Product Reviews

Remember Hard Candy cosmetics? When I was in Jr. High/High School, that stuff was a hot commodity. I never used it b/c it was too expensive for my high school pocket money. Part time jobs only pay so much. Anywho, I was at Walmart, and they have a line of Hard Candy stuff! I picked up a nail polish called Hypnotic. It's a very subtle, pale, shimmery pink. Try as I might, I couldn't get a good picture of it. I think It is a nice look if you want something very subtle.

I have been trying new makeup since I am doing my own for the wedding, and today I picked up L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base and Revlon PhotoReady Translucent Finisher since I had coupons for them. I used them today and I decided to let you lovely people of the interwebz know what I thought!

First up is the L'Oreal Studio Secrets Magic Perfecting Base. I have never used a base under my cosmetics, so keep in mind that my opinion on this is limited to this one product. The box says that this product will smooth lines, hide pores, banish imperfections, and help makeup go on smoother. I didn't see that it hid much, but it did create a smooth base for my usual makeup. It also made my skin feel and look more even. I really like the way it makes my face feel smooth, without adding any weight. This product is light and silky. I still had to use concealor on my blemishes. If you didn't need to cover things, this product would be nice on its own b/c it gives the skin a nice dewy glow. So, for only $12, I'd say its not too shabby!

Next up, is the Revlon PhotoReady Translucent Finisher. I have used translucent powders before, and this one did not disappoint. It gave my face a nice finished look. This powder also gave me a bit of a glow b/c it has a teensy bit of shimmer to it. Nothing that you would notice, just enough to give you that extra something. I would recommend this if you are looking for something to finish off your look.

In other beauty news, I tried something new with my eyelashes. A little back story: I am terrified of eyelash curlers. I used them in high school, but I had an incident. I pulled out 1/2 the eyelashes in my right eye. No joke. I pulled out the inner half of my eyelashes. I couldn't wear mascara for 2 months. And it hurt! Ever since then, I have just been too scared to use one. I had seen on some blogs the idea to use 2 different mascara's to achieve the look you want. I decided to go for it. First I applied a coat of Maybelline Lash Stiletto™ Ultimate Length Washable mascara. This one adds a lot of length, but isn't too hot on the volume. Next I added a coat my new favorite, L'Oreal Extra Volume Collagen Mascara. This technique didn't work too badly. I just felt my eyelashes ended up clumpier than I liked. I played with them a bit and they turned out ok. I think I am just going to have to conquer my fear and reinstate an eyelash curler back into my beauty routine.

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Best Day of the Week...Saturday

My soon to be brother in law and his sweetie came over today and brought his XBox 360 and Tony Hawk Ride game with the skateboard controller. Totally fun! I can't skateboard at all in real life, and I really like this game! Also, if you want to play without the skateboard controller, you can hook up your console controller and play that way! This would be a fun party game too b/c it has party play. Funtimes in my opinion.



We did our grocery shopping today and I got these beautiful roses.



I love fresh cut flowers! These were to beautiful to pass up and at $3, a steal! I wore my new skinny jeans from Old Navy today. Success! They are so comfy! I think I might go get another pair while they are on sale, though they are worth full price! I just realized that this whole post has sounded like a bunch of sales ads! I really do just like this stuff! I like to pass on when I find something good, b/c sharing is caring! (God I loved the Care Bears!)

We eat dinner as a family in our house. We sit down at the table and talk about our days over dinner. I remember sitting down to dinner with my family every night when I was little, and I am really enjoying this with my new family. Tonight for our family dinner, I attempted meatloaf. It shouldn't be this hard to make meatloaf, but for some reason I have issues with it! It never turns out as a loaf, more as meat crumbles. Tonight, I tried a new recipe, and it turned out pretty darn good! I finally made a successful meatloaf! Here is the recipe.

Sarah's Meatloaf
2 lbs ground beef
1 box Stove Top Stuffing
2 eggs
1 1/2 tbsp mustard
1/4 cup ketchup

Mix all together. Put in greased 8x8 baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour.
Side note: I didn't actually measure the ketchup and mustard so these are approximates. If you think there is too much or too little, just adjust to what your family likes.

"Dining with one's friends and beloved family is certainly one of life's primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal." - Julia Child

A Hair Raising Post

Hehe. Like the pun? See I have this problem with my hair! I have recently started working out everyday (woot!) but my hair has become really dry. See I am normally a every other day hair washer, but now since I work out everyday, I have to wash my hair everyday. (TMI, but I get really sweaty so not washing the hair is not an option.) My hair has gotten really dry, which I knew would happen. I used to wash it every day but had to stop b/c it drys my hair out. Now without an option, what is a girl to do? Leave in conditioners tend to make my hair too oily. Sigh. Any suggestions? Maybe a deep conditioner once a week? Help me people of the interwebz, my hair depends on it! Oh on a side note, the Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Pallette is sold out EVERYWHERE!!!!!!! I am so bummed! I don't even buy designer makeup, but being the Alice fan I am, I really wanted this! Sigh. Well I am off to Josh's game in a bit, so I'm gonna go get pretty! Enjoy your Saturday!

Friday in Photos

My Purse

What is in Sarah's purse you ask? Ok, so you didn't ask, but I'm gonna tell you b/c I recently realized while digging through said purse that I own Mary Poppins magic carpetbag. Seriously! I just keep pulling stuff out of it! So with out further ado, this is what I have in my purse. In addition to the below picture, my purse also always contains my camera, my phone, and a book (the book changes with any given day).



I am loving my new purse by the way! I just kept looking at it all day and getting all giddy and such.

Hump Day Haul

I went shopping! Actually, it was just a mini shopping spree, but I came away with 2 awesome finds! Firstly, I got a new pair of skinny jeans. I have a grey pair that I love, but let's face it, you can only wear grey jeans so many times in a row. Old Navy has their jeans on sale for $19 right now so I picked up a pair.

Now on to the good stuff. I found this purse.



How fantastic is this purse?!??! It matches some of the spring clothes I got! I love flower appliques! Will carry this springy purse even though there is still snow on the ground you ask? You bet your ass I will! I just moved everything from my gold purse to this one. Woot!

Next is the fabulous dress I found a JC Penny.



Guess how much? Never mind, you'll be wrong. I got this baby for $5!!!!! Score! I love a good sale. The picture looks kind of funny, but it is a fucia sweater dress. Love!

"Look for the woman in the dress. If there is no woman, there is no dress."
- Coco Chanel

My first time

OMG! I got my first comment!!!!!!! I am such a goober, but I don't care, I GOT MY FIRST COMMENT!!!! I just went on for 5 minutes to Jon about how excited I am to have my first comment! This is a big day in my blog history. Thanks Adrienne for my very first comment!!

Monday Madness

In the news, they no longer make my snore meds. Yes, I snore. Like a frickin freight train. I have been using these oral strips by Breath Right, but I can't find them anymore. Those nose strip things don't work for me, so I don't know what I will do now. Poor Jon.

I am dying to see the new Alice in Wonderland! Squee!!!!! I have a slight obsession with Alice in Wonderland. The original Disney cartoon is my all time favorite movie, I own the books a few times over, and I am so psyched to see this new take on it! Besides, who doesn't love Johnny Depp doing a creepy mad hatter?!



I got a boatload of stuff from my mom and dad today. They are redoing their kitchen, so they are getting rid of a bunch of stuff. None of it is really my style, but I think with a little paint and some fabric, I can do fantastic things with the stuff they gave me. My most exciting new piece...a spice rack! Yes!!!!!! I can clean out part of my spice cabinet! Woot! The little things excite me ;)

Shopping in My Closet and Reviews

I found these shoes in the back of my Seymour closet! I love finding things I forgot I had! These are cream suede flats that I got from Old Navy like 2 years ago! Never worn! I went shoe shopping in my closet!



On another note, I have 2 product reviews. The first is Pantene Pro-V Smooth shampoo and conditioner. I change up my shampoos pretty much every time I run out. The only kind I use consistently is Victoria's Secret So Sexy, which I only use on weekends. I decided to give this a go because it was on sale. Good choice! My hair felt amazing after I used this! It felt clean and light and super soft. I've only used this once, so I don't really have a review on how it makes my hair look just yet. It did seem quite shiny, and if it looks half as good as it feels, this is a keeper!


{image from Pantene Pro-V official site}

Next is a review for Loreal Extra Collagen mascara in blackest black. I can't use waterproof because of my allergies, so this review is of the normal formula. I love it! I had read about this mascara on several blogs and decided to go for it seeing as I haven't found a mascara I can't live without. This just might be it! It is wonderful! It seemed a little sticky to me going on a first, but once I got it loosened up, it went on really smooth! It makes my lashes look awesome and it didn't flake the entire day! I would highly recommend this product!


{image from Target.com}

14 Days of February Mini Book

Here is the 14 Days of February mini book I made. I kept it extremely simple, and I'm not completely pleased with this. I just seems too primitive to me, but here it is nonetheless.

Saturday

Witty title huh? Well today I woke up in a great mood. It's Saturday, what could go wrong?! A flooded kitchen that's what. As I wandered into the living room, I heard a strange sound coming from the vicinity of the water heater. It took me a minute to realize that the kitchen had a 1/2 inch of water standing in it. Yep. The water heater broke, flooded the kitchen, and nearly blew up. The upside? Our fantastic plumbers (Schneider's...use them if you live around Seymour IN!!!!) were able to come out at 9 am this morning and put in a brand spanking new water heater!

They were done by 11am! Awesome! So after that debacle, we went to Josh's game. After that, we had lunch with Sonnie and Phil. Yum! I love garden quesadilla's! Then Jon and I came home and took a 2 1/2 hour nap! No I will do my taxes and watch Jon play some Bioshock. I love Saturday's.

Bits and Pieces

This is the blanket I got from Target. I have already tried it out and it is super warm and soft.



Here is the door hanging I made. I think its cute for spring. Forgive the nasty scraped up door, we are painting that once the weather warms up.

Things to Come

Hello lovely people of the interwebz (yeah right, like anyone reads this thing)! On tap for this weekend is a basketball game, meatloaf, and taxes. Woot! Big fancy weekend, no?
I've been playing with the idea of doing my own hair for the wedding as a way to save money. I found a how to in a bridal magazine, so maybe I'll break out my hot rollers and give it a go this weekend. Which brings me to my next topic, the PWC. I have decided I am definitely getting a PWC (post wedding chop, for those of you not in the know). I have been itching to try something new with my hair, but alas, I must wait until after the wedding. I think I will keep most of the length, but I definitely need a change.
Coming up once I get my camera up and running again (stupid batteries and my lack of them): a completed door decoration for spring, my review of a new mascara, my new blanket from Target, and my 14 days of February mini book.

Hump Day

Yep, it's Wednesday. I really have nothing to blog about. I should, but I don't. I'm still fighting this damn cold and it just sucks the energy right out of me. I could be doing several different things, but all I want to do is lay in bed with my cat and watch tv while I hack up a lung. And so it will be.

Happy Fat Tuesday

Per Wikipedia, "Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday" (in ethnic English tradition, Shrove Tuesday), referring to the practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which started on Ash Wednesday."

Per my earlier post, a huge Woot! is in order. Still on a high from the good news! My mom and dad are in town tonight, so we all had dinner at my sisters house. We had Pizza Hut....Yum. And fattening pizza fits in the Fat Tuesday.
I called the pastor who is officiating our wedding ceremony today to schedule our premarital counseling appointments. I got the dates all set, then realized a few hours later that we didn't set a time. Guess I'll be calling him back!
I am really into kung fu movies right now. Darn chinese new year! We watched Drunken Master and I really liked it! I was flipping channels just now and Enter the Dragon is on, of course that's jute kune do, not kung fu, so I guess I should say I'm into martial arts movies right now to be more accurate. Anyways, I so want to watch it! I think I'll wait and rent the video though, just to make sure I don't miss anything.


"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?" - Alice, from Alice in Wonderland

Best Day Ever!

Our friends just got the best news about their little girl!!!!! Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers! Woot!


WOOT!

A glimpse into my mind

This was originally going to be part of y 14 days of February scrap project, but then I decided to make that a mini book, so I just decided to post this here. I found this page on http://thescribbleproject.blogspot.com/ You can print out your own and fill it out your way. This was my brain on February 10th.

Happy Presidents Day

I had sooooo much fun last night! I am so glad that Dustin and Amber came over to hang out! It had been way to long! I'm praying for you guys to get good news tomorrow!

I woke up this morning, got Jon off to work, went back to bed for an hour, then got up and the water heater people came and fixed my water heater! Yea for hot showers! I then noticed that there was a LOT of snow outside. Sigh. I made it back to my sisters after 2 hours and 15 minutes on the road. Blech! At least I made it home safe! I have never seen that many slide offs and wrecks at one time!

I am now going to cuddle with my cats and watch some Friends. God I love this show! I miss this show. :(

Speaking of Friends, I have this thing that happens to me with tv shows. It happened again today, and it makes me believe that we should take our signs where we get them. So I was sitting here bumming out about being away from home for the rest of the week, specifically being away from Jon. The next episode of Friends that comes on ( I have all 10 seasons on dvd) is the one where Chandler moves to Tulsa. I was like, oh my gosh! I know it's silly, b/c they are a fictional couple, but it still made me feel better to see them be apart b/c of work. Yep, I'm a goober, but this happens to me all the time when I watch tv! An episode will come on and the content is relevant to what I am thinking about in my life. It's weird! And now I really am going to cuddle up with my cats and watch the rest of season 9. I am addicted.

"Welcome to the real world! It sucks! You're gonna love it!"- Monica from Friends

ZOMG YEA!

yipee, yea, woohoo, woot, awesome, wahooooooo!!!!!! Dustin and Amber are coming over for a bit! We haven't seen them in a while so I am so excited!!!!! Also, just made a darn good chinese meal. I didn't get a picture, but here's the recipe.

Pork Meatball Chinese Stir Fry
1 lb ground pork
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp season salt
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 cup asian zing buffalo wild wings sauce
3 cups frozen stir fry veggies

Mix all but sauce and veggies. Form meatballs, place on a cookie sheet, and drizzle with olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, heat sesame oil in a skillet. Once hot, add veggies. Cook to desired doneness. Add meatballs and sauce. Cook 5 minutes. Eat. We had this over brown rice. Yum!

Happy Valentines Day! and Chinese New Year!

Wahoo! Today is Valentines Day! According to Wikipedia, "Saint Valentine's Day (commonly shortened to Valentine's Day) is an annual holiday held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The holiday is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496. The holiday first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished."
Jon got me flowers and I got him a card. We are low key on the V-day stuff. In other V-day news, Jon's mom got us gift certificates to Buffalo Wild Wings and the movie theater. Woot! Thanks Sonnie! And of course, yesterday I got flowers from Josh...aaww!





To celebrate the Chinese New year, we are going to eat chinese food and watch a kung fu movie. According to History.com, "The origins of the Chinese New Year celebrations were born out of fear and myth. Legend spoke of the wild beast Nien (which also is the word for "year") that appeared at the end of each year, attacking and killing villagers. Loud noises and bright lights were used to scare the beast away, and the Chinese New Year celebrations were born." We are entering the year of the Yang Metal Tiger. Woot.

In case of a zombie apocalypse

In case of a zombie apocalypse, please remain calm. Locate a safe area. Safe areas can include, but are not limited to, top floors, places with only one point of entry, places with generators, places with few windows (unless you have boards to cover the windows). Do not attempt to leave the city for 3-5 days. Remain in your safe area, then attempt to leave and locate a remote area. Avoid large chain stores at all costs. You should already have your supplies stocked up. In preparation for a zombie apocalypse, complete the following tasks:

make sure every member of your party has a prepacked kit including a change of clothes and any medications they need
learn how to make bread from scratch
learn how to farm
make a collection of seeds and raw materials for planting
get a milk cow
a container with at least 3 tanks of gasoline
bicycles for each member of your party (as a back up transportation)
stock up on canned foods, water, flour, yeast, first aid items, guns and ammo, candles, lighters, blankets, and boxed foods

Thank you and enjoy your zombie apocalypse.

New for Spring

I am so ready for spring and summer. I know I've been saying that a lot lately, but I'm saying it now b/c I received the clothes I ordered from Old Navy! I went to the store, but they didn't have much that I wanted. I think the store is in transition from winter to spring. So I ordered some things online. I am so in love with the girly details that are coming out for spring. Ruffles, flowers, bows, pinks and peaches...sigh. Please forgive the pictures, my camera is bleaching everything out for some reason. I really need a new camera. But I digress. Here is my new spring wardrobe!

"Fashion fades, only style remains the same."
Coco Chanel

Sick Saturdays

Sorry about the lack of post yesterday. I am SICK! Nasty chest/throat/head/everything cold. Blech. My week has consisted of this:


Sorry about the blurry picture, my camera hasn't been cooperating lately. I feel much better today, but I am still hacking up a lung. Mucinex I love you. So after going to Jon's moms house to shower (oh don't worry I'll get to that part of my weekend in a bit) we are settling in for a lazy afternoon. Josh went shopping with Grandma, Jon's napping, and I'm blogging and watching my Friends dvd collection. I may nap as well, but seeing as a slept 14 hours last night, my mind isn't so tired.

Oh, and that whole showering at Jon's moms house? Yep, our water heater crapped out. Don't know why. The fixer upper people can't come until Monday, so until then, we either shower in ice cold water or go to Jon's moms house. Oh, and we are boiling water to wash our dishes. Woot!

Update: My soon-to-be stepson just got home from shopping with Grandma. He had $24 to spend. Apparently, he wouldn't get anything for himself, but instead got flowers for me and a game for his dad for Valentines Day. Is he not the sweetest thing ever?!?!?!? LOVE THIS KID!

Little things make my day better

Just when the haze of cold meds was about to take over my muddled brain, an angel (thanks Tiffanie!) dropped these beauties off at my desk. I got to enjoy 2 before the fog swept in and took over my taste buds. Yum! I'll just savor the memories and freeze these babies until this cold has passed.

I realized in the shower that I was out of my favorite shampoo. Then I found 2 brand spankin new bottles in my storage cabinet. YES!

I came home and my lovely cat Topeka is all about the cuddlin', which is nice since he's so warm and fuzzy. And are cats any cuter than when they wash their faces?

I'm reading the Twilight series for the...I dunno 5th time... and I still love it every bit as much as I did the first time. FYI, the New Moon dvd comes out in March, and the Eclipse movie is set to come to theaters in June. Woot! I will be able to buy the New Moon dvd and watch it (since I missed it in theaters, (inexcusable I know!) and then see Eclipse in theaters. And rest assured, I WILL see it in theaters.

Things to do this summer

Since I am so ready for winter to be over (and who isn't?) I decided to make a list of things I want to do this summer.

1. go on a picnic
2. go camping
3. rent a rowboat
4. tour a cave/cavern
5. pick strawberries
6. see a movie at the drive in
7. teach Josh to ride a bike
8. swim...a lot
9. go on hikes
10. wash my car the old fashioned way
11. grill dinner at lest once a week
12. have a 4th of July cookout/party
13. play baseball with the Rhoades boys

I am so looking forward to summer

Onto another topic, I am feeling pretty crafty lately. I think I will tackle a wreath for the front door next. I have seen some pretty cool stuff on line and I'm trying to decide if I want to make one out of yarn or if I want to make one out of a photo frame. I will have to see which I decide on. I'll post pics once I finish whatever I decide on.
Oh, and I really need to catch up on my scrapbooking. I haven't even scrapped Christmas yet! I am WAY behind. Since it is -20 degrees outside (exaggerating, but not by much) I think I will start some of this this weekend...and make some soup. Nothing better on a cold day than soup. Mmm Mmm Good.

