February 20, 2010
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{wrinkles are the road map life writes across your face}
I recently discovered another reason to love xanga…
I used to store all my photos on a back up hard drive.
Which crashed about six months ago.
We sent it away hoping for the data to be recovered.
Found out last week… it can’t.It took me awhile to get over my denial about that…
every single picture I ever took, since going digital,
was on that hard drive!
Which is basically every picture of Emma’s entire life.
Even now to write that I have a sick feeling coming up in my stomach,
which I’m pretty sure is not associated with pregnancy!I don’t know how you are…
but I was just never as good at getting my digital pictures printed as I was my film.
Of course, I had great aspirations too – and all kinds of beautiful scrapbooks put together in my mind.
I wish I would have had a better system of putting them on cd’s and printing them off right away.So, xanga has now become a precious time capsule…
housing some of the only shots I have left of the ones I’ve taken through the years.Which brings me to a question…
Has anyone saved/ backed up their xanga? and how?I’d love to eventually take all the post pertaining to my family and put them in a mini book of sorts…
I’ve started some projects here.I think that would be a neat keepsake for the kids.
= = ~ = = ~ = =
Speaking of stress {is that what I was talking about?}
After years of basking in the sun without sunscreen…
washing my face in a hurry…
and never drinking enough water…the results are in.
All over my face.
So, I think it’s time for some damage control…
I’ve got a little birthday stash and would love to invest it in a nice facial product~
What are some of your favorite face creams to use?My mom swears by Dove soap and Oil of Olay.
But I unfortunately did not inherit her skin…
mine is super sensitive and both cause my face to break out.Shayne has been doing some work for a husband/ wife team of plastic surgeons…
I asked him if he could possibly swap his skill for a little of theirs on my face -
he didn’t go for the idea. kidding aside…
I really don’t mind growing older.
I like the contentment and settling of who you are within yourself that comes with it.All those little lines across the face seem to serve as a reminder of the roads we’ve traveled to get there.
Still, roads need maintenance from time to time..
so face cream suggestions would be great. Here’s one of favorite messages on comparing,
and embracing genuine beauty.“When it comes to staying young, a mind-lift beats a face-lift any day.”
Comments (61)
Have you ever had a facial? I had my first one on my b-day and it was great! You might get some good advice from a spa person (whatever they’re called, LOL)…..I personally use water to wash my face, vaseline to remove the mascara around my eyes (even though the jar says not to, oops)….I put vaseline on my lips every night before bed (just a tad, to keep the chapped feeling away) and I slather on oil of olay (with sunscreen) morning and evening.
Wrinkles are just part of life, but it sure feels really great to take good care of ourselves…..and I’m sure our Father is pleased when we do, too.
Oh, and I try to keep a cup in the bathroom, every time I go, I drink down another cup of water. (that’s the idea anyways, sometimes it doesn’t happen)…..
I’ll have to ask Hannah…Aveda has some great products.
I just came home from a FIVE hour hair cut at Aveda, where she goes to school…I am the proud older sister sporting her first ever hair cut (and hopefully the longest!)
Also…you really should put a book (or five) together. I know I’m sounding like a broken record here…I would buy every one of them!
I just back up all my Xanga posts to my PC and also to an exterior hard drive, but the pics have been re-sized, so they wouldn’t print well anyway. I do print my people pics, but still would hate to lose all those bird shots that I don’t process! How does an exterior hard drive crash anyway ~ guess I never even considered that it would! Mine isn’t plugged in all the time ~ only when I back up every couple of weeks or so. I fill a bit illiterate about all this. Guess I should just get a huge flash drive and back everything up on that too ???? This stuff is a constant learning curve for me.
As for wrinkles ~ I just let ‘em come ~ every single thing I put on my face breaks it out ~ wrinkles are far less painful ~
I use a product from drlark.com called squalene. It is natural, used to be a deep sea shark oil, but recently they switched to trilene which is plant based. I am in the next older generation,over 50, and my face has dried a lot. At night it feels so good to put this on and have it soak in. I am just careful about not wanting to put a moisturizer on my face that is just a bunch of chemicals…as those absorb into the body!! When I started using this I felt like a lot of dry lines disappeared. A bottle lasts me most of the year.
