Weekend CUP...time off...sort of!

Hello out there - so I just realized as I went to post this morning that my Saturday scheduled post (my last beauty product post) didn't happen and for now I'm not sure why....I'll dig into it later and find out....oh the anticipation I can hear it (well along with the crickets).

I actually took the day off Saturday (well almost the whole day) - woo hoo! I didn't go into my office at home at all......and for good reason......

My day was packed - it started by waking up at 6:30 on a Saturday morning - gasp - yes I know! Never fear....Starbucks drive-thru at 7:30 to my rescue!!

You see....I needed to make it to Newport Beach by 9:30 for this:

and this

Do you blame me?

Marcus had a soccer game so I came prepared with my telephoto lens to capture the moment. I mean is there anything cuter than 4 year olds playing soccer??

These boys were ready to play!!

Not sure if he's dancing or running....but who cares!!

As soon as I got out of the car and Marcus saw my camera he had a huge smile on his face and my sis told him "see I told you auntie would bring her camera". However I soon realized that I had to be a little more discreet with my camera because whenever Marcus saw me he just turned and smiled at the camera and didn't pay attention and ran the wrong way...oops! Sorry Coach!

Can you resist that smile and oh the bouncy curls?????????

Sophia had a game of her own on the sidelines....

shhhhh don't tell but I think she can kick better than her big brother......

Just when my sis said that to me....out of nowhere came Marcus' big play of the day....well actually of the season....

I mean look at #5 go.....

and now this is a killer kick.....

"hey wait a sec.....I want to do that...."

back to coloring for a bit.....

what a game!

So fun to be there and to see Marcus so excited that his auntie came to watch.

Can you believe I used to tell my BFF, after her first nephew was born, that she was an obsessed auntie??? As you can imagine, I've eaten those words a thousand times over!!!!

Thanks for indulging me in an auntie moment.....I've made you all wait far too long for updated pics :) so I had to make it a good one!!

After the game I headed to a Starbucks in Newport for yes latte #2 of the day and a meeting with a wedding planner out of Newport Beach who heard I was coming down and wanted to meet with me and see samples of my work - it was a fabulous meeting and a new business contact for more opportunities!! I loved her and can't wait to work together with many new brides! I feel so blessed!

After my Starbucks meeting I headed to Irvine Spectrum for lunch with a friend I've known since we were 20. She lives in San Diego so we meet in the OC once or twice a year to catch up.

After a fabulous lunch with an old friend, I love it when you can pick up where you left off like no time has passed, I went and picked up Marcus and Sophia for an afternoon together and dinner at McDonald's (and latte #3 for me - I think I have a problem folks) so my sis and Rod could spend some time with friends. After the kids went to bed, I said good bye and headed home. I finally tucked myself in at home at 10:30! Phew!!

I will get back to my last beauty product post when I figure out why it didn't post upon schedule....for now I'm finishing up this...it's assembly time!

These are for Ronnie's sweet sister - what an honor to work with Bernie and Rodrigo on their wedding! I love what I do!!

Cheers!!

Eyes CUP

Day 5:

Isn't this fun or have I just been entertainming myself all week.....I'm hearing crickets.....

Several weeks ago I mentioned that there are some Bobbi Brown products that I just can't give up and simply can't bring myself to find a substition.......I simply can't!!

These little guys I can never be without:

I was told by a Bobbi make-up artist that miss Bobbi was in search of a perfect eyeliner and went to an art store and that was when the gel liner came to life. Who knows if that's true but it's definitely like an artists ink jar that you dip your brush into. Ideally you need a flat eyeliner brush or similar but I love this stuff! It stays on all day too.

I'll admit I have it in 5 colors - Chocolate Shimmer is my favorite!! Sorry I didn't take the cap off the Chocolate Shimmer during my very amateur photo taking opportunity so I could show you....it's so pretty!

This is granite and was my first and is my staple color

It's not totally black - it's a warm version of black! LOVE! And........they are worth the $ cuz they last a very long time - probably a year or two unless you do your make-up like Elvira then probably not as long....but hey more power to ya!

