A Throwback Valentine's at Disney

Happy Valentine's day! Or Valium-times day, as I used to call it. Either name works around here.

I'm just happy to be able to spend V-day this year with K as I was traveling last year while he was at home.

We usually avoid restaurants like the plague on V-day but I went ahead and booked us reservations for a popular seafood restaurant in town. Friday nights are our night to eat out and I have some gift cards that need to be used so we will just have to tackle the crowds this year. After cooking and eating at home all week, I love nothing more than having someone else cook & do the dishes for me.

Our best Valentine's yet was 2 years ago when we spent the day at Disney (using tickets we got as a Christmas gift).

We started at Hollywood Studios and went on the Tower of Terror ride which drops about 15 floors. (I'm getting too old for this shit)

Then went to Epcot to drink around the world ~ beer in Germany, wine in France, sake in Japan, and the list goes on. By the time you make it to the end of the "world" you have a huge nice little buzz going.  Epcot is my absolute favorite Disney Park and I'm hoping to go back this year.

Everything was fun and games until the sun went down and the temperature dropped a million degrees forcing me to buy a f-ugly Hello Kitty pajama/sweater thingy.

We stayed the night at a Disney hotel to avoid driving after our "international array" of drinks at Epcot. The next day we went for lunch on Disney's Boardwalk before heading home from our little stay-cation.

Not sure we'll ever be able to top this V-day so it's one for the books. This year is going to be more of a dinner & movie kind of night which I'm perfectly happy with.

What are your V-day/weekend plans?

Joining Helene and Sarah today for the Valentine's Linkup.

 

Have a great weekend everyone!!

The Glam Series: Lips

Before I get started, I'm excited to be featured today on Lisa @ Showered with Design's blog for her new Wedding Q & A Series.  Feel free to hop over to read more about my Lakeside wedding in Orlando.

Now onto one of my favorite topics ~ Makeup ~ more specifically Lips.

I'm not a huge lipstick person so my collection isn't very big but I do use lip balm fanatically and lip gloss when I remember. Lipstick is more of a special occasion thing for me but I do have my favorites lip products and brands.

EOS Smooth Sphere Lip Balm: ($3.49)  I carry this in my purse and use as an everyday lip moisturizer.

NYX Butter Gloss: ($4.99) This lip gloss is a recent find of mine and I love it especially for the very affordable price. I'm very picky when it comes to textures of lip gloss and lipstick and can't stand anything that's too sticky. This butter gloss applies very smoothly with some shine and I love the soft pink color (Eclair) I chose.

Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss: ($9.00) I've been using this gloss for about 2 years now. I like that they offer over 20 different shades so you're bound to find a color that suits you. However, I must admit, I prefer the NYX gloss which is almost half the price, mainly because the VS Beauty Rush glosses are bit more on the sticky side.

Stila Color Balm Lipstick: ($22) This is my latest find and I love the range of colors that they offer. I searched high and low in Sephora and Ulta for a bright purple lipstick and Stila was the only brand that offered exactly what I was looking for (color: Gemma). I don't wear lipstick everyday but it's always good to own a pretty colors to go with different outfits & occasions.

Mary Kay True Dimensions Lipstick: ($18) I received this lipstick in a VoxBox about a year ago from Influenster to test and it has remained one of my favorites. I keep it in my purse and use it more often than any lipstick. This lipstick has a smooth and creamy texture, very similar to lip balm so I love using it just to moisturize my lips and add a hint of color.

Joining Jordan today for The Glam Series.

Home Decorating: Photo Gallery Wall

Since our wedding in 2012, I've had so many lovely frames and photos that were packed in storage and never put up on display.

When the lovely Jordan posted about a Gallery Wall, a light went off in my head. I decided to try my hand at making one a few weekends ago to display in our downstairs hallway.

I laid everything out ahead of time to decide on a layout before hammering holes in the wall. K was a good sport and helped with the hammering and measuring.

In the process of hanging up all the frames, we realized the space we were working with was slightly smaller so decided to do a black & white theme only and leave out the long rectangular frame on the right.

Since the frames were all different sizes, I had to order a couple different size photos and wait for them to arrive before completing the project last weekend.

The Details:

Most of the photos are from our wedding day, including this one of our First Dance.

Pretty clock

Canvas with a motivational quote

An old photo of my grandparents when they were young bucks

Decorative Mirror
(and there you can see my reflection and iPhone flash...nice Emily, nice!)

I love how it came out even though it didn't turn out 100% as planned. I do prefer the black & white theme instead of having a mixture of colors

Caribbean Curry Chicken in Slow Cooker

I've been making Curry Chicken for years now but this was my first time using a slow cooker and I have to say it came out fantastic. K even commented that it may be the best one I've made yet so I'll be making it again.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 4 hours

Serving size:  8

 

Ingredients:

4 large chicken breasts, cut into chunks

1 medium tomato, diced

1 medium onion, diced

6 small potatoes, halved

3 garlic cloves, diced

1 tbsp Olive oil

4 tbsp Caribbean curry powder

1 cup water 
Salt & Pepper
White or brown rice 

Optional: (to make it extra spicy)

Caribbean hot pepper sauce or scotch bonnet peppers

Pour olive oil into slow cooker and mix in chicken, potatoes, onion, garlic and tomatoes.

Mix 1 cup cold water with curry power.

Pour curry mixture over ingredients in slow cooker, season to taste with S&P, and stir well. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.

After 3 hours, set on low and cook for another hour until the chicken & potatoes are fully cooked and the curry sauce has thickened a bit.

Serve with rice and Enjoy!

 *Announcement*

Starting next week 02/18, I'll be hosting a Recipe Swap every Tuesday so feel free to link up with your favorite recipes for drinks/cocktails or food.  I've loved finding and trying new recipes from other bloggers so I'd like to keep it going for anyone interested in cooking new things and sharing their recipes & reviews.

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<a href="http://www.martinisbikinisblog.com" title="Tuesday's Recipe Swap"><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k210/triniemily/Tuesdays-Recipe-Swap.jpg" alt="Tuesday's Recipe Swap" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Rainy Weekend Fun

Mondays come way too quickly and are never welcomed around here but what you gonna do? The only thing I like about Monday is reliving my weekend. It was a rainy but good one in Central FL.

I did Fajita Friday with coworkers at my favorite Mexican restaurant.

 

Then got home to a package of goodies from ULTA. This is what being a blogger does to you! Reading makeup and product reviews is a bad influence on my online shopping habits. Wouldn't have it any other way tho. Can't wait to try out the Philosophy's Purity Cleanser, Benefit's POREfessional and the rest of my goodies.

Saturday was an overcast and rainy day but we had already bought tickets to Orlando's Chili Cook-Off which was a hit despite the shitty weather. We tried all sorts of chili including deer chili and got to vote for our favorite one (mine was the pulled pork chili). We endured the weather with umbrellas and had a good time with friends.

 

Kate and I sporting umbrellas and cold beverages in hand.

After the Chili Cook-off we went to warm up at a Sports bar and fireball shots ensued. Perfect way to warm up, maybe not?

Sunday was a nice, lazy day despite it being beautiful outside after days of rain. I caught up on my blogs, cooked a pot roast and cleaned the house since we have family visiting this weekend.

How was your weekend?

NOLA Trip Booked & Friday's Best

Happy Friday!
I think I say this every week, but I'm looking forward to sleeping in and having no big responsibilities this weekend. It's been a crazy week at work so a large glass of wine is calling my name ;-)


One: Myself and 8 other girls just booked our flights to New Orleans for a bachelorette in April. I've never been to NOLA so I'm excited to check out the French Quarter and party on Bourbon Street. Now we need to find a good place to stay around that area. Any recommendations??

Two: Girls sushi date last night. We meet up every few weeks to catch up over happy hour sushi & wine at our favorite spot downtown. You can't beat $4.25 sushi rolls and cocktails!

Three: My package of goodies arrived from Bath & Body Works on Monday along with a free 3-wick candle from spending over $20. I chose the Peach Bellini candle which smells SO good! Their new lotion collection also smells divine - The "Sun" lotion is my favorite, then "Sky".

Four: Chicken Stir Fry never gets old in my house. We make this meal for dinner almost every week because it's healthy, easy & delicious. I posted the recipe last year here.

Five: Don't forget to enter to win a $200 Stella & Dot gift card  our Valentine's Giveaway hosted by Bella from Dateless in Dallas.

Have a great weekend!

Joining Lauren for H54F and Darcie for Five on Friday.

Happy Birthday to a Legacy

Today, I'd like to pay tribute to the life and legacy of one of my idols

Robert Nesta Marley: 1945 -  

His music with forever live on and provide positive guidance for my daily life.

Happy Birthday Bob! Keep rockin' 

Valentine's Favorites

While I'm very aware Valentine's Day has become a commercialized holiday that encourages you (or men) to spend money on red roses, chocolate hearts, hallmark cards and so on, I do think it's a good time of year to remember and show those you love that you appreciate them, whether it's your best friends, parents, significant other etc. Cooking a nice dinner at home, watching the movie he wants to see, going bowling or just spending quality time together are just as important.

I'm all for those things but my festive side gets the better of me sometimes and I've put together some gift ideas to go with the Valentine's theme, which would also be cute gifts for birthdays in February.

Hanky Panky Thongs · Juicy Couture Camisoles · Victoria's Secret Gifts & Sets


How do you plan to spend Valentine's day this year?

Super Bowl Pizza Dip

I made this dip on Sunday for a friend's Super Bowl party and we loved how it came out. If the Super Bowl isn't the perfect excuse to indulge in some extra calories, then I don't know what is.

Ingredients:

1 block of cream cheese

8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese, divided in half

8 oz. shredded parmesan cheese, divided in half

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayonaise

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 green pepper, diced

1 1/2 cups pizza sauce

sliced pepperoni

Italian seasoning

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Mix cream cheese, sour cream, mayo, 1/2 mozzarella cheese, 1/2 parmesan cheese and ricotta cheese on low with an electric mixer and spread onto the bottom of a greased baking dish.

Pour pizza sauce on top of mixture and spread evenly. Sprinkle remainder of Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese on top and then layer with green peppers and pepperoni.

Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese starts turning golden brown.

Serve with chips or warm bread.

Enjoy!

Super Bowl Weekend + $200 Giveaway

Super Bowl Monday should really be a holiday, don't you think? Productivity nationwide has to be zip to none. Although, I'm not a huge football fanatic, I am married to one and I do love joining in the festivities with friends

I went to a friend's Superbowl party yesterday and indulged in copious amounts of beer and greasy food. I do make an exception for the Super Bowl and enjoyed all the crap yummy food that comes along with it.

I made Pizza Dip for the party, which was my first attempt at making it. (Recipe to come).

Giveaway Time!

Bella, myself and these lovely ladies are hosting a Valentine's Day Giveaway. Enter below to win a $200 gift card from Stella & Dot.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

1. Winner will be notified on February 8th.

2. Winner will be verified. If the winner cannot be verified, a new one will be selected.

3. The winner has 48 hours to claim their prize after the notifying email has been sent out.

If they do not respond to the email within the 48 hours a new winner will be selected.

Good luck!