Tonight I Am Drinking: Pink Beerade

Pink Lemonde Cocktail

renamed Pink Beerade by my SIL and I this evening

Ingredients

1 (12-oz.) can frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
3 (12-oz.) bottles beer (not dark), chilled
3/4 cup vodka, chilled
Ice

Garnishes: fresh cranberries, citrus slices

Preparation
Stir together first 3 ingredients. Serve over ice. Garnish, if desired.

Cami Perry, Birmingham, Alabama, Southern Living, OCTOBER 2007

Very. Fabulous. I am thinking about modifying it and using Crystal Light to save some calories....

Look what came in the mail!

Yup, I ordered it.

Some Swatches for The Muse

One of my favorite blog finds is Musings of a Muse. She's totally adorable and even more obsessed with new makeup than me! I love reading her posts and seeing her swatches.

Last month, she posted about theBalm's new collection and their fabulous new lip stains called For Keeps Watercolor Lip Stains that I just had to have. You know all about my lip problems- lipstick/gloss tends to run into the little lines around my mouth, so I prefer a stain. I snatch them up whenever I see them.

But this little beauty really had me curious- it brought back a memory of a neat lip product I had back in the late 80s. I think it was Cover Girl, and it was a little compact with a powder lip color on one side, and a clear gloss on the other. It came with an eye-shadow type application to apply the powder (no water was needed), and a little brush for the gloss. I remember that I loved this!

Moving on.... today the Muse posted her swatches and mentioned she was scared silly of the stain that actually looks almost black in the Plum Berry/Brown Sugar compact. Not to worry Muse- it's plum!

I have no idea why it looks so dark in the compact, but it's actually a really nice shade if you like strong lip.

Right Now I Am Listening To

Miranda Lambert - White Liar

Such a great song- I just adore her and anything she sings. Makes me smile!

The One Where I Wish I Had a Sibling

Because

this....

makes my heart melt.

(photo by Trina Gibbins Photography)

Dear ABC,

It's been done before.

crossed with

equals

last night's Bachelor episode. WTF????????

Dinner Last Night: BBQ Chicken Biscuits

Barbecue Filled Biscuits

The original recipe called for ground beef, but I had a package of Tyson Refrigerated Fully Cooked Southwestern Chicken Breast Strips in my refrigerator that I needed to use, so I used that instead.

What You Need

• 1 bag Refrigerated Fully Cooked Southwestern Chicken Breast Strips, chopped up
• barbecue sauce (enough to coat chicken well)
• 1 can (7.5 oz.) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (there's 10 in the package)
• shredded cheese

HEAT oven to 375ºF.

SEPARATE biscuits. Press 1 biscuit onto bottom and up side of each muffin cup. (I sprayed my muffin tin with Pam first.)

MIX chicken and BBQ sauce together and spoon into biscuit cups.

BAKE 10 min. or until biscuits are lightly browned. Top with cheese; bake 3 to 4 min. or until melted

We really liked this and it was a hit with The Politician as well. You most likely needed a side to go with this as they are pretty small, but I was quite a slacker last night and didn't make one. Bad mommy.

Moisturizer Find

Poor WC. She has the worst skin ever. It's so sensitive, and she's very prone to random rashes on her bottom and legs. I use All Free and Clear and Downy Free and Sensitive, but she still has itchy spots and sometimes Cetaphil doesn't cut it. I've been using hydrocortisone cream on some of the worst spots, but I just don't like to do that very often because it can thin the skin over time.

So I was excited when I was contacted by Skin MD Natural a few months ago. They asked if I'd like to try their Shielding Lotion and of course I said yes with WC in mind. I have been using it for about two months now on WC when she gets a rash and have been amazed at how well it works to clear it up. Typically, when I apply Cetaphil to her rashy area, she complains that it stings, but when I use the Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion ($18 value), she doesn't complain at all!

Head over to my giveaway blog for a chance to win a bottle for yourself! Hurry- giveaway ends tomorrow!

Disclosure: I was provided a free bottle of Skin MD Natural Shielding Lotion. The value of this is $18.

The General Mood Around Here

Yeah, I know it hasn't been the same. Last week I was taken aback by an anonymous commenter who said....

remember when you used to write about stuff and not just post advertisements? those were the days. i miss your writing!!!

Advertisement issue aside (let it be known that the GDA posts are simply me sharing good deals with my friends- I make absolutely nothing off them, except for a very small percentage off of Amazon click-thrus), I started thinking about it, and yes, I agree I haven't been "writing" much. And I miss my writing too!

I am sure you know that P started K this past fall, and he hasn't settled in very well. His behavior has not been stellar, and his poor teacher, who is a family friend, has tried everything she can think of to motivate him to behave better, but we just aren't getting there. He seems intent on being the "class clown" which may be great for a career choice later in life, but it is distracting to the other kids and is causing disruptions in class.

To complicate matters, he was officially diagnosed with a Sensory Processing Disorder, like WC, but his issues are a bit different than hers. Some of his issues cause challenges in class. He's pretty much unable to sit still and keep his hands to himself due to him being a sensory seeker. We started OT visits and listening therapy at home around Thanksgiving, and it's been a rocky road for me. I wonder sometimes (most of the time actually) what I did wrong for both my kids to have these issues.......

I'm super-tired of living in a war zone and waiting for little bombs to drop. I've always suffered from some level of anxiety, but never felt the need to do something about it until we started dealing with WC's issues and now it just seems MORE complicated. I think the Lexapro helps, but I'm tired, I'm fat, and I cut my bangs a little too short last week.

But I'll make it through, that I know. So I hope you can be patient with me while I wait for things to settle and hopefully return to normal.

Dinner Last Night

Last night I made Chicken Enchilada Pizza and it was awesome. I didn't pre-bake the crust, and I should have, because the middle of the crust never got crispy. I don't mind that myself, my the hubs likes his super-crispy.

I found the recipe in a magazine and modified it a bit to suit my uber-picky tastes.

Heat oven to 400.

Spray large pan and roll out a Pillsbury Thin Crust Pizza Crust. (I didn't pre-bake, but I will next time)

Spread out Old El Paso mild enchilada sauce on the crust.

Sprinkle chopped cooked chicken over the crust and top with shredded cheese. I used a package of Tyson bagged pre-cooked mesquite chicken strips that I chopped up.

Bake for 17 minutes.

Ski Trip 2010

I am so glad no one took a pic of me in my ski gear because I am 99% sure I would have passed for the Stay Puff Marshmallow Man. All those layers did nothing for my figure. But I did get some cute shots of the kiddos.

After a 3 hour session of Snow Monster school, P caught on quite well and had a fab time.

WC loved the helmet and ski boots but found skiing to be quite a bit of work. She tuckered out pretty quickly and enjoyed getting Skittles at the snack bar.

Awww... look at that face!

We had a wonderful time at the little resort in Missouri this weekend. It was a great place to take the kids and introduce them to skiing. I will warn you that they have tow ropes on the learning slope and also on the smallest regular slope, and that was a new concept for me and my unmuscled arms. To say it was rough would be an understatement. I just didn't have enough strength to hold on to the rope and make it to the top.

And please please please put helmets on your kids if you take them skiing. One of the 5 year old boys in our group actually got hit in the head by a snowboard, and if he hadn't had on a helmet.... well, I don't want to think about that. Thank goodness he did.

133.0

Yup, I weigh 133.0 today. I need to put it all out there, publicly, if I'm going to do something about it. Isn't that terrible? I know it's all due to the choices I've been making, which have been unwise and have included quite a bit of beer, Buffalo Chex Mix and Aunt Luanne's Christmas sugar cookies, which thank God are almost all gone.

My Weight Watchers goal weight is 109 and by golly I'm going to get there. 24 damn pounds are coming off.

And Jay Johnson is going to help me get there. I posted a few weeks ago about a video of his I had purchased from Amazon and how much I loved it. I loved it so much that I purchased his 9 week home boot camp package.

I paid $79.90 plus shipping and it came in the mail this weekend and I am starting tomorrow (because it's always better to start tomorrow, right?). You get one DVD for each week and an awesome chart that shows you what workout to do each of the 5 days you are supposed to use the DVD each week.

Jay sent me a message on twitter with a code I can offer my readers for 15% off! (Too bad I had already ordered at the full price myself!) To redeem the code enter this coupon at checkout: JJBC15LY9

I'm going to post my progress here each week and I may even post my measurements, as embarrassing as that may be. I don't know about that part yet- I have to take them and see how bad they are.....

Did you know?

That you can snow ski in Missouri????? I didn't, but do now!

Using up the Hot Sauce

Remember the Buffalo Chicken Dip from a few weeks ago? I am so type A that it bugs me to have a half-empty jar of something in the refrigerator with no plans for it. So when I was reading the coupon section on Sunday morning (totally the first part of the paper I read) I ran across a recipe for Buffalo Chex Mix. (By the way, Chex, not unlike Hershey, is slacking and doesn't have the recipe on their list, or at least it's not easy to find).

