Palsy-walsy Blog

Monday, 29 September 2014

Tarte Foundation and Brush

Tarte's Amazonian clay 12 hour Foundation in my opinion is the creme de la creme, as they say. It is such a wonderful product and looks very natural when applied. This long-wear foundation is oil free and works wonders to diminish pores, cover imperfections and discolorations. It provides a medium to full amount of coverage without looking cakey.

"It is Powered By: Amazonian clay: This nutrient-rich, multitasking and total-skin-balancing clay reduces dryness and flakiness, improves skin clarity, elasticity, firmness, and texture while removing oil from the skin's surface for smooth application and wear." (source)

I am seriously in love with this foundation. It provides a matte finish although I have been mixing a bit of Laura Mercier's radiance primer in with it to give my skin a bit of glow and dimension.

I also purchased tarte's Buffer Air Brushed Foundation Brush. It is quite a large brush with soft, dense bristles and a big beautiful wooden handle. When the foundation is buffed on with this it really does give you that perfect airbrushed, natural look. It is very good quality and I am sure will stand the test of time. Another great investment piece (wink).

Together these two products are magic. If you are thinking about trying it don't wait a second more, buy it! Tarte products are formulated without parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfates, and gluten, which earns a big check in my books!

What is your current favorite foundation?

Saturday, 27 September 2014

When Fall Gives You Apples, Make Muffins.

My youngest daughter went apple picking with her school. She came home with a basket full of red delicious looking apples. We decided we should put some of those apples to good use and make something yummy. MUFFINS! I don't particularly have a go-to recipe for apple muffins so I searched the internet looking at several recipes, reviews, ingredients etc. The recipe I chose was from "in a pinch" and I they turned out great.

I did not have muffin liners and did not feel like fifteen minutes of scrubbing my pans afterwards so I cut parchment paper into squares and tucked them down into the tins and then poured the batter in. This made for an easy cleanup and also looks kind of cool too!

I also decided to mix all the ingredients for the topping (including the butter) and sprinkled it on the muffins before putting them into the oven. I only used about have of what the recipe calls for.

The next best thing to tasting these little delights is smelling them while they cook. Nothing smells better than apples and cinnamon baking in the oven, NOTHING!

Here is the recipe written by Robyn from in a pinch.

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour (+ 2 teaspoons for coating apples)
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (+ ½ teaspoon for coating apples)
2 cups diced apples
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ cup milk
For the Topping:
½ cup butter, melted
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375º F. Spray muffin tins with bakers spray or coat well with shortening or butter and flour, making sure to discard any excess flour from the tins after coating.
Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Toss together diced apples and 2 teaspoons of flour to coat apples in a separate bowl. Set aside.
Cream together butter and sugar until lightened in color, about 3 minutes. Add an egg, one at a time, taking care to fully incorporate before adding the other. Mix in vanilla.
Gently fold in flour mixture, alternating with milk. Stir until just combined. Fold in diced apples and scoop mixture into prepared muffin tins, filling about ⅔ to ¾ full. Bake until a toothpick or skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
Prepare topping for muffins while the muffins are baking by melting the butter and allowing to cool slightly. Pour butter into a separate bowl sized easy for dipping tops of muffins. Mix together granulated sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl and set aside.
Once muffins have baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly in the muffin tin. Then, remove each muffin and dip first into the melted butter and then into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place onto a plate to finish cooling.

What is your favorite apple recipe?

Friday, 26 September 2014

The Silliness of September

The month of September has been very busy. With back to school, changes in temperature, dance class start up, and various obligations this month has been a wild one. Here are the mostly highs, and some lows and even some funny mentionable events of September.

Well school has been great. I did in fact purchase the laptop lunch system and I have to say I couldn't be happier with it. If you could see into my Tupperware drawer you would fully understand the need for this kind of lunch system. The laptop lunch has its own containers, lids etc and it all fits perfectly into the box, which fits perfectly into the canvas lunch box. Brilliant I tell you. The wow butter(soy butter) did not go over well with my peanut butter fanatic girl, but we have found a new love for plain ham sandwiches, woohoo. My husband nearly fell off his chair when my oldest daughter came home from school and told him she had five boyfriends. Oh boy, here we go…….

