Sunday, January 31, 2010

Keeping It Simple

This will just be a short and sweet post about my current mani. A little more subtle and plain than I am used to but I like it. I used Sinful Colors Social Ladder on my nails and Sally Hansen Xtremewear Twisted Pink for the design on Konad plate M36.

Konad 01-31-10

Konad 01-31-01

New Plates...Testing 1-2-3

A few new Konad plates came in the mail on Friday. I typically play around with them to see what the prints look like before putting them in my stash of plates for later use on a "real" manicure. The plates I picked up were the M36, M44, M60, S6. The M36 is a variety of flowers and a butterfly stamp. The M44 is french tips with designs. The majority of the stamps on the M60 and S06 are large or full nail designs.

With a quick coat of Sally Hansen XTremewear Blue Me Away! I was ready to test the M44.

Konad M44

This plate is not easy to use. It will take some a little more effort when trying to get the alignment correct. Not only the alignment but placing the stamp correctly so you get a uniform thickness across all of the nails. The picture displays all but one of the stamps on the plate.

The next plate I decided to experiment with was the M60. I have always adored the argyle design and have wanted this plate for some time now. After swatching a number of my burgundy and brown polishes I got to the actually stamping.

Konad M60

Again alignment is key. I actually like the colors used for the argyle print, all of the other ones I will opt for a different color selection but since this was just swatching and testing no worries.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

To Be A Kid Again


I sometimes wish I could go back to my childhood and watch all the cartoons that I loved. Just sit there all day with my bowl of cereal no worries in the world about laundry, cleaning, bills, or any other "adult" stuff.


Here is a list of my childhood faves:

Tom and Jerry

Mighty Mouse

The Flinstones

The Jetsons

Fat Albert

Smurfs

Inspector Gadget

What were your favorite cartoons?

Water Marbling FTW

I can see myself attempting to to do this a lot more I love it. It is an unique piece of artwork on each nail. Can you feel my excitement. I'll just post the pictures and get on with the rambling afterwords. I do tend to ramble.

MY FIRST (actually first through tenth) WATER MARBLING ATTEMPT









Water Marbling 01-29-10Water Marbling 01-29-10
Water Marbling 01-29-10Water Marbling 01-29-10

Can I ramble now. I had fun doing this. It wasn't hard, not easy but not hard. I would say watch a few YouTube videos and give it a whirl.

My 2 CENTS:

  • USE VASELINE on the skin around your nails and all up and down your fingers. It makes wiping the film off so much easier.
  • WATER TEMPERATURE is crucial. To warm or to cold will make the polish dry to quickly on the water and you won't be able to marble properly. I had the perfect temperature stopped to watch a movie and came back using the same water. It was to cold and the polish dried to quickly on the water surface making it impossible to marble.
  • FLAT TOOTHPICKS worked better for me than round. I wasn't sure which to get so I bought both. When marbling I found that the flat toothpick cut through the polish better. It also helped scrape excess polish off of the skin easier than the round.

I am soooo doing this again.

Oh and for this I had on:
Orly Green With Envy painted on all of my nail as base.
Sally Hansen Cherry Red used to marble.
Sally Hansen Mellow Yellow used to marble.
Kleancolor Black used to marble.

I know you don't see red or yellow but because the of the base coat I used they show up purple and light green. My daughter said it looks like a peacock!! FABULOUS!!!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Have You Ever Been Green With Envy?

I hope not. But I do hope you enjoy this color as much as I do. Orly Green With Envy is the name of this green polish. My daughter picked this out a while ago and painted her nails with it once. She only did 1-2 coats and this polish definitely needs at least 3 coats in my opinion if not 4. At first I wasn't liking the way the handle felt in my hand. This was my first go at an Orly polish so it took some getting used to. After I did get used to the brush handle it was fine and I must say this is probably one of the best nail polish applications I have done. The actual brush picked up the right amount of polish and spread enough to get my full nail painted in 2 or 3 strokes. The consistency seemed a little thin but looking back it was just right. It also didn't take long for each coat to dry so that was nice. After 1 day of wear with no topcoat it is holding up well.








Orly Green With Envy
Orly Green With Envy


Now back to my original question, I am sure at some point in my life I have been green with envy but I can't pinpoint what for. How about you?

Photography 001

HELP. It is me against my camera. I don't even think I am ready for a 101 level photography class. Sign me up for the -101 level. Ugh!! Point and Shoot is really all I want to do to have amazing pictures like the professionals. If it were that easy then I guess a lot of professionals would be out of business. I really do need to learn how to use my camera much better. Some pictures are blurry, some the color is way off, and some are just not even like a picture.

I pulled out the manual and almost had a panic attack. So many options and settings. I will try to master a few of the basic concepts. What I am trying to learn is not specific to my camera but basic photography that should transcend across any camera being used.

I did learn how to use macro so I need to figure out ISO, F something or another, white balance and a few other things. I'll be reading up, testing shots and maybe uploading a few images so everyone can learn with me.

Or maybe I am the only photography challenged person out there!!

Yea For Me..Another Deal

Yes, we all love a deal but the best part about getting a great deal is letting other people know you got a great deal. After dropping my daughter off at soccer I thought I would stop in some of the local drugstores and see what was on sale. I typically only buy drugstore items if they are on sale. With about 5 stores within a 3 mile radius chances are I will find what I am looking for on sale somewhere.
Look what I got:


The Whole Shebang

My first stop was Big Lots. I don't go in there often but I do peek in every so often to see if they have anything I may be interested in. I have gotten a few makeup brushes in there for cheap that turned out to be pretty decent for my amatuer purposes. I am not sure where Big Lots gets its stock but it usually looks like items that there is a small defect in. For instance I picked up these Revlon polishes for $1 each. At the local Walmart and other stores the price range is $2.50-$5.00 for a bottle. I picked these to colors Rose Zing and Twinkled Pink because 1 they were packaged together as a twosome but also because I have the Revlon KhakiZing and was hoping this RoseZing would produce a duochrome result as well. I also got some little toe things for my pedicures and a cuticle tool.


Big Lots BuysBIG LOTS TOTAL = $4.70


Next up was the Dollar Store right next to Big Lots. They had a bunch of LA Colors Polishes which I have not tried nor read reviews on but what caught my eye was the Art Deco Nail Art pens. I don't have anything like this and for $1 a pop they will either suck and I won't be to mad or be halfway decent. With several colors to choose from I opted for the black, white, and silver glitter.


Dollar Store Buys
DOLLAR STORE TOTAL= $3.00

The CVS near me has been completely redone on the inside. There is a nice Orly nailpolish section and it seems like they are trying to make CVS a little more upscale if that is possible. They had some new Sally Hansen Xtremewear colors but they weren't on sale. I'll wait for the BOGO (buy 1, get 1 free). Then there it was a 75% off sign on the Milani display. Not everything was 75% off but a good selection of polishes, shadows, glosses, bronzers, lipsticks were. I promised myself no more lip gloss and shadow until I finished what I have so that was out of the question. Since I was really on the hunt for polish anyway why not give a few of these a shot. Retail price for Milani polish is $4.49 at CVS so 75% off so at $1.12 per bottle it was another no lose situation. I scored 4 polishes. The Rimmel display also had 75% off but for some reason CVS does not carry their polishes. I did pick up 3 lipglosses for my daughter though. I don't remember the exact price I paid I want to say $1.57.

CVS Buys
CVS TOTAL= $9.19

So let me just recap this. I got a total of 6 nail polishes, 3 lipglosses, 3 nail art pens, 3 lip glosses, cuticle thinand pedicure toe things for somewhere around $17.00. Sounds like a deal to me.
Totally, forgot 2 NYC nailpolishes in Walmart for $1.72 each so that puts me a little of $20.00 for all the nailpolishes and the other stuff. WOO HOOOO I am happy. And I have already tried a few of the polishes and LOVE them!!!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Back to Basics..Detox Time

I feel "blah". "Blah" to me means my body is just off. I am running at 75% which is where I have been all year. So much for starting 2010 off right. With high levels of stress, low levels of sleep, low levels of exercise, and inability to focus it is time to get back on track.
Step 1 is to get back to eating correctly. Easier said than done I know but kudos to the Fat Smash diet for making it extremely easy. I follow the Phase 1 which is considered the detox phase and that typically puts me back on track to feeling better. The thing I like about the Fat Smash Diet is it doesn't feel as limiting as other diets do (probably because I actually like the foods on the list of things you can eat). The detox phase is more or less to rid your body of all the yucky stuff you put in it on a daily basis. Eating as many fruits and vegetables as you want and limited quantities of other items helps to cleanse your system of all the nasty processed foods and refined sugars that wreak havoc on your body.

The CAN eats:
All fruits and veggies in any quantity (except white potatoes and avocados)
Beans
Brown rice- 2 cups cooked per day
2 cups low-fat, skim, or soy milk per day
Oatmeal- 1 cup per day
6 oz. low-fat yogurt (2 times per day)
4 egg whites per day
2 cups herbal tea per day
3 tablespoons low-fat dressing on salad

The NO-NOS:
white rice
meat
fish
cheese
bread
raisins
nuts
dried or preserved fruits
candy/popcorn/chips
ice cream
alcohol
juice
soda
coffee and all coffee drinks
sports drinks
milkshakes
whole eggs or yolks
fried foods
fast food

Honestly, it is not that bad as long as you have what you need in your cupboards. If not you will be like I was today, scratching my head trying to figure out what to eat. I will be going to the grocery store tomorrow to load up on fruits and salads. I can't wait until the end of this week when I know my body and mind will start responding and feeling less sluggish.

Football Fanatic Household

I'll be honest my like for football only stems from my husbands passion for the game. I know a little but he has managed to pass on this love to our youngest daughter. It is great bonding time for them but pretty much leaves me and my other daughter out. We have managed to find joy in watching them be fanatics more than the football itself.

When my daughter asked me to paint her nails football colors I thought it was pretty cute. She told me what she wanted and this is what it came out to be. She still wants me to attempt to write SUPERBOWL on her nails but I am hesitant thinking I will make a mess. If I decide to take a stab at it I will post pics...good or bad :-)

Here is her tribute to the teams she wants to make to the Superbowl.

Football Nails

SUPERBOWL XLIV

GO COLTS!!! GO SAINTS!!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Vampy...say what?- Milani Garnet Gems

Yes another nail polish post inspired by the ladies at The Purse Forum. You may remember about two weeks ago it was "blue week" and everyone got to show off their blue nails (see what I did). Then they had a nudes or what was called "Mannequin Hands" which was originally done by polish blogger Michelle at All Lacquered Up I think.

This week was vampy nails. Ummmm, huh, what? Clueless as to what the heck vampy meant (yeah, every now and then I miss the boat on some things) I had a little googling to do. So someone post a comment if I am wrong and correct me but vampy nails is just dark deep colored polishes, but not black. If it isn't then, oh well, I still like the color I used.

I had no intention of doing a vampy look since I have nothing I considered vampy. Interestingly enough I went to CVS and a good number of Milani shades were 75% off. I grabbed a couple without even thinking of vampy and once I swatched them I thought this one may work.

Milani Garnet Gems


So you tell me..is this vampy? Or did I completely miss the concept? Honesty is appreciated.


This is Milani Garnet Gems. Even if it is not considered vampy I love this color. Very dark with subtle red flecks of glitter. It is not what I expected it to look like but I was pleasently surprised. On top of it all this bottle of polish was less than $1.12.

It will take at least 2 coats but I went with 3 for a nice deep color with a decent amount of glitter. I know I should have put a base coat on but I thought I was just swatching and taking it back off. Loved the color and it was vampy so I proceeded full steam ahead. After 2 days there was a little tip wear but I was lazy and hadn't done a top coat. Once I touched up the tips and put on a top coat it was perfection. Vampy or not, I am pretty happy with this polish. Can't beat the price either.

Milani Garnet Gems

Thursday, January 21, 2010

One of the Best Things I Have Ever Done..

I was at a crossroads. Turning 30, you know that point where your body typically goes one way or the other. My body was going the other way and not the good other way. I was the gym's best client, the one that sends in a monthly donation right on time but doesn't ever come. When I looked in the mirror I was not happy with what I saw. Where did my body go? I had put on weight slowly over the course of time but now it was becoming very noticeable to me.

After deciding to leave my job and work from home my schedule was more flexible so it was time to take action and wipe the dust off the gym membership. Going to the gym on a semi regular basis wasn't doing the trick either so my husband suggested I talk to a one of the trainers.

BEST SUGGSTION EVER. BEST DECISION EVER.







90 Second Fitness the vook by Vook tv, on Flickr
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic License  by  Vook tv 



I signed up with a trainer and I will say he whipped me into shape. It was hard initially but the results were amazing. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I had a standing appointment to do one hour of things I really did not want to do. He pushed me to do things I didn't ever realize I was capable of doing. Box jumps with 14 risers, squats with lots of weight on the barbell, leg presses to make some men question their strength.


If you find that you are running in circles and not achieving the results you want I would urge you to get a trainer. A good one will help you reach your goals. The beauty of it is you can buy 1 session, 30 sessions, or whatever. Get what you need to get motivated again, learn some more tricks to help achieve your goals, and get the push to go at it on your own again.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Still Processing the Suffering in Haiti

So I have tried a few times now to write something regarding the earthquake in Haiti. Each time I start I feel like no amount of words can truely convey the amount of sorrow I felt. Through the years I have seen the devastation mother nature can unleash and the devastation humans can inflict on each other but I don't know why this particular incident hit me so hard.

I did want to take a moment to acknowledge the incident and let people know that now is the time to show people in need that there is someone who cares. Whether it is the people in your own backyard who are needy or countries even continents away, if everyone gives something of themselves then the difference that could be made in the lives of so many would be enormous.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

La Paz-Itively Hot or NOT? A Little Matte :-(

Let me start off by saying I really do like the color of OPI La Paz-Itively Hot- Matte. A bright hot pink but not neon with a tinge of fuschia. The pictures below don't do it justice.  I am not familiar with the regular gloss version so can't compare the two colors but the matte is nice. The application of this polish was a little tricky. One coat will not do it. Be prepared to do a minimum of 3 coats. The first coat was sheer and streaky. The second added a little more coverage and helped with some of the streakiness and while the 3rd did not provide full coverage it got me to the point where I was happy with some semblance of smoothness.








OPI La Paz-itively Hot Matte

OPI La Paz-itively Hot Matte



With all that said how could I be frustrated already? Of course, major chipping will do it. This is my first experience with a full mani of matte polish and let me just say I am quite disappointed. Should I be? Probably not. I have read the reviews that the matte polishes are quite prone to chipping but it was less than 24 hours and I spotted my first few chips. GRRRR. It was more around the 14 hour mark when I noticed my first few chips along the tips and edges of my nails. I took my shower, no chips, worked on my laptop some, no chips, but somewhere between home and the grocery store my first chips appeared.

OPI La Paz-itively Hot Matte

I tried to remedy the situation with another coat, mind you it took 3 coats to get the appearance of a semi decent application. I don't like chips so I touched this polish up at least 4 times throughout the day. Enough is enough. This will definitely end up with a Konad design and top coat in an effort to salvage the 8-9 coats already applied.

UPDATE 1/20/10: No Konad for this mani, this polish is coming off as I type..couldn't even keep the chips away for a few hours.  I did throw a coat of Milani Garnet Gems on top of one nail just to see what it would look like.  Stay tuned for pics.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Winter Feet Woes

During the summer I keep my feet in relatively good shape.  I don't have to much of a choice since I live in flip-flops and open shoes.  My feet stay moisturized, toenails are painted, and all is right in my little feet world.  Let's now skip through fall and drop me into the dead of winter.  No lying, I would never put flip-flops on at the momment and thank goodness I have no reason to.  

Avon Heel Socks

My tootsies are in terrible shape and need some love...STAT.  I have a Ped-Egg that I have started to use again but I know that is going to take a lot more than a Ped-Egg.  Enter Avon Foot Works Moisturizing Heel Terry Socks.  Geez, that is a mouthful.  These were in my Christmas stocking from my mom.  She gave me something very similar last year if memory serves me correctly but no problem because I like trying out products like these.  Unfortunately, I never got around to using them but once I find them I am sure I will.

Avon Heel Socks

These are little different from all of the other foot socks I have had.  First of all the toe area is cut out. I wouldn't even consider them socks, more like tubes.  The next difference from the other socks is the product is actually built-in.  There is a gel in the heel that from the information provided is a "cocktail of botanical oils, nutrients, and vitamin E."  Awesome and strange at the same time.  If felt funny sliding my foot into the tube with gel in it.

