mani monday

Mani Monday and I am rocking some red holiday nails.  I put my usual orly bonder base coat then two coats of wet and wild mega last in I red a good book.  on my accent nails I did a little china glaze electrify and tapered the glitter a bit, then a quick coat of the best top coat in the world sally hanson insta dry top coat..

 

This is fun and pretty I love this shade of red.  I will probably redo them right before we leave for our Christmas with my side of the family on Friday :)  I hope everyone is having a good day.

ulta / kmart haul

 I did get to pick up a few things this weekend when I was in the cities and running errands here in town.  I needed some scotch tape to wrap and a outdoor extension cord and so I knew I had racked up some rewards $ on my kmart card.  (If you don't already use their shop your way rewards card you have to! I have gotten 54$ for free by using it.   I only recently figured out how to take advantage of the great deals. You earn money on every purchase you make and you get bonus points for certain items.  They also print little coupons out at the end with your receipt and if you bring them back in when you shop next often you get 5-10 free dollars! So worth it )

Anyway I went in and I knew I wanted to try granier bb cream and I saw they finally got the millani brow pen in taupe.  I have been waiting for ever they only had dark brown So I grabbed on of those. Some nivea lip products for stocking stuffer and all my other purchases I wound up with 36$ in products and after I cashed my reward points and the 5$ in coupons I had (2$ garnier lotion one and a 3$ on two nivea lip products one) I paid .36 cents!!  You can't beat that.  I am trying the garnier bb cream and brow pen today we will see how they hold up and I will give you a review. :)

 I also got to run to ulta when My sister was done graduating but before we went to lunch with her.  I got 4 hand creams for stocking stuffers (me and my sisters stuff each others stockings every year that way we got good stuff :)  I got a beauty blender some powder puffs and I heard they had this great bare minerals set on sale for 15$!!!  It is 74$ worth of products and it is supposed to be 25$.  It had 3 full size shadows, (they are neutral and very pretty)  a full size flawless definition mascara (that totally rocks btw) and a full size lip gloss (that totally rocks too) These are all awesome and a steal at 25$ even .  I also had 5$ off a order of 10$ and a 20% off my entire purchase coupon.  So this all came out to 25$.

Just relised that I missed two products I bought in this trip. I got two nyx blushes,bourgeois pig and pinched.  :)  they are in the drawer in my blush area and I must have spaced pulling them out for the pic

Here are some pics with some of the new product on my garnier bb cream in light/ med, milani brow pen, bare minerals mascara, bare minerals lip gloss in sugared strawberry, I have L'Oreal infallible shadow in iced latte on the lid and the crease is one of my new bare minerals shadows in flaunt.
 I had to pull my hair up with my spin pins because if you look in the corner of the pic a certain tiny little someone was insisting on being held and was trying to eat my hair!  I will let you guys know how these products hold up.  :)

Monkey butts big surprise on video!!

This was a super big busy weekend.  It started with my hubby having 4 tumors removed Friday.  They were noncancerous but they will of coarse send them in for testing. From there we went up to minneapolis to go to the holidazzle parade with my family

Its a super fun parade at night where there is Christmas lights on everything.  These light bulbs are some of my favs.

 Here is me and the girls enjoying our selves.  Sometimes this is just miserable and like 30 below out but it was pretty nice friday.

 These little light up things last ages.  We have bought them there in the past and they make it to 4th of july all the little holiday festivals even sometimes back to holidazzle the next year lol.

Then my sister graduated so we got up and went to Mankato to see her ceremony.  Calvin thought it was soo funny to say he was graduating and wear her hat.

 Then came another big thing on our way home ...

  after much begging for months my hubby gave in and decided we could get the girls a kitten for Christmas.  We didn't tell them we just started searching around in the paper and what not and found some 9 week old kittens that had been abandoned by their mother and this lady had bottle fed them and kept then alive.  So we swung by and picked one out!!! 

 This little guy was soo sweet.  He is grey with just a bit of white and has just a tiny bit of white on the tip of his tail.  Also all his whiskers broke off and are growing back so he has just stubby little whiskers.  Fire monster decided that should be his name.  So whiskers it was.

