Monday, February 24, 2014

weekend highlights and a guessing game!

We had a productive and lovely weekend. The best kind.

On Saturday we spent most of the day preparing for me to host book club that night. That meant cleaning...organizing...cooking...and more cleaning. And gardening!! I decided that since spring is nearly upon us, it's probably about time to get all the old dead plants out of the flower beds. You know, the ones I've been meaning to get to since...October...oh well. I finally did it, that's all that counts. I cut back all of the shrubs and roses and I have the scratches and cuts on my hands to prove it. Good grief. You'd think 'thorn proof' gloves would prevent shenanigans like that, but you would be wrong.

Our formational book club meeting was great! I basically just invited my friends who a) like to read and b) are great cooks...I figured that those factors alone would guarantee a successful book club, and it looks like I guessed right. At the very least I can be confident I'll gain at least 10 pounds every time we meet, so that's something. We had like eight different lists of book club book recommendations and trying to pick something as our first book was super challenging. In the future we're going to have the next month's host choose the book, but that was a lot of pressure for our first book, so we decided to all pick it together. In the pursuit of trying to pick something that would be a guaranteed hit, we ended up choosing a book that (nearly) everyone had already read and loved: The Giver, by Lois Lowry. I have loved that book for nearly two decades and am really excited to read it again (I'm going to be looking for all the things that more recent dystopian novelists ripped off from Lowry) and discuss it with someone other than my fifth grade reading group. 

I also had some last-minute crafty inspiration with my book club snacks! I didn't even find this on Pinterest-- it just came to me!!!


My snack labels are on BOOK PAGES!! I know. Brilliant. And because I know you're dying to know which book I sacrificed to be my labels, I'll tell you: I don't know. I bought a few books a couple of years ago at Goodwill for the express purpose of using them in crafts. I ripped the covers off because the first craft I did needed coverless hunks of pages. And so...I'm still using them and I don't know what they are, but I promise that I picked books that looked really boring and like no one would ever want to read them.

Yesterday's weather was way too nice to be indoors any more than absolutely necessary. Usually we go to Centergy (a yoga/Pilates fusion class) on Sunday afternoons, but I just couldn't bring myself to spend an hour inside when it was 70something and sunny outside. So it seemed like the perfect afternoon for my triumphant return to the tennis court!! (I say it like that so that you think I'm actually good and didn't spend the entire time whining and chasing my horribly-hit balls around three courts)


My mom gave me this insanely preppy tennis outfit a few weeks ago because she saw it and thought of me-- how sweet is that?? I can't say I've ever worked out in a collared shirt before, but it certainly made me feel like a more legit player!! It's safe to say my tennis game got a little rusty over the last few months off, but I'm excited to get back in the swing of things, so to speak. (Matt made that joke at least 18 times last night. Laugh with me.)

On the way to work this morning I had a great revelation for a blog I'll do later this week. Wait-- go ahead and lower your expectations. "Great" is really subjective here.

I've seen people do the "what's in my ____" thing on their blogs and Instagram-- I love it. Probably because I'm a really nosy person at heart. I always want to know what's in your purse, your bathroom cabinets, and your car's glovebox. I must know!!! I thought about tagging along and doing my 'what's in my purse' on Instagram a few weeks ago, but then I realized that I'm a packrat-hoarder in the purse department and Instagram could not possibly contain the entire contents of my purse. Clearly it needs a dedicated blog to do it justice. So I think I'll do that this week sometime. But here's the fun part. I think we should play a guessing game first.

How many lip products do you think are currently in my purse?

To help you better formulate your guess, here's the purse we're talking about:


As you can see, it's only about a foot long. Not a huge bag by any means. So...what's your guess? I'm going to be guessing too (but not here, that's not fair). And I promise I won't add or subtract any products before I count. Whoever guesses closest might get an amazing prize...like a lip product? Ha. We'll see.

Also, you should do your own 'what's in my purse' post. Indulge my nosy side, if you will. And if you won't, you can at least count and tell me how many lip products are in YOUR purse. Make me feel better/worse. Go!

PS. I read this news article this weekend and it is possibly the most disgusting thing ever. Do NOT read it/watch the video if you have a weak stomach or sensitive gag reflex. But if you're trying to convince yourself to eat less cake, this just may do the trick. You're welcome!!

36 comments:

  1. Ummm, your snack labels are adorable! Such a cute idea!

    As to the bag o' lip products.... this is tough... I have 5, but I never ever trade purses, so once it goes in, it never comes out. I feel like you love lip products far more than me, but you might be more likely to match a product to a day/outfit and then trade. Hmmmm... I'm going with 7.

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  2. I have a super weak stomach, so naturally I went to the article and watched the video. BLARGH! Yuck!! Note to self: ALWAYS BAKE MY OWN CAKES.

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    1. Hahaha glad to see you heeding all of my warnings about that video!! Sorry to make you lose your lunch...before lunch... :)

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  3. Oh ya, and I guess 5 lip items!

