Our plan for the weekend was to drop Chippy off at doggie daycare. We would then drive to Stone Harbor and enjoy a day at the beach. Plans change.
Upon waking up, I just didn’t feel like making the drive to the Jersey Shore. After all, it was the weekend before Labor Day and traffic would be horrific. Perhaps I was a bit sad because it was my son Roman’s 31st birthday and I wasn’t able to celebrate. He was in Cincinnati with Oona.
This guy! I swear I had him yesterday! I’m glad he was visiting Oona. I get a warm feeling inside knowing that my three kids are closerthanthis!
Instead, I decided to concentrate on a few chores. One of the chores being cleaning my makeup vanity.
I try, I really try to keep things organized. And at times I fail. I especially fail in the summer. I dunno what it is about the warm weather but laziness becomes me from June into September. Perhaps it’s because I get so depressed when we return from our annual visits to France. Perhaps it’s that work drains the bejeezus out of me during the week.
I just get lazy.
Yes. I’m tired of being lazy!!!
Bonaparte, being the obsessive neat freak cannot stand any form of a mess that I might create. When I announced that I didn’t want to go to the beach, my Frenchman looked a bit sad. But he brightened up like a neon sign when I told him I wanted to clean.
Honestly, I couldn’t take the mess anymore. I like my cosmetics to be organized and I had let everything slide by. Here’s a few pics of how things looked:
This is the desk where I work my magic. Note the styrofoam wig head on the floor.
Look at the makeup schmutz that I cleaned off the desk. I should be ashamed. But I’m not.
My makeup vanity is an old roll top desk that I found on Craigslist three years ago. I paid all of $30.00 for it. The chair that I sit in was $5.00 at a church rummage sale. I love both.
In the bowels of the desk, I discovered, not one but TWO Trish McEvoy makeup organizers…
There’s a lot of stuff in these things and I never use them but I can’t bring myself to get rid of them. Maybe I’ll put one in a purse..
The vanity is in a catty-corner position in the small guest room on the third floor of our humble chateau and this room is where I sit every day to put my makeup on and to fix my fake hair. The room also has a closet which houses my jeans and wigs and other odds and ends.
There is a dresser in the room that cost me nothing. A neighbor was moving and offered it to whoever could carry it out of her home. That would be me.
I cleaned THIS too. Everything from perfume samples to an invitation that was weeks ago was sitting on this dresser…
We arrived home from France on July 3rd. How lazy could I possibly be that I couldn’t either throw this away or put it with my travel stuff? Pretty damned lazy. Note the hair. I just don’t stop shedding!
All the junk from the makeup desk/vanity made its way to the dresser..but the mess is always worse before it gets better!
Nice and clean and organized…….for about two weeks!
This is as good as it gets for the vanity!
All is neat now. Bonaparte stopped breathing when he saw this!
With a stellar job completed, and still early in the day, it was decided that we would take a drive to the outlets. I needed to exercise and what better way to take a nature hike by walking the great outdoors of the outlets.
With my outfit at the ready, it was time for my kind of nature hike..
A nature walk at the outlets!
Besides, I was running low on my bareMinerals “Well Rested”. It’s the best concealer of all time and is less expensive by four bucks at the outlets.
The bareMinerals outlet shop. The prices are decent here.
Got my Well-Rested. And at $16.00 instead of the $20.00 marked!
And what did I spot on the way OUT of the store? NARS–at discounted prices. Bonaparte quickly grabbed me arm and we made a fast exit!
And who doesn’t go to the outlets and not check out J. Crew Factory?
I picked up a cute Paris inspired tee to wear under blazers for the fall…
And this fun tee for $12.00. Bonaparte picked up some pants.
Do you like my hair-of-the-day? It’s Joy by Model Model! I love the length!
This time to pick up groceries for weekend cooking. Since we didn’t make it to the beach, I told Bonaparte that dinner was his choice. He opted for my Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken. We hadn’t had it in a while and Saturday was a good night to enjoy the aromatic heat of the dish.
Lemongrass Chicken marinating. Bread rising and Salmon Rillettes all done. A productive day indeed!
I also baked a loaf of bread and made a batch of Salmon Rillettes for Sunday evening.
We enjoyed our time with a lazy dinner on the deck. Our deck dining days are surely numbered for 2017. The evenings are cooling down. I’m hoping we get a heat wave of sorts mid-September so that we can sneak a few more meals outdoors before hibernation season begins.
And while we were on the deck, and filmed Chippy, I realized that the deck looked barren and we hadn’t done a thing all summer to dress it up.
When you decide to film with your phone after a couple of Kir Royals on the deck
Every year, pots of geraniums decorate the deck. We never got around to it this year. And when I saw the video of Chippy, I was upset because the exceptional film lacked the beautiful background of flowers.
As I whined about this, Bonaparte paid no attention to me.
Yesterday’s Hair-of-the-Day. Konis by It’s A Wig. I love the color! Bonaparte HATES the color. I don’t care. It’s still hair I wear! Notice I’m wearing the same shirt two days in a row. Now that Jake is in California I feel closer to him by wearing this tee!
My Sunday face. From start to finish! It was so much fun to sit at my organized vanity. I even wore false lashes. I just don’t understand why Bonaparte does not like this color wig. TT99J/530 a lovely off black with different hues of auburn and burgundy. I dig it!! I also dig the white eyeliner!
And so, yesterday afternoon, after listening to my constant complaining that we never planted geraniums, Bonaparte and I headed into the car to Home Depot. It is now mum season.
August 27th and we are just now getting around to our “summer” flowers!
We bought some mums.
The deck finally looks nice!
I also cleaned my makeup brushes.
This wasn’t done in a long, long time!!
And purchased a new little rug for my makeup area!
My little corner looks so organized now!!
Dinner started off with the Salmon Rillettes and was followed by Lobster.
Chippy and the Lobster. He would rather have a treat!
A perfect dinner to celebrate the last weekend of August 2017.
This guy. He was so good!!! And I didn’t have butter either!
Salmon Rillettes on home baked bread toast. It is the perfect starter!
I need more mums though. That’ll have to wait until the next productive weekend—whenever that may be!
Do you ever have that kind of weekend? Where plans change and you end up being very productive? I want to hear about it!
Hope you all had a great weekend—and one that was fun and productive!
No song today. I think Chippy’s films are music to the eyes and my voice is music to sore the ears!! XOXOXOXOXOXO!!!!
Where do you get your energy??? I LOVE the wig you wore on Sunday!!
Love your little make up corner of the world….
Thanks Debe!! Trust me, I used to have tons more energy when the kids were all at home. My makeup corner is more than that. It’s where I unwind and greet the day. I love my little private time..And right? I ordered a second wig in that very color!!! XOXOXOXO
😂 The videos of Chippy are priceless!! And, that new auburn burgundy wig looks FABULOUS on you❣️😍👍🏼
Thank you Rhonda!! I’m glad that my voice didn’t scare you away. Oh..I’m digging that auburn burgundy–like fine wine!!! XOXOXOXO!!!!
I just got some great wigs at Tuesday Morning for $9.99! Check this out https://cornfedcontessa.com/2017/08/27/luxhair-how-wig-collection-by-tabatha-coffey-review/ I’m pretty new to the wig game, but for $10 each, you can’t go wrong.
GET OUTTA TOWN!!!! THOSE WIGS ARE FANTASTIC!!! The wavy one is epic and looks completely natural. And you got it right. Wigs are great for vacation. You can spend more time enjoying the sites than on your hair. I wish there was a Tuesday Morning by me!!! XXOXOXOXOXOXO
Thanks! I wore the dark blonde one to my book club, and everyone loved it!
P.S. Love your new wig, your husband is crazy!
Right?? I love the color!!!! XOXOXOXO
Hey,check out Ulta’s 21 days of beauty, on 9-21 Laura Gellar’s Balance and Brighten foundation is on sale for $16.50!
Love both the colour and style of your new wig. Need to have a day like yours where I clean up and do paperwork, it’s not going to happen today as I have a French lesson followed by grocery shopping and a gig tonight, I’m too busy to clean! Don’t beat yourself up about that marché leaflet….I just threw one from two years ago!
Your chrysanths really pretty up the deck and your dinner looks wonderful, you must be a very accomplished cook.
Hi Fiona. Yeah. I like the no-style style of wig. It isn’t perfect looking and it fits my personality. LOL. I’m usually too busy to clean but Bonaparte is a neat freak so we live in an immaculate environment–as long as I’m not in it too long! Glad you like the deck with the chrysanthemums. I love cooking—therefore, I am a good cook..but it also stems from extreme laziness. I don’t like dining out (on a regular basis)–that means getting dressed and waiting and what if the food isn’t good…….XOXOXOXO!!!
Ha, after my last post, I am disappointed that Bonaparte did not let you visit the Nars counter! I also love your personal makeup counter, I simply have a disaster in the bathroom.
No!! Q!!! I saw all the NARS goodies AFTER I made the purchase of the Well-Rested. You can bet your bottom dollar that if the weather next weekend isn’t promising, I’m headed back there for some serious NARSicism!!!!!XOXOXOXO
Ha ! well done girlfriend ! Isn’t that the sort of chore that is almost fun when you are in the mood and hateful if you aren’t and have visitors or something so you HAVE to do it ? Love how your first instinct on clearing up your cosmetics was to go out and buy more ! just what I do with clothes ( always thrifted tho )
Your man is a saint and deserves to have whatever meal he fancies, love the way he herded you away from Nars .
your phone pic. gave me a laugh out loud moment. I really appreciate your honesty and to hell with feeling guilty, only those who have either a cleaner or a phobis have immaculate houses , we are not the only ones who don’t , to hell with guilt about any trivial thing !
P.S sisters in the U.K miss out on your vids, always blocked outside of the U.S.A , obviously the fault of your strange Orange person 😉
Jilly xxx
Hahahaha! Jilly. Ain’t it the truth. I can’t stand HAVING to clean when visitors come–the only exception being Christmas–which I’ll start planning soon!! I am so upset that my videos are not making it through to the UK. Although I’m sure the Orange one has made sure powers-that-be are tapped into my phone from my tweets back to the orange one!!! XOXOXOXO!!!!
Phobia , not phobis . altho I like that orangeperson word ; Apologies to anyone who likes him but I lived in the U.S for 15 years and loved it very much as it was.
Hey Jilly. I make NO apologies for how I feel about him. He’s anti-american. He’s a neo Nazi supporter…I shall stop now!! XOXOXOXOXO!!!
I have the occasional day when I’m a cleaning machine – it would be nice if I had them more often …
I am a big fan of auburn hair, I always wished I had auburn hair. My oldest sister had it, and hated it. Figures, right?
Oh how I love Chippy! Please give him a kiss from me!
Hi Bridget! I think back when I was a stay-at-home mom. I vacuumed twice a day–morning and night. I washed the floors after every meal. I was obsessive. Then the divorce and Iost my house. It’s not worth the obsessive cleaning anymore!! I love auburn hair and the good thing is I can put it on and take it off at the end of the day!!! I already gave Chippy a kiss from you. He gives one back!!! XXXXXXXXXXXXX!!!!
I started drooling with the NARS pic….lol. Love the wig, and your vanity! You would die if you saw my set up. Full mirrored vanity (hand me down from a friend), small table, and tall art cart. All FILLED with makeup. Yes, I have a problem. Haha!
Ohhhh Lori. A tall art cart filled with cosmetics. That’s divine! If you get the chance you should drive to Limerick and check out the bareMinerals store. Oh. I was shocked at the amount of NARS stuff. I’m definitely going back!!! XOXOXOXO!!!!
Well I’d say you had damn productive weekend! Good for you!!! I need me some of that energy!
Lady Calen. I did have a productive weekend. Now I have to clean out the clothing!!! XOXOXOXO!!!!
Is it rummage sale time already? I’d better get busy, too, then!
Ha my weekends are the opposite – the husband snores, twitches, grunts and sometimes runs in his sleep, I am a terrible sleeper anyway so most of the week I am getting more and more sleep deprived and then at weekends – afternoon nap! Oh bliss. I am a sleep camel, truly I suffer so the weekend is often storing sleep. Therefore I often try and get myself out and about – the botanic gardens wake me up and get me going, then a decent flat white (I love my caffiene), if I am being productive it is often tidying up my half finished creations – jewellery, knitting, sewing, but really I am such a lazy thing through lack of sleep.
Juliet. Bonaparte is a horrible sleeper. He has to take a melatonin practically every night. I’ll fall asleep watching TV and he has to read, he will fall asleep past midnight then wake up two hours later whilst I am in a sleep coma. He’s even said he’s fascinated with my ability to sleep. Trust me, I love my sleep!!! XOXOXOXOXO!!!
And I absolutely LOVE that wig – stunning
Thank you dear!!! XOXOXOXOXO
What beautiful colour for the flower. I think they are called chrysantheme.
Good to you to decide to clean your make up table. So did you discover new-old stuff that you forget about? I admire your talent at cooking, I’d like to try these salmon rillettes.
This wig is quite nice, I like the colour and the shade which is quite different, it does suit you. Have anice evening.
Hi Eve!!! I LOVE yellow flowers. When I have geraniums they must be red but Chrysanthemes have to be yellow!! I love the way they brighten everything. OMG–I rediscovered a great eyeliner by Tarte. I forgot about it and realized it’s great!!!!!
Oh it looks beautiful, I think it’s the before and after photos that make the clean ones so compelling. Do you think taking the photos helps to motivate you? I’m not at all keen on cleaning up in my own home – I have to invite someone just to make sure my bathroom gets cleaned once in a while. Other people’s houses though – well, I’m a whirlwind, I know exactly what needs to be moved where!.
That wig is absolutely gorgeous on you!! (the warm toned one) Do keep wearing it!!
Thanks Siobhan!!! I do love it and ordered one more in that color!!! Slainte! XOXOXOXO!!!
HOW DO YOU WORK FULL-TIME AND WRITE THESE LONG POSTS…………?
YES, my weekends are spent entertaining and cleaning so the CLEANING ladies can get through to the tough spots!!!!They come at 7:30 am on MONDAY mornings!
Hi Elizabeth! LOL–because when I come home from my paying job I do what I love!!! LOL. I’m entertaining this weekend and am deciding on some transitional recipes. I think for dessert I’ll do a lemon tart–now I have to figure out the rest!!!!
Can I have Banksy? XOXOXOXO!!!!
Fun post Catherine,I feel like I read the journal of your weekend. I like the deep auburn of your new wig. A girl friend and I have a day outing planned to Kansas City and first stop is a wig store so she can try some out. I showed her my hair piece and not she wants some new hair too!
I understand about backing out when you’ve told yourself you’re going somewhere. I do it with Kansas City a lot. I tell myself for days I’m going to some event up there, but the day of……….I don’t want to drive that hour and just want to be lazy and stay home!
Take care, Terri