Dear Santa...

Well, I hope this keeps you entertained until tomorrow, because I have a GREAT surprise for you then!!! I know it's a little early for a wishlist, but Santa's gotta start before the 24th. ;-)  I hope you enjoy this one just for a bit of fun!

1. The Jennifer Aniston perfume gift set!
Check it out here.

 2. Not necessarily these particular shoes, but a pair of serious, good-quality work out shoes.

Check these out here.

3.OK, I know gift cards are kind of a lame present, but hey -- the design on this AE gift card alone makes it fun! Anyway, I need jeans from there and I looooove their jeans, so it would be exciting anyway. :-)

Check this out here.

 4. Yes, more perfume.  I love scents.  Deal with it. ;-)

Check this out here.

5. This dress... and pretty much any other article of clothing that sparkles!

Check this out here.

6. I have been wanting to read this ever since I saw the ad!

Check this out here.

7. An old favorite which I never grow tired of reading:

Check this out here.

8. Concert tickets.  One or the other or both!!

9. Not just any generic Bible. :-)  But, I want a Catholic women's Bible which delves into the history and understanding of the Scriptures.  I haven't found a particular one yet, but I should check out the Catholic bookstore near my house...

 10. I WANT THIS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check it out here.

11. I've been looking for this exact color for ages! (It's called "Brooch the Subject") :-P Is it completely lame that I want a bottle of nailpolish for Christmas...? Oh, well!

Check this out here.

12. Speakers for my laptop!!! ...So I can have random dance parties. :-)

13. I <3 Relient K.  It's a depressing cover, but their albums are always amazing.  I hope this one measures up!

 14. ANY OF THESE!!!

OK, this is the lame cheap one. ;-)

Carrying this bag I would feel like Kate Middleton meets the Newsies:

Classy meets sassy:

I'm picturing Nancy Drew boarding a last-minute plane to New York City carrying this bag:

 15. ALL of these!!! ;-)

First...

Second...

...and third!

There's more, of course, I just wanted to leave some of it to Old Father Christmas' creativity... ;-)

Sidetracked

I apologize.  I didn't meet the deadline to post the picture.  Unfortunately, I had to deal with an emergency at 1:30 AM this weekend which lasted all night and into the day... long story short: I have a VERY GOOD excuse.

However, I've started the pic and will try to post ASAP! Keep coming back, y'all!!

<3 Wyld

...wait for it...

I am inspired.

Thanks to Mr. Patrick Madrid's awesome compliment on my "Treehugger" post, I've decided to post another picture.

So, this weekend, all you dear readers could come check out my next drawing, inspired by Isaiah.

Be there or BE SQUARE!

Would You Wear It Wednesday! I'm BAAACK!!!

After being a way for a while, "Random Ramblings" is re-opened for business!

I'm celebrating with a "would-you-wear-it." :-)

Let me know what you think by commenting and/or taking the POLL --->

I designed this one with the unpredictable Autumn Roman weather in mind. Layers and various fabric combinations help in an extreme version of "mix-and-match."

Side note: The original design incorporated fingerless gloves, which I eventually removed. Would you say "yay" or "nay" to the gloves?

CLICK the picture to make it larger.

...Look What I Found In My Mom's Closet!

Recently I helped my Mom clean out purge from her wardrobe all the unflattering clothes she has acquired over the years. That meant anything which didn't flatter her pear shape body type or her cool/winter toned skin.

I was merciless. When she hugged the toothpaste colored wool lounge pants to her heart, I solemnly pointed to the "trash" pile with ne'er a word; reminiscent of the Ghost of Christmas Future.

Despite the effort (and time!) that it took, Mom now looks her absolute best all the time, even when doing housework. The colors of her clothing now richly enhance her younger-looking-than-she-is skin, and the crisp, clean cuts of her outfits now proclaim "I embrace my individual style and beauty!" instead of "dumpy housewife" or "I'm desperately trying to look 15." *shudder*

The long and short of it? I chose a couple horrific (though they're not the worst -- GULP!) articles from her ex-closet to post for your amusement. (Don't worry -- Mom gave her approval).

Have fun!

There are giant moose on this sweater. Is there anything else to be said??

I don't care if we're talking about a three-piece suit, no one over 14 should ever, EVER wear ANYTHING with an "American Girl" tag.

No, the cat did not throw up on the carpet. That's my Mom's brown green barf-colored skirt.

Yea. It has zig-zagged metallic ribbon all over it. Yes, my Mom is older than 12.

Ugly, yes. But it doesn't look too bad, until.....

.....you look at it up-close. No, Mom does not suffer from a chronic fear of irons. The blouse was made this way.

Results: 2

All righty! I got more votes on this outfit than on the last one, so... YIPPEE! :-)

Here's what y'all think:

33% of you said "Yes! It's so summery!"

66% of you said "I'd wear parts of it."

Would You Wear It Wednesday!

YES!!! Two weeks in a row I have kept this going!! Hopefully I can keep it up. ;-)

So I was going to upload a design with long sleeves, and then I thought "wait, WHAT??!!" It's the middle of June!

So, I decided on something a little more seasonal.

The girl in this design is traveling royalty, so it's a little extravagant. ;-) Enjoy! Give me your opinion by taking the POLL ---->

I included a couple different shots 'cause none of them came out quite like I wanted them to. I also threw in a black and white one to help those with color issues make a more objective decision. ;-)

CLICK to enlarge

CLICK to enlarge

Top Ten Beauty Products: DAY FIVE

Yea, I'm still attempting to do this.

This is the last product that I will yak on about. The rest I will simply list so you will not have to listen to my blab.

Number Five is...

Matrix Biolage Volumathérapie! 

Say that three times fast.

To make a long, happy story short, I love it for the following reasons:

It is far more affordable than you think, even though it is a salon brand, and very high quality. I got the shampoo and conditioner set for just over twenty dollars, which is barely five dollars more than what I pay for boring drugstore stuff.

And guess what? The Biolage set lasted me over twice as long as my "regular" shampoo. I'm happy, my hair's happy, and my wallet's happy. The world is doing a little dance.

(Heads up: If you are paying less than six dollars per bottle for your shampoo and conditioner, you are not doing your hair a favor. Save your money and invest in something quality, unless you are starving on the streets).

I could actually see and feel the difference it made to my hair. My hair was softer, smoother, and stronger, and had a bit more life to it. (It also smelled good!) It was manageable, which helped make my showers faster. (You know how you have to struggle with tangles when you use the $1.89 conditioner? No more!)

My favorite part, though, was this: It actually helped clear up my skin! I bought the volume by Biolage because of a bad hair job which had flattened it beyond hope. (Never, ever, ever go to "Salon on Main" in PA. But that is a story for another day). However, because of the clarity of the shampoo (it is not thick and creamy like 98% of the shampoos on the market), and the quality of the product, it did not clog my pores so badly. It really helped get rid of irritating forehead acne.

I know I usually post a link to the product at the end of my rants - er - posts. However, I specifically recommend purchasing this set at a local JcPenney Salon. They frequently have sales and good deals without being snooty. 

So, here is a link to find a JcPenney Salon near you! Have fun, and look forward to good hair days forevermore!

Results

And the votes are in!:

50% of you say "Absolutely, I love it!"
50% of you say "If I had the right body type."

For this outfit

Come back next week for "Would You Wear It? Wednesday!"

Would You Wear It? Wednesday

I designed this outfit. Would YOU wear it? Why or why not? Give me your comments and take the opinion poll! (CLICK the image for a better view).

I'm bored Bored BORED!!! Suffer the consequences!!!

Sorry, kids. I want to post something new, but I am too lazy (and too busy -- yes, even though I'm bored) to come up with something creative, so all you get is a picture I drew.

