A New Day!

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

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.

So in case you are wondering what I have been up to recently, the answer is quite a bit. A couple highlights. One, I have started walking every day. A mile and a half in my neighborhood, most of the time with the Wild Child. I love walking and am now wondering why I have put off such a simple, easy, effective form of exercise. We are slowly adjusting out time to get up to an early morning walk. I also find that walking inspires me in many ways. Yeah, for walking.

We had something weird happen. The Wild Child has been wanting to go to Six Flags Over MidAmerica. So we decided to go, originally we planned to go on August 11 - it is a fair drive and our plan was to go over on the 10th, stay the night in hotel and go to SF on Monday, enjoy the park, and then spend the night in our hotel, and go home on Tuesday. So on the 6th, Rock finds out he has to go out of town all the week of the 11th. No problem, we simply put off the trip a week and I changed the hotel reservations.

So, Sunday we packed our bags and headed out to St. Clair, MO and checked in our hotel. Okay, a motel. Budget Lodging of St Clair - which name doesn't even do the place justice. It is far less expensive than the lodging right by Six Flags and is about 15 minutes away. The motel is new, very pretty, with HUGE rooms that are very nicely decorated, (and SOOOO clean - probably one of the cleanest places I have ever stayed in at ANY price). Bright and early Monday we got up and went down to the lobby where they have a (very nice) continental breakfast. While the WC and I were filling our plates, the Rock grabbed a SF brochure off a rack as he wanted to see what time the parked closed. It was then we learned that the park was closed on Monday the 18th. In fact, last week was the last week they were open M-F. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! They always stayed open till Labor Day (during the week) and we have no idea when that changed. Apparently they close earlier during the week due to schools starting earlier and earlier. So, we had a nice breakfast, got ready and came home. Since we bought our SF tickets at a local grocery store(cheaper there, $7.00 per adult ticket!) we will go some Saturday and may or may not make a weekend of it. We might just go to SF.

Since the Rock had also taken today off, he and the Wild Child are off to the St. Louis Zoo today.

Our weather has been so nice the past week, week and a half. Highs in the mid 80s and lows around the low 60s. Not August weather, but, nice and welcome. We haven't had the air on since last Saturday.

I have been getting ready for the school year, for Labor Day weekend and working on some writing projects. And today I am going to tackle cleaning out the Rock's and my closet and dresser. They say we only wear 20% of our wardrobe 80% of the time and with that in mind, I am going to get rid of a bunch of stuff.

!

Happy Tuesday!

If there is anything I love more than makeup, it is free makeup. Last week the mailman brought me some Max Factor makeup to use courtesy of BzzAgent. Bzz Agent is a site that I am with that periodically gives the agents something to try then talk up, create buzz about, to friends and family. So I am going to tell all you dear friends what I got and what I think.

First, they sent me a tube of Lash Perfection Volume Couture Mascara (black), Color Genius Mineral Blush in Peach, a Blush Brush, and Original Lipfinity in Brillance.

My first impression was kind of "oh no". The Lipfinity looked very orange in the tube and the blush is peach, a color that for what ever reason I stay away from. I don't know why. I guess I like snappy names on my cosmetics. For example, my number one blush is the ever popular Nars Powder Blush in Orgasm. The Max Factor Color Genius Mineral Blush is a pressed powder blush, and is actually three shades of peach, from very light to fairly dark. I swirled the brush (and it is a good brush - this ranks with a couple expensive ones I have, so I think this brush is a good deal) and applied the blush. Pretty pale on first application, and since I am a pale redhead, that is saying it is PALE. I put on a second coat, using a bit more of the dark, and was pretty pleased with the results. It actually looks a lot like Orgasm by Nars, although more matte. This is not a bad thing, I think the matte look has its place and I am sure this costs a lot less than the Nars. This is staying in the everyday makeup case, as this is a good color for every day.

Next up, the Lipfinity. Confession - I have used Cover Girl's Outlast in Naturalast for YEARS now. It is my daily lipstick base (except when I am using Urban Decay's lip stain). Naturalast is a nice nude color that perfectly matches my natural lip color, but, gives me a more polished look. (One coat - Two coats, or a heavy first coat gives more color. It is versatile). I love the Outlast as I said as a lipstick base. I put other colors over it, knowing that if the other colors do wear off, I still have the Outlast one. I have learned I can use any lipstick or gloss over it with the exception of any product by Clinique. For whatever reason, any Clinique product reacts with the Outlast to make me look like I have severe lip eczema or something. Yuck! (Clinique doesn't react over the UD Lip Envy Lip Stain, though). And it does appear that CG is either discontinuing Naturalast (I bought up a bunch on Drugstore.com earlier in the Spring, but will be looking for a new shade when I run out.)

Now I do know that Max Factor and Cover Girl are both owned by Proctor and Gamble, so one might think that Lipfinity and Outlast would be the same, but, they aren't quite. I have tried Lipfinity in the past, some years ago and can't recall exactly why Outlast seemed better. But, you know me, I am always game to try new things so after putting on tinted moisturizer, a brush of Mineral Vail translucent mineral makeup and the Color Genius Blush, I applied the Lipfinity in the Brillance - which I might have mentioned looked very ORANGE in the tube. I was very surprised to see that it actually looked good. A peachy pink, that really did seem flattering, and it really did seem to light up my face. Plus it made my teeth look very dazzling white. All in all, this is a nice daytime shade. My husband said it looked very pretty. I didn't see anything close to the 16 hours of wear that the label promised. More like 8 - but I can sure live with that. I would never have picked this color for myself and am actually happy to have had the opportunity to try it. There are times it will be in my makeup rotation.

And then there is the mascara. Max Factor Lash Perfection Volume Couture Mascara. WOW! I am very impressed with this and pissed at the same time. I just bought the Lash Stash from Sephora (7 of their best selling mascaras in small sizes) and have to say, that the Max Factor mascara is amazing. It really does lenghthen and thicken quite well in one coat. Two coats and you just have massive lashes. Wears well, all day, and then comes off easily with both Purity by Philosophy and with Sephora Eye and Lip Makeup remover. I can't really express just how amazed I am at this mascara. With two coats of the mascara, my eyes really popped. It looked like I had (light) eyeliner on and I was happy with this. I wore it one day with no other eye makeup except for Stila Brow Powder and was very pleased. Did I mention that the Lash Perfection REALLY gives you long lashes? Very very nice mascara.

All in all, I am very impressed with these products and will be checking out some more MF when I next go to Target. For the price, this is good makeup - it holds up well against high end stuff, and can't we all stand to save some money these days?

This and that

First, thanks to my email friends. Yes, I should blog more. I don't know why I don't. Well, wait, maybe I do. I guess I have fears of either doing too well or doing poorly. I am trying to resolve to just fight all fear and just blog.

I was thinking today about one of the first blogs I read religiously. The Julie/Julia Project, by Julie Powell. Somehow, I learned of this blog a month or so after she started it (the premise was she was cooking in a small NYC apartment and cooked her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child and blogged about it). Her blog was entertaining and inspiring. The blog inspired me to cook - dusting off MtAoFC myself and rediscovering some of the joys that lie within those pages. It also inspired me to blog myself. But, then I became afraid that someone might think I was simply a copycat, and so that fear, which is one that has haunted me, became hard to overcome.

But, pondering that, I have decided Fuck that. Truly. I am going to try.

Today it is horribly hot and at least dinner is a no brainer. Saturday we smoked a pork butt, pulled it and have tons left. Plus all the sides. So, that is one thing off my mind.

I have gotten a lot done today, more or less. Although most of it was writing related and that always seems kind of weird - I know I did it, but, you can't exactly see it. The house was kind of clean for guests Saturday, so, not a lot to do there. So not a lot of home things, the things that show.

I am kind of pissed today as when I got up and entered the bathroom, the first thing I saw was that DH used one of my towels for his morning shower. Damn, that drives me nuts. I bought each of us different colored towels to make this easy and he just decided to ignore it. Is it to much to frigging ask to have my own towels. What a jackass. This means towels laundered before they should have been (a week with clean towels drying off clean bodies is my idea, but, my clean body) which just irks me. I called and asked him if he used mine. MEN!!!!

I LOVE this article!!!

Debs they ain't! The celebrities who flout the new etiquette guide for modern women | Mail Online

First, I am all about manners. We need them desperately folks! Manners help everyone and it saddens your Barefoot Domestic Goddess that so many throw them by the wayside these days.

Second, I always think people who look horrible in public should be called out on it. Of course, I do mean those who look horrible by their own ignorance, and, then, you do have the issue of it not being good manners to say so, so, your Barefoot Domestic Goddess doesn't get to do this very often, if at all. I love having the Daily Mail do this for me.

I really hate fake tan. I do. I learned at a young age that my fair redheaded complexion would not tan, didn't look good with fake tan and I embraced my whiteness/paleness. I actually try to enhance that. And, I do look years younger than I am. To the person who commented in the original article that she didn't like being mistaken for 10 years younger, all, I have to say is, HAH!!! Just wait, you will change your mind as the years pass.

Swiffer and such

Ah, yet again, much time has passed since I blogged, but, with new resolve I begin anew.

Today it is really hot. Really hot - and they say it will be a hot week.

Dinner tonight is going to be cool and easy. Beetroot and goat cheese salad. The classic, which is our favorite, except am trying Feta Cheese instead of goat cheese. Must google the difference. Washed and trimmed a bunch of beets yesterday and wrapped each in foil,and threw in the bottom of the grill to roast while the rest of our dinner cooked (pork steaks, grilled potatoes in foil, salad and for dessert, blackberry/strawberry shortcake with homemade shortcakes. YUM!). Pork tenderloin, which I want to roast in the oven, but, is so hot may just roast in the grill. Can't decide on the side. Will have garlic toast and salad.

Just did my daily chores - well, most of them. Swiffering is easy but I never think the floors are really clean with just the Swiffer cloth. I figure, if the cloth ends up so gross - is the floor that clean. So then I go over it again with another cloth and feel better, but, then angry over the fact this is an expensive way to clean. Resolve to dust off some homemaking books and find a cheaper way, that will be effective, somewhat easy (or I won't stick with it). Will post results.

When it is this hot, I take a shower mid/late afternoon instead of early am so, I feel fresh for the hubby. And it perks me up. I used to think nothing of two showers a day, but, anymore I don't unless there is really good reasons as I feel guilty for using too much water.

This and That

I like the idea of blogging more than I like blogging. In my mind, I blog more than once a day every day and have loads of interesting posts. I continually wonder why that doesn't translate to reality.

Lately, I have been really into bath products. So, I think I will start writing about some of my favorites.

I love products by a company called Beaded Hemp. Beaded Hemp is a small company run by a lovely woman named Robyn. She handmakes, to order, the most marvelous goodies. My number one favorite product is her Foaming Whipped Bath Butter. It comes in a large number of scents. Right now I am crazy over her Frankincense and Myrrh. What an amazingly sexy warm scent. The Foaming Whipped Bath Butter is a great product. A small amount in a poof makes an astonishing amount of lather. It cleans, you, moisturizes you and scents you. It can be used on your face if you want - I don't normally. But you can. Some people use it as shampoo, and it does work well as shampoo. It is great for shaving your legs.

I like to combine it with the matching sugar scrub. Beaded Hemp's Foaming Whipped Sugar Scrubs are just incredible. Robyn will make them extra scrubby if you like. They lightly lather and really exfoliate well.

Top it off with a some matching Body Mousse and you will be soft, smooth, and smell divine.

When I look good, I feel good. That is probably the case for most of us.

I have been doing the NaNoWriMo challenge. So far I am doing okay. I get up early every day, shower, dress, makeup, make some coffee and then hit keyboard a while. What I am most liking so far is that I am already in a nice routine of this. And this year I have told a number of people I am doing this, and most important perhaps is that I really do feel like a writer. That seems to be making a world of difference. So, I decided to come back to this blog. And give it another go.

I was reading an article today in my local paper about how this 78 year old woman makes a ton of fruitcake every year. She started off making it for gifts, and then people began paying her to make it. Like over 50 years ago. Here is the article http://www.bnd.com/living/story/172566.html

There is a recipe included for her fruitcake that makes 18 pounds! That is a lot of fruitcake. I saved the recipe but will have to cut it at least in half - and that is still 9 pounds, which is also a lot of fruticake. I confess, I kind of like fruitcake. I am not overly fond of the candied fruit that is used. Somewhere I found a nice recipe that was really good - it used more dried fruits and left out the candied. I think I will be tinkering with cutting this recipe down and also adjusting the fruits. I will replace at least half of the candied fruit with dried. I might try making some with all dried - cranberries, cherries, blueberries sound good. I also notice she swears by using magarine and since I am kind of a butter person, I will probably change that. I have a set of mini loaf pans and will probably make some one pound loafs and then a bunch of minis. Although I mihgt try her idea of making tea cake sized. The small ones would be great added to a gift basket, or to fill a container. Also, I have learned that most people like fruitcake, and like it a lot when you call it tea bread. I guess it is some stigma on the name fruitcake. I will post more about my experiments as we go.

