New Lancome Mascara

Today is the release of the new Lancome mascara. You can only get this at select stores and online today. It will be officially released in the fall. Sephora is sold out already, but you can still get it at http://www.lancome-usa.com/ With a $50 order you get free shipping, and if you use this promo code you can get additional free samples.

*Side note- I forgot to put in my promo code for all of the extra freebies- I called the customer service number for Lancome. They told me my order had already shipped (just placed it today) but the man told me he was going to go ahead and send me my freebies! How nice! Great customer service makes my day!

Getting so excited...

A while back my friends got me hooked on the Twilight series. When I saw that the series was about vampires I didn't care to read it. But they pushed and pushed until I gave in and read it. I was hooked! Friday night is the release for the last book in the series and I am fired up! Critics say this book series has generated as much hype as the Harry Potter series. (Never read it) If you like to read and haven't started this series, READ IT. We're having a big girls night tomorrow, having dinner out at Barnum & Tibbetts and then heading over to Barnes and Noble for the party for the book release. I am so excited.....

Traveling Scarf

Kimberly at Fab Finds Under 50 put together a little challenge for us. Take a scarf, make it your own, forward it to the next person and document it. Fun idea. So my scarf came to me today from Ally. It came in the cutest envelope decorated with sea life creatures. Plus she wrote me a card and knitted me a towel. How nice is that??? Thank you Ally for your creativity! I'll post the scarf pics in the next few days.

Fashion faux pas?

When getting dressed this morning I knew this was going to happen, but I was not overly concerned about it. I have purple polish on my toes and bright orange open toe heels on. If this is the worst thing that happens to me today I can handle it! I do feel a little like Kramer from Seinfeld...

Another sale skirt

I couldn't remember if I had posted this one or not. I got it a few weeks back (around the same time my husband had a weak back) at Talbots for around $20.00. After taking a pic I'm thinking it makes me look as wide as the side of a barn. But I still like it! I'm also wearing my blue suede belt I got at Banana Republic for $7.00. I know it's not very original but I love Banana Republic!

Very cute jewelry

Check out Twisted Silver. Very cute jewelry. Right now you (I think just thru tomorrow) you can take $20.00 off the Funky line pieces. Just use promo code Funky at checkout. Also, the Tag Convertible necklace is on sale for $15.00.

Shoes of the day

It's Monday, I have no clever post title today but I do have VERY CUTE SHOES! Seriously, they are. They are so pretty. A nice metallic midnight blue, pointy toe... Boy do I feel oh-so-sassy in these.

New Blog I Found

This is pretty funny. It is chock full of bad real estate listings. It also makes me feel better about my housekeeping skills!
http://lovelylisting.blogspot.com/

Goody bags

Whew! It was a weekend full of birthday parties! Saturday Caroline went to her friend Isabelle's birthday party and today was Stella's. As always, the kids were all excited for goody bags. I had to take a picture of the one's my friend Sara made for Stella's birthday party. These are too cute! I kept hoping the bag would not get ripped on the drive home before I could take a picture of it! As you can see it got a little wrinkled from being clutched with much love in Caroline's little hand. Well done Sara!

I've got the "itch"

Whenever this happens it is not good. It means change. It means money. It means I want to do something new to my house. It means I don't mention it to my husband until it is too late. He frets about things like this so I figure why bother him? Plus, it isn't as if I'm going to ask for his opinion or input. However, last night I did ask him if he would mind if I superglued a shelf to a wall in our home. Neither one of us is very handy and I have my own way of getting things done. Not always the best way... So, keep your fingers crossed because I see a can of paint, a paintbrush, an old shelf and a cubby in my home crying out for a little creativity...

More deals!

http://www.officemax.com/

Rulers for a penny, hi-liters for a nickel!

http://www.staples.com/

Penny pencil cases, quarter mini staplers. I am so into this! Sad, huh?

$1.50 Cheesecake!

