Just For Fun

Hi, friend. ? Happy last Saturday Surfing of the decade.

THE DECADE.

Crazy, right?

You know what else is crazy? How delicious these Harry & David Pears are! ? TJ’s had them in gift boxes for the holidays, and I bought one for Christmas. They’re juicy and sweet, and they taste like biting into a cotton candy grape that makes your eyes roll back in your head in sheer ecstasy… I think we’ll have them with our toast for breakfast this morning, yum! Grab a box before they disappear, because if you don’t, I will. LOL!

Man, Trader Joe’s… I love that place.

Now, onto this weekend’s reading…

• Dolly Parton is so determined to never, ever be seen without her face paint that she even sleeps with makeup on! Now that’s dedication.
• Note to self: I will be making these pizza cupcakes ASAP. ??
• Y’all need to talk some sense into me please, because I can’t get doing this upcoming Spartan Super Race outta my head. It’s June in Monterey and involves running a 10K *and* doing 25 obstacles. On that note, here are 10 hair products to try if you work out often. LOL!
• From how-tos to makeup hauls, here’s a (short) history of the last decade of beauty on YouTube.
• Just in case you were unaware, dyed armpit hair is a thing.
• These products at Sephora — all under $25 each — will give you the no-makeup makeup look.
• How this young woman dealt with the hair loss caused by chemotherapy.
• Beware of skin-lightening creams. ⚠️

Next braiding adventure: waterfall braids

Could these 12 habits change your life?

TOO GOOD

The Coywolf and I in a couple years

LOLZ

The doughnuts look good, but let’s get real… I’m mostly watching for the cat.

Have a wonderful last weekend of 2019, sweet girl. ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Well, this was a first.

I can say with 100% certainly that I’ve never been as excited about reusable shopping bags as I was on Christmas Day when I opened those sets of Trader Joe’s Mystery Bags.

I was hoping for bags from remote locales (remote to me, like Anchorage and Key West), so I gnashed my teeth when I saw this one from another town in Northern California…

[SIGH] There’s a donkey on it saying, “Eureka!” though, which kinda makes up for it.

My favorite is this one from Louisiana, which has seafood nestled in what appears to be a tuba on one side of the bag, and aromatics (onion, pepper and celery) on the other.

Weird, but I like it!

This blue hen on the Delaware bag makes me wish I was dual-CCL (a crazy cat & chicken lady).

Oh, and I love the regal red and purple on the New Hampshire bag, too. The purple flower is a lilac, right?

Last, but not least, these two lovebirds on the Virginia bag look like they’re whispering sweet nothings to each other about TJ’s Sliced Brioche (my favorite thing to have for breakfast these days).

Each of the mystery packs comes with three different shopping bags, and I got this one from Virginia twice. What are the odds?!

Overall, cool! This is such a fun gift. Way to go, Trader Joe!

Do you happen to hail from one of these places? 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF.

Merry Christmas, sweet friend. How are you? I hope your day is filled with love and light (and that Santa stopped by with a lipstick or two).

I’m about to sit down to Christmas breakfast with my parents, El Hub, Coco and my brother, and then in a bit, we’re off to visit my glam granny.

Kind of a funny story – one Christmas Eve when I was a kid, it was raining nonstop. It was a full-on deluge! My granny jokingly said that when it rains on Christmas, “Jesus is crying,” and so, of course, being a natural worrywart, I took it seriously and became VERY CONCERNED about why Jesus would cry on Christmas… I spent hours wondering, “Why was he crying? Shouldn’t somebody comfort him? Does he need a tissue?” For years, I vexed over the weather when Christmas came around!

Anyway, eat all the carbs today because they don’t count on holidays. 🙂 And don’t forget to be extra kind to yourself.

Love you so, so much.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of five more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). I love reading your answers, and it helps me get my week off to a good start.

1. What can you tell me about your toothbrush?

It’s green and white! I think there’s a little bit of blue in there somewhere too?

2. Weirdly specific question: what were you doing 45 minutes ago?

I was typing this post while sipping Earl Grey tea (with milk and honey) and contemplating whether to go find my morning slippers (it’s freezing this morning!).

