Bring on the Bacon

It's been a tough week all around - I'm not sure anyone would disagree with that statement.

Sometimes a little comfort food is necessary - with loads of butter and cheese. Last weekend I decided to try a recipe we had at a birthday party the weekend before. I don't know that it gets much easier than this.

Even if your helpers sit on the porch with a cigar and a cold one, or staring off into nothing, you can totally do this solo.

Three ingredients. Not counting the Windex.

Club crackers, parmesan cheese (the gourmet in the can variety. The recipe calls for it, and I certainly am not one to argue with the experts.)

Pioneer Woman has a much more detailed version and less grainy pictures that don't include pictures of cleaning products, so I'll divert you there. But here is the finished product:

Bacon Heaven. Bring it on. It just about melts in your mouth.

Wishing you a weekend that recharges your soul. With some comfort food in the mix.

Namath goes to a Brewery

Wouldn't that be a great name for a children's book? I guess if you want to read to your kids before DHR takes them away. I digress.

We decided it was time for Namath to take a field trip, like we do every few months. We have to strike while the iron is tepid - if it's too hot he'll melt into a puddle of wrinkled fur right in front of your eyes.

We decided Avondale Brewery would be a great place to spend a little time on Saturday and Namath could come along for the ride.

We started in the open grassy areas at the picnic tables. Namath likes to sit on furniture, and his big caboose wouldn't fit on a bench. So, we moved to a table.

Once he got settled, he was in hog heaven. Making hog snorting sounds.

He cooled off on the pavement, while we cooled off with some beers.

When he had enough fun, we headed to our own porch, so he could finally relax.

By Sunday, he was worn slap out.

Field trip success.

Friday Favorites

A few little beauty treats I'm loving this week as we're welcoming the spring season.

My cuticles have been extra dry from the long, hard winter. Couple that with the scalding hot showers I prefer, (seriously, I like to be a nice shade of pink when I come out), I was fighting a losing battle. No lotion was up for the task.

I really wanted a pure vitamin e oil rather than the Sally brand -  but was a victim of the CVS inventory. Proof I don't always know best. This stuff has worked wonders. It is what it says - oil. So, I find the best time to put it on is before bed, and then wear a pair of gloves for a little while - at least until it sinks in and won't rub all over your sheets. This is not a sexy look. But neither are snaggly nails. So as in all things, find some balance.

Since Sally proved herself once, I put her up to the task again. Girlfriend works hard for the money.

Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover Gel

Get's the job done painlessly. Love to multitask with this one as well. Put it on right before the shower and get rid of those cuticles while you're enjoying the scalding hot water. You have to rinse it off with warm soapy water anyways, and there is an abundance of that in the shower. Who said this blog wasn't green?

I recently had to buy some apple cider vinegar for a recipe, and thought, "Hey...you've read something about this." It was not hard to find loads of beauty tips revolving around apple cider vinegar. I liked this page.

I've only tried the hair rinse, so it's all I can vouch for. A couple of tips:
1. Don't use a bottle of water you pulled directly from the fridge. See shower temperature preference above.
2. Expectations. It does not smell like apples. Or cider. It does smell like vinegar. You will have to buck up for 4-5 minutes.

I do think it did a great job of removing a lot of product buildup that was in my hair. It was much lighter, bouncier and just generally fancy free after the rinse. I'm a little concerned about the effect it will have on color, so I probably won't do it more than once a week.

Finally, some oldies but goodies. You have to welcome spring with a hint of color. These two do the trick.

All my favorites for making coming out of winter hibernation a little prettier. Happy Friday!

How to Enjoy Spring

 Slooowly wake up to watch the sun rise.

Perk up and survey the backyard. Legs crossed, preferrably.

Do some spring shoe shopping. Avoid asking if these are too high for your age. Sigh.

Rehydrate outdoors.

Try to stay awake for the two hour season premiere of Mad Men.

Repeat this cycle as needed.

Friday Favorites - Sort of.

The weeks continue to get away from me.

The views from the top of Red Mountain were beautiful last Thursday. Just in time for a beautiful Good Friday. 

After a productive afternoon preparing for Easter, Namath and I headed to the back porch to unwind. Doesn't he look relaxed?

Pottery Barn, Southern Living, nail maintenance, cheese, olives and wine.

 MS came home and joined us. Namath does not like to be cuddled. It wasn't his lucky day.

 As a reward for all my productivity, I picked myself up a little treat. I decided to make the jump from naked eyelids to Urban Decay's version of Naked - some nice earth tones.

 Venus, Foxy, Walk of Shame, Naked 2, Faint and Crave. There are about a million YouTube videos of tutorial of how to use this pallet, if creating different eyeshadow looks isn't your specialty. If it is, I've probably watched your YouTube tutorial.

 I'm nothing if not true to a theme.

 Saturday I headed out for fresh flowers to create this Pinterest inspired centerpiece for Sunday's Easter lunch. As a side note - do you know Starburst jelly beans now have a "Fave Reds" option? I bet you could get them for 75% off about now - even though they are worth full price.

 Good Friday service provided some new inspiration for the chalkboard. I won't tell you how many times I rewrote this. I need to brush up on some alternate fonts.

 By Monday morning, this blonde was needing a Venti Blonde to get the week started right.

I hope you and yours had a wonderful week. Beautiful weather for the weekend ahead. I dare say - Spring has sprung!

Big Girl Weekend

Hellola, and Happy Good Friday!

 I'm reminded every year how much I enjoy Holy Week. There's a few things that have come together this season to give me a broader picture of the magnitude of what Christ did on the cross for us...for me...but that's a post for another day.

We are looking forward to celebrating this Easter weekend for the usual reasons, but an added bonus -  it's the first holiday we'll be hosting in our new home. The first thing I did was plan on serving a HUGE bowl of mashed potatoes. If all else fails, we'll have mashed potatoes. That's my motto.

I've banned myself from the pinterest holiday board for my sanity and my bank accounts sake.

We did take a break from Bible Study this week to have a little craft night, and I came away with this cute wreath. 

I love it, and think I can continue to re-purpose it come Summer, although someone will have to check himself. Jury is still out on rather he doesn't like Easter, the wreath, or my placement of said wreath. He'll be opening an interior design business any day now.

I'll be last minute grocery-flower and decor shopping tomorrow and hope to have pictures to prove it, come Monday.

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed."

Isaiah 53:5

Wordless Wednesday

Stretch it out. We're halfway there.