brushes and color

I've never been a make up kind of girl.  Eye liner and mascara is enough for me.  I use eye shadow, powder and blush on special occasions. Maybe twice a year  :/ 

I know that make up can do wonders but I also know it's a lot of work and it takes time. I am 13 years older than my sister and I saw her outgrown me on the makeup issue.   I was fine with that.

She is the pretty one I am the crafty one! 

 I love seeing girls on TV with flawless faces perfectly colored.  

Last week I felt sort of, kind of, kind of...very very stupid! I found myself watching youtube videos on how to apply eye shadow.  I was feeling like "Claudia you should have done this 25 years ago"

I knew there was a bunch of special brushes but never knew their specific purpose. I've always used that little applicator that comes with the eye shadow kit. Online I found an eye brush glossary which I found had too much info for a first timer, but with it and the youtube tutorial I was able to find out the basic brushes, get some ideas and inspiration for the beginner that I am. 

I went out and spend 10 whole dollars on a few brushes and a new glittery eye shadow (please read the sarcasm between the lines on that last sentence).  Sophia and I tried them.  I was surprised that she has more make up than I do from past Christmases gifts.  She is not that much into make up either. She told me I can play with her eye shadows whenever I want to. I am excited!  thank you daughter!

On my 45 by 45 list I have this item to fulfill which is to try out liquid eyeliner, oh well ... I've always been a late bloomer. For now the tickle of doubt about eye shadow and eye brushes is gone now nothing left but practice practice!!  

I hope your week started off with the right foot today!

Tweet

to me

This is how 44 looks to me!

Happy Birthday to me!  Hip Hip Hurray! 

Tweet

lately...again

You've probably wondered where have I been right?  I kid I kid, who cares what I do?  it seems that all I can squeeze lately are 'lately posts' but you should now that I am not the owner of my own time just yet..on with the post:

Baseball season just started and Xavi is a hitter.  This is actually the first time he plays on a team but he is a natural.  I am his mom and of course I have to say things like this right?  It's kinda hard to squeeze practice and games after school but it is worth it.  The hardest is getting out of the house but then fresh air is always nice. We get out of the evening routine for a change.   School is out next week so it will be much easier.

We've been getting rain three weekends in a row, mostly light but it's good.  California land of the eternal drought :/  We're asked to conserve water...pretty soon we will be fined if we have green lawns.  Well you know California is right next to the Ocean so you can't help but wonder why they have not built desalination plants or damns to keep the water from the rain going into the ocean.  But then again I am not a politician and I guess it's all about money right??

Baby girl is 3 months, she is not that fragile anymore.  She had her ears pierced a couple of weeks ago. She cried but I think dad was more upset than her...men don't really understand that beauty hurts.  She is sleeping in long stretches now yay!  She only wakes up one time at night be it 3 or 4 in the morning that is progress wouldn't you say?!  I finally see the light *sight...  Emma likes the outings as well while Xavi is practicing. She enjoys looking at people, trees, birds and stroller rides.  She is a talker, lots of smiles gurgles and coos. She is a happy baby.

I am finally starting to feel like myself again.  My sister gave me a haircut I told her cut it short because if it's long enough so that I can pull it back with a hair band I will and that is the only way I will wear it for sure. Now I get to spring my curls again! I know that soon I will start to shed all the hair that was in resting phase during pregnancy.

I never told you this but I lost all the baby weight (which wasn't much anyways) very quickly.  I was back to my pre pregnancy weight by my six week postpartum appointment.  What worried me is that I kept on losing weight. Emma really used all my fat deposits with all this pumping and breastfeeding.  No more love handles ah!! I tried so hard to get rid of them in the past without success. I haven't weight this since I was in High School, but it is a healthy weight for my height and BMI.  I kinda feel weird because from the heaviest at my pregnancy and now there is a 36 lbs difference!  That is a lot for a tiny gal like me.  I feel I can use a couple of extra pounds but I really want them to go on my behind and thighs and not on my waist :(  I also could benefit from building some muscle and toning my skin because its feels loose.  I know too much information here.  Anyways I feel like my body is a blank canvas right now if you know what I mean.  I can do a lot of work with it!!

