CVS Haul

Since I've been having issues with my eyes there has been a risk that my eye makeup was contaminated. SO! That means I get to buy new things =)
I have been hearing good things about Milani, so decided to try some of their items, plus picking up an old favorite that had to be tossed.
My favorite grey/silvery eyeshadow trio from Physicians Formula, Baked Smokes. 

Looks so pretty and new!

Here's the Milani eyeshadow palette I picked up. I considered the pinks and greens, but went with the brown shades since it's more neutral. 

Designer browns

Both these shadow sets can be used dry or wet for more intensity. 

I picked up some liquid eyeliner, a change from pencil and gel. 

 It looks like a felt tipped pen!

I drew some lines on my hand to see how steady and easy it was to use, and lets just say I probably need some practice!
I decided to try another type of Milani's liquid liner. This one is purple!

Not so much like a pen - my hand will need to be much steadier for this!

I also picked up some new concealer from Almay. It blended into my hand very well, so I'll be interested to see how well it matches my face.

Does anyone know where bobby pins run off to and hide? I bought a pack of over 50 not too long ago, and they're already ALL missing. So I picked up a pack of bobby pins, and also some smaller clips for pulling my hair half up. 

If all these go missing, I'll be shocked

You can't really tell from this picture, but the top clip is blue, then silver and a matte black, a shiny black and then tortoise shell.

And that's all I picked up from this trip! I probably could have bought more, but restrained myself since I was trying to stick to replacements aka "necessities". 

Sunday's Random Facts

• It's S's birthday this week! Yay for celebrations!
• I was planning on making some HG wonton recipes this weekend, but that got put on hold. Stay tuned!
• Saw Cowboys and Aliens at Studio Movie Grill today. Both were better than anticipated!
• I have officially worked out every day this week. Actually, two days I worked out twice! Definitely a good week. I feel motivated to keep going.
• On that same note, I can feel my biceps! Woo, muscle!
• I stopped by CVS to pick up some new make up since I had to throw some away due to my eye issue. I'll post a mini haul soon!
• I have a four day work week, yay! Vacation day on friday, mainly to clean the guest room before mini S arrives!
• We cleaned the rest house this weekend - that always feels good.
• We're going to have a hella hot week this week! High of 109 on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
• Have I mentioned its almost Mickey Mouse time!? =D
• I can't believe tomorrow is August! This year is just flying by!

Did everyone have a good weekend?!

Fiesta Chicken Crock Pot Recipe

I discovered another blog yesterday! A chick after my own heart. I spent the past two days scrolling through all her recipes and everything looks so delicious, although not everything is exactly good for the waist line, what with all the chocolate and peanut butter! Here's my first pick:


Fiesta Chicken Crock Pot Recipe
The Girl Who Ate Everything


What you need:
4 chicken breasts (I used three pretty large breasts)
1 15oz can of black beans (I used low fat and drained/rinsed very well)
1 15oz can of corn (I chose Chipotle kind)
One jar of salsa (I chose Target brand roasted corn and black bean)
One package of cream cheese (I used fat free)

I threw everything except the cream cheese in the crock pot. Step by step in pictures:

Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Rest of the veggies

Added the chicken breasts and gave it a stir.

Cook on low for four to five hours until the chicken is cooked through. Mine took four hours and fifteen minutes, if you're curious =)


Shred those chicken breasts up! 

Then throw the package of cream cheese on top and leave it to melt for 30 minutes. 

Then stir it in - it'll be all nice and creamy. Serve!

Mmmmm

I actually just put a couple spoonfuls in a pita with a bit of sour cream, but OMG it was so good. Creamy, with a little bit of heat! Perfectly cooked chicken which made me so happy because I've been having problems cooking chicken. You could probably leave out the cream cheese so it wouldn't be creamy and another alternative could be to leave the chicken breasts whole, and serve them up with a spoonful of the veggies with some rice or mashed potatoes.

Not as pretty a picture as The Girl Who Ate Everything,
but I'm sure the flavor is the same!

However you serve it, I promise it's delicious. Give it a try!

Brownie "Cupcakes"

I was craving chocolate goodness yesterday. Luckily I had a box of brownie mix on hand! Always got to keep a spare for those emergencies! I have been doing very well this week in regards to eating and working out, so I wanted to know how many calories I'd be eating per brownie. Instead of baking in a 9x9 dish I sprayed a cupcake pan with some non stick spray and evenly divided the mixture. I calculated each brownie was about 213 calories. 

In hind sight, I will use cupcake papers because they were a little tricky to get out of the pan, even with the non stick spray. Nevertheless, these chocolate chunk brownies definitely hit the spot for me last night! 

