Just For Fun

My friend, if you wear glasses, please save yourself a few decades of misery/constant squinting and just spring for a pair of prescription sunglasses, like, RIGHT MEOW.

I finally sprung for a pair (Costco was having a sale on frames), and now my life is forever changed. I can actually see stuff…OUTSIDE! And without contacts!

I can’t deal with getting sand in my contacts. Plus, I loathe swimming with contacts on, so I’m blind at the beach.

Once, while we were visiting our family in Hawaii and El Hub swam up to me at the beach and said, “Hey,” I thought he was a cute guy I didn’t know. 🙂 So I quickly dove back into the water and swam away.

HA HA HA!

Yeah, I’m that person, the one yelling, “I can’t read that sign! Somebody tell me what it says!” during most outdoor situations.

A pair of prescription sunnies has changed that. It’s a whole new world!

Like I said, I got mine at Costco Optical on sale during a frames promotion (I know I’ve been talking about them a lot, but I had such a good experience, and this is totally #notsponsored), and although I was tempted to get a second pair of regular glasses for fashion/variety, I figured that prescription sunglasses would be a nice splurge.

Now that I have a pair, I cannot go back to life without them!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. TGIF! ?

Raise your hand if you live in a town where you can see cows.

*raises hand* ??

Mt. Burdell in Novato is a relaxing way to spend a couple hours outdoors, and —bonus! — you get to see cows and beautiful views of the San Francisco Bay.

Should you ever find yourself in the sleepy town of Novato, California (because you never know), and you happen to love traipsing around the great outdoors, plan a pit stop to Mt. Burdell. It’s an open space preserve with a network of trails and incredible views of the Bay.

First things first: It’s totally free (YOU KNOW I LOVE FREE), totally doable for small children and seniors, and easy to find. (Take San Marin Drive up the hill all the way to the top; you can’t miss it.) Best of all, there are cows. ???

Lots and lots of cows…

They hang out on the hillside along the trail, just chillin’ and doing what cows do. If you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you. I think they’re super cool.

We went for a short family hike there last weekend and enjoyed the views, the animals, and the wildflowers. ?

It isn’t hot here yet, but it isn’t cold either (upper-60s, low-70s), so it’s pleasant outside, but if you happen to stop by in the summer, it would be better to hit the trail early in the morning, since there’s almost *no* shade along the trails.

You don’t have to be an avid backpacker or outdoorsy person to enjoy the trails, either. We walked along the wide fire roads, which aren’t too steep, and they’re easily traversable. It’s a very family friendly hike.

Fun facts about Mt. Burdell, from marincountyparks.org:

• Eagle Rim Trail is now open for hiking and cycling. For spectacular views take Cobblestone Fire Road (part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail) up to Eagle Rim, and enjoy vistas of Big Rock Ridge, Mount Tam, San Francisco Bay, Mount Diablo, and more.
• At the summit, a four foot stone wall, hand laid without mortar in the 1870s by Chinese laborers, marks the boundary into Olompali Historic State Park.
• Gently graded Deer Camp Fire Road passes through classic California oakland and stands of massive old bay trees. Take a rest in the shade at Pierre Joske Grove.
• The west slope of Burdell holds the remnants of a quarry that supplied cobblestones for San Francisco streets in the late 1880s. Fieldstone Trail leads to another old quarry, which provided andesite for the widening of Highway 101 in the 1950s.
• Old Quarry Trail is the steepest designated trail in the open space district. The grueling climb is not for the faint of heart.
• Cattle have grazed Burdell since the arrival of European settlers. Holstein dairy cows continue to graze here seasonally, helping to manage invasive plants and reduce fire fuel.
• Dogs are welcome. Dogs must be leashed on trail, and under voice command on fire roads, with leash readily available.

Be aware of two important animal-related items, though: 1) It’s tick country, so be mindful, and do a thorough tick inspection when you get home. 2) Mountain lions and rattlesnakes are occasionally spotted in the area, so if you have very small children, don’t let them wander too far away from you.

Also, since there aren’t any restrooms or water fountains at the trailhead, you might want to take care of all that before you head on up.

Happy hiking! ?????

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Connor Claire turned four years old today! — and I’m feeling *all* the feels. The best way I can describe it is bittersweet… I’m so beyond grateful and joyful, but I can’t help but feel a little melancholy at the same time. She’s doing what people do — growing up — but I’m also reminded that she’ll spread her beautiful rainbow wings someday and fly out of our nest, leaving a trail of glitter behind her. ??✨

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve cried today. ? How do our moms find the strength to let us go? I honestly don’t know if I have it in me.

My roller coaster of emotions aside, it’s been a fun-filled birthday weekend for the Coywolf. We marveled at a magical performance of Disney on Ice, baked confetti birthday cupcakes together, and went for a hike and lunch with her uncle. Tonight, we’ll celebrate with her annual birthday lasagna and a trip to Baskin-Robbins for a birthday ice cream cone.

Thank you for being a friend and walking with me along the way. It seems like just yesterday you were giving me advice about burp cloths and teething. (Remember her very first day on earth?)

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. Do you put ketchup on a hot dog? ?

Heck yeah, homegirl! But I’ll take it on the side because I have to make room for the rolling hills of relish… Ketchup + relish = LIFE.

