Five on Friday - January 23, 2015

This has been a busy, busy work week for me -- but one that has been rewarding at the same time.  I have to admit, though, getting home to lay on the couch and relax is looking very good about now!  My weekending post on Monday could potentially highlight some pretty chill activities.

Let's take a look at what I'm loving this week on my Five on Friday.

1.  Skeem Roller Ball
I have two new loves going on with this one product -- the Skeem Flower Market roller ball.  Number one love -- this is my first roller ball perfume (I know, where have I been!).  This little gem fits great in my purse and when I want to refresh my scent I can just whip it out -- no fuss, no muss.  Number two love -- the scent itself.  It's a little bit jasmine and a little bit rose blossoms with a side of cedar.  You must smell this fragrance!  I might have been caught a couple times this week smelling my wrist.  Thanks, Tracy, for gifting me this new love.

2.  Sensi Thermostat

Never thought I would be so impressed with my thermostat that I'd want to blog about it, but it's happened.  Our new sleek design Sensi wifi thermostat has truly impressed Eric and me so much we can't stop telling people about it.  This programmable thermostat was a breeze to install (seriously easy -- Eric did it by himself in a matter of minutes) and both of us are enjoying have an app on our phones to control the temperature in our house.  The stats say you can save up to 30% in energy costs and if last month was an indicator, I believe it.   We don't have to program the thermostat and hope our schedule doesn't change.  You can just adjust the temperature setting remotely.  So if we're at dinner and it runs longer than we thought, our furnace isn't running away at home wasting money.  We simply turn it up when we know we're on our way and -- ta da -- it's warm by the time we get there.  Interested in getting one?  You can buy one HERE.
                                     

3.  Dark Chocolate Pomegranate
Have you tried these Brookside balls of joy?!?  Oh.My.Goodness.  They are just the right amount of sweet.  I love the description Brookside has on their website about their products:  Exotic flavors artfully blend to create the ultimate chocolate experience.  Pair them with fine food and drink. Celebrate special moments every day.  Savor the sophistication.  

                                                  

4.  National Handwriting Day
Did you know today was National Handwriting Day?  Well, January 23 has been National Handwriting Day since 1977.  This particular day has been set aside to celebrate writing on real paper with pens and pencils because it's John Hancock's birthday -- clever, don't you think.  So, in honor of National Handwriting Day, I'd like to show you some adorable note cards by one of my favorite designers Katie Daisy.  Aren't they just the cutest things?!?  I've admired her designs on Etsy for a while and was so excited to hear you can now buy some of her line at Barnes & Noble.  So come on everybody -- let's write a note to someone special in our lives.

                                          

5.  Best Friend Humor

                        

Hope you guys have a great weekend!  Monday will be here before you know it, so get out there and do something fun.  Oh, and hey -- don't forget to register to win the giveaway I'm participating in right now for a Tarte Tartelette Palette.  You are enter HERE.

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

The Grits Blog

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

Tartelette Giveaway!

Hello friends!!  I'm so excited to be involved in this fabulous giveaway!  Check it out -- who wouldn't want to win this great gift?!?  Please enter below -- I'll keep my fingers crossed that you win.

 Southern Beauty Guide | Re•solve | Southern Hope | My So-Called Chaos | 

A hundred tiny wishes | Penny's Passion | The Dwelling Tree | Glitz & Grits  |
 Musings of a Museum Fanatic

How is 2015 treating you so far? Today is giveaway day! I look forward to giveaways like this one where I can help giveaway something amazing. The Tarte Tartelette palette is simply amazing. If you love matte shadows, or makeup in general then you will absolutely love this palette. To start off the year on a good note myself and all the ladies above are giving away 2 of these palettes! Amazing right?! Make sure you enter below and check out all the amazing bloggers above.  Good luck! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

<---end data-blogger-escaped-html---="">

Weekending - January 16, 2015

This weekend was epic!  After working late on Friday, I rose bright and early Saturday morning to travel across the state of Missouri to Kansas City to celebrate Haley's 21st birthday.  Even though I was in Kansas City for less that 24 hours, I wouldn't have wanted to do anything else on Saturday but enjoy the company of my good friends on that side of the state and honor Haley's special birthday.

