Wednesday's Wishlist

Happy 1st of October!

This week's Wednesday's Wishlist is celebrating the month of October and all that entails including, Halloween! 

Lil Piggy Lil Octopus Scorpion Puppy Costume Flapper Girl Costume Gangster Costume Luke Skywalker Costume 80's Valley Girl Costume

BTW, if you have not seen the video where a dog is dressed up like this scorpion/spider please check it out. Try not to pee your pants laughing.

You Tube

Happy October!

Butternut Squash

Squatter Nutbash

For any of you who watch Friends, that is a great reference. Last week during my bargain grocery shopping I found Butternut Squash for 89¢. Now I have no idea how what to do with a butternut squash but for less than a dollar I figured I'd give it a try. I found a recipe from the Food Network that sounded good and I whipped up a batch.

First, cut both ends off of your squash. Next use a vegetable peeler and peel the skin off of the entire thing. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to scoop out the inside seeds. 

Now dice squash into bite sized pieces and place on baking sheet (with sides! Do not use a flat baking sheet)

Toss with butter, brown sugar, and a dash of salt and pepper. Cook at 400 degrees for about an hour, flipping veggies every 20 minutes.

Let cook slightly on baking sheet before serving to let the brown sugar sauce cool down and stick to the squash.

Serve and watch it disappear. 

If you have read some of my previous posts you know I have given up sweets. This squash really does taste like candy and it was able to curb my craving last night. Well that and making John eat the rest of the apple crisp before I could get my hands on it!! Bon Appétit! 

Wedding Workout!

As some of you may already know, our wedding is 6 WEEKS AWAY. Time has flown by and we're just about there. That being said, its time to start buckling down and losing those last 5 pounds. My dress fits like a glove so I am not interested in losing a significant amount of weight. However, I am interested in toning everything up and generally becoming a little more healthy. 

So, here are a couple things that I plan on doing in the upcoming weeks to get to to my goal.

1. DRINK MORE WATER! This is something that I will always need to work on but this next month and a half I will be carrying around a water jug 24/7.

2. CUT OUT SWEETS. I literally have the world's biggest sweet tooth. I could eat sweets for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and I would be happy. But for the next 6 weeks I am going to go cold turkey and try not to eat any.

3. RUN instead of walk with Bailey. We go on a morning walk every day but I am hoping to up that to a morning run everyday.

4. Take 15 minutes of each day to do YOGA, PUSHUPS, SITUPS, anything that requires muscle use and will tone up my arms and abs for the beach in Hawaii! (honeymoon destination)

Wish me luck! And if my readers have any suggestions please, feel free to comment below.

Happy Healthy!

Puppy Favorites

Our puppy is growing like crazy, pretty soon we won't be able to call her a puppy anymore. Bailey is a good dog at heart but we have had our fair share of trial and error to find things that work for her. She is a big dog with an urge to chew. She loves to pull on the leash and has had tummy trouble with certain dog foods. Here is what works for our pup.

Blue Buffalo Training Treats are a must for training our pooch. She seems to love them and gobbles them up every time she get one but they are small enough we don't feel guilty giving her a couple while training. Something all large dogs need is a good, reliable leash. I've heard many good things about these Paracord Leashes and they come in a ton of fun colors. One of Bailey's favorite toys are products made by Kong. They are very durable and she has yet to chew one of these Kong Classic balls up. It also has a hole in the bottom you can put Kong Treats. One problem we have had with her is that she likes to grab her water dish and walk around the house with it. While it was cute the 1st time, John and I quickly got tired to stepping in the puddles she created. These Heavy Duty Food & Water Bowls are heavy enough that she does not enjoy running around with them in her mouth anymore. And lastly is a Head Harness. While it looks like an evil contraption that they will hate at first, it has helped her to learn to walk nicely. The problem with a body harness on a large dog is that it gives them the ability to pull with all four legs. With the head harness however, the only thing she can pull with is her head, which is not nearly as strong as her legs. She still pulls at times but it is much easier to get her back on track with this head harness.

So far we have been unable to find a cute plush chew toy that she does not destroy in 30 seconds. We have even purchased $25 toys that claim indestructible and made with kevlar reinforced fabric. Here is how well that toy went over.

We ended up throwing the toy away about 20 minutes after these pictures. After she had strewn stuffing throughout the house. Hopefully these will help with you pup and HAPPY CHEWING!

Halloween Decorations

In the spirit of Halloween and all things spooky, I have been doing a couple DIY Halloween Decorations. I really wanted to have some big pumpkins in the house, but I do not trust Bailey to leave them alone. I can just imagine coming home to a pumpkin explosion all over the white carpet. So instead of real pumpkins, Michael's had a sale on their fake pumpkins. I bought 3 along with some paint and went to work. 

For the supplies and the pumpkins the total was only $20.

I started painting. The pumpkins are kind of waxy so it did take quite a few coats of black paint to completely cover them. If I were to do this project over I would recommend trying spray paint instead. After they completely dried I used to white paint to decorate them with a spider, a cat, and the word EEK!.

Here is the finished product.

I love how they turned out. 

I also made a couple adorable mice cutouts and stuck them around the house. They look like they're scurrying around the baseboards. The template to print these out and make them yourself is included in the link below.

Martha Stewart Mice

Happy Decorating!

1st Day of Fall

Today is the 1st day of Fall, my favorite season!! Here are some of my favorite things about Autumn:

1. Campfires. I love sitting around a campfire or bonfire in a sweatshirt and jeans. Plus I love smores and this is a great excuse to get to make one.

2. The crunch of the leaves when Bailey and I go for our morning walk. 

3. Pumpkin everything! From lattes to bread to handsoap I am in love with the pumpkin scent/flavor.

4. The changing colors.

5. Football. This is slightly influenced by John because he loves football way more than I do. But I do love the football parties and get-togethers with all the yummy snack food you can only really serve during a football game. 

