Sunday, December 9, 2012

Christmas Wishlist 2012

Here a few of my favorite things from my Wishlist board in Pinterest. 

1. Anything from Lululemon
2. Slippers 

Garmin Forerunner 10 GPS watch


Umbra fishhotel - for my office


A Vespa!


A refill of Addict

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

A Throne for the Queen - breakfast bar stools

Yes, I am finally writing a blog.  I read my entire blog of the house renovation last night as the fence will be finally going up this weekend!  Very exciting and wow, what a change.  Definitely have to give P props for coming one step closer to completing his vision.

Now, for more important decisions :)  I have a breakfast bar in my apartment and honestly, I don't really know how much I will use it BUT I definitely do not use it with no stools!  I do not want to spend a ton on stools but I want something that will fit my decor.  Please help!

Choices are in no particular order.  I've included a picture at the bottom so you can see where they will go and what is around.

I'm not sure what is up with my captions, trying to figure out what is wrong.  




Tabouret bar stools from Overstock - 2 for $99





Fir wood finish from Overstock - $116 each


Black wood saddle stool from Target - $30.09



Red metal from Overstock - 2 for $80.99






Metal chairs with back from Overstock - 2 for $176



Breakfast bar from living room

Friday, April 13, 2012

Bungalow Renovation - Final Posts

Check out the final blog posts at 1916 Bungalow Heaven...Soon to be Heaven.

Lots of before and after (now) photos.   

A tearful goodbye to a chapter in my life.  Onwards!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

My Break Up Guide - Tips for Mending a Broken Heart



Many of you know that I have been going through a break-up and well, to be honest, I am horrible at them.  It is very hard for me to allow myself to get attached to someone but then it is twice as hard for me to dis-attach when I love someone deeply.  Here is some advice for those of you who are going through it and also for those of you who are friends and family of someone going through it.
None of this is easy, it sucks.  Some of us move on faster and some of us have a delayed reaction to the break-up.  We are all different.

Here my break up tips and advice all of which are very hard and I fail at them all the time but if I keep them mind, I only feel better each and every day! 


Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Easy Recipe: Pesto Salmon


This is not my salmon as I didn't use tomatoes.  Plus, this looks way better than my photo did!

On my way home from the gym last night I was hungry and tried to think of what I had to make.  Generally when I hit the hungry mark, I don't like making anything.  I end up grabbing a box of Triscuits, a hunk of extra sharp cheddar cheese and some spaghetti sauce (preferably 3 cheese).  This is a delicious snack by the way.

Anyhow, I knew I had fresh wild salmon and hmm, oh, pesto.  I went to my handy iPhone to Google this thought and there were a ton of recipes.  I didn't want to make it too complex so here is my recipe.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Bachelor Don'ts for Online Dating



I am posting these while laughing as it humors me that SO many guys do the below yet most girls I talk to wouldn't speak to a guy who committed many of these.  Okay, well I haven't spoken to Snooki yet but.... However, I am still single so maybe I should re-evaluate what and who I judge! :)  I post these all in jest as I'm sure us ladies make some pretty hot messes of our profiles as well!


Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Bungalow Renovation Update

Take a peak on the "old" blog at the exterior of the house renovation project.

http://1916bungalowheaven.blogspot.com/2012/03/exterior-update.html

Tell me what you think and any advice you may have...comment there or here.

Honoring a Beloved Pet



As many of you may know, I lost my cat of 21 years at the end of January.  Now, I know many of you are like, whatever, it was a cat.  But I ask you, what has been by your side almost every day of your life for the past 21 years?  Who has listened to you cry and laugh?  Who has laid by your side when sick...every single time!  Who has been there when you had your first boyfriend, the first fight with a boyfriend, prom, college keg parties, met at you at the door after your first day at your first "real" job... The list goes on and on.  Anyhow, she was a really cool cat too and many of my friends and roommates who weren't even fans of cats liked Hannah. 

I really have a hard time with cremation.  I don't know why but something about burning a fuzzy- wuzzy animal just weirds me out.  However, with my current ever-changing living arrangements, I didn't have anyplace to bury her.  So, I made the decision to have her cremated and it was really hard.  When I picked her ashes up, I was pleasantly surprised by the care they had taken.  Her ashes were in a pretty tin box with a flower and the box was put in a velvet bag with a nice card.  It wasn't freaky or weird at all.  Then when I got home I actually kept the box near me alot.  I know, I think it is kind of odd too but until you lose someone/thing important, you don't know how you will mourn.  She was by my desk during the day and under the other pillow at night.

This wasn't a long-term solution and I wanted something to put her ashes in.  Holy moly, there is a business idea...have you ever looked for an urn?  I don't want to offend anyone but the ones they have for pets are generally very tacky and god-y.  Pure awfulness!!!  However, I also don't want to put her inside on a shelf and I didn't know where to scatter her ashes.  The people who mentioned the ocean, if you were a cat and couldn't swim and hated water, would you want your ashes put in the ocean??

Finally, after many hours of research, I fell upon Precious Pet Memorials.  It was perfect!  They basically are rocks in different sizes that either come as an urn or just a memorial.  They look perfect outside in a garden or under a tree without looking too "cemetery" like.  The urns are a little pricey but they are solid rock.  Mine is 67 pounds yet only cost $60 to ship.  Victoria Secret costs more to ship a bra!  Customer service is awesome, I think it just a family operation and they are very understanding of what you are going through.

Sorry for the glare - haven't put it outside yet.


In a flower garden

Losing a pet or anyone you care about is hard.  Have you found any great ways to remember yours?

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Happy St. Patrick's Day!


 




As many of you may know, I have been really getting into yoga lately.  However, I think tomorrow this image is a better image of the poses I will be doing.  Well, maybe the ones I did 10 years ago on St. Patty's Day!  Nonetheless, have a FUN day! 

Monday, February 20, 2012

Leap List

 

And what I don't get to before the next leap will default to bucket list. I will constantly add to this!

I moved it to its own page so I can keep it updated!

Leap List:  http://www.blondeblogshell.com/p/leap-list.html or just click on the menu option above. 



Monday, February 6, 2012

Oopsy Daisy Baby

One of my work colleagues just had a baby and when I saw pictures of her nursery, there was NOTHING this baby needed.  So what does every girl really need?  Yup, a tutu.  So, I called in reinforcements and was introduced to Oopsy Daisy Baby.  Can I just say, I want one. Let me introduce you to utter cuteness!

My Favorites













And they also have knit hats and headbands!!



The best part of these tutus is that even when your little princess starts to grow and walk around, you can just throw on a pair of tights or leggings and she's off! Who else wants one? I wish I could pull off a tutu!! Come on ladies, let's just start the trend!!

Monday, January 23, 2012

Gray or white??

Okay, here is the paint scheme for my new room.  I am going to paint the furniture white to freshen it up.  Should I go with white, gray or white with gray for the bedding?  I have a white cat and a dark fat siamese so I have to consider these when buying but I'm leaning towards gray but feel like I should go towards white with gray??  White is safe but if the furniture is white, won't that be blah..

These are my faves. Which one, which one??









Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Winter skin care - dry skin moisturizers reviews

I hate when I search for reviews online I get tons of crap sites.  If I go to a department store, you only get one brand at a time.  So, I went to Sephora where I could get lots of brands, lots of reviews and lots of samples.  The only thing is, I would have loved to find someone who compared brands so I could see what features I like and don't like.  So, here is my attempt.  Enjoy!

I am not a skincare expert, I can only tell you based on my experience and what the box says.

My skin type: combination aka the worst kind.

My definition of combo skin = oily t-zone and normal cheeks, etc.  However, it changes like 2-3 times a year which means I have to change my skincare regiment.  Currently, my skin is SUPER dry, like flaky dry and tight, yet my nose gets a little oily. My chin, well my chin wants to do its own damn thing with these evil things called hormones!!  Ridiculous-ness.

First, my winter skin must-haves:
  • Humidifier
  • Clarisonic Mia - amaze-balls!
  • A gentle cream cleanser - nothing with acne peroxides that will strip your skin
  • Exfoliator
  • Hydrating mask

Okay, here come my reviews of dry skin moisturizers.  All of them are under $40

Cost:  $38 for 2oz. jar
Smell: Nice and light
Feeling:  Feels nice and light on my skin
Pros: SPF 20, light, smell, doesn't contain all the chemical junk
Cons:  Didn't cure the ultra dry skin, doesn't have many anti-aging benefits.
Summary: This is the lotion I use normally but I use the oil-free version with SPF.  I love having SPF in my moisturizer but it is hard to find one with both SPF and high in hydration. The reason I needed to switch was because my skin was seriously flaky and my late afternoon, I needed to put more lotion on.  The same thing happened with this lotion so no-go.



Cost:  $38 for 1oz.
Smell: Ehh, not a huge fan.
Feeling:  It's a gel so it's literally a cool feeling on your skin. It was okay.
Pros:  Contains artichoke leaf to tighten pores, something I badly need. Also contains glycolic acid and Vitamin C.
Cons:  No SPF and I didn't love how it worked on my dry skin.
Summary:  I was really pulling for this one because I have huge pores and wanted something to kind of help with that as well as fine lines and my skin texture. I liked it but I just liked the other ones better. Oh, and warning the gel is black.  Obviously it goes on clear but just a little warning.

Cost:  $40 for 1.7oz.

Smell: Nice! I think my favorite smelling one.
Feeling:  Felt great on my skin
Pros:  Smell, has vitamins A,C & K, great feeling on my skin, worked well on my dry skin.
Cons:  No SPF
Summary:  I really liked this one.  It felt so nice on my skin and it really worked on my dry skin. You don't need to use very much. The only thing that made me nervous was that it's a brand I am not that familiar with.  I love to try new things and be the first with something so nervous might be the wrong word. I would definitely try this one again.



Cost:  $38.50 for 1.7oz.
Smell:  Good.  I don't even really notice it so perfect!
Feeling:  Goes on smoothly and doesn't feel heavy.
Pros:  Worked on my dry skin ALL DAY long. Helps repair damage. Organic ingredients.
Cons:  No SPF.  Will be too heavy for sure when dry skin goes away.
Summary:  I loved this from when I first put it on.  I love Origins so I was definitely biased but it went on very smoothly, felt light, smelled good, and lasted all day.  My skin feels very smooth and hydrated all day long. I don't like that I don't have SPF on but my tinted moisturizer which I use as a foundation has SPF 15 so that will have to do.

What are your winter skin problems? What products are your must-haves?