Friday Fun Facts

• I'm oh so glad it's the weekend.
• I'm not oh so glad that I have a Spanish test to take and lots of English reading responses to write this weekend. 
• I've worked out ALOT this week - every morning, and again Monday and Wednesday night. I was hoping to see more results though. . .
• Hot yoga tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to some relaxation.
• The AC was working last night so I enjoyed a nice, cold night's sleep!
• Stacy and I made plans for her to come visit me in September so I'm getting excited about that!! I'm going to make her drink a Mambo Taxi =)
• Just a few more weeks until Florida! That came up really fast!
• I found some interesting recipes on pinterest (that I'm on the waiting list for), so my afternoon was gone before I knew it! I got caught up in these blogs - My Yellow Umbrella and The Girl Who Ate Everything have been very entertaining =)
• I've been wearing no makeup and only glasses for almost a week now. I'm hoping whatever issue my eye was going through is now resolved. I'm buying all new eye makeup, opening a new pair of contacts and trying again come Monday morning!
• I have a habit of sticking pens/pencils in my hair and forgetting about them. I just looking the bathroom mirror and saw a pencil sticking out the side of my head! Must look pretty funny!

Hope everyone has a nice relaxing weekend. Stay cool!

Gigi's Summer Flavors

This isn't going to help my diet one.little.bit. BUT, I'm scouting out cake since a certain someone's birthday is right around the corner. . . And also because I just love cake. 

This margarita cupcake caught my eye and looks mouth watering. The candied lime slice on top is just adorable. 

The cherry limeade cupcake can compete with Sonic! A cute straw and candied lime for decoration. I wonder what lime frosting tastes like. My mouth is watering just thinking of the tang. 

Two more summer flavors that I have not seen before, orange dreamsicle and summer fun. These all look so delicious!

I think I'll pick up one of these fun flavors for myself and get S the wedding cake flavor he loves so much. Yum, yum, yum!

More Essie!

I'm still on the look out for those new Essie shades (seriously, where sells them?!), but in the meantime, I bought "Strawberry Shortcake". It's a shimmery pink shade and I'm currently wearing it on both my toes and fingers. It's very cute and perfect for summer. 

Please excuse the bad picture. I couldn't get good lighting, and all my pictures are taken with my iPhone, so it's not the best setup. You can see the slight shimmery-ness of the polish, and the nice pink color. (I broke my pinky nail =( that's why it looks shorter than the rest!)


The other new shades were all pinks and reds and one mint color, which I'm tempted to buy, but since I'm living on a budget I had to resist. I will find Brazilliant though! And it will be mine!

25 Day Streak

Check out this article about just how wonderful it is to live in Texas. We've reached 25 days of 100+ degree weather. Now, we'll have to make it until August to beat the record of 42 days back in the summer of 1980. This isn't really a record I want to beat, although I guess it would be an achievement to say we survived it?

Monday was the hottest day of year so far with a nice 106. Apparently we didn't reach the projected 107 as show here by the iPhone weather app.

Here's the funny part. I still go around in jeans and cardigans. Guess I really have adapted!

Just call me Emma, Lizard Whisperer

Apparently, we can't just have one problem going on at a time. 
Exhibit A.

This would be the lizard I spied darting across the living room while I'm waiting on maintenance. Do not fear, for I am just as quick, and bigger! I captured him under a measuring jug, which will be taking several runs through the dishwasher after this. I am not going to remove him. Maintenance can do that too. It might seem as though I rely on maintenance quite a bit. Well, they are included in rent and can take care of things I just don't want to. 


I forgot to mention in my post regarding the broken AC that last night when we opened the air filter vent, a roach fell out. Dead, but still. It's a wildlife reserve up in here.

Motivational Poster for Today

Today needs a motivational poster. 

I can be cute =) Perhaps I'll dress extra cute to make up for the bad night's sleep and the long work day ahead!

Broken AC

The air conditioner upstairs is apparently broken. S had it going for two hours last night while I was downstairs eating, doing homework and talking with friends on the phone and it was STILL 90 degrees when I got up there! It was bad. He was in the guest room studying and I tried to go to sleep in our room, both of us has the fans blasting. I think he gave up first and headed downstairs to keep on studying and I followed shortly after with my pillow and blanket. It felt so good down there! I'm actually glad we have to three seater couches, because neither of us really had to scrunch up to sleep like on a love seat. At one point in middle of the night S suggested going upstairs to see what it was like and sleep up there. I walked halfway up the stairs and it literally felt like I had hit a wall. The heat was just so thick. I was like no way. No way am I sleeping up here. S continued upstairs and said it wasn't as bad in the bedroom. No, it wasn't as bad, but it sure wasn't nice. I'd rather continue to sleep on the couch. S followed me pretty quickly. 


I called the emergency maintenance number this morning and they are supposed to be paged immediately to come and fix it. I don't care if it's not a real emergency since the downstairs air is working. I do not wish to sleep on the couch again. I didn't sleep very well, I'm tired and it's going to be a long day - it always is when I don't get enough sleep. I called almost 30 mins ago. . . how long does it take to respond to an "emergency"? It's going to be another 100 degree day here in Texas, so this needs to be addressed, the sooner the better. I doubt the maintanence want to be stuck up there in the stuffy, hot, thick air. And neither do I. 

Captain America!