Another company to check out is DHCcare.com they will send you a catalog with free samples. Very nice stuff and again, more natural.
The brown spots have come now, so I am on the lookout for something to help with that. I will have to check back
I am sure you are in the glowing stage right now
oh! i can’t imagine losing xanga ever! i hope it is NOT possible! i, too, have the same question as you. what is the best, cost effective way, of printing out our xanga posts? to put in book form? i wonder if a printing place could even print, and bind, them. YES! i’d like to know the answer to these questions also.
i do not like the wrinkles that are quickly appearing right now though. i wash my face with water only….so i have no suggestions. 
as far as skin? well, i’ve had exceptionally oily skin all my life. i am just appreciating the dryness right now.
i am just SO HAPPY that God is giving you the great desire of your heart, amber! i just smile when i think of you!
I am the same way, I think I have about 10 printed pictures of Allison and Sophia’s whole life! I say to Jeff all the time I’m going to print out pictures every week, and I never have! Sorry you lost all yours, I can’t imagine. I have never been an expensive, high maintenance type of girl, but I did tell Jeff a few years ago to start saving for my later years. I’m too vane to grow old gracefully! Haha. I’m just joking….sort of. =) I have seen that video before, it’s really neat to watch, but sad that this is the image of beauty we’re given. It’s not real! I like that Dove portrays real women the way they really look. You are right, a mind lift is better anyday.
oh my. the picture developing just does n.o.t. happen for me either since we went digital. I have GOT to do something with the zillions of pictures I have on our computer…I just cringe to think of losing them. They take up so much memory space, and if I would get them off the computer, I’m sure it would free up tons of memory..
too much basking in the sun…know ALL about it. and, it maketh me groan. on top of that, my family is prone to dark circles under the eyes, and general blotchiness; ain’t that lookin’ purty?!
I know it’s a bit pricey, but I’ve been using Clinique for for 10+ years, and I ♥,♥,♥ the stuff. They have some amazing eye creams, cleansers, toners and makeups. And, while they are not your Covergirl prices, they do last a really long time. And, once or twice a year, the Clinique counters at the department stores will have a ‘free with purchase’ goodie bag that contains some awesome samples. I try to wait to make my purchases til then, and end up with new makeup, or cleansers, and or lotions to further prolong the supply that I have on hand.
And, I think it was Shanda who said facials are great? They really do something wonderful for your skin. I cannot afford them, but have been blessed with gifts of such services a couple times and that is an awesome gift!
And, for the record? I think you look beautiful….even if you may have a couple wrinkles!;D
♥ ya~
R
My mom has always had a skin ritual and used Noxzema to wash her face then moisturize it with some special jar of something and has lovely skin. I loved watching her do this routine when I was a kid. I could never use the Noxzema because it made my eyes burn but I picked up on the habit of moisturizer. The older I get the more expensive the cream gets. I’ve been using Biotherm and really like it.
I have no idea about the back up questions…I only know with my camera I have a card in it with a huge storage and I don’t think it can be corrupted but I’m not sure…really I’m no help at all with computer or camera questions!!
Being a natural redhead, I have SUPER dry skin. I learned from my grandmother at a very young age, that Baby Magic would be my very best friend. In fact, my granfather used to lovingly call my grndmother ’the greasy pig’ – because after every shower/bath she never used a towel to dry off, but instead stood in the shower and applied baby magic from head to toe. While drying her hair etc. she let the lotion and water soak into her skin. Let me tell you – even with being raised in blistering heat, and a spending her adulthood in a beach town – MeMe’s (thats what we called her) skin was like silk!
I learned form a dermatologist that we cannot change our skin type, although we can help it out lots by what we do/don’t do. I’m not the best about doing much – other than having 18 bottles of baby magic lotion throughout the house
I LOVE the stuff, and say if I were ever stuck on an island alone – all I would need for survival is my Bible and baby magic lotion!
I’ll agree with your mom on liking Oil of Olay. I use their facial cream that comes in a jar – and it also has SPF for sun protection. Although, I am not totally sure if that is the BEST stuff for anti aging etc.
After having a very rare breakout, with many tiny pimples on my forehead, last week I was also asking the same thing …. what should I start doing to take better care of my skin! So … let us all know what you find out
Hugs and a BIG CONGRATULATIONS on your very special news, of a very special someone on the way!!
Ohhh, I am so sorry about your hard drive. We have a few really precious things on a couple different computers and some of them on a flashdrive, but a lot of our stuff is pretty vulnerable, I suppose.
We crashed recently, but were able to recover it all, PTL, so that has made us think about it a bit, though I really don’t have the answer.
I’m going to read all your responses and see if anyone has wonderful advice on the skin issue, because mine sounds sort of like yours. I never did anything with it for years and it was fine, but suddenly about 5 years ago it started getting very dry, and ANY moisturizer I’ve tried makes it break out. I am so sick of being either flaky or spotted.
I don’t mind the “real” wrinkles much, but those crinkle lines that are simply from dryness are awful.
And I love that video–had to watch it again. I need to remind myself of that when I’m standing in the supermarket checkout line looking at magazine covers!
I really don’t need to use a face cream or such yet, but I’m a believer that what you do younger on your face reflects older – my mom has researched this type of thing out so much and has clued me in to what I should be doing now to be better off in the future. My mom has amazing skin for her age and I’ve watched what she does and I’m hoping for the same result
. Smart sun exposer in my opinion is better than chemical sunscreen. Some of the worse skin situations I’ve seen are those who have slapped on the sunscreen (chemical) all their lives. The chemicals damage as much as the sun.
onto facials. I use what is called Topical Deep Water Squalane Skin Moisturizer. (ocean actives skin therapy.) It’s 100% natural and pure. You can check it out at drlark.com I think. I also have used straight vitamin E oil for ten years – on my face and skin, legs, arms, feet, hands – again, I’m one for going natural so yeah I love that stuff!~ does more and better in my opinion than a creme filled with all kinds things I can’t even say. Another one is derma E – again a Vit. E but a deeper moisturizing formula – great for morning and under the eyes when you don’t get sleep~ good for mommies w/ babies.
course as some of my older friends say, one can just keep using photoshop and live in denial haha!
But I prefer reality and authenticity. There is nothing as pretty in my mind than a woman who ages gracefully in her heart. It shows all over. I’ve known a few – they are truly beautiful. They accept that youth doesn’t satisfy and it’s amazing how these women who do that, seems that less is more for them as well when it comes to what they do w/ their outward. I think that’s cool.
yeah, I’ve loved that utube clip – one of my favs.
drinking water is huge – and also sleep. I’ve heard sleep does more than cremes
so off I go.
What an awful feeling to lose all your photos like that…but He knows and He will give you the grace to live with it…now I bet you are glad that you had put so many on xanga! I will be reading with interest the comments on how to backup on xanga.
I am still a soap and water girl, and dry skin is a challenge for me too…even with daily use of eye creams, seems like the wrinkles still won’t be kept at bay. My favourite skin-care products are Clinique – I love them…but now that we are in mission work can’t afford them anymore, so I am looking for something new too…drinking a lot of water and eating as naturally as possible – for me a vegan diet makes all the difference in the world in keeping my skin clear – when I deviate it always shows up on my face!
Well, if it means anything ~ from the outside, looking in ~ you’re beautiful.
As far as creams go – I’ve heard using cream is not a good thing. If you do the research, actual “moisturizers” dehydrate the skin, leaving it wanting/needing more. Much like hot oil treatments on the hair is terrible. A good Vitamin E oil will do wonders as will good sleep (before midnight), exercise, and water (filtered if possible). And sunscreen is awful for us – forms a thin coat of plastic on our skin which is enriched with estrogens and when heated by the sun releases into our body (something that is causing miscarriages by the dozens now-a-days). Nope – being in the sun certain times of the day and out of the sun certain times of the day is the only way to enjoy the sun.
Likewise, I steer clear of all the nasty chemicals we face today. If I find one in a product I use I find a natural alternative. Antiperspirant/deoderant, soap, shampoo, toothpaste ~ all these things have been replaced in our home. I just have a hard time cleaning my skin, hair, and teeth with the same thing mechanics use to degrease their floors (sodium lauryl sulfate – aka SLS). Many lotions have this as an ingredient as well
( Oh boy, you’ve got me started on my soapbox now (tee hee hee). I would opt for the most natural way you can.
