New Year's Eve and 2013 Wishlist

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Happy New Year's Eve everyone! I'm pretty sure everyone says this at the end of each year, but I truly can't believe that 2012 is said and done. It flew right by and now we're only a night away from 2013. It always hits me at the end of each year just how fast those years go by. It felt like a second ago that I was graduating high school with not a clue in the world. Now I'm a year or two away from graduating college with still no clue in the world. Oh life. 

Anyway's, I've never been one of those people to make a new years resolution because, well, I know I won't fulfill it. But this year I wanted to make a short wishlist and actually see if I accomplish any throughout the year. And if I don't, well then this post was just for shits and giggles. 

1. Survive more "it's the end of the world" days. This one will be a breather.

2. Eat healthier. boring I know, but I'm a candy junkie and I really need to stop. More fruits and protein smoothies coming my way!

3. Take more pictures. Looking back on the 2012 pictures, I really didn't take a lot and it's sad. I'm only two weeks away from getting my dream camera and that thing will be tied to my neck.

4. Start making Youtube videos. Is that weird? I really want to make beauty videos and share with people my techniques and simple looks that I wear everyday. I think it would be super fun and also a way to look back one day. Still processing....

5. De-clutter. Another easy one. I'm constantly hoarding things in my closet and they just keep piling up. I'm always cleaning them out and throwing things away. But this year hopefully I can just stop it from the start, maybe there's a 7 step plan for this?

6. Blog more! This one is a biggy for me. It always seems when winter rolls around that I'm MIA on the blog. School and work take up a lot of my time during these months and it's always so hard to sit down and write a decent post. Blogging has become one of my passions and I need to dedicate more time to it, so this coming year, I'll be planning ahead post and organizing so I get thins up for you guys!

7. Actually use Pinterest, for more then just pinning things. Perhaps I should try making one of those 300 cinnamon roll recipes I've pinned...

8. Get dressed. Don't get me wrong, I love spending eternity in my sweats, but I feel I need to actually make myself look decent most days. So my priority for 2013 mornings, will be picking out a cute outfit and rocking it.

Alright, i'll stop talking so that you can all go out get wasty pants. Just kidding, but only a little. Hope you all have a great New Years and i'll see you next year!!

So I've told you all my wishlist for 2013, 

now what's yours!?! 

<3  

The Best of 2012!!

January 

My best friend Nikki came home after Navy boot camp for a while. It was so great to have her back and be able to spend time with her. She shortly left again, this time across seas to Japan, with her husband. Still missin' on her. 

February

Chris and I spend Valentines weekend at a hockey game that turned out to be super fun. I also made this awesome chicken dinner for him that night. 

March

Wisconsin got hit with it's first snow storm that left me unable to leave Chris' house and go back home. But I didn't complain :)

April

We celebrated April with National Grilled Cheese Month (it's a real thing), my favorite snack ever. I shared three awesome grilled cheese recipes that are to die for!

May

The bestie and I had a fun day out in the sun snapping pictures for the blog and pretty much just screwing around the whole day. 

June

Birthday month!! I celebrated my 20th birthday in June with Chris. He got me some gorgeous flowers and an awesome cupcake recipe book. Love that boy so much <3

July

Spent July like I always do, with a camping trip to Penisula with the family and bestie. It was an amazing week and can't wait for next year's trip. 

We also lost the greatest cat to ever live in this house, Patches. He'll always take up the biggest part of my heart and will always be missed. Miss you boo. 

August

 I put that cupcake book to work with some great recipes that I shared with you guys, like these Snickerdoodle Cupcakes. Couldn't stop eating these. 

After going blackberry picking with the girls, we made some berry smoothies that were a part of my meal for about a week. No shame, they were delicious. I also finished reading Fifty Shades and created my own cast for the movie version in one of my favorite posts. 

September

Chris and I visited his brother in Chicago and spent the weekend in the city and going to my very first soccer game! Turned out I was more interested in soccer than I thought. 

October

 We celebrated Halloween with some amazing caramel apples and some fancy schmancy pumpkin drilling. 

November

 Wisconsin had it's first snowfall of the winter season. It lasted about 2 days, but it was still the first. I shredded my closet of my summer clothes and brought out the boots and scarves. Also celebrated one year of blogging! Way to go me! 

December

 Merry Christmas!! Had about 4 Christmas' total and spent so much time with family and eating. Mostly eating this delicious candies that were so addicting. Good thing I only make them during the holidays. Also, give yourself a pat on the back for surviving the end of the world. Not many people can put that on their check list. 

What did you're year look like in pictures? I wanna see!! 

Hope you all have a fabulous new years and I'll see you all next year! 

