Herringbone Rug

Don't you love how inspired and original these titles keep getting?
Just call me the princess of subtlety.

This month has been so busy I haven't had any time to look for finishing textiles in the living room. Plus when you're on a budget...a real one...it can be hard to find things that are reasonable AND cute.

I made a lucky find today though when I was browsing Urban Outfitters website and saw this rug.


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I love it! Herringbone is one of my favorite patterns and the scale and color of this rug make it both modern and classic. It also comes in teal, but I can't decide between the gray and navy (let me know if you have a vote). I'm also probably gonna buy two of them and sew them together so that it will better fit the size and scale of the room. (5x7 + 5x7 = 10x7.)
Plus, at only $74 it's a steal.

What do you think? Like the rug? Gray or Navy? Think I'm crazy for sewing two together?

Beauty-Whoa's

I was perusing the internet the other day when an article caught my eye.
The title read, "Heavy Metals Found in Many Cosmetics: Not Listed on Labels." Say what?

The author, Sarah B. Weir, states:
They [researchers] found that every product contained at least one of seven heavy metals including arsenic, cadmium, lead, nickel, beryllium, thallium, and selenium. Lead, a known neurotoxin, showed up in 96% of the items. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that lead exposure is not safe at any level. Heavy metals are considered a by-product of manufacturing and it's worth noting that none were listed in the ingredients lists on the cosmetics' labels.

Is anyone else horrified by this? I tend to pride myself on my ability to read labels and steer clear of nasty ingredients, but I had no idea some companies didn't think this was consumer-relevant information.
Them's fighting words.

According to the article:

Other products found to have the highest levels of impurities were:

Clinique Stay True Makeup foundation (Stay Ivory) — arsenic, cadmium, beryllium, lead, nickel, thallium

Sephora Sculpting Powder Trio eye shadow (Brown and Pink) — beryllium, lead, nickel, thallium

MAC Sheerton Shimmer Blush (Springsheen) — beryllium, lead, nickel, thallium

L'Oreal Bare Naturale mascara (Black/Brown) — arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, lead, nickel, thallium

Cover Girl Perfect Point Plus eyeliner (Black Onyx) — beryllium, cadmium, lead, nickel

Almay Intense i-color Trio eye color (Trio for Blues, Brown and Dark Grey) — beryllium, cadmium, lead, nickel, selenium

Benefit Benetint Pocket Pal (Red Tint and Clear Gloss) — arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, lead, nickel, selenium, thallium

See anything familiar?
I was surprised at how many "good" brands were on this list. I was also surprised that expensive and common brands BOTH had high levels toxins.

I was so intrigued I read a handful of articles related to this topic and would have read more had I not run out of time. Though this clearly makes me NO expert, I wanted to see if you guys had heard about this. What are your thoughts? Does it concern you or do you think it's blown out of proportion? I know that research and statistics can be easily skewed and therefore aren't always reliable, but I wanted to throw this out there and hear from you.

I'm personally still up on the air about it all. I want to be careful about what I put on and in my body, but I don't want to get all nutso about it either. I think I just need to do more research. I know there are some nasty chemicals in many products though...ones that are listed in the ingredients, ones that I try to stay away from. So when I happened upon this helpful skincare shopping guide, I thought I'd share it with you.

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So what do you think?

Fishing trip

One of my family's favorite places is a little-known treasure called Caddo Lake.

It's magical.

Caddo Lake and marshland lies on the TX/LA border and is Texas' only natural lake. It's surrounded by a Cypress forest covered in Spanish moss.

Note: Google "Caddo Lake" for more info and pictures. Seriously, this is in winter. You should see it in Spring/Summer. It's unbelievable.

The lake hosts alligator, bald eagles, and a slew of other wildlife, some only seen here.

It's one of the most beautiful, enchanting places I've ever seen.

Best news: it's only 40 minutes from my Dad's house.

My Dad turned 50 on Monday.

His birthday request? A family fishing trip on Caddo.

We set out from Johnson's Ranch Marina. The day was perfect...

My Dad's friend and long-time Caddo fish expert, Billy, was our guide for the day.

He was awesome. He knows EVERYTHING about the lake. 

(Plus, for my step-mom and I, he would bait our lines and remove the fish. Yes!!)

3 of my Dad's favorite things in one place: cypress trees, fish, and family.

Note: Daddy's obviously not a fashionista. I'm just glad he didn't wear his Crocs that day...that's right I said Crocs. (shivers) 

Daddy caught the biggest of the day.

I got the second.

(I look green...just noticed this.)

We ended up snagging 71 fish that day. (If you care, mostly yellow bass.)

Yep, 71. Told you Billy was good. He knows where the fish are. We threw small ones back too.

View from Johnson's Marina.

I tweeted this last picture. Good times. Crazy hair.

Later we celebrated back at the house with Grandma's Red Velvet Cake.

Yes it was as good as it looks.

I requested the recipe. Hopefully it'll make a debut here soon.

Happy Birthday Papa!

Cute Blog Award

Sweet Jessica from O. Alouette gave me a Cute Blog Award!!

It works like this:

1) Link back to the person who gave you the award

2) Answer the award questions

3) Share something about yourself that you haven't previously shared on your blog

4) Award other worthy bloggers (and let them know)

Award Questions:

What is your go to make up brand?

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I love Origins powder. It is amazing and I don't bother buying anything else.

(I also love Benefit's Dandelion blush,

Maybelline Lash Discovery Mascara,

and Sugar Passion lip balm from Fresh)

What was your favorite fashion trend of 2011?

Not gonna lie, I had to do a little research to answer this question and I'm still not satisfied.

I don't really do trends anyway.

So instead of pretending I know (or care) about passing fads, I'm gonna show you a picture of something I love. Mkay?

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What is your favorite dessert?

Answer: What isn't?

I like dessert. A lot.

My current craving is chocolate cake (sans icing)

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What is your favorite color?

GRAY

What is your middle name?

Elisabeth. Note the "s," not the "z."

The last song you listened to?

I love The Cure.

Heard this on the radio this morning. Made me smile.

Dogs or cats?

I love furry things...but I have to say canines hold my heart.

Especially these two.

New share:

I don't wear watches or bracelets because I hate having things around my wrists.

Don't put those shackles on me.

Passing award on to:

I want to do something different here and need your help.

Know of anyone (especially someone new to blogging) that you think is deserving of an award?

Let me know and let's pass on the love. :)

A car wreck and some cookies

Monday night was, er, eventful.
David called me on his way home from work and was talking when I suddenly heard screeching tires, expletives, and the unmistakable crunch of metal. The phone hit the ground; then...silence. I was terrified. It seemed to go on forever.  He started groaning and then said, "I was just in an accident. Car is totaled. I need you to come get me."

Good news: Multiple cars were involved but there were NO injuries. D was sore and had a headache but otherwise fine. Pretty miraculous.
Bad news: His car (my old car) is totaled. As in, top of the engine sheered off (plus more...obviously.)
Good news: Car is replaceable.

This car got me through college, grad-school, and beyond. It had 210K miles and although no beauty, was a terrific (read: paid for!) commuter car. I was sad to see her lifted on that tow truck.
Goodbye old friend.

Soooo...
Car wreck = frantic Faith = need to bake.
Actually, that's not true. I baked these earlier on Monday, but you better believe I "treated" myself to 1 (or 3) when we made it home.
Stress kills. Cookies save.
True story.

Grandma's no-fail Snickerdoodles.

I think I take after my Grandma btw. Every time we visit she bakes up some delicious cake or pastry as a welcome.

Baking is her joy. It's mine too.

 

Confession: These pictures made me hungry. I'm now chewing one of these as I type.

 

Oh, if you want the recipe here you go.


Now I have to stop eating and get back to work...researching vehicles.
Fun fun.

Happy Wednesday!

The Weekend's Favorite Buys

It's been a while since I've had a low-key weekend, but thankfully this past one was just that.

Saturday was spent doing household chores (mostly laundry).
I actually like doing laundry...er, maybe I should rephrase that. Of all domestic maintenance tasks, laundry is the one I mind least. :)
I especially like hugging all the warm clothes right out of the dryer.

Remember, the February Photo Challenge I'm trying to keep up with doing? Well Saturday just happened to be "Inside my closet" day. How apropos.

I really want wooden hangers. Right now my closet is a modge podge of mostly plastic hangers (different colors...ick) w/ a few dry-cleaner-grade wire ones thrown in for good measure.

Sunday was leisurely and calm. My two best buds and I decided a girls day was in order, so we met up at a local mall (ew, malls) and spent the day together.  

Anyone else not like malls...or shopping in general? I think I'm missing a gene somewhere that codes for purchase euphoria.

Anyway...

Here's what I bought:

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Megan and I both bought this dress in gray. Honestly I wasn't too sure about it at first. I'm not used to showing much skin and I felt a bit uncomfortable about the back cut-out + scoop neck front + legs. But the girls talked me into it. Megan said I looked like a ballerina...that was all it took.
(In my very vivid imagination I'm a professional ballerina. Minus the bleeding feet and hard work.)

