Musings - February 2018

For most people, February is a short month. For me it has been very emotionally long. Family upheaval. Changes. Sick puppy. Big snow. It is the kind of month which makes me want to hide out for a week or two and just not deal.

Books: There were books. But I didn't finish them. I'm trying a new reading technique that is 10-20 pages of up to 5 books at a time per day. I find it makes completing a single book in any kind of reasonable timeframe more difficult. (Plus one of my current "books" is a 3-in-1 book of the author's work in a series making it longer than a normal book.) 

Gratitude: Good chiropractors. Pet insurance. Coloring. Jams.  (There is a lovely breakfast and retail place called Froehlich's Bakery where they make their own exotically delicious jams. I've been told I may have a jam problem - I bought: Habanaro Apricot, Tea Time Blackberry, Strawberry Margherita) Puppy pill pockets. The toughness of lilac buds. Cross-country skiing. (It was my first time. It was fun! I fell a good bit.)

Listening: Best of Bond. (The theme songs.) And whatever Pandora plays me. 

Perfumes: Magazine Street. Paper Flowers.

Recipes: I didn't make up any new recipes. But I did make a fairly awesome Strawberry Shortcake (recipe via Taste of Home) for the Artistic Girl's 18th birthday. (I do recommend letting the strawberries, sliced, "relax" with a touch of vanilla and 1/2 cup sugar for the baking time. Use a slotted spoon to serve up.) It was extremely well received! I'm pretty sure my delicious differentiator is the homemade whipped cream.

Self-care: I've been exploring various natural make-up line concealers for the last few months. Alone. In tandem. With powder. With CC cream. With different mascaras. Bare faced but for the concealer.

I've always had dark circles. And sometimes my skin is angry. When I used Bare Minerals, carefully applying layers of powder would build up coverage on any angry spots but didn't really help the dark circles. Now that I've switched to Juice Beauty CC's Cream as my primary skin coverage, I've been working on options for concealing dark circles and spots. This is what I've discovered so far.

- Juice Beauty Correcting Concealer (tube)  is in the line I love but really lacks coverage. It's watery. And it's almost like not wearing anything on a blemish or dark circle.

- Juice Beauty Perfecting Concealer (cream tin) does the job on the dark circles but if applied anywhere else, it cracks in a few hours. The result, on my skin, looked fake.  (This was, however, my second favorite due to the good dark circle coverage and the quality ingredients of the brand.)

- It Cosmetics Bye Bye Undereye (tube) has serious coverage. So much so, I had to watch a video on how to properly apply it!  (Warm in hand first. Mix between fingers. The apply to undereye.) It is never cakey but somehow it feels visually heavy and "fake". Used sparingly, this had merit.

- Laura Geller Baked Radiance Concealer  (cream tin) was my winner for coverage. Hydrating for my dry skin. Excellent dark circle coverage. Works if applied sparingly to blemishes. The one challenge I had was that my waterproof mascara tended to smear with this formulation. (Didn't matter which mascara. I tried 3.) If I carefully applied the lightest touch of powder at the base of my lower lashes, the smearing was better. Due to the coverage and ingredients, this was my favorite concealer.

This still isn't a beauty blog. But I'm honest. And I like to try things. And I like to share information. I hope you find it helpful!

Stress: The puppy became ill again. It's something with his liver. We're testing. More soon.

Continuing family stress. 

On the maternal side, they don't seem to understand that the actions of one - unchecked by all of them - have gone on long enough and will not be tolerated in any way, any shape, or any form - ever again. No more polite lies about why I'm not there for "family events". The truth is that she has made me so amazingly unwelcome for so very many years without hindrance from them (in fact with their help) that there is no going back. And they have chosen her version of the truth. Done. 

On the paternal side, there have been some changes in Southern Gram's living arrangements which have resulted in people displaying their very worst sides. Greedy. Grasping. Lacking gratitude. Unwilling to help or be a solution and so very much finger-pointing blame. It's been ugly. And it makes me sad. 

