July Totally Tuesday Link Party!

It's that time of the month gang, Totally Tuesday Link Party time!

All you have to do is link up ANY project you've done in the past month. That's right, ANY project from July! Add some of your favorite projects, tips, recipes, room reveals, lists, etc.! I know you all have done some awesome projects, and we'd love to check them all out. I encourage you all to check out other links posted too- it is a link party after all! We had some super fabulous projects linked up in the past, so I'm excited to see what you all have to show off! I'll pick some of my favorites next week, once you all have linked up your projects!

All I ask is that you:

• Please follow the Host- that's me! (see the social media buttons in the right corner of the blog- follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Bloglovin, Instagram- whatever is your favorite means of following).

• Link up your own projects- no giveaways or advertisements please. (you can link as many projects as you'd like, but it should be from the past month- April).

Other than that, just have fun! If you have a place to post my blog button (which can be found in my sidebar to the right), great! If not, no biggie- but it would make me a super happy blogger if you did. ;)

Have a Totally Awesome Tuesday and link away! Remember, it can be anything from the past MONTH!
Thanks all! -M
Now on to the link party!

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Favorites Friday: Pools, Prisoners and Giant Robots!

Hey all, Welcome to another fun Favorites Friday, filled with some of my favorites of this week (and last week, since my days have been pretty busy lately).

1. Sodastream's Diet Cranberry Raspberry: I picked up this flavor for my Sodastream last week- I wanted to try something new for once. It is quite tasty and tastes so much better than just plain ol' diet soda.

2. Netflix original "Orange is the new Black": My hubs got me into this show. It is an original series put out by Netflix, focused around a woman's experience in prison. It is actually quite funny, and you learn to like a good portion of the characters, along with all their quirks and crazy tendencies.

3. "Pacific Rim" movie: We went and saw this movie a week or so ago for a date night. My hubs really wanted to see it and I went along for the ride. It was a pleasant surprise when I started to actually like it. haha. It reminded me of Transformers/Power Rangers in Voltron mode versus Godzilla/dinosaurs. The characters were likeable, the female lead was so much more badass than most movies in this genre (she's no wimpy Megan Fox), and there was some great visual effects. Don't expect a earth-shattering storyline, but it was good fun to watch.

4. Intex 10 ft x 30 inch Inflatable Pool: We purchased this pool (it was on sale!) last weekend at Target. It fits nicely in our backyard and is great to just relax in. It isn't really big enough to do much hardcore swimming in for adults, but with a dollar store tube, I could still do some water exercises. For under $65, it was worth it, and hopefully will last us a while.

5. Smart Ones' Swedish Meatballs: I've been in a swedish meatballs/stroganoff kick lately, and have tried both Smart Ones and Lean Cuisine's versions. I find the Smart Ones' version to be WAY better for once. Two thumbs up Smart Ones! (and it is only 7 Weight watchers points plus!)

Have a great weekend! I hope you don't get as bad of sunburn as I did this past weekend! Aloe is my new best friend!

Hugs!
-M

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4th of July Banana cake disaster

Ok. So I realized I never shared with ya'll our 4th of July cake. It may be because it ended kind of in disaster, but normally I try to keep things real on this here blog and share the disasters as well as the awesomeness.

So, for our friends' 4th of July BBQ, my hubs made a Banana Pudding cake (banana cake with banana slices in the middle and banana pudding also in the middle, with cream cheese icing). However, he kind of used too much pudding in between the layers and the cake started to slide before I could even put the icing on. So we stuck a dowel rod in the middle and I went to work on the icing. In the end of the "decorations phase" I added some sprinkles, banana slices with sprinkles, and dressed up the dowel rod with 4th of July stars. I'm no professional in cake decorating, but I thought it worked nicely for what I had to work with. Looks cute right?

What you don't see, is what happened next...
It was an EXTREMELY hot summer day and neither of our cars have working air conditioning at the moment. In the 20 minute drive to our friends' house, the icing started to melt. Yes, you read that right- MELT. Then we found out our friends' air conditioning in the house was ALSO busted, and the poor cake just kept melting. By the time it would of been time to eat it, it looked so sad and gross. My hubs and I ate some (and one other friend) out of pity for the poor cake, but overall- it was a melted banana mess.

(One cool thing however did happen- the sprinkles melted into the banana slices on top, making them somewhat candied. How cool is that?!)

So the moral of this story- 
1) Don't use a lot of pudding in a banana cake 
and 
2) Don't serve that cake in non-air conditioned locations.

