fashion & style: my oh my you have pretty little eyes!

I love makeup.  Putting it on makes me feel like I'm officially ready for the day.  A little mascara and some powder for the days when we aren't up for much but most days I will go the distance.  My favourite makeup product to buy is eyeshadow because they are an inexpensive way to update or change my look for different seasons or to complement whatever my outfit might be.

I have tried so many brands and have recently found one I love the best.  Its called Urban Decay.  The shadows have nice pigmentation (so a little goes a long way) and the colours are so great and fun they work for everyone.  They have really great pallets so you aren't stuck with a million little pots (unless you like that, they also sell them all separately).   My newest is called the Naked Pallet.  I LOVE it!  It has 12 neutrals all in one box.

Another essential to my makeup regime is an eyeshadow primer.  I put this on in a thin layer and it keeps my shadow from creasing or prematurely disappearing before the day is done.  There are a few that I really like:

Mac Paints http://www.maccosmetics.com/product/shaded/154/344/Paints/index.tmpl

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion http://www.urbandecay.com/categories/EyeshadowPrimerPotion.cfm

photography: learning something new

A year ago I got a digital SLR camera for Christmas.  What a great present right?  Totally... except that its required a lot of time, practice and patience to start getting anything resembling great shots.  I have to admit the amount of work its taken was unexpected.  My first pictures were completely blurry...till someone showed me the autofocus button on the lens! I started with a course last winter which gave me a good basis to start and after that its been reading books and practice... practice... practice.  The drawback to the DSLR camera is its size, it is in no way a pocket camera and it does take effort to bring it along.  

If you have ever hit a golf ball really well and felt the sweet spot, thats the only way I can describe the feeling of getting a really great shot.  I hope that the more I do it, the easier it becomes but like I said, its only been a year.  

What brought this on?  Well, like many other moms out there, I wanted the ability to take a great shot of my kid.  Through facebook and other referrals I've found a few photographers to take milestone pictures of my son but how often are they around when your kid is doing the crazy stuff that makes them a kid?  I didn't want to miss those moments or have any more mediocre pictures.  I still use my compact digital camera but I upgraded it to the Canon S90 after doing some research and realizing that I had dropped my old one a few too many times.  Things that set it apart from the others are that it works great in low light, has a wide angle lens and has semi-automatic controls, so I can set it to aperture or shutter speed priority.  Since then Canon has added a similar model that has HD movie mode called the S4000.

So my favourite things today are my tools.  I chose a mid-range DSLR to start off with, the Nikon D90 and got the 18-200 lens as well as a 1.8 50mm.  The latest purchase though was a great bag by Kelly Moore.  I got the B-hobo in muted teal and I love it!  Its great for a casual shooter like me who might want to take my gear around but I don't want the world to know I'm hauling a camera.    

Cameras:  http://www.nikon.ca/en/product.aspx?m=17090 and http://www.canon.ca/inetCA/products?m=gp&pid=681

Lenses: http://www.nikon.ca/en/Product.aspx?m=14318 and http://www.nikon.ca/en/Product.aspx?m=14105


Flash: http://www.nikon.ca/en/Product.aspx?m=14566

The coolest camera bag ever! 

Cooking: I've joined the food revolution.

My rule: I don't touch meat.  I've gotten pretty good at my fork skills but still things take way longer than they should.  Most of my married life I have managed to avoid anything to do with cooking a meal.   All these years we've survived on all sorts of sandwiches, pastas and salads.  My big problem was that I didn't have the patience or any skills to cook anything decent.  If I did attempt, it would either take way too long or the taste wouldn't be worth half the effort it took to make it.   So I've learnt that practice makes perfect and my family is benefitting from some pretty healthy meals.


This all changed last spring when I discovered Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.  It is really the best basic cookbook around and it has really changed my hopeless disposition towards cooking.  It starts with 20 minute meals (a favourite section) and goes on to pasta, stir-fries, etc.  It covers everything to get you started.  Even eggs!


So this book is what got me interested, but there are a few others that I really like, along with the food network website.   I'm definitely no pro but I'm getting better at getting a meal on the table without breaking a sweat or running out of oven space.  


Some favourites: 
- Chicken and Leek Stroganoff
- Baked Camembert Pasta
- Macaroni and Cauliflower Cheese Bake
- A Cracking Burger
- All the 'Perfect Roast' Recipes


These are just a few that I've tried.  The book still has a lot to offer and I've had it for nearly a year!  I've bought it 5 times over for various gifts for others because I love it so much.


Loving today:


Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, 

barefoot contessa's how easy is that,   

and
www.foodnetwork.com


All great sources of solving the 'what to make for dinner' conundrum.

Chocolate pudding cream tart made by me!

Exercise: Losing the winter weight!

It's January and the gyms are packed.  I don't have time to get out on my own to do the stuff I really love, much less work out.  So last year I did the Wii active program and got some pretty good results!  This year I'm doing the Wii active 2 which I'm liking even better.  Its got the heart rate monitor and a leg strap that make it so you don't have to hold the controller.  These video game work outs are great because its not like you can fake the movement or do it half way - its interactive and if you aren't holding the squat long enough it will totally call you on it.

I'm also running, which is great exercise!  I love the Nike + program, if you have the iphone 4 it has a gps version as well.  It tracks where, how long and how many km's I've ran.  I can challenge my friends to run further, faster and set goals.  Seriously, I would NOT get off the couch if there wasn't a chance that I could fall behind!  I figured out how to get the treadmill option working too so if the weather isn't great I can still track those miles.

So, the 2 things I love today: Wii Active 2 and Nike +

Nike +

Wii Active 2