Random Topics Friday

As you will shortly see - none of these topics have any correlation at all other than the fact that they've been swirling around in my head on a regular enough basis that I needed to get them out; this also proves that life in the Gigi household has been very, very quiet lately.

I have found new eyeshadow sticks and I am in love.  I present to you the L'Oreal Le Shadow Stick.  So far, I've only spotted them at Walgreens (on an endcap; not with the regular L'Oreal products...yet).  I think there are about seven different colors; I currently own four....Magnetic Bronze, Magnetic Mauve, Alluring Rose and Brown Abyss.

The color sticks make it easy to swipe on a quick bit of color...or if you are feeling fancy, you can mix and match (I've found that the colors I own all mix and match wonderfully).  They can easily be blended with a finger or a brush.  They don't seem to crease or fade much.  Since discovering these I've been wearing eyeshadow much more frequently lately as it just seems to fussy to be messing about with regular shadow.

As a side note; if you should happen to trip over a rocker (that has been in place for at least seven years, by the way) in the dark on your back porch; mangle your glasses and give yourself a colorful bruise on your eyelid...Magnetic Mauve will definitely hide said bruise easily.  *sigh* Apparently, I am never going to be a graceful gazelle.  Luckily, the glasses have been fixed and the bruises have healed.  Although, where these other bruises came from is anyone's guess.

We are having an issue at work with a certain Bossy Boots lately.  Said Bossy Boots seems to think that she is in charge of several of us because of the position her boss holds.  Keep in mind Miss BB has only been with the company for about two years (and in that time has turned off quite a few people from what I hear) while those of us that she seems intent on bossing about probably has a total of 60 (or more) years between us  And she is too foolish to realize that she is stepping on some toes that she probably shouldn't be stepping on (and burning bridges that could be very useful to her at some point).  A few of us have been talking and we all agree, we have to approach this topic very carefully.  Because in addition to being a Bossy Boots; we have all concluded that she is a whiner in the first degree and if we aren't diplomatic enough, we can see her running to her boss crying that we aren't letting her play with us.

*Sigh*  I despise these kinds of games in the work place.  We are here to work; mind your own damn business, stay out of mine and let me do my job.  I do not have the time nor patience to deal with her nonsense.  So far, for the most part, she leaves me alone (maybe she senses my "vibe") but I keep hearing how she insists on inserting herself into other people's business as if she knows best and trying to force a relationship (i.e., "If we do this the way I suggested; we could go to lunch first!" kind of thing) where one is not wanted or needed.  Needless to say, most of us avoid her at all costs, because who needs that drama in their work life?  Work is stressful enough, thank you very much.

The Husband, the dear.  Has been showing his needy side lately.  The other day, he came home and eventually came to find me saying, "I expected that you would come out an greet me at least."  After this happened for the second time, I now find myself flying out of my office when I hear him come through the door, shouting something nonsensical like "GREETINGS, MY FELLOW HUMAN! (Loverboy, etc. *drop whatever nonsense you want here*)"  After about three days of this, he made a comment about how I'm a little frightening.  I informed him that he requested this nonsense.  And so I expect that will continue for the foreseeable future; until I forget and he makes the request again (and he will; oh, I know he will).

And while we are on the subject of The Husband...*sigh* I love him but he makes me crazy.  Somehow, he jacked up our printer - do not ask me how, I do not know; all I know is I was unable to fix it.  And he was insistent we needed a new one RIGHT then because he wanted to print (I kid you not) a receipt for something he ordered ship to store because he REFUSES to put his email on his phone and he was afraid they wouldn't release said item to him without a physical copy of the receipt.  This is a man that is never going to accept a paperless society, that I can tell you.  So now we are the proud owners of a brand new printer - if that doesn't tell you just how exciting life is over here; nothing will.

Book Review: The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes

I really enjoyed this book.  Although, I admit I am a sucker for a story about strong women and friendship.

This is a fictional account about the true story of America's traveling library in a small Kentucky town during the Depression.

These women are brought together to help create a library in their small town and outlaying areas.  They are tasked with bringing the books to their patrons via horseback and in doing so, create a strong bond between very different women with various backgrounds.

These heroic women refuse to be cowed by the overbearing men and the stifling conventions of their small town life.

The fact that there were once traveling libraries - delivered on horseback is fascinating to me.  And this story also shows the importance that libraries still have in our lives today - keepers of information, facts and, of course, fiction.  Our libraries have so very much to offer our communities today and, even more so back then.

This book is filled with drama, loyalty, justice, humanity and passion.

I would definitely recommend it.

Thoughts While Making the Bed

I don't know about you, but I find the most random thoughts pop into my brain as I'm doing the most mundane of chores.

It's Sunday and this is the day that I usually change the sheets.  And let me tell you changing the sheets in this house is a workout!

Like I literally have to sit for a minute afterward and drink some water to revive myself.

Today, as I was stretching the top sheet over the bed I remembered an article I read years and years ago that advised putting your top sheet print (or facing side) down.  Instead of right side up.  The reasoning behind this advice was so that if you turn your sheets/blankets down at the top when you make your bed, the "pretty" side would be showing.

Now, we don't turn our sheets/blankets down when making the bed so this advice was useless to me; so I have the pretty side face up (which, to be honest, doesn't really matter since our sheets are plain white).

Then as I was putting the pillowcases on, I remembered another article I read years ago (apparently, I'm drawn to articles about bed making for some reason) that had a "hack" (we just called them "tips" back in the day) for putting on pillowcases.  Now this "hack" has become a staple when I'm making the bed these days.

When my mother taught me how to make a bed, she would just slide and shake the pillows into the pillowcases.  And this works fine for those flatter, less fluffy pillows.  But for fluffier pillows like my down pillow it doesn't work.  So this "hack" has you turn the pillow case inside out, put your arms inside the pillowcase and grab the end of the pillow and work your way up turning the pillowcase right side out as you cover the pillow.

I have now written the word "pillow" so many times it looks misspelled.

As I recall, both articles (and my mother) insisted that the bed should be made every day.  And this is a practice we utilize here - although, honestly, my husband usually makes the bed (unless it's sheet changing day).  Does he do it exactly the way I would do it? No.  Do I care?  No.  I'm just glad he learned that the seam of the decorative pillow sham shouldn't be facing out.

So that's my random thoughts of the day that I thought I'd share.

What about you?  Do you put the top sheet on right side down?  Do you turn back the top sheet when making the bed?  And more importantly, do you make your bed every day?

Living Life on Repeat

 This seems to be the running theme through my life for the past few days.

Example:  The last two books I've read?  Turns out I've already read both of them.  But didn't quite realize it until I hit key passages in both books - and then there was that AHA moment.  Throughout the majority of both books I felt something familiar but it didn't click until I hit those passages.

Apparently, I have a "type" when it comes to book and it shows when I check out what I assume are "new to me" books.

I just don't have it in me to track what I read and then consult the list before I procure something new.  I've tried and it's just not in me to do that.

So, I guess what I'm saying is I am doomed to re-read the same random books over and over again.

If you are curious I've just back to back re-read:

The Favorite Daughter by Kaira Sturdivant Rouda and Home Before Dark by Riley Sager.

They were both excellent...both times around.

I also realized last night that the current show I am watching on Netflix is...you guessed it - something I've already seen before.

*smacks forehead*

So, it's obviously apparent.  I need suggestions that will get me out of this life being lived on repeat.

Any book/show/movie recommendations that I need to know about?

Book Review: The Only One Left by Riley Sager

 Looking for a good Gothic-type thriller?  One that will have you glued to the story as you rip through the pages?

Then this is a book for you.

Someone, some where on the internet mentioned it (sorry, no clue - if it was you, yell out) and I immediately put it on hold with the library.  And, I kid you not, less than a day later my daughter-in-law texted a recommendation that I might like what Riley Sager had to offer.  I knew I liked her - this book was right up my ally!

The Only One Left is about a young caregiver assigned to care for a woman who was accused of killing her family decades ago.

The school yard chant that haunted her memories as she pulled up to the house to take up her new duties:

At seventeen Lenora Hope

Hung her sister with a rope

Stabbed her father with a knife

Took her mother's happy life

It wasn't me, Lenora said

But she's the only one not dead.

God, children can be morbid; can't they?  Despite the fact that her patient can't walk, talk or use more than her left hand; the caregiver is wary about her new patient.  Wouldn't you be after growing up with that chant?

I will say there were several twists in this one that I didn't see coming (and one, I kind of did) - and all in all was an enjoyable read.

Lemon Layer Cake w/Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream and Lemon Curd

 I hope all who celebrate had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend.  I spent the majority of my weekend channeling my inner Suzanne (as we all know of her love of lemony desserts) as I set about making homemade lemon curd and a lemon layer cake for the festivities.

As the very bad blogger that I am, I neglected to take a picture of the finished cake; but from all accounts it was a resounding success despite the fact that I think I overdid it on the lemon curd; or as my husband tells me, I am my own worst critic.  I put the curd between the layers - which I think, after the fact, would have been more than enough.  But no, I had to be EXTRA and put some on top of the cake as well.  To me, that was overkill.  But the icing was SPOT ON.

I used this recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction; and you will note; there isn't one mention of lemon curd anywhere in that recipe.  That is where I channeled my inner Nicole by playing it easy and breezy in the kitchen - something I rarely, if ever, do.  I can also confirm that my cake did not look nearly as pretty as the one on Sally's website.  For the life of me, I cannot decorate a cake; even after taking a cake decorating class one hundred years ago.  

Then there was the question of what to do with all the leftover lemon curd?  I wanted something fairly simple that didn't involve rolling out dough and spending a lot of time.

Sally to the rescue again (honestly, I think everything I've ever made from that website has always turned out so well; if not as pretty as hers).  Although, the majority of time spent on this recipe was waiting for the dough to chill.  Today I made these Lemon Thumbprints Cookies.  Folks, I think I may have found a cookie that will knock S's favorite spritz cookies from the top of the list; right after I think I've  FINALLY mastered the wicked cookie press. Personally, I think I prefer these cookies without the icing but I will let him be the judge.

And, as you can see...I'm not lying - my drizzling skills are so very amateur.

Despite the poor drizzling technique;
these  are VERY tasty.

Let's Talk About My Closet

This topic has been whirring around in the back of my brain for a while; so today we are going to tackle it.

I don't know about you; but my closet has been divided into two main sections since elementary school.  There was "school/work" clothes and "play/weekend" clothes. And it has continued in this pattern up until a few years ago.

A couple of years before the pandemic, our company went "casual."  Up until then I had always worked in a "business" environment; so when we switched, I was at a loss.  I couldn't wear my "business" attire because, I was told, it made me look like I wasn't a "team" player.  But clearly my "play" clothes weren't office appropriate, in my mind.

Now, according to some other co-workers clearly they were.  Enter leggings, sneakers, baseball caps and hoodies.  Not on my watch; or more accurately; not for me; not in the office

So I struggled along trying to figure out what I needed to be wearing - and not being very happy with my wardrobe.

And then the pandemic hit - and all of a sudden, the only thing I was wearing were my "play" clothes and still not feeling very happy about it.

I had way more fun in my closet when I knew the "rules" about dressing for corporate life.  I knew what was acceptable and appropriate and had fun putting together outfits.

But now?  I was in a gray area and didn't know the rules and wasn't having any fun with my clothes.

Then I stumbled across @stylethieffashion on Instagram. And she kept telling me/us to dress in a way that we wanted to; that made us happy.  To be the MOST dressed up woman in Target on any given Saturday if that's what we wanted.

And I slowly started to curate my closet to not be divided; but to be filled with things that I like and want to wear - be it school/work and/or play clothes any day of the week.

Which may be why most of you who follow me on Instagram must have been shocked when I posted a rare photo yesterday - truth be told, I won't even tell you how long it took me to figure out how to actually post a photo; with the hashtag #ilikemyoutfit.

I DO like this outfit - not my hair so much; for some reason it
is being obstinate in this photo

Erin started that hashtag with the caveat that you dress for you and you don't need to explain your choices.

That outfit is something that past me would have deemed far to dressy for play clothes but far too casual for work clothes.  But today me is asking WHY can't I wear that for both?  I can and I will.

And I am slowly beginning to have fun playing with the clothes in my closet again.  And I like it.

What about you?  Is your closet as divided as mine was? Do you have fun playing with your clothes?  Why not?

A Peek Around the Yard

Considering that today is COLD and rainy, it's a good thing I decided to tackle that one lone spot of juniper at the corner of the house yesterday while it was sunny, warm and perfect for playing in the dirt.  I had determined that it shall be gone before fall so that I can plant the tulip bulbs that I neglected to plant last year and transplant some languishing irises in it's place.  With maybe some beautiful phlox to brighten up that corner after the irises and tulips wane.

I'd been slowly chipping away at this corner for some time; a little bit here and there, but yesterday, I was able to rid the corner of the last of the juniper!

Yay!  One less patch of an eyesore/juniper.
Two more to go.

Evidence - or what made The Husband think upon returning home, "She said it had to go and here is the evidence that it is!"

And then I took a quick tour of the yard to see what was what.

The Knockout Roses were working their magic.

The pink irises were shining.  I imagine the yellow aren't too far behind.  Why the pink ones bloom first is beyond my comprehension, since I have seen them flourishing in other yards already, but in our yard they have to wait their turn apparently.

The hostas are spreading their leaves.

And the stargazer lilies are looking to be spectacular this year; look how tall already!

The hydrangeas have me perplexed.  The youngest already has blooms preparing to sprout while the older one does not.

Baby Hydrangea

Mature Hydrangea - minus the blooms it should have

My faves, the peonies, are chock full of buds ready to burst into beauty.  It's official; Peony Watch 2024 is ON!

Ssh - this one's my favorite!

Not as spectacular as the other but still pretty
outstanding in her own right.

I'm still pondering ripping out the daylilies and think I have finally decided to replace them with Encore Azaleas, to give me color throughout the entire summer season.

"Peanut Grigio"

 We held our Spring cul-de-sac party last night.  And, although, no moonshine mysteriously appeared on my kitchen counter this time; I heard a good time was had by all.

I say "heard" because I had to sit this one out because I had some kind of bug and didn't want to contaminate anyone.

The third one since January.  Considering I haven't been sick since December 2019, you can imagine this makes me a little salty...or more truthfully, a LOT salty - since people seem to think that it is perfectly okay to come to work sick on the "required" in office days (gives certain co-workers the side eye).  Hmmmph, have we learned nothing over the past few years?!  Some of us have apparently not.

When The Husband departed for said party, I told him he had ONE mission - to find out just who the Mominski's were (they popped up in the pre-party group texts and none of us knew who they were; so there was much speculation).

At any rate, at one point during the festivities, The Husband hauled himself up our very steep driveway to use the facilities.  Right around that time I wandered into the kitchen looking for the Nyquil and found him pouring some wine into a freshly washed peanut butter jar waiting to be recycled.

I looked at him and asked what he was doing. I mean, who WOULDN'T be curious at this sight?

Apparently, he'd forgotten his cup when he came up the driveway and needed a refill and didn't want to go back down to get it and come back up (I don't blame him - but I think I would have just found another cup/glass - I guess he gets points for ingenuity?).  I laughed and told him to enjoy his "peanut grigio" and the party.

