Friday's Letters

"Mom, I wanna be in your  blog!"

Dear all of you, thank you so much to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. I'm finally in my twenties and I gotta say, I feel quite older. No more "teen" tacked onto my age. So thank you to you guys, you were all super sweet! Dear weather man, get your shit straight and let me know what the weather is actually going  to be like. Saying it's going to be 90 then having rain and wind instead just isn't cutting it for me. Dear new popcorn popper, you do wonders. Nuff' said. Dear body, why do you continue to kill me in my back area. I'm twenty, not 100. I understand I have horrible posture and I'm a little busty, but that's not my fault. Well the posture is, but still. Dear the next two weeks, you may fly by as fast as you like because I cannot wait to go camping. Campfires, s'mores, and beaches, the three best things anybody could have. 

Happy Friday everyone, 

have a wonderful weekend! 

Recipe // 4th of July S'mores

Ingredients Needed:

Marshmallows
Chocolate

To make the crackers:
2-2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbl honey

1. In a bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon, set aside. In another bowl, beat together butter, brown sugar, and honey. Add the flour mix and combine until smooth.

2. Cover a clean surface in flour an roll out your dough. Make it about 1/8-inch thick. Helpful hint: roll it onto a cookie sheet instead of eyeballing it. Throw in the fridge for about 10 minutes or until firm. Take the time to preheat you oven to 350 degrees. Take out the dough and cut into however big squares you like. Use a small star cookie cutter on half the squares to cut out the star for the middle. Use your scrapes to reroll and make more.

3. Place the squares on your cookie sheet and refrigerate another 15 minutes. When ready toss them in the oven for about 15 minutes or dark brown, flip halfway through. Let cool.

4. Get them ready for your 4th of July festivities and chow down on some fabulous s'mores!

Happy Birthday To Me!

The day has come! Yesterday was my last day as a teenager and today I step into the world of true adulthood...yeah right. I'm still going to be just as immature as I was 24 hours ago. Though it feels a little weird to say I'm 20 years old. I'm so use to having the "teen" stuck onto the end of each year. Now it's just a nice flowing twenty. I'm excited to start my twenties and excited to see what happens in the next 10 years until I start my thirties. Wow, I can't believe I'll be 30 in 10 years! That's crazy! The years fly by and I'm going to enjoy every second of the ones to come.

The last couple of days I was in Green Bay staying with my main squeeze. We celebrated my birthday a little early which included flowers in the morning and dinner at night. He also got me a big book of cupcakes, which I'm in love with right now! I got to pick the place we went to and I picked out this place downtown called Titletown Brewing that we passed one day and it caught my eye. I'm so glad we did because they had a pretty amazing cheeseburger and fries. So good!! It was right next to a railroad track and I loved when the train flew by. If you ever happen to be in Green Bay, stop on in. The food was excellent!

Now for those who can't read. It's picture time!

Chris: "You gonna take a picture of my food?"

I told you it was a book of cupcakes :)

 I can't wait to make these!

I love these purple flowers.

And a wonderful two days it was. I know I say this every time, but I am truly thankful to have Chris in my life. He's such an amazing man and I love every minute I get to spend with him.

Happy Hump Day everyone!! 

Friday's Letters

Dear Friday's Letters, sorry I've missed out on you for the past few weeks. Please forgive. Dear boyfriend, I'm glad you're home. It's good knowing your now only a few blocks down the road instead a whole highway across the state :) and thanks for buying me my movie ticket today, you're the sweetest. Dear Harry Potter, I'll never get sick of you. Dear work, there might be a pepper plant missing a pepper today. I'm not saying who did it, I'mm just letting you know. It was delicious in my salad, that is all.... Dear lemon and mint candle, thanks for smelling like brilliance. Dear Patches, I'm glad you're finally eating again and not sneezing in my face 24/7. It feels good to not wake up with snot all over my face. Dear Wisconsin, enough with humidity, you're killing me smalls.   

Current Crush: Hello Kitty

Today I am linking up with some fabulous women. Shane, Danielle, and Rachel are blogging about their current crushes this summer and want all of us to join in. There's even a giveaway up for grabs if you participate! So head on over, link up, and dish out your current crush! 

My Hello Kitty crush started a few weeks ago when I saw that a Hello Kitty toaster in Target that toasted Hello Kitty's face onto the bread. I was stunned, "that is so freakin cool!!" I always thought Hello Kitty was more of a 2 year old thing, so maybe it's just the inner child in me that feels the need to purchase a Hello Kitty toaster. Seriously, who does that? After that, the crush began....

Follow your host:

Danielle from Framed Frosting

Follow your co-hosts:

Shane at Whispering Sweet Nothings

Rachel at Lists From the Heart

The Rules:

1. Follow your hosts

(they are the first 3 in the linky and will return the favor!)

2. Say hi to at least 3 new people

(or more!! it's a great way to meet new people!)