Moving on.... so I'll post the recipe for you. It's tasty and although it has a kick, it's certainly not too hot. I think my kids will even enjoy it as they like spicy food.

Buffalo Chex Mix

• 4 cups Rice Chex cereal
• 4 cups Wheat Chex cereal
• 2 cups Parmesan-flavored tiny fish-shaped crackers
• 2 cups pretzel twists
• 6 tbsp butter
• 2 1/2 tbsp hot sauce
• 1 packet ranch dressing mix
• 2 tsp celery seed (I didn't use this because I didn't have any)

1. In large microwavable bowl, mix cereals, crackers and pretzels; set aside. In small microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on high about 40 seconds or until melted. Stir in hot sauce and seasonings. Pour over cereal mixture; stir until evening coated. (Note: I used a square Rubbermaid container that was microwave safe- I didn't have a bowl big enough.)

2. Microwave uncovered on high for 4-5 minutes, thoroughly stirring every 2 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.

Two Giveaways

I am giving away a brand-new tube of Cover Girl Lash Blast Length at Sasha Says Giveaway, and Smoochiefrog has a polish giveaway on our nail blog, Manicure Mommas.

What are you waiting for? Go enter!

Hubbies: Valentine's Gifts!

And really, this isn't just for husbands... girls, you've got to check this out!

Have you heard of Dove Chocolate Discoveries? A good friend of mine, Kristen, just signed up as a representative, and holy cow, this stuff is good! So good, it's not sold in stores- it's better than the stuff in stores! Promise! The Sea Salt Caramel Collection is TDF. I personally know this because I ate the whole box by myself last month. (I guess that's mostly because I hid it from my husband.)

Moving on from my diet transgression.... Kristen is offering a special for Sasha Says readers... 10% off your orders during the month of January. Their best deal right is the Valentine box... it's 24 chocolates in a pretty box, sent directly to your valentine for $39- including shipping.

You can email Kristen at kristen_dennis@yahoo.com or contact her through her Dove site.

One more product tip- I purchased the Mudslide Chocolatini Mix and am taking it on our ski trip this weekend along with Raspberry Vodka to make the best mudslides you have ever had.

What's For Dinner?

The Sashas are having Chicken Cordon Bleu from my new cookbook.

Stay tuned for the results!

Do you have crockpot recipes you love? We are hoping to use our more to make the evenings less stressful. I'd love your ideas!

You Need One of These

Last week I purchased one of these adorable Lego Necklaces from an etsy shop and it came today. How adorb is that?????

And you need one! They are only $6 with $2 shipping and just precious. Many many colors to choose from. I think WC may need one!

Note: If you enlarge this pic you will see a tiny brown spot on the right side of the necklace. I think it was lint because I'm no Britney Spears.

How do I Blush?

A few years ago I discovered Everyday Minerals and started wearing their foundation. I also purchased quite a few of their blushes, which I wore for a while. But I finally realized that they end up turning a very unflattering shade of orange on me, no matter what shade they start out. So I've trashed all my EDM blushes and have collected an arsenal of blushes much more flattering to me and my pretty damn pale skin.

My first love is Benefit Dandelion, which I purchased from Sephora for $28. This rocks my world and lasts forever. Promise. But throw out the brush that it comes with and use your own blush brush. This goes for all Benefit boxed powders.

I also love Benefit Thrrrob, which I also purchased from Sephora for $28. This is a bit pinker and has a bit of shimmer in it, but not too much. Thrrrob appears to be out of stock at Sephora right now.

My newest Benefit fave is Sugarbomb, which is gorgeous! Also purchased from Sephora for $28. Swirling all those colors together turns out to be a perfect flush for me.

A brand-new find for me (Thanks to the Muse) is theBalm Down Boy. This is very pigmented, so you just need a little bit, but it give me a great natural glow. I purchased this for $20 from Sephora.

And this weekend I got in my order from Too Faced and got this beauty- Le Vie En Rose, which retails for $19.50, although I only paid about $14 during their sale. It has quite a bit of shimmer, but I think it's so pretty.

What is your favorite blush?

GDA: Croc Kids Boots

Crocs has a buy one get one free promo for their Kid's Georgie Boots.

2 pair are $15 and then you can use 10% off code C6VMRVKY3ISA = $13.49 for 2 pairs with free shipping.

Note: sizes are limited

And don't forget to go through ebates for 4% back.

Genius I Say!

Friday I was at TRU picking up a birthday gift and saw these adorable reusable sacks for only $1.50 each- what a perfect sack for a present!

