I have things to discuss! Food! Makeup! TV shows! Life choices! Supplements!
ESSENCE BABY GOT BROW! PENCIL
I am a makeup minimalist; however, some unfortunate plucking choices in my teens mean that my minimalistic approach requires at least basic brow intervention. I hate – HATE! – sharpening pencils of any sort, and makeup pencils are no different. Enter Essence Baby Got Brow! It twists. It comes with a spoolie. And it’s $5.49 at my local drugstore. No sharpening required!
PUMPKIN SEEDS
These are having a “moment” in my life right now. They’re delicious. They can go in school lunchboxes (they’re seeds, not nuts!) and they are the perfect crowning touch in my yogurt + granola concoctions and a wonderful addition to breakfast bowls of oatmeal. This is the exact brand I buy…on repeat.
COOKING EGGS IN A MICROWAVE
I know I blogged about this before on my old website, but we are basically in love with this method of cooking eggs. We scramble the egg right in the dish, sometimes add a sprinkle of precooked bacon, pop the bowl in the microwave and a few minutes later WE HAVE BREAKFAST (or lunch or supper because eggs are good any time of day).
DRIVE TO SURVIVE
I am mourning the end of this series (and counting down the days to what I HOPE will be a Season 5). I loved this show. I suspect mileage would vary significantly so don’t send me hate mail if you watch this and despise it. I’m not sure why I found it so fascinating but I did and I am now a Formula 1 fan. I will stop talking about it…for a while. Promise.
FRASIER
Without any new F1 content to fuel my addiction, we turned back to perhaps my all-time favourite sitcom: Frasier. The first few seasons are writing genius, and I laugh so hard at the banter between Frasier and Niles.
HEATED STEERING WHEEL
One of our vehicles now HAS A HEATED STEERING WHEEL. I have never had a heated steering wheel in my life and it is such a delightful feature. It is the first button I push when I get inside the vehicle and it makes me so, so happy.
MY PLANNED YEAR OF REST
I suspect you can all understand why this is exciting. I’m counting down the days until January 1st (though I’ve already started to inject restful habits into my current life as well).
GUEST POSTS!
This “series” has been so much fun. I love getting to learn more behind-the-scenes details about bloggers and I’ve really enjoyed the sense of collaboration that comes from chatting back and forth before posts go live.
In case you’ve missed them, the guest posts so far have been:
Jenny (Runner’s Fly), Laura Vanderkam, Sarah Hart-Unger (Shubox), NGS (The Time for Change), Sarah Jedd (Harry Times), Ally (The Spectacled Bean), Nicole (Girl in a Boyhouse), and San (The In Between Is Mine).
Stay tuned – Birchie’s stopping by tomorrow!
OMEGA-3 SUPPLEMENTS
After my PRK eye surgery in May, I’ve struggled a lot with dry eyes. After doing some research (yes, I’m miffed they didn’t suggest this to me at the clinic), I’ve started taking two Omega-3 capsules a day and I think it is really helping my dry eye issues! I started to notice a difference in under a week after starting the supplement.
And that’s a wrap on recent favourites.
Your turn. What are you using/loving this month? Does anyone else have a heated steering wheel? What’s your favourite “classic” sitcom? Do you like pumpkin seeds?
Suzanne
I love Frasier so much. What a fantastic show. And I need to check out the Baby Got Brow! I have never been a big plucker but my brows feel too pale to me.
Looking forward to Birchie’s post!
Elisabeth
I plucked too much in high school. Sigh. Some life choices were NOT smart.
SHU
Can you share how long and on what power you cook the eggs? I think I need to try this along with Kae’s egg muffins!
Elisabeth
I think it depends a lot on what you cook them in. If I do two eggs, I have a thick flat-bottomed round dish (think a bit like a French Onion Soup dish) that I cook them in. I just add them in, scramble them in the bowl (you can spray with non-stick spray or some oil, but I also find the dishes I have work fine without grease) and cook on high for 2 minutes.
If I’m cooking one egg, I use a smaller bowl and cook on high for 40 minutes.
But make sure you scramble them or they’ll explode!
A friend of mine has a great microwaveable poacher tool. It’s amazing and I love the texture of the eggs (I just don’t want to store something else and eggs this way work fine for me).
