Rapunzel ain't got nothin' on me!

 I was always under the impression that extensions were for people without hair or with unmanageable hair.  Then a few months ago while watching one of the many many realities shows I watch, I realized everyone was wearing clip on extensions. That's when I started to notice people who you would never think needed them were wearing them. I told myself to file this in my mind for when I go bald (see previous blog entry "I think I'm going bald") and I went about my business. I thought my hair is too long for me to need those.

  Fast Forward to November 2011, I wanted to get layers so I asked my mother-in-law to give me a cut and to cut my ends, well my ends were really bad, so to make the long story short she cut about 6 inches off my hair. Not her fault at all, my hair needed it, but it was still a shock. My hair, although thinning in certain spots has always been long and fabulous. I feel naked without my hair, sad but true. That's when I remembered HAIR EXTENSIONS! what better time to try it?? So, I did some research and found a website which had good reviews, PLUS, the best part.... they have FREE overnight shipping, yes people I said FREE OVERNIGHT shipping!!! BOOYAH! sorry, I love free stuff....so anyway, I looked through the options, who knew hair was so darn expensive? sheesh! I went ahead and placed an order for 20 inch jet black human hair extensions, they cost me $99, I nearly cried while entering my credit card info.

 The next morning at about 9am the UPS man was at my door with my new hair!!! Yay! I couldn't wait to try them on. I opened that package and was extremely impressed with the quality of the hair.   I watched video upon video of how to style them, wash them, put them on...So, I went to town, I even bought myself a new curling iron.

 Let me tell you, I was an addict from the first moment I wore them. Not only did my hair look FABULOUS, they felt so real and my hair looked so full. OMG, I am an Extension Fanatic now. Even when my hair grows back to its previous length I will continue to wear them because I just love the  look and feel of them especially when you are going out and want sexy Kim Kardashian type hair. I also love the option of wearing them or not wearing them whenever I feel like it.

 Since I purchased them I have gotten so many compliments on my hair and I have told a few people about how fabulous they are, including my mom, who also happens to be my BFF and she went out and bought some the next day, lol. However, she went to a beauty supply and got some there, I do not recommend doing this, even though they are less expensive, a lot of times the hair quality isn't very good. My mom had to trim the ends of the ones she got because they looked a little frizzy and dry. Another thing I noticed about beauty supply extensions is that a lot of times it is hard to find anything longer than 18 inches.

 I've received a ton of discount coupons via email from the company I purchased them from and you better believe I will be making another purchase very soon, I think I may go for the 24 inch extensions next time... Woohoo!

The website where I ordered my Fabulous hair from is proextensions.com


And here are 2 helpful hair extension videos...

This first one is about how to clip on your extensions...

This next one is on how to curl them, the girl is highly annoying but her hair looks totally Fab!

Thanks for reading!

A~

Who doesn't Love Coupons?!

 

 Hello Everyone!!! Hope Everyone had a Fabulous Holiday! Today's blog is going to be a quick one. I know as long winded as I am, it will be a miracle if I can get this done in less than 800 words. 

 Today I am going to share a little online shopping tip I picked up while on one of my many online shopping trips.  Before I finalize any purchase from any website, be it Old Navy, JC Penney, Kmart, Victoria's Secret...Well,  you get it ANY website. I always open up another tab and Google the name of the store and the word "coupons" or "coupon code" or some other variation of that phrase, for example, if I am at the check out for Sears, I type, "Sears discount coupons" into Google and Voila! You get a list of websites with a bunch of coupons. 

 The first site that pops up on Google that I have always had luck with is retailmenot.com. I have gotten some pretty darn good discounts typing in coupon codes that I have obtained from that website and saved some serious cash.  Sometimes, they may not have a code for what your buying or the code may be expired. But, its worth checking it out, if it could potentially save you some money. If that website doesn't work just work your way on down the Google results. 


 Remember Coupons are Fabulous and Frugal!! So, before you Check Out make sure you Check for some coupons!




