July Pinspired

I was super excited to try out some fun looks I found on Pinterest since we recently went on vacation.
Fun outfits!
Nothing business casual for the office!
I was pumped!
But I failed :(
I didn't take a single photo of me in any of my outfits!
Bad blogger!

I did manage to have one family photo taken.
Pathetic, I know!

On to the inspiration photos!

 source

source

I totally own orange shorts like that first photo, but I wore them the night before :(
Oh well!
I did a combo of both photos using the cream sweater and cami with navy shorts.
This outfit was so comfortable, yet I felt pulled together :)

Cream sweater/cami/navy shorts

This was our last evening of vacation in Myrtle Beach.
We ended up in Little River for dinner at Patio's Tiki Bar & Grill.
If you are anywhere in the area, you must go there!
The setting was perfect!
Live music every night, moss in the trees, good food, and it sits right on the water!
PERFECT in my book!

I will be back later this week with a recap of our trip :)

Linking up today with the fabulous Shay, Sheaffer, and Mel!



Happy Monday!

Friday Five ~ Discover Ohio

I have vacation on the brain people!

Most of my days lately have been dreaming of getting out of Ohio and heading south to a nice warm, beautiful beach along the Atlantic Ocean.

But honestly, Ohio can be a pretty cool place to visit as well.

So today I decided to pick out my Top 5 places in Ohio that I love to visit or would love to visit.

{one}

Sandusky, Ohio

If you haven't been to Cedar Point, I am sorry but you just haven't been to a real amusement park.

I grew up roughly 30 minutes or so away from this amazing place and it is hands down the best!

They are constantly adding new rides and updating the park.

I am really hoping to take X there this summer for his first visit.

They have a great kiddie area, restaurants, a water park, and lots of options to spend the night.

{two}

source

Cleveland, Ohio

Yes, I am biased here...but Cleveland is the best in my book!

I mean, it is the home of my favorite football team after all!

Honestly, this place doesn't get enough credit. For years people have called it the "Mistake on the lake", but Cleveland has so many things to offer!

Home of Rock-n-roll for starters! The Hall of Fame is here!

Between Lakewood to Little Italy to Geneva-on-the-lake, there is just so much to see and do.

And don't get me started on all the different food options!

From Italian, to Polish, to Greek and so much more!

You won't leave this town hungry!

{three}

source

Cincinnati, Ohio

This gorgeous town sits on the Ohio/Kentucky border, which just so happens to be the Ohio River.

There are amazing views, tons of bridges to drive or walk across.

And it happens to be home to THE best chili around!

I am not talking about Gold Star or Blue Ash.....

Skyline Chili is the only Cincinnati Chili for this girl!
And don't forget to stop by Jungle Jim's while you are there!
Bring a cooler for all your goodies you pick up...you won't be leaving empty handed!

{four}

source

Akron/Canton, Ohio

The football hall of fame is a great place to visit even if you don't like the sport. There is so much history in that place!

{five}

source

Hocking Hills
So this in the only place on my list I haven't been to yet. I have driven through the area and it is beautiful!
I can't wait to plan a weekend getaway there to explore the great outdoors.


Check out all things Ohio at Discover Ohio to plan your trip!
You can explore where to stay, what to do, and more.

O-H....

** I am not being compensated to write this post about Discover Ohio. These are my own words and opinions about my home state. **

Linking up with the following...

         

May Photo Challenge

I love participating in the photo challenges that Andrea & Erika have come up with!
For the summer everything is being lumped together under 
#thesummerchallenge2014

But first, it is time to share my photos from May!
Here are the prompts and my photo collage (in random order) from May...

June Ipsy Glam Bag

My June Ipsy Glam Bag arrived a couple of weeks ago and I LOVE It!

The theme this month is "Pretty in Paradise".

Perfect for our upcoming beach vacation :)

Check out the Rebecca Minkoff bag...super cute!

Now let's get right to it and see what I got this month!

be a bombshell Lash Out Mascara in Intense Black (retail $15)
I am always a fan of mascara...especially a basic black or brown.
This goes on with ease and doesn't make my eyelashes stick together.
This is being added to my weekly rotation.

OFRA Universal Eyebrow pencil (retail $13)
I don't usually use anything to fill in my eyebrows, even though sometimes I think I should.
This pencil is super easy to use and the brown color I received is perfect for me.
It filled in my eyebrows without making them look or feel heavy or caked.
I think I might be using it more often :)

Realtree for her (full size retail $24.99)
This is the only thing I didn't like this month. I am not a perfume girl at all :(

NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee (retail $5)
This gloss is the perfect shade of pink to add just a bit of color and shine to my lips.
I love the thickness of the gloss too!
Job well done Ipsy!

Marc Anthony Dream Waves Beach Spray (retail $6.99)
This is by far my favorite item I have received from Ipsy so far!
I love the smell of this spray, and it works great with my hair.
I am always trying to achieve a beach wave without my hair looking wet or crunchy...this spray is perfect!
Thank you Ipsy!!! I am in love!!!

I will say it again....Great job Ipsy!
This month my glam bag was fantastic!
All the products were well over my little $10 a month fee.

If you are interested in joining Ipsy, click here to register and fill out your profile to begin receiving your monthly glam bag.
You will receive 4-5 products in a new, cute bag every month.
And remember you keep all the products you receive.


Click here to see my past Ipsy glam bags.

Pretzel S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Linking up with Andrea @ Momfessionals for recipe club!

That name alone is a mouthful!

These bars are AMAZING!!!

When I was trying to figure out what dessert to bring with me to the Ohio Bloggers Meet & Greet 
I knew I wanted to bring something that was true to me.

I talk about s'mores a lot. I mean A.LOT!!!

I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to all things s'mores for crying out loud!

And I truly hope to host an annual S'mores Party in the fall :)

Doesn't that sound like so much fun?

Think about it...all desserts are s'mores of some kind and maybe even a few s'mores drinks!!! I am dying just thinking about it!

Anyways, back to the recipe.

I was looking through Pinterest when my daily/weekly email from Pillsbury showed up on my phone.

And what do my eyes see on my screen...a beautiful photo of Pretzel S'mores Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars!

It is like Pillsbury and I were on the same wave length.

Once I saw the photo and how super easy the recipe was I was sold!!!

I stopped by my local Kroger, picked up the ingredients, and rushed home to get things made.

So the pictures won't lie...I used Kroger brand for most of it.

What can I say...I am cheap. Or at least I buy what is on sale.

Here is what you will need...

2 1/2 cups of mini marshmallows

1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tube of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough with mini kisses

1 cup of pretzels

Directions

Preheat oven to 350* right away.
Line an 8 in. square pan with foil (I used a 9x11 dish and it was fine).
Spray foil with cooking spray.
Gently press cookie dough into the bottom of pan with fingers creating an even layer.

Bake 18 minutes or until center is set.
Remove the pan from the oven and add marshmallows, a layer of pretzels, and sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
Place pan back into the 350* oven for 5 minutes.
To get the toasted marshmallow look, place under the broiler on low.
Watch it carefully!!! Even a few extra seconds can burn your marshmallows!

Remove pan from the oven and allow to cool completely (about 30 minutes) before cutting into squares.
Tip: Spray your knife with cooking spray to easily cut through the marshmallow.

Serve immediately or store in an air tight container up to 5 days.

As you can see from the photos above...

I used what I could find at the store for cookie dough and I subbed the square pretzels for a different look.
I also used more marshmallows and pretzels until I reached the look I desired.

They came out amazing!!!!

Do you have any unique or fun s'more recipes to share?
I am always on the lookout for fun ways to enjoy a s'more :)

Influenster #TLCVoxBox

Influenster is pretty great!

I received my TLC Vox Box in the mail full of all things moms love.

Heck, I think any girl would love these items regardless if they have a child or not!

In my lovely little purple box was the following..

Shell Gas Rewards Card

Bar of Ivory soap, full size

Neosporin Neo To Go!

Puff's tissues, purse size

Avon's ANEW Reversalist Complete Renewal Express Wrinkle Smoother

Coupon for a FREE Breyer's Gelato

The Neo To Go and tissues are perfect to keep in my purse or car!

And I love having a fuel rewards card for when I am not around a Kroger fuel station.

We literally use that exact Ivory soap in our shower every.single.day!

And I have been dying to try out the Tiramisu flavor of gelato!

I will be picking that up very, very soon for a summer treat :)

Thanks to Influenster for sending me this great #voxbox.

Hoping to receive more in the future :)

AdvoCare - Results

Mic finished the AdvoCare 24 Day challenge last week and he totally rocked it!

He completely transformed his body by paying attention to what he put in it.

Instead of pop, alcohol, tea, etc. he drank lots of water throughout the day. And when he needed a bit of caffeine, he added Spark to his water.

His lunches went from a TV dinner, cookies, pudding, Pepsi and more to salads with strawberries, turkey, nuts, and balsamic dressing. He also snacked on carrots and bananas throughout the day to keep his energy and metabolism up.

For dinner we enjoyed salads from time to time, but we also had grilled chicken or turkey breast with steamed veggies and fresh fruit.

