This one's for Becca

I think these pictures showcase Claire's personality well.

WHAT are you doing?

"But, I want some jelly beans!"

When the bees sting...

I was standing at my mirror putting my make up on, and realized I should share with the rest of the world the products I love the most.

Mary Kay mineral powder foundation

I've used Bare Escentuals before and liked it. But it's so gosh darn expensive! You get so little product for how much it is and lasts. I had a dear friend buy my make up for my wedding, and her Mary Kay lady (who happens to be my MK lady now) had me try their mineral powder. I fell in loooove with it! The container is about as big as my palm, can last me anywhere from 4-5 months, and is $18. The brush that you can buy seperately is worth the $10 as it applies the foundation evenly. I have horrible acne blemishes and when I have this on you can't even tell I have skin problems! It covers like a full coverage liquid foundation with the light airyness (word?) of a powder. I highly recommend buying it if you can.

Aquage Beyond Shine

This spray is a liiiiife saver! I have naturally curly hair and whenever I straighten it it's poofy and frizzy. It takes me forever to straighten my hair, but that's usually how I prefer it. When I use too many heat tools on my hair it gets dehydrated, split ends, and usually ends up cut off. This spray saved my hair's life. Literally. I blow dry my hair and section it off to use my flat iron. I spray this on every section then straighten it. My hair becomes silky, shiny, and beautiful. Uh-mazing product. I think this runs around $16 at Eric Fisher Academy, but you can find it at Wholesale Beauty Club as well.

KMS Flat Out line

Another amazing hair product line that works similar like Beyond Shine, but with different types of product. There's a straightening creme, a spray, shampoo, conditioner... you get the idea. The prices vary as you can find them at a beauty store or at a salon.

CO Bigelow Tinted Lip Shine in Magenta Mint

I don't leave the house without putting any of this on. I wear it alone most of the time, but I also pair it on top of a hot coral lipstick and it looks fantastic. It has just enough tint to make your lips look pretty, just enough shine to make them look glossy, and just enough mint to smell and taste good. Kinda pricy at $7 but they run sales all the time.

CoverGirl tinted moisterizer

I love this because it has spf, moisterizer, and sheer color all in one. I pair this with my mineral powder for a flawless face. $6 at any Target, Walmart, etc.

At the present time I can't think of anything else to put on here. I use all these products on a daily basis. If I think of anything else I'll be sure to blog about it.

Back to Normal

It's so strange getting back to normal after a death. With all the family that was in town I kind of don't know where to start. Even though we were together because of my great grandpa's death, we had so much fun. Sunday afternoon we met at my mom's for lunch. Later that night James, Claire, and I met up with them to go bowling and out to eat. Monday was the funeral and afterwards we ate at Ming's (Poppa Jack's favorite place.) I'm always so sad when they have to leave. I absolutely love spending time with them.

Especially my cousin Jenni. I appreciate her more than she will ever know. I can't even put into words how amazing she is. She makes me feel loved, accepted, and worthwhile. I'm so drawn to her because she's positive, always smiling, so much fun, and loving. We just connect on such a different level - more like little sister big sister - and I feel so amazing when I'm around her.

I'm really hoping to make a trip to Ft. Collins in the very near future. Just have to talk my husband into letting me go :)

Death

I was getting ready to crawl in bed last night when I noticed my phone had a missed call. When I saw who it was I immediately knew what was coming. I called my mom back and she told me that my great grandpa, Jack Holliday, had died.

I've known for awhile that he hadn't been doing very well. My Uncle Tom called 2 weeks ago to let us know that he had taken a turn for the worse. As much as you can prepare for death it still affects you greatly. I think I'm at a disadvantage because I don't handle any death very well. I'm terrified of it, and I think that makes me more vunerable to the grief that comes with it.

I have so many memories of Poppa Jack. We used to eat dinner with him every once in awhile. My brother and I used to ride a stationary bike he had in the corner of the front living room. I liked going in the back corner room and looking at all the pictures he had in frames on the dressed. And my favorite thing to play with was a bean bag frog that my great grandma had made. He had a box of toys specifically for when kids were over... toys that my mom had played with when she was a child. I can remember where every piece of furniture in his house was and how it smelled. He used to make angel food cakes for every birthday and always had a can of cherry pie filling to go with it. Poppa Jack's birthday was a day before mine so we almost always celebrated together. Even though he was my great grandpa we were very close with him. We were all very sad when my Uncle Tom moved him out to Ft. Collins to take care of him and knew that it would be the last time he was in Wichita alive. Going out there last summer I knew it was the last time I'd ever see him.

I know Poppa Jack is in a better place. I'm so very thankful he is walking with Jesus and reunited with his wife, daughter, and son. I will miss him very much.

Dum dum du dum!

Kelli's wedding is fast approaching. A little over 4 months to be exact. She came over last night with a bridesmaid dress she had ordered.

I initially didn't like it, but she really liked it and even James said he liked it. I'm so self conscious about my body especially my hips and stomach. The dress sits at my natural waist which just so happens to be right above my hips. Needless to say the dress makes my lower half look like an upside down tulip. What was even more aggravating was the top half of the dress was waaaay too big. After some altering it will be fine, of course, but it just made trying it on and deciding if I liked it more challenging. I just hope my best-friend and husband were honest with me when they said it looked good on me.

So now that there is a dress and I know what I look like in it... I am determined to lose some weight before this wedding. If Ashleigh and Misty can lose up to 15 pounds in 7 weeks I should be golden in 4 months. Here's to hoping my motivation stays with me.