Weak and Weary

Yep, that's me today. I got zero sleep last night because I HAD to stay up and watch the episodes of True Blood that I had missed. Eric Northman....*sighs*...'nuff said! That and last night was "shot night", so that always keeps me up for some reason.

Everyone around here is still in dreamland. I enjoy this time of day as my own. I get to sit here in front of the computer and drink my coffee and not one time do I hear, "can I get on now, are you done yet?". After the necessities are paid for one of the things I am getting for myself out of this money is my very own laptop. I want a hot pink one so no one around here will want to use it! LOL :) Not being able to get out of the house much, this computer has been a lifeline for me.

I've had a Twitter account for a while now, but I just started using it. I don't know if it's just 'cause I'm getting old or what, but I have a hard time following all that crap. I'm kinda still wondering what the point of it is. I guess some people want to give an hourly report on what they are doing. I, however, do not. Now, I will admit that I post my new blogs on Twitter and I do contests by retweeting things (I could win, right?). Those are about it. Okay, and I'll admit I like reading the posts from all things True Blood related. I guess that's probably Twitter's true purpose. I'm sure no one out there really cares what I blog about, but you never know, so I post it on there anyway. I still wonder if Twitter is here to stay or a passing fad. I'm not sure either way on that one.

Well, it's almost time to get the school kids up and start their day. I see a nap in my not to distant future. Have a blessed day to all. XOXO Sarah Jane

Finally!

Well, I finally got my official "you win" letter from disability! YAY!! Now, getting my money is the next hurdle. They like to take their time on everything. To celebrate, I decided a mini shopping trip to CVS was in order. I decided to try out some things from the Wet n Wild cosmetic line. I usually stay away from that brand because I often equate inexpensive with cheap. Well, I have to say I was surprised at the quality of the few things I got today. I got 2 lipsticks, 99 cents each, in shades 510A and 541B. 510A is a pink and 541B is a brownish, plummish color. Both are very smooth, they don't smell bad, and the lasting power was what you'd expect from a regular lipstick. The 510A looks really great underneath my Covergirl wetslicks lip gloss pink crush. I also picked up the waterproof gel eyeliner in eggplant from the same brand. I haven't tried it yet, so I'll let you know. And lastly I picked up Revlon ColorStay Active foundation in 02buff. I haven't tried it yet either. I got it on clearance for 75% off, so it was really inexpensive.

I'm feeling pretty good this evening for the most part, so I decided to do some cleaning. I guess we'll see if I regret it later or not! Dinner tonight is easy, spaghetti with meatballs and the meatballs are the frozen ones. It's one dinner I know everyone will eat. Well, I better get back to the stove! Have a lovely evening to everyone :)

20 Random Things About Me

I got the idea for this blog from a lady in one of my lupus support groups. I thought it was a great idea, so I'm borrowing it (Thanks D. D.)! I guess we will limit the list to 20. Okey dokey...here goes....

1. I have lupus.

2. Lupus makes me miserable a lot of the time.

3. Of all the things Lupus has taken away from me, I miss the sunshine the most.

4. I love marshmallow fluff and peanut butter sandwiches. In fact, I love peanut butter and anything. Especially peanut butter and bacon sandwiches.

5. My favorite colors are red and pink.

6. I love make up and perfume and all things "girly".

7. I am stubborn. Sometimes this works in my favor, most of the time it works against me. When I dig my heels in, that's it.

8. I am very protective of my children and family. Mother bear syndrome comes to mind.

9. I love MMA fighting. Matt Hughes is the best ever.

10. I love pens and pencils. I collect them, borderline horde, but it's not that bad yet.

11. I can hold a grudge like no other. This is something I make an effort to change, but that change is s-l-o-w.

12. I love getting packages in the mail. It's like Christmas everyday at 3 p.m. when the mail comes!

13. I can't stand romantic comedies, e.g., anything with Jennifer Aniston in it. Also, those sappy Nicholas Sparks movies really irk me.

14. I love all sorts of music, from classical to pop to alternative to adult contemporary.

15. My sister Sharon is my best friend in the whole world. I don't know what I'd do without her.

16. My Mother and I haven't always had the best relationship, but now it is better than ever. I think we had to go through all that bad stuff together for me to truly appreciate and understand her.

17. I'm glad I had 3 boys instead of 3 girls!

18. I truly believe I am married to my soul mate and we will be together till one of us croaks.

19. If I spill salt, I always throw a pinch over my left shoulder.

20. I still make wishes on shooting stars, eyelashes, after throwing a penny in a wishing well. And part of me believes they'll come true.

It's Time

It's time...time to get rid of the jeans and clothes that no longer fit. I HATE this. I have a personal rule that if something doesn't fit for 6 months or I don't wear it for 6 months (seasonal clothes excepted) I must get rid of it. For a long time I lived in denial, holding on to size 10 jeans that my size 18 rear will never wear again. Alas...much can be said for hope!! So, off they go to new owners.

It's time for cooler weather. What does this mean for me? Raynaud's and mittens. Pumping gas in the winter time can be excruciatingly painful for me. Thank the good Lord my husband is at home this winter, so he can pump the gas! I am looking forward to finding a new, cute pair of mittens. I've had my old pair since I lived in Cincinnati (that would be 7 years ago). I love them, they are soft and they are of the convertible variety (the tops fold down).

It's time for football. I'm not a major fan, but I do love a good game on the tv with hot wings and pretzels. I would say beer, but no more alcohol for me (thank you methotrexate). I have to say though, I don't miss alcohol at all! As a matter of fact, I have a sort of aversion to it. I miss having a good wine with dinner though...am I going off point here? Yes I am. LOL :)

It's time to start some sort of exercise program. I keep saying this, but after going through my closet and seeing how many sizes I have went up, it is now a necessity. My knees, ankles, and back are going to have a lot to say about this I'm sure. So, I'll have to do some research and it'll be trial and error, but I have to do something!! I have always hated to exercise. I can't see how that's going to be any different now. I've always been able to control my weight through diet, but I've always been active. Lupus has changed that for me. I spend the majority of my day seated or lying or just trying to not be in pain. I can tell that I've lost a lot of muscle tone. I'll be starting physical therapy for my back (I have degenerated and bulging discs) so I'm hoping that will help.

It's time to start algebra, especially for Ian. I have some books coming in the mail and I'm excited to start them with Ian. Jake is a year behind Ian on math, so he won't start algebra till next year. I want to make sure he has his basics down before I put anything new on him.

It's time...to end this! Have a great evening :)

Product Review

http://www.maybelline.com/Product/Lip/LipStain/colorsensational-lipstain.htm

My latest shopping trip to CVS was a good one. They had lots of different makeup on sale and I saw this lip stain and I had to try it out. The color I got is cherry pop. It is NOT the shade of the above picture. I couldn't find a pic in the particular shade I bought. First I have to say that the smell of this product is wonderful, just like cherries! It has a felt tip applicator, but it was not dry at all as some felt tip stains are. The color went on very full and opaque and lasted several hours, through eating even. I prefer lip stains because I don't like the feel of lipstick. Which is odd because I love lip gloss!  This is a really great product for the money and I would definitely recommend it.

Benetint Review

 

I finally got my benetint in the mail. I knew it was coming yesterday thanks to the tracking number through USPS, so I was as bad a little kid peeking out the window waiting on the mailman to drop off my goodies.

I could hardly wait to get it out of the package and try it on. First and foremost, the consistency of this product is a little off-putting. At first glance I didn't think that such a watery product could possibly offer the effect of a stain. Well, I was wrong on that one. Also, the nail polish type applicator I wasn't thrilled to see. I assumed it would be a pain to use. Again, I was wrong. the applicator isn't difficult or awkward to use at all. I tried it first on my lips, because that's what I was most interested in this product for, a lip stain. I used the applicator that is in the bottle with no trouble at all. It only took a couple of seconds for this to dry, so you have to work a little quick. I was very pleased with the result. I expected it to be more of a harsher red, because of how it looks in the bottle. It turned out to be a lovely rose color, just darker than my own natural lip color. The effect was a look of having just been kissed. I have to say, I was very happy with the results. Now, for the staying power. It lasted several hours and through a bowl of my homemade chili. The wear was nice and even, no seeping into the corners of my mouth or leaving an unsightly ring around my lips. I would have definitely paid the full price for this product and not have regretted it at all. There is nothing like it on the drug store shelves that I've found. Now for it's performance as a cheek stain. I have naturally pink/red undertones in my cheeks, so I used foundation to even out my skin tone first. I applied the product using the applicator it came with. I painted an X on the apple of my cheek and quickly blended it in. I was very happy with the results. The flush it gave was very natural, like I just came in from the outside when the weather is chilly. I will probably not use it much in this application, but if I decide to, I know that I'll be happy with it.

A Pill is not the ANSWER!!

I am highly frustrated right now. I made the decision to take Justin off his ADHD med because of the horrible side effects. The poor kid was in tears and emotionally unstable on a daily basis. I couldn't watch him like that anymore. I made the school aware of my choice and told them I want to work with them closely to monitor his behavior and come up with alternative solutions to divert his energy. I told them I didn't want him to be made to sit out recess as a punishment. I think that's a cruel thing to do with a child who has extra energy. I also told them I think we should come up with some other consequences, since he obviously can't be allowed to get away with everything. His teacher has been uncooperative and basically just pissed off that I took him off the medication. By his teacher's own admission, Justin isn't disrupting class or being inappropriate, he just has a problem standing still in line and talking. Well, whoop-dee-doo. Make the kid run laps around the gym if he can't hold still. That seems to be a more appropriate thing to do than to work against what comes naturally (which is all that extra energy). I got so angry that I yelled at his teacher on the phone, which I felt was justified after he interrupted me several times and spoke to me as if I was one of his students, not a mother of one. I had problems with this same teacher when he was Jake's 5th grade teacher. I think he may still have some animosity toward me because of that. I've made every effort to try and work with the school on this, and they just won't have it. They want him to be a zombie, and they don't care about the side effects. My foot is down on this one.

New Stuff!!

So, after careful thought and consideration, I've decided to buy benetint by benefit cosmetics. It is a best of beauty winner and recommended highly on other product review boards. It is a lip and cheek stain. I've been trying to find a good lip stain that will do what it says and have come up short, so I'm putting a lot of hope in this product! Of course, I didn't pay the $28 price tag. I paid less than half (including shipping) on ebay from a reputable seller. Stay tuned for a review of this product. :)

I bought another tube of Covergirl lip gloss. This time I got the original wetslicks in crush (a sparkly pink color). I love the smell and taste, it kind of reminds me of marshmallows. The feel of the gloss is more like a balm, which is nice. The only thing I'm not crazy about is the amount of silver sparkles in it. And when the gloss wears off, the sparkles stay and it looks like you've dipped your lips in glitter. The glitter also got all over my lower face, not too terribly, but I did notice it. So, this gloss is for more like an evening out than a PTA meeting.

mark. Fair Trade Line

After using these products for a while now, I find that my favorite is the body lotion and the 15 in 1 Big Stick. the lotion has SPF 15, which is really important to me and sinks in quickly with no greasy after feel. The Big Stick is great for rough knees and elbows that need a little extra TLC. The Big Stick sinks in quickly as well with no greasy after feel. The body creme is good too, I only use it at night before bed when I want the extra moisturizing. The body wash is okay, probably my least favorite. I love that it is fragrance free, but it takes a lot to get a good lather. I'm sure this is because it doesn't contain sulfates (which are not good for your skin). I'm still working on changing my perception of this as I'd like to switch all my hair and body care products to sulfate free.

So, this is my update and if anyone is interested in purchasing any of these items go to www.meetmark.com and enter code BUYFT3 at checkout for $3 off your order of any of the products in the Fair Trade line.

I received these products through BzzAgent. See the badge at the end of my blog. :)

Amazemint Lip gloss by Covergirl

I recently purchased this lip gloss as a buy one get one half off at CVS. I have to say, I LOVE this stuff. The peppermint tingle is great and tastes good too! One of my biggest lip gloss peeves is when the gloss is so sticky it feels like you put Ellmer's School Glue on your lips. Not a problem with this gloss. The sheer wash of color is excellent, making most all of the shades wearable by anyone with any skin tone. The length of wear is average for as far as lip glosses go. After eating or a major make out session ;) you'll obviously need to reapply, but just sipping water it stays on great. Also, they have a blue shade called Happy Hour, do not be afraid of the blue color! It was one of the shades I bought and I love it.