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  4. Books + plenty of snacks while discussing said books = genius! I don't think I've ever read The Giver so I think I will and pretend to be a virtual member! The weather was SO nice this weekend - I wish it could be like that every single day! I totally laughed at the swing of things joke :)

    Hmm I'm going to guess 8. I only have Chapstick in mine haha.

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  5. The Giver will be fun to start with! What a great book to reread at different points in your life.

    I'm guessing.....8?

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    1. Future guessers, take note: Diana is the only commenter so far that actually knows me in real life and has had the distinct privilege of having held (dead lifted, really) my purse before...

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  7. Knowing that you love your lip products I'm going to guess 12. I am using a tine purse currently and have just two. Happy Monday!

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  8. Love your snack labels!!! Love that you hosted and got to play tennis!! That is a good weekend. I'm guessing 13

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  9. 6. And I love your tennis outfit! That was my sport back in the day and really miss playing it!

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  10. Well I guess I will go with 20 since someone that knows you well said 34...yikes! haha

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  11. The Giver = my favorite book ever. I haven't read it in years but I will still call it my fav. Love your cute fancy-shmancy purse! I'm guessing it holds 6 lip products. Mine currently has 3, however one is chapstick. I'm assuming that counts. I feel like you should be proud of me for having 3 since I actually own zero real lipsticks. Sad but true. I have yet to find a color that doesn't make me look like dumb (for lack of a better word). To appease your nosy side- I have a clear lip gloss and a Burt's Bees lip shimmer in fig.

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  12. I am guessing 13 in your purse. I don't really wear lip products. But I have a stash in my purse in case some day I decide I am going to wear it. I need to be prepared! I have 3 tubes. One is a double ended product and one is at least 6 years old. GROSS!!!!

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  13. I'm going to guess 15.

    Did you know they are making a movie of The Giver? I'm really interested in how they will portray all the intricacies of the story! I should read that again...

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    1. YES! The upcoming movie was one of the main reasons we all wanted to reread it! Then we can go see the movie and have an educated bonus discussion about why the book is so much better than the movie!! ;)

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  14. Wow, The Giver...that takes me back. It's one of those books on my shelf where the spine is so worn you can barely read the title, but I don't think I've read it in 20+ years! Yay for book clubs that bring back the classics! Also, we're carrying the same purse today (except mine is teal), and I'm guessing you have 12 lip products in there. As for me, I have 4.

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  15. I had 8 but one belongs to Janie. I'm going to go with 13 for you.

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  16. First of all poor Joe! At 96 he deserves a lovely cake without nasty animal parts. I'm happy my diet started today...no cake for me.
    My guess for lip products in your purse is is eight. As you know I don't blog, but should, so I'll let you guess how many I have. My purse is a tote style Vera Bradley with three inside pockets. I'll go count and wait for your answer!

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  17. My original guess would have been 12... but since that and most of the numbers around it have already been taken... I say 10! Can't wait to see the results... You aren't the only nosey one around here :)

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  18. so your book pages are disturbing - open coffins and surgeons and adultery. that being said, i'm voting for 17 lip products, assuming you are counting liner, gloss, polish, lipstick, and chapsticks as separate entities. also, i like books. and i like to cook. mmmhmmmm.

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  19. I'm guessing 8. Why? Not sure but it sounds good. I switched purses this weekend and was alarmed to find 6 in mine!

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  20. I'm going with odd-number 11. (Expecting a combination of balms, glosses, and colors.)

    This past weekend was GORGEOUS! Hoping it's the start of many

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  21. I guess 9!

    I'm so impressed by your book club! Makes me feel more studious just reading about it!!

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  22. mmmmm . . . . going to go for . . . . 15 . . . . combo of lipsticks, glosses, chapsticks. ect.

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  23. One- love the book page thing for your food labels!! Two- I am super nosy too and I always look in people's showers when I visit their homes. And their cabinets if I'm feeling daring. Three- I think I might do a what's in your purse post too!

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  24. I loved the book "The Giver" too! I recently joined a book club and it's been great. I can't wait to hear what book you choose next.

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  25. Now I want to eat pretzel crisps and pigs in a blanket, so thanks for that. My guess for your lip products is 23.

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  26. 10?!

    And I love your book page/snack card idea! So clever!!

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  27. I love The Giver! I read it again a couple of years ago, just for fun. I wish it was nice enough to play tennis in Nebraska. It is about 8 degrees today. Brrrr! I guess 6 lip products (1 chapstick, 2 lipglosses, and 3 lipsticks).

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  28. I love The Giver. And the one after that, whose title is escaping me right now (Gathering Blue -- I had to Google it). Also I would have guessed 15 lip products for your purse. And we might be joining a pool this summer where they offer tennis lessons so we would sign Sam up. Ha! It makes me laugh to imagine a barely five year old taking tennis lessons. If it all works out I will definitely blog about it! And I am totally stealing your book pages as labels idea for when I host my book club. Awesomeness!

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    1. Also I'm not commenting on the gardening you got to do because I am too green with envy :) Enjoy some gardening time for me, please.

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  29. If we lived closer we could merge book clubs. Darn it! We do the same thing, we have the host pick the next book. So far that plan has been working out quite well.

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