Wish List July 31, 2008

Top on my wish list now is this sweet little MacBook Air.  I was introduced to the potential of a Mac about a year ago while feverishly helping a co-worker put together the first Bagolitas catalog.  All my biases went out the window…this PC gal was sold on the abilities, ease, and fun of a Mac.  I still love my PC, but wouldn’t it be lovely to add this little beauty to my work bag?!

Wow, what a whole new world a Mac can open up to you.  While my on the job training hasn’t shown me the full spectrum of features available in Photoshop, InDesign, Dreamweaver, etc. I find myself eager to play around and learn even more.  Think of all the things I could do with my photos…taking away those few extra pounds, smoothing out the face, etc.  The possibilities are endless.

My birthday is coming up…well, one can always dream!

Rain Gear! July 29, 2008

UPS just dropped off my wellies!  After a wet morning of posting RAGBRAI flags, Cynthia and I decided we needed to order rain boots for future water related excursions.

We each found our perfect pair at jcrew and ON SALE!  Mine are the polka dots…they didn’t have flammingos in my size.

These will be perfect for taking the dog out on rainy or snowy days and also in the winter on my way to work to avoid the salt/sand marks on my good shoes.

Ahhh, it can’t get much sweeter than wellies!

RAGBRAI! July 25, 2008

RAGBRAI rolled past the office Thursday…literally!  The official RAGBRAI route was Cherry Street in North Liberty, right past the office.  In honor of our 20,000 closest friends riding through town, we decided to open up the doors for a little shopping.  We sure had fun hanging outside and meeting people from across the United States and even ITALY!

For those that aren’t familiar, RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa) is the world’s longest, largest, and oldest touring bike ride.  It began on Sunday, July 20 by dipping the back tires in the Missouri and ends Saturday, July 26 with a front tire dip in the Mississippi.  The route varies each year and North Liberty was luck enough to host Thursday evening this year.

Jayne’s Highlights of the Day:

1. Arriving for volunteer duty at 6am and spotting a rainbow

2. Staking at least 50 pirate flags (N. Liberty’s Theme: Pirates of the Corridor) with 3 co-workers

3. Choosing from over a dozen food vendors for lunch…mmmm, pulled pork!

4. Waiting for Lance Armstrong to ride by to pick up a bag for Kate (Hudson!)

5. Pirate Punch

6. Meeting the Italians and getting the full Italian treatment! (My personal favorite!)

For Sale… July 23, 2008

This was waiting for me in my email this morning.  What a cute little 300 square foot house is for sale in Brooklyn.  It is believed to be the smallest house in Brooklyn…or anywhere for that matter!

It was renovated top to bottom and even boasts a fenced in patio area, a washer and dryer, and 2 satellite dishes!

Sale Price: $179,900

I won’t complain anymore about the housing prices in the Corridor.  Below are pictures of the patio and bedroom with murphy bed. 

    

Mamma Mia! July 22, 2008

Grab your girlfriends and head to the movie theatre right now!  This flick was pure fun, I enjoyed every minute of it and was laughing the whole time.  I had season the theatrical production in college and loved it…the movie did not disappoint.  The music was fantastic, I can’t believe Pierce Brosnan was singing!  I can’t get to itunes fast enough to download those wonderful ABBA songs.

My friend, Red Stick Razzle Dazzle, was voted Rosie by her friends after they saw the movie over the weekend.  It got me thinking…I wonder who I am?!?  And I hope I can have that much fun and with girlfriends like Donna’s during that period in my life.  Don’t worry, there won’t be any singing (as much as I love it!).  But how much fun would it be to have ‘Jayne and the Jitterbugs,’ ala ‘Donna and the Dynamos!’

One can always dream!

Ugh, Monday Morning! July 21, 2008

This morning, instead of waking up to the alarm clock, I was jolted out of bed by wind, rain, hail, lightning, thunder, and Tiffin tornado sirens!  Not a great way to start out the week, especially since I have to take over full dog duty while Josh is out of town.  Full dog duty means getting up at 5:30am to walk and feed Miss Zoey, which is usually Josh’s responsibility.  What do you do when it’s a downpour, the sirens are blaring, and the dog really has to go…and I’m not a morning person so I’m still half asleep.  After the sirens are done we cautious head out the back door.  No rain, but it’s still windy and the lightning show was amazing and Miss Zoey did her thing.  I can’t believe we weren’t struck by lightning!

Miss Zoey and I need to invest in raincoats and boots!

Oswald Vehicles July 20, 2008

For those of you that don’t know us, the Oswald’s drive vehicles until they die…literally.  I don’t know if it’s the Financial Advisor husband, sentimental attachment, the freedom of no car payment, or a combination.  

Josh’s little Sentra died last year with close to 200,000 miles on it.  We quickly purchased our first car together and I was so excited to finally have a nice car with nothing broken or missing on it.  Well, six months ago I broke (yes I admit it) the latch on the glove compartment, leaving it permanently close…or so I thought.  Handyman Josh was able to jimmy it open whenever he needed something.  Because he was able to open it he deemed it unneccessary to fix.  And back we are again to all our vehicles having missing pieces.

Well, Saturday, after spending 10 minutes trying to open the glove box, he broke it and now it won’t CLOSE!  This is where the duck tape comes in and now the glove box is being held closed by a strip of duck tape.  Yikes!  VW here I come, this is getting fixed immediately.

Favorite Product: BareMinerals! July 18, 2008

I became a quick convert to this amazing product when I saw it in action at the Des Moines Sephora store.  I was in awe of the way my face was transformed and immediately purchased the starter kit (BTW: a great value!).

This truly is a 100% fool proof foundation.  Guaranteed to apply evenly and will not leave streak marks or “mask” marks at the chin and hair line (you know what I’m talking about!).  Plus, it’s so light, perfect for those hot Iowa summers.  The Starter Kit comes with everything you need, plus a fun DVD.  I’ve already converted 3 people!

Quick tip: The Skin Rev-er Upper is a must.  I thought I didn’t need it because I already had my lotion, but I tried the foundation without the Rev-er Upper and it didn’t apply/cover as well.  So every morning I apply the Rev-er Upper and my regular lotion.

This product can be found at Sephora, Bare Escentuals, or Blaze in Coralville.

Dress Update July 17, 2008

I fell in love with this dress when I spotted it on Cynthia Nixon’s character, Miranda, in the Sex and the City movie.  About a month ago while reading People magazine I found a tiny bubble that said this dress was available at Dillard’s, but currently on backorder.  Well, I just had to put my name down for this one.  After a month of patiently waiting the golden ticket was bolded in my inbox this morning…IT SHIPPED!!!!  What a great way to start the day!

New Product July 15, 2008

I’m addicted to Sharpies.  My own personal favorite is the ultra fine point jumbo pack with about a million colors (or 24, whichever).  I love to use them for everything, but they bleed through the paper…so annoying.  Well, Sharpie has come out with their first PEN.  I scooped up a pack this morning and they are fabulous!  The best part, they come in 3 other colors besides black!  I can’t wait to add the rest to my collection.