Barefoot Domestic Goddess

Wow!

2011-03-28T13:43:00.004-06:00

I am so amazed at the quality of the Nyx Eye Shadows. I know it gets raves from a lot of bloggers, but, I had to try it myself. So astounding for the price. Screw the price, at any price, this is excellent shadow. So soft, so creamy, so pigmented. I love it!!

I love Urban Decay, but, some UD is just a wee bit too sparkly. Especially for daytime. But, the Nyx is perfect. I used the brown shade from the Strike a Pose palette, over the Milk Crayon, (blended well) over Too Faced Shadow Insurance as my base. I used a bit of the white shade in palette as highlight. Then I brushed a bit of the purple shade near my upper and lower lash line. Then I lined upper and lower with a black crayon, a fine line, and then Milk in the waterline. Finished it off with a blend of Tarte Brow Powder in brown, with a bit of the Nyx Brow Powder in the lighter red and two coats of Sephora Mascara.

The eyes aren't nearly as intense as that sounds when I describe it. The rest of my face is simple, Tarte Illuminating Serum mixed with Philosophy's The Present Clear Make Up, a dab of Boi-ing Concealer where I need it, and a bit of Cover Girl's Ageless Cream Blush in the Plum Shade, (this color isn't dark and looks very natural). Finished with Revlon ColorStay Mineral LipGlaze in Forever Fig.

Fragrance of the day is Cannabis Rose by Fresh. Hair is up and back with black leggings and a black tee. Silver studs, a purple scarf with little peace symbols, black and purple skull socks and Payless toning sneakers.

I look great and I bet Rick thinks so too! My new adventures exploring Drugstore makeup is fun and really paying off. The quality of what you can get at the Drugstore now just blows my mind.

Makeup Makes My Monday!

2011-03-28T12:29:00.003-06:00

Makeup in the Mail makes a day feel like Christmas or something! Today I got a small parcel of Nyx goodies, my first, and am off to play!

Got the Strike A Pose Pallet, a Milk Crayon, Auburn Brow Powder and a sharpener. Can't wait to try this pallet. The colors are gorgeous.

More later.

My Cuticles Have Never Looked Better

2011-03-23T12:19:00.002-06:00

I have spent most of my free time the past week reading blogs. Wow, have I learned so much. The coolest thing I learned, I learned from the amazing and inspiring G at http://nouveaucheap.blogspot.com/ That is a tip of using Vick's Vapor Rub or Mentholatum as cuticle cream (apply a small amount and massage in each night). I have always had the driest cuticles and thought I would try this. Why not, I have certainly spent a lot over the years and never been really pleased.

It works. Vick's Vapor Rub totally rocks as a cuticle creams. Mine have never looked better, been softer, felt better. And it works for the Wild Child as well. Her cuticles are normally so dry they hurt me.

I will share more I have learned and thoughts I have on a lot things beauty. I have been pretty much a high end/mid end kind of girl the past ten years or so, and I have a lot of thoughts about this.

I LOVE all things Beauty!

2011-03-15T09:14:00.004-06:00

High end, drugstore, I LOVE it ALL. I get just as excited going into CVS as Macy's or Sephora. Or heck, even Dollar Tree! I love find a bargain. Online, off line, everywhere!

There are so many wonderful products and so little time.

2011-03-15T01:23:00.003-06:00

Not too bad. Just over a week. And a busy week it has been. I have spent time trying to master my camera (don't ask). I have also been spending time reading blogs. And what fun that is. I have learned a lot!

I learned that my eye makeup skills are in need of work. Now, I have worn eye makeup for many years. I can actually do a superb basic eye. But, I tend to wear browns, taupes, etc. almost all the time. If I wear shadow at all. I actually use a bit of concealer a lot and then a little liner, mascara and brow makeup. Recently, I read somewhere, maybe on Total Beauty, that not wearing eyeshadow is aging. Wow! I never thought of that. So I have resolved to do better. I have learned a great deal this week, especially from the blog Beauty's Bad Habit (OMG!!! Is she a talented MUA or what?).

And one fun thing happened. Rick, my beloved husband of almost 15 years, is fascinated with makeup. He doesn't want to wear it. He wants to play MUA. On me. What fun! And I mean that. He and I enjoy Face/Off, the reality show for theatrical MUAs and we have enjoyed another show about regular MUAs in the the past. And Project Runway and RuPaul's Next Drag Queen as well as America's Next Top Model. Today, we had fun at CVS looking at eye shadow palettes. He picked out a Revlon one and a Milani Eyeliner. And had some fun picking out some NYX palettes on Cherry Culture. This could end up being the BEST thing I have every done. I got him interested in makeup and being obsessed with buying it. When my camera skills improve I will post his work.

This Might Actually Be Funny

2011-03-07T13:23:00.002-06:00

Or maybe not. Yes, I realize it has been almost 2 years. And, yes, I realize I have had this starting up crap before, but, this time I mean it. LOL

Maybe.

I realize I have to blog about things I care about. I also realize that I think I will primarily be a beauty blogger. I read a lot of them, so, I am going to do my own. Rather than start a new one, I decided to revive this one. I may write about a variety of things but will probably always be primary about beauty.

I also have a camera, will be learning how to use it and will eventually have my own pictures. Until I work out a few things and really can do some, I will use stock photos. But, hopefully not for long.

I have a lot to learn and relearn about blogging, so bear with me.

A New Day!

2009-04-22T11:59:00.004-06:00

I got hypnotized. It wasn't bad. It was almost just like guided meditation, which I dearly love. I don't know why I didn't realize how much I like it, I have various cds and will do more! I got hypnotized to stop smoking. After 32 years, it is time. LOL. A friend got hypnotized about a month ago, and it worked for him. I feel happy to say, I quit smoking. I am now an ex smoker!

Anyway, back to the hypnotism. She was lovely. It was so wonderful. I felt so fantastic when finished (it took about 45 minutes, plus about 20 minutes chatting before hand.) I felt like I has slept for eight hours, and, woke up refreshed and rested. Since I have insomnia, that is a very strange feeling for me. She and I had discussed my writing and how one thing I feared was losing motivations, losing creativity, etc So she included prompts on these areas. And I feel as inspired today as I have in the past few weeks of doing TAW.

And I haven't had a cigarette since. Have I wanted one? No. Yes. Maybe. Hard to tell. I told my husband last night, it was almost like I wanted to want one. But, was bummed that I really didn't. It feels different this time, it really does. I like the feeling.

Several times today I have reached. Actually, here at the desk. Instead I grab a water bottle and take a drink. And take a very deep breathe and then exhale while thinking "the craving is gone". Surprisingly, this is working. I did sleep pretty well, however, I am really tired today.

I never realized how much lipstick/gloss I smoked off. I suppose I knew subconsciously. I have for years had a habit of applying gloss/balm a lot. And almost always I needed it. Today, I have caught myself grabbing the lip gloss, and then I get it to my lips, I realize I don't need to reapply. So in addition to all the money I save from not smoking, I bet I see a savings in the gloss/balm area as well. Pretty cool little bonus.

I am also curious to see if I seen a change in my skin. I take care of my skin and have for years. I am frequently mistaken for a good ten, and sometimes 15 years younger than my actual age. Now, it does help that many years ago I mastered the art of inhaling without puckering my lips. But, I still am hoping to see a little difference. Today, I started the day off with a home microdermabrasion treatment, followed by masque. So, I am looking especially radiant. I think I will take a picture to compare in a month or so.

Even though I am tired, it probably isn't more than I normally feel from the fibro. All in all I feel pretty good. Better than I thought I would, and not crabby, which is something I instantly got to every other time I have quit. And actually, I suppose this counts as cold turkey. No nicotine replacement. Instead I am working on flushing the nicotine out of my system with orange juice and water. Later I am going to take a really hot bath with some herbs, as I have read that this helps detox as well. The sooner I get the nicotine out of my system the better.

All in all, today is pretty good. I feel inspired. I have gotten a few things done - although I am not forcing myself today.

Have a lovely day, I am heading out to go for a walk on this beautiful Spring day.

Exciting Times

2008-11-25T09:52:00.002-06:00

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!

What's going on.

2008-08-19T10:05:00.002-06:00

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.

!

2008-08-19T09:30:00.007-06:00

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

2008-08-04T14:07:00.003-06:00

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!!!

2008-07-08T13:46:00.001-06:00

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

2008-07-07T09:31:00.002-06:00

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

2007-11-07T11:06:00.000-06:00

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!

2007-08-01T13:17:00.000-06:00

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

2007-06-14T14:19:00.000-06:00

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

2007-06-14T13:59:00.000-06:00

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

2007-06-14T13:55:00.000-06:00

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.

Five Year Plan

2007-06-13T13:36:00.000-06:00

This is from my horoscope today:

"Solitude appeals, in part because of asinine behavior by some of your colleagues. Put things into perspective by creating or re-creating a five-year plan, and doing at least one thing to make it happen today."

I have been thinking about this a lot since I read it this morning. I don't have a five year plan. So I suppose that the first step would be to make one. So, I have been researching that a bit today. I found this website -
http://www.boxesandarrows.com/view/planning_your_future
which has some useful information, including this guide:

"

he Template:

Your Name
Today’s Date
This is important as you reflect back on this document. This will become a touchstone for your growth and a reminder of who you were as you look back at what was important to you in this point in time.
3–6 Months
- Start small.
- Think about short-term goals that are easily achieved but will also help move you towards the longer-term goals.
- Include some tangible goals (i.e., ship a product that I acted as lead designer for).
6–12 Months
- Start thinking bigger here—this is planning for a year out.
- What new skills do you want to learn?
- What new ideas do you want to share with others?
- What changes do you want to make? Put them down here along with the steps needed to take to make them happen.
Beyond 12 Months
- Capture specific plans that you know may take more than a year to get to or accomplish. For me, it was to work on my Dr. Leslie book. I discussed the idea with a writing partner 3 years ago, but it is only now coming to fruition with an actual proposal in hand and a potential publisher.
- Be realistic but not afraid to reach. Visualize success in areas you may have little control over. Don’t be afraid to write down a desired goal that may be a stretch.
Longer-term Goals
- This is the area to think out for the next 3–5 years, including life beyond the company or situation you are currently in. For me, I listed “teaching again” as a goal. This reminds me that I want to do this and I need to make certain decisions and changes in order to make it happen.
  
  If I decide at a later time, that I don’t really want to do this, I should remove it off the plan.
Opportunities to Explore at Your Company
- List all the training and coaching opportunities relevant and currently available at your company.
- Note relationships that need to be cultivated at your company in order to meet success.
  
  Note: This obviously may not apply if you are an independent consultant. Think about other opportunities that might be available through professional associations and networking instead.
Skills to Develop
- Project what skills you need to develop to reach the goals you listed in the first part of this exercise.
- What other skills do you need, besides the ones you have now, to attain your goal?
  Since I am a manager and this is the area in which I have been growing, I listed things such as Confidence and Effectiveness—along with ideas on how to master these more intangible skills.
  
  Over the last couple of years, I have purposely put myself into situations to gain confidence—especially when giving presentations. Think about starting slow and building on your successes.
  In addition, I also listed skills of associated/allied roles that I would like to learn in order to make myself a more well-rounded and effective manager in my company.
What I Care About in a Work Environment
- This may seem frivolous or not important to the task at hand, but it serves to remind you of the values you need to share with the company you work for. As you grow or the company changes this can help guide you when you need to make a change.
Personal Goals
Don’t forget the personal goals that you need to weave into your life. It never hurts to write these down as a reminder of work/life balance and of the things that are really important to you as a person. "

As you can see, this is going to have to be adapted for me. That will take a bit of work. But, it really does seem like a good outline so I am going to save it, even though I am not done researching this.

I love Summer!

2007-06-13T12:01:00.000-06:00

Yes, I really do. It is warm here, but, not really hot yet. I love it.

The Wild Child is playing with friends here and I am almost worried they are too quiet. Nah, I guess I will not worry and just enjoy the silence. It will end soon enough.

Lately, I have been really inspired to write. The novel I am working on is coming along well. I feel like I have actually been getting guidance in my dreams, and hey, I will take it anywhere I can get it.

Tonight's dinner is going to be easy - grilled chicken breasts, rice, some kind of veggies and salad. Good, tasty and simple.

I have also been working a lot on making my own bath products and will be posting more about that in the near future. This is probably one of my biggest hobbies right now.

I need to clean off my desk and update my home control journal. I also need to get back on track with decluttering - it really doesn't seem to ever end.

Philosophy Microdelivery Cloths

2007-06-13T11:57:00.000-06:00

First, - I love Philosophy and confess that I was so excited about this that I apparently didn't fully read the description. I thought these were cleanings cloths that had cleanser in them, (like Olay's, etc). Teach me to read the descriptions better! They don't have cleanser. I had actually realized that after ordering but before receiving. And I suppose I thought they would be large cloths. They are actually a smaller rectangular doubled cloth of very soft material.

So, I had kind of mixed feelings going into it. I used one with Purity is Simple cleanser. The package says use with Purity Made Simple for a light exfoliation, for the ultimate exfoliation, use the Microdelivery Exfoliating Treatment Wash. The directions then say apply a generous amount of cleanser (did) and then and with gentle pressure, massage one area of the face at a time, using no more than 10 gentle strokes per area.

So, while using I was very unimpressed - it really didn't feel like I was doing anything more than massaging my face with a very soft cloth. Then I got tired of it and rinsed. WOW - I couldn't believe how great my skin felt! Really felt like a decent exfoliation! And I am a regular (once or twice a week) user of The Microdelivery Peel. My skin felt very fresh and soft afterward. I glowed. I glowed this am.

I would imagine one could use these with whatever cleanser you wish. I would personally recommend a Philosophy one as I love Philosophy. But, I think any would work.

At 15.00 for 20 pads, and they recommend you use it once or twice a week, this is actually a bargain on a very fine exfoliating treatment. This could well be enough of an exfoliator for many people.

Still Around

2007-04-16T09:17:00.000-06:00

Has been awhile, hasn't it. Have had some health issues and persistent bouts of perfectionism preventing me from blogging.

A couple of updates. Advanced Night Repair. After two months of daily use - folks, this is worth it. This is simply outstanding. I like products where one can see results and Advanced Night Repair delivers. After two months, along with my regular Philosophy Makeup is Optional Skincare regime, my skin has never looked better. The fine lines I had around my eyes have been so diminished they are almost gone! I can wear eyeliner without worry. Try this - you will be so impressed. Get a sample bottle from your local Estee Lauder counter or track some down on eBay. This works!

