The Crazy Suburban Mom

My February 2012 iMance, Life Habits Podcast

2012-02-17T12:44:00.000-05:00

I know I wax on about my Filofax and all things retro but I don't have an aversion to things techy either. I've spoken about the love I have for my iPhone before and I want to elaborate.

I'm not all that into music; even when I listen to the radio it's mostly talk radio. I like listening to people -- Learning, absorbing... Considering things that haven't occurred to me before. I love to think.

What I do most with my iPhone is listen to podcasts and download apps. In some ways my iPhone is the best toy I've ever played with and I want to highlight some things I have an ongoing iMance with...

My favorite podcast is called Life Habits and it's hosted by Karel Vredenburg. He "provides information, insights and advice to help you learn new habits to optimize your life and stay sane in this crazy world. "

It is wonderful, informative, spot on and without a doubt my favorite podcast of this genre. His website (here) says:

Karel has spent much of his life observing people interacting with others, their world, and themselves; read widely about improving the human condition, optimizing the interactions between people, and driving effective organizational change; and practiced what he's learned. He has Ph.D. level training in Psychology and Cognitive Science, has taught university, conducted research, and has worked for a major multinational corporation for over 20 years and is currently director of design. Karel has taught, led, managed, and mentored thousands of people over the years. He's also a father of four with kids ranging in age from 10 to 21. Reflections on the formal and informal mentoring he's done over the years has led to the realization that he has insights, thoughts, and experiences that would be beneficial to share in this podcast series. Enjoy.

I can't say enough how much I agree with " he has insights, thoughts, and experiences that would be beneficial to share in this podcast series. Enjoy." He does, and I do.

I did a print screen from iTunes to show some of the topics he's done, it's extensive - He takes requests from listeners, too.

There's more!

And there's even more then I've shown here...

I'm always looking for this kind of podcast and try new ones when I find them but they are never as good as Life Habits. I love the format and Karel's easy conversational style. Even his pleasant voice adds something to the listening experience.

Life Habits is a podcast anything called self-help should be; it's educational without being dry, it's applicable to daily life, and it positive.

People should never be done learning; especially about themselves. Thanks, Kerel! I look forward to every new podcast you do and listen to old ones over and over.

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Sweet Lupine Cleansing Cream, a joy morning and night

2012-02-17T11:42:00.003-05:00

My Naturopathica all-inclusive regimen is working out well and it's time for another product spotlight.

But first, the entire kit I'm using contains a morning and evening cleanser, a daily moisturizer and a full sized Plant Stem Cell treatment ($48 on it's own and a pore-shrinking miracle that I wrote about here .)

But onto the spotlight!

Sweet Lupine Cleansing Cream

From the website: This ultra-rich make up remover and cleansing cream melts on the skin to remove dirt and grime while leaving a protective moisture barrier on the skin.

SKIN TYPE: Age Defense

HERO INGREDIENT: Lupine Protein: extracted from Sweet White Lupine, this active ingredient is high in powerful oligosaccharides and glutaminated peptides. These amino acid chains stimulate a repair response in the skin, amping up collagen production and improving barrier function making them an important ally for mature skin.

I look forward to using this morning and night. The clean, herbal smell and it's smooth feel make it a real delight. The directions: Apply a pea size amount to moist skin and gently massage. Rinse.... Couldn't be easier. Frequently I put it on before my bath and sit with it, I love the smell. I usually remove it with a warm wash cloth and my skin feels very soft and moisturized afterwards.

The large size Sweet Lupine Cleansing Cream is $38, the whole travel kit is $65 so it's a great try me offer.

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Filofax Debulkafication

2012-02-16T11:50:00.000-05:00

This week Philofaxy brought up journaling in a Filofax; something I'd love to do but where would I get the real estate? I mean, I'm back in Mr. Malden, purely due to ring size, and even if I consolidate somewhere there's certainly no room for rambling prose.

Other discussions that got my attention were about the various Weekly inserts. I've used the Week on Two Pages but because of the way I write to-do lists I don't need much space on the Weeklies.

I write out a list daily but it's not just to-do, it might also include groceries I need to pick up, people's phone numbers, books I want to check out, or something that needs to be recorded in another area.

I write anything and everything I want to remember that day on my daily lists. Because of this, the weekly sheets are something I just scan for appointments. At first I thought the Week on one Page would work but I'm not sure I need that much either.

I was stuck in a What to do? What to do? loop when I recalled some 2012 Day Runner inserts (and a ruler) purchased for my Personal Portand. Besides having to clip off the bottom corner they are working.

You can see how much smaller they are. I don't know if they will give me room overall, but I'll know soon enough.

Seems I lost the inserts after March but if they work well and cut down the bulk, I could buy something in the same format.

I'd not considered using personal sized inserts in my A5 but it would expand my choice of inserts. There are more compatible inserts for the personal sized Filofax across different brands while you almost always have to re-punch anything similar to a Filofax A5 Binder.

It can be done, I've done it but you end up with something very confusamafied looking.

I'm giving the personal inserts till March and if this works I might even be able to squeak in a journaling section somewhere.

