Morning, babes. No Saturday Surfing today, but if you needed more evidence that Marshalls adores cat ladies, I present, for the O.M.R. (the Official Makeup Record), the following pieces of evidence…
Exhibit A: Marshalls is down with the cat ladies
That adorable cat dish/tray at the top, complete with a kitty wearing eyeglasses (because all the cool cats wear glasses)…
And this catnip jar — because only crazy cat ladies need a dedicated jar for bulk catnip.
And this holiday kitty cat mug with its own knitted cozy!
Also, this set of purr-fect cat mugs…
Trays in every room
Yes, I did get that tray at the top, because, hello — cat lady here. Target market. 🙂
Um…actually, I have little trays in every room of the house because I’m always having to take off my watch and my rings for different reasons.
Like, for instance, when Connor gets her hands down a poopy diaper and decides to do some finger painting with said poop all over her crib bedding, stuffed animals and her blanket (true story).
I tend to take off my jewelry before tackling tasks like that, hence the trays.
And no more sticking jewelry into jeans pockets anymore for this girl, because the jeans inevitably get thrown into the hamper, and then gets thrown into the wash, and before you know it you’re in a sweaty panic looking for your engagement ring all over the house for two hours before eventually finding the ring underneath the dryer (also true story).
Cute tray, right? I think I’m gonna put it in Connor’s room. It was only $2.99.
Oh, and Marshalls doesn’t just cater to cat ladies. They love dog people, too.
Exhibit D: Marshalls digs dogs
Took a breather yesterday
I missed you! But I needed a break yesterday. The baby… Anyway, it’s a long story, but it involves tantrums and raspberries and poop and spoon skills and untying knots in hair, and I needed a few hours to recover.
Now my rested brain can appreciate things like this: new stuff from Urban Decay. 🙂
All Nighter Waterproof Full-Coverage Concealer
UD has a new line of matte waterproof full-coverage concealers. There are 14 colors, $29 each, and they’re supposed to be so full-coverage that they can even hide tattoos.
[INSERT COLLECTIVE OOOOH!]
They also have a new palette called Distortion ($48) that has 15 powder shadows that you can mix and match to create different finishes. It’s up on sephora.com now for pre-order.
I’m looking forward to some makeup time in my room/office this weekend, because I haven’t worn a lick of makeup in three days.
I know!
Hard to believe that I used to put on concealer just to go get the mail, LOL!
Come say hi in the comments. I miss you. I’ll be around today and tomorrow. I’m just getting the house ready for T-day next week.
We’re hosting this year, so things have to get done.
In Connor Claire news…man, your niece has been going through some things lately. She hit that stage in her toddler-hood where she’s super clingy, super impatient and super insistent and vocal about having my full attention all the time, all day long.
Between the baby and the cat…I’m just saying. It isn’t easy to put on makeup with a baby and a world-renowned kitty supermodel all up in your grill.
What are you doing for Thanksgiving?
Are you heading out of town? Are you hosting this year? Inquiring minds want to know. Got any kick-@ss dessert or side dish recipes to share? You know I’m all about the sides.
Also, what have you been reading and watching lately? I’m still reading Cocoa Beach (I’m about 60% done!), and I’m marathoning Alias Grace on Netflix.
It’s based on a Margaret Atwood book (she also wrote The Handmaid’s Tale). Good so far, but kinda… Well, there’s a lot going on. It’s about the 1843 murders of Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper Nancy Montgomery in Upper Canada, and there are twisted relationships, secret alliances, and you don’t know if you can trust the narrator.
So it’s interesting, and Sarah Gadon kicks butt.
Have a great weekend.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
Karen,
Connor Claire is just SO DARN CUTE!
I’m going into Manhattan for Thanksgiving. My best friend lives on the Upper East Side. Her daughter’s boyfriend is a Chef at Hillstone Restaurant and is off for Thanksgiving so he is going to cook for us! Yum! I’ll let you know if I get any great hacks from him.
Rose has to stay home in NJ as my friend is allergic to cats so I will prepare her favorite Turkey and Gravy wet kitty food before I leave!
xoxo
Anne Marie (& Rose)
Hi Anne Marie,
Aww, thank you! Connor Claire knows how to work those bows. She’s all about the accessories. 🙂 Ok, your Thanksgiving sounds like it’s going to be so delicious and totally worthy of your best pair of black stretchy pants. And please, yeah, I’d love to learn some good food hacks, and hey, if he happens to share any yummy recipes, I’d love to hear those too. Tabs is going to be here with us for T-day, and of course, he’s going to get his own special side of gravy. Yes, I make extra gravy just for him. Our fur babies are so loved and spoiled and I know we wouldn’t have it any other way. I hope you have a wonderful weekend and an amazing Thanksgiving, and hopefully one of these days we’ll get to meet next time you’re here on the west coast.
Karen that Connor Claire is absolutely adorable!
I have a notebook ? page where I take MBB. Notes.
Going to Marshals.
Also Target and also Sephora. Where I have a GC from a surprise Retirement party ? my daughter gave me.
Yes, I retired Dec 2015 but so much has happened.
I’m doing TG for my family. But I put all dishes in disposable tins. Makes life so much easier.
Happy Caturday !
Hey Michele,
Thank you so much! She’s getting bigger and sassier every day. Congrats on your retirement. Both my parents are retired and they’re living the life! They’re having a lot of fun. Oh, and if you need any help with your Sephora one I’m happy to give you some recs.
What are you making for Thanksgiving? Do you have a signature dish? We’re getting our turkey and a few sides from a market that’s nearby us. I ordered a pre-made dinner so all I have to do is warm everything up, which makes my life so much easier. I’ll probably make a couple sides and get a pie of course. Happy Caturday!
I read The Handmaidens Tale and Alias Grace, and the latter one was my favorite out of the two. Can’t speak for the show though, I haven’t watched them yet.
And toddler tantrums… My son reached this stage too, a few weeks ago, and it is wearing me out. “NO!” is his new favorite word and the amount of times we play the “Up!”/”DOWN!” game every day is a great upper body workout. But I remember this stage with my daughter and know it will pass. Eventually.
I keep trying to remember to cherish this time! Soon enough she’ll be busy ignoring me, ha!
enjoy it, before you know it, high school will be here, it was said to me when my daughter was little. And it is very true
PS & BTw
another Marshalls addict here, I am beginning to ration myself, I need a 12 step program
Hi Isabella,
Everyone tells me that. I recently read that you only get 900 weeks of childhood before your kids can leave the next, so I keep trying to remember to cherish it!
OH MY GOSH, I could go to Marshalls every day, for real. Do you live near a HomeGoods? I’m addicted to that store too.
yep, new HG store opened 2 miles away, always busy
try to limit my Marshalls and Tj visits to once a week
My nearest Marshalls is 5 minutes away and HomeGoods is 10 minutes away. If I could I’d go everyday, no joke!
Connor Claire is going to have a baby cousin soon! Yes, Im preggers! My sis-in-law insists on a gender reveal on T-day. Nothing fancy she said but something fun since everybody has been waiting for this baby to come for almost 11 years. LOL I’ll be 14 weeks by Thanksgiving. Tha family knows Im not cooking or doing anything this year as Im still at that stage in my pregnancy where smells and scents are everything- super sensitive to all kinds of odors! ? My brother’s amazing MIL who is a cook by profession will be doing the majority of the cooking and everybody else will be ordering lechon belly and Filipino desserts from places across the Bay Area. I will be sitting pretty this year. Yay!
Hugs and butterfly kisses!
XO,
Cha
I’m so excited for you, Cha! Congratulations! ❤️ Can’t wait to find out if you’re having a boy or a girl. When’s your due date? This is your first, right?
And ohhh… I remember that stage well. I have a hyper-sensitive nose and during that time I hated the scent of everything. EVERYTHING. I remember having the windows open and smelling the onions my neighbor three doors down was cooking for dinner and wanting to yak! It was so overwhelming and all I could smell. I was seriously a basset hound.
Hi Karen! Yes, this is our first baby. Im due on the 23rd of May next year. I will be 39 then. Yay! I had my NIPT result for the genetic testing and my sis-in-law has the envelope with the gender result. Im really curious and anxious to find out whether Im carrying a little boy or a little girl.
Morning sickness is not fun! And its worst at night for me. First trimeseter is done and Im still going through it although not as bad as when I was in my second month. Everything I love like coffee, garlic, water, cheese, veggies are no bueno right now. I turn my nose up on almost everything. The husband says Im like a completely different person! Some days are better than others so Im not really complaining. I may only get to experience this once so I will make the most out of it. Im just so very thankful for this absolutely amazing and generous blessing.
XO,
Cha
How exciting! I still remember getting the results from our NIPT test as clear as day. El Hub and I opened up the email at the same time — it was on the same laptop that I’m typing on right now — and because I read faster than he does, I sped through the email and then started screaming with joy and running around the living room “WE’RE HAVING A GIRL, WE’RE HAVING A GIRL!” Then we both teared up and started crying. LOL. We’re saps. Funny thing is I had this feeling deep down inside she’d be a girl. I know you’ll be all sorts of busy but please swing by when you find out and let me know!
Expect those food aversions to hang around for some time. It took me about a year and a half before I could eat fish again without feel nauseous. You’ll get your old taste buds back eventually.