Monkey butt was at her dads so this was all a surprise.  As her and Benji pulled up I put the little guy in a box and let her open it!  I taped it for you guys. ;)

We are all in love and even naughty seems to be coming around

.

I think the girls keep him on his toes and wear him out lol

My thoughts exactly big guy I am soo off to bed!! Hope you guys are having a great holiday season!

5 ways to wrap like a boss!!!

Okay so I don't know about you guys but I love a pretty wrapped present but am sorta always at a loss as to what to do.  So I put together some great things that any of us can do.  So with out further ado here is 5 ways to wrap a present like a boss!

#1

This is super cute and by whipper berry.  It even has two ways for you guys :)  If you don't want to make pom poms (I don't know why I have a deep seeded hatred for making those things you could always hot glue some little flowers to the twig instead or tie on some mistle toe ;)

#2

For us who are bow making incompetents this is a great tutorial from Simply Julie to make curled bows from scraps of the wrapping paper (hello genius) Super cute right.

#3

This super cute tulle bow seems simple as they come and tulle is super cheap in those little rolls.  Well done Jerica @ its my blog :)

#4 

Good old Martha her self shows how to fold the wrapping paper to make a pocket for your card.  What hasn't' that women thought of?

#5

Katy at sweet verbena wrapped these and I think they are just adorable. Who doesn't love brown paper packages tied up in strings???

Hope this was helpful.  I am officially done shopping and can't wait to do some wrapping.  My monkey butt will be home shortly and I have to throw a bow in this guys soon !!  Can't wait to see her reaction.

I will try to tape it and share in next post :)

review/ new products

 Okay so I thought I would share some new purchases and give you some thoughts on some purchases I have made in the last month.

First off is some e.l.f. stuff.  I got two new elf brushes from the studio line.  the angled brush and the blending brush. I love both they are great quality and they work wonderfully.

 Next up is the elf blush in fuchsia fusion and it is nice bright color with lots of gold sparkle then the contouring brush and bronzing powder.  It is great the bronzer is a bit dark for me right now I need to be extra careful because I am soo pale but they are both great and a great bargain. They are a dupes for the nars dou with orgasm and laguna .  Then the eye primer.  I think it works well and is a great deal at 1$!!!

 I grabbed a few hard candy things to try out too.  I got a fox in a box blush in hot flash.  It is very very pigmented so you need to use a light hand but I have been reaching for it allot I use a smaller brush then usual and blend it very carefully with a light had and gives me a great flush.  Then the so baked brozer in tiki (it is a dupe for a dior highlighter can't recall which one lol) I do like this for a highlighter it works well I got glow all the way in doll face (haven't used it yet and a blush in living doll (this was a small set that came with a lip plumper and the two trial size items) The living doll blush was not pigmented and didn't love it but the lip plumper in girl next door  I wll be repurchasing in full size I love it.

 I got this true match lumi foundation a while back and have loved loved loved it.  I have been using this 75% of the time I would say and the other 25% I mix some color stay whipped with some of the anti chaffing cream to make it not so thick and it goes on smoother and doesn't get cakie on dry spots.

 another great highlighter I have been reaching for allot lately since it was returned from my sister inlaw is my nessa's minteral luster I love this!

I got two wet and wild single shadows one is envy which is a dupe for mac humid and one in nutty which is a dupe for macs satin toup.  I haven't tried envy but I have tried nutty a few times and love it.

I got another shadow I have used at least 3 days a week and I could have sworn I took a pic of it but it disappeared was L'Oreal infallible shadow in  iced latte (which is a dupe for stilla kitten).  I love this and will be purchasing more for sure.

I have one more great product that has been a daily staple I have been putting it on morning and night is this simple lotion in replenishing.  I have been using it for over a month. No dry patches my skin is doing great no eczema in sight!

