Monday, April 8, 2013

Weekend Recap!

We had some beautiful weather in Ohio this weekend!  It's FINALLY starting to look and feel like Spring!  Here's a picture recap of our weekend:

I got to wear my new NEON pink shirt and I finally got a new (super bright) phone case!


We got new carpet in our family room.  We got this same carpet in our living room about two years ago and I LOVE it.  When we found out we were getting a pretty good tax refund, we figured we could splurge and do our family room. Our house is only 8 years old so the old carpet was fine but this is SO MUCH BETTER!  It's soft and plush and tan (opposed to gray)!

Before & After
Carson loved watching the carpet installer use all of his special tools.  

Chip & Dixie love the new carpet!

Carson got his first driving lesson.  Obviously I'm joking.  We went to visit Nick at work and Carson was napping so we picked up some sandwiches and ate in the car parked in front of his work pond.  When Carson woke up we brought him up front to watch the swans in the pond!

Saturday we went to a 4th birthday party for my friend's son:
The Birthday Boy!


Carson and one of his BFFs, Hallie!

Pinata time!  (How do you make an accented n?!)

Enjoying the sunshine and some snacks!

Sunday we went to the park for a bit.  Carson tried to pretend that he was too cool for the swings but he was really having a blast. :)



After the park we went to my mom's to celebrate my "little" sister's 23rd birthday.  In less than a month she'll be a college graduate!  That makes me feel so old.
The birthday girl and her bf.

Carson wanted to help open prezzies!

Fascinated by Grammy's harmonica playing skills!




I'm linking up with Leah, Sami, and Carissa!
My Everyday Love




miscellany monday at lowercase letters


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Sunday, April 7, 2013

A Pinteresting Social Sunday

Sunday Social


1. What is your favorite outfit pin? I'm cheating and choosing 2.  I picked these because they are realistic and they're totally something I would/could put together myself!  Jeans + cardis are some of my main wardrobe staples and I LOVE flip flops and sandals in the summer....or any time! ;)

Source: polyvore.com via Emily on Pinterest


Source: polyvore.com via Emily on Pinterest
 

2. What is your favorite food pin? These have been making frequent appearances in our kitchen lately....my husband LOVES them!




3. What is your favorite wedding pin? First I'd just like to take a moment and talk about how sad it is that Pinterest was not around when I planned my wedding.  SUPER sad.  I could have done so many [more] cool projects!  I guess that means I'll have to have a vow renewal someday, right?  If I had to plan our vow renewal TODAY, this would be our color scheme:
 ;)


4. What is your favorite DIY/craft pin? This is a wreath I found pinned and I made a copycat version.  It's currently hanging on my front door and it makes me smile.  I love that it's a great neutral "between holidays" wreath!



5. What is your favorite quote/verse/lyric pin? This is something I need to work on...I get stressed SO easily.



6. Share one more random pin you love.
Source: buz
zfeed.com via Emily on Pinterest




Don't forget to follow me:   Follow Me on Pinterest


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Friday, April 5, 2013

Nails of the Week: Coral!

Happy Friday, friends!  For my nails this week I went with a shade of coral: Wet'n'Wild's Blazed.  I know it doesn't look super coral in the pictures but that's my fault for the bad lighting.  I'll post a swatch beneath my actual pictures to show the color better.  This is an older polish that I had in my stash from a year or two ago.  I'm trying to get better at re-using shades instead of doing one and done!

Here's a picture that shows the bright coral shade a little better:



I'm linking up with a couple lovely ladies today:
 

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Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Do You Wear Glasses? Do You Like Free Stuff?

I was recently contacted by a company offering me free glasses.  Seems like one of those too-good-to-be-true situations, right?  After doing some researching and emailing back and forth, I realized it was legit and decided to go ahead and accept the offer!  Firmoo has tons of glasses and they offer new customers their first pair FREE!  As you guys know, I don't wear glasses (or contacts) but I DO wear my sunglasses pretty often.  My eyes are super sensitive so whenever it's the least bit sunny out, I have my sunnies on.  When you shop through Firmoo, you can get any glasses made into sunglasses.  So cool, right?  They even have a feature that allows you to upload your photo and virtually "try on" the glasses to see how they fit with your face.  I was a little skeptical because I have a narrow face, but Firmoo has you put in precise measurements to ensure a proper fit.  (Don't worry, the measurements are super easy and they give instructions on their site!)

Click this picture to go directly to the frames I chose!

I was pleasantly surprised when my glasses arrived!  Firmoo provided a nice hard case, a soft case, an eyeglass repair kit, and a lens cleaning cloth!  So many bonuses!
Carson photo bomb!






I love just about everything about my experience with Firmoo except two small things:

1.) My sunglasses aren't as dark as I normally would prefer.  I requested 100% black tint and as you can see in the picture, you can still see through them quite a bit.
2.) Since these are regular eyeglass frames, they are not curved/contoured to fit my face like other sunglasses.  Therefore, they don't block the sun as much as I would like.

Obviously neither of these would be an issue for people ordering normal frames!  Maybe I need to order some non-prescription glasses and go for a scholarly look.  Yes?  No?  Maybe so?  :)


Here's some more information about the company:
"Firmoo is the world's most popular online eyeglasses store. We have always been committed ourselves to offering customers the best quality products at the most affordable prices which start at 8 dollars. For this reason, we have gained a solid reputation and trust from hundreds of thousands of fans on Facebook."

