Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween!

This year I actually wore a costume to work. I decided to be a cute cowgirl except I couldn't find a hat. This has become a regular occurrence at my gym. I've already been Catwoman and also a sparkly outfit that was meant to be for a Vegas themed party. Aren't I a good sport? I will be spending my evening training clients instead of eating Halloween candy. or possibly both.


Saturday, October 27, 2012

Birthday Love

Yesterday was my birthday and I had such a great day! I had lunch with my mom, got my makeup done at Mac and got some new goodies, and then went for dinner with some of my besties and my husband of course! He made it so special, he brought balloons to the restaurant, ordered my cake, brought me flowers and gorgeous shoes! I also got spoiled from friends and family but more on that in another post. I'm a very lucky girl!
Here's some pics from my dinner:


yup i'm wearing a tiara





Red Dragon Shot from my friends ugh lol









What. a. Dork.





Thank you to all my friends and family for making my birthday special!

xoxo,
Taren

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

My random $10 wreath

I really wanted a cute wreath for the front door but I wanted to be all creative and make one with this stick round thing you see below. You can buy them at Michaels for like 15 dollars. So the other day when I was there I spotted this wreath at 90 percent off for 6 bucks. I really am not crazy about the fruit but I will take it off and do something else with it after. I grabbed a $3 letter and  $1 ribbon. I painted the letter my favourite color ever and hung it with the ribbon. That'll do until it's time for a Christmas wreath!


Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Weekly Funnies

And we're back again for some things that made me smile and laugh! Someone has a someecard addiction....








Sunday, October 21, 2012

Girl's Night & Vodka Pasta

Last week I was having the worst. day. ever. By the end of the day I was near tears due to the sheer frustrations of the day. However, I had to hold it together because I was having a few of my girls over for a last minute dinner. This recipe has been one I've wanted to try forever. It is definitely to be used for special occasions or rare treats only! The recipe is from Rachel Ray and it's called "You Won't Be Single For Long" Vodka Cream Pasta. I know. Love it. 


This recipe was simple and delicious. I was nervous because I haven't used any type of alcohol including wine in cooking so I followed the directions EXACTLY just to be sure. It turned out perfectly. I saved a plate for Leigh and he loved it too.After a nice dinner with the girls, I felt much, much better.Wine also helped. :-P

Vodka Cream Pasta

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 shallots, minced
  • 1 cup vodka
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
  • Coarse salt and pepper
  • 16 ounces pasta, such as penne rigate
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream (Couldn't find this so I used whipping cream, apparently the same thing)
  • 20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn (forgot this at the store so I used dried)
  • Crusty bread, for passing

  • Directions:
Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. 

Add oil, butter, garlic, and shallots. Gently saute shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add vodka to the pan, 3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup. Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. 

Add chicken stock, tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). While pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.
Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Pass pasta with crusty bread.



Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Weekly Funnies

Anyone else having one of those spilled coffee, can't find anything annoying kinda days? Me too. I decided to post all the funny things that have made me laugh and smile this week. In the collection phase I realised I may be a little immature. Oh well!







Monday, October 15, 2012

Favourite Find

I've been meaning to write about this for awhile. I am one of those people that must wear foundation. The main reason being that I have freckles that make me look really young. I can't tell you how many people look at my rings and say "Aren't you a little young to be married?" I know, not really a bad thing but I just feel naked without foundation. I had been hearing everywhere about bb creams aka beauty balms so I decided to give one a shot.
I picked Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector because well, lets face it: it sounds good.
I LOVE this product!
It promises to hydrate, cover wrinkles and imperfections, protect, brighten and even skin tone.
It's very natural looking and doesn't feel like your wearing anything heavy which is great for my job. I want to look put together but not overdone.
Highly recommend! Also, I found a two pack of these at Costco for 24.99. Normally retails for 15-18 per bottle!

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Thankful

Thankful for....
♡My loving husband, our awesome families and supportive friends
♡My cozy home (thanks Mom!)
♡For my dream job which I now have
♡The opportunities that keep arising ever since I learned to believe in myself
♡This beautiful fall season

I love it all every single day!

Happy thanksgiving!


Friday, October 5, 2012

My Home Project

I have lived in 7 different places in 4 years. Over the past few years having a real "home" was something I took for granted until I couldn't find a place that felt like one. Since we've moved into this apartment, I have had a extreme desire to make it feel as much like home as possible. A home needs to be a sanctuary for your family but this is easier said than done.
It took me awhile to get this project on the road. We moved in April, I had my fitness competition in May and to be honest, all summer all I wanted to do was have fun, which I definitely did. In August I started my new career.
Finally I was ready to focus on my home. I wish I would have taken pictures when we first moved in but I didn't. Picture a blank slate apartment. It's pretty modern for the good old suburbs, all white walls and dark wood floors. This gave it a feeling of generally un-coziness. Being cozy is one of my absolute favorite feelings so this had to change immediately.
Hence, my Home Project. I have a few posts to write about this so keep your eye out for more.
To kick off this theme, I will give you my most recent project, these  kitchen canisters. They are all from the dollar store, and the labels are Martha Stewart at staples and I looooove them.

Happy long Weekend!!


Monday, October 1, 2012

Kobo Glo!

Today a sad thing happened. And then an awesome thing. First, I went to turn on my Kobo e-reader to relax and do some reading. Instead of my latest read, I saw the black lines across the screen. I have had my kobo for about two years. These lines appeared before and they sent me a new one. My warranty was up so this would not be happening again.
Leigh insisted on taking me to buy a new one because he's the best husband ever. I was so excited because Best Buy had the newest Kobo Glo. This thing is a million more times awesome than my old one.
It's a touch screen so no more clicking to turn the page every 10 seconds! It also lights up when you push a button so you can read in the dark. It's also my fave color ever!! Love love love it!!