Salem in 1985

I watched this video series in 10 second bursts. So if I have any information wrong, please excuse me. This cracked me up. My friends and I and most of the High School watched a lot of Days of our Lives in 1985. It all slowly came back to me. Here are some of the plot highlights.

Beau and Hope are on their way to a black tie auction. On their way they must pass a barn. Oh look, a pile of straw. The stop to have sex.
Kimberly caught a case of blindness that will clear up in the future. Her hair style is suspiciously modern. Did she return to 80's Salem from modern day Salem in Eugine's time machine? Shane is currently married to his back from the dead evil English wife Emma.
Melissa is involved in some plot to try to get Pete back. Pete is involved with the soon to be evil wife Ivy. Pete doesn't know it. But in less then a year, I along with a few hundred of my best friends and their mom's will be screeching at him in Gateway Mall. He is lucky to escape alive. Little does he know the unprovoked slap from Melissa is the least of his worries. Melissa has a cut out in the front of her formal Dress. Classy. Her hair is even nicer then I remembered. Red and naturally curly.
Chris Cossacheck is still Chris Cossacheck and not Roman.
Marlena is also attending the black tie action. Black tie hair for her means bigger hair. The hair must stand out 6 inches from the right side of her head.
Eugine and Calliope are being Eugine and Calliope.
Liz (of Liz and Neal) is still instantly annoying. We used to fast forward past her in High School.
For some reason the then Evil Patch (who will become the unevil Steve) wonders into the barn where Bo and Hope are still naked post romp. They remain undiscovered.
Victor arrives in Salem for the first time and buys an overpriced photo at the auction taken by Kim (presumably before she caught the blindness).
Beau and Hope arrive at the auction covered in straw. Everyone is polite and no one gives them the time and place of the next sex addicts anonymous meeting.
Caroline Brady spies Victor. She had an afair with him years ago. He is Bo's father, and not her husband Sean. In the year or so following, her daughter Kimberly will marry Victor. She will learn of their affair and mistakenly believe she is the product of the affair. She will believe she has unwittingly married her father.
Beau sneaks away from the black tie affair to have a knife fight with evil Patch on the dangerous Salem docks while the score from West Side Story plays softly in the background. Beau and Patch were once best friends in the rough and tumble merchant marines. They have matching tattoos. When they last met, Patch was getting it on with Beau's then girlfriend. There was a fight that left Steve without an eye. Refusing to get a glass eye, he would become known only as Patch by his unsympathetic friends.
Tony and Anna get spontaneously remarried by what appears to be a fake priest.
The ISA is trying to enlist Shane on an important mission.
Blind Kimberly proves she can dial a phone.
The knife fight fails to materialize because evil Patch failed to bring a knife to a knife fight(or so he claims).
Beau returns home to stare out the window and shirtlessly ponder the day's events.

Are you a bit older then me? Check out the Salem Slasher is Revealed on youtube.

Seriously???

On Dish network tonight:
*update DISH is the Discovery Health Channel. Duh!! I knew that.
10pm Dwarf Family Adoption
11pm Quint-essential (about family with quints)
12pm 18 Kids and Counting
1 am Conjoined Twins: Sister Bond

Are you kidding me??

Watch This

This is a new series I plan on starting. I was going to call this Watch This Wednesdays, but who am I kidding? I'll never post regularly on Wednesdays. The people in my small town just got DVR today. Here are some movies I think you should add to your DVR.

The Day the Earth Stood Still
1:00 PM Saturday, 21st on FCM (channel 156)
1950's Sci-fi classic about an alien ship that lands on earth.

Little Miss Sunshine
1:00 A.M. Monday, 23rd (late Sunday) on USA (channel 123).
This movie may lose something in translation to it's cable version. I loved all the quirky characters in this black comedy. Lots of funny little jokes from beginning to end.

Kinky Boots
12:oo midnight Friday, (late Thurday) 27th on BBC (channel 135)
A small town British boot maker will go out of business unless the switch to making shoes for transvestites is successful.

Hat from and old sweater.

I made this hat from an old sweater. Here is the instructional video link from Threadbanger. Tracing the brim took me a few tries. This hat looked very masculine before I appliqued the flower. It's a great project for guys. (see video) To make the flower I cut out petal shapes from extra sweater fabric and sewed some scraps into a ball shape for the center.
Threadbanger is a great site. They show you how to refashion old clothes into new clothes. It's definately worth checking out.

Sale Alert!

Old Navy in Bismarck is having a 50% of the clearance sale. I bought 4 t-shirts in fall colors and a tank. The highest price shirt was 4$ and the tank top was $1.23. I love buying things for $1.23. As of yesterday, the mediums and larges (which sell out first) still had a fairly good selection.

Lipfinity 3D Maxwear Lipcolor Review

Lipfinity 3D Maxwear Lipcolor At least that's what I assume mine is. I threw away the box, but this is the only product that looks even close on their website.
Experience with stay on lipstick: I've used several brands. I love stay on lipstick. I hate reapplying make-up. I've never met a stay on lipstick I hated before. Well, I have hated a few colors, but not the lipstick itself.