We can laugh about it now, but it does make me a little sad it didn't stay looking this cute.
Here is what a similar cake we made (but without the pudding) for a friend's Tony Awards Party- It did NOT melt. haha

 Anyone else have any cake disasters?
Hugs all!
-M

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Pinspiration Monday: Tips and Tricks that made my list!

Welcome to another Pinspiration Monday! 

Today, I'd like to focus on some of my favorite tips and tricks I've found while browsing Pinterest!

It's Tactical's How to escape Zip Ties if you are ever abducted

Holly Would's How to make Facebook Page Pretty

SAS Interiors' How to Decorate a Mantel

The Tripod Diaries' Photography Cheat Sheet

Mommy in the Mountain's How to take the Sting Out of Sunburn

That last one most certainly will come in handy for me later today, as I am suffering from a horrible sunburn I got from 'Tubing down the River' with friends yesterday. I guess my sunscreen wasn't strong enough (or expired)- either way, I am bright red all over the front of me (my burned tummy is the worst!).
You can follow me on Pinterest here, or the Pinspirations board itself.

Have an inspiring Monday all!
-M

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Whow...it's Wednesday night already?

Sorry I'm so behind this week gang. I've been booked to the brim with working full-time, rehearsal for Grease, and tonight (working night shift for a co-worker). Somehow I managed to get to the store to pick up a few things we really needed (and things I didn't need as well- Who really can pass up a good clearance sale- certainly not me!). Stay tuned for more of my thriftings for Thrifty Thursday!

So this Work it Wednesday, I'll give you a low-down of what I'm working on right now...

1) Creating some of the props for Grease- basically the "awards" Miss Lynch gives at the dance contest. Since I'm Miss Lynch in this here production, I thought it would be fitting that I created them. (DIY post to come, if they turn out good, lol).

2) Picked up 2 adult lounge tubes so we can go "Tubing down the River" for our friend's birthday this coming Sunday. I also got a new bathing suit (which I haven't done in MANY years). Paid a little more than I expected, as I had thought it was on sale, but it wasn't (and I didn't notice till long gone from Target), but it IS really cute.

I got these tubes from Target for $8 each.

3) Moving the bar cart to the kitchen and dressing it up with the $2 basket and $5 (originally $15 but was on clearance due to a missing magnet for the door) lime green lantern. (photos to be coming soon).

4) Adding a few pops of blue to our dining room, since the black, brown and gold is getting to be too neutral for me. I found a super great circle tray at the Goodwill for $7, a blue table cloth for $2 (also at Goodwill) and 4 blue placemats from the Dollar Store for $4. I had everything else around the house! (photos to come soon as well).

5) Making room for the hubs' homemade arcade system he is making from a hacked Wii system and a small old tv. (It's going basically where our bar cart WAS in the dining room, near our bar area). Somewhat inspired by stuff like this:

6) Tidying up our living room bookcases- organizations, etc. They are so cluttered right now!

7) Making a skirt for our hideous (but I can't afford to replace at this time) sink in our powder room downstairs. I basically found the most awesome fabric sheet at the Goodwill for $2.50 and I knew it would be the most awesome thing ever. Now to get around to sewing it... as well as someday shortening our curtains in our kitchen, that I should of done ages ago...lol. (me = terrible sewing...but trying to learn better!)

8) Someday finishing our "garden" on the side of the house (in the photo below, its the spot in front of the fence to the left of the house) and tackling the MANY projects of the backyard (tearing out the one flower bed, removing the bricks in it, tearing down the side shed, fixing the fence, clearing behind our big shed, de-weed everything, "hopeful" someday making a tire swing, re-covering the benches that got trashed by the mean ol' neighbor kitty cat!, among other things...)

9) Touch up painting my bedroom vanity, and painting black our side tables (to match the rest of the black furniture) and maybe updating out lampshades. Our bedroom is SO close to being done, but yet so far away... *sigh*

10) Working on decorations, centerpieces, invitations, basket giveaways, etc. for the Newtown Arts Company's 30th Anniversary Gala. As well as working on my mom's business' design overhaul. (new logo! yay!) and fixing up my step-dad's blog, when I get a chance...haha

So much to do (or plans to do)... What is all on your plate these days? What projects do you have up your sleeve?
Hugs!
-M

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Favorites Friday: Entertaining evenings

Welcome to another Favorites Friday! This week it is all about the entertainment factor.

1. Rita's Italian Water Ice Strawberry Starburst flavor: So once a week a co-worker goes on a "rita's run" for the rest of us, and this past week I saw they had the Starburst strawberry flavor. I tried a kid's size (which was certainly enough sugar for me) and I just adored it! I LOVE Starburst, so the fact that they had an italian ice in that flavor- awesome!

2. Super 8: I watched this on Netflix a few days ago, and I'm surprised I never saw it when it came out in 2011. I actually really enjoyed it and I think the child actors in it were superb.

3. Cabin in the Woods: Another movie on Netflix (watched with the hubs) a few days ago, and I can't believe no one ruined it for me. So often with horror films do friends ruin the ending, so I was glad that no one talked about the end. I thought it was a well done movie- even the hubs enjoyed it!

4. Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy beer: I tried this at our friend's 4th of July bbq, and then unknowingly had it again yesterday when out to eat at a restaurant with friends (I had ordered a different beer, hubs ordered this- I tried both and decided I liked his better, so we swapped). When I went and looked it up, sure enough, it was the same drink I had at our friend's house! That means it goes on my "now order" list. lol

5. Syfy's Defiance: The hubs and I just recently started watching this via Hulu (to catch up) and I like it. I'm kind of a Syfy nerd, so it is right up my ally. The main 2 characters are awesome, and the different races are very unique. Love it!

How is your Friday going?

Have a great weekend!

-M

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Super Simple Laundry Basket Update

So I found this great wicker laundry basket at the Salvation Army recently (because all "home goods" were 40% off, I got this baby for about $10!).

However, our bedroom decor is anything but brown wicker. So my loving hubs did me the favor of spray painting it black, to match the rest of the black furniture in the bedroom.

I put a dollar store mesh bag as the "liner" inside the basket, and so far, it has served its purpose quite well.

Any simple updates you've done lately? It's amazing how a can of spray paint can make something so much cuter!
Hugs all!
-M

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Totally Tuesday June 2013 Round Up!

Hey gang,
So this past Totally Tuesday Link Party was certainly hoppin'! I had so much fun checking out all the wonderful blogs and projects everyone shared. To be honest, I really loved ALL of the links posted- You all rocked my socks!
Here are just a few of the awesome links shared in the Link Party:

Arts Vava's Suitcase End Table

Bethany the ngnrdgrl's Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

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Mindi at My Love 2 Create's Cupcake Tower

Hoopla Palooza's Uncle Sam Spoons

Beca at Creative Dominican's DIY Pet Feeding Station

Connie at Family Home & Life's 4th of July Wreath

There was so many great projects shared this past Totally Tuesday! Be sure to check them all out!
Stay tuned for the next Totally Tuesday Link Party, the last Tuesday of this month (July 30), where you can share any project, tip, recipe, etc. from July!

Have a great Tuesday!
-M

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Favorites Fridays: Fun Treats and Creativity abound

Welcome to another Favorites Friday!

This week I am all about the tasty treats and creative tools (music, books, electronics).

1. Weight Watchers Caramel Medallions: These have become a staple in our house, for the late night chocolate craving. Only 1 Weight Watchers Points Plus a medallion. Tasty!

2. Apple iPad: I got an iPad for Christmas, and it has been the best thing I've acquired in a long time. I love sitting reading articles, surfing the internet (Pinterest, mostly) before bed. I LOVE it! Apps galore!

3. Caffeine for the Creative Mind book: I got this book back in college, when I became a graphic design major (I believe my mom got it for me). It is always a great kick-starter when you are needing a creativity boost!

4. Macklemore (and Ryan Lewis): I adore Macklemore's music (with Ryan Lewis) right now. I just love that he is a very positive rapper. I'm not really into rap at all, but for some reason, his music just works for me. Who doesn't love the "Thrift Shop" song? lol.

5. Healthy Choice Greek Frozen Yogurt: Lastly, this has become a great cool treat at the end of the day. Tasty flavor, and only 3 Weight Watchers Points Plus!

Have a wonderful Friday and rest of the Independence Day holiday weekend!
-M

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Pinspiration Monday: Adorable Inspirations

This Monday on Pinterest I have been inspired by insightful sayings, pictures and adorable animals. Unlike my usual Pinspirations of crafts and recipes, this week is all about the cute.

MonkiVintage's LOVE letterpress

The Animals Planet Kitten in Pocket

Great Quote!

A1 Pictures Baby Otters

Just for LoLs Little Marshmallows

I hope these pins that I've come across has brightened up your day, besides inspiring you to have a great start to the week! Have a great Monday and rest of the holiday week coming up! Please follow me on Pinterest (see Pinterest button in my sidebar!)

Happy Monday!
-M

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