Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Feb 18 to Feb 23

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• Feb 18, 2017 - We all really enjoyed Newsies: The Musical this afternoon! It took Luke until nearly intermission to figure out that he already knew Jeremy Jordan (he's Winn on Supergirl).
• Feb 19, 2017 - I bought these monthly pads years ago. They still make me smile.
• Feb 20, 2017 - Kylo in the box! (picture by Luke)
• Feb 21, 2017 - In case you were wondering, my nails do not always look perfect.
• Feb 22, 2017 - I love our parquet floors. It is one of my favorite features of this house.
• Feb 23, 2017 - Three years makes a big difference!

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Feb 12 to Feb 17

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• Feb 12, 2017 - We enjoyed the LEGO Batman movie! Not as good as the original, but still fun.
• Feb 13, 2017 - Master P handed this to my husband when picking up L today. Hint hint?
• Feb 14, 2017 - My very special Valentine's Day sleepwear! Very romantic, don't you think?
• Feb 15, 2017 - This may be the most amazing red nail polish I've ever seen! Isla by Zoya.
• Feb 16, 2017 - I am being closely supervised while working this morning.
• Feb 17, 2017 - Pretty backlit daffodils on my (very late) walk this evening.

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Jan 25 to Jan 30

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• Jan 25, 2017 - The vultures want to know what "we" are having for lunch.
• Jan 26, 2017 - The 2017 Speeder Bike Photo! We went to this park *just* for this picture.
• Jan 27, 2017 -  It is rare these days to catch a look of such delight on his face! (Sorry it's blurry.)
• Jan 28, 2017 - Fireworks from the front this year. Good night from the Magic Kingdom!
• Jan 29, 2017 -  We have the power! Wonder-Quints, activate!
• Jan 30, 2017 - Pretty peachy-pink textured nails. This is Zooey by Zoya.

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Jan 13 to Jan 18

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• Jan 13, 2017 - My first supremed orange. It was both easier and faster than I expected.
• Jan 14, 2017 - Up at (literally) dark-thirty to send him off with the Boy Scouts for the long weekend. He gets to spend the night on the USS Alabama!
• Jan 15, 2017 - New restaurant for lunch: Grub Burger Bar. Very good, we'll be back!
• Jan 16, 2017 - Kylo always seems to know when I need purr therapy.
• Jan 17, 2017 - Needed some supremely intense pink in my life. Forget Now by Sinful Colors.
• Jan 18, 2017 - Well, it took 18 days, but I officially worked my way up to walking one mile (1.6 km) today. I was still moving faster than a bunch of the cars sitting in traffic! (I could see the interstate from my route.)

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Jan 7 to Jan 12

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• Jan 7, 2017 - What happened to our snow? All we got was sleet and freezing rain. That's no fun.
• Jan 8, 2017 - No, I don't have a problem, why do you ask? Yes, Zoya is my favorite brand!
• Jan 9, 2017 - Remember, "more" is my word for 2017, and drinking water was one of the things I specifically had in mind. Two glasses with dinner tonight!
• Jan 10, 2017 - Soooo much warmer on tonight's walk (52F/11C) than last night (38F/3C).
• Jan 11, 2017 - I know "a sixpence in your shoe" is lucky. What about a milk ring? Apparently, Rey thought I needed it.
• Jan 12, 2017 - I tried to shortcut one of my favorite recipes that is very time and labor intensive. It turned out okay. Still good, but not nearly as good as the real thing.

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Nov 8 to Nov 13

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• Nov 8, 2016 - I voted today, for the first time ever!
• Nov 9, 2016 - Beautiful fall colors. No idea what tree this is, but it is a brilliant yellow.
• Nov 10, 2016 - Because today absolutely needed some glitter.
• Nov 11, 2016 - The child is off camping, so we're heading to the movies to see Dr. Strange.
• Nov 12, 2016 - Getting caught up. Yes, four movies in one weekend (including yesterday).
• Nov 13, 2016 - Everyone is doing their homework, even Rey, who is "helping" me.

May 2015 Reflections

From the 2011 Year of Memories Brag Book by Dani Mogstad

Read, Listened, Watched

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I finally started Hound of the Baskervilles, which I don't think I've read since high school. I'm rereading the entire canon (probably reading some of them for the first time, actually), and I didn't want to watch the Sherlock episode based on it until I had reread the novel, so we've been stuck half way through season 2 for months now. Soon, though!