My rating: 0 out of 5 sit and spins.
What I like about it: Nothing.
What I hate about it. It doesn't look glossy or shimmery. The look is flat out greasy, greasy, greasy, greasy. I never kept the lipstick on for more then a minute. I hated the lipstick so much I never wore it. I thought I could possibly salvage it using the first step lipstick and a regular lip gloss for the second step. No dice. They ended up in the trash can without ever being worn. I'm glad I bought these on clearance.
Would I buy this again? No way.

I meant to casually mention that the lipstick looks like you've been bobbin' for fried chicken in the video. Well, I mentioned it a might more then I'd planned and I don't know why I don't iron that sheet either.

Using you BEK remote

* I posted this last night. This morning a got a letter saying the DVR is coming very soon. Oh well, the second two tutorials are still useful. :)
Here are a few helpful tips for using you remote if you subscribe to BEK cable. Since the fall TV season is starting and BEK still doesn't have DVR, I've added instructions on how to record with your VCR.
If you don't want to scroll past the block of kid's channels, the block of religious channels, etc. you can set up your own guide. In fact you could set up more then one guide. One for you, one for your hubby,... The downside to having several guides is that the remote is super sensitive. When changing between a list of several guides, you may accidentally jump right past your guide. You may prefer only one custom guide for your whole family. I highly recommend setting up a custom guide.
The last tutorial is how to access your TV's menu using the BEK remote. Then you can use your TV's sleep settings, closed caption settings, adjust the picture, etc.

How to Record
1. Set up your VCR to record. Set your VCR to record the channel your cable box is set to. The channel number is located on the bottom of your remote underneath the PurpleBEK logo on your remote. Set your VCR to record this channel no matter what channel your program is on.
2. Set your television to change the channel when it is time to record. Your VCR will only record the channel you are watching. If someone happens to be watching TV and changes the channel to America's Funniest Home Videos, that's what you will be recording. Your VCR will still record if your TV is off.
A) Press Guide.
B) Scroll to find the channel of program you want to record.
C) Press the circular red button labeled multiscreen. It is located just below the left/right/up/down/ arrows that surround the OK button. This will activate your Guide Per Channel.
D) Scroll down until you find the show you want to record. Only the next two days programing will be shown. You can not do this more then 2 days prior to recording. When you find the show you would like to record, press Info. This is a circular gray button right of the left/right/up/down/OK circle.
E) Scroll down until Reminders is highlighted. Press OK.
F) Save & Exit should be highlighted. Make sure it says Yes on the right side of the screen. Press OK.
G) Press Exit. The show you want to record should now have clock beside it. If you see this, you have been successful. Press either Exit (bottom left of the left/right/up/down/OK) or Live TV (top right of the left/right/up/down/OK). If the clock is not there, go back to step D where it says to press Info.

Might I also suggest Hulu.com. They have full episodes of many TV shows. And you can skip this whole complicated process.

How to set up a guide (or several guides)
1. Press Menu. (it's a rectangular gray button above the left/right/up/down/OK circle) Scroll down to Account Info/Settings and press the right arrow of the left/right/up/down/OK circle.
2. Scroll down until it says Favorites. Press the right arrow on the left/right/up/down/OK.
3. Scroll down to New and hit OK.
4. A blue menu with letters will appear. Type in the name of your guide. Your first (or last) name is a good name. Or you could name it after me. :) Move the box so it surrounds the letter you want and press OK. When your name is finished, highlight Done and click OK.
5. A new menu will appear with the list of all the channels. Press the right arrow to highlight the channel list. Press OK to add any channel you would like on your list. If a channel is added it will say On by that channel instead of Off. Scroll up and down (up and down arrows) to find all the channels you would like to add to your guide.
6. When all the channels you would like on your guide are added (say On beside them), press the left arrow. Save & Exit should be highlighted. Press OK. You have completed your guide. Press either Exit (bottom left of the left/right/up/down/OK circle) or Live TV (top right of the left/right/up/down/OK circle).
7. To add another Guide, begin again.

Access the Guide you just added:
A) Press Guide. This Should bring up your guide. In the top left corner of your TV there should be a purple circle that says BEK TV. Below that is a black bar that extends across the entire screen. The black bar has today's date followed by three times (Example 9:00AM 9:30AM 10:00AM). Directly above today's date and below the purpleBEK TV circle it should say My Guide: in white writing. To the right of My Guide: there will be a word in blue. If it says:

All-a list of all the channels you could possibly be subscribed to.
Subscribed- A list of ll the channels you are currently subscribed to.
Your First Name (or whatever you named your guide)-A list of only the channels you add to your guide.

B) If you do not have the Guide you'd like (Example: It says All and you want Your Guide), press the Guide button again. Continue pressing the Guide button until you have the guide you'd like. Now you can scroll up and down to browse your channels. Press Exit or Live TV to return to watching television.


To access your TV menu:
1. Press the TV button. This is a tiny circular gray bottom directly to the left of the power button. When you press this, the TV button should turn red.
2. Press Menu. This should bring up your TV menu. If it that doesn't happen, go back to step one. The remote is temperamental. It flat out doesn't work every time. You can be pressing all the right buttons and it still won't work. You can Change the settings using the up/down/right/left arrows. (at least on most TVs)
3. When you've done. Press Menu to return to live TV. Press the STB button. It is the small circular gray button to the far left of the power button and just to the left of the TV button. Pressing the STB makes your remote control cable functions again.