I am thinking of the holidays. Contrary to what some people expect, I don't get things done by July. I don't get them done by October. I actually did have all my shopping done by Mid October once and for me it really took a lot of fun of the holiday season away. So generally I get going in early November. I always think I should start earlier, and some year I might.

Right now I am planning gift lists. I do a combination of made and bought. Most of the bought is actually for my child and a few family members. I like to make things as I feel like they give more of me. This year I am making a number of things and will then make up baskets for some people. Things I making are soap, bubble bath, whipped shea butter cream (maybe on this one, I have to tinker with it a bit). And then tea blends, and some baked things - breads, cookies, etc. And fudge. What I give to each person is still up in the air. I have actually done some shopping and have a present stash - I try to keep this going all the time, so, if and when needed I can actually pull together a nice gift. Some of that will go toward holiday gifts.

But I am putting together my own Holiday Countdown. This week I am focusing on living room and great room. Big clean on living room, less of a big clean, what I call a medium clean on great room, more than a once over, but not a big clean. That will come next week. Doing a bit of a medium cleaning makes me feel like I have a head start on the big clean, and it gives more of an ongoing sense of accomplishment.

Also, I hope to have a full gift list done by the end of this week and especially a good list of what I am making, so we can get started on that. I will also list what I have versus what I need to buy. And then make a project schedule.

Wow, here it is the First of August already!

Where does the time go? I wish I knew. It is really hot here this week. I did a bunch of housework yesterday, really busted my rump and therefore am taking it easy today. I go some books from Barnes and Noble yesterday and today (and more tomorrow as they are sending one order in three, but the shipping is free, so I don't care) so I am about to couch out with a book and some iced tea.

I am making pork tenderloin for dinner and am trying to decide if I want to grill it (it is REALLY hot) or throw it in the crock pot. I guess the grilling wins out as that sounds tastier even if it is hot. Maybe grilled veggies with it. There dinner is done. Well almost.

I have really been working on conquering clutter and have made lot of headway this summer. It feels great. I should try to remember to pick up the newest Oprah Magazine as I think there is supposed to be an organizing theme to it. Laugh if you wish, but, I have gotten a lot of good advice on clutter from Oprah.

The best tip I have heard lately is to take each of your kitchen drawers and dump them each into their own box. Then for a month, when you need something, you open a box, take out the item and use it, then wash and return it to the drawer. At the end of the month what is left in the box gets trashed or donated or sold. Good idea. Yes, you live with boxes in your kitchen (or you can do one drawer a month) but you end up seeing what you really do use and you get rid of the rest relatively painlessly.

The wax tart burning today is Eucalyptus Mist by Beaded Hemp. Just wonderful.

Well, off I go to the couch.

Thursday

Still researching and thinking on the five year plan. Since I have never done anything like this before, it is turning out to be harder than I thought.

It is actually hot here today. In the 90's. That so sucks. Dinner will be a cool one. Cesaer Shrimp Salad with Garlic Bread. The Rock likes this - he likes hearty chef type salads. For dessert, fresh fruit. Easy and healthy.

The Wild Child has friends over today. The battle is over playing inside or outside. Yes, I know it is hot. But we don't have the air on yet so it isn't like it is icey inside. Our back yard is very cool and shady. I need to get my wireless router installed and then I will be outside all the time. Our back yard is a higher elevation than the street and is at least 5 - 10 degrees cooler than out front. Plus we have lots of shade and it picks up a nice breeze. I will be stationing myself out there soon.

We don't have the air on yet cause I have a thing about holding off as long as possible. As long as it isn't too hot for the computer and satellite dish, I think it is okay. And it is pleasant to sleep. So far, all of those things are true. The price of electric is horrid now here in Illinois. And our house is old. Our air isn't central anyway which means it is far more expensive and hard to cool. It is hard to keep the whole house cool, so when it has to come on, we have two rooms that we keep really cool and then use fans in the rest. That and things like keep the shades down adn all. And not running the oven. It works out okay.

