Just For Fun

So…what is the Monday Poll?

Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of five more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007). I love reading your answers, and it helps me get my week off to a good start.

1. What’s something you say a lot?

I’m 100% guilty of overusing the word “seriously,” both in print and in person, and when I’m mom-ing pretty hard, I also say, “Make good choices,” and, “Please use your listening ears,” a lot.

2. How tall are you?

I tower over my minions at a staunch 5 feet one inches.

Pretty sure I’m shrinking, too.

3. What are you marathoning right now?

Anne with an E on Netflix. When it first came out, I didn’t want anything to do with it because I have such fond memories of the Anne of Green Gables series from the ’80s, but I’m glad I gave it a chance. Even though it’s darker than the old series (it *really* spells out all the bad things), it still has a sweetness about it.

4. Which would you rather live without — mascara or eyeliner? (Side note: In this scenario, you have to choose one or the other. “Neither” is not an option!)

UGH, this is hard, man… I guess if I had to give one up, it would be eyeliner.

5. What makes you happy?

• Coffee with milk and honey first thing in the morning
• Light, melt-in-your mouth cakes and cupcakes
• Having a cat on my lap
• Feeling warm and safe in my house
• Clean floors

Just in case you haven’t seen a cat in a dress in a while…

Here ya go!

This little number belonged to Coywolf back in the day, but she graciously decided to share it with her kitty cat baby sister. 😂

It’s a holiday here in the U.S. today (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), and many people have the day off from work. Whatever you’re up to, I hope it’s going well.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I ended up sleeping in this morning and got a grand total of nine hours (!) of sleep, but honestly, I felt really sluggish when I got up, like I could have slept at least three hours more.

Interesting factoid, but did you know that oversleeping can make you feel even more tired? I had no idea!

P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.

1. What’s something you say a lot?
2. How tall are you?
3. What are you marathoning right now?
4. Which would you rather live without — mascara or eyeliner? (Side note: In this scenario, you have to choose one or the other. “Neither” is not an option!)
5. What makes you happy? 😊

Hello and happy Saturday, my friend! 🤗 Before we get goin’ and do this, I just want to say thank you for visiting me this morning. It’s still early, but I already have a list *this long* of things I’d like to do before the weekend ends. At the very top, paint my nails!

I NEED PAW PAINT. DESPERATELY. We have to have bare nails when we work at the bakery to eliminate the chance of nail polish getting into the food (makes sense, right?), and although I’m completely cool with naked nails, I miss having some color on my fingertips. I just feel more like “me” when my nails are painted, ya know?

I think it’s an Essie Angora Cardi day. 😁 It’s one of my go-tos.

While I go bring my nails back to life, here’s your weekly dose of surfing…

• #hashtag relatable. The founder of Kosas Cosmetics, Sheena Yaitanes says, “I’m not a bold glam girl, but I love makeup.”
• The residents of a remote island in Ireland ☘️ are searching for two people to manage a coffee shop. Who’s going with me?!
• IMPORTANT BREAKING NEWS: Britney Spears loves shopping at Target (but really, who doesn’t love shopping at Tar-ghay?).
• Brazilian photographer Angélica Dass travels the globe with her camera to capture every skin tone in Pantone.
• Under the right circumstances, your cat would eat your corpse, says science.
• Gucci Westman’s new $85 Lip Suede compact looks like a blush palette, but it’s for lips. The four ribbons of “Les Rouges” inside (fuchsia, dark red, classic red and a neutral rose) are vegan and made without silicones, parabens or phthalates.
• The beauty resale market — where previously used items like lipstick, skin makeup and perfumes are resold on platforms like Glambot, Poshmark and Ebay — is growing.

I love, love, LOVE this workout, and I’m not normally a Pilates person, but this workout is simultaneously challenging (I’m dripping in sweat by the end of it) and yet easy on ye olde joints. It’s great for days when you want to exercise but don’t feel like doing tons of jumping.

Try this sometime. I promise you’ll feel a little better about everything afterwards.

I’m all ears, Alexa Chung.

Trying this ASAP…although I think it’s gonna take me more than 5 minutes! LOL.

I hope the rest of your weekend is just as wonderful as you are! 😊

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

Thanks, gals, for recommending Dansko work clogs. I found a basic brown leather pair (nothing fancy) at DSW in their sale section on deeeeeeep discount — fifty bucks! They’re usually $109 at DSW and online, but for some reason this pair was the only pair I could find in the store at that price. Weird!

Anyway, I wasn’t sure about them at first because when I tried them on in the store, they looked a little high, the arch support felt almost uncomfortably stiff, and because the section that hugs the heel doesn’t come up as high as my tennis shoes do, I was afraid I’d fall out of them, but since they were over half off, I just went for it.

I’ve been wearing them for almost two weeks now, and my goodness, I love ’em! Every day my feet, back and my hips just feel better and better.

From the side, they look pretty high, but when you slip them on, they feel like flats. I was nervous about this at first, but I guess that substantial arch area is there for a reason, because my arches feel *extremely* secure and supported. I don’t feel like I’m being tipped forward like I do in heels.

The girls at the bakery recommended breaking them in for a few hours at a time, and then ramping up to a full day’s wear. They told me to bring my tennis shoes in and switch into them when my feet need a break, which I’ve been doing.

One last added bonus: The clogs are much easier to clean than mesh/fabric tennies. When flour or frosting ends up on my toes (which inevitably always happens), all I have to do is wipe it right off!

I can see why people who are on their feet all day long recommend these with such passion. They really do work!

My feet (and whole body, really) thank you again for suggesting them.

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

P.S. I saw this at work yesterday, and it cracked me up! Just in case you were looking for spare parts for your unicorn…

P.P.S.

OK, fam. Need your input on these *very pink*, very cat lady-esque frames by Kate Spade, which I tried on at Costco last weekend.

Normally, I’d be totally down for fun frames, especially fun pink ones, but I feel like going this bold would be a significant commitment, since there’s really nothing subtle about them AT ALL. If I get these, whenever I walk into a room, my glasses would walk in first. Know what I mean? (Does that make any sense at all?) Plus, what does one do when one’s outfits clash with their glasses? My last pair (also by Kate Spade) are neutral enough to go with most things, but these pink frames? Well…they aren’t neutral at all. LOL!

Let me know what you think. Too much? Or are they juuuuuust enough crazy cat lady?

By the way, in case you were unaware, trying on glasses at Costco is my definition of an exciting Friday night. #momlife

I also looked at air fryers (so exciting…), but I hesitated to pull the trigger because dang! — those things are big. I need to figure out how to squeeze one into my kitchen, which is already too crowded as it is. I’ve reached maximum gadget levels, and an air fryer would tip me into hoarder status.

I really want one, though, because everyone I know who has one raves about it.

One last Costco-related note: Get thee a loaf of cranberry walnut bread from the bakery ASAP.
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