Mr. Malden spends a lot of time surfing lately. He pretends he's checking out Philofaxy but I know what he's doing. He's looking up that Alice Temperly binder. He wants her bad... Probably all that black lace.

Dream on, Mr. Malden I want her too but at $625 US she's out of both our leagues.

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True Story, indeed.

2012-02-16T10:10:00.001-05:00

While I sit out my dental issues, I decided to flip though my old magazines for a giggle. Haven't done a lot of giggling lately.

There was a fashion spread in one...

This wasn't too, too bad. I kinda like it but - Those shoes! Gilley ties never made it out of the 70's.

They did make me giggle, though.

I call this picture: The most unfortunate bathing suit ever. What is it, pea green chenille?

And speaking of shoes, what is with these? I know every decade has it faux pas but these are egregious.

Those shoes made my face hurt more.

Moving on to recipes... The obligatory recipe spread on building with some sort of meat, here's the hamburger pagoda.

I have one True Story Magazine.

According to Wiki - True Story was an American magazine published by Dorchester Publishing. It was the first of the confessions magazines genre, having launched in 1919.

... Must have had the same sordid -way,way TMI - appeal as reality TV shows do now.

Some ads were great; what I wouldn't do for that phone but the ads soon deteriorated into a mayhem of cheese.

A marriage counselor pedaling douche, oddly common.

The stories are tamer then the pictures indicate...

Sin in the Suburbs, indeed.

I had enough housewives gone bad, so I went back to ads...

Bad idea.

Apparently there was a lot of membrane itching among it's readership.

And other things...

I did some further research on this, couldn't help myself. According to the National Museum of American History, Jayne's PW was Gentian Violet, a stain.

Besides it not being that effective; when you used it everyone in the neighborhood knew your worm status as soon as they saw bright purple-stained underpants swinging on the clothes line.

An amusing visual really...

As to Dr. Jayne, an interesting guy: Few patent medicine companies can claim to be as successful and long lived as the line of Dr. Jayne's Family Medicines.

Dr. David Jayne was a pioneer in the field of proprietary medicine and built a business empire that was to last over 100 years.

Time to take some non-Dr. Jayne meds, this all gave me a whopping pain.

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Ah, Novocaine. You were my Valentine...

2012-02-15T10:13:00.001-05:00

My last wisdom tooth is gone; removed yesterday morning. Being a glass half full sort of person I figured the world would be a sunny, painless place by now. Hope springs eternal.

It's had a cavity for, oh. Years. "I'll get it done when it hurts", is what I told my dentist. It seemed reasonable; who wants to face a pair of pliers clamped to a body part or the inevitable bone-cracking heave-ho that follows...

I'd waited for the other three to start hurting so why change now. I didn't take into account the pain might begin on a Saturday morning, days from when I could have that awful thing removed.

I counted down the hours while the pain got worse, by Saturday afternoon I couldn't open my mouth; a tooth brush felt like I was trying shove a bus in there. Forget food.

Finally! after eighty hours and fifteen minutes of sleepless, food-less, whine-less - I didn't feel good enough - vomit inducing agony... It was gone.

Ah, Novocaine. You were my Valentine...

The oral surgeon told me I was smart to come in when I did, and lucky, "Another two days and you'd have a REAL problem.

The infection spread past the tooth... Oh! The places an infection can travel! Like pterygomandibular spaces and temporomandibular joints and stuff I understand like, muscle... And other gooey insides close to a wisdom tooth....

Brains, for example.

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T is for Toothache... and TEA!

2012-02-13T15:27:00.002-05:00

Today didn't start very good; I'm on day three of a toothache. The pain in my mouth started Saturday morning, the second I opened my eyes. With no dentist open until Monday there's nothing to do but tuck in; just me and pain that makes me want to vomit.

I called this morning. Tomorrow. I'll be living with this until tomorrow unless the side of my face blows out, which feels likely.

I haven't slept since Friday; haven't eaten either. The only comfort I've had is whining and tea. I drink a lot of tea anyway but when it's all you got you really appreciate it.

Today's mail brought my new Republic of Tea catalog, always fun, but today -- a peak experience.

Besides being a great read, Republic of Tea always includes a sample. I love that. It's so nice to try something different while reading about all the new teas available.

Some of my favorite tea come from Republic of Tea, Coconut Cocoa is so good after buying the first tin... then the second... and a third... It was clear I should buy the bulk (250 bag) size.

Republic of Tea describes this as: The rich, exotic taste of this herbal infusion combines coconut, chocolate and caramel malted barley to produce a thick, naturally sweet, tropical cup. The delicious taste of both cocoa and carob belies their nutritional value.

This is really NOM! It's an herbal blend; barley and chicory based and delicious. The flavors are clean and sweet. There are other teas in this collection but this is my favorite.

My current obsession is the Raw Green Bush Tea with Plantain and Coconut and I see a bulk order in my near future. I'm on my second can.

This one is described as: Smooth and mellow raw green rooibos makes an ideal base for a traditional island duo – sweet plantain banana with a touch of fragrant coconut.

Also an herbal; this one has a green rooibos base. I can't get enough of this, hot and iced. I sweeten everything but many people wouldn't have to sweeten this one. The flavor is honey-like. I got this as a gift and I'm so glad, I might not have bought something I thought tasted bananay.

