From the Mixed-up Files...

Friday, July 13, 2012

My Ten Fashion and Beauty Must-Haves

Fashion Must-Haves

1. A watch. I've loved watches forever, and I even have video evidence of my 16-year-old self professing my love for watches...and yo-yos. Fun fact (or not). I have to restrain myself from buying more of them. I have four at the moment, but I think I need a new casual one for my Disney trip next month. The cheapo Target one I wore to Orlando last year broke.

2. Giant handbag. I don't know how people can function with small purses. I can do a smaller bag for shopping, or a smaller bag inside a tote or a diaper bag; but for everyday, it's gotta be huge.

3. Ballet flats. There was a time not so long ago when cute low-heeled shoes could not be found. Since they've become popular, ballet flats are another thing I have to resist buying in every color and style whenever I see them.

4. Cardigans. This was starting to look like a big Michael Kors advertisement, so let's move onto something else. Cardigans. Are they the most fashionable thing? Maybe not, but they're definitely a must-have for my business casual attire. Since I wear cardigans so frequently, I don't feel bad about having one in every color. Two of every neutral color even. Come to think of it, the only color I don't have is orange. I may have to remedy that.

5. Anything Yellow. It's my favorite color, and frankly, I think I could use more of it. I tend to hold back because I don't want to look like a crazy lady who only wears yellow. Although I have considered it because that would make an excellent topic for a new blog.

Scarves and blazers narrowly missed the cut.

Beauty Must-Haves

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1. EOS lip balm. I used to be a loyal Carmex user, but I've recently moved onto EOS. It's fun to use, and the spherical shape sometimes acts as a conversation starter when I pull it out.

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2. Clean & Clear Instant Oil-Absorbing Sheets. I think I've been using these off an on for at least 5 years, but I wish I knew about them in high school. They are the most essential thing ever for people who get shiny throughout the day.

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3. Mask. An anecdote for you. Last summer, I volunteered to participate in a little runway show for a sustainability fair type thing. The Mary Kay lady who was doing our makeup kind of crinkled her nose and was like, “Do you use a mask? You should.” Yikes. Right after that, I bought an exfoliating scrub, but I didn't get around to buying a mask until I had a facial a few months ago. Now I use the blackhead eliminating cleanser mask as a mask once a week. It's a step in the right direction at least. Next, I need to be more diligent about removing my makeup at night.

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4. Dry shampoo. For awhile, I didn't get the concept of not washing my hair every day. I'd be a greaseball if I skipped a day. That was until I finally gave in and tried dry shampoo. I don't have a favorite brand yet, but so far, I've tried Batiste, Suave, and TRESemmé with similar results.

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5. Revlon Lip Butter. These are my new favorite lip colors because they're not sticky like a gloss, and they don't dry out my lips like lip stains and most lipsticks. The colors I have are Tutti Frutti (coral) and Cherry Tart (red). I just turned my friend onto these last week, and I think the one she bought was Brown Sugar, which is a really great sheer, shimmery shade. From the reviews I've read, these do not give you long-lasting color, but for me, the positives outweigh the negative.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Nineteen Month Stats

Credit: Scott (Bridget's godfather)

Hubs and I have been temporary empty nesters for almost a week now, and I’m doing OK so far. I’m pretty sure Bridget is not missing me too much yet, and I’ve been keeping busy and intend to continue to keep busy until her return on Sunday.

Bridget and I had a less than ideal goodbye in Maine, so I’m still a little hurt about that, although I shouldn’t be. She gave hubs a hug and kiss and let him hold her; but when I took her to say goodbye, she just squirmed and reached for hubs’ mom. I’m cool with her being a daddy’s girl, but still. I’d like her to like me a little. When we drove away and were out of eyesight of everyone, I broke down crying, not only because of that moment, but also because it’s not going to get any easier when she gets older. But yeah, I just need to stop thinking about it. Bridge and I will be buddies again when she’s not surrounded by her two sets of adoring grandparents, and when we get back into our routine. Hopefully. Although I would be really happy and excited for Bridget to have a sister, I can’t help but hope for a momma’s boy next. Whenever that happens. I’m overreacting. I know.

Also, we saw Brave Monday, and I was bawling by the end of it. Without giving anything away, the movie is basically all about the relationship between Merida and her mother, which I didn't realize from just seeing the previews. It was really good. You should all see it.

Anyway, to the stats.

Height: 34 in. (95th percentile)

Weight: 26 lb 3 oz (75th percentile)

Clothing Size: Although she fits into some 18-24 month stuff still, anything new I get in 2T. Depending on the brand, 2Ts can range from just a little roomy to huge on her.

