New Swimsuit

I have been wanting a swimsuit top like this since I first saw the style, but I couldn't find one I really liked that wasn't super expensive -- until now. 

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As cute as skirted bottoms are, they aren't my best look.  Instead I opted for the plain and simple classic bikini bottoms.

The suit just arrived and I am really impressed!  The quality is fantastic, the suit is well lined (top and bottom!), and the style is actually rather flattering.  I honestly can't believe it was only $21 -- I've never had a swimsuit this nice that was so inexpensive. 

Summer will be here before we know it -- so take advantage of the Canvas swimwear sale!  Use OPRAH11 (pin 4281) for $10 off $50 and free shipping (a savings of $10.95).  Or for a purchase of less then $50 use ADDITIONALTEN (pin 2214) for 10% off all items already on sale!

Neckties

First you should check out this post by Mary.  The Good HEAVENS neckties from her post are so fun, I decided to try to make something similar for Isaac to possibly wear on Easter.  I plan to put the tie in his Easter basket (he doesn't usually read my blog unless I ask him to proof something so I'm counting on that to keep the tie a surprise).

I found the (free!) pattern for the tie here.  The directions are so easy to follow -- they lay out every step with both written instructions and pictures.

Sorry the pictures are so dark -- they came from my phone which doesn't have a flash.

I embroidered a personalized tag for the underside of the tie (ironic that my free hand stitching is better then my handwriting, dontcha think?!).

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Check out these colorful Spring bow ties!  Now that I know how easy ties are to make, I can't wait to make more!

Must see!

I stumbled across this blog today and had to share it asap!

It's the perfect mix of Anthropologie, Pottery Barn, Real Simple style organization, and DIY painted furniture. 

Check out a few of my new favorite inspiration pictures:


She DIY painted and distressed this sideboard.  Click here to see the before picture.



What a cute idea for Easter!

Amazing.  I love labels -- especially classy ones.

Clean.  Simple.  Beautiful.

So fun!  And very Anthropologie.

   

Update: Quick (and budget friendly) meals for two!

2) Frozen veggies are great for quick dinners.  Especially the Simply Steamer (Green Giant) veggies.  These were on sale recently, and I had a coupon, so I figured we might as well try them.  They were really great -- tasted fresh and had a nice consistency, not at all mushy!  At $1.99/package (without a coupon) it's enough for 3-4 servings and they are ready to go in less then 5 minutes.  Our favorite so far: sugar snap peas (in the shell).

All still true, but the price I mentioned above was from Kroger.  I stopped by Wal-Mart this week and saw the exact same box of sugar snap peas for only $1.52.  Add in my $.50 off coupon and you're looking at $1.02/box.  Awesome! 

I don't want to get into the "Wal-Mart is killing off small businesses" argument -- you can choose to shop at Wal-Mart, an organic outdoor market, or both.  All I'm saying is if you want to buy these particular frozen veggies, you can get them for a dollar at Wal-Mart.

Quick (and budget friendly) meals for two!

Remember this roasted chicken?  Well as delicious as it was, it took a decent amount of time to prep and bake.  Don't get me wrong, it was totally worth it, but there are a lot of nights that by the time I get home from work and (hopefully) the gym, a whole roasted chicken means we won't be eating until way past normal dinner time.

So for those nights when a quick-to-the-table meal is key, here are a couple cheater (but cheaper and healthier than fast food or take out) ideas:

1) Don't overlook the value of a rotisserie chicken from the deli section of your grocery store.  At our local grocery store a rotisserie chicken is only $4.99 (when you use your Kroger card).  The most recent whole frozen chicken I bought was $4.69, however, it was also a little bigger then a deli rotisserie chicken.  So while it is slightly cheaper (and I will admit, tastier) to buy and roast your own chicken, you really can't beat the time saving value of a rotisserie chicken.  One rotisserie chicken is usually good for at least two, and occasionally three, meals.  The first night we eat the chicken with veggies and rice or potatoes.  I shred the rest of the chicken and refrigerate or freeze for later use.  Our favorite uses for the leftover shredded chicken are chicken tacos, chicken vegetable soup, and chicken fettuccine alfredo.

2) Frozen veggies are great for quick dinners.  Especially the Simply Steamer (Green Giant) veggies.  These were on sale recently, and I had a coupon, so I figured we might as well try them.  They were really great -- tasted fresh and had a nice consistency, not at all mushy!  At $1.99/package (without a coupon) it's enough for 3-4 servings and they are ready to go in less then 5 minutes.  Our favorite so far: sugar snap peas (in the shell).

