Girly Gift Guide

This week I am going to post a couple of gift guides for those of you who are still hacking away at that Christmas list. OR better yet..... for those of you who would like to give your husband/boyfriend/mom/sister/brother/dad/co-worker a hint as to what they should get you. Today's guide is for the girly side in all of us. And the good news is.... everything is under $25! And some even under $15. YOU ARE WELCOME.



1// Clinique Chubby Stick $15
This is by far my favorite lip product EVER. I am always wanting to wear a little color on my lips but lipstick dries my lips out and lip gloss is too... glossy (husband says so). The chubby stick is a moisturizing lip balm with a little tint, the perfect combo. My favorite colors are whole lotta honey and super strawberry. Go buy some now. even if you put it in your own stocking.

2// F21 Confetti Scarf $8.90
Every woman needs a scarf. This scarf is the perfect way to add a pop of pattern without going to wild. It would even be great if you are into mixing patterns.

3// Sahalie Boot Socks $23.95
Who can resist these socks, really? Cheveron + smart wool peeking out of my boots. Yes please. You can also find them here for 2 for $45.

4// Butter London Glitter Polish $13 (color: tart with a heart)
I don't know if you know this but glitter is IN. And I like it. Lets get sparkly huh?

5// H&M Envelope Clutch $24.95
I love the little gold detail on this clutch. Its classy with a little glam.

6// Target Bubble Umbrella $19.95
Who doesn't want to live in a bubble sometimes? Especially when the weather is threatening.

I would love to hear everyone's favorite from my list. Leave me a comment with your top pick and one lucky person will get a Clinique Chubby Stick mailed straight to their door. Oh yes, I am feeling generous!

*Lucky winner will be picked by random on Friday. Good luck!

Sticky Monkey

I'm a breakfast girl. What can I say. Anytime I can eat something sweet and delicious covered in more sweet and delicious with a side of bacon and call it a meal I AM GAME. Do you share my feelings? If so, I think you need to try this recipe for sticky buns/monkey bread...or whatever you want to call it. Maybe for Christmas morning, or maybe for tomorrow morning because it is just that good. and easy. did I say easy? yes, yes I did. Easy peasy pudding and pie. and sticky buns.

STICKY BUNS
Ingredients:

• Frozen Dinner rolls
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 stick of butter (It use to be 2 so be proud of me for cutting it down!)
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 1/2 small pckg of COOK (NOT INSTANT) pudding (butterscotch if you can find it, if not vanilla will do


To be done the night before

Step 1:
Spray a bunt pan with some cooking spray and sprinkle your chopped nuts in the bottom.


Step 2: Add your frozen dinner rolls and sprinkle the 1/2 pckg of COOK pudding on top.


Step 3: Melt your butter and brown sugar on the stove and bring it to a boil. Then drizzle it on top of your rolls.


Step 4: Let them sit all night and rise!


Step 5: Preheat your oven to 350 and let them cook for 25-30 minutes. When they are nice and golden on the top they are done. Take them out of the oven. Put a plate on top and flip them on to the plate. THEN ENJOY (AND YOU WILL!).

Lost and Found

It's the little details that can give a home personality. No, the socks in the corner of your room don't count.
While we lived in Hawaii we would take walks on the beach and collect shells, sand and sea glass. Until a few weeks ago all of the my little beach finds were in a shoe box. But recently I decided to pull them out because hey it got cold and I was missing Hawaii, what can I say.

So, my tip today... use your found objects and display them to remember all the places you've been. You could use rocks, red dirt, sticks, shells. You could also pick up some seeds that are local to the area you are visiting and plant them to make a terrarium.



Above are some examples of containers that you could use.
1// Have kids? Use a vessel with a cork in it. 2// Make a mini memory by using a stemless wineglass 3// Mason jars come in lots of different sizes and are easy to pick up at thrift stores and garage sales. 4// Display more than one container and label them for different beaches or different vacations.

The clutter in your shoe box

Over the past few months while I was A wall here on the blog I have gained an increasing interest in interior design/decorating. As weird as it sounds I find myself thinking about it. A LOT. Analyzing different spaces while I slip off to sleep and constantly trying to come up with ways to tweak this or that. Am I weird? Is it a phase? WHO KNOWS. But I am rolling with it. And I like it. Scratch that, I LOVE it. And because it is constantly on my mind it was only a matter of time before it leaked here onto the blog.

Recently I have come up with a few ideas and inspirations and I wanted to share them with you. So I will be doing a little series this week. The series will be on connecting the places you go and your home in a fun, creative, economical way.

On our latest trip down the CA 1 I decided that I wanted to find something to remember our trip by. Not just something to shove in a shoe box or clutter my purse like I usually do (does anyone else hold onto their airline tickets? For like years? Please say I am not the only one). I wanted something I could display in our home. Sure I there are always pictures, but more often then not they never leave my hard drive.

On our trip we stopped at a gift shop. It was full of beautiful art, pottery, and quilts done by locals. I would have loved to get my hands on some of it but the price was a little steep for my liking. After some looking I found the art I had been eying but in the form of a card. The cards were only $3 a piece. Which for one card isn't the best price but if you think of it as art then you really can't beat $3 now can you?



These are the two cards we picked out. We loved the colors and how they really did remind us of our trip. I am in the process of hunting down frames at the thrift store and then I have the perfect wall in our front room for them to go on (watch for pictures!).



Here is another example of art in our house that we got on one of my first trips into San Francisco. We stopped at a darling little shop and I saw this map. When I looked closer I realized it was a sheet of nice wrapping paper. At $4 a sheet I wasn't about to get wrap happy. But $4 for a piece of art to hang on my wall, now we're talking. Once I found the perfect frame (IKEA) I trimmed the sides of the map and framed it. Easy art that reminds me of our trip and is a great conversation piece.

Classic Roasted Salsa

Last week when we were deciding on the Thanksgiving menu Alden's sister Afton mentioned that we should throw turkey out the window and have lobster instead! The Aikele's had a tradition growing up of eating lobster tacos in Mexico while visiting their grandparents in southern California. I wasn't too keen on the idea because hey, I am a traditionalist. I like my turkey and I am not too hip on sea food. So like most things in life we compromised. Lobster dinner on Wednesday night and turkey dinner on Thursday night. I now have to say... I am a believer. Tortillas stuffed with beans, avocado, homemade salsa, cilantro lime rice, lobster, and drizzled in butter and fresh lime juice.... um yes please. I know, you just caught yourself drooling right? I fear we may have started a tradition, which means the 5 lbs I usually gain at thanksgiving just turned into 10.

*Scroll down to see the recipe for our easy homemade salsa. Who doesn't love dips this time of year anyway?





Classic Roasted Salsa
Recipe via Martha Stewart Everyday Food Magazine

Ingredients:

* 2 large tomatoes (1 1/2 pounds)
* 1 medium white onion, halved
* 3 jalapenos
* 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
* 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
* Coarse salt and ground pepper
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Heat broiler, with rack in top position. Place tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, and garlic in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.

2. Broil until vegetables are blistered and slightly softened, rotating sheet and flipping vegetables frequently, 6 to 8 minutes (garlic may need to be removed earlier if it is browning too quickly).

3. Discard garlic skins. In a food processor, pulse garlic and vegetables until coarsely pureed. Add lime juice, season with salt and pepper, and pulse to combine.

4. Transfer salsa to a bowl and stir in cilantro. (Refrigerate, up to 3 days, or freeze, up to 3 months.)

* The first time we made this we made it with 3 jalapenos, just like it calls for. Holy Tamoleee it was HOT! And we like hot! I suggest starting with one jalapeno or even half with no seeds if you don't like spicy. Then you can always add more to pump up the volume.