It’s Friday and I am starting something new in the new year. If you want to join in please do, it’s so much fun learning what other people love. I am going to post “Friday Favorites” each week. I hope to vlog it every week but that will depend on time I have of course. Very simply, it’s a post to share my favorite things with the world!

This week it’s all about the lips..no my favorite things are not lips but rather something to make them “SHINE”. Want to know what I am talking about?  Watch the video then…

So there you have it, I adore M.A.C Cosmetics glass line. High shine, long lasting what more could lips ask for? Here is a complete list of the different lip glass products (not the colors but different types):

• Tinted Lipglass
• Viva Glam Gaga Lipglass
• Gareth Pugh for M.A.C. lipglass
• Glitter and Ice Dazzleglass
• Creamsheen Glass
• Dazzleglass
• Lustreglass
• Plushglass
• Pro-long wear lipglass
• Pro-long wear gloss coat
• Clear lipglass
• M.A.C. & Marcel Wanders Lip Gloss

I am sure more of M.A.C.’s products will be on my Friday Favorite’s but this is the first thing I thought of when this segment came to mind.   Please feel free to join in next Friday and share something favorite of yours…or heck, join in today and share your link in the commets below.

Do you have a favorite lip product?

*I was not asked to post this and the product featured in this post was purchased by me, I wanted to share because it’s one of my favorite products.

It’s freezing here on the world’s whitest beaches. Beaches and freezing do not go together well. However it has turned me into an indoor pyromaniac. Not because I like to, by official definition play with fire, but rather I am loving being able to brag and say I made the house warm just like hubby does.

You see it’s usually him who is the fire master in the house, however he did eventually have to return to his job outside of the home after the holidays. It was in this moment I realized “holy smokes I am going to have to heat the house without him AND without a heater“. As I am sure you guessed, panic momentarily set in until I realized my phrase for 2012 “BIG and BOLD“, so off I trucked to get some wood…from the front porch.  In I came at the peachy hour of 6:07 a.m. and got to fire making. Before I continue, a little side story.

Nature and I do not mix well, unless it’s me in a bathing suit laying out on the white sand then we mix just fine. However trees, grass, wood, fire, and myself are not on friendly terms. I don’t like nature and unless it’s spring or summer and warm, nature doesn’t care for me either…why else would she bring freezing temperatures to Florida?

I am happy to say that not only did I successfully get the fire going, I have a nice set of coals keeping the fireplace hot that blazes the next piece of wood I throw on. No heater, no problem! I couldn’t be prouder of myself. 2012 is going to be one HOT year…pun totally intended. Now with this kind of luck I forsee a Disney and/or Universal rep contacting me about the family trip I am going to be taking this year.

Fire….check! Bring it on 2012, we are going to have a GREAT year!

I still remember this day as if it just happened yesterday, the lives lost, the way our country banded together, the feelings of horror, hurt, and shock.  Everyday for the rest of my life I will remember what I was doing and where I was when I found out about the attacks on our country.

On September 11, 2001 I awoke to start my day like normal.  I raised, turned on the television that was on early morning shows and nothing out of the ordinary was going on.  I woke my son (almost 2 at the time), fed him and got him ready for day care.  As with every morning, I took a little extra time and care with him, making sure to love on him, laugh with him and treasure the fun moments before we parted for the day.    Finally the time came to take him to school, we load in the car and I turn on my CD and we jammed out on the way to school.  Nothing out of the ordinary was going on in our world…or so I thought.  I dropped him off, running in making sure to hug him tight.  Headed home to throw on my work clothes and head into work.

The morning news shows at this time would have been reporting about that first plane, but I didn’t get to see that yet.  I remember walking into my work and seeing the faces of my co workers in shock and wondering what was going on.  Then the words came out of my friend and co workers mouth “America is being attacked”.  As my mind took in what she was saying it was like a my world stopped.  I tried to digest what she was saying and I hear the muffled news updates in the background.  As I remember to breathe I am seeing faces of everyone I love and wondering what this means for our country.  What will happen to my family, my friends?  I want at that moment to turn around, drive as fast as I can and go get my son and hold him tighter than I ever have.

Knowing that I can’t leave, I breathe and regain my composure as everything around me still seems a fuzzy dream.  I focus as best I can as we stand around with customers watching the news to see what is going on and  why.  I remember all day feeling anger, at the people behind this.  Sorrow for the lives lost.  Amazement at the people who risked their lives to save so many.  Awe at the way our country, who is more often than not divided, joined together.  There were no races, no genders, no ages, we were all one.  We were all supporting each other, we were all hurting, angry and in shock.  Everyone praying, hoping, listening.

