DIY Beauty - Uhhh... Waxing

*This post may contain pictures that are disturbing if you refuse to admit that women have facial hair that needs tending ...


Following along with Year of Zero? You aren't? Why? You can watch me fall flat on my face, sit up, dust myself off and continue onwards. 

Or better yet, you can read along on my daily adventures and nod your head in understanding at why sometimes I don't always succeed. I'd much prefer the latter but heck, if you really need entertainment value, go along with the first.

Anyways. Rule #10 , the very last one I made, because it was HARD for me to commit to was the NO MORE manicures, pedicures, lip/eyebrow waxing (What???), professional hair coloring ($200 plus a pop) and so on. Yeah. What was I thinking when I committed to THAT?? Hubby is most likely going to be calling a divorce attorney, or maybe just a mediator if the grey hair gets any further along ...

So I've been on a mission for DIY stuff. Which I've actually been doing for awhile but the waxing thing was really far off the priority list. I figured I would just, you know, TWEEZE. Huh. Yeah right. Owee mommy!

Then I thought, shave. But ummm, I really do not want the 5:00 shadow on MY face at 5pm every day :-( So last time I was at Bed Bath and Beyond with my 20% off coupon (it was still the Year of SPEND, 2011!) I came across this little box:

Well, if it's the WINNER (BEAUTY AWARDS) 2010 READERS CHOICE then heck, it's gotta be worth something, don't you think?

Ick. Sorry for the repulsive looking picture ... but I'm just proving to you that YES, it works. And honestly, I think it was LESS painful than a salon lip wax.

Wanna know how it goes?

Take this little wipe (I stuck it back in a ziploc, only 4 came in the package and it's a big wipe) and wipe the area to be waxed. Let it air dry a few seconds.

Take this little thing and roll it back and forth between your hands briskly to 'warm up' the wax inside.

Get up close and personal with the mirror and LOOK at which way the hair you want to remove is growing. This is sort of important in that you want the wax to be applied the length of hair so you apply it the way the hair grows.

Apply wax. If wax is difficult to spread/apply, put cap back on and rub again til its more fluid. If you make an oopsie and apply it right over the eyebrow, grab a qtip, get it wet with water and remove the wax. This stuff is beautiful in that water removes it but don't let water get on the wax applicator as it deactivates!

Take this handy little strip of fabric, and lay it across the wax, rubbing with your finger to get a good 'seal' on the wax (and hair). Gently pull skin tighter, count to 3 and PULL THE STRIP OFF in opposite direction of the hair growth.

Breathe. Peek at the strip. Say OMG where did all that hair come from. (Really, is it not ethical to tell a female that she's due for a lip wax? I wish someone had told ME!)

Touch up any remaining wax/hair/stuff that may be remaining and rinse with cool water to remove residue.  Also rinse out the strip of fabric and let dry (they can be reused).

There. I know that I saved $10 just then. That little box cost me $4.99 less 20%. And I'm sure it could last me another 8 episodes ... Yep, I'd say that's pretty Frugal!

So how about it, do YOU wax your own eyebrows and lips? Or get it done? Or don't do anything at all? Inquiring minds want to know!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps - a Hit!

I love when I try a new recipe and its spot on the first try with my modifications ... it does something for my self esteem :-D This one is definitely staying in the kitchen ...

Chicken Lettuce Wraps (but it's not chicken!)

20 oz package of ground, lean turkey. Um, do NOT buy the roll stuff, you know that's all dark turkey stuff, very little lean meat, right?
handful of green onions (cut right out of the glass on counter), diced
8 oz can of water chestnuts, drain and rinse well, diced
6 sweet mini peppers, diced
1/3 cup of soy sauce
3 tsp hoisin sauce (it's a miracle, I had it in the pantry!)
2 tbs dry ginger (I don't have fresh)
1 1/2 tbs water
3 tsp sesame oil

Brown the meat. Because mine was super lean (93/7), I added a little bit of olive oil to the bottom of pan since I wasn't using a nonstick pan. Chop it up as it cooks and drain if necessary when done. I didn't as it was pretty lean. Chop up even more now as you want it to be a fine ground. I've got this handy dandy tool nicknamed the North Dakota Food Processor (hey, my girlfriend gave it to me and she is from Daisy ND and calls it that) ... wishing now that I had used it to chop the other stuff!

While the meat is cooking, you can start chopping and dicing. I used sweet peppers because that's what I had on hand and hey, it's been 7 days since I've stepped foot in a grocery store!

I love Costco's sweet peppers!

All diced and ready to go

Add all to the pan

And stir it up

Make your dipping sauce:

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbs rice wine vinegar
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp dry ginger
3 small cloves of garlic, minced (or easy way, use the garlic press)

Add all to small container and whisk well. Set aside. Isn't that just the cutest topper for a whisk?

Mr. Doughboy!

Take your lovely lettuce leaves and lay them on a plate. Add some meat, enough to be hardy, but not too much to make the lettuce freak out (um, tried telling Hubby but you know how men are).

I couldn't help it, I took a bite

Drizzle a little sauce over the top (it's strong so don't free pour!)

Here's where I had a problem: I tried to roll up my lettuce but that wasn't working AT ALL.  Crap. Everything else was doing so very good and now THIS!

But then I found that if I just folded/scooped/held the lettuce in half, it was perfectly fine.

Ahhh. This was pretty damn good and even Hubby liked it ... definitely making again!

NOTES: I used butter lettuce that I got from Costco. It's good lettuce but I think a tad to fragile. I'm thinking NEXT time to wash the lettuce and toss in the fridge so it's crispier ... as it was,  I washed it and laid it out on the counter to dry. Almost wilty like ... but still good.

3 large heads from Costco were the price of ONE head at Publix!

Linking up with Totally Tasty Tuesdays,  Whats Cooking Wednesday, Whats Cooking Thursday

Original Recipe by Skinny Kitchen

Covering Large Bowls

I hate plastic wrap. It's a pain in the neck, you know? I was using Stretch Tight which is the BEST one I've used ever, but still, annoying to deal with and never even 80% cooperative.

Then you can buy them little bowl covers at the dollar store, and others too. But those need to be cleaned, and really, do you know what they remind me of?

Glorified shower caps.

Yeah. Shower Caps. And THAT, my friends, is exactly WHAT I use to cover my large bowls and any other containers, plates, pans, trays, you name it.

Hubby travels frequently and I always have him bring home the shower caps (and lotion, those get tossed in my purse and desk at work) ... Did you know that only about 60% of the hotels he's stayed at have shower caps?

You can buy an 8 pack of cheap plastic shower caps at the dollar store for, oh, ONE DOLLAR. I've had a hard time finding them so I think maybe, just maybe, I'm not the only one who uses them for this purpose...

On a side note: I've tried to use those on my HEAD, you know, the way they are meant to be used? They make my hair all steamy like. Anyone else ever have that??

These can be washed and reused numerous times before the elastic starts to break down.  I use them to cover plates, bowls, pans, trays of fruit, dough, pasta salads and they come in handy for parties and bbq's ... nothing covers a big platter quite as efficient and easily as a shower cap!

Linking up with Kitchen Tip Tuesday and a new place, Frugal Tuesday Tip, Works For Me Wednesday, Frugal Fridays.

Menu Plan Monday - Week 5

There are SO many recipes I want to try ... I've started creating a folder for each month to bookmark what I want to try when just to try and keep them in some kind of order. I have a serious love/hate relationship with Pinterest lately ... way too many things to try!

But alas, reality sets in and I realize that even though I'm a fairly accomplished cook (so I tell myself), there are still some things that are just beyond even MY skills :-\ ... not to mention, I'm not all about the food being pretty, although I am starting to get a little more focused on that end (started with that green smoothie thing with nutella) ...

AND then you have February's challenge. I am having such a difficult time with the Year of Zero, like seriously, lets just call it the Year of Excess at this point (ok, not that bad, but bad enough for me to feel like a complete failure, 29 days in) ... and even though I've got a fairly well stocked pantry and 3 stuffed freezers, I know that I do not have any sweet chili sauce or any oranges, apples, fresh bananas, and I'm only giving myself $20.00 dollars a week for milk and produce. WHAT? Yeah. TWENTY DOLLARS. That trip from Costco should buy me 2 weeks, so really, could say $40 for 2 weeks, but I'm not.