Those that know me know how much I love eyelash primer. I have been wearing it for years - I can't remember when this love affair began. If you don't like your lashes, or lack thereof, you should definitely try a primer.

Origins Underwear for Lashes is my favorite (cuz I love the name). It goes on white so you can see what you're doing - just don't leave the house and forget your mascara on top of the primer which I do often and then Ronnie reminds me at work that I look like an alien (well she doesn't say that but I think she secretly thinks that). Because of this, I always have back-up mascara in my desk drawer.

Have you met Ronnie since I've talked about her all week? Here she is:

and again with her handsome son Marcelo!! Hot Mama and very handsome son!

anywoo - back to this
The other is by Maybelline - they make a clear mascara that is a little cheaper and does a similar thing. You get 2 coats of mascara without the thickness of 2 coats of mascara. Did that make sense?

And lastly the brows.....ladies we gotta color our brows. We put on this lovely makeup and forget these guys!I don't do brow pencils - I can't! I'm retarded and then I end up looking like Elvira! I use an eye brow brush - flat and slanted and just a matte eye shadow. Nothing fancy - and the shadow lasts forever! This eye shadow is from my very first make-up session with Missy (a good friend of my sis and a Bobbi artist) for my sisters wedding in 2003 - I'm not kidding!

Here is proof with the date on the picture - don't you love how our cameras so nicely captured the dates we took our photos - so funny.

Meet Shar Shar (aka Sharlene)....one of my Sister's BFFs!

This was the night before my sister's wedding, we had our make-up done for the rehearsal dinner and Shar and I both bought our first truck load of Bobbi. I mean that is a HUGE bag for make-up but it was full. I even titled this picture SharandBobbi cuz she honestly slept with this bag of make-up that night she was so worried I was going to steal it from her (she knows me too well!). Oh fun times - I love this picture because all of us girls slumbered in this 2 bedroom guest house next to the main-mansion house in Newport Beach (where the reception was) and laughed with my sis all night long...so much that my stomach muscles hurt the next day!! If you want to laugh for hours...Shar Shar is your ticket!

Tomorrow - a few final tips!!

Okay this post has taken 3 left turns and a u-turn so I'll say goodbye and....

Cheers!

CUP of Nails (finger nails not man chore nails!)

Day 4:

I had acrylic nails since I was old enough to have a job....eek! I should have pulled out some pictures to show you when they were really long and red :) and had rhinestones on them......can you say suuuuuuu - weeeet!

Then I moved to pink and whites (loved them) and then I finally took them off and haven't looked back since. My sister had taken hers off before she got married and kept trying to talk me into it and then I was thinking if she can do it (she used to bite her nails something awful) then I could. A few years ago my church was trying to raise money for our new building and I kept thinking what can I give up to give a little more money.....my pink and whites cost me about $90 a month - $45 every other week. So that was the little nudge I needed and off they went. I've since talked many others into ditching the acrylics!!

Now the joy of trying to grow out my years of chemicals affixing themselves to my precious nails only to leave them with a couple layers missing and ridges like potato chips. It took a couple months but it was worth it!

You need 4 simple things to get great nails (in my opinion of course):

First thing to get your nails in shape is Nailtiques and it is the BEST.

If you aren't familiar with it it's just like a clear coat only it's a nail protein. Keep it on all the time, once in a while but the more the better - you'll thank me later I promise!! I use it all the time as a base coat or just as a clear coat. It comes in different formulas - I'm not really sure of the difference but I use #2.

TIP - Nailtiques comes in a few sizes and unless you are a maniac and put it on all the time (I mean disciplined like my Sis), I would recommend buying the smallest one because if you get the big one and don't use it all the time it thickens up on you quicker than nail polish I think. A small bottle is around $6-8 and you can get it at most beauty supply stores.

Now I have another MUST MUST MUST have and you MUST use - you with me here I say it's a MUST :).....

You've all seen this display I'm sure but if you've never used it you should give it a whirl (and it smells good too). I put this on my cuticles almost everyday driving to work. I have used this for years - it's a wonder drug for your cuticles and hands - they will thank me later and then they'll buy me a latte!!

The other 2 items are Rubbing Alcohol and quick dry top coat.

