Sunday Evening Musing

The first frost of the season arrived last night and was waiting for me on my windshield this morning when I left for church. I've been counting the trees along the OHB corridor of I-65 as their leaves change. This morning, the number went up significantly.

This afternoon was the Menagerie's annual Family Day at Barfield Cresent Park in Murfreesboro. I've known these girls for ten years, and remember when they were all dating their husbands and having their babies. I'm so humbled at how our love for each other continues to grow despite how different all of our lives are. And I don't know that my sweet friends realize how much I love their husbands and their babies too. I won't lie...I envy (albeit affectionately) their life stage, as I continue along in my singleness. But, it's hard to be bitter when I get to share my Capri Sun with my best friend's 2-year old daughter...especially when she grins at me and says, "mmmmmmmmmm."

Twice today, I had to drive past a sign that marks my past. Twice, I was reminded of how God has redeemed, freed, and transformed me!

I've used up my Boscia sample completely, and I'm not exactly taken. The product delivered on the cleansing, but it contains some kind of menthol ingredient that makes my eyes red. I've moved to the Origins product now. It smells a little like patchouli, which I dont mind, but I miss the citrus scent of the Lancome product. I tried to get a sample of the Bobbi Brown Cleansing Oil at the Belk counter last Thursday, but they were out of sample jars. At some point, anyway.

The past week was such a relaxing vacation. Seriously, I haven't thought about work at all, and even kind of forgot it existed. Here's why:

Oxymoron

For years, if you tried to convince me that rubbing oil on my face was a good way to rid my face of oil, I would've shut you down. Until now.

Throughout my teen years and into adulthood, I've had excessively oily skin. My bangs (when I had bangs) would stick to my forehead by the end of the day, and I would battle against new crops of acne on a weekly basis. I've purchased just about every product on the market heavily laden with salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and sodium laureth sulfate, only to be met with irritation and flaky dryness in spots...but the zits continued. My skin is oily, yet sensitive, and now, as I've hit 28, it's begun to dry itself out naturally. And with that, the fine lines have started to appear. In addition, since I've been on Yaz since January for my hormonal breakouts, I've noticed a huge difference in my skin's oil production.

So, my cleansing routine involving all of those harsh ingredients is a thing of the past. But it's been a battle to determine what works for my changing skin. Foaming cleansers are too drying. Cleansing creams don't seem to break down the makeup enough. What's a girl to do?

I read recently that a cleansing oil is beneficial for melting makeup and dirt without stripping your face of moisture. Desperate for a fix for my growing patches of dry skin, I've been on a quest to find a natural oil-based cleanser. After some research, I've composed a list of products I'd like to try.

I went to Sephora last night to stock up on my Bare Escentuals foundation, and while I was at Green Hills Mall, I got samples of the following products:

Lancome Huile Doucher Remove-All Deep Cleansing Oil

Boscia MakeUp-BreakUp Cool Cleansing Oil

Origins Clean Energy Gentle Cleansing Oil

Kiehls Oil-Based Cleanser and Make-up Remover

L'Occitane Almond Apple Cleansing Oil

I've got about ten more oil cleansing products that are on my list to try. I haven't been able to find them in retail, which means I can't get samples. I'm working on this.

Last night, I used the sample of the Lancome product to wash my face. I was instructed to pour about a teaspoon of oil into my palm, and massage into my face and onto my eyes. Then, I wet my fingers, and continued to massage the product into my skin. When emulsified by water, the product becomes like a cleansing milk, and then rinses away. I was shocked at how well it removed my makeup, leaving not a trace of concealer or eyeliner. My skin didn't need an immediate application of moisturizer, and all night long, I had a hard time keeping my hands off my soft, clean skin. And, I loved the citrus scent of this product. But, I do know that the Lancome oil contains mineral oil, which will be the death of this product for me. Mineral oil is a byproduct of the distillation of gasoline from crude oil. Mineral oil is commonly found in thousands of beauty products, but is widely known to clog pores and do all kinds of bad things to your skin and body. So, this will probably be my only go-round with the Lancome product.

Tonight? Boscia.

Spoon Me

Last night, I was at Marissa's house for Book Club when she began to set the table for dinner. On the menu for the evening? Soup. Hadley and I were sitting in the living room chatting, when Marissa interrupted and asked, "Mary Anna, do you want a big spoon or a small spoon? I know you're particular when it comes to your spoons."

"I am? Oh yeah, I am..."

You see, there's a big difference in the functionality of a big spoon versus a small spoon. Depending on the viscosity of a substance, either spoon may be employed. For instance, soup and cereal require a larger spoon, as to gain surface area for the liquid or substance (in my case, Cheerios or Frosted Mini Wheats) to rest. Inversely, a small spoon is necessary for foods like yogurt and ice cream, as smaller bites are required.

While the above paragraph describes the normal, everyday thoughts rolling around in my brain, I didn't realize others might also be privy to my neuroses. On one hand, I was pleased that a good friend of mine knows me so well that she thought to ask me what type of spoon I prefer. On the other hand, I wondered, am I really that weird?

I hear the train a comin'

I was laying in bed last night around midnight, trying to sort through a point of frustration for me right now, and I heard the blaring horn of a freight train about a mile away. This is a sweet and comforting sound for me, as it sounds like home. I've been able to hear the train every place I've ever lived. It used to echo off the trees on Calendar Lane and bounce through the hills of Long Hollow into my childhood bedroom at night. When I was in college, I could hear it whistle through the courtyard into my dorm room window. My first apartment post-college was located at one of the highest points in Cool Springs, and the I could look down and see it rolling along the Vanderbilt Legends Club in the valley. And now, the trains roam in Berry Hill, filling all of 12 South with their cacophony. It's a simple pleasure, really, but one that is uniquely mine.

Humble Thyself

Yesterday around 4:15, I picked up my CWJC merea, D, from her janitorial job at Vanderbilt. She hopped in the car, and I started driving toward Hillsboro. We were on our way to The Dog of Nashville, a gourmet hot dog restaurant off Belcourt. As we approached a gas station on our left, I commented about how high the gas prices are around here, and wondered if they would ever go back down. She chimed in agreeably, "I know. I used to be able to make a phone call at a pay phone for 25 cents, and it's gone up to 50 cents now."

Ouch. I am complaining about the affordability of gas to a person who has no car, no cell phone, no cable television, and barely makes ends meet. I am complaining to a person who takes the city bus and who walks miles to get from place to place. I am complaining to a person that never has access to the convenience of a phone ringing in her purse, and who struggles to locate pay phones, as they're becoming more scarce these days. I am complaining to a person who works weekends and cleans up after the messes that others make.

Cut yourself a big ol' slice of humble pie, Mary Anna.

Leaf, P.I.

The fall foliage tracker and maps are up on the Weather Channel. You can view them here.

I believe a weekend drive down scenic Natchez Trace is in order soon! This is going to be the most gorgeous Tennessee autumn!

Autumnal Nostalgia

We're officially five days into my favorite season of the year, yet today was the first day that actually felt like autumn. All of this rain we've been having has suppressed the crisp air and amped up the humidity. The sun is finally back. So, what did I do to celebrate? I went to the pool. Steph and I spent three glorious hours in the sun and we barely broke a sweat. And, we managed to save a drowning grasshopper and kill two bumblebees with one stone. Just doing our part to make the world a better place.

An anomaly occurred Friday night, when all four of the foxes on Knox found ourselves without plans as of 8 p.m. So, we texted some girlfriends, piled in the car, and headed down to the theater in the hood to watch the late showing of Fame on opening night. As we entered the building, we saw five or so other gals we all knew with the same intention. Imagine that....a grand total of 13 single girls without dates on a Friday night. Shocker. Anyway, Fame was rather lame, but it was nice to get out of the house.

I got my London and Paris '08 photos organized this weekend. The plan is to build an album on Blurb. After carefully combing through thousands of pictures, only 300 made the cut. I'm envisioning a 150 page album, and thankfully, Blurb will accommodate in an economical fashion. So many other sites charge at least a dollar per page after 20. Ridiculous.

Bible study was at 50% tonight, as Siebe, Steph and I were the only ones in town. We just started a new study on the twelve apostles, with John MacArthur's Twelve Ordinary Men as our framework. One overriding characteristic of the twelve is how ordinary these men were. Christ didn't choose Jewish scholars on purpose...He wanted people that were weak, so His glorification couldn't be justified by human intention. We asked ourselves the question, "would Christ have chosen me, among His thousands of followers, to be His disciple?" That's a tough question to answer. I'm sure I wouldn't have been one of the twelve, based on my own pride and self-righteousness alone. As I'm seeing myself grow in my relationship with Christ, it's becoming evident that He's refining my impurities. It's a difficult process, but one I am thankful for. Lately, I find myself praying Psalm 139:22-24 often, albeit reluctantly.

One item on the agenda for the week... Find someone tall to hand wash my car. My assigned parking "spot" at the house happens to fall downwind of our big pine tree in the front yard. RJ is caked with sap, and on top of that, dirt. He's been through the automatic several times, but this is going to take some elbow grease. And, my 5'4 isn't able to see the roof, much less reach it.

A few minutes ago, I got an email newsletter from the alumnae relations chair of my Alpha Delta Pi chapter in college. Sorority recruitment was a couple of weeks ago, and seeing the pictures of all the shiny, happy coeds in their starchy letter shirts sent pangs of sweet nostalgia through my body. I remember running into the chapter room on bid day with my bid card in-hand, having no idea how impactful those four years of Greek life would be for me. Such a happy time, and what a great joy to look back exactly ten years ago, and realize that I met some of my "life" friends on that day.