Zit Zapper!

I know what you maybe thinking...and no it's not from a late night infomercial! This is for real, something that has been around forever and that I just discovered! Why has this stuff been hiding from us? And to think its inexpensive and comes from a natural plant! So, my newest fond zit zapper treasure? WITCH HAZEL.

  photo: lady-bug/flickr

Have you ever used it? I found something on Pinterest (surprise, surprise) and did some further research. I made my own Witch Hazel Astringent combining witch hazel, fresh squeezed lemon and water. I've been using in for about a month now. Love it. It doesn't dry out your skin, it leaves it feeling fresh.

Why am I calling it the Zit Zapper? Well, the other day when I was getting ready for work, I noticed this bright red, big zit on my chest. I wanted to wear the outfit, but didn't want the Rudolf Red Nosed Zit on my chest making me self-conscious all day long. I thought quickly and soaked a small make-up remover pad with my witch hazel astringent and placed it on my zit while I finished my hair and make-up. And guess what? It wasn't as red and gross looking! I hurried up to work and completely forgot about it. Later on in the day, when I was in the bathroom, I looked into the mirror and BAM--you could hardly tell that a zit existed! HOLY MIRACLE! I'm impressed and I thought I would share it with you guys!

Oh, and did you know that you can use witch hazel for diaper rash, baggy eyes (gonna try this soon!), poison ivy and quite a few other problems too? Just check out this site where I got some of my research from! 

Now, head to your local pharmacy and getcha some!

Cindy

Tasty Tuesday - Super Sweet Corn

We are fortunate to live closely to a farm that produces THE best sweet corn EVER! In fact, they developed a hybrid sweet corn that has changed the meaning of sweet corn! From their website, its deemed the sweetest, most tender and flavorful corn available to customers worldwide--and it was developed right in our area! Cool, eh? Try it and you won't ever want anything other than Mirai!
I decided to cook the corn a bit differently this time (did you know this stuff is so sweet/tender you don't even need to cook it!). I put it in the oven! WHAT? I know, we usually do a quick boil (they recommend 2.5-3 minutes), but I wanted to try something different--pinterest inspired! (this is my original pin source)
It couldn't be easier. Here's the quick recipe:
Put whole ears, with husks/silks still on in a 350 degree oven. Set timer for 30 mintues. Cook the rest of your dinner. When timer goes off remove the corn from the oven. Now, you can do one of two things: pull husks/silk back and eat rustic (aka messy) or cut off the bottom end and easily shuck the corn husks/silk into the garbage. We opted for #2. Top corn with your favorite toppings. We did butter spray and pepper.

Can I tell you how much we enjoyed this corn! OMY!! (oh my yum!) So delicious! Now, go try it for yourself. It was easy and tasty--can't ask for anything more!

Enjoy!

This was posted to Hookin' Up with House of Hepworth's!

Never Give Up Hope

Listen closely. Follow wisely.

Cindy

Fortune(atly)

So, I was out with a few friends recently to celebrate a birthday.  We headed to PF Chang's and Improv out in the suburbs. Can I just say, YUM to PF Chang's--never been there before but OH MY it was delicious! We had 2 Dinner for Two's (no we aren't pigs--there were 4 of us and we ended up bringing a lot home). I look forward to my next trip there! After dinner they present you with your check (of course) and a fortune cookie. The freaky part is that we all grabbed a cookie and read the fortune. I believe each one of us had a fortune that fit us perfectly. Here is mine:

I believe this with my whole heart. I try to work hard every day--whether it is with my job, exercise, with my family, you get the picture. I can only hope that the hard work will pay off. A long time ago I read my horoscope in the paper, cut it out and attached it to my monitor at work. It's a daily reminder for me. It reads: "When it comes to your work, put forth your very best efforts because what you accomplish will not go unnoticed nor unrewarded. Take pride in your productivity and purpose."

Do you believe in horoscopes or fortune cookie messages? Am I silly to believe that I picked that particular cookie for a reason? Who knows, but it gives me inspiration and determination.

Thanks for visiting,

Cindy 

Tasty Tuesday--Pizza Pasta Salad

We had a family picnic over the weekend to celebrate by hubby's Grandma's 87th birthday. We are so blessed to have her--not only is she the sweetest person around, but earlier this year she was diagnosed with stomach cancer, had surgery and WON! It was a nice family gathering with delicious food! 
My hubs decided which recipe I should make (well, I narrowed down the choices) and this is what he picked! Its super easy and very delicious!

Pizza Pasta Salad 

 

 

serves 10 (or more)

3 cups penne pasta (or your favorite pasta), cooked & cooled
3 small-medium tomatoes, chopped
15 slices hard salami, finely chopped
1 cup mozzarella cheese (shredded, cubed or how ever you want it)
1/2 cup fresh basil, sliced
1/2 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup light balsamic vinaigrette dressing
salt & pepper to taste   

Make it:

Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl. Refrigerate for one hour to let the flavors combine. Serve and enjoy!

Original recipe inspiration came from here. I adapted it for our tastes and what I had in my frig!

Next time, I think I will substitute turkey pepperoni for the hard salami.

Try it and let me know what you think!

Cindy 

Decisions...and a t-shirt

I've been at a crossroads lately. I'm stuck. I need to get unstuck--real quick. I have ideas. Lots of them. I'm just not sure which one (or ones) I should go with. It's just not me that I'm impacting. I have a family. They have a stake in whatever I decide to do at this crossroad. 

Part of me thinks I'm just a wimp and I should just tread water and stick it out, but a piece of me dies everyday I have to continue down this path.

Where is my Magic 8 ball?
Ugh. Enough complaining already. Here it goes. I did a craft with my son the day before school started. We had fun--and the results were fantastic. And, its cheap too! Here's what you need:

•  t-shirt
• spray fabric paint (got mine on clearance at Wal-Mart--they were fluorescent pink, green, yellow and orange )
• imagination
• cardboard or something to put under the shirt

We did the project outside. It would be ideal if it was a calm day--breezy days wouldn't result in the design you were hoping for--which could also be fun too!

Start by putting something in between your shirt so the paint doesn't soak through to the other side (we used an old plastic place mat we had lying around). 
Next--decide what design or pattern you want. Carson wanted all four colors everywhere--no rhyme or reason.
Begin your design. Have fun and don't tip the bottle because they it doesn't spray, it dribbles.
Finally--show off your Kool-Aid mustache smile and cool new t-shirt!
 

I did a different technique on my shirt--and I love it! I will share it soon, just need to make a few "alterations"! And, if Hailey ever decides to hang around long enough to do her t-shirt, I will share it too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cindy 
This post is part of Get Your Craft On at Today's Creative Blog.

It's just the beginning!

Well, I finally did it. I started. This blog was a goal for my 2011 New Years Resolutions. Yes, I know, I'm a year and a half late. Better late than never, right? I just couldn't decide which route I wanted to go--but I figured it would take on a world of its own and it will just "find" its place. Well, I hope you join me on a journey of fun crafts, good food, and everyday trials. I'm not perfect. I'm just beginning. I hope this blog allows me to pour my creative juices out and release some built up tension. I promise I will have a fun post up soon. Please, pass along my blog to your friends and start following me! I promise it will be a fun place to meet up every now and again!

Cindy

Me & My Hunk at a Chicago Bears Game!