If any of this is unclear, feel free to leave questions in the comments.

Eyeshadow Trends for Fall (and for Cheeks and Nails)

Are you interested in the new make-up trends for fall, but your kids would rather you make supper then read fashion magazines? Then this post is for you. (see also my Lip trends for Fall post)
I had planned a grade school collage of magazine pictures. But my scanner is not cooperating. I did my best with pictures. I'm better at reading about make-up then I am at applying it.

Old rule: Choose either to play up your eyes or your lips. New rule: For nighttime you can wear a bold lip with a smokey eye. Don't believe me, look at last years Oscar photos. I plan on still choosing one or the other. If you like to wear both, you're in luck.
There is new basic eye shadow shape that is showing up. You no longer follow the crease of your lid in a windshield wiper like application. Now you continue outward from the top crease to the outer corner. This video shows a make-up application using the "outer corner" method, skip to 3:30 minutes in to see what I'm talking about. Outer corner method is my made up name. If you use this name you run the risk of looking silly. :) It's also possible this shape is not new and it's only new to me.
Winged eyes are big this fall. See this tutorial on youtube on how to do them. After seeing this video, I totally got it.

Though still in style, the look for blush is trending away from "apples of the cheek and swept on top cheek bones toward the hairline. The newer trend is blush applied to the hallows of the cheeks or applied directly to the cheekbones. Super trendy for the fashionista is 80's style rectangle under the cheekbone look. Ugh.
The number one look for fall is red lips. It's shown on almost every page of fashion magazines. The not even close second would be the all over peach shimmer look (scroll down to see).

Matte gray eye shadow: Use a matte eyeshadow. Metallic and frosts read silver and can look futuristic. I primed my eye. Then I lined the top and bottom with gray shadow (HIP Rascal), using a wet angle brush. Allure suggests light gray, but I don't own light gray. Apply gray shadow from lash line almost to the crease. Use a clean brush to blend/smudge the gray shadow into and above the crease. Smudge the shadow liner on the bottom lash line. I added dark brown eyeliner and mascara.
Cobalt Blue eye liner: My friend who loves blue eyeliner will be happy to hear it's in style. Allure showed a winged Egyptian eye (as seen in winged eye tutorial in above link) on a bare lid. Elle showed a smoked, smudged eye (runway look). This trend uses a metallic cobalt liner (also seen in teal). Elle suggests this look worn with a pinky pearly tan nude lip. (see the lip trend for fall post) I primed my lids. Then I applied HIP roaring (brown side) from the lash line to the crease. Then I blended this shadow into the crease. I applied the blue side of the shadow with a wet angle brush. I did the "day cat" eye shown in the you tube video in the above link. The liner should have began at the tear duct (oops). I also show an open and closed eye with a fully lined winged Egyptian eye. This should be done with an actual eye liner, but I don't own a blue metallic eyeliner.
This look was seen at Nicolle Miller and Versace.
Try L'Oreal HIP Cream Eyeliner Midnight Blue or for about 5 bucks more MAC Fluidline in Waveline.
Purple eye shadow: This is another big trend. Purple eye shadow is great for brown eyes. It makes green eyes look greener. If you have hazel eyes with green flecks, purple shadow makes them look greener. If you have warm skin tones, use blueish purples. Pinky purples can make your eyes look bloodshot or like you've contracted pink eye. If you have pink undertones in your skin, use an eyeshadow primer. Primers give the shadow a truer color. If you don't prime, you may end up looking like you lost a fight. If you have under eye circles, you will need extra concealer. Purple shadow brings out the purple in under eye circles. Here is a great video tutorial on concealing under eye circles. Allure says shimmer can make dark purple shadow appear less stark. If you have crepey eye lids and want to avoid metallic shadow, add iridescent powder along the lash line. Wear a brown liner (black for African Americans) in the evening. Be cautious of liner during the day time. Add a winged deep purple eyeliner for a rock look.
Some of the shades mentioned are shimmery lavender, metallic lilac, dark purple, iridescent violet, and eggplant.
I primed my lids. Then I lined the top and inner bottom 1/3 with purple eye shadow (MAC nocturnelle) with an angle brush. I applied the same purple shadow to the lids with a regular eye shadow brush, one brush width. I diffused the edges on the lid with a blending brush. I added a shimmery vanilla(MAC Nylon) to the inner corners and along the upper lash line.

Shimmery "peach" eyeshadow: Allure says to use similar colors as the peach blush. Marie Claire says to layer copper and gold on top of a muted brown cream shadow. Honestly, to me, the look appears to be achieved by combining a rose gold and copper shadows. I think you should be fine as long as you stay in the same color families.
This look seen at Donna Karan and Mui Mui.
I didn't get this look right. I should look a bit more pink/rosey. You'll just have to use your imagination. Lips- I used peach lip gloss. It should be pinky/pearly nude, but I don't own that color. Blush- should be as described below. I used a shimmery orange blush that reads peach on my skin and a bronzer . I used copper shadow over a muted cream shadow. It needed rose tones, in my humble opinion. Again, I don't own the proper colors.

Shimmery peach blush: This is worn with the pinky tan lip gloss mentioned in the lip trend link and the shimmery "peach" eyeshadow. Marie Claire says this total look can be a post summer bronzer alternative. You can either use a shimmery peach blush or a matte peach blush layered with a shimmery bronzer. Wear this color on the apples of your cheeks and just above the cheek bone.