I guess I should get the girls in soon and let them do crafts. They like to do this every day and I might as well get it over with.

Philosophy Microdelivery Face Wash

I just love this cleanser! At first whiff, I have to confess to being slightly put off - I have never had an issue with the scent of any of the Philosophy Skincare products, although I know some do - and at first whiff, this has a weird smell.

So, I just thought of all the good results I have had and carried on. Although I will be frank and say that if this was someone's first Philosophy Skincare item, I could see where they might be totally put off the product and the line. Which would be a shame, cause this ROCKS!

I have used it with and without the Microdelivery Cleansing Cloths. Without - it is a wonderful exfolitating cleanser. It does lather slightly, and really leaves the skin feeling very clean, very toned and very exfoliated. This has become my daily, in the shower facial cleanser. I apply it when I turn the shower on, (we have to let it warm up a bit) and massage into my skin. Then I hit the shower and while I wet my hair, I continue to massage. Then rinse. Then wow - I can't believe how great my skin feels!

With the Microdelivery Cleansing Cloths - Just WOW! What a wonderful feeling. Using the cloths with this cleanser, you can definitely feel the exfoliating action while you cleanse (see my other review of the cloths with Purity Cleanser). I am very impressed with this. It isn't quite the exfoliation one gets with the Microdelivery 2 step Peel, but damn is it good.

For many people the cleanser with or without the cloths might be all the exfoliation you need.

I really don't understand how Philosophy keeps coming up with such great products, but I hope they keep at it.

Philosophy The Present Clear Powder

My review of Philosophy The Present Clear Powder.

From the website -

"The present
clear powder

the present clear powder is a topical liquid shine reducer formulated for men and women who suffer from oily skin. philosophy do not believe in using powder to absorb oil - it's "cakey" and ultimately clogs pores. we believe in using a special technology that lifts the oil off your skin holding it away from your pores that provides a matte, shine-free finish.

you need this product if...
# you have oily skin shine mid-day
# you want a product that can be applied under or over makeup
# you are tired of using powder over oil which causes a cakey look
# you want something super simple, super portable that can go wherever you go
# you are pregnant and need something safe and effective to minimize breakout"


My opinion - this is a great product. Unlike a lot of other powders in that it isn't actually powder - it is liquid. A very fine fluid, no oil at all. It is a very small bottle but I think it will last a long time, as one uses so little.

Now, I have normal skin - generally. Get a bit dryer in winter, get a little oilier in the summer, in hot weather. I was looking for something to minimize oiliness/shine and this does. I use Philosophy's Pigment of Your Imagination which has SPF 18. I have now tried this two ways. Once just over moisturizer, and I then applied a bit of concealer (Boi-ing by Benefit) on cheeks and under eyes and on lids, creme blush (DuWop's stick in Elixer which is a wonderful beigey pink shade) with brow makeup (Stila) and eyeliner (cheapo from Walgreens, can't recall the name) mascara (Estee Lauder More than Mascara) and lips (CoverGirl Naturalast as a base, and DuWop Venom Gloss in Wisteria). Great look. My skin looked great and I had a lovely finish - not shiny but not dry. It did minimize tiny lines - maybe not as much as other primers do, but looked good.

Then I tried it over makeup. I used on a moisturized face, Estee Lauder's Double Wear Makeup applied lightly. Then the same basic makeup as above, minus concealer and with the addition of more eye makeup. I then applied The Present Powder over all my face makeup. I held my breath as I thought it might take the makeup off or smear it. It did neither. I think the key is doing it lightly with gentle strokes. Result - it looked nice. It really did serve the function of powder - no shine. My makeup lasted all day - but then again, Double Wear does last and is itself a little matte. However, normally with Double Wear in warm situations, I need a little shine control in the T-Zone and I needed nothing else with this. It really did add a nice finish to my makeup. I needed no touchups - but, this was on a warm, somewhat humid day (not too humid) so maybe on a hot day I would.

The Present Clear Makeup definitely does more in the way of filling in fine lines, but, The Present Powder might be a good choice for those who only need a little help.

Five Year Plan

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:

1. Your Name
2. 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. 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).
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.

8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.