Easy Shepherd's Pie

I got this recipe from KraftFoods.com and decided to give it a try. I've never made (or had) shepherd's pie before but it looked good so I gave it a whirl.

This was really simple and easy and VERY tasty the guys loved it and we had enough for left overs which is always great!

Ingredients:
1 lb. of hamburger meat
2 cups of hot mashed potatoes (I made homemade mashed potatoes)
4 oz. of cream cheese
1 cup of cheddar cheese, divided
4 cups of frozen mixed veggies, thawed
1 cup of beef gravy
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Directions:
1. Brown the beef in a large skillet until no longer pink, drain
2. Mix potatoes, garlic, cream cheese and half a cup of cheddar cheese, put aside
3. Mix thawed mixed veggies, meat and gravy together, put in a 13x9 pan
4. Spread potato mixture on top of meat/veggie mixture and sprinkle with remaining half cup of cheddar cheese.
5. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes on 375

See now how easy was that?!

Hair-apy Part I

I have been so bored with my hair lately (I have a love hate relationship with it honestly) that I've been considering chopping it all off to about just above my shoulders like I had it in high school BUT then I think about how long it took me to grow it out (2 1/2 years) and how I can put it up easily and do a few more things with it that I chicken out. My hair at this point is so long that it just hangs there like a mop. Boring and BLAH! So in my quest to find something new to do to my hair I decided I had one of two choices:

1. Dye my hair which I've really been wanting to dye it dark brown for a while especially after seen Reese Witherspoon in Walk The Line as June Carter Cash.

or

2. Find some new hair styles and see if that tickles my fancy.

So way back in October I had boudior photos taken for J. as a wedding gift. I had my hair done at a salon and I told the girl I wanted it like an old vintage pin-up girl would wear her hair. So what we came up with was loose wavy curls. Now what no one understands here is my hair does not EVER hold curl (not for very long atleast) but somehow this girl got it to stay AND to top it all off she curled it with a STRAIGHTENER!

In my quest for new hair styles I looked on youtube for videos on how exactly to curl your hair with a straightener and I struck gold!

Take a look, it seems so simple! This girl is funny.



After watching this I feel like I could possibly do this with a little bit of styling product and a good straightener. So tomorrow I'm going to head off and find a nice straightener and some good product.

Does anyone have any good suggestions for a good straightener (not a CHI) and product?

I'll let you in on the results!

Happy Valentines Day!

Or if you are single Happy Single's Awareness Day! (I do not miss those days!)

Just short and sweet for today. Hope everyone has a great Valentine's with their significant others. I'll be back on Monday (maybe Tuesday the hubby has a 3 day SCORE!)

Comment and tell me what you and your honey did for Valentines Day.

Everyone Else Is Doing It!

So you & I should too! No I'm not talking about jumping off a bridge, I'm talking about the Sproost find your style quiz, I saw Katie over at Bower Power had taken it & now John & Sherry at This Young House have done it so I jumped on the bandwagon so to say.

I have to say I tend to agree with this quizzes' results more than others I've taken in the past. Here are my results:





Nantucket Style

Oh how you love the beach! Who doesn't, right? And so your dream home is either perched in your favorite beach town, or you've brought that favorite beach town into your house.

Your art and accessories speak directly to the activities that are found at the beach. Pieces of driftwood you found here, pictures or paintings of the amazing views there. Things that remind you of the coast - surf boards or fishing boats - are found throughout the house.(not so much!) The feeling of the seaside is both abstract and literal in the design of your space. The fabrics are natural, cottons and linens and are light in color and touch. Much of the furniture is wood or wood framed (the lighter the better, think driftwood!) and wicker, when done right, is a must.

And since your true inspiration is the sea, the colors and textures in your home are the same that you would find at your favorite beach: white, light beiges and grays of the sand and driftwood, a variety of blues for the ocean and sky, and greens and vibrant blues of the sea glass� but the key is white! Your space should feel light and airy and give off the mood one has when at the beach: laid back!

Your furniture is comfortable and the layout is cozy. The more it reminds you of actually sitting on the warm sand, the better! And what do you do at the beach? Hang out with family and friends - and your home is just an extension of this play place. And though the space is filled with large white furniture, it somehow manages to feel both durable and casual.

**This pretty much describes the way I want my home to feel and the look I'm going for!**

Drink Up

In my quest to be healthier these days I have taken up many new activities and trying to develop habits out of them. For example, I told you I've started running as a form of exercise. I'm also trying to eat healthier and drink more water.

Now I know it's been said that you should drink 8 8oz. glasses of water per day but if I were to do that it would send me to the bathroom every 10 minutes. So I found this hydration calculator that determines how much water you need to drink based on your weight, amount of exercise, the climate you live in, pregnancy/breast feeding, etc.

I admittedly weight 87 pounds (I've always been like this people!) I exercise for 25-30 minutes every other day I'm not pregnant or breastfeeding, I don't live in a harsh climate or a high altitude, nor am I sick with a fever or diarrhea.

Based on all of that I should drink 46.5 ounces of water a day to stay hydrated. So basically I will drink 48 oz. I have a measured bottle I take with me to the gym and it's 24 oz. so I'll just have to drink 2 of those which should be easy!

*edit* I'm an idiot I never realized I didn't link it up it's there now SO SO sorry guys!

Run Like The Wind

Well I officially started my running routine today that I mentioned in a previous post.

It wasn't so bad. I definitely worked up a sweat but I wasn't dying. To me that is pretty darn great considering I have not exercised in a good 4 years!

I definitely recommend the routine that Bryn over @ Newlywedisms tried. It is definitely a great way to work up to being able to run for awhile.

Another thing that I really love about exercising is that I feel GREAT after and I have A LOT more energy throughout the day. Plus, it encourages me to drink more water than I have been.

I went all gungho last night and bought two new shirts and a pair of running pants, some new sports bras, socks and a water bottle. I also got a new pair of running shoes which J. got me for Valentine's Day. Such a sweetie I tell ya!

What I did was walk at a pretty good pace (about 3.2 on the treadmill monitor)for 10 minutes; then I ran at about 5.2 for one minute then walked at 3.2 for one minute and continued this for 10 minutes. Then I did a cool down for 5 minutes. I will do the run 1/walk 1 2 more times (Wednesday & Friday) and then next Monday I'll do run 2/walk 2 for 3 days and then just work my way up from there.

If anyone would like to join in on the challenge with me I definitely encourage you to do so! Just comment below and let me know. You can do this outside or inside on a treadmill; which is my method of choice because I'd probably trip and kill myself running outside!

February Goals (a little late)

Katie over at Bower Power does this every month & I also saw Working Woman's Guide to Domestic Success (that's a mouth full!) is also attempting. I think this is a novel idea because it makes you think in shorter terms as far as time goes so that may help me because I have a hard time when I know a goal is going to take forever to accomplish. So maybe month by month will help out.

I started FLYlady with my bestie so I want to keep on going with that; having someone to do the challenge with me and keep me motivated is really helping.

Make a propetual birthday & anniversary calender (I have a lot of birthdays and anniversaries to keep up with)

Organize and clean out the closets & drawers of old clothes and donate them

Make a list of basic clothes that I do need and slowly accumulate those basics

Get all thank you cards written and sent out (I'm a horrible person)

Clean out the Ipod and update it with some new music

Run three times a week using Bryn's method

Product Love: Cover Girl Lash Exact Eyelights Mascara

OK, usually I don't do this but I just had to tell you guys about this stuff. In early January I decided it was finally time to throw the old mascara away and buy a new tube. I usually go with Maybelline Full Lash but decided to try something new on a whim.

I was going to try the Almay eye color enhancing mascara but at almost $10 at Walmart I decided to walk the other way. So as I was perusing the aisles I found this and it was basically the same exact thing as the Almay mascara just $3 cheaper so I tossed it in my cart and decided to give it a whirl.

I brought it home and decided to use it that day. Let me tell ya I love this stuff! It really does "brighten your eyes" as they say on the package. Even with just the mascara on and nothing else I feel more made up and fresh than I did previously with a whole ton of gunk on my face.

J. even noticed a difference. That day he walked in and said "you look different, but good different. What is different? Are you wearing makeup?" I replied "yeah just not a whole lot like usual" and he said he liked it so that gives it even more kudos if the husband notices and likes it!

Anyways, as far as the product goes it doesn't clump and it comes in either waterproof or just regular non waterproof. I got the waterproof and I don't have any problem with raccoon eyes or anything it stays put all day long (and long into the night when I forget to take it off before going to bed) man if Hilary knew I said that she'd show me pictures of eyelash mites again and tell me creepy eyelash falling out stories.

So, in terms of a number rating I give this mascara a 9, and that's only because when I do take it off at night I kind of have to be a little generous with the eye makeup remover and work a little harder than usual to take it off but to me it's worth it.

My work is getting in the way of my blogging!

I'm sorry everyone really I am! It seems every time there is going to be a lull in the storm there comes another big wave of work to do. But I'll try and be better about blogging more often even when it's really heavy with work! Wish me luck!

But to make up for it I have a great recipe that I found on fellow blogger Heather's blog and decided to try. Plus you should definitely read her stuff she's great!

Easy Beef Stroganoff
Source: Heather of Heather Drive

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 (12-16 oz.) package egg noodles
- 1 packet Lipton Beefy Onion Soup
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup water
- 1 (16 oz.) container of sour cream

Directions:
1. Start water to boil for noodles. In medium skillet, brown beef over medium-high heat.

2. Once beef is brown, add soup packet with enough water to moisten it. Mix well until soup mix is combined with beef.

3. When water is boiling, add egg noodles and cook according to package instructions. Once done, drain. Return noodles to pot and put back on stove over low heat.

4. Add beef/soup mixture to noodles. Add sour cream until creamy (we usually end up using the whole container). Stir until well combined and heated through. Serve immediately.

This is quick & easy and makes A LOT we had enough left over for one lunch & dinner the next night!