Update - homemade cleaners

I frequently forget to follow up on how new things are going, because telling you that I'm still doing something is not nearly as interesting as just posting about something new.

BUT ... 

I'm still on board with the homemade kitchen cleaner and it's very easy. 

{lemon cleaner}

I'm mostly sticking with the lemon + basil variation. I've gotten in the habit of saving lemon peels, cleaning off the fruit right away and keeping them in a bag in the fridge. The higher your ratio of peels to vinegar, the better your cleaner will smell, unsurprisingly. I chop the peels up a bit before I pack them in a jar to maximize the contact. 

You can re-use the peels at least once. After a couple weeks, I'll pour off the steeped vinegar into my spray bottle and then just top off the peels with fresh vinegar and let it sit for another few weeks. Works great. I always have two jars going now.

How to decorate a baby shower for $20 ...

spray paint, 10 balloons, a handful of dinosaurs and tapping into those kindergarten paper mâché skills. Done.

{dessert table}

{dino dessert!}

{letters, deployed}

{baby shower}

Okay, so this was not the most elaborately decorated Pinterest-y baby shower ever, but it was one of the most fun, laid back baby showers I've ever been to (co-ed party with pizza and pasta, minimum of fuss, and no one asked me to taste any baby food). Our friends wanted it simple but I begged for permission for a few (very minimal) decorations just to make it festive. The mom to be is one of the thriftiest ladies I know, so in that spirit I tried to keep the cost low and not go overboard.

I spent $10 on dinosaurs. The little ones came from Party City but I had to track down the larger ones at the dollar store. I have a shoebox full of spray paint, so I didn't have to purchase any. I primed them before painting them a couple different shades of green (Montana has the best spray paint colors).

{stegosaurus}

{the herd}

{greens}

$8 on balloons - they really do help let people know where the party is happening, so they're not just decorative.

$2 on dessert plates that matched the general color scheme.

The letters were a collaborative labor of love and halfway through I decided we were totally insane but persevered because I still can't come to terms with sunk costs. And I do love how they turned out. D printed out large letters on paper and used them as templates to cut out our letters (twice as many as we needed, so we'd have front and back). Then he made them three dimensional by sandwiching cardboard spacers between the front and the back. THEN I started the painstaking process of dipping colored tissue paper in watered down glue and draping it over the forms. I think I ended up having to do 5 - 6 layers (and let it dry completely between each) and it was layers 3 - 6 that had me really questioning our sanity. Unless you have hours of spare time (the commodity we were lacking), I'd recommend purchasing letters like these and maybe just spray painting them. I am SO GRATEFUL that we decided not to try to add "welcome" like we originally intended.

{letter crafting}

{paper mâché in progress}

Emily very kindly stepped in to help tutor me on the sugar cookies, because the last time I attempted decorating with royal frosting turned out so badly (although delicious-ly) that I never shared them here. Partially because I was embarrassed by my lack of skills and partially because they were for a bachelorette party and therefore mildly inappropriate. My current favorite sugar cookie recipe is this one, because it has cream cheese in it and is most similar to the one we used growing up.

{sugar cookies}

Our friends picked up catering, a few of us brought desserts (those chocolate and peanut butter rice krispy treats were so amazing that I'm still thinking about them) and there were plenty of drinks. Everyone hung out and talked for hours. The perfect way to celebrate the imminent arrival of a new addition.

I wish I'd had a tiny bit of extra time because I'd have added cute kids books and very simple, small flower arrangements to scatter around. But, you know, life happens. And we all survived.

Lately

It has been a rough month. My mom got very sick and we had to scramble to find alternate accommodations for Dave, since she's his full time caregiver. It's emotional and difficult and there aren't a lot of solutions and it happened to come during a month when I'm also slammed at work. So I've been overextended and weepy and angry and despairing by turns. It's not the best place to be. But we're getting through it, and my mom is gradually recovering and we're figuring out where to go from here.

And in the meantime, we've found snippets of time for things that are pretty great. Like baby showers with dinosaurs and mastering homemade pizza and a few lengthy dinners with friends. Because those things become even more important when life is really difficult.

{painted}

{pizza dough}

{resting dough}

{onions for caramelizing}

{wedding napkins}

This also means I have a small backlog of things I've been wanting to share with you that I'm hoping to get to very soon. So, more posts, hopefully?

The weekend (and beyond), briefly

We've been dogsitting Circe for the last ten days which makes us a little housebound.

