Howdy everyone, and TGIF! :D
So earlier this week I mentioned that Ben’s turning the big 3-0 this weekend. Guess what he was greeted with when walking up to his desk this morning?!
BAHAHAHAHA! His picture text to me was accompanied with one word: furious. I say, HILARIOUS! Great job, co-workers! ;)
In addition to tearing 500 post it notes off his desk, Ben and I will also be driving to Chicago this afternoon for the weekend. Check this out – Ben’s favorite team in the entire universe is the University of Miami’s college football team. (Long story short, he formed the love as a young kid and his feelings have only intensified over the years, per this psychotic video I shot of him watching a Miami game several years ago. This, coming from the most mild-mannered man alive.)
Please excuse the sleeveless tee, btw, but please acknowledge the precious Miami flag.
Anyways, they’re in Florida, and we’re in Iowa, so we figured it was going to be awhile before we were ever able to go see them play. WELL, guess who’s playing Notre Dame at Soldier Field, merely 5 hours away, on the weekend of Ben’s 30th birthday??
MIAMI!
The timing was too perfect not to act, and it’s his 30th birthday after all, so I snatched up a pair of tickets 6 months ago and have been holding onto the secret for just as long. It’s been torture. I finally surprised him with the tickets last weekend after his birthday lunch, and I cannot wait to see his face when they kick off on Saturday night. WHEE!
So, open road, here we come! :D
I hope you have a fun weekend planned too (get out and enjoy those fall leaves and farmers’ markets!) and in the meantime, please enjoy my favorite finds from around the web in this week’s Friday Favorites!
Favorite must-try: Oil-Cleansing Method. I can’t remember the last time I was this excited to try something… I’ve been reading this week about the oil-cleansing method – cleaning your face with oils like castor, olive, and jojoba instead of commercial face wash. It makes SO much sense, and I’m going out later today to collect the supplies to start on Sunday. Has anybody ever tried this method?
Favorite slow cook: Slow Cooked Quinoa Chicken Chili. Whole Foods had a quinoa chili the other day that Ben and I were both drooling over. Bonus that this recipe cooks in a slow cooker.
Favorite recipe: Single Serving Chocolate Chip Cookies. I’ve been attempting to keep sugar consumption low lately, for the aforementioned skin and weight control, but BOY am I glad to have this recipe in my back pocket!
Favorite find: Mercer Tall Boot. OH. EM. GEE!!! Completely obsessed over every single detail in these boots, but equally as devastated that the shaft height is about 1-3/4″ too tall for my short little legs. These are the things us vertically challenged women must deal with.
Favorite bite: Sweet Potato Pulled Pork Slider. The ultimate 2-bite delight. My mouth is totally watering!
Favorite fantasy: Venice. Oh, this.
Favorite wake up: Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls. I would have to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t still dreaming if cough, someone, cough, ever woke me up with a plate of these babies. ;)
Favorite furball. Cute. Overload.
Favorite supper: Pumpkin Coconut Curry. Oh my, you really need to check out this recipe. Thinking I’m going to make this for myself as soon as Ben has a late work night.
Favorite faux: Rachel Faux-Leather Clutch. I saw this at Banana Republic last weekend and was dying to get it. Perfect for a dressier occasion, but still holds a TON of essentials.
Favorite redo: Butternut Squash and Crispy Sage Pizza. A pizza version of my Butternut Squash Gnocchi with Garlic Butter & Sage Sauce! So clever to put these ingredients on a pizza!
Favorite photo. Ahhh, fall. :) Do you have your pumpkins yet? Ben and I still need to get ours. Hoping to pick some up at the Farmers’ Market next weekend.
Favorite treat: Ooey Gooey Caramel Pumpkin Blondies. Speaking of pumpkin…OMG! The ooo, the goo! ;)
Favorite tip: Custom iPhone Covers. This tutorial for creating custom iPhone covers is so clever!
Favorite outfit. I don’t know if I could pull off all the jewelry, but I am still crushing on orange clothes, especially going into fall. Looks so cute with chunky gold jewelry too.
Favorite sip: Honeycrisp Apple Sangria. How refreshing does this look?! Great cinnamon stick stirrer addition too. :)
Favorite spoonful: Chipotle Apple Turkey Chili. Unique, spicy, smokey, sweet combo. I am of the belief that you can never have too many chili recipes!
Favorite DIY: DIY Media Shelves. What a fun shelving unit – I’ve never seen anything like it, with the chains!
Favorite indulgence: No-Bake Stuffed Cookie Dough Bites. UMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!! I’m pretty sure these are outlawed in 19 states – good thing Iowa’s not one of ’em! ;)
Happy weekend, everyone!
I have done the OCM too…a 1:3 mixture of castor and olive oil similar to what was described by some others. I love it! It will totally clear up your skin and make it so soft! Also, if you have any stubborn cystic acne, you can dab on straight castor oil, rub it in, and it will clear it up too!! Castor oil is a natural drawing salve, so it works great, but you can definitely use less than the other oils. I agree with the others too, that I only do it 3 times per week or so.
Hey Kristin! This is going to be long, but I’ve used oil cleansing for awhile so I thought I’d chime in. The way I do it is not the same as the oil method detailed in that link. I don’t mix oils (too much work), and use either jojoba or rice bran oil. (I have combination skin, fyi)
1: rub a few drops on my face concentrating on the eye area to take off makeup then wipe off with a cotton pad(s). Step 2: a few drops massaged onto my face while it’s dry, then I wet hands and continue massaging to emulsify the oil, and then rinse. 3: sometimes I stop there, but if I still feel like I need a moisturizer I add a few more drops of the oil. I give my face a deeper clean with a regular cleanser once a week, and do the other 6 days a week. If you don’t wear makeup you can skip step 1, but if you do it prevents the dirty washcloth problem as your face will be clean when you towel off after step 2.
Have a nice weekend and Happy 30 to Ben!
I’m going to the UM vs. ND game!! I’m a senior at ND but I’m from Miami, born and raised a Canes fan! Awkward? But I’m SO excited! Maybe I’ll run into you! Don’t be freaked out if I come say hi!
What a bummer of a game, right?! Hope you stayed warm!
I’ll be in Chicago this weekend too! Running in the Chicago marathon, my first!! Should be a great weekend to visit!
Oh my gosh – congratulations!! How did it go??
I look forward to your Friday Favorites list all week! Have a great weekend Kristin, and happy birthday to Ben!
1 – Poor Ben!
2 – As a fellow 5’2″-er I feel your pain on those boots. I want this VS Cardi so bad but it will probably come down to my shins and just look silly.
3 – Love the orange outfit, but definitely too much jewelry!
My girlfriend was wearing something similar this weekend – she’s 5’10, btw – and looked adorable in it. It would have looked like a blanket on me. Sigh! ;)
That is one of the best birthday gags ever. Oh I would of love to have done that for a few co-workers of mine. I hope you have a great weekend. I am sure you and your hubby will have a blast at the game.
Yum!!! I’m repinning the crockpot quinoa chili :) I’m always looking for new crockpot recipes- who doesn’t love tossing everything in a bowl and having a house smelling wonderfully and dinner ready when they get home?!
Thanks for the butternut squash ideas. We received 2 large squash in our CSA and wasn’t sure what to do with them. Now I can roast them up over the weekend and whip up something yummy!
OCM is awesome! I use a very similar method to erica (above) except I use almond oil instead of olive oil. I find the olive oil is too heavy for my skin. The results are incredible – your skin gets soooo soft.
One word of caution though: don’t do this every day, especially at first. There is definitely a transition period that your skin goes through and I can only use the OCM 2-3 times a week. If you use it too frequently you can get weird little bumps all over your face and they take FOREVER to go away. I was on the main OCM chat page and I guess this happens to a lot of people if you dive into OCM head first. It can also happen if your moisturizing oil is too heavy.
Good luck!
OMG! My hubby is the exact same as Ben about the Miami Hurricanes and we are headed there this weekend also! It’s a bit ridiculous the amount of Miami Hurricanes clothing that is packed and will be worn. Go U! My friend Lindsay Woods says hey! Any favorite places you plan on eating at while you’re there? I’m obsessed with finding as many gourmet cupcake places as I can.
How was your weekend? It was a gorgeous couple of days – too bad the game was a bust!
I see we share a love for Picky Palate’s blog. I pinned those cookie dough bites yesterday! I cleansed my skin with olive oil awhile back when I friend said her grandmother did it and had wonderful skin. I used a oil from an online shop, but I might try it again!
LOVE LOVE LOVE what they did to Ben’s desk. sooooo funny