TIP - right before you paint your nails, put alcohol on a cotton ball and clean your nails with it and then polish. This helps keep your nail polish on a little longer than normal. That tip was free BTW ;)

People are always amazed that I do my own nails but ladies I cheat - I really do!! I do them at night - mostly while I'm working in my office or watching TV. I make sure I'm already in my PJs, ready for bed, etc. and have about 20-30 minutes before I tuck myself in. I'm a multi-tasker and have a hard time just sitting and waiting for my nails to completely dry - they can dry while I sleep! I always use a quick dry and get this I ALWAYS have polish on my fingers - I never color just inside the lines when it comes to my nails. Then when I get in the shower the next day.....wa-la I pick it off when my hands are good and wet. I know it's brilliant simply brilliant :). Someday they'll pay me the big bucks for this stuff!

If you're trying to grow out your nails - the best way to do it so they don't break or get brittle I have found is to keep polish on them all the time even if it's just clear!!

I see my blog is looking like so many others.......I'm such a follower!!

Tomorrow - EYES - wooot wooot (I just wanted to say that cuz Tracie just emailed me that today at the end of a fun sentence and I thought it was so cute and then as I kept saying it I realized it made me think of owls and you know how I LOVE owls.....!)

Cheers!

Cover-up CUP

Day 3:

So a couple weeks ago as I was getting ready for work one morning......this is what I found:


It was all GONE!!!!!! I love my Bobbi Brown foundation but it's quite costly and I told myself this was my last one (for now.....kind of leaving the door open) :).



I had been on a search for a new less expensive make-up, I mean this is serious business and my partner in make-up crime told me about this...................

I love that girl! It was featured in Instyle's Best Beauty Buys for 2009 for Best Inexpensive Foundation! Who knew?! I actually bought it and tried it before I knew this - and I can see why they voted it the best. I bought it from CVS but you can find it anywhere that sells Loreal. The hardest part about a new foundation is matching it to your coloring. But.....Loreal has this little color chart hanging from the shelf and you lay the chart on your wrist and match the color - it's a match when the color disappears against your skin. I found a perfect disappearing match and when I used it for the first time - it was a PERFECT match! Love it! It's a very light foundation and goes on so smooth.


I also bought this.......

It's mineral make-up and the "new" thing. It's actually powder foundation and I love it! You don't think you'll get enough coverage but you do. It's meant to be used alone but I've also used a little of it with the liquid foundation a couple times but be VERY careful cuz you don't need alot of the powder when you are also wearing the foudation...if you use too much you'll look like you're about to be on TV!

I love when I stick to my budget and make wise choices - God always provides in random ways (my little jesus romances). When I went to CVS to buy this it was a buy one get one free sale. Funny, I don't recall Nordstroms ever offering a BOGOF sale on Bobbi??!! So for under $20 I got both of these:

Tomorrow....nails!

Cheers!

Day After CUP

Day 2

For the day after....when you just don't have enough energy or time (because you hit snooze too much) to wash your hair...help is on the way! I used to gasp at the thought of not washing my hair everyday but now.....I embrace the day after and no more gasping!!

Mama H (my mom) doesn't remember this but I sure do......sigh....when I was younger she didn't think it was good for us to wash our hair everyday and I'm telling ya I think I'm still carrying around childhood wounds from those day 2 very oily hair days. Like when I was in Mrs. Thomas' 3rd grade class they checked all of us for lice (it was one of my "day 2" hair days) and they sent me straight home cuz they thought I had lice. I was humiliated....so humiliated that I can still recall where I was standing in that class when they pulled me aside. Turns out I didn't have lice just OILY hair! I've learned to embrace this and not complain because oily skin has it's perks....at 40 I don't have a sign of wrinkles (but then my eyesight is going too....but shhh don't be honest with me on this one) and you should see Mama H....at 71 she hardly has any and looks like she's in her 50s!

Here are 2 products that I love - I use both - I can't decide which I love more?!

Ojon is from Sephora and my first can was a gift from guess who.....yep little miss Ronnie with a cute little note that said "for the day after". She knows how much I love the little day after helpers!!

