I have a secret. I’m really really good at something…
Now, while I like to think having a gift or talent holds true for everyone, I certainly know it absolutely is in my case. I’m not being cocky (well, maybe a little), but my mashed potatoes never fail to be complimented. Ever.
In the spirit of the season of thanks and giving, I am now passing it on to all of you.
Trust me. Make them. Now. Your family will hoard the leftovers. Hell, my mother hides a portion of them in the freezer so she can devour them in secrecy at a later date. There might be tears of joy. There might be arm wrestling or thumb wars to compete for the last bite. I won’t apologize for any of it.
Just trust me and make them. And you’re welcome.
always trust the katie.
Caveat: THESE ARE NOT FAT FREE, at all.
katie’s mashed potatoes.
You will need:
A big bag of baby or regular red potatoes
NO LESS THAN 2 sticks of BUTTER (do not use any substitutes)
1/2 Cup of milk (I use A2) to taste because you don’t want it watery. If you feel you put too much, just turn the burner back on and it will evaporate some of the moisture
A full block of philly cream cheese (or more)*
LOTS of fresh or dried DILL weed. Add until it looks like you are using too much, but trust me- it makes everything smooth.
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Leave the skin on the potatoes, cut in half or quarters and throw in your large pot
The water in the pot should be filled to just above the top of the highest potato
Boil on high in large pot until you can flake off with a fork
Drain potatoes in the sink
Put 1 stick or 1/2 cup of butter in the original pot used to boil potatoes, when melted then add the drained potatoes
Add all remaining ingredients, one at a time
Mash
Add more butter
You probably need even more butter
Now, decided what you might need to add more of… My advice is to include a cooking partner (aka taste-tester) to help with these decisions
The desired taste should be TOOOOO creamy and eyes should roll back of their head upon fork entering mouth
*Sometimes I add 1/2 to full vidalia onion (chopped and boiled with the potato). I also sometimes sub basil for dill and sour cream for cream cheese. It’s equally delicious, just depends on your taste, mood or complementing protein.
Prepping note: I prefer to use a hand masher; trust me it makes it better. A blender or a food processor will make them too smooth, or whipped (which then disqualifies it from being my recipe). You want them smooth, but with genuine texture. My advice is to smash until most of the lumps are gone and all the ingredients are melted and mixed. It should look like speckled kinda lumpy perfection when you are done.
Holidays are coming up. Makes you think about everything that happened the year leading up to it. As I reflect, it occurs to me just how much I am thankful for the good things in my life. Studies show that people respond to a list, so I thought I would simply be a good student and blog accordingly. I’ll keep it to five things, but know there are hundreds more. Unfortunately, I am long-winded, but you probably knew that already.
1. I am thankful for the times I had with my grandmother, Lois, who passed just a few weeks ago. She was southern and cheery and perverted and creative. How many people can admit that their grandmother was perverted? Oh, I can. I will not go into details, out of respect, but let’s just say I’m accurate. She was married 3 times and even after her last husband passed, was on the prowl. She was fabulous.
The story goes: Lois Rose was a beautiful woman, and when all the men went off to war- they would propose she wait for them for when they came back. “Of course” she would say to them. Well, once the war ended, one handsome Colonel by the name of Earl Schmidt came to collect on his woman. And the rest is history.
Meet the Schmidts.
She was great at Bridge, and played competitively. Lois (not grandma, just Lois) baked me FOUR birthday cakes my freshman year of college. Good Lord could that woman bake. For years I have tried to mimic her methods, but I can assure you I am only mildly close (and I make a damn good cake). She was very into quilting. In fact, she could sew anything. She use to make my Christmas presents (along with her checks for $5)- and at any age would insist I was an adult size extra large. That means in the 6th grade, when I was a whooping 78 pounds at 5’3″- XL. It was amusing, but I wore everything, every time. I am thankful for all the memories I had with her, good and bad. I will remember the giant trampoline in her yard that I use to get my head caught in the springs after my sister would convince me that a front flip was safe. Every grandchild was her “favorite,” to which she would say on the phone, as if on cue, “is this my favorite granddaughter?” I will miss traveling to North Carolina to visit, and I will miss her never quite knowing my name (I have 5 girl cousins and a sister, so I was any mixture of the names Caroline, Jennifer, Robyn, Jessica, Stephanie, or Erica. If I was lucky, Katie would get a shout out). Rest in peace, Lois, you lived a long life with many people who loved you very much.
my quilt. she made one for each of the granddaughters. i got pink.
Update 11/9/2012: My cousin Caroline mailed me the program from the funeral. She wrote sweet words to speak in her honor, that she also mailed me. She actually reminded me of the fireflies we use to catch in her yard. I loved those little flicks of light and can remember chasing them until my mother would yell for me to come inside. Anyway, the program was filled with many pictures of my grandmother’s life:
loved.
You will notice the above pictures are filled with smiling faces. Except one. One person has their tongue sticking out, inappropriately. I will let you guess which member of the family that would be. Okay, I will give you a little help.
yes, that is me with my tongue straight out. stylish little thing, wasn’t i?
Sweet dreams, Lois.
2. I am thankful for Brad and Gunnar. I have a boyfriend who is the most amazing man I have ever known. He has integrity and warmth and loves completely and without thought. He is one of the hardest working men I have ever known, and makes me want to be a better person every single day. His son is 14 and lives with us half the time. Gunnar is considerate, sensitive and so smart it’s crazy. I have no doubt that this young man will grow up to change the world. But hell, with a dad like that: how could he not? I love spoiling them, cooking for them and living life with them. Most of all, I love stories of them together growing up, and am thankful they have allowed me into their world.
at a BBQ festival this past summer. photo credit: brad.
3. I am thankful for my friends. Okay, I realize this is over-the-top cheesy, but I hope I have kept your attention this far. If not, I’ll just consider this self therapy. After all, it’s good to appreciate things, even better to appreciate it out loud. I love my friends for everything they are and everything they are not. I love how they stand by my side when I’m just being a girl (you know: too sensitive, emotional, analytical of everything) . I love that no matter how many times we call each other, it’s not annoying. I love that no topic is off limits. Nothing brightens my days more than a really good conversation to get something off my chest- or to help my friends with whatever they are going through. I love that 7am is not too early to chat. Most of all I love that there is no judgement on either side, ever. I would give my last dollar in the bank to any one of my friends, and they know it. I use to think that longevity was the key to a good friendship, but I now know that it’s loyalty and understanding. Just because you’ve known someone your whole life, doesn’t mean they will stand up for you or do what’s right, and it doesn’t mean they won’t use you. The people in my life who I call friends, I know I call them that with 100% accuracy.
if you saw what she looks like in person, it’s fair to say ANYONE would have encouraged her to wear it, but I was really touched by the compliment.
4. I am thankful for something so many people take for granted, health. We complain about the little things we would like to change about ourselves (breast size, wrinkles, nose shape, weight, etc), without really appreciating the fact that we are living, breathing humans on this earth. People talk about so many things that just don’t matter in the grand scheme of life, and they don’t even realize the amount of people living in pain. Appreciate your health! Take care of yourself! Eat your veggies and put that damn cigarette/cigar out! Don’t do drugs! It’s really quite simple if you think about it. I am done preaching. You will note that I didn’t comment on putting down that glass of wine, well- a little grape juice never hurt anyone, did it?
I also checked with WebMD: “The French diet is often used as an example of how wine can improve heart health. The French have a fairly high-fat diet but their heart disease risk is relatively low. And some have attributed this to red wine.”
