Springtime splurge

I had a few things to return to Target today that I'd originally bought for Lilly before I order what she wanted directly from e.l.f. Of course, I couldn't not go shopping while I was there.

First I was responsible and got a couple of things that I need. I've been having to throw out a lot of my black work socks recently because they have holes in the heel. Sir (Daddy) had also told me that the Gold Toe socks are really good for when you're wearing work boots and working long hours. I knew Target carried them, so I got a pack of those socks. I'm excited to wear them next week when I'm doing some carp work for Speakeasy.

I also got a real lingerie laundry bag. I had been using a mesh laundry bag that was HUGE but did help protect my delicates somewhat. After the diddy bag (a theater word for lingerie bag) woes on Millie, I knew that Target carried them, so I scooped one up when I found out it was only $1.49.

The other thing I got was just for fun (got to dig through those $1 bins!). It's technically gift wrap. I may use it as that, since I don't technically have any wrapping paper that isn't Christmas-y, but I also though of using it as contact paper/craft paper. They were nice neutral patterns.

"Golddigger"

Next I went to Five Below since it was in the same plaza as Target and I had a little over six dollars on a Visa gift card that I needed to use up before tomorrow. I picked up a really nice gold eyeshadow by wet n wild. I've seen a lot of make-up tutorials lately with gold in them and it is a color that I do not have. Also, I'm pretty sure that gold is supposed to be good for brown eyes. The other reason I got it was that I have an idea to do five make-up looks based on Pixiwoo's five make-up tutorials for the Saturday's (a UK girl band). I have something to sub in for pretty much everything she used except for the gold/yellow eye. I wasn't going to go out and buy anything, but I stumbled across this at the store and it was quite inexpensive so I went ahead and snagged it. Not so exciting, I also got a spray bottle that I'm hoping to use for a DIY beauty project, so more on that later.

The other thing I got at Five Below was some nail polish! Again, unplanned, but I couldn't resist when I saw the colors. On the left are the two colors I got: wet n wil Wild Shine in 466 (a shimmery navy with purple and green tones) and Fresh Paint in Honeydew. The picture makes the Honeydew look a little lighter than it is, and the Wild Shine less interesting than it is. I'll have to post a picture when they're actually on my nails. Anyways, the other photo is Clinique's new Nail Enamel in Hula Girl. It's probably my favorite of all their limited edition colors, and (in person) I think that the Honeydew is actually a decent dupe. It is a little lighter than the Clinique, but I think I might actually prefer it. Now I just have to decide which one to use first! (Let's be honest, it's probably going to be the Honeydew.)

Color 466 and Honeydew

Clinique Nail Enamel in Hula Girl

Finally, I went to CVS because I wanted to get a face mask. My pores are on the bigger side and I constantly have blackheads. The blackhead scrub I use nearly everyday helps, but I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a face mask. I'd initially planned on getting a clay mask (though I tend to find them rather drying). I ended up getting this Freeman Peel-Off Facial Mask instead. It said it was good for normal/combination skin which is what I have. I tried out a bit on my hand when I got home and I'm excited to actually try it out on my face now. They also had an avacado and oatmeal clay mask that I may try out depending on how I like this cucumber peel-off one.

I also went out on a limb and got an NYC mascara- Show Time Waterproof Volumizing Mascara. It was super inexpensive so I figured it was worth trying. The e.l.f. mascara I got on a whim for the same reasons is growing on me and so I hope I have similar luck with this one.

My new sewing machine!

I saved my tips from It's a Wonderful Life with an idea to finally buy a sewing machine. Well, it took me several months, but I finally went out and got one. I looked around on Craigslist until I found one in my price range that seemed to be in good working condition. Best part was, it came in a cabinet so I have somewhere to put it too.

I present, my vintage Kenmore Model 1947 Sewing Machine! (Original manual and parts included)

It looks like a side table...

