Spring Style Challenge 2015 #GYPO

Last year when Alison @ Get Your Pretty On announced she was going to be hosting a Spring Style Challenge I decided to jump all in!

I needed to update my wardrobe a bit and figure out how to rework some of the items I already owned.

This challenge was perfect!

I loved the fun pieces on the shopping list, the outfit combos that Alison put together, but what I loved more than anything are the friendships I have made with some of the other challengers.

While most of those ladies kept going with the Summer, Fall, and Winter challenges I took that time off.

But now I am ready to jump back into an amazingly fun challenge!

And if you are worried that this challenge will hurt the wallet, don't be!

A lot of the clothing items, accessories, and shoes can be found within your closet already.

If not, all suggested pieces usually can be found at Target, Old Navy or the like.

So what are you waiting for?

Come join the fun with me and so many others!

Just click on the banner above for more info and to sign up today!

Want to know a little bit more before making your decision?
I get it!
Check out a few of the outfit combos and my recreations from last Spring.
Remember I work in an office full time, so I changed up a few items each day to make it work appropriate.
Also, Spring time is still pretty cold in Ohio.
So on some of the days where sandals were suggested I opted for boots instead to keep my toes warm :)

I swapped out the white jeans for white dress pants on this day.

And I didn't have the striped maxi skirt, so I just wore an all black one.

With the exception of the denim jacket(same brand), oatmeal blazer(similar), and white jeans(same brand) - all items were purchased at Old Navy, Target, or JCP.

It really is easy to swap out pieces that you already own with the suggested daily outfits.
What do you think?
Do you want to give it shot?
Click below to sign up today!
And if you are a blogger we will be posting our outfits on Wednesdays in a fun little link up!

Time to hop off my soapbox now :)
Enjoy your day friends!
<mic drop>

Favorite Things | Nail Polish

It is time to talk about our favorite things once again with Andrea & Erika!

Today is all about nail polish!

I think just about every girl regardless of her style likes nail polish.

It is just fun to express yourself with a fun or dark or bright or crazy color on your fingers and toes!
I usually pick up my polish at Target, Walmart or Kroger.
And while some brands seem to be a little better than others, I am not too picky since I like to change my polish every few days on my fingers.
My toes however could last an entire month!
Anyways, I am also one who likes dark or bright on my toes while I tend to go lighter on my fingers.
I have a few friends who are the exact opposite.

So back to my favorites.
I used to love OPI polish, but then realized I didn't need to pay up for polish that I only kept on for a couple of days.
I still have a few that are my favorites from OPI like this purple shade called Funky Dunky that is similar to the one on my toes currently,

source

and of course my favorite tan of all time...San Tan-tonio!

source

I am also a huge fan of  the Sinful Colors brand.
They are pretty decent quality for only being a couple bucks.
And I love picking up their glitter polishes like

Pinky Glitter and

Frenzy

But as much as I try to not play favorites, I do have one.
All the Essie Colors are great and the polish really seems to last a bit longer.
These are some of my more recent shades.

Ballet Slippers

Bikini So Teeny

Sparkle On Top

Blanc

Mochacino

Mojito Madness

So what is your favorite kind of polish?

What are your favorite shades to paint your fingers and toes?

Do you have a good base or top coat you can recommend?

And before I go, don't forget to sign up for the 2015 Spring Style Challenge with Alison from Get Your Pretty On! Just click on the banner below for more info and to sign up today!

Friday Favorites | #FBF

Hello Friday!

I am so happy to see you :)

Last weekend was a lot of fun, and this week has surely kept me busy, but I am now ready to be home for the weekend.
With that said, let's get on with my favorites of the week!

But first....Linking up today with Karli, Andrea & friends for

~one~

I had a super fun weekend celebrating my soon-to-be SIL at her bachelorette party.

~two~

I was looking for something super easy to go along with the pork chops I made for dinner on Monday night.
These sauteed mushrooms were perfect! And SO good!

