SoBe styles.

SoBe is less than a month away - so, I need to get some cute dresses for the trip.  Forever 21 has these cute little numbers that I think I need to check out:

xoxo,

M

Have you BirchBoxed yet?

So, recently I heard about BirchBox - a site where you pay 10 a month and receive a box full of 4-5 samples from luxe beauty companies (one of the samples will actually be a full sized product that is worth a lot more than the $10 bucks you pay).  After much little debate in my head, I signed up! From what I've read about BirchBox you receive some great samples...plus, you earn points which you can trade in for amounts off of a full size product.  I think it's a win/win situation.  I will let you know what I think after I receive my first box full of goodies.

Happy Friday!

P.S.A.

So, JWP and I love us some asparagus, we probably eat it like 3 times a week.  Well, if you love asparagus (or asparagi, as JWP calls it) like we do, then you know that for the past couple of months it has been expensive...$$$$! So, last week when Publix had it on sale, I purchased 3 packages and figured I would freeze them to use at a later date. [insert dumb move here]. I thought I was being so economical - but, boy was I wrong because when we thawed out a package for last night's dinner all of the asparagus was mushy .... boo! So, instead of saving us money, I threw about $8.00 down the drain (or in the trash).  But, I wanted my peeps to learn from my mistake - do not freeze asparagus!

Happy Thursday!

xoxo,

M

L.O.V.E. at first sight.

So the other day I was doing some blog stalkin' at Life {Sweet} Life and Sarah was talking about a life planner that she had just ordered from erin condren.  Well, I L.O.V.E. me a good planner, so, naturally I had to go the website she was talking about.  Umm, I fell in love with the life planner as soon as I saw it - it is amazing! It is the perfect size and has so many great features...yes, it is a bit pricey, but, hey, if it helps me condense my 25 to-do lists and keeps me organized...I am all for it.  Go check out the site...there are other items on there in addition to planners.  My planner was delivered yesterday and I L.O.V.E. her so...

 Isn't she a beauty? hee hee.

xoxo,

m                       

Some much needed craft time.

JWP and I have been spending every non-working minute we have at the house painting, scraping, removing, laying flooring, etc., so by the time Friday rolled around, I was physically exhausted and because of some miscellaneous BS that I was dealing with, I was mentally exchausted too- so, the perfect solution was to spend some time in my craft room.  I jammed out to some "slit my wrist music" (as JWP calls it) and crafted my little heart out.  Here's what I made:

(1) Dollar tree vase brushed with acrylic paint.
(2) Dollar tree frame that I painted and made into a dry erase board.
(3) Dollar tree vase coated with paint on the inside.
(4) Dollar tree vase wrapped in dollar tree rope.
(5) Dollar tree vase mod podged with fall flowers - pretty candle holder!
(6) Dollar tree cookie sheet made into magnetic board for my make-up (see previous post).

(1) - (6) = Happiness!

Happy Monday, peeps!

M

The Countdown is On. Go Noles!

Source: s3.amazonaws.com via Marisa on Pinterest

This is really hitting home today.

Source: google.com via Marisa on Pinterest

Pure G.E.N.I.U.S.

Magnetic make-up board = pure G.E.N.I.U.S...going to make this A.S.A.P.

Source: laurathoughts81.blogspot.com via Lindsay on Pinterest

FYI: but for Pinterest, I probably would have never found this idea.  See, why I love pinterest so much? I wouldn't lead you astray -- get to pinning!

Step 1: Admit you have a problem.

Okay, okay, I admit it....I have a problem....I am ADDICTED to Pinterest.  It's pretty much the jam! If you are like me and love to surf MANY different blogs, store sites, etc. to gather ideas...this is the website for you! It's a centralized place for you to save or "pin" pictures on boards that you create for different subjects.  For example, I have a "style" board, a "crafty things" board, a "for the home" board, etc., etc. and as I'm web surfing and I come across an idea or picture that I love...I hit my "pin it" button, choose which board I want to add it to, and, VOILA I'm done.  It's essentially a way for you to organize all of the crafty things you want to do, ideas for the home you want to copy, and outfits/accessories/shoes that you want to buy! HOLLA! You can follow other people's boards and repin ideas that you see on other people's boards....simply, it's Amazing! I think you have to request an invite or have someone invite you - let me know if you would like an invitation and GET.TO.PINNING.PEOPLE! Also, let me know if you are already signed up or when you sign up so I can stalk follow you! You can go to my boards by clicking on that super cute "widget" on the left hand side of my blog!

Some examples of things I've "pinned" lately:

Source: maitaispicturebook.com via Marisa on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Marisa on Pinterest

Source: thatkindofwoman.tumblr.com via Marisa on Pinterest

M

mjd, a to z.

A. age :: thirty-two (meh.)

B. bed size :: queen.

C. chore you hate:: cleaning, period.

D. dogs :: not right now, but hopefully soon :)

E. essential start to your day :: kiss from JWP.

F. favorite color :: turquoise

G. gold or silver :: gold.

H. height :: five.feet.two.and.a.half.

I. instruments you play :: use to play cello.

J. job title :: attorney.

K. kids :: none yet.

L. live :: bradenton.florida.

M. maiden name :: still is davies.

N. nicknames :: m. missy

O. overnight hospital stays :: none.

P. pet peeve :: oh, where do i start...

Q. quote :: "live the lift you want to live. be the person you want to remember. make decisions, make mistakes. if you fail, at least you tried."

R. righty or lefty :: righty.

S. siblings :: nope. 

T. time you wake up :: 7ish.

U. university attended :: florida state university. go noles!

V. vegetables you dislike: green peppers.

W. what makes you run late :: sleeping in.

X. x-rays you’ve had :: leg. teeth.

Y. yummy food :: chicken wings.mexican food. sushi.

Z. zoo animal favorite :: elephants. giraffes.

Please help Cakes for Pace.

I volunteer with PACE Center for Girls, Manatee County. I have teamed up with Kim D., a PACE Board Member, to start a project where all of the PACE girls receive a birthday cake for their birthday. This idea came about while I was touring the Manatee County Pace Center. During the tour the Executive Director mentioned that many of the girls that attend PACE do not get their very own birthday celebration at home; rather, the only celebration they are a part of is the once-a-month birthday celebration that PACE provides.  Kim and I were very saddened by this fact and vowed to do something about it.....so, Cakes for Pace was born!

For $20.00 you can sponsor a birthday cake package for a PACE girl, the package includes (1) a 7inch round cake from Publix; (2) birthday candles; (3) birthday balloon; and (4) a birthday card. I have created a ChipIn account where you can donate through your paypal account – here is the link: http://cakesforpace.chipin.com/cakes-for-pace.  Or, you can utilize that snazzy "widget" on the right hand side of my page.  Of course, any donation amount is appreciated!

Thank you very much for taking the time to visit my page and I appreciate you giving thought to making a donation to Cakes for Pace.  For more information about PACE, please go to: http://www.pacecenter.org/.

P.S. If you do not have a paypal account and/or do not feel comfortable donating through  ChipIn – please contact me and I will give you my address and you can mail me a check, cash, or a Publix gift card!

Also, please feel free to pass this email and the ChipIn link to anyone you feel might be interested!

Sweet, funny, and good looks?? I'm a lucky girl!

JWP.
P.S. I am totally crushin' on the beard :)

Headband curls.

So, when I came across the video re: sock bun curl, I also came across this video too:

http://youtu.be/aYxS1ohz4Ao

I did it last night, and when I woke up this morning (and ran my fingers through my hair a couple of times), I got this:

Lovin' these no heat, no curling iron, ideas :)

Happy Friday, peeps!

xoxo,
M

Sock bun curl...say what?