{circe on the computer}

{comfort reading + cheese}

{circe}

{sunday waffles}

{sunday work}

Yesterday we finally returned her and my heart broke in half. Circe has a perfectly good home with my parents but I know it would be easier for them if we could keep her all the time (she is "difficult" with most other dogs and recently decided that she can't tolerate their Irish terrier so they have to keep them separated at all times - dog juggling!) and when she burrows her little face in my leg at night I'd do anything for her. Even seriously consider moving out of our rent controlled, no pets allowed apartment just when the rental market is getting miserably competitive again. For now, we'll all have to survive on visits.

But I mean, really. When I walk out into the living room and find this, what am I supposed to do? You'd start looking at dog friendly listings too, right?

{crafting companions, joined at the hip}

Reading, lately

Another unedited round up of everything I've read since the last one.

* Note - this post contains affiliate links. Please see my policy on those links in the sidebar. *

Pym ++
With recommendations from Lauren and Lily, I really couldn't go wrong. This book is bizarre and hilarious, with a Thomas Kinkade subplot that nearly killed me (and probably my marriage, when I tried to explain it to D during a long car ride). DO IT.

Life After Life ++
Already told you about this one. Loved it.

Beautiful Ruins +
Absorbing story and I always love Hollywood madness plots. I don't like to reduce anything to a vacation read, but this would be really good for vacation. Very readable.

No Country for Old Men++
I finally got around to reading this one. I love the voices in this novel and there really isn't any point in giving you a plot summary. It's a Western thriller. If you love guts, guns and terse conversations (why is McCarthy opposed to apostrophes??) you'll love it.

White Teeth ++
I clearly remember starting this book several years ago (I think it was 2006) and feeling terrible that I couldn't get into it. It got so much critical acclaim! I wondered if I was a failed literature student. I put it in my cart last month as penance, swearing that I would slog through it this time no matter what. I girded my loins and was shocked to discover that it's hilarious? I have no idea what was going on in 2006, but it clearly wasn't my year for this book. One of the (many) passages that sucked me in:  "As Merlin was later to reflect when describing the incident, at any time of the day corduroy is a highly stressful fabric. Rent collectors wear it. Tax collectors, too. History teachers add leather elbow patches. To be confronted with a mass of it, at nine A.M., on the first day of a New Year, is an apparition lethal in its sheer quantity of negative vibes." The novel examines the ties of friendship and family spanning two generations. It's sad, funny and surprising. If you love dry humor, you'll love this. If you don't like it immediately, please stop and try again in 7 years.

The Financial Lives of the Poets +
Same author as Beautiful Ruins, similar sort of book (note - not a similar plot, just a similar quick read with a different crazy plot). A journalist turned poet turns drug dealer. Set amid the financial collapse of 2008.

Too Much Happiness ++
Short stories hold a special place in my heart and I usually like to save them for times when I'll be able to sit down and devour them whole. There's something so immersive about a short story and it feels wrong to stop in the middle. These are excellent little snippets of lives. Several of them are eerie, verging on creepy, all of them are captivating. I'd like to re-read these again even more slowly.

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter ++
You know how some novels take a while to warm up? I just fell right into this one and barely wanted to look up. It feels like something you would have read in English class (and possibly many people did) and I mean that in the best way possible. I love good writing, layered symbolism and a great sense of place/time. When I finished it I was terribly sad that my AP English teacher wasn't around to lead a discussion on the meaning of everyone's names. Most solid book I've read all summer.

Days Between Stations +
This one is hard to describe. A dreamy, amnesiac story that drifts between times and countries and characters. It has more than a touch of magical realism, in a North American interpretation of the genre. There is a lot going on, and by the time I got to the end I'd almost forgotten where I'd come from. There is: a boy raised in a hidden room in a Parisian brothel, a Los Angeles ravaged by sandstorms and covered in dunes, an eerie bicycle race in a darkened Venice where the riders suddenly disappear. And those are just a few highlights. I think this one will need a re-read.

And the mysteries ...

Another Thing to Fall
The Tess Monaghan series isn't one of my standbys but they're enjoyable. I prefer Lipman's non-series books.

He Who Fears the Wolf
Another Sejer mystery. I think I'm converted. Even though I have a really hard time telling the two main inspectors apart because Sejer and Skarre sound so similar to me (I know they aren't - what is my deal?).