So...let's see ... what is on the menu plan THIS exciting week then?

Sunday - Chicken Kiev ... I'm really excited to make this! Change of plans ALREADY - Hubby made red sauce so we had pasta ... I am still going to make this one day this week and swap something out.

Monday - I believe we will both be hitting the gym hard tonight so I'm planning on a Green Smoothie for me and Chicken and broccoli saute for Hubby

Tuesday - Chicken lettuce wraps

Wednesday - this would be our date night out but again, I think the gym is in the picture so I'm looking at a lovely cobb salad for all of us (hoping the avocado I have holds out)

Thursday - Either out or soup/salad or salad/sandwiches

Friday - Looking at doing a mock Olive Garden night with Garlic Tuscan Chicken and an Olive-y Garden salad (oh look, I have everything except a few ingredients, mainly cream, but will use half and half) ... I even got a nice bottle of Chianti which hey, that leaves me with 4 bottles of wine and 3 bottles of champagne to get me through the month!

Saturday - Steaks, hopefully but really, letting Hubby choose. As always, Friday and Saturday nights are always interchangeable due to friends and Happy Hour!

What are you cooking this week?

Linking up with Menu Plan Monday!

Appreciating What You Have

I've been in a little funk lately, which made me switch out the flatware ... shop at Costco and now opt to try some new recipes. I've had a little more stress than I'd like to admit, and frankly, I've not always been a joy to be around. When you realize that, you know it's bad.

So when Hubby told me Saturday morning to be "sportin' a bikini" within the next 30 minutes for a ride on the boat, I was less than pleased. I had laundry to do. I needed to finish up the menu plan for next week, clean the kitchen, mop the floor, wash the rugs, re-work the budget and so on. You know, a woman's work is NEVER done.

But as he went about happily getting everything ready for a little ride on the boat (seriously, no such thing as a 'little' ride on the boat, it's a production and generally 4 plus hours of time), I figured, the heck with it. Sunshine, salt water and just clean, fresh air would be nice.

So I got a bikini on (which totally motivates me to eat healthier AND work out, good Lord what happened to my body??) and grabbed a few muscle milk containers, the leftover sausage and cheese from last night, a few cheese sticks and a sleeve of Ritz (just in case, you never know).

Run down to the boat, which is running by now, and Hubby says "hey, look at that big fish!"

Ummm....that was NO fish. It was a Manatee. A LARGE MANATEE.  And down here, we have to show utmost respect for them as they are endangered.


Of course, it never fails that they come around on the weekends, we can't go fast in the boat because it's "Manatee Season".

Bless Hubby's heart, he turned on the hose and provided entertainment for us. Manatees love fresh water and roll over on their back and just float with the water splashing in their mouth. It's comical and a little frightening at the same time.

Ummm. He wouldn't leave. Kept swimming around the boat, would head a way just a bit and then turn around and come back. After about 40 minutes, Hubby just got off the boat, turned the hose on a trickle off corner of dock and sure enough, the manatee went over there and played ... Hubby jumped on the boat, fired it up and pulled away. Yahoo (and secret prayers that he would be gone by the time we got home, he was).

So we headed north to Lighthouse Point Inlet and then out to the ocean. BEAUTIFUL day. We tossed out a couple of lines and trolled for about 2 hours. Not a thing, but that was perfectly fine, because it was SO what I needed. A day of NOTHING.

I'm home now. Kitchen is cleaned. Got the butter rolled and in the freezer for Chicken Kiev. I think we are going to our local Italian joint for a quick dinner this evening ... may as well make it a great day all around.

My point is that I was not wanting to go on the boat. I had too many things to do. All those things were projects I created for MYSELF to do ... and really, I needed to just have a quiet day ... so, look around, what do you see that you haven't enjoyed lately? Take the time and enjoy NOW.