pasta + Italian dressing

I use Wish-bone Fat Free Italian Dressing but any Italian seasoning dressing will work. Any pasta brand or shape is fine too. I use whatever I have on hand.

Directions

• Cook pasta as directed. Drain.
• Add roughly 2 Tbsp of Italian dressing for each serving of cooked pasta
• Mix & done!

Basically add as much dressing as you like.
I like the taste to be subtle but, hey, if you love it pour it on!

Next, I add whatever else I happen to have in the kitchen. Usually I at least have parsley flakes and grated cheese for topping. But sometimes I have fresh vegetables and other herbs as well.

Other items I often add

• broccoli
• carrots
• cherry tomatoes
• zucchini
• squash
• basil
• garlic powder
• rosemary
• parsley
• minced garlic
• grated cheese

The vegetables I sometimes steam for a few minutes on the stove top while the pasta cooks. I just chop, add to a pot, fill with some water, cover, and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. easy. You could use a microwave as well.

The pasta can be eaten hot or cold. I tend to like it at room temperature but often make enough to chill the rest and enjoy later like taking to work for a lunch.

A few weeks ago I made enough with a heaping side of broccoli for a weekend lunch. Yesterday I had it with yellow squash and some cherry tomatoes I threw in with the steaming squash right before serving so they’d be a bit tender. Turned out great and the squash adds a nice fall vegetables feeling.

So that’s it! I just thought it might be fun to sorta share this :)

The mozzarella sticks didn’t turn out as pretty (my fault) but everything still tasted great! Even the melted mozzarella sticks. Feeling pretty smug about it… :)

Today I had a quick breakfast at La Madeleine’s and afterwards picked up the Hourglass Ambient Powder Brush. I bought that ambient powder a few weeks ago and still love it but my usual kabuki brush picks up way too much of the powder and I saw reviews saying this brush was really worth it if you use the powder. I have been using my Sephora 15% off for my recent purchases and it expires after this weekend so I wanted to get it while I could get the discount because it’s sorta frivolous feeling.

Received two free samples with my purchase. Neither of which I’ve ever tried before. The Clinique Repairwear Laser Focus eye cream and Josie Maran Argan Oil. Both of which I’ve heard great things. The argan oil I’m most cautious about though because my face and oil rarely play well together. Even if I just use it in my hair at the tips it could brush my face and maybe break me out. So I’m going to wait until after this upcoming wedding I have to go to is over before trying it out.

Lastly I received those organic cotton reusable facial pads I was tweeting about this weekend too.

Ordered these from an Etsy shop and started using them this morning. I think it would be nice to have something reusable as long as they work as well as disposable cotton. I just went through a lot of cotton every single day and yeah I feel guilty about that. These I can just wash with my normal laundry (in the small laundry bag they came with.) So here’s hoping they work as well! *fingers crossed*

As my birthday approaches I think less about how much I’ve changed on my own and more about the select few in my life that have changed me for the better. There are times I’m in such awe that I even have these people in my life. I should be alone. But there truly are people who are not only there for me even when I push away; but who fully accept me as I am. I can tell them everything and I feel no judgement. They may see this as so insignificant and unimportant but to me, and who I am, their impact on the entirety of my life has been monumental. They have been there for me in times that I just couldn’t carry myself anymore. Times when I wanted to quit. I wanted to run. They carried me. Not through powerful monologues and philosophical moments of clarity but with simple messages of “good morning” and “it’ll be ok.”

This birthday I stopped feeling as though I was getting older and instead I started feeling that I keep getting luckier and luckier.

Finished knitting my snood on Christmas Eve and got to block it last night. I’m so happy with how it turned out. :deco2: For my first knitting project in a long time, and for a “project” that was more of me casting on a random number of stitches and knitting mindlessly, it exceeded my expectations. I’m happy I could use this nice yarn I bought years ago. It’s soft and thick. Very warm. And the heather black color will match my typically all black “going to & from work” ensemble. :)

Stay warm!!

I’ve been knitting a snood/circle scarf this week. I’m nearly done actually! I haven’t knitted in months & months but recently I went through my knitting supplies and really wanted to do something with this 1 ball of nice thick and cozy black wool yarn.

My throat is killing me from talking so much today :drops:

So happy Madewell finally brought the mt rolls in store!

Situated on their “Holiday Gifts” table were all the rolls of “mt” tape they’ve been offering on their site for months. I’m so happy to have some mt of my own :)

I know, I know, you can buy them online. Heck, I could have even purchased them with free shipping from Madewell.com or other mt sites earlier! But I’m a pretty diehard in-person shopper. I easily talk myself out of small online purchases. There’s something about that immediate gratification of buying these little treasures and getting to take them home that I can’t shake and would always prefer.

I also finally bought the BAGGU tote I’ve been fawning over for nearly a year. I really liked this mint stripe but, again, small purchase I easily talked myself out of again & again. I was going to add it to my xmas list this year but it was sold out at the time. They got this particular design back in so I picked it up. I splurged a little on myself this weekend. :deco2:

*There’s a private entry below for those of you with the password* :kissyheart:

full readable version!!

I got a little crafty this weekend and made a few pompom hair ties after seeing this little tutorial in CUTiE :bow: I don’t have the same pom pom makers but any will do. There’s a bunch of different ways to create pom poms :)

I made 4 pom pom hair ties in all

I attempted the crochet シュシュ but I didn’t have any bulky enough yarn. I have a few crochet hooks but I just went ahead and did the crochet using my fingers (what how!?)

Pretty much FAIL

I also did some light shopping. Laila Rowe basically had 75% off EVERYTHING so I picked up a few! I LOVE the bracelets! One has gold lines throughout while the other has “Take Chances. Find Your Passion!” written on it. The over-sized heart necklace is a great basic too! They also had some boots including fringe boots 75% and really worth it! I didn’t buy any because it was warm and my mind is set on SPRING BOOTS ONLY now. :gigglewakuface: Also got some Victoria’s Secret Body Mist 75% off. Mmm coconut sugar scent! :berry:

Weekend Outfits :fleetheart:

I had a really great Saturday but Sunday I just didn’t feel like myself~ same for this morning. I was being really … well, emo and difficult. Thinking “Oh woe is me” and all that crap. Then at work someone sweetly surprised me with a “thank you” gift full of chocolates and garden things and a little cute card. I was just stunned. A THANK YOU?!?!? But I was just doing my job!! It’s nothing special really, “you didn’t have to!” I said it and I still think it. I mean, how considerate is this person?! And here I was being a selfish little down-in-the-dumps jerk all weekend. I was greeted with smiles from familar faces all morning so I decided to change my attitude right then & there! Really… sometimes you just need a kick in the face to straighten you up and make you stop being so selfish, ya know? THANK YOU UNIVERSE. :happycrying::celebrate: