I'm Blushing!

I have used the same blush for at least a hundred years. It's not that it's particularly amazing, but I am just too lazy to look for something else don't respond well to change. The last time I went to Target, I stopped in the Cover Girl aisle to pick up a new blush compact. Much to my HORROR, the little slot thingy that houses my blush was EMPTY!!

After I huffed and puffed for a minute, I reached into my purse and pulled out the old compact. There were a few traces of powder left in one corner, so I attempted to find something that closely matched my beloved Natural Twinkle.

After searching three aisles of blush, I found one that was almost an exact match. Imagine my delight when I read the NAME of my new favorite cosmetic....

Karma.

A Modern-Day Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, four incredibly smart and beautiful friends set off for the Land of Three Monkeys. They left their families behind, in hopes of not having to listen to anyone whine for a few hours enjoying an evening filled with much-needed girl talk and laughter.

Their journey began early in the afternoon because these friends are no longer able to see well enough to drive after dark. They followed the Yellow Brick Road, and dropped breadcrumbs to help them find their way home. After meandering through Candyland, they finally reached their destination.

They parked in a dark alley, and walked up hill, both ways around the corner to the entrance of the Land of Three Monkeys. Once inside, they were seated in a beautiful polished wood booth, and were handed drink menus with 3,862 selections. Their insanely perky waitress, took their orders, and complimented them on their selections. The friends are renowned for their impeccable taste!

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Left to Right: Mallo-Fluff, Mom x 2, Beach Chick & BHE

The four friends enjoyed a few drinks...

Left to Right: Hear No Evil, Malbec

...and amazing cuisine that would make you slap your mama!

Macadamia-Encrusted Mahi with Mango Salsa, Greek Pasta Salad, Yummy Mixed Veggies

Much to the friends' dismay, the evening eventually came to a close despite their kicking, screaming, and gnashing of teeth. They packed up their meager belongings, and ventured back to The Land That Time Forgot. The clock struck midnight, the limousine turned into a pumpkin, BHE lost her glass slipper, the goose laid a golden egg, and everyone lived happily ever after.

The End

Discoveries

As the mercury approached 80 degrees this afternoon I rejoiced to the high Heavens made several new discoveries:

Bright White Feet + Flip Flops = Seared Corneas

Year 42 has not been kind to my thighs.

All of the veins in my legs seem to be clamoring for the surface.

Capri Pants are the only thing I will be wearing this summer my friend.

I like lasagna and chocolate. Just not together.

Wine is good. This is not a new discovery, but it's worth repeating.

My daughter IS capable of cleaning the bathroom. Well.

The flooring we picked out for the new family room is amazing!

My dog reeks smells worse in the summer than in the winter.

I am not nearly as hateful MUCH kinder to my family when the weather is pleasant.

What new discoveries have you made this weekend?

Three Little Words

I just received a call from the Choral Director at Small Town, USA High School. She spoke those three little words that every cameraless blogger longs to hear...."We found it."



Yes, Folks, my camera is no longer missing in action!! YAY!! Evidently, Snow White left the camera at a Show Choir competition three weeks ago. I have spent countless hours calling, searching, stressing, crying (not really, but I felt like it) and ranting about the loss of my baby, um, camera. (CBW - you REALLY need to teach me how to use the strike-through feature.)



Tomorrow, we are headed to Hampton Roads for a Chamber Choir competition. The Choral Director will deliver the precious cargo to me upon arrival!! Can you tell that I'm excited???!!!



I'm not sure which makes me happier - getting my camera back, or NOT having to dish out several hundred dollars to replace it. Either way, I AM BACK IN BLOGGER ACTION!!!



Life is good.

The Garage Enclosure - Part One

I mentioned yesterday that our camera is missing. It's likely that Snow White left it at a choral competition two weeks ago. Although I hadn't taken any photos specifically for blogging, it seems that the loss of my camera has put me into some sort of blogger funk;/



I'm upset that I haven't been able to take pictures of the garage enclosure. It has quickly progressed, and I have not captured it on film. I have deluded myself into believing that the camera will magically reappear one day. Looks like I will just have to bite the bullet and replace it. SOON!



Fortunately, I uploaded the following shots prior to "the incident"!



See that orange thing nailed to the tree? That's our building permit. Stop laughing. Now.









The first step in the process was to cut down a tree to make room for the little covered porch. (You can see the stump behind the second dirt pile.) This was followed by digging two footer holes for the porch columns. These holes were filled with cement, and work stopped for the day because......

...they had to be inspected by the county. This is how the county notified us that our holes had passed inspection. (Heehee!) I wonder how much the county spends on ziplocks each year. Now you may laugh!!

And then it rained for five days...

So Many Choices, So Little Time

For those of you who tuned in for the Blogger Butt Smackdown, that program has been postponed until next week. "Why?", you may ask. The answer is simple. Because I said so;) My camera is MIA, I haven't been to the gym, AND I am really too tired to even pretend to care about my weight today!!! Any further questions?



As many of you already know, we are in the process of having our two-car garage enclosed to create a family room, and a laundry room. Last week, the crew completed the covered side porch, built the fireplace enclosure, removed the garage doors, and installed two windows and a set of french doors. The smell of freshly cut wood is heavenly:)

This week, Cool Breeze and I need to buckle down and select our wood flooring, fireplace stone, ceramic tile AND wall color. There are probably some additional lighting fixtures that need to be chosen as well. I do not relish the thought of having to make SO many choices in such a SHORT period of time.

Sure, I have bought several magazines in hopes of finding JUST the right color for that room....but to no avail. Earth tones are a must, but selecting THE color can be tricky! Not to mention the fact that I keep getting distracted with thoughts of how badly the rest of the house needs to be painted...and I'm thinking of changing some of THOSE colors:/

It's VERY exciting to see such progress being made on the enclosure! Once it's complete, we will wonder what we ever did without all of that "extra" room!!

If I EVER get my camera back (or buy a new one) I will have plenty of pictures to post. For right now, I'll just have to settle for the cell phone shots that CB sent to me! Of course, I haven't downloaded them, so you will just have to take my word for it!!!!

What's going on around YOUR house this spring?

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

THE GOOD


-The sun is shining today.

-The contractor is planning to start on our garage enclosure tomorrow.

-Our driveway is finally clear of blizzard debris.



THE BAD


-It rained for five straight days.

-I still have to clean a few things out of the garage, and I'm not sure how long my washer & dryer will be out of commission.

-It's now painfully obvious that we need about 3289739472 tons of gravel to get the driveway in shape.



THE UGLY


-Our company health insurance is up for renewal, and I am currently "shopping" for a less expensive policy. Zzzzzzzzz...

South Beach - Week 11

Welcome to Week 11 of the Blogger Butt Smackdown! Four out of five scientists report that laughter is good for your heart, and that it helps you burn calories. (I made that up, but it sounds good. Doesn't it? ) Today, I have chosen some items that are guaranteed to make you laugh. Thus, protecting your heart, and helping you lose weight!


I'm going to order these slimming t-shirts for Noe Noe Girl & me. Look for them at Blog Fest '09 ;) Many other motivational sayings available.


www.cafepress.com/

I chose this item for my friend Mental P Mama. This diet assigns a point system to certain foods. For example, a candy bar would be 1/2 shoe, while spinach would be 5 shoes, or something like that. Anyway, you get points for each food in which you choose to indulge. Once you accumulate so many points, you reward yourself with, you guessed it, a new pair of shoes!!! GO, Mama!

These pillows will be all the rage when the Swag Bags are distributed. They'll make a lovely addition to your weight-loss arsenal. You'll want to purchase extras, just in case one of your friends doesn't "get the message"!

http://skirt.com/files/xinha_images/6004/skinny.gif

WHEW! All of that research has made me thirsty...

http://trendsupdates.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/young-woman-drinking-a-gl-002.jpg

Have a great Monday! Cheers!

If you haven't seen this already, go check it out....

http://taxdayteaparty.com/index.html

Friday!

I woke up this morning to more of this...




I took an early lunch, and went to see her...

After work, I'm going to eat these with Mom x 2...

Tomorrow, I'm going to a local auction with my mom and middle sis. Sunday, church and NASCAR.

What are YOUR plans for the weekend?

I Wonder

My odometer just tripped 100,000 miles. I wonder if I can get another 100,000 out of her.

I wonder what would happen if there were an emergency, and the only car available was a stick shift?

If I had naturally curly hair, I wonder if I would long for stick-straight locks.

I wonder if blondes really do have more fun. NAH!!!

If they had never made red wine, I wonder what I would drink at night.

My daughter wants to go to college in NYC. I wonder if I am strong enough to handle that.

When I am old, I wonder if I will be "that crazy cat/dog woman".

I wonder why I am so attached to the color purple.

I wonder if it's wrong to take such utter delight in making cakes/cupcakes for someone's birthday.

When my dog barks incessantly, I wonder if it's wrong to wish he would just SHUT UP.

When I go to The Met in April, I wonder if people will point me out and say, "Oh. She MUST be from the country." **insert their eye rolls**

I wonder how dull my life would be if I had never met all of YOU wonderful people in the blogosphere.

What do YOU wonder?

Krazy Kitty

Cute little catnip-stuffed mice with bells on their tails $4.85

A plush, leopard print kitty bed $19.99

An empty box...



PRICELESS!

South Beach - Week 10

What a difference a week makes!! Last week, I was unable to post for Week 9 because of a FREAKIN' BLIZZARD AND NO POWER FOR TWO DAYS!!! (Sorry. I wasn't fussing at YOU!) This week, the temperatures are hovering in the upper 70's. It sure is a welcome change:)

The warmer temps have me thinking about pool-and-beach season....and about how far I have to go to achieve my goal in the Blogger Butt Smackdown!! Slowly, but surely, I am making progress. How are YOU coming along?? Are you ready to rock that new swimsuit?!

(Insert your own appropriate segue......I'm a blogger, not a writer!)

I went to the store last week and picked up enough items to fill one bag. The cost? $46.00. That's highway robbery!!! How is the economy affecting your grocery-buying habits? Eating healthy is SO much more expensive than just eating to get full. I'd love to hear about your cost-cutting measures, healthy budget recipes, and any other tips that you would like to share.

Personally, I will continue to plan my menus around weekly in-store specials. I'll also continue to stock up on frequently-used items when they go on sale. Isn't that what a vacuum-sealer and a freezer are for? A third plan of action is to pack lunch EVERY day. I have been slacking with this, and only packing once or twice per week.....eating lunch out adds up quickly!

I used to really enjoy planting a vegetable garden each spring. This year, at a minimum, I am going to grow herbs, tomatoes, yellow squash, zucchini and eggplant. They may end up being planted in containers on my porch, but at least it's a move back in the right direction! Right?

Don't forget to leave your hints and tips in the comment section. I can't wait to hear what you all have to say about being frugal.....just don't ask me to make my own laundry detergent:/

My Week In Review

Hello, my Bloggy Friends! Is anyone still stopping by to visit? I realize that I have been M.I.A. for almost a week, so I thought I would catch you up on what's been happening at Casa de Envy.



SATURDAY: Snow White's show choir, Sound FX, performed in their first competition of the season. They BROUGHT IT, but the judges only saw fit to award them second place. They. Were. Robbed. Not that I'm bitter.....



We didn't return home until midnight, and we just HAD to watch the DVD of their performance! It was a LONG day, but I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere else. I love those kids!!



In this photo, Snow White and her BF are the couple front and center (he is VERY tall with dark hair, and the center microphone goes right through them!!!). They are singing Fabulous Places, which is their theme this year.











SUNDAY: We watched the news Sunday morning, and were aware that the snow was supposed to blow in around 6 p.m. The forecast was for 4-6 inches. The perfect snow...you watch it fall, stay home for a day, and cook enough soup to feed an army. Right?



I drove separately to church so I could go to the grocery store immediately following the service. (I'm really not a procrastinator. There was no time to shop on Saturday due to the 14 hour show choir deal.) After taking my turn in the nursery at church, I headed out to Food Lion. My list consisted of "snow snacks" and food that could be simmered ALL DAY while watching the beautiful snow fall.



I should have known that we were doomed when I left the grocery store and was immediately pelted in the face with ice. It was only 1:45 p.m.

