pretty-happy-funny-real | Revolution of Love

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I’ve been away from the blog all week. It has been crazy busy with Christmas and family things so I haven’t had time to post. I’m catching up a little today by posting a {pretty, happy, funny, real} and 7 Quick Takes Mash-Up. I only have half an hour, so I’ll set the timer…and start.

I just made a post entitled Ways to Help the Victims of Sandy Hook & Newton. There’s info on the Snowflakes for Sandy Hook, #26 Acts of Kindness and the letter from the sister of Fr. Luke Suarez, who is a priest at St. Rose of Lima parish, a Catholic church just down the road from Sandy Hook Elementary. Ten of the children killed were their parishioners. (Fr. Luke is the younger priest in the above photo.)

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I’m still shaken up by the Sandy Hook tragedy. The other day my mom called and when she started talking about it I couldn’t speak. The tears wouldn’t stop. I keep holding onto that feeling every time I start to complain about something. I just think of those grieving moms. They would give anything to have my “problems” as their only worry. Consequently, I’ve just been wanting to spend time with my kids and embrace our family life. Since I love snapping photos, Beth Anne’s #adventphotoaday has been a welcomed distraction to the news. Here are my favorite photos of the week.

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{pretty}

#adventphotoaday Day 15 – Something rose or pink. I saw this small pink rose on an almost bare bush at a local church.

#adventphotoaday Day 16 -Candle. From the Mission’s Blessed Sacrament Chapel.

#adventphotoaday Day 18 – Heart. This is my favorite icon in our home, the Sacred Heart/ Divine Mercy. We bought this on our honeymoon when we visited the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Redwood City. (It was New Year’s Eve of 1999. Everyone thought the world would end with Y2K. We figured if we were going to die, this was the place to be.) Now look, we survived Y2K and 12/21/12. God still has work for us to do. 😉

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{happy}

On Wednesday we had two Christmas performances scheduled. Here are my three performers.

A class of 3 year olds singing is both sheer cuteness and unintentional comedy. I love this shot of John-Paul afterwards.

Andrew was my little angel. So precious.

My sweet Bella sang with her class and I am still astonished that she is growing up so quickly! Wasn’t it just a short time ago I was cradling her in my arms??

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{funny}

I found Trader Joe’s at the end of the rainbow.

#adventphotoaday Day 20: Free Day. Matthew was dreaming of a White Christmas so he used the flour to make one. Ugh.

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{real}

#adventphotoaday Day 17 – Christmas tree. When I go to look for a tree I usually drive Brian crazy as I look for the “perfect” one. This year I rolled the dice and bought a tree that was wrapped up and didn’t open it until I got home. I got lucky. It was perfect.

#adventphotoaday Day 21- Christmas tradition/ decorations. Every year we add a new ornament to our tree. Here’s a few of my faves – 1. House – for the year we moved out of an apartment and into a real house. 2- Our 1st visit to Disneyland as parents with our own kids. 3 – Baby angel for the two babies we lost in miscarriage. 4 – A little stocking for the year I was surprisingly pregnant with Matthew.

For 2012, I added a set instead of one ornament. To represent this year of really embracing motherhood & homemaking, I have four knit animals to represent my four kids. (Thanks to Target, natch). There’s an owl for Bella, my oldest girl. An owl for Andrew, my oldest boy who is so fond of Bella. A bear for my John-Paul who can be cute & cuddly bear but also a grizzly when he’s mad. Lastly, a fox for my mischievous Matthew who can cause trouble but then give a cute smile and win you over.

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Okay, time is up and I’m 5 minutes over. Have a wonderful weekend and last few days before Christmas!

Hosted by Like Mother, Like Daughter

I have been enjoying watching fellow bloggers link up with Fine Linen and Purple’s What I Wore Sunday. They have embraced their femininity (the skirt/dress wearing puts me to shame) without sacrificing their cuteness and individuality. Then yesterday I read Dwija’s post Why I Stopped Not Caring and Started Wearing Concealer. Both struck a chord with me because I have had many of the same thoughts. (Even though I still haven’t bought any much needed concealer or started wearing skirts…yet.) What I have done, however, is get a rein on my crazy hair.
The other day a friend was complimenting my hair. She didn’t believe me when I told her that before I discovered hair product, I had an unwanted fro. (I have the 8th grade photos to prove it but you’ll never see those here!) She wanted to know what I used, which made me think that there might be other fellow curly haired gals that want to know. So this week’s {pretty, happy, funny, real} is the Dry, Frizzy Hair Edition.

{funny}

About a year ago I was complaining to my sister that I hated my Christmas tree hair do. “Huh?” you say. You know, pointed on top and then it flairs out like a triangle. I felt like Gilda Radner and that character she played on SNL.

{real}

My sis BC told me I had to get a real haircut and stop just chopping off the bottom of my hair with dull scissors twice a year. With a heavy sigh, I searched for a hairdresser that knew how to handle curly hair. God answered my pleas and sent sweet Joyce into my life. She gave me a good cut with long layers and new hair products that took me from this….

(The bright flash highlights the dried mess. My hair is actually much darker.)

{pretty}

TO THIS…

(Don’t you love photos that make you look 10 years younger than you look in real life? 😉

Although I am more likely to wear my hair pulled up, I like that I can wear it down without being embarrassed!

{happy}

Even with a good cut, I must wear product. Every curly head is different but these are the ones that make my hair the happiest.

Infusium 23 Repair & Renew Leave In Treatment

This stuff has been in our thick haired family for years. I use it for day to day leave-in conditioning.
On extra special days I’ll use a pricier leave-in treatment that replenishes my hair. It is a thicker oil so a little goes a long way and it smells nice.

Sexy Hair Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Renewal Styling Treatment

Which ever treatment I use, I also have to use this…

TIGI Catwalk Curl Collection Curlesque Curls Rock Amplifier

This works well for me because it is not so stiff that I have rock sold hair but it is strong enough to give me hold for a day or two. I just make sure to NEVER brush out my hair (refer to the {real} photo). I only use my fingers.

(If you have super long hair and need to brush after a shower, get a wide toothed nylon bristle brush like this. Comb it once when you get out of the shower, put on product with your fingers and don’t comb again.

You can air dry but I find blow drying with a diffuser on medium heat gives me the best results if I plan to wear my hair down. When your hair starts getting frizzy, or if you’ve slept on it, you should be able to just wet your hand a little and gently run it through your hair or add just a touch more of your hair product.

Well, that is what worked for me. If you have other products that have worked well for you, please share them!

Have a great day!

Revolution of Love

Do small things with great love.

Tag Archives: pretty-happy-funny-real

Saturday Evening 7 Quick Takes (12/22/12) & {pretty, happy, funny, real} Mash-Up

{pretty, happy, funny, real} – vol 54

{pretty, happy, funny, real} – vol 52: The Dry, Frizzy Hair Edition