Random Friday

1. Cute pics of Owen

          The two photos of Owen from this week that were super cute are from our fingerpainting session last week and a dinner late last week. Owen used his paints made from powdered vegetables which are safe and nontoxic for babies. Which is a good thing because Owen did taste them and rubbed them all over himself. He is big on rubbing stuff into his hair at the moment. Peanut butter, paint, whatever. He enjoys painting, but more on other surfaces than the paper in front of him. His finished painting is on our fridge. The other photo is from pizza night. We put Owen on the countertop so he could help put toppings on our pizza. He loved throwing cheese on the pizza, but when it came to pepperoni, none of them made it to the pizza, just his mouth. Haha. What a stinker. 

2. Julep polishes of the month.

       I received my November Julep Maven box recently. I chose the It Girl box which included two nail colors: Hailee, a khaki green suede and Nora, a silver aubergine suede. The box also included a matte top coat and three nail polish remover pads. The colors are really gorgeous and the suede finish is really neat by itself and with a shiny topcoat. The problem with the polishes is that they chip very easily. So it almost makes them unusable unless you are willing to touch them up on a daily basis or change your polish frequently. I have tried all the tips and tricks to try to make the manicure last longer, but nothing seems to make a big difference in their ability to last. 

     I am really looking forward to seeing Julep's nail colors for December. From the sneak peaks I've seen on Facebook, I think they are going to be glitter polishes and they are going to be so beautiful. If you want to join in time to get a December box, you need to do so before November 20. It's the best (and cheapest) way to buy Julep products because you get discounts on everything and access to colors before everyone else! Plus, you can join now for just a penny (see the code below). Here are some others benefits of the Julep Maven program. 

• $40-$60 worth of nail products delivered to your door each month for only $19.99.
• You get to preview the colors you will receive each month.
• You can skip receiving a box if nail polish isn't in your budget for the month or you dislike all the colors. 
• You can earn a free month by referring two friends to the program using your referral link. (Mine is below and I'd be so happy if you used it!)
• You can cancel at anytime simply by giving Julep a call.

     Sound good? Then fill out a style quiz HERE so Julep can tailor your boxes to your personal style and use the code COLOR2012 or PENNY to receive your introductory box for just a $0.01. 

3. House projects.

       We haven't done much work inside our house for a while, but we were able to finally do some more painting this past weekend. I have had our hallway taped off with painter's tape since August (embarrassing, I know) and we finally just now got around to matching the paint color from our kitchen/dining area through the hallway. The previous owners had painted the kitchen and dining area a dark green color and the hallway was a yellowy beige color. We thought it looked weird since the walls connect to have them painted two different colors, so we decided to paint it the same color as our kitchen. We also bought paint for our living room so I hope we will be able to tackle that job soon. 

4. Christmas planner.

        Last year I made a Christmas planner to keep track of all my purchases, to do lists, and menus for the holidays. When I saw online that the bloggers who created the design for my planner last year had made a new design for this year, I was excited to make another. But then the realities of my lack of time and Owen's now shorter naptime made me realize that making an entirely new planner was kind-of silly. Instead, I just tore out the pages from last year and replaced the 2011 decorations with the new 2012 ones. And what was a couple hour project last year became a five minute project this year. Bam! If you are interested in making a similar planner, check the blog Eighteen25. 

5. Advent update. 

        Now that I have all the books I need for our Christmas book advent, I have started wrapping the books up and labeling them for each day. I am also starting to investigate some craft ideas and recipes to go with some of the books so we can have even more fun with our advent idea. I also figured we could watch some of the movies based on the books too, like Polar Express and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. I found the numbers on Pinterest and if you are searching for printable colored numbers, you can find them here. 

6. What I'm reading now. 

      I am finished reading "Broken Harbor" from last week and boy, did it not disappoint! It was such a suspenseful creepy book to read before bed. And it definitely ended completely different from how I thought it would end. I recommend it. Now, I decided to switch it up with something a little lighter - "When In Doubt, Add Butter" by Beth Harbison. Here's the synopsis: "As far as Gemma is concerned, her days of dating are over. In fact, it’s her job to cater other peoples’ dates, and that’s just fine by her. At thirty-seven, she has her own business, working as a private chef, and her life feels full and secure. She’s got six steady clients that keep her hands full. For Gemma, cooking is predictable. Recipes are certain. Use good ingredients, follow the directions, and you are assured success. Life, on the other hand, is full of variables. So when Gemma’s takes an unexpected turn on a road she always thought was straight and narrow, she must face her past and move on in ways she never would have imagined. Because sometimes in life, all you need is a little hope, a lot of courage, and—-oh yes—-butter." It is pretty funny so far and I'm definitely digging the sense of humor of the main character's romantic interest as well. 

7. We won!

      Earlier this week, I submitted a photo of Owen for a contest on Facebook for the company Stork Stack and was surprised when I found out that we were one of the winners. Stork Stack had joined with Funny Face Cranberries to give free product to 10 randomly selected winners. Everyone was asked to post a photo of their child making a funny face so I sent in a photo of Owen making his "sour face." And then on top of that, they chose Owen's photo when they announced the winners. Check it out!