May Favorites

May was a fun month full of zoo visits, park visits and a mini road trip with my best friend and our boys who are also besties! Some of my favorite things from May were...

 Random: I have become addicted to the Bingo Bash App that I downloaded on my iPad, I find myself playing it every chance I get!

TV/Movie: The new show Penny Dreadful premiered May 11th on Showtime and it sucked me in right away. Its creepy, freaky, dark and interesting...love it!

Style/Beauty: I made a Makeup Remover using coconut oil, baby shampoo and water and I am obsessed with it! I will never buy makeup remover from the store ever again, that is how good this stuff is! Check it out here.

Food: While my friend and I were on our mini road trip we had dinner at Nick-n-Willy's Pizza and Oh My Gosh it was so good...mmmmm!

Music: Also while on our road trip my friend played Ellie Goulding - How Long Will I Love You and I fell in love with it! We listened to it over and over again in the car.

As soon as I heard Blake Shelton - My Eyes on The Voice I was hooked and lucky for me our country music station plays it all the time.

May Disappointment: The Weather has been seriously bipolar! It snowed on Mother's Day, then it was hot and sunny, then it rained for a couple days then it was back to being hot and sunny and then the big storms came in. Warm + Storm = Tornadoes...we had about 10 touch down in Colorado on the 23rd, one of which was not to far from our house, and with the tornadoes came massive hail storms. Right now its back to being hot and sunny but thunderstorms are in our near future....like tonight.

Easy Homemade Makeup Remover

I used to buy makeup remover wipes from The Dollar Tree but when I went there to restock my stash the other day they were no where to be found...sad. So I bought a package of the brand that they did have and I was totally disappointed with them when I tried them out that night, they burned my eyes so badly that I think the water from my eyes got off more of my makeup then the solution from the wipes did. So I broke down and bought a small container of Almay's Lash Care Gentle Eye Makeup Remover Pads which worked great but they were pretty pricy and since the pads were so small and thin I had to use 4 of them to get off all my makeup so the container of 80 pads only lasted me about 2 and a half weeks. Since I didn't want to spend $10 a month on makeup remover I decided to try and make my own and I am so happy that I did...

What I Used:

Travel Container 

(The Dollar Tree)

2 teaspoon Coconut Oil

2 teaspoons Tear Free Baby Shampoo

Hot Water

Cotton Rounds

I first scooped the 2 teaspoons of coconut oil into the travel container....

....then I poured in the 2 teaspoons of baby shampoo....

 ....and topped it off with hot water.

I then shook the container until everything was mixed together really well.

And there you have it, homemade makeup remover that is so worth it!

I love this stuff so much that I will seriously never buy makeup remover again! I can get off all of my eye makeup with just one pad and a nickle size drop of the liquid, plus it leaves the skin around my eyes so super soft....I'm so in love!

Helpful Life Hacks

I love scrolling through all the life hack pins on Pinterest! I have pinned a bunch of them and have tried a couple, its always nice making life a little bit more simple. I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite hacks with you to help make your lives a bit simpler too. So here is a list of 25 helpful life hacks.

• If you're going to the zoo, wear the same colors as the employees do. The animals will come right up to you instead of backing away. (Did this and it totally worked!)
   
• Running low on battery and need a quick charge? Put your phone on Airplane mode and it will charge much faster. (Did this and it really seemed to work)
   
• Need free WiFi? The best places to go are Panera, McDonalds, Apple Store, Office Depot, Staples and Courtyard Marriott. (Actually did this outside of Panera once)
   
• Lick your wrist and smell it. That is what your breath smells like to others.
   
• Cough keeping you up at night? Put Vick's Vapor rub on your feet and put on socks. Within minutes the cough will stop. (I do this with my son when he is sick)
   
• Sugar can cure a burnt tongue.
   
• If someone is buying you a meal but you don't know what price-range to order in, ask them what they recommend.
   
• Don't know what to get someone for their birthday? Have them make three guesses of "what you got them" and boom, three things he/she wants.
   
• If you ever have to park in a city at night, park in front of a bank. They're lit up and have cameras everywhere.
   
• Mosquito bite? Press a hot spoon onto the spot. The heat will destroy the reaction and the itching will stop. (I am a mosquito magnet so I use this one a lot)
   
• Don't want to be embarrassed when buying something? Buy a birthday card with it.
   
