What's going on.

So in case you are wondering what I have been up to recently, the answer is quite a bit. A couple highlights. One, I have started walking every day. A mile and a half in my neighborhood, most of the time with the Wild Child. I love walking and am now wondering why I have put off such a simple, easy, effective form of exercise. We are slowly adjusting out time to get up to an early morning walk. I also find that walking inspires me in many ways. Yeah, for walking. We had something weird happen. The Wild Child has been wanting to go to Six Flags Over MidAmerica. So we decided to go, originally we planned to go on August 11 - it is a fair drive and our plan was to go over on the 10th, stay the night in hotel and go to SF on Monday, enjoy the park, and then spend the night in our hotel, and go home on Tuesday. So on the 6th, Rock finds out he has to go out of town all the week of the 11th. No problem, we simply put off the trip a week and I changed the hotel reservations. So, Sunday we packed our bags and headed out to St. Clair, MO and checked in our hotel. Okay, a motel. Budget Lodging of St Clair - which name doesn't even do the place justice. It is far less expensive than the lodging right by Six Flags and is about 15 minutes away. The motel is new, very pretty, with HUGE rooms that are very nicely decorated, (and SOOOO clean - probably one of the cleanest places I have ever stayed in at ANY price). Bright and early Monday we got up and went down to the lobby where they have a (very nice) continental breakfast. While the WC and I were filling our plates, the Rock grabbed a SF brochure off a rack as he wanted to see what time the parked closed. It was then we learned that the park was closed on Monday the 18th. In fact, last week was the last week they were open M-F. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! They always stayed open till Labor Day (during the week) and we have no idea when that changed. Apparently they close earlier during the week due to schools starting earlier and earlier. So, we had a nice breakfast, got ready and came home. Since we bought our SF tickets at a local grocery store(cheaper there, $7.00 per adult ticket!) we will go some Saturday and may or may not make a weekend of it. We might just go to SF. Since the Rock had also taken today off, he and the Wild Child are off to the St. Louis Zoo today. Our weather has been so nice the past week, week and a half. Highs in the mid 80s and lows around the low 60s. Not August weather, but, nice and welcome. We haven't had the air on since last Saturday. I have been getting ready for the school year, for Labor Day weekend and working on some writing projects. And today I am going to tackle cleaning out the Rock's and my closet and dresser. They say we only wear 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time and with that in mind, I am going to get rid of a bunch of stuff.

!