Nail color: I'm not totally up on this. Here is what I do know. Joining two years ago's matte black (still in) and last years matte navy (still in) we have deep, almost black, forest green and deep, almost black, purple. These shades dry to a velvet finish and are more wearable then they sound. That said, I won't be wearing them. Shimmery lavender is also in. Oh, nail shapes are trending away from square and toward almond shape.

Lip Trends for Fall

I'm writing this for people who might have actual lives and can't keep up with all the new trends. If you'd like to know what lipstick color is in style but your baby needs her diaper changed, this is for you. Coming soon...Fall Eyeshadow Trends.

First of all, lipsticks are generally trending toward matte and opaque as opposed to sheer and glossy. Love sheer and glossy? Don't worry it's still in for now.

Red lipstick- The biggest news for fall is red lipstick is back. You ask: Wait. Was it gone? Answer: Yes and No. Red lips have been worn recently at night, for retro looks, for rock looks, and by people like me who just liked it. But, it hasn't been worn by women in general in the daytime since the 80's. Well, red lips are back baby. Look in fashion magazines, and red lips are on almost every page. All shades of red are in. All finishes are in from glossy to very matte. Matte, opaque lips are very in. If you try this, be careful. Matte opaque lipstick can be aging. Another new look is dark red lipstick with a sheer black gloss on top. This gives you a vampire look, but in a good way (pictured). If you wear the red/black combo, keep the eyes and blush to an absolute minimum to avoid a goth look (unless that is what you're going for).
For a less trendy look use a satin finish lipstick in cherry red. Avoid lip liner so you don't look overdone and add a dab of gloss in the center bottom. Allure suggest dabbing lipstick on with your finger so the edges aren't precise. That sounds like a pain to me, but give it a whirl if you like.
Some red lipsticks loved by makeupalley.com reviewers are: MAC in Russian Red, Port Red, New York Apple (frost) and Ruby Woo (matte); NYC Ultra moist in Retro Red: Revlon matte lipstick in In The Red and Really Red: Victoria's Secret in Ruby Slippers.

Elle Magazine's top 10 reds included MAC Ruby Woo (they say the Cure's Robert Smith wears it), Max Factor's vivid impact in Mrs. Right (blue based red), Revlon's Fire and Ice (a favorite since it's launch in 1952), andMaybelline's color sensational in Red Revival.

Purple lipstick- It's not always as scary as it sounds. I once had a sheer dark purple gloss (almost black in the tube) that I loved (now back in style). Fuchsia is back from it's 80's lipstick grave. Grapeish colors are also back. Grape was last in style 15ish years ago. My friend called this color her ummm ..."female dog" lipstick. Awesome on her, crayola on me. If you want to try a darker Bordeaux/wine/deep purple color lipstick, make eyes and blush pale. Metallic lilac is also in, but that just scares me.

Makeupalley.com reviewers like MAC in Purple Rite.
Allure Recommends: Cover Girl Queen Collection in Shiny Port Wine (Bordeaux) and MAC in Violetta (grape).

Nude lipstick-Nude lips are in. Choose a tan nude on the pink side. Shimmer, not glitter. Shine is also fine. Just not a matte nude. With a beige lip, be sure to add shadow (medium to lots) to your eyes, or you'll just look flat. If your natural lip color is darker then this lip color, apply a concealer or foundation to your lips first.

Allure recommends: Wet n Wild Lip Shine in Reckless and Clinique Glosswear in Whisper. Marie Claire recommends Maybelline Lip Gloss in Born With It.

Red and purple lip colors can be tricky. Sheer lip colors have a larger margin of error. If you want something more opaque, it's harder to choose. This might be a time where you can save money by going to a make-up counter and actually being able to try a color before you buy. I've heard some drugstores will let you return opened cosmetics. I haven't researched that, so I have no idea if any drugstore currently does it.

The Cat Eye

The winged style eyeliner is really in style now. I've been confused on how to do it. I came across this excellent tutorial on youtube. I got mine right (well close) the very first time after watching this. I think I will be sticking to the daytime cat eye(an option shown in the video)in real life however.

Sale Alert!

There are a lot of HIP brand products on super clearance at Target in Bismarck. HIP brand has lots of nice stuff. I love the eye shadows, now $1.50 . The pot of gel liner(I only saw teal) is supposed to be nice (around 2$). They also have HIP paint in secretive on clearance. It works well as an eye shadow base. (See my review) Plus there are a few stay on (2 step style) lip glosses for 2$. They are located in a bin at the far end of the isle in the make-up section.
Big Lots in Bismarck has 2 packs of Revlon (and other brand) nail polish for 2$. That way the polishes work out to be a buck a piece. They also have a lot of shampoos and conditioners. You should look to see if they carry your brand if you go for the nail polish.
Not on clearance, but Walmart has nice cards in their section of contest winning cards.

Summer Television

There is nothing on T.V. That's mostly true. Here are a few shows you can check out if you are interested.

Ruby
Sunday 7pm central (8pm elsewhere) on the Style network.
It is also rerun often thought the week.
A reality show documenting a morbidly obese woman's battle to lose her weight. At her highest weight Ruby was around 700 pounds. She was 450ish pounds at the start of the first season last year. A few episodes ago she hit 350 lbs. This is the least she has weighed in her adult life. She is a extremely upbeat and inspirational person. She's so es-sited. (show refrence) Watching her work through her struggles makes you feel good about yourself and life in general. I think this season is nearing the end. Two notes. 1. I usually hate anything upbeat and/or inspirational. 2. This isn't the best show in the world, but it's worth checking out some times.

The Rachel Zoe Project
Monday 9pm central (10pm elsewhere) on Bravo
Rachel Zoe is a stylist to the stars. In fact she is the reason you know what a stylist is. To my knowledge she is the first famous stylist. (person who picks out clothes for famous people) This a reality show about her job. This show might make you stupider by watching it, but the clothes are Uh-MAZING. I die! (show reference) The second season premieres this Monday. Again, it's not the best show in the world.

Top Chef
Wednesday 9pm central (10 pm elsewhere) on Bravo
Top Chef, in it's 6th season, is a competition show between chefs. They have challenges like: Cook a gourmet dish from items in the vending machine. There are many famous chefs as judges. The first episode was this week, but they rerun them throughout the week.

Project Runway
Thursday 9pm central (10 elsewhere) on Lifetime.
Project runway has moved to the Lifetime Network and finally begun their 6th season (last Thursday). This is a competition show between designers. It has famous designer judges. Challenges include making an outfit with materials found in a grocery store. If you are not already watching Project Runway, you're missing out. It's truly awesome. I had to add Lifetime to my favorite channel list. I think I'm dumber already.
Give the looks star ratings on Rate the Runway on the official site.

Eureka
Fridays 8pm central (9 elsewhere) on SyFy (formally knowen as SciFi)
You know how the Manhattan project built the bomb? Well this is a fictional television show about a whole secret town of elite scientists who build all sorts of advanced scientific projects. This show is tongue-in-cheek, campy scifi fun. I think they are in there 3rd season. You can also watch full episodes on Hulu.com.

If this list doesn't do it for you, Bret Farve is a Viking and the NFL is in preseason.

L'Oreal HIP Cream Shadow Paint Review

Product L'Oreal Paris HIP Cream Shadow Paint in Nervy (817) and Secretive (807)
Experience with this type of product I was using MAC paint as an eye shadow base. I like MAC slightly better, but they are practically identical.

My Rating 5 sit and spins




How do I use it? I use Secretive at an eye shadow base. I apply a thin coat with a brush. This could also be applied thinly with your fingers. (I use MAC brush 216se, bottom brush. The brush at the top is the one that comes with HIP paint.) After it has dried a bit I apply eyeshadow as usual on top of it. It helps the eye shadow last longer and helps the colors apply truer. An eyeshadow that would normally take two coats now may take only one to get the same intensity.
I bought Nervy because it was recommended by Allure magazine (named best brown eye shadow in October 08). I wear this as an eye shadow, applied dark at the lash line and fading toward the brow. It is a beautiful taupe brown color. (see pictures) I think the color would flatter many people. I add layers of nervy with a brush to build up the color. I also apply this thinly and use it as an eye shadow base under brown eyeshadow. In addition, I use it as an eye shadow base to tweak eyeshadow colors. I have a too yellow gold shadow that looks better with nervy under it.
What I like about it. The color of Nervy is great. It lasts. The eye close ups in the picture above was taken at the end of the day. It works as an eye shadow base. It's cheaper the MAC. (which is not sold anywhere in my state)
What I hate about it. I won't say I hate this, but some people might. It dries fairly quickly and once it is dry it's set. This means you have to be careful how you apply it. Once it's on, it's on. No more blending.

Would I but again? Yes. But a tiny tube of paint lasts forever, so I won't have to for a while.

Most of the HIP line of products are very colorful. (think inside of a crayon box) The selection of colors in the cream shadow paints is lovely and neutral. They have a pink color that has potential. There is also a black color (steely) that I think should work well as a base if you are doing a smokey eye. I'm guessing you could layer a metallic shadow over the black paint for a modern smokey eye.

The make-up look (pictured bottom right) is a good summer look for people with pale skin. Bright lipstick with muted eye shadow (nervy). I wore coral lipstick, but red or a fuchsia would work as well.

