Bella's Life

Graduation Day!

2012-02-15T12:34:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, Asa graduated from therapy! He had tested out of Occupational Therapy a couple of weeks ago, and now has tested out of Physical Therapy. I am so proud of him! Another bonus is that it frees up our schedule two days out of the week. Asa started going in January of 2011 (when he was about 12 weeks old). He has worked with only 3 therapist the entire time. Katie (left) has been with his since day one, and Christina (right) has worked with him since the end of last summer. We will miss them both! Asa adores them. He still has a lot to work on. They are things that most people wouldn't notice, but if we don't work on them, he will continue to fall behind his age. Learning to throw a ball, to stand up just from sitting on the floor instead of having to pull up on something, stepping over obstacles, ect. All the little things that we don't even notice they do/don't do- but are very important.

My only other pictures I got were around 5 months old. Learning to roll over took him a long time! :)

Hard at work!

Playing in the "squat" position. Therapy was fun, but hard. I will miss those looooong naps afterwards!

I believe that Asa is as caught up as much as he is because of his therapy. We are so thankful for the financing provided by an early intervention program in order to receive therapy at NO cost to us for over a year. God is GOOD!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T06:27:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Scavenger Hunt Clues

2012-01-31T19:11:00.000-08:00

I have had several people ask about the details for the clues that we used for our Gender Reveal party. So, I thought I would post them for those of you who have asked. You can read about the Gender Reveal Party here for more details.

Girls Clues:
1. Girls will never fail to get their magazines in the ______. (Mail) - Hide next clue in Mailbox

2. Girls plant their gardens by seeds, and end up picking the _____. (Weeds) - Hide next clue in "weeds" or front landscaping if you are too cool to have weeds. :)
3. Girls will get some lovin' when there's something cooking in the _____. (Oven).
4. A girl will always laugh when she's in the bubble _____. (Bath)- Hide next clue in bathtub
5. This place will be a mess, but it holds her little black ______. (Dress)- Hide next clue in closet
6. The last clue card will say, " Go to the living room for your final clue".

Boys Clues:
1.Daddy will have to be brave to teach his son to _____. (Shave) - Hide next clue by husbands razor or cream
2.Good grief! Boys wear ______. (Briefs) - Hide in husbands underwear drawer
3. Boys don't squat to use the _____. (Pot) - Hide by toilet
4. Boys think it's cool to use a power _______. (Tool) - Hide in tool cabinet or something similar
5. Little boys will spray their clothes when they use the water _____. (Hose) -Hide by outside water hose
6. The last clue card will say, "Go to the living room for your final clue."

On the Back of each card will have a number. Those numbers will add up to your "due date". Or, if you happen to be due at the first of the month, you could make it add up to something else...

My final clue I handed to them:

We had SUCH A GREAT TIME! Everyone got involved and loved figuring it out what we were having. If you have other specific questions, please feel free to ask!!

2011 Wrap Up

2012-01-24T12:18:00.000-08:00

Not much to this post, other than to say that this is MAJORLY OVERDUE, add a few photos from our thanksgiving, and Christmas, and give a small update on Asa. Asa is a few days shy of being 15 months old. Can't believe it! He is busy walking everywhere, cutting teeth, and picking up a few new words. Every day changes, and he is always learning something new. It's such a fun age! (Of course, I feel like I say that with each new stage). We had a pretty hard time with him being sick over the holidays. After a constant ear infection and 5 antibiotics, we finally got tubes put in. They have made everything new. He started walking two days later. I think the fluid in his ears was affecting his balance. :) He also, the same day, had his sacral dimple closed. It is fairly common and occurs from the spinal tube not closing all the way. It's a fancy word for a "butt dimple", but unfortunately they can cause many spinal issues, including spina bfida. Thankfully, his was not related to his spine, but did run all the way to his bone. We decided since he was getting his tubes, that we would close it as well. It is still healing, but we are glad not to think about having to do that in the future. After all that, he came down with pneumonia right at Christmas. He had some breathing complications after his surgery and was put on an inhaler, so we think that the pneumonia was a result of that. Everything is good now!! He healed quickly. Two weeks ago, Asa and I both came down with the stomach virus. WORSE SICKNESS EVER!!!! It is not fun!! Hopefully, we won't have anything else for a very long time. We have paid our sickness dues!!! Other than that, life as been as usual. Asa tested out of Occupational Therapy, but still goes to Physical therapy for a few minor things. We should be done by middle of February. Lots to celebrate!! He turns 15 Months old just in a few days. He is weighing in at around 24-25lbs. Wearing 12-18 months/18month clothes, even some 18-24, and wearing size 4 diaper. Big Boy!

Here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving to Christmas. In NO order...

Joseph's Family at Christmas

My Christmas tree

My parents with all the grankids!

Celebrating with Joseph's family Christmas Day. This is his brother and our sister in law.

My two most precious nieces. I got to love on both A LOT during the holidays!

Miss Lilly Anne Miss Gabriella "Gabby"

We did a lot of cheering on the HOGS! We had a great season!

This was from Thanksgiving. Asa LOVES to be with all his cousins! It will be so much fun as they get older.

Best Buds

We aslo took our annual trip to Branson with our community group. This is our third year and we have stayed in the same cabins every year. We always have a great time! This year was a little different since we had FOUR babies that came too. Lots of play time!

Praying for a wonderful 2012! It seems crazy that we are almost heading into February. Have a wonderful week!

Videos

2011-12-11T18:50:00.001-08:00

I don't know if these videos will upload where others can see it. But...I'm going to try. I have lots pictures to share and things to update you on. I'll do that in another post. For now, I'll leave you with two sweet videos of Asa! One is of him giggling for no reason and the other is some sweet lovin' to himself in the mirror. :)

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Asa's First Birthday!

2011-11-07T18:39:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that it has already been a year since Asa was born! Time flies! We had a great celebration with friends and family for Asa's first birthday. I had been planning his birthday party only in my head since the summer. I started pulling things together a couple of months before, and set up mostly everything one week in advance, and I am so glad I did! The day before and the day of the party were pretty much stress-free and very enjoyable. I am not happy with myself for not taking more detailed "decoration" pictures, but it was a busy day.... Here are some pictures of the "Little Peanut" party:

His "monthly" Pictures

Candy Station

Smash Cake and Cupcakes

"A" Ribbon wreath that was so fun to make!

The Birthday Boy- a little terrified!

Asa's new chair from my parents

Three of Asa's Best friends (and mine!) Left to Right: Cooper and Amber,

Campbell and Leah, and Beck and Louise. I thought it would be fun to have all the kids dress up, since most of them were too young to trick or treat- so they at least got to wear their outfits somewhere! :)

Little Cheesburger, Westin, and his mom Shannon (one of my very best friends)

My sweet sister in Law flew to Fayetteville and SURPRISED me! She was such a huge help and I always love spending time with her.

Cooper, the Dinosaur, and Tatum, the Bumblebee

The attempt at a family picture.

3 generations of "Asa's"

Kisses for mommy

Photo area

Bounce House

Ohhh...the expressions. He was very enthusiastic about opening each gift. He loved each one! Here are the best "facial expression" shots:

Home-made bath toys- Great idea!

So excited about the tissue paper!!

"This is fun Dad!"

Showing his birthday outfit

We are really trying to let him have his paci only during night-night time, but he had a double ear infection during his party, so I let him have anything he wanted that day! :) Plus, he have ZERO teeth, so the doc said we could keep it around for a while!

It was such a fun party! It's hard to think back on this day, because the day was very bitter sweet. Bringing a baby into the world 12 weeks early was very scary, and I had so many complications. However, that day is WORTH CELEBRATING!!! I wouldn't trade one of those hard moments for anything- I am so glad the Lord chose October 28th to be Asa's Birthday.

What Asa is doing at ONE year old:

-24 1/2 pounds. (what happened to my 2 pound little peanut?)
-Size 4 Diaper
-No more baby food, and on all whole milk (as of several weeks ago) I'm saving a ton of money! This child can eat as much as an adult. He loves most food- at least anything he can "gum" enough to swallow.
-Has ZERO teeth ( I was 15 months, before I cut my first tooth, so I am assuming he takes after me)
-Still doing therapy twice a week (PT, OT). He is SOOO close to both walking, and crawling. He crawls around on his belly, but not on hands and knees. They said he would probably walk before crawl, but we try not to encourage it a whole lot, bc they want him crawling first for his development. He will walk holding only one of our fingers- its just a matter of time. I keep realizing how extremely well he is doing for being so pre-mature. Thank you LORD!
-Says "Da-Da", "Na-Na", "Ma-Ma", and a whole lot of other mumble jumble.
-He truly is the happiest best baby in the whole world. No joke!. He has cried only a handful of times, and thats when you know something is truly wrong. He has such a sweet, funny, and laid back personality.
-He had an MRI done about a month ago or so, and I will update on that in a later post.

Happy Monday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASA!!! You are our little mirable baby, and we are so proud of who you are!

Family Visit and Mother's Day Out!

2011-09-16T19:09:00.000-07:00

This post is a little late, but I wanted to share some pictures of our weekend (last weekend)...

Joseph's brother and sister-in-law flew in to spend the weekend with us. We had such a great time! Last Monday was also Asa's first Mother's Day out. We both had a good day! I never updated his 10 Month picture either.....so Enjoy!

10 Months- Aug. 28th

Park time with Aunt "La-La"

Uncle Justin

"Mom, if your going to take my picture, at least button my shirt!"

Sliding for the first time!

He loves his Aunt "La-La"!

On September 11th, We happened to be at our Pinnacle Promenade shopping and noticed they were about to put on a presentation. We sat outside and enjoyed the amazing weather- it was so fun!

Please stay a little longer "la-la", cause Asa loves you!!

On to the next subject....Mother's Day Out...

Why did I decide to do it? I think it's great for him to have social skills, along with watching and learning from older kids in his class who are a little more developed. Plus, let's face it, it's nice to go run a few errands while you don't have kids. :) So, thankfully my sis-in-law, Laura, was with me to experience his first day....

Outside Asa's classroom

Ok...ONE more hug and then I can leave..:(

My friend Shannon dropped off her son too, so we had to grab a picture of the brave mom's as we left our boys for four hours.

I'm happy to report that he did GREAT! He even got in a 45 min nap while he was there. He did get a very bad cold by Wednesday, but (surprise, surprise) we've had a lot to know exactly what works to take care of it!

Have a great Weekend!!

Community Group Playdate #2

2011-09-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

Another FUN playdate with my community group girls and their kiddos! Asa and I are LOVING this weather and try to be outside everyday! We went for a walk this morning and took all the kids. It was so much fun!! Just thought I would share a couple of pictures from our morning!

Love these girls!

Have a great weekend, and ENJOY this weather!!

BECCA cosmetics

2011-09-02T17:00:00.000-07:00

We have added a new cosmetic line at Glo, and we are LOVING IT!! We had our first training and mini makeup event yesterday and learned so much. Unfortunately, I was only able to be there for a short time, but I saw one beautiful makeover!

The new "Lost Weekend" Palette

So many pretty nail polish colors!

Dual Concealers and Foundation Sticks (Medium to full coverage)

I LOVED this beach tint. It is a water-proof, smudge proof cheek and lip tint. I saw her apply it on the cheeks, and it was very smooth and natural, and the color will stay all day!

Oh, and their brushes....are awesome!!

That's all for now! Excited to play with it and learn more!

Playdates!

2011-09-01T18:47:00.000-07:00

This morning, Asa invited four of his close friends over to play! :) Ok...and I also enjoyed visiting with my friends too! We are in the BEST community group, and have been SO blessed with great couples that Joseph and I both love to hang out with. Five couples, including us, added little ones to the group in the past 10 months. Asa was born late October, Tucker was in December, Tatum in February, Ellery in March, and Cooper was born in July. It was so fun being pregnant together, and now we get to have all of our babies play together. Some of the older ones are getting to the point where they actually "play" with each other. Asa kindly shared his toy with tucker today, and tucker happily accepted! Here are a few pictures of our morning:

Tucker (left), and Asa. Only 6 weeks apart. So fun!

Tucker, Ellery, and Asa!

The Whole Gang! Starting from oldest to youngest (right to left): Asa, Tucker, Tatum, Ellery, and Cooper!

Surely, between all these pictures, there is a good one of everyone!

We are thankful for our friends and our community group! When they are older, age wont matter and they will all play together- Even if we have to make them!

Catching up on Life...Part 2

2011-08-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

These are just from the past few days.... I have lots more to share, but will spare you of my hundreds of videos that I take daily. These are three things he does most of the day...Laughing, Saying DaDa, and chewing on his cars!

Laughing... Ignore my horrible FAKE laugh..but he thinks it's funny! :)

Saying "Da-Da".

Wanting him to say Da-Da, but chewing on the car and singing instead!

And just because I left these out of my last post:

Enjoy your weekend!

Catching Up on Life!

2011-08-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

Oh dear! It's been so long since I have updated, and honestly, I love having a "record" of everything, but it is a pain in the butt for me to write a simple post. Ive been told how to upload pictures easily, but it seems to still take an hour just to get all my pictures uploaded, turned the right way, and put them in order....ugh. But...I have a WHOLE LOT of pictures and updates coming, so this is the beginning....

Where to start....
Well, my beautiful niece, Lilly Anne came on July 8th, and I am so in love with her. She is so sweet and cute, and I have already driven to Memphis (10 hours total of driving time each time I go), THREE times. That's a lot of gas money. So, here are a few pictures of Miss Lilly....

After my sister labored naturally for 15 hours into the night, she finally got an epidural and pitocin to see if it would help progression. Lilly ended up being crooked and got stuck, so my sister had to have a c-section. What a champ! She was AMAZING! We were up ALL night....

My mom and I with Lilly

Other than visiting Lilly, I have been busy doing weddings and keeping up with Asa.

Asa is 9.5 months old. We went for his 9 month check up a few days ago, and he is doing great. Besides a few developmental delays, he is right on track!

Stats:
Weight: 21 lbs (55th)
Length: 28 Inches(35th)
Head: 18
He is ON THE CHARTS!!!!

Here is what he has been up to:
-He wakes up around 6:30
Eats a bowl full of Oatmeal and applesauce with cinnamon
Takes 6 oz. bottle and Goes down for a 30-45 minute nap at 8
Eats at 10:30-11 (1 jar of babyfood, and some table food- turkey, grilled cheese, fruit, ect..)
Takes 6 oz. bottle and Goes down around 11:30 and sleeps 2-3 hours
Eats dinner (same as lunch) at 4-5pm
Bath at 6
Bottle at 6:30
Bed at 7!!! Then I sit down.:)

Although...Lately, he has been taking a 2 hr morning nap and 2 hour afternoon nap. This is NOT going to work for mother's day out in 2 weeks. He always changing his schedule just when i start planning something new..... Oh my!

-He is babbling ALL day (dada, baba, mama..., or just says ahhhhhhhhhh)
-He loves his baby Einstein and praise baby DVDs, and loves to just sit in the floor and play with his toys
-He is starting to become a little more aggressive and will go after his toys, and is even pulling with his arms to try to go get them
-He is rolling all over the place
-Can stand and take steps with you hold his hands
-He continues his physical and occupational therapy twice a week
-He still LOVES to cuddle and he gives the BEST hugs!
-Learning to use his sippy cup at lunch and dinner
-He is in size 6-12 month clothes, or 9 months, and even some 12 for the length.
-Size 3 diapers

I think that's pretty much the update on Mr. Asa. A lot has changed in just 3 months!

Here are a few pictures (more to come soon!)

Stupid I phone picture..Oh well!

Sweet cuddly boy!

Checking out our new tennis shoes!

9 Months old

This was his 8 month picture (Ive got to add his 7 month also)

As for me, I'm only doing makeup appointments at glo. It has been the biggest blessing to be able to still keep some of my work, but be at home with Asa full time. It was a hard adjustment at first, just trying to let go of control and not try to run things from my house. However, I've been able to let go of that pretty easily. :) My manager is unbelievable and such a perfect answer to prayer! Glo has blossomed in every area, and I never have to worry about the decisions that she makes for our store. What an awesome and freeing feeling. I can't wait to share with you some of the changes that we are making to the store....all to come soon!

M.I.A

2011-07-05T18:42:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the lack of updates. My life has been very busy lately. I am currently waiting on my niece to arrive. I've been at my sisters in memphis for 5 days, then came back to my moms in little rock for the rest of the time since she is 4 days late. We are still waiting! She will be induced Friday if nothing happens before then. I am so ready to be back home and ready for my life to continue in Fayetteville, but I'm happy to be waiting for the arrival of such a special little girl.

Asa is 8 months old now and such a little joy! I realize that I haven't updated since he was six months old. Very sad. But, I will do that soon!! Lots of things to catch up on.

Between traveling, pool days, therapy, biblestudy, grocery shopping, and just keeping up with a busy 8 month old, I don't have much time to sit an update on life, but I want too!! As soon as my neice arrives, I'll be back to normal. Sorry!!

Have a great week!

6 Months

2011-05-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

This post is really late, but I wanted to wait until after his 6 month doc appointment to write the updates on Mr. Asa. For the first time, I feel like Asa is no longer a "preemie", but he's just a NORMAL baby! He's finally on the charts! The doctor was very impresssed with how well he was doing. She said they look for kids who are premature to catch up by the time they are two, but he should be caught up by 18 months! Hopefully!!

Six Month Stats:

Weight: 15.7 Pounds. 10th Percentile (or 60% for his "adjusted age")

Length: 25 inches 3% (or 50% for his "adjusted age")

Head: 17 circumference 30th Percentile (or 80% for his "adjusted age")

Looks like we've got ourselves a BIG BOY!!!

-Size 2 diapers

-Size 3-6 month clothes, and some 6 month. It wont be long before he starts wearing 6-9!!

-Naps 3 times a day. Two are 2ish hours, and the 3rd is about 30 min to help him make it to bedtime.

-Eats four times a day. 6-7 oz., and beginning baby food. We have done peaches, bananas, apples, sweet potatoes, and trying green beans tonight. So far, he loves ALL except he HATES bananas. Like..he might throw up. Why is that? I thought they were everyone's favorite!

-Smiles and giggles ALL the time!

-Can sit up with very little support by holding his hands

-Rolls over from stomach to back, but not back to stomach yet.

-Continues his therapy twice a week

-So happy and content unless there is something wrong... :)

-Loves to just sit and watch anything and everyone. He is so chill and laid back. He can even be shy at times (I have NO idea where he gets that. Seriously!)

-Has two teeth trying to push their way through. Doc said it could still be a few weeks.
-Had his first ear infection two weeks ago, and his second cold. :( I HATE SNOT!

Some things we've been up to:

Playdate with Westin. Westin wasn't interested in paying attention to the goofy faces I was making, but Asa thought I was funny apparently.

Dressing up

Laughing at Mommy!

Asa definitely has some parts that look at me...BUT....He definitely favors Joseph more!! Can you tell?!?!?

This is Asa at 6 months .......... This is Joseph at 6 months. Same. Exact. Face

SIX MONTHS!!! Can't believe it!

We are really trying to work on not being distracted. He wants to look everywhere but at me!

On Mother's Day, we dedicated Asa to Jesus! Again, Asa is not paying attention here! It was susch a sweet time for us. My parents and Joseph's parents came up for it. We had a wonderful day celebrating!

This was the verse that we chose for Asa.

That's pretty much it!! Life is busy and always interesting! Please continue to pray for his development and health. We continue to be amazed by God's provision and protection for our family!

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T11:42:00.000-07:00

We spent Easter with my family. Church was AMAZING! After church, We had LOTS of kids to hunt easter eggs. We had such a great time, and I can't wait until next year when Asa can run around with his cousins! I didn't get any pictures. Boo! :( However, I did manage to snap a few pictures of Asa since it was his first Easter....

Swinging with "Pop"!

Family Picture :)

LOVE those big blue eyes!!!

Just Chillin'

Favorite Products for Summer

2011-04-20T09:28:00.000-07:00

I haven't done this in a while....but I always love to show you products that I love for the season. Most of these are new to me and I am LOVING them!

First....I have loved this new moisturizer. For me, this is a very big deal. I have used the same moisturizer for YEARS, and to step out on a limb and not only try something different but to really like it is a whole new thing. It is by Natura Bisse. It smells good, feels good, has sun protection for the summer, and helps repair sun damage. Sun damage starts to show in your late 20's from all those years of tanning and laying out. My advice to women in their early 20's is to not only wear a good spf, but start your anti-aging treatments early to help reverse and prevent future damage to come.

This product is awesome!!! It's a self-tanner, but the best part is...it washes off. It doesn't come off on my clothes either. It's beautiful just to give you color, or to enhance your tan for any special occasion. I like to use it on my arms, chest, and legs. I can wash it off and you don't have to worry about having the ugly streak lines or not applying properly.

This is Sugar Lip Treatment made by Fresh. It's $22. It hydrates, smells great, gives SHEER color, and has an spf 15. It's perfect to throw on with a little bit of bronzer and mascara. LOVE it!

Who doesn't love a good candle?? This is K-Hall designs new scent called "shoreline". Its a clean, beach-y scent for the summer! Yum! Retail price is $24.

Last, but certainly not least is Laura Mercier's Universal Powder. Oh my goodness! I love this because its a setting powder for over your makeup or it can be worn alone, and it gives a beautiful flawless, airbrush finish. It fills in pores and lines and makes your makeup look so smooth. Retail price is $34. When I do bridal makeup...this is a MUST!

One year ago today....

2011-04-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

...I got my phone call telling me I was pregnant!! No, unfortunately, I didn't get to do the whole "take a test and surprise your husband and family" thing, but I will never ever ever forget that incredible phone call. I waited a long time to hear those words!! My sweet friend Shannon kept me company as I "patiently" waited. She was an incredible encouragement throughout the process- I am so thankful for her! I was at glo when I found out, and I can't think of a more perfect place!

After a year and a half of trying to get pregnant, including 6 rounds of clomid and 5 IUI (artificial insemination), we decided to move on to IVF (invitro-fertilizatioin). One time did the trick, which we feel very blessed and thankful for.

Surgery Day! They were able to retrieve 17 eggs, and out of those, 9 fertilized! One VERY special egg was selected, and put back in 5 days later. I got the call to tell me I was pregnant....but needed to see it for myself after MANY negative ones over the past year.

I was 31 weeks pregnant, and just had my first baby shower when Asa decided to make

an early arrival on October 28, 2010.

Our TINY little boy was here!

C-Sectoion Day

I hope next time I can be a little less anxious for this! :) I will never forget his tiny little cry when the doctor pulled him out.

Despite being early, he was healthy!

Its still hard for me to think back at how tiny 2 pounds was. This picture makes me emotional for so many reasons. It doesn't even look like him. They grow so fast!

I tried to make the best of our NICU experience. :)

Today I think back over the past year or two, and I wouldn't trade ONE hard, emotional day for anything in the world. I know its a part of who I am now as well as Asa. He is such a sweet miracle. Praise the Lord for his health!

For my dear friends who are struggling with infertility (and unfortunatley there are many many of you), please know that you are not alone. God's timing is always perfect, even if its not of our choosing. His ways are better than ours!

5 Months!!

2011-04-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

Well.....better late than never! Our little peanut is 5 months old (and two weeks). It truly does go by SO FAST!

He is such a little joy! He smiles all the time....except I can't seem to capture any. When I turn the camera on, he just stops and stares.... haha! :) It's hilarious! I PROMISE that he smiles all the time...just not on here!

Not exactly sure what Asa is doing in this picture, but I told Joseph to duck out of the way so I could take a picture of Asa. He did good.

Just ignore the red cheeks.... They are very chapped and irritated! And...he is so sensitive to everything!! :(

Do you see all those rolls?!?! I love seeing them!

At 5 months, Asa is:

-in size 2 diapers

-for the most part, wearing 3-6 month clothes- with a few 0-3 here and there.

-taking 5-6 oz. bottles every 4 hrs. except obviously at night. He takes about 7oz. before bed.

-Goes to bed at 8:30 p.m. and sleep until about 7:30 a.m.

-Takes 2 good naps, and maybe a cat nap here and there (he is trying to let go of his hour nap late afternoon, so he's struggling to stay awake some during the day, but we are pretty much down to just the two naps.)

-Tried cereal the first time the other day and did great. We have done it a few times since.

-LOVES LOVES to watch anything on tv. We try to keep it pretty clean or educational :)...baby einstein, veggie tales, maybe a little golf here and there.

-Smiles and giggles all day! I love it when I go grab him in the morning and he looks up at me and gives me the biggest smile. Melt my heart!

-He is trying VERY hard to roll over and sit up. He is close to rolling over, and will do it with some help. I still have to remember that he will be about 2 months behind, so he is actually doing very well considering.

Here are some things that Asa has been doing:

The picture below is him in therapy doing some tummy time and working on rolling over.

Went to church for the first time today! Finally!!

\Just being a boy!

His favorite....watching baby einstein in his mommy's bed!

He is such a precious little boy and has the sweetest personality. (a little stubborn at times...but so sweet!) I feel so blessed to have him!

Birth Announcements

2011-03-26T17:35:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to show you how awesome our photographer is......Here is the front and back of my Birth Announcements. They were done by Amber Lanning Photography. She is awesome!!!! Have I already said that?!?!

A very quick update: Asa is doing great! I'm pretty spoiled by him and that he stays on a great schedule. He is getting very busy and curious about everything. He will be 5 months on Monday, so I will update then!
These 2 pics are "just because I love him so much I could eat him with a spoon!"

He loves his new easter bunny that his "Honey" (a.k.a. Joseph's mom) got for him!

Have a great day!

Nashville Finds

2011-03-25T13:10:00.000-07:00

If you live in Nashville, I'm very jealous! What a fun city!! My sister (on the right) lives in Memphis, so we decided to take a girls trip to Nashville for the weekend to relax and shop. It was my first time away from Asa. :( He stayed with my in-laws, so I knew he would be perfectly fine and get very spoiled!

I was looking for things in particular as we were shopping. I have been wanting to "lighten" up my accessories in my house since most of my furniture pieces are very dark. First, a few fun pictures of us, and then on to the "finds".

This is me, my sister, and my sister in law. We ate at Sperry's....YUM!!! I would definitely recommend it!

All of us- including my beautiful brunette mom! Isn't she gorgeous??

So....What I ended up buying was new drapes; I had dark chocolate brown before, so I found these cream ones at Pottery Barn Outlet for $30. I thought they might be a nice change for spring....

Here is another shot...with flash :) Although, they look white in this picture...

I also bought two lamps (one, you can see in this picture) at z-gallerie. Cream and simple. I also added the cream pillows from pottery barn for $19, and a couple of new "light" florals for spring here and there. I also painted the little dresser next to the chair an antique white, which was dark brown before.

I had a pretty traditional picture hanging above my entertainment center, and I replaced it with this green circle "whatcha-ma-call-it" that I found also at z-gallerie.

I love love this lantern. I found it in one of the many unique shops in Franklin for $35.

My mother in law gave me this vase, and I bought flowers to put in it for spring.

That's pretty much it for my house stuff. It's amazing that just a few little things can make such a difference. I'm still working on my other rooms...but getting close. I wish I had more "before" pics....but I don't. :)

Have a GREAT weekend!

The "Fly Lady"

2011-03-10T15:00:00.000-08:00

This might just change my life.....

My cousin shared with me about the "FlyLady". Basically, she sends you daily tasks for de-cluttering and cleaning your home. 15 minute chores along with the daily "Sink shine". This might just be the most creative invention ever!!!

Here is an example for this week. We are in Zone 2: The Kitchen

Zone 2: Mission #1 Monday

Dear Friends:

Your mission for today should you choose to accept it: Scrub down
your counter tops, I don't mean to just wipe a rag across them! I
mean you get some hot soapy water and you wipe down the counters from
front to back and side to side. Yes, you have to move the stuff on
the counters to do this. DON'T take everything off at one time and
then plan to put it all back again, I promise you will get
sidetracked and then you will all email me crying that it is all my
fault!! LOL! You just move your toaster (or coffee pot or whatever
this is an example here! :>) ) over to one side and wipe down the
counter, then move over a foot or so, move aside what is there and
wipe down some more and so on. We are not marathon cleaning the
kitchen here, just getting all the crumbs and junk that seems to
build up behind and under things.

Have fun! Don't obsess! Enjoy!

Kelly

Zone 2: Mission #2 Tuesday

Dear Friends:

Well it is day 2 in the Kitchen, are you ready?

Today we are going to de-clutter our leftover, food storage, plastic,
Rubbermaid, Tupperware, Glad-Ware, etc. containers! Do you have excess
lids? More bowls than lids? Stained and/or Melted? Do we even need to
talk about those old margarine, ice cream and sherbet containers?

It is time to let go of this clutter. I am not telling you that you
can't keep any containers, I am telling you to get rid of the ones
that have no lids, stained and the ones that keep getting shoved in
the back because it just isn't a size that works for you.

I don't know what a reasonable number of containers to own is, that
is a personal choice that has to be made on how you cook, store and
the size of your family. I just know that if you haven't de-cluttered
these items in the past 6 months it is time to really go through them
and start tossing!

A quick hint that is helpful, take a large zip top plastic bag to
store the lids in, this keeps them together and keeps them from
spilling all over the inside of your cabinet.

Spend 10 minutes doing this, don't get sidetracked and rip apart your
cabinets and drawers. One thing at a time.

Have fun!
Kelly

Zone 2: Mission #3 Wednesday

Dear Friends:

What a fun and exciting mission that I have for you today? LOL!

Let's take a close look at the gadgets and small appliances. The
toaster, can opener, coffee maker, microwave etc. The small
appliances that you use on a regular basis. When was the last time
you cleaned out your toaster; opened up the bottom and dumped the
crumbs? How dingy or dusty is your coffee maker? Do we even want to
talk about the blades on the electric can openers? How about the
outside of the microwave?

Wipe them down and make them shine. I am not telling you to drag out
every small kitchen appliance you own and to scrub them. Just wipe
down the fingerprints, dust, drips, dried food particles on the most
used items. Make sure you unplug these items before you clean them!

Don't obsess, set your timer for 15 minutes and have fun!

Kelly

Zone 2: Mission #4 Thursday

Dear Friends:

We are still tackling the kitchen this week!!! What do you think I
have in store for you today? LOL!

This involves old toothbrushes and elbow grease! Yes you guessed
it! Grab those toothbrushes and some general purpose cleaner and
scrub those faucets on your kitchen sink. It is amazing how much
gunk can build up around the seals and edges.

Have fun, this is a quick mission that shows instant results!

Kelly

Zone 2: Mission #5 Friday

Dear Friends:

We are in the last day of the kitchen zone!

Let's take a look at the cabinets! Take a few minutes to check them
out, I bet you will see that they need a little sprucing up! Just
wipe down the outside surfaces. You will be so surprised at what a
difference shining those cabinets will make!

There is no "right" way to do this. Depending on what your cabinets
are made out of is what you will use to wipe the cabinets down. A
wood soap, a general purpose cleaner, or just soap and water. A
slightly damp cloth will work as well.

Don't obsess and have fun with this! Look around and see how your
kitchen shines!!!

So...by the end of the week, you kitchen should be ALL clean and organized. It makes you do the stuff that needs to be done that you really don't want to do! But...I have found that because of these "daily" goals....its much for enjoyable, and it doesn't take me as long as I thought!
You can take the challenge and sign up for the free emails as well at FlyLady.net

How AWESOME is this?!?!?!

GREAT NEWS worth sharing!

2011-03-09T18:54:00.001-08:00

My uncle (dad's brother) was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer around september-ish. Long story short, he got really sick and has been in and out of the hospital several times with numerous problems associated with his cancer. He had the cancer removed and would start chemo in January for preventative measures. He then found out that his "cancer tumor number" was 78. For those that aren't familiar with this....anything below 20 is considered "cancer-free". The numbers showed that the cancer had obviously returned. They quickly rose to 265. His cancer had spread to his kidneys and his liver. He started chemo two days before Christmas. He lost a ton of weight because he can't eat. He has a feeding tube because he can't keep anything down. His poor body has been shutting down very quickly. Doctors have given him three months to live, and that if he started a very aggressive Chemo treatment, it would prolong his life up to a year.

Our family decided to come together to pray for him. We know that "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I with them."- Matthew 18:20. We knew that we could ask the Lord for a miracle. Medically speaking, it's more than likely impossible. We all traveled to Little Rock to be with him one Sunday night. We prayed for an hour or so. We asked the Lord to bring healing and strength to his body and for a miracle. But....we also prayed for Him to prepare our hearts in the event he chose to take my uncle.

Our phone call came yesterday from my uncle..... After 4 treatments of chemo, his numbers were down to 16 and was declared CANCER FREE!!!!!! Chills all over!!! We are still in shock and praising the Lord for this miracle.!!!! How??? ITS BEYOND CRAZY!!!! There is NO explanation other than God's incredible power!! This is a very short version of everything my family has been through the past 6 months, and I can't begin to describe the emotional and painful roller-coaster. It's too great of news not to share though!! He will continue chemo until June and then begin a maintenance program. They have "blogged" some of their story at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/billrush

We will continue to pray for strength and that the cancer would not return. Thank you LORD!!!!

Psalm 126:3 "The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with JOY!"

New Design!

2011-03-09T18:51:00.000-08:00

Woohoo!!! Thanks to "A Design of Faith", I have a newly designed blog!! She did so good and she was so easy to work with. Thanks Faith!

4 Months and Birthday Celebration!

2011-02-28T16:09:00.000-08:00

4 months old already?!?!?!

Yes, he is surprised too!! I can't believe that he is four months old! To see where we have come from four months ago to now, is quite amazing to me! He is such a joy, and even though the first couple of months were different than we expected and very difficult at times, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat! We have had fun watching him grow, and learning how to parent. He has completely stolen my heart!! I wonder how I could possible love another baby as much as him (people tell me all the time that I will just as easily)!

Yawning!
He plays with his toys, and this week learned that he can put them in his mouth! Little Flirt!He is 10 1/2 pounds, 22 inches long.
Size 0-3 month clothes, but transitioning to 3-6 month soon!
Size 1 diapers.
He smiles all the time.
He plays with his toys and is learning how to grab them and put them in his mouth.
He is taking 4.5 ounces every 4 hours.
He still sleeps from 8:30 p.m-7:30 a.m.
He goes to therapy twice a week to help with his development. (physical therapy and occupational)
He had a CT scan at his 4 month check up- it showed some fluid outside his brain, but there is no concern there, and they will watch it and assume it will go away on its own.
His acid reflux has gotten SO much better.
I can't wait to see his personality continue to develop!
We are praising the Lord for such a healthy baby!

Also this week, was my birthday! I had a great time with so many great friends (and some were missing)! Here are a few pictures:
Me, Leah (my sis), and Shannon

Amy, Me, Leah, Amy

My mom, me, and Amber

Aubrey, Kara, me,and Katie

And....as I am closing this blog post, I just have to put this on here just because it might be the sweetest thing in this whole world! He was snoozin' away!

Spring Makeup products coming soon along with my NEW BLOG DESIGN!!! I can't wait!!

"ASA" and update

2011-02-10T18:26:00.001-08:00

We always knew we would use the name Asa, whether it was for the first or middle name. I love it. It is very different and not too many people have heard of it, but I love it because of the many great men in our family that he was named after.
During the Holiday's (which I never posted pictures from), we were able to see Joseph's Grandfather (Asa Ray). We don't know how far the name "Asa" goes back in his family, but at least about 5 generations. Here is a picture of 4 generations of "Asa's".

Asa James Ray, Joseph Asa Ray (my hubby), Terry Asa Ray (his dad), and Asa Melvin Ray (his grandfather. How cool is that?!!

Both Asa Ray's

We also got to look through some of Joseph's baby pictures. He is 6 months in this picture. At times, it's crazy how much they look alike!! The big head gives it away!!! :)

Asa is already 3 1/2 months old! He is starting to be so alert and smiling a lot!!
He has BIG blue eyes and BIG chunky cheeks! AND....you see that hair coming in on top?!?!? I promise it's there!!!! :) All my good pictures are on my phone, so here are some of the ones I have taken with my good camera:

Flirting!

Looking like his daddy!
And sometimes like his mommy... very few times!

A few fun things about Asa:

- He is about 10 1/2 pounds.
- He will be 4 months in just 2 weeks! Crazy!
- He takes 3 naps a day (2 big, one small)
- He goes to bed around 8:30 and sleeps until about 7:30
- He is in size 1 diapers, and fitting nicely in his 0-3 month clothes, and maybe a few newborn things still.
-He is smiling a lot and noticing his toys. He gets frustrated that his hand wont grab onto any of them.
-He loves to be cuddled and held. He is perfectly content just laying on your chest for the whole day. (I take all I can get, because I know it won't last forever).
-He still has acid reflux and HATES to be in any other position other than upright.
-He is still on iron supplements for his anemia. (he will get checked at his 4 month appt.)
-He is starting therapy 2x a week in order to catch him up to his age. He is 3 months, but his "adjusted age" is only 2 months (almost), which is the age of which his development level is on.
-He has no other health issues for being pre-mature which is such a BLESSING!

I can't wait to see his little personality develop more and more. He is getting out of that "newborn" stage and moving to a little baby boy! Does that make sense? He is our little miracle baby and I'm so proud to be his momma!!!

Asa's Nursery

2011-01-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

Nurseries can be very overwhelming. So many options..... It was so fun, yet very stressful trying to figure out colors and fabric choices. Everyone seems to be doing "neutral" nurseries, which is great for future babies down the road. I loved all the neutral bedding I saw, but knew that it wasn't me. So, we went ALL BOY! Next time, if I have a girl, I'll have to start all over! Oh well!

I chose dark teal, lime green, white, and chocolate brown. The "sheep" mobile came from Joseph's grandfather (Asa). It was a very special gift! My sister in law made the "aRj" letters.

My changing table/dresser was found and painted by Emily Richardson. She did a great job!

My sister painted this for his room. She got the "tree branch" idea from the front of his baby book. The bottom says, "His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me." LOVE IT!!!!!!

I love the colors and I am pleased with how it all came together. He seems to like it too!! :)

Another post in one week- yeah for me!!! Holiday pictures to follow...

Home Sweet Home

2010-12-08T17:56:00.001-08:00

Although I am REALLY LATE at posting this, I am proud to tell you that........Asa is a "NICU" ALUMNI!! He came home on Sunday, Dec. 5th, and I am LOVING every moment with him. I feel like I have to catch up for the 6 weeks I was without him. We have been super busy adjusting to life with a newborn, and learning what our new "normal" is. Everything now revolves around him and his schedule. We went down to Little Rock to be with our families for Christmas and New Years, and just now getting back to normal.

First carseat ride

The three of us!

Taking a nap after arriving home!

First Bath

Asa came home at 5.1 lbs, and went up to 5.8lbs at his first check up a week later. Ten days later he was up to 6.11, and as of today, January 3rd he is 7 pounds, 11 ounces!!!
He is growing like a little weed. He is on 3oz. every four hours (yes, I am blessed!), we supplement 1/2 teaspoon of formula in with his breastmilk for extra calories, and he takes an iron supplement in his bottle 2x a day for his anemia. He has acid reflux (just went to doctor today) and spits up and is very gassy. You can hear it in the back of his throat. Yuck! Any suggestions for this, I will take! I just got a prescription today, so we will see how he does with that. Even though he is almost 10 weeks old, he still acts like he is a week old. He was due December 26th, so that is what we go off of for his "development" chart. He is holding up his head better each day. He is noticiing his hands and can focus on people. I can't wait until he looks up at me and smiles intentionally. It's the same feeling of waiting for your baby to kick for the first time. Melt your heart!

I have more pictures to come from the holiday's and NURSERY pictures!!

Thank you for your continued prayers for Asa. We are very blessed to have him!

Asa James Ray

2010-11-13T10:48:00.001-08:00

SURPRISED??

Yes, we were too!! Asa was born two months early, on October 28th. (I can't believe it's already been three weeks!) He is doing very well and currently in the NICU, but we hope to have him home soon!

I had gone in for my routine visit and an extra ultrasound to check my placenta on Tuesday, October 26th. In my ultrasound, they found that I had very low amniotic fluid and he was measuring about 2 weeks behind. They also found a little protein in my urine, and my blood pressure was a little higher than normal for me. My doctor said that I had not been drinking enough water, and because of that, I was just probably dehydrated and just needed 48 hours of I.V. Fluid and I would be on my way. So, we went home, grabbed our bags, and checked in to the hospital for 48 hrs. During this time, my blood pressure was slowly rising, but the doctor said she was still unconcerned at this point; however, it didn't stop rising. Thursday morning they repeated my ultrasound, and the news was a little different than we expected. Although my amniotic fluid had increased, Asa was measuring now three weeks behind. My doctor came in and explained to me that on top of everything that was going on (blood pressure, him measuring behind, ect.) that the umbilical cord blood flow was also decreasing and that would, in time, just get worse and eventually be bad and decrease oxygen to the baby. So....instead of going home Thursday, I was scheduled for a c-section about 3 hours later.

What was going through my mind....???? Hmm...good question. I was SO scared, anxious, but very excited to meet him. I knew with all the events that had happened, that Asa would be just fine. We lightly discussed delivering at UAMS, and she felt like it was not necessary and he would be perfectly fine in the NICU at Willow Creek. Great!

I had trouble getting pregnant. Then, when I did get pregnant, my hcg levels were not rising and we discussed a possible miscarriage- but he fought through that. We had trouble finding a heartbeat, and had to come back two weeks later, anxiously wondering, and he fought through that. There was a concern of too small of a sac and my placenta being too low, and he fought through that. I went into preterm labor, had an ovarian cyst rupture, and an appendectomy when I was 25 weeks pregnant. They gave him steroid shots for his lungs in case he was delivered, but he fought through that. Now this... he was sooo ready to be here. He is our little fighter! He is NOTHING SHORT OF A MIRACLE FROM GOD. (exact words from my doctor). God is SO good!

Asa- Means "Doctor, Healer". Interesting, huh??

Here are some pictures of our sweet baby boy. I will update more often, now that I am healed and not quite as busy. :) For now...

Weight: 2lbs. 14oz.

Length: 16 1/4 inches

Currently, Asa is 3lbs. 10oz. He is up to 3 bottle feedings a day, although he still has his feeding tube for the rest of the feedings. He is almost in an open crib, which means he is maintaining his temperature well and weighs enough. He is about 2 weeks out from coming home as long as there are no set backs. He has been off all oxygen/room air about a week after he was born. His head ultrasound detected ZERO bleeding. What a praise!!! Please pray for his health and growth. We want him home!!!

7 Months and 3rd Trimester!

2010-10-10T13:42:00.001-07:00

Well, today marks 29 weeks! I have a OB appointment on Tuesday, so I will get an update on how he's doing and sign up for childbirth classes. I'm still feeling great, and Asa is doing good too! Here is a bump update for you:

Other than just pregnancy stuff, I have been very busy at work. This is a very popular wedding season! I have been busy at glo every weekend the past couple of weeks doing makeup, and then traveling to Little Rock for weddings when I'm not. Joseph was in a wedding recently for one of his best friends:

Speaking of Makeup.....I haven't done an update in a while for a new product, and I am working on doing my "favorite products for fall" soon. But I will show you a new product that I have been loving at glo for wedding season. It's Laura Mercier's new Creme' Smooth Foundation:

It is made for more normal to dry skin. It's lightweight and smoothes into skin without visibly settling into fine lines, while also working to treat them. (It's never too early to start!) It's hydrating and is between a medium to full coverage. I'm loving it!

That's it for today! I have my first baby shower this coming weekend, and looking forward to filling up his room!! Can't wait!!!

6 Months!

2010-09-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm two weeks away from my 3rd trimester. WOW! He will be here before I know it. I got enough energy today to go and register at one place. My first shower is about 3 weeks away. I definitely need to get prepared.

Baby Update:

I'm 26 weeks. Feeling much better today after last weekend. He should be about 2 lbs. or a little less, and 14 inches long. He is moving around A LOT, and knows right where my bladder lives. I had gained 7lbs. at my 24 weeks appt, so I'm assuming I'm starting to get closer to 9 lbs. It doesn't seem like very much, but he is measuring perfect, and that is all that matters! Unfortunately, I lost a pound, maybe two, last week from everything that happened. But, I'm back to normal and it seems like I've packed it back on pretty quickly and maybe more! Asa does NOT like to go without food and neither do I!! I still LOVE LOVE pizza and fruit (not together, of course). But, my random craving this week has been summer sausage, cheese, and crackers. Don't ask. I don't know why. That's all the baby updates I can think of. I love being pregnant, feeling him move, and see my stomach move all around on the outside. God is so good!

This was at 24 weeks (6 months)

This is at 26 weeks.

Isn't it lovely?

Here is my new addition. It's looking pretty good after having 10 staples removed 4 days ago.
This picture makes it look like a small scratch. I will spare you the uglier photos. :) We will see how it grows along with my belly!

Thank you again for your prayers for us! We appreciate it so much!

A very scary weekend....

2010-09-18T17:25:00.000-07:00

Last weekend and this past week have been CRAZY! Last Friday, actually 1:00 am Saturday morning, I started to have some painful contractions.

I had started having Braxton hicks contractions very early in my pregnancy, and my doctor just suggested that I remember to take it easy and to drink plenty of water. Last Friday, I came home and told Joseph that I must have been doing too much that day because my "contractions" had picked up. They don't hurt by any means, but I know that you shouldn't have more than 6 in an hour or to call the doctor if they become painful.

Anyway, in the middle of the night, I started having "real" contractions-the kind that I knew were not normal at 25 weeks. Then, within 20 minutes, I had excruciating pain on my lower right side, my back, and down my right leg. It wasn't 15 minutes later, that we got in the car and headed to the ER. After I checked in, gave a urine sample, and started vomiting from the pain, we were pretty certain that it was my appendix. Unfortunately, I could not get any pain meds until we monitored the baby and my contractions first. So, after a few HOURS went by, I got some pain meds and they went to do an ultrasound on me to check the baby, and my kidneys.

They could not check my appendix, because they would have to do a CT scan, which is a no no during pregnancy. They said that I was showing all the signs of appendicitis, except for the fact that my white blood count came back normal. (If I had appendicitis, the levels would have been high). However, I had just finished an antibiotic for a sinus infection I had that week, so they assumed that was the causing the white blood count to be normal.

The obgyn and general surgeon came in and told us they had gotten results back from the ultrasound, and that I had a cyst rupture on my ovary, and I had a few more remaining. My right kidney was also enlarged, and the combination of these things were putting me into pre-term labor.

They came to a decision to proceed with an appendectomy to remove my appendix, regardless of how it was, and to check my ovary and remove the other cysts. My regular ob doctor, from a different hospital, happened to be on call there that weekend. Joseph texted her and told her what was going on, and she came over and stepped in on the surgery. How awesome is she!?!? I'm SO grateful for her!

This was all around Saturday morning at 9ish. My parents, in laws, best friend Laura, and my sister all came in town to be with us.

The real problems had only begun.....the doctors came in and started talking about the possibility of having to deliver Asa in case they couldn't get my contractions to stop, or things went differently during surgery. I just remember crying....and that's all I could do at that point with the amount of pain meeds I had in me. Joseph was extremely worried, so much so, that he had made himself sick. :(. Bless his heart! I knew that if he came, he could survive, but he would be flown down to UAMS in little rock, and kept for a long time. "Scary" was an understatement.

By noon, they removed my appendix, which i was told was the longest that he had seen in 30 years! Wow! And...that it was perfectly normal. The ovary was not, but was cleaned and all cysts were removed. They started me on magnesium for the pre-term labor, and monitored me until Monday. Oh, did I mention the catheter?? Ouch!! I never want to experience that again!!

I stayed that night, Sunday, and then was able to go home on Monday. I had constant care from my incredible husband, mom, and mother in law.

So, Asa decided to stay in there and my contractions stopped. I have a new lovely incision across the right side of my ever stretching belly, and I'm interested to see how it grows along with my belly. Gross! Asa is more active than ever. He got some steroids to help his lungs in case he were to be delivered early, so he is now ahead of the game! However, he does like to ball up and give me a good kick underneath my incision-it doesn't feel good, but I'm thankful for his life-so he can do whatever he wants to! :). Joseph has been more than amazing! He is extremely protective of me and Asa, and has been there non stop for anything that I need. I am so grateful for my friends who have brought meals, visited, or texted to see how we are doing. Glo is being taken care of, and I feel very blessed by all of that!

That's my crazy story! I have bump and incision pictures to follow!

Please pray for me and Asa, and that he would stay in there until he is healthy and big enough to come out. Please pray for my health and recovery. I am having a hard time with being down, and want to be normal again so badly. I know that if i don't take it slow, it could put me down for the rest of the time-so pray for patience for me and allowing myself not to get too busy.

Thank you!

Celebrating 10 years at Glo!

2010-08-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

I know, I know! I haven't posted in a long time, but I have a good reason! Last week was very busy getting ready for our 10 year anniversary sale/party at glo. It was a great success, and we had SO many people come to shop!! All of that, plus, we are re-vamping glo medical! Unfortunately, I don't have any "before" pictures, but I can show you some "after" pictures. We have started out slowly, but will begin to get more accessories and new things. It started out very plain, and we wanted it to feel a little more warm and "spa-like".

New Light Fixtures (the old ones had been there for 10 years!)

New "blackberry" wall color just behind the front counter.

New drapes and fun pillows for the "waiting" area.

That's all I have for now, but I will update again, once we get everything put together.

Overall, the 10 year anniversary party was a HUGE success. I wish I had more pictures from the actual event this past weekend, but it was too crazy to stop and take pictures! I couldn't ask for a better group of girls to be apart of glo! We are looking forward to the next 10 years and I can't wait to see how it continues to grow and change.

The Original "Glo Girls"- Sisters, Linden and Erin, Leah (who had just had a massage-Ha!) and Me. We bought it from Linden and Erin, who started the store in 2000, and we purchased it in 2004.

Baby Update:

I'm almost 23 weeks and rapidly growing. He is moving around like crazy-and I love every minute of it! I have my 24 week appointment next week. Everything is going great with me and we are thankful for a healthy growing boy!

Nursery Update and Bump Pictures!

2010-08-02T19:30:00.000-07:00

Almost half way there!!

At 19 weeks, 1 day, things have been starting to come together with Asa's nursery, and the bump is definitely growing!

This is 15 weeks on the left, and 19 on the right.

Here is the fabric I ordered for Asa's room. I liked the teal because it was different for a boy. The bottom stripe is the bedskirt. The green square fabric on the right is for the drapes that my mom is making. The top teal dotted fabric is for the front side of the bumper, and the teal circle and cream fabric on the left is for a bolster pillow that will go in our chocolate brown glider. I'm super excited about his room, and can't wait to see it all together.

This is the back of the bumper. My mom was kind enough to sew this together
for a visual. It's much easier to picture all together this way. :)

Asa's Crib!! I looked for a white iron crib for a while, and my mom and I finally found this one at a great price. I can't wait to lay my sweet baby boy in it.

That's all I have for now!

Gender Reveal Party

2010-07-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

Girl or Boy??

Well...you already know, but we are trying to fool people in this picture. Everyone was supposed to come dressed for a boy or a girl. Since Joseph and I already knew, we dressed for both.

One of my very best friends, Shannon, helped me come up with the idea of the scavenger hunt. A lot of these pictures are from her blog, but some are new. :) She is super creative, and helped me pull the whole thing off.

We had mostly family members, and a few very close friends that came. This is the group that came dressed for a "boy".

...and this is the group that came dressed for or a "girl". Pretty even teams!

Shannon made "clue" cards for all the riddles we came up with for the scavenger hunt. Five for each team. They each had a girl or boy rhyme on them, such as, "Daddy will need to be brave, to teach his son to ______". The answer was shave. They would run to Joseph's razor to find the next clue. An example of the girls was, "Girls will never fail to get their magazines out of the _______" (mail). We told them that this part was a race (which it wasn't), but it was hilarious to see them running through our house bumping into each other.

This was the final clue card:

And this was the final clue:

The teams started racing to add up their totals, and I was standing nervously on the boy side. They soon ,excitedly, shouted out, "ITS A BOY!!!!!!"

Woohoo!!!

Asa James Ray will be here in December!

If anyone needs a fun idea for a gender reveal party, you should do this. We had such a great time, and everyone really got into it. We had a great time celebrating!!

Asa James Ray

2010-07-16T08:12:00.000-07:00

Asa James Ray

is his name!

Joseph and I agreed on this middle name soon after we found out that we were having a boy, but never nailed it down 100%. After all the sweet comments and seeing others write his name out and say it, makes it very real to me. James is always a great book in the bible to turn to for just about any encouragement or advice. We have kept James 1:2-3 close for encouragement throughout the past 1 1/2 years and continue to do so. It says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." Everyone faces hard times at some point, and we just have to remember it's all part of God's perfect plan and it builds character on the way.

I PROMISE I AM GOING TO POST ABOUT THE GENDER REVEAL PARTY. My camera battery is dead, and we are having problems finding our charger. :) As soon as I get it, I will post it. In the mean time, go to Shannon's blog to read about it.

IT'S A BOY!!!!! (bump pictures included)

2010-07-13T17:04:00.000-07:00

Well....We are having a BOY!!!

I knew I was going to be shocked either way, because it seems crazy that we now can call him by name. It only took two seconds to see what was in between his legs.

Me: "Is that a weenie?"

Doc: "Yup, that's a weenie!"

It was official...we are having a little boy. We are SO excited and just kept giggling all the way home. Between my brother's three boys and our Tuesday night "fam" night dinners with our friends (one has two boys, and one has one boy), I feel like I am covered with boy knowledge, clothes, and anything else a new momma might need for a boy!

I have finally posted some "bump" pictures for people who are like me and want to see them.

I think this was around 12-13ish weeks.

This was 15 weeks -can't hide it anymore!!
(I swear I'm not sticking my booty out-although it looks like it)

When I have to stuff the "bump" into jeans, somehow it looks a lot bigger and feels bigger than when I have comfy shorts or pants on! For obvious reasons I'm sure! :)

I immediately knew that I wanted to attack the guest closet so I could start putting the few gifts that I have in there. This is a very unfortunate before picture. Lots and lots of games, and a bunch of other random junk.

And..here is the after!

I was able to hide the games, and throw away as much stuff as I could. I even hung up a few of his clothes!