The Cheesecake Factory is having a special anniversary deal through July 30th. Any type of cheesecake for $1.50 per slice. I'll take 2!

How much blogging is too much blogging?

Seriously. Do I really have so much to say and share? You bet I do! Aargh! Someone asked me what my blog was about. I don't know. Stuff? As an only child I grew up entertaining myself. My blog entertains me. The point of this post? Um, when I realized I had three different things I wanted to blog about in one day and stood at my kitchen sink wondering "Really Katie? Do you need to blog about this too?" Then I thought "A little Katie goes a long way."

Siskel, Ebert and... me?

OK, so I am not a movie reviewer but I will say I have seen two movies in the last two days and loved them both.
Mamma Mia- Outstanding! Meryl Steep and Christine Baranski stole this movie! This is another movie I can not wait for to come out on video. (And if you are an Abba fan and find yourself in Canada go see the Abba-mania tribute band. They are pretty fun.)
Stepbrothers- This movie is totally juvenile and completely funny! For some reason Brian and I both enjoy laughing at other people getting hurt and there is plenty of that in this movie!

This mamma's drama

Brian needed to take a large group of people on an out of town trip for work, so he rented a larger car to accomodate everyone. He came home with a Kia mini-van. I am not a mini-van girl, but I fell in love with that car. It had Captains Seats. I had so much room in it, and it is such a comfy car. Caroline and Tessa liked it. (Actually, Caroline loved it.) So the question is this: Am I a mini-van girl? I don't want to think so, but maybe I am. Damn, that Kia was nice! Who would have thought I'd love a mini van so much? Am I getting old? Soft? Losing my touch???

Happy Belated Birthday Kathy!

Happy day-after Birthday to my friend Kathy. Kathy is my partner in crime on many of my girl trips and is one of the small group of people willing to put up with and laugh at my goofy ideas. We have shared many laughs (and a few beers) in Columbus, New York, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Toronto and soon West Virginia! If it weren't for Kathy I might still be stranded in Toronto too hung-over to get myself home! Happy Birthday Kathy and here's to many more years of fun together!

I have an assistant now

In the Sex and the City movie Carrie has her assistant Louise. Well, today Caroline acted as my assistant/prop. Tessa gets photographer credit.

I heart good customer service and surprises

I just placed my order Friday night and got my free nailpolish already today! Talk about awesome customer service! I actually placed two orders so I got 6 free bottles of Zoya polish. Happy day!

More back to school deals

Toys R Us has Buy 1 Get 2 free on Crayola Magic Marker packages

Target has $.20 Elmers Glue Stick 2 packs

The Banana is always ripe for the picking!

Unfortunately Banana Republic always comes through for me. At least this time it was the outlet so I got a good deal. These are my new $14 shoes. You can't really see the cute detail of the dress but it has bell sleeves with little pleats at the elbow (I am a sucker for pleats) and a banded hemline, but not a tight band, one that is a little more forgiving. I'm excited for fall and winter when I can pair it with some cute tights.

Banana-Rama

Headed down to Cincy today to pick up my niece for a few fun days. I told Tessa we would pop into the outlet mall on our way to begin back to school shopping. While we were in Banana Republic I founds these shoes for only $14.00! Awesome! At another store we got some cute bracelets for $.50 Tessa was so nice that she bought me one. She also bought one for Caroline. How nice was that?

Book of the day

Journey of a Thousand Miles. This book is outstanding!

No need for words

http://www.bonappetit.com/

Free Nail Polish

But you need to act fast! This is courtesy of Blogdorf Goodman. Click here and you will be directed to the site where you can get 3 free bottles of Zoya brand nail polish.

Am I Air Force material?

