<+*Relina*+>

Fall season :)

 The fall season is approaching in a matter of days, so you know what that means? Football season! I personally don't follow it but I do love this time of the year. The time when most husbands,dads, grandpas, brothers and of course we won't forget the pigskin loving ladies, sit on the couch with a beer and scream at the TV like psycho ward escapees. Superbowl and tailgating parties are sure to be on the calender (I usually go for the food haha). So in honor of this time of year I am going to be featuring some tailgating recipes, so look for those soon.

Also, I've mentioned in one of my earlier blogs that I love thrifting. My mom loves it even more, so one day as I was being taken hostage by my mom at Park Avenue Thrift (much cheaper than Goodwill) I found these two chairs, they were priced at like $9 for both and it just so happens my mom had a 50% off coupon so I got the set for like $4.50! They don't look like much now but I immediately saw the finished product after I clean, re-cover the pillows and paint them. I've posted pictures of the before. Once I finish them I will post the after. Oh and I think the cushions are upside down (haha)...whatever you get what they look like.

Very Easy Mushroom Pot Roast

I usually make this roast when I have guests over for sunday dinner, it's a hit. It tastes like something that requires a lot of effort but it really doesn't. Only a few ingredients are needed. Only catch is, if you want to eat at a decent hour you have to get up pretty early (I really do hate that part lol).

Any one of the ingredients that doesn't specify an amount is up to you.

I came up with this recipe a couple of years ago because I needed to cook something but I only had these few ingredients in my kitchen lol.

What you will need:

1. 
   
    Eye of round roast (Do not use Chuck Roast it will be too greasy)
2. 2 cans or 1 big can of Cream of Mushroom soup
3. Mushrooms (fresh or canned)
4. Salt ( I use lawry's seasoning salt of course ;)
5. pepper
6. Onion (or onion powder)
7. 1/4 cup flour
8. 1/2 cup water
9. 1/2 cup milk

Directions:

1. 
   
    Set crockpot on low for 10 hours (Yes, 10 hours)
2. Pour in water, milk flour; whisk until theres no lumps
3. Add cans of soup and mushrooms,onions mix together
4. Season Meat; Put it in the crockpot
5. Add top and let it cook (Try to keep opening crockpot to a minimum because it takes a while for it to heat back up to the normal temp)

This dish is best served with HOMEMADE mashed potatoes (The box stuff doesn't cut it, lol) or rice.

I'm sorry It's kinda hard taking a good pic of roast lol

Quick and Easy Doughnuts :)

Yeah I know, I've been slacking on the recipes. I seriously should've been a cop because I LOVE doughnuts! Yeah it's not the healthiest food but you gotta treat yourself sometime ya know :). They're not exactly what I expected..Instead of Krispy Kreme they're more like chinese doughnuts.

What you will need:

1. 
   
   1 Pkg refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
2. 
   
   Oil for frying
3. 
   
   Bottle cap (water bottle or soda bottle)
4. 
   
   Wax paper
5. 
   
   Choice of topping:
6. 
   
   I used a little cinnamon and sugar

Directions:

1. 
   
   Preheat oil to about 375F
2. 
   
   Seperate dough on wax paper
3. 
   
   Cut out doughnut holes with bottle cap
4. 
   
   Cook dough in pre-heated oil until golden brown (this should only take a few seconds on each side)
5. 
   
   Put cooked doughnuts on plate with paper towel
6. 
   
   Immediately put on topping

Voila! :)

Blah

Yesterday was spent cutting fabric because I was hoping that I could start sewing today. But I am just so tired for some reason and I don`t feel like my normal self today. Plus there`s the fact that Addison is going thru some kind of possesive phase, she won`t let me put her down or leave her sight. It is very nice to feel needed and I`m flattered but this has to stop lol. Anyway, other than having a feeling of dissapointment (Not in the baby but in another situation I wont get into at the moment) I am doing well. To sum this whole thing up...I got nothing accomplished today.

Whatever

Don't you just hate how difficult life can be at times? It's so irritating being the person I am, always bearing the weight of my own problems along with others on my shoulders. I know that this is not how it should be, yet I always do it. Darn my stupid emotions. Sometimes I wonder if it's easier being a guy, someone who thinks logically, with their brains more than their hearts.

I hate how super-sensitive I can be at times constantly wondering what was meant by someone's actions or feeling anger, sadness and dissapointment not only for myself but for other people; doing things for people even if I don't want to even if they don't have my best intentions at heart. By no means am I the type of person who cries at the drop of a dime, I loathe that type of person. I'm the type of person that will do and feel and give for people until I explode, whether it be numbness, crying or anger. Yes it's true, I'm a good judge of character. I know when people don't have my best intentions at heart. Sometimes, I just hope that my kindness will turn that around...but it never does.

