Dreams Come True: Baking Edition

Merry post Christmas! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your family and friends. I certainly got in a lot of time with all of the people that I love, and that is my favorite part!

While Christmas certainly is not about the "getting," I feel extra blessed this year- for several reasons.
One of those reasons are a handsome (heavily bearded) guy in my life who I am particularly fond of. And I am incredibly thankful for him and all of the things that he is.  And…he may or may not be pictured  below in a very mysterious photo.

I can't help myself. 

Also, I am thankful when he brings these kind of things into my life…
YES.
This happened!

I talk a lot less about baking and a lot more about products on this forum, but the truth is, I spend a lot of my down time baking and trying new recipes. I have wanted one of these beauties for years. YEARS. I thought someday it might happen,  but I certainly didn't expect it to be any time soon. To say that I am thrilled with my new Kitchen Aid would be an understatement. My baking game just took an unexpected step up.

So, yes, I am feeling a little extra spoiled this year, and today I got to put my new dream machine to use! I have had bread-baking on my to-do list for a few months now. For some reason when I see "yeast" and "rising" I get a little intimidated. But with the help of my kneading attachment, I went ahead and tried it out.

My little adventure today….

Woo!

I got this recipe here if anyone is interested. 

Anyways, on a more serious note, I really am feeling overwhelmed with a lot of love this season. And as much as I feel the love, I also have seen how much shorter life can be than we anticipate. As much as we believe that our loved ones will be with us forever, sometimes that is just not the plan. The holidays are a great time to see our families and friends and let them know how much they mean to us. But, so is everyday. Starting today, don't  forget to say "I love you" and maybe hug a little longer. Each day we have with each other is just another day to show how much we care.

Merry (post) Christmas!
And stay tuned… of course I have some new products to review.

Current Favs

Hey! It's about time for another addition of current favorites. It's Winter time and that means I am cringing and running to and from my car like a giant baby. It also means I am spending a lot more time buying random items and products than I EVER should be. So, without any further delay….

1. Isotoner Gloves

If you live anywhere where you find your body in pain due to the temperature, do yourself a favor and grab a pair of Isotoner gloves. Why I have never owned a pair of these prior to this year is BEYOND my understanding. This has literally been a game changer for me. I actually don't hate my life as much when I am driving to work in the morning. And I can touch the steering wheel again. Bonus!

They have a lot of cute and practical styles. And I now own two pairs.  Pictured below are my favorite pair. 

Women's Cable Knit Gloves- Thinsulate Lined in Ivory

2. Eyeliner discovery

This is more of an announcement. I know I am not the first NOR the last person to do this, but I have started using my eye shadow as an eyeliner- and I LOVE IT. 

In my Naked 2 palette  there is shade called "Blackout". A few weeks ago I had a crisis in which I was not at home and realized I had forgotten my eyeliner. I improvised with a fine tip brush and this shade…. and I couldn't believe how much I liked it! It was such a smooth and soft look as opposed to the sharp lines you get from a pencil. I honestly haven't even used my eye liner since. I have had the best experience when I put my eye shadow primer very close to my lash line before I start. Simple, quick, and a better look if you ask me! 

3. Talenti Gelato

Oh man. As if I need any more caloric intake during this season, I made a huge mistake and bought a couple of pints of this heavenly concoction. I don't even have anything to say except for if you are having a bad day, locate this at your local grocer and wait for the turnaround. 

I am a huge fan of the Sea Salt Carmel and Fudge Brownie flavors. 

A fancy picture from their website. My mouth is watering. 

That's all for now! 

XOXO, 

PSA: Arctic Zero Follow Up

Some of you may have read my PSA about my feelings on my Arctic Zero purchase. Not good. The folks over at Arctic Zero (Hi Lindsey and gang!) must have stumbled across my post, and they contacted me regarding my feelings about their product. 

The next thing I knew, a box showed up of all of the flavors Arctic Zero had to offer! 

Lindsey advised letting the ice-cream thaw out to a creamy state and then giving it a try. I have to say that I STILL haven't tried all of the 6 flavors they sent me, but I will tell anyone who is looking to try this, that Sea Salt Carmel is where it's at in terms of this product. 

I finished at least half of the pint. 

So, here is my new verdict. This product is not ice cream. It's just not. And if you have a sweet tooth like I do, it may not be satisfying to you. But if you are looking for a solid substitute for a frozen treat- by all means- give this stuff a try!

And as a side note, a big THANK YOU to the Arctic Zero team and also an A+ for your amazing customer service efforts. Whether or not I ever fall in love with AZ, I will be extremely impressed with your business efforts. 

 

Thanks again!

Love Radiance

This post is LONG overdue. A couple of weeks ago I had to run a quick errand at the NE Crossroads Outlet in Gretna. My plan was to be in and out in approximately 5 minutes.

Until I saw they opened a Bare Escentuals store..that day… as in an hour before I got there.

It would take you a few minutes of browsing this blog's history to find out I LOVE Bare Escentuals make up. So when I found out that the first 100 customers were getting $25 off of every $50 spent, I had a mild heart attack... to say the least.

I stocked up on my usuals, but I also bought blush from their line. For some unknown reason, I have NEVER used their blush. I love my NARS blush in Orgasm and have always felt like blush is somewhat…expendable.. for use of a better term. Anyways, since I was getting a crazy good deal, I decided it was time to see what their blush was all about.

It's called all over face color, but I use it as a blush- in "Love Radiance" and I have to say, I am a big fan! No big surprise considering I haven't stopped using their products in about the last 10 years.

All Over Face color in "Love Radiance"

Anyways, I don't think I got over my excitement from this unexpected deal for the next 24 hours. I called everyone who I thought would care and fell asleep smiling because I knew another deal like this wouldn't be coming anytime soon.

Sometimes I can't even believe how lame I am.

Anyways, try the blush out if you haven't yet. It doesn't disappoint!


XOXO,