3) Double or triple your recipe and freeze the extra.  Sometimes it seems like too much work to make just two servings of something.  Twice baked potatoes for example -- once you get the process going, it takes very little extra effort or time to make eight instead of two.  So make a big batch and freeze the extras -- instant homemade side to go with your rotisserie chicken.  Twice baked potatoes can be reheated in the oven for about an hour, or in the microwave until just heated through (these are less on the healthy side and more on the delicious side).

4) Speaking of freezing, homemade sauce reheats really well when you freeze it in ice cube trays.  Whenever I make tomato (haven't tried this recipe yet but it looks so good!) or alfredo sauce I double the recipe and freeze all but two servings in ice cube trays.  The "sauce cubes" reheat really quickly because you aren't trying to melt down a frozen solid, brick size, lump of sauce.  Six or seven cubes are usually plenty for two people.  You can reheat the tomato sauce in the microwave or on low heat on the stove.  However, only reheat alfredo sauce on the stove because the sauce will separate in the microwave.  As the alfredo cubes start to melt, add milk as needed to thin the sauce (otherwise it will be very thick).  Your previously frozen homemade sauce will be ready by the time you get the pasta cooked -- ta da -- dinner in 10 minutes.

5) I'm a big believer in meal planners like this.  The easiest way I have found to get dinner ready quickly, is to know ahead of time what I plan to make and have the ingredients already purchased (harder then it sounds -- I can't count the number of times I *think* I have everything I need only to find that I forgot some key component).

Example

Monday: Rotisserie chicken with frozen veggies and previously made twice baked potatoes
Tuesday: Chicken tacos (using leftover chicken from Monday)
Wednesday: Spaghetti with homemade (frozen) tomato sauce
Thursday: Chicken salad sandwiches (using rest of leftover rotisserie chicken)
Friday: PIZZA!  Take out, not homemade, everybody needs a break. :)
Weekend: Leftovers or crock pot soup

I find that we waste a lot less food (and save more money!) when I plan ahead to use up leftovers in other recipes.      

50 pictures for $5

Walgreens is running a sale until tomorrow (April 9) at midnight -- 50 4x6 photo prints for $5.  Use 50TOUCH at checkout for almost half off the normal price per print!


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Spring Sales!

Just a heads up -- if you are looking for a couple fresh pieces to add to your wardrobe, check out these Spring sales:

Ann Taylor Loft -- 30% off total purchase when you sign up for their email list!  Sign up here.

Lands End Canvas -- 30% off and free S/H when you use coupon code SAVENOW (pin 2430) at checkout!  Visit them here.  For even more savings, check out their sale items like these swim tops ($8.99) and bottoms ($5.99).

Old Navy -- Take 15% off any single item in store with this coupon.

Saks Fifth Avenue (Off 5th) -- Print this coupon for 25% off your total in store purchase!

And if you are looking for a new book instead of a new outfit, check out these coupons:

Borders -- Print this coupon for 33% off ANY item!

Barnes and Noble -- Print coupons for 40% off these best sellers!  Including Tina Fey's new book Bossypants (I can't wait to read it, Tina Fey cracks me up)! 

 
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Pear Tart

Sometimes you have a recipe that just doesn't turn out and this was definitely one of those times.

I got the flour, salt, sugar, and toasted/ground pecans (I didn't have hazelnuts) all mixed up in a bowl and added the room temperature butter.  I used exactly the amount of butter the recipe called for but it was WAY too much.  According to the recipe, after mixing in the butter the dough should "resemble wet sand and clump together", and THEN you should add a tablespoon of water and form it into a ball.  Well my mixture was so soupy just with the soft butter that I never even got around to adding any water!  In fact I had to add almost an additional 1/4 c. flour just to get the dough to hold together at all!  But I didn't want to go overboard with the flour so I wrapped up the goop and chilled it per the instructions. 

At this point I still thought it might come out alright, or at least I was hoping it would, because I tasted some of the dough while I was making it and it was by far the best tasting raw dough I have ever had (probably all the extra butter)!  Once it came out of freezer, I rolled it out and got it in the pie pan.  It wasn't the easiest dough to work with but it was holding together just fine.  I added the parchment paper and weights and stuck it in the oven.  However, 20 minutes later I opened up the oven to disaster.  The dough was so soft and gooey it attached to the parchment paper while baking, and when I lifted the paper out of the tin, half the tart came with it.  I really should have tossed it at this point, but alas this dough tasted too good to be wasted.  So I used a wooden spoon to push the dough off the paper and back into the pan and squashed it down into an even layer and baked it sans paper for a few more minutes.

