Lipstick Color

I can cross off another item on the 30 before 30 list: finding the perfect shade of lipstick. I put this one on the list because as much as I love playing with makeup, and wearing it everyday, I would never wear anything on my lips. Every once in awhile I'd do some lip gloss, but for the most part chap stick was my go to. I would try on a shade here or there but never really fell in love with any particular shade or brand. And if I did wear it I would talk or wipe it off in about 30 minutes after application.

But the time had come to push myself out of my comfort zone and find a shade of lipstick. And, success I found one at the beauty mecca: Sephora. I really fell in love with Makeup For Ever's #10 Raspberry color. It's from their aqua color lip colors and it is gorgeous! It's super rich and pigmented; which I've put to the test and it lasted for several hours (bonus!). It applies matte on your lips and the other side of the applicator has a lip gloss to give your lips this super glossy shine. I love it! I even found a back up color I was that in the mood for great lip color. I know what you're thinking, that the lipstick is purple, but once applied to your lips it's the most beautiful purply-pink shade. It's Sephora's line of lipsticks called Rouge Shine. I was only going to try it on for fun because I thought it was going to make my lips super purple, but what a fun surprise to find out I really loved it. And I only would have found it out by taking my time and trying on a bunch of colors. And I do mean a bunch. My lips were sore by the end of it all from all the wiping and re-applying.

Kind of a silly milestone to cross off, but never the less, I'm glad I've found a shade I really love.

Easy as Chow Ciao!

Julia Child was right, anyone can cook. Even me! This past weekend I was able to cross something of my 30 for 30 list: cooking a 3 course meal. For me, this was definitely one of the more challenging tasks to complete because I would not consider myself as someone who cooks. I've managed to feed myself for years of course, but I've always taken the easy way out when it comes to preparing meals. Picking a dish, shopping for the ingredients, and then putting it all together for an edible meal, from scratch, seemed unimaginable. But after successfully making a delicious meal I feel motivated and inspired to cook, a little, more!

The first and main courses came from chef Fabio Viviani. His easy to follow video and recipes made cooking this meal 10 times easier with step by step instructions and his fun attitude. If you're looking for some genuine Italian recipes check out his videos on Yahoo. He will crack you up.

The Menu

First Course: Gazpacho. This was so easy to make. I made this part of the meal earlier in the day to cut down on dinner time preparation. All I needed was a blender.

Main Course: Chicken Cacciatore. At first it seemed a little scary to cook chicken and the vegetables this dish required at the same time, but it all came together so easily. Cook 'em separately and then throw them in a pot to finish cooking together-genius! I even made the marinara sauce for this dish too! No sauce out of the jar for this meal.

this mess turned into this...

Dessert: Skinny Monkey Cookies. This was actually a cookie recipe I found on Pinterest (which actually falls into another 30 for 30 goal). Baking is something I know I can handle, so I made this before hand too. To jazz up a simple cookie I bought whip cream and raspberries to make it something special. Watch out cooking world, I'm improvising!

So that was my meal, and it turned out delicious! Thanks must be given to Fabio for giving me the knowledge to cook this meal, and the man I'm dating for being brave enough to consume it, and for encouraging me to make it. I'm so glad I tackled this goal on my list and was happily surprised at how easy it was. Bon Appetite!

New Car Smell

Hyundai Elantra

I can cross another item off my 30 before 30 list, and that is to buy a new car. I realize cars aren't what I, or most other life style bloggers talk about. It doesn't possess the usual cute or girlie factor in things I like to write about. It's not decked out in polka dots, stripes, or accessorized with cute shoes, but it is making me very happy. After the Licorice Whip (yes, I named my old car) died last week and showed no signs of being rehabilitated I knew it was time to find a replacement. I can't tell you what a relief it is to put the key in the ignition and know your car is going to start every time and not sound like it's coming apart at every bump and turn in the road. She doesn't have a name yet but her "official" color is Sand...so I'm thinking something tropical. I'm open to suggestions.

But I can't share the story of my new car without telling you about an old friend who lives in my cars: A.L.F.

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Yes, I am a grown woman with a suction cup A.L.F. doll that lives on the window of my car. A friend of mine gave him to me when I was 12 years old and I thought he was the coolest thing ever. I vowed he would be put in my very first car. He lived on my bathroom mirror until I was given the keys to my very first car, a 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, and true to my word A.L.F. made his way onto the window. With every new vehicle he has made the transfer from window to window. You can tell from the pictures that he is very well loved, and has absorbed his fair share of UV rays. His fur is sun bleached and the material around his nose is brittle and cracked but I couldn't NOT put him in his deserving spot in the new car. He brings a certain quirky uniqueness to your everyday boring automobile.

One Down, Twenty-Nine to Go!

So it's been a few weeks since I posted my 30 for 30 list, and I'm proud to say I can cross one of the goals off my list! The hardest part was picking which one to start with. To me, this seemed like the easiest one to tackle. I already had the supplies, and my hands needed something to do while I watched TV. I have to give credit to this youtube video for teaching me though. I had tried several times before to follow written and illustrated directions but could never get the petal fold down. (Which is a very tricky origami folding technique that I am now aware of since watching this video). I folded one along with the video, and then tried folding the other two without any peeking back at the directions. And they turned out great! They stand up on their own and everything. I even made another one last night to see if my brain had retained the directions from 3 days ago and viola! another folded crane.

This small accomplishment has motivated to find my next "30" task to cross off. Follow along with my goals here.