Banana flavored things tend to be cloyingly bananaish; this is like the summer sun with coconut thrown in for extra deliciousness.

It's beautiful, too.

And speaking of beautiful, I use the tins when I'm done. They make great eco-friendly containers and I love the artwork.

Republic of Tea products are available in grocery stores for about $10 for the 36 tea bag tin but you can order them online as well as in many other sizes. If you order they send you their catalog with a sample, seasonally. Win/Win!

*I bought all this tea myself, Republic of Tea doesn't know me, that I'm writing this, or anything about my tooth*

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Nail Polish of the Day, e.l.f. Fire Coral

2012-02-13T10:56:00.000-05:00

I was perusing the Pantone Spring 2012 color forecast the other day and that scrumptious orange on the top caught my eye. Pantone describes it as "Tangerine Tango, an enticing juicy orange, is a vivacious and appealing refresher to enliven anyone's outlook this spring." Yum.

It's reminded me of a color I ordered from eyes lips face, but hadn't tried yet.

Fire Coral

I put it right on and what a great polish, this is one coat. Great, right?

e.l.f polish has been hit and miss for odd, non-polish related issues; that bottle that shattered when it dropped. A problem I've never encountered before. And several have a very strong smell, beyond the normal strong nail polish smell...

And the smell only goes away -- so much. Golden Goddess seems to smell long (like days) after it's dry which is too bad, it's truly lovely. But this one is great.

Plus! Fire Coral looked good enough to pass with one coat. After this picture was taken I added another and a top coat, for wear's sake, but for a quick manicure you could absolutely work it. The price is $2.00 (US) without any discounts, a deal for a great color with fab coverage.

This is a great color to transition from winter. It's got great saturation like winter colors but the brightness you want in a spring color.

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute says, "Consumers look to spring for renewed energy, optimism and the promise of a brighter day."

And I think Fire Coral fits the description.

Score: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ out of five hearts

Thrifted Sweater Project, à deux

2012-02-13T09:05:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure how many things I can make from that one five dollar sweater but it was pretty big. Well, before felting it was...

I blogged about in the first project in the Wool Gathering post.

Fingerless Gloves

The first pair were very easy. I cut the sleeve to the length I wanted and used the sweater's natural cuff as one end. The last step was simple embroidery done in wool yarn.

The second project is another pair of fingerless gloves. These started as a flat rectangle of cut wool (as opposed to using the sweater's natural sleeve). I hand sewed the edges together using wool yarn so the glove became a solid piece on re-felting.

When sewing the seam I left an area open for my thumb, sewed on some vintage buttons that "go but don't match" and I'm aflutter over them.

Could be I like them more then the first ones...

Yep, I do. I'm sure I like them best.

The thumb hole works great, I was worried that would make the gloves look like a craft project; uneven and wacky but nope. It's great. Measuring probably helped, a pattern would have been even better but I work organically.

And I love the vintage buttons.

They look great, are VERY warm, and I love being able to use some of the cool singles I've collected.

Stay tuned for Thrifted Sweater Project #3!

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You are a beautiful thing

2012-02-12T13:22:00.002-05:00

Writing is, sadly, all but lost in the daily lives of many people. Sadly because when you sit in front of a blank sheet of paper and then fill the space; what you say, how you say it, even the pen you choose becomes part of the story. You, become part of the story.

A record can be kept electronically but memory is a living thing, deserving of preservation and care.

Write something about yourself today, you are a beautiful thing.

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Organ!zed: New uses for old things #2

2012-02-11T16:25:00.002-05:00

Here's something you may or may not know about me; I drink tea every day. This is one of my current favorites...

This is a past favorite.

Many of my favorite teas come in kicky artwork-covered tins, perfect for the attractive storagizational containment of long thin notoriously cluttericious items; i.e. colored pencils.

How did it take me so long to figure this out?

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Filofax as art, and magic.

2012-02-10T08:06:00.000-05:00

I have a crush on my Filofax. At first I thought, I'm just romanticizing; all that leather -- leatherish, if you're talking Malden - is so -- Intoxicating.

A lot of thought/time/planning/effort goes into making my planners organizational nirvana; hacking it's standard-issue parts to suit me and prowling stationary aisles for friends to bring home so it won't be lonely. There's more to it, being organized is useful but not roller-coaster exciting. And it doesn't explain why I have a couple o' few too many filofaxes and still. want. more.

I wish there were more varied/interesting/functional insert options but maybe it's the lack of them that makes Filofax works so well; it's a blank canvas.

Something occured to me the other day as I sat, surrounded by art supplies, tarting up my dividers. My Filofax binders are the ultimate adult art project and I can turn them into anything that makes me giggle.

Tarting up supplies are everywhere. I've never been lucky enough to find an actual Filofax in Marshall's ... Oh wait, I lied. I did. It was personal sized black Domino that looked like it'd been banging around the back of a Jeep for a decade. So I guess I meant to say, I've never found one worth buying there...

But the other day I found something I did want.

I'd never considered using rub-on transfers but for $1.49 I couldn't resist. Big SCORE! They were VERY easy to use, a breeze really. You just put the design face down on the page and rub with their 'trademarked tool' (i.e. a stick) and voilà, a perfect design.

The color is vivid even on black dividers. These transfers are made by American Crafts but there are a lot around, I will definitely look for more things to rub.

This is the entire design set.

I also got a white set, and man. I love this one.

They look great and are opaque, even on black.

One of my favorite divider designs is a 5"x 7" photograph tacked on with Washi Tape. This image of Ventura was in front of my pet section but I liked it so much I made it the very first page of my whole Filoshebang.

I look at a lot of pictures of planners, I love doing that. I've seen a lot of great custom-cut dividers and have tried that; mine look like badly done school projects.

Cutting things evenly isn't my strong suit so use I pre-cut found things.

This one (above) is a large-format post card that came with an order from Sublime Stitching; it decorates my crafting section.

Any sized postcard is great for decorating dividers in an A5 and the normal sized cards are perfect as dividers in personal sized organizers.

They have great decorative and functional uses; punch holes in them, add a top tab and you can subdivide sections, put one at the beginning of each section as a launch pads for sticky notes, or just use them cause you love the card art or message.

Baum-Kuchen sent me great post cards when I ordered Midori Traveler's Notebook Inserts. I immediately put one in.

And flip to back to it when I need to remember the message.

I love the clear zip envelopes which I'm sure have a serious officey purpose, for me they are themed dioramas. This one's about my dog.

The I ♥ Greyhounds thing is something called a car tattoo but it makes a great Filotatt.

He's had a bunch of surgeries in the last few months, I kept a few of the steel rods they took out of his leg. I don't know what to say about that, maybe... You never know when you'll need a steel rod?

It's also a good place to store Paper clips, the pink cherry blossoms came from JetPens and they make sticking pieces of paper together a peak experience.

I have a thing for Washi Tape, if you hadn't noticed. I can only get it online but it's easy to find - I've gotten it here, here, here.. here... Easy.

It comes in every color and design you could imagine and is perfect for sticking anything to anything. Where has this stuff been all my life? (Okay,yes. Japan)

While it's certainly unnessary to do any of this - dividers are useful, plain - there is something to be said for adding a little magic to every day.

The magic of unnecessary, silly fun is highly underrated.

Edward De Bono considered creativity essential to thought in his book, The Mechanism of Mind. He is quoted as saying creativity is "a great motivator because it makes people interested in what they are doing." Agreed.

For me, his quote, "Creativity makes life more fun and more interesting." is probably closer to what the divider art's about. Like I said..

The magic of unnecessary, silly fun is highly underrated.

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Sticker Shock

2012-02-09T12:59:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago I posted that I would be putting myself first on my own to-do list. I make one every day. It keeps me focused and I enjoy the whole process of writing one out.

I committed to making a section in my Filofax for Nutrisystem and I've got progress to report.

I hacked up the Nutrisystem's Success Daily Planner and (washi) taped it on the section divider because I love the fresh, bright colors and leaf graphic. There's just something so positive about it, happy possibility it says to me and I want to be reminded of that every time I open my Filofax.

And everything is prettier with a little washi tape; especially washi tape with rose buds.

I stalled on the name of the section. I thought about Nutrisystem but the tab's small so I looked around for a sticker because like washi tape, everything can be improved with a sticker.

Well, most of the time, talk about sticker shock.

Did ya ever? No wonder people go on and off and on diets, it's the attitude people have about what a diet is.... This was a random sticker in a pack meant for journaling... I'll take NEGATIVE SELF TALK for $1000, Alex. Yikeroonies!

This was better, but still.... I don't know. I'm changing my life, making all sorts of positive steps. I wanted the title to reflect that.

In the end I went with 'healthy'.

The sticker is boring, yes -- But it's so positive-sounding and has a much better feel. And there's no pig on it.

I don't have the individual sheets figured out but I need to do that today. I have to log My Daily 3!

Today I walked the longest I've ever walked, a mile! I know it's a mile because I charted the whole thing on google maps. It might not seem like much to some people but for me that was a distance I've always driven.

I want to record that in the HEALTHY SECTION. I want to keep my Daily 3 but also a list of non-scale victories - The things that matter. The things that show things are changing, I'm changing.

And I want to be able to keep these kinds of goals, go back to them on days that aren't going so well and get remotivated all over again. I want my own space. A space that I can record the wonderful changes, a place I can grow into.

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If you want to lost weight and get healthy on Nutrisystem click HERE! or call 1-888-853-4689

Click on my favorite way to start the day for more information on how you can have success and donuts for breakfast.

*This post was sponsored by Nutrisystem who is providing me with the food and program materials in exchange for blogging.

Nail Polish(es) of the Day, ICING Glimmer and After Party

2012-02-09T08:01:00.001-05:00

I found an ICING store yesterday and since one can never have too much nail polish (or fake diamond earrings apparently) I went in. ICING's parent company is Claire's but the vibe is mercifully different. When I go into Claire's I feel like I'm being squeezed between the scintillating bands of a migraine aura.

ICING is bright and colorful but without the frantic edge that sends me running out the door searching my purse for Advil.

