Damn the price of gas!

We've all bitched and complained about the ever increasing price of gas, but now I'm really over it! I have a Hyundai which gets darn good mileage, but still, filling up to the tune of $55 is really crimping my budget.

I know it doesn't seem like I have budget constraints, mostly every month I vow to cut back on unnecessary spending (HA!). Sometimes I'm successful and other times I am not. But really, it's getting hard to justify buying a Grande Skinny Soy Vanilla Latte at Starbucks for $4.60 a pop every week when gas and other food items become more expensive. If I forgo my weekly coffee fix, I could save $20 to put toward gas for the month. I suppose every little bit of savings counts, but it hurts, it really hurts me! (OK, not really, I just like how dramatic it sounds).

After reviewing our finances with my hubby, I ceremoniously vowed (yet again) to cut back my spending and be conservative. I did make it crystal clear that I would not be giving up getting my nails done once a month, my eyebrow waxing, or my hair treatments. Some things cannot be sacrificed, no matter how dire the situation!

Makeup

So I wanted to share the new makeup website I found out about recently. It is called E.L.F, and stands for Eyes Lips Face. Some of you have heard me talk about it before, but I wanted to give my review in case someone is considering buying any makeup. Their claim to fame is all makeup is $1, and some of the multi-step items and accessories are anywhere from $5-20, still a good price.

After browsing their website, www.eyeslipsface.com, I found they have a fairly extensive selection of makeup and skincare accessories. They have a great choice of colors in eyeshadow, lipstick, blush and nail polish. Please remember actual colors may vary slightly from what is shown on your computer, but overall the colors are pretty close.

I placed an order on May 7th for a total of $34, which included shipping. I purchased nail polish, makeup brushes, makeup bags, false eyelashes and eye color. Apparently E.L.F. is a hot new idea because the web page took a while to load and it said my order may be delayed due to heavy volume. I also searched www.retailmenot.com for a 50% coupon on shipping!

I finally received my order on May 28th and only three items were back ordered. I called the company and they were going to refund my money, but the items were available to they shipped them out and I received them within two days. I'm very happy with the items I purchased and they are constantly adding new items. They do not test on animals and they mostly rely on word-of-mouth advertising to keep costs down.

I'm very impressed with their makeup brushes. I purchased a nice Kabuki brush for $1, and it looks to be the same quality as the $45 brush I've been eyeballing at Sephora! E.L.F. also does not charge your credit card until your order is being shipped, which I prefer.


I haven't tried all my new makeup goodies yet, but I'm optimistic it will be fantastic. Happy Shopping Ladies!

I love birthdays!

I've loved birthdays ever since I was a young girl and realized you get cake and ice-cream on your birthday. It's safe to say I love the cake and ice-cream as much as presents! As I matured, I began to enjoy other birthdays as well, not just my own. I love all the planning and preparation that goes into throwing someone a birthday party. It could be a tea party for the girls, a wine tour, a day out on the boat, etc. I love it all.

A lovely group of my friends helped celebrate the birthday of a dear girlfriend and we spent the whole day on the lake. We had great weather, food and even Rum soaked watermelon! We spent the whole day being lazy and floating in the clear, cool water and tried to avoid a nasty sunburn ( I did not succeed in the sunburn dept.). We went to the Pier for dinner and I truly felt sorry for our waiter who had to deal with a boisterous party of 19! (He may have suffered a nervous breakdown by the end, I couldn't be sure).

Needless to say, I have enjoyed many birthday parties this year and we're only halfway thru the year! We started with a bang and I'm sure we'll finish out the year on a high-note.

Sex and the City

Last night I had the pleasure of joining a few of my fabulous girlfriends to watch the Sex and the City movie. We met up for drinks beforehand and complemented each other on our cute and flirty attire. We headed into the theater early to snag great seats and to people watch.

We all agreed that we've never seen so many women dressed to the nines to make themselves feel good and not for a man! These women came decked out in dresses and skirts in every length and color. The hair and makeup were perfect and they had their favorite shoes on, as if to say they could have been in SATC!

Overall the movie was wonderful. I admit, I was teary-eyed a few times throughout the movie and it really made me appreciate my girlfriends. To be totally honest, I've never really watched the series when it was on TV. I'd seen a few episodes and found it enjoyable, but not a marathon viewer by any means.

