Bragging on my husband and son...

I have an amazing family.  Scott will say some of the funniest and sweetest things, and Jared is just the most amazing partner a girl could ask for.

So, once a week, in order to preserve the wonderful memories we share, I'm gonna start posting the great things they've done or said.  For one, these are beautiful things I don't ever want to forget.  For two, I want them to one day understand how much I really do love and appreciate all that they do.

So, here goes...

• Monday, I was really under the weather.  I remarked to Scott that I felt completely miserable, and could he just tone it down a little for me - he responded "I feel miserable when I'm with you, too."  Thanks, kid.  I sent him to his room.  An hour or so later, he emerged, gave me a huge hug, and said he was sorry about what he'd said earlier.  I appreciate that we've taught him to reflect on his actions and that he does strive to be a kind person.
• I've been really sick this past week, and Jared has done amazing things to help me, but the sweetest things are when he asks how Lela is, and then pats and kisses my stomach and talks to her.  I can't wait for this perfect little girl to get here!
• Wednesday, I was taking a nap.  Still getting over my cold, I had a coughing fit.  Scott came in and said "hey mom, I have something that will make you feel better!"  He then gave me a big hug...and then threw Hall's throat lozenges in my face.
• When asked who he wanted to go see the Peanuts movie with (last time, he saw Minions with his dad and Pipa), Scott remarked that he should see it with me, because a year ago, I showed him It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown for the first time.
• Thursday night, before bed, Scott gave me a hug and a kiss, and then hugged my stomach and kissed it for Lela, then he turned to his dad and gave him a hug and kiss, followed by hugging and kissing his stomach "for all the food in there."
• When I was a baby, I had a Precious Moments blanket that was gifted to my mom, and that I held on to for a pretty big part of my childhood. I loved that blanket.
  When Scott was born, we passed the blanket on to him. He loved it, too. He snuggled it, he played with it....and as he teethed, he chewed on it and utterly destroyed it. But for at least the first 3 years of his life, he held it near and dear. Even now, he'll still snuggle it sometimes.
  Well, unbeknownst to me, for the last several months, my amazing husband has been trying to find a replacement for the blanket, so that Lela could also enjoy the same blanket, though my original baby one is practically destroyed. And a few weeks ago, he found it. SistersGifts107 on Etsy had it....and he ordered it, so in just a few short weeks, our baby daughter will get to have the same blanket her big brother and her mama shared.
  Not gonna lie, I ugly cried when the box came in yesterday and Jared pulled the blanket out.
  I won the husband lottery.
  

Recipe - Creamy Chicken Enchildas

If you ask my husband what I've craved most this pregnancy, his answer will inevitably be cheese.  He's not wrong.  I think I've manged to have something cheesy with nearly every meal.

I've also wanted spicy things often...and chicken nearly every day.  So, what better sort of dish to make than a cheesy, slightly spicy, pan of chicken enchiladas?

This dish is incredibly easy to make, and would comfortably feed a family of 4!

Again, I don't take pretty pictures...

You will need:

• 2 c shredded Colby-Jack cheese
• 8 flour tortillas
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 c sour cream
• 1 4oz can diced green chiles
• 1 large, boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked & shredded
• 3 tbsp flour
• 2 c chicken broth
• salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Mix shredded chicken with one cup of cheese.
3. Fill each tortilla with chicken mixture and roll them up.  Place them in a greased 9x13in baking dish.
4. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour and cook about 1 minute.
5. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth.  Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until it is thick and creamy - about 6 minutes.
6. Stir in the sour cream, chiles, and salt and pepper.
7. Pour the sauce over the enchiladas in the pan.
8. Top with the remaining cheese.
9. Bake about 25 minutes, until the cheese has browned and the sauce is bubbly.
10. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then enjoy!

See how easy it is?  And they're really filling!  Even my finicky 6 year old loved them!

Recipe - Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken

On Friday, I was sick with a terrible cold.  Fortunately, I had planned a crock pot dinner for that evening.

Originally advertised as a "Chicken Stroganoff," I made a few changes to this recipe, and it turned out more like a really rich, creamy chicken soup.  I served it over white rice and it was absolutely filling and wonderful.

Full disclosure:  I take terrible food pictures.

You will need:

• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
• 1/4 C butter, melted
• 1 .7oz package dry Italian dressing mix
• 1 8oz package cream cheese
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 can of carrots, sliced

1. Toss the chicken, butter, and Italian dressing mix in the bowl of the slow cooker.  Make sure it's evenly coated.
2. Turn slow cooker to the low setting and cook about 4.5 hours.
3. Add the cream cheese, soup, and carrots, stir to mix well, and cook on high another 30 minutes.
4. Serve over rice or pasta.

This dish will absolutely stick to your sides and warm you up.  It's hearty and easy and was a hit with everyone in my household!

PS, check out how cute my bowl is!

Mani - ORLY - Smoked Out

Today, I've got a look back at a slightly dated release from ORLY.  I picked up this polish a few months ago from Sally's on clearance - I'm a sucker for vampy colors on the cheap!

Smoked Out is a teal green shimmer polish from their Fall 2014 Smokey collection.  The base is a very dark blue/green, and it's full of bright, beautiful green/teal microglitters.  This polish dries semi-matte.

But, I'm not a huge fan of matte polishes, so I topped it with some Poshe.  It takes about 2 light coats to achieve opacity/get rid of splotches.  It's a perfect color for fall!  I'd like to get my paws on some of the other pretty colors from this collection some time!

Here's another pic with different lighting, to help capture the glitter!  Also....pardon my Cinderella hand...I've got nothin' but sad little nubbins on my left hand, since they all decided to break at once!  Hopefully in another week or two, they'll be back up to photographable-snuff!

LootCrate - October 2015 - Time

Today, I'm reviewing the October LootCrate!

LootCrate is a monthly "nerdy" subscription box that contains various items related to a central theme - for instance, October was "Time."  Almost every month includes a T-shirt, and then various other neat things - coffee mugs, cards, replica items, keychains, books, etc.  It really varies month to month.  The cost is $13.37 per month plus shipping (which brings it to about $20) and it ships around the middle of the month (delivery is usually around the 20th-22nd).

Yesterday, we received our October box.  Previews from LootCrate informed us that it would have some Doctor Who stuff and some Back to the Future stuff (after all, Wednesday was Back to the Future Day!).  Needless to say, my husband and I were pretty stoked.

This box did not disappoint.  Sometimes, LootCrate can be hit or miss for us - but not this month. They knocked it out of the park!

First up is this pretty awesome Bill & Ted t-shirt.  Full disclosure:  I've never seen Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.  I was a little young (2 years old!) when it came out, and I've just never gotten around to seeing it.  But, my husband likes it, and since we get the shirts in his size, this will certainly be worn!

This month also included 3 (three!) LootCrate exclusives - the first of which is this super awesome Doc Brown Pop! Vinyl.  Seriously, this thing is insanely awesome.  I didn't really get into the Back to the Future franchise until a few years ago - I wasn't even born when the first one came out, and while I do remember seeing all 3 when I was little with my parents, I didn't really care too much about it until my husband insisted on us watching them together.  They're among his favorite movies, and as an adult, I've found that I can really appreciate them.
Anyway, this figure is super cool.  It's already gone on display with some of our other beloved Pop! Vinyls - Baby Groot, Kerrigan (from SC2), and Chandra (from MtG), just to name a few!

Our second exclusive is another BttF item - a 1:5 scale replica of the Hover Board from Part 2!  This is a really neat collectible, and, again, it's gonna go on display.

Our third exclusive is seriously one of the coolest things I've ever seen - a Sonic Spork!  I've been a Doctor Who fan for as long as I can remember - we used to watch the old Black & White reruns on PBS when I was little (bring back K-9!).  Anyway, I'm completely delighted by this item - but I don't know if I could ever bring myself to use it!  (The label does say it's "suitable for the dishwasher" but still...I'd hate to ruin it!)

Every month also includes a booklet that talks about the theme, the items, and has pictures of people posing with their items from the previous month, trivia, etc.  It's a pretty neat little read.

This box seemed to have less items than previous months, however, they were all top-notch this month.

BeautyDNA - October 2015

What better way to start off a new blog than with a subscription box review?  Today, that box is the BeautyDNA subscription box.

BeautyDNA is a monthly subscription box ($25 USD) that provides you with one full-size, luxury beauty product every month.

When you sign up for BeautyDNA, they give you one of the most intensive Beauty Profile quizzes I've ever seen.  They ask you everything - from what color hair you have to where you think you have the most issues with wrinkles.  They want to know what kind of products you like to use - and what you like to avoid.  It's exceptionally thorough.

October 2015 was my first month subscribed.  I read about a deal on the subscription offered on Gilt.com - the regular $25/month subscription was offered at 4 months for $58 - bringing it down to only $14.50/month.  Since I've wanted to try this box for a while, I jumped on the offer!

My first box arrived within a week of signing up and filling out my beauty profile. I listed my Top 5 concerns as:  Stretch Marks, Chapped Lips, Dry Skin, Redness, and Lack of Radiance.  Let me tell you what:  this pregnancy hasn't done my skin any favors.  (That said, I can't wait to meet baby girl.  She's way more important than some blemishes!)

So here's the goods:

First off, they include a letter that details what you've been matched with for the month, and why.  I'll admit, I'm not picky about most chemicals and products, so my list of things to avoid wasn't very long.

Facing the letter about the selection is more details about the product - retail price, how to use it, where to buy it, etc.

So, I received Hydroxatone Celtrixa Stretch Marks Reducer Lotion Sealed 3 Oz/ 88 G - valued at about $80/bottle.  I have started using this product on my stretch marks on my stomach that I've earned in two pregnancies - I'll spare the internet the pictures!  It's hard to say how well it works yet because I've only used it a few times - but when I use up the bottle, I'll post an update!

This is not a product I probably would have every purchased for myself - first of all, the cost is almost completely prohibitive (though, an Amazon search does tell me I can find it for a lot less than $80).  I've never heard of this brand, though since it's considered higher-end, that's probably why.

It doesn't really have any sort of discernible smell, it absorbs quickly, a little goes a LONG way, and so far, it seems to be nourishing my skin.  I'm anxious to see just how well it work as I use up the bottle.

So, basically, one month in, I'm thus far impressed with BeautyDNA. Getting a full-size product, rather than several samples, is particularly helpful because you really get an opportunity to know if a product is going to work for you, before you shell out a large amount of money.  I look forward to seeing what else BeautyDNA has in store for me!