April Nails

March Nails

Spring Ahead!

When I walked out my front door for work last week I got the pleasure of seeing this beautiful sunrise. It reminds me of why I love living in the country you just can't beat being able to clearly see the sky and breath the fresh air, sometimes I can look out of my window and see deer and other wildlife.

The smell of spring is in the air and the temperature is rising. I get this feeling of excitement as I think about mowing the lawn (no joke), planting the vegetable garden, watching all the flowers blossom and trees grow. Opening the windows and letting the fresh air through the house, you become awakened from this winter funk.

The sun is shining today and the music is flowing through the house, such a perfect day!

February Nails

Nails Update

February Nails

January Nails

December Nails 2015

Secret Clinical Antiperspirant Clear Gel - Dry as a Desert?

I received this sample of Secret Clinical Antiperspirant Clear Gel from BzzAgent! I tested this product for a few weeks and really liked it. It didn't have an over powering scent, went on dry and didn't discolour my clothes and best of all it kept my armpits dry as a desert! 

I will definitely be repurchasing this deodorant. 

My November Nails

Totally loving everything about these, the color, the sparkle and the shape!

My October Nails

These were my October nails, totally loved this color, at first I liked the shape but after they grew out they became a tad bit hard to manage.

I know it is now November, and I have been a bit slack lately!

P.S. ignore that black smudge on my finger, must have came from the car door.

My September Nails

Here are my September nails! I loooooooove the color so much, makes me want to dig out my fall clothes and boots, and cozy up in a fuzzy blanket with a hot chocolate. The trees will start to turn soon and it looks so beautiful outside.

This feeling also means it's soon time for The Walking Dead!! I am so excited, hoping its the best season yet.

IPSY GLAM BAG SEPTEMBER 2015!!

Yay! Ipsy's website just went live, the image below is what I received in my bag. I have also included a list of all the products available this month. This is always such a fun time, and it looks like I will be enjoying everything in my bag this month. 

WOW! 35 Products available this month, see below for the complete list:

1. NYX Cosmetics - ipsy Eyeshadow Trio
2. Not Soap, Radio - Revitalizing Hand/Body Lotion
3. J. Cat Beauty - #MOTD Waterproof Slide on Pencil for Eyes in Bronze
4. City Color Cosmetics - Be Bold 3x Volume and Length Mascara in Black
5. Trust Fund Beauty - Nail Polish in Elegantly Wasted
6. clariSEA - Rapid Detox Charcoal Exfoliant
7. Crown Brush - Infinity Shadow/Crease Duet Brush
8. TRESemme  - Perfectly (un)Done Sea Foam
9. Octavio Molina Hair - Aceite de Argan
10. LANEIGE - Water Sleeping Mask
11. City Color Cosmetics - City Chic Lipstick
12. Bayberry Naturals - Rosehip & Hibiscus Moisturizer
13. Garnier Fructis - Full & Plush Voluptuous Blow-Out
14. ACURE - Argan Oil Cleansing Towelettes
15. City Color Cosmetics - Be Bold 3x Extreme Volume Mascara in Black
16. Vasanti Cosmetics - Brighten Up! Exfoliating Cleanser
17. Pixi by Petra - Brow Powder Trio
18. Liptini - Special Edition Lipstick in Starlet Cocktail
19. tre'StiQue - Mini Matte Lip Crayon
20. Swissco - Electroplated Eyelash Curler
21. So Fresh So Clean - Green Tea Wash-Off Mask
22. ACURE - Brightening Facial Scrub
23. First Aid Beauty - Ultra Repair® Cream
24. Evelyn Iona Cosmetics - Cream Blush in ASH
25. Eau Thermale Avène - Soothing Moisture Mask
26. Glamglow - Flashmud Bightening Treatment
27. Elizabeth Mott - Queen of the Fill Tinted Brow Gel
28. Crown Brush - Oval Concealer Brush (C224)
29. NAOBAY Natural & Organic - Oxygenating Moisturizing Cream
30. TEMPTU - Highlighter in Champagne Shimmer
31. Garnier Fructis - Sleek & Shine Sleek Primer Style Prep
32. theBalm - Put a Lid On It Eyelid Primer
33. JUVIA'S - Let's Lash it Out Lashes in Annabella
34. Garnier Fructis  - Brazilian Smooth Flat Iron Express
35. Formula X  - Nail Color in Ignite

It's Harvesting Time!!

Well I must say that this year has not been great for the garden, unfortunately due to my hubby's back injury we were unable to keep up on this crazy weed that took over the whole garden and stunted the growth on almost everything. My garlic rotted out due to water and ant damage. The onions were next to the garlic and they barely grew. The lettuce also failed miserably due to the darn weeds.

But, we have gotten a lot of good stuff too! Which I of course documented :)

Next year we are moving the garden to the other side of the yard and going big, and we are planning on ways to control the weeds.

Carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, potatoes, jalapeno peppers,
one cob of corn and one tiny green pepper.  

Carrots, cucumbers, swiss chard, beans,
 and a piece of broccoli

My August Nails

I thought these nails looked like summer, although my hubby was quick to point out they reminded him of Easter. I will not let that get me down, I think they are beautiful and I just love pastels.

Fireworks and a Cheetah!

Well actually it was the other way around, my friend and I went to visit a mutual friend about 45 minutes away which happens to be close to a farm/zoo (more farm animals with a few zoo animals), needless to say we enjoyed our day, good food, great hospitality and lots of laughs, plus I just happened to get a photo of this beautiful Cheetah, which I text to my hubby of course.

We also reached a milestone in our life, which maybe for most people it would not be, but we celebrated paying our car off! I think I may have mentioned in a previous post :) 

We enjoyed our night with family and FIREWORKS!

I'm a Farm Girl in a Vegetable Kingdom with Chicky-Poos

I will not say that I am "True" farm girl, I live in "Farm Country", meaning lots of large farms with cattle, pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, horses, etc.  They have to tend to barn chores, getting up in the early hours of the morning to go feed, water and clean the animals, and provide general care. Most of them go off to a second job, work all day there and come home and repeat the process. This is daily living for people around here and for most, their lively hood. I like to think I am a Farm Girl in the sense that I love living off the land - to a certain extent - and knowing that what I am eating was grown by us and not mass produced.

Taking care of chickens is not a daunting task for us, give them love, food, water, let them outside, soon we will add collecting eggs, and mostly keep them clean. Two times a day we check them, or if we are walking by.

My Hubby and I raise chickens for meat, hens for eggs, and grow a vegetable garden every spring and summer. This is our first year with hens, but my parents grew meat birds, and now we grow meat birds, so they are not new to us. We do not slaughter the birds our self, we do take them to a local man who is highly recommended and is very clean.

I have posted some photos below or our "Farm". Due to the harsh winter in Nova Scotia most crops are a month behind and are producing smaller plants. For example the tomato plants are normally much larger, but they are small and already producing tomatoes. However, we are still very proud and happy with the growth of our garden and it is our first year growing corn and watermelons. I will definitely post some of the fresh produce when it has matured and is ready to eat and share with our family and friends. 

Top - Laying Hens
Bottom: Meat Bird Chicks

Top - Full Garden
Left  to Right - Swiss Chard, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Green Beans, Broccoli, Garlic, Lettuce, Corn
(not shown close, Carrots, Green Pepper, Jalapeno Peppers, White & Red Onions, (3) Types of Potatoes, Watermelon)

Just Tickled Pink

I am on vacation, getting a new tub installed and I am over the moon that yesterday was my last car payment!! I can finally say that I OWN my car :)

I have been waiting for this moment since the first installment came out, I rushed out and bought this car not even thinking about the length of time it would take to pay it off. Since that day I have grown wise...well at least with regards to car purchases and another car purchase is not in the near future.

This is a milestone in my life that I will remember until I get Dementia or Alzheimers, ahaha.

I will reap the rewards soon enough...well the rewards for now are fixing my Hubbys truck and making some purchases we need, like a new fridge. Then the saving can begin!

Well, I am off to get some more cleaning done, and maybe bake something, you know, fun vacation stuff.

My July Nails

I am really enjoying this half almond, half oval nail shape. I went with a different shade than usual this time. I was undecided, which was surprising since I had been looking at designs for two weeks, and ended up with this one which was on on my nail radar at all. The silver gems were a last minute decision.

Emite Make Up: Professional Eye Lash Curler Review

Stock photo from http://www.emitemakeup.com/

I have been using this curler since February this year, 5 months in total. Today after an "incident" I have decided to review it.

The product description boasts of a special curved design that will not touch your makeup base, suits all eye shapes and a silicone rubber pad that applies an appropriate amount of pressure to give your lashes a natural curl. Also stating "Your eye lashes will remain in perfect shape all day!".

This curler fit my eye shape just fine, but it did however touch my makeup, I found myself cleaning off eyeliner often, but it was never close enough to smudge my eye makeup. Perhaps I was just curling too close to my lid, I do have short lashes. This curler definitely delivered on giving a natural curl all day, the curl was very slight, but noticeable.

I noticed the last few weeks that the curler was not providing enough pressure, so today I really looked at it and sure enough it was broken. It seems where it had been put together just let go from the daily use, as you can see in the picture below.

I am disappointed that this product did not stand up to its name, and I would not think of this as a professional curler. Although, I am not a professional, but I assume an eyelash curler would last longer that 5 months being used once a day, five days a week.

I will not repurchase this Professional Eyelash Curler from Emite Makeup.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T Find Out What It Means To Me!

I am a medical office assistant and I feel that I am a genuine person, kind, caring, pleasant, and RESPECTFUL.

My job entails lots of multi-tasking and "customer service".  I have learned to smile and be friendly to people even when sometimes they are not friendly to me. Usually when people are calling or stopping into the office, it is because they are not feeling well, who can be in a great mood when you are not feeling too hot yourself, and I respect that. I smile and try and make them feel comfortable with my words and try my hardest to  accommodate them to see the doctor as soon as I can. I have been complimented on my work ethic more than I can count on my fingers and toes and my bosses friends always ask how she found such a great office assistant.

But, with all that said, there are days like today that make me doubt my character and the characters of others.

I am not going to ramble about what happened that made me write this post but I would like to say my opinion. Since I have this outlet I will take advantage. We all have our opinions and these are mine.

I find now a days people are becoming more rude, less tolerant, more arrogant, and less compassionate. In a simpler term I would call them Bullies!

I was bullied twice today, both times surprisingly from older women. I feel that I handled myself in a mature way but I can't help but over think the chance that I may have been rude in my response. I honestly was so peeved in the moment that I could barely think straight and to this moment I even forget the conversation that had taken place.

I guess I am rambling LOL

Basically I was taught by my parents so hold the door for people, eat what was put on my plate, work hard, and be respectful especially to my elders.

You never know what people are going through, maybe a death in their family, a bad break up, or even just a bad morning. But, I feel no matter the issue of how mad or upset you are, you should always respect everyone! No need to take your bad day, week or year out on the next closest person.

No matter my mood. I will always treat people with respect and kindness. I always expect the same in return. I also feel that anyone who works anywhere should also be treated with respect. I try my hardest to get to the phone, answer the beeps, tend to patient concerns, tend to the doctors concerns, and get all my other work done. There is no reason to treat me poorly when I can't give you my undivided attention or answer your call immediately.

Lazy Sunday? I think not!

I was pretty busy today, although I always wish for a lazy Sunday which involves watching a favorite show or a movie and staying in my pajamas.

But today I was up early and managed to hang a load of laundry out on the line before the rain came.

In the collage above is a collection of what I accomplished in the kitchen. From left to right: Cheesy ground beef bake, frozen veggies and provolone cheese I chopped with my food processor, deviled eggs (my paprika kind of had a mind of its own), and lastly a simple white cake with vanilla icing.

I pretty much make the Cheesy Ground Beef Bake differently every time depending what I have on hand. I make a huge bake and then freeze most of it in individual containers. It is quick to grab and take to work for lunch. Recipe is posted below.

With regards to the frozen vegetables, I will take a day with my food processor and chop up some veggies that I know I can safely freeze, spread them out on cookie sheets with parchment paper, freeze them, and then store them in freezer bags. So quick and simple for future use in sauces, bakes, casseroles, etc. This comes in handy during harvesting season, and I have found I can freeze quite a few things: minced garlic(must be in oil), peppers, onions, mushrooms, cheese, and tomatoes. I am sure there is so much more.

My deviled eggs got a thumbs down, too much relish was added and it became too watery. They were quite tangy and will remember my mistake next time.

The vanilla cake turned out well, it was a simple white cake recipe from here.

All in all it was a productive day, now I am off to do some pampering (face mask, hair mask, eyebrow waxing).

CHEESY GROUND BEEF BAKE

Ingredients:
3 cups of uncooked noodles (whatever type you prefer, elbow, curly noodles)
1 lb of ground beef
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of chopped onions
1/2 cup of chopped green pepper
1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
1 1/2 cups of provolone cheese
1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese
Please note as I stated above I make this differently every time, measurements change, ingredients change and may not be exact to the above. Have fun mixing it up too your own taste :)

Instructions:
1) Heat oven to 350°.
1) Boil water and start frying hamburger.
2) As the hamburger browns add salt and pepper, garlic, chopped onions, green pepper, and mushrooms. Let that all cook together.
3) Add noodles when your water is boiled. Follow the instructions on your noodle package.
4) When hamburger and noodles are done strain both and place in a large bowl.
5) Add 1 can of diced tomato and 1 can of tomato paste.
6) Add 1 cup of the provolone and 1 cup of the cheddar cheese
7) Mix all ingredients together and scoop into oven safe bake ware.
8) Top off the bake with the rest of the cheese. Place in the oven for approx 10 minutes. Then use broiler until cheese is done to your liking.

Best Bread Machine Pretzels EVER!

This is the best recipe ever for making pretzel dough in your bread machine, of course you can also make by hand if you have a good understanding of dough making. I do not, so I get a lot of use out of my bread machine for just making dough.

The real true trick, that even my recipe book for my bread machine failed to point out is the use of simmering water mixed with baking soda. From now on I will only make my pretzels this way.

I just simple mixed 5 cups of water with 1/3 cup of baking soda, mixed it really well, brought it to a simmer and put the pretzels in for a few seconds on each side.

Pictured above are the pretzels I made, regular salted pretzels, some yummy garlic ones, and cinnamon sugar. I will admit the cinnamon sugar stick type pretzel did not have much taste.

They taste just like you got them at a pretzel stand!!

You have to try this recipe Soft Pretzels (For Bread Machines),