I don't think so! For anyone who knows me I have problems with directions. (Both in taking direction and following directions to get me places.) For some reason the Dayton area seems to pose a big big problem for me. A couple of years ago I had to meet my boss in the Dayton area and wound up crossing the border into Kentucky. Well, today I thought I was supposed to be on Clover Street in Dayton so I used Mapquest PLUS Garmin and got on the road. I pulled onto Clover Street and thought my company must have really been able to get this land cheap because it is in the HOOD. And I do mean the hood. And my Garmin is announcing over and over that I have reached my destination. Um, I don't think so. Then I found out our property is on Clover Street in BEAVERCREEK Ohio. So a few phone calls later and I am on my way. Only this Clover street is so new it isn't on Garmin yet. And Garmin is telling me to do U-turns. And I am. And I think if I get pulled over for an illegal U-turn can I tell them Garmin told me to? Well, then I wind up on Wright-Patt Air Force Base at a check-point entry. And everyone is rolling down their windows and showing the uniformed guard their ID. When it is my turn I said I just needed to turn around. The nice man in uniform told me very politely that I was welcome to turn around but as I was on Air Force property they would just need to search my car first. Keep in mind that I am running late, have no idea where I am going and my car is a total mom car with CRAP strewn everywhere. Then he proceeds to tell me he is just joking and I can smile now and turn around. I felt instant relief. I told him this was tougher than entering Canada, which is where Brian and I have had our car searched twice now. Long story short I somehow go to my final destination on time and made it back home all in one piece! I seriously thought about asking the nice man in uniform if I could take my picture with him because the whole thing was so funny!

Here is another one of my $19.99 skirts from Ann Taylor Loft. It is a little shorter than I would like (Who has attractive knees?) but I was not about to pass it up. I don't think the picture does it justice for how cute it really is. It is a really pretty silver/grey color and has a really cute center and back pleat. Brian voluntarily complimented me on it!

Do I or don't I?

I've never been to a Steve & Barry's and we don't have one in Columbus. The closest one is about an hour or so away and even though I am curious it just doesn't tempt me enough to make a special trip. However, I am going to be in Dayton for work tomorrow and there is a Steve and Barry's there. I want to take a few minutes and go but I keep hearing mixed reviews about merchandise being picked over, size selections being limited, etc.... However (again) I keep seeing all of the cute things people get there. What's a girl to do???

A shocking "disc"overy

The verdict is in. Brian has a herniated disc. Everyone join me in saying "awww" Hopefully with some awesome pain meds he will be on the mend and ready to golf Friday. I offered to make his tee time for him and just let him tell me which clubs to use and ride around on the golf cart. I'm not sure why he isn't taking me up on this offer. I do feel bad because he is supposed to be playing Oakland Hills Country Club which is where they are having the PGA Championship in a few weeks. Again, everyone say "awww..."

Pretty in pink?

I am not a big "pink" girl but once in a while I go for it. Today is a pink day. Unfortunately my pinks are a bit off but I'm OK with that. On the plus side: I got my skirt for $19.99 at Ann Taylor Loft.

What about me???

So, Brian called me this afternoon to tell me he was pretty sure he needed to go to the ER for his back pain. I figured they would give him some pain meds which would render him unable to drive. In anticipation of this I offered to meet him at home and drive him to the hospital. (See, I do have a softer side.) Well, the end result basically is that yes, they agree that Brian's back hurts and he should see his family doctor. They also gave him pain meds. As they discharged him and asked if there were any questions I said "What about something for me?" I am sorry, but a crabby husband is not so easy to take and I would like some meds as well. I know the meds are working because tonight he thought all of my cheesy jokes were funny. Like the one where as I took him to the hospital I offered to drop him off at the morgue to save time. (I'm sorry if anyone finds that offensive, I was only teasing him.) Or the one where I acted like I was calling our life insurance agent to make sure he had the spelling of my name right. (50% joking) As I dropped Brian off at the entry to the ER I rolled down my car window and hollered as loudly as possible "I love you..."

Protein deficiency?