Claire's goes for the teens and tweens crowd while ICING has a higher price point and a more mature decor; boutiquey. ICING does have a lot of merchandise but it's easy to navigate, Claire's looks like she has to lie down to zip her jeans...

When I say 'higher price point' it's relative, the nail polishes were $4.50, buy one get one half price. Two polishes for $6.25 is less then many brands I consider inexpensive.

I had nine polishes in my little basket (Note: The little --mesh/net-- baskets were fine for earrings but weebles when nail polish was in there. They really need regular baskets.) but decided on two; Glimmer and After Party. I didn't want to be stuck with a gaggle of polish if I hated them but no worries, love them.

Glimmer looks like, hm... You know when the sun shines on a beach and the sand sparkles like diamonds? Well, that's Glimmer. It's a sandy color, stuffed to busting with micro gold glitter.

Here is the bottle against a backdrop of my dog Ventura because everything looks better against a backdrop of my dog...

Glimmer does glimmer.

That is one coat. Amazing coverage for a color like that, and so sparkly. It's not the easiest polish to apply, it's bit thick but it dries VERY fast -- Incredibly fast. All that micro-glitter gives the finish a sandy feel, you will probably want a top coat -- Personally that kind of gritty feeling drives me nuts.

It also has a matte finish but it's so shiny I didn't even notice that for hours.

I put on a second coat and then decided to use the other color because you can never have too much cha-cha-cha.

OMGleamingGoodness! With After Party and a top coat my nails were so bright they threw light prisms onto my palm...

CRAZY!

It was hard to get a shot of After Party that reflected all the colors but imagine dipping your fingers into a metallic foil rainbow and you'll get the idea.

I loved both of these colors. Even though Glimmer was thick it dried very fast, because of that the application was a breeze. After Party is as much fun as a bottle of nail polish can be and my nails are having more fun wearing it then I ever had at a party so, yeah. Love them both.

The brush in Glimmer seems a little wider to me, it could be that the polish was thicker or maybe their brushes vary a bit. I'm a fan of wide brushes so I liked it.

The nail color range is shimmery, glittery and bright for the most part. If you want tons of subtle neutrals - like nine off whites and seven versions of greige, although why would you?... You won't find a lot in their line.

As for me, I will be going back for the other seven polishes soon.

Very, very soon.

Score: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥1/2 out of five hearts

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*Bought everything myself, ICING doesn't know me or my dog.*

Oats every morning, it's a good thing

2012-02-08T10:04:00.001-05:00

Still going strong on my Naturopathica all-inclusive regimen and my skin is smiling; unusual for February. Around this time of year it's normally pretty sad.

The kit I'm using contains a morning and evening cleanser, a daily moisturizer and a full sized Plant Stem Cell treatment ($48 on it's own and a pore-shrinking miracle that I wrote about here ).

My kit, ahem - Age Defense - contains Sweet Lupine Cleansing Cream, Oat Facial Polish, Plant Stem Cell Serum and Vitamin C Revitalizing Complex.

This time around I'm going to discuss the Oat Facial Polish. The website describes it as: Soothing Oats and Jojoba Beads gently sweep away dry, flaky skin, removing impurities and leaving the face soft and radiant.

Apply a pea size amount to moist skin and gently massage. Rinse. Gentle enough for daily use.

SKIN TYPE: All Skin Types

HERO INGREDIENT: Oat Beta Glucan: a biopolymer from Oats that produces excellent sustained moisturization of the skin and improved skin appearance

This is a great scrub, I've used it every day without any negative skin drama in fact; my skin's loving it. The beads are gentle and rinse away entirely. The base is creamy and leaves my skin feeling soft and not stripped.

My skin is definitely less flaky and that is huge, considering it's cold outside and dry inside that's amazing.

The large size Oat Facial Polish is 50$, the whole travel size kit is $65. It's a great try-me offer and well worth it; give your skin some soothing comfort this winter.

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*Naturopathica sent me the age defense kit to try for 30 days, my skin's opinion is it's own.*

Happenstance is sublime and so is stitching...

2012-02-07T19:47:00.001-05:00

Did you ever read the exact right thing at the right time? Happenstance is such cool beans...

Last week I found a quote that wrapped and stuck a bow on my state of mehness; totally explained how I feel. I thought it was winter but Henry might be right, it might be -- Old.

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young." ~ Henry Ford

No idea how Henry knew I've been feeling creaky and flat but I decided to take his advice and learn me something new.

And since I'm so way, way, deep down in the doldrums (I'm measuring my distance from chipper in light years) I wanted to learn something fun. Something bright and cheery, something kinda artistic too. But wacky. Oh. And cheap too. (I won't be picking up gold-leafing any time soon.)

I decided on embroidery.

I always pick up other people's embroidery at thrift stores so I thought, Why not? The supplies are minimal, it's not (all that) time consuming and when I'm done I'll have something concrete. Something I can hold in my hands and feel warm-fuzzy accomplishment about.

I just had to find something fun to embroider. No problem, stitichable fun found at Sublime Stitching. "This ain't your gramma's embroidery!™, they say on their site. And so true.

I bought two heat-transferable patterns, $5 each - and they are on sale for the next few days for half that. CRAZY! - Or should I say, Krazy. I got Krazy Kitchen and Vintage Lamps.

