Pics, Consecration and Paint Colors

Hey all!  There's not a lot of big things happening here, but here are a few "newsies" and some cute Luke photos:

He LOVES to crawl in cubes and then stand up and turn around inside them, then leap out!

Luke went over to Grandpa & Grandma's house and climbed right up on the desk by himself.

Being silly in front of the camera!  Mommy stuck out her tongue.  Luke thought that was too funny, so he stuck out his too!  We love our iPhone and Luke loves to take "selfies"!

- I signed up for and completed my Consecration to Mary on December 8th by reading "33 Days to Morning Glory", which has 33 small readings and reflections for the day.  I (surprisingly) didn't miss many days ... about 3-4 total, which I made up doing double the readings on the following day.  There are so many great points in that book and I highly recommend reading it and consecrating yourself to Mary!  I remember thinking that only the "very Catholic people" would consecrate themselves, but then I realized that I am praying a daily Memorare for my family & friends, asking Mary's intercession for them and their intentions ... so how much "harder" is it to have her even more in my life?  It's not.  :-)  I try each day to act better and remember to ask her to intercede in my life.  Some days are better than others, but I do try.

- At Mass last Sunday, (the Immaculate Conception and the Day of Consecration), our little Lukie was quite the irritable inconsolable child with his tantrum during Mass.  We sat in the back pew, but after about 10 minutes, had to move to the cry room.  It was full, so we didn't get a pew, but rather sat in a few chairs in the back.  Without a pew to constrain Luke, he ran all over, including up to the front to be by a large Catholic family.  He jumped on the kneelers.  He ran over to pound on the window.  He kept making one of the boys get up to get out of his way to get to a window.  Then, he started coughing all over the kids, so we hopped up to get him.  I was mortified.  We couldn't pick him up and hold him, as he would scream bloody murder.  We needed a "naughty cry room", as he was the only one acting up.      He was screaming and flailing and rolling all over, so we left.  Yep.  We left Mass about mid-way through.  (Very terrible, I know.)  We get home, and the little stinker is running all over, forgetting about how naughty he was during Mass.  I was soooo irritated.  We cannot figure how to corral his energy and attitude, as today at Mass, DH took him into the cry room during the readings and I could hear him screaming through the entire homily.  They need thicker glass.

- At work, the other designer and I received a bonus for all the good work we are doing / have done at our job this last year.  That's pretty good, considering it is a rare occurrence to get anything more than $100, says the manager.  We were the only 2 out of 8 people to get one.  I am pretty excited, as hopefully my skills are showing well at work.  I am the computer whiz (my DH laughs and laughs at that, as I am clearly not at home) and the labeler / organizer at work.  It drives me nuts to have things messy and out of order.  I always get asked if I am working on anything, as I guess my desk is too clean to actually be doing any work.  I am very thankful to God, as money has been tight over the last year since the move.  Our income has been cut in half (almost), but it has been worth it, in my eyes.  We keep tithing and praying and God hasn't let us down yet.  He always provides.


- We drove down to see Josh's brother & family, as well as Luke's birth mom, Becca, over the Thanksgiving holiday.  We had a very nice time visiting everyone.  Luke had fun playing with his cousin (2 months older) during the time we were there.  They are going to be trouble the older they get, I think.  Becca and her family shared news that she had married her boyfriend (who was there during Luke's birth), so we were very excited for her!  I think they have a very good relationship and know he loves her son Eli (Luke's older brother).  Luke had fun jumping on the couches, playing with Eli, playing with Becca and wearing himself out!  He found Eli's cup of Koolaid and promptly drank it all up, one sip at a time (put down cup ... pick up cup ... sip ... put down cup ... pick up cup ... sip ... repeat)!  It was so cute!  We got a huge kick out of it!

Visiting DH's Grandma in the nursing home over Thanksgiving.  She has fallen several times & broken both her hips in the last year.  She has started to forget things, but always has a bright smile for her "little Lukie".  She brags about his hair and his smile to all who will listen.  She adopted DH's mom & DH's aunt about 60 years ago and been an inspiration to me.

