Weekending - June 12, 2015

WHAT - the weekend is over already?!?  Boy, this one flew by!  If you read my post on Friday, you know that my friend, Linda, and her daughter, Kelsey, were travelling to our house for a visit.

Friday night started with Linda and I pulling off the ultimate surprise for Kelsey.  I had gotten tickets to the Imagine Dragons concert, a group Kelsey loves.  Linda and I decided we weren't going to tell her ahead of time, but instead wait until they arrived in St. Louis.  We pretended we were meeting to go to dinner, but instead we laid the bombshell on her that we were going to the concert.  It was so fun seeing the amazement in her eyes when I handed her the tickets.  Fun times!!

After our late night Friday night, it was nice to have a lazy morning on Saturday.  I baked the mimosa muffins I talked about here.  They were good, but I think the next time I make them I'll substitute orange juice for some of the water and also add orange extract to the glaze.  Don't get me wrong, they were good.  But a little tweaking might make them even better.

Linda and I did a little shopping on Saturday, but our hearts were wanting to watch OITNB so we landed in the family room to enjoy the first two episodes of the new season.

We had this to look forward to while learning the fate of Vee from last season.  Yum!

Saturday night we joined Ian and Kayla for dinner at Cooper's Hawk Winery and Restaurant.  They picked this dinner location and it was perfect!  We enjoyed a pitcher of raspberry sangria while waiting for our table -- Delish!  Our dinners were wonderful!  We will definitely be visiting this Town and Country eatery again.

Sunday Linda and I were treated by Eric picking up Starbuck's coffees and Panera bagels for us so we could begin our binge watching the rest of OITNB.  Yes, we accomplished our goal and completed the entire season.  I personally love the way Netflix just throws all the episodes out there for your viewing pleasure.  Now, of course, we are already looking forward Season 4.  Did anyone else watch the entire season?  Please tell me we weren't the only ones glued to the TV!

Meanwhile, Kelsey was working her little bottom off cleaning my scrapbook room.  It was a little astronomically messy -- I'm talking like hoarder show bad.  It was so worth hiring Kelsey to put her organizing skills to use to get that room back in order.  She did an outstanding job and I will forever be grateful for her diligent efforts to make my crafting room a place I'll enjoy being in again.  Okay, I'm going to show you the before picture (no judging please).  Yes -- it's a horrible mess!

The room had gotten totally out of control over time and every time I walked in the room my heart would literally start racing.  It was just overwhelming to me.  And now for the big reveal -- the after pictures.  I love the job she did!!  

Can't wait to get in there and do some new projects.  I can't guarantee it won't end up looking like the before picture again over time, but I can guarantee I'm going to enjoy it like it is right now!

Weekends spent with friends are always great and I'm a little sad to see them end.  Luckily I'll be seeing Linda again in a couple weeks when I travel to Kansas City so we can go to the Stones concert.

Thanks for stopping by here -- hope you stop back again on Tuesday to see the recipe I'll be chatting about.  Happy Monday!

Check out what others were up to this weekend.

Champagne and Suburbs

B Loved Boston

I Should Be Mopping the Floor

Life of Meg

More Pieces of Me
Bella and the City
Oak and Oats
A Cute Angle
The Quinntessential Mommy
How To Get Organized At Home

Five on Friday - June 12, 2015

It's Friday, it's Friday!!  Don't you just LOVE summer weekends?!?  I've been patiently waiting for this one to get here because my friend, Linda, and her daughter, Kelsey, are coming for a visit!!  Woo Hoo!!  Well, Kelsey is coming to work.  She is the best little organizer around and I'm hiring her to get a few of my messes cleaned up.  Bless her soul, she has no idea what she's getting herself into.

Before I get too far into Friday, I want to share my five for this week:

1.  Big Sexy Hair Powder Play
It's summer in St. Louis and with the heat comes the humidity.  And with the humidity, I have the worst hair known to man.  Seriously, I have BAD hair.  I have no clue what's in this magic dust, but I'm telling you it works.  If you want to add a little volume to your do, you should definitely check this stuff out.