3. Your thoughts on eggnog?

I would say that I’m ambivalent about it. I neither love nor hate it. I mean, if I’m around and someone says, “Who wants some eggnog!?” I’ll have a sip, but it’s not like I’ll chug a tall glass or anything

To be honest…I could go the rest of my life without having more eggnog and be OK with it.

4. Scars: do you have any? How did you get your biggest one?

I have my share, as most people my age do. My C-section scar is the longest one, and it’s longer than usual… It took a lot to get the Coywolf into this world.

5. Do you have any plans over Christmas?

We’re going to my parents’ house in Union City on Christmas Eve, where we have our annual feast, and then stay up until midnight (or at least try to, ha ha) singing Christmas karaoke and opening presents.

It’s Christmas week!

Raise your hand if you also have some gifts left to wrap. ✋ I only have a few left to do, which is truly a Christmas miracle. ?

I hope your week goes swimmingly. I’ll be at the bakery today prepping for the craziness of Christmas Eve, which means that I’ll be covered in powdered sugar very soon, and my shoes will be covered in frosting!

Speaking of shoes, thank you for all the recommendations for work shoes. The DSW near my house sells Dansko, so I’m going to try on these black and white clogs.

The print is kind of crazy, but that’s my favorite thing about ’em, LOL!

One last thing before I head out: yesterday Rosie and I watched a riveting program on Hulu called A Very Kitty Cocktail Party, and we both strongly believe that you need to watch it ASAP! ?

See ya in just a few!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

1. What can you tell me about your toothbrush?
2. Weirdly specific question: what were you doing 45 minutes ago?
3. Your thoughts on eggnog?
4. Scars: do you have any? How did you get your biggest one?
5. Do you have any plans over Christmas

Good morning and happy Caturday, my friend. ? Are you feeling the Christmas spirit today? I am, coupled with excitement and a tinge of exhaustion, because…

In case you didn’t know this, sugary baked goods are in high demand this time of year. ? Yeah, it’s been busy at the bakery (!), and I’ve baked more cookies and cakes over the last two weeks than I’ve ever baked in my entire life!

Don’t get me wrong — I’m loving it, but I’m so happy to have a few days off. (Side note: The arches of my feet are happy about it too. Speaking of that, can anybody recommend good shoes for standing on your feet a lot?)

In other news, yesterday was Connor Claire’s annual preschool Christmas ? performance, and she and her classmates sung their sweet little hearts out.

It was the first day I’ve had with her all to myself in a while, just like the good ol’ days, so we made a girls’ day of it and did some last-minute Christmas shopping before grabbing lunch at the bakery we used to go to after story time at the library.

I’m reminded of this all the time, seems like everywhere I look, but in case you haven’t heard it lately, here goes: Time is fleeting and so, so precious. Be gentle with yourself and others, and cherish the time you have with the important creatures in your life.

OK…on that (preachy) note, it’s vital that I get more caffeine into my system as soon as humanly possible. I’m on a tea kick at the moment, so I’m gonna get down with this cup of Earl Grey with honey and milk. ?

Here’s this weekend’s reading:

• This makeup carousel (which looks like a lazy susan!) is allegedly for people with a lot of products, but I dunno… I’d need like 25 of them. LOL!
• Wanna learn how to put on makeup like a Rockette?
• Need some inspo for that holiday party? Pat McGrath’s got your back.
• If you’re all about trendy nail polish, then put velvet chrome nails on your radar for your next manicure.
• Because I’m sure this has happened to all of us at one point in time: how to get nail polish out of your carpet.
• 16 surprising ways to hurt yourself when you’re over 40. (Side note: It’s a jungle out there.)
• The curious history of Earl Grey tea (my fave at the moment).

You know you love this song. 🙂

‘Cause you make me feel…

J. Lo’s makeup in this is killer.

Who else needs to wrap gifts this weekend?

Coy-coy and I just watched this movie.

I can’t wait to see this!

Have the sweetest Saturday. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen