Time for more random life updates! This time it's all good and silly stuff.
First up, my friend Karen taught me how to make a hair bun with a chopstick, and I am SMITTEN:
Where has this technique been all my life?? I asked on my Stories, and about half of you know how to do this... BUT NEVER TOLD ME. How dare you.
(Also this filter makes me want to stick flowers on my face.)
I've been experimenting with new buns almost every day since, which helps give me the push I need to keep taking selfies. I usually rely on filters since I don't wear makeup at home, but these pics help me see something nice about myself, which is definitely needed at times.
Cute & Silly? MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
I took the one on the left after 4 hours of sweaty housework, so it's definitely a less polished bun - but I like the scarf addition! I want to get more hair scarves and flowers, they make me happy. Where do you guys get your pretty hair things?
Oh, and since it's still SO hot, these hair buns are a godsend. They stay up all day! And by piling the hair on TOP of my head, it doesn't pull and give me a headache the way a pony tail or lower bun does.
New Halloween tee!
Speaking of my sweet Evangeline:
Lookit DAT FACE.
She's snuggled against my chest while I'm working.
Then there's her more photogenic (& destructive) sister:
Actually, some new information has come to light since I posted this, and I must issue a formal retraction and apology: it turns out Eva chewed the cords. Eva! My sweet snuggly house panther! She hopped up on the table and started gnawing on a cord right in front of me last night. ARG.
I still have to repair all these cords, too. I'm thinking heat shrink tubing that we use to cover wires, but do any of you have a better solution? (Besides tying a knot? :D)
I still have to repair all these cords, too. I'm thinking heat shrink tubing that we use to cover wires, but do any of you have a better solution? (Besides tying a knot? :D)
I never did get a great photo of Suki in this. Do I dare try again?
(The unicorn costume is at JoAnn's. Only $8 with their Halloween sale!)
More things that make me happy: You guys are filling out the ranks in our marshmallow army!
SO CUTE.
I've been dragged down with sinus stuff most of this month, so I haven't had the energy for many cute outfits. Here's one from when I *had* to leave the house, though:
And one from this week:
I absolutely love this thing - so many pockets! I just found out it's called a jumper, which I always thought was a sweater. No, hang on, my Mac dictionary is telling me "jumper" can mean either one. Gah. English.
*****
Random pretty picture of Suki on my desk:
She was in a sunbeam, so the bright light turned my resin desk into a mirror!
And a random pretty picture of the gondolas at Epcot:
John and I got to visit Food & Wine with some cast member friends last weekend. I can't eat much there with my Low Fodmap restrictions, but it's always nice to walk the Showcase and hang with friends. Plus we got to see the new fireworks! They were... pretty good? I literally gasped at the new surprise element and the Tapestry section, but the rest was just OK. I kinda wish they'd used the original attraction songs instead of having a choir sing them, but that could just be me.
In Ghostbusters Halloween news, we brought Tiny Tim the Thestral out of storage this week for a few repairs:
We're calling him a "Ghost Horse" to fit the theme. Shhhh.
We keep him across the street in an outside shed, so the neighbors got to watch us walk him over. All par for the course when you're the Weird Ones on the block. :D
Then - oohhh, guys, you have to see this - look how great our "slimed" windows turned out!
We liked it so much we've covered the entire roof line!
The best part? That's a $1 plastic tablecloth from Dollar Tree, cut into drips and held in place with thumbtacks. We managed to cover the whole front of the house with 2 tablecloths, so this is a $2 decoration with a HUGE impact from the street. Because the plastic is so thin, the "slime" is slightly translucent, and blows around in the breeze, all of which looks super cool.
So yeah, GO BUY SOME DOLLAR STORE TABLECLOTHS AND SLIME YOUR HOUSE. All the cool kids are doing it!
As I was sliming the final window there was a rustling at the curtain inside, then:
"HENLO"
Such a cutie.
While John and I were testing out some lights and our Slimer photo op this week, the cutest thing happened:
Some of our neighbors (who I'd never met) walked over with their 5-year-old daughter wearing a princess dress, and shyly asked if she could come see the proton pack. So we got to test out the photo op with a little princess! Then her dad asked to jump in, all excited, and we all stood around laughing and chatting for another 30 minutes. It was one of those spontaneous comings together over geek things that I live for, right in my own driveway. Amazing.
(This isn't the final lighting, and it's straight off my phone, but not too bad, right?)
I guess sometimes it IS nice to go outside.
*****
Speaking of Ghostbusters decorations, a reader named Dennis just sent me something you HAVE to see:
IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL
That pixel screen on the garage is incredible! And I know we all have short attentions spans with videos, but trust me, watch 'til at least the 3 minute mark. So many fun effects and surprises!
*****
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Speaking of Ghostbusters decorations, a reader named Dennis just sent me something you HAVE to see:
IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL
That pixel screen on the garage is incredible! And I know we all have short attentions spans with videos, but trust me, watch 'til at least the 3 minute mark. So many fun effects and surprises!
*****
And finally, Amazon gets the last laugh:
To absolutely no one's surprise, I AM tempted to make one in my size.
*****
Hope these made you smile! Remember, you have to hang on to all the silly little things that feed your soul, especially through the hard times. I guarantee there are people around you watching and waiting for permission to be themselves - so you being YOU is exactly what the world needs right now. So go be you!
*****
Hope these made you smile! Remember, you have to hang on to all the silly little things that feed your soul, especially through the hard times. I guarantee there are people around you watching and waiting for permission to be themselves - so you being YOU is exactly what the world needs right now. So go be you!
*****
Shopping Time!
Here's a random recommendation for you: this little charging pad is my new favorite gadget:
Anker Wireless Charger
I usually come to bed after John is asleep, so I've been forever fumbling to plug in my phone in the dark without waking him up. Well no more! I just set the phone down on this little $12 pad, and it charges wirelessly. Woohoo!
I will say it's a little picky on positioning, so I have to set the phone face up or it won't work, but that's a minor quibble. It works on most newer iPhones and Galaxys, and for $12 prime, I think it's well worth it!
I usually come to bed after John is asleep, so I've been forever fumbling to plug in my phone in the dark without waking him up. Well no more! I just set the phone down on this little $12 pad, and it charges wirelessly. Woohoo!
I will say it's a little picky on positioning, so I have to set the phone face up or it won't work, but that's a minor quibble. It works on most newer iPhones and Galaxys, and for $12 prime, I think it's well worth it!
"Jumper" is a sweater in British English but a dress in American English. At least, in general. Gotta love those regional variants.
ReplyDeleteSpecifically, a casual dress, often made of more durable material such as corduroy or denim, with straps, that's intended to be worn over a separate top. (So a gown is not a jumper, no matter how strappy.)
DeleteIn Britain we'd call that a pinafore dress.
DeleteThat Ghostbusters house light show is awesome! I was watching it on my laptop in the kitchen and my husband down the hall in his office was like "what are you watching? I wanna see!" - so of course I had to share! :D
ReplyDeleteSo fun! Thanks for sharing!
-Ally
I sat with my jaw dropped for at least the first 2 minutes of that light show video. I'm a total sucker for fancy decorations for holidays, and I WISH I had the lighting skill (and the funds) to put something like that together.
ReplyDeleteNo but where is the tutorial for the buns?! I am in the same faction you were in until your friend had mercy on you, so help a sister out! THINK OF THE BUNLESS WOMEN, JEN!!!! 😜
ReplyDeleteMe too! (thumps chest)
DeleteThere are loads of tutorials on youtube. That's how I learned and it was a REVELATION!!!
DeleteFun fact: there are lightsaber chopsticks you can wear in your hair for extra glow effect. I am planning to wear mine on halloween.
And wands work too, by the way ;.)
have fun.
Chris from Germany
I HAVE been hiding the secret goodness of of "chopstick" buns from you, but because I am a librarian, they are usually pencils.
DeleteSeriously, that hair-band combo is too cute.
Please please please tell me how to do the hair bun with a chopstick?
ReplyDeleteEspecially the bun in your first pic, Jen -- it's GORGEOUS!!
DeleteTry bitter apple spray on cords.
ReplyDeleteMy cat also loves to chew thru blind cords - we never found a way to 'fix' them that worked all that well or for very long, but we did find that they aren't all that difficult to replace (if your patient and handy). You can google up a video depending on the type of blind and which cord. We also found a local blind guy (the kind that CAN see) that will do it for $15. :)
ReplyDeleteGah! You're not your SIGH I'm better than that :)
DeleteFunny how we blame one cat for antics the other Saintly one did. My step-dad blamed the naughty boy for carving his computer table legs in to curves. Turned out to be the Sweet Miss who did it. As for the costume on cats - BRING IT! Let's see more! My Maine Coons are feeling poorly (I.D.B. and allergies) - so no costumes this year. That means Eva and Suki must model for us.
ReplyDeleteI never knew that a jumper in American was a dress! As others have said, it's a sweater.
ReplyDeleteAlso, please share the bun trick! YouTube doesn't help me, my hair is fine so I don't have a lot of volume to play with.
Oh man, I'm having flashbacks. I used to have a bun held with a pencil in high school a lot! I still have a few hair sticks, but I don't use them that often.
ReplyDeletePS - The jumper thing is a difference between British and American English. :) A jumper is only a sweater if you're not in the US.
In the US, a jumper is a dress that specifically has a 'bib overalls' front. The straps often have buckles on the front. As noted ab
ReplyDeleteove, often in heavy fabrics such as corduroy, denim or canvas. You have to wear another shirt underneath, unless you are Miley Cyrus or something.
