Get the Green Light | PinSpiration!

March is one of my favorite months of the year because it is home to one of my favorite holidays of the year falls in...

St. Patrick's Day! 🍀

I decided to go with a green theme for this month in honor of the holiday.

Over the weekend Mic and I decided to hit up the Cleveland Auto Show and I knew I wanted to wear something casual, yet pulled together.

So I turned to my trusty sidekick Pinterest and looked for outfit inspiration for my green military button down.

Jen has styled this top so many ways!

I knew I could recreate this look and feel comfortable all day long.

I got dressed, drove to Cleveland, walked around for a few hours, drove back home, etc., etc.

It wasn't until we were home and ready to change into our comfy clothes for the night that I realized I never took a pic of my outfit :(

#badblogger

I quickly snapped a shot of it without shoes 🙍

I wore my go-to combat boots that day since it was kind of wet and muddy outside.

But that is OK because I made it my own :)

Military Button Down - Similar

Scoop Neck Tee

Black Jeans - Similar

Boots - Similar

Necklace - Similar

That's all for today friends!

Don't forget to link up your style posts below :)

XOXO ~ Vanessa


** Also linking up with The Style Six ladies and Nancy's Fashion Style**

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

PinSpiration | Cozy Cool

It's time for another week of PinSpiration!

We dressed down for work recently and I thought this outfit was perfect!
I found these images on Pinterest and knew I had similar items in my closet to recreate the looks.

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Obviously, since I was going into the office I wasn't going to be walking around barefoot ;)

Cream Cardigan - Similar

Gray Jeans - Similar

Black Tank - Similar

Crossbody Bag

Booties - Similar

Necklace - Similar

I switched out the tank color just because that is what worked best for me.
I absolutely loved how this recreation turned out!
I felt completely pulled together for our dress down day, as well as ready for whatever else the day threw at me :)

Now it is your turn!

Link up your style/fashion post below :)

I'm also linking up with The Style Six Ladies (Shelly, Lisa, Andrea, etc.) and Nancy's Fashion Style this week.

XOXO ~ Vanessa

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

My Pinterest Fail

I am not one that takes failure well.

I have loved to bake for many years, and typically do it well.

This past Christmas my mom came down for a weekend to make cookies and desserts with me.

It was the first holiday baking session in our "new" home.

Reminder: My "new" home is 40 years old, has had 0 updates, and sits in the country.

While baking our goodies we noticed nothing, I mean nothing, was coming out right.

I follow the recipes exactly...that is my personality after all.

#rulefollowertilthedayidie

Every single cookie or bar came out burnt, but not cooked through :(
I did the unthinkable and started changing the recipes, adjusting the temperature of the oven, and changing the baking time.

It was a very discouraging day.

So fast forward to this past weekend when I once again attempt to make some homemade goodies for my SIL's upcoming baby shower.

It is a tea party theme for the shower, so I decided to make little favors that included tea packets and honey spoons.

I picked up all the items I needed and thought I couldn't be that hard.

I have made candy and other like items before and had no issues.

I put everything into my pot, turned on the heat, and stirred.

And stirred.

And stirred.

The directions say to not stop stirring.

I stirred that honey mixture for over 30 minutes!

#electricheatsucks

Once the mixture appeared ready, I pulled it away from the heat (again like the directions stated) and started dipping the spoons into the candy mixture.

I then let them "rest" so the honey would solidify on the spoons.

I then played the waiting game again.

I played that waiting game for quite awhile, but that stinkin' honey wouldn't harden!

GRRR!

I didn't know what to do.

I started looking online to see if I could put them in the refrigerator to hurry them along, but everything advised against that :(

So I waited some more.

Finally, I had to move on with my evening (yes, it was dinner time at this point) so I wrapped each spoon in wax paper and set them in a cooler spot of the house.

Humidity was not on my side Sunday :(

I checked on them Monday morning and they were STILL sticky!!!

I finally put them in the fridge at that time.

I checked on them again Monday afternoon and they still wouldn't harden all the way!

So I am officially giving up and calling it a big fat FAIL.

I am currently typing this Wednesday morning and have 0 clue what I am going to do for the favors.

Did I mention that the shower is THIS Saturday?

Yep!

Holy moly I better get on it!

Fingers crossed and lots of prayers are being said that I come up with a new idea quickly, and am able to get them done in the next couple of days.

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest :)

Happy Thursday Friends!

Don't forget to link up your #ThinkingOutLoudThursday post below,

and make sure to link back to X-tremely V & Penny's Passion!

Show & Tell | Pinterest Pins

Today I am talking about my favorite pins on Pinterest!

From food to clothing to hairstyles and more!

Like the majority of you (I am guessing), I have a slight obsession with Pinterest.

I pin and pin and pin all throughout the day.

Here are some of the pins I have tried and truly enjoy :)

Food

Chicken & Dumplings

I have made this exact recipe a million times and every single time it is delicious!

It never fails me :)

Added bonus, is that it cooks in the crockpot while I am at work!

Ham & Cheese Sliders

Oh my word these babies are delicous!