Something else on my mind was the diabetes.  I worry too much but sometimes it's a good thing right? Prevention is the key word I believe.  This is something I have to have in mind for the rest of my life. To be honest now I see God's reasoning in sending me a baby when he wanted and not when I wanted  one.  His way of saying Claudia stop and rethink your lifestyle, your food choices and your health in general.   He is telling me to take the right steps to live a healthier lifestyle.  I get it now I have to really I mean REALLY take care of my health. Not to live forever but to raise my kids, see them grow and be healthy for them.

Sophia just told me that her friends from the school in San Diego and her friends from school here have told her that I look tuff  I had to go online and make sure I had the right spelling.  Sophia comes up to me with the urban word of the day!   Looking at the picture I took with Emma I do look 'tuff' don't I?  I just love the way Emma is looking at the timer's red blinking light :)  Excuse the little lady in her pjs and hair undone jaja!!

Hope you have a very nice and relaxed weekend!

Tweet

Latest update

Hello my friends, oh how I've missed you honestly!  

I hope this year 2015 started in a good positive, healthy and happy way for all of you!  

I know there was a wedding yay! you two love birds you know who you are!!

pet losses :(  those hurt a lot I know

and for my family personally a new baby on the way yay again! 

this is really the home stretch I have 24 more days to go March 3rd is my due date.

Here's the latest update on my baby bump. Last month I insisted to do the glucose test again.  Better knowing that not knowing right? better safe than sorry.  So I did it and I failed, gestational diabetes was finally diagnosed I won't deny that I was pretty upset and worried.  I met with a dietitian and she helped me a lot.  Besides the restrictions I had back in November like getting rid of all the sugars now I am on a stricter food regimen.  I have to eat every two to three hours. Three meals and 3 snacks a day religiously.  Walk after every meal. I also have to prick my fingers 4 times a day and test my glucose.  The first one fasting and the others ones 1 hour after every meal.  It was very overwhelming at first because I have to consume a specific number of calories and watch my total daily servings of milk, vegetables, fruits, starches, meat  (or protein foods) and fats luckily I was given a chart to make it easier. Talking about overwhelming! I still feel like I am hungry all the time but I've learned to fill in with veggies in between meals and snacks.  I mean you learn about the food pyramid right??  but that's about it. But when your health is at risk you have to take it seriously.  I had gained a total of 19 lbs and since the restrictions I lost 5 lbs.  My doctor is ok with that because obviously they don't want baby girl to get too big.  She is doing fine and I am too.  I just look like a swallowed a volleyball. I have been able to control my glucose levels which is the ultimate goal. 

My doctor is watching me like a hawk.  I now see him once a week and I have a fetal non stress tests twice a week.  A non stress test is a simple procedure to evaluate the baby's condition, she is being monitored while she is resting and then while she is moving they also check the amniotic fluid.  I practically am at the hospital every day but I don't mind at all I feel taken care of.

Baby can come anytime now, next Tuesday when I am 37 weeks she is considered full term and that's basically what we want.  I don't mind the wait at all I want her to cook well.  I do miss sleeping on my back and my stomach, its hard to get in and out of bed and harder to hop on and off my truck and of course I miss food. I know that after this experience I have to watch my diet because I am at a higher risk of developing diabetes later in life...I can't deny that my anxiety level is growing ha bringing a baby into this world is not an easy thing to do.  But I've done it twice I can do it again right?

Besides that I have been so busy taking other classes:

-Breastfeeding classes to see if I can be successful this time around, 

-Baby Care Basics because it's been a long time since I've taken care of a baby.

-Infant CPR because it's been a long time since I've taken a CPR class.

-Female sterilization class (its a requisite to take the class in order to sign the papers to have the procedure done)  because really this is the last baby I am having!

This morning while Javier and I were checking out garage sales I tried to jump over a small box I lost my balance and fell on my knee.  Of course everybody ran to my rescue.  They all worried but luckily I didn't fall on my belly it was only my knee.  It was soooo embarrassing.  I never had that happened before with my other pregnancies with Sophia I gained 25 lbs. and with Xavi I gained a whopping 30 lbs. so it is hard to balance the weight at times.  Like I mention before my weight gain with this one is only 14 lbs. I think my ego was bruised and not my knee.  I did give up my morning bike rides around 7 months preggo due to my mom insisting me not to do it anymore.

