Autumn Tag!

Hi, awesome people!  I was tagged for the Autumn Tag by the absolutely wonderful Jamie of Only Average Mom.  Jamie has a great blog, and she does both mommy and beauty blogging, like me!  I love her!  Please check out her blog when you get the chance, but don't blame me if you lose a few hours reading!

This is the FIRST seasonal tag that I've been tagged in, and I'm not quite sure what I'm doing.  But it looks fairly easy, so here we go! I'm starting to really love Autumn.  My favorite season growing up was summer (no school, AND my birthday is in the summer.  No brainer for a kid!).  Now that I'm all grown up (so they tell me), Autumn is becoming my favorite!  Cooler weather, pumpkin EVERYTHING, the kids are back in school, so I have a bit of free time... YAY!

Favorite Thing About Autumn
The cooler weather.  We moved south a few years ago, and I thought it would be awesome (I hate winter with a strong passion, and knew that winters would be milder here).  But I did not realize how much hotter summer is!  Autumn is an amazing break from the heat - I love being able to stand outside without sizzling!

Favorite Drink
Pumpkin Spice Chai.  Our local coffee shop just started making it, and with a dollop of whipped cream, it tastes like I'm drinking pumpkin pie!

Favorite Scent/Candle
I just put Pumpkin Pie into my Scentsy warmer!  My house smells AMAZING!  Really, I like all the fall scents.  Pumpkin pie, Apple Cider, and I'm going to be adding warm vanilla scents soon (cookies, brown sugar) in anticipation of Christmas!

Best Lipstick
Ooh, the switch to Fall lippies!  Goodbye, coral and pink!  Helloooo, rust and berries!  My favie new lipstick for fall is Urban Decay's Revolution lipstick in Manic.  It's a beautiful deep berry, and it goes with everything!

Photo Credit:  Urban Decay

Go-to Moisturizer
Making that switch from light Summer to a deep, rich Autumn moisturizer!  I got the Suki moisturizer in my first Bondi box, and it has been FABULOUS over the past week!  As we get deeper into Winter, I'll start using Argan Oil at night, but for now, the Suki is my fave!

Favorite Go-to Color for the Eyes
Ah, the beauty of Fall colors.  I'm busting out the browns, golds, olive greens, and rusts.  I got a deep reddish-brown quad in my September Birchbox, and I'm excited to experiment!  I've never worn red eyeshadow before, but I've heard it can do great things for my hazel eyes.  We shall see.

Favorite Music to Listen To
Well... there isn't really "Autumn Music", but I recently found the Coffee House station on satellite radio that is rockin' my socks right now.  It's acoustic covers by the original artists of their hits.  I heard Imagine Dragon's "Radioactive" the other day, and honestly, I kind of like the acoustic version better!  It's more raw and real, and... I sound like a total hipster.  If it helps, I also have been listening to the Pitch Perfect (the movie) channel on Pandora!

Favorite Outfit to Wear
Skinny dark blue jeans, orangey-rust lace-trimmed tank, long loose olive-green cardigan, and dark brown riding boots.  LOVE IT.  Do you remember when ladies used to use seasons to describe their complexions?  I'm totally an "Autumn".

Autumn Treat 
PUMPKIN EVERYTHING!  I've already made Pumpkin Bread and Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins.  My next treat on the list is Pumpkin Cookies.  I'm going to stick two cookies together with Cream Cheese icing for a super-amazing pumpkin experience!

Favorite Place to Be
On the couch, with hot tea and pumpkin cookies, watching Hocus Pocus with my boys!  They're old enough to "get" the movie this year, and I can't wait to watch it!

Photo Credit:  IMDB

And that's it for the Autumn Tag! Now, I'd like to tag the following lovely ladies:

Alison at Mischief Managed Makeup

Jennifer at Ramblings of a Suburban Mom

Cookie at The Charming Cheshire

Erin at Adorable Napalm

Want to play along, but you didn't get tagged?  Link your blog post for Autumn Tag in the comments below and I'll add it to this post!

And tell me- do you enjoy Autumn?  What's your favorite Fall thing?

I hope you're having a lovely day!

Disclaimer: The links in this post go directly to the blogs of some really fantastic ladies.  Their blogs may be addictive.

Thursday Thoughts

Woo-hoo!  It's Thursday!  Which means it's almost Friday!  And, of course, also time for Thursday Thoughts, linking up with Jennifer at Ramblings of a Suburban Mom!  What's on my mind this week?  Read on...

-It's the third week of school here, and the boys are settling in very well.  I'm so happy with how quickly Knight is learning - he has his first spelling test tomorrow!  I've been helping him study this week, and we've been practicing taking a test.  Hopefully I still remember how a spelling test works!  Dragon is talking so much more now, and his teachers are loving his new communication skills!  I've gotten a few full sentences out of him lately, and he's even starting to count and learn some letters.  I'm a proud Mama!

-I'm on a beauty low-buy for the month of September.  Which means I'm not allowed to go shopping at Ulta, Sephora, or go wandering down the beauty aisles when I go grocery shopping!  I had very little makeup when I started my beauty subscriptions last November, and I am now DROWNING IN IT.  I blame the wonderful ladies at MakeupTalk for all of the amazing deals they post that I just can't pass up!  I've decided that I do get enough makeup from the subs I have, and until the holiday deals start coming out, I am not allowed to buy any more!  I know I'm getting makeup from Ipsy this month, Birchbox sends it occasionally, and Bondi (my new nail polish sub) is helping me fill out my (currently) small collection!

-Guess who's been chosen to host a Lash Bash?  ME!  Yay me!  Ipsy and Benefit are teaming up to send out party kits to 1,000 lucky ladies, who will host a party and hand out goodies to 9 guests!  So far, it's been confirmed that we're handing out deluxe sample sizes of Benetint, SugarBomb Lipgloss, and They're Real Mascara (MY MOST FAVORITE MASCARA EVAR!!!) to our guests.  I will also be happily rolling around in some hostess goodies (which will definitely help me with my low-buy!  Anytime I pick up makeup in a store, I STERNLY tell myself I'm getting free stuff soon, and then I can put the item back down!), including:  Hervana Blush, Peek-a-Bright Eyes Eyeshadow Set, Creaseless Cream Shadows in Bikini-tini and Bronze Have More Fun, Gimme Brow Volumizing Brow Gel, and a FULL-SIZE They're Real Mascara!  Several other MakeupTalk ladies are also hosting Lash Bashes, and if you'd like to check out our giddy excitement, feel free to read the conversation here!

Also, here's the shameless selfie I used to apply for the LashBash!
 I think they're sending out the brow gel JUST for me!

That's what's on my mind today!  Well, that and geeking out over the bag spoiler Ipsy just released!  I feel like it's my reward for the housework I've done/will do today.  I've already cleaned the kitchen, done a load of dishes AND one of laundry, and I'm about to start folding yet another basket of clothes!  Oh and SPOILER ALERT:  Here's a pic of the bag!

Pretty, right?  Pic is from Ipsy's FB page.
Looks like a blue bag with some kind of black print. Yay!

  What's on your mind today?  Hope it's sunshine and rainbows!

Thursday Thoughts

Thursday Thoughts Time!  Brought to you by the fantastic Jennifer at Ramblings of a Suburban Mom.  This is going to be quick and dirty today (heh) because I have SO MUCH crap to get done today!

- Have you ever heard the saying "It's not truly lost until Mom can't find it"?  Totally true.  My kids lose their stuff constantly, and sadly my husband does too.  (That poor man has heard me say "You are XX years old!  Get it together!" too many times!)  I somehow have developed an uncanny knack for finding "the other" shoe, keys, wallets, toys, and many, many other things (including online.  I am the GOOGLE MASTER).  The funny thing is, I am supremely disorganized. Oh well, maybe someday I can turn it into a marketable skill.

- My birthday was yesterday.  And I have to say, adult birthdays are just not as fun.  We did go out to dinner, and we're all going to the beach this weekend for my present!  But that meant I didn't have any gifts to open ON my birthday.  Luckily, the universe heard my cry of distress (more like a whine of discontent) and sent me presents!  Not just online stuff I ordered, but TRULY free stuff!  The first one was an Influenster Brand Challenge prize (that I truly wasn't expecting for another few weeks), from the Palmolive campaign.  Here 'tis!

From L-R:  Broadway Nails in Glisten Up!,
Softsoap in Rich Shea Butter, Sinful Colors polish in Daddy's Girl

-Pretties!  Love 'em!  Although I feel the need to say, PLEASE nail polish companies, do not name a dark, sultry, vampy color "Daddy's Girl"!  It's creepy!  A light pink? Sure?  Pastel purple? Why not!  But not dark purple with royal purple glitter.  Maybe I am reading too much into a name, but... nah.  Creepy.

-And if this weren't enough, I got my L'Oreal compensation for a study I did!  In case I haven't talked about it before, a few months ago I joined the L'Oreal Consumer Testing program.  It took several weeks for them to process my application, so if it's something you're interested in, just be forewarned.  Also, once you're in, it takes logging in constantly to see if new surveys are available.  Then you have to make it all the way through the survey without being disqualified.  THEN, you have to do the study/survey/whatever they're asking you to do.  And only then do you get compensation, and it's mailed out several weeks later.  So if you're thinking "hey, I could totally do that!", then go for it!  I just want you to know that it's frustrating, and annoying... and for me, totally worth it.  Because....

BAM!

- Yup.  Kiehl's, Vichy, and Lancome.  Several other ladies got similar compensation, did the math, and realized we got about $300 (retail value) in products.  Here's the list of what I got:

-Vichy Sunscreen (Spray Oil, SPF 30 for Sensitive Skin)
-Kiehl's Blue Astringent Herbal Lotion
-Kiehl's Blue Herbal Gel Cleanser
-Lancome Genifique Serum
-Lancome Savon Fraichelle (Shower Gel)
-Lancome Artliner in Noir
-Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara
-Lancome Color Design Palette in Peach Opulence

- So geeked out.  In fact, here's a closeup of the palette:

SO. PRETTEH.

- I swear, I'm not trying to brag.  And honestly, these packages totally saved me from having a bad day yesterday (Note Bene:  3 & 5 year old boys DO NOT CARE that it's your birthday, and they will fight and grump all day just like normal!).

So that's my thoughts.  Here's a final one - my hubby has a formal event for his work tonight, and I am getting ALL DRESSED UP and using my new pretties!  I am also expecting my Bondi Box today, and will update with pics!  I hope everyone's having an amazing day!  I may come back in later and edit this post for clarity, and flow, and all the things I normally pay attention to, so PLEASE forgive me for this total train-of-thought format today.  I still love you!  But I have to clean the house before the babysitter gets here!  And take a shower, get all pretty... you know.  The live of a supah-star. Ha!

Be awesome today!

Sunday Social

Another link-up?  What am I, crazy?  Actually, it's a slow time of month for sub boxes.  I do have SEVERAL on the way this month, so I'll be getting pretty review-happy over the next few weeks.  In the meantime, just in case you ever wanted to know more about *me* (and really, who wouldn't?) and not just the pretties I get in the mail, here's your chance!

I'm linking up with Ashley Lately and A Complete Waste of Makeup for today's Sunday Social - Enjoy!

