hey Guster fans!

While I'm posting videos...

I can't say I really love Chris Brown or The Game (is it really THE Game or just Game?? Like, The Michelle... "Hi, I'm The Michelle." Really? That's just being weird.), but y'all know I dooooo love Guster! And it looks like they do too.

For the Guster lovers, check this out, it's pretty sweet.

quick post

We are home! I have a post about our first few days back but before I post that I just had to re-post this video I saw on Miss Natty's Beauty Diary Blog. I am a serious scarf wearer come fall and so I love this video - 25 ways to wear a scarf. That's like a new scarf wearing way (I just said that) every day for a month!

Yes, please.



I also must comment that this is the most adorable video I've seen in a long time. If you haven't worn a scarf a day in your life watch this video anyway. It must have taken this gal hours to film and edit and it's just so creative and fun. I've watched it half a dozen times just to see her in the background. Too cute.

owl ring - like it or leave it?

While out with my friend Brittany last week I picked up this ring for $2. She told me it was... I don't remember the exact word but it communicated, hideous. Haha! I liked it and bought it anyway. I've been admiring two finger rings and thought that for $2 I could start with this one. Who doesn't want 3 little owls perched on a branch, sitting on your hand? I do. Ok, I know it may be peculiar but I like it. You can be honest, Brittany was! What do you think of my plumage here?

Click to enlarge, you don't want to miss this baby.

kids bowl free

I am a little late in the game here but I just had to share this even though we are seriously running out of time. Perhaps many of you already know about this program but I just recently heard about it and took advantage of it for the first time today.

There are bowling alleys all over North America participating in a summer program where kids bowl for free. I'll let you read all the details on their website but I'll just tell you it was so easy! Visit their website, find a location near you, register with your information and they will email you coupons for free bowling. Print your coupons off and go bowling!

If you want to bowl with your kids they have a rate for parents and older family members to get a good deal on games as well.

It was so easy, so fast and so free. So awesome!

Visit the website here.

my Saskatoon summer

It is hard for me to believe that this time next week I will be packing up this dingy little apartment, getting ready to head home. It really has been a fantastic summer. Like all summers (and falls and winters and springs...) before it, it has had it's ups and downs. I feel like this summer has been a learning experience in areas that were necessary and will provide us with a better future. I don't mean that to be cryptic but want to say that sometimes the hardest things we go through are the things that open our eyes and inspire us to make the changes we need. It has been an insightful 4 months.

• Home is where your heart is. Cliche, but true. We are living in a sick nast-ay apartment but once we made it ours, we have been very happy here. It's not where you are, but who you are with that makes a home, even if it grosses you out to wear bare feet on your carpet. When I went home to my cute little house for a week, I would have rather been back in these dingy apartments because that's where Neil was. I don't need a beautiful home, I need my family.

• Just because you have the potential to make a lot of money doesn't mean you already have.

• I have an ugly side. And I don't mean my personality, although that's probably true too. I've been doing a lot of Skype and Face Time this summer and so I've seen my mug in that little box a lot. I really do have an ugly side: the right side of my face has a less defined cheekbone than the other, that eye is smaller, the skin isn't as nice and my jaw is more narrow. I guess the left side of my face is really holding things together for me here!

• I am a good momma. I'm not the best by any means - my meals are drab and half the time my boys are half-dressed with grime all over their faces, but I love them and I'm the best momma for them. Summers are busy and we don't see a lot of Neil so every lunch and dinner, outing, bath time and bedtime is done by me. It gives me confidence as a mom that I can care for my kids and meet their needs.

• I love this job. I know a lot of people don't understand this job and think we sacrifice far too much to do it. What we gain from this job is worth much more than what we give up, and I'm not talking about money. I wish you could see the ways my husband has to stretch and grow and the way we come together as a family. We rely on each other and on the Lord to get us through the best and worst 4 months of the year. This job has been nothing but a blessing to us.

Anyway, I've loved Saskatoon a lot more than I thought I was going to - the city is beautiful, and we have found enough pools, spray parks, paddling pools and parks to keep us busy for days! We have found success in work and success in family and friends. It's always kinda bitter sweet when another summer ends. In a few short days, I guess - that's a wrap!

cilantro

I have had a change of heart.

I think the first time I ever encountered cilantro was when I was living in China with my BFF and we would go to this restaurant on a regular basis for our favorite meal. Part of the dinner was a soup that had such long noodles they gave you a pair of scissors to cut them with - fun right?! In this long-noodled-soup was also little green flecks of cilantro that tasted like oh my, somebody shredded pennies and put them in this soup! Personally I don't like tasting like I've been sucking on door knobs.

I would have worn this shirt had I known they make them! 

I steered clear of cilantro when at all possible until Neil and I were in Mexico a few years ago and it was served up in a lot of the foods we were eating. I don't know if it was my matured taste buds but I couldn't get enough of it. I love the stuff now. I know cilantro can be a hot topic (I mean, I'm blogging about it so...) and you either love it or you hate it. I want to know how you feel about it.

• I love it, everything is better with cilantro!

• No thanks, I prefer to keep my change in my pocket. 

What's your cilantro stand? 

NYX Champagne and Caviar FOTD

At the beginning of the year I purchased two NYX 10 color palettes from Ebay. It is difficult to find NYX cosmetics where I live and I had been wanting to try a few things from their line. Judging by the online photos (which is always a gamble) I purchased Champagne and Caviar and Bohemian Rhapsody.

I shortly thereafter purchased my Urban Decay Naked palette so obviously my NYX palettes (and pretty much every other eyeshadow I own) were left very much ignored. This week I dug out the Champagne and Caviar palette (I gave the Bohemian Rhapsody palette to my sister) to give it a chance to prove itself. I am actually really happy with it's offering. The palette consists of shades of brown, taupe, champagne with a white, black and a little pop of pink. They are decently pigmented yet I do find a few of the shades to be a bit chalky but nothing that a good primer can't handle.

Swatches are in the same order as the palette above. I took them in direct sunlight and see now that they are a little washed out. I hope you get an idea of the shades and the beautiful shimmer.

I did a FOTD using the color on the top row, second one in, all over my moving lid. I used the shadow on the bottom row, third one in, in my crease and blended upwards. I used the white in the inner corners of my eye and under the brow as a highlight. I finished off the eye with MAC fluidline gel liner in Blacktrack and heavy mascara.

I used my UDPP and the color lasted all day without any shifting or fading. I am impressed with this little palette and feel like with the shades provided a lot of different looks can be created. I don't think it's a dupe by any means but if you don't want to shell out the moola for the Naked palette I think this could satisfy the need for a great neutral eye palette. I say give it a try!

What NYX products have you tried?

exposing myself

Well now that sounds racy doesn't it? Ahem. While waiting for Neil to get home at night, I used to do things like this fairly often: little survey/questionnaires. Some of them I came across and I'm willing to admit, I'm lame enough to make some of them up myself. This is one I kinda came up with and have been thinking about for a few days.

We have all seen the statuses on facebook that ask you to describe someone using a letter from your (or their) name. I thought why not use all the letters in your own name to describe yourself. I thought it would be fun to use the letters in my first name to list some of the things I like about myself and then use the letters again to list some of the things I, well, am not so fond of.

Let's start with the positive:

M - Mindful. I try to be friendly and like to include everyone. I am mindful of other people's feelings and do my best to make people feel wanted and liked. I sincerely care how other people feel. 

I -Inappropriate. This is a super weird word to use as something you like about yourself but I've said it before and I'll say it again, I get a kick out of saying things that just shouldn't be said.

C - Clever. All I want is to be funny. I ask Neil all the time if he thinks I'm funny. If I'm the only one I make laugh, at least that's one person.

H - Husband. All cheesiness aside and in all honesty, he's the thing I like about me the very best.

E - Easy to talk to. I know I talk too much when I should just be listening but even still I think I am a good listener and am someone people come to. I love giving advice or just reassuring someone they are not the only one in that position and that somebody relates.

L - Loyal. I like to think I am a loyal friend. The great majority of the close friends I have right now are friends I've had for 10+ years.

L - Likeable. I mean, I'd be my friend.

E -Expressive. Whether it's with my hair or makeup or clothes I feel like I'm not afraid to do what I want, or do something different. So often I am told, "I would never wear that but you can pull it off!" I appreciate that.

And on to the ugly:

M - Mull Over. I obsess and agonize over decisions I have made or things I have said even though I can't go back and change them. I mull over things until I somehow manage to feel better about it all or until Neil just tells me, "It's done, it's over, move on!!!"

I - Indecisive. If you have ever been shopping with me, or stood by my side as I've made a decision about a color or an outfit or something completely INSIGNIFICANT you will know I treat every decision like it's the biggest one of my life. It's painful.

C - Critical. I try not to be critical of how other people do things as I know I am opinionated and think I am right most of the time. But, it's just that.... I'm right!

H - Hasty. (I wanted to use 'Impatient' but the 'I' was already taken.) But I really am. When I make up my mind about something it has to be NOW. I'm just not a gal that likes to wait for stuff.

