Be The Change | Till Then Smile Often

October 21, 2013

Inner Reset

I want to be mad at Monday but since I have a 3 day week I am not really mad at it! In case you missed it I had a slight not yet mid-life crisis, you can read about it here. So this weekend was about time to myself. Not just lazy watch Breading Bad time (which I did too) but time to actually sit and think and plan. Let me tell you it was really beneficial. It is not that I am not grateful for where my life is, but that I know I can live my life more mindful and intentional with goals in mind. I am already an avid list maker so it was more like a list of yearly/life goals. Either way I sat down and decided on the 3 things I wanted to change or put a little more focus on and came up with a short and long term goal for each. More than likely will share more info soon. So needless to say my weekend was successful but maybe not as interesting. Which I am totally ok with it. I did get a few things done so on with the show!

Friday: Since I wanted to have most of the weekend free from errands I ran around like a crazy person after getting home from work. I headed to Ulta Beauty Supply. I was so disappointed since the two things I wanted they didn’t have in stock but I did get a few goodies.

The Revlon Colorburst in Bejeweled and NYX Eyeshadow in White

Then I headed to Christmas Tree shop. I didn’t take pictures of what I got because I am ashamed of everything I got (I filled a huge basket). I only went in to look at candles and coffee mugs and ended up with way more!! It’s not my fault I like a good bargain. Though I did not get this nonsense!

Then I hit the Halloween supply store for a few items for my costume and I saw this little gem.

They had the beetlejuice suit too. As if seeing it once wasn’t enough. Oh well. I hit Target too for some essentials but nothing worth showing in pictures.

Saturday: I started the morning with some coffee and worked on finishing my book. Which I did. 🙂

I looked through some magazines to find this recipe I wanted to modify. Problems of a foodie! This is only my magazines not recipe books. Eek.

I made the original recipe for my Dad once and I had an idea what I wanted to use. So I headed to the grocery store for the ingredients and food for the week. I spent the rest of the afternoon writing down goals and plans. Then for dinner I made Chorizo Pot Pie, and it was AMAZING!! I am so excited to put this recipe together because it was so good! Recipe coming soon.

I watched a few episodes of Breaking Bad while knitting. Exciting I know, contain yourself! 🙂

Sunday: Nothing like starting the day with a yummy breakfast!

Then I was a willy coyote of cleaning (dishes, laundry, bathrooms) you know the usual suspects. I made my two cakes from Tuesday’s class and more frosting. A few more episodes of Breaking Bad with a little more planning. I watched the Patriots game and took Seamus for a walk during halftime.

Once the Patriots lost in overtime 🙁 I raked the leaves, made dinner and then sat down for some bloggity blog writing with a little refreshment.

So it was a little bit productive, a little bit reflective, and a little bit relaxing. Overall pretty good weekend!

How was your weekend?

Linking up with Sami at Sami’s Shenanigans and Leann at Join the Gossip .

October 18, 2013

I Shall Look Back And Laugh

Is it really Friday? Thank goodness, I thought you would never get here. It has been a rough week.

So quick story I was reading this old journal from college last night and it was really depressing. There were a few things that I was venting about and it really struck a nerve because they were similar to things that I vent about now. I felt like all this time has passed and nothing has changed. Don’t get me wrong I am very grateful for the life I have now, but I know I want more or different. I am very thankful for having to be able to purchase my own home, have a job that provides financially. However there are things that I want and I feel like I am not thinking about the big picture. I think I keep myself so busy that I never get a chance to sit and plan and think. It may be subconsciously, but it happens either way. So this weekend I am going to plan. There were places I wanted to go but I am not. I am going to catch up on things at home and PLAN!! Picking 3 things I want to see change and coming up with ways to make them happen. Okay that was more of a long story but I needed to get that out.

Okay on to my Five Things for Friday.

ONE. My Tuesday cake decorating class was cancelled and I didn’t want the cake to go to waste so I decided to try and decorate it as practice. Not perfect but not bad. One of my co-workers said it was #AMAZING! His words not mine.

TWO. This week back in 2006 I adopted this little tumbleweed of fur!!! It was the best decision I have ever made regardless of the lost hours of sleep! Little Seamus turned 8 years old!! For his adoption story click here.

Photo: Seamus and his birthday present!!

Enjoying his Birthday treat!

THREE. Seamus usually does the head tilt when he hears a squeeker but this dog’s reaction is too cute!

FOUR. It’s true.

ain't that the fuckin truth.

FIVE. Is this not the cutest!! May be a project to start?

Newborn Necktie and Newsboy Hat free pattern from KnitTastic Knots on Ravelry

SOURCE

Hope I wasn’t too much of a downer. I promise to refresh and recharge this weekend. One day I will look back on this and laugh, it is not that dramatic.

What are your weekend plans?

October 16, 2013

Cold Weather Gear

With the leaves finally starting to drop from the trees the temps are dropping right along with them. This is the time when my skin takes a beating, so I decided to share with you all the different products I use to keep my skin protected and in the best shape possible. Most of these products can be used regardless of male or female aside from the face cream.

CARMEX – My Mom got me hooked on Carmex when I was 17 and I have used it ever since. It is the best product ever for chapped lips and with the addition of Cherry, Strawberry and now a Pomegranate flavor I have at least 10 of these on hand.

L’Oreal Revita Lift Anti-Wrinkle and Firming Face Cream – I have been using this face cream since I was 21. It is never to early to protect your face against wrinkles. I am now in my 30’s with not a wrinkle in sight. Prevention is key but it is never to late to start. It is a little pricey ($18-20) but it lasts about 6 months and totally worth it.

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter – Yes this is mostly used by pregnant woman trying to fight off stretch marks but I use it for my elbows and my hands. My skin is very sensitive to cold and dry weather to the point they crack if to cold and dry. This is the best because it really gets deep into your pores and doesn’t come off as easily as other products.

Infinity Scarf – This one is from Anthropologie but I just got this one from Target in a cream color and it is amazing. They keep my neck warm and fight off the cold New England Weather.

Vaseline Cocoa Butter – I use this on my whole body after the shower to keep the rest of me from drying out like an alligator. Again it has a little more weight to it then most creams so it really provides a protective barrier from the cold and really moisturizes my skin.

Well those are just some of the products I use to protect my skin from the cold weather.Hope you like them or try them out .

What are some of your favorite skin products?

Linking up with Liz from Fitness Blondie

and with Shanna for Random Wednesday.

October 15, 2013

Apple Fritter Bread

After going Apple Picking this weekend the challenge was what to bake to use up the apples. Some of the Pink Lady apples will be my snack for the week, but I had another dozen to use up. I have some of my go to recipes I like for apple pies, apple crisp and apple crumb cakes. I like to try new recipes though too. So this time I came across this Apple Fritter Bread and decided to give it a go.

Ingredients:

Dough – 3 cups flour ~ 1 package yeast ~ 1/4 tsp. salt ~ 1/2 cup brown sugar ~ 1/4 cup water ~ 1 egg, beaten ~ 3/4 cup milk ~ 1/4 cup butter

Filling – 4 apples, peeled and diced ~ 1 Tbsp. lemon juice ~ 1 cup brown sugar ~ 1 tsp. vanilla ~ 2 Tbsp. butter ~ 1 tsp. cinnamon ~ 1 Tbsp cornstarch

Glaze – 1 Tbsp. butter, melted ~ 1 tsp. vanilla ~ 3/4 cup powdered sugar ~ 3 tsp. half and half (or milk)

Directions:

Grease a 9×5 loaf pan and set aside. In a skillet, cook apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, vanilla, butter, cinnamon and cornstarch until thickened. Set aside to cool.

In a small saucepan, heat the milk until it bubbles. Remove from heat and add butter. Stir until melted. Set aside.In a mixing bowl add flour, yeast, salt and brown sugar. Mix until combined. Add water, egg and milk/butter mixture and mix until it forms into a ball. Mix/knead for an additional 5 minutes.

Roll dough out in the shape of a rectangle on a generously floured surface.

Evenly spread apple mixture over dough. Cut into squares.

Stack the squares into your pan. The easiest way to do this is to turn the pan so the short end is on the counter and the long end is in the air.

Once all pieces are placed in the pan, lay flat on the counter and spread out so it fills the whole pan.

Bake for 45 – 50 minutes in a 350 degree oven, until golden brown. Remove from pan and let cool.

In a small bowl, mix powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla and milk and mix well. Pour glaze over the bread and allow it to set for a few minutes. Best when served warm.

It is not as labor intensive as it seems so give it a try! You could always use Pillsbury dough if you don’t want to mess with the yeast.

Linking up with Jessica and Ashley.

October 14, 2013

Weekend of Apples and Baking

Happy Monday! What a wonderful weekend. It was a lot of fun catching up with my best friend and her family. It was crazy trying to get a bunch done, but I felt I got to relax a lot too.

Friday – After the week I had, all the energy I had was for a movie night in. I watched Hocus Pocus and This Means War.

Saturday – I headed up to New Hampshire to go apple picking with my best friend Lynnie, her hubby Mike and their little man. We went to Brookdale Farms in Hollis New Hampshire. I was a little bummed that they were out of Honey Crisp apples but they did have a lot of other varieties, including Pink Ladies which are my favorite. They are sweet and tart very similar to the honey crisp.

