Mint Jeans Update and In My Makeup Bag

I mentioned in a post a couple weeks ago that I was so excited to get a pair of mint jeans. I purchased mine from Tilly's. My SIL did a post on how to wear them, you can read that here. I said I would update how I was going to wear mine so here we go!

I love this! The shirt is from Wet Seal and was only $5.  I got the mint necklace from Ophelia503 which you can find on Instagram. Now I am not sure what shoes/boots I will wear with this. Opinions please! I really want to do either my brown Candence or Riding Boots both by Steve Madden.

Next is the "Around Town Top" from Kiki La'Rue in ivory. It is very sheer so I am wearing a white cami under that I purchased from Ophelia503. One of my friends owns Ophelia503 and I am loving everything about it! The riding boots are Steve Madden. 

This shirt is also from Wet Seal and was $5. It was too good of a deal to pass up. I didn't plan on pairing it with the mint jeans but ended up liking it. The sideways cross necklace in gunmetal is from Kiki La'Rue. Still not sure about shoes though. I just don't look right in flats.

Now for what's in my makeup bag. This is a linkup with Trista that looks like fun to me! The older I get the more I love makeup/skin care and jewelry! Ha! 

First, let me say, I may have been blessed with many good qualities but my skin is not one of them.  I had terrible acne after having my first 2 babies and have the scars to prove it. I think my hormones have finally balanced out and with some good skin care it's much better than it used to be. I have always been very self conscious about it and piled on the makeup. With time, I have learned that less can mean more! I mean, I think caking makeup on just made it look worse to me. Also, I am a Clinique/Merle Norman kinda girl with a little Cover Girl here and there. 

First things first! Before I even start with my makeup bag I wash with Clinique Mild Liquid Facial Soap, followed by Clinique Clarifying Lotion (not sure why they call it lotion bc it's a toner), last is Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion.  Love, love, love these!

Now for the makeup bag!

Next is Foundation Primer Plus by Merle Norman...would by it by the gallon if they had it. Wear this and your makeup goes on very smoothly and is going NOWHERE until you are ready for it to. Plus it's SPF15! Trust me, I've tried Smashbox and several others. 

After I let my primer set for 3-5 minutes, I apply Clinique Even Better concealer followed by Clinique Pore Refining Solutions Foundation and I do use a Foundation brush by Merle Norman to apply. I think it makes a difference to use the brush. It seems to go on much smoother and evenly.

Next I apply Clinique Stay Matte Sheer pressed powder very lightly. I feel oily without it and feel that it helps set my foundation.

I don't use much blush or rouge as my Grandmother called it. Ha! So I buy Cover Girl. The color is use is Rose Silk. It's very, very light.

For the eyes...not really big on eye makeup for myself. I use Cover Girl eye shadow in Taupe. I then apply Cover Girl Perfect Point Plus eyeliner in black/brown. I have used both of these for years...not sure what I'd do if they got discontinued. Also, I only apply eyeliner to the bottom part of my eye. My eye will not relax enough for me to apply it to the top...whatever, I am a weirdo like that sometimes. Can't put contacts in either. For mascara, I use Clinique High Impact or Loreal. 

For the lips, I use Merle Norman in Sparkling Wine and LOVE it! 

Throughout the day to stay moisturized and to add color when I am fading a bit, I use Baby Lips. I included it in my recent give away and my friend, Amanda, is hooked!

When the day is over, I use Clinique Take the Day Off cleansing milk. This stuff would take makeup off Snooki and Lil' Kim without hesitation. I then follow up with my toner and moisturizer. 

Scary, pre-skin care, pre-makeup, dead girl, Lindsey with my little camera hog!

Finished product! I'd like to add  that between the before and after pic I had to stop and pack a lunch, clean a poopy diaper, and cook breakfast for my starving hubby! Ha!