I am right there with you on the picture thing! haha My brother’s hard drive that had all of my pix from like ’04-’06 crashed…and all I had left was the pictures I had on my ancient xanga blog! haha
Thanks for stoppin’ by my blog that I never keep up… I think I need to revive it! We shall see!
I love you!
yls~
Amber,
I’ve seen you up close. You don’t have any wrinkles …I’m serious!! You just have good genes because those wrinkles just aren’t there and it ain’t make up or photoshop either!!!
I need to view that youtube again. When I watched it awhile back i remember thinking that she looked better before they did all that face stretching computer stuff. Silly silly stuff.
A couple of years ago, I used this product called Obagi (very expensive). It was supposed to be a long term routine but I quit after 6 weeks. At least the part that made you peel… I think it was retinol(?) ~Not worth it. (You can’t cover over peeling skin with make-up.)
As far as plastic surgery goes, some of the faces of these ladies that I’ve seen look a bit odd. Their eyebrows make them appear to have this perpetually surprised look on their faces. I don’t mean to be unkind, but between fake breast that look like cantaloupes and facial skin stretched out like canvass……… it’s just not a great look.
Jeff and I have been kicking around the idea of Carbonite for our computer back up, but we have to watch our Uploads and downloads. Our server only allows so many mega bytes (or whatever) per month. We need to do something though. We’ve already had one computer crash. Fortunately I download my pics on more than one computer, but that’s not all that’s on there.
So sorry about the pics, I could almost feel the sick feeling with you…=( about skin, I have to be very careful what I use because of breakouts when it comes to lotions, makeup, etc. When I had babies, I got hooked on using the baby wash even for myself as a mild soap, and I like to use that on my face, and sometimes sprinkle in a little baking soda. (I like to keep some beside the sink, and use it on my toothbrush occasionally too) A number of years ago i started making a beeswax lip balm. Very easy, just melt some beeswax and add oils like grapeseed, coconut, etc. I discovered it works great on the dry areas of my face too. I don’t use it real heavy mainly under my eyes and cheek bones as needed.
You know, this sounds so totally cheap/too good to be true, but have you ever tried olive oil? Extra virgin olive oil dabbled on a cotton ball and then blotted onto your face is a great remover, and then you can leave it all night and rinse off in the morning with hot water, or else just wipe off gently with a warm washcloth.
I love you. You’re so not wrinkly.
Wei East has a very good night cream. and a good eye cream. I love the el cheapo Wal mart brand facial cleansing wipes……they remove even the most dramatic eye make up quick and easy. (no grease, no stinging) and they are cheap.
I too am on the quest for good facial products. I dont drink enough wayer either, but I am trying to change that. After a couple of weeks of no sweet drinks, except some occasional sweet tea at supper, I found I dont want it anymore, I want water.
But from what I have researched myself to be the best, and am trying to figure out how to make it on my own, is the old fashioned rose water! I have more issues with brown spots, and most of my problem is upper eyelid. And I sure dont want a brow lift just to raise them! But it does make me look tired.
Just dont use ANYTHING with petroleum!
@purpleamethyst76 -
i use vaseline to remove my eye makeup too.. it seems to be the only thing that works well to really get all the goop off. but sometimes if i use too much my eyes feel foggy.
i have to go back and wash it off better~
If you want to save copies of your blog, as a premium member you can go to: http://www.xanga.com/private/Archives.aspx and they will create a backup for you which you can download. I just figured that all out again and realised the last time I had archived was in 2008 and was able to download the zip file and read the posts with no problem.
@hananielsgirl -
yes, i’ve used Aveda products and really like them. i love how their shampoo smells.
ha! too funny about the hair cut. i took kate once to a hair institute and it was the longest hair cut EVER!! sometime when i have six hours or so to spare i should go visit hannah!! it’ll be fun knowing a real live stylist. finally, right. :p
@foreveranoatneygirl -
Clinque is the make up i use… well, their foundation and powder and a few other things when i get the free bag.
theirs is one of the only make up lines that carries foundation w/out sunscreen!! and sunscreen breaks my face out…
i’ve heard alot of good things about Bare Escentuals. have you heard of that line? it’s supposed to be the new Clinique – only all natural.
i thought of looking into their stuff~
A Vi Peel. I did one about 8 months ago. It is intended to help remove sunspots and damaged skin, but it also removes fine lines. The results are subtle. An over all evening of your skin tone. You’ll see the difference every time you look in the mirror and your friends that don’t know you had one will just wonder why all of a sudden youre looking a bit more refreshed!