1. What are 3 items you can't live without on a daily basis (water, food, shelter, and clothes don't count)?

My iPhone (sad, right?  I truly am addicted to that little rectangle of magic), moisturizer (I've gotten much more conscientious about it since turning 30), and dark chocolate M&M's (I know they said food doesn't count, but it's not food.  It's comfort in convenient candy form).

2. What is your all time favorite book? Why?

I have two favorites.  My favorite classic book is Persuasion by Jane Austen.  

Source

My fave modern book is Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.  (The best description I've ever read of this book is:  "Imagine if Monty Python rewrote the Book of Revelations")

Source

3. What is something you'd like to accomplish before the end of 2013?

Get a makeup vanity with good storage space so I can get all my samples organized and easy to find!

Like THIS!  Too much storage? Never!  Source

4. If you could go back and relive any year of your life which year would it be?

My freshman year of college.  I made so many decisions that year that affected my life in so many ways, it would be nice to be able to go back and re-do some of those.

5. What do you wish people knew about you without you having to tell them?

I'm incredibly awkward.  And not in that cool, hipster way.  As in the say-the-wrong-thing, inadvertently-offend-someone way.  But I have the best of intentions, and it is never my intent to offend or insult.  

Next week's questions (You know, if I remember...)

1. When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up?

2. What was your favorite way to kill time as a kid?

3. When did you get your first cell phone?

4. What is your favorite magazine to read?

5. What is the one random object people would be surprised to find in your purse?

Thursday Thoughts

Thursday Thoughts!  I'm thinking... I'm thinking...  I got nothing.

Just kidding!  This brain is BUZZING!

Here's what's on my mind today!

- BzzAgent HATES me.  It's the only explanation.  I haven't had a campaign in months, I barely get any surveys, and now they're randomly playing with my score.  It's OK, though.  Influenster loves me, I just won two Brand Challenges, so I'll be getting some cool stuff in the mail soon! Oh, and my Lifeway Kefir badge just updated!  For some reason, my blog post wasn't getting approved.  All fixed now.  Yayz!

- Payday!  I'm so happy.  Yep, we're one of those awesome families that gets paid twice a month.  Which makes the second half of the month just freakin torture.  Especially when it's a month with 31 days!  So, YAY for the first of the month!

- Today is the day that the new Bondi box ships!  It's a new nail polish subscription, born out of "Glossygate."  If you're not up on the drama, Glossybox, a sub box that I tried and HATED, did a collaboration box with a blogger/artist named Dallas Shaw.  Bondi, a nail polish company, did a new line of colors specifically for that Glossybox, then at the 11th hour there was a huge dispute between Bondi and Dallas Shaw, the polishes were pulled, and Bondi came out of the whole thing with a reputation for honesty, clarity, and amazing customer service AND communication.  They then decided to do their own subscription box, and OF COURSE I signed up to be one of the very first customers!  If you are beyond bored and want to read up on all the drama, here's the MakeupTalk thread about the whole situation.  Have fun, there's 39 pages of info to dig through!  Here's a link for the Bondi Box.  They don't have a referral program (yet!) so that's not an affiliate link.  So yeah, I'm superdupes excited!

Image Source

- The Ipsy Sneak Peek with a Urban Decay lipstick vs. a Noya lip balm is still bugging me.  The good news is, there are a lot of ladies on MakeupTalk who have said they'd prefer the balm, so I have high hopes of a trade if I end up with one.  I'm also excited to see what the rest of the previews are!  C'mon, August boxes!  Make me happy!

- I'm taking the boys out shopping this afternoon.  We need some more craft stuff!  Summer has just completely depleted our supplies.  Hopefully between summer clearance and back-to-school deals, I'll be able to get stuff at good prices.

- I'm thinking of cancelling Starlooks.  I love the brand, I love the makeup, I just have TOO MUCH.  (Not possible, right!?)  They have one more month to knock my socks off, and of course I had to stay for August because I'll get a special birthday present from them!  But I'm all stocked up on basics, and I don't need any more neutrals.  GIVE ME COLOR!!!

- Actually, I'm putting all my subs on notice!  For this month, I went a little wild, because 1) It's my birthday month, and 2) No, really, just because it's my birthday this month!  I'm getting the usual Birchbox, Ipsy, Starlooks, Goodies, and I'm adding Bondi for this month.  I promised myself I'd pick between Starlooks and Bondi, Goodies is pretty much gone after this month (although I'm getting a free box in Sept because I've gotten enough review points to cash in!), and Ipsy and Birchbox are probably sticking around.  I'm also getting some free stuff (YAY!) from Influenster (the two Brand Challenge Prizes), and a compensation package for a study I did for L'Oreal's consumer testing program.  Have I mentioned it's my birthday month?  Apparently I managed to get the word out quite nicely!

- And just for you guys, here's the brand new Ipsy sneak peek!  The caption reads:  "Skin Perfection is in session with one of these awesome August Glam Bag items!"  Any ideas?

Image Source

So that is the ever-constant, swirling maelstrom of thoughts running through my head.  A few things - yes, I know that this is a list of highly superficial thoughts.  I promise you, there is a lot more on my mind.  They're just not things I'm going to share with THE WHOLE WORLD.  So hopefully you're OK with reading about my first-world problems.  Because who else am I going to share them with?  My poor hubby's eyes just glaze over when I start geeking out about makeup, and my boys just want to talk about dinosaurs.  However, I count my blessings, and I'm so glad to have YOU!

Be awesome today!

So What Wednesday

Another link-up?  Say it ain't so!

Ok, it's totally so. (Is that an actual sentence?) I am loving blog link-ups lately because 1) I don't have to think of a topic to write about and 2) I love reading everyone else's posts!  So fun!  For this one, instead of my random thoughts (which should be up tomorrow), this is a post all about what I'm saying "So What" to today!

So what if...

• I'm about to completely melt over here.  I'm so jealous of my family in KY and OH with their highs in the 70s.  It is still high 80s here (and it *maybe* hits 70 at night) and I AM DYING.  I need fall!  Come to me sweaters, scarves, and bonfires!
• My kids have watched WAAAY too much TV today.  It's almost the end of summer (school starts in less than 3 weeks!), hubby's away for his job for a few days, and I am trying to get some cleaning done!  
• My two boys are happily watching a Tinkerbell movie.  Gender lines be darned.  I'm sick of Transformers, Pirates, Godzilla, and various assorted monsters and gross things.  Tinkerbell it is.
• The tendency for my nails to chip means I'm giving myself a new manicure every two days.  At least I'm using up my massive nail polish collection!
• I'm overly proud of myself for FINALLY organizing my huge collection of samples and beauty stuff I've gotten from subs.  Some of the stuff had to go into plastic Ziploc bags, so I know what my next few Ipsy bags will be doing!  That's right... holding more samples.
• The first Ipsy spoiler came out, and it's an either/or item. Either a freakin brand-new URBAN DECAY lipstick (squeeeeee!!!!) or a flippin' lip balm (no squee.).  I don't know where Ipsy's head is these days.  But I'm really wanting the lipstick.  If I get the lip balm, I won't throw a fit.  (Well, maybe just a little one.  In my head.) I know it's a first-world problem.  But I may be crossing my fingers a lot more til I get my bag.
• I am waaaay too excited for all my boxes for August.  I know that it's not like the companies are going to put any particular effort into them just because it's my birthday month (although they SHOULD), but it feels like I'll be getting birthday gifts all month!  Whee! 

That's what I'm saying "So What" to today! Hope your day is going great!

Thursday Thoughts

Whee, it's Thursday!  Time for my thoughts!  Linking up as always through the fantastic Jen from Ramblings of a Suburban Mom.  My thoughts should be much more coherent today, as it has FINALLY cooled down a bit around here!  And by a bit, I mean over 10 degrees.  Highs have been in the mid-to-low 90s lately, and a huge rainstorm last night cooled it off to about 76 for today.  And you can bet that EVERY window in the house is open, and every fan is on!  I'm a notorious cheapskate about our A/C, so getting the chance to cool the house down for *free* is making me quite ecstatic!  And it's making my thoughts so much clearer! So, what AM I thinking about today?  Well...

- It's hilarious how much Dragon looks like a little-boy version of Jim Morrison.  Of course it doesn't help that we let his brown, slightly curly hair grow long and shaggy.  I just sent my hubby a pic text of Dragon, shirtless, wearing a 70s-ish beaded necklace, with a somber expression on his face.  I captioned it "Jim Morrison says 'Hi!'"

- Thankfully, he doesn't act like Jim Morrison (...yet?).  He's currently running around the living room, pretending to be a chicken.  Flapping his arms, pecking at the floor, the walls, and (occasionally) his older brother.  So adorable!  Knight just tolerates it, rolls his eyes, and moves on.  He's almost 6, so he's starting to realize what "being cool" means, and that rolling around pecking at the floor is *not* cool!

- My hubby's foot is healed!  He had one of his last podiatry appointments yesterday, and they couldn't even find where it was originally broken on the X-ray!  He's been given the all-clear to go back to training as hard as he wants, which is awesome because his job is very physically demanding.  Also, because working out is his stress relief, he's been a total BEAR for the past few months while it heals.  Love you, babe!

- I'M A WINNAH!!! Just found out I'm one of the Brand Challenge Winners for Influenster's Palmolive Program.  So not only did I get to try 2 full size bottles of dish soap FOR FREE (ok, 1.5 bottles.  They had some shipping issues... feel free to check out my original post on it!) but now I'm getting more soap, Broadway Press-On Nails (tried these in the Spring Fever Voxbox and really liked them!) AND SinfulColors Nail Polish!  So stoked.  And I needed some good news, because...

- Our second car is in the shop.  It has pretty much not been functional for about a year now (it ran, just NOT WELL).  And when my hubby was away for his job for several months, I kind of just put off dealing with it.  Well, now that school is starting again soon, we absolutely need two working vehicles!  So... pray, send good karma, happy vibes, whatever, that the repair bill won't be *too* much (of course, it will be.  But I can hope).

So, that's what's on my mind today.  Next time I'll try to have some more upbeat and frivolous thoughts! Oh, and I will have a swatch post of fun eyeshadow pigments from Notoriously Morbid coming soon!

Have a fabulous day!

Thursday Thoughts

Whoo!  First Thursday Thoughts since getting home from visiting family/vaca for 3 weeks!  I missed you all!  And I know you missed me too... hahaha!!!

Sooo.... What's on my mind today?

-  My mom is traveling right now, so I'm worried.  She's amazing, and I know she'll get through it just fine, but you know... I just always worry.  She's my Mommy.  Safe Travels, Mom!

- I *LOVE* getting boxes again!  It was actually kind of hard not getting mail for 3 weeks!  I did have a few deliveries, in fact one of them was thanks to Jennifer at Ramblings of a Suburban Mom!  (Yup... the awesome host of this linkup!)  I always try to enter her giveaways because she has amazing ones, and I managed to WIN a June PopSugar box!  I know I already posted about winning in my last Thursday Thoughts post, but it's so much better now that I have the box in my happy little hands!  The scarf... oh, the scarf!  I am loving every item in the box, so thank you SO MUCH to Jen for the giveaway!

- I just found out that the boys are going back to school on August 19th.  Am I the only one that thinks this is incredibly early?  Knight will actually get to have his birthday at school! I never thought that would happen! Oh well... hopefully no one will hate me for sending in cupcakes the first week of school.  The upside is they'll have a full two weeks at Christmas, and they'll be out by June 4th.  Should be an interesting school year!

- I actually have most of the back-to-school-supplies shopping done!  We were at Wal-mart the other night (not my favorite, but hey) and saw their $0.50 packs of crayons, and remembered they were on the list for Knight!  I pulled up the boys' back-to-school lists on my phone, and started throwing pencils, crayons, glue sticks, and notebooks in the cart.  Now my question for you all is... how many glue sticks would you reasonably expect a 1st-grader to go through?  I thought I was doing well with buying 8 until I saw a friend on FB whose kindergartner's list is asking her to buy 20!  Knight's list didn't specify a quantity.  I'm thinking if I end up back at Walmart soon, I'll just buy a bunch more... they did ask us to donate extra quantities if we can.  I just don't know what qualifies as "extra" in this case!

- BOTH of my kids now throw fits when they lose at Candyland!  Dragon has never cared one bit (he just likes moving his piece around randomly and giggling when he gets caught), but I'm trying to get him more involved, because with his speech delay he's fallen behind on learning things like colors and counting.  Unfortunately, it seems to have worked too well, and he threw a royal fit today when Knight won (No amount of card-reshuffling would have worked to help Dragon.  Knight drew the Cinnamon Bun card on his third turn!).

I hope you're having a spectacular day!  Hugs!

Thursday Thoughts

Gooood Morning!  Welcome to Thursday Thoughts, Vacation Edition!  As always, linking up with Jennifer from Ramblings of a Suburban Mom for all the awesomeness!  My thoughts are a bit fuzzy (hey, it's not even 10 AM as I'm typing this, and Dragon slept til 9 for just about the first time EVER.  Here's what's on my mind today:

- Fun!  Fun fun fun fun!!! Isn't it funny that you don't even realize how much you miss your extended family until you get the chance to see them again?  We have been going from house to house, activity to activity, and loving every moment of it.  I have been blessed with truly amazing in-laws, and they have never hesitated to welcome me with open arms and make me a part of the family.  We even got to see some cousins from Alaska that came out to see family when we did, so it's just been extra-special this time.

- Car trouble.  As always.  I was so proud of myself for getting the car paid off in February, that I completely forgot about the CURSE.  If you've never heard of this curse, the legend is that the second you pay off your car (or house, or other major purchase), it will completely fall apart.  Right now, this car is costing us more in repairs than it ever did in monthly payments.  (Not to mention the annoyance and trouble of the random noises and breakdowns.  Nothing like having your car fail to start in the middle of a national park, right!?)  This time it was the battery.  So, I have a statement for my car.  YOU ARE DONE.  You are done breaking down, you are done with noises, with not accelerating or steering right, with any issues whatsoever.  We have fixed your wheels, your alignment, your engine.  We just got you a brand-new battery.  Now quit it before we decide that we can't afford you anymore and go with a nice, sensible sedan.

THIS COULD BE YOU, CAR. Image Source

- Whew!  Ok.  Back to the fun.  We saw Monsters U with the boys yesterday, and it was AWESOME!  Good movie, great life lessons, and it was really cool seeing the friendship of Sully and Mike Wazowski develop.  I just had one little teeny issue.  (Um, I guess *spoiler alert*, but not really.  I don't think this will ruin the movie for you)  The previews?  That fun little scene where they turn Mike Wazowski into a disco ball?  Totally not in the movie.  And that is my own personal pet peeve.  I don't like it when things are in the previews, but not the movie.  Because I spend the WHOLE movie looking for them!  Gaaaah!  Still, awesome movie, definitely take your kids to see it!  (And if you don't have kids, totally go see it anyway.  It's that good.)

Image Source

- The rain.  Oh, the rain.  It has rained just about every day we've been here, and the forecast is calling for it to rain for the next week.  We want to do fun outdoorsy things!  We want to go swimming, go fishing, to the zoo, and to just run and play in the yard!  Thankfully we have been able to keep the kids entertained so far with movies, games, and grocery shopping. For some reason, as long as their Gogo (my hubby's aunt) is along, they will grocery shop all day! I'm hoping it clears up in time for the 4th of July.  We have fireworks, people!  (And we are in an extremely rural area, so we won't be bugging anyone with setting them off.)

Fireworks.  Ours probably won't look this cool.  Image Source

Ok, I'm gonna take off now.  Sesame Street is on!  I'm totally enjoying having regular TV to watch stuff that isn't on Netflix and Hulu, but these commercials are killin' me.  I definitely feel that I made the right choice to cut the cable cord.

I hope you all are having a wonderful week, and it just keeps going!

Thursday Thoughts

Wait, it's Thursday again?  When did that happen?  Time for linking up with Jennifer from Ramblings of a Suburban Mom!

Here's what's on my (admittedly vacant, with mis-firing synapses everywhere) mind today!

- If you guys remember, I did a Cravebox giveaway a few weeks ago.  One day before the giveaway ended,  Cravebox went out of business.  (Yay me, right?)  However, I had hundreds of entries, and decided to pick a winner anyway and see what happened.  The lovely Mary won, and even though Cravebox never replied to my "seriously, dudes?" email, I was able to construct a box that was fairly similar to the Pamper Me box she requested.  It's sitting on my dining room table now, and will be mailed out today.  Mary, thank you for your patience, I seriously hope you win another blog contest soon where the company doesn't go out of business!  I'll post a pic of her box of goodies (and a more complete version of this story) once I know she's received it!

