No Heat Curls {straight hair results}

My gorgeous niece and her sick curls. 

TA-DA! How awesome is that???!!

Try this out, people! xoxo

-Erin

No Heat Curls {The Results}

Last night I posted about the no heat curl tutorial I found online. This one. Here are the results. Honestly, it's kind of what my hair looks like normally but with larger curls and hardly any frizz. I kind of dig it! When my niece wakes up I'll post some pics of her. She has really long straight hair so it should be a totally different look. Plus, she's twelve and doesn't need gallons of under eye concealer first thing in the morning, unlike her aunt. 

(big one wanted in on the action)

Have you tried it? How'd it work for you? I'd love to know!

OOH! And it's Friday! Happy Friday!
-Erin

Late Night (because I'm a grandma) Blogging

I'm keepin' it real, yo. I decided to try this tutorial for no-heat vintage curls. I'm in loooove with this girl. Her accent is fabulous and she's adorable. And, she's a baby whisperer. My girls love her videos.

I tried it on my niece last night and it was AWESOME! I realize I already have curly hair, obviously. But! I still wanted to see what would happen. So I brushed the hell out of my hair (frizz city baby) and put it all back a la the video. I look like an ass tonight but we'll see how it looks in the morning.

Oh, and my 2 year old is a god damn pack n play escape artist. Not cool, people. NOT COOL! Any tips? I swear my oldest couldn't climb out of a crib to this day. Even if you paid her in My Little Ponies.

the.end.

oh, yeah. Here I am. HOT! (photo bomb courtesy of my sister, thanks H!)

Happy Thursday!
-Erin

Monday Meal Planning

How is it Monday again?? Wasn't it just Monday? I put this meal plan together in about 15 minutes. All new recipes for me. Fun!!!!


Monday: Goat Cheese & Spinach Pizza

Tuesday: Grilled Balsamic Bruschetta Chicken - 2 ways

Wednesday: Chopped Greek Salad

Thursday: Chicken Mac & Cheese

Friday: Steak and Mango Salad

Saturday: French Dip Panini

Sunday: Apricot Chicken Salad with Basil and Almonds

Dessert: Caramelized Banana Ice Cream with Buttermilk Caramel Sauce

Happy Monday!
-Erin

Post Haircut, Post Brown Out

Got my hair cut! HURRAY! My hairdresser, Heather, at the Adam Broderick Salon in Ridgefield, CT, is ah-mazing. She totally gets my hair and gives me the best blow out in the history of blow outs. Which is awesome because I can't do it myself, just not possible. My old hairdresser in the city used to have to open the door to his tiny salon when he was blow drying my hair. If he didn't, he would fog up all the mirrors and window. So yeah, I got hair.  The only problem with having my hair blown out when it's 105, and about 1 million percent humidity, is that the second my sweaty brow touches my straightened hair it starts to curl. We'll see how long this blow out lasts...

(Eek! It's already starting to kink at the top. Hey, Erin. Put on some makeup.)

Oh, and then we came home and we had no power. Which means no AC and no water. We have a well, which is powered by a pump, which runs on electricity. DAMN YOU, NYSEG! It's mo-fo hot! I need my air. I need water! Oh, but then the air came back on after about an hour. Thanks, NYSEG! Smooches. My hair and I thank you. 

xoxox

-Erin 

Weekend Meal Planning

It's Friday! And more importantly it's the day my big sis and 12 year old niece get into town. My sister leaves on Monday but we get to keep my niece for 2 weeks! HURRAY! Oh, and I'm getting my hair cut this morning. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! 

Here's what we'll be eating this weekend. 

Friday: Ginger Steak Salad ( I love this salad. The End.)

Saturday: Spicy Honey Chicken

Salad (Lettuce, Mango, Avocado, Red Onion) with Honey Citrus Vinaigrette

Cilantro Lime Rice

Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad

7-Layer Greek Dip

Orange Julius Ice Cream

Sunday: Lemon Chicken Pasta Salad

Blooming Onion Bread

Lemon Frozen Yogurt

I'll do a post-haircut update. My hairdresser does things w/ a hairdryer and a round brush that are not to be believed! Until then...

(pre-haircut bedhead, goofball)

Happy Friday!

It's a Family Affair....

{Turnips at the Farmer's Market}

{Awesome steak sandwich my brother made for lunch - Drunken Ribeye, Caramelized Onions, Fresh Mozzarella, Pesto Mayo, and Basil on a Grilled Portuguese Roll}

{Sisters at the beach}

{11 boxes of sparklers later...}

I love having family visit. Especially in the summer, it just feels good.

