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Sunday, September 23, 2012

I Should Get Paid To Do This... Maybe

Last night was Baker High School's homecoming dance and I had the honor of doing my nieces' hair and makeup.  I had a fantastic time doing it and I'm proud of how they turned out so I am sharing it with you.

I will start with Lauren - only because she is the oldest.  (Lily hates it when I say that.)

She wore a red one-shouldered dress with ruching down the front and back.  She accessorized with black jewelry consisting of a bangle bracelet, a pear-shaped sparkly ring, and chandelier filagree earrings enhanced with red stones.  Her shoes were sparkly black pumps.  As for her hair and makeup, I had envisioned a sort of old Hollywood glamour look for her so I knew that dramatic eyeliner and a red lip would be perfect.  And I was right!  Her makeup turned out fantastic!  I started with the eyeliner, giving her a thick, black cat-eye look.  The rest of the eye was finished out with a neutral color shadow and black mascara.  And it was all finished off with the red lips.  Oh yeah - and I painted her nails using a black polish that had a shimmer effect to it.
For her hair, I did a braid-wrapped bun and sideswept bangs with a few wispy tendrils loose on each side.  I think it turned out beautiful.

And now for Lily...
Pictures do not do her dress justice.  It is a teal blue jersey dress with black matte sequins all over it.  She accessorized with a black leather wrap charm bracelet, a multi-faceted black dome ring, and black wire pendant-dangle earrings that matched the bracelet.  Her shoes were black leather pumps that had chains around the heel - very cool.  For her makeup, I started with a gold eyeshadow from brow to lash.  I lined the whole eye with teal green liner and then filled in the lid with gold eyeliner.  The eyes were finished off with black mascara and I used a nude lipstick to complete her look.

For Lily's hair, I wanted to try a beachy wave which I think turned out great.  I achieved this look by twisting sections of her hair and running a flat iron over them.  Then, I took the front section of her hair and twisted it, adding in sections along the way, and secured it with a bobby pin.  The end result was a beachy sort of mermaid look.  I loved it!
I think the girls' were happy with their looks.  They had a great time at the dance and now I can't wait until the next one! 

Here are some more pictures:
Stay tuned for the next installement!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Go Navy!

My thoughts this evening are with my brother in Virginia Beach.  Those of you that know him are aware that he has been in the US Navy since 1996.  About six weeks ago he was notified that he had been selected to become a Chief Petty Officer.  Advancement to Chief Petty Officer not only carries requirements of time in service, superior evaluation scores, and specialty examinations, but also carries an added requirement of peer review. A Chief Petty Officer can only advance after review by a selection board of serving Senior and Master Chief Petty Officers.  I am extremely proud of him as this validates all of his hard work and sacrifice. 

To commemorate the occasion, there is a pinning ceremony for all of the newly selected Chief's tomorrow.  My mother and father boarded a plane in Mobile this morning to make the trip to take part in this ceremony with their son.  I believe that my mother gets to actually "pin" him herself.  This is a momentous day for her as well because she had NEVER been on an airplane in her life before today.  (I'm happy to report that she did great!)  This also marks my father's first time ever to visit my brother in Virginia Beach, where he has lived essentially since he joined the Navy.  My parents and my sister-in-law will not get to see or talk to my brother until the ceremony tomorrow because he has to participate in some sort of initiation process this evening.  I can only imagine what that might be!

I really just want to take this opportunity to thank my brother for his service to his country.  I also want to commend him for his unwavering integrity and strong sense of family.  And for his strength because God knows he has that in spades.  I love you, brother!!