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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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

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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!

xoAngela
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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

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These Eyes....

The eyes don't lie......  or my eyes anyways.  My hectic schedule leaves me feeling a bit sluggish at times. When I feel this way, I look this way, which is very tired.  

My motto is.... if you can't make it, fake it.  Sure you were up half the night with your little one but hey a few good products and know one will ever know. (wink)

These are my three best buddies in times of need:

Bobbi Brown Corrector - Light Bisque, this is a super creamy light weight corrector that I apply with my finger tips under the eye. This helps to take away some of the darkness.

After this I apply a very small amount of tarte's amazonion clay full coverage concealer. (I bought this at tarte's last 30% off sale, but cannot find it now) This is a little thicker formula so I gently pat it under the eye very carefully trying not to tug at the delicate skin. This is a bit lighter than the corrector so it really helps to brighten up the under eye area.

Once this is all blended in I set it with a dusting of bareminerals mineral veil. This is a shear mineral finishing powder that helps lock everything into place.

This little combo seems to do the trick at hiding my less than optimal nights rest.(wink)  

What's your secret? I shared mine.

xoAngela

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Halloween Already??

We spent most of last weekend in the great outdoors camping with the girls. The campground typically has a different theme for the kiddos each weekend. This past weekend's theme was spooky Halloween.

Friday night we arrived and quickly had to get the girls costumes on for campsite trick-or-treating. The girls were transformed into Minnie Mouse and a unicorn.

The way it works is you receive a sheet with a list of all the camp sites giving out candy. It's kind of like a scavenger hunt in a sense that you have to find the various sites giving out the candy too.  Some of the sites really went all out with decorations, costume's etc. The girls had a ball!

At one point my oldest daughter looked in her bag and yelled "I got socks"! I looked in her bag and yes there were socks alright. Somehow a pair of my socks had made it into the treat bag before setting out for our Halloween adventure. It was pretty funny. She was pretty excited about getting a new pair of socks. I think she was a bit bummed when I told her they mine, lol.

As the night went on candy was consumed and the night skies darkened.  The air was cool and calm. We decided it would be a great opportunity to set off Chinese Lanterns the girls were given a few months ago.

This was our first time using Chinese Lanterns but I am sure it will not be our last.  It really is amazing to see them float high in the sky until they are the size of a star. If you ever get the opportunity to buy some, do it!  They are so magical. We made wishes and sent lots of love high in the sky.

Here is what they look like close up. (source)

From bat-stashes to spooky spider paper plate crafts right down to glow in the dark bingo, these girls had the most memorable weekend of camping this Summer.

I kind of prepared  myself that this might be our last camping adventure of the season but... still banking on the possibility of one more weekend. We'll see.........

Jaxson the sun-worshiping dog was not to fond of the cooler nights. He sneakily managed to crawl into my sleeping bag in the night.

xoAngela

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TIEKS - Round Two!

Round two, ding, ding, ding......my second pair of Tieks have arrived and I could not be happier!

As you may recall, I won a pair of Tieks in a contest.  I went ahead and ordered them but sadly when they arrived on my doorstep from the USA they did not fit, they were much too small.  I originally ordered the sunset stripe design and was told by the Tieks representative that this fabric would not stretch as much as the leather. (click here for pics of first pair)

So...  I sent the sunset stripe's back and after much consideration I decided to try the leather wild copper design in a size larger this time. They fit much better! The wild copper are a bit more snazzier and have a great shine to them. I guess you could say I am like a crow, always drawn to shiny objects (wink).

Anyways, they are amazing! Yes, I love them. I totally get the hype and why people would pay around $200 for a pair and also why Oprah loves them too! They are so light and comfy yet very stylish. The back is non-elastic so they do not dig into your heal and the blue soles give great traction and look oh so cute.

Say hello to my new best friends!

Thanks to all the peeps at Tieks!

xoAngela

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