*****
I also bought this ($8.50) sweet little rose thermal from Forever 21.
Yep, wore it last night. Unwashed.
rebel.

so cute.

*****

But perhaps my favorite purchase of the day was something I've wanted since Christmas when Ania got Megan this:


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It's tinted lip balm. Oh friends - don't look away just yet - this stuff is transformative. It's buttery and smooth, so moisturizing you can't believe it. And just the right hint of color. I absolutely LOVE it.
They have other colors too but I like the subtle red and think it looks great on everyone.

*****

There was one thing I wanted yesterday but didn't purchase:

Voluspa's French Cade Lavender candle.

It smells magical. Fresh, delicate; warm. This candle (from my fav candle company) is a close second to my all-time fav scent, Baltic Amber.  

And look at those jars! Ahhh!!

*****
Hope you all have terrific weekends. Was it low-key like mine or crazy?


Disclaimer: I received no compsensation whatsoever for this post. I just like sharing stuff I did, liked, or bought.

Valentine's Day Workout

I'll be honest - I'm not a big Valentine's Day person. All the hearts and fluff make me wanna gag, but before you go thinking I've got cupid in my cross hairs, I will admit to one thing: I like chocolate. See, I'm not so heartless afterall...

This Valentine's Day workout from the Tone It Up girls is a little cheesy, but plug your ears for the first 30 seconds and get to work.

These girls know their stuff.  I've been doing their workouts long enough to trust them (and if this surly girl can put up with it you can too).

Hop to it! Oh wait...wrong holiday.

Bloggy Birthday

Today is a big day.
Hard to believe but I published TSP's first post exactly ONE year ago today.
(If you wanna check it out click here.)

That's right, old girl survived her first year of blogging. Whew! Who woulda thought?

In honor of this monumental occasion I'm gonna share a new recipe today! (It's what I do. Happy - eat. Sad - eat.)

I found this old family cookbook a few weeks ago. Truth be told I can't remember how I acquired it...my guess is that it was stolen from my father or (gasp) grandma sometime in years past.
I really can't remember though. All I know is that no one gave it to me. Sticky fingers right here.

This cookbook was put together in the mid 80's by my great-aunts and chronicles recipes used from my great-great grandparents to the (then) current generation. Like most old family cookbooks (complete conjecture) this one is a bit austere, but what it lacks in good looks it makes up in depth of character. 

I'm absolutely LOVING taking on these old recipes (most of which require tedious amounts of deciphering which I why you haven't seen any more.)

Today's recipe is adapted from page 9 of said family cookbook. It's a cross between a peanut butter cup and rice cereal treat. Yummm.
(Might I suggest making these for a simple Valentine's treat...hint, hint. )

 

Choco-Peanut Butter Balls
Prep-time: 10 min.
Chill-time: 30 min.
Adapted from a family recipe created by Gay Pyle

Ingredients

• 1 cup peanut butter (I used Justin's organic)
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 cups rice cereal
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Chocolate coating

• 2 cups chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli milk chocolate)
• 2 squares semi-sweet chocolate (I used Baker's)

Method

Mix first 4 ingredients together using large spoon until evenly distributed. Roll into 1in balls by hand or using cookie scoop. In a double boiler (or bowl over boiling water) melt last two ingredients. Once mixture is smooth, thoroughly coat peanut butter balls into chocolate and place on wax paper lined cookie sheet. Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to set.

To store: keep refrigerated in sealed container for up to one week.

Confession: I'm not a peanut butter lover...but wow are these babies good.

The only change I might make is to use less pb next time, but that's just a personal preference.

Ok, seriously...this is my last one.

Happy Blog Birthday TSP!!

February Photo Challenge

Um, life is really hard sometimes.

Did no one tell me this as a youngster? I don't remember...but then again I could have been too stupid to listen.

Sorry for the long absence lately. There's been a ton happening that takes precedence over my little piece of online history.

Hopefully I'll be back next week.
In the meantime, I thought you should know about a photo challenge I am taking part of during the month of February.



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Fun right?
There's nothing to sign up or register for (always a plus) so I've been snapping and tweeting per day 1 and 2. I doubt I'll be able to sustain it the entire month but I'll give it the ol' college try. I gotta admit I'm enjoying the fun little challenge a lot already. It's a simple way to stir the creative stockpot.

If you want to join in (and have a twitter account) just use the #febphotoaday hashtag and click away.

Happy Thursday friends!