Friday, February 28, 2014

Confession

At the end of January I posted that I would be starting my first fitness challenge from Pinterest.


Lets face it, life gets away from you sometimes. I began this challenge with full force and determination. Things quickly began to get crazy here with the weather, extra long commuting hours, and to top it off getting back to the gym full time. So, I am not going to make any further excuses I am just going to say... I have failed the fitness challenge. I completed half of the days but had to take extra days in between to rest because I was insanely sore and my husband would not let me continue. I also took about four days off because we had a house guest. After thinking about how I would jump back into the challenge I decided it would be better to just restart. So here it is, my second time around:


Begining Challenge: 3/1/2014
Finishing Challenge: 3/30/2014

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

101 Things in 1001 Days: #26 - Add 50 New Amazing Recipes to My Recipe Book


Apple Pie

This past week I was flipping through my recipe books trying to find something new and fun to whip up. My husband mentioned something about an apple pie. I had never really thought to make an apple pie because it's not something I have ever really eaten. The next day me and our visitor set off to the grocery store to buy the ingredients. While preparing this apple pie I learned that I had chosen an non traditional recipe which got me even more excited because these are usually the best recipes. The recipe was surprisingly easy and so yummy!


#26 - Add 50 new amazing recipes to my recipe book
12% Complete

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Valentine's Day

I know I am a couple weeks late BUT I hope you all had a fantastic Valentine’s Day!


Going into the Holiday I planned to make my husband a fantastic lobster dinner. Lobster has been something I have wanted to tackle for some time. In the days leading up to Valentine’s Day New York got hit pretty hard with back to back snow storms. This lead to our commute time doubling and just plain taking excitement out of everything due to exhaustion. So in reality the Husband and I spent Valentine’s Day catching up on rented movies and enjoying a nice frozen pizza! Even though it was nothing exciting, it was just what we needed.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

101 Things in 1001 Days: #36 - Create 3 DIY crafty items from Pinterest

I have been attempting to keep up with my 101 things in 1001 days and because of this I have been cooking and baking up a storm. I decided that I wanted to organize all my new amazing recipes. I came across a pin on Pinterest from a blog titled Pinch A Little Save-A-Lot that offers free printables to organize just about anything you can think of. I saw the instructions below and was instantly excited to get all my recipes into custom binders.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL BLOG POST

This project took a while to complete but it was well worth it. I love that I can keep all of my go-to recipes in one place and organized how I like them. Now every time I test out a new recipe I get to make the fun decision if the recipe is worthy of making it into my binders. :)


Check our her blog and get organizing.

#36 - Create 3 DIY crafty items from Pinterest
33% Complete


Monday, February 17, 2014

Stitch Fix Review February 2014

It's that time again... Stitch Fix Time!
If you are not familiar with Stitch Fix you can read my first review HERE.
Now, lets get to it:
I was excited to receive this months fix because I provided detailed feedback and a little more style information for the stylist. At first glace I was a little disappointed but decided to try everything on anyway.
The prices on this Fix were closer to my price range but still a but too expensive. I have adjusted my ideal price range on the style profile because the last Fix was insanely expensive for me. I was happy to see that they actually took that into account on this Fix.
- - -
Under Skies - Geena Chevron Print Belted Tunic - $58
  &
Just Black - Adora Skinny Jean - $88
I fell in love with this top when I saw the print but unfortunately the fit was baggy and added to my waist line. The Jeans are AMAZING and are the perfect color to add to my wardrobe for spring.
Top Verdict : Returned
Jeans Verdict: Kept
Renee C - Taber Foldover 3/4 Sleeve Sweater - $58
The style of the sweater I really like but the fit was extremely tight in the bust and had a band on the bottom that made me look extra wide. The shoulders were also a problem because every time I moved my arms the fold would ride up.
Verdict: Returned
41Hawthorn - Rowson Colorblock Striped Sweater - $58
This sweater I have seen on many different blogs. I knew this sweater was not at all my style but it was only a matter of time before it ended up in one of my Fix's.
Verdict: Returned
 41Hawthorn - Milano Twist-Front Crew Neck Knit Top - $68
 Although this top didn't add to my waist line like some of the other tops, it was far to tight. It almost felt like a swimsuit. I did request items with interesting details so I see why this was added to my Fix.
 Verdict: Returned
- - -
For this fix I kept the Just Black jeans which cost $88 and after subtracting my $20 styling fee and a $25 referral credit these jeans were only $43! So far, after receiving two Fix's I have kept two pairs of Jeans and no tops. Hopefully they can really get in touch with my style and send me some great tops. I am really starting to enjoy this service and plan on continuing to receive monthly Fix's as long as my wallet will allow.
If your interested in checking it out: CLICK HERE