These stresses are some of the reasons I go to therapy. I speak to someone (the same person for several years now) one or two times a month. There is no shame in that. It's a fresh viewpoint into stale wounds. It's new tools for the same problems. It helps me find ways to improve my present relationships and keep my emotional balance when things like the passing of La Gram Russe threaten it. It helps me own my worth, for the first time, among "family" who has squelched it. It helps me be a better, more balanced person for those who are presently part of my life.

If you are going through changes or challenges, I urge you to seek an anchor -be it counselor, friend, minister, or therapist. Find someone to listen and help you through it. You will be stronger for it. There is a reason wabi-sabi is an art.

Things 11 Told Me:

- Yes, I'm full in my regular stomach from breakfast; but my candy stomach is empty. (She was lobbying for a cookie for breakfast.)

- (After a very sad, angry disappointment, when I asked if she was feeling better) Only on the outside. On the inside, I'm still very angry.

She is often right on so many levels.

Watching: Impostors. Star Trek: Discovery (interesting how dark and reptilian the Klingons look). Criminal Minds (all caught up.) 

Random:Oh, y'all. Customer service really really matters. Remember last month when I called out Vapour Beauty? It didn't get better.  I got an email from them - and I replied with that blog post. To which they unsubscribed me from their email list - and didn't resolve the product issue (that I have 3 eye crayons drying out because they don't seal correctly) nor did they address the customer service issue at the heart of my complaint. And yet, this week I got a re-subscription email from them because they changed website platforms and don't know how to make automation work for them instead of being in the way of their "service". Oyi. 

And what I have to say to that is... Ilia Beauty. I'm not loving the color range as much as I did Vapour, but I'm sure they will expand it. I'm trying Moonbeams & Polka Dots right now. 

Take-away - Do you remember the L'Oreal line, "Because you are worth it." Yes, you are worth it. And you need to remember that.

Original musings posts you may enjoy:

- Musings - January 2018

- Musings - December 2017

- Musings - November 2017

- Musings - October 2017

- Musings - August 2017
- Musings - June 2017
- Where Did March Go?

- Musings - February 2017
- Musings - January 2017

- Message in a Bottle (2016)

All photos by moi! And you can tell...

Follow my blog with Bloglovin  - A new way to follow!

**This, like all my posts, is not promoted or compensated in any way. There is an affiliate link in the Shop tab for Juice Beauty products. (Basically if you click the link and then buy Juice Beauty products from their website, I get a small amount of compensation.) Unlike many blogs, I have just a few affiliate links. The reason is that if I don't love something, I don't share it. And I only want you to have the best!

2017 Lessons

A little late to the game this year with lessons from 2017. (If  you caught January Musings, you know know there was a lot going on in our house!)

Every year, I like to take a little space and think about a few notes I jotted down over the year. (Notes are over in Random, if you want to have look at this year's, so far.) These are insights I realize, as I go about living, that are really life lessons  to which I should be paying attention.

This year, #3 was a way I learned to deal with toxic people who trigger buttons. Repeatedly.  And #4 was demonstrated over and over again. If I had one piece of advice for people, it would be meet your commitments - even the small ones - or don't make them. 

WHAT I LEARNED IN 2017 

1. Plans are subject to change.
2. Use anti-aging hand cream early in life.
3. Don't communicate angry. Calm down first.
4. Most people have NO idea how flaky they are and how it impacts others.
5. Try to be tolerant. Because someone else is tolerating you.

Take-away -  For people growth is a personal choice. Do you choose to wither or grow into something amazing?

PS - The berries are a mystery. We spotted them in a container garden in November in the Midwest. They almost look naturally silvery. Gorgeous!

Other posts you might enjoy:

- Lessons 2016

- Lessons 2015

- The Rules

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Musings - January 2018

It was a snowy start to the new year and a fresh start to a new couple this month! (More below.) Our house has been in mad preparation for The Guy's eldest's daughter's impending wedding. It happened January 5th and was a lovely day.  She wore the necklace in this photo as her something borrowed, old, and blue. It was La Gram Russe's. One of the few things she brought to this country.