Smiling for the camera on Thanksgiving.  Posing with us is Luke's cousin J (2 months older) and my MIL (DH's mom)

My little cheesy guy Luke with his cousin J.  They had fun sitting together and racing in the chair for a good 30 minutes!  They had the cutest laughs & squeals!

That is DH pushing the kiddos across the basement at BIL's house.  They loved it!!

- In Kitchen Remodel news, we have gotten the recessed can lights installed in the ceiling, some other electrical moved/installed, and the sheetrock up on the wall.  It's only taken 2 weeks.  (sigh)  It is a very slow process.  We waited all last week for sheetrock, then finally the guy comes Friday afternoon and hangs it.  It still has to be mudded and textured, then the ceiling painted before any Cabinets can be hung.  Hopefully by the end of the week we will have some Cabinets on the wall.  I'm not holding my breath.  We have flooring install scheduled for the last week of December, so I hope that Cabinets will be installed before then.  The week of Christmas is kind of burned through, as it is the middle of the week, so my guess is that anything that has to happen has to happen this week.  We will be living without Countertops until mid-January, I estimate, as there is Christmas + the countertop guy is taking a week off the first part of January.  Plus, he has other jobs to do.  At least get me my Cabinets and some Appliances.  I can make do without a sink ... I just need to stop piling crap on top of other crap.  That would make my day! 

After removing the old ceiling fan in the Kitchen, the single light in the dining room & adding (6) recessed can lights, it suddenly was brighter!  There will be three pendants above the island (blue boxes in the ceiling), a light over the dining table & a light over the sink.  Plus, you don't see the hideous old walls now that sheetrock is up!  It looks like we made progress.  :-)

Now ... who wants to pick a paint color with me?!??  I'm leaning towards these colors.  Do you like Blue-Grey or Brown walls?  I'm sure I'll post pics to have you vote here soon.  :-D

- Luke and I continue to pray for you all and your particular intentions every day at bedtime.  I know God hears my prayers, but I hope he will hear the prayers of Luke more (even though Luke doesn't get the whole process and bounces away or cries while I'm praying).  We pray especially for those of you who have empty arms this year and those of you waiting to find a spouse.  I can't forget those feelings myself.

The Kitchen Remodel Begins!

Last weekend (Saturday), we decided to tear out the Kitchen.  I figured that we'd better get started, since there always seems to be a bump (or two) in the road.  And there certainly have been!

DH spent Saturday morning re-arranging the furniture to corral Luke for the next few months, while I dropped Luke off at Grandma & Grandpa's house for a full day of playtime & walks while we tore stuff out.

Here is a shot of one of the last "before" pics - before we removed any built-in item from the Kitchen.  It is fun to look back and see how things used to look, hence the bazillion pictures. :)

Another shot of the Kitchen in all its glory!  (Plus a cat, who was interested in hanging out, but soon ran once the sledgehammers & crowbars came out.)

This is DH after removing the wall cabinets.  We found out that there must have been existing cabinets (the ones we tore out), but the wall wasn't there - they added it later.  It was some CRAZY construction on the Cabinets, let me tell ya!

If you ever tear out a countertop with a seating overhang, this is the only way to loosen the top.  It has worked twice now!  :)  (P.S.  you need a hunky guy with amazing leg strength, too.)

We tore out the corner base Cabinets and started seeing more of the beautiful handcrafted Cabinetry.  (belchhh!)  It sure feels more open!!

Proof that the wall was built AFTER the Cabinets were installed.  Retro doors!  Wow!  I wonder why they covered this up?  

After tackling the right side of the Kitchen, we skip the sink base and move to the left side.  We move the appliances (or start to) and realize the refrigerator has a water line for the ice maker (which we did not use).  We disconnect the water line, wondering if it is hooked up ... and sure enough, it is!  We shoot water into a trash can & shut off water to the whole house while we go to the hardware store & DH finds a cap for the line.  Thank goodness he is so handy!!

We removed all the Cabinets that we plan to (for now).  We are leaving the sink for as long as we can.  The sink cabinet is built as one big cavity with the corner cabinet, so for now, it all stays.  