Tell me your thoughts on it! (Sorrryyy, it won't let me make it bigger!!!!!) Click to see it FULL-SIZE

P.S. As you can tell from the faded parts of the pic, I never quite finished it. (So yes, I am REALLY cheating by posting a half-baked drawing/sketch....) O_O

Those Lazy, Crazy, Hazy Days Of Summer

I'll finish the Top Ten, never fear.

But in the meantime, I'm afraid I've been sick. Very sick.

Don't worry, it's actually a very common illness, and can actually affect up to 100% of the population around this time of year.

It's called SUMMERITIS.

I've been struck with a hopeless case.

Which is why, dear readers, I have taken the liberty to diverge from my allegedly daily series of the top ten beauty products to offer you a fantasy of the beachiest kind.

The following pictures illustrate precisely what I would wear if I were going to the beach tomorrow -- and if I had hundreds of dollars to blow on pretty clothes.

This is the "Stoop Sit Hat" from Anthropologie. I love the balance here of Southern Belle and total whimsy.

The "Epoch Blouse" from Anthropologie. This speaks for itself; there is not much to expound upon.

The "Apothecary Skirt" -- (Am I the ONLY one who thinks of Harry Potter when I hear the word 'apothecary?') -- I love how the colors play along so well with the blouse, yet they also clash oh - so - delicately.

Simple. Serviceable. Beautiful. The "Sprinkler Rush Sandals" from Anthropologie.

Top Ten Beauty Products: DAY FOUR

4. Clarisonic MIA

OK so it's $149.00. NO, DON'T LEAVE!! Let me speak - er - write first.

Bad news first:

CONS:

a) the price, b) you must replace the brush every 3 months, which is an extra $25.00

PROS:

a) It removes over six times the grime and makeup washed off by your hands or a washcloth alone.

b) It cleanses pores (and reduces their visible size) so well that your cleanser's effectiveness will be maximized to its intended potential. 

(True story: The use of a particular natural cleanser along with the MIA worked wonders for me skin which it had not done when I used a cloth).

c) It gently sloughs off dead skin, giving your face a radiant glow.

d) Specifically to acne-sufferers: Throw away the prescription drugs -- you're in for the ride of your life. I guarantee this product will clear up your acne. Why? Oh, there are many technial reasons which a dermatologist could give you, I'm sure. But my personal experience is simply that all the acne products I used were not getting into my pores because my pores were clogged. MIA unclogged them and got the cleanser where it needs to be. 

A word of warning: I got the MIA as a Christmas gift and felt immediate results -- but I had to use it for over five months before I saw results. (That makes sense, as the dermatologists usually have you try a product for six months before dubbing it a failure). My skin is clearer than ever and is boosting my confidence to new heights!!!

I really recommend you either save your pennies or write to Santa about this one, because it's worth it. Come on, you know you want to click...

Top Ten Beauty Products: DAY 3

I know, I know, this should be like... day seven or something. I have a good excuse; my sister's wedding was on Saturday! HA! No complaining from YOU. ;-)

Have fun with this one...

3. Makeup Forever HD Invisible Cover Foundation

A few days after I bought this foundation, I was raving about it to a good friend of mine. She didn't seem impressed by my 5 star review, and I was wondering why until she said; "Hm. I wonder how long it will be until you return this one." 

She wasn't being grumpy, she was talking as someone who knows me well. I have a tendency to buy a beauty product, love it for a week, then, when I start to recognize its flaws, I fly to Sephora to exchange it for something bigger and better. 

I've been wearing this stuff for about 7 weeks. 'Nuff said?

It comes in 26 shades, with varying undertones (pink, yellow, and olive) so each can find their appropriate match. This is the first time I have ever found a liquid foundation which matches my skin tone so well. My shade is ultra-pale, but with pink undertones: it doesn't wash me out or turn me orange like most foundations do. 

It doesn't come off easily to the touch (but it comes off well when you wash your face; it's non-comedogenic.

It's buildable and can also be concentrated in areas to be used as a concealer. 

It has a smooth, whipped texture and does not look cakey and artificial.

If I were to name my two favorite things about this product it would be the maximum coverage with minimum buildage, and the plethora of color choices.

