Sephora Favorites

I have been (im)patiently waiting on my LashStash mascaras to get here, and now I see that Sephora has quite a few of these fabulous samplers- each for $40 or less. What a great way to try out products!

LASHSTASH MASCARAS: Try this eye-batting arsenal of 11 of Sephora’s most-wanted mascaras- it’s our bestsellers in a box! Sephora Favorites Lashstash Mascara Deluxe Sampler

EAU GIRL SCENTS: This scentsational set packs 8 petite versions of Sephora’s most sought-after spritzes, perfectly sized for even the smallest clutch.Sephora Favorites Eau Girl Fragrance Deluxe Sampler

SKIN-SAVING MOISTURIZERS: Find your next miracle cream with a kit filled with our 6 top
moisturizers – you’ll have nourished, hydrated skin in a flash! Sephora Favorites Face Quenchers Moisturizers Deluxe Sampler
NATURAL WONDERS SAMPLER: See how green glamour can be with this set filled with 9 of Sephora’s best-selling natural beauties. Sephora Favorites Naturally Gorgeous Skincare & Make-Up Sampler

And here's a link for Sephora's Official Coupons and Code page.

Do you think?

I should make this my profile pic?

Mamalicious just posted this on FB and I about died laughing. Do you know the time that went into that hair? It involved Awesome hair spray and a blow dryer and hanging my head upside down.....

Tonight I will be looking through my albums for some of her in return......

Last Day for Neutrogena Giveaway

Today is the last day for my Neutrogena sunblock giveaway. Right now there are only 4 entries for the 2 prizes, so the odds are in your favor if you'll just enter!

Good luck!

Reality Check: Shred It or Dread It

Last week Slim and I (and Big Bubba) were eating lunch in celebration of Slim's 35th birthday.

Whilst I was dunking my 59th tortilla chip in the oh-so-creamy cheese dip, Slim smiled at me across the table and said "So, how's your Shred program going?".

Yeah, not well.

So today we start o-vah. I've actually got my WW QuikTrak Diary right here and am logging all food I eat so I am at least accountable to this damn notebook. There are no birthdays at work for a bit so I won't be tempted to make any random desserts. Although I am disclosing that I am going to make Hot Bean Dip and Bacon Ranch Dip for the 4th and do plan on taking a day off-plan to celebrate.

But it's happening y'all- I'm losing 10 pounds by July 23. Pinky-swear.

We Have An Injury

Our very first tball injury.

See those baseball stitch marks? The Politician caught a ball with his face last night. He went to the dugout for a bit but headed back on the field pretty quickly.

He was actually kinda proud of his battle-wound when I asked him if I could take a picture of it before bed last night. But you can see he's pretending to be sad in the photo......

We lost our third game of the playoffs last night, but we've got another chance tonight since it's double elimination. Good luck Cubs!

RH Baby & Child: Who Knew?

Did you know that Restoration Hardware has a baby and child line? I didn't! But I guess they knew how big of a fan I'd be, so they sent me their catalog yesterday (unprompted). Super-smart of them since I of course placed an order today for bedding for WC's big girl full-sized bed.

Uh, huh. How gorgeous is that? I'm going to use that blanket (on sale for $45- regular price $129) as a coverlet and I got two of the matching standard shams for $10 each (regular price $29).

Her bed has a footboard, so we really don't need a bed skirt. I got this boxspring cover in petal for $40 (regular price $80).

And I also got this darling full-sized blanket in petal/chocolate for $35 (regular price $99).

How gorgeous is all that?????? Can't wait to get it.

A New Giveaway!

I've got a new giveaway up at my giveaway blog for some Neutrogena baby sunblock products! And don't forget to enter the iPod drawing... it's been extended until July 6.

The Quest for the Perfect Mascara

This is so cool- Sephora is offering a great kit called Sephora Favorites Lashstash Mascara Deluxe Sampler- samples sizes of 11 of Sephora's most popular mascaras for only $39.

Here's what's included:

• Anastasia Lash Lifting Mascara
• Tarte Lights Camera Lashes
• Sephora Atomic Volume Mascara
• Stila Multi Effect Mascara
• Benefit Bad Gal Mini
• Bare Escentuals Buxom Lash
• Too Faced Mini Lash Injection Pin Point
• Smashbox Bionic
• Lancome Cils Booster
• DuWop Lash Venom
• Korres Provitamin B5 and Rice Bran Mascara

Of course I had to purchase this myself, because I think it owe it to my blog readers to try out each mascara and give my opinion. Isn't that a valid purchase? I think it is.....

Don't forget to go through ebates for 8% back and you can use code 3SJ9HQ for free shipping on $25. I always find great codes on RetailMeNot, so if you are spending more than $50, you'll get free shipping anyway and you can use a code from there for a free product sample.

Baby Sweetstakes at Amazon

Amazon is running a neat sweepstakes right now- you can win a dream baby registry valued at over $3,000 in apparel, feeding, gear and nursery products from top-name baby brands like Britax, Fisher Price, Graco, Quinny, Maxi Cosi and Skip Hop, including a one year supply of Huggies Supreme diapers!

One Amazon Dream Registry Sweepstakes winner will be selected each month from May through December for up to eight chances to win.

It’s easy to participate - you simply need to create an Amazon Baby Registry and add 10 items to be automatically entered into the sweepstakes. The sooner you create your baby registry, the more chances to win! NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Drawings monthly. Ends 12/31/09. See Official Rules for details.

Last Day for Giveaway!

My first giveaway on my new site will end at 10 pm CST today! You've got a fabulous chance of winning a 16 GB iPod Touch since there are only 48 entries right now. What are you waiting for??????????

Edited at 1:45 pm CST: Great news! xtra xtra has asked me to continue the giveaway through July 6th! You still have time to enter.

Need Your Honest Opinion

I am crushed. Defeated. Saddest I have ever been.

Yesterday at Wally World I was picking up a few things we had forgotten to get before the Father's Day dinner at the ILs. I tossed a pack of Mike's Light in my cart along with all the other random things we needed because I always need Mike's Light.

Checking out, I saw a message flash on the screen as the cashier scanned the Mike's:

Is customer under 40?

The damn whipper-snapper chose NO!

Unbelievable- do I look over 40?????????

(And really, I should be honest and tell you I don't actually want your honest opinion- I just need about 20 commenters telling me I totally don't look a day over 30 to re-set my confidence meter).

Go.

Over My Head

If I'm on your blogroll with my OLD blogspot address, it looks like it's not redirecting... it may be a blogger issue, but it also may be a google issue that I am so lost on how to fix. Something about new DNS entries.

At any rate, please update your blogrolls for my domain http://www.sashasays.com/ so you don't get that pesky page not found message!

Although I am thinking this post might be pointless, because if you typically find me by my blogspot address..... how will you see this? I'm going to bed.....

GDA: Lean Cuisine at Target

This week Target is having a fabulous deal on Lean Cuisine and Lean Pockets.

Purchase three Lean Cuisine One Dish Favorite meals for $2 each and get a free package of Lean Pockets! Basically, you get four frozen items for $1.50 each! And if you eat the Lean Pockets individually, as I do, it's actually just $1 per meal.
My current favorite Lean Cuisine is Pasta Romano with Bacon. Nom Nom. It's divine- aside from a few large chunks of tomato I picked out, I ate the entire thing! Don't read the reviews on the LC site- there are some crazy people saying it tasted too much like bacon. Hello! "Bacon" is in the title!

Current Lean Pocket flavors I am digging: Whole Grain-Garlic White Chicken Pizza, Whole Grain-Meatballs & Mozzarella, Cheeseburger, Chicken Parmesan, and Mexican Style-Chicken & Cheese. Yay for no veggies!

Oh, and anonymous, if you are still out there and plan on griping at me for not liking veggies, don't bother. We don't care for that around these parts.

OMG- Father's Day is Sunday!

Did you all know that Father's Day is Sunday? I knew in the back of my head, but as typical for Sasha, I haven't managed to pick up anything for the hubs or my dad.

An Amazon.com gift card might solve all my problems!

One Word

Awesome!

Heat it for 8 seconds in the microwave and eat it with a fork- that's the secret!

I Must

have these. Hungry Girl told me about them yesterday and I can't quit thinking about them. How good do these Cinnabon Snack Bars look? I think they'd be worth the 3 WW points.

GDA: John Frieda Root Awakening

Last month I posted about the new John Frieda Root Awakening collection that BzzAgent introduced me to and how much I was loving the Nourishing Moisture shampoo and conditioner. Well, I still do! I did try the Strength Restoring shampoo and conditioner, and I didn't like that formula nearly as much. I have also been using the Health Boosting Detangling Spray on both my daughter and myself and absolutely love it.

And this week there are two pretty fabulous deals on these products that will give you a low-costs opportunity to try them too!

First, CVS is offering the products for $4.99 when you use your ExtraCare card. Add to that deal the $3 coupon from today's Smart Source insert, and you've can try the products for only $1.99 each!

Walgreens has an even better deal if you can get your hands on three of the $3 off coupons. You can basically try the shampoo, conditioner, and detangling spray for $1! Walgreens is offering them 3/$15, and then they give you $5 in Register Rewards for your next visit. Net price is then 3/$10 and if you use three $3 coupons, your end price will be $1 for three products. Fabulous.

