Reading: Book Review - Abandon by Meg Cabot

Abandon by Meg Cabot

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Summer 2012 can't come fast enough!!! Loved it!

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Abandon is a modern retelling of the Hades & Persephone myth. It falls into the YA paranormal romance genre, so if you liked Twilight (I love Twilight, but Abandon is not nearly as sappy.) you'll like this one. (Romantic Angst - Holla!) All of the characters are so well-rounded, and interesting. This book is the first of a trilogy (Do publishers even offer one-book deals anymore?), but unlike many books I've read lately, there is more than enough story to go the distance. So many questions are left to be answered, but the book is satisfying in its own right. The sequel, Underworld, is due to be released next summer. I might die of anticipation before then. I read this book in one day this weekend, and liked it so much I turned around and read it again the next day.

Love these...

Something you should know - I love {love, love, love} makeup. From the time I got the go ahead from my parents that I could wear it - I was twelve, and told all my friends, so they all bought me some for my birthday. (You know the 50 colors for $2.50 sets. I looked like a clown for months!) Through my teen years when I dug loose change out of the couch cushions to buy the latest issue of Seventeen. Right up to today when my pulse picks up a bit whenever I walk into the makeup section at Target. Love it.


So I am excited about two new (to me) products that I love and can't live without.

This is a face primer. I've been looking for an affordable one for over a year - ever since I read The Five Minute Face by Carmindy. (You know, the makeup artist from What Not To Wear. It's a fun book, and if you love makeup, too, it's worth the read.)

I. Love. It.

It does amazing things for under-eye dark circles, not to mention that when my skin decides to be nice to me, I can use it all by itself without foundation. On the days I can't, it does lovely things to make everything else go on smoother.

The other thing I love isn't really makeup, but it is for your face, so I'm counting it. That's a microdermabraision kit. Microdermabraision is a thirty-something's best friend. There are lots of different kinds. I have this one, and love it, the effect lasts for days. I'm talking baby-butt smooth. Smooooth.

I'd like to think my makeup skills are a little stronger now, but one person's smokey eye is another person's Tammy Fae Baker, so it's all relative.

As a last mention, another book that is fabulous is Kevin Aucoin's Making Faces. What that man could do with a brush was absolute magic.

I feel like I've written "makeup" about 4,000 times in this post. So here's one more - Hooray for Makeup!

Running: The Cure for the Common Cankle

Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving and Not Lose Your Job, Family, or Sanity by Dimity McDowell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


As a beginning runner this book provided fantastic inspiration and advice. I've already gone back and started reading it again to keep me motivated. However, I think anyone with more than a 10K under their belt would find this book charming for the anecdotes, but not necessarily full of information they don't already know. But it's great to know there are women out there who find a way to make running part of their lives, and can show us newbies how to do it, too.

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I've been wanting to read this book since I saw the review in the newspaper, and it was so worth the $10 I spent for it!

I finally feel well enough (after battling some health problems for the last year) to give running (read: walk/jogging) another try. (Yay! Go me!) And it has been awesome! (Apart from the gasping and sweating and soreness.) The best part? I'm finally getting some much-needed definition in my calves. One day soon I will be able to wear my high heels without looking like there are tree stumps shoved into them. Yes, my friends, running is the cure for the common cankle. Even being a competetive swimmer in my youth did nothing for the definition in my calves, but running has in just a couple of weeks. I have high hopes for this new fitness obsession of mine. I will post pictures just as soon as there is something worth seeing - so it may be a while. :)

And two months later, I'm back...Again

I have been M.I.A. the last two months, but I have a good reason... I went back to work! (I guess this means I have to change the tag line of the blog.) Yes, our pocketbook has been a sad victim of the economy, too. It's just really hard to keep a family of five on one income. Those of you who do it I admire you SO much, and am so jealous!

The good news is that I was able to resume my former position at the company I left two years ago, so it was kind of like going home again. And I've enjoyed the new balance this change has forced me to find. While I miss watching the local lifestyle shows in the morning, I like the do it now-ness of my new situation. I've discovered a support system I didn't fully realize I had, and the self-esteem (and paycheck) that comes along with working is great.

I don't know how much time I'll have to blog - not that I did it that frequently before - but I have tons of post ideas, so hopefully, I'll be able to still squeeze in blogging. Thanks for your patience.

Cooking: Melonade

Wow. It is clearly not Tuesday, but it has taken me this long to recover from the events of the weekend. So here is the recipe I promised for Melonade. A cool refreshing summer sipper. I got the recipe off a TV station website over six years ago, and just this past month tried it. It is yummy, but there was no one to attribute credit to, so if this is yours, kudos, and sorry I can't recognize you!

The ingredients: (pretty simple, huh.)

Start with 2 cups of cubed watermelon.

(I just love how the food coordinates with the wall!)

Next add 1 pint (aka 2 cups) strawberries (fresh or frozen).

(Check out the artfully arranged strawberries, just in case you couldn't recognize them in the blender.)

Add 1/3 cup lemon juice.

(and, no, my hand is not as deformed as it looks)

Add 1/2 cup sugar - yep, there goes the illusion of a health drink

(Boy am I glad I got the powdered nacho cheese out from under my nails)

Now blend.

Then add 2 cups of ice cubes. (Can anyone tell me how the heck you are supposed to measure cups of ice cubes when they are so bulky?)

And blend again. (or if your blender is anything like mine - blend and blend and blend - stick in a spoon to unclog the bulky ice - and blend and blend)

Then fill 'er up!

The original recipe says to "garnish with mint leaves, melon, or berries." Whatever.

I say stick a straw in it (even if you have to scrounge the bottom of the drawer and only find the Easter straws) and enjoy!

Now try to get "Margaritaville" out of your head, and if you figure out how to do that, please let me know.

Extended Weekend

I'm taking an extended weekend starting today - tons of stuff going on - but I'll be back Tuesday with an amazing summer drink!

Decorating/Crafting: Decoupage Letters

It was my niece's birthday earlier this month. She turned three and moved into her "big girl bed" complete with new sheets, bedspread, etc. So for her present, I really wanted to do something that would go along with her big girl room, and I've been wanting to decoupage letters for a while now. So she, lucky girl, was my guinea pig.

I got some of the prefab wooden letters at Joann's (On sale! Score!) And I even got the pre-primed ones, and then let my natural laziness roll, and didn't even paint them.

A few foam brushes and some decoupage medium later...

...And I had this.

I traced the letters onto the scrapbook paper, cutting them a little smaller, but it still wasn't quite small enough because the paper stretched when the glue got it wet! Grrr! Next time I will work with tiny pieces of paper, and layer and tear them more like traditional decoupage.

Anyway, when it was all said and done, it turned out pretty cute, and my niece was excited to see her name all spelled out when she opened her present.