$40.00 per bottle which lasts for a few months. 

Go be pretty!

Top Ten Beauty Products: DAY TWO

2. MARY KAY MINERAL POWDER FOUNDATION (LOOSE)

I swear I don't work for Mary Kay -- they just have some great stuff. But I won't write a novel about this one.

Just for kicks, I will compare the MK mineral foundation with the ultra-popular Bare Minerals foundation.

MK: The texture is like that instant cake mix you buy in a box: velvety smooth, and good enough to eat. (Just please don't consume this stuff. Stick to Betty Crocker in that area...)

BM: Do you like orange cake? 'Cause that's what this mix will make. Yea, it's smooth. Yea, it comes in twice the color choices as MK -- but I doubt any of those choices will match your skin tone. (My favorites are Sunset, Florida's Naturals, and Candy Corn). Get the hint?

MK: Offers weary skin a soothing respite from harsh, drying powders.

BM: Feels really good on your skin -- for the first thirty minutes. After that, keep your face away from everything besides oxygen, because the powder turns into a sort of goo which will come off at the slightest nudge. If your skin is itch-resistant and you manage to leave well enough alone, then have no fear! the foundation will still find a way to irritate you... in the manner of congealing. Yes, congealing. After about five hours of wear you will start resembling a giraffe: you'll have splotches of orange all over your face.

MK: Removes shine for hours.

BM: My face looked like an oil lamp about twenty minutes after I applied the stuff. If I applied more, it would congeal even worse than before.

MK: $18.00

BM: $25.00 - 28.00

You decide.

Treat yourself: Click HERE

The Top Ten Beauty Products EVER!...

... at least in my opinion. :-)

It's your wish come true. These are not reviews by biast magazines or billionaires who have cash to burn. They're all by coldly critical little me. 

I've tried everything out there. I've nixed some of the most popular and given the 'thumbs up' to the little known. 

Hey, why not check out an average citizen's point of view? Get past all the hype and find something you will really love!

There'll be something new each day for the nest 10, so keep coming  back! :-)

1. MARY KAY ULTIMATE MASCARA

This is number one. Why? 'Cause it changed the way I looked at all mascaras forever after. I used to think that all mascaras, ranging anywhere from the $3.50 Wal-mart goop to the $128.00 designer kind would be crunchy, crumbly, and barely there -- especially Mary Kay. I mean, it's direct sales -- that can't be GOOD, can it?!

Boy, was I wrong.

A word or two about the lady who sold it to me (not at all your MK stereotype: she was nice, not pushy, funny, and understanding. No wonder I, the Skeptic, bought mascara from her.)

I've been wearing the Ultimate Mascara for about 2 years now. During the first year, every so often, I would think "Hmmm... maybe I'm just settling for this mascara. It can't be that good, can it?" So I would try the best sellers at the drugstore or the forty-some dollar Dior one which showed up in my favorite fashion magazine. Guess what? They all went back. None could compare. I haven't gotten bored of MK in a long time. I imaging it'll stay that way.

Now I'm rambling. 

Bottom line: Your lashes will look longer, fuller, and will not, under any circumstances, be crunchy and crumbly. It lasts for about 3 months with daily application. (You shouldn't keep a mascara for longer than 3 months anyway).

Oh -- did I mention it's only $15.00? Go ahead, smile. (And order it HERE!)

A "Final" Celebration

Congratulate me -- I just finished the Finals Week From Hell and am now officially a senior!!! In celebration, I am posting a little piece which I wrote during finals week last year. It is based on real events. Enjoy! :-)

      

  My college roommate Agnes and I were hitting up the dollar store for cheap sweets to get us through finals.  We glided rapturously through the aisles, flinging candy into our cart with reckless abandon.  Our dollar limit was reached in short order, and we laboriously propelled our laden cart into a checkout line.  Suddenly, a familiar figure materialized in my peripheral vision. 

              “Well, hello there, girls.”  A serene voice floated in our direction.  Agnes and I simultaneously turned.  Standing beside a display of wild-eyed Spongebob Squarepants PEZ dispensers was Dr. Smith, our placid, bespectacled history professor.

