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Thursday, November 28, 2013

Adventures in Vacation: A Thanksgiving Trip

Happy Thanksgiving!
We have so much to be thankful for today and everyday. Family, job, roof over our heads, food on the table...
We are truly blessed!
Today, we are especially thankful for 
getting to go on a vacation! 
YAY!

But don't worry, I've got some super awesome amazing fun posts scheduled for you while we are away! 

(want a hint?! OK! It's got something to do with this!)

For those of you cooking up a storm today, remember, just follow the recipe.

And no matter what the recipe says...
 never put beef in a trifle! 

If you are not a FRIENDS fan, you probably are not giggling to yourself right now.
If you are, go watch a Thanksgiving episode. The One Where Ross Got High is probably my all time favorite! 


Have a happy Thanksgiving! 
(and remember, it's Thanksgiving, not 'truth day'!) 

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Adventures in Life: Thanksgiving Hodgepodge

Happy day before Thanksgiving! I thought I would play along with Joyce today and share some answers to her Hodgepodge of questions! 


1. Are you settling for something?
I don't know what to make of this question...I'm curious to see what other's in the link-up have to say. I really can't think of anything I'm settling for. 

2.  It wasn't that long ago almost every store in the US locked doors and turned out lights on Thanksgiving Day. This year many will be open all day Thursday, giving shoppers a jump start on 'Black Friday'. In your opinion is this a good thing or a not so good thing? Will you be shopping on Thanksgiving Day?
I really think it's a shame that stores are opening on Thanksgiving. I know people want to get the 'good deals' but it seems like if we all just agree not to shop on Thursday, maybe next year all these stores will re-think their strategy and let their employees spend the holiday with their family. I have never, ever, not even once shopped on Black Friday. I have a personal goal of ordering all of my gifts on line - with free shipping of course! 

3. Speaking of shopping... I saw a recent article on the twelve best shopping cities in the world. In order they are-
New York, Tokyo, London, Kuala Lumpur, Paris, Hong Kong, Buenos Aires, Vienna, Dubai, Madrid, Milan, and Seoul.
Ever shopped in any of the cities listed? In which city would you most like to pull out the plastic or cold hard cash?
Ooo! I've never been to any of them but would love to shop in London, Vienna, or Milan! I've always wanted to go to Europe! 

4.  When did you last dine by candlelight?
A month or so ago we were at a restruant with very low lighting and candles at the table...does that count? 

5. What do you have too much of?
That depends on who in the house you ask - Daniel would say I have to much fabric and craft supplies (and lets be honest, I would have to agree!). I would say we have to many tools! But I guess that what happens when you are a DIY couple fixing up a house. Tools everywhere! 

6. The Hunger Games...are you a fan?  Did you read the book(s)?  Will you/have you seen the movie?  Will you/have you seen Catching Fire?  No spoilers please!
I have read all of the books, seen the first movie, and plan on seeing the 2nd movie as soon as I have a chance. We are leaving on vacation tomorrow (eek!) and I'm thinking of re-reading the 2nd book while we are away so the story is fresh in my brain when I get to see the movie. I've totally watched every trailer for the movie...at least twice! 

7. Share your plans for Thanksgiving Day. The who, the where, the what...especially the what! As in what's for dinner?  If you're one of my International visitors, whose homeland doesn't celebrate American Thanksgiving (the whole world doesn't ya know!), then still tell us your plans for Thursday.
Out Thanksgiving day is excitingly unexciting. No turkey. No pumpkin pie. But we will be on an air plane to meet up with my parents in Florida to get on a cruise on Friday! 


(our cruise ship March 2012)


8.  Insert your own random thought here.
While we are gone on vacation I've got a super fun series of guest posts lined up - some of my most favorite blogging ladies are sharing their favorite Christmas traditions. Please come on back starting next Monday to be inspired to start some new traditions! 

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Adventures in Life: Thanksgiving This or That

Is everyone getting ready for a big Thanksgiving dinner?!
I LOVE Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings...yum!
To get us in the Thanksgiving dinner mood I thought I would participate in another round of Candra's link up 

This or That Link Up

Feel free to play along and leave your answers in a comment!

Stuffing or mashed potatoes?
Ooo, starting it off with a hard one. 
Ok, I'm just going with my first instinct.
Mashed Potatoes. 


Homemade cranberry sauce or store bought?
Homemade. 
Hands down. 
The store bought canned cranberries kind of freak me out. 

Pumpkin pie or pecan pie?
Pumpkin, with lots of whip cream.
I've never been a fan of nuts in dessert.

Cooking all day or cleaning all night?
Cooking all day, in a heartbeat! Cleaning is my least favorite part of cooking. 

Thanksgiving Day Parade or a football game?
I've never been a huge fan of parades on TV.
Going to them in person is fun 
I would much rather watch Football.

P.S. I love Thanksgiving episodes of TV shows, especially FRIENDS! 

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Adventures in Products: Beautycounter

A few weeks ago I got the opportunity to try out a fairly new line of beauty products called


Beautycounter is a company that aims to
Educate families about toxic chemicals
Create safe and effective products
All products are vegan and gluten-free

I got to try 4 different products, and I wanted to tell you about them!


Gentle Exfoliator Polishing Cream  - Out of the 4 products I got to try, this one is my favorite. I have always had a hard time finding an exfoliator that had just the right amount of scrub. Well, this one isn't to wimpy, and it isn't to rough. It has just the right amount of scrub for my face to feel clean, without felling like all the moisture is scrubbed off. I love that it doesn't have a chemical smell like so many exfoliators have. It has a nice, clean citrus smell.
Clean Everyday Shampoo - Normally, I don't try new shampoo. I like what I get, and it works for me...but I gave the Beautycounter clean shampoo a try and I am so glad that I did! I never was thrilled with using lots of chemicals on my hair, but I just thought that was the best way to get it clean. Until now! This shampoo leaves my hair feeling clean and not weighted down without the crazy chemicals.
Rinse Everyday Conditioner - I have been using both the shampoo and conditioner for a few weeks and while I love the shampoo, I have not been overly thrilled with the conditioner. I tend to have dry hair, and I just need a little more deep conditioning to keep my hair hydrated properly.
Hydrate Everyday Body Lotion - This lotion is perfect to apply when you are just out of the shower! I have pretty sensitive skin and try to use mostly lotion what is unscented. This lotion has been working wonderfully on my sensitive skin, leaving it soft and hydrated!

As I have tried the products and looked into the practices of Beautycounter over the last few weeks I have been really impressed. Not only are all of the products vegan, but they are also all gluten free! I had honestly never thought about the fact that the products Daniel and I put on our skin could contain gluten. But for people with more serious gluten intolerance or celiac disease, the gluten absorbed by the skin from beauty products could be a big problem. Not an issue for Beautycounter products. They carefully pick and test each ingredient that goes into every one of their products. Check out this video for a little more info on Beautycounter. 



This is a quick recap of the video (if you don't have time to watch)
"Much of what goes on our skin (our largest organ) is absorbed into the body and can end up in our bloodstream. So shouldn’t the products we use day after day be safe? Beginning with a team of respected health advocates, chemists and makeup artists to conceive and formulate prestige-quality products that would perform, she then added direct sales experts, business executives and leaders in technology to create a brand that would be able to make a difference."

SO Great, right?! I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for interesting, special, and perfect gifts for friends and family this time of year. Might I suggest checking out some of the Beautycounter products? They have some great gift sets that start at $40!

And they have a brand new KIDS line of products ~ shampoo, conditioner, soap, sunscreen and 
(How adorable, right?!)

*I did receive these products for free, but the opinions are all my true and honest opinion. 

Monday, November 18, 2013

Adventures in Life: This Or That Link Up

My new blog-land friend Candra has a fairly new link party every week called 
This or That Link Up
Each week on Monday she posts a list, and you have to pick one or the other (fun right!?)
This week's theme is FEARS (eek!)

Heights or deep water: If we are talking the roof of a skyscraper or at the bottom of the ocean in a submarine, I would pick skyscraper every time. I am fine on the top of deep water, but at the bottom. No Way. 

Snakes or Spiders: I am much more afraid of snakes than spiders. Although if I have to kill a spider I always get either a shoe or a huge wad of paper towels so I don't have to feel it squish! 

Losing all your teeth, or losing all your hair: I would rather lose all my hair. I am kind of partial to chewing...and I believe wigs are cheaper than dentures. Right?

No voice or No hearing: No voice. I could deal with not being able to talk, but no hearing would be a huge challenge. 

Eating a bug, or eating intestines: Eeew! Do I have to pick?! Well I guess if I HAVE to, I could eat bugs before I would eat intestines...unless the intestines were cooked and the bugs were alive, then I would pick the intestines. 

So, how about you? You can get the questions, and link up your answers on Candra's blog Camo and Lipstick.

Oh! And have you entered the big giveaway yet? Only a few more days left! Click HERE for the details on how to enter...

Adventures in the Basement: Cutting Edge Stencil Review and GIVEAWAY!

After months of digging, shoveling, pouring, hammering, and planning, We have FINALLY been doing some painting in the basement. Ever since we painted the walls upstairs when we first bought the house, I have been wanting to try stenciling. I love the way a stencil can add a little something special to a wall. In researching different brands and styles of stencils, and over and over Cutting Edge Stencils came up as the best wall stencil. So for our new bedroom in the basement, I decided to go for it - I asked Cutting Edge Stencil if I could try and review a wall stencil. (And they said YES!)

Cutting Edge Stencils has a wide variety of different wall stencils
Geometric stencils like the Zagora Allover Stencil

Classic damask stencils like the Anna Damask Stencil


Daniel and I spend some time picking out a stencil for an accent wall in our bedroom. We both agreed that the Alexa Allover Stencil would be just the look we were going for. Clean, classic, and fun! 
Cutting edge stencil send me the main stencil, smaller stencil for the corners, roller, small pain brush, and a stencil level . Before I started I watch a few of the "how to" videos on the Cutting Edge website to teach myself the best way to use these stencils. I set up my supplies and went to work!
http://www.cuttingedgestencil.com
You really do not need very much paint at all to complete a stenciled wall. I would dip my roller, roll off most of the excess paint on a paper plate, and then roll once on a paper towel to make sure there were no drips. Then you just roll away, with light pressure. I think most people think of stenciling as a project that takes forever. With tiny paint brushes and lots of details. That is not so much the case with the Cutting Edge Stencil. The roller is perfect for applying the paint. I never had a problem with the stencil shifting or letting paint under the plastic part. I was actually surprised at how overall easy the project was!
www.cuttingedgestencils.com
I started at the ceiling and worked my way down the wall. A tip I learned was to start rolling at the bottom of the stencil and work your way to the top. By the time you roll all the way to the top of the stencil, the bottom will be dry, and you can just pull the stencil off the wall, move it down, and start again in a new section. I have to say the level was a lifesaver! I was going for a subtle stencil look, so I chose to to use the same color paint as the wall, just in high gloss, and I added a little bit of white paint to lighten the color just a hint. 
http://www.cuttingedgestencil.com
 I love how this project turned out! And I loved using my Cutting Edge Stencils! The whole process was much easier than I thought it would be, and took a total of about 4 hours to do one 8 X 13 accent wall. Now we are working on the trim and crown molding and hopefully will be all moved into the bedroom by Christmas! 

http://www.cuttingedgestencil.com

Now, it's your turn! If you have ever wanted to do a stencil project, now is your chance! 
Cutting Edge Stencil is giving away 1 stencil (up to $50 value) to one of the readers of Adventure of D and V! Use the rafflecopter below to enter. US residents only. Giveaway will be open for 1 week. 




Sunday, November 17, 2013

Adventures in Fall: Cara Box Reveal

If you have followed the Adventures of D and V for any amount of time you know that I love a good swap! While I do enjoy getting a fabulous package in the mail, my most favorite part of the swap process is meeting a new bloggie friend. That is why Kaitlyn's idea for as swap, Cara Box, is so very exciting for me. Kaitlyn describes it as this:

Awesome things in the mail + Meeting new women + Encouragement = Cara Box

The new blog friend that I got to send a package to is Libby from Health, Love, & Fire. You should jump over and see what I sent her, and you will get to know her even better in a few weeks because she is doing a post in a special series I've got lined up in December! 