The mess outside after Day 1 Demolition.  We didn't get a dumpster, so this will sit for awhile until we find a vehicle to take it to the dump.   #GhettoFabulous!

On Wednesday of this week, we break into the soffits that were framed in above the Cabinets and also tear out the stud wall that separated the Kitchen from the Living Room.  We took a break for a few days, as we found a few things that looked like structural issues & made the Kitchen Designer in me want to tear my hair out!  The stupid "half-wall with decorative posts between the Refrigerator & Stove actually concealed the vertical post you can see in the picture (it is wood at the bottom & sheetrock covered above), which we believed was sitting below a ceiling beam, making it structural.  Also the end of the framed wall was sitting below that same ceiling beam, making us think that was structural too.  After calling in a contractor, we thankfully discovered both were not issues!  I was trying to think how to modify the Kitchen ... the post wasn't an issue ... but the framed wall was!

Some of the beautiful wallpaper we found when we knocked out the soffits above.  There were three different kinds of wallpaper, some of which my dad said dated the house to the 40's & 50's.  It was really kind of neat to find that there!

My little brother found a picture of our house being moved (it was in our local paper back in November 1996).  We knew it had been moved & a new foundation was installed (which makes our basement that much more open & less creepy!), but it is SO cool to see the history behind it!  This is showing the back of our house.  The back door from the Kitchen (same door!) with the criss-cross glass pattern, the window to our dining area, and the open hole is the back door down to the basement stairs.  It looks a little rougher then than it does now, but we are sure thankful for its journey!

Well, now that the fun stuff happened to transform the Kitchen, we're doing some glorified camping.  The plastic to the right of the picture contains the old Kitchen, Dining area, Laundry closet & Bathroom.  We have segregated ourselves in the Living Room for the near future.

DH and Luke (who looks thrilled!) showing off our Kitchenette area.  We have a toaster oven, microwave, paper towel holder, plastic plates, plastic bowls & plastic silverware to tide us over until the new stuff can be installed.  We are actually thankful we have so much space to be in during this remodel.  Our last house remodel in Kansas left us segregated in the Master Bedroom only, as we had the Living Room, Kitchen & Dining Room torn up for 2 months.  Good thing it was just us two at the time ... it was crazy tight quarters!  

A smiley little boy today!  We have him barricaded off with the chair you see in the bottom right of the picture.  So far (thank God!), he has not tried to climb through the chair legs & sprint off into the debris that is the Kitchen!

Currently, we are waiting on getting a plumber and electrician in to do their stuff.  They are both supposed to come next week (which is a short week, due to Thanksgiving).  Hopefully we can make some progress, as they have to be done first before we can do the sheetrock, then paint, then Cabinets, Countertops, Flooring, Appliances & Backsplash Tile.  We have a LOOOOONG way to go!

Tantrums of the Terrible (Almost) 2's

I haven't read many parenting books on discipline other than watching Super Nanny (lol!) and catching a few good blog posts or things on the internet here and there.  I say this, as I feel frustrated at times with Luke and how he behaves.  I believe he is "testing the waters" with some of his behaviors, as well as trying to figure out these crazy things called "emotions" and dealing with frustration.  He is 19.5 months old and I know the "terrible two's" can start early.  I'm looking for some ways to correct the following behavior:

Scenario #1:  Church
We get a small pew & give Luke space within the pew to sit, stand on the kneeler, rotate his array of books in the book holder, etc.  I will read to him his favorite books that we generally save for Church, making them more "special", and he will munch on goldfish or cheerios throughout the Mass.  Then, something happens ... like ... we have to stand up, but we were looking at / reading a huge popup book of his open and I can't hold him AND the book, he will get mad/frustrated, throw the book, flail in my arms, flail his arms and hit me in the face, pull my hair, etc.  All I can do is to hold his arms together (if he's hitting me) and say "no, don't do that" or "please stop" while people all around stare (mortifying!).  Sometimes he's out of control and yelling that we have to head to the back.  I know he wants to not be confined and have space to run, but I want to (and am determined to) teach him to at least be quiet in a somewhat confined space for an hour.  We are going to be going to Mass for a long time!