I think the main draw of this show/movie is that every woman can relate to each of the four characters, Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha. At some point in our lives, we've dealt with similar situations that the characters have and we all admire a particular character trait within each woman.

I admit, I'm drawn to Carrie because she loves fashion and is independent. I also like that Charlotte is fiercely protective of her friends and Samantha has that raw sexual attraction/power that anyone would be envious of. Miranda believes her job is important but tries to balance family and girlfriends as well, which we all know can be difficult.

I can't image how wonderful it would be to live in NYC with your closest friends, have a great job, be independently wealthy and truly enjoy what life has to offer. But the more I think about it, I wouldn't trade the life I have now with my family and my wonderful girlfriends. They say the grass is greener on the other side, but the grass I'm looking at right now looks pretty good!

Summer Camp

For the past week I have noticed that morning traffic has been considerably light compared to recent months. I was thinking that most people were on vacation, but then I remembered school was out. Summer is here! I love the summer months because my normal 50 minute drive to work becomes 40, gotta love those 10 minutes of extra sleep!

The radio is playing ads for different summer camps offered around town. Truth be told, I feel a pang of jealousy for kids who get to attend camp. I remember being younger and begging my mother to send me off to camp. Something exotic, like Camp Salute Your Shorts that used to be on Nickelodeon. But alas, my mother informed me camp was for "bad kids" who needed discipline. Which meant as a reward for being a "good kid" I was subjected to being babysat by my grandmother for the entire summer. For crying out loud, she had plastic covering on her furniture!

My sister and I could only play downstairs (which had a scary basement) and play Barbie games on Nintendo. Our other option was to watch Hawaii 50 with grandmom (or G-mom as we lovingly called her). Wow, let's weigh the options: Bad kid= away to summer camp or Good Kid= summer with Gmom.

I know, I know, some people didn't have a grandmother, yada yada. I was 8 or 9, what kind of feelings do you expect?! I've asked my husband if we would one day send our "future babies" to camp. He enthusiastically responded with a yes and went on to explain how much fun he had attending different camps when he was younger. When I informed him he must have been a "trouble-child" to be sent to camp, he proceeded to tell me I was nuts and I have to say I slightly agree, but at least I wasn't a "trouble-child!"

Wow, this could have turned out worse!

So I came across this article on Yahoo:

Utrecht police say a 21-year-old Dutch man is recovering after a "mooning" that went horribly wrong. A police statement says the man and two others had run down a street in Utrecht with their pants pulled down in the back "for a joke." It says that at one point the 21-year-old "pushed his behind against the window of a restaurant" that broke and resulted in "deep wounds to his derriere." The statement released Tuesday says police detained the three men after the incident Sunday morning. But the cafe owner decided not to press charges after the men agreed to pay for the broken window. The injured man was treated for his injuries at a nearby hospital.

Hat's off to this kid, who clearly needs to go back to school. Hmm, butt on thin glass, press hard, I wonder what will happen! He's lucky he didn't lose other parts of himself!

"I have a headache"

So how many of us have used this line? A friend and I were joking this weekend about wifely "duties," and all the drama that goes along with it.

How many of you ladies remember the good-old days when we were always ready for sex and it we never had headaches, cramps, etc? I sure do! I know our husbands/fiances/boyfriends tend to wonder why that mindset changes after you've logged a few years together. Hmm, let me think. Could it be because we've got so many damn adult responsibilities it seems like sex should take a number?

Let me give you a rundown of my thought process for a day:
1. Did I feed the dog?
2. Did I do the laundry?
3. Is my report done for my meeting?
4. Do I have time to go to the gym?
5. Do I have time to run errands?
6. Are the bills paid?
7. Did I send friends birthday cards?
8. Do I need to go grocery shopping?
9. What should I make for dinner?
10. Is the house clean enough incase company shows up?

Wow, sex doesn't even pop up! What has happened females of America? Oh, wait, that's right, we had to grow up and make sure shit gets done around the house and in life in generall. But I digress, if my hubby would like to hire a maid, chef, gardner, etc, I'm pretty sure that list could change!

I tell ya, men get a little blue pill and the world is right again. All I'm asking for is a maid and a chef (I could make do without a gardener)! I think if I decide to procreate and have a baby boy, you can be damn sure he'll know how to pull his own weight as well as the importance of hired help!