5. I am thankful for South Carolina football. This one may seem far fetched from items 1-4, but it’s honest. As a new student at USC- I was miserable. I didn’t know many people, and couldn’t stand being called “yankee” all the time. A friend of mine in my Eastern Asian Civilization class said to me one day, “wait until football starts, you’ll see it all change and you’ll love it.” This was also the same friend who taught me about Krispy Kreme donuts (jerk), and how if you go right when they make them on the belt, they will be warm, gooey, and melting on your tongue, so I took his advice with a grain of salt. Well, he could not have been more on par. South Carolina football changed everything for me. Being from NH, I didn’t know what the hell “tailgating” was, nor had I done it; Neither of my parents are into sports. I was a cheerleader in junior high, but had no idea what it meant when I was yelling “First and Ten!” What do I love about it? The lights of Williams Brice stadium in all it’s glory, the 80,000 person-filled stadium all cheering in unison, the passion of a Carolina/Clemson game, the paupers drinking moonshine with the millionaires, the crowing Gamecock and fireworks- it was magnificent. Is magnificent. I started really watching and really understanding the game. I became addicted. It’s been 11 years since I graduated, and I still watch the games every weekend during season- even if by myself. Most years, I try to make it to a game with my friends. I watch the annual draft with pride, as the players I have followed for the past 4 years go on to the NFL. Recently, one of my favorite players was seriously injured. It broke my heart- so I mailed him a card and pitched to The Ellen Show that he be featured! 15 years I have been a loyal fan of this team, and it’s only the beginning.
Here’s a health, Carolina, forever to thee!
So that’s five things I am thankful for, and as I said, it’s only five out of hundreds. What are you thankful for as the holiday season begins?
Have you ever had one of those situations you might not do again, but happy you did it in the first place? I wrote about stepping out of your comfort zone a while ago, and was put in one of those situations this past weekend.
Preface: When my boyfriend and I started “officially” dating, he learned that one of my passions (and guilty pleasures) is musical theater.  It’s true.  On my iPhone music selection you might some Taylor Swift, Eminem, Dido, Kenye West, Katy Perry, Colbie Caillat, Brittney (just being honest, you know you love her too, secretly)- and selections from Cats, Les Miserables and Wicked (to which you might find me on any given day belting out the lyrics). After learning this he suggested that we might go see Wicked, as it was one I had not seen, but always wanted to.  After doing some research, he learned that the cast would be in Montreal in August of this year.  So we planned it!
Present day: So, I wanted to book a reservation at a nice restaurant. Â I had never been to Canada, so I didn’t know the surrounding area at all. Â I went to my trusty friend, Yelp. Â Yelp suggested a restaurant, Onior. Â I saw it had a lot of stars and tons of positive comments, so I booked the reservation without actually reading any of the comments. Â Dinner for 2 for at 6pm, with an 8pm show time- done and done.
martinis and an open mind recommended for this experience.
I then went back and actually read the comments. Â This is what I saw:
 “The concept is simple. You’re trying to experience life as a visually impaired person, albeit only for a short few hours and in a controlled environment. The main dining room is completely dark – not dark as in “your bedroom when you turn off the lights to sleep” dark, but dark as in “your eyes never adjust, you can’t even see your fingers when you hold them up right in front of your eyes!” dark.”
I called Brad to see if he was still interested in this restaurant, given my new-found information.  He is a very open-minded person, so he thought “why not.”  I was hesitant, but concurred.  Why not?  He also found out that  95% of the staff is legally blind.  I kinda liked the concept: 70% of visually impaired are unemployed, so this gives those people training to enter the mainstream job market.  Cool.
The experience: When you walk in it’s like any other front room of a restaurant, but with heavy curtains everywhere to block out any possible light from the main room.  You order your food- 2 course or 3, and your beverage of choice, and wait for your waiter/waitress to come and get you to be seated.  We had Tim.  Tim was a very nice gentleman who seriously need to have a steak and a shower, but very sweet and gentle in demeanor.  Brad was instructed to put his hand on Tim’s shoulder and be lead into the main dining room, and I was to do the same to Brad’s shoulder (in reality I curled up behind him with my face nuzzled into his back- and walked like I was going into a haunted house).
This was what I saw (the entire time I was in the restaurant):
pitch, un-eye-adjusting, black.
