Book Review: Getting The Pretty Back

Getting the Pretty Back: Friendship, Family, and Finding the Perfect Lipstick by Molly Ringwald
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I found this book when I was shelving the biography section. "O hey- I love Molly. This should be good!" I mean, Pretty In Pink and Sixteen Candles are 2 of my most favorite movies. But then I read some of the reviews and I didn't know if I wanted to read it. A lot of the reviews were unforgiving, and I didn't want to ruin whatever idea I had of who Molly Ringwald is.

First off, it's not really a biography. Which is really disappointing, I would have loved to have read her autobiography and hear all the details of growing up in the Brat Pack, living in France, working on Broadway...but you don't really get any of that. Instead you get Molly Ringwald trying to help you find your pretty. Which is cool, I guess. Having 2 kids, I have lost some of that.

So here's what I've taken from this book:
- I need to find a black turtleneck. I used to have them, looked great in them, but I haven't owned one in years. I'm finding one this fall.

-Black Honey by Clinique is a *great* lip color. Another staple I used to have, why had I forgotten this? Need to add this back into my tiny makeup collection.

-Definitely making a cheese plate when people come over. Goat cheese, Brie or Camembert, English Cheddar (the real stuff, for sure), Gouda, and a blue cheese...That sounds like a nice time to me. Why were so many people in the reviews hating on the cheese plate? Cheese is delicious.

- I need to find a good, everyday handbag. It may be time to invest in a grown up purse. That's sort of scary for me.

-I've never had Bouillabaisse, but I want to try it. Honestly, I just want to have more time to eat good food. I agree with a lot of her sentiments on food.

-A beret sounds like a good idea...

-...and so does buying new underwear.

I've fallen into the mom rut.

Of course I'm never going to find (or fit into) a Yves Saint Laurent vintage trench coat. But I don't have to. Reviewers seem really hung up on that and the Hermes scarf (which, again, you don't have to buy, but is it wrong to learn how to tie a scarf? I think not...)

And I don't agree that only skinny people should wear skinny jeans. CLothes are for everybody as long as it makes them feel...wait for it...pretty.

The book never feels quite self-help, and it's written in a pretty informal girl-friend kind of way. In spite of myself, I found myself enjoying it, even tho I avoid both chick lit and self help like the plague. It fall into my "quick easy read" category.

NOW...time to shop and eat some tasty food.


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Lazy Blogger

Well. Not really. Griff has 3 more weeks of school and after that we can start sharing evenings. With it getting down to the finish line our evenings are usually me holding the baby while he does homework. Yes yes, I'm sure I could put her down, but I know if I hold her she won't wake up. So we just watch tv. So no knitting, no projects, no blogging. I do get an occasional evening, but I've been trying to knit (yeah that cowl I was going to finish by the end of Game of Thrones? Didn't happen.)

So when I get back I want to blog about projects, and Oz's birthday party, and experiments with MY NEW CAMERA. Griff got it for me for Mother's Day and I was absolutely shocked, but  I haven't had a moment to learn how to use it and all the cool things it can do. So here's a sampling of Tilda eating some nectarines.

The quality is so much better than my other camera, that honestly, was a great camera but just old. So imagine how great it will be when I actually learn how to use it!

Date Night: Cute Clothes Special

We went on a date. I wore a cute dress. I may never master the selfie, but damnit, this dress is adorable! I bought it from modcloth, and it's perfect for me for two reasons:

1- The print is Road Trip themed with it's roadside attractions. LOVE IT.

2. IT HAS POCKETS.

I'm not sure if my clear jellies was the right choice for this dress, but I really don't have many cute shoes. So I need to work on that. We'll get there. 

Autumn Mix Muffins

So I've been trying to clean out my cupboards lately, and I found a box of Trader Joe's Pumpkin Bread and Muffin Mix. The side of the box calls for:
1 c water
1/2 c of vegetable oil
2 eggs

Well, I decided to throw a bunch of other stuff in there too. Here's some things I added:
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1/2 c applesauce
I just grabbed some natural maple syrup and just poured some in
1 tbs brewer's yeast (I'm breastfeeding so it's good for lactation. Please don't feel like you need it.)

The first time I made them I was mixing everything up and then realized I had no eggs. WHAT WOULD A VEGAN DO!?!?!? To the internet...
I'd already added the applesauce. But I had flaxseed as well, so I added a tbs of that and a tbs of water. But I'm sure if you had eggs, go ahead and stick to the plan. But the 2 times I've made these, they are so moist and delicious, I really don't think you need them, especially if you have applesauce.

I added some raisins and oats, baked at 400 for 15 minutes.

DELICIOUS.

It's like autumn in the springtime. And Trader Joe's sells this mix all year. So you can buy it, and modify it however you wish! Really great, so easy to make.

Book Jar

What to read next? What to read next? My To-Read stash, hidden in the top of my closet, is so overwhelming I rarely pull from it and either buy something or just take something out from the library. But then I read this great article/idea from Book Riot about a Book Jar , it was just too perfect not to do.

Now it's not ALL the books. I wasn't going to pull books down to get to the very back. So these are all the books I could see easily enough and list. It also doesn't mean I'm going to concentrate solely on my jar, and not enjoy my comics, library books, or whatever else. I usually juggle 3 things anyways. This will just hopefully encourage me to start reading/weeding my horde.

Did I mention there's a used book sale the end of this month? More to the stash.

Lists 11-14

^I PUT 2 "L"'s IN THE WORD TRAVELING. Embarrassing? yes. But markers don't come with spell check. O well. I'm behind because I've been sick...and then kids got sick. Oz was sick, Tilda was just loud. I'm so tired. So freakin' tired. When am I going to NOT be tired again?

Lists 7,8, & 9

This weekend has been crazy busy but so much fun! So my lists took a back seat for the weekend (not mentally tho. I was thinking about them, so it was quick to put them together) while we were GO GO GO this weekend. We had company for the weekend, cupcakes for breakfast, work, the roller derby, a trip to the zoo, and a few great finds at the books store. I even was able to do the grocery shopping solo and had a chai which was a HUGE treat for me. But anyways...LISTS. I made them: