save the mom and pop shops!

i have gotten emails about it, but this was on a friend's blog the other day and it prompted me to let you all know about it as well. thanks lo!

if you haven't heard about the 3/50 project , you need to get on it. how great that YOU could help save your local economy. it's all about supporting the independently owned businesses in your area by spending about $50 per month in 3 of your favorites (not $50 x 3, but $50 total). in these times, the businesses that hurt the most are the small ones. you know, the mom and pop deli down the street, the really cute boutique that carries your favorite brands, or the specialty store where you can get those hard to find items. whatever your favorite small business is, make an effort to stop by, say hi, and buy something that makes you smile. if we don't make an effort to keep them around, who will?

so, here are my three (or so):

1.serendipity boutique: if i don't keep them in business, there goes my J-O-B. great finds for everything from a present for a friend to a great top for the collection.

(5362 h st and in the fountains in roseville)

2. la maison marche: a fab little home store in east sac that has so many great things that i could spend a lot more than $50 in there! great for a last minute hostess gift or cute little decorations for the house around the holidays. coop's giant dog painting is from them.

(h st and 54th)

3. bartlett flowes: just going in to this little flower shop in old roseville makes me smile. i don't go as often as i used to, but mabe now that i think about it, i will put a smile on my face more often!

(226 vernon st. roseville)

4. the tattered house: my absolute favorite haunt for anything antique and vintage. so many of the things in my house are from here. i wish i could just move in to this little house in old roseville.

(417 oak st. roseville)

5. foothill lighting and design: everything from light bulbs to chandeliers and fans to mirrors and paintings for the wall. love it!

(927 lincoln wy. auburn)

pick your 3 and just stop in to say hi and support locals. happy shopping!

back to the diapers...

so, as you have all read, i HATE chacters on diapers. i have now found something out there that claims to work just as well, and there is NOTHING on them.

a friend of mine works for whole foods and she has a son that is a couple months younger than coop. her little guy had on some diapers that were a natural cotton color the other day at church and i just assumed they were cloth and she had gone that route. as i was inspecting thema alittle closer, i realized they were disposable...yes! so, my questions began. she has been using them the whole time with him and they are about the same price as pampers or huggies. they are by 7th generation and i can't wait until my pampers box runs out and i can try these and tell you how they really work!

to skimp???

during these interesting economic times, i am sure that my husband wishes he was married to someone a little more frugal. one who could do all of their shopping at wal-mart and not color her hair or buy that people magazine with michael jackson on the cover, just because it was staring at her in the check-out line. well, he's not. instead he's married to a woman who runs two women's clothing boutiques and likes to eat out once in a while. one who has to get her hair done every 7 weeks for fear of ever learning the real color. one who has to read the newest fashion magazine, for work of course ;), and one who likes to feel pretty. which is what this post is about, sorry for the long intro... mascara: with my husband harping on me to spend less (yes, i know. it's smart.) i decided several months ago to fore-go my usual $22 a tube mascara, kiss me. it is fabulous, by the way. it was the pioneer in tubing your lashes in color instead of just painting them. anyway, i am off on a tangent. so, for the last 5 months or so, i have been testing drug store mascara. after 5 months of research, the drugstore ones just don't do the job.

here are my reviews on the ones that i have tried in the last months:

1. lash blast luxe by cover girl~$8

good, but dries out fast. it was done in about 3 weeks. supposedly, there are sparkles in it to make you eyes shine. i idn't notice that, i got it for the color. it is a wine color, which makes teh green in my eyes pop. that part i liked.

2. lash blast by cover girl ~$8

i really liked this one, but like the earlier one, it dried up really fast. and i know better than to pump my mascara wand, so i can't blame that.

3. double twist by revlon ~$12

this is the DEVIL!!!! awful product. i am not one to make a formal complaint for anything. i think that is from all of my years working in the service industry, especially restaurants. but i actually wrote a letter to revlon about this one. this is supposed to be the greatest brush and do length and volume with one swoop. well, if all of the product didn't come out with the brush and clump the wand like there was no tomorrow, i am sure it would. i couldn't even wipe enough off to get to where i could put it near my eye without looking like i had spider legs for lashes.

4.there was, of course, the old stand by that everyone swears by; maybelline great lash. you all know it. the pink tube with the green top. tried that and byt the end of the day i felt like i looke dlike heath ledger as the joker.

5. stila major lash that i got as a free-bee in an ulta give away.

it worked but ran off my lashes faster that prefontaine crossing the finish line.

so, as you can see, lots of trials for nothing great to show. and for all of my trying to be frugal, i could have just bought one tube of my $22 mascara and been good for at least 4 months. lesson learned, there are some things you just shouldn't skimp on.