Something else to share with you guys is my baby shower.  My mother in law threw one for me on January 31st it was fun and full of family and friends and of course good food darn it :/  I've missed out on Birthday cakes and Holiday eating but I know at the end when I have my baby girl in my arms it will all be worth it.

Following are some pictures I want to share with you:

Back in September Xavi's Birthday.  I did taste that cake though :)

  Pregnancy bliss!

Christmas Photos

Trip to Idyllwild back in December

Pretty things!

 Sophia receiving two awards at her school one for citizenship and the other Honor roll for her GPA!  Go Sophie!  She makes me proud!  She does indeed.

 Here is the first cake that I missed my brother's 41 Birthday on January 12!

My brother and Sophie celebrating January Birthdays.
I cannot find Sophies Birthday pics she turned 13 on January 22 She is officially a teenager yikes!

January 26

All of the following are from the Baby Shower last week:

I love how my hair has grown remember how short was last March?

Hopefully next time I will get to share with you our newest family member.
I really hope you are all doing fine I want nothing but blessings
and the best for you guys this year and always!

Love,

Claudia

Tweet

makeover

It was April of last year when my sister gave me a bob cut and applied a relaxer to relax my curls to make it easier for me to maintain the cut and keep it straight with the flat iron.  Oh how I love straight hair.  I think I was born to have it  but something went wrong... I inherited my dad's curls.

You see I have a love-hate relationship with my curls.  I hate angering the beast...by beast I mean my hair ;)  Sometimes curls go wild and just do whatever they want to do, I don't like hair on my face.  I don't like puffy or frizzy hair who does anyway??  well some people do but that's another story. At times hair products be it mousse, creams or conditioners leave a wet sticky look or too flat which I also hate.
Last week I was ready for a change.  I was missing the convenience of wash and go hair.

So yeah I told her go ahead cut it...
I came across NaturallyCurly a wonderful website where you can find everything about curls.  Lots of tips and info about fighting frizz, natural hair recipes, conditioning and much more.  Did you know there are different hair types? I didn't...from wavy to curly to coily and then there is wavy swavy, curly twirly and coily springly ha ha
and more in between!!

I've started using an old t-shirt to dry my hair. I've learned that towels can scrub hair and damage it. The t- shirt fabric preserves the natural curl pattern.   Instead of my regular hair mousse I've started to apply a leave in nourishing coconut milk conditioner and argan oil of morocco

these two are weightless and leave my curls soft to the touch.
If you suffer from curls you probably know what I am talking about
I highly recommend NaturallyCurly.  I keep going back often to get more pointers. 

With such short hair unless I shave it or wear hair extensions I cannot do much to it but bring the beast back!  but this time I am confident that I will tame it!

 I consider this my makeover on my 45 by 45 list
For now the beast it's calm I can't wait to see it grow again!! 

...to be honest I was missing my curls and I am glad they are back.

Tweet

mother-son date

...well sort of, we didn't dress up or anything, but I did plan it and took my camera.

Xavi has a doctors appointment early Monday morning, 

so I picked him up from school and did not return him.

We saw the doctor because I had a few questions and concerns, he assured me everything was normal.  This is not the first time that a doctor sends me home with the words
"Don't worry momma you are doing good".

Anyways, after the appointment I asked Xavi if he wanted to go on a date with me.  

He was over the moon with the idea.  

He remember the times when he was not in school and we dropped off Sophia and go thrift shopping.

We had fun, we went to a couple of crafts stores.  

Stopped for a burger and shake at Jack in The Box.  Then went shop thrifting where he bought a deck of cards for his magic tricks and bought a box to store his beyblades...which he did talk a lot about.

Of course he also talked about Talyn.

Something funny happened while we were sipping on our shakes, this lady I say she was in her 60s approached me and asked me if he was my son. I said yes, she said I looked young enough to be his sister.  I took that as a compliment although I know she was exaggerating a tad bit or a whole lot to be honest.  You must have had him young she asked, no not really I said I was 35.  Then it must be your skin she said.  Then she started taking about skin and makeup and hair color, her background and her exes, her children and stepchildren, her poetry classes she is taking  in college.  It was funny because she would stare at Xavi and she did mention that he looked a lot like her son when he was young now 42.  In less than 10 minutes she told me half of her life story while I was sipping on my shake I didn't mind it.  I was even tempted to ask her to sit down with us.  But then I thought no she will never finish and the truth is I am not that open with complete strangers besides my date with Xavi must go on.  She was a little chatter box she said that herself. 

