Gone Too Long

I know, I know!  I have been gone a very very long time.  When I left last summer/fall, I had no intentions of being gone this long.  A lot of things were happening, and honestly, they still are.  I am not "officially" back.  I have a post that I need to write out before I come back.  I feel it is something I need to share, but I have to sit and get it onto paper first. 

So, I am hoping that the post will be up by the beginning of next week. 

Until then!!

I know, I know!  I have been gone a very very long time.  When I left last summer/fall, I had no intentions of being gone this long.  A lot of things were happening, and honestly, they still are.  I am not "officially" back.  I have a post that I need to write out before I come back.  I feel it is something I need to share, but I have to sit and get it onto paper first. 

So, I am hoping that the post will be up by the beginning of next week. 

Until then!!

On Hiatus

Hi guys!

I have been gone a while!!!  I am sooooo sorry!  But I'll be gone for a little while longer. 

I'll be back around Thanksgiving.  And hopefully, I will have some new stuff for you all!

Hi guys!

I have been gone a while!!!  I am sooooo sorry!  But I'll be gone for a little while longer. 

I'll be back around Thanksgiving.  And hopefully, I will have some new stuff for you all!

It Was A Weekend?

This will be a short one.  I'm not feeling it today.

Unfortunately, this past weekend was a working weekend.

For several days, I have been working to get my resale site up and active.  It's doing pretty well.  It's all secondhand items right now, but I'm hoping that I can start adding my upcycled items soon.

So...about my weekend...

Friday was horrible.  I had a migraine all day long.  My migraines are motion sensitive.  All I wanted to do was curl up in my bed.  No such luck my friends.

Saturday was slightly better, but not by much.  I had intended on taking P to see the new Monsters movie, but my migraine wasn't gone yet.  And I still had a lot of work to do.

Sunday was a huge relief.  My migraine was gone.  I woke up feeling pretty good.  I had the house totally halfway cleaned by 10:30am.  I had a little meeting at noon and then P and I came home and just hung out all day long.





I put the girl to work.

The kid needs to know how to work a power tool.

I was redoing a telephone/printer stand.  I figured she could be kept busy while I got some other work done.  

 

 Sanded and Painted

It still needs one more coat and some new hardware.

I've talked before about my jewelry box here.  I wasn't loving the pink/white chevron background anymore.

I've been looking for fabric that went with my room, but didn't match exactly.

I found this cute pattern and while P was bathing the sawdust off, I finished this to-do item.  Check!

I like it a lot better.






The remainder of Sunday was filled with sewing up scratch marks on my chair and cutting fruit for this week.  We party hard y'all!!

I hope everyone has a good week.  Check back tomorrow.  I'm sure I'll have something slightly more interesting.

Until next time...

This will be a short one.  I'm not feeling it today.

Unfortunately, this past weekend was a working weekend.

For several days, I have been working to get my resale site up and active.  It's doing pretty well.  It's all secondhand items right now, but I'm hoping that I can start adding my upcycled items soon.

So...about my weekend...

Friday was horrible.  I had a migraine all day long.  My migraines are motion sensitive.  All I wanted to do was curl up in my bed.  No such luck my friends.

Saturday was slightly better, but not by much.  I had intended on taking P to see the new Monsters movie, but my migraine wasn't gone yet.  And I still had a lot of work to do.

Sunday was a huge relief.  My migraine was gone.  I woke up feeling pretty good.  I had the house totally halfway cleaned by 10:30am.  I had a little meeting at noon and then P and I came home and just hung out all day long.





I put the girl to work.

The kid needs to know how to work a power tool.

I was redoing a telephone/printer stand.  I figured she could be kept busy while I got some other work done.  

 

 Sanded and Painted

It still needs one more coat and some new hardware.

I've talked before about my jewelry box here.  I wasn't loving the pink/white chevron background anymore.

I've been looking for fabric that went with my room, but didn't match exactly.

I found this cute pattern and while P was bathing the sawdust off, I finished this to-do item.  Check!

I like it a lot better.






The remainder of Sunday was filled with sewing up scratch marks on my chair and cutting fruit for this week.  We party hard y'all!!

I hope everyone has a good week.  Check back tomorrow.  I'm sure I'll have something slightly more interesting.

Until next time...

Easy Veggie Dish

So, last week, I talked about eating clean.  I mentioned this one dish that I made.  It was amazingly delicious.

For me to rave over a dish of just vegetables, it has to be good.

Follow along...it's super easy...and quick...promise.

Here is a picture of the ingredients I used...disregard the shrimp, lemons and Mrs Dash for now.

Mixed veggies (I used Zucchini,  Yellow Squash, Red/Yellow/Green Peppers and onions)(Mine were originally frozen, but I thawed them halfway before cooking)
Olive oil
Parmesan Cheese
Bread crumbs (I used Italian Style...it worked great with the Parm cheese)
Seasonings (I used Pepper and Garlic Powder...I never use salt...and I am addicted to garlic...but use what you like)

I didn't take a picture of the mixing step.  I didn't measure anything...just eyeballed it.

I mixed the olive oil, parm cheese, bread crumbs and seasonings in a bowl.  Then I dumped in the veggies.  I mixed fairly well (the "dry mix" will be a little clumpy).  I dumped it into the casserole dish and sprinkled with a little more parm cheese.

Bake at 350* for 30 mins.  And done.

(If you want to know about the shrimp...here's the deets.  You will need butter, lemons, and seasoning.  I do NOT recommend Mrs Dash Lemon Pepper.  Way too much lemon.  Melt the butter on the bottom of a cookie sheet or baking dish.  Lay thin sliced lemons over butter.  Top with thawed shrimp.  Season to taste.  The original website (here) suggests Italian Dressing dry packets.  Bake at 350* for 15 minutes.)

And that is my recipe for today.  See, easy peasy.  Enjoy...

So, last week, I talked about eating clean.  I mentioned this one dish that I made.  It was amazingly delicious.

For me to rave over a dish of just vegetables, it has to be good.

Follow along...it's super easy...and quick...promise.

Here is a picture of the ingredients I used...disregard the shrimp, lemons and Mrs Dash for now.

Mixed veggies (I used Zucchini,  Yellow Squash, Red/Yellow/Green Peppers and onions)(Mine were originally frozen, but I thawed them halfway before cooking)
Olive oil
Parmesan Cheese
Bread crumbs (I used Italian Style...it worked great with the Parm cheese)
Seasonings (I used Pepper and Garlic Powder...I never use salt...and I am addicted to garlic...but use what you like)

I didn't take a picture of the mixing step.  I didn't measure anything...just eyeballed it.

I mixed the olive oil, parm cheese, bread crumbs and seasonings in a bowl.  Then I dumped in the veggies.  I mixed fairly well (the "dry mix" will be a little clumpy).  I dumped it into the casserole dish and sprinkled with a little more parm cheese.

Bake at 350* for 30 mins.  And done.

(If you want to know about the shrimp...here's the deets.  You will need butter, lemons, and seasoning.  I do NOT recommend Mrs Dash Lemon Pepper.  Way too much lemon.  Melt the butter on the bottom of a cookie sheet or baking dish.  Lay thin sliced lemons over butter.  Top with thawed shrimp.  Season to taste.  The original website (here) suggests Italian Dressing dry packets.  Bake at 350* for 15 minutes.)

And that is my recipe for today.  See, easy peasy.  Enjoy...

Beauty Products I Love

I am no beauty guru.  Most days...I don't wear makeup.  I wear jeans in 100 degree weather cause sometimes I am too lazy to shave...seriously.  But there are some products that I absolutely would hate to live without.  I wanted to share them with you.

And awaaaaaay we go...


  
First up is my mascara.  I almost never go anywhere without mascara on.  I can be completely makeup free...except for mascara.  And this one is amazing.  I was not graced with long thick lashes.  Check out the bottom pic on the right.  See...sparse.  The pic on the top is with the LOreal Double Extend.  The white lid adds these awesome tubes to the end of your lashes.  And the other side coats them with mascara.  I have been loving this mascara for a while.  It'll take a lot for me to switch.

I won't lie.  I do not can not wash my hair every day.   For those times when I have to look semi-decent in pubic and my hair is less than fresh...I use dry shampoo.  I like Suave.  People say it smells good.  They are lying.  It stinks.  And it will kill your lungs.  But it works well.  And for less than $3...that's a miracle.  It's basically pressurized powder.  It takes away some of the oiliness.  It's another one of my staples.

 Have you ever heard of the brand elf?  ELF (Eyes, Lips, Face) is a cheaper cheap brand.  You can get it at Target.  The items are $1 and $3.  I think they also have some things now for $6.  Anyway, this little gem is an eyebrow kit.  It comes with a tiny little brush and a compact with a gelish type cream and a pressed powder.  My eyebrows are so thin from overplucking and waxing that filling them in is a must.  ELFs kit is only $3.  I'm good with that.

  I JUST found this.  I've been using got2b products for a while now.  I really love their volumizing mousse and their thickening mousse.  But this?  Oh Em GEE!  If you like to tease it to Jesus or if you like the poofiness...this is THE product for you.  It's hard to tell by the pictures, but it makes a HUGE difference.  Here's what I do...Part your hair where you want lift (like the crown) and sprinkle some powder along the part.  Rub into scalp and roots of hair...lay hair back down...and VOILA.  Any time you need a lift...just slide your fingers onto your scalp and rub.  I am seriously in love with this one.  Oh, and if you tease it too...it really does jack it up.

 P and I love to paint our nails.  But 5 year olds don't like to sit and wait for them to dry.  Rimmel came out with a dozen or so colors in this 60 second polish.  They have some cool colors...we especially like the lavender and mint color.  And the brush is one of those flat rounded ones.  Love it!!  And it really does only take about 60 seconds for a layer to dry.  And...the price is awesome.  Less than 2 bucks a bottle.  Rimmel hit this one out of the park.

This one may seem a little off, but I've been using this tip forever.  I wasn't going to add it until this morning when I did my eyebrows.  I hate plucking...and I won't wax myself (and I sure as heck don't have the money to have someone else do it) so I use the lotions that take away your hair (like Nair or whatever).  It doesn't matter what I do or how I do it, the skin around my eyebrows always get red and burns.  Desitin will stop that nonsense in its tracks.  I kid you not my friends.  It looks stupid as hell (I seriously thought about posting a pic of me from this morning) but it will stop the burning and it will soothe the redness.  Leave it on for about 10 minutes or longer if you can.  It also has the added bonus of making your eyebrow hairs appear thicker.  And there you go.  A life hack that is amazing!


Okay, so those are my amazing health and beauty products.  If you haven't tried them, you should. 

What are some of YOUR amazing must have beauty products.  I love trying new things.  Especially the ones that make my life easier.  Leave me some suggestions in the comments section!!

Until next time y'all!!

I am no beauty guru.  Most days...I don't wear makeup.  I wear jeans in 100 degree weather cause sometimes I am too lazy to shave...seriously.  But there are some products that I absolutely would hate to live without.  I wanted to share them with you.

And awaaaaaay we go...


  
First up is my mascara.  I almost never go anywhere without mascara on.  I can be completely makeup free...except for mascara.  And this one is amazing.  I was not graced with long thick lashes.  Check out the bottom pic on the right.  See...sparse.  The pic on the top is with the LOreal Double Extend.  The white lid adds these awesome tubes to the end of your lashes.  And the other side coats them with mascara.  I have been loving this mascara for a while.  It'll take a lot for me to switch.

I won't lie.  I do not can not wash my hair every day.   For those times when I have to look semi-decent in pubic and my hair is less than fresh...I use dry shampoo.  I like Suave.  People say it smells good.  They are lying.  It stinks.  And it will kill your lungs.  But it works well.  And for less than $3...that's a miracle.  It's basically pressurized powder.  It takes away some of the oiliness.  It's another one of my staples.

 Have you ever heard of the brand elf?  ELF (Eyes, Lips, Face) is a cheaper cheap brand.  You can get it at Target.  The items are $1 and $3.  I think they also have some things now for $6.  Anyway, this little gem is an eyebrow kit.  It comes with a tiny little brush and a compact with a gelish type cream and a pressed powder.  My eyebrows are so thin from overplucking and waxing that filling them in is a must.  ELFs kit is only $3.  I'm good with that.

  I JUST found this.  I've been using got2b products for a while now.  I really love their volumizing mousse and their thickening mousse.  But this?  Oh Em GEE!  If you like to tease it to Jesus or if you like the poofiness...this is THE product for you.  It's hard to tell by the pictures, but it makes a HUGE difference.  Here's what I do...Part your hair where you want lift (like the crown) and sprinkle some powder along the part.  Rub into scalp and roots of hair...lay hair back down...and VOILA.  Any time you need a lift...just slide your fingers onto your scalp and rub.  I am seriously in love with this one.  Oh, and if you tease it too...it really does jack it up.

 P and I love to paint our nails.  But 5 year olds don't like to sit and wait for them to dry.  Rimmel came out with a dozen or so colors in this 60 second polish.  They have some cool colors...we especially like the lavender and mint color.  And the brush is one of those flat rounded ones.  Love it!!  And it really does only take about 60 seconds for a layer to dry.  And...the price is awesome.  Less than 2 bucks a bottle.  Rimmel hit this one out of the park.

This one may seem a little off, but I've been using this tip forever.  I wasn't going to add it until this morning when I did my eyebrows.  I hate plucking...and I won't wax myself (and I sure as heck don't have the money to have someone else do it) so I use the lotions that take away your hair (like Nair or whatever).  It doesn't matter what I do or how I do it, the skin around my eyebrows always get red and burns.  Desitin will stop that nonsense in its tracks.  I kid you not my friends.  It looks stupid as hell (I seriously thought about posting a pic of me from this morning) but it will stop the burning and it will soothe the redness.  Leave it on for about 10 minutes or longer if you can.  It also has the added bonus of making your eyebrow hairs appear thicker.  And there you go.  A life hack that is amazing!


Okay, so those are my amazing health and beauty products.  If you haven't tried them, you should. 

What are some of YOUR amazing must have beauty products.  I love trying new things.  Especially the ones that make my life easier.  Leave me some suggestions in the comments section!!

Until next time y'all!!

Oh Monday...Dreaded Monday...

Yeah whatever...every day is Monday for me.

This past weekend was kid-lite and surprisingly, I did not sleep the entire weekend.  I blame it on the veggies.

On Friday, we were supposed to make those sinful snacks I mentioned last week.  We didn't make them.  So I went the WHOLE weekend with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in my house.  And I didn't eat a single one.  GO ME! 

Friday afternoon, I dropped the monkey off at her grandmother's house.  Afterwards, I went shopping...sort of.  I did score a new fall dress for P.  It was too adorable not to get.  I also got P a new mask and snorkel and a new cooler for me.  My mission was Father's Day gifts.  Fail. 

I stayed in bed until 11 on Saturday.  The only reason I rolled out of bed was to meet my mom for some grocery shopping.  Sad, but true.  I went home and inhaled the delicious pizza that I had just bought from Wal-Mart.  Those Marketside pizzas in the deli section are really good, especially the Ultimate Meat one.  Just a little FYI.  It was not clean...in any way, shape or form.  And my body said "What the HELL do you think you are putting in me after a week of clean food?"  Yeah.  Not good times.

After all that, I played a game of Toss n Run with Graye.  I throw a mouse across the room, she runs after it.  I go get it and throw it back to the other side.  She chases.  This is usually a game her and P play, but P wasn't home. 

The, I decided my hall closet/bathroom supplies needed condensing and reorganizing.  I literally threw out ALL of our my medicines.  They were seriously out of date.  I don't mean 6 months.  I'm talking 2+ years, some 5.  I get so conflicted.  I was raised to never throw stuff away.  My mom kept bank statements for years.  Not tax records...bank statements.  But I have this OCD/organization issue that makes me want to clean everything out and throw stuff away.  But seriously, you should see my storage building.  It kills me to even look at it.

Sunday, I awoke to the sound of a police officer banging on my door.  Wrong address buddy.  Unless I sleep dialed, I didn't call them.  But he was nice.  It was actually the husband of an old friend. 

I got dressed and ran to the store where I finally scored my Father's Day gift for my stepdad. 

I came home and finished some things that have been on my To Do List for weeks.  I painted my side table and a metal rack (which I decided would make a great fruit/veggie holder).

 I really like lilac.

P came home early...too early.  That girl wears me out.  The rest of the evening was pretty calm though.  I fixed dinner (bbq chicken, mashed cauliflower, corn on the cob, and whole grain sweet rolls).  P took a bath and watched a movie in bed.  I desperately tried to fall asleep before 2 am.

Today, P and I are going to my parents house since we didn't get to see Paw Paw on Father's Day. 

