Since I don’t do regular weekly confessions, I’ll make one now. I spent two hours on Friday arguing with people on the Internet about what a chicken nugget is. Why? Because, as someone who tries to (occasionally and not often enough, I’ll admit) eat healthy, I’m appalled that some people apparently think that THIS is a chicken nugget:
This is, I think, going to be a weekly thing, and it’s going to be filled with randomness. It’s mostly just an excuse to get a bunch of little things out of the way all at once. I did manage to cram a review in here, though.
I hate mornings.
Whoever invented 6:00 a.m. needs to be taken out back and taken care of, if you get my meaning. I didn’t get in nearly as much sleep as I wanted to over the weekend, and I doubt I ever will. Is it sad that I’m looking at the prospect of a couple extra hours of sleep as a humongous perk of homeschooling? Because I’ll admit that it’s one of those things I’m really looking forward to when we start. Oh, hey! You want to do math in your Hello Kitty pajamas? No prob, kiddo! But that said…
I love BB cream.
I just needed to get that out of me. Love. I don’t know if I have a favorite brand. Right now I’m going through a tube of e.l.f.’s BB, but I also adore Dr. Jart+, Clinique, and L’Oreal. I’ll probably adore the next BB I try, too.
I don’t let my morning go by without a quick skincare sesh, which makes my routing a thousand times more bearable. I’ve lately been using a cleansing oil instead of just rinsing my face with water in the mornings. I’ll follow that with a retinol treatment and moisturizer and eye cream. Of course, with retinol you want to make extra sure you’re protecting your skin with sunscreen, so the BB is my one and done, giving me another dose of moisturizer, sunscreen, and a light coverage foundation. I pop some dark shadow onto my lash line with a flat liner brush, some tinted balm on my lips, and I’m done.
Fighting the impulse to buy stuff
There are so many good deals going on today, and I’ve only just been perusing Amazon and Gilt City. Amazon’s Deal of the Day is 50% off on denim. I love my jeans. I LOVE jeans. I consider them a great investment for any wardrobe, so tend to spend a little bit more on good denim than I would other things. Mine is kind of rounded out at the moment, so I don’t think I’m looking to add more pieces.
Gilt City, meanwhile, has some deals I’m eyeballing for BaubleBar, Boxed, Estée Lauder, and Sesame Gifts. Three of these look like things I could use for Christmas shopping, and the other would be for stuff I get anyway. I keep thinking about the October Birchbox and all the nice Estée Lauder skincare that was included… 30% off would not be unwelcome. I’m still using the sample of Advanced Night Repair eye serum.
Ulta also has a B2G1 sale going that includes the L’Oreal BB I mentioned above, so I’ll probably grab that while I can.
Oh, and while I was checking out daily deals and lightening deals on Amazon, I came across this…
The Carlisle Cullen Barbie Doll
Let’s just step back for a moment and fully appreciate the fact that this thing exists, and let’s do so with the full mix of both horror and fascination it deserves. Also, and am I the only person who sees Carlisle Cullen and immediately thinks of this Dr. Cooper moment from “Nurse Jackie”?
“I got a guuuunshot… I got a guuuuunshot…”
There’s also this mug, which I desperately need in my life.
Borden Good 2 Gether
I genuinely can’t remember if I’ve talked about this here or not. I got to try these for free (the first time) through BzzAgent in exchange for my honest opinion. I’ve found that I really like these little buggers. Granted, I think their idea was that I was supposed to (as a mom) get these mostly for my daughter, but I ended up getting them mostly for me.
I lost about 40 lbs a while back, and I’m looking to lose about 20 more. I started out using Nutrisystem, but I learned a lot during that time about what to eat and when, calorie count, and what to expect for that calorie count. I also realized that part of my problem is that, while I can cook and make wonderful nutritious meals and snacks, I often run into situations where I don’t have time to do that, and then things go downhill, so I lost weight by keeping lots of prepackaged quick grab-and-go snacks and meals handy on the off chance I needed them. (I go through a lot of protein bars, shakes, and cans/bottles of vegetable juice as a result.)
These are great because they fit into that grab and go category. For not a lot of calories, I get a good serving of protein, which keeps me feeling full, as well as calcium and other goodness that comes with eating dairy. It also feels like I’m eating a lot, which is satisfying, and the pretzels are a good salty crunchy thing. I was really pleasantly surprised at the bang I got for my calorie buck with these. I think my only gripe is that the pretzels could have been whole wheat, which would have made this even better, so… There’s an idea for you guys at Borden.
Other Thoughts
Drug store brands versus high end brands… This seems to be a real argument on other blogs, these days. Personally, I prefer some of each, though I never buy any of it at full price. In my collection now, I have items from Smashbox, NARS, Urban Decay, The Balm, Too Faced, and Benefit. And I love those products, BUT… I’ve found similar and even better products from e.l.f., Cover Girl, Rimmel London, Maybelline, NYX, Wet & Wild, and L’Oreal. Ditto on the skin care equivalent. I figure I’ll go into more detail in a post dedicated to the topic.
Well, it’s cold and wet today, so I feel totally justified in making this.
Mmm…
This is my personal chili recipe, which pretty much consists of tossing a bunch of stuff into a slow cooker and leaving it on all day, so I don’t think I’ll post the recipe for now. My house smells amazing, though. I’m going to make some cornbread muffins in a few to go with it.
I need comfort food right now, you guys. I worked a few different events this weekend, so I needed the quiet I enjoyed for much of today. Christmas Village is in town, and that’s HUGE. Which brings me to two things…
Birmingham Parking
I’m trying to figure out what the deal is with the Birmingham Parking Authority and several of their lots and parking garages– in particular, the ones with electronic machines designed to give a parking pass and then charge you on the way out. These stations also accept credit cards. Great, right? Well, it would be, but the BPA insists on setting people out front of these buildings or lots who then collect CASH ONLY for parking before letting you through. I carry very little if any cash on me, and I’m not exactly a weirdo for that. They’ll also block the machines, not letting you use those. Here’s my question… If the BPA gets their $8 for parking regardless, why does it matter if I use the machine instead? Why is there a need for people to be sitting out there taking cash instead? I always wonder if these guys are legit or if there’s some sort of scam going on. Just let people use the damn machines, okay? Also consider… Some of us can get our parking tickets validated. The parking at Uptown is an example. There’s also the Boutwell garage and the garage for Westin Hotel. So far, I haven’t seen them block the Westin, but for anyone who is going to eat at Uptown or who might be visiting City Hall and can get parking validated, blocking the machines and demanding $8 in cash is demanding money they’re not owed, but suckers will pay it anyway. I’ve demanded to use the machine before because I was supposed to have my parking validated, and while they’ll eventually relent, they do get very nasty about it.
Seasonal Jerks
Full disclaimer… I’m a Christian. Let’s just get that out of the way right now. But I’m not one of THOSE people, and the fact that I have to specify that as soon as I state that I’m a Christian annoys the ever loving crap out of me. You know the ones to whom I’m referring. There’s always a certain segment of the population that, in the name of Christ, insists that a war has been declared on Christmas, and they’ll use the most absurd examples to back this up. Case in point, this guy.
If I have to explain to you why this is an utterly ridiculous argument, then you’re probably already beyond help. The previous cups had things like Christmas trees, snowflakes, snowmen, and Santas on them. NONE of that has anything to do with Christ or Christianity. Not to mention, Starbucks sells a Christmas blend and advent calendars. Discount Fred Durst is also mistaken that Starbucks employees are forbidden from saying, “Merry Christmas,” and even if he wasn’t, that’s not a policy that their service employees have a say in. You’ve not “tricked” anyone, buddy. The baristas aren’t your personal dress code police, so nobody cares what you’re wearing as long as you’re covered. Nobody cares about your gun unless you walk into the store looking like you stepped away from ISIS training or start waving your Glock in the air like a moron.
My take on this as a Christian? I think this picture says it best.
I’m a little bit relieved to see that most people using the #MerryChristmasStarbucks hash are sensible and calling this out for the attention grabbing bovine excrement it is. Faith in humanity… restored a little bit.
On to lighter things…
I can’t get this song out of my head, and I fully blame Netflix for that. The slower version really seems to work with the wet, cold, and quiet of today.
Oh, and when I got home from school pickup, this had arrived…
Sqeeeee!!!!
That e.l.f. order has several new products, by the way. I’m also working on a review for Stitch Fix. I’ve already tried everything on and taken pictures. I’ll post the review after I’m done sending feedback and checking out. I also use Trendsend, though not as often. I’ll absolutely be doing a review on that when I order another one. My Julep came in while I was working this weekend, and I already tried out the new shimmery pink nail treatment. Love. I also swapped in their face oil on this box. Also love.
UPDATE:
Speaking of e.l.f. I totally forgot to mention that their holiday sets are currently on sale on Target.com today (11/9/15) only, and if you’re a red card holder, you get an extra 5% off on top of that. Plus… FREE SHIPPING! So if you’ve been meaning to pick one of these up, now’s the time. Grab it here.
Four Walls and a Mess 