HOLIDAY STRESS, OUTDOOR CHRISTMAS IDEAS, HALLMARK MOVIE CALENDARS AND MY BATHROOM RENO

Halloween 2019 In Chicago (no editing)

Hello Hello Hello!  It's always good to be back in a somewhat timely manner.  I'm hoping we are all past Halloween and looking ahead to Thanksgiving although it makes me shudder.  In all my years, whenever I host holiday dinners, I have never learned to not stress it out.  I'm a huge reader and eat up books, magazines, and websites that promise ways to handle hosting a party or simply holiday stress.  No matter, I fret over whether all the food will be ready at once, if everyone has a drink, a refill, a little tidbit,  And those that wander into the kitchen asking for the odd beverage, extra napkins, a hand towel for the bathroom (gulp).  And there never seems to be anyone around to say to, "Can you please help this person out?"  I feel my holidays have become so relaxed for my company, and perhaps routine, that everyone is happily chatting away while I'm sweating away in the kitchen and acting like a traffic officer at the same time.  The worse thing is...I apologize profusely.  We're out of ice?  Let me run out to a convenience store.  You're allergic to nuts?  Let me whip up some liver pate.  You're gluten free?  Really?  Really?????

I write for the Michigan newspaper and I'm a cross between Dear Abby, Martha Stewart, and Joanna Gaines.  No, I'm not in their league in any way but my column is geared toward encouraging readers to be the best cook, gardener, home decorator, gift wrapping professional, and above all, organizer.  No one has any idea how little I follow my own advice.  I'm really not much better than the writers of those self help-don't stress it out pieces.  So yeah, I'm not prepared and even if I were, something always goes wrong and maybe I ought to just ban guests from the kitchen.  

Christmas Inspiration

I'm definitely not planning for Christmas right now, but I do love to Pin ideas, and I came across an article on the Apartment Therapy site: "Beautiful Outdoor Christmas Decorating That's Not The Least Bit Tacky".  The Husband is not so keen on hanging outdoor lights or wreaths on windows.  He frowns on blow-up snowmen and white wooden deer sculptures (believe me, I'm open to everything).  So the outside of the house is pretty much non-Christmasy unless you count the lit up tree you can see through the living room window.  Anyway I digress, I saw this lamplight idea and I knew it was for me.  Simple.  Classic.  Beautiful.  And even though I have a phobia of climbing on ladders (thinking back to 2016 when I fell off a chair and broke my arm in three places), I'm doing it.  Nothing is going to stop me.  I may have eight people holding on to said ladder and an inflatable snowman to block a fall, but I'm decorating the porch and garage lights.  If you'd like to see some of the ideas I've Pinned, go to my page.  I have lots of good things on my boards--holiday cooking, baking, gift ideas, something for everyone.  

Lifetime Movie Calendar 2019

Maybe it's cheesy, maybe I should be watching Fleabag, Jack Ryan, or The Crown, I just can't help but feel the allure of a sweet, sappy love story set in a big city or a little town with snow and carolers, hot cocoa, and the inevitable widow/widower with children who instantly fall in love with The Love Interest.  Most times one or the other Love Interest gives up their present life to join the other Love Interest forevermore.  And all those interrupted kisses, we finally get to see one in the final thirty seconds. ❤️.  Sigh.  Just gotta love curling up and watching these movies to get away from the world.  Or your husband, kids, and needy, drooling dogs.

Hallmark Channel Christmas Movie Calendar 

You can Pin these calendars if you so wish, or download and print them.  Maybe not.  Perhaps you like Jack Ryan... John Krasinski is awfully sexy.

I had a lot of fun passing some on some info about moisturizing your skin as the really cold weather begins.  A few ladies asked about foundation that didn't make them feel like they had a mask on, so I wanted to move on to what I've learned about this sort of coverage.  

I had a rude awakening this past spring when I had been wearing Nars Natural Radiant Long Wear Foundation for a good couple of months. I love their radiant concealer for under my eyes so I thought the foundation would be a win as well.  And then I happened to see myself in a mirror in bright, natural sunlight and I couldn't believe how thick and caked it looked.  In spite of feeling I knew so much about makeup products and applying them, I hadn't really discovered the difference between full coverage and light.  I was telling the girl who does my hair about it and she recommended Bare Minerals Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream.  Back in the day I used something similar from Lancome that was a tinted moisturizer and it was prefect but I've never found anything like it since.  Long story short, although I felt that the Nars foundation was making me look line free, smoother and more radiant,  it was actually the opposite.  So I tried the Bare Minerals gel cream and I could not be happier.  When you apply, it feels like silk...I just smooth it all over my face with just my fingertips much like a moisturizer.  It evens out everything such as red spots or uneven tones, and your skin glows (and not in that bright highlighted way).  Best of all, I've come to love my freckles again (thank you, Megan Markle) and I feel fresh faced.  It is super hydrating which I love especially in the colder months, but if your skin is on the oily side, you can most likely skip your moisturizer and just use a primer before you apply it.  Good stuff.

And finally, I wanted to share an update we are doing on one of our bathrooms.  It's almost embarrassing that we still had the 1980's linoleum flooring and outdated light fixtures.  The vanity counter is pink.  The first thing we did was have the linoleum removed and the floor retiled with what you see above.  This is my actual bathroom with an overlay design board (courtesy of my interior designer daughter, Emily).  I ordered and have received the light fixtures and faucet gadgets from Home Depot.  I want to give the wall's vertical shiplap a fresh coat of white paint.  And I'm making trips to a few granite dealers to pick out a vanity top, I'm thinking something white with a little gray marbling.  The gold rimmed mirror is from Target.

My question is--- I don't want a completely black and white bath, nor a complete vintage vibe that the flooring leans toward.  I do have a bad way of mixing up too many elements in rooms that aren't  cohesive.  I'm thinking of adding rusty brown, bronze or copper colored pieces and a little bit of natural elements; plants, dried flowers, grasses, stems, or herbs, tucked in an urn, basket, something on the wall.  Please weigh in with your ideas or tips.  More to come...

Thank you all for your well wishes on this never ending bronchitis or whatever.  I saw a specialist after a chest CT scan and had a bronchoscopy of my lungs yesterday (not for the mild or timid).  A lot of bad stuff was sucked out and part of my lower right lobe has collapsed.  When, how...unknown.  Nothing to be done and it shouldn't present any problems.  So far the consensus is I have a bacterial infection in my upper left lobe and I'm getting a heavy dose of antibiotics.  My throat is a bit sore from the tube but I'm feeling much better all around.  The fluid and tissue lab results come in this week.  What a mess.  But I'm in good hands and I'm pretty tough!  So again, thanks for your thoughtful words and prayers.

Off I go now.  Hope you are having a great weekend!

Jane❤️