While traveling on highway 70, I noticed several new message boards the state is displaying with safety messages.  Hats off to them for trying to get these important messages communicated.  A few of the cuter ones read:

Buckle up - Windshields hurt

Brighten up a gray day.  Turn on your headlights.

Turn signals.  The original instant message.

Haley chose Zio's as the destination for her birthday dinner.  I had never been to a Zio's before and found it quite tasty.

                                       

We had a party of 20 and with an advanced reservation, they had no problem accommodating us.  This kid-friendly restaurant was the perfect place for dinner!

It was so fun to see Haley open her present from her mom, Linda.  Haley is a huge Billy Joel fan and it was on her bucket list to see him in concert.  Well, she will soon be crossing that off her list because she is the proud recipient of Billy Joel concert tickets!!  

After dinner, the girls headed out for some singing and dancing at Howl at the Moon in the Power and Light District.  Fun times!                                  

Haley was a real sport about being called up on stage.  She's just so darn cute!!  Side note -- if you are planning a trip to Howl at the Moon with a group, it's a great idea to reserve a table.  We had excellent seats close the the stage and dance floor.  

This was definitely a fun evening that we'll be talking about for quite some time.  You know, it may seem crazy for me to drive to KC this weekend just for a few hours, but the memory of this event will be with me for a long, long time.  At the end of the day when I look back and reflect on my life, I'll be so happy I decided to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.  I know there was a lot of things I could have been doing if I stayed home (like getting those Christmas trees taken down), but really what's going to make your life fuller?  Yes, for me the best place to be was in Kansas City sharing this moment with my friends.  Life is full of choices -- we should really think about what is going to add value to our life and try to make those things happen.  Deciding to sit on the sideline just isn't something I want to do with my time on this earth.  Happy, happy birthday Haley!

P.S.  When I got home on Sunday, the Christmas trees FINALLY came down.  :)

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

Five on Friday - January 16, 2015

Hello, Friday!!  I've been waiting for you all week!  I'm off to Kansas City this weekend to help my friend Linda's daughter celebrate her 21st birthday.  Whoop!  Whoop!  It's not often I get to party with a 21-year-old so I'm bumped.  Hope I can keep up!  If you missed my 21 thoughts for her, you can catch them here and here.

Here's this week's Five on Friday.

1.  Don't Wait Until the Last Minute To Do Your Makeup
Did you guys see Hannah Storm during the Green Bay Game last weekend?  I laugh every single time I see this.  I bet she's a gem to work for.

2.    New Album
Mark Ronson's Uptown Special album launched on January 15.  This is the fourth album by this producer-songwriter-musician.  I'm in love with the song he did with Bruno Mars.  There's also collaborations from Tronbone Shorty, the Dap-Kings and Kevin Parker.

                                         
                                        

3.  Spicy Pretzels
The picture below looks like some ordinary pretzels, right?  Well, don't let the picture fool you!  These babies are SPICY pretzels.  With the football playoff games and parties coming up, I thought I'd share this gem of a recipe with you.  Easy to make and oh so good!

1 ½  lbs of tiny twist pretzels

1 Package Hidden Valley Ranch Mix

2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp Garlic Salt

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 Cup oil

Preheat oven to 200°.  Put pretzels in a large bowl with a lid.  In a separate bowl, mix all other ingredients.  Pour mixture over pretzels.  Put the lid on the bowl and shake well for several minutes.  Dump all the pretzels on a cookie sheet (they will all be mounded on top of each other—that’s ok).  Bake for 30 minutes and then stir them up.  Bake for another 30 minutes. 

                                          

4.  AT&T Refund

If you use AT&T, you might be interested in this:

AT&T Mobility, LLC, has agreed to settle allegations that it charged mobile customers without their permission for third-party services like ringtones, wallpapers, and text message subscriptions for horoscopes, flirting tips, and celebrity gossip. Current and former AT&T customers who paid for unauthorized third-party charges after January 1, 2009 may apply for refunds.

