I tend to get sick twice a year.

Once when it starts getting cold, and again when the weather starts warming up.

Yesterday I awoke with the scratchy, pinching throat and my sinuses felt loose and sloshy. On top of that, for it being a sleep-in Saturday, I was uncommonly tired considering how well and how long I slept.

My health was on the decline. I took medicine, vitamin C, and caffeine and hoped, out of all of those, that something would make me feel better.

I was wrong. My body became tired from being so sick I crashed on the couch come 9pm.

This morning I awoke with my head throbbing, my body weak, my stomach gurgling.

While I committed myself to putting on hair and makeup (as I always feel better after that), I decided I would sport the day in my PJs: an oversized shirt and oversized yoga pants.

That is, until Mr Hunter called. Mr Hunter was about 45 minutes away and was supposed to be home this morning but plans had changed.

"Could you bring me my laptop, charger, and a set of extra clothes?" he asked.

So I changed my pants, put on some shoes, put the kiddos in the car and we road-tripped for almost two hours.

But first, my daughter snapped a couple photos.

And thankfully, I felt pretty good...until coming home where I took a solid, two hour nap.

The look, circa 2009:

Several months ago I decided to try out an Autumn makeup look, using red and orange eyeshadows, colors that I haven't used in years because every time I did, I would end up looking sickly or like my eyes had some serious infection.

How pleased I was when this attempt far exceeded my expectations. I loved it so much I decided to take a few pictures, savoring the probable only time that I will ever be able to pull off red and orange eyeshadow again (as I have incredible beginner's luck).

(And many, many thanks to all my Facebook friends for complimenting this look! It warmed my heart and I felt so much love and support. You all know how much makeup is my art, my form of expression and to be complimented on it means a great deal.)

But, a little while ago, as I was getting ready for the day I remembered an old eyeshadow palette that I bought way back in 2009 for the highly expensive cost of $15.

(Source: Amazon)

One Sunday, in 2009, I had a friend come to me and say that she just became a Mary Kay consultant. She was in training and would like to me attend a special meeting that other woman in training would be attending also.

I reflected for a moment before responding.

I've been to these.

Many times.

I will be sat down, given a mirror and a few makeup samples, a small amount of foundation that is too dark for me, a disposable makeup brush with not nearly enough product on it to enhance these stubs that protrude from my lids, and asked to remove my makeup before applying theirs.

I hesitated my answer because in the past, I've turned out looking the same....

...like slop...

...only to feel pressured to buy products that I know are incredible, but being a mother of three, having just started a business with my husband the year prior, the extra cost on something like makeup could not be justified.

While I may not have all the makeup "know hows" or use the exact colors that are the "right" shade for me, why is it I find that I look better wearing my own style of makeup than I do when I attend these parties, using their high-end products, looking like I had put my makeup on in the dark?

Was it me? It had to be me. With so many people loving and using their products, surely, I was the one with the issues.

I looked over at my friend, wanting to support her new business venture, knowing how much that kind of support means, and told her I'd see her there.

And on that Tuesday night, I did exactly what they told me to do, took off all my makeup and applied theirs.

And after we had all put on our makeup, some looking great while I looked hideous, we had the privilege of going to another room full of consultants and soon-to-be consultants and showed off our  fresh faces. 

I tried my best to hide behind the tallest ladies there, with little success. I could swear that everyone who looked at me, cringed. I was now ready for this evening to be over, to run far from these people, and pray they'll block my image from their mind.

But one thing I did enjoy were the new colors Mary Kay was sporting for 2009 (I could have the year wrong, perhaps 2008). 

And it could very well be because these colors were bright but not too bright and fun but didn't look so much like a little girl's play makeup palette.

Or, it could be that the MK women in this meeting talked up this palette to be incredible. 

"Ladies, I know you're going to be upset hearing this," one consultant said, beaming with excitement, "But the sample colors these women are wearing (referring to my group of ladies) are coming from the Coastal Colors palette! That's right, they are wearing the samples a MONTH BEFORE these are out for purchase!"

The ladies in the room, still staring (cringing) at us, oohed and awed and even groaned at the sound of it.

"There must be something really great about these colors! I need to have this," I remember saying. 

And therefore I decided to put in an order for it. I remember spending far too long of time justifying this purchase. Fifteen dollars for this 2" x 2" pan of shadow that held three colors, one of which I didn't even want, was tough for me considering the last time I paid $15 for makeup was about ten years prior for another Mary Kay product that I never bought again.

I bit my lip and handed over the check, feeling a part of my heart sink, worried that I was being frivolous during a time our funds were limited.

That feeling of doom didn't last long for as soon as my order came in, I gushed over it so much that that was the only shadow I wore until it was gone. And I sure got many compliments on it. I wore it with a blue eyeliner pencil and either blue or black mascara.

On this day, I decided to re-create the look, however many years later. To see if I really do look as great as I thought I did, as others said I did.

(I wish I had a photo available of me from 2009, wearing this look. If I find one, I'll immediately post it here.)

While I don't have the exact shadow palette, I do have colors that are very close to it.

Since 2009 I've learned what colors look best on me and what doesn't. Spring colors certainly don't look the greatest on me. But I had it in my mind that these colors, the colors everyone said looked great on me, would prove that all wrong. This would show that I could indeed wear any color I wanted and be able to pull it off.

While doing this photo shoot I, for the life of me, could not seem to make my pictures turn out well. I realized I didn't feel as comfortable in this look as I did in my Autumn photoshoot. Could that have been why I felt so off? Or could it have been because I was ill? I honestly don't know and won't know until I wear this look again....which may be far from now.

But I definitely worked it and owned it as much as I could. ;)

What do you think? Can I pull off this look now, 6 years later?

What were some makeup trends you followed? Would you recreate that look now if you could?

I'm still in process of proofreading. Please be patient with me as I make changes over the next few days. :)

I don't know much about astrology.

All I know is that the full moon can give me anxiety...even though I usually feel the effects of the full moon a couple days before. I don't know why that is...I don't know why a lot of things are. They just...

ARE.

For all those that say that the full moon and the "tales" that happen during the full moon (example: heightened violence--police reports, increase of women going into labor, people having exceptionally bad days) is nothing but that, just tales, I must disagree.

I did a video about it a year or two ago but the video has since gone "unlisted" (here's a short post about it instead). Long story. If you read my most popular posts, you'd probably gather why that is. But the long and the short of the video was this:

The full moon does affect people.

And just as the full moon affects people, so does what is called Mercury in Retrograde.

Here's a definition of what that is:

It's because Mercury rules communication, clear thinking, truth and travel, so when the planet goes retrograde — which means that it looks like it's going backwards in the sky — all those things go backwards. They start to get ugly and tangle up.

(Source by Gala Darling: http://galadarling.com/article/how-to-survive-mercury-retrograde/)

Urban Dictionary put it into these words:

A three week period in which the planet Mercury to appears to be in backwards motion. 
During this time human beings experience many adverse effects, such as memory loss, loss of time, loss of items, loss of common sense. As for technology many unexpected glitches occur during this time, such as software crashes and emails getting lost 

One lady I am subscribed to on YouTube posted this video and goes into even better detail as to what Mercury Retrograde is:

Thanks Kendall!

(Please Note: Some--albeit very little--language is used)

If you were to ask me, Mercury in Retrograde is nothing but a three-week-long full moon.

I'm affected the same.

I get just as much anxiety, if not more.

I remember a week ago a friend posting on Facebook about Mercury being in retrograde and while I scrolled through my newsfeed and caught a glimpse of her post the thought that crossed my mind was, "AGAIN?"

This unfortunate season happens three to four times a year.

The last one covered May and June and I still carry scars from the mess that had me in. I was counting down the DAYS and then the HOURS until it was over. I woke up to anxiety. I felt it all day long. I slept to avoid it, only to bring morning sooner with more anxiety.

Well, a couple weeks ago I noticed something.

A lot of the people I normally come in contact with have been acting irritable, stressed, absent-minded, or lax. 

Even people I hardly know seemed to give off the impression that they are on edge.

This started with my friend that I see maybe once or twice a week at the gym. A couple weeks ago he stopped keeping up with our usual conversations. Usual conversations = the weather (literally), work, hobbies, what we did for the weekend and what plans we have for the weekend.

Between those topics, we can keep a conversation going without a hiccup.

But last Monday he just stopped keeping up with the conversation. And I, in turn, had to drum up more topics to keep our chat going. It wasn't like he didn't want to talk to me, he just seemed stressed, like his mind was somewhere else. 

Another example is a good friend of mine. I haven't seen her in over two months, which is typical as she's very busy and between our two schedules, getting together is harder than we'd like. I finally saw her a few days ago but felt like the cohesiveness between us had been jilted. Even her husband seemed out of sorts. She left the activity we usually attend together without saying goodbye, sat in her car and didn't look up at me as I passed.

Another friend, whom I've known to be quiet and reserved was now rude, talked down to me and showed no remorse for it.

The neighbor's boyfriend, whom I've talked with a couple times, has been irritable the last two times we dropped the kids off at the bus stop.

And I could list several more.

"What is going ON?" I found myself saying the other day; a knot of confusion weighing down the pit of my stomach. I spent an afternoon wondering what I had done. Surely if the majority of people that I'm running into or talk to on a normal basis are not treating me the same as they usually do, then I'm the problem, right?

And then, while gathering groceries at the store it was as though an angel walked up and talked into my ear. My thoughts on what vegetables I needed to buy suddenly shifted. I found myself whispering under my breath as I exhaled, "Oh right...Mercury is in retrograde."

My friend, Jonelle, sent me this image. How perfect it is for explaining and preparing for the funk that we'll be put in.

