H.A. Larson's Blog, page 63
July 23, 2016
Ipsy's July Glam Bag
It's that time of the month again when Ipsy's Glam Bag arrives in the mail. I typically get it every month around the 15th, and this month was no exception. The interesting part is that about five days later, I received another one! Yep, Ipsy accidentally sent me two Glam Bags, and I'm not complaining. Two of the five items were the same for both bags, but three were completely different. It was not only cool to get extra items, but it was interesting to see the variety of products they send out. So, let's get started. This picture above is the Glam Bag and contents from the 2nd bag.
This came in the second bag, and is a reviving eye gel made by Organic Surge. You apply it around your eye area morning and night. I used it for the first time last night, so only time will tell how well it works.
This is a tube of PUR's correcting primer that I received in the second bag. With a hint of concealer, it's a good base for your foundation.
This item I received in both bags, which makes me happy. Meet Matt(e) Trimony's maroon, matte eyeshadow is one of my new favorite colors, so I was happy to receive a second sample.
This was the other item I received in both bags: an angled brush by Luxe cosmetics. It's small and precise. I've been using it to apply powder to my bottom lids.
The last item that was exclusive to my second bag, it's a dark brown eyebrow pencil with a spoolie on the opposite end of it. I've switched my eyebrow color to dark brown so this is great to receive. My other dark brown brow pencil is cheap.
These are the three items that were exclusive to my 1st Ipsy Glam Bag.
First item is Boo-Boo cover-up. It's good for covering up hard to conceal areas. I'm hoping it works on my broken capillaries.
This is Embryolisse's multi-function moisturizer. I was skeptical at first because it feels greasy, but it goes on well, absorbs quickly, and is a nice moisturizer.
The last item is a shimmery, neutral lip color by treStique. It's not the first treStique lip color I've received from Ipsy. It's exactly like the shimmery eye highlighter, so I would recommend adding a touch to the top of your lipstick to give it a shofter, shimmery look.
Sorry about the photo quality this time around. I really should have used flash, but I've got so much to do lately, that I didn't want to go back and redo these. I hope you got the gist anyway!
July 17, 2016
A Quick Hometown Trip
This weekend, my husband, my daughter, and myself, took a quick, less than 24-hour, visit to Northwest Iowa. My husband is from a tiny town called Cleghorn, which is only about 12 miles from the tiny town of Quimby, where I grew up. My husband typically works the weekends, but had a random PTO day on Saturday, and, since we hadn't seen his mom in quite some time, we decided to take a trip up North.
We both grew up in this area, but it's been a good two years since either of us has been back. My husband moved away 13 years ago, after we moved in together, but I left the area when I was 19. When I moved away, I vowed never to return because I hated it so much. It's a long story of why I hated my hometown, but suffice it to say that I have my reasons.
Anyway, as you all know from my myriad of nature posts here on my website, you know that I absolutely love nothing more than spending time out in nature, no matter the season. I also have a love of photography, and a better understanding of small town life...even if I have no desire to ever live in that type of setting ever again.
During our short trip, I took a walk on Saturday morning, and snapped some pictures that captures the feel of small town life. We also took a drive out into one of the county parks, and, wow, I have really forgotten how beautiful my native home is. I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.
The First Trust & Savings Bank in Cleghorn, Iowa. I don't know how long this has been here, but I'm pretty sure its a very long time.
A few blocks from my mother-in-law's house sits a small, quaint church with beautiful stained-glass windows.
From the top-most part of Martin's Access, a county park north of Cherokee, Iowa. The verdant green provides the perfect forefront for the miles of rolling hills seen off in the distance.
This beautiful container of flowers was one of many that are interspersed throughout Spring Lake Park in Cherokee, Iowa.
Nature proves it cannot be stopped as it beautifully takes over the wooden stairs that lead up to a picnic shelter in Martin's Access.
A view up a majestic tree that, by sheer size, is known to have lived in this forest for a long, long time.
The water tower and grain silos of Cleghorn, Iowa, bathed in the morning light.
A shabby-chic garage across the street from my brother-in-law's house.
Another shot of the church's stained-glass windows.
A very large dandelion at Martin's Access. My daughter happily picked it while we all made wishes. It was large enough for everybody!
We both grew up in this area, but it's been a good two years since either of us has been back. My husband moved away 13 years ago, after we moved in together, but I left the area when I was 19. When I moved away, I vowed never to return because I hated it so much. It's a long story of why I hated my hometown, but suffice it to say that I have my reasons.
Anyway, as you all know from my myriad of nature posts here on my website, you know that I absolutely love nothing more than spending time out in nature, no matter the season. I also have a love of photography, and a better understanding of small town life...even if I have no desire to ever live in that type of setting ever again.
During our short trip, I took a walk on Saturday morning, and snapped some pictures that captures the feel of small town life. We also took a drive out into one of the county parks, and, wow, I have really forgotten how beautiful my native home is. I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I enjoyed taking them.
The First Trust & Savings Bank in Cleghorn, Iowa. I don't know how long this has been here, but I'm pretty sure its a very long time.
A few blocks from my mother-in-law's house sits a small, quaint church with beautiful stained-glass windows.
From the top-most part of Martin's Access, a county park north of Cherokee, Iowa. The verdant green provides the perfect forefront for the miles of rolling hills seen off in the distance.
This beautiful container of flowers was one of many that are interspersed throughout Spring Lake Park in Cherokee, Iowa.
Nature proves it cannot be stopped as it beautifully takes over the wooden stairs that lead up to a picnic shelter in Martin's Access.
A view up a majestic tree that, by sheer size, is known to have lived in this forest for a long, long time.
The water tower and grain silos of Cleghorn, Iowa, bathed in the morning light.
A shabby-chic garage across the street from my brother-in-law's house.
Another shot of the church's stained-glass windows.
A very large dandelion at Martin's Access. My daughter happily picked it while we all made wishes. It was large enough for everybody!
July 4, 2016
Hannah's Grave
This last week, looking for something to do, I decided on an early evening ghost hunt. I took along my husband, my daughter, and a good friend of mine who's interested in ghost hunting. Here in Nebraska, we have some interesting cemeteries, but most of them have had so much vandalism over the years that they are now private property and heavily guarded, in most cases. So, we went right after work one evening when the sun was still shining.
I settled on Rock Bluff Cemetery, which is a small cemetery just southeast of Plattsmouth, NE. There aren't many graves here, and there are many unmarked graves as well. There were plenty of graves that had a simple rock as a headstone. Anyway, I chose this cemetery because it's the purported home of the haunted "Hannah's Grave." According to hauntedplaces.org:
"According to local legend, Hannah was a 16-year-old girl in the 1800s who became pregnant. Her parents, displeased, delivered the baby at home and promptly drowned it in the Missouri River, telling Hannah the baby had been stillborn. Poor Hannah died of a broken heart shortly thereafter and was buried in a nearby field. Folks say you can hear Hannah crying for her baby here, and sometimes see a lantern floating around the fields. Some say fallen snow never stays on the place where Hannah was buried."
I also read that her grave had been moved decades earlier to a field not far from the cemetery. Either way, there is a grave of a Hannah that died at age 34 and is buried right next to her son, Willie, who died at age 14 months. I'll leave it for you, the reader, to decide if it's the 'right' Hannah. We reviewed our evidence, and our photographic and video evidence didn't yield anything unusual. I haven't listened to all the audio yet, but I have listened to my husband's audio clip, and, while we were standing at Hannah's grave, there is a sound that is equivalent to a cat purring. Unusual, but I haven't reviewed my own recording yet to see if it corroborates this. I'll keep you posted.
Here's a few photos from the excursion:
This is Hannah's grave.
A better view of Hannah's grave. To the immediate right is the grave of her infant son, Willie.
I settled on Rock Bluff Cemetery, which is a small cemetery just southeast of Plattsmouth, NE. There aren't many graves here, and there are many unmarked graves as well. There were plenty of graves that had a simple rock as a headstone. Anyway, I chose this cemetery because it's the purported home of the haunted "Hannah's Grave." According to hauntedplaces.org:
"According to local legend, Hannah was a 16-year-old girl in the 1800s who became pregnant. Her parents, displeased, delivered the baby at home and promptly drowned it in the Missouri River, telling Hannah the baby had been stillborn. Poor Hannah died of a broken heart shortly thereafter and was buried in a nearby field. Folks say you can hear Hannah crying for her baby here, and sometimes see a lantern floating around the fields. Some say fallen snow never stays on the place where Hannah was buried."
I also read that her grave had been moved decades earlier to a field not far from the cemetery. Either way, there is a grave of a Hannah that died at age 34 and is buried right next to her son, Willie, who died at age 14 months. I'll leave it for you, the reader, to decide if it's the 'right' Hannah. We reviewed our evidence, and our photographic and video evidence didn't yield anything unusual. I haven't listened to all the audio yet, but I have listened to my husband's audio clip, and, while we were standing at Hannah's grave, there is a sound that is equivalent to a cat purring. Unusual, but I haven't reviewed my own recording yet to see if it corroborates this. I'll keep you posted.
Here's a few photos from the excursion:
This is Hannah's grave.
A better view of Hannah's grave. To the immediate right is the grave of her infant son, Willie.
July 2, 2016
Colorado Vacation
Good morning! I'm back for another long-awaited post. On the 10th of June, we took a family vacation out to Colorado. We only stayed until the 14th, but I sure wish we could have stayed longer. Oh well, we still had a fantastic time and saw many neat things. Of course, we spent a great deal of time outdoors. You know me! If there's anything I love, it's spending time appreciating the beauty of nature. Surrounded by lush, verdant forests, and majestic mountains, Denver is a veritable feast for the outdoorsman. Let's get started.
We live in eastern Nebraska, and have never spent any significant time in western Nebraska. My husband has always wanted to see Chimney Rock, and I did too. We were looking forward to getting up close and walking around this impressive rock formation, so we took a long detour out of our way to get there. Imagine our disappointment then, when we couldn't get anywhere near the formation and was only afforded a glimpse from far away. I had to really zoom in with my camera to get a good view. Disappointing as well was the 'visitor center'. It costs $3 to get in, and there wasn't much to really see. If you've ever thought about visiting here...don't.
Our first day in Denver was a hot one! (Thank goodness for air conditioned cars.) We spent a peacefully cool afternoon indoors at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. It was an impressive place that had plenty to see and do. We really enjoyed it. On the third floor, we stopped at a wall of windows to take this picture. It was a perfect view of the city skyline, framed with trees, and the Rocky Mountains standing guard in the background.
That evening, we drove up into the mountains to visit a dear friend of mine from my high school days. It was noticeably cooler there, and the views from every part of the house were stunning. In this picture, you can just barely make out a larger view of the mountains. We spent the evening drinking beers, laughing over good memories, and grilling out. It was amazing to sit on the deck where it was cool and enjoy the scenery.
On Sunday we went to Colorado Springs where we went to The Garden of the Gods. Essentially, it's a 'garden' of impressive rock formations at the base of the Rockies. It was another hot day, but the views, again, were incredible.
Another view from atop some of the rock formations at The Garden of the Gods.
After our time at TGOTG, we made the climb (via car) up to Pike's Peak. Did I mention I'm afraid of heights? I still braved it, but when we got to the summit, we went no further. The air is so dense that my husband and I had trouble breathing, but the views were the most impressive I've ever seen.
Right there in the background is Pike's Peak. We stood and surveyed everything around us and were duly impressed. The only other thing in nature that impressed me as much was when I stood at The Cliffs of Moher.
We live in eastern Nebraska, and have never spent any significant time in western Nebraska. My husband has always wanted to see Chimney Rock, and I did too. We were looking forward to getting up close and walking around this impressive rock formation, so we took a long detour out of our way to get there. Imagine our disappointment then, when we couldn't get anywhere near the formation and was only afforded a glimpse from far away. I had to really zoom in with my camera to get a good view. Disappointing as well was the 'visitor center'. It costs $3 to get in, and there wasn't much to really see. If you've ever thought about visiting here...don't.
Our first day in Denver was a hot one! (Thank goodness for air conditioned cars.) We spent a peacefully cool afternoon indoors at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. It was an impressive place that had plenty to see and do. We really enjoyed it. On the third floor, we stopped at a wall of windows to take this picture. It was a perfect view of the city skyline, framed with trees, and the Rocky Mountains standing guard in the background.
That evening, we drove up into the mountains to visit a dear friend of mine from my high school days. It was noticeably cooler there, and the views from every part of the house were stunning. In this picture, you can just barely make out a larger view of the mountains. We spent the evening drinking beers, laughing over good memories, and grilling out. It was amazing to sit on the deck where it was cool and enjoy the scenery.
On Sunday we went to Colorado Springs where we went to The Garden of the Gods. Essentially, it's a 'garden' of impressive rock formations at the base of the Rockies. It was another hot day, but the views, again, were incredible.
Another view from atop some of the rock formations at The Garden of the Gods.
After our time at TGOTG, we made the climb (via car) up to Pike's Peak. Did I mention I'm afraid of heights? I still braved it, but when we got to the summit, we went no further. The air is so dense that my husband and I had trouble breathing, but the views were the most impressive I've ever seen.
Right there in the background is Pike's Peak. We stood and surveyed everything around us and were duly impressed. The only other thing in nature that impressed me as much was when I stood at The Cliffs of Moher.
June 19, 2016
A Grand Ol' Makeup Post!
Good morning everyone! I know that I've been a bit lax in putting up a blog post for this website, and even though I'm only putting up one every week, I've been busy the last couple of weeks. Never fear, however, I have two blog posts heading your way! Today's, and then one in a few more days.
The reason I have been busy is that we finally took a real vacation where everyone actually went. I've taken the kids on a couple of vacations (South Dakota and Arkansas), but this was the first time my husband was able to join us! We packed up the car and headed to Denver, CO, where we did numerous great things. I'll save all those details for my next post, which is about the trip, including some awesome pictures. For now though, on to this post!
My June ipsy bag arrived while I was on vacation, and while I was out of town, I stopped at an honest-to-goodness Sephora! It was pretty awesome, so lets's begin.
Here is the June ipsy bag with the contents. I really love the bag this month with it's graffiti print! One look at the design theme of this website, and you'll understand why!
First up, Juice Beauty's Phyto-pigments Luminous Lip Crayon in color 32 Zuma. It's a deep, dark red, and since I love red lip color, I'm all about it.
Next up is Urban Decay's lounge eyeshadow sample. I was excited because, even though it's a small sample, not many high-profile makeup brands make it into our ipsy bags. It doesn't specify what the exact color is (although I'm betting I can get it off the ipsy website) but it does say, and I quote, "Is it green or is it red? No, you're not under the influence: this trippy duotone shade actually changes color before your eyes." I say, "Cool!" I can't wait to give it a go.
This item is Marc Anthony's Dream Waves Beach Spray. The idea is to spray it on damp hair and scrunch. I have yet to try the hair products from ipsy, but one of these days, I'm going to spend a day pampering my hair! (As soon as I get more organized. ;))
This is Julie's Nail Color made by Jesse's Girl Cosmetics. The shade is a bright and light sea green with the official name of Tropical - 70205. I love nail polishes, and this is the perfect summer color!
Last up from my ipsy June glam bag: Boo-Boo Cover-Up by the company of the same name. I tested some on my hand, and it appears to be a good concealer for blemishes, without being overly cakey or greasy. I always need a good concealer, so I'll test it out this week.
Ahhhh! When we were in the Mile High City, my teen wanted to go to the mall (go figure), so after hitting up H&M, we came upon a Sephora. The sky opened and the angels sang! I wasn't about to walk on by!
While I appreciate the concealer and foundation I have trusted for awhile from the drugstore, I do have a few blemishes that need a good cover-up! In other words, I need a good foundation. Of course, spending $40 on a foundation for everyday use isn't in my budget, but when I go out on the weekends or something, I would like to be more polished, so I picked up a good foundation by Make Up For Ever. Sephora has beauty consultants, and one helped me pick the right color. I was happy because I had already been swatching several different shades from several different companies on my neck.
The consultant recommended a translucent powder to apply over my foundation to set it in, and I agreed. With a better foundation comes better coverage, and I don't need a colored powder to set it all. I picked up a nice powder brush from the Bare Minerals section to use with it. One can never have too many makeup brushes! :)
So there you have it! Another fun month of ipsy, plus a small haul from Sephora. Happy beauty!
The reason I have been busy is that we finally took a real vacation where everyone actually went. I've taken the kids on a couple of vacations (South Dakota and Arkansas), but this was the first time my husband was able to join us! We packed up the car and headed to Denver, CO, where we did numerous great things. I'll save all those details for my next post, which is about the trip, including some awesome pictures. For now though, on to this post!
My June ipsy bag arrived while I was on vacation, and while I was out of town, I stopped at an honest-to-goodness Sephora! It was pretty awesome, so lets's begin.
Here is the June ipsy bag with the contents. I really love the bag this month with it's graffiti print! One look at the design theme of this website, and you'll understand why!
First up, Juice Beauty's Phyto-pigments Luminous Lip Crayon in color 32 Zuma. It's a deep, dark red, and since I love red lip color, I'm all about it.
Next up is Urban Decay's lounge eyeshadow sample. I was excited because, even though it's a small sample, not many high-profile makeup brands make it into our ipsy bags. It doesn't specify what the exact color is (although I'm betting I can get it off the ipsy website) but it does say, and I quote, "Is it green or is it red? No, you're not under the influence: this trippy duotone shade actually changes color before your eyes." I say, "Cool!" I can't wait to give it a go.
This item is Marc Anthony's Dream Waves Beach Spray. The idea is to spray it on damp hair and scrunch. I have yet to try the hair products from ipsy, but one of these days, I'm going to spend a day pampering my hair! (As soon as I get more organized. ;))
This is Julie's Nail Color made by Jesse's Girl Cosmetics. The shade is a bright and light sea green with the official name of Tropical - 70205. I love nail polishes, and this is the perfect summer color!
Last up from my ipsy June glam bag: Boo-Boo Cover-Up by the company of the same name. I tested some on my hand, and it appears to be a good concealer for blemishes, without being overly cakey or greasy. I always need a good concealer, so I'll test it out this week.
Ahhhh! When we were in the Mile High City, my teen wanted to go to the mall (go figure), so after hitting up H&M, we came upon a Sephora. The sky opened and the angels sang! I wasn't about to walk on by!
While I appreciate the concealer and foundation I have trusted for awhile from the drugstore, I do have a few blemishes that need a good cover-up! In other words, I need a good foundation. Of course, spending $40 on a foundation for everyday use isn't in my budget, but when I go out on the weekends or something, I would like to be more polished, so I picked up a good foundation by Make Up For Ever. Sephora has beauty consultants, and one helped me pick the right color. I was happy because I had already been swatching several different shades from several different companies on my neck.
The consultant recommended a translucent powder to apply over my foundation to set it in, and I agreed. With a better foundation comes better coverage, and I don't need a colored powder to set it all. I picked up a nice powder brush from the Bare Minerals section to use with it. One can never have too many makeup brushes! :)
So there you have it! Another fun month of ipsy, plus a small haul from Sephora. Happy beauty!
May 26, 2016
Travel Log
Good morning! I'm finally back with another post. This time, I want to discuss travel logs, and why everyone should have one, no matter where you travel.
As you all know, I made my amazing trip to Ireland back in late 2014. It was the experience of a lifetime, but what helped make the trip go smoothly was the amount of research I did before we left. Finding out what the local weather is during the time you're there, figuring out which main attractions you want to visit, and any helpful hints were all carefully planned before leaving.
One of the things I read about during my research, was that one should keep a travel log of their trip. You take a notebook, or something similar, with you and write in it every night before you go to bed. The idea is that this will help you remember a lot of the details that one tends to forget over time.
It was a great piece of advice that I took to heart. I wrote in my notebook at least once, but sometimes twice, a day. I go back and read my log now and then, and it makes me happy that I kept the log. There were so many details that I had forgotten: conversations we had with people, the names of pubs & shops we went to, experiences traveling, and all kinds of other things, that I would surely have never remembered so much about that wonderful experience in my life.
When we were in Limerick City, Ireland, we stopped by the Hunt Museum. We checked out the gift shop on our way out and I picked up a cool notebook. Until the other day, it sat in my little vault where I had only made a couple of diary entries. I looked at it and thought, "Why don't I use this as a travel log?" It made perfect sense, so my project lately has been transcribing my log from Ireland into the notebook.
The orange notebook is the one I took my notes about my trip in. The one that looks like a copy of Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped is actually the cool notebook I bought in Limerick City. A lady who lives there takes old books and turns them into notebooks. On top is the pen I bought for myself at the Guinness Storehouse. What better way to take Irish notes?
The artisan kept the inside liners (both front and back) intact, and the rest of the pages are unlined, blank paper to take notes in. Pretty cool huh?
As I had used a couple of pages as a diary a few years ago, I ripped those pages out to repurpose the notebook into my travel log. I decided I wanted to keep the sticker and corresponding note I wrote about the notebooks by taping it on the first blank page. Her etsy information is right there in case you decide to check out some of her cool notebooks. I haven't checked to see if her etsy is still active or not.
And there you have it. A cooler than normal travel log that I will use until I fill it up with entries. My husband and I are planning (finally!) a new trip across the pond, and I can't wait to use my travel log. Now, just because you may be traveling domestically instead of internationally, doesn't mean you can't log those trips! We're taking the kids to Colorado next month, and then an adult trip to Chicago in December. You can bet I will log them in here. I want to always remember the fun trips I took...after all, traveling is in my blood.
Always, H.A.
As you all know, I made my amazing trip to Ireland back in late 2014. It was the experience of a lifetime, but what helped make the trip go smoothly was the amount of research I did before we left. Finding out what the local weather is during the time you're there, figuring out which main attractions you want to visit, and any helpful hints were all carefully planned before leaving.
One of the things I read about during my research, was that one should keep a travel log of their trip. You take a notebook, or something similar, with you and write in it every night before you go to bed. The idea is that this will help you remember a lot of the details that one tends to forget over time.
It was a great piece of advice that I took to heart. I wrote in my notebook at least once, but sometimes twice, a day. I go back and read my log now and then, and it makes me happy that I kept the log. There were so many details that I had forgotten: conversations we had with people, the names of pubs & shops we went to, experiences traveling, and all kinds of other things, that I would surely have never remembered so much about that wonderful experience in my life.
When we were in Limerick City, Ireland, we stopped by the Hunt Museum. We checked out the gift shop on our way out and I picked up a cool notebook. Until the other day, it sat in my little vault where I had only made a couple of diary entries. I looked at it and thought, "Why don't I use this as a travel log?" It made perfect sense, so my project lately has been transcribing my log from Ireland into the notebook.
The orange notebook is the one I took my notes about my trip in. The one that looks like a copy of Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped is actually the cool notebook I bought in Limerick City. A lady who lives there takes old books and turns them into notebooks. On top is the pen I bought for myself at the Guinness Storehouse. What better way to take Irish notes?
The artisan kept the inside liners (both front and back) intact, and the rest of the pages are unlined, blank paper to take notes in. Pretty cool huh?
As I had used a couple of pages as a diary a few years ago, I ripped those pages out to repurpose the notebook into my travel log. I decided I wanted to keep the sticker and corresponding note I wrote about the notebooks by taping it on the first blank page. Her etsy information is right there in case you decide to check out some of her cool notebooks. I haven't checked to see if her etsy is still active or not.
And there you have it. A cooler than normal travel log that I will use until I fill it up with entries. My husband and I are planning (finally!) a new trip across the pond, and I can't wait to use my travel log. Now, just because you may be traveling domestically instead of internationally, doesn't mean you can't log those trips! We're taking the kids to Colorado next month, and then an adult trip to Chicago in December. You can bet I will log them in here. I want to always remember the fun trips I took...after all, traveling is in my blood.
Always, H.A.
May 15, 2016
Ipsy's May Glam Bag
Hey everyone! It's that time again...yep, Ipsy time! So this month's glam bag came, and, like usual, it's like mini-Christmas. The glam bag itself is an ode to traveling, and it's one of my favorites so far. I mean, we all know how I feel about traveling!
First up is The Organic Pharmacy's Antioxidant Lip Balm. It smells wonderful and I've already used this a few times. So far it seems like it's great for healing the lips. I always have dry lips and hands--unless it's the middle of summer when it's humid as all get out--so I never seem to have enough lotion or lip balm.
This month, I was given another mascara courtesy of Smashbox. I got one a few months back, but this one is their X-Rated volumizing mascara. I have about four mascaras I flip back and forth with using, but I'm going to save this one for when it's time to ditch the old ones. (That's a good, and necessary, thing to do routinely with all your makeup products.)
I was excited to see this combo in my bag! I love the eyeshadows they've sent, and this one is no exception. It's a Pacifica brand set of pink and purple hues which is perfect because finding the perfect pink hues can be taxing. It's infused with coconut for a 'velvety finish' so we'll see! It came with a Inspr eyeshadow brush. Yay! A girl can never have too many eyeshadows or eyeshadow brushes.
Last, but not least, is a hard to read bottle! It took bright light and special effort to read it. lol It's Avene's Micellar Lotion. It's a cleanser and makeup remover. It will go in my little tub of stuff that I need to remember to try at some point!