<3 

Christmas Scenes

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and one more cute kitty for the road...

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Merry Christmas to all,

and to all a goodnight. 

<3

end of ze world

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I've been neglecting my internet abode and I'm sorry little blog space of mine. The past couple of weeks I've been super busy with preparing for finals and then studying for finals. Yes, it's finals week. The dreadful week that no college student looks forward to, except for when they're finished. My room is a mess with note cards and books and papers. I don't even think I have any walking space. 

However, today I'm taking a break from cramming and heading on over to Chris' parents house and making some Christmas treats with his mom. The result will be one thing you guys can look forward to on here. I promise to have a recipe up soon. Other than that, posts will be scarce until the end of the week when my lovely month break starts. So looking forward to it. 

Also, I'm starting to believe this whole end of the world thing. Wisconsin's weather seriously is beginning to drive me insane. All the snow that we got a little while ago as melted due to the big rain storm we got. Now in the forecast is a super huge SNOW storm where we're suppose to get up to a foot of snow. What the hell is going on here? As long as this snow stays for Christmas (if we make it there) i'll be happy. 

Check out my sponsor page for super cheap sponsorships this coming month! Anything I make goes right back into more sponsoring. I also have a free swap ad, so head on over! 

<3

this is what i've been waiting for

I for sure thought that we were going to have a Christmas with no snow. With all the 60 degrees days Wisconsin was blessing us with, it wasn't looking very likely. But, Wisconsin knows what it's people love the most and for December, we love snow. Last night we got hit with about 10 inches of snow that I don't think is going anywhere for a while.

Thanks Wisco, you da' bomb.

<3

ipsy - November's Glam Bag

I recently told you guys that I switched my monthly subscription from Birchbox over to a newer company called Ipsy. I couldn't be more happier with my decision, because my first Glam Bag was awesomely awesome. I was so happy with the products that I received and I've used almost all of them so far. 

For those of you who don't know, Ipsy was created by one of my favorite beauty gurus on Youtube, Michelle Phan. Some of you may watch her and if you don't, well you should. Each month you get full sized and deluxe samples of beauty products that come in a super cute makeup bag. And it's all for $10! You can also interact with other "ipsters" and watch their videos and creations using that month's products. 

I switched just to try something new and see the difference. Although I loved my time with Birchbox, I don't think I'm going to go back very soon. I've already seen the difference in the products I receive with Ispy. I love the fact that you get FULL SIZED products and deluxe samples, not those super tiny one use samples. The products are also from some of my favorite brands and brands that I've been wanting to try out for a while. Check out the products I got in November's Glam Bag :)

Benefit They're Real Mascara

This is the one product I was most excited for. I've been 

wanting to try this mascara out ever since I started at Ulta and I'm in love! 

This mascara goes on so smooth, with little clumps and makes

my eyelashes really stick out.

 Bare Minerals Moxie Lip Gloss

Also a big love! I'm not real big on lip glosses, but 

this one offers a real subtle red tint which is great with a 

neutral eye look.

 Meet Matt(e) Matte Eyeshadow in Matt Batali

I find these little single eye shadows to have super cute packaging.

This is my second eye shadow like this and I adore them.

This one is a dark grey that is great for a crease color.

 Starlet Eye Pencil in Chocolate

This soft brown color is a perfect lining color. I stop lining my eyes with black

back in high school. I now like the more subtle look and this 

color is awesome.

 Nailtini Nail Polish

I saved the best for last. This glitter polish is awesome over a plain gold

polish or even a dark grey/blue polish. Perfect for the holidays

and New Years Eve.

That's it for the November Glam Bag. I'm definitely continuing my subscription to Ipsy, I'm so excited to see what comes in the December's Glam Bag! Hope you enjoyed!

<3

welcoming december and giveaway winner!

image via

Hello there December! Today marks the day for the official countdown to Christmas. Even though the small amount of snow we got a few days ago is pretty much melted, I still believe that it'll be a white Christmas. It always ends up being a white Christmas. How excited are you for this year's Christmas? Got you shopping done?

My weekend plans are full of family and football. I'm visiting my papa this weekend for like the first time in forever. It's so good to be back here for a short while. Me and my step mom are doing some downtown shopping tomorrow and then Sunday is all about football, friends, and food. Then I get to see that wonderful man of mine. Pretty happy girl right here.

Last but not least, the winner of the Christmas wreath giveaway is....

COURTNEY A.! 

I'll be sending you a email soon for you to claim your prize!! 

thanks so much and congrats!

<3 

how not to take pictures of your Christmas tree

example 1:

example 2:

Let's all take a minute to admire my awesome quality webcam pictures of me and my Christmas tree that were taken at midnight last night. I love that you can see almost every pine needle and every detail of the ornaments on it. These are truly the best pictures I have ever taken.

I need to become a professional...

updates and Group Sponsor Feature // Christmas Spirit

Hope you all had a fabulous turkey day, I know I did! I've literally been eating stuffing, turkey, and pie since then and I'm not ashamed. My mom makes the best stuffing.

This happened just the other day.... Wisconsin finally got their first true snowfall of the season. I was hoping to capture a picture before they plowed the roads and threw sand everywhere, but they plowed at like five in the morning and I wasn't about to get out of my warm bed. I had the night off that night so after class I spent it watching Christmas movies on ABC Family and chilling with my mom. I think I ended up watching almost every single Home Alone ever made and let me tell you, excluding the first to, those movies got worse and worse with each one.

Since then, Wisconsin has lived up to it's reputation of freak weather. We went from 60 degrees to about 20 degrees in two days. I love my state, but it can be a little ridiculous sometimes. Anyone else having this where they live?

Also, last week marked the day for one year of blogging here on KE! I really can't believe that I've been blogging for a whole year. Even though I don't blog as much as I would like to, it has become one of my favorite hobbies. I have met so many great girls already through blogging and have learned so much since I started. I want to thank every one of my followers for following along and supporting me. Thank you to anyone who has been here since the start and thank you to the newbies for stopping by. I love you guys so much!

  Lastly, make sure to check out these two awesome giveaway's I'm having right now. They end soon, so make sure to enter! Just click on the picture to go to the page.

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And with out further adue, check out some of these awesome ladies on the side bar. Since Christmas spirit is in full swing with Thanksgiving being over, these ladies are introducing themselves and telling you their favorite thing about Christmas. Enjoy!

First up, we have Laura from Lauryn Green.
"My favorite things of Christmas are when the Christmas lights are turned on and the city smells of candy apples, hot chocolate and sweets. I love preparing and wrapping the presents for my family and friends and the special soup that my grandmother cooks every year." 
Blog // Twitter // Etsy

Next up, we have Lauren from Pink On The Cheek and her pup Mochi,

with the cutest Christmas picture ever. 

"My favorite thing about Christmas is decorating the tree. I get so excited I RUN and get my pjs before I start. Of course there is the picture after we decorate tree, looking all proud. I look forward to that moment each year." 

Blog // Twitter // Instagram // Facebook

Next on Santa's list, we have Shannon from Fabulously Vintage.

"My favorite thing about Christmas is the excitement of planning, purchasing, wrapping, and giving that perfect present to family and friends! I totally love walking through the mall, hot cocoa in hand, with my gift ideas in mind. It's so exciting for me when I finally get to give my gift to my loved ones and see the smile on their faces! 

Blog // Facebook // Pinterest // Bloglovin

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love you guys! 

byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you're as happy as this cat with a turkey today.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

<3 k

November Birchbox Giveaway! // CLOSED

With this month's Birchbox, I'm doing something a little different. With Thanksgiving right around the corner the theme for this month's box as giving. Within the box, they sent along a little gift box that you could put one of the products in and give it to someone else. Well, instead of giving away juts one product, I'm giving away the whole box! Let's just say i'm in the spirit of giving. :) This month box has some pretty great products, so whoever wins, I'm going to be pretty jealous of.

I also chose to switch my monthly subscription to a newer company called Ipsy and it was founded by one of my favorite beauty gurus on Youtube, Michelle Phan. It's pretty much the same thing has Birchbox, you get beauty samples every month for $10. I wanted to try something different and see which one I like best. So for a while, instead of Birchbox reviews, I'll be having Ipsy reviews. You guys should definitely go check them out, the site is super interactive and it even has a shop!

Alright onto the prizes, here's what one lucky winner is getting!

(from top left to right)

1 Feeling Smitten Holiday Bath Bomb

1 ModelCo Fibre LashXtend Lengthening Mascara

1 Stella Cadente Miss Me Eau de Parfum

1 Oscar Blandi Pronto Texture & Volume Spray

2 Caldrea Hand Soaps in Crimson Pear Ginger and Mandarin Vetiver

1 Cranberry Soyjoy granola bar

a Rafflecopter giveaway

today is the day for rants

....and how stupid some people drive. Let's start this off with a meme on how I feel right now...

I could leave this post with that, but I won't. So let me elaborate and start with this. I hate going out on the weekends. Everyone is off of work and going shopping and the world is just a little to crowded for me. I'm one of those people that will get my errands done at 9 in the morning on a Monday. This is the time when all the old ladies are out doing their errands and I can just zoom by them and get my shit done.

The weekends however, are when the old ladies stay in (because they know better) and the young ones come out, along with all their children. I cannot stand to go to a store where there are children running around and people bumping their carts and standing in front of things that I want for 20 minutes. It's just way too stressful for me and frankly downright annoying.

This brings me to my next point. Because everyone is running around like crazy people on the weekends, this means that the roads are just as bad. I just got back from driving Chris to work and on our trip there I noticed this girl, talking on her phone, riding my ass. Okay let's stop, my driving motto is that if your going to drive like a douche nozzle, I'm going to drive like a douche nozzle just to piss you off more. And begin. So she then changed lanes really quick to speed past me, but then I (the feisty devil that I am) waited for her to get eye to eye with me and Chris and he gave her the "what's up" nod. I then sped up even more to block her from passing me. This didn't make her very happy. I however, felt great.

She then had to changed back into my lane behind me and resumed to riding my ass. I then changed into the other lane and politely let her pass me. As she passed me, she gave Chris and I the finger. My work was done. So thank you shitty cell phone driver girl for putting a little pazaz into my day.

Let's rant together, what's your latest road rage story?

why hello good sir!

(how many of you read that title in a British accent? Because I do it every time!) 

Spending the weekend with this handsome fella and I couldn't be happier. 

Hope you all are having a fabulous start to your weekend. 

I'll be doing some shopping with the man and eatin' good food that 

the man's mother makes. :) 

p.s Just because I love you all so much, there's another giveaway coming in t-minus 3 days! 

Guest Post and Giveaway // Jen's Wreaths // CLOSED

I'm so excited for you guys today! We have an awesome giveaway for you, but first you get to here a little about my life. This weekend was Chris' birthday, he turned the big 23! We threw a little birthday bash at his parents house that was filled with cake eating, card playing, and Mario Party domination. It was pretty great. I made the cake and I wish I had taken a picture of it because I am a terrible cake decorator. It tasted pretty good anyway.

Okay, I know you all care about the giveaway and what you might win so go on and read ahead!

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First, I wanted to thank Kelly Elizabeth for the opportunity to borrow her blog for a day and tell you about our fresh Christmas wreaths.  I hope each of you enjoys learning about our product.  I’d encourage you to click over and check out our website www.jenswreaths.com after you’re done reading.  Save 10% with our special sale right now, by entering code: stressfress upon checkout.

I’m Jennifer McFadden from Jen’s Wreaths.  Jen’s Wreaths is our family business.  We live in Deer River, Minnesota and make fresh balsam fir wreaths at our farm.  We’ve been at this almost 8 years now and we started this when we were both in our early 20’s.  We just wanted to earn some extra cash, so I thought I’d try making wreaths like I did as young child.  It’s obviously worked out well & far above our wildest expectations!  Our desire to earn a few extra dollars has evolved into a full-time seasonal business.  This all started with a few wreaths in the back of a pick-up truck and a delivery to one customer.  Today we ship thousands of wreaths coast to coast, and serve many customers.

So what does it mean to be a family-owned business?  This means several things to us, The McFadden Family.  To us a family-owned business means we’re small enough to care about each one of our customers.  Our customers are more than numbers on a piece of paper.  Many have been loyal to us from early on in our endeavor and we enjoy chatting with them annually.  We’re also able to do the little things like:  handwritten gift cards and special customizations.  We’ll switch a bow and put on another design if that’s what they really want.  

A family-owned business is also challenging.  To us it means having an office in our home, converting our garage into a wreath shop seasonally, and working with our extended family.  An office in the home makes balancing kids and business difficult at times.  We’ve been blessed with many family members with great work ethic, but still we bump heads (so to speak) sometimes.  We have my husband’s sister, brother, & dad working for us.  On my side my mom, 2 nieces, and aunt work for us.  The most important thing besides getting the job done is getting the job done and maintaining good family relationships.

What does Jen’s wreaths have to offer me, you might ask?  We offer Traditionally design wreaths and Contemporary designed wreaths.  With over 6 dozen deigns, I can guarantee you that there will be something you fall in love with.  We have different sized wreaths, too.  Our small 18” Cabin Plaid Wreath http://www.jenswreaths.com/shop/christmas-wreaths/Small-18-Inch-Wreaths/Cabin-Plaid-Wreath-18-inch-christmas-wreath/ is great for apartments or dorm rooms.  Anywhere where space is limited or if you’re on a tight budget this is a great option.  Our most popular size & design is our 24” Jen’s Traditional http://www.jenswreaths.com/shop/christmas-wreaths/24-inch-wreaths/.  This is reasonably priced and it fits well on most doors.  Finally check out our collection of Large Christmas Wreaths. You’ll find wreaths that fit barns, large house, churches, and commercial buildings.  All the way up to 48” diameter, you’ll find sizes to fit your needs.

Finally, you just can’t beat a real, fragrant wreath.  Our wreaths are made fresh and our balsam is picked right here in the North Woods of Minnesota.  We pick our limbs sustainably and keep future generations in the forefront of our minds when harvesting.  I realize these wreaths don’t last from year to year.  However, if you buy a fresh Christmas wreath and try it, I guarantee you’ll never go back to those fake, plastic ones. 

Click on over and I know you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Jen 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I already have my eye on a super cute wreath that I'm 95% sure I'm getting for Christmas. I hope you are all just as excited!

*Winner will be announced on this page one December 1st and contacted through email

Recipe // Delicious Cut-out Cookies and Cream Cheese frosting

Yesterday my mom and I made some cut out cookies like we do for almost every holiday (not that these resemble thanksgiving in any way). I wanted to share the recipe with you guys, because this is my all time favorite recipe for cut out cookies. My mom has been using this recipe for as long as I can remember. I'm giving you the single batch recipe, but we have always at least doubled or tripled the recipe to make more. We usually will use holiday themed cut outs, but we're also lazy sometimes and decide to just do circles. 

The cream cheese frosting is also a favorite of mine. We usually will make a huge batch so that we have left-overs to use for graham cracker frosting sandwiches. Make only half a batch if you're making a single batch of cookies. Enjoy!

Ingredients Needed:

Cookies:
2/3 c half butter, half butter flavored Crisco
1 egg
3/4 c sugar

1 Tbl + 1 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

2 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt


1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, Crisco, egg, and sugar. Add milk and vanilla.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture until it's one big happy family. Then cover and throw in the fridge to chill for 2 hours.
4. Roll out dough onto a floured surface and use any cut out shape you see fit.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes (time may vary depending on your oven, this time works best for mine).
6. EAT


Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 package cream cheese
1/2 stick butter
1/2 c milk
1 bag powdered sugar

1. Mix everything together until it makes frosting. Add more milk if to dry, add more powdered sugar if to runny. Pretty simple.
2. Frost and decorate however you like.

Recipe // Peanut Butter Nutella Swirl Cookies

I found an awesome recipe the other day and needed to share with you guys. I love peanut butter cookies (my mom makes the best ever) and I'm also addicted to nutella. So what better way to enjoy both of them then to put them into a cookie? These cookies came out super soft and soooo delicious! I don't think I'll ever make plain peanut butter cookies ever again.

Peanut Butter Nutella Swirl Cookies

Ingredients Needed:

1 c butter, room temp

2/3 c peanut butter (either creamy or crunchy works) 

1 c sugar

1 c brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla 

2 2/3 c flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1/3 c (or more) Nutella

1. In a large bowl, cream together butter, peanut butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla. 

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture to butter mixture and mix until well combined. 

3. Drop nutella on top of the dough and use a butter knife to swirl the nutella throughout the dough. DO NOT OVERMIX! 

4. Throw the dough in the fridge and chill for about 15 minutes to harden the nutella. When good to go, drop a spoonful onto a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10-13 minutes. 

5. EAT! 

Recipe // Caramel Apples 3 ways

Who doesn't love the messy sweetness of caramel apples? Because I know I do!! Caramel apples are one of my favorite things about the fall season. This weekend, my friend Bria and I came up with 3 amazing ways to do caramel apples. And let me tell you, they are to die for!

Ingredients needed:

-Apples of choice

-Caramel pieces

-Wax paper

-Wooden skewers 

-White chocolate chips

-Milk chocolate chips

-Crushed Heath/toffee bits

-Crushed pretzel pieces

1. Caramel and Chocolate Drizzle 

Dip apples in caramel and then drizzle milk chocolate over the caramel for an awesomely sweet duo.

2. Caramel and Heath

Heath bars are one of my favorite candies. So what better way to use them then crushed onto a caramel apple!

3. Caramel with Pretzel

Sweet and salty anyone? Sprinkle crushed pretzel over the caramel and then add some chunks of walnut.


All three of them were amazing. The chocolate drizzle one was my favorite. Our apples didn't turn out has photogenic as I would have liked them too, but that sure didn't take away from the taste. Just have fun with it!

Here are some other awesome things to top your apples with. 

-Marshmallow bits

-Any choice of crushed candy

-Crushed graham crackers

-Crushed waffle cone and sprinkles

-Chopped nuts: pecans, walnuts, peanuts, etc.

Happy Early Halloween! Whose going trick or treating this year?!