ZZ MuffinTop

Last week, I decided that my hubby and I were not going to sit around all weekend watching Law & Order: SVU or going to dinner and then grocery shopping...WE WERE GOING TO GO SOMEWHERE AND DO SOMETHING DAMNIT!!!!! So, first things first...I needed to find the "what" that we were going to do. I didn't want it to be something boring that could be done any weekend. I wanted it to be something fun that we could make a real memory out of. We are fortunate enough to be stationed near a major city. That city being Nashville! So, I figured, big cities always have SOMETHING going on from music to museums or street fairs. Therefore, I started by looking at tourism websites for Nashville, which is a great place to start! Even for the city that you live in! What local could keep better records of a wide array of upcoming events better than people salivating over tourist dollars??? Certainly not me! I HIGHLY recommend checking out your city's tourism calendar! So, after some minor e-search, the first thing I thought of was the King Tut exhibit at the Tennessee State Museum, but we'd discussed this before and I wanted it to be a genuine surprise. I thought a concert might be more fun and I found out that ZZ Top (one of my hubby's favorite bands) was coming on Sunday! So, i bought the cheap lawn seats and started looking for somewhere wonderful to eat near the amphitheater. My first stop for great, peer-reviewed restaurants in my area or wherever I'm going is UrbanSpoon.Com! I LOVE this website for finding great genre-specific restaurants! I landed on Barbecue after watching too many episodes of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and discovered that the number one rated barbecue place had a location just ten minutes from the concert! I decided that I was going to make it a surprise, but anyone who knows me knows that I CANNOT keep a present a secret! I get too excited! Especially when I know that someone is going to like what I bought for them! So, when I broke down and told Mike where we were going, he was really excited. In fact, we were both really excited...UNTIL it started to pour that afternoon about an hour before we were supposed to leave. I went upstairs to take a shower, which by this time of the year has become a complete sauna even with the air on. I had two choices...crimpy, mousse-induced cholla hair or try to blowdry my hair...decisions, decisions. I had just done the lazy cholla look the day before and I made the mistake of choosing to TRY to look nice (you know, i'm trying to be LESS frumpy). Well, the joke's on me. It stopped raining and the sun came back out and the humidity jumped to 10000000000%. I WAS MISERABLE. I just got out of the shower and I was already sweating. Is anything grosser than sweating directly out of the shower??? I finally gave up and put it in a pony tail. I put on a black tank, some shorts and my lace-up vans. We got in the car to leave and realized we forgot the blanket we had set out to take with us. Leaving only the HARRY POTTER blanket in the car...Picture, if you will, a HARRY POTTER BLANKET at a ZZ Top concert...We laughed about it and moved on. I put my make-up on in the car after being blasted by the ICE COLD air for ten minutes and arrived at the barbecue place around 4pm. The concert started at 7pm which gave us PLENTY of time. The food was delicious! Seriously amazing barbecue! The restaurant was called Jack's Bar-B-Que. Their brisket was tender and smoky and served on a home-made bun. I chose the Kansas City sauce which is a sweeter, thick sauce over the Tennessee sauce which has more of a vinegar base and tastes a lot like Arby's Sauce, which I like but not on smoky brisket. I thought we'd hang out and drink sweet tea and sit in their cool air for a while, but my husband thought we'd go over early. We arrive in another 15 mins, park and walk over to the entry way to the gate ( a 10 minute walk from our car because my husband illegally parked in their restaurant's parking lot) and they inform us that the gate won't be opening for admission for over an hour. It was HOT outside and really muggy and we were there early because he insisted that we leave and so we naturally got into an argument. I walked away for about 5 minutes and then ask if he's ready to be nice. We walk BACK to the car and sit in the air conditioner for another 30 minutes because this is our last chance to be cool. We walk back with the resolve that we're not going to fight and that we will have a good time. We walk in, buy a water and set up camp on our Harry Potter blanket. Let me tell you, i got a FEW looks for that haha

Before the concert, the people watching was incredible. The very epitome of trash and class all commonplace in this amphitheater. From the bourgeoisie of Nashville in their best Brighton merchandise to the hicks missing teeth in their shredded jeans and boots with their sleeves freshly cut off. They came out of the woodwork for this concert. Here I sit, miserable in this humidity but the natives are smoking with one hand and drinking beer all while holding on furious conversations with friends about the music they love and the bands that they've seen over the years. What seemed to transcend the class system, was the easy way they just hung out with each other. There's an easy confidence about ones self in the South, from what I've seen. There's no stress about the heat or a little moisture on your forehead. There's no need to rush or trample each other. All the amenities of a big city with the leisurely feel of a small town. It's inexplicable but you can feel it. I really admire these people...most of them anyway. ;) So, in honor of the South, next time you're at a concert, pass the flask and get to know someone!

