Gratefulness Project

Random note: gratefulness is an odd looking word.

Ok, here's the deal. I've been in a tiny funk lately and have been focusing on all the things that go wrong in my life (huge blisters, broken sunglasses, bad traffic, blah, blah, blah). I've also been far too jealous of good things happening in other people's lives. The thing is, there are a lot of good things going on in my life. It may not be exactly what I had dreamed about but it's in no way, shape or form a bad life. To help myself refocus things, I have set a new goal. Everyday between now and Oct 31 I'm going to write down at least one thing that I am grateful for. I probably won't post here everyday but I will be sure to share the things that come up.

Anyone want to join me?

Here it goes.

I'm grateful for...
Fall. The cool, crisp air; the cozy sweaters; the tall boots; the chance to bake yummy things without sweating like crazy; the changing colors of the trees. (9/26/12)

September Birchbox

Sometime soon I'll think about writing a blog post that has nothing to do with Birchbox. For today, this is what you get.

Here's September's box.

Not the most exciting box ever but a couple of goodies such as this Boscia oil-free nightly hydration. It goes on really light and my skin looked lovely in the morning. I'm not entirely ready to give up my Origins Night-amins but this is giving it a run for it's money.

Then there is this Color Club custom polish. I love nail polish and am a huge fan of the dark nails that come along with fall and winter. This dark gray is quite nice. I have a couple of gray polishes already but this is the darkest that I've tried (other than black). Please ignore the small chip already...

I'm not a huge perfume wearer but I do love getting samples of good ones to have around for when the mood strikes me. This is Twirl by Kate Spade. To me this is a little more evening than day time. Much for perfume-y but still nice. I'll keep it around for a nice night out on the town or something.

And then we have a hot pink hair tie. I haven't tried this yet but it will go into my collection of hair ties and will help keep my hair back when I'm washing my face or cleaning or something. I have no need of a hot pink hair tie outside of the house.

Sorry, I haven't tried this next one either but I will soon. WEI to go sleep over kit. It has two samples of cleanser and a moisturizing face tint. I think that this is good in theory but probably falls a bit short in reality. If I know that I'm going somewhere overnight, I might as well just bring my regular face items instead of this.

A Tili plastic bag. It's a plastic bag with a design on it. I don't know if it's clear enough to use in my carry on at the airport but I guess it could be useful for travel. They are supposed to be for storing all my beauty essentials but a plastic bag isn't really preferred. I'm sure I'll find a use for this though.

So, there you go. That's September.

August Birchbox

I got an email the other day that my September Birchbox is on it's way to me. So, I figured it was probably about time to review my August Birchbox.

The August box had some good things in it but wasn't overly exciting.

There was 'Viva la Juicy La Fleur' by Juicy Couture. Um, not so good. I can't really describe the smell but it wasn't something I would want to be wearing. It's already gone in the trash.

Then there was this skin cream by Yu-Be. It's the best selling Japanese cream that can hydrate chapped lips, rough heels and cracked hands. I used it on my horrible summer heels. I put it on at night and then wore socks to bed. It made a difference but this little sample wasn't enough to combat walking around the city in flip flops all summer. I liked the way it smelled and felt. I wouldn't got out of my way to get it, but if I found it in a store, I would certainly pick some up.

I found the next item to be a bit odd. Two little packets of Caldrea hand soap. They were odd but I did like this soap. This particular scent was a little strong for my taste but it left my hands clean and soft. This would make a great housewarming gift.

I got really excited about the Stila waterproof eye-liner that I got. It was perfect timing because I was almost out of my other one. This one is black and I usually wear brown but that's not the end of the world. I like the way that this goes on and that it stays on. Here's the catch. It's a shimmery eye-liner. It's not too extreme but it's enough that I won't wear it on a daily basis. It's perfect for a night out or the weekend, but not exactly right for work.

And, hey, who doesn't need a brand new razor? For whatever reason, I have a hard time spending too much money on a razor so I usually just have the disposible ones around. Those are fine and good for vacation, but probably not the best for day to day. I like this one. It's smooth and shaves close. I'll probably keep it around and invest in some refills.

There you have it. That was August. September review to come pretty soon!

Lessons in the Produce section

I went to the grocery store after work tonight and totally got schooled by the produce guy. At this particular store, you have to get your produce weighed in the produce area instead of at the check out. I would say 90% of the time that I am there, it's the same guy always working. He's super helpful and nice but we've never really chatted or anything. Every once in awhile you get a sense of his funny side.
Tonight I had gathered up a few things and handed them off to be weighed. I'm sure I smiled slightly at him but that was about it. He then said 'you come in here all the time but you don't say hi or nothing.' Yikes! He wasn't mean about it, he had a sly smile when he said it. I immediately apologized and said I'm usually just in a zone when I'm shopping. He was understanding and we had a short but pleasant exchange.
I realized that while I'm never mean (at least not that I remember) in the store, I'm not exactly friendly. It's a good reminder to be a bit more friendly. The produce guy is probably paying more attention than you think.

It's time for a serious discussion

We need to talk. This is serious so listen carefully. I tried a new recipe and tested it out on my newest volunteers. I recruited them to help with the campaign we are doing at my church. I just forgot to mention that they would also have to be my taste testers. So far, no complaints. But back to my point. You MUST make these. Today. I am talking about Chocolate Chip-Pretzel Bars. Delicious. Super easy. Salty. Sweet. They have it all. Your friends will love you forever. 

July Birchbox

This month was the Glamour Birchbox. It's a celebration of the five sense of summer! Here's what was inside.

Side note: I bought an orchid plant at Trader Joe's the other day. I love having pretty flowers, but a bouquet doesn't usually last very long. I also have issues keeping plants alive. But, orchids are supposed to be super low maintenance so I'll give it a shot. Pretty, right?

Back to the box. Gloss Moderne High-Gloss Masque. This vitamin-rich conditioning complex says it will restore bounce and shine to my hair. Leave it on for 5 minutes in the shower and then rinse. I used it this morning and there's not a huge difference in my hair so far. There's enough in here for two uses for me since my hair is short right now.  Maybe after the second use I'll be convinced that it works better than any other hair masque from the drug store.

Ada Cosmetics Bronzer. Now, bronzer is not something that I use most of the time. I've never been good at applying it so it looks really fake. Consequently, I haven't purchased any in years. So, I was happy to get this little container of it. It says it will give me an island goddess tan. Woo Hoo! It's a mineral powder so it goes on really lightly and feels nice. It has a bit of shimmer but not shiny. So far, so good. This will go on the list of possible full-size purchases depending on how much I end up using this. 

"Hello" by Harvey Prince. I'm not one to wear perfume because I'm really picky about it and most give me a crazy headache. But, I am loving this one! It's a blend of Meyer lemon, white grapefruit, and pink plumeria. I think that I like that it's more citrus-y than flower-y. It's light and lovely and sticks with you for a long time. Plus, it's pretty reasonable for a full size bottle. I might have to check out what else Mr. Prince has. 

A Stila lip glaze in 'It's Go Time'. I was excited to see this as I've wanted to try Stila lip stuff before and just never have. I like the color but just like most lip glosses and such, it's a bit too sticky for my taste. I don't love how it feels on but it sure looks good!

An Uber Larabar. I actually really like Larabars. They make a good breakfast on the go. This will make for a nice little treat. 

Fun new earbuds. I haven't used these yet but I'm looking forward to it. I have a hard time keeping my other earbuds in my ears while working out and I think these might work better. If not, it never hurts to have some extras around. Earbuds have a habit of getting lost. 

There you have it. Happy summer!

Ole!

I tried a new recipe tonight. Super easy and yummy. It's no secret that I love Mexican food. I also have a weakness for things that are fried and crunchy. I'll admit to loving flautas and taquitos. So, when I found a recipe to make my own flautas, I decided to give it a shot. I'd say they turned out pretty dang good. I used a recipe from Food and Wine. Check it out.

First, you make your filling. Just 2 cups shredded chicken, 1 cup cheese, some seasoning and some chillies. Since it's eight million degrees here and I didn't want to turn my oven on, I opted for a rotisserie chicken this time around. Most grocery stores have them in their prepared foods section and they are great in a pinch. Just get an unseasoned or lightly seasoned one. Tomorrow I'll make some chicken salad with the rest of it. Shred the chicken and put it in a bowl. Add the shredded cheese and seasoning. The recipe calls for cumin seeds but I didn't have those so I just added a bit of ground cumin. Worked just fine. I also opted for canned green chillies instead of the jalapenos. Go with what you prefer. Once the filling is made, it's time to make the flautas.

Wrap the corn tortillas in a towel and microwave for about a minute so they get soft. Do not skip that step. If you do, the tortillas will just fall apart. Add the filling as such.

Actually, this is just a bit too much filling for one. Use slightly less. Then roll them up and secure with a toothpick. This should make 12 flautas. See.

Meanwhile, heat some oil in a pan. Just regular vegetable oil is fine. You want about a quarter of an inch in whatever skillet you use and you want it to be hot before you put these in. Fry them up a few at a time.

Fry until they are light golden brown, turning to get all sides. The filling is cooked, you you just need to warm it through and crisp the outside. This will take a few minutes. Just keep an eye on them. When they are done, drain on paper towels to get ride of the excess oil. Remove the toothpicks and serve them up.

I had mine with sour cream (note to self, if you are not left handed, don't use your left hand to put sour cream on a plate. You will have too much.). You could also serve with guacamole, salsa, cabbage, cheese, whatever. Since I'm trying to eat more veggies, I had a green salad with mine but you could go all out and do rice and beans.

These should reheat just fine so that I can eat them for lunch this week as well. Give them a try!