The pear mixture came out just fine except for one thing: my lack of pear cutting finesse.  My first two pears looked pretty awful as I tried to figure out the best way to slice them into perfectly even and identical pieces.  I kinda got the hang of it on the last pear so hopefully my next tart will turn out prettier.

The one good thing I can honestly say about this recipe is that the spice combination with the pears is inspired.  Until this recipe I had never used ground ginger while baking.  It adds a wonderful "kick" and sharpness to the sweetness of the pears and brown sugar!  I'm on the lookout for more recipes using ground ginger, so if you happen to know of any please send them my way!

Despite all the drama it actually came out ok in the end.  Not very pretty but quite tasty!

I'm trying to find a different pecan tart dough recipe so I can try this again.  The pears are perfection, but the dough certainly needs some help.

FYI

Trying out a new look thanks to Laura's super cute blog. :)

Update: wedding album/coffee table book

Remember this?  Well it's here!  It arrived early, over a week early actually, and it could not have come at a more perfect time.  The book arrived on our doorstep just a few hours before both my parents and Isaac's grandparents came into town for Isaac's recital.  It was so fun looking through the book with both our families and remembering our wedding day almost one year ago (hard to believe it's been almost a year already!).

The quality is even better then I expected.  The craftsmanship is excellent, the pages are really thick, and the printing is positively stunning!  I ordered it during a sale and used a coupon code, so my final price for the largest book they sell (both in dimension and page number) was only $107 (normal price $234.95).  Who knew photo books could be so expensive?!

AdoramaPix is very easy to use, especially for someone like me with no design experience.  They give you all the tools and templates you need to get started, but allow for a ton of creativity and individuality in the design.  Check out their website if you want to make your own photo book!

J's Bridal Shower

I hosted a bridal shower yesterday for my dear friend J.  Doesn't she look absolutely lovely?!

Let's be honest, one of the best parts of any party is the food!  Here's what we had:

A co-worker recently made chocolate dipped pretzels and they were so delicious I decided to make some for the shower favors:

Congratulations J -- I can't wait to celebrate the big day with you!

Spring cleaning....and painting....and laundry....

I was super motivated to clean earlier this week.  Why, you ask?  Because my family was coming to town for the weekend!  Despite the fact that they know the true me, the one with piles of papers and laundry perpetually on my living room couch (hey, at least it's clean and hopefully even folded), I still wanted to pretend that, yes, our apartment is always this clean.

In addition to cleaning, I've also been working my way though my list of  "things to do eventually".  For example, when Isaac and I got married, we acquired two wooden dressers that were in great condition except for the paint.  However, paint wasn't a priority at that time, so they went in our room as is and down to the bottom of the eventually list.

However, with the incentive of my family coming and the fact that it was finally nice enough outside to crack the windows while painting, I am happy to report that the dressers are finally finished!

Here is one of the two dressers I painted.  I love how the soft grey color blends with the other colors in our room:

I painted the inside of the dresser drawers this ^ beautiful light aqua color.

The bedspread, sheets, and throw pillows in our bedroom.

A note about paint: keep in mind it can be very expensive.  The reason I paint old furniture (besides the fact that it is really fun) is to save money on buying new.  But depending on the paint you buy, it could negate a good chunk of the money you would save -- especially if you get name brand paint from a paint or hardware store.  While my budget did not allow for a $44 gallon of Benjamin Moore, it did allow for a $14 gallon of ColorPlace (Wal-mart's in store brand).  I have used ColorPlace paint for several projects and, in my opinion, it covers just as well as the pricier brands.  It is thick enough to cover but goes on smooth -- I completely covered our previously black dressers with two thin coats of light gray paint (I didn't even use primer).  Now I'm not trying to say that there isn't an increase in quality with the more expensive paints; I'm just saying that for my budget and taste I can't tell a big enough difference to warrant spending an extra $30/gallon. 

Wal-mart can also color match paint chips from any other brand.  The paint colors I wanted happened to be Benjamin Moore, so I took the paint chips to Wal-mart, and they worked their color matching magic.  After they mixed the paint, we compared it to the original paint chip and it was a perfect match!