Making time to read is hard.

I went to get a pedicure yesterday. The day before, I'd gone to the library in hopes of finding something on my TBR list because I've not been reading at all this month. I do this thing when I'm stressed out...I don't read.

I don't read to relax; I have to already be relaxed in order to want to sit around reading. It's a weird quirk.

Then I thought, Hey, I'm going to get a pedicure, so I'll take one of the books I managed to find at the library (the "new" fiction section had some of the same books it held in the summer of 2015...if you need a point of reference concerning this library).

I mean, people sit there and stare at their phones and at magazines..why not a book? Do you do this? It seemed like a productive use of time and all.

Also, many thoughts on the book Tempting Fate by Jane Green.

Stuff and Things 7/24

I started watching The Vampire Diaries.  It's so bad it's….bad.  I just can't get into it, but I keep watching because I need to have some kind of background noise on while I paint and sort and redecorate.  I feel bad for Scott…while we were working on things over the weekend, we made it through 10 or so episodes.  He'd stop every so often, watch the screen, and ask, "What is….oh, never mind" and go back to work.

Along the same lines:  What show should I be watching?  Please help.  I'm bored.

Months ago, when our friend Rachel was staying with us in Missouri, she introduced me to this popcorn.  Since then, I've gone through at least 1 bag a week.  It doesn't help that we don't have a microwave, so I can't even make all the regular popcorn that's hanging out in the cupboard.  I just keep buying bag after bag of pre-popped popcorn.

Hey, Popcorn Indiana, if you'd like someone to test and/or sell your products, please let me know.

Progress is being made in the unicorn room.  Here's what it looked like when we moved in…

One closet, two doors.

What nightmares are made of… (Sorry, that was mean)

Answer:  All hand-painted

Question:  Wha…?

I mean, at least it won't look any worse.

Nope, no "after pictures" yet.  Still chugging away…

I found a nail salon.  For weeks, I've looked up reviews for pedicures around the area and the only place I could find with good reviews was $50 for a pedicure.  That's kind of a lot.  Well, not kind of.  It IS a lot.  And I didn't want to pay $25-35 for a bad experience.  I had one of those bad experiences back in May-ish in St. Robert (Spa Nails…I got a gift certificate for the place at school and it was *quite* ghettoish and they weren't gentle on the feet.)
When we were eating at Pho and Grill on Saturday night, I noticed a nail place right next door.

Envy Nails and Spa on the left, Pho and Grill on the right.  

I'm a sucker for convenience and, for me, knowing how to get to the place is half the battle.  Plus it said Walk-ins Welcome.  I also hate making appointments, so I randomly showed up at 1pm on Tuesday.  I got right in!  It was clean, they had a huge selection of all the great nail polish brands, and it was surprisingly crowded for the time of day.

$25 for a basic pedicure and I added the callous removing option because, well, I needed it.  So $30 plus tip and I was there for over an hour and they were working on me the whole time.  I didn't have to sit around and wait at all.  I'm pretty thrilled that I found a nail place, even though I only go a couple of times a year. Envy Nails and Spa.  I recommend it.

How often do you get pedicures?

Walking through the slush in flip-flops.  Just another day in Alaska.

I had my first pedicure (ever) on vacation last December.  I know...that's weird, right?
(Oh, and I apologize in advance for the toe pictures.  You were probably expecting dessert?)

December 2012

Growing up, I could not stand to have my toes touched and hated cutting my nails and painting them.  Years of playing soccer was not kind to my toes either.  My right big toenail has been ripped apart a lot, actually.  While I always loved summer, my least favorite part of warm weather was having to deal with my toenails.  I never went to get a pedicure, simply because I assumed no one would want to mess with my messed-up nails.

However, after I saw how good my toes could look, I wanted to keep this thing going.  I went to Nail Dazzle over the weekend to get them done in preparation for sandal-weather. My strategy was: Is the place nearby?  Is it clean?  Okay, then, done.

Hey, it is almost 40 degrees this week.  So, why not?

Do I think the nice lady liked glueing my toenail together before she painted it?  Probably not.  But I'm willing to pay money to have someone else paint my toenails.  I'm really, really bad at it.  Painting my toenails actually causes me stress because I want them to look nice. I really do. I'm just not patient enough (or willing to to drop a lot of money) to take care of them.  I think an every-other-month pedicure during the warm half of the year might be my solution.

How often do you get pedicures?  How much do you pay?  How long do they usually last?