- And in a lesson on good karma, I just WON a June PopSugar box from the very blog that I link up with, Ramblings of a Suburban Mom!  Actually, here's a link to her review for this box!  I always love seeing the items in the PopSugar box, but at $35/mo, it's a bit beyond my budget.  This month has an AMAZING scarf, as well as other goodies from Juice Beauty, Popcorn Indiana, the new Revenge Wears Prada hardback book, and yes... EVEN MORE.  I'm so excited, and so grateful!  Thank you, Jennifer!  (Aha!  I found one of her famous picture collages of the box contents.  The pic below is her work.  Not mine.  I hope to someday be this talented.)

Image Source

- Packing.  I hate packing.  We are going to be gone for THREE WHOLE WEEKS visiting family!  We're going to be hanging out, relaxing, dropping the kids off with relatives so we can have kid-free dates for the first time in over a year (seriously!), and it'll be awesome.  BUT.  I have to pack clothing, toiletries, swim stuff, accessories, electronics, snacks, and of course because Dragon is still addicted to his little froggy potty, a freakin' toilet.  Kind of surprised we're not bringing the kitchen sink too, because why not?  And yes, my hubby does pack his own bag!  But packing for three people is no picnic.  Honestly, it's getting better.  Babies need so much more stuff than kids - you have no idea how grateful I am to not have to pack a ton of diapers and a pack'n'play. And a stroller.  So it's better. But still, a wee bit stressed right now!

- I got eight hours of sleep last night!  It's always my fault that I don't get much sleep, because I love kid-free time at night to surf MakeupTalk, talk to my hubby, and watch my new favorite show... Flying Wild Alaska!   You see, I could never live in Alaska.  I hate the cold, I love modern creature comforts, and the last time a bug landed on me I swatted it off and snarled "Get off me, NATURE!"  But I do love watching shows about environments I have no intention of entering (Like Alaskan reality shows, prison reality shows, and survivalist shows).  So yay for sleep last night, and keep making reality shows, Alaska!  I may even visit someday.  In July.

And that's about it for my poor little brain.  That's right, 4 thoughts is about all I can handle right now.  Posting may be sporadic for the next few weeks, thanks for your understanding as I re-learn how to get through a restaurant meal without a 3-year-old on my lap, a 5-year-old crawling under the table, and the judgmental glares of those around me.

Cheers!

Thursday Thoughts

Ok, so it's been a few weeks since I hooked up with Jennifer at Ramblings of a Suburban Mom for Thursday Thoughts.  But we've been traveling, and dealing with the end of the school year, and... yeah, I have the memory of a goldfish at the best of times, so things don't always get done.  However, I only claim to be magical, not perfect! With that being said... here's what's on my mind today:

- It. Is. HOT.  High of 97?  Yikes!  Thankfully there will be a storm later on today, which will cool things off to the high 80s next week (heh. "cool". not so much.).  However, this is the price we pay for not having bad winters!  And I am totally ok with that!  We've got water, fans, and A/C when it gets too bad.  Of course, talk to me in August when we've had several days straight at over 100 degrees, and it may be a different story.

- I am going to have to buy a bunch of stuff crafting stuff soon.  I'm trying to keep the boys away from the TV this summer, and I can only let them play outside in 90+ heat for so long before they turn into sweaty, beet-red monsters!  I'm loving Pinterest for ideas on how to keep Dragon and Knight entertained, and I may be busting out this one today:

Image Source.  Also, not my kid ;)

It's a tray of baking powder, and vinegar colored with food coloring.  The vinegar causes the baking powder to fizz up, so it's like art AND science!  I don't have an eyedropper, but I'll just let them use spoons or something.  Oh, and if any of you have any fun projects/activities for kids (5 & 3 year-old boys), let me know in the comments!

- I made Jello molds with my kids for the first time a few nights ago, and I cannot emphasize enough, READ THE DIRECTIONS FIRST!  I thought I had it all down... but apparently you're supposed to spray the molds with cooking spray first?  And then set the tray in warm water for a few seconds before tipping them out?  Yeah... sorry kiddos for the headless giraffe and half-a-monkey that were all that came out.  We'll get it next time.

- We live pretty far away from family, and I always forget how amazing my family (and in-laws!) are at taking my kids for a few minutes when we're home.  I swear, I didn't see Knight for more than 3 seconds at a time for the whole visit!  Poor Dragon decided to by shy, and cling to me the whole time (gaaaah!), but I'm hoping when we go home for a longer visit, he starts warming up to everyone and I can have a few minutes to myself every once in awhile (that's all I'm asking, kiddo!)

- And that's about it for my thoughts today!  Sorry, road trips take it out of me for about a week after we get home.  Am I getting old?  *sigh*

What's on your mind today?

Thursday Thoughts - and GIVEAWAY ALERT!

Yaaay, I remembered this week!  Gotta love my link-up with Ramblings of a Suburban Mom!  Between the end of the school year and all the general craziness around here, I am lucky if I remember.... wait, what was I talking about again?

Oh, Thursday!  Hooray!  And Memorial Day weekend, so a 3-day weekend for the kids!  Thank goodness.  This Thursday I am thinking about....

- Summer vacation!  This will be our first summer in our new house, and I'm so excited that we have a big yard to play in, and a whole street full of kids to play with.  I'm thinking of heading out to pick up a whole slew of outdoor toys for the kids.  Previously, we've had to move a lot (thanks to the hubby's job), and we've lived in apartments with very limited storage space.  So we're lacking in things like frisbees, water guns, and sidewalk chalk that are necessary for a fun summer!