There are quite a few to choose from in both girl and boy designs. Isn't that a great idea? I always hate paying $3 for a gift sack that will most likely get mangled and thrown away, but I was glad to pay $1.5o for these.

Lip of the Day: Delux Beauty Tintstick in Dot

Delux Beauty Tintstick in Dot

Sadly, this is long discontinued.... but I love it so much! The shade is I have Dot, and it's sort of a cranberry wine. Unlike the Tarte 24/7 Lip Sheers, which I find way too waxy and they tend to run outside my lips into my fine lines, the Delux Tintstick stays put and feels fabulous!

Everytime I pull this out I'm sad it's no longer available. I'm on my last tube.....

Do you have a favorite product that has been discontinued?

Lip of the Day: Stila Long Wearing Lip Color In Exquisite

Stila Long Wearing Lip Color in Exquisite ($20 at Sephora)

This is really a nice lipstick- a natural look that is actually pretty long wearing. The sheen fades a bit but you are left with a nice color that doesn't bleed.

Of course, I've always found Stila a bit expensive, and this product is no different. I purchased it for $18 from Sephora, so it's a definite splurge. Stila's products are so darn cute though, and I love how this twists up.

Will I buy again? Most likely not.

Will I keep it? Yes, I like it enough to use from time to time.

Review: Jay Johnson's Boot Camp Fitness: Ultimate Body Vol. 1

Y'all. The trainer for the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders just kicked my ass, but in a good way! My New Years Resolution is to get back into shape and lose the 16 pounds I've gained.

The Jay Johnson Boot Camp Fitness DVD I ordered arrived yesterday and I was so excited to try it today. "Boot Camp" workouts are a pretty big deal here, but due to my work schedule, there's really no way for me to join a class and still have time to get ready for work.

I already liked what I had seen of Jay on DCC and figured I'd give this a try. Note: the DVD was $15 when I ordered it, and know it's down to $11.50, which is a hell of a deal.

I couldn't find a detailed review online, so I thought I'd just do one myself.

Things you need to know: Jay is chit-chatty, and military. And hard-core. And his wife is the hot blonde on the cover with him. She helps lead as well.

You really don't need any equipment for this, and although some of the demonstrators do use hand weights from time to time, those of us trying to get back in shape certainly don't need them to get a good workout. Jay does want you to download his guide (I'll insert the address later, but I'm too sore to get up from this chair right now) and learn the moves before you begin, but I didn't do this and it wasn't that big of a deal. If you are fairly coordinated, you can pick it up.

The workout is divided into five sections, and there's a countdown bar at the bottom of the screen to let you know how much time is left in each section, which is GENIUS. Gave me something to look forward to.

First section: Prep. 4:45. Basically some warm up cardio-type moves. No stretching.

Second section: Abs. Around 12:00. I love that they did abs first. I always get worn out and since abs are at the end of most DVD workouts, I tend to turn off the DVD and skip that part. No chance of that here.

Third section: Legs. Around 14:00. Holy hell, this is rough. Jay does his exercises in "cadences". Like 1 2 3, 1, 1 2 3, 2, 1 2 3, 3, and he does five of them. Then he gives you 30 seconds to do as many of that move as you can. It's a little crazy up there on the screen with 4 people going at their own pace, but I just picked the super-ab-cut lady and followed her during the free-for-alls.

Fourth section: Cardio. Around 14:00. He does what he calls a "pyramid workout" and does the cadence thing again. With the first exercise, you do 20 of the cadences. 10 second break, and then you do 19 of the next exercise. 1o second break again and you do 18 and so on until you get to 10 and that's your last one.

Fifth section: Recovery. 4:00. Here he does stretches and chit chats some more.

I think Jay and I are going to be good friends. I really think this workout is going to shape me up. But it's not for the faint of heart- be ready to really work out.

Millions of Mascaras: Urban Decay Big Fatty

Urban Decay Big Fatty Mascara ($20 at Sephora)

I had a mini size of this mascara that I had gotten in an Urban Decay set I purchased from Sephora. Would you believe I actually threw this out? I did not care of it at all- it was very dry and did not make my lashes big and fat. So in the trash it went.....

My Daughter, The Biker

Hopefully she is getting this out of her system.

LOTD: Too Faced Mood Swing in Smurfette

Too Faced Mood Swing Emotionally Activated Lip Gloss in Smurfette

(purchased from Sephora for $18.50)

Although this shade was a limited edition and is no longer available, the original is. These are emotionally activated lip glosses that give you shades in the light-to-bright pink range.