Linda
Ditto to all things November! I especially love the guest posts as I have included many of these referenced blogs in my daily reading. Yay to finding a few new-to-me witty, intelligent, respectful blogs!
Linda
Elisabeth
I’m so glad you’ve found some new-to-you blogs. It is a wonderful community <3
Beckett @ Birchwood Pie
I swear by Omega 3 for dry eyes. It’s one of the 10 things that I do that give me a 10% improvement which somehow adds up to still having dry eye…but it makes life a lot better.
Looking forward to visiting with you tomorrow!
Elisabeth
I really do think Omega 3 has made a BIG difference. I’m mostly shocked by how quickly I noticed a difference.
I’m curious what your other 9 tricks are…
Nicole MacPherson
Ooooh! This is fun. You know what, my brows are going grey, and by that I mean I have these giant coarse white hairs popping up in them. So that’s great! I have been using a brow mascara and it helps.
My new car has a heated steering wheel and it is LIFE CHANGING.
I have a fave things post coming out on Thursday but I’ll give you a preview: GNOMES. Lol! What else is new, right?
Elisabeth
Essence makes a brow mascara and I’ve been considering trying that out, too.
A heated steering wheel feels a bit like upgrading from a queen to a king. It’s lifechanging and basically impossible to ever go back?
I say bring on the gnomes!
NGS
I’ve never had a car with a heated steering wheel or heated seats. I think that it might make me too spoiled! I do, however, have a pad that sits underneath my keyboard that is heated and it makes everything better when I am at my office.
My favorite classic sitcom is “Friends.” What can I say? I was a teenager in the 90s!
Elisabeth
A pad under your keyboard…I am intrigued and have never heard of such a thing.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a car without heated seats? Maybe this is a Canadian thing?
Jenny
Ha! No heated steering wheel here, although I can see how that would be a game-changer. When I think of the winters I spent up north growing up- no heated steering wheel, no heated seats…just grim, cold misery every time we got in the car.
I like pumpkin seeds! I haven’t had them in a while but you’re reminding me to get some.
I’m excited for Birchie’s post!!!
Elisabeth
I have heated seats and now a heated steering wheel and I can assure you it is STILL grim, cold misery 🙁 Goodness I hate late fall/winter in Canada.
J
I had no idea that Omega 3s can help with dry eyes! I have dry eyes, made worse by my contact lenses. I am going to get some Omega 3s and see if it helps me. I’m glad you posted this!
I’m so picky about my eggs, the idea of cooking them in the microwave is kind of freaking me out. Which is reminding me of your trick to roast frozen broccoli, which I still need to try…
Elisabeth
I just roasted frozen broccoli last week. It’s not as good as from fresh, but it’s cheaper and basically zero work and I still find it very delicious.
I am amazed how quickly I’ve noticed a difference with the Omega3!
coco
how do you do eggs in microwave? I am worried about explosion. hahaha
I still have dry eyes.. could try with omega 3, although I don’t the fishy after taste. I also realize that when I am overall tired, physically drained, my dry eyes gets worse. it’s like barometer of my physical well being.
Elisabeth
You have to poke the yolk well (or, in my case, I just scramble them). If you don’t disrupt the yolk – yes it will explode!!
I don’t mind the aftertaste too much, but sometimes I can definitely taste it.
I have found it makes a big difference with my dry eyes!
Lisa’s Yarns
Our new car has a heated steering wheel, too! I did not know this until my parents asked us and I said no and Phil said yes – simultaneously. I am thrilled to know this and will use the heck out of this feature. We have heated seats, too, which are such a delight.
My favorite thing from November was getting Paul’s school pictures! They turned out so so so well!! I had a 5×7 printed and printed one of the pics of Taco I used on our Christmas cards and brought them to work. It’s my first time I have had pics of the kids at work since the pandemic!!
Elisabeth
I feel like heated seats are standard in Canada. We’ve never had a vehicle without them. But this is the first time for a heated steering wheel and it is already such a lovely feature and we’re not into the heart of winter yet.
Aww. You’ll have to send me some of Paul’s school pictures!!!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
No heated steering wheel. At least not that I know off. But heated seats. So good.
Also love pumpkin seeds and just had some this weekend.
The whole egg microwave things blows my mind – again. Since we don’t have a microwave I can’t try it.
Elisabeth
Heated seats are great; a heated steering wheels feels lifechanging to me at this point (since it’s the first time I’ve had one).
I cannot imagine not having a microwave!
San
I think I have never watched Frasier. I think I need to remedy that.
I did not know a heated steering wheel existed, but now I think I need one (even though it doesn’t really get THAT cold here). The guest blog series is so much fun. I loved to swap blogs with you and I’ve had so much fun learning about all the other wonderful people in our community 🙂
I find it so interesting that people rave about a brow pencil. I have never done anything with my brows really (had no need to really plug them either, so maybe that’s why?)
One of my favorite things this month is the return of gingerbread coffee (at TJs), running at the beach, and more knitting again.
Elisabeth
Ohh, I think you might love it? It’s “high brow” comedy, but delightfully accessible. I LOVE it.
My brows are light and overplucked; I only started using a brow pencil a few years ago but I actually feel like it does more for my eyes than mascara. If I wear nothing at all in terms of makeup, I almost always do a quick pass with the brow pencil!
Gingerbread coffee and beaches sound…perfect <3
Michelle G.
There are so many great things in this post, but my biggest takeaway is scrambled eggs in the microwave?! I will be trying that ASAP!
Elisabeth
I will share more details on Friday since a lot of people have been asking about this! I did it TWICE today.
Kyria @ Travel Spot
Elisabeth, if you love the heated steering wheel and the heated car seats, you must love the heated toilet seat! I know I am not supposed to covet, but when I grow up I would like one of those cool Japanese toilets with all the different sprays of water and air and heated seats that go up and down and a self flushing mechanism. To me that is the definition of rich. PS I have never had a car with heated seats or a steering wheel; I think it is pretty standard in newer cars here but my family has been known to never have new cars, so I am still used to rolling up windows manually and popping in a cassette tape for the ride…
Elisabeth
I have never been to Japan, but John always RAVED about their toilets when he used to travel there for work. Some of them play MUSIC!!!
We generally have had pretty basic vehicles but they ALL have heated seats. I’m wondering if it’s just more common in Canada?! Our last SUV had a cassette tape player. But we have had power windows and locks in all our cars and I DO NOT miss rolling down the windows with a crank, I will say that.
Kate
I just watched the first episode of Drive to Survive from your previous recommendation! Like you, I’d never think that it would be something I’d enjoy, but the storytelling and videography is highly entertaining. (I was equally surprised by the fact that my husband wasn’t that into it… he’s a car guy, so what’s not to love? Apparently he’s “never been that into Formula 1” … I thought all car races were created equal but apparently not!)
That’s so great that the Omega 3s have helped your eyes. Dry eye seems to be such a common problem; I’m tucking this recommendation away for future reference.
I never knew heated steering wheels existed, but can certainly see how helpful that would be in the frigid Canadian winters! My husband installed a remote start system into my car a few years ago as part of my Christmas gift, and it’s a gamechanger, whether to heat up or cool down the car. (You know you’re officially an adult when you’re genuinely excited about such a gift!)
Elisabeth
I will be curious what you think.
F1 is NOT popular in the US (though the events in Austin have made a big impact there). I just found the series SO compelling. I’m not sure why?
Remote starters are great (we don’t have one in either vehicle, but did in our previous vehicle). My mom used to start her car from her office window at work and it was incredible. The heated steering wheel is the. best.
Stephany
I use a brow pencil just like that – I think mine is from NYX. It makes it SO EASY to fill in my brows, which are blonde and basically non-existent if I don’t fill them in. I love it!
I used to do that egg trick when I worked in an office. It was a great way to have scrambled eggs without too much fuss!
I should look into Omega-3s. I’ve definitely been experiencing more dry eye than usual after LASIK – especially when I wake up. It’s gotten better, but it probably can’t hurt to add that to my repertoire!
Elisabeth
Omega 3s have made a BIG difference. And eye ointment (it’s sticky and looks a bit like Vaseline) before bed is also very helpful.
Anne
That’s fascinating about the Omega 3’s. I know they’re supposed to help but they do not help me! (I take a vegan version but the same principle should hold…)
Also, I loved the tag line on this post – everything from makeup to life choices. Something for everyone! 🙂