I headed home with a full tank of gas, and a trunk full of food. And wine, of course:)

After a nap, I fixed a big dinner and settled in to catch up on blogging and facebook. At 10:00 p.m. the power went out. Oh, joy. It was too late to fire up the generator - the wind was blowing a gale, and we could see snow lightning in the distance. White-out conditions are not conducive to hooking up a generator. Soooo, we piled on the blankets and tried to sleep.

MONDAY: When daylight finally arrived, there was a collective sigh of relief. It was STILL SNOWING, but the wind had diminished and we could get outside and get something accomplished. CB got the propane heater out of the shed and started the process of slowly warming the house.....which was around 60 degrees. (It could have been SO much worse.)

The next order of business was to fire up the generator. Once again, we had lights, water and news available to us! The food in the fridge would not spoil, and we could flush!! (It's really all about the little things, isn't it?) The only problem? Heat. We were able to add an electric heater to our arsenal, and the two heaters kept the house at about 65 degrees.

Once we had the basics under control, CB and I headed out to try to do some damage control. He got on the tractor and headed down the driveway. There were trees across the road, and it was difficult to tell exactly where the driveway was. Chainsaw in hand, he managed to cut the trees back and clear a path along the drive.

I grabbed the snow shovel and began clearing the sidewalk, porch and grill area. I had a feeling we were going to be grilling our dinner! My cat supervised.....

Snow White was in her room, blinds open, hoping that we wouldn't ask her to help!! Typical teenager!!!

After our work was finished, and we had a chance to thaw out a bit, the three of us decided that it would be fun to take a drive. We were also well aware that the heat in the truck can get VERY warm!!!

As much as I hate to admit it, the snow along the driveway was beautiful.

When we got down to the hard surface road, we could tell that the VDOT trucks had been through with their plows. Didn't do much good.....I'm glad we didn't have to drive on this one-lane road after dark!

After driving on snow covered roads for a half hour or so, we realized that we needed to get back and get some dinner on the grill before we lost all of our daylight. CB grilled up burgers, mashed potatoes, green beans and.......CAKE!!

Yes, you read that correctly. Snow White mixed up a cake mix, poured the batter into two disposable pans and tightly covered them in foil. CB put them on the grill (not right above the coals) and rotated them every so often to ensure even cooking. We had no idea how it was going to work, but...

...it was delicious! Especially after SW frosted it with chocolate icing!! It's definitely something we will never forget:)

TUESDAY: School was closed again Tuesday. Unfortunately, I had to try to get into work because it was payday for our employees. If any of them decided to venture out, I wanted to make sure that I had finished running payroll. I was in the process of packing a bag of essentials so I could shower at the office, when the power decided to come back on! YAY!!!

SW and I quickly took our showers and prepared to head out. I dropped her off at The Boy with the Perfect Teeth's (TBWTPT) house, and headed to the office.

Once I felt like I had everything back under control at work, I headed back home to prepare that HUGE pot of soup that I had been salivating over before the current went out! SW & TBWTPT arrived shortly after I did, and they headed out to go sleigh riding. We had a great evening eating soup, and watching the Sound FX dvd...for the twentieth time!!!

WEDNESDAY: SW & TBWTPT (with assistance from our dog!) built an amazing snowman!

About 2:00 Wednesday afternoon, I started feeling light-headed and dizzy. When the waves of nausea came, I decided that it was time to head home.

This is a fairly accurate depiction of how I felt......

(That's EXACTLY why teenagers should never be kept out of school for three snow days in a row!!!!)

I went to sleep at 3:30 p.m., got up long enough to eat a bowl of soup, and slept until 6:30 Thursday morning. It dawned on me that fatigue may have been the issue, not illness.

THURSDAY: Today was the most normal of all. School was only on a two hour delay, and I was able to get to work on time. I'm feeling much better, and looking forward to the warm temperatures that will be arriving over the weekend!!

I'm also looking forward to another fabulous show choir competition. GO Sound FX!!!

Marlene, the next time we get this much snow, I am going to call you. At that point, I will expect you to drive a tractor trailer to my house and remove EVERY FLAKE!!! If I had had power, or your phone number, earlier this week.....you would definitely have heard from me!!!!! NNG & I said, "Well, I hope she's happy!!" Bwahahaha!