What are some of your favorite things about fall? And have a happy Autumn everyone!

Beauty Breakdown - My Everyday Look



Beauty Breakdown - My Everyday Look

I love love LOVE makeup! I love buying and trying new makeup, everything from lipstick to primer to eyeshadow. I shop at Sephora so often the girls remember my name! So I decided to break down my everyday makeup look for you ladies. My everyday makeup is a natural look to simply enhance your natural beauty. It is pretty simple and usually takes me 10-15 minutes to do.

I first start out with Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel. My skin can be sensitive and this moisturizer is one of the few that work for me. For foundation my absolute favorite is Bare Minerals Matte Foundation. Everything in their product is very natural and good for the skin. This powder foundation cover very well without looking like you're too much wearing makeup. Next I contour my face slightly with Bare Minerals Bronzer. Start at the ear and drag the brush towards the corner of your lips. A little bronzer goes a long way so start off small and build the product up. I have a favorite brush for bronzer as well. This Bronzer Brush works really well to apply bronzer. I turn it to the side so it is very skinny to first apply the bronzer. Then I turn it the other way so it is wide to blend the bronzer in. After bronzer comes blush. In this photo I have used a Bare Minerals Blush in Laughter. Now onto eyes. A great palette that works for everyday is one of the Naked Palettes. I chose the Naked2 Basics Palette. These are mostly neutral shades and it includes some matte and some shimmer shadows. All the colors work well with each other, have great pigmentation and seem to last all day for me. Lastly, I top it off with a coat of They're Real Mascara. This is the absolute best mascara product I've ever used. Make sure your lashes are clean from yesterday's mascara before applying. The only downfall with this product is that it is not waterproof. Otherwise I use it every day!! And here is the final product:

Stay tuned for my date night look next week!

Fall Favorites

Fall Favorites

With the weather here in Iowa starting to get cooler I am in the mood for fall. Here are a few of my favorite things to cozy up with for fall.

Gap Fur Trimed Parka      Fossil Mini Bag     Maurices Ellie Jeans    AE Moccasins

Forever 21 Flannel    Bath & Body Works Hand Soap

Flannel is super in right now for fall. Plus its warm so it's a win/win. Also, I LOVE this parka! Adorable and warm but not too hot. The jeans I just recently bought. I was skeptical about trying a new store for jeans because my body type can be hard to get the fit just right. But I tried anyways and was really happy. They even have each size in short/regular/tall. No alterations needed! The best part? Only $29! And every girl needs a good pair of moccasins for fall. Comfy, cozy, and super cute. Lastly, this hand soap from Bath and Body smells so good you might be tempted to lick your hands. Don't, trust me it doesn't taste as good. That wraps up my favorites so far for this awesome fall. Go out and crunch some leaves!

Cooking with the Croghan's

Twice-Baked Potatoes

I am a major bargain shopper when it comes to grocery shopping. The max amount I allow myself to spend each week is $100. This includes everything! Toiletries, paper products, cleaning products, etc. Some weeks it can be a challenge! However, this week Hyvee had 5 lb bags of potatoes for 99¢. What a deal! Now, what in the heck do I do with 5 lbs of potatoes?? This is where the twice baked potatoes come in. I put most of them in the freezer for another time but I had to make a couple for supper! They are DELICIOUS! Here is the recipe I used:

Twice-Baked Potatoes

courtesy of Ree Drummond via the foodnetwork.com

Ingredients
8 baking potatoes, washed
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 sticks salted butter
1 cup bacon bits ( fry your own!)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup Cheddar or Jack cheese (or a mix of both), plus more for topping
1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
3 green onions, sliced
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the potatoes on a baking sheet. Rub them with the canola oil and bake for 1 hour, making sure they're sufficiently cooked through.

Slice the butter into pats. Place in a large mixing bowl and add the bacon bits and sour cream. Remove the potatoes from the oven. Lower the heat to 350 degrees F.

With a sharp knife, cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scrape out the insides into the mixing bowl, being careful not to tear the shell. Leave a small rim of potato intact for support. Lay the hollowed out potato shells on a baking sheet.

Smash the potatoes into the butter, bacon and sour cream. Add the cheese, milk, seasoned salt, green onions and black pepper to taste and mix together well. (IMPORTANT: If you plan to freeze the twice-baked potatoes, do NOT add the green onions.)

Fill the potato shells with the filling. I like to fill the shells so they look abundant and heaping. Top each potato with a little more grated cheese and pop 'em in the oven until the potato is warmed through, 15 to 20 minutes.

This yummy yummy recipe makes 12-16 potatoes depending how generous you are with the filling for each shell.

Bon Appétit!

Welcome to the Circus!

Welcome to the Circus!

Ladies and Gentleman, children of all ages! Welcome to the most extravagant show the human eye has ever seen. Please welcome the stars of Keeping Up with the Croghan's most spectacular show so far! Turn your eyes to ring number one! Meet the Ring Master, John the Great. 

The strongest, most fearless, and handsomest Ring Master of all. 

In the middle ring is John's lovely assistant is Queen Kaitlin.

Queen Kaitlin is the kindest and most beautiful in all the land. (And also the writer of this blog!)

Lastly, in ring number 3 is the most feared animal in the kingdom. This animal is so wild and ferocious that even the Ring Master himself cannot tame this wild beast! Introducing, the terrifying, the destructive, and most monstrous beast you have ever seen, Bailey the Badly Behaved.

(Bailey is a Chocolate Lab puppy who is only 9 months old. She is learning quickly and soon we will have to drop the Badly Behaved part off of her name.)

Now Ladies and Gentleman, sit back, relax, and ENJOY the show!!!!