Benefit Thrrrob Review

I was so excited when I got my latest Sephora catalog with Beauty As Art as the theme. Flipping though I saw so many products I couldn't wait to try! Traci Anne and I exchanged no less than 20 emails discussing my order!

Benefit's Dandelion is a product that's been around for a few years, and is one of my HG blushes. It's actually marketed as a highlighter, but if you are PDP (pretty damn pale) like me, it works fab as a blush.

Slightly shimmery, but not too much so, this gives me that radiant "flush" that looks so natural. It also had the slightest rose fragrance which sounds yucky but is actually quite nice. It's a little pricey at $28, but it lasts absolutely forever. In fact, I threw out my last container because I'd had it way longer than cosmetically safe.

So when I saw Benefit had a new product called Thrrrob, I knew I had to have it. I think it's actually a little more lilac than the above pic represents, but still in the pink family. I've been alternating between the two for the past two days and like them equally well.

Thrrrob is a little darker and has a bit more shimmer. It's pricing is the same as Dandelion, $28.

If you are PDP, go for it. Any darker than that and these may not work as blushes for you. I read several reviews on Makup Alley stating the products didn't show up, and I suspect these ladies were darker complected than I am.

In the next few days, I'll be posting some reviews of some new lips stains from my order, some of the new mood lip glosses (including O Gloss) and even some reviews of past lip stains I've tried! Stay tuned!

Giveaway Results!

Now, you knew I wouldn't actually get around to doing the drawing at 9 CST last night, didn't you? Luckily, no one else commented since then, so it's a moot point (or a moo point, as Joey Tribiani would say.)

And you knew I wouldn't have my shit together to actually put the names on pieces of paper and literally DRAW three out, didn't you?

I just made a trusty little list on paper, assigning everyone a number in the order they left their posts. I did leave off Traci Anne since my gift came from her.

Then I meandered over to www.random.org and used their random number service. Too cool. You tell it how many numbers you need (3), give it a starting and ending point (and yes those numbers can be the results) and poof! Three numbers!

Without further ado, the winners are:

Ellebee
Jason and Laurie
Kate

Shoot me an email with your mailing info and shortly (in a week or two) a nice little surpise will arrive at your door!

Weekend Plans

I was just thinking about my NLP:RD, and noticed tomorrow is Suds It Up Saturday! Yay! I'm with Mr. Ashley, tomorrow is going to be all about beer.

First, we are taking The Wild Child for a photo shoot (doesn't that sound better than sitting?) for her 2 year old pics (shut up- I know her birthday was two months ago).

Then the whole fam damnily is off to the 4 year old soccer game, where I am sure to spend the whole time chasing The Wild Child and keeping her from interrupting neighboring soccer games.

After that, or maybe during that, I will surely need a beer or three.

Also, I am totally rehabbing myself starting right this very second from The Spray (Afrin) so I may need me some moonshine to get through the withdrawal. Coming off of it is a bitch, but it's my favorite remedy to the common cold, so it's a necessary evil.

I'll let you know how it all goes. Or if you don't hear from me, you'll know it didn't go well.

Sharing the Love!

I recently won the most fabulous prize from one of my favorite people, Traci Anne at Hello Darling. I was one of the winners of her Pay It Forward giveaway.

I got my package on Monday, and had grand plans of taking a fab pic to post ASAP with my excitement. But, just as things normally go for me, it did not go as planned. I kept forgetting to bring my camera to work, then I forgot the stuff the next day, then I had to eat the candy bar because it just looked SO yummy.... Basically, I just suck.

But then I saw the above pic of the goodies on Carrie Lea in the City and I asked ohsosweetly if I could snag her pic! She was a dear and gave approval!

Contents:

• An NYC post card
• CD with "Hello Darling Chill Mix"
• An Aero bar, a British (of course!) candy bar that was delish
• Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker
• and 5 precious buttons, my favorite being "Sephora is my motherland"

Thanks Traci Anne! It was so fun to open!

So now I'll share the love and make up little goodies packages for three of my awesome readers! Just leave a comment and I'll stick you in the drawing I will do Sunday night at 9 pm CST. Fun!

Short update... more later

1. Went to Starbucks last night to meet a friend for a little chit chat session, and Sweet Niblets, I just discovered The. Best. Drink. Ever. (I'm not a coffee gal, BTW.)

Tall White Hot Chocolate, no fat, with whip.

Did I do that right? Delish. I'm turning into ClemsonGirl and may just be their best customer now.

