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Target Beauty Bag Goodies 2

Earlier this year, I posted about the goodness that is Target Beauty Bags. I mean who doesn’t love FREE beauty samples? I do! Well, a few weeks ago they offered their Fall beauty bag and I signed up for mine as well as shared it on the Facebook page since a lot of you had asked about it. (Did you miss out? Like us on Facebook so that you’ll know next time.)

Anyways, here’s a look at the bag and the samples that came in it this time around.

SoHo London-New York cosmetic bag

Yep, animal print is still in and I’m loving this bag. It’s one of my fave of the three I’ve received this year. I love this SoHo cosmetic bag uses a thick vinyl covering on the outside instead of cloth. This definitely will make for easy cleanups. You can give it a quick wipe and it’s ready to go.

This same couldn’t have come at more perfect time. We’re currently in the market for a new moisturizer. Ordinary lotions just don’t cut for our severe dry skin. This Jergens Daily Moisture is suppose to hydrate and seal in moisture as well as give the skin a smoothing feel. We’ll see how this work. My mom is a recently converted Jergens user and her skin is even more flawless than ever! (Why couldn’t I inherit that benefit from her?)

Good stuff!

I’ve had the opportunity to try this Fekkai Shea Butter shampoo and conditioner before. It came in my very first Target Beauty Bag. Let me say that if you’re looking for a product that is really going to make your hair soft and give it a little shine, this is it. It has a really good smell too.

Beauty (makeup) primers are all the rage right now. A few years ago, you didn’t really hear of anybody using a face primer before putting on their concealer, foundation, etc. Thankfully, we have evolved and now our makeup can last longer and look even more glam with products like this Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer. Can’t wait to see how well this brand works.

Pure luxury

L’Oreal Paris is like the ultimate luxury brand for us regular folk. As I type this, I currently have the conditioner in my hair. So, look for an official review soon. What I can say now is that this stuff smells like cocoa-hazelnut heaven. And it’s thick, rich and everything you would expect from a creme. There’s a shampoo, conditioner and deep moisturizing masque.

I’ve tried a different Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy shampoo and conditioner before. It was ok. So, I’m interested to see how this Nutrium 10 will work. Maybe, since it has more vitamins and natural ingredients it will work better with my hair. I try to steer clear of products that don’t have more natural ingredients than man made chemicals..

Whelp, there you have it. That’s all the goodness that came this time (in addition to the coupon book). I can’t wait to try everything and see which products will be worth buying full sized versions of. Looking forward to the Spring beauty bag already!

Did you snag this freebie? What other store would like see do a beauty bag?

October 26, 2012
Thankful Thursday

What a good week it has been so far. My little guy has gotten even more steady on his feet. He’s hasn’t mastered the art of a full run but he does this really walk-hobble. LOL. It’s funny watching him trying to scurry off around the corner to the kitchen before I can grab him. In his mind, he doesn’t know that I’m faster than he is. And I sometimes let him make it almost to the kitchen just because he gets a kick out of it when I do catch up to him.

Yes, even at the ripe age of 1 year old, I’m doing small things to help him build up his self-confidence. Plus, it’s become our little game. I’m thankful for these simple joys of motherhood. It’s these moments that keep me going and prove how rewarding being a parent truly is. More importantly, I’m still beyond thankful that he’s walking.

I’m thankful that he’s getting better at sharing with his sister. This week there weren’t as many biting and hair pulling incidents as last week. And I’m confident that once he’s able to better communicate his wants verbally all that will stop completely. I’m thankful that I’ve been able to keep the kids Halloween costumes a secret this year. Last year and the year before, Moo saw her costumes before Halloween and had a meltdown because she couldn’t put them on early.

I’m thankful for all the new visitors and likes Moo’s Closet has been getting on Facebook. I’m also thankful that our microwave revived itself. I was pretty sure that it has died on Tuesday night because I couldn’t get it to work. I tried unplugging it, wiggling the cord and everything. Finally, I let it out with the door open for a few minutes and then closed it. And what do you know, it started working again. Hopefully, it’ll hang in there for a few more weeks.

I’m thankful for the continued support and comments from you all. It’s amazing the kind words and advice that I’ve received from complete strangers through this blog. Thank you for letting me know that I’m not alone in what I go through.

What’s on your thankful list this week?

