Picture of the Day

Here's some cuteness to start off the month of September

We recently came into a haul of baby clothes from our friend. Her daughter had outgrown the clothes, so we inherited them. Our friend brought them over when she came by on Monday, and our toddler daughter was intrigued by the headbands. So, we just had to put it on her!

A flower child in bloom

Needless to say, it didn't stay on very long. Rubber bands, barrettes, headbands, nothing keeps my kid's hair out of her face! My mother keeps nagging us to trim her bangs, but I don't want to. Her curls are too cute to cut!

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The Fashionista

Hi everyone!

Here's a cute pic from the weekend.

Glam girl

Even though my daughter is only a little over a year old, she's already wearing toddler-size clothes (that shirt is 5T and the pants are 4T). In alot of ways, I'm not surprised by this. My husband and I are both large people, and as children we were both wearing clothes fit for larger individuals. Naturally, she too follows suit. I don't mind her clothes being a little loose on her. When it's hot out, you don't want any material sticking to your body.

Besides, jeans are good in any weather.

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Easter Weekend

Happy Easter to all of you! Christ has risen, indeed He has risen!

Like Christmas, it has been an exhausting 24 hours. In a move of boldness, I did something I never thought I would do for Holy Saturday-I wore a hijab to church.

The day I donned a hijab

What propelled me to do this was a combination of fashion (I was wearing an abaya-like Kashmiri kaftan and that tan pashmina shawl paired well with the garment), piety (my Carmelite confessor suggested a penitential activity for Holy Week, and I decided veiling my hair would be it), and homage to Jesus' Semitic roots (contrary to the popular narrative, the term "Semite" is not exclusive to Jews. It encompasses Arabs and North Africans as well).

Despite watching many a Youtube tutorial on how to wear hijabs, my hijab wasn't particularly well done because I'd put it on while in the car with only my hand mirror to guide my pin placements and it was my first time ever doing this. It was also hot and kind of itchy because it was made of wool. I was admittedly a little worried about wearing it in public because I thought somebody might mistake me for being a Moslem and shoot me, given how badly maligned Moslems are in American society. Fortunately, no such thing happened and it was a huge relief. In fact, nobody even paid much attention to me. Besides, I've worn saris and babushkas to church, so why should a hijab raise a stink?

Canon Bill (in purple cloak) getting ready to bless the fire

In what may be an ominous sign from God, the priest and the novitiate assistant had a tough time getting the Easter candle to light

Finally!

The Holy Saturday Easter vigil is a VERY long service. It starts, however, with the holy fire. Basically, the priest blesses a special fire and lights the Easter candle with its flames. Canon Bill, however, had a tough time getting the starter candle lit. He would get it close to the hot coals and flames, but the wick wouldn't take and the candle was fast becoming a melted mess. My husband speculated to me that God was telling us something, though he wasn't quire sure what the message was. I speculated that the message was to get a lighter or a stick since this candle was pretty well useless now.

Lumen Christi, Light of Christ (note: the church is completely dark; this was just the flash from my camera)

Canon Bill blessing the baptismal water

Blessing the baptismal water

The baby INSISTED on crawling around in the kiddie ghetto

After enough tries and a new candle, the Easter candle was finally lit and we then proceeded to enter the church. We got candles to hold and we lit them from the Easter candle. It was at this point, however, that we had to go up to the kiddie ghetto because the baby became quite restless. We spent the rest of the Mass up there. Fortunately, there was only one other family with children so it wasn't too crowded. We did periodically take turns going downstairs to get a break because the baby absolutely wore us out with her crawling and noisemaking. My husband finally took the baby outside because it was becoming uncomfortably hot upstairs in the kiddie ghetto and she was really starting to act up. She wasn't the only child who was misbehaving, though. The small children of other families were acting up too. Even I was becoming restless. It's hard to sit still for three hours during a religiously intense service like Easter vigil. People can bitch about bringing kids to church, but how else can you expect them to learn how to behave in church if they don't go?