Also impressed with a couple of other new (or at least new to me items) that I will blog about all this week. The first is Lip Venom by DuWop. I have loved the regular Lip Venom (clear for sometime) . It doesn't really change your lips, but does slightly alter their appearance for a while - makes them look plumper. I am crazy about the Lip Venom Gloss in a tube in Wisteria. I got a sample of this one a while back when I bought some other DuWop items from Drugstore.com and love it. It is the perfect lip gloss color - it is a pinky color in the tube, but is extremely light on the lips - it just enhances natural lip color in a way that is magical. Really wonderful. Lasts a long time and doesn't feel sticky. And gives you plumper lips. What more can one ask of a lip gloss?

Got a free pedometer in the mail Saturday from signing up from something online ages ago. Today it clipped to the waistband of my pants as I want to see how much I walk in an average day. I read somewhere that 10,000 steps a day is a good goal for general fitness. I wonder how I measure up?

Fragrance of the Day - Clinique's Aromatics Elixir - a longtime favorite

The great Advanced Night Repair Experiment

2007-02-13T10:35:00.000-06:00

In the gift I got with my Estee Lauder purchase yesterday, I got a deluxe sample of Advanced Night Repair and Advanced Night Repair Eye. Now, I have had samples of the ANR before and I don't recall ever using it. I found several in the stash of stuff under the bathroom sink yesterday, two had evaporated.

This time I decided to try them. This is because while I am overall pleased with my skin using the Makeup is Optional Skincare by Philosophy, my eyes have been bothering me some recently. I used the Hope in a Tube for eyes and lips regularly, but, I still have a lot of fine lines - and they bug me. My husband says I am nuts, that I am the only one that sees them, but, you know, they are there. I really am bugged when I am putting on eye makeup.

So, for the next ten days I am using the Advanced Night Repair on my face and the Advanced Night Repair Eye over clean skin and under my normal Philosophy regime. (Yes, I think you can mix sometimes, and I am not worried about this being a problem. I am actually curious what might happen.

This information is from EsteeLauder.com:

Advanced Night Repair

roduct Details:

For every woman. Every night. Based on solid, scientific findings and 24 years of proven success, this is the one formula your skin shouldn't live without. Helps visibly repair the appearance of past damage and protect your skin's future. Heightens your skin's natural repair response—critical for its well-being. Soothes daily irritation and builds a rich reserve of anti-oxidants and lipids to help replenish skin's natural protectants. Protects the future by neutralizing up to 90% of environmentally generated free radicals before they can cause your skin to look prematurely aged. Because it is this environmental damage—not time—that can cause 80% of the visible signs of aging. Delivers high levels of long-proven hyaluronic acid—nature's "moisture magnet." Locks in moisture to create the ideal environment for healthy skin. Think of it as your "insurance" for younger, healthier-looking skin, today and tomorrow. Dermatologist-, Ophthalmologist-tested.

For more info

And Advanced Night Repair Eye

Product Details:

All the proven repair and protection of original Advanced Night Repair, now for the fragile eye area. Exclusive repair technologies successfully treat the appearance of lines, dryness, puffiness and dark circles. All night, all day it helps repair the appearance of past damage, while dramatically protecting skin from the aging effects of the environment...to give your eyes a younger-looking future. Leaves skin with a wonderful, silky feeling. Even helps eye makeup glide on. Dermatologist-, Ophthalmologist-tested

More information here

Opinion/Results after one day: Okay, so far I am actually impressed. When you do take care of your skin, it takes something really great to stand out and both of these products are seeming to. My face felt firmer and looked more radiant this morning - which amazes me to no end. My eyes did indeed look better - less puffy and I swear the lines looked better. Hmmmmm.

Why I love Estee Lauder

2007-02-13T09:38:00.000-06:00

Happy Tuesday. Yesterday had its moments. I had some computer issues - mainly installing the Yahoo Music Jukebox and getting it to work. This lead to massive issues with Windows Updates, which should be a blog itself I think. I can sum it up in one word - AAAARRRGGGHHH!!! And as a note, I am not listening to music right now, even though I want to be.

Enough about that. While battling that, I decided to head out to the mall. I promised her to go by Wednesday to go to Build a Bear Workshop so she could obtain a couple limited edition Valentine's Day outfits for her menagerie. With a winter storm predicted for us today I thought it might be wise to get out while we could. (So far we have only rain, but, apparently that could change to snow, although we might be far enough South to miss the big snow. We can hope)

First we got some darling new outfits for Fairy Kitty, Fairy Poodle, Katie Koala and Fairy Bunny to share, and having the nice lady revamp Fairy Bunny - the Wild Child won her for selling Girl Scout Cookies - it is a special edition Girl Scout Bunny, and was a little thin looking. WC had been bemoaning her as mostly skin. She got a sound, a heart and more stuffing so now she looks better.

Then I found a great pair of shoes, exactly what I wanted going in, some cloggy slip ons. I found exactly what I wanted, on sale no less at The Shoe Dept.

I also decided to stop by the cosmetic department. Cosmetics at Macy's was really busy - the counter people were all busy talking to each other or doing inventory or something and I didn't see anything that really called out to me, so eventually we made our way to Dillard's where things seemed more inviting. The Estee Lauder Counter is where I ended up. It so often is. I have been thinking about Estee Lauder a lot lately. I have been very close to buying some new foundation online, and even though they have had some interesting gift with purchase online (although never as good as the stores) and I have had my cart loaded, something made me stop. Now, I know why.

My favorite foundation, both favorite in general and by Estee Lauder is Double Wear. I bought my first bottle 11 years ago I think. I know I bought a bottle for my wedding, and I really think that was the first. I bought Fresco. I liked it. I have bought at least two more. I really really like Double Wear. I can't say enough about how great it is. It looks great, wears just like they say - all day, fifteen hours. It looks as good when I take it off as when I put it on.

Now regular readers and those who know me, know I am a major fan of tinted moisturizers and a dab of concealer where I need it. But, I also wear foundation fairly often - when you have the right foundation it really makes your look. It should look natural. Well, yesterday I was by the way wearing tinted moisturize and concealer with a light application of Bare Minerals Mineral Veil over all. When I made myself comfee in the chair, and my lovely beauty adviser began cleaning a bit of my face, she was surprised to see I have mild rosecea - she complemented me on my application. ( I love that).

Anyway, why was I in the chair. I wanted a bottle of Double Wear, in Fresco, the shade I had worn for years, and the shade which was first picked for me by a EL sales woman. I was going to get a bottle, get the gift and leave. When I asked the woman for Fresco, she said, are you sure? I was surprised. I had never had any complaint over this shade, but, I said, why do you think that is wrong. She said, maybe not, but, if I had time, maybe we could compare and see. So, I ended up in the chair. After applying cleanser to my lower cheek and jaw area, she brushed a little Fresco on and blended in. Below it, she applied one shade under Fresco - maybe, it is kind of in a band on the chart with Fresco, but one down, called Dusk - now, this is interesting. This shade is also designed for those with red in their complexion. The Dusk was a perfect match. The then took that all off, and reapplied only the Dusk and it was amazing. A bit lighter, than what I was used to when wearing foundation. I hadn't realized my skin maybe had changed. With all the exfoliation and other things I do and use, maybe I had lightened. Maybe it is the season. At any rate I bought a bottle, and she nicely gave me two tiny vials she made up so I could use it at home before I opened the full sized. Nice of her to do that.

Then I got the gift. Estee Lauder pioneered the cosmetic gift with purchase years ago, so they generally have good ones. The current one at Dillard's is pretty nice. A picture is at the beginning of this post. Here is the description:

Estee Lauder Gift Time - Choose Your Shades

02/07/2007 through 02/14/2007

This fabulous collection with tortoise accents gives you the season's best colors, advanced skincare and more. It's all yours with any Estee Lauder purchase of $22.50 or more. Worth $65, this exciting collection includes your choice of shades:
- All-Day lipstick (full-size)
- Pure Color Eyeshadow
- More Than Mascara (10 day supply)
- Advanced Night Repair (10 day supply)
Advanced Night Repair (7 day supply)
- Batik Print Train Case
- Companion Pebbled Cosmetic Bag

Offer good while supplies last. Quantities limited. One gift to a customer, please.

It says it expires tomorrow, but, call your local Dillard's and check. Or get up there today! This is a great gift. The choices are warm or cool. I took warm and the lipstick, in Caffe Latte is a perfect color for me. A warm golden pinky peach. Which doesn't sound nearly as pretty as this is on me. As EL reps often do, she slipped me a couple other goodies in the bag - a deluxe sample size of MagnaScopic Mascara and another eye shadow in a great base shade of Auburn Light -this is actually more of a champagny color that looks great on me.

After coming home from the mall, I took off all my makeup, used Philosophy's Micro Peel Pads and then redid my makeup. I really like Dusk - it totally covered my tiny area of broken capillaries that will only be cured by laser treatment with no concealer. And it looks pretty and natural. Oh, and the other thing about Double Wear. My skin is a bit on the dry side of normal. Double Wear is the only long wearing that I have ever tried that felt good and didn't seem to be drying or uncomfortable. It doesn't accentuate any fine lines.

I think everyone should check their shade now and then. The right foundation is the most important thing in my opinion. If you wear it. And another thing - the right shade, which Dusk is for me, will blend so well, you can use it only wear you need it. But, I do use all over, applying with a brush then blending with a little latex sponge wedge. I have long felt that it is hard to get a good match on foundation in the drugstore brands. Not impossible, but, hard. I used to use Revlon's Color Stay and to get the right shade I actually bought two and blended in my hand daily. The pricier foundations do have better pigments and all, and do look better. A bottle of Double Wear lasts a long time and besides, you get a lot in the gift that really adds to your total value.

It Never Ends

2007-02-09T12:53:00.000-06:00

The quest for organization. I guess the biggest problem is we have a small home and we like stuff. Our house was built in 1832 and they didn't build in closets back then. We have exactly two in the whole house. So, we have to be creative. Right now I am trying to figure out how to store more bathroom stuff. As mentioned in other posts, the Wild Child and I love LUSH products and have a nice little stash of goodies. At the present, they are in a long oval basket - but I don't like this for several reasons. One they are kind of piled on top of each other and I would rather have them all in a single layer. I guess what I need is one of those small stacked drawers sets, but, finding what I want is proving to be a challenge. Most are plastic, and I would rather not have that. Although if it ends up being all I can find, I suppose I can and then put the unit on a shelf in the corner. But, I am crossing my fingers that I find one in wicker or rattan or something. Then I can have it sit on top of a small wooden chest of drawers, where the basket is currently. This makes it handy. If you have any ideas, let me know.

I

Valentine's Day

2007-02-08T09:41:00.000-06:00

Valentine's Day is fast approaching and if you are looking for a great gift for your Domestic Goddess (barefoot or not) look no further. Flowers are nice, but, the Rock and I came to an agreement years ago. I don't like arranged flowers. He can get me unarranged, and I really prefer them from a wholesale florist (years ago I worked for a florist) and sometimes does. He likes the whole idea of giving them I guess. And this year flower prices are supposed to be high.

What I really prefer is an IOU for some nice rose bushes that I get to pick out later in the spring. I got two beautiful bushes last spring, and I will enjoy them for years to come. So he has promised that again this year. Nice.

But, another gift (and it already came and he gave it to me already - hmmm, this usually means more will come) was some wonderful goodies from LUSH - lush.com - the Handmade Cosmetics people. He gave the Wild Child (a devotee herself) and I a little shopping spree there, which gave us the fun of spending it and the joy of getting it.

One thing I got, was the Your a Sex Bomb gift. WOW - this is nice and would make the nicest gift. It came wrapped in beautiful paper with a pretty bow and had inside nestled in red crinkly paper the following:

Sex Bomb Bath Ballistic
Elixer Luxury Bath Melt
Godiva Shampoo Bar
Joy of Jelly Shower Jelly
You Snap The Whip Body Butter

These are all incredible bath products. Sex Bomb is one of my favorite LUSH bath ballistics and the smell is out of this world. I may have opened it all ready, but, I am saving it all for a special night soon.

LUSH is offering free wrap and a free expedited shipping upgrade to get this (or one of their other lovely gifts to your sweetie in time.

Just go to http://usa.lush.com/cgi-bin/lushdb/val

to make your selection. They also have great advice for making Valentine's Day one to remember. If you live near a LUSH store, they have them in the stores as well.

This and That

2007-02-08T08:58:00.000-06:00

Thanks for the emails everyone. It looks like people like the cosmetic posts, but, want to see homekeeping stuff as well. Okay, you know what? So do I! So, I will combine them and we will see how that goes. Although some of the makeup (did you know the slang for makeup is slap in the UK? I LOVE that!) posts may be stand alones. I am working on getting an rss feed - those of you on the group will be getting daily (or near daily) posts about when the blog is up.

Today is another cold day here in the Midwest. I am so ready for Spring, which I thought the old groundhog said would be early. We'll see I guess. And since there really is nothing we can do about it anyway, we are trying to make the best of it.

I am working on revamping my Control Journal - Hah! - when am I not working on that. I am close to having some downloads on that for those who have been waiting so patiently.

The Rock is away a couple days on business so the Wild Child and I are muddling through. When it is just us girls a lot of times we have what we call "You Pick Dinner Night". Which means we eat what we want, when we want. Although I do approve hers - no just eating candy or ice cream and calling it dinner here. I am actually thinking of pizza, but, the day is early and I might just hit the freezer and come up with something.

My nails are growing like mad and getting stronger. I bought some Sally Hansen Complete Care 4 - in 1 Treatment a couple weeks ago and have been using it. It really seems to work and I just love it when that is the case. I found it at Walgreens -it is available all over.

Products doing what they are said to is my biggest issue. I will pay more for results. Case in point - I have been using Sebastian's Potion No 9. I used this years back and loved it, I really can't think why I stopped. About a month or so ago, I realized that the winter cold and the indoor central heating was really doing a number on my hair. Dry, frizzy, yuck. Then Potion No 9 popped into my head and I ordered some from Drugstore.com and it was just like falling in love all over again. Magic stuff this is. It is called wearable treatment and that it is. It is so much more than just a leave in conditioner. My hair is so revitalized. It smells incredible and doesn't leave my hair oily or dirty feeling, which is something that seems to happen with other leave ins. It just feels wonderful. No frizz. My natural curl really comes out and looks nice. And a little goes a long way, so a tube lasts a long time. I am not going to let this amazing product leave my routine again!