October 25, 2012
My 5 Favorite Halloween Movies

I haven’t really done any Halloween talk here on the blog. It’s not that we don’t celebrate it. It’s just that for the most part Moo is only into trick-or-treating and dressing up. All the scary stuff freaks her way out and I completely understand that. JJ knows about candy but he’s too young to fully grasp the concept. And I believe Halloween is a good excuse to pig out on all your favorite junk foods and watch movies.

With that said here my 5 favorite Halloween movies:

Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy, Hocus Pocus is one of my all time favorite Halloween movies. It’s a classic and staple. My siblings and I have watched this movie for years! I hope that one day Moo and JJ will love it just as much as we do!

Plus, who can resist anything with the lovely and very fashionable SJP?! I know that I can’t. This story about what happens when 3 witches are resurrected from the dead on Halloween night is guaranteed to you have you laughing. It’s also a good movie to watch with your little ones who at least 8 or aren’t as easily spooked.

I’ve wanted to marry Michael Keaton since he was Batman. So, when my parents introduced me to Beetlejuice, it was love at first watch! Beeltejuice is the coolest and dopest ghost on planet (besides Casper and Slimer) and this movie never gets old for me. Now while I enjoyed this movie as a child, I’m sure your little one would. I know mine wouldn’t. They’re just not there yet.

Two words… Johnny Depp. Do I even have to say anymore ladies?! I like to think of Edward Scissorhands as a modern version of the Hunchback of Notre Dame but instead of having a hump in his back, he has scissors for hands. It’s funny, romantic and sad all at the same time. My favorite part of the movie is when all the ladies come over and he starts styling their hair. Funny!

“Who you gone call?” Yes, that famous catchphrase from the Ghostbusters’ theme song is sure to get stuck in your head after you watch the movie. Funny man Bill Murray really delivers the laughs and I love Sigourney Weaver. You how Angela Basset gives off that ‘I don’t take any mess’ vibe? Well, Sigourney does the same.

Not going to lie, the first time I saw this movie I had nightmares for at least three days. I was sharing a room with my older sister and my parents didn’t really believe in night lights. So, I seeing a gremlin every five minutes and having sister get up to turn the lights on. My dad even came in the room and did a search to prove there were no gremlins but I still wasn’t buying it. Years later when I was older I felt foolish of being so scared of gremlins.

This is definitely not a kid friendly movie. However, I’m sure it’s suitable for teens and we grown folks can still get a laugh out of some parts.

What are your/your family’s favorite Halloween movies?

October 24, 2012
Bouncer Seat Gone Bad

When it comes to infant and toddler seats, I’ve never met two kids more attached to theirs than my kids are. And with JJ being more mobile, we have been wanting to look in to getting him a new chair for a while. Plus, we knew he’d outgrow his current seat at some point. Anyways, we’re settling in to watch some movies on Netflix Saturday when this happens:

Right after I took JJ out.

Yes, his bouncer seat broke with him in it. He did bump his head on the floor, but thankfully he’s okay. It just all happened so fast. One moment he’s sitting in his chair in front of me and his sister on the couch and not two seconds later I hear a snap and my baby boy is down on the floor because the chair rolled to one side when the leg snapped. It was a scary experience because I the sounding of the snapping chair and his head hitting floor made me wonder if he had broken something.

Not a good look

Plus, I don’t know if any of you have ever taken a floor on a hardwood floor but it hurts and can do some serious damage. I checked him out and he didn’t appear to have any broken bones or serious injuries. Then I got a little frustrated because we got this seat after he was three months. Therefore, it just turned a year old a few days ago. And most importantly, he meets the weight requirements for this thing which is 6 to 25 pounds.

I ~~love~~ like the Bright Starts brand but we issues with Moo’s Bright Start bouncer seat coming apart at the joints where you have to connect the legs together but never breaking. And once we exchanged her faulty bouncer for a new one we didn’t have any further issues. So, I felt at ease getting a Bright Starts seat for JJ.

To make this long story short, I’m not pleased that this seat barely lasted a year. It’s gotten a lot less use than Moo’s did because we’ve spent a lot of time down at my mom’s leaving the seat home and unused. Examining the whole seat, I saw that the other leg was showing chips/cracks which meant it was on its way to giving out too. I will filing a complaint with the company and asking that they consider doing thicker legs or using a stronger material.

