I know it's been awful quiet around here. We had a close friend of the family pass away last week. We spent all weekend between the funeral home, the funeral, and spending time with the family. I'm just not getting back around to catching up on my work and my blogs.
I have a huge list of things I have to do this week including setting up a website for someone, filming some footage and editing a contest video that's due Friday, and a whole list of other stuff. I still have to take photos and get my product reviews written up for you guys, but sometimes we all know real life just gets in the way.
Bad Lighting
I'm sorry to say I didn't get the photos taken and edited today to write up my reviews of the incense. I had fully intended on it, but I got caught up in doing a ton of other stuff. We cleaned the chimney so we could build our first fire of the season tonight. Then I went shopping for groceries and a few other things. I got caught up in working and doing laundry when I got home, and I completely forgot about taking photos.
With it being well past dark, I just don't have any good lighting to use to stage the photos. The lighting in this house totally sucks, and it's pretty much useless to try to take photos after dark unless I want them all to turn out dark as well. I used to have a table lamp in the living room that created the perfect photo lighting, but Alley knocked it off the table awhile back shattering it beyond repair. I really should get another one. Heck we just need to change out all the old fixtures in this house for better ones. I just never set aside the cash to do it because I'm busy buying other things.
With it being well past dark, I just don't have any good lighting to use to stage the photos. The lighting in this house totally sucks, and it's pretty much useless to try to take photos after dark unless I want them all to turn out dark as well. I used to have a table lamp in the living room that created the perfect photo lighting, but Alley knocked it off the table awhile back shattering it beyond repair. I really should get another one. Heck we just need to change out all the old fixtures in this house for better ones. I just never set aside the cash to do it because I'm busy buying other things.
A Lot To Do Today
I'm trying to work on taking photos today of all the stuff I have to review. I've got a ton of photos to take, and my camera keeps dieing on me as usual. I've got both of my batteries charging right now, and I hope they'll last long enough to take the photos.
It's definitely my own fault this time. I took my camera to the Oktoberfest last night, and I forgot to plug it up to charge when I got home. The good battery holds about 2 hours of charge, and the crappy battery that came with the camera will only hold 30 minutes of charge...that's with full charge on both batteries. Anywho, after they charge I'll be taking some photos, especially of the incense. I just lit up a stick of banana nut bread incense, and oh my goodness it smells so good. I feel like I almost need to take appetite suppressants when I'm burning these so I don't get hungry!
It also doesn't help I've been checking out this awesome blog Lisa found that's 365 days of Crock Pot recipes. I'm totally in love with my Crock Pots, and I cook with them more than anything. Finding a blog full of nothing but awesome Crock Pot recipes made me feel like a kid on Christmas morning. I'm really going to have to start trying some of these recipes, especially the Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe. Who'd have ever thought you could make Pumpkin Spice Lattes in a Crock Pot?
It's definitely my own fault this time. I took my camera to the Oktoberfest last night, and I forgot to plug it up to charge when I got home. The good battery holds about 2 hours of charge, and the crappy battery that came with the camera will only hold 30 minutes of charge...that's with full charge on both batteries. Anywho, after they charge I'll be taking some photos, especially of the incense. I just lit up a stick of banana nut bread incense, and oh my goodness it smells so good. I feel like I almost need to take appetite suppressants when I'm burning these so I don't get hungry!
It also doesn't help I've been checking out this awesome blog Lisa found that's 365 days of Crock Pot recipes. I'm totally in love with my Crock Pots, and I cook with them more than anything. Finding a blog full of nothing but awesome Crock Pot recipes made me feel like a kid on Christmas morning. I'm really going to have to start trying some of these recipes, especially the Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe. Who'd have ever thought you could make Pumpkin Spice Lattes in a Crock Pot?
Drooling Over Food
My favorite time of the year is here, and along with that comes all those wonderful fall foods. One of my absolute favorites is pumpkin pie. Shockingly I just realized I have never actual made a pumpkin pie though. I've made plenty of pumpkin cheesecakes, but I think I'm going to switch it up this year and make a classic pumpkin pie.I've been in a huge baking and cooking mood lately. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that my yard is full of so much wonderful stuff I can bake with. I've got a pear tree that's so full it looks like the pears are going to drag the tree to the ground. I've got walnuts, still have some apples, and I even have tomatoes that are still producing like crazy.
I think it's about time to start gathering up all those green tomatoes for some nice fried green tomatoes. I absolutely love them, but I haven't made any in awhile. I'm tempted to try to make a fried green tomato casserole, especially if I can figure out a way to make it in my crock pot.
Man, just talking about all this food is making me hungry. I think it's time to heat up some left over BBQ for a sandwich.
Bubba's Incense
Bubba has already picked out a few favorites of his own! He knows he should probably be spending his time blogging about pet supplies or how Alley's treating him today, but he had to take a break to help me sniff everything.
He went through every package, then he drug two out of the pile that he's claimed. He made it easy to choose which one I want to try first. The fairy dust smells absolutely wonderful, but we're going to start with Citrus & Sage for now. We'll give the puppy time to sniff on the Fairy Dust for a little longer. Head on over to Crafty Steph to see what other awesome scents she has to offer, then get prepared for a week of incense!
He went through every package, then he drug two out of the pile that he's claimed. He made it easy to choose which one I want to try first. The fairy dust smells absolutely wonderful, but we're going to start with Citrus & Sage for now. We'll give the puppy time to sniff on the Fairy Dust for a little longer. Head on over to Crafty Steph to see what other awesome scents she has to offer, then get prepared for a week of incense!
A Preview Of Things To Come
Yes, I just received this huge box of goodies from CraftySteph.com. I put in an order last Friday, Oct. 10, and I was super surprised it got here so fast! I ordered a ton of awesome stuff, so be on the lookout for a ton of reviews. We'll be going through each and every one of these scents individually because they all smell so great!
Beauty In Photography
Do you love photography? I do, but I have to admit I'm a pretty crappy photographer. I know the fact that I don't have an awesome camera doesn't help, but great photographers produce great photos no matter what they're shooting with.
I wish I had the time to take some photography classes, spend some time running around shooting photos, and all that, but I just don't. Instead I'll leave it up to the professionals and those that are aspiring to be professionals. I'll stick to amateur photography when I can.
My friend, Craig, is an aspiring photographer. He's spent the last 4 years studying every aspect he can of photography. He started a photo blog showcasing not just some of his best work but also photos he has to take for class projects.
If you're interested in checking out his photos and leaving a little feedback please check out his blog, Craig Brown Photography.
I've seen Craig take beautiful shots of everything from weddings to a bird sitting on a fence to a pile of Ferrari parts. He frequents car shows, motorcycle rides, and racing events yet he still produces extremely beautiful wedding photos the very same day. He's a very versatile photographer who wants to grow and improve with each and every image he takes. If nothing else, stop by and say hello to him!
I wish I had the time to take some photography classes, spend some time running around shooting photos, and all that, but I just don't. Instead I'll leave it up to the professionals and those that are aspiring to be professionals. I'll stick to amateur photography when I can.
My friend, Craig, is an aspiring photographer. He's spent the last 4 years studying every aspect he can of photography. He started a photo blog showcasing not just some of his best work but also photos he has to take for class projects.
If you're interested in checking out his photos and leaving a little feedback please check out his blog, Craig Brown Photography.
I've seen Craig take beautiful shots of everything from weddings to a bird sitting on a fence to a pile of Ferrari parts. He frequents car shows, motorcycle rides, and racing events yet he still produces extremely beautiful wedding photos the very same day. He's a very versatile photographer who wants to grow and improve with each and every image he takes. If nothing else, stop by and say hello to him!
Photo By Craig Brown Photography
Mineral Makeup Not Working For You?
For the last two months I've been complaining to my sister in law almost daily about my mineral makeup. I've tried about 10 different types, and no matter how cheap or expensive the product is, I haven't been able to find one that gives me the total full coverage that I need during my over the top monthly hormonal breakouts.
