Atypical 60

More Makeup for the Proager! How I Boom! Boom-Dee-Yada-Boom!

Posted on March 16, 2021 by Catherine

Okie Dokie! So, for the past couple of years I’ve received comments, and even emails from readers of the blog, and friends and relatives, such as my sister-in-law, Linda extolling the praise for Boom Sticks.

I’ve always shied away simply because I wrote to the company asking if they had mini-sized products to try but never received a reply. I get funny when I don’t receive a reply.

Yeah. I got all like this. All I wanted was a reply….

Anyway, during that past couple of years, my skin has changed. Be that as it may, it seems that as we proage or skin can sometimes speed that process up. My skin is now blotchy. It is more wrinkled and my features are seemingly disappearing.

3/4 of the hair is gone and I’m left with “little” hair. The neck–I can’t even. The skin has changed so quickly. Blech! It’s blotchy AND wrinkly. I need help!

Sadly, I cannot iron the wrinkles out of my face the way I do with clothing. And my funds do not allow me to enter into the hallowed operating rooms of New York City’s Hospital for Special Surgery to have some special nips and tucks into my face.

Trust me. If I had the funding, I would do this. Sadly, I’m a Paupered Princess so I cannot do this!

Instead, I rely on makeup to assist in my endless endeavor of pulchritude.

Whoda thunk? Just a bit of makeup can make me look presentable. Read on my loverly friends…

And with the plethora of Instagram ads for Boom, I finally bit the bullet and made the purchase.

Every day. All over the internet. I was boomed with these boomsticks. I caved. Yes. I did. I caved in and made the purchase!

I was curious to see if these three little sticks would, in fact, be all that is needed for a fresh, proaging face and I wanted to see how they worked.

Boom’s founder, Cindy Joseph was a makeup artist come model—and a later-in-life model. Quite honestly, she was a very beautiful woman. And it’s sad that she passed. After watching a few of her videos demonstrating the products, she came across as such a genuinely nice woman. She was very charismatic.

Cindy Joseph, Boom founder, was such a beautiful woman. I don’t think she needed much makeup. But her pro-age ideology is right up my alley.

Besides, how could I not be drawn to her and her brand which pontificates the importance of proaging? Seriously, she was a huge proponent of the proage movement and her brand still carries through on that ideology. And that is a wonderful thing itself. The website is also ridiculously refreshing to see because all of the women showcasing the products are of the mature demographic. I think Boom just may be the only cosmetics company to do this and it is well-needed and well-appreciated.

The three products, the Boom Sticks, are housed in a cotton pouch. They aren’t oversized and yet, are not miniscule in size. They are a decent size for every day use. The sticks, in the pouch, will slide right into your purse or travel case. And that’s a good thing.

This handy-dandy pouch houses the products but now that I thnk about it, this would make a good mask….

The products are Boomstick Glo, a yellow moisturizing stick. Boomstick Color, a deep mauve stick that can be multi tasked all over your face. Boomstick Glimmer, which is a radiant highlighter of sorts. It’s a lighter mauve with a nice satin finish.

From Left to Right. Boomstick Glimmer; Boomstick Glo; Boomstick Color.

Can the products truly work for everyone as the brand states? I’ll let you know further in the post.

Since these sticks arrived, they’ve been used every day. Every. Single. Day. However, and this is big—I don’t use them on their own. And this is what kind of goes against the belief of Boom because the brand gives the vibe that all you need are the three sticks for a beautiful face.

I swatched the best I could in natural lighting. The bottom is the Color Stick–it’s very pigmented. On top of that is the Glimmer Stick, a very subtle hint of highlight giving a dewy and shimmery glow, and on top of that the Glo Stick it’s pretty-much invisible and is great as a face-balm if you will or..as I use it as primer!

So, let’s get on with how I Boom and what I think of the products.

I’ve got a comparison of sorts here. I applied the products on my naked face. Then re-applied on my face after applying foundation and a few other items.

First is the Glo stick.

I mean. this face is scary naked! I’m using the glow stick which I’ve applied on my lips (it’s a great balm) and all over my face.

This is very moisturizing. It is an opaque stick that has, as do all the sticks, a slight tackiness to it. Trust me, the slightly tacky texture isn’t a bad thing at all. In fact, I like it because the products stay in place!

And, although this is a moisturizer, I use it more as a primer. Using this as a primer gives me more hydration after I’ve applied my regular moisturizer. In addition, I use this as a lip balm before applying lip color. It has no scent at all and a little bit of this goes a long way.

Next, we have the Color Stick.

The Color Stick. I dunno about using this on my naked face. I’ve got a lot going on here. My face is ruddy and blotchy. Granted it does give a nice flush of color but I’m being very honest and realistic here. I may be a pro-ager but I do need a product to even out my skin tone.

This is both the most intriguing and confusing of the three products. Again, it is an opaque stick with a bit of tackiness. Whereas in the little room where I apply my makeup in the morning, the lighting gives this a very deep mauve appearance. I’m now in my dining room writing this and the late afternoon lighting is giving this more of a brick-reddish brown appearance.

You can use for an all-over sun-kissed look. Some use it as a bronzer and this can also be applied to the eye lid or as a shadow of sorts. In addition, it is a cheek and lip color. Now—here’s the thing. I watched Cindy Joseph apply this to her bare face. Let me tell you something, she had beautiful skin. Like really great skin. No blotchiness. Her skin tone looked very even. She didn’t appear to have any redness either.

I, on the other hand, have freckles, age spots (and they aren’t proage spots either-these are age spots), redness on my nose and chin. I also have scarring from various incidents of clumsiness and acne on my chin. My skin is textured and now rather wrinkled. The Color stick does not work on my naked skin.My pasty Irish coloring doesn’t lend itself well to using this stick as an all-over product.

However, this is great as a blush. The shade is very natural and very pigmented. Not too pink. Not red. It’s just a nice flush of natural blush. But the really incredible thing is this stick as a lip color. I was freaking blown away! First of all, there’s a lot of natural pigmentation in my lips. And surprisingly, it can be an issue with lipstick. Most lipsticks, unless they are pink, oxidize on me due to the natural pigmentation. Most lip color ends up darker on my lips so I was skeptical. And I couldn’t wrap my head around the thought process that as we pro age, our lip color should match the color of our gums (that was in one of Cindy’s videos). I was questioning that.

Until I put it on my lips. It definitely works on the naked lips as well as lips with a touch of foundation on them. I was blown away by this stick as lip color. Honestly, it’s pretty remarkable.

Last is the Boomstick Glimmer: It’s very subtle. The stick is a lighter mauve shade with a glimmery sheen. It is quite loverly (as Eliza Doolittle would say). Applied to my bare face, you couldn’t really appreciate the luster of this stick. Applied over the Color stick on the lips it gives the prettiest satin finish. It doesn’t come off as frosted—just as a nice satin finish.

Here’s the glimmer stick. It really is great but just..on my freaking bare skin just doesn’t give the product justic. But take a look at the lips. I put some over the color stick and I LOVE IT!

With a bit of eyebrow pencil, mascara and liner, thngs look a hella lot better–especially with the bare naked face! Trust me there is something to be said about eye makeup–even if you are cross-eyed as I am!

Now here’s the about these sticks on the naked face—while they don’t work for me now, during the summer, they might work wonderfully when I’m tanned (after lots of SPF that is). I’m thinking these are probably gorgeous when your skin has that evened out tan.

The only decent no-makeup pic of me. I was tanned. It was for Oona’s wedding and I can just imagine how great these sticks will look when I’m well-tanned and fake-tanned!

So, I applied some foundation and eye products and then re-applied all three sticks. The difference was astounding. I’m big on cream makeup these days and I applied Seint cream foundation on my face. I used Trestique Brow Pencil, Monoprix mascara, Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Cobblestone and Thrive eyeliner.

So after I decided to add a bit more makeup, I used the Seint cream makeup (I know, I hit pan put I have backups)

The other products I used were Trestique’s brow pencil (which I love), Thrive eye liner pencil and Monoprix mascara that I purchased over two years ago in Paris. (I know. I’m disgusting as all get-out for using two-year old mascara *French Shrug*) I also used my beloved Subtl Beauty concealer!

I used the Glo as a primer and applied extra to my perpetually chapped lips. Then I went in with the foundation. Over the foundation I applied the Color stick on my cheeks and lips and went to town with the Glimmer stick.

Yeah. NOW we’re talking! And just enough of a light touch with foundation and concealer and the Boom Sticks work wonderfully!

All three work beautifully with other cosmetics.

And yes. For me, they don’t work on a bare face but with a bit of cream foundation and concealer, they are pretty darn worth every cent!

And I want to say something about that. We’re all different. We all have different cosmetic needs. Some have gorgeous skin and can bypass the foundation, concealer and brighteners. Others—well, we need a bit more assistance. If a product doesn’t work for you the way it is meant to, it doesn’t mean it won’t work. Just because the products don’t work on my bare face, they are not wasted. They work exceptionally well on my face that has been primed and foundationed. (Is that even a word? It is now.)

Cindy Joseph was so beautiful that I could stress eat over her perfect skin. I’ll be she’swearing abit of face makeup here. If you get the chance head to YouTube to watch some of her videos. Her voice is so soothing. She really seemed like a very kind woman!

I think these Boomsticks work well for women who are not into makeup because they can enhance cheekbones and other areas of the face. And they are easily applied. They also work well for those of us who are makeup addicts because we can incorporate them into our routines with additional products!

