TTC going on month 11

I cant believe that in March it will be a year. Its been a long hard ride. Some days are better then others recently. Im still holding on to that hope and its hard when everyone around you is getting pregnant except for you. Its so difficult to explain to anyone. I really did wish some family like my mom and my mother in law did know because i almost feel as though if i had their prayers then maybe for once we would be successful.

Sometimes those who are TTC can make up symptoms in their head and get really excited, that includes me sometimes. The problem with that is all your hopes and dreams get up so high and then come crashing down. Its so intense to go back and forth but we still hang in there. It is finally catching up to Nick and my heart goes out to him because hes behind as far as the emotions go. We really just want to have a baby and make the most of every day and no matter what we can do this and push through. I say this now but tomorrow i could feel the exact opposite thats just how this goes.

I think that some people don't realize how much their happiness can hurt others, which by no means makes it their fault. Things are difficult to hear or read but eventually you just move past it and get back to enjoying life. I guess vent over and lesson learned.

Cutest shoes!

I actually purchased these like a week but they are the cutest. They are Mossimo Vennie. This picture does them no justice. I purchased them in black. When you look at them straight on they look like the cutest heels but no heel. I like heels and flats so these are great! They were 75% off in store, i see online they are half off. I kept looking at them prior to purchasing then i had to go back and get them. I think paid $8 for them at the store. So cute. The fit seems fine i would even say they are a bit widetowards the top of my foot but thats good for me because i have wide feet :) I went with my normal size and was plenty fine. Ive been busy getting back to classes and etc and im expecting 2 boxes today in the mail so expect some reviews. Have a great Hump day!

E.L.F.

I just placed an order with elf yesterday morning, which if you dont know what that is its www.eyeslipsface.com Mostly everything is $1, they do have a studio and mineral line which is $3-5. When we were out this weekend hunting for E.L.F. sold at the stores and the only thing i could find was the compact and the drama eyeshadow kit.

All i can say is wow! I love the drama eyeshadow. I played with it today and it looks great! My husband was shocked because its the first time i did a real smokey eye and it looked great. Its well worth $1. It does have some fallout but that was an easy fix. I would definately purchase again. Ill review the other items as they arrive. I had done some research prior to my purchase so if you have any questions feel free to ask. Some of the items are great while others are not worth it at all. Have a great Monday!!

Tested some samples

Heres a few things i tested today, let me preface by saying that i received these back in december or even late november. It came in the traincase from sephora for free :) Gotta love freebies.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion- $16 @ Sephora for a full size. I have heard raves about this product and it does work pretty well. The shadow holds on well and everything. Since i have a bunch of BE products, i really want to try their eye primer and see how it compares. I would recommend this though!

Smashbox Photo Finish Light Primer--$36 @Sephora. I have tried the Prime Time Primer from Bare Escentuals and i prefer it over this one. This one is different from just the regular photo finish primer. This is geared toward people with oily skin and sensitive skin. While i do have sensitive skin, i have very very dry skin. This requires more then the BE Prime Time Primer. The BE primer says pea size and that is beyond accurate. You dont need hardly any at all. Both make your face very smooth but the texture after it is applied and your make up is on feels different to me. Im going to get the BE primer and that primer is only $21 compared to the smashbox.

Cosmedicine Primary Care SPF 20 Moisturizer- $48 @ Sephora. I really did not like this. It did not moisturize like it should for the price. Luckily mine was just a sample. Its thin and requires a lot and I still did not feel moisturized. I would not recommend this.

Anastasia brow powder duo: Came with two colors in ash blonde and brunette. I tried both colors of the ash blonde, the darker one was better but not exactly right for my brows. My brows are reddish blonde, which i see on the website they do offer a color duo for that. The duo is $22 @ Sephora. Im iffy on brow powder as it is because i have never really used any before and Im not sure id use it everyday or even enough to cover the cost of it. It wasnt bad though and went on well with a flat edged brush which i already own.


Thats what i tried today and the rest of the samples, either dont apply to me yet ( like wrinkles and eye lifts) and 3 of them were tinted foundations or moisturizers and were way too dark for me. Have a great day everyone!

**Id like to add really quickly, I made the recipe from yesterdays post and it was sooo yummy were having leftovers tonight.**

Whats for Dinner: Baked Mac N Cheddar

Rachael Ray has a new series on her recipes which includes this one. Its a good for you, new you section for healthier recipes. This is the one I will be making tonight!

This Serves 4

1 large bunch broccoli, cut into bite-size florets and stalks peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pound whole wheat elbow pasta
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (about 3)
3 tablespoons flour
3 1/2 cups low-fat milk
3 tablespoons cornstarch
12 ounces cheddar cheese, cut into small cubes
6 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, smashed
3 tablespoons bread crumbs

Directions:

Fill a large pot with enough water to reach a depth of 2 inches and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and cook for 1 minute; drain and rinse with cold water. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and add the broccoli in an even layer.

Fill the same pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente; drain.

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400°. In the same pot, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the flour for 1 minute. Whisk in 1 cup milk until thickened, then whisk in 1 cup more. Whisk the cornstarch into the remaining 1 1/2 cups milk, then whisk the mixture into the pot. Simmer, whisking, until the sauce thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Lower the heat and stir in the cheddar and 4 tablespoons parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the pasta. Spoon the mixture over the broccoli.

In a small heatproof bowl, combine the garlic and remaining 1/2 tablespoon butter; microwave at high power until melted, about 20 seconds. Stir in the bread crumbs, the remaining 2 tablespoons parmesan and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Discard the garlic, then sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on the pasta. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Ill let everyone know how it is tomorrow!

Walgreens mini haul

Now everyone knows I will always be a BE girl but i like to branch out on lipglosses and etc. Mascaras im always playing around with different kinds. This is a small haul only 4 items but a great price. I only paid .77 cents before tax for all of this.

Going Left to right: On the far left is Loreal Balance Quick Stick in Sand Beige #336. The regular price was $13.99 marked down to $3.59 and then i had a $3 coupon from the newspaper= .59 cents!! There were only two colors left and this was closer to what i needed but is not the right color for me. Im way too fair but it is blendable but too dark. I will use it for blending out under the eye before applying my normal foundation.

Next is the Covergirl Multiplying waterproof Mascara in Blackx2. It was marked down to $1.59, no coupons but what the heck not bad for mascara.

Then is the Revlon Creme de la Chrome in Spice it up #365 and then the bottom one is the same line in Berry Flashy #385. The regular price was like $9.59ish. They were on clearance for 2.59 and then i had 2 $2 coupons for revlon. Only .59 cents each. Now Revlon is B1G1F and i was almost positive that it would not work on the clearance but it did and she took my coupon on the free item too.

These liquid lipcolors are very pigmented. The spice is a gorgeous copper color and the Berry Flashy is a combination of dark pink and mauve, Berry is the perfect word for it. There is a smell im unsure of how to explain it, its not fruity but when it is blended in it goes away.

When i walked out i couldnt believe it. Saved $39 with them being on clearance and my coupons! That was a good lil haul.

Must Buys & My Must Haves

Heres just a few items i must get:

Mechanical eyelash curler from E.L.F- Only $1!!

Bare Escentuals Primer Kit: Face Primer & Eye Primer -$18
(I had a free sample of just the face primer and it was amazing! Its so smoothe and made such a difference in how the minerals went on and truly you do not need much at all)

Bare Escentuals Super Stars Kit- I think i can only find it on ebay now. It was a lmtd. edition set for sephora last spring.

Beauty Rush Body Swirl cream by Victorias Secret in Appletini or Slice of Heaven.

My favs so far this year :

Beauty Rush Snowplum lipgloss- just purchased it at the SemiAnnual Sale and it smells so good and its basically sheer with some sparkle in it. Smells incredible and it was only $1.75.

