Right vs Left...Left vs Right

The latest Mercedes ad. Wonderful. Great. Perfect. Except one thing...

I am truly middle brain. Is that even a term? I am the left brain and the right brain. A creative scientist. A passionate, free spirited mathematician. I love the familiar and unfamiliar. I categorize. I am accurate and love the sound of roaring laughter. Analytical and strategic. I am practical and love sand beneath my feet. Always in control yet never in control. I am movement, and a master of words and language. Vivid colors and realistic. I calculate equations and play with numbers. I have the urge to paint on an empty canvas. I am order with boundless imagination. I sense and feel. I know exactly who I am and have no clue who I am. I am everything I wanted to be and don't know what to be...

i love my music loud...what about you?
Rachel :)

kudos to Elements of Style and The Entertaining House for great posts!

35.09

I read a very scary article a few weeks ago that said for women, the aging process accelerates at age 35.09-that's 35 and 33 days.  Since I will be hitting the big 3-5 in April, I was understandably shaken.  I've told J that I will be getting botox BEFORE my birthday in order to be proactive.  I have followed an anti-aging beauty regimen since I was 25.  I used to be a beauty junkie-I would try ANYTHING that was the newest on the market and then ditch it after a week with no visible effects.  I bet that I spent thousands of dollars trying to find the perfect storm of products.  The way I found my perfect storm is kind of funny.  The private jeweler who J purchased my engagement ring from put a gift certificate to Seraphim Skin Care in the bag with the ring.  When we got engaged I couldn't wait to use that sucker.  I ended up meeting my Astro Twin, Lil Cobbs, who is the owner, and finding the Fountain of Youth!  Lil and I say we are Astro Twins because we share the same birthdate, just 22 years apart. 

I wouldn't even bother writing this blog if I looked like her!

In the nearly 10 years I've known Lil, her tiny little shop has grown by leaps and bounds.  She has her own brand of products that you can buy on her website or at many dermatologist's and plastic surgeon's offices across the country.  She's not paying me for the blog, I promise.  I just really believe in her products because I've seen the dramatic change in my skin...over a decade! 

Without further ado (and more off topic jabber) I present the Perfect Anti-Aging Regimen for My Particular Skin.  Hey, it may work for you, too!

St. Ives Green Tea Cleanser

     I've been using this for about a year.  It's $5.00 and you can get it at Bed
     Bath, and Beyond. I don't know about you, but I get a 20% off coupon in
     the mail from them at least once a week!

Peel and Bleach-Seraphim Skin Care

This is the product that I get from Lil.  It's a combination of Retin-A and hydroquinone, which gets rid of hyperpigmentation (a.k.a yucky dark spots on your face).  I've used it for almost 10 years now.

Hydrating Cream Concentrate

Again, from Lil.  I've used this for nearly a decade, too.  I've tried to find something cheaper that I like as much but truly, nothing compares.  I can't explain how wonderful it feels on my face.

Lancome Eye Cream

I can't claim to have been using this very long-it's only been 10 days.  I do know one thing, though...no matter what I eat, I don't wake up with puffy eyes!  I am positive it's this cream because 11 days ago I was puffy!  I will update you when I run out, but all in all, I think Lancome makes a pretty quality product across the board.


And last, but certainly not least!

                                                                           Aquaphor!!!!

I use this on everything from my toddler's heiney to my lips.  I do buy separate tubes, though. 

There you have it. That's the base of what it takes to be me everyday (along with a small glass of Trader Joe's chardonnay!)

xoxo

Marlene

Technicalities

In my previous blog, I mentioned some lamps I was stalking at JC Penney. Well, they were absolutely meant to be mine!!!  Yesterday, Rachel got an email from JC Penney about how much they missed her (there's the main difference between us-they don't know I'm alive) and offered her free shipping on her next order! I ordered them today.  The best part is that they were originally $80.00 each and were reduced to $32.00.  When I checked out, the order confirmation said, "you saved $96.00".  Add that to the $20 Rachel saved me on shipping and I saved a whopping $116.00!!!! 

Here is the lamp:

JC Penney genie lamp

I want to get grey grosgrain ribbon and put it around the bottom of the shade.

Giving credit where credit is due, I saw this on Copy Cat Chic.  Boy, do I owe her!  I was on the verge of buying the ones at Ballard designs for $179 EACH!   

