Thursday, February 28, 2013

Saw It, Pinned It, Did It: St. Patrick's Day Printable

By now, you may have realized that I have a slight obsession with printables.  If you haven't noticed my obsession, see here, here, and here.  Today is no different.  I'm linking up with Steph and Katie to show off my St. Patrick's Day printable.

Original Pin:










The pin brings you to a site that has both of the printables shown in two different sizes.  I choose the "Kiss Me" printable because it was a 5x7 and would fit perfectly in my frame.

So, all you do is print it (I always print mine on cardstock), cut it out, and insert in your frame.  Super easy and super cheap holiday decorations!  Here's what mine looks like on display in my living room:





Be sure to check all of the other great SPD ideas from other amazing bloggers!

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Wedding Unity Sand

If you're planning a wedding, or even if you aren't, you've probably seen this cute Unity Sand Shadow Box on Pinterest:



The first time I saw it, I knew I had to have it.  It was different, and it was something that I would actually keep and display in our home after the wedding.  So, after searching several different sites to see where I could find it the cheapest, I ended up ordering it from My Wedding Reception Ideas for $40.  Shipping was expensive at $13.15, which made the total cost $53.15.  A little expensive, yes, but worth it in my opinion.

Here's what ours looks like:




It comes with the two clear glass sand pouring vases, so the only other thing I had to buy was the sand.  I got my sand from Hobby Lobby when it was 50% off, so they were only $1.50 each.  Our wedding colors are different shades of purple and some white, so I got dark purple and white sand.


Now I just need to figure out where exactly I am going to display the shadow box after the wedding!

- Ericka

Monday, February 25, 2013

Weekend Recap: Fun in the Snow

Finally, a fairly uneventful weekend!  Friday night, Kevin and I did our typical pizza and TV lazy Friday night.  Saturday morning we got ready and dropped Admiral off to get a bath and haircut, then we headed to lunch and to our first marriage counseling appointment (which went pretty well, in case you were wondering).

Admiral was very tired after his bath and haircut.
Saturday night we just hung out at home.  Some of Kevin's family that hadn't seen the house yet stopped over to see it real quick, and then we just relaxed for the rest of the night.

Sunday morning I went grocery shopping and then had a very productive day at home.  I think I did about 48 loads of laundry (or like 6, same thing), and I worked on cleaning out our office.  Our office has also been our "catch-all" room since we moved in.  We just put all of the boxes in there and have slowly been unpacking them.  I made some progress on Sunday, but we still have a long way to go.

Since the weather was so nice on Sunday, we decided to spend some time outside playing with Admiral, and we decided to build a snowman!  The snowman doesn't have any arms, because Admiral loves sticks and he would have just taken the arms off and ran way with them.


I hope you all had a great weekend too!  I'm looking forward to a non-busy week and a fun weekend in Chicago!




I'm linking up with Sami to share my weekend recap.

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Saw It, Pinned It, Did It: Floating Jars

I'm linking up once again with Katie and Steph for Saw It, Pinned It, Did It.  This week, I may have stolen borrowed an idea from Katie.  She did a project like this a little over a month ago and I loved it so much, that I decided I needed to do it too!  So while I saw this project first on Katie's blog:



I also drew some inspiration from the following pin on Pinterest:

Supplies:
Hooks
Screws
Drill
Hanging Wire
Mason Jars

Step 1
The first thing I did was purchase these super cute spoon and fork hooks from JJEvensenArt on etsy.  They have lots of other styles and some that you can even personalize.  The hooks come with the screws, so you don't have to worry about finding the right size.  I just picked a spot on the wall to hang them, had my Dad bring his drill over, and drilled the hooks in to the wall.  Super easy.  




Step 2:
Choose your mason jars and add hanging wire to them.  I chose two different size mason jars.  There really is not a good way to explain how to wrap the hanging wire around the jars.  For me it was trial and error.  Just make sure the wire is tightly wrapped around the jars and leave enough extra wire to add a loop to hang your jars.


Step 3:
Hang your mason jars on the hooks and fill with whatever you want.  Just make sure it's nothing too heavy.  You don't want your jars falling!  I decided to fill mine with wine corks :)




I don't have an actual dining room in my house, just a little eat-in area in the kitchen.  It's really the only open wall in my kitchen, since the rest of the walls have cabinets on them, so this was the only place I could really hang them.

  I wanted something to go next to my wine rack on the wall, and thought these would be cute.  I think adding the wine corks was a good way to tie the wine rack and the floating jars together.




