This week I shared styling tips for wavy hair, how I simplified my skin care, and today I want to wrap up Beauty Week with makeup. I thought we could look inside my makeup bag.

It’s a small collection because I do makeup the same way I do clothes: I have a few things that I love to use.

In my makeup bag:

1. Creamy Concealer by Bobbi Brown

2. Skin Foundation SPF 15 by Bobbi Brown

3. Old mascara wand for an eyebrow brush

4. Voluminous Mascara by Loreal – this is really great

5. Burt’s Bees lip gloss

6. Eye shadow by Urban Decay (color “Sin”) – it lasts all day. Urban Decay is known for eye shadow. (I avoid the glittery ones though.)

7. Cheek stain by Tarte – this is like a gel stick not a powder.

8. Lipstick by Bobbi Brown (Treatment Lip Shine SPF 15 in “Raspberry Pink”)

9. Tweezerman tweezers

See the comments for this post: Inside My Makeup Bag

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This month was hard. I have a built-in rest system where my brain turns into a ball of cotton fluff and I can no more put together a sentence, let alone a full blog post. So my plans for posts will have to wait.

When the introverted side of my personality becomes overwhelmed by social obligations resulting in my hiding in the bedroom under the covers after hosting a class party for forty kindergarteners complete with allergen-free snacks…

When taking a nap is the only cure for being worn out, both physically and emotionally, because the drama, I cannot take it any more, for the love…

When my ambitions and intentions are interrupted by car repairs (we’re a one-car family) and a flooding laundry room…

When my brain just wants to snack on pictures of animals wearing sweaters and past seasons of Burn Notice cued up on Netflix…

then rest is the only reasonable thing to do.

So I have been taking some time to distance myself from my computer and to-do list for long enough that the urgent things don’t feel quite so urgent, and I can get over myself in time for Christmas.

The bathroom renovation will not be finished in time for Christmas, nor will the backsplash, the entry light fixture, the bedroom, nor the office. The online work projects are paused. I was going to sew and hang all of our curtains. I took down the old curtains months ago, and our house has been curtain-less ever since. Sorry, neighbors. Maybe you’ll see us get new curtains next year because right now it’s the holidays.

Have a good Christmas, and I’ll be back to posting here at Small Notebook on Monday, Dec. 26 (assuming my brain comes back from its vacation.)

Thank you for reading here, and for being the most lovely readers that make writing this blog feel like a privilege instead of a job. And because I don’t want to keep a secret, the week between Christmas and New Year will be Beauty Week at Small Notebook for answering questions about skin care, hair, and makeup. (Organizing will wait until January, but there’s quite a bit of that too.) See you then!

See the comments for this post: Have a Good Christmas!

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Since we are talking about Christmas shopping, I thought I would mention the gift ideas for small kids in Small Notebook’s Amazon shop. It’s mostly a collection of stuff that I bought that I like and recommend, like these wood blocks from Melissa & Doug.

We have this play kitchen, and since it’s in our living room I’m glad  it’s wood and not bright colors. I bought it over three years ago, and it’s been played with for countless hours. I really like having something for the kids to play with in the living room, but that’s a topic for another post. It’s on sale right now at Amazon for about $80 which is a killer deal.

This baby doll from Gotz looks “real” but doesn’t have all the harmful phthalates found in most plastic toys and dolls. I don’t want to worry about off-gassing the toys my kids are going to cuddle up with.

Find more ideas and recommendations at the shop.

I do very little product promotion at Small Notebook, but I realize that sometimes it’s nice to hear a gift suggestion or product recommendation. That’s what the shop is for. Another benefit is when you click over to Amazon from Small Notebook, I receive a percentage of the purchase price on anything you buy.

So if you’re going to be shopping on Amazon anyway, be sure to start by clicking on one of the links here. Like the one on the sidebar or this one:

Allright? Thanks!

(Don’t have small kids? There are also recommendations for kitchen, organization, baby gear, and other stuff I like.)

See the comments for this post: Gift Recommendations for Small Kids

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Have you listened to the Simple Mom podcast? It was my pleasure to be the guest on the latest show.

It’s hosted by Tsh from SimpleMom.net. Tsh and I are friends, but we’ve both had whirlwind years, and we haven’t had much chance to sit down and catch up. This podcast is a personal talk between friends about what’s going on in our lives, and we want you to be the third person at our table.

We’ll be talking about our common interests: living overseas, adjusting to cross-cultural lifestyles and surprises, small-space living, blogging, home renovation, and clothes.