The concert started at 7 with The Cadillac Black. They embody the Southern rock of Lynyrd Skynyrd and there's something "Almost Famous"/Classic Rock about them and a Black Crowes cool. I'm not going to lie...their music was HOT and so were they haha (I actually liked them better than ZZ Top).  Here is a link to their music. You can listen to them on the upper right hand side. http://www.reverbnation.com/thecadillacblack
or their website at:
http://thecadillacblack.com/fr_home.cfm
They put on a hell of a show and I really enjoyed their music.

ZZ Top came on just as the sun went down to a mass of screaming drunks. In the beginning they played newer songs that even Mike didn't know (so there was no hope for me to know them). I understand that this is commonplace for old bands like this so I wasn't surprised. After a few songs, they began to talk about their old friend who wasn't with us anymore and who was responsible for plucking them up out of local shows and took them on tour with him. This person happened to be Hendrix. I had never hear this before so I thought it was interesting. After their story, they played "Hey Joe" which turned out to be the only song I knew the whole night! We decided to take off early because we saw the maze of cars parked in the field and how every person there went back and forth from the bar several times. As we were walking out, they played "Gimme All Your Lovin" and "Sharp Dressed Man"...go figure! We both had a good time, all in all. I'd suggest seeing them unless you have a problem with drinking, support for marijuana usage, second hand high and old bikers. haha

I'm due for a new at-home pedi, so I'll post pics of that soon! Also, I have a new product review coming along with a craft I used for my Father's Day cards! :)

Life in the South ;)

A few days ago, I finished the first book of The Hunger Games and I must say that I was very pleasantly surprised. I am not normally a person that enjoys books involving a post-apocolyptic world or dystopian societies, but I liked this book. Like I said before, it's very Fahrenheit 451 meets Anthem meets City of Ember. I found myself relating to the main character and her interactions with the other characters. I think anytime an author is able to accurately capture "the human condition" that they find an audience. While the main character is callous because of the harshness of her reality (living on meager amounts of food, the terror of the hunger games and the oppression of a controlling government) she also finds joy in the little things in life like venturing into the woods to catch/hunt food for her family, interacting with her younger sister and the other people in her district. She is a character with depth and conflict like any good protagonist. She knows her place in society, expects very little and trusts very few. When her fellow competitor from District 12 is chosen, she is surprised to find that it is a boy who risked a lot to help her in a time of need. This confuses Katniss  and she must re-analyze her view of the games and her strategy as their relationship changes over time. The worst part is that only one person survives the hunger games so any ally will eventually become an enemy if she wants to return home to her family. I found the novel to be riveting. I literally could not put it down. In fact, the last night I was so determined to finish it that I was still reading as the sun came up. Needless to say, I recommend the novel as it was recommended to me. I'm currently reading the second novel in the trilogy, Catching Fire and will be reviewing it after I finish.

So, I recently went to the dentist to have a check-up. Selecting a new dentist is somewhat of a daunting task as the reviews vary for each dentist my provider will cover and frankly, I'm not excited to go at all because of past experiences. I realize now that it's a crapshoot choosing a dentist and was even more of a crapshoot when my mother did it because online reviews were rare and she is technologically illiterate, but the dentist she chose makes my skin crawl. First off, he's weird. Telling stupid jokes that seem somewhat like come-ons. Only showing up when the "real work" needs to be done and allowing his hygienists from hell to man-handle my gums and teeth during my at least hour long cleaning with a powerwasher and a fish hook. During the rape of my teeth, I'm treated to their stories about their families and being scolded for not routinely flossing (I mean, let's be honest...most people don't floss at all...and ALL of us hate it). They try to carry on a conversation with me while they have their fingers in my mouth. Then, after sand blasting all the enamel off my teeth and shoving the envelope size x-ray trays in my teeth, inform me that the Dr. will be in soon. Here he comes, my dentist who is shaped rather jollily like Santa Claus but has the face of a serial rapist. He leans over to stick that hook as forcefully as he can into the crevices of my teeth to make them "stick" all while suffocating me with his man teets after which informs me that I have six cavities and that I'll have to come back on more than one occasion to get them filled. On the following appointments, he shoves his hands as deeply into my mouth as he can reach. On a side note, does anyone else feel like they couldn't possible open wide enough during their appointment? Or that their tongue has suddenly become 100x its normal size??????? I mean, is there a good place to put it while TWO people's hands are in your mouth????? To get to the point, after seeing this man repeatedly for about ten years, I had a little anxiety about selecting a new dentist. Luckily, I picked a dentist who was very nice and who is thin enough not to block my breathing with his bulging belly. Feeling guilty that I hadn't been to the dentist in 2 years, I naturally thought I had at least 6 cavities. To my surprise, I had none but did need a replacement for an old cavity which only took about 30 mins to complete. I feel like I got off really easy...Anyone in Clarksville using Tricare Concordia, I would definitely recommend Dr. Bailey and I'll provide contact info for anyone interested.