Shoe Size: 5, though she does have wide feet (she gets that from me, sorry Bridge), so I have to be aware of that when buying shoes.

Diaper Size: 5

Teeth: I don't even know. A bunch!

Food: Everything almost. Her favorite foods change daily, and often, she doesn’t eat much at dinner time. Her favorites right now are probably melon, corn, any kind of chip or cracker, and chicken right off the bone (like from KFC or wherever). Obviously, we rip off little pieces of chicken and do not give her a whole chicken breast with bone.

Drink: Mostly milk, some water, and occasional juice. We actually tried to give her a taste of root beer the other day, but she was having none of it.

Words: Moh (monkey, milk, or more), bah (ball), Mama, Dada, ca (cat), daw (dog), buh-buh (bubbles), uh-oh, weeee (when she’s swinging or pushing someone on a swing), rar (when you ask her what a lion says), she can do the SH sound for shoe and shirt. I think I’m missing a couple...

Sign Language: More, please, thank you. I didn’t even know she knew sign language until she did “more” one time when I picked her up from daycare. Then in Maine, her godmother taught her “please” and “thank you.”

Other Accomplishments:

Uses forks and spoons
Drinks from a cup
Points to body parts such as elbow, toes, ears, eyes, cheeks, hair, etc.
Makes a muscle (cutest ever)
Swims in the lake with help

Mmmm fruit

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Hanson at Summerfest

Here's what I wore, and yes, our grass is very brown. We have not had rain in long time.

Dress and Sandals: Target; Top: American Eagle; Bracelets: Mexicali Blues and Pandora; Sunglasses: Express

Sunday night exceeded my expectations. Usually, because I’m a pretty optimistic person, and I’m spoiled when it comes to Hanson, I tend to build up unrealistic expectations. But this time, I thought realistically and was pleasantly surprised around every turn.

I assumed we’d be at least five rows back since I knew some fans were going to be arriving at 9 AM. We actually ended up in the third row of bleachers and had a pretty great view.
I assumed they would play all their singles and popular songs that most people would know and like. However, I didn’t expect some surprises like “And I Waited” and “Oh Darlin’” (turns out I’m a Zac fan now...).
I assumed the crowd would be drunk, pushy, and annoying. Actually, the exact opposite happened, which shocked me most of all. I only saw one drunk annoying girl who was yelling at people for not standing up during the band who played before Hanson. Otherwise, everyone was pretty courteous. I guess we Hanson fans and Summerfest goers have matured!

Oh and we saw a celebrity (from afar)! Frankie Muniz is friends with Hanson, and he was at the show, hanging out at the side of the stage. It was kind of trippy to see him and his buddies jamming out to “MMMBop.” You can see his back in this picture I took of the backstage area. Frankie's the guy in the gray T-shirt. (Taylor's in the white T-shirt, and Zac is in the yellowish button-up shirt talking to Frankie.)

Besides the HOURS AND HOURS of waiting (I got there at 1ish, and the show wasn’t until 9:30), and even though we didn’t get pictures with the guys, I was pretty satisfied with the night. Since we wanted to save our spots, we didn’t do a whole lot of wandering around, but I did get out a couple times to grab food and scope out the backstage situation. The guys poked their heads out a couple times, but that was about it.

Partway through our long day of waiting

To kill the time, we also made lists of our favorite bands, and I finally made a list of all the Hanson concerts I’ve been to. We were all varying degrees of shocked and appalled by each other’s lists for Top 5 bands, but it was a hard list to make I thought. I’m not as crazy about anyone as I am for Hanson. Speaking of, this show was my 45th Hanson show.

I love this review of the show from jsonline:

Someone at Summerfest seriously underestimated the size of the Hanson fan base. The brotherly band largely, and incorrectly, classified as the one-hit wonder behind 1997 earworm "MMMBop," was designated to one of the Big Gig's smaller stages, the Potawatomi Bingo Casino Stage & Pavilion, for its Sunday headlining set.

Even with people standing on top of each other on benches and picnic tables, fans still spilled out into the main drag.

Yeah, we fans could've told you that they needed to be on a bigger stage. But I was just thankful that we were under a cover instead of being out in the sun all day. It's always nice when people realize that Hanson are so much more than just "MMMBop."

Here are some of my pictures from the show. You can check out the rest in my Facebook album.

