Hello Monday and Hello March! ♥

Good Monday morning! ♥

 I'm starting this Monday off with my usual Maxwell house coffee and a cinnamon donut.  My Dad always picks up Dunkin Donuts after church on Sunday mornings. I saw this beauty still in the box this morning so I scooped it up before someone else did. I don't mind day old donuts because they are perfect for dunking.  It's just what I needed to start the week. As you have probably heard me say, Monday's and I aren't besties.  Donuts help : ) 

Well, happy March friends!  It's hard for me to believe it's almost the start of a new season...without my mom.  Time is marching on.  This past weekend I put away the last of my winter decorations and brought out spring.  Where Easter is in March this year, St Patrick's Day and Easter and getting a bit mashed together, but that's OK.  I thought about my mom a lot as I decorated.  How the season will be different.  I'm hosting Easter this year and I think she would be so happy about that.  I wish she was here. I really do. 

It's been warmer these last few weeks and it's getting lighter! We are only a week away from Daylight savings but I can already see a difference.  It's not so dark in the morning and it's still light out while I'm cooking dinner. 

We're getting there ♥

I saw the first signs of life in the yard too! These are daffodils. They will be blooming by Easter.  How lovely to think about that.  This winter has been so dreary, I'm looking forward to seeing color for a change.   Flowers make everything just a little bit better, don't you think?  

♥

Speaking of flowers, look at this beautiful table my mother in law set for us last week?  We stopped over for lunch and a catch up.  She made us meatball sandwiches (that were delicious!) and we talked for a long time.  I love a long lunch.  They don't happen enough these days.  

I'm so very grateful for my in laws.  We are going out to dinner with them on Saturday night for a very belated anniversary dinner (for our 25th that was in October).  I'm just excited to get together.  We picked a nice restaurant and are going to dress up.  

I need to find an outfit 👗to wear. 

In other news....♥

John is in a Beatles phase right now.  He loves music. All music.  From Perry Como to Harry Styles. I’ve never seen such variety in music taste before.  I love it.  As of late he’s listening to the Beatles.  And when I say “listening to” what I mean is “studying”.  He studies.  The music.  How it’s written and played.  It’s what I hear coming down the halls. It echoes through the house.  It’s nice. It’s the soundtrack of my life this week.  Today I woke up to Yesterday and Let it Be. I drank coffee to Hey Jude (one of my favorites). On the way to school I heard Blackbird and I almost cried because it was so beautiful. I love it when as song does that to me. What a gift they gave us.

 On Saturday we stopped by the music store so John could get at replacement guitar string. We were there for over an hour.  I used to bring him here for drum lessons for years when he was in elementary school. 

Now he plays guitar and piano as well. He has had amazing music teachers who have taught him so much and I really feel it's affected everything in his life.  

.

Lately he's been talking about a career in music.  

Who knows what the future holds, but I'm excited for him ♥

Here's a rare selfie of me at work last week.  I was in a good mood because it was warm out and I was wearing polka dots! LOL

♥

 

After work I treated myself to a Shamrock Shake at McDonalds!  I don't go there much anymore but there are certain things I must have.  And in March it's a Shamrock Shake and a fish sandwich.  I'll go back at least one more time before Easter! 

 

And here's how we spent our Sunday.  Did you know you could "check out" puzzles at the library? You can! Which is the perfect solution to the question "what do I do with it once it's done?"  Return it!  This one is 1000 pieces and Rob thinks I'm crazy, but really, we are all enjoying working on it together. 

We started this one yesterday while watching the We are the World documentary on Netflix.  Have you watched it yet? It's excellent!!! And will take you right back to the 80's! :)

♥

Well, I'm off now to get some work done now.  I'm all cozy and settled in my home office today.  I've got a pot roast in the crock pot bubbling away for dinner tonight (what a feeling that's done!) and I'm just about to pour myself another cup of coffee.  Happy Monday friends! Thank you for visiting.  I'll be posting on here much more often now and I'll be visiting your blogs too.  I've been busy the last few weeks with things around the house and (UGH) taxes.  Thankfully all that is done now ✔ 

I'm thankful to have this space to share with you ♥

Be back soon! Byeeeeee! xo

Current Favorite Makeup Products: Winter Edition ♥

 

Hello Friends! ♥ 

Today I thought I would share with you some of my favorite makeup products I'm currently loving.  It seems these days my skin is constantly changing.  What used to look good on me (or what I thought did) suddenly doesn't.  I'm constantly switching products and what I'm showing you today may not be what I'll be using in six months. I don't necessarily mind that though.  I enjoy trying new products and in the beauty world there is never a shortage of new things to try! 

The weather has a lot to do with it as well.  These days I go lighter in the summer and don't need as much coverage.  Since we are in the thick of winter right now, you are getting the full glam.  This pasty faced girl needs color if you know what I mean! 

As with my skin care, I don't like to spend a ton of money.  Yes I do love Sephora, but there is so much to choose from at CVS too!  It's all about balance :)

Here are a few of my current favorites:

I should have included this sunscreen in my skin care post, because that's what it really is - not makeup.  I use it everyday under my foundation.  I like the Supergoop glow screen.  It has a 40 SPF and is slightly tinted to give a pearly glow.  I really love it.  

For the past year I've been using the Loreal Visible Lift (because that's what I need - a visible lift! :) foundation (I wear #144).  It has another layer of sunscreen in it and an anti-aging serum in it.  Can't hurt! It goes on nice and smooth and I apply it with a beauty blender.  For an undereye concealer (which I forgot to photograph) I've been using the Cover Girl Instant Age Rewind (in #110).  Just a few dots will do it.  I lightly set with the Elf Halo Glow translucent setting powder.  No more caking on thick powder.  That's a definite no-no. 

Something I never did in my 20's or even in my 30's is contour.  Apparently now it's a thing.  I tried it and was pleased with the results! I've been using the Wet & Wild Bronze stick and really like it.  In addition to just a blush on my cheeks, contour brings a lot of warmth to my face. This one is called Where's Walnut.  (the names kill me....:) 

For blush I like the Ilia cheek and lip stick (It's called At Last).  I actually got a sample of this at Sephora and liked it so much I purchased the big size.  I've been using it as blush and lip color.  

I love it!!

I probably have way too many eye shadows that I need or will ever wear.  Currently I'm into the Laura Mercier caviar sticks.  They glide on so easily and I just smooth them out with my finger.  This one is called Moonlight.  It's subtle.  I never want to overdo it.  I'm going food shopping not to the Academy Awards! 

however...

also note that even at almost 50 I have no issues with shimmer & sparkle : ) 

I never leave the house without eyeliner.  Since I was in my 20's I've been lining the top of my lids but never the bottom.  I don't know why, it's just what I do.  I love the Maybelline Percise All Day liner (always black!).  The tip is like a very thin sharpie.  Honestly, I don't know how long I'll be able to get away with this look but I'm going for it as long as I can. 

I've always loved Loreal mascaras! I really think they are the best and even the upscale brands aren't as good.  Voluminous is the original and I think the best one (again...black!).  

For brows I like Loreal also.  The Brow Stylist in dark brown is perfect for me. One ordinary day a few years ago I woke up, took a look in the mirror, and discovered I had no brows.  I feel like it happened overnight! Well, not really but it was time to do something.  Brows can be tricky because if you go too heavy you may end up looking like Joan Crawford and that's not the look I'm going for.  I have to make sure I've had enough coffee and am fully awake before doing my brows! 

With the Ilia lip color, if I'm in the mood to boost it up a notch, I line my lips with a Flower Beauty lipliner.  I currently have this one called Blush in my makeup bag.  The color is very springy and I feel like I'll be wearing it a lot in the coming months. I really love lip glosses too but in the winter I find myself reaching for Chapstick over lip gloss!  

And that's pretty much it for this old face these days.  It may seem like a lot but I am trying to apply things with a lighter hand (more so than I used to).  I've also tried to phase out most powders and switched to creams.  I think that's helped my skin a lot over the past few years and looks better on me as I age.