 Well I hope this info was of use to you guys.  If you would like to see a review on anything in specific just send me a comment and let me know :)

Mondays snow day= baking christmas treats

 Since we had a blizzard sunday, Monday we had a snow day.  I had not only my two monkeys but the lovely Grace again.  So it was the perfect day to get some holiday baking done.  After lots of cursing and the use of not one but both computers in the house I managed to get my Christmas play list onto my ipod and we set to work.  First on the list was the Orange Almond Biscotti.  It is soo delicious and will make your house smell wonderful.  We learned to bake this when I lived in Cheyenne WY.  (yes I lived in Washington, Kansas, Wyoming, and Minnesota.) but our neighbors mom was home and baking and when my sister asked for the recipe the little old Norwegian lady came over and taught us how to bake it.  She was so quick and practiced at it we were in awe.

 Orange Almond Biscotti

2/3 c sugar

1/2 c oil

3T grated orange peel

1 1/2 t vanilla

a dash of almond ext.

2 eggs

2 1/2 c flour

1 t baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

 Preheat oven to 350. beat the sugar oil orange peel vanilla and egg in medium bowl .  In separate bowl mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  add together with wet ingredients.  turn dough on lightly floured surface.  Knead the dough until smooth.  Shaped the dough into two rectangles.  Place on cookie sheet bake half hour.  remove from oven cut diagonally into 1/2'' slices lay on side bake 15 minutes on each side.  Remove from oven let cool.

Frosting;  2 c podwedered sugar, I squeeze just a bit of juice from the orange into the bowl, a dash of almond ex., milk and 2T butter.   I just sorta wing it with the frosting.  I want it to be not as thick as cookie frosting but not as thin as a glaze so that it will set.  just play with it a bit then frost the large side of the biscotti.  

with those done next up was the Snicker Doodles.  

 

1 1/2 c sugar (reserve 1/4 c for rolling)

1/2 cup butter

1/2 c shortening

2 eggs

2 3/4 c flour

2 t cream of tarter

1 t baking soda

1/4 t salt

2 t cinnamon (reserve for rolling)

preheat oven to 400.  Mix sugar butter, shortening, eggs.

mix flour, of tarter, baking soda and salt add went and dry ingredients and form into T size balls roll into sugar and cinnamon then bake for 8-10 min :)

Last but not least everyones favorite my sisters best friend cindy tought me to bake these amazing cookies one day when I was 18 and I have baked them every year since and it always brings back the memory of baking them with her beautiful little girls.   These are the best sugar cookies they have a fluffiness reminiscent of loft house cookies and the frosting is to die for I bake at least double or triple batch every year and freeze some right away (they are awesome straight out of the freezer :)  Fire monster was baking in her Belle costume :)

Cindy Lu's Sugar cookies

1 1/2 c powdered sugar

1c butter

1 egg

1t vanilla

1/2 t almond ext.

2 1/2 c flour 

1t baking soda

1t cream of tarter

mix up let chill

 bake 350 7-8 min

Frosting

1/2 - 1 stick butter 

3c powdered sugar 

cream 

2t almond ext.

I hope you guys try these and I hope you love them as much as my family does.  I packed up half the stuff and sent it to my favorite neighbors right away and but half my sugar cookies in the freezer and by yesterday morning the other half of the sugar cookies were gone!!!  Let me know if you try these.

manicure monday

 Time for manicure Monday!  I have freshly painted nails thanks to yesterdays blizzard.  We are still snowed in and waiting to be plowed out and the kids have no school by the way.  So these are what I chose..

 I chose wet and wilds I read a good book with one quick coat of china glaze ruby pumps over the top.  That makes them beautiful bright red with sparkles all over.

 

In other words the perfect holiday nails.  My amazing neighbor Pat is going to get some food for the kitty since she is plowed out.  I think me and  the girls are going to cook some Christmas cookies.  Here's to hoping we all survive that long because these two are starting to be out for blood after this many days cooped up together! We have the lovely Grace again today.  I am taking advantage of being stuck in and using it to finish some knitting projects I have had sitting on the back burner for a while.  :)  Hope everyone is warm and cozy.