I Am DWJ

Weekend Reading

DWJ — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:30:30 +0000

Three cheers to the weekend! Oh this has been a week of no sleep and back pain but my new mattress arrived, my snoring husband is away for the weekend and I will probably have some of the best sleep of my life. Can you see how excited I am to have a new bed all to myself? LOL Don’t get me wrong, I love the guy I just wish his nose loved me and would stop snoring. So what am I getting into this weekend while the husband is away? Three new books that I downloaded!

First on my list, even though I’m not a parent in the traditional sense (I’ve been told I’m the best godmother on planet earth though) I am obsessed with the Honest Toddler. First as a silly twitter feed, then a hilarious blog and now a book! Oh I’ve already started reading it and am actually highlighting the funny parts…which is all of it. If you need a good laugh about life from the perspective of a toddler I highly recommend picking up The Honest Toddler A Child’s Guide to Parenting.

Next up on my list is something I think the Honest Toddler would appreciate, Crackers & Dips More than 50 Handmade Snacks. The cover made me drool and I’ve seen lots of recipes on how to make your own cheese crackers and what not so I want to give this a spin. When I have the time (and energy) to really cook I go hard and I prefer making as much as I can instead of buying processed foods. It always tastes better, is healthier and you know everything in it! I’m kind of excited to try out the Ritz cracker recipe they have in there first! I’ll let you know how it goes.

And last but not least on my list, Dan Brown’s Inferno!! Remember when I found the golden ticket and won an autographed copy of Lost Symbol? Yeah, I’m a big Dan Brown novel fan. I event went on the Angels & Demons tour with my family in Rome and have toured DC monuments just because of his books. I’m a fan. So I’m ready to get wrapped up in the mystery and excitement that Dan Brown always brings. So that’s my latest purchase folks, books. Anything else I should be adding to my list anytime soon?

Statue Quest | Navy-Merchant Marine Memorial

DWJ — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:35:31 +0000

Can we talk about the gorgeousness that is the Navy-Merchant Marine Memorial? My husband is a runner and runs a lot of trails around the area and he saw this memorial in Lady Bird Johnson Park but didn’t know what it was for so we decided to stop to check this one off on our statue quest.

This memorial honors the American sailors and marines killed at sea during World War I and was completed in 1934.

It’s a memorial that’s off the beaten path for me but so unexpectedly beautiful. I also loved all of the red tulips surrounding the memorial.

I couldn’t find much online about the memorial but it was definitely a beautiful gem off of the GW Parkway.

#MoxieUp | New Bare Escentuals Moxie Lipsticks, Glosses & Liners

DWJ — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:00:06 +0000

Items in this post were provided for review, opinions are all mine.

The folks at Bare Escentuals are introducing us to Moxie lipsticks (18), liners (10) and lipglosses (14). I already owned the lipgloss in Sparkplug (a shimmery nude) that I picked up a while back and has been a staple in my purse but they sent over 4 of each in a range of shades for me to share with you.

I was sent for review in lipsticks: Light It Up (medium coral creme), Risk It All (hot pink creme), Lead the Way (a deep berry creme) and Stand Out (a medium brown creme, nude on me). These lipsticks are super moisturizing, leave a gorgeous stain on the lips and fade nicely. They wear beautifully for a few hours but as with any lipstick once you start to really eat food they will wear off. I do love how nicely they leave a stain on the lips.

I also like the cases on these, they have a little silver button that you push to release the cap from the tube. It took a bit of getting used to but it’s a cute little packaging idea.

The glosses I was sent for review were: Maverick (dark nude with shimmer), Smooth Talker (a pink gloss with gold shimmer), Game Changer (red with just a hint of sparkle to it) and Trail Blazer (light shimmery nude).

This is me rocking Game Changer, I am not a huge red lip gloss fan but I do love the formula of the Moxie glosses. They have a mild scent to them and they’re not sticky or tacky at all – LOVE! They give a good gloss to your lips and they are actually a bit moisturizing. I love when I can slick on a lip product without any lip balm at all.

