IPSY March 2014 Review

I absolutely loved my March 2014 Ipsy bag. The bag itself was super cute and the four items inside have certainly been used!

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First up was a NYX Love in Rio palette trio in the color VooDoo Love Spells.

The shadow goes on smoothly and the pigment lasts all day with out needing touch up. I love the cute little bow detail on the closure. 

I love that NYX is very affordable and available at most grocery/drug stores.

You can also purchase it here.

I also received a Marvelous Moxie Lipstick from bareMinerals. I was given the shade "Get Ready". This is a creamy, super-saturated, ulta-pigmented color that glides on like butter for full coverage in a satin finish. I love it. The shade is not bright and out there...it didn't smear or bleed and it too lasted through out most of the day.

Purchase it here.

We also received a Chella Eyeliner Pen in Indigo Blue. I have never,ever found or used a more perfect eyeliner. The color is so pigmented. The shape of the tip is truly no-fail. It's a silky eyeliner that truly stays on all day, until you are ready to take it off.

The color blue that it is is just magnificent. I don't wear blue, I feel a bit too old for that much color on my eyes, but I gave it to my daughter and she loves it!!

Purchase it here.

And last but not least is the pixi flawless beauty primer.

I am new to primers and this one did not disappoint.

What I loved about it was that it truly gives your face an illuminating appearance. You just glow.

It's perfect for Spring/Summer and I easily see this becoming a permanent part of my daily makeup routine!

Purchase it here.

If you have not signed up for Ipsy yet click here!

Believe me, you won't regret it!

Goings On

I love that Spring is here. I love the pastel colors, the cooler mornings and warmer evenings.

 I love hearing the birds sing, the squirrels play on my roof and mostly, I love seeing the flowers, shrubs, trees come to life.

I don't love the allergies.

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I am somewhat of an olive oil snob. I've researched, experimented and failed in my quest to find the perfect olive oil. Not all olive oils are created equally, and if you believe they're all the same you are oh, so wrong.

I do favor Italian olive oils, naturally. But Greek and Tunisian olive oils are good too. I have been too big of a fan of Spanish olive oils.

But this olive oil, I found at my local grocery store. It was a bit more pricey than usual...but oh, my goodness.

It is delicious! 

I am in love. 

I am so much in love, in fact, that I feel I need to stock pile this stuff.

You see that dark color?

That's not the bottle...no...

that's the olive oil, unfiltered olive oil.

My dip had so much more flavor. My pasta coated so much better.

I am truly in love! 

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I wanted to try out a new recipe, so I perused Teresa Guidici's cookbook and found a simple recipe, that I had all ingredients for, for baked chicken.

Basically you combine unflavored yogurt, milk and salt in one bowl and in the next bowl combine Panko crumbs and dry seasonings.

She detailed exactly which seasonings to use. I created my own.

I used garlic powder, onion power, Italian seasoning (naturally), dried basil, cilantro and chives and cheese. 

Then baked for about 10 minutes on one side, flipped and 15 mins on the other side.

It was so good!

And it was fast and easy..in my book that's A+! 

And since Spring is here, the girls and I decided we needed to make some cupcakes.

One thing that I have been spending a bit too much time on is watching beauty vloggers on You Tube. 

I see them recommend something, that is so great and so revolutionary and of course so very necessary. 

So what does April do? She runs out to purchase each item.

No bueno!

This is just the eye shadow I have amassed in the past few months.

Again, no bueno!

And truth be told, I only use the same two or three colors each day. I always hope that I will have the courage to try new colors and techniques but I am comfortable with what I know.

I have found some new items that are really good and have become part of my everyday routine. 

Two weeks ago we went to visit Quin. I never, ever imagined I would be visiting him here. 

Someone made a bench right by his grave and left a marker there. Now when people go to sit with him they leave their name and a message. It's a really beautiful way to remember the love and light he shed upon each one of us. It's also a great testimony of how suicide effects everyone, forever.

Quin had such life. His love was bigger than him. 

His smile could melt your heart, make angels sing.

I look at this and wonder how that grave is even big enough to hold him.

I remember his hearty, sweet laugh.
I'll never hear that laugh again. No one will ever have a laugh to match his, and I wouldn't want them to.

I see how his death has hurt my girls, my sisters, my nieces and nephews.

I wonder if Quin knew how much he was loved. Did he just want to scare his girlfriend? Does the girlfriend know a lot more than she's letting on? She says they weren't arguing, but why was there a broken tea pitcher in the other room? Why did she delete messages from Quin's facebook between him and the other guy she was seeing? How did Quin get a huge know over his left eye? Blood doesn't coagulate when you're dead. She's never, ever talked about it.

Did Quin even really do it? How does someone die when they can stand up?

Too many unanswered questions but one hard, cold, piercing reality...no matter what the answers to those questions are, Quin is still not here.

And because of that, none of us will ever be the whole.

I also stopped by to visit my dad and my favorite uncle. 

