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 :)

Finals

I have been bogged down with homework, papers, and now finals. It may take some time to get back to blogging normally. My mom comes in to visit on the 20th for two weeks so I may not be around much during that. If I am not I hope that everyone has a great holiday and good christmas :)

TTC

Its been 8 months and since i dont feel i have the right to complain sometimes, i must. I am so tired of hearing "just relax" or " it will happen when its time." Please remember these are not things to say to someone who is TTC. I should say at least for me i cannot stand hearing that.

On a positive note the doctor recommended a few tips for me. Preseed is one of them and the other is the CBEFM. I finally found one at walgreens yesterday and had to purchase so that i can start testing tomorrow. Otherwise you can find a ton of them much cheaper on ebay if you have time. Otherwise try calling Walgreens as I did. They were held behind the cosmetic counter because of the $$$. I keep hearing it will be well worth the price in the end. I will give a review later.

Chicken & Peppers!

Sorry for the image. I had to scan it in from the magazine. It was in November's All you magazine. It was really good. I always look for new spins on chicken dishes. This one is a keeper!

Prep: 10 mins

Cook: 16 mins

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Salt

1/2 c all purpose flour

3 tbsp veg. Oil

2 cloves of garlic

1 red pepper cut into strips

3/4 c. canned low sodium chicken broth

2 Tbsp Red Wine vinegar

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp unsalted butter or margerine

(2 tbsp chopped parsley)--we didnt include this as im allergic to it.

1) Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper and pound to an even 1/2-inch thickness. Sprinkle with salt. Coat chicken on both sides with flour; shake off excess.

2) Warm 2 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until golden on both sides and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover.

3) Heat remaining oil in skillet. Sauté garlic until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add peppers and sauté for 1 minute. Add broth, vinegar, and sugar; bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from pan. Reduce heat; simmer until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes. Remove pan from heat; stir in butter and parsley until butter melts. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Very yummy and easy! We will be trying this again when my mom comes to visit :)

Christmas Gift

Im drooling over something that i just really love!!!

First is this chair from Target $129.99 right now. I cant decide between this pattern (leaves) or the vine pattern.

Madison, Wi.

Not too much to blog about today. This week were in Madison for a business trip for Nick. We are enjoying some new foods and taking in some sights. My birthday is fast approaching and i dont think hes even shopped yet lol. Typical male, sorry guys! Anyways ive been getting way more homework done then usual which is a good thing. I cant believe in another month itll be over with already and on to the next semester. Everyone has been asking how school has been going. Its been going good. Im only struggling with one class which i have dreading from the start Statistics. Im sorry but im not going to utilize this later in the future. Anyways im off to do some more homework and do some more decorating research. Hope to post something new soon!

Pasta with no cook tomato sauce

Another rachael ray fav! I cant believe i didnt find this sooner. This is perfect because it isn't that much work at all and only requires one pot on the stove!! Always a goodie. To make it healthier for Dh and I, we used Ronzoni Smart taste Rotini noodles. Once again i forgot to take a pic but it was very easy and yummy. We have plenty of leftovers!

This serves 4-

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves crushed

2 TBSP EVOO

1lb pasta shells or whatever you would like

2 lbs diced tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

2 TBSP butter or margarine

2 tsp of lemon zest

1 c. fresh Basil sliced thinly

grated parmesean for serving

1. In a cup, combine the garlic and olive oil. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, about 11 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.

2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, crush the tomatoes with your hands; season with salt and pepper.

3. Remove the garlic from the olive oil and discard. Add the garlic oil, butter and lemon peel to the tomatoes. Add the pasta and toss, adding a splash of the reserved pasta cooking water to thin the sauce, if necessary. Add the basil and season with salt and pepper; toss. Serve with the parmesan.