Psssssst is from Clairol and I don't think they have changed the packaging since the 50s as you can see. Believe it or not this little kept secret is from Mama H. When my sis was in the hospital for a couple weeks about 10 years ago, (she has the same lovely day 2 problem as me) and since she was in ICU for most of those 2 weeks and not able to get out of bed, washing of her hair was not possible. Mama H went to the store looking for this because she remembered using it when she was young - um hello Mama you were definitely holding out on us!!! I have been using it ever since and have been known to buy this by the case - shh don't tell! It's a less expensive option and you can find it at CVS on the bottom shelf by the shampoos and probably for around $5-6.

TIP - after several years I finally got a clue and instead of using this at the end of the day when the oily bangs start....after I'm done blowdrying my hair, I spray a little on the underneath side of my bangs in the morning and the oily bangs never come!!! This helps alot too if you're going to go 2 days. Shake really well and don't use too much as it starts to turn white but it fades in a few minutes or you can brush out - just DON'T PANIC if you look like a skunk...just brush it!

If you use a similar product and I've completely missed the boat - please don't hold out on us like mama h did for all those years!! Or if you're one of those people that don't have oily hair.....watch your back in dark alleys....I'm just saying ;)

Tomorrow - makeup!

Cheers!

CUP of Beauty

It's here!!!

Day 1:

A week of MY favorite beauty products from hair to make-up to nails to feet and so on! Please comment and share your favorites too!!

I'm doing this because I have an amazing beauty expert in my back pocket (Ronnie my co-worker), I've lived long enough and spent plenty of money on trial and error figuring out things I like the most and because being on a budget has taught me that there are some wonderful less expensive products out there.....no really it's true!! I hope you enjoy!

Today's product is Hair Spray! Loreal Elnet Hair Spray

I have used many many different kinds over the years and little miss Ronnie told me about this and it has become my absolutely new FAV! Hence it's first on my list! It's like spraying air on your hair only it holds but is so light yet it holds. Honestly girls - IT HOLDS! I mean it's not going to hold down a comb over in a wind storm but it will hold what you need it to hold! :) Originally they used to only sell this in Europe so people would stock up and bring it back to the US but now it's sold here!

You don't have to go searching all over town for it - Target sells it for about $14.99 and you know you are all there at least once a week! Have I mentioned that we got a NEW Target - oh my goodness it's beautiful - Tracie, Jo and I went the other night and I couldn't believe how beautiful a NEW Target could be. Wait until you push the new shopping cart with the cup holder (because of course there's a new Starbucks inside)......it was heavenly in the Target/Heaven sense of the word!

Tomorrow dry shampoos....(I know you're holding your breath!)

Cheers!

CUP.....check...LIST...check

Lists, lists, lists....I tell ya I'm a list freak. I have to be or else I'd be way more nutty than I already am. I met with a mgmt shrink several years ago (okay he was a mgmt coach but I fondly referred to him as a shrink) and he hit it on the head when he told me that if I just keep all my to dos running around in my head then I feel overwhelmed but once it's written down, I relax and let me tell ya it's like a drug. Because I'm a born multi-tasker I rarely forget anything but it all just stays "active" in my brain so many times if you ask me how I am I would ALWAYS say "I have alot going on" and if you were in my brain you'd quickly agree and you'd buy me a latte!

So when something is a "to-do" but it's weeks or months away it's a huge relief to right it down on that month and I don't think about it again because I've written it down and when the times comes I'll deal. I've kind of always done this but not as seriously as I do now and I never let it go like I do now.....

But....I learned a lesson about lists (and those of you that have reached this point of my post and are yawning...this is for you). My dear friend Jenny....I helped her plan her wedding so naturally we spent months together chatting and planning away (ahhh Jenny I miss our sofa times so much). Then one day something happened........things were not as hunky-dory with us as usual and she was upset and before I knew it I was handing her kleenex and thinking "oh Andrea what did you do now"?

Well what I thought was this new found genius way of living is not so genius, much less helpful, for everyone. There are people out there, yes I was shocked too, that DON'T LIKE LISTS.....gasp (me too)! Little miss dear Jenny is one of them. She keeps things sorted out differently then my one giant freaky-task list. Well, I had cleverly mapped out the last 2 months of her engagement for her down to when she would buy bridesmaids gifts, wrap them, buy this, get this, etc. I was truly patting myself on the pack and no this isn't a thing normal wedding planners do but she's a close friend we walked this road together, every ribbon of it.

Well let me tell ya it wasn't pretty.....the list absolutely overwhelmed her. What spoke organization to me spoke OH MY HEAVENS to her. She needed to stay organized in a different way then me. So needless to say we quickly adapted and out the door the list went and still everything went off without a hitch...well except for the part where she moved to Washington - that still bothers me cuz it WASN'T on my list!

This is the "system" (if you really want to call it that) that I follow today - good 'ol excel!
I continually add things on here daily, several times a day - I mean everything goes on here (well almost everything....I don't list when I pee! The red is my stationery biz....yes I be a busy little beaver right now...the green is my RAM (room-a-month home tour)..catchy huh??! and the blue is errands, dates (not the love interest kind don't you worry you'll still be the last to know....wink wink) chores, etc. When a week passes, I hide everything in that week. When I complete a task I use strikethrough and cross that puppy off the list! It's old school but it works for me and I need it. I have other tabs attached for my biz but this is a precious file and always up on my home computer.

My BFF came in my office last night and said so "what do you have going on tomorrow night" and I said "look" (pointing at Wed's column) and she goes "ohhhhh".....haha! It was funny...okay maybe you had to be there.

I can't keep it all on my iphone, however I do use the notes app on my iphone alot for shopping lists, etc but i need a bigger visual so excel seems to work. Is there a better way - anyone? What do you do?

Today I picked up a pair of pants I had altered that I'd been meaning to get since last Friday but it wasn't on the list. After I picked them up and got back to my office...I added it to the list just so I could cross it off! I know I'm nuts.....but I know some of you have done the same thing before. We like the feeling of accomplishment way too much to not get the credit! ha!

Cheers!

Gossip CUP

A woman repeated a bit of gossip about a neighbor. Within a few days the whole community knew the story. The person it concerned was deeply hurt and offended. Later the woman responsible for spreading the rumor learned that it was completely untrue. She was very sorry and went to a wise old sage to find out what she could do to repair the damage. "Go to the marketplace," he said, "and purchase a chicken, and have it killed. Then on your way home, pluck its feathers and drop them one by one along the road." Although surprised by this advice, the woman did what she was told. The next day the wise man said, "Now go and collect all those feathers you dropped yesterday and bring them back to me." The woman followed the same road, but to her dismay, the wind had blown the feathers all away. After searching for hours, she returned with only three in her hand. "You see," said the old sage, "it's easy to drop them, but it's impossible to get them back. So it is with gossip. It doesn't take much to spread a rumor, but once you do, you can never completely undo the wrong."

An old and familiar story (well not familiar in the way that I've ever plucked the feathers from a dead chicken before....) but such a perfect analogy of what happens when our tongue is used to harm and to hurt and not to encourage. I have sure been guilty of it before, we all have been. The recent hurt I experienced reminded me of this story. It also taught me that I can't run around and try to repair the damage someone else caused me, I need to let God work that out. I just need to remain faithful myself and keep my tongue from hurting or harming others.

Just thought I'd share my thoughts with you before your wise old sage asks you to buy a chicken....now you can say you already know how this story ends.

Cheers!!

Bloggie CUP

Man does time fly - did you know that the Bloggie awards have been going on for 9 years?? Wait - did you even know there were Bloggie awards?

I still remember the day I heard the definition of a blog - it wasn't 9 years ago......good thing I didn't get hooked back then....I'd never get anything done!

Well the blog of the year was my new favorite - The Pioneer Woman - not that I had anything to do with her winning or being nominated...but then she's had several post about dogs....perhaps my mind is changing about the fav thing.....especially since her last post on the answered prayer I actually got a tear (that was singular) and it was about a dog??!!

No, i'm not softening towards animals....i'm not.....i won't.....i can't! Cheers!

World CUP Soccer!

My sister sent me these and they're so cute and okay okay.... so yes just another excuse to show off my adorable nephew! He just had his first soccer game - look out Beckham!! Although Marcus probably needs to get a haircut if he's hoping to replace Beckham...or not I mean look at Manny??!!
I can hear him now..."okay pass one to me and I'm gonna kick it in real hard with my new shoes"....how darn cute are they??!! I mean they're 4!!!!!!!!!

This is Marcus - so serious paying super close attention, not missing a word the coach said! He's so obedient...well most of the time :).

and of course little doll face cuz I can hear her now..."ehhh ehh ehhh (aka what about me???)". Miss you little ones - love you to pieces!

Cheers from Auntie AA!!

CUP of Shirts...not just any shirts!

Saw a brief recap of TPW's day with Bakerella and there were 2 ladies who attended - they are t-shirt designers. Very cool stuff - very talented designers and women starting their own business....you know how I heart people like this!! Someday.....someday.......

One of them is a military wife, Stefanie, who adopted 4 kids from China - cool story and testimony!

Be sure and check them out Wild Olive Tees!!! Time for me to go shopping....

Cheers!!

Ashley's Baby CUP

Sweet Ashley is having a little boy in April....Baby Jackson....I can't wait. Ashley is my BFF's younger sister so she is like a younger sis to me too and I just love her to death! I can still remember when I first met her when she was in high school and now she's going to be a mommy! I helped her and Mama O with her wedding and now I was blessed to be a part of her baby shower...with tons of help I might add by her family....Mama O (Ashley's mama), Grandma Pat, Kari (SIL), Melissa and of course my BFF....Auntie JoJo to soon-to-be Baby Jackson!We threw a Tea for Ashley's wedding shower and she asked if she could have another one for her Baby Shower....how could I resist! The guys helped move out the furniture Friday night and we set-up tables for 40 people!! eeeek (my feet still hurt thinking about it!).

So a tea it was for little Ash. We gathered up the china and tea cups and served scones and strawberries (chocolate covered of course) and tea sandwiches shaped like baby bottles and ducks....is there any other way.....and mini cheesecakes and creme puffs and pear salad....it was yummy and so much fun!

(click on the photo above to get a close up :))

Ashley's SIL, Kari, took her maternity pictures and made copies so that we could frame them and put one on each table - they are so beautiful I just had to show them off here!!

Well I actually hung this one on my front door as the guests arrived :)

It was a fun day now the count down for Baby Jackson!!

Cheers to Baby Jackson!!!!

Secret Scone CUP

It all started years ago - I can't really pinpoint or remember the first time I made these but I definitely remember the kitchen - it was an apartment I lived in behind IHOP years ago. I was into making scones at the time - all kinds. I had a few recipes I loved - others not so much but still hadn't found one that was perfect! I got really into blueberry ones and would add some lemon zest. Then I moved to chocolate (not sure why these didn't come first given my love for chocolate) and at the time my favorite Starbucks drink was the Mocha Valencia......CHOCOLATE ORANGE!. This is where my love for these 2 items combined made history in my heart and Andrea's Chocolate Orange scone was born. I combined 2 recipes and this was the result!

People seem to looooooooove these - one friend who shall remain nameless, told me that she consumed an entire leftover bag in 2 days (I wont divulge how many were left in the bag). These little gems became sort of a "known" thing for me and I have not been able to give out the recipe to this day despite being asked all the time - I flat out tell people I don't. .....how rude huh?! :) I've gone back and forth and back and forth over the years and still have not given it out. It's not like I'm ever going to sell them so I'm not sure why....perhaps I'll weaken one day soon???????????????? (although I keep saying that).

Even my BFF doesn't have the recipe - she always says mix them up and I'll bake them.

After the important kneading process............

The 2 secret weapons on top..................baked on stones of course!!!

Okay so these pics in this post are 2-fold - I'm trying out a new 28mm lense for my camera (I just ordered but had to test it out first) on food that I made for Ashley's baby shower this past Saturday. I need this lense to photograph my stationery but it works great for food too!

Look familiar?

Cheers!

someday maybe someday......thinking....thinking........................