We weren't actually planning on seeing this movie, as S doesn't like things that look old-timey. The reviews on IMDB were pretty darn good, so S changed his mind and we decided to use our free movie passes and go see it Sunday afternoon at the movie grill. I'll take any excuse to order their nachos!

Movie poster from Marvel.com

The theater was packed. Apparently we weren't the only ones who heard the movie was good! I ended up really liking it. Steve Rogers, the man chosen to be Captain America is really likable. He starts out as basically a runt - a small young guy who looks like he never really hit puberty. The one thing you really notice about this character is that he doesn't let his size get the best of him. He stands up for himself and what he believes in and doesn't use being smaller as an excuse, not even to get out of enlisting for WWII. A German scientist, Dr. Erskine, sees him begging to be allowed to enlist and recruits him with the goal of turning him into Captain America. He makes Steve promise to stay a good man, the man who wants to fight in the war because he "doesn't like bullies".


This WWII movie was interesting because it did not focus on Hitler and the Nazi's. The enemy is Johann Schmidt, a man subordinate to Hitler, who is a psycho trying to take over the world. He called his unit Hydra and set up bases all over Europe. During a battle at one of the bases where Captain America went to rescue captured troops, Schmidt removes his "skin" to reveal a red skull - the result of a previous experiment with the same substance used to turn Captain America from a scrawny kid to muscle man. I won't give away all the details because I don't want to spoil it for those who want to see the movie, but it's definitely worth a watch. Action, comedy, romance. . . do you need anything else for a good movie? S said he didn't pick up on what was happening at the end, which made me feel smart because I totally called it! Out of all the movies I've seen this summer, this is definitely a top 5 contender. 

Oh, I should add that I loved the cameo at the end =)

I'm the Mayor!

I'm a big dork and I love Foursquare. I'm trying to earn a super mayor badge, where you are mayor of 10 places at the same time. I was sitting at 8 this morning, and then I was ousted! I got kicked out as mayor of the Holiday Inn Fisherman's Wharf. Boo. But! S wanted Sonic for dinner and I stole the mayorship of Sonic! So, back up to 8! I'm still wondering where else I can take over to get my super mayor badge. It's the little things in life. Or an obsession. Whatever it is, I'm happy and that's all that matters.


Sidebar: S has an obsession with Fanta and Hi-C. It's concerning me. 

Dancing S 'n' P

Dancing salt and pepper shakers! Add a little flair to your dining table!

I'll stop eventually =)

On the right track

This week has started off well! I woke up yesterday and did some step aerobics on the Wii using the balance board, remote and nunchuck. It estimates a calorie burn of about 180, but I completely torched that burning 450 calories. Of course, I take that with a grain of salt because the Wii can't tell me for sure how much I've burnt. It's nice to have an estimation. I ate pretty well, only cracked once and ate a fun sized Butterfinger. Then last night I went to Body Pump with T. It was oh so very hard. It was pain filled and I was literally vibrating. My arms better show some results here soon, or I'm going to think this pain is NOT worth it! I ate some rice and veggies for dinner and was proud of myself for not undoing all the good I did throughout the day. 

This morning I woke up and did the Wii step aerobics again. It's good because it's a 30 minute activity and I can apparently burn ALOT of calories. Today it said 530 calories burnt! That's an extra hundred more than yesterday! I really made an effort to move, pump and punch my arms today and I think that made all the difference. Also, I don't put the AC on, so I think that helps me sweat more. I was hoping doing the Wii this morning would ease the soreness and stiffness from Body Pump, but I was wrong. I'm really feeling it now. S said he wanted to go to the apartment gym tonight and get a work out in so we'll see what condition I'm in! I am hoping I can get some results from these two a days, because I need some motivation in the form of a lower number on the scale. There's only so many times I can re-motivate myself by other means. 

My experience with spray tanning

This story occurred two years ago, when I was a bridesmaid in my friend Alicia's wedding (the one who just had the cute lil smushy baby, G). Now, there IS photographic evidence of this, but I can't find it on Facebook, so it must be amongst the professional pictures. You'll just have to trust me.

Car and I were bridesmaids in Alicia's wedding together. She and I were talking and she told me how she had gone to get a spray tan so she didn't look so white. "What a great idea!" I thought. I am pretty darn white for someone who lives in Texas. But when you spend all day inside an office, it really can't be helped. So this was Thursday and the wedding was Saturday. I decide it's a good idea to go get a spray tan having never done so before. I got out of work and headed for Palm Beach tan. They had some kind of special going on, so I ended up buying three sessions. The chick at the desk gives me the rundown, I get undressed, lotion up and get in the booth. I did everything correctly, so I know what happens next isn't my fault. 

I headed home to pack up my things for the weekend. The bachelorette party was that night, followed by wedding prep and rehearsal dinner on Friday and the wedding on Saturday! I started driving from Dallas to Ft. Worth, with a pit stop to pick up Car. As I'm sitting in traffic I notice my left forearm is starting the look a little blotchy. I was on the phone with Car to let her know I was on my way and pretty much exclaimed in horror that the tan was blotchy. The last thing I needed was to look like a blotchy white and tan monster in the wedding photos!

It was bad. My face was ok, but my arms and legs were two toned. In fact one leg was a completely different shade to the other! Everyone kept telling me it wouldn't be noticeable, and in reality no one was examining my limbs that closely. I know this was true, but it bothered me. We went by the Palm Beach tan in Southlake on Friday to tell them what had happened and could they respray me, or remove it or something! They called the Mockingbird location to ask them what happened. They denied anything being wrong on their end. The girl didn't want to respray me in case I ended up looking like Ross from Friends. "I'm a 12?!!" Her advice was to scrub it off. She also mixed some bronzer together for me in a paper cup to even it out. So I scrubbed the hell out of my skin, and then put the bronzer on the white areas. It did seem to lessen the blotchy-ness, but did not solve the problem.

I'm glad it wasn't everywhere, especially my face. When it came to Saturday, the tan looked less blotchy and noticeable so I didn't worry about it too much. But when the wedding pictures came out! Oh, I could tell. I could 100% tell that one leg was darker than the other. Luckily, Alicia was a completely chill bride and my different colored legs were not the worst thing to happen that day (can we say no AC in the church in July in Texas?). We were laughing about this at lunch yesterday. It was still a great wedding!

Back to the spray tan. This wasn't a one off thing either. A few weeks later I went back to use my second spray of the three I had bought and the same thing happened! If it's not the machine and it's not my lotioning skills, it must be my skin. I have not spray tanned since. I used to use tanning beds, but I don't even know if they would work on me anymore since my skin has issues! Also, I don't want skin cancer. I would rather be healthy and pale than risk my health to be tan. Or end up looking like the blotchy space monster.

Hotter than hell

It has to be. Take a look at this screen shot from this morning at 8am.

It's 86 degrees at 8am. The high for today is an easy breezy 107 degrees. ONE HUNDRED AND SEVEN PEOPLE! And look what we have to look forward to again this week. More consecutive days of 100+ weather.

Welcome to Texas.

Hungry Girl's Corn Dog Millionaire Muffins

I saw this Hungry Girl recipe on a recent email newsletter and decided to give it a whirl! Check out the link for Hungry Girl's directions. You will need hot dogs, canned cream-style corn, flour, cornmeal, egg substitute, sour cream, Splenda, sugar and baking powder. I need to remember to take more pictures. 

First up, flowa!

Add in the sugars and cornmeal.

Add in the baking powder and combine.

In a separate bowl combine one cup of the cream-style corn, the egg and sour cream. I actually used real eggs because I didn't have substitute on hand, and low fat sour cream instead of fat free. It worked just as well, just keep in mind the calorie count will be different.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. The recipe says makes 8 large muffins. Since I used real eggs and low fat sour cream, I decided to make 12 smaller muffin and hopefully reduce the calories per muffin.

You then want to cut 24 "coins" to put on top of the muffins. Chop up the remaining hot dogs and mix into the batter.

The mixed batter!

And the finished product. Sorry, I missed a step! But they came out really well.

I was impressed with myself for pretty much baking muffins from scratch! They tasted good too, not too sweet. And the corn flavor goes well with the hot dogs. I guess that's why corn dogs are so popular!

Target Impulse Purchase

I was at Target earlier last week looking for a kimono style shirt/dress that I had seen a few days earlier. When I tried them on, the prints looked weird on me, so I ended up not buying one. BUT what I did come away with was this:

I don't know why I have such an affinity for Hello Kitty items, but I do! I saw this shirt and had to have it. It was $15, which is not bad at all for a Hello Kitty item, which is usually over priced. I'm planning on wearing it when I'm in Orlando =) I'll probably buy some Disney wear too. I'm such a giant kid at heart!

Sunday Random Tidbits

• Had lunch at Carinos with Alicia and baby G. He's getting so big, I can't believe how much he's grown in just a few months!
• 14 inches of hair and 100 degree weather do NOT mix. 
• Going to see Captain America at the movie grill - yay nachos!
• I have done no homework this weekend. 
• Went to hot yoga both today and yesterday. I'm really liking the class, and I definitely see an improvement from when I first started. 
• I unfortunately threw my diet somewhat out of the window in response to the scale this morning. I do not like you scale. Especially after I worked so hard this past week.
• I could take a three hour nap right now. I think heat makes me sleepy.
• I'm not one for politics, but does anyone else think this debt ceiling issue should have been resolved by now? It's like watching children fight over toys.
• Planning on going to body pump tomorrow with T. What I need to figure out is how to work more cardio into my routines. 
• Watched Limitless on PPV last night. It was different, but we both liked it. Don't know if it's worth the $6, but it's worth the $1 from the red box!

Hope everyone had a great weekend. I dislike you, Monday morning. Go away!

Another Hungry Girl Concoction

I read this tip in a recent Hungry Girl newsletter as well as the muffin recipe. Grab a single serve packet of low cal drink mix, like Crystal light and mix it into low fat yogurt, like 0% fat Greek. 

My Bowl

I chose this Fage 0% fat, 100 calorie pot of yogurt. It's a lot of yogurt for 100 cals. 

Then I chopped up about 10 cherries, without a cherry pitter mind you. My hands looked "bloody". 

I went for tart pink lemonade, and let me tell you. This. Is. Tart. 

Mix it up! I love the colors as the drink mix is blending into the yogurt.

Swirls!

All mixed in.

After it was mixed, I threw in the cherries. This was actually really filling. I had it for dinner two nights this week. Yum yum!

Pick flavors that you like and give it a try!

Friday Fun Facts

• I woke up and worked out this morning before work! Super proud of my myself. 
• Brunch with momma tomorrow - looking forward to that after some hot yoga
• I made an "A" on that poem assignment that was for fifth graders. I would have been ashamed if I messed that one up. 
• Trying to request transcripts from four different school groups is a pain in the butt. Especially when you were an International student so all your ID numbers are different and you happen to have forgotten them all. . .
• Hanging out with Alicia and G on Sunday! Miss them both!
• I have rediscovered my addiction to Angry Birds. And I'm kicking ass. 
• I got S hooked on Words with Friends. I may regret this since he beat me by about 400 points yesterday (I wasn't trying very hard that game, really!)
• I wish adults got a nap time. 
• Do you think the Twix I just ate negates my morning work out? Or perhaps it's good I did work out, so I can indulge a tad. . . I hope I make better choices for dinner.

Hope everyone has a super weekend! I plan to relax and be healthy =)

English Comp Class

Have I ever expressed how much I dislike English classes? I really dislike English classes. I love writing for pleasure, where grammar and spelling really doesn't matter that much. Where I can write whatever I want and not worry about the grade I'll be receiving. I doubt this blog is "A" worthy material. I also like reading for pleasure. I LOVE reading. I don't get to read for pleasure enough. I love a good book that you just can't put down until you've devoured the very last page. 


Being forced to read something and analyze it makes me cringe. I like fiction. I like action fiction. I like chick flick fiction. Even historical reads. Autobiographies. I can appreciate some poetry. Other things I do not choose to read because they aren't my taste. English class makes me read these things. I then have to bs a paper trying to be all insightful about said piece of "literature". Some of the things I've read in this current "Exploring Literature" text book are not great pieces of work, in my opinion. I would rather be given a prompt and write an essay than dissect these stories. Why? What's the point? How is knowing what Langston Hughes said in his story "Salvation" going to help me when the patient on the table is coding? (Ok, I'll admit, I did like that piece of work, but that's besides the point). 


I feel like forcing people to read pieces they have no interest in is the wrong way to go about appreciating literature. If it was me, I'd have a list of works, choices for the students to pick from. Something that they would like to read, something they would get enjoyment out of. Then they can write a reading response or literary analysis of something they liked, rather than making crap up because they couldn't care less. I'm sure there are some people who like all English (English majors perhaps?), but I'm just not one of them. I can't wait until this class is over with. I would rather do my Spanish assignments than my English.

Movie Overload

In the past two weeks or so we've been watching A LOT of movies to compensate for the lack of good TV. Here's the list, and what I thought. Feel free to disagree!


Beastly - thought I would hate it. Ended up wanting to finish it. Doesn't mean it's a good chick flick.
The Tourist - excellent. Different roles for both Angelina and Johnny Depp, but it works. It gets you thinking. 
The Next Three Days - another excellent. Great plot, kept me hanging the whole time. Keeps you questioning if she did it or not throughout. 
How Do You Know - Your typical chick flick. I do love Reese and Paul though. I'm becoming less of an Owen Wilson fan as time goes on. 
RED - action packed, fast paced, good movie! Does Bruce Willis ever fail? Helen Mirren kicks some butt. 
Fair Game - based on the true story of the outed CIA agent post 9-11, this was very a interesting movie. 
Piranha 3D - not sure why we rented this. . . listen to the reviews. Terrible. We didn't see it in 3D, but I'm sure it wouldn't have helped. 
Unknown - great movie, suspenseful, not your average twist. I am not a fan of January Jones, but she isn't in it too much to ruin it.
The Lincoln Lawyer - yay, Matthew McConaughey (hook 'em horns!). Good movie, some action, a bit of suspense, interesting plot. I approve. 
Red Riding Hood - it's not completely terrible, but wouldn't be my first choice. Acting is ok, plot is barely there to be honest. 
Harry Potter - Any Harry Potter movie is a good choice.  
The Eagle - this was also better than expected. I originally didn't want to watch, but found myself very interested in the relationship between a Roman and his slave and how the roles are reversed when they head up north to search for the Eagle of Rome. 
Insidious - thriller. Not gory, definitely made us jump. Creepy. Interesting plot. I wouldn't agree with the review that said best scary movie of the decade, but if you like scary movies it's worth a watch. 
Season of the Witch - Also not as bad as I thought it would be, surprising twist at the end! Fairly decent acting. I think I'm tired of Middle Ages movies - everything seems so dirty. 


I think that's all, but I could be wrong. Who knows what we will be watching this weekend. Winnie the Pooh, anyone?

Return of the 'mater eye

Ya'll, I am so NOT happy right now. Today marks the return of the 'mater eye. Something I used yesterday and/or today must have been contaminated. So, I have to start all over - no contacts, use what's left of the drops, throw away BRAND NEW MASCARA AND EYELINER, throw away yet another case and new pair of contacts. I mean, really? REALLY? It's frustrating, but I know I need to take care of this before something bad happens to my eyes. I'm going to throw away my eyeshadow too =( Hopefully I can find the exact same Physicians Formula trio that I bought over Christmas, because I LOVE it. The E.L.F. quads I'm not so attached to. My mom suggested I get rid of my brushes too. I'll take that as an excuse for new brushes! I really need to think about what touches my eye and chunk it. ASAP. I'm so over this. 

Welcome to America

It's been twelve years today since my family relocated to Texas from England. After being here so long, we're still not citizens, but hopefully we will be in the next year so I can vote in the next election! I find it funny that I have still lived more of my life in England than the US, but I obviously can't remember the early years of my life, whereas those teenage years spent here are extremely vivid! I remember being so upset that I had to move and leave my friends, but what do you expect from a 14 year old girl? My parents always said when I was 18 I could move back if I wanted. I'm pretty sure I was dead set on that.

Our first year here I saved up my allowance and babysitting money and bought myself a plane ticket back to stay with my best friend. I stayed just under two weeks, and had a really good time with my friends. After that, I didn't go back until 2008 for a family reunion. I found friends here. I got my license. I got a boyfriend. I made a life. Everything seemed better here anyway. I was no longer the dorky, chubby girl I was in England. I now wore contacts, lost my baby fat thanks to dance four-five times a week and just began enjoying life here. And when I turned 18, I was too pre-occupied thinking about where I would go to college than to even consider leaving my family and friends to go back to a country I didn't have much attachment to anymore. 

It's just so different. People ask if I miss it. I miss the people. Friends and family. I don't really miss the place. I miss some of the yummy food that can't be replicated here (although the English shop down the street from my parents seems to satisfy most cravings). Life is just different. I went from an all girls private school wearing a uniform 5 days a week to a public co-ed school wearing whatever I wanted everyday. You just adapt. And keep in mind you get more for your money here. We had a bigger house. My dad was able to afford a new car for both myself and my brother when we turned 16 (it was a bottom of the line Chevy that would hold up in a wreck, but not break the bank to replace. We're not THAT spoilt). Now we get more days of sun than of rain. Sure, I'm practically toasting out here in Texas, but it's a nice change than being soggy the majority of the year. It's nice to visit and reminisce, see where I lived as a child, where I went to school and visit with family and friends, but I wouldn't move back.

I have my job, and my family, of course, is still here, I have S and my friends and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Although I wouldn't mind some crumpets!

Proof!

We finally made it! Here's the proof that it's real! We drove up to Frisco so S could have his first In N Out experience. 

Woohoo!

We hit the drive through two Friday nights ago, which wound a couple times through the parking lot. S said he liked it and it tasted "healthy". I guess I can see his point - it does seem less greasy than other places, although I may have counteracted that by ordering both my burger and fries "animal style". Whatever, I thought it was delicious! 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. II

It's all over! I think I was 12 years old the first time I read The Sorcerer's Stone. I've loved them every since. My family always bought the next book the moment it came out. And I've always seen the movies opening weekend. This collection is just pure genius. It may be the best children's/young adult book series I've ever read. Sure, it gets a little dark in the last few books, but stuff's gettin' real for Harry! It's life or death!

I thought the movie was great. From what I can remember, it followed the book, there wasn't any random scenes added in like last time. I did notice a few things that were changed for cinematic effect and in the essence of saving time, but nothing that I would get upset about as an avid reader.

The movie picks up where it left off with Voldemort finding Dumbledore's tomb and stealing the Elder wand. We then cut to the cottage at the sea shore and the grave of Dobby. This movie is pretty much all action, which made it exciting and left no room for boring parts. In my opinion, Griphook (the goblin from Gringotts) creeps me out. And he's sneaky and screws over Harry.

I want to gush about all the great parts and the touching parts and the revelation parts, but I don't want to ruin it for the people who haven't read the book. So many things come to light and are resolved - I don't feel like there is one loose end at all. And I love the epilogue. That was one of my favorite parts of the book and I loved seeing it come to life. It was perfect. I am so happy with how this movie turned out. Great, great, great!! The movie has broken records with the highest grossing opening weekend EVER raking in $168.55 million!!

Go see this movie =)

Sunday's Random Tidbit's

• I'm a hungry girl. I dislike diets. 
• Went to hot yoga two days in a row. Feeling good so far!
• Reading my English text book is the equivalent of taking sleeping pills.
• I keep looking for the Essie summer collection and I still can't find it!
• I really, REALLY, don't want to go to work tomorrow. 
• Four weeks until Florida - I really need to lose some weight.
• I've started wearing my contacts again and tomorrow I'm going to apply full on eye makeup and hope for the best! No more 'mater eye!
• Summer TV is boring. Is it football season yet? \m/
• Thanks to MiO I've been drinking so much water!! The downside to drinking a lot of water is, of course. . . so yeah. A tad inconvenient.
• I saw some cute clothes at Target today, and I really had to stop myself from buying things since I'm doing that Debt Freedom Plan etc. Sigh.

Hope everyone had a great weekend. Back to the grind tomorrow!

Disney Shakers

More salt and pepper shakers!! I love all things Disney, so I got super excited when I saw these. Found them here.

I think I might like the yin/yang set better. . . can be found at Your WDW Store, aka Your Walt Disney World Store, but I'm sure you could find these at any Disney store. Maybe I'll look when I'm there!!

I heart Disney! And apparently, salt and pepper shakers! Why am I so obsessed with these things? Yes, I know I'm crazy =)

Friday Fun Facts

• Saw Harry Potter last night, the midnight showing - opinionated post coming soon!
• Took the day off work to recover and spend time with S
• I officially declare my eyes better! Oh, I've missed you, contacts!
• Tomorrow will be spent applying to schools, when I figure out what schools I want to go to!
• Hot yoga in the morning! Can't wait to sweat it out. 
• We desperately need new sheets - there's now a hole on my side that my foot keeps getting caught in while I sleep. Talk about awkward.
• I have been looking everywhere for the Essie summer collection, and it's either completely sold out or not even on display. I really want to see these new shades! Anyone know where they are for sure in stock?
• Classes started up again this week - English and Spanish. I had forgotten how much I hate English classes. 
• Wow, in one month we'll be in Florida!! Better start finalizing plans!
• I miss shopping. I need to start bargain hunting. Tips, anyone?

Hope everyone has a super weekend!

Harry Potter DH II

It's finally here!! I am super excited to go to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II tonight! S brought up going in costume, but I guess it's a bit late for that, although that would have been pretty hilarious. I guess if you grab some graduation robes you can pass as a teacher at Hogwarts! Sigh, if only I'd kept my school uniform from that private catholic school I attended in England.

I am sad that the series is coming to an end. I just hope they really do the book justice. I didn't have time to reread it before today, but since I've read it several times over the past four years (I bought it a midnight when it was released!) I'm pretty sure I'll know if something is off! I can't remember which movie it was where they deviated from the book, but I was outraged! And the last movie where the Weasley's house, The Burrow, was torched by Bellatrix. . . yeah, I did not like that addition.

Also, I get to indulge in my favorite nachos at SMG - I'm going to be a happy girl come midnight!

Tofu, revisited

I know, I know. After the last hissy fit I threw over tofu invading my lunch I can hear you now. . .What!? You're considering eating it again? You were so dramatic and seemingly traumatized last time! You crazy.

Yes, I very well maybe crazy. I did throw quite a dramatic fit over the discovery of large chunks of tofu in my lunch. But, what I'm starting to realize is that tofu seems to be a key ingredient of Amy's and other meals aimed at the organic eater. What to do?! The last time I ate the cheddar bowl, before I even sat down, I picked out all the pieces of tofu and trashed them. I'm not kidding, these are large chunks of tofu. 

The meal I brought for lunch today was a black bean and corn enchilada with rice. I didn't realize it contained tofu until I  had put it in the microwave and was reading the box to pass the time. Everything was small, corn and black bean sized, so I figured what the hell. Maybe I won't notice. Maybe the flavors of the black beans, corn and guacamole I planned on topping it with (100 cal pack of wholly guacamole) will mask the fact I'm eating tofu. And if I don't look at it, I won't see the little white chunks protruding from the tortilla (obviously I saw it).

So, ok, I guess I can eat tofu if it's really little and the other textures and flavors overwhelm it. I can get the benefit of eating it (protein) without the gag factor. Again, sorry if you're a tofu lover, I just can't really get on board with it, except maybe this one meal and only because it's small. The guacamole tasted delicious so that was a good addition that really helped mask the tofu. I'll probably eat this Amy's meal again and keep adding my own guacamole. But I'm still gonna pick the chunks out of the cheddar bowl. 

Salt and Pepper Shaker Obsession

So I apparently have a new found interest in salt and pepper shakers. 

Take this set from Perpetual Kid:

So cute! Maybe not as kick-ass as the ninjas, but I supposed they are more kitchen/food themed seeing as they are peas!

Found via Outblush

Freedom from Debt

I've decided it was time to get control of my spending and debt I've racked up from having a crappy paying job. And with hoping to start nursing school next year it would be really good not to have debt hanging over my head. 