• When you're at a restaurant, wash your hands after ordering. The menu is generally the dirtiest thing you can touch.
   
• Can't catch a fly? Spray it with Windex, it won't be able to fly anymore.
   
• Putting Batteries in the refrigerator for a day before using them will double their lifespan.
   
• When filming video at a concert using your phone, put a finger over your phones microphone. It'll sound clearer when you play it back.
   
• You can call 311 for a non-emergency call to police.
   
• Spiders hate peppermint oil. Put some in a squirt bottle with water, spray your garage and all door frames then watch the spiders run.
   
• You are allowed to call the police if you ever see a pet alone in a hot car.
   
• Want to make a drink cold really fast? Wrap it in a wet paper towel and put it in the freezer for 15 minutes. (Done this trick a few times, perfect for the impatient)

•  Getting a call from a telemarketer? Don't say anything, just press "9" on your phone. It will add your number to the "don't call" list.

• Submerge wet nails in cold water for 3 minutes. Polish will dry completely and it gets rid of any that got onto your skin.

• Get a splinter? Pour a small amount of white glue on the area. Let it dry completely and peel it off. The splinter will come right out. Perfect method for children.

• Febreze kills ants on contact and doesn't leave your house smelling like poison.

•  You can heal paper cuts and immediately stop the pain with chapstick.

• If you need to remember something in the morning, send yourself a text before you go to bed but don't open it. (I constantly do this!)

Happy Birthday Blog!

Exactly two years ago today I posted my very first blog post, Hello There, which means that today is my blogs 2nd birthday...yay! My first post wasn't anything, in fact my first four blog posts weren't much of anything at all, but in the last two years my blog has grown so much and I am so proud of it. To celebrate my blogs birthday I thought that it would be nice to take a little stroll down memory lane, but I didn't want to overwhelm by posting a huge list of my past blog posts so I asked a few of my friends and a few of my family members which of my posts they have liked the best. So here are a couple of their favorites and a couple of mine... 

My Favorites

 On one of my many trips to Oregon my mom and I threw a Cars themed birthday party for my son which turned out so well, everyone loved it including the birthday boy...he still talks about it.

One of my first Thrifted Twin Threads post is still one of my favorites. It was for Halloween and it was Emma Swan from Once Upon A Time and Alice from Once Upon A Time In Wonderland and I think they both looked pretty darn close, I was and still am so proud.

One of my very favorite Curious posts is Curious In Oregon. Portland has always been one of my favorite cities, I have been exploring it since I was little, so it was fun sharing all of my favorite things to do in Portland. Plus checking out some of the sites where Grimm has filmed was pretty awesome!

Family Favorites

One of my brothers favorite posts is the Homemade Hummus. He loves hummus, he puts it on everything, so he said he was happy when I posted this recipe because now he can save money by making it at home.

One of my husbands favorite posts is the Ultimate Breakfast Skillet of course. He loves Village Inn's Ultimate Breakfast Skillet so when I made it for him at home he was stoked, I now have to make it for him at least once a month.

One of my moms favorite posts is the Valentines Day treasure hunt that I did for my son. She said that it is very cute, creative and sweet.

Friends Favorites

My first friends favorite post is my Last Day Luau. He said that the food looked amazing and everything else looked like a lot of fun, It made him want to play like a kid again. He also told me that he thinks I should leave the sign up on the door all year round.

My second friends favorite post is my Kate Middleton Thrifted Twin Threads. She said that she really liked this look because it was cute and simple.

My third friends favorite post is my Snow Day Stair Workout. She told me that its just so practical since all you need are stairs.



Blogging is one of my very favorite things to do and doing this blog has helped me in so many ways. It is my outlet, my escape, my pride, my imagination, my creativity...it is me! So cheers to my blogs 2nd birthday and cheers to many many more years of doing what I love to do....blogging.

Please check out everything my blog has to offer 

(Beauty, CO & Beyond, DIY, Favorites, Health & Wellness, Holiday, Kids, Recipes, Style, Themed and Tips) 

and also let me know which of my blog posts is your favorite! 