Avon Heel Socks

The recommended usage is 30-45 minutes 3 times a week.  I am going to give it a go and see if I can turn these winter feet around.  I would post before pictures but I am not going to embarass myself or scare you.  Assuming all goes well I hope to be able to post after pictures of smooth and moisturized heels.  Do you treat your feet well year round or baby them in the summer when you know other people will see them too?  What is the greatest foot product you have in your arsenal?

Spirit of the Times AKA Zeitgeist

Zeitgeist is my new love. The funny thing is I picked up this polish by Rimmel 1-2 years ago and have used it a few times. It has been sitting in my stash unloved. Now that I have revisited my more feminine side with polish changes once or twice a week it is time to love this beauty the way it should be. I can truely say it was underappreciated the few times I did wear it but now, WOWZWERS, nothing but love and appreciation. This is a duochrome stunner. My lack of knowledge of the colorwheel can only describe it as a purple that mutates to a copper and olive green. Great description right. Sorry, I am still learning. How about I do you a few better and post the pictures as well as a little video.








Rimmel ZeitgeistRimmel Zeitgeist

I will warn you however this polish chips so be sure to apply a top coat to keep it protected. I applied 2 coats of Zeitgeist which yielded nice coverage and because I was lazy did not apply a top coat. Chips and more chips less than 24 hours later and I don't think I was particulary hard on my nails that day. Just consider yourself warned that is the only downfall that I have found with this polish.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

My First Gray(ish)

I picked this polish out a while ago and haven't tried it yet.  Polishes typically have to match the kind of mood I am in so while this wasn't an exact match for my mood, it was close enough.  Gray.  This isn't a true gray, more of a silvery gray, hence the name Gunmetal, part of the Sally Hansen XTremewear line.  It is a pretty color when you want something basic.  I got bored of it a lot faster than most colors but I am thinking that is a good thing.  When my mood is gray that can't be good.


Sally Hansen Gunmetal

This polish can achieve a nice color with 2 coats.  I did not use a top coat so after a day of wear and washing my hair it was chipped.  It was not chipped badly though, just along the sides a little bit and some tip wear.  I touched all of my nails up with a third coat and it was fine.  For the life of me I could not find a color to Konad with that worked well with Gunmetal as a base.  I tried a bright yellow for the Konad design, red, bright blue, you name it.  Nothing in my arsenal worked well with this color as a base.  White showed up of course but there has got to be some other color to go with this.  What do you think?  What color Konad design will go with Gunmetal as a base?

Thursday, January 14, 2010

I've Got Pizzaz

Yes this another post about my manicure but cut me some slack because I am doubling up and putting the mani and Konad in one post.  After taking the blue off my nails I went to one of my new colors that I hadn't tried yet.  The lovely, Nina Ultra Pro Purple Pizzaz.  I was a bit hesitant to use another Nina Ultra Pro polish because the Babi Blue took way to many coats for my liking (translated, my time).  I really wanted to do purple though so I went ahead and hoped for the best.  This is a polish I will definitely use again.  No complaints at all.  Two coats was all I needed thank goodness.

Nina Ultra Pro Purple Pizzaz  
Isn't it it a pretty color.  This brand is on sale at Sally's Beauty Supply for the month of January.  It was $3.29, I am not sure what the regular price is.  This stayed on my nails for a few days and then I decided to get the Konad out.  It takes me too long to decide what I am going to do so I decided to use a print I haven't used before.  That lead me to the M65 plate.  The next decision to be made was what color design.  I don't have any light purple polishes, I though white would be to much of a contrast and thought that black would be too dark sooo I used the Konad Silver Princess Polish.  And here are the results:






Konad M65 01-12-10
Konad M65 01-12-10 
I will say this design was eaiser to use than I thought it would be. I like the full nail designs but did notice that since my nails have grown a bit the alignment is crucial. Now I understand why so many people have french tips with the full nail designs.

On a side note: this polish really makes me crave grape soda!!!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

My Worst Nightmare..Part 2

This unbelievable. Right when I am making progress, scanning away, getting all of this paper out of my life guess what happens. I am sure you can guess...my scanner(actually a multifunction scanner/copier/printer/fax) dies. This thing jut will not power on anymore. What has me really irked is there were no signs of distress.  Sometimes I can tell when I should start prepping myself to by a new printer, monitor, whatever it is. This nothing. My daughter copied something earlier there was a paper jam which was cleared and all was fine.  A few hours later I hear the sound your computer makes when something is connected via USB. I really didn't pay it any mind until I noticed the blinking alarm light on the scanner. It wouldn't go away so I powered it down and the poor thing never powered back up. We have had it for about 3 years so I guess it may be about time for a new one..who knows.