Needless to say, when we got home, we were all pretty exhausted.

The altar at our Carmelite church all decorated for Easter

Today, Easter Sunday, was spent at our Carmelite church. It was a much happier time with good music and an inspiring sermon. The baby behaved herself mostly well and slept through the last third of Mass. Afterward we purchased a few sacramentals from the Holy Land, which were being sold outside in the courtyard by a few Palestinians. Our cholomobile got a specially blessed crucifix and my husband got himself a new rosary. From church, we then went to Panda Express and got lunch to celebrate Easter since it was too hot to cook and neither of us knew what to eat.

Me wearing my famous pink sari. This being the holiday of Easter, I'd normally wear my red and gold silk one, but it was too hot outside for silk. This pink one, being made of polyester, is lighter.

Happy Easter everyone!

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***Note: before anyone starts accusing me of shit, let me make this clear: I am a Catholic, not a Moslem and do not have any intention of becoming a Moslem. However, I do sympathize with the plight of Moslems in America because they are today what Catholics were just prior to the Iranian Revolution when Islamophobia became officially etched in stone on the American psyche: persona non grata and to be viewed only with suspicion. Also, when I go to church, I make it a habit to dress modestly, which includes covering my hair. This stems from Paul's letter to Timothy reminding women to dress modestly. A hijab looks different than the chapel veil or mantilla more commonly seen in Catholic churches in the West, but it fulfills the modesty requirement, as do saris and babushkas all of which I've worn on different occasions to church. From the cultural appropriation standpoint, a hijab is not that far of a stretch from other traditional European headdresses (particularly in the Balkans). The garment has just been politicized by the powers that be for their own sinister ends and as a result we all suffer.  Any unkind comments will be deleted and dealt with accordingly.

The Sneak Peek

Happy Monday everyone!

In what was a small screwup, my husband and I went to church tonight thinking today was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, which is a Holy Day of Obligation (meaning you HAVE to go to church on this day), only to find that we'd just missed the Vigil Mass and that the proper Mass for it was TOMORROW. Canon Bill's novitiate assistant had screwed up the dates and Mass times when he sent out the email announcements this week. I was especially bummed, since I had taken the time to pick out a special outfit and do my makeup just right for the event. All dressed up for nothing!

But in a way, it wasn't a total waste. I now know what I'll be wearing tomorrow and how long it will take me to do my makeup so that I can prepare myself in a more leisurely fashion. I couldn't decide if I wanted to wear blue or purple; blue being Mary's color and purple being in keeping with the season of Advent. Fortunately, a bit of digging in my closet solved that problem. I'm no stranger to wearing Indian attire and last year, I inherited a deep blue Kashmiri kaftan from an elderly parishioner's late wife who was a frequent traveler to India. For the Immaculate Conception, it would be my outfit of choice, paired with a pair of black tights and a white t-shirt underneath for warmth.

My blue Kashmiri kaftan with tights and undershirt. 

All those beauty tutorials I've been binge-watching for the past week or so have begun to pay off. My makeup is much more neat with less fallout and waste. I'm still not wearing foundation in part because my skin is pretty clear, but mostly because I'm still too lazy to bother putting it on. That will need to change once I have the funds to either buy some or get the supplies to make some. I got to break out my favorite Sephora palette, my handy Coastal Scents palettes, and kept my number of brushes used down to an impressive minimum to complete this look. Yaay for efficiency!

My eyeshadow, blue of course. Contrary to what modern trends dictate, I will always be a fan of blue eyeshadow

Closeup of my blended shadows, and poorly drawn eyebrow. A step up for the world's laziest MUA, but there's still a long way to go

Thus, my complete look for tomorrow.

Sticky Little Fingers

Greetings!

Ever since he found a whole cache of concerts and rare footage of his favorite band, The Rolling Stones, my husband has their music playing on the computer daily. I don't mind, as it is a welcome break from the Mexican ranchero music I hear my neighbors playing.