I'd like to give a shout out to my friend, Angela, at Mean Ang. I call her Sweet Ang because she is anything but mean. Lol! I think a friend called her that and it kinda stuck. Anyhow, she is New Jersey gal and I just love her. Her family has a home on the shore that was effected by the recent hurricane and she shared pics. She's also about to celebrate a birthday. Stop by and wish her a great birthday!

Happy Friday to all of you people that belong to the normal 5 day a week workforce! My week is just about to start. Lucky for me, I only have 2 day weeks! =)

Wasting Your Pain

I have been working on this post for weeks. I have erased it completely more than once. I've decided not to do it but I have talked myself back into it.

I have wanted to share this story for so long. Years ago, I seriously considered contacting Oprah, I am serious, just to get the word out so others would not have to hurt like we have. Before you read this, know that my parents took good care of us when we were growing up. We were both spoiled!

On February 23, 1984 my sister was born. I was only 21 months old but I remember my daddy holding me up to the window of the nursery so that I could see her. It's my earliest memory and that's all I remember about her being born. She had a very minor heart defect that did not require surgery, just monitoring. Now that I am a NICU nurse I can say that I am pretty sure it was a PDA. She was followed by a pediatric cardiologist until she was 4 or 5 and was completely cleared as far as her heart. Sometime around age 2 my parents were told that she had asthma. She had a terrible time with it. I can remember her taking breathing treatments our entire lives. Sometimes she had to be hospitalized. She also had allergies and had to take allergy shots. I can remember the nurse chasing her once a week to get her shot. Poor thing. The thing with the asthma is that one of the best meds, especially in the 1980's was Prednisone, a steroid. After years of being on and off steroids she gained weight. It was gradual but did get worse when she was having a flare with her asthma. We also did not eat healthy at our home. The greasier the better! I mean this is the South!

 Me and Jerri Lynne in 1984

 This was prob in 1986

 1987

1988

This was sometime in the 1990s. This is when it was really becoming noticeable.

So, we all know that kids are really cruel. She was frequently picked on. I had a permanent spot in the front seat on the school bus for years for threatening and smacking some mean people that gave her a hard time. I watched kids call her "fatty" and make all kinds of jokes over and over. She would laugh and when we would get off the bus to walk up the driveway she would start crying. It was awful! I always felt so helpless. She was a kind soul. I think she finally got used to cruelty. 

When she started high school I could tell it was really bothering her. A lot of her friends had boyfriends and she felt left out. Somehow, she ended up being referred to a surgeon who told her how beautiful she was, and she truly was, and that he would do everything he could to help her lose weight by gastric bypass surgery. This was when it was major surgery. It is much safer now, however, I certainly can't recommend it. She saw a psychologist to be sure she was mentally stable for the operation and had to jump through many other hoops to get it done. They felt that her weight was jeopardizing her health and this was the best option. I never agreed but I was only 17 so who cared what I thought. No diets, no exercise had been done. This was a quick fix. I told her the night before her surgery that I was scared and didn't think it was a good idea. I'll never forget her response. She told me that she had been "fat" her entire life and made fun of and that I had no idea how she felt because I was skinny. She told me that she would rather die trying to be skinny than continue to be overweight. What do you say to that? 

This was taken a few months before the surgery. 

The surgery was in September 2000. Her recovery was hell. She never really got to the point where she was able to eat. She vomited a lot and had other awful gastrointestinal problems. She had a feeding tube for a while for nutrition because she could not eat. Eventually, all of this took it's toll on December 29, 2000.

It was a Friday night and I stayed home with my mom. What teen stays home on a Friday? I just had a weird feeling. The phone rang around 9 PM. The ring didn't even sound right, so I picked up the other end even though I knew my mom had answered. It was the police dispatcher calling my mother because the tags on my sisters car were in her name. She was pulled over in front of our local hospital doing almost 90 mph. She stopped the car and put it in park and the officer said she had her foot all the way down on the accelerator. He opened the door and she was slumped over the wheel having a seizure. Electrolyte imbalances will cause seizures if they are bad enough. Like I said, she was right in front of the hospital. They took her into the ER and she was placed on a breathing machine and LeBonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis was paged immediately to send a hospital wing to take her to Memphis. Where was she going? I'll never know. I had just talked to her and she had talked about coming by or maybe she knew something wasn't right and she was going to the hospital...I just don't know. It bothered me for the longest time.

I will never forget what I saw when I walked into that room in the ER. She was foaming at the mouth, convulsing, tubes everywhere and what stood out the most were the tears streaming down her face. Oh...it was just heartbreaking. I had imprints on my wrist over a week later from her holding me and squeezing when I asked if she knew who I was. I know she was scared and that is something else that has bothered me for the longest time. 

She was flown to Memphis and placed in the PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) and there are not very many ups to this story. She woke up once but it was only for a brief moment before she began seizing again. Many tests and procedures were done. As a nurse, I now know that she was placed on ECMO, which is bad, really really bad. It's a machine that does the work of the heart and lung when they are too damaged to work on their own. All of this lasted 2 days and shortly before midnight on December 31, 2000 we took her off the machines. In my mind, she was already gone. 

Opening presents at Christmas. One week later she was gone.

She was a beauty! Inside and out! She loved this sweater. It's hard for me to look at. We laid her to rest in it.

The months afterwards were tough and are pretty blurry to me. I was angry at her at times for not telling us how sick she was or getting help. I was angry at God for the longest time. How could he take my sister? That is where the title "Wasting Your Pain" comes from. 

Fortunately for me, God did not turn his back on me when I cursed him and refused to pray to him because my heart was broken. I believe that instead he led me down a path that would forever change my life and blessed me with some adorable children along the way. 

When I started nursing school, I was mostly doing it because I do love helping people but the job security was awesome. I knew I would always have a job anywhere I went. Towards the end of the college days, I became worried because I hadn't found anything that I fell in love with. The summer before I graduated I took a job as an extern in a NICU  in Memphis. I fell in love. 

My career is why I say that my pain and suffering was not wasted like it could have been had God not continued to love me during my time of darkness. Instead he put me just where he had planned all along. I have held babies and rocked them in my arms while they go to heaven. I have also held moms and dads  who have had to say good-bye to their little babies. It's never easy. I cry. I am human.

It is that pain that made me the person that I am today (not in the past, I was so mean and ugly...I am glad that I have been forgiven), the mother that I am today, and the nurse that I am. 

I am at a point in my life that I take comfort knowing that my sister is truly in a place that is eternally wonderful and that we will be together again some day. I also take comfort in knowing that some people are so special that God needs them so he takes them to be with him. I know that she is happy. I know that she is well taken care of and that there is no more pain. I am at a point where I can thank God for choosing me to be her sister and giving me the gift of spending 16 wonderful years with her. 

If you have pain in your heart, I encourage you to let it drive you to help others. I feel like I wasted so much time because I was so hurt but fortunately, He was in my heart and leading me in the right direction. It is God that I owe everything to. If I had not had Him on my side all this time there is no telling where I may have ended up. 

Sisters =)

Boys Will Be Boys and Shout-Outs

Let me take you back to May 2008...that's when we found out that we were having a boy, our Carter.  When she told us it was a boy I was shocked. I almost cried! I had a sister growing up and I had Aubree so all I knew was smocked dresses and long, curly hair. What in the world would I do with a boy? From that day forward all I heard from everyone is "boys love their mommy's" which is very, very true BUT not one single person bothered to tell me how accident-prone boys are! Geez! Here are just a few examples!

First up, we have Carter after turning just 1 year old. He pulled a chair from the kitchen over on his head. He hit the back of his head on the hardwood floor. Let me just say there was a TON of blood! Been in the NICU too long and forgot how bad a head injury bleeds. They were able to glue it but he has a nice little scar.

