Using Regular Nail Polish with an LED gel nail kit

Well, I've finally done it. And what a victory it is!

Months and months of attempts and failures and awful-looking manicures, all for the sake of testing to find a viable solution. I blame frugality. The reality actually is I cannot (and will not be allowed to!) purchase a rainbow of gel nail colors for my LED gel nail kit, when I already own 100 regular-formula laquers.


Background
I bought the Mally 24/7 Professional Gel Nail Polish System off of QVC in June or July 2013. It seemed like a wonderful option to have great looking nails, but not have to wait for the drying time. This kit provided that for me, plus the long-term wearability I was looking for.

Prior to making my purchase, I had googled and done some research about being able to use regular polish with a gel nail kit. Previous testers online claimed it was possible. I was sold.

The kit itself (functioning only with the items provided) works great. I have no issues whatsoever with the application or the wear. In general, I find the Gel removal process to be very tedious and somewhat damaging to the nails, though. I use the tinfoil wrap method using acetone polish remover, which in itself works...but is cumbersome and, let's face it, annoying.


The Goals
After playing with the kit colors over a few weeks, I decided to attempt using my own regular-formula polish.

Ultimately, what I want from my Regular/LED polish manicure is the best of both worlds:
1. Shiny, hard top-coat, cured with the LED light.
2. Fast drying. I am AWFUL at sitting around waiting for my nails to dry, and even when I think they're dry, I somehow always end up with smudges or knicks.
3. Long-wearing. I'll be happy if I can get a week out of my nails without any chips. Gel manicures are known to last 10-14 days (and I've experienced this!), but honestly, I end up wanting to change my color before I even reach that point. However, having them look great until I want to change is ideal.
4. Quick and relatively painless removal process, if at all possible.
5. And finally, the ability to use my stash of already-accumulated regular-formula polishes so I don't have to re-buy colors I already love, but in their gel format.


The Experiments
Over the past months, I've experimented with various methods of layering. I've found them all to be sub-par, for various reasons.

Methods that I've tried that did NOT work for me:

1. The typical "gelly" sandwich.

Google it for specific details, but it basically involves 'sandwiching' a regular-formula polish in between the layers of gel base coat and top coat. The trick with this is letting each layer of regular-formula polish COMPLETELY dry between each coat.

The result: The gel base coat is sticky, so putting a regular-formula polish directly on top of it meant streaky and un-uniform results. Even with multiple layers, it was tricky to get it to look even. Additionally, my impatience got the best of me, and I know I didn't let each layer dry thoroughly enough. Ultimately, this led to poor wear and tear and some immediate wrinkling effects when I put the LED top coat on and cured it.

My thoughts: This method might work for someone who has the time/patience to let the regular polish dry between layers. But still, you have to work with the sticky base coat/streaky application issue. I'd pass.

2. LED gel base coat, no color, LED gel top coat.

Apply and cure both the base coat and top coat as the directions suggest. You're not putting on a color at all. In the end, you put your regular-formula colored polish on top of the cured LED gel top coat. Let it dry completely. End it all with another coat of the LED gel top coat.

The result: I found this method to be a bit better than the gelly sandwich. You're working with painting the regular-formula polish on a smooth and non-sticky surface (the cured LED top coat) which makes your results better, but again, you have to play the waiting game of drying time, which is my weakness. If you have no patience, you're going to end up with wrinkles! Additionally, my best friend mentioned that it's sort of wasteful to be using the LED gel top coat twice...especially given how pricey some of those specialty polishes can be!

My thoughts: Again, if I had the patience to let the polish completely dry, this method could work. But alas, I need a fast-dry solution. Also, when it comes to removal, you have to remove 3 layers of gel, which is a big negative for me.

There were a number of other methods / combinations that I attempted, all to less than superior results. I found my main (personal?) issue was waiting for that regular-formula polish to dry. I've read online that some people would do the manicure in two phases, for example, Phase 1: LED gel base coat, regular polish, and let dry completely overnight. Phase 2: Apply LED gel top coat and cure. OK, fine. That could work, but who has time for that?! Not me.


The Method that DID work
I came up with this method as I was getting annoyed with having to remove layers upon layers of Gel polish. That stuff is hardcore and durable, but just as hardcore to remove!

My supplies, listed in order below.

The supplies:
1. REGULAR clear base coat (any brand should work)
2. REGULAR-formula polish (any brand, whatever color you want your manicure to be)
3. REGULAR clear quick-dry top coat (any brand should work)
4. Quick-dry drops (any brand should work, I found these Essence ones for $2.99 at Ulta.)
5. LED Gel Top Coat
6. LED light
7. Nail cleanser (rubbing alcohol, or whatever comes with your kit and is labeled as such)
8. Optional: small tool for removing excess polish from cuticles as you go (a cuticle pusher could work, I used this small art decoration tool I found at Ulta by Essence.)

Notice that the only LED supplies are the top coat and the light. Assuming you work regularly with this method, the only thing you'll need to replace when you run out is the LED Gel Top Coat!

How to do it:
1. Apply the regular clear base coat onto clean, bare nails. Let dry.

2. Apply the regular-formula color of your choice. As always, thin layers are best. Let each layer dry between coats. (I'd say 5 minutes or so between each layer is sufficient, depending on the drying speed of the polish and the thickness of the layer). I did two coats of Essie's "Bobbing for Baubles" and got full opacity for this look.
Optional: If you get polish on your skin or cuticles, quickly work with your small metal art decoration tool to try to 'scrape' off the wet polish. This means if you get a little out of the lines on one stroke, pause the painting and work with the tool before it dries on your skin! This will help your manicure look even MORE professional!

3. Apply the clear quick-dry top coat (Seche Vite, Out the Door, Sally Hansen...whatever). Wait at least 2 minutes.

4.  Apply a drop or two of the quick dry drops to each nail. I applied it at the "base" of each nail bed (the rounded part or the 'moon'). Use a paper towel underneath your hands because this stuff is watery. The surface should be dry to the touch after 2 minutes or so, and the layers of polish underneath should be completely dry within 5-7 minutes. You must wait until you are confident those layers are thoroughly dry.

5. Wash your hands and dry them thoroughly with a paper towel to get the quick-dry drop liquid off the nails.

6. Apply the LED Gel Top Coat. Make sure you put some polish on the free edge too.

7. Cure as directed under the LED light. (My light has 3 buttons (30 seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds.) I cured mine for 90 seconds, hoping that will result in the longest wear for me.)

8. Use the rubbing alcohol or Nail Cleanser with a lint-free wipe to get the residue off the top coat.

9. You're done! Victory dance!

The final result!

Removal
What I love most about this method (in addition to being able to successfully use my regular-formula color collection!) is the removal.

You're going to need acetone to remove that top LED gel coat, but once that is off, you could use a less-damaging non-acetone polish remover to remove the rest of the layers!

Personally, I find it tedious to switch removers, so I just use the little dish that came with my Mally kit, though a small dish would work too. I fill it with acetone to the point that my nails are completely covered, and then just sit for a few minutes. I notice the color falling off in pieces into the liquid within about 5 minutes, which is fun to see. I use a cuticle pusher to get the clumpy bits off, and I use a cotton ball to help remove the polish. Again, once the LED gel top coat is off, you're home free and it's a super easy process!

In Summary

I tested several methods and found that my invented method works best for me. That's not to say that one of my "failed" methods won't work better for you. Additionally, I will say that I did not employ the use of the Quick-Dry Drops until my successful method was developed. Perhaps using them in combination with one of the "failed" methods would help to prevent the wrinkling I often experienced? Who knows. If you try it, let me know how it works.

After performing these many experiments, I will likely be sticking with my winning method as my preferred way to do my nails. I like that I can use not only my regular-formula polish, but also regular-formula base and top coats. Because of the use of the regular-formula, the removal process is a breeze. Also, I like that I can cure and get the long-wear I'm looking for with the LED top coat and light, but when I run out of supplies, I need only replace the LED top coat. Cha-ching!

Hope that helps you! Let me know if you try any of these methods and how it works for you!

Cheers!
xoxo
Kate


* NOTE * 
Sorry for the bad photos / lack of photos; it's hard to photograph while doing your own nails! Also, the links and recommended products are just what I have and what I've been using, but another LED gel nail kit such as the Red Carpet Nails Manicure Kit or the Sally Hanson Manicure Kit could work as well. I don't have personal experience with these products, but they get great reviews online.
Personally, when I run out of my Mally LED Gel Top Coat, I'll be finding a similar product replacement at my local Ulta. While the Mally product is great, there are tons of other similar products that are easily available, won't cost me shipping, and will work with LED light that I already own. 

Whew. It's been a while.

So, sorry for the neglect, blog.  Things have been busy, but of course, that's no excuse.

I guess let's start from where I sort of left off:

Our wedding was great.  I had planned everything out perfectly with the hopes nothing would go wrong....because I had planned everything out in such detail.  Well, I'll say that things didn't go 100% perfect, but nothing was a deal-breaker.  The weather was amazing, the food was great, and our guests seemed to have a wonderful time.  And for that, I'm eternally happy!

We went on a "honeymoon" to Door County for 5 days or so.  It was really nice to relax and explore the area.  Sean had been before (as did I, but when I was but a wee tyke!) so it was a neat adventure to explore!  We'll definitely be going back.

Pretty much nothing else substantial happened since the wedding until recently.

In February, I left my job at the car dealership for a new role at an engineering firm located in Brookfield.  I am now the marketing manager, which is lots of fun!  The people are nice, it's a challenging position, and it's fun for me to learn more about other industries.  I'm at a little advantage, though.  Sean's industry (construction) is along the same lines as what I do - actually, I'm sort of the step before the construction side of things would occur.  Well, either way, I had some familiarity with terminology that he would use, so I had a little bit of a leg up when I started.  Plus, ironically, my new married last name has some weight in the industry....there's a relative who is a Vice President of another local engineering firm, and with whom many of my co-workers have dealt with, and are friends with.  In short, I couldn't be happier with my decision to move my career along.  Plus, I'm spending only an hour in the car per day (a half hour both ways!) compared to what I used to spend on my way to the dealership (2 to 2.5 hours!)  It's the small things in life, right?!  :)

In other news....OH!  I forgot entirely!  Sean had major surgery for his Crohn's in December 2011, which put him out of work for a month.  I won't put the details of the operation here for his privacy, but let's just say that for now, he's doing a lot better!  Please cross your fingers that his symptoms DO NOT return.  According to the research we've done and what the doctors tell us, there is a 30% chance of the problem returning within 5 years, and a higher chance of a repeat occurrence beyond the 5-year mark.

In other news....we recently (as in....on March 10, 2012!) acquired a dog.  It was something we had been discussing doing for quite a while, but actually getting the dog was sort of a "spur of the moment" type of ordeal.  We actually won him in an auction!  :)  Gus is now 15 weeks old and is an English Setter.  He's very cute, but very rambunctious.  And he sometimes barks in his crate....a lot.  And he goes after the cats....a lot.  I know he's just a puppy and he has a TON of energy....but I {secretly!} can't wait for him to go away to training.  He is going away to hunting "bootcamp" for a month when he turns 6 months old....and then for another month in the fall.  I'm hoping he'll come back better-behaved.  I know he will be a good dog for Sean's pheasant-killing enjoyment.  {yuck.}

Well, I think that's pretty much it.  Upcoming events in our lives include FINALLY doing the backyard regrading that I had written about last year.  It seems that that might finally be on the schedule to start within the next couple of weeks.  I can't wait.  Sean is going to build a patio...it will pretty much be the length of our house....and I am already shopping for patio furniture and an outdoor lounge set.  A girl's gotta have a little fun, right!?!

Our summer is already filling out:  Sean's in the wedding of one of our groomsmen (Matt), and I've been asked to be the Matron of Honor for my friend, bridesmaid, and sorority sister (and fellow Cream City Alumnae founder!) Maureen's wedding in October.  I will also be the Matron of Honor in my friend, bridesmaid, and former co-worker Meghan's wedding in October 2013, but she's already doing some prep-work for that....so I've been helping out as needed.  I do enjoy helping with weddings!  I know how stressful it can be, so I'm always happy to help out when I can!

OK, I guess that's all for now....honestly, who's to say when I'll remember to write again, but until then...

Cheers,
xoxoxoxo
Kate.

Life.

It's interesting how life presents things.  And how timing is everything.  And how much you can miss a person.

Missing you, and thinking about you, Friend.

Almost 2 months out + sunny California!

Wow!

I've been SO busy lately!  Not so much with work (although things are picking up, as they always do in the summer!) but busy with life and wedding planning.

It's nearly 2 months out from the wedding (2 months on Monday!) and nearly everything is set and in place.  We have a few other details to sort out and work out, but it's not of huge concern.  This weekend, I'm working on assembling invitations (which, getting even to this point has been quite the ordeal!)  I'm hoping to have everything done and ready to go to mail out on Monday.  We'll see if that actually happens, as I'm still waiting on about 30 addresses from my mom.  Again, that's a whole different ordeal in itself.

