Oh, how I've waited!

Last month, my friend Tiffany sent me a link about Birchbox.  In a total I-just-changed-the-grossest-diaper-in-the-world-and-I-have-no-one-to-whom-I-can-lament moment of self-pity, I signed up.

B/c every girl needs a little treat now and then. . . or once a month.

And b/c I could never, ever afford most of this stuff!

Today, I crept out onto the porch to check the mail after putting Harper down for her nap and almost loudly reversed the calming routine that had just taken place when I saw that...

My very first Birchbox arrived!

After filling out a short questionnaire about my preferences so they know what I'll like, I get a box full of new and exciting beauty samples!

For $10, I get this little slice o' Heaven:

Hello Kitty rain boot not included. I couldn't bear to crop out its cuteness.

Jouer Moisturizing Tint. It's almost sparkly, but not quite. Two different colors.

Serge Lutens Nuit de cellophane perfume. $120/bottle. It smells delicious and..expensive.

This shrinks the visibility of pores and wrinkles and.. well.. I've been furrowing my brow for 27 years. . .

Super cute, ridiculously heavy card stock from Tiny Prints.

Champagn-y sparkly lip gloss.

A pretty big sample of lotion that smells like something I'd like to eat.

All together now.. Sigh. Until next month.

ringing the bell of earthy desires

Each New Year's Eve, the Japanese have a tradition that I'll get behind in a very American, Spring cleaning sort of way. 

They clean their homes and throw out old stuff. Most businesses and their employees spend the last day of the year doing the same thing. 

They end the day with long noodles (to signify crossing over form one year to the next) and then a big cast iron bell is rung 108 times for each of the earthly desires Buddhists believe to cause suffering.

The purpose is to welcome the new year with a clean slate - including people's minds and bodies.

So today I'm cleaning, making an unspeakably large donation of "stuff" to Goodwill, being exceedingly thankful that we had the resources to purchase, use and re-purpose said "stuff" and tonight I think we'll have.. spaghetti.

..And here, I'm therapeutically listing my current earthly desires.  . . . for which I feel a twinge of Scarlett O'Hara suffering, because what I have now is good enough and I won't buy more:

Lemon & Juniper Breeze candles - 2 for $20, right now. How Springy!

China Glaze Knotty Nauticals Starboard and OPI Texas Collection Houston We Have a Purple:

Sewing machine - This one, specifically. Laugh it up:

Cookware in funky colors, like this vintage Club Aluminum dutch oven & a Le Creuset loaf pan:

...and a set of calligraphy pens:

In which consumerism makes me first-kiss giddy.

Under the cover of a dusky dawn, the cheetah stalks her prey. Clad in unassuming Ralph Lauren oxford and mom clogs, she blends in among the wares. Is that a towel display or the huntress poised to pounce on the 90% off Valentine's display of Target?

On the day after Valentine's Day, Harper and I stalked, but things were only 50% off. I resisted all but two throw pillows ($2.50 each) for Harper to play with on the floor & an oblong plastic-y striped tablecloth ($5.00) for crafts and finger paint.  Mostly, we planned our attack.

Yesterday afternoon, as Harper sat sneezing and snotty in a state only rectified by back-to-back episodes of Team Umizoomi, and Brandon toiled away next to her on a take-home test, I made my move.

I slipped out quietly and before either one needed a sippy cup refill or a sandwich missed me, I was home with these.  Ignore the awkward hand placement.  That's how I roll.

Products I Love

I've always fancied Oprah's Favorite Things.  In college, I skipped class to watch it. . . but then, I would skip class for nearly any reason.  Then, I would go out and buy items from the list (b/c OMG, yes.. I am that easily manipulated by advertisement). I love the idea of a compilation of items that make a person's day-to-day a little sweeter. Since I am the only person (besides Brandon.. hey, you!) that'll ever read this, it'll help me not forget them.  Because I do that.

1. Brandon's Thorlo Socks.  I usually buy him a couple pairs a year because they're so freaking expensive and I buy them because he loves them.  Not until this morning have I actually put them on my feet.  It's like walking on a cloud.




2. Cheap coffee dressed up with fancy creamer and whipped cream in a pressurized can.  After my little alarm clock of a toddler goes off about 6:00 a.m., this is my second coherent thought, the first of which being, "Please God, let it be at least 6:00 a.m."

3. OPI nail polish colors Lincoln Park after Dark and You Don't Know Jacques. Even in the grocery store at 7:00 a.m. in sweats and a ponytail, it's hard not to feel both trendy and bad ass wearing either.  Recently, I purchased a bottle of Lincoln Park after Dark for a friend in advance of a huge presentation. The stuff is lacquer courage.

4. Harper's Doug & Melissa wooden play food.  It's cute and stylish and actually looks great in our kitchen. She loves it all, but the stick of butter and small fish receive highest honors.  Most nights, Brandon and I find the fish and butter in our bed.

5. Harper's pajamas.  There is nothing more snuggly than a baby in one-piece, fleece, footed pajamas.  I cry every time she outgrows a pair.

6. Dermablend concealer.  I've been putting this stuff under my eyes since high school, thanks to congenitally dark circles (thanks, Dad!). Before Harper slept through the night, it was the only thing that made me resemble myself in any way.  Otherwise, I struck a remarkable resemblance to how I think I'd look after doing hard time in prison.

7. Tide Total Care Detergent. This stuff smells like the beach and I love it so much that I don't even dread doing laundry.  Ok, I still dread it, but I love the way the clothes smell.


8. Dove go fresh Energize body wash with grapefruit and lemongrass. This product reminds me of our trip to Ft. Lauderdale last May.  Everything in our hotel smelled like lemongrass and I loved it so much that I couldn't bear to wash our dirty clothes for a week.  This scent embodies relaxation and warm weather and long walks with Brandon and a baby's first time in a swimming pool, wearing a watermelon bathing suit.

9. Super Mario Brothers 3. Brandon downloaded it onto our Wii and I play every night after Harper goes to bed.  I am terrible and he thinks it's funny and I love hearing Brandon laugh when Mario commits suicide by jumping straight into a hole he's jumped into 10 40 times already.




10. Cameras with film. I've recently started using Brandon's old Canon with a huge, super awesome lens to take pictures of Harper during the day.  I love not knowing exactly what I caught until we get the pictures back.  They are unbelievably crisp.  Brandon says he likes them because they are an accurate representation of Harper - the quick shots catch her personality and her beauty better than our digital camera.



11. Pilot Precise Very Fine Tip pens. These remind me of working at my first job in Milwaukee. I didn't know how to do anything, but with these pens, I sat in meetings and furiously and neatly made lists, hoping and praying I looked like I had a clue.



12. My new North Face Summit Series down coat. It was my birthday present this year from Brandon.  With it on, I am never hot and I am never cold.  I would sleep in it if it that made any sense at all. ..and it makes me feel like Batman...with a waist.


13. Clorox disinfectant wipes. They kept me without illness in the petri dish known as college, cleaned my first apartment, my house, my car and Harper's toys. They smell great and kill 99.9% of bacteria.  There's fine print associated with that last claim, but I choose to ignore it.




14. Brach's peppermint nougat candy.  It's like having permission to swallow a piece of gum, which is something I've only recently curtailed. It's fantastic. It's refreshing. It makes my teeth hurt so I can't eat much, which makes it perfect.




15. Crock Pot liners. I have been known to eyeball a dirty crockpot for 3 days before actually tackling the mess that only 14 hours of simmering can create. Free at last.