Just For Fun

Oh, you guys. Parenting during a pandemic: it is not for the faint of heart. Like many people, El Hub and I have had to make some tough decisions about sending our kid back to school, so it’s been a rough week… So rough that even lipstick could barely get me through it. But you know. We’re brave. And we’re tough. And we can do things we never thought we could do, right? At least that’s what I keep telling myself 10 million times a day.

I’ve started doing this thing where I set reminders on my phone with my affirmations, so they pop up throughout the day, and I can just read them over and over again.

You know what they say — fake it ’til you make it.

You know what they also say? When the going get tough, the tough eat pasta, which is why you’re looking at that pasta picture at the top. (I should’ve probably intro’d with that, whoops!)

If any picture were able to convey that Connor is 100% her mother’s daughter, it would be this one…

Which reminds me, I made this lemon tagliatelle pasta from Laura in the Kitchen a few days ago…

I gave Connor her plate, stepped out of the room to go check something, and when I came back this was how she was eating her food. ?

We ate the pasta with parmesan basil salmon and a corn and basil tomato salad, which, by the way, was BOMB, and I’m happy to share it with you. I’ll have the recipe up in a few days!

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So who’s gonna do this with me?!

I needed this.

I did this workout two times this week! It’s fast and fun, and you get nice and sweaty.

I say a little prayer for you, my friend.

Hope things are OK with you. Hang in there, OK?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Ya know, I go through phases. Sometimes, I’ll diligently wear makeup every day, and I’ll remember how much better I feel when my brows are combed and my lashes are curled and coated with mascara (at a minimum), but then for any number of reasons nowadays I’ll slip into a pit of semi-despair (sounds dramatic, but it feels that way sometimes) and forget to put any makeup for several days…

During those phases I’ll tend to also let other things slide, like I won’t do my hair, and I’ll rock wrinkly clothes that could easily double as pajamas.

Eventually, I snap out of it and realize, yet again, that when I put in a little effort and “show up for myself,” I feel better all around. So it’s cyclical, I guess.

One thing that helps me is reminding myself that I don’t have to don everything and the kitchen sink. Even a little bit of self-care counts and makes a big difference in my mood.

Sometimes I feel like I have to do “spicy” or “exciting” looks, partly out of habit, and sometimes just so I can talk about them here on MBB. But that can be overwhelming. Sometimes the very thought of spending an hour doing something elaborate is all the disincentive I need to not do anything at all, haha! And the cycle just keeps going… But if I do just a little, even just mascara, it will usually more easily lead me to do other things, and pretty soon I’ll have some face paint on and feel much better.

I’ve noticed this pattern echoing in other parts of my life, now that I think about it. Before The ‘Rona, I loved going to the gym and working out with my friends in HIIT class, but now I’m pretty much stuck working out by myself at home. ? When I was having trouble staying motivated (I mean when it was really bad a couple months ago), I investing in some cute workout clothes, which I hadn’t really done in ages, and it helped.

When I feel put together, I definitely push myself harder, even when I’m by myself.

How about you? Have you been wearing more or less makeup during quarantine?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of five more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). I love reading your answers, and it helps me get my week off to a good start. ?

1. Claw clip or scrunchie?

Scrunchies-4-life, lady!

2. Speaking of scrunchies, do you actually wash yours?

I have about a handful of them and will throw them in the washer every couple weeks (or so), but back in the day when scrunchies were ubiquitous — when they were at the height of their scrunchie-ness — I did not.

This was gross, now that I think about it… I bet all of mine were crusted over with hairspray and L’Oréal Pumping Curls.

3. Benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid?

Benzoyl peroxide. It’s not revolutionary, but BP works for my skin!

4. Should your manicure match your pedicure?

Hmm… I prefer having different colors on my nails than I have on my toes, but cohesiveness is cool too!

5. When was the last time you cleaned your makeup brushes, and what did you use to clean them?

Last time was about a week and a half ago, and I used a bar of Dr. Bronner’s soap.