I ordered a bunch of samples from various retailers, and I determined my 3 faves are also some of the cheapest ones I've found. Of course the first one would be the Mineral Starter Kit from E.L.F. I loved this kit because the colors were absolutely perfect for my skin tone, and the price is very doable for any girl on a budget. Unfortunately my very acne prone face wasn't getting the coverage it needed even after I applied many many coats of makeup.
Then I moved on to Affordable Mineral Makeup products because so many of my friends have raved about them. I've used many of the mineral eye shadows offered by Affordable Mineral Makeup, and I absolutely love those. The mineral foundations and concealers are great for my light coverage days, but they had no chance against massive breakout weeks. I decided to avoid anymore foundations and concealers from this company, but I absolutely am in love with their eye shadows.
That's when I decided to order some samples from LA Minerals. Samples are $1-2, so it's a great way to try new products or shades. I'm glad I ordered samples first because even though I absolutely LOVE the Hollywood Face Base that is made especially for medium to heavy coverage, the color I ordered, Fairest Neutral, made even my extremely pale skin look ghostly. The coverage was almost too thick on occasion, but it provided the best coverage when I really needed something heavy. Then came one of my really bad breakouts and even this base and the Multi-Tasking Bisque concealer wouldn't cover the bad stuff.
Lately I've been wondering exactly why it's so hard for me to find a mineral foundation and concealer that will get the job done. Even Bare Minerals couldn't hide my zits. Then I started to wonder if I was doing something wrong, but come on, I know how to apply mineral makeup. I may not be very girlie, but I do at least have the makeup thing down. I have absolutely no problem applying makeup on other women, but I seem to have a problem with my own face.
Then tonight rolled around. Hubby ran into my Dad, and he invited us to a late dinner. I admit I've been asleep all evening, so I woke up finding myself with about 15 minutes to get dressed before making a 30 minute drive to the restaurant. I threw on some clothes, washed my face, brushed my teeth and set out to put on a little bit of makeup to at least try to semi-hide the 15 or so pimples that have erupted this week. We're not talking little red dots here and there either. We're talking massive hormonal explosion all over the place.
I reached for my concealer brush and found it missing. It has a habit of rolling off the counter into the crevice between the wall and cabinet, and I just didn't have the time to dig it out and clean it right now. Instead I picked up a clean angled horse hair eye shadow brush and started dabbing concealer with it in a circular motion. I admit it's a cheap brush I picked up at Big Lots for about .50, and I've never used it for anything. To my surprise I covered all of my pimples perfectly with 1 application. I should also mention I was using the E.L.F. fair concealer that normally gives me the lightest coverage.
I then decided if changing up from a concealer brush to an eye shadow brush did the trick for my concealer, maybe I should ditch my kabuki brush tonight for something smaller. I chose a blush/bronzer brush from E.L.F. that cost me exactly $1, and started gently swiping smaller than normal amounts of E.L.F. Fair Foundation on my skin, which also provides the lightest coverage of all my foundations. It worked, and for the first time ever I didn't watch my concealer disappear as I applied my foundation. I was also able to apply a very small amount of foundation and a hint of blush with a light brush of LA Minerals Mineral Veil over the top. I was totally stoked, and Hubby even asked me if I'd bought a new makeup because my skin looked so great!
We hopped on the bike, and I was also surprised to see that my makeup was still intact when we arrived at the restaurant even with such light coverage applied. Normally even my mineral makeup rubs off on the inside of my helmet and I have to try my best to reapply some pimple coverage before heading inside. Not tonight! Everything was even still perfect when we arrive back home 2 hours later. In the last couple of hours I've washed my face twice and reapplied all the different types of mineral makeup I've purchased, and ALL of them have worked.
The moral of the story? If you're getting frustrated because no mineral makeup seems to work for you, take a second look at the brushes you're using. Changing up your brushes could be all you need to make a big difference.
I ordered a bunch of samples from various retailers, and I determined my 3 faves are also some of the cheapest ones I've found. Of course the first one would be the Mineral Starter Kit from E.L.F. I loved this kit because the colors were absolutely perfect for my skin tone, and the price is very doable for any girl on a budget. Unfortunately my very acne prone face wasn't getting the coverage it needed even after I applied many many coats of makeup.
Then I moved on to Affordable Mineral Makeup products because so many of my friends have raved about them. I've used many of the mineral eye shadows offered by Affordable Mineral Makeup, and I absolutely love those. The mineral foundations and concealers are great for my light coverage days, but they had no chance against massive breakout weeks. I decided to avoid anymore foundations and concealers from this company, but I absolutely am in love with their eye shadows.
That's when I decided to order some samples from LA Minerals. Samples are $1-2, so it's a great way to try new products or shades. I'm glad I ordered samples first because even though I absolutely LOVE the Hollywood Face Base that is made especially for medium to heavy coverage, the color I ordered, Fairest Neutral, made even my extremely pale skin look ghostly. The coverage was almost too thick on occasion, but it provided the best coverage when I really needed something heavy. Then came one of my really bad breakouts and even this base and the Multi-Tasking Bisque concealer wouldn't cover the bad stuff.
Lately I've been wondering exactly why it's so hard for me to find a mineral foundation and concealer that will get the job done. Even Bare Minerals couldn't hide my zits. Then I started to wonder if I was doing something wrong, but come on, I know how to apply mineral makeup. I may not be very girlie, but I do at least have the makeup thing down. I have absolutely no problem applying makeup on other women, but I seem to have a problem with my own face.
Then tonight rolled around. Hubby ran into my Dad, and he invited us to a late dinner. I admit I've been asleep all evening, so I woke up finding myself with about 15 minutes to get dressed before making a 30 minute drive to the restaurant. I threw on some clothes, washed my face, brushed my teeth and set out to put on a little bit of makeup to at least try to semi-hide the 15 or so pimples that have erupted this week. We're not talking little red dots here and there either. We're talking massive hormonal explosion all over the place.
I reached for my concealer brush and found it missing. It has a habit of rolling off the counter into the crevice between the wall and cabinet, and I just didn't have the time to dig it out and clean it right now. Instead I picked up a clean angled horse hair eye shadow brush and started dabbing concealer with it in a circular motion. I admit it's a cheap brush I picked up at Big Lots for about .50, and I've never used it for anything. To my surprise I covered all of my pimples perfectly with 1 application. I should also mention I was using the E.L.F. fair concealer that normally gives me the lightest coverage.
I then decided if changing up from a concealer brush to an eye shadow brush did the trick for my concealer, maybe I should ditch my kabuki brush tonight for something smaller. I chose a blush/bronzer brush from E.L.F. that cost me exactly $1, and started gently swiping smaller than normal amounts of E.L.F. Fair Foundation on my skin, which also provides the lightest coverage of all my foundations. It worked, and for the first time ever I didn't watch my concealer disappear as I applied my foundation. I was also able to apply a very small amount of foundation and a hint of blush with a light brush of LA Minerals Mineral Veil over the top. I was totally stoked, and Hubby even asked me if I'd bought a new makeup because my skin looked so great!
We hopped on the bike, and I was also surprised to see that my makeup was still intact when we arrived at the restaurant even with such light coverage applied. Normally even my mineral makeup rubs off on the inside of my helmet and I have to try my best to reapply some pimple coverage before heading inside. Not tonight! Everything was even still perfect when we arrive back home 2 hours later. In the last couple of hours I've washed my face twice and reapplied all the different types of mineral makeup I've purchased, and ALL of them have worked.
The moral of the story? If you're getting frustrated because no mineral makeup seems to work for you, take a second look at the brushes you're using. Changing up your brushes could be all you need to make a big difference.
Thinning Out My Collections
I recently decided it was time to clean out some of the clutter in my house, and I've got a ton of stuff to list on Ebay. I've already priced a few items, but I've got a whole collection of Strawberry Shortcake stuff, and I just don't know how to price it. For starters, it's hard for me to look at the original Strawberry Shortcake and think "vintage". I guess there's a part of me that doesn't want to come to terms with the fact that my childhood was so long ago. I mean, my 16 year old little cousin didn't know who Rainbow Brite is, and that was a total shock to me!
