Merry CHRISTmas!

From my family to yours: we wish you a very safe, merry and super blessed Christmas holiday!

Remember the REASON for the SEASON!

+++ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS! +++

May God bless you today and always!

Xoxoxo

Jessika

Dear A&E, Congratulations, You Just Committed Suicide

TOO GOOD NOT TO SHARE!

Original link:
Dear A&E, congratulations, you just committed suicide

Text:

Dear A&E,

I read that you are indefinitely suspending Phil Robertson from Duck Dynasty after he quoted the Bible and said that the homosexual act is sinful. I get it, guys. I do. You punished the Christian guy for being a Christian because you got some angry emails from a bunch of whiny gay activists who lack the spine and maturity to deal with the fact that there are still people out there who have the guts to articulate opinions that they find disagreeable. In so doing, you’ve kowtowed to a pushy minority of vocal bullies who don’t even watch your channel, while alienating the fan base of the one show that keeps your entire network afloat.

Makes sense.

You’ve got standards, after all. You wouldn’t want to be associated with tasteless and inappropriate things. The people on Duck Dynasty can’t be allowed to run around being all Christian-like. It might ruin the reputation of the network whose other shows include Hoarders and Intervention — programs that invite viewers to gawk at drug addicts and the mentally ill for their own amusement.

Disney-ABC Television Group owns 50 percent of your network, were they involved in this decision? They must have been. They’ve got a brand to protect. They can’t allow a bearded right winger to spout beliefs. BELIEFS, of all things. The horror! We must shutdown beliefs, opinions, and ideas, and get back to the serious business of selling sex and debauchery to children. They can’t deal with these distractions, don’t they have another season of The Bachelor or Desperate Housewives or Trophy Wife to produce?

Good Lord, these militant neo-liberal thought police are better at brainwashing than I ever realized. They just convinced you to torpedo your own network. You guys just kamikazed yourselves. You just pulled the pin on the grenade and then put it in your pocket. This is incredible. Didn’t you see what happened with Chic-fil-A when GLAAD crusaders tried to shutdown an entire business just because they disapproved of the owner’s opinions? Don’t you remember that? I’ll refresh your memory: their “boycott” resulted in an enormous sales spike for the company, as millions of people like myself went out of our way to eat there just to ensure that the anti-free speech fools on the left didn’t win. A week after the anti-Chic-fil-A campaign began, their restaurants across the country were overflowing. It was, officially, the least effective boycott in the history of mankind.

Now it’s all going to happen again, except it will be the opposite effect, and you’ll be on the losing end this time around.

If you don’t bring Phil back immediately, and publicly apologize to him and to his viewers for attempting to censor his Christian faith, Duck Dynasty will leave your network, find a new home, and all of those ratings will go somewhere else. Then you’ll be stuck with the stragglers who feel like spending a Saturday rubbernecking at mentally disturbed elderly women with compulsive hoarding addictions. That’s how this is going to play out. Congratulations.

Did you think the “gay rights” crowd would stick around and “support you” for meeting their ransom demands? No, silly A&E, that isn’t how this works. The speech-controllers on the left are like a black hole. They can only suck you in and obliterate you. They’re like the devil — they ask for your soul and offer nothing in return.

Am I coming on too strong?

Just wait.

Just you wait.

This is the worst decision you’ve ever made. Well, “Bonnie and Clyde” was the worst decision, but this is a close second. Speaking of which, just to make sure we’re clear, the violent mini-series glorifying a couple of thugs who robbed some banks and killed some people 80 years ago — OK. Wholesome family man quotes the Bible during an interview with GQ — UNACCEPTABLE. Is that the correct equation? Is that your business model?

Just to be doubly clear: you guys hate the Bible and find it to be offensive, right? Or is it just parts of the Bible? Or is it just Christians? Or is it just Christians who have the audacity to believe in the entire Bible, rather than a select few segments that pass the modern PC litmus test? Just let me know, and I’ll send the word along to my readers, many of whom are Christians who watch — I mean, used to watch –A&E. I’m sure they’ll be interested in finding out that you view their faith as so abhorrent that you’d fire a guy simply for quoting a passage from their Holy Book.

You made your bed. You decided to stand against free speech, against open expression of ideas, against Christians, against the Bible, against the views of a majority of humanity, against the most profitable show in the history of your network, and against almost all of your viewers. But, hey, at least you put a smile on GLAAD’s face. That must make it all worth it, right?

Sincerely,

Everyone who isn’t a left wing extremist (AKA your former customer base)

Bishop Noel Jones Encountering God, Discovering Yourself

This blessed me big time!

Just One Of Them Dayz...

I'm not mad at anyone, nor do I have any complaints at the moment - well, with the exception of a little back pain - yet, I'm having one of those days where I just want to be completely alone.

Unfortunately, the only place I can get to do this - if I need to be alone during the week, that is - is at work. I haven't needed this in a while, but, then again, I often get to be alone on Saturdays. My husband often takes the kids out for the entire day. I take this time to nap, read, play games on my computer or phone, take care of my nails, and/or watch movies with British actors in them if total silence is NOT the order of the day...today, it is.

I'm currently in my office alone, with nothing but the hum of computer systems that haven't been shut off to keep me company. I like it. I don't feel like talking to or listening to anyone; I don't feel like looking at anyone or being looked AT for that matter. It's weird.

Do you ever get in a mood where just about anything annoys you? You have no idea why and none of it makes sense, but everything's just intolerable? It's been such a long time since I've felt this way, but I'm certain that I'm most unhappy with myself, meaning, what's REALLY annoying me, is ME...

I'm taking this time to get over myself and return to normal before I begin to alienate my family. WAIT!!!!!!!!!

I just had an epiphany, I think. I'm thinking about a certain someone's attitude recently and how what I'm feeling now COULD be exactly what he's been feeling lately, but his adolescent mind doesn't analyze his emotions further by acknowledging that you can't take your self pity or whatever you want to call it out on others! Disliking yourself for the moment doesn't mean you should prevent others from showing you love and affection. You should GET OVER IT, love others anyway and allow yourself to BE loved! Yes!

I already feel 100 percent better and am regretting having ordered those noodles from the Chinese place that I now have to wait for before I can leave to go home to my beautiful family!!!!

GOD, I THANK YOU FOR REVEALING MYSELF AND SOMEONE I LOVE TO ME IN SUCH A CLEAR AND AMAZING WAY!!!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!

Until next time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

Blessed

This morning, I was very nearly in tears. Feeling hurt and betrayed and entirely hopeless as I left the house, I found myself automatically going into silent prayer. By the time my husband and I made it to the train platform, I was holding onto his arm and thanking God that I was not having to go through this alone.

The heaviness in my heart was lifted, and I felt, and continue to feel, 100 percent confident that God will find a way to permanently fix the issue. What good was my continuing to groan about my heartbreak going to do for the situation? Not a thing. God's got my back; of that, I'm very certain.