If he was hungry before bed, he had some more raw veggies or fruit and continued to drink water.

If you put your mind to it, you will succeed!

Before the challenge

In 24 days he looks like a new person!

He has lost 20 pounds and 12. 25 inches overall!

By the end of the challenge he even wanted to start exercising again!

I am so proud of what he has accomplished!

After the challenge

It is hard to see a difference in the photos above since he has his shirt on.
He has no gut and no love handles anymore. 
And his face is so much slimmer now too!
It is crazy!
All of his pants and shorts are too big for him now too!

The best part of all of this is that he wants to continue to eat and be healthy!

Yes, we will enjoy pizza or Chipotle from time to time.

Yes, we will enjoy fun evenings and cocktails with our friends.

We aren't going to eliminate everything in life just to be healthy!

We just will enjoy all those yummy things in moderation.

Meaning 80% of the time we will eat healthy and workout :)

I think that is a pretty fair deal for looking and feeling good!

If you would like to learn more about the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge shoot me an email or comment below.

Or visit my AdvoCare website here.

Bonus for me...I lost weight and more inches while continuing to eat healthy and exercise!

#xvsdailylife2014 Week 22 & Week 23

Week 22

 

Day 155 ~ These two killed it on the CMT Awards tonight with "That's Damn Rock and Roll"

Day 156 ~ This little guy was not happy he had to get a shot at his 2.5 well check up :(

Day 157 ~ Taking a break from running around the dance floor area at dinner. #yesmom #momfail

Day 158 ~ We stopped at Grandpa's Cheesebarn and left with these :)

Day 159 ~ This is how we roll in the Roberts house!

#masonjarsforeverything

Day 160 ~ My boys cuddled up on the floor watching Cars again!!!

Day 161 ~ Rockin' my new Viking knuckle ring from B.E.Humble
#loveitnotmyoldladyhands

Week 23

Day 162 ~ This kid was working my last nerve tonight at dinner. We decided to head outside so we wouldn't ruin everyone else's night. 
#terribletwossuck

Day 163 ~ I stopped by Burlington to see if there was anything for me...I left with 3 pairs of shoes for X!
#momlife

Day 164 ~ One of our clients just brought Mic and I these Amish made donuts to share. 
#mustsaynothanks #onsecondthought #dietwhatdiet

Day 165 ~ Met some of my favorites today! #ohbloggers

Day 166 ~ I may not say it very often, but this guy is the best dad I could have wished for for X! 
We are so thankful for you & love you so much!!!

 Day 167 ~ Shocker! We are watching Cars again!!!

Day 168 ~ Bedtime shenanigans with this cutie!

Whew! I am finally caught up!

Follow along with me everyday on instagram at #xvsdailylife2014

April Ipsy Glam Bag

To be honest, I put off writing a post about this bag because I just wasn't that thrilled with it.

I mean, the bag itself is super cool and totally me! 

So here is what I received in April...

bigsexyhair Root Pump Volumizing Spray Mousse (retail $17.95)

I actually already own the full size bottle of this mousse,

so the mini is perfect to throw in my travel bag!

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil Travel Size (retail $20)

LOVE! This is seriously my new favorite eye liner!

It goes on like a dream! And I would have never guessed that it was a travel size included!

It sure looks like a full size product to me!

City Color White Gold Shadow & Highlight Mousse (retail $3.99)

This product is for eyes or cheek bones it says.

All I know is it isn't for me :(

It was way too flashy and too thick to use as an eye shadow in my opinion.

It would be good for a trip to Vegas! lol!

Cailyn Tinted Lip Balm in Apple Pink (retail $19)

This is more of a stain than a balm.

It was darker than I anticipated and let my lips feeling really dry :(

dr. brandt microdermabrasion (retail $78)

Bad blogger/reviewer here.

I haven't actually tried this product yet, but after reading more about it for this post I will be right away!

It sounds amazing!

I receive so many of they exfoliaters that sometimes I get bored or just don't want to try another one. Especially since my skin is so sensitive!

Ok, so maybe the bag wasn't so bad after all.
I guess when it came in the mail I was just so put off with receiving things I already had/not liking the lip balm that I didn't give the other items a chance.
Lesson learned!

If you are interested in finding out more about Ipsy or would like to sign up, just click on the link here.

It is only $10 a month!

It is like receiving a little present every month in the mail!

Who doesn't love to get mail?

You get a new bag each month filled with 4-5 products (a couple are full size) for you to try out. You keep it all!

No sending back if you don't like it or extra charge if you keep it!

And sometimes you find some amazing products that you can't live without :)