Next up we have Carter looking all pitiful in the ER yet again a little over a year later. This is the product of furniture not bolted to the wall/floor and having a mom and dad that work night shift. Yes, he pulled a dresser over on himself. Yes, he is lucky he wasn't severely injured. Yes, we felt like crappy parents. 

Are you noticing a pattern of head injuries? Yeah...so this happened last summer. He fell head/face first out of my friends car in our driveway.

Now for Caleb! Doesn't he look all cute in his little LeBonheur hospital gown? This little turkey was behind me in his room while I was hanging his clothes and when I walked out of his room I looked up to the top of the stairs just in time to watch him roll from the top to the bottom. I think that would have to go in my top 3 worst feelings ever. I had no idea he could pull up much less climb stairs and we had just moved in this house . He cried. I cried and cried and cried. Since he fell down 16 steps he had to have a CAT scan and it was normal. 

I think he's part mountain goat or something because I caught him trying to climb the fridge tonight. I had to get a pic before I made him get down, of course. Then while I was cooking he decided to climb on top of the kitchen table and I got him down before he fell and he proceeds to go into the living room and climb on the coffee table where he nose-dived onto the floor. Lawdy!! Aubree may get into lots of stuff and trouble, ha, but she just hasn't really been one to get in a lot of accidents especially head injuries. Lol! I'm knocking on wood right now for that comment about Aubree.

In other news, Brian and I went to practice shooting guns the other night. I don't care how hard I try I am scared to death of those things. Don't get me wrong, if someone comes into my home I will bust a cap in them to protect me and my kids but other than that I just can't make myself enjoy shooting the loud thing. We were shooting handguns. Call me country but I prefer a shotgun! 

I busted out the old camo for our adventure!

Oh Minnesooooooota...good heavens at the temps you are having. Ahhh! That's enough for my eyes to freeze shut again just thinking about it. Ugh!

I miss every single thing about the place except that. That is UNREAL! And it hurts! "Bitterly" in the forecast! Come on! 

Speaking of Minnesota, I had a conversation with Mall of America on IG today and it made me feel all important and warm and fuzzy inside. J/k...kinda! 

The boys found my glasses today and I laughed so I hard I just about cried. Check them out!

 "Did I do that" says my little pale version of Steve Urkel!

He looks like a little old man! Ha!

A few shout outs now! 

This is my cousin, Natalie! I totally just right clicked and copied this off her blog. Lol! I love her and miss her very much! We used to spend almost every Sunday together after chuch. She is a new blogger. She is married to Chris and they have two beautiful little girls. Check out her blog, My Fabulous Life of Woodchucks and Sippy Cups. You'll love her!

Next blog that I am loving is, Jessica, from Simply A Farmer's Wife. She has a ton of DIY projects that are awesome. I found her through a hashtag on IG. I don't know if that comes off creepy, weird, stalkerish...anyways, I felt so connected to her and I love her blog and you will too. Check her out! I didn't include a pic because unlike, Natalie, we are not related so I don't want to go into super creepy mode! Ha!

And another new blogger is Kristin, from The Ackerman Three. She just got a new blog design that is really cute. She also has a beautiful little girl. She's a sweetheart. Check her out! =)

I'm thinking there may be 3 surprised people tomorrow as they have no idea I am highlighting them. I just love finding new people and I am sure most of you do too. I posted my top three favorites last Sunday here.

And last, but certainly not least, for all my friends out there in the world of Instagram (IG), check out my friend at Ophelia503. You will not be disappointed. She has some very stylish clothing at very reasonable prices. Just follow her, pick what you like and get with her with any questions you may have or if you want to order. She is a dear friend that stuck by my side through some not so great times and I am so very proud of her! Here's a peek at a few items in her store. 

How darling is this shirt? 

 Love this one too!

 Colorful Chevron!

Ahhh...my favorite! Love this one!

That's all for now! Have a great day!

A Few Things I am Blessed With

My hard-working hubby!

I love him!

 Aubree!

My first born! My handful!

 My intellectual one!

Carter truly is the most sincere and sweet child I've ever known!

 My Caleb! My baby!

This was a brief nap! He is not a sleeper by any means. Which is why I am up at 3 AM! Ha!

My Meemaw who has always loved me...whether I was being good, bad, or stupid!

She cried and cried the day I graduated from college. She was so proud of me! My Aunt is another blessing!

My cousin who is like a brother!

Sister-in-laws! Carrie and Laura.They know how much I miss my own!

 My father-in-law, my Carter's best friend!

My mother-in-law!

My cup runneth over!

I'm Glowing!

I have not blogged this week, except for Sunday. I think it's a combo of the weather and my kids being so hyper from not getting out that is wearing me out. We were under this Ice Storm Warning Tuesday and that ended up being the weakest winter weather ever. Congrats T-county school kids, you got a total free day off on that one! 1994...now that was an Ice Storm!

I really stepped my game up this week on my normal, same old work-out. Warmer weather will be here before we know it and I want to look good in my two piece swim suit out in my back yard while splashing around in a kiddie pool with the kids.  I may have talked Brian into a beach trip in June...we shall see. Speaking of swimwear, I thankfully fit into mine from last year, or maybe it was the year before. Anyways, I went to see my friend, Jamie at Southern Glow Airbrush Tanning, tonight to get that airbrush tan that I won. I was very impressed. I have some sweet tan lines and I am glowing! I took some before and after pics. Excuse the child in the pic!

It's kinda hard to see but there is a big difference.

I'm gonna try to do a more interesting post tomorrow.  One that I have been putting off forever! Like I said, not much has been going on around here this week. We got out of our pajamas for the first time today since like Sunday but don't worry, we showered and put on a clean pair at bedtime. Ha!

 Caleb is ready for some sunny weather so he can wear his shades!

Just last week...it was 70 degrees. Gotta love Memphis weather!

Sunday Social

I don't blog on the weekend BUT Brian is working OT tonight, kids are sleeping, and I am still a little wired from working so maybe this, along with my pretzels dipped in chocolate cream cheese will help me unwind.



1. What is the name of your blog? How long have you been blogging?

The name of my blog is "A Plane Doctor, His Nurse, and 3 Little Passengers". My husband is an aircraft mechanic for a busy commercial airline, I am a registered nurse and work in the NICU, and our 3 kids are the passengers. Hahaha!

I've been blogging for a little over a year. 

2. Why do you blog?

I started this blog because I wanted to keep our family updated on our busy lives and so I could print off the blog yearly in a book for memories. It is kind of like a diary for me but I have connected with so many. I have made some wonderful friends thorough blogging. It's pretty amazing!

3. What is the first blog you ever followed?

The first blog I ever followed was 2 Kids, a Mini Van, and a Mortgage. Kate is the writer and her daughter, Lucy, was diagnosed with cancer a couple years ago.  She blogged before cancer came into their lives. Kate is a true inspiration to me. They are from my hometown and you would have to live here to understand how this community came together to pray for Lucy. Everyone knows and loves Lucy!

4. What is your favorite post you wrote in 2012?
My favorite post in 2012 was Happy Birthday Carter and Caleb. My boys are 3 years and 2 days apart so we had one big party. Carter turned 4 and Caleb turned 1. I worked so hard on that party! 

5. What are your blogging goals for 2013?

I want to meet more new people and for my blog to grow. I've come a long way for a year and am thankful to everyone that follows.
6. Name your top 3 favorite blogs.

This living doll happens to be my SIL!

Check out Melanie! You will not be disappointed. She was one of my first followers.
Holly is super cute and funny! She is also like my blog mother and was also one of my first followers. She has taught me a lot about blogging! Her hubby, Chris, did my blog design.

I hope everyone has a great week!