Five on Friday

One
We are so excited because today we are getting a screen put in on our back porch. We love our back porch area - the view is amazing and there's tons of space for entertaining but unfortunately, we live in FL and there are so many bugs. We decided to screen it in so we can actually enjoy the space and have some fun cookouts. We're a little bummed that the view will be hindered a little but the pros of having the screen vastly outweigh the cons. This is going to be our first big (and expensive) project we've done to the house and we can't wait for it to be done :)

Two
Speaking of house work, my friend Meridith recently started a blog. Her and her husband are currently building a custom home and she is documenting everything on 32789 Design. If you are looking into building custom, want to get some amazing house decorating ideas or just want a fun blog to read, I suggest checking it out!

Three
Have y'all seen this HYSTERICAL Peyton Manning Blind Side spoof? They're calling it The Dark Side and it's an absolute riot.

Four
Since it's the middle of February (already!?), I've decided to up my game with working out. We really don't ever work out since by the time we get home, it's basically dark and we're pooped. After a few months of not working out, I can tell I don't look the same as when I worked out on the regular. I'm going to hopefully finally suck it up and do workouts - even if they're quick. I've really been enjoying the Tone It Up series on Youtube and hope it whips my butt into shape.

Five
Stephen gave me a scare yesterday when he though he was going to have to work all weekend... thankfully he doesn't because we've got lots of projects in store! I need to work on a wood-working project (more to come later) and for Valentine's Day we want to celebrate by making our own sushi (we won't use raw fish). We figured homemade sushi is something we wouldn't usually do and would be something fun to try.

What do y'all have planned for Valentine's Day?

Little Things for Valentine's Day

Stephen and I aren't big celebrators of Valentine's Day. Sure, we like to do something a little special but we never go all out and celebrate with elaborate things. Even though it's not big, I do like doing little things for Stephen and our families - I like to remind them that we love them.

This year for our families, I found adorable heart cards and washi tape in the dollar section at Target and figured it was the perfect little thing to send them for Valentine's Day. I loved how the washi tape added a little something to the outside of the cards.

Love my new Kate Spade address book

Every year I like to bake Stephen something fun. Back before we were married, it was a lot easier to surprise him with what I had made but now he just gets to enjoy the sweets without being surprised. 

These chocolate covered rice krispie treats were so good that I made them twice for him! 

These chocolate covered marshmallows look delicious and a lot easier to make!

 

This year, I'm going to go a little more traditional and make cookies with royal icing. I've never decorated cookies with royal icing but I have some Valentine's Day cookie cutters so I'm going to test out the royal icing.

What are some fun things you like to do for Valentine's Day to make people feel special?

Linking up with Annie.

Mix & Match Mama Chocolate Tres Leches Bunt Cake

I made this cake for Stephen two weeks ago after one of my business trips and it was so good, I had to make it for my parents.

Ingredients
- 1 box of chocolate cake mix
- 2 small boxes instant chocolate pudding (I only used 1 box since the cake box said there was pudding in it already)
- 1/2 cup veggie oil
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup milk
- 4 eggs
- 1/2 cup Eagle Brand condensed milk
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 stick of butter
- A few splashes of vanilla coffee creamer or milk
- 1/4 or less caramel topping (ice cream topping)

Directions
1. In a mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, pudding, oil, water, milk & eggs. Beat with an electric mixer and then pour into a greased bunt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean.

2. Let the cake rest in the pan for 10 minutes and then remove the cake. While the cake is still warm, poke medium sized holes around the top of the cake and drizzle the Eagle Brand Milk over the top of the cake and into the holes.

3. Let the cake finish cooling and then prepare the frosting.

4. Combine the powdered sugar, butter, coffee creamer/milk and caramel in a bowl with an electric mixer until you've reached your desired consistency. If needed, add more milk to thin it out or more sugar to thicken it. (We placed ours in the fridge until the cake was cooled, which thickened it some)

5. Frost the cake and enjoy :)

Linking up with Jessi.