Bye bye Canon MP780. You were great. I never had any issues (until you stopped working when I needed you the most). Well actually that is a major issue, you should have warned me you were about to go kaput!!

At my office (I am currently self-employed) we have a printer/copier/scanner that is not in use. No fax but I have an e-fax number for incoming and can either scan and email or scan and fax from my computer. My husband suggested to use that one. Great no need to spend money.He just brought it home and guess what again...there is no way on earth I will be able to use this thing. My major need is for scanning right now. This is a Photo printer..not so much for document scanning but scanning of photos it appears. No Automatic Document Feeder (ADF). I am used to taking a stack of 30 or so sheets of paper..loading it in the ADF and scanning it all at once, no more need for me to touch anything. With this I would have to open, put paper in, close, and scan for each sheet of paper. It is not happening. The time vs. money trade-off is just not there for the amount of scanning I need to do.

With that being said there is another multifunction at the office that I will suggest should be bestowed upon me. This is a newer model of my beloved Canon and has wireless networking. All I need to do is set up one of the PC's to receive incoming faxes and for outgoing faxes, hey, they can scan and email or scan and fax from the PC, that is what I would have had to do.

Either way this Photo printer is not going to cut it so we can either swap..or spend the money for a new one.

*UPDATE*-1/14/10- I did get the one from the office on Wednesday.  I was so happy I did a few hours of "virtual filing" last night.  Will try to do another hour tonight. Woo hoo! PROGRESS!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

I Blue It!! You Should Too..

Umm I know, weird title for a post but hey it is the name of the fabulous polish color I have on right now.  This is a Sally Hansen X-Tremewear polish.  Two bucks people...two bucks.  I have quite a few from this line now because they are so cheap and I have yet to be disappointed.  Blue It is a pretty blue with a lot of shine.  If you like blues there is no reason not to add this one to your collection.  


Sally Hansen Blue It

Deep Conditioning JOICO K-PAK MOISTURE

Finding the right hair care regimen has been a daunting task.  I have found items that I like but nothing I LOVE that makes me really feel like me hair is in its best condition.  My hair is chemically treated (relaxer) and dry.  I have to add oil to my hair to prevent excessive dryness and breakage.  My last trip to the hairdresser my stylist told me I need to really do better with deep conditioning my hair.  After asking her what product to use she told me to take a look at the items they sell there.  Of course...but of course I wasn't buying it there because I am sure they jack the prices up some.  Many products lined the shelves.  Design Essentials, Mizani, Joico.  Ugh, where do I begin.

I have heard of Joico before so after perusing the website and what was at the the stores near me I decided on the Joico K-Pak Moisture.  The 8.5 oz tube it comes in describes it as a Intense Hydrator, treatment for dry, damaged hair.  Great, just what I need.  But it seems like every product in their line was just what I needed.  Gotta start somewhere though.

After doing my standard wash and condition routine I put a little of the K-Pak in my hand, rubbed together, and ran through my hair.  When I say a little I do mean a little because I wasn't sure how much I needed and at $18 a tube, well, none was going to hit the shower floor.  It took a few more "little-bits" to get an amount in my hair satisfactory to me but overall it didn't take a lot.  The smell is fine, nothing too overpowering and a decent enough scent for a hair product.   I did notice it helped detangle my hair.  I typically detangle with my regular conditioner anyway but I did notice this did even more detangling.  

Once I blow dried my hair my hair did feel different.  Softer and smoother than it usually does.  I am going to use this product each time  I wash my hair and see if my hair dresser notices next time I go in.  Hopefully my hair will be healthier.

Surprise..

I am the worst with surprises. For some reason I just don't like them. After it is all said and done and I know what it is I am fine but all of the mystery and suspense leading up to it drives me bananas.

My husband of 11 years told me he wanted to take me on a date. He told me this on Monday and we weren't going out until Friday. Naturally I asked where we were going. "It's a surprise!", he says. Of course I retort back with the "c'mon tell me", "you have to tell me", "I need to know so I know what to wear", you know those types of responses. Now I had a whole week to try and figure it out and mull over it. Great.

