Friday Finds & Check-ins, Volume #593
Share your recent beauty purchases or rediscovered favorites in your stash (for those on low/no-buys!), chit chat about weekend plans, and learn a little more about each other!
Let's Chat!
Share your own answers in the comments!
- Recent Purchases/Rediscoveries: Still waiting to receive some orders!
- Weekend plans: I’m hoping to make a push to write extra posts this weekend as my April looks like it will be a bit busier than usual (with life, non-blog stuff!).
- What was the last thing you cooked?: It barely counts as cooking, but we made lobster rolls!
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Mellan was always very, very tolerant and patient! Not that I had him wearing costumes for hours and hours, but he always let me dress him up in ridiculous outfits/costumes/head accessories when he was a young pup all the way until he was merely young-at-heart. Older dogs can sometimes get less patient with certain things, but he was so food-motivated that he’d gladly dress up and sit (or lie) for photos knowing that food was around the horizon. I couldn’t pick a favorite costume at all, since he looked so good in all of them! 🙂
The photo of him in the tiger-striped, over-sized tie is from a trip my husband (then-boyfriend) and I took with my family. It was over a decade ago, and it was the first time my family had spent real time with my husband (then-boyfriend). I’ve always loved this photo with the tie because he was mid-yawn but looked so ferocious! Couldn’t have asked him to hit a better pose.
P.S. — Loved him in his Harry Potter costumes, but I wanted to note that JK Rowling has been a total and utter disappointment with her transphobia in the last two years.
Friday Finds & Check-ins, Volume #593
Friday Finds & Check-ins, Volume #593
Friday Finds & Check-ins, Volume #593
Friday Finds & Check-ins, Volume #593
Friday Finds & Check-ins, Volume #593
Friday Finds & Check-ins, Volume #593
What a fashion plate he was!
Recent Purchases/Rediscoveries: Nothing new.
Weekend plans: I need to get outside.
What was the last thing you cooked?: Last night I made spicy garlic noodles with tofu and cucumber.
Recent purchases: Does a sewing pattern from Style Arc (Australian, like my “twin”, Genevieve) count? No makeup, just the pattern and some yoga/workout tops!
Weekend plans: a FaceTime call with my daughter tonight because today’s her birthday but we can’t really meet face to face (she’s an elementary school teacher and is being VERY careful), training at the gym tomorrow and then going to Toronto to give our younger son our toaster oven and go for a socially distanced coffee with him and his girlfriend
The last thing I cooked – I grilled some chicken thighs which I marinated in a piri piri type sauce on Wednesday and baked some Cowboy Cookies (why do I do this to myself?).
What grade does your daughter teach Mariella? I am only asking because I am clearing out all of my school stuff finally and I have so, so much for every single grade. Luckily Olivia’s school has had a lot of new teachers start because they are expanding so rapidly and my work has been totally welcomed. It’s a relief, because I wanted all of my work to go to a good home.
I meant to tell you that a few weeks ago I had about 45 mins warning that the tribe were coming for dinner and had some chicken breast fillets. Hmmm – then I remembered that I had downloaded your recipe for Balsamic Chicken and followed your advice, less stock more balsamic. It turned out to be another hit. I also cooked some of the sauce by itself for those in my family who don’t eat chicken, but beef and they used it as a sauce on top of the steak.
Yep – going to the gym and baking Cowboy Cookies (which do sound nice by the way) is a contradiction in terms, but that’s OK because you are still in lockdown.
Style Arc – as a non sewing person, I haven’t heard of them, but I hope they ‘fit’ you well.
I’m so glad that recipe worked out for you, Genevieve. I’m so fed up with the relentless cooking (restaurants are pretty much closed here for indoor dining – some are open in a limited way with fairly strict restrictions but I’d rather not chance it so it’s mostly take out for us and even that not very often) so those easy recipes with decent results are a life-line for me. As for the Cowboy Cookies, apparently there is/was a friendly (but not so friendly) competition between the wives of the Presidential candidates every 4 years (I have the feeling it might have started when Hillary Clinton made her infamous remark about not being the sort of wife who stays home and bakes cookies). Anyway, every 4 years, the wives (because, I guess, Presidential candidates don’t bake) had this cookie contest and this was Laura Bush’s submission, which won out against Tipper Gore’s ginger snaps. You can google the recipe and finds lots of versions but basically, it’s almost everything you can fit into a cookie (shredded coconut, toasted pecans, chocolate chips, oatmeal…) in a cookie the size of your FACE (I now make them smaller). They’re good and if you can’t find a recipe, let me know and if it’s okay with Christine, I’ll post it here.