I made my first poke this afternoon on a flour sack kitchen towel.

It's the timer from Krazy Kitchen.

I kinda love it, and not awful for a first try, right?

Can't decide if the timer needs more do-dah and if the towel needs more tarting up, but I will definitively do more embroidery (probably tomorrow). This was way fun, in fact...

I feel younger already.

PS - And because everything is within six degrees of my Filofax, I made an embroidery section in my Filofax using the postcard Sublime Stitching sent with my order.

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Sublime Stitching doesn't know I posted this, I'm just a customer.

Martha Stewart is taking over the world and turning it aqua...

2012-02-04T11:54:00.001-05:00

I'm good with that.

In the last month I've run into Martha twice; in Macy's and Staples. Both times I left with armfuls of aqualicious stuff. I didn't know either place contained Marthaland (the real Magic Kingdom, by the way) within it's walls and when I saw fields of scrumptiousness laid out before me, well, the look on my face was similar to my son's his first time entering Disney.

Marthaland at Macy's was just this side of threadbare and their website doesn't have everything either. Why, is complete mystery to me (marketing? Hello.) and I'm absolutely sure Martha wouldn't see it as a ...Good Thing.

The displays were great even though the shelves weren't full.

These cutting mats were adorable!

I got these kitchen towels, loves. When I look for towels now all I see is plain or striped - sad.

Adorable aqualicious options.

In contrast, Staples had tons of well stocked shelves.

After standing in awe for a while I spun around and squeeled like a six year old girl with a new Pink Glitter Purse.

There is even a planner.

This is Martha's Notebook Land.

And there are all sorts of cute little things that straddle different worlds. These little tags have one foot in Office Supply Land and one in Craft Land.

These are for labeling. Makes a gal just well up...

There is (just) one insert that fit into my Filofax A5 because it has extended 'holes' -- I'm going to send my wish out to the universe that all Martha inserts have extended holes some day. It's a Magic Kingdom where all things are possible.

I didn't go to Staples to visit Marthaland, didn't even know it was there. I went to get Post-it notes which sat right across the aisle from Martha's Office Supply Nirvana.

Looking at Post-it World, I don't know -- the Post-its have all the appeal of preschool art supplies.

What they don't have is finesse... No je ne sais quoi compared to Marthaland.

Score! Martha!

Big , big score...

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Son of my Fine Leather Goods Obsession or What's in My Longchamp?

2012-02-03T09:07:00.001-05:00

In January I posted about a problem I developed with Fine Leather Goods; I blamed it on Filofax. In all fairness, Filofax isn't to blame; I've had purse issues forevah. For example, my Longchamp bag predated my recently accumulated Filofaxi by a good year.

If you haven't heard of a Longchamp; it's a French luxury leather goods company founded in 1948. In 1993, they introduced the Le Pliage line. Huge success not only in France but worldwide. Considering what quality name bags go for, these are doable - with Birthday money in my case, Le Pliage bags run $88 to $155 depending on size.

My Longchamp LM métal is part of the Le Pliage line. Mine's the biggest size before it's defaults to luggage. Fabutasmic color too, Pinky Gold.

Longchamp describes the Métal line as: The most luminous expression of the LM (Longchamp Maroquinerie) range. Designed in cotton fabric with an iridescent sheen, the tote bag, handbag and travel bag offer a style that is both chic and casual, perfect for summer.

And the big size is big, look at it from the side.

I like that in a bag.

The inside is positively reverberant, without my purse organizer the thing echos.

Organized it just -- sings.

My enormous wallet, A5 Filofax and all the pens an art class could want fit handily.

When closed it 's quietly elegant; no one knows there's all the stuff I mentioned plus enough colored pencils for a preschool, fingerless gloves, a camera, more make up then I need, reading material, and assorted tech cords, in there.

No one knows what's in there at all.

Except Ventura.

He's about 6 inches away from downloading his weight in homemade dog cookies and the ziploc bag they are in.

That dog's nose is Einsteinean.

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The Zen of Filofax

2012-02-01T12:18:00.000-05:00

About a week ago, give or take a planner page, Philofaxy polled, "What is the primary use of your Filofax organiser Business or Social? Of the people who responded; 39% said Business, 60% Social."

The comments to the poll weren't as clear-cut -- I can't respond. It's both... Would be a good paraphrase for many comments.

"Both" was my first reaction, not that I have a lot of things slotted as business engagements.

The Vet appointment skirts 'business', a vet being a business. Oh, and I had to leave the house. No pajamas equals business.

The post office is a no pajama zone. Business.

Sleepwear required for this stuff, personal.

Something about my lists peeked though the business/social question; the word zentangle. A few months back I started to-doing things I enjoy when clean the toilet was what I opened my Filofax to, day after day.

An explanation of Zentangles is at the end of the post but in the purest sense, they are doodles. Elevate a doodle and you have something calming. Looking through my Filofax, it's pretty doodled. Filotangles, I guess you could call them.

But when I to-doed the word I meant official Tangles in a separate place. If you've ever done Zentangles you know the problems of working repetitive ink swirls on cheesy, thin (ahem, Filofax) paper. I'll just throw the word laughable out there.

I outsourced.

Guess.

No. Forget it.

You'll never get it.

Miss finch has a two back pockets. One on top and...

A side one for sliding on in. Never would have guessed an entire full-sized Midori Traveler's Notebook would fit back there.

Granted, it makes her a bit of a porker.

Frankenplanner though it may be, it could practical for travelers who need to carry both. For me...

It was about carrying the inserts, Midori paper is great. I stuck a qrid-ruled and kraft paper book back there; both are wonderful for doodleage.

Without the leather wallet Miss Finch fits into her jeans without laying down to zip them.

Reflecting back on the Philofaxy poll, I can't answer. Miss Finch isn't business or social. She's the running tally of my day, a place to write and stick disjointed lists or things that have order and flow. She's a place to log long and short range records and goals. My need-to-be-dones for tomorrow and the year-from-tomorrows both have a place.

Rick and Maria believe life is an art form and they call Zentangles, "an elegant metaphor for deliberate artistry in life." Essentially, my Filofax is a braindump but that term has zero deliberate artistry. Miss Finch and I are leaning towards the more esoteric, A Filofax is the tangible version of my stream of consciousness ...

Elegance and deliberate artistry aside, there is something meditative, even Zen about using a Filofax. Putting pen to paper and taking your time daily, is something lost on a lot of people. I like describing Miss Finch as my Stream of Consciousness, it suits and I think we're gonna go with it.

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Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas created the term Zentangle and their explaination is "is a way of creating beautiful images from repetitive patterns. It is fun and relaxing. Almost anyone can use it to create beautiful images. It increases focus and creativity, provides artistic satisfaction along with an increased sense of personal well being."

One more reason to adopt a greyhound

2012-01-31T14:09:00.002-05:00

They have the best guy liner

More reasons here.

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Boo-yah!

2012-01-31T09:52:00.000-05:00

Had some movement in the scale this week and all I can say about that is ...

Boo-yah!

Uh-huh. Talk to the hand Pounds, cause the face ain't listening.

Or um, something along those lines....

I've been hanging out in the same place for a while, not that that's unusual for me -- Or for anyone -- Weight loss takes some time.

You can't build your definition of success around what you see on the scale (all the time). Nutrisystem did a Daily Dose on the subject back on January, 5th where they said, " When it comes to losing weight, the word "success" can be hard to define."

How Do You See "Success"?

For some, simply choosing to start living healthier can feel like success. But for others, that word is reserved strictly for when the number on the scale reaches goal.

Truth is, there are plenty of things you'll experience on this journey that can and should be recognized as signs of success, from daily achievements to moment you cross that final finish line and beyond. You just need to know how to recognize them.

Because each time you pass that drive–through without turning in equals success. And each day you make the effort to do My Daily 3 equals success. And every time you smile when you see yourself in a mirror equals success.

In fact, every day you spend working toward living a healthier, happier life is nothing short of...success.

So is that right, or is that right? Yeah, you know it is. For today make a list of ways to define success beyond a number.

Start with just following the plan and leave the details to Nutrisystem and before you know it you'll find you've Boo-yahed yourself right into the skinny jeans you got stored away back behind all the other jeans.

If you want to lost weight and get healthy on Nutrisystem click HERE! or call 1-888-853-4689

Click on my favorite way to start the day for more information on how you can have success and donuts for breakfast.

*This post was sponsored by Nutrisystem who is providing me with the food and program materials in exchange for blogging.

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Naturopathica, Age Defense in 30!

2012-01-31T09:08:00.002-05:00

Back in May I tried some of Naturopathica's products and my skin is at it again. This time around you can join me at a great price. Naturopathica has new Regimen Kits made especially for your skin type; Normal to Oily, Normal to Dry or Age Defense.

The all-inclusive regimens cost $65 and contain a morning and evening cleanser, a daily moisturizer and a full sized Plant Stem Cell treatment ($48 on it's own and a pore-shrinking miracle that I wrote about here ).

I started last week and yep, still love the Plant Stem Cell treatment.

It's the best thing for my pores since sliced bread. Um, not that sliced bread is something I use on my pores... That's just a figure of speech.

Combined with the other products (that I've not tried before) a week-in I'm very happy with the results. It's too early for the age-defense part but my make-up is going on better, like a lot-a lot better.

I'm not sure if it's the oat polish that is smoothing away the dry flakes...

or the Stem Cell Treatment with the Vitamin C Revitalizing Complex that makes everything go on so smooth.

Or the combination of the entire regimen.

But things are going much better in the putting on my make-up in the morning department and my make-ups going on much, much better. Plus I'm not using a primer so that is really impressive!

Updates to follow!

Join me in the #30DayNaturopathica natural skin care challenge. Buy a Regimen Kit and

TWEET on the results- have fun!

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*Naturopathica sent me the age defense kit to try for 30 days, my skin's opinion is it's own.*

Organ!zed: New uses for old things

2012-01-30T11:38:00.003-05:00

Decluttering is gut wrenching to me; if I were the kind of person who could sort, cull, and determine what I needed in the first place I wouldn't be sitting in front of a pile of perfectly wonderful things that I paid good money for contemplating throwing it all in the trash.

