Deal of the Day

Get a $40 gift card to The Body Shop today for only $20 via Groupon. Click here! It would be a sweet Christmas present for someone or if you are like me, a great gift that you bought for someone else and couldn't bear to part with in the end :)

Also, if you are anything like me, you are slightly obsessed with puffy vests. I've been eying this one at Old Navy for a good month and today it is on sale for $20 online. You can combine that price with the coupon code ONTREAT to take 15% off and if you spend over $50 you can use the coupon code ONSUPER50 to get free shipping (because you'll probably need multiple vests in multiple colors :)

Those are my deals of the day.

Halloween candy is also super cheap at Target at $2.49/bag. Again, if you are me, you purchased Halloween candy earlier in the month and then proceeded to eat the entire bag BEFORE the trick or treaters made it to your house.

I won!

See here for the fun new pumpkin soaps I won!

Tidbit

In honor of Halloween, here's a little rando-random tidbit about me. My favorite kind of Skittle Originals are the lime ones. My favorite combo is a yellow-green/lemon-lime mix. My last two fun paks have been devoid of grape Skittles - FINE BY ME! I am not a fan of grape Skittles. I really enjoy the Wild Berry Skittles too and have been known to fancy a Chocolate Skittle or too.

At any rate, what is your favorite kind of Skittles?

House Remodel

Lance and I are starting our house remodeling adventures. Lance is less than excited and when asked, is still unsure of what I have proposed. At this moment, here is what I am thinking:

• New hardwood floors throughout the main level, minus the bedrooms and bathroom
• New carpeting in all the bedrooms and it the downstairs den and office
• New EZ granite mini slabs for the kitchen counters
• Paint throughout
• New light fixture over the kitchen sink and in the bathroom
• New bathroom counter top
• Reframe bathroom mirror

So far Lance has agreed to the first two items - unwillingly. Last weekend we purchased the engineered hardwood flooring from Home Depot. It should be in next week. Lance still isn't 100% on board, but I am completely convinced that this will up the resale value of our home and make it look fab. I had my heart set on hand scraped oak flooring, but even on sale at $3.99 a square foot, it was still a little over budget. I'm sure that the flooring we went with will be just as lovely. Carpeting will be hired out and will probably happen around the first of 2011 (bearing no unforeseen changes). I'm excited about that too. I think that I can probably sneak in a new light fixture before the end of 2010 in the kitchen.

I think my challenging project will be to convince my slow-to-accept- change husband will be the new kitchen counter tops. I think the key will be to go to the local showroom and get a price estimate. I think he needs a little adjustment period :)

Lance apparently thinks that I only get one "do-over" for repainting. ONE! I think he's in for a little adjustment with that too :) Especially since I am really digging grey. Grey everywhere. With a splash of lime. Like with this.

Lance thinks I'm crazy because I want to change things. My mom does this every year or so, so I think it's completely normal. He just needs to adjust!

Salted Nut Roll Bars

These are delicious. And an occasion where more marshmallow does not equal more gooey goodness. Who would have thought. I've always been under the assumption that more marshmallows is ALWAYS a good thing! But if you add, I don't know, 3x the amount you are supposed to, the marshmallow just gets everywhere and on everything. It's not good. So take my proven advice, and don't triple the marshmallows :)

Salted Peanut Chews

Base:
1 Yellow Cake mix
1/3 cup margarine
1 egg

3 cups miniature marshmallows

Topping:
2/3 cup white corn syrup
1/4 cup margarine
2 tsp. vanilla
12 oz. bag peanut butter chips
2 cups rice krispies
2 cups salted peanuts (no skins)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, combine all base ingredients until crumbly. Press in bottom of ungreased 9 x 13 pan. Bake 12-18 min.
Remove from oven, sprinkle on marshmallows and bake 2-3 min., until marshmallows start to puff. Remove from oven.
In large saucepan, heat corn syrup, marg., vanilla, and chips until melted and smooth.
Remove from heat and stir in cereal and peanuts.
Spread over marshmallows.
Chill. Store covered.

Homemade Larabars

I've been blog slacking. Blog slacking can be attributed to two things: 1) tiredness 2) extreme hunger. Meaning, I'm so hungry by the time I make supper I eat it before I remember to snap a picture. I did this the other night with the Eggplant Parmesan. It was fantastic. And I was starving and gobbled it right up. Hence, no picture. But I'll still post the recipe.

But here is my adventures in Lara Bars. I "inconvenienced" Sarah's food processor while making these (I say "inconvenience" because it used to have a pulse option and an off option. Now it has no options - just a go speed.) And Lance tried to fix it (Sarah I don't think I told you that ...). But Lance didn't fix it. In fact he made me so nervous that he was going to break it more that I ended up shouting at him to stop. I didn't want to have to purchase a new $100 food processor for their family. Lance's comment "well ... I didn't know they cost so much. Sorry ..." Moral of the story: Lance can sometimes fix things. And sometimes he breaks things further. I had to stop him before we reached that point.

Larabars are a nice on-the-go snack. But good gracious, are they expensive! At $2/bar, they were a luxury item. Precious Sarah purchased some bulk dates for me at $5 and then I purchased some lightly salted peanuts and orange cranberries. Overall, my version is much much cheaper. And they aren't hard to make. Unless you break the food processor you borrowed :)

Larabar ingredients for PB Jelly Larabars
22 dates
1/3 cup of peanuts
1/3 cup cranberries or other dried fruit


Pulse everything, starting with the dates, in the food processor. Amounts are more or less, based on your texture preference.


From the moisture of the dates everything will start clumping together nicely.


Spread a couple of tablespoons out onto a piece of plastic wrap and mush it into a bar shape.



Then wrap tightly and store in the refrigerator for freshness.

Enjoy as a healthy, fiber-filled snack. Kids and adults will all enjoy!