Books: Had a bit of travel (Long Beach, CA for business) - which meant that an airport bookstore, my downfall, happened! And that is how I found The Roanoke Girls which was a fantastic air travel read, even if I did figure out the shape of the plot on page 35. It's well-written enough that I kept reading.  On The Birth of Venus, I can only say, that apparently smart girls don't get happy endings. Not my sort of book and it will be going to the Little Free Library later this week. On the other hand, a Little Free Library find was The Speckled People and it was wonderful! For anyone who grew up in any sort of immigrant community where the past was a living force that dictated the shape of your childhood - this book IS you. That feeling of not quite being anything is beautifully explored.

Gratitude: People who pitch in. (Elin who helped with making more than her share of endless yarn roses.) Cars that start on a cold, cold winter day. Waitresses who try to accommodate your rushed order and schedule. Yoga socks. Clean counters. The bright light of a full winter moon on a field of snow when you take the dog out at 2am - it make it less eerie. (Bad photo. He hates sitting still. He's currently rocking a new Mohawk.)

Listening: Sting, If on a Winter's Night. Side Hustle podcast. And that old fashioned thing called the radio. 

Perfumes: I've been rocking just one. Magazine Street from Strange Invisible Perfumes. Somehow, it fits this weather.  Or maybe it just makes me think about warmer places! I keep expecting the bottle to run out and yet it hasn't yet.

Recipe of the month: So delicious! I love an Instagram account called "Wicked Healthy" I saw a version of this salsa and had to try it! 

Asparagus salsa

- Chop 1 bunch of asparagus fine and saute in 1 tbsp of olive oil until crisp/tender (under 7 minutes)

- Dice 1/2 a red onion

- Cut fine 2-3 jalapenos (to taste)

- Dice 1 good sized red or orange pepper

- Chop fine 1 bunch of rinsed cilantro
- Salt + pepper

 Mix! Serve! (That's it!)

I served it over baked sweet potatoes and rice. Delicious! And easy. I did the rest of the chopping as the asparagus cooked. If you eat chicken, it would be grand with that as well.

One note of caution, it keeps well for several days in the fridge but the red onion becomes more intense.

Self-Care: Somehow, the winter seems to give me license to play. I tend to try new things (eye shadows, creams, etc.) more during this time of year. My skin has been treated several new creams, including Juice Beauty's Nutrient Moisturizer. Which my skin just drinks in at night, especially around the eyes. I've also been using a few rosewater-based sprays  to freshen make-up, quick morning zap tot the skin, etc. Overall, both pictured here (Garnier and Mario Badescu) are fine and I like both. I will say that apparently part of the price difference is in the quality of the spray effect - Garnier's is kind of like a tiny squirt gun in the application rather than a mist. I also have been masking about once a week as part of a "me time" ritual. Still love the brightening effect of the pumpkin mask from October. But I also, because I love a mix-in mask, tried Balm Balm Hibiscus Face Mask which is rice powder and hibiscus. Since I am allergic to Rose of Sharon, the hibiscus is a little dicey for me, and I've discovered leaving it on for longer than 15 minutes to dry results in some irritation. Thankfully that fades in a few hours, leaving me with luminous skin - and that initial irritation can be avoided entirely if I only leave it on for 10 minutes. So far,  I've just been mixing it up with a bit of the Rosewater from Caswell-Massey from last month. I'm going to try honey and see what happens. And the best for last! The Green Ceremony Cleanser by Odacite is a luxurious indulgence (which I thankfully got on sale! But it would be worth the regular price tag.) I love a dry cleanser. You may ask why - well, they are easier to travel with (no need to check your bag or only travel with small amounts or air pressure spillage) and I feel like they stay fresher for use because you just mix up what you need. This stuff is amazing. When you add water, it becomes a silky, pillow-y, foam that just sweeps across your face to cleanse your skin. I've never experienced anything like it before. I look forward  to washing my face on the days I use it!