Since I was pretty busy with work things the week went by and I didn't rack my brain all week. Come Thursday night I started with the questions again. And they were all very valid questions regarding attire and time and one last attempt to find out what it was.

To make a long story short it was a very nice surprise. He took me out to dinner and had a nice room reserved for us at the local resort/country club. It was a very nice surprise but I still don't like surprises. I torment myself relentlessly but in all fairness I just want to make sure I am on time, appropriately dressed, and have what I need. A man's view of that and a woman's view are typically completely different.

So how are you with surprises. Do you love them or hate them?

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Oh My Stars

The blue heavens have opened up. With a little push from some gals on The Purse Forum my nails are blue. The first week of January was declared blue week for your nails. With several blues on tap I did a sampling to see which one I wanted to use. Since I have used all of the other ones before I went with the Nina Ultra Pro in Babi Blue which I have not used.







Blue Sampling 01-04-10 
Nina Ultra Pro Babi Blue


I will tell you this color is pretty but it took absolutely too many coats to get it to the color seen in the picture above. Even after the 6th or 7th coat I felt like I needed at least another 5-6 coats. This obviously wasn't what I expected from this polish. Since I was disappointed I thought maybe a little Konad would cheer me up.

AND OH MY STARS, IT DID!!!





Konad M3 01-05-10 
 Konad M3 01-05-10

This was a lot more tedious than I intended it to be but I do like the outcome.  Stars with random placement on then nail.  Using the M3 Konad plate I stamped each nail 2-4 times to get lots of stars.  Perfect placement didn't matter on this one I just wanted lots of stars!!

So even though I was a little blue with the initial turnout I was seeing stars by the time I finished!!

What's For Dinner...

An issue that plagues me everyday is what I am going to make for dinner. I absolutely dread the the words and brace myself to hear the daily "Mommy, what's for dinner." UGH!! As if I didn't know I had to make dinner. As if it were some type of holiday that snuck up on me like a birthday or anniversary. There are no excuses really, dinner is every darn day but why oh why is it such a task to figure out what to make.

I will be honest I am no chef. Cooking is not my strong suit simply because I have not dedicated much time or effort to make it such. Surely I can speak for many a parent who run kids back and forth to activities 3-5 times a week that a quick meal is going to have to do.

I just wanted to share one of my quick meals with you. Pretty basic but pretty good. The best part is it is only 2 ingredients.




















Image courtesy of http://www.zatarains.com


Image courtesy of
http://www.gomeat.com



That's it, there you have it, rice and sausage. Just slice the sausage up and either throw it in with the rice to cook or put it in a frying pan for 5-7 minutes to brown it up some and add it to the rice after it is cooked. Alternatives to sausage are pretty much limitless, shrimp, chicken, ham, whatever suits your fancy. Throw in some veggies and you have your one dish meal. Quick, easy, and good. Who doesn't love that.

Heartfelt Condolences







I used to watch the news everyday but I stopped. It
got to depressing. Especially when there was a story about a child. For
some reason I think these things affect me more than most. I will go online
and read every article and if there is an obituary and/or guest book I
will read and follow that. Of course I always say some prayers for the
families as well.

While taking my daughter to soccer the other day her and
her teammate were talking about a little boy who was killed at the nature
center about 45 minutes away where they have a lot of camps and outdoor
school. Since I don't watch the news I had heard nothing about it so once
I dropped them off I hurried back home to my computer to find out more.
Unfortunately what they were saying was true.


The little boy, 9 years old, was attending a Christmas break
nature camp. Apparently as the group of kids was preparing to go on a
hike a 60 foot tree fell onto the young boy and another camper as well.
The other camper, a little girl, was injured as well but not as seriously.
The little boy died a few days after being injured.


This story tugs at my heart in so many ways. Of course you
always question why a child is taken but there are some things that we
will never know. I then think about the parents of this child. The terrible
heartache of losing a child in such way. Nine times out of ten the camp
is set up so that children can go while there parents are back to work
after the holidays. If that is the case surely the what-ifs and I-should-haves
are running rampant through the parents minds. There is also the impact
that this had on the people there to witness the tragic accident. Their
lives are changed forever as well.


I offer my heartfelt condolences to the parents of this
child and will pray that they will somehow find some peace in their hearts.
Cherish your parents, cherish your children, all day, everyday.