Don’t miss:

• The story behind my random short-term move to Italy. (6:20)
• We confess about our junk. Can you imagine leaving the country all of a sudden and your friends have to pack up your junk drawers for you? That happened to Tsh. (17:00)
• This summer felt crazy to me, and it was hard to put it into words on the blog, so we talk about it some here. (24:00)
• Why I chose the ugly-duckling house, and our kitchen design plans. (26:50)
• The decorating tip I learned from a reader’s comment that I’m applying in my new house. (31:15)
• Tsh said my house used to look like an old fast-food restaurant. Oh yes she did. Find out which restaurant. (43:15)
• We talk about clothes and developing a personal style. (44:15)
• Do you think I should join Twitter or Facebook? (51:00)

At the end of every podcast Tsh asks the same ten questions, and one is, “Name a historical figure you admire.” For some reason I could only think of one person.

And I knew it wasn’t the right answer to give, but I just couldn’t stop thinking of her, and then I finally came up with a random Founding Father. So when you hear a long, awkward pause at (1:02:15) that’s why. I really love Claire Huxtable.

Thanks for hosting, Tsh!

See the comments for this post: Join Me at the Simple Mom Podcast

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Today I’m pleased to show you Part 1 of the new changes I’ve been working on behind the scenes: a group of links called Real Solutions on the side of the page. (Click through to see it on the sidebar if you’re reading this in your email or RSS reader.)

I want Small Notebook to be a resource of tips, inspiration, and encouragement to make life at home a little easier for you. One of my goals this year is to make it a little easier to find these tips as the site continues to grow. (There are three years worth of articles in here!)

If you’re looking for something specific, each link takes you to the articles written for that topic.

Are you dealing with piles of paper? I’ve written all about that as I’ve worked through my own paper piles.

Trying to work out your storage space? Me too as I’ve lived in so many apartments. I try to tackle it by getting rid of the excess and then organizing what’s left. And I’ll even show you my Monica’s closet and the time I cleaned it out.

Laundry? It doesn’t have to be bad.

(A disclosure on this picture — the chicken turned out to be kind of tough to eat, but it sure did make a pretty picture.)

If you’re looking for specific help on photos, mornings, routines, budgets, cleaning, or any of the 15 topics, these links will help you find what you’re looking for.

See the comments for this post: Real Solutions – New!

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I just realized that it’s been three years since I started writing here at Small Notebook.

3 years.

This blog has seen 3 apartments, a new kid, a few good makeovers, confessions, and good laughs. And even including the times when I totally broke my blog trying to do some upgrade or whatever, I’ve had a really good time.

I was looking through old posts, and oh my goodness did we talk about a lot this past year. Do you remember these?

A Guide to Imperfect, But Clean, Laundry

Make Home a Haven With Personal Filters

Simplify Your Stuff: Choose the Classics

How I Broke a 30-Year Caffeine and Soda Addiction

How an Ugly Couch Made My Marriage Better

and we organized our undies too: Too Many Spares? Simplify Your Pairs

It’s been great to have you here to talk with because I really do believe that we’re changing lives one laundry load at a time. Without you this blog would be meaningless, and to thank you for three good years, I want to offer 6 copies of my ebook Simple Blogging.

I wrote Simple Blogging last year to answer the question I hear so often: “I love blogging, but how do I manage the time that it takes?” It’s a solution for the nights when you think you need to stay up ’til 2 a.m. and how to deal with guilt from all those unanswered emails.

With blogging I’ve learned two critical lessons: (1) not to place too much importance on what other people say about me, whether it be praise or criticism, and (2) blogging can take a ton of time, if you let it. Everything I’ve learned so far about how to write a helpful, relevant blog in a minimum amount of free time is included in the 17 chapters of Simple Blogging. It also features advice from the smart women who are behind these well-known blogs: Nesting Place, The Happiness Project, Simple Mom, Inspired to Action, Owlhaven, Made by Rae, and Life…Your Way.

You can even read the first chapter for free.

This blog is brought to you by an old Italian wall socket, an adapter to change the small Italian pins to the slightly bigger European size, an adapter to switch the European pins to a North American outlet, a MacBook power adapter, and one yellow flowery couch.

Congratulations to Cate, Rana, Jackie, Julianna, Heidi, and Sheri for winning a copy of Simple Blogging, and thanks to all of you who commented on this post with such encouragement. I appreciate you so much!

See the comments for this post: Small Notebook’s 3 Year Anniversary (and Giveaway of Simple Blogging)

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How long did it take you after college to stop thinking about life in terms of semesters? I think it took me a couple of years, but the transition was rushed by having to negotiate with coworkers who could get vacation the week between Christmas and New Years instead of receiving it automatically during the school break.

This past week has felt a little like my freshman year of college. That year my dorm room was decorated with twinkle lights. Studying late at night for finals until mid-December. My soundtrack was U2′s Joshua Tree on repeat, but now I’m listening to a finely-tuned Pandora station.

Everything had to be finished by the week of finals, and then I packed my clothes and things into a couple of suitcases and traveled home. Except that it was half-home, because I was in the middle of settling into a new life somewhere else.

Next month right after the holidays, I’ll pack our clothes and things into a couple of suitcases and move the rest to a storage unit until we find somewhere new to settle. We’ll stay with family for a couple of weeks, and then make a short-term move to Florence for a couple of months, and then who knows where?