Stress: The reason for December's take-away - the holidays and the maternal aunt who can't be anything other than passive aggressively rude and the family who makes a 1000 excuses for her behavior towards me. And that, my friends, is the real story of why I didn't spend Christmas at my aunt's - not my schedule. And I despise the polite lie told 'for me' to save face for that aunt, more actually than the behavior. Now, lines have been drawn. Sides have been chosen. What they don't realize is that I never expected them to choose me because they never ever have. And so I'm absolutely fine with the new status quo of not being part of that family. Part of being a grown up is moving away from the toxic and towards the healthy. I have other (healthier) family who actually value me and treat me well.

Watching: Criminal Minds. The Librarians. (Smart is sexy.) Blindspot. Travelers. Nashville. Caught up while off over  the holidays and doing zillions yarn roses for #NotTheDaughter's wedding bouquet. (And her bridesmaids, and the table wreaths, hairpins, etc.)

Random: 1. Customer service matters. I had a recent experience where I ordered  5+ stick eyeshadows from a natural line. Beautiful colors, as you can see in the photo (at the top). I love the ingredients and flow of the product from prior use. But several of the tops didn't cap and one didn't screw back down after being rolled up. I reached out to customer service 2x before receiving a misspelled and passively aggressively worded response which also included "we are aware of the problem and doing everything in our power to resolve it" without a resolution offered for my (the customer's) issue! The exchange did not improve. I actually told the representative not to send the replacement tops* I'd throw out the product because I was so disgusted with how bad the customer service was. (Something non-incensed, frugal me would never do.) And I didn't because my frugal heart wouldn't let me. The promised replacement tops never appeared as the rep seems to have taken me at my word. However, now I receive their marketing e-mails 2x a week! #Fail by Vapour Beauty. Despite my love of your all-natural, made in the USA product, there are alternatives. I'll find one. I like to experiment.

*It's not the tops. I've exchanged them among the tubes.The problem is not resolved with a new top. The flaw is in the tube design. Hope they figure it out.

2. Also, didn't #NotTheDaughter look like a snow queen! (Yes, she is old enough to get married. I'd have liked her to wait a year or two for more life experience, but as discussed in December we have this amazing gift called free will, and it was her choice.) Her theme was Snow Day - and it was! A snowy cold day brightened up by the warmth of Isy and Issac's happiness (also by the cocoa bar, but that's another story.) So many people love them. I hope they saw that during the bustle and stress of the wedding preparation and take that with them into their new life together.

In closing, I always end these monthly updates with a take-away. Sometimes they read like I'm sending a message to someone - and I do often have something in mind when I write them. But, what they really are is usually the thing I'm trying to remind myself to do more of or be better at. This month is no different.

Take-away - Remind yourself as often as needed that how other people act is not your issue but how you react to other people's choices is YOUR choice. (Try to remember you are a grown up.)

Wishing you the best as we all embark on this new year.

Original musings posts you may enjoy:

- Musings - December 2017

- Musings - November 2017

- Musings - October 2017

- Musings - August 2017
- Musings - June 2017
- Where Did March Go?

- Musings - February 2017
- Musings - January 2017

- Message in a Bottle (2016)

All photos by moi! And you can tell...

Follow my blog with Bloglovin  - A new way to follow!

Musings - December 2017

'Tis the season! And right now, there are two types of people. 
- "The holidays are wonderful!"
- "Ugh, the holidays."

And some days I fall in both camps. It's a complex time of year and can be emotionally challenging for many - including me. So, these were the best and worst of the month.

Books: Sometimes when I'm stressed, I have a hard time sleeping. A little time with a book before bed helps. So I've made it a point the last month to take the time to wind down. Because of that little habit, I managed to finish 5 books! (It only looks like 4, because one has two). I was lured in by Lagom's cover. It really wasn't worth the $13 that I impulsively paid at Target. There is a Swedish flair to the idea of frugality, reduce, take time for the family, etc but it's certainly not new. Anita Blake, vampire hunter, has another outing in Bullet but it's almost formulaic at this point. The Furies was an interesting pick-up at my local Little Free Library (but it will be going back). The best find was a two-in-one pick up of The Innocent Mrs. Duff and The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding. At some point in my life, I purchased this two-in-one book of mysteries on a whim. It was a good whim. Her books are brilliantly written and hold up well to the test of time. They are exactly the kind of reading you hope someone would leave behind at beach cottage or holiday rental.