Thanks for reading!
A~

Delicious Cookie Recipes...Yummm!!!

With Christmas being in two days, I decided to post 2 of my favorite cookie recipes, for when the fat man shows up. 

Soft and Delicious Oatmeal Cookies.

This right here is one of my kids favorites, they are so delicious.

 Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened 

1 cup white sugar 

1 cup packed brown sugar 

2 eggs 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

3 cups quick cooking oats

raisins, semi sweet chocolate chips or nuts (optional)

Directions:

1.  In a medium bowl, cream together white sugar, butter, and brown sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla.
2. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda,and salt. Stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in oats. If you are using nuts or raisins, mix into dough, combining well. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. Roll the dough into balls, and place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Makes approx. 36-60 cookies, depending on how large or small you make them, you can also freeze the leftover mix for another day. 

Yummy Pumpkin Cookies with Icing

Cookie Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 
  
• 
  
• Glaze Ingredients
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.
4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners' sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

Enjoy!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Thanks for reading!

A~ 

Make Me Up before I go go.....

Make up!!!

  I Love me some make up....Recently I have been Obsessed and I mean Obsessed with watching random YouTube videos about the fine art of applying make up and I realized all these years I have been doing it all wrong!! They talk about primer, contouring, highlighting I was like WTF does any of that mean??? Am I working on painting my face or a school art project?

Is this how I have been walking around all these years??? Why didn't someone tell me????

  After watching a few videos I was like, I need to buy me some real make up none of this Walgreen's Wet n Wild,  NYC crap. I need to contour and highlight my face to make it look skinny. See, I have a fat face and no matter how much weight I lose I look like a big round tomato, I remember when I was little people used to always pinch my cheeks I hated it. I  also need to bronze up and I want a smokey eye without looking like a raccoon Damn it!


  I looked into buying MAC because MAC make up is the best right??? Well let me tell you they can keep their MAC make up, in my house MAC is wack (not really, I just like how it sounds).The prices on those are ridiculous though!!! Sephora can join MAC.... There is no way my husband will fall for me saying I need to spend $100 on tube of mascara and some lip gloss. He will revoke all my shopping privileges immediately Forever!!!


  So, I took to the Internet searching and stumbled upon E.L.F (stands for eyes, lips, face) and let me tell you their make up is all under $10 with most items costing $1.00-$5.00!!! Now, I know what your thinking, will it make my face break out, or worse yet will it make my face melt off??? Ok, it is no MAC make up not that I have ever tried MAC, and if it were to be on sale somewhere you better believe I will be right on the MAC boat having a big ol' MAC attack...(sorry, I'll try to keep the MAC jokes under control...lol). No, it will not make your face melt off and as far as breaking out, I haven't had any issues with mine they say its hypoallergenic and I did some research on it and it has very good reviews from  the very trustworthy people on YouTube. 


  I ordered, some make up brushes from E.L.F, blush, bronzer, eyeshadow, false eyelashes and of course a contouring set just to start me off. The brushes are great, love them, the bronzer is good, only problem I have with it is that its a bit shimmery not to crazy about that, love the little eyeshadow palate I got, it has quite a bit of colors and I think it was only $6 or something like that. The one thing I had a problem with was the false eyelashes, the glue sucked! I am not sure if it was just the one I got but the glue was dried up... I was so disappointed I was so looking forward to finally trying out some falsies, good thing I only paid $1 for them. 


  Overall I like their products, and I placed a second order. They also have mineral make up which I am dying to try, it costs more, but it is still under $10.

Here is the link to the E.L.F website




Below is a handy video on how to contour and highlight your face for those of you with plump cheeks like me!

Thanks for reading and stay Fabulous!


A~

You lost your glasses, Again?????!!!!!

My 11 year old son is going to drive me completely insane one of these days!!

  If I start to list all of the things he loses or misplaces we will be here for a few days. Today, I am going to discuss one of the items that he loses or breaks without fail every 1-3 months....His glasses! But, before I get into the whole story, let me fill you in a little bit on my son's personality and behavior so you can better understand where I am coming from and maybe even feel my pain....

