Dress Dare 2011 progress

Day 4 (May the fourth be with you... if I hear that one more time I'll puke). Every day I've worn a dress. I've been lucky with the weather, not too hot and not too cold. I like wearing a dress because it's just so easy to slip on; no worrying about coordinating tops and bottoms. I don't feel particularly feminine or modest. In fact it seems to be working against any sense of humility, as in "Hey! I look pretty dang good!" But, I'll keep plugging away.

Dress Dare 2011

The ladies over at defining beauty have issued their Dress Dare 2011!

The Official Rules are:

Wear dresses and skirts throughout the month of May.

Exceptions:  Snoozing {zzz} and Exercising.

Honor Mary, grow closer to Jesus.

Be beautiful--- be YOU!

Leave comments or email DefiningBeautyBlog@gmail.com to let us know how it is going!

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Adult ADD/ADHD

About 15 years ago, my mother suggested I might suffer from ADD. I didn't think much of it. Recently, during a psych eval ordered by the court due to my custody battle for my daughter, the doctor asked me "has anyone mentioned you might have ADHD?" I was a little taken aback. So, the interwebs being all knowing I took this little test and these were my results:

Results of your

Attention Deficit Disorder Quiz

You scored a total of 87

 S C O R I N G   K E Y

If you scored...	You may have...
70 & up 50 - 69 35 - 49 25 - 34 0 - 24	Adult ADHD Moderate ADHD Mild ADHD Borderline ADHD No ADHD likely

I think I'll print this out and show my doc...

My Review of Complexion Perfection

Originally submitted at EyesLipsFace.com

Create a balanced and radiant complexion that is beautiful and healthy. The lightweight formula evens out the skin tone and absorbs excess oil. The sheer formula brightens, mattes and neutralizes the skin. The colors are meant to be blended together as the Blue neutralizes orange, the Green neutr...

Complexion Perfection

All I can say is WOW!

By Spooky from Lansing, MI on 5/1/2011

 

5out of 5

Pros: Odorless, Good Value, Oil control, Versatile, Long Lasting

Cons: Difficult to Apply

Best Uses: Sensitive Skin, Special Occasions, Daily Use, Normal Skin, Oily Skin

Describe Yourself: Classic Style

Skin Tone: Fair

Age: 35-44

I saw this the other day at a local retailer and was thrilled to see it, as I was planning to buy online (instant gratification anyone?). I first used it over tinted moisturizer and was very pleased at the results: completely controlled any shine and gave my face a wonderfully balanced look. I wore it today over my foundation and the results were even better! No settling in lines or creases, no chalkiness, just a flawless finish that lasted all day. I like this better than the HD powder! This is now going to be a major staple in my makeup routine. The one thing I did not like was it didn't come with a puff or any sort of applicator. I used the Total Face brush but considering I didn't need any touch-ups, I can live with that. I plan on going back to the store and snatch up some more, the 3 dollar price tag is just too good to pass up. Quite possibly ELF's best product.

(legalese)

My Review of High Definition Powder

ppOriginally submitted at EyesLipsFace.com

The high definition loose powder creates a soft focus effect to the skin. Masks fine lines and imperfections for a radiant complexion. The incredibly soft and invisible powder is great for on-screen and everyday wear.

High Definition Powder

Must have for having your photo taken!

By Spooky from Lansing, MI on 4/29/2011

4out of 5

Pros: Blends Well, Easy To Apply, Silky Finish, Finely milled, Little goes a long way, Lightweight, Controls Shine
Cons: Very loose and airy, Cakes Up, A little chalky at first, Slightly wasteful
Best Uses: Normal Skin, Oily Skin
Describe Yourself: Budget Buyer

I first tried this in the winter when my skin is a tad dry, and I didn't get the insto-perfecto I was hoping for. The puff seemed to smear my foundation and transferred onto the puff, the all over face brush seems to leave particles hovering all over my bathroom. A light touch is ideal. However, I wore this when I had photos taken and my face looked AMAZING! Even my Drivers License looks fab! Now that summer is approaching I may go to this more and more for the oil control. I'm buying more just so I don't run out.

(legalese)

Been a While

I customized this card adding his name

Wow, lots of stuff have happened that I just didn't have the heart to blog about. But maybe I will get back in the swing of things: Advent is over; Lent is over but now it is the Glorious Easter-tide Season! He Is Risen! He is Risen Indeed. Also, this Sunday is two-fold in importance:  My precious James receives his First Holy Communion AND it is also Divine Mercy Sunday! Thanks Be to God! We are all looking with joy towards this mementos occasion. I even printed up a homemade Prayer card for James, with a picture of a boy receiving from Jesus His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity and there is also an image of Our Lord as He appears on the Divine Mercy image. James LOVED this because he loves the Divine Mercy. He wants to go to Confession on Saturday so his soul can be "squeaky clean" (love it!). Such a wonderfully pious child! I plan on adding the prayer on the back tomorrow which will read:

My Jesus, I believe that You are truly Present in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I love you above all things and I desire to possess You within my soul. I believe because You have said it and I am ready to give my life to maintain this Truth. 