And a total crowd pleaser!

I have made these for our Fantasy Football draft party, X's birthday party, and just random get togethers.

They go quick!

They are sure to be a hit at your next party or get together as well :)

Brown Sugar Smoked Sausage

Another crockpot winner amongst our friends and family are these sweet bites of goodness!

I have made these for numerous parties and everyone is always asking for the recipe.

Two ingrediants people. TWO!

Clothing

Navy Sweater, scarf, and red wellies

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I have worn this outfit combo many times.

I love the colors!

Blazers, Denim Jackets & Leather Jackets

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This pin right here just might have been my very first pin ever!

Or at least my first fashion pin!

I am such a sucker for blazers.

While every one else is rockin their sweaters or puffer vests (which I love too), 

I will rock my blazers :)

I have them in multiple colors and have worn them for years (think middle school days- early 90's)!

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This pin sums me up in the summer.

White shorts, camo shirt (camo anything in my world really), and a denim jacket.

Equals pulled together comfort :)

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Eek! I swear Jenna is my girl crush!

The jacket, scarf, and distressed jeans scream me...and I have worn this before multiple times :)

Her hair gives me inspiration too!

Speaking of hair....

Hair & Makeup

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This is one of the photos I always show my stylist.

I can't get enough of the dark and wavy long layers!

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And every now and then I like to add just a hint of something fun,

so I show her this photo.

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I have been reading Kate's blog for years!

Honestly, she is the reason I decided to give this whole blogging thing a try :)

Her hair tutorials are wonderful and make this hair challenged person feel like I have hope in styling my hair :)

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And Cara shows me how to do my makeup like a pro!

Well, still haven't mastered it yet but I continue to work on it ;)

And I am beyond envious of her hair!

#brunetteshavetosticktogether

Click here to see and follow any/all of my Pinterest Boards :)

Let's be honest, I could go on forever because I absolutely love Pinterest!

But, I will stop there because I want to see what your favorite pins are!

Who do you follow?

Any foodies or beauty queens I need to check out?

Linking up with Andrea @ Momfessionals :)

Trending on Pinterest

I don't know about you, but it drives me crazy when I am looking for something on Pinterest and she (yes, I call it a she) decides to tell me what I am looking for before I finish typing.

Grrr!

She also likes to show me what is trending, so I figured I would let Pinterest take the wheel today.

shark week quotes

sources unknown

tiny houses

This guy is only 300 square feet, but it sure looks cute!

cute church outfits

This one I get, but this one?

What kind of church do you go to?

chinese lanterns

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Not gonna lie, this would be awesome to do some time!

ice dye

See tutorial here.

Been there, done that almost 25 years ago.

But I think it would be interesting to give this  try.

So what is Pinterest telling you to search for?

Don't forget to link your Thursday post below and link back to X-tremely V and Penny's Passion!

#TOL

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?

Pinspired | Winter

I feel like for the last month I have worn the exact same thing!

With the temps so low, I find myself in the an outfit that consists of dress pants, button down, and sweater.

Oh, and don't forget the winter hat, coat, gloves, scarf, and boots!

I tried to get inspired by Pinterest this month, and found myself looking at the same outfits I was wearing!

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Old Navy Sweater (old) - similar

White button down (old) - similar

Black pants - exact

Necklace - gift from Uganda

My weekends didn't look much different.

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Sweater - really old

JCF Purple Gingham Shirt - similar

Vigoss Jeans - similar

Boots - old

While I love my Hunter's, I am crossing my fingers that Mother Nature is kind to Ohio in March and I am finally able to wear some different shoes outside.

What have you been wearing to stay warm?

Linking up today with Shay, Sheaffer, & Mel for

Pinspired | Headbands

Apparently after my post last week I have discovered this whole new girly side of me.

Pink glittery nails, headbands with bows, and a new love for twirl worthy skirts!

Seriously, who am I?

Either way, Pinterest inspired me this past month to explore my girly side.

I see cute headbands on girls/chics/females/whatever you want to call them all the time.

I love the look!

On me, not so much :(

I realized the photos I like best from my girl P, were ones with extra details on the headbands.

Bows to more specific.

Seriously, did I wake up as 6 year old girl?

Anyways, I was literally walking through the little girls section at Target and found this headband on clearance for $1!

Normal size headbands are usually way too big for me, but I never thought this one would actually fit.

It did! And I love it!

I immediately took to Pinterest to look for similar photos.

And then it hit me.

I knew exactly who it reminded me of and I couldn't type faster to find photos!

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Here in all my glory is my best Blair Waldorf interpretation.

Big build up. #sorrynotsorry

Now I am on a mission to find similar ones.

Other than the little girls section at Target anyways,
Any suggestions?

Do you wear headbands?

If so, where do you buy them?

How do you style them?

Linking up with some of my favorite fashionable ladies today!
Shay, Sheaffer & Mel for Pinspired!

And to see what I have been wearing the past couple of months, check out my WIWW posts.

Gone Duck Hunting

Ohio

Going For Gold

Scarves

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