Puppies!

My parents got a new puppy last week. He is about eight weeks old and weighs eight pounds. He is SO adorable (I know, I know, they all are). We got to meet him last weekend but it kills me that my parents live four hours away and thus I am not able to play with him constantly. I know too, that since he is destined to be a "big dog," his tiny puppy phase will not last long. My husband is SO lucky that other people get puppies often enough that I get my puppy-fix without bringing more home to live with us.

Without further ado, here is RD (like "Artie") the german shepherd:




And the puppy parade continues...

This is Mabel, my cousin's golden retriever. They got her last winter. She is a LOT bigger now but this is how big she was when we first met her. (our dog Griffin was infatuated with her, as you can see)




This is our Griffin. He just turned two last month, and actually turned into a huge guy (for a corgi). He was the runt of the litter and now weighs almost 40 pounds. And geez was he ever cute.






And now the finale - Morgan! She is now five and has some major 'tude. We love her to pieces anyhow but good lord she was adorable. To paraphrase South Park, Griffin was "cute!" but Morgan was "super cute!"






*Disclaimer: As much as I LOVE puppies, I strongly encourage everyone to consider adopting all those adult dogs out there looking for homes. My family has adopted many wonderful adult dogs, both purebred and mixed breed, and they are just as wonderful as all of these puppies. :)

Clinique 3-Step Skin Care System

Okay, I'm getting back on the blogging wagon. I fell off, life has been crazy, what can I say. All I know is that I missed writing so I'm going to do my best to update more regularly. Anyhoo...

I don't typically fall in love with products. It's not that I'm against buying things, it's just that I'm much more likely to gush about a song, or a moment, or a friend (or honestly, usually my dogs). Honestly, I don't really even like Sex & the City. I'm just not *that* girl. So I shocked myself a bit when I realized that today I felt like writing about not just any product, but a relatively expensive set of department store products. The truth is, if something is brand-name or expensive, it takes even more to impress me. The cost-benefit ratio really has to be there for me to get on board. Despite this, Clinique has managed to impress me.

A little back story - I've struggled with low level acne since I was 14. It never got to the level where I was put on prescription medications, and many, many family members had struggled with acne so I blamed genetics. Over time I eventually accepted that I would have a permanent zit on my chin and would never be someone with "good skin." I tried various over-the-counter brands in numerous forms - washes, creams, toners, scrubs, masks, you name it. Most of these products rely on either salicyclic acid or benzoyl peroxide.

And then I got pregnant. And after a little research, found that both salicyclic acid and benzoyl peroxide are best avoided when pregnant. They fall into "category B," which for the uninitiated means "we don't know if it has any negative effects on the fetus because we haven't done any decent studies yet." The vast majority of drugs fall into this category. So anyhow, some doctors advise you to avoid salicyclic acid and benzoyl peroxide, and some don't.

After realizing every product I owned contained one of these ingredients, I decided I'd at least need some decent make-up to cover up all of the zits my crazy hormones would soon be producing. Off I went to the Clinique counter at Rosedale. As part of the "consultation," the saleswoman raved about their 3-step skin care system. I assume they have some kind of commission system for their salespeople, but I somehow allowed myself to be talked into spending $60 on three products - Liquid Facial Soap, Clarifying Lotion 4 (why they call this toner liquid a "lotion," I'm not quite sure), and the Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. I NEVER do that kind of thing. Ask my family, I'm cheap. :)



But now, of course, I am SO glad that I spent that $60. In less than 48 hours, my face felt better to the touch and was lots less oily. And now, about a month later, I have gone two weeks without one active zit. Seriously, this hasn't happened since elementary school. It's amazing how much better it feels to not need concealer every single day. I'll admit, however, that part of the reason I think the products have been effective is that because I spent so much, I feel obligated to actually use all three products twice a day, every single day. But I don't really care why it works - I'm just glad it does. I was also worried I'd be stuck restocking these products pretty regularly but as you can see from the photo (taken today), you can hardly even tell I've used anything after nearly a month.

So yeah, two thumbs-up Clinique. And no, they are definitely not paying me - I wish! Then I'd be getting this stuff for free. :)