  My son Junior.....oh boy, where do I start??? Here goes, Junior is........He is extremely smart, sometimes I think he may be too smart for his own good, teachers tend to agree with me on that. His mind is constantly going in 10 different directions at the same time. Which I find hilarious and frustrating because if you ask him to do something in the middle of him doing something else it completely throws him for a loop and he just gets totally confused. For example, if he is on his way to pour himself a cup of juice and you say "Hey, can you shut off that light on your way and pick up that shoe?", he just loses it and looks like he is a deer in headlights. No multi tasking for this kid....ever, no way! The reason why he is this way,  I have discovered is because his gears are always grinding. What we don't realize is he may be on his way to pour himself a cup of juice but in his mind he is thinking of that book he is in the middle of reading or how to finish that level he is on in his game or even some useless new factoid he discovered (we call him the king of useless facts...and let me tell you he has millions of them).

  I find it incredibly entertaining that 2 children with the same parents raised exactly the same way can be so completely different. Junior is always thinking and rushing through things so that he can move on to the next thing, Speedy Gonzalez. His 6 year old brother couldn't be any more different, he has trouble finishing his class work because his letters have to be perfect, so he takes FOOOREVER to finish his work and gets highly upset when he makes mistakes, he is a true perfectionist. 

  OK, so with that said lets get back to the topic; Junior and his glasses....it is the bain of my existence!!! He shoves them in his pants pocket without a case and these aren't just any pants NO WAY these are extremely tight skinny jeans, so those poor glasses have no choice but to break from the tightness, they are suffocated in those tight jeans. He leaves them everywhere and its not just glasses, its everything...the other day I got a call from the YMCA saying they found his phone....again, UGH!!! But lets talk about one thing at a time, back to the glasses... 

  About a year ago I put my foot down and  decided that I will no longer spend an arm and a leg for glasses that will be lost or broken before I know it. That is when I started searching the Internet and stumbled upon one of my very best finds to date! A website that offers very inexpensive glasses, some under $10! All you have to do is have your prescription handy, you pick out the glasses you want and enter in your prescription information and Voila, in a few weeks you have new glasses! I tend to order 2 or 3 pairs at a time just because we always need a back up pair with this kid. They are really stylish too, Junior gets compliments all the time on his glasses. Best of all they have glasses for the whole family! So why not grab yourself a cute pair of glasses while your there?? I know I sure do! They even have a neat feature where you can upload a picture of yourself and try the glasses on yourself to see how they look! LOVE IT!! 

I almost forgot if you pay a little extra they will make them into transition lenses or you can also just have them make some tinted for you and have a really cute pair of prescription sunglasses without paying designer prices!!!

Here is the link for the website, it's called Zenni Optical...

Here are some samples of some of their really cute women's glasses:

Thanks for reading and remember there is nothing wrong with being on a budget as long as you do it Fabulously!

A~

Mi Mami's Coquito Recipe....Buen Provecho!

For us Latinos nothing says Holiday's like some good old fashion Puerto Rican Coquito!!

Here is my mom's Coquito recipe, I have modified it a little bit to my taste. Also, this recipe makes about 2 liters. I know that's a whole lotta Coquito right?! I like it because before I add the rum I put some into a separate bottle for my boys, and stick it in the fridge,  they absolutely love it. I also like to make one batch that will last me a few days. The thing with Coquito is the longer it is in the fridge the better it tastes.

2 or 3 cans of cream of coconut (coco lopez)
6 egg yolks
2 tbsp vanilla extract
2 12oz cans of evaporated milk
1 14 oz can of condensed milk
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ground nutmeg
Bacardi White Rum to taste

Mix together in a blender, chill overnight or longer.

*add some water to this if it seems to be too thick or too sweet for your taste

Enjoy!



Thanks for reading!!

A~

I admit it... I am a Shoe Whore!