I've been wearing makeup for so long that without it I just don't feel like myself. Who am I without eyeliner? I have no idea.  I believe these days whatever we can do to make ourselves feel good and lift our spirits, I say do it.  So if a new lipstick or eye shadow is all it takes, even better.  Some days I am literally dragging myself out of bed (for real) and once I push myself to get ready and put my "face" on, I feel better.  It's like I'm ready to face the day.  

One last piece of advice I would like to add is to NOT feel pressure to follow current trends.  There is so much online content from beauty influencers telling us what we should and should not be doing. It drives me crazy because what works for one person may not work for another.  Everyone is different and everyone's technique is different, so do whatever makes you feel your best.  You can't go wrong with that approach.  Makeup is supposed to fun and make you feel good.  

And that's all I have to say about that.  For now! : ) 

Have a great day friends!  xoxo

♥

Hi, how was your weekend? : )

Hello Friends! ♥

It's Monday already. The weekends go by so fast, don't they.  I'm so scatterbrained lately I can hardly remember what I did this morning, but I'm going to have a cup of coffee and share a few bits of my weekend with you. 

Dare I say it, I'm not a huge football/Superbowl person.  Not to say the people that live in my house are not - THEY ARE - but....put it this way...I tuned in to see Reba sing the National Anthem, checked out, then tuned in later before bed to see Taylor hugging her beau and that was that. I'm good.  But congratulations to KC and SF for making it that far.  I can only imagine the amount of pressure they must feel.  I for one could never handle it! 

I did make chicken wings for dinner and viewed a few of the commercials this morning which I enjoyed, so I'm not a complete humbug when it comes to the Superbowl : )  

 

 I had a few carrots in the fridge that I wanted to use up so I decided on carrot cake muffins.  I saw someone making these on YouTube last week and I couldn't get them out of my head.  I know it's Valentine's week  and I should have chocolate on the brain but these are so good and put me in a spring mood!  It was 55 degrees and sunny on Saturday!  GORGEOUS! Is spring around the corner? Apparently not because there is a snow storm on it's way predicting 6-12 inches of snow to be dumped on my front lawn tomorrow.  Ugh.  

Anyway, back to the cupcakes...♥

I did have these cute little cupcake wrappers tucked away in my pantry and I decorated them with red and pink sprinkles.  Honestly, a dessert is a dessert around here and it's gonna get eaten no matter what it looks like, so despite them not being chocolate, I called them Valentine cupcakes! No one seemed to mind : ) 

The recipe is from Sally's Baking Addition.  Everything she does is GOLD.

*Recipe here*

Thank you Sally. They are yummy! Especially the cream cheese frosting ♥

Yesterday I had the loveliest afternoon catching up with an old friend.  When I say old, what I mean is she's my oldest friend. We were neighbors since birth and probably spent everyday day of our childhood together, playing Barbie Dolls, riding bikes, swinging on swings, and doing all the fun things kids used to do before electronics, for years and years and years. There's something very special about a childhood history with someone, don't you think♥ 

We went to a kindness seminar together and did a craft afterwards.  We spent the whole time chatting and catching up.  It was so fun and filled my heart with joy!  

In other news....and I apologize if this is TMI but I think it's important to talk about... I survived my first colonoscopy on Friday.  Did I enjoy it? NO.  Was it pleasant? NO.  Am I glad it's over? YEEEES!  

I had rescheduled it for one reason or another at least 3 times over the past year.  I finally bit the bullet and got it over with.  I'm so relieved it's done and I'm happy to say I got an A+ on my report card! 

After not eating for over 24 hrs every meal feels like a feast to me.  Even tea and toast.  I picked myself up some delicious marmalade last week that I am obsessed with on toast.  I ate it twice over the weekend. Pure comfort on a plate ♥

 

My sweet sweet IG friend Marica sent me the most generous care package with some lovely books in it.  We've been talking a lot about life and loss and grief lately.  She is a treasure, so it's so appropriate that she sent me this DARLING book of tiny pleasures!  

I've been pouring over it for days ♥

Every page makes me smile! ♥

And lastly I will leave you today with these lovely vintage Valentines that I have scattered all over my house.  

The Victorians really knew how to make things pretty, didn't they?  ♥

Have a wonderful Monday my dear friends! I'm off to get Valentine cards for my family and a nice big box of Russell Stovers Chocolates for my Dad.  Like I said, we are supposed to get snow tomorrow so I need to get all my errands done today so I can keep cozy during the storm.  Hopefully, we'll all have a snow day.  

Thanks for stopping by today.  I hope you are well! ♥

Current Skin Care Routine: Winter Edition ♥

Hello Lovely Friends!  ♥

Today I wanted to share with you a few of my current favorite skin care products.  Now,  I am by NO MEANS any kind of beauty expert.  I am, however, a person that loves products and have tried a lot of them.  I've always loved makeup and as I've gotten older I've discovered that how we take care of our skin under the makeup is much more important that what we put on top of it.  I shutter to think about 15 year old me going to bed with a full face of foundation and Coty powder caked on top.  No wonder I broke out all the time.  Yikes! 

Another thing I've discovered is that my skin is constantly changing, so I adapt what I use on my face to my current needs.  In the winter I have very dry skin, so I need products with lots of hydration.  Also, in times of stress it definitely shows on my face, so I need a little extra TLC to take the edge off.  Since September I've been doing weekly eye masks and that has helped.  When my mother first went into the hospital I developed huge red itchy dry patches under my eyes.  I know it was stress related.  Hydrating eye patches and petroleum jelly helped, also drinking lots of water (which I need to be better at!). 

I don't feel it's necessary to spend tons of money on skin care.  Most of what I use are drugstore products. I've found that they mostly do the same thing as high end products and what we are paying for is pretty packaging.  

Here is my current line up.  At the moment it's working and keeping my skin hydrated. 

 

Every night before bed I remove my makeup with Aveeno face wipes.  This is one of my favorite things I do all day.  It feels SO good and leaves my skin extremely soft.  They are very gentile and don't smell like alcohol!  

 ♥

I cleanse my face with an Olay cleanser, pat it dry, and spray with Thayer's toner.  

Next up is Neutrogena's Hydroboost Glow Primer Serum.  Up to recently I had never heard of hyaluronic acid.  It sounds like something I'd put in my car radiator.  After my bad breakout last fall I did a little research and it turns out hyaluronic acid is one of the best things you can use on your skin. Some if it's benefits are anti aging, helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles, is moisturizing, and can treat facial redness.  Of course everyone's skin is different but for me, it's really helped.  I like this one because I trust Neutrogena products and it was affordable. ($20) ♥

I wanted to incorporate a Vitamin C serum into my routine. I found this one at Marshalls. 

**Side note, Marshalls and TJ Maxx are amazing places to get affordable skin care products!!**

This Findley serum has vitamin C and rose oil in it. It's another layer of hydration that firms skin, locks in hydration, and gives a healthy glow. Its also smells really nice! ($6 at Marshalls!)  ♥

I went without using eye cream for many years.  Now that I'm almost 50 I can see the signs of aging, especially around my eyes.  Dark circles are the very bane of my existence.  Every article I've read recommends a retinol eye cream.  So here I am.  I chose the Neutrogena line again.  I've been using this eye cream for over a year now and I really love it.  I use the littlest dabs around my eyes and press it in with my ring finger.  This is one of the most expensive products I buy but because I use so little it lasts a very long time. ($29) ♥

The moisturizer I'm currently using is good old tried and true Oil of Olay Regenerist.  I've tried other brands and always come back to Olay.  I can remember using the pink liquid back in the 80's so I've got a nostalgia thing happening.  I figured they've been around since 1952 so they must be doing something right!  It's so light (like whip cream).  I love the way it feels on my skin. ($30) ♥

The last step I do before bed (and you're not going to believe me but it's 100% true) is put a little Vaseline on my undereye area and on my eyelid.  Bare with me!  It locks everything in.  I swear this works!  It's soothing on my eyes, makes everything soft, and the next day when I put my makeup on I don't have any creasing. This many not work for everyone, but for me I feel like it's my little secret weapon : )  ♥

