A Week in Review

Hello! It feels like it's been a long time since I've written this little feature. It's good to be back. Let's do A Week in Review.

Cosmetics!
I've found two new products that I love. The first is a mascara from CoverGirl, Lashblast Length. I am obsessively compulsively picky about mascara. It has to go on well, look good (no spiky lashes!) and then wear without smudging at all all day. This one does all three. It's a softer look, which is nice, more natural. I like it.

The second is from Sally Hansen - a French manicure pen. I really like the look of French manicures, but haven't wanted to get acrylic nails, so I've tried many times to do it myself. That usually ends in tears. And a lot of white nail polish all over my fingers. I found this pen at Target, and felt immediately that my life had

been changed forever. Course, that's not the first time that's happened at a Target. This pen lets you draw the line on your nails, like you would with a Sharpie. It's so much cleaner than working with a brush, and the color goes on in a nice thin layer. Eureka. Honestly, I'm excited about this.

Owney
I had some time with Jonah last week, and we were talking about school. I asked him what he was learning, and then I asked him if he liked history, stories of things that happened a long time ago. He said, "No. Oh! But we did learn about a dog who traveled all over the world. He rode on trains. They'd put him on the train, and he'd come back again with badges. And then he went on boats around the world. And then when he died they stuffed him."

He seemed very excited about the stamps Owney had (I thought they were stamps), so I told him that I have stamps from France and England in a little book (my passport), and maybe he'd like to see them? He said, "No. These were badges. He had badges on him." So much cooler than my stamps. The whole thing had me very interested, and I thought that I would look this dog up later and read about him. Jonah didn't remember his name at first, but then he shouted, "Owney! His name is Owney, with an O."

Today I did an internet search and sure enough, there was Owney, and he really did ride the US Postal trains back in the late 1800s. He became the official mascot of the postal service. His body in now on display at the National Postal Museum. I didn't know that there was a National Postal Museum, so interesting.

The Pioneer Woman
On Thursday Nicole and I went to a book signing for the Pioneer Woman's new cookbook. Some of you read her site, yes? I knew that a lot of people did, but I had no idea that this signing would be a mob of women the size of which one rarely sees. Wow. There's a picture of the event here, and a better description of it on Nicole's blog. I really was there just to see Nicole and her cute little Bridget, and it was time well spent. She's always great. The fact that there was a celebrity in the house (really who knew?) was just an extra.

TV
I'm going through a bit of a transition in my TV watching; it's a pivotal time in my life. I've really grabbed on to "Glee". Have you seen it? It's funny, and the music is good. There was one episode that was too "adult themed" for the people I know, and I agreed, and told myself that if that was going to be a common theme then I'd probably quit watching. But I'm happy to say that it's gotten better since then, and I'm a solid fan. If you haven't seen it, and can somehow watch the pilot episode (maybe online?), then I'd recommend doing so.

I have not watched "So You Think You Can Dance" this time around. We all know how much I've loved that show, but it's on Tuesday, and I'm at the bookstore on Tuesday, and I just haven't gotten up much enthusiasm for it. I think I'll just skip this round. I'm also on the fence about "Mad Men" this season. Actually, it runs on an off-season schedule, so they're about to wrap it up for the year. There's so much to love about this show, but there are also people making stupid mistakes that mess up their lives and make everyone miserable, and a person can be entertained by another person's misery for only so long. I'll see how this season ends before deciding that I'm done.

This is what I mean by going through a TV transition. Life moves in phases.

You know, if I may be philosophical for a moment, life does move in phases, and if you're lucky you'll have good people around to love the good times with and to help you through the bad. I have always been lucky with the people in my life, and that makes me pretty happy.

In closing, congratulations to the Salt Lake Real soccer team for moving through the first leg of the playoffs!

Thanks, as always, for your constant care.
You are Loved.