look was nice, but always subdued. Nice colors, nothing bold. Part of that was me not having the guts to try new stuff, and part of Sweet Pea’s aversion to red lipstick ever since he could talk. SERIOUSLY. He got mad at me today when I said I was buying red lipstick!

Luckily, I have a husband who likes all the girly stuff. He wants me to wear makeup. Loves lip gloss. Goes with me to pick out wigs.  I suppose now I have a REASON to get all made up. Before, it felt like a waste of time. Get up, go to work, come home – who cares about makeup??

Well, I do now.  This week, I’ve stocked up. Got lots of eyeshadows from Covergirl’s QUEEN collection, which I LOVE.  Today, made my first trip to Ulta and got acquainted with NYX Cosmetics. I’m having fun. Trying these other brands because I can’t do a lot of MAC on my budget. Gotta do this on the cheap. My makeup stash is anemic. lol

And remembering what it’s like to be a GIRL.  Pictures of stash and face will be forthcoming!

{mrsday}

Summer is coming to an end. Fall is quickly approaching. Fall is, by far, my favorite season.  It seems to signify beginnings to me, much more than a new year does.  The kids are going back to school.  I’m going  back to school. The weather is much more bearable, and it’s so much more comfortable to sleep at night.

It’s no longer necessary to eat the lightest thing possible because you’re too hot.  I can go back to my comfort foods!  My favorites are:

Baked Macaroni and Cheese: I make a slammin’ mac & cheese, if I do say so myself. It’s a favorite of all the Day dudes.  I enjoy making it for them. However, once this oppressively hot summer it, they were out. of. luck.  I’ll be glad when I can make it again.

Broccoli Casserole: Mix chopped broccoli, Miracle Whip, cheddar cheese, onions, lots of butter, and Ritz crackers on top….HEAVEN.  My aunt used to make this for holidays. One holiday, she wasn’t going to be able to make it. Rather than spend a Christmas with no Broccoli Casserole, I learned to make it myself.  Now every time I make it, it’s  a holiday!

Sweet Potato Pie: I LOVE Sweet Potato Pie! It may look like pumpkin pie to you, but do not be deceived: It does not taste like pumpkin pie. It’s a zillion times better.  I usually just buy it from Wal-Mart of Sam’s Club because I’m lazy. I have, however, made one from scratch ONCE.  Man…me knowing how to make this pie is dangerous!  Dangerous because, if I wanted, I could make it all year around.  However, I already said, I’m lazy, so I settle for buying it between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Now see…I’ve gone and made myself hungry.  I sweat the weatherman said the next 10 days would be cooler.  I think one (maybe two!) of these recipes may bless my family’s taste buds soon!

{mrsday}

Update:

  It’s the end of the semester. I’m bogged down in term papers and finals. It’s hard to find time to THINK, let alone post. However, I thought I should say SOMETHING here!

Part 5 is coming! I haven’t forgotten! Just be patient with me. When April is over, I can concentrate on writing again.

 Random thoughts:

• Being a wife is easy. TJ makes it easy. I love that man!
• Being a stepmom is not hard, but it wears me out. I have to really put thought into this. What kind of stepmom do I want to be? That’ll be a post later.
• I have to carve out time for Sweet Pea. He is so used to having me to himself. He’s adjusting well, but I don’t wanna take that for granted.
• I am firmly convinced that raising boys is a way different challenge than raising girls. When I was pregnant with Sweet Pea, I desperately wanted a girl. Now I see God was preparing me for this very moment by giviing me a boy. Yeah….that’ll be a post later also.

I am SO looking forward to the summer!  I’m tired of school!  I’ll be back at the beginning of May.

So, in the heat of anger (unnecessary anger at that), an ex told me that I was uppity, on a high horse, and not really black.  That was 2 years ago. I broke up with him soon after that ridiculous conversation.

Guess who’s trying to get back?

I’m not angry with him, but I don’t want any parts of dating him. And Lord forgive me, I have not forgotten those comments.

Besides, if my son doesn’t want you to know where we live now…we probably don’t need to be dating. LOL!

Got this from Pure Church. It’s written by a fellow named Skip Moen:

I believe that God is the sovereign ruler of all creation.

I believe that God is a God of order, not confusion or chaos.

I believe that God is compassionate beyond measure, faithful to a fault, merciful and forgiving.

I believe that I am lost and hopelessly ruined without His daily intervention and interaction in my life.

I believe that the systems of this world lie within the power of the evil one who unfailingly pursues the destruction of all of God’s creation, including me.

I believe that reliance on human effort, human thinking and human willpower aligns me with the systems of this world and places me within the power of the evil one.

I believe that my own experience confirms my total inability to rescue myself from destructive choices.

I believe that I am addicted to my own agendas, mood-altering behaviors and self-sufficiency.

I believe that Yeshua died on the cross to redeem me from the power of sin that would otherwise dominate and control my life.

I believe that Yeshua alone can set me free from this slavery to self and systems.

I believe that Yeshua calls me to a baptism of death in order to destroy self-sufficiency and system-addict thinking.

I believe that until I surrender completely to His will and lordship, I will falter in every attempt to live a life pleasing to God.

I believe that discipleship is the invitation to become a voluntary slave to the will of Yeshua and the plan of the Father.

I believe that God desires my devotion to Him above all else and He will tax the farthest star and the last grain of sand in order to help me express that devotion.

I believe that obedience is more valuable than knowledge.

I believe that the will of the Father is manifest in the midst of suffering, affliction and hardship because these are the principles of kingdom redemptive work.

I believe that God provides for His children, lifts them from affliction, grants them peace and joy and prepares them for purposes beyond this life.

I believe that God’s path of righteousness is clear to those who are led by the Spirit and trust in His Word found in Holy Scripture.

I believe that I must live by every word from the mouth of God, eschewing all temptations to rely on my own understanding, efforts and abilities.

I believe that I am called to emulate Yeshua, accept his path, identify with his suffering and experience the power of his resurrection.

I believe that God is trustworthy regardless of all my circumstances and that He will not fail to bring about what is best for me.

I believe that others should see Yeshua in the conduct of my life.

To this end, I declare today a commitment to act only under the direction of my Lord and God, leaving behind any consideration of the world’s measures of success and any attempts to determine my own agendas for life. I realize and acknowledge that this commitment will require my total dependence on moment-to-moment interaction with my Lord. Today and henceforth, I am a slave of Yeshua the Messiah.

Signed _____________________ Date ____________________