Migraines Suck

This morning I woke up to a migraine. Ugh. I only get the a few times a year, but when they do come on, they are hell. Light and sound are my mortal enemies. Unpleasant. I was finally able to climb out from under my cover of darkness and silence around noon.

Jon finally went to the doctor today. He either has irritable bowl syndrome or an allergy to gluten. Either way, at least we shall know the answer soon. It will be nice just to know why he's been so sick. Anybody have any gluten free recipe books to recommend? I'll need them if that's what the tests show.

So now, I'm going to settle in to bed, watch a little Golden Girls, and go to bed early. I slept 1/2 the day, you'd think I wouldn't be tired. Migraines suck.

Are You Kidding Me?!?!

More snow? MORE SNOW?!?!?!? I am so SICK and tired of snow! And cold! Winter needs to go away! I want sunshine and temperatures that don't make me cold for hours b/c I can't seem to get my bones warm! GO AWAY WINTER!!!!!!! Sigh. I am so ready for spring...and summer...even fall. Winter, I am so over. And I'm starting to get a headache. Oy. Ok, vent over.

On the up side, my roast turned out great! Woot! Also, I went to Old Navy and picked up a couple things. They didn't have everything I wanted, so I ordered some things on line. Best deal of the day? A black racer back tank top made of flowy fabric with ruffles along the neckline for....$1.74! Go me!

Lastly, my friends and their baby girl still need major prayers, if you're the praying kind. If not, do whatever you do to bring good things. They need all the help they can get.

Thoughts

Well, the registering didn't happen this weekend. We got quite a snow/ice/rain storm here in Seymour (actually most of IN got it in some form) so when we started to head out yesterday, the roads were just to bad to make the trip. They're fine now, but we really want to register on a Saturday so we aren't rushed.

Going to a Super Bowl party later this evening. Should just be family and a few close, pretty much they're family, friends. I'm making deviled egg dip and oreo truffles. We'll see how everybody likes them eh?

I am making a roast with carrots and potatoes for lunch. Hopefully this one turns out better than the last one. Blech! This time I did my own seasoning instead of using a season packet, so we should actually taste meat instead of feeling like we're licking a salt block.

My Face

I admit it, I am a drugstore girl. Maybe its b/c I never used the expensive stuff, so i don't know the true beauty of high end makeup, but I stick to the cheap stuff. Here are a few things I have found I can't live without.

- Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse foundation
I love this stuff! I have uneven skin, but only get zits on occasion, like once a month (thanks Flo), so I don't need heavy coverage. I tried liquid and powder concealors and I never got the amount of coverage I wanted. This stuff is perfect! It evens out my skin and isn't too heavy.

- Covergirl Invisible liquid concealer
I have SUPER dark shadows under my eyes. They are genetic so no amount of sleep or hydration is going to help them. This concealer does the best job of any products I've found so far.

- Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm
I don't wear lipstick, and I only wear gloss on occasion. This stuff is my absolute cannot live without it product. I'm talking I have a tube at work, in my car, in my purse, at home, plus extras scattered around. LOVE IT!

As for eye products, I don't have any favorites. I tend to stick to taupe colored eye shadows, but can't say that I've found any that are so good I can't live without them. Mascara....Oy. I have severe eye allergies, so I can't wear water proof mascaras (good luck to me on my wedding day eh?). I haven't found a mascara that knocked my socks off. In fact, I haven't found one I even like all that much, so I continue the search. Mascara may just be what starts me buying high end makeup!

So that's my usual makeup routine. I usually only wear makeup on the weekends, but keeping with my girly girl enhancements, I am going to try to at least throw on mascara in the mornings.

"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous."
Coco Chanel

My Spring Clothes (I Hope)

All of these are from the Old Navy website. I am loving all the girly details that are coming out for spring! Squee!!! Must go shopping!!!!