Oops, forgot to answer your other question. My daughter is the “release” teacher – she teaches Science and Healthy Active Living (and sometimes Art and Music) in a French Immersion elementary school. Depending on the year, she teaches anything from kindergarten up to grade 6 – a mix of several or all of those grades. She loves it but it’s pretty challenging during the Pandemic when the schools were closed (from Xmas holidays until at least the end of January) she said it was difficult to do the online/adaptive model because of the limited resources available in the program that her board had bought into.
Recent Purchases: ND Circo Loco palette, Alien Cosmetics Serendipity palette, Oden’s Eye Norns and Urd palettes… I gotta stop buying palettes. 😂
Rediscoveries: Nothing I can think of!
Weekend plans: My MIL is spending the weekend with us again so my husband and I can put together shelves.
What was the last thing you cooked?: Grilled cheese and tomato soup.
I love Mellan in the Harry Potter costumes <3 I am rereading the books right now in the new illustrated editions. The animation and art are incredible!
Recent Rediscoveries: Pat McGrath's recent promotion got me returning to my Rose Decadence MTHRSHP palette. I love the brassy orange colors with magenta.
Weekend plans: My boyfriend is visiting and we plan to work, go on walks, and watch Judas and the Black Messiah! I also had a bit of a childhood regression moment and bought a Lego 3in1 set, so we are going to do one of the other builds with the set 🙂
What was the last thing you cooked?: The last tasty new dish I made was beyond beef grilled with garlic, salt, pepper, onion, bell peppers; then adding a Lee Kum Kee mabo sauce packet and soft tofu, leek, and cashew; served over chow fun.
I eat leftovers…if there were any. Yum.
Thank you!😆
I think UPS Driver Mellan is my favorite 🙂
When we adopted Daisy and her sister Maggie I swore I would never be one of those people who dressed up their dogs — but then Daisy had to have a (thankfully benign) lump removed and had a big shaved spot on her side in the middle of winter, so I bought her a little sweater. She LOVED it! She is absolutely shameless about dressing up because people tell her how cute she is when she wears clothes, and she lives for attention and snacks. I don’t dress her up all the time, but she does have a puffer vest AND a fleece-lined raincoat for bad weather walks, and sometimes I’ll put her in a t-shirt if we’re going out.
Purchases: Nothing new, and the cuticle balm I ordered is taking forever to get here.
Rediscoveries: I wore makeup yesterday for the first time in MONTHS! I used the CP Blowin’ Smoke palette and I am always happy with it.
Weekend plans: I’m enjoying a long weekend since yesterday was our wedding anniversary. We got a day pass for a local hotel, which allowed us to enjoy a romantic room service dinner but still get home at night to medicate the dog, LOL. The rest of the weekend will probably mostly be spent on getting settled into our new place, but we’ll make sure to also make time for relaxation. Honestly, just sleeping in the past two days has been great.
What was the last thing I cooked? I haven’t cooked in years. I’m a very indifferent cook, but my spouse loves experimenting in the kitchen, so they do all the cooking. I like to say I handle our “beverage program” — I keep the tea cart well-stocked with a variety of blends and single-origin teas, and decide what we drink every day, and I also make all of our cocktails, keep an eye out for seasonal releases from local cideries, etc. I almost always decide what to pair with any given meal, unless CR has a specific request or picked up a bottle of something at the store. We compliment each other well and we have a bookcase overflowing with cook books and cocktail recipe books!
Even now, I still love the UPS delivery person costume best! It’s just so cute!
Purchases/rediscoveries: None of either category, sad to say. Over the past few weeks I’ve hardly worn makeup at all.