Happy Tuesday! If there is anything I love more than makeup, it is free makeup. Last week the mailman brought me some Max Factor makeup to use courtesy of BzzAgent. Bzz Agent is a site that I am with that periodically gives the agents something to try then talk up, create buzz about, to friends and family. So I am going to tell all you dear friends what I got and what I think. First, they sent me a tube of Lash Perfection Volume Couture Mascara (black), Color Genius Mineral Blush in Peach, a Blush Brush, and Original Lipfinity in Brillance. My first impression was kind of "oh no". The Lipfinity looked very orange in the tube and the blush is peach, a color that for what ever reason I stay away from. I don't know why. I guess I like snappy names on my cosmetics. For example, my number one blush is the ever popular Nars Powder Blush in Orgasm. The Max Factor Color Genius Mineral Blush is a pressed powder blush, and is actually three shades of peach, from very light to fairly dark. I swirled the brush (and it is a good brush - this ranks with a couple expensive ones I have, so I think this brush is a good deal) and applied the blush. Pretty pale on first application, and since I am a pale redhead, that is saying it is PALE. I put on a second coat, using a bit more of the dark, and was pretty pleased with the results. It actually looks a lot like Orgasm by Nars, although more matte. This is not a bad thing, I think the matte look has its place and I am sure this costs a lot less than the Nars. This is staying in the everyday makeup case, as this is a good color for every day. Next up, the Lipfinity. Confession - I have used Cover Girl's Outlast in Naturalast for YEARS now. It is my daily lipstick base (except when I am using Urban Decay's lip stain). Naturalast is a nice nude color that perfectly matches my natural lip color, but, gives me a more polished look. (One coat - Two coats, or a heavy first coat gives more color. It is versatile). I love the Outlast as I said as a lipstick base. I put other colors over it, knowing that if the other colors do wear off, I still have the Outlast one. I have learned I can use any lipstick or gloss over it with the exception of any product by Clinique. For whatever reason, any Clinique product reacts with the Outlast to make me look like I have severe lip eczema or something. Yuck! (Clinique doesn't react over the UD Lip Envy Lip Stain, though). And it does appear that CG is either discontinuing Naturalast (I bought up a bunch on Drugstore.com earlier in the Spring, but will be looking for a new shade when I run out.) Now I do know that Max Factor and Cover Girl are both owned by Proctor and Gamble, so one might think that Lipfinity and Outlast would be the same, but, they aren't quite. I have tried Lipfinity in the past, some years ago and can't recall exactly why Outlast seemed better. But, you know me, I am always game to try new things so after putting on tinted moisturizer, a brush of Mineral Vail translucent mineral makeup and the Color Genius Blush, I applied the Lipfinity in the Brillance - which I might have mentioned looked very ORANGE in the tube. I was very surprised to see that it actually looked good. A peachy pink, that really did seem flattering, and it really did seem to light up my face. Plus it made my teeth look very dazzling white. All in all, this is a nice daytime shade. My husband said it looked very pretty. I didn't see anything close to the 16 hours of wear that the label promised. More like 8 - but I can sure live with that. I would never have picked this color for myself and am actually happy to have had the opportunity to try it. There are times it will be in my makeup rotation. And then there is the mascara. Max Factor Lash Perfection Volume Couture Mascara. WOW! I am very impressed with this and pissed at the same time. I just bought the Lash Stash from Sephora (7 of their best selling mascaras in small sizes) and have to say, that the Max Factor mascara is amazing. It really does lenghthen and thicken quite well in one coat. Two coats and you just have massive lashes. Wears well, all day, and then comes off easily with both Purity by Philosophy and with Sephora Eye and Lip Makeup remover. I can't really express just how amazed I am at this mascara. With two coats of the mascara, my eyes really popped. It looked like I had (light) eyeliner on and I was happy with this. I wore it one day with no other eye makeup except for Stila Brow Powder and was very pleased. Did I mention that the Lash Perfection REALLY gives you long lashes? Very very nice mascara. All in all, I am very impressed with these products and will be checking out some more MF when I next go to Target. For the price, this is good makeup - it holds up well against high end stuff, and can't we all stand to save some money these days?

This and that

First, thanks to my email friends. Yes, I should blog more. I don't know why I don't. Well, wait, maybe I do. I guess I have fears of either doing too well or doing poorly. I am trying to resolve to just fight all fear and just blog. I was thinking today about one of the first blogs I read religiously. The Julie/Julia Project, by Julie Powell. Somehow, I learned of this blog a month or so after she started it (the premise was she was cooking in a small NYC apartment and cooked her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child and blogged about it). Her blog was entertaining and inspiring. The blog inspired me to cook - dusting off MtAoFC myself and rediscovering some of the joys that lie within those pages. It also inspired me to blog myself. But, then I became afraid that someone might think I was simply a copycat, and so that fear, which is one that has haunted me, became hard to overcome. But, pondering that, I have decided Fuck that. Truly. I am going to try. Today it is horribly hot and at least dinner is a no brainer. Saturday we smoked a pork butt, pulled it and have tons left. Plus all the sides. So, that is one thing off my mind. I have gotten a lot done today, more or less. Although most of it was writing related and that always seems kind of weird - I know I did it, but, you can't exactly see it. The house was kind of clean for guests Saturday, so, not a lot to do there. So not a lot of home things, the things that show. I am kind of pissed today as when I got up and entered the bathroom, the first thing I saw was that DH used one of my towels for his morning shower. Damn, that drives me nuts. I bought each of us different colored towels to make this easy and he just decided to ignore it. Is it to much to frigging ask to have my own towels. What a jackass. This means towels laundered before they should have been (a week with clean towels drying off clean bodies is my idea, but, my clean body) which just irks me. I called and asked him if he used mine. MEN!!!!

I LOVE this article!!!

