It's in the bag

With each new season I get the urge to change up my wardrobe. Do you? Today I'm dreaming of a new handbag. Take a look at these beauties! Do you have a favorite?

gianni bini   kate spade   steve madden

kate spade   betsey johnson   dooney & bourke

Nail Polish Favorites

Like any girl I love nail polish! I am always on the look-out for new colors to try.  But today I thought I'd share the four Essie polish colors I use over and over.

Mod Square  Secret Story  Peach Daiquiri  Turquoise & Caicos

Sunday Praise

Source: blugi.deviantart.com viaAmerican Bible Society on Pinterest

Good Friday

"For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 NLT

Source: American Bible Society on Pinterest

Made in the Shade(s)

The sun beating down on the melting snow has me thinking about sunglasses. Oh the glare!

I haven't always enjoyed wearing sunglasses, they mess up my make up by leaving marks on my nose... What a pain! However, wrinkles around my eyes would be a bigger pain. SoOoOo... sunglasses it is!

Take a look at these cuties!

aviator   cat eye   oversized   swirly   wayfarer

Please Pass the Butter

Who doesn't love a warm, buttery biscuit?  I know I can't pass one or three  up!

Growing up both of my grandmother's made amazing biscuits. My maternal grandmother even made sweet potato biscuits. She always kept count of how many biscuits she made and how many we ate! After she took her biscuits out of the oven she would cut each one open and add butter. The butter melted into the warm biscuit... It was perfection! Any leftovers were turned into the best cheese toast the next day. You haven't had cheese toast until you've had it made with a biscuit!

NB has become the chief biscuit baker in our home. He's really good at it too! We use Paula Deen's recipe from her cookbook Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible and it is a great one. Give these biscuits a try and let me know what you think!

Buttery Buttermilk Biscuits

adapted from Paula Deen 

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small bits

1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or your hands. Using a spatula, fold the buttermilk into flour mixture until moist. (If flour mixture is still dry after adding buttermilk drizzle in additional buttermilk one tablespoon at a time until moist.)

Sprinkle a small handful of flour over a work surface. Turn the dough out onto the surface and knead lightly two or three times with the palms of your hands until the mixture comes together. Pat the dough until it's a rectangle. Using a biscuit cutter or a drinking glass cut biscuits. You should get nine biscuits with this recipe. 

Place the biscuits on the prepared baking sheet and bake until light golden brown, about 12 minutes.

Enjoy with lots of butter! 

Snow Day!

Snow, snow & more snow! Winter struck one last blow (we hope!) on Sunday... And honestly I didn't mind one bit! I love a good snow day.

Sunday afternoon in the middle of the storm Northern Boy decided we should venture outside... He loves a good snow day too! Boy, was it messy out there. Thankfully our car has 4 wheel drive and Northern Boy has plenty of experience driving in the snow. His expertise came in handy... NB pushed 3 stuck cars out of the snow! It was a fun little adventure.

 After our "field trip" we spent the rest of Sunday at home. NB  made biscuits (more on that later this week), we watched movies and I got to use the snow blower!

All in all it was a great weekend!  But now I'm ready for Spring!

Minty Fresh

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Sunday Praise

Source: bluegrasssavers.com viaAmerican Bible Society on Pinterest

Spicy Spaghetti (Spaghetti Aglio, Olio, e Peperoncino)

I love to cook. An according to Northern Boy I've only made one bad meal (I'm not so sure!)... And boy was it bad! We hadn't been married very long when I decided to try a recipe for a barbecued chicken and beans concoction cooked in an aluminum oven bag.

When I took it out of the oven it looked good enough to eat... But with one bite I realized the recipe had a major flaw... The barbecue rub for the chicken was so salty it made the whole dish inedible! After pushing it around my plate for a few minutes I turned to Northern Boy and stated the obvious, that it was too salty. Much to my surprise he had eaten every bite! He put his taste buds "at risk" to make sure I wouldn't be upset over my first failed meal! He's a keeper!

This recipe is also a keeper. Despite Northern Boy being a "Meat & Potatoes Guy" this has quickly become one of his favorite meals (mine too!)... It only takes a few minutes to prepare and it is delicious!

Spicy Spaghetti

Adapted from YumSugar

Ingredients:

8 ounces of Spaghetti
3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Shaved Parmesan, optional

Directions:

Cook spaghetti according to package directions, drain. Set aside.

Add olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to pasta pot.

Once oil mixture begins to sizzle add pasta and toss. Serve with shaved parmesan.

Makes 4 - 1 cup servings.

Daily Make Up Favorites

If you know me it should come as no surprise that one of my first blog posts would be about make up. Saying that I love make up would be an understatement! I have always wanted to be a make up artist (hopefully someday!) and even did my sister's make up on her wedding day. (Hi, Strawberry!)

So today I'm going to share my "every day" make up favorites with you...

St. Ives Timeless Skin Collagen Elastin Moisturizer - I have been using this for a few year now and wouldn't dream of using anything else. It's light yet does the job perfectly.

Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturizer Oil Free SPF 15 - Looking for a tinted moisturizer but also want great coverage? Give this one a try. A little goes a long way and it lasts all day. 

Urban Decay Naked2 Pallete - This is my go-to eyeshadow pallete. I find myself using Tease (creamy matte brown) on my lid & Snake Bite (dark bronze shimmer) in my crease almost daily.

Urban Decay 24//7  Glide On Eye Pencil in Zero - A super creamy eye pencil that really stays put.

L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Black Brown - This is definitely comparable to a high-end mascara for less than half the price!

Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Make Up Setting Spray - I recently started using this spray in place of a primer and it is doing the trick. I ignore the directions on the back and spray evenly across my face until it is quite wet. Then I fan or use the cool setting on my hair dryer until the spray has dried.

Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Naked Dolly - This nude shade works great over my dark lips and unlike most nude lipsticks this one doesn't make me look like the walking dead! And you can't beat the rich, creamy, moisturizing texture.

St. Ives Timeless Skin Moisturizer

Hourglass Illusion Tinted Moisturizer

Urban Decay Naked2 Palette

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Pencil in Zero

L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara in Black Brown

Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Make Up Setting Spray
Too Faced La Creme Lipstick in Naked Dolly

Here we go...

I read a lot of blogs... Fashion blogs, beauty blogs and more than my fair share of food blogs! So... after hearing my husband, Northern Boy, suggest for the hundredth time that I should blog I've decided to give it a try.

I'm hoping to use this as a place to share my favorite recipes, beauty products and anything else that comes to mind! I'll definitely be learning as I go! 

Let's give this a whirl!