Lately

Lately I have been sssssuper stressed.  About work, home, holiday weight gain, etc.  I worry too much and this is a fact that I am coming to terms with.  I believe that you should give your worries to the Lord and He will never give you more than you can handle, but there is that control freak in me that thinks I can handle it all.  I am up against several deadlines at the office and all are due yesterday I feel like.  At home, the Christmas decorations are slowly coming down and I need to clean it thoroughly. My other stress is my weight, and I just didn't care what I was putting into my mouth during the holiday season.  It sure was fun, but now I am paying the price.  I went for a jog last Wednesday and it kicked my hiney!  So per usual start to the new year I am trying to get back to a healthy, happier and less stress routine.  

So for today, since I haven't posted in a while, just wanted to keep my blog afloat and talk about some fun things.  I recently tried out a shellac manicure for the first time and really loved the results.  However due to my nail biting habits it only lasted 1.5 weeks, as the promised 2.  But I do love to have painted nails and my absolute favorite brand is Essie.  Then the $8 price at checkout just kills me for some reason.  I'm like, "What if I don't like this color?" then I'm stuck with this polish forever and have dropped almost $10 on it!  (That's the deal finder in me).  So, sometimes what I like to do for trial reasons is to buy a different less expensive brand to test out different color types.  Then if I use that color quite a bit I will go all out and buy the fabulous Essie version. 

Vintagey.

I bought this Petites brand in the color Vintage Gray and have worn it several times.  It lasts about a week and that is with a base and top coat.  Sometimes with this gray I will imprint newspaper using rubbing alcohol so that my nails resemble a newspaper (thank you Pinterest!).  But now I think it's time to upgrade to the good stuff.

This past week my Dad was out in Phoenix on business and being the fabulous only child that I am, I invited my Mom to come join my husband and I for dinner this past Wednesday.  I made Mini-Meat Loaves which is a super recipe I found in a local cookbook called Beyond The Fence.  And for dessert:

All-American.

The Pioneer Woman's Flat Apple Pie!

Her recipes have never let me down!  I love them all!  My Mom got me her cookbook and biography for my past birthday this year.  This was my first technical pie in the baking department.  I have made cold pies such as peanut butter pie and lemonade pie.  So I was very excited to make this American treat on a cold winter's night (although today will be a balmy 56 degrees).  This recipe is not available online however, ya gotta get her cookbook.  But I'm sure a quick google search can solve anyone's recipe search problems.  This pie was easy, fast and DELICIOUS! 

Tonight I am going to give her steak with a whiskey cream sauce a try, so wish me luck!  Here's to a stress free weekend everyone!