- One thing I will absolutely love this summer is not waking up so darn early!  Unlike most school districts, our elementary schools start first (7:30) and the high school starts later (8:30).  Which means that I'm up over an hour before that, packing lunches, assembling backpacks, and getting outfits together (someday I'll be organized enough to lay their outfits out for the whole week.  Just not today)

- I'm starting to wonder what I'd ever do without having a package to track in the mail.  I may not be getting a subscription in the mail every day (I wish!), but I do usually have at least one or two active tracking numbers at any given time.  I really enjoy that my current selection of boxes is very spread out over the month (I even got Ipsy and Birchbox on different days this time! Hooray!), and in fact, I'm still expecting Starlooks.  And then... the spoilers for June start!

- Guess who's been mastering new recipes lately?  That's right!  I've been using some of the food samples I've gotten lately to make some new and amazing dinners.  Pork chops with fennel pollen (Thanks Conscious Box!), meatloaf with Raspberry Chipotle BBQ sauce (Thanks, Goodies!), and my hubby is so happy to see some new food on the dinner table!

- Knight's first T-Ball practice is this afternoon!  I'm hoping the rain holds off long enough for it to take place.  I can't wait to see a bunch of 5 and 6-year olds running around the field, bumping into each other and generally causing chaos!  Should be fun!  And you know Dragon won't sit quietly on the sidelines, he'll want to be out there too.

- GIVEAWAY ALERT!  I won the vlog (video blog) contest for my unboxing video on Cravebox's Girls' Night In box!  And you know that means I want to pass the goodies on to you!  Bright and early tomorrow morning, I'll be launching a contest for a free Cravebox!  Which one?  I'll tell you... tomorrow!

So that's what's on my mind today!  The craziness of life, the anticipation of long summer days, the joy of watching my sons play sports and learn new skills.  And... oh crap, I forgot to switch the laundry over.

What's on your mind today?

Thursday Thoughts

I remembered this week!  So not sure how exactly I managed to forget to link up with Ramblings of a Suburban Mom last Thursday, but I am ON IT now!  What's on my mind this week?  Read on...

- Birchboxes are starting to arrive!  On several of the boxes posted in the MakeupTalk forum, a pen was included as the "Lifestyle Extra."  There is now a hot debate going on about said pen.  Some people (me included) are a bit miffed that a BEAUTY box is sending out a pen.  They shoe-horned in a connection by making this month's theme "Beauty Diaries", but I'm not impressed.  Of course there is another side.  Several people are excited about getting a pen.  They find them useful, will get more use out of a pen than a foil packet of face wash, and find this pen better than several past "extras" that Birchbox has sent (including Twistbands, Luna Bars, and laundry detergent).  What do you think?  Should a box that promises luxurious beauty samples send out pens?

- Ipsy bags are also in the mail!  I am SO geeked out about this month!  I love the bag, I love the contents, and I love that they're starting to include some variety, and customizing the bags!  We're getting a pastel Zoya polish, a Yaby concealer, either a Mirabella lipstick or a Juice Beauty lipgloss, and two of the following eight items: Pacifica Rollerball in Island Vanilla or Gardenia, Anastasia Brow Gel, Pacifica Body Butter in either Bronzer or Crushed Pearl, St. Tropez Instant Bronzer, Macadamia Hair Oil or Nume Argan Oil.  I'm hoping for one of the Pacifica Rollerball perfumes and the St. Tropez bronzer (I don't tan, but I'd like to try a wash-off bronzer).  And seriously, how cute is this bag going to be as a little clutch for when we go to the farmer's market this summer?

From an email Ipsy sent!

- I swear, my subscription boxes aren't the only thing on my mind!  We're heading home the first weekend in June for my brother-in-law's wedding, and I'm way excited!  The whole family is in the wedding (hubby- groomsmen, kids- ringbearers, and I'm doing a reading), and I'm trying to coordinate outfits, tux rentals, schedules, and having to pull the kids out of school for the last few days of the year.  Aaaaargh.  Although, gonna have to say that I'm happy my hubby will be along for the road trip this time!  Especially now that Dragon is potty-train (-ing? -ed? not sure what the right suffix is yet).

- And lastly, my thoughts and prayers go out to the three women who were held captive for over a decade.  Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight are amazing women, and I'm glad that their healing can begin.  And Charles Ramsey (the man that helped Amanda Berry kick down the door) is my hero.  He's awesome.

What's on your mind today?

So What Wednesday!

I am lovin' the blog linkups lately.  I'm definitely far, far away from starting my own, but it's fun to discover new blogs and check out what's going on in everyone's world!  So this week I'm linking up with Life After I Dew.  Here's what I'm saying SO WHAT to this week!

SO WHAT if...

-Dragon is now potty trained for #1, but refuses to do #2 on the potty.  Potty training is a process.  And the end is in sight.

-It is getting way too casual around here.  Once the kids get home from school, Knight goes and puts on PJ's and Dragon takes his pants off.  So classy.

- The crabgrass in our yard is endless.  I'm getting good exercise digging it up (ours looked at the traditional weedkillers and laughed... but it cannot escape my Trowel of Doom!).

- I'm so obsessed with Dancing With The Stars.  I know it's mainly people I've never heard of (and thank goodness they've finally worked their way through all of the Kardashians!), but I'd rather see someone I don't know do a fantastic job than a famous person crash and burn.  And I want to know what kind of boot camp they put the teen Disney stars through... they're always amazing!

- I'm watching Hairspray (for the millionth time) and I still think John Travolta and Christopher Walken make an excellent married couple.   They're just adorable.  (And I've already done a load of dishes, a load of laundry, cleaned the kitchen and picked up the living room.  It's MOVIE TIME!)

- I will never be over my addiction to Dark Chocolate M&M's.  Is there anything more perfect?

- I'm going through subscription box withdrawal.  I know Ipsy will be here soon and I just got tracking information for Birchbox (although I really hope I don't get them both on the same day again).

- And last of all, so what if... I would love a nap right now!  5 more weeks of school, and then the boys and I are going to have some serious sleep-in days!

That's what I'm saying "So What" to this week... how about you?

Sunday Social

I'm doing a new link-up this week!  No, I'm not giving up on Thursday Thoughts... I just completely spaced and forgot to do it this week! But it's a lazy Sunday morning around here and I thought I'd try something new.  So, welcome to Sunday Social from A Complete Waste of Makeup!

This Week's Questions:

1) What are your four favorite things to do on a weekend?

Oooh, I love weekends. On Saturday morning, both kids come into the master bedroom and we have a huge snugglefest.  Knight usually lays between us and chatters nonstop to his daddy (and doesn't mind at all that he only gets an occasional grunt in reply), and Dragon always has to lay directly on top of me (and rebuff any efforts by my husband to hold my hand or put his arm around me.  The Oedipus complex is strong with this child.)  The next thing we like to do on the weekends is eat out.  With all the stuff we do on weekends (playdates, birthday parties, etc), cooking becomes a logistical nightmare!  My 3rd favorite weekend thing is shopping (btw, the Lipstick Queen line is now sold at Ulta!  I picked up the Medieval lipstick I've been drooling over on the Birchbox website for, like, ever!).  And fourth, watching TV.  I try to keep a lid on it during the week, but I let the kids get a little crazy with Netflix over the weekend.

Tres chic, non?

2) What are your four favorite things about your best friend?

My hubby is my best friend (dawwwww), and here are my four favorite things about him:
-He's an amazing father. (And he looks great carrying a diaper bag!)
-He's really strong.  (I know, sounds kinda weird, but trust me, it's nice to have someone to do the heavy lifting!)
-He's a great driver (I hate driving. Don't know why, I just do.)
-He's really hot (He was a finalist in a local Hot Dads contest recently, so I have backup on this from hundreds of Internet voters!)

3) What are four things you'd do with $100,000?

-Pay off our remaining debt (I know, boring)
-Take a family vacation (Disney or Disney cruise? Decisions!)
-Leave the kids with Grandma and go on vacation without them (Paris, anyone?)
-Set up one of those "have a year's worth of expenses" savings accounts that everyone should have, but no one actually does.

Wow.  I'm boring.  Trust me, there would also be a lot of eating out and shopping in there (I would need a whole new wardrobe for Paris, of course) but sometimes you just gotta be an adult, right?

4) What are your four most favorite books you've ever read?

-Persuasion, by Jane Austen
-Good Omens, by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
-The Fire Rose, by Mercedes Lackey
- Her Royal Spyness, by Rhys Bowen

Yep, better than P&P.  Image Source 

5) What are your four most favorite snack foods?

-Dark Chocolate M&M's (I'm obsessed.  And that's OK)
-Cheetos (the poofy kind)
-Peanut-butter filled pretzels and bananas (amazing combo!)
-Tea and toast (I should have been British)

6) What are four things you MUST do daily?
-Get online and check Facebook, email, and MakeupTalk (I'm a moderator now, so I have an excuse to check it every 5 mins!)
-Ask Dragon if he has to go potty at least 50 times
-Read my favorite blogs
-Clean something (otherwise it's a waste of time, right?)

Feel like you know way too much about me now?  Me too.  So do your own Sunday Social!  Pick a question and answer it in the comments!

Thursday Thoughts

It's Thursday, and time for Thursday Thoughts!  Man, I feel like I just wrote one of these. Where does the time go?  I'm linking up through Ramblings of a Suburban Mom, 'cause she's the awesomest!

- I have now watched every single episode of That 70s Show.  I'd watched bits and pieces throughout the years while it was on, but man, watching all 8 seasons?  That was crazy!  And of course... now I need something new to watch.  I've been all about the British comedies and teacozy mysteries* lately, and I need some good recommendations from Netflix!

- My poor darling hubby is begging to get cable/satellite back so he can watch sports.  I'm trying to talk him into installing an antenna to get local channels, but he wants to watch our home team (Da Bengals!), which won't come through the local channels now that we live 10 hours away!  Does anyone have suggestions about online streaming programs (they don't have to be free, just less than the cost of cable each month!) for sports, especially the NFL?

- Dragon has been wearing big boy underoos to preschool this week, and he has gone three whole days without any accidents! Proud mama right here!  We've been working so hard with him at home, and his teacher suggested we start sending him in wearing underoos.  (I personally don't like Pull-Ups.  I know they're a valuable tool for some kids, but mine just view them as something else to pee in.)  And he's been so good!

- And, while I'm on the topic of mommy bragging, Knight has also been very well-behaved at school this week!  He has trouble paying attention sometimes (and I fully admit, he got that from me), but this week he's earned all of the smiley faces in his daily reports!  I definitely think he's improved since his Daddy came home. (I think we all have!)

- I am now on a no-buy for makeup for awhile, due to my fantastic haul at Ulta!  I will get makeup through my subs, but I won't be actively seeking out any new stuff.  I have a feeling I won't feel too deprived, because I get a lot of makeup through Ipsy, the occasional item through Birchbox, and a whole lot of awesomeness through Starlooks! (those are my three beauty subs. Don't ask me to pick a favorite, I love them all equally, but for different reasons!)

- And just in case you need to see something beautiful, here's a picture of the azalea bushes at my house!  We just bought the house late last summer, so I've never seen these babies in bloom... They're gorgeous!

Yay pretty flowers!

I hope you have a wonderful Thursday!