The Beauty Buyble

2007-02-02T09:22:00.000-06:00

The Beauty Buybleby Paula Conway (pictured right) is one of of the greatest books I have encountered in recent memory. This is a wonderfully up to date book, but it is so much more. Here is a synopsis of the book from Powells.com

"

Going to the cosmetic counter can be one of the most abusive experiences in a woman's daily routine. Where else do you pay for the privilege of being told, You need a new look? You're sold $150 worth of makeup and skin care products you don't need or that may irritate your skin, and the salesperson doesn't have a clue about what's right for you. How do you know which mascara truly lengthens, curls, or offers the blackest black? Which lipstick really does stay on all day without drying your lips? The Beauty Buyble gives consumers a one-stop reference to the year's best beauty buys and products. It takes out the guesswork, making it easier for women to find the best hair care, makeup, skin care, and beauty tools available on the market. This helpful, accessible book lists products in the low-, middle-, and high-end ranges so that you can find the product that's right for you and will truly enhance your beauty. The clean, concise format helps women on the go find the products they need, and the authors offer advice from celebrity makeup artists to help readers get the best out of their beauty purchases. Complete with dozens of actual samples and coupons for the products, The Beauty Buyble will be the first book to offer the very best beauty products, describe why they work, quote the experts, and tell the consumer how and where to buy. The book and bag of beauty goodies will come nestled inside a gorgeous box."

Okay, did you read that bit in bold? Bag of beauty goodies? Yes, there is a great bag of goodies - most samples, but, some full size and it all comes in a cute bag inside the nicest box. The box reminds me of an oversize pink cigar box with a ribbon tie and will find some good use. Did I ever tell you all I am nuts about cute boxes? Tis true. And the bag of goodies! Great samples of products you will love trying.

Included are products from MD Skincare, Freeze, Cetaphil, ELF (!!!!) Mentholatum Lip Balm, Biosilk, Nivea, Schwartzkopf, Profoot, Banana Boat, DHC (lots of DHC which has some really great skincare), Borba, Selona, Vitabath, Lipmints, Yu-Be, Jelly Bath, Cat Cosmetics (watch for a separate post on Cat Cosmetics, I love them so much!) NYC, Canyon Ranch, Chupa Chupa and at least one or two other suprises - all names you love or want to know more about. The samples are great, there are pencils and full sized lip products.

This is a great treat, can you imagine, you order it (or you can find it at Target or other fine stores) and you get it home and you can read some really right on reviews of some of the major most talked about companies and products. And you can then play with all your goodies. This just fantastic. I haven't had a pile of samples like this, in, well, maybe never. Go on get one (and this makes a really wonderful gift, especially for teens, but, really for anyone who likes looking great). You deserve it!

http://www.powells.com/partner/31636/biblio/9780060851637

Happy Groundhog's Day!

2007-02-02T08:54:00.000-06:00

Or Happy Candlemas, Imbolc or St Bridget's Day - if you celebrate any of those!

What can I say. Computer issues (sigh, again) and the flu kept me down in the past month. Also have been working on how to get some things on my blog and all that I want. More in the near future.

ELF Cosmetics - Eyes Lips Face is having a great sale. For three days, or until Feb 3 everything is 30% off. That means the great little dollar cosmetics are all seventy cents. Wow, you can experience this great line yourself for very little cash. I think everyone will love some stuff, dislike some, but, that is pretty much true for any line. I love the Lip Color in Bark and the Plumping Lip Color in Oasis. Give this a try and let me know what you think!

What Price Beauty?

2006-12-29T12:51:00.000-06:00

I have had some email from readers (and I love email, or you can comment on the blog and I will respond) curious about if this is all about high end, high priced products. The answer is no, and, yes. I am a beauty junkie. I freely admit that. I use high end products that work and seem worth the price to me. But, I use bargain products as well. I am a big fan of bathing -and, I will also freely confess to being a Lush Lover, I buy all kinds of bath products. I have found some killer bubble baths at the all kinds of places. Including but not limited to Target, Wal-Mart and Dollar Tree. Yes, Dollar Tree -they have all kinds of great beauty stuff - you have to watch what you are buying. Hair thingies and clips, head bands, bath brushes, sponges and stuff as well as some terrific body butter. I am a body lotion/cream/butter fiend. I think the body butter sold at Dollar Tree is good, as good or better than other higher priced products. In fact, I have seen this same body butter (and scrub) sold in a catalogue for 20.00 for 2 scrubs and 2 butters.

The past two years for the holidays, my young daughter has made me "spa baskets" that have a lot of stuff from her favorite store, Dollar Tree. This years included 5 body butters - I really use this stuff folks and will use it all up in a year or less. This years scents included jasmine, passionfruit, aloe vera, tangerine and olive/sage. I was especially happy to get the jasmine as one of my favorite bath ballistics from Lush, which I use mostly as a treat not as a daily thing due to the cost, is the Sex Bomb, which is jasmine/rose/ylang ylang. The one thing about Lush, their stuff smells incredible and is very good, but, they really don't have matching things -ie no body lotion/cream for each ballistic. I took the jasmine body butter, and broke out my essential oil collection, and added some rose and ylang ylang - not exactly the Lush blend, but, it smells pretty close and pretty darn good to me. Also in the basket was some new poofs, (she loves them so much) some bath fizzies, a new headband, some foot buffers, some spa face cloths, a bath brush, some nice fuzzy soft slipper socks and slippers (another thing I love) and then some Lush goodies and a Philosophy 3 in 1 bath gel in Enpowerment. My daughter obviously knows what Mama likes. And she is a bath addict as well.

The Best Beauty Advice I Have Ever Received

2006-12-28T11:38:00.000-06:00

The best advice I have ever received, and, therefore, the best advice I pass on is pretty simple. Never go to sleep with makeup on (and make sure your face is really clean), use eye cream, exfoliate, use sunblock, drink plenty of water and get enough sleep. I fall down on the sleep one, but the rest I am pretty diligent about following.

I can count on one hand (with fingers to spare) the times I have slept without removing makeup. Many cleansers say they remove makeup, and, I would use cleanser, then toner. But years ago an exotic dancer gave me one of the best tips. At the time, I sold flowers in nightclubs in a southern city. One of the accounts was a gentlemen's club and I would frequently use the ladies room attached to the dancer's dressing room when there. Many times I would basically take a break there and sit in the dressing room a while, chatting with the girls, (they liked to scope out my basket of flowers and gifts and pick what they wanted and then later get one of their customers to buy it for them). One day, one of the dancers, who had incredible skin, was sitting at the dressing table removing her makeup with cold cream. Now, this interested me as one, we used the same foundation - I was in and out of clubs all night and needed makeup with staying power. This was about the time that the long lasting stuff was first hitting the market and I had recently switched from a stage foundation to Revlon's Color Stay (not bad, I had to buy two and mix them to get my perfect color, but, it really did last!). I noticed though that she also had the same cleanser I was then using (and while I remember the cold cream, I can't recall what cleanser it was). After tissuing off the cold cream. She then used the cleanser and washed it off at the sink. I commented that I used that cleanser as well, and it did take off makeup. She shook her head and said "not the kind we wear." I asked her what she meant and she said that the heavier makeup really didn't come off in one washing, and if you didn't remove the makeup, one wasn't cleansing one's skin, one was cleansing the makeup. Hmmm, I thought, maybe she is on to something. She had the most gorgeous complexion and I knew from previous conversations that we were the same age. I had fairly okay skin at the time, I did have regular small breakouts which were a pain. I used a lot of concealor and really didn't have skin that looked nice and even and all without makeup. Later that evening, I stopped at an all night drugstore and bought a jar of Pond's Cold Cream. And when I got home I did what she did. As I mentioned, I was then using toner and when I used it after removing my makeup and cleansing, I was amazed that the first ball of cotton soaked in toner came away clean! That never happened. Anyway, made the separate makeup removal part of my routine and within a couple weeks, I noticed an astounding difference in my complexion. I pretty much stopped having any kind of breakouts or blackheads and my overall skin just looked better. One thing that helped is the double massage I was getting - with the cold cream, and with the cleanser. Massage is one thing that really helps. But getting all the crud off my face is the main thing.

Now I use the Purity Made Simple Cleanser by Philosophy. I love this and it will take off makeup - but, if I have anything more than light tinted moisturizer on my face, I use it twice. Once for makeup, once to cleanse. A couple months back, I started using a different mascara, and realized that while the Purity Made Simple did take off my old mascara and most makeup, I was really having to work to get it to get off the new mascara. It isn't good to have to really rub and all. I do like this mascara (Hard Candy) and I have never cared for the liquid clear eye makeup removers. Even the ones that say non oily seem oily to me, or they just feel like they make my eyes blurry. So I bought a jar of good old Pond's Cold Cream, and I use it to remove eye makeup and then I use a bit to remove the rest of my makeup. On a normal day, I use tinted moisturizer, a dab or two of concealer, blush and maybe some loose powder. It all adds up. Then I cleanse with the Purity. My skin was already looking good, but, it started looking even better.

I love Philosophy

2006-12-27T23:33:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I love cosmetics and beauty products of all kinds. What I love most right now are Philosophy skincare and Benefit Cosmetics. I have been using Philosophy skincare for a little over a year now - I use the Makeup is Optional Skincare line and I absolutely love the results!!! Go to Philosophy Girl and you can get this line at a great savings. They send you the kit, which includes Purity Cleanser, Hope in a Jar, Hope in a Tube, When Hope is Not Enough Serum and the Microdelivery Peel. They bill you monthly in three payments and they say that this is a 90 day supply. (I disagree, it lasts me 5 - 6 months, overuse of product is the major thing I learned in beauty school, more doesn't do anymore for your skin, it just wastes product) They will autoship you a new kit every three months, (oh, and did I mention they include a great free gift and samples with every kit?) or you can call them and have them change the dates. The customer service is first rate. They also sell their products online at the regular Philosophy site and at various retailers on and off line, but, the kit I linked to is the best deal.

Except for makeup remover ( the Purity Cleanser will take off light makeup, and while I don't wear heavy base, I find it isn't the best at removing mascara, so I use plain old Pond's Cold Cream) the Philosophy products are all I use. Oprah has plugged Hope in a Jar and I got a sample that convinced me in three days that it was good stuff. I love the smell of the products, kind of herby, but a very light herby scent. And I like Philosophy's various 3 in one body cleansers (shampoos, shower gel and bubble bath) and hair care. More about various products in the future.

But, I can't end without mentioning how much I love the new Philosophy the Fragrance and another fragrance, Amazing Grace. I was a really good girl this year and Santa brought me an Amazing Grace set and a bottle of Philosophy the Fragrance. Both smell so great. And so do I!

Turning over another new leaf!

2006-12-27T23:17:00.000-06:00

I ponder why I don't blog daily, well, daily. And I really don't know the answer. Part of the problem has been this whole year has just been, well nuts. I was sick this summer, actually I was sick all year and didn't know it and that really screwed things up. Then I have also had a lot of computer issues. The most recent has been the motherboard dying in my desktop. I just got it back running yesterday, and in the meantime was using my laptop, which I find fine for surfing and light email but I have major trouble typing for any period of time on it. It just really kills my hands.

So here I am. I have been thinking for about the past month that what the problem is, is that I kind of limited myself to homekeeping, which on one hand is fine, I love that. But, what I really love is makeup and beauty. All kinds of girly things. Besides having a near lifelong obsession with makeup and skincare, I have actually been to beauty school. (I will tell all about that in the days and weeks to come. I have great skin for my age (which I will tell sometime, I promise) and am the person that everyone I know asks for advice. I love to read the beauty blogs of others and one day it just hit me. Blog about this. So, while I am not abandoning homekeeping, I will be blogging a great deal about all things beautful. I am a makeup junkie and have opinions about everything! I use all kinds of product from high end to drugstore items. I can only give my honest view of things, and I will. I love love love perfume and bath products.

Maybe I never told you this, but, even when I am barefoot, or in slippers, I wear makeup. That part of Flylady, getting up and getting made up I never had a problem with. Unless I am ill, I am madeup and pretty close to being ready to run out anytime. I am one of those women that really look better with a little help. I think that. My husband says that is bull, I look great au natural, and I suppose he is correct. I don't look bad, I just look better when I enhance what I have. And honestly, who doesn't?

So, I will just jump in on this. There will be some various affiliate things, as I hope to make a little off this. I am stating that right out in the open, although, that is a secondary thing.

I will also blog about homemaking as the mood strikes me. LOL. Which is pretty much how I keep house, as the mood strikes me. Maybe with the New Year upon us, it will be good to blog about my routines as I always revamp and all at this time of year.

I am thankful beyond expression for those of you have stuck with me, those of you who email me and keep in touch. I really appreciate it.

Hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday, whatever you celebrate!

The Day After Yesterday

2006-11-08T14:10:00.000-06:00

Was quite busy yesterday with the election and didn't get a chance to blog. But, it was very worth it as I won my precinct for my party. So it is all good. All though I have been recuperating today. Didn't party hearty, just stayed up too late watching the returns. We went to our party's party for a bit and then I just couched out with the tube.

Even the Wild Child helped out yesterday - we hung door tags reminding folks to vote on a bunch houses in our precinct. She is such the little politician, I like hearing her talk to people at the party about how she got her vote out. LOL

Today's dinner is broiled chicken breast, rice, broccoli, rolls and fruit salad. It is actually warm hear after a couple chilly days. And after eating the hearty buffet last night a lighter meal is a good thing.

I cleaned my desk off today and am happy with the results. I got a bunch of coordinated things, folders, postits, memo pads, blank notes and a new desk basket (not a big splurge, found them at Dollar Tree, and they were just the tonic to spruce things up and give me a some new color on the desk. And now I have much more room to work, since I took my inbasket and have it up on a shelf over the desk.

Am still excited about the Martha Homekeeping book. She has a bunch of routines, and, I really like the basic plans. and I am copying them and personalizing them for my Control Journal. Will figure out how I can post my Control Journal contents soon. It isn't that I change every time I read something new; I really don't, but, I like to be quick to change when the change is good.

Chilly and Raining

2006-11-06T17:01:00.000-06:00

What a cold dreary day. Had to run out to the bank and the supermarket to get stuff for a breakfast/goodie basket for my election judges tomorrow. Worth the effort as I have good judges and being an election judge is hard work. Hope the rain clears so more people will get out and vote tomorrow.

Had computer issues starting Friday afternoon. My daughter plays on NeoPets. Heck I used to, but, I don't think any of us had since last Spring, maybe late Winter. About 2 weeks ago, she decided to start again, and Friday afternoon the computer shut down for no reason, okay, on Thursday for no reason my network connections where gone and I had to reinstall the DSL. So when the computer came back up my antivirus went nuts and I had over 200!!!! According to a geeky friend who knows, he says it is from Neopets (we have/had a firewall and all) and that meant I had to restore everything, which sucks. I actually had to do it twice cause for some reason after the first time, it wouldn't boot so I had to do it again. Everytime I set it to do automatic updates for Windows it won't reboot - this has been an ongoing problem since last summer when I put on a new hard drive. If anyone has any ideas, send them my way.

