Beauty Recap: Microdermabrasion

A few months ago, I bought a Groupon (LOVE groupon!) for microdermabrasion - 2 very discounted sessions that could be used anytime in 2011. It was at a plastic surgeons office, done by the esthetician there. Well I had my first session today and I'm in LOVE with the results!

Obviously I'm not even the big 3-0 yet (7 months! eeeek!) but I definitely have been noticing some effects of aging, sun damage, etc as far as small wrinkles and sun spots. So I decided to give it a try. The procedure itself didn't hurt at all, it was actually quite relaxing. It basically was like a hard core facial.

She started by rubbing a few different creams and lotions on my face to soften and clean it. Then she started the actual abrasion part, which is where she used a small little vacuum device to rub very fine crystals all over my face to remove the top layer and "refresh" my skin by revealing all the new skin underneath. She went over my whole face and neck 3 times. To me, it felt like someone was rubbing a small eraser over my skin - weird, but it didn't hurt at all.

After the main procedure, she did a few more lotions and then did a super moisturizing mask that sat on my face for 8 minutes (total relaxation - I definitely took a power nap!) Then she wiped that away and I was all finished - about 45 minutes total.

I have no redness or anything - she said cause my skin is pretty young, I wouldn't have too much of a reaction to it. She recommends getting treatments about every 8 weeks so I will be going back in May. My skin seriously looks better (even right after she did it, I could see a difference). I just look fresher, not as tired and my skin feels incredible! It's so soft, I love it!

So this might be my new beauty regimen a few times a year as my splurge for myself. I'm a little worried that because I liked it so much, it might be my gateway drug into plastic surgery! haha - just kidding...sort of! Botox anyone??

A Post about trash

Actually, it's more about trashcans than trash. J and I decided we would focus on our backyard this spring and summer - we want to fix it up and get it to be a little nicer. It's fenced in and pretty big, but lacks any real grass or gardens. It's just kind of blah.

On Saturday, we did a little project that is sort of pointless and unnecessary, but it brings a smile to my face, so I guess that's all that matters. We store our trashcans and recycling bins on the inside of the fence in a little area right by the gate, for easy access to take them out. Well no grass grows in this area, so it's basically a big mud pile for our trashcans to sit in. The lovely before...beautiful huh?

So we decided to make a little bricked in patio area for the trashcans to sit so they stay out of the mud and it just cleans things up a bit.We headed to Home Depot bright and early to get our supplies. Well actually, the first step was that Jake measured everything out and figured thesize of the little patio. Since it's a place for trash to sit, we didn't get the most exciting paver stones or wood...just the basic stuff. Then we got to work!

2 10 foot 4x4 posts, 12x12 grey brick pavers and 6 bags of paver sand. Oh and the 4 large stakes that we used to drive the corners of the posts into the ground.

J measured everything and we decided we wanted to notch the wood so it fit together at the corner, sort of like Lincoln Logs. So he taught me a trick about cutting wood...

He made a bunch of little cuts half way down and then we used a hammer to loosen the wood to make the notch- sort of hard to explain, but it worked really well!

J was in charge of sawing the notches and I was in charge of hammering the pieces out.

The we laid the wood frame out, dug a little trench for it and leveled everything.

J drilled holes and hammered in a large metal stake into each corner to secure it well into the ground. It also makes it look a little bit more finished this way.

We put down some anti-weed paper and then laid out the first layer of paver sand - it was a little bigger and rocky.

Then we did the 2nd layer of paver sand and started laying out the stones.

Almost there - J just testing out the stones to make sure they are level.

Finished! It took about 3.5 hours from start to finish.

And here it is in use with the trashcans! So exciting...ha!

Even though it's a simple project, I'm really happy that we did this. It cost us about $80 in supplies, but we had a $50 HD gift card, so it was really only $30. This project was a lot harder than I expected though and it made me realize I would never be able to make a larger patio - I'm not a fan of all this leveling and measuring, etc.

So not a very exciting weekend project, but something we definitely needed!

Almost ready for Project Runway!

So this past fall, I took up sewing. I had always wanted to learn so after a few lessons from my mom, I set out to make curtains for our living room. Yes, I decided that curtains would be a great first sewing project - nothing like chewing off more than you can handle right?? It all started because I found this amazing fabric online and I wanted to base our entire living room around it - the colors worked with what we already have going in that room and I loved thelarge graphic print. Normally I'm a neutral and plain-jane sort of decor girl, so this was outside of my comfort zone.

Anyways, it may have taken me THREE months (and 3 sewing machines - I had some technical issues!) but our curtains are now done (well actually, I finished this project back in October, but I'm just getting around to blogging about it). I LOVE the way they came out and they totally make our entire room! I made 4 panels - 2 large ones for our sliding glass door and then a smaller set for the window. I just did plain panels and used clips to hang them, but I'm still very proud! I even lined them with a nice cream twill so they are heavy and nice quality.

Onto the pictures!

The large sliding door curtains closed

And a little bit different lighting, to show them opened.

The smaller window curtains - and a good shot of our painted goodwill lamp! We have small pops of orange in our living room with all the greens and browns. I'll have to do a post about the lamp later.

Close up of the fabric - I'm seriously in love with it! It's a Robert Allen fabric that I found on sale from fabric.com for $6.47/yard!

I ended spending about $50 on all the print fabric, plus the cream twill for the lining. We already had the curtain rods and hooks from our old curtains, so I consider this a very budget friendly makeover. It really makes the room look complete (well, it's definitely not done, but it looks way better!) and I still get excited when I walk in and see my handiwork!