Until next time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

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Immutable Ramblings: SMILING IT FORWARD™: Disclaimer: I have received information and products from McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc., the makers of TYLENOL®. ...

Too Tired To Write

I'm working on three hours of sleep here...but I really liked my mani and wanted to show it. The brown is Revlon Parfumerie polish in Autumn Spice, the emerald/dark teal color is Sinful Colors in Opening night.

I also wanted to share this AMAZING lotion I'm using on my hands now. It's got all the good oils and butters in it for healthy skin. It's SheaMoisture Coconut & Hibiscus Body Butter LOVE! The smell, the feel, the lasting power, the SMELL! Yes, I repeated myself...

Back to work and to sneaking 60-second naps in between each duty...

Until next time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

Surreal...

...that's the only word I can think of that can aptly describe the last few days we've had in our home. The things we were discovering about what's been happening in our absence were infuriating to say the least. If I had rich relatives in another state, I think I would have sent my kids off to live with them; that's how angry I was with them...

It's bad when you are so angry with, disappointed in someone that you don't even want to look at them.

I felt like I was floating above my home, watching some other family go through the things we were experiencing. I've calmed down considerably, but, at this point, I don't trust anyone in that household but my husband. This fact depresses me...

Please pray for us...

Until next time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

The Talk

When I came home yesterday, there was a fire truck pulling up close to my house. I of course immediately panic, thinking something's happened to my kids, but, thanks be to God, that was not the case. There was, however, a very huge fire in the woods behind our house, and, had our house not been surrounded by angels, it could have made its way over to us.

Thank you, Jesus!!!

My husband and I had a long talk with the kids last night about their behavior and school performance. During our talk, it hit me that I may make them think that they need to be perfect all of the time. I made sure to relieve that thinking and to assure that all I want from them is their individual best, not perfection. I think kids sometimes don't WANT to give their all, however, because they'd prefer to do other things. The same can definitely be said about adults, myself included. I'm sure there is so much more we could be doing but don't because of our distractions (self-selected and otherwise).

Raising kids is hard when you actually care about and love them. I used to think diapers and daycare costs were the worst of it; I WAS WRONG!!! I can say, however, that the trials we've encountered with them have proven what we've already known: God has truly set each one apart for great things. The fact that the enemy has attempted to thwart their spiritual paths so early in their lives is great confirmation of that fact. What a loser and a liar that devil is!!!

Prayer absolutely has to be a part of my life as a mother because there is so much that I don't know, that I can't fix, and that BOTHERS ME, but what else can I do? I absolutely must trust God to fill in the gaps that my husband and I cannot...and I'm ok with that.

Until next time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

Tired...

This week was supposed to be a short one for me but it's felt longer than usual...

I'm feeling a little down this morning. I keep finding things out about someone I love that have been truly disheartening. It's so hard to continue to have high hopes for someone only to find out one more thing about them that makes you want to lose hope. I guess that's how Jesus feels about us sometimes. Though, the difference between Him and us is that He can see - has ALREADY seen - what we're supposed to be. Not just what He wishes for us, but what were truly built to become. If only I had that ability...

It's exhausting. Caring about the life of someone who is doing everything they can to WASTE it...is truly draining...

Please pray for me, for US...

Until next time,

Jessika

The Inspirational Manicure

My sister recently posted something on her blog that she called "Manicure Monday." That was sort of a wake up call to me because for goodness sake, I'm the nail person, not her! LOL! I am proud of her for taking better care of her hands and nails, and for starting to actually enjoy showing them off! But pride was not the only thing I felt while reading the post. I felt...inspired! There's really no reason whatsoever that I shouldn't be doing something like that every once in a while, particularly when I don't feel like I have something substantial to write about. I change up my nail color at least once a week, sometimes twice (sometimes three times...:/); why not share what I used at the very least? Girls like to see nail stuff, right? :).

Anyway, I REALLY hope she keeps it up; I REALLY enjoyed seeing that on her blog!!! (HINT HINT ROSE!!!)

I recently purchased a bottle of DeLore Nails Organic Nail Polish Dryer (oil) from Amazon that when used, really tore my cuticles up. I'd gone months without cutting or removing my cuticles just by using my Drugstore.com-purchased DeLore oil and Nutra Nail Growth Formula several times every day. This is on top of regular lotion application, of course, and pushing my cuticles back once a week. But, something was off with the bottle I got from Amazon. The oil was more watery than I remembered it being the last time I'd bought it, and with a week of use, it really started to dry out my cuticles. They got so rough and ugly that I resorted to cutting them again just to start over.

I figured I received a fake so I ordered another bottle from Walgreens.com to compare. As I suspected, the oil I got from Walgreens was thicker, though still not quite as thick as I last remembered it. It worked well - definitely quickly and obviously enough to confirm that the one I got from Amazon was fake. However, after ordering it again from my original retailer, Drugstore.com, I believe that the oil has indeed gotten thinner. Not watery by any means (like the one from Amazon), but definitely not as super thick. I remember thinking about how annoying the thickness of the oil was because there was always a bit of it left at the bottom that I couldn't quite coax all the way out (unless I left it in the car on summer days to make it melt even more, making it super watery). I'd also complain to myself about how quickly the bottle would run out because of the thick consistency of the oil. Maybe they think they're improving it by thinning it out, but I don't agree. They should have just made a bigger bottle!

Enough about that.

I'm trying to get back into the rhythm of writing because I feel like I'm facing a "Use or Lose" type of situation here: if I don't keep writing, I may lose my ability to do it as well as I was born to do it...yes, I said it. I believe I was born with a natural gift, and that gift is writing. Please know I am not the bragging kind; I'm stating fact. I've interacted with people over email from all walks of life, professionals, college graduates, etc., and I've come to realize that writing well is not something that can be taught. Maybe I'm wrong; maybe it can be taught, but not easily learned...whatever the case may be, I believe it is a gift, and I don't intend to waste it...

Until next time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

The Negativity/Complaining Issue

Last week, I asked my husband if I generally complained a lot. This was after talking to him about someone in our office who constantly complains about everything and everybody. While trying to figure out a way to tell her to stop complaining so much, it struck me to ask if I, too, have this issue. According to my husband, I do.

Being that he's the only person I bother to complain about and TO on a regular basis, it makes sense that he'd feel that way. I personally don't agree with his assessment, however, I do have a negative talking issue.

What I mean is that I talk unnecessarily in a negative way about the stupidest things. Like, TV. Things like, "Why are his lips so cracked?" "Why does her hair look like that?" "Ugh, she's an idiot!" "Ugh, he's a moron!" These are things I'm yelling at a TV or a computer screen on a regular basis.

I don't complain. I'm just really critical and judgmental is all....

I've been this way since I was a teen. A lot of my friendships (okay, ALL OF THEM) ended because of this issue. I've been extremely critical and judgmental and it makes sense. You really tell people who you are by what you say and do - and by the things that bother you. Seeing as how I have something negative to say about everyone and everything else tells the truth about the way I've spoken about myself. Lately, I've been criticizing the way some people in my life have been handling money and making financial decisions - and duh, who just wrote about how terribly she was handling money and making financial decisions?!! Here's a hint: ME-ME-ME!!!

There was a period of time when I started going to church, regularly studied in the bible, and committed myself to Christ, where I was extraordinarily tolerant and accepting and loving and refused to say anything negative about anyone. I remember at the time that I was very happy with myself as a person. For the first time, I loved myself and when you love yourself, it's easy to love others. The longer I stay away from the bible, which is where the truth about who I am really is, the more I forget about all of the good things God has to say about me, about all of His children, the very children I have been criticizing...

I'm not saying I hate myself, but I have been very critical of myself, and that's not cool. Before I started to write this, I was going to announce that I'd decided to watch my words and not speak unless what I had to say was positive, but as I started to write, I realized what the root cause of the issue was, and unless it's addressed, no form of commitment to doing better was going to stick. That proved true all weekend when I kept having to "take back" and re-word things I was saying out loud. Shame, shame.

I've heard it all my life: the importance of loving yourself first. Some may think that means to put your happiness, your goals, your desires, your needs above everyone else's. But the truth is, love of self is necessary not for those purposes, but for the single purpose of putting others first. When you are truly accepting and loving of yourself, it's easy to take yourself out of the equation while in the practice of loving and supporting others. I'm not just spewing stuff I've heard before. I've actually lived this, experienced this myself, and I intend to be in a similar, but much better and more magnificent place...

For a long time I've been wishing that I could go back to the way I was, to a previous version of myself, but that's not God's will for my life. Why wish for something old when God is all about making us NEW? No, I don't want to go back there. I want, I need, I WILL move forward into new blessings...a brand new Me...

Until next time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

The Shopping Issue

On August 28, 2013, it hit me: I shop too much!!!! To be fair, I knew that I shopped too much. But, what really hit me is how broke it was making me. We make too much money for me to have to rely on my credit cards to take care of our family in between pay periods.

My husband has depended on me since the beginning of our marriage (8/8/10) to make sure everything was paid on time and that there was always money left over for what we needed, WHEN we needed it. In the beginning, it was great. I was able to put hundreds of dollars aside every paycheck in savings and for incidentals while all of my credit card balances remained at zero, untouched unless I needed to make a small purchase to avoid the card from being marked as "dormant" by the credit bureaus. My husband had great confidence in me and felt good about the money he was giving me because he felt I took great care of it.

Then, a little over a year into our marriage, I discovered QVC. Oh, that QVC is the devil, I tell you. Shortly after discovering QVC, I discovered beauty gurus on Youtube - that's when it all REALLY went downhill. I started shopping for handbags and makeup nonstop. Every little recommendation a guru gave me, I bought it. When I came across one guru's recommendation for a fast-drying top coat in June of 2012, my obsession with nail polish began (I now have over 600 bottles).

It was weird. It was the day before my 37th birthday and I was sitting at my desk at work going over my bills and balancing my checkbook. I was considering buying something, I don't recall what, and was trying to figure out how to make it happen with what I had left in the bank or on my credit cards. When I realized all of them were nearly maxed out and I barely had enough left in the bank to make it until my next paycheck, my heart sank into my belly. Not because I couldn't buy what I wanted to buy, but because I was disgusted with myself. Ashamed. Embarrassed. How could I let this happen? I let myself down and more importantly, I let my husband down. There he was, working this full-time job PLUS building a marketing career on the side to bring in extra income, and here I was looking for ways to spend it all.

It was then that I decided I needed to stop shopping, cold turkey.

The first week was easy. I was so committed, that I un-liked a lot of polish and shopping related Facebook pages and unsubscribed to almost every single beauty related youtube channel.

The second week was also a breeze. I started to feel proud of myself for making this important decision. I began to feel less stressed and a lot more optimistic about our financial future.

The third week, I ran into a video about some new lip stains by Jordana and I felt that I absolutely had to have them all. I slept on it, thought about it some more, then decided to buy them. That was ONE $26 purchase in THREE WEEKS. I didn't feel bad about it.

At around week six, I found myself really browsing again. Looking at bags and polishes, and makeup. I'd even picked up a few bottles of polish, but nothing expensive, $2 to $3 each. Two of them I actually gifted to my mom and sister.

Last week, I bought myself a handbag that I'd been looking at for months. It wasn't expensive and I didn't feel bad about it. This week, I bought more things. What I bought was really for my sister as Christmas and birthday gifts, but, because I wanted them also, I bought a second set of items for myself. Still don't feel bad about it.

Today, I got some notifications of EXCELLENT deals on Avon and Julep stuff that I love and I fully intended to take advantage of them...but, as I was online adding things to my cart, I stopped myself. I've had enough.

I'm not going to allow myself to fall back into that trap. "Oh, I'll just get a little something here and there, no big deal." But it is; it IS a big deal when you really don't NEED anything you're getting. And those little purchases add up quickly. Shopping is in fact a disease, a disorder, a bad habit, a full-on sickness that I simply REFUSE to accept. I quite literally don't need another bag, organizer, makeup or makeup-removing item, nail polish, fragrance, lotion, etc. I have PLENTY of ALL of that. I have more than enough to last me for years, even if I gave half of all of it away.

I am in full control of my spending now. I can name at least 20 things that in the last nine weeks I WOULD have purchased had I not regained control of myself, and that would have cost me hundreds of dollars (maybe even exceeded $1,000). Instead, all of it has gone to tithing, saving, paying down my credit card debt (which has been drastically reduced), and I still have a lot of it sitting in my bank account.

During this process of greatly reduced unnecessary spending, I found out how my emotions connected to the purchases. I found I wanted to buy things the most when I was either angry or stressed. I broke out of the habit of stress-and-anger-spending with prayer and restraint. Soon, I found that decreasing my spending increased my appreciation for what and who I already have in my life. Even my husband has remarked at how much happier I've been these past few weeks. After two years of constant spending looking to make myself happy, I discover and learn to truly appreciate that all I needed to be happy was already in my heart and home...

I am truly, truly blessed!!!


Until next time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

I Want To Eat Your Face!!!

I don't know what's up with me, but I seem to always respond to extreme cuteness with a desire to eat the cute thing.

"That baby's so cute I want to eat it's face!"

"OMG that puppy/dog/cat/kitten so cute I want to eat it!"

What up with that?

I hadn't realized I did it with pets, too, until this afternoon when I was parked outside of the CVS. In the car parked next to mine was a gorgeous gray pit bull sticking his head out of the window. It was soooo incredibly beautiful!! I exclaimed, "Oh my God, you are GORGEOUS!" out loud before realizing that his owner was also in the car. I was a little embarrassed but for some reason that didn't stop me from continuing to call the dog beautiful and saying to it, "Oh, I could just eat your face!" LOL!

