Smack Me, Please!!!

Have you ever been in a "mood" and aren't really sure why?  Right now I am feeling kind of glum but I can't even pinpoint when it started or what triggered it.  It may have something to do with the cloudy, gray day outside  because when I woke up this morning I was fine.  Then I went to run errands I started to get more and more down as the day dragged on.  

Somebody PLEASE come smack me out of this.  I can't stand when I get like this.  Ugh!!

I posted this on my other blog as well but want to just put it here too.

This Really Bugs Me

I have no idea what the scientific name of these things are but there has been an insane influx of them this summer.  The kids call them “stinkbugs” but thank goodness I haven’t had to be the beneficiary of the odor they emit.  Apparently when they feel threatened or are smashed they release something that is quite offensive.  This was demonstrated by one of the soccer dads shaking one up in hands and telling us to “smell my fingers”.  Umm, no and  thanks.  After a few jokes he even showed a trail of “stink” that the critter left.  YUCK.

They are everywhere.  Hanging out by my front door.  Diving toward me when I am entering and exiting my car.  Don’t be caught standing still.  It is almost like they are out to get me.  I hate bugs.  I have said it before and yes, here, I have posted about my weapons of choice when trying annihilate these suckers from afar.  I did find out that the ant spray works pretty well.  It isn’t an immediate death.  It is slow and torturous which I feel they deserve for all of the fear they inflict upon me.

Oh and then there is this thing on my back screen door.

Can I scream now?

Think Pink

As everyone knows October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Now is the time when a lot of companies put out special products and the proceeds are donated to one of the many, many foundations, hospitals, local groups that are involved in fighting breast cancer and its effects.  I somewhat opted to not buy anything this year and send donations directly to the association of my choice and support friends who are doing walks, runs, etc.

This mani is a few days old now so I am only showing 3 out of the 4 fingers I usually show and hiding some of the tip wear.  I chipped my index finger while knitting.  Yes, I learned how to knit!!!

I used 3 coats of Claire's Mood Polish in Fabulous/Funky with a coat of NYC Love Letters on top.  For 97 cents this Love Letters is well worth it.  The shimmer it adds is beautiful.

I did try to capture both colors of the mood polish but the flourescent color it produces with warmth would not translate for my camera.  I am thinking Love Letters with all my manis for the rest of the month!!  Maybe :-)

Mrs. Fix It

I am the handyman in my household.  If it is broken and can be taken apart then that would be my job to get it fixed.  Unless it is something really expensive I don't want to be blamed for breaking even more I will typically try to fix it myself.

Well what do we have here? Any thoughts on what this is before I tell you?

Give up? It is a garment steamer, flipped upside down awaiting surgery. I had used it for about 2 minutes and then lots of cloudy dripping water then nothing at all. Mineral buildup was the culprit per the troubleshooting guide and the resolution was to run a water-vinegar solution through it.  That's no fun so I  opted for the learn-something-new-everyday approach.  

There was a ton of sand-like buildup  that was clogging the tubing and the heating well impeding proper water flow through the unit.  Water and vinegar was not  going to fix that amount of deposit.  With lots of meticulous unscrewing of this and that I was able to flush the buildup from the tubing.  Trust me, it was far easier said than done.  In the end there was water everywhere but mission accomplished.  Needless to say this wasn't the best project for my hands and nails.  Lots of chips, scratches, and a few almost burns.

At times I really think I should have been some type of repair person.  I really enjoy taking things apart.  It is even better when I can actually fix it and get it put back together.

Finger Paints Art Appreciation Apricot

Pleasantly surprised are the words I'll use to describe Finger Paints Art Appreciation Apricot.  I got this quite sometime ago on the clearance table at Sally's.  It has sat untouched and untried because it seemed like such an odd color.  Today I finally went at it and was shocked that I really like this color.  It is dark rusty, orangy color with a tinge of gold shimmer.  This is the second Finger Paints polish I have used but I'll consider it the first because the other was just a layering polish.  The formula was thin but it gave a great coverage.  Two coats is sufficient but if you have read any of my other posts I get antsy and do a third to cover up any damage I have done in the first 10 minutes.  

The weather here was pretty cloudy so I'll see if the sun will come out tommorow so I can get a better picture.  This picture does not pick up the shimmer.  Another thing I liked about this polish was how shiny it dries.  This is 3 coats no top coat.

Fall- Hayrides, Bonfires, S'mores!!

It seems like there was an immediate jump from hot summer to cool fall days where I am.  One of the things we look forward to every year is going to a get together hosted by our real estate agent at a local farm.  I haven't been in 6 years because of scheduling conflicts with soccer but this year the whole family was able to go. Yea!! That doesn't happen to often.

We went on hayride around the farm and then had a bonfire with S'mores.  Yummy!

Here a few shots I took:

View of the lake

Animals doing what they do!

Hayride-- our wagon was very creaky. It sounded like we were going to be disconnected from the first wagon.

S'Mores-- don't mind my daughters nails. I fussed with her about taking that polish off. BTW it is Zoya Suvi.

 


Messy, messy, s'mores!!

We had a good time. Can you believe I have never made S'mores before. It was so much fun. Figuring out how much I like my marshmallows toasted. Some people had their marshmallows burnt to a crisp on the outside. I like mine to be browned but not black. It was quite messy but who cares.  That is part of the fun.  

Thanks for letting me share our little outing with you. We all had a great time together.

Let's Meet Meets BM21

Happy Friday!!!

I decided  to try and tone down the brightness of the yellow by using China Glaze Side Saddle with Bundlemonster plate BM21.  It didn't really work though.  Maybe a different image that would have transfered more brown onto the nail would have toned it down more.  I do like the combo but goodness I need to keep practicing with the alignment.  You can see how the image is crooked.  

I used the upper left image.  When I chose Side Saddle I knew it was brown but when I put it on the plate it looked purple.  I had to double check and roll the bottle a few times.  Then the brown goodness came out.