2. Currently trying out the new Tide Smart Dry Hangers. I picked up two packs (they come two hangers to a package for about $4) at Wal-Mart the other day because Mr. Sasha is always complaining that his shirts that I hang dry have little hanger puckers on the shoulder. Actually, I always catch him licking his fingers and rubbing the hell out of the mark, as if that's going to make a difference.... So maybe this will solve that nasty problem. I'll let you know.

More later on my surprise package that came in the mail from Hello Darling! It made my day and I want to share the love......

Running Update

I think you guys know I swear by the Couch to 5K Plan, and even have it in spreadsheet form (remember I'm a CPA and love excel!) that I've emailed to a million (at least!) people over the past 2 years. Hopefully you saw my post about how Mr. Sasha lost an amazing 60 pounds with the help of the C25K. He was hot before, but you should see him now. Seriously, go see him now.

I first completed the plan after the birth of The Politician in 2003 and was able to get 10 pounds below my pre-baby weight. I ran my first 5K in April 2004 with a time of 34:30.

I had to take a break from running when I got pregnant with The Wild Child in 2005 and had another difficult pregnancy. In fact, I had to continue to take blood pressure medicine until she was 5 months old, and that wore me out so bad that I didn't take up running again seriously until late summer 2006. Once again, I turned to the Couch to 5K.

My most recent goal was to get below 30 minutes in a 5K. I did that twice in 2007 and was so proud!

I have a few 5Ks I'll be running in this spring, and in mid-April I'll be running my first 10K as a leg of a marathon relay I am doing with some of my college sorority sisters.

I've been working on distance recently and am up to about 4.5 miles. In March I want to take it to 5 miles, and by the beginning of April be consistently running 6 miles. Yay me!

So how is it going for you guys?

Hemangiomas

I am re-posting this explanation of The Wild Child's Hemangioma for PickleLovingPrincess.

Above is a picture of the hemangioma on The Wild Child's arm at 5 weeks old. I wasn't thinking this was going to be that big of a deal, so I actually don't have any pictures from earlier in her life. It started flat and light red, but you can see by this time, it was raised and getting dark. The part in the middle that is purple is the part that was soon to ulcerate (break open). This when I realized I needed to start taking weekly pictures to document the rapid growth.

WC's H is most likely a Superficial Hemangioma (formerly called Strawberry Hemangioma) because it is located in the surface of the skin. They are characterized by a bright red color with a well defined border. These lesions may vary greatly in size, location and shape.

PickleLovingPrincess, you mentioned a Deep Hemangioma (formerly known as Cavernous Hemangioma), which is often larger than a superficial lesion. They are located beneath the surface of the skin and are characterized by a bluish lump or mass. They are generally soft to the touch.

It is possible that WC's was a Combined Hemangioma or Mixed Hemangioma, both deep and superficial. These may appear as a lump or mass in the skin with areas of red. They are often soft. We did not, however, have any testing done to see how deep it went so I have to assume it was just a Superficial.

This picture was taken at 17 weeks of age. The ulceration was at it's worst now, but beginning to heal. This was a stressful time for us- the ulceration was very painful and although we were fortunate that her H wasn't on her face as most of them are, but it was still in an area that was easily bumped (imagine threading those little arms into a carseat.....), which would start off a 2 hours crying spell because of pain that Tylenol didn't touch.

We also had some clothing issues because anything with a wristband was a problem, so I had a difficult time figuring out what to do about winter PJs.....

It was at this point that our ped finally agreed that we needed to see a specialist. Up until now we were told "We don't do anything for those, just wait them out and they will go away on their own." (oh-so-wrong I would later find out....)

To make a really long story a little shorter (you can email me for the long version if you'd like) we found a doctor in a neighboring state who was a pediatric plastic surgeon who specializes in vascular anomalies. He let us know that even if the H fully involutes, she will still be left with a cosmetic deformity because of the significant scar tissue that formed because it was an open wound for so long. So our plan at this point is to do a scar revision surgery after her third birthday.

This picture was taken when she was about 18 months old. The area in the middle that has a different texture is the scar tissue.

It is amazing how much it has changed and it's amazing to me how much I have learned. There were times when I felt so overwhelmed and didn't know what to do or where to turn, seeing as how I live in Rural America and we don't seem to have a lot of people around here who are helpful in these situations. I don't know what our parents did without the Internet.......

I do have a wealth of links and support groups/forums if anyone is ever in need of them. Just let me know and I'll be glad to share my resources!

Shoes

Check out these fierce (a la Christian on Project Runway) shoes that I got at Nordstrom! I love them and can't wait to wear them.

More later on my Sephora purchases.... if you are interested. Let me know if you'd like to hear about my Lip Stain Purchase Extravangaza 2008!