Dance class has started up again for the year. This is the first time my youngest gets to dance as well. My daughters are in different classes so we have to go early Saturday morning for my youngest and then back again early afternoon for my oldest. Last Saturday I somehow managed to convince myself that my oldest daughter’s class was at 1:30 (suppose to be 1:00) so we showed up just in time for dance class to wrap up. And the best Mom award goes to……. (wink).

So I defiantly have a lot on my brain these days trying to keep everyone's schedule straight. In my mad dash out the door I realized after returning home that I had my sweater inside out the whole time at the mall. Another time I had my nylon jacket inside out the whole time at the grocery store, lol. That just goes to show where my head has been.

The weather has quickly changed over to fall-like at rapid speeds this year in the East Coast. For me this is the hardest part, adjusting to the colder temps. I freeze the first couple of weeks and then my body seems to adjust slightly. All I have to say is hallelujah to heated car seats!

It’s always a chore transitioning the kids clothing from season to season. I have two girls so the clothing gets passed down which requires storing till the youngest fits into it. We are also grateful to receive hand me downs from two sources for my oldest. Some of this I have to store for a different season or when she grows into them. I am extremely appreciative for the clothing although it is a “job” trying to keep it all straight.

So lots on the go and lots to look forward to for October. We will be doing some traveling and also busy getting ready for Halloween (one of our favorite holidays).

What does October have in store for you?

Thursday, 25 September 2014

Drug Store Adventures #4

I recently grabbed this nail color by Sally Hanson in Sand Storm from Shoppers and I am in love! Not only do I love the color but the formula is a dream to work with. The Sally Hanson Insta-Dry is a super fast drying polish that cuts waiting time in half, at least. As a Mother of two, I don't have a whole lot of extra time to sit back and wait for my nails to dry, if you know what I mean.

The formula itself is quite thick so one coat basically covers well. I still applied a second coat but it was not even necessary. The brush is the perfect size and it's angled just right for my nails. My nail painting skills are terrible (no joke), probably the worst but with Insta-Dry they looked great without too (wink) many imperfections.

I have also been using the Sally Hansen Ultimate Shield base and top coat. It goes on smooth and helps extend the life of my polish. Another great Sally product!

I also picked up Maybelline's 24 hour Color Tattoo - Leather- in 80 creamy beige. It's a beautiful creamy dark beige/light brown color. I use this as a base without primer and my eye shadow stays put all day. I love these shadows and I am happy they came out with some more less shimmery colors. Now that it is officially fall, I am reaching less for the shimmer and more for a matte eye look.

What drug store product are you loving for fall?

xoAngela

Wednesday, 24 September 2014

Ginger Lovies

I could not help but make these when I saw them posted on "the small things blog". The description of these cookies alone was making me drool (wink). I have to tell you they did not disappoint in the least, they are delicious. I have always been a fan of a chewy spiced cookie so this is a definite keeper. Thanks to Kate from the "the small things blog" I have found a wonderful addition to my cookie collection.

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups of flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Instruction:
1. Lightly grease cookie sheet (I just lined my pan with parchment paper)
2. In a mixing bowl, combine first 4 ingrediants. Blend well. (Heating your carton of molasses in the microwave for 15-20 seconds will make your molasses come out much easier)
3. Stir in remaining ingrediants. Blend well.
4. Refigerate dough for easier handeling (about an hour). (I actually did not have time to do this so I cooked them right away and they turned out fine)
5. Heat oven to 350-375 degrees, and pour some sugar in a shallow dish.
6. Shape dough into 1 inch balls, roll in the sugar, and place on baking sheet.
7. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Let them sit for 1 minute before moving them to a cooling rack.

Hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

xoAngela

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

Lush Shampoo and Conditioner

I recently ventured into the world of Lush hair care. On a mission to find natural and healthier hair products I did some research and decided to give my good friends at Lush a chance. They have many choices and they all smelled amazing but I decided to go with Blousey Shampoo and Veganese Conditioner. (click here for other products I purchased)

The smell of Blousey alone was enough to send me running with it to the cash. It smells so good. My kids really love it too. This particular formula is a gentle, non-stripping shampoo for all hair types, processed (like moi), damaged (like moi) and natural. The consistency takes a bit to get used to, it is definitely not your "moms" shampoo if you know what I mean. The first ingredient listed in it is banana and this is exactly what the consistency is like, mashed banana.

I apply this to my roots and gently work into a lather. I rinse and repeat working it into the ends of my hair slightly (although I do mainly focus on the roots).

I also purchased the Veganese Conditioner from Lush. This is their lightest conditioner and it is formulated for all hair types. It has a nice light fresh lemon scent and contains rosemary and lavender that helps sooth the scalp and lemon oil and seaweed for shine.

I wasn't really expecting much volume and shine from a natural product but this shampoo and conditioner have proved me wrong. The results are soft, pleasantly scented, manageable and volumized hair.

Will I purchase this again? Oh yeah! Although I do have Lush BIG sea salt shampoo on my wish list as well.

Have you tried any lush shampoos or conditioners?

Monday, 22 September 2014

NFL Sunday = MONDAY pizza

It's NFL season which usually means PIZZA time in our house. Papa John's once again has it's NFL high score promotion. Here's how it works, the highest score of the Sunday night football game is the discount you receive off your pizza the following Monday. Example, score 13/46, you would get 46% off of your order.

I am a total sucker for a good deal, ask anyone. When I see the high score for the Sunday game I just can't help myself. Cheap pizza = easy MONDAY supper for my family and I.

My kids only like cheese and pepperoni so for around ten bucks we get a large pepperoni pizza. (I add a few of my own toppings when we get home). I cut up a few veggies and dip and call it a done deal! Easy peasey, just what I need on a MONDAY!

So next time you have a case of the MONDAY's remember the Papa John's deal. BTW, you must order online, I guess that is the catch. Super easy to do though....... special code is HIGHSCORE.

xoAngela

Sunday, 21 September 2014

100th POST!

Believe it or not, this my 100th post! I honestly don't know how or when I had the time (wink), but I have published 100 of these puppies! Wooohoooo! (speaking of puppies.... here is me with mine)

I decided to take this opportunity to reflect back on the past four months of blogging. I am probably the least "techy" person so this whole journey has been one big ol' learning experience. Seriously though, I'm still rocking the old flip cell phone and have no idea how to text (although I am aware that if I want to communicate with my girls when they are much older I will have to conform, lol).

Here are a few of the things that have changed since I started blogging.

1. I am now taking weird random pictures of the most obscure objects, makeup, food etc. The kids were a little confused at first but I think they get it now. The neighbors probably think I am coo coo though. I am currently robbing my hubby's phone to take most of the pictures but have decided to keep my eye open for a decent DSLR camera.

More Fall Finds...

1. Le Chateau - Stretch Flower Ring, 2. Roots - Fringe Moc Tribe, 3. RW&Co- Plaid legging, 4. RW&Co - Hat, felt, 5. H&M- Ankle Boots, 6. H&M- Biker Jacket in Wool Blend, 7. Roots - Olivia Bag Prince, 9. Sephora- Bobbi Brown, nude on nude10. Roots - Sedona Throwover, 11. Dynamite- Kate High Waist Pant, 12. Le Chateau - Glasses, 13. Dynamite- Long Woven Over piece

Burgundy is "the" fall color.

(newest released ,Tieks- Burgundy)

These gorgeous shoes can be found at Aldo

xoAngela

Friday, 19 September 2014

Tarte Holiday Collection "mini" Haul

As you all know I kind of have a thing for makeup. And.......I also kind of have a thing for tarte (high performance natural) makeup in particular (wink). My newest tarte addition is from the new
Holiday Collection 2014!

The first item is the tarte sweet dreams, chic to cheek deluxe amazonian clay blush set. It comes with four of the cutest mini blushes, amour (rosy pink), classic (candy pink), prim (soft apricot pink) and daydream (plum nude). They are just like the "big guys" although not quite as big (about 3/4 of the original size).

The color payoff and lasting ability is the same great quality as the original. This kit sells for $42 (Canadian) but when you factor in that they usually sell for $31 for one, it really is a great deal (that's what I am sticking to).

The second purchase is tartes sweet dreams, magic wish deluxe lip set. This set includes lipsurgence, lip tint (lip crayon) in wishful and lipsurgence lip gloss in magic. Both are soft pink hues that smell amazing and would complement any skin tone! The best part about this is I only paid $5 for both of these.

Both the blushes and lip products are formulated without parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, tricosan, sodium laryl sufate, gluten and are dermatologist tested and cruelty free.

If you have not checked out the gift sets for this year you might wanna do that as I am sure they will be going fast. Sephora will also be offering some other exclusive tarte holiday gift sets to look forward to as well.

What set is going on your wish list?

xoAngela

Thursday, 18 September 2014

Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas

Since school has started I have become pretty guilty of picking up a rotisserie chicken once in a while for an easy weeknight supper. The amount of things you can do with a rotisserie chicken is endless! Wraps, broccoli casserole, soup, club sandwiches and on and on.........

Tonight I decided to use a rotisserie chicken to make quesadillas. I made buffalo chicken quesadillas for my husband and I although for the kiddos just cheese, tomatoes and chicken.

Here is what you will need for two Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas:

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red or green pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp chili powder
4 large flour tortilla's (I use whole wheat)
1 & 1/2 cup cooked chicken cut in bite size pieces
1/2 cup of buffalo sauce (I use Franks)
1 tbs ranch dressing
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Tomato, chopped.
(you could add any veggies you have on hand including spinach, mushrooms etc.)

Heat oil in a frying pan over medium, add onion and peppers and chili powder. Cook for 6-7 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside

Place chicken in a bowl and add buffalo sauce and ranch dressing, mix until evenly coated. Preheat oven to 350.

Lay tortilla on a pan and begin assembly. First drizzle some ranch sauce over the tortilla, then add 1/2 of the chicken and onion/pepper mixture. Add tomatoes and any other vegetables you might like. Top with shredded cheese and place another tortilla on top, press down.

Put quesadilla into the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the edges start to brown and the cheese is all melted. You want the tortilla it to be nice and crispy. While it is cooking get your next quesadilla ready to go into the oven.

When done carefully remove from the oven and slice into four sections like a pizza (I find it works best to use a pizza cutter for this).

Drizzle a little more ranch dressing on top and serve with a sour cream and salsa and a fresh tossed salad. (if you like blue cheese dressing you could substitute for this as well)

Enjoy!

xoAngela

Wednesday, 17 September 2014

Weekday Mornings With Children.....

I finally feel like I am getting this school thing down pat. It only took about two weeks but I think I am finally there (wink). Don't get me wrong, it's still extremely busy trying to get everyone out the door on time, but a bit of pre-planning has helped immensely.

Here a few things that have help my family get out the door for school/work on time in the mornings:

1.Pick out the clothes or have your kids pick out their clothes the night before. That way you can see and decide if it is weather appropriate etc. This could save you an argument and some time in the mornings.

2. Make lunches the night before. (I can't even imagine trying to do this and make breakfast and get myself ready in the morning)

3. Have bag all packed with homework, library books, lunch money etc. all ready to go. In the morning all you need to do it pop the lunch in the backpack and your good to go.

4. Lay jacket, mitts and hat out the night before. This way you are not hunting for a lost mitten when you should be heading off to work.

5. Have a chore list/chart for your kids to do in the mornings. At the end of the day reward with stickers if everything is checked off. If they know to brush their hair and teeth it saves you from having to ask them over and over.

6. If anything is going to be different in the morning it is good to tell the child the night before to alleviate any extra stress on kids and parents in the morning. Example... a parent has to leave for work much earlier and will not be there to assist with the morning. This could save you a ,"I want Mommy to do this" episode in the morning. Telling them the night before gives them time to prepare for the change in routine.

7. Get the kiddos to bed early. My kids typically are in bed before 8:00. This allows them to get a full nights rest before the 6:45 wake up call. It is also very helpful for parents to get to bed early too (not 8:00, but you know what I mean). I get up before the kids to do a few things and have a wee bit of quiet time for me.

8. Plan out the mornings. In our house my husband typically gets the kids up, dressed and starts breakfast while I am finishing getting ready. Then when I am done my husband does what he needs to do to get ready and I finish breakfast, getting bags packed, and making sure teeth/hair are brushed etc. It seems to work well for us.

All these steps do seem to keep the flow of things relatively stress free for the most part. Although on occasion a morning can completely flop and end in tears no matter how much you plan it out. We all have our off days on occasion.

Wishing you all many happy mornings.

Tuesday, 16 September 2014

Tarte's New Smoothing Primer

I recently picked up the new Clean Slate Timeless Smoothing Primer from tarte. It's a primer that claims to give you the blurred effect by helping to minimize large pores and fill in fine lines, aka wrinkles. It can be applied prior to makeup application or to simply wear on it's own.

I have to say this is definitely the thickest primer I have used. It almost has a pasty consistency. When I use this I take a bit and warm it between my fingers and than smooth it over the sections of my face that I want diminished or "blurred".

" The antioxidant-rich formula is infused with vitamins C and E, and green bean extract gently absorbs into the skin delivering a surge of moisture, peptides, and other naturally-derived elixirs so that skin has a firmer and smoother look."

It definitely takes a bit to get used to and if you are not careful it can ball up a bit. If you smooth it on rather that rub it on your face you should not have this problem. I really do like this product and the way it feels on my skin after I apply it. It has a smooth powdery feel. Like most tarte products it is formulated without parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, tricosan sodium lauryl sulfate, gluten and is dermatologist tested and cruelty free.

I have applied it to my hand without smoothing it to give you an idea of the "pasty" consistency

I would definitely recommend trying this product but I don't know about using it all over your face, it might be a bit heavy. For targeted zones I think it works great. I have been loving this as a great under eye primer. It helps hide my fine lines and mama eyes (wink). It definitely helps diminish pores as well.

Have you tried any of tarts's primers?

Monday, 15 September 2014

Harvest Done Right!

Fredericton pulls in some amazing musical acts from all over the world for the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival. Each year the festival gets better and better and this year was no exception to that trend. The festival began on Thursday and is scattered all around downtown with the two biggest tents being closest to the river.

I always look forward to this festival and wait on the edge of my seat till they announce the musical acts throughout the year leading up to spring and summer. We took our kids Saturday morning to see Scotty and the Stars, which is a really awesome kids band. For those that are not familiar with this group they have been featured on kids CBC and won several music awards. The kids and I always look forward to boogieing to the action-filled catchy and educational tunes of Scotty.

One thing that was really cool was the instrument petting zoo. Yes you read right, it was a tent set up that housed several musical instruments you could try. They also offered face painting, workshops and buskers to entertain people. Lots of fun for all ages.

For my hubby and I the real fun happens in the evening after we drop the kids off at Grandma's for the night (wink). This year we chose to buy a party pass that allowed us to stay in the biggest Moose Light tent for the entire night, which meant four different bands.

The first band was The Revivalist's who came all the way from Louisiana. They had a real funky, rock-like sound to them. This was a perfect start to the night. Following them was Chris Robinson Brotherhood (you might all remember or know Chris from the Black Crows and once upon a time being married to actress Kate Hudson) than Moe, ending the night with the afterburner, Galactic. Moe and Galactic offered a more jam band funk sound. My dancing shoes definitely got a great workout.

Part of the fun of Harvest is running into people you rarely see. Sometimes this is the only place I see them, once a year. It's always nice to see familiar faces! Big hugs to all those that I was lucky enough to run into and spend time with.

As you know we have two small children and we don't get out as much as we used to. But when we do get the chance we don't hold back, we go all out. Give me live music and place to dance and I am in my element! Was I suffering yesterday as a result? You got it! We did have a ball though! Well worth the pain (wink).