Philosophy Falling in Love 3-in 1 shower gel. (Loved it last year and love it still)

Very Sexy Nail Laquer in Pet. It is a beige tone that goes on really well just in one coat. No glitter in this one. Purchased at the Semi Annual and it was $2.25. Cocktail is a great color too like a coral color, great for summer. There is some gold glitter in it but i can barely see it on my nails, all i see is the color. Im actually really impressed with the colors that i bought. The shimmery clear ones that they had are just that clear with glitter, nothing really special.

Bath & Body Works Black Raspberry Vanilla Shimmer Mist. LOVE this smell and it was 75% off so it was around $3.00. They also had some great scentports on clearance which we had to get.

Finally, an old fav from last year, Bare Escentuals Buzz Latte lip balm. Smells like coffee and always keeps me awake. I dont drink coffee but i love that smell on my lips lol. A new favorite that i just bought was Loreal Colour Juice in the clear/white with sparkles. Its just a great clear gloss with some sparkle. It was on clearance for 2.19 and i had a $2 coupon, so only .19 cents!!

Topaz Kit by BE

I love love love this kit. Can i say love one more time ? LOL. Its a great brown/tan kit. It is $54. It was at ulta and qvc before and as i search i cannot find it at ulta anymore but it is on qvc.com. My mom actually bought it for me for Christmas and i adore it. The colors went on really well and i did not have any fallout problems. It really made my green eyes pop.

The lush topaz liner is green and it is amazing i absolutely loved it. The soft focus brush and the precision eyeliner brush are great. I just cant get enough of the soft focus brush for the blush. The blush wasnt too dark at all. Im very fair skinned, of course since i have red hair and green eyes :) The smokey topaz and luminous topaz were great. The smokey was a perfect color that was very pigmented of course adn the luminous added a great shimmer below the brow. The tempest is a bit darker then pictured but it all depends on how you layer it on too. It does have a brush tip and not a sponge tip but still wearable and great. I needed to branch out from my comfort zone and try a bit darker color and this was great. Its not deep red or anything. I would say its a cross between a dark mauve with some reddish orange in it.

I just have to add that im just now getting back into liners. This brush was my life saver! Everytime before now I just went without liner because everytime i would put it on my eyes would water and water and this time it did not happen. So if i can do it, i know others can. Oh and i love how the brushes have stones in the bottom of the handles.

Chocolate Decadence Review

I did try the set that very next day. However i only used 2 of the colors. I used the Dulce de leche and the tiramisu. The dulce de leche is great as a highlighter. Its very light and sparkly. The dulce de leche was just okay. I really had to go back in a few times to get some good color. The other two i have not tried yet. Its a cute little set that is $28 at sephora and qvc.com. My dh was so thoughtful and purchased it as a one time special so he bought it for $23 on qvc.

It is smaller in size, so it is not the normal eyeshadow size. They are .01 oz each and comes with a cute brush. I have to say that i do not care for the brush but some others may.

BE Makeup

Oh how i love thee :) My husband and mom did well for me. I received 4 new sets for christmas and i love them all. I just tried one of them today. It was the Ruby Collection. To preface this, i had ordered this collection for my mom back in september. As soon as it arrived at our house i fell in love with it. Granted i did not rip it open and start using it just looked at the pieces in it. I immediately put it on my husbands list. That was so easy considering he could look right at the box and know what it was.

I believe its only sold at sephora which is where i purchased my mom's from. It comes with the cutest red clutch ever. You can put make up in it but i just think its way too cute to use for that. Its a 9 piece collection which includes the clutch. Im very fair skinned and it looks great on me :) The colors are neutral in my opinion. The liner when wet was like a medium brown tone with a hint of red too it sort of like a clay color. The shadows were light in color and golden and brown tones. The ruby comes in for the cheek and gloss. The cheek isnt a dark red or anything by any means and same for the gloss. Remember its all about application :) If you want it darker apply more.

When i purchased it i believe it was on sale for around $49. I see its now $54 on sephora.com. You can probably find it on ebay or even check ulta and qvc. Im almost positive its not on qvc at all but it could be by now. I loved this set and the ruby mascara end is not overpowering at all it adds like little rubies on the ends of your lashes=great!!

Ill review the other kits as i try them. I will have one or two more to review tomorrow. Enjoy it BE girls :)