VORTEX changed our lives!

Ok friends! This is the post we've all been waiting for!

Last summer we discovered this amazing hair dryer at none other than Target. To the untrained eye it looks the same as every other hair dryer sitting on the shelf. In fact if you go out wanting to find one for yourself there's a good chance you will overlook it at first. It doesn't stand out. It doesn't cost much. (24.99 in fact) The display does it no justice.

When you do finally find it sitting amongst the boring regular hair dryers and bring it home you will take it out of the box to see this:




One of the attachments is a clear cylinder shape.
*This is where the magic happens*




INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Start with damp clean hair
-I usually let mine air dry a little while I do my make up first
2. VORTEX AWAY!!
-With the blow dryer on the hottest/highest setting start inserting sections of hair into cylinder
-I usually have about 6 or 7 sections for my whole head
-Move the cylinder up and down the section of hair until it is dry and then use the cool shot button to set the curl
-If desired spritz with hair spray for a good hold
3. Let your dreads cool completely
4. Shake them out with your fingers or a brush if desired
5. ENJOY beautiful beachy waves for the entire day (sometimes even two!)

FYI- This is only our first post on the VORTEX... there will be many more.
It's time for you ladies to start submitting photos of your best vortex day ever! ;)

Guest in the house!

Guest blog time! Hi, I'm Megan, Kerri's sister-in-law! Kerri asked me to blog about a new piece of workout gear that I've fallen in love with, so here goes!

My favorite routine at the gym is a 45 minute spinning class followed by an hour of Zumba. As you may imagine, this results in a great deal of what I like to call "raining." Sounds a little classier than "sweating to death." A few months ago I had purchased a weird, huge headband that, if it starts to slide down, starts to look somewhat bank robber-ish... it does its job but it does not do it attractively.

I started searching for cute sweatbands and quickly found Sweatybands... I initially wrote them off because those types of skinny headbands all pop off my big Irish head almost immediately (even when secured with clips.) But then I saw "OMG... they don't slip!" in big letters on the website and started reading the testimonials on the site. The underside of the band is made of velvet which helps grip your hair (and absorb "rain") and there's a small strip of elastic so they fit snugly. There are dozens and dozens of pretty styles to choose from, as well! I picked out a cute black and white polka dot one and a pretty purple design and I just love them! I tested them out on a few walks and then it was time for the head-bobbing, hair-whipping spinning/zumba combo. You guys, it didn't budge! It was awesome! It did a really nice job of absorbing most of the sweat and channeling any excess to the back of my head... nothing is more annoying than drips running down your forehead!

Here are some pictures that my dog Pepper snuck into, I just have no idea how that happened! Oh, another benefit of the Sweatybands is that because they are pretty tight, they sort of give you that 60's hair bump without any of the teasing or hairspray. All I did was vortex (which Kerri and Lina should be blogging about very soon!) and then take a nap... Sweatybands can do it all!!!!

A very special thanks to Megan for being our guest! I don't mean to brag or anything... but she's kind of a big deal: http://megandailor.com/

Problem solved!

THE SITUATION
One of my favorite dresses....ruined by the moth holes.

THE PROBLEM
Tailor said mending the holes would draw more attention to them because it would pinch in the fabric. damn


THE SARCASTIC REMARK
I said, "What should I do? Buy a patch? (and by patch, I meant a Girls Scout badge, like the one I got for baking).  Tailor, with a serious face, said "yes".


THE GLIMMER OF HOPE
Off I went to the fabric store, praying that I wouldn't just find the patches that I used to sew on my denim vest back in the 80's a la Debbie Gibson.  I found these instead!

THE SOLUTION
I placed one patch strategically over the two holes and placed the other patch on the higher on the opposite side to bring some balance to the new visual interest on the back of my dress.

cue the choir of angels

ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

ELATION!
I love the fact that I don't have to say any tearful good-byes to my dress. And I love that it only cost me $6.99.  It was quite a simple fix.  It took 5 minutes to buy it at the store and 5 minutes to iron it on.  It probably took more time to take all the photos and write about it.

LESSON LEARNED
Instead of trashing something, try to think outside the box to salvage it.  It might end up better than it started.

I leave you with the front view so you have an idea of what I was trying to save.  Good luck to you all who want to put a little sweat equity into your favorite things!

Thrifty Girl!

I just got back from a fun trip to Greene Street Consignment in Princeton. I was so excited about the deal I got that I felt I needed to share it with you!

First off: I think it's fair to say I am modest with my spending. I rarely splurge and try to make smart choices. I am more likely to spend money at Home Depot on paint for the house than I am to spend $50 on a new piece of clothing for myself.

Up until just recently I would always wear very inexpensive jeans. I would find them on sale at Old Navy or Gap.

A few months back one of my very good friends 'handed down' a few pairs of designer jeans to me. I have to say that I had no idea what I was missing out on. They seem to fit better and just be such a better quality product. I feel more confident when I wear them and I just feel good!