I'm going to change myself...No I'm going to change my element the people I choose to have as close companions...no I don't mean I'm going to be mean or write people off, I'm just going to choose carefully the people that I let into my heart. I'm not talking about anyone in particular, I've been thinking this over for a while now. Tommorow I'll get back to happier posts.:)

Hello :D

It feels like I haven't posted in a while...Anyway, nothing new, just cooked breakfast since the whole family is home today. Hopefully, and I stress the hopefully part I can get help watching the baby so that I can take my new designs from my head and put them to good use on my sewing machine. I just don't have the attention span I used to!

I never really got to introduce myself to my fellow bloggers. I'll sum it up in 25 things (although I could go on alllllllll day! lol

1. My name is Relina
2.  I'm 24
3.  Been married 3 years.
4.  I have a beautiful baby girl named Addison (almost 10 mos old) who is constantly exploring and getting into things (especially things that she shouldn't bother with. Right now she's climbing on top of a suitcase).
5. I love traveling
6. I love dancing (although I'm not the best at it lol)
7. I love going to new exciting places,
8. I love reading and occasionally writing.
9. I'm very easy to get along with.
10. I'm very random
11. Sometimes I tell too much information (it drives my mom nuts).
12. I have very good manners, but I am by no means a lady (that's boring:)
13. I love to sew
14. I don't like using patterns
15. I'm a good judge of character
16. I have a shop where I sell my bags  www.addielou.etsy.com
17. I love thrifting
18. I'm not materialistic
19. I'm very good at giving advice but I usually don't put it to use myself
20. I get grossed out very easily
21. I'm always akward when I first meet someone
22. I'm not very tolerant of people who put on pretenses
23. I love helping people
24. I can't say no
25. I daydream

Well that's me summed up in 25 facts....I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm a real person :).

How to dress for your body type (Women)

I like blogging about things that are useful to me, sometimes it's hard to figure out what to wear with my body type, so I searched for what  the best clothes for someone with an hourglass figure to wear and I decided to look for all of my beautiful readers with different body types as well.

There are 4 general body types for women:

Banana

46% of women have this body type.Which is a straight or  rectangular shape waist hips and bust are usually even with each other. Celebs with this body type include, Cameron Diaz, Nicole Kidman, Hilary Duff, Sheryl Crow, Rachel Hunter.

What to wear:

• Low vertical necklines like U- and V-neck because they break up your wide torso and elongate it.
• Almost all types of pants especially wide and flared leg because the flare hem which make it look like you have hips.If you're wearing skinny pants or jeans, make sure you balance your frame with bright colored shoes. 
• Tops, sweaters and dresses that cinch at your waistline or right below your bust such as an empire waist because it makes your waist look narrower.
• Full skirts such as circle, pleated and A-line styles.
• Shoulder pads help raise your frame by adding flattering width, sculpting your upper body
• Shirts and tops that have details around the bust area such as ruffles, ruching, sequins and other embellishments.

What to avoid:

Stay away from high waist clothing it usually make a waist look shorter and thicker.

Apple

14% of women have this body type. This is when your bust three or more inches bigger than hips. Celebs with this body type include, Jennifer Hudson, post-pregnant Angelina Jolie (a very thin apple), Catherine Zeta-Jones and Elizabeth Hurley belong to this category.

What to wear:

• 
  
  Tailored and fitted tops, sweaters and dresses. It will skim your silhouette in a flattering way compared to boxy tops that only exaggerate your figure.
• 
  
  Solid, dark colors. Especially black, dark blue navy, dark brown and dark grey. Wear it as a top or sweater and you've instantly trimmed down your chest!
• 
  
  Low v-necks. They lengthen your neck and minimise your chest and torso, creating a long and lean line on your frame
• 
  
  Tops that cinch at the thinnest part of your waist such as empire cut to skim over your wide midriff.
• 
  
  Straight, wide and flare leg pants will help balance out your body shape by widening your hips a bit
• 
  
  Single-breasted coats and jackets because of the single straight line these will flatter your shape. Double-breasted will only make your torso look wider and bigger.
• 
  
  Full skirts such as A-line and circle skirts to draw the eye away from your full midsection. They also manage to show off great curves
  
  
  What to Avoid:

• 
  
  All apple shaped women should completely avoid wearing clingy and fitted tops. Keep away from boxy and oversized tops too as they make you look larger and shapeless. You can opt to wear longer shirts or tops as they help to cover-up the tummy area. Always remember not to wear any fabric which clings to your tummy.

Pear

20% of women have this body type.This is where your hips significantly larger than bust.Celebs who have this body type include, Beyoncé, Jennifer Love-Hewitt, Coleen McLoughlin, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez.

What to Wear:

• 
  
  Close-fitted blouses and tops with eyecatching design and/or volume such as: bustier, horizontal lines, patterns, pockets, beads, etc
• 
  
  Wide necklines. Like for example boat neck, strapless, bandeau, square, U and cowl necks.
• 
  
  All kinds of pants and jeans. Yeah really! Straight, bootleg, wide leg pants and jeans create a vertical fluid and not to mention flattering lean vertical line on your shape. A great option when you want to offset your killer curves.
• 
  
  Cropped jacket and cardigans add a stylish twist of width on your upper body
• 
  
  Jackets that fall just above the hips. It's the best jacket and coat length that doesn't draw a lot of attention to your curves.

