Happy #thinkingoutloud Thursday! No idea what I’m going on about? Click here!
1. I re-busted my thumb! ? I managed to get it to close up (sorry!) so nicely, and then it split open again (sorry x2!!) while I was taking shots of those blender brownies I posted the other day. This is what I get for being too lazy to set up my tripod and trying to hold up a cumbersome DSLR with a janky, busted up finger. Lesson learnt. And the worst part is that I don’t even have any brownies left to drown my sorrows in. Whatever. So totally worth it (<– love you guys who sent me messages and pics letting me know you tried them and loved them!)
2. And speaking of janky and busted up… can we please talk about what is going on with my bandaid right now?..
Or, more importantly, what I’ve been doing with my thumb to get it to look like that?!?! Seriously. The fabric bandaids are nice and comfortable, but those suckers do NOT wear well. I haven’t even had this one for very long!
3. But let’s switch gears and talk about something that’s a little less… err… gruesome –> makeup. I still haven’t managed to get my butt into a Sephora to pick up my free birthday gift (can you tell I love shopping??), but I have a feeling it’ll happen either today or tomorrow because there are a few items on my wish list that I want to check out as well, with the most most notable one being this Kat Von D Shade + Light Eye Palette…
[source]
How perfectly wearable do all those shades look for an everyday eye?!? I have (and love) her Shade + Light Contour Palette, so I’ve got high hopes for this one. I’ll let you know how I like it! Maybe it’ll even make it into this month’s favourites post. And yes — I still plan on testing out some falsies. I just have to find a decent drugstore kind so that I’m not experimenting (and potentially wrecking) the more expensive kind.
4. Speaking of favourites, I’ve GOT to tell you guys about the most random thing that I’ve been loving lately — these FriXion pens from Pilot. Why? Because they’re ERASABLE. And not the crappy kind of “erasable” from back in the day where you’d have to use an actual eraser that’d do nothing but smear the ink all over your page. These erase by friction, and it legit gets rid of every trace of ink…
I’ve been using them in my planner in case I have to change something around or I don’t like the way I wrote something. And yes, I’m that person…
5. I’m also that person who seems to kill plants like it’s her job, so that orchid I got for my birthday? I don’t have high hopes for it lasting overly long… Especially since I’ve already killed a couple of those guys in my time, and they’re supposed to be one of the harder plants to take care of.
6. My cupcake balloon, on the other hand, is still going strong… ish ?
7. Can we talk about the SADs for a second? The Seasonal Affective Disorder (with an ‘s’ because I thought it sounded better) that comes out to make people… err… SAD… around this time of the year? I used to get hit by it pretty hard around mid-January, and while I may not be quite as energetic and peppy as I am in the summer, I’ve found a few things that help make the shift in mood/energy barely noticeable. First? Getting outside every.single.day…
… and I don’t mean just running from your door to the car or walking to a different building between classes. I mean something like going for a walk, run, bike ride (I see it all the time!!), snowboard trip (??), or anything where the main goal is to spend some time moving around in the fresh air. I’ve made it a point to get outside for at least 20 minutes a day no matter how cold it is, and I can’t even tell you how big of a difference it’s made in keeping the SADs at bay.
8. Second? A few choice supplements. Now keep in mind that this is what works for me based on my own personal experience, but I have noticed energy/mood improvements [that hopefully aren’t placebo effects] since I started supplementing with these two vitamins…
Vitamin D and a sublingual vitamin B12. Deficiencies in either can have a huge impact on energy and mood, and vitamin D is especially important in the winter when we’re not getting as much sunshine. These are literally my happy pills.
9. Aaaaand that’s it for me today! I’ll see your friendly faces again on Saturday with a new oat-based recipe for this week’s Sweet & Savory Saturday theme! Have the best Thursday and Friday!
No questions… just tell me whatever comes to your mind! 😀
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I think I need those pens! I use a lot of white out in my planner, LOL. When I was practicing putting on falsies, I bought a bunch of fakes lashes at Daiso (do you have one of those? It’s a japanese store and everything in the store is $1.50! They have some great stuff in there too), anyway, I used those because the bands are slightly thicker, so you have more lash to put glue on and it made it easier to place in my eyes. Then once I was done practicing on the cheap ones I moved to my more expensive ones, if that makes sense. 🙂 Good luck. I would practice putting them on while the kids took a bath…so I wasn’t trying to put on false lashes when I was trying to get ready, took the anxiety out a bit, knowing I wasn’t going anywhere!
Thanks for the tip, Sarah! I -think- we have some Japanese beauty stores here, but I’d have to figure out where they are. And please tell me it’ll get easier and less intimidating with practice!
holy heck…those pens!!
Right!??! Target and/or Walmart is where I got mine! And they come in fun colours too 😀
Okay I want that erasable pen.I prefer pens but I don’t like that you can’t usually erase them. That one is genius. I don’t like being cold when I’m outside but I have to agree, my walk to work and walk home puts me in a much better mood just from being outside. It does make a big difference in those cold winter months!
These pens are a godsend! I just have to keep reminding myself not to use them on any legal documents 😆
Erasable pens?! Oh my, why have I not heard of them? I need those ASAP! I hope your finger heals quickly! And those brownies look absolutely delicious by the way!!
Thanks lady! And I fount the pens at both Walmart and Target so they shouldn’t be too hard to come across!
I get hit with the SADs pretty bad every single year, but for me it’s usually in the November/December time (probably because January is my birthday month, so I’m happy about that). I struggled HARD with it this year – for some reason it was worse than normal. But in other news, that orchid is beautiful!! And those brownies … omg.
Have you looked into light therapy at all, Jessie? There are lamps you can buy that mimic sunlight, and apparently they’re supposed to help a tonne. I have a girlfriend who swears by them.
i have a love hate relationship with those fabric bandaids for that very reason. so comfortable but what the heck is with all the fraying! Those orchids are gorgeous, I hope you keep them alive! we have one similar in our office that we thought died but the lady who comes and waters our plants brought it back to life. im horrible with plants, i kill everything!
I’ve heard that they can be revived, and the little “care card” that came with mine said that they might die in the winter months but that you can bring them back. Ugh. I’m not a plant person.
Your poor thumb!! I sliced my finger pretty good about a month agao – still have no idea HOW exactly. I didn’t notice it until I was washing dishes though and dangggg it hurt. It was my index ginfer, so it made EVERYTHING difficult, so I can totally sympathize with you here!
As for the B12 happy pills, Im just now reading up on those things and realizing that probably MOST people need to be on them. I know that it can be consumed through animal products, but from what I’ve read people are low on it a lot ot times, and the consequences of that can be pretty serious!
Crazy, right? They used to say it was just a problem that vegetarians and vegans had, but now they’re finding that the deficiency rate is pretty much the same across the board, whether a person eats animal products or not 😕
Getting outside (even in the bitter cold) definitely helps me with some of the SADs. Usually, I’m not a fan of all-the-time sun, but during the shorter days I crave it! And your orchids are gorgeous! There’s conservatory by my house that does an orchid show every year; they’re some of my favorite flowers 🙂
I’m not a fan of all the time sun either, and I find myself craving the darker days of winter by the middle of summer. I guess we need a little bit of everything 🙂
Ugh, I get SAD too. It sucks. But we will make it! And also, I have no idea what’s going on with your bandaid but your brownies look AMAZING!!!!!
We’ll definitely make it! Getting closer and closer to spring by the day 🙂
I’ve been lusting over that Shade and Light palette! So gorgeous. I definitely get affected by SAD, and started taking vitamin D3 this year. I’m noticing a huge difference! I was actually going to mention that to you and then I saw that was your next point. We’re on the same wave length!
Good to know it’s not just me! And I’m seriously a sucker for eyeshadow palettes, even though I already have more than I’ll probably ever need 😆
That pen is basically the coolest ever and I need about a billion. I remember the “erasable” pens of yesteryear, and they were definitely NOT erasable…. Also, I usually get all bummed when the winter comes, but I think that not really wanting to go out since I’m tired and preggo and would have to bundle a toddler as well in addition that it’s been a very un winter like winter has kept my SAD’s away!
I found this winter to be a lot easier than most as well! It didn’t start to -really- get cold until the middle of December or so, and even then, we haven’t had the serious cold that we usually get. Hi -30 😯
Your poor thumb!!! 🙁 I am laughing so hard at your bandaid though! Mine always look like that, haha!
LoL! Ok that makes me feel a little better. At least it means that I’m not doing anything crazy to mine.
I love the flower. <3 🙂 And I'm excited, I think, to be going snowboarding again, Lord willing, out in God's beautiful world today for the 2nd time. I think of you and your love of snowboarding when I go! 🙂
It’s a pretty one 🙂
I get SAD a little bit in that I go to sleep earlier in the winter. It’s dark for so long my body starts telling me it’s time to go to bed. I’m on B12 and D3, but I didn’t get depressed before I was taking those. Just that sleep pattern and wanting to hibernate. Bears must be on to something.
I find it a lot easier to want to climb in to bed early too, Lesley. And it sucks because I end up waking up at 4am if I go to bed at 9… and then I have to wait for the sun to come up for like 4 hours…
I feel like that pen could change my life! I hate whiting out m y planner!!!Thanks for the tip 🙂
Good idea with SAD. I’m such a wuss with the cold, but I always feel better when I suck it up and get outside.
Those pens have definitely been a godsend! I found mine in both Target and Walmart, so they shouldn’t be too difficult to come across.
It’s so easy to be a little less active during this time of year and that makes me sad too! I’m so sorry that you’re struggling with this, but it is so common so you’re not alone! Sending happy thoughts and wishes your way! I hope we can all ban together and encourage you in this season!
Thanks for the happy thoughts, Margaret <3
I just started taking D and B12 too! I hardly see the daylight right now due to work and our generally crappy weather. It truly does effect your mood!
Have you looked into light therapy at all, Bri? There are lamps you can buy that mimic sunlight and I have a girlfriend who swears by them. Apparently they’re supposed to be quite effective.
haha I am totally with you, if we speak about “plant killer”. I just can`t handle it. But I love flowers anyway 😀
Me too! But I love the kind that come in bunches and die naturally after few days so I don’t have to feel so bad about killing them 😆
I have a black thumb too:( Orchids are my absolute favorite flower, but I’ve killed the two that I bought previously. Sheeesh!! That why I’m all about fake plants now a days…but I’m giving an easier plant a try and hopefully I’ll graduate back to taking care of Orchids:)
I only have two plants in my home — a peace lily that I’ve killed at least 10 times but miraculously always managed to revive, and an aloe that I’ve heard is basically unkillable. Cactuses are supposed to be good for us black thumbs, but they’re not that pretty. Succulents, maybe?
I need help in the make up department! I did a photo shoot last summer and I should have taken pictures of every single step the artist did. I loved it! And it was quick. Although she did airbrush foundation on…I need one of those!
I’ve never tried the airbrush foundation personally, but I do love the way it looks. AND… I know Dior has a foundation that comes in a can and you literally spray it on your face. Never tried it personally, but it looks interesting 😆
Those brownies look amazing btw! I just recently bought the Kat Von D Tattoo liner, still trying it out. I think I get SAD here is Colorado during the winter not because it is dark but because I am literally sad and hate the cold lol.
Aww! Yeah it kind of sucks to have to deal with, but at least it makes the summer -that- much better. AND… we’re getting closer and closer to spring 😀
I definitely don’t get outside in the winter much, even in Dallas. My walks at at the gym now bc the only time during the week I have for them are at 5 am. Way too dark and cold! Haha. I need to make it a better priority on weekends 🙂
I can totally understand that. I try to avoid walking in the dark, especially when I’m alone. At least we’re getting closer and closer to spring 😀
Definitely looking for those pens when I run some errands after work. I’m pen obsessed, and have wished for every pen to be erasable. I can totally relate on being one of those people that wants to erase something because of how it was written (confession: sometimes at work, I’ll go through like, five post-its, for a file before I like my hand-writing. The other kicker is by being left-handed, some pens work better than others. It’s a true thing!
Ps, I can’t wait to link up again soon. Going through the process of getting self-hosted with Bluehost at the moment! =)
Exciting times! Going self hosted definitely made a huge difference in how I approached blogging 😀 And I found my pens at both Walmart and Target, so I imagine they shouldn’t be too hard to come across!
So jealous of your sephora trip! I love trying out new eye shadows and mascara! I have kind of been intrigued with fake eye lashes as well, I have seen so many people get extensions now and they look so great you don’t even need mascara anymore!
Oh that would seriously be a godsend. I love makeup, but there are days when I’m super lazy and not having to deal with clumpy mascara would be so.NICE.
I am so with you on the SAD. I don’t absorb D3 the way I should so mine really tanks and I’ve ended up having to go through a course of doc-directed mega dose, which feels amazing because it’s such a mood lifter. Those pills are definitely not placebos. Yes to getting OUT too…and to Florida or the islands…haha!