Debs they ain't! The celebrities who flout the new etiquette guide for modern women | Mail Online First, I am all about manners. We need them desperately folks! Manners help everyone and it saddens your Barefoot Domestic Goddess that so many throw them by the wayside these days. Second, I always think people who look horrible in public should be called out on it. Of course, I do mean those who look horrible by their own ignorance, and, then, you do have the issue of it not being good manners to say so, so, your Barefoot Domestic Goddess doesn't get to do this very often, if at all. I love having the Daily Mail do this for me. I really hate fake tan. I do. I learned at a young age that my fair redheaded complexion would not tan, didn't look good with fake tan and I embraced my whiteness/paleness. I actually try to enhance that. And, I do look years younger than I am. To the person who commented in the original article that she didn't like being mistaken for 10 years younger, all, I have to say is, HAH!!! Just wait, you will change your mind as the years pass.

Swiffer and such

Ah, yet again, much time has passed since I blogged, but, with new resolve I begin anew. Today it is really hot. Really hot - and they say it will be a hot week. Dinner tonight is going to be cool and easy. Beetroot and goat cheese salad. The classic, which is our favorite, except am trying Feta Cheese instead of goat cheese. Must google the difference. Washed and trimmed a bunch of beets yesterday and wrapped each in foil,and threw in the bottom of the grill to roast while the rest of our dinner cooked (pork steaks, grilled potatoes in foil, salad and for dessert, blackberry/strawberry shortcake with homemade shortcakes. YUM!). Pork tenderloin, which I want to roast in the oven, but, is so hot may just roast in the grill. Can't decide on the side. Will have garlic toast and salad. Just did my daily chores - well, most of them. Swiffering is easy but I never think the floors are really clean with just the Swiffer cloth. I figure, if the cloth ends up so gross - is the floor that clean. So then I go over it again with another cloth and feel better, but, then angry over the fact this is an expensive way to clean. Resolve to dust off some homemaking books and find a cheaper way, that will be effective, somewhat easy (or I won't stick with it). Will post results. When it is this hot, I take a shower mid/late afternoon instead of early am so, I feel fresh for the hubby. And it perks me up. I used to think nothing of two showers a day, but, anymore I don't unless there is really good reasons as I feel guilty for using too much water.

This and That

I like the idea of blogging more than I like blogging. In my mind, I blog more than once a day every day and have loads of interesting posts. I continually wonder why that doesn't translate to reality. Lately, I have been really into bath products. So, I think I will start writing about some of my favorites. I love products by a company called Beaded Hemp. Beaded Hemp is a small company run by a lovely woman named Robyn. She handmakes, to order, the most marvelous goodies. My number one favorite product is her Foaming Whipped Bath Butter. It comes in a large number of scents. Right now I am crazy over her Frankincense and Myrrh. What an amazingly sexy warm scent. The Foaming Whipped Bath Butter is a great product. A small amount in a poof makes an astonishing amount of lather. It cleans, you, moisturizes you and scents you. It can be used on your face if you want - I don't normally. But you can. Some people use it as shampoo, and it does work well as shampoo. It is great for shaving your legs. I like to combine it with the matching sugar scrub. Beaded Hemp's Foaming Whipped Sugar Scrubs are just incredible. Robyn will make them extra scrubby if you like. They lightly lather and really exfoliate well. Top it off with a some matching Body Mousse and you will be soft, smooth, and smell divine. When I look good, I feel good. That is probably the case for most of us. I have been doing the NaNoWriMo challenge. So far I am doing okay. I get up early every day, shower, dress, makeup, make some coffee and then hit keyboard a while. What I am most liking so far is that I am already in a nice routine of this. And this year I have told a number of people I am doing this, and most important perhaps is that I really do feel like a writer. That seems to be making a world of difference. So, I decided to come back to this blog. And give it another go. I was reading an article today in my local paper about how this 78 year old woman makes a ton of fruitcake every year. She started off making it for gifts, and then people began paying her to make it. Like over 50 years ago. Here is the article http://www.bnd.com/living/story/172566.html There is a recipe included for her fruitcake that makes 18 pounds! That is a lot of fruitcake. I saved the recipe but will have to cut it at least in half - and that is still 9 pounds, which is also a lot of fruticake. I confess, I kind of like fruitcake. I am not overly fond of the candied fruit that is used. Somewhere I found a nice recipe that was really good - it used more dried fruits and left out the candied. I think I will be tinkering with cutting this recipe down and also adjusting the fruits. I will replace at least half of the candied fruit with dried. I might try making some with all dried - cranberries, cherries, blueberries sound good. I also notice she swears by using magarine and since I am kind of a butter person, I will probably change that. I have a set of mini loaf pans and will probably make some one pound loafs and then a bunch of minis. Although I mihgt try her idea of making tea cake sized. The small ones would be great added to a gift basket, or to fill a container. Also, I have learned that most people like fruitcake, and like it a lot when you call it tea bread. I guess it is some stigma on the name fruitcake. I will post more about my experiments as we go. I am thinking of the holidays. Contrary to what some people expect, I don't get things done by July. I don't get them done by October. I actually did have all my shopping done by Mid October once and for me it really took a lot of fun of the holiday season away. So generally I get going in early November. I always think I should start earlier, and some year I might. Right now I am planning gift lists. I do a combination of made and bought. Most of the bought is actually for my child and a few family members. I like to make things as I feel like they give more of me. This year I am making a number of things and will then make up baskets for some people. Things I making are soap, bubble bath, whipped shea butter cream (maybe on this one, I have to tinker with it a bit). And then tea blends, and some baked things - breads, cookies, etc. And fudge. What I give to each person is still up in the air. I have actually done some shopping and have a present stash - I try to keep this going all the time, so, if and when needed I can actually pull together a nice gift. Some of that will go toward holiday gifts. But I am putting together my own Holiday Countdown. This week I am focusing on living room and great room. Big clean on living room, less of a big clean, what I call a medium clean on great room, more than a once over, but not a big clean. That will come next week. Doing a bit of a medium cleaning makes me feel like I have a head start on the big clean, and it gives more of an ongoing sense of accomplishment. Also, I hope to have a full gift list done by the end of this week and especially a good list of what I am making, so we can get started on that. I will also list what I have versus what I need to buy. And then make a project schedule.

