Ti | Book Chatter

The Desert

It’s a winter themed post so why the blue sky? Because I live in California and this IS winter for us. Sure, it might be a chilly 58 degrees but this is typically what the weather is like during the Rose Parade and probably the reason for all of our population woes! I lied about the temp, my weather app says 83 right now!

These guys, Tanya @ Girlxoxo and Andi @ Estella’s Revenge posted about their winter essentials so I figured I would too even though mine are not critical for survival in the balmy California air.

Satsuma Body Butter by The Body Shop. I love this stuff! I love the smell of it (smells like a freshly peeled orange) but I also love what it does for my skin. I use the body butter as a hand cream. It’s a crisp, fresh scent but I think it would be too strong if I covered my body in it.

Revlon’s Super Lustrous Lipstick in Rum Raisin. This color has been around for AGES! It’s the color I wear during the cooler months because of my pale skin! With paler skin, and the dark hair, I look a little sickly if I don’t have a pop of color. Too much color I look like a vampire but this color is just enough to make me look alive.

Charity Pot cream by Lush. They reformulated this product but you can still get the original if you ask for it. Anyway, this product (as a moisturizer) did not work for me. It actually dried my skin out which is why I then started to use it as a face cream and by doing that, I somehow blotted out my oily skin and now my skin is normal! No kidding! I smooth it on at night and somehow it balances my skin out and I no longer have oily skin complaints. Weird, huh? I love it. Plus, it smells like Tootsie Rolls which is a nice scent to fall asleep to. A bonus, 100% of the price (minus taxes) goes to grassroots organizations which are listed on the lid so you get to choose which one to support.

Candles. Oddly enough, during the winter I like to smell beachy scents like Yankee’s Beach Holiday.

Jammies!! I live in the them. Victoria’s Secret Dreamer Flannel PJs are super wearable and get better with wear! I own three pair and they are well-worn and loved but it’s time for some new ones!

What are your faves for winter?

Sunday Matters

Right Now:

At this moment, I am waiting for my coffee to brew and taking a quiet moment to write this post. The sun is streaming through the window and I can tell that it’s going to be lovely out. I type this with a heavy heart, though.

I mentioned the living situation of my mother and sister before, but the situation has not changed and I’ve come to the conclusion that there is nothing that I can do. The building is in foreclosure and I cannot reason with them and I feel as if the entire situation is hopeless. I pray. I pray for answers. I pray for patience but dealing with mental illness in its advanced stages is quite frankly, a very difficult situation. It’s not something that I can easily wrap my brain around. I like logic and realistic thinking and planning but I am unable to function this way when it comes to them and it’s killing me.

I apologize for such a downer of a post today, but I’ve always been “me” on here and today’s “me” is struggling a little. I’m about to head to church and I am hoping that I find some clarity for their situation while there.

This Week:

I got through this past week. It was busy, but not nearly as crazy as I anticipated. This week is more of the same. I have a holiday party to attend this Friday. The Girl has Peter Pan rehearsal on Monday and her Winter concert this Wednesday. This is her first choir concert so we are all excited. The Teen has two more performances of The Cat’s Meow, which I thought went very well this past weekend. It’s a fun show with GREAT flapper like costumes. Everyone looked so great.

Since it’s been a few days since the cast list was posted, I think it’s okay to share that The Teen was cast as Seymour for Little Shop of Horrors this Spring! His girlfriend got the lead of Audrey so this is going to be a very special show.

With the flurry of activity I’ve been dealing with lately, I pulled out my new, 2016 planner and got to work on putting in appointments for 2016. This ALWAYS puts me mind to ease. Knowing what’s coming, putting it down and getting it out of my head is a great comfort. This year, I got a daily planner from Simplified Planner. I usually use a monthly planner so this is a bit of a change for me, but isn’t it pretty?

Simplified Planner

Reading:

It’s embarrassing but I am still reading the same two books I’ve been reading for the past month. I just cannot get them read! Too much going on, me not feeling well, etc. Blah blah. Excuses. I need to get them read and reviewed before the month ends.

I am starting a new book today, Tender is the Night, which I am reading with another blogger. I’ve always wanted to read it. It may be my last book for this year at the rate I am going.

Watching:

I watched Captain America: The Winter Soldier last night. My kids saw it while we were on vacation one year, but I offered to stay with the pup so I never got to see it. It was good, once I got past what I thought was a very slow beginning.

I am loving Fixer Upper. It’s a home improvement show with a big reveal at the end but Chip and Joanna Gaines are a lot of fun.

Other than that, I’ve been watching I Love Lucy and Seinfeld. My go-to comfort shows.

Making:

I baked some banana bread to sell at one of the shows. I made a chicken stir-fry last night but I haven’t a clue what to make tonight. I’ve got a Christmas “wrap” party to attend for the middle-school ministry later so maybe we will just go out!

Grateful for:

Friends, and their ability to make me laugh no matter what is going on.

What’s going on with you this week? Anything you are really looking forward to?

Chatting with friends about books and life…