Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer
This is one of those toys that you never think about but every household should have.  When it comes to making apple pies, grilled ham and apple sandwiches or turkey and ham wraps, this more than cuts your prep time in half and it can also be used to make super cool potato spirals like this one:

Zyliss Palm-Held Pizza Slicer, Red Every house should have a pizza slicer because they are for so much more than slicing pizza! We use ours for cutting grilled cheese sandwiches into strips and serving them as finger food, cutting pancakes easily and in the blink of an eye and of course slicing pizza    Plus, this one is super pretty and fits right into the palm of your hand. At under $10, this is a steal.

Puffy Muffin Top Pan

We all know that the muffin top is the best part of the muffin. Cut out the middle man with this nifty little pan.  You could also use this for cupcakes!

5-Quart White Crockpot, slow cooker

It's a crockpot… there are entire websites devoted to it.  Need I say more?  I do.. okay, if you don't have one, your kitchen is nowhere near complete. (there are some way more amazing and techy-digital-esque crockpots that cause me to drool but, we're sticking with under $25 here people)

12-inch seasoned Cast Iron Skillet

You knew this was coming.  I'm a Texan.  Cast Iron is a must.  You cannot call yourself a cook in the south without one.  Trust me, this is the greatest kitchen pan of all time.  If you're lucky, you have a Granny who's passed one down from generations long gone by, if not.. this pre-seasoned skillet is an absolute steal at less than $20, these babies are priceless as far as I'm concerned.

All in one timer and digital thermometer

Whether it's medium-rare steaks, chicken, pork chops or timing your 15 minute cleaning spree.. this digital thermometer timer is a MUST HAVE! It's combining two kitchen must haves into one sleek, useful and easy to read tool and really is a steal at $18

Wilton Easy Flex Silicone Spatula 3 Piece Set

Silicone is one of the greatest kitchen friends ever.  Multi-size spatulas are a necessity and for under $7.. this is a fantastic set.

Rubbermaid Storage Set

This is the exact set that is in my cabinets right now and I paid more than $20 for it.

Hot Air Corn Popper I really think that every kitchen should have a hot air popper.  This popper is under $21 and is worth at least triple that for the flavor and the memories. Fresh popped popcorn is a standout memory of my childhood and the taste.. oh my word the taste.  No bagged popcorn can replicate it.  And I say that with all the knowledge (and disclosure)  that I love love love bagged popcorn

12-inch electric skillet

Okay, this one breaks my barrier by $10 BUT, my electric skillet is almost 2nd in my heart to my cast iron skillet and I cannot live without it and you cannot get a good one for under $25.  Forgive me? Yes, yes you will

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Ok, ladies, I need to confront you about something serious.  Because I have been seeing you in the grocery store and the mall playplace and even for goodness' sake at CHURCH, and some of you are wearing very. ugly. shoes. And from this moment on, you cannot claim ignorance, because I am telling you that one of the Sacred Commandments of Frump-Fighting is Thou Shalt Not Wear Ugly Shoes. And in case you were going to try this one next, another Commandment is Thous Shalt Not Wear Thy Slippers Out of the House.

I KNOW your vintage 1994 Birkenstocks are comfortable, girlfriends, but they are UGLY.  And they are not doing much for your appearance!

I have really flat feet, and most "regular" shoes hurt my feet.  But I have found some VERY fashionable, affordable options that are also very cute!  Mainly, Crocs and TOMS.  I always get comments when I wear these babies out:

My cashier at Kroger LOVED them the other day.  And frankly, they added a lot to my jeans-and-sweatshirt.  They let all the people at Kroger know I was a Frump Fighter!

I also get a lot of compliments on these Crocs:

They are the epitome of comfort and style!  A plain black tee, a pair of dark jeans and these shoes make a very chic outfit to run around in all day!

So ladies, now you know.  Throw out your ugly old sandals, your orthopedic-looking Grandma shoes, your Sketchers from 1997, and your comfortable old sneakers.