As these wear off, they leave behind a very pretty pink stain. And there's no feathering, which is always a problem for me with glosses. I absolutely consider these a staple.

So I was so excited to see on Twitter this morning that Too Faced is offering a 30% code today! It's luckybreaks. Of course, I ordered all three of the new Mood Swing shades- Petal Pink, Pink Shimmer, and Berry Pink. After all, I have some birthday money to spend!

If you spend over $50, shipping is free.

Checks?

Do you have girly checks? I do. I am the keeper of the family checking account (the hubs has one of his own so he doesn't have to write down every single transaction like I insist on in the family account) so I get to pick out the checks and I always look for cute ones. We pay most bills online, but I do still need to write some checks (daycare, housekeeper, etc.).

I just ordered the ones above and got a hell of a deal. Start at http://www.4checks.com/ and use code BD2156 to get free shipping and handling and 4 boxes of checks for 14.00. They are an outlet for most of the check companies like Styles.

I was looking through the designs available and laughing to myself that it might be funny to get Ozzy Osborne checks or maybe Fergie (seriously, they have those) or something totally random that I have no interest in that would just make me laugh every time I paid a bill. But I went with the Boutique ones above because, well, in the end, I'm probably not cool enough for Ozzy.

What kind of checks do you have?

LOTD: Korres Lip Butter in Plum

I am still battling some seriously dry lips, so today I got out a favorite for this problem- Korres Plum Lip Butter, which I purchased from Sephora for $9. Note: for some reason, Sephora is claiming it's "only at Sephora" but that's crazy because my local Ulta carries it.

Moving on..... this stuff feels fabulous on your lips and smells nice as well. My main gripe is that there is no applicator included with the product- do they expect you to use your finger? Gross!

I use a small lip brush from a Clinique pot gloss.

And although this feels great and helps heal dry lips, there's not much staying power and no leftover tint once it wears off. You definitely have to reapply quite a bit.

Would I buy again? Most likely not because I don't think I'll run out for a while since I only use it when I need a treatment rather than a lipstick.

Will I keep it? Yes, I do like it enough to keep.

Has It Really Been 4 Years?

Yes, she actually requested "half football, half Princess" cupcakes for her birthday and Sam's was glad to oblige.

I can't believe she is 4 years old.... *tear* my baby.....

Two Things You Should Know

1. This is the cutest thing I have ever seen.

and

2. On my quest for fitness in '10, I am seriously considering ordering the Shake Weight. Fitness Magazine recommended it in their January 2010 issue, and I had no clue it people thought the motion was perverted until I googled looking for reviews. Leave it to Ellen.... God, I love her. But I am still thinking about ordering it. Anyone?

Shall We Begin? LOTD 1-01-10

Hourglass Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in Primal (purchased for $28)

My lips have been super crazy dry here since we've had a cold stretch for over a week now. I pulled out a gloss that I've had for a while and often reach for when my lips are asking for some moisture. This gloss is almost like putting actual butter on your lips- it's quite luxurious and feels fabulous.

As with most glosses, however, the color payoff is just not there and it doesn't last long. On the positive side, when it wears off you are left with lips that are back to normal and no longer dry. Pretty amazing for one application.

Would I buy it again? Nope, not likely. It's very pricey and the color wasn't what I expected. I am a berry girl, and this leans more red than berry- which is different that what Sephora's swatch shows.

Hopefully I'll come up with some sort of a rating system to use for my Lip of the Day posts. I am thinking rating based on color, formula, wear, smell/taste, price, and would I buy again. Other ideas?

Happy New Year!

Yesterday we went to a football watch party and I took a dip that was gone in 60 seconds.... well, not really, but it went fast! I would have had a better picture, but several vultures swooped in and started eating.

It's super easy and I figured Sasha Says readers who are just like me and like easy stuff would love to have it.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

3 cans of Tyson chicken breast in water
1- 8 oz. block of cream cheese
1- bottle of ranch dressing
2 tbs. of butter
1 pkg. finely shredded mozzarella cheese
1-bottle of buffalo wing sauce

Mash softened cream cheese in bottom of baking dish. Drain chicken and shred a bit more. Mix melted butter with shredded chicken. Pour about 1/2 bottle of buffalo wing sauce over shredded chicken and mix (chicken should be well coated in wing sauce). Pour this mixture over the cream cheese. Pour about 1/2 bottle of ranch dressing over the shredded chicken. Add about 3/4 pkg of cheese over this mixture. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes. Serve with chips or crackers.

Happy New Year to you and yours!