Have been reading Martha's Homekeeping book and I really do love, love, love it. It has so much great info! I know I will use it all the time. Have to give a thought to doing some desk top reorganization though. It is a big book. LOL

Taking a break from calling my voters, will start again about 6. Dinner tonight is cheating and using a Banquet Frozen Salisbury Steak. I know - but both DH and DD think this is the best entree ever and we have it once in a while. DD had it at a friends and when I was in the hospital this summer, she pretty much stayed with my parents during the week and came home to stay with him on weekends. One day he took to the grocery store to shop and she picked it out. It was fine by him and then she was telling me later that evening at the hospital how good it was and wanted it again at the store. I keep a couple of those and some Stouffer's frozen lasagna in the freezer for those certain days. Seemed like a good thing to have on a cold day when I really didn't feel like cooking as I have too much to do. - I bake it in the regular oven and am serving it with mashed potatoes, green beans, rolls, and green salad.

DH will probably go to bed way early tonight as he worked all weekend and he is an election judge tomorrow, has to be there by 5. I am planning on catching up on Desperate Housewives. I recorded every episode this season but haven't watched any yet.

We had company yesterday and I cleaned Saturday so the house still looked great today. Just a little once over. Got several loads of laundry done and folded, but, never took them upstairs to put away. Will do that here in a bit.

Take a minute and vote tomorrow - it is an important election!

It's Here!!!!

2006-11-03T12:43:00.000-06:00

It came. Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook, The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home. Wow - all I can say is Wow. It look's like it is everything I hoped it would be. It is also quite attractive. The cover photo is printed on the book cover, the dustcover is clear plastic with the name and inside info printed in blue. I was flipping through it quickly and I really like the way it is organized. I know what I will be doing this afternoon!

I love the book Home Comforts and it sits on my desk and I use it often. But, I really have to say the style of Martha's book is much friendlier, the author of Home Comforts is an attorney and it shows. Now, I actually worked as a legal secretary and assistant many years ago, the style doesn't necessarily bother me, but, I have heard others comment that it is written like a law book. Martha's book is in the tone of her other books. In the forward, Martha says that she was given a copy of Mrs. Beeton's book back in 1961 and always liked looking at homemaking books, So do I. I have a copy of Mrs. Beeton's and various other old books. Will have to get them all together I suppose and spend some time with the old ones again. But, after I have been through Martha's.

Friday all day

2006-11-03T09:42:00.000-06:00

Hope you're having a great Friday. I am, I suppose, although it is a very big Friday in my life, I have quit smoking. Why today? I don't know. I was finishing a pack late last night, when I realized it was my last pack, and I thought, either I could run up to the local convenient store and get some, which being about midnight I really didn't want to do, or, leave a note for DH to get me some before work, which he would do, but, I just thought, NO. No it is time to stop. So I found a couple patches on top the fridge in a med basket I keep there (hmmmm, there is a project, reorganize the crap on top the fridge) and stuck one on my arm, I have a couple boxes of Smoking Withdrawal tabs from Natra Bio which is a homeopathic product that provides relief for cravings, nervous tension, irritability, all the while helping one detoxify. I bought some early summer when I thought I might quit but didn't attempt it. Oh, and I also have some Endits from the same earlier time - although then I bought all the stuff and then said screw it I don't want to quit. So I can't really say I tried any of them, except the patch, but, I was thinking the other two things will help. And you know, so far they are. I am not plotting a run for smokes and I really think, although maybe I am afraid to say it, that this is it? Wish me luck.

I am anxiously awaiting the UPS to bring me the books I ordered. One being the Martha Stewart Homemaking book pictured at left. I have to run out in a bit, run a couple quick errands (go to bank, pay sewer/trash bill at City Hall and that is it. I went to the grocery store Wednesday and other than running out and getting milk (but I don't want to go get that one, we buy it from a store called Farm Fresh on the other side of town cause they have hormone free milk, but, it is also the store with best deals on cigs in town, so I need to stay out of there. For a few days anyway. DH can get later. So actually it is a pretty good Friday in terms of not having to run all over. But, I hate to leave till the books come as UPS just leaves the boxes on the front porch and last year I had a pair of shoes stolen!

My three kitties are running around like wild cats right now. I have a chair by my desk that I have a Surefit slip cover on and they are currently running under the slipcover and over the chair and down the back. It appears to be some kind of game. .

Chores today - pretty much just the basics as I am okay with the not smoking but figure I should take it easy. Although having written that I am now wondering if activity is the answer. Hmmm. Well, I also have to do some campaign literature and that will get me outside a while. I also plan on doing some pilates later (I do Winsor Pilates, which I adore.) I am actually thinking of doubling a workout and also doing them daily for a while instead of three time a week.

And I must write today, the NaNoWriMo thing is going great. I have 3200 words, so I am better than my goal, but, I decided to write daily anyway. And probably not going to take the weekend off. We'll see.

Must remember to stop and get some kind of sugar free candy. I like Charm's Sour Balls but they are sugared so I don't want to suck on many of those. Most sugarfree candy though isn't that great, I haven't seen any made with Splenda, which would probably help. Ah, maybe I would be better off munching on carrot and celery sticks or brushing my teeth a lot. That with the Endits might help. Maybe that and just very occasional use of the Charm's which are sitting here anyway. My biggest problem I have always thought in quitting smoking is the act of smoking. I like the idea of pulling out the cig, lighting it, inhaling, etc. (must stop this) so the Endits do give that ritual thingy. I know they tell you change your routine, but, that is so hard, actually the changing the routine to something temporary which will not be my real routine ends up, in my opinion, being my problem. So, I am doing everything the way I normally do, with a few small exceptions and moving on ward. I am trying to keep in my mind a smoke free life and all and keep telling myself that the first few days or week will be the hardest.

Something really cool

2006-11-02T11:15:00.000-06:00

Today Yahoo launched a new site that I have been exploring this morning. Yahoo Food at http://food.yahoo.com/ is really nice. It has so much there, kind of a great one stop beginning to finding all kinds of food and recipe information. Except for a recipe for pork chops, which is what's for dinner here this evening. Oh, well, they have a Martha section so you know I like it anyway. If anybody has any ideas on pork chops let me know. I like to try new things now and then, but, will probably just end up making DH's favorite smothered chops.

Pretty day today. A bit chilly, but, it is actually fall the way I like it. Fall is just so brisk. I guess that it inspires me. Doing just fine on the NaNoWriMo. I am actually amazed at myself.

Today's agenda is light housekeeping - ie just my basic daily stuff. I pretty much model on the Fly Lady stuff. I do like her ideas for the most part. I just don't like the shoe shit. I am sitting here comfy in my new slippers. I finally found them, they are velor booties, little ankles ones that are softy and cushy, and just hug my ankles in cushy warmth. I had some a couple years ago and then couldn't find any I liked at a price I would pay for slippers. So I found them the other day at Walmart. I plan on buying several pairs and putting them up for when these wear out. They only have them for the holiday shopping season. These have rubber soles so you can run out in the yard and all and not worry. The last pair I had washed well a few times, no dryer, but eventually fell apart. I am declaring them the official slipper of the Barefoot Domestic Goddess. They come this year in black (my choice) and pink. Which I will pick up a pair of when I stock up as it makes the Wild Child so happy when Mama wears pink. You know I pretty much wear all black, but, thanks to her I do add some color in periodically.

More to come.

I love cheesecake!

2006-11-01T12:38:00.000-06:00

I was browsing at Amazon and just got these cool little pans. I have several large springform pans, but, these caught my eye. I am going to make small cheesecakes for Thanksgiving, instead of one large. In multiple flavors, then if they are sliced, everyone can have an assortment instead of one large slice. Not sure yet on flavors, will figure this out and post the recipes soon.

How cool is this!

2006-11-01T12:31:00.000-06:00

This is a book I have wanted for years. All of Martha's advice on homekeeping in one handy volume. 752 pages and I will have it Friday!!!! (I am too cheap to pay for next day delivery, but, I am an Amazon Prime Member which means I get it in two days!)I have actually written MS several times over the years suggesting this book, although, I am sure I am not thanked. Doesn't matter. I am just happy it is out.

Here is what the Amazon review says about it:

"Book Description
Whether your home is small or large, an apartment in the city or a country cottage, it is a space that should be at once beautiful and livable. The key to that is managing the upkeep without feeling flustered. Until now, there has never been a comprehensive resource that not only tells how to care for your home and everything in it, but that also simplifies the process by explaining just when. With secrets from Martha Stewart for accomplishing the most challenging homekeeping tasks with ease, this detailed and comprehensive book is the only one you will need to help you keep your home looking its best, floor to ceiling, room by room.

In Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook, Martha shares her unparalleled expertise in home maintenance and care. Readable and practical–and graced with charts, sidebars, illustrated techniques, and personal
anecdotes from Martha’s decades of experience caring for her homes–this is far more than just a compendium of ways to keep your house clean. It covers everything from properly executing a living room floor plan to setting a formal table; from choosing HEPA filters to sealing soapstone countertops; from organizing your home office to polishing your silver and caring for family heirlooms.

Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook is organized for clarity and maximum practicality:

Room by Room covers the upkeep of the appliances, tools, furnishings, and surfaces found in each room, from the entryway to the kitchen, from the attic to the laundry room.

Throughout the House instructs the reader on the proper ways to routinely clean and periodically maintain everything in the home, including dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, polishing, scrubbing, waxing and much more.

Comfort and Safety focuses on techniques to ensure your home is running properly and safely, such as recognizing when to clean vents, fixing a leaky faucet, and eradicating pests.

A-to-Z Materials Guide provides an invaluable resource that explains the unusual materials that many favorite objects are made of–from abalone to zinc–
and how to care for them so they last.

Encyclopedic yet friendly, Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook is a seminal work–a must-have for everyone who wants a well-cared-for home that will endure for generations.

About the Author
Martha Stewart is the author of many books on cooking, decorating, gardening, weddings, and other domestic arts, and is the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. She lives in Bedford, New York."

I will post more about this when I actually have it in my hands!

Where does the time go?

2006-11-01T11:34:00.000-06:00

Here it is, November 1. Hard to believe, but, the calendar says so. I am actually kind of excited today. November is the month of NaNoWriMo which you can find at http://www.nanowrimo.org/

I have wanted to do this for years, but, never signed up until this year. I am working on getting today's done. To write 50,000 words in a month you need about 1700 per day, more is better and you need to figure out if you are going to do it Monday to Friday or include weekends. What I am doing is going with my momentum and then will figure out in a couple of weeks where I am and then adjust. Daily counts, as you all might imagine, freak me out. Just the "Daily" part is probably drawing chuckles. Ah, well, I can only give it a go.

This is a busy month for me. I just got 150 boxes of Girl Scout cookies yesterday to be delivered for some and some sold. We order like that as DH finds it easier to sell at work if he has the boxes of cookies with him, rather than take orders. It is for a good cause. My daughter just loves being a Girl Scout, actually, she is a Brownie and in her final year of that.

Then there is the election. I am a precinct committeeman and have to finish getting literature out this week and then start my phone calls this weekend. Between Saturday and Monday night, I call all the registered voters in my precinct (of my party) and remind them to vote and see if they need a ride to the polling place. Call people really gets the vote out. But, it makes for a busy week. I am really nervous about this election. I know how I want it to go, how I really think it will, but, I am so worried about potential election fraud/voter machine mischief (not in my state or local area but nationally) that sometimes it just makes me sick to my stomach.

Last night was Halloween and my darling daughter was a Fire Fairie. She was totally adorable. A Fire Fairie is a fairie dressed in reds, oranges, pinks, etc. She was so cute. I can't get over it. There probably won't be too many years left for her to Trick or Treat. I will miss it.

This is the time of year (November 1) when I start really planning the holidays. I always think I will start in July or so, but, never do. Thanksgiving first. Luckily the menu is pretty standard year to year. The difference this year is that my Mother wants to have it at her house, for the last 10 it has been here. So, there will be some changes, and I won't be cooking the turkey for the first time in a decade. I am kind of disapointed to be honest; but, my Dad doesn't want to leave home and then go home after dinner. So we change.

More later today. I am along with the NaNoWriMo keeping my blog window open and have some more stuff I want to post about.

I'mmmm back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-09-20T13:15:00.000-06:00

Wow, didn't realize it is almost four months since I blogged. Where does the time go? Well, I for one had a summer that was both eventful and speedy. Maybe sometime I will blog about all that happened, but, then again maybe not. One thing, probably the biggest thing was I was ill. Ill as in hospital for a week and a half with about a once recovery at home once discharged. So, that was the big thing. Then a hard drive failure after getting home took a couple weeks to resolve. And I still have trouble with Windows XP staying installed, which is a rant on its own.

I think about blogging though. I wonder why I don't daily. It isn't as much laziness as it is more likely fear of blogging. Not actual fear of writing, but more fear of being read. I sometimes wonder who would want to read what I have to say, but, then again you have to wonder why anyone blogs at all. And why we read them.

Now that Fall is nearly here, and, weatherwise, it really feels like Fall this week, I guess I am inspired a new to begin putting my thoughts out there. There is certainly enough going on to have something to say. I suppose I am one of those that really feels like Autumn is the new year. The crispness of the weather makes me think of back to school and all, and with other things like clubs and whatnot getting going again, it is my personal new year's time. So, onward.

So what is a new year without some resolutions? Probably a better one, but, here are some of my resolutions anyway.

Continue my diet and exercise routine. 15 pounds down since July 20. Yeah me!!!

Get up and reorganize my day to start watching The View. For some reason I want to. Let's see if I make this one tomorrow. I forgot today even though I was up and it some time before it started.

Fall clean. This always seems more important to me that Spring Cleaning. Cleaning and getting ready for the holidays. Note to self, find that elist I was on a couple years back with this very theme that worked great and if I remember started around October 1.

Write daily. The blog, but, several other projects I have in mind.

And those would be enough for resolutions.

Today I am ticked about what looks like my first ever eBay problem. Ordered a birthday gift to me on August 26, still don't have it and am getting runaround bull$*it from the seller, who had good feedback (99.7 for about 350 when I ordered). DAMN! IT! I am so pissed. She is apparently trying to stall me past the PayPal cut off to charge back, which isn't going to happen. I really wanted this item. Needless to say it put a damper on my birthday - yeah I got other stuff, but, this I wanted. DH and I decided that this year instead of buying each other something, we would each take the amount of money we would have spent and buy what we wanted. I spent one third on the eBay item in question, and the other 2/3's on a couple other things. But the eBay item was the gift I was most looking forward to getting. If I don't get it PDQ I will name the seller here. The only thing that gives me a wee bit of hope is she actually left me feedback (positive of course) the day she claims to have shipped it, so I don't have to worry about not being able to be honest about her in fear she will give me a negative. I say claimed to shipped as she sent me a tracking number which is invalid and refuses to give me either a valid one or even say the actually day she shipped. Am crossing my fingers.

So what's up with you all?

Running Behind

2006-05-31T17:53:00.000-06:00

Am running way behind today. We had some thundershowers and I always shut the computer off when we have them.

I was so inspired by yesterdays total overhaul of my cabinet that I did go ahead and do two today. It has been years since I did this and it astounds me all the crap that was in the back of the cabinets. I threw so much a way - it really does feel good to do that. I am left with a nicely organized baking cabinet and, get ready for this, and empty one. For the moment. It is kind of a weird cabinet. It has the bottom shelf and then halfway up it has a half a shelf - so that you can have two levels of stuff in the back but only one (tall) one in the front. I am pondering the best use of this space. I am going to get some trays that will fit side by side and can then put things in it - one good idea I read somewhere,(you buy inexpensive baking pans - like 9 x 13's from the dollar store, spray paint them all to match and then you can slide them in and slide out easily) but the upper back level is hard to get to so I know I don't want everyday stuff there. I am leaning toward putting a small winerack on the shelf and then on the side can set other liquor bottles. We aren't big drinkers, in fact, The Rock doesn't drink at all. So this might be a good use of the space.

I am thinking of taking seldom used baking pans or extra bowls and storing them in the back of the bottom. Then maybe cereal and snacks in the front in two trays. Of course, putting the seldom used baking pans and such there means I am going after the baker's rack next. Hmmm. Well, it does put off doing the main pantry cabinet and that is a good thing. LOL I will probably tackle that one next week.

Dinner tonight was easy. I had a chef's salad and TWC is having canned kid's pasta - The Rock has his monthly eating meeting at his sportsman's club. Canned kid's pasta is a major treat for TWC so she is quite happy. She had a small salad earlier.

We are having a party Saturday night and I have been planning that.

It is much cooler today, that is I suppose the good thing about the storms. Oh, heck, the rain was a great thing - we needed it. I got some laundry done earlier and worked a bit with TWC on cleaning her room.

And I got some reading done. Not too bad a day.

Two in One

2006-05-30T14:31:00.000-06:00

Two in one, that is what the Tuesday after a three day weekend always seems like to me. I have things I do on Mondays, that I never seem to do on holidays. So, then I have to double up. Argh. Oh well, I guess it was worth it for having a lovely weekend.

It was very warm, but, never got as hot as predicted, which was nice. I have been trying to ingrain this into The Wild Child - one must never really think or say it is hot, - and, yes, I plead guilty to forgetting this rule last week and bitching about how hot it was - instead think cool and stay cool. It works when I remember to do it!

We had a nice weekend. Got the mudroom (although maybe I should think of a better name) almost as done as it will get till later in the summer. In other words, we got it cleaned out, yeah, and found cool things we forgot we had and cleared out a massive amount of stuff/junk/fill in your own word choice we don't need and it is all gone! Some to a local thrift store but most trashed. I can't tell you how good it makes me feel.

I was so inspired that after my daily routine stuff this morning I cleaned out the kitchen cabinet I have been meaning to. This cabinet is where all the spices, and various other things were. I was in a mood to pitch. Flylady would be so proud. It looks great - I made small basket (those little tray ones) and have one for all flavorings, all odd things, all cake decorating things, etc. I found a cool little three tiered shelf thingy when cleaning out the mudroom and it is a great little think in the cabinet - you can see everything - I have it mostly with various little bottles of flavored oils and am impressed at all the empty space. I found a bunch of meat and candy thermometers, didn't realize I had that many. Or bottles of peppermint extract, four vanilla, and two almonds. And a lot of sprinkles!!

The Wild Child found it hysterical at how many cans of cooking spray we have (7 - but hey, you have your butter flavored, olive oil, plan) and how much salt (regular, sea - coarse and fine, kosher) and since I always love doing things that bring joy to my child's heart cleaning the cabinet had a nice bonus. Tomorrow I am going to redo two more - I kind of have to since the some of the contents of one have to go in the other.

Tonight we are having Mexican night, The Wild Child insists. Primarily home made tacos - since she realized you can do this (and they are better than bought!) we have to have homemade Mexican once a week, although not always tacos. The plus is she can do almost all of it herself and call it fun while she is at it. Not sure on side dishes. She is lobbying as I write this for the tacos being a complete meal in themselves (I know The Rock agrees with her on this) and I think I am just going to go along with it.

Other than cleaning we basically just relaxed this weekend. Cooked out a couple times (pork steaks and grilled chicken,) and hung out with some friends Sunday and yesterday. Nice to really just take it easy.

TWC goes to Brownie camp this weekend for an overnight and then Day Camp next week, so I have to make sure everything on her camp lists is ready.

I guess I am really on summer mode now. We did break down and turn the air on this weekend, even though I like to hold off. Here's a tip that makes life easier in the summer. Find a good sized basket and stock it with stuff you need for summer entertaining - plates (either disposable or plastic ones you wash) glasses and cutlery (ditto) salt, pepper, napkins, bug spray, a spray bottle with water, etc. Then just grab one thing to take it all outside. A simple idea, I know, but, it really does help.

Finally Friday

2006-05-26T14:49:00.001-06:00

I think I mentioned earlier last week that I was thinking about switching my shopping day from Friday to Wednesday (or even Thursday), but, what did I do this week? I waited till Friday. Madness of the normal Friday, but, extra chaos today due to the holiday weekend. UGH!! But, what can you do? I sure didn't want to end up there tomorrow. So now we are well stocked for the weekend and all.

We are staying home and working on the garden (the lovely think about gardening is there is always something to do. And, The Rock has promised to help me finish cleaning out our back porch. This is not a porch like with nice chairs, a porch swing, fan, etc where one passes time. No, it is actually a mudroom type room that for whatever reason has always been called a porch. He started that and I suppose I should try to change the term.

Since I have fibro there are some things I can't do alone and The Rock helps, although I can't always say he does so gladly. But, he does. We have something to do every weekend in June and into July, so this is the last home all weekend we will have in a while. We will cook out almost every meal and not only work in the yard, but, enjoy it. It is the weekend the screen house goes up and the hammock goes up.

I was planning dinner for tonight when I realized that with the Brownie BBQ I don't have to . Lovely. And I don't even have to make something for it, as everyone is supposed to do, as The Wild Child took care of it. Bless her heart!

Even though the calendar doesn't say so, summer is here. Hope you all have a good weekend and stay safe!!!

Lazy Day

2006-05-25T15:03:00.000-06:00

I was seriously considering skipping blogging today, but, you know I am just so proud of myself for blogging regularly that now I can't.

Today I did the morning routines and then homeschool. And had a nice surprise in that The Rock came home for lunch - he NEVER does this but was in the area. In an ideal world he would just stay home all day. I never get tired of him - well, not much. LOL

The Wild Child made her second batch of cupcakes all by herself today!!!! So proud. She beats her batter by hand the 450 strokes the box says to. She counts them outloud. (I don't let her use the Kitchen Aid alone yet, and I mislaid both my hand mixers. I put them somewhere and since I don't use them (much) I can't recall where.) Then she felt a need for colored sprinkles and all we had on hand was green and red sugar, so I showed her how to color sugar (sugar with a drop of food coloring or two if you are making an non primariy color and then you stir like heck till the color is even ) and you would have thought I taught her the greatest mystery of the universe. Knowing that (at least for this day) your offspring thinks you are superwoman is awesome!

Besides that today is kind of a mellow do nothing day. I have been surfing the net, reading other blogs (am taking a news holiday today, we'll see if I can make it through without watching Nancy Grace later) and performing beauty rituals. I gave myself a facial and touched up my hair color. I am a goddess!

Dinner is something on the grill (chicken breasts) and probably veggies in foil. And a salad. I guess we are officially into summer eating. Which makes means a lot of the recipes I am discovering in the old cookbooks won't get made for a while.

Here's the recipe for our house blend ice tea. Everyone loves this and it is tasty without sugar - even big sugar lovers like The Rock like it. Although one could add sugar. Take four bags of Tazo Passion tea and one family sized bag of Luzianne (you could use four regular Luzianne's or Lipton works I suppose, but, for some reason I am a Luzianne girl for iced tea). Pour your boiling water over it, let it steep till it looks done and then put in a 2 quart pitcher and add cold water to fill the picture. Don't ask me why I use half boiled water and then add cold. My mom has always done this and the tea tastes great. We add the ice to the glass when I pour it.

What a Change

2006-05-24T15:14:00.000-06:00

Today it is hot. Really, I just checked and the temp is 90F right now. So that really bothers the fibro, but, not so bad today as it could be.

Got a lot done. Got my standard routines, got all laundry done and put away - 4 loads.

Got a lot of school done with The Wild Child and still helped her make a batch of cupcakes. Her Brownie troop has its end of year BBQ and awards night Friday and we all have to bring something. She is bringing cupcakes. She made white cupcakes with fudge icing today and is saving one dozen and then tomorrow making chocolate with vanilla icing to have a dozen. So we also have lots of cupcakes for snacks.

Not sure what dinner is. Think it will be grilled pork chops. It is just too hot to think of anything that requires inside heat. Although, we made cupcakes, and actually that is probably why I feel like outside now. Just have to think of a side and make a salad.

In the first chapter of The I Hate to Housekeep Book, Peg tells us there are five important things to keep in mind.

1. Don't cover things up unless it is absolutely necessary. It just means you''ll have two things to take care of and keep clean instead of one.

2. Keep the pots and pans you cook in out of sight, in the cupboards or drawers.

3. Each tie you give the hosue a good going-over, start with a different room.

4. Establish a clutter depot.

5. Act immediately on whatever housewifely impulses come your way.

Words to live by, my friends.

Peg then goes on to mention what I really feel is the most important thing about homemaking. Know the answer to this question - "Who, or whom, are you keeping house for?"

"Certainly not for your friends and neighbors. If their windows are shinier than yours are, it will make them feel all warm inside, and they'll like you for it. You never heard a woman say "I simply adore Marcia, she's the most marvelous housekeeper.

Certainly not for your children. You don't keep house for them, but in spite of them.

No, what you keep house for is for you and your husband, but, mainly for you. Because if things get oo cluttered you won't be able to think straight and you never will get to record twoin your Conversatiolnal French course."
(uh, it is from 1958, remember?)

Peg goes on to add:

"Husbands with few grim exceptions, don't care much. They want a modest modicum of order, tha's all. They'd rather not see how it got there either, and they hate the whine of a vacuum cleaner only slightly less than the wail of a policeman's siren hard behind.

This modest modicum, then, is the thing to keep in mind. And don't let it be upgraded too far by other housekeepers. Remember, women have a tendency to grow neater as they grow older anyway. In spite of yourself, you can turn inot a compulsive picture-straightener, shade-twitcher and ashtray-emptier, which is a straight shoot to a terribly nervous old age."

Okay, I don't know about all of that about becoming neater as I grow older. Maybe I care more. I suppose that is it.

What I really agree most about is the modest modicum of order. That is what I strive for. The other part, about husbands (most of them) only wanting that is, in my opinion, pretty accurate. I know I was smart enough in my single days to run from a couple neat freaks I encountered. Great guys, but, I know there was no hope of a happy future. Not that I am now, nor have I ever been a slop or lived in squalor, but, I could tell pretty quick that my standards and theirs wouldn't be the same. I like things good enough to allow the rest of life to happen with ease. I strive for that. And luckily, I did find a man who's happy with that!

This will make you feel better

2006-05-24T10:11:00.000-06:00

This morning, as is my custom, I was reading a few websites I visit every morning. My local newspaper for one, a couple other regional and national (I skim the front pages and on those who have it, the most emailed section) and then Salon.com I have been reading Salon for years and am a premium member, which should express how much I like it.

Anyway, Salon.com has a daily advice column,Since You Asked by Cary Tennis and today's letter is interesing. The letter writer is complaining about his wife being a compulsive hoarder and the damage this is doing to their marriage. Tennis gives his advice and then you can read other reader's comments on both the letter and the advice. While reading the comments I came across reference to a website called Squalor Survivors

Wow, what a website. I am just awestruck. And greatful. No matter how cluttered I think my house is, it isn't that bad! I can't tell you how good I feel about that. Okay, my little moment of superiority a side, there are mega tips and ideas on that site and I always look at things for what I can use.

If you are a hoarder, please accept any apologies if it seems I am making light or fun of this. It is a serious problem and I am thankful that I don't have it. At best I am a mild pack rat and have learned to pretty much control that.

Will be posting more later today.

This and That

2006-05-23T16:25:00.000-06:00

Thanks for those of you who took the time to email me good wishes. I do feel better today and am trying to catch up.

I got a hair cut over the weekend - a shorter (and perkier according to the Rock) for warm weather. I like it, it is shorter than I have had it in forever.

Discovered a great tip when making strawberry shortcake. Slice up your berries and then sprinkle a little balsamic vinegar and a TINY amount of sugar (maybe 2 tablespoons of vinegar per quart and ONE tablespoon of sugar). Trust me on this and just do it. You then refrigerate at least an hour, but, longer is better. This really makes them juicy and you can't taste the vinegar at all - there is just something better than without the balsamic vinegar.)

Thanks to a suggestion from a reader I am going to try doing different themes for various days beginning Monday.

Monday - Recipe Day
Tuesday - Kid's Day
Wednesday - Blogs and Home Business Day
Thursday - Tips and Home Routine Days
Friday - Hobbies including Gardening

Thanks Domestic Chicky!

If you have blogs about any of these, email me with the link and I will promote your blog on the appropriate day. I will also be adding a blog roll and can add your blog there. And I will be sure and stop by daily, see what's new and click on anything you need clicking on!

I am also going to be talking about Peg Bracken's books a great deal, as I mentioned last week. The first is The I Hate to Housekeep Book - I am finishing up a rereading of this delightful little volume. Tell me Ms. Bracken doesn't have us Barefoot Domestic Goddesses in mind when she says "My own goals are more modest. I only want to make it around the clock, that's all, and I don't want to think about it too much eitehr, because I'm thinking about something else. If you're a bit nervous in the service anyway, and your mind is on raising the African violet or running an office or painting a picture, reorganizing yourself into an efficient housewife is a grian step you're not about to take. You want an aspirin, not radical surgery."

Ms. Bracken, who I am just going to start calling Peg, since she really does seem like an old friend, calls us Random Housekeepers. And I suppose she is correct on that point. Her other two categories or Spotless Housekeepers (the gal who won't stop) and Spotful (the gal who won't start). Those of us who are Random are just here in the middle.

I also think that the Fly Lady approach ties in nicely and we will have some more discussion of that.

I have planted more seeds (this will end soon) and have some more to get going yet. I have been aspired a new in the gardening realm by the Chelsea Garden Show I love to browse the gardens at the show and I point you especially to this one -

WOW - isn't that something!!! While I think it should have won Best of Show, it did win the Silver-Gilt Flora. Here is link to the website for the garden that did it and especially note the diary of the past year on all the work involved. It makes my own garden chores look easy. And it gives me some new ideas of my own.

Monday

2006-05-22T16:25:00.000-06:00

Hey! Wow, did that weekend fly by or what? This is going to be a shorter post than I planned as I had a flare up of my fibromyalgia today and pretty much down for the count. In fact, much shorter. Just wanted to keep the momentum going and will return tomorrow.

Getting the Hang of it

2006-05-19T13:39:00.000-06:00

Wow, five days in row I have blogged this week. Hmmmm maybe I can keep at this.

Today is gorgeous and the weekend should be as well. Ran some errands today, alone, which is nice, but, actually I am so used to having The Wild Child along it was a little odd. But, a nice kind of odd I supposed. I went through McDonald's anyway and had a Mighty Kids meal in her honor to get her one of the eight new Build a Bear toys. She is an avid fan of Build a Bear and Micky D's toys so you know she is all excited about this one. Since Double Cheeseburgers are my favorite food from there getting the meal just makes lunch fun. Although, I do feel odd ordering them. LOL

You might think from the Amazon link to the book Home Comforts that I enjoy reading about homemaking. You would be correct. I love reading about it. I could read about it all day. I love reading about house work far more than I enjoy doing it, but, don't we all?

I developed this love of reading about homekeeping at a young age. Everytime we visited my Great Aunt, she would give me magazines - old movie magazines and crime magazines as well as Good Housekeepings, Ladies Home Journal's etc. I devoured them all. I still do some, although my magazine consumption has dropped with the Net and all. Later, I discovered the housekeeping books. I love them, as well as cookbook and etiquette books. I collect them. I read them. My favorite of all times are the I Hate to books by Peg Bracken.

I Hate to Cook probably shaped my life as a homemaker. And even though I love to cook, I love I Hate to Cook.
Clickable links for all the books referenced are below - I just spent over 45 minutes trying to figure out why they won't work in the text format, which I thought I mastered but apparently not.

From the I Hate to Housekeep book - "Here is hilarious, yet sound guidance on how to let a house virtually clean itself. Hundreds of sensible suggestions for the harried homemaker, from tips on handling electrical equipment to care of clothes and entertaining. The very useful and funny contents include Don't Just Do Something, Sit There and Stains, Spots Blots, Scars and Dueling Wounds.

First published in 1962, these books are gems. Since I haven't read The I Hate to Housekeep book in at least five years, I just decided after getting it down from the shelf that I shall reread it and over the next week will share some of the choice tidbits with you. And actually the cookbook is good too and has some great recipes (but easy and quick for the most part) so I will be rereading that soon. And then there are the supplementals to the cookbook and her etiquette guide I Try to Behave Myself.

Wow, while making that link I discovered a book by Ms. Bracken that I don't have -I Didn't Come Here to Argue, a copy of which is now on its way to me (there are others - these are all out of print by the way and are available from the wonderful sellers of Amazon's Marketplace.

I didn't come here to argue

I Try to Behave Myself: Peg Bracken's Etiquette Book

The Compleat I Hate to Cook Book

The I Hate to Housekeep Book

I love books like these from 50's and 60's - and decades both plus and minus I guess. I got to looking around to see what there about Peg Bracken on the Web and found the following article. I am quoting it as it is only available cached. And you know I love to make things easy for you! ;o)

" Bracken’s banter is still cooking
Portlander’s prose challenges ingrained ideas about domesticity
By JILL SPITZNASS Issue date: 5/13/2003
The Tribune Visitors to Peg Bracken’s West Hills home are offered a homemade ginger cookie and then asked to sign the kitchen tablecloth. Later, the slender hostess in the St. John Knits pantsuit will embroider over the name with colorful thread, creating a one-of-a-kind guest book.
Don’t be swayed by the social niceties. Bracken, 85, is not your average “LOL” (little old lady). Her 1960 best seller, “The I Hate to Cook Book,” put forth the then-radical notion that for a lot of women, cooking was a drag.
Wielding wit as dry as a gin martini and as sharp as a paring knife, Bracken offered easy, clever ways to approach the culinary tasks that millions simply viewed as domestic drudgery.
Her fresh, irreverent attitude turned down the heat on women’s self-imposed domestic expectations. And while they weren’t on the same culinary level as James Beard’s, her recipes helped the harried chef of the house create quick and delicious dishes.
In the next eight books, which spanned nearly 40 years, Bracken’s humor and wisdom extended into the realms of housekeeping, travel, etiquette and most recently aging: “On Getting Old for the First Time” was published in 1997.
During a recent interview, Bracken proved that she still possesses the keen perspective and no-nonsense humor that made her name recognizable worldwide. When asked her age, Bracken says dryly: “No euphemisms, please. My birthday’s this month, and I feel great except for a tendency to want to throw up when I look in the mirror.”
Bracken lives with her third husband, John Ohman, father of The Oregonian’s political cartoonist, Jack Ohman.
Signs of the couple’s opinionated mind-sets are everywhere, from the numerous thought-provoking books that lay open to the photo of Attorney General John Ashcroft that’s taped to the refrigerator, a Hitler mustache drawn on his face.

Patience is a virtue

Bracken says friends provided the ingredients for “The I Hate to Cook Book.” She simply stirred it all together.
“It all started with a group of friends that used to get together for lunch,” says Bracken, who was an advertising executive in Portland at the time. “I said, ‘Why don’t you each give me a recipe that’s easy, that you can count on, and I’ll put them together and we’ll exchange them.’”
Another friend suggested the now-famous title, and Bracken knew she was on to something.
“I went to work on the book, but then I hit a speed bump,” she says. “My husband who was also a writer was jealous. He said, ‘You’re wasting your time; who’d want a book like that?’ He didn’t want competition. He wanted to be the only writer in the family.”
After that particularly telling period in their marriage, Bracken says, “I showed enormous patience and waited four more years until I left him.”
The episode led Bracken to believe that perhaps he was right about one thing: “I don’t think it’s great for a couple to be in the same business.”
Nevertheless, this mother of one daughter has always believed that women should expect the world, at least in pieces. “I think women can have it all but not all at once,” she says.
Revealing that she’s got her finger on the pulse of popular culture, Bracken refers to the comical British best seller “I Don’t Know How She Does It” when discussing the challenges that women face in juggling home and career. “I think a sense of humor is important. Mark Twain once said that there’s no humor in heaven. He’s nuts. I don’t believe that at all. You have to laugh about it all.”

Seen and not heard

The occasionally brazen Bracken says that she wasn’t encouraged to speak her mind as a child.
“My mother was a successful club lady, and I was always in awe of her,” the St. Louis native says. “I knew when I’d crossed the boundaries; the bridge of her nose would become pinched.”
Bracken recalls being equally reticent on the sports field: “I prayed that no one would pass to me; I never knew what to do with the ball.”
Bracken married after graduating from Ohio’s Antioch College. Following a brief stint writing advertising copy for a department store in Cleveland, Bracken and her husband decided to move west.
The couple landed in Portland, where she was hired by the ad agency Botsford, Constantine & Gardner. One of her co-workers was Homer Groening, the father of “The Simpsons” creator Matt Groening. Bracken and Homer Groening co-wrote a syndicated cartoon called “Phoebe, Get Your Man.”
“It was a sort of how-to cartoon about a gal eager to get married,” Bracken recalls. Incidentally, Matt Groening’s mother, Margaret, now lives across the street from Bracken.
The surprising success of “The I Hate to Cook Book” spurred Bracken to leave the agency and write follow-up books such as “The I Hate to Housekeep Book,” “I Try to Behave Myself: Peg Bracken’s Etiquette Book,” and “I Didn’t Come Here to Argue,” a collection of vintage Bracken observations.
Bracken’s literary accomplishments led to many high-profile appearances. She was a spokeswoman for Birds Eye Foods for several years and toured with a national speaking bureau. Bracken says that the twice-annual lecture swing was the least favorite part of her career.
“I can speak in front of a group now without having kittens, but at the time I hated it,” she says.
Despite the saucy confidence that characterized her writing, Bracken claims she possessed little of it herself, even at the height of her success, when an appearance on “The Mike Douglas Show” was all in a day’s work.
“I didn’t feel that I could do anything,” she admits. “And I don’t think that I was unique in that way. Things have definitely changed for women since I grew up, when you were aware of the limitations of your sex. So many more opportunities are available now for either sex.”
Including the ability to call out for Chinese."

Have a great day and a joyous weekend. I may or may not blog over the weekend, but, I will be back for sure on Monday!

Success!

2006-05-18T11:36:00.000-06:00

Today is feeling very successful. I cleaned off my desk and threw away over half my whatever box and organized the rest. In terms of time, it really didn't take that long, maybe 30 minutes, I should have timed it. But, the pay off is great.

My daughter is going to her grandparents later this afternoon, to stay till Saturday morning. How wonderful. Tomorrow, I am cleaning her room. I also have a big surprise for her when done cleaning. I have new curtains, spread, etc. I have an idea on rearranging her furniture that I think will work well. Why am doing this while she is gone you might ask? Well, The Wild Child is a bit of a pack rat (hmmm, I wonder where that comes from) and can't stand the idea of parting with anything and she just has soooooo much stuff. I am probably not going to get rid of much - a lot of it I will box up for the attic, some might find new homes. She has so much stuff I doubt she will miss it.

Dinner is grilled chicken kabobs with veggies, rice and salad.

It is sunny but still a wee bit chilly. Even so, I am finishing planting a bunch of seeds this afternoon and have made a makeshift greenhouse box to set the trays of seeds in - some old wood I nailed together and an old window laid over the top. I am not that talented a carpenter to make a hinged top, no, the glass just fits over the top, but I can slid it open a bit or just take it off in the day time - this will keep the seedlings and soil warm till they are ready to transplant. I like to start zinnas and various other annual plants this way - then when I put them in the ground where I want them I know what I have. I hate just planting seed and then thinning.

I bought a hanging copper (?) bird bath at Big Lots a couple weeks ago and it is totally rusted! I should have known as it was cheap. (but some solar lights I bought shaped lock Sun, Moon and Stars are awesome) I am so ticked, I thought of taking it back but decided to sand off the rust and spray it with Rustoleum. I hope to get that finished this afternoon as well.

All the laundry is done, but, I have to put it away which I hate. Seriously, putting away laundry just might be my least favorite chore. I would rather clean the bathroom - although that is easy with the daily routine and all. .

What ever you're doing - have fun doing it!

Hump Day

2006-05-17T13:50:00.000-06:00

Today has been just getting finished on things I started yesterday. Plus did the grocery shopping. Normally I do it on Fridays but we were out of catfood so instead of just buying some of that, I ended up doing the weekly shop instead. I got off track last week with being gone Friday. It was actually better in that the store was far less crowded. May have to just change my day for it. One of my goals now is to get organized as a couponer and only shop loss leaders and sales. For some reason I am not making much progress with this.

I am trying to get motivated to clean out and reorganize a couple cabinets in the kitchen. And looking around I realize my desk has gotten disordered and I need to deal with it. Primarily I need to deal with my whatever box. I can't really call it an inbox as I know there is all kinds of things in there, I just need to sort it all and probably pitch half. I try to open the mail by the trashcan in the kitchen and toss a lot right away, and, I do pretty good with this. But, one of my downfalls is catalogues. I save too many - I do shop a lot from them though. But, you know, there is always something or somethings to do! It never stops.

Hubby has been gone since Monday morning and will be back this evening. Dinner is going to be pork chops alfredo, pasta and fresh green beans with fresh baked French bread, although I cheated on the bread and bought a half baked loaf at the store. Hey, it's the thought that counts! It is still a bit cool and this sounds good to me. No planned dessert as there a plenty of sweets people can pick something from.

I planted a bunch of eucalyptus in big pots this year. It is growing. I love eucalyptus, we were planting it yearly and then a few years ago, suddenly I couldn't find any locally and just never got around to ordering any. I love to make wreaths in the fall. The plants don't overwinter here, but, DH is hoping to get a small green house made by fall so perhaps I can save them. I also have a lot of rosemary and lavendar and sage growing, so I am quite excited at the possibilities.

Now I think I am going to curl up in a comfy chair and read for a bit before time to start dinner. I am reading
With No One as Witness (Thomas Lynley and Barbara Havers Novels) by Elizabeth George. I love her books. This is a great big British Mystery. Perfect with a hot cup of tea.

Have a good one!

Tuesday

2006-05-16T11:20:00.000-06:00

What a lovely Tuesday. The sun is shining, the birds are singing. It almost inspires me to spring clean. I said almost!

Actually, I don't really spring clean. I try to keep up all year so there really isn't the major cleaning to do at any time. But, what I like to do is do a regular nice cleaning and then get the house ready for spring and summer. This involves getting out spring linens and taking down heavier winter drapes and bed stuff. Changing slipcovers on the furniture to lighter stuff. I clear most all of the knick knacks and pack them up and put out (less) more summery things. I take down, wash and put away the shower curtain and window curtains in the bath, as well as the throw rugs in there and swap them out for the summer stuff. It is an (close to) instant makeover that lightens up the house. So that is what I am working on today. Not quite warm enough though to throw open all the windows.

Also working in the garden. Our garden is going to be better than ever this year. For the first time we used a tiller instead of hubby digging and all by hand. We went to a huge plant sale last month and got all sorts of wonderful things. I still have some seeds to get going (I do them in waves so we have more things blooming longer).I do the same thing with lettuce. Plus it has been cool this spring so some seeds needed to wait. Rock got very ambitious a couple weeks ago and built a huge new pergola for our wisteria which is about 7 years old and needed something huge and sturdy. So we have this lovely new outdoor room.

My other project this week is to clean and paint our wrought iron patio furniture and get some new pads for the loveseat and chair. They need a nice sprucing up. I also have some large plain plastic pots that I am painting and then have to plant them. And then we got our daughter a new play house and want to get that up this weekend. I have an area we have been making a deck/platform to put the house on and then it will have plantings around it on two sides (it is in a corner and already has fence on two sides) to make it cozy and private.

Have a good one!

Long time no blog

2006-05-15T10:52:00.000-06:00

Since several folks have emailed me recently asking what was up with the Barefoot Domestic Goddess, I have been prodded to come out of hiding and post.

Actually, I wasn't really hiding. I was here in plain site spending a lot of time laying about reading and doing various other things. It has been a cool drizzly spring following a blah winter. In fact, it is cool and drizzly today.

