Postcard on the Go

You guys ... there really is an app for EVERYTHING!

Earlier this month, I decided to copycat my friend Thomas. He sends postcards to his nieces, nephews and friends from almost everywhere he visits. Since I only see my nieces and nephew a handful of times each year, I decided that this would be a fun thing for them to associate with Aunt Ashley.

So when I was in West Virginia last week for work, I couldn't find a postcard to save my life. (Let me mention now that I don't have access to a vehicle and sometimes am not staying in hotels within walking distance to anywhere that might sell postcards.) Strike one.

I went to Manhattan, Kan., later in the week. During some free time, I walked to the Kansas State University bookstore to purchase postcards. None. If anything, I maybe received a few strange looks from the employees for asking if they sold postcards. I could hear their inner dialogue ... "Are you crazy, lady? It's 2013. No one sends mail anymore."

Strike two.

A feeling of defeat set in for a few minutes before it dawned on me that "there's an app for everything." Low and behold, I stumbled across the Postcard on the Go app.

This free app solved my problems immediately. It let me take a picture to use for the front of the postcard, and then I could add whatever message on the back. For the mailing address, I simply selected the recipients from my contacts.

As far as cost is concerned, each one cost $2.11 (including shipping). It's about double what a normal postcard and postage would be, but for $1 more, I think it's pretty fun to be able to select the photo used. Overall, I'm impressed.

Do you use any apps that some of us wouldn't think of? Let me know in the comments below!

Creating Awareness

Not to get all "Grey's Anatomy"-ee on you today, but it doesn't take much for life to quickly change when doctors and tests and other clinical-y matters are involved. As the years have gone by, I've witnessed life-changing diagnoses more often than I've cared - be it family, friends, coworkers, Facebook acquaintances and even myself. 

Following a routine dermatologist appointment in 2010, I found myself driving to work one morning when the nurse called to ask me if I could come by later that day and talk to the doctor about my lab results. "And bring your husband," she added at the end. I knew immediately what the results were, and even though my melanoma was caught in the early stages, it was still pretty life altering to the little bubble world where I had been living.

A PBT reader left a comment on yesterday's post asking me to contact her regarding a question she had about my blog. I fired off a quick email to Heather Von St. James to find out what was up, and then spent the next 30 minutes searching 'mesothelioma' on the internet.

Here's a quick synopsis of Heather's story:

Just three months after giving birth, Heather was diagnosed with a rare and deadly type of cancer - she was diagnosed with mesothelioma and without immediate treatment, she would have a projected 15 months to live.  Heather then traveled to Boston to receive treatment from top mesothelioma doctors. Here, surgeons removed Heather’s left lung as well as the lining of her diaphragm and heart followed by radiation and chemotherapy. Now, eight years later, Heather is still with us today and strives to help spread awareness of this preventable cancer.

Through the exchange of a few more emails, Heather also detailed to me the dangers of asbestos. Before our email exchange, all I knew about asbestos - besides hearing it frequently on a commercial for a class-action lawsuit - was that its often found in older buildings and it's dangerous to be in close proximity of asbestos. According to Heather, asbestos is not banned in the U.S., yet it's the only known cause of mesothelioma. Once diagnosed, most patients die within two years.

I find it beyond inspiring that Heather has dedicated the rest of her life to creating awareness for mesothelioma - a disease that tried to rob a beautiful woman of a happy and blessed life - and I'm grateful she reached out to me to spread her message. Sharing her story here was the least I could do.

Here are a few links for more details on Heather's story ...


Heather's video: mesothelioma.com/heather

Heather's treatment: mesothelioma.com/treatment

Heather's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherVonStJames

Without any suggestion from Heather, I found the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation last night and made a small donation that will go towards funding research, providing education and support for patients and their families, and advocating for federal funding of mesothelioma research.

Thank you for reading today's blog, and if you can, say a quick prayer for Heather - per her Facebook page, she is traveling to Boston Thursday for a check-up with her doctor following her most recent scans.