The Darling Dahlias and the Cucumber Tree
I'd call this a traditional cozy mystery but set in the South. Similar to the Tea Shop mysteries which I'm embarrassed to admit I love.

Not in the Flesh  and Murder Being Once Done 
I was so excited that I liked that other Ruth Rendell that I checked out two more. And they were both flops for me. Maybe this just isn't my author? Or I specifically don't like the Inspector Wexford series?

Sister
If you're looking for a summer thriller, I'll recommend this one. A sister investigating her sister's apparent suicide. I was going to criticize the narration tactic (I got a little bogged down initially) but the plot is twisty and tense enough that I'll forgive it. If you enjoy complicated family relationships and fairly unbelievable medical testing drama, this will be your bag.

No re-reads in this latest batch! I managed to keep my Kindle stocked pretty well this summer. Of course now I'm totally dry and need to re-load. I'm still hoping I'm going to manage to fit in a couple of days in Palm Springs where I'll do nothing but read. I can dream, right?

The weekend, briefly

I feel like I spent most of this weekend in the kitchen and it shows. (Although I did go to LACMA on Friday evening for a second viewing of the James Turrell exhibit. I can't get enough. I'm scheduled for the perceptual cell in October. Eeek!)

{grid}

{saturday pancakes}

{prepping}

{layers, successfully removed}

{soft balling it}

{fudge frosting}

{a warm place in the sun}

{evening pizza}

{the cake}

We had D's brother over for the weekend and teenage boys mean CARBS (and mild attempts at art enlightenment, hence the LACMA expedition). Pancakes in the morning, pizza the entire rest of the day, everyday. I think I've finally mastered Nancy Silverton's pizza dough recipe and we're all benefiting. Except maybe my pants. Luckily they can't talk.

I was running low on yeast and desperate not to go to the store, so I coaxed the dough into rising by finding the sunniest spot I could, hence the mixing bowl precariously perched in the herb garden. It worked!

THE CAKE was surprisingly docile this year. Layers popped out effortlessly, the infamous fudge frosting came together with nary a complaint. I shouldn't have been surprised when everything else went pear shaped on Sunday and we were hit with a few family crises. Universe, you are a cruel mistress. But at least we had impeccable fudge frosting. That does help cushion the blows a bit.

Over the counter

Part of having a budget is that it's harder to indulge in my usual makeup. I don't wear a lot of makeup, but I'm almost never barefaced either. Lately I've been exploring a few lower price point options and avoiding Sephora like the plague because I can't go in there without dropping a quarter of my monthly allowance.

Currently loving ...

{recent faves}

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream: I stumbled on this one on accident, looking for something else. Very moisturizing (I have very dry skin), has SPF. It provides pretty light coverage but sort of evens things out. Feels just like a moisturizer and takes the place of one.

L'Oreal Voluminous Power Volume 24 Hour Mascara: I like my mascara intense and this one is. The reviews are mixed and some people have trouble with smearing (maybe in humid climates?). I haven't had any trouble with it except for a few times when I went kickboxing after work and sweat like a crazy person. I'm not sure anything would have held up to that. This mascara was clumpy straight out of the tube, which I find to be an issue in general. For the first several days I wipe the mascara wand anytime I get new mascara. Miss B, my mascara partner in crime and my most trusted source of beauty recommendations, originally introduced me to the L'Oreal Voluminous line a few years ago and I haven't paid $30 for mascara since.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain, in Sweetheart: I bought this because I liked the idea of a giant lip crayon and I almost returned it within 10 minutes of buying it. I put it on and it looked hot pink, like the 80's had been resurrected on my face. Try as I might, I've never been able to get that color to work for me. Turns out I was applying it a bit too heavily. Now I outline my lips with it and then smudge it inwards and I love it. If you want bright color, apply it all over your lips. I don't find it to be moisturizing, but it doesn't dry my lips out either. The lasting power is decent. I reapply a couple of times a day. I'm tempted to get a few more colors but I'm not saving any money if I buy three $10 products instead of one $30 one, right?

What drives me nuts about drugstore make up is the uncertainty. They usually don't have testers so you're going on blind faith. I'm now careful about only buying from CVS when I want to try something because they have a great return policy (I think other drugstores are similar but I haven't checked). Do not buy from Target if you aren't sure you want to keep it!

I also have the e.l.f. HD blush on order (thanks for the rec, P!) because I couldn't find it in stores. Super excited to see how it works, given the rave reviews.