Brian's back is giving him major problems today (he is not getting any younger) and he can barely walk. Being the supportive spouse that I am (not) I can not stop laughing because he is being so dramatic about it! Caroline is being more supportive than I am. She told me to make dad a protein shake because he is not feeling well.
FYI, for anyone who doesn't know us or hasn't tired of this story: A few years ago I woke up in MAJOR pain one night. Nothing helped. I asked Brian to rub my back and he told me to go to the hospital if it was so bad. So as the pain progressed I told Brian I would go to the hospital and drove myself there. I was in so much pain that I left my car in front of the emergency room and just gave someone my keys. (At this point in the story Brian interjects with "We had a baby in bed, what was I supposed to do?") Anyway, it turned out that I had a diseased gall bladder that needed to be removed. I was so pleased to call home and report that I was not over-reacting, so ha! So whenever Brian isn't feeling well I tell him to go to the hospital and when they remove something I will feel badly for him! Side note- if you've ever had gall bladder problems I feel your pain. The pain was so bad I told the nurse I would rather give birth again. As soon as I said that she said "gall bladder" before they even looked at me. She said that is the most common thing they hear from gall bladder patients who have had children.

Endless.com (Great shoes!)

I received a few nice compliments on my shoes I wore the other day. I thought I would share a little retail love from my favorite shoe website http://www.endless.com/ The shoes I wore the other day are down to $48.00 and you get free overnight shipping. How can you pass that up?

Awesome Talbot's Sale

Additional 25% off clearance prices! I know Talbot's might not be the place you go to find high fashion but I picked up some really cute things! I got a great skirt for $23 and a really cute bracelet for $11! If you check out Kasmira's blog she has an AWESOME skirt from Talbots.

What a difference a jacket and some heels make!

I wore this skirt last week with a jean jacket and a summer-y shoe. I wore it again today with heels and a jacket. I can not believe the difference in the look! I bought this jacket over a year ago on a trip to Canada and I have never worn it until today.

Mid-day slump? Try this!

The Frutista Freeze from Taco Bell. Yum! How I don't weigh a zillion pounds I'll never understand. Anyway, I am a completely, totally, lucky and spoiled girl. One of the guys who works for me comes in every day at 11 a.m. SHARP to see what I want for lunch. Then, he comes in again at 3 p.m. SHARP to see what I would like for "snack time." If he is going to be gone for a day he leaves me some Pepsi and Reeses Cups in my little mini-fridge AND he keeps an emergency case of Pepsi hidden for me in case I run out. So our most recent favorite thing for snack time is the Taco Bell Frutista Freeze. These things are AWESOME! Even if you don't eat Taco Bell's food you should try this drink. Now all I need to do is figure out if I can add a little shot of vodka at work. Would it really be so wrong?

I have no shame

Once a month I get together with a group of girls to play a game called Bunco. As a part of this, we take turns being the hostess, or the person who supplies the snacks. Since we always play in the building where my office is the extra snacks and game get left in my office until the following month. Which means that for 30 days I am left with bags of candy and chips. Which means for 30 days I snack on this stuff and then the morning of Bunco I rush to Target and spend $20 on new snacks to cover my own tracks. And to play Bunco it only costs $5, but noooo, not for me. Not after I replace everything I ate. Aargh! Anyway, yesterday I picked up 3 Musketeers Mint Mini's for Bunco snacks. Have you had these? They are OUTSTANDING! They are like a combination Girl Scout Thin Mint hidden inside of a 3 Musketeers bar. Divine! Heavenly!

(And not that my shoes today have anything to do with my candy snatching, but aren't they cute? Impressive that they can still hold me up after eating all that candy!)

One cent sale

Every year at work I have a back to school party for all of the kids on my property. It's pretty fun for them and it's fun for me to put together. I make a "back to school bag" for all of the kids. I get so excited at the back to school deals and I usually get started stocking up pretty early. Staples got me kick started this year with their $.01 deals. It's kind of hard because they limit the number of items you can buy but I usually stop by on my way to and from work. Sometimes I take my kids and I give each of them a quarter or whatever the total is and we all make our purchases. Today I got little hand sanitizers, folders and packages of pencils for a penny! I spent a total of 15 cents. Big spender!

