Ten Dollah Torture? I do good job!

Don't Fear the Unibrow!

*Not really me

Really, what is wrong with a nice full temple to temple eyebrow? I've been blessed in the way of eyebrowness. I am lucky enough to have a big black bristley beautiful eyebrow. Just one. It goes all the way across and I rather like it!

I take a lot of flack for my lovely brow. It usually doesn't bother me, I know you are all jealous. But recently I've been in this crazed quest to look like a girl and I caved under the pressure from the nice smiling lady at the Nail Salon.

Lexie and I went to get pedicures together for her birthday. Pedicures.... Ahhhhh! Heaven! My toes are so pretty now! And the massage, wowza, sweet! Anyway... this lady there said to me in broken English, "Wax your eyebrow? Oh yes, you need, oh yes". I noticed her use of the singular.

I protested, "oh, no, no thank you". Lexie said "Come'on Mom, you'll love the way it looks, just do it". Little miniature imaginary Katie appeared on my left shoulder saying "Do it, Mom! For my wedding! Do it!" and little imaginary Bonnie (my sister) appeared on my right shoulder saying, "Do it! I did and I'm the biggest wuss ever born! Do it!" The nice lady said "I do good job, you like very much".

Next thing you know, I've got hot wax on my fur lined forehead and a quick YANK later, gone. Goodbye unibrow. You were kind and fuzzy and now you are stuck to a wax strip with a very nice lady saying "ohhhh, lotta hair".

I can't believe I did that. Now I look like this:

*Also, not really me

Pretty, eh?

Getting Girly

I bought make-up! I know, so out of character for me. But, I made a huge investment in the Mary Kay company yesterday; now I'm committed to wearing makeup like a girl! I've been all girled up.

I had to buy the whole she-bang because I don't didn't own anything other than a stick of chapstick. My two older girls and I sat down at the dining room table and a Mary Kay consultant gave us all a facial and makeover using all the products. She had a big suitcase on wheels full of little tubes and magical serums to make us all prettier than we'd ever been.

Gracie put makeup on too. She got to do her own. She looked like a clown! And then she said "Mom yookit me" and she shoved an eyeshadow applicator up her nose and grinned!

It worked. I bought stuff for all three of us. Gracie got to keep her eyeshadow applicator. I was not happy about the total bill, but Katie looked so shimmery and pretty and Lexie got rid of her racoon-eye look that she's been hiding behind for years, she looked beautiful, and I looked in the mirror and thought, wow, is that me? Looked like a better version of me! So, I let the lady abuse my credit card and we all got loads of makeup and special face stuff.

You think my husband doesn't understand my stroller addiction? A little bag of tubes of goo is going to confuse him even more! Especially since I paid more for make up than I did for any one of my strollers.

I did try to buy some on my own. But I walked up and down the beauty aisles in Target and realized I had no idea what I was looking at. How many shades of "pale white woman" are there? I'm glad I had a lady come over and help me figure out what I want.

I haven't worn makeup since I had a job. And then, I wore cheap stuff and just the basics, whatever I had to wear to get by in the cubicle world. I haven't worked for six years now, and my face has been untouched by gloppity goo since then. It was liberating to run around with a naked face! But, I'm back to being a normal woman, enhanced by the coverage and colors of Mary Kay products.

In one of my college classes, we were discussing women of the Middle East and how they wear a veil over their face. And I thought, what is the difference between a Surah or a pound of makeup on your face? Seems kind of the same to me, hiding, covering up.

Anyway, I've decided to join the rest of the women of the world and cover my naked face with makeup. I'm excited and oppressed at the same time. But, we will have wedding photos and I want to look nice and smooth like the other ladies. I've given in to the social norm. I feel so princessy and girly!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! To me and you and you and you and you too!

Thank you so much to my princesses for giving me motherhood. I love being a mom, and they are the best daughters! I still can't believe there are four of them!

My Blog is Loved! And I love yours too!

Yippee! I woke up this morning to a blog award! I got it from my blog-buddy, Kate. I your blog too! My favorite post is one of you with a photo of your classroom and your head is between your elbows as you hide behind your desk. My dream job (paying job), teaching high school English, and there is Kate showing me what 30 teenagers at a time can do to a girl. Made me laugh and ponder at the same time.

To accept this award, and to pass it on to 5 others, I must answer a list of questions with one word responses. I'm not a one word person, so this may be difficult for me but I'll give it a whirl. Here goes:

1. Where is your cell phone? Couch

2. Where is your significant other? Bed

3. Your hair color? Brown

4. Your mother? Wyoming

5. Your father? Gone

6. Your favorite thing? Daughters

7. Your dream last night? None

8. Your dream/goal? degree

9. The room you're in? Living

10. Your hobby? Reading

11. Your fear? Falling

12. Where do you want to be in six years? Here

13. Where were you last night? Home

14. What you're not? Quiet

15. One of your wish list items? Book

16. Where you grew up? No

17. The last thing you did? Breastfed

18. What are you wearing? Jammies

19. Your T.V.? off

20. Your pet? Dog

21. Your computer? Lappy

22. Your mood? Christmassy

23. Missing someone? Sisters

24. Your car? Minivan

25. Something you're not wearing? socks

26. Favorite store? Sams

27. Your Summer? Hot

28. Love someone? Yes

29. Your favorite color? Red

30. When is the last time you laughed? Yesterday

31. Last time you cried? Thursday

I love a lot of blogs, but I'm passing this award and the list of questions on to the following:

Patty - my toothless sister, hope you are feeling better and better every day!
Bonnie - my funny crazy sister, btw, I told mom you got a tattoo (oops)
Shelley - her last post made me snort hot chocolate out my nose
Laurel - because your stupid faces are pretty cute!
Alicia - because Hannah got a bell from Santa's sleigh!

Happy New Year!

I am looking forward to a lot of things in 2008 - here are a few:

My children will turn 19, 17 and 2.
My sister will turn 40 and I will sure have a good time with that!
My middle daughter will begin her senior year of high school.
I will graduate with my BA in Literature and Writing.
The baby will wean and potty train.
I will QUIT breastfeeding!
My grandma will turn 100 yrs old and have the biggest bash ever!

I have some hopes for the new year too:

I hope to lose weight and look great at my grandma's party.
I hope to keep my wits about me as I mother a college girl, a high schooler and a fit-throwing 2 year old.
I hope to declutter my house.
I hope to get through another year safely and healthy.
I hope to be a good wife and mother and college student.
I hope my computer never crashes.

Yes, yes... my resolutions and my hopes for 2008 are all about *ME*! I didn't want to bore you with my political, social and environmental reform hopes.

It's so hard to believe 2007 is over already. It was a good year overall. Sadly we lost three of the family elders in 2007. But we also gained a few new babies in the family too. Better yet, I did not give birth to any of them! And so, I mark off another year and sit here wondering how they go by so fast. How do they go by so fast?