Where did the Weekend go?

This weekend went by so fast, but it was fun. We didn't do a whole lot and we had some turmoil but we survived. My youngest who's 7 had a run in at the Playground with a Bully and I don't tolerate Bullies of any age especially ones who push down my son right in front of me. Then on Sunday these same kids where outside brawling with another child, with not a parent insight.

Thus is how I realized there really is an Asshole Tree of Life! I don't know when or why people started not caring about how they raised their kids. But this drives me up a wall... teach them when they are young how to act in public and teach them respect and they will grow up to be amazing people! Ignore them and let them do whatever they want without any consequences and they will become an Asshole. Okay that was my No Bulling public service announcement!

My husband and I got up early Saturday morning and went to the YWCA's Walk a Mile in her Shoes Fundraiser and it was great. I decided I need to get out and do more things like this and it was fun seeing men walking in Women's High Heels..lol Then we headed over to a local restaurant called Regina's for some breakfast.. Yum!

He had some Oat Bran Pancakes and I got the Egg's Benedict or course he ended up eating half of what was on my plate.. Turns out he is not a fan of Egg's Benedict.

Sunday was a laid back kinda day.. My youngest had a play date with a friend from class. I had lots of computer work to do and I tried a new recipe for dinner.. I'll share that with you tomorrow. 

I also caught up on the DVR.. I don't know about the rest of you but man do I fill that thing up during the week... What are some of the shows you can't go without? 

I'm super excited the Real Housewives of NJ are back.. I only watch NJ & the OC. I also love the dramas on HBO and Showtime.. 

Game of Thrones, The Big C, Nurse Jackie, Girls.. Sunday is also a big day for Desperate Housewives, Army Wives, Chopped All Stars and Once Upon a Time.. I think Sunday & Tuesday maybe the biggest TV days for me. 

So how was your weekend? Did you do anything fun or exciting? 

Nailing it Friday!

This week I'm linking up again with the fabulous Tara and Vicki for the Nail Files. My nail art attempt this week was Water Marbling. This was my first time doing this and it went a lot smoother then I thought it would.

My Left hand came out a lot better as far as the design I achieved goes.. Once you get going on a few nails you get the hang of it. I didn't think I'd do it again but I have to say this puppy hasn't chipped yet and I think I did it Tuesday.. which is awesome!

I used the colors from the O.P. I. Shrek collection...  My base coat was Rumple's Wiggin' the light purple and then I marbled Funky Dunkey, Fiercely Fiona and What's with the Cattitude?

I also tried a new Top Coat this week the Seche Vite Fast dry one.. I like the High Gloss finish but the chemical Smell it gives off not so much.. I'll stick with my O.P.I one.

So what's on your nails this week? Have you tried any new Nail Art Techniques yet?

Oh where did the week go?

Wow it's Thursday already? Where did the week go? I took two weeks off from my Paper Crafting Blog and my Design Teams to re-organize my craft stash and just get my groove back; yet it seems like there is still not enough time in the day. I did a major purge of my craft supplies and I was able to use the money from the supplies I sold to purchase my son an iPad to use at school for his communication device..

That felt awesome! My oldest is 10 and he's non verbal and we had a device from insurance but it was a piece of crap and it spent more time getting repaired then being used. With the iPad and a $200 App I have the same thing only it works and he is doing amazing with it!

What have I been up too? We have finally complete the big Purge in our house.. All the useless crap is gone and man does it feel good. Less is MORE, that's my new lifestyle moto and style of living. Except when it comes to Nail Polish colors.. Ha Ha! I signed up for the Monthly subscription from Julep and I think it's going to be worth the money.. The first box came and I love the colors. I'm a Boho Maven...

Yesterday was my 16 year wedding Anniversary.. I can't believe it's been 16 years already, those years went by fast. I have no fancy wedding photos to insert here... we got married at City Hall and I wore jeans. We went to The Melting Pot for dinner and exchanged some gifts earlier in the week. My hubby loves to BBQ so I gifted him a new Smoker... and man does it make some great tasting BBQ!

I received a new purse and can I just say my hubby rocks sometimes... I gave him a list with some suggestions on it and he went above and beyond. This is only our third Anniversary together, he has been deployed for the rest of them.. I think I can get used to him being here.

I signed up for the Flip Flop swap a few weeks ago with Cole over at All the smalll stuff and my partner was Nichole at Yeung Mother Hubbard... She was a great partner! 

She sent me this adorable pair of Steve Madden sandals, Nail polish and some Godiva Chocolate! 

So, that's my week recap... sorry for the lack of post this week. Back on track next week I promise! Thanks for stopping by!! 

The Nail Files..

Whew.. The week is over!!! It's been a busy one, I'm linking up today with Vicki & Tara for the Nail Files... This is my favorite M.A.C. polish. It's from the Venomous Villains collection called Formidable.

It was a bit tricky getting a good picture so you could see everything that's going on.. It's a dark Magenta purple with a pretty sea green chrome to it. 

I have a few of these polishes in my collection..  They wear very well and the come in some amazing colors. 

So what's on your nails today? Stop by and Link up with Vicki & Tara! Thanks to everyone that stopped by last week.. I'm still making my way around to everyone. 

Tuesdays at the Table..

I ment to do this recipe a few weeks ago and time got away from me... these are my Elvis Beans..lol If you know me personally, you know I'm a huge Elvis Presley fan and a have a great cookbook written by his personal chef with all of his favorite recipes in it. There is a great one for some baked beans, but it's a lot of work in creating them from scratch...

I changed a few things up and these are awesome. Anytime these go to a function with me they are gobbled up. I didn't have a recipe though I just kind of know what I need and how much so I made a batch and did my best to get some measurements.. But the more you make these, make them your own..

Here's what ya need to get started... I forgot to show the Apple Cider Vinegar in my pix so make sure you have some of that too.

Molasses, Dry Mustard, Ketchup, White Onion, Brown Sugar, Apple Cider Vinger and a 28 oz Can of Bush's Vegetarian Baked Beans.

Preheat your Oven to 300 you'll want to use a glass or cast iron baking pan for these and something with a lid.

Start by draining your beans in a colander but Don't rise them!

Then put them into your baking dish, (if using glass spray with some non stick cooking spray) then add in the following: 1/2 Cup diced onion, 1 1/2 TBS Molasses, 3/4 tsp of Ground Mustard, 1 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar, 1/4 Cup + 1 TBS Ketchup and 1/4 + 1 TBS Brown Sugar. Mix everything together , taste the sauce and adjust to your taste, less sweet or more spice from the mustard.

This is what it will look like:

Cover with the lid and put in the oven for 1- 1/2 hours covered... Then remove cover and bake an additional 30 minutes.. You want to keep an eye on them once you uncover them, stir if needed you don't want them to dry out.

I like them to stick to the spoon where others may want them more on the runny side so you'll want to adjust your baking time.

If you are going to a large function, I've doubled and tripled these using a rectangular baking pan and some foil.. You can make a big batch if needed.. Also if you have a Cast Iron Dutch oven you can do these on the stove top or outside on a fire.

So, what's on your table today? What are your favorite Summer recipes? Head over to Cole's Blog and see what the other ladies are making and Link up!

Kiss & Makeup.... Monday!

It's Monday and time for Kiss & Makeup Monday with the Mrs. Xenos over at Newly....Everything! I'm going talk about Makeup Brushes.. I tend to have a Love/Hate relationship with these, well that was until now. Introducing....... Mrs. Bunny! Oh How I love them... 

If you aren't familiar with Sigma Makeup brushes.. and you are thinking about trying them. You're going to want these babies! 

My friend Tess was asking me about Brushes this morning and I realized I purchased these; fell in love and never told anyone.. Why did I do that? 

I have been using Sigma Brushes for a few years now and overall I give them a 8 on a 1-10 scale. Why an 8 you may wonder well not all of the brushes and I got along... We were always fighting, because a few hairs would come out while I was putting foundation on and then I wash and wash and still the hairs would fall out.. But I didn't give up because I really liked them.. 

I started with the eye kit and it was great minus a few stray hairs... then I purchased a few face brushes. 

I always hear... these are cheap brushes you should just get the (insert any high end brand) brushes.. Well guess what I had shedding with my high end brand brushes too! So, it doesn't really matter how much money you spend, it's about how the brush is made, how you use it and how you care for it! 

I saw a video review of the Vegan ones and she Loved them... So, I gave them a try and OMG heaven on the end of a handle.. They are soft and fluffy (like a bunny) and I have yet to see a single stray hair and they are 4 months old and I've washed them several times.. excuse the crappy picture I'm about to show you.

I snapped this today to show Tess what they looked like and as you can see I still have those black handled Sigma Brushes I started out with in there too.. These brushes look as good as new, have never lost their shape and if I need to replace them for any reason it will be with another Vegan Brush! 

How do I care for my brushes you might wonder? Well I use makeup remover wipes and wipe the brushes off when I'm done and then once I week I give them a good scrubbing with Brush cleaner from Bare Minerals.

There is my take on a great set of brushes.. you will be getting some bang for your Buck and you are getting a whole face kit for the price of 2 brushes from some of those other places!! 

So, what brushes are you using or what must have make-up or beauty products have you been loving.. Head over to Anne's blog and link up with us! 

Next Monday I'm doing a review on the Ott-Lite Makeup Mirror!! 

Bloggy Award

Blog Award : Versatile Blogger! 

The lovely Holly over at Precisely Holly has given this award to me. She's one of my newest bloggy buddies.

Rules

1. Nominate 15 fellow bloggers for the award.

2. Make sure to post the trophy image.

3. Thank the blogger who nominated you - with a link back.

4. Share 7 completely random facts about yourself.

5. Post the rules.

6. Let the each nominated blogger know they received the award too.

Random Facts 

1. I Despise Shopping for clothes, like full on need a drink afterwards!

2. I Love all types of Music except for Rap!

3. I'm a full on Starbucks Addict, I need rehab for real'z!

4. I have Naturally curly Hair and I love it (most days).

5. Things that go bump in the night freak me out, even at my age.

6. I have 15 Tattoos.

7. I love reading Johanna Lindsey Romance Novels.


I don't think I know 15 bloggers to give the award to so I'm going to give it all of my followers.. So if you are a follower of my blog this award is for you! 

The Nail Files....

Happy Friday!!! I'm linking up for the Nail Files with Tara & Vicki...

 

This week I have some super cute Nail Art.. I love looking at all the Nail Art ideas on Pinterest but are you a Pinner or a do~er? (is that a word?)

Here is the pix I found:

Source: weheartit.com via Holly on Pinterest

Here is my take on it :

I used OPI Sparrow Me The Drama, Mermaids Tears and some Black Onyx. 

My Recent Nail Polish Haul was a Bottle of China Glaze's Liquid Crystal.. I saw the post with swatches that the Polish Aholic did and it was a must have! You can see her pix here. I'll swatch it once my Leopard Mani starts chipping.

What are you wearing on your Nail today? Head over to Fabulous and Evil and see what the other ladies are wearing and Link up! 

Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday!!

It's Wednesday and I've been a cleaning & Purging fool since last week.. It feels great to get rid of all the stuff we don't use and just the junk! I missed last week's Oh How PINTERSTing Wednesday with Michelle at the Vintage Apple.. So I thought I'd join in again this week and I'm linking up with What I'm Loving Wednesday with Jamie at This Kind of Love....

I love this Make-Up Look it's easy to do and that Blue really goes great with Brown eyes.. I also do this one with Green instead of the blue. 

Source: beautylish.com via Holly on Pinterest

This page is full of great little things to use with your Instagram photos.. You can make stickers, mini books.. etc!

Source: printstagr.am via Holly on Pinterest

Coconut French Toast, I mean really what can you say besides YUM! 

Source: twopeasandtheirpod.com via Holly on Pinterest

I love this Nail Art design.. there are a lot of Leopard spot ones but this color combo is adorable!

Source: weheartit.com via Holly on Pinterest

Here's what I'm loving this week! 

I saw these Louis Vutton Sandals in Glamour Magazine and they are to Die for!!! I just need to win the lottery so I can buy them..lol 

So what are you loving lately? 

Kiss and Makeup Monday!

I'm linking up again with the fabulous.. Anne at Newly Everything for Kiss and Makeup Monday. I recently hit up Sephora in search of some of an eye cream. I've escaped having to use any form of eye cream up until this point in my life... I think once you hit age 35 it all starts to go downhill from there. 

Once I was there I found more then what I was looking for of course... I picked up the Philosophy eye of hope, Philosophy release me and the Kat Von D Spring Palette  Mi Vida Loca..
The eye of hope is awesome stuff! I've been using if for over a week now and I saw instant results, I'm a true believer in eye creams now. No irritation to my super sensitive skin and it firmed up and plumped almost the skin right under my lashes. It's a little on the $$$ side though but a little goes a long way. 
I have been using Lush's Ultra Bland cream as an eye make up remover for a few years and it's done a great job.. but it can leave you a big greasy feeling in the AM around your eyes. So I wanted to see what else was out there.. Philosophy's release me totally rocks! There are many eye make-up removers out there and they burn the skin around my eyes and if you were to get some in your eyes forget about it. Not with this stuff, no burning or irritation and it completely removed everything even the waterproof mascara and left no greasy residue. I'd give it 5 stars! 
The Kat Von D palette I will have to get back to you on that one, I actually haven't even taken it out of the box yet. I love the colors though... I have a few of her other palette and I love the formula of the eyeshadow. I did hear that this is a new formula and the packaging is new so fingers crossed I will still love it.  Here's a pix of the inside: 

So what products are you loving these days or what great new makeup products have your found! Head over to Anne's Blog and join us and Link up! 

Happy Easter Everybunny!!!

I hope everyone is having a great Easter Weekend so far.. We don't really celebrate Easter in our house and I was hoping to escape having to do the Easter Basket thing this year because neither of the kids mentioned anything about it. Until Friday while we were at my oldest son's therapy appt.. The therapist came out and said she asked Austin what he was doing this weekend and he said the Easter Bunny was coming..  I was like well you see just because they don't say anything doesn't mean they have forgotten.

So this mommy was at Target Friday evening trying to put together some Baskets before the last minute Saturday rush.. ha ha. I snagged the last 2 baskets in the store and there wasn't a plastic egg to be found anywhere. But I'm a mommy and we can make something outta nothing right? I got a few movies, each of them a video game and some treats. We didn't dye Easter Eggs though and I'm okay with that.

My oldest son is 10 and non verbal and he's Autistic so one thing I'm trying to figure out is what age and how you go about explaining to these kids about the Easter Bunny, Santa and the Tooth fairy? Anyone have any experience in this area? I hate to just stop doing stuff cold turkey, but there has to be a way to work up too it.

Anyways.. I hope you have a great Easter, Don't eat too many Jellybeans!

Nailing it! Friday...

It's Friday.... YAY!! I would be more excited it our weekend wasn't going to be full of more cleaning and purging but it needs to be done. I'll hang in my PJ's next week..

This week for Nailing it! I'm going to show you my nail routine. I don't get manicures very often in a salon.. I used to be a nail tech and I just can't sit and get a manicure, now a pedicure if a different story!

Frist up, if you are looking for a new polish remover this baby is LOVE in a bottle:

What I love about this is #1 it smells yummy not like chemicals. #2 It does a great job removing most nail colors ( not glitter). #3 it's a prep too... You use a bit before your base coat to really insure your nail bed is clean and free of any kind of moisture.

Prep... after I remove my polish I use some Cuticle Gel remove.. (my cuticles and area around my nails is always a Hot mess, I work with paper and my skin is super dry no matter what I use)

I have discovered this product and it's great for cleaning up your cuticle area:

After I remove my polish, clean up my cuticles, trim, file & buff my nails.. I scrub!

I use this 1-2 times a week on both my hands and my feet.. It cleans, exfoliates and moisturizes all in one step!

Now rise dry and let's get to the color! 

Chip Skip.. Okay I'm still on the fence about this product, I have not been 100% convinced that my polish last longer with this product. I'll have to get back to you on that.

Base coat... (1 coat is all ya need) I love OPI Nail Envy, it's a treatment and a base coast how can you go wrong with that?

Color.. Any color you want! I am an OPI WHORE to put it in nice terms and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Today I'm wearing one of the new colors from the NYC Ballet collection called Don't Touch My Tutu (2 coats) and some of the Glitter in the collection called Pirouette My Whistle (1 coat).

Top Coat I've been using OPI RapiDry has of late and I love it!

There you go... seems like this process would take forever but I can do my nails in a little under an hour and they are dry and ready to go. 

I'm linking with with Tara & Vicki for the Nail files.. Head over and see what the other ladies are wearing on their nails this week.. You never know what fab new colors you might find.