SHOES!!!!

 There was no way I could have a blog and not mention the one thing that always makes me happy! (well besides my kids and husband and all that other stuff)  SHOES!!!! Just the word alone is enough to make me smile from ear to ear and send shivers down my spine. There is something about the way heels make a woman's leg and calf look,  oh so sexy! and your walk instantly changes, you exude confidence and sexiness. The most romantic and sexy thing my husband can ever say to me is "Baby, lets take you shoe shopping today" and that's enough to guarantee him some nookie everyday for a month no questions asked, (you hear that babe??? that's all it takes!). I guess some people may call me a shoe whore, although the word "whore" implies something dirty or wrong or illegal and my love for shoes is anything but wrong, it is.... Oh soooo right! So I am going to call myself a "Shoe Enthusiast" instead. 

From the minute I walk into a shoe store its like I can hear the angels sing and all is right in the world. I walk around till I find that one pair that makes my heart beat a little faster, my palms get sweaty and my mouth salivate and I think to myself "where have you been all my life?" I don't care what the price is, I NEED them, I will starve for the next month just to justify this one purchase. Then comes the best part,  time to try them on. I open the box and take the first shoe out and remove the paper from the inside and put my foot in it, sometimes I am so excited and dying to stand up and look in the mirror that my hands are shaking and I have trouble putting them on. I'm like a drug addict about to get their fix. Finally, once I have them on I stand up and walk carefully to the mirror and there it is the most beautiful site, I'll take them! My heart screams and dances for joy! I want to dance all the way to the register, its so hard to pick just one pair sometimes, its like all the pretty shoes are begging me to give them a good home. I sometimes leave the shoe store feeling sad for all of the other shoes and I pray they will be loved by the person who buys them, just as much as I love them.

Now that you get the depth of my shoe addiction, lets face it, I am NOT Sarah Jessica Parker and I do NOT have Christian Louboutin or Jimmy Choo money...sadly. I have real bills and the children and husband can't eat shoes for dinner or can they.......hmmmmm??? and no matter how many times I call the bank and explain to them that I can't make my car payment on time this month because I desperately needed another pair of open toe black platform shoes, that heffer on the phone will never understand. I bet she wears boat shoes or loafers or some other practical unattractive grandma looking shoe, no offense to anyone who does where practical shoes, I am just one of those people that is willing to sacrifice comfort any day for style. I will walk in 5 inch heels with a blister the size of Rhode Island all day long if I have to, I know its a disease.... Anyway, back to the topic at hand, I tend to get sidetracked when I discuss my one true love. 


I have found ways here and there to keep my pockets happy, my family fed and best of all my shoe addiction going. 


here are some sites that all you fellow Shoe Whores or should I say fellow Shoe Enthusiasts on a budget might enjoy ;)


First is: shoedazzle.com
A lot of you have probably already heard of them they are all over Facebook. I love them because every month you get your very own list of shoes to choose from based on your style preference, (you fill out a short survey when you first sign up.) You can pick from the shoes they send you or you can pass and they send you a new list or you can also choose to skip that month if there isn't anything you like or your pockets just aren't right that month. The cost is $39.95 per month for a pair of shoes. It's pretty cool because you get a nice little package every month just for you. 

Next is: 10dollarmall.com
This site is cool everything is $10 bucks or less, you can't beat that with a bat! Although not all the shoes are fabulous they do have some cute ones to choose from and the selection isn't very big, you just have to keep checking in for new styles. They also sell clothes, $10 bucks or less! 

3rd is an obvious site: EBAY
yes, Ebay! A while back I bought a great pair of boots for just a penny on Ebay. I got so many compliments on those boots, I wore them to the ground. 

4th is Amazon.com
Amazon has a EVERYTHING you could ever want or need including shoes. You have to do a bit of searching and weeding out but its worth it. I love amazon.com.

