About a month ago, I asked some friends for new makeup recommendations. I had been using the same stuff for a long time and wasn’t impressed with it anymore. I also did a little research on beauty blogs. Here are some products I chose and am liking a lot!

Almay Smart Shade Smart Balance foundation and pressed powder. I have extremely oily skin – how many 30somethings still follow an anti-acne regimen? I usually have to select from the teenage end of the skincare line. For years I’d used Cover Girl Clean makeup for oily skin, and it was okay, but heavy. Plus I was already shiny again an hour after application. So I decided to try Almay Smart Balance, which supposedly adjusts to your skin type. It feels light, blends very well, and controls shine better. However, the coverage isn’t as thorough as Cover Girl’s, so I bought CG’s wand concealer for my more uneven areas. The nice airbrushed look of this foundation is worth the trouble of the extra step.

The powder compact is interesting. You apply the powder with a little brush instead of a powder puff. At first it felt weird, but it’s really a lot more hygienic and saves product. Washing the brush is easy, and the powder actually gets onto your face instead of absorbing into the puff.

L’oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions mascara. I was desperate for a mascara that actually did something for $10 or less. Since you have to replace mascara so often, I’m not willing to shell out for Diorshow or the other designer brands. I got several recommendations for this one and have been VERY pleased! I’ll definitely buy it again.

Milani lipstick in Rose Hip. I usually prefer gloss, stain, or balm – lip product that I can apply without looking. But a bright lipstick now and then is fun. I kept hearing about Nars Schiap, a bright pink that allegedly looks good on all skin tones. As a Fall, I don’t get to indulge in a lot of pink, so I was intrigued. But I couldn’t bring myself to spend $25 on a lipstick no matter how cool it was. This Milani shade is an exact dupe and costs about $3. The formula is really creamy and goes on smoothly, and the color is great! Sometimes I just tap it onto my lips to get more of a stain effect. (And then smooth it out with a layer of Carmex, which has horrified more than one beauty professional in my adult life. They just don’t appreciate the restorative powers of Carmex.)

L’oreal Colour Riche eye shadow in Sultry Seductress. Okay, the name is ridiculous, but this collection of smoky purples is very pretty and easy to apply. I’ve been wearing it a lot! I needed another L’oreal item to push me over the limit for Extra Care Bucks, and this was an excellent choice.

Essie nail polish in Mint Candy Apple. Maybe I’m weird, but once in a while I get “cravings” for a specific color of nail polish. I’ll even go to several stores until I find the exact shade I want. (We all have our weird indulgences.) Well, I saw this color while picking up something else and instantly had to have it. Later I was mad at myself for springing for the high-end brand, because I didn’t think it was the kind of color I’d wear often. Wrong! This polish is currently on my fingers and toes for at least the third time, and I’m not sick of it at all. It looks mint in some lights and turquoise in others. I’ve gotten tons of compliments. Definitely worth adding to your spring and summer rotation!

As it happens, I bought all of this makeup at CVS. We just got a CVS in my neighborhood about a year ago, and I LOVE it. I may never set foot in a Walgreens again. If you’ve ever learned anything about couponing, you’ve heard about their Extra Care Bucks program. I can attest that it’s legit, and easy to understand and use even for a mathematically challenged person like me. I got $8 back on these makeup purchases (at prices equivalent to other stores), and about a week later I filled out a survey online and got another coupon for $10 off! They also have a great selection of hair products – I don’t have to go to Ulta for my conditioning treatment anymore.

If you try and like any of these items, or want to share about something you use, fire away!

Of course I was not compensated in any way for this post. If anyone wants to compensate me, my contact info’s in the sidebar. ;)

6 Comments + Posted in: beauty

I signed up to bring breakfast for my Sunday School class last weekend. After overthinking my options, I finally decided on classic, fairly easy monkey bread. While I wanted to try this healthier version, I didn’t have time to mix, rise, separate, and bake my own yeast dough for 30 people. But biscuits from a can? That was doable, and the bread was still a hit. There’s absolutely nothing healthy about it. It’s just delicious.