Anywho, how in the world do I figure out how to price items that seem priceless to me? It's not that I want to get rid of this stuff, but it's something I need to do for the sake of my home. I've become a collector of way too many things, and it's time to let them move on to another home where they will be appreciated. Now my problem is figuring out how much something is worth. Of course the first thing I do is search online to see what I can find, but I have a few items that I can't find anywhere online. I've checked out Ebay, other auction listings, message boards, etc, and I still have two main items that I can't find anywhere. Both are in mint condition, so how do I figure out how to price them?
This is why I never get around to listing much on Ebay or anywhere else for that matter. I'm always afraid I'll list it way too high and no one will buy, or I'll list it way too low and get ripped off.
A part of me feels bad that I can build computers all day, work with complicated programs, and teach businesses how to use corporate performance management products and software, but I can't do something as simple as listing my collectibles on Ebay without getting frustrated.
Anywho, how in the world do I figure out how to price items that seem priceless to me? It's not that I want to get rid of this stuff, but it's something I need to do for the sake of my home. I've become a collector of way too many things, and it's time to let them move on to another home where they will be appreciated. Now my problem is figuring out how much something is worth. Of course the first thing I do is search online to see what I can find, but I have a few items that I can't find anywhere online. I've checked out Ebay, other auction listings, message boards, etc, and I still have two main items that I can't find anywhere. Both are in mint condition, so how do I figure out how to price them?
This is why I never get around to listing much on Ebay or anywhere else for that matter. I'm always afraid I'll list it way too high and no one will buy, or I'll list it way too low and get ripped off.
A part of me feels bad that I can build computers all day, work with complicated programs, and teach businesses how to use corporate performance management products and software, but I can't do something as simple as listing my collectibles on Ebay without getting frustrated.
What's Up With The Pink?
No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. Yes, I, girl who normally hates most forms of pink, have added a pretty good bit of pink to my layout in support of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
I'm also participating in Boobie-Thon by donating and submitting my rack. You're more than welcome to try to guess which rack is mine, but I won't tell you if you're right or not. I also may have something else up my sleeve, but you'll have to stick around to find out!
Now, I'm going to finish checking out the vessel sinks that I would love to see in my bathroom, then I'm going to try my best to get some sleep!
I'm also participating in Boobie-Thon by donating and submitting my rack. You're more than welcome to try to guess which rack is mine, but I won't tell you if you're right or not. I also may have something else up my sleeve, but you'll have to stick around to find out!
Now, I'm going to finish checking out the vessel sinks that I would love to see in my bathroom, then I'm going to try my best to get some sleep!
Another Window Shopping Night
As usual I can't sleep so I'm doing what I do best. I'm killing time by working and window shopping online. Who says I can't multitask? I've been tinkering with a laptop that was dropped off to me earlier this evening. I don't have to have it ready for him 'til Monday since he'll be out of town all weekend, but my insomnia tonight means it done.
I didn't have too much to do to it. He just needed someone to install ram for him because he was afraid he'd mess it up himself. I did what I always do, and I went ahead and did a full system clean up for him as well. Most of my customers get that glassed over wtf are you talking about look when I start throwing out instructions for clearing temp files and stuff. I gave him a couple programs that are easy to use, and I'll explain how to use them when he shows up to pick the thing up.
Now I'm running scans on my own computer while I window shop. I'm mainly looking at clothes and things for my house. What sucks is all the clothes that catch my eye are summery type things. The 45 degree temps tonight tell me I need to hurry up and buy some new cold weather stuff before the cold weather really does hit.
Luckily Christmas is around the corner, and my Mom and Grandma always load me down with tons of clothes for Christmas. Granted, most of the time the stuff is so gawdy and 80 year old woman wouldn't want to wear it, and most of it doesn't fit, but I don't mind standing in line to return it for something I'll actually wear. It's just getting me off my butt and to the store that's the issue.