This December so far is filled with a happy amount of gift-giving, lights, Bible reading, and Christmas parties, but there’s also been a reckoning: I’ve had to deal with all my unfinished stuff before my self-imposed mid-December deadline, which is why late last night I worked on the filing (something which I haven’t had time to do all year). Because I’m sure not taking the filing with me.

Yes, this month has been partly about finishing projects that get pushed down the list when I’m busy working on bigger plans and daily life. Dentist appointment, new glasses, car maintenance, and filing. Deferred projects mingled with holiday lights and family outings, but there’s a hope of starting something new soon, like a brand new semester.

There’s something really satisfying about combining January tasks with December parties.

And so I look at the Christmas tree and think about how this will be the last time we decorate this apartment and this fireplace for the holidays, and how I won’t even have a true forwarding address. But I don’t care; I’m feeling bold, and that is nothing like my freshman year of college.

See the comments for this post: December Reckoning

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My Grandma turns 92 this weekend. She is lovely. Her house has looked the same for as long as I can remember. While I was younger I probably would have thought it should be updated, but now I love the consistency. Kitchens should always have red.

I want to share a few fun links with you this weekend:

Catalog Living – receiving too many catalogs? Laugh about them.

Indexed - always love pen on paper.

Sesame Street podcasts – my kids love these short (about five minutes) Sesame Street episodes.

I’ve really tried hard to limit the amount of promotions that I share at Small Notebook. I want this space to be a haven where it’s not about the stuff. This season I’ve declined doing features of products because honestly I feel like you’re probably getting enough of that already.

I did want to mention, though, if you’re going to be shopping on Amazon.com anyway, that the things you buy at Amazon can support this site. All you do is first come to Small Notebook and then click a link over to Amazon like this one or the button on the sidebar before you buy something. It’s a really easy way to give back, and I greatly appreciate those of you who have supported us this way this past year. Thank you.

See the comments for this post: Good Reads – the 92nd Year

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Photo by Robb North

So many thanks for your response and enthusiasm for my Simple Blogging ebook! What can I say about that? Words seem too short.

Today I give you some of my favorite lines written by talented women around the blogosphere for your weekend reading enjoyment:

“Whenever I think I have to have something or that I’ve found a deal I can’t pass up, I remind myself that there with always be something else. Something newer and shinier. The newest best things today are tomorrow’s Goodwill donations. Target will always have a clearance rack, Goodwill will always have $5 jeans, yard sales will always have household stuff for $1, and there will always be catalogs with nice things in them making what I have now look like old news.” – Emily, Remodeling This Life

“I finally watched Food, Inc. last month. I had been putting it off because I absolutely knew it was one of those things – sorta like The Mafia, I suppose – that once you are in, you know too much to ever get out. And I was right. It forever altered the way I view what I feed my family.” – Megan, Sorta Crunchy

“If you gave up soda two years ago, don’t kid yourself that organic, caffeine free cola will make you feel good. It’s still full of organic sugar.” (Life Lessons Learned on Vacation) – Jamie, Steady Mom

“I do like for a house to feel like home. I like personality and order and fun and function – and more than anything I like warm and welcoming.” – BooMama

“So this “Saving Money Thing”? It’s sort of fun…Ok…It’s really fun…I’m all of sudden recognizing that I have enough stuff as it is.” (Week 1 of No Spend Month) – Jenna, Living The Life

“One day I was studying in the law library when I heard a fellow student a few rows back notice with a laugh that the pockets in her winter coat were functional. All she needed was a pair of scissors to snip the threads, but where would she find scissors? The male voice next to her said, without skipping a beat, “Go find Jules. I guarantee she has a pair.” I did, right next to my hole puncher and retractable ruler.” – Jules, Pancakes and French Fries

See the comments for this post: Good Reads: Favorite Lines Edition

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Doug’s birthday is today, and it’s a significant one that ends in a zero. We’re celebrating by spending the day in Fort Worth where we used to go out on dates before we got married.

No matter what year it is, I always think of him as 35. (Even when he was 33.)

Good reads for your holiday weekend:

Quest for the Perfect Chocolate Chip cookie — Did you know that for the best cookies, refrigerate the dough for 36 hours before baking? Food science at its best. (via Tartlette)

Honey Harvest — Like Mother, Like Daughter

Why Every Mom Needs A Bouncer (Or How To Know When To Say No) — Inspired to Action

When Homemaking Gets In The Way of Mothering — Passionate Homemaking

3 Ways that Spending Time Actually Makes Time –WellGrounded Life
Lisa Byrne writes about balance and wellness at WellGrounded Life, and I follow her blog regularly. (I even chatted with her when I was getting over my caffeine and soda addiction.) She developed a brand new online course called Designed for Wellness, and you can find more resources on her blog.

See the comments for this post: Good Reads – Happy Birthday Doug!

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