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New Movies:

• The Avengers: Age of Ultron - Very good, enjoyed it a lot, on the whole; did have a few issues here and there, but any film with this much going on is bound to have some
• Invitation to the Dance - Gene Kelly's personal labor of love; 3 segments of dancing only (no narration or singing), think Fantasia of dance (instead of animation); Ring Around the Rosy segment was my favorite (I love intertwining stories), and ironically featured the least Gene Kelly
• Tomorrowland - It's hard to figure out exactly what to say about this movie, other than it did not live up to its potential. One review said it was "less than the sum of its parts," and I tend to agree. It had all the right pieces, and it had its heart in the right place, but it just didn't really work, for reasons I can't fully articulate.
• Red 2 - We saw the original way back when, and found it a bit disappointing. This one seemed to have tighter writing and more fun throughout.
• Godzilla (2014) -  Eh, it was okay. Felt like it was just sort of there, which is the ultimate sin for an action movie, in my opinion. Was also a bit distracting seeing Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen playing husband and wife after just seeing them play brother and sister in Avengers 2.

Old Favorites: Monsters University, Sky High, Dick Tracy, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, X-Men, X2: X-Men United, Gattaca, The LEGO Movie, Edge of Tomorrow, Robin Hood, The Neverending Story, Peter Pan (2003)

Fun with Family and Friends

The beach was fun, as always, until stupid me didn't put sunscreen on the tops of my feet and got burned. Normally, it's not a problem, but we were there at least an hour later than normal, so the sun was more intense. I just feel like an idiot, since I know better!

And it's summer movie season, woohoo! Here was my Avengers-inspired manicure.

Milestones, Holidays, Special Events

We had a lovely Mother's Day with my mom and grandmother on Saturday. Here's our picture of 4 generations.

DH and I have officially been together for 20 years! Hard to believe.

We visited my parents and my mother-in-law over Memorial Day (see beach pictures above). Luke went fishing for the first time; my parents took him to a party at their friends' house while we went on a date, and they have a small fish pond. Apparently, he loved it. I have NO idea where he gets that from (DH and I both *hate* fishing!).

The Everyday and Routine

"The Everyday and Routine" is over for now! School's out, and none too soon. (And he even grew this year!) We are all quite burned out, especially after such an intense April preparing for a new standardized test. Ugh! Looking forward to some relaxing. (Remind me I said all of this in 3-4 weeks when I'm ready to send him back to school! LOL)

The Good, The Bad, The Unusual

He made A and B honor roll, and we weren't sure if he would given that he had a C for two consecutive progress reports.

He was also named as a 5th Grade Patrol for next year, though he won't serve until the second 9 weeks. He has literally wanted to be a patrol since he was in Kindergarten, so he is very excited!

I had my eye exam and I've changed almost a full diopter in my right eye. I'm trying not to be concerned about it, but that is a pretty serious change. I still need to get new glasses, though (it was a busy last 2-3 weeks of the month!). I had a physical with my regular doctor the following week and everything looked good, including my labs (both cholesterol and triglycerides were down!).

In other news, I now own my first pair of open-toed shoes since before Luke was born, not because I didn't like them but because I couldn't find any that fit! I even painted my toes for the first time in many months just for their public debut.

Progress on Goals

I put a couple of strands in one of the dessert mandalas the last day or two of the month, not really enough to post a picture. I didn't stitch any at all on my Mirabilia fairies. For eating at home, um, er, but, but!!! I have made a meal plan to try to get back on track with cooking, but most of that will take place in June, so I'll report on that next month. I have started tracking my food again, but only for a couple of weeks, so not much progress to report yet. I do have a get-together scheduled with my local friends for June as well! Very excited to see them. I think it has been 3 years since I've seen these ladies.

Prompts by Katie the Scrapbook Lady.

Currently feeling: ready to relax this summer

Wordless Wednesday - March 11, 2015

Currently feeling: the only picture I've taken in the last week

Wordless Wednesday - July 23, 2014

Currently feeling: nooooooo!!!!

Happy 2014!

Image Copyright (c) 123RF Stock Photos

I was trying to come up with an elegant and meaningful year in review collage, but these kept jumping out at me, and it struck me as funny (maybe I'm just in a weird mood).


