Happy 4th!

I hope all of you have a wonderful, safe and happy 4th of July!!

Fireworks in San Antonio, New Years eve 2008.

Edible garden

A few weeks ago I showed you the work we did in the front of the house and promised to show you what we did out back. Without further ado, here is it!


Here is my stockpile of supplies to get me started:

And yes, Diet Mt. Dew is required when gardening (at 7am!!)


Here are the gorgeous plants that we purchased the evening before at the local greenhouse:

We picked out a variety of peppers, onions, and cucumbers. You can also see the sweet flowers we have out front.


Next up we have the incredible plant stand that found just for this occasion (we got a great deal on it: free!!):

And here is that same stand all dressed up:

A close up on the top:

And now for a closer look at the bottom layers:

Here are some pots lined up along the side of the house. They house my Grammy's special strawberries, 2 kinds of lettuce, and even more peppers:

We also have a few other pots scattered around the deck with the rest of our goodies.


I guess Mr. Moore deserves some credit for his work that day. He spruced up our patio, weeded, re-mulched and made a much needed trip to Home Depot.

I can't wait to be able to feast on all of our hard work!

A girl can dream...

On beautiful days like these, I wish I had one of these:

via

Oh yea! A Vespa!


And I totally would wear a helmet like this one with it:

via

Geek chic, baby!

Does the warm weather rekindle any of your dreams??



A fresh coat of paint

Even though we have been ready for summer weather to arrive these past few weeks (read: months), Mr. Moore and I have not been able to really get out and enjoy the warmth for a few reasons:


1. One or both of us have been away from home for most of the weekend.


2. The nice weather has only been around during the week and the weekends have been rainy or generally yucky.


3. We have been wrapped up with the festivities for Mr. Moore’s sister's nuptials. (Congrats to the happy couple!)


But this weekend we were finally able to start to enjoy the lovely weather and begin on a few projects that have been literally piling up (in the garage).


An easy one on the list was to spruce up a plant stand that I found at one of my favorite second hand stores for $4.

You must forgive me. I am a bad, bad blogger and forgot to take a “before” shot. So please bear with me and accept these “during” shots as a close and hopefully acceptable second:

The pretty swirlies even match our existing plant stands:

Yes, my sprucing method of choice was a can of black spray paint. The paint cost me under $3. So for a measly $7, I had a snazzy new plant stand that looks pretty darn sharp:

 

Our weekend endeavors also included a trip to a local green house where we purchased the bulk of our plants for the summer and of course planting said plants. I even got around to hanging the wreath that my parents purchased for me for Christmas…nothing like finally enjoying a gift 5 months later. Here it all is at home on our front porch:

Can’t wait to share what we did in the back of the house!

Shopping online = FREE money?!?!

Do you like to shop online? I know I do.


Do you like free money? I know I do.


Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could get free money for shopping online? Yes, please!

I realize this is starting to sound like a questional infomercial.

But in all seriousness, have you heard of Ebates? It’s a website that when you plan to do online shopping, all you need to do is start your shopping there after creating an account. Find your store of choice by doing a simple search. The percentage of money that you will receive back is listed. (Sometimes there are specials where stores will offer more money back for a short period of time.) When you click the link to your store of choice, a tracking number is created and all you need to do is complete your shopping as usual. Every three months, your money will be ready for you. A check will arrive in your mailbox or it can be directly deposited into your bank account.






I know, I know. I was skeptical too. But I decided to give it a shot. So a few months ago, I signed up for an account and started my online shopping there. After a few weeks, I actually got a check in the mail from Ebates! I was shocked. Even more shocking, the bank took the check and deposited the money in my account!! It really worked.






Since then I have received a few more checks from Ebates and good news… the bank consistently deposits the check into my account. Thank you Ebates for my free money!

Items I am currently loving:

Ok, it is really only one item…but I really love it:



1. Rimmel Fix & Perfect Foundation Primer.

via

This stuff is AMAZING! My foundation stays on sooo much better than it ever has. I no longer need to break out the powder compact over lunch for a quick touch up to make it through the work day. However, if I were going out after work, I would want to do a quick touch up. But only on areas that are frequently touched throughout the day(ex. my constantly runny nose or my chin from my desk phone). For your reference, I have been using this with a powder mineral foundation and my skin is normal/combination.