Thanks, girl!

So if you ever find that you're going through a funk that's lasting longer than a week, consider that it could be Mercury in Retrograde...and know that it will soon be over, after those long, dragging three weeks of sun-rises and sunsets are done.

AND GOOD LUCK!

Note: Just as the full moon doesn't affect everyone, Mercury in Retrograde doesn't affect everyone either. While the last session of MR for me was terrible, I had friends who had little effect from it. While I have little effect from this round of MR, it seems like many of those around me are affected by it. It all boils down to astrology and where Mercury is stationed at the time of retrograde...which is information and details that go way over my head, as hard as I try to retain it.

Google is your friend though! What I can't help you with, it can.

I don't know how often I'll write these, even though at the moment I would love to say that every day I'll sit down and say a little something to my kids or to my family. I know that my writing falls short, is sub par. I know I'm not perfect, nor do I claim to be the world's best mother. But I do strive to teach my kids as God would have me. I don't care how any one else thinks I should rear my kids. No one has my same three kids and no one knows them like my husband and I do. But before that, not even we know them as much as God does. Therefore, we try our darnedest to hear the Lord, to hear our angels, to hear the Holy Ghost as they instruct us on how to not just raised good kids, but GREAT kids.

Tonight while tucking in my boys my youngest, age seven, held a small ice pack over his finger, just twenty minutes prior he jammed it and is now feeling throbbing pain from it.

As I go to kiss him goodnight he says to me something I've been hearing him say more often lately, "Every day is a bad day!"

I somberly told him that I didn't want to hear such words come out of his mouth anymore. How I want every day to be the best day for him. How I know that his future will have moments where every day WILL SEEM like a bad day.

But for now, while he's still little, while he still runs to me for hugs and kisses, while he's still under my care and concern, I don't ever, ever want him to believe that every day is a bad day.

The tears slid down his temples into his hairline, "It's because yesterday I fell down and then the day before..." as he goes on to justify why his days have been so bad, "And then tomorrow will be a bad day because my finger will still be hurting probably!"

I explained to him that the more he found each day to be a bad day, the more likely it was that the next day would be one too. "If it's our attitude that gives us a bad day, then our attitude can change it to make it good. And if it's not our attitude that makes it a bad day, maybe we can have a positive attitude so it won't get worse," I say.

My eyes looked at his sore finger, ice pack carefully placed on it, and considered this "bad day". I wanted to say more to him, things that wouldn't stick into his understanding at this age, especially right now while his mind was on the pain. But what I didn't tell him was my desire to ingrain those couple sentences so heavily into his subconscious now, while he's still young, before he grows to be an adult and either spends his life in "bad days" or spends a wrenching season of his life trying (if not his whole life) to remove what may be so seared into his soul that is deems nearly impossible.

I've been told, by just about everyone, that I think too much. That I over think things. That I could over analyze just about any situation.

And they're all right. But at that time I saw my little boy become a teenager, and then a grown man, going to bed every night with a lonely, heavy heart that I KNOW can be mended, but can be AVOIDED if my husband and I will do all we can to give him the tools he needs to take on the world, to rise above the hard times, to see the silver lining of his clouds, in other words, so the world doesn't take on him.

"You must understand that every day is a gift from God. Every morning when that sun rises that is Heavenly Father blessing us with another day to start fresh, even if it starts out with a sore finger."

He sighs, "OK...."

How I love my kids. How I hope that when I open my mouth to speak words of wisdom, comfort, guidance, love, that it is exactly what their souls need to hear. And I know that anything that I say that may be of help to them is not by my own voice. It's from God's.

My Dad had quite the tight spring in his finger. My siblings and I know this all too well. Being one of seven kids, I figured my Dad resorted to a good head-thumping to keep us in line as it was quick and easy, got the point (read: pain) across without raising his voice to us, no spanking needed, no dragging a kid to their room to think it over as being alone in our room was, let's get real here, with a small neighborhood living under one roof, a luxury. 

All he had to do was pull back his finger with his thumb and raise it over our head that had us shutting-up the "foul" language we were using, begging our teased siblings for forgiveness, instantly cleaning up our mess, whatever it was that we, the children, knew that he was coming after us for.

It's the worst when we didn't see it coming. We'd taunt our sibling in quiet, thinking everyone is out of earshot, when the world would shake with a loud crashing sound as our eyeballs rolled around in our head. Before we could come to, the swelling pain from one small spot on our head told us we were in big trouble mister. 

Yesterday I felt compelled to go on a genealogy site I'm a member of. In my search, in my father's ancestry line, I read the memories of his great grandmother. 

Needless to say, I laughed. 

Out loud. 

While we hated, HATED Dad's head thumping, at that moment I looked back on it with an amused grin, no doubt. Funny how odd characteristics (be it good or bad) are passed down from generation to generation. Old habits we have our children see and replicate.

I'm just grateful Dad didn't carry around a thimble.