Incredible, Edible Egg(less) Cookie Dough

Some days you just need to eat cookies. Today wasn't a terrible day; it wasn't even a slightly bad day. There's some not so great things going on behind the scenes, but I brush it off. After dinner tonight though, I just really wanted a cookie. Except, I didn't want really want baked cookies- I just wanted the dough. And I never buy cookies to make at home because I'll eat all the dough and/or cookies by myself. It's a vicious cycle.

 Thank heavens though for all the people who share eggless cookie dough recipes online, and I am even more thankful for those who post the recipe for just 1-2 servings. Because that is how I battle my cookie dough craving. I've tried a million recipes from Pinterest, and it took a lot of trial and error to perfect my eggless cookie dough recipe. Tonight I opted for a sugar cookie dough-

• 2 tablespoons of butter (softened)
• 2 1/2 ish tablespoons of sugar. I shy on the 2 side, so it's not super sugary.
• Splash of vanilla extract
• A shake or two of the salt shaker
• 1 3/4 ish cups of all purpose flower
• 1-2 1/2 table spoons of water

Mix butter and sugar together well. (If not, your cookie dough will resemble sand.)
Add all other ingredients- EXCEPT the water- and mix well.
Slowly, mix in the water a little at a time. Mix until you're happy with the texture of your dough. (You may need a little more or less depending on how you want the dough.)

Viola! Instant gratification. 

Hello Spring!

It's officially spring!! The first day of spring, Palm Sunday, Passion Sunday.  I would have to say this is my second favorite time of the year just behind fall. Everything is beginning to change, and the world is coming to life again. After dropping our nephew off after church, we took the back road to Joe's grandmother's house. That road is a tiny, winding road, but it has some of the most beautiful scenes you will see in this area. I started thinking of all the reasons I love springtime.

1. Flowers. Greenery. I love love love all the flowers and trees coming into bloom. I stepped out on my front porch just two days ago and realized the only two trees in my yard are in full bloom. The lilies are beginning to sprout. The grass is green. Our allergies are in full force. This year we promised ourselves to update the outside and add a walkway from the porch to the driveway.

2. Birds. Call me a nerd. I've always been fascinated with birds. I had two parakeets growing up, and I loved them so much! Just this past week, we filled the feeder, and some visitors are slowly stopping by. I can always tell when birds are at the feeder because the cats sit glued to the window tails waving and teeth chattering.

3. Sandals. I hate wearing shoes, and do not even get me started about socks. I'm also not one of those people who thinks flip flops in 30 degree weather is not acceptable. I just want to slip on some sandals when I have to leave. No socks. No shoelaces. No zippers. No problem.

4. Skirts and Dresses. Just like sandals, throwing on a dress or skirt is easy and not to mention super cute.

5. Everyone quits whining about winter. I swear. This past winter I came across some of the most whiny, angry people. I was so tired of seeing winter getting hated on.  But would you appreciate spring, if it weren't for winter? Let that soak in.

6. Pastels! Somehow I started getting this style magazine in the mail. The Spring edition came in the mail, and it is filled with pastels. Baby pinks, icy lilac, canary yellow, and powdery blues.


7. BABY ANIMALS EVERYWHERE. No more explanation needed.

And with that note, I will end because what can top baby animals?!

Why Not Wednesday? Perfectly Posh Apricots Overnight

This is a special Why Not Wednesday. Mostly because I'm not posting it at 10PM. This post is also special because a long time friend offered products in return for a review. I told her I would do one better and offer a blog. Why not?

Tabby is a Perfectly Posh consultant and was looking for a few people to try out products. She had a few options, but I decided to go with Apricots Overnight. Who doesn't love the scent of apricots?! This is a moisturizing face mask. You apply on clean dry skin at night and rinse off in the morning. It contains several fruit extracts to help with skin rejuvenation.

When I say a little bit goes a long way... I mean it! Which with face products, this is always exciting for me. It's a mask, so note before purchasing, this product will be thicker than your normal moisturizer. I've only used my sample once, but there's no doubt I'll get five full uses out of this sample packet.

 If you've known me any length of time, I've struggled with my skin since hitting mid-20s. I've tried a million moisturizing products! In one use, all my dry patches were gone!! After rinsing off, my face felt refreshed and looked vibrant.

I really recommend this product. A full size tube is $22 for 3 fl oz. My sample was only .15 fl oz, so I could only imagine how long this would last.

You can purchase online through Tabby's Perfectly Posh website https://www.perfectlyposh.com/TabathaJustice  Check it out! 

My Weekend Needed a Pause Button

It has been a while since I last recapped my weekend, and this past one was probably one of my favorites in a longggg time. In fact, I just searched back through my posts, and it was in 2013. Maybe I need to be a little more lively on the weekends... or at least do something exciting at my house. But this past weekend, I could've hit pause and had an extended Friday (after 5PM), Saturday, and Sunday.

Friday I kicked off the weekend with Zootopia accompanied by my mom and baby brother. And no, I didn't use him as an excuse to watch a children's movie. Joe and I proudly go watch kids movies all the time. Seriously though, if you haven't seen Zootopia- I recommend it. It's super cute, funny, and has a really good moral. I personally like Judy, the main character, I see a lot of myself in her character. Plus, there's adult jokes in there, so you can get a laugh too. My baby brother, who is four, actually sat through the movie. It may have helped that we had pop, popcorn, and candy, but either way he REALLY enjoyed it. I also introduced him to the world of snapchat filters. Just give a four year old your phone and snapchat, and he'll be entertained for hours.

 Saturday was was even better. I had some errands early that morning, so I thought while I was out I would wander around our local Vendor's Mall. To my surprise, I ran into my grandmother there. We decided to top the morning off with a tip to Goodwill and the Dollar Tree. She also treated me to breakfast, which was so good. (Except nothing compares to her fried taters!) And oh yeah... I got a tattoo Saturday.

I knew I wanted a tattoo for my sweet Macho cat, and I had a couple of ideas I had been kicking around for some time. This one was at the top of the list. It was so perfect. I couldn't be happier with the turnout. Plus, my tattoo guy is the bomb. Joe and I sat and cut up with him for hours!

Sunday was not special. We went to church Sunday morning, and bible study that night. Kudos to any pastor who can incorporate writing poetry in a bible study! It was probably my favorite lesson... EVER. I may also be partial becuase I wont the 3rd grade acrostic poem contest. (I still remember the first line "Valentine, valentine. You're so fine."

I did get to craft some on Sunday which was long overdue!! A few weeks ago I had dropped a mirror and shattered the glass. The frame was still perfectly fine, and if you've ever tried finding good frames for a project it's nearly impossible. The frame sat propped against the wall for some time. Then, our of no where, I had this idea spark. I mean pinterest helped some, but whatever. I had never really worked with decomesh before, so I was pretty pleased.

 Can I go back to this past weekend and do it all over again?

Why Not Wednesday: e.l.f. Daily Hydration Moisturizer

elf has been a beloved drug store brand of mine for quite some time. I remember in middle/high school my aunt emailed me about this website where all the makeup was only $1.00. Over the years, elf has grown so much as a company and introduced some amazing products. The best part- they are very affordable options. I was SO EXCITED when they announced they were releasing a skincare line! Skincare items tend to be more expensive than other beauty items, so I knew elf would have affordable options. Plus, I'm a skincare junkie...

I contemplated ordering online for quite some time. It would sit in my cart for weeks as I went back on forth whether or not to buy. While strolling through WalMart, I noticed a bunch of little yellow "new" tags in the skincare aisle. There... on the top shelf of course... was the entire elf skincare line. Why not? At first I opted to only buy the cleanser and daily moisturizer. I have a ton of target specific items at home, but I use daily cleanser and moisturizer like they are going out of style. I am always looking for great, daily options. (This blog is strictly about the moisturizer, but I will eventually follow-up about the cleanser.)

The website states it is lightweight, lightly scented. It's infused with a couple different items- first listed purified water, jojoba oil, aloe, and a couple others. It also lists antioxidantes- shea butter, grape and orange. My favorite part all elf skincare products are paraben, sulfate, and phthalates free.

I. Hate. This. Moisturizer.

1. I don't consider it lightweight. It sat very, very heavy on my face and refused to dry or sink in! One day I timed it... 43 minutes. That is unacceptable.

2. When it does decide to dry, it is sticky. My face felt tacky afterwards. I actually rewashed my face and applied a different moisturizer.

3. I really like elf, so I decided to give it another shot and apply makeup. Terrible, terrible mistake. I made it through primer and 1/4 foundation application. Again, I washed my face immediately.

4. Maybe it's my sensitive nose, but the smell is overwhelming.

5. Upon purchase, I was excited to see they took the time to include a pump! I hate squeeze bottles or jars. The first couple of pumps no product came out. I thought... okay this is typical for new pumps.  Nope. The pump is useless. There's no tube connected to the pump, so you have to shake hold upside down, pump it a million times, and repeat.

I feel bad for writing this because I really like elf products, but I would not recommend this one. Spend a little more and purchase one you love.

Jojoba, Aloe, Vitamin E and Cucumber

This lightweight, lightly scented moisturizer helps hydrate and nourish for glowing, healthy looking skin. Infused with Purified Water and skin-nourishing Jojoba, Aloe, Vitamin E and Cucumber to help soothe and protect the delicate skin area. Rich in antioxidants such as Shea Butter, Grape and Orange.

This lightweight, lightly scented moisturizer helps hydrate and nourish for glowing, healthy looking skin. Infused with Purified Water and skin-nourishing Jojoba, Aloe, Vitamin E and Cucumber to help soothe and protect the delicate skin area. Rich in antioxidants such as Shea Butter, Grape and Orange.