Have you had any issues with infant/toddler products breaking even with proper usage?

October 23, 2012
Mind Right Monday
So, while last week was a very productive one I think, looking back at my list there’s a few things that didn’t get done. Like I didn’t get any new listings up on Moo’s Closet. However, I did add some sneak peak photos of custom projects I’m working on for two clients. Plus, I activated the Custom Order Request feature. And I interacted with some of the new fans on the Moo’s Closet Facebook page.

I didn’t workout unless the ten jumping jacks I got in on Friday counts. And knowing how I used to workout before kids, it doesn’t count to me. I can do better and will do. I have a dress that a blog sponsor gave me that I have to look flawless in. So, that is now my motivation to workout and tighten things back up because I have to model it and put up pics on the blog. I’ve been thinking about doing some kind of weekly fitness post since I don’t really have an accountability partner.

The Mr. motivates me but he doesn’t push me per say because I think he’s afraid I’ll take it the wrong way and get even more self-conscious than I am now. Went looking at Thanksgiving decorations but didn’t see anything that I liked. I’ve been looking to Pinterest and the blogs for inspiration on DIY stuff.

My goals for this week are:
1. Workout 3 nights/days
2. Adding more listings to Moo’s Closet
3. Vote early ( Did you know you can do same day voter’s registration between now and Nov 3rd?!)
4. Sort through wardrobe (Still holding on to some things that don’t fit since I’ve lost weight
5. Steam clean floors and couch
6. Post everyday
7. Finalize Thanksgiving menu
8. Make it to Sunday school
I am grateful for:
JJ becoming a stronger walker each day (Maybe chasing him around can count as a workout?)

Online tutorials

Getting better at redesigning my blog

Being in love with learning (Picking up this HTML better than I thought I would)

Phone calls from my mom

Camera phones that help me share memories with my fam and friends

Reaching 400 likes on Facebook!

Loyal blog readers and comments

What’s on your goal list for the week?

October 22, 2012

Growing up my mom worked multiple jobs and went to school (college) all trying to raise five kids. Often times, when we got home everybody was dirt tired (using one of my mom’s phrases). And I don’t know about you, but when you’re exhausted the last thing you want to do is slave away in a kitchen. So, spaghetti became one of our go-to dinners. This was just fine with me and my siblings because we are all pasta lovers!

I don’t think any of us have tried a pasta fish that we don’t like. Anyways, when I met my husband, he was not a spaghetti fan. At all. Then, we had Moo and she was (still is) a spaghetti fanatic. I was thrilled to have someone to cook spaghetti for again. Over the years, I’ve experimented with making spaghetti a few different ways and the recipe I’m sharing with you today is one of my favorites.

It’s a great way to sneak in some veggies for those picky eaters. I’m going to go ahead and let you know there aren’t any specific measurements listed because I’m more an eyeball-it-like-Rachel-Ray kind of cook. I make whatever looks like it’ll be enough for my family and I’ve learned that two shakes of this or three shakes of that is my family’s taste preference.

Ingredients

Angel Hair Spaghetti

Hunts Garden Combination Spaghetti Sauce

White Cheddar (soy/dairy)

Sharp Yellow Cheddar (soy/dairy)

Frozen Mixed Veggies thawed (try to stay away from canned veggies because they tend to be mushy)

Ground Beef/Turkey

Directions

In a medium sauce pan, bring about three cups of water to a boil over high heat for spaghetti noodles. While you wait for water to start boiling go ahead and brown your beef or turkey in a medium or large frying pan on medium-high.

Once water is boiling add angel hair noodles and turn down to medium heat. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Do NOT overcook because noodles will be very mushy.

Drain meat and noodles when done. Mix together in sauce pan and add in spaghetti sauce and thawed mixed veggies.

In a baking dish alternate layering spaghetti and cheeses starting with a layer of spaghetti first and ending with a layer of cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake for 10-15 minutes at 325. Let cool for five minutes before serving.

Didn’t remember to take a pic until I had started eating. It’s that yummy.

I hope that you will try this recipe. Spaghetti and mixed veggies may sound like a weird combination but with the Garden Combination spaghetti sauce and the cheeses it all comes together. You can also use fresh bell peppers too. And of course, if your kids allergies like mine gluten-free pasta and soy cheeses work well with this dish too.

Do you have a favorite non-traditional spaghetti recipe?