Sunday Shares

What a great weekend!  I hope yours was great as well.  I got to visit with my grandparents Friday night and then we stayed up and watched the Olympic opening ceremony (when it wasn't storming and our satellite was working).  Then on Saturday I went to lunch with a long time friend I haven't seen in a while and ended the day with dinner and a game night with my other grandmother.  We just got done eating a good home cooked meal tonight and are now watching the Olympics again.  I like watching all of the competitions but the swimming, diving, and gymnastics are my favorites,

Like I mentioned in my last post, there's a lot I wanted to share this week (mainly ideas and randoms I found) that I didn't get to share last week but I decided that it would make for an extremely long post so I will share them throughout the week instead.

For today's shares though, I wanted to start with a sugar scrub that I made following a recipe I found here.  I've really been into trying homemade recipes for things as part of living more healthy and having a healthy environment.  This recipe was super cheap because I already had all of the ingredients on hand and it was easy to make.  I have sensitive skin along with some very dry and oily patches so I'm always nervous to try any type of new product on my skin.  So far I have loved the results of this homemade one and my dry patches are now gone, amazing!

Sugar Scrub

Picture by Heather Griffin

Everything happens for a reason

A quote that I constantly refer to and believe in.

I hope you all have a great week ahead!

Recipe Reviews

How has your week been?  I didn't get around to my Sunday post that I meant to do, so this coming Sunday there will be extra shares.  Things have been going well here.  We've played some golf, spent time with friends and family, and got some more things done around the house.  I also didn't get around to making that pot pie though that I mentioned last week, at least yet.  However, I did make a couple of other new things I want to share.

Honey Crispy Chicken

I found this recipe on Pinterest and new I had to make it.  It was really easy to do and tasted excellent!  The only thing I altered to the recipe was not using sage.

Found here via Pinterest

Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Pretzel Cookies

These were hands down the easiest homemade cookies I have ever made.  They were so soft and yummy. I used agave nectar in place of the white sugar but other than that followed the directions, kinda have to with baking!

Found here via Pinterest

Have a great one and let me know if you try either of these recipes and how they turn out for you!

Sunday Shares

I hope you had a fabulous weekend!  It's been a busy but great past few days for me.  We got to spend some time with friends at a special dinner and then took care of some stuff around the house.  I also celebrated my birthday on Friday and Saturday with my wonderful family and friends, along with some great food and a little shopping ;)  The hubby and I happened to stay awake until midnight and saw my birthday come in which made it that much more special!  

This week will be less busy for us and I plan to try some new recipes I've been eyeing.  One of them I came across while watching the Dr. Oz show.  Alex Guarnaschelli from the Food Network was on the show and made this chicken pot pie.  It's suppose to be a healthier version of the classic recipe and I can't wait to try it! I'll post how it turns out along with some others as well.

Chicken Pot Pie

via then pinned to my Pinterest boards

Words to think about for the new week

Hope you have a great new week!

Exciting News

Our house was listed on the market as of Wednesday!  It's something that we've been thinking about for a while and the time now feels right.  We will miss the memories we have of our current home but are excited to make new ones somewhere else and to start a new chapter.  There are several things that I love about our current home like all of the great closets, close to downtown and the size is nice.  Some of the things that we want in our new home that we don't have right now though is a garage, a dining room and our own yard.  We haven't officially started looking yet but I already have so many ideas in mind of what I want our new home to look like while being realistic at the same time about what's out there and in our budget.  We don't want to do any major overhauls to a house either but we also know to get what we want may take some work.  Hopefully the decision and process won't be too hard and when we find the right one for us we'll know it.  What are your must-haves for your home?

Sunday Shares

I hope y'all have had a great weekend!  It was once again mostly uneventful here.  I've caught up on most of my organizing and to-do's during my time off.  This week will be a little bit busier though with some fun things planned!

For this week's shares, I wanted to start off with another resource that I found helpful from Healthy Child Healthy World.  I didn't really think too much about the cosmetic products I use until fairly recently but it is something to think about.  The website EWG Cosmetics Database provides health information on all types of cosmetic products from soaps to shampoos to toothpastes and sunscreen.  Ratings are given to products based on safety and if they are a hazard (ranked by low, medium or high).  Also, if you are unsure about a product that you want to try or that you already have, you can see all of the ingredients it's made of (which can be a pain to find on the product itself sometimes!).  There are also tips that you can browse through as well as current research on specific ingredients.  Make sure to check it out!

The next few things I want to share are random things that caught my eye.

Personal Notes

A great idea for weddings, showers, graduation and the list goes on.  Pick your own envelopes and notecards then adhere them to a scrapbook for guests to write a special note.  The envelopes could also be used for little keepsakes.

via

THIS dress

I stumbled upon this dress that I absolutely love.  According to the store that sells it, it's considered a bridal dress but I think it'd be great for any special occasion.  It's also way out of my price range...

via

Frozen fruit ice cubes 

Fun for your summer gatherings.  This is one of those things after seeing I thought to myself, "now why didn't I think of that?!".

Pinterest

Have a great Monday and look for posts later this week about some exciting news!

Celebrating America's Independence

We don't have the typical plans that you might think of or that we are use to for today but who says you have to stick with the norm?  We have some family coming over this evening and then we'll all head over to dinner at one of our favorite places.  After dinner we're going to watch a fireworks show downtown as long as the storms hold off!   Here's some festive inspiration for food and fashion for the day ahead...

                                                Refreshing and healthy watermelon on sticks

Pinterest

Berry and coconut pops to keep you cool

via

Sweet fruit skewers for on the go

via

Festive outfit for the beach or lake

Altuzarra for JCrew

Can't go wrong with with a stripe tee and shorts

Casual and cool

Tory Burch

I hope you all have a happy and safe day!

Sunday Shares

Happy Sunday!  I hope you're having a great weekend and staying cool.  It's been unbelievably hot here. 106 Friday, I think 107 yesterday and 105 is the high today.  I hope there will be some relief soon!  

Anyhow, since not much can be done in this heat right now, I've been catching up on reading (working on my 5 book goal for this summer).  One of the books I'm currently on is Healthy Child Healthy World.  It has all of the information I've been looking for about living more healthy and helping the environment, all in one place.  There's a great list of resources included as well and one of my favorites is Eat the Seasons.  Eat the seasons is a website that list which foods are currently available, how long you can get them for (fresh), how to store and prepare them and also what the health benefits are that the foods provide. There's more that I want to share about the resources I've come across but will save them for a later post!

I've also been reorganizing our closets again.  Here our some of my favorite closets I've shared in the past.  The shelves that we have in our closet I use for shoes and bags, so I depend on great hangers for all of the clothes.  

Huggable Hangers

I love these soft, non-slip hangers for shirts and tanks.

via

Wood Hangers

 I use wood hangers like these for holding pants and skirts so there's not a crease.

via

Sweater Hangers

I use silk cushioned hangers like these for my delicate sweaters.

via

You can find these hangers to supply your closet, without breaking the bank as well.  Plus, they are all durable and will last a long time.  Great places to find them are at Home Goods (they have great prices), The Container Store, TJMaxx, and Target.  I've even ordered some from HSN for large quantities and they come in a ton of colors.

My favorite summer accessories 

(I actually use in spring and fall as well)

Summer accessories by thedulynoted featuring jack rogers shoes

The fedora can be worn with almost anything and will keep the sun off your head.  I love Jack Rogers sandals and came across this quadrille pair that I've added to my wish list.  And the Tervis cup is handy to use to carry around ice water or cold smoothies when on the go!

I hope you all have a great Monday tomorrow!