Five on Friday - September 5, 2014

1.  Scooby Snack

I'll be headed to Kansas City next weekend for Girls Weekend and was reviewing some cocktail options to take with me.  I remembered my friend Sherri and I having Scooby Snacks and we swore it made our skin glow.  Think I'll take the ingredients to make these:

SCOOBY SNACK

1/2 oz. (15ml) Midori

1/2 oz. (15ml) Coconut Rum

Splash Pineapple Juice

Splash Whipped Cream

Shake

Top with Whipped Cream

2.  Tailgate Emergency Kit

Our family is invited to tailgate with some friends on Sunday to welcome the first game of the Rams season.  I made this little tailgate emergency kit for them as a thank you.  Hopefully no one will need any of the stuff inside, but just in case they do they will be ready.  A full post containing the 411 on making a kit of your own will be coming soon.  Hope the Rams are as ready for the season as we are!

 

 

3.  Breaking Bad

Monday was a total binge watching day for me.  I know I'm late to the Breaking Bad party, but man -- I could not stop watching this on Monday!  I started the weekend about midway through Season 2 and by Tuesday morning I was on the first episode of Season 5.  Yes, that's A LOT of watching Breaking Bad.  Anyone else a binge watcher?

 

                                                  

 

4.  Power Bank

Eric brought home a little surprise for me one night this week -- a portable power bank with LED flashlight.  This is a real gem!  I'm notorious for forgetting to charge my phone then when we're out I have no power.  Well, this little baby charges it in a jiffy.  It came with 4 types of connectors so it will work with all my mobile devices.  If you're one that could use some extra juice every now and again, this could be for you.  The flashlight is an added bonus.  And he was smart enough to get my favorite color - pink. 

 

5.  Guardian Angel

If you know me, you know this is probably true.

 

                                                     

 

I'm off with Tracy, Sherri and Carol for a girl's night out tonight.  Hope you're doing something fun too!

 

Linking up with:

Rebecca at XOXO Rebecca

Jennie at The Diary of a Real Housewife

Lauren at The Lauren Elizabeth

Amy at The Farmer's Wife

Amanda at Meet At The Barre



Thoughts for Thursday - September 4, 2014

Okay -- here's a confession.  I am definitely NOT a techie. Honestly, I have so much respect for those people who ARE, but I'm just not one of them.  I just recently moved up to an iPhone 4s - yes, just a 4.  The salesperson at the cell phone store tried to get me to move up to a 5.  When he asked me why I was happy getting a phone that was already outdated and I cited dollars as the reason, he boldly said to me, "Lady, money isn't everything."  True, but truth be told I knew I wouldn't even know what to do with half the features a 5 had anyway.

                                     
But if you happen to be a proud owner of the iPhone 5, you might be interested in this.  Apple has discovered that a group (they call it a small number) of their iPhone 5 phones have faulty batteries.  If you experience shorter battery life or the need to charge frequently, you should go HERE to see if you qualify for getting a new battery.  Good luck!

Hope to see you back here tomorrow for Five on Friday!

Enjoy more Thoughts for Thursday at

Home of Malones

East Coast Chic

Weekending Labor Day Style



This has shaped up to be an outstanding weekend!  When I left work on Friday, we had very few plans for the weekend by design.  After a super busy week, I was looking forward to some true down time and felt pretty good about the lack of events on our social calendar.

Some exciting news came in on Friday when I received an acceptance note into the Missouri Women Bloggers.  I'm pumped to be participating in this organization.  If you are a blogger from Missouri, check out the link above.

Friday night we headed to the Midwest Wingfest in Fairview Heights, Illinois.  With 18 vendors serving wings, it was hard to pick which ones to buy.  Since I'm not a fan of eating wings in public, I chose a bacon-wrapped shrimp kabob.  Yes, it was delicious!  I really need to try making these at home.  While there, we also had a chance to hear the Jeremiah Johnson Band -- fun stuff.

Saturday I whipped up some note cards.  I have a few packages I hope to get out this week and will be using these cards with them.  It was so easy to put these together -- my Silhouette cutting machine did most of the work and I just had to do the gluing.  Pretty cute -- don't you think?

                                         

In the evening, our friend Sherri joined us at the Moonshine Grill to listen to some live music and enjoy some of these tasty cocktails.

Yummy!

Sunday was a total relaxation day.  We binge-watched Breaking Bad (we're mid way through Season 3) and I finished the book Ladies' Night by Mary Kay Andrews.  It was the first book I read by her and thoroughly enjoyed it.  It had humor and several twists I didn't see coming -- overall, fun summer read.  

                                                        

Now I have Monday to plan out the week and do some meal planning.  I've been terrible about preparing food at home, so I'm making it my goal to do a better job in September.  Have a great week everyone!

Linking Up With:

Biana at BLoved Boston                                          

Meghan at Champagne and Suburbs

Leeann at Join the Gossip       

Five on Friday - August 29, 2014

Well, if you wanted to get something done in August and you haven't done it, you better get on it because this month is winding down!  This month has flown by and I have to admit, I'm looking forward to Fall.  Don't get me wrong, I've had a great summer.  But there's something about Fall that's comforting to me.  I'll tell you what else is comforting -- that today is Friday and I have a three day weekend comin'!  Here's this week's Five on Friday.

1.  About Me
I finished my "About Me" page.  Pop over and give it a glance. 

2.  Giveaway
This is the very first giveaway I've been a part of!  If you'd like to participate, here's the details.

 

For starters we are handing out $180.

That's a lot of moola that I surely wouldn't turn my nose up to.

 Secondly, the winner will get to choose any pair of darling earrings from Emma & Sophia.

Yes please.

And thirdly, a Big Spender ad space on A Fresh Start on a Budget's blog.

Not too shabby.

Check out all of the darling gals below and get entered!!

Heaven with a Wild Side | Shoes to Shiraz | Leaving the Corner & Dipping my Toes | Modded Momma | 2 Cats & Chloe
Lot 48 | The Farmer's Wife
Penny's Passion | Simply Love
September Farm | More from Meg
A Fresh Start on a Budget | Classy Living

a Rafflecopter giveaway

3.  Apothic Dark

My favorite seasonal wine is back at Sam's!!  One wine critic writes, "Heady nose. Mostly smokey black raspberries with a hint of chocolate and blueberries. Medium finish, medium minus tannins, light sweet aftertaste. Very tasty.".  My personal review is, "Tastes great.  I love it.  Two thumbs up!".  It's under $10 -- if you like red wine you should consider picking up a bottle.

 

4.  Mascara

I had a bad case of "I deserve this" on Saturday when I was out and about running errands, which led me to purchase this new Urban Decay lush lash mascara.  At $20, it's more expensive than I usually spend on mascara.  I've been using it all week and I can honestly say I'm in love.  Hey, if people on Bachelor in Paradise can fall in love in 24 hours, I'm entitled to love this mascara after using it for a week.  Doesn't smudge or leave black goo in the corner of your eye.  Anyone else have a mascara they can't live without?

                                             

5.  Watch out!

 Have a great holiday weekend everyone!  Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you back here next week.

 

Linking Up With:

Jennie at The Diary of a Real Housewife

Lauren at The Lauren Elizabeth

Amanda at Meet At The Barre

Amy at The Farmer's Wife

 

 

 



Giveaway

Hey guys -- just wanted to remind you of the fun giveaway I'm participating in this week.  Here's what you can win:

 

For starters we are handing out 180 dollars.

That's right - $180.
 

 Secondly, the winner will get to choose any pair of darling earrings from Emma & Sophia.

Yes please.

And thirdly, a Big Spender ad space on A Fresh Start on a Budget's blog.

Not too shabby.

Check out all of the sponsoring sites below and get entered!!

Heaven with a Wild Side | Shoes to Shiraz | Leaving the Corner & Dipping my Toes | Modded Momma | 2 Cats & Chloe
Lot 48 | The Farmer's Wife
Penny's Passion | Simply Love
September Farm | More from Meg
A Fresh Start on a Budget | Classy Living

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Linking up with Annie and Natalie for Thoughts for Thursday.  Also linking to Jacqueline at Stylin in St. Louis.

Tuesday Recipe Sharing

Tonight I'm headed to church for a women's club meeting.  Each month we gather to share good food and good thoughts.  Almost all the women in this group are older than I am -- many in their 70s and 80s.  They are a fun group to get to know and I walk away feeling energized.

Since I work during the day and will be headed to the meeting straight from there, the dish I take needs to be something I can whip up the night before.  This month I'm taking this Cookie Dough Dip I've had pinned on Pinterest for quite a while.

Cookie Dough Dip Recipe

Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

The most delicious recipe for cookie dough dip you've ever tasted.

Author: Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch

Recipe type: Dessert, Appetizer

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup toffee bits

Instructions

1. Cream together cream cheese and butter.
2. Add all remaining ingredients and mix until well-combined.
3. Serve with graham crackers or apple wedges.

Notes

Do NOT use reduced fat cream cheese as it may cause your dip to have the wrong consistency.

Robyn wasn't joking when she said the prep time was 10 minutes.  And the taste test Eric and I did after making it was very favorable, too.  I'm sure this dish will be a hit at my meeting tonight! 

Linking up with:

Emily and Kate for Tuesday's Recipe Swap

Handmade Tuesday's with Kristen

Let's Be Friends Blog Hop with The Dwelling Tree and Southern Beauty Guide

Weekending and a Giveaway

Monday is here already?!?  This weekend was a good blend of work and play.  It was hot folks.  I mean like heat index of 106 hot.  So the heat did help keep me inside and doing some chores I've been putting off for years quite a while.

Friday night I got the honor of helping a good friend babysit her three adorable grand daughters.  One of them is 3 and the twins are just a few months old.  It was so fun listening to the 3 year-old tell her stories while cuddling a baby!

Saturday I ran some errands and finally picked up the Sally Hansen nail gel (that doesn't require the light).  This stuff is supposed to stay on your nails for 2 weeks!  Painted my nails on Sunday so the clock is ticking -- we'll see how long it lasts.  Anyone else tried it?

Sunday night we attended the Jeff Beck/ZZ Top concert and sat outside.  Thank goodness there was a great breeze blowing most of the time.  

And that puts us at Monday morning.  To start the week off right, I'm participating in a giveaway.  Who wants some cold, hard cash?!?  I'm teaming up with my blog friend Amy and below is her post on the giveaway.  Please join in and good luck!

We are making it rain up in here.

Figuratively.

{Keep the real rain drops away, until the field is baled into hay. #farmproblems}

My truly lovely sponsors and I have some dope prizes to giveaway.

Any by dope, I mean sexy.

And by sexy, I mean ah-mazing!

For starters we are handing out 180 dolla-billz.

That's a lot of moola that I surely wouldn't turn my nose up to.

 Secondly, the winner will get to choose any pair of darling earrings from Emma & Sophia.

Yes please.

And thirdly, a Big Spender ad space on A Fresh Start on a Budget's blog.

Not too shabby.

Check out all of the darling gals below and get entered!!

Heaven with a Wild Side | Shoes to Shiraz | Leaving the Corner & Dipping my Toes | Modded Momma | 2 Cats & Chloe
Lot 48 | The Farmer's Wife
Penny's Passion | Simply Love
September Farm | More from Meg
A Fresh Start on a Budget | Classy Living

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have a great week everyone! Linking up with Leann, Meghan, and Biana for some weekending fun.