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That is every manicure I had in 2013! (And I did them all myself, too.) There is a small group of us who exchange pictures of our various manicures, otherwise I wouldn't even have these. I think I lean towards red/pink, purple, and teal, what do you think?

As usual, I will try to keep the blog more up to date in the coming year, and if I'm lucky, I'll get some of those from August (and September, and October, and....) published from the draft file, too, though it does mean more non-linear blogging, sorry.

I admit, I am not sorry to see 2013 go. I know we have to take the bad with the good, but it was still a frustrating, disappointing, and painful year in many respects (not all of which ever made it onto the blog). 2014 is already shaping up with two good things and two expected (though not guaranteed) sad things. Trying to remember to just keep swimming.... Wishing you all a happy and healthy 2014!!
Currently feeling: gearing up for the new year

Wordless Wednesday - December 18, 2013

Currently feeling: loving my totally trashy bling-tastic nails

Wordless Wednesday - June 26, 2013

Currently feeling: can't resist a BOGO sale with free shipping!

Manicure Experiments

When I'm getting ready to take my nail polish off, I like to play around with my nails. I'm about to take it off anyway, no harm done if I mess it up. I decided to do a quick experiment with my existing manicure on Friday. I had seen people using scotch tape to do some pretty nifty designs on their nails. Chloe's Nails has an excellent tutorial. I did a very simple wedge shape using two straight tape edges. I actually think it looks quite spiffy, especially for my first try. This is also my first "accent nail." I did it on both hands. Not sure that's how it's supposed to be, but they're my nails! LOL



I also swatched some of my newer polishes, since I was in "take the polish off" mode. And I'm posting pictures just for Cheryl, since she asked about them last time! LOL I didn't bother cleaning these up, since they were "just to see" so excuse the mess on my fingers.


Thumb: Orly Synchro (love it! great duochrome, pink base changes to orange and purple), Pointer: Nina Ultra Pro Molten Copper (also duochrome, golden base changes to orange and green), Middle: Nina Ultra Pro Purple-Xing (holo glitter), Ring: Confetti Glam'd Up, Pinky: Confetti Tahitian Turquoise


These Sally Hansen HDs were on clearance at CVS. Thumb: Spectrum, Pointer: Laser, Middle: DVD (love it!), Ring: Byte, Pinky: LCD (super sheer, but less orange IRL than it appears here, more bubble gum pink)

Now, the earlier experiment wasn't "just because" either. I had an idea! Given how well the tape worked, I put my plan into action Sunday night. I "auditioned" 5 blues and 5 reds (no pics, sorry), and went with the two I liked best. (I would have guessed correctly on which red to use, but the winning blue was a bit of a surprise.) So, here are the results of last night's efforts. It's not perfect by any means, but I am pleased as punch! Even DH commented (completely unprompted) that it looks nice.



Full details: one coat Seche Clear, two coats color (Milani Bet on Red or Orly Stone Cold), stripe is Milani Silver Stilettos, two coats Seche Vite on top (the tape pulled up a couple of small spots of the color polish when removed, so I used two coats to try and seal it down super well).

Currently feeling: just a little bit proud of myself

Ulta Nail Polish Pilgrimage

I've always gone through phases of painting my nails and then not. The polish world has exploded in fascinating options in recent years, something I was not really aware of until Pinterest. After seeing so many photos there of really interesting colors and brands, I decided to make my first visit to one of the make up meccas of the world: Ulta. Mom went with me (yeah, really had to twist her arm there). Who knew you could spend nearly 2 hours looking at nail polish?! LOL  And what did those two hours get us? Mine are on the inner ring, and Mom's are on the outer. I have them labeled below.

Inner Ring (mine) - clockwise

• I1 - Skyscraper by China Glaze
• I2 - Fireside Glow by China Glaze
• I3 - Rock the World by Orly
• I4 - Caribbean Frost by Wet n Wild Shine (stained my nails!)
• I5 - Till I'm Blue Over You by Pixel
• I6 - Blue Belle by Orly (mini)
• I7 - Goth by Orly (mini)
• I8 - Black Out by Orly (mini)

