Double Crunch Honey Garlic Pork Chops

Today's pin comes from my recipe board... the 'Crunch Honey Garlic Pork Chops' from Rock Recipes. When you follow the pin, you find that the recipe is actually called 'Double Crunch Honey Garlic Pork Chops', like the original name wasn't long enough :p 

This is the pinned photo:

And this is the photo from the website:

Pretty much the same picture, just much better quality and without a banner.  

Aaaaand this is how mine turned out:

 They were actually extremely delicious! There were so many flavors, it tasted different with every bite! However, I can't speak for the original recipe because I added my own awesome Chelsea-kick.  I was cooking two pork chops, rather than six, so I had to third each of the measurements... Well, I confused myself pretty much every time, and I ended up just throwing the ingredients in with very little care for measurements. 

I also didn't set the chops on a cooling rack before I put them in the sauce. I didn't have a rack or the patience for that, haha. So I just put the chops on a plate and poured the sauce over it.  Still... VERY good.

So, since mine tasted great hardly following the suggested measurements, if you make it according to the recipe... it'll be great! Because this was seriously delicious. My only caution is that there are a lot of spices involved... so check your cabinet because it could get pricey. I'm calling this a success:)

Braided Bun

Today's pin actually doesn't have a website... the link is just to the picture. But that's okay since the picture's instructions are very easy to follow!

It's called a 'Braided Bun and looked pretty simple, and perfect for yesterday, when my hair just was not cooperating. This is what I ended up with:

Not the neatest, but not the messiest either. And messy buns are in right now, so I think this turned out to be a success. It was very easy, and would've taken me less than five minutes if I hadn't made three braids instead of two initially. I definitely recommend!

Best Pot Roast Ever!

Wow, it's been awhile... oops :p

Today's pin comes to us today from Maria's Cooking Adventures. This is what it's supposed to look like:

The recipe is pretty simple, only 6 ingredients. You just toss them in a crockpot for six to ten hours, and you're good to go. The recipe calls for 2-5 pounds of roast, and I bought just under 2 pounds since I was only cooking for two.

This was my finished product (one serving):

Obviously the picture quality is worse... but it turned out pretty good. It tasted very good, actually.  The ranch and italian combo gave it a nice little kick with each bite.  The only caution I have, is to make sure you cook it for at least 6 hours. The crock pot I was using (a Gordon Ramsey product) was brand new, so I'm assuming it's working optimally, and I took it out after 6 hours, and my potatoes were still a little potato-y in the middle. Next time I try this I'll probably cook it for seven hours and see where that gets me. 

This pin is a definite success! I can't wait to eat the leftovers (and there were a lot... it's kind of a big recipe for only two people).  Everyone reading should put this one in the recipe books.

7 Lazy No-Fail Hairstyles (Part 1)

Today's pin is perfect for me today. I definitely don't feel like doing anything, let alone spending time on my hair. This 100 degree heat is really getting to me.  Here's the pin:

And it links to this website. 

Today I chose #4, the Quick Rainy Day Updo. Now, it's not raining today (far from it) but I do have to work tonight and it will be insanely hot, so having all the hair secured atop my head will be perfect. 

Before you judge my head... you should watch the video and compare the outcomes.

From above, it looks fine. From the front... not so much. I don't like having so much poof on my head. I did learn something remarkable from this tutorial though... bobby pins ALONE can hold up my bun. That's right. I am in shock right now. There's probably 10-15 of the big hair-pins in the bun... but there is NO hair-tie. I am amazed. My life has been forever changed.

Thanks for reading this week. Hopefully I'll succeed and be satisfied with something next week:)

Beachy Waves with a Flat Iron

Another hair day! :)

That's the pin ^^. It's for Beachy Waves with a Flat Iron

The author of the blog states that her hair never stayed curled with a curling iron but she hasn't had problems with longevity so far in using the flat iron. I have that same issue. My hair never stays curled. So, hopefully this works a little better for me.

Ohhhhkay so I had to stop before I really even got started. Either I'm not doing this right at all, or.... yeah, I think I'm not doing it right at all. Now my hair just has sharp edges in it....

See what I mean? Not a beachy wave... and I just got called into work, so I don't have forever to fix the technique. I might have to come back to this style. But! Added bonus: this blog post has TWO styles you can do with a flat iron. Let's try the second, shall we?

That's what you do & what it should look like. We'll see...

Okay, not even dignifying that try with a picture. Absolutely terrible. Looked like I crimped it. One possible problem might be that my curling iron is a little wider than the one in the pictures.... but I can't see it being that terrible. But I'm not too worried about it, since it's approximately 80 degrees in this room right now, and I have no patience to mess around with a super-hot hair styling tool around my face. I'll try these another time, but as of now I am not impressed.

The Piece-y Pony

Today's challenge:

The Piece-y Pony from The Beauty Department

Alright, so instruction #1 says to add some curl to your hair for texture.... This is what my hair looks like right now. 

I'm not so sure that more texture is what I need... I think I'll hold off on the curling until the end. 

Step 2: Low ponytail--- easy! divide hair-- less easy! ;)

Step 3: Tease & pin

Step 4: Tease & pin

Step 5: Tease & pin

Voila! You're done! From the front:

Not bad, right? Just looks pretty normal... 

But from the back:

DISASTER! Wow, let's try that again shall we?

Nope. still a disaster. This is one of those things that you definitely need some else's help on. *grrrr*

Also-- don't hold off on the curling until the end. You won't be able to reach your pony-tail and your head feels like it's being trapped by the bobby-pins.  I'm kinda sad that I failed this one, since it was so cute...

