Staycation

This memorial day weekend Lane and I are having a staycation. We are doing fun local things. Today we are doing wine tastings at bunch of wineries in Grapevine. Look what we came across… Red neck wine drinking’.

10 Must Have’s For The Twenty-Something Girl

The other day I breezed past an online list of things all newlyweds should have. I don’t know about the needs newlyweds; I’m not there yet. I would imagine they need a good bottle of wine and some occasional “me” time. Anyway, I know of a few things that all twenty-something young women (and perhaps beyond) should have in their metaphorical back pocket. Without ado: my list of must have’s (not in order or importance):

1. Magic Eraser. We are grown up. Quickly tidying up like we did in college isn’t enough. When we come home from work, we like things to look nice. This is not to say that our homes are always spotless! Regardless, you need a few expert cleaning tools in the cabinet. The magic Eraser should always be in stock! This handy sponge can cut grease and dirt like your grandmother on a cleaning rampage. I use it to clean annoying soap scum out of the bath tub and the burn marks on the bottom of my skillets. It’s like magic…and an eraser.

2. If you have a dog, and he/she sheds, you must have a furminator. This sidekick brush eases your dog hair stress. Some say that this is bad for your pup: Nonsense! I have been using this for 3 years and Molly is just fine and I am much better off. Don’t get me wrong, my border still sheds as if global warming is accelerated 1000 fold (and yet she never runs out of black and white hair!), but this little gadget alleviates the torment of having hair everywhere and the sneezing. I need to furminate more often! Get ready for a big pile of hair!

3. Olive Oil. If you do not yet use olive oil on nearly everything you cook, shame on you. If you still rely on butter, wake up! Olive oil is better for you, tastes better and is super easy to use. Sauté, bake, use on salads and in dips and for bread with balsamic vinegar…yumm. Surely you already have this one in your arsenal.

4. Quinoa. This one you may not have heard of, but ladies, add it to your list of staples. This little grain dates back five thousand years ago to the Inca civilization of South America. First of, it is easy to cook, versatile, and delicious! More importantly, Quinoa contains more high quality protein than another type of grain. It is gluten free, provides all of the essential amino acids, is less filling than other grains, and is “one of the best sources of protein in the vegetable kingdom,” according to the National Academy of Sciences and the Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. Throw it in a soup, cook on the stove and add in some pine nuts, cranberries, spinach, feta or whatever you like, or make it into a loaf…delicious, quick, easy and healthy. Find at Central Market, Sprouts or even Albertson’s. If you are lucky, you can find it made into spaghetti or elbow form. You won’t know the difference!

5. Goody Spin Pin. I used to attempt to put my hair up into a bun or up-do and it was a huge ordeal and cost me at least a half a pack of bobby pins, flyways, a sore scalp and a headache. No more. Hurray! At last a solution for those of us with thick, heavy, long hair! I have hair reaching my mid back; it is thick and layered. I use two Goody Spin Pins to put my hair into a bun. Make sure the ends of your hair are tucked into the bun and insert one spin pin into the top of the bun like a screw; add the other to the bottom. If you have a ton of layers, you might need two or three bobby pins to catch the rebells, but I can assure you that these pins are the best invention since tampons. $6 at Walgreens.

6. A good nude heel. An image consultant once told me that you can always wear your hair color in a shoe. “Your hair is an accessory,” she said, “and you can always match your shoe to it.” I am blonde and so a nude heel or wedge suites me for life. Regardless of your hair color, nude is in right now and anyone can wear nude shoes with anything! I love nude in paten. I have a pair of Tahari heels in paten nude that I wear with anything short of bike shorts! I have worn these to the point of needing to have them re-heeled. P.S – Tahari heels are so comfortable!

7. Heat Protectant. Don’t fry your hair! I thought that I was the last girl to figure this out, but a friend of mine confessed the other day that she uses nothing to protect her hair from the heat of the blow dryer, straight iron and curling iron. My hair is so dry, I use a leave in treatment at least twice a week on top of conditioner, smoothing cream and smoothing oil. I do not want to make my hair any more dry and brittle than it tends to be naturally. Not all heat protectant is expensive, but use something!

8. Burt’s Bees Almond Milk Hand Creme. This stuff smells amazing and makes those rough spots smooth again! I have extremely dry skin, so I use this creme on my hands all the time and I also lather it on my elbows and knees. Be warned, it can be greasy, so don’t put it on if you are about to be working with your hands. Anything Burt’s Bees is a treat!

9. A good face wash and facial creme. I don’t particularly have a favorite, but it is so important! No one wants awful wrinkles someday! I read that Jennifer Aniston uses Neutrogena’s orange facial bar (about $2.00). I found the same soap in liquid form and it works well to cut makeup and testy mascara. I also love Origins facial lotions. I at one point had one of their night time moisturizer treatments. Every time I rubbed it in, I felt like I had just had a facial.

10. A relationship with the Lord and good friends who are ready and excited to walk beside you. I know this sounds corny, but how can I write a list about must-haves without including a relationship with Him? Great grease cutting sponges and cool spin spins make my life easier and more enjoyable, but God in Heaven makes my existence in this world full of joy. I fall short everyday of living my life according to His will for me, but my heart longs for Him. I am so thankful for each and every person that God has placed in my path. To all of you who have loved me and to you I love, you are a must-have, but He is The Must-Have.

Easter Basket Cake

I have been meaning to post these photos of a cake I made for Easter. Carrot cake with cream cheese icing, fondant, plastic egg halves, jelly beans, and died green coconut.

Recycled and Revamped Bottles

I started drinking these Honest Teas and loved the glass bottles and wanted to reuse them. I ripped off the labels. Then I thought to jazz up the caps. Originally they said organic USDA on the cap. I cut out photos of gem stones from magazines and modge podged (spelling?) them to the caps and waalllaa – cute, recycled, reusable bottles on the cheap. Grab and go.

If Cars Could Drive Themselves

If cars are ever able to accurately drive autopilot to a destination and are available to the public, I would be able to wake up at the same time and work out. Then I would get ready and eat breakfast in my car and get to work at my normal time. On my way home, I’d chill and watch episodes of New Girl or work on my computer, maybe sometimes have a glass of wine since my car would be the permanent DD. Hurry Technology.

All Those Tics

I am out of notepads, so I flipped open an old, half-used journal to jot down some notes tonight. I found one of those forgotten little pieces, that when picked back up, made me smile. Here is a poem I wrote back in December of 2006, my senior year of high school.

All Those Tics

One day I feel ecstatic

The next day my struggles are traumatic

If I only I had somebody sympathtic

I wish I could meet someone didactic

I’d love to encounter someone romantic

I adore boys who are enthusiastic

And especially those who can be elastic

I really admire all those who are scholastic

And I’d fall right away for a guy with some tactic

The best kind of all are wholly charismatic

Whoever he is, the beat of my heart around him should be erratic

At meeting him, my fading dating days will be climactic

And my smile while with him will be galactic

The change in my worldly outlook will simply be drastic

When I meet this guy whose love for me is no less than dramatic

Then I’ll be more pragmatic

I’ll be a lot less melodramatic

And now the only thing problematic

Is meeting a guy, in real life, this symptomatic

 

And all of this was pre-Lance of course. Problem solved. Fantastic.

 

 

New Border Collie Puppy

Molly has a new little Sister! It’s my mom’s new BorderCollie Puppy (so I guess she’s actually Molly’s aunt). She’s so sweet and tiny!