Spaghetti Squash Mac & Cheese

I love me some macaroni & cheese, those Kraft commercials where the adults steal their kids mac & cheese totally reminds me of myself, but unfortunately macaroni and cheese is not on my diet since its pasta and some powdered cheese...if you can call it that. So I decided to make my own healthier version.

Ingredients:

 Medium Spaghetti Squash

2 tablespoon Flour

3 tablespoons Butter

2 cups Whole Milk

1/2 cup Shredded Mozzarella

1 cup Reduced Fat Shredded Mild Cheddar

1/2 cup Shredded Parmesan

Chopped Chicken (optional)

Salt and Pepper

The first thing I did was cut the spaghetti squash in half, if you have never cut into a spaghetti squash before be prepared to use all your strength because this is one tough vegetable!

I then put both pieces on a backing sheet which I had covered with foil. Next I drizzled a bit of olive oil on each slice. I finished it off with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. 

I placed the baking sheet in my preheated 375 degree oven for 35 minutes.

When the spaghetti squash had about 10 minutes until it was done baking I started to make my cheese sauce. 

First I melted the butter in a pan over medium heat. 

I then whisked in the flour.

After the butter and the flour were combined I poured in the milk and whisked everything together once again. I stirred until the sauce started to thicken which was about 5 minutes.

I then poured in all of my cheeses and stirred everything together until it was fully combined and the cheeses were nice and melted.

I sprinkled in a bit of salt and pepper then dumped in all my chopped chicken. I then mixed everything together again really well.

By the time my cheese sauce was done my squash was ready. 

I scrapped out all of the spaghetti squash into a large bowl then poured my cheese sauce over it and mixed all the yummy goodness together.

My Mommy Mac & Cheese turned out so well and was so delicious, no more stealing bites of my sons macaroni and cheese for me!

My Swiffer Secret

With 4 dogs and a 4 year old constantly tromping through the house our floors get incredibly dirty incredibly quickly so I have to vacuum, sweep and mop them almost daily which can get a little annoying and time consuming. That is why I love my Swiffer Wet Jet when it comes to moping my floors, its so convenient and time saving. The only bad part is the cost of the solution and pad refills, its kind of ridiculous how much they charge! That is why when I saw this hack from Do It Yourself Divas on how to open your empty solution container so you can refill it with your own floor cleaners, I was over the moon. Now it was time for me to find some way to make some reusable pads, so I did some testing and found out that microfiber towels from The Dollar Tree just stick to the Velcro on the bottom of my Swiffer....sold!

My Floors Worst Enemy:

Swiffer Wet Jet

Empty Solution Container

Floor Cleaner

(The Dollar Tree)

Microfiber Towel

(The Dollar Tree)

After doing the boiling water hack to open my empty Wet Jet container, I filled it with half hot water and half floor cleaner. I then screwed back on the Wet Jet containers cap as tight as I could get it. 

Floor solution refill....check!

Now onto the super simple pads...

I laid the microfiber towel over the bottom of my Swiffer to see where I needed to cut the towel to make it fit. I left a little extra for a seam so the towel wont unravel when I'm using it.

I then cut the side of the towel which was attached to the Velcro on the top of my Swiffer, again leaving extra for a seam.

I then took the towel off of the Swiffer and flipped over the extra that I had left so I could sew the seams.

It doesn't have to be pretty, I mean it is just going to be used to clean the dirt off of your floor!

Pad refills....check!

Like I said the microfiber sticks right onto the Velcro so that is all I needed to do to make the spare pads. If you want it to be really super secure you could always sew Velcro pieces onto the towel pads that will stick to the Velcro on the Swiffer. 

Ready....Set....Clean!

Morrison (C.I.C.)

I love exploring small towns and luckily Colorado has a ton for me to explore...like Morrison.

Morrison is a lovely little historic town that sits right off of Interstate 70, it is one of my favorite places to visit.

One of my favorite things to do in Morrison is hike. 

On this day my family and I took a little hike around the Red Rocks Amphitheater which was beautiful. But there are 4 trails in and around Morrison that are great to hike, click here to read more about those trails.

Another fun thing to do while in Morrison is to check out the Red Rocks Amphitheater even if there isn't a concert going on. 

Red Rocks Amphitheater is my favorite places to see a concert here in Colorado but I also like to just hang out here to take in the view. 

If you are into fitness you should give the stairs a try, there is nothing like running up 192 stairs at 6,400 feet.

After our hikes we like to stroll on into town. 

The town of Morrison is so small, so quaint and so full of character. There are a bunch of little shops and a lot of places to eat.

Our favorite restaurant in Morrison is the Morrison Inn.

When my mom and I go there we always munch on their super yummy chips and queso dip but when I go with my hubby we cant help but go all out and order one of their delicious meals, I always get the Macho Burrito with shredded chicken, and finish it up with some fried ice cream.

Of course we cant forget about the Morrison Inn Margaritas!

Every time we go we order a new flavor of margarita and we are never disappointed. This time my husband and I decided to try and concur a 60oz strawberry banana margarita and concur it we did...it may have taken us a few hours but we did it!

The other thing I love about the Morrison Inn is its patio.

Their patio sits on top of the building which is so awesome. They have a bar outside and a small stage for live music. 

All and all the Morrison Inn is just a cool, fun, unique and delicious restaurant that I highly recommend!

Like I said Morrison is one of my favorite little towns to visit and I definitely think that you should visit it too!

Morrison Colorado

http://town.morrison.co.us/

Breakfast Bonanza

Since I am now pretty much back on track to eating healthy, and because breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I thought that I should make up a healthy breakfast menu for the week. Like I said in last Wednesday's post, Ready To Get Re-Motivated...Again, making a meal menu really helps me stay on track because I know exactly what to make and I know I have the ingredients to make it. Since a lot of people reach for the same thing every morning, I thought I would share the 7 different breakfast meals that I came up with because some times the same ol' breakfast can be a bit boring.

Day One: I had a bowl of Kroger's Carb Master Vanilla Yogurt topped with a bit of Cascadian Farm Organic's Ancient Grains Granola. I also had a small bowl of sliced strawberries and some blueberries.

around 124 calories

 
Day Two: I made a breakfast burrito using one of Mission's 95% Fat Free Medium Soft Taco Whole Wheat Tortillas, one large egg, a small slice of Jennie-O's Lean Turkey Ham, a tablespoon of Pace's Mild Salsa, a tiny bit of shredded mozzarella cheese and a 1/4 of an avocado.

about 357 calories

Day Three: I had 2/3 cups Cascadian Farm Organic's Ancient Grains Granola Cereal with 1 cup skim milk. I also had half of a honey glazed baked grapefruit which I saw on Simply Taralynn.
about 390 calories 

Day Four: I had one of Kroger's 100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins with about a tablespoon of Kroger's Crunchy Peanut Butter on each slice. I then drizzled a bit of honey over the peanut butter on each slice. I had a sliced banana on the side.

about 302 calories

Day Five: I had two eggs scrambled, three slices of Jennie-O's Turkey Bacon and a cup of coffee with a splash of non fat milk and a couple scoops of sugar.

about 327 calories

Day Six: I had a bowl of quick oats. I made them using one cup of skim milk and 1/2 cup quick oats. I sweetened it with a pack of Trivia and a bit of fat free maple syrup. I washed it down with a cup of coffee.

about 354 calories

Day Seven: I made 3 Ingredient Banana Pancakes which I had seen on Pinterest. I topped them with a tablespoon of  Justin's Classic Natural Peanut Butter and a drizzle of fat free maple syrup. I also had a small bowl of sliced strawberries and a few grapes.
about 426 calories

Whats your favorite healthy breakfast recipe?

Thrifted Twin Threads (Lily Collins)

I love Lily Collins and I love her laid back style.

This is by far my favorite Twin Threads to date! This look was so easy, so casual, so comfortable and so cute. The boots were definitely my favorite part of the outfit.

If I would of bought each piece new I would of paid around $530 but since I bought everything thrifted I spent about $26.

Handfelt Mother's Day DIY

I wanted to make my mom, grandma and mother-in-law personalized Mother's Day gifts this year and I wanted our son to have a hand in making them each a gift....literally. So I came up with three different ideas using my sons hands and feet to decorate each gift. 