E - Easily Irritated. (That counts for 'E' right?) It's not over major things but I feel like I do have a lot of little pet peeves. Are you seriously chewing like that?

L - Loquacious. I seriously am, I talk far too much. I think I explain too much, describe too much, and never leave any detail out. I walk away thinking, "Neil could have said that so much better." I'm learning that it's ok to let some things go unsaid.

L - Lively. Not at all the word I was looking for but it was the only L word under 'anxious' in the thesaurus. I don't think that I'm completely high strung but I do notice that it doesn't really take a lot to get me a little unsettled. I like my own schedule, I like quiet, I like clean, and when I get out of those comforts I do get some ants in my pants.

E - Excessive. You would know what I mean if you looked at my makeup collection or my closet. Once I find something I like I tend to indulge. I have a large collection of some things - Shade shirts, MAC eyeshadows, cardigans, cute flats. When I know I like something I go overboard. It's not necessary.

Well, if you know me well I think this is actually a pretty accurate account of my inner workings. Scary! It was fun to do although sometimes challenging to find a word to fit. If you make a list too, let me know!

false eyelashes and cute boys

I rarely apply false eyelashes to myself. I think it's because it adds a little extra time to my already rushed makeup routine and also because, right or wrong, I feel like false eyelashes are reserved for special occasions. The other day I tossed those reasons aside and decided to apply some for the fun of it - who doesn't go picking Saskatoon berries in a full face of makeup? I used my Ardell Individual lashes in medium black and applied about 4 lashes to the outer corner of each eye. Using individual lashes adds length and fullness without giving a really noticeable, dramatic look. Despite my personal tendency to reserve false lashes for special occasions I think this look is something I could do more frequently, especially for berry picking. Ha!

 I liked the look and I like that while I received a few compliments not once was I asked if I had false eyelashes on. I think it's a natural way to add a little extra va-va-voom to your look without going over the top. I will definitely be giving false eyelashes a little more attention for more every day wear.

How do you feel about falsies, ever tried them? You can purchase many different styles at your local Wal Mart and there are tons of application tutorials on YouTube. Nothing to be afraid of, give it a try!


And because I can't take a picture of myself without my boys squeezing into the frame I decided to post a few of these cutie pies too. We were eating little breath mints and the expression here on Rigby's face is hilarious.

Happy Wednesday!

if I had a million dollars

Not unlike you I'm sure, there are just some things I hate doing. Unfortunately they are things that still have to be done. If I had a whole lotta expendable cash I would feel absolutely justified in paying someone to do these tasks:

• Take my kids to get their shots. Seriously, it's just an awful day. I was able to get Neil to take Porter for all of his but somehow with Rigby the task has landed back in my lap. Not sure how that happened... sneaky husband.

• Tweeze my eyebrows. There's no way I'd not do it but every time I look in the mirror and see those pesky hairs growing back I resent them. It's a never ending project because there's always a few you somehow missed and by the time you get those the others have started to grow back. It's such a nasty task, I'd happily pay someone to wax or thread (ever had that done - super cool!) them so I didn't have to. Ooooh, but since it must be done, have I told you how much I love my Tweezerman tweezers? I know they are insanely priced but I'm telling you, do yourself a favor - go collect pop bottles if you have to, but purchase yourself a pair. You will never turn back. Do it!  Go. Now!

• Cook. I know I'm supposed to be a domesticated housewife but if there's one task I could do without it would be cooking. I do it absolutely out of necessity and if it were just me I wouldn't. I could live on cereal and toast and it's not because I don't absolutely love food. I think it's the combination of never having all the right ingredients and messing up my perfectly clean kitchen that puts me off. I'm trying to fix myself.

• Grate the cheese. It's a dumb job and I pawn it off to Neil whenever I can. Actually thinking of it now, I bet Porter's old enough to do it too.... hmm.

• Wash my makeup brushes. It's a simple thing but I just don't like doing it. I put it off for as long as possible until I'm applying a rainbow of colors all over my face. Ok, it's not that bad but I do delay it longer than I should. If they were just magically cleaned every week or so I'd be thrilled. 

• Trim my boy's fingernails and toenails. I don't know if it's just my kids but it's such a fight every time it needs to be done. There's crying and tears and screaming and running away. It's a production. I'd happily shell out a pretty penny for someone to fight that battle for me. 

I know I could add more to the list (folding laundry anyone!?) but I mean, I don't want to get ridiculous here. Paying someone to grate your cheese is a necessity, but there are other things I'm happy to do on my own.
Unless I had two million.....