Great collection of sandals, LilSis.  If I were just one shoe size smaller, I'd steal some of those from you!

Besides being shoe-lovers/fanatics, I know we have something else in common, and that is being just a *little* obsessive about how we organize our lives.  Being organized and having a system just makes my life run better, and I'm not ashamed!  Can we talk about our shared love for the P-Touch labeler, for example?  Schwing schwing schwing!  Don't get me started.  I'd label my cats if the labels would stick to their fur. ^..^

I digress.  I'm thinking today about how we all organize our shoes.  One method is the ubiquitous pile o' shoes on the closet floor.  One is the scrambled stash of shoes under the bed.  Another style of “organizing” is shoes all over the house…wherever you took them off when you last wore them is where they're currently filed, just waiting to be called into service again.

My preferred method – not that it's better than any of these styles – is neat stacks of Container Store shoe boxes and a couple of wooden IKEA shoe racks.  I have to have a color photo taped in the front of each translucent box so that I can see what's inside without opening it.  My nicer shoes get to cuddle dust-free inside the boxes, while the more casual shoes have to chill on the wood racks under my suits.  All the flip flops go into an IKEA hanging shoe sorter, and the tennis shoes are lined up like little (not that little) athletic soldiers.

If I'm not organized/sorted/filed, then my stress level goes up.  I can't work or play or be creative if I'm living or working in a mess.  So trust me that I'm not being holier-than-thou or self-righteous (which LilSis and I have both been called – you know who you are) when I show my organized shoe collection, I'm just preserving what little sanity I still call mine!  And I obviously need every bit of it!

7 new boxes need photos! ASAP!

Sometimes I wish I was more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of a girl, but I am who I am, and that's all what I am, to quote Popeye.  BTW, my pants are sorted by style and color in my closet, I have to confess.  I need help.

So, LilSis, share your shoe organization style.  I promise not to judge you, whether it's immaculate or a little random!  We all have to find the method that works best for us, given our personality, the space we have available to us, and the budget we're working under!  Show me your shoes!

~BigSis

Posted under Shopping

MAC Hello Kitty is here! Meow!

Here kitty, kitty, kitty!  This MAC collection has been talked about, whispered about, blogged about, and meowed about more than any other MAC collection in recent memory.  Talk about anticipation!  Will MAC's Hello Kitty collection live up to all the hype though?

The collection features Hello Kitty Mild and Hello Kitty Wild products, including two shadow quads, glitter eyeliner (I accidentally typed litter eyeliner…I guess litterbox wouldn't be an appealing color.  Ha!), mascara, powder blush, beauty powder, eyelashes, lipstick, lipglass, tinted lip conditioner, pigment, glitter, and nail lacquer.  There is also a line of Hello Kitty accessories like a brush set, bracelet, purse mirror, makeup bags, tote bag, and a stuffed Kitty.

I got an email from MAC on Saturday with a free shipping offer on a $60 purchase, so I skipped over to the site to see what kinds of Hello Kitty goodies I might be tempted by.  Well, guess what?  Bunches of items in this collections are already sold out, and I don't know if they'll be restocked or not since the Live Chat feature on the MAC site isn't available on weekends so I couldn't ask.  I'm afraid this is a case of once it's gone, it's gone. My advice would be to grab what you want in this collection without delay, either through the web site or a retail store if you're fortunate enough to live near one as I do.

If you think about hot pink, lavender, silver and deep sea green, you'll have a picture of the colors in this collection.  They may not be for everyone, but that's the fun of MAC.  If you wait five minutes, something new will come along that you'll love.  Plus, who knows?  You may have never thought about a lavender lipstick, but when you try it, you find that it's perfect for you.  Some of these colors and products wouldn't be appropriate for my office life, but there are some standouts in the collection that I want.  You KNOW how I love pink, so this collection is right up my alley!

• Hello Kitty Lipglass in Nice Kitty (sheer neon pink with blue pearl) and Fast Friends (sheer bright intense purple with pearl).

Hello Kitty Lipglass

• Hello Kitty Lipstick in Strayin' (frosty mid-tone pink).

Hello Kitty Lipstick

• Hello Kitty Blush in Tippy (mid-tone blue pink).

Hello Kitty Blush

Are these the cutest containers you ever saw?  I'm hissed off that I waited too late to get the nail lacquer, the tote, the purse mirror and the lip conditioner!

It looks like MAC Hello Kitty is a hit!  Get your favorites before they're gone!  Even if you don't need anything, or you're watching your beauty product budget, at least go check out the collection video!  It's fun and mystical in kind of a MAC Alice in Wonderland way, but the sado-masochistic Chippendale's guys with the giant Hello Kitty heads scare me a little!  See what you think!