Scenario #2:  In Public / Restaurants
My entire family (10 of us) went to eat at Cracker Barrel when we went to visit my brother last weekend.  Luke sat at the end of the table, by me and my dad.  He really loves Grandpa and going on walks with him ... and I think does obey him pretty well generally.  Grandpa spoils him and lets him do things that are special ... like drink out of a regular water glass (Luke thinks that's a big hit!).  When Luke can't drink out of the special glass for the 8th time in a row, he gets mad and starts to grab for things on the table to throw on the floor.  He starts with his sippy cup, then any food, then anything else he can possibly get his hands on ... plates, glasses, utensils, you name it!  I understand he is frustrated, but he won't stop after being told don't do that or "no-no", after holding his hands together, after saying "lets be gentle", pushing him away from the table in his highchair so that he can't reach anything ... nothing works.  It takes him awhile to simmer down.

Scenario #3:  At Home
Luke can't do something with "x" (the remote control, eating/slobbering on my cell phone, climbing on the end table, etc), so he picks up an object and throws it.  Typically it is behind the couch or off the back of the chair.  He will look at you after he throws it and say "oohhhhhhhhhhh" in a voice where I know that HE knows he did something naughty.

I know you should be consistent, but I have also heard to not say "no-no" too much and "don't spank, that's where they learn to hit", etc.  I grew up with spanking as punishment - It sure got the point across.  I don't object to spanking.  I think Luke's too young for time out ... but maybe he's not.  DH likes to yell "NO-NO!" in a very loud voice, but I'm not sure that that's very effective (maybe for life-or-death situations, not every day).

I've tried to ignore Luke's bad behavior (it's just a phase), I've tried to correct it with words other than "no-no", I've tried saying "No!", I've tried spankings ... I just don't know what to do.

What works for you?

What's your Favorite?

We are re-doing our Kitchen shortly and I have to make some decisions regarding flooring ... what color do I pick?  I am the person who agonizes over and over on things, as well as second guesses herself at every turn.  Even though I do this for a living, it is easier to give advice and recommendations to someone else, rather than myself.  

Here are the two final options:

Materials Shown Above:  The dark Cherry "Mocha" door is for the perimeter Kitchen Cabinets.  It is the color, but not the door style.  The painted wood chip sample is the color of the Island.  The Countertop color is Wilsonart HD laminate in "Cosmos Granite".  The floors shown are both vinyl plank (not your typical sheet vinyl).  This way it looks more like real wood and also a plank can be removed if it is damaged and replaced with a new one.

Option 1 Flooring is pictured above ... 

It is a traditional looking floor, which my DH says will go best with the house.  It does pick up some color in the Countertop & Cabinets (which I have on order already, so they can't be changed).  

Option 2 Flooring is pictured above:

This is more of a "grey-ish" modern color tone than the first floor.  I'm worried that it may be too modern for the house, although I like how the colors loook together ... it blends nicely with the greys in the Countertop.  But then, I still have warm wood tones in the Living Room, which is open to the Kitchen.  

This is our front entryway (the door is off to the left).  At this point, I'm keeping the stair riser and handrail stained, but I am going to paint the rest of the trim white.  Gasp!  Yes, don't paint old trim ... there are people who say this (like my relatives), but the back of the house has painted trim, the living room has a different color trim (you can see on the doorway) and I just want it all to blend.  The Entryway has original hardwood floor, with a beautiful orange tint (blech).  There is a spot in front of the dresser.  I know people don't like to cover up old hardwood, but I'm considering putting the vinyl plank here so it ties in this area with the Kitchen.  It is either that, or I stain the floor a different color.  What would you do?

This is an antique dresser I have in the entry.  It is my younger brothers, as it is on "loan" to me until he has a place to put it.  The flooring choices against the dresser make me think the floor on the left (Choice #1).

Here is the Dining Area as it is across from the Kitchen.  Notice the trim here is painted and is not "original" to the house.  Well ... the baseboard closely resembles original trim.  I showcase my new-to-me Craigslist Table and 8 chairs.  We can use 4 chairs at the table and 4 chairs at the new Island - saving me money on bar stools.  Score!