That is the fun filled weekend I had.  Glamorous, eh?

I have a few posts scheduled for this week (including a couple recipes and a post about some beauty products).  Make sure and check back!

Have a great week y'all!!

 

Yeah whatever...every day is Monday for me.

This past weekend was kid-lite and surprisingly, I did not sleep the entire weekend.  I blame it on the veggies.

On Friday, we were supposed to make those sinful snacks I mentioned last week.  We didn't make them.  So I went the WHOLE weekend with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in my house.  And I didn't eat a single one.  GO ME! 

Friday afternoon, I dropped the monkey off at her grandmother's house.  Afterwards, I went shopping...sort of.  I did score a new fall dress for P.  It was too adorable not to get.  I also got P a new mask and snorkel and a new cooler for me.  My mission was Father's Day gifts.  Fail. 

I stayed in bed until 11 on Saturday.  The only reason I rolled out of bed was to meet my mom for some grocery shopping.  Sad, but true.  I went home and inhaled the delicious pizza that I had just bought from Wal-Mart.  Those Marketside pizzas in the deli section are really good, especially the Ultimate Meat one.  Just a little FYI.  It was not clean...in any way, shape or form.  And my body said "What the HELL do you think you are putting in me after a week of clean food?"  Yeah.  Not good times.

After all that, I played a game of Toss n Run with Graye.  I throw a mouse across the room, she runs after it.  I go get it and throw it back to the other side.  She chases.  This is usually a game her and P play, but P wasn't home. 

The, I decided my hall closet/bathroom supplies needed condensing and reorganizing.  I literally threw out ALL of our my medicines.  They were seriously out of date.  I don't mean 6 months.  I'm talking 2+ years, some 5.  I get so conflicted.  I was raised to never throw stuff away.  My mom kept bank statements for years.  Not tax records...bank statements.  But I have this OCD/organization issue that makes me want to clean everything out and throw stuff away.  But seriously, you should see my storage building.  It kills me to even look at it.

Sunday, I awoke to the sound of a police officer banging on my door.  Wrong address buddy.  Unless I sleep dialed, I didn't call them.  But he was nice.  It was actually the husband of an old friend. 

I got dressed and ran to the store where I finally scored my Father's Day gift for my stepdad. 

I came home and finished some things that have been on my To Do List for weeks.  I painted my side table and a metal rack (which I decided would make a great fruit/veggie holder).

 I really like lilac.

P came home early...too early.  That girl wears me out.  The rest of the evening was pretty calm though.  I fixed dinner (bbq chicken, mashed cauliflower, corn on the cob, and whole grain sweet rolls).  P took a bath and watched a movie in bed.  I desperately tried to fall asleep before 2 am.

Today, P and I are going to my parents house since we didn't get to see Paw Paw on Father's Day. 

That is the fun filled weekend I had.  Glamorous, eh?

I have a few posts scheduled for this week (including a couple recipes and a post about some beauty products).  Make sure and check back!

Have a great week y'all!!

 

Eating Clean

It really is no secret...I do not eat good foods.  I really never have.  I've always had this aversion to vegetables and I don't really like the sweetness of fruits.  Weird, eh?

I have been stuck between 171 and 175 (weight-wise) for months now.  And I really am sick of it.  All I want is to bust through to the 160s.  It just wasn't happening.

Plus, P was starting to crave junk...and avoid meals.  Which is no bueno.

I made a decision.  We needed a change.  I knew I was going to incorporate a shit ton of veggies into our diet and I knew I wanted what we ate to be balanced.  I did a little research (which is my thang!) on clean eating.  I've seen people talk about it...a lot.  I knew there was a lot of things not on the list...like sugar and other white stuff (flour, bread, etc).

Basically, clean eating is eating only non-processed foods (ie no more hot pockets or frozen taquitos).  The bulk of the diet is veggies and fruits.  I hate using the term diet.  I still don't know everything about eating clean.  And I am not doing this as strictly as others may.  I am not all about avoiding GMOs and eating organic.  I am not knocking those choices, but those are not my concern right now.

My concern is adding in veggies and healthier choices.  To start out, my goal is 50/50 clean.  So far, this week has been successful.

My number 1 way of getting my veggies and fruits will probably be smoothies.  I double triple quadruple LOVE smoothies...especially with spinach and mangos.   It's a great way to get several servings in one or two glasses.

 I saw a blog post (I can not remember the blog title...fail!) about this contraption on Amazon.  GEFU Spirelli Spiral Cutter.

 I thought this idea was awesome.  I really like spaghetti squash...so, why not use other veggies as noodles.  I really didn't see the need to pay 30 bucks.  I used my veggie slicer to julienne some cucumber.  Then I boiled it for a couple of minutes.  I'll be trying other veggies as noodles.  It's a great way to sneak them in.

 

I also tried my hand at turkey meatloaf.  It was pretty great.  I like making the meatloaf as muffins.  I also made some mashed cauliflower and cabbage.  As you can see on the plate, there were processed foods (mac n cheese, wheat buns).  I still think we've done well so far.

 I also tried out a couple new recipes from Pinterest.  I adored the veggie casserole dish.  I'll probably post the actual recipe next week.  The shrimp was...well...just meh.  But both were easy to make...and quick too.  Now, if only clean up were easy and quick!!





  As for snacks, my new fav is sunflower kernels.  Throw in some fruit and you have a great little filling snack or small lunch.  And P really likes them too, which is amazing!!

At the end of this first week of cleaner eating, I have to say that we've done pretty well.  I'm proud of P for not fighting me too terribly much.  And I'm proud of myself for going the whole week.  Now...let's see how the weekend goes, shall we?!?  Cause today we will be making some seriously non-clean snacks.  And I may eat them all. 

Have an exciting weekend!!

It really is no secret...I do not eat good foods.  I really never have.  I've always had this aversion to vegetables and I don't really like the sweetness of fruits.  Weird, eh?

I have been stuck between 171 and 175 (weight-wise) for months now.  And I really am sick of it.  All I want is to bust through to the 160s.  It just wasn't happening.

Plus, P was starting to crave junk...and avoid meals.  Which is no bueno.

I made a decision.  We needed a change.  I knew I was going to incorporate a shit ton of veggies into our diet and I knew I wanted what we ate to be balanced.  I did a little research (which is my thang!) on clean eating.  I've seen people talk about it...a lot.  I knew there was a lot of things not on the list...like sugar and other white stuff (flour, bread, etc).

Basically, clean eating is eating only non-processed foods (ie no more hot pockets or frozen taquitos).  The bulk of the diet is veggies and fruits.  I hate using the term diet.  I still don't know everything about eating clean.  And I am not doing this as strictly as others may.  I am not all about avoiding GMOs and eating organic.  I am not knocking those choices, but those are not my concern right now.

My concern is adding in veggies and healthier choices.  To start out, my goal is 50/50 clean.  So far, this week has been successful.

My number 1 way of getting my veggies and fruits will probably be smoothies.  I double triple quadruple LOVE smoothies...especially with spinach and mangos.   It's a great way to get several servings in one or two glasses.

 I saw a blog post (I can not remember the blog title...fail!) about this contraption on Amazon.  GEFU Spirelli Spiral Cutter.

 I thought this idea was awesome.  I really like spaghetti squash...so, why not use other veggies as noodles.  I really didn't see the need to pay 30 bucks.  I used my veggie slicer to julienne some cucumber.  Then I boiled it for a couple of minutes.  I'll be trying other veggies as noodles.  It's a great way to sneak them in.

 

I also tried my hand at turkey meatloaf.  It was pretty great.  I like making the meatloaf as muffins.  I also made some mashed cauliflower and cabbage.  As you can see on the plate, there were processed foods (mac n cheese, wheat buns).  I still think we've done well so far.

 I also tried out a couple new recipes from Pinterest.  I adored the veggie casserole dish.  I'll probably post the actual recipe next week.  The shrimp was...well...just meh.  But both were easy to make...and quick too.  Now, if only clean up were easy and quick!!





  As for snacks, my new fav is sunflower kernels.  Throw in some fruit and you have a great little filling snack or small lunch.  And P really likes them too, which is amazing!!

At the end of this first week of cleaner eating, I have to say that we've done pretty well.  I'm proud of P for not fighting me too terribly much.  And I'm proud of myself for going the whole week.  Now...let's see how the weekend goes, shall we?!?  Cause today we will be making some seriously non-clean snacks.  And I may eat them all. 

Have an exciting weekend!!