So, to make myself feel a little better... I did the fishtail again! ;)

25 Everyday Hairstyles for Extremely Long Hair (Part 2)

Continuing 25 Everyday Hairstyles for Extremely Long Hair

Today I'm attempting #2- Fishtail Braid (found here)

I've actually tried this braid before, and I just can't seem to get the hang of it. It always ends up horribly tangled because I get impatient before I'm even halfway through. I'm going to give it a serious effort tonight though.

**Ten Minutes Later**

WOW! I am very impressed with myself tonight. At first, I didn't think it was going too well, since the first few strands seemed pretty loose. But I just kept going and pulling it tight each time. I think it turned out pretty well aside from a little chunk that is trying to escape ;)

 See, I think it looks pretty good! Here's a close-up:

See the part that's trying to escape?

I'm actually kind of excited, because now I don't have to just do the normal braid (three strand or four).  So, check that one off the list! :)

I think this site was definitely pin-worthy. However, I won't be doing all 25 styles and I won't be the styles in order on the blog either. Gotta mix it up a little;) Tomorrow I'll be getting cute with a 'Piece-y Pony'. Thanks for reading:)

25 Everyday Hairstyles for Extremely Long Hair (Part 1)

Today's Pin: 

25 Everyday Hairstyles for Extremely Long Hair (found here)

This was a great find for me. Many hairstyles that I find and love are un-accomodating for my long hair.  So, I'm excited to try a few of these! I won't be attempting all 25 today (for obvious reasons), so I've narrowed it down to just one for now. 

#4- Waterfall Braid (found here)

I'm hoping to get pretty good at this one, since it's so cute and looks simple. Here goes nothing!

**Fifteen minutes later**

That was a frustrating fifteen minutes! I seem to have difficulty remembering how to braid something when I actually have to think about it. Braiding hair, to me, is an autonomous action. This required pausing between steps and changing something. I think failed at dropping the hair at the correct points.

In all honestly, I think I gave a slightly wimpy effort on this one. It had been a long day and I was pretty tired, so I will definitely try this style again. I might even try it tomorrow before I venture on to a different 'Hairstyle for Extremely Long Hair'. Thanks for reading:)

50+ DIY Mason Jar Decor Ideas

Up Next:

The website this pin links to is found here. 

I chose one of the simpler ideas because it's my favorite and will help me knock out another pin that I'd pinned separately.  It's the 'Vintage Picture' idea that I found here. 

You put a black and white picture along with a dried sprig of lavender (or some other scent-booster) into a mason jar and then fill it with vegetable oil. 

Ideally, this is what the jar should look like after it's completed:

 However, mine looked remarkably less cool... or vintage. Mine looked like pictures floating in a mason jar. I printed my pictures from Walgreens on normal photo paper. I decided to use canola oil rather than vegetable oil (because it was free--and looks just like vegetable oil). I also didn't have lavender,  so I just decided to use two pictures. The first picture was in black and white, and the second was in color. Here's what it looked like:

(Black and white^^)

(Color^^)

Very normal. I even swirled the pictures around to get the oil between the photo and the glass. Maybe in time, it will start to look a little better? Or maybe I should've spent the five bucks for vegetable oil. Either way, this pin was a little disappointing. But no worries! There are at least 49 more mason jar ideas that I can try. I can mark this one off and put it in the 'not as cool as it looks' column.

Braid-Wrapped Pony

Next up:

 This one came without a description, but I think I'll call it the 'Braid-Wrapped Pony'. The link from the pin was simply an image-hosting site, so I won't include it in this post.There are no written directions, but the pictures seem pretty self-explanatory. 




Here's what I started with:

And here's the finished product:

A little messier than the pictures. It probably would have looked nicer if I'd had a smaller hair-tie than the one I was using. I also didn't have any cute-sy hair decorations. So I can't completely write this style off. It was very simple, it only took me about three minutes, and it has the potential to be very cute if done correctly. Maybe I'll come back to this one.

Simple Vintage Wave

First up:

It's a 'Simple Vintage Wave' tutorial from The Beauty Department and it's found here. You just need hairspray, a curling iron, and some hair! ;)  

I was actually not looking forward to making myself actually do this pin, because I have a ton of hair. I mean... I have quite a bit of hair. Very long and thick, and it does not hold curl all over very well. But, I went into it with an open mind! Here's what I started with:

 (Sorry, slightly awkward photo)
and here is my result:

Before I began curling, I spritzed all around my hair with The Detangler's 'Tangle Out' spray and brushed through my bed-head with a large brush. I was using second-day hair as dirtier hair is said to hold curl better.  


Overall, I think the style is gorgeous. However, my rebel hair just didn't always cooperate.  The directions on the website were a mite confusing for me (You may be able to understand them. Sometimes I need to see what to do rather than read what to do). So, I don't think that I'll return to this complete hairstyle, though I do love the way it curled around my face. The back of my head? Not so much. I'll definitely start incorporating the technique into my styles, but I don't think I'll attempt this style again unless I can find better directions for myself. 

If you are attempting this curl, I would not recommend a heavy hairspray like I used. I used Herbal Essences 'Set Me Up' hairspray (level 3--max hold) and it really made my hair stiff and solidified my frizzy fly-aways. Not something that's going to make this style look good. 

Thanks so much for reading, and come back tomorrow when I tackle one of Pinterest's braid-wrapped ponytails.