We had a nice time I made him feel special and he made me feel special.  He said we should do this again when he is sick or at least have a not so important doctors appointment.

"&gt

So there here it is a mother son date is crossed off my 45 by 45 list.

I am looking forward for another date soon!

Tweet

back burner and start of 92545

It feels like I left this blog of mine on the back burner partly because fluctuating feelings on my part.  Lately there have been days where I am trying to save the world, fix everything you know.  Then there are those days when I don't fell like doing much.  I don't know what's wrong.  Maybe I should take things more calmly and accept the fact that I cannot fix the world.  Maybe I should worry less.

To keep more active on my blog

 I've decided to pick up my camera and start a new series called 92545 

(I like calling them series, it makes it much more interesting)

remember Beverly Hills 90210?

well Hemet is not exactly Beverly Hills but it's a nice place and I'd like to show it to you. 

This is a picture I took a while back. 

Here it is 92545.

*Maybe I should also pick up the series this moment from soulemama

* I also gotta get started on my 45 list March comes this Saturday!

Tweet

gray...no more?

It's not a secret that I started getting gray hairs soon after my firstborn.  It wasn't that bad at first.  But 10 or  12 years later it started to bother me.  I had more grays than my own mother did! (I have nothing against aging or the people that proudly wear their silver tresses) My sister very nicely tried to convince me let my grays go after seeing my frustration.  But on my early 40s I certainly thought that it was too soon to stop coloring my hair.  One day back in May of last year I started to look for images of ladies with gray hair and I came across an article that said that molasses had many health benefits including improved hair quality, as well as the possibility of restoring graying hair back to its original color!! 

Eureka I have found it!!  I just need it to try it to see if it worked on me!

OK so I don't remember all the details of the article but you can certainly google it.  

I have been taking Blackstrap Unsulphured Molasses as a health supplement since June of last year and let me tell you that I have seen an amazing improvement on the pigment of my hair.  I would say that 50 percent of my hair color is back. Now, molasses does not taste good at all I have gone thru 4 1/2 bottles of this.  I tried it in several teas and currently just take a teaspoon a day just like that and then wash it down with water but it's totally worth it for me.  I take it as a divine punishment!  I have been holding back on writing this post remember this? because I wanted to make sure the molasses was working and it is! Now I miss my curls  I wish to embrace them soon :)

Tweet

Party and a lesson in confidence.

So here are some pictures of the Quinceanera we attended last Saturday.  For those of you that don't know a Quinceanera is sort of like a Sweet Sixteen party (except the girls turns fifteen) some people go all out and spend all kinds of money!!  This was a very nice party.  The lighting was weird and everything looked pink and I am not good at picture taking under such circumstances.  Then when they opened the dance floor everything looked blue!  Oh well...

The food was delicious, it was chicken with a sort of chipotle sauce.  I was the designated driver so I drank punch with the kids...anyways I only drink wine at my house and when no one except my husband and kids are in the house.  I feel kind of weird if someone else sees me with a glass of wine.

Anyways, you know I don't dance but I still had a great time.
I was taught a magic trick by my husband's uncle (he really was teaching Xavi)
but I got to practice balancing  a quarter and a fork on a wine glass without touching the glass
the hard part was balancing two forks :/

I got to wear a little extra make up and my pointy high heels about 2 1/2 inch high heels by the way.  I am so insecure that I kept asking Sophie if I looked alright.  She asked me if you feel uncomfortable why do you wear extra make up?  She really got me thinking there.  My Sophie is so confident she does not care what people think of her.  She wears her curls loose all the time and she loves it. To the party she wore a sheer dress and her tennis shoes with some fluffy socks.  I kept asking her even a few hours before the party if she wanted to wear some flats and she kept saying no.  I wish I had her confidence and her cheerful attitude.

Here is a little taste of her confidence.  I admire her, I really do!

Tweet