Freeze frame. 

Meeting teachers outside the classroom is always awkward at best.  Is Dr. Smith wondering why I’m not at the History Club meeting?  Has Fr. Brown noticed the M&Ms in my shopping cart, and does he remember that I missed his last talk on Lenten discipline?  Does Professor Marcella know that I rocked the residence hall with my imitation of her?  Encounters like these can make a student feel like a fly in a spider's web.  And when one attends a small Catholic college, like I do, she is fated to experience the above-said horror roughly ten times more often than a college student at a Large Metropolitan Campus.  Numerous such meetings have been burned into my memory, and I’m now sharing one as a therapeutic exercise recommended by my trauma counselor.

              Resume video. 

                          

“Why, Dr. Smith!”  I bubbled, “Imagine seeing you here!”

“Yes,” quavered Agnes.  “Imagine!”

Agnes and I glanced anxiously at the cashier, who had inexplicably switched into snail-tortoise hybrid mode.  At this rate, it would take her forty minutes to check out the three customers in front of us. 

“I’m here to pick up some candy,” Dr. Smith remarked. 

I smiled, amused that we were there for the same reason.  Dr. Smith smiled back.  The three of us smiled.  I coughed.

              “It’s my daughter’s birthday today,” continued Dr. Smith.  

              “Oh?” I murmured, suddenly reminded of my younger sister back home.  "How old is your daughter?”  I asked, my awkwardness dissipating.

              “She’s nine years old,” he said, beaming.  One would have thought he had just determined the date of an antediluvian relic.

Dr. Smith reached for his wallet and pulled out a family photo.  “Here she is!” he exclaimed proudly, pointing to a sweet-faced little girl.  “My Gracie!”   

              In the fifteen minutes that ensued, Dr. Smith and I compared notes and swapped cute stories about our favorite nine-year-olds: his daughter Gracie and my sister Helen.  Meanwhile, Agnes, a sister-less girl with six brothers, busied herself at the checkout by making Latin translations of tabloid gossip.  “Bradlius deserit! Angelina lacrimat!”

              Soon after, Agnes and I waved goodbye to Dr. Smith, and walked out of the store.

              "Well, that was surprising," I said thoughtfully.

              "Yeah!"  Agnes exclaimed, ogling our toteful of treats.  "I didn't think the dollar store would have such a great selection of candy!" 

              "No, I didn't mean the store, you foodie!  I meant our run-in with Dr. Dust Heap...er, Dr. Smith.  I've never seen him so animated."

“Me neither.  But what really surprised me was that you didn’t seem stressed at all,” said Agnes. “Not like the time that you saw Professor Basmati at the grocery store and had to hide behind the doughnut rack because you weren’t wearing Dress Code,” she added, filching a Kit Kat.

            “Ugh, don’t remind me!  But, you know, you’re right.  I wasn’t stressed.  Listening to Dr. Smith talk about his daughter, I guess I forgot to feel awkward.  I suppose that’s because, instead of worrying about the impression I was making, I was concentrating on someone else.”

            We made our way silently to the car.  I turned the key in the ignition, and heard the engine roar happily to life.  ‘Hmm’, I mused, ‘Concentrating on others and not worrying about what people think of me.  I’m going to do that more often.’

And at my small Catholic college, there are plenty of opportunities to put that into practice!

A Royal Pain... NOT.

I liked the royal wedding, so there. Read the most amazing blogger entry about it HERE!

Food For Thought (16 OR OLDER)

Why is it that a girl can sleep around as much as she wants, as long as she uses birth control, and it is thought of as "freedom" and "liberation,"

but if a girl gets pregnant while unmarried -- regardless of how many or how few times she has had sex -- she is shunned and thought of as a "slut?"

Think about it.

