Organic Change of Pace

I was killing time in a local Walgreen's recently & stumbled upon a pretty cool find, so I thought I should share........it was a sheer tinted moisturizer by Jane Cosmetics. Jane now offers a line of organic products (Jane Be Pure, I think is their organic line, but I am not referring to the mineral collection) & this one was called AGUA-Ceuticals. At any rate, it retails for a mere $6.99, which is a steal on any level, as I am sure you would agree, but certainly good for a paraben-free organic item!! It came in a couple of different shades, too --- something that many tinted moisturizers do not do. (I was a loyalist to Benefit's YOU REBEL for many years, but some find it rather orange in color, but in summer, it seems fine on tanned skin.) I am using the "medium" shade & it blends perfectly with my rather pale, winter skin, but I think it will be equally good in summer when I have a bit more color to my flesh. I tried to find this new Jane product online so I could include a link & oddly, I could not find anything. Perhaps it's just "that new"??? Hopefully, if it's something you are interested in, you can find it in your local Walgreen's or other such retailer. The You Rebel by Benefit that I mentioned earlier retails for close to $30, so you can see why I was so excited to find one in a better color, organic and cheap! :)

If you are looking for a tinted moisturizer that won't break the bank in these tough economic times, and one that is paraben-free, I highly recommend this little tube of good stuff by Jane. It goes on smooth, blends wonderfully, has no funky aromas & you don't need to feel bad about it since it has none of those nasty chemicals some of us are trying harder to avoid. I have been using it for about a week now & the best part is that it is NOT causing any break-outs, either. Yippeee!!! Check it out! I am sure places other than Walgreen's will carry it, but at least you have a place to start.

On a side note, a special thanks here to my dear friend, Stacie, for tipping me off to the potentially harmful aspects of things like parabens, because now I am trying to be more conscious of them as I shop for skin, hair & other hygiene products. Stacie is the closest thing to "living organic" that I am personally aquainted with & because of her, I am shopping with a greater awareness for products that are not so heavily laced with evil chemicals. Thank you, Stacie!!!

Happy Shopping!
Your face will thank you, as will your wallet!! *wink*

Who doesn't like Half-Off?

For those of you that are OLD NAVY fans.....there is currently a 5-day special (online only) for an EXTRA 50% OFF clearance merchandise! Hurry up, because 5 days will pass quickly! All you have to do is enter the magic word: HALFOFF during check-out & presto!!! You get all your stuff for an extra 50% off. How cool is that? Offer expires on February 2, 2009 -- don't delay!

If you have children, it's a great time to stock up on their clothing, too!

Offer is good only online.

Happy Shopping!

Coronado Orange on ETSY

I wanted to take a moment to pimp a life-long pal, Tina & congratulate her on opening her ETSY store, CORONADO ORANGE! YAY TINA!!!! (I hope to get on the ball soon myself & get something going on ETSY.)

Here's the link: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6728273
or, you can click on CORONADO ORANGE under my BFF list. :)
Her gorgeous models are her daughters. Tina is crafty by nature & she's now listing her wares online for anyone to purchase & enjoy as much as she enjoys creating the stuff. So far, she has listed some crochet items (cute beanies & scarves) & I am sure she will add more goodies in the near future.

I don't know about anyone else, but I can never have too many beanies or scarves & while my mother makes most of mine for me, as soon as I can think up a color combo I don't yet have, I may have to play customer on Tina's Etsy site. Take a moment & check it out. I think you will be impressed with her stuff.

Good luck, Tina!

Happy Shopping!!!

OMG!! MC Hammer pants.....

I nearly forgot to do this post.....but I was in Target last Friday. I saw a rack of balloon pants that reminded me of the 80's "MC Hammer pants" phase. I nearly died!! Need I say more???
I think not.


Happy Shopping........and don't you dare go anywhere near Target to buy those MC Hammer pants, please!

Bye, bye, BABY

....BABY referring to "Baby Bush"!

Oh happy day........NO MORE "BABY BUSH" as of 12 noon Eastern Time, which is just less than 1 hour away for our time here in Cali.

YAY!!!!!

Let's hope that in time, things will get better....our soldiers will get to return home (where they belong), our retail stores will stop closing down, our banks will stop folding, our housing market will perk up, big businesses will stop getting "bailed out" & that the good ol' USA won't be viewed as a joke amongst other nations anymore. We rock! Barack rocks!

bye, bye "W"!
The "W" stands for "WE won't miss you at all!!!"

Even if you did not vote for Obama, you have to admit that "W" won't be missed......except by the comics that love to make fun of his lack of public speaking abilities. *wink*

XOXO
Sue is stepping off her soapbox now & wishing you all a happy Inaugural day!

SPENT!

Yep, never thought I would say it, but I am SPENT........literally! My husband & I had time off from work over the holidays. We shopped & ate to our heart's content --- and by the final few days off, there was nothing left for us to spend money shopping on or junk-food left to dine on. We were spent! I never thought I would run out of stuff to shop for, but alas, I have (for now, anyway). As for the junk-food......WOW, we ate a LOT! Friends that know us are a bit shocked when I tell them all that we have been dining on.

I think all the fabulous dining choices began around Thanksgiving, when my wonderful Michigan/Chicago relatives came for a visit. We were so busy planning for their arrival & having fun with them once they got here that we slacked on the gym & ate pretty much whatever we wanted (translation: Burgers, fries, Chili John's, ice cream, cookies, cakes, Mexican food, churros, margaritas, martinis, Tommy's, pizza & more). That's SO not like us -- but we did it & we enjoyed it immensely!

The food thing carried on after they returned home, sadly. With Christmas around the corner, we did not let up on the eating and we certainly did not make time for the gym! I gained 5 pounds, which for me, is a lot. My man packed on 10, so he says (he still looks good to me!). December saw us eating many of the items listed above for November, but add in some trips to the infamous Smoke House in Burbank (translation: lots of cheesy garlic bread, YUM), chocolate cake from Gordon Biersch, garlic fries, PF Chang's, hot chocolate, more ice cream, tons of cookies, more chili from Chili John's and Tommy's, Shakey's Pizza plus mojo potatoes, a trip or 2 to Taco Bell, Jack-in-the-Box & Burger King, pancakes for breakfast (only did that once), meat pies from Porto's Bakery, mozarella cheese sticks (deep fried of course), burgers, chili cheese dogs, onion rings, jalapeno poppers, and much, much more, I assure you --- I am just drawing a blank now as I drool over my keyboard while I type this list! I am just not sure if I drool because I am hungry or because I am disgusted with myself as I see this long list. ???

Now, it's the New Year.....no resolutions per say .....but we ARE cutting ourselves off from the bad dining & making more of an effort to get back on the work-out train. We went hiking a few times last week (weather was gorgeous), hit the gym twice (once for yoga & my shoulders are still a bit sore). We're slowly getting back on track. Today was day 1 of the better food part of the plan. It's HARD. I am at work & craving Doritos or cookies.......so terrible, I know. Gotta slim down the "pansa" -- which if I spelled it correctly, is Spanish for belly. ha ha!!! I don't even really WANT the Doritos.....it's just habit now that I should nibble while I work. BAD!!!

I am spent!! I did it all. I ate it all. I even licked the plate clean!! Despite my mild current cravings, there is nothing I really WANT to eat that I did not indulge in over the long holidays. Despite the fact I always want new clothes or shoes, there is nothing I cannot live without at this moment. The gift cards that line my wallet will remain still for now. Soon enough, I know I will feel differently about the shopping aspect. :) Tomorrow IS another day, after all!

Happy 2009!
Happy Shopping!!

The Precious!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! This is MY precious!! Frankie Claus!

This photo was a wonderful "happy accident" when my husband & I were trying to shoot our annual doggie holiday photo for holiday cards. Frankie is not the best at sitting still for such things as holiday photos, but we try our best. In this shot, he's wearing a Santa hat, complete with attached white beard, and a red holiday t-shirt (which happens to read HO HO HO on the back, but you can't see it in photos). He hated nearly every minute of wearing the hat & beard, I assure you! The garb was designed for cats, but our Frankie is a small guy & it fit him perfectly.

Mike had Frankie perched atop a red blanketed coffee table for this shot, with our Christmas tree in the background (not that you can see it too well). We had the mini tree (seen in Frankie's face) and we were moving it in front of him & he turned away because it annoyed him & magically, I shot the photo just as Mike moved the tiny tree & it looks like we have Frankie posing & playing shy. I assure you, this was totally unplanned & a true photo happy accident. We almost used this shot for our holiday cards, but we wanted his Santa suit to be more visibile since it was so cute.....so this was simply a fun back-up photo for our enjoyment & now for yours.

Frankie is the most precious little dog I have ever come across....and for those that know me, you know how strongly we felt about our beloved Phoochie girl (RIP 6/3/05). While we miss Phoochie terribly, Frankie is really something else!

Frankie came into our lives purely by accident. I guess you could call it another "happy accident". It was 1 week before Thanksgiving in 2006. We had not even been in our new home a full year yet. The house was far from being a completed project & surely we had NO time to raise a dog! We were up late on a Friday night......still managed to wake up rather early & venture out for some weekend grease in the way of breakfast at a diner in Burbank called Frank's. We're sitting there, minding our own business & the waitress calls out to inquire if the little dog outside the door belonged to anybody. Of course we took a look.....filthy little mutt staring inside, hoping someone would open the door & let him in. No such luck. No one claimed him & soon after, he wandered off. My stomach turned as I watched him dart out into the street & disappear.....luckily at that hour, no traffic on a normally busy Olive Avenue! Our food came & while we fell silent, we were both still thinking about this poor little dog wandering out in the cold. About 10 minutes later, there he was again, outside the window by our table (he had just come across the busy street again). I told Mike I could not stand it....I was so worried he would get run over. I had that happen to a dog once on that very boulevard several years earlier & it pained me to see this little guy out there. I got up & went outside & he came right up to me, licking me furiously as if I was his long-lost mother! He smelled something fierce!!! He was very thin, bones sticking out, his fur in dreadlocks & flea infested like you cannot imagine.....and shivering because it was probably 40 degrees outside! Mike soon joined me while our breakfasts grew cold inside. I told him we just had to take the little guy to the shelter where he would be safe. We put him in the bed of our truck & took turns eating (inside the restaurant) & running out to try to feed him. What dog does not jump at the chance to eat bacon or sausage? This one! He literally had no clue HOW to eat!

We finished our meal, went out to the car & Mike wrapped the little guy in a sweatshirt so I could hold him on my lap without getting fleas all over myself. Next thing you know, we are driving to the only vet we knew was open on Saturdays in Sun Valley to have him checked out. The mutt fell fast asleep in my arms as Mike drove off towards the vet office. I was shocked at how at ease this little dog was with 2 strangers....that he could just go to sleep that way.

"What's your dog's name?", the desk clerk asks at the vet office......Mike & I just looked at each other. He had no name. We just met him! Then, Mike blurts out "Frankie", in honor of the diner where he found us. Little Frankie weighed in at only around 9 pounds, he was malnourished to say the least! He was determined to be 7-8 months old, which surprised us a bit. We thought he was older. Must have been the filthy coating! :( Anyhow, he was otherwise healthy, aside from being underweight, flea infested & having a foxtail wedged down deep in one ear. We had to leave him behind for the vet to sedate him to remove the foxtail & then they would drop him off next-door at the groomer for a flea dip & bath.

We drove home & crawled back into bed. It was only about 9:30am, after all. We woke up when we got the call to fetch "our dog" from the groomer. We were worried he would not know us after we had showered & freshened up....but, another surprise, as soon as he heard our voices in the groomer's salon, he came running out, jumping up at the counter, trying to reach us! It was wild!!! I have to admit, we were both freaking out on our way there.....what were we doing adopting a PUPPY???? We will have to train him, housebreak him, he's gonna chew our stuff, etc. What have we done? But, seeing his little happy face again made it worthwile. We were doing a good thing.

We lucked out in that he WAS housebroken & no matter what little "bad" thing he did, he learned SO quickly not to repeat it. He was SO eager to please us it was unreal. And, to this day, he still remains overly eager to please us. How can you not love this little guy??

The story goes on, but you get the point. He is "the precious". He is MY precious. He is Mike's precious. We love the little guy tremendously & while on the surface it appears WE did some good deed in taking him in, the real good deed is that he found us. He adopted us. He brings us so much joy each day. Frankie is the best boy ever!

My friends all want to come back (as in reincarnation) as my dog. They think we treat our pups (past & present) so well that they'd be lucky to come live with us. Perhaps they are right? I don't know. We try to make a nice life for Frankie because he is NOT "just a dog".....he is part of the family (and the only part of the family that is truly NO trouble).

Happy Holidays everyone!
Happy Holidays, Frankie boy! (the frankster, little Frow-frow, baby boy). We love you!