Viva Las Vegas!

It's booked. Our trip to Vegas is official! I'm so happy to be taking my husband away on a little vacation, since he hasn't had a real vacation in over 4 years (the week off to move to Texas doesn't really count...). So, we'll be spending 3 nights, 4 days in Sin City at the Monte Carlo. And while we don't really have much of an agenda, I'm thinking we'll have no problem finding things to do. Shows (kinda pricey), gambling (what's that? the slots are calling my name...), lounging by the pool (the only thing to do outside in July in Nevada). Whatever we choose, it'll be better than Randy's typical 10-12 hour work shift.

Our hotel

And hopefully, no one will get roofied...

I'm in love

I'm cheap. It's been a way of life for most of my life. I've been raised on the idea of buying only what you can afford with cash (minus a car and house payment), and when buying, buy only things on sale/clearance. It's been a good way of life for us, since grad school delayed my getting a "real job" for a couple years.

However, moving to Texas and getting a significant raise in salary, I've begun to enjoy splurging a little here and there. After a bad hair dye job, I decided to pay for a good hair cut (which means more than my $8.99 Great Clips coupon). And now, I've spent a small fortune (in my opinion) for some mineral makeup. Well... not just any mineral makeup. It's BareMineral makeup.

I used to use Physician's Formula Mineral Foundation, which was a bit pricey but had a better effect than a liquid foundation. But, after trying a really nice, expensive brand of loose mineral makeup, I'm hooked! I went and had a tutorial done yesterday where I actually got my makeup done by someone trained. It was really nice! I totally used to be one of those people who never understood why others paid for expensive makeup brands. But, I'm definitely converted, because the result is just so much better.

Coming to an Etsy store near you...

It was a productive day in the crafting department. Definitely feels good to get back to being creative!

Hello curls. Nice to see you again.

After my hair dye catastrophe, my curly hair wasn't too happy with me. After my hair cut, moisturizing treatment, and Redkin distressed hair moisturizing mask (which is a miracle in a bottle for curly hair!), my curls made their appearance again. As much as I complain about curly hair, it's nice to have them back.

Short.

I wasn't planning on getting a haircut.... actually, I was going to let my hair grow long again. But..... when champaign blonde met golden blonde, disaster happened. I could tell as I was stepping into the shower to wash out the color that something wasn't right. The ends had a bit of a green tint (think summer chlorine + blonde = greenish nastiness), and there was no curl to be found on the top layer of hair. Yikes. After washing it all out, I starting picking out my hair, and sure enough, had clumps of fried hair. Not cool.

I've had this happen once before in high school, and that was the last time I'd had a mishap with at-home hair color. Maybe (just maybe) I'll start going to a salon to color it..... as I got a little, kind lecture from my stylist at Ulta. But, after a moisturizing treatment and many inches cut off (I wanted to go super short again but decided against my "just chop it all off" tendency), I have a cute, versatile bob that will look good both curly and straight. I've had something very similar before, so it's nice to be back. Here's a few photobooth pics...

Summer's coming...

This week, although it's been a shortened one, seemed to drag on foorreevveerrrr. I'm so ready for the summer! After an out-of-state move, a new job, Texas education systems, and a caseload of up to 86 kids (eek!), I'm ready to recharge with something else besides work. I've become more energized when I think of house projects, craft projects, and cooking. But alas, I have one. more. day. Icandothis.....

Today, however, was a crazy day at school. Our school invited parents to attend the award ceremony where kids get awards like "most improved," "good citizen award," and "perfect attendance." I decided to attend, since I usually don't get to enjoy these celebrations due to paperwork, therapy, etc. I must have picked the right day, because it was quite the experience. Within the hour, I saw a mother pull down her shirt and breastfeed her baby during the ceremony in front of a few hundred K through 5th graders. Yikes. I can only imagine a kid going home explaining to his parents what he saw... Thank goodness our assistant principal quickly escorted the lady to a more private and appropriate place to conduct her business. Believe me, I'm an advocate for breastfeeding your child.... just in the appropriate place and time. THEN.... I also noticed an interesting parent sitting in the front row with his/her significant other. I say his/her because I'm not quite sure what he/she was. A girl? With stubble? Dressed in men's clothing? But with boobs? Geez louise. Again, not raining on transgendered people's parades, but it was just the weirdest sight to me. I should come to these more often.

So, anyway.... back to how it's almost summer. Hallelujah. I figured I'd end this post with a list of things I'm inspired to do (at this moment) for the summer.

* paint/update bathrooms .... I could really go all out here with new fixtures, mirrors, refinishing cabinets, etc. But, we'll see what the budget allows.

* get back to crafting... I have some silkscreening to do, as well as fusing glass & sewing

* cook! I just bought a book by the Sneaky Chef. My friend, Dominique, has turned me on to her recipes after letting me try some baked goods. Yummy!

* get some exercise in.... I really need to utilize our wonderful neighborhood to walk and get some exercise. Now that I have the summers off, I have no excuse to be "too tired" after work

What does summer have in store for you?