It’s no joke!

Spring continues to evade us in the north east. 

At least some signs of hope are popping up:

But if spring never gets here, we can always look forward to Gmail Motion...

Question of the day…

 via a very lovely etsy shop

 …isn't this defeating its own intentions?

Soapbox

When my mom and I were at the Philly flower show, we were handed this business card:

And we were given these instructions:

Go to: www.KomenPhiladelphia.org/Video and watch the video.


If the video reaches 5 million views then UnitedHealthCare of PA will donate $50,000 to Susan G. Komen for the cure. If the tally then gets to 8 million views, then they will donate another $50,000.


So take 4 minutes and 2 seconds out of your day to watch the video and help out your mother, sister, aunt, best friend…or even yourself who may one day have to battle breast cancer.

Every little bit does help. So if you have an urge to jump on a bandwagon, hop on this one!

The Situation, part 2

After much more searching both online and in stores, I still have not been able to find a quality bag that not only fits my long wish list, but one that also makes my heart sing. I have begun to think that maybe rather than finding my “forever” bag, I can find a “just right now, until I do find my forever bag” bag.



So that took me down another path that ultimately ended with two options being ordered from Target. With free shipping and free in store returns, this was a no loss exploration. Here is what happened upon my door stop one lovely afternoon:

via

 The sizes of the bags are great. There are plenty of pockets to keep OCD me sane. Handles are a good length. The material I do not love (but I was expecting and accepting that). So that leaves me on the color options…



Option 1 is much closer to my color wish. However, it is a little darker than I had wanted. It is more brown, than it is tan. So it wouldn’t go as well with my ensemble on days that I wear black...although I am trying to get away from wearing so much black…but that’s another story for another day.


Option 2 is nowhere near my color wish. But it does go with everything. But is it too…juvenile?


I have since returned #1. The color just would not work with me and my tendency to wear black.


#2 still lingers in my home.

What do you think?

Keep it? Leave it? Keep searching?

Flower power

This past weekend, my favorite mother (no really, she is…and not just because she’s my only one) and I hit the road to attend the Philadelphia flower show:

Since the weather was beautiful, after the show we poked around center city. We drank tea (duh) at the T Bar, stopped in at Lush and Anthropologie, and had fish and chips for lunch.


Thanks for the lovely Saturday (and for all of the yummy food you cooked for me) momma!

Question of the day...

...do birds fly south for the winter,

via

or do they fly north for the summer??

Things Samuel James is afraid of:

1. Bags (shopping, food containing, etc.)


2. The vacuum (shark and dust buster alike)


3. Boxes (large, small and in between)


4. Laundry baskets


5. Cats (other than his own)


6. The vet's office (I can understand this one)


7. His reflection


8. His own bark (if you would even want to call it a ‘bark’)


I guess the next time I am looking to increase security around these parts, I will need to call somone else…

Good thing he is just so darn cute!! xoxo

We have a situation here...

Jersey Shore any one??


Any ways, I have been on the hunt for a new work bag for a while now. My current one, while I LOVE it, it has seen better days. I have been looking for a quality bag made of real leather that can last me for years to come. One that will only look better with age. One with many pockets for my OCD organization habits. One that has handles that aren’t too long, but aren’t too short. One that is classic in shape, but isn’t old ladyish.. One in that perfect shade of tan that matches everything. One with exterior pockets to quickly stash things….


So, as you can see, my list is pretty long. And unfortunately, I have not been able to find one that meets a majority of my requests, as well as be within my budget. While I realize that a real leather bag is pricier than their pleather counter parts, I still need to keep it within reason.


I recently ordered the Fossil Blackburn Tote from Zappos.com:

via Zappos

The color is great (perfect tan), the shape is great (classic), and the exterior is great (leather). The first issue I noticed before ordering was that it did not have big enough exterior pockets to stash my keys or cell phone. But, since I had been searching for quite a while, I decided to take a chance. Plus Zappos has free shipping and returns. So there really was no risk in trying it.

