Revlon Gel Envy in 400 Royal Flush

One of my long time favorites. 

Trader Joe's haul

I try to avoid Trader Joes on Sunday, but sometimes it just cant be helped. Sometimes you need/want something that only this little specialty store has and in the name of being prepared for your next work week means you are fighting the traffic and the crowds, and going to Trader Joes on Sunday.

I'm trying to avoid eating any flour products and I specifically went for the pasta. I ended up with black bean pasta, brown rice pasta and regular pasta (for the husband).  For the last few years I've had stomach issues.  The test from the doctors was inconclusive, only said my stomach has an "irritated spot". The nutritionist said flour products were irritating my stomach. Its not gluten because the gluten free bread will do the same thing. It is just something in the flour products that make me feel bad. I go back and forth with avoiding flour products (which is not easy, but makes a big difference). Thus the trip to get pasta from different things, and the pizza crust made from cauliflower. I got two different ones plus some pepperoni to add.

Also got a few snacks for both of us for the work week: bananas, Fuji apples, corn chips, and snack packs of salami and mozzarella cheese.

Got some veggies to cook for the week too. Organic zucchini was only $.99 a pound. I like to use the little spirilizer and fry it up in a skillet with garlic and oil. After work, it takes about 3.8 minutes and that's about all I have the time and patience to do after work. I also got some Brussel sprouts to cook in the oven. That is even easier- cut them in half and throw them in the oven and that's it.

One of the best things Trader Joes sells is cheap flowers. I can not leave the store with a bouquet or three. Today, I got regular white roses and a large bouquet of smaller spray yellow roses. It was about $11 for the whole thing and I got two bouquets for the week, one large one for the kitchen and one small one for beside my bed. 

One negative I have found is that Trader Joe's flowers, although  cheap, do not last as long or look as good as flowers from Whole Foods. Its a trade-off.

sephora monthly subscription

I have not been this excited about a subscription box in quite a while. The June box really knocked it out of the park. I was excited about everything in this one.

I already use the Living Proof Styling Cream and the Clinque Take the Day Off makeup remover . So both of these went into the travel bag for my next trip (I'm trying to talk the husband into going somewhere for a long Labor Day weekend. Escaping the brutal heat for a cooler spot for Labor Day is one of my favorite things to do (Hello Depot Bay Oregon) But, with three houses we are currently suffering with, managing, this is just in the dream stages).

I'm really into long wearing lipsticks right now, so I was excited about both the too faced melted lipstick and the Murad face moisturizer. But as it turned out, the lipstick color was really wrong for me.  Its suppose to be a soft- mauve which sounded perfect, but

I've come to accept that I'm at the  age where I need some color  on my lips, and the grey/brown style from the 90s just wont work for me. So that was disappointing.

30 minutes each morning

It suddenly hit me..... If I plan this right each morning- have  a shower and eat breakfast with the husband before he leaves to work on a big project (he usually works at home) ... I have 30 to 45 minutes at home alone before I have to get ready for work.

I am wildly happy about this and have come to really love these minutes.

What have I been doing? Every morning is different but it usually involves me turning the AC down low and getting on the couch with a blanket to do : 

• Bible study (currently this one)
• fold the laundry
• just sit with coffee looking out the backyard at the birds
• texting cousins
• looking up recipes
• making on line grocery store orders
• blogging
• Fritter the time away on facebook and Instagram
• Once I fell asleep

Mani-Monday Revlon Color Stay in Two of a Kind

I keep looking for polish for the summer but this one is not it. I cannot find one positive thing to say about this. Its dark chocolate and not my favorite. Not sure what I was expecting but this was not it. 

It was a great weekend

It has been a really good and productive weekend.

Saturday:

I made it to Bible Study, which doesn't always happen. This one is a long and deep one that requires a lot of homework. That combined with class is on Saturday morning- which is not the easiest time to make- means I have missed a week here and there and have fallen behind. Last week, I actually did the wrong weeks' homework. I am not even mad about it though because it was SO GOOD. This week Beth talked about the very thing I needed to hear- about  God placing you in your position at work on purpose and for us to bring God's intelligence, energy and radiance to work with you. It was just really good. 

I had already determined that this weekend I was going to catch up, take care of things that have been on my plate and in my mind and hanging around, needing attention, so I can try and just get ahead.

Saturday I dedicated to the home front. I got groceries, washed clothes, re-arranged the kitchen cabinets,  cleaned the kitchen really really well,  finished organizing the bathroom, cleaned the bathroom and cleaned the master bedroom. I was planning on working upstairs to get that a little straightened  out but I never made it upstairs. I did however make a lot of progress downstairs and it felt good to see some actual progress.

Sunday, I had determined was going to be dedicated to catching up  on work things. I went to my office but the key to get in the building was not working so I went back home and worked on the couch.  I didn't get as much done as I had hoped but I feel good that a few things were accomplished and I feel like I am ready for the week ahead.

In between working, I helped the husband put up shelves and slowly start to pick up and organize the garage. It is  not looking organized, but its a lot better and I'm excited to have shelves up to keep picking up and straightening up.  I feel like its going in the right direction.

I also cooked three - and delivered two- chicken pot pies, one for my friend who just had a baby, one for a friend who just had surgery and one for our dinner.

It was just a really good and productive weekend. I feel like I've gotten myself and the house together and I'm felling really good about it all. 

master bathroom organization

 Organizing one bathroom cabinet did not go as quickly as you think it would.  Its not like you see on youtube videos or magazines. 

I started late one night when my husband was out of town working. It needed to be done, and I kind of thought this would be a quick and simple little project to kick out while he was away.  Instead, it took days (and days) of arranging and rearranging and moving things to different areas. 

All the while, most of the stuff in the cabinets sat hither tither on the floor and I apologized to company (and to him), and just worked around it.

It also required a  trip to Tuesday Morning for some storage boxes.  Actually, I think they are gift boxes and I'm pretty sure they were not made to hide bath products or makeup removers, but they work really well for it and got them out of the cabinets and organized all in one place right where I need them. 

There was also some creative uses for a spice rack (small things I need to keep handy that I don't need everyday- like hair color) and a lazy Susan (for the things I reach for everyday) and two trips to Walmart for  clear storage boxes for extra items.

 

The perfume was pretty enough to sit out together and got its own spot on a little glass cake plate.

I dedicated Saturday afternoon to finishing up ( and also did a few kitchen cabinets). I'm feeling pretty successful and proud of myself.