S figured out a plan for me, the same one he used to get rid of his debt, and we put it into action. Unfortunately this means my disposable income is VERY limited. I basically have enough spare money for groceries and gas and the rest goes to bills until mid December. I'm sure the time will fly by - I have plenty to keep myself busy with anyway, but I liked shopping and buying fun things and going out to eat and traveling. Maybe I sneak a little goodie into my grocery budget! 


The things I am looking forward to when this is done is a) of course, no debt and b) seeing my credit score go up! And I figured if I really need to pay for something, I have my savings as a backup or I can just pay a lower amount for something one month. Any improvement regarding debt is good!

'Mater Eye

I may have previously mentioned I'm having issues with my eyes. One day last week I woke up and my eye looked like a tomato. The left one. The right one was progressing there. It's just occurred to me that my eye is no longer twitching like it was, which is good. But back to the red eye. . . I went to a new eye doctor close to my office because they took my insurance. Then they told me the issue would be considered medical, so they would be using my medical insurance and not my eye insurance. So, I went and the doctor told me my eye(s) were red due to allergies(that I don't have) and irritation. "It's been really windy lately." Oh. Ok. Sure. 


Well, I used the drops he gave me, left my contacts out and it got better. Then I started using contacts again and they got red again. If it was just dryness and irritation, it should have gone away because I was lubricating my eyes like crazy. I'd put in three different pairs of contacts, changed my solution, had two different kinds of drops. It was just crazy. I kept taking my contacts out and leaving them out and just wearing glasses again. Things seems to get a bit better, then I'd try contacts again (mainly for working out purposes) and I'd be back at red eye! I didn't have the typical symptoms of pink eye, so I was pretty certain it wasn't that. 


One morning last week I woke up and my eye was RED. It looked like I had a tomato for an eye! It was bad and I got VERY upset. I wanted to see my old eye doctor, who I'd been going to since I was 14, but he didn't take my eye insurance. I told my mom who said why not give them a call and see what they can do. At this point I was about ready to foot the whole bill myself, I didn't even care. But I got online to look up the number and saw they took my medical insurance! And this was considered a medical issue! Score!! I called and made an appointment for the same day. I was so relieved. 


I told my eye doctor what had been happening and he sat down to take a look. I don't even think it took him 30 seconds to diagnose me with an eye virus. He said I had little bumps on my cornea! Poor cornea =( I was like wow, that other guy said it was irritation. Really? I'm just amazed. The first eye doctor spent a long while looking at my eye, and never mentioned the possibility of a virus. I realized it might not have been as bad at that point, but that was way off the mark. Anyway, I was told to throw away everything that could be contaminated - contacts, cases, mascara, eyeliner, and start fresh in one to two weeks. He gave me some drops to use 4x daily in the left eye and 2x daily in the right eye (preventative medicine, if you will) and some daily use contacts for when I want to work out. I have left my contacts out for 6 days now, just wearing glasses and one pair of daily use contacts when  I went to yoga. My eye seems a lot better. I put another pair of the daily use contacts in today, and I'm going to see how my eyes manage. I really hope it's better. I think I'm going to continue using the drops until the bottle is empty and maybe by this weekend I can try my regular contacts again. The doctor said if it hadn't cleared up in 1-2 weeks that I should go back, but today my eyes look bright white which is a nice change from tomato red.

Savory Sausage Skillet

My mom sent two sausage skillet recipes to me awhile ago, and I just never got around to making them. I keep saying this, but I want to cook more. I don't like eating out 24/7, and I feel like if I cooked a larger variety of items, I wouldn't get so bored so quickly. I stopped by the store to pick up ingredients specifically for this recipe and a couple Hungry Girl recipes I spotted today.

I don't know where my mom found these recipes - possibly a healthier eating book or on the side of a box of something. Here's what you'll need:

1lb of Italian sausage without the casings (I found a package just like ground beef, so yay, less work!)

1 can (1lb 12oz) whole, peeled tomatoes broken into chunks

1 can (6oz) tomato paste

1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning

2 cups of mozzarella cheese, divided

Cooked pasta, 2-3 cups

I also added in some chopped bell pepper for color and veggies - red, yellow and green.

Cook pasta per package specifications.

I found this at Target - Giada's brand of pasta. Looks cool, eh?

Cook sausage in 10 inch skillet (I don't think mine was a 10 inch skillet, because it got really full) until no longer pink, and then drain.

I think cooking meat looks kinda gross. At least it tastes good in the end!

Blend tomatoes, paste and seasoning with the sausage meat and simmer for five minutes. This is the point where I threw in the chopped bell pepper. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Mmmm, I love large chunks of tomato

Put half the cooked pasta into the bottom of the skillet. Pour half the sausage tomato mixture over the pasta and top with half the cheese. Add remaining pasta, tomato-meat mixture and cheese and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until heated through and the cheese has melted.

Sorry for the lack of pictures. I was semi-rushed and also this was my first time making it. Perhaps more pictures next time. But it was yummy and I have plenty leftovers!!