2. Can you touch your toes?

I can, but I’m not a naturally flexible person at all. I have hella tight (but not in a good way) hamstrings, so it took a lot of work and stretching to get there.

I started to see improvement in my flexibility when I started stretching every night about six months ago. I aim for about 20 minutes in front of the TV, and WOW! What a difference! I can finally touch my toes, and — bonus — I don’t have as many aches as I used to.

3. How many shampoo bottles are in your bathroom?

Uh…more than I care to admit? But seriously, I think it’s seven, and all but one of them, an Aveeno baby shampoo/body wash, belong to me, ha ha ha!

El Hub ends up using my Biolage one.

4. Are your parents still around?

They are, and I’m thankful for it every day.

5. Three favorite eyeshadows at the moment?

OK, so each one of these is technically a duo, so I may be “creatively” answering this question, but lately I’ve been loving NARS Kalahari, NARS Alhambra and NARS Madrague.

I’ve been working my way through a NARS palette I made for myself ages ago with, yup, you guessed it, mostly neutrals, and I just realized that I could probably make it through the rest of my life with it.

Old-school NARS is the best!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. Sending you good vibes today. Have a wonderful week. ?❤️?

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

1. Do you put ketchup on a hot dog?
2. Can you touch your toes?
3. How many shampoo bottles are in your bathroom?
4. Are your parents still around?
5. Three favorite eyeshadows at the moment?

Happy Saturday, sweet friend. ? How’s it going? What are you up to this weekend?

I have a pretty packed agenda on this end because the Coywolf turns four on Monday (can you believe it?), when she’ll be in school, so we’re doing the celebrating this weekend. I’m making her annual celebratory birthday lasagna, also some cupcakes, and tonight we’re going to Disney on Ice (very excited about that!).

Also, while all of this happens, I plan to be wearing that NARS palette up at the top. In my quest to clean and streamline my makeup collection, I rediscovered it. I made it a while back and realized it needs more love. ???? So love it shall have.

Oh! — I almost forgot it’s leap year. What are you doing for your extra day today? Any leap day birthdays out there? Inquiring minds want to know.

And now, onward to our weekly reading…

• Transforming Taylor Swift into a man for her new The Man video took a team of experts, and prosthetics, a muscle suit, facial sculptures, a beard, eyebrows and a wig.
• Salt-n-Pepa have a ’90s-themed makeup collab coming out with drugstore brand Milani! OMG! They were the soundtrack of my youth, buuuuuut I cannot be the only person wondering where the heck Spinderella is…
• What pro makeup artists use and love for cleaning their brushes…
• My favorite story of the week: This reporter accidentally enabled some filters on his phone before filming a weather segment. ???
• Veterinarian Dr. Kwane Stewart spends his free time driving around California treating the beloved pets who belong to people and families living on the streets.
• I agree with most of the things on this list of things people say that indicate they aren’t from the Bay Area.
• Forbes is shining a spotlight on 50 women over 50, and all I have to say is OH, HELL YES!
• Ooh, cat ladies! Michigan photographer Kitty Schaub did a “newborn” photoshoot of her daughter’s new kitten, Luna, and the results may make you want to do something similar with your kitty, ASAP. ???
• You just never know when someone is carrying a heavy load, and this is a call for all of us to be gentler and more compassionate with each other.
• These pie crusts are so beautiful that they’re almost too pretty to eat (almost).?

Yes, Taylor

The OGs

Who knew messy buns could have so much variety?

Purr-fection

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

My new pale pink Kate Spade glasses sashay into a room before I do, but that’s what I love about them! Costco Optical FTW! When you unmistakably want to be the girl with the glasses, then statement glasses are the way to go.

If you stumble on these frames somewhere (I found them at Costco), don’t hesitate. They’re substantial but not heavy, and if you have a low nose bridge like I do, the nose pads prevent the frames from sliding down. ?

SO HAPPY WITH THESE! ??

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. Last lipstick you wore?

Deep neutral MAC Yash. Somebody should probably take it away from me before it becomes permanently attached to my body.

2. If aliens were to land on earth, my first thought would be…

TOLD YA SO! ???

3. Your bed size?

A California king, which we’ve had since before we were married and purchased because El Hub dances the rhumba in his sleep, meaning that he tosses and turns like a salad! I swear, sleeping next to that man is like riding in a car with no shocks on a road riddled with potholes (sorry, babe!).

I wanted the biggest bed we could find, so a Cal king it was (plus, I remember it was on sale at Walmart).

If I could turn back time, I would have gotten a regular king bed instead, though, because it can be tough to find sheets and accoutrements for Cal king beds.

4. Who taught you how to manage your finances?

Well, I’m not an expert by any means, but mostly Google, which is kind of ironic considering that both my parents were accountants. *shrugs*

5. I can’t even tell you how much I love (FILL IN THE BLANK).

• The smell of babies ?
• Sleeping in
• Clean floors!
• This song by David Bowie, which I heard at Trader Joe’s when I was shopping last Friday and have consequently listened to about 237 times since.

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. Last lipstick you wore?
2. If aliens were to land on earth, my first thought would be…
3. Your bed size?
4. Who taught you how to manage your finances?
5. I can’t even tell you how much I love (FILL IN THE BLANK).