The Week In Review

It's Friday, once again.  I take it slower on Fridays, since it's my day off from work.  I've been doing my grocery shopping every other week (because I hate going to Walmart) and this week I'm off from that as well.  Perfect time for a blog post.

I was off this Monday for July 4th weekend.  Most companies give their employees the Friday off when the holiday lands on Saturday; since we don't work Fridays our bosses decided to give us Monday instead.  My daughter still had to work at the church, and my son had to work at the store.  I waited for my daughter to come home, and we went to see Disney/Pixar's new movie Inside Out.  I don't want to give anything away, but once again Pixar hit it out of the park.  This movie is wonderful!  The story is beautiful and well developed, with its funny moments thrown into the deeper message.  But to be perfectly honest, my favorite part of the movie was the short cartoon at the beginning, called Lava.  The story of two volcanoes that fall in love was the most romantic cartoon I've ever seen - even my 15 year old son got teary-eyed!  While this movie doesn't knock The Incredibles from the top spot of my list, it's definitely in the top 5.  I recommend everyone see it at least once.

Our weather has been slightly milder than last summer.  Last year was killer; it rained almost every single day - at least 5 times a week - so that the humidity levels were off the charts.  This year has been drier, with rain a couple of times a week, or just in the afternoons for about a half hour.  There have been thunderstorms but they've been quick to pass by.  It's actually been pleasant in the shade, with warm breezes blowing.  Once you step out into the sun, though, it's like being in an oven.  I've thought that I would melt on several occasions.

I finally got the chance to use my new weed eater last weekend.  It's lightweight, so it wasn't a hassle carrying it around as I trimmed all the edges around our house and fences.  It's also fairly quiet.  I'm glad I charged both batteries, since the first one went dead with a quarter of my yard left to do.  I was really satisfied with how the yard looked; my arms, however, were not as happy.  The vibration of the weed eater is something I'm not used to, so by the time I was finished I felt like my arms were going to fall off.  It was a weird sensation that lasted several hours.  Yesterday I mowed the grass in the backyard again (that's the problem with summer, the grass kicks into high gear) but the sun was blaring on me by the time I finished so I didn't do any trim work.  Instead I pulled out the blower, and found that it too does a good job at cleaning up.  My favorite part is that they are both very light to carry around, even with the battery put in.  Assembly was easy too: for the blower I just had to attach the tube portion to the motor.  There was a small hole that I figured needed to be screwed in, but I couldn't find one in the box.  I thought, "Hmm, looks like I'm missing a screw," - then I chuckled at myself.  I figured out that the holes were just for lining up the two parts and no additional hardware was needed.  For under $120 I got a good buy, which makes me happy.

I've come to the sad realization that one of my makeup products is making me break out.  I'd purchased the Mac Face and Body foundation a couple of months ago, and was really liking it - the color match is spot on, it gives good coverage without feeling heavy, and I could use it on its own or over my Complexion Rescue.  I had noticed, however, that a couple of times after I'd used it I was broken out.  I have occasional breakouts from acne, thanks to hormones and such.  Pre-menopause = Puberty, The Sequel.  But this wasn't pimples; I was breaking out in a rash.  I tried to attribute it to other things: food allergy, hormonal acne, weather changes.  But yesterday, after cutting the grass, washing and drying my hair, and making lunch, I was running late, so I decided on using the Mac product for a quick makeup look.  Sure enough, when I got home and took off my makeup, my cheeks and chin were red and blotchy.  This morning it was no better.  Even my oldest son, who typically doesn't notice things like that, asked me what was going on with my face this morning.  The only thing different was the Mac Face and Body.  My daughter won't mind getting my almost full bottle - it works wonderfully for her.  I'm going back to my trusty mineral powder foundation.  Just not today.  Today I'm gonna run over to CVS and see if I can't find something for my blemishes.

What else is on the agenda for today?  For one thing, laundry.  Lots of laundry.  I also have to put gas in my car.  It's so great to work just three minutes from my house.  I literally put gas in my car once a month.  That saves me a ton of money.  I've also got to vacuum, and I'm hoping to take a trip to Target today.  They have shorts on sale, buy one get one 50% off.  Shorts this year are much shorter than anything I care to wear - let's face it, mini shorts don't look attractive on me anymore.  They have Bermuda shorts on sale, though, and I want to stock up for our upcoming trip to Disney World - yay!   So that's it for now.  Hope everyone has a beautiful and blessed day.

Monday Quiz About Me

This is an interesting meme, because it gives 4 questions to be answered plus the option to ask a 5th question of my own.  It gives me some control, which is kind of nice!  I found this treasure at Acting Balanced.  Give it a try!


1. What is your favorite thing to BBQ?
Burgers.  I totally love burgers on the barbecue.  I also love sausages (Italian, kielbasa, spicy) and chicken.