We were still laughing about it this morning as he recounted the goings on from last night.  Oh, and it turns out the Mominski's are an across the cul-de-sac neighbor - we'd just never known their last name.  Seems like we learn a little more about each other at every party...whether one attends or not.

Sunday Meanderings

Well, it's been a minute hasn't it?  Which means a long, meandering ramble...

As I type this, The Husband started what he called an "easy" task; installing an updated outlet with USB ports (because, oh my God!  EVERYTHING has a USB cord these days).  As you might surmise, it's not going as easily as he thought it would.

As an example, I literally heard him just say "And THAT's why I'm not a fucking electrician!"

But what really made me laugh earlier is what he said to himself as I walked by while he was Googling something to confirm he was on the right track.

"Wow, that's a nice stripper!  I need to get me one of those."

When I pointed out that wasn't something a wife wanted to hear, he re-played what he said in his head and laughed out loud, clarified, and agreed that wasn't something a wife would want to hear.

He, of course, was talking about a wire stripper - not a stripper stripper.  Or so he says... ;-)

Other than this little domestic vignette; not much else is going on around here.

***

I have been window shopping a lot lately; as I cleaned out my closet last month and I now have more empty hangers than I do actual clothes.

Does it still count as "window shopping" if you are browsing online?  I suppose it does as your computer screen can be considered a "window" of sorts.

Are any of you following @stylethieffashion on Instagram?  She did a deep dive last week on jeans.  Sizing, silhouettes, styling, etc.  It led me on a hunt for jeans with a 25 inch inseam.  In all my years of walking this earth, the shortest inseam I've ever found is a 28 inch.  And at this point in my life figured that was the best I was ever going to get without having them tailored.  And as I generally wear super skinny jeans, at least the hem would bunch up around my ankles and not drag the floor.

But, I sourced a pair of "skinny" jeans from Loft that has a 25 inch inseam and they are winging their way to me as I type.  We shall see how this pans out.

Other than Loft, I have yet to find a brand that actually has clothing with 25 inch inseams.  You wouldn't think those three inches are such a big deal; but they kind of are.

So if you have any intel on brands that have shorter inseams - feel free to share!

***

In other news, we have moved into our new office.  I don't hate it but I don't love it either.  If given my druthers, I'd rather have my old space back.

This new space is clean and modern - but despite the space, it has the majority of us piled on top of each other resulting in a lot of wasted space.  And it's LOUD.  In my old space, I had plenty of room, quiet and anonymity.  But now?  Not so much.

And, from what I gather from other departments, it lacks storage.  Somehow, by some miracle, in our small department, we have a tiny bit of storage.  I think that is because whenever I was asked what our department NEEDED in the new space, I insisted that we needed room for our files (most of which are gone now), so we ended up with many more cabinets than other departments.  In fact, I heard that we ended up having to lease extra space on another floor specifically for storage for other departments.

Seems to me, that some of these decisions were not thought through and/or the point person in our department really advocated for what I said we needed.

***

And this is where the conversation devolves into chatting about the weather.

I think we have skated through the winter season for good now (thank God!).  Yes, some days it's still chilly but the daffodils are blooming and the tulips aren't far behind (which reminds me I forgot to plant the tulips I bought last fall...oh well...maybe this year?)! And that means Peony Watch 2024 will begin soon.  Well, I should say, I hope so.  Our yard guy cut the peonies back last year; which shocked me because he didn't cut them back the year before.  And I've never cut them back, so I will begin monitoring them for signs of renewal *fingers crossed* shortly.  In the meantime, we are just going to assume he knew what he was doing...right?

OH!  And one of my many (never re-blooming) orchids is blooming AND another has four buds on it!!!! Apparently, it takes many years of patience for any orchids to re-bloom in this house; hence the multiple exclamation points in the previous sentence.

Although, I recently saw a post somewhere about taking them out of the pot and putting them into a vase/jar of water.   I may try that with the puniest of the bunch to see what happens.  I'll report back if it is a success.

***

That's all the news that is fit to post from here.  Anything exciting on your end?