I didn't have too much to do to it. He just needed someone to install ram for him because he was afraid he'd mess it up himself. I did what I always do, and I went ahead and did a full system clean up for him as well. Most of my customers get that glassed over wtf are you talking about look when I start throwing out instructions for clearing temp files and stuff. I gave him a couple programs that are easy to use, and I'll explain how to use them when he shows up to pick the thing up.
Now I'm running scans on my own computer while I window shop. I'm mainly looking at clothes and things for my house. What sucks is all the clothes that catch my eye are summery type things. The 45 degree temps tonight tell me I need to hurry up and buy some new cold weather stuff before the cold weather really does hit.
Luckily Christmas is around the corner, and my Mom and Grandma always load me down with tons of clothes for Christmas. Granted, most of the time the stuff is so gawdy and 80 year old woman wouldn't want to wear it, and most of it doesn't fit, but I don't mind standing in line to return it for something I'll actually wear. It's just getting me off my butt and to the store that's the issue.
A Talking Watch For Grandpa
I had such a hard time every year coming with with a Christmas gift for my Grandpa, but this year I think I've finally found the perfect gift. Check out these talking watches! He could totally use that! Papa has to wear a watch without all times, but he has a hard time reading the small little numbers on the watch. He's always holding his arm out and asking one of us to read him the time.
Papa has Grandfather clocks all through the house, and he loves them because he knows what time it is when he hears one of them go off. I think he'd really love a talking watch because not only do they tell you what time it is at the push of a button, but they also can be setup to chime every hour.
I found one that looks just like the watch he wears right now, and it's only $60. We normally have a $15-20 limit on gifts, but I think I might be able to convince my sister or my little cousin to split the present. If not, I can always just accidentally on purpose forget how much it cost me!
Papa has Grandfather clocks all through the house, and he loves them because he knows what time it is when he hears one of them go off. I think he'd really love a talking watch because not only do they tell you what time it is at the push of a button, but they also can be setup to chime every hour.
I found one that looks just like the watch he wears right now, and it's only $60. We normally have a $15-20 limit on gifts, but I think I might be able to convince my sister or my little cousin to split the present. If not, I can always just accidentally on purpose forget how much it cost me!
Playing The Stock Market
Hubby came running in from work today so excited to talk to me about what he learned at work today. It didn't take but about 30 seconds for me to burst his bubble. He came in talking about how his boss is taking a course on the stock marketing and learning to trade. He was throwing out all this info about about stock brokers, futures broker, day trading, value investing, and the list goes on. Poor guy didn't have a clue what he was rambling about, but he was rambling away.
That's when I burst his bubble. I said #1 you're the guy who refuses to put any money in the bank unless it's absolutely necessary. We deposit exactly what we need to pay bills and keep our account open. How is someone who hates banks so much going to like the stock market? #2 You absolutely hate dealing with money. I manage our finances because you can't handle them.
Of course I hurt his feelings, but I was just being honest. In the end we settled on an agreement we can both live with. I promised to set him up an account with one of the online mock investing games. If he can make a profit in the game after 6 months to a year I'll think about investing. He never took any kind of government and econ or any classes in school that deal with any type of investing situations. That's another reason he can't handle money and budgeting. As of right now, he needs to learn about it before he goes jumping in with money we don't have...especially with the market crashing like it is.
That's when I burst his bubble. I said #1 you're the guy who refuses to put any money in the bank unless it's absolutely necessary. We deposit exactly what we need to pay bills and keep our account open. How is someone who hates banks so much going to like the stock market? #2 You absolutely hate dealing with money. I manage our finances because you can't handle them.
Of course I hurt his feelings, but I was just being honest. In the end we settled on an agreement we can both live with. I promised to set him up an account with one of the online mock investing games. If he can make a profit in the game after 6 months to a year I'll think about investing. He never took any kind of government and econ or any classes in school that deal with any type of investing situations. That's another reason he can't handle money and budgeting. As of right now, he needs to learn about it before he goes jumping in with money we don't have...especially with the market crashing like it is.
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