We were seated at a table directly next to the wall. Â I started to freak out. Â The conversation went something like this:
Me: I want to leave. I don’t like it. (my heart started to race)
Brad: Baby, you’re fine. Â You already had your mind made up that you weren’t going to like it. Â Give it a chance. It’s just you and me, sitting in the dark. Â I’m right here (he grabbed my hand and put his leg next to mine under the table).
Me: I don’t like it I want to go. (heart racing faster)
Brad: Baby, what do you think is going to happen to you? I’m here. Â I’m not going anywhere and you are safe.
Me: Okay. Â (heart still racing, but at this point my breath had calmed down and I was starting to accept my surroundings)
So, just as I decided to calm the thoughts of just aiming right- and running until I hit one of those curtains, our drinks arrived.  Nothing calms your nerves like a dirty martini.  You can quote me on that one.  Tim placed our drinks next to the wall and left to get our appetizers- that arrived about 2 minutes later.  Still black.  Still can’t see.  Still mildly freaking out, but it was getting better.  Funny how easily I found my drink, though. I attempted to reach for a fork and eat, but there wasn’t much food on my plate, and what was there wasn’t big enough to use a fork.  I decided to just “go for it” and use my hands.  Brad was sweet and wanted me to sample his dish, but reaching food/fork combo across the table proved not only to be really funny, but it was that exact moment I started to accept my situation.  “This isn’t so bad.” I thought to myself.  And it wasn’t.  Truth was, I was with my love, and he was putting me at ease with his natural confidence and calming nature.
Dinner arrived about 10 minutes later.  I ordered the “chicken” selection on the menu.  It came in a crepe, surrounded by cauliflower.  How did I know?  Oh, I’m totally a pro at this point.  Brad was too- as he ate his filet with no trouble at all and we were done.
5 minutes later, still done. Â No Tim.
Then another 15…
Then another 10 minutes go by.
Our conversation:
Brad: Tim?
me: TIM!
Brad: Tim? Â TIM!?
Me: TIM! TIM! TIM! Â (nothing, no Tim in sight- literally)
remember?
It went on for about 5 minutes, and just like the butler in Mr. Deeds, Tim’s voice appeared out of nowhere.  He brought us a second martini and before we knew it, it was 7:35 and time to go.  He had forgotten to bring us dessert, but we didn’t mind as martini #2 served that role just fine.
As Tim lead us out of the dark room, my mind cleared and a smile came over my face. Â I had done it. Â I will 100% admit that I would not have done it, nor could I have done it without the support of my amazing boyfriend, but I did it nonetheless. Â I overcame a fear of the unknown and sampled a little bit of an new open-minded perspective.
Conversation after dinner:
Brad: Are you happy you did it?
Me: Yes.
Brad: Would you do it again?
Me: Hell no.
I did as Edgar Allan Poe once said, “Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before,” and I’m proud of myself for it, but I think I am gonna side with Julius Caesar on this one: “I came, I saw, I conquered.” And that’s enough for me.
Meet Buddy. Buddy is our 9 month old boxer. He wiggles his butt and cannot sleep past 5am. I lovingly call him “wigglebutt.”
I love him because he gives my 6 year old golden, Lucy (aka mister), a run for her money and has been the cause of her weight loss! He is snuggly and happy- and he poops in the middle of the street. It’s humbling watching my 6’5″ boyfriend pick it up (usually in a public area).
In this picture I was enjoying the sun and pool when he got me, smack-dab in the middle of my face. Enjoy.
Hello there. It’s been a while since I posted, so I thought I would add some nice original content to spice up the organic SEO.
I’m feeling extra warm and fuzzy today, so I’m going to tell you why.
To start off my (this and every) day , I get woken up by wonderful man: (let me tell you, it’s not the worst thing to wake up to the man of your dreams)
brad.
He is usually leaving for work (after making me my daily salad) and I will continue to sleep for another hour. Today though, I decided to get up and run. It was nice, as the sun had not fully declared it’s HHH (hazy, hot and humid) status, and I needed some natural caffeine. As you may have read previously I cannot drink red bull anymore and I hate coffee. Besides, I love how peaceful Exeter is in the AM. I decided to take Lucy today as well. She was not pleased with the exercise, but at least she got to sniff around while I switched songs on my iPhone.
downtown exeter, nh and lucy at 7am
I have about a 30 minute drive to work, which is great. I can either sing to my random collection of CDs (yes, CDs…I’m that old school) or laugh at the Matty in the Morning radio show. I don’t know why I love that show so much, as most of the time “Matty” sounds like he is whining at whatever topic on hand, but I do laugh. Side note: I met Matty once at an event when I lived in Boston. He was the talk of the room, until Tom Brady walked in the door…sorry Matt. I actually remember his animated reaction of “WTF?” when eyes shifted to the door, away from him. I was going to put a picture side by side of each and ask if you could blame everyone, but I am guessing I don’t even need to do that to get my point across.
And then as I pull into 121 River Front Drive, this is what greets me. It’s very friendly and bright, with beautiful landscaping and scented with the wild lilacs that grow out front. I mean- even the sky loves this building.
good morning, and in case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night! -the truman show.
I have been in advertising since college. Anyone that knows me well knows it’s what I truly love it- and wouldn’t be happy doing anything else (well, besides a nice glamorous Broadway career). A TOTAL BONUS to GY&K, in particular, are my colleagues. They are all passionate and smart and fun. Fun. Now that is not a word most people would associate with work colleagues, but I am confident in this analysis. I am not going to go through all of them, but here are a few that make the day extra special.
Meagan. Meagan and I met on my first day, and we have been inseparable ever since. She get’s my personality (it’s so much better when I don’t have to explain every single thing I say), loves advertising and takes walks with me at lunchtime around the neighborhood. I’m a fan.
meagan. sarcastic. drives a jeep. has a dog. republican. catholic. nh native. think we have anything in common? love her.
After our lunchtime chat at the picnic table and post-lunch walk, we were greeted at the door with a chocolate cupcake from the world’s most wonderful interns. They have WAY better fashion sense than I ever have had- and I am confident I was not as mature as they are at 20. In fact, I was a moron at 20! Granted, I was doing internships myself at that age, but I still was rough around the edges (side note: yes, I realize I am still rough around the edges). I decided to make them do a silly pose for this blog, for the sole purpose to make myself feel like a mature 34 year old woman. Okay– I let them do a nice normal one too.
corinna and megan (aka “secret domestic goddess”). the future of advertising.
I am the Business Development Manager here at GY&K, and recently have been handling some account management for one of our clients. I love all of it. I would work in any department if they asked me to, seriously. It’s nice to know that my college education (Go Gamecocks! 48 days until football season!) and major didn’t go to waste completely. I am one of the few people I know who get to do what they sought out to do in the first place.
This week was my week to write the company’s blog post. If you’re curious, you can find it HERE. I had originally titled it #2012MarketingHoneyDoList, but the social media team deemed it would be too hard to explain what a “honey do list” was, if you were’t already privy to this obviously secret term. Thus, “#DigitalHousekeeping was born. Hope you like it.
This evening we have planned a picnic on the beach. Not a bad way to end a fabulous day, after all. I encourage you to try it.
can’t stop smiling.
I feel very lucky and blessed, each and every day. I wish the same for all of you!