Outer Ring (Mom's) - clockwise

• O1 - White Static by Pixel
• O2 - Diamond by Orly (mini)
• O3 - Oh Pardon Me by Pixel
• O4 - Soul Searching by Pixel
• O5 - Humdinger by Pixel
• O6 - Very Cherry by Sally Hanson Xtreme Wear
• O7 - Oh Goly Gee by Pixel
• O8 - Star Spangled by Orly (mini)
• O9 - Spam a Lot by Pixel
• O10 - Oh Wow by Pixel
• O11 - Deep Dark and Handsome by Pixel

Should I mention that we each picked up about 6 bottles later in the evening? Nah, we'll just pretend that didn't happen. :-) Mostly Sinful Colors, if I recall correctly, but I know I got a Milani and a Wet n Wild, too.  I'm sure I'll be showing those off later, but tomorrow, I will be using the Orly Rock The World that Mom bought for me ($10 on a single bottle is more than I could stomach right now; thanks Mom!).

Currently feeling: girly

Nifty Nails

Fingernails, or more precisely, funky polishes and manicures, seem to be all the rage at the moment. I see them everywhere on Pinterest. Most of them are really cool to look at, but not something I would ever actually do, certainly not if I have to do it myself! I don't really even paint my nails that often, but I get on a kick every few months. Plus I'm a little picky about my nail colors (greens and blues don't generally do it for me, or really dark shades of any color). There are even whole blogs devoted to cool manicures. My favorite is Chloe's Nails. Lots of inspiration there!



After seeing so many pretty nails over the weekend on Pinterest, I decided on Monday to paint my nails. I had bought a few bottles of polish several months ago, and I knew there was one I hadn't tried yet: Pure Ice Purple Reign (262CP). In the bottle, it looks like a dusky purple with tiny gold specks in it (not really glitter the way I tend to think of it, but definitely shiny gold; I'm sure there is some sort of official nail polish term for that!). It looked much darker on my nails than I expected, and the gold flecks didn't show up nearly as well as I hoped. It also wasn't very shiny (not matte by any means, but not glossy either), which was disappointing.

Now, I will admit, I had a "duh" moment while poking around on Chloe's nail blog. Other than the "clear with glitter in them" type polishes, it had never occurred to me to layer nail polish colors! That was a complete revelation. All those nail colors that I've thrown out over the years because they were so sheer that even 3 and 4 coats didn't cover as well as I'd like! All I had to do was put them on top of something similar in color that is more opaque to get a truer representation, or use them to alter a different color that has better coverage and make something new. I felt like an idiot! So when I didn't really like the purple as it came out, I went fishing around in my bathroom drawers. I put on a coat of Wet N Wild's Crystalic in Psycho (477B). I don't think the predominantly green, yellow, and orange iridescent colors worked super well with the purple, but it upped the shine quotient and made it better, so I lived with it.



Then this afternoon, the chips were really starting to show, especially on my right hand, so I prepared to start removing it. Just before I did, though, I thought "you know, before you take it off, you might want to play with layering some other polishes." So back to the drawers I went, and I dug out three more that I hadn't been happy with as straight up polishes, just to see what would happen. From left to right, they are: Sally Hansen Diamond Strength in Lavender Marquis (57), Wet N Wild Shine in Sparkled (435G), Milani 3D Holographic in Hi-Res (514), and the Wet N Wild's Crystalic in Psycho (477B) that I had already used earlier. Here are the results:



Fingers are in the same order as the bottles above, and remember, each one started out the same, with two coats of the Pure Ice Purple Reign. I'm not loving the first one; need to find a better "under color" for that one. I think the holographic (third one) is great, it's just not what I was in the mood for right now. But the second one, with the pink glitter? I *love* it! I wasn't sure the pink of the glitter would work with the dark purple, but I think the overall effect is awesome. It is much more sparkly than even the picture shows. I can't stop looking at it! I was planning to put on something completely different when I take off the polish later tonight, but I love it so much I may just redo all the nails that way! It is way hard to get a good picture of your own nails, by the way. I don't know how all you ladies do it! LOL

So, that was my fun little polish experiment. (The only reason I can even do this is because nail polish dries *so* much faster than it did when I was a kid.) If I do any other fun or amazing things with polish, I'll let you know, though I don't really expect it to become a "regular" feature on my blog. But if you have any good polish colors or websites to recommend, I'm listening! (And before anyone recommends the Seche Vite top coat, I have a bottle sitting in my Amazon cart, waiting for my next order.)

Currently feeling: girly