Found: The Perfect Makeup Bag

Let's take a quick trip down Memory Lane ...

Do you remember Caboodles, the brightly-colored plastic makeup cases from the 1980s and 1990s? 

I remember Mommabear had a huge peach colored one she used to store all of her makeup and beauty products. My Grandma had a seafoam green one. Both of their Caboodles had the gold ID tags near the handle that were engraved with their names. These makeup cases are likely where my obsession with makeup bags originated. 

Since my teen years when I began collecting makeup items, I've also gone through approximately 1,478,135 bags and cases. Decades later, my collection has finally led me to The Perfect Makeup Bag ...

Sonia Kashuk® Limited Edition Completely Organized Grande Cosmetic Bag

It should come as no surprise that I found this during a Target adventure a month or so ago. Due to an unfortunate eyeshadow blowout in my former makeup bag that left a nasty residue all over the lining, I was in the market for a new bag.

I'm pretty certain I heard angels singing as soon as I picked this up. It's a great size - not too big and not too small - and has TONS of compartments inside of it for organization (similar to the way Vera Bradley bags have sewn-in compartments). There's also a zippered compartment on the front to separate smaller items from the larger compartment, and unzippered pockets on the front and back.

The bag is large enough to store a few makeup palettes that were too large for its predecessor, and I can even fit my contact cleaning solution in it. 

Anyway, I just wanted to share this magical bag with all of you PBT readers. If you find yourself in need of a new makeup bag, give this one a try.

Hope everyone is having a great Monday!!!

High Five For Friday #H54F

We've made it to another Friday! Does anyone have big plans for the final weekend of October 2013?

Before you look at my #H54F, let me warn you of one thing ... it looks like there's lots of baby stuff, but it's really not that bad. Hang with me and you'll understand ...

Link up at thelaurenelizabeth.com

1) I'm not sure if my nieces are lovin' on one another, or if Violet is trying to prevent Emme from learning to crawl. Either way, my nieces are adorable and this counts for my now-weekly Gratuitous Niece/Nephew Photo of the Week. (<- Yeah, we're making that a PBT thing.)

2) You might think this picture has something to do with my nephew on the left, Brady, but this is actually a Happy Birthday shoutout to his uncle and my brother, Jake, who's birthday is tomorrow. Happy birthday, Pup! (Yes, they're Dufnering at Brady's first birthday party back in April. I'll let you Google it if you have no idea what it means.)

3) Remember how devastated I was that the royal baby was a boy instead of a girl? Well, if I squint just a little bit, Prince George kinda sorta looks like a princess in his Christening gown. And, seriously ... I used to think Brad and Jen were the best looking couple of all time, but Will and Kate blow even them out of the water. Not only did George hit a genetic lottery, he's also a royal. Life just isnt' fair.

4) I spent a few days in West Virginia this week for work, and this was the view from my hotel window. Sure, there's an Instagram filter that's enhanced the image, but you get the drift. I'll see if I can snap any picturesque photos from Manhattan, Kan., tonight. 

5) You. Guys. Remember those recipes I told you about yesterday? This is the final product. (I'm not great at food pictures, sorry.) I cooked dinner last night for Mr. Cush and I'm not going to lie ... this was maybe the best meal I've ever whipped up in the kitchen. (<- Even though there really aren't that many to choose between.) I'll never be able to eat plain broccoli again ... roasted is where it's at!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! See 'ya again Monday morning!!!

When Parmesan Cheese and Garlic are Main Ingredients ...

I have a Pinterest board named 'Recipes I Vow to Someday Try.' Unfortunately, most of them require more than five ingredients, so it's very likely that I'll never ever ever make 90% of those pins. Instead, I'll just stare intently at the pretty pictures of the food on my screen and drool over my keyboard.

I added two more pins to this board yesterday that are recipes for Baked Parmesan Chicken and Roasted Broccoli Parmesan. Not only am I'm thinking Mr. Cush will enjoy a home-cooked meal based around parmesan cheese and garlic, but it will add flavor to this whole low-carb thing I'm trying out. And most importantly of all ... five or fewer ingredients in both dishes. So even without making these yet, they get a PBT Seal of Approval. (<- can we make that a thing from now on? Great. Glad we can all agree on this.)

If you want to see pretty pictures of these dishes, head over to Pinterest. If you're interested in trying them in your own kitchen, look no further ...

Baked Parmesan Garlic Chicken
Ingredients:
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 package Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix cheese, dressing mix and garlic powder.
Moisten chicken breasts with water; coat with cheese mixture. Place in shallow baking dish.
Bake 20 to 25 min. or until chicken is no longer pink in the center.

Roasted Broccoli Parmesan
Ingredients:
1 head of broccoli, chopped
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 Parmesan cheese, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Chop broccoli and blanch in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain.
Toss broccoli with olive oil, garlic, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper.  Place broccoli mixture on a cookie sheet {sprinkle any remaining bread crumb/cheese/garlic mixture over the top and roast at 425 degrees for 12- 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Any of y'all have a simple recipe that's low-carb and fewer than five ingredients? If so, please share it with me in the comments below!!!

All I Want is a Fox Sweater

I really missed the boat last year. I'm not sure how it was possible for me to miss the whole 'fox sweater' trend, but I did.

Here's a picture of the oh-so-popular Old Navy Fox Sweater from last fall that everyone but me seems to own ...

It's cute, right?! Now let me tell you something else ... as I sit here Googling "Fox Sweater," I've found that this very same sweater up above is selling for $90-160 on eBay. First of all, when's the last time anyone ever spent $90 on anything at Old Navy? Secondly, if I were in possession of this sweater and saw the market value for it on an online auction site, I'd probably be willing to part with mine, too.

So with all of that said, here are my 2013 options for a fox sweater.

1) Old Navy | 2) Ann Taylor | 3) Forever 21

This would be the part of the blog where I'd normally ask your opinion on which one to order. However, anyone who knows me knows I already ordered option No. 1 from Old Navy.

PS - my Chi Omega sisters out there might be interested in a similar Old Navy sweater featuring an owl (just click on the 'white color' box in the choices to see it, same link as above).

Help me out, PBT readers ... am I missing the boat on any animal sweaters this year that I need to get my hands on ASAP??? Elephants? Squirrels? Maybe zebras?

My Grandma's Earlobes

The nose I see in the reflection of the mirror is my Grandma Mary's. The knuckles that I look down at on both of my hands are identical to hers, too. And the fiery burn I feel in my earlobes when I wear cheap earrings can most definitely be attributed to my grandma's DNA.

Two items were staples in my grandma's purse - fingernail scissors and earlobe ointment. I don't recall the exact prescription of the ointment, but she used to rub it on her earlobes whenever she'd wear non-plated earrings. Sterling silver, 14k or 24k gold were fine ... but there was always something about cheap metal that irritated her earlobes and required ample application of the ointment.

Over the last few years, I've noticed my earlobes becoming more sensitive, too. Instead of seeking a physician's remedy, I naturally turned to Google to solve this problem. Somewhere in my search, I found this neat-o little trick that I'm now sharing with you ...

Boom. A dab of clear nail polish on the post of the earring and that cheap metal isn't irritating anything.

I hope this little tip brings you as much joy as it has to me.

Have a great Tuesday, PBT readers!

Pinterest Envy

It's no secret that I'm not exactly a domestic goddess ... I hate cooking, I especially hate cleaning, and according to Pinterest, I don't do an adequate job of decorating Casa de Cushman for the various seasons.

It's not that I don't want to decorate our home - it's mostly that I'm not really home enough this time of the year to enjoy any decorations, and we don't have tons of family or friends visiting us that could enjoy the seasonal decor.

So I opt out of decorating for fall/Easter/Fourth of July/etc.

A lot of people accuse Pinterest of creating "mommy competition." If mommies aren't throwing their children Pinterest-worthy birthday parties and such, they feel as though their children are missing something.

Truth be told, I'll probably delete my Pinterest account when Mr. Cush and I have children - I won't be able to handle that kind of guilt. I mean, if the following pictures give me extreme guilt over lack of seasonal home decor, how could I be expected to survive Pinterest birthday party guilt?!

Do you ever experience Pinterest envy? How do you cope?

High Five For Friday #H54F

Happy Friday, everyone! Hopefully most of you had a four-day work week. The only weeks better are three-day work weeks.

Here's a look back at my seven-day work week (and counting) ...

Link up at thelaurenelizabeth.com

1) My niece, Violet, with the postcard I sent her from Kansas. She's such a cutie.

2) I've been using Groupon quite a bit lately, and I had my best experience to date this week when I redeemed one for an oil change. Not only did it cost a mere $14.99, but the business didn't try to sell me a single thing! I usually have to turn down offers of air cabin filters, windshield wipers or transmission flushes. It was wonderful getting in-and-out with just the oil change for once.

3) An ad for the new L'eggs' Convert-a-Tight popped up on my Facebook wall and I'm intrigued. More than intrigued, though, is the anger I'm feeling towards myself for not thinking of this first. This could've been my ticket to billions!!! Seriously ... it's a genius idea.

4) Told ya so. Picked up the CoverGirl Lip Perfection in Euphoria yesterday based on this picture of Katy Perry. It's quite a bit darker on my lips than Katy's, so I'm going to give it a try over a lip balm to see if that sheers it out a bit. Regardless, it's a lovely fall shade.

5) As annoying as all of the rain in Austin has been this week, we've sorely needed it. I've lost track of how long the drought has been going on now, but this rain has answered many prayers and has increased all of the lake levels. It's hard to complain about something we've needed for so long in this city.

What have been five highlights of your week? Let me know in the comments below, or share them on your Facebook wall with your friends!

Have a great weekend!!!

Did CoverGirl Just Roar?

OK, so today's title might've thrown you off a little if you didn't hear the news yesterday that Katy Perry is the newest spokeswoman for CoverGirl. (And if you're completely in the dark, she has a song, "Roar," that plays on top 40 radio stations about 32 times each hour, and approximately 104 times at any given girls' or women's athletic event.)

Let's take a look at the picture that's swept Twitterverse and most all of Al Gore's Internet ...

I have one word for this picture: stunning.

To me, Katy is most beautiful when she's not all-out Katy Perry. You know what I mean ... blue hair, heavy eyeliner, maybe a cotton candy bra for good measure.

Per several reports, the only makeup she's wearing in this picture (in addition to a hint of blush) is CoverGirl Lip Perfection in Euphoria. You can safely assume that I'll be swinging by my neighborhood drugstore tomorrow to pick this up. It's probably also a good bet that said lipstick shows up in this week's #H54F ... you should call your bookie now and make some easy money.

CoverGirl has a nice lineup of current spokeswomen ... Ellen DeGeneres, Pink, Sofia Vergara (<- as long as she's not talking, I'm ok with it), Katy. 

What do you think of the brand's decision to partner with Ms. Perry?

'Tis the Season (of Temptation)

Not to create mass panic, but Christmas is getting closer and closer. How close? 69 days away. (No, I didn't count ... xmasclock.com.)

It's fun to start thinking about the holiday and making plans. This year, Mr. Cush and I are heading to my parents' home in southern Illinois, and we're getting excited to see both of our families for a few days and share Christmas with our nieces and nephew (it will be so much fun to have young children around!).

As excited as I am, though, there's one thing that makes Christmas a little difficult ... emails from my favorite stores promoting holiday collections and specials.

I've mentioned my beloved Kendra Scott jewelry on this blog before, but let me show you the email they sent yesterday promoting their winter collection that goes on sale today ...

I die. So gorgeous, and it's taking every fiber of my self-control (which isn't much to begin with) to not drive to south Congress first thing and purchase that ring. Or anything else in the collection (sneak peak here on Pinterest).

I'm doing my very best to be a good girl and save my pennies for gifts for others, but it only gets harder and harder to do this as my inbox becomes more flooded by the day with discounts and various offers from my favorite stores.

How do you practice self-control in the months leading up to Christmas? I could certainly use any advice or helpful tips anyone has to offer me!

If I Could Look Into a Crystal Ball ...

A funny thing happened yesterday ... I was visiting with a former student-athlete, and she asked if Mr. Cush and I were going to have babies soon. I was a bit taken back, but I answered her honestly and said "someday."

Up until the last year or so, we weren't sure. I think we've always leaned more towards yes than no, but now we're definitely in the "yes" column. I truly can't tell you when (we haven't really set a deadline or anything), but I'd like to think it will be in the next few years. 

As the conversation progressed, this young woman blurted out, "you'll be an awesome mom!" I think my coworker next to me spit out his coffee in utter surprise of the comment, and my eyes probably popped out of my head a bit. Either way, it was a vote of confidence for someone to say that about me and to my face. It was the first time I ever heard that, or found out that someone even thought of me that way, and it was a very wonderful feeling.

I've never given much thought (yet) to the kind of mother I'll be. Instead, I have given thought to the type of father Mr. Cush will be someday down the road, and I've snagged a few pics off of the internet to best show you ...

Yep. I can definitely see this in the future. He always finds ways to compromise in every imaginable situation. 

This isn't even up for debate. If our kids wants access to his Wifi network, they're going to have to earn. Thankfully, this doesn't apply to the wife!!!

And finally ...

This will be the father of my children, folks. Mark my words. 

So there you have it. If I could look into a crystal ball and see the future, I'm pretty sure these would be some of the reflections. 

"Joey Doesn't Share Food"

Good morning! Unfortunately, I've been a little busy the last few days and didn't have a chance to write a post for today. Lucky for you, though, because Mr. Cush stepped up to the plate with his second entry for PBT. Enjoy!!!


Girls always want something off their guy’s plate. Some of us share, some don’t. I never took Joey’s stance on this matter (you remember him from "FRIENDS," right?), but I do share a slight commonality with Joey involving withholding food from girls. Mrs. Cush found out recently that for about five years, I have been ‘food plundering.'

food plun·der (füd pl n d r)
v. 
1. To purposefully serve yourself a better-looking portion of dinner than your significant other because you bought the groceries, cooked the food, and will likely end up doing the dishes.

I’m not sure how she only recently caught wind of these misdeeds, but I was quite pleased with myself for being able to keep it a secret for this long. I guess I made it little too obvious this time. As I placed two bowls of food on the table, her reaction was, “hey, that one has way more meat!." I smiled and went through the checklist:

1) Did you buy the grocieries?  No? Ok, lets move on.

2) Did you cook the food?  No?  On to #3.

3) Are you going to do the dishes?  Didn’t think so. Eat your food.

The dinner that I got caught with was beef and broccoli. It was too easy to pick out all of the good pieces of beef and get greedy. I have been known to move most of the pepperoni  to my side of the pizza before baking it, and taking the bigger chunks out of stew, etc. I always get the bigger piece of steak or chicken, but that is different. Maybe now that she knows my little secret, she will offer to do the dishes more often. Conversely, I may need to watch out when she cooks to make sure that I don’t get food plundered.

Have any of you ever done this when cooking?  I doubt that I am alone here.

High Five For Friday #H54F

Happy Friday, everyone! Down here in these parts, most people are pretty pumped for the Red River Rivalry at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. It's a pretty big college football game between Texas and Oklahoma, and it's right in the middle of the State Fairgrounds. I've worked the game the last four years, but this year I'll be in Kansas, instead.

As we roll into what is quite possibly a three-day weekend for some of you, let's take a look back at my 'high fives' from this week!

Link up at thelaurenelizabeth.com

1) I wrote about this in Tuesday's blog, and have been using it now for three straight days, twice a day. I'm really loving it, even though I can't detect any significant differences other than some extreme softness upon application. 

2) Lunch at Zocalo happened this week ... it's always awesome. That pink drink you see is a watermelon agua fresca, and as far as I'm concerned, it's nectar from the Gods.

3) Took this screenshot off from my Groupon app and thought of several PBT readers that inquired about my Illinois necklace a few weeks back. For $8.99, this is a steal.

4) My nephew, Brady. Pictures of my nieces and nephew always make my day, but since Cassie didn't send me any Violet or Emme pics this week, you get to see Brady again!

5) My dad, Ol' Rodney. Today's his birthday. If you're a PBT reader in the southeastern Illinois region and you see him today, please wish him a very happy birthday. (PS - Dad, I didn't forget to mail you a card. I know you keep 'score' on who gets their card to you first, and this year I held out on sending it until today ... just because I thought it might be kind of funny for you to think I forgot something as important as your birthday. Even though you never read this site, I still love you very much!!!)

Have a great weekend, everyone! We'll see you back here next week!!!

It's Time to Live in the Present

It's funny how "time" and "age" have been on my mind quite a bit recently. Maybe those tiny crevices around my eyes have hit my psyche harder than I'm willing to let myself admit ... 

Anyway, I wouldn't say this topic was on my mind as I was driving home from work late last night, but something happened that again brought it to the forefront of my thoughts: my sister sent me my nephew's 18-month pictures.

My internal monologue went something like this: "Eighteen months? No. Way. That doesn't seem right. Let's see ... he was born April 1, 2012, so that means ... OMG ... crap ... he's actually 18-months-old."

Sure, I joke about time flying by nearly every Friday in my #H54F posts, but let's all be real - time is flying by at an alarming rate. It never goes backwards, and we're never going to get yesterday, or last week or a month ago back. It's time for me to check myself before I wreck myself - I have to live in the present more.

What advice do you have to "remain present" in your lives? I've been trying to let work consume me less, and I'm doing my best to capitalize on time spent with Mr. Cush and Riley.

Let's end this post with some pictures of Brady, the most precious nephew in the history of the world. (No offense to any other nephews out there, but this is my blog and I can say what I want!)

Brady: 18-month-old pics courtesy of his momma, Brittany, and the photography pros at J.C. Penney.

Cinnamon + Sugar + Pumpkin Beer

WARNING: Hold on to your seat while you're reading this because I'm about to change your life.

Last fall, Mr. Cush and I ventured to Boston for one of my very best friend's beautiful wedding. It was our first trip to Bean Town, and Mr. Cush and I went a few days before the wedding to do the normal touristy stuff, like walk the Freedom Trail.

Now, most people knock out the Freedom Trail in an afternoon. It took Mr. Cush and I the better part of three days because we stopped at almost every single pub along the way. It was awesome.

We stumbled (up to you if I'm using that word literally or figuratively) into an amazing little pub that had Shipyard Pumpkinhead on tap, and it was the daily special. Being a pair of pumpkin lovers (but NOT an overly-annoying "we love fall" couple), we bellied up to the bar and ordered a few pints.

Before our very eyes, the bartender dipped the rims of our glasses in a sugary and cinnamony concoction before filling them with Pumpkinhead.

Folks ... this was a life changing moment for me. I was utterly speechless. Mr. Cush and I stared at our glasses for at least three full minutes before we tossed them back. We went on to drink approximately 97 more of these sugary, cinnamony-rimmed glasses of beer in the ensuing days.

The second we stepped off the plane upon returning to Austin, we hit the store to buy some pumpkin-flavored beer (no Pumpkinhead in Austin, so we settle for whatever we can find). You can guess what happened after that.

Here's a little sequence of pictures that show what you'll need to coat the rims of your glasses this fall ...

Mix cinnamon and sugar, dip, serve. So easy that I can do it!

Let's get a closer look at that picture on the far right, shall we?

Two things: 1) yes, this is heavenly, and 2) it's simple enough that I create this in Casa de Cushman. I toss an unmeasured spoonful of sugar on the plate, mix in some cinnamon, wet the rim of the glass and dip it in the mixture before pouring in the beer.

The first one that changed my life.

C'mon, Austin. We need this!

My buddy. 

Hope y'all are having a marvelous beertober!!!

Youth Code, Here's to You

The mirror is a daily reminder that I'm not getting any younger. There are some tiny crevices creeping in around my eyes, and my once oily skin is constantly parched. It probably doesn't help that I analyze my face every single morning in one of those 1000x magnifying mirrors while I apply my makeup, but alas, I see the signs of age settling in even without that mirror.

I've been doing my best to protect my skin from the sun ever since the great melanoma surgery of 2010, and I'm sure that will continue to pay off down the road when I'm (hopefully) not coated in sun spots, but still, there are signs of wear and tear on my face.

So I set out on a skin rejuvenating mission. Ever the Type A personality, this didn't come without some research and I relied on my trusted MakeupAlley.com for consumer reviews. Of course all of the high-end items came back with stellar reviews, further confirming the whole "you get what you pay for" cliche. Unfortunately, I wasn't really in the mood to drop several hundred dollars on my face just yet, and I scoured the drugstore alternatives.

The L'Oreal Youth Code Texture Perfector Serum Concentrate and Day/Night Cream quickly jumped out.

I know, I know ... you're definitely rolling your eyes at me and assuming I bought these because of the pink packaging. And you're partly right.

First of all, every review I read was positive (+1). Secondly, the price point was in my range at $19.99 per item (+1). Finally, the pink packaging sealed the deal (+1).

The day/night cream promises to make pores appear smaller, reduce fine lines and create 'petal soft' skin texture. The serum allegedly refines and helps perfect skin, 'EVEN AT THE PIXEL LEVEL.' <- I love this last line of the marketing jargon ... it's like an 'up yours' to my magnifying mirror!!!

In all honesty, what really hooked me was talk of the coveted LR2412 ingredient that is derived from jasmine plants. Now, I can't tell you much about what this supposedly does because it's never been mentioned before on "The Big Bang Theory," but all of the reviewers seemed pretty pumped about this mystical and magical ingredient. Supposedly it was a key ingredient in some $100 Lancome product that has been discontinued, but it's reappeared in this serum and it's flying off the shelves and into the skin care regimes of some serious devotees.

I'm looking forward to trying these items out and adding them to my daily routine. I truly hope to use them for four weeks and come back here with a review for y'all. Hopefully by then you're not all so envious of my perfect skin that you refuse to read my blog ;)

Any anti-aging products you want to recommend? Let me know in the comments below!

September Glossybox

Welcome to another week, PBT readers! What better way to begin a Monday than reading about some makeup? Honestly, I can't think of anything better than a Glossybox recap, either.

Last month I told you about my rationale for switching from Birchbox to Glossybox. Although I've never regretted that decision, each passing month and subsequent Glossybox reconfirms that I made the right decision. 

Here's a look at my September box that is quite possibly my most favorite thus far!

My five items included everything pictured above. 

EMITE MAKEUP PROFESSIONAL EYELASH CURLER ($31.07)

NIOXIN DIAMAX ($50.00, full size)

BCBGMAXAZRIA BON GENRE EAU DE PARFUM SPRAY ($75.00, full size)

OCEANE MAKEUP REMOVER PEN ($5.40, full size)

BE A BOMBSHELL COSMETICS ONYX EYELINER PEN ($14.00, full size)

From what I can tell, everything in my box is full size except the perfume sample. Even if I don't include that item in the overall total of my Glossybox, we're looking at a $100.47 total for the low, low price of $21! (I should be on an infomercial.)

Humor me on this Monday, please. Did any of you pick up a new beauty item over the weekend that you want to rave about to someone that will listen? If so, let me know in the comments below!

High Five For Friday #H54F

Here we go ... October has arrived, and, more importantly ... 81 days until Christmas! (Which means its also 74 days until my birthday. You should plan accordingly.)

Since October is already in full swing and Christmas is around the corner, let's not waste any precious seconds with more witty banter. Time to get straight to this week's #H54F!