In the midst of what turned out to be one of the best weekends I have had since my move home- I got an idea. I will give a little bit of background before I tell you what it is:
I have found that I have been asked to be in an unusual amount of wedding parties. I am not comparing myself to Katherine Heigl in 27 Dresses, but I’m close. Now- whether I have been IN every wedding party I have been asked is a whole other story (and I am not even going to talk about the dress choices of some of those events), but let’s just say I am VERY familiar with the process. Many times, I am asked to take lead in some of the activities and planning beforehand. I am able to make the time and get things accomplished with little to no effort, so I find it’s actually kinda fun to do it. For instance: I planned an entire bachelorette party (dinner reservations, hotel, surprise for bride and details of the dates) the day I was moving from Chicago to NH, my last day at my former job- and while moving an entire apartment worth of crap (which I can thank my boyfriend for because he is selfless and wonderful). How did I do it? I just made the time. Didn’t take long, and I already kinda had the idea in my head. I knew what to do.
i am convinced bridesmaids dresses are designed to make us look ridiculous.
I have also been asked by my male friends on occasion to give some ideas for bachelor party locations, gift ideas for engagements- you know- the details the wedding planner isn’t involved in, as they are busy picking location, flowers and dealing with the bride (and her mother/mother-in-law-to-be).
It got me thinking: If there is a profession for the person planning the wedding details, why wouldn’t it make sense to give the bridal party a little backup too? A “consultant” for what do to in the supporting role. It could involve a pre-service interview from the bride, groom, and each member of the group in order to get a feel for personalities and comfort level of the events, reservations for the fun night (airfare, hotel, restaurants, entertainment), details of the shower, gift ideas, hair appointments for day of event, advice for when bride is acting insane- or when groom is getting cold feet, etc. You get the idea. I have a friend who considers it cruel and unusual punishment to be asked to be in weddings, yet he always does it- and always feels the same way after each event. Unfortunately- he has a lot of male friends and they ALL seem to be the marrying type. Don’t you think the process would be more enjoyable if all the effort was done for you? You don’t need to constantly think up all the details because someone is handing you the script. You can sit back, relax- and actually be excited for your friend’s happiness.
congrats.
Note: If this service does exist, I have never heard of it- so I am sorry. I did find THIS website for reference just now when I did a Google search. There appear to be a couple of sites, actually. Interesting, but a website doesn’t guide you with your frustration or do the planning for you.
Here is a picture of me and the bride for the wedding I am currently honored to have the MOH role. This picture was taken 17 years ago:
water country circa 1995
Her bachelorette party is August 11th on Cape Cod. I am pretty sure she will have a blast. As for the other details, she will just have to wait and see. 🙂
Recently a lot of life changes have gone on for me, so it gets me to thinking…what’s next?
Do I sit around and make plans I will only refer to when I am day-dreaming about what COULD happen, or do I suck it up and take the risk to do something proactive? It’s scary to make changes in my life- especially now that I am in my 30s, but I have never been a quiet bystander, so I refuse to sit around any longer. Let’s take some risks.
Now, when I looked up the exact definition of risk for the purpose of this post, it states, “A situation involving exposure to danger.” I feel that is the pessimistic explanation of that word. Couldn’t risk also expose you to great success? I am going to say YES! Yes, taking a risk could lead to great success and happiness. Sure, there is that other side (the danger one), but we aren’t going to think about him right now.
I’m gonna risk it all and do something that I KNOW will make me happier in the long run. I am going to step out of my comfort zone and be spontaneous again. Spontaneous. Funny to say that out-loud (well, out-loud via electronic/digital voice). This is an adjective I have honestly not been able to use in self-descriptions in YEARS. Let’s give her another look, shall we?
I urge you all to do something uncomfortable, different and new. I bet you’ll smile at the end…and it might just give you that spark in your life that you have been missing. Now, that being said: I am not telling you to act like Joel in “Ricky Business” where you steal your father’s Porsche, accidentally drop it into Lake Michigan (while stoned) and turn your home into a brothel. However, Miles has a point with his statement, “Sometimes you gotta say What the Fuck? make your move. Joel, every now and then, saying What the Fuck?, brings freedom. Freedom brings opportunity, opportunity makes your future. So your parents are going out of town. You got the place all to yourself….what the fuck? If you can’t say it, you can’t do it.”  While this sounds like a blast, it’s not my point; Keep it within reason and keep it responsible! Come on- we are grown-ups people! However, I do believe Joel got into Princeton in the end. Just sayin’…spark.