As noted, in the UK, a jumper is what we call a 'sweater' in the US.
AND I NEED TO SEE A PHOTO OF THE PRINCESS WITH THE GHOSTBUSTERS GUN! :-)
In the UK a jumper = a US sweater. As in "It's cold so put on a jumper".
ReplyDeleteWhat you're calling a jumper would be a pinafore or pinafore dress. And that is any dress that is designed to have a top under it. The style you're wearing could be called a dungaree dress too but that's less common IMO, but it describes the bib style front.
Love the buns-so cute!! A few weeks ago you mentioned trying something with your hair called 'the curly girl method' (or something like that) but didn't explain just what that consists of.
ReplyDeleteCould you explain, please? I have crazy curly hair but never heard of this, and am always on the lookout for new ideas or just plain help!
On the upside, I can always hold my hair in a bun with chopsticks, or even a pen when I have no hair ties left-
Oooh, you're better off googling Curly Girl, because it's a LOT. I tried it for a few months and then mostly gave it up, although I do still use sulfate-free shampoo.
DeleteI just couldn't imagine drying my hair with a t-shirt, so I never tried it! I have SUPER thick curly/wavy hair and it takes hours to air-dry. I don't think a t-shirt would even take the watery edge off of my just-showered hair!
DeleteThanks too for the kitty pics! I'm too allergic to have cats of my own, so I must kitty vicariously through Eva and Suki! The pic of Eva peeking through the window at you absolutely made my day! (Though all the kitty pics did.) I love the story and pic of meeting your neighbors. And finally, I love your statement above, that, "you have to hang on to all the silly little things that feed your soul, especially through the hard times." This is so true and lately I've felt like I needed to give myself permission to enjoy these little things, but you're absolutely right -- they feed my soul. (And hurt no one! Well,unless that's ALL you do all day long and neglect chores, children, pets, personal hygiene...well, you get the idea.)
DeleteOh my gosh, I'm posting a lot today! But, I forgot to say earlier that, this might not work on something verical, like blind cords, but my friends used to use aquarium tubing to cover their wires so their bunny didn't chew through them. This might work for you if Eva develops a new penchent for computer cords or Xmas lights.
DeleteI use small Command hooks on the upper part of the vertical window trim to loop up my blind cords above the cat's reach. Otherwise, one of my cats chews them or gets the cords all slobbery.
ReplyDeleteNow that you know how to make chopstick buns, go to Etsy and search for hairsticks. You're welcome and I'm sorry. :)
ReplyDeleteFor the window cords, try rubbing them with a tiny amount of (very) hot sauce. Or if you think that would show boil the hottest peppers you can find in as little water as possible then drain, cool, then dip the cords and let dry.
ReplyDeleteAlso, have you seen the double helix hairpins that Goody has in stores? I have shorter and slippery hair but they hold mine up through a full day of hospital work. The long ones come in a 2 pack and the short ones in 3 packs. I use one long and 2 short most days. A chopstick doesn't keep my hair together.
https://www.amazon.com/Goody-Simple-Styles-3-count-1940931/dp/B0055Y9AIY
An old classmate of mine has a hairband shop. Super cute stuff. Check it out:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.hartsandpearls.com/
Piper P from Washington State
I haven't figured out how to make chopstick buns quite so fancy-looking as yours, but I do put my hair up with sticks sometimes, especially when I'm at work and it's just bugging me and I want it up. But I usually use knitting needles. Knitpicks has some really pretty wooden ones (I use double-pointed for this) that make me wish I liked knitting with wooden needles, but they're perfect for hair!
ReplyDeletePlease don't use chopsticks in your hair. It's a form of cultural appropriation, and very offensive to many people of Asian descent. They make hair sticks for this exact reason! Imagine sticking forks in your hair, and you can understand why the chopstick thing is ridiculous :)
ReplyDeleteI'll be honest, I've never heard this before, so I'll do some more reading & check with my Asian friends. I will say that with so little of the stick top visible, and since they're solid colors, I figure they look more like hair sticks than chopsticks anyway. I wouldn't be comfortable wearing anything patterned or decorated to be obviously Asian. Plus I did try a "real" hair stick and it snapped in two - after snagging my hair - so these are more durable & work better for me.
DeleteI appreciate your fork analogy, but tbh, if a fork worked to keep my hair up *I'D* be using one, so I don't think that's making your point. ;) Thanks for the heads up, though, obviously I never want to unintentionally offend!
This is SUPER LATE but I was catching up on the blog and found it and felt the need to share my fave place for hair things- Over the Hawaiian Moon on etsy! His aluminum three prong forks are my ABSOLUTE favorite thing and I cannot recommend them enough!
ReplyDelete