Beauty Find and Bag Want

Over the past year thanks to my good friend Zoe, I've started to take more of an interest in beauty products- in fact I'm a Beauty Insider at Sephora. I like to get all the samples to try new products! Don't get me wrong, I've always loved make-up, clothes and accessories but there were a quite a few years here that I just stuck with my standard routine and same looks. Lately, I've felt like I wear the same things to work all the time - khakis and a black fleece mostly. Although you have to keep in mind my work place isn't a high powered office, but I wanted to start stepping it up.

Last year for my birthday Zoe sent me a Philosophy skin care trial set. I instantly became hooked, my two favorite products have been Purity Made Simple and The Present.



I use both of these daily - The Present is a clear make-up that perfects your skin. I don't use any foundation during the summer, just this product. It hides the imperfections - yes there are a few!


Purity Made Simple has helped gotten rid of any small blemishes I had that seemed like there were never going to go away. While both products are more costly than drug store cleansers - they last forever. A little goes a long way!

The Maine Mall just opened a Sephora and I had a free gift offer they sent me for my birthday. Last weekend I finally had the opportunity to check the store out. I was more than a little overwhelmed - mostly by the seventeen year old girls working there covered in make-up that looked like they were from the early 1980's. However, I enjoyed walking around and looking at everything and ended up with this lip color. I've used it for a week and love it! The color is perfect for me and it's a soft pencil so I have more precision. It's also smooth like a lipstick and lasts a long time. So if you are looking for a new lip color I recommend the Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Stick. The color I bought is Brooklyn.



And finally, I'm not a photographer but I would love to have this bag found over on Kelly Moore's website. The pic is really small so I recommend checking out her website!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend! Stay safe and remember how we came to be a country. I replicated this quote that was on Heather Drive - I love it.



"Throughout our history, it's been our cities that have helped tell the American story.
It was Boston that rose up against an Empire,
and Philadelphia where liberty first rung out;
it was St. Louis that opened a gateway west,
and Houston that launched us to the stars;
it was the Motor City that built the middle class;
Miami that built a bridge to the Americas;
and New York that showed the world one clear September morning
that America stands together in times of trial.
That's the proud tradition our cities uphold.
That's the story our cities have helped write."

-Barack Obama
June 21, 2008
Miami, FL

Rangeley 2010

We just returned from our annual Poulin family Rangeley trip. There is something about getting back from vacation and having a three day weekend!

Let me start by saying if you haven't been to Rangeley, Maine - you should go. Seriously, we enjoy it so much and you are pretty much guaranteed to see a moose (sort of)! Although as it turns out the moose made their own vacation plans and went here and here.

Enjoy the photos!

This is our cabin which we stay in - we've been lucky to have the same one the past few years - just a short walk down to the dock and waterfront.



Chris fishing on the dock - it was definitely breezy - but so pretty.





Shalimar treated everyone to their Christmas present early this year - a boat ride on the Oquossoc Lady and dinner at The Loon Lodge Inn and Restaurant! It was such a wonderful night on the water.

Mom and Dad Poulin



Chris and myself



Shalimar and Scott



The Oquossoc Lady formally used to be known as the Shady Lady - Kevin the owner was convinced to change it by his family (bad luck in the boating world). Kevin was also a P-3 pilot stationed in Brunswick - it really is a small world here in Maine. We could all see my brother-in-law Keith doing something similar when he get's out of the military.



A loon family - it's somewhat rare to be able to get close enough to see the baby loons.



There was also a night of Guitar Hero at the Cabin - some were naturals...others were not.





Chris and I took a 'moose-looking' drive our last night in Rangeley.

This was our first moose we saw.




This was our second (we were stopped in the truck).



Sunset over the mountains.



A view from our way home...we hit a lot of rain shortly after this picture was taken.

Doggies got a brand new collar

made using Amy Karols Bend the Rules Sewing.

Oh Harry....

How I've admired you for so long..well before your days on "Will & Grace" when you were crooning words from your album She and your recent performance in New in Town made me fall for you all over again. You've kept entertaining and now you are back with a new album called Your Songs.



Through One to One Network I had a chance to review Harry Connick Jr's latest album as it was released. I popped it in the CD player this past Saturday afternoon as we were having a lazy afternoon at home. I wasn't disappointed. Starting with the Frank Sinatra cover of "All the Way" and ending with a cover of "Mona Lisa" by Nat King Cole the songs had a lot of variety and some surprises. One of my all time favorites is "The Way You Look Tonight" and Harry's smooth voice has moved his version to the top of my play list. Only one song disappointed me on the whole album and made me think "huh, sounds like something in a piano bar" but then I realized it was a cover of Elton John's "Your Song" and realized that it was somewhat fitting (sorry to the Elton lovers our there)! Overall, this is an album that I will keep on hand to pop in during lazy Saturdays, dinner parties or just as I'm whipping something up in the kitchen.


If you'd like to see more Harry - and how can you resist - check out these upcoming television appearances:

9/25 - Oprah "Live Friday"
9/28 - Today Show
9/29 - The View
9/30 - Imus in the Morning
9/30 - Letterman
10/1 - Today Show
Week of 10/5 - Rachael Ray

To have a little Harry with you every day run to your local music store to pick up his latest album. Can't wait? Try here, here or here.

Sweet Basil

Taken from the garden with the fear of a frost last night..went from this



added to these



to make this pesto to store in the freezer. (If you are freezing pesto - be sure to put a layer of oil on the top to keep the basil from turning black).



I used this recipe from Heather Drive. I highly recommend this recipe - I'm not a fan of store bought pesto I also find it too grainy and oily. This was perfect. Hopefully I'll remember to take a photo when we use it this winter.

Happy Birthday Peter!

So I had fully intended to do a post about the long Labor Day weekend and all the great relaxing fun we had, but that will have to wait until we download our camera!



But what better reason to post than to wish my brother Pete a very happy birthday! Pete turns 35 today (the gray hairs through people off)! Peter if you are reading this - I wish you all the best this next year and the coming years. We love you!

Now, on to the Day 10 update...a little late due to the long weekend. So Days 1-5 I was very consistent and then I went downhill over the long weekend. But this is why it's a 45 day challenge!

Day 1 - Shred Level 1
Day 2 - Shred Level 1
Day 3 - Yoga
Day 4 - Run/Walk
Day 5 - Shred Level 1
Day 6 and 7 - N/A
Day 8 - Walk
Day 9 - N/A
Day 10 - Shred Level 1

In the first 10 days my stats have remained the same but I've noticed some changes. My endurance for the Shred is higher today than it was on Day 1. I also felt much better about myself and energy level when I worked out all those days. Having the feeling of power as my push ups get stronger is definitely worth the sore muscles.

The 45 day Challenge....

...to myself. So I need a little (okay a lot) of motivation to keep up on working out. I do okay most of the time but not great. Lately my average has been two to three days a week. It's just not cutting it.

About a month ago I really started to notice my clothes not fitting as well...pants getting tighter and a lot of my summer clothes from last year just do not look great (in my own opinion). This is when I started to get concerned. I knew over the past three years I've put on a few pounds. A couple pounds here and there really adds up over three years. Three summers ago I weighed 152. Last week I weighed myself and I was 172. TWENTY POUNDS. 20. Veinte. Vingt. Zwanzig.

It's not easy for me to put the fact that I gained twenty pounds out in the public eye(or rather the five people that look at this blog). In fact, its really emotional to do so but I have to have more accountability.

Although in the past three years I've also become more athletic - running a lot more and have more endurance. Before you say it could be muscle...maybe some of it but believe there is a lot there that isn't muscle.

So they say (whoever 'they' are) that it takes twenty days to build a habit. I'm going to go with 45...starting today Sunday August 30th.

The challenge: Complete Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred in 45 days.



Why 45 days: In between doing the Shred I also have to keep up on doing my weekly yoga and running. On September 20th I'm running in the Trails to Ale 10K. And I'm a realist knowing some days I may not have time/energy to run and Shred.

Why the 30 Day Shred? Well, I've done the workout before although only a couple of times. It's quick and its effective. And if you have ever seen The Biggest Loser Jillian is tough. Although in this video I like her honesty and encouragement. It keeps me going during all those push-ups.

The Stats (posted weekly for accountability as well as a recap of the week):
Weight: 172
Height: 5' 11"
Waist: 33.5"
Hips: 40.5"
Bust: 38"
Thighs: 23.5"
Arms: 11"

Day 1: Completed

Eat - Die - Indiana

Wow! It has been a while since I've posted here - so many things have been going on this summer it's hard to know where to start. I have so many photos I want to share from our summer, but seeing as how I just spent the weekend in Rockland, Maine with Valori, Shalimar and Anita I'll start with the highlight of the trip and the inspiration for the title of this post!


Robert Indiana. I'm officially obsessed with the artist right now. Heading up to Rockland Shalimar had provided an article that talked about his EAT piece but it wasn't until we were at the Farnsworth Museum on Sunday that I really delved into his art work. Maybe I was brought in by the Indiana/Maine connection - but the stories behind his painting and sculptures really moved me...and I'm not normally a person that art moves. If anyone gets a chance to go to a Robert Indiana exhibit I highly recommend attending!




LOVE sculpture created for a MOMA Christmas card and now found worldwide.






EAT famous for being at the Worlds Fair in NY - had to be taken down because people thought it was a restaurant. The real story is here.


Myself, Valori, Shalimar and Anita at the Breakpoint Lighthouse - we didn't have time to walk all the way to the lighthouse which is about a mile but I've added it to my to do list.

No-Knead Bread

I've tried my hand at making homemade bread a couple of times. The last time I was going for a whole wheat bread and spent the better part of a Sunday kneading and waiting. When it was finally ready at 9:00 pm as soon as I picked up the pans I knew....they weighed a good 10 plus pounds it seemed a piece. A sturdy bread knife was no match for these loaves. Since then I haven't attempted a yeast bread..until now.



This recipe was in the New York Times a while ago and I tried it. This particular recipe is your standard white bread but I'm going to work on adding some herbs in and purchase a sour dough starter from King Arthur (which is the best flour for baking in my opinion).

Enjoy!!


No-Knead Bread
Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery (via the Times)

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting

¼ teaspoon instant yeast

1¼ teaspoons salt

cornmeal as needed *I skipped this and just used flour*

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Things I love right now...

- Whole Foods Italian Soda - specifically the Cranberry (although it is the only flavor I have tried so it wins by default).



- The paint color in our bathroom. I was unsure at first but Chris put the first coat on today and I love it.



- That it is almost gardening time. We have some stuff in the ground already - but I've been starting seedlings indoors too. This picture is of some Okra we're adding to the garden for our friend George.



- Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. I picked this for my hosting month for the book group I'm in. I loved this book - it was so vivid and descriptive.

- Our fur-baby. She is just the best. We recently spent a weekend fencing in our entire backyard. It has made such a difference to be able to let her run freely. And our back yard looks amazing.

Sunday Musings

So it's been a long time since I wrote a real post. I'm going to take after some other bloggers and do many bullet points (some with photos!)

- The first big news is GP HomeWorks! Chris is officially in business. So if you are in the area and need some work done - please call the best! Seriously, this is very exciting for us - especially in this economy starting a business is difficult but the timing seemed to work out that is was something that needed to be done.

- If you have a couple minutes check out this video. We had our six months of being married on Friday March 13th and Chris made this for me. I thought it was very appropriate!

- The other news is our bathroom renovation is in effect. We (and by we I mean Chris) are midway through and should be finishing within the next week or two. Here are some photos of the transformation. When it's all complete I'll post a full montage of before and afters.

Before:



During Tile:



Tile Complete with New Sink:




- The weather is finally getting to be somewhat nicer out, although we are expecting rain this week. I spent part of this morning outside raking - which is really unheard of for me. I'm not a big fan of yard work but for some reason all week I just wanted to be outside raking.

- The attic. I'm about to go spend an hour in our attic. It's a crazy mess and it's all because of me. Chris had organized it to perfection a little over a year ago. Then between the holidays and the wedding planning I have destroyed it. I've thrown so much stuff up there. We're planning on having a big yard sale next month so my job is to organize the stuff up in the attic. It will also help Chris when he's up there to start renovating and finishing the upstairs so its livable space.

- I just started reading Water for Elephants. I'm not that far in, but I love it so far. I heard really good things about the book and chose it for my book group pick this month. Has anyone out there read it?

- And I'll close with a couple of dog photos!

Takin' a break

I've taken quite the blogging break, but I'm working on a post with what has been going on lately. In the meantime - our sweet doggie!

Our new floor

Chris was hard at work last week putting in the new flooring in the kitchen and the hallway much to my surprise...here are the photos.



Chris midway through the project.






The finished result - facing the office!


The kitchen side.

Today