Cancel your plans tomorrow...

...because both Lilly and Jack Rogers will be on Rue La La tomorrow! 

Yay! Can't wait! Get there fast though because they go fast!

DIY Hair Ties

Hello, and happy Tuesday! Today I had a wonderful day crafting with my mother in law! She left around lunch time, and just kept on craftin'! I have a really simple DIY project to blog about today... and it could save you a lot of money!

Hair ties (or pony tail holders) are a staple for just about every girl. The latest 'trend' in hair ties are these ribbon hair ties. Their claim to fame is that they leave less of a crease and are nicer to hair. Since using them my hair is much less damaged around where I wear my ponytail. The downside- they can be quite pricey! The first pack I bought from Target was around $8.00.. and selling online for almost $12!

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After some quick research, I figured out how to make my own and save A LOT of money while doing it. The key is to buy the elastics, which are called fold over elastics, from Etsy.

I bought 12 yards of elastic for less than 8 dollars!!! That's enough for 48 hair ties!! There are lots of shops on Etsy to choose from, I chose ShekhinahPalace.

                                                             

 To make the hair ties all you have to do is cut the elastic to the length you like (I usually cut somewhere from 8-9 inches), tie in a knot and you're done! I like to run a lighter along the edge of the elastic to seal the ends.. but you don't have to.

 

 

Have a great rest of the day!!

Friday Five: Monograms Galore!

I love to craft... and a few days ago something came into my life that will change my crafting forever! A silhouette machine! This machine will cut literally anything... including (drumroll please) MONOGRAMS!

{Silhouette}

 

Here are some projects that I did today...

 

 

 

 And I've pinned about a million other ideas.... so excited!

This weekend my husband and I are going on a float trip with some of my high school friends, then going to the lake on Sunday. After that I have about one more week of freedom before meetings at school start to happen.

Hope you have a good weekend!

True Life: I'm addicted to shopping....

Get. The. Credit. Card. Away. From. Me!

I feel like I have been on a shopping spree for the past two months... School needs to start ASAP!! Out of sheer guilt I don't even want to include pics of all the stuff that I've bought recently.. so I'll just include a few of my faves :)

 

 

 

Monogrammed state tanks from Clawed Denim on Etsy. Wanna know something weird? As I was ordering these, I found out that the girl that makes them is my brother's girlfriend's college roommate. Talk about a small world!! These tanks are so cute and perfect for summer.

 

Monogrammed clutch from a boutique in St. Louis, J. A. Whitney. This store is bad news bears... I can't go in there without finding a million things I want.

 

                                                    This colorful necklace... die!

This is called a 'blessing bracelet'... it has Benedictine crosses on it, and is a little reminder to glorify God with all that you do.


Well guys, that's all for today... I certainly hope my husband isn't reading this... lol.

Have a great Thursday!

 

 

Gym Slump

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When it comes to working out and eating healthy.. the key for me is momentum. When I go to the gym regularly I find it so much easier to eat healthy, which makes me want to go to the gym the next day... all in all its a feeling great and being happy cycle. But then when I miss a day or two at the gym, I don't know what it is but the unhealthy foods just seem to appeal to me! One day turns into another, and I find myself in a slump!

Take for instance my recent trip to Minnesota... one week with no gym, and no real way to work out (unless I wanted to be munched on my a million mosquitos while running), coupled with yummy unhealthy foods and cocktails almost every night... I felt BLAH! And on top of that, I was dreading getting back into the swing of things once we got back to St. Louis.... 

But today, I finally broke through that slump! I've been eating lots of fruits, veggies, lean protein and brown rice since we've been back, and did an hour of cardio this morning at the gym! Now I'm off to take a pilates class... can you tell I'm feeling better?!

What do you do to break out of your gym slump?

I'm Back!!

And I'm back! I've been vacationing with my husband's family and family friends for the last week in Nisswa, Minnesota! It was so relaxing to be "off the grid" and we had a blast. There were about 20 of us and one baby... so there was never a dull moment! Here are some pics...

                                                    Lots of pretty sunsets!

                                           Fishing for the boys

                                            And shopping for the girls!

                                           Lots of time with this little hunk!

                         And what trip up north would be complete without making s'mores!?

Sometimes it great to take a break from reality... but I can't believe school starts back in a matter of weeks!

 

Caprese Pasta + a Few Tricks in the Kitchen

Guys... I just had the BEST pasta ever! So naturally, I had to post it ASAP. The best part? Everything was already in my pantry/fridge. And it only took about 20 mins to make.

 

What you'll need: (recipe makes one serving.. adjust as necessary)
-1 tomato
-1 serving of pasta (I used Trader Joe's linguine)
-1 TBSP Olive oil
-1 garlic glove
-Handful of green onion
-1/3 cup mozzarella cheese
-4-5 green or kalamata olives
-Sprig of basil


What to do:

-Cook pasta according to package directions
-As pasta is cooking, dice tomato
-Add tomato, olive oil and green onions to skillet, cook on medium low heat for 10-15 mins
-Dice mozzarella cheese and olives, set aside
-Once pasta is cooked, add to tomato mixture. Tear up basil and add to pasta.
-Add cheese and olives to pasta, mix together over medium heat. Cheese should melt and get stringy and delicious looking.
-Add salt and pepper to taste (I add a pinch of red pepper for a little kick!)

This pasta was especially easy thanks to a few little tricks...

1. Trader Joes sells frozen crushed garlic.... genius! You don't have to spend any time peeling and crushing garlic. (I obviously need to go get more, used my last one today!)

 

2. Chop and freeze your green onion. I can never use it all before it goes bad.. but it lasts a long time in the freezer.

3. Grow your own basil! I started this plant from a little tiny one that I got from Walmart to 1.99. It is a super hardy herb that will save you money if you use if often in cooking.

Enjoy!