Thursday, September 30, 2010

Cute & Cheap!!


I was at H&M today buying some shirts (I'll post about them soon-they are great: non- maternity, comfy and cheap and they are long enough to cover this bump of mine!), and I saw that there were lip glosses by the register. I loooooove me some lip gloss! Most of what I buy isn't great and I never end up using it...Well this stuff is marvelous!!! I got a pinky duo called Forget Me Not and both colors are so cute (very light)!!! What I'm most impressed w/ is the texture-it is creamy and smooth, not too sticky and not at all grainy (which btw is my least favorite thing about most glosses!). AND it was on $2.95!! LOVE that!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Macaroni-Palooza, Random Musings, Pants I love


Well Bloggers, here it is, my strongest pregnancy craving yet: macaroni and cheese...it has come on very strong and its all I can think about (which is frightening bc I basically have to be in very good shape by Feb 1st, just over 2 months post baby, more on that in a future post). Last night I declared to the hubs that I will be making mac and cheese w/ dinner most nights from here on out (or until I get sick of it-which may not ever happen) bc I really want to find the BEST mac and cheese recipe out there. Last night: I made it using a recipe from Ree Drummond's "The Pioneer Woman Cooks". I don't have her cookbook, her recipe was in a magazine. It was a 6.5 out of 10. Kevin liked it (and I had seconds!) but it wasn't my perfect mac...If anyone has any recipes they want to share please hook it up!!

On a just as random note, I'm really sad that the Martha Stewart Show isn't on anymore...I think she may just be on a new channel, but I haven't found her yet and I totally heart Martha. She makes my heart happy w/ all of her arts and crafts and cutest cookware. They put the Nate Berkus show on in her spot and as much as I want to love his show, I don't. I do love him and want him to marry my gay best friend-but his show is boring and predictable :( He is no Martha :(

Lastly, if I weren't a bigger version of myself right now, I would totally get these adorable pants!!!! They are the Legacy leggings by Rich & Skinny. I would wear them w/ the highest/sexiest heals I could find and a loose-ish black sweater...Love the look!!!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Skinny Cow Ice Cream Cones


Happy Monday Bloggers! Because we are having a dreaded heat wave out here in Southern California, I thought I'd write about something appropriate : ice cream! More specifically, Skinny Cow Ice Cream Cones! Love them! I gobble them up like its nobodies business! My personal fav is the Chocolate with Fudge, but the Vanilla with Caramel is pretty great too! I get them at the grocery store and for how yum-tastic they are, they are pretty reasonable health-wise. 150 Calories, 3 grams of fat and 3 grams of fiber. If you were a Weight Watchers point counter (which I may do to drop the baby weight fast! I mean doesn't Jennifer Hudson look terrific? She credits WW w/ her amazing weight loss!) then its 3 points. Soooooo gooooood. The only draw back to these tasty delights? The last bite is sooooooooooo divine that it makes me want another one...and sometimes I do! Which makes them not so Skinny...but that's OK :)

Friday, September 24, 2010

I'm Having an Affair...


I'm sure most of you know about this wonderful, multi-talented, hardworking, extraordinary man....I love him so much and when my hubby is at work, I find myself spending more and more time with him....who is he? Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. And he rocks my world! In all seriousness-I loooooove this cleaning product!! I use it everywhere! When we were putting together the nursery we bumped and dinged a few walls and just one little swipe of this genius tool and poof-no more marks on the wall! When I get a little crazy with making soups and chili (for some reason that's my thing right now), instead of scrubbing my stove top or counters-I just gently wipe w/ this eraser and voila-instant clean! It works in bathrooms, cars, boats, everywhere!!!!!!!! I'm not going to explain how it works bc, lets face it, I don't care! I just love it and use it and wanted to share it w/ all of my fellow Product Junkies :) Have a great weekend!!!!!!!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Are These Swaddling Blankets the New Black??


Yep. They sure are and now I know why!!! I have to confess that I'm kind of a baby/stroller stalker...not in a creepy way, but when I lived at the beach (we moved in June) and would walk along the strand every day, I would check out strollers, babies, etc. And I would see these muslin baby blankets everywhere. They are Aden & Anais Muslin Baby Wraps and they are perfect! I got a couple at my shower and I am in love with them! So soft and perfect for swaddling (we practiced on the pups!). They are light and also can be used to cover up while nursing, as a sun shield, as a burp cloth, basically they can be used for almost anything!!! I love the colors and prints! Darling! So here is some insider info: Babies R Us and Target both sell a version of these...but they are not as big and soft and when I feel both to compare them-I would rather spend the extra $ and get the better quality...but that's just me :) They are sold in just about every baby boutique and you can find them online too. A "Yummy Mummy" must have!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

2 Issues, 1 Easy Solution

Bloggers I have such a strong sense of smell that in a former life I think I was a drug sniffing German Shepard...I'm not exaggerating. So smells REALLY affect me-good or bad. This leads me to Issue #1: Lotion that I have either purchased or that I received as a gift that well, stinks. I hate to throw it out (because somewhere deep down I'm frugal) but I cant bare to use it on my hands or body or even leave it in one one the guests bathrooms. So that leaves me with a drawer full of stinky, useless lotion :(
Issue #2: Dry feet....well, this isn't an issue for me (see solution below) but I see other people with heels so dry and cracked that they could walk across hot coals and not blink an eye :) I cant imagine what their sweetie thinks when they are snuggling in bed and (gasp) playing footsie with those lethal weapons!
Solution time: Every time I put on socks (which for me is daily bc I workout most mornings and then wear my running shoes for a good part of the rest of my day), I first slather a thick nice amount of my "stink" lotion onto my feet and rub it in. Then put my socks and shoes on over it and voila-all day long my feet are getting a nice little moisturizing treatment and I'm not wasting that dreadful lotion-but I'm not smelling it either! Easy Peasy :)

Monday, September 20, 2010

Get This While You Can!!!!!!!!


Happy Monday!! Bloggers-I had the absolute best weekend!! 3 of my dearest, best friends threw me the most amazing baby shower :) I loved it and had such a great time!! I'll post some pics when I get them.
Now this product I'm talking about today is tricky because it wont be available forever...but the good news is that you can get it for much cheaper than usual because of this. I'm talking about Kerastase Noctogenist Serum Nuit Leave In Overnight Softening Treatment and Im talking about it being terrific!!!!!!!!!! It is a treatment that you put on the ends of your hair when your hair is dry. I do it day or night because it absorbs so quickly and so you can't tell that Ive put anything on. It softens like crazy and smells divine and it really helps with breakage. A lot of you ask how do I get my hair to stay healthy when it is so long and this treatment is one of my tricks! So I'm a tad heartbroken because Kerastase is reformulating it (or maybe just getting new packaging??) and so it wont be available forever. But in the mean time I'm getting it at 50% off (its normally $65 at my salon). It is expensive (even at 50% off), but a tube of it lasts a really long time and it works so well that its worth it :) If you color and style your hair a lot, or if you have dry ends I would say this is a must have for you!!!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

2 Months to go!!!!


Wow-is time flying for everyone else or just me?? I have about 2 months left to get ready for this little sweetie to make his debut and it has hit me like a ton a bricks! I am slowing down w/ the maternity shopping bc I realized that I don't have that much time left (thank goodness-I'm ready to wear normal people clothes again!). But there are a few staples that have been very good to me throughout this pregnancy and I wanted to give one in particular a shout out: Gap Maternity Basic Leggings. These are the most comfy maternity leggings out there. Ive tried them all and some, while comfy, tend to fall down throughout the day giving a not so cute "saggy crotch" look. Others dig into my sides(sides is a nicer word for fat). And some are just the wrong material/length/etc. The Basic Leggings are nice and comfy and cheap! Twenty six bucks a pop! Not too bad at all and if you are open to different colors, the blue-ish and purple-ish color are on sale. Gap Maternity has online sales all the time-so I think I even got my black ones for cheaper than $26! LOVE, LOVE,LOVE!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Too Delish!!


Bloggers-the cravings have officially started and this mama wants sweets! Ice cream! Cookies! Cake! Muffins! Donuts! But mama does not want the fat-ass that goes with all of those sweets so I am trying to be creative and satisfy my sweet cravings with healthier options. Newest obsession: Kashi GOLEAN Crisp! Toasted Berry Crumble. It has rocked my world :) I normally am not a Kashi fan (the GOLEAN Crunch is too hard and hurts when I chew it!) but this is divine. It has 9 grams of protein, 8 grams of fiber and has 7 whole grains in it. Yesterday I had it as an afternoon snack w/ cottage cheese and today I had it w/ milk for breakfast. YUMMY! My friend Adam introduced me to this when we were in Lake Tahoe last week and I know if he eats it-then its healthy :) Enjoy!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Affordable and Fabulous!