 And of course the date and Parish he receive. We've been practicing Communion on the Tongue since the CCD only taught about CITH (!) I reminded him in THIS family we receive on the tongue out of respect for our Lord. I also had to read over some instruction the DRE wrote up and she continually referred to the Blessed Sacrament as "bread". GAH! Parents, we MUST be vigilant in seeing to the Religious Ed of our children ESPECIALLY at your typical Novus Ordo (Ordinary Form).  I even had to explain what a mortal sin was and how we should always strive to never, ever commit one and if have the misfortune of doing so to present ourselves to the Confession as soon as possible! But more importantly how receiving Our Lord is the best remedy to avoid sin. This is the child, who at 4, on a Ash Wednesday service, which was packed to the gills, including the Governor of our State, when not given a Host, loudly protested by wailing loudly "I WANT THE BODY OF PRIST!" (mispronounced "Christ"). Funny now but at the time I felt horrible, my poor child wanted Our Lord!

And so ends my update. I love that from now on all 3 of us will be able to kneel at the Altar Rail and receive Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament! So many graces!

Meditations for Advent I

First Sunday of Advent (By St Alphonsus de Liguori)

"And was incarnate of the Holy Ghost, and was made man" --Symbol. Const.

Consider that God, having created the first man, in order that he might serve him and love him in this life, and be conducted afterwards to reign with him forever in Paradise, enriched him for this end with knowledge and grace. But ungrateful man rebelled against God, refusing him the obedience which he owed him in justice and gratitude; and thus, miserable sinner, was he left with all his posterity as a rebel, deprived of divine grace, and forever excluded from paradise. Behold, then, after this ruin, caused by sin, all men lost! All were living in blindness, or in the darkness of the shadow of death. The devil had dominion over them, and hell destroyed innumerable victims amongst them.
But God, seeing men reduced to this miserable state, was moved with pity, and resolved to save them. And how? He did not send an angel, a seraph; but to show to the world the immense love that he bore to these ungrateful worms, He sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh (Rom 8:3). He sent his own Son to become man, and to clothe himself with the same flesh as sinful men, in order that, by his suffering and death, he might satisfy the divine justice for their crimes, and thus deliver them from eternal death; and reconciling them with his divine Father, might obtain for them divine grace, and might render them worthy to enter into life eternal.

Traditional Latin Mass Community!

Every Sunday @ 11 a.m. in the Crypt at St. Mary's Cathedral in Downtown Lansing, Father Jefferey Robideau will offer Mass in the Extraordinary Form! Go and register and no, you do NOT have to leave your regular parish. Father needs helps with servers, ushers and various many other things. Let us give thanks to Our Lord Jesus Christ for this wonderful opportunity and support the Mass of the Ages!

TLM now in Lansing!

Our good Bishop has allowed for a Traditional Latin Mass Community which meets every Sunday @ 11 am for the Extraordinary Form! Deo Gratias! I'll post more on this once I speak to Father Robideau who will be presiding.

A Neat and Tidy Home

It's been awhile since I've posted. A lot of changes. I finally got my home back into working order. Getting rid of that extra 180 lbs of useless meat (i.e. ex-finance) helped tremendously. Some people are just "psychic vampires" and he fits that to a T. Draining the psyche of all energy and motivation and yet gives nothing in return except a vague feeling of being wanted. But when it comes down to the nitty-gritty; when Love demands more than platitudes and vague promises of devotion, the psychic vampire flees and hides and blames his victim for her needs. Cleaning has been cathartic for me as well as practical. It became messy because of my depression but then the mess added to my depression. A vicious cycle.

Bomb Threat at Lourdes

Someone called in a bomb threat at the shrine at Lourdes on today of all days. Nope, no anti-Catholicism here. Move along people.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Today we celebrate the Glorious Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven. Canon Francis Ripley in his excellent book "This Is The Faith" has this to say about it:

On November 1st, 1950, Pope Pius XII defined as a truth revealed by God that, when the course of her life on earth was finished, Our Lady was taken up body and soul into Heaven. The Feast of the Assumption has been celebrated since the 5th century according to the records we have, and countless Saints, Doctors of the Church and theologians have proclaimed their belief in the doctrine, basing their arguments on Holy Scripture, which presents to us the Mother of God as always closely united with her Divine Son and as always sharing His lot, particularly in that struggle against Satan, which, as was foretold in Genesis, was to lead to a complete victory over sin and death -- two words always joined in the writings of St Paul.

On this day I re-consecrated myself to Jesus through Mary, becoming her willing slave, ready to serve her and her Divine Son. May her Motherly protection keep me free from sin and worthy of the promises of Christ.

Journaling and Prayer

Besides running my mouth (fingers?) at the keyboard all day, I am also a prolific journal writer (the old-fashion kind with pens and paper). My journals span anywhere from 2 years to 6 months depending how how small or big the journal is and how much I write. I started this particular journal in March, days before my world crashed down when my mom died. Then, in July, it crashed down again when my finance left me without any explanation or even a kiss-my-ass. So I'm so very glad this journal is coming to an end. I like fresh starts.

Anyway, I'd like to end the last 2 pages with a prayer of some sort but not being very good at improvised prayers I decided to look up "Prayers at the end of the journal". Nada. So, I will be doing a bit of research and seeing if 1) there are any other Catholic journalers (I made up that word) and if not, maybe even start one on my own. (!)

If you come across any prayers that seem appropriate or relevant  then by all means, leave them in the comments!

Pray for conversions

I read this week that author Anne Rice has apostatized from the Church. How unbelievably sad. Her reason basically boils down to that the Church won't conform with the world. This led me to think about other public figures who we ought to pray for their conversion. St. Therese the Little Flower adopted such a soul and her prayers were efficacious. (St. Therese of Lisieux had prayed for the conversion of the notorious and unrepentant killer Henri Pranzini in 1887 and was able to read in the newspaper of his last-minute grab for a crucifix as he approached the scaffold. He kissed the wounds of Jesus three times before being guillotined.) I thought of a person who needs such prayers would be that professor in Minnesota (?) who likes to desecrate the Blessed Sacrament. Just as St Therese made Pranzini her "project" I will make the Professor mine. Our Lady of Fatima told the little seers to pray for sinners as many go to hell because they have no one to pray for them.

Interesting Website

So, I'm now off the anti-depressants, which seems contradictory consider how much I have to be depressed about (mother dying, fiance leaving) so I was looking for some natural remedies for anxiety attacks. I was mostly looking for herbal supplements and such but for some reason I plugged "catholic remedies for depression" into the search engine and got this site. Lots of interesting and useful information here; of course I balk when someone tells me I have to give up my diet Coke. The cure for depression is apparently: not enjoying anything, ever. (I know that's not what he's about). Being a Christian isn't easy; we want what we want when we want it. But, not what I want but what He wants. Jesus suffered and died on the cross for us, to save us. How will we repay Him? I balk at asceticism and austerities. It leads me to be a sourpuss and what's worse than a sourpuss Christian? Ugh. St Teresa of Avila said something like "God, save me from gloomy saints!". Anyway, back to this site. The author also seems to imply that if you don't follow his spiritual counsels, well, then, you just don't love God you lazy sinner. And it's all your parents fault. They don't love you. It's why you're such a screw-up. Then of course there's the standard "If you don't like this then that just proves how little you love God and how much you love yourself" like saying the first symptom of alcoholism is denial even if someone doesn't drink, if you deny it, then that means you must be an alcoholic. Now I'm just rambling. I know what he's trying to say; it just rubs me the wrong way. Instead of easing into a holier life, he wants you to jump in the deep end. For me this would just cause a burn-out and a not sincere conversion. I would focus too much on all the exterior practices and then the "hey look at me! I'm HOLY!" would come out. That smugness that comes with knowing you won't go to hell. And I'm pretty sure that's the exact opposite of what he's trying to do here.

Something HAS to be done

After a week of one disaster after another (car dying, glasses frames broken, reduction in Child Support) the mess in the apartment is too much. I need something better than FlyLady. I cannot stand all the freaking emails. It worked for me for awhile until she started with all the "testimonals" (a/k/a "commercials") for her products. And it felt like I was constantly picking up; and I only had the 2 kids then. My main problem as my Dearest has pointed out: my irregular sleep schedule. SO. I decided to create ONE new habit for the next 21 days: go to bed at 11pm and wake up at 7am no matter what day of the week or if it's a James week or not. (Incidently this is his last week of school, and it's a Daddy week). I even set the alarm on my Palm to remind me to go to bed. And then: BABYKINS. Cry cry cry, fuss fuss fuss. Cry and fuss, fuss and cry. Cruss and Fye. So here it is, almost 1 am and I'm still up. Farming. Reading other blogs. Procrastinating going to bed. And now I'm peckish and keep thinking about the pita bread and hummus I bought today....

Amazon Associates

I just signed on to the Amazon Associates program, not to make money but because I love "shopping" there. I read a lot. Or I used to. My mom got me the 12th book in the Wheel of Time series "The Gathering Storm" which I'm thinking about starting. It's a thick book and I want to make sure I can read it without a huge gap. Also, it was the last Christmas gift my mom will ever give me. I wish I had known it would be her last Christmas. We never think of those things as they are happening. I also would hate to die unexpectedly without having ever read it. My mom had checked out about 5 books the day before she died. She was an avid reader too. We like many of the same authors: Jonathon Kellerman, Robert B. Parker, Jesse Kellerman just to name a few.

Water is wet says Cardinal; everyone outraged

Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Archbishop of Quebec, reiterated the Church's teaching that abortion is a moral evil, and wrong in all cases. Everyone got their knickers in a twist. I don't understand why this is a controversy. Everyone knows that the Catholic Church teaches that abortion is always wrong and a grave sin. Are they upset that His Excellency actually spoke about morals in public? (That would be my guess). Read more here, and here.

Let Us Labor to Save Our Souls

An excerpt from St Alphonsus de Liguori's (1696-1787) book entitled "Preparation for Death" published in 1758 at the age of 62

 My brother, in this picture of death behold yourself and what you must one day become. "Remember that dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return". Consider that in a few years, and perhaps in a few months or days, you will become rottenness  and worms. By this thought Job became a saint. I have said to rottenness: Thou art my father: to worms, my mother, and my sister (Job 17:14).
All must end; and if, after death, you lose your soul all will be lost for you. Consider yourself already dead, says St. Laurence Justinian, since you know that you must necessarily die. If you were already dead, what would not desire to have done? Now that you have life, reflect that you will one day be among the dead. St Bonaventure says, that, to guide the vessel safely, the pilot must remain at the helm; and in like manner, to lead a good life, a man should always imagine himself at the hour of death. Says St Bernard, "Look to the sins of your youth, and be covered with shame". "Remember the sins of manhood and weep." Look to the present disorders of your life; tremble, and hasten to apply a remedy.
When St Camillus de Lellis saw the graves of the dead, he said within himself: If these return to life, what would they not do for eternal glory? And what do I do for my soul, who have time? This the saint said through humility. But my brother, you, perhaps, have reasons to fear that your are the fruitless fig-tree of which the Lord said: Behold, for these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and I find none" (Luke 13:7) You have been in this world for more than three years; what fruit have you produced? Remember, says St Bernard, that the Lord seeks not only flowers, but fruits; that is not only good desires and resolutions, but also holy works. Learn then to profit of the time which God in His mercy gives you; do not wait until you desire time to do good, when time shall be no more. Do not wait till you are told, Time shall be no longer; depart; the time for leaving this world has arrived; what is done, is done.

Are you prepared?

Where will you be, dear Christian, when the debt you owe is due? Will death find you ready, strengthened by the Sacraments? Or will it catch you unawares? If you knew you only have a few hours left on this earth, what would you do with them? This question came to me in the most personal and horrible ways. My mother, my poor dear mother, spent her last few hours on earth playing games on Pogo.com. Working on getting my badge since she had already completed her own. She was in severe pain and had actually gone to the doctor's office because of it. He gave her some Motrin and told her to go to the ER if it got worse after giving her an EKG and determining she wasn't having a heart attack. Until the very last minute, she was in the computer room, my old bedroom, playing a game, while my dad sat alone in the kitchen, waiting for her to come out for dinner. They never did have dinner that night. As she emerged from the computer room, he knew straight away she was not well. He had seen that look before: the day his own mother died (which was Mother's Day. Thankfully the whole family was there so at least she spent her last few hours with family). The thought of my mother all alone, trying to ignore her immense pain, breaks my heart and the pain is unbearable.

If my mother was told she only have a few hours to live, would she have spent them playing Pogo? Maybe. Why not? She enjoyed those games but deep down I suspect she would have at least spent them with my dad and me and my children. She would have said her good-byes and made sure we knew everything. Since this didn't happen, my dad and I were are lost. Shocked and struck with grief, we hadn't a clue what to do. It was the sort of thing my mom took care of. (Thankfully my mother's brother and sister-in-law stepped in and helped).  I'm trying to remember the last time I saw her. And if I told her I loved or at least thanked her for the kind act she was providing me at the time, which shamefully I cannot recall what it was.

How will you have spent the last few precious moments of your life? St. James says our life is "a vapour which appeareth for a little while and afterwards shall vanish away." (James 4:15)  We all die, and like waters that return no more, we fall down into the earth (2 Samuel 14:14). St Alphonsus tells us that "there is nothing more precious than time; but there is nothing less esteemed and more despised by men of the world". This is what St Bernard deplores when he says "Nothing is is more precious than time, but nothing is regarded more cheaply. The days of salvation pass away, and no one reflects that day which has passed away from him can never return". Think of all those moments where we were just "killing time". It is gone, never to return. The hours you've killed will return to haunt you on your deathbed (if you should be so lucky).