Hi Karen and HeraKitty,
Karen, I’ve been reading your blog forever but have only commented a couple of times. But I just wanted to let both of you know that it’s really inspiring to read you both discuss pregnancy and motherhood. (And congrats, HeraKitty!) I’m 37 and am just at a place where I can start seriously planning for a baby, so it’s good to hear women my age who are excited about pregnancy and motherhood, rather than some of the doom and gloom you hear from the outside world about starting a family a little later.
Hiya Mennabop,
Thank you for reading the blog and saying hi today! I’m so glad you decided to pop in. If ever you have any Qs about pregnancy or motherhood please feel free to ask; I’m no expert but I’ve gone through it and I’ll happily throw in my 2 cents. I hope that you get pregnant soon; it took us a while. We tried for a couple years without any success, and when we thought that it wasn’t going to happen naturally for us and started making moves toward adoption, I got pregnant with Connor. The universe is funny that way, I guess. Connor is almost two now! Crazy how the time flies.
I really appreciate that and thanks for the well wishes!
And yeah, it seems like things tend to work out when you just keep moving forward. I know a couple that tried for a baby for a couple of years, then decided to take in a foster child. Turns out that foster child had a sibling that they also took in. The week they were finalizing the adoption for the brother and sister, she found out she was pregnant! Now they’ve gone from a couple with a dog to having four(!) kids under 8 (there was also a half-sibling that was in foster care that they took in) and two dogs in the space of about 4 years. It’s been a wild ride, but it’s really amazing how happy they are as a unit.
You’re gonna do great. When you get good news, please let me know! I have crazy baby fever at the moment (you wouldn’t think I would seeing how I spend my days covered in half eaten food and poop) and I’m vicariously living through all my pregnant friends/friends with wee little newborns right now.
Connor Claire rocks those bows. She sounds fierce. Is she nearing her second birthday? If you want to email me for a place to vent, I’m all ears. Been through it with one fierce child who hasn’t backed down a millimeter since she was born.
Just the immediate family. No turkey because I refuse to eat turkey leftovers for weeks on end. Will probably make Judy Roger’s Zuni Cafe roast chicken with bread salad, roasted then mashed sweet potatoes. Dear Daughter said she’d make a green veggie and dessert.
I’m digging that mug with the knitted kitty kozy. And the kitty tray, too. I have a cat shaped spoon rest in my kitchen from ages ago.
Today I tried on a pair of jeans I ordered from Nordstrom and I was laying in the sun contemplating life when Nora kitty came and kneaded my stomach, then laid down and let me scratch her under the chin and behind the ears for a good 10 minutes. All of this is rare behavior for Nora.
Hope you have a wonderful T-Day with the fam.
Hi Tatiana,
She *is* fierce. She’s independent and confident and strong-willed, which makes it a challenge to guide her (I swear that child thinks all of mom’s suggestions are a game). I’ve been taking your “pick your battles” advice, which seems to help us both a lot.
How was dinner at SPQR? Did you have anything especially delicious?
Hi to Nora kitty. Oh and let me guess… the jeans are the boyfriend jeans you mentioned a while back?!
I feel you. Dear Daughter was extremely strong willed. It doesn’t happen in all situations, but if there’s a situation where Connor will want to make a choice (like getting dressed in the a.m.), give her two things she gets to choose from. She’ll think she’s getting her choice and you won’t have to go through the whole wardrobe thing. Didn’t always work, but when it did it saved my sanity.
SPQR. Dang, the whole entire meal was fabulous. Every last dish was outstanding. But so darned expensive, I should have taken a look at the menu before we went. The hardest part was deciding what to choose, because I wanted every last dish on that menu.
Yes, they were the boyfriend jeans. In a size smaller than I bought during the anniversary sale. Woot! Been working hard on exercising more consistently and keeping sugar numbers down. (I even skipped dessert Friday night.)
The first time I took Connor to story time and I saw the other kids obediently listening and sticking close to their parents and nannies I was in awe. IN. AWE. Connor likes to do what she wants when she wants, and it’s been a challenging helping her manage the meltdowns… Oh god, how many times have I had to carry her kicking and screaming out of the library? You don’t even want to know. But it’s also been eye opening, too. She’s not afraid of other kids at all, even the big kids. She readily gets into the mix and is usually pretty happy and outgoing.
So the only time I’ve ever gone to SPQR was for a brand lunch, and I remember being happy that I wasn’t the one who had to pick up the check, LOL! I can’t believe you skipped dessert, that’s craziness, woman!
Connor Claire’s naughty behavior is negated by how darn cute she is! Maybe Tabs can teach her some etiquette! Have a great Thanksgiving! I think it would be fun to host now that I have a house but also nerve wracking. My boyfriend and I are going to his mom’s place and maybe my aunt’s after if there’s time. Hopefully I can get in some shopping too!