Monday, January 4, 2010

Silver and Black Konad

It just dawned on me I hadn't posted my latest Konad for you viewing pleasure.  This full nail print is on Konad plate m65.  I did experiment with this pattern a while ago but only placed it on one nail.







Konad M65 01-01-10
Konad M65 01-01-10 


As you can see I had some issues with getting this pattern on my nail nice and straight.  I guess it will come with more practice though.  Initially I tried using pink and purple for the print but they didn't show up properly.  Black worked out fine though.  This print was actually easier than I thought it would be.  No major issues with smudging during the stamping.  There was a little streaking when applying my top coat but other than that this Konad went fairly well.

TIP:  With the Konad Black Special Polish I have found that if you let it dry first and then scrape off what you can instead of immediately using polish remover you'll minimize the amount of staining.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Nail Polish Haul

I don't know how I all of a sudden got addicted to nail polish but goodness these colors are just calling me and I can't seem to get enough of them. Today I went out on a specific nail polish mission. Since there is no Sally's near me, actually it is not THAT far, I waited until Saturday to go to Sally's and see what China Glaze they had. I was also hoping to find OPI Merry Midnight but didn't know Sally's doesn't carry OPI.  Other than that color right now I am set on blues. I was overwhelmed looking at all of the colors and ended up with 3 polishes (only 1 blue), a top coat, and some nail polish remover.

Sally's Haul 01-02-10
From left to right there is Beauty Secrets Top Coat, Nina Ultra Pro Purple Pizzaz, Nina Ultra Pro Babi Blue, and Orly Green With Envy. I also picked up a bottle of Beauty Secrets Acetone Nail Polish Remover. The removers I have seem to take to much scrubbing so I'll see how this one works out.

After Sally's I headed to the local beauty supply store.  The kind that sells every type of track, phony pony, wig, dye, hair glue, rollers, shampoo, socks, knock off purses, earrings, and of course my favorite NYX products and nail polish.  After 10 minutes of decision making I left with 5 pretty polishes.

Kleancolor Haul 01-02-10
From left to right there is Pearl Blue, Malibu, Neon Hot Pink, Blue Pearl, and Purple. (I just noticed I picked up a Pearl Blue and a Blue Pearl, hmmmm...interesting, totally different colors.) 

With 8 new polishes I think that I am good for a month or 2...not making any promises though. Check back for swatches and pictures of manicures with these fabulous colors.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

My Worst Nightmare...FILING!!

The amount of paper that comes into my household is absolutely overwhelming. As good as I try to be about filing it, once I fall behind it is almost impossible to catch back up. Now imagine falling behind on it not only once but a lot (can't even count the number of times). In all fairness to myself I did inherit a lot of it from my better half who was supposed to handle these things. When you inherit a few years worth of filing and paper despite how hard you try on a day to day basis progress is not made.

In 2010 I have vowed to get rid of all of this paper. Instead of filing all of this in my file cabinets,I have 3 in my home office, I have decided to create a virtual file cabinet. All papers will be scanned and filed accordingly on my external drive. The task just began yesterday but I will post a few pictures so you can see what exactly I am working with. Brace yourself because the pictures are not going to be pretty. There are 4 areas that need to be tackled.







































It is a mess, I know, please don't shun and shame me. I already feel totally ashamed looking at these pictures. If all I had to do with my life was eat, sleep, and file then of course this wouldn't be so disastrous. Guess what, there is something called LIFE, that is a lot more important to me than being stuck in this office filing. I do realize though that I need to take a step back and get this under control which is why on January 1, 2010 I began a serious attack on all of this. Armed with a scanner, a shredder, and an external drive I have already filed more in the last 2 days than the last 2 months combined. Who knew it could be this easy.

I am giving myself 1 month to get through this madness. Let me clarify, I am talking about the papers that have not made it into the file cabinets yet. Everything that is sitting in a pile waiting to be filed will be gone. I have been diligently shredding as I go so the paper is getting out of here. Once I finish an area you can best believe I will be posting pictures of a new and improved workspace.

While this has been all taken pretty lightly I will say that it is something that can get out of hand and serious. Excessive amounts of clutter for me means a cluttered mind and state of being. In no way do I want to feel or live like that. I want to walk in my office and be happy to work in it.