My view

Acoustic set

Zac

Isaac

Taylor

Final bow

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Humongous Target Collaboration Planned for This Holiday Season

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Oh. Em. Gee. A coworker sent me this link today, and I couldn't wait to share it. Is December here yet?? Here's the scoop from FabSugar:

Target has just one-upped itself with the announcement of its newest collaboration: the mass market retailer will be teaming with Neiman Marcus for a limited-edition holiday collection designed by a whopping 24 CFDA designers. Participating designers for the Target + Neiman Marcus Holiday Collection features an impressive designer list ranging from our favorite sportswear designers to red carpet connoisseurs: Carolina Herrera, Derek Lam, Diane von Furstenberg, Jason Wu, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta,Tory Burch, Alice + Olivia, Altuzarra, Band of Outsiders, Brian Atwood, Eddie Borgo, Judith Leiber, Lela Rose, Marchesa, Philip Crangi, Prabal Gurung, Proenza Schouler, Rag & Bone, Robert Rodriguez, Rodarte, Skaist Taylor, Thom Browne, and Tracy Reese.

Each of the 24 designers have designed one to three items each, but don't expect it to be all about the clothing. Categories span from apparel (women's, men's, and children's) to home decor, electronics, and even pet accessories. The line will also include 50 limited-edition gifts and will be priced from $8 to $500. However, expect most items to retail for less than $60. The collection, launching in all Target stores and online at both Target.com and NeimanMarcus.com, will be available Dec. 1. And on a feel-good note, Target and Neiman Marcus have donated a total of one million dollars to celebrate the exciting venture. No doubt, this is the ultimate designer(s) collaboration of 2012 — are you excited?

Am I excited, FabSugar? Let's just say I will be camped out at my local Target way before the sun rises on Saturday, December 1. And I may be throwing elbows to get at whatever Marchesa is selling. And Oscar de la Renta, Diane von Furstenberg, and probably everything else from this huge collection, too.

Actually, I just realized I will be in Arizona at that time, so I will either be camped out at their local Target or poised with a speedy clicker finger on a laptop. One of the two.

Fourth of July Flop

We had big plans for our Fourth of July celebrations. The day started out kind of chilly and overcast with rain off and on. The cloudy 70ish degree day was quite the difference from the over 100 degree day they were having back in Wisconsin, so no complaints. But we should’ve known the day was doomed from there. Unhindered, we pressed on with our plans.

First, we ate dinner at Jack Russell’s Steakhouse, which I wrote about in my Maine Travel Guide post. Up until then, this had been one of our favorite places to eat in Maine. We look forward to it every year. Unfortunately, it didn’t deliver. The menu had changed completely since last time we were there. Our jumbo shrimp skewers were gone and replaced with tiny shrimp in a garlic butter soup...??? No idea. They also didn’t have the crab or cheese or spinach or whatever dip it was that we fell in love with two years ago. We did try crab stuffed portobello mushrooms for an appetizer, and those were pretty tasty. The steaks were still good, and the lobster was good, too, but I don’t think we’ll be returning. We can get good steaks elsewhere and good lobster nearly anywhere in Maine.

The highlight of our night came when we were driving around after dinner (or was it before?) and saw this incredible rainbow where we could see both ends! We stopped on the road with at least five other cars to take pictures. As we were taking pictures, randomly a bagpiper in full garb came out of nowhere and started playing his bagpipes. We were confused, but I got a picture of that anyway.

The next item on our itinerary was to drive to the top of Cadillac Mountain and drink wine until the fireworks started. Wellllll, it was way too foggy up there, and there was no way we were going to see anything, let alone fireworks, so we dejectedly drove back down the mountain. Since fireworks were now legal in Maine, we had the bright idea to pick some up and fire them off back at the house. We had to stop at Walmart anyway, so we decided to check there. They had a whole section of what appeared to be fireworks. We purchased one of the bigger packages called The Blast Zone and headed back home.

After assembling on the dock, we opened the package and found hundreds of sparklers. Just sparklers. W...T...F... Talk about a buzzkill. We lit them up with as much gusto as we could muster while hubs’ parents and uncle laughed at/with us. I did see one firework behind a tree, so there’s that.

Credit: Scott

When we got sick of lighting sparklers, we went inside to play some games. Hubs’ eyes were bugging him from wearing contacts (oh yeah, he lost his glasses off the boat the day before), and he felt a cold coming on, so we ended up just calling it a night instead.

And that was our flop of a Fourth of July. We made up for it in the coming days with an amazing lunch at Mainely Meat and a sunny walk on Cadillac Mountain, and I did see multiple firework shows as we were driving back to Wisconsin Saturday.