My First Sunday Social!

Last week my blogging was shameful. So I'm trying to start off this week on the right foot. I'm linking up with  Neely for the first time!


1. What is your favorite kind of surprise? In general I HATE surprises. I don't know if it's a control thing or what but I just like to know what the heck is going on. I suppose my favorite type of surprise would be presents!

Who knew there were so many surprised cats on one webpage

2. Flowers or Chocolate? I love my chocolate just like most girls, but flowers feel much more special. Flowers make me happy :)

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3. What is your favorite summertime activity? Basically time spent with people I love doing something outside. Usually involving drinks and bonfires. Ohhhh summer I am so ready for you!

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4. Do you have any vacations planned this Summer? YES!!! We leave for Carolina Beach 2 weeks from tomorrow!!!! (can you tell I'm excited?)

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5. Favorite Summer Holiday? 4th of July. Favorite holiday of. all. time. Yes even more than Christmas.

I made this one, but you can find the tutorial here

6. Dream Vacation? I have two. Tuscany has been on my vacation wishlist since I was a teenager, and my new dream destination is Morocco!!

I mean is that not the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?? here

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Week in Review

I have been so lazy this week. Only one or two walks, only one or two dinners at home, only one or two blog posts! Oh well.....

Some park time with these girls! Kassie made a friend in 2.5 seconds, and Madelyn went dows the slide about 250 times. And they both needed baths by the time we left.

Daddy's home!!!!

I wish I felt as comfortable as this looks when I go to bed....

Address Wreath

What a day it's been already! I slept through my alarm, and then my hair tie broke. Hopefully it's all uphill from here. 

Today I have a craft for you that I've been meaning to finish forever! It's for my friend Rachel and think she's going to love it :)

Here's the inspiration pic:

Unfortunately the link on Pinterest went to a site in another language, but it was easy enough to figure out without step-by-step instructions.

I got most of my supplies at good ol' JoAnn's, and it really didn't cost too much. I used a coupon on the grapevine wreath, and the flowers were $9.99 but on sale for $5.99/bunch. I grabbed 2 bunches. I think I used a coupon on the ribbon too. The numbers were like $2 apiece so they weren't really breaking the bank either, and I borrowed some paint from my parents.

The floral wire I already had too. It's from Hobby Lobby.

All I did was lay everything out until I liked how it looked, and then I used to floral wire to attach everything. I thought about being lazy and using hot glue, but since the wreath is going to be outside I wanted to make sure it held up. I did use hot glue to attach the wooden letters. If they don't stay I'll have to revisit and try something different.

And here's the finished product! Shout out to my mom for tying that awesome bow :)

Rachel I hope you like it, thanks for taking our pictures! You'll have to send me a picture of it on your door I'm sure it will look much better :)

Mani Monday

Oh my gosh you guys I have been so M.I.A. today!! Uhg I just haven't been with it today at all. But I'm back, even if it is 10 pm. How was everybody's weekend? Mine was full of lots of sleeping and family time. Saturday Ruby and I went for a walk at a local park while we waited for Jeffry to get back from Albany. Then we went to dinner and the mall with some friends. 

We went to the Disney store and this happened...

Yes that is every. single. princess on that little lap.

And then of course Sunday was Mother's Day, so we spent the afternoon at my parents, and Ruby was spoiled as usual!

That's my mom, sister and I while my dad was in Desert Storm. Over 20 years ago and my mom looks practically the same. I hope I age as well!

So about that mani that I promised you...

I've had this Gel Strips kit sitting around for a while. I bought it at Target some time ago when I had a coupon and I've been waiting for a good opportunity to use them. I had some time today so I followed the directions and we'll see how they come out.

Applying the strips was just like if you have ever used the regular Sally Hansen strips before. I have in the past, and they are just ok. They are expensive so I will only buy them with a coupon and when they are on sale. A couple tricks I have discovered when using them:

- always use nail polish remover right before applying. 

I keep it near by and do each nail as I go. It really helps them affix to the nail.

- My nails are the size that I can actually do 2 nails with one strip. So I save by getting a 2 for 1!

I size the strips to each nail, then apply to one, line my fingers up tip to tip, and apply to the second nail, and tear the strip apart in the middle.

So I followed the directions, curing each nail under the included LED...

And the finished product:

I am pretty happy with the result. I wish the strips were more opaque, but they do look nice. I absolutely LOVE the shine of the gel top coat. I always wished I could get that salon shine at home and these really are super glossy. The next test? How they wear! So we will have to see in a week or so how they're doing. 

Also, I am wondering if the gel top coat can be used with regular polish. Has anyone tried it? Does anybody know? Thanks ladies!!

On The Cusp

Well folks, we are right on the cusp of the weekend!! I'm hoping to do some serious relaxing this time. Especially after today at work, it was just one fiasco after another!

This is the last week of working on my top 3 fitness goals! (check out week 1 & week 2 if you'd like) Here's a quick recap:

Fitness Goals

1- I'm a lazy ass B

2- I cook mostly fatty comfort foods since that it what Jeffry likes to eat

3- I love junk food snacks

And here is how I planned to work on those 3 things over the last 3 weeks:

Week 1- Be active 4 days a week, even if it is just taking walks with Ruby.

            - Each walk try and increase our speed until  I can jog bits

            - Try to add some strength training after each walk even if it is a short workout video.

                (Update: Week 1 is over but I am for sure still working on not being so damn lazy)

Week 2- Use this book which I already own to make Jeffry's favorite foods healthier.

(Update: Week 2 is over, but just like week 1 where I actually did better the week after, the same happened this week cooking healthy dinners)

Week 3- Only buy healthy snacks this week so we don't have junk around

So like I touched on above, this week I did so much better cooking healthy dinners. Maybe it's easier now that the weather is nicer? We're not craving heavy food with lots of cheese and gravy so much. You all (hopefully) saw this yummy yummy chili lime pork that I cooked Tuesday night:

We broiled chicken again Wednesday, paired with sweet potatoes and cucumber salad, and chicken again last night with green beans and rice. Nothing spectacular, but yummy and not too terrible for us. 

I grabbed this cool salad kit at Wegman's and made a yummy salad for lunch with the leftovers. 

I've been doing pretty good with snacks too. Here's what the lineup has looked like:

Those smoothie kits are really yummy after work, and nice and chilly after a workout too. The shakers are nice because you don't have to use a blender, but I really like the Jamba Juice ones too. I feel even better because I chose a fruit & vegetable juice blend to make it with. Also for an after work snack, I made tuna melt bites on tomato halves. Super yummy, low carb and filling! For snacks at work I have been loving the applesauce packets. They're easy to eat since I don't need a spoon, and they're pretty filling. I bought some seaweed crisps to try, but I did not care for them at all. Oh well! 

I also got some happy mail last night in the form of healthy snacks, and I'm really excited about it. It's a subscription box just like Birchbox or all the others out there, except it's healthy snacks! I signed up as soon as I started keeping track of my goals, and it came last night just in time for me to share it with you guys! It's called Naturebox!

Spencer is SO sure that there is something in there for him. I mean, there has to be right??

The standard Naturebox, which is what I signed up for, comes with 5 packages of healthy snacks. Each month you can let them choose for you, or you can even pick and choose your own if there is something you love. It's only $19.95/mo and that's what sold me. If I were to go to the grocery store and pick out 5 healthy snacks, I'm sure it would cost me more than that.

This months box is Spring themed, and came with honey mesquite almonds, cherry berry granola, granny smith apple slices, sunshine chips (a mix of veggie chips) and toasted cheddar stix. Yum! I can't wait to try everything. Added bonus: Naturebox donates 1 meal for every box, to help feed over 14 million children in America who go hungry! So if you're interested, head over and sign up. But don't forget to check out RetailMeNot first because there are a bunch of coupon codes, even as much as 50% off your first box!

I was not paid or perked for this post, just hungry!

by the way......

How happy am I that it's the weekend? This happy:

Have a great weekend everybody!

Procrastination Is My Specialty

So I meant to have a mani for you today, and I meant to have a craft for you too (remember when I talked about being accountable?!) Well... I'm sucking at it lol. I guess I just haven't had much motivation lately. So today I'm sharing with you some of my favorite recent pins.

I'm wearing this top today from Kohl's. Right now it's on sale for $14.99 and the picture doesn't really do it justice. Its super cute, super soft and comfortable, and can really be dressed up or down. Right now I'm wearing it with slacks at work, but it could easily be paired with some cutoffs and moto boots, or skinnies and heels for a night out!


Can I have every single one of these please? (including the cookies) 
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I would like one of these right now please
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The cutest summer dress! It's unfortunately no longer available, but it's from ModCloth and I'm sure they have a bunch of other cute options


Who else is super excited for Great Gatsby?! See the step-by-step here


Hopefully I will need this article on how to freeze fresh summer veggies! I hope my garden does well!


This pin is gold because I've found out that I like making my own shorts so they can be a length that I'm comfortable in. My body is just not made for itty bitty booty shorts! I usually get jeans at the thrift store for a couple bucks (doesn't even matter if they're too short!)


I want this one to be my summer work uniform! It's so cute! Now if only 10 blazers were in the budget....

What I Ate Wednesday....

You GUYS! Last nights dinner was so good that I have to share it with you. A lot of the food I make is super simple, so I don't usually post much about it, but this was goooood. And I'm really proud of how healthy it was. Even Jeffry liked it, beans and all! I'm still in shock....

Anyway here's the deets:

for the rub:

(recipe adapted from this one)

3 cloves garlic, grated

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp paprika

juice from 1/2 a lime

lime zest

Salt & Pepper

I also added a good shake of this stuff:

Buy the big container. It makes everything delicious.

I dumped everything in a zip top bag, threw in 2 organic, boneless pork chops, and gave it a good rub down. Then I popped that sucker in the fridge for a few hours while I went out to work in the garden.

Once Jeffry texted to tell me he was on his way home, I got to work on the sides. the beans are really just a concoction I threw together. I started with:

1/2 red onion, diced

1/2 jalapeno, seeded & finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, grated

I sauteed the veggies til they were soft, then added a good splash (probably about 1/2 cup) of chicken broth, along with a can of drained black beans. I also added a couple good shakes of cumin, paprika and adobo. I also added about a tablespoon on chipotle in adobo.

Chipotle in adobo comes in a little can like this. It adds great spicy, smoky flavor to things like chili, or in this case black beans. Rachael Ray has a great tip about working with chipotle in adobo. Since you never use the whole can at once, put the contents in your food processor (I used my magic bullet. super easy to work with!) and blend it up. Then put the sauce in a ziplock baggie, roll it into a log and pop it in the freezer. It will keep forever, and when you need some, just break a little off the end!

Then I just let the beans simmer away! Once we were ready to eat I did break them up a bit by pressing on them with the back of a spoon a couple times.

The rice is this recipe, except I substituted brown rice and did not add the oil (hello healthy!) I cooked the rice according to package directions, and also added some chopped scallion along with the lime juice and cilantro that got mixed in once the rice was done.

Oh yeah, and I also used the broiler for the first time! I would have loved to grill the chops, and they probably would have been soooo good that way, but our grill hasn't been out yet this year, we probably don't have any propane, and it's  not so easy to grill at 10pm when Jeffry gets home. So instead I heated the house up to 500+ degrees on the hottest day of spring lol. 

My grandma used to broil all the time but I had actually never done it. So  how did I figure it out? Well Google of course! I lined our broiler pan with foil, preheated the oven and then slapped those suckers down! The chops cooked about 4 minutes per side and were perfect. Also, I'm a broiler convert. Pretty sure I'm broiling chicken tonight. Sweet & Sticky Chicken perhaps? Do we think Jeffry would try asparagus? Maybe we will just have green beans....

Check out how yummy this looks!!

It's my first time linking up with WIAW!