Wow, here it is the First of August already!

Where does the time go? I wish I knew. It is really hot here this week. I did a bunch of housework yesterday, really busted my rump and therefore am taking it easy today. I go some books from Barnes and Noble yesterday and today (and more tomorrow as they are sending one order in three, but the shipping is free, so I don't care) so I am about to couch out with a book and some iced tea. I am making pork tenderloin for dinner and am trying to decide if I want to grill it (it is REALLY hot) or throw it in the crock pot. I guess the grilling wins out as that sounds tastier even if it is hot. Maybe grilled veggies with it. There dinner is done. Well almost. I have really been working on conquering clutter and have made lot of headway this summer. It feels great. I should try to remember to pick up the newest Oprah Magazine as I think there is supposed to be an organizing theme to it. Laugh if you wish, but, I have gotten a lot of good advice on clutter from Oprah. The best tip I have heard lately is to take each of your kitchen drawers and dump them each into their own box. Then for a month, when you need something, you open a box, take out the item and use it, then wash and return it to the drawer. At the end of the month what is left in the box gets trashed or donated or sold. Good idea. Yes, you live with boxes in your kitchen (or you can do one drawer a month) but you end up seeing what you really do use and you get rid of the rest relatively painlessly. The wax tart burning today is Eucalyptus Mist by Beaded Hemp. Just wonderful. Well, off I go to the couch.

Thursday

Still researching and thinking on the five year plan. Since I have never done anything like this before, it is turning out to be harder than I thought. It is actually hot here today. In the 90's. That so sucks. Dinner will be a cool one. Cesaer Shrimp Salad with Garlic Bread. The Rock likes this - he likes hearty chef type salads. For dessert, fresh fruit. Easy and healthy. The Wild Child has friends over today. The battle is over playing inside or outside. Yes, I know it is hot. But we don't have the air on yet so it isn't like it is icey inside. Our back yard is very cool and shady. I need to get my wireless router installed and then I will be outside all the time. Our back yard is a higher elevation than the street and is at least 5 - 10 degrees cooler than out front. Plus we have lots of shade and it picks up a nice breeze. I will be stationing myself out there soon. We don't have the air on yet cause I have a thing about holding off as long as possible. As long as it isn't too hot for the computer and satellite dish, I think it is okay. And it is pleasant to sleep. So far, all of those things are true. The price of electric is horrid now here in Illinois. And our house is old. Our air isn't central anyway which means it is far more expensive and hard to cool. It is hard to keep the whole house cool, so when it has to come on, we have two rooms that we keep really cool and then use fans in the rest. That and things like keep the shades down adn all. And not running the oven. It works out okay. I guess I should get the girls in soon and let them do crafts. They like to do this every day and I might as well get it over with.

Philosophy Microdelivery Face Wash

I just love this cleanser! At first whiff, I have to confess to being slightly put off - I have never had an issue with the scent of any of the Philosophy Skincare products, although I know some do - and at first whiff, this has a weird smell. So, I just thought of all the good results I have had and carried on. Although I will be frank and say that if this was someone's first Philosophy Skincare item, I could see where they might be totally put off the product and the line. Which would be a shame, cause this ROCKS! I have used it with and without the Microdelivery Cleansing Cloths. Without - it is a wonderful exfolitating cleanser. It does lather slightly, and really leaves the skin feeling very clean, very toned and very exfoliated. This has become my daily, in the shower facial cleanser. I apply it when I turn the shower on, (we have to let it warm up a bit) and massage into my skin. Then I hit the shower and while I wet my hair, I continue to massage. Then rinse. Then wow - I can't believe how great my skin feels! With the Microdelivery Cleansing Cloths - Just WOW! What a wonderful feeling. Using the cloths with this cleanser, you can definitely feel the exfoliating action while you cleanse (see my other review of the cloths with Purity Cleanser). I am very impressed with this. It isn't quite the exfoliation one gets with the Microdelivery 2 step Peel, but damn is it good. For many people the cleanser with or without the cloths might be all the exfoliation you need. I really don't understand how Philosophy keeps coming up with such great products, but I hope they keep at it.

Philosophy The Present Clear Powder

My review of Philosophy The Present Clear Powder. From the website - "The present clear powder the present clear powder is a topical liquid shine reducer formulated for men and women who suffer from oily skin. philosophy do not believe in using powder to absorb oil - it's "cakey" and ultimately clogs pores. we believe in using a special technology that lifts the oil off your skin holding it away from your pores that provides a matte, shine-free finish. you need this product if... # you have oily skin shine mid-day # you want a product that can be applied under or over makeup # you are tired of using powder over oil which causes a cakey look # you want something super simple, super portable that can go wherever you go # you are pregnant and need something safe and effective to minimize breakout" My opinion - this is a great product. Unlike a lot of other powders in that it isn't actually powder - it is liquid. A very fine fluid, no oil at all. It is a very small bottle but I think it will last a long time, as one uses so little. Now, I have normal skin - generally. Get a bit dryer in winter, get a little oilier in the summer, in hot weather. I was looking for something to minimize oiliness/shine and this does. I use Philosophy's Pigment of Your Imagination which has SPF 18. I have now tried this two ways. Once just over moisturizer, and I then applied a bit of concealer (Boi-ing by Benefit) on cheeks and under eyes and on lids, creme blush (DuWop's stick in Elixer which is a wonderful beigey pink shade) with brow makeup (Stila) and eyeliner (cheapo from Walgreens, can't recall the name) mascara (Estee Lauder More than Mascara) and lips (CoverGirl Naturalast as a base, and DuWop Venom Gloss in Wisteria). Great look. My skin looked great and I had a lovely finish - not shiny but not dry. It did minimize tiny lines - maybe not as much as other primers do, but looked good. Then I tried it over makeup. I used on a moisturized face, Estee Lauder's Double Wear Makeup applied lightly. Then the same basic makeup as above, minus concealer and with the addition of more eye makeup. I then applied The Present Powder over all my face makeup. I held my breath as I thought it might take the makeup off or smear it. It did neither. I think the key is doing it lightly with gentle strokes. Result - it looked nice. It really did serve the function of powder - no shine. My makeup lasted all day - but then again, Double Wear does last and is itself a little matte. However, normally with Double Wear in warm situations, I need a little shine control in the T-Zone and I needed nothing else with this. It really did add a nice finish to my makeup. I needed no touchups - but, this was on a warm, somewhat humid day (not too humid) so maybe on a hot day I would. The Present Clear Makeup definitely does more in the way of filling in fine lines, but, The Present Powder might be a good choice for those who only need a little help.