That is so depressing about your hard drive. I am so, so sorry. I’m a digital gal, too, so I feel your pain. I need to find a better back up solution myself.
About the wrinkles, I swear by Avon’s Anew line. They have a new product out called Reversalist, and I am hooked. It has really evened out my skin tone and makes my sensitive skin so soft.
You could have all your pictures backed up onto cd’s like we did…they were all stolen when our home was broken into Dec 5th! Thankfully I’m a few years behind and my computer has the last several years photo’s on it. My albums are up to date until 2006/2007 That is one of my Spring Cleaning type projects… get up to date.
I have been using Mary Kay TimeWise for the past couple of years and love the line of moisturizing stuff. I use Olay Daily Facial Cloths to wash my face when it has makeup on it. The Mary Kay stuff is light on my skin and well absorbed. I don’t mind the wrinkles and spots and all the other stuff. I do care a bit about gray hair. I fear if I stopped coloring my hair, I’d look like my 7 year old son’s grandma.
A year or so ago there were links floating around to have your blog posts made into books. I don’t remember which one of my friends mentioned it…yikes…another things about going old…selective memory!
I’m reading a book right now called “Healthy at 100″ and the author tells about a community somewhere in/near Russia that has one of the oldest populations in the world. They value age and aging and would NEVER tell someone that they look young because they see aging as something to be honored. Wouldn’t it be nice if our society had that view, at least a little bit? I hate that there is such negativity associated with aging, especially for women. It’s sad that we are fed such an unrealistic (and FAKE at that!) view of beauty. I must ask, did they write “advanced maternal age” on your OB chart??? I just hate that!!!
BTW- you are young and beautiful!
When my card gets full, I go to Walmart and have everything put on CDs and label them, then print my favorites. I feel completely overwhelmed with all of the pictures I have but I know that one day I will have time to get them all in albums- that’s what I tell myself anyway!
I’ll be interested to hear what you find out about backing up xanga, or making it into some kind of memory book. I quit using xanga a while back, but there is a lot on there from when my first two were babies, and I would love to save it somehow.
About 4.5 years ago, just before the birth of my second, I started using Mary Kay, and was amazed at how well my skin did – even through all the hormone transitions that happen after the birth of a child. About three months after he was born I started selling Mary Kay, and I still love it today. I used to think it was for “old ladies”, but it definitely is not! (And they do have a foundation with out sunscreen.) I would love to send some samples to you if you’re interested! (You can contact me on facebook!)
Whatever you choose to do, I would highly recommend that you discontinue the use of vaseline on your eyes. It is very thick and heavy, and my dermatologist told me that it is difficult to remove it completely and that it will prevent your skin from “breathing”.
I was at my mother’s house one day, and she was complaining about the wrinkles she had in her face. I told her that I had heard that wrinkles are simply laugh lines. She looked in the mirror and replied, “Well there ain’t nothing that damn funny!!” I about died laughing!!!
My daughter was about 4 when we were visiting my grandmother who also had a friend visiting her that day. Lucille, my grandmothers 72 yr old friend, was telling us stories after stories, and was absolutely hilarious! I realized that the only person in the room not laughing was my 4 yr old daughter, who was very intently staring at Lucille. I asked my daughter what she was thinking about, and out of the mouths of babes, she looked straight at Lucille and said “WHERE DID YOU GET ALL THOSE CRACKS IN YOUR FACE????” Needless to say, I just about died of embarrassment, but Lucille got a huge chuckle out of it, and said to my daughter, “Honey, when you get to be my age, you’ll have cracks in your face too!” LOL LOL I’m glad she had such a good sense of humor!!!
So the moral of this story is: Laugh and world laughs with you….cracks or no cracks!!
I think you’re adorable!
