Favorites Friday #5: Eatting Healthy and being girly

Welcome to another Favorites Friday, where I share with you my five favorites of the week. Enjoy!

1. Shutterfly App: I recently downloaded this app after trying to find a way to easily upload my photos from my phone to be uploaded to be printed. What is great about this app is it is free and you can easily upload straight from your phone to Shutterfly to print out!
2. "Penelope": Now I know this movie came out in 2006, but during a girl's crafty night I got to see this movie for the first time. I thought it was adorable AND it had a lot of my favorite actors in it that I didn't even know where a part of it!
3. Lean Cuisine's Chicken Makhani: This has to be my favorite Lean Cuisine, hands down. It is because of this Lean Cuisine that I started eating Indian food and trying it out. :)
4. Infinity Scarf: This one is from Three Birds Nest, however I am in love with Infinity scarfs in general. I got my mint one in the mail yesterday, and already I'm in love- it looks great with my black outfit I'm wearing today. Just the right amount of comfort and pop of color.
5. Stay Fit EZ Freeze Food Storage Container: I borrowed a small freeze storage container from my mother back in Thanksgiving time, when we packed our dinner for the train ride home, and I've been using it ever since. It is the perfect size to pack fruit or vegetables for your lunch, and it has a freezer pack in the lid! How nifty!

Have a wonderful Friday all!
-M

Riesling Grapefruit Mango Spritzer drink

Hello all! I thought I'd share a new drink concoction that I created this past weekend. It is a Riesling Grapefruit Mango Spritzer. Quite tasty, if I say so myself.

Basically, here is what you need:

Riesling Grapefruit Mango Spritzer

Ingredients:

• A Riesling wine (I used a J.W. Morris Riesling a friend had given us)
• Frozen mangoes
• Diet Grapefruit soda (Mine is a SodaStream flavored soda)

Pour your Riesling wine into a cup or glass. Add frozen mangoes.

Fill the rest of the glass with Diet grapefruit soda. The frozen mangoes act like your ice cubes, while also soaking up some of the flavor and sweetness.

Since I used Diet Grapefruit, and that mangoes are zero weight watchers points plus because they are fruit, my only points in this beverage is the wine! Yippie! So however much wine you include- that's the point value in this drink!

It was a refreshing drink, that made me wish for spring, considering it was snowing the day I made it. haha
Have a great day all!
-M

Geek time: Coffee Table Gaming Grid Cover

Ok. Here is a geeky project, so bear with me if you have no idea what I'm talking about. I know not all of my followers will care about this, but I thought I'd show it off, because I thought it turned out cool and it serves its purpose perfectly!

My husband loves Dungeons & Dragons- he's been playing for a really long time. I play occasionally, when the game idea sounds fun or they are hurting for players. We've been hosting D&D nights at our house recently, and the living room is the place where we all gather to game. One game session, the Dungeon Master (DM) asked my hubs if he had a game grid- sadly, we did not. We then got the idea to make our own.
Off to Home Depot we went. We picked up a standard 2x4 thin board, some red chalkboard paint, and some white sharpie paint permanent markers.

We painted the board with the red chalkboard paint (basically hubs asked me for a color of chalkboard paint that we could use elsewhere in the house- I'm going to paint things in my craft room with it, since it is all RED!) Once it was fully dried, I drew the 2-inch squares grid with the white permanent markers and a ruler. We immediately tried it out with the game session later that day. It worked out perfect with our Skylanders collection. The DM could easily draw in chalk the location of buildings, bad guys, etc.

Overall, it fit almost perfectly over our coffee table and it is thin enough to hide behind our bookcases when we don't want to use it.

 (These are my super cute pink dice I use when I play- took me almost 8 years to find pink ones I liked!)

It is a simple project, but super functional in the D&D games at our house. We hope eventually to paint a Settlers of Catan board on the other side, but that will take some more skill to paint/draw. haha
Have a great day all, and Geek on!
-M

Totally Tuesday Link Party #2

Hello gang! It is the last Tuesday of the Month. You know what that means!? It's Totally Tuesday Time!

Add some of your favorite projects, tips, recipes, room reveals, lists, etc. from the last month- so you can link up anything you have done in March! 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 on my first ever link party last month, so I'm excited to see what you all have to show off!

Here are some ground rules for the Totally Tuesday link party:

• 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).
• 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- March).
• Please add my link button to either your post, sidebar, link party page, somewhere. Please, if it isn't anywhere on your blog, I don't have the heart to feature you, as this link party helps me out too!

<center> <a href="http://www.madcapfrenzy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Madcap Frenzy" src="http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv187/madcapfrenzy/LinkUp_button_TotallyTuesday.jpg" /></a></center>

I'll start us off with one of my links, but don't worry, I won't feature myself (I'm not that vain, lol!).

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!

Happy linking!

Pinspiration Monday #5: Inspired by Pinterest

Welcome to another fun-filled day of Pinspirations! These are some of the wonderful pins I've found on Pinterest that have tickled my fancy. Enjoy!

