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  • Manicure Monday: ImPress Press-On Manicure

    Happy Monday good people!!  Today I’m taking a break from Mind Right Monday to link up with LA Lynn’s and Lipgloss & Binky for Manicure Monday.  So, I recently received the College VoxBox from Influenster.  And one the items I received was the ImPress Press-On Manicure.

    So, with Thanksgiving done and over with, I decided to try out my manicure yesterday.  They were really easy to put on.  Each nail is numbered.  So, once you find nails to fit one hand, you go from there and see if those same numbers will fit on the other hand.  Once you’ve selected your nails, you simply line the tabs up with your cuticles, peel it off and stick your manicure on.
    Well, it’s been about 24 hours since I put on my manicure.  I really love the leopard print.  Each spot is outlined with iridescent glitter, but with the camera flash you can’t really see it.  This a great design that can really go with a lot of different colored outfits.
    Now, what I didn’t like on this manicure is that once, I got my nails wet a few of them came off.  Thankfully, I had some nail glue handy and glued them on.  I think that adhesive used on these works like a suction cup.  And with my natural nails being short and wide the adhesive didn’t have enough nail to grip to.  So, there were gaps that let the water get in.
    Otherwise, I have no other complaints.  The nails themselves are flexible and have a little bend in them.  I hit one the other day and it bent to absorb the hit better.  Anybody who has or has had acrylic nails can tell you that those things don’t bend.  If you hit them, you will feel pain.
    I also like that the ImPress nails aren’t sharp.  Acrylic nails have sharp tips.  You can literally scratch your skin off if you’re not careful.  These have dull tips.  As a mom with a one year in diapers that’s really important because I don’t want to accidentally scratch my baby up.
    Overall, I am very happy with my manicure. I will be buying some more of these.  So, there are more Manicure Monday posts to come.   If you do try these just remember to keep a bottle of nail glue handy.  And nail glue is not expensive.  You can twin packs of Kiss Nail Glue from a variety of dollar stores for a $1.

  • Let The Countdowns Begin

    Can you believe that December is just days away?!  That means that 2013 is not far behind.  Wow, I feel like I blinked and this year was gone.  Anyways, we’ve started our countdowns.  December is a huge month for us.
    Moo’s birthday comes first.  Can’t believe that in a few days I’ll be saying that I’m the mother of a four year old.  It’s just hard to believe.  This whole motherhood thing is still so surreal some times.  I don’t take one moment of it for granted. 
    I turn the big 2-7 next month too!  I’m not really freaking out with only 3 years left before I hit 30.  Getting older just doesn’t bother me like it does others.  I welcome it.  I look it as a blessing to have survived another year on this earth when so many I know have passed on already.
    No big plans for the birthday.  Just being my little family will be celebration enough.  I will be doing it up for the 30th birthday though.  Please believe a plan is the works for that.  They involve passports and most likely a nanny!
    And of course, today is the one month till Christmas mark!!  Super excited.  Not just because of the presents, but I genuinely enjoy celebrating the birth of Jesus!  He is the ultimate gift of love.  Plus, the shows are more positive around Christmas time.  I’ve been avoiding cable and rewatching old seasons of Vampire Diaries and reading library books. 
    This garbage these networks have on tv now days just isn’t fitting to be watched.  There are a few good shows though.  However, once they go off back to Vampire Diaries or my books I go.  I’m also looking forward to cooking Christmas dinner with the Mr and baking cookies with Moo.
    Speaking of Moo, she’s informed me that I can’t be a Santa anymore.  Why?  Because I’m not a man.  Only Daddy can be Santa.  Glad we got that straight.  So, when she’s missing a gift off her Christmas list, it’ll be because she gave the list to me and not Daddy.
    Also happy to report that our tree is still standing.  JJ has been tugging and pushing on it something fierce.  Thank goodness for his chair and distracting toys.  Our tree is already on its last leg, but I want it to last until I can hit up an after Christmas sale and a get a fuller prelit tree for at least 75% off.
    Last but not least New Year’s Eve will be here in a little over a month.  Not sure what are plans will be.  Might try to go out and watch some fireworks Uptown.  Hopefully, we don’t waste our gas like last year.  There were absolutely no fireworks Uptown.  Think I might need to send out a special request letter to the city or something to make sure.
    Are you counting down?

  • I’m A Keeper

    “Rejection comes in one flavor and it ain’t sweet.  When you understand that someone out there wants what you have, you understand your position of being a KEEPER.  Keep looking, keep asking, keep the faith and focus on being a the KEEPER of the vision even when you are given a bitter taste of Rejection.  Some how. Some will.  Some won’t. So what?  Someone’s waiting for YOUR something.”

