Wool to Stay Warm....

Hey Kids! Is everyone getting ready for Halloween yet? I know I am. In fact, I am heading off to a party tonight. I'll be going as Red Riding Hood, and hubby is Marty McFly. (Pics to follow!) I can't wait. In the meantime, while my goodies are baking in the oven, I thought I should check in with a new outfit. While looking for a puffy vest for Craig's costume,( I was at Old Navy btw,) I came across the sale rack, and these cute little Gray wool shorts caught my eye. They were on sale from $24.00 down to $11.00. I didn't want to pass them up. They are nice enough for casual or evening wear.  Take a look. I'm sorry ahead of time for the slanting of the pics. My hubby was in the living room with the best light, and I couldn't find my tripod.

 Shirt: Ross     Shorts: Old Navy    Shoes: Payless   Bracelet/Necklace: Payless

 Shirt: Ross    Shorts:  Old Navy   Shoes: Payless    Necklace: Payless

Shirt and Jacket: Ross   Shorts: Old Navy  
Boots: DSW    Necklace/Bracelet: Payless

Budget for your face!

If you followed my last post, you know that we are house hunting. That means we are on a budget. No spending money on silly things we don't need. Do we have to cut back on things we already use though? The answer is no. On my recent trip to Target, I stocked up my cart with the usual items to restock the house, and did a quick run down the cleanser aisle. I needed to restock my Biore strips. I know some people don't consider these a "must have" item. I do. I am very strict with my facial regimen, and these are a good thing to use if you use powder on your face everyday. Anyway, I noticed that this time on the box, it had a little box that said Prove It!. What is this? I am a big sucker when it comes to boxes that say free stuff or coupons inside. I get all excited when I get home, and then realize it's a coupon for something I don't use, or for a product that I don't need. This time I was pleasantly surprised. Biore has decided to help me out with my budgeting. They have started a promotion that basically rewards you for using their product, and learning more about skin care and healthy stuff. Here is what the box looks like.

Inside the box was a small piece of paper with a code on it.

 It tells you how to sign up for your rewards. Start with going to Facebook, and "Like" their page. Done! It then tells you what you can earn with your points. You get points by signing in consecutive days in a row.

 You can also get points by answering trivia questions about the health of you skin, or by doing a challenge of the day. So easy.

 Got it right! Whoo hoo!

 Your points get you coupons for money off of Biore products. If you get enough, you also earn free products. Go check it out, it is a great deal if you use the products!
Enjoy!

Halloween is coming!!!

My favorite holiday is Halloween. I love dressing up and decorating the house. I know it's a little bit early for the holiday, but I want you to get the deals before they go away! I'm a little sad because this year we won't be dressing the house up in spooky items. Bummer, I know. We have decided to sell our "starter house" and get a grown up home. This is great news, I know! What's not great, is that we are on a tight budget now, saving every penny for the move. It's fine though, because I can be a little thrifty chick when needed.  One of my favorite thrifty places is the dollar section at Target. They have some really cute things! One of the things that I get sucked in to is the dollar socks.  These caught my eye as I walked in today, just in time for Halloween!

As I headed back deeper into the store, this little number jumped out at me. I like to dress the dog up. I don't however, buy expensive things to put him in because he just chews them up.  This little pj outfit was only 7 bucks!

 Here is my little man rocking his new pjs.

 He actually was excited when I pulled it back out to take a picture, so I put it back on him!

 Trick or treat, smell my feet!

Give me something good to eat!!!

 

Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

Attention Reese's lovers!!!! You are about to fall in love...with a cupcake. We decided to throw a birthday extravaganza at work a few weeks back. We had a bunch of b-days close to each other so we threw one mini party, instead of multiple. We looked through all the recipes we could find with candy in them, and they all agreed on these ones. They all love Peanut Butter! I am not a die hard fan, but even these won me over.
Lets get started!

Cupcakes
1 (18.25 oz) package devil's food cake
1 (3.4 oz) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp instant espresso granules (dissolve it in a 1/2 cup warm water)
30 Reese's mini peanut butter cups, frozen (make sure you freeze for at least three hours,)
Reese's peices if you like them.
cupcake liners

Peanut Butter Butter cream icing
3 sticks unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
2 lbs (that's right) powdered sugar
3-4 tbsp low fat milk
Reese's peanut cup minis

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place your cupcake liners in your pan.
In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, or your stand mixer bowl using the paddle attachment, mix together all of your ingredients, except the peanut butter cups for minute or two until well mixed.
Side Note: I didn't use Espresso Beans. I wasn't actually sure who at work did. Instead I used hot chocolate mix. I used the same amount, then microwaved it so it was nice and hot. Make sure it is well mixed if you do this. Then pour it into your batter.

 This was before the hot chocolate.

 This was after the hot chocolate.

 Fill your cupcake batter about 2/3 full.

 Get your cups out of the freezer. I left the wrappers on. I didn't want them to freeze together.

Take one cup and push it down about halfway into your filling. Place in the oven for 18-22 minutes. Make sure when you place a toothpick in the middle, that you don't hit the cup.

 Place them on a cooling rack when done. Start your frosting at this time.
Take your Peanut Butter and soft butter, and mix them on low to medium speed.

 Slowly add in the powdered sugar in small doses. As always, I recommend covering the blender with a towel just in case. Just don't catch the towel in the mixer.

Add your vanilla, and your milk in small doses, while blending on low speed. Add milk until it is the desired thinness.  Keep blending for about 5-7 minutes until nice and fluffy.  It should look like this when it is done.

 I placed mine in a bag, then cut out a small opening in the corner. Easier clean up that way.

 Here are the cupcakes fresh out of the oven.

 Make sure you fill up the hole with frosting before topping the rest. I found out very quickly that the rest of the frosting sinks, so it messes up your swirl.
Tada!!!

 So yummy!

Recipe courtesy of The Little Kitchen
Enjoy!!!

Play it again Sam...

As all of you know, I'm an Itunes Junky.  All things Itunes too, not just music.  I love the free tv shows, the movie rentals, and all the apps you can think of.  Today, though, is about music. I have a tendency to download songs, and play them over and over again. Here are my repeat offenders for the last week. Check them out.

The first one is Nicki Minaj- Superbass. The video is crazy, like she is, but I love the beats and chorus in this one.
Superbass

The other one is Paramour- All I wanted. I'm a big fan of  the series, Spartacus, on the Starz network.   The new season is coming up soon. This was the song in the commercial for the network. It's an awesome commercial, and the song is what makes it . Paramour is a great band. If you don't know them, well, I'm sad for you. You should be listening to them.
Paramour

If you don't know the songs check them out, you won't be disappointed!
Rock out and Enjoy!