Portage Pass Trail, Whittier,Alaska

I'll begin this by saying I'm not a hiker. So I'm posting the information I would be interested in as a non hiker. Portage Pass Trail is about a mile and a half long. I would say it is a definite challenge for the out of shape every day schmo, but do-able. I am an out of shape schmo and I made it to the top by stopping to take breaks and a whole lot of huffing and puffing. The 4 year old that was with us needed to be carried much of the way. I personally wouldn't feel stable enough (even in good shape) to carry a child up the mountain, but it was no problem for her father. Caring small children is a judgement call. We saw older children (9 years old maybe) make the hike with no problem. The path is uneven and covered with loose rocks. It is not good for people with knee or back problems. I had my foot scoot a bit from underneath me several times on the way back down, but no real slips or falls. The other people hiking with me had no problems. When you reach the top you have a nice view of Portage Glacier as seen in the first picture. If you turn around, you have a view of the ocean (second picture). We had a sunny day, which is rare for Whittier. I added the third picture (right) so you can get an idea of the slope of the trail. The trail is about as steep as in the picture, sometimes a bit steeper. After you reach the top (first picture) if you go to the right you can continue on to see the face (bottom, melting part) of the glacier. The trail continues from there, but becomes quite difficult and is only for experienced hikers. Returning down the trail went quickly. The Hike took us about 2 hours, including gawking. Keep an eye on the clock. You may want to time your hike to coordinate with the one way tunnel into Whittier. Traffic switches directions every half hour (in 2009).
On the drive to Whittier, don't miss the scenic view between the two tunnels. It has a great view of several glaciers(shown left).
We ate in Whittier at the Cafe Orca. I split a halibut (fillet) burger and clam chowder. They were both excellent. The sauce on the "burger" had real capers. The grilled fries were also very good. They serve hummus sandwiches if you are a vegetarian. And there is a lovely dining patio that is right next to the ocean.

Jeans for a big butt, Levis 529

People who know me know I can't buy jeans. They just don't fit my body. I usually have to order custom made jeans to get them to fit. If you consider going from a size 2 to a size 4 one size jump, my waist is 2-3 sizes smaller then my butt. If that weren't enough, I carry all of that in the back and most jeans are built with extra tummy room. I also have a slight sway in my back. I bought some clearance jeans that (mostly) fit me a few days ago. Part of the reason these particular jeans fit is they are sewn wrong. I tried on the non clearance version at Kohls, and they didn't fit (or I would have bought one in every color).
Levis fit 529 is a good jean to try if you have a large butt. The fit higher in the back (a few inches below the natural waist), but are still lower in the front (two inches below the belly button). This way they look normal from the front, but have no back gap. The pair I bought is still two inches too large in the waist, but the waist band lays toward my body instead of away from it. They are cut fuller in the hip and have boot cut legs. Boot cut is good for curvy girls. I think they are worth trying on if you have problems with back gap.
*Update
The front pockets in these jeans are only about 2 inches deep. I have no idea why they did that. If you are deciding between two sizes, pick the smaller size. The jeans stretch out very quickly. Once the butt stretches out, if the waist is still a bit too big the will fall and bag. Mine stretch out on the first wearing, and must be washed to return to the original shape.

How to Apply Bronzer

I suspect many of you are like I was. You are slightly confused about where to apply bronzer. Allure magazine had a bronzer tutorial a few months ago. Here is the video that went with that tutorial. I'll sum up the video below, in case you just want to be reminded of the basics.

1. Choose a bronzer that matches your skin tone (light, medium, dark). Choose a matte bronzer with yellow tones. Avoid pink bronzers and shimmery bronzers. It should look slightly darker then your jawline when applied.
2. Apply foundation and concealer as usual. Apply a moisturizer or tinted moisturizer if you had dry skin (before foundation). Apply powder if you have oily skin.
3. Use a medium sized brush to apply bronzer. Dip the brush and tap off excess. Apply along your jawline and hairline using tight, circular motions. Move from the outsides of your face to the center. Wherever your start will apply more color then where you finish.
4. Add more bronzer to your brush and tap. Sweep bronzer on your cheekbones and down the nose. Skim your forehead, chin, and neck. Tap brush to remove excess powder then use brush to blend with swirling motions where needed.
5. Apply blush to the apples of your cheeks. Start the circle on the outside of the apple so the most color is just outside your eye, and not right below your iris. Add just a touch to the center of your forehead, tip of the nose, and chin to balance the blush. Choose matte blush for day and shimmer (optional) for night. Choose a pink blush, not a peach. Peach blush can make the bronzer look orange. Use a brown eye liner instead of black. Pick gold or bronze eye shadow. Choose a sheer nude or light pink lip gloss.

Help finding make-up

Looking for a new moisturizer, conditioner,or maybe a new lipstick? Here are some links that might help.

Allure Magazine's readers choice awards. Readers voted on make-up in all categories. They had separate categories for drugstore and department store in all categories. They also suggest specific shades for all the products. There are also categories for pale and bright nail polish. I personally love MAC eyeshadow and HIP eyeshadow (I haven't tried the specific colors suggested).

Paula Begoun, The Cosmetic Cop, was on Oprah last week and suggested specific products (not colors) in all categories. In general, there are drugstore and department store make-up and hair products recommendations in each category. Here is another site that has her reviews. Many of the reviews on this site are not as up to date. She also has this link that has facts about sunblock and, at the bottom of the page, has suggestions for products that have sunscreen. It suggest make-up, moisturizer, lip balm, etc.

The Beer Barge

The Beer Barge, A.K.A beverage barge, is my new favorite thing. I found this tutorial on instructibles on how to make a beer barge from a fun noodle (one of those long tubes kids float on). Hollow it out with a knife, a little hot glue and you're practically done. Make sure your noodle is bigger then a can. Mine barely was. I made a longer and taller one for bottles. I used plastic knives for supports rather then Popsicle sticks (as done in instructables). Mine will be floating in a lake with green stuff growing on the bottom, not in a chlorinated pool, so I thought it was wise. I haven't tested it in the wind, but it works well with a breeze. One noodle makes about 4 barges. I plan to tie it to the floatie a better way some day when I've planned ahead.

Rocker Girl Make-up Look

For this look, you want a muted lip color. A bright lip will be too strong with a dark eye. Any bright eye shadow color will do. I used a bright green. Allure used a metallic turquoise blue. H.I.P. makes nice eye shadows. They sell many bright colors and should have something good for this look. My hair and make-up looked better in person. Taking pictures of hair and make-up is not easy.
Optional, apply a nude eye shadow base all over eye area. This helps eye shadow colors apply truer and last longer.
Apply a bright shadow between lashes and crease.
Apply black into the crease of your eye.
Blend.
Line eyes in black eyeliner.
Smudge out eye liner with an angle brush and black eye shadow.
Apply mascara.

Products Used
Lipstick: Loreal Infallible. The color has been discontinued.
Eye Shadow Base: Loreal H.I.P cream shadow paint in #807 Secretive(drugstore)
It is NOT Mac as stated repeatedly in the video. However, I've used Mac paint and I like that too.
Eye Shadow: Mac Humid (green) (MAC is in department stores and online)
Note: MAC has free shipping 7/20/09-7/24/09)
Mac Smut (black)
Hair Wax: FX molding wax (drugstore)

Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser for Normal to Oily Skin Review

Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser for Normal to Oily Skin Review
My skin type: Normal.

My rating: 5 sit and spins




What I like about it: I've used this for years and years. It does exactly what a cleanser should. It cleans your skin without drying it. It isn't expensive and the container lasts a long time.
What I hate about it: Nothing comes to mind.
Be careful not to buy: Don't buy the cleanser for normal to dry skin, unless your skin is very dry. Then it will be very good. The normal to dry skin version does not remove make-up as well as the normal to oily version. The normal to oily version doesn't dry your skin, so it should be good for most people. My sister tried the target store brand version of the Cetaphil normal to oily and did not like it.

People will try to tell you you need fancy things in your cleansers like antioxidants and Alpha and beta hydroxy acids. Bologna. Cleanser is only on you face for about 15 seconds. Those ingredients can't do anything in that amount of time besides get into your eyes. If something actually could work in a few seconds, then it should probably be applied by a professional in a doctors office and not trusted to the likes of you and me. Antioxidants and beta and alpha hydroxy acids are great ingredients for things that will stay on your face like serums and moisturizers. They are stupid in cleansers. Save your money on cleansers. Basic is better.
Cetaphil is good for people with sensitive skin. It's a basic cleanser without added ingredients to irritate your skin.

This should work well for everyone who doesn't have very dry or very oily skin. I highly recommend it.

Olay Pro X

Have you been wondering about Olay Pro X products after the new commercials aired claiming it works better then prescription products? Here is what the cosmetic cop had to say: (she's kind of a consumer reports for make-up)
In short, she says the products are good, but not worth the money. If you still want to buy them, here is a coupon for 20$ off a 50$ purchase of Olay products. If you buy Pro X products, you should reach the 50$ mark in no time.

Outlast Lipstain Review

Outlast Lipstain Review

What I look for in a lipstick: Long lasting. I hate to reapply.
My experience with this type of product: I've tried a lot of stay-on lipsticks.

My rating: 1 sit and spin




Would I buy this again? No.
What I like about it: Not much. The red color is nice.
What I hate about it: It's not lasting. It goes on way too bold for my taste. It has a drying feel, and I usually don't care about lipstick texture at all. If your lips are even the least bit dry, the dry part sucks up the color and highlights the dry areas.

As I say in the video, I applied the lipstick in the top right picture with a lip brush, to get a lighter look. I find it wearable that way, but time consuming to put on. In the bottom left it is applied as directed, and is in my opinion, way too bold. It's hard to tell on camera, but it shows up more in real life. Side note: My hair was in the process of air drying.

Mod Podge Cloth Covered Table

This table was done by my sister Julie. Below is the before shot. Here's what Julie had to say about it:

The table with fabric on it is covered in hard coat mod podge so you can wipe it off. I spray painted the bottom of the table white. The chairs are from a used store. I recovered the chairs in yellow fabric with little white flowers in a diamond pattern. I also covered these with mod podge (the regular kind) so I can wipe them off. The chairs had ugly orange vinyl on them when I bought them. I think that any schmo can use mod podge on fabric (aka like painting with glue). The table was easy, but time consuming. I had to put on so many layers of the hard coat mod podge & sand in between each layer.

Julie also told me the hard coat mod podge has to cure for 4 weeks before you can use it. She's been setting things on the table, but isn't planning a spaghetti dinner any time soon. She got her hard coat mod podge online, but she has also seen it at Hobby Lobby and JoAnns. I love the results. Modern and inviting at the same time. Julie has a gift for decorating. She does a lot of trash to treasure style decorating. I hope to show you more of her stuff in the future.

Camping Packing List

No I don't lug all this stuff. But I listed most of the stuff I think you might want to bring.