Someday, I swear I will make a post about how the ipsy products I've been posting have worked out!
Have a great day!
H.A.
May 9, 2016
Horrendum Media
Good morning! I hope last week was a good one, and that your weekend was even better. Last weekend I entertained my mother who was here for a rare visit, and this past weekend I entertained my dad and my stepmom who always come visit for my dad's birthday. It was nice to visit with my parents, but it definitely kept me busy!
Mother's Day was yesterday, and I hope it was an enjoyable day for anyone who's ever mothered another living thing. I celebrated all the mothers in my life...including myself!
As I mentioned in my last post, I'm now under the Horrendum Media umbrella. You can find out a little bit about this burgeoning company by following this link: https://felicityfrankauthor.com/horrendum-media/
Until next time!
April 30, 2016
Reveries, Reflections, and Ruminations
Good morning friends and fans! It's a beautiful, albeit chilly, morning and I'm looking forward to getting this weekend off and running. As most of you are aware, my blogs posts are fewer and farther between. (For more information on that for those of you who aren't aware, click here.)
I've been preoccupied writing a style that is different from what I do with H.A. Larson, and it's exciting and fresh for me. I'm hard at work writing various things and it's keeping me energized. "The Box" is always in the back of my mind, and someday I will write the quintessential horror novel...just not anytime soon.
I've also had a few life changes happen as well since I made that announcement over a month ago. I started a new job that I'm absolutely in love with. I am at a University now working regular hours. It's really refreshing to be home every night with my family, and to share the weekends with my children. I'm very fortunate and thankful to have moved up! It's been a bit of an adjustment, however, going from working a graveyard shift to getting up at 5 a.m. during the weekdays. The first week found me really tired at work in the afternoon, and being ready for bed as soon as I got home. The second week was much better and I'm feeling more productive now in the evenings.
Another wonderful thing about my new job is that it's 9/10 of a mile from my house so, unless the weather is crappy, I've been walking back and forth from work everyday. I've also been walking at least one of the weekend days and because of all this, I'm averaging a three-mile walk five or six days a week. I had gained about five pounds towards the end of winter, and I'm happy to report that all my walking help me shed that and a few more pounds. I'm right back to my 75 lbs lost!
I have another announcement to share with you all, and that's that I'm now under the Horrendum Media umbrella. It's a small, burgeoning media company that is unofficial for now and will have a couple of writers (including yours truly), a cinematographer/reviewer, and possibly more later on. I'll keep you all updated on that as time goes on. Anyway, if you see the Horrendum Media logo attached to my stuff, you will know why!
I hope this post finds all of you well.
Much love, H.A.
April 24, 2016
A Stroll on a Beautiful Saturday
Yesterday was a gorgeous, sunny, pleasant Saturday. My youngest spent the bulk of the day hanging out with her friend, and my husband was at work, so I asked my son if he wanted to go do something. Now, my son has finally reached the age where he doesn't want to hang out with his family, and his little sister gets on his nerves frequently. With everyone else gone, he was actually more than willing to have mom to himself for the afternoon, and mom was ready for some one-on-one time with one of her favorite guys.
Since it was a gorgeous day, we headed downtown to walk around, get some ice cream (the ice cream shop downtown always has a vegan option), and do some window shopping.
We parked close to Gene Leahy mall, and as such we had to cross it to get into the Old Market. Halfway across the bridge afforded me a good view of the Omaha skyline.
In the Old Market, the Passageway is an iconic place.
Inside the Passageway is the Passageway Gallery that includes the Garden of the Senses. We can view some art and beautiful garden scene for free.
The sculptures in the garden are zodiac symbols and celestial objects. This one is Cancer, my daughter's sign.
Since it was a gorgeous day, we headed downtown to walk around, get some ice cream (the ice cream shop downtown always has a vegan option), and do some window shopping.
We parked close to Gene Leahy mall, and as such we had to cross it to get into the Old Market. Halfway across the bridge afforded me a good view of the Omaha skyline.
In the Old Market, the Passageway is an iconic place.
Inside the Passageway is the Passageway Gallery that includes the Garden of the Senses. We can view some art and beautiful garden scene for free.
The sculptures in the garden are zodiac symbols and celestial objects. This one is Cancer, my daughter's sign.