BDG and her family went camping this weekend. Yes, camping. I know, many who know me, don't think I am the type of person who camps, and, well, you would be correct. My idea of roughing it is a Motel 6. But, as it happens, BDG married a man who likes to camp. And we have friends who like to camp. So, this weekend we went camping at a not too far away state park with a large group of friends. We left Thursday and I spent Wed and Thurs getting ready.

BDG and her dear spouse have an arrangement. He doesn't want to take her camping TOO often (no more than once a year. Next, she gets everything ready. He does everything at the camp site and treats her like the Goddess she is and then after he hauls all the stuff back home, she deals with it. This works out well, except I still feel like I am involved in the camping. Loads and loads of laundry and several tubs of stuff have to be unpacked. I did several of each already today and should be done with all by late this afternoon.

We don't pack light when we camp. We took too vehicles (LOL) and a large 3 room tent, accessories and some decor items (the BDG likes a pretty camp) a canopy and tables and stoves and coolers and tubs and rugs and chairs and ended up with a large portable home. With many of the comforts of same (although the wind doesn't blow through my real home quite so much).

Before I go I make out menus for the entire trip for all meals and snacks. I make a number of check lists for all categories. Food, each family member, campsite things, etc. This works really well, and helps elimates forgetting important things.

And it was fun. For the most part. It is lots of fun to be in a lovely campsite with lots of friends forming a great little tent village. Being out in the fresh air, seeing wild life (herrons, ducks, turkeys, deer and raccoon as well as hearing wolfs or something and many birds including woodpeckers) is nice. But, the downside is it doesn't last - you know you are going to be taking it all down and packing it up to go home. I have decided that the next time I camp, it will have to for at least a week. And that my friends won't be for a couple years since our vacations are planned for the next two.

2006-02-13T11:34:00.000-06:00

Cold again today. On the menu and already cooking is Red Beans and Rice.

Ingredients

1 ham bone
16 cups water
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce (adjust to taste - start with 1/4 and when closer to done, taste it and add more if you want)
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 pound red beans, washed
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic minced (uh, if you like garlic, go for it and up this to 3 or 4)]
3 tablespoons oil (I use olive, but any cooking oil is fine)]
1/2 pound ham, cubed
1/4 pound (one link) hot sausage, sliced (this can be raw sausage or smoked)
1 pound smoked sausage, sliced
2 bay leaves
salt to taste
course ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped parsley (if dried use a couple tablespooons)
2 cups cooked rice (you might make more depends on how many you are feeding. The 2 cups serves 2 - 4 in my opinion and family - the recipe for the RB makes more. But this does freeze well and then can micro for another meal with fresh rice)

Beans - wash them and place in a large pot or dutch oven with a tight fitting lid. Cover with water. Bring to boil, and boil a couple minutes, then turn off heat, cover and let it set for one hour. Then drain and rinse the beans. (No, they are no where close to done. I have to add this. I gave this recipe to someone without that caveat once and....)

I drain the beans in a big colander and just let them sit on the counter in it with a paper towel under it. This saves on the washing up.

In same dutch oven, put the oil and saute the celery, onion and garlic until the onions are transparent. Stir often. I then use a slotted spoon to put the vegetables on top of the beans (uh see prior note about saving on dishes). Then put the chopped ham and the sausage in the dutch oven and brown the sausage - keep you eyes on this, this goes really fast. If I am using raw hot sausage, I put this on the bottom and when I turn it I add the others. If all the sausage is smoked, I just put all of it and the ham in and stir till it has a nice color.

Now, put the beans and veggies and meat in a large pot. I use a medium stainless soup pot. Add the water. Add the garlic salt, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Add the bay leaves. Add some salt and pepper. Go light on the salt now - or just wait, as when it is about an hour from done, I taste add them then. I also adjust the hot sauce.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook uncovered over a low flame till beans are soft and creamy. About 3 hours - check them at least every half hour, giving them a good stir. When done, take out the bay leaves and throw them away! Add parsley before serving. Depending on how you like your beans - thicker or thinner sauce, you can cook this longer. I often cook them closer to 4 hours. Serve over hot, fluffy rice. We are really into jasmine rice and are having that with it.

Serve with hot freshly baked French bread - or cornbread is good if you are in the mood for that). Will make the bread later this afternoon. I make the dough in the bread machine then shape, raise it again on the baking sheet and bake in the oven. We are having spinach salad with thinly sliced red onion and orange slices. And for dessert chocolate Whip and Chill.

I am always impressed with how incredible the RB smell while cooking. I can't wait till dinner.

Was thinking about baking heart shaped sugar cookies today, but, decided to do tomorrow.

Got laundry done for day. Got morning routines done. Except for bed making, which I will do shortly when I go upstairs to put away laundry. Putting away laundry is my least favorite household chore. Went outside and checked on the animals, DH fed them all before work (sometimes he does the chix and the bunny but forgets the outside cats!?!!). It is cold and I just have a feeling we are going to get some snow here, I REALLY hope I am wrong but as much as I am not wanting snow, The Wild Child, is working on getting some, so I don't know. She is very strong willed.

Have to make some boot disks for my mom's computer which I think is actually going to need a new harddrive. I was thinking of taking everything out of my pantry cabinet and the spice/baking cab and reorganzing, but, that sounds like too much work for me today, LOL - I still might. The cabs are dark inside and I want to clean them, then spray paint high gloss white paint inside before putting things back. This is supposed to make it easier to see inside and come to think of it, this is a project for a warmer day when I can open the windows.

In Control

2006-01-11T07:51:00.000-06:00

I finally found the perfect Control Journal for me. People familiar with Fly Lady will know what I mean. It is a notebook/journal that has all your homekeeping information in it. Your checklists for cleaning, etc. Calendars. Menus, shopping, etc.

Now I know I am something of a perfectionist. I want something perfect before I begin. Or I want to know things will be perfect before I begin. As you can imagine this often means I don't begin at all.

Since I home school the Wild Child, I have long recognized the need for record keeping and actually have a pretty good system for the school things (which I will blog on another time). But I wanted the perfect home one. I have used a Daytimer - those are really great and I recommend them, but it seemed like it was a bigger expense than I wanted for home use. I could justify it when working (they are pricey and have all kinds of little addons that add up fast!) So, I worked last year (well not all year) on finding a good system. And I finally did. I made it myself, adapting ideas I found here and there. And it works. I have a yearly and monthly calendar. Sections for receipts I need. Budget plan pages - although I came up with the super duper easy way for that as I knew from experience if too difficult we wouldn't use it. It is adjustable, and I suspect it will be refined a bit more as it is used. There is a weekly at a glance two page section, menu planners, shopping list, pockets for bills and small bits, a work planner for my creative endeavors. And a section for some manuals I use a lot - I found them on line at manufactors websites (like for my bread machine - the original was small and lost) and printed them on 8 1/2 by 11 paper, hole punched them and - viola - a nice copy in my book that is easy to use.

When bills come in I can throw away all I don't need that comes with them and just put the bill and envelope if needed in the pocket for the appropriate payday - the budget runs on payday, every two weeks instead of monthly. It works for us! And it could be adapted anytime.

One thing I did, I made the weekly pages, menus, etc., dateless - I write them in - and thus it can be used and started any time.

Just this one thing and I feel more organized. It works so well. Now, the main CJ is way too big to carry with me, so I don't. I have a smaller date book with calendar and blank paper I carry with me. I take the time daily to transfer anything I added. I also make sure I mark calendar entries back to the date book, so I can tell when talking to someone if a date is free. This is also working well.

I started this in early December - as I said it can start anytime. When one week is done, I move all the weeks pages to the back of the section, so I have them for reference. If it gets too big, I can make a second CJ for archival purposes and put half the year in one - or the older pages, etc.

The point is, I designed something that worked for me. With the computer and printer it was easy (although I personally take my masters to a local 4 cent copy place for copying).

Right now I am working on a way to organize coupons into/with the Control Journal. I want to use them, I should use them, but, I have a tendancy to not/or lose them. Control! That is my mantra.

Politics and news are out

2006-01-05T09:23:00.000-06:00

I am not going to be commenting on politics or news here, as I have another place for that. Hopefully, I will be able to figure out how to remove the old stuff, but, if not, it will just be there in the past. I know a lot of things about homekeeping and such and that is the new focus of this blog.

New Year New Blog

2006-01-05T09:20:00.000-06:00

Well, at least a new blogging attitude. I have neglected this as I couldn't think of why it mattered. And now I know. It matters to me and I have some great ideas to implement in the next few days. The Barefoot Domestic Goddess is back and determined to turn this into the blog I want. I have been studying some ideas and found a great new template that has three columns which is a look I like. Watch for new art, pictures, and lots of content that I hope others will like as much as I do.

Thoughts on Blah

2005-08-16T10:33:00.000-06:00

It's another great day in paradise. This morning I have been thinking about blah. Ordinary. Mundane. I suppose those are both words for blah. A fellow Momwriter, has started blogging - check her out at http://blatheringhousewife.blogspot.com/

Blah is good. In the ordinary, we are extraordinary if that makes sense. Years ago, in another lifetime, I lived in Nashville and had some encounters with the out of the ordinary and realized I would never like that. When I came home, met my now husband and got married, I was happy. I probably would have worked after I had my daughter, but health problems intruded and it ended up that I am mostly a SAHM. And, I am happy with that. I find bliss in the mundane. Sometimes I think this is because I did marry when I was in my thirties and had spent a fair amount of time living single, with no responsibilities and I wore myself out. (sort of) So, now being a homebody for the most part suits me.

We had a lot of rain yesterday and the temp cooled off. The garden is green and has that slightly wild look I really like. It is quiet around here today, the Wild Child is busy in her room, and I suppose I should be concerned, but, I am actually enjoying it. Yesterday, was one of those days that she had to have my attention most of the time, so quiet is good.

Lately, I have really gotten into reading other bloggers, and I will someday, hopefully soon, figure out how to put up a list of blogs I read on a sidebar here. It would make it handy for me. I really like this one, http://www.planethuff.com/darkside

The most recent post there about the disappearance of Shawn Hornebeck interests me a lot as it was pretty close to home. It just blows my mind that children, well anyone, can just disappear. It angers me that sexual predators just run around and that so many children are harmed. I don't have any answers, but, I am angry.

I should be working on many things. My website if I ever want to get it up. My novel. Lessons for a class I will be teaching in the fall. To my credit I am pretty well done with lesson plans for home schooling this year. So, I guess I will try to get started on something.

I also need to decide on dinner today. I have no clue, and no desire to cook. I will probably get over that. I hope.

This Is What's Wrong With This Country

2005-08-11T09:37:00.000-06:00

Somethings just make me want to cry. Arianna Huffington's blog is right on as it so often is.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/theblog/featuredposts.html#a005427

My 8 Year Old is Smarter than Bush

2005-08-11T09:05:00.000-06:00

Ha!!!! This made my morning http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0508110039aug11,1,3559354.story?coll=chi-news-hed
Bush was in IL yesterday to grandstand and sign a bill and bungled the name of our Governor. Last fall, at a local Democratic dinner, my then 7 year old got an unexpected opportunity to meet Governor Rod Blagojevich. She held out her hand and said clearly and perfectly, ''Pleased to meet you, Governor Blagojevich." He paid rapt attention and appeared suitably impressed. Actually, he was extremely nice and was able to find common ground with her - an interest in cartoons. It really meant a lot to her. I think he is a good Governor and really hope he gets reelected next year.

Sad and Stupid

2005-08-10T21:41:00.000-06:00

I have been following the story of the Hyatte's - the couple in Tennessee, where he is in prison, she is a prison nurse who is fired for her involvement with him, so she busts him out of jail and kills a prison guard. http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/08/10/courthouse.shooting/index.html

Thankfully they were caught tonight, and they should have been. I would love to someday hear them explain my big question. Which is, you pull off a big jailbreak. You then stay in friggin motels and go out in public so people can see you? You take a cab from the scene of one motel to the next? I wouldn't be in this situation, but, I have one word - camping. Okay, a couple more camping supplies. Geez. Ahhh, George and Jennifer Hyatte, I am glad you went down without anymore loss of life. My thoughts and prayers are with the family of Cotton Morgan, the officer killed. He sounds like a really nice man and he so did not deserve this. http://www.volunteertv.com/Global/story.asp?S=3701601

And I don't even know what to say about this story - http://www.local10.com/news/4833092/detail.html?subid=22100404&qs=1;bp=t
I recall when this first hit the news, but, missed some of the aftermath. What an arrogant beotch.

So, the blog is changing. I am a crime and news junkie and have decided to express my opinions on those subjects but will still blog about other aspects of my life. But just writing daily housewife stuff isn't as much fun as one might think. Hard to go back and recap the past week or so, but, in a few words - I have bad hay fever, the guarfenesin is maybe working, maybe not. It is really hot. And I have perfected the art of smoking pork butts in my Weber.

And I found a butcher. A real butcher that knows his cuts of meat!!!! I will be having a lot of fun with my Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking and Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook - which by the way is a really great cook book. It is too hot for a lot of that kind of food right now.

Tonight the Wild Child and I ordered out to a local pizzaria as The Rock is away on business and we deserved a treat. But, not any we had to go out in the heat for.

Another hot week

2005-07-25T12:09:00.000-06:00

After a hot hot weekend, we are having another hot day today. But, I just checked the forescast for the week and am happy to see:

Scott Connell's Weather Plus Forecast

EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING in effect through this evening

Monday: Partly to mostly sunny. Highs from 98 to 102. Heat indices again from 110 to 120.

Tonight: Partly cloudy and quite warm. Lows in the upper 70s to around 80.

Tuesday: Partly cloudy with thunderstorms arriving during the afternoon. Some may be severe. Highs in the low to mid 90s.

Wednesday: Showers and thundestorms possible in the morning. Becoming partly cloudy and much nicer. Highs around 80.

Thursday and Friday: Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid to upper 80s.

from http://www.ksdk.com

I hope this happens.

Saturday TR helped a friend move - all day. I stayed home and did some stuff around the house, but, not a lot.

Sunday was a lazy day for us all. Made brunch and actually cooked - figured the kitchen was already hot, what the heck. Made Quiche Lorraine - which everyone loves. Also had salad and watermelon. My dad gave me one friday and it is just the thing. I always forget how much I love watermelon, when I was pregnant I craved it. So the WC loves it as well. For some reason TR doesn't like it much. Never have understood that.

Got the days routines done. Got started late on laundry and have a load finishing up now - but, that means hanging it out in the hottest part of the day. Might let it sit, and rerinse and hang it first thing tomorrow.

Am working on menu planning today - we eat well but, I haven't been working from any kind of plan, so am going to give that a shot. I really want to start using coupons. I hear so many claim they save a ton, and it seems to me like a game. Am searching on line about that and reading up.

