(Not Quite) Last Minute Gift Ideas: Flashback Beauty

Cue the wrapping paper! Cue the bows! Bring on the ribbons, the gift bags and the tissue paper!  We are now smack dab in the middle of shopping season or for others the shopping is done and the wrapping is next. Personally, I am somewhere in the middle.

I found some things by chance which technically counts as super early shopping. We did a little Black Friday shopping after post-food comas wore off and got a good deal or two. I’ve done the morning shopping before but never stood outside in a line or ran to grab something specific. I am not a morning person in general so I have no reason to deal with anxious people wanting a Furby (or whatever else is the newest MUST find toy) or a $5 hoodie.

All crazy shopping aside, I love putting together gifts with a theme.  This is also a way I’ve found can be a money saver.  It somewhat depends on timing but if you give yourself enough of it, a more elaborate theme is possible.  For the last minute ideas, having a sense of your local stores and being willing to pay overnight shipping also helps.

All the old -school patterned denim and 80s and 90s colors that I’ve been seeing lately has me thinking FLASHBACK! Well, sorta flashback. I’m clearly a little off at times with this.

Source: fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net via Krista (Yarnalone) on Pinterest

Now I have Prince’s 1999 stuck in my head.

Ok, back to the gift idea….

1. Start with one brightly-colored, dual-layered, snap-latch fronted Caboodle.

Source: Uploaded by user via Krista (Yarnalone) on Pinterest

I still have my original one AND a smaller one that I got a little while later. Plus I hit jackpot at a garage sale a few years ago and picked up two more. (Yes, I have a lot of makeup, etc.) You can get new versions of the “Classic Cases” to keep the old school vibe but they have updated styles too.

2. Add several Lipsmackers.

Source: fantastic-flashback.tumblr.com via Jessica on Pinterest

These three were, and still are, some of my favorites.  I remember thinking the Coca-Cola ones was the coolest too. They have a bunch of different flavors now but I find myself going back to my default ones.

3. And some Love’s Baby Soft

Source: jill-abeautifullife.blogspot.com via Gina on Pinterest

4. Finish with a revamp of Jane Cosmetics.

I loved Eye Zings eyeshadow by Jane. It was great pigmented eyeshadow that held up really well for me.  Then Jane went away (cue sad trombone) but now the cosmetics are back!

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Disclaimer:  All items mentioned in this post were mentioned due to good memories. None of the companies contacted me regarding this post nor was I compensated in any way.

Being thankful today and every day

While this does not specifically mention Thanksgiving, I think it is perfect for today and any day.

Source: quotesaday.com via Krista (Yarnalone) on Pinterest

A Happy Thanksgiving from me to you and THANK YOU for reading.

Wordless Wednesday

Kick-Off Backyard Fun with OFF! party

Disclaimer: I received complimentary products included in this post. All reviews within CSYA are my own and were not influenced by the company or individuals associated with the blogger event.

I was recently invited to a Chicago blogger event, Kick-Off Backyard Fun with OFF! party. When I found out it included gardening activities, crafts and outdoor entertaining tips from DIY Network’s Jeanne Benedict, I was super excited. I was super excited too that Stina was able to join me.

Jeanne Benedict shared easy tips about how to get out of the house this Fourth of July with help from the new OFF!^® Clip-On™ Insect Repellent. Since mosquitos absolutely love me and I absolutely hate them, I have had a long relationship with OFF!^® products. This was a product that caught my attention.

“OFF!^® Clip-On™ Insect Repellent is a personal mosquito repellent that doesn’t have to applied directly to skin. The quiet battery powered fan circulates an odorless repellent and within minutes creates head-to-toe protection for up to 12 hours. If you move allow a few minutes for the unit to rebuild its protection.”

Being a crafty person, I was excited to see that there was a variety of items ready and waiting for the group as well.

While we worked on the projects, I got a chance to talk to some of the other local bloggers. There was a variety of bloggers attending the event including mommy, fashion, healthy living and running blogs.

My beach fireworks inspired 4th of July centerpiece

Adding ribbons and stars make a festive flowerpot.

I also had a chance to chat with Jeanne. As someone who is big into DIY, both crafts and entertaining, that was really cool.

Me, Jeanne Benedict, and Stina

Overall, the event was great plus I got a chance to catch up with Stina. My centerpiece is currently on the shelf in our family room. The flower pot is making our patio table a bit more festive. When I head out to watch this year’s 4th of July fireworks, I’ll have my OFF!^® Clip-On™ Insect Repellent with me.

Disclaimer: I received complimentary products included in this post. All reviews within CSYA are my own and were not influenced by the company or individuals associated with the blogger event.

A very fishy Christmas… outing

Darth Husband and I try to do something holiday-ish every year. Usually it has Christmas lights as part of it with driving around the neighborhood as the smaller scale or going downtown for a more major version. The downtown version usually includes a peppermint mochas or salted caramel hot chocolates. This time we decided to do something totally different, well at least for part of it.

Not that long ago we picked up the Groupon offer for two adult admissions to the Shedd Aquarium including the Jellies exhibit and their holiday show Fantasea. It ended up being only $20 for us to go which was a good deal plus it was an evening event so it would work better with our work schedules. I hadn’t been there since I was in grade school which was part of a field trip most likely.

While we had known there’d be traffic, we got stuck in some serious traffic including people going 10 mph under the speed limit for NO reason. It was disappointing that we’d miss the show but even with giving a good amount of extra time we arrived after it had started. However, they told us that it had sold out  (odd with it being a deal) but they gave us a voucher for two adult admissions for another show (fair deal and good business IMO.)

We wandered around looking at the various exhibits/tanks/confused inhabitants since the aquarium usually isn’t open that late. While talking to a staff member we found out that most areas have lights on timers and it then made sense why quite a few were quite dark.  Nonetheless, we were able to see a lot. Downstairs there is even more like the sharks, beluga whales, dolphins (viewing area) and penguins which always crack me up. If you picture a penguin going WAAAAHHHHOOOOOOOO as it zips past you they are even funnier. Yes I know I’ve seen Happy Feet too many times.

There was a decent line for the Jellies but the wait wasn’t horrible since we beat the crowd getting out of the Fantasea show.  I seriously could have stayed there for an hour if the flow of people wasn’t there.  The jellies were beautiful and so graceful.

We wandered a little bit after the exhibit and then had to head out since we had dinner reservations at Wildfire.  Both of us had never been there and thought that it would be a nice place to try for the end of our night.  We both ordered the Filet Medallion Trio – medium rare with peppercorn, horseradish and mushroom for him, well done with parmesan, mushroom and baked potato for me with sides of baked potato and roasted vegetables.

My steak

My side of roasted veggies that we shared

Darth Husband's giant baked potato that we shared

The food was excellent. The service was very good as well. Our waiter was attentive without being overkill and even asked if I was taking pictures for Facebook. When I told him it was for a blog, he asked the name even though I said it was a really small one and commented that it didn’t matter. I thought that was pretty cool.

I however didn’t get the full dining experience due to the combo of an earlier headache that refused to go away, the decision to wear a wool blend sweater (smart for the aquarium and REALLY stupid for a steakhouse) and sitting near the grills. If I get to warm I feel ill and lose my appetite which is really frustrating.  While I did pop outside and felt better, I ended up doggie bagging my leftovers (we fully paid for dinner so might as well.) Darth Husband loved Wildfire and I’m up to going again.  I’ll just be sure to go on a day sans headache, more appropriately attired and request a table as far from the grill as possible. Yes, I know it’s weird but if it will work and I can enjoy my steak fully, I’m all up for it!

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Disclaimer: Aquarium admissions and dinner were completely paid out of pocket and we received no compensation towards either.

Because they look like dead Tribbles and they are ugly

Darth Husband usually does not give hints or let me pick out any sort of presents. Usually there is some sort of funny element like the time he FIRST gave me a bag of fruit. THEN I got the fancy blender w the individual travel mugs AND the giant tank o’ spouted greatness. (The spouted tank of greatness worked extremely well once for margaritas and now lives in the cabinet. Travel mugs = great deal esp for oddball things blending mini batches of spaghetti sauces.) This year he broke tradition and I know somewhat about one gift.

I’m getting new slippers. WOOHOO! I needed new ones because my furry – yes furry, purple and white ones are worn out to the point where the base of the right one falls out. Before it falls out it is a combo move of slide back in, mash a bit, walk around until I end up w a quasi flipper and repeat. Darth Husband also thinks that they like dead Tribbles and they are ugly. I disagree but will wear them until the replacements arrive. I did the same thing w the prior slippers – the aqua blue ones w the beaded penguin couple (from Avon) that eventually started sliding off my feet only when I was on the stairs. Vengeful footwear is not fun!

In the summer I run amuck barefoot to the point where Darth Husband genuinely gets concerned that I’m going to have to pull rocks out of my feet. See, I LOOK for the rocks on the driveway and more times than not I’m fine.  However, when it starts getting cold out our floors get cold. (There are two areas in the house with carpet and by carpet I mean the tacked down carpet. We have area rugs and runners that the pets like to throw up on around the house.) Cue the slippers.

So this is the practical gift I’m guessing and my buying new pjs has solved the pj debate (grey/pink for one and blue for other) so that won’t be part. I grew up in a household where you gave hints and one of those hints always ended up true. Even with this being the 5th Christmas together, I still can’t get him to crack. He just has no idea what he is getting… unless he had discovered my hiding spots!

Does gift giving mean total surprises, hints accepted, or “here buy me this thing “for you? 

The (Not) Good, the Bad (Attitudes), and the Tamales

Within the past week I’ve seen five grown adults screaming at each other in a mall parking lot and at least five grown adults throwing a holiday party-ish deal in a train car. While I wish I could say we signed back up for cable and I am talking about reality TV, it’s not. (Netflix and Hulu+ are a decent enough time-suck when I need one.)

The first was when I headed out to wreath supplies (including The Stabby Ribbon) and was heading back to my car. Mall parking lots are insane to begin with and adding people flipping out due to whatever gift they HAVE to find RIGHT at that moment doesn’t help. Don’t forget that the absolute closest parking space is THEIRS.

Seriously. The women were fighting over a parking space. At a glance the cars looked like it may have been an accident the way they were stopped. ( Believe me if someone hit me in a parking lot and wasn’t apologetic and/or wanting to work everything out my Irish temper wouldn’t be kept under wraps.) As I walked back to my car, I overheard one woman saying that the other threatened to beat her up over the parking spot. A parking spot!

This is when my eyes go all twitchy.  I know people have different preferences for where they park as well as limitations to how far they can walk.  I’m one to generally park a ways from any store door. It’s been something I’ve done for years and I’ve gotten used to it. However, have I gotten cut off by someone pulling into the space I had intended? Sure. Did I yell something at them? Sure and most likely “SERIOUSLY?!?!” due to my frequent Grey’s Anatomy viewing. Did I need to have mall security PLUS the local police be there? Noooooo.

Maybe there was something else going on with those women and part of me hopes so. This is the holiday season which is touted as when you are supposed to be nicer to people.  They clearly missed the memo.

The people on the train however didn’t miss the memo. They wrote it and included a menu that smelled amazing. While you are generally allowed to eat and drink on the train, this was the first time I’ve seen anyone passing around plates of food.  I didn’t get too good of a look since they were above and behind me but I overheard them discussing tamales (yum), cheese pizza (yum), and Chinese food (yum) in regards to what was to be passed where. Since I was in a decent mood while heading home, it didn’t bother me that they were loud. Their toasting to 2012 was amusing and you could tell that they were enjoying each others company. I can understand that since I have my “train friends” and realistically if I wasn’t in a great mood I would have moved or just sat in the quiet (but not silent) car.

Having two extremely opposite situations arise in such a short time period was pretty random and I doubt that I’ll encounter that combo for awhile.  It doesn’t even count as a Things That Make You Go Hmmmm since the genuine reaction was WOW.

Ways to get through the holiday season

For a lot of people the holiday season means crazyland. There is so much to do, so many places to go and so many people to see that it ends up overkill. I understand because I have done it. More and more, however, I realize that I cannot do it all and have to take a more realistic approach.

1. You cannot be at two places at once. EVERYONE has ideas and since I haven’t invented a cloning machine because then I’d have the cleanest, most organized ever house and dogs walked at least once a day, it won’t work. I recently set up a girls night holiday-esque shindig minus Christmas decorations since they are still in the attic, on the same night as a charity ugly sweater bar crawl. I obviously didn’t get decked out in hideously yarned glory and some friends didn’t make my deal.
2. It truly is the thought that counts. Gift giving can end up VERY expensive if you are not careful, have a large list of people to get things, or are hunting down whatever fad toy is hot this year. I’ve learned how to put together some pretty good themed gifts on a budget over the years. Knowing exactly what works for someone and getting that more than once is not a cop-out. It’s smart and keeps you from falling into the general generic gift trap.
3. Don’t try something new to bring to a holiday potluck/party/etc without a trial run. I’ve done this in the past and the end result is a destroyed kitchen, a cleanup I didn’t want to tackle, and a scramble to make something new. The key is finding at least one dessert, one main dish and one appetizer that can easily be made and caters to a wide variety of people and/or can be modified. I have one of each and it is so less stressful when there is somewhere to go.
4. Cute shoes are fun but comfy cute shoes are better.  I have given up on heels when hosting parties. I have a heavy heel strike when I’m on a mission to get something done and so everyone is stuck hearing BOOM BOOM BOOM on the impossible to keep clean white kitchen tile. If you are a heels person and can run around in them for hours without problems, more power to you. I’ll settle for a cute pair of flats or even a cute pair of slippers depending on who is over.
5. Naps are a good thing.  While I think this is a smart idea in general, being able to squeeze in even an hour long nap is a great thing. I know it saves me from drooping later especially if I am driving and also from being that one person who starts the yawn chain. I hate being the first yawner! Then it is all your fault.
6. There is always next year.  I have ideas for decorations, cookies, wrapping themes, cards etc. I want to do them all but it goes back to the lack of a cloning machine as well as a delorean and the fact that my craft room is still in progress. Planning ahead for next holiday season also helps control impulse buying to crafting plans that get put on hold and come back to haunt you like the cones of cotton yarn that fell out of the closet and tried to take me out.
7. Remember what is at the heart of the season. Everyone has a different focus during the holidays and that focus should be the center of it all.

Will something go wonky this holiday season? Will Frankie try to eat the wrapping paper and Bond try to run away with the ribbon spool? Will some sort of baking burn or frosting get smushed? Yes, yes and yes but then it will give me something new to talk about like I really need an excuse though.

Dashing through the stores, before the deals get away…

Predawn alarms were set,
Why act so crazy?

While I am not quite sure if I will be redoing a full Christmas carol this year, I figured at least a verse would suffice for now.  One week and one day post Black Friday means the holiday shopping season is in full force. I know people who are the full range of shoppers: pre-dawn Black Friday, list specific, here/there/whenever, have-no-idea, last-minute shoppers, LAST minute shoppers. I’m a bit of each minus the LAST minute. The thought of looking for something on Christmas Eve isn’t my idea of fun.

This past Black Friday I did go shopping with my MiL.  We went to ONE store long after the deals started and so there were no crowds and minimal wait time. I was able to find some presents as well as presents for myself ( new pjs to work on my debate.) That was the only day of the Black/Local/Cyber trifecta that I took part in this year. Maybe next year there will be a full three but that is for a December 2012 post.

The mental list of ideas is slowly being completed and if all goes as planned, everything will be here, wrapped, and ready in time. I enjoy looking for presents that will work well for the particular person rather than more general ideas when I can. It might take a bit extra work but seeing the happy faces as a result is totally worth it.

What kind of Christmas shopper are you? Did you take part of Black Friday, Local Saturday, or Cyber Monday?

Wordless Wednesday