@Hutch5 - All the girls in my family use Bare Escentuals. They kept on telling me I would love it. Finally my sister Gianna gave me a little makeover with it, and I loved it! It’s really light on your skin, and I couldn’t believe how much a thin application covered up. It’s worth getting!
have you tried coconut oil?? i put it all over my face, then wait a while and then take a super hot/warm wet wash rag and put it over my face, steaming it in a sense, and opening the pores to release toxins.. and the coconut oil is SUPER good for your skn, body, and hair… something to look into maybe? SOOOOOOOOO sorry about the pictures…. oh my goodness. i just feel sick for you. i have been very convicted about not doing more with my images for my fam and this year i have committed to getting them into some photobooks this year at the very least. i do back up my pics, though, on a monthly to quarterly basis on both an external harddrive (check out the passport drives – western digital i think – that are under 100 dollars…. so worth it!) and dvd’s. dvd’s are super cheap and that is the easiest way to back up regularly. I organize my images on my computer by year then have folders for each month of the year and inside each month folder are the various events or such that i took pics of that month. that way, when i go to back them up, i can just add the month(s) at a time to my disk without trying to figure out what i need to back up etc. does that make sense??
Oh no! Not your pictures! I am so very sorry. sick. sick. sick.
No help here from your not very tech-y friend.
I can only back up vehicles.
Ok. I know. NOT funny.
Love all the info about moisturizers!!!
Oh my. I am learning so much here!
I am a visual aid for what not to do. And why.
There’s a road map alright. A topographical one.
I have always had dry skin, enjoyed the sun, and broke all the other skin rules.
Paying for it now. sigh.
Somewhere I read that a truly beautiful woman is a loved woman…
Not something that any one person on this planet is going to get just right for me, ya know?!
And from a private post of mine…thoughts from Beth Moore…
When beauty is something that you do, instead of who you are, you can never do enough.
But hand over the moisturizer and make-up…to help fill in that big ole’ gap of time between now and
when HE gets my heart all beautiful the way He wants it!!!!
Wow! What a video! SO I guess that means we are ALL beautiful!!!
I accidentally erased all of my saved pics on my camera. I was sick. Then, my computer crashed and I almost lost more. Fortunately, I retrieved them from Xanga and I am in the process of preparing them to be sent to Wal-Mart (via email) to have prints made. I have more than 2 years of birthday parties, holidays, etc. pictures that have never been printed.
My facial routine? You may not want to hear this, but I’ve done it all my life and people compliment my skin frequently (they say stuff like “Gosh! for your age . . . ). I use my PH balanced shampoo on my face to wash it and the thickest body moisturizer I can find. In the winter, it’s normally Bath & Body Works’ shea butter after bath cream (not lotion, CREAM!). If I don’t use a heavy moisturizer I itch and my skin begins to flake in the winter. Of course, you could stop smiling, frowning, laughing and that would slow down the wrinkles! You know – don’t “feel” anything! LOL!!
Oh Amber, it was so very hard to read this. I am so sorry. I can imagine your mind goes over and over the pictures you have cherished. This sounds like something you probably have to hand to the Lord - for peace in your heart. I guess I’m thinking what I would have to do….over and over and over again!
If these next words don’t sound like me – you’re correct! I asked my dear Nevin what he does to assure our protection. Quote: It is true the external hard drive can crash and we have ours on only when we are backing up- which is about 60 minutes a month. Then we pull out the electric plug and the USB cable in case of thunder storms or a power surge. We keep everything on our computer, including our pictures. And we back everything – programs and all – on the external hard drive. So when the computer hard drive fails, we can install everything from the external hard drive to the computer and are ready to go….which we have experienced once already. Yes, both hard drives can fail but slim chance that they will fail at the exact same time. Because of minimum use of the external hard drive, it should last a long time. And when it fails, we have everything on the computer hard drive. (Me again – I do print about 80 percent of my pictures – “just in case.”) ~Blessings
I meant to comment on the pictures. You should ask Alyssa, she has said things before on her blog about backing up or archiving xanga, maybe she was talking about what someone above mentioned.
Love coming back and reading the comments of everyone. Quite the forum. Just wish we were all sitting on a porch somewhere
I just started using Mary Kay day and night solutions faithfully and I can tell a huge difference in my skin. I’ve had the stuff for several years and just now (age 31) decided to get serious about using it! I am very happy with it! I also use the cleanser and moisturizer along with their bronzing powder and mascara. I love their stuff! And, no, I don’t sell the stuff-just truly like it, so I’m sharing!
