heads up!

 

I will be posting Tuesday's List tomorrow, but in order to avoid spoiling any 'suprises' I've decided to switch this week's with next week's. That means tomorrow we'll be sharing our typical grocery lists (pretty straight-forward), and next week we'll share our Valentine's Day traditions/ideas.

I've got bible study tonight but I'll try to have the MckLinky up some time tomorrow morning. Hope to see you then ;)

lookalike

So apparently it's 'Celebrity Lookalike Week' on Facebook, and although I didn't change my default pic I thought it was a fun blog topic, so here goes...

The one person I've gotten most is...



Angelina Jolie.

It's the lips and the eyes that do it. Unfortunately she has a much cuter nose than me, since I've broken mine about 3 times now...



Especially when I was cheering and had a lot of lean muscle and long hair (oh to be young pre-baby...) - I would always get Hey you look like a mini Laura Croft: Tomb Raider. (I'm probably a good 3 or 4 inches shorter than Angie.)

And back in high school when I had a younger face, I was told I looked like Reese Witherspoon in the movie Fear.



If I could pick one of the 2 to star in my life story - I'd have to go with a brown-haired Reese, because let's face it... Jolie can be a little cooky!

show us your life : beauty products!

{a} Prescriptives Comfort Cleanser: A mild cleanser for all skin types. I've been very pleased with my Px skin care products! However, I heard a nasty little rumor the other day that Px is going out of business... Is this true?!?! I hope not!!!
*Ok, when I orginally posted this I was using Px, but since I have switched to Origins for all my face care needs. I've been happy with the transition, and best of all, Origins is MUCH cheaper!

{b} Origins Spot Remover: This tiny little bottle is $11, but it is SO worth it! I can't say enough about this stuff - it works wonders! I don't break out often, but every now and then I'll get a stubborn little 'stress' spot on my chin or cheek. Apply this serum with a q-tip at night and whenever I think about it, and I swear to you it's almost totally clear within 12-24 hours!

{c} Prescriptives All You Need Moisturizer: Again, I love my Px... I especially like this moisturizer because it's very light, so you don't feel greasy after putting it on, but it does the trick. It also has SPF 15, which is nice to have on every day to protect your skin.
*Once again - I'm now using Origins Matte Scientist moisturizer. I actually liked the Px one better, but oh well...

{d} MAC Satin Finish Foundation: I actually just recently switched from MAC's Studio Fix foundation to this mineralized Satin Finish and I just love it! It's lightweight and gives me more of a 'glow' as oppossed to looking cakey. Perfect for day-to-day wear. It's also lasting me longer since it goes on thinner.

{e} Revlon Color Stay Under-eye Concealer: I've been using this for years now because between my allergies, working nights, and a toddler I tend to get bags under my eyes. I just dab this on between my foundation and powder and Ta-Dah! ...No bags :) I actually get a shade or two lighter than my skin tone, so when I set it with my powder it perfectly balances out.

{f} Physician's Formula Mineralized Face Powder: Love this stuff because, again, it's lightweight and fairly translucent so instead of piling up on top of my foundation, it literally just "sets" it. It also has a more satin finish, as oppossed to matte.

{g} MAC Mineralized Skin Finish: Maybe my most favorite product yet... I use this just to 'highlight' my face. The end result: a perfectly healthy glow!

{h} i.d. Bare Minerals Blush: Geeze, I've had this same container of blush for years now! It's just lastet that long (I don't use a whole lot) and it works for me. I also love the Physician's Formula mineralized pressed blush. I got a free sample with one of my powders, and it's much less messy than my loose Bare Minerals, so I've actually been using that more lately.

{i} Maybelline Colossal Volume Mascara: I'm a firm believer that drug store brand mascara is the best. I'm pretty sure I've tried just about every brand out there, but I always come back to these $7 tubes. They just work for me. I'm especially loving this little yellow tube lately...

{j} Physician's Formula Waterproof Eyeliner: Another product I've had for forever... Bare minimum, I've always had to use eyeliner at least on the 'shelf' of my bottom eyelid. I have this pencil in 'charcoal' and it has been great for every day use, as well as for more formal occassions when I want to line my entire eye. I like the waterproof version because something about the shape of my eyes tends to make normal liner run after a few hours. This pencil seems to hold up pretty well!

As far as eyeshadows - I jump around. I have a few by MAC, a lot from Walgreen's, and I also love me some Bobbi Brown.

{k} Prenatal Vitamins: I never stopped taking them after I had Knox. They just do wonders for my hair, skin, and nails!

update/banana pudding

So we've been kind of busy around here lately, but here's just a little summary of the past week or so...

Friday it was rainy and gross, so we laid pretty low here. I sewed and worked on some Photoshop projects while James went downtown to pick up my new "toy". (I'll touch more on this later, but hint... It has 4 wheels.) We had some friends over for dinner and had a good ole time eating burgers and *Paula Deen's Banana Pudding. (A winner!)

