Happy Friday! Let's see what put the sparkle into this week:
- The therapy garden was bringing its A game on Tuesday, brightening up an otherwise dreary day!
😍😍
- Look who came back to visit this week!! Cinnamon! Eeeee! I accidentally tapped the window while taking pics of her and got this face in response:
CAN U NOT? Maybe she knew that a poodle had practically followed me home earlier that day (to which I thought CAN U NOT?). 😬
- I've started drawing Healing with the Angels oracle cards every few nights before bed. It's every few nights (rather than every night) because I usually need more time contemplate them, as they've been insanely accurate. Like this one from Wednesday, for instance:
PLANTS AND ANIMALS YOU SAY??? Don't mind if I do!
- In honor of the 50th anniversary of Sgt. Pepper's being released, the local classic rock station played the entire Beatles catalog from A-Z over the weekend. My bffl and I LOVED the Beatles in college, so I do know the entire catalog, which made this very exciting indeed! I haven't heard some of those deep cuts ("Martha My Dear"! "I'm So Tired"! "You Never Give Me Your Money"!), in awhile, and they definitely livened up my drive to Reading on Sunday! It's funny how all the words come right back to you!
- And lastly, I was waaay too excited to get 100% on this quiz. I'm basically a doctor, you guys. (I feel like I should get extra points for acing it while sitting in the Starbucks drive-thru line haha!)
Hope you have a wonderful weekend! xo
June goals
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Only four goals on the white board this month because I inadvertently accomplished goal #5 yesterday! 💪
1. I'm realizing that I am not a very future-oriented person. Like, I have a bunch of big bills that are due in the beginning of the month, which means that I tend to have more "extra" money left over in the second half of the month when there are less bills. In theory, I could put some of that "extra" money aside for the beginning of the next month so that I'm not broke then, BUT I NEVER DO. AND I'M ALWAYS SHOCKED TO FIND THAT I HAVE NO MONEY AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTH. Like, come on, girl. In trying to fix my budgeting issues (one of last month's goals), I realized that I've pretty much just been using YNAB as an online version of how I budget in my planner... which is literally paycheck to paycheck. Hmm. So I want to do something toward breaking that pattern, hence putting aside some of this "extra" money (most likely into an account that I don't use regularly so I can't touch it) to use for those beginning-of-the-month bills.
2. In the name of curtailing impulse buys, I want to try a No Online Shop June. I seem to be much more disciplined when I'm physically in a store these days, whereas online, all bets are off. (And that really got me in trouble at the end of April when I ran amok on Glossier and Sephora's sites.)
3. Ever since Timmi suggested that I try to incorporate something that makes me happy into my days, I've really been trying to do that, instead of just sleepwalking through routine, as I am apt to do. It seems to be making my days a bit brighter and also forces me to live in the moment more, instead of being five steps ahead because I "know" what's going to happen anyway.
4. Remember when I said that I'm not very future-oriented? Well, I recently started watching Lavendaire's YouTube videos again and doing a few of her worksheets to try to figure out what I want to do with my life/what I want my life to look like. She has a few other vision exercises that seem helpful, if only I would make time for them (hence this goal!).
Now let's see how May's goals went:
1. Use my energy as a guide: Hmm, sort of? I got a little better about not putting myself in the cage of "You must do this," which just stresses me out. The "Do things that make you happy" idea helped with this goal too.
2. Revamp budgeting: Half-Check, thanks to doing it entirely in the last few days haha! I haven't exactly "revamped" my budgeting, but I have noticed some flaws that I was oblivious to before and came up with some goals for this month that may help.
3. AM routine: No. Just no. But I've been feeling better in the mornings regardless, so hey, something is working!
4. Yoga: I only went to one or two classes last month, but that does count as "yoga," so I guess I can cross this goal off! I did legitimately miss a few classes due to illness and appointments, but I also just haven't been wanting to go lately. It's one of those things that I know will benefit me, but I just can't motivate myself to do it.
5. Shoulder exercises: Ehh Half-Check? I did the exercises a few times, but I also started using my trigger point massage balls again, which should help with these shoulder issues too.
What are you working on this month?
Linking up with Nicole at Writes Like a Girl!
High Five for Friday: June 2
CommentWell, I haven't known what day of the week it was all week, so thank god for this post--maybe I'll actually remember that today is Friday! ANYWAY, let's see what put the sparkle into this week:
- I wanted to return the Urban Decay Naked Concealer and Subversion Eyelash Primer I'd ordered, as I mentioned here, so I decided to do something a little different last Friday morning and start my day at Sephora! Playing with make-up was a much more fun start to the workday than usual! (I'm trying to get more creative with my work days instead of just sleepwalking through routine all the time!)
- Saturday was the Hall and Oates show, and it was SO GOOD. I mean, they started with freaking "Family Man" (whaaat)! And Daryl Hall dropping references to Amoroso's rolls meant that the evening could be none more Philly haha! I was also reunited for my dear friend Sara (...smile?) for the occasion, which was just delightful!
- But remember how I was excited that it was an afternoon concert? Yeahhh, about that... Turns out, it was a festival-type day, and Hall and Oates were the headliner, so they didn't go on until 9 PM. 😭😭 Luckily, we discovered this the day before and planned accordingly (rolling in just in time for Tears for Fears' set!), but I was super freaked out about the nighttime aspect. Like, convincing myself that it's safe enough to go out during the day is a struggle, which makes going out at night (in the CITY!) extra challenging! So being able to feel scared but still go through with my plans was 🎉🎉.
- Wednesday marked one year with my car! HOLY MOSES! I can't believe how fast the time went! I was so uneasy about committing to a car a year ago, and now, it's hard to envision life without one. And this time two years ago, driving by myself was the big accomplishment. Time sure flies!
- Lastly, on the Dr. Dolittle front... When I got home from Hall and Oates and went to go into our house, I was startled by a jingling bell and somebody with white paws leaping from our porch into a bush! UM, OKAY. I know that Calico Pinky wears a bell, so I was very excited about this development (she wants to live with meeee! 💖). But then, when I was coming in the next night, I heard the jingling bell AGAIN! It was too dark for me to see anyone, but luckily, Pops was still in the car with the headlights on, and he ID'd CINNAMON as the perp! Of course! She's a nut and also seemingly hates humans! So I have no cat that wants to live with me and clearly not much excitement in my life. 😂
Hope you have a great weekend! xo
May 2017 budget
CommentSometimes, my anxiety gets channeled into a shopping quest, and this month, it clearly went into make-up and skincare!
- Sephora Collection Total Perfection Sponge: $12 - 10% off Beauty Insider sale = $11 (whoop de doo! lol)
- Glossier Phase 1 Set (includes Balm Dot Com, Milky Jelly Cleanser, and Priming Moisturizer): $45
- Sephora Collection Perfection Mist Airbrush Foundation: $28
- First Aid Beauty Hello FAB Coconut Skin Smoothie Priming Moisturizer (Sephora): $28
- Travel-size Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer (Sephora): $13
Not pictured:
- LipSense Glossy Gloss: $24
- LipSense Lip Gloss in Icicle: $24
- Grey's Anatomy sweatshirt (Etsy): $43 (includes shipping, which was more than I'd anticipated!)
TOTAL: $216
WOW. That's the most money I've spent in one month in a looong time. Since December 2015, in fact! Yikes. I do have some ideas for reining in my spending in June, which I'll elaborate on in my next goals post.)
The most unexciting purchase is the Glossy Gloss, which I had run out of. I don't think I've ever used a whole tube of lip gloss in my life, so my love affair with LipSense is real. ❤️ And I picked up the clear shade Icicle to layer with the two nude colors I have (First Love and Bombshell) and make them even more nude! 😂
I never thought I would feel so passionate about a make-up sponge, but I am completely in love with the Sephora sponge! I've never tried a Beauty Blender, but reviewers on sephora.com said that the Sephora sponge is similar and a cheaper alternative. (As freewheeling as I was with money this month, I'm still not prepared to spend $20 on a sponge!) The Sephora sponge is really soft and has worked great with every product I've tried it with so far.
As for the Glossier set, I was intrigued when Fran raved about the Milky Jelly Cleanser and Balm Dot Com, and those are my faves from the set! (Also, I'm pretty sure everything in the set is full-size, which was a pleasant surprise.) The cleanser is sort of thick and feels really nice on the skin. I've been using it both in the morning and at night, and it hasn't bothered my skin at all! The Balm Dot Com is thick too and kind of melts into your lips, so it stays on for a long time--which is perfect for me since I tend to bite my lips if my lip products wear off. I've only tried the primer a few times and am meh about it.
I just bought the Sephora foundation, First Aid primer/moisturizer, and Nars concealer last Friday, so I haven't had much time to try them out, but I really like them so far! I forgot that Sephora has all of those fancy tools to analyze your skin tone and match products to it, and I think they really helped. (Who knew that I have a pink undertone?) Anyway, I was blown away by the foundation the first time I used it--I kept staring at myself in the mirror in shock that my skin looked that good! Now, I had actually ordered the Urban Decay Naked Concealer and Subversion Eyelash Primer from Sephora online (along with the sponge), but I wound up returning both of them in favor of the Sephora Foundation, Nars concealer (a better match for my skin tone), First Aid primer/moisturizer. (Despite my initial love affair with the Subversion Eyelash Primer, it got gloopy really fast, womp.)
And if you've been to this blog before, then you know that I love Grey's! This is a purchase I'd been contemplating for awhile (seriously almost a year!), and because I lost my mind this month, I went for it. 💸💸 I explained a little more about why I was drawn to it here.
In the poorhouse. That's where they might end up.
What did you get this month?
Linking up with Fran's Budgeting Bloggers!
High Five for Friday: May 26
CommentLet's see what put the sparkle into this week:
- The Iris Patrol struck again, spotting three new color variations, hooray!
Um, this one was in our backyard, and I had no idea until Pops alerted me to it. I only live here.
- I'm so totally psyched that Rashad and Emma won Dancing with the Stars!! I always like it when someone with no dance experience wins AND when an unlikely pro wins. (Especially Emma because I ❤️ her. And Sasha too.) So, dream scenario! 👌
- On the Dr. Dolittle front: We occasionally see a chipmunk darting adorably around our back stoop, so imagine my surprise (and utter delight!) to find THREE CHIPMUNKS there on Wednesday!! So unbelievably cute!
I also got to see my gal Calico Pinky! Unfortunately, we were reunited at prime dog-walking time in our hood, and whenever she would see a dog, she would slink away and then come back to me once said dog was gone. SHE'S CLEARLY A GENIUS. #ProudNon-CatParent Otherwise, she just loafed on the sidewalk with me for awhile, which is dream scenario number two!
#loafonfleek
- Ok, so I feel like a huge(-er than usual?) nerd for now owning Grey's-related clothing (which arrived this week!), but I just love those characters so much and can always count on Grey's to be calming background noise. So a cozy sweatshirt felt like the clothing representation of a comforting show, you know? And a rainy Thursday was the perfect day to wear it!
- Lastly, it's apparently time for me to circle back to watching some Supernatural (as happens periodically)... And with that comes Supernatural cons (which I mostly prefer, as I have no interest in the supernatural!). Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles are so wacky and hilarious when rambling about everything under the sun.... and busting out their fave dance moves nbd.
I feel like these faces pretty much sum up every con video.
Hope you have a great holiday weekend! xo