Hi Rachel,
You have a great Thanksgiving, too. I love the celebrations where all you have to do is show up, eat and watch TV. I think the next time I’ll get to do that is when Connor has a family of her own, haha! Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving dish? Not surprisingly I’m all about pie. Pecan pie!
Any kind of dessert is my favorite! I am bringing a salmon dip and Waldorf salad. Being vegetarian there isn’t always a lot of options for me so I make sure to bring something I can eat!
Yummy! I totally know how that is… I used to be a vegetarian, and my mom would always find a way to put meat in everything. She’d make noodles and put chicken in it (“But chicken’s not meat, and I shredded it so it’s really small”) and call it “vegetarian” LOL! Different generation I guess. Do you have the Student’s Vegetarian Cookbook by Carole Raymond? It’s mostly meals for one but you can easily double or triple the portions. The recipes are easy and they use ingredients you can find at any grocery store. It’s one of my fave cook books and has been for years.
Yay for Canadian content! Lol! I read The Handmaid’s Tale for English class in high school. It was made into a movie in 1990. I haven’t seen the series yet but I’ve heard it’s good. Interesting tidbit: I met Margaret Atwood about 25 years ago when my ex father-in-law was doing work at her house. I helped paint the fence around around her back yard !
Hi Tara,
The Handmaid’s Tale show on Hulu is excellent. It’s heavy material for sure, but it’s so well directed and visually striking. I hope you get to watch it soon!
How funny that you painted the fence around her back yard. Do you remember the color of the paint? For some reason I keep picturing green. LOL
Connor Claire is almost painfully adorable!!!
Thank you, Jonirae!
Happy Sunda to ya. I hope you had a nice weekend! Are you ready for T-day? What are your plans? We’ll be hosting here at our house this year again… Thank goodness for pre-made thanksgiving meals that you can order from the store, LOL! I mean, I’d love to tackle making everything from scratch one day but this isn’t gonna be the year. Maybe next year.
This stage with Connor is preparing you for her teenage years when you will be battling about friends and curfews and school and more things.
Remember that you are a good mother.
Hi Jennifer,
Thank you. She’s already so confident and determined! It’s a challenge now but I hope those traits will help her succeed in the future. 🙂
How’s thanksgiving prep going?
Egads, almost non-existent. I’ve had a bad cold for nearly a month. I was supposed to finish grocery shopping this afternoon but I took a 2 hour nap instead!
I’m going now, promising myself a fancy coffee and a stop at the mothership afterward.
Good luck! I hope you get everything done in time. I’ve still got last minute things to do, like buy a disposable roasting pan. Damn I wish that meal would cook itself!
Thanks! I’m better today. Although I forgot to pull the turkey out of the freezer before I left for work this morning…here’s hoping I remember later!
Glad to hear you’re feeling better. I had a terrible cold last month that lasted for weeks, ugh! Tis the season for sniffles. Oh boy, good luck with the turkey!
I still love that outfit on her!
I feel like you’d be amused by my friend’s blog (she has a nearly-three-year-old daughter who is hilarious: https://truthandtantrums.wordpress.com/)
We’re hosting Thanksgiving – my husband really loves cooking Thanksgiving dinner. Pretty small – just my parents, my brother and his wife, and us. Maybe a friend. I’m so behind on TV. I haven’t even finished the second season of Stranger Things and I only watched the first episode of this season of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency so far! Maybe once the semester ends.
Hi Chelsea,
Ahh, I remember that about student life. In the 90s I missed so much TV (still have yet to see an episode of Friends). Lucky you that your hubs enjoys cooking! Mine would exist on canned chili and frozen burritos if he could. He does make a mean grilled cheese though, ha!
Thank you for sending your friend’s blog over! I’ll check it out.
May I ask about Connor Claire’s shoes? My 2 year old needs those in her life!
Have a wonderful holiday, and thank you for your blog, from one cat lady to another!
<3
Hang in there! Potty training will be soon and then you’ll have one less mess to contend with. 🙂 It’s a challenging time and I know I blame everything on teething but when their little mouths are in pain, kids get fussy and clingy and cranky. 🙂 I promise, you’ll barely remember this time in a year or so. And I know that sounds ridiculous now. HAHA! I’m sure I was losing my mind several times per day when the boys were that age but, honestly, it’s just a blur now. Actually, that doesn’t sound like much consolation, does it?
Why are kids so fascinated with poop? I keep hoping that she’ll get over the phase (this isn’t the first time it’s happened) soon but it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop soon, so I may have to dress her in footed pajamas that zip up all the way 24/7. You gotta do what you gotta do. *raises coffee cup* Honestly, I don’t know how you managed to do it with two babies. I mean, one is hard enough, but two! Do you remember how long it took to potty train the boys?