I love a surprise beauty find!! This one I found while waiting in line for the pharmacy at CVS. The line was so long it went all the way to the cosmetics section of there store-so of course by the time I got to the front I had my arms full of new goodies. This one is great. It is Prestige Soft Blend Khol Eyeliner in Havana. They sell this brand at most drugstores and on Amazon and Drugstore.com. I love the dark brown color Havana, it gives me the option to go dramatic and lay it on thick for a made up look. Or I can just trace my lash line and not even wear mascara and it looks nice and natural. It is a Khol liner-so it goes on very smooth and easily, but I what I adore about this specific liner is that it doesn't smudge!! I wear it everyday and through my exercise classes, yoga, walking, napping, crying at everything (preggo hormones!) and snuggling the Mr and it doesn't smudge! So many friends ask me how to keep their eye make up on their eyes and I now can tell them-get this liner!!

Monday, September 13, 2010

A Pleasant Surprise!!



Happy Monday Product Junkies!!! I am back from a wonderful visit with my sister and niece in St Louis. While I was there I found some goodies to share with you all!! This first one was quite a nice little surprise. Sister (that's what we call each other) and I were shopping in Anthropologie (cant wait to fit into their clothes again!) and as I was checking out I saw a familiar logo in an unfamiliar tube...My old favorite (before Khiels stole my heart), Smith's Rosebud Salve now comes in a tube!!!! Stop the press! Its amazing! This stuff is fantastic-I use it for lip balm mainly, but I also use it on really dry skin and on my cuticles. It is clear-ish but leaves the tiniest hint of pink on your lips which is so cute! This product makes it on InStyle's 100 Best Beauty Buys every year for a reason-it rocks! I love it and the problem w/ the original packaging (in a tin) is that if it melts, it gets really hard to open and close the tin. So-problem solved!! Perfecto!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Want to Smell Delicious?



Happy Tuesday Bloggers!! Don't ya just love a short week? We had a wonderful weekend, we went up to Lake Tahoe and took the pups on their first ever boat ride...it was the funniest/cutest thing ever :) Now I'm here today-but I leave tomorrow morning for St Louis to visit my sister and my darling niece. So this will be my only post this week-but trust me, I'll be back with lots of goodies to discuss next week!!
The products above are too yummy not to blog about. They are Philosophy Apricots and Cream Body Lotion and Body Wash/Bubble Bath. I got them both at Nordies. They are huge-32 oz and smell divine. I love to take a soak in the tub at night before I climb into bed and now I use the bubble bath and after use the body lotion and every single time I do this Kevin makes a comment on how good I smell :) The bubble bath/body wash gets nice and sudsy and the lotion is a pretty good moisturizer-so not only do these products smell great-they work well too!! They feel luxurious and now that I'm getting bigger and bigger-I need all the luxuries/treats that I can get ;)

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Best Pumpkin Candle


Bloggers-Anyone else is complete shock that its already September??!!?? I love it-but time sure is flying!! Yesterday I was wasting time before I met one of my best friends for frozen yogurt (Jules! At 21 Choices in Pasadena!), so I popped into Crate and Barrel. I wanted to get Kevin some BBQ accessories and the Weber Grill Cookbook (bc he just got a new grill and I'm encouraging him to be a "grill master"!). I started to walk around and check out the fall stuff and I got a whiff if the best smelling pumpkin/fall smell!! I looked around and there was this small-ish tin on the display table and I picked it up and sure enough-pure fall bliss!! It is the Crate & Barrel Harvest Pumpkin Scented Candle. It comes in this small tin (pictured above) and is $10. The approximate burn time is 30 hours and even with out being lit-it smells sooooooo good (I'm smelling now as I write this!). Ahhhh I can picture it now: A nice cool Sunday afternoon, football on, Kevin BBQ-ing and my scented candle burning away.....heaven!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Delish Skinny Soup Recipe

I told you guys a couple of weeks ago that I was going to make lentil soup...I did and LOVED it!! So did Kevin! The reason I want lentil soup is Im trying to get more iron, magnesium and protein in my diet and of course any way to get more veggies is great. I call this a "skinny soup" because it is really good for you and fills you up. It has a TON of fiber (which I love!) and protein in it and not much fat at all. This is Ina Garten's recipe for Lentil Vegetable soup. I suggest cutting down the recipe a bit unless you want tons left over. I also added fresh chopped tomatoes and right before I served mine I threw in some spinach. I ommitted the parmesan because I didnt need it but definetly add the red wine vinegar, because it tastes sooooo good in this soup :)


Cook Time:1 hr 30 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients
1 pound French green lentils
4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large onions)
4 cups chopped leeks, white part only (2 leeks)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus additional for drizzling on top
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups medium-diced celery (8 stalks)
3 cups medium-diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)
3 quarts chicken stock
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons red wine or red wine vinegar
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions
In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are translucent and very tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Check the seasonings. Add the red wine and serve hot, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.