DIY Wedding Planning Notebook

Meet my friend Jade

I have known her since my Freshman year of high school.  We also waitressed at the same crappy restaurant (bow ties and dancing included) and then went on to go to Culinary school together 

Here we are at Disneyland

At the beach

And good ole senior prom

She's the friend that I don't get to see often.....but nothing changes.  She's always a text away and there if I never need her.  I love this girl to death!

When I heard the happy news that her boyfriend popped the question I was soooo happy for her! I instantly began thinking of gift ideas. I decided I wanted to give her something that would be useful in the planning process but still cute and thoughtful

So I decided on a wedding planning notebook

They chose yellow and grey as their wedding colors which I LOVE.  In fact, I want that to be our living room colors when we buy a house....but enough about me....back to the bride to be :)

I bought a yellow binder, some scrapbook paper, some cool letters, and some embellishments

Her dog......my bad, her child.... is named Daisy and it's also her favorite flower so I had to incorporate them

Inside I put dividers with different planning topics

These topics included: venue, food,  cake, music, ceremony, clothing hair etc, decor, guest list and invitations, flowers, and honeymoon

In the back I put page protectors that she can put behind each divider

In these she can put notes, inspiration pictures, receipts, business cards.....whatever

I got super lucky and found a bunch of grey and yellow notecards and notepads and Michaels.  Perfect for jotting down all your to do lists and notes

 

Notice MoMo's little foot in the upper right corner?  She kept laying down on top of all the stuffs as I tried to get a picture.  I moved her about 4 times before I gave up and decided that this was as good as it was gonna get...so there her little paw is

I put it all in this cute bag.  I really scored on the yellow and grey stuff!

I haven't had a chance to give it to her yet but I really hope she gets some use out of it all.

And if she's reading this......surprise! lol ;)  

I can't wait for her big day


   
 

Patriotic Decor

I have a thing for patriotic decor

The last few years have really brought out my inner flag waving "Merica!!" side

I think it's partly because you can keep all the decorations up for so long....basically you could have them up from May-September and nobody would judge you

Ok....MOST people won't judge you 

Here's a cute and cheap craft you can add to that collection

All you need is some acrylic paint, scrapbook paper, wood letters, and a picture frame

I have an abundance of these Dollar Tree picture frames leftover from Christmas gifts that never came to be.  I've meant to make them the past 2 Christmases and never did....so I think it's safe to use one for this project then.....dontcha think?

All I did was paint the frame red, and the letters white

These letters from Michaels were the perfect size to fit a 5x7 frame

I bought some blue glitter cardstock that was unique because it was corrugated.  I think it made it alot more interesting

Cut your scrapbook paper or cardstock of choice to fit them frame and hot glue your letters to it

That's it!  I originally intended to glitter the frame as well.....but ended deciding to leave it plain red to put more focus on the blue.  

Let me tell you....for a glitter addict like myself that was a quite an accomplishment

But of course.....then I ended up using glitter star picks ( from 99c Only) in a mason jar next to it as an accent.   So I still got a second glitter fix....but what are you gonna do?  Addicts don't recover overnight

MoMo Monday Week #8

Happy National Donut Week!

MoMo is pretty excited about it because she is a big donut fan

When we have an Entenmann's variety box of donuts like this......

MoMo has been known to get caught with her head in the box.  She lifts the top and sticks her head right in almost as if she's under the hood of a car

And what makes it even better is she takes after her mama.  She could choose the powdered, or the chocolate.....but my baby goes right for the classic buttermilk....my all time favorite.  Now that's my girl!

But since I don't have much self control when it comes to donuts....They aren't in the house much these days

Back around Thanksgiving I bought donut holes to make some cute acorn desserts with the little girls.  The very next day after I bought them I woke up to find this........

MoMo had punched through the window of the box and licked a donut hole to death!  Apparently, the bitch needed some sugar and couldn't resist the temptation any more.  Silly MoMo!

And here is a picture of us sharing a donut....Lady and the Tramp style

And one of me....mouth full of donut....looking like a big dork and MoMo happy to get it all to herself

Now make MoMo happy and go get yourself a donut.   And maybe one for her too ;)

Low Carb Spam, Eggs, and "Rice"

I love Spam....let's make that clear

So much in fact that I wrote an award winning poem about it in the second grade

Well.....at least the first line of the poem

And I'm not kidding about the award....I was the district wide contest winner for my grade level.....what now sucka!

Prepare yourself for some poetic genius

Ahhem.......

I Like Spam and I like to skate

But there are things I really hate

Like hair in the sink and mushy peas

And wet smelly dogs that make me sneeze

I like Saturdays and rainy days

And going to the movies when my dad pays

But most of all I like to sing real loud

And talk on the phone when I'm not allowed

Why Robert Frost is famous and I'm not....I'll never understand

;)

So as you can see....I have a passion for Spam.  I don't care what people say about it.  I don't care that you plop it out of a can....nothing can sway my feelings of love for that salty pink meat.  Nothin!

I've never been to Hawaii....but considering how much they love pineapple and Spam, as do I, I'm sure I would love it  

Oh....and the beautiful weather and scenery couldn't hurt either....but mostly the Spam

But from what I've heard and seen a plate of white rice, Spam, and eggs is a very popular meal

I wanted to recreate it here at home but with a low carb twist

Start by slicing your spam....I like mine kind of thin

And pan fry it until crispy

If you don't like Spam I'm convinced you've just never cooked it right

I paired it with scrambled eggs (with a drizzle of sriracha) and cauliflower rice with loads of butter....because I can

(for those of you who have never made cauliflower rice it's just shredded cauliflower fried in a pan with some chicken stock added to let it steam and cook through)

 It was delicious and exactly what I was craving

I think a low carb lifestyle is easiest to stick to when you find a way to satisfy any cravings you have by reinventing it and making it fit your new eating habits.  It just takes some tweaks and a little thought....but it helps stick to it in the long run

Bullet Proof Coffee Flavor Variations

If you live a low carb or Paleo lifestyle there is a good chance you have heard of bullet proof coffee already

If you haven't, I'll give you the basics:

It's coffee blended with grass fed butter and MTC oil.....but I use coconut oil because I'm cheap

While this sounds completely nuts to the average American (simply because we have this false idea of eating low fat as being healthy drilled into our heads) a low carb or Paleo lifestyle promotes high quality healthy fats as vital part of your diet

I had been eating low carb for about a year and a half  when I knew I needed to up my fat intake....this was the perfect way to do it

Go to  The Bullet Proof Executive website to read more details from the master himself

www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDwQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bulletproofexec.com%2Fhow-to-make-your-coffee-bulletproof-and-your-morning-too%2F&ei=uCisUa6UIcjpigKV64HQBA&usg=AFQjCNHvxY1nfSSsaS5kA7v2QSs5DDbAKA&sig2=30WWqcByYvBwtU9hf7f0fg&bvm=bv.47244034,d.cGE

Just a forewarning though....the first couple days you may be a hot mess.  At least I was.  It gives you CRAZY energy thus the "bullet proof" name.....but those first couple days I was far from it

I think it may have been magnified by the fact that if I go any extended length of time without drinking caffeine and have it again it's as if I'm having it for the first time ever and my body has a really shaky, cracked out, tweaker reaction.  Prior to drinking bullet proof coffee I was never an every morning coffee drinking kinda gal at all....and I had recently cut sodas out so I hadn't had caffeine in quite some time

Also, I have a fairly labor intensive job with alot of repetitive motion and walking in circles (I cook) so if I am even the slightest bit nauseated the motion only makes it worse

Moral of this story is if you think you might be prone to a bad reaction the first few days, I highly suggest trying it out on a more low key day....maybe even your day off from work.  That way you can veg out if needed.  I was practically holding back heaves at work in a hot and humid kitchen......not fun at all

But after I got over the ick of the first 2 days I felt AMAZING!  And I'm not kidding.  I had such a boost of energy and it keeps me full and satisfied until my lunch break.....and I'm incorporating healthy fats into my diet that would up my metabolism for the whole day.....winning!  Now I can't start my morning without it.  

Here are 2 flavors I do to switch it up.....but coffee is a blank canvas anway

First up is cinnamon 

Add in your desired amount of butter and coconut oil (I use 2 TB of each) and about 1 tsp. of cinnamon.   I also add in a splash of Mexican vanilla.  You can also add Stevia if you like more sweetness

Blend it up....I keep an immersion blender out on my counter

The butter and oil create a nice creamy foam on top....almost like a cappuccino


Mmmmmm

Next is chocolate....or I guess Mocha in the coffee world

 I put in a little less than a tablespoon....which does add 1 carb.  But I don't think that one carb is a big deal when you realize how delicious it makes it.  I also add vanilla to this and sometimes Stevia

Here's proof that coffee can be delicious without high sugar coffee creamers....and it be healthy for you too!

 






 

 

MoMo Monday Week #7

I've always had a sneaking suspicion that MoMo hit the green every now and again....I could see it in her dilated eyes late at night

But I was your typical mother in denial until I knew for absolute sure

I was cleaning the house and found my worst nightmare....a baggy of the goods hidden under her mattress

What they say is true....it's a gateway drug.  Before you knew it, it just wasn't enough and MoMo had moved onto the harder stuff 

We had to have an intervention to put an end to this madness!



She was ashamed......you could see it in her face when we confronted her

With a little time and support I'm happy to say that MoMo has cleaned up her act and is now completely drug free!





Just Kidding.  ;)


Of course that was just a bag of cat nip and the syringes were her pain meds from her surgery

She took the most perfect picture ever with those syringes and I knew I had to turn it into a post.....my cute little actress!

DIY Tennis Racquet Mirror

This project is old.....REAL old.   Like I made this for my nieces' 13th birthday and she just turned 14 a few weeks ago old.

Better late than never right?  Or so they say

So my Katie is quite the little tennis star.  She's been taking lessons for maybe 4 years I think?.....somewhere around there

She was 13 and playing against 17 year old boys.  She was kicking ass and taking names like a champ....that's my girl!

I wanted to give her a tennis themed birthday gift and I came across this picture on Pinterest that gave me the idea

So I made my trip to Goodwill to hunt down an old racquet and found this (beware of crappy pictures to come)

I spray painted the whole thing a light blue

I don't seem to have any pictures, but then I put a few coats of  blue glitter acrylic on it

Then comes the mirror portion. I didn't have the time, patience, or ability to cut the mirror to the exact shape of the racquet like the inspiration photo.  I just went to Michael's Craft Store and bought a round mirror that would fit in the middle.  I kind of like the exposed strings because I feel like she could use it to hang earrings or something if she wanted to

I used the best glue in the world....E-6000 Glue

What I did was glue the mirror to the strings as best as possible, and then took a piece of cardboard cut to the same size as the mirror and glued it to the backside.  This way the strings of the racquet were sort of sandwiched in the middle and the mirror had something to stick to (the cardboard)


I decorated the mirror by gluing on some gems I had.

Get this.....those gems were from a kit I got from my older sister Heather for Christmas in the 3rd grade.  Katie was born when I was in 3rd grade.....so those gems are literally as old as her.  I've had them for over 13 years

But hey.....my theory is that it's not hoarding if you eventually use it......right?


Now I'm already a bad photographer....terrible.....no good

But damn it's hard to take a picture of s mirror! I honestly have no clue how to do it and make it look even remotely ok looking.  So they're pretty bad




Baaaadddd.......

Still bad

And you guessed it......bad

And while I was on this tennis kick I also made this sign for her bedroom

I hope that when she makes it as a big tennis star she remembers how her favorite auntie was so supportive of her tennis career.....remember that Katie! ;)


So now you know what to give the tennis player in your life.....I know how often people are on the hunt for a good tennis gift.....all the time I assume