We headed to the farm stand after to check out the veggies.

We also went to Lull Farm which was just down the street and had a little larger vegetable section. I got this special vegetable that is supposed to be in the eggplant family. It was called a Twinkle!

After some quality time back at the house, I left to get some errands done. First to Wal-Mart to pick up some supplies for my cake decorating class on Tuesday and then went grocery shopping. Once home around 5:30pm I took Seamus for a walk then relaxed watching some of my DVR’d shows. I was so tired I ended up falling asleep during one of them for like 40 minutes. Oops.

Sunday – This was a lounge around the house kinda day.

I finished my book that I talked about on Friday. I really loved it and it was a quick read. I think it’s a little on the old fashioned side but I think that is what I love about it. It is still relevant today because it is all about charm, manners, killing people with kindness, and thinking about others before reacting. There is a part in it about when giving criticism or negative feedback and draping it in 3 compliments. It helps soften the blow and makes others feel less attacked. I really recommend reading it, I think everyone can pick up a few things worth using. Once I finished my book I did laundry, dishes, then swept and moped the floors. A quick break to watch Grease 2 and then some baking.

Two cakes for my cake decorating class.

Two batches of frosting for class.

Then I made some Apple Fritter Bread for my co-workers. This is before it went into the oven. After the oven it got drizzled with a thin icing.

I was so tired after all 3 hours of baking I could barely make something for dinner so I had corn. I only ate half of it too. I ate it while watching the last bit of the Patriots squeeze out a win.

How was your weekend?

Linking up with Sami at Sami’s Shenanigans and Leann at Join the Gossip .

October 13, 2013

Sunshine Award

I was nominated for a Sunshine Award by Renee from So Fill Your Heart. She is so incredibly sweet and a new blog I follow, she is from Newfoundland Canada and looks a little like Amy Adams. What’s not to like, so go check her out!

The great thing about these posts is that you get to learn a little more random facts about me. If you are into that kinda stuff! FREAKS!! Just kidding! 🙂 It still boggles my mind that there are people out there who read my rambles! So the questions she has for me are:1. What do you love most about blogging? I love being able to share recipes, and projects I do in the hopes that others enjoy them too. The biggest part I love about it is meeting other bloggers from all around the world. There are so many amazing people out there and are so kind and supportive. It blows me away. I love seeing how our lives are similar and how they are different.
2. What’s something most people wouldn’t know about you? I am really shy when it comes to meeting new people. It takes me a bit to warm up but when I do I can be outgoing.
3. Do you have a Type A or Type B personality? Totally Type A. I wish it wasn’t since it stresses me out more than anything.
4. If you could travel anywhere right now, where would it be? I have so many places on my bucket list. Greece, Australia, and Italy are big ones. Though I want to make it up to Canada soon too!
5. Which celebrity is your fashion idol? I love Jennifer Aniston’s style. She just has a very relaxed classic style.

6. What’s your favourite holiday of the year? Halloween!!! I love dressing up and decorating the house. I pass out the candy to the kids and some have even stopped to take pictures of the house!
6. Nails painted or not? Not, since I bake a lot it is best for that, plus painting them every two days (mine never last) is just a total time suck I just don’t need.
7. Heels or flats? Flats since I walk a lot at work, but I love rocking a pair of heels too for special occasions.
8. What’s your favourite t.v. show? I love so many right now especially with the Fall TV season picking up. I have to DVR pretty much everything and watch on the weekends though. Currently Sons of Anarchy, New Girl, Super Fun Night, Dads, The Voice, Grey’s Anatomy.
9. What’s your idea of a perfect Sunday? Doing absolutely nothing! Never leaving my PJ’s, coffee in the morning. Reading or thinking up new recipes. Reading a book or watching movies. Snuggling up with the pupster!

10. What do you think is your best feature? My smile. I have been nicknamed smiley because I like to smile whenever I can and it cost me a pretty penny too! 😉 Though I have been told my eyes too, not sure why since they are really dark brown.

Thanks again to Renee for nominating me.

October 11, 2013

Learning To Be Southern

Well Y’all know what time it is right! It is Friday and it is glorious! Another week has come and gone. It has been a hectic one as I imagine this whole month with be, but I do have a few days off coming to look forward to. Well it’s time to recap the week with 5 things I am loving, doing, watching, reading. Pretty much anything because heck it’s my blog! 😉

One. I think I may the last person on earth to get a Keurig but I finally got one this week! Thanks goes to Kristin from Hopelessly Ever After for giving me a 50% off code to use.

Two. I am going apple picking this weekend with one of my besties so on the menu to bake is this little scrumptious ditty.