The FTC has hired Epiq Systems to process refund requests for this case. You should not expect to receive your refund for at least 9 months.  If you have questions, call 1-877-819-9692. Claims can't be taken over the phone, but you can request a paper claim form.  Claims must be filed by May 1, 2015.  Visit https://www.ftcsettlementatt.com/en/Claim to file your claim.

                                              

5.  If only we could all live by this....

                        

Have a great weekend guys!  I'll be back on Monday to do a recap of my weekend in Kansas City celebrating Haley's birthday.  

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

The Grits Blog

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

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Thoughts on Thursday - Haley's Turning 21 v. 2

Today is Haley's 21st birthday.  Happy birthday, Haley!!  Last week I started my 21 thoughts for her and today I'd like to finish with the last 11.  In case you missed it, you can see the first 10 here.  Haley is my friend Linda's oldest daughter and I've loved her since she was born.  I can't wait to get to Kansas City this weekend to be a part of the birthday celebrations!

11.  Show Empathy
Let me share a little story with you:  There was a father on a subway with 4 children.  The children were being loud, crawling over others, and generally misbehaving -- all the while, the father sat silently, not even trying to control his children.  After some time, a passenger said to the man, "Sir, can you please get your children under control".  The gentleman looked over at the passenger and as a tear slid down his face he said, "I'm so sorry.  Their mother just died and I have no idea what I'm going to do without her.  She was the love of my life and best mother these children will ever have."  You never know what's happening in other's lives.  Show empathy.

12.  Don't Panic  
There are going to be a lot of times in your life when something goes drastically wrong, you forget a meeting, your deadline gets moved up, etc., etc.  Don't panic!  No one is motivated by a blithering idiot who is running around like a chicken with their head cut off.  Stay calm, take a deep breath and work through your issue.  By staying calm, others around you will stay calm.  Win, win.

13.  Love Your Sister
Since Kelsey was a baby, she looked up to you like only a little sister can.  You can see the love in her eyes when she talks about you or is sitting next to you.  Even in those moments when it appears like she doesn't love you, you can still see that deep down she does.  God didn't bless everyone with a sister, so don't take advantage of your blessing.  And she can sing musicals with you like no one else ever could.

14.  Pick Out Your Clothes The Night Before
Just trust me on this one -- your day will be off to such a smoother start if you pick out your clothes the night before.

15.  Say You're Sorry
If you've made someone sad, mad and/or disappointed, say you're sorry.  PROFUSELY AND EMPHATICALLY SAY YOU ARE SORRY.  Don't do the "I'm sorry, but blah, blah, blah."  Just be sorry.  Period.  And then try really hard not to do the thing you did to cause the need for the I'm sorry in the first place.

16.  Dance
Don't wait until you're on the Ellen show to bust a move -- just dance anytime you feel the urge come over you (and sometimes even when you don't feel the urge).  Definitely dance when group dancing is happening.  Don't be the girl sitting quietly at a table -- get out on the dance floor and have some fun.

17.  Life Isn't Fair
Fact - as sad as it may be, sometimes life just isn't fair.  Keep your head up and get on with it.  Don't wallow around in self petty because life isn't fair.  It sometimes just isn't.  Move on.

18.  Find a Hobby
Search for a hobby that will bring you joy.  It's so nice to look forward to doing a fun project on a cold, winter day when there's nothing else to do.  If you find the right hobby, it will be one you fondly anticipate starting, feel exuberant while doing it and you're proud of it when it's finished.  Greatest feeling in the world!

19.  Give Compliments
Let's face it, who doesn't love hearing a compliment!  If you like what someone is wearing, tell them.  If you notice someone's new hair cut, tell them.  Giving out compliments is free and limitless.  Go ahead -- make someone's day by giving them a compliment.

20. Use All Your Senses
Sight.  Hearing.  Taste.  Touch.  Smell.  Enjoy them all!  Savor the taste of your food when you put it in your mouth.  Enjoy the touch of a baby's soft skin.  Listen to the sound of the ocean waves crashing to shore.  Breath in deep when the honeysuckle is in bloom.  Don't cheat yourself by not using all your senses to enjoy the beauty of life.