So, I came across this youtube video on how to curl you hair with a sock...yes, I'm serious, people!

http://youtu.be/3FV-YO46E8Y (it's kind of long, so, don't be afraid to use the fast forward button!)

and, I tried it last night and got this...



the picture really doesn't do it justice, but I have really pretty wavy/curls.  I promise you it's really easy! Now, when you're doing it you probably won't think you are doing it right.  I re-did it about 15 times last night and watched about 3 different videos.  JWP was like "why are you watching some 12 year old girl on youtube?" and, I was like "because she can sock curl...duh!" But, trust me, it works.  I brushed my curls out so that i had more wavy curls.  Let me know how it works, peeps!

xoxo,

m

In love with the LittlePhoto phone app.

Britt mentioned that her Droid came with a cool app that allowed you to add a "lomo" effect to her photos - unfortunately my Droid did not.  So, not wanting to be left out of anything remotely cool, I searched for a free app that would let me add effects to my photos and I found the LittlePhoto app.  Umm, it's amazing! It has the "lomo" effect (used below on one of my many sunset pics taken on my drive home), as well as a gazillion other effects.  So, if you are like me, and your phone stinks...check it out!

LOST: MARISA'S MOTIVATION! IF FOUND: PLEASE RETURN ASAP!



I do not know what it is....but, these past couple of weeks days I have had absolutely NO motivation! Ugh! And, let me just tell you...this rain is NOT helping! I think I need a vaca....STAT!

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast? Yes, please!

So, I found yet another amazing blog: The Girl Who Ate Everything and during my stalking reviewing of this blog, I came across a french toast recipe...y'all know how I love me some french toast - so, I will be making these this weekend and I think you should too!

Strawberry Stuffed French Toast

Filling:
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and more for cooking the french toast
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 Tablespoons strawberry preserves or jam
1 cup diced strawberries
4 thick slices challah, French, or Italian bread
Powdered sugar, for dusting

Egg Batter:
6 extra-large eggs
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk

Breading:
1 1/2 cups crushed Cornflakes
1 cup sliced almonds

In a medium bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons of butter and the cream cheese until combined. Add the strawberry preserves and mix until incorporated. Fold in the diced strawberries into the cream cheese mixture.

Cut bread into thick slices. Make an incision on the crust side of the 4 pieces of bread about 3/4 of the way through. You're creating a pocket to stuff the cream cheese mixture into. Gently spoon 1/4 of the cream cheese mixture into each of the 4 slices of bread and gently close the pocket. Refrigerate the stuffed slices while you prepare the batter and breading.

For the egg batter, add the eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, vanilla, and milk to a medium shallow bowl and mix well. Set aside.

Prepare the breading by adding the crushed cornflakes and almonds to a sheet pan. Dip the bread slices in the egg batter making sure to let each side soak for about 20 seconds. Next, dip them into the cereal mixture.

Put a large skillet on medium-high heat and add a couple of tablespoons of butter. When the butter has melted add the stuffed bread slices and brown on each side for 2-3 minutes.

Remove from skillet and serve immediately. Top with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, fresh sliced strawberries, and syrup if desired. The french toast is pretty sweet on it's own so the toppings are more for visual appeal. Unless you are me, then they are just to add more sweetness...

YUMMY! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Guest for the weekend.

JWP and I had the most adorable guest this weekend...Murphy! We loved our time with Murphy and may have spoiled him just a tad - but, he is so deserving of a lil spoilin'.  Here are some pics from the weekend:

Murphy on his way to Perks for Pets, holistic pet store - where we got him Chicken wrapped bananas, bacon and cheese biscuits, and a doggie donut.

Murphy eating his cheeseburger from his Happy Meal.  We hit McD's right after finishing up at the holistic store...hee hee!

Murph getting ready to enjoy his doggie donut.

Watching Teen Mom with me.

 Murph all cuddled up watching Sweet Home Alabama.

Snug as a bug in a rug.

Love me some Murph-dog.

 Waiting in line for his breakfast...he loved his sausage patty.

And, finally, one last howling session with his Uncle JWP (sorry, I can't figure out how to turn the video the right way).

A lil' dose of inspiration & encouragement.

Happy Friday, peeps! I needed some inspiration and encouragement this morning, so I decided to share what I found with you:

And, just for laughs: