busygirl

try this: chicken bbq pizza.

Here's an easy 20 minute dinner.  We've been eating leftover spaghetti and stuffed cabbage for three days now so I wanted to change up the flavors a bit.  Unfortunately we've reached that point of the week where I really needed to use up some produce without making a meal that would result in MORE leftovers.  So using some knowledge from my former days as a professional pizza maker, I threw this together last night.  Other than skipping the cilantro that should be a must on bbq pizzas (Adam can't stand it), it turned out to be pretty tasty!

Ingredients

Premade pizza dough (we use Pillsbury)

Your favorite BBQ sauce - we love Baby Rays

1 1/2 cups Mozzarella cheese

1 cup Cheddar cheese

Sliced leftover chicken (or rotisserie chicken from the store)

Sliced red or yellow onion

Sliced green pepper

1 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

Seasoned salt and seasoned pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray with Pam non-stick spray.  Spread out pizza dough and cover with a light, thin layer of sauce.  Spread cheeses and top with chicken, onion, pepper and cilantro.  Lightly spice with salt and pepper.

Bake for 15-20 minutes - this will depend on the crust you use.  When the bottom of the crust is golden brown it's done!

For other tried-and-true recipes, click here!

hiatus over.

I knew I had stepped away from blogging for too long when Adam looked at me last night and asked if the dog and him had become boring.  Apparently he took my lack of writing to mean that nothing exciting had been going on in our lives.  Which isn't true.  Or untrue.  Life has just been life as of late.

Volleyball is almost over for the year...thank goodness.  It is getting to be entirely too cold to be standing out in sand hitting a ball around.  I have to say that I'm somewhat impressed with myself.  I learned a new sport this summer, found out I liked it and am somewhat decent.  Who knew?  I guess I can cross that new year's resolution off my list.  Check!

We went out to dinner with our friends Wren and Joe on Friday, they're moving back to the Cleveland area next month!  Seriously, check out their new house, GORGEOUS.  Unfortunately they are moving at the end of golfing season, but as Adam says, that still leaves the winter video game season open for many get togethers. 

Ricki has been wearing me down lately.  He's back to his old up-early-whining-and-hitting-me-in-the-face routine.  I don't know if it has to do with the rain or not.  Allow me to clarify.  We have the world's most weenierific dog when it comes to rain.  He does not do water.  At all.  So walks longer than two minutes are completely out of the question when the clouds open up.  Which in turn means playtime is the only form of exercise he really gets during the day.  But that doesn't quite tired him out.  So he's been waking up godawful early.  Doggy up early makes for a very cranky me at 4:30am.  Hopefully the rain will stop today so I can sneak in a couple runs.  We need to get him back on schedule before I lose my mind (and more sleep).

Other than that, our biggest news is that we've decided to rent out our house in Columbus for the next year.  Let's face it, the housing market is tanked and it doesn't look promising any time soon.  So instead of losing money, we figured we'd hold onto it for another year.  Relief over finally having a solution has been great.  It's nice to be back to just one mortgage/rent payment a month!  Life can return to normal...

i'm here.

...and guzzling coffee as usual.  I think I've finally kicked this sinus infection.  Taking a break from the computer and just hanging out with the dog seems to have been the cure.

We had a somewhat busy week...including a very COLD night of volleyball.  It is indeed the end of summer (sob).  And I will have to start wearing socks to play in the sand.  Bah, I'm such a baby when it comes to cold weather.  I'm already thinking ahead to snowboarding season, and figuring out how many hand/feet warmers I need to get for this year.  Yes, I buy them in bulk.  Because even with wearing two pairs of socks and my uber-cold-resistant snowboarding boots, my toes go numb from the cold.  Sticking a feet warmer on top of my toes keeps me going for a good six hours before the cold kicks in.

I don't know if it's the colder weather or just getting over being sick but I'm suddenly very mellow this week.  Very unbothered.  Maybe I'm in an apple juice coma, my other medication of choice.

Regardless, I keep feeling the urge to go buy a pumpkin, plan my halloween outfit and go for a hike.  Gosh, I love fall.

fashion friday: makeup bag dump.

In honor of my SIL's birthday today (!!) I'm devoting this fashion post to her favorite topic, makeup!  She's my go-to person when I feel like spending hour after hour perusing through Sephora, looking for my next favorite eyeshadow or liner.  I could go on and on about all the products I love, but today will just be a plain ol' dump of my everyday makeup.  My go-to, crap-I'm-going-to-be-late-for-work, makeup regiment.

In the order that I typically use in the morning...

1) Laura Mercier Foundation Primer ($30) - I don't use this very often, normally just when I'm prepping for a 16 hour day without a break.  Have to bring in the big guns to make my makeup last all day!  It's a decent primer, I bought it based on a saleslady's recommendation and that it can double as an eyeshadow primer in a pinch.

2) Fresh Supernova Radiance Brightening Pen ($24) - Conceals undereye circles and puffiness.

3) Fresh Umbrian Clay Freshface Foundation ($42) - My SIL suggested this to me when I mentioned I had trouble with liquid foundations causing breakouts.  The clay covers my face without streaking and doesn't agitate my skin.  And best of all, I can skip my moisturizer because this foundation has SPF 20!

4) Maybelline Mineral Powder Finishing Veil Translucent Loose Powder ($8) - Easy to apply and doesn't make my face break out!  It also evens out my 'problem' areas well.

5) Urban Decay Baked Bronzer ($24) - I rarely use bronzer, but when I do, this is the one in my bag right now.  Not sure if I would get it again, it tends to be a bit streaky and feels heavy.  I used to use Rimmel's bronzing powder and think I'll go back to that.

6) MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Microfinish Powder ($30) - Sets my foundation for the day and gives my skin a bit more of a glow.  I owe this discovery to my SIL who thankfully whipped this out of her makeup bag on my wedding morning.

7) Smashbox Eye Beam Double-Ended Brightener ($22) - I just got this the other day, so far, I love it.  I just sweep it on the lower rim of my eyes and it makes me look more awake.  The flesh-colored shade combats the redness which is especially helpful in allergy season.

8) Urban Decay 24/7 Eye Liner ($17) - Goes on smoothly, stays creamy long enough for little fixes and then doesn't smudge and stays all day.  What more could you want!  My everyday is the glimmering brown called Bourbon.  My favorite?  Mildew (deep forest green).

9) MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Cream Eyeshadow ($22) - COMPLETELY WATERPROOF.  Not kidding.  I wear this when we go boating or when it's raining.  Not only does it stay for 10-12 hours, I can go swimming and it doesn't disappear.  My shade: Golden Copper.

10) Stila Eye Shadow Trio ($20) - I wish I could have every color.  Three shades in one set, all shimmery and gorgeous.  I wear Goddess when I don't wear the aqua cream, but just got Going Green and am living life on the wild side over here.

11) Sephora Collection Eyebrow Pencil ($10) - Some people tell me my eyebrows are fabulous but personally I think they're a pain in the butt.  They're super-dark, a little sparse in some places and grow like weeds in others.  I end up 'fixing' then daily with an eyebrow pencil.  I'm not picky about this, most brands seem to work relatively well.  The trick is the keep the point sharp so it mimics hair when applied.

12) Bare Escentuals Flawless Definition Volumizing Mascara ($18) - A relatively new addition to my makeup bag, I'm constantly changing mascaras.  I have to say that this is my favorite by far!  My lashes look so much longer and fuller.  The only downside is that it is definitely not waterproof (I had raccoon eyes in the rain yesterday).  But BE offers a waterproof mascara as well.

13) Bare Escentuals Natural Lip Gloss ($15) - I wore this on my wedding day and went the entire day without having to touch it up!  I believe the one I wore then was Spice Cake, my everyday tends to be either Golden Rose or Wild Honey.  Also, as Adam points out, it doesn't taste nasty when someone kisses you. 

14) Bare Escentuals brush set ($49) - I've gone through lots of brands of brushes, some cheap, some expensive.  This set is a good median and holds up well.

Whew, quite the rundown, what are your go-to products?

ya just put some windex on it.

I'm sure you all remember the cute ol' man in that photo above.  Let me tell you, he's a wise one.

Apparently one of the unfortunate side effects of sinus infections are abnormally large fingers.  Actually, they're probably not related, but I'd rather not admit that my fingers are that sensitive to changes in temperature.  Makes me sound like a wimp.