I was also sent lip liners for review: Jazzed (hot pink), Electrified (deep berry), Energized (coral) and Revved (a darker nude). The liners are creamy, give great color and I think are a nice under layer to the lipgloss. I find that if you apply liner and then gloss it will last a bit longer. They also have their own sharpeners as well – super convenient.

All in all, I have to say I love all of the Moxie items an I definitely will be picking up more shades! There’s a lavender creme that is calling my name! I see a stop to Sephora in my future. Have you seen Moxie yet? Anything you’re interested in trying?

2 Things I Know Are True

DWJ — Mon, 06 May 2013 14:30:59 +0000

This post contains things sent for review and cookies that I made)

I had a quiet weekend for the first time in a long time – zero obligations. I went shopping for a new mattress (WHY ARE THEY SO EXPENSIVE?!), helped my mom sync her iPad and upload some photos and cleaned my house. I also made chocolate chip cookies last night after my husband asked me a million times if we had cake or cookies in the house – knowing that every time he asked me neither of those things had magically appeared yet. When I bake chocolate chip cookies I buy Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips and follow their recipe for chocolate chip cookies because it requires extra vanilla and it’s so much better than Nestle Tollhouse. This I know for a fact, a very delicious fact.

I also know for a fact that Buxom Hot Escapes Bronzer is the bee’s knees. There are two shades, Tahiti (left) is a golden bronze and Maldives (right) is a deeper, richer bronze. I was just about to go on a hunt for a new bronzer when these babies landed up on my doorstep courtesy of the folks at Bare Escentuals. Even brown girls need a bit of a glow and the way mother nature is acting up right now I’m faking it with this stuff. I like to do a little swirl of bronzer on the cheeks and then a great pop of pink blush right on the apples – it makes me look fresh (in a good way). I know I haven’t done a lot of beauty posts in a while but I’ve also got some new Buxom lipsticks to share, some eyeliner favorites for summer beauty and a few other things coming in the few weeks. So stay tuned!

Statue Quest | Theodore Roosevelt

DWJ — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:00:33 +0000

My husband and I have decided to visit every statue in (and around) Washington, DC. Right now my list consists of 121 statues in Washington, DC – that’s a lot. We work in DC and drive by these awesome monuments every day without a second thought. We stumbled on one the other day and I thought who is this guy? Why’d he get a statue? What’s his history? And then Statue Quest was born!

The first stop on our quest was to Theodore Roosevelt Island. It’s right across from the Georgetown Waterfront off of the GW Parkway on the Virginia side. First of all, I didn’t even know that this little island existed! I feel like I just wasn’t in the know until now.

This former overgrown farmland has been turned into a forest memorial to conservationist and outdoorsman President Theodore Roosevelt. There are trails to walk and in the middle is this gorgeous monument to our 26th president of the United States.

There were four large stone walls with quotes from Roosevelt about manhood, nature, youth and the state. Oh and the statue of Roosevelt is HUGE!

That’s my husband trying to give the President a high five. He’s just a few feet short.

And I seem incredibly small in comparison. I think I’m going to like this challenge to finding all the statues in DC. And the added bonus is I might learn a few new things along the way. For more information on Roosevelt Island please go to the Parks Department for information.

2 Things | Mugs & Moccasins

DWJ — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:49:00 +0000

We cleaned out the cabinets this past weekend and have been organizing what’s in our kitchen. With that I also purchased a couple of Keep Cups (I waited for them to go back on sale on fab.com) to add to our cabinets since they’re the perfect size and we use them daily with our Dolce Gusto Circolo machine. So it was a nice surprise when my sister gave me this coffee mug that looks like a Canon camera lens! My DSLR is a Canon and I’ve seen these mugs before but never bought one for myself. She thought it was cool and picked it up for me.