Weekending

My parents came in town this weekend and we had a great time together! It was so good to see them since the last time we saw them was Christmas.

Stephen kicked off Friday with a rocket launch and I worked from home because our AC unit was leaking in the garage and I had to let the AC guy come in and fix it. Since I was home, I got a great view of the rocket launch!

Thankfully, the AC problem was fixed (some yahoo cut the main pipe, jerry-rigged it back together and then added some secondary pipe that was unneeded) and minimal damage was done. Later that afternoon, my parents made it to town and we headed out to grab some BBQ before heading home for a movie. Poor Stephen was up for work that morning at 1 am and had a 13+ hour day, so he was out like a light and missed the whole movie. I wore my new dress with boot socks (on Friday, I was talking about how I tried boot socks with jeans and it was a hot mess) and I think it turned out super adorable, not to mention the dress was so comfy. 

Saturday, we made breakfast and then headed to the driving range because the weather was beautiful! We were going to head to the beach but while we were at the driving range, clouds rolled in. Instead, we looked at some fancy model homes for fun (after moving 15+ times, looking at models is fun for our family). We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing, baking and hanging out while it rained. It was such a long week for all of us (especially for my dad and Stephen) we loved just handing out and relaxing together. 

We accidentally matched

Stephen was a trooper and grilled steaks for dinner all while it was raining and cold outside (at least he was able to pull the grill under the roof). He did an amazing job on the steaks, potatoes and I added roasted broccoli & okra. For dessert, my mom & I made an amazing chocolate de leches bunt cake. We followed up dinner with the movie The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and we loved it - I'd definitely recommend it! 

Sunday, my parents left early so they could get home before it got dark. After church, Stephen left to help move some furniture for a friend and I finally watched Grease Live. They did a great job and I was surprised to see how close they mimicked the movie. We spent the rest of the day relaxing before the Super Bowl. I made ham & cheese sliders, sweet potato fries and roasted veggies for dinner - I didn't want to go too crazy since it was just Stephen and I. We were cheering for the Broncos - I only cheered for them because Peyton Manning is my boy. If he wasn't their QB and it wasn't his last Super Bowl, I would've cheered for the Panthers. I can't believe the Broncos won!! Everyone at work was saying it'd be a blowout for the Panthers and therefore, a non-eventful game.  

Being a cheese ball - Super Bowl is the only time I can get away with glass bottles lol

Can't wait to read this!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!! Linking up with Biana.  

Five on Friday

I am so glad the weekend is finally here!! We didn't have a rough week, by any means, but I've just been SO TIRED this week (don't worry, I'm not pregnant). I think it's attributed to the fact that a lot of people at work are either in training or traveling and it's so quiet! Staring at a screen all day really does a number on you and the hour commute each way doesn't help either... so cheers to the weekend!

One
I'm so excited because my parents are coming to town today!! My dad had a business trip in Miami this week so they're stopping by our house for the weekend on their way back to TN. Can't wait to see them again and show them all the updates to the house!

via

Two
On Monday, I mentioned that we were between two styles of chairs for our living room. We bit the bullet and bought this one!! We are so excited to get them in the living room but it'll be about a month before they're delivered - boo! So glad we finally settled on chairs that we both liked :)

Three
My parents got me some Hunter boots for Christmas and my mom threw in some adorable boot socks from Old Navy and Francesca's. I've been wanting to wear the boot socks but I quickly realized they look so weird (at least on me) with jeans so I've decided I'll try them with a dress. Well, I realized I didn't have any good dresses that matched and set out to find a swing dress to go with my green Hunter's and beige colored socks. I found an adorable navy dress (this one is similar, of course they don't have the one I got online) that doesn't make me look like I'm wearing a potato sack while not being clingy and showing off all my cellulite. I'm hoping to get some wear out of it this weekend, especially before it get's hot. [This one is fantastic for spring/summer!]

Going for a look kind of like this

Four
While hunting for said dress above, I stumbled upon these amazing rompers from Old Navy. How adorable are they for spring/summer!? Love that the navy one has a small gingham print on it. I'm getting super excited for spring now (I won't mention that we're supposed to get a cold front and the temps will be around the 30s... in FL)!

Five
One last fashion-related item - Target recently released their Who What Wear collection and I have to admit, I have no clue what this is; is it a designer? is it just the name is fun? I'm totally missing the point but I'm loving some of their pieces! I really like this pencil skit, this birdcage skirt would be adorable with a black top and heels and the matching top is so sophisticated.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Makeup Review

Disclaimer: I will be the first to admit I don't have a single clue when it comes to makeup. I usually keep things very minimal and don't buy expensive/"nice" makeup (thank goodness for Stephen since he thinks my $12 power foundation is expensive lol)

After following along in the blog/vlog world for a little bit, I had noticed that people had more "complex" makeup routines than I did and the things they did with makeup made a big difference. One of the big things I wanted to try was contouring. My mom got me this contour pallet for Christmas and I loved it, until I broke out from it. After returning it, I didn't want to spend $40+ on another contour kit so I opted for the new Maybelline contour kit and used the extra money to get some fun brushes and chap sticks. I've been really impressed with the Maybelline kit - the dark shade is perfect but I have to admit, the lighter shades were better in the NYX kit.

I love Neutrogena products because they're not harsh on my skin and it's not too expensive. I always use this pressed powder and it gives me great coverage for everyday use. If I wanted a more polished look, I would use Clinique liquid foundation and then add the pressed powder on top. The liquid foundation was very thick and even though it gave me an airbrushed look, I didn't like how thick it was on my face. When I was at home for Christmas, my mom got my sister some Urban Decay liquid foundation - it doesn't give her enough coverage so she gave it to me. I love this stuff!! It is light/medium coverage but it feels so light on your face and still looks super natural. I use this almost everyday under my powder foundation and haven't had a problem! This will probably be my one expensive makeup piece that I will continue to splurge on.



Neutrogena was running a BOGO 50% off when I needed to buy more foundation so I took advantage and snagged a fun pink blush. My current blush is kind of dull and I wanted to spice things up a bit with a new, brighter blush. I really like it and it'll be the perfect shade for spring/summer!

After returning the NYX contour kit, I had some extra money to play with so I snagged this makeup sponge and brush. I wanted to try out the sponge for my liquid foundation application but I was very disappointed with the sponge because it seemed to soak up all of the foundation instead of leaving it on my face. I was about to return it when my sister informed me that you can use it for concealer (which I didn't have - told y'all I don't know much lol). I decided to get some cheap concealer to try it out. I really like using the sponge to put on the concealer and for $3, it's a steal! I also got a new brush which I love using to blend my contour.

I've been using Burt's Bees chapstick for a little while now and right before Christmas, Target ran a BOGO deal on their kits. Stephen wanted to get me some for little stocking stuffers and I decided to go with some tinted kits rather than plain chapstick. I picked out this kit and this kit and so far, I have been really impressed by them. The colors are great and perfect for someone like me, who doesn't usually wear a lot of color on my lips. I'll probably keep getting their lipsticks in the future because my lips are very sensitive and these don't bother them as much. FYI: I read that eos chapstick can really mess up some peoples lips and after seeing some pictures, I realized that's what was happening to mine (although not as bad). I decided to throw out my eos chapsticks and now I don't have as big of a problem.

One last thing that I got for Christmas was the Urban Decay Perversion mascara. I received a sample tube for my birthday and LOVED it but didn't want to buy the bigger tube. I got it in my stocking from my parents and have been enjoying using it. Unfortunately, it seems different than the sample tube that I had but still gives great volume. Honestly, I'll probably go back to drug store mascara after this tube runs out - it's good, not great.

Thanks for bearing with me and my makeup post - there's a first time for everything!

Linking up with Annie.

Valentine's Day Gifts

Stephen and I haven't been ones for big Valentine's day gifts (one year he did get me a Coach purse so he could get some nice mats for his car ;)) but it's still fun to look at cute gifts!

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6

Linking up with Jessi.