LAST Fishy Fridays: Good Friday... and Earth Day

Due to the somber nature of Good Friday, today's post is not humorous, but a meditation of sorts. 
Today just happens to be Earth Day, and although it is a positively wonderful thing to celebrate this beautiful world which God gave us, I have noticed that people are placing cuddly pandas and huggable trees over the terrible and violent, yet heart-stoppingly awesome death of the Man who died for us all. I drew this picture in an attempt to give some perspective on priorities. 

Holy Week Countdown: Friday

FRIDAY OF HOLY WEEK (GOOD FRIDAY):
"Above All" by Michael W. Smith

Holy Week Countdown: Thursday

THURSDAY OF HOLY WEEK (PASSOVER):

"Lamb Of God" by Rebecca St. James

Holy Week Countdown: Wednesday

"Beautiful Ending" by BarlowGirl

Holy Week Countdown: Tuesday

TUESDAY OF HOLY WEEK:
"Savior"  by Skillet

Holy Week Countdown: Monday

Easter is rapidly approaching (yay!), but Holy Week is a time for a last few days of preparation. Because of the excitement due to Easter's approach, it can be especially hard in these last few days to concentrate on the "here and now" of Lent rather than heading out to buy chocolates or putting up decorations.

So, how to keep your mind and heart in the right place without getting discouraged? Music. Yep. You knew I was gonna say that, right?

For every day this week I will put up a song to help uplift your soul and keep your heart focused on Christ and His glorious sacrifice for us. I have one specific request: If you find that, after hearing the tune on YouTube or something, you like it, then please spend the $ 0.99 to download it off iTunes or Amazon. Considering the alarming amount of money which some talentless, disgusting artists make every day, I would appreciate you doing your part in supporting the artists who sing of true Beauty and Love.

MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK:
"Beautiful To Me" by Kerrie Roberts

(FINALLY!!!) Fishy Fridays: Week 2

 

THE CATHOLIC COLLEGE GIRL'S PRAYER

I Don't Want A Man Who Lives For Me

I can't help it. I have to post this poem I wrote... See, the thing is that I have noticed the growing obsession in young adults' literature with dependent relationships. You can't deny they ALL have them (Edward and Bella, Luce and Daniel, blah blah blah) have dependent relationships.

It seems romantic at first glance ,especially to someone like myself who is a hopeless romantic, all the talk about "I would die without you!" and "You ARE my life!" But as you think about it... you begin to realize just how unhealthy and

unbalanced it is. And that's not necessarily love. I mean, I'm not denying that they all didn't love each other deeply -- but it's a dependent love, the kind where you can't give your whole self because you are nothing without them. Basically, you treat the other like God. Ugh. That is NOT good. So, I got frustrated by all the crap that's being fed to young adults and teenagers, and decided to channel my fury in a healthy way (hehehehe). So I wrote this poem.

Enjoy :-)

I don't want a man who lives for me --
There has to be more than that.
He has to see something inside of me
and Something that I am inside of.


I want him to love me unconditionally --
but I don't want him to live for me.
If I were to go before it's his time too,
I want him to be strong and carry on
because I'm not the reason he loved life.


I don't want a man who lives for me --
There has to be something greater than 'us.'
I can't be the reason he's the man that he is;
the hand to hold onto when he feels that he's drowning.
I can't be the sun his happiness rises and sets with;
the cause of his joy and his strength.


I'll do the best that I can but I won't be enough;
I can't be the one that he lives for.
I want him to live for the One who caused me to live;
'cause He's the One that I'm living for.
We'll seek Him together and seek Him in each other,
and His strength will hold us together.


I don't want a man who lives for me --
I want a man who lives for Him, loves for us,
and lives so we can love for eternity.

...With Pictures To Match...

Here are a few pictures I took, following my own advice in the blog post Keeping Things Fun, Fresh, and Fashionable.

The mirror/flower/window concoction... thing.

 

Here's the orange nail polish. :-) I'm wearing "Note To Self" by Sephora for O.P.I.

  Lastly, here I am am wearing a Spring scarf. It's a very light, shimmery, silver mesh. Lots of fun to play with... as you can tell from picture # 2....