Weekly Recap: San Fran, Pretty Nails & Juice Cleanse

Happy Friday! I have a busy weekend ahead with a Magic basketball game tonight, St Patty's party tomorrow and preparing for a trip across the country next week.

#1: The Best News First
I found out I'm heading to San Francisco for a work convention next week!! This is another beautiful city that I've never visited and flights are not cheap coming from Florida so I'm excited to get a free trip out of it!

Other than the Golden Gate bridge, what else is there to see? It's so last minute, I haven't had a chance to research things to do on my free time.

#2: OPI's Eurso Euro Nail Color

I'm loving this new royal blue color from OPI. I got a much-needed mani and pedi earlier this week.

#3: Abita Strawberry Beer

I was so excited to see my favorite seasonal beer back on the shelves this week. I had to pick up a 6-pack and enjoy a cold one on my back patio after work.

#4: Mac Work Station
It's no secret I'm a lover of all things Apple. I have a Mac laptop at home as well as an iPad and iPhone so using a PC at work wasn't my idea of fun. The IT guy at work surprised me with a new Macbook along with a wireless mouse and tiny little keyboard, which I'm still getting used to. Now I feel like my office is complete :-)
 

#5: Two-Day Juice Cleanse

I started a 2-day cleanse earlier this week. I felt great during the process but realized I am not a huge fan of juice. I barely ever drink juice so not sure what I was thinking when I mentally signed up for this.

It took me 5 hours to juice and bottle 6 different types of juices (12 bottles total) so there was no backing out of this. I had to drink 6 juices per day so it wasn't exactly fun and, honestly, I wasn't able to stick to it 100%. The grocery list costed about $50 for the two days as opposed to buying pre-made juices for $200+. The cleanse worked great and helps you go to the bathroom quite often which is the whole point of a cleanse and detox diet. I'm glad I tried it but not sure I'll ever do a juice cleanse again. The next time I drink juice it'll probably be mixed with champagne at brunch!

I'll post the recipes and more details on the cleanse if anyone interested in trying it out.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Joining Lauren for H54F and April for Five on Friday.

Glam Series: Benefit Cosmetics

Benefit has become one of my favorite cosmetic brands. I was always more a MAC & Clinique girl but I'm beginning to love more brands sold at Sephora & Ulta. Benefit offers a few unique (and great quality) products such as the POREfessional and High Beam Highlighter that help create that celebrity look every girl wants to achieve.

How do you BENEFIT? by martinis-bikinis featuring benefit makeup

 POREfessional Pore Minimizer:
Works great to minimize your pores and prime your skin before applying foundation. It's an oil-free formula that has vitamin E so it also helps to add another layer of protection. This is a fairly new product to me (that I was convinced to buy after reading great reviews from other bloggers) but I'm really loving how it works because I have bigger pores on my cheeks and forehead.

High Beam Complexion Enhancer:
This is a shimmery pink liquid highlighter that helps to create a nice glow. It's often called "supermodel in a bottle" and great for all skin tones. I use my fingers to lightly dab and blend it onto my cheekbones to contour and create a shimmery glow.

I got 2 sample size Benefit products: the Watt's Up Highlighter and They're Real Mascara free for my birthday for being a Sephora Beauty Insider so I've been using these two since December.

 

  

Watt's Up Highlighter:

This a cream-to-powder highlighter that helps create a champagne glow. I mainly use it on my browbones but you can also use it on your cheekbones to get that "wow" factor.

They're Real! Mascara:
This silky mascara lengthens, curls, and volumizes your lashes and lasts all throughout the day. I love the brush head which has staggered bristles to boost volume and separate lashes which helps to prevent clumping.

Hoola Bronzing Powder:

This is a great contouring powder bronzer that can also be used to highlight features on your face. I use a light amount on my cheeks, chin and forehead and it helps give you a natural-looking tan. I hate looking pasty white in the colder months.

Joining Jordan today for the Glam Series. 

St Patrick's Party Food Ideas + 2013 Recap

I've been looking around for festive appetizer and finger food ideas on Pinterest to make for a St Patrick's day party and stumbled across some cute ideas.

Mint Oreo Triffle via this The Girl in Red Shoes.

Mint Chocolate Chip cookies via True Couponing.

Shamrock Spinach Quiche via Diamonds for Dessert.

Lucky Charm Bars via Cozy Home Chronicles.

I love celebrating St. Patrick's day with friends. Last year we went to a friend's potluck-style
party so we ate all sorts of festive food and, of course, had way too many Irish car bombs. It was a fun night and the same friends are throwing another St Patty's party this weekend.

One of my friends recreated this Rainbow Fruit Tray with a Pot-O-Gold Rainbow and I thought it was such a cute idea for a St Patty's party.

via Pinterest

Are you planning to make any festive appetizers, desserts or cocktails for St Patty's this year?

Ham, Mushroom & Spinach Quiche

Ingredients: 
1 9" deep dish pie crust
4 eggs
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 yellow onion
1 box frozen chopped spinach
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sliced canned mushrooms
1/2 cup ham, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

What To Do:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Beat eggs and mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and pour into the pie shell.

Place pie shell on cookie sheet. I doubled the above recipe to make two quiches. (The leftovers are also great for breakfast!).

Bake for about 25 minutes or until the top has turned golden brown.

Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy!

 
  
Rules:

1. Follow Kate and myself via GFC and Bloglovin.

2. Link up your favorite recipes or food-related posts.

3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to our blogs.

4. Be sure to visit other blogs and spread the love! ;-)

Weekend Whereabouts, Pain Aside

I had another relaxing weekend spent in and around town. My mouth is still hurting badly from the surgery so need to see the Dentist this week to find out what's going on. It's been over a week and I still can't eat anything other than soft foods and I feel like I have a permanent headache. It's been torture!

On Friday, I found myself at Target on my lunch break and walked away with some cute stuff for the warmer days ahead. Has anyone ever left Target without buying something? It's ridiculous! The BCBG sandals are from Marshall's...another impulse purchase, but hey, they're pretty and were less than $20!

On Friday evening I went to a charity event that my company sponsored so K and I got to enjoy an evening of wine, hors devours, and live music on the lake. We also did some silent auctions to win tickets to Sea World, Universal Studios & some big concerts coming up.

On Saturday morning I went to the gym and picked up all the ingredients to start a 2-day juice cleanse this week. My fridge was bursting at the seams (err doors?) with fruits and veggies. I'll do a review and share the recipes once I'm done with the cleanse.

Saturday night I baked a quiche (recipe will be posted tomorrow) and tried out the new Pecan Pie Pinnacle vodka for "dessert". We love trying all the new flavors of vodka that Pinnacle comes out with.

On Sunday I spent almost 5 hours juicing and bottling 6 different types of juices for the cleanse so that got in the way of any plans I had to enjoy the sunshine outside. I had no clue it would take that long!

On Sunday evening we tried out some Cherry Wheat beer (which I didn't like) and K grilled BBQ chicken for dinner.  Of course, I had to shred the chicken into a million pieces to eat but it was delish.

It's starting to get warm and sunny in Florida so I'm hoping to have more weekend outdoors after being cooped up for the last two weekends.

Joining Bella and Lisa for Weekend Recap.

 

How was your weekend?

Fashion Friday: Statement Necklaces

Happy Friday lovelies! 

Any big plans for the weekend? I have a charity event tonight for work and hoping to get started on my master bedroom redecorating that I posted about yesterday. 

Other than purses and shoes, one of my favorite accessories are statement necklaces. They help to dress up any outfit and make a statement like the name implies. My collection has been growing recently but these are the top 5 that made it out the house recently.

One: White Faux stone necklace from a local boutique (similar)
Two: Lavender necklace from Forever 21 (similar)
Three: Pink bubble necklace from Macy's (similar)
Four: Black & silver necklace from Charlotte Russe
Five: Turquoise stone necklace from the KOJewelry shop

Where do you shop for fashion jewelery and pretty statement necklaces?

Joining Lauren for H54F and Darcie for Five on Friday. 

Have a great weekend!

Master Bedroom Design & Decorating

My latest project is to redecorate our master bedroom. The walls are stark white and we have the most basic furniture and bedding set. I want some "pop" in the room and the walls painted gray, which has been the plan since we bought our house 3 years ago. Gray is such a cozy and warm color for a bedroom.

I found a bedding set with the most beautiful colors & a peacock theme. I love emerald green, sapphire blue, and of course gray.

 I'm definitely no interior decorator but I think a gray shag rug, silver mirror/wall decor and sparkly throw pillow will pull it all together to give me the sparkle I love without making it too girly for the husband.

JLO by Jennifer Lopez Decorative Pillows · Overstock Indoor Rugs · Bed Bath & Beyond Table Lamps

What do you think of this bedding & decor set?

Living with the Travel Bug

I can't think of anything I love more than traveling. I love visiting new places, trying new food and exploring different cultures and scenery. Everything about traveling fascinates me and I especially love the feeling of finally getting to cross a new country or city off my bucket list. I try to do at least one big trip every year and a few small trips to different cities either by taking a road trip or quick flight. I've already planned our travel adventures for the first half of the year and hoping to add a few more places to the list.

2014 Travel Plans:

January: Vegas (more about my Vegas trip here)

April: New Orleans for a bachelorette

May: St. Pete Beach, FL for a wedding

June: Boca Raton, FL for an engagement party

And our biggest trip for the year...

We're heading to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic for a friend's destination wedding this summer! We've been saving for months and months for this trip so I'm SO happy to finally have the hotel and flights confirmed and booked!

Cute wedding invitations perfect for a destination wedding.

Their wedding happens to fall on the same weekend as our anniversary so it's a 2-in-1 vacation to celebrate with friends and then stay on an extra day to do our own celebration. 

This resort also offers a complimentary Anniversary package so I was excited to find out we get some extra stuff for free:

~ Bottle of sparkling wine

~ Fresh fruit platter

~ Romantic breakfast in bed with mimosas

~ 15% discount on all spa treatments 

I've never been to the DR and the resort is an adults-only, all-inclusive resort that just opened 4 months ago so I'm beyond excited and counting down the days to be on vacation with friends in paradise!

K and I also want to book an excursion for our anniversary day. We're tossing some ideas around ~ maybe para-sailing, horseback riding, jet skiing, swimming with dolphins or a catamaran cruise.

For those that have been to Punta Cana or a similar destination, what's your favorite type excursion or thing to do on vacation?

Crockpot Turkey Fiesta Chili

I made this chili recipe recently and had leftovers to feed an army. It was super delicious and perfect for the cold weather. This recipe is super easy and requires little prep work, which is just my style.

Ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey

1 can red kidney beans

1 can black beans

1 can spicy chili beans

1 large can diced tomatoes

I packet Chili seasoning

1 red pepper, diced

1 medium onion, diced

3-4 garlic pegs, diced

1 1/2 cups frozen kernel corn

1/2 cup chicken broth

Salt & pepper to taste

What To Do:

Brown turkey in skillet over medium heat with garlic until no longer pink. Add turkey to your slow cooker. 

Add red pepper and onion to skillet and saute for about 5 minutes. In the meantime, add the beans, corn, diced tomatoes and seasonings to the crock-pot and stir.

Add sauteed peppers and onions and pour in the chicken broth. 

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.

 

Let cool a few minutes before serving. 

Serve with optional toppings such as shredded cheese or sour cream.

Enjoy!

 
  
Rules:

1. Follow Kate and myself via GFC and Bloglovin.

2. Link up your favorite recipes or food-related posts.

3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to our blogs.

4. Be sure to visit other blogs! Don't just link up and wait for others to find you ;-)

Ice Cream & Painkillers + $100 Giveaway

Hope everyone had a fun/relaxing weekend!

I had a low key weekend after my wisdom teeth surgery on Friday so nothing super exciting to share and NOBODY wants to see selfies of my puffy cheeks. The highlight of Friday night was mint chocolate ice cream & catching up on some blogging.

K and I also watched the movie Adult Children of Divorce (A.C.O.D) from Redbox, which wasn't terrible. I think we've already drained the nearby Redbox of all the good movies available.  

On Saturday, my cabin fever had already kicked in and I had to get out the house for a couple hours. I went with K to get some errands done, chipmunk cheeks and all.

 Later that night I cooked Kate's delicious French Onion Soup recipe for dinner and painted my nails with Sally Hansen's Chrome nail polish.

Sunday was a beautiful day so I ventured into my backyard to get some sun. The pain & swelling in my mouth was quite bad so I didn't want to go in public but didn't want to be stuck inside.

Finally got to use my zero gravity lounge chair to catch some rays.

Giveaway time: $100 Michael's Gift Card!

Hosted by Jennifer @ Lovely Little Fawn and co-hosted by myself and several other lovely ladies. This gift card is perfect for DIY wedding projects, home decorating, party planning, and crafting in general. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

*This giveaway will run from Monday, March 3rd @ 12:00 A.M until Monday, March 10th @ 12:00 A.M.  One random winner within two days and contacted via email from Jennifer @ Lovely Little Fawn.  A new winner will be drawn if there's no response within 72 hours.

Good luck!

Joining Bella and Lisa for Weekend Recap.

 

Cheers to a new week!