Overall, how would I rate these sticks? They are honestly between an A and an A+. The only thing keeping them from a full-on A + is that they don’t work for a naked skin tone that needs to be evened out but with other products, work beautifully.

What I would love to see (hint, hint if anyone from Boom ends up reading this) is the brand develop a foundation stick. That would be the icing on the cake. A super-hydrating stick with a bit of tackiness to keep it in place and coverage where we need it would be supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Boom-dee-ada! These nuggets are keepers!

If you use Boom how does it work on your bare face—I’m really interested to know!

Posted in Boom by Cindy Joseph, Proage beauty | Tagged Boom by Cindy Joseph, Boomsticks, Makeup for Mature Women | 10 Comments

The Vaccine Saga Continues. I Received My First Vaccine Yesterday. But..

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Catherine

And there is a but. BUT, I’ll get back to that later.

So, let me tell you what’s been happening. As you are aware, I pre-registered with Montgomery County in the beginning of January to get my Covid_19 Vaccination. Updates were being sent but nothing updating my spot on the list.

And after three months, it was becoming quite frustrating.

Time sure flies by quickly-even when you are waiting for an answer!

Flashback to this past Thursday. The Development we live in has a Facebook group. One of our neighbors, a nurse, posted about a vaccine “Pop-Up” shop that was taking place on Saturday, March 13 (yesterday) and posted the link to apply. This pop up was hosted by our local school district and The Medicine Shoppe, a local pharmacy.

Shout out to The Medicine Shoppe in Boyertown. It may be a half hour from our home but moving forward, we’ll be sending our prescriptions here! Thank you for hosting this!

In order to receive the vaccine, one needed to be living in our local school district. Mind you, I was at work when I found out about this so I immediately went on a break and filled out the application. I had very low expectations as the Montgomery County Debacle was driving me crazy.

Lo and behold and there by the grace of God, I ended up being accepted to receive the vaccine. What I find to be absolutely incredible is the County I live in, failed to get in touch with me and within eight hours of applying to receive the vaccination through the school district and pharmacy, I had an appointment.

Ever the skeptic, I was still having issues believing this would take place so I sent a letter to my local congresswoman. I haven’t heard back from her.

I wrote a letter to Melissa Shusterman-I voted for her you know. She’s very pretty. But she pretty-much ignored my humorous but snarky email!

And with my husband getting his second vaccination tomorrow at Paoli Hospital, I was really getting anxious over receiving mine. Well, all doubts were put to rest when I received a second email confirming my appointment with specific instruction on where to go—what building—etc.

And here’s how it rolled:

My Covid-Vaccine ensemble was comfortable and appropriate. A fun tee with short sleeves to roll up so that I could welcome the vaccine. J. Crew Pixie pants because they are stretchy and comfy and J. Crew ballet flats because they are freaking comfortable–especially on long stints of standing. I was dressed for success!

My appointment was 3:45. And as I no longer have children of school age, I had no inkling where the school in which I was receiving the vaccine was. We did a dry-run. And at first it was confusing because it was early—but that was a good thing. We spotted signs leading the direction we were to head to. We saw a police officer and his son happened to be one of the volunteers. We asked if this was the correct place, and they assured us it was. Both men were extremely friendly and helpful. They also said to arrive a few minutes earlier than the appointed time.

So off we went and I felt really good.

Upon returning, things ran smoothly and efficiently. To the point of being perfect. We arrived and our automobile, with us in it naturally, were placed on a line. Then, about five cars would leave the line to make the way to a parking area. I was asked if I had mobility issues. Since I don’t, the car was led to another parking area.

Volunteers abound and leading us to the right spot, it was run like a finely tuned needle (I guess that’s the phrase) and every singly volunteer was so helpful and friendly and the vibe was incredibly positive!

As I exited our parked car, my husband ended up taking a nap as I headed into the building. Once inside, I was greeted with a thermometer to the forehead and was asked for my name. With a normal temp, I took the form given to me, headed into another room and filled the form out.

I filled out the form and headed to wait patiently (and I’m not a patient woman) on the line!

After filling the form, I waited on a line in the corridor of the school. Another volunteer handed all on the line a card and a pen. We were told to take outwear off to make things easier.

The line was single-file, long and went quickly. I felt like I was back in school! And look-there’s an ice cream freezer to the right. Ever the gluttonous piggy, I thought we were being gifted wtih ice cream. The vaccine was actually the gift though!

My Vaccination Card. Best ID I’ve ever had!

Did I mention when applying, it was requested that we have copies of our prescription and medical insurance cars with us. The administrative assistant in me made color copies, front and back and stapled them. I also wrote a cover letter and placed all docs into a yellow folder that I brought with me. Trust me, I was prepared!

Ever the nerd, I was pleased as punch when the volunteer told me I was awesome for copying front and back and stapling. Rather than awesome, I was just desperate to comply because I wanted this vaccine.

Yes. I AM that nerd girl. Even as a child I dared not go outside the lines when I handed my homework in. I also hovered over my papers so nobody else could cheat off of me. It is only befitting that I would make perfect copies and staple them. A + for me!

The wait on the line wasn’t long at all—I swear this was efficiency at best.

There was a quick stop at another table before entering the gym where the shots were being administered. Again, my temperature was taken and I entered the gym to receive another form and stand in another line.

I received the Pfizer vaccine and trust me, drugs never looked so goo!

And then it happened. I was called over to a table and received my vaccine! Took two seconds. A band aid was placed on my arm where the vaccine was injected and I was given the date of the return for the second vaccine.

Don’t mind the bra strap. At least I wore underwear! And just like that–I had my first dose! Ohh I like this camera angle because my upper arm looks so good! IRL its a mud flap!

After receiving the needle, I was led to a desk. On the desk was a timer. The timer was set for fifteen minutes. This is the wait time between receiving the vaccine and exiting the building. Just to make sure there is no reaction.

Can you believe this? I mean, HOW organized is this? A timer no less!

After the fifteen-minute allotment I exited thanking every last volunteer. After I receive my second dose, I want to sign up to volunteer. The positivity and upbeat vibe from the volunteers were truly exceptional.

My favorite volunteer. She’s a music teacher and gave up her Saturday because she is so passionate about everyone receiving the vaccine. I want to be best friends with her! It’s a good thing we had to leave after fifteen minutes. I would have stayed longer just to socialize–it’s been a while!

So, I get into the car and tell Bonaparte the date of my second dose and he looked at me. (This is where the “but” comes in) He very seriously reminded me that on April 10, we will be in Cincinnati to visit Oona, Sam and baby Owen.

How could I possibly forget about this nugget of love and cuteness. WTF is wrong with me? I KNEW I would mess something up. I knew it!

Dumbfounded, I realized I was so stinking excited about receiving the vaccination that I forgot about the trip. And I also realized that I simply cannot—and I repeat CANNOT do any thing right! I couldn’t re-enter the building to correct the date. Surprisingly, I didn’t panic but I got in touch with the woman that I had been corresponding with who was a tremendous help.

Head to the dictionary and look up the word Moron. You will see the description: Catherine Lartigue

I sent and email explaining my dopey error. And it isn’t looking promising for the second dose. But things have a way of working out so I’m not giving up on this.

And last night at dinner, I was still talking about the great experience and Bonaparte told me that was one of the things he loves about Americans. He said no matter what our politics are, we are still willing to assist others with a smile and genuine kindness that you don’t see in France.

I know. I know. I am stereotyping. But the fact is, my husband–at times, IS the cranky Frenchman and he admits it. And that’s what he loves about we Americans. We’re just happy and nice!

I thought that pretty-much summed up how we really are as a people. It’s been a year. There’s hope. We have hope now because we have the vaccine. I’m hopeful that things will return to normal at some point. I’m hopeful that everyone will be vaccinated.

I got a big family. This makes me look forward to a big family par-tay in the future! Or…getting back on a flight to France! But most of all, I can’t wait to see my grandson!

And I’m hopeful that I will receive my second dose!

Have you been vaccinated yet? Are you struggling to find a way to receive it? Is your area organized? I really am quite curiously nosey about this. Do tell!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Covid Vaccination | 32 Comments

On Mr. Potato Head, Dr. Seuss and Then Some

Posted on March 6, 2021 by Catherine

Let me begin this post by telling you, just in case you are not aware, that I am a socially liberal woman (Yes. I’m a woman. I have an Origin of the World. I enjoy being referred to as a woman) but I abhor extremes with any social ideologies. Extreme conservatism is not a good thing. Neither is extreme liberalism—or, as we are now calling it, progressiveness.

Yes. I truly do believe that women are empowering among many others..

Honestly, I hope I’m making myself clear. I’m a proponent of the Black Lives Matter movement and at the same time, I make no apologies for my pale skin tone and freckles. I’m rather proud and happy of my Irish roots.

Although I’m a Roman Catholic, I respect my Atheist, Agnostic and Non-Christian friends. In fact, unless you are an extremist in your religious or non-religious ideologies, I respect you.

In addition, it’s always a good idea to have a sense of humor when discussing religion!

Body-shaming isn’t my jam. In fact, I lost a number of followers of this blog due to one “popular” and quite funny and eccentric well-knows bloggers because she body-shamed a woman on a post and I called her out on it. And her make-believe liberal friends mad at me for that! No matter what size you are, it’s your body. I respect you.

Poking fun at how others look isn’t my thing either. My preference is to make fun of myself because if I can make one person laugh at my imperfections or shortcomings, I’ve done a good deed.

My favorite fun shirt at the moment is “I gotta good heart, but the mouth tho” is very much on target. I have a complete gutter mouth but I’m charming and everyone gets a laugh out of this shirt because they know its true!

If one wants to be referred to as “they” or any of the gender-neutral references, please let me know in advance so that I may comply. In the same vein, I don’t mind being referred to as woman, female, lady, even broad. Its all good and I’m not offended.

Yes. Gender is a spectrum and I’m of the woman spectrum. I respect your gender. Please respect mine.

Gay pride is something I am passionate about. One’s sexuality is their business. If two men want a relationship. That’s great. If two women want a relationship. That’s great. Everyone is free to love the person they want to love. And same-sex marriage should have been put into place a long, long time ago.

But presently, I’m having some issues. And those issues stem with the recent turn of events regarding both a childhood toy and an author who assisted in my, as well as others, learning to read for pleasure and honing in on our ability to rhyme and speak in sing-song voices.

I’m referring to Mr. Potato Head and Dr. Seuss.

Last week, Hasbro decided to drop the “Mr.” from Mr. Potato Head to make the toy more inclusive. (Hasbro article)

Now, if you are of my generation, you will remember that Mr. Potato Head had a partner—a wife, in fact. Okay, maybe she was the wife of a different potato—perhaps a Butter Potato or a Sweet Potato but there was, in fact, a Mrs. Potato Head.

The original Mr. And MRS. Potato Head in all their styrofoam glory!

And if you are familiar with the vintage Mr./Mrs. Potato Head TOY, you remember the TOY as it were originally, with the thin head made of Styrofoam. After a few uses, pieces of the Styrofoam would break off and it got a bit wonky. And so, we would head to the pantry or fridge, depending where mom stored the potatoes, take the vegetable and place the embellishments into a real potato. Giving new meaning to playing with your food.

Might I add that the Potato Heads were a rather diverse couple as they could be changed from a potato to fruits or vegetables. I’ll call the Mrs. Pepper for now!

To be honest, I have no idea WTF suggested this re-naming of Mr. Potato Head but I think it’s inane. It is ridiculous. And children, for generations, did not give a shit what the gender was simply because you could turn a potato either into a woman or a man with the help of the little plastic features that came with it.

I pondered the gender of this potato last night. It had no ding-dong nor did it have a love canal. It was a vegetable. So I cooked it and ate it.

In my mind, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head were made for future makeup artists, no matter what the child’s gender. A young boy that leaned toward a future of makeup and beauty could pretty-up a potato with eyelashes and red lips. Not to ignore the stunning dress, shoes and purse but this was also a future fashion designer’s dream!

And for the girls who were tomboys (am I allowed to use that word), perhaps they could dress Mr. Potato up to be the image they wanted to be.

It’s true. All my more masculine girls could have a toy that they could relate to. So then tell me, just what is so bad about Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head?

My point it we all know that any potato has no gender. A potato will grow eyes if you leave it uneaten for too long but it is a vegetable. And if the toy version is referred to as “Mr.” it is fine. It is non-offensive.

Actually, I find the more modern Potato Head couple to be less attractive then the ones I grew up with. They are too cartoonish looking. Not that there’s anything wrong with looking like a cartoon….

In fact, my favorite Colorforms toy of all time was “Miss Cookie’s Kitchen” I freaking played with that toy for ages, rearranging the various items in her kitchen. God forbid this would ever be sexist due to the Miss in Cookie’s Kitchen. But subconsciously, this Colorforms set actually started my love of all things cooking and kitchen related. And did a fine job indeed.

So sexist. A woman in the kitchen. Then why are there so many male chefs?

But let’s talk about the wonderful Dr. Seuss. Shall we?

All the good he’s done with giving the gift of imagination and reading to children and now six of his books are banned. That is messed up!

Six books by Theodor Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss are no longer being published. The two banned books I am most familiar with, because I loved both of these books as a child, are “And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street” and “McElligott’s Pool” These two books showcased the talents of Dr. Seuss’s illustrations beautifully. I loved both stories but more so, I was mesmerized by the uniqueness of this drawings.

“McElligotts Pool” is no longer being published due to the “Eskimo” fish illustration.

I LOVED this book. And often took it out of the library to mull over the delightful illustrations. Not once did the book give me a racist or ethno-centric thought!

I never realized that the term “Eskimo” was so offensive. I remember enjoying “Eskimo Pie” ice cream which has, as of June in 2020 been renamed to “Edy’s Pie”.

This–the illustration of Eskimo fish is what got the book banned. I’m still shaking my head….

And I make no apologies for feeling that the term Eskimo Pie is a lot less offensive than Edy’s Pie. Think about that one. Yeah. Edy has some pie!

As a child, I never recalled the term “Eskimo” to be a derogatory term for Indigenous Arctic people. I never used the term in a snarky way. In fact, the only time I used the word was when referring to the ice cream or a furry jacket I had back in the early 1960’s which was called an “Eskimo” jacket. It was simply what the jacket was called.

Back in the early to mid 1960’s I wore Eskimo jackets as that was what the outwear was called. It wasn’t offensive. Nobody thought any less of Artic people. In fact, these jackets were a great source of warmth in the winters!

“And To Think That I Saw it On Mulberry Street” is no longer being published because of an illustration of an Asian person. A Chinese man to be exact. Again, as a child, I knew better and was more diversely educated than to think that this illustration depicted the usual person born in China.

The book, first published in 1937 is merely about a boy named Marco who walks along Mulberry Street and the visuals of his wild imagination come into play. That’s it.

And excuse me for eating with chopsticks every time I eat Asian food.

..this is the illustration that got the book to no longer be published. Now, I don’t know about you, but even as a child, I knew very well that the term Chinaman wasn’t used and nobody I came in contact with from China looked like this. Let us use our common sense.

Do all Irishmen look like the Lucky Charms Leprrechaun?

The only thing I find offensive here is that children are subjected to eat this garbage.

And to all those who are offended by Seuss’s so-called racism. Didja know he was a liberal who despised Hitler? Where’s your liberalism now???

I’m guessing those who condemn Seuss have no idea he was quite liberal politically.

I see him as more inclusive. While not banned, the book, “One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish” is about everyone having different qualities.

I cannot even remember how many times I’ve read this book…

Whether thin or fat.

No size-shaming here. Everyone is equal!

Whether your teeth are yellow and you are slightly weird. It’s all good.

And I never thought this guy needed to get his teeth fixed either..

It brings a message that it’s ok to be different.

And thanks to Seuss for including all ages–such as old! And thank you for encouraging children to converse with their parents.

I don’t think Dr. Suess was thinking anything derogatory with his Eskimo fish or with his Asian man eating with chopsticks. It’s all about how the overly-sensitive and extreme progressives interpret these books.

I think it was just about releasing imagination!

And it is a shame because growing up, I didn’t give a second thought to ethnicity. It just wasn’t a big deal. It didn’t matter whether you were Chinese or Italian, Catholic or Jewish, brown, black, white or yellow. Perhaps parents and the overly-sensitive should take a look at what offends them and teach their children better from it.

The only thing I found offensive in Dr. Suess’ writings was the mess Thing One and Thing Two made in the house! Had I messed the house like that as a child, there would be severe repercussions.

Seriously. I found the mess Thing 1 and 2 made far more offensive than the Eskimo fish!

Look. Racism is wrong. And ethnocentric behavior is questionable. But to all those adults who feel Mr./Mrs. Potato Head should be gender neutral and for those who feel Dr. Seuss is a racist monster, remember that actions speak louder than words.

Teach your children. Educate yourself on how to treat others. Step down from your self-righteous horse and look around. We are surrounded with more pressing issues at the present time.

What’s your opinion on this? Perhaps I’m not sensitive enough. Let me know your thoughts!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Banned Books, Dr. Seuss, Mr. Potato Head | 43 Comments

It’s Been a Year! One. Entire. Year. Of. COVID.

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Catherine

I was cleaning out my iPhone the other day and came across a few photos that hadn’t been deleted.

They were from last year. The first week of March, 2020. Today is the first day of March 2021.

And let us hope the winter coating can be stored away in a few weeks!

On that first weekend of March last year, we decided to spend the (click this link for last year’s blog post about our) weekend in Manhattan.

Hard to believe this was taken a year ago and even more difficult to believe we are entering year two of the pandemic!

We stayed at the Marriott in Midtown and before arriving at the hotel, we drove to Nyack to visit my husband’s grandfather’s grave. A lifelong Parisien, he moved here due to work obligations and passed away due to a heart attack. He was living in an old house in Nyack and was buried in the town.

We stapped first to have a little visit with Bonaparte’s grandfather!

It’s a bittersweet sentiment for my Frenchman because his entire family is in France so it gives a connection here.

But more about the weekend.

We heard about this “virus” but really hadn’t known the seriousness of it. Yet.

What we did notice was traffic was eerily light. And lighter traffic is always a good thing but this was different. And it was more noticeable as we approached the City.

And once in the city, we were astounded that traffic remained so light. I mean there was no traffic at all. Under normal circumstances driving in the City, I’m usually cursing every five seconds and flipping the bird every 15. On that day, I remained unsarcastically angelic!

This was the heaviest traffic we encountered–in Times Square it was rather eerie!

And when we arrived at the hotel we were greeted as though we were royalty. In fact, Marriott upgraded us into a rather large suite. Little did we know it was because a great number of travelers opted out of staying at the hotel!

We had great views in this corner of the suite. And a year later, the hotel closed. It’s so sad.

After unpacking and headed out and about for an afternoon walk, we didn’t notice a smaller number of people. That area of the city is usually pretty crowded and the locals were going about their normal weekend errands and whatever it is they needed to do. We had a lovely dinner at Le Relais de Venise Entrecôte and the restaurant held a good crowd. It was business as usual.

We had a lovely dinner here–it’s actually our “usual” place in The City. And I”m happy to announce it has remained opened a year later!

MMM…Steak!

And despite some of the normalcy, we had a hunch that something was about to happen.

The next day, we left the city and arrived at the Holland Tunnel in record time. No one was on the road. We exited a metropolis that had morphed into a virtual ghost town.

We had never witnessed such empty city streets. It wasn’t a sign of good things to come.

It was not until the next day that I realized the severity of this virus. We were now experiencing a true pandemic.

The office I work in was now under a lockdown of sorts. Staff was now ordered to work from home. I was one of three people who volunteered to come into the office. (For me, it was a dream—not having to be with most co-workers was a delight)

Only I wasn’t sorry. I was delighted! It was so productive!

And thus, life changed. Restaurants closed. Malls and stores closed. People were now ordered to wear masks. There was no cure for this mysterious illness but we all knew it was bad. Very bad.

And last March, I had no idea that I would still be wearing a mask during the November voting process!

In the beginning, for me, it was a pleasure to drive to work with no traffic. It was even more of a pleasure to work in an empty office. I mean, it’s a beautiful thing to not have to deal with the office gossips or the slackers or the moles who spy on everyone while spending less time on their daily duties.

A year later, I think back on the empty office. There is now a handfulof people working onsite but we keep a very safe distance!

After all, how long would this pleasure of being alone last? A few weeks? A month at the most? Oh boy, were we all in for a rude awakening! Weeks turned into months and those months turned into a year. A year later, I’m not as delightfully giddy as a was during the onset of this pandemic.

I must say that I DO miss my friends! A lot!

A year later, I miss people (except most co-workers) who are my friends. I miss random conversations with strangers while we are waiting in line at a store or elsewhere. I miss seeing young parents with their babies and telling them how cute their baby is.

Suffice it to say, I even miss standing on lines like this to see a movie!

I miss going out. I’ve been a semi-prisoner in my home for one year now. No contact with family. Sure, I did get to visit Oona and Sam twice and I got to spend time with my new grandson Owen. And Roman came to visit. But Jake is still out in L.A.

Thank God I have memories of my visit to Ohio to see my new grandson!

But there were no trips to Long Island to see my sister. Our trips to France, two of them cancelled with a possible third in the queue of cancellation. For 2021 No weddings. No barbeques. No random restaurant meals. No wedding showers. No baby showers. No birthday parties. No nothing except one trip to the beach last summer.

Something tells me we won’t be hanging here in Antibes this coming summer.

And please—do not even broach the subject of Zoom events because it is simply not the same as being in a room with real human touch.

Zoom isn’t cutting it for me.

As we enter into Year Two of this pandemic, I honestly don’t have much hope for 2021. Montgomery County here in Pennsylvania is a joke—an absolute joke with the handling of the vaccines. Smokers and obese individuals are receiving their vaccination before soon-to-be-66-year-old me along with peers of my age group.

Smoking? You’ll get your vaccine first!

Masking it has become the new normal. Caution has taken over our lives. Hand sanitizer is the new eau de toilette. Take out and curbside pickup is the substitute for dining out. Amazon is now the Mall of America.

I haven’t purchased any perfume in a year but I’ve got a steady supply of this!

A year ago, I was delighted to be away from people. A year later, I long for the company of people (except most co-workers). I daydream of arriving home from the office and having my husband suggest heading to downtown Phoenixville for a bite to eat rather than the typical weeknight dinner at home.

I want to return to France. I want to be on a TSA line that is so long that I’m cursing up a storm and my patience is tested. I want to be bitchy to overly-aggressive sales assistants but want to be kind to the nice ones.

That’s right. I want my naughty mouth to get working on a long TSA line!

I want the opportunity to mull over an invite. I want to go shopping to purchase a gift for someone special and wrap it and adorn it with ribbon and embellishments.

Ahhh. Christmas. 2019? I long to make pretty wrappings again!

I don’t want a daily count of the deaths. I want this goddamned pandemic to end.

2020 was the year that wasn’t. I felt as though an entire year of life was wasted and it won’t come back. And as I age, time is of the essence. Hopefully 2021 will see a return to life as it were. And I’m not alone. It seems that the year mark has thrown many over that mountain of patience and hope.

This is how a feel about last year.

This first day of March marks entering into the second year of COVID-19 but, this first day of March also gives an awakening that Spring is just around the corner. As the air begins to change from frigid to cooler and the days get longer our spirits will start to bloom. And as the Crayola-Spring Green crayon color appears as a sprinkling of buds on the trees, and the grass turns from stiff blades and becomes, once again, barefoot soft, our hearts will also soften.

I want real-life Spring Green back…

And next month, it’ll look like this–it’s be welcomed and we’ll be a bit happier and sunnier!

It’s been tough. We all feel it. But let’s look forward to spring and the warmer weather.

We can do this! Think happy thoughts!

How have you been coping with the realization that it’s been a year? I think it’s good to talk about this so you know that you are not alone!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Year Twoof COVID | 19 Comments

Let There Be Light—For Our Pro-Ageing Eyes!

Posted on February 21, 2021 by Catherine

With ageing comes challenges. Especially with our eyesight. Am I right or what?

My own experience was the not-so-pleasant gift of cataracts. It was especially challenging for me simply because I was in denial. My eyesight, albeit bad to begin with, was getting progressively worse—and rather quickly. I blamed poor office lighting, people using their bright headlights, mother nature for making the day sky too bright and the night sky too dark.

Frankly, Cataract surgery changed my life–definitely for the better!

It wasn’t until I went to the Ophthalmologist that I was faced with the truth. I had not only one cataract in each eye but had two. One in front of my lens and one behind. But the worst was when my doctor told me it happens with age. I couldn’t handle that—age hasn’t made me less shallow!

But it’s a fact. Our eyesight changes as we age. A number of people not needing eye glasses when they were younger, now are in need of prescription lenses. Many develop cataracts. Others develop conditions such as presbyopia, glaucoma, dry eyes and age-related macular degeneration. Yeah. It stinks but that’s the ageing process for ya!

Eye drops and medication for eyes often becomes the new normal!

Luckily, though, I had the surgery and my eyes are better than ever. However, I do need to take care of my eyes. These days I wear blue-light readers whilst working on my work and home computer. I use eyedrops to keep my eyes hydrated and on doctor’s orders, religiously wash my eyelids with baby shampoo every evening.

My blue-light friendly eyeglass wardrobe has expanded!

Good lighting is also paramount. Honestly—it is. I can think back to childhood and my parents constantly nagging me to read in better light. Little did I realize my parents were right! So, you can just imagine my surprise when the folds at BenQ, reached out to me to try their e-Reading desk lamp! I jumped at the opportunity and waited for this lamp to be delivered.

From the BenQ website

Here’s how it rolled:

First of all, the lamp was delivered quickly after I agreed to review. Considering how the postal service is these days, I was impressed.

This large package arrived in due time!

The packaging: The lamp was shipped all the way from Taiwan and I was a bit concerned about the packaging. My fears were put to rest upon opening the large box. Every component of the lamp was packaged securely in Styrofoam and wrapped in sheer cling wrap.

In the box, the lamp was housed in styrofoam..

…and components wrapped in cling wrap. The lamp was sent extremely secured so nothing would be broken!

My next fear was how to put this together. I’m not particularly astute in assembling any sort of household good or furniture and I thought this would be no exception. Again, fears were put to rest with easy-to-follow visual directions! Honestly, have no fear of complicated instruction. This was easy-peasy, lemon squeezy to put together. I used the little wrench that came with the packaging and it took less than five minutes to assemble.

A quick-start guide was included as well as a small wrench for assembly.

With the pieces of the lamp on the floor, and instruction, along with the little wrench, I was able to assemble the lamp in record time!

Another attribute of this lamp is the fact that the base is a good solid weight. It won’t topple over with any surprise movement but isn’t so heavy that you cannot transport it up and downstairs from room to room. Don’t transport it while barefoot though because if you drop it, you can run the risk of a bruise or worse.

I especially liked the visuals illustrating the importance of using the wrench to tighten the arm into the base so it won’t fall off and hurt your foot!

Performance.

This performs so well! First of all, the arm of the lamp is adjustable and allows you to custom-fit the lamp to your needs. When I’m on my computer, I lower it so that the curved lighting area is placed over the length of my laptop. It can be adjusted higher or as low as you need.

You can adjust the lamp to your desired height. Another plus is the generous sizing of the base. It stays put!

My preference is having the light lowered to hover over my laptop! (And yes, my grandson is my laptop wallpaper!)

The lamp’s light literally covers the length of the laptop or computer.

You can also adjust the lighting from a warmer yellow lighting to a cooler blue lighting. In fact, there’s an icon you can touch with your finger to adjust.

Warmer lighting or cooler lighting? You have the option!

Warmer for reading, cooler for computer! It’s foolproof! Just a touch of the book or screen icons will adjust for you!

The button at the top of the lamp also allows you to adjust the lighting and with a light touch can be turned on and off.

A light touch is all you need to turn on and off!

And in true LED fashion, will last forever. No bulbs to change!

No changing lightbulbs with this LED lamp!

The coverage of this slender lamp is incredible. There is no area left untouched when you’re working on your computer. There’s no glare given off by the lamp so your eyesight won’t be strained nor will your eyes be fatigued. It’s all good and I prefer using this to overhead lighting or a smaller lamp.

The lamp covers over the top length of your workspace. No glare either!

Used as a reading lamp, it’s just as good. It’s very easy to carry it over from my work area to my sunroom for some pleasurable reading.

Easily transportable from room to room. I can sit comfortably in the corner of the loveseat in our sunroom and enjoy the pleasure of a book and good lighting!

The price? The list price is $229 and can be found on Amazon. Although it might seem pricey, the lamp is well-worth the money spent. It is solid. It is well-constructed. The adjustable arm is user-friendly. The lighting it gives off is well-needed and a must-have for those of us with ageing eyes. At this juncture in our lives, we might purchase less “stuff” but what we do purchase can be money well-spent.

Definitely worth the price!

And if you are a grandparent of a child in school who happens to be visiting you or spending time with you, this light is great for their study and school time.

Overall, I’m impressed with this. I use it every time I’m on my home laptop, which is practically every day. Since I’m now working from home once a week, it will be used while working. Eyesight is a gift—and almost losing it to cataracts was a big scare for me—I’m now taking very good care of my eyes and this e-Reading lamp from BenQ is assisting in that care!

As a proponent of Senior Class Wellness, I highly recommend this e-reading lamp to my friends of our demographic! Especially with the challenges of ageing eyesight!

Posted in Eye Care, Senior Wellness | Tagged Amazon finds, BenQ, Computer friendly lighting, e-reading lamp, Reading lighting, study aids | 10 Comments

My Husband Got Vaccinated and I Did Not. More Randomness for The Weekend!

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Catherine

Okay so here’s the deal. I mentioned that Bonaparte had surgery recently. It was oral and he needs to be on a soft diet for six months. And whilst I was in Cincinnati for a week enjoying my new grandson, I ate. I ate a lot.

And what I ate wasn’t necessarily the healthiest but wasn’t the unhealthiest. I’m lying. I nibbled at the trail mix. And nuts. And I consumed a few lactation cookies just to test them out. Brownies were also made—twice and I enjoyed them. As did I enjoy the chocolate chip cookies I made and a little cheesecake.

I ate Indian food and Chinese food and managed to cook a few meals. Am I guilty? Not really because my daughter needs to eat in order to keep that milk supply flowing. I was there to help eat the food!

But while I was away, the husband lived on soup. To begin with, he refuses to actually “cook” for himself so he went to Wegmans and purchased quite a few Karine & Jeff soups that happen to be imported from France.

These soups are supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! The nutritional value is very weight loss friendly AND they are filling. My newest obsession is the brand’s Thai Coconut soup!

He lost quite a few pounds without really trying. And over the course of time I was in Cincinnati, I gained one pound. Which, by the way, I’m thrilled about because I would have sworn I gained more.

Now that I’m home, I’ve become obsessed with these soups because they are all natural and quite filling. Still, it’ll take me a dog’s age to lose five pounds. And it just happens that when my husband went to the doctor two days ago, the doctor demanded he not lose any more weight. Trust me, I just about spiraled into a jealous rage! But my new project is to find soft foods that will fatten him up. Oh, if I had a mustache, I could twirl the ends in such a villainous way!

What did he do? He had oral surgery and his Frenchness allowed for a drastic weight loss while I………………

Anyway, (because we all know that anyways is not a word) we both registered with Montgomery County, PA to have our COVID-19 vaccine. What a bunch of bullsh….!

I registered over a month ago and receive these emails basically stating that Montgomery County has a shortage of vaccines and it’ll be a long wait. Most likely when hell freezes over!

Seriously. I’m vaccine ready. Unfortunately Montgomery County, PA isn’t ready to hand them out!

That being said, the wonderful Philadelphia-based Main Line Health sent a message to my husband that he could receive a vaccination! Imagine that! He didn’t even have to reach out to them. Main Line Health reached out to him with this illustrious offer simply because he had a heart attack and they have his health records.

Paoli Hospital part of Main Line Health. Can I tell you that being a hypochondriac, I love Main Line Health. All the doctors I’ve gone to are steller and this health company is a dream for any hupochondriac!

Believe me—I was incredibly happy that he would be receiving this shot and in my usual devious way, decided to accompany him to Paoli Hospital when he received the vaccination. My thought process was that since he was going in the evening and the weather was rather inclement to say the least, the old people (and by that, I mean those about ten years and upward from my age) would stay home. Therefore, I would be able to grandfather up and receive a vaccination because it would be best to give the shot to me than to dispose of an unused one.

I was doing the Vaccine Happy Dance simply because I was so sure I would be able to get leftovers!

Are you following me?

We arrived at the designated office for vaccinations. And there they came out of the building. An army of elders. Most walking very slowly due to the weather situation. And as we approached the entrance to the area where the check-in was, my doubts of receiving a vaccination grew stronger. The waiting area was chock-full of people who were quite older than I am. This didn’t look good for me.

Never underestimate the determination of those over 75! They will go out in any weather to vote and to get their vaccines!

The nurse greeted my husband while ignoring me! I asked her if I could sidle up to get a shot. She looked at me without even asking my age and told me I was too young. My reply to her was that I am, in fact, old. I’ll be 66 in two months. She chuckled and stated that I was still too young.

Now THIS is a young me. Note the car seat and I’m still here! In addition, I’m not this young anymore but this is how the nurse pictured me!

This was now my opportunity to entertain all those awaiting their vaccines!

“Can you believe it?” I said “When I was young, I had fake ID to make me older so I could get into bars” “Now I’m old and am told I’m too young” “Anyone got a fake ID?”

Forget the beer–I wan’t a fake ID to make me old enough to get vaccinated against Covid!!

But I couldn’t stop! I went on, just like a female version of Rodney Dangerfield complaining about no respect. I started griping about the fact that smokers are getting the vaccines before non-smokers. (And this is fact—at least in Pennsylvania it is. All those beer-drinking cigarette fans are now safe from COVID-19 while I’m a walking time bomb).

Sorry Charlie, but I just cannot wrap my head around the fact that smokers in PA are getting vaccines before non-smokers!

Teachers and first responders, as well as health-care workers definitely deserve to be vaccinated first. But smokers? Come on now..

Especially for those of us who don’t smoke!

Needless—or rather needle-less to say, I’m glad that my husband got his vaccine. Now I wait!

Back to the wait—I mean weight! I’m very punny today!

At 159 pounds, I’m feeling better but not quite there yet. With about 15 pounds to go, this is the slippery-slope time. The last ten to fifteen pounds are the most difficult. The weight comes off more slowly but I’m ok with it. Lord knows how many times I’ve been through this.

The scale will be moving slower now but it’s a pleasure to see the 150’s again!

Calories are continuing to be counted with the Nutritionix App and I’m finding this app to be incredibly helpful. I prefer it to the WW app that I was using while on Weight Watchers. Calorie-counting is making me far more accountable than counting points but to each their own. Whatever works for you is the best solution!

I’m really diggin’ this Nutritionix App! I downloaded it to my iPhone via the App Store and this is the free version!

Clothing is definitely fitting better but my problem area remains my pufferfish gut. And in all honesty, it’s my own fault through lack of exercise. We’re presently buried underneath a foot of snow that has accumulated over the course of two weeks. But with March and Spring knocking at the door-it’ll be good to get out and walk.

Ugh. We’re buried in snow. It would have been nice around Christmas but in February? Nope!

Pants are definitely fitting better but the jeans are still a bit too tight. It’ll be awhile..

In the meantime, the Gretchen Scott Designs printed stretch jeans are fitting nicely–they stretch!

And speaking of Spring……………….two nights ago, after relaxing in a nice hot bath, I ended up applying fake tan to my fish-belly white legs. I simply couldn’t take it anymore. Tired of wearing tights (because I refuse to wear pantyhose) with skirts and dresses and tired of looking at my blue veins, I grabbed leftover tanning mousse and went to town. The smell has dissipated and I’m now looking forward to being bare-legged for the winter’s remainder.

I just couldn’t take the pale legs a moment longer. Luckily I had fake tanner left over from last summer…

And….was able to go bare-legged to the office yesterday! Granted, I wore boots–still, no tights made me happy. Besides–I love the feel of being bare-legged!

How are you dealing with the vaccination dilemma? Are you waiting? Did you get your shot? Do tell!! And have a great weekend or what’s left of it!

Posted in Baby Boomer life | Tagged Coved Vaccine, Jergens SOL Tanner, Life Over 60, Weight Loss Journey | 26 Comments

You May Now Call Me…Grandma!

Posted on February 16, 2021 by Catherine

Well, it’s been a whirlwind three weeks. There’s been a lot going on in my life. Let’s see……… my husband had surgery and he’s 100 percent fine. I went through the annual stress and anxiety of getting my mammogram…and that was fine. And work? Well…it’s still there.

But the big news is that I became a grandma on Tuesday, January 26^th!

I’m a Grandma!!!!!

I’ll tell you all the juicy details.

So, Oona went to the doctor the Friday before giving birth…January 22, to be exact. Oona’s blood pressure was on the high side so they were monitoring it. And on Monday, they decided to admit her to the hospital. They were going natural, but the baby was a bit on the large side for her body type. (Where this mommy has what is called “Irish” hips, the same cannot be said for my daughter). And after pushing for over 2 hours, it was decided upon to give her a C-Section.

My baby and her baby! He had no problem finding his thumb!

And…on Tuesday morning, my 8-pound, 21 ¼ inch grandson, Owen Michael was born!

Straight outta the womb and into the world. He’s about five minutes old here. She did deliver two weeks early. Had she gone full term, this little nugget would have weighed in over 9 pounds!

After the initial relief that the baby was well and kickin’ and healthy, my thoughts went back to my daughter. To be honest, I was really concerned about her blood pressure. I never had that issue during my three pregnancies and remained slightly worried about her. I’ll get back to this.

In the meantime, she and Sam produced the cutest (I know, I know..every grandparent thinks the same thing), most adorable baby I’ve ever seen. Owen is perfect! And the photos they sent me didn’t do justice as to how precious that li’l nugget of handsome is. I couldn’t wait to hold him.

All snuggled up! He’s just so stinkin’ cute!

Here’s where it gets weird. And I think I made a couple of errors in judgement. I’ll explain.

Naturally, I couldn’t wait to fly to Cincinnati to see my daughter and my grandson. I had a week of rollover time off from 2020 that had to be taken by March or I would lose it. And as much as I love and adore my boss, she kind of wanted to know when I would be out of the office. My ex-husband was asking me when I was going to visit so he could block out time for him. Roman and Jake were also on the queue for traveling to see their nephew. I ended up leaving for Cincinnati on Friday, February 5, and returning home on Valentine’s Day. In hindsight, this wasn’t really the best choice I’ve ever made.

Bitmoji Image

The pressure! The pressure!

Why? You ask. Well, it didn’t give Oona and Sam much “alone” time with their son. Honestly, I didn’t think this through. My impatient nature got the best of me. I’ll tell ya something else. For some ungodly and delusional reason, I thought Oona would be overwhelmed at the prospect of new motherhood.

Ummm. Yeah. No way is my daughter overwhelmed. She took to motherhood like a fish takes to water!

After all, thinking about how I felt when I came home with my son Jake, I was overwhelmed. I had nobody to help me. My mother lived in Florida—although my dad came up for moral support, and I didn’t get along with my mother-in-law. I really felt alone. Don’t get me wrong—I loved being with my baby and relished in everything that goes along with having a baby. It was just that first two weeks made me doubt if I had what it took to be a “mommy”. And I thought Oona would feel the same way. I expected her to be a bit needy and dependent upon me.

Oh boy, was I ever wrong!

This mommy has it under control!

She had that mommy thing down pat. In fact, she was a hell of a lot better at it than I was when I came home.

She’s very organized. I’m not. I was a very “crunchy-granola” earthy attachment mom. (albeit with more of a preppy style—a true paradox). She’s got Owen on a schedule. I had no schedule and very quickly my overwhelming emotions flowed into complete chill and relaxation.

Image result for crunchy granola mom

This was me –breastfeeding until the children were three years old. I made their baby food too. And baked goods. And home-made tortillas because I didn’t want them to be fed a ton of chemicals. All that changed once they became involved in extra-cirricular activities. Kraft Mac and Cheese anyone?

In addition, realizing it’s been thirty-one years that I’ve had a baby in the house, there’s a lot of things that have changed. When I breastfed, the only pump available was a Marshall-Kaneson that looked like a cross between a kazoo and trumpet. The pumps my daughter is using are incredibly advanced in tittie technology!

babyfeeding, suctionmilkingtool, manualbreast, breastpumpbaby

This is a replica of the pump I used. And I managed to get quite a bit but this is so primitive to what’s available now!

And then there’s the lactation cookies. I was told to drink a bottle of beer to produce milk. I hate beer but luckily, produced a ton of milk on my own.

Image result for lactation cookies

And yes. I tasted a couple of these cookies. They were delicious but alas–I didn’t produce any milk. My well has run dry!

The trip was a good one though. I was able to hold my little bundle of joy and even got to babysit while Oona and Sam went out to breakfast and ran errands. Due to the winter weather at it’s best, we had a very nice snowstorm and spent most of the time indoors.

In the dire need for exercise, I went outside for some photos and a long walk. It was actually very beautiful outside!

Oona and I binged on Workin’ Moms, a series on Netflix and watched a few documentaries.

I’m full of bliss. Dang I wish I could take him home!

I cooked a couple of meals but was reminded that I make a mess when I cook. So …I made only a couple of meals.

I roasted a lemony chicken, grilled brussels sprouts and made sausage and peppers with tortellini in a pesto sauce. Oh..and I made cookies and brownies too!

And that was it.

Holding my grandson was an emotional experience. It was an odd feeling to see my daughter as a mom. It was even more odd to see that she didn’t need me. She’s got everything under control. It was sad that my baby advice was not needed because she gets her baby advice from her friends. But I guess that’s the way it is.

We were color-coordinated!

It also comes as a rude awakening that I won’t be the grandma that is close to Owen. I’ll be that grandma—the one who lives far away. Everyone tells me that the time spent with him in the future won’t matter because it will be quality time. But I ain’t buying it. My grandmother was an important factor in my life and I saw her regularly. I was with her every day when before we left the city for Long Island and I continued to spend my summers with her, my grandfather and Aunt Terry. These were the adults who had the most impact on me. I was closer to my grandmother than my own mother. And the fact that I won’t be seeing Owen on a regular basis is daunting. I certainly won’t be a major player in his life but I can make our time together fun.

Sadly, I won’t be the close grandma. I have to come to terms with that.

Face time and Zoom aren’t the same as real life.

A future UT Longhorn. Uncle Jake got him a Bevo pacifier!

So yeah, if any of you out there are about to become first-time grandparents in a while, give the new parents time to settle into their lives as a family with their child. Don’t be over-zealous or over-anxious to see the new baby. Don’t smother your children. Don’t give advice—just listen. Don’t hover over the baby. If you have to travel a long distance, give it a bit of time before visiting. Don’t ask if there’s anything you can do—wait until you are asked to do something.

Give them time to settle in to becoming a new family!

And make your visit shorter than a week. I would say three to four days max is the way to go.

Give the baby time to get to know mommy and daddy as well!

Other than that, I look forward to more and more pics of my little grandson. Oh. And by the way, my “grandma” moniker still has not been chosen. I think I’ll allow Owen to do the honor!

What will he call me? Granma? Granny? Grammy? Glamma? Just as long as he doesn’t call me late to dinner!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Baby boomer life, Grandparents-to-be, New Grandma | 50 Comments

No Beauty for Old Ladies! But I Say Different! Let’s Revisit Liquid Foundation!

Posted on January 24, 2021 by Catherine

Nah. The title isn’t click-bait. I was just deep in thought the other day about how much we, as the older woman, are continued to be ignored for the most part by the beauty industry.

And don’t get me started on the Golden Girls stereotype. The clothing is horrific. The hair an ageing disgrace and I cannot even with the makeup. OK?

I’m not talking about the small companies that have been kind to me by allowing me the opportunity to review and share. I’m talking about the beauty industry in general. And that’s one of the reasons I’ll try to write more blog posts on “Mature-Woman-Friendly” makeup and cosmetics. We need each other to show us what’s out there because God forbid the beauty industry actually includes our demographic.

We have the beauty industry acting like they are all-inclusive by showcasing ads with women of color; men; the LGBT community, the disabled but all the while, ignoring the over 60 and older or over 50 and over demographic. To be truly inclusive you must stop the ageist behavior.

Yo. Tucci. You talkin’ ’bout ME? Sadly he’s saying what industries and corporations think.

And now that I’m down from my soapbox, I did a thing.

You know from a couple of blog posts that I’m deeply in lust with cream makeup. Over the past few months, I’ve pretty-much ignored my liquid foundations in favor of everything cream. And I am happy with my choice. I love the way cream glides on the face and really gives a natural finish. The creams do a fine job of evening out skin tone and the different products such as contour and blush over the cream foundations blend very well.

My creamy stacks…

And my creamy sticks! I love ’em!

So, I thought. And pondered. And I took out three liquid foundations that I hadn’t purged.

Three unpurged foundations. One was the hands-down best. One was fine and one was trashed.

Jouer Essential High Coverage Crème Foundation (it’s liquid) in the shade Vanilla; Anastasia Beverly Hills Luminous Foundation in the shade 150W and Burberry liquid foundation (which has been discontinued) in the shade Light Neutral No. 40.

Now. I’m not gonna lie. The liquid foundation, IMHO, works better for a special event face such as a wedding, Mother-of-the-Bride look, a very special date night, or any special occasion. Whereas the cream foundations work far better for the everyday look.

I’m not a glam girl as far as makeup goes but I did do the closest to a glam look for yesterday because I also want to touch upon cream eyeshadows and powder shadows. In a while…

My glam look from yesterday!

Anyway, I’ve written about these foundations separately in past posts but today I’m comparing.

The Jouer. I used today and during the week. I’ll say that the first time I used this—I hated it! It looked chalky, I looked pale AF. T’was a mess! Then I took a step back and learned and educated myself on the proper way to use this foundation. It’s all about applying a tiny amount and the correct brush.

With this foundation, you really need the correct brush. A very, very dense one!

This is full coverage at its best! It covers my one larger sun spot and does a stellar job covering the redness on my nose. The oddest thing is that it is very liquid when coming out of the bottle and dries to a matte almost powdery finish. But it doesn’t make your skin look dry! It is an incredible foundation!

This small amount covers the entire face–and gives full-coverage!

Let’s face it. Makeup on at 6:30 AM and pretty doesn’t necessarily mean the same at 5 or 6 PM. I’m usually pretty worn out looking after working all day—bent over my desk—staring at two computer screens. But I’ve great news! This foundation stayed put all day! And stayed pretty smooth. Granted, I have wrinkles and there’s no way that foundation isn’t going to creep into those lines. Jouer is minimally invasive on those creases and lines. Overall. The Jouer foundation is my favorite.

Trust me, this foundation stays on all day. I would show you the filthy tissues with the makeup that I washed off but you wouldn’t want to see the mess!

Will I wear it every day? No. I prefer a cream for everyday use. But for those times I want glam or if I’m going out and will be out all day (I don’t speak of work—I speak of fun) once the pandemic ends, I can see myself using this for when Bonaparte and I head to NYC for the day or a long weekend. Would I repurchase this? Yeah. I might head to Sephora later to see if it’s in stock. If not, I plan on ordering another bottle.

Next is Anastasia Luminous Glow. Again, a great liquid foundation. This had more luminosity than the Jouer but they are two different animals. This is a medium coverage so to get full-on coverage you need to build it up. That’s where I stop. Building upon building with liquid foundation can look very cakey on mature skin and the more you use the more it’ll slide into those fine lines and creases. The trade-off with this foundation is to apply lightly and the dewiness of this foundation is wonderful. Staying power is good. Not as good as Jouer but good enough. Would I repurchase? I don’t think so.

Foundation Two: Anastasia’s foundation. I had to build this up for a more full-coverage look. Is it good? It certainly is but, I prefer a cream over this and narrowing down my liquid foundations, I would not repurchase simply because I don’t like building foundation up on my face.

As much as I love a dewy finish, I can attain it with the Jouer by applying Glossier’s Futuredew underneath the foundation for a dewy look. The addition of a highlighter also gives a satin and luminous look. But, if you don’t want full-coverage and prefer a medium-coverage, then the Anastasia foundation is for you!

Honestly, for added dewiness and luminosity, Futuredew is remarkable!

Burberry liquid foundation. I picked this up a while back at Nordstrom Rack. I also picked up an eyeshadow and highlighter by the Burberry brand which I’m happy with! However, the foundation ended up leaving much to be desired. The shade blended in well with my skin tone but after less than 15 minutes, I had to start re-blending the foundation that caked up in my wrinkles. I used a damp blending sponge and brush and remedied the situation for a while but during the day I noticed it caked up again. At the end of the day, much of the foundation had worn off on my mask. It’s been discontinued and I get why. Despite the really beautiful packaging, it’s being purged.

Slightly darker than the other two foundations, the Burberry photographed nicely but close up, after a while was a complete mess. I fell prey to the pretty packaging!

Cream eyeshadow vs. Powder? A dilemma that is difficult to face. I’ve always loved powder eyeshadow. And have preferred it to creams. But aging happened. I’m not talking about the aging of my forties or even fifties. I’m talking about the mid-60’s aging. Despite wrinkles and fine lines, the skin on the eyelids gets really thin and crepey! And in the past year, I’ve noticed that powders are not looking too flattering anymore. Granted, I’m still using them but I’m being very particular about which powdered shadows I’m now applying.

When Jeffree Star’s Orgy palette became available, I jumped at the chance to order it. It was pricey but there’s a ton of shadows in there! And as a lover of neutrals, this was right up my alley. What I’ve noticed lately is the shadows are starting to look very “chalky”, and one-dimensional on me. I prefer more of a shimmer or satin finish. And despite what the “experts” say, I do believe a satin and even lightly shimmery shadow is more flattering to the mature eye. I’m not purging this though because there are a few shadows in this palette that still work!

This is Jeffree Star with his Orgy Palette. Sorry but I forgot to take a photo of my now very much used one. It’s got great neutrals but I’m finding that lately, some of the shades look a bit chalky on my “mature” eyelids!

Mally Nude Attitude Palette. Hands down. The greatest powder palette of all time! I still use this discontinued palette. The one I currently use is a mess-it’s over two years old (Yeah. I realize there’s an expiration date but I keep my makeup climate-controlled and powders last longer). I have one unused, boxed, in a drawer and just tracked down another. When you love something-you keep multiples.

Here’s the Mally Nude Attitude palette. I have TWO unused palettes-in-waiting! That’s how much I love this. The shadows are spectacular and I’m flummoxed as to how Mally would discontinue THE perfect eyeshadow palette!

Cream Shadows in the form of a crayon/stick are my jam. I’ve very recently written about the fact the Laura Mercier Caviar sticks have a tendency to dry out. I did some playing around and found the best way to use the brand’s sticks is to glide a flat brush over the product and then apply to the lids. It works like a charm and there is no pulling or tugging!

Some of my sticks–with a little pink gloss thrown in there!

Anyway, lets get down to the application of my favorite, Number One foundation: Jouer Essential High Coverage Crème Foundation. As I stated I use Vanilla. The shade is perfect for those of us with pink undertones.

It’s matte but you can work with it. Trust me you can work with it!

After washing my face and adding a bit of moisturizer, I applied Laura Mercier Canvas Illuminating primer. No particular reason—it was the closest within reach. After that settled in, I went over my face with Glossier Futuredew for a bit of dewy glow.

Ouch! Here I am! Old Lady face with nary a stitch of makeup upon my visage!

I did the eyes next, which I’ll show you further down the post.

When eyes were done, I shook the foundation bottle well. Then pumped one time—that’s right—once, into my Ecotools flat, dense brush. This brush is perfect for applying the foundation. A dense spoon brush is also perfect.

Again, this small amount is all you need for your face–incredible and full-coverage!

I brushed in a circular motion all over my face. Then I took another brush—a Kabuki brush of sorts and did some more blending and I’m pretty heavy handed with this second blend.

Look at the amount of coverage AND look how far that small amount goes–I’m not done yet!

Then I blended in with a Kabuki brush and an inexpensive one at that!

Then I patted all over with a damp blending sponge. This picks up any extra bits and gives a nice finish. It’s also needed to pick up product that could eventually cake in wrinkles. Let’s be honest here-we have wrinkles! Makeup doesn’t make them go away. Fillers and surgery do!

More blending and patting and wiping the excess away!

After the foundation was applied and blended, I grabbed for my powder Jouer bronzer in Suntan. There are many schools of thought but if I’m using a liquid foundation, my preference is to follow with a powder bronzer or contour. Creams atop liquid foundation can have a tendency to “move” the foundation around.

I’m a fan of the Jouer Suntan bronzer becausne it veers toward cool and doesn’t oxodize.

Blush was next. Again, I would go for a powder blush such as Too-Faced, which I used yesterday. Today, however, I went with my Perfectly Pink cream blush from Subtl Beauty and applied with a very light hand.

This peachy pink shade from Too-Faced is beautiful and I wore it the other day..but..

I do prefer my lip cheek colors from Subtl Beauty. They are pigmented and don’t “move” liquid foundation. I used Perfectly Pink today!

I find that the lighter hand won’t move the foundation. The blush was followed by my favorite highlighter ever. A powder also from Subtl Beauty in the shade Champagne. At $14, this highlighter is better than any luxury brand I’ve tried.

This highlighter! Champagne is currently sold out. I’m on the wait list for more. If there is one highlighter you need–it’s this one!

Cheek color and highlighter! And I’m not hiding my wrinkles by filtering. I want you to see a wrinkled face with makeup that works!

A swipe of lip balm and Tickled Pink lipstick by L’Oreal with a generic clear gloss applied over the lipstick. Having perpetually-chapped lips, lip balm is always on hand. Seriously, not a day passes that, at some point, my lips are like sandpaper!

I’m glad I loaded up on this Laino Lip Balm at CityPharma on our last visit to Paris. Next time I’ll buy in bulk! And Tickled Pink is my new favorite pink lipstick! It’s just really beautiful!

Back to the eyes—Well-Rested by bareMinerals has been my holy grail, go-to for over a decade. Recently, I realized that the mineral powder isn’t working as well for me due to the aging process. What I’ve found to replace is Becca Undereye Brightening corrector. I use it on my lids as well for a primer.

Creamy and eye-brightening. I use it as an eye primer and love it…

I apply all over with a flat brush!

Then I go in with the shadow. Today (and yesterday) it is the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Cobblestone applied with a brush. I must admit this is a stellar way to apply. Then for a bit of a more intense look as I wear readers, I went with Mally’s Cocoa in the outer corners

.Laura Mercier’s Cobblestone Caviar Stick applied with a brush (this photo was taken before I had a manicure earlier today)…

..is easier than if you apply the shadow directly from the stick!

Brows were done with Trestique’s Brow crayon and Brow mascara, which is now another favorite!

Quite possibly the best brow crayon on earth!

Lined with a Maybelline Tattoo pencil both on outer lid and inner lid, mascara and I’m good to go.

Got dressed and threw on some hair. Today it’s Raquel Welch Wigs Big Time in Capuccino.

So, yeah. It depends on what you’re looking for in a foundation. For every day use, I prefer the creams. The coverage may not be full-tilt-boogie, but does the job and does it well.

For that “extra”, the Jouer Essential is stellar. But if you want a more luminous look, rather than full-coverage, the Anastasia is fine! The key is to be cautious. The Burberry didn’t perform. There is a plethora of liquid foundations out there. I know this because I’ve tried a great number of them. And while most worked for my younger face—my sixty plus face needs more TLC these days.

It’s always a good thing to switch the products up every now and then. And for a switch-up! Liquid foundation can be one of those good things.

Before and After. Yeah. There IS a big difference, isn’t there?

Let me know what foundation you prefer—or none, if any!

Posted in Ageing, Beauty, Beauty for Older Women, Beauty over 60 | 18 Comments

I’m At A Loss! Skirting the Issue and A Shock to the System.

Posted on January 23, 2021 by Catherine

Okay. First things first. As I continue to muster my inner willpower, the scale, while slowing down, remains my friend. Yesterday upon placing my body weight upon the bathroom scale, the numbers were down to 161.50! I’ll take it. Its basically ten pounds since I started changing my eating habits.

Happy to see that just about ten pounds have been shed! Now the hard work really begins!

Not gonna lie. I ate a few tortilla chips but made sure they were within my range of caloric intake for the day! I’m tracking calories—that’s about it. The App Nutritionix Tracker is what I’ve been using. It isn’t complicated. It’s simple. And I’m tracking. Albeit not in meal order but I’m being accountable and so far, it is working.

This App was free and works nicely. I’m counting calories and as long as I stay under 1,200, I’m good.

What’s the shock? Yesterday, Friday, Oona went to the doctor for a weekly exam. Her blood pressure is high. Not in the danger zone but high. She’s really swollen and retaining a ton of water. So…this weekend she is relaxing and there is a chance she will be induced on Monday. If not, she’ll be delivering the following Monday.

This shock to the system made me a bit nervous because I never had those issues pop up in pregnancy. All I want is for my baby to be healthy and my grandbaby to be healthy. The rosaries were out yesterday and I pray that she ends up with a quick and easy delivery despite the blood pressure.

I had the rosary beads on my desk at work yesterday and every now and then would stop and pray to Mary.

Now—under normal circumstances, my initial reaction would be to comfort myself with food. However, upon pondering, food isn’t going to help the situation. Food stuffed into my mouth won’t bring my daughter’s blood pressure down. Food shoved down my gut won’t make her swelling cease. So, I’m putting my trust into Oona, Sam and their physician!

I did not do this –even stressed. I did not do this!

I was also happy to show restraint by not indulging with celebratory food and drink on Inauguration Evening! Seriously. I felt a weight of four years being lifted off my shoulders and at the same time, realized that I still need to drop twenty pounds moving forward!

Nor did do this–even celebratory. I did not do this!

That being said (Why do I feel like Jerry Seinfeld every time I say that?), I managed to fit into two skirts that clearly did not fit me at the start of this process. The first, a gray wool pencil skirt with absolutely no stretch. Size 8. J. Crew. Ended up fitting nicely. The second a black number with a bit of stretch, also size 8 by GAP, fit very well. Both have zippers in the back and I was able to zip both up.

Truthfully, I was thrilled to fit into a pencil skirt WITH NO STRETCH! It zipped!!!

I wore this ensemble to work yesterday! The skirt has stretch but it also has a zipper in the back. It zipped! Honestly, this is what keeps me going!

As an aside, the damned buiding I work in saves money into their greedy corporate pockets by turning the heat either super low or turning it off. I improvised by ripping arm holes and a wrist hole in this blanket. YES! While MOST workers for the company I work for are at home enjoying heat, I”M as well as a few others are going into the office only to be freezing. Oh if I was twenty years younger…..

I’m not ready for jeans yet. TBH, when I’m carrying a bit of extra weight, jeans feel very cumbersome. Instead, I’m sticking with leggings and pants with stretch!

I’m sticking to leggings for now. As one who is fond of the front tuck, I’m happy to say that my gut has gone down a bit. Now I feel better with the tuck!

Tonight, we’ll be having some of the tenderloin I made for Christmas. That slab of beef was so huge so I cut some off the end and cut those into pieces. I’ll butterfly and pound them flat and grill in our smokeless griller. Cubed potatoes in duck fat for Bonaparte and baby spinach and rutabaga for me. I’ve also made room for the aperitif.

Smaller portion are definitely in order here as well! I’ll have one, Bonaparte will have two…

…and although I’ll be making cubed potatoes sauteed in duck fat for my husband, I’ve already prepared rutabaga for me. This, when cooked and mashed with no fat added at all, yielded one cup and approx. 52 calories.

One entire bag, cooked, is 65 calories and this shrinks down to nothing!

My weekend savior has been these Shishito Peppers. I spray a bit of PAM into a pan and heat them up until they are blistered. About 50 calories a serving.

A spritz of Pam and placed on heat, these blister and sizzle and 60 calories for four ounces. An added plus is they keep you “regular” if you catch my drift!

In addition, I cooked up 8 Japanese eggplant in my Le Cruset. I used only water, salt, garlic, pepper and threw a few spices in for good measure. I cooked for a couple of hours until a “mush” of sorts was left. I know it looks pretty unappetizing but it is delicious. Less calories than Hummus or Babaganoush, it makes a fine dip for carrots and veg or to spread on the 2-ingredient bagels I made.

I know—it looks unattractive but is tasty as all get out! No added fat either.

Two-ingredient bagels. Self-rising flour and Non-fat Greek Yoghurt. Sprinkled with a bit of Everything seasoning. Not the real deal but satisfies!

There is also some transparency I would like to make. While I realize many people abhor processed foods, there are times they can come in handy. Canned soup is one of those items. I happen to be a fan of the Progresso light soups. Bibigo, a brand that makes various dumplings, makes Chicken and Cilantro dumplings that I think are fantastic. My girlfriend MaryBeth introduced these to me and I always have a supply on hand. These days, take from 8 to 12 dumplings and add them to two cups of plain, low-sodium chicken broth for an easy dinner. Trust me, by the time I arrive home from that job of mine, I’m literally too tired to cook a full-on meal. I’ll prepare Bonaparte’s usual cous-cous and salmon but during the week, I just want soup and to go to bed.

I love the Progresso Light soups!

For added protein, I’ll throw in a few boiled shrimp!

THESE! In a clear, low-sodium, chicken broth are incredibly decadent, delicious and diet-friendly!

So that’s about it! Weight loss is never easy. It’s so easy to gain but so difficult to lose. And try our best is what we can do. Goals, IMHO, should be thrown out the window. Any goal I’ve tried to reach, was screwed. So, I just go for baby steps!

Pretty much how I feel about goals!

Stay focused. We can do this!

Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments

Dear Mr. President and Madame Vice President-An Open Letter

Posted on January 19, 2021 by Catherine

Dear Mr. President and Madame Vice President,

After four years, I’ll no longer cringe when I see the flag!

As I sit here with less than 48 hours until your Inauguration and am filled with both anticipation and hope. Anticipation because I hope the events run smoothly void of the evil that infiltrated the Capitol last week.

On this eve before you are President Biden and Vice President Harris, I’m filled with hope!

Hope because the last four years had left me hopeless. The Coward; the liar; the racist; the misogynist; the anti-American who did absolutely nothing of substance or nothing good or positive for our America has left our beautiful country in shambles and broken. Our America, Lady Liberty needs to heal. We the people need to heal.

The damaged country as we know her now will heal. And she will rise even stronger—because that is what America is. An empowering stronghold. We suffered from the throws of a leader who did not care about our country but instead, put himself first.

Like Hitler, he conned the under-and uneducated, and enticed the wealthy with tax breaks. He lacked a moral compass and so did his supporters.

I want to put that behind me and us now.

I want to feel safe and reassured that my Government will, once again, put its arms around us and help and guide us with your leadership.

It won’t be easy for either of you. Joe—you have a contingent of people who deem you an extreme liberal—when in reality, you are a moderate who leans to the left. Just as I and millions of citizens who love our country lean. Kamala—don’t let those who feel having a woman in power isn’t right. They are ignorant. We are proud and beaming with joy that you, you, have made history—not only as the first woman Vice President, but also as the first woman Vice President of color. It is a glorious moment for all of us!

Both of you. Please be true to your word. Please put we, the American people, first. Please put our country first. Bring us back to glory. The words you said about having a moral obligation were so honest and so correct. The moral obligation of the past president was null and void as it also was with his Republican congress and his cronies. But then, what would you expect from those with no moral compass?

I do believe you will bring a moral compass back to our congress. I do believe you can be the key to bi-partisanship once more. For we cannot be a complete America without both parties coming together.

So please. Be careful. Don’t display a false sense of security because that last leader garnered a cult following of wicked, dishonorable, corrupt people who will continue to ruin our country.

I wish you luck. I wish you success. Godspeed.

With love, admiration, and hope,

Your Fellow American,

Catherine Lartigue

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Biden Harris, Presidential Inauguration | 65 Comments

Atypical 60

More Makeup for the Proager! How I Boom! Boom-Dee-Yada-Boom!

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