The Dress

Okay, so I may just be pulling this out of my ass, but I am pretty sure that we have a military ball coming up in the next few months. I'm not sure what the rules are for it, like if you have to have been deployed etc., but if we do have to go to it, this will be my dress!!! If I can't have this dress, I won't go. It's just PERFECT!

To military balls, you're typically supposed to wear floor length, formal gowns. It's like the Oscars or Golden Globes for military wives. Or, like prom. Maybe I shouldn't go as far as celebrity award shows. But anywho, since I live in Italy and the ball would be here, I figure why not wear something super Italian and eccentric?

This dress is from H&M Italia. I am not sure of what "brand" it's under, because I can't get the page to translate, but I know that it's not the standard H&M brand, as this dress is 99euro. But nonetheless, this dress is gorgeous and just so me! Let's hope that if we are able to go to the ball, my husband will actually want to go. 

I JUST WANT THIS DRESS!

XOXO, 

Megan

Recipe: Crock Pot Baby Back Ribs

I'm sure you all know by now that I have an obsession with my slow cooker. And I have good reason! The two burner stove in this hotel room just isn't going to work for me. And that's perfectly okay, because I could cook with my crock pot every night and be perfectly happy. My husband on the other hand, eh, not so much.

After eating ribs in Verona, I had a craving for them yesterday. I'd say the feeling was mutual with hubs as well. I, of course, got on pinterest to see what I could find as far as slow cooking ribs. Almost everything I found involved putting them on the grill at some point or another, and since I just couldn't do this, I just went all in with my crock pot. And I'm happy I did! 

Here's what you'll need for savory, tender, fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs:

1. *1-2 racks of baby back ribs *depending on how much you want to eat

2. 1 bottle of BBQ sauce, of your choice. *I'm starting the Paleo diet soon, so I chose a version without refined sugar/corn syrup. 

3. Cayenne Pepper 

4. Red pepper flakes *I chose a kind with garlic, as well.

5. Cajun seasoning (optional)

I try to keep things pretty simple when cooking meat in the slow cooker. I don't want to take away too much from the natural flavor of things. I tend to go a little heavy on the spices though. Being from Louisiana, it's just the natural way to cook things. 

Here's how to cook 'em:

1. Cover thawed ribs in spices. Add as much or as little of these as you like.

2. Place ribs in crock pot and coat evenly with half bottle of BBQ sauce.

3. Cook on medium for 3 hours. *If your crock pot doesn't have this setting, cook 4 hours on low.

4. Pour remainder of sauce on ribs, continue cooking for 1-2 hours(depending on heat setting.)
5. Eat these babies up!!!

Please excuse my messy plate and horrible quality iPhone photo!

I am so very proud of this dinner! I feel like it was very well balanced and extremely filling. This is what most of my recipes will look like once we start the Paleo diet. Meat, veggies, and no grains. I can't wait to start. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe. If you decide to try it out, let me know how it goes for you! Let me know if you changed anything up as well! 

XOXO, 

Megan

Verona, Italy.

 
   Yesterday, the husband and I decided that it was a good time to finally venture out of Vicenza. I'm pretty sure yesterday was the last day we will see the sun for the next few weeks. I say this, because it seriously never stops raining here. What is wrong with you, Italy?! I don't think Italy has gotten the memo that it's supposed to be gorgeous all the time. At least in my mind...

   The first city that we decided to travel to was Verona. This city is south west of Vicenza where we currently live. If you're wondering, Vicenza is directly between Verona and Venice. Just in case you were wondering.  We didn't really venture out too much. We just hopped on the train for a few hours of exploring and to eat some lunch.   

   When we got to Verona, we jumped in a cab to take us from the train station to the Piazza Bar.(downtown, center city area) Here, they had a nice outdoor market set up with fresh fruit, vegetables, bread, and plants. It is also where the main cafes, museums, and even the coliseum are located. We decided to first get some coffee and pizza, then we got a proper meal after walking about the city. The meal ended with wine and coffee, of course. 
       The trip was short winded, but it was nice to get out of Vicenza for a few hours, at least. I definitely look forward to spending much more time in Verona as soon as I possibly can. I see many day trips to Verona planned in our future! And to the rest of this beautiful country as well! 

XOXO, 
Megan

Recipe: Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

   

Being in a hotel for the past, eh, almost month, has made me have to get really creative with cooking. We are trying to save money (and stay healthy) by eating in, and the small two burner stove in the hotel just wasn't cutting it. So this, as you all know, led to this girl getting her beloved crock pot! I've cooked quite a few yummy things in this beauty over the past two weeks and I don't see that slowing down, even when I'm in my own kitchen with real pots and pans.

 
Pinterest is my favorite (isn't it everyones???) so of course I look to it to get my crock pot recipes. I'm sure you've all seen the many pins for "Salsa Chicken," and today I decided to try my hand at making my own. In a last minute trip to the commissary, and a last minute idea to do this, I picked up a few ingredients for what I thought would be a "healthy" version.These are the ingredients that I used for my version of Salsa Chicken:

1. 3 Chicken Breasts

2. 1/2 Jar of Organic Garlic & Cilantro Salsa

3.1/2 Bundle of Cilantro 

4. 1/3* Bottle of Taco Bell Mild Taco Sauce *only use if wanted. more/less

5. Spices/Salt to flavor

And that's it! Only 4 necessary ingredients, depending on how spicey/salty you want it. I just added some red pepper flakes and Cajun seasoning to spice mine. The best part about this dish is the cooking. It's so easy, a caveman could do it. *caveman joke will make sense the further you read.

1. Place in all ingredients.

2. Cook on low 3-4 hours.

3.Shred chicken with fork.

4. Enjoy!

 

Told you it was super simple. You can do whatever with this, but the hubs and I just made old fashioned tacos. We are planning on going Paleo,*hence, the attempted caveman joke*, as soon as we move into our house, and I'm thinking this would be an awesome Paleo dinner, just use lettuce for wraps instead of tortillas, or throw it on top of a salad. I'm pretty excited to try it.

Well, I'm off to join my husband in what I hope to be is a deep sleep. Have a lovely night, everyone!

XOXO, 

Megan

A Military Homecoming: Sasha & Greg

   Yesterday, I had the pleasure of photographing my first homecoming here in Italy. Doing this was such a rewarding experience. Being able to witness two people see each other for the first time in almost 9 months is such a special thing. It's even more special when it's a soldier coming home to his family after fighting a long, hard battle.
 
   Today, I just wanted to share a few photos from the experience. I hope you all enjoy, and Sasha, congratulations, again. He's home safe with you, and he won't have to leave again for a very long time. You made it through all of this, and you should be so proud of yourself! <3



   I hope you all enjoyed the photos. Now, the husband and I are off to the Centro for St. Patty's Day!

   XOXO,

   Megan

How To Look The Best At Everything

   One of my most favorite things right now is my Benefit "How To Look The Best At Everything" flawless complexion kit. It is my go-to on days where I just don't feel like going through all of my stuff to find each individual item. This kit has a deluxe sample of each of the following: The POREfessional foundation primer, Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation, two Boi-ing concealers, and Hellow Flawless pressed powder.
 

                  I had originally purchased this kit because I had wanted to try the Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation and the Boi-ing concealer, but didn't want to pay $36.00 for the foundation and $20.00 for the concealer. Spending almost $60 for two products that I didn't even know if I would like just sounded a little crazy to me. So I opted for this kit which was $30.00 at Sephora.
   For what it's worth, this is a very good kit. The amount of product you get is quite a lot, actually. In the full size version of the foundation, you get 1oz of product. In the kit version, you get .23oz. Yes, it's only a quarter of the size, but for me, a little goes a long way. I've used this about ten times and have yet to come anywhere near finishing it. I'd say I have 90% left. I want to say that with the concealer, you get almost as much as the full size product. I could be wrong though, as the concealer packet doesn't have any measurements or weights on it.
   This is something that I would highly recommend if you are curious about any of these products. I promise you, they will last you way longer than you think. For $30, you definitely get your moneys worth!


XOXO,

Megan

Versatile Blogger Award

Hey everyone!

   This morning I woke up to an an e-mail saying that I had gotten a new blog comment. To my surprise, that comment was for a nomination of a blogging award! Being that my blog is very new and has a small following base, I was very shocked! But nonetheless, thank you, thank you, thank you, Hannah!!! If you guys haven't taken a look at her blog before, you definitely should! *click on her name and it'll take you right to it!
  So like many blogging awards, this one has a few rules. All are simple, and some are even fun. So, here they are:

1. Thank the person who nominated you.
2. Include a link to their blog.
3. Select 15 new blog/bloggers you've recently discovered or follow regularly.
4. Nominate those bloggers for a Versatile Blogger Award, leave a link to their page and a comment on their latest post to let them know they've been nominated.
5. Tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.

   See, not too hard! Now, on to my seven facts:

1. I have an 11 month old puppy named Charlie. She is half Australian Shepherd/German Shepherd. She is a person to me. I'm a little obsessed with her.
2. I am addicted to my iPhone. It pretty much never leaves my side. I am always tweeting, facebooking, e-mailing, or instagramming. It's actually a really bad habit.
3. My nails have to be painted at all times, or else I will bite them until there is almost nothing left. Also another bad habit.
4. I had never lived outside of my hometown in Louisiana until last October. Since then, I've lived in North Carolina and now Italy.
5.My favorite TV show is New Girl. I swear that me and the main character, Jessica, are the same person.
6.My favorite perfume scent is Daisy by Marc Jacobs. I've gone through almost two bottles in less than 2 years.
7. My husband and I started dating when we were 15 and 18, and we got married almost 3 years later, at ages 18 and 21. Our 6 month anniversary was two weeks ago. I couldn't be more happy with our life together. :)

   Now enough of my boring facts, on to my favorite part: My nominees! *in no particular order

1. Gemma Miss Makeup Magpie
2.ReNu My Beauty Junction
3.Olivia Living With Olivia
4.Neelofer Keeping Up With Neelofer
5.Valerie Scribbles of Valerie
6.Kelly Amourtera
7.Lauren Style Sista
8.Jess J.S and Makeup
9.Meghan Ahoy Native
10.Laura Lauras All Made Up

    Due to my super hungry hubby, I had to cut my list short to start cooking dinner. Oh the joys of wifey duties! Again, thank you so much Hannah I look forward to seeing all you ladies' 7 facts! Happy blogging! 

XOXO,

Megan

Recipe: Chicken Enchilada Soup

Hi!

   Today has probably been my favorite day in Italy. Why? Because I got a European voltage crock pot!!! While the scenery is beautiful and the gelato is amazing, nothing can compare to my love for my crock pot. I think you know you've reached "wifey status" when you've become excited over small kitchen appliances. To each her own, right?
   While I was going to wait until tomorrow to make this yummy dish, I couldn't help myself once I got my crock pot out of the box. So, after having already walked a mile to and from the PX to buy this handy cooking machine, I decided to walk another to make a trip to the commissary. I think hubby was happy that I did, too.
   After scrolling through Pinterest for some easy, filling crock pot recipes, I found one that I liked and altered it just a bit to fit my taste buds. Being from Louisiana, hubs and I tend to like things a little spicier than most, so I almost always alter recipes. I finally settled on a Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup copycat, and pretty much almost changed the entire recipe. Whatever.

 
blah, overexposed!              I cut down the original recipe by almost half, if not more. Here's what I used for my recipe:
   p.s. you can use any brand of these ingredients
*2 cans Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
*1 can College Inn Light&Fat Free Chicken Broth
*1 can Organic Black Beans
*1/2 container Old El Paso Jalepeno slices+juice
*1 package Velveeta Mexican Cheese
*1 bundle Cilantro
*2 cups chopped onions
***Use the next 3 ingreients to your liking***
*2 tbsp Roasted Cumin
*2 tbsp Creole seasoning (added more throughout the cooking process)
*2 tbsp Rep Pepper & Garlic seasoning
*1/2 bag Garden Salsa Sun Chips (optional, for thickening)
*3 large boneless/skinless chicken breasts
*1 cup water

Directions:
*Cut Chicken, Onions, Cilantro, Velveta, into desired size pieces
*Add all ingredients EXCLUDING Sun Chips
*Let cook on high for 2 1/2 hours
*Add Sun Chips (optional)
*Cook on low 1 more hour or until chicken is cooked completely

 

   And voila! Your soup is ready to eat! I try to make my meals as simple as possible, and I think I hit this one right on the head. It was SO yummy! This photo is what was left after the husband and I dug into it. I think hubs ate almost half of it by himself! This is definitely a meal that I will be cooking often. I love Mexican dishes, and this one is something that I can actually make. (I'm not the best enchilada maker...)

XOXO,

Megan

My life

My life by armywifestylelife featuring wedge heel sandals

Steve Madden wedge heel sandals
macys.com

Nicole Lee studded handbag
target.com

Face powder
$40 - feelunique.com

Lipstick
eyeslipsface.com

Makeup brush
eyeslipsface.com

Waterproof eyeliner
eyeslipsface.com

Spring Beauty Wishlist

Hiya!

    Spring is almost here, and I'm currently coveting a few, erm...a lot, of new products! Well, not all of them are "new", but they're all new to me!
   The main thing I'm really itching to get my hands on is a set of Sigma brushes. I'm really eyeing this "Mr. Bunny Essentials Kit." They'll be my first real "big girl" brushes. I've got a deal going with my husband right now, and if I can win the bet, I get them. I only have to wait until May 12th to see if I get them.
   I'm really looking forward to experimenting with bright lips and cheeks this season, that's why I have to get my hands on more of e.l.f.'s Mineral Lipsticks and Rimmel's new Apocalips lip stains. For blushes, I really would love to have some of e.l.f.'s HD Blush in Superstar and Headliner. Before I left the states I had sampled Benefit's Fine-One-One brightening color for lips and cheeks, but I wasn't in love with it. Now, I wish so badly that I would've gotten it! I am also wanting Benefit's Hoola Bronzer. It would be the perfect Spring/Summer bronzer.
   As far as eyes go, I don't think I'll be straying away from my typical neutral cat eye, so I'm really hoping to pick up e.l.f.'s Endless Eyes Pro Mini Palette and a few of their Eye Enhancing Eyeshadows. Nothing too adventurous for me!
   What are you coveting this spring? What trends are you most looking forward too? I want to know!
        

Spring Beauty Wishlist by armywifestylelife featuring sheer makeup

 
 
    

P.s. We will be moving into our house in about two weeks, THANK GOD!Once we get settled in and get the internet all hooked up, I have a lot more planned for this little blog of mine. I can't wait!

XOXO,

Megan

Our Italian Villa: A Sneak Peek

Why, hello there!

    As promised, here are the pictures of our new home in Italy. It's not ours quite yet, but we have started the leasing process and it will be ours in about two weeks. This house is HUGE, has a pretty "Americanized"  kitchen, AMAZING views, a huge yard, and best of all, a room that is nothing but closet storage! You can probably guess which part is my favorite. ;)
***I apologize for the horrible quality of these photos. All I had on my that day was my iPhone and I shot these all really quickly.***

 
  The first picture is the view from one of our living room windows. We can see the entire city of Vicenza from our living room! The second photo is only about two thirds of our gigantic living room. I'm obsessed with the beams and the fire place! You can't see it in this photo, but one wall is nothing but a huge built-in entertainment center.  
    Excuse my husband's booty, but this is our kitchen! Yes, it's a bit outdated, by American standards, but by Italian standards, this is an amazing kitchen. My favorite part is all of the counter space. Also, the room my husband is peeking in is a huge storage closet. The house has two or three of these huge closets and I love them.      

  The first picture is my bathroom. It's all pink and grey tile. Don't you just love that window above the tub?! My husbands bathroom isn't pictured, but it's all yellow and grey tile. It's the same set up pretty much, it just may be a tab bigger. The next picture is my closet room! You can only see one wall, but there is another one of those cabinets across from that one, and there is a large armoire with mirrors to the side of the photo that isn't pictured. The last photo is of part of our master bedroom. The door leads to our balcony, and here is the view of Vicenza from it:


 
   These last few photos are of our yard, and it is probably my favorite part of the house, which I'm incredibly head over heels in love with. The yard is SO huge and has so many different trees and shrubs. There are concrete steps all throughout it because the yard is multiple levels, which is really cool. You can't tell from my horrible photos, but we have not one, but TWO massive patios. I cannot wait to start planting some flowers and hosting bar-be-ques this summer! I never thought that I would be THAT wife, but this house makes me want to be! Is that crazy? Whatever.

 

   Sorry for the picture overload tonight, I just couldn't help myself. Once we are actually in the house and not rushing through to see it, I will be posting better photos. I'm thinking a room-by-room series will be necessary once we get all of our stuff and I've decorated everything the way that I have planned. I seriously can't wait to decorate this amazing house!


 XOXO,

 Megan

Product Review: Clinique Chubby Stick Intense

Well hi there!

       My weekend/start of this week has been so ridiculously busy! Between briefings, meetings, and house hunting, I just haven't had time to post anything. If you ever have to make an overseas move, you'll understand. But, we did find our most perfect house! I'll be making a post specifically for the house tomorrow. For now, let's get into what this post is specifically about.

       I have been eyeing this product for quite some time, but I couldn't justify spending $16 on what is essentially a lip gloss. Today on my trip to the PX (the Walmart or Target of Army posts) I went to the Clinique counter and saw that they had the Intense Chubby Sticks for waaaay less than Dillards, or any other store with a Clinique counter. I was able to snag up these two babies for $12 a piece! (I got another super awesome product as well, but it deserves a review all by itself.)

   I got the colors Mightiest Maraschino and Heftiest Hibiscus. To me, these were the most vivid and pigmented of the eight shades. Mightiest Maraschino is a deep red with purple undertones. Heftiest Hibiscus is a bright fuchsia with almost a golden shimmer. The swatches pictured aren't quite true to color, because of my cameras uncooperative flash.
   While these are in no way shape or form a lip stain, they do seem to last a good hour or two. They would be a great "top coat" over a lip stain, just to add shine and give it that extra boost of color. These two will definitely become a staple in my day to day beauty routine. I'm so happy that I was able to find them for cheaper than at department stores! Just a reminder, these are the Chubby Stick Intense lip balms, NOT the regular Chubby Stick lip balms. The pigmentation of the two are VERY different. I would definitely not recommend the regular Chubby Sticks to anyone, but I would definitely recommend these.

 How do you like this product, or even the original version? I want to know what you think!

XOXO,

Megan