Click HERE to purchase

2.  Jurassic World
It's finally opening!!  The movie Jurassic World opens today and as much as the first movie scared me so much I almost peed my pants, I still want to go back for more.  Watching Chris Pratt on the big screen for two hours and ten minutes -- yes, please.



3.   Orange is the New Black
It's time to make sure your Netflix is streaming because Season 3 of Orange of the New Black starts TODAY!  It's a good thing I have guests coming today or I would be plopped in front the TV for a binge-watching weekend.  Piper, I've missed you!  Anyone else a fan?



4.  Beach Glass
Check this out -- this glass will float in water AND you can stick it in the sand.  Perfect combination!!  Pour up to 12 ounces of your liquid beverage of choice in this machine-washable acrylic baby and you're set.  They are available HERE.  What a cool gift these would make for someone who has a pool or visits the beach.

5.  Let's live.

Print by Ursula Says Hello

I'm hoping to finish some new touches in our guest bedroom today.  If that happens, I'll be sharing the reveal on the blog next week.  On Monday I'll also be here sharing my weekend recap.  With me and Linda on the loose, that could be an interesting read (unless we both sit on the couch and binge watch Orange is the New Black).  We will definitely be doing some "living".  Have a great weekend!

Linking up with:

Rebecca at XOXO Rebecca

Jennie at The Diary of a Real Housewife

Amy at The Farmer's Wife

Amanda at Meet At The Barre

Erika at Little Bit of Everything

Hill Collection

Simply Sweet Home
High Five for Friday
5 on Friday 
The Jenny Evolution
Serenity Now

Thinking Out Loud Thursday - June 11, 2015

Welcome to another edition of Thinking Out Loud Thursday!  So glad you stopped by.  It's going to be a short post today because I have out of town guests coming for the weekend and my to do list is lllloooonnnngggg.

Today I'm thinking out loud about the new addition to our backyard.  If you read my Weekending post on Monday (HERE), you got a preview of the hummingbird feeder that Ian and Kayla gave me for Mother's Day.  I absolutely LOVE it!!  The beautiful handblown glass look is so pretty. This is a gift I know I'll treasure for years to come.

When I look at the hummingbird feeder, I can't help but think of my grandmother.  She adored hummingbirds!  I think that is one of the main reasons I have been wanting one of these feeders.  Isn't it funny how certain sights or smells can immediately send your mind to memories of certain people?

Do you have a hummingbird feeder?  What's working for you to attract the little guys?

After a little research, here's what I found out about positioning the feeder to attract the most hummers:

1. They should be hung out of direct sunlight.  (Epic fail on my part - mine is hanging in a spot that offer no shade at all.)
2. Hang them away from windy areas.  (I did okay on this one.)
3. Place the feeder in and around trumpeting flowers.  (Again, okay in that department - but not great.)

Looks like I need to figure out where I need to relocate my feeder before I can expect to see any hummingbirds visiting my diner.

Now the fun part -- link up to Thinking Out Loud Thursday with me and Vanessa at X-tremely Vanessa . The rules are simple. Link back to me and Vanessa in your post and linkup your favorite post below. Super easy! #ThinkingOutLoudThursdays

Enjoy more Thoughts for Thursday at

Home of Malones

East Coast Chic

A Handful of Everything
Hodges Podges
Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop
All Life's Little Adventures

The Deliberate Mom
This is How We Roll

Marinated Green Beans

Today I'm sharing a recipe that is so stinking easy it shouldn't even be called a "recipe".  But with summer potlucks coming up and everyone wanting to spend as much time enjoying summer instead of cooking, I thought this one would be perfect to share.

There's only three ingredients involved:

2 cans of whole green beans

1 bottle of Italian dressing

Rope Provolone cheese

Instructions:
1.  Open and drain your green beans.

2.  Dump them into a bowl with a lid.

3.  Pour the Italian dressing over the greens.  Stir.

4.  Seal the lid and put in the refrigerator for several hours to marinate.  I usually make these the night before I want to use them.