I really should bring them some fresh, new flowers. 

And while there I made my scars from my Charlie more permanent!

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Every Spring I want to change up my mantle. 

I always want to put some cute, white, distressed birds and clear out a majority of the unnecessary things up there.

I've never done it, and honestly, probably won't this year either. But it would be nice for a change. 

My papa brought home some delicious caviar.

We used to eat this all the time. Not so much now.

The only Russian store that sold it here is pretty expensive, but his friend found a place to order it online.

Oh my word, it is delicious! 

My surgery date is set. I am extremely nervous. I have never had surgery in my life. Ever. 

This scares the crap out of me.

I can no longer sleep at night. The pain keeps me up. 

I get numbness and tingling in my left arm almost daily now.

It used to be only if I tried to do something, like sweep or wash dishes. Now I can get it at any time.

I get horrible migraines at work, looking down at my keyboard.

Driving hurts. I do it because I have to.

I know that this surgery will/is supposed to fix me.

But I am terrified.

This stupid injury has changed my entire life.

And I hate it.

But I am willing to do what it takes to be me again.

To be a mother to my daughters again and a wife to Emil.

They have suffered so much too through this.

It has really effected EVERY SINGLE aspect of our family, personal and intimate life.

At least I have a really cute snuggle buddy when I'm home in pain. 

Where Did February Go?????

Since I started blogging, I'm not sure how many years ago, I don't think I ever went an entire month with out posting. 

Now I would love to say it's because I have been so busy traveling and having fun and enjoying every minute of every day. 

I would love to say that. 

But that is just not true. 

The weather has been cold...and I mean cold for Texas. We actually had snow and my employer actually had to have us come in late due to the icy roads.

It was so beautiful. There is a neighborhood not far from my neighborhood that has beautiful large rock landscaping at the entrance. The fresh snow fall on those rocks was beautiful.

I had to say a prayer and thank God for that beauty that I honestly will probably not see again for many, many years. 

I loved when I put my wipers on the this snow just fluffed all over my front window. 

As much as I loved the snow and the cold weather and wearing my big ugly grey boots, this weather has just been horrible for my neck. I have never been in so much pain.

Almost every night I enjoy a cup of Might Leaf tea. 

My sweet CC turned 18 on Feb 10.

She told me that she's gonna miss me because Peter Pan was going to come for her before midnight on the ninth and take her to Neverland.  

So on Valentines day my baby purchased her first car.

She researched and studied and we are so happy with her choice. 

I never take pictures of myself, but I tried it out in my car before work. 

I found this on Pinterest....how appropriate is it? 

The girls and I have been loving Charming Charlie. 

For President's Day they had a buy one clearance item and get one free.

Who could say no to that? 

Since CC has her own car now, she wanted to get a job. So, while she was interviewing at my friend Lisa's hotel, I was relaxing on one of their terraces. 

One day while Papa and I were driving country roads we ended up at this little country store. There was a police scanner scanning, a sign that Blue Bell ice cream is coming soon and a small table in the front of the store. There five elderly gentlemen sat, reading the newspaper, wearing worn trucker hats and discussed local news and gossip. I could have sat and watched the scene for hours.

Despite the colder weather, Lena and I ventured out to have some frozen yogurt. CC had a job at Sushi Express as a hostess/server/busgirl/restroom cleaner. That last one did it for her. So while she was texting me that she was told to clean the men's restroom, Lena convinced me to go get yogurt. I felt so guilty doing it..but I did....and they had a Help Wanted sign on their front door. 

I started an application for CC, she interviewed the next day and she loves it!  

I had a spinal injection on a Wednesday and CC drove me there and drove me home.

I was still pretty out of it due to the Propofol and had to capture the moment..haha!

In one of my Ipsy bag's I received a sample of Marula Oil. I thought it was just another oil claiming to be so good.

Oh my goodness....there are no words.

My skin turned around in about a week. It's smoother, less noticeable lines, even the one acne scar I had has almost disappeared. I am so in love with this product. 

I am not in love, however, with it's price.

Thankfully I worked things out and purchased a bottle.

My skin is thankful! 

While I was purchasing my Marula oil from Sephora I decided to try out a Sephora palette that was on sale.

I am pleased!

The pigmentation is great...it's lasts through out the day.

I really like it. 

And I have been in search of matte colors. I am so sick of all this glittery, sparkly, shiny, metallic shadows. 

I just wanted a nice set of matte, neutral colors. 

and I got it...mostly. 

March is now here.

I am hopeful relief is in sight.

My neurosurgeon said surgery is the only thing that will help me with my neck/shoulder pain due to the herniated discs.

He's worried that it may have caused permanent damage already.

I sure hope not. I am so sick and tired of being sick and tired.

The headaches are worsening. I had leaking spinal fluid last week.

I'm tired of this. I just want my life back. 

I am terrified of surgery. I have never had any surgery ever. Having the flu was the worst sickness I ever had. Now this...it's scary. But I am just wanting and needing to be me again.