Happy Halloween to all!! And here with Halloween's from my past...some of my favs!

And here is where I perfected the pumpkin carving skills...

that produced this beauty this year...transformers...!!

And it goes without saying a very happy birthday for this gal! Man, she's getting oldddd ;)

Hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween!!

Oh Sandy

As we are coming out of the devastation of hurricane Sandy, we are all looking around us as to the horribleness that mother nature can wreak on our lives.

The Jersey Shores is, as Governor Chris Christie put it, "No longer the jersey shore of our youths." People have lost homes and parts of their lives in a matter of 24 hours.

And as for how we fared?

Well, we are still without power. A fridge full of food is garbage. And our apartment is becoming a serious contender for an ice box. But guess what? My roof is still in tact, my family members and friends are all safe and I know that tomorrow I will still have a bed to sleep in. Unfortunately, many people can't say that.

So I will be very thankful for my week of no power. My food gone spoiled. Because my heart aches for everyone else that would love for just their power to be out. The ones that would love their roofs back. Or the life they knew before Sandy.

It is times like these that remind you just how blessed you are. And just how thankful you need to be everyday of everything in your life.

With that, I am not sure when the power will be back and this could just be a silly, jumbled post. But I am just so thankful.

Saw it. Pinned it. Did it.

I love these Pinterest challenges. Mainly because we all have about 500 pins and we do maybe 10% of them, if that. So it's always fun to have a challenge to try it.




This is one of my favorites that I pinned a few months ago. I can't even remember the first time I had SPinach artichoke dip, but the first bite I was in love. Which is surprising because I don't like spinach or artichokes. None the less, I always wondered if there was a way to make it at home and less cost effective. Not to mention, a little more healthy. Cue this pin!

                                                                            Source: foodnetwork.com via Krista on Pinterest

Recipe:

Mix 1 cup grated smoked mozzarella, 1/2 cup grated parmesan, 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 box thawed frozen spinach, 1 jar artichoke hearts, and salt and pepper in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high, 2 hours.

I opted for the healthier version of the above...Lite Cream Cheese and Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese. I also used regular bagged shredded mozzarella cheese. The smoked was just a pricier option for a test. 

Put it all in the slow cooker and an hour an half later done! I will say though the sides started to burn a little so maybe checking a little each time and stirring would have prevented that option. 

Taste Test: Not too bad!  but not as good as TGI Friday's....hmmm will be tweaking the recipe a bit the next time. But definitely a good try for guests coming over and you need a quick, hot dip. 



ok, now on to a different topic. And if you know me, then you know it is very appropriate...

Today marks 2 months until Christmas!!

That's right people. Two months to buy all those gifts. Two months until Santa comes with brand new toys to play. Two months to start to do all those Christmas pinterest projects...here are a few Christmas themed favorites I want to attempt!

A Blend to make the house smell nice!

                                                                      Source: make-it-do.com via Krista on Pinterest

Peppermint Martini!

  Source: martieknows.squarespace.com via Krista on Pinterest

2 months until Christmas also means...ABC Family Christmas is just around the corner! And let's be serious...we all wait for that.My DVR is all ready to be bombarded with every ABC Family movie and show and everythingggg!!!! Can you tell I am oh so excited for Christmas?!

But oh yes, note to everyone....we hope you understand but we will not be able to afford gifts this year, wedding and all so please accept all the handmade stuff you will get. thanks.

Influenster Bride to Be VoxBox!

So today I am going to tell you all about my Bride to Be VoxBox!

What in the heck is that you ask? Well, let me tell you!

A few months ago I stumbled on a review of a product on another blog and she mentioned how she received this product complimentary from Influenster and got to try it out. Uh, what? You got that free and get to try it before everyone else Let me just check this out. So I found out a little bit about the site and signed myself up.  BECAUSE IT'S COMPLETELY FREE! Three months later I had my VoxBox!

Influenster is meant for us social media beings, to try out products (sometimes before everyone else) and share them with the world. (If we so desire, of course but it is preferred) Either to get the brand out there or to just see what can be improved but it is meant to have you engage with other people's reviews and utilize your social media street cred. YOU get to utilize your influence to give the ins and outs of these products. TADAAAA!! INFLUENSTER!!

Ok, now you get these Vox Boxes based on your lifestyle and personality. How do they know? You take surveys, answer questions and give reviews on different products. This then leads you to earn an Expert Badge...example being I have Pop Culture (hello! love my celebs!), sweet tooth (can't deny that) and High Spirits (no explanation needed ;) On top of that all....you get an Influenster score just to see how awesome you are at being active on their site.

And que in the fact that I am engaged...I get the first Influenster Bride Vox Box!! I was so glad I finally qualified for one and can't wait to get another! Now for the contents...

The first thing I tried was the Schwarzkopf Professional BC Repair Rescue Shampoo, Conditioner and Repair Rescue Sealed Ends
shampoo retail price..$18.99   conditioner retail price..$21.99   sealed ends retail price..$21.99 

First off, the smell is absolutely amazing! It's like putting perfume on your hair but also washing and repairing it at the same time. If that even makes sense. But I absolutely love this product. I still have some hot mess hair days but I see it improving little by little. Just a few things though...

Be careful not to use too much repair Creme though...made that mistake and I was due for another wash before the day was over.
And the conditioner is very runny and thin so I definitely see myself flying through that quicker than the shampoo...

Verdict: Definitely hope I can afford to keep buying this! Might see other types of conditioner though from this brand


Next up was the Rescue Remedy USA Gum  retail price..$5.99

The first piece was when I was in the middle of my wedding planning vacation week. I spent all day designing certain things and we were about to leae for the registry and I was just all ahh, you know? So in I popped a piece. I definitely felt a little calmer after I took it. Not a complete zen moment but a little more relaxed. I have had a couple of pieces after that whenever I felt overwhelmed and I would love to have it around when things really start to get intense with the planning!

Verdict: Takes the stress down a little bit and flavor is fine. But expect to be done with it after a few minutes.


Then came the DreamWater  retail price..$2.99

I had high hopes for this. I heard so many great things about this water, how it helps you have such a restful sleep you have the craziest dreams. So cue up the DreamWater when I had a 4am shift and an 8:30 PM bedtime. Taste was good I will say. And after about 5 minutes I could feel myself starting to droop the eyelids. So thumbs up for it putting you to sleep. However, not even 3 hours later and I was awake. Fell back asleep then up again another few hours later. Not exactly the restful sleep I had hoped for with this.

But I wanted to give it another try because I was in desperate need of a good restful night's sleep. Plus, psyched for those crazy dreams! Even on round two, I still woke up multiple times. I'm not sure if it's my sleep issues just can't be helped or what but it's definitely good if falling asleep is your problem!

Verdict: Didn't work for me. Not likely to go back and try again. But definitely try if you are trying to get to sleep at night.


The one I haven't tried yet...Kiss EZ Lashes retail price..$3.99

I can't wait to try these but let's be honest, I can't very well wear these on a day to work. I'm pretty sure that would get a few stares and I don't have many places to go to try these. Might have to try on a random day at home with no where to go. Fake eyelashes do intimidate me though but I'm hoping the strings will make it a lot easier!


Oh, and this dating website, Ivy Date has not been used. But once again, anyone interested in a discount, let me know I can hook you up!


So there you go folks, my first VoxBOx. And make sure to check out Influenster if you love trying things and being able to give some honest reviews on products. That way other people can enjoy what you love!



****Once again, I received these products complimentary from Influenster. 

Cook, Cook, Cook It Up | Chicken Lo Mein

Living with a twosome now, and a boy that eats ALOTTTT, I have had to up my game of cooking skills. It means more prepared dinners instead of just on the whim and a little bit of variety.

What makes it even trickier?

I don't like he seafood and he loves seafood. I love steak and he is not a big fan. Then add the fact that even though I am a pretty good cook, I'm not the let's make everything from scratch kind of cook. Cue my two new favorite websites.

You can seriously find any recipe you can think of on these websites. I love them. They have helped me find the perfect recipe for what I need. Whether it be crock pot recipes or quick, easy recipes with whatever is in my kitchen.

One of my favorite and best cooking adventure so far is Chicken Lo Mein. We love ordering Chinese food and love the lo mein, But I couldn't help but wonder if I could make it a healthier option. Challenge accepted.

For me, this wasn't one of the easier recipes. So if you want to try it, allow yourself at least 2 hours especially the first time. You might be able to shave off some time if you have a food chopper, which I do not.

Here is everything you need:

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon granules (or 2 cubes)

2 cups boiling water

8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into long, thin slices

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup soy sauce

4 teaspoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons sesame oil

3 -4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

4 green onions, chopped

4 ounces water chestnuts, chopped (1/2 a can)

2 cups finely shredded cabbage

1 cup thinly sliced celery

1 cup frozen green pea, thawed and drained

1 carrot, shredded

8 ounces thin spaghetti, cooked and drained

Read more at: http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-lo-mein-16570?oc=linkback

And here is what it will look like on your counter.