Monday, February 18, 2013

Weekend Recap

I know that Thursday wasn't techincally the weekend yet, but I just wanted to share this picture of the beautiful flowers that Kevin got me for Valentine's Day on Thursday.


On Friday night we just hung out at home and caught up on shows on the DVR.  Admiral decided that getting all of his toys out and scattering them across the floor would be a good way to spend his Friday night.


On Saturday we ran some errands, which included some wedding errands.  Kevin got fitted for his tux for the wedding and we picked up his wedding ring. 


Since I had never seen the first or third Batman movie, Kevin decided we need to have a Batman movie marathon weekend.  So we did.


Sunday morning I went grocery shopping and did some stuff around the house.  I made homemade lasagna for dinner and it was delicious!


I hope everyone had a great weekend and happy Monday :)



I'm linking up with Sami to share my weekend recap.

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Saw It, Pinned It, Did It: Peppermint Pattie Brownies

Two dessert SPD posts in a row?  That's not good for my getting healthy routine.  But it's Valentine's Day and I made these super cute, super yummy treats to share with my co-workers (and for Kevin to share with his co-workers), so that makes it ok, since I'm sharing.  Right?

Original Pin:


I read the recipe and realized how easy these were and thought I had to make them for Valentine's Day.

Here's what you need:
Brownie Mix
Muffin Pan
Grease/Nonstick Spray
Vegetable Oil
Eggs
Water
Peppermint Patties (and I used Hershey's Chocolate Hearts, because Kevin doesn't like Peppermint Patties)


Step 1:  Mix brownie mix according to directions.

Step 2:  Grease muffin pan(s)

Step 3:  Pour brownie mix in to muffin pan, filling about half way (mine aren't pretty, and that's ok).


Step 4:  Bake for about 18-20 minutes.  I ended up doing about 20 minutes, but each oven is different, so make sure you check them.

Step 5:  Unwrap your candies while the brownies are baking.



Step 6:  When the brownies are done, smush candy into middle of each brownie.  Mine started to melt, so I put the muffin pan in the freezer for a few minutes to stop the melting.


Step 7:  After they cool, pop them out of the muffin pan and enjoy!



I'm linking up today with Katie and Stephanie for Saw It, Pinned It, Did It.

Eat Drink & Be Mary

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Get Healthy, Not Skinny: Meals

I'm linking up again with Cherish for the Get Healthy, Not Skinny link up series.  You can read my fitness story and workout posts if you want to catch up.  This week we are talking about meals.

I've mentioned that all through high school, I didn't worry about what I ate, because I was burning so many calories through exercise that what I ate didn't really matter to me.  However, now that I'm not exercising as much as I used to, I try to be a little better about what I eat.  I like food, so it's hard for me to cut things completely out.  And I do have a bit of a sweet tooth sometimes (Did I tell you I once at 9 oreo balls in one night?  Not my proudest moment...)

My biggest problem is probably carbs.  I love carbs!  I could eat pasta every day!  My fiance and I used to eat pasta and/or bread several nights a week as part of our dinner.  We have been doing better and only eating it once or twice a week for dinner.  I now only buy whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, whole wheat english muffins, etc.  I also try not to buy sweets, so we usually only have them in the house if it's a special occasion (birthdays, holidays, etc.).  Then we are less tempted to eat them if they aren't around.  I also try to eat a salad as part of my lunch or dinner.  I love salad, but it doesn't seem to fill me up, so I usually eat something else with it.


My breakfast is usually a whole wheat english muffin with peanut butter on it and a glass of 1/2% milk.  I love milk and always have it with breakfast.  Sometimes I'll have scrambled eggs with spinach, maybe some lunch meat, and shredded cheese in them.  Or once in a while I'll have a bowl of cereal.  I found a great recipe for Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal from Eat Yourself Skinny.  I don't really like oatmeal, but this was delicious!  I made a double batch and would just heat some up in the morning for my breakfast.


For lunch, I usually take leftovers of food we've had during the week.  I rarely go out to eat for lunch, which saves me money and probably some calories, because I don't eat as healthy when I go out to eat.

Dinner is usually cooked at home.  We have been trying to go out to eat less, because we know we eat healthier at home, and it also saves us some money.  We've been eating a lot of chicken and vegetables, and less pasta.  In the summer (or pretty much any time when there isn't a foot of snow on our deck), Kevin likes to grill.  We'll have steak, shrimp, burgers, anything on the grill in the summer.

Kevin grilling at his mom's, before we bought our house.
We do like to snack.  Kevin's go-to snack is popcorn that he pops in his air popper.  I usually want something chocolate, so I try to just grab a little handful of m&ms or something to satisfy my craving.  I try to keep some healthier foods around for snacking such as nuts, raisins, bananas, or other types of fruit.


I use Pinterest to try and find healthier recipes, or ways to make current favorites a little healthier.  I know that our eating habits have gotten better over the past couple of months, but I'm always looking for ways to improve and new healthy foods and recipes to try.  If you have healthy recipes or healthy eating tips, I'd love to hear them!

-Ericka

Monday, February 11, 2013

February Glam Bag

Today I received my February Glam Bag.  If you remember, I used to subscribe to Birchbox, but last month, I decided to switch to Glam Bag.  I'm happy with this month's samples, but I haven't actually tried any of them yet. 


The Lash Card by Lash Card - I've never heard of these before, but I like the idea.  You hold one behind your eyelashes as you are applying your mascara, and it supposed to help prevent mascara smudging and clumping.  I don't know that I would ever purchase these, because it just seems like one more step to my daily makeup routine and I've got my mascara applying skills down, but I'm happy to try them :)

Shadow Palette Sample by Coastal Scents - I usually wear some type of eye shadow every day, so I know I'll get some use out of this.  I'm not sure about the yellows, but I like the other two colors.

Smokey Lash Kapow Mascara by Pop Beauty - I LOVE mascara.  If I could only wear one type of makeup on my face, it would be mascara.  Since I like it so much, I'm kind of picky about my mascara, so I hope this one is good.  I haven't worn it yet, but I did open it up check it out.  The brush looked good, didn't look like it would get clumpy, so that's a plus!

Flawless & Poreless primer by Pixi - I've never used primer before, so I'm excited to try this!

Gel Eyeliner by MicaBeauty - I've never used gel eyeliner before, I've always just used an eyeliner pencil.  I actually don't wear eyeliner very often, usually only for special occasions.  I'm not very good at applying it and I feel like it takes too long for every day wear.  Anyone have any tips on applying eyeliner?  Is gel eyeliner easier or harder to apply than a pencil?

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this month's Glam Bag.  I'm excited to try a couple of new items that I've never used before. 

Have you ever used any of these items?  What would you be most excited to try? 

- Ericka



Thursday, February 7, 2013

Saw It, Pinned It, Did It: No-Bake Oreo Balls!

Warning:  These are seriously delicious and addicting.  You won't be able to eat just one.  I literally ate nine of them the other night.  Please don't judge me.
I first made these Oreo Balls around Christmas time, and decided to make them again for the Super Bowl.  They are super easy and super yummy!  You can make festive for any occasion by doing different color candy coating or sprinkles.

Here is where I first saw these:


No-Bake Oreo Balls
(makes about 4 dozen 1 inch balls)
Ingredients:
1 package oreo cookies
1 8 oz package cream cheese (softened)
1 package vanilla candy coating (or whatever kind you want)
sprinkles (if desired)

Step 1:  Crush Oreo cookies to crumbs.
I did this by putting them in a zip lock bag and throwing them on the floor a few times, then dumped them in my blender and blended them good.  It would probably be easier in a food processor, but I don't have one....wedding gift idea :)


Step 2:  Combine crushed Oreos and softened cream cheese in bowl.
Just take a spoon and mix them together.
Step 3:  Roll mixture into little balls and place on wax paper on cookie tray.
You can make your Oreo Balls whatever size you want.  I made mine in to 1-2 inch balls and it made 48 of them (not counting the scoop of mixture Kevin ate before I made the balls).
Step 4:  Put Oreo Balls in freezer for 5-10 minutes.
They are easier to cover with the candy coating if you let them get a little hard.

Step 5:  Melt candy coating.
Do this according to the instructions on the candy coating package.  I heated mine up in the microwave and it worked fine.

Step 6:  Dip Oreo balls in candy coating.
I found that using two forks works best for this.  After your put the Oreo Ball in the candy coating, lift it out using the two forks.  The forks allow the excess coating to drip off.
Step 7:  Place on waxed cookie sheet.  Add sprinkles if desired.
I added sprinkles to some and not others.  It's best to do this after doing 3 or 4 balls, because once the candy coating starts to harden, the sprinkles won't stick.

Step 8:  Place in fridge or freezer to allow candy coating to harden for 15-20 minutes.  Eat & enjoy!!
Like I said, you won't be able to stop eating these after you try one!!


I'm linking up with Katie and Stephanie today for Saw It, Pinned It, Did It.



Eat Drink & Be Mary