21.  Be Yourself 
You are a beautiful, intelligent, resilient young woman.  Learn who you are and what you want.  You have your whole life in front of you -- please make the most of it.  Don't settle -- God has big plans for you!  We can't wait to continue to see the wonderful things you do in life.

Love you Haley!

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

Let's Be Friends Blog Hop - January 13, 2015

Welcome to the Let's Be Friends Blog Hop!

A blog hop is a set time frame for current or aspiring bloggers to find new blogs and quality content. It is a great way to make new friends and find inspiration! It is also a fabulous way to promote your own blog and posts.

Dear Friends,

What a day to celebrate! This is the 100th week of the Let's Be Friends blog hop! Thanks for joining us on this special day. Chelsee and Tiffany are extremely delighted to see the way this hop has grown and love to see your faces each week!

To celebrate 100 weeks of linking up, we are giving away a $25 Starbucks gift card along with free ad space on a few blogs this week to one of you amazing bloggers. THANK YOU for helping us keep this link up going on so long- it is wonderful to see how many bloggers have connected via this small weekly event.

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

An InLinkz Link-up

Weekending - January 9, 2015

Wow -- weekends go by so super fast.  I needed to get the Christmas decorations put away and that's a chore I truly dread every year.

Eric was off work on Saturday (which doesn't happen often enough) so I hated wasting our time together by doing a task neither of us really like.  So we went out and about instead.  I know, not all that responsible, but a lot more fun than staying home working on taking down the Christmas stuff.

Saturday we met our friends Sharyn, Eric and their daughter, Audrey, for lunch at PF Chang's.  We hadn't had an opportunity to exchange Christmas presents with them so Saturday was our day.  I love what they gave us - a tea sampler from Harry & David and some dip.  We gave Audrey some new covers for her cell phone.  Audrey is a fun little girl that keeps us entertained.  We just love her!

Hey, speaking of the gift we gave Audrey.  Super fun idea.  I got her some clear phone case covers and made several paper backings to go inside.  She can change out the covers to go with her mood, holiday or activity.  Super easy, fun gift that was very well received!  I'll have to show you pictures in a future post.

We did a little shopping and picked up some items I've been looking at to enhance my photos for my blog.  I see other blogs with these gorgeous photos and it makes me cringe when I think of some of mine.  Hopefully you'll be able to see an improvement in the future.  Not promising all my photos will be improved -- sometimes you just have to share a quick click from your cell phone, right?!?

Sunday morning I drank some hot tea from my new collection and soaked in one last morning reading by the Christmas tree in our bedroom.  I can not recommend enough having a tree in your bedroom.  The lights are so peaceful.  Anyone else love having a tree in their bedroom?

Favorite new ornament this year?  This sweet gem my friend, Tracy, gave me for my birthday in honor of my blog.  Funny thing about my blog -- I have friends who have been so supportive by sharing my posts on Facebook, commenting, sending me cute notes about my posts.  Then I have a group of friends who are half in.  They read sometimes, rarely comment and hardly ever bring it up to me.  The last group likes to pretend it just doesn't exist.

I saw this fact on Facebook and thought I might need it on Sunday if the weather predictions were accurate for the day.  Turns out we got rain, but not a lot of "freezing" rain so I didn't mix up a batch.  I'm definitely saving it for next time though.

                            

I truly had every intention of getting the trees down Sunday afternoon, but I might have gotten sucked in to doing a little binge watching of Homeland.  We're not expecting company at the house this week, so no one will really realize our trees are still up.  Right???

Then Sunday night we had to watch the Golden Globes!  I just LOVE award season.  I felt a little behind this year -- there were several TV shows and movies I had not seen.  There will be some catching up to do before the Oscars!!

                                

Now Monday is breathing down my neck.  I'm still thinking we should work two days and be off five.  This is the week leading up to Haley's 21st birthday.  If you missed my post to her on Thursday, you can read it here.  I'll be finishing up my 21 thoughts to her this Thursday.  Hope you stop in to read them.  Until then -- have a great 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