This got me thinking, while it will still be a while before the baby's first birthday, what should we get her? My husband and I decided to start a tradition where for our children's first birthday, they will get an article of clothing featuring one of our favorite classic rock bands (both American and British). Screw "Rockabye Baby"! Who needs creepy British nursery rhymes, when you can get better music sung by creepy British rock stars instead!

How appropriate for a toddler. Pic found here

While perusing the internet for a suitable garment, my husband saw the onesie above and decided that when the time came, he would get that specific one. The caption "sticky lil fingers" is a reference to the Stones' Sticky Fingers album.

Why rock band clothes?

Why not?

After all, the family that rocks together, rolls together!

Never stop rocking, even if you wind up in a wheelchair. Pic found here

Picture of the Day

Cold weather has made another appearance here in southern Arizona! As such, it was time to break out the heavier clothes for the next few days.

This was her first time wearing any sort of heavy clothing!

The baby's outfit for the day was a hoodie with pink pants layered over one of the bulk onesies we bought some weeks back and topped off with little socks. She definitely was warm in this ensemble. I try not to overdress (or underdress) the baby, as we live in a generally warm climate. However, with today's temperature being in the 60s, it was time to layer up.

Fall has finally arrived. I hope the weather is decent where you live, dear reader.

Sweet Friday

Happy Friday!

It was a whirlwind day today. First, I had to drag my sleepy ass to the doctor's office cuz my husband had his ultrasound and liver biopsy scheduled after last weeks visit for bloody semen. The technician took some pictures and told my husband he'd get a call with the results. While my husband was examined, I hung out in the lobby with the baby, watching all the mommies with their babies going in and out.

With that little errand finished, we decided to take advantage of the relatively cool morning air and do some shopping. After running to Dollar General to get cheap cat food, it was off to Target. When they were here, my grandma gave me a gift card for $25 for Target that one of her friends got for the baby shower she threw. Thankfully, there's a Target not far from where we live, so we decided to go. That gift card bought some clothes, which we're not exactly running out of, but this behbeh is growing way too fast. At 4, almost 5 months, she's almost outgrown her 6-month size clothes!

A cute kitty cat dress from the clearance rack that we just HAD to get for her, being the cat lovers that we are! While it's sized as being 18 months, I think she'll fit into it now with plenty of wiggle room. Of note, it's a Little Golden Book brand (specifically, "The Shy Little Kitten")

Bulk pack of onesies (there were five in the package). These are probably the most useful article of baby clothes in existence. These are 12 month sizes, which she also can wear now cuz Gerber (which was the brand of these onesies) runs small on her

In addition to clothes, I was once again reminded of what a racket the baby industry is. Since the baby is going to outgrow her carrier soon, it's time to start looking for an upright car seat or booster seat. Car seats, as parents know, are not cheap. What makes them even more of a pain in the ass is that they've got the full force of the law behind them, as children who are not properly restrained in a moving vehicle can result in stiff penalties for parents. Seeing that these seats held children up to 100lbs, I was outraged as I had stopped sitting in car or booster seats by time I'd started preschool, and I sure was less than 100lbs then! Granted, I was always big for my age, which probably saved my mom alot of traffic tickets. Also, there's a 20 year gap between me being in preschool and now, which is alot of time for research and crash tests. Car seats may be a justifiable racket, but they're still a racket any way you look at them.

After Target, we took a quick trip to Food City to get some groceries, and ended our venture with lunch at Panda Express. I'd suggested the place to my husband because on this day in 2011, we met at St. Gianna Oratory, the Latin Mass church in Tucson, AZ. This day would change both our lives forever, though neither of us would know it for several months. A small treat like Panda was a celebration of that happy day. After giving in to a major food coma, I was also reminded why we seldom eat out. I've never had food coma from my husband's meals.

And that was my day. Tune in tomorrow for more adventures!

Rainy Day Fun

Fall has finally arrived in Arizona! It came late in the morning with a storm, but we finally get cooler temperatures for a while.