However, once it arrived to my home, I could tell right away that it would just be too small for my needs. But for those of you who might be looking for a larger purse, it would be perfect.

Off to find a new option...

Any suggestions on where I could find a contender?

Items I am currently loving:

1. Loreal Ever Pure Volume shampoo and conditioner.

via Loreal

 I recently decided to give this newer line from Loreal a try because I had a few coupons to go around and after all, I keep hearing about how sulfates are a bad thing and how they damage your hair. After a few weeks of use, I am in LOVE! While my hair was already healthy (I use a LOT of conditioner), I have noticed that my roots do not get greasy. I can go 2 days without washing my hair and it still looks super fresh at the end of day 2! I used to have to use a dry shampoo to get me to the 2 day mark, but not anymore! Also, I used to go for the products that are listed as smoothing or moisturizing, but I have changed my tune and decided that bigger hair it better. But that might be because I’m watching too much Jerseylicious…







2. CoverGirl Outlast Lipstain

via CoverGirl

This also is a recent addition to the lineup.  I have been very consistent for the last decade (literally!) with what lip product I use. My go to is Bonne Bell Lip Smacker in Pink Lemonade.

via Bonne Bell

Yes, you read that correctly. No, I am not still in the 5th grade. I realize most people think of tweens when Bonne Bell comes to mind, but I love the stuff. And until the last few months, I thought that was all that I needed. But then I decided that my lips needed more color, especially with all the drab winter weather central PA has been seeing lately. So I did a little research and tried many products from local drugstores. I probably tried 10 different lip glosses and lip sticks. But no matter the brand, formula, or color, I kept running back to good ol’ Bonne. Then one day the light bulb in my head turned on. Lipstain! This way I can have my cake and eat it too….aka, have color on my lips and still hang with my BFF Bonne!

I think I have finally chosen Sassy Mauve (420) as my color. Don’t let the online reviews fool you. It seems that people are trying to use this stain are more of a gloss (which it is not), so it is not getting high ratings. But I am in love.

Sassy + Bonne = a very happy Mrs. Moore

Best of all, a lot of drugstores will let you return beauty products that you have tried and are not satisfied with. And that makes it a lot less painful and frightening when trying to pick out a new product or color. Just be sure to read the return policy before hand and hold on to your receipt!



Do you have any new products that have made it into your daily line up?

For the peace of my household today...

...I feel that I must say (on Mr. Moore's behalf)....

Go Steelers!!

via http://www.steelermaniacs.com/

I’ve been holding out on you…

So remember back in May when I originally mentioned the to-do list that included painting and installing crown molding? Well, the painting in the living room and the second floor hallway has been done since the beginning of September and the crown molding in these areas has been installed for weeks.

All of the hard work took these areas from this:

to this:

and look how great the end caps look by the stairs!

Granted there are still some areas that need touched up,

but we are on our way! And when the weather warms back up, the kitchen will get a second coat and the half bath will be painted. Then it will be time for more crown molding and the second floor will be done! Woo hoo!!

Special thanks to Mr. Moore’s future brother-in-law who not only loaned us his miter saw to cut the molding, but also stuck around to help us install it!!

2011

I realize we are the better part of the way through January, but I thought that I would share what I am working toward this year.



Some people may call these resolutions, but I prefer to think of them as mindsets and goals:



1. Be happier, enjoy life more, stress less.


A few weeks in and I am doing pretty well. Sure, I have my bad moments/days. But all in all I am feeling much more upbeat.


2. Finish grad school.


My new semester just started this week and I am registered for my summer classes (two if them). So after these three classes, I only have one left to register for (hopefully it will be offered this fall!) and then I will be Mrs. Moore, MS!!!!!


3. Mix it up.


This is in terms of almost anything…try new things, challenge myself, wear the clothes that are lost in the back of my closet, etc.



I realize this is not very specific, but this is where I hope 2011 is going. And maybe by putting it out there, I will hold myself more accountable.