SOURCE

Three. I mentioned this already but I had my first cake decorating class on Tuesday and it was so much fun. I have practiced making at least 5 roses per day since the class. I have cakes to bake and frosting to mix before my next class so that will be my day on Sunday.

Four. This one gets me every time.

Five. I finished Then Came You by Jennier Weiner and am now reading What Southern Women Know (That Ever Woman Should) by Ronda Rich. I am only on page 32 but I am already loving it. I will soon be a Southern Belle *chuckling* in a very ladylike manner. (Okay even I can’t keep a straight face on that one but it’s worth a try).

SOURCE

Well that’s all I have for you this week. Go party your little socks off, it’s Friday!!!

October 10, 2013

Never Have I Ever

Well lookie here I am posting on a Thursday. It doesn’t happen that often so just go with it. When Amanda from The Lady Okie said she was doing a one time link-up just like the drinking game I use to play in college (sorry Dad) I figured I just had to join in on the fun.

~ Liked Surprises – Don’t get me wrong a surprise gift in the comfort of your own home, very welcome. Surprise parties or singing Happy Birthday in a restaurant totally makes me uncomfortable.

~ Not had a dog and/or cat.

Sparky – 14 yrs old when she passed

Mickey – 12 yrs old when she passed

Current Cutie Pie Seamus – 7.11 yrs old

~ Ditched Class (I was a good girl – i.e. my Dad would have beat my a$$)

~ Been on a cruise – aka Barf Mobile

SOURCE

~ Cheated on a boyfriend – Loyalty is a big thing for me

~ Liked commuting

office space samir frustrated with traffi gif

~ Liked Mushrooms.. just gross.

~ Liked to mop the kitchen floor. Necessary but I hate it.

~ Tried drugs – Crack is Whack

Whitney Houston crack is whack

Well that is all my tired brain can think of for now! Hope you got a chuckle!

What things have you never done?

October 9, 2013

Cake Decorating is Hard

Can I just say I am absolutely exhausted! Like this is very possible once I get home from work!

I have a feeling the whole month of October is going to be like this, thanks in part to my Cake Decorating class. Woohoo! It will be totally worth it since it was really fun. It is going to mean homework of practicing, baking cakes and cupcakes to decorate and whipping up batches upon batches of frosting. I am not mad about it at all, I just know I am going to get overwhelmed with trying to keep up with housework, going to the gym, practicing frosting, regular housework and blogging. So please be patient with me if it takes longer to respond than normal.

I did try to sneak a few pics of the things we worked on, my teacher Kristen is awesome and really patient. It is an evening adult education course for 3 hour a session for four session at the local Technical School not far from my house.

Our decorator kit – tips and pastry bag

Practicing making roses – this was harder than it looks

Some of the less than horrible roses

Getting closer

Practicing handwriting for cakes – yeah mine looks like a 2 year old wrote it. Womp Womp!

Just getting used to how to hold the bag was a task and it is much different than how you hold a pencil and write your name. Needless to say this will require lots of practice. Look forward to my next class. 🙂

I am also Guest Posting over at The Daybreak Bird about my favorite vacation – Christmas By The Sea in Maine.

Linking up with Liz from Fitness Blondie

and with Shanna for Random Wednesday.

October 8, 2013

Chicken and Gouda Grilled Cheese

Well, yesterday was a very stressful and exhausting day. After Seamus got sprayed by a skunk the whole morning was consumed by giving him a bath (the baking soda, Hydrogen Peroxide and dish soap) mix my Vet friend suggested worked wonderfully. Then I gave him a regular bath and he was smelling like roses. I took another shower, sprayed Febreeze on the couch, put all blankets in the wash and burned some candles to help air out my living room. I placed some cups of vinegar around the house to get rid of some of the odor as well. Everything is back to normal thankfully. Though it gave me a headache and I started to feel a little nauseous.

Well enough about the smelly business because this weekend it was nothing but the amazing smells of grilled cheese. It is one of my favorites from my childhood and so it seemed only fitting to make a more adult version.

Ingredients: 2 Slices of Sourdough Bread ~ Thousand Island or Russian Dressing ~ Smoked Gouda with Bacon cheese ~ Rotisserie or shredded Chicken ~ 1-2 slices of pre-cooked bacon ~ tomato

Directions: Spread the dressing on both slices of bread.

Layer Chicken, Bacon, Gouda, and Tomato.

Top with the other slice of brad and spray grill with Pam. Press between the grill until cheese is melted about 2-4 minutes.(I know I didn’t have to spell that out right?)

If you don’t have a Panini/Grill the ridged grill pans work well to! Tonight is my first cake decorating class so be prepared for me sharing some of cake decorating tips.

Do you have any favorite filling you like to add to grill cheese?

What is one of your favorite meals from childhood?

Linking up with Jessica and Ashley.

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