And last but not least: Three of my favorite sites for both sexy clothes and shoes
amiclubwear.com,  flirtcatalog.com and hotmiamistyles.com I especially love hot Miami styles clothes and accessories as well. 

Thanks for reading and Happy Frugal Shopping!


A~

OMG, I think I'm going bald!!!!

  It all started after I gave birth to my first son, who is now almost 12. Anyone who has kids can relate, your hormones are crazy after you give birth and you start noticing your hair, which was looking fabulous while you were pregnant is now thin and falling out. I nearly died the first time I looked at my hair brush. But, I had read enough pregnancy books to know this is normal. I didn't worry and eventually it slowed down, it never really stopped, just slowed down. Then, I gave birth to my 2nd son who is now 6, and OMG! my hair was coming out in clumps! I cried so hard one day in the bathroom, I thought this is it I'm gonna be bald and I don't even know what my head looks like underneath all this hair! Is it deformed? do I have some hideous birthmark? I am cute but, I don't have a face that can pull off a bald head!!!! (I'm a bit of a drama queen, you think? lol). Anyway, that time it took longer to slow down but it eventually did, but it never stopped. I just learned to deal with having thining hair, which I later found out is called female pattern baldness! I stopped going to the hair salon, because I was so embarrased the hairdressers would always point out how thin my hair was on the top. It is a very embarrasing thing to talk about or deal with as a woman, you don't want to tell anyone your losing your hair, atleast for me thats how I felt, I was even embarrased to tell my husband, to whom I tell Everything. 

A year ago I was on the Blue Line in Boston on my way to work when I saw a lady who was in her late 40's who was obviously balding, this scared the crap out of me,  you could clearly see her scalp. I felt so terrible for her. That day I decided enough was enough, I can't just accept that my once beautiful mane was just going to continue to thin out and one day I would be.....bald! I can't pull off a comeover, no way! Thats when I started to look around and do as much research as possible, I tried almost everything, my mom sent me 5 little jars of this thing called espiritu de canela (cinnamon spirit) which smells extremely strong and is supposed to help thinning hair, but burns like crazy when you rub it on your head. I thought hey, that must mean its working right? wrong! after going to bed smelling like Big Red bubble gum for a few months, nothing happened.....then I tried Rogain for women, got it on amazon on sale,  woohoo! I saw the commercials all those balding men with full head of hair, this just has to work! Wrong again, after some time and the fact that it said it may take 6 months to work, I gave up. I just couldn't do it,  wait 6 whole months and possibly have to continue to use this everyday for the rest of my life???!!!!! 

  I had lost all hope, I was already looking to see how much I would spend on wigs, I was ready to add it to the family budget. Then one day my mom calls me and she says "Aris I found it!!!!, I found the cure to your thinning hair!" sure,  I thought. She said she was at the pharmacy one day looking at the vitamins and hair care and a lady stood next to her and they started discussing my thinning hair. Why would my mother discuss my thinning hair with a total stranger you may ask?? I have no idea its just how she is, lol. Anyway, this lady told her to try these vitamins, she said she had been taking them after she went through chemo-therapy and they made her hair grow back fast and fuller than ever! So, my mom bought herself a jar because she figured she would test it out, she is at the age where she noticed her hair was also a little bit thinner then it used to be. Well, the day she called me to tell me about the vitamins she had already been taking them for a month, and she told me her hair was growing back! she had babyhairs...Ha! I went ahead and looked online and ordered it as soon as we got off the phone and tried not to get my hopes up. 

  It has been about a month now since I started taking these vitamins and hallelujah my hair is slowly growing!!!!! I couldn't believe it myself!!! They are called Biotin 5000mcg and are sold on Amazon for under $15 for 100 capsules. 

  I am going to continue to take these and hope that they continue to work, if not I can always go back to plan B, sign up for the wig of the month club!

Here is what the pills look like:

Here is the link for the Biotin pills on amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000OQ4ACO/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_3?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000BY2N7S&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0G26Q7ME8RPXCTZXJMYG

Thanks for reading my first blog post! 

A~