Just Say Julie

I have been intending to write this post for several weeks because I have several new (to me) products I have tried recently and I wanted to share them with my lovely readers.  I also want to hear about any new stuff you have tried recently that you have loved or hated. First up is Erase Paste from Benefit Cosmetics.  I needed a new concealer once I found out Prescriptives had closed up shop and I had tossed my last tube of concealer. On a trip to Ulta, I saw this advertised as one of Allure Magazine's top picks so I figured I would try it and I am glad I did. This stuff works.  I don't look like the over tired mom I really am.  My only complaint is that it is a little too creamy for my liking but I think I just need to blend it a little better. Also from Benefit Cosmetics is Lemon Aid.  I have actually had this product for awhile but I forgot about it and just started using it again recently. I have really dark eye lids.  So dark that it c...

OK...so the whole posting my photo each day thing has really fallen by the wayside.  I blame it all on my nephew, Blake, being born Saturday.  He had all of us so wrapped around his tiny little finger we were too busy to do anything but hang out with him.  So here are my much delayed pictures from last week. Day 17: Water I will admit it.  I don't drink enough water.  That's bad I know but I get tired of drinking something with no flavor.  Crystal Light drink mixes helped with that a lot when I was pregnant.  So I knew I wouldn't have any water to take a picture of so I took a picture of the water fountains in my office instead. Day 18: Something You Bought Guess what! It's Girl Scout Cookie time.  I actually bought my cookies on this day so it was the perfect time to snap a quick picture of them.  Of course I got the Peanut Butter Patties and the Caramel Delights because those are my favorites.  Does anyone else remember ...

This post could also be titled "Reasons I love the Internet."   So, I mentioned about three months ago that I was attending The Blathering .  I filled out my 13 Things and I never mentioned it again.  Shame on me.  What I should have said is that while I missed out on some of the fun because I had to work and I didn't stay at the hotel, I did get to meet some wonderful women with amazing stories to tell.  I was humbled by the fact I complained so much about Jackson's difficult delivery but still was able to bring home my beautiful boy while I listened to stories of miscarriages and deaths of children.  I realized that these were women I respected because they had been through rough times and they lived to tell about it and had grown stronger because of it.  As so many said that weekend, these were my people. Since that weekend in October, the friendships I made that weekend have grown thanks to Twitter and our blogs. I look forward to the convers...

So I thought I could make this a combination post with my photo-a-day pictures and a couple of other updates.  I'll start with the pictures. Day 15: Happiness I couldn't think of a better picture to take for happiness than one of Jackson laughing.  Chris often says that there is nothing in the world that will bring a smile to your face more than a baby's laughter and he is right.  No matter how crappy my day has been, hearing J laugh always makes me smile.  I had a hard time getting a good picture because he wiggles around so much when he is giggling. Day 16: Morning It was pretty dreary on the way to work this morning.  It was drizzling and it is supposed to be unseasonably warm today.  The morning already started out about 10 degrees warmer than when we went to bed last night.  I snapped this picture at the stop light outside of my neighborhood on the way to work and it turned out pretty cool.  I didn't realize I was getting such ...

I am doing pretty good at this whole photo-a-day thing on twitter but I not doing so a good job at posting the photos to my blog as well. So here are a few more days to get you up to date.  Maybe I'll have more luck this week getting my photos over here as well. Day 11: Where You Sleep Chris has been sleeping on the couch on the nights he's been home this week because his sinuses are acting up and he doesn't want to keep me awake with his snoring.  For that reason, there is one lonely pillow on my bed instead of the normal three.  Also, I am usually cold at night while Chris isn't hence the blanket on half of the bed. Day 12: Close-up I opted for a close-up of one of the cutest things I know: Baby J's tiny feet and toes. Day 13: In Your Bag Here are just a few things that can be found in my purse on any given day: my datebook that keeps track of all the important details of my life, my Alabama pen, my keys on a houndstooth key chain, cough dro...

Day 8: Your Sky It was pretty dreary around here on Saturday so that's what our sky looked like.  Cloudy and overcast and waiting for the rain to come.  It was a great day to stay home and snuggle with my baby. Day 9: Daily Routine Here's a little glimpse at my daily routine.  I try to keep my counter this neat and most of the time it is.  I like to be able to find exactly what I am looking for without a lot of trouble. Day 10: Childhood I came across these little guys when I was cleaning out my closet last weekend.  This is Teddy and Leppy (OK...I wasn't a super creative child).  Teddy was the first stuffed animal I ever owned.  He was given to me by my parents' neighbors the day I came home from the hospital. My dad got my Leppy when I was about 2.  These were two of my favorite stuffed animals growing up.

So there was this little football game last night.  I don't know if you heard about it.  #1 LSU versus #2 Alabama. The big rematch.  Yeah...that one.  I have spent the last month listening to people complain about Alabama being in the big game.  No one thought we deserved a second chance to play LSU.  We had already had our chance and we lost.  It should have been Oklahoma State or Stanford or anyone other than us.  Alabama went into the game with a chip on the shoulder. They had something to prove and prove they did. Alabama played a great game led by starting quarterback, AJ McCarron (a Mobile boy!), and the #1 defense in the nation.  LSU's offense came across as overly excited, never settling into a rhythm, while Alabama's team seemed as calm as could be given the stage.  The game ended with a score of 21-0 and Alabama had sealed the championship with the first shutout in BCS history. To say I am proud of my team would be an under...

Day 7: Favourite Once again, are we British?  Favourite?  OK...whatever.  So I picked my favorite Kcup and coffee cup this morning.  I'm not normally a big fan of flavored coffee but this Butter Toffee is fantastic.  And what good Alabama fan can resist the call of the houndstooth coffee mug? (I also have a houndstooth travel mug!)

So I am a little late posting Day 6. I spent most of yesterday afternoon working on the Great House Purge of 2012.  Last weekend I tackled the master bathroom and the kitchen and bedroom junk drawers.  This weekend it is our closet.  So far it's going well.  Once I am done we will have to take inventory on our "get rid of stuff" and determine if we just want to donate it or suffer through a garage sale. But for now, back to a Photo a Day! Day 6: Makes You Smile Initially I planned on taking a picture of Baby J because nothing makes me smile like my baby boy does.  However, I came across my Christmas present from Chris from last year and it made me smile all over again at the fabulous-ness of this gift.  The gift was a box set of all the Harry Potter books in hardback contained in this neat box that looks like a trunk.  I love it! But Chris is upset that I haven't read the books from the set.  I keep telling him it is because I don't want to...

Day 5: Something You Wore This one was pretty easy.  I actually snapped my picture first thing this morning while I was getting ready for work.  I opted to take a picture of my wedding rings since they are something I wear everyday.  I was pretty upset about not being able to wear them through my entire pregnancy.  I had to go about 5 months before the swelling went down enough for me to squeeze my finger back into my rings.

Day 4: Letterbox We actually had quite the discussion over twitter about what a letterbox was.  It appears based on spelling and terminology that our challenge list was created by someone British.  A letterbox in the UK is what we call a mailbox here in the US.  So I took a picture of my mailbox.  Now we have community mailboxes here in Texas.  Each street has one or two strategically positioned so that those living on the street can get to their box.  Fortunately for me, our box is located in front of the house immediately to the right of our house so I don't have far to go.  We do, however, only have one key to the box so I always pick up the mail after I arrive home from work each evening.  The city was nice enough to put a street lamp over the mailbox so I don't have to be in total darkness when I get my mail.

I have been reading everyone's posts about their goals and/or resolutions for 2012 and it got me thinking about what I would like to see happen in my life this year.  According to my company's definition, I don't know that I would call these goals and they certainly aren't resolutions.  I am thinking focus might be a better word for me.  Sort like I want to focus on these areas of my life over the next year. Money: We definitely need to be better stewards of our income this year.  2011 was rough in the money department due to having a baby and a crappy insurance decision which left us saving everything we could to cover medical bills (and that didn't even come close to covering everything).  That coupled with 2 months of disability pay has left us struggling.  So for 2012 I want us to be more practical with our spending.  I want us to cut back on the unnecessary spending we tend to do when we get lazy.   Chris and I have to both buy i...

Day 3: Something You Adore OK...I'll admit this one has been a bit tricky for me. I could have taken a picture of the baby or the dog but I am sure you will see those two a lot over this month. And while I do adore them, I know there are other things in the world that I adore.  So, I headed out the door to work still trying to figure out what to take a picture of when it hit me: Houndstooth! I do adore all things houndstooth as evidenced by the fact I was wearing houndstooth flats, coat, and sunglasses and carrying a houndstooth purse and lunch bag.  No brainer, right?

So there is this thing going around Twitter and I decided (a day late) to jump on board.  Hopefully this will be a good way for me to get back into blogging more regularly.  Here is the breakdown: Day 1: Me I didn't get a picture of myself yesterday (although I got a couple of cute ones of Baby J) so here is a picture I snapped of myself today.  As you can see, I'm tired and I haven't worn makeup in days.  I at least showered this morning but that is as far as it got before Jackson's doctor's appointment. Day 2: Breakfast I can't say I had the most healthy breakfast this morning. I just needed something I could grab quickly as I tried to head out for an 8 AM doctor's appointment.  So I ended up with a Dr. Pepper, a couple of cheese straws from the Nuthouse in Mobile (thanks, Mom and Dad), and some triple layer brownies my brother made (cookie dough, oreos, and brownies). Seems like an odd combo but it's that whole sweet and savory thin...

In one of my last posts , I discussed cutting back on my makeup spending and I thought you guys might be curious about some of the products that made the cut.  I have also found out that I inspired a few of my friends to do the same.  So, I figured I could share with you the items in my makeup arsenal that I love. Foundation : My quest for the perfect foundation has been long and expensive.  However, I have kept coming back to the same foundation:  Double Wear by Estee Lauder .   I have used this off and on for at least 7 years (I can only remember that because I know I wore this foundation to my first wedding.) It covers well and lasts so I don't feel the need to touch up during the day.  I also don't feel like I am wasting my time by putting this on because I still look like I have makeup on hours after I apply it.   Powder:   Once again this is a product that I have used for years: Cover Girl Fresh Complexion Pocket Powder Founda...

2011 is officially over.  I won't say it was a terrible year.  We had some rough patches but we got sweet Baby Jackson out of the year.  So for that and that alone, I can't complain.  Every time I see that little boy smile, I realize it was all worth it.  All the pain, the stress, the money worries, the lack of sleep.  All worth having Jackson in my life. I have pictures from Christmas and I fully intend to post about it.  However, this last week has been awful.  Starting with a 101 fever on Christmas eve and culminating in a pneumonia/hospital scare on Thursday, Jackson has been sick all week so our Christmas didn't turn out at all like planned.  Even the visit from my family didn't pan out like I had hoped because of doctors visits, a sick baby who needed to stay home, and a pregnant sister-in-law who didn't need to be around the sick baby. So right now I am just ready to pretend that Christmas didn't happen.  I want the tree down ...