Oscars 2011 Red Carpet Faves

I'm making this quick, I'm only posting my faves from the Oscars last night. Granted I liked A LOT, but I slimmed the list down to my top faves from the night. What were some of yours?


















♥ Erin

Weekend Recap

This weekend we celebrated one of my dearest VA friend's birthday (which is actually today, HAPPY BIRTHDAY), Jenny (aka our neighbor). We started the night by getting Thai food at Sawatdee in Arlington and it was fabulous! We then traveled a few blocks to a place called Mister Days where we settled in for the night and made sure Jenny never had an empty glass. Here are some pics from the night!







If you're wondering what I'm wearing, look forward to a post later this week. We also made a pretty big purchase and a much smaller one, those will come later this week as well. Stay tuned!




♥ Erin

This Week in Enterainment...

There's been a lot going on this week in the world of entertainment. So I saved it all for today to bring to you in one big post!



Now you guys know how I love Britney and how much I love this song. I think it's different for her and I'm so excited for the new album. I want to know what you guys think of this video. My honest opinion is that I'm not impressed. Remember when Circus came out and it was so exciting because she was proving she wasn't crazy anymore and could still do her thing? The video for Circus was awesome, this video is just freaking weird. I mean there are parts in it where she doesn't even look good. Like when she's in the big white dress...her arms look big and her boobs look fake. I even thought the dance sequences weren't up to her typical standard. Britney is an awesome dancer, I felt like the choreography was slow and almost beginner like. Plus did anyone get the whole spray thing coming from her hands? One part I loved was the fight scene and the way they styled her with the big hair and short jacket with high shoulders reminded me of the cover of My Prerogative. Anyway, am I the only one that thought this? What are you guys thinking?

Next...

Thanks to Caroline at Simply Smithwick, I saw this on her blog today...



I'm so excited about this movie. I loved the book and I totally pictured Kate Hudson as Darcy.

Next...

They're going to remake The Bodyguard! I'm not sure I'm ok with this. It's like remaking Dirty Dancing which would not fly in my book. What do you guys think? For the full story click here.

Next...


Ian Somerhalder tweeted today that one of my favorite shows, The Vampire Diaries, numbers were low because they were going up against American Idol this season. So please don't watch American Idol so my favorite show can stay on the air. Or to make everything simple, just move AI back to it's normal time slot! Thank you!

Next...

Who's ready for the Oscars on Sunday? I am so excited! I'm not sure if I'm going to do a best/worst dressed post like I did for the Golden Globes, but we'll see. It depends on if I'm impressed with this years celeb choices. Who is everyone rooting for? Here are my top picks...





Next...

Tonight is the finale of Spartacus: Blood and Sand. I'm super bummed, this season was so short (only 6 episodes). I'm pretty sure we'll have to wait until next January for season 3. If you haven't seen this show, go out and rent the first season. If you have Starz, this season is on demand.

Finally...

What a mess!!

Have a good weekend guys! See ya Monday!








♥ Erin

West Coast Chili

I bought yet another Taste of Home recipe book at the grocery store the other day (I have a serious problem). This one is called "Party Food". Are any of you shocked that I picked it up? Of course not! Anyway, you've seen my other chili recipe (post) which is a hit among all my friends. I thought this one looked interesting, and you know how I love to try new things! I got tons of compliments on this, I HIGHLY recommend it. It's soooo tasty. The only change I made was that I left out the beans (we don't like each other). Enjoy, and as always let me know how you like it if you try it!

Ingredients:

1 lb. sliced bacon, diced
2 lbs. beef stew mean, cut into 1/4-in cubes
2 medium onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup honey
4 tsp. beef bouillon granules
1 bay leaf
1 tbs. chili powder
1 tbs. baking cocoa
1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbs. Dijon mustard
1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne powder
3 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
Shredded cheddar cheese

In a large Dutch oven, cook bacon until crisp; remove to paper towels to drain. Reserve 3 tablespoons drippings.
Brown beef in drippings. Add onions and garlic; cook until onions are tender. Return bacon to pan. Stir in the next 12 ingredients.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until meat is tender, about 3 hours.
Add beans and hear through. Discard bay leaf. Garnish with cheddar cheese.

*I have a gas stove and I wasn't about to let my gas run for 3 hours so I brought everything to a boil and then transferred it to a crock pot and cooked it on low for about 4 hours. It was perfect!







♥ Erin

Recent Purchases - Outlet Shopping

I have been slacking on posting all the fab clothes I've gotten recently with all my Christmas gift cards. Hopefully over the next week or so I'll have posted them all. About a month ago, I visited the Leesburg outlets to get the links taken out of my Fossil watch Tim got me for my birthday. While I was there, I decided to do a little shopping if I found any deals. My first stop was Banana Republic I was so excited with what I got. I really wanted things that I can wear for work, but also could wear with jeans. Now I'm a little lucky because I can wear jeans any day of the week at my job. So ultimately, when I wear jeans to work (like on a Friday for example) I want to be able to wear that outfit out later and not feel all businessy (so not a word but you know what I mean).

Two pairs of work pants (these were on sale for $20 a piece!)

Blue zip up cardigan (great for spring)

Silk tank

Another silk tank

After Banana, I headed over to GAP to see if I would have as much luck there. I ended up walking away with two shirts. One of which was this:

Paired with a gray GAP tank, this is great for spring as well

Every time I go to the GAP, I buy another ribbed tank top or long sleeve favorite tee. I almost have them in every color. So I added a gray one to my collection.


If you are like me and love these shirts and tanks, I HIGHLY recommend only getting them from their outlet stores. They are the same exact ones sold in the stores at the mall, but they are much cheaper! If you're lucky, they'll even have different styles like v-neck, crew neck or wide neck. Same for the tanks, they usually have a deal going on like 2 for $10. If you have an outlet close to you this is definitely the way to go. These shirts/tanks are so comfy and they last so much longer. All my tanks used to be Hollister or Abercrombie and they fall apart after a few washes, plus they're so thin it's not worth the money.

What do you guys think of the purchases? Did I do a good job?






♥ Erin

I'm Going to See Jared Leto Again!

30 Seconds to Mars (one of my favorite bands) is doing another North American tour this year and I just had to get tickets again. I saw them last year (see post) and had an awesome time. They are amazing live! This year they are coming to DC on a Wednesday, which I was not happy about. Fortunately, they are going to Philly a few days later on a Saturday. It's just around my BFF's bday and we have been dying to see this band together (last time I went with Tim and our friend Mike). We've loved Jared since his days on My So Called Life. Anyway, since I follow them on Twitter I was able to partake in the pre-sale which let me get the tickets days in advance. Best part about it is...I got front row seats for the two of us! I'm so excited and can't wait until April 30th!






♥ Erin

Twice-Baked Deviled Potatoes

I've been on such a cooking kick lately, I have another great one for you guys! I tried twice-baked potatoes the other night and they were awesome! This is another recipe I got from Taste of Home. I will say it's tough to cut out all the inside with out ruining the shell. The picture below was one of 2 that I made, the other didn't turn out as pretty. I'm happy at least one was good enough to take a picture of though! This is also a recipe with out sour cream which I was really interested in because I had only ever had them with sour cream in it. I figured this was perfect for us because Tim hates sour cream. I ended up adding some to mine, but even without it they were so tasty! Enjoy, and please let me know if you try this recipe!


Ingredients:

2 potatoes
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup real bacon bits
2 green onion, chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
dash paprika

Scrub and pierce potatoes; place on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 7-10 minutes or until tender, turning once. Let stand for 5 minutes. Cut a thin slice off the top of each potato and discard. Scoop out pulp, leaving a thin shell.

In a large bowl, mash the pulp with butter and milk. Stir in the cheese, bacon, onions, mustard and paprika. Spoon into the potato shells. Return to microwave-safe plate. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1-2 minutes or until cheese is melted.





♥ Erin

Vacation or Couch?

I posted this question on my facebook page yesterday just for the heck of it, and I think I got almost 20 responses from it. Pretty much everybody said vacation, even my friends that are always telling me to save, save, save. One of my friends said she read an article about people being happier spending more money on life experiences instead of material possessions.

So here's my dilemma. Tim and I would like a new couch/living room redecoration. The couches we have now are older than me. We are so very grateful to have gotten them from Tim's parents along with awesome slip covers for them, but we feel it's time to get something in there that's more us. Not only is it just the couch though. It's an ottoman, accent chair, lamps, rug and wall hanging. So there's a lot involved, and to be honest I really want it.


Our last BIG vaca was last year when I took Tim to the Dominican Republic for his 30th birthday. Since then, we said we wanted to travel more and to places outside the country. Well you really can't beat the deals at all lately. So we were looking into a shorter trip with a few other couples. Well I found a 5 day all inclusive trip to Cozumel with air included for under $500! I feel like it's my duty to plan this vacation because it's so ridiculously cheap.



Of course we would love to do both, but at this point it might be one or the other. So I now ask you my wonderful blog community...vacation or couch?



Don't forget to check out the right sidebar for all the current giveaways going on right now on some of my favorite blogs!




♥ Erin

Trying to Help a Sister Out

I want to give a shout out to my good friend Marisa over at My World Approaching 30.. I have known Marisa for years, she's one of the only girls my best guy friend dated that I liked! Anyway, she has recently started a blog and it is awesome! If you like fashion, shoes, makeup and neurotic moments than this is the blog for you.

The reason for the shout out is because she is having her first giveaway! She's giving away 2 Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Strips, one will be a surprise and the other will be the fishnet design.

Currently I'm the only person who's commented for the giveaway. Even though I totally wanna win, I really want her to gain more of a following! Her blog is fun, fresh, funny and I enjoy reading it all the time. Plus she's going to start having monthly giveaways of her favorite products (which is a great idea and I might steal it from her).

Check out Marisa's giveaway here and spread the word! Thanks guys!





♥ Erin

Ulta Spending Spree

So I finally went to Ulta to spend my Christmas gift cards. I think I was there for over an hour, I couldn't decide what to spend them on! I opted for splitting the money between hair products and cosmetics (even though I really wanted to spend it all on cosmetics). Here is what I went with.

Redken Smooth Down Spray Heat Glide - Especially in the winter when my hair breaks more I need this to protect my hair before I blow dry, it also keeps my fly aways in check.

Redken Hot Sets 22 - I use this before I go near my hair with a straightener, curling iron or curlers, it also helps my curls stay much better without looking like there's a ton of product in my hair.

Too Faced Natural Eye Palette - I took a chance on this and I think I'm going to like it, look for a review soon.

Here's a close up.

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Sin - I finally got this, thank you to every one's recommendation.

Now there were two items I didn't get because they were sold out:

I'll tell you a secret about this ladies. In case you don't know, this has been sold out everywhere! The wonderful ladies at Ulta told me they are discontinuing it and repackaging it. It will be available in 3-4 months and to look for it with some new colors and brushes have been added!

There were only two colors left of this and the black crackle color was not one of them. I have to say that in person, I'm not as impressed with the colors. The silver color was the only one I liked. They had a sample of all the colors and the sparkled ones were so light! I'm glad I passed on this.

♥ Erin

Hot Onion Dip

This is my Aunt Chris's recipe that I have been dying to try for years! She makes it at all family events. We were having dinner at a friend's house and I was in charge of the appetizer. I couldn't make up my mind, so I settled on this choice and I'm glad I did. It was a HUGE hit. If you like onions and garlic than this dip is for you!

Pre-bake

Finished product

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sweet onion
1 garlic clove
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 oz. mayo
hot sauce to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients (I chopped the onions in my food processor, you need them to be really fine) into a small 9 in. casserole dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Serve with Wheat Thins.






♥ Erin

Product Review: L'Oreal Double Extend Eye Illuminator

So the other week I asked you guys if you had tried this (post) mascara. No one really had, so I said oh what the heck and went out an bought it. I got it at target for around $10 which would have irritated me if I didn't like it, but I have totally fell in love with this mascara! The first time I used it, I decided I was only going to wear it to go out at night. This weekend I tried it again to wear during the day and then over to a friends house. I got so many compliments on it during the day! I ran a couple errands and two people stopped me to ask about my eye makeup! The trick is to put on a decent amount of the illuminator, you may have to apply it twice. I got the one for green eyes, so the shimmer is kinda gold which I guess accentuates the green better. I took a few pictures, but to be honest they don't do it justice. I even tried shining a flashlight on my face and it just looked ridiculous. So here's what I took, I definitely recommend this mascara to all of you. I hope you love it! If you try it please let me know how you like it!






**This product was purchased by me with my own funds. This post is not sponsored by any person or company. All reviews are my own opinions and thoughts of the products.**




♥ Erin