Happy Wednesday!
-Erin

Before and After {The Svengali}

We have a cleaning lady. Yup, we do. She comes every other week and she might be my most favorite person on earth. She is awesome. She's like a Svengali with Stainless Steel. I've never seen anything like it! I am not a Svengali with Stainless Steel. She also makes a bed like nobodies business. Amazing. Here, see for yourself.

Big One's Bed Before

Big One's Bed After {see??!! - even the light is better! HA!}

Little One's Crib Before

Little One's Crib After

Our Bed Before

Our Bed After - Woah! Hello, Heaven. 

I love you, Aury. Like for reals. You complete me.

Happy Friday - It's (almost) the weekend, people! Enjoy it!

-Erin 

Random Thursday {warning - really random}

This might be the most random post I ever write.  Oh well.

1. "She said what??!!"

Big One: "I'm feeling a little nervous."
Me: "Nervous, why?"
Big One: "I'm a little scared of her." {pointing to her little sister}
Me: "Why are you scared of her?"
Big One: "Because she's a pirate. {turning to her little sister} Isn't that right, Captain?"
Little One: "ARGGGGH!!!!!!!"
Big One: "You see??"

Did she tell her to call her, Captain? Because that is hilarious. Anyway, moving on...


2.  Ever walk into a Pottery Barn or a Restoration Hardware, ect. ect, and noticed how fantastically fluffy and full the duvets on the bed set-ups look? There are two reasons. One is that they steam all the linens while they're on the bed. This helps. But the main reason they look fantastic while yours looks flat as a pancake, is that they have two if not THREE duvets inside that one duvet cover to make it look that way. I asked once. I bring this up now because when I got new linens for our guest bedroom I had an extra duvet and put it in the duvet cover. It looks fab. My poor quests probably swelter under it. Sorry, guys!

3. Jillian Michaels. That chick grates on the nerves. What's with the voice? Stop talking to me. STOP IT! I just have these next 20 minutes to "shred", so leave me alone. OK??? ok. Also, is it wrong to finish working out and immediately eat a chewy ginger cookie? Oh.

There you have it folks. Random.

Happy Thursday!
-Erin

5 Things I'm loving right now {Summer 2011}

I thought it was high time for a 5 things I'm loving right now post, Summer 2011 style! I always love reading these posts on other blogs. I find some of my favorite things that way!

Here we go.

1. Online Hair Tutorials:
I'm slightly addicted to them. I need an online hair tutorial intervention. And even though 90% of the tutorials that I find I won't have the time or patience to do, I'm still totally into them. Especially the ones from Reagan at Hairdresser on Fire. And in particular, the Mermaid Braid Tutorial. Her tutorials are, for the most part, simple and quick. And adorable.

Here I am sporting the braid on my first try. I didn't have any bobby pins handy, like my green rubber band? Nice smirk, Erin.

2. Desert Pepper Salsa Del Rio:

Have you tried this stuff??!! HAVE YOU? My dear friend KS, aka Crazy-Pants McGee, brought it the last time she visited. It is outrageously good. Seriously, so yummy. I'd send you to their website, but they don't have one. Again, WHAT? How is that even possible. Anyway, the website is under construction. But the salsa can be purchased at many grocery stores and even Amazon. They even have it at the little shop around the corner from my house, and that's saying something. Buy it. Enjoy it. Thank me later. Or don't. Just eat it. 

3. Blue Nail Polish:
This is a weird one for me. I'm not a blue girl. I don't wear blue, I don't decorate with blue. I think mostly because it just doesn't look all that great on me. I do greens not blues. BUT something happened when I bought this dress from J-Crew for our BBQ...

I went for blue nails. Toe AND fingernails. I did two different colors. OPI Blue my Mind on my toes and Essie Coat Azure on my nails. I loved it!!! So much so that this week I'm wearing Essie Beach Bum Blu on my toes. I'm psyched to try more blue nail colors. Any suggestions??

4. 7-Layer Greek Dip from Our Best Bites:

Oh this is so, so, good! I've made it a few times already this summer. It's brilliant to bring to a potluck or just to whip up if you have friends stop on by. I can't get enough of it! Make it this weekend! I plan on it. 

5. Sonia Kashuk Radiant Tinted Moisturizer from Target:

I was looking for something to wear in the summer that was lightweight and with just a little bit of coverage. In came this fantastic, tinted moisturizer. And for $13 the price is just right! I'm so excited I found this stuff! 

So there you have it. The top 5 things I'm loving right now, Summer 2011 style. Tell me, what are you loving right now?

Happy Wednesday!

-Erin 

Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles {recipe}

We are pickle junkies. The girls love them. I love them. My husband loves them. Last year I made our first Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles. I decided my first foray into pickling would be an easy one. No canning bath, so no worries about totally screwing up and making everyone sick..apparently my canning faith was lacking. I used this recipe for my starting off point. It was so good, and so easy, that we made them a few times over the summer, switching it up as we went along. 