Fabulous Weekend Away

I'm sitting here in the Business Center in our hotel, waiting on Mr. Sasha to get back from his golfing outing. My fabulous friend E picked me up this AM and took me for my first taste of Chicken Minis (love them!) and then we did some shopping and had a great time. I got some cool stuff (shoes, Coach!!!, makeup) that I'll be updating you on later. I also got my Sephora order in yesterday, and I'll have an awesome review of lots of new makeup soon!

Last night we went to eat at Pappadeaux and DAMN it was good. I had my usual, Jumbo Shrimp Brochette, and of course a Pappadocious and also a Swamp Thing. About 3 AM I was wondering if that was such a good idea, but it all turned out all right. I need to try to remember that I am not 21 anymore and more than one strong drink is usually not a good idea.....


I've been meaning to post a recent pic of The Wild Child's hemangioma. I took this last month, and yes, that is my leg on the left side of the picture holding her down. She's a rascally rabbit and hard to hold still. Her arm looks great these days. I was telling Mr. Sasha we probably need to schedule her appointment with her plastic surgeon since they have a 3-4 month wait for appointment and they want to see us something this fall before her revision surgery next January.

Also, here's a pic of her beautiful Easter dress I found at Target. I love this dress! I mostly love that the bow is permanently sewn, so I don't have to jack with that, cause you know this CPA can't tie bows. What a mess last year. Mr. Sasha ended up tying the bow on her dress....

Hope you all are having as good of a weekend as I am. I'm excited to get back and see the kids tomorrow, but I certainly will enjoy my weekend way. Every mom needs that every now and then I think.

See Ya Later Alligator

Off for a nice Weekend Away- we'll be back Sunday! Talk to you then!

So So So Glad WIOW is Over

Because I found these at Walgreen's this AM and had to buy them..... and they are quite tasty! I only bought 2 by the way, because of course it was a better deal if you bought two, and you know I'm all about the better deal.

They are bigger than normal M&Ms, sort of like the shape of the old Oompa-Loompas. Do you remember those? They were awesome, half peanut butter, half chocolate, in a crunchy shell, made by my old friend Willy Wonka.

The cherry flavor is pretty distinct, but not overpowering. Quite nice. Between these and the Razz ones, I do prefer the Razz, but these are pretty damn good. I will certainly finish the bag, this morning, I am sure.

As for how WIOW went, I actually did pretty well with dealing with the annoying shit of "not eating so crappy". Until Mr. Sasha asked me to stop by McD's on my way home from making freezer meals at Pass Your Plate and I just happened to be passing by one at that exact moment, and I swear my car turned itself in there. I love those Grilled Chipolte wraps, and I don't suppose they are that bad, are they? Now, Slim, don't you go looking them up like you did the Sweetheart Blast. Best if I don't know.

As for NLP:RD, today is Trash Terminating Thursday--More clean up with a focus on organizing and purging.
I do need to do a little clean up tonight before Mr. Sasha and I leave town tomorrow for our Very Special and Romantic Post-Valentines Weekend Away From The Kids. To be fair, Saturday morning is non-couply since he will do some golfing and I will be meeting a friend for shopping, but the rest of the time, it's all romance. My ILs are coming to our house to keep the kids, and I guess I should make my home look a little bit like I clean every now and then, although I'm sure P will sell me out.
At least I better vacuum up the large pieces food under the table and such.

A Chip Off the Old Block

So looks like The Politician takes after me. At least, he got the bargain hunter gene.

P: Momma/Daddy, if you let me do _______, I'll let you come to my birthday party.

Mr. Sasha: Well, I gotta tell you, I'm paying for that party, so I'll definitely be there.


Since then P's proposed trade has changed a bit.

P: Momma/Daddy, if you let me do _______, I'll let you pay for my birthday party.

Work it Out Wednesday

All right, all right. I'll get on board with Ashley's New Life Plan: Rough Draft.

When I first read her blog post about her New Life Plan, here's what I said:

Shit. Are you serious? I can't find a legal pad in this mess. I do have pens, lots of them. All over. Maybe I can just write it in Word on the computer. But can this be co-related to making my kids behave and making WC stop biting? Can I do NLP: Raising My Kids Better At Home So That Daycare Doesn't Kick My Kids Out? That's my biggest concern right now. Lexapro has taken care of the rest.

Anyway, I thought about it overnight and I imagine it would be good for me to attempt the program. I can certainly use some self-improvement.

Today is Work it Out Wednesday, when you are supposed to "solve big problems like organizational dilemmas and annoying shit like taxes and important phone calls."