But it's really a sewing machine! (A little cramped, but we'll re-arrange.)

Cleaned it up a bit and now it's all set to go.

Can be converted to free arm for convenience.

Awesome original box of supplies, manual, and troubleshooting guide.

I'm super duper excited to start using it. I just have to decide which of the many projects I have lined up to make first! (On the list is piggy beds, a tea pot cozy, a draft stopper, a Nook case, and a circle skirt.)

Cranberry Orange Bread

This is one of my favorite sweet breads to make. It's right up there withe the Pumpkin Bread I make. I still had some cranberries in the freezer from Thanksgiving, so I decided to whip up a loaf. This is a recipe I modified from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. It's also one of the recipes I've included in wedding gifts.

Cranberry Orange Bread
3/4 cup orange juice
1 beaten egg
2 Tbsp cooking oil
2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup coarsely chopped cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1) Combine orange juice, egg, and cooking oil. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add orange juice mix to dry ingredients; stir just til moistened. Fold in chopped cranberries and walnuts. (Cranberries can be fresh or frozen.)

2) Turn batter into lightly greased 8x4x2 loaf pan or three 6x3x2 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes (30-40 for smaller pans) or til a wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. (I usually have to bake it about 10 minutes extra.)

3) Cool bread 10 minutes in pan. Remove from pan and cool thoroughly on a wire rack.

I like to eat it warm out of the oven with butter, but it is delightful anytime. I love it for breakfast and for snacks.

Bangs!

It has been a very long time since I had proper bangs (possible not since around our wedding). After a lot of deliberation, I decided to try them out again. My hair grows so fast that it is really not much of a commitment, because in a few months they'll grow out enough to be side bangs.

Really quick before I have to go to work, my new bangs!

They'll probably need a touch up after I wash my hair again, but I think I did okay.

Kale Strawberry Smoothie

Now that tech for Thoroughly Modern Millie is over, I can think about life again, and discover what in my refrigerator is about to spoil. Namely, the milk is about to go bad and I have some strawberry yogurt that is past it's date. I smelled the yogurt, did a quick taste test, and it still seemed to be fine, so I decided to make something with it. My more ambitious self wanted to make these Chocolate Strawberry Crepes, but being out of eggs kind of meant that I could not make crepes- or anything baked- without walking to the grocery store. Since we're going to go shopping later, that seemed rather silly. So instead, I decided to just make a quick smoothie. Usually, I do fruit only smoothies (mainly with the frozen fruit we keep in the freezer for just this purpose). However, I decided to go out on a limb and throw some kale in because I know it's super, duper good for you. We always keep kale in the house because it's good for the piggy boys and they really enjoy it, but rarely do we eat it, despite it being equally good for us. Among other things,

"One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus." (Link to full article of why kale is amazing.)

So, clearly something good to be eating. And the other things I ended up putting in the smoothie are definitely on the "good for you" scale as well.

So pretty before it's all blended up.

Kale Strawberry Smoothie

6 oz of strawberry yogurt
1 cup washed kale
1 cup frozen strawberries
~1/4 cup cranberries
~1/4 cup orange juice

Basically, I just used whatever was handy. You could use more or less yogurt, in whatever flavor you have, I just happened to be lucky to have strawberry. I made sure not to include any stems from the kale because I had a feeling the blender wouldn't have been to happy about them. You could also substitute fresh strawberries for frozen, but I like using the frozen because then you don't need to add any ice. My cranberries were also frozen, since it's not cranberry season currently. I threw them in because they're also high in vitamins and, hey, why not. I didn't actually measure them, but I think it was around a quarter cup. The orange juice I added because there was too much solid and not enough liquid for the poor blender. I would have added a bit more, but it was almost gone (and also past it's date, coincidentally) so I just poured in what was left.

Drink me! I'm super good for you!

The best part is, as I'm drinking it, the kale hardly comes through at all. When I sautéed it and made kale chips with it, the kale had a bit of bitterness to it (mostly cooked out, but still a little noticeable). It definitely turned the smoothy a bit of a funny color, but it didn't affect the taste much. I think this was a very successful experiment and I'll be adding kale to my smoothies much more from now on.

I love making smoothies because they're so good for you and they're always different! I almost never put the same combination of things in them twice and, even if you do, it's never exactly the same because, honestly, who measures anything when it comes to smoothies? They're also delightfully filling and such a nice cool treat when the weather is warm.






Edit: OMG! I just checked my stats and my blog now has over 1,000 page views! Thanks everyone who's reading all my ramblings. :)

Chinese Chicken Salad

This is one of my favorite dinners. You can tell because my poor recipe card is all wrinkly and spotty from all the water, oil, and soy sauce I've spilt on it. I figured it was high time to share the recipe with the world. I got the recipe from Mum, and her recipe uses a whole chicken and a whole head of cabbage and serves 4-6 people with some left overs. I've modified it somewhat to serve 2-4 with left overs. Without further ado:

Delicious, delicious salad

Chinese Chicken Salad

2 chicken breasts
1 package chicken flavored ramen noodles
1 sm head of cabbage or 1/2 lg head of cabbage
4+ green onions
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/8 cup sliced almonds
(Optional: 1/8 cup sunflower seeds)

Dressing:
1 Tbsp sugar
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup oil
1/8 cup vinegar
1/2 packet of ramen seasoning

1. Cut up chicken breasts and cook in frying pan with a little bit of oil. Season to taste with Lawry's Garlic Salt (or your choice of spices). Once cooked, shred or cut up into bite sized pieces.

2. Chop cabbage finely. Crunch up uncooked ramen noodles until you have pieces not larger than 1/2 square inch. Chop green onions. Combine all into a large bowl with the almonds, sesame seeds, and chicken.

3. In small bowl or measuring cup, combine sugar, oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and ramen seasoning. Stir and pour over cabbage mix. (You can always go over a bit on measuring out the dressing if you think you'll need more to coat the salad.)

4. Mix salad well so that the dressing coats everything completely. Let sit at least one hour in the refrigerator before serving. (It's better if you can let it sit at least 3-5 so the dressing softens the cabbage and ramen.) Refrigerate any left overs.

Like I said, this is one of my very favorite things and I get compliments anytime I share it with anyone.

Target for the Win!

The most helpful thing in my kitchen.

As you may recall, my parents got Mike and me a gift card to Target for Christmas. Well, yesterday I used up the rest of it. The two big items I got were a step stool and desk organizer. We needed a step stool for the kitchen because the shelves are so high up that I can't actually reach the back of the top few without standing on something. I got a nice simple two step stool that folds up nice and small. Turns out i got the wrong paper organizer though, so Mike and I are going to go back some other time and get what he really wants. He wanted the stacking kind of paper trays, where I thought he wanted something that was more of a letter holder/single paper holder. I also got some cheesecloth. I've been needing some for several different projects I've done, so I finally buckled down and bought some. I'm excited to get to use it.

The main reason I'd went to Target was to get Lilly some  e.l.f. stuff, but they didn't have anything that she wanted, so I'm on to plan b for that. They did however have a few things that I wanted, so I went ahead and got them. Namely, Clarifying Pressed Powder in Ivory, the Smudge Brush, the Blending Brush, and the Make-up Remover Cloths. All four are things that I've been wanting to get for a while, but either they haven't had them or I didn't need them at the time.

If we manage to find the right sort of paper organizer for Mike today, I'll update the post with it. :)

Update!
So we went to Staples and found Mike a letter tray and sorter that he liked. I liked it because it had the horizontal and vertical slots, which I think is useful. I also decided that I would keep the one from Target for myself. I had to rehome the tissue box, but my sock monkey is happily guarding it now.

Spot for papers, spot for checks, and a spot for my most used writing utensils.