I’m also mildly obsessed with my Minnetonka moccasins. Two of my girlfriends have always been fans and have worn them faithfully or a version of their boots since forever. I finally picked up a grey pair for myself and I’m kicking myself for not doing it sooner. They’re super comfy and they seem to go with a lot more than I thought they would. I have a feeling a pair of the booties will be in my future for the fall.

Giving Always Feels Good

DWJ — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:11:13 +0000

Let me preface this post with a note for a friend who reads the blog. Rachel, if you haven’t opened my baby shower package do not scroll to the bottom of this post – unless you want to see it.

I like knitting because I like to create things. I used to make clothes out of paper when I was kid and now I know how to sew. I used to want to take pictures like my Dad on his SLR and now I have my own DSLR and can take pretty pictures on my own. I like to do these things for myself, for my own pleasure. If I sell a scarf – great! If I never do, oh well, my friends will always be warm. This ball of yarn inspired me to create something for a friend who I always feel like is one of my biggest cheerleaders, Erin. She travels like crazy and sometimes I have moments where I just miss her laugh and her being in the area. So I decided she needed a scarf for all of her traveling.

I decided to knit up something quick but with a beautiful result, a Bandana Cowl. It only took me two days to knit up something special for a friend and I can’t wait to see her in it. My other latest and greatest creation?

My girlfriend Rachel is having a baby boy this summer and has a nautical themed nursery. So what did I do? Create a nautical themed baby blanket. I even put an official nautical cable in the middle. Oh I can’t wait for that little bundle of cuteness to be wrapped up in it this summer! Creating something always feels great, giving it to those you love makes it even better.

Bare Escentuals Go Bare Tour!

DWJ — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:35:45 +0000

On Friday, after a long week and a long day at the beauty shop I came home to a very sweet treat. A dozen cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes and the folks at Bare Escentuals kicking off their Go Bare Tour!

This is the third time I’ll be heading out to visit the Bare Escentuals folks on tour (you might remember when I met Leslie in Richmond and when I was a Roadie the last time they stopped in DC. I’ve even had the pleasure of visiting their offices when I went to San Francisco. I talk about Bare Escentuals and their Buxom line a lot here but that’s because I’m a really huge fan of their products. Although I do receive some PR samples, before I blogged I bought a lot and even now I buy a lot and I get my friends to buy the things I love too (hello Buxom lash!). So I will be at Georgetown Cupcake tomorrow evening when I get off of work to check out the launch of the tour and I suggest if you’re in DC that you should come too! And if you’re not, make sure to check out the other stops on their tour!!

A New Adventure | Statue Quest

DWJ — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:00:33 +0000

I love a project, even if it’s just for something fun. The husband and I are on a quest to visit every statue in Washington, DC. We have a list of 120 statues – some we actually walk by every day and haven’t really noticed! For me it’s about exploring this city and adding a history element to it that my husband will love. I plan on sharing our photos and things we find out here since this is a blog about my life. Yesterday we checked off Roosevelt at Roosevelt Island and the Navy-Merchant Marine Memorial but I’ll have more pictures later on. I think this is a fun little quest and I’m curious how long it will take us! Is it just me, or do you come up with silly adventures like this too?

Cherry Blossoms by Boat

DWJ — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:00:51 +0000

Last night my husband and I did something a little different than in years past, we took a boat tour of the Potomac at dusk to see the cherry blossoms. You may remember previous posts about the cherry blossoms and we typically get up and close during peak season. This year, peak was late and a bit off but we can’t resist being like everyone else and taking in the blossoms. I thought seeing them via a boat would add a new spin.

I love DC and even after being here this long I realize there’s so much of the city I have yet to explore. I’m on a quest to take a picture with every statue in the city and my husband seems down for the task. It’s a fun way to go to different parts of the city that we bypass or seeing an old area in a new light.

Photographing the cherry blossoms and this city never gets old to me. It’s just so gorgeous in the spring here, I can’t help but want to pull my camera out. And anytime I get to spend an evening with this guy means I’ve had a great day.

Have a good weekend!