Weekly Wonders: February 13th, 2013

I feel like this year has already flown by, where did all the time go? I am busier than I have ever been but I can’t tell you why, I am not doing anything terribly special right now.

I scored these awesome wedges at Dillard’s shoe sale this past weekend. They were just 20 dollars! Woot! You can never have too many nude wedges! (Not saying that I may already a pair or two or three…)

I also snagged this shirt. As I walked to the  counter to purchase it, I saw no less than 3 other girls trying it on! Mint is so in right now and the fit of the shirt is just perfect. You can dress it up or down, which I love!

These adorable Valentines were thought of by my brilliant mother. My little brother filled the bags with “gourmet” popcorn (i.e. boy scout popcorn) and simply stapled on tags for each kid and teacher!

I joined something new: Girls On The Run. So far it has been a challenge (hello, 9 year old attention spans!) and the most fun! You help train 3rd through 5th grade girls to run a 5k but it is about so much more than that! I just love being part of something so special! I’ve just finished the first week but I can already start to feel a bond with my girls. Hey, maybe I will even get in better shape too.

Finn won first place at a walkathon this past weekend! He was the first dog to cross the finish line (and the cutest! Not that I am biased or anything).  I think B was more proud than Finn, the ribbon is now taped to his door!

Fresh Pomegranate Mimosas

 

I love a good mimosa but sadly, I have really bad acid reflux and I try not to drink citrus juices (which totally sucks, seriously, EVERYTHING has acid). So for Thanksgiving, I wanted to have a fun grown up drink and we eat early around 1-2ish so I did not want anything too heavy. Enter the mimosa, and to make it more Fall-esque (is that even a word? it is now!) the pomegranate seemed the the perfect choice. All you need to do is juice pomegranates!

To Juice:

1) Wear an apron or cry about it later.

2) On a hard surface, roll the pom with the heel of you hand. It will make popping noises if done correctly. (Also, if squeezed too much it will leak. That may have happened a time or two!)

3) Use a large knife to slice the pomgranite over a bowl, and let the fluid drain.

4) Either using the knife or your hands (skillz needed) to tear the pomegranate in two. Carefully place seeds in a metal mesh strainer and use something ( I used this cool wooden masher thing my Mimi had, don’t know what it is called) to smash out all the juice.

5) Expect it to be an arduous process as each one yields between 1/3 to 1/2 juice.

Pomegranate Mimosas:

1) About 1/3 cup of juice to 6oz. of Champagne

*Add a garnish like blackberries for extra fanciness!

Valentine’s Swag Dollies

 

So Valentine’s Day is right around the corner (and I have yet to finish making mine!). I came up with this simple swag. It took me about 5 minutes to make and another 2 minutes to hang (had to adjust spaces between hearts). It would make a great surprise on Valentine’s Day morning. I hung mine in my bathroom mirror for a little cheer in the morning as I am getting ready!  Check out my previous Valentine’s Day Decor!

Materials:

9 Dollies

Baker’s Twine

Needle

Nail Polish Necklace

 

I saw this nail polish tutorial and I have been obsessed ever since. I have constantly been on the look out for the perfect brooch to paint, but yesterday I was cleaning out my jewelry box and I found the perfect piece. I bought this necklace from Express forever ago, I was going through an obnoxious faze I guess. I did wear it as part of a costume once and it was perfect ( I was an Cat Burglar but everyone thought I was an AristoCat, ugh!). That was two years ago, and it has been sitting in my jewelry box ever since and thus it was the perfect thing to DIY. It was actually pretty simple, I did it while skyping with a friend. I ended up using 3 layers of nail polish and I highly recommend using glittery nail polish (fine fine fine glitter).

Weekly Wonderings: February 6th, 2013

 

  Can you believe it is already the 2nd month of 2013? My does time fly! I did something drastic yesterday, and I was so nervous about it Monday that I couldn’t even concentrate on anything else! I booked the appointment Monday afternoon which meant I only had 24 hours to freak out about it. Smart thinking there. It was over so fast I did not even get a good photo before. I cut my hair, but not like trim, oh no no, I donated over 10 inches to Locks of Love. I am so proud that I could help someone in need out but it’s quite the change for me. I suddenly have short (ish) hair. For me, this seems crazy! My hair was down to the middle of my back and now it just brushes my shoulders. The weeks leading up to this, I would take a piece of paper and hold it up to my hair to get a rough guess. In my head, it just always seemed like 10 inches wouldn’t take off that much but I knew I had to do it! My hair was getting ridiculous, it took forever to dry or straighten or curl or do anything with! I am super excited to get to try all these new hair things I can do now but believe me, I have already started taking Biotin!

 

Coming home to this made everything much easier! He’s four months now!!!!

Gracious Gifts: Tea Lovers

  Yesterday, I had coffee with a dear friend. The one who loves themes picnics like me (French, Mexican, etc.) Sadly, she is leaving me for two months to go work a festival in NYC. While I am terribly excited for her, I am going to miss our picnics! We finally got around to exchanging Christmas gifts ( I know so terribly late). She loves tea so I gather some fun tea supplies for her. First off, a great loose leaf chocolate tea. A box of tea cookies and last but not least, a tea magazine! These three things made the perfect little gift. Since the three things all fit one theme, it made them seem like adorable gift set. She got me the most adorable cheese knife set and a wheel of good French cheese!