Gratitude: The garden that never stops! We pulled out carrots on December 2nd. (And kept harvesting the parsley, mint and thyme until mid-December.) The carrots intrigued me. Some were nearly full size, some were very small. All were planted in mid-May, so I'm not sure what the difference is!

That some skills, once learned, don't fade. We've been crocheting scores of yarn roses for an upcoming event. La Gram Russe taught me to crochet the summer I was ten. I remember it vividly. And that's good since I hadn't crocheted in about 10 years! But like swimming or riding a bike, it comes back.

Free will. You can choose to change. You are the only one who can make that choice. But if you don't put the choice to action, it's just a wish. I'm also grateful for those who help facilitate self-change by reminding you that you can not change other people. (And may I recommend a book called "Boundaries" to help you learn when to say no, especially to family and how they treat you?)

Listening: Since the latest update, my iPhone has been a little temperamental about pulling up my podcasts. (I do not enjoy hard rebooting every morning to just to pull up podcasts.) It's made listening less easy and if it's not easy - it doesn't happen in my world. I think I hit Sidehustle about once a week and nothing else. Plus, with the season, the soundtrack has been heavy on the holiday playlist. Bonus - a few of the kidlets like Gumbo Christmas and Straight No Chaser, so I have musical allies in the household!

Perfumes: I've been trying to kill off a very large bottle of Paper Flowers, as mentioned last month. And for a change, the occasional splurge of Majalis. I've also tried different lotions to change the base. Small variations. Sometimes that's just what you need.

Recipe of the Month:  This month, it's all about easy in my life. We totally went semi-homemade on a bunch of stuff, including sugar cookies. We had a BLAST decorating them!

Cassie (11) likes to make deviled eggs and pigs-in-blankets. And her teen-age brothers love them. So, we often make those two things during holidays. And this year, The Guy made a delicious treat with cream cheese and crescent rolls. So, with one extra ingredient, we were able to add-on an delicious and easy new treat!

Creamy Crescent Treats
- One pack of cream cheese (we used garden vegetable)
- One pack of crescent rolls
Open and unroll crescents as noted on package. You can use at that size or cut down for more appetizer-sized rolls. Add a dollop (or 3 if using full-sized) of cream cheese and roll up the rolls. Cook according to package directions. Easy!

Tip - you can mix in chopped green onions to the cream cheese for an extra fresh delicious option.

Also, Israel (19, Isy) has taken a liking to the protein balls I make and asked for the recipe.

Peanut Butter Oat Protein Balls
- 1 cup quick cooking oats (also reserve additional for later)
- 1 cup unsweetened, natural peanut butter
- 1/2 cup of honey
- 1/2 cup of chia seeds or flax seeds or a mix, optional
Mix all in a bowl. Scoop out a tablespoon, and on a wax paper surface roll into a ball, then coat with extra oats. Stored tightly, these will last a week in a refrigerator or a cool room.

Self-Care: It is the time of  year when dry skin reigns supreme. In addition to the usual oils (almond, apricot, coconut, olive), I've added some lotions and creams. There was a sampler of Hempz's lotions that caught my fancy this month. My love for roses continues. And I've picked up a rose hand cream (Caswell Massey) and a lovely British rose body cream from the Body Shop. Plus, Caswell Massey has a lovely Apothecary Sampler filled with different kinds of floral waters, including Rose! I've been adding that to my dry clay masks for a gorgeous good skin, scented treat. (Also perfect for toner post-mask.)  And yes, that is a new Rose Miscellar Water I'll be trying this month!

Watching: Binged whole seasons. Yep. Not even guilty. Heavy watching while crafting, wrapping, and writing. Inhumans. Shut Eye. Pure. 

(I track info and details better in large quantities. Weekly watchings just don't work as well.)