Then comes cooking the chicken

And here is where a food chopper comes in handy. Can't wait to add that to my registry ;) I was so afraid of chopping off a finger or two trying to cut up all of this stuff

Almost there! This was after I added all the vegetables to the chicken with garlic and onions.

and finished!! It was so good and I got rave reviews from the fiance so this will definitely be a repeat. And I am sure it will get easier the second time around. And with bigger carrots. They are in there just disappeared a bit.

Now that my tummy is rumbling, it is time for my dinner! I will share a new recipe I try/have tried every week. You can follow my wins and also my fails. (There have already been a few) Can't wait to share my cooking adventures!

wedding Wednesday: WEDDING DRESS: CHECK!!

*Inset corny* I said YES TO THE DRESS!!!

(even though I didn't go anywhere near as fancy as Kleinfeld's because let's be serious, I can't afford that)

That's right, I have purchased the wedding dress! And I am so excited!! I seriously want it here tomorrow. Actually 5 days ago when I bought it. 

It is something I never knew I would love, but it fits perfectly. It was the very first dress I ever put on and it was perfect. Of course, I looked around just to be sure..my indecisive self. And took about 3 months to do it butttt in the end it was THE DRESS!!

And since my fiance reads this...I can't go into much detail but let's just say it isn't like any of these...Figures, I'm Miss Never Know What I Want.

But I would just like to tell my story about the dress. 

And forewarning, if you want to hear a fully OMG it was amazing story...then you might want to stop reading. Because well it wasn't always OMG. Not saying I didn't have the best support team EVER (because they were the best!) but doing it without your mom who you always thought would be there, was at times, difficult. 

Well, to begin with I waited until 3 months ago to look for a wedding dress. Approximately a year after I got engaged. Just for that reason. I was not ready to do this without my mom and I knew if I did it before I was ready I would be a blubbering mess and it would just be a mess. So at the very end of July I figured it was about time to get this over with. (Yes, that is what I felt like because it just didn't feel right to me)

I always knew I wouldn't be the bride with the 3 thousand dollar dress (no offense, just doesn't fit me) I am more of the modest, practical type that thinks about how it's just for one day, a few hours then it sits in the closest. So my first stop was David's Bridal because they have more modest dresses. I made up a wish list of my dresses and went on my way. And let's just say it was the first one I picked and the first one I tried on that ended up being the one. 

But even as my sister and two best Friends were there cheering me one and saying how beautiful they all were, it just didn't feel right. Even when my sister cried over the one dress, just still didn't feel right. I was more of ok, let's get this over with. Then I decided to not make my decision that day and look other places. Well, I made one more trip when I went with my best friend as she picked up her dress. Her mom ushered me into a couple of dresses. Her care and concern for my dress choice really touched my heart. And seeing as she kept putting me in sweetheart dresses, I realized that was the option for me. Truly blessed to have not only such a wonderful best friend, but a best friend's momma to truly force me into dresses, which I'm sure I needed :)

Needless to say, I wanted to wait until after my friend's wedding to do that all over again but that first dress was still in my mind. So last Thursday, being as I was on vacation, I made the decision to make another trip to David's Bridal to decide on this dress. This time I made the trip with another bridesmaid, Heather, (you've seen here here) basically the little sister I never had aka. my cousin. And somehow with her there it helped. And of course, sister and best friend and other best friend through text after failed facetime chat!

I went through a couple of new ones but I still said let me try that one. And in the end it was it. And I cried. Never thought I was the type but I guess so. And I promptly ran into the dressing room to hide my face because crying in public is more embarrassing for me than anything. I have issues with people looking at me. Yea, good luck bridesmaids getting me down the aisle ;)

But I still looked at the bride across the room helping her mom pick out her mother of the bride dress and it weighed on my heart that I won't be able to do that. But I felt my mom there and knew the dress I picked she would approve. She was always the out there one, which is where I get it from ;) We never cared what other people thought, we just did us. and I will honor her with my dancing skills at my wedding with my very dancing friendly dress.

SO, SO, SO EXCITED I FINALLY HAVE THE DRESS AND CAN'T WAIT FOR IT TO BE HERE ALREADY!! now on to the finishing touches...

Tuesday10: Pet Peeves

I honestly think pet peeves are a great way to get to know a person. I mean you can tell their personality just by what irks them the most. And plus, we all have them. Tuesday10 is your pet peeves!

Here are mine:

GRAMMAR 

come on people. you're means you are. your means it's yours. and on that note....

it's means it is and its means possessive like "its stomach."  that person owns it. please understand.  

and how about then and than. when you want to compare please use than and when you want a sequence of something please use then. Such as....we went to the game then the bar afterwards. 

Dishes.

I don't know if that's technically a pet peeve but I hate them. And I know hate is a strong word but since they are inanimate objects I can. I would do anything else than wash dishes. And my poor mother tried so hard to get me to like to wash dishes. But it just wasn't happening. Sorry I do not carry that housewife trait. 

Etiquette/Manners.

 Kind of goes along with grammar. I have no time for people that do not know and understand common courtesies. Maybe it's my country roots or I don't know but if you don't have know it, I probably do not have time for you or care to be around you. Basic rules people. Don't be rude. 

Pity parties.

Ok, so everyone has their very own pity party once in awhile. It is natural and very necessary. I have them about once a month. But I have a serious pet peeve for people that have them everyday and post them all over Facebook. Guess what? We all work so we all probably have similar days. We all have bills so we all think it sucks when they come. Stop crying.

Crazy Sniffling.
This is the equivalent of running fingernails across the chalkboard for me. Something about it just makes me want to go ahh!

People who see the line of cars but cut the line at the very beginning.
These are the people that make me crazy on my ride to work in the morning or on my drive home. No, I will not let you over after I waited appropriately for 5 minutes and instead you are a douche.


Sorry if every answer above makes me sound like a crazy person. But I'm not sorry because those are me and I am ok with that :) And I am sure I will pick up a few wedding related ones in the next few months to actually make it to the 10!

Show and Tell!

1. When you were 17, tell us what kind of car you drove, where you worked, and what you were usually up to on the weekends?

My car was a 98 Chevy Cavalier and I loved it. I whipped that thing around like nothing and enjoyed how wonderful it was on gas. I had that car through college, minus air conditioner and with overheating. 

I was a looney tunes so get ready for this. I had 3 jobs when I was 17. They were at a local deli, a waitress at a pizzeria and ShopRite. Yea, I have no idea how I did it. 

My weekend always included Friday and Saturday nights at the pizzeria, early mornings at the deli and late nights spent not doing what I should have been doing. How did I ever manage all of that?


2. Show us a picture of you when you were 17 {roughly}.

very roughly...I was a little over 18 here but all my other pictures are in storage :(

3. When you were 17, tell us what you wanted to be when you "grew up."
At this time I wanted to be magazine editor. Had decided I was going to college for journalism and loved to write. I wanted to be a city girl, even applied to NYU because I knew that would get me there. Life had other plans, for the better :)

4. When you were 17, tell us the kind of boys that you dated. Did you have a type? Do you have a relationship you remember well? Tell us about it.

I had the athletic, jerky Typical girl saying I wanted the nice guy but always found the jerk. But I would just like to say the Rascall Flatt's song, " Bless the Broken Road" that led me to you :)

5. When you were 17, tell us where you pictured your life 10 years from then. Did it turn out the way you expected it to?

Well, I am not to 27 yet but I would have to say half yes, half no. The biggest was I never, ever though my mom wouldn't be in my life a mere 5 years later. I had thought I would already have a little babe by now but I know that was not meant to be and am kind of glad. God has his plan I guess. I love my sleep and would never be able to handle a baby right now. He knows that. 

I did think I would have a job I love and be more successful in my career. Isn't that why I just applied to all those colleges? That is the one area of my life that makes me go crazy. But everything happens for a reason, right?

These are always so much fun and I can't wait until next week!!

Friday's Letters

Time for a Friday's letters after a wonderful week vacation. Linking up with Ashley at Adventures of Newlyweds!

DEAR WEDDING DRESS- Seriously in.love. I CANNOT wait to get you and wear and everything!! You are everything I never expected and I want you here tomorrow to stare at everyday!

Dear bridesmaid dresses- So excited I found you so fast! And you are absolutely perfeccccccctttt for my theme ;) Can't wait to see all my beauties in them :)

Dear blog- what is up with that tab? And why can't I get rid of you? Any suggestions very welcome.

Dear iPod-I might have a slight serious obsession with you already. Might have broken the record for amount of apps downloaded in a certain amount of time. Sorry I'm not sorry.