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

Hello, everyone!  I hope you had a good St. Patrick's Day, but not so good that you're feeling a little green today due to the cocktail flu!

It seems like we were just gushing on and on about the MAC Hello Kitty Collection that purred into town and was gone before we could scoop the litterbox!  Well, MAC has come out with another new collection already. It's called Sugarsweet and it's precious!  Here is MAC's description of it:

This spring, M·A·C is all temptation… frostings, finishes, fillings. Each of them whipped, creamy, deliciously stylish, as inspired by the world's most popular sugar-sweet desserts. Never has a season looked so eat-me-up gorgeous!

Sounds tasty, doesn't it?  The colors are pretty much pink and green with an accent of beigey/pewter/gold.  These shades definitely say SPRING to me!  My favorite product from the collection is this cool layered Tricolour Lipglass in Just Dessert.

MAC Sugarsweet Lipglass

I've never seen anything like this, and even though I'm not a huge lipglass fan because of the stickiness, I'm so tempted to order this, especially with free shipping on any purchase unil March 22.  Just use promo code SUGARSWEET.

And before I go, let me leave you with a reminder that the Hello Kitty Sweepstakes is still going on til March 31.  You still have a chance to win some of the goodies that sold out before we could “scoop” them up!

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

Before we move on to another topic, we'll leave you with one more post on eyes.  If you could find effective treatment products for puffiness, dark circles and crows feet, what would be the next step?  I would say it's finding the right makeup application method and colors for your eyes, your face and your style.  It can be tricky, and can take some trial and error.  If you're in doubt and need another opinion, take advantage of the expertise of makeup artists at your favorite makeup counter.  You know by now that LilSis and I head for the MAC counter, where they have some fabulous MUAs who can help you.  You can even get a free makeup application from the MAC gurus if you make an appointment ahead of time.  I've been at the counter on a Saturday afternoon when a bride has come in – complete with veil and fancy updo – for her wedding MU application.

One person who has definitely found a look that suits her and looks gorgeous is Gala Darling of Icing fame.  I'm not sure that I could get away with aqua eyeliner (definitely not during the workday), but Gala not only makes it work but makes it her unique beautiful style.

Photo by Gala

Isn't this a stunning photo?  Even if these colors aren't your thing, take a lesson from Gala and just try something new.  It's really easy to get in a rut with your daily face, and you never know if something else works til you try it!

BTW, LilSis, your spies were right.  I'm absolutely preparing a “Hairball Show and Tell”.  I do have my reasons, so stay tuned!

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

I like to always carry plane snacks with me so that I'm not tempted to gobble up the free honey-roasted peanuts that I don't like that much anyway, or buy one of those uber-expensive snack packs that are full of fat, sodium and sugar.  This is my criteria for travel snacks:

• They aren't too messy.

• They don't spoil if they're in your carry-on bag for a while.

• They don't have too much sodium.  I get puffy enough already from flying!

• They keep you going until you get your next proper meal.

These are my top 5 picks for best airplane travel snacks:

• Raw unsalted walnuts or almonds: they give you protein which keeps you satisfied longer.  Chips or crackers just make you crave more chips or crackers!

• Trail mix: make your own with raw nuts and your favorite dried fruit.  I like blueberries, cranberries and cherries with raw nuts and sunflower seeds.  Scoop 1/3 cup of your mix into a snack size plastic baggie.  Be sure to measure, otherwise it's really easy to eat way too many calories from this snack.

• Low fat string cheese: great protein, plus satisfaction from the flavor and the bit of fat you get.

• Half a whole grain bagel: either plain or spread with a little nut butter.  I like almond butter but you can use peanut butter.  The whole grains will give you steady energy and fill you up without cravings.

• Dark Chocolate Peanut M&Ms: I know these have sugar, and caffeine and fat!  I know, I know!  But just a few are a delicious treat and a great pick-me-up at 33,000 feet!  Plus they melt in your mouth and not in your hands!  And they come in fun colors!

Whatever your snacking preference, make sure to pack a few individually-packaged antibacterial wipes in your bag so you can clean up your hands and fold down tray before having your snack.  Who knows what kind of germs are lurking on your plane, right?

~BigSis

Posted under Travel

It's official, we've chosen our charity for this year's Bake Sale. Drumroll please…it's In-Sync Exotics in Wylie, Texas!

In-Sync Exotics may be new to many folks.  It was to me and my fellow bakers until a year or so ago.  In-Sync is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the rescue of unwanted, neglected and abused felines.

And by “felines” we aren't talking about little housecats. We mean BIG cats; much much bigger than my 16 pound Gaby whom LilSis calls the fat cat with the little head.

In-Sync was founded in 2000 and is currently home to 59 tigers, lions, leopards, bobcats, cougars, cheetahs, lynx, servals and one honorary cat named Nugget who is a Coatimundi.

This is the fifth year for our Charity Bake Sale, which has been held to benefit the SPCA of Texas for the last three years.  We decided to select a smaller charity this year – a bit below the radar – who might benefit from our little fundraiser and the attention it could bring to a group in need.  We still support the SPCA of Texas personally, and continue to appreciate the crucial work they do every day in North Texas.

Back to In-Sync now.  I had the chance to visit their big kitties last weekend, along with a couple of my fellow bakers.  We spent a few hours enjoying the annual Pumpkin Bash, where the cats all get a pumpkin to play with/eat/destroy/ignore.  We absolutely fell in love with the cats and the place, and the work that's being done here.

In a perfect world, these cats would be running free in their native habitat but this world isn't perfect.  Not even close.  These guys have suffered at the hands of humans, and needed a safe place to recover from the physical and emotional damage inflicted on them.

In-Sync is that safe place.  Big wild cats can't be placed in furever homes like cats and dogs can, and they can't be released into the wild.  Big cats need a place to live out the rest of their days, where they can receive medical care, a clean environment, nourishing food, enriching playtime, and love.

Since these cats will stay at In-Sync forever, and more cats continue to unfortunately come in, In-Sync's need for funding will only grow as time goes on.  They are currently trying to raise $30,000 to build a home for the two cheetahs who recently joined them.

The four of us girls are going to bake our little hearts out to try to help in our small way.  Stay tuned for more details as we approach this year's Bake Sale on December 12th.  Meanwhile enjoy a few photos of Jett the spotted leopard enjoying the Pumpkin Bash!

For the record, the final score was Jett 1, Pumpkin 0.  ^..^

Note: All photos were taken by BigSis and published with the permission of In-Sync Exotics.

~BigSis

Posted under Animals

I hadn't planned on discussing this today, but since BigSis mentioned the all natural insect repellent, Buzz Away yesterday, I thought that it would be a good time for me to share with you another all natural product that I just discovered.

We don't have chiggers here in California (thank goodness) and we really don't have much of a mosquito problem, but as you get closer to the water, there are definitely a few annoying mosquitoes. I know some people who rave about scented oils for pest control, which sounds super-interesting so potentially something to try in the future were we to ever move somewhere bugs and pests were a little more common.

Wednesday night we were at the Harbor around dusk and some of us started to notice that we were getting bit. One of our friends who has lived aboard his boat for years, has, according to him, tried almost every single insect repellent on the market. As we were complaining about our bites, he was raving about his favorite, Herbal Armor by All Terrain.

All Terrain Herbal Armor Spray

I really didn't want to spray anything on me because I didn't want to have to go home and shower it all off before climbing into bed. But, our friend promised us that it wasn't sticky, didn't smell, and said that you could definitely go to bed with it still on.

I gave in and tried it and I really like this product. You spray it on but then spread it around and it becomes almost like a thin lotion. It wasn't sticky at all and at first, it did have a pretty strong citronella scent, but that went away in just a few minutes just as our friend has told us.

I'm sold on this spray and went out yesterday and bought us a couple of bottles. This spray is also all natural and 100% Deet free! All Terrain states this about their product:

Clinically proven to be 100% effective for over two hours, 95.8% effective for three hours and 77.1% effective for four hours. Unique formula w/five natural essential oils.

If you want to give it a try, you can either call your local drug store to see if they carry All Terrain or you can order the All Terrain products on Amazon.

When doing a little research, I found that All Terrain also makes a Herbal Armor Spray for Kids.

Herbal Armor Spray for Kids

And, they even make a Pet Herbal Armor for your furry little kids.

Pet Herbal Armor

Most of the time, I would rather take my chances on getting bit versus putting stinky bug spray all over me, but now I've come to realize that insect repellent doesn't have to be stinky and loaded with chemicals. If you have an all natural insect repellent that you love, we'd love to hear from you.

~LilSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

Posted under

I found this recipe for the Flu-Fighter Cookies in the October issue of Food Network Magazine and I tore it out right away because chances are that I'll never get back to that issue again. That's part of my new plan to get caught up on my magazine reading.

Instead of marking the pages of recipes I want to try, I'm just tearing them out and putting them in a folder. I now have a folder for recipes, one for ideas, and one for inspiration. I've also got a binder with sheet protectors in it for all the ‘at home yoga routines' that I tear out of Yoga Journal.

The main reason that I wanted to try these cookies is because they sounded like they were pretty healthy. Food Network calls this an immunity-boosting cookie because of these five powerful ingredients.

• Ginger has some antiviral compounds and its antihistamine properties help combat congestion.

• Cranberries provide antioxidants which help your body fight off cell-damaging molecules.

• Oats are rich in selenium, a nutrient that helps your body fend off harmful free radicals.

• Yogurt helps balance the bacteria in your digestive tract boosting your ability to absorb healthful vitamins and minerals.

• Walnuts (in original recipe) contain zinc that helps keep viruses from reproducing in your body. (Since my son doesn't like walnuts, I substituted sunflower seeds.)

• Sunflower seeds are an excellent source of Vitamin E which has significant anti-inflammatory effects.

I also made a few other changes. The original recipe called for regular flour but I used wheat flour instead. I used honey instead of molasses and I reduced the quantities of each fruit by 1/4 of a cup.

The guys said that they liked the cookies but I'm still not convinced that they weren't just saying that so they didn't hurt my feelings. My cookies did not look like the photo in the magazine AT ALL! Theirs looked pretty thin and somewhat chewy. Mine puffed up and were really thick and cakey. And, I made sure that I ended up with the same quantity of cookies. The recipe said that it made 30 cookies, which is exactly how many I made.

Look at how thick they are!

They were still good and I really liked the fruit and the sunflower seeds on top, but the texture was more like a muffin than a soft, chewy cookie. I heated one up in the microwave for just a few seconds this morning and it was yummy, so I'm going to freeze half of them and just take out one at at time for a quick breakfast.

Flu-Fighter Cookies

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 t. baking powder
3/4 t. baking soda
3/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. freshly grated nutmeg (I used ground nutmeg)
Pinch of ground cloves
1/4 t. salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. low-fat plain Greek yogurt
1 T. freshly grated ginger
1 t. finely grated lemon zest
1/2 c. old-fashioned oats
1 c. golden raisins
3/4 c. cranberries
1 c. sunflower seeds

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt in a medium bowl.

Beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Add the honey, yogurt, ginger and lemon zest and beat until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat in the flour mixture to make a sticky batter (do not overmix). Fold in the oats and half of the raisins, cranberries, and sunflower seeds. Mix the remaining dried fruit and nuts in a small bowl and set aside.

Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of batter onto the prepared baking sheets. Top each with some of the reserved dried fruit and nut mixture and chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Bake the cookies until dark golden but still soft, 10 – 12 minutes; cool on a rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

~LilSis

Posted under Food

It's a leafy green vegetable.

No!  It's a yummy crunchy chip.

Actually, you're both right.  We're talking about kale chips!

I know, you're skeptical.  Even though I KNOW the health benefits of eating kale, I just don't like it much.  It's bitter and pretty tough, especially when it's raw.  I never really had a kale dish I liked much. Until now!

You can drive to Whole Foods and buy a small bag of kale chips.  They're delicious, but they're $7 or $8.  No joke.

Or you can make you own.  Now, pay close attention because this is pretty darn complicated.  To make kale chips, you go to the store and buy a couple of bunches of kale (organic if you can get it).  You come home and wash it, dry it and tear it into pieces.  Then you spray it with a touch of oil, season it, and bake it til it's crunchy.  Then you eat it and feel very, very virtuous.   😀

Kale Chips: before baking

Kale Chips

2 bunches kale (I like the curly kind)
Nonstick cooking spray (olive oil or canola)
Your favorite seasoning to taste

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Wash the kale and dry thoroughly.  Pull off the tough center rib and tear each leaf into medium-size pieces.  Place onto a baking sheet and spritz with a touch of oil.  Sprinkle with whatever seasonings you like and toss the kale to evenly coat with oil and seasonings.  Be careful with the salt; it will intensify as the kale shrinks and your chips will be way too salty.

Bake until the kale is dried out and crispy, 20 to 23 minutes.  I like mine lightly browned and pretty crispy.  Enjoy as a snack, or as a garnish on soup.

Note: I seasoned with very little salt, plus a big dash of lemon pepper and a salt-free Penzeys spice blend called Mural of Flavor.

Kale Chips: after baking. Not pretty, but delicious!

~BigSis

Posted under Food