    When I saw these words, I knew they were for me. You see I’ve been dealing with rejection my entire life it seems.  Then again that’s nothing out of the ordinary because we all have to deal with rejection on a daily basis.  However, the rejections of my life did make me like I wasn’t a keeper.
    My familiarity with rejection dates back to my childhood. I can’t even begin to take about how watching my parents’ marriage fall apart and my father choosing not to be an active part of our lives has had a huge impact on my not feeling a like keeper. They say that time heals all wounds, but I think that some wounds can’t be healed.  You get either good at hiding them or you learn how to successfully manage them.
    Even with starting this blog, I’ve had to deal with rejection.  From comments from readers to rejection emails from brands who didn’t think YUMMommy was a good fit to help represent their brand.  But you know what?  I’ve made up my mind that contrary to what Beyonce says, I am irreplaceable!  You are irreplaceable!
    No, not everyone is going to see you that way, but like Lucinda says, we have to KEEP our vision.  We have KEEP our eyes on the prize.  So, no matter what your dream or what your situation is, don’t be discouraged.  You’re not going to fit into every crowd or every circle.  And that’s ok.  Create circle and support system you need.
    Being a KEEPER means getting outside of your comfort zone.  It means keeping your head up and not taking every rejection personal.  Most importantly it means being able to dust yourself off, get back up and keep moving forward.

  • Thanksgiving Hangover

    I’m sure many of us woke up suffering from a Thanksgiving hangover this morning.  I know that I did.  And I think Moo did too because she didn’t get up at usual time.  Not complaining about that though.  All I know is that when the Mr woke me up to tell me he was headed out to barber’s, all I could due was throw up the peace sign.
    To say I was feeling sluggish would have been an understatement.  My body felt like it weighed a million pounds.  All I could do was snuggle up next to my JJ and sleep my hangover off.  Thankfully by the time the Mr got back, I was able to make it out of the bed.  He had braved the long Black Friday lines still at Walmart and picked up a few gifts for the kids.  So, I wrapped and threw a few bows on those while I waited for our brunch to cook.
    Of course, Moo was up by this time and tried to sneak a peak at the gifts.  I was quick covered everything up before she could see it.  Sadly, my baby can’t keep a secret sometimes because she would have surely told JJ what his gift was.  I know it wouldn’t have been a big deal because he would have been clueless as to what she was talking about but still we’re going to have to work on the whole keeping gifts a secret concept.
    I decided to stay inside.  No braving the Black Friday madness for me.  Instead, I curled up with my Vampire Empire series and Fifty Shades Freed.  It felt good to enjoy a good paperback as opposed to reading books with my Kindle app on my phone or laptop.  Something about physically being able to turn the pages that heightens the experience for me. 
    Yeah, I’m a nerdy bookworm like that.  *Shrugs* And now I’m enjoying some more snuggle time with the kiddies while we wait for Frosty The Snowman to come on.  Oh the joy of the simple things!
    Did you participate in Black Friday or were you suffering from a Thanksgiving hangover too?

  • Thankful Thursday: Thanksgiving Edition

    It’s official folks. Thanksgiving Day is here!  Today also happens to be Thankful Thursday here on the blog.  So, let’s get this ball rolling.
    Today, I’m thankful that I got to wake up surrounded by my family.  A lot of people didn’t get to do this.  There are so many people still displaced due to Hurricane Sandy, in nursing homes, homeless or in hospitals. I don’t take having the chance to be with my husband and kids for granted one bit. I’ve seen how quickly the people you love can be taken away from you.
    And while we’re talking about family, I’m thankful that my blogger friend Rebecca from Let Them Eat Cake got a special Thanksgiving surprise today.  Her baby boy was able to come home after having been in the hospital since she delivered him earlier this month!  We had been praying for them that he would be home for Thanksgiving and definitely home before Christmas. It’s an amazing feeling when you find out that your prayer has been answered.  Join us in continuing to pray for them and their baby boy that he stays strong and healthy.
    Moo and I (mostly I) slaved away in the kitchen today to make a nice feast for the family today.  Happy to report that this may just be the best Thanksgiving dinner I’ve ever cooked.  We had my lemon herb turkey, baked macaroni and cheese, dressing, green casserole (Moo kept trying to eat the French’s onions), collard greens with smoked turkey neck, corn bread muffins, brown gravy and sweet potato pie. Haven’t had seconds yet, but I did have a pretty good nap with JJ.
    Thankful that the little ones got up in time to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade with me. I thought that Moo was going to sleep in since she didn’t get up at her usual time.  However, JJ sounded the wake up alarm and she got up.  We watched in our pjs on the couch.
    I’m thankful that JJ didn’t completely unwrap the Mr’s Christmas present. He got a hold of it while I went to bast the turkey.  Thankfully, he just ripped off the bow.  I can glue it back down and cover up the hole in the wrapping paper.  Y’all know I’m all about being Green and frugal.  If the hole would have been bigger, I had every intention of just sticking more bows on it. LOL.
    I’m thankful that we’re now enjoying A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.  It’s just not Thanksgiving without loved ones, turkey and of course Charlie Brown!  Most importantly, I’m thankful for you-all my YUMMommy readers and supporters. Thank you for riding with me and holding me down!  Many of you have become like family to me.  From my family to yours

