I just learned about a great place, Squidoo, and am getting started there. I hope to blend this blog with that site and my work there.
On the home front, I am getting ready to host Thanksgiving. The menu is so standard I am almost embarrassed to post it, but, hey, it what we like.
Roast Turkey
Two kinds of dressing - corn bread and white bread
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Baked sweet potatoes with butter and sour cream
Relish Tray - assorted olives and pickles
Green Bean Casserole
Cranberry relish - the garlic/chutney from http://www.npr.org
Rainbow jello (courtesy of my daughter)
Green Salad
Yeast Rolls
Pecan Pie, Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie
Milk, Soda, Water, Tea or Coffee
Sounds good to me. Luckily, my Mother and daughter are helping cook it. Also, the Rock cooks the turkey.
So, today I am focusing on getting the house cleaned. Tomorrow is about cooking!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
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.
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?
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?
Monday, August 04, 2008
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 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!!!!
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
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.
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.
Monday, July 07, 2008
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.
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.
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