 My Supplies:

An Apron

(Michael's)

An Oven Mit

(The Dollar Tree)

A Folded Piece Of Construction Paper

Red Crayola Paint

White Puff Paint

Red Fabric Paint

Black Puff Paint

Small Paint Brush

Medium Foam Sponge Brush

Green Marker

Black Marker

First I painted my sons right hand with the white puff paint using the foam sponge brush, then I had him press his hand onto the red oven mitt. I then used the small paint brush and more of the white puff paint to write the words and the year. 

Next using the red fabric paint and the foam sponge brush I painted the bottom of one of my sons feet then had him stand on the apron with his foot at a slight diagonal angle. We did the same thing using the other foot but we made sure the heal of this foot covered the heal of his last foot print which made a heart shape. I then used the small paint brush and black puff paint to write the words and the year.

Last I painted both of my sons hands using the foam sponge brush once again and the red Crayola paint. I then had him press both his hands on the unfolded construction paper making two red hand prints. I then drew stems using the green marker and wrote the words using the black marker. I let the paint dry then folded the construction paper in half once again. 

My son had a blast making all of these Mother's Day gifts and he is so excited to give them to his grandma, his grandma MiMi and his great grandma. And I know that they are all going to love getting their personalized Mother's Day gifts from him...I mean how could you not!

Ready To Get Re-Motivated....Again

Life became a crazy whirlwind of hospitals, doctors appointments, days spent driving and every day stresses made more stressful since my husband's semi truck was hit head on by another truck back in October 2013...for anyone counting that was 7 months ago. Before all this started I was on a huge health kick working out as much as I could, eating nothing but healthy foods, weighed the least I had weighed since my junior year of high school and I was only about 10 pounds from my total weight loss goal but everything came to a screeching halt when my husband got home from the hospital. I was now spending my days caring for my husband, my son, trying to keep up our house and take care of our 4 dogs. We were constantly in my car driving all around Colorado going from one doctors appointment to another trying to find out and fix what was going on inside of my husbands body, this was an all day almost every day thing. Most of our meals became fast and easy which was not the healthiest thing for us. Needless to say I pretty much put my health and my fitness on the back burner so I could help out my husband as much as I possibly could and be there for all his health needs. Unfortunately I've gained back about 15 pounds and have lost almost all my stamina which makes me so very sad. But now that things have slowed down and are almost back to normal I am so ready to get back at it! Here is how I am getting myself re-motivated this time around.

 The first thing I did was come up with a friendly challenge between myself and one of my best friends who is also looking to get re-motivated. 

We have 3 weeks to lose 5+ pounds, obviously who ever loses the most wins and the loser has to put $20 into the winners Starbucks account.

 I have to win! 

I have sworn off eating out. 

Like I said we were never home because of all my husbands appointments so almost all our meals were either from a drive through or at a restaurant which is just bad.

I downloaded a new food/fitness tracker app.

I used to use My Fitness Pal but I wanted something new so I downloaded an app called Lose It! and I really like it, I find it a lot easier to use then My Fitness Pal.

I wrote up a healthy dinner menu for the first week and will keep doing this for a very long time.

It is so much easier for me to stay on track when I have already planned and am fully prepared to make a healthy dinner instead of rummaging through our fridge and pantry trying to figure out a meal to make which can get frustrating.

 Since I've lost most of my stamina from not keeping up my fitness routine I thought it would be a great idea to start out slow and work back into my regular workouts so I've started with One Song Workouts.

I downloaded the songs from iTunes and I do one workout each day to help try to regain my stamina that I miss oh so much!

My husband and I went to The Vitamin Shoppe one day to get him some protein powder and I ended up buying a bottle of Ab Cuts and a bottle of Hoodia for myself.

I have wanted to give Ab Cuts a try since I saw that Kendra Wilkinson used them to help her lose the baby tummy that she had after having her first child, I'll let you know if they actually work. I bought the Hooida because I wanted a good appetite suppressant since I have become such a muncher between lunch and dinner. I've used  Hoodia before, when I worked at GNC, so I know that it works for me.

 I took a look at a couple pictures of me at my heaviest and my lightest. 

This really helps to motivate me because seeing myself at 208 pounds (left) and at 155 pounds (right) shows me where I was and where I made it to, its also shows me that I did this once before so I can do it again. 

And last but not least...
One of my favorite things to do is read motivational quotes.

Reading them out load to myself gets me totally pumped and ready to get back at it!

What are some things you do to re-motivate yourself? Let me know in the comments!