I have done several other sewing projects and plan on taking on some more in the very near future! I'm sure I'll have some more fun projects to share!

Dear J.Crew,

We used to be BFF's. I apologize for not spending as much time (or money) with you recently, but I'm on a spending freeze for a few months. However, I have a bone to pick with you regarding your "free shipping". Offering free shipping when you spend $100 or more is not FREE. I'm tired of the emails that fake me out in the subject line - I keep opening them to see if maybe this time, you'll just give me true free shipping ON ANY AMOUNT. But no, never. I can't hide a $100 charge from J just to get free shipping, so therefore, I guess we are breaking up. Keep in touch and let me know if you ever reconsider your shipping policies.

Lots of love,
Kim

Ready for Summer!

Yes, it's February and we still have spring to look forward to, but these warmer days have made me ready for SUMMER! I stole this from Ashley:

1. Any vacations you are looking forward to this summer?
We are spending about a week in OBX in May - my parents have a condo there and we've actually never used it. They rent it out for most of the summer but the weather should be awesome there in May, so I can't wait. We're going with our friends B&S who are expecting a baby in July, so it will be fun to be down there with them before their new addition gets here!

2. What is your favorite article of summer clothing (shoes are included)?
Not sure if I can pick just one - Havianas Flip Flops (the most comfortable flip flops ever) and maxi dresses. Really any dresses...that's basically all I wear all summer.

3. What is your favorite summer drink (alcoholic or non)?
Vodka Tonic - it totally reminds me of summertime. Extra lime. I also enjoy a good Arnold Palmer in the summer (non-alcoholic).

4. Do you tan or burn?
Umm definitely BURN. It takes me a while to build up an actual tan - that usually doesn't happen until late August.

5. Any goals you are working toward this summer?
I want to spend most of my weekends at our pool. Try to swim 10-15 laps every time we're at the pool. Relax. Have fun!

6. What is your favorite summertime food?
Fresh berries, anything grilled, ice cream and popsicles, corn on the cob, fresh tomatoes with salt and pepper.

7. What song most says “summer” to you?
Sublime, Summertime. It reminds me of summers in high school.

8. Any home improvement goals planned for this summer?
Our tentative plan is to start working on our kitchen/floors this summer. eeeek - that means our goal for this spring to save every penny we can!

9. What is one thing you hate to see at the beach?
Jellyfish and RAIN!

10. Did you ever go to a summer camp?
Ooooh yes - the summer before 8th grade I spent 3 weeks at sleep-away camp. I got really homesick. It was also a horseback riding camp (that was the main activity) and I learned that I was allergic to horses there (hello hives!) So obviously it wasn't the best situation. That was my last camp experience.

Happy Valentine's!

Hope everyone has a wonderful and romantic Valentine's day! We're making a nice meal at home and just relaxing. J did send me a beautiful bouquet full of pink flowers to work - it was such a nice surprise! I picked up two huge yummy looking cupcakes from Whole Foods for us to enjoy tonight after dinner. I'm excited for a low key evening with my husband!

Risotto!

I heart Risotto. It's probably my favorite food in the world. I make it ALOT (several times a month) and I have to say, I'm pretty good at it, since its sort of a high maintenance meal. Lots of stirring and adding liquid. But it's totally worth it. You can put anything into risotto - my favorite thing is roasted veggies (butternut squash, brussel sprouts, asparagus, etc.)

Anyways, I get a random subscription to All You Magazine - anyone ever heard of it? It's basically a mag about life, recipes, decorating, saving money, etc. Sometimes they have some pretty good recipes, but one in the latest issue caught my eye -- Baked Risotto with Sausage and Mushrooms. Basically it takes the "work" out of the constant stirring of risotto and lets you add in the chicken broth and pop your dutch oven into the oven to bake for about an hour. Hmm I was definitely intrigued, so I tried it tonight for dinner.

It was surprisingly good! It stayed really creamy and the Arborio rice cooked well so it was nice and starchy. I would recommend it, especially if you are feeling lazy and enjoy a one pot meal with super easy clean up!

Here's the recipe (adapted from All You Magazine, my changes are in red):

Baked Sausage and Mushroom Risotto

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Yield: Serves 4 (we got a TON more than 4 servings out of this - we'll both be able to take it for lunch the rest of the week)

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound Italian turkey sausage, casings removed (I used chicken sausage, like the Hillshire Farms precooked stuff cause I had it on hand - still turned out tasty!)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 8 ounces sliced cremini or button mushrooms
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 1/2 cups arborio rice
• 4 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, warmed (I only used about 3.5 cups of broth and it was plenty!)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (yeah, I didn't have any fresh parsley, so we went without. We did top it with some extra Parmesan Cheese)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. In a Dutch oven or other large, ovenproof pot with a lid, cook sausage over medium heat, stirring to break it up, until crumbly and browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Spoon sausage into a bowl lined with paper towels and pour fat out of pot.

2. Return pot to heat and add oil. Add onion and mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until onion is soft and mushroom juices have evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour in wine and cook until reduced by half, stirring to release any browned bits on bottom of pan, about 2 minutes. Stir in rice and cook for 3 minutes. Pour in 3 cups of broth and stir to combine.

3. Bake for 20 minutes. Stir in Parmesan, reserved sausage meat and remaining 1 1/2 cups broth. (I only added about another 1/2 - 3/4 of a cup of broth at this point cause it was still really liquidy and it was fine) Cover, return to oven and bake until rice is tender but not mushy, 30 to 35 minutes more. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Definitely try it if you love risotto or if you've never had it before and you want to start off easy! I didn't take a picture, but here's the picture from the magazine's website - it really did look exactly like this!

(Source)