Review: Hana Blowdryer!

I was contacted a few weeks ago by Brian from Misikko to try out the new Hana Professional Blow dryer

I was beyond thrilled because having naturally wavy/curly hair I use a lot of product, blow dryer and straightener + more product to get my hair straight and none frizzy.

When I received my package I received all these wonderful goodies and it was so wonderfully packaged

Here is my after picture!

Ladies this was amazing! I was so impressed. It was the best blow dryer I have ever used! Now I know why salons can get your hair perfect with out a flat iron.

I used my normal big sexy hair mouse and  Hi 10 split end mender and blew dry my hair as normal, but in the end it looked like the picture above without a flat iron! I am so happy with this product!

If you are in the market for a new blow dryer I would recommend this one. It really is amazing!

** I received a free blow dryer in compensation for this post but all thoughts are my own**

White Chicken Chili

We love chili at our house but we wanted to change it up

So when I found this recipe for white chicken chili but I was all over it!

And its not that bad. About 400 per servings and it makes I would say 4-6 depending on your portion size

Before cooking

After cooking with a side of cornbread :)

It was so good, a little spicy and not as soupy as your traditional chili. We will definitely be adding this to our menu rotation!

Ingredients:

1 can black beans ( rinsed)

1 can corn, undrained

1 can Rotel, undrained

1 package ranch dressing mix

1 tsp cumin

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 8 oz package light cream cheese

2 chicken breasts

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1 cup of diced onion

1 Tablespoon of Olive Oil

2 Garlic cloves minced

Directions:

Set your crock pot to low and add chicken, onions and garlic, black beans, corn, rotel, all the seasonings, ranch mix.

Stir

Add cream cheese on top and cover and cook for 6 – 8 hours on low.

Before serving shred chicken using two forks.

If you make it let me know! I hope you enjoy it!

Weekend Recap!

This weekend was pretty low key for us!

After Andrew helping me write my 12 page grad school paper all week that was due Friday we really just wanted to relax and enjoy some quality time with each other.

Friday night I made dinner, we rented a movie (5 year engagement) and enjoyed some Halloween themed cookies and Hot Chocolate

The movie was so funny except every 20 minutes it would skip 5 minutes. We called redbox and they gave us 2 free movie codes! 

Saturday we went with friends to Wild Wings Cafe to watch the NC State Vs. Carolina Game.

Lets just say we didn't win and I don't want to talk about it but this picture shows how I feel about our rivalry!

Saturday night we enjoyed one of our free redbox codes and rented the Avengers, we saw it in theatres but Andrew's obsessed so we watched it again

Sunday night we went to church and the came home to relax before small group

I graded paper while Andrew and the dogs did a lot of this

Our small group was pumpkin themed so I made my first pumpkin roll of the fall. We came home with some extra so I can't wait to enjoy it with some coffee tomorrow for breakfast!

Hope you enjoyed your weekend and are ready to take on Monday tomorrow!

Pretty Little Liars...Halloween Edition Questions!

So for all my other Pretty Little Liar Fans out there last night was very interesting...

If you haven't watched yet.. stop reading!

I have some questions:

1. Is Ezra part of A's team:

Yes, I said it. First Toby now Ezra. However I don't think he may be on A's team for the same reason I think Toby is on A's team. He was so wierd about not being able to go to end up there in the end?

2. Was Mona there? I feel like she could have been one of the masked people! She made that mask,and she was part of the last plot. There is no way she would miss out on something so big!

3. Who was the Queen of hearts?? Like the girls talked about in the show it was probably a man by the size of the nail but who? Ezra??

4. Alison and the body bag? Was it hers, it has to be! And how grossed out would you have been if you were drinking out of that ice chest all night!

5. CREEEEPPY Girl at Hanna's house??? What the heck? 

6.The hand at the end, I don't think that really happened. I think they just added that for the Halloween Episode??

So do any of you have any thoughts??

I am sad to have to wait till January for my answers. Why can't we have a Thanksgiving and Christmas Episode!!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup :)

With the weather getting cooler, soups and stews make a weekly appearance on our dinner menu and this week I made Chicken Tortilla Soup :)

Ingredients:

• 1
  tablespoon olive oil

• 1/2
  large yellow onion diced

• 2
  cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1
  jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped

• 2
  teaspoons chili powder

• 1
  teaspoon dried oregano

• 1
  teaspoon ground cumin

• 1
  quart reduced-sodium chicken broth

• 1 1/4
  pounds plum tomatoes, diced ( I used can diced tomatoes)

• 1
  4 1/2 ounce can green chilies

• 1
  15 ounce can hominy, drained

• 1/2
  teaspoon salt

• 2
  cups shredded, cooked chicken

• 1/3
  cup chopped fresh cilantro

• 1
  ripe avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced

• Lime wedges for serving
  
  
  Recipe:
  1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeno. Cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, oregano and cumin; cook 1 minute more.

  2. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, chiles, hominy and salt. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the chicken; simmer 10 minutes more. Stir in the cilantro.

  3. Ladle into individual bowls and serve garnished with the avocado slices and the lime wedges.

  
  

  What are your favorite fall soups and stews? I would love for you to share so I can add them to my weekly dinner rotation!

Unplanned Night on the town

If you would have asked me Friday morning what I was doing this weekend I would have said absolutely nothing.

But as you will see our weekend was very full and it was completely spur of the moment and yet we had the best time out with our friends.

On Friday our friends Bennett and Laura both texted us after long weeks at work to head out for dinner and drinks.

Andrew and I had already started dinner but met up after wards to enjoy some time relaxing after a long weekend with a beautiful view of the Raleigh skyline and great friends

Andrew and I

Laura and I

Downtown at Boylan Bridge.. beautiful view of Raleigh at night

Soft Pretzels with Beer Cheese

After Boylan Bridge we ventured a little farther downtown and went to a few of our favorite spots. We spent the majority of our night at Issac Hunters. Laura and Bennett decided to spend the majority of their night playing this game.

Laura was a nanny for a while in college so she dominated!

I played to but this time I won!

Ending out night we took a picture with the Raleigh Cows. Closest thing we get to our hometown of Union County in the big city of Raleigh!

How was your weekend?

Fair Fun

So today is the last day of the North Carolina State Fair so I found it extremely appropriate to recap out time spent there.

The fair is especially important for us and we go every year. Why you ask?

 Well Andrew and I started dating when I was a Junior in high school and he was a Sophomore in College and the very first time I visited him at NC State he took me to the NC State Fair.

So we have made sure we have gone every year since there to remember it!

My sister and her boyfriend Dylan came up to go with us and we had a wonderful time!

Starting out with a picture at the light house

My Deep fried Reese and Andrew's deep fried PB & J

Cassandra and Dylan

Apple Cider Freezie

Dried Tobacco Leaves.. appropriate in NC 

 Our Pictures with the Oscar Myer Car

The pumpkin awards

The cow and the 11 day old calf

Ending our night with some pig races :)

Enjoying our 7th year at the NC State Fair :)

Friday Letters

So I have actually never participated in Friday Letters but I feel like I have a lot of randoms to say so here we go..

Dear Friday,
This week has been one for the books. Nothing crazy happened but I feel as though all the motions of the week took so much effort. What is up with that? I am thankful its jean day at work, cause I hit my snooze button to many times and I'm pooped!

Dear Track-Out,
Why do you have to be 3 weeks away? I am ready for a 3 week vaca and to celebrate Thanksgiving and Andrews 27th Birthday :)

Dear Andrew,
I love you. I am so grateful for you.

Dear College,
Why did I decide it was a good idea to go back? Now I have a 12 page pointless paper that has nothing to do with education and I have no motivation!

Dear Weekend,
Sorry I wont enjoy to much fun with you this weekend. See that 12 page paper.. I will be on the couch all weekend doing that.

Dear Cooper,
Please don't eat anything else crazy! You are already worth a couple thousand dollars from vet visits so lets leave it at that!

Dear Summit Church,
Thank you for being a wonderful church community. I love that I have deepening my relationship with you and Christ everyday.

Dear Holiday Season,
You are fast approaching! I can't believe it. I am anxiously waiting to put my Christmas tree up!!!

An Emergency Vet Trip

Well by know you all know I love my dogs!

But man does Cooper give us a handful. I keep telling us its preparing us for kids but a girl can only take so much!

So here is what this little guy thought would be a great addition to his dinner

Yup that would be my cord to my work computer.

Needless to say that is not nutritious for a dog and to the vet we went.

Couple hundred dollars, some x-rays and some meds.

Cooper is back to normal but looks like he will be staying in his crate instead of roaming the house while we are gone!

I am "All In"

We started a new series at church called "All In" and the main question our preacher JD asked was are we All In for Christ or are we just part of his Fan Club?

Today as a church we are practicing fasting. We are fasting till noon and using it as a time of prayer and reflection. I decided to join the challenge. I always participate in Lent during the Easter season but I have never fasted. Fasting is not a way to gain acceptance from God but as a way to reach closer to him during and remember our absolute dependence on Him.

During this time before Christmas I am seeking a closer faith with the Lord and longing for a Heart that seeks only him. I am looking for less pleasure in material things and gaining more pleasure and joy in Him.

I have decided to not purchase for myself any wants for the remainder of the year. Instead I will be focusing my attention on what I have and how grateful and blessed I am.

Jesus in my place.

Chili Roasted Salmon and Veggies with Cilantro Cream Sauce

So I love a good seafood recipe and especially if I can make it for two.

So this Chili Roasted Salmon was just what we needed!

 Sure I could have made the presentation a little prettier but its Monday night so lets not get to crazy!

Here's the Recipe:

Heat the oven to 425 degrees

Combine 3/4 cup of corn, 1/2 a bell pepper, 1/4 red onion, 1/2 poblano pepper and 1tbsp of EVOO in a bowl and spread on a baking sheet

Create Marinade: 1 TBSP Lime Juice, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, 2 cloves chopped garlic

Place Salmon on the baking sheet and cover with some of the marinade, mix the leftover marinade in with the vegetable mixture

Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes

Cilantro Cream Sauce:

2tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1/3 cup sour cream

2 tbsp lime juice

Enjoy!

My poor husband..

Pray for him...

No hes not ill but he may have a rough weekend because the Hart Sisters will be together in full force this weekend :)

( The Hart sisters aka my sister and I)

My sister and her boyfriend Dylan will be driving up today to spend a fun filled weekend with us.

Here are our plans: 

NC State Fair

NC State Mens Basketball Red and White Game

Bonding Time aka annoying the boys

Then Sunday.. home she goes!

So pray for Andrew and Cassandra's boyfriend Dylan as when we are together we are in full force. 

I apologize in advance for my lack of blogging till Sunday when I will give you a full recap  of the fun :)

Our Fall Line Up

So with Fall finally here our tv watching is in full force.

While most think couples should spend less time watching tv, we enjoy our time together, we bond cause its something we enjoy and look forward to that time cuddling and talking about our predictions

So here is a look at our TV on a weekly basis

Sunday

We loved this show the first season, but now they are trying to steal some Dementors from Harry Potter. I will give it the rest of the season before we make our final decision. Hopefully it will turn around.

Tuesday

NCIS was the result of one snowed in weekend with netflix. We watched all the seasons available and then we were hooked!

New Girl: If you don't watch it you should. So funny! I love Zoe!

Glee: I love Glee and the concept but they are running out of ideas. I don't know how many seasons after this it will last!

Wednesday

Modern Family: What is not to love about this family! Gloria is preggo, Lilly is just as adorable and Clair cracks me up. This is one fam I would love to be a part of!

Psych: Another result of netflix. If you love any sort of law and order or criminal show, combine it with a comedy and you will get psych!

Thursday

So this show is only 2 episodes in but its pretty good. It kind of reminds me of Lost!

The most awesome nerd show you will ever see. I love Sheldon! Bazinga!

So these are "our shows". I recommend them all. Do you have any shows you watch with your significant other ??

Follower to Friends ....

I am super excited to be co-hosting the Follower to Friends Blog Hop this week!

Check out the rules below and follow along!

<a href="http://www.iampiscesw.com/"> <img src="http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg566/iampiscesw/FTFNEWBUTTON200-1.jpg" /></a>

Bye Bye Old Blue..

So my trust old car final bit the dust!

2004 Blue Hyundai Elantra

My parents bought me this car brand new when I got my license so I was very blessed to have this car last me all through college and into my post grad life.

But last week I posted for yall this picture

And from there old blue went down hill

We took her to the shop and it was just the oxygen sensor.. easy fix right

well not if when you open the hood it no longer shuts.. that's right the latch broke to shut my hood.

Soo the cost to fix it outweighed the value of the car so off to the dealerships we went.

Luckily I knew I was going to have to get a new car soon so I had been looking and really wanted a jeep.

Andrew of course told me to keep my options open so I looked at the following cars:

Chevy Equinox

Ford Escape

Mazda CX-7

but I came home with this

2013 Jeep Patriot :)

I am in love :)

Wordless Wednesday

:(