Well done Fredericton! Can't wait until next year! Till then....

xoAngela

Saturday, 13 September 2014

Fall Fashion

So originally I was going to to pick a few things from a bunch of different stores but when I started looking at the H&M site I was completely smitten and had to include all these little gems.

Here they are:

1. H&M Leather Messenger Bag - $129.00 2. H&M Joggers -$29.95 3. H&M Patterned Trousers -$34.95 4. H&M Knitted Tube Scarf -$12.95 5. H&M Short Necklace -$12.95 6. H&M Top in a Linen Mix (striped) -$19.95 7. H&M Wedge Heel Boot- $39.95 8. H&M Lace Blouse -$34..95 9. H&M Cardigan in a Knitted Print -$39.95 10. H&M Metallic Skirt -$34.95 11. H&M Figure Fit Jacket -$59.95

Brazened Honey and Fresh Air

A trip to Halifax this summer gave me the opportunity to visit a Lush store. It had been a while since stepping foot into the Lush world so I was really excited to go. For some people the smell in the store might be overpowering, but for me it is heavenly. I am a huge Lush fan if you haven't already noticed.

I decided to give the Brazened Honey Face Mask a go. The staff were very helpful (like always) and sold this as a great brightening, revitalizing and deep cleansing treatment. One thing about this mask is you have to keep it in the fridge and it does expire within 30 days so you need to use it up quick. When you put it on it is very soothing and cooling. It contains Ayurvedic herbs and spices that provide a warming sensation after a few minutes on the skin. It smells amazing.

I typically leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes. The mask contains ground almonds so once it is dry I add a little warm water and use it to exfoliate by gently rubbing in circular motions. I rinse the mask off with a warm cloth. The results are smooth skin with a slight glow. It is a small container but I have used it about 5 times and still have a bit left. I would definitely buy this again although I am curious to try the other fresh face mask products as well.

I also purchased the Breath of Fresh Air Toner. Yes the name says it all. A couple of light spritzes of this on your face after cleansing leaves your skin feeling so fresh and hydrated. It wakes up all your senses. I absolutely love this product. It contains cooling aloe vera, soothing rose and various clarifying herbs.

The staff explained that it is helpful to apply your serums and moisturizers while the toner is still a bit damp on the skin. The toner actually helps the skin absorb the product (lesson for the day folks). I honestly don't know if I could live without this now, it's so refreshing.

It's probably a good thing I don't live too close to a Lush because I would spend way too much time and money there. Not that it is overly expensive, but I would feel the need to try everything.

The Lush staff are always so helpful and cheery. It's a magical little world in there (wink).

What's your go-to Lush product?

xoAngela

Thursday, 11 September 2014

Fall is in the Air

Now that school has started I think I am finally starting to get back into some kind of a routine around here. We were so busy in the summer with camping, company and traveling that lots of things, including my diet (healthy, not weight loss) and exercise plan, went out the window. Remember how I was so proud of myself for beginning to jog? Well… that slowly came to a stop when the humid weather hit. Don’t get me wrong, I love the heat but I do not enjoy jogging in it.

As for trying to eat healthy that is almost next to impossible to do when camping and really why would you want too? Part of camping is making spider dogs and roasting marshmallows for smores. And the best part about camping is frying up bacon and eggs for breakfast in the morning. Some things you just don’t want to mess with you know?

I’m pretty sure last weekend was our last camping adventure of the season, (sob, sob). We actually spent it with a couple of our amazing friends in their camper which was a nice change. It’s getting to that point now where it’s almost a wee bit too chilly for camping. In the mornings as your climbing out of the cold camper into the colder great outdoors (shivering) you’re asking yourself, what is it I enjoy about camping again?(wink)

Although summer is winding down there is still something that excites me about the fall. Maybe the thought of getting a new pair of boots? (Joke, well kind of...) Seriously though, I do enjoy seeing the colors of the leaves as they change and I do look forward to pumpkin flavored everything and I love the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival. I look forward to our family’s annual trip to the apple orchard to pick fresh apples and take photos. We are also traveling to Cape Breton to visit family in the fall as well. So although it is sad to see the summer season change there is still lots to look forward to in the fall.

What does fall have in store for you?

xoAngela
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Wednesday, 10 September 2014

Tarte Amazonian Butter Lipstick

Tart's butter lipstick is something I have had on my wish list for quite some time and now they are all mine, (wink).

This lipstick is fantastic! It is so smooth and hydrating on the lips. It really does feel like butter and it has a wonderful light minty scent and feel. Like most tarte products these lipsticks are formulated without all the nasty stuff and they contain murumuru butter, capuacu butter, shea butter, jojoba seed oil and vitamin E. All of these ingredients contribute to one awesome lipstick in my opinion.

I chose the shades Poppy (left) and Angelic Nude (right). Poppy is a nice warm reddish pink and Angelic nude is a gorgeous rose colored nude.

Angelic nude is on the left and poppy on the right this time.

Poppy on the right, Angelic Nude on the left.

For being so hydrating I was really impressed with the staying power of these lipsticks. They have definitely made there way to the top of my favorite lipsticks list.

Maybe if I am a good girl this year Santa will stick a couple more of these in my stocking (wink).

xoAngela

Tuesday, 9 September 2014

Coconut Curry Vegetable Soup

Now that school has started again I have to spend some of my lunch hour shuffling the kids to various places which leaves me with an even shorter amount of time to get everything done and eat too.

Having a pot of soup or chili to warm up makes life that much easier when I am hurrying around trying to stay on the healthy train. If you love curry you will love this soup. Like the chili I made earlier, this is one of those recipes that I basically use what ever I have on hand. This is how I made it yesterday.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of olive oil
I peeled sweet potato chopped into bite size pieces.
1 onion chopped.
3 medium sized carrots peeled and cut.
2 cups of sliced mushrooms (I used Cremini last time)
2 stalks of celery chopped
1 cup of cauliflower
(if I have zucchini or peppers you can use it too, what ever you have)
1 container of chicken or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons of curry paste (Indian or Thai curry works well)
1 small can of coconut milk
2 cups of mung bean sprouts

Once all the vegetables are chopped, place in a large heavy bottomed pot with oil. Sauté vegetables for a few minutes. Then add broth and bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Cook until vegetables are tender (usually around 25 minutes). Remove lid and add bean spouts. Cook for 3 minutes. Add curry paste and coconut milk stir and cook for another few minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Nothing warms my heart quite like curry does and there is something so satisfying about this soup.

Hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Monday, 8 September 2014

A Trip to the Fair....

I can remember as a kid always looking forward to the fair coming to town. Back to school always seemed to coincide with the fair as well. I loved the rides and all the delicious treats. There was an amazing amount of energy and excitement that came with each visit. I still get this wave of excitement as I walk through the gates with my own kids.

This past week we packed up the family and headed to the fair. The girls are both old enough to enjoy all of the kiddie rides now. When I was a kid my favorite ride was the scrambler. This year I took my oldest on the scrambler for the first time. Yup, we sure got scrambled. I spent the entire ride making sure she would not go flying out. It went a bit faster than I had remembered (wink). It was a fun ride though! She liked it, no doubt!

Besides watching the happy faces of our children on the rides the next best thing to do was EAT!

Every year I look forward to eating at least two DIPPY DOGS. So what is a Dippy Dog? Well.. a Dippy Dog is the most amazing tasting hot-dog wrapped in the most delicious batter and deep fried. Ya sure your thinking, whats the big deal? It sounds like a Pogo dog. No way! Dippy Dogs do not even come close to tasting like a frozen Pogo dog. These puppies are made on the spot and served pipping hot with your choice of either ketchup, mustard or maple syrup. My favorite is a combination of mustard and syrup, so yummy! I dream about these all year long, no joke, (wink).

Aside from the food and the rides we did take in a laser show. It was really cool but it lasted a whole eight minutes, not super impressed. My oldest says " is that it?" Luckily the last night made up for the short laser show. They put on a fantastic fireworks display that I have to say.... was spectacular!

Well until next year........ bye NBEX, (aka FREX).

xoAngela