Fall in love with something new and find a part of yourself that you forgot about…then thank me, Joel and Miles, Robert Frost, or even Nike.
Make your move. Why not?
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence;
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. -R. Frost
When I was in high school- my aunt pulled me aside and taught me that I needed to prepare for the future now…through my skin. She bought me Clinique “City Block” that I started wearing every day. It was then I began to pay attention…as usual, I will share:
I have had the hardest time in my life finding products I actually like to use, that actually work. I have found these to be pretty great- I’ll attach links for you also, so you can find them if you like.
1. Avalon Organics Vitamin C Sun-Aging Defense Balancing Facial Toner.
refreshing.
My thoughts: Stuff feels awesome on your face after a shower. I also like to use it when I get home from work or right before bed. I buy it at Whole Foods, but I found it online HERE as well in case you don’t have a Whole Foods close. Just in case you don’t believe me that this stuff is awesome for you:
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is key to the production of collagen, a protein that aids in the growth of cells and blood vessels and gives skin its firmness and strength [source: WebMD]. Vitamin C also helps create scar tissue and ligaments, and it helps your skin repair itself [source: Milton S. Hershey Medical Center].
2. Olay Regenerist Products. (seriously all of them are pretty great)
over the counter isn't always a bad thing.
My thoughts: A friend of mine is the media buyer for Olay. They ran a promotion to add your address and you get THIS starter kit in the mail, free. I have NEVER turned back. Makes your skin look amazing and feel like it is soaking in moisture. I especially am a fan of the Micro-sculpting cream. This you can get at any pharmacy (CVS, Walgreens, Osco, etc). In their full sizes they are kinds pricey, but trust me when I say worth it.
3. under-eye cream… I am not starting with a product brand on this one because I have 3 I am testing out. I’m not trying to get the wrinkles out of a sharpei, but some touching up/prevention never hurt anyone. You can find all of them on Amazon.com.
Benefit “It’s Potent!” Eye Cream. Just got this one last week, but it feels great on my face. Middle of the road in price ($32).
glo therapeutics gloEye Restore. It was only $20, so I got it. We’ll see.
Kinerase Intensive Eye Cream. Got this one a few weeks ago and I can definitely tell if I use it. It was a little higher in price at $56.
4. the holy mud company “Pumpkin Glycolic Mask.”
smells like fall.
My thoughts: It’s awesome. It completely opens up your face/pores thou- so be prepared for a mild breakout after use. I’ve used it a bunch of times now and I can really tell that it saturates into your skin- and smells awesome.
5. ANYTHING by Kiehls.
so good.
I use everything from their scrubs to their tinted moisturizer– instead of foundation. The moisturizer takes like 2 seconds to apply, evens out your skin tone and is light. Trust me when I say anything on this website will be the highest quality products you have ever used (for men too). Their products are not cheap, but worth every penny.
My mother just sent me a forward about eating dessert for dinner, rather than being sensible because you only live once and life is short. I can agree with that completely.
Here is a list that struck me today of things I also feel people should do more of: (Feel free to add your own!)
watch more cartoons
watch cheesy romantic comedies
sing out-loud when a song comes on that makes you smile
compliment other people when they deserve it (who cares if you know them or not?)
pet more dogs- animals in general for that matter. They are the only ones on this planet not looking for anything more than just that little love.
talk less about other people behind their backs.
eat cheetoes
take walks along water, and stop to feed the ducks
celebrate little league and pee-wee football games
learn how to do something NEW (play the piano, guitar, paint, cook, dance, sing)
hug and kiss
send real greeting cards in the US mail. REAL cards- not e-cards.
say please and thank you
forgive mistakes
rise above the obvious remark, if negative
say “I’m sorry”
refuse the urge to judge
laugh
drive with the sun-roof open or top town
appreciate advertising. someone is taking the time to create it for you.
drink red wine and eat chocolate and cheese with someone that you love, while listening to music.