  • Lemon Herb Turkey Recipe

    Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I know that many of us are getting a head start on the food by cooking our turkeys tonight.  So, I thought I’d share my recipe for lemon herb turkey.  After all the turkey is the star of the meal.  This recipe is simple and easy to make.  Most of the ingredients you’ll probably already have on hand in the kitchen.
    Ingredients
    1 Turkey, rinsed & patted dry
    1 tbsp Ground Sage
    1 tbsp Parsley
    2 tbsp Poultry Seasoning
    1 tbsp Paprika
    1 tbsp Seasoned Salt
    2 tsp Garlic Powder
    1 tsp Ground Blk Powder
    1 cup Unsalted Butter, softened
    1 cup chicken stock or water
    1 lemon
    1 cup Homemade Stuffing
    Directions
    Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  While oven heats up mix sage, poultry seasoning, paprika, salt, garlic powder, pepper and parsley and butter in a small bowl.
    Zest lemon lightly.  Then juice lemon and add to butter. Mix well.
    Using a rubber spatula separate the skin and breast meat of the turkey.  Then stuff with butter mixture.  Spread evenly over turkey breasts using your fingers.   Save about 25% butter mixture and brush over outer skin of turkey.  Stuff with homemade stuffing.
    Pour chicken stock or water into roasting pan.  Add turkey.  Tent with foil and bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or longer if you have a larger turkey.
    Bast turkey in 30 minute intervals.  When done, let rest for at least 15 minutes.  Then slice and serve!
    Happy Turkey Cooking Everyone!!

  • My First VoxBox

    If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, then chances are you’ve seen my posts about my excitement over having received my first VoxBox from Influenster in the mail.  I had been several bloggers in my circle posting about the Beauty VoxBox and decided to check out what Influenster was all about.  I liked it and decided to join.  And last week, I got an email saying that I was selected to receive one of their College VoxBoxes and it I did!
    Freshly opened.  

    I wasn’t the only one excited about my College VoxBox either.  Those little fingers to left in the picture above belong to Moo.  She gets excited when the mailmen leave us packages.  I think I have a mini review blogger on my hands already.
    Information Card

    I was glad for this little information card that came with my goodies.  Of course, I could identify everything in the VoxBox, but the information card provided a little more details as well as the retail cost for each product included.  The goodies in my VoxBox are $19.58 total.  Add NC taxes and that comes out to $21.39.  Anyways, here’s a closer look at what I got.
    Energy Sheets 
    At $5.95 for a pack of 10 individually wrapped strips, this product is not that bad.  More importantly, while this Energy Sheets does contain caffiene, it’s also has Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, Vitamin E and more.  This works to help you get the boost us studying moms need without the crash and jiggers later.  I liked these and even shared one with the Mr.  I think he’s a convert!
    ImPress Press-On Manicure
    I’ve been wanting to try these since I saw that their spokeswoman was Nicole Scherzinger, formerly of the PCD.  She’s such a little firecracker and I still think people sleep on her skills as an entertainer.  Plus, with two busy kids I haven’t had my nails done professionally in over two years!!  Yes, that’s 731 days folks.  
    Haven’t tried these yet because I’ll be cooking away for Thanksgiving.  But as soon as the last dish is mixed and cooking, I’ll be putting these babies on.  They’re only $5.99 for solid colors and $7.99 for patterns.  My kind of pricing.  A manicure at the salon with run you at least $15 for a solid color and $25 for a design.  Plus, there’s no chipping or drying time to worry about.
    NYC New York Color Show Time Glitter Eyeliner Pencil

    I’ve never really worn a lot of eyeliner, but as of late I’ve been thinking about it.  So, I was glad when I saw this one in my  VoxBox.  I can’t wait to test it out.  Since, I’ll be taking a few on-campus classes, I need to make sure that my look is polished and has a glam feel to it.  And nothing screams glam and fashion more than glitter, bling and sequins.  This retails for $2.49 per pencil.
    Pentel EnerGel-X Campaign