Dear Lily-As much as I love your nightly dishwasher watching sessions, there is nothing there. I swear. We even did the little kid " Lily, look.There is nothing there." And you still sit there. Please stop freaking me out and thinking there is a mouse living in the dishwasher.

Dear vacation- You were very much needed. You saved me my sanity and helped get a lot of wedding planning situated. I hope there is another one of you in my very near future. But who am I kidding. I'm in retail. See ya in February!!

10/11/12

As my fiance would say...mind blown, right? We only have two more years of these cool days. Just feel bad when it's on weekdays and no one can get married on these days. Well, I mean technically they can but you know what I mean. 

So what are you doing on this day? Today, I will be doing wedding activities that include sister, cousin and best friend! Finally, trying to get some things going with this wedding. I am just a little bit sad my vacation is coming to end. It definitely went too fast but I did get a lot done. I will try to post some pictures later next week about my great organizing skills. And I loved having so much mommy and Lily time. I know she loved it. (crazy cat lady alert)

I would also like to say this.

Wedding Wednesday: Wedding Loot!

Ok, this week is filled with wedding fun. Basically because I feel like we are in crunch mode 8 months out. We definitely did procrastinate a bit. Oh well. Can't turn back time. Can only panic from here on out ;)

But what can make that all better? My Bride to Be VoxBox!!

What in the heck is that? Many of you might ask. Well, let me just start off by telling you where it's from. I joined the site Influenster a few months ago. It is a site that sends you free things to reviewand write about on their website. Basically, helping them promote products. And they are shipped in a certain group, called a VoxBox. It is catered to yourlifestyle and personality based on the surveys you fill out and what reviews you do. You can find out all the infomration on their new and improved website! Seriosuly, if you love social media, getting free stuff and reviewing products then you should join. Don't think about it, just join.

You can watch here and see all the great stuff I got for my first VoxBox!

this was my first video so I do apologize. also, how do you change the awful still frame?!

There you have it! I have started using the Shampoo, conditioner andrepair treatment and let me just tell you how amazing it smells. Everyday I just want to sit and smell my hair. And I do already see some change in my hair so it is helping the hot mess of hair I have.

That is the only one I have tried so far. Will try the eyelashes possibly this weekend and the Relax Gum will come in handy tomorrow I am sure. I have a hotel meeting for the wedding, dress shopping for myself, dress shopping for bridesmaids and maybe dealing with the maid of honorzilla ;) So I will be popping that gum in and putting it to the true test. Will let you know how it works!

Tuesday10 Ecards!

I couldn't resist this link-up today, the Tuesday 10. It has a new theme every week but today it's top 10 eCards

And here is why today is the perfect day for this: 1. Because it is a really crappy, rainy day around these parts and could cheer everyone up and 2. My mood matches the type of day it is and I am having one of those woe is me, days. So what better way to help that then browsing through many Some eCards for a good laugh.

In honor of last night...

Weekend Fun!

Time to tell you all about my weekend! It's weekend update!

Or I can give ya some Instagram pics because ya know, I got a super cool new Ipod touch (If ya haven't heard) And I finally can pretend I'm a cool kid with Instagram.

This is my Bride to be Vox Box from Influenster that I received last Thursday and started using it's contents this weekend. More information to come on this awesome stuff on Wedding Wednesday!

Hit the 8 month mark yesterday!!!  And there is so much we have to do yet and it has finally sunk in that time is really moving fast. Pretty soon it will be six months, then a month then wedding day! But it's ok I have a plan to get as much done possible this week on my vacation. So fingers crossed by the end of the week the dress will be decided, bridesmaids dresses at least looking, programs, menus, save the dates done, hotel done and possibly florist. Like I said, fingers crossed!

Friday night we had an intense game night with the newlyweds! Played UNo for the first time in forever and had some delicious wine.  Overstayed our welcome maybe just a little bit since we were there until 2 am. Whoops. But we were just having so much fun! (Excuse the fiance's finger...he was upset he wasn't winning haha)

Then we made a trip over to Lancaster Saturday to hang out with family firends. They are moving to Hawaii tomorrow and will be stationed there for 4 years. So we got to spend time with the cute kids. Seriously adorable. Brian's hat was a hot commodity and we had fun with that. Kids love me and always think I am one of them. What can I say. As you can see they all wanted to sit with me on the couch. But I love hanging out with the kids and the baby...so adorable. Look at her smile! Wishing them luck on their adventure in Hawaii!

Welp. That was my weekend in a nutshell. Now off to spend my time with wedding things and organizing. See ya!