Get yourself something CUTE that won't hurt your feet, and rock 'em in the kindergarten pick-up line, at the drug store, and on playdates.  You're worth it!

Now it's your turn!  Tell us how YOU fight the frump!  Link up your fashion and beauty posts from this week, and link back to this post.  Mr. Linky (and the world) is waiting – link up!

________________________

Birkenstocks Photo by Kables on Flickr

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Winter chill is here, and many of us may be trying to find ways to add warmth to our home.  Sure we can turn up the thermostat {if you don't mind a huge heating bill} but for many that is just not in the budget.

If you can think of dressing your home the same way you would dress yourself {in layers}, having a cozy home will be easier to accomplish.

Here are 5 ways to add warmth to your home!

1. Throw on the warmth: fuzzy blankets and throw pillows can all help make your home cozier this winter.

2. Add a bit of spice: I love to check out the cans of reject paint at Lowe's and Home Depot. When I find a color I like, I'll paint one wall or a piece of furniture- It's a cheap and quick way to make a room look different.   Think of colors that make you feel warm.

3. Rearrange the room with cozy nooks. Look for ways to add a cozy chair, reading lamp and side table in a favorite corner, especially by a fireplace.

It could become the perfect place to drink hot chocolate.  Look for places where you can do this that are traditionally unexpected for such a grouping.  Bring out the darker, warmer hues and scatter them about.

4. Bake!

There's nothing quite as nice as the aroma of baked goods. Ginger cookies are our favorite.  Heating the oven on those foggy days helps to warm up the whole room.  You'd be amazed at the difference a little ambiance can make.

5. Add Music and Candles

Music can set a mood and candles add the warmth

I hope this has been a little bit of help…and that you can find a warm corner to curl up in!

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Jackie had already purchased that scrumptious cardigan for herself, the floral dress and both pairs of Old Navy shoes for her daughters, and a similar brown sweater for her husband. We recommended she pick up the sweater coat, skirt and tights from BabyGap and the vintage style top also from Anthropologie.

How adorable will this family be posing in these woods and on this bridge. Jackie, I hope you have a wonderful photo shoot and I can't wait to see your pictures!

Scott Criswell Photography

I hope you enjoyed this post. Do you need some stylist advice of your own? Or would you like to gift someone a virtual wardrobe this Christmas? Great, I'd love to help you out and who can turn down FREE gifts? Just email me and I'll shoot you a copy of a personalized questionnaire to get started on your very own new look. Psst, don't forget to tell your friends about these fun, FREE services

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Christmas is a time for giving, we all know that. Luckily, giving doesn't mean spending all your hard earned cash at the local mall. Giving your time, effort and love is just as important (okay, so MORE important) than all those gadgets and shiny things you find in the store. This year, give nuts.

These nuts are just as tasty as the ones you find in the shopping malls this time of year. You know the ones I'm talking about. Just as you walk through the doors of the mall you can smell them. They're impossible to resist! You must follow your nose to the sugary, spicy, roasted nuts.

This year, rather than paying over $1.00 for an ounce of roasted nuts, why not make them yourself? Oh, because you can't? It's too hard? You don't know how?

Actually, you can. It's simple. I'll show you how.

These nuts are so simple to make and you get great results with ingredients that you most likely have on hand. Please. Make these. You will not be disappointed.

Just grab a big can of nuts, any will do. Almonds, pecans, peanuts, mixed nuts, whatever. I used mix nuts. Variety is the spice of life, after all.

Dump 'em in a big bowl, pour in a beaten egg white, stir it up and dump on the sugar and spice. Mix it up, pop the nuts in the oven for 30 minutes or so and all of your dreams will come true.

These are yummy right out of the oven (be careful, though, they are hot), but they store perfectly which makes them perfect little Christmas gifts. A big jar of nuts wrapped in a pretty ribbon? Best Christmas gift ever.

If you'd rather give store bought gifts this year, that's fine too, but be sure to make these for your next get-together. You'll be a hero.

