Here's a nice quote to get us back to reality and rolling:

Returning from a back country trip, I vow to purchase nothing that I don't really need, give away everything that is excess, refuse all chores that don't arise from central concerns. The simplicity I seek is not the enforced austerity of the poor. I seek instead the richness of a gathered and deliberate life, which comes from letting one's belongings and commitments be few in number and high in quality. Scott Russell Sanders

Wow, couldn't have said it better myself :)

You will pleased to hear that last night I took my sister upstairs and I pawed through my cosmetics drawer and let her try all the lipsticks that make me look like a little old lady. I thought maybe on her they would be lovely and perfect. It's true, a lipstick on me can look a bright electric old lady orange and the same lipstick on her can look an entirely different shade, usually muted and soft and youthful. How does that work? She turned them all down.

So, my next dilemma was, Do I put these in the Goodwill sack, or do I put them in the sack lining the bathroom trash can? You know, they are all freebies that come with your little free satchel of goodies when you buy something at the cosmetic counter in the department store. I have many freebie eye shadow palettes that are virtually untouched. But you never know when I'll get invited to meet the Pope. What I like out of those kits? Face creams and mascaras. I don't use just one cream, I use whatever the spirit moves me to use. Today it's this, tomorrow it's that. We just go 'round in circles until they're all used up.

So, I think the Dead Sea eye serum and cream is making my eye skin WORSE. I should take it back and declare, FRAUD! Not to mention the girl said the eye serum came out just 6 months ago, she insisted, when I knew full well I had a half bottle of it at home that I bought a good three years ago. FRAUD!!!

So, you will be further pleased that I chucked all my old lady lipsticks into the sack lining the bathroom trash can. That's right, it's 2010 and things must take a different turn this year. I also threw out a half used tiny tub of concealer. You know how they say 30 dips in a jar and your cream is now throbbing in motion, courtesy of bacteria. Gross. Then I went wild and threw out two bottles of Cover Girl make-up, half used. It was getting nasty and I had bought one get one free, two different shades which I mixed. Talk about too much trouble and not in the spirit of above quote. Well, it wasn't that much trouble, but it was old and dry and puffy, not silky. Gross.

I now want to throw out more because my junk cosmetics drawer is looking like it can breathe again. I have this old moss hair serum, it's perfectly disgusting and I can't believe I let anyone talk me into buying it. It's thick liquid (liquid moss, nice) and green and does NOTHING for your hair except petrify it into a stiff sticky hideous mess. Wearing a gray/green curly Spanish moss wig straight off the tree would be a superior option. The fancy salon has a full return policy, if you don't like it, return for a refund. I wonder if that counts if you bought the junk 4 years ago. Guess I could find out.

As you can plainly see, I, of all people, need the quote above in the worst way. I did not take down my tree today. Now that will be tomorrow's little MUST DO. Right now I MUST DO something else, start my 2010 calendar, because if I don't transfer all my little notes, dates, appointments, I am going to be missing out on some things and that won't be pretty.

Can't wait to use up all the rest of the stupid cosmetics. I think I'll put my old eye creams on my legs tonight, see what happens then. There was that lady who became simple . . . you know what I mean. She courageously cleaned out her bathroom and dumped all her expensive cosmetics, even the ones pure and nice. She said it hurt but in the end she was happy to do it, and besides, since then her skin has never looked better with nothing more than soap and water and maybe a tad of moisturizer. Now, there's common sense if I ever heard it.

No more old lady lipstick . . . EVER!
KEM