Her dream came true.

My girl is a dancer. It comes naturally. And because I adore dancing, I couldn't be happier. ♥



Last Saturday was her first trial class. She dove right in & danced like she's been doing it for years. Not a lick of intimidation. No bashfulness. Just determination & drive.



She got really tickled when it was time for tap dancing. She had no idea that's what came after ballet. Ü After witnessing what I already knew was going to transpire at her first class, hubby & I forked over our life savings & signed this precious girl up. ♥

This Saturday, I'll try to get better photos. There are only 2 tiny windows for parents to peek through, & some motor mouth mom hogged the corner I needed to get good photos of Mercedes. Saturday I'm taking duct tape. ;o)

Lack of blogging is blamed on my husband, who yet again has been in Europe, this time for almost 7 days. I've been a little busy. But what a complete blessed busy it's been. ♥

Wedding reception cuteness.

(Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of my blog & turn off my Playlist before playing video.)



Love it! ♥

Happy New Year III & OneWord 2012.

(We went out to dinner & when we returned, all the strawberries had fallen off! :)

1.6.12 - she's 4! ♥

I don't make New Year's Resolutions. To me, they're just silly. I'm sure some remember & actually accomplish their goals, but not me. By Jan. 2nd, I'd already forget what mine was. Ha! But this year, I was introduced to OneWord2012. (Google for more information.) I was intrigued. Very intrigued. Because this works for me. And honestly, I need OneWord.

Almost 11 years ago, I became a mom. And I've mentioned this tons of times - somewhere along the way, I lost myself. Me. Where am I? Yes, I'm a mom. I LOVE being a mom, that's no secret. But what about me? I'm still a person. Or am I? For the most part, I disappeared into an overweight (let me stop right here & encourage you - if you are overweight, that does not mean you can't look good & feel your best - fix yourself up every day!), sweat & t-shirt wearing, hair in ponytail, no makeup mom. But wait just a minute. Can't I be, dare I say, both? Can't we all be both? Like I mentioned prior, I've already implemented changes (I no longer smoke, I wear makeup daily, I exercise, etc. & I'm going to blog all of this as I go). And though I need constant reminding & though this will be a work in progress - damnit - I can be both. I want to be both. I need to be both!

I've really learned to adore & appreciate words. There is power in words (good & bad). There is inspiration in words. Answers lie within words. So, needless to say, for this project, lots of words came to mind. It took me a few days. And then it hit me -

To Thine Own Self Be True.

That's it. True.

Every day, in every situation, I need to stay true to myself. I don't deserve anything less & neither does anyone else. The word true has become beautiful to me. Full of life, if you will. I love it & I'm going to print it, so I see it. I'm going to order a bracelet, so I can wear it. I'm going to do whatever I have to do to remind myself. Because I don't ever again want to forget: me.

Be inspired. Choose a word. And then get busy. Because we don't know how long we have. It's time to live. Now.

Happy New Year II!

She's 7! ♥

Happy New Year!

He's 8! ♥

Physicians Formula Wrinkle Corrector & Firming Moisturizer.

After my Neutrogena Moisturizer nightmare, I was once again on the hunt for a new daily moisturizer. As I yet again browsed the shelves of moisturizers, I spied this:



Per Physicians Formula's website, this is what the product claims to do:

Wrinkle Corrector & Firming Moisturizer SPF 15

Formula Rx111

Potent moisturizer instantly enhances skin's firmness, hydration and radiance. SPF 15 protects against damaging UVA / UVB rays. Luxurious and lightweight formula improves the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles for an overall smoothing effect.

It also claims: Look 6 years younger in 4 weeks.* We promise.

I don't recall seeing this product before, so I think it's relatively new. Or maybe I've just overlooked it. Anyway, it doesn't contain Retinol, but I like Physicians Formula products, I like what the bottle claims it does & I like the price (around $15 or so), so I bought it. I'm glad I did!

Whether it was 'working' or not, I didn't really pay attention because as I mentioned before, I honestly don't think there's any product out there (expensive or inexpensive) that can rid and/or reduce wrinkles (please correct me if I'm wrong!). What I did notice, however, & what I love, is that this moisturizer goes on so smooth, resulting in a soft, satin-y feel with a pretty, subtle glow. It just feels & looks good.

For whatever reason, this morning when applying my makeup, I studied my face (next time, I think I may need a stiff drink beforehand ;o) a little. Smiling, poking & wrinkling my eyebrows (which I do all the time, unfortunately). Wait just one minute. What? Where's that one deep, long wrinkle area that I daily devote some extra moisturizer to? For the most part, it was gone! I smiled again & again & still, no long, deep wrinkle! Ok, now to check out my other problem area. The delicate skin under one eye that slightly wrinkles/gathers up when I smile. (When I sleep, I push & pull on my face a lot & over time, this has done damage on how firm my skin is in that particular area.) Oh it's still there, but not as prominent! By this time, I was almost high-fiving my moisturizer bottle. Ü

But not so fast. Later, while in my car during daylight hours, I looked in my visor mirror. Well shucks. There was that long wrinkle. I saw that sucker. But again, I swear, it doesn't appear as visible! I didn't have foundation on today, so sometime this weekend or next week, I'll apply a full face. With foundation & powder on, I'll compare those two areas with an old photo & hopefully I'll really be able to see if there is a drastic difference, like I think there is.

But in the meantime? In my opinion, this moisturizer is lovely. On a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being mah-vah-lous?

I'm giving this product an 8! Oh, before I forget - PF's last claim of "Look 6 years younger in 4 weeks." - um, no. ;o)

Happy Friday!

Smashbox - Lip Enhancing Gloss.

I love shiny lips. I've tried drugstore brand glosses but they're so sticky, I just don't use them.

I ran to Ulta a week or so ago to purchase my 14 year old niece a box of different Smashbox glosses for Christmas. She'll love them! The other day we were out & close to Ulta again, so I thought I'd buy myself a Christmas gift (ahem) - a Smashbox gloss. I mean really, an $18 (just for one!) lip gloss surely won't be sticky, right?



Wrong. Ew with a capital E. Oh good glory. The color (Pulse) is divine, but the texture is like glue! I applied the gloss & looked at my husband, while pressing & unpressing my lips together. The stuff is so gooey, when my lips were unpressed, the gloss pretty much stayed stuck together. Ha! (I think his exact words were "yuck".) But hey, on a positive note, I really like the brush you apply it with. ;o)

Sheesh. I'm hard to please, yes. That's why I love to offer product reviews (even if they are my own personal reviews) - I just can't justify spending a hefty amount of money on beauty products (or any products, really) unless they just blow me away!

Hope Ulta has a return policy. 'Cause this sucker's going back, right after Christmas. Ü

Speaking of Christmas:



I hope you can slow down a bit enough to enjoy the holiday before it's over. I've simplified a lot this year & it's been so great to enjoy, versus panic. I wish you & your family a beautiful Christmas, full of love, laughter & happiness. ♥