Technically, lamps are accessories, right?

xoxo,

Marlene





A Touch of Color

The best decision we've made recently is turning Mr. T's former office into a den for the kids. The latest addition I've put in there are lamps, with a touch of color to make the room a little more lively. Some of my insiration lamps included:

Bloom Table Lamp from Crate and Barrell $169...looking for a little more texture

Italian Blue and Gold Pottery Lamp from Bellacor $237.95...too pricey



Red Pottery Lamp from Bellacor $237.95...pricey but getting close



I struggle with color and tend to make neutral purchases, but I couldn't pass up the shape, texture and style of these lamps. The burlap shade made them even more lovable. 

just right

Under $50 they were another great TJ Max find! Have a colorful day!

Rachel :)

So completely torn...

Every once in a while I get distracted from jewelry, clothing and shoes.  Not often, but it does happen.  Every time I have checked my email for the last week Rachel has sent me another fabulous blog about decorating. She so embarrasingly helpfully told you about my blog-crush on House*Tweaking. I've totally gotten sucked in and now have new plans for my entire home.  I'm going from comfortable/casual/farmhouse(y) to modern casual(ish).  Can you tell I have decor commitment issues? 

Anyway, I need to distract myself. If Rachel and I both blogged about organizing and house stuff, we would have to change the name of this blog.  Or who knows, maybe you all just put up with me and take one for the team to have access to Rachel's creativity. 

I digress...Every March and August there is a huge jewelry show in town.  I LOVE it!  They are very strict about who can get in-you have to have a W2 or 1099 showing you are an employee of a jewelry store and a business card.  Sometimes I leave very frustrated because a lot of these companies have ordering minimums and you can't just go in and buy everything you see.  That being said, I've never left empty handed. The difference now is that I'm surrounded by amazing quality diamonds and jewelry everyday.  The stuff that once looked intriguing at the show now looks like junk.  Lucky for me, this year's show coincided with J winning money at the casino-he actually handed me money and said go have fun (Love ya, babe!)!  Here is what I bought:

It's a sapphire bead bracelet with a diamond disc from Meira T. Designs

Remember the diamond bar bracelet? I had one made!  It kept spinning around my wrist so I had one of our jewelers string it with moonstone beads.  Here is a fuzzy picture of what it looks like with my new bracelet!

I also bought some tiny moonstone beads the same size as the sapphire ones and will have it re-strung with those!   Considering the 9+ blue dresses waiting in my closet for Spring, I think this will be perfect! 

Whew...now that I've been true to myself, I'm off to go stalk these lamps that are on clearance at JC Penney! 

XOXO,

Marlene

Pass the bib...

I clearly need one because I am drooling...when you have 5 minutes...or 50...head over to my latest blog crush Copy Cat Chic. Reichel is a design genius when it comes to saving money. I could spend hours on her site looking at all her comparisons. One of my favorite things to do is take a look and get it for less...much less!

In toast to her style, I have been fawning over these Seagrass Dining Chairs from Pottery Barn. Instead, I might head on over to World Market to check out their Elana Banana Leaf Dining Chair and to save $$$!

Pottery Barn $159 per chair plus shipping



World Market $239 for a set of 2 and no shipping...it's around the corner!

or maybe I'll stop by the Malia Woven Chairs at World Market and check those out. They are even a better deal at $199 for a set of 2!




Happy happy Monday!

Rachel :)

Kale Chips

A few weeks ago Marlene made kale chips for her family one night. Disastrous. Apparently no one in the family liked them. At all. Days after that, our crush, Dana from House Tweaking, made them for her family and...they were a hit! I decided to jump on the kale bandwagon and make them for Mr. T and the Smurfs. It's as easy as this:

fresh kale

 

cut the stems off



wash and dry; tear into small pieces

drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt

bake at 300* for 20-30 minutes or until edges start to brown

Smurfette and Mr. T thought they were pretty ok...it's a vegetable chip after all. Brainy Smurf thought they were better than green bean chips, he is still not a fan of anything green, so I also made some homemade goodness...a.k.a. macaroni and cheese...to go along with it.

Brainy Smurf's favorite

We had kale chips twice this week and will be having them again! Kale is the latest and greatest super food. You can read all about it here.

Go green!

Rachel :)