Link up at thelaurenelizabeth.com

1) "Breaking Bad" ended Sunday evening, and it couldn't have been any better. For a few fleeting seconds Sunday afternoon, I became a little panic-y and was afraid of "Newhart" deja vu ... but there was no way Vince Gilligan was going to do that to us and wrap everything up as Walt's chemo-induced coma. Instead, it was perfect. I cried when Jesse drove off into his new-found freedom. It was the second greatest moment ever filmed in an automobile ... only Jerry Maguire singing "Free Falling" at the top of his lungs topped that moment.

2) Just as "Breaking Bad" ended, "Scandal" began its third season. I'm slightly obsessed with this show, and it's always fun for me to discuss it with my younger coworkers that are much more obsessed with it than me. It must be a generation gap.

3) Hi, Dan! My brother-in-law texted me during work Wednesday evening, and even though I humiliate myself on a daily basis, I drew the line at waving to him on national TV. So, he gets a special shoutout on today's blog. (Cassie - make sure he knows this!!!)

4) How delicious is this color? For $1.38 in the Target clearance bin, I'll put it just a notch below pumpkin pie. It's Out of Bounds by Sinful Colors, and I'm pretty excited to slather it on my nails.

5) Britney is so back. She put this picture on her Instagram this week, and I kind of died a little. She's my ultimate girl crush. 

Join in on my #H54F and share your top five moments of the week in the comments below. And if you don't want to do that, then try what my friend and coworker Katie did a few weeks ago - post your top-fives on your Facebook walls to share with your family and friends.

See y'all Monday morning!!! Have a great weekend!

Timeout

Yesterday was just a tad bit busy ... busy enough that I didn't have time for a new post. 

Don't worry ... even though I've imposed a one-day timeout on the bloggity blog, I promise to return tomorrow with another #H54F roundup.

Hang in there, everyone! Friday's just around the corner!!!

Howl-o-ween

(Shoutout to my friend Thomas for helping me come up with today's topic! My creative juices were not flowing.)

I don't really care much for Halloween. I've always been easily scared, and judging by some of the costumes I see girls wearing I'm afraid the risk of catching an airborne STD significantly increases on All Hallow's Eve. So for those reasons, I usually convince Mr. Cush to stay in with me and we pass out candy to the cute trick-or-treaters that ring our doorbell.

In more recent years, we've taken to dressing up our dog for the night. (Yes, we're those people. You can roll your eyes and I won't be offended.) Not long after Mr. Cush and I moved to Austin, Mommabear made our old dog, Maggie, a Bevo costume. For anyone not familiar with Bevo, he's the mascot for The University of Texas. I'm not going to lie ... Mommabear outdid herself with Maggie's costume, and several friends and coworkers alike asked me for one for their dog. Unfortunately for them, Mommabear has a few grandkids these days and they get priority costume development for the holiday.

Here's a picture of Maggie in her Bevo costume ... 

Her 'muzzle' said MAGVO instead of BEVO. No details were spared.

Unfortunately, Maggie passed away in 2012 after eating a sock and not long after, Riley entered our lives. Maggie was about 20 pounds larger than Riley, but Riley fulfilled the Cushman Halloween tradition last year and looked pretty darn adorable in the costume ...

So precious. And, yes, there is an Instagram filter here.

Since Mommabear has THREE baby costumes to come up with this year, it's highly unlikely that Riley gets a costume of her own. Riley will have to settle for the Bevo hand-me-down unless I find an adorable Lobster costume at Petsmart that might fit here.

And for anyone thinking, "If Mommabear can make that without a pattern for a dog, what can she do for a baby with a pattern?" here's your answer ...

Left: Violet as Tinkerbell, 2012.
Right: Brady as a lion, 2012.

Yes, Mommabear is beyond talented. One of the only reasons I'm contemplating motherhood right now is to get my hands on one of these amazing costumes for my own flesh-and-blood.

What costumes are you contemplating for your babies this year? (Both the human and four-legged varieties of babies.) Let me know in the comments below!