Over the last year Sephora and I had a little wager going, who can stock the most lip products on their shelves. It wasn't a fair bet, I won handily.

Sephora has stuff coming in and going out, in my case nothing was leaving and you can just gloss so much before your lips all but slide down your chin.

Some of it had to go.

But this morning contemplating my too many EOS lip balms something clicked and I looked up the ingredients:

Olea Europaea (Olive) Fruit Oil*, Beeswax (Cire D'abeille)*, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil*, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil*, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil*, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)*, Stevia Rebaudiana Leaf/Stem Extract*, Tocopherol, Limonene, Linalool. * Organic. Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth.

You know something? Those ingredients look remarkably similar to a twice the price cuticle butter in a little tin with a Bee on it.

prunus amygdalus dulcis (sweet almond) oil, beeswax, citrus medica limonum (lemon) peel oil, theobroma cacao (cocoa) seed butter, euphorbia cerifera (candelilla) wax, beta-carotene, rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) leaf extract, tocopherol, helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil, glycine soja (soybean) oil, canola oil, vegetable oil.

So I tried it and yep, EOS Sweet Mint Lip Balm works great as a cuticle treatment, leaves your hands minty fresh - I kinda like that - and you can throw it in a purse, the top is secure. The egg shaped-product is so easy to use on the cuticle area, no need to dip your finger in the product.

And how pretty is it next to China Glaze's For Audrey?

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Filofax changeover leaves whole house spent

2012-01-29T14:39:00.000-05:00

I took a few photos of Mr. Malden Friday night whilst we were belting back Green Tea Lattes at Starbucks. After posting them to Pinterest I told Mr. M, "Getting a bit paunchy around the old rings, eh?"

Upon further inspection they weren't even rings but 30 mm love handles.

I carry more then I need because there is room and it's time to take Miss Finch off the shelf for a work out.

First, I assessed the situation and no, I don't need to-to sheets back to the beginning of time no matter how pretty they are.

I took a metric poop-ton of months out.

Next I took out the clear sheets where the flags, tags and arrows sat armed and ready for organizing battle...

I do need my little post-it soldiers so I found a smaller solution.

This is a used up SIM card card and...

... this is a used up gift card. One is punched higher and works as the top tab for my Year on One Page calendar. They each hold enough tabs for emergancy on-the-go postitting.

The Vacation postcards went, some will probably go back but this was a brutal cut. No room for sentimentality this round.

The clear envelopes...

This one went TTFN.

I kept the rest in, even though they amount to entertainment, so much for brutality.

I didn't know what to do with the overview calendar but ended up leaving it in. Maybe it will be useful.

I made a new section recently for crafts and I left that in. I wanted everything I've collected so far. It seemed like a good start on a valuable section.

And I left the business cards in too. I have a lot ( too many ) and if push comes to shove some may have to go when I make my Nutrisystem section.

I don't like the back mesh pocket but it's a pocket and I. Must. Have. My. Stickers. With. Me. At. All. Times. That's a given.

And I left the other clear zip thing in not that there's a thing in there that meets the 'need' category.

Mr. M is storing my old sheets and probably my unused sheets when I get around to putting them in. I'd forgotten how much more leathery Miss Finch feels as opposed to Mr. M's distinct Naugahydiness.

He feels like this wacky neon orange sofa of dubious, plastic origin I once knew in the 1970's.

Ginger was underwhelmed by the whole transfer and slept through it.

Ventura bolted from the room twice during the change over. The sound of Filofax rings opening and closing sends him running. I have no explanation for why that noise frightens a 75 pound dog out of a sound sleep.

All I can say is he's spent from the stress of it.

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Organ!zed: Pyrex

2012-01-27T08:17:00.000-05:00

Over the last few years some okay, a lot of Pyrex has come into my home. At first my family didn't mind, we didn't have enough serving bowls.

But the bowls continued to show up.

I loved my concentric stacks of colorful love. My family didn't understand the obsession and resented their circular glass rivals that now covered all horizontal surfaces. The second to the last straw were the fridgies.

"Who wants little square bowls?" they asked.

This tall, red tower was the last straw.

They didn't get my "performance art"explanation.

"They came with the lids", knowing that had to be a tipping point for any rational being. "Who would not buy them, tell me. Who?" The blank stares told me all I needed to know but they continued, "Get rid of those stupid things."

Faced with Pyrex annihilation I started using them.

And it was the perfect solution. They make great salad bowls.

Marinating in zip bags is perfect but I still need to put the bag in something; leaking poultry sets my OCD's teeth on edge. A big Pyrex bowl is the perfect size for marinating an entire chicken (in the fridge,please).

Next, I starting organizing with them. I store things that need to be out; shallots, onions...nanners...

But the best thing happened the day I almost dewormed myself.

It was obvious I had to find a way to separate the dog meds from my meds and everything from my vitamins.

Voilà y'all!

All of a sudden my family was oh! So happy with me! There was nothing on the counters, everyone could find what they needed and I got to keep most of my Pyrex.

And okay, I still have a few pieces considered fine art that my family can only admire from afar.

But at least I've stopped buying lamps. They have to give me that...

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