In the annoying shit category, here's my plan for WIOW: Stop eating crappy. I am starting right now, at 9:35 AM. I say that because it was just an hour ago that I washed down my breakfast of yogurt with 5 girl scout cookies. And a handful of Skittles. And it's annoying to me that I have to stop eating crappy, because I really love it. It's just a hassel to have to eat health-ily. So I think it totally qualifies as annoying shit. Why can't I be 16 again and eat and drink whatever I want and not gain a pound?

So there you have it- my plan for WIOW. I'll let you know how it goes. Taxes and important phone calls are put off until next week- is that OK?

What the hell are we doing wrong?

That's what I asked Mr. Sasha tonight during dinner. This is one of those days where I just feel like I am doing a terrible job raising my kids.

P was freaking out claiming he needed to leave the room because the smell of WC's clementine was "gagging" him. (And really, I think it was. What's that all about?)

WC was standing up in her booster, with her t shirt up around her hair like a turban, busy disobeying my instructions to sit down.

Calgon......

WC is now The Enforcer

So yesterday when I picked up The Wild Child, the afternoon teacher told me she bit someone yesterday morning- but it was a "good intentioned bite". Seems as though WC was disappointed that one of her friends wasn't listening to the teacher, so she took it upon herself to do something about it and went over and bit them.

This morning I asked the morning teacher about it and she said in all her years of teaching (12!) she has never seen a child do this. Normally, the bites in the 2 year old room are realted to something territorial or aggressive. But WC, no, she is trying to help the teacher. She's enforcing the rules.

The teacher was wonderful about it and assured me we would get through this stage, but OMG what am I in for if WC is breaking new ground in the teaching field????? She'll be notorious.......

Thank Goodness The Politician Is A Translator

A few weeks ago when we picked WC up from the nursery at church, the teacher said she had been saying something over and over again she couldn't figure it out. I got her to say it a few times to me, but it might as well have been Chinese because I couldn't make heads or tails out of it.

I forgot all about it until she started saying it again yesterday. Luckily, P translated for me: "Ice cream truck's in trouble!"

We have a Little People ice cream truck and P likes to tow all his vehicles with his tow truck and pretend trucks are stuck in ditches, etc. That must be what this is all about.

Ebates Rocks

Ya'll if you haven't registered for ebates, what's stopping you? I have gotten checks totaling $337!!!!!! Seriously! Register and then refer all your friends and make some extra cash like me!

www.ebates.com/refer-a-friend/bonusoffer/index.htm?id=26179778 My referral email is sasha2599@yahoo.com.

Here's the special now:

Refer Two Friends: Get $30! Through March 31st, 2008, Refer One Friend: you and your friend will get $10. Refer Two Friends: your friends will get $10. You'll get a $20 Bonus plus a $10 Target Gift Card!

All my favorite stores participate, like Sephora, Old Navy, Gap, Eddie Bauer, and even Snapfish! Email me if you have any questions!

Buxom Lips Review

I've got a new review up at A Million Little Glosses- it's on Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips. Check it out and let me know what you think!

I Clean A Little, WC Un-Cleans A Little

So I'm in my bedroom, using the vacuum (my mom's old Electrolux, which rocks by the way) and WC runs off saying "Yikes!"

I just keep on vacuuming.

All of the sudden she runs in, saying "Toe!" and pointing to her toe. I think she's hurt her toe somehow, but she says, "Come on, Momma" and takes my hand, so I follow her.

Outside of my bedroom, I can see the pantry door open. On the other side of that open door I find........

I guess she got some corn flakes stuck on her toe. Now, that's a major problem that we certainly must deal with now!

3rd Place Again!

Yesterday my work had a chili luncheon (which I passed on by the way, and Mr. Sasha took me to Pei Wei instead- yum!) and of course we had a dessert contest.
Hoping to better my 3rd place showing from the last dessert contest, I made my Sopapilla Cheesecake and hoped for the best. I got 3rd place again, which is totally OK, and I chose Salt Grass Steakhouse for my $15 prize gift certification.
I must tell you that when Mr. Sasha and I came by to eat dessert after Pei Wei, I was accosted by no less than 8 people on my way in the door who asked me for the recipe and went on and on about how tasty it was! In fact, there was only a small portion of a corner left when we got there! And 1st place was still sitting there, with only 1 slice gone... I'm just sayin'.
So without further ado, here's the recipe:

• 2 packages cresent rolls
• 2 packages 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp cinammon
• 1/2 stick butter melted
• 1 tsp vanilla

Mix cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar. Set aside.
Press 1 can of cresent rolls into 9X13 glass pan sprayed w/ Pam.
Mix 1 cup sugar, vanilla, and cream cheese. Spread on top of rolls. Lay the other can of rolls onto the mixture.
Pour melted butter over rolls and sprinkle w/ cinammon sugar mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.