If you try these products, let me know what you think.

Vocab Lesson: Wow Wear

Are we all watching Little Miss Perfect? If you're not, you should be. There's all kind of things to be learned.

First of all, when thinking of my daily wardrobe, it'll now be all about "Wow Wear", which is some type of creative outfit or sportswear that the girls in the pageant wear to "Wow" the judges. That can certainly apply to our lives I think- don't we all need to have that "Wow" factor when we get dressed? I'll be putting on my black pants and work shirts and thinking to myself, "Will I wow anyone today in this outfit? If not, I probably need to change."

Also, I have a new favorite song, and it's called Little Miss Perfect Pageant. Did you know there are citrus colored rainbows on the other side? I do now....

Contest Reminder

Let's chat a bit about the giveaway on my other blog. Right now there are only 25 people entered! And since there are two prizes, well, the odds are pretty good that you'll win an amazing prize. So head on over and enter!

Shred It or Dread It: Update 1

Hmmm... I think my scale lied to my face like it did to Mamalicious a few weeks ago.

My mother-scratcher scale told me I've only lost 4 pounds since I first started Shred It or Dread It about 9 days ago.

I'll admit that I haven't gotten my planned 6 days per week of exercise in, and I certainly haven't managed to keep track of my WW points like I should, although I'm betting most of you figured I'd fall off the wagon in some way. I always shoot big so I if I fail on some of my tasks, some of them still get done and there's some positive-ness to pat myself on the back for.

I've totally succeeded on limiting my alcohol intake to Saturdays (well, there's just been one Saturday, but you bet I drank on it) and so I figured I'd lose a few more than that...... maybe I sabotaged myself on my Saturday off with Slim and Mamalicious? Oh wait, I did have a few beers last Friday on accident.

At any rate, I suppose that's a good start and I still have 6 weeks or so to go to lose the remaining 11 pounds. I'm not sure when I'm going on my trip because I have a terrible memory for things like dates. The hubs asked me last night what day I leave and I told him I'd have to pull out the calendar to check, and damn, it was all the way in the kitchen. Hopefully the girls I'm going with will remind me when it gets close. Surely they'll pick me up on their way to the airport.

Terrible News for Shred It or Dread It

I just found out that Braum's has 9 new flavors, including Light Pomegranate Cheesecake and Pomegranate Sherbet. And I have been told they are fabulous.

This is a problem.

We will be going there after tball tonight I am sure (my car will just veer off the road into the parking lot against my will, definitely) so I will report back on their tastiness tomorrow.

Nutritionally, they are not that bad- 120 and 140 calories respectively for a half-cup, but I'm afraid it will be the re-occurrence of my purchasing that will do me and my desired hot body in.

Notes from School

Note on daily sheet after The Politician's field trip to fire station:

Discuss and practice escape plan for your home. Have a meeting place outside. Remind children not to hide inside. [Stop Drop (cover face) Roll: If you are on fire]

Ah ha. So don't stop drop and roll if you are *not* on fire.....

I don't know why, but that cracked me up!

I'm a Big 'Ole Hick

This morning the kids and I were at an appointment and the doc said something I didn't quite hear.

I said, "Do what now?" and she died laughing.

I guess they don't say that back East.

Giveaway!

I'm hosting an unbelievable giveaway at my review and giveaway site, Sasha Says Giveaway!

First prize is a 16 GB iPod Touch and the runner-up will receive a $50 gift card to Amazon.com!

Check it out......

Hemangioma Revision Update

The Wild Child had her second hemangioma revision surgery in March 2009 and we couldn't be more pleased with the results.

This was before the second surgery

And this is now

We keep it covered with Mepiform Sheeting 24/7 and also go overboard and make her wear a thick white athletic wristband any time she goes outside- so you can see a bit of a tan line- although I promise we use sunscreen! We are supposed to be using the Mepiform for at least 3 months, but I have read about fabulous results for people who have used it for around a year, so we're going to continue using it for now since we have quite a bit left.



Here's an extreme close-up.

If you are new to our story and want to see the progression in pictures, click here.

GDA: Girls Crocs Mary Jane

I just got two pair of Crocs Mary Janes for WC for $9.98 shipped!

They are BOGO free, and you can use code SPRINGCUSTOMER09 for free shipping! Sizes are a little spotty, but hey, it's worth spending some time on since they are so cheap! Happy shopping!

I Am More and More Famous By the Minute

I was invited to guest blog at Ebates, my most favorite site ever, and my post is up today!

You've got to check it out- I posted about a great skincare deal at one of my favorite makeup and beauty sites, Avon.

