The Look For Less!

Have you seen this?  I think I saw it on an ad on Facebook.

It looks pretty cool, and easy right? 6 Neutral eye shadows, 2 blushes, a light pink lip-gloss, mascara and brushes, in a cute compact! A $165 value for only $ 95!

Now did you know that Mary Kay has a really similar compact?

This is it unfilled.  While you can only fit 3 of the 6 eye shadows and 1 blush, and the mascara does not fit IN the compact, this deal comes really close!

You can fit Sweet Cream, Chocolate Kiss, and Espresso eye shadows 

and Sunny Spice blush on the left (magnetic) side. 

 Two eye shadow brushes and a blush brush on the right.  

The lip gloss fits on top, 

and you can see it through the lid. 

A mini Lash intensity Mascara is my free gift right now, which is even better because the full size are on extreme back-order! 

Plus, each eye shadow and blush and lip gloss are individually replaceable!  Finish the sweet cream first, call me to re-fill, you don't need to get a whole new compact!  Don't want any shimmer shadows, I'll help you pick out which ones you like better.  Wait, what's that, you also get me, your own personal beauty consultant?  I remember what you like and don't like? I deliver to you? You can sit down and try colors out on your own face before purchasing?  What if you purchase and then decide you don't like it after you've used it a few times?  You can return or exchange it with me at any time without regard to amount used or time passed?!!?

I'd say that's even more worth the only $74 cost.  Contact me or your own Mary Kay Consultant today to pick out YOUR personalize Beauty Book! 

www.marykay.com/catherinesilver

Easy Beef Stroganoff

Hands on Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
6 ounces fresh mushrooms sliced, then rough chopped
1 onion chopped

2 T butter
2 pounds ground beef
4 T flour
1 tsp salt
2 cups beef broth
1 cup or less sour cream
12 ounces egg noodles
Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Cook noodles in boiling water until done, about 8 minutes;
   
   drain
2. Meanwhile prepare the sauce: In a large skillet, cook mushrooms and onions in 2 Tablespoons of butter until soft.
   
   
   
    remove from pan.
3. Using the same pan, cook the ground beef until browned.
   
   
    Drain fat. 
   
4. Mix in flour.
   
   Stir in beef broth, and cook until slightly thickened.
    
   
    Stir in mushrooms and onions.
   
    Add Sour Cream
   
   . Season to taste with salt and pepper.  (I always have to add more to taste when it is on my plate even).  Continue cooking until sauce is hot, but not bubbling. 
5. Serve sauce and meat over egg noodles.

Serve with steamed peas.  I like to mix them in, but my kids don't so I serve both to the table.

Serves 4-6

Broccoli and Three cheese Lasagna

Broccoli and Three cheese Lasagna

Hands on Time:  15 minutes

Total Time: 75 minutes

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

15 oz ricotta cheese, about 1 ¾ cups

1 pound frozen broccoli florets, thawed, and chopped

2 ¼ cups grate mozzarella

½ cup grated Parmesan

Kosher Salt and Black pepper

24 oz mariana sauce

¾ cup heavy cream

8 lasagna noodles

Olive oil spray. Olive oil is pictured, but I found the spray to be just as effective, and easier to apply

Directions:

1.    Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, broccoli, 2 cups of the mozzarella, ¼ cup Parmesan, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper.
   
   
   
   
2. In a small bowl , combine the marina sauce and cream
3. Assemble the lasagna: Spoon a thin layer of the sauce into the bottom of an 9x12 baking dish. Top with noodles. You may have to break some, but that’s ok. To help the lasagna hold together when it’s cut, alternate the direction of the noodles in each layer.
   
4. After the noodles, use a quarter of the sauce, a third of the broccoli mixture. Repeat until all ingredients have been used. The uppermost layer should be noodles, sauce, then the last ¼ cup of mozzarella, and ¼ cup parmesan. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Spray a piece of foil with olive oil spray and bake until noodles are tender, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake until top is golden brown, about 10 to 15 more minutes.  This is on a baking pan for over flow, but also, we used the grill as the oven so the house wouldn't get hot!
   
   
   
   

Serve with: salad and Garlic Bread

Car Payments

well, we paid off Jared's car in October 2015, but September 2014, we bought a new car, the Minivan, so that is now a car payment for another 4 years.  We do plan to have that for at least 10 years, and we'll see what life brings us with the Nissan.  I do believe when Jared becomes partner, he will need a bigger car, a sedan, not just a little commuter car.  Hopefully, the Nissan will be able to be traded in for a bit. I don't know if I should mark this complete because the two cars we had at the beginning of the challenge are paid off, but we still have a car payment.

1001 things update

I think I may try the Crest White strips
I did register for the Turkey Trot 8K, but with my ankle I was only able to run the 5K.
I did try a nightly reminder for flossing, that didn't work
I have been reading the weekly torah portion a bit more frequently, but not consistently
I have created some basic traditions for Shabbat, but haven't really employed them consistently
I did my gratitude journal for a little bit but I found that I am not in my office regularly.  Maybe if I put it on my nightstand.
I have created new affirmations, but I don't read them in the morning.  I saved a shortcut to my phone and i will try to listen in the morning.
I really tried to do a family halloween costume of the Berenstain Bears, could not find the pieces and I didn't want to make anything.
30 things, I tried this.  I think I got bored with the outfits...since then I've done a few style challenges, and I think that's been good.  It didn't solve the problem of pairing down my closet, but it did help.
I definitely won't be doing another list.  I have accomplished many things that I set out to do.  With the move, several items became a lower priority.  At this point, I like having one project, like my recipe binder and 50 states by 50 goal to work on.

Favorite Cocktail(s)

I think this depends on the occasion, or part of the meal.

Well Drink: Gin and Tonic, with Bombay Sapphire. or a Tom Collins with a Lime
Wine: Riesling
Frozen Drink: Pina Colada
Martini: Cosmopolitan
Beer: Blue Moon, or a Cider

what's in the book I won from Becky Ozelie?

100 new customers

as of 12/24/2015, I have 49.  I'll have to hustle this next six months to get the same number as I got in the past 2.5 years.  It will have to be intentional.