Do you like grocery shopping with your girlfriends or Mom? I do! Seems like I discover so many great things, otherwise I am in a rut and buy same brands/items repeatedly.
This isn’t grocery store stuff, but other fun things I have discovered that I wanted to share. Virtual shopping should never be underrated. Especially when it’s with a virtual friend, yes?
1. How to create a top knot. My go-to when my hair is on my last nerve. (link)
2. Photo Finish Foundation Primer. Trust me, this stuff makes your face smooooooooth. It’s obvious when I apply it under foundation and when I don’t. (link)
3. I might be the only one that applies eye cream and then stares at the mirror waiting for results. Daily disappointment! So, found this stuff. Brightens, lightens, and even without anything else on your face, you will look younger and brighter instantly. I am still waiting on my eye cream to deliver! (link)
4. You know that painting pumpkins is THE thing to be doing, right? They keep forever and it’s fun to do with the kids (or with a friend – less mess!). These are from Martha.
One of my favorite crafts that I have done is when I painted a fake, cheap-o bright orange pumpkin from the craft store … black. Then, every year, I write whatever the kids were for Halloween on it with a white paint pen. Unfortunately, my decor is boxed up in a storage unit (and am writing “get decor OUT of storage …” on my to do list …) so I can’t show you. But hopefully before Halloween.
Also, writing on pumpkins with paint pens … words about family, being grateful and thankful, etc. are cute on the front porch and they carry you through Thanksgiving.
5. So. Last week, as I unloaded the 4th load of dishes for the day, the silverware thingy comes apart and silverware drops all over the floor. A daily occurrence. And the dishes are never clean. And the glasses are filmy. Enter the Val Verbiage of “I think it’s time for a new dishwasher,” and I stuck to it for awhile before moving on. Begrudgingly, mind you. THEN it started to leak. And warp the hardwood floors. And now it appears I have sabotaged the dishwasher (should have if I was smart!?!) and really might need a new one. Do you have one that you love? Something huge and quiet and pretty? Does that kind of thing exist? I went to Lowe’s and left because I had 3 kids joyriding on a pallet, screaming “wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” and I couldn’t concentrate. Help me.
6. I made a french apple cake (here) for dessert last night that was so good. Except I was bitter towards it as it leaked from the bottom of my spring form pan. But don’t let my bitterness stop you from freaking your family out with something so dang good. I served it with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. You should make it. Serious.
I also made some enchiladas that I feel like I should share, but I didn’t take a picture, and we all know you won’t cook without a picture to make you hungry (or is that just me?). So stay tuned. I’ll make them again and post a phenomenal recipe (wheat tortillas, brown rice, tomatoes, black beans, corn, green chilies, salsa, cheese … and Hatch’s enchilada sauce).
7. Now that I am Valerie Johnson, I’m slowly changing everything over to my new last name. Do you have any idea how difficult a new email address is?! Apparently Johnson is a popular last name. Who knew?
I’m afraid my new one is going to look something like this:
valerie458_johnson_488900932@hotmail/gmail/live/mac.com
I’m not a huge fan of numbers in email addresses. So … ummm … time to knock valeriejohnson@name your domain off the map. I’m not a violent person. Just a desperate one.
XOXO.
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