6. What’s harder — growing out your brows or growing out a bad haircut?

Ooh! They’re both challenging, but growing out brows are harder, methinks, because you can’t just put them in a ponytail or hide them underneath a hat… They’re just “there” in the middle of your face, staring at you every time you look in the mirror!

7. Something you actually like about your quarantine hair?

Sigh… I desperately need a haircut, but one thing my mop has going for it is that it’s still in relatively healthy shape. My ends aren’t dry, and my grays are relatively smooth.

8. Have you done any online shopping lately?

Yes! I bought some face masks last week for the family from a brand called Caraa (a friend recommended them), and I got Connor some clothes for fall from Target and Carters because the kid just keeps growing.

9. Y’all ready for this?

Heck, yeah, man. BRING IT!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

1. Claw clip or scrunchie?
2. Speaking of scrunchies, do you actually wash yours?
3. Benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid?
4. Should your manicure match your pedicure?
5. When was the last time you cleaned your makeup brushes, and what did you use to clean them?
6. What’s harder — growing out your brows or growing out a bad haircut?
7. Something you actually like about your quarantine hair?
8. Have you done any online shopping lately?
9. Y’all ready for this?

P.P.S. Have a wonderful day! YOU DESERVE IT! Treat yourself to something nice this week, and hang in there! You can do it! ?

I was shocked — ABSOLUTELY FLABBERGASTED! — when I found out future Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Tom Brady doesn’t eat tomatoes, because I cannot comprehend life without tomatoes. ?

Why!?

Apparently, they can cause joint inflammation. Who knew?!

Well, too bad, Tom, because you are no longer invited to my house for lunch today, because I’m having homemade bruschetta.

I’ve been eating so. Many. Tomatoes. Lately. Like, obnoxious amounts of ’em because we have a couple of very productive tomato plants on the back deck. El Hub, otherwise known as “The Keeper of the Tomato Plants,” must’ve pleased the tomato gods this year, because they’ve blessed us with a profound amount of the fruit. And yup, tomatoes are fruit! (I’m full of fun facts this morning.)

We’re doing bruschetta, caprese salad, tomato basil pasta… Basically, if a dish contains tomatoes, chances are we’re eating it, and it’s been glorious!

One thing I’ve yet to try, though, is a tomato pie. A friend of mine on Facebook posted one she made, and I’m extremely curious about it. If you happen to have a recipe, please let me know. Or any other good tomato recipes too! — which reminds me, I need a tomato and grilled cheese sandwich, STAT. Maybe I’ll have one of those for lunch instead… Sorry, Tom Brady, you still aren’t invited. ?‍♀️

How about you? What are you up to today?

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This looks like fun.

Someone make me these ASAP.

It. Me.

Love this

Can’t help but sing along

Oh, my heavens!

The type of look I love to wear

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I have to preface this by saying that I haven’t done much shopping out of the house over the past six months, so other than regularly scheduled trips to Trader Joe’s, Target and a couple of trips to the Novato Sports Basement, my retail experience as of late has been limited…so maybe that’s why going to the Cost Plus World Market store in Santa Rosa last weekend was like a world tour of international travel!

I felt like Willy Wonka in the Chocolate Factory. Everything was sparkly and new, and everywhere I turned, I saw something I’d never seen before!

So, weird thing about Cost Plus World Market? They have so many Hello Kitty items. Who knew? I certainly didn’t.

If I were an elementary school student, this is what a well-stocked adult kitchen would look like: Hello Kitty olive oil, Hello Kitty pasta sauce, Hello Kitty pasta, Hello Kitty ramen noodles, Hello Kitty soy sauce and Hello Kitty green tea matcha marshmallows…

Basically, if you can dream up a Hello Kitty-related food item, you can probably find it at Cost Plus World Market. I had no idea Miss Kitty’s reach extended so far into the culinary world.

I was most impressed by the variety of noodles. Miss K is all about the carbs…

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Hmm… Well, of course, the pandemic has changed almost everything in terms of how far I’ll go on a regular basis with my hair and makeup, but even before March, my hair and makeup style were growing increasingly casual. I call it more “easygoing.” I primarily wear neutrals these days (basically because they’re easier to blend than more exciting colors like bright purples and greens), with subtle variations on classic elements, like winged liner or smoky lids, and my hair is usually up in some kind of bun or ponytail/braid variation that’s purposefully a little wild with a sleek element or two.

I guess that’s one way to describe it… Mostly messy (LOL!), with pockets of smoothness here and there.

Really, I lean on the classics, but I’ll still make an occasional foray into colorful crazytown.

I actually look at old makeup pics of myself and am actually kind of astonished that I had the wherewithal to do elaborately colorful, fun looks. If I could, I’d go back in time and high-five myself for my efforts, ha ha ha!

For now though, I like my current hair and makeup style (notwithstanding the pandemic-inspired modifications and compromises).

How about you? How would you describe your current hair and makeup style?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of five more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). I love reading your answers, and it helps me get my week off to a good start. ?

1. Frosted Flakes or Rice Krispies?

Oh, easy one. Frosted Flakes, please! And if it isn’t too much trouble, I like mine with a 50/50 mix of 2% and oat milk.

2. Your favorite bag at the moment?

My black Timbuk2 backpack is rocking my world! It’s so nice to have my hands free to, ya know, to use hand sanitizer 1,587 times when I’m out and about.

3. Would you rather have a big-ol’ painful pimple on your butt, or your back?

Hmm, excellent question… Not the best morning convo, but I’ve experienced both and would characterize them both as “pretty miserable.” Be that as it may, I can imagine the booty pimple being a little less annoying most of the time. I guess? Granted, I’d probably feel the booty pimple every time I sat down (UGH), but at least it would be easy to reach. ?‍♀️

4. Did you (or do you now) ever watch soap operas/telenovelas?

Heck yeah, girlfriend! I was up on all the crazy storylines in Days of Our Lives back in the ’90s (remember when Marlena got possessed by the devil??).

5. How’s your mental health these days?

Eh…it’s been up and down, to be honest. I always try to see the sunny side of things, but I’ve been feeling worn out lately, especially whenever I see Connor do something like stare longingly at groups of children while we’re at a park or the pool, or when we went camping. She’s lonely. No siblings, cousins or kids in the neighborhood, and even if there were, there’s the virus to contend with. Coco also doesn’t have the vocabulary to fully express her feelings quite yet, so she just erupts into tears at bedtime or while we’re in the car.

And I’ve been feeling lonely too. I especially miss the little interactions I used to have with people throughout the day. COVID has changed so many elemental parts of life.

6. What time of day are you the most/least productive?

Most productive in the morning, and least productive after 4 p.m., but I can usually power my way through the afternoon slump if I have some tea in my system.

7. Do you still keep in touch with your high school prom date?

Nope! He was a friend and a nice guy, and we ended up going to the same college, but we rarely ran into each other and didn’t keep in touch.

8. Does anybody actually know what they’re doing?

HELL NO, GIRL. We’re all just improvising and making it up along the way. Nobody has any idea what they’re doing!

9. Are you currently wearing any makeup, and if you are, whatcha wearing?

I’m grimy and sweaty right now because I just finished a million-minute core workout (well, more like 40 minutes…but it felt like an eternity), so no, but I plan to wear MAC Melba Blush later, so I should probably be rewarded with a ticker tape parade, hahaha! ?

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

1. Frosted Flakes or Rice Krispies?
2. Your favorite bag at the moment?
3. Would you rather have a big-ol’ monster pimple on your butt, or your back?
4. Did you (or do you now) ever watch soap operas/telenovelas?
5. How’s your mental health these days?
6. What time of day are you the most/least productive?
7. Do you still keep in touch with your high school prom date?
8. Does anybody actually know what they’re doing?
9. Are you currently wearing any makeup, and if you are, whatcha wearing?

P.P.S. Have a wonderful day! YOU DESERVE IT! Treat yourself to something nice this week, and hang in there! You can do it! ?