Before I share a picture of my new 'Lucky' jeans I wanted to pull out some dresses that I have bought over the past year and a half at both consignment stores and thrift stores. It's amazing what a unique and vibrant wardrobe you can build without spending much! :) I bought a few of these for only $4.95 and the most expensive was maybe $15.00 at the high end!

This is the first and hopefully last time I post a picture of my butt on the blog!! I just had to share that great 'Lucky' tag that I snagged for a mere $18.00. (keep in mind folks that Lucky Brand jeans run from about $99 to $250 brand new!) I know I will be wearing these for a long time even if I am the second owner! :)

(ps. that's my dog, Jersey, and our friends dog, Archie, standing by my butt shot! I had never tried to take a picture of my own butt before. It wasn't easy!)

How to Not Waste Kale

Being a part of a CSA (community-supported agriculture) farm truly has its benefits.  There's something so deeply satisfying about getting food straight from the source. It's why something like apple-picking is so fun.  I love cooking with veggies that I know were just picked.

Problem is you don't know what you're going to get from that week's harvest.  Kale has not been my friend over the past few summers because it ends up rotting in my fridge.  But not this year!

Sausage Lentil Kale Stew

 from Katie Lee's Comfort Table

It starts off with this...

Simmers for an hour like this...

And then you eat it as this...

Super healthy for you because it's got tons of veggies. Got some heat from the andouille sausage.  Got some naughtiness from the bacon (which you saute the mirepoix from its rendered fat) and let's face it, because bacon makes everything better.

There you have it.  How to not waste kale. This will be a staple recipe from now on!

Summer Sangria

Over the 4th of July weekend we did something very nontraditional...

No beach.
No BBQ.
No swimming.
No fireworks.
No strawberry shortcake.

We went with our good friends to an IRISH PUB!
It was hard to believe that we didn't know about Dublin Square sooner! It's only about 10 minutes from our house!


http://www.dublinsquarepubs.com/bordentown/home/

It was a very authentic Irish Pub and Restaurant.
The bartender was even wearing a kilt!

And then, while sitting at the bar of an Irish Pub, I did something else very nontraditional...

I ordered sangria! And was blown away by how amazing it was. It's safe to say it was the best I've ever had!!

I got the details from my kilt-wearing bartender about how to make it at home.

So, here goes nothing!



















I started with the amazing South African wine called 'jam jar' for only $8.99. (Is that not the cutest bottle??!!)

Then I cut up some fresh fruit.

Dumped it all together with some peach schnapps...
Add a splash of OJ or seltzer if you'd like!

And there you have it!

Easy.

Delicious.

Short Lived.

Happy Summer! :)

Juice Cleanse

Last week I did a 3 day juice cleanse, which involved 6 juices per day (they're numbered and you have to drink them in order) and no eating.  They are fresh-pressed juices of mostly vegetables, some juice, and one nut milk per day.  Some are awesome such as grapefruit mint (see above, it's the second one) and watermelon lime.  Some are not so awesome, like the essential green (kale, spinach, celery, etc).

Let me answer some questions you might be thinking.

• No, you don't feel hungry.  You're constantly drinking throughout the day.  You may feel a mild hunger ache. 

• Yes, you miss food.  But not because you're hungry.  It's more psychological (more on that later). 

• You do lose weight. Mostly water weight (but who cares! I'll take it!)- by the end I was down 5.5 lbs which made me 1.5 lbs away from my pre-pregnancy weight. (holla!!)

Overall, it was a great experience.  Here are some take-aways I had from my juice fast.

1. Food is a privilege.  We live in a country where access to food is not a problem.  We can have fruit in the winter for goodness sakes (if you don't mind that it's getting shipped from Chile).  We are remarkably blessed to buy or make whatever food we want. It is not meant to be abused.
2. I'm no longer as afraid of hunger as I once was.  I'm the kind of person that starts to panic when I get hungry. (like I'll eat before church service or a movie even when I'm not hungry just so that I won't be stuck in a seat for a couple hours and not able to eat. I know- I'm ridiculous).
3. I eat waaaay more than I need.  Sustaining myself on juices all day and have great energy levels was proof that I eat more than I need to survive.  I need to scale back the sheer amount that I consume- it'll be better for my budget and waistline.
4. Last but not least.... I'VE GOT TO STOP PUTTING CRAP IN MY BODY.  I have to repeat my new mantra to myself.  "Ramen noodles are not my friend.  Ramen noodles are not my friend".  Only allowing nutritious juices for 3 days straight made me feel so good.  I felt better. I have a renewed commitment to nourishing my body and taking better care of it. 

I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a jump-start to eating better.  Don't wait for New Year's.  I'm probably going to do this twice a year, before summer starts and after the holidays, just to keep things in check.

I'm almost tempted to buy a juicer now but I don't know if that's consistent with my anti-too-many-kitchen-appliances-lifestyle. I'll have to think more about it.

(this post is dedicated to Melissa who thought it would take too long for Kerri to get another turn. :P )