A shot of the existing Kitchen.  Note the beautiful baluster rails separating the Stove from the Refrigerator ... the beautiful soffits ... the ceiling fan ... the cabinet handles in the middle of the doors.  Oh, I'll miss it all.  :-D

Here you can see DH posing for all you ladies out there ... I told him that I was taking pictures for my blog, so he'd better move or pose.  So pose he did!  :-)  The Cat calendar is the side of the Wall Cabinet, with a wall behind it.  If I moved the box of diapers with red bag on top, you could see that the Countertop wraps around from the sink to the peninsula where the bar stools are.  You could also see that there is no Dishwasher and only 2 usable base cabinets (I use the term usable lightly).  Whoever built the Cabinets didn't take into account some corner clearances, so not all the Cabinet doors open.  Also, the Refrigerator door doesn't open all the way, as it hits the peninsula Cabinetry at about a 75 degree angle.  We are removing the wall with the Wall Cabinets and extending the Cabinets on the sink wall out to the end of the dropped ceiling / play cubes on the sink wall.  Then we will create an island at the same spot the two chairs are at, but increase the length so we'll have two more chairs.

This is the view into the Living Room. We love the open space, as Luke has a lot of room to run and play, and with the new Kitchen layout, we can keep an eye on him more when we are in the Kitchen.  Remember that I'm painting the trim on the windows, as the trim in the back is painted.  

This is a view from the front door back towards the Kitchen.  You get the full effect of some of the mess we have here.  And ... I did not decorate the walls, as I knew we'd do the Kitchen as soon as we could after moving in.  We have all of our Kitchen things ... plates, bakeware, food, etc in the bedroom on the main floor, so we wouldn't have to move stuff twice (I'm trying to be smart about it.  Haha!)  So we've been somewhat "camping" since the middle of August when we moved in.

THE NEW KITCHEN LAYOUT:  A Bird's Eye View

Here you can see the overall layout for the Kitchen.  The Refrigerator relocates to the Sink Wall.  The Stove slides down from its original location.  The island creates better traffic flow, openness and more countertop space.  Yay!

P.S.  The island will truly be one color ... I couldn't get the computer to show off the Cabinets right ... but you get the idea.  :)

Now that you've seen the plans for the Kitchen ... and seen what the rest of my house looks like ... What's your vote??  

Do you prefer .... Floor #2 (on the left) ... or Floor #1 (on the right)???

Night Three

Tonight went very smoothly!  I couldn't believe it!  I'm not sure of Luke was tired from his past nights of being up too late and still getting up early ... but I'll take it. 

Same bedtime routine as the last few days, kisses and nightlight were out by 8:08 pm. He wasn't very loud in bouncing in his crib or whining tonight. Just moving around and talking. By 8:45, I don't remember hearing anything. All was quiet and he was asleep. Hooray!!

Another perk of this new bedtime experience is that he's not woken up in the middle of the night anymore. He did good when we were in Kansas, but then we moved to Nebraska and with that came interrupted sleep. 

DH said that Luke didn't fuss when going down for his nap today. He was out in about 15 minutes. I think he is getting used to things. (Although now that I just wrote that, he'll throw a curve ball tomorrow night.)

Happy Halloween!!

Night Two

Night One took about 1-1/2 hours of crying, whining and taking his pj bottoms and diaper off (and peeing all over). When we checked on him about an hour into his crying, we discovered the fun he'd been having and put a diaper & the zippered feetie pjs on so as to stop any future antics. All Luke got last night was a sippy cup of water and that was it. It wasn't all gone in the morning, so he wasn't that thirsty.

Tonight (Day 2) we went up to his bedroom at 7:30, got pjs on, turned the lights low, read "Countdown to Bedtime" twelve times in a row, put him in his crib at 7:50, turned the lights out and said prayers together in the glow of the nightlight as he bounced away in his crib. About 8:05 prayers were done, I reset his musical penguin nightlight, kissed him, told him I loved him and left the room.  

Although he's been going to bed at 8 pm since he was 6 months old, the actual going to sleep part has been hard recently (the last month).  I'm sure he's getting more independent about bedtime too.  Oh, this discipline is hard stuff!  I want to cave to his every whim.  We'll see how long it takes him to crash tonight. Thanks ladies for your encouragement!!!

 ** UPDATE:  It is 9:30 pm and Mr. Luke has been quiet and asleep for about 10 minutes!  We're gaining!  About 20 minutes ahead of last night.  Oh, yes ... and stupid Daylight Savings Time is coming up on Saturday PM ... that will make things EXTRA fun!!

Night One ...

New sippy cups per recommendation of Joy Beyond the Cross ... water in the sippy cup ... and 1.75 hours of crying / whining later, we have sleepy-time. 

The re-training process of Luke's Bedtime has begun. Thanks, ladies, for all your GREAT Comments!!!

More updates as we go!

Sippy Cups & Drinks at Bedtime

A while back on a post I read somewhere, there were recommendations for favorite sippy cups. We have bought a few from Wal.mart, but a certain someone pokes his fingers through the spout and makes the hole bigger so that it leaks when it's on its side. I know we need to switch to a different brand (soft spout or hard spout, either is fine with me). Suggestions??

Maybe at 18 months, I should be teaching him to drink from a cup only ... not sure what the appropriate age is, but I don't think he's at that place yet. 

We also have trouble at bedtime with the cups / drinks. Luke gets milk at nap time / bedtime and we put it in the hard spout sippys / most-non-holey-soft spout sippy and he doesn't want to drink out of it. He prefers bottles. Which we have used when we have run out of sippy cups. Last night he was up between 1-3 am because he couldn't sleep / wanted a bottle, not a sippy. 

Also ... what works for weaning him off of a drink in his crib at nap/bed time?  I know he loves things in his mouth and sucking is soothing (no paci problems, as he didn't care much for those). We give him his drink and then he lays down and drinks and goes to sleep. I know the docs say that he shouldn't have anything as he will rot his teeth, but we haven't found a way to change without him being crazily upset. Suggestions?  What has worked for you?

Pumpkin Patch - 2013

We had a very fun day outside at the Pumpkin Patch today!  We went this afternoon with a high of about 64 and a slight breeze, so it was a very nice day out.  Luke didn't want to take his morning nap, so he crashed on the 15 minute drive out there.  Then we sat in the van for 45 minutes so he would get a little sleep.  Even though we did that, there were still many mini-meltdowns.  But we did get some great pictures and memories out of the day, so it turned out great!

 Riding on the Hayrack Ride out to the Pumpkin Field!

 Luke's not sure about poking his head into this hole ... not one bit!

So ... we stuck him in the corn and he just stood ... and stood ... and stood.  Luke didn't move a muscle for the longest time.  Then, he went and tried to climb up the bottom of the slide.  :)

I thought it would be cute to "measure" how tall he is.  This is the best picture I have, as the others are him crying and trying to flop to the ground.  

Mommy and her Squirmy Worm

They had some bouncy hills (not sure what to call them), but Luke and I went up and jumped and jumped for about 10-15 minutes.  He laughed and laughed!  He loves to bounce in his crib (he's been bouncing now for over an hour), but perhaps I should start bouncing, as I didn't feel so great a few minutes in.  Getting old and motion sick, that's for sure!

Waiting for the rest of the crowd to come on the Hayrack Ride

Out in the field examining pumpkins.  He kept going for the rotten ones!

Off and running through the pumpkins!

Dad tried to keep Luke on the road, but he kept veering off into the field.

Running everywhere!  His little feet didn't stop!

A grin (kinda) from a very happy little boy ... who finally became quiet and is (hopefully) drifting off to sleep as I type this.  It was a great day!

Makeup Favorites

I recently started reading the blog of www.MaskCara.com (via FB and the web).  She has some awesome makeup tips and tricks up her sleeve, as well as some great products to recommend, so I thought I'd share, as I appreciate others' recommendations on products to see how well they work.

1)  Gel Eyeliner
I never thought much about Gel Eyeliner.  I figured it was messy and was for professionals, so I never thought much about it.  After reading this, I thought I'd give it a try (L'Oreal Infallible Gel Liner in "Blackest Black").  It works fabulous!  It does take a little getting used to, but I've found it really magnifies my eyes and gets in "deeper" between my lashes so as to make my eyelashes and lined eye blend together as one.  I'd previously used Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliner, which I really liked, as it gave a nice smooth line, but the Gel Eyeliner has me sold!

2)  White Eye Pencil
I'd always lined the top & bottom of my eyes with black eyeliner so as to make them appear larger, when it really made them appear smaller.  MaskCara recommended using a White Eye Pencil at the bottom of the eye in the waterline (lined between the lash line and the eye itself - yes, it seems like you will poke your eyeball).  I bought Covergirl "Flamed Out" Shadow Pencil.  It works wonderfully to open my eyes and make things a bit brighter.  I also have used some slightly dark shadow (maybe a medium brown) and applied it under my lash line, below the white pencil line and my lashes, and it draws the eye height that much further open.

3)  Under Eye De-Puffer 
MaskCara recommended this product and said it really reduced the swelling and bags under her eyes in the two months she used it.  I can tell a difference for myself in just a few days.  (It's either this or the concealer ... or both!)  I don't look quite as tired and droopy and I haven't had people come up and tell me I look tired.  Oy!  Don't say that, people!  I bought the Equate brand of Anti-Puffiness & Dark Circle Eye Roll-on (right beside the Garnier brand on the shelf).  Love it!

4)  Concealer
This is my most favorite product!  I'd been using Sonya Kashuk concealer at Target for 6 months, then I moved away from Target, so I found Revlon Photoready Concealer at my favorite Wallyworld/local drugstore.  I thought it worked just as nice as Sonya's product, but maybe a little cake-y.  Wherever I "patched" things in (like under my eyes), it would cake up and after an 8 hour day, start fading in places and look blotchy.  I figured that was that.  Wrong!  After reading MaskCara's recommendation for the concealer Maybelline DreamLumi, I thought I'd try that too.  (picture angels singing)  It is glo-rious!  No cake-ness.  Blends away beautifully and magically below my eyes.  Covers my imperfections (when, oh when, will I stop getting acne?).  I highly recommend it!  I've learned to apply it under my eyes and feather it down over and below the bags/dark circles under my eyes.  It really hides them!

Tell me ... what products are your favorites?  

I'm always looking for more tips & tricks.  

Catching Up

It has been a busy summer here!  Lots of things to update about ... so here goes:

1)  We closed on our House.
Monday, August 12th, we signed the contract for our house, squeaking in as the last appointment of the day at 4 pm, not sure if all the papers would be ready to sign or not.  They were!  We had 10 minutes to get to the Title Office and go over an inch thick stack of papers and sign our life away.  Oh, and provide a downpayment too.  The bank balance sure looked bigger with the money in it prior to closing.

2)  We moved - Part I
We got a few family & friends to help us pack up and load up the big items on Saturday, August 17th.  We moved our king size bed up a tiny, narrow flight of stairs with several turns to get to the top.  Yeaaahhhhh ... should have bought a new bed and had someone else move it.  It took a lot of effort from the three guys to get it up the stairs.  It is in our bedroom, fits like a dream, and is staying there until we saw it in pieces and get a new bed!

3)  We moved - Part II
We had until the end of August to get the remainder of our little stuff out of the rental house, so we moved the necessities and slooooowly moved the rest of the stuff.  We were going to be charged rent until a new tenant was found (per our lease agreement, although we had given 2 months notice), so I'd been praying to St. Joseph to find someone.  No such luck until the very last few days.  We had a big push Thursday and Friday (Aug 29/30) to get the last items out we hadn't moved yet.  (I swear, there was so much stuff this time compared to our move in March!)  As we were down to the second to last van + trailer load, a couple came to look at the house with their daughter, not once, but twice.  We took that as a good sign - and sure enough, it was rented out, so we didn't have to pay for the rental house and our current one.  Very blessed with how that turned out!