My Avon rep, Valeri Fournier, is rockin' awesome and always takes good care of me, and I know she'd take good care of you too! Make sure and make her your default rep if you don't already have one. The thing I love about the blogging community is we are so good about taking care of each other. So don't order without a rep- someone should get credit for it! Let's do that for Valeri!

Of course, you also want to make sure you start at Ebates, so you can get 10% back- how great is that? If you aren't already utilizing Ebates, be sure and sign up under me so we can both get $5 when you make your first purchase.

There's a new Avon product I really like- it's so new it wasn't on their site when I created my Ebates post. It's called SpectraColor Lipstick and you use a dial at the bottom to chose your intensity from 1-7. Very cool.


I tried The Berries and it is a great color for me. It's a highly pigmented liquid lipcolor. I didn't notice any running into the lines around my mouth, and as it wore off, it left behind great color, almost like a stain.

What Avon products do you love?

Oh No! Max Factor Kisses America Goodbye per WSJ

I'm getting ready to stockpile my HG mascara, Max Factor's Lash Perfection Volume Couture, because I just read in today's WSJ that P&G is removing Max Factor from US shelves in order to concentrate on CoverGirl. (Do you read WSJ? I absolutely love the Marketplace and Personal Journal sections and scour them for product and marketing news first thing at work every day.)

Wah! This is the absolute best mascara ever... It's currently only available in my area at Wal-Mart. I'm heading there this weekend and buying all the have. I'm gonna look like a crazy lady buying 10 mascaras.

I Am Just Waiting on My Heart Attack

because The Wild Child is sure to give me one some day.

Last night we had been swimming at my ILs house. The kids got out and we got them all dressed and ready for dinner. Of course, at 3.5, WC can't yet swim on her own, so we use a floatation swimsuit and arm floaties as an added measure.

So we're sitting by the pool chatting, and I see WC take off her canvas Crocs and dunk them in the pool. Fab- they'll take 2 days to dry...

Then she walks down to the first step in the pool and sits down. In her clothes. Super.

Then my brother-in-law says, "Can she swim?" just as WC is walking down the steps and completely lets herself go under water.

"Nope." I say as I step towards the pool, prepared to jump in (fully clothed) when I see a little hand emerge out of the water just in time for me to grab it and yank her out.

And she's laughing. Hysterically. She thinks it's a riot and isn't scared at all.

Holy crap. It's a good thing she's such a sweetie so I can forget about being worn slick when she gives me a big hug and a kiss!

Dear Jillian,

Tanner P. is ucky.

Seriously, he has an admitted foot fetish? And that's all he talks about.

I am totally skeeved out. Remember, he's probably toned down since this is national television.

Imagine what he'd be like After the Final Rose. Your toes would never have any peace or privacy.

My advice, no rose for Tanner P. next week. Please. Don't make me listen to the toe licking pantomime anymore.

Lylas,

GDA: Pottery Barn Kids Lunch Totes $5.99 shipped

These cute lunch totes are on sale for $5.99 with free shipping from Pottery Barn Kids. They have boy colors too!

Edit: To get it for $5.99, you have to go to www.potterybarnkids.com and search for item 68-5864715.

A Day at the Farm

Saturday the whole fam damily headed out to the county for a mini college reunion with three of my sorority sisters and their families. We had 8 adults and 9 kids between us. My friend Jodie even had a little boy that is just a few days older than P, and they really hit it off.

We had a ultra fabulous time complete with good food, good beer, and good company!

When we left Sunday morning, P got sad and said, "I'm really going to miss them!"

A little fishin'- P caught this fish by himself

The kids spent most of them time riding in these

pulled by this.

I love love love that we were able to let them pretty much have the run of the place and no was one telling them "No, don't do that!" That's one thing I think we miss living in the city- that freedom that we had as kids in the 70s. I guess there's just too many damn crazy people these days.

The four of us girls all grew up in small towns and we talked a lot about how we all used to ride around in the back of the pickup truck (in town of course). We had a farm outside of town and I have a memory of my dad stopping at the convenience store on the way there and getting a single tall boy beer in a skinny brown paper sack. When he'd get in the car, he'd peel of the pop-tab and drop in down in the beer before he took his first drink. No car seats back then- we'd either be sitting in our dad's lap helping steer, or sitting on the "hump". I think when we were babies they just laid us down in the back seat. Who knows....

Things are so different now. These days we have to watch the kids like hawks and make sure they don't go in the street and get hit by a car or snatched up by a crazy person.

Out at the farm, the worst that could happen is they might get filthy- and they sure did that!

And they are still talking about how much fun they had.

Love to all my girls- can't wait for Mexico next month!