I didn’t read all of the above comments, so this may have already been said, but Xanga archives all of your posts, from day one. You can go into the “Archive” link and request that your files be updated, which takes the archives up to the date of request. You can update as often as you want. The next morning, you will have a zip file that contains all of your posts-to-date. I save these on my hard drive and, yes, I have printed many of them out and literally taped them into a journal. It requires time and effort to do it that way (re-sizing, etc.), but you can print them in the archived format, which I’ve also done and put in a 3-ring binder for one full year. It takes up a lot of space, and requires a lot of paper for printing, so I went back to re-sizing and taping into journal. Hope that helps. You can message me if you need help with this.
I second the Coconut Oil suggestion! My skin is super dry and doesn’t really like the chemical lotions. I don’t break out, but I just feel like my skin is clogged. But after trying so many different lotions and creams, I started using coconut oil awhile back, and I just LOVE it! It’s really the best thing! Just try it for a day and I bet you will probably love it!
just my $0.02.
It was fun to read everyone’s thoughts on skin care… just rats that we have to deal with wrinkled and aging skin conditions. (thanks to Eve aye?)
I’m a big Mary Kay fan . Been very happy with the results of the product. Love their TimeWise cleanser and moisterizer and eye cream especially. I had a sunspot on my cheek and the TW even complexion solution got rid of it. hooray. I’m one of those that regrets not making smarter choices when I was younger concerning sun protection.
Just last week I was looking at my eye wrinkles and wondering how they just all showed up at once…. help… i’m looking my age. I do realize skin breaks down very slowly over a long length of time… i only wish i would’ve thought about that when I was 20.
So sorry about all your pictures and I would be in the same shoes. Thanks for reminding me to get them onto CD’s.
Regardless of the wrinkles, I think you’re beautiful. (& not that i ever noticed any)
I like uploading my pictures to snapfish as my back up. You can order prints from there and also create cure gifts and even photo books!
I was awful at backing up pictures and such.. so after our hard drive crashed, I started doing snapfish. So, every time I upload new pics to my computer I also upload them to snapfish. You can also email and share them. 
~hugs~
Lanitha
This was like being at a makeup counter. I love to dabble with makeup–I admit I’m a skin care/makeup junkie. I have used Mary Kay but it was too heavy and made me break out. I really like the Bare Escentuals line. Is there a BE boutique near you? If not, I know Sephora carries it. I love walking around Sephora, it’s like a make up candy store for women : -).
wrinkles, shminkles! don’t look a day over 29!
i feel sick FOR you about your dead hard drive. so sorry. i might would have to go to therapy over that one! LOL!
ready to see some baby bump pics!
stacey
I am one of those who don’t print my photo’s either. I do upload my favorites to photobucket in their original size. I bought an external drive for all my photo’s because my computer was getting slow. I think I have over 50,000 on it right now. I do need to go through and delete the “bad” ones though. It is a Western Digital My Book. I think it’s a 750GB drive. They have 1 TB’s out now for around $100 (I saw an add in the paper this weekend) That’s a great buy. I do have a folder named, “To Be Printed” and I keep adding to it little by little. I usually print those off for mothers/mothers in laws though. : (
I love those Dove commercials from their site. I’ve gone there a bunch of times and now that Lilly is 5 and talking about “ugly” and looking like a boy if I get her hair cut…….I think it’s time to have her sit with me one day.
I love that clip…it’s so real!
My mom started buying Mary Kay skin care products for my sister and I when we were in College. I’ve used them since, and I am now 33. My sister has become a consultant, so I get my stuff from her…and LOVE it. I switched to something from Target because I ran out, and it just wasn’t the same. I wanted my Mary Kay back! They have great, easy cleanser (for diff. skin types), their moisturizer has an spf in it to protect your face, etc, etc. If you don’t have a local consultant that you know of, I know she would be happy to do a phone facial with you (yea, I had never heard of the concept either =o) Here’s to taking care of our skin!
Hi, Hutch5 soon to be 6! That’s exciting.
This is my favorite growing order quote. “As my outer beauty fades, may it go inward.”
