Dining Room Makeover

One of the first purchases my boyfriend and I made for our home was an Amish built dining room table set. I am so in love with everything about it, from the color to the comfort, it is absolutely stunning. While it is not completely finished yet, I wanted to share some before and after pictures.

Here is the dining room on the day of settlement. I was excited that the room already had chair rail and that the color was so neutral that we basically had a blank canvas.

I originally picked the darker blue color and what turned out to be a teal color. After a second trip to our local Sherwin Williams, we decided on Open Seas. Isn't it beautiful?

Two coats of white to the bottom and here is the final product!

Here is a close up of the table, which is a rustic cherry wood.

 The color looks so different during the day and then at night.

I wish our dining room was the center piece of our house I am that obsessed. Of course I added a peacock design glass bowl from Home Goods. There's still lots to do from picking curtains, to a buffet table and, of course, some wall art. 

I hope this provides some inspiration.

If you are looking a new decorative bowl to add to your home decor, check out this Etsy Seller or Nicole Richie's pick for Joss & Main.

Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara Product Review

I have been waiting for one of the trees in our front yard to transition into a beautiful fall tree with crisp orange and red leaves. Well guess what? I missed it, the leaves are now on the ground and an ugly brown. At least it's been a beautiful fall weekend and I took my first morning walk around our neighborhood. Anyway, I have finally found a makeup routine that I am loving right now. Remember when I posted about the BB cream I have been using. I am still using and loving this cream every morning! I wish I could just go around to all the women in my office and tell them to start using it but that would be a little strange.

In addition to the BB cream, I also am loving the Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara. I received a complimentary bottle as part of the Influenster Program. At first, the mascara went on very heavy, but I am almost positive it was the method of application. I am used to using a very small brush with a light application. The Retro Glam Mascara has a bigger brush and heavier application to get that Retro effect! After that first attempt, I discovered that this mascara is so easy to apply. 

Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara

Here are my steps to proper application for the Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara.

1. Remove the excess mascara from the wand.
2. Place mascara wand as close to the bottom of your lashes.
3. Slowly move the wand toward the tip of your eyelashes. (Do not make the back and forth motion form side to side.)
4. Apply again to your other eyelashes. 
5. Let dry for a minute or two.
6. Retro!

The Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara is now available 

Mix of Fall Activities in York this Weekend

I woke up feeling not so great this morning. I figured as the day progressed I would start to feel better, but after two cups of hot tea I am still craving the warmth of my bed. I am contemplating heading home early and heading to the grocery store to pickup the ingredients so I can start making the Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese that I posted about earlier this week. I hate when I start to get sick because I just want comfort foods like fresh out of the oven home-baked chocolate chip cookies and grilled cheese and tomato soup.  I want to rest because my sister is coming to visit me and we have a lot of plans for the weekend.

Tomorrow night we are heading to the York Little Theatre to see Rocky Horror Picture Show with a big group of people. There's something about RHPS that is so great and beyond weird at the same time. I always get the Time Warp song stuck in my head for days. Fun Fact: When I was in either 7th or 8th grade, my school had a competition week type event that included a lip sync. This wasn't just a get on the stage in front of the people that showed up and barely sing, no, it was a full blown lip sync on the gym floor with the entire school watching in you in your costume and being as silly as possible. Anyway, if you haven't seen the movie and scary movies aren't your thing rent this movie for Halloween.

This is the third year, I believe, for Yorktoberfest. I went the first year with my boyfriend and his family. At that point, we were both really into the wine sampling, so I only got a ticket to sample wine. This year, I am really really into the pumpkin beers and they have a great assortment of local and national breweries. That's where we are headed on Saturday and then of course to watch some sports later on the in the day. Go Notre Dame!

Sunday, I suggested to my ice cream loving sister that we partake in the Turkey Hill Experience, which is a new local attraction located just 20 minutes from Central York. The experience includes making your own ice cream flavor!

I am going to try to capture some of the moments and share with you next week.

It's a Pumpkin Flavored World

Is there any other ingredient that is more obsessive than pumpkin in the fall? I wasn't so crazy about pumpkin last year, but this year all I want is some pumpkin spiced lattes and pumpkin, pumpkin, and more pumpkin.

PUMPKIN DINNER

Last week I made my very first (for our new home) home-cooked meal, which was a Baked Chicken with Pumpkin Rice from The Weary Chef. I will admit it took much longer to make this dish considering I had not unpacked all the kitchen items. Since I had not yet unpacked I may not have measured the liquids properly, but my boyfriend liked it and in the end that's all that really matters.