We had such a FUN gender reveal party to tell some of our friends and family. I will post the details tomorrow. I am currently 16 weeks and doing very well. Not very many symptoms other than a bit of "growing" pains every once in a while.
We have decided on the first name but haven't nailed down his middle name. Asa wil be his first name. It is joseph's middle name, as well as at least six generations (that we know of) of the males in his dad's family. The options for middle names are:
Asa Jordan Ray
(jordan is my middle name)
Asa James Ray
(james has some spiritual significance to us-especially this past year)
Asa Benjamin Ray
(after my dad)
Asa Luke Ray
(just because I like that name, although it doesn't really fit)

Our favorite so far is James. It is my favorite book in the bible, and has a verse that has been great for joseph and I this past year. They are all great, and most have meaning or are family names. But..we haven't decided 100% . We keep asking for opinions, but no one seems to want to give their opinion, which I understand. But I would love ANY suggestions.

Ok...that's all for now. I will post details of GENDER REVEAL PARTY tomorrow!

My favorite Summer Products!

2010-06-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

Favorite Facial Product for Summer: Murad's Exfoliating Pomegranate Mask!

I have now had two facials with this mask, and I love the way my skin feels afterwards. My skin feels so smooth, and it brightens the tone of my skin. They come in a set of six for $22.50

Favorite self tanner: Duwop's Revelotion. I like this because it gives a great color, and its easy to apply. The best thing is, it washes off at night. It stays on well, but I like that it can wash off in case you mess up! :)

Favorite new Sunscreen: Colorscience and Bare Escentual's Mineral Sunscreen

How easy is it to put your sunscreen on with a brush? Both of these are a mineral sunscreen loose powder that dispenses through the brush with spf 5o and spf 30. They have been quite popular at glo lately! ($28)

Favorite Summer Fragrance: Fresh's "Citron de Vigne" or any of their citrus, lemon scents.($75) They also come in shower gels, lotions, and soaps.

New favorite lip color: Laura Mercier's Bon Bon (Barbie Pink) ($22)

Favorite Summer Nail Polish: Essie's "Cute as a button" ($8)

Those are some of the things I love for the summer! The only update on me and the baby is that everything is going well! I have officially entered my second trimester, and already can tell a big difference with my energy level. I'm starting to get a little bump and I'm sure throughout the next month or two, I will start to see quite a bit more. I will post ultrasound pictures and "bump" pictures soon. Ultrasound pictures will definitely be first!! :)

SURPRISE!!

2010-06-02T07:32:00.000-07:00

I'm Pregnant!

I am officially 10 weeks pregnant and loving every minute of it. I haven't had any horrible symptoms to speak about, so I feel very blessed for this. This baby as been prayed for, for a long time and Joseph and I are SO excited to meet him/her in about 6 months. December 26th to be exact. Poor Kid!! I'm going to need some ideas on how to make their birthday special. I won't stop giving some makeup tips/trends, but I'll definitely give you a baby update every once in a while.

We conceived this baby via petri dish, or "invitro fertilization". :) I love reading other blogs about their journey through that process, so maybe I'll give a quick description one day about it all. It was definitely worth every stick and prick, and we feel very blessed! Thank you to those who have been praying for us! We are continuing to pray for a healthy baby.

Movie Premiere

2010-05-08T13:54:00.000-07:00

Back in the middle of April, we went down for the premiere of "Flag of My Father". I did a post about the filming of this back in November. Joseph's uncle directed and produced this Christian based film. It was REALLY GOOD!! Hopefully, it will at least make it to some theaters and it will definitely be on d.v.d. My parents went down with us. (mom and dad above)

They had the red carpets and everything for the actors and actresses in this film. This is joseph's parents walking the "red carpet". :)

Joseph was able to be one of the extra's and it was fun to see him in the film. (You had to be looking for him though!)

Me, Joseph, and my parents.

It was a fun experience! I'm excited for them and hope the film does well! We need more films like this. A good, family movie that brings a great message.

What's in for Summer.....

2010-05-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

Ladies from the 80's....

BLUE IS BACK!

I'm seeing a lot of blue and turquoise eyeshadow, eye pencils, AND nail polish this year. Although, its all about how you wear the color. She is wearing the color without making it about the color.

Laura Mercier just came out with a new color for the spring called "Marina" and they are pairing it up with a deep bronze. Also, Essie nail polish just came out with their "Resort Collection" which includes two shades of blue.

This shows Laura Mercier's "Sun Drenched" Collection (Marina is the blue color that is showing in that palette-which is available for purchase individually as well.

Essie's Resort Collection

Also on the nails....

An opaque grayish taupe on the nails has been a popular color in the fall and is also being seen this summer. (Above, in the resort collection, is a light grey).

Big Lashes

Eyelash extensions have definitely been popular. Everyone wants their lashes to be longer, and a great way to do that without having to pile on mascara is through lash extensions. At glo, we use a company called lavish lashes. They are attached individually with adhesive that won't ruin your lashes. They last typically about 3 weeks, and you don't need to wear mascara because they come black and curled already. ;)

Bronzed Skin

The best thing about bronzed skin? You can go light on the rest of your makeup. I love bronzed skin paired with a pink lip gloss and mascara.

Also, in this picture Kate has on a silver shimmery eyeshadow. When using shimmering eye shadows, its important to enhance your skin as well. Use shimmer to highlight to tops of your cheekbones to give you a rested, dewy effect.

These are a few things I have seen for the summer. I hope to post more soon. Also, someone had asked a while ago where they could get a clarisonic brush. I can either send it to you (free shipping) :) or you can get it online or at Dillard's.

Birthday's In New York

2010-03-20T18:17:00.000-07:00

Wow! Let's just say...its been a little busy! I haven't updated since our January Blizzard, which apparently, has decided to return on the first day of Spring. Lovely. :) In the meantime, we have been busy opening "Glo Medical"! We now offer laser services with our Intense Pulse Light (IPL) unit, chemical peels, botox, juvederm, and new medically based skincare lines. YIPPEE!!!! This is been a dream of mine for the past couple of years! We also spent our birthday's (which are 4 days apart) in New York City!

Also...speaking of blizzard...we were there during the worst snow storm in 10 years! Seriously?!

Therefore...you will see the same coats in every picture, because that's all we had that was warm, and never a good hair day!

Here comes a bazillion pictures (and none of them are in order) :)....This was on the last day at the Statue of Liberty

Having a little fun at the Statue of Liberty

Attempting the famous Marilyn Monroe Pose-in some pretty nasty street steam. :)

Mary Poppins Night- Awesome!!!

Dinner before Mary Poppins

Empire State Building

Ok...If you are a "Friends" fanatic as much as I am, you might enjoy these. This was the apartment building that they shot for Monica and Rachel's apartment as well as Joey and Chandler's.

Recognize this building? This is the building they used for Chandler's Office.

We got to see the Cosby Show's house, the famous Katz Deli that they shot in "When Harry Met Sally", and the restaurant that was filmed in "Devil Wear's Prada". All very interesting!

Oh Dear! This was at the Stardust Diner on Broadway...where everyone who works there are saving up and going to training to be on Broadway. Where do they practice?? Oh yes, at the restaurant up on the back of the booths...just as your taking a bite of your pancakes! (They are all actually really good)!

Lion King Night for my Birthday- Freezing is not even the word to describe the cold. Our hats were keeping us warm!!

Here is a quick look at our winter storm!

Ready to go out!

Times Square

His parents went with us. We all had such a great time!

NBC Studio Tour

"30 Rock"

Hotel Room

I am now working on "What's in For Spring..." So hopefully, I will be giving some new makeup updates in the next few days for the Spring and Summer. Yeah! :)

Blizzard!

2010-01-29T10:39:00.000-08:00

Stuck at home again! Not feeling good...but the pretty white snow coming down like crazy is keeping me pretty happy!

Stay warm today!!

2010 So Far....

2010-01-25T19:05:00.000-08:00

Baby, It's Cold Outside!!

First Snow for the New Year!

Wow! I haven't made a post since Christmas. That's pretty sad! It's something I really have been wanting to do but can't seem to find the time. We were both sick over New Year's, and then I have been busy at Glo trying to recuperate from the Holidays. So...here I am.

I don't really make New Year's Resolutions, but I would like to try to be better at doing these things:

Taking More Pictures

Cooking More Often

Working Out More Consistently

Getting More Organized

Do you see the MORE?? I try to do MORE of these things but it doesn't tie me down to any deadlines, schedules, or "have-to's".

My best friend came to visit me at the beginning of the year with her new baby girl, Grace Elizabeth (yes, my name's sake). We had such a great time together, but it's always too fast of a visit.

Me and Grace

Tosh liked Grace way too much, but Grace seemed to like her the same!

Hopefully I will be updating about new makeup tips and fun products for the New Year! It looks like we are getting some more snow....SHOOT! We have a HUGE makeup event at Glo this weekend...so be praying for it to come earlier or later.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-02T08:27:00.000-08:00

This Christmas was a little different this year as I'm sure it will be every year now that everyone is married. Joseph and I spent Christmas with his family at Thanksgiving, so his parents came over for Christmas Eve to spend with my family as well as my sister-in-law's parents. It was so fun to have them there! It makes it nice that all of our in-laws are pretty much best friends and we can spend the holidays all together. We have always done our "Christmas" on Christmas Eve (that's why we never believed in Santa Clause). :) My mom hosted and had all the tables decorated so beautifully. My dad cut some trees down in our back yard, so my mom was able to make use of them for table decorations. The silver ornaments that are hanging represent each child and then one for each of their spouse. We also have one for each granchild as they come.

Sisters (Leah, Morgan, and Me) Morgan is pregnant with their third. Yippee!! But..how is it, that I look more pregnant than her? Ha! I hope its just the way I'm sitting. :)

Our annual Christmas Story presentation- by Barry, Barrett, and Branton Rush

"Jobo" and Barrett

Unfortunately I didn't take very many good pictures. As always, my New Year's resolution is to take more pictures (I get better at that every year). Hopefully you'll see more updates too!

Happy New Year!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2009-12-24T05:49:00.001-08:00

Christmas Wish List

2009-12-08T09:29:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite things that I would definitely put on your list for Christmas is a Clarisonic Brush. It's awesome!!!! I use mine all the time and so does everyone else that works with me. We also use them in our facial rooms. They come with a charger and they are also waterproof, so you can keep them in your shower. They are a little pricey, but definitely worth it. It's perfect to add to your Christmas wish list.

Clarisonic benefits:
-6X more makeup removal
-Skin is soft and smooth
-Cleanses so well that products absorb better
-Gentle for use twice daily
-Reduces oily areas, dry skin patches and blemishes
-Reduces the appearance of visible pores
-Reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles

(Below):

This is the new "Mia". It is the travel version of the regular Clarisonic. It does all the same things and still comes with a charger, but it's just a little more petite with only one speed.

Do you have anything on your "Wish list" that you would like to share?? Anything you love and can't live without?

A Very Cool Makeup Experience!

2009-11-23T11:57:00.000-08:00

Several weeks ago, Joseph and I went down to Louisiana to be with his dad and his uncle Rodney, who is the director/producer of a new movie that hopefully will be coming to theatres, "Flag of my Father". We got to the set about 5:30 that next morning and stayed until 9:00 p.m. It was a long day, but a very fun learning experience, especially for me. I was able to go watch the lead makeup artist do the makeup for all the actors and actresses, even some battle wounds too. With all the high-definition cameras that are out now, she had to use certain products that are made for high-def television. I learned a lot about special effects makeup, and also learned that its something I would never be good at! :)
(Below is a picture of a cemetary scene. We were able to watch everyone in action!)

This is the lead makeup artist working on Gigi, the lead actress of the movie. She is trying to create a deep scratch from a car accident. She used silicone to build the texture and did the rest by painting free-hand. JUST REMEMBER....ITS FAKE!! Its kind of gross to look at, but it was such an awesome thing to experience, because its a whole new level of being a "makeup artist." She was truly an "artist"!

Gross, I know! But....it looks so real!

Hanging out in the r.v.

They have two screens that shows the two different angles. You can watch this to see how it will look like on screen.

Me and Gabriel (playing gigi's husband in the movie)

Me and John Schneider, "Bo Duke", (playing one of Gigi's brothers in the movie)

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2009-11-23T10:37:00.001-08:00

I LOVE Christmas time! I know its a little early, but I started decorating yesterday (I'm still not done completely) and after I got done, I just sat down with my hot chocolate that my hubby made me, and I just felt so peaceful and happy. Something about Christmas and Christmas music just makes me joyful!

I still need some decorations for my table, but I love these very pointy Christmas tree my mother in law gave me.

These are some candlesticks that my friend gave me that she wasn't using, so I just tied a Christmas ribbon on them to make a little festive. (I need to straighten that ribbon up!)

The stockings are hung and the fireplace on!

Lots of BEAUTIFUL Babies!

2009-11-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

I have been rather busy going to see some of my close friends have their babies. My best friend, Laura, (below) had Miss Grace Elizabeth (yes, named after me! Whooo hoo) on Oct. 14th! I am such a proud Aunt! If there were some type of papers that you could sign to be a "legal" aunt, I would do it! She is the most precious thing you've ever seen! I went to Little Rock to be there for the birth and then went back a couple weeks later because I couldn't stand to be away! I wish I lived close, because I would probably go see here everyday!

I think I held her for a full two hours straight. Laura insisted, and I didnt say no!

Big Beautifu Eyes!! I love this picture! I went to help Laura take Grace to get her newborn pictures. She was supposed to be really sleepy or asleep so we could take some good pictures and poses, but she was WIDE awake....as you can see!

The nigtht when Grace was born, I drove back to Fayetteville for the "gender" party for one of my best friends, Shannon. She had a cake cutting party that showed the gender of the baby by whether it had blue icing in the middle or pink icing. The picture doesn't show, but its a boy! Westin will be here in March! I can't wait!!!

Another close friend of mine, Haley, had Miss Stella Rose on Oct. 20th. She has the best, thickest, darkest hair you have ever seen! You would be jealous of the newborn's hair if you saw it! She has the most beautiful face and definitely looks just like her mama! I can't wait for Haley to come back to work, but I wish she would bring Stella everyday too. She's the newest Glo Girl!

So...that's what I have been busy doing this past month! I continually pray for my friends who are struggling to get pregnant. Why is it such a hard thing these days?? I know its frustrating and I really pray that God would provide for them at HIS perfect timing! Its such a miracle from the very beginning process and been amazing to see some of my very close friends get to experience that! What a blessing!!

South Carolina Trip

2009-10-18T18:29:00.000-07:00

We went to visit Joseph's sister and brother-in-law, Kristi and Fabio (below), in Columbia, South Carolina. We also met Justin and Laura, Joseph's brother and new sister-in-law there. It was the first time that we had all been together since Justin and Laura got married. We went to Charleston and spent the night, which was an interesting night with six adults in one hotel room! We slept on an air mattress which deflated about an hour after we went to sleep! :) We woke up the next morning and ate at "Joseph's Restuarant" for breakfast. Of course, we had to go there since it was called that. We then went to Patriot's point and toured the ship and submarine.(above)

Patriot's Point in Charleston

91 degrees in October- Whew!

My two sister-in-laws

Me and Joseph in Charleston- a little windy that day!

We have been SUPER busy these last few weeks and I have lots of updates! I will post soon!

Natural and Flawless

2009-09-11T17:05:00.000-07:00

Recently I had someone ask how to achieve a "natural and flawless" look when doing your makeup. So, I wanted to share a couple of my favorite products that will do just that.

One of my very first posts was all about Foundation Primer. I am a big believer in using this in order to achieve a flawless complexion. I won't go into all of the benefits again :), but I do want to remind you that a good foundation primer is going to prepare your skin by filling in lines, pores, and most importantly keeping your foundation on all day.

Everyone I'm sure has heard, tried, or seen mineral makeup. This is one thing that I love for more of a natural look, yet you still get good coverage and sun protection.

There are a TON of different mineral makeup lines. One of my favorites is Laura Mercier's Mineral Powder.

Another thing that I love is Tinted Moisturizer. It is a very sheer foundation but also gives sun protection. It is great for achieving a smooth complexion and hiding imperfections but without the heavy feeling.

As far as eye makeup...something that is quick and easy and would still give you some color but be natural is a cream eyeshadow. Use one color on your lid with some liquid liner and finish with some mascara. These are easy to apply. Most are even water-resistant and crease-resistant, and they last forever. One of my favorite ones is the Laura Mercier Metallic Creme Eyeshadow (particularly in Gold). Bobbie brown also has a Long-wear Cream Shadow (I haven't' tried it, but it looks good)

Invest in a good bronzer to give your face a natural "sun-kissed glow". Apply the bronzer to the high points of your face. For more fair complexion's (yes, you can still wear bronzer), choose a shade with more pink tones, such as Laura Mercier's Shimmer Bronzer. (I know I recommend a lot from her line, but I love it!).

Choose a neutral lipstick/gloss to finish your "natural look"!

I would love to hear what your favorite makeup items are for a more natural look!

Summer Comfort

2009-08-25T08:38:00.000-07:00

It has been kind of crazy these past few weeks. I have been really busy at work and with other things. Joseph just recently got a new job and is going to California tomorrow to sign his contract and work out some of the details of what he will be doing. It has been a long process that started the first of July and I am ready for him to start working full time since he lost his job in April. He has been so patient over the past months and continues to be determined about finding the right job and taking it slowly so he does what is best for us. God has really taught us to rely on Him and that He does provide...in his perfect timing!

We continue to pray for Jason and Katie (http://www.therowefam.blogspot.com/) as they find strength in the Lord to get through these past couple of weeks and the months to come. I feel so encouraged by them to see how strong they have been through everything. What an amazing example of Christ's everlasting Love, Hope, and Strength! One thing that Katie said at Reese's funeral that really stuck out.... is that God is either Everything or He is Nothing, and I don't believe that He is Nothing, so that means that He is EVERYTHING! He is Enough! We have to trust that he does comfort, heal and give strength to any and every situation! What an awesome truth!

As tough as it has been to wait patiently for things in my life to come, The Lord gives me strength to take each day at a time, and trust in Him to provide at His perfect timing!

Isaiah 54:10
"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you

"We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

My New Favorite Products!

2009-07-18T12:08:00.001-07:00

I have discovered some new favorite products that I love for the summer!

April Rain- "Day and Night Rainew"

Its an anti-aging moisturizer with 6 different peptides and a time-released delivery system that will keep you perfectly moisturized for a full 8 hours. My skin feels so smooth and hydrated. I love this!

Ahava Mineral Body Lotion

I love this because it's lightweight and it's perfect for after you have been in the sun. It has a very light, clean fragrance and its good for both men and women.

Laura Mercier's HydraTint Lip Balm

These are PERFECT for summer because I can protect my lips from the sun, get conditioning treatment and a sheer color all at the same time. If you are a chapstick wearer but want a hint of color...you would LOVE these!!

Philosophy's New Fragrance: Unconditional Love

This new fragrance is fresh, soft, and a great mix of floral and fruity notes. Perfect new fragrance for summer!

I would LOVE to know some of YOUR favorite products that you are using for the summer. I am a product junkie and I am always looking for something new and fun to try!

Happy Birthday Shannon!!!

2009-07-08T05:51:00.000-07:00

Today is Shannon's birthday!

Thank you for being such a good friend over the years!

I hope you have a wonderful day!

We went to...

2009-06-07T07:14:00.000-07:00

PARIS!!!!!

A year ago almost to the day, we booked our trip to Europe!! We thought it would never get here! My parents and siblings with their spouses all went. We had so much fun together! Joseph and I decided to do something extra for our anniversary, so we went to Paris a few days earlier before we met up with my family in Barcelona. We finally arrived on Friday, May 22nd at about 5:00p.m. after missing our flight to Paris. We were able to get another flight out a few hours later...but were very tired already at that point. We checked into our hotel quickly and got ready for the opera. (This is something Joseph has always wanted to do)

We are at the opera seeing "Tosca". Although the entire thing was in French, we still enjoyed it. (Even with jet lag)

Inside the Opera De Bastille

Later that night...view from our hotel.

The next day we went on a "Day in Paris" tour. We were going to see the Louvre, Notre Dame Cathedral, have lunch in the Eiffel Tower, and cruise along the Seine River. Everything was going well, until we hopped on the tour bus and realized that we weren't going to ANY of those places. What????? WE WERE ON THE WRONG BUS!!! We quickly told them to let us off and then were able to find our real group!

River boat cruise on the Seine River

View from the Eiffel Tower

We met a couple from Conway who were on the same tour as us and hung out with them all day. What a small world! (That's who is taking all these pictures of us)

Notre Dame Cathedral

Later that night, we went on a "segway" tour around the city. It was soo much fun! I felt like Paul Blart on "Mall Cop". If this is something you ever get the opportunity to do- you must do it!!

A typical beverage for France. A very delicious and the most expensive espresso I have ever had. I thought I was ordering something else, but got this instead. I finished it in almost three sips. :)

Chocolate Croissant- YUM!!!

We had a great time! I wish we could have stayed a little longer, but definitely enjoyed our time that we had!

Europe with my Family

2009-06-05T18:30:00.000-07:00

FINALLY!!!!

I have been horrible about making new posts lately! I just can't seem to get it together! With summer weddings and trips...I have been very busy, but now I am back and can share all about my trip to Europe.

After a year of planning, Joseph and I took a Mediterranean Cruise with my family. It was incredible! It was great bonding time for everyone since it was the first time since everyone was married. These are just a few out of the 800 that I took (that's pretty sad)!

For our two year anniversary, we went to Paris a few days before we met up with my family for the cruise. (Pictures are soon to follow) It's such a great way to see several countries without the expense of a ton of hotels and transportation. I definitely recommend it!

On the cruise with my sister and sister in law.

Me and Joseph at our first formal night.

Our first day, we stopped in Naples, Italy. We traveled into Pompeii and Sorrento. This is the Almalfi Coast and Mt. Vesuvius is in the background somewhere-the only active volcano in Europe.

They had lemon trees EVERYWHERE. They also had orange trees along the streets where you shopped. What a life!