Might have to up the dose of the guaifenesin. I seem to have a hit the feeling bad time. Although not as bad as I have had flares before. And it might be the heat. Will be rereading a bit on that.

Dinner tonight - is going to be grilled steak, grilled potatoes, salad and grilled corn. Fruit for dessert. It is way to hot to cook in the house today.

Actually some of the best things I want to do are being stopped because of heat.

A good time to stay cool and read or something.

Will work on lesson plans and website. Need to get book reviews for a bunch of books written and for one place on the group (religious group) with Amazon codes. Also, I do weddings for people and need to get that website finished. So far has been by word of mouth and a few listings I have around the net. Just booked a new one Saturday for December. So, I really need to work on that. And, I think I will as soon as I am done soon.

Am working with some other moms in setting up a local homeschooling group. There are a couple local groups now, but they are very Christian. One makes you sign a statement of faith. The other is apparently for Christians who aren't Christian enough for the first. I am not making that up. The funniest thing I have ever seen in the years I have been involved with homeschooling, both online and in real life is the fights between so called Christians. We want a group where religion is not involved at all. We already have a local Pagan parenting group covering that. Found a place to meet weekly. Am pretty excited about this.

Hope your day is wonderful!

Janet

I won't say TGIF, but, I really wanna.

2005-07-22T09:08:00.000-06:00

Actually, I don't know why I am happy it is Friday - it has been an okay week and all, I guess it is that I want the hot weather to end and for some reason I just wanna get through to Monday when the weather folk are it will break.

Here's a funny - When she was three, the Wild Child was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. "A Weather Girl!!!!" she replied. "a Weather Girl?" I asked. "yes" "why?" expecting I don't know what. She then beamed and said "Cause I will do a better job making the weather than Cinny Pretzle does." (Cindy Pressler is a St Louis TV Meteorologist). It took a lot of explaining, and a lot of books, videos, etc to convince that the tv weather people report it and don't make it.

Got out early and ran some errands and then came home to find a local plumbing company blocking the drive with the street torn up (this has been going on all week - they get out and jackhammer at 7 am) and had the chance to bitch them out as they are not fixing it today, and leaving three parking slots messed up. That's a big deal here as we need the space - it sucks to park a block away. The drive is a shared drived and we don't park in it - use it to unload. Our houses were built way before cars and the shared drive is common in the older neighborhoods that don't have alleys - one of my biggest pet peeves is we don't have one. Apparently it was closed up years ago and the various houses took their bit back into yard. Plus, I got to call the mayor's office and bitch which is always fun.

Working like a beaver on school stuff. I love the new curriculum we are going to use this year and am having a lot of fun getting ready.

Here's a great tip - I have naturally curly hair, which means my hair is on the dry side. So, I don't really like to wash it daily if I don't need to. But, if I don't the curl looks flat and all. Now, several companies sell "curl revitalizers" but, my homemade potion works better. Take 6 ounces spring water - you could boil tap for five minutes to get ride of impurities - and put in a sprayer bottle you can find in most any store . Add 1/4 teaspoon magnesium sulfate (epsom salts) and add to the bottle (you could use really finely ground epsom salts which are commonly sold for bath salts), and several drops of essential oils. I like a rosemary/peppermint/hyssop blend, three or four drops of each. Shake well. To use, shake and then spritz your hair really well. Then crunch your curls and let drive. The oil blend I use is a real waker upper - a great refresher on a hot day. It really makes my hair look great, brings back the curl and reactivates the light gel I use.

I found great planner pages for my control journal at http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/gettingorganized/planner.php Despite the name of the site, I wasn't that impressed with the homeschool pages for our needs, but, I really like her homemaking pages.

Got the desk and office area done yesterday.

So far doing pretty good on the quaifenesin. I get tired at night but I think that is normal and am sleeping well. Minor aches but can't complain. This might just be the answer.

Dinner is undecided. I might grill some chicken breasts and veggies on the gas grill and serve it with salad and focaccia bread I have in the freeze and just need to thaw. No dessert tonight as we are going to be having a lot of chocolate later on at a "chocolate ritual". Yum

Stay cool, stay hydrated and have a great weekend.

Janet

Thursday

2005-07-21T09:23:00.000-06:00

I realized too late yesterday that I put the wrong date on the post yesterday. I am more organized than that. I suppose that I am wanting to get through this week as it is really hot. Too hot. Killing hot.

Our back yard is nice - better early. We have no front yard. Only a back - and a bit of a side yard. Early on we established that The Rock didn't like to cut grass, so we have worked at making it all garden. (Except now we are planning to grass the side yard in the fall. But, it isn't all that big, and we are getting nice sod. The Wild Child made us aware of her need for grass. Hopefully he can weed wack it, which he likes and we don't have to buy a mower just for that area.) And our house is old. It was built in 1832 which makes it one of the oldest in our town. And we don't have central air. (that is on my list of remodel things I am going to sell on ebay.). We have fans all over- but have closed off most of the downstairs where there are window units and use the rest of the house sparingly. It makes a major difference though.

Today I am pretty much doing the same things as yesterday. It happens that way. I really want to get the office corner, and my desk done this week. Lots of books to deal with. I may have to change some things on the plan - doing the soon to be sitting room involves putting things in other areas and in a shed outside. With the heat, I may have to just stop that till next week. Will work mostly on curriculum and planning. After I get the desk and all cleaned up. And deciding what to get rid of. So I guess it is not the same. Most of the routine is done.

I ended up not cooking yesterday. When TR got home, TWC begged him to go to MacDonald's and buy her a happy meal as she is collecting the NeoPets in them. So, he did - and her order was nuggets, apple slices and apple juice, he got me a chicken salad and something for him. I like good food, but, I do occasionally like MacDonald's. TWC would eat there three meals a day if we let her. We don't. Since the Neopets thing started she has now collected four. We all like playign on Neopets. It is really fun, even for adults. http://www.neopets.com

So, tonight's dinner is last nights. But, I really don't think I am baking anything, and dessert will be ice cream or fruit, or both. Have some blackberries ripe so will get them this afternoon. That part of garden goes into shade late afternoon.

I just turned on CNN and there is another tube bombing or something in London. Apparently they found three "bombs" but they only had detonators . WTF is going on. And I wonder when it will start here.

Finished Harry Potter yesterday. Good read, but, very sad over the end. And sad over the 2 year wait for the next one. LOL

Have a great Thursday and stay cool if it is hot where you are.

Janet

Laundry, Fibromyalgia and Eggplant

2005-07-20T10:10:00.002-06:00

Today is starting out great. It is beautiful, cool and lovely in the garden and I have already pegged out one load of laundry and will soon have the second ready to go. Have done half of my morning routine and will finish soon.

I have fibromyalgia. I don't mean this to be about that- and about me whining and moaing as I usually don't . I try very hard to accept I have it, deal with and get on with my life. Except, it does greatly limit me in many ways. I know the limitations and have to deal with them, but they bug me. I have tried countless medications for this, and none of the prescription routines really helped worth a damn. I don't like narcotics and things that make me feel messed up, so several years ago, with my then doctor's okay, I trashed all my prescription medications and went on an herbal routine. (Black cohosh, evening primrose and soy). It helped just as well as the others. I still had pain and fatigue but as I said, I dealt.

For some time though, I have been aware of another treatment using Guaifenesin. (you can read about it here - http://www.fibromyalgiatreatment.com ) The claim is it doesn't cure you, but it reverses it and makes you feel better. Sounds good? Well, the drawback, and the scarey part, the reason I didn't jump on this, is they say most people feel much worse when the start this, and then feel better. But, that the much worse part can be truly bad. Anyway, after much thought I decided to give it a go. I am on the third day, and so far feel great. Far less fatigue (and if you have never had chronic fatigue, the kind that NEVER goes away, the kind that makes you feel awful every friggin day, you have no idea the hell it is and the marvel when it does lift) it really has lifted a massive amount. Far less pain. But, they say some feel good intitially and then worse then better. Right now I don't know if this is just the better before worse (that could apparently happen at anytime) or if I am one of the lucky few that have it get better, stay better. I am hoping I am. I am trying to think a lot of really positive thoughts about this because if I could feel like I do now all the time I would be very happy. And my life would probably be considerably better than it has been for the past ten years. Cross your finges, send energy, etc.

Again, I didn't write about the fibro for any reason other than so you know where I am coming from. I promise not to dwell on it.

On today's list of things to do - work on the soon to be sitting room. Work on homeschool plans for the new year. We start our new year officially on the day after Labor Day. Of course, learning goes on all the time and some of the Wild Child's summer activities to prevent total boredom are school things. But, we make a big deal of the official first day, with new supplies, new lessons, etc. And I am working on a new control journal. Hate to say, the original got lost. Okay, it wasn't like I used it, so that may be how it disappeared. I think I threw it away. Anyway, I am making a new one. I would love to hear ideas on control journals from any who do use them. What works for you? At the present my routines and all are in my head and in some scattered notes and I want to do better. Am working on reorganizing my desk area.

The Rock and I are both active in our religion and teach classes. Am working on lesson plans for that. Also a website about that.

The stuffed egglant was delicious. The recipe is here http://maindish.allrecipes.com/az/Stffdggplnt.asp Have one left which will be lunch. Yum

On the menu tonight. BBQ from a pork butt I smoked Sunday which turned out pretty damn good. Also, slaw, corn on the cob and Cajun Eggplant Fingers (recipe is here http://www.theworldwidegourmet.com/vegetables/eggplant/friedfinger.htm
These are really good. We love eggplant and corn. Also, more tarts by popular demand.

Not sure how I feel about the Supreme Court Nominee. Plan to study a bit on this.

Post for July 19

2005-07-20T10:10:00.001-06:00

This is actually the entry on the group from yesterday, July 19. Hope everyone is keeping cool. Muggy and hot here near St. Louis, although earlier this morning it was actually pleasant in the garden. So, I am obviously not that great at keeping things going. I mean well. I actually sometimes have magnificent posts, in my head, but then for some reason don't post. I don't think it is laziness as much as fear. I guess I hate to call attention to myself or something. Although, I am not sure if that is it. I had this great idea for this group, but, then I freeze. Oh well. While on vacation earlier this month I decided I need to quit making excuses and just do it. I suppose the real reason is that being this is my group, starting posts comes pretty close to actually, gasp, I will be able to get the word out, writing. Hah, I think that really is it. Actually it is writing and publishing in a way - the putting it out there for the group and that is something I always have a problem with. Doing anything with my writing besides drafts. So I will give it a go again. I am actually having a lovely Domestic Goddess kind of day, so far. I have a load of laundry on the line, another in the washer. I love line dried laundry and I love hanging close out. We have a lovely spot in the garden for it, and DH put up a fancy clothes line thing. It is a pole with four ribs and lots of rolls of lines and the spot gets a fair amount of sun and indirect sun, and yet stays cool enough It is near some very fragrant honeysuckle and some other herbs so the laundry smells great, and it is pleasant to stand there pegging the wash. We have no front yard, our house sits on the sidewalk in front, but you come up a small hill along the side of the house and back is well above street level. Enough shade and it is actually 5 - 10 degrees cooler than down on the street. You can feel it as you walk up the drive. I'm making stuffed eggplant for dinner. Saturday we went to the big farmer's market in St. Louis, Soulard Market. This is a really old market (http://stlouis.missouri.org/citygov/soulardmarket/) and lots of fun. You can also get really good produce, at far below supermarket prices. So, it is kind of fun finding good recipes to make with it. This is the recipe from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, with one change - the original is heavy on mushrooms, which Rick doesn't care for in quantity in a dish, so I substitute browned Italian Sausage. Which makes it a very tasty main dish. Also having corn on the cob and salad. Garlic bread. And for dessert , am making tarts. Plum tarts. This is an old Martha Stewart recipe - you make pie crust for a two crust pie. Divide into 8 - 10 pieces. Roll each out into squares, put sliced fruit in the middle. Sprinkle with a bit of sugar and a small dab of butter. Crimp up the sides and bake at 350 till the crust is golden. Not sure how long to put that it takes - about 20 - 30 minutes. Will start checking after 20. Haven't made them since last fall and I can't remember. Can't find the original recipe on her website with a quick search. I think they were called rustic tarts of some kind, maybe peach. I saw her make them on the show a couple of years ago and just run with what I remember. Also really good (and easier) if you buy ready made pie crust dough. We have a room, it use to be a downstairs bedroom when DH had a water bed. But we retired the water bed after I had a c-section (another story). And moved upstairs. Over time, that room became the storage room. The place where everything you don't feel like dealing with got put. Argh. I don't know why I ever started that as now I am the the one dealing with it all. I am reclaiming that room and am going to make it a sitting room/family room. Right now, most of that type of thing takes place in our "great" room, which is living/dining/study. Can't wait to take the living out of here. LOL I am about a 1/4 done and have set a personal goal of the end of the month. I work on it an hour a day. The problem is deciding to keep or get rid of things. Oh, and then there is the ebay pile. I have finally decided to start selling on ebay. The extra money will come in handy as I am saving for some remodeling projects and it sounds less like real work than going out and finding a part time job or something. Plus, a lot of the stuff, I don't want, I really don't want to just give away or throw away, if I can make something for it. Anyway, I find the ebay part to be inspiring me to get the room done, so, whatever works. Then I will sit outside reading the new Harry Potter, sipping iced tea, and watching DD swim till time to begin dinner

Barefoot Domestic Goddess

2005-07-20T10:10:00.000-06:00

Nah, we don't wanna be barefoot and pregnant. This group isn't about that. What we are are homemakers, Domestic Goddesses if you will who approach life with a bit of a casual approach. We don't jump up in the morning and lace up shoes (we don't exactly jump up, LOL) but we do like a well run, fairly organized home.

Or we think we would. Some of us are still aspiring to perfection, some of us are already at perfection. We share the joys and the sorrows of daily life. And great tips and ideas on how to have a great life, that is full and functional yet at the same time, relaxed. Our style is our own. We have a bit of attitude.

We like and admire the Sweet Potato Queens, Martha Stewart, Fly Lady - hey, we learn from everybody and are quick to see what we can use.

Domestic Goddess, Homemaking, House, Home, Queen, Sweet Potato Queens, Martha Stewart, Fly Lady, Homemaker, Goddesses, organization

About Barefoot Domestic Goddess Blog

2005-07-19T10:12:00.000-06:00

This blog is a companion to a Yahoo Group of the same name. I started it a couple years ago and have done nothing with it. And I have quite a few (okay 64) members that somehow found the site. Some I know are foot fetish buffs, and, I am going to figure out shortly how to deal with them. I am posting to both most of the time. Why? I have no idea, except I somehow think this is going to be a good idea. Where is it going? Not sure, but we'll see.