My other new blog friend, who sent me an amazingly sweet Cara Box, is Candra. 
She blogs at Camo and Lipstick. She is a New England wife and mom who loves to travel, read, and workout. She has a new, fun link up called This or That that is on Tuesdays. It was so fun getting to know her, and she sent me the most generous box! 
Apple candle, S'more candle, peppermints, nail polish (love the fall color!), body butter (more on that in a second!), coffee mug, 2 toothbrushes and toothpaste (perfect for our upcoming vacation!), an a scarf - that I may have put on immediately when I opened my box because it TOTALLY matched what I was wearing that day! How sweet is Candra?!  While I love everything she sent, I LOVE the body butter. Have you ever tried body butter?! I had not - well, maybe I have in the store, but I have never purchased body butter for my self before. This stuff is A-MAZ-ING. Thanks so much Candra! 


Cara Box

oh! Don't forget to enter the latest ADV giveaway! Details 

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Adventures in Life: I Met The Pioneer Woman Last Night

If you read my hodgepodge post yesterday you may have noticed that I had planned to attend a very exciting event last night....a cookbook signing with
Probably my favorite "famous" person ever! 

She was doing a signing in the Chicago-land area last night for her new cookbook.
I've been counting down the weeks since the tour locations were announced.
The way the book store did signings was when you purchased the book from them you got a number for the signing line. I was #493. I heard that there were people in the 700's! Most of the evening was spend visiting with my wonderful mother-in-law who drove more than an hour to come and wait in line with me!
We were in a book store, so there was plenty of books to look at. 
Not to mention I had a NEW cookbook filled with yummy recipes for us to drool over!
Around 10:30 pm, the 490's were called to get in line (they only lined up about 50 people at a time - which was a pretty good system). And finally, around 11:15pm we could see her!
I don't think I could be as happy and personable as she was for SO many hours!
Being social just wares me out. But she was rocking the line - posing for pictures, kissing babies, signing books, everything! 
Look how pretty she is! 

And she's so nice! Talking to everyone and taking pictures while signing. 

I asked her what her favorite Thanksgiving side dish was and her answer was:

"Well, besides the traditional dishes, like mashed potatoes with plenty of butter, my favorite is the green beans with tomatoes. The recipe for it is in this new cookbook." (all in her cute southern accent! I love the way she says tomatoes!)

Thanks to my mother-in-law for taking such great pictures!!
(and for sitting around with me for over 4 hours!)

I've never met anyone famous before!
Have you? 





Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Adventures in Life: 150th Hodgepodge!

1. Describe a typical Sunday from your childhood.
Sunday was usually a day of church, rest and football for my family...unless by brother and I were competing at a swim meet, then it was a day of chlorine, races, and waiting for races.

2. How comfortable are you with uncertainty? Explain.
I am a plan ahead kind of gal...need I explain further?! Uncertainty gives me anxiety. It's something I'm working on...

3. What have you accomplished recently that might be described as crafty, as in 'arts and crafts' crafty?  If crafty doesn't work for you, how about handy? Or both?
Oh, there is almost always a crafty project going on in our house! My most recent project - which I will be posting about next week, was painting and stenciling the room that is soon to be our new master bedroom in the basement. (If stenciling is something you are interested in stop back here next week, because I am doing a Cutting Edge Stencil giveaway!!)


4. Have you ever worked in a 'food place'? What did you take away from the experience?
I worked at Starbucks for a few months. 

And I honestly learned a lot from the experience. I learned that working in the food service industry is very hard for my personality type. While I get great joy from serving others, I take it very personally when someone is upset about the service they received. I could work a 8 hour shift and successfully serve hundreds of happy customers, but it took just one unhappy person yelling at me to totally wreck my whole week. (And people are VERY serious about their coffee, and if it's not right, they usually yell at whoever is in front of them. It's been years since I worked there, and I can still clearly remember the verbal thrashing I received from one unhappy customer.)

5. Cold turkey, talk turkey, what a turkey...in recent days, which turkey phrase or idiom best applies to you and why? Click on the word turkey if you need to read more about the meaning behind each phrase.
"What a turkey" is something my grandma used to say all the time...but I never really knew what it meant until today! 


6. If you could have any one guest join your Thanksgiving dinner table, who would it be?
Oh, gosh! This is a hard one...If I'm picking from people both living and dead, I would say my Grandma Seger. Thanksgiving has just not been the same since she passed away last year.


7. What is one thing you must accomplish today?
Meet Ree Drummon ~ The Pioneer Woman! She is doing a book signing in the Chicago-land area tonight, and I am SOOOOO excited to meet her! (More on that tomorrow!)


8.  Insert your own random thought here.
We are getting ready for a super fun vacation with my parents the week after Thanksgiving - and I can't wait! I have been counting down the days! 


Saturday, November 9, 2013

Adventures in Married Life: Chopped Date Night

Daniel and I love watching cooking shows. One of our favorite is Chopped

If you have never seen the show before, here are the basics:
4 chefs start the competition.
Each round has a basked with 4 mystery items that the chefs much use in their dish.
Each round the chefs are judged on the taste, use of ingredients, creativity, and presentation of their dish.
At the end of each round the chef with the worst dish is "chopped".
3 rounds. Appetizer, Main Dish, and Dessert. 
Last chef standing wins! 

So, a few weeks ago I was reading Megan's blog Ephesians 5:33 Wife. She posts super fun date night ideas, and when I read her "Chopped Date Night", I knew we HAD to do it! 

First, we decided who was making what. Daniel wanted to cook the main dish so I said I would do the appetizer and dessert. He shopped for me, and I shopped for him. 4 mystery items for each round. I kept giggling as I was walking around the grocery store, trying to avoid Daniel so he wouldn't see what ingredients I was getting for him to cook with. It was the most fun I've had at the grocery store in ages! When we got back home, we got to cooking...

Appetizer Round:
Daniel shopped and got pumpkin pasta sauce, maple sausage, hash browns, and french onion cheese. 
I cooked and made 2 different fall tapas - one was a onion and sausage tapas, and the other was a pumpkin spice with potato tapas. 
Results: We both agreed that the onion and sausage tapas was yummier. 

Main Dish Round:
I shopped and got canned corn, chopped pecans, pomegranate juice, and pork tenderloin.
Daniel cooked and made pomegranate braised pork loin with spinach and pomegranate quinoa and warm veggie salad topped with roasted pecans. 
Results: The pork and veggies were really good, but the quinoa got a bit over salted.  


Dessert Round:
Daniel shopped and got gnocchi, tapioca, chocolate covered acai gummies, and pineapple bourbon sauce. 
I made a pineapple bourbon tapioca pudding in a gnocchi cup with fried gnocchi strips and melted acai chocolate sauce. 
Results: Be both agreed that dessert was the best! I was totally surprised at how yummy the pudding turned out.  

Thanks Megan for a fun date night idea!!
We will totally be doing this again! 
What did you do on your last date night?

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Adventures in Fall: 2nd Annual Photo Link Party

Today is the day!

adventuresofdandv

I can't wait to see what fall looks like in your neck of the woods! Here are some pictures of the fall colors in our neighborhood...

The trees here have been so red, they almost look like they are on fire! 


This is my favorite tree - it's outside my office. 

The view down our street.

Look what I saw when I got home one afternoon in our neighbor's back yard...
Do you see it...

A HUGE deer! In our back yard.
(Now if our house was in the country, this would be a common sight, but we live in the middle of suburbia!) 
Your turn! Link up your fall picture post below! 


Monday, November 4, 2013

Adventures in Fall: Link Party Reminder!

Hi friends! 
Just a reminder that tomorrow is the 2nd Annual Fall Photo Link Party!

adventuresofdandv

I can't wait to see the beautiful fall colors are in your neck of the woods.
Come on back tomorrow to link up your post. 

Friday, November 1, 2013

Adventures in Favorites: October Faves!

It's that time again! Then end of a month, (ok, so I'm a day behind...) time to recap my favorite things from October!

** Progress in the basement! Like the kind that you can really see! Paint, tile, trim, doors, and even a few home made items of furniture by Daniel. Here's a sneak peak:


** Spending time with Grandparents! Daniel's Grandparents visited us for a long weekend and we had a blast with them!

** My new red door! It makes me smile every time I drive up to the house!



** The movie Now You See Me. We watched it a few weeks ago and then again last night. It's really good!



** All the BEAUTIFUL leaves! I have to force myself to keep my eyes on the road when I'm driving. The colors are just stunning around here! Speaking of - remember to be taking pictures of what fall looks like in your neck of the woods and come back here next week for

adventuresofdandv

What were your October favorites?!