3. Spread the word! 

(grab the button and add it to your page)

Birchbox #1- June

My first BirchBox came in the mail about a week ago and I was so excited when I saw it in the mail box. I started jumping for joy and I let out a little squeal. I knew instantly that I wanted to do a review for you guys so I tried using most of the products last week to get a good feel for them. Enjoy the pictures and hopefully the reviews might help those still wondering if they should join. That was me a couple of months ago and I'm so glad I joined. It's like getting a present for yourself every month!

Hair Rules Volumizing Shampoo

I love this stuff. It smells great and it works amazingly. My hair felt awesome afterwards and the "volumizing" part really volumizes. Not that my hair was a bee-hive or anything, but it created a really nice natural volume even without blow drying. 

La Fresh Face Cleanser Wipes

These face wipes were kind of a miss for me. They were a little rough on my skin and I still had to rub harder on my eyes to remove my non-waterproof mascara. I've been using Garnier makeup remover wipes for years and these definitely don't live up to them. 

Tili Bags

I used these bags to hold all my sample packets of face lotion, shaving cream, etc. and I really like them. They're great for travel or holding onto little things in your purse. 

theBalm Lip and Cheek Stain

This was by far my favorite product in this month's box. I've been using it like crazy since I got it. I love it for my lips because it adds a great subtle red to them. It's awesome for on the go and quick re-touches!

Winks Faux Lashes

I haven't tried these yet because I'm disabled when it comes to putting on fake eyelashes. When the day comes that i'm able to apply these babies, I bet they'll look great! 

Happy Monday everyone!

To the Papa

Wanted to wish my one and only father a Happy Father's Day. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't be half the smart ass I am today and I would never hear "you are exactly like your father" almost every day.

So today is for you and I hope you have a wonderful day. I miss you and sorry I'm horrible on sending cards on time. Trust me it's coming :) 

I just need to find the stamps...

mini haul: Bath and Body Works

Bath and Body is finally having their semi-annual sale this week and I literally wait all year long for this sale. I usually stock up on lotions and soaps at this time but doing that for the past 2 years, I have more than needed. A while back I stopped in and fell in love with some of their new spring and summer candles. I absolutely needed them, but like always didn't want to pay full price for them. I knew the semi-annual was coming soon so I waited patiently waited and  was so greatly rewarded. I got exactly what I wanted. And then I decided to do a little haul for you all. 

Here's what I got! 

This one is my all time favorite! It literally smells exactly like a flower shop. So perfect for Spring and even summer!

Flower Shop

The delightful scent of fresh-cut spring flowers -

 sweet lilac, pink freesia and hyacinth

 layered with cooling greens.

Lemon Mint Leaf

An organic cultivation of bright lemon balm

and farm fresh green spearmint.

Peach Bellini

A sweet twist on a classic blend of white

peach, yellow mandarin and blackcurrant,

with jasmine and a splash of juicy orange. 

Crazy about everything I bought and I just want to burn all of them right now! Hope you all enjoyed this little haul, let me know if you want more like these! 

Have any of you checked out the semi-annual sale at Bath and Body, it's going on right now!

Sponsor Love- Life Through His Eyes

Today I have another awesome guest post for you! Enjoy, while I take the day off and make some smores (even though I'm not camping), that's alright though. 

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Hello everyone! I’m Katharine from Life Through His Eyes blog. And I’m so grateful to Kelly for giving me this wonderful chance of meeting you all through this guest post. :)

I am having a fresh start as a fresh grad in a different land -- Hanoi -- my new home away from home. So most of my blogs would be about my expat life in Hanoi and other random ramblings. :)

I am a traveler and a language learner. I love music...a lot! I love LOVE. and most importantly...I am a daughter of God who hopes to inspire other young ladies and everyone who comes across my blog to see the beauty of life through His lenses. 

Living life in a foreign place especially when you just graduated from the univ is not easy. I am twenty and I totally jumped from one life to another. I could’ve just stayed in my hometown, have a vacation for a month or two before looking for a job or something. But I didn’t. I believe I was called for a bigger purpose. And as my blog name suggests, I want to see life through His lenses because everytime I do, everything just makes sense. I understand why I’m here, what I am here for, and instead of being burdened how difficult life is, I see the beauty it brings. I may not had the 2-month vacation every fresh grad wants after 4 years of sleepless nights but God gave me something better, everyday in this foreign place has its own little surprises for me. 

There would be a few bumps on the road for sure but the number of good things cancels it all out. And though I have been caught up with work for the past few weeks which left my blog dead for a while, I do believe life is just about to get more and more exciting for me here! I can’t wait to blog about everything that happened for the past 2 weeks and for the things to come. 

Thanks to this guest post, I’m back on blogger world! How’s that for a comeback? Haha. I have just updated and completed my blog series on Love and Waiting. And I would really like to share it to all of you.  So you can visit my site, read through it and leave some love!

