Mommin' It Up!

May 3, 2012May 2, 2012

Besprayed. I mean Betrayed.

You think you know someone.

And then she goes and gets girly on you.

If you’ve been reading this ~~travesty~~ blog for awhile, you know that I have a smidge of a vanity issue. I likes to look purty. I also enjoy looking at myself in any and all available mirrors, and taking self-portraits on Instagram (where you should totally follow me, BTW, I’m @jennyrapson.) Additionally, I enjoy lots of eye makeup and scarves. Jewelry I like but don’t wear as much since Jonah pulls on necklaces but one day I’ll be back with the necklaces, just you wait.

Emily, however, has seemed to view makeup and accessories as more of a necessary evil. I mean she likes to look nice, and fortunately for her she is the opposite of ugly, which helps, but she’s been a bit less fussy about her appearance than moi. In fact, her pattern has been to openly mock me for my vanity and eye-roll at my primping.

Has been.

(Well she still mocks me about the Instagram self-portraits. I secretly think it’s because she WANTS TO DO IT HERSELF.)

Sometime this past year, I began noticing Emily with a little more bling on her outfits. Her shoes got fancier and cuter. She began pinning outfits on Pinterest, and for Christmas? Her husband bought her A NECKLACE TREE. Because, you know, SHE HAS SO MANY NECKLACES. Let’s take a look at exhibit A, here people a pic of Emily and me from Christmas 2011. Who is the most fussy, I ask you?

Not only does Emily have on two necklaces, and large earrings, but look at the bottom of the photo – she also has like, legwarmer thingies over her boots. They are super cute but I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT THEY’RE CALLED! Remember when I used to be fashionable? Well, I am here to say that Emily and I have switched places. And now, she is taking her newfound vanity to a new level.

As you read this, Emily will…have…I can’t even bear to write it…a SPRAY TAN. That’s right. Miss Vanity USA 2012 couldn’t embrace her natural white color. In preparation for Mom 2.o in Miami, she went to a friends’ BASEMENT, stripped to her skivvies, and got a spray tan.

Something I will NEVER – mark my words – NEVER do! God made me white and the only way I want to be brown is if I am in the SUN. I was downright shocked when she told me. Here’s how our instant message conversation went:

Emily says:

OK but i have a confession to make if you are still there and not pilates-ing

Jenny says:

i’m back. confess

Emily says:

i am getting a spray tan tomorrow

Jenny says:

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

i can’t even make time to GET MY EYEBROWS WAXED and YOU ARE GETTING A SPRAY TAN.

once again. who ARE you?

time to start the “emily is vain” blog category. finally!!

Emily says:

hahahahaha

i am so freaking pale it is gross

Jenny says:

so am I, cousin, except it’s NOT gross because it’s the way GOD MADE ME.

and you.

have mercy

we’d be dirty and poor if we had tans and we were on downton abbey

Emily says:

please blog about this tomorrow

——————-

SO there you go. Emily is vainer than Jenny. She has betrayed the paleness of our twice-interwined genes. Hell has frozen over, pigs can fly, and I hardly ever drink Mountain Dew anymore. Is this the twilight zone or WHAT??

Now I advised cousin Emily that getting a spray tan the NIGHT BEFORE WE LEAVE for Miami might not be the best idea. (I learned this from watching Toddlers & Tiaras, of course. Emily is WELL on her way to being FULL GLITZ.) But she would not be deterred. So, Miami here we come! Whitey and Orangey, together forever, we’re going to be like the human Creamsicle. Un-freaking-forgettable! Get ready!

May 2, 2012May 12, 2012

Beauty by Example (and a giveaway!)

My mother is beautiful. She always has been. I hope and pray I have her smooth skin and her dark hair when I am her age. She has yet to start coloring her hair and I’ll be polite and not tell her age. But she was almost 30 when I was born and I’m 34…sooo…

Anyway, she is beautiful.

Here we are on my wedding day. We both look a lot different now.

(But still totally hawt, right?)

I’ve said before on this blog that my mom is the best mom ever. And it’s true. Really, if I can be half as good, my kids will be so lucky. I hope I can be. (Alas, my father is fond of telling me, “Girl, you got every bad trait I have.” Ha!)

But my mom isn’t just a good mom. She’s an amazing PERSON. My mom is the true definition of a person who is beautiful inside and out. She has shown me time and again what it means to be a servant. She served little children as a Sunday school teacher, kindergarten and preschool teacher for years. Now that is something that takes a loving, beautiful heart! She still serves her children even though we are all grown up, helping us take care of our own kids when we need it, even doing driving duty when our kids have more places to be at than we can be in at one time. She volunteers doing funeral dinners at church, making sure a bereaved family will not have to worry about feeding a crown of mourners. She serves, and that is beautiful.

My mother is beautiful inside and out, and she has shown me beauty by example. I hope I can do the same for my daughter.

In honor of Mother’s Day, Olay has started a “Beauty by Example” Facebook page. If you go like their page, click on “Beauty By Example” and sign the declaration that your mom shows you Beauty by Example, P&G P&G will donate one ounce of Olay product (up to one million ounces) to look good feel better – a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the self-esteem and quality of life of women undergoing treatment for cancer.

And to keep your outside looking beautiful (because I know your hearts are gorgeous!), we’re giving away an awesome prize pack of P&G Beauty products, too so you can pamper yourself! Just leave a comment on this post telling us how your mom has shown you beauty by example. The winner will be chosen at 6pm on Wednesday, May 9th. Good luck!

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! Thanks for showing me what beauty really is!

May 2, 2012May 1, 2012

Pin for the Wednesday: Cute Frog Cupcakes

It’s Wednesday! And since I’ve been soooo crazy getting ready to get on a plane with Emily to go to Miami for Mom 2.0 Summit thanks to Lands’ End, I haven’t tried any new pins this week. OH WAIT! Yes, I did actually, but it was a GIANT FAIL. I’ll save that one for our opposite-PinFTW that we are sure to have one Wednesday! But for a winner, here’s one I did awhile back to celebrate Leap Day with my kids. Cute frog cupcakes! Get it? ‘Cause frogs LEAP! Here’s the original pin:

And here’s how mine turned out:

I know, I know, they’re not as cute as the original, but I hate coloring icing, so I used white icing and dipped the cupcake in green sprinkles. For the eyes I used white York Peppermint Patty Pieces (like Reese’s Pieces) and I used black gel icing for the eyeballs and mouth.

My children were duly impressed, and we had fun making them! They decorated their own.

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