Weekend Plans: Zoom meeting tomorrow morning. A little extra food shopping. And still waiting and waiting for my daughter to call me. I just want to be there for her. This has been so hard! I did find out from a reliable source that her due date got moved up.
What was the last thing you cooked? Spaghetti with gluten free pasta and Italian meatballs. Pretty boring fare.
I’m glad you heard something about your daughter. I pray she contacts you soon.
Recent Purchases: Took advantage of the MAC 20% sale and got some backups (Prolongwear Concealer,
Eye Brows Big Boost Fibre Gel), a refill for my custom made palette (Peachtwist blush), a mini of the In Extreme Dimension Lash Mascara. I got for free a lipstick in Marrakesh, a beautiful color I don’t know how much I’ll get to wear.
Rediscoveries: None.
Weekend plans: Nothing special beyond the usual. Since we had serious rains yesterday, I need to change my weekend hike to less muddy trails.
What was the last thing you cooked?: Since I don’t personally count making my morning oatmeal (I had a savory one with kale, goat cheese and butter for breakfast), boiling pasta and salads (had a Greek pasta salad as lunch) as cooking (it’s more like putting together a meal), the last meal I cooked was homemade sweet potato gnocchi last night. The process of making gnocchi is so relaxing.
I’ve never even thought to make savory oatmeal. I need to try this!
Big smiles for how cute Mellan is in all of his outfits. You can see the intelligence in his eyes. He was a special boy!
Recent purchases / rediscoveries: Just got Pat McGraft’s Eden palette and Estee Lauder’s Rebellious Rose cheek cream and the matching lip stick, Gucci kohl eye liner in amethyst during their 25% off sale. Wore the Gucci eye liner yesterday nice cool toned purple color and it lasted well.
Weekend plans: Some housework that’s been neglected due to my hip pain. Feeling better so I want to get caught up. So much pollen outside, my allergies are in full force. At least wearing a mask when I go out should help a little. But mostly I’ll be chilling at home with the air purifier.
What was the last thing you cooked?: I baked chicken wings, cooked a pot of kale and potato salad yesterday . I cook about 3-4 times a week and my daughter cooks a couple days. Or we get carry out usually on the weekends. I miss restaurants.
Recent Purchases (last 3 weeks): Estée Lauder Limited Edition Pure Color Envy Crème Cheek Blush in Rebellious Rose; Musee Beauty Le Jardin Palette; Copacetic Cosmetics The Companion Palette; Nomad Cosmetics Iceland Fire & Ice Intense Eyeshadow Palette; UD Stoned Vibes Palette (1/2 price sale); Dior Diorskin Nude Luminizer Shimmering Glow Powder 06 Holographic Glow;
Weekend plans: Just taking it easy. My older son had a pretty serious pychiatric episode earlier in the week. He’s OK now, but it was scary for the whole family. I won’t go into detail, as it could trigger some people, but he ended up being taken by police to the ER for a psychiatric evaluation.
What was the last thing you cooked?: I helped my son make biscuit dough doughnuts in his airfryer.
Hoping your older son is okay <3 Sending you and your family strength!
He’s doing much better. Thank you so much!
Glad he’s better and did not get a hold. Did the biscuits come out good in the AF? I did a big batch of fish cakes, half in oil, half in AF. The AF ones look just like an online recipe for crab cakes. Reply to the photo from my fish cake friend: Anemic. Wondered if I would keep the oil fryer. Well, yeah…
Thank you. My son is doing much better.
The air fryer is a mini convection oven, so they came out really good, but not quite the same as oil frying. Close, though! He has fine motor skill issues related to his Asperger’s, so oil frying is difficult for him. The air fryer has been super easy for him to use, and he’s loving it.
Aww, hugs Rachel my thoughts are with you at this difficult time.
Thank you very much Brenda!
Thinking positive thoughts for your son, Rachel, and for your whole family. I hope it all works out – it sounds like you and the police did the right thing to get him to a safe place.
Thank you! This happens once in a while. Less as he gets older. It was extra scary this time, but he’s doing much better.
Our town’s police are really great, too, and trained in dealing with mental health cases. I’m so grateful, because that’s not the case in some of the smaller towns nearby.
You’re right, Rachel – far too often, encounters between those with mental health or developmental issues are not handled well. I’m so glad your son is doing better. Hugs (socially distanced ones!).
It must have been heart wrenching for you, your husband and the rest of your family Rachel and I hope that your son is feeling a lot more calmer now. It would have been quite scary for you and no doubt, you are still shaking with the after affects of the episode. My very best wishes and prayers are with you all.
Thank you. This was one of his worst episodes. They are less frequent as he gets older, but are quite scary. He’s doing much better now.
Thinking of you and your family, Rachel! What a stressful and heartbreaking thing to go thru and see your son go thru.
Thank you! It’s pretty awful, but he’s had violent episodes since just before turning 3 years old. You never get used to it. His last one was a year and a half ago or so. He’s doing much better now. I just wish the U.S. had adult treatment facilities for people like him. He really needs a therapeutic foster home or something, but they’re non-existent in Oregon for the level of help he’d need.
All the cutest pictures of your pup! Thank you for sharing.
I just bought a Jaclyn Hill lipstick and an IT Cosmetics brush in the Ulta sale this week…nothing too exciting! :o)
Mellan is so cute in his costumes! My daughter’s dog hates his winter coat and I feel bad putting it on him but it gets so cold here I can’t in good conscience take him out without it on,
Recent Purchases/Rediscoveries: No purchases, no rediscoveries.
Weekend plans: No plans right now, it’s blowing pretty good outside right now, I’ve had a bad migraine for 2 days, the weather is gorgeous so I’m hoping the chinook winds will die down so I can enjoy the nice temperatures. They’re talking about our Province entering Phase 3 on Monday which would allow us to have small gatherings indoors, and have entertainment venues open with limitations. Maybe we will be able to have a family Easter celebration this year!
What was the last thing you cooked?: I make dinner almost every night, last night we had hamburgers, the patties are pre-made because the ones we get from Sunterra are so good. My husband has been getting some really nice desserts, it was his birthday on the 7th, I made him a pineapple cake and raspberry pavlova. I love to cook and could spend hours in the kitchen, but I’ve been spending most of my time cleaning my basement and it’s getting close to being finished. The problem is if I make it I’ll eat it so it’s better if I don’t make it.
I so, so love Mellan in his dress ups -he looks absolutely adorable. My favourite is the one with the big floppy hat – he must have been a puppy then.
Recent Purchases – Just the CP lippies on sale – Foolish and Tea Thyme.
Rediscoveries: Hmm – Clarins Joli Rouge lipsticks in Ginger and Spicy Cinnamon, Chanel’s Tisse D’Automne.
Weekend Plans: We have booked our hard rubbish collection for this Monday, so our weekend will be spent emptying out our three spare bedrooms in preparation for my younger son, daughter in law and grandchildren to move in as they have been unsuccessful in securing a new place to live in the wide range of suburbs they looked at. They have hired a storage space and we have been putting various items in it.
Olivia told me she really didn’t want to move as she loves her own place; whereas Lachlan is excited to move in with us.
Last thing you cooked: I tend to do things in ‘batches’. Whilst I am cutting up/grating vegetables, I make enough for at least 3-4 medium sized zip lock bags and use them during the week. Out of these I made a minestrone soup, a red wine beef casserole, a chicken stir fry and a plain vegetable soup.
Are you looking forward to your son and fam staying with you for a while, Genevieve? I hope it goes well!
I hope all goes well with your family moving in.
Recent Purchases: My first Shine by SD shadows!
Rediscoveries: Nothing comes to mind!
Weekend plans: No plans.
What was the last thing you cooked?: French toast!
UPS Mellan photo is such a marvelous photo!
The photos of costumed Mellan are so cute. I adore the UPS driver outfit!
Purchases/Rediscoveries: No purchases. Rediscovered Clairins Lip Oil, MAC blush in Hushed Tones, and Chanel Empreinte du Desert quad.
Weekend Plans: Enjoying sunny warm weather after a fairly gloomy week. Spending the weekend Spring cleaning, and clearing brush from an unruly garden that came with the house we bought last Fall.
Last thing I cooked: Coconut Curry Salmon.
Mellan makes my heart melt. He was such a good sport! Dogs rule my HEART!