Sugar and Spice Candied Nuts
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

• 2 pounds nuts (any kind, I prefer mixed)
• 2 egg whites, room temperature
• 2 tbsp water
• 2/3 cup dark-brown sugar
• 1 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
• 3 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (you could use paprika if you're a scaredy-pants, but the cayenne works well)
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Add nuts to large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg whites and water until frothy. Pour over nuts and stir to coat all the nuts. In a separate bowl, mix together the sugars, salt, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon. Pour over nuts and stir to coat. Spread nuts in a single layer on a parchment (or wax paper) lined baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and separate nuts if they are stuck together. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in an airtight container.

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George at World’s Healthiest Foods (a site I go to again and again for nutritional information) writes:

If you want to use olive oil for cooking, we agree not to use extra virgin olive oil as it has a lower smoke point than others. We’d use virgin oil, depending upon the temperature. We use extra virgin olive oil in cold dishes, so that its fatty acids and antioxidants aren’t destroyed.

And because I forgot I got a reply, I emailed again and received an even better response:

Until we see studies indicating otherwise, we will choose to play it safe when it comes to heating extra virgin olive oil. The phenolic antioxidants that they feature are simply too important to risk potential damage through unnecessary heating. The 200-250 F (93-121 C) temperature range is the one we feel safest with when it comes to the heating of extra virgin olive oil and protection of its phenols. This temperature range will work well for making sauce or for the warming of a dish that has extra virgin olive oil added just before this warming stage (but not during the actual cooking or baking process).

And from the Weston A. Price Foundation site:

Those fats and oils that are appropriate for cooking or sautéing and will withstand fairly high temperatures are those that have been in use for thousands of years, including olive oil as well as the more stable saturated coconut and palm oils and the animal tallows. An oil such as sesame oil with its special heat-activated antioxidants can be blended with coconut oil and olive oil to form a very stable good cooking oil.

Huh?  So now EVOO is the best for sauteeing?  I’m lost!

So I ask another question:  Are There Still Health Benefits to Virgin Olive Oil (and is that a better choice for heat)?

Virgin Olive Oil and Cooking

World’s Healthiest Foods says this:

A study published in the European Journal of Nutrition indicates that virgin olive oil provides significantly greater protection against free radical damage to LDL cholesterol-one of the first steps in the initiation of atherosclerosis.

Now I consider:  I’m reading that virgin olive oil has some health benefits. I understand that extra virgin may be sketchy at best at high heat, and I’m not always so good at watching my sauteeing closely.  Virgin olive oil has a higher smoke point (420 vs. 375, according to Wikipedia), so it seems that it would be safer to use in cooking and roasting. I can roast some Yum-O potatoes at 400 and feel safe.  Right?

Visit Kitchen Stewardship for my best deal on EVOO and coconut oil and a discussion with the chemist at Soaper's Choice, my new fav place to buy bulk oils.  See  A Good Deal on Top Fats (Or, Why I have 63 Pounds of Coconut and Olive Oil on my Porch).

For now, somebody should tell Rachel Ray to quit sauteeing in EVOO, don’t you think?

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Mary Kay sent me some of their limited-edition holiday goodies to review.  I liked them so much I decided to vlog about them!  You can order them online here.  Enjoy!

____________________________

Mary Kay sent me these products to review. I was not compensated in any other way.

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Photo by FotoDawg

It happens every time I have a party. It’s been on the calendar for about a month. Invitations went out a couple weeks ago. And yet, I left cleaning until the very last moment possible.

I don’t know what it is about procrastination. Is it stressful? Sure. Is it unnecessary? Absolutely. Do I do it all the darned time? Um, yeah.

So today I’m wondering how you get your house company-ready in a hurry. How do you make sure your home is presentable when people are coming over soon – perhaps already in their cars?