I had a girlfriend who had to go through the same thing with megadoses of D3, and it was amazing to see how big of a difference it made in her!
Those brownies really look SO good. I have been craving some for weeks. I think I just need to give in and make them.
I may be a little bit biased, but I totally think you need to as well 😉
The reason that we are here in Mexico is that my dad gets such severe SAD that he lives here half of the year! I never really got it that bad–living in Georgia it would definitely get cold and grayer than normal, but nothing I couldn’t handle–but living in Chicago, the days are so much shorter, the cold days so much colder, that I’ve found that I can really get affected by the seasons.
The days are super short here as well. The sun doesn’t rise until around 8:30, and it sets around 4:30. So if you’re working, all you basically see is darkness 😕
I need that pen! I am constantly scribbling things out in my planner and the ADD in me dies when I have to do it to switch things around. Hope that finger gets better soon! I have a hematoma on my toe and it hurts so bad every time I walk which you kind of need to do every once in awhile.
Walmart or Target! And they come in fun colours too 😉 I know what you mean about the planner, though — the neat freak in me goes a little crazy.
I may just have to get one of those pens. I just got my planner and already found myself wanting to erase but I used pen and wite-out would just make it look bad in the planner.
I am forced to spend about an hour outside each day because I walk 15 min to the train station from my apartment and about 10 min from the train to my office building and repeat for commute home. Though it is cold, it is nice to get that fresh air and nicer than sitting in a car in traffic, even if my legs are numb, I am being active at least.
These pens have seriously been a godsend for my planner. I snagged mine from Walmart or Target!
Ha, that bandaid. I have had cloth ones do that as well. I understand your pain.
That pen is really interesting. I might have to look into it because I swear I go through an entire container monthly.
It’s a really great pen. I just wouldn’t recommend it for anything legal 😆
Happy belated birthday!
Those pens look really cool — thanks for sharing.
I get out most days to walk Lola, but some days — like yesterday — are just too cold for a skinny little dog.
Aww yeah I can imagine it would be tough with a tiny one. My dog is pretty well suited for the cold so it’s not that bad, but if I had a small one? I’d probably just stuff him/her into my jacket and go 😆
I’m glad I’m not the only one too lazy to always set up the tripod, lol! I’m also the worst with shopping for anything, especially things I don’t actually need to function, Although could really use a bit of new makeup. You would cry if you saw my makeup bag!
WHEN I come to NYC, you, Meredith and I should go beauty shopping 😉
SAD is a year round thing in Scotland. Like Neil said, you can count sunny days here on one hand! Okay, I can’t say that it’s year round yet for sure yet (since I’ve only been here 10 months) but you have to find other ways to enhance your mood. Like, chocolate. In addition to Vitamin D and B-12, fermented and pickled foods actually help with SAD as well. I think I’m going to buy one of those lights!
I’ve been eyeing those brownies and once I actually make it to the grocery store, I’m totally trying them out.
With you on the band-aid drama. Super glue is supposed to work really well, but it’s terrifying lol.
I have a girlfriend who uses one of those lamps and says it helps a tonne. Definitely something to look into! And I had no idea about fermented foods helping as well!
Would you believe me if I told you I’ve been eyeing those Erase by friction pens for months? I started teaching German to an exchange student from the US in September and when she used one of those I was all over it. Guessing it was a magical new pen from overseas I was all the happierr when she said she’d actually found it lying around her host family’s house and it was from a local drug store. Now that you remind me of them again I might jus tneed to stop in there again soon.
I hear you on the weather and SADs. Moving around outside has been my preferred method of keeping my mood up, too,
I can’t recommend them enough! I use them all the time, but I just have to remind myself to switch pens when I’m dealing with any legal documents 😆
I’m with you there regarding SAD, Amanda.
In Scotland, it’s the poor light at this time of year that really gets me. It’s so dark and gloomy. I try to get out walking on my lunch hour, when it’s not raining, and I also to eat us much fruit as possible. It helps. But I definitely feel a lift of my mood on days where we can see the sun. Which you can normally count on one hand. 😆
Ugh, we never have sun! Lol.
Aww. I’ve heard that about Scotland, Neil. Have you ever heard of light therapy? There are lamps you can buy to put in your office or bedroom that mimic sunlight and are supposedly pretty affective at treating SAD.