5.  Drain the beans.  Put in a serving bowl.  Spread the cheese around the edge of the bowl.

That's it.  Could it get any easier?!?  This is a great dish to take to bar-b-ques or potlucks because it doesn't have to be refrigerated or heated.  When you get to your party, you can just plop it on the table and go have fun.

Sometimes, when I'm feeling very fancy, I also add in mushrooms and artichoke hearts to the green beans and marinate them all together.  What I've found, though, is that at the end of the day the green beans go first and the mushrooms and artichoke hearts are left to feel lonely on the platter.  So recently I've been making this dish with just the green beans.  You can even skip the cheese if you want to.  Enjoy!

Linking up with:
Pint Sized Baker
Mandy's Recipe Box

Handmade Tuesday's with Kristen

Let's Be Friends Blog Hop with The Dwelling Tree

Green Fashionista and Martinis & Bikinis: Recipe Swap Eat Drink & Be Mary: Delicious Dish Tuesday Love From The Kitchen: Tuesday's Table The Diary of a Real Housewife Andrea at Momfessionals The New Mrs. Adventures Caleigh's Kitchen Pennies into Pearls

Weekending - June 5, 2015

Wow -- this was one fast weekend!  I'm going to start my weekend recap from Thursday night because it was too fun to go without giving it the attention it deserves.

Thursday night we went the Jimmy Buffett concert!!  Have you ever been to one of his performances?  The people watching is as fun as the actual concert.  You have to bust out the leis for for the night!  Eric and I had given Ian two tickets for his birthday in March, so he and Kayla joined us.  Our group also consisted of my friend Debbie, her husband Larry and their daughter Suzy.  Fun group!!  We grabbed a bite to eat at Prasino's before heading over to Hollywood Casino Amphitheater.  It was a great night to sit outside and have one big happy sing-a-long with Jimmy.

To say it was a little crowded would definitely be an understatement!  /this was probably the largest crowd I had ever seen at this outdoor venue.

Friday was a little long due to the late night on Thursday, but it was still worth it.  I mean, the weekend was in sight so who can't make it through one day being a little tired, right?!?  Eric had been golfing all day in a tournament so when I got home we spent the evening watching some things we had taped (like Married at First Sight) and called it a night pretty early.

On Saturday, Eric headed to work while I spent some time wrapping the gift I was giving that afternoon at Suzy's shower.  You might remember this post from last weekend where I talked about Suzy and her mom coming over for us to work on her invitations.  I just love this family!  Suzy has two love birds on her invitations so I thought I'd carry that over to the gift wrap on her present.  Gotta love my Silhouette die cut machine for helping me out!

I just loved the way the little gift card turned out.

The shower was just lovely.  Mandy, Suzy's sister-in-law, did a great job putting it together.  Showers are definitely on my "things I love" list and I'm thankful that Debbie and Suzy invited me to this one.  Besides the fact that it's just plain fun to attend showers and honor the bride-to-be, it's also a great place to talk to some of the people who will be attending the wedding.  I'm looking forward to the wedding even more now (if that's even possible) just to see some of the people I chatted with at the shower.

Saturday night Eric and I tried a new place for dinner - Peacemaker Lobster & Crab Co.  It may have been our first time there, but it definitely won't be out last.  Loved this place!  We had fried green tomatoes for an appetizer, lobster rolls for our entree and topped it all off with a piece of blueberry pie a la mode.  YUM!!

 The weather was nice and sunny on Sunday so I spent a couple hours in the morning sitting outside reading magazines.  Great couple of hours!!  I also hung up the beautiful hummingbird feeder Ian and Kayla gave me for Mother's Day.  It was the perfect gift for me.  Here's to hoping I have some hummingbirds eating at my house soon.

We capped off Sunday at Sherri's house sitting around the fire pit.  Perfect ending to a great weekend!

Hope you had a great weekend too!  We are going to have a busy week ahead.  My friend, Linda, and her daughter, Kelsey, are visiting next weekend and I can't wait!  Thank goodness I have visitors occasionally because it seems that's the only time I really clean the house (ummmm, Eric -- get ready to clean a lot this week).  This week I also have to pick a new favorite on The Bachelorette since my "Healer" went home last week.

Check out what others were up to this weekend.

Champagne and Suburbs

B Loved Boston

I Should Be Mopping the Floor

Life of Meg

More Pieces of Me
Bella and the City
Oak and Oats
A Cute Angle
The Quinntessential Mommy

Five on Friday - June 5, 2015

Happy Friday everyone!  Are you ready for the first weekend of June?!?  It's hard to believe that June is here already, but I'll take it.  There's so many fun things to do in the summer!  Before I get out there and start doing weekend stuff, I want to share my five for this Friday.

1.  Mimosa Muffins
Mimosa Muffins anyone?  Saw this mix on Sam's website and I must look for it the next time I'm in the store.  A little mimosa muffin with orange glaze just sounds perfect for a summertime brunch.  Speaking of brunches, it's on my summer bucket list to host a brunch for some of my friends.  Be expecting some of the brunch planning to show up on the blog and in my Pinterest pins.

2.  Spy Movie

Melissa McCarthy always makes me laugh and I love kicking back to watch her movies.  It's just a chuck of time you don't really have to think or concentrate on the plot.  Her newest movie, Spy, is popping in theaters today and I'm looking forward to seeing it.  I'm counting on it being a real hoot.

3.  Cooper's Hawk Rhubarb Wine

It seems like as the weather warms up, I like to drink wines that are a little lighter and sweeter.  My son and daughter-in-law introduced us to this Cooper's Hawk rhubarb wine and I fell in love.  The reviews say the palate is light-bodied, starting sweet but finishing on a refreshing tart note.   The color is a nice, light pink.  Just perfect for a summer evening sitting outside.

4.  Summer Fun Giveaway

If you missed this post, you missed the chance to win the big Summer Fun Giveaway.  Time's ticking so get entered today.  You don't want to miss the change to win $170, do you?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

5.  Let's waste some time.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!  Hope you do something that's fun and refreshing.  I have a bridal shower to attend on Saturday that I'm very much looking forward to.  It's for Suzy -- the lady I'm helping with her wedding (and you know how much I L-O-V-E weddings!).  I'll be back on Monday with a full recap.

Linking up with:

Rebecca at XOXO Rebecca

Jennie at The Diary of a Real Housewife

Amy at The Farmer's Wife

Amanda at Meet At The Barre

Erika at Little Bit of Everything

Hill Collection

Simply Sweet Home
High Five for Friday
5 on Friday 
The Jenny Evolution
Serenity Now

Thinking Out Loud Thursday - June 4, 2015

Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday!  I'm so pumped about today being Thursday because guess what I'm doing tonight -- I'm going to a Jimmy Buffett concert!!  Woo Hoo!!  I've been to several of his events and just love him.  Be expecting some pictures on here soon (I'll be the one with a lei and grass skirt on).

So, you've heard me talk about my obsession love of magazines before and today I'm sharing a little tidbit I saw on the website of Woman's Day.  I really dig little tricks that make you look smart and these 30 are pretty cool.  I had heard of some of the before, but many were new to me.  Check them out!



I think my favorite in number 2 - Spritz thread ends with hairspray to stiffen them when threading a needle.  GENIUS!!  I'm definitely trying that one next time I need to sew a button on.  I swear it takes me longer to thread the needle than to do the sewing.

Number 20 - Rub bathroom mirrors with shaving cream and wipe off with a soft cloth to cut down on post-shower fogging - has me intrigued.  Wonder if that really works?  Anyone tried it?  I'm just picturing an epic mess with that one.

Which one is your favorite?  Have any tricks of your own that are oh so clever?

Now the fun part -- link up to Thinking Out Loud Thursday with me and Vanessa at X-tremely Vanessa . The rules are simple.  Link back to me and Vanessa in your post and linkup your favorite post below.  Super easy!  #ThinkingOutLoudThursdays

Enjoy more Thoughts for Thursday at

Home of Malones

East Coast Chic

A Handful of Everything
Hodges Podges
Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop
All Life's Little Adventures

The Deliberate Mom
This is How We Roll