What to Avoid:

• 
  
  Pear shaped women generally have heavy thighs and heavy calves. In such cases, you should avoid wearing tight and short skirts

Hourglass

8% of women have this body type. This is where you have an equal hip and bust measurements with a narrow waist.Celebs with this body type include,Megan Fox, Salma Hayek, Scarlet Johansson, Halle Berry, Kate Winslet, Jessica Biel

What to Wear:

• 
  
  Waist belts. Wide and skinny belts worn around your waist will accentuate your beautiful hourglass shape.
• 
  
  Wrap tops and dresses flatter your shape, creating a smooth and sexy silhouette
• 
  
  Belted tops, dresses, sweaters, shirts, coats such as nipped jackets, for example a trenchcoat which elegantly flatter your body shape
• 
  
  Almost all skirts such as pencil, A-line, circle, tiered. When wearing pencil skirt tuck in your blouse and accentuate your waist with a skinny belt. Have in mind that the tapered skirt style will emphasize your curves so if you're self-conscious about them select a skirt with a flare hem to add balance to your figure.
• 
  
  All types of jeans and pants. Flare leg, wide leg and bootcut will make your hips look slimmer because of the slight flare at the hemline. However skinnys will enhance your curves.
  
  
   What to Avoid :

• 
  
  Avoid shorts that are loose and shapeless, because these will not do your figure any justice.

5 Simple diet/excercise free ways to lose weight

Here are some simple ways to lose or maintain your weight that I've researched. I'm going to try these myself. I hope it helps! :)

Snack Smart

You can help prevent overeating and maintain blood sugar levels by eating something about every three hours. Getting too hungry will backfire on your efforts to eat healthy and practice portion control. AIM FOR(we all know that know that no one is perfect, so even if you get an apple pie from Mcdonalds before you get ravenous it's better than getting that double quarter pounder later because you're starving) a healthful, satisfying snack, such as an apple and some reduced-fat cheddar cheese,or nuts. Eating more may seem counterintuitive, but smart snacking will help you lose weight. Eat every 2-3 hours.

Drink Ice-Cold Water

Water helps you lose weight in several ways: If you tend to have a problem with "water weight," drinking more water can help alleviate bloating. Replacing high-cal drinks such as soda with water cuts hundreds of calories. You shouldn't wait until you're feeling thirsty to drink water; thirst can be mistaken for hunger, causing you to overeat. Proper hydration improves your sense of well-being, which will keep up your motivation to lose weight.Ice cold water can help you lose weight because the body needs to heat up this cold water to digest it, this takes energy and burns calories you can burn 50-100 calories a day by drinking half a gallon of ice-cold water a day.

Say No To Diet Drinks

An 8 year study conducted by The University of Texas proves that their is a 41% increase in your risk of being overweight for every can or bottle of diet soda you drink because many diet drinks contain Phenylalanine which blocks the hormone seratonin, seratonin helps control cravings...so if you must drink soda opt for the ones containing sugar or corn syrup.You're better off drinking 3 regular sodas than 1 diet soda (But I wouldn't recommend that ;)

Sleep
Someone who only gets 5hrs of sleep a night is twice as likely to be overweight than someone who gets 8hrs of sleep a night.The body produces a hormone called grelin when you deprive it of sleep; grelin produces hunger, which means you eat more and when you eat more you gain more weight.

Add More Fiber To Your Diet

fiber in whole-grain foods and produce will help you feel fuller longer (which helps you control portions and avoid overeating) and as a result, lose weight.

Pan Seared lemon butter salmon

This is a really good recipe made up of different recipes I found online. It's not too fattening either! Butter can be substituted for olive oil.
You will need:
1 filet of salmon cut in 2-4 pieces
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp minced garlic
dried or fresh Rosemary
salt to taste (I prefer seasoning salt)
pepper to taste
1 package of baby spinach (rinsed)
1 tsp butter

1. 
   
   Cut and season the fish with ingredients 5-7
2. 
   
   Melt 1 tbsp of butter on med high heat with the garlic
3. 
   
   squeeze the lemon in the butter
4. 
   
   Add fish skin side down for about 5 mins; flip and do the same for the other side until golden brown (if butter dries up add remaining 1/2tbs butter).
5. 
   
   Remove fish from pan, put aside
6. 
   
   Squeeze remaining lemon juice on fish (optional)
7. 
   
   Without cleaning out pan add the 1 tsp butter
8. 
   
   Add spinach
9. 
   
   Cook until wilted
10. 
    
    place fish on top of spinach and serve

Interesting fish facts:

http://www.youtube.com/user/Chews4HealthInc#p/u/6/mIt223NEEsA

http://www.addielou.etsy.com/

The official first post!

The Idea for this blog came to me yesterday, why not make a blog about the things that I enjoy? So I decided to make this blog that focuses on trying new recipes, my bag designing (http://www.addielou.etsy.com/) and just daily life. My life isn't very exciting but I'll try to keep whoever follows interested. Happy reading!! :)