PUMPKIN BEER

This past weekend we celebrated a friend's birthday at Arooga's in Harrisburg. They had a promotion that night that included a sampling of five pumpkin flavored beers for $8. It seemed like a great way to try different beers, but it also seemed more chaotic than it was worth. I decided to just go for it and I ordered the Imperial Pumpkin Ale by Southern Tier Brewing Company and then the Baked Pumpkin Ale by the Lancaster Brewing Company. Both beers exceeded my expectations. I really want to make a trip to the Brewery in Lancaster for a date night, but I may be swinging by before that to pick up some beer for ourselves.

PUMPKIN COMFORT FOOD

This week I am planning to make a Pumpkin Macaroni & Cheese dish in honor of my sister visiting me over the weekend.  I can't decide which recipe I want to follow because they all look so good. Here are the top three recipes I found from other bloggers; Gimme Some Oven, Confessions of a Chocoholic, or Brooklyn Farm Girl.

So I ask again, is there any other ingredient that compares to pumpkin? Oh and my sister and I are headed to the Turkey Hill Experience on Sunday where we get to make our own ice cream. I might just make some pumpkin ice cream. Champagne wishes and PUMPKIN dreams!

Monday Morning Wakeup: Fall Sales and Easy Dinner Recipe

It finally feels like Fall here in York, PA and now that it does I'm ready for Spring!

Yesterday, we were able to move a lot of the furniture to our new home, which is exciting because we have furniture now. Since it was such a busy week and weekend for me, I am finally catching up on emails. There are so many sales right now! I am loving this top from Loft that is on sale and an additional 40% off, no special code needed.

Last night, since we have a kitchen table to sit at, I wanted to cook dinner, and also because we have been eating out so much. I relied on one dish that my mother makes. I want to say she found it online, but I have no idea where the original recipe originated from. It is super simple and takes less than 30 minutes to make.

1 box of pasta
2 cans of tomatoes
1 - 2 packages of chicken sausage
1 package of frozen spinach

Basically, choose whichever pasta, sausage and tomatoes you like and then head home and prepare as directed (everything I get takes less 10 minutes to cook) then mix it all together in one big pan and let it all mix for about five minutes. I can never resist garlic bread, so we served some of that with the dish, and sprinkled mozzarella cheese on top of the pasta.

Time for a New Makeup Routine

Recently with all the changes in my life, becoming a homeowner and such, I feel like I need to update my look. To start, I've decluttered my wardrobe of tops that I am just never going to wear again. This is actually an ongoing process each morning as I am getting ready for work and debating my outfit choice. I purchased a couple of pairs of heels from DSW, okay maybe five, but it was during their clearance sale and I saved more than I spent.

Next on my list is makeup. I posted last week about how I started using a BB Cream. Well I wore lipstick TWICE last week! This is big for me since I am a chap-stick kind of girl. This is the lipstick I have been wearing by Mary Kay called Whipped Berries. It's a great color for the fall. It comes in about twenty other shades.

Besides those two sporatic days, I honestly think I have been using the same makeup palette since high school. EEK! I've always wanted to be a little more bold and daring when it comes to makeup, but I appreciate the natural look.

I've been contemplating heading to MAC to have one of their artists help me out with new colors and to teach me a couple more application methods, but I figured I should start by finding looks I like and trying to replicate them myself. Here is the first look I am going to try. I know it's simple, but I can not line my eyelids, so if I accomplish this then I will be extremely proud of myself.

Kate Bosworth

Lots of CAPS and Exclamation Points in this Post, Sorry Not Sorry

There are a lot of things I am excited for today.

1. It's FRIDAY! (in the tone of Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids when she's on the place to Vegas)

2. It's raining, so that means I can head home after work and watch as much TV as I want without feeling guilty about it. Also, I am pretty sure I am going to put on a pair of my tall uggs and wrap myself in a whole bunch of blankets. I need to catch up on so many shows.

3. Allegiant comes out in less than 11 days. I preorderd the last book of the Divergent Series the second after I finished reading Insurgent. I have not read anything since in anticipation for Allegiant.

4. My boyfriend finished the second coat of paint in our bedroom and the first coat of paint in our dining room. Both colors I am OBSESSED with! I love seeing all the ideas I had for our new home coming to life. It's truly amazing how a coat of paint can change the environment of a room. I feel like this house is becoming our home.

5. I am thinking that I want to head to Lancaster tomorrow and do lots of browsing for chandeliers, mirrors, wall decor, and that kind of stuff. And since I will be in Lancaster, there are WAWA's! And I am pretty sure I am going to make that my breakfast, lunch and, potentially, who am I kidding, dinner.

What's on your agenda for the weekend?