Two other MVP products that save me.... first is a face roller.  Mine is rose quarts.  I do the roller thing across my face in the morning in between moisturizing and putting on my makeup.  I read that by doing this it helps your skin absorb the products better. I roll it in an upward motion on my cheeks and then use the smaller end under and over my eyes.  It also helps with puffiness and plumps up the skin.  Some people put theirs in the fridge to keep it cold.  I don't do that but trust me, the roller is always freezing.  This is very therapeutic and feels really good, especially after a hot shower.  Who knows if it's even doing anything but honestly I don't care.  It's become a ritual : ) ♥

And here are the current eye patches I'm using.  I do them at least once a week.  The brand I really love is call Lost Baggage (haha) but they are always sold out at CVS!!  These rose gold ones are very good too.  It's just to give the under eye area a little bit of TLC.  I figure if I'm good to it, it will be good to me (fingers crossed!). ♥

 ♥

And that's my current skin care routine.  It's nothing fancy but it's getting me through this bitter cold winter.  Later in the week I will share my current favorite make up products.  

I hope you are all having a wonderful week so far.  Remember to drink water and get lots of sleep too! (I'm talking to myself here, as well as you! : )

Stay cozy and safe my friends! ♥

Byeeeeee! xoxo 

And That was January... ♥

Hello Friends! Happy February 1st  ♥

It's been cold and dreary here and never in my life have I wanted spring so badly. Last week I treated myself to some flowers.  It's helped my winter blues.  How pretty are these?!  It's amazing what a $10 bouquet from the grocery store can do!  

Yesterday we celebrated Rob's birthday.  He requested dinner at home and chocolate cake.  Easy!

It's been a tough year for me and he's been by my side supporting me every step of the way.  I was happy to celebrate HIM last night.  

♥

He's the best.  He does so much for John and I.  I couldn't be more grateful.  

Happy Birthday Rob!! xo 

So far we've had a little snow this winter (enough for me to have some fun) but nothing that's really stuck around.  It's been mostly rain. I'm still waiting for at least one BIG storm.  If it has to be winter, let's make it worth it.  

♥

It's been freezing cold though.  Thankfully we've been keeping cozy by the wood stove.  My Dad likes to make the fires.  You can feel it throughout the whole house.  It's nice.  My mom used to love a fire in the woodstove.  The smell of the fire reminds me of her. 

♥

And speaking of cozy I have to tell you about the loveliest brunch Rob and I went to at our friends house on Saturday.  First of all you know how much I love brunch!!  And secondly (and more importantly) it was so nice to be out with friends again, seeing them, and having conversations, laughing & telling stories.  It felt good. I'm getting there ♥

Dave & Lisa have the coziest home.  Lisa shares my love of teapots and white twinkle lights around the kitchen window.  She had the prettiest table set with her grandmother's china.  I like to think that many many wonderful times were had around these beautiful dishes. We had delicious food! Lisa served quiche, oven baked bacon, Dave's homemade coffee cake, and my friend Jan brought baked French toast which was to-die-for! 

Not pictured is a cheesecake that I made (Susan Branch recipe!) which I covered with strawberries and forgot to take a picture of : )   

I was looking through my camera roll over the past month and noticed that the majority of my picutres were of food! It makes sense since it was so cold we hardly went out.  We stayed in and ATE :)

Here's a little round up of some of my favorite things I made in January: 

♥

Chicken Florentine with mushrooms ♥

American Chop Suey (a childhood favorite) ♥

Another round of Chicken Soup from when we were sick! ♥

This bread which I still can't believe I made ♥

Chicken thighs with roasted carrots ♥

Banana bread - I need to make more of this! ♥

French onion pork chops ♥

Ina Garten's Roasted Chicken with lemons and onions for Rob's birthday dinner.  I made chicken stock with the leftovers this morning ♥

Rob's chocolate birthday cake! ♥

(not pictured Brigham's chocolate chip ice cream : ) 

Valentine cookies courtesy of The Pillsbury Doughboy.  

♥

And my most favorite of all was a meal I did NOT make.  Yesterday after work I took myself out to lunch at Panera Bread (table for one!)  and got a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup.  It was heavenly and just what I needed after a busy day. 

♥

And that's a wrap on January.  Life keeps moving on and I'm just trying to keep up.  

Happy February Friends! We are getting closer to spring everyday ♥