Other than that, my dress is in (looks amazing, of course!) and I'm coordinating with my bridesmaids about the shoes they'll be wearing.

We are probably adopting a new kitty soon!  This has been in the works for a while, but things are finally happening on Friday!  One of Sean's friends is a foreign exchange student and has a kitty named Amira that he adopted from the Humane Society years ago when he first got here.  Well now that FES has to go home to his country of Jordan, and Amira needs a new family.  Poor Roxy has been so lonely since Ginger passed away, and we had been talking about finding a new addition to our home, and Amira has basically fallen into our laps.  I hope that Amira (about 5 years old) and Roxy (3 years old) get along well and play and have lots of fun together.  Roxy used to pester Ging and she  happy about it.  It took over a year that we had them together until Ging wouldn't hiss and run away when Roxy was nearby.

I recently took a trip to California for work, which, aside from having to attend the conference (which was interesting, but sort of a drag....let's be real) was INCREDIBLE.  California is amazing and has perfect weather (actually, it was surprisingly chilly due to being right on the coast), and there's so much to do!  I was gone for 4 days, and traveled for 2 of those days.  One of the days was set aside for conference-attending, but the other day was set aside for FUN!!!  Part of the conference included a "fun activity".  I chose deep-sea fishing.

Interesting choice for me, huh?  Yeah, I really didn't think it through, but it was so worth it! 

1.) First of all, I had recently purchased boat shoes with no boat to wear them on.  It was a sign from God that I was meant to be on the deep-sea fishing trip. 
2.) Secondly, I don't touch fish.  This kind of fishing involved baiting up your line with a live anchovy, which meant that every 3 to 5 minutes, I had to have one of the deckhands come and help me with my line.  Yes, I was that girl. 
3.) Thirdly, I hate/have a huge fear of birds, and I didn't think about the fact that with all the fish we had on our boat, and the bait fish we were disposing of would result in MILLIONS of birds swooping and swarming around us ALL DAY LONG.  (OK, maybe not millions, but there were a lot and they were unpredictable and massive, and that makes me really really really nervous and anxious and scared of getting pooped on/swooped at.)  Happily, I survived and made it through the day without getting shat on (at least to my knowledge.)

While I caught only a mackerel and calico bass (both too small to keep), we did get to see a HUGE pod of dolphins, and a guy named Omar Owen caught a sting ray, and a guy named Chad caught a SHARK.  It was incredible.  I spent most of the day (after quickly tiring of always bothering the deckhands to change out my bait) watching the horizon for the BLUE WHALE that had been spotted in the area.  The largest mammal in the world.  That would have been incredible.  But, alas, we saw no Moby Dick.

I spent that "fun day" evening eating delicious food and drinking (a lot) compliments of the conference host.  Let's just say a select group of us took advantage of the limitless drink supply.

All in all, I met some awesome new friends from all over the country (so I can stay at your houses when I come to visit, right guys?) and had a super fun time.  It almost makes me wish I could move to somewhere where the weather is sunny all the time, and there's hardly ever a cloud in the sky.  I think I would do well in California....(and go deep-sea fishing everyday!) except when would I be able to snowmobile or snowboard?  It's nice to be able to go right down the road to do those activities rather than travel to, say, Colorado!

Keeping it real in Milwaukee,
xoxoxo,
Kate

Playing catch-up: Part 2

Apparently I'm not so good at posting regularly!  Hmm, what's happened since the last post?  Quite a lot, I suppose!

1.)  We had to put our fluffy cat Ginger down on April 18.  It was really hard for both me and Sean because while we've both had pets before, and those pets have previously passed away, Ging was the first we were both there for when she passed away.  Her diabetes got the best of her and presented a whole slew of other complications...I think she was ready to go up and chase bunnies and butterflies in heaven.  We miss her a lot and little Roxy really misses her company too...she's starved for attention the minute anyone gets home from work!  We may be adopting another kitty from a foreign exchange student friend of a friend who's in college now, but graduating soon and will be returning to his home country of Jordan.  If that happens, let's hope Roxy and the new kitty get along!

2.)  We're now approximately 3 months out from the wedding...most things have been squared away!  In fact, we're going for our "tasting" tomorrow night with both sets of parents to determine the menu at the wedding...that should be fun (and delicious!) :)  We are printing invitations within the next week (although, unfortunately, I'm still waiting for my mom's guest list.  That's frustrating.)

3.)  Work is going OK...I'm sort of losing steam, mostly because I feel like the salespeople don't take advantage of all the work I do.  Example - we hosted two events in the past month and both events brought in 500+ people each.  Instead of the salespeople being outside and mingling with these potential customers, they immediately wrote them off as "not the kind of people we sell to" and refused to go outside.  It was very frustrating for me, and makes me feel like the work I'm doing (in general) is not paying off.  My job is to bring people to the dealership; the salespeople should be talking to them!  Instead, I'm outside trying to talk to these people and put on a good face for the dealership.  And when the sales team doesn't make an effort to talk to the people, what's the point?  On the plus side, I'm going to California in the middle of June for a conference, and I'm really looking forward to getting away for a bit! :)

4.)  Sean had a procedure last week to determine what his stomach problems are (he'd been dealing for over a year with serious gas, throwing up, stomach pains that apparently would come and go randomly, lasting for several days and then going away sporadically) - it turns out he had a blockage in his intestine that was a flare-up from Crohn's disease.  They inserted a balloon into his intestine to inflate a little opening (as big as an eraser head, when it should have been as big as a golf ball) and now he's feeling LOTS better.  He'll be on medication for the rest of his life, and may have some dietary restrictions, but at least he knows what the problem is.  And less tooting all the time!  Hurrah!!!!! :)

5.)  We haven't done much work on the house lately...Sean is talking about regrading the backyard (maybe this next weekend?) to hopefully prevent flooding in our basement (which we had problems with last year...but then again, we had HUGE amounts of rain last year!)  Either way, it's something that needs to be done, and we want to get it done so we can continue with other outdoor projects (landscaping, making a patio, etc.)

6.)  We got to babysit my little 5 and a half month niece Avery last weekend.  That was fun, and good practice for parenthood (whenever that is!)  It's clear to both me and Sean that while we can handle the responsibility of a child now, we don't WANT to.  We both have lots we want to do before a child comes into our world.  Plus, baby stuff is expensive!  I want to buy shoes and purses and make up and clothes...and Sean wants to do his racecar stuff!  So, babies will wait.  Ha.

I guess that's all for now!  I'll try to post more regularly! :)  And maybe try to make this blog more interesting?

Cheers,
Kate.

Saturday Shopping

Sean was up north this past weekend, so I took advantage of some "quiet" time to get some errands done!  I was out all day Saturday (well, back and forth from the store to my house to unload my findings, because my car is not big enough to haul everything!) from 9AM till 5:30PM!  It was a workday for me! :)

When I returned home, I started cleaning the house (as I haven't seriously cleaned since before we hosted for Christmas Eve!) and FINALLY put the Christmas tree away!  (nope, didn't put it away on my day off for the snow storm!) 

What fun stuff did I get when shopping?

- a new hamper to catch the clothes from the clothes chute in the basement (Sean had been using one of the Rubbermaids for the Christmas tree, and since I put the tree away, we needed a new hamper!)

- a separated laundry sorter for the laundry area.  Ginger the diabetic cat pees on pretty much anything, so it's not like I can leave a pile of "to-do" laundry on the floor!  I got a laundry sorter on clearance for $13 from Bed Bath & Beyond...and I'll tell you why:  the bag latches on to the frame of the sorter with velcro, so the second you put any weight (laundry) in the bag, the velcro unhooks itself.  Ugh.  Nothing a collection of safety pins can't fix!

-slimline hangers.  I NEED to organize my closet (going through and getting rid of stuff I don't wear anymore!) and putting away the stuff I do wear.  Part of my issue is that my closet isn't big enough.  I'm hoping slim hangers will help me hang more!

- Sam's Club supplies - kitty litter, laundry detergent, underwear for Sean's valentine's day gift (seriously!)

- Ulta.  My home away from home, I think!  I needed a few items by L'Oreal...and wouldn't you guess it that Ulta had a "Buy two, Get one Free!" for L'Oreal!  I ended up with L'Oreal's Studio Secrets Professional Secret No. 1 Magic Perfecting Base.  (Wow, quite a title, huh?)   http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod1980035  Haven't tried it yet, but have been searching for it based on reviews and hadn't been able to find it elsewhere, so I thought I should snatch it if I could find it!

I also got the L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara - again based on reviews that I've read.  Still haven't tried it as I'm trying to finish up other older mascaras.
http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=xlsImpprod2530269

I also got the L'Oreal Translucide Naturally Luminous Powder as a fill-in for my Bare Minerals Mineral Veil.
http://www.ulta.com/ulta/browse/productDetail.jsp?productId=44985  I HAVE tried this product and like it so far.  I go through my Mineral Veil really quickly for some reason, so I thought I should have a back-up product for when I run our and my automatic shipment of Bare Minerals hasn't yet arrived.  I got the "translucent" version, so, in theory, it would just make your skin matte.  Lately, I haven't even bothered to wear foundation (I wear Bare Minerals foundation), so I just powder with the L'Oreal Translucide.  So far, so good.  Again, this is pretty much transparent, so it doesn't really hide any blemishes.

I bought OPI's "Bubble Bath" based on reviews of others.  Haven't had the opportunity to paint my nails with it yet, but I've read reviews that "Bubble Bath" has two formulas - a pinker version, and a whiter version.  I wonder which one mine will end up being.  It was pretty in the bottle!  http://www.amazon.com/OPI-Nail-Polish-Bubble-Bath/dp/B000CECSAO

One product I bought from Target (that was on clearance) that I really am enjoying is Cover Girl's Lash Blast Length (yellow tube).  I bought this one clearance - two tubes of mascara for $6 or something like that.  I have used CG regular Lash Blast (in the purple-ish tube) for years now and always liked that it gave me some definition (color) on the lashes without being clumpy or gloppy.  Honestly, I have been admiring Dianna Agron's lashes on Glee (seriously - they are SO long!) so I was inspired to try to replicate that look - without wearing falsies everyday!  CG Lash Blast Length might be that product for me!  It gives more length than volume, and doesn't really make the lashes appear "fatter".  I don't know how it works exactly, but my lashes look visibly longer!  I used three layers today (based on a review I read) and it looks great.  I think normally two layers will work just fine!  http://www.amazon.com/CoverGirl-LashBlast-Length-Mascara-0-21-Ounce/dp/B002IFT5VA  I got the regular formula - not waterproof, and there's no flaking or anything!

Dianna Agron - and her ginormous lashes!

OK, well I guess that's enough for now!

Cheers,

Kate

Playing catch-up

Sorry, it's been a while since I've written.  You know, life gets busy and writing takes a back seat.

The holidays came and went (and yes, I still have my Christmas tree up!), and here we are, in 2011!

Last Thursday was the 7-month mark till the wedding, and there's still a lot to do!  We need to find an officiant, and get the decorations and menu squared away.  I have yet to send out my "Save-The-Dates" (though they are in my possession, I'm just waiting on invite lists from both sets of parents).  Invitations have been designed by my talented soon-to-be-sister-in-law!  They look great...just need to print and assemble!  Yesterday, I went with my bridesmaids (minus the sister-in-law) to order our dresses...the bridesmaid dresses and MY dress!  I guess it's getting more real for me.  Ordered my dress - no going back now!

It's the end of the month at work which means billing and finishing up the month, and the start of February right around the corner which means planning for February advertising.  Most people in the ad world might wonder what's up with the "late" planning?  We do have things planned out - sort of.  We know what we're going to run on TV, radio, direct mail, interactive banners, etc., we just don't know the message yet!  We have to wait on the manufacturers to pass along that info, which can get a little irritating when they take their time to make decisions on the financing/lease offers that are available!  It ultimately delays our advertising efforts, but not much can be done with that!

I have a lot to get done around the house, which I should have done over the weekend, but instead decided to spend the weekend skiing with Sean on Saturday, and out with my bridesmaids on Sunday!  Lucky for me there's a blizzard soon a-coming to Wisconsin, and it sounds like the dealership may be closed on Wednesday (seriously, it takes A LOT to close a business here in Wisconsin!)  That means I might have time to catch up on laundry, finally take down the tree, and relax in front of the fireplace with a cup of cocoa and a book!  Sounds divine!! :)  Later when the snow dies down, I can help Sean with snow removal - I do the sidewalks while he does the driveway - with his ancient tractor!

Sean on his tractor.  Look how HUGE compared to our SUV!

At least he can plow the drive (and the street, if he wanted!) quickly! :)

OK, bye for now!  Time for lunch!

Cheers!
-Kate