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Tuesday, April 2, 2013

A Spring Treat [Tasty Tuesday]

If you read my post from yesterday, you saw that one of my April goals is to get pregnant.  You'll also notice that the post was published on April 1st.  Are you picking up what I'm putting down?  April Fool's!  In hindsight, it was kind of a lame joke because we really do want our kids close in age!  We're not planning on getting pregnant just quite yet though!

I made this cute little treat for Easter, but I think it's a great treat for Spring...especially if you have some leftover peeps or candy eggs!  Before you read this post, I'll go ahead and be honest.  These weren't the most delicious treats I've made.  BUT they were pretty darn cute, right?!  The cereal I used wasn't very tasty to begin with so I wasn't surprised but I love how they turned out anyway!


Easy Bird's Nest Treats


What You Need
6 cups Fiber One bran cereal (I used the store brand)
1 bag mini marshmallows
3 Tbsp. butter or margerine
Candy eggs (I used Hershey's chocolate eggs but you could also use jelly beans or malted eggs!)
Optional: Peeps (I actually like how these look without the birds!)

How to Make Them
You're going to make the nests just like you make Rice Krispie Treats:
Melt your butter in a large pot on medium heat.  Once the butter is melted, add your marshmallows and heat until fully melted, stirring frequently.  

Remove from heat and add in your 6 cups of cereal, a few cups at a time, gently stirring.

Prepare an area for your nests, I just put some wax paper down on my counter.  

Prepare your hands to handle the treats.  The original recipe said to coat your hands with butter or shortening.  I just sprayed my hands with some non-stick cooking spray - so much easier!

Grab a handful of the cereal treat mixture and roll into a ball.  Use your thumb to push down in the center to create a nest shape.  You'll need to work quickly before the treats are completely cool because they harden up a bit.

Once your nests have completely cooled, "garnish" (ha!) with your eggs and birds!



I'm linking up with Katie & Stephanie this week:



Here is the original pin:

Source: isavea2z.com via Emily on Pinterest

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Monday, April 1, 2013

April Goals [and March Goals Update]

Before I get into my new goals for April, let's see how I did with my March goals:

1. Start "training" for my first ever 5k.  FAIL.  For the most part.  I got a jogging stroller and have only taken it out twice!  The weather has been crazy here in Ohio (last year it was in the 80's, this year we got 6" of snow)!  I wouldn't consider that a good excuse if I was running alone but I honestly can't take Carson out in that kind of weather!  I'm happy that I made it out on the couple nice days we had but I need to try to at least get on the elliptical during nap time!  :/

2. Get a haircut for myself and Carson.  SUCCESS!  Carson got his 3rd haircut (first big boy cut with the clippers) and looks adorable!  I got a little trim and my hair feels so much healthier!
I promise I didn't shrink! ;)
3. Go through my clothes and get some donations together.  FAIL.  I did donate some stuff to the National Kidney Foundation, but none of it was mine....oops!  I really need to go through my closet but I'm intimidated.  I always have an excuse for keeping something because I might want to wear it again!  I swear I'm not a hoarder, ha!

4. Read 2-3 books.  SUCCESS! I read 2 books so I met my goal!  I really liked The Pact and I need to find out when the Lifetime movie is on!  (Nerd alert.)  Ellen's book was pretty funny but it was written in a really weird way.  It wasn't what I expected...but I don't even know what I expected!


5. Go on a real date with the hubster.  FAIL!  This one makes me so sad.  We REALLY need to get out for some dates!  We did have some "day dates" with Carson, but I need to make more of an effort for kid-free dates.  Here's my excuse: he was in London for 2 weeks!  



April Goals

2/5 for my March goals is pretty bad.  40% = big fat FAIL.  I'm going to try to make my April goals a little more attainable (hopefully).  You've gotta be realistic, right? 

1. Start "training" for my first 5k.  I'm going to try this one again.  The weather should be warming up and I'm going to try to get out there with Carson and at least do some fast walking.  It's honestly embarrassing how out of shape I am!  I need a coach.

2. Go on a date with the hubster.  Trying this again, too.  I think it's so important to have kid-free time together.  We have this time every evening after Carson goes to bed, but I want to do something special together!  My goal is at least one date.  Maybe I should tell Nick about this goal, ha!

3. Read 2-3 books.  Even though I succeeded in this goal last month, I'm going to repeat it.  I really enjoy reading, but I have to force myself to actually use my free time to read lately!  I'm in a book club so I know I'll be reading at least one! 

4. Get pregnant!  Nick & I have always wanted our kids close in age so my goal is to [hopefully] get pregnant in April!  I know you can't really decide when you get pregnant, but I'm hopeful!  :)

5. Get some things done for Carson's birthday party.  I'm pretty much in denial about Carson turning one in less than 2 months.  Ugh, it makes me cry.  Even if I'm in denial, I need to push through and get some party planning done!  I have a theme in mind now I just need to start ordering/making things and plan away!

6. Snack healthier.  I'm not trying to lose weight, but I would like to start eating healthier.  The meals I make for dinner are usually [somewhat] healthy, but I'm SO bad at eating junk food for snacks between meals!  I'm a total Oreo addict and I'm guilty of eating those little prepackaged snack crackers with peanut butter.  Not the worst thing, but I could do better!  




What are your goals for April? 




I'm linking up with the lovely Carissa today:
miscellany monday at lowercase letters

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