These are a few of my favorite wraps this year. I like using "everyday" materials when wrapping and finding ways to make things pretty. I love that the same materials can be used another day! My frugal "waste not" soul rejoices.

Random: I've recently discovered drug store leggings and a really awesome drugstore organic face oil (more soon). I now feel about 100% more confident that if a witness protection situation arises, I can adapt.

Happy holidays!

Take-away - Give yourself the gift of the time and space you need to process whatever gets thrown your way. 

Original musings posts you may enjoy:

- Musings - November 2017

- Musings - October 2017

- Musings - August 2017
- Musings - June 2017
- Where Did March Go?

- Musings - February 2017
- Musings - January 2017

- Message in a Bottle (2016)

All photos by moi! 

Follow my blog with Bloglovin  - A new way to follow!

Paint It Purple

Pantone has spoken. And the color of 2018 is....Ultra Violet. Or grape. Like many things, it depends on your perspective.

Spiritual. Regal. Creative. A delicate blend of opposites. Artistic. Complex. Mystic.

Pantone selects the color of the year based on current cultural influences.  Or at least that's the company line.

Sometimes I think they pick what they want to see in the world. Compromise? Less stark distinction? Other times I'm concerned by the implied acceptance the color engenders to some bigger ideal. We live in a democracy. Ultra Violet is not a democratic color. It's the color of royalty. However, the color does have an inherent richness. Perhaps it's a wishful nod at better times to come.   

Take-away -  Experience colors perception. But a fresh start is always possible. 

Other blog posts you might enjoy:
- Color, A Random Post (2016)
- An Orchid Year (2014)
- Pantone, Again (2013)
- Orange Love (2012)

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Gifts and Expectations

I find the holidays trying. It is not the gifts. It's the expectations. For me, it's the expectations of people who are maternal genetic family but strangers in any meaningful way. 

Sadly, creating distance with them usually requires a very firm stance on my part. They rarely seem to hear me. And their expectations of who I am don't match my reality - even the reality of those of you who just follow me here, they've certainly never tried to reach out to know me as one would any stranger in a social setting. It would be a gift for them to just accept me without expectations. It won't happen. They enjoy their expectations. I enjoy the freedom of not dealing with their expectations.

Musings - November 2017

The season of family and friends kicks off this month. Thanksgiving is my favorite time of year! I love the gathering. The sharing. The lack of religious overtones. The simple grace of good times and good food.

Books: Just a few this busy month. The House at the Edge of Night (Catherine Banner) which was a good bit less interesting than the title implied. (I picked it up just for the title in September when I was traveling. My bag would only fit two new books  - I wanted three. Child Finder was a good buy. But now I wish I'd gotten the other book rather than this one by Banner.)  And Janet Evanovich delivers  the campy, raucous fun one expects from the 23rd Stephanie Plum novel.If you spot the combo at a Little Library - you may live near me!

Gratitude: The apparently unending bounty of our garden - that's fresh thyme, parsley (pictured) from the garden - as well as mint we harvested the week of Thanksgiving. (We love adding it to our water.) People who understand family is about inclusion and how you are treated showcases your value. The blue skies of November.  Movie dates with this guy.

Listening: The Best of James Bond. Azucar (Spanish guitar). Side Hustle podcast. Bombshell Business podcast.

Perfume: It ranges from super inexpensive to very fancy. Paper Flower. Magazine Street. Majalis. And I've decided that when you wear Majalis, you need to commit! It lingers. I wore it for a week straight as it permeated everything, in a lovely way.

Recipe of the Month: We had some fun in the kitchen this month! We made a "mummy pie", post-Halloween. Ours was a Granny Smith apple/raspberry combo, like Real Simple magazine's Instagram post from which we got our inspiration. But one could do this with most any fruit pie. Just lay the crust pieces overlapping and use a piece of the fruit to create a "nose".

I also invented a new recipe. It started, as many things do, with left-overs and super foods.