~three~

I have officially created a monster!

I offered X a shot of Redi Whip Cream in his mouth the other day, and now that is all he wants or talks about!

He wakes up and goes to bed asking for a shot of cream! lol!

He is too cute to say no to!

~four~

Random fun!

Mic had an appointment out of town on Wednesday night so it was just X and I for the night.

He said he wanted to paint, so that is exactly what we did :)

Trying to be a #yesmom is tough with a Threenager, but when I am able to we have so much fun!

~five~
Tuesday night I got some quality time in my friend/stylist Kasey.
Sometimes I head into the salon with crazy requests like I did on this particular night.
Thankfully Kasey is great at what she does and was able to achieve my crazy :)
Don't mind the completely awkward faces I have going on in these next photos...I suck at selfies!

This one really shows the color difference. Love it!

~six~

While at the salon I starting talking about how my old babysitter sent me a message with this photo attached.

She was going through things and came across it.

This was 30 years ago people!

December of 1984 to be exact!

I was 6 and my little bro was 2.

Yes, that haircut was horrific.

But look at those boots!!!!

I need a pair of those now!!!

Anyways, that photo got me thinking about how fun/crazy it was to do our hair in the 80's.

How many of you remember wearing banana clips?

Or how about these cone shaped clips?

I had these bad boys in multiple neon colors of course! #keepinitreal

The best hair tool of the 80's in my opinion would have to be the crimping iron!

I think I had this exact one in blue.

I would totally rock crimped hair now!

I think I need to start that fad up again.

What do you think?

Did you use a crimping iron back in the day?

Are you even old enough to know what a crimping iron is? lol!

What 80's or 90's hairstyles did you rock?

I would like totally go back to the 80's or 90's if I had the chance!

See what I did there ;)

I am so cool...not! 

Ok enough of that! lol!

Have a great weekend!

#CharlesIsA

Hey it is Thursday!
That means it is time for #ThinkingOutLoudThursdays

Rules are simple.
Link back to me and Penny, and make sure to link your Thursday post below.
See? Super easy!

Today I am talking ranting about Pretty Little Liars.

Spoiler Alert!

If you watch Pretty Little Liars, but haven't watched the Spring Finale stop reading now.

You have been warned.
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ABC Family, instagram, and just about anywhere else you look have been teasing the big #AREVEAL for at least a few weeks now.
Tuesday night was THE night to finally find out who it was.
For a moment you may think it is Mona since the all the girls are being held captive and she is there as well.
Dressed in Alison attire and hair.
#weird
Oh yeah, and alive!

Spencer, who is sometimes too smart for her own good, figures out that some children's building blocks spell out the name Charles when unscrambled.

Long story short, after all these seasons of wondering who it could be we have found out...kind of.
The girls figure out that Charles is A.
At least that is what we are led to believe until the Summer season starts.
Of course in PLL fashion, Charles doesn't truly reveal himself.
He does approach the girls during their make shift prom he creates with a mask.

Spencer and Mona end up wandering around in a room that has some old photos and such of a little boy.
Just before Mona joins her in that room, Spencer watches an old recording of not one, but two little boys kissing what appears to be their baby sister Alison.
WHAT?

Did you Pretty Little Liars?

Is Charles the long lost brother of Alison & Jason?

Why was Andrew listening in on Veronica Hastings' call with Melissa?

So many questions!

Can't wait for the summer premiere!

March Recipe Club | Double the fun

Today I am linking up with Andrea @ Momfessionals to bring you 2 super simple, super easy, super good recipes that your whole family will enjoy!

I found both of these recipes on Pinterest as last minute fixes and they turned out great!

First up is Healthy Crock pot Chicken Parmesan.

I only took two photos of this one, but it was all so easy and turned out so good!

Ingredients

3-4 chicken breasts

1/4 cup bread crumbs, regular or Italian

2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese

1 egg, beaten

1 Tablespoon olive oil

3 cups organic marinara sauce

Directions

Spread the olive oil around the bottom of the crock pot.

Pour half of the marinara sauce in the crock pot.

In a small mixing bowl combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg.

Dip each chicken breast in the egg and then dip in the crumb & cheese mixture to coat both sides.

Place each chicken breast in the crock pot.

Once all the chicken breasts are in the crock pot, cover with the remaining marinara sauce.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.

We enjoyed ours over whole grain linguine noodles and some extra Parmesan cheese on top.

SO good!

My second recipe for the day is something I literally whipped up on Monday evening as I was scanning Pinterest for a side dish.

I love mushrooms! I could literally eat them every.single.day!

However, Mic isn't a huge fan so I knew I needed to dress them up a bit.

I found this recipe for sauteed mushrooms and a winner was born!

Ingredients

2 cups of sliced mushrooms (I had an 8oz. container)

4 Tablespoons of butter

1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Melt the 4 Tablespoons of butter over medium heat.

Add mushrooms and Worcestershire sauce.

Cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat.

Enjoy!

That simple!

They tasted just like the ones you get in the restaurant!

Maybe better :)

What are some of your easy, throw together meals?

Have you found any healthy side dishes that the whole family enjoys?

Painting With A Twist

Friday night we kept things super chill since we knew we would be gone all weekend.

We enjoyed some of our favorite pizza and Big Hero 6!

I also finished up the Rum Chatta cupcakes for the bachelorette festivities on Saturday evening :)

On Saturday we dropped X off at my in-laws house and Mic and I headed north.
While the boys headed to Tilted Kilt, the Lake Erie Monsters hockey game, and Dave & Busters for the evening...we went painting!
With a twist ;)
We set up the food and drinks and it was time to get to work!
We had an awesome instructor who walks you through every step of the painting.
Check out the site here to see if there is one in your area.
So much fun! I can't wait to go back!

 We had a private room so Samantha was able to pick out the painting that we did for the evening.
Otherwise you just sign up for a class based on the paintings they are offering at that time.
That tropical palm tree painting at the front of the room is what we were trying to do.

 Samantha's sister made sure she was decorated accordingly :)

 The bridal party minus one.
I was trying not to blink..can you tell? lol!

Here is how my canvas started...

 throughout...

 almost done...

 and complete!

 I totally messed up the palm trees that were on the left side of the painting, so I just painted over them.
That was definitely the best part about the class!
You can change colors, add extra things, leave things out, etc. Totally up to you!
I wish I would have had more time to blend the sky, but it is what it is.

We all had a great time!
I suggest if you have OCD or are a perfectionist that you drink more during the process ;)

After painting we headed downtown Cleveland for dinner at Pickwick & Frolic and then a comedy show at Hilarities.
Of course we had to start the night with a shot to the bride & groom!

This picture doesn't do it justice, but this mirror on the wall across from our table was massive!
I was obsessed with it!

 The ladies that joined us for dinner.

We ate and then headed downstairs to hear Steve Bryne.

I have watched his show Sullivan & Son on TBS a few times before so I figured he would be pretty funny.
Hilarious to be exact!
More than a few times I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard!
We weren't allowed to take pictures during the show, but I did sneak a couple just to show how close we were to the stage.

 Thankfully he chose to pick on the girls at the table next to us all evening :)
This was when he bought them a shot.

It was a fun, yet relaxing night for all.

Just like my future SIL :)

A late night wouldn't be complete without a stop at Taco Bell!

#fourthmeal

Sunday we slept in a bit, enjoyed some breakfast at my dad's house, and then headed home to see X.
We didn't do anything!
It was so nice :)

 By 7pm I was feeling the effects of being out after midnight and needed a cup of half caff to get through the next few hours. #keepinitreal

It was truly a great weekend.

Looking forward to the next couple of months of crazy :)

How was your weekend?

Have you ever tried Painting with a Twist?