The Top 10 Things That Must Be Done When Cleaning My House in a Hurry

1. Turn on the attic fan. (Obviously, this only works if I don’t have the heater or A/C on. But it works best when a neighbor is grilling or I’m drying a load of laundry. Don’t ask me to explain. I just know that the clean laundry smell magically makes it way into my house when we turn on the attic fan.)
2. Assuming the stars have not aligned and provided natural home fragrance, light some candles.
3. Put away things that have places – toys, dishes, dirty clothes. (Please note: I am not saying, nor would I ever say that dirty clothes don’t immediately go into hampers at my house. Nope. Not me.)
4. Pick up extra junk that’s laying around the house. Drop it into a laundry basket and stick it in the garage. Wonder why everything can’t just have a place in this tiny, storage-deficient house.
5. Get out the Clorox wipes and go to town. Clean the table, the kitchen counters, the bathroom floor, the bathroom sink, and anything else that might be sticky or dusty. Yes, this may include dining room chairs, living room side tables and door knobs.
6. Get out the lint roller and go to town. (Especially important during the winter. When people wear coats. And you want to put them on your bed. Where the cats sleep.) Wonder why I have cats.
7. Fold up blankets and arrange on couches to cover scratches. Wonder about the cats again.
8. Look around for obvious messes – Cheerios in the couch, cat hair under the couch, milk spills, cobwebs in the corners, smudges on the white trim. Deal with them.
9. Vacuum if I have time. Yes, using a Dustbuster qualifies.
10. Stop at least 10 minutes before expected arrival time. Stop sweating. Reapply deodorant and lipstick. Get a drink. Answer the door. (Wonder why some people still think it’s acceptable to arrive early?)

So, let me have it. What’s your last-minute cleaning routine? (Readers who routinely deep clean their houses and actually do have a place for everything need not apply. Thank you.)

Gotta run. There are candles to light and blankets to toss artfully arrange on the couches.

Originally posted at Giving Up on Perfect.

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Ladies, I am here to put an end to the question men and women have been asking for years: does size matter?  NO!  Size doesn't matter!  At least when it comes to your clothes, that is.  In that case, it's FIT that matters. Not the number on the tag in your pants.

Recently I was shopping with someone who didn't want to try on a size larger than she normally wears just because she identifies her self-image with the size of her clothes.  But different clothing lines adhere to different sizing charts.  It's just the way it is.  Some designers make you happy because you wear a size 10 in them, some you hate because you wear a size 12 in their line.  Don't let that number get to you!  Try on a couple of sizes, and get the one that fits.  Trust me, nothing looks frumpier than a woman in too-small or too-large clothes – no matter what the quality! You could buy a dress at Ann Taylor that's too big and it'll look like it came from Dollar General.  This is the only kind of person who can get away with baggy, ill-fitting clothing:

And no one, I repeat, NO ONE can get away with clothing that is too small. It is the SUPER-FRUMP!

So, if you're going to the store, try on clothes until you get the right size.  If you're ordering online or from a catalog, measure yourself against that specific retailers sizing chart.

And remember, it's not the number that matters!  It's the way the clothes fit YOUR body!

Now it's your turn!  Tell us how YOU fight the frump!  Link up your fashion and beauty posts from this week, and link back to this post.  Mr. Linky (and the world) is waiting – link up!

_________________

Photo: konsvi on flickr

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This is a delicious  recipe for a great comfort food, pear butter . I adapted my crock pot apple butter recipe, using different spices for the pear butter. It isamazing. It is not as heavily spiced as apple butter and the flavor of the butter is lightened with fresh lemon.  Star anise, ginger, and nutmeg complement the pears so nicely and make it a very comforting flavor you can enjoy all year long. Making the pear butter in the crock pot is extremely easy. It will fill your home with the most lovely fragrance. Just add about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar for every pear. Pack your crock pot full of pears, so you will have lots of pear butter to can. You can adjust your seasonings to taste. This recipe will produce almost 4 pint jars. It makes the perfect gift for the holidays, just tie a pretty ribbon around the lid. (more…)

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