From Blog Life to Real Life

I'm linking up with the wonderful Jessica and Brit from Lovely Little Things and The Magnolia Pair. They came up with 10 questions for other bloggers to answer about their favorite bloggers. So let's get started!

1. Do you have any real life blog friends?
Yes I do!! My real life best friend, Nikki is the writer behind Across the Sea With Nikki P. She just started blogging about a month ago and she does some really great nail tutorials like this and this, so check her out! She recently moved to Japan with her hubby so she's enjoying her time being a wife and the wonders of Japan. Love you girl!

yeah, we wore the same shirt. Not planned.

2. Which blogger are you just dying to meet?
There are so many! I think the top two would definitely be Kylee and Hannah. I'd literally fall over dead if I met them. I follow their blogs like it's a religion.

3. Which blogger's closet would you love to raid?
I'd have to say Kinsey from Sincerely, Kinsey. That ladayy is a freakin' genius when it comes to dressing herself. If I could have half as much talent as she does when it comes to dressing myself in the morning, I'd be one good looking (insert naughty word).

4. You are stuck on an island, which blogger would you want with you to help you survive?
Okay, so I was lucky and got stuck with three bloggers. I think having Rachael, Daryl, and Amanda stuck on an island with me would be a party. They've been all over this world so I think they'd know a thing or two about foraging for exotic fruits or talking the man eating inhabitants out of eating us for dinner. Or at least that's what I hope for.
 
5. The first blogger you remember meeting and connecting with?
The first blogger I ever started reading was Jenni from Story of My Life. It was because of her that I got obsessed with reading blogs and soon after started my own. She writes all about her life in Austin with her handsome hubby and two adorable pups.

6. Any blogger that you remember and look up to?
Jenni from Story of My Life
Daryl from Roots, Wings, and Other Things 
Elsie from A Beautiful Mess

Jenni really inspires me to be a better blogger and with that enjoy what I blog about. I love reading everything she writes, I could spend hours skimming through her blog.

Daryl is such a great soul and I'm so jealous that she's off traveling the world.

Elsie is my favorite and has the greatest DIY/ fashion / everything else blog. She's my go to gal when I need some major inspiration.

7. Who is the craziest/funniest blogger?
She may not be the craziest blogger I know, but she sure has a good sense of humor. Callie is the writer behind You Don't Even Know and posts like this make my stomach hurt.

8. There's a reality television show for bloggers, who would you want to be casted with you? 
Again, I think having Callie as my co-host would make for one awesome show. Then Hannah would have to do a fashion segment and Ashley could be our DIYer. I can already see it....ahhhmazing. 


9. Some bloggers have really cool jobs, anybody you'd like to swap careers with? 
Dana from the Wonder Forest has an amazing talent for web design and photoshop. I'd love to take over her shop and designing business. I'd probably go crazy, but I'd have so much fun doing so.  


10. Favorite blog design?
Let's just cut to the chase and say, I love mine. The amazing Hannah created it for me a while back and I couldn't thank her enough.  


Then we have Kinsey's, it's so simple and I adore her header. Monica, who is only 14, has an adorable blog design that she made herself! I love her doodle inspired layout. Last but not least, the dynamtic duo of Casey and Savannah have an awesome design. Again their header is one of my favorites. 


So now that two hours past writing this post, I should get on with my day. I really enjoyed writing this and it was so much fun to go through all my favorite blogs again, hope you all enjoyed too! 

Happy Thursday everyone!

Sponsor Love- Sweatpants and Highheels

Today, i'm relaxing and letting Allison take the reigns. She's the creator and wonderful writer behind Sweatpants and High Heels. She's also one of my wonderful sponsors. Head on over to the side bar and take a look and stay to check out this awesome DIY she has for all of you!

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In case you haven't figured out by now, Kelly is one talented individual when it comes to crafts, photography, and baking. Every time I see a picture of cupcakes in one of her posts, I always end up with the same dilemma: do I want to eat it, or hang the picture of it on my wall?

In short, this girl is fabulous when it comes to presentation and I am so excited to be a guest on her blog today. When it comes to crafts and DIY, I am new to the game...I was a full time career buff until I became a mommy in December. I am enjoying this season of my life because I'm actually at home long enough to tap into my creative side. I like to stick to short and sweet crafts since I have a little one who will be crawling any day now!

 Today I'll show you how I painted a few jars without the use of a paint brush. It's hard for me to believe too...but anyone can do it! It's only 3 steps and if you have 10 minutes available, you will end up with some pretty awesome decorations for your home. I was inspired by this Youtube tutorial.

 

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Supplies:
-can of paint
-jar

Step 1: Fill the jar with paint about 1/8 full. (paint and jar picture)

Step 2: Slowly turn and tilt the jar while letting the paint coat the inside of the jar. Do this step over another jar or paint can so that the excess paint is poured into the other jar/paint can. 

Step 3: Dry!

And there you have it...my latest obsession because it's so stinkin' easy!

-Allison