In Sorrento, We stopped here at this local family farm. It has been in the family at least for the past 4 generations. They make olive oils from their olive trees that were hundreds of years old, limoncello which is a liqueur using their lemons, and homemade mozzarella cheese.

This is the lady that was showing us the process of making mozzarella cheese.

The Fam at the Pompeii Ruins

In front of the old city of Pompeii which was destroyed by Mt. Vesuvius (which you can see behind us).

Me and Joseph at Dinner

The Guys! My Brother, Brother in law, and husband

2nd Day....Rome, Italy and the Vatican City

Me and Joseph in front of the Colosseum

My sister and I needed our coffee every morning for our long days!

Sistine Chapel (You were not allowed to take pictures inside...but I happened to sneak this one)

Part of the Sistine Chapel...How incredible!

At the Trevi Fountain

3rd Day....Florence, Italy. Aren't these shops adorable? We took a tour around the city in the double- decker bus.

Shuffleboard became a nightly activity! The girls won most of the time! :)

4th Day....Monte Carlo, Monaco

We visited the Oceanagrafic Museum. The different types of fish they are unbelievable. This is just one out of many! As soon as we got to the museum, we were going down the stairs to the aquarium section, and my feet completely came out from underneath me and I fell straight down on my bottom, or should i say, my tailbone! Ouch! Have you ever hurt your tailbone? Its definitely something that doesn't go away quickly...it still hurts today! ( How embarrassing!)

5th Day....Marseilles, France. This is in front of Monte Cristo's Chateau D'If.

Joseph's cousins, Daniel, Tiffany, and Claire have lived in Marseilles, France for a year and a half. We met up with them and they were able to show us some of the city and take us to a couple of their favorite local places.

This is one of their famous chocolate shops, "La Cure Gourmande". There is nothing like it!

Mom, me, sister Leah, and sister in law Morgan.

Last night dinner

Sad it was over, but we feel very blessed by all the things we were able to see and do!

Spring Clean Your Makeup Bag!

2009-04-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW!

Spring is here...and now, almost gone! Can you believe it?? It's almost summer! AHH! It's that time of year to clean out the winter mess!

Here are some ways you can "spring clean your makeup bag":

1) Clean your brushes! Your brushes not only last longer if you clean them regularly, but you get out all the makeup and bacteria that might be lingering on your brush. Yuck! Use a mild antibacterial soap to wash your brushes and leave them overnight to dry.

2) Invest in a new makeup bag for the spring. Organize your products and keep them clean. Target always has good, inexpensive makeup bags. You can also check sephora or your local tuesday morning if you have one. They, sometimes, will have brand name makeup bags that are at a great discount.

3) Out with the old, in with the new. Spring is all about fresh, soft and shimmering colors. So put the dark lipstick in the drawer and try something new for spring. Use products that are multi-functional. Look for compacts that have eyes, cheeks, and lips all together, or a product that can be used on both eyes and cheeks. This will simplify your makeup bag and will be great for traveling.

One quick note: I got a lot of responses about Lancome's Definicils Mascara. I will have to try it! It seemed to be pretty popular. Thanks for the suggestions.

Finding the RIGHT mascara!

2009-04-23T19:50:00.000-07:00

It’s been a long time since I have put up a “make-up tip of the week”. Sorry!! It’s been a little crazy these past several weeks!! But, this week, I wanted to give some advice as well as hear from others about their favorite mascara. What is your favorite mascara and why?? Finding the right mascara has always been a challenge. Everyone likes something different when looking for a good mascara, whether you're looking for a light coat of color, lengthening, volumizing, or one that is waterproof and doesn’t smudge. It seems everyone that I have talked to lately has usually tried about 10 different kinds and still haven’t found something they LOVE! So…I thought I would give a few suggestions as well as get some from others. I, too, am always looking for the next best thing!!

Lengthening/ Volumizing:
Fresh Supernova- $25
YSL Volume Effect- $28.50
Laura Mercier Thickening and Building- $20
Maybelline Colossal - $5-$10
Lancome- $24
Kevyn Aucoin

Basic Defining:
Laura Mercier- Regular black- $20
Bare Escentuals black or brown- $15

Waterproof/Smudgeproof:
Blinc Kiss Me- $24
DiorShow Waterproof Mascara- $24

Unless you have very light lashes, I would typically recommend black for everyone. If you do have light lashes, use a brown/black. Your mascara should be replaced about every 3 months. Also, try to turn and wiggle your mascara as you take the wand out instead of pumping it. When you pump it, you allow air to get in the product which makes the mascara dry up faster. These mascara's I listed are ones that I have tried or at least have heard are good. I would love to hear what your favorite mascara is!!!

Los Angeles Trip- Murad Medical Spa!!!!

2009-04-09T08:41:00.000-07:00

Well, I just got back from Los Angeles! We (me and the other "glo" girls) took a trip to go see the Murad Spa, which is one of the skincare lines that we carry in the store. IT WAS FABULOUS!! After our flight was delayed several hours, we finally arrived and immediately picked up our rental car and got started. We went to hollywood, beverly hills, visited the kodak theatre, and rodeo drive. I am always amazed at the gorgeous houses there! They are all so unique and different! We woke up on Monday and got breakfast and did a little bit of shopping. Then, later in the afternoon, we went to the Murad Spa and Inclusive Health Center. We met Dr. "J" who was the head of clinical research for the company. She works directly with Dr. Murad, who is a dermatologist, pharmacist, clinical professor of medicine, and CEO of Murad. We toured the offices and the medical spa, then we received complimentary facial treatments. I was in heaven!! I got the new Intensive Wrinkle Reducer Peel, and my skin was so smooth and soft afterwards. I forget (even though we offer these services at glo) how much a facial can relax and renew you. If you have the time and can afford to get a facial once a month, do it!! Its amazing how one hour can take so much stress off and leave you feeling rejuvenated inside and out.

Murad Inclusive Health Center - This is their new addition!

"Glo" girls Having Dinner in Santa Monica

Last morning in Los Angeles enjoying breakfast!

We left Tuesday morning after breakfast and our plane got delayed again....only this time it was because of the clogged toilets! Yes, the toilets wouldn't drain because of some "debris". Gross!!!! By law, the plane couldn't take off until they got drained, so we de-boarded and left later on another flight. Tired as we were, it was pretty funny!! We enjoyed our trip, we learned a lot about the technology of skincare, and our skin looked smooth and felt incredible!

Answereing Questions...

2009-04-03T08:49:00.000-07:00

I want to answer some questions that I received from doing my last post. This is for Jennifer in PA...

Yes, I have heard of "face brighteners" and there are several different brands that have these types of products. I am not that familiar with almay's products, so I don't know what they have specifically. I do know that they have a highlighting pen for underneath your eyes, but not sure about the face one. There are many different ways to create that "glow" or supple and dewy effect to the skin. You can get it through a highlighting bronzer to apply to the top of your cheeks or high points of your face. You can also get it through illuminating foundation, like you probably saw in the magazine. You can use it alone or with your foundation, and apply it to the high points of your cheekbones to create radiance. Different brands have different techniques and products to acheive this. Here are a few of my favorite:

1) *Laura Mercier's Illuminating Tinted Moisturizer- $42
2) Laura Mercier's Mosaic Shimmer Bloc- $38
3) Bobbie Brown Shimmer Brick - $40
4) Bare Escentual's Clear Radiance - $18
5) Clinique Up-Lighting Liquid Illuminator- $22

I hope this helps! I carry a few of these products in my store, so if you would like to try samples of these, let me know and I will send you some!

Thanks!

Make-up Tip of the week (needing new name) :)

2009-04-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

First of all, thank you for all of your fun comments! I loved all the welcome notes to "blogland". (I didn't even know it was called that) :) Everyone seemed pretty interested in learning some new fun tips for makeup, so I thought I would start my "tip of the week", but I am definitely needing a new name. I would love to hear any ideas. It can be anything having to do with cosmetics or a fun rhyme with my name. So....let me know what your ideas are!

Tip of the week:

This weekend, I tuned in to QVC for a little of my favorite, Laura Mercier Beauty. I am not a typical QVC watcher (Actually, I never watch it), but Laura Mercier herself was on there featuring some of her must-have products, and I was very interested to see it. I met her once in Dallas. She doesn't do a lot of public appearances, and is actually very shy. She has a thick French accent, and is a true artist. So, for her to appear on television was kind of a big deal. Anyway, she featured a few of her best selling products, including her Foundation Primer.

If you don't use a primer underneath your makeup, here are a few benefits to adding the extra step:

1) It evens out your skin by filling in large pores and fine lines and wrinkles.

2) It creates a barrier between your skincare and makeup, which keeps your moisturizers and treatments continually working, as well as keep your foundation from clogging your pores or settling in creases.

3) Most importantly is holds on your makeup longer than it normally would, especially in the upcoming hot and humid weather.

Now, for the moms....I know that adding that extra step can be difficult when you don't have much time for yourself, but the best part about it is you won't have to touch up later! Your makeup should last about 6 hours longer than it normally would, so you shouldn't have to re-do your makeup. If you invest in a primer, and take 2 extra seconds to put it on (last product you use before foundation) it will definitely be worth it!

There are also a lot of other benefits to a primer that are listed on her website. I am going to try to talk about all brands of makeup at all different prices ranges. Feel free to ask any questions. I love to help out in a make-up crisis!

Friday will be: Finding the Right Mascara, and Spring Clean your Makeup Bag

www.glolimited.com

Barrett's 4th Birthday

2009-03-30T09:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Joseph and I went to Little Rock to celebrate my nephew's 4th birthday. This was his first time to have friends come from his school, so it was a BIG deal! They had it at a church, and inside there was a play area with a jungle gym. The party started at 10 a.m.! That means...pizza and cake came at 10:45. Talk about an upset stomach! I am not used to eating that early!

Some of the kids from school

This is Branton, my other nephew. He just turned one in february.

This is Barrett and his cousin Bowden.

I'm an official blogger!

2009-03-24T19:51:00.000-07:00

Well...I made it! I am laughing to myself that I am now an official "blogger"! What makes me think that I have time to do this?? We shall see. As I was looking through all my friends blogs last week, I realized that I wanted to take the plunge and start one too. After pedicures and dinner, my friend shannon and I came to my house to create my blog. She makes it look so simple. Needless to say...its not! Will I ever figure it out?

Here is a little info about me:

Joseph and I have been married for almost 2 yrs. (June 2nd will be 2 yrs.), and we had dated since we were 15 before we got married. Fun! We have kind of grown up together, which includes all the lovely teenage stuff: braces, changing of his voice, and acne (when does that go away?). We were each other first kiss. :) At least we have nothing else to compare it to, so we aren't dissappointed! We have a new dog. Her name is Tosh. Her "cousin" dog is named Mac...So, they are Mac-n-tosh! It just kind of stuck when we were lightly joking about it. We both work full time. Joseph works for Motorola, and I am the co-owner of Glo Limited, which is a cosmetic boutique. I love makeup and bath products, so I might share some tips of new trends with cosmetics. I am definitely going to enjoy this! Thanks Haley and Shannon for your help!