    I love love love gel pens!!  True story. When I first moved in with the Mr, I had a ton of them.  He witnessed my obsession first hand.  But after writing with one, he understood what all the fuss was about.  I was already a Pentel gel pen fan, but this EnerGel-X is one smooth writing machine right here!
    I dare you to find a smoother writing gel pen on the market.  If you do send it to me and I’ll do a comparison test on the blog.  Seriously, this pen will make taking notes and writing rough drafts feel less like torture.  And the violet ink is nice too!  Been signing my Christmas cards with this bad boy since today.  For $1.90 per pen, I think it’s worth the money if you’re a pen person like me.
    Necco Tropical Wafers

    These are what Moo was trying so hard to get her hands on.  She would have ate the whole roll in ten minutes if I let her.  These little wafers are yummy.  With flavors like Coconut, Passion Fruit, Strawberry, Lime, Banana and Mango, these wafers are good for those who like candy that is not overly sweet.  Be on the lookout for this treat soon.   Just $1.25 per roll, $24 per box or $37.50 per tub, I’ll be stocking up on some of these.
    Overall, I’m very happy with my first VoxBox.  I can’t wait to get more and try out some new products.  Also, I’ll be back in the following weeks to post official reviews and pictures for the eyeliner and press-ons.
    What product from my VoxBox would you be most interested in trying?

  • Mind Right Monday

    I’m so proud of myself. I did almost everything on my list except work on my manuscript. I didn’t get to add any new chapters to it but I did get to some brainstorming on it in my head though. Not sure if that really counts. Otherwise, though I got everything else done. It feels great to see so much crossed off my list! Here’s to hoping for an even more productive week this week!

    My goals this week are:

    1. Work on manuscript
    2. Research more magazine layout software
    3. Wrap presents
    4. Read library books with Moo & JJ
    5. Put turkey on over night on Wednesday
    6. Get started on Hurricane Sandy charity project
    7. Perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe
    8. Spend quality time with Mr YUMMommy
    9. Get started on Christmas cards

    I am grateful for:

    • Life, health and strength for me and my family
    • Good books
    • Surviving the turkey madness at the grocery store today
    • Being able to have Thanksgiving with the Mr
    • Netflix
    • Christmas decorations
    • Knowing right from wrong
    • Knowing my worth and not settling for less

  • Mini Sweet Potato Pies Recipe

    Since Thanksgiving is coming up on Thursday, I thought I would share the recipe for my mini sweet potato pies.  It’ll be a nice treat for your guests and family in lieu of making traditional large pies.
    I’m sure your crusts will be prettier.  I had a 3 yr for my helper.
    Ingredients
    Filling
    20 oz can Sweet Potatoes
    1 tsp Vanilla Extract
    1/4 cup Granulated Sugar (optional)
    3 tbsp Light Brown Sugar
    1 Egg
    2 tbsp Butter
    Crust
    1 1/2 cup All-Purpose Flour
    1 Egg
    2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
    7 tbsp Butter, softened
    Directions

    In a large bowl, mix flour and sugar for crust.  Add butter and use your hands or rubber spatula to work mixture until butter is fully incorporated.  Then add in egg and mix well.
    Roll out dough to your desired thickness or 1/4 inch.  Use a cookie cutter (or cup) to cut out circles large enough to line muffin tins.
    Bake crusts for 10 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven.
    While crusts are baking, in another large bowl add all ingredients for filling.  Using a potato masher or your hands, mash ingredients together.  Be sure to mash the sweet potatoes really well.
    Fill pie crusts will filling. You can sprinkle extra brown sugar on the tops of the filling if desired.
    Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.  Once cooled you can top them with whipped cream or even a scoop of ice cream!

  • Lazy Saturday

    Today was a lazy Saturday.  I didn’t answer any business emails or take any calls.  I’ve been feeling like I’m burning the candles at both ends lately.  And that just can’t happen.  So, I took some time to just focus on relaxing and enjoying time with the kids.

    We enjoyed some time at the library.  The kids got some cool Thanksgiving books.  Moo’s favorite is Nate the Great Talks Turkey.  I picked up a few books too.  I’m trying to diversify my reading list.  And I was pleasantly surprised that the book above is actually turning out to be pretty interesting.  I’ve already submitted a request for books one and three.

    And I also took time out to make biscuits from scratch for both breakfast and dinner.  The Mr was very impressed because I don’t often make scratch biscuits.  Plus, I think the few times I have made them he’s always been at work or I was out of town at my mom’s.  I think this is going to be something I do on a weekly basis.

    I feel a little recharged.  Let’s hope this feeling lasts until Monday because that’s Turkey and Ham Shopping Day!

    Tried out the heart shaped cutter from my CCLP conference goodie bag.