Friday, February 14, 2014

101 Things in 1001 Days: #26 - Add 50 New Amazing Recipes to My Recipe Book

Bean Dip
One of our closet friends is an amazing cook and she shares her recipes with me upon request. Every time we went over to her house she would serve this amazing Bean Dip. When I asked for the recipe she listed the ingredients but told me she really didn't have any measurements for each ingredient. (We all know this is a trait of an excellent cook) I made an attempt to recreate this dip but it wasn't anywhere near the original. It was tasty but I will be making some adjustments when I attempt this recipe again.

#26 - Add 50 new amazing recipes to my recipe book
10% Complete


Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Snow Lessons

Last Tuesday night we got hit with 8 inches of snow. During the snow months we mainly drive our truck so our little Audi gets a break. After the snowstorm hit we were so busy with work and school we forgot to dig out our poor Audi. On Saturday we thought it was time, it took us a full hour and a half just to get the driver door unfrozen enough to open. I know now that no matter how busy we are we need to dig out the cars as soon as we can so the snow doesn't freeze to the car.


Lesson learned!


Sunday, February 9, 2014

101 Things in 1001 Days: #26 - Add 50 New Amazing Recipes to My Recipe Book

 
Hot Spinach, Artichoke and Chile Dip
 
We did a little entertaining this weekend and I made my first attempt at spinach and artichoke dip. I was a little worried about this recipe because some of the reviews stated that it was very bland. To my surprise this appetizer turned out great and will be a go to recipe for years to come. It is extremely simple and quick to make and serve or bring to a party.
 
 
#26 - Add 50 new amazing recipes to my recipe book
8% Complete

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Social Networking

Just about everyone we know nowadays has a Facebook or Instagram. Recently a new Facebook trend has immerged - The Facebook Movie. This feature taps into your account and reports when you joined, your first moments, most liked posts, and shared photos. After creating...
 
 
...it got me thinking about some of the social networking fads from the past couple of years.
 
If you have a Instagram or a Facebook you are probably familiar with hashtags. Personally, I think these things are getting a little out of control. #OMG!
 
I am guilty for using a hashtag or two when the timing feels right. My most popular hashtag go to is #tbt. So lets break down and provide examples for the most popular hashtags currently taking over cyber space:
 
#TBT = Throw Back Thursday
 
#MCM = Man Crush Monday
 
#WCW = Woman Crush Wednesday
 
These are just some of the weekly hashtags being used over and over and over again. ;)
 
What are your thoughts on hashtags? What are your favorite and least favorites?
Do you think these things are getting out of control?
 


Sunday, February 2, 2014

101 Things in 1001 Days: #26 - Add 50 New Amazing Recipes to My Recipe Book & #28 - Make 25 recipes out of my cookbook collection


 Pasta e Fagioli 
(Budget Bytes Cookbook by Beth Moncel)

 This soup was delish although I made a rookie mistake while preparing this dish. I have a habit of barely reading through a recipe before I begin the process. I am always sending my husband to the store in search of a forgotten ingredient. This was a little different but I am going to make a point never to do this again. At the very end of this recipe you add the pasta to the boiling soup to cook. When I reached this step I when ahead and added the ENTIRE box of pasta to the soup. Noticing quickly that it didn't look right I consulted the recipe. As you will see below the recipe calls for one CUP of pasta. Ooops! I happened to have extra chicken broth on hand so I added a couple extra cups and it turned out great. (I am sure it would have been better the correct way but we loved it anyway.)A great winter day soup.
 
 
#26 - Add 50 new amazing recipes to my recipe book
6% Complete
 
#28 - Make 25 recipes out of my cookbook collection
 8% Complete