Tips Every Fashionista Needs to Follow to Shop Successfully Online

Its January and time for us all to return to the gym. What can be better motivation than brand new workout gear?

More and more people are turning to online shopping. There are some amazing deals to be found out there not to mention that shopping online gives you access to such an array of merchandise and is so convenient for those that live in more rural areas or don't have the flexibility to get to a mall and dedicate a day to shopping (hullo Moms!). With trepidation, I shopped online for workout gear for the first time ever before Christmas and had such a great experience. But I definitely did my homework first. I seriously probably put about 3 hours into making my order come true, being a perfectionist I wanted it to be perfect and it was.

The end result:
Two pairs of workout pants
One workout skirt
Two super-stylish post-workout pullovers
Four workout tops
Equals $150 with shipping.

I was super happy with the quality and fit of all my workout clothes, and let me say for the record I am a recovering Lulu junkie.

So without further ado, here are some great tips to make your online shopping experience a success.

1)Be Resourceful. Don't be afraid to compliment someone and ask them where they got something. Most people will cheerfully volunteer this information. More and more often I find the answer is online.

2) Do your homework. Read, read, read. Google and read some more.

3) Read reviews for each and every item you are thinking of purchasing. Don't ever order anything with less than 4 out of 5 stars. Reviewers will often volunteer information on sizing and fit as well that you don't want to miss.

4)If you aren't sure about the quality of a line or product google it. Someone out there in internetland has an opinion about it. I guarantee it.

5) Give yourself a reality check. Sure it looks great on the model. Will it look great on you(and your problem areas - lets face it we all have them)? Are you ordering 2 because you love the piece or because its just so gosh darn cheap.

6) Put your order together and save it. Look at it the next day, make changes. Keep it in your cart up to 2 weeks while you review and revamp it. This is how you will be most happy with your order. If you impulsively send off your order on the first night you wont put the same thought and care into it. You don't want to have to send things back; you end up paying so much its not worth it. Get things right the first time.

7) If you aren't happy with an item you received, drop your pants a bit on the price and put it up for sale on kijjiji or a local buy and sell facebook page. You are better off selling it a bit cheap to someone than going through the hassle and expense of sending it back.

7) Before checking out, google "coupon code." You can often find an online coupon that will give you an addition 5% + off of your order.

7) Get a U.S. P.O. Box and ship to it. Or use a receiving service in the U.S. Ordering online from the States and having it shipped to Canada will often make a small order run almost double in price. Often times a border guard will just wave you through with your parcel from the States.

8) Wait until you need/want enough clothing to total $50 or $75. You'll likely get free shipping. A smaller order is going to add up with additional shipping charges and probably not be worthwhile unless it is a specific item you are looking for.

9) Make sure you are purchasing from a legit and reputable seller. Seems like a no-brainer but lots of people get bamboozled online. Look at logos and web ips. Do more googling to find a legit seller rating; don't just accept what it says on the site. Also make sure your payment is secure.

Have fun, be safe, and make sure you mention your order to hubby before it arrives (if you'd expect him to do the same): "By the way...." 

Love,

The Home and Happy Housewife

　

Melt-in-your-Mouth Incredible Whipped Shortbread Recipe.

Okay predominantly I mean MELT- IN-MY-MOUTH shortbread, since I pretty much polished off most of a single batch myself and had to go back and make a triple batch to ensure I would have an adequate supply for the holidays.

Prepare youselves. We are going totally old-school. A great shortbread recipe is definetely a kick-back from the eighties when it was totally acceptable to say put lard into your baking. I was looking for some lard - ha ha LARD - for my Moms amazing super-short pasty crust and I realized that they actually dont even sell lard anymore its that politically incorrect.

Anyways when you make shortbread you can't be worried about like being healthy and calories and s$%t like that. You gotta go all the way baby! Think about it like a moment of full frontal nudity in a movie. Yeah. Thats how you want your shortbread. No holding back. We're going for it here folks.

So without further ado, here is a great 4 ingredient whipped shortbread recipe, super easy to make, and absolutely melt-in-your mouth incredible. These are the cookies that make your mother-in-law take a bite and s^&t her pants. Yeah, I said s%&t twice in this posting about shortbread. This shortbread is seriously the s$%t though. It makes me act like I have turrets syndrome. So get ready, without further ado here it is just in time for the holiday (as in about 7 days before Christmas - perfect timing if you are a procrastinator like me!)

Totally Old-School Incredible Whipped Shortbread

1 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1/4 Cup Cornstarch

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add flour and cornstarch gradually. Beat continuously until light. Drop by teaspoonful onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 11 minutes. Tada!
 

DIY Ombre Haircolor - Natural Results at Home

Yes,
admittedly doing your own hair is not always a great idea. I have experienced it all, the good, the bad the ugly. There was the time my Mom convinced me that she could give me that great Michelle Phypers haircut from "Dangerous Minds." No offense Mom, but not so, not so! I have been doing foils for other people for a long time using - gasp - tin foil and a good old fashioned paint brush, and achieving -gasp - quite professional results.

Because I'm a stay-at-home Mom I really don't have the time to visit the salon on a monthly basis, and usually get impatient and end up coloring and hacking my own hair. The ombre hair trend appeals to me because it is definitely low maintenance and far from a drastic transformation, while still giving you that look update that makes you feel trendy and womanly.

I was inspired by Jessica Biel's natural look - just google it for a look her stylist is amazing. I bought a Blondissma highlighting kit, and about a one inch paint brush. I separated my hair into two sides as though I were about to braid it. I painted on about the bottom 3 inches of the underlayer. My technique was akin to putting a light sloppy coat of paint on - you don't want it totally uniform; you also want to start by pressing lightly with the brush and then putting more color on the ends (you can even go back and add more color after about 10 mins to say your last inch of hair) to achieve that ombre highlight effect. I pulled some longer strands from the inside layer near the front and painted them through starting at about chin level to the end of each strand using the same technique of starting lightly and focusing the color on the ends. I did probably about 6 to 8 of these per side.

The beauty of this look is that the color you do on the inside, will show through in  a really natural way on the outside layer. I was so happy and pleased with my results. I don't think I could have done better by visiting a salon. This gives me a fashionable, low-maintenance look. I blow dry my bangs, let the rest of my hair dry naturally, curl my fringe and wrap a few sections at the front around the barrel of a curling iron. Ta Da! Ready to hit up playgroup (and rock it hard)!



When you apply the bleach to the last 3 inches of hair focus the color on the ends to achieve the ombre effect



Do about 6 to 8 strands each inner front side, starting around chin level and focusing the color on the ends

 

When you apply the bleach to the last 3 inches, strive for irregularity not perfection.

So pretty! So natural. Perfection!

Attack of Emilio Reggio

You've heard of it all I'm sure: Montessori, Emilio Reggio, attachment parenting, there are so many different schools of thought when it comes to a child's upbringing and development. Recently our local parentlink centre (a free local program that has daily programs you can bring your five an under children to) reopened their doors at a new venue complete with Emilio Reggio nature room.
This means using natural elements as much as possible - wood, stone, glass, and white color. All battery operated toys are out and they try to stay away from plastic as well. So lots of wooden toys, blocks, etc., a light table - still some plastic toys and things like playdo. But the emphasis is on open-ended imaginative play.

I was totally inspired by the feel of the room as soon as I walked into. I felt relaxed, at peace. My children behaved better. I went home a woman on a mission, and cleared our house of all battery operated toys. My husband caught me later that afternoon, spray-painting white bins from our playroom (a project that really wasn't one of my better ideas - I don't recommend it!) I am a total perfectionist, so I had to remind myself that I could start gradually moving towards Emilio Reggio without throwing the baby out with the bathwater, and by slowly incorporating natural elements into my children's room. I couldn't quite get hubby onboard with putting a full-sized tree branch up in the kids room - but I'm still working on it.

Without spending a lot of money upfront, slowly moving battery toys out to the garage, and shopping around online at used sites, visiting thrift stores etc., picking up interesting objects that we find outside, we are making the transition. I still have plastic toys around if they can serve a creative purpose and be a part of open-ended play. I am much more "thoughtful" about the toys I bring into our home now, but I also keep an open mind. We have wooden puzzles, wooden puppet stand and an all-wooden grocer's stand, but we also still have a plastic play-kitchen and my son still has his cars and Thomas the Tank engine - complete with wooden track which totally justifies the whole operation.

Even my husband, a somewhat skeptical - yet bless him silent - observer of the whole operation commented how much more peaceful our house is with the absence of battery operated toys.


Ever the impure purist,

Yours Truly,

The Home and Happy Housewife

The Best Things in Life are Free -or Extremely Cheap! Summer Fashion Finds and Favourites

Have you heard the expression The Best Things in Life are Free. Well the coolest clothes can also be extremely cheap. I love finding things at thrift stores and garage sales. I think it really makes you think outside of the box and get creative about fashion, and that is where the best outfits arise from (I also love love the clearance aisle at Winners!). These are a few of my finds this summer. The average pricetag is $2 - $5.

Saks Fifth Avenue Hat

Leather, never worn. I pledge to rock these babies hard.

Timberlands!!. The perfect pair of slightly worn summer loafers. They complete me.

Leather Hippie Purse. Perfect for rocking that Emo Boho look  all over town - and yes those are mushrooms on it!

Forever Summer Salad

So Yum. And simple: spinach, apple, pineapple, cucumber, snap peas, feta and sunflower seeds with a simple honey vinegarette - 2 TBSP olive oil, 1 TBSP vinegar, 2 tsp honey, and some light salt and pepper. I ate it and almost forgot it was cold outside.

Easy, Cheap and Fail-Proof Natural Homemade Sunscreen

Make your own sunscreen using 4 or 5 basic ingredients.

My husband was pretty skeptical when I informed him that from this day forward I would forever be making my own sunscreen. I imagine he had visions of me in safety goggles messing around with powdered chemicals in our kitchen…

”Its because you read that Jessica Alba book right? The Honest Life??” he questioned

“I can understand how you would think that. Its not so much that I read it – I don’t even like Jessica Alba that much….” I struggled to explain.

“Let me guess then, its more that she validated some of the ideas you already had?”

``Basically…Yeah.`

Well homemade sunscreens have been getting a bad rap lately. I can understand why doctors and health professionals probably are hesitant to recommend that we all start mixing up sunscreen in our kitchen blenders - probably not a great idea when you are dealing with potentially dangerous substances like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide that could be harmful if say ingested or left laying around. Plus who knows what adverse reactions could occur if people really started to experiment. I mean after all, we really aren’t a bunch of chemists.

That being said, I am not comfortable with the alternative of purchasing commercial sunscreen. And I am not comfortable with the price of "natural" (which for your information means absolutely nothing), or organic sunscreens (which are doing some good work but are still pretty pricey for a family on a budget), and many which - if you do your research - still may contain questionable ingredients.

So I prefer to make my own. I did alot of shopping around before I decided on this basic natural recipe which I borrowed from Wellness Mama and adjusted. It is fairly simple in terms of ingredients - you will have to order zinc oxide and beeswax - but other than that you should always be able to whip up a batch with ingredients you have on hand in about 10 – 15 mins. This is a key feature of this sunscreen recipe for me because I want to be able to make it as needed and avoid adding any preservatives. You don't have to use a blender, and you can make a small batch without destroying your kitchen - because lets face it its not fun to try to wash beeswax and oil off of your blender and kitchenware!

I ordered my zinc oxide and beeswax from New Directions Aromatics which you can find on the web. You want to make sure it is non-nano - so the particles cannot be potentially absorbed into your skin as one study has shown may be possible. You also want to double -check and make sure that it is 100% pure and contaminant free. If the company cannot guarantee this then its definetely not a good idea to make sunscreen out of it. The minimal order will probably cost you about $20 bucks and last you for years (you can always split it with a like-minded friend). But its still unbeatably cheap considering its about $10 for a small tube of sunscreen and much more for organic ones

.

At the end of the day here it is, not dressed up in a cute mason jar with a bow on or in a cute star-shaped bar. I must admit I had visions of myself as somewhat of a sunscreen-maker extraordinaire – turning out a bounty of beautiful lavish product, but truth be told its not pretty. Hopefully the fact that its not laden with chemicals and preservatives will help you overlook this. Its solid and doesn't melt in the sun, rubs into your skin without leaving a white residue, is somewhat waterproof, easily transportable, was fool-proof to make and most importantly I will not be putting crazy chemicals on my children’s skin. 

By my calculations this sunscreen is an SPF of approximately 28 (with about 1 SPF coming from the coconut oil). If you wanted a higher SPF you would add more zinc: http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Sunscreen/step4/SPF-Table/ was the reference I used to make my calculations. SPF is determined by what percentage of the lotion you the zinc makes up; the higher the percentage the zinc, the higher the SPF.  If you are striving for a particular SPF I would advise you to consult the chart and make your own calculations. Finally, this makes a body butter type of sunblock, if you are looking for more of a lotion consistency then you would use less beeswax.

Homemade Sunscreen

½ cup virgin cold-pressed olive oil

¼ cup virgin coconut oil (natural spf of 4)

¼ cup beeswax beads

4 TBSP non-nano 100% pure contaminant-free zinc oxide

Optional: About 20 – 30 drops essential oil (I used lavender - stay away from anything with citrus).

Optional: 1 tsp vitamin e oil (will extend the shelf life and offer additional sun protection benefits)

Before I proceed with these instructions, understand I am not a chemist, doctor or health care professional. I would advise you to do some of your own research to determine if a homemade sunscreen is right for you (people have reported that they burned wearing it, SPF values were not the same as those reported etc.) Bear in mind that my kids are olive-skinned and to us it is not vital that the SPF value is exact because they don't burn easily. I monitor them closely in the sun to watch for signs of burning and we don't go out on a regular basis for prolonged periods of sun exposure.

1) Boil a couple of inches of water in a pot. Put your olive oil, coconut oil and beeswax in a clean mason jar or empty pickle jar.

2)Place your jar in the boiling water, and turn the temperature down slightly (not enough to stop the water from boiling). Cover loosely with the jar lid.

3)Boil until your beeswax starts to melt, then stir until it until beeswax dissolves.

4)Remove from heat and add non-nano zinc and essential oil if desired – being careful not to breathe any of the particles! I held my breathe! Breathing particles = BAD.

5)Pour into a clean container you would like to store the sunscreen

6)Put lid on loosely and allow to cool, periodically stirring it to make sure zinc is evenly distributed.
7) Store in a safe place away from the reach of children - in the interest of longevity your refrigerator is probably the best spot. But it doesn't need to be kept in the fridge and will stay solid at room temperature

Lentil Cranberry and Pineapple Salad with Basil and Balsamic Reduction - A Crunchy Granola Salad that Flies Under the Radar.

Legumes...C'mon say it... Legumes. No matter how you pronounce it its a weird word. Like fork.   And legumes are weird, right? Really the only socially acceptable form of a legume is chickpea hummus (C'mon say it with a middle eastern accent - hughhhmmmus), to be eaten - lets face it when you're day drunk - with greasy naan bread and pitchers of draft on pub patios. Legumes used to be a class of food banished to bean sprout cafes, to be eaten by beret wearing beatniks and hippies in Mexican ponchos and Birkenstocks with socks. However lately legumes have made a comeback and really gone mainstream so that you can find legume salads running rampant -"Legumes Gone Wild"-  through supermarkets.

I love putting legumes in my salads as a non-dairy alternative to cheese, but still packing a bit of a protein punch. The many different varieties really open up a whole new world of experimentation. Lentils reign supreme in my world but my hubby doesn't go in for all that West Coast crunchy granola stuff ( "Gag me with a legume!!!") so I have to be sneaky. The result,  I created this unique salad utilizing the tantalizing sweetness of cranberries and pineapple, fresh basil and a balsamic reduction to underscore the flavor of creamy light legumes - and to steal focus from any detectable foray into Hippyville. 

Its my kitchen, not Nasa. The point being that cooking in my kitchen is far from rocket science; it is actually  more akin to a small child finger-painting........with their feet. The bottom line is you should feel free to substitute another sweet fruit for the pineapple. Mango,apple or blueberry come to mind as some delicious alternatives.

And let me tell you, "This could be love..."

Lentil Cranberry Pineapple Salad with Basil and Balsamic Reduction

3 cups spinach
2 cups chopped kale
1 cup cubed pineapple
1/2 cup yellow pepper julienned
1/2 avocado cubed
1 spear celery diced
1/4 cup diced white onion
1/2 cup lentils
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Sprinkle of pumpkin seeds for garnish
4 leaves fresh basil finely cut

Balsamic Reduction
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 lime juice
1 TBSP strawberry jam

1) Bring to boil and reduce heat
2) Gently boil over medium heat for five minutes
3) Allow to cool completely before dressing salad

Healthy Blueberry Fruit Muffins - Minus the Taste of Kelly Ripa's Dryer Lint

Hey guys. I gotta admit I stopped blogging for awhile, until I noticed in my absence I was getting visitors from all over the world. If you want your post to generate hits apparently all  you have do to is include the words: banana bread, moist, sour cream and ricotta cheese.... I mean we're talking a universal language right there.


That being said this week in our household "To bake or not to bake" is the question.  No matter how many times I convince myself I am making muffins for my son or husband's lunch, experience shows I am really making them because I  would like to eat them, 3 or four of them in fact - ostensibly in one sitting and definitely with butter.


So once again I find myself back at square one: the search for the moderately healthy yet tasty muffin. So often "healthy" is synonymous with "tastes of Kelly Ripa's dryer lint" (no offense Kelly. You are awesome - like a super-ripped small child). Its just that healthy AND delicious appears to be a goal only conglomerate chains of healthy food supermarkets can accomplish with teams of professional chefs, nutritionists and actual scientists at their disposal.


However I assure you  these babies are good, real good - perhaps even a trifle too good....


In this case "moderately healthy" becomes synonymous with: " defrost in your oven at 10 p.m. at night because your microwave isn't working and - yes you know its 8 hours 'til morning when you could totally justifiably have a muffin but gosh-damn-it you don't want to wait that long, you gotta get you some blueberry muffin right now" - kind of good.


Uh Huh. I said it. There's no shame.


So without further ado, I hope you enjoy these.


Did I mention they freeze well?


Ha ha...They do.



Healthy Blueberry Fruit Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
2 TBSP ground flax seeds
1/4 cup ground almonds
1 TBSP ground corn flour
2 eggs
1/8 cup butter (plus butter to grease muffin tins)
1/8 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 - 2 cups frozen blueberries
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup yogurt
1/4 cup milk (approximately)

1) Grease muffin tin and preheat oven to 375 (I always use butter. Lets face it, it just tastes better).
2) Stir together flour (white, brown, almond, flax, and corn), with salt and baking powder.
3) Beat eggs, add yogurt and vanilla
4) Mix brown and white sugar, and melted coconut oil and butter with your egg mixture.
5) Fold bowl of wet ingredients into dry ingredients, adding milk until mixture is wet enough to slowly slide off of a spoon.
6) Fold in frozen berries
7) Fill muffin tins to the top and bake for approximately 35 mins, or until a golden brown.

Carrot Cake: Effortlessly Chic and Elegant. Fruit Flan? B%^&h Alert!

 
Carrot-cake you say? I know,

Yeuuugghhh!

Reminds you of a dessert that used to sit for a week in cafes and cafeterias across the country with the universal carrot (where do they get that anyways) stenciled on the top in orange and green icing? I know! Me too. I really made it haphazardly. I was struggling to think of something to take to my Mother-In-Laws last minute and it was one of the only things I had all the ingredients for on-hand (that old tune again).

I always overlook the carrot cake when I am baking because I think BOOORing or of stale McDonalds muffins. But recently when I was browsing recipes I noticed a carrot cake made with pineapple was rated as one of the top 15 recipes of all time on allrecipes.com which twigged my interest. I love to reinvent the ordinary and I love a challenge and hey I’ll admit it, I love to impress my Mother-In-Law with my baking: “This old thing! Took me five minutes. Made it out of an old sock and a rotten carrot I found in Tristan’s toybox.”

The trick with baking in my mind is like dressing up: you never want to look like you are trying too hard. Always bear in mind that a delicious and perfectly executed banana bread is so much more impressive than say a botched fruit flan

On a sidebar nothing screams pretentious b?%^h like a flan. Be aware of what your baking says about you. Are you sending the right signals? Tiramisu? “She’s really sweet but just doesn’t get it.” Apple Betty? Edgy hipster who doesn’t take themselves too seriously. Chocolate Tuxedo Cake? Minimal character flaws, selfless, generally good person through and through.

Carrot cake? Effortlessly chic and elegant for sure.

In spite of its humble beginnings and questionable relevance to the holiday season, my simple carrot cake became the Trojan horse of Christmas 2012, Le Piece De Resistance, a cake of epic proportions that would not soon be forgotten and that would come to be requested Christmas after Christmas in the vein of The Polar Express or those cookies made out of peanut butter and marshmallows that you loved if you grew up in the 80s.

So without further ado, a recipe that you don’t want to overlook. I know I can’t wait to make it again.

Maybe even this weekend…

Too soon?

I think not.

Classic Carrot Cake

1 and 1/2 cup white flour

¼ cup oat bran

2 cups grated carrot

1 ½ cups pineapple pieces drained

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup honey

1 cup white sugar

½ cup butter

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup milk

2 eggs

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease square 9 inch cake pan.

2) Mix grated carrot with ¼ cup honey

3) Mix flour, oat bran, salt, cinnamon and baking powder together

4) Cream butter and sugar together. Stir in eggs, sour cream, vanilla and carrots.

5) Fold mixture into flour.

6) Add milk. The consistency of the mixture you are striving for should slowly slide off a spoon. Add more or less milk depending.

7) Spoon a thin layer of cake onto the bottom of the cake pan. Layer the pineapple on and top with ¼ cup of drizzled honey. Pour the rest of the cake mixture on top.

8) Bake for approximately 40 mins, until the cake top is a light golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
 

9) Allow cake to cool completely. Flip upside down and remove from pan. Cut cake in half. Top one half with store-bought cream cheese icing (Hey you, the judgmental one. I said “effortlessly” chic and elegant after all). Place other half of cake on top. Ice entire 2 tiered cake.

10) Possibly give cake to the person you ostensibly baked it for.

11) Possibly eat majority of two tiered cake by self.