You've got mail!

A while back I started on my mission to take my name off as many mailing lists, bulk emails etc... in an effort to curb my enthusiasm for spending too much money. And I'm usually pretty good about just deleting things or putting them in the recycling but there are some I can't part with so easily. Today Nordstrom was kind enough to email me the new Nanette Lepore pieces. I looooove Nanette Lepore. In a perfect world I would just order this outfit and not give it a second thought. By not doing so I just saved $565.00!

What I'm Reading and Loving

Home by Julie Andrews. So far I am loving it! I am only in the early years so far but I am really looking forward to getting more into this book.

American Turkey Goulash

In honor of the 4th of July we had this for dinner tonight. (It was really coincidence, this is one of our favorite dishes from Body for Life.) It is delicious!

30 Minutes to Prepare and Cook
Ingredients
4 portions egg noodles (8 oz. uncooked)

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 zucchini, sliced

4 portions lean ground turkey (about 1 lb)

2 c. tomato sauce

2 Tbs. fresh basil, chopped
Directions
1. Prepare egg noodles as directed.

2. Lightly coat a lg. skillet w/spray. Over medium heat, saute chopped onion for 2 minutes. Add bellpepper to the onion & saute for 2 more minutes. Add Zucchini & saute for 2 more minutes. Remove contents & set aside

3. Add gr. turkey to skillet & saute until no longer pink

4. When turkey is done return veg. to skillet add remaining ingred. Cook for 5 minuts - stirring occasionally.

5. Place a portion of noodles on plate & top with mixture.

Serves 4

What I'm Reading

The Condition by Jennifer Haigh. I haven't finished it yet but I'm almost done and so far I have really enjoyed it.

How much beer do I need to be a good hostess?

Seriously, how fun is this? Whenever I have a group I am getting together for something I use www.evite.com I have always found it to be so handy and helps me keep track of RSVP's, sends reminders for me, etc... Anyway, they have a drink calculator where you can calculate number of guests, drink preferences, heavy/moderate drinkers... Pretty handy.

J Crew Sale

J Crew is having a pretty decent sale on their website, and you get free shipping too. Use promo code FREESHIP at checkout. Just make sure you know the fit of their clothes or have a good back up plan because they do not allow returns or exchanges on final sales.

The tradition carries on...

In keeping with tradition we took our chairs out to the parade route last night. As usual Brian wanted no part of this. He thinks it is terribly tacky. I think it is funny. And it's tradition, right? We will have rock star seating at the parade thanks to my diligence! (And thanks to Tessa and Caroline- They helped scout out and secure our location.)

Another outfit

I felt a little like a cruise director today, but I do have to say I did like this look. My friends do refer to me as Julie McCoy since I am always planning something. Ahoy!

Stuff White People Like

I think this blog is pretty funny. Anyway, the book was released today. If you follow this guys story at all it is pretty interesting. His blog just started as this random thing and now he has a book deal!
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.com/

What I'm Wearing Today

My blog started as a joke after my friend Jordan told me she made a blog. She is younger than I am and more savvy with technology, but I told her "Oh yeah, I can make a blog too." So I did, thinking she would be about the only person to ever look at my blog. Now, I am hooked on my blog and I get on Jordan's case for not keeping up with hers! Then, I discovered a blog by a girl named Kasmira. I was fascinated by the fact that she posts a picture of what she wears almost every day. Thus began my obsession with other people's blogs. Anyway, Tessa told me my blog would be more interesting if I put a picture of what I am wearing.

1) I'm not so sure about that

2) I am always the picture taker, not the person in the picture

But here goes nothing. I do have to say I was quite pleased with my skirt. It was $14.99 at Ann Taylor Loft.