Over the next few weeks I collect video, magazines and papers of this horrendous moment that caused our country to all support one another.  I remember watching our President handle things that no President should ever have to deal with and I was just amazed with him.  I remember sitting every night holding my son as close to me as I could because so many parents lost children that day.  I remember calling my mom at least 10 times a day because I thought about the children who lost parents.  I remember making sure my friends new how much I cared because of how many friends were lost on this day.

The pictures of that day such as this one (below) will always be in my mind and just as clear as the first time I saw them.

I will forever remember the stories of lives lost to protect our country on the plane that went down.  I will forever remember the lives lost because they were on those planes or in the twin towers.  I will remember the images of the crashes into the towers, the pentagon and the field.  But what I will remember and hold dear forever is the way our country was not separated by anything that day but rather we were all on one page, we were all joined in unity.  It should not be on this day only that we remember and join together but rather everyday we should strive to support each other as we all did on that day.

9/11/01 is a day not one American will forget (the ones that understood what was going on).  A day that for as long as we will go on we will think of lives lost willingly (by taking down a plane or going into a building to save others) or unwillingly (being on a plane that crashed into a building or simply being in the office that day), the heroes, the parents that lost children and children that lost parents.  The place we were when we heard and what we felt.  It’s a day that for as long as I live will always seem like it was only yesterday.

Thank you to those who risked their lives to save others.  Thank you to those who sacrificed their lives to make sure someone else lived.  Thank you to the families who have shown what it means to have strength.

September 11, 2001  is a day that brought America together when someone was trying to tear it apart.

This is a repost of a post I posted September 11, 2009. With today being 10 years to the day I felt this still best expressed my feelings from that day and thought it best to re-share this post. I can’t believe it’s been 10 years but I remember every moment about my day that day. When I recently went to NYC I went by the WTC site and saw the building being done and it choked me up as I stood there. Please keep reading and let’s all remember the people who lost their lives and those who lost loved ones this day. Let’s remember what a united country we were and work to be that way from now one.

I don’t question a lot of things. I have a pretty open heart but sometimes the strength I exude on the outside isn’t what I am really feeling inside. I am strong for everyone. I am happy for everyone. I don’t get angered easily. I smile because I don’t want the world to know what is going on but rather I help others through their valleys, then I don’t have to focus on mine.

If I don’t focus on it, it will get better or just go away. Or that’s what I tell myself. I used to have friends I talked to every day and just talking to them made my day brighter. Times change and people get busy. I still have wonderful friends who I would trust with my life and my kids lives but I miss the friends I have that I laughed and cried with on a daily or at the very least a weekly basis.

People judge me based on other things than actually taking time to get to know me. People don’t take time to get to know me, to know who I am. They see the happy me I put out there most of the time. They don’t see the days I feel I am in a deep pit and feel like I am drowning. Maybe that’s partly my fault because of the hurts I have had from people I trusted it’s hard for me to let people in. But when you look past the smile you will see someone who has a wonderful life yes, but still wants to know she is needed and wanted.

I want to know I have a friend who will know when something is wrong and will pick up the phone and call. I used to have several friends like that but things happened, distance happened, and now I wonder if I will ever have that type of friend again. The one who feels when something is wrong or right with me.

I thought it was strength that made me be strong for everyone else, strength that made me paste the smile on my face even when I am hurting so I can help others that are hurting, strength that made me say “it’s okay to help others my time will come” but now I wonder if what I thought was strength may actually be weakness in some circumstances.

And I end with this. I miss the ones who used to be and hope to have the ones so connected to me I don’t need to tell them anything but rather they just know again. I know God has a plan and the perfect friends, real friends, for me. Until then I will just hide under His wing and let him give me the strength I need. He is my comforter. He is my friend. He is the one who will bring me out of the hard times. I just have to trust.

This photo was taken about 3 weeks before my oldest was born.  I look back on it and it makes me want another.  Surely I am not the only one who misses these moments?

]]> http://juststopscreaming.com/2011/07/moments-i-miss/feed 3 http://juststopscreaming.com/2011/07/harry-potter-the-deathly-hallows-part-2-out-tomorrow-why-i-went-from-being-against-hp-to-a-big-fan http://juststopscreaming.com/2011/07/harry-potter-the-deathly-hallows-part-2-out-tomorrow-why-i-went-from-being-against-hp-to-a-big-fan#comments Thu, 14 Jul 2011 16:59:17 +0000 Toni http://juststopscreaming.com/?p=6451 Back before Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix [Blu-ray] was released in theaters I was one of those people who was very anti Harry Potter.  As a christian I am very leary of anything that I see or think is leaning toward witchcraft, satanism and anything of the like. Why would I want to have that in my life.Then I met an amazing group of ladies on a mom’s forum and they were very into all things Harry Potter.  So I figured I would ask them about it, then I am still not picking up the books or movies in case it was like my mind was telling me but I could learn more about it.  Yes, yes I will admit to being very close minded where HP is concerned.

After talking to these ladies (who happen to still be some of my closest friends) I decided to pick up book 1 and see what all the hooplah was about.  Is it as bad as my mind was making it out to be?  So I jumped into Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Book 1) and was FLOORED at the amazing writing and story telling.  Sure they went to a school of wizardry but it was nothing like the black abyss of witchcraft I was making it out to be.  I quickly read through all 7 of the books and then went on to the movies and watched 1-4 on dvd and 5-end (well tomorrow anyway) in theaters.

As I sat back I thought why in the world was I so against Harry Potter to begin with and realized it was because of others opinions.  Have I not read and watched Chronicles of Narnia which includes magicians, witches and spell casting.  Do I not sit with my kids to watch Snow White, Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty all of which have witches and spells.  I have never seen Lord of the Rings but from what I understand there is a wizard in that and quite a lot of christians love that move.  Why did Harry Potter get the bad wrap?  I still try to figure that out today.

The basis of the whole entire HP series is good verses evil with themes of sacrifice and redemption, doubt and faith. In fact JK Rowling said in an interview once “religious parallels I thought were always obvious”  (taken from youth worker site).  I absolutely have to agree with that after reading and watching the series.

As a christian I absolutely believe witchcraft is real and that it is evil, but I also think I need to show my kids make believe isn’t something to be scared of. And unless it is a book teaching them how to get into witchcraft (you get my drift), they will know that fiction is that…fiction…false…a greatly written story. This series isn’t about promoting witchcraft and wizardry (while yes they are wizards) but rather watching good and evil battle (hint: Good wins!). I do think you have to have a child who knows the different between fiction and reality as well as wait until they are age appropriate as with any other movie/book out there we choose to let them read/watch.

I saw this comment on a youth worker site as well and thought it fitting to share it on here.  A person said in a comment “I think as with everything we allow our children to read and watch, we as Chrisitan parents and educators need to talk with our children and give them a strong spiritual foundation. That way they can read Harry Potter for what it is- a great story and not be swayed or confused by what others say or read into it. I love the Harry Potter novels and all the children that I come into contact with know they can discuss them with me. However, they also know that I love Christ’s story just as much and we’ll be discussing Him too! =)“

I can’t put it anymore perfectly.  If parents don’t want to let their children watch/read the series then that’s their choice and I don’t begrudge them that.  I just hope they are making an informed decision and not pulling a “Toni” which means Judging before they know the whole story because they didn’t take time to learn for themselves but judged based on hearsay.    Just like with voting for president, don’t vote a certain way just because everyone in your church is doing it, make the decision for yourself.  Not that Harry Potter is near as important as voting but you get my drift (I have a feeling that sentence may make me infamous).

Now that I have shared that can I just say the next 24 (give or take a few) hours can’t go quick enough.  I am dying to see the new one tomorrow night!  SQUEEEEEEEE!   Who else will be going?

*Don’t forget to check out Red Carpet Mama in a few days to get my thoughts on the final Harry Potter movie.

This post inspired by comment conversation on a post I read over MommaFindings.  Have I mentioned I love that girl!

Making fun of someone you don’t like would be considered doing the same thing as them when they make fun of others.  If it’s not okay for them or you are going to get mad at someone for their actions should you not refrain from those actions yourself.  After all wouldn’t that be making you as bad as you claim they are?

That’s my deep thought of the day.  I have been a hypocrite before in this very thing but my eyes are seeing things in a whole new light and I want to be a better person.  What about you?

This gives you an idea of how much they have. This was a portion cleared off for a path.

Yes they are pictures of the picture on my camera lol. Haven’t uploaded them yet so this is what you get.

Nature is beautiful but it’s freezing. I thought my fingers were gonna fall of in the feels like one degree weather. We are going to an opera tomorrow night and I am beside myself. Have a wonderful Sunday.

My cousin and I headed from Pensacola to Charlotte. Next stop Newark!!

Crazy cousins

Flight entertainment.

It’s never a dull moment with myself and my family.  We are the ultimate travel companions, well unless you want quiet, but if you want fun, bring us along on your next trip.

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