Things I Love: Wednesday

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009
Beauty & Fashion, Family & Friends, Food & Recipes, Health & Fitness, Site Stuff, The Media
13 Comments

It’s the middle of the week, and though I began compiling this blog on the train ride home from NYC, I figured it was time to share with all of you the things that are keeping me cheerful this week.

Last Christmas was when I had the pleasure of trying out Philosophy’s bath and body products. My cousin got me Snowman Body Wash/Shampoo and it was great! This Christmas season they are featuring a “Recipe Box” including Red Velvet Cake and Sweet Creamy Frosting body washes/shampoos. The cool thing about Philosophy’s products is that you can wash your hair and your body at the same time. What a time saver! Plus these two products smell delicious. I purchased mine at Ulta for $18.00, and have been using them every day. My skin is soft, the lather is FABULOUS, and it feels like I’m bathing in cupcake batter. Definitely a great stocking stuffer or gift for your friends! It also comes with two real baking recipe cards!

Next up, Tom Perrotta! I was introduced to his books by my friend Kelly. She let me borrow a book called “Little Children” and I ended up buying it for myself and telling as many people as possible to read it. But this isn’t about “Little Children”, (though that’s a great read) this is about “The Abstinence Teacher.” This book kept me hooked from the beginning. One of the main characters is a teacher, and it just shows what teachers have to go through when the “man” steps into your classroom. The book also gives a look into the world of religion, and what happens when religion and public education mesh together. (It’s disastrous in my opinion–but that is a whole other blog post). To me, the characters were believable, and I loved the flashback style Perrotta used.

Going on with the book theme, my next obsession is Goodreads. I joined it because I’m currently compiling a reading portfolio/unit for a Sarah Dessen novel for my class. I was planning on creating a Goodreads project, but figured I should be familiar with HOW the site works, not just what I’ve heard from fellow bloggers. Needless to say, I’m hooked and I have tons of fun ideas for my future students to use and explore this website. You can add me and I would love that. I especially like the site’s trivia section. It’s infinite!

Finally, exchanging recipes is something else that I’ve recently gotten into. If you remember from Easter I received a recipe box and am currently working on filling it. At my Aunt’s house on Thanksgiving I planned to exchange recipes via snail mail with my cousin’s brother. I sent him a Manicotti recipe and my Taco Dip recipe. The art of letter writing is NOT dead. I love writing letters, and I love getting recipes. Do you have any favorite recipes?

Things I Love: Thursday!

Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
Beauty & Fashion, Daily Grind, Food & Recipes, Health & Fitness, School
11 Comments

As of 7:30 this evening, my first week of classes for the Fall Semester of 2009 has been completed. I’m taking 4 classes and really only need 3 to graduate, but took an extra one to remain full time. I’m taking The Teaching of Writing, Special Education, Reading & Literacy, and Ceramics! I can’t wait to be able to snap some photos of the projects I’ll be making. I’m not the most artistic person, but ceramics was something I always loved in high school. Maybe it’ll help to relax me throughout my last semester before I Student Teach? So, with the new school year up and running, I’ve found some new things to love, and some things that will be keeping me happy for this important and bittersweet semester.

I’m at school at really crazy times, so I sometimes need a snack to tide me over during that awkward after lunchtime but before dinner time period. I saw an ad for Ritz Crackerfuls in my US Weekly, and they were referred to as “The Grown Up” version of cheese and crackers. They pack 5 grams of whole grains per serving and are made with real cheese. I’ve tried the cheddar and picked up some of the four cheese flavor today. They really do satisfy you when you need a crunch, and anything with cheese in my opinion automatically gets points for me.

It’s only been two days but so far I’m loving my Ceramics class. I’ve rolled out all four of my slabs for my tile series project and look forward to smoothing them out and starting my carving on Tuesday. The only thing about working in clay for 4 or more hours a week? Dry hands! I constantly wash my hands as it is, and have raved about this lotion before, but if there are any other ceramics students out there, I definitely recommend this! Eucerin is the best product ever! Wash your hands and apply when your hands are still a bit moist. Works like a charm and absorbs quickly.

Since we’re all trying to cut back on expensive purchases I switched from my beloved MAC Green Gel Cleanser to try a cheaper alternative by Neutrogena. My friend Kathleen recommended it to me and I’ve been using it for over a month now. It smells delicious, has fun little beads that refresh and exfoliate, and it truly does wake me up when I’m washing my face in the morning. I still miss my MAC, but during these times, it pays to be frugal where you can.

And last but not least…I love Keith. He’s been keeping me calm throughout the first week, and trust me that is a full time job. Not only does he take me out for dinner, he lets me poke his nose, and is just plain awesome. I never include him in a TIL post, but it should be mentioned that I definitely do love him. <3

My ULTA Experience

Thursday, July 30th, 2009
Beauty & Fashion, Family & Friends, Photos
9 Comments

Just recently, the town over opened up an ULTA, which for those of you who don’t know is somewhat similar to Sephora, a big huge makeup/beauty store, which I’m convinced is what heaven will look like for me. I’ve been to many a Sephora before, but having a makeup store less than 20 minutes away from me is dangerous and amazing all at the same time. Kathleen & I woke up early and got to ULTA at 9am, hoping that we would be one of the first hundred customers to snag a gift card though much to our dismay there were people lined up as early as 7:30 in the morning. We did not leave empty handed though! I purchased some Benefit Kitten Shimmer body/face powder and Kathleen picked up some OPI nail polish, but after waiting in a line that wrapped around nearly the whole store we received our free gifts at the register.

My free gift pack included a shimmery purple eye shadow, Kiwi color reflecting finishing spray, curl texturizing creme, and vanilla hand and body lotion. I haven’t tried the finishing spray or lotion yet, but the eyeshadow is gorgeous and subtle and the curl creme is amazing. The scent is light and somewhat powdery and it makes my curls nice and tight, but soft as well. All of the sample sizes are so close to a full size bottle/tube! This trip was definitely worth the wait in line.

The main difference between my beloved Sephora and ULTA is that one whole side of the store was dedicated to drugstore brands ranging from Garnier hair care to Maybelline mascara. Which goes to show you that you don’t have to break the bank when shopping at ULTA.

New Additions & Wristlets

Sunday, June 14th, 2009
Beauty & Fashion, Family & Friends, Keith, Photos
6 Comments

[Since Keith provided some of the "material" (ha) for this post, first and foremost, please check out his online portfolio flatblackart.com. He's an amazing artist and is bringing his art to the internet. Follow him up on Twitter as well! It'd make his day!]

I truly feel like a real fashion lover as I have bought my first piece of Coach all by myself (with the help of my Macy’s charge, haha). This was not an impulse buy either. I saw this Coach wallet a few months ago and managed to pick it up on sale (almost 50% the original price), and decided this was the one for me for a few reasons. It has the classic black on white logo design which will never go out of style. It’s a classic piece that can be paired with almost any purse. And the inside has room for a check book (which also came with the wallet, it has the same pattern!), and plenty of room for cards and cash. I’m absolutely in love with it, and here she is:

And finally, the second two things I had to show you guys were two gifts I received. Keith and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary together on the 6th of June and he surprised me with a wristlet from the Juicy loves Sephora collection. I’ve never owned a wristlet but always wanted one for bars/concerts and one to take to weddings since they’re so much easier than carting a purse around. It’s absolutely beautiful and I love it!

And my Mom and Dad so generously bought me a Coach black on black wristlet for my good grades. Yes, I get presents for good grades! Got a problem? Tell someone who cares, I’m a spoiled and appreciative only child. Ha! I’ll be taking this to the two weddings Keith and I are attending later in the summer.

I tried out my Juicy Wristlet for a party last night and it worked beautifully. It was so much easier than toting one of my big bags around and it can be safer too especially at parties and other big gatherings. I carried my license, one credit card, some cash, my cellie, gum and smokes.

Real Guy Q&A

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
Beauty & Fashion, Daily Grind, The Media
13 Comments

We all have those burning questions we want to ask guys, so I took the liberty of interviewing a panel of awesome dudes that I know will give me the straight answers. A lot of them surprised me, and as ladies we can only wish that EVERY guy in the world thought the same way these awesome dudes think. I present to you, the first ever CURLS.NU interview with real guys who rock.

I asked all of my guys (Keith was included), what’s the first thing they notice about a woman and eyes were mentioned across the board. Lou, 25, mentioned, “If she has a good set of eyes I’m good to start.” Nick, 34, also said, “I notice if she’s looking up or at the floor. Confidence let’s me know how I’m gonna approach her, but not my judgment of her.” Keith, 22, who needs no introduction also mentioned the big “C” word. “It’s all about how she holds herself, don’t try too hard to be sexy, just be confident.” He also mentioned that he prefers brains to just beauty alone and said, “You can lose your beauty by opening your mouth!.” Some of Keith’s deal breakers are “one-upping” and pretending not to poop. He says, “EVERYONE DOES IT! Just let it out…LITERALLY!!”

When it came to the favorite part of a woman’s body Nick and Ranil, 22, both agreed on the chest. Nick said, “It doesn’t matter how big, I’m just a fan of boobs,” where Ranil said, “That’s tricky because I think of the female body as the most beautiful thing in the world. I saw a pregnant lady the other day and she was sexy as hell!” (Yes, Ranil is single!). And on personality Lou said, “Be cool, calm, and relaxed! I can’t deal with uptight people, especially uptight ladies, just go with the flow.”

And since this sometimes turns into a fashion blog, I asked the guys how they would dress a woman if they had a chance. Lou said, “Other than nothing? I’m cool with jeans and a t-shirt. Tightness is up to them, but jerseys are a plus,” whereas Ranil and Nick both agreed that the sundress is key. Nick said, “it’s how a sundress hugs a woman’s body, it’s casual sexy like those 40s pinup girls” and Ranil agreed, “It lets you see a little something and gets me thinking about what I’m not seeing.” Keith on the other hand decided he would dress me in a tight band tee, baggy pants, sneakers and a bandana. He said, “Punkie hippies are HOT!” Are you hinting something to me, Keith?

Last but not least, the ongoing question of weight. As I sat here munching on my Special K Bar and worrying about losing my last 10 pounds Ranil stated, “Ladies need to stop being insecure about their weight! I can deal with the occasional nagging but don’t go crazy about it!” I think we can all take a lesson from that one.

MEET THE PANEL: Lou is a single guy who loves watching movies and TV. Nick has been married for 9 years and loves his kids, bowling, comics and movies. Ranil is a single guy who likes driving, video games, music, art, working out, and fishing. And last but not least Keith has been with me for almost 6 years and loves art, music, and making me feel like a princess (because I pretty much am, haha).

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