Fire
Wood
Twigs (if you're camping in ND without trees)
Newspaper
Lighter fluid
Axe, Hatchet, Saw
Bucket (extinguishing fire)
Shovel (extinguishing fire)
Marshmallow roasting sticks
Sandwich iron for grilled cheese and turnovers and such
the clicker, fire starter, what is that thing called anyway?
Chairs
Cigar (I can hear my sister saying gross as she reads this)

Tent
tent
stakes
tarp (for over tent in Alaska, for inside tent in ND)
Inflatable mattress
sleeping bags
pillow
pillow case you don't particularly care about
flashlight
extra batteries for flashlight (especially if you take a small child)
lantern

Cooking equipment
Grill
Propane and extra propane
charcoal
charcoal chimney
Spatula
Camp Stove
Oven Mitt
Pots and Pans
Coffee pot
Coffee
Tea bags
Hot cocoa mix
Aluminum Foil
Spices (garlic pepper is good for most situations. Garlic, pepper and salt mix)
bowl for mixing
Bucket for hauling water
can opener
knives
cutting board
measuring equipment
peeler
silverware
plates,cups, bowls
paper towels
Styrofoam cups for cocoa and coffee
garbage bags
dishcloth and towels
sanitary water for washing
scrubbing pads
storage containers
table cloth
dish soap
napkins
condiments
wet naps for cleaning hands etc.
Purell
way to hide food from bears and animals

Campsite General
Clothes line and clothes pins (wet towels and such)
extra rope and bungee cords for stuff
scissors for rope and stuff
Games such as Norwegian Golf or volley ball
frisbee

Clothes
sweat Shirt
Fleece shirt
Long sleeve shirt
Jeans
socks
Tennis Shoes
Short sleeve shirt
underwear
bra
shorts
tank top
something to wear to sleep
swimsuit and hat

Swimming
Hat
Swim Suit
Swim Suit Cover Up
Sunglasses (preferably floaters)
bottle opener for beer
Big T-shirt to swim in case of sunburn
flip flops
water shoes
towel
floatie
Pump for floatie
beverage barge
rope to tie floatie to shore
stake to tie rope to (or one of those things you twist in for dogs)
Can coozie
magazines or book (or cookbook if you're weird like me)
sun block
continuous spray sunblock for the middle of your back
chap stick or lip gloss with sun block
skintastic style bug spray
Deep woods style bug spray
Comb for wet hair
pony tail holder
Chair
Water and sand toys

Personal Items
Prescription Medication
Over the Counter Medication
Brush and Comb
Razor and Shaving Cream
Tooth Brush
Tooth Paste
Feminine Hygiene Products
Mirror
Toilet Paper
Towel and Washcloth
Baby Wipes
Contact Case and solution
Glasses and Case
shampoo/conditioner
soap
extra bathroom towel

Miscellaneous
Camera (with a charged battery)
Extra batteries or extra memory cards
first aid kit
musical instrument
pocket knife
extra batteries for kids toys and such
bikes
car charger for phone

Dog
Dog food
Treats
Bowl for water
walking leash
Long leash
screw in dog tie down to attach leash
towel for dog (you don't want wet dogs in the car)
Dog bed
Kennel
Ball for fetching or other toys

See also my post on Lora's recipes on s'mores variations.

Sit and Spin

When I was a kid I wanted a Sit and Spin. I mean REALLY wanted a Sit and Spin. When I would go over to my friend's houses, I'd ask "Do you have a sit and spin?" Then hours would pass and my friend would say "Let's play something else now." Nope. There was no other play to be had as long as a sit and spin was available.
Now I've been telling the story for many years about how I always wanted a sit and spin and never got one because my mom thought I would get sick from all the spinning. I mean really... Adults always say stuff like that. What kid ever gets sick from spinning? (O.K. Some kids do, but it's rare.) The Sit and Spin story has been told in perpetuity. In fact I told the story so many times that my Mom wants to smack me.
Mom's side of the story: "If I knew you wanted a Sit and Spin so badly, I would have bought you one. I just thought you'd get sick."
I do realize this mom. I also admit that as a 5 year old I may not have communicated my wants and needs so eloquently. You are off the hook. You were never really on the hook. But, the story is not funny without blaming you.
Cut to my 38th birthday last week. (I know, I don't look a day over 21.) My sister Julie tells me to close my eyes. When it's time to open them I see this.

Yeah, that's right. My own "Pimp my ride" version of a Sit and Spin. I know, you're totally jealous. This Sit and Spin was salvaged from a neighbors junk pile on clean-up week. Before it hit the junk pile, it had been sitting in their back yard for years. "What is the best way to clean it?" you ask. Car wash. The answer is car wash. My brother-in-law tells me you can really get that sucker spinning when you spray the water directly at it. After it was clean, Julie found this picture of me to mod podge to the top. Why am I making that face? I was holding a baby. Shut up. I bet there are pictures floating around of you with a crazy face because a baby is in the vicinity. The picture, where I'm wearing a Vikings jersey, suggested a Minnesota Vikings theme. She used some more mod podge and viola. A custom Minnesota Vikings Sit and Spin.
Did I spend the day spinning? Well, let me tell you, getting onto a Sit and Spin is no easy feat as an adult. It takes maneuvering. Also, I weigh a pound or two more then I did when I was five. Now the sit and spin scrapes on the ground and doesn't spin so well. My sister points out that the ball barrings aren't new. Yep. I'm sure it's the ball barrings. In the end, it's probably good that it doesn't spin for me. Because if it did spin, I'd get sick.
What did we learn?
1. Mom was right. (as usual)
2. Dreams really do come true.
3. Even filthy toys can be cleaned.