I got this recipe from a friend a long time ago. I love the name!

Working Woman’s Monkey Bread
Serves a lot. I planned to double the recipe, but filled up two Bundt pans with only five cans of biscuits.

Ingredients:
4 cans jumbo buttermilk biscuits
1 ½ cups light brown sugar
1 ½ sticks butter, melted
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
¾ cup chopped pecans (optional – I left them out in case of nut allergies)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or whatever the biscuit can calls for). Spray pan(s) with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Over low heat, combine butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and nuts in a small saucepan until sugar is dissolved.

3. Cut biscuits into quarters. You can do this all at once, or one can at a time if you’re not sure how many biscuits you’ll need.

4. Dip biscuit quarters into the mixture until well coated. BE CAREFUL!

5. Layer biscuit quarters in the pan. When the pan is full, pour remaining sugar mixture over the top.

6. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until center is no longer doughy. Serve warm.

Add a Comment + Posted in: baking

My vegetable garden is finally in! Last year I planted on April 1, so it’s safe to say that this was my latest planting ever. But thanks to the Endless Winter of 2013, I couldn’t do it any earlier. It was worth waiting to make sure the plants got the best possible start.

I’ve had a vegetable garden for about six years. My first garden location was poorly chosen, so after a few years, I moved it to the sunny south side of the house. That helped, but not much. So last year, my dad MacGyvered a raised bed for me out of old planks from my shed, and we filled it with “pro mix” from the local nursery. It was my best harvest ever – the peppers and herbs did pretty well – but still below average. The cucumbers and squash died early, the tomatoes were few, and the watermelons never progressed beyond sprouts. My dad decided that more topsoil would do the trick. So last Saturday morning, he went back to Bartlett Nursery on my behalf. The owner said that what we really needed was some of the “private stock” he uses on his own plants. (I love local businesses!) So he loaded a bunch of swamp muck onto the trailer, and we made rows of it in the raised bed. My dad was downright gleeful. I hope this stuff lives up to both of our expectations. :)

I also have this secret weapon, which has apparently caused near-riots at the nursery:

I was advised to dig holes for the plants in the rows of muck, put a little Wholly Cow at the bottom of the holes, then put some around the plants once they’re settled. So that’s what I did. I’m optimistic!

Here’s what I planted this year!

Six kinds of tomatoes – Roma, grape, Sweet 100 cherry, beefsteak, Better Boy, and Mortgage Lifter
Two kinds of cucumbers
Three kinds of bell peppers
Banana peppers
Spaghetti squash – I forgot that this is a winter squash. Why are they selling it now?? We’ll see how it does.
Crookneck yellow squash
One eggplant
Cantaloupe – my first attempt at cantaloupe
Heirloom watermelon seeds – trying again with these

In addition to the existing oregano and tarragon, which came back strong (exciting!), I planted new basil, dill, sage, and cilantro. (A few shoots of cilantro have naturally popped up, but I need a backup in case they don’t make it.) My flat-leaf parsley has already come back and bolted, so I cut it way back and then re-seeded around the base.

I couldn’t find zucchini, and I forgot the jalapenos, so I left space to add those later.

Last year I tried a soaker hose, then switched to an oscillating sprinkler because the plants were drowning. Then they didn’t get enough water. But according to the nursery guy, the soil should be more settled this year, causing soaker watering to work better. So I got a new hose (the old one cracked) and put it between the rows, not on top of the plants. This is supposed to be good for root expansion.

For the second year in a row, my watering timer has also cracked, so I’ll have to get a new one of those too. Does anyone else have to replace this stuff every year? It gets expensive. A watering timer is totally worth it, though. I couldn’t garden without one.

Stay tuned for garden progress updates!

6 Comments + Posted in: gardening

Today is my third… me-iversary. Three years ago, my ex-husband walked out and my life as an independent woman began. I probably won’t call attention to this date again on this blog, but three strikes me as a complete number.

I’ve been hanging onto some stuff past its expiration date. I didn’t realize until recently that I was in a (very stealthy) rut. When I was first divorced, it was important to me to feel and process everything thoroughly. As unpleasant as it was, I didn’t want to deal with “moldy leftovers” later in life. Gradually, I adjusted to my new circumstances and stopped tripping on emotional triggers around every corner. But by then, I had formed a habit of pulling up all my painful memories and bad feelings. Sometimes for more analysis; sometimes to wallow; increasingly, to make myself stop wanting a relationship (oh, you want to go through that again?). I thought the burden of those memories was an unavoidable curse of being divorced, and to a degree, it is. But I don’t need to keep reliving it all anymore. It’s okay to push it away. History has been fully reconstructed. The book is closed. These thoughts have no further constructive role in my life, and at this point, all they can do is hurt me. I can let them go. It feels good!

Subconsciously, I’ve been waiting for external circumstances to move me past this point. I thought I had reached the end of my healing alone, and anything further would have to be generated by something outside me. That’s how it works for most people in my situation. Very few get this far without something – a new love, a new career, a total life change – pushing them into a new gear. Now I see that, like always, I’m responsible for pushing myself. I don’t have to wait for a man, or whatever, to come and save me. God still has room to work in the here and now.

For a long time, and for no logical reason, I’ve felt like this is probably as good as it’s going to get. My life is great in a lot of ways, but honestly, I’d hoped for a better endgame. But maybe God wants to do more than a satisfactory patch job with me, and He doesn’t want anything else taking the credit for it. He might yet have plans for further restoration and emancipation beyond anything I could have imagined.

This week, on the elliptical (I have most of my epiphanies there, or while mowing the lawn), I felt a sudden certainty that I’m currently in the montage portion of my life. You know, the part of the movie or show with quick shots of the main character going to work, hanging out with friends, playing tennis. Nothing especially exciting happening. But then the montage and the music stop, and the real story begins. I don’t mean to discount the montage, because I believe that much of what’s important in life happens in the mundane. But we are all meant for some larger story. The daily grind, putting in the work, building the relationships, consistently showing up, is how we get to our stories. Someday the music will stop and it’ll be time for mine.

PS – This morning, a friend of mine gave birth to her third daughter. I’m happy to see this day redeemed as a day of joy and life!

2 Comments + Posted in: divorce, milestone, reflections

I’m very into my roses at the moment! I have three rose bushes, and the one in the middle is a Don Juan climbing rose that needs reinforcement. I’ve tried several trellises and things, but they’ve all been unstable and couldn’t bear the weight of the plant, especially during storms. Once the rose started to bloom and flop over this year, I was reduced to what I had on hand: a short, flimsy cucumber trellis and one of those stretchy cords with iron hooks at either end. It was not an effective or attractive setup. Last Saturday morning, struck by sudden inspiration, I bought an iron trellis – the kind with longer prongs on the bottom – and drilled holes in the wood border of the rose bed to drop it in. Of course, right as I was finishing the drilling and feeling proud of myself, the drill bit got stuck. My dad had to come remove it for me days later with a vise. But now the project is complete, and the rose bush is securely tied up and looks beautiful! This problem had bothered me for years, so I’m really happy to have it taken care of.

The life of a rose bush has a nice, predictable rhythm. First you see the red leaves of new growth. Then the roses bloom. Then they fade, and the leaves and stems grow again. Then new buds set, and new roses arrive. But the plant takes a rest between bloomings, and it makes the roses more beautiful. I need to learn from that. I continue to struggle big-time with resting and recharging. Over the past year or two, I’ve made several good attempts at stepping back and learning to say no, but I keep ending up back in this overextended, stressed-out place. I hate missing out on any activities or invitations, and I hate accepting my limitations, but I’m headed for some spectacular crash and burn unless I figure out a real solution.

One thing I really need to get back to is at least attempting to keep a Sabbath. Without realizing it, I became one of those people who “can’t afford to rest” on Sunday. Then I wonder why I feel strung out constantly. It’s a commandment for a reason. Stopping when the rest of the world keeps going is hard, but that’s no excuse.

Anyway. Thoughts on a Wednesday.

4 Comments + Posted in: gardening, reflections