Cake Mix Cookies

I finally put my Pinterest account to use and followed a recipe for cake mix cookies. They were super easy to make and super delicious.

I am currently running around like crazy, packing for the Sundance Film Festival but I wanted to share this recipe really quick. We are going to host a dinner night in our condo for the production crew and I thought this would be a good and festive snack to have on hand!

Combine a box of cake mix, 1/2 cup vegetable oil and 2 eggs. Once mixed add baking chips, I used peppermint chips. Chill mixture in the fridge for an hour.

Roll the cookies and bake at 350 degrees for about 8 minutes.

Last step, eat all the cookies!

Back to packing for me. I’ll post Sundance updates as they come. Happy baking!

Friday Photo Favorites- Airplane Edition

Happy Friday! I wish I was actually celebrating the weekend but I am home with the flu, feeling miserable. So instead of planning fun things to do I will post a blog from bed about some of my new favorite things I take on the road with me.

Non-stop flying is tough on the skin, but during the winter all hell breaks loose on my face, it becomes so dry and sensitive. I love doing face masks on my layovers. I pretend I am at a spa and just veg out in my room. One of the better sheet masks I have come across is this Aquaringer Treatment Mask.

My skin feels cool and relaxed after 10 minutes of use. I usually follow it up the next morning  with the Josie Maran argan face oil pictured too. I have the light formula and it hydrates perfectly. I use it under makeup and never have an issue with it making my skin oily or break out. These are two great skincare products for the winter months.

Next up is 100 my favorite thing ever ever EVER! Footless pantyhose! I can wear them 2 or 3 days in a row, just change my socks and feel fresh! There is no bottom so my toes aren’t curled up into an unnatural position while I try to pull the hose up to my waist. They are so comfortable. I found this pair at Target for $9.

Footless pantyhose are the best thing that ever happened to my uniform!

My final favorite are freeze dried fruits and veggies. I love them for a number of reasons. No refrigeration needed, such a plus with our long days. There is no added sugar or added anything. Dried fruit has so much sugar you might as well eat a snickers. Freeze dried fruit is just the fruit. All the nutrients stay in tact. I add the blueberries to my oatmeal and they “come back to life” when mixed with the hot water.

The beet chips are so delicious and crunchy. Freeze dried fruit and veggies are the perfect way to pack a healthy snack. I usually get mine from Trader Joe’s, but Target has their own line and I just found some at my local grocer.

I hope you find some of these favorites helpful. More importantly I hope you all enjoy the long weekend!

Happy New Year

Hello! Happy New Year! Happy Weekend!

I have never been one to make a New Years resolution. It is not because there is nothing in my life worth changing. It is not because I think it will set you up for failure. It is not because I have no interest in taking up new things. I like to think I am pretty aware of my “issues.” I think I can change or start something at any time. Resolutions just never seemed to rank high on my list of things I need to do.

I try to be content at home and at work. (I had to REALLY work on this last year but that is another story.) When I am not content or feeling happy I think about the source of the problem. I did not like the schedule that I was holding at the base I was originally assigned when I started flying, so now I commute two hours further to go to work. Although it is not ideal, it is definitely better for my day-to-day. I did not like feeling out of shape so I took up running and I ran my first half marathon a couple of months ago. If something is broken, fix it. If it is not- don’t make a resolution for the New Year. Work on the present.

I just completed my first work trip of the year. I had an easy commute, I made it on the first flight that I tried. I had a window seat so I was able to nap before I started working. I met my crew and they were amazing. Our flights were running on time. I was glad that I was going to have a good trip.

The crew and I walked onto the plane. It was in great working order, it was a great start to the trip. I was the lead flight attendant, greeting each passenger as they boarded. I welcomed one man and immediately he went into a tirade about my airline, about not receiving a free upgrade and so on. Externally I smiled and welcomed the next passenger with enthusiasm, internally this changed my mood completely. I went from very positive about the trip to thinking about how I was going to be boarding 2 more flights on this day and the possibility of all the unpleasant passenger experiences I could encounter. One vocal man, out of the 200+ passengers that boarded without problem, brought me down.

The crew completed our safety checks and inflight service. He was not seated in my section and I had no more interaction with him but I was still miffed about his comments from all that time before.

I was reading “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin on this work trip. I returned to my jumpseat to continue reading and a new term totally stood out. “Emotional contagion: we subconsciously catch emotions from other people- whether good or bad ones.” Ding ding ding! I was currently experiencing emotional contagion. A grouch turned me into a grouch.

I reflected on this and decided to be more aware of how other peoples emotions made me feel. I do not want to shut down when I am having a heart to heart with my sisters, or besties or co-workers. I think picking up on other peoples joy, sorrow or excitement really strengthens the bond between people. I do want to work on shutting down unnecessary negativity around me. I encounter it often at work. Travel is stressful, it brings out the worst in some people, but by not letting those people bring me down I am hopeful I that I spread a more positive vibe that perhaps will be caught by someone that needs it.

I did not make it my resolution to be aware of emotional contagion, but it fell during a good time when I am reminded of people making positive changes. I am curious, do you guys make resolutions? What are they for 2017?