WEN- one month in

As promised, another update on my WEN experience.

I finished up my original supply of Conditioning Cleanser (12 oz.) and ordered the Pumpkin Ginger (16oz.) because it was on sale and I have been loving pumpkin everything this fall.  I was worried that I may start to smell like I lived in Yankee Candle but while the scent is noticeable, It isn't overwhelming (confirmed by Kris).

As I mentioned in another post, I felt like I needed some volume so I ordered the WEN Voluminizer hoping it was as amazing as the B&B on I used to use.  I was told that I could use it before drying or as a hairspray while styling.  I feel like it is a bit too heavy as a hairspray because it instantly makes my hair wet and then crunchy...not what I want.  I have been using the styling cream and then spritzing my roots with a bit of the voluminizer before drying and it works much better that way.  I am still using Victoria's Secret So Sexy hairspray as a finisher because it holds but my hair is still soft, not to mention the amazing scent!

close up of WEN hair

I'm sure you want to know if I will continue to use WEN, right?  There are some tricks to it that are just solved by trial and error.  The biggest thing is that you have to rinse, rinse, rinse! If you leave it in, your hair will feel greasy. Also, you have to stay ahead of the game and keep it on-hand because you can't just run to the store when you run out.

Since I started using it, I have been to the salon one time for a WAY overdue trim and highlight.  I was a bit worried because I saw a few posts online about people complaining that WEN stripped the color from their hair.  I have not had any issue whatsoever.

I can't say that I see a dramatic difference but I do feel like my hair is healthier and I love that it is soft yet full of body.  I don't think it's a miracle treatment but remember, my hair wasn't in terrible condition to start with. I haven't been stopped by anyone complimenting me so will I continue?  Yes. For all of the reasons above, I will stick with this for a bit.

a month (plus or minus) in on the WEN experiment

Please comment or email me if you have any questions I haven't answered yet.  I do not work for WEN or have any ties to their products.  I just wanted to see if it made a difference for me.

Sunday Driver

pineapple ....FYI Melissa, I hope to plant it soon!

It was supposed to be a busy weekend and it did start off that way.  We got some errands done and then celebrated the first birthday of a friend's daughter. After that, I walked away from my phone for almost 24 hours and drank a lot of coffee while enjoying and making use of the extra hour we got this weekend.

I was up early and turned on my DVR'd episode of Ringer.  Kris has half-heartedly been watching but I am in, hook, line & sinker.  At one point I had to pause to fill him in on a few things and as I excitedly explained who, why, and how, his eyes glazed over and I realized that explaining it this show to him was the equivalent of him explaining football to me.

Once we were caught up on Siobhan/ Bridget's ordeals, Kris made French Toast while I cleaned all of the veggies from the farm.  I hate letting things go to waste so I decided that we needed to get roasting!  It still amazes me that you can take a bitter, starchy root of a plant and make it edible.  Just by cooking process alone, you can transform something into a multitude of different things and that's what I did Sunday. 

Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes), whole & sliced w/ EVOO, S &P

We got sunchokes 2 weeks in a row from the farm so I took all of them and roasted them.  I did a little reading afterword and found that I could have used them raw in salad but this really brought out a wonderfully nutty flavor,  They get really soft and a bit sticky and chewy where the sugar is most concentrated but they are a nice way to break away from the standard potato. 

Jerusalem artichokes~after roasting

acorn squash before & after

Do I need to even tell you how amazing roasted squash is?  I do it differently each time and this time, I really wanted a little coriander to sprinkle on top but I apparently ran out so just EVOO, salt, pepper and a bit of brown sugar were used.

beets & turnips, before & after

If you don't know by now, beets are one of my very favorite root veggies.  They are pretty and they taste good so many ways. Anyone that has only had canned beets needs to try them roasted.  I promise, you will never look at beets the same way again! Just used the standard EVOO, Salt & pepper again.  Realized after that I had fresh thyme that I should have used.

beets & turnips ~after roasting

Roasting, cleaning, laundry and coffee drinking. Who knew I would turn down a sunny day out of the house for this? It has been a while since I got to have ME time and get things done at the same time.  We were all home but busy doing our own things and it felt good.


Giada has really started to play on her own un-prompted.  She goes from dancing and singing to racing cars around the living room and building 'houses' with her Legos in her room.  I could leave her uninterrupted for hours and she would find things to do and still manage to clean it all up before you got a chance to ask.

around the house

I got to be a 'Sunday Driver' in my own world this weekend and stopped to smell the roses a bit.  I can say all I want that you need to appreciate the small things but doing it is another.  My camera, my friends, family  and this blog help me to do that so to all that read this, I thank you and I hope you find time do do the same this week. Cheers.

around the house

October snow and Birthday #4

Every day is an adventure and this month has been full of them!  Nothing like a freak snowstorm to throw you into winter!

We had a very busy weekend planned.  Saturday was Giada's 4th Birthday but we have learned that having her birthday so close to Halloween means we have to juggle it with other celebrations.  At this age, she loves that it means lots of parties and I hope that she continues to love it as she grows older.

Saturday meant we had to pick up our CSA share but with the predicted storm, we knew we needed to get there early. Pick up included:

• lemongrass (woo-hoo!)
• Jerusalem artichokes 
• salad greens
• garlic
• swiss chard
• carrots
• acorn squash

On our trip back home we thought we'd swing by the grocery store to get Apple Cider and napkins.  What should have been a 5 min. run, in and out, turned into 40 min. easily.  Th place was packed and all abuzz with storm chatter.  By the time we left the flakes were staring to fall and stick.

birthday girl  feet at the start of the storm

misc. Birthday Girl pics....note the 4 fingers to indicate her age :) and the falling snow streaking through the shots

We had to leave for a Halloween Party as soon as we got home so Giada and I  headed over to the neighbor's where Halloween was in full swing!  Our neighbor remembered that it was her Birthday so she gathered all of the kids, turned off the lights and they all sang Happy Birthday to her.  When they went to turn the lights back on, we all discovered that the power was out!

Giada as Olivia the Pig

Giada being silly like Olivia the Pig

The power company predicted that the power would be back on by 8:45pm.  Unless we fired up the grill to boil water, Giada was not going to get the Ravioli Dinner she requested.  Thanks to Facebook and smartphones, we knew that a restaurant we like was open so we get in the truck and hit the road. It took a bit of time but we got there safely and enjoyed a yummy warm meal and Giada substituted her ravioli for flatbread pizza.  There was even someone at the next table celebrating her birthday so it mush have been the place to be that night!

our four-year-old at the 'olive restaurant'  for her birthday

We still didn't have power when we got home so we sang Happy Birthday to her again at her request.  I think that is her favorite part about her birthday because she absolutely glows when you sing it to her.  She says that it makes her feel happy. She opened her gifts from us with light from flashlights and then we all bundled into warmy-warms and lots of blankets since it was down to 57 deg. inside the house.

When we woke up it was sunny but we still had no power. We packed bags just in case we needed to shower somewhere else and went exploring.  No power, but very little damage that we could see in our neighborhood. As we left town we started to see what the storm had done elsewhere. With the extra weight of the snow on leaves, there were may trees that were missing limbs or had completely fallen. We ended up at my parent's house to shower, eat dinner and have an impromptu celebration for Giada and our power returned Monday morning. As of Wednesday, there are still people without power in the Northeast.  Fingers crossed that this isn't an indicator of what will come this season.

photo credit to my friend Jen on these Trick or Treating shots of the kids

Some of the neighboring towns rescheduled Trick-or-Treating but by us, it was on-schedule.  Our town is like none other when it comes to Halloween and living here has renewed my love of the holiday.  We got to share the festivities with good friends and their families and it was a reminder how blessed we are to have these people in our lives.

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."~Ferris Bueller