I shot a brief video of this storm, but Blogger wouldn't upload it due to size constraints. My late father-in-law would call this a "turd floater"

The flooded street

For the first time ever, I had to dress the baby in long sleeves and long pants! Like mommy, she's a lazy fashionista

During a break in the storm, we went outside to survey the damage. There wasn't any except for flooding, thank goodness, but there was something else waiting to be seen at the neighbors.

In addition to mom and dad, there are nine zooting pinchable pit bull pups in that yard. It was so cute seeing them all out with their little tails wagging and playful chomps!

There is no rainy day here without a selfie.

Copycat faces

The second round of the storm brought some small hail crashing down, but that was as ferocious as it got. What passed for the third round was some wind and a brief shower. There is some more rain expected during the night, but all remains quiet for now.

Welcome Autumn! It's good to see you here.

Special Delivery

Today, the delivery driver arrived with a package from my mom. I'd been alerted to this a few weeks ago when my mom emailed me letting me know that my grandmother had purchased some goodies for the baby and was going to mail them to me.

So when the box finally arrived, I was anxious to see what was inside.

-

I tried to lay everything as flat as I could. Not easy when you're holding a baby in one arm!

Prebaka (Serbian for "great-grandmother") was generous! These are mostly toddler size (the romper, the purple dress, and the Disney jammies), whereas the two-piece sets in the back are 9 and 18 month sizes, respectively. The bib and bows were the best part. I'm gonna have one stylish kid!

Aside from the goodies, the only other thing in the package was a copy of jury summons that arrived for me at my family's home. Apparently, the State of Illinois hasn't gotten the memo that I've moved to Arizona and have not lived in Illinois since 2012. Oops! Fortunately, I don't think this will be much of an issue and can be resolved with a simple phone call sometime before the end of the week (the summons date isn't until the end of September, so I have plenty of time).

Hope you all had a good day. Stay blessed!

An Ode to Skinny Brows

I'm not in any way a fashionista. I could care less about what is deemed "fashionable" on display on runways in New York, Paris, etc. This mostly holds true for makeup and beauty trends as well. When it comes to beauty, I try to keep up as much as my income and energy allow, which is not very much.

But no matter what, there is one thing I absolutely refuse to conform to current trends.

My eyebrows.

I have very thin, some would call, severely overplucked eyebrows. And I like to keep them that way.

Growing up, I had thick eyebrows that were flat and manly. They had no real shape to them and got my glasses greasy every time I frowned. Since no woman in my home provided any incentive for me to have them professionally shaped, I took it upon myself to do something about it when I was in high school and old enough to start figuring out what makeup was. An old eyeliner pencil, some tweezers, and some time in front of a mirror provided the foundation for the look I now bear. At the time, I credited some inspiration to Pam Anderson, who I thought rocked the skinny brows.

Me, age 18. I do not have any pictures on my computer of me younger than this

Once I moved out here to Arizona, my super-thin brows took on more refining and inspiration from chola girls I would see on the bus from time to time. This meant drawing on my eyebrows with pencils so as to give them shape and definition.

Before I figured out what blending was, haha #blendingfail

Style trends nowadays call for fuller brows. Ones that aren't so thin and "artificial" looking.

To this I say, screw you, trend forecasters! I spent just about all my teenage years with man-brows, and I will NOT yield one hair towards going back to those days. I don't look good in anything other than skinny brows, and I will tweeze the hell out of my brows to keep them that way.

Admittedly, full brows are not for every one. Same goes for skinny brows. What works for one doesn't always work for the other. But it just irks me to no end to see models and celebrities with eyebrows that I think look more appropriate on men (see: Kylie Jenner, the Kardashian klan).

Skinny brow wearers of the world, you are not alone! It's totally cool to give mainstream beauty the middle finger. You don't have to follow the flow to look beautiful. I certainly don't, therefore, I don't feel beholden to such trends like "fuller" eyebrows.

Like Fleetwood Mac sang, "you can go your own way"