It's funny, but I've still set a goal to stop saying that. It used to be, "You're so cute I just want to mush and squoosh you!" I'd usually only say that to my boys when they were younger, and then it extended to other people. My goal is to stop at the word "cute."

I stayed home today to take my son to the doctor. He apparently has swollen lymph nodes and was subscribed an antibiotic. It was nice spending the day with him.

I'm home now and am watching court shows - eagerly anticipating Judge Judy, the only court show REALLY worth watching...

Until Next Time...

XOXOXO - Jessika

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I'm Not Who I (thought) I Was

My sister posted something recently on her Facebook page that struck a chord in my spirit:

I remember thinking that about myself as a younger person. At least until about my mid 20's, which is when I first embarked on a spiritual journey that eventually led me to Christ. 

Even before I was introduced to Him on an intimate level, I knew that the angry, weak, broken, lustful, negative, hateful, arrogant, unhappy, ignorant and self-loathing person that I was at the time was not the person I was born to be. You couldn't tell me that before I made that realization, though, because I was good and proud of who I was and you either had to "Love me just the way I am or leave me alone!"

To an extent, I understand the root of this oft-proclaimed mantra of the masses. Of course you want to be loved for who you are. But if who you are is all that I described above, what kind of people are you inviting into your life to love you? Surely, surrounding yourself with that sort of crowd will keep you in a low state for the rest of your life!

I'm still in the process of figuring out who I REALLY am, who I was CREATED to be. To be my age and not realize that yet seems ridiculous, I know. For the longest time, I have been unable to get past the fact that I don't know how I was conceived (don't be funny - you know what I mean!:)), and that I have never known who my biological father was, who his family was. Just recently it struck me that I might have half brothers and sisters out there that I don't even know about. It has been niggling at my heart and mind and apparently my spirit for years and years...

But what if...

I've just had a thought. (Holy Spirit, is that You?) The Lord doesn't care about all of that. He may have even kept those truths away from me on purpose...

Lord, are you telling me that You want to be the one and ONLY Father I've ever known? Have you reserved that role in my life just for Yourself? Are you saying I shouldn't depend on knowing what earthly DNA is in me in order to feel "whole" because the person I was born to be is rooted in You and You alone? Do I proceed with my life with the understanding that I am cut from the cloth of the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords?

But that means I'd have to always walk around with my head held up high! That I have have zero reason to complain! That EVERY word that comes out of my mouth has power and authority to carry out what I say! 

Dear Lord/Dad, 

I like your plan for my life way better than the one I've been following...

Love, 

Your Daughter, Jessika

Until next time,

XOXOXO

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Immutable Ramblings: Nail Colors and Avon Promo ends 9/10/13 (at Midnig...: So my lovely sister Jessika ( MrsMorphosis ) shared this on her Facebook page and it cracked me up! Those of you who don't know, my s...

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FREE SHIPPING - AVON - BRUSHED METALS NAIL POLISH COLLECTION!

I TOTALLY took advantage of this and got the GORGEOUS Brushed Metals Collection of nail polishes for $3.49 each:

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And also got two sets of hand cream/nail polish for just $3.99 each!!!

Hand Cream and Nail Polish - Both for $3.99! Save $7

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Until next time,

XOXOXO -  Jessika

Stuck

Thank you, God, for the concept - no, not just the concept, but the ATTAINABILITY - of change and growth and the renewing of the mind.

I think the last time I was truly stuck, mentally, was in my early 20's. It was a time when I could not be told anything new, could not be convinced that my decisions were poor, and could not even SEE how ridiculous my thinking was, or how absolutely horribly I had chosen to live my life...

Have you ever told yourself a lie for so long that you actually start to believe it?  

Though one might think it's better when you realize how stupid you've been, recognizing when you're about to do - or are actually doing - something you're not supposed to do, how much better could it be if you actually KNOW you're doing something wrong yet STILL choose to do it anyway?!?

I guess that would make you a different kind of stuck...

Now that I think about it, it's probably even worse. Now it becomes an act of absolute will, a conscious refusal to defer to your better judgement or instinct, making you...rebellious!!!

Oh, no, God...am I a rebel?! See, this is a problem because I know for a FACT that I was super rebellious as a younger, entirely unsaved person. Though, there was not much structure or healthy discipline in our household, I still found ways to rebel. I had much 'tude and was quite outspoken. Questioning everything and everyone. And I (have the nerve to) wonder where my kids get it from...sigh...

However, once we've reached a certain age, AND have had a certain amount of exposure to Christ, being in a place of rebellion is EXTRA dangerous. Again, because we know better. But also, because "rebellious Christians" tend to require something super major and drastic to snap them out of their willful stupidity.

Personally, I have ZERO interest in drastic measures having to be taken in order to set me back on the right path. I'd rather check mySELF so that life doesn't have to...

********CHECK!!!!!!************

Until next time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

Avon Mega Effects Mascara in Black

Good afternoon, darlings!

I promised my sister-Avon Rep (Rose Powell - Avon) that I'd do a review on Avon's new Mega Effects Mascara. This was given to me for free in exchange for my HONEST review.

Truthfully, I've been dreading this assignment. The pictures of the brush alone gave me pause. I'm always down to try a new mascara, but THIS was not one I was willing to pay $10 to try.

Here are some pictures of the product:

The box:

The outside instructions Page 1: 

The outside instructions Page 2:

The package outside of the box:

 

The Handle:  

 The Brush:

EEEK!! See that brush!?!

In my mind, I was about to make myself blind and have mascara smothered all over my eyes...

Ok, I started by curling both my eyelashes, even though I only intended to wear the mascara on ONE eye to do a comparison. After bending the handle to my desired angle (bends both ways) and then applying my first coat, I'd already decided I hated it. It didn't GOOP all on my eye like I expected, but there didn't seem to be a possibility for me NOT to get some of it on my lid and under my eye. Plus, there didn't seem to be much of a difference made in the look of my lashes with one coat.

I let the first coat sit for a few seconds and then used a pointed Q-Tip to clean up around my eyes. I expected a smeary mess while cleaning up and was very PLEASANTLY surprised to find that was not the case at all. The mascara cleaned up about as easily and cleanly as wiping away drops of water. It's like Avon KNEW it'd get all over our eyes and formulated it specifically not to adhere to the skin! LOL!

Now it was time for my second coat. I brushed and brushed and brushed through my lashes to get the desired separation and the brush was doing what I wanted it to do without clumping - big plus (and surprise)! The difference in my lashes was more than noticeable now! For some reason, that is my normal experience with Avon mascaras. The first coat is always, ehh, but once that second coat goes on, fabulous!

Here are my lashes, curled, without any mascara:

Here are my lashes with two coats of Mega Effects (no other makeup or eyeliner was applied). I didn't clean up that little rim just above my lash line because that is where I would normally apply some eyeliner:

As I started to write this, when my eyelashes were super dry, I decided to see what a third coat of mascara would do...:

 Notice it's a little clumpy, but I believe that's due to the fact that my lashes were totally dry. I didn't want to keep raking the brush through the drier mascara at the risk of pulling out any lashes. Interestingly, there was absolutely NO mess to clean up after applying this third coat.  However, and this is crazy, when I put my glasses back on, my lashes were touching the lens! I had to wipe some mascara off of it and set my glasses a little farther away from my face so that my lashes wouldn't keep brushing up against them. As the lashes dried and settled into a curl, they no longer hit my glasses but were still significantly longer.

This is one of those mascaras that I can see being easier to use with time. No mascara on earth is fun to wear when it's super duper wet. After a few uses and the formula begins to dry, almost any mascara can become more user friendly.

What I don't like:

• You simply won't be able to apply this without having to clean up afterwards (may not be the case as the product gets drier)
• Doesn't necessarily provide a ton of volume

What I love:

•  Cleans up quickly
• Doesn't clump: not while you comb through to get your desired separation, and not even when you apply multiple coats (just don't let your lashes get too dry between coats)
• Applies evenly
• Provides significant lengthening
• Doesn't leave my lashes feeling super stiff or brittle
• Though I'd gotten product in my eyes during application, my eyes did not become irritated.

Final Thoughts:

While I expected a completely negative experience with this mascara, I am pleasantly surprised to say that there is more good to say about it than bad. Do I think it's worth the $10 price tag? Honestly, no. I believe Avon will have to put this baby on sale for perhaps half price if not for around $7 to justify my purchasing it again (which I would do). I think it would work fantastically paired with a waterproof mascara to extend the wear and/or to minimize "melting," particularly in the summer months.

Avon Mega Effects Mascara can be purchased online at: Avon Mega Effects for $10.

Until Next Time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

Immutable Ramblings: FREE SHIPPING AT MY AVON STORE 7/31 ONLY!

Immutable Ramblings: FREE SHIPPING AT MY AVON STORE 7/31 ONLY!:   TODAY ONLY 7/31 any customer who places an order at http://youravon.com/roseapowell of any size can receiv...

Jonathan McReynolds - No Gray (UNPLUGGED)

Rose A. Powell

Yes, I'm shamelessly plugging my sister's online Avon site. She's an awesome young lady who loves to help people find what they want or need! Please shop through her site!

Avon - Rose Powell

Avon is always having sale after sale after glorious sale! LOL! And the minimum purchases for free shipping are always reasonable, AND, are often lowered, too! If nothing else, you absolutely MUST try their eye liners, lip products and nail polish!

And check out this CUH-RAZY deal right here, which will allow you to try several products at once for a great price:

GORGEOUS TO GO: This seven-piece collection features two Anew skin care must-haves, two nail enamels, a Glimmersticks for Eyes, a Glazewear Sparkle Lip Gloss and a practical hanging makeup organizer, all for only $14.99 with each $10.00 brochure purchase. A $55.00 value!

You won't be able to see the deal online, but if you contact her directly, she can put in the order for you!

https://www.facebook.com/makinghermark

Happy shopping!!


Until next time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

Avon! Avon! Avon!

Hey! My sister is selling Avon! For those who don't know, I'm a bit of an Avon Addict and have tried a LOT of their products, most of which I can personally RAVE about! Please visit her site:

ROSE POWELL - AVON

There's a promo going on for free shipping with just a $10 purchase! Check out the outlet section and the awesome sales on makeup and hair care!

My personal picks/recommendations:

Cosmic Nail Polish $3.49!
Glazewear Lip Gloss $2.49!
Irresistibly Sexy Lip Gloss $1.99!
Eye Liners 2 for $6.99!
Glazewear VitaLuscious Lip Color $2.25!
Shine Attract Lip Gel $2.99!
Outlet Sale on Makeup! 
Nail Experts Smooth Beginnings Base Coat $6.50!
Outlet Sale!!!
ADVANCE TECHNIQUES 360 Nourish Moroccan Argan Oil Conditioner $2.99!
Moisture Effective Eye Makeup Remover Lotion $4.00!
GLIMMERSTICKS Chromes Eye Liner $0.99! THIS IS CRAYYYYZZZEEEEE BECAUSE THEY'RE TOO AWESOME!!!!

GO-GO-GO! LOL!

If you are thinking about buying something, and want to know if I've tried it, please let me know. I don't wear foundation and have never tried their pressed or loose powders or concealers (except for this one, and I didn't much like it because it didn't really cover or brighten on me; it kind of just disappeared into my skin: Avon Brightening Concealer). If you try nothing else, you absolutely MUST try their nail polishes, lipsticks, lip glosses, and eye liners!!! Plus, their shampoos and conditioners are great!!!

Until Next Time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Serum - A Random Review

I bought this serum approximately two months ago because I haven't been happy with the fullness of my eyebrows. I didn't care much about whether or not this worked on my lashes because that's what mascara is for, right?

I was never one to use eyebrow pencils and whatnot, but in the past few months, I have indeed jumped on that train and started filling in my brows. Some days, I've nailed it, others, not so much. It just feels ridiculous to me that I'm coloring in my brows when I was the girl who used to rock a bushy near-unibrow that I HATED...now I don't have enough brows to confidently go out in public without penciling them in? It just felt unnatural!

However, it felt even more unnatural for me to go out looking all sparse-browed and whatnot...so again, I was penciling them in. When I first started using the serum, I couldn't quite tell that anything was growing in, but I did feel like my eyebrow hairs were "fatter" if that makes any sense. While it didn't look like more hairs were growing, they still appeared fuller - and they were a lot stronger, too. I used to have eyebrow hairs falling out nearly every time I makeup-wiped my face. When I started using the serum, however, I rarely saw any fallout.

About three weeks ago, I stupidly combed my eyebrows up and then cut them with scissors because hey, that's what you're supposed to do to keep your eyebrows looking nice and neat! BIG mistake. It appears that some of my longer hairs were covering up a bald spot on my left eyebrow and I felt sick with regret. I'd been using the serum off and on for a few weeks before this, but, having a very noticeable bald spot now, I'd made it a point to use the serum every single night before bed. This morning, I realized that the spot is almost completely covered back up! I was so satisfied with how my eyebrows looked that I left the house without putting ANYTHING on them! 

To be fair, I have been able to do this a few times before the brow-cutting mistake, but only if I've been CONSISTENT about applying the serum for at least a week before doing so. As for the effect it's had on my lashes, I can only say this: I don't think they're any longer or thicker, however, they are more manageable in that they respond extra fabulously to my good mascaras: Avon Super Shock (LONG TIME FAVORITE!!) and Revlon Lash Potion (works GREAT but is a little irritating to my eyes, so I've had to apply eye drops more often:().

The packaging says you can use it under your mascara and wear it on your brows during the day, too, but I tried that and I don't recommend it. It flakes up and sometimes looks like you've got dried up snot on your brows/lashes, so I'd only do that if you were going to be home all day, not to be looked at by anyone!

I don't usually do reviews, but I know that the eyebrow thing is a big deal these days and I thought it might be helpful for people to know that there is something out there that just might work. Depending on where you get it, it can run you between $8 to $10.

Until next time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

The Coconut Oil Experiment

So, I have a huge jar of Coconut Oil that lives under my bathroom sink. I like to scoop out a few tablespoons to be put into a smaller container for easy access when needed.

If you want to know a little about the benefits of coconut oil, start here:

Coconut Oil Skin Benefits

I personally like to use it on my face to heal occasional dry patches and/or the occasional acne breakout. It's quite effective!!!

I decided to do a little experiment today by using nothing but coconut oil under my arms in place of my deodorant. The theory is that the lauric acid in it fights bacteria, which can cause odor. The idea came to life the other night after shaving. I exfoliated my freshly shaved underarms with Qtica's Lime Zest Sugar Scrub and got the urge to put coconut oil on them after drying them thoroughly. Let me tell you, my armpits never looked or felt better!!!!

The experiment: I applied the coconut oil at around 5:45 a.m. while getting ready for work. I scooped it out of my smaller container with cotton swabs and then spread it around with my fingers. I went to work and checked my underarms around 10 a.m.: they were still completely odorless. After a full day at work and my commute home (three trains a couple of blocks of walking and a short drive to/from the lot by my house), I checked them again (6:45 p.m.). This makes no sense, but my right underarm was STILL COMPLETELY ODORLESS!!!, however, my left one had just started to get a bit stinky. I wonder why that was...perhaps I inadvertently put more of the oil under my right arm than I did on my left; or maybe I'm just naturally more stinky on the left side of my body! Ha!

The oil didn't stain my clothing by the way. I think I'll do it again tomorrow, this time with a bit more oil under both arms. If I decide to stick to this, I may even decide to bring a little of it with me every day in case I need some extra product to take me through an extra long or extra sweaty day...

This was pretty brave of me if I do say so myself. I mean, it's hot and humid as a mug outside and I'm a bigger girl prone to sweating easily in this kind of weather. The real issue, however, is that my arms are practically never raised, and I keep a jacket on in my office all day because it's cold. Even when I'm cold, my underarms are still prone to sweating a little bit because I pretty much never let them breathe!

Now, I've heard the rumors about how terrible the aluminum in deodorant can be for you, - I've done ZERO research - but, I kind of adore the idea of smelling naturally clean without too much help from deodorant. And recently, I've really hated putting deodorant on after my nightly shower just before bed.  Sometimes I like to stretch my arm out under my head and I really hate when the deodorant gets on my sheets/blankets when wearing sleeveless shirts.

Hey, my deodorant is 110 percent effective; there's no doubt about that, but I wonder if continuing with coconut oil will have lasting underarm skin benefits. Time will tell!!

Now if I could only get the FULL benefit of coconut oil by actually cooking with it and/or finding ways to actually EAT IT....

Here's some more info on the health benefits and MANY uses for coconut oil:

Health and Other Benefits of Coconut Oil

Until next time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

Inspired

I feel inspired to write because my husband just got around to reading The Blessed Throw Up and he said he thought it was funny. It made me happy inside:).

This morning didn't start out so well for me. It appears I had much more fun this weekend than I thought, because I forgot the password to my work computer. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong, so I decided to use the "new feature" we just got to obtain self-help on our password resets. This made me happy because the old way of resetting your password required a call to the help desk to get a ticket put in so that an admin can send an email to your SUPERVISOR with your temporary password to then be given to you by said supervisor. So I go about getting the automated process started, and the reset screen takes 300 seconds to load. Finally, I put in my user id and the system tells me my user id does not qualify for self help so I need to use another one or call my system admin...

Sigh...

I called the system admin and asked him why the automated system didn't work. His only answer was, "Sometimes you still have to call us because it doesn't work." Mmmk....as an added bonus, neither of my supervisors were in yet, so I let the super-loud admin person know that. He happily stated that my request would be marked urgent and sent to my local admin person to be completed faster "so you can be happy." Ok...

An HOUR later, I still  haven't received any help. Tired of twiddling my thumbs and playing with my phone, I call them back and let them know I'm still locked out. This different admin says he can send an email to one of my colleagues - great! Why didn't the other guy suggest this???!! I asked one of my office besties if I could use her email and she said yes. Not 10 seconds later she gets the email and is printing it out for me. Interestingly, five minutes later, I got a call from the "local" admin telling me that "all I have to do to get a new password..." (his words being translated here...) is basically leave the lazy comfort of my office chair, go to the sixth floor of my building and pick one up. :/ Thank GOD I was already helped because I was ready to do all kinds of complaining. I told him his assistance was no longer needed, but thanks.

I allowed this silly situation to annoy me so when my hubby called me from my fave breakfast place near our office to ask what I wanted, he could tell I wasn't feeling too great. However,  In the time it took him to order our breakfasts and walk down the street to our office, I had already watched this: BET Awards Performance: Tribute to Charlie Wilson, was on my second listen while working and grooving in my seat, smiling! 

Music really is a sort of magic...

Needless to say, I've been feeling pretty good all day. I've watched the above performance like 10 times, plus I listened to a bunch of non-offensive Charlie Wilson songs on YouTube all day.

How was YOUR day?

Until next time, 

XOXOXO - Jessika

(Nail Polish) Test and (Zimmerman) Trial

As I suspected, my little "test" of similarly colored nail polish didn't last past the day of my last post. I'd received a box from drugstore.com that contained three new CG Outlast Nail Glosses, one of which, Eternal Oceans, grabbed my immediate attention! That coupled with the fact that I didn't like the way my cuticles were looking, caused me to take the polishes off so that I could work on my cuticles and apply the new polish. Eternal Oceans...oh my...is a super duper gorgeous "blurple" that would qualify as my favorite "indigo" nail polish, were I to do a Colors of the Rainbow tag featuring all nail polishes! On my ring fingers, I added a couple of layers of Milani's One Coat Glitter polish in Twinkle, which features blue and purple glitters - LOVE!

I've been watching live video feed of the Zimmerman trial. I've already got an opinion on what happened and what I think should happen as a result. This case has made me appreciate those crime shows where they have two people tell their sides of the story and a case plays out but at the end they show things exactly as they really happened for the viewers' sake. I'm thinking of one show in particular but I can't recall the name of it...if you know it, TELL ME NOW!!! :)

I think Zimmerman should have kept his nosy behind in his car and kept it moving. I think he pursued Martin, Martin asked him why he was following him, Zimmerman asked what he was doing around there, and that egos flared up fast - though I think that Martin had already felt threatened because he was being followed - and that when they fought, Zimmerman got his behind handed to him and started to panic, therefore, what he couldn't do with his fists, he did with a gun.

At the VERY least, this wannabe cop should serve time for manslaughter. He should have ended his actions that night with the phone call to "report a suspicious person," AKA, "report a young man walking while black after dark," and then gone home. He went against all instructions NOT TO PURSUE and pursued anyway. His ego got in the way of his common sense, and now he's on trial...

He should be made to pay for what he did, if for no other reason than to humble him and make him think twice about his never-to-be-fulfilled-aspirations of becoming a law enforcement officer. GOD FORBID he should get off after all of this. It may make him even worse...

Until next time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

Sinful Colors Dream On Vs. Zoya Charisma

Hi, again. So, I made a short video talking about my last post and showing how my nails are looking today, three days after painting Dream On on my left hand and Charisma on my right.

Here's the video:





Here's a picture with flash in low lighting just for the sake of comparison:

I will say that Charisma is a teeny bit darker than Dream On, but again, if you already have one, you don't NEEEEED the other one. I personally prefer the formula and brush of Dream On.

As I mentioned in the video, on day ONE, I had to touch up the side of my middle finger due to a chip I got not even 90 minutes after I painted my nails. Yesterday, I had to retouch my thumb nail as well because of a large chip. Sigh. I know that my doing this doesn't make it an official "wear test," but I simply cannot stand to be seen with chipped nails. If I could hang out at home all day every day for seven days, then maybe, but not if I have to spend any time outside.

As I finish up this post, I'm already itching to change my nail color. These past few weeks I've been really good about limiting my manicures to once per week, but I'm not liking how the color is looking so uneven around my cuticle area...besides, I mean, I really just wanted to show you guys how similar the colors were...I mean...I didn't really mean to post an official wear test on my blog....well....I only said I "might..." sigh...I'm sounding like such a flake right now.

OH, BTW, yesterday I posted the first video I've done in NINE MONTHS because a lady wrote me on Youtube asking me to do the Colors of the Rainbow Tag, so I did:). Here it is if you're interested:

Until next time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

Sinful Colors - Dream On

I was at Wal-Mart yesterday and saw this amazingly gorgeous purple color that I just HAD to have. Before I put it in my cart, however, I decided to check my spreadsheet of nail polishes (via Google Drive on my phone) and found that I already owned it!

Friday nights, I take my polish off, work on my cuticles and then do a nail treatment that includes a nail growth serum, various nail oils, creams and the like. I let my oils sink into my nails overnight and then wash my hands and paint them the next day. I've been alternating between blues and greens for weeks, however, I absolutely HAD to put this polish on my nails after seeing it again at Wal-Mart!

FYI: This color is a very nearly, practically dead-on dupe for Zoya's Charisma. It's so dead on that I literally have Dream On ($1.99) on my left hand and Charisma ($8.00) on my right. I plan to test them out to see what formula lasts better through the week. I may do another blog showing both hands to see the results.

This two coats of base coat, three coats of polish and two coats of top coat. (If you'd like to know what I use, please let me know!)

This picture does NOT do this polish justice! It's an absolute MUST HAVE!!!! I could see myself wearing this color all year around!!

Until next time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

Money in My Closet

So...

I've made a decision about my ridiculous collection of handbags. I'd already down-sized, quite significantly, a few months back (like maybe 30 to 40 of my faux-leather bags were given away, for FREE!), however, I wasn't as willing to give up the large number of my leather bags (though I did give away two).

As much as I'm all about giving, a LOT of money was spent on bags that were hardly if ever actually carried out of the house! I believe it would be more wise of me to instead put them up for sale and get at least SOME money back.

The hardest part, I'm sure, will be in deciding which bags have to go. Sigh. I've never sold anything online before either, so it's going to be interesting to see how it goes. Fortunately, the merchandise I'm trying to get rid of is in like-new if not brand new condition.

I think I will also post the bags I have for sale in my blog, too, just in case some mystery reader happens to stumble onto my blog and want to make a purchase. I'm almost more excited about that aspect than the Ebay route. Not sure why!

Anyway, please be on the lookout for my very first "blog sale!"

Pray for me, please!

Until next time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

Habit Rotation

I begin to watch another episode of Law & Order Special Victims Unit from season six (which is where I last stopped watching it on  Hulu Plus), a show I have not watched in at least two to three months, and I realize that I have a rotation of habits and it's getting on my nerves.

I go through these cycles of things I do almost obsessively and then just drop like a hot potato for days, weeks, months at a time...only to return to them eventually.

The cycle includes watching beauty YouTube videos, of which I'm super tired and can barely stand at the moment, Judge Judy episodes, the aforementioned Law & Order episodes, cell phone and Facebook games: Words of Wonder, Scramble with Friends, Words with Friends, Candy Crush Saga, Ruzzle, Hanging with Friends, just added Quiz Cross (which I super-suck at but haven't stopped playing yet), blah, blah, blah. I am never into all of these things/games at the same time, but when I'm into them, I'm REALLY into them and it's annoying.

I know the end is near - it's got to be - for all this nonsense and distraction, because I recently committed to DAILY bible-reading, which I'd been slacking on for a very, VERY long time. I find that when I do it in the morning, I'm less stressed at work. This is important because work is my one and only cause of health-affecting stress; I've allowed things that happen there to quite literally make me physically and emotionally sick, and that's not cool.

I'm currently in Hebrews and what I love about this and the previous nine books is that they constantly remind me of how I am to behave, and of the rewards that come from living and doing the will of God.

I also find that I'm able to read the bible for longer periods of time if I read the NIV version; King James and New King James put me to sleep within three minutes. I should have realized this sooner because the last time in my life where I was super-addicted to bible reading and really loving the Word, I was reading the NIV version...until someone stole my NIV Study bible from my car in a Wal-mart parking lot. I still refer back to King James when I'm not sure about the translation of the NIV text; it can sometimes sound unbelievable to me so I need to go back and make sure. It's been checking out so far:).

I long for the day when writing, worshiping God and bible-reading are my ONLY habits/addictions. It's coming...I know it is.

Until next time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

The Blessed Throw-Up

Nice title, no?

Two nights ago, I ate a very healthy dinner (mixed green salad, tomatoes, 1/2 an avocado and two tiny, thin pieces of fish) and a less-than-healthy desert (slice of lemon pound cake and a glass of lactose free milk). I went upstairs a few minutes later, took a shower, then came back downstairs to watch TV with my family. I decided to get some water in me while I sat, so I'd say I drank about 32 ounces of water in about an hour and 20 minutes time. The water tasted funny...but I drank it anyway.

When I went to bed, my stomach felt a little weird but I didn't think much of it. An hour after that, I got up feeling pretty sickly. I felt like I had to throw up but I just KNEW that it wouldn't happen because God and I have an agreement about that sort of thing. I often feel nauseous but I rarely throw up...and when I say rarely I mean it's been at LEAST 10 years since the last time I did so. Maybe more like 15 years...and I never threw up during pregnancy either.

God knows I hate it, can't stand it, would rather sit and have hot lava come out of my butt for an hour than have to throw up out of my mouth for 10 seconds. So, as I paced around in my bathroom, rubbing my belly in a downward motion so as to redirect the storm I was feeling inside of me to my bowels, I felt pretty confident that I'd need to expel soon, and it would NOT be out of my mouth. No way, no how, no sir, NEVER! And then...

My saliva started getting thick, mucus-like, and I got a little nervous but not really worried, you see. Like I inferred earlier, vomit and I are not friends. We're very much estranged and we like to keep it that way...yet my usually dependable bowels didn't seem to want to cooperate in the receipt of the storm I was so desperately trying to redirect to them...

Finally, I resorted to thinking happier, less vomitous thoughts, like thoughts of an empty stomach, a day without having eaten a thing, feeling bouncy and energetic and happy and - wait, why am I on my knees? I swear I was skipping along on the grass on a sunny but breezy spring day when all of a sudden I found myself bent over the toilet. And then it happened....

My body betrayed me in a most violent way. My stomach contents were expelled through my mouth not once, not twice, but FOUR TIMES. I don't recall the last time I felt so...violated. But more than that, and I can't believe I'm about to say this, I felt relieved. I found myself thanking God that the pain and discomfort and sickly feeling were greatly diminished as a result of my having expelled in that way...

Seeing as how God and I have this agreement and all, I could only justify His allowing this to happen because I'd obviously drunk or eaten something that was terribly poisonous and He wanted it out of me as quickly as possible. So, I forgave God for disregarding our agreement and allowing me to throw up:).

I was able to return to bed after brushing the heck out of my teeth and tongue and gargling mouthwash, feeling better, however, I could not lie all the way down. I had to kind of keep myself propped up because I still felt the tiniest bit unsettled. My lovely husband chopped up some ice for me and put it in a baggie for me to relieve my terribly abused throat.

I didn't get to sleep that night and at one point, after my husband had fallen asleep, I found myself feeling really hot and needing more ice. So, I crept downstairs, took a dose of Pepto Bismol, put a fan on blast and sat on the couch for the rest of the night into the morning. I still didn't feel well when my husband came downstairs on his way out to the gym. He gave me more ice and another dose of PB with the promise of returning with ginger ale.

After he left, I took my powerful fan upstairs and was able to fall asleep slightly propped up in bed. Two hours later, I was awaken by my beautiful husband who had a ton of ginger ale, a breakfast sandwich and a little cup of fruit for me to enjoy. I ate about 75 percent of the sandwich, a couple of bites of fruit and about half of the ginger ale when I decided to get up and look at myself in the mirror...BIG mistake. I looked like I'd been slapped 100 times on each side of my face! The exertion behind the vomiting really took a toll on my face. It was pretty scary. It's the slightest bit better today, but needless to say, I packed on the powder this morning in an effort to cover it up. FYI, Physician's Formula Super BB All-in-1 Beauty Balm Powder over my regular BB cream did the job quite nicely!!! (I don't own and I refuse to wear liquid foundation.)

As the day progressed, I felt better and better. I realized I felt 100 percent better around 4:00 p.m., while sitting in the living room watching a Barbie movie, the Princess and the Pauper, that my 13-yes, 13-year-old daughter suggested we watch. I actually really liked it!

This experience has reminded me, once again, of how absolutely blessed I am. My husband is the absolute most loving and perfect caretaker and my kiddies gave me extra love yesterday, too.

Thank you God, for allowing me to be sick so that I could remember just how beautifully blessed I am...

Until next time,

XOXOXO - Jessika

So...

I'm really slackin' on this writing thing, huh? I wish I could say I had good reasons, but, I don't.

I've been feeling a bit down these past few days (weeks maybe) and there's no explaining it, other than my spirit may be under attack; who knows?

I have reached a record of sorts as it pertains to nail polish wear today. I've gone without changing my nail color for seven whole days! It will be eight, actually, if I don't change it tonight, which is what I plan to do. I can honestly say this hasn't happened in months and months, if not for over a year. I've been wearing Julep's Annie on all of my fingers and a coat of Zoya's Snowsicle on top of my ring fingers since last Wednesday. On Saturday, I added another layer of Seche Vite to restore shine because the polish started looking a little dull.

The below terribly blurry and faded pictures won't help you at all if you're trying to get a true idea of what this polish really looks like; needless to say it's way better looking in person. It's a bit deeper and much more gorgeous than my cruddy camera phone will photograph it...
I would, however, like to show you how well the polish has hung onto my nails!!!

Here's my left hand:

Here's my right hand:

I can't even say that the reason I haven't changed my color is because I LOVE this color so much - though I do:). The truth is that I didn't really FEEL like going through the process of changing it.

I used two coats of the polish on top of a single coat of my Julep Nail Therapy and a single coat of Seche Vite (before I refreshed it three days later) as a top coat. I'm impressed with the formula of this polish, too. It's THE perfect cream. I rarely write reviews on Julep's website for colors, but I did for this one. Here it is:

I pulled this out of my collection last night and was thoroughly impressed. The formula is perfection; it's everything we love and expect in a creme polish: very easy to control, super smooth and opaque with ONE coat - though I opted for two to ensure longer wear. I know it came out in Trina Turk's Fall '12 collection, however, when I look at my nails, it makes me feel like I shouldn't be here in the office, but instead vacationing on a beach on a tropical island sipping on something fruity (and non-alcoholic of course!) with an umbrella sticking out of it. LOVE IT!!!

That's all I've got for now...

Until next time,

xoxoxo - J

Pulled this out of my collection last night and was thoroughly impressed. The formula is perfection; it's everything we love and expect in a creme polish: very easy to control, super smooth and opaque with ONE coat - thought I opted for two to ensure longer wear. I know it came out in "TT's" Fall '12 collection, however, when I look at my nails, it makes me feel like I shouldn't be here in the office, but instead vacationing on a beach on a tropical island sipping on something fruity (and non-alcoholic of course!) with an umbrella sticking out of it. LOVE IT!!!

Jessika Mrsmorphosis5 days ago

Pulled this out of my collection last night and was thoroughly impressed. The formula is perfection; it's everything we love and expect in a creme polish: very easy to control, super smooth and opaque with ONE coat - thought I opted for two to ensure longer wear. I know it came out in "TT's" Fall '12 collection, however, when I look at my nails, it makes me feel like I shouldn't be here in the office, but instead vacationing on a beach on a tropical island sipping on something fruity (and non-alcoholic of course!) with an umbrella sticking out of it. LOVE IT!!!