Saturday, it was "Work Day" at church. The boys tore down walls, made them, built a stage, did things with wires, and although I'd like to say I made some great contribution, there just wasn't a whole lot of girlie work to be done. (I know the difference between a philip's head and a flat head - thanks to Handy Manny - and that's about the extent of my carpentry knowledge.) However, Courtney and I did manage to sneak off to Hobby Lobby to get some 'pretties' to spruce up the sanctuary. And once the new walls are finished we'll be painting, and next up - curtains! So although we had it easy yesterday, our time is coming...

We made it to church on Sunday, grabbed some lunch, and then came home and NAPPED!

Monday, I took advantage of James being home and slept until 9:30 (don't think I've done that since college), but sadly I missed MOPS. Oh well... The extra shut-eye was worth it! We got KFC for dinner (Mmm-Mm!) and the boys tagged along with me to my Esther bible study that night so they could play trains/X-Box with the other girls' boys upstairs...

And then last night we had more dinner guests over to help us eat up James' signature fajitas and some homemade apple cobbler...

*Now...

About that Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding. Here's Paula's original recipe, but here's how I did it...

1 3.5oz box of French Vanilla instant pudding
2 cups cold milk
1 can sweetened condensed milk
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 standard container of Cool Whip
2-3 bags of Pepperidge Farm Chessman Cookies
several (I used 3-4) medium-ripe bananas, sliced

Make pudding according to box directions and let 'set'. In a seperate bowl combine cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk with a hand mixer. Fold in Cool Whip, and then fold in pudding. Line a casserole dish with 1 layer of cookies, then sliced banana, and top with a layer of pudding. Repeat these 3 layers once, and then top with a final layer of cookies. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (At least a few hours.)

What I did different? Well first of all, Paula calls for a 5oz box of pudding and I don't think thoses exist. Plus the directions on the 3.5oz box calls for the 2 cups of milk, so I figured that the sizing of that box may have been a type-o on the PD site. Either way, it tasted perfect with just the 3.5oz! And then, Paula only layers the cookies/banana/pudding once in a 13"x9" dish, and then tops with cookies. But I wanted to use a smaller dish, so I layered them twice. (However I still didn't use all of the pudding filling since my dish was so much smaller.) Plus I kind of like how the cookies tasted sandwhiced in the middle. I definitely recommend doing it that way!

Now I love my old fasioned recipe for banana pudding, but I don't know how many times it's gonna get used in the future because this one is just too easy! Not to mention I love what the substitution of butter cookies for the standard vanilla wafers does for it. YUM :) But WARNING: This is NOT a Weight Watchers friendly dessert... But totally worth it ;) Haha!

tuesday's list : favorite verses

 
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I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
This one is pretty self-explanatory, and has been a favorite of mine ever since I can remember. I used to write it on the inside band of my Soffe shorts before cheer tryouts and on my ribbons for competition. It's just a great little reminder, that through Him I can move mountains :)

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV)
This is my "it can't get any worse than this" verse. When I think I'm just absolutely maxed out and can't handle anymore - and I've been there far too many times for my liking - these words remind me who I can turn to for strength and renewal.

For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him.
1 Samuel 1:27 (KJV)
I adopted this verse as a mother. The words come from Hannah when she's dedicating her long-awaited child. She goes on to say 'So now I give him to Lord...'

And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this.
Esther 4:14 (NIV)
I didn't 'get' this verse until I started Beth Moore's Esther study... This is what Mordecai tells Queen Esther (both Jews) when she hesitating about confronting King Xerxes about his plan to slaughter the Jews. It basically means that 'God has blessed you with this position of power for a reason, and maybe this is it...'

'For I know the plans I have for you' declares the Lord. 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
Again, this one is pretty obvious, but we talked about it in church last Sunday, so it's fresh in my mind... It's just conveys such a message of hope. Especially when I think I'm in control (Ha!) and things don't turn out quite according to my plans... I know the plans I have for you, He says.

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him.
Isaiah 30:18 (NIV)
This one reminds me that I am a daughter of God. And just like I want to be 'gracious' (spoil) Knox, as his mother I know what's best for him, and sometimes that is to wait on that special something. God wants us to be happy and painfree, but He;s our father and His timing is always perfect. So sometimes we must wait..

...and a little child will lead them.
Isaiah 10:11
There are several references to 'children leading' in the bible, one of the first being in Isaiah. I was recently approached about an opportunity to head up our church's womens ministry, and while talking it over with James all I could think about was how ill-equipped I was. I mean, I've only been a member of a WM for a few months now, and at 23 I'm barely a woman, myself. So I laughed (and gave in) when he quoted Isaiah by saying "and a child shall lead them." So it looks like I'm the new head of Women's Ministry (HELP!), and maybe between some online research and a whole lot of prayers I can figure this thing out... (And I guess that officially fulfills number 44 of my 101 Goals.)

I could honestly just go on and on, but I won't... I can't wait to see what you ladies have come up with!