4)  We unpacked, decluttered and had a Garage Sale
DH and I spent quite a few days going through all the items we brought with us during this last move and decided that we didn't need it all.  After spending the last 6 months with most of the stuff still packed, it made it that much easier to decide what to keep and what to toss.  We went through our old childhood momentos (for the second time - the first was a few years ago) and made a tote / truck for each of us, then kept only what would fill that.  So much stuff, I didn't remember what it went to ... or I'd saved it for a stupid reason.  So into the garbage it went.  We hauled two van loads + two trailer loads of stuff to my parent's house to have the garage sale (they have a prime location) and made about $300.  It was a long few days, but it was worth it!  I have so much peace of mind about less stuff, the things I have being organized and the extra money.  :-D

5)  A Kitchen Remodel
It seems like I can't buy a house without fixing up a Kitchen.  I don't do it on purpose.  Honest!  There are just terrible Kitchen layouts/cabinets/countertops/etc.  Why did men think they were all that when they did the design & layout?  'Cause this one certainly sucks!  I can't open the refrigerator door all the way as it hits the peninsula countertop.  One cabinet in the corner I can't even open the door.  I think I have 3 base cabinets (two are totally inaccessible) and three wall cabinets.  And a set of decorative posts on top of a half-wall between the Refrigerator & Stove.  WTH?  I just sigh and roll my eyes.  We have Cabinets ordered and will have them in the middle of November.  Hopefully we can gut and start putting things back before Christmas, but as all projects go when you do it yourself ... they take FOR-EVER!!!  Updates to follow on that end of things

6)  Luke has begun the terrible 2's at 1-1/2 years old
We didn't see this one coming out of our sweet and adorable and smiley little guy.  Oh, no.  Luke would never misbehave.  WRONG!  You definitely see us head out to the cry room at each Mass, hear Luke wail and see us furiously stuff Cheerios into his mouth to keep him from wailing.  Two Sundays ago, he threw his bottle and sprayed milk all over the people standing behind us and our pew.  This last Sunday, he couldn't look at his Mickey pop up book (yes, it is terrible that it isn't religious, but it keeps him entertained) as we were standing up for the Gospel ... or before the readings ... I honestly can't remember, I don't think I remember anything about the Mass, so he got mad, flapped up his arms to hit me in the face (his standard "I'm mad" tactic) and pulled my hair quite a few times.  I had to carry him out, arms held together, as I did the "walk of shame" down 1/2 the church as the people seated watched me try and contain my screaming child.  Oh, so many of you received prayers that day.  I truly tried to be patient with him.  He's got a mind of his own!

I think that's enough of an update for now.  :-D  It was quite a variety of topics.  I wanted to post before I felt obligated to read up on how everyone has been.  I catch snippets here and there, and cover all my blogger friends daily in prayer for all the intentions of your hearts.

Relic Exposition - List of Saints

I attended the wonderful and holy Relic Exposition last night at our local church.  We were one of only three stops in Nebraska.  I am feeling VERY fortunate that we were able to attend!

Ladies,  your intentions were brought before the following Saints and Relics:
- St. Anne (Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Anthony of Padua
- The 11 Apostles (excluding Judas) plus St. Paul
- St. Bernadette
- St. Catherine of Siena
- St. Charles Lwanga
- The Crib of our Lord
- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton
- St. Francis Xavier Cabrini
- St. Gemma Galgani
- St. Gertrude the Great
- The Holy Crown of Thorns (fragment)
- The Holy Lance (fragment)
- St. John Vianney
- St. Josemaria Escriva
- St. Joseph (piece of his clothing - his body has never been found)
- St. Kateri Tekakwitha
- St. Leo the Great (Pope)
- St. Maria Goretti
- A portion of the Veil of Mary the Mother of God
- St. Maximillian Kolbe
- St. Monica
- St. Padre Pio
- St. Philomena
- St. Rita of Cascia
- St. Stanislaus Kostka
- St. Theresa of Avila
- Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
- St. Therese of Lisieux (the Little Flower)
- St. Thomas Moore
- Fragments of the True Cross

There were over 164 relics presented for exposition.  I know I missed a great deal of Saints, but the above were the highlights.

For more information on the relics that were presented and information about each of the above saints, you can download the information here:  www.treasuresofthechurch.com/relics