"Italian" Quinoa Salad
- Red quinoa,cooked (I used an entire package. Made with veggie broth)
- Celery and onions, diced and sauted
- Fresh spinach
- Butternut squash, roasted, diced
- Italian dressing

I was roasting squash, en mass, and making potato soup (which starts with sauteing celery and onion) when I realized I could make another food option for the week just by cooking some quinoa. So I did. I threw the fresh spinach on the cooked quinoa, added the sauteed celery/onions + roasted squash and tossed, allowing the spinach to wilt a bit. Then I realized it needed a flavor binder, and I had a jar of Italian dressing that I wanted to use up. The rest is history.

Can be served hot, cold, or room temperature. Lasts about 5 days in the fridge. Best if you let the flavors mingle for 2-4 hours before serving.

Self-Care: I'm currently obsessed with 3 things. 
1) Rosewater. Rosewater everything - witchhazel with rose for a morning toner, and Marcus Badescu's rosewater spray to refresh dry skin. 
2) Vanilla+dark fruit scent. (I think this may be left over from the delicious scent of grapes in the air at dusk in early September.) Anything scented with vanilla/black raspberry like my new soap and my grape/blackberry/vanilla lotion. 
3) My new hairbrush. Koh-i-Noor is an Italian brand now available in the USA. I mostly have a "hate" relationship with brushing implements - they make my hair frizzy. I have heard that wire brushes were better - and you can see I have a little collection. I hate all of them. I use a wide-tooth comb when my hair is wet and try to avoid brushing as it mostly just rips out my hair and makes a frizzy mess. But this Koh-i-Noor brush detangles and is perfect for use whether your hair is wet or dry. (It's the gray one in the picture.) Plus it does not frizz my hair out when used dry - it kind of smooths through the waves and takes out any tangles.

Watching:  Wynonna Earp. Harlots. (Many days I feel like Charlotte Wells, so full of promise and yet unable to make it tangible.) The Blacklist. And so many bad Bruce Willis movies. (He must have alimony. That is the only explanation of The Set Up.)

Take-away - Sometimes the pace of life gets hectic. Slow down. Enjoy this moment. It won't happen again.

Original musings posts you may enjoy:

- Musings - October 2017

- Musings - August 2017
- Musings - June 2017
- Where Did March Go?

- Musings - February 2017
- Musings - January 2017

- Message in a Bottle (2016)

All photos by moi! The hairbrush was a gift from the US importer of the Italian luxury brand. They had no expectation of a blog review.

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Musings - October 2017

Has anyone else just felt drained by the stress and drama of the last few months? The politicization of natural disasters. The overwhelming wish to do meaningful good in the face of so much need. Add in a few work trips + a sick puppy, and, well, blogging just took a back seat. The world still turned. Things still happened. And I still mused - but only in my head... Here are a few of the things that were muse-worthy in September/October.

Books: Travel is always good for reading! The Child Finder made a two and a half hour plane ride far more interesting with deceptively simple language on a multi-level narrative. (And the author seems as fascinating as the book!) Since I loved the Hallows, I thought I'd try Kim Harrison's next series. I loved it less - probably because I adore the Hallows. On its own, The Drafter is likely a fine book. I may have needed more space from the world of the Hallows. For 3 or 4 years, Interpretation of Murder (a historical mystery that included Freud) had been sitting on my shelf. (And now, it's at my local Tiny Library, as I deemed it "okay but not a keeper".) The Immortals was a pleasant interlude of fantasy fiction for a week or so.

Gratitude: Birthdays. Rainy days spent exploring the countryside. Amazing stores that go on forever + tiny stores with adorable canine mascots. Books. The hustle and bustle of Las Vegas. The serene beauty of a butterfly garden in Tucson. Dishwashers.

Listening: I've completely binged out on the Bombshell Business podcast. And P!NK, forever.

Perfume: I've been wearing a lot of my favorite Strange Invisible Perfume - Magazine Street. I love NOLA in the fall, and this is the closest I'm getting this fall.
- You can read here about my last NOLA adventure

Recipe of the Month: The children have told me I need to re-organize the In the Kitchen section by food type rather than chronological - another project for a winter day! 

Meanwhile, we made both pumpkin and apple pies - several times, in varying levels of fancy as the image shows - and have now perfected....
Jericho's Apple Pie:

- 6 cups of apples cut fine (mix of Granny Smith + Gala, about 3 apples of each) - squeeze a bit of lemon over the cut pieces to keep fresh as you go
- 1 cup sugar (preferably brown)
- 1/4 cup tapioca 
- 1 generous tablespoon of vanilla
- 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
- 1/2 scant tablespoon of nutmeg
- 1/4 tablespoon of ground cloves

We use home-made pie crust but you can use store bought. Bake for 1 hour at 400 degrees. 

Notes: A mix of sour and sweet apples makes the best pie. I do the apples up first with spices/sugar/tapioca and refrigerate while I make the dough (1 cup of flour, between 1/2 - 2/3 cup of Crisco, scant 1/4 cup of sugar, a touch or salt, and a bit of cold water - use a pastry cutter to mix. Roll out between floured wax paper. That amount will make a pie bottom. Double to have a pie top.) 

Self-Care: This was a month of clean up. I like a quick clean option. My go-to is Alba Hawaiian 3-in-1 face wipes. I've tried Micellar Water before with limited success (too drying on me for anything but occasional use) but decided to see if perhaps I might like another brand of Micellar Water better for more frequent use. (Click here to read more about my obsession with cleansers.) 

• Pacifica's Micellar Coconut Water is a touch too drying for my skin and not friendly for eye make-up removal. (I experienced a slight amount of burning around the eye when I tried to use it for eye make-up removal.) By the second day, my skin was dry and flaky.
• Yes to Cucumber's Micellar Water is good for a quick clean-up. No issues with use around the eyes, but water-proof mascara gave it a little trouble. Again, my skin dries out if I use it for more than 4 days running, but overall I like it for the quickness and how completely it cleans.

Word to the wise - do be generous with your use of cotton squares/rounds when using Micellar Water to ensure you get all the make-up off.

Masks do a world of good for skin. I love them! My mom used to wear them about once a month when I was a kid, and she taught me several natural options. (Different skin need than mine - she has oily skin. I've always had dry, sensitive skin.) Yogurt and honey or honey and strawberry were favorites as a teen.  My grown-up favorite masks tend to be mix-ins - dry clays into which you can mix honey, yogurt or even maple syrup (the real kind - always organic - which is full of anti-oxidants). This month I found an on-sale, ready-mixed, season-appropriate new mask to love - Andalou Natural's Pumpkin Honey Glycolic Mask - which does a beautiful job of leaving my skin amazingly bright and soft.

I also got the opportunity to try (at a significant discount - because y'all know I'm not spending that!) a fancy French eye cream, Predire. It doesn't flake or dry out on the skin - as some "uplifting" eye creams do. It does seem to make the eye area gently taunt. The first time I used it was a sample after a long flight, and it made a world of difference to my tired, dehydrated, creased skin. (Flying just parches my skin.) We will see - they told me it was a year's supply (which made the math work), so we'll check back.

I've also been doing some working out - hence the need for quick clean skin care. Cardio drumming. Which hits my fun quotient. And yoga. Which I've discovered only looks easy. (I apparently live in the land of yoga. I've tried pilates yoga, yin yoga, and vinyasa yoga. I'm not actually good at any of them but I enjoy the challenge of trying.)

Take-away - It's good to stretch your boundaries with new experiences. And you can, even on a small budget. 

Pictures by moi!

Original musings posts you may enjoy:

- Musings - August 2017
- Musings - June 2017
- Where Did March Go?

- Musings - February 2017
- Musings - January 2017

- Message in a Bottle (2016)

PS - Puppy is fine. It was a tummy issue. (Rx = rice, chicken, yogurt, and pumpkin.) He's never had one before, so I may have over-reacted. For a week. This is him with "I don't feel good" body language the day he was most sick. (He crated himself. Door was open all day.) Even his Mohawk looked sad and flat.

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