The great thing about this recipe is that it's pretty flexible. Yesterday I made 8 pint sized jars of pickles. Two jars of Sweet Fire pickles; bread and butter pickles with the addition of jalapenos, two Zucchini Bread and Butter Pickles, one Sweet Fire Zucchini Pickle, and the rest regular Bread and Butters. I used two medium sized zucchini, 8 kirby cucumbers, three onions and I doubled the vinegar/sugar mixture. (8 cups of sugar/vinegar each - I didn't need that much, but wasn't sure)

I could have made about three more jars w/ the leftover ingredients but I hadn't sterilized enough jars. Instead I took the rest of the ingredients, put them into a big bowl and put them in the fridge. Easy. The best part is that the pickles are ready in 24 hours! The original recipe says they'll last, "as long as you'd keep any other pickle in the fridge." Ours never last long. I bet we will be out of pickles (after I give away a few jars) in about a week. Seriously. 

Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles

 

Pickling cucumbers (or small/medium zucchini)
3 onions sliced
4 cups sugar
4 cups vinegar
1/3 cup plain salt
1 1/2 tsp each turmeric, mustard seed and celery seed

Combine sugar and vinegar in small saucepan over low heat to dissolve sugar.  Add spices.  Pack sliced cucumbers and onions in jar very tight, add liquid and spices, seal and refrigerate.

Sweet Fire Pickles:

Add sliced jalapeno peppers to taste. For each of my pint jars I used a half a jalapeno. They were extra spicy peppers.

Zucchini Sweet Fires:

I added two, small, whole serrano peppers and half a sliced jalapeno. 

Make some pickles this week. And if you do, let me know how they turn out. 

Thanks, Nancy, whoever you are. And thanks Louvenia Jane Cryer Burroughs!!! You made some awesome pickles. 

Happy Tuesday

-Erin 

Monday Meal Planning

We're home! I'm psyched to start cooking up a storm! And it's HOT. So expect lots of frozen treats and yumminess from the garden. And pickles. Lots of pickles. So, what should we eat this week? 

Monday: Homemade Chipotle Burrito Bowl

Tuesday: Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Wednesday: Nacho Mac N Cheese

Thursday: Spicy Grilled Turkey Burgers with Coleslaw

Friday: Steak and Onion Flatbread and Watermelon Feta Mixed Greens Salad

Saturday: Sweet-Tea Ribs with Lemony Potato Salad

Sunday: Caprese Burger

Frozen Treats:

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream

Salted Caramel Ice Cream

Strawberry Basil Sorbet

Pickles:

Bread and Butter Pickles

Pickled Radishes

Quick Pickles

To Drink:

Cucumber Lime Mint Aqua Fresca

Just Another Friday...

Nothing like a little early afternoon sandcastle building and swimming to start our weekend off right. 

She's getting so confident in the water. A little more and more each day. And the giant grins while she swims to me, just awesome. 

We have a Farmers Market every Friday afternoon, so we packed up and headed over for some fresh fruit, veggies and delicious baked goods. Cappuccino Cinnamon Roll, anyone?

I grabbed one of these beauties along with some arugula, basil and a cucumber. Add in some crumbled goat cheese and dash of balsamic and I'm in heaven. 

Oh, and there's popcorn!!!

Dessert! Blueberry and Peanut Butter cookies. 

It's been a fabulous week. Can't wait for the rest of it!

Happy Friday! Do something good for yourself this weekend!

-Erin 

Goodness on a Thursday

I've been a bad blogger. That's what happens when you get to do this for a week..

Sorry

But I'm hungry. Hungry for some yummy new recipes. So I scoured the interwebs and found some new doozies! I had to share them with you. Our little Adirondack Farmer's Market is tomorrow and I'm hoping to grab some fresh ingredients to make a bunch of these recipes over the weekend!

Avocado Feta Salsa from Val at Val So Cal

Missy's Marinated Tomatoes from The Pioneer Woman - Ree Drumond

Squash and Onions with Brown Sugar from The Kitchn

New Jersey Italian Hot Dog from Simply Recipes

Grilled Peaches and Humboldt Fog Panini from Kathy at Panini Happy 
(I'll have to import the Humboldt Fog from down south - aka home)

Caprese Burger from Katie at The Parsley Thief


Mouth watering yet? Mine is!

Happy Thursday!
-Erin

Taking it all in...

Swimming in cool, crisp, Adirondack lakes. Jumping on water trampolines and building muddy sandcastles. Chips and cheese and juice box after juice box. Gummy worms, wet puppies, sand bars, and old lighthouses. 

How lucky we are. 

Soak it all up, girls. Remember it always.