Painting With a Twist

Thursday night 4 of my coworkers and I decided to have a fun night out. We went to Painting With a Twist. I had never heard of it, but one of the girls found out about it so we decided to try it. It's basically a fun night out with some friends where you drink a little wine and learn how to paint! Yes, we painted a Funky Chicken! What a blast we had. They have a teacher who walks you through each step and in 2 hours you have a masterpiece(at least that's what I am calling mine).
This was just a fun night out I can't wait to do it again. I think I have Bob talked into making it a date night for us as well at some point. They have some paintings where there are 2 that go together, so you can do it as a couple. They have a ton to choose from. They also do private parties which would be great for a bridal shower or birthday party. It truly was one of the funnest things I have done in a while. I will be framing my Funky Chicken this weekend and finding a prominent place to hang him in our house, that's how proud I am!!

Here are a few shots of us having fun and also a group shot at the end with our masterpieces. Oh and our instructor, Sharon, was so much fun. We went to the location in Trinity FL and highly recommend it if you live in the area. She was awesome, thanks, Sharon!

Keurig House Party!!!

For those who have not heard of it yet, there is a very cool site called House Party. They post various parties that you can apply to host and they  give you the supplies. Well, I had signed up a few times, but was never selected. I signed up again maybe a litte more than a week ago and received notification last week that I was selected to host a Keurig Vue House Party!! I have the Keurig Special Edition brewer, which I love, but will be receiving the Keurig Vue Brewer for hosting the party. I couldn't be more excited! It's an awesome brewer from what I have seen and read and now I get to own one just for having some friends over for coffee!  Along with the brewer, they provide tons of coffee, some cookies, cups, napkins, etc. I'm planning on making some cookies, squares, maybe a cake. I also got a KitchenAid stand mixer for my birthday from my family, so my kitchen is becoming quite the place to be.

I've been doing a lot more baking, some of it successful, some not, but it's all about trying new stuff. Now I need to really branch out and get the pasta attachment and try my hand at homemade pasta. I haven't used the dough hook yet either, but that is on the list of things to do as well. That's all for now, until next time.

Birthday Shopping

Last weekend was my birthday, Sunday to be exact. So Saturday I figured I needed to do a little pre birthday shopping. I was actually just looking for a sundress. First stop, Bealls Outlet. While they had zero dresses, I did manage to find a cute turquoise camisol for about $3 and a great bargain on a green Chicos jacket. If you have ever been to Chicos, you'll understand the bargain. Their jackets typically are at least $100, I got mine for $8, yes $8. Even the cashier was impressed. I probably won't wear it for a while, the heat index being over 100 degrees and all, but it will be a nice addition to my fall and winter wardrobe. I also picked up a shirt for Bob (I usually do that when I shop, then he can't say anything, although to give him credit, he wouldn't anyways).
I headed next to another Bealls Outlet in hopes of finding the elusive sundress. No luck again, but I did pick up a couple of pairs of flip flops for good measure.

Still looking for my dress and getting tired, I decided one more stop and then that was it. Right next door is the regular Bealls so off I went. I dug thru the sale dresses for quite a while, took about 5 or 6 into the fitting room with me. Well, the first one I tried on I loved!! I mean really, really loved! Here it is in aquamarine(they only had black at Bealls):

Naturally, I had to get it. It's so flattering. It wasn't at all what I was actually looking for, but that's when you end up finding the best stuff. Well, I was determined to find another one I loved it so much.
So I did some online searching and ended up finding it in the aquamarine at Boscov's Department store(never heard of them, but they have some great prices). It should be here sometime next week. If I could only find them in enough colors to wear one every day, I probably would buy them all! I'll tell more about the rest of my birthday weekend soon! Until next time.

New Razor

About a month ago I ordered a pair of super cute shoes from 6pm.com (a great site, by the way) and when they arrived they had also sent me a free Schick Hydro Silk Razor.
While I thought it was a bit odd, I figured what the heck. I actually forgot about it until I needed to replace the disposable razor I had in the shower (I think I had the CVS brand, not thrilled with it, although I do love CVS). Well, I remembered my free razor so I opened it up and used it. Wow!!!! I can't say enough about it. We have a walk in shower so it's hard to shave my legs and I actually have scars on my ankles from shaving. No more scars for me! This razor is amazing. It's got 5 blades instead of the standard 2 or 3, maybe 4 if you are lucky, and water activated moisturizing serum which actually does an amazing job. I haven't priced them or the refills as this was a freebie for me, but even if it's kind of pricey, I will be buying it. My legs have never been smoother and they are nick free!

Oh, and here is a picture of the shoes:

They are a bit high, but actually pretty comfortable and they are the perfect neutral color that goes with just about everything. And as for the site I got them, www.6pm.com, give them a try. They have a ton of stuff, good prices and fast shipping. Well, that's about all for now. Next I will be posting before and after pics of my new home office, but I still have a few more small items to get in place. I did just get the lamp today, but still need a chair and some artwork along with a few accessories. Make it a great day!

Naked Wines

So about 2 months ago I signed up on line to be a beta taster for a new online wine company. Truly, I never thought I would be chosen, but as luck would have it, I was! I couldn't have been more excited. A few weeks later, about the 2nd week of June, I received my first 6 bottles of wine to taste. I received the shipment at work since it has to be signed for and I have to say, I had some jealous coworkers! Anyways, it took about 2 weeks, but I finished the 6 bottles(with just a little help from Bob) and wrote my reviews on their site, http://us.nakedwines.com/, and really enjoyed myself! Well, I did such a good job, they sent me a second shipment! Here is a pic of my 2nd shipment:

Again, really loved all the wines I tried. Naked Wines supports independant winemakers so you will get wines you can't find in stores and I love to support the little guy! And since I did all my reviews and have been quite active on their boards on their website, they have asked me to start a Florida Naked Wines group on their website! I was so honored and will be creating the group this weekend. If you go their site and then the groups tab, you will see the group I am heading up sometime this weekend! I am starting their first regional group! Yay me!! If it takes off, they will look into sending wine so I can host wine tasting parties, how fun would that be! Anyways, just wanted to share what fun this has been. If you are a wine drinker, be sure to check out their site. They can't ship to all states yet, but if they can and you are interested, let me know and I can share their voucher for $100 of $160 worth of wine, a great bargain! Oh and their prices are great as well! Enjoy!

I'm Back!

Well, I am back. The last post I made I said I would write about our road trip, but as that was almost a year ago, I guess I'll skip that and start new.
I am going to try to make at least one post per week and hopefully it will be easier once my new home office is ready to go. We finally were able to sell our huge day bed, so there's a bit more room for me to set up shop. We did get a treadmill and that is in that room, but there is still room for a desk, my new chair, a small table and the tv as well. I'll be posting before and after pics in the next couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, I have had 2 requests, from Desiree and Veronique, for a recipe for Hasselback Potatos that I made last weekend so here you go girls! Enjoy!

Hasselback Potatos

Large baking potatos
olive oil
unsalted butter
sea salt
garlic cloves-sliced thinly

Wash the potatos. Cut the potatos thinly almost all the way thru. Place the sliced garlic cloves in between every few slices. Put a couple of pats of butter on each, sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with olive oil. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 40 minutes or until the potato flesh is tender and the top is lightly browned. Enjoy!

Road Trip

Well, I've been super busy and haven't had a chance to update my blog. Over the next week, I will be posting a couple of posts about our recent road trip. Suffice it to say, we, well mostly Bob, drover over 3300 miles in 11 days. We had a fabulous time and I'll tell everyone all about and add some pics as well. Until next time.