I've come to the conclusion that I've "let myself go." Yes, I do housework but I don't take time to exercise. Yes, i wash my hair but I don't do it. Yes, I moisturize and use a toner on my face but I don't wear make-up....like ever. Yes, i shave my legs sometimes but I don't put lotion on my skin or exfoliate. I keep my pedicure from the salon for WAY TOO LONG.  I throw on the same outfits and pin my bangs back. What I'm getting at is that I feel and look frumpy and what I've decided is to take control of my life by organizing my clothes into outfits with actual accessories and shoes rather than my staple black favorite tee, jeans and black Reefs with just my wedding ring and maybe some earrings. I will be trying different cosmetics, tools, lotions, cleansers, etc and listing reviews on here. To start things off, I did an at-home pedicure. I love going to the nail salon just like anyone, but after getting the callus remover and being talked into a design along with tipping properly, it gets REALLY expensive. If I could, I would cut out the callus remover, but I literally CAN'T. My heels are EMBARRASSING. I've tried vaseline in socks at night and different creams, but this is what worked for me. Here is a step by step of what I did!

1. After removing any polish, I start a shower. In the shower, while my conditioner is setting, I sit down an begin by using a callus scrubber/remover by Trim that I got at Walmart for around $2. I put shampoo on it so it scrubs easily. I always have extra shampoo so this is a great way to use that up. Plus, after I've been in the shower for a little bit, it's almost like the soak they have at the salon. If you want to go even further and save a little water, plug the tub while you're shampooing to soak your feet! I scrub each side of my feet, the heel and the toe areas for about 20-30 seconds depending on how scratch my feet are. After I'm finished using it, the metal part pops off and I can clean it out.  Here is a photo of the Trim Callus Scrubber.

2. After removing the calluses, I need to polish my feet smooth. I recently purchased a callus scrubber/brush by Sally Hansen called Soften Your Step for $5 at Walmart. Moving in a circular motion, I scrub the same areas for the same amount of time. You'll notice a difference right away after this. Remember not to scrub too hard or you'll take too much off and be in pain. I've been guilty of this before. After you're finished, you can scrub with the bristle side to remove any remaining callus skin. Here is a picture of the Sally Hansen Soften Your Step:

3. After I get out of the shower, I dry my feet and head down to a place where I can easily reach my feet like from a chair or on the sofa where I can put my feet up on the coffee table. I clip my nails first and make sure that I can see a little bit of toe above the nail. For me, that indicates the perfect length. After cutting them, I file the edges smoothly and evenly with my KISS nail file and smoother that I get from Walgreens for $1.70. After filing, I rub the smoother over every nail on as much of the surface as I can. I feel the nails to make sure they are completely smooth from surface to tip. Here is a picture of the nail file that I use:

4. After filing and smoothing the nails, I use rubbing alcohol on cotton to clean my nails off. I like to use the cotton in circle pads because I can use it both for my face toner and for doing my nails. Adding this step removes the dust from filing and will prevent any bubbles from forming on the nail polish.

5. After the alcohol dries, I put one layer of Sally Hansen's Double Duty Base & Top Coat that I get from Walmart for about $3. Then I wait 5 minutes for it to dry. I know it's tempting to go right ahead with it, but the layering of wet onto a semi-wet surface causes those bubbles that SCREAM at-home pedicure. To apply the base/top coat and polish, i start with a healthy swipe in the middle and move out to the edges brushing vertically on every toe. Here is a picture of the Sally Hansen's Double Duty Base & Top Coat:

6. After waiting 5 minutes, add the first layer of the colored polish of your choice. If it looks sheer, WAIT!!! We are going to add another layer after this one dries!!!!!!

7. After another 5 minutes, add another layer or polish. 

8. After yet another 5 minutes, add your top coat. 

9. Use a tightly bound Q-Tip or folded piece of cotton to remove any excess polish and you're done!!!! 

So for less than $20, you have a WONDERFUL at-home pedicure!!!! I'll post pictures of my at-home pedi soon!

Did this work for you?  What products do you use that you recommend to others? What is your favorite brand and color of polish? How do you replicate that salon/spa experience at home?