Regardless of the cause, my ring finger blew up to the size of a small blimp, causing a slight issue when I tried to take my wedding/engagement rings off yesterday.  So with lots of whining on my part, Adam and I tried everything...ice, water, lotion...nothing would get these rings off!

Except Windex.  Actually, it was the Green Works glass cleaner that did the trick.  Within ten seconds of spraying a decent amount of Windex on my finger, the ring slide up and over my knuckle with ease.

Who knew?  That old man was right.  Windex has healing powers.

oh hi there.

Remember me?  Sure hope so.  My disappearance over the last few days and in the next coming days can be attributed to what can only be described as the head cold of all head colds.  Take a large helping of seasonal allergies and add a side of sinus infection and you'll end up with sniffling, groggy ol' me.  Add in the fact that I cannot take sinus medication due to a drug allergy and you end up with one miserable little girl.

So I'm taking a slight blogging hiatus for a few days while I nurse myself back to health with season 5 and 6 of friends and a ginormous bag of pretzel m&m's.  I also have eight bazillion photos to edit.  And our wedding thank you cards that need to be sent out (they are awesome).  And well, my husband is pretty much the sweetest guy on the planet...because yesterday he bought me...

A NOOK!

I have the Kindle(courtesy of my fabulous SIL) and LOVED IT!  And am now upgraded.  It's just as easy to use as the Kindle, just more colorful and the touchscreen component is cool.  Same number of books available for free.  But I do like that you can change the font, I'm a more modern font type of girl.

So far I'm thrilled with the upgrade...and will be lost in the virtual pages of my ebooks for the next few days.  I'm convinced that the nook will nurse me back to health.  It has healing powers, right?

Ta ta for a few days on here.  Keep up to date with me on twitter - busygirlnicole - or stay tuned.  I've got a giveaway coming up and hopefully some more exciting things to share.

coffee break.

My most vivid fall memory involves driving.  I was headed home for a weekend in October of my sophomore year of college.  Cruising up 71, listening to the latest mixed-CD I had produced.  Sipping a Starbucks latte, which to me is therapy in a cup.  The leaves were deep in changing, brilliant reds, oranges, yellows.  But the air.  The autumn air is what gets me every time.  That brisk, woodsy smell.  I wish I could capture it in a bottle.  Or a candle.  And keep it year round.  It was chilly out but I cranked up the heat in my car just so I could crack the windows open.  I loved how the smell filled my car and surrounded me.  Fall is so peaceful, so slow.

Which is what I need right now.  I'm ready for life to slow down.  To become comfortable again.  So much has happened this summer.  I'm tired of constantly being on my toes.  Of walking on eggshells.  I'm ready to wrap myself in a hoodie and bask in the warmth of those friends, and family, who are are just comfortable.

We finally have a weekend with little to no plans.  Finally.  I'm looking forward to curling up with the pup tomorrow morning, drinking and cup of coffee and hopefully finishing Dracula.  Football season is finally upon us, so all weekend tv will be tuned to Big Ten or ESPN.  We can be lazy and stay in our sweats as long as we want.  That to me is a perfect weekend.

TGIF.  Because I need a weekend to relax.

What are you up to this weekend?

ooh, i'm a trendsetter!

I love me a good bargain.  Especially on clothes.  But with a full-time job who has the time to go sifting through all the online websites to find the deals?

Shop It To Me does!  I've been receiving their 'salemail' for about two years now and LOVE IT!  You select the stores, types of clothing and even sizes that you want to be alerted about!  Shop it To Me does the work, compiles sales fitting your criteria and sends it off to you in a nifty little email complete with helpful links to the products.

And the BEST part?  YOU get to control how often you receive emails.  I'm a weekly schedule...Tuesdays to be exact, but I up it around the holidays or my SIL's birthday to hunt down a good deal on presents.

So there's my elevator pitch, I love the site, what can I say?  GO sign up, it's completely, 100% free!  It's like having your own personal shopper!

And why am I re-promoting Shop It To Me today?  Well, because, they have asked me to be one of their FEATURED TRENDSETTERS!  Apparently I'm fashionable in everything from my night out duds to my sweats.  I'm not sure that's exactly true...but I do embrace SOME trends while sticking to my original style.  What can I say, it's not cool to be a clone. So get on board with trends that work for you, but always keep your signature style in tact.  Scarves?  Tights and booties?  Plain colored tees?  Layered cardis?  That would be me in a nutshell.

So go check it out, it's a pretty awesome free service.  And for other fashion related posts from moi, click here! 

i was not compensated financially for this post.  i was selected as a trendsetter by shop it to me and am expressing my personal opinion of their site and services.

coffee break.

Welcome to this edition of 'Nicole-did-tequila-shots-on-a-Thursday-and-is-paying-for-it-dearly.'  We need to stop making friends wherever we go.  The waiters at our local Mexican dive like us too much.

The dog was a particular pain this morning, delaying my blogging for a few hours.  I don't know if he was spooked by something or just woke up and decided that under no circumstances was he going to let me leave for work without a fight.  Regardless, it was a rough morning trying to get packed and ready while my shadow was on my heels whenever I went.  He even followed me into the bathroom - the dreaded room in our house.  Because that's where he gets, gasp, baths.  Poor pup.

He should be thrilled though.  Because while we're going camping in the rain, he gets to go lounge around at his posh puppy hotel.  While we're cooking processed meat over a fire, he's dining in their 'cafeteria'.  While we're cuddled up in musty sleeping bags, he's snuggled in his fresh linens (that are changed daily).  Oh he's got quite the tough life.

We'll have an interesting weekend without him though - my niece just turned six last week and to celebrate she's taking her whole family camping!  Unfortunately, a small lake effect storm has other ideas, but fingers crossed that most of the rain/wind misses us.  We're headed to a state park in PA to eat s'mores for three days straight.  Ah yes, s'mores.  And mountain pies.  And doritos.  I think I only like camping for the food.  It's definitely not because there's bugs.  I don't do bugs.

Speaking of, I made cupcakes last night for my niece's birthday.  And since she's pretty much the girliest girl ever, I had sneak pink into the equation.  So I picked up a box of strawberry cake mix.  First of all, the mix is PINK.  Luckily the cupcakes turned out a bit less, well, neon.  Second of all, strawberry cupcakes smell atrocious when they are cooking.  Hopefully they taste alright.  If not then I bought Doritos as a backup.  Always be prepared, right?

Yawn.

I'd love to tell you that we had an exciting week, but other than last night, we haven't really left the house.  Or stayed up past 9pm for that matter.  I watched 'Friends with Money' the other day.  Horrid movie.  Don't even bother.

In a coffee bean: Doggy is going to be one pampered pooch, Adam is itching to use his golf umbrella, and me?  Well, I'm in a haze and looking forward to a weekend of s'mores.

How was your week?

blog award!

 
I received the versatile blogger award from Kara!! Check her out, she's lovely.

The rules are to link back and thank the blogger that awarded me, enlighten you all with 7 random facts about myself then tag 15 other fabulous bloggers!  Here you go:

1. I'm twenty-five going on forty going on seventeen.  My personality ranges from being well-settled to being quite youthful.

2. I wake up before 7am regardless of the day.  And I honestly don't mind.  Saturday and Sunday mornings are my 'me' time.  Coffee, a good book, editing photos or just catching up on my Netflix before Adam wakes up.  Could you really ask for more?

3. I am convinced that I was either born in the wrong time period or on the wrong continent.  I adore European fashion from all time periods.  Along with the architecture and lifestyle.  If I had the money and means, I'd be sitting in a cafe in Luzern sipping coffee just watching passer-byers.  I wish wandering was a career.  I'd be great at it.

4. I love to read.  I live vicariously through characters in books.  Which might be why I feel so drawn to England in the 1500s.  I need to stop reading so much historical fiction.

5. I find cooking therapeutic but I cannot boast that I'm very good at it.  I have some lucky moments in the kitchen.  Luckily Adam has a strong stomach and smiles/nods when I serve him burnt chicken parmesan.

6. I cannot stand it when people crack their knuckles.  The noise makes me queasy.

7. I'm perfectly content listening to one song over and over again.  Especially while at work.  Some days that song just fits.  Or I just need a constant melody in the background to keep me going through the day.

TAG, you're it!  Some of my favorite reads:

Miss Chelsea

Jaime

Em

Helena

Rachel

Hannah

Melissa

Britt

Lauren

Michelle

Wren

Mara

Katy Mary

Jess

Connie