I have used Virgin Olive Oil for years and have people comment often on how young I look.
Interesting topic! I learned alot reading the comments. That is awful about your pictures. I don’t blog on xanga so I can’t help with how you might better safeguard it. I wouldn’t wait too long to do it if I were you!*)
@secook -
What do you recomend in place of vaseline? I use it for eye makeup also.
@daisychains_2 -
Well, since I sell Mary Kay products, I use their Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover, but there may be something similar out there somewhere! I can’t even remember what I used before Mary Kay!
If your face is a road map mine is an atlas! LOL. You are beautiful. I’ve been using Mary Kay soap and moisturizer. Don’t know how long I’ll be able to afford it though. Lots of water is a good idea.
I love your blog and photos.
Barb
If your face is a road map mine is an atlas! LOL. You are beautiful. I’ve been using Mary Kay soap and moisturizer. Don’t know how long I’ll be able to afford it though. Lots of water is a good idea.
I love your blog and photos.
Barb
If your face is a road map mine is an atlas! LOL. You are beautiful. I’ve been using Mary Kay soap and moisturizer. Don’t know how long I’ll be able to afford it though. Lots of water is a good idea.
I love your blog and photos.
Barb
Have you ever heard of Artistry skin care products? Go to Artistry.com to get more details. I actually sell the products now, and they seriously are the best I’ve ever found. Artistry is one of the top five selling brands in the world, with better prices than the other top brands. They have partnered up with Miss America contest, so all the contestants use Artistry and the girl who gets the crown promotes it during her “reign” (whatever you call it). All the products are 100% money back guarantee up to 180 days. If you lived closer, I’d let you try my free three day trial to see how it works on your skin. Most people, even those with sensitive skin, do well with Artistry. Let me know if you’d like to try it! I was a big fan of Mary Kay products until 6 months ago, and now I’m sold on this stuff. By the way, I think you are absolutely beautiful, and I applaud you for taking care of your skin. I believe God is pleased when we take care of our bodies.
Digital pictures do have a down side. I feel your loss. Do you have an external hard drive to back things up? That’s what I’ve resorted to….So happy to see your bambino in your last post. Thank You, Jesus.
I use NO product for my face and I am sure that soon the lack of care will show up. Maybe then I’ll have to start wearing make up every day!
I agree with Alyssa if on a budget and wanting to be more natural…I use vitamin E oil to take off make up (works better than vasoline that i had used for about 20 years!) and then rub on extra under eyes and on face before bed after you remove your makeup. I can’t really use it during the day without feeling oily and looking greesy. I have super sentitve skin as well and neutragena “continuous hydration night” works great and i use it night and day it was $11 for a bottle I think I just found it a couple of weeks ago and have been really impressed with it. The most amazing thing I have ever used is Kinerase cream, I have a friend who hooked me up with samples from her dermatology office and i fell in LOVE with it, but can only afford (maybe) one tube per year…it’s about $100 but it is by far the best thing I have ever used, but addictive and expensive!!!! And for the record….I totally do not see wrinkles in ANY of you pictures!!! But I know how much I see my own.
As far as your pictures go….OHHHHHH I can’t imagine. I have been so parinoid about that since going digital, I use to put every set of pics i would take on disks immediately and then when they got overwhelming (I literally have hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of disks) I went and bought an external hard drive– one of the WD (western digital) books it’s 1TB, and houses every pic i’ve ever taken, then I was worried it may die so I bought a second one $89.00 and backed it up, now I load new pics on both everytime I take them…hoping they wouldn’t ever both die…and if one did, I could always buy another one and always have 2. I am literally sick with you over this. Thank goodness for Xanga though. I copy my Xanga into WORD, it’s a ridiculous amount of pages now, but it’s saved somewhere different on the computer in case xanga crashed. I think about printing it, sometimes but it would take forever!!! Maybe one day when I’m older for a kind of memoir for the kids…since they don’t see it. I’m so sorry about your pics Amber.
@mellibella -
you see no wrinkles cause i cheat and use photoshop when i’m looking particularly tired and.. wrinkly! ;P
@Hutch5 - if ya got it use it!!!
@Hutch5 - ps….and far less invasive & expensive than plastic surgery with longer lasting results!!! lol
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