2. What is your favorite thing to do on a holiday long weekend in the summer?
I like spending it with my kids.  This time of the year is exceptionally hot, so we spend a lot of time indoors where the blessing of air conditioning can be found.  It allows us to play board games, which we enjoy.

3. Who was the last person you ate out with?  Where did you go?  What was the occasion?
Last time we went out to eat was for my daughter's graduation dinner.  It was my daughter and my youngest son, since their dad had left and my oldest son had to work.  We went to Smokey Bones for barbecue wings and yummy dessert.

4. Do you recycle?
I try to.  We have a recycling bin where we throw our recyclables, and those are picked up every other week.  We also take items to Goodwill whenever we can, and I try to reuse things instead of getting rid of them.  Another way I make the effort to be resourceful is by asking myself, "Is this something I need or just something I want?" when I go shopping so I don't buy on impulse.  Most of the things bought on impulse end up in the trash, and that's not wise.

Now my 5th question - feel free to answer!

5.  Who will you be spending the Fourth of July with?

Have a safe and blessed Independence week!

Our Shopping Adventure

We left for the outlet mall at 10:30 this morning. It was a very hot, very muggy day, typical for July in South Florida. It's been raining daily, and although the sun was out and the sky was only slightly overcast, it was a good idea to have our outing in the morning before the storms hit.

My hubby J was looking for some running shoes. He uses the treadmill quite a bit, both at home and at the gym, and he also runs in the park. He's lost 22 lbs and is trying hard to lose about another 10 to get to his goal weight. Problem is, the sneakers he was using weren't the best for running and he was suffering from knee pain. So we went to the Nike outlet store and found a few pairs he liked. After trying on a couple, he decided on some red and white ones with silver trim which he said were very comfortable, like walking barefoot. The salesman packed everything, got him his shoes, and we left the store to walk around the mall. As we were passing the Gap Outlet, I suddenly remembered I had 2 Banana Republic gift certificates! Yay!!

You're probably thinking, "She remembered 2 Banana Republic gift certificates when she passed the Gap?" Let me explain. My daughter got some gift certificates for Christmas, 2 for Gap stores and 2 for Banana Republic. We went to the mall so she could redeem her certificates at both stores. We went to Gap first, and she found a couple of shirts, but nothing more. Turns out most of the clothes she liked were too big. Then we went to Banana Republic, which is just a few stores down. There she found nothing she liked. The style of clothes is different from what she wears, and the sizes always seemed to be wrong, since nothing she tried on fit. Eventually she used the Gap certificates, but couldn't ever find anything at Banana Republic she liked, so she gave the gift certificates to me. I'd put them in my wallet and forgot all about them till I saw the Gap store. Get it now?

So I was looking for some capris which I love in the summer, but all they had were long pants or shorts. Then I looked for dresses, but all the dresses were short and too young looking. I'm not an old woman but I'm also not a 20-something, nor do I intend to dress like one. I did find a few shirts that were on sale, 50% off, that I wanted to try on. Then I saw a grey pencil skirt that was simple yet classic, which is how I like to dress. It was the only one left, and it was a size 2, way too small for me. Or so I thought. I picked it up and immediately thought, "This is NOT a size 2." I compared it to a size 6 skirt and it was just a tiny bit smaller. I think the skirt is labeled wrong and should be a size 4. I decided to try it on, and it fit perfectly! I was so happy, because my one grey skirt which I totally love is now too big on me, and my other grey skirt had a bit of a mishap in the dryer - the zipper is partially melted. This skirt is a lovely dark grey so it goes with everything, fits beautifully, and while I normally wouldn't pay $29.99 for a skirt, I had the gift certificate so it was not a problem. I got a couple of shirts as well, and was happy as I left the store with my new items.

After that we went to the food court and had Burger King, which I haven't eaten in awhile. Usually if I eat at a fast food court I'll have Subway, but it was closed for remodeling. Since J and E both wanted BK I decided I'd have the same. Big mistake. Two hours later and I feel like I have a brick in my stomach. It's incredible how our bodies begin to adjust when we stop eating fast food. My tummy isn't too happy that I filled it up with so much fat and salt. Lesson learned.

After that we walked around the mall some more, then came home. J was putting on his new shoes to try them out. He got the right shoe on, then went to get the left shoe on, only to find the salesman had given him 2 right shoes! At first I just sat there with my mouth wide open. Then the 2 of us started laughing. He was a bit disappointed because he couldn't wear his new shoes (except for one at a time!). I guess this calls for another trip to the outlet mall.

That won't be today, though. J has gone off to work (he had the morning off because of the July 4th weekend) and the rain has started. But you can be sure of one thing - this shopping adventure isn't over yet!

Independence Day 2010

Happy Birthday America!!