1. Scratchcraft's Needle Felted owl ornament

Source: http://www.etsy.com/listing/80186657/reserved-needle-felted-owl-ornament?ref=sr_gallery_1&ga_search_submit=&ga_search_query=ornament&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=3&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade

2. Crafty Butt's Cutie Pie Nursery Lamp

Source: http://craftybutt.blogspot.com/2011/07/cutie-pie-nursery-pendant-lamp.html

3. La Loosh's Weight Watchers friendly Buffalo Chicken Bites

Source: http://www.laaloosh.com/2012/06/20/buffalo-chicken-bites-recipe/

4. HGTV's How to Make a Sink Skirt

Source: http://www.hgtv.com/bathrooms/how-to-make-a-sink-skirt/index.html?soc=pinterest

5. Cats Like Us' Hot Rod Black Flirty Dress

Source: http://shop.catslikeus.com/products/unique-vintage-hot-rod-black-flirty-mini-dress

These are my favs! I hope you all have a wonderful day. We actually got a few things accomplished this past weekend, so stay tuned for some fun stuff later this week! If everyone can please keep my mother-in-law in their prayers. She is going into surgery for a tracheotomy, to help her breath better after suffering a stroke a week ago. I hope all goes smoothly, but prayers would be a great help! Thanks all!

Have a good Monday all! My pins inspire you today!
-M

Favorites Friday #4: It's all about the sparkle!

Happy Friday all! Welcome to another edition of Favorites Friday! Here are five things that I am loving right now!

1. "Sorry I Barfed on Your Bed (And Other Heartwarming letters from Kitty)" book by Jeremy Greenberg. This cute book a co-worker gave me, and I am in LOVE with it. Adorable cat pictures plus funny letters 'written by the cat' equals happiness!
2. Instaplace App: This cool app allows you to customize your photos and/or instagram pics with your location in many cool ways. Below are a few I took recently. I love this- would be great on a vacation or a restaurant!
3. Yoplait Light (2 Weight Watchers Points Plus) Yogurt: So many variations to choose from and only 2 weight watchers points plus! I LOVE the key lime pie or the classic vanilla.
4. Circo Pink Boots (from Target): Ok. So these are kids shoes. I admit it. But I found the largest size they had, and they fit me- I wear a 6 1/2 women's shoe, so I have small feet. My hubs got them for me for Christmas and they certainly are attention getters. They also come in purple! There are similar ones for adults, but they don't come in hot pink! (I'm actually wearing mine today with black stretchy jeans!
5. Cinnamon Glazed Donut Anti-Baterial Hand Gel from Bath & Body Works: This is the most amazing anti-baterial smell known to man. Forwarning though- it smells so good, you might want to eat it, or at least have a donut.

 Here are some of my Instaplace pics!

Isn't this app super cool?!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my favorites this Friday!

Have a great day!-M

Thrifty Thursday

It's Thrifty Thursday!

So today, not a whole lot to share, but I did get a FREE lunch bag in the mail yesterday from Lean Cuisine. 

You can get your free lunch bag too by inputting codes to their Delicious Rewards program. This is the 3rd free lunchbag I've gotten in the past few years, along with some magazine subscriptions from the points. I love that they have this program- it encourages me to eat their product (which I was going to get anyway) and I get something else out of it, besides food!

Their current lunch bag program only lasts till March 31st, so you don't have much more time to input the codes for a free bag, however they usually do at least one every year. Also, their code program will enable you to get free stuff- magazine subscriptions, amazon gift cards, kitchen tools, etc.
So if you haven't yet, check it out! 

Have a great Thursday everyone! I'm just getting thrifty with it! (na na na na na na na)...sorry, just started going all Will Smith on ya'll. haha
Have a great day!
-M

Work it! Wednesday #4

Welcome to another Work it! Wednesday! So what is happening in our world, you ask?

 Well, I'm going to be honest here- this past week and a half has not been easy. We haven't really gotten much done around the house or in our lives, due to back and forth trips to the hospital to visit my mother-in-law who suffered a stroke last Wednesday. Therefore there isn't really a whole lot I can say that we are working on that is new, per-say, project-wise.
 However though, I did add something new this week to my life- I'm Working Out! lol. Now, I HATE the gym. I despise the gym. So when I read somewhere that the Kinect Dance Central games have a workout mode that tells you how many calories and how long you've been working out for, I had to try it.

Sure enough, they do! And it is WAY more fun than going to the gym. So far I've done 50 minutes each day for the past two days, and I hope I can keep up with it. My body is a little sore, but that's a good thing, right?! I love to dance, so this is a great alternative to the gym. Also, a friend of mine recently became certified to be a Zumba instructor, so once she starts classes, I hope to join that too. I'm to the point in my weight loss where I have plateaued, and I have a feeling the only way I'm going to lose the last 10 lbs is by exercising.

 (Miss Aubrey is my favorite avatar/character to dance as. lol)

Other than that though, not much more was completed this past week, as far as our Work it! list.

We still want to work on our fence and do some gardening/yard work.

We want to install our newly painted chandelier and finish our giant wall clock made from the backing of an old mirror.

We want to finish our benches for an outside firepit area.

 ...and we want to figure out what the heck to do with this rust bucket.

So, yeah. Nothing really has changed (bummer).

Anyways, I hope you all are working on something new and got something done this past week that you are proud of!
Have a great day all!
-M

Pinspiration Monday #4

Welcome to another Pinspiration Monday!

Here are some Pinterest pins that have truely inspired me this week. So many great things on Pinterest!

I've started a pinterest board just for the Pinspirations Monday finds, you can find here.

So without further ado, here are this week's pinspirations!

1. Ana White's Painter's Ladder Shelf

Source: http://ana-white.com/2010/10/plans/painter's-ladder-shelf

2. My Baking Addiction's Mac and Cheese with Chicken and Goat Cheese

Source: http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/mac-and-cheese-roasted-chicken-and-goat-cheese/

3. Kasia Curry's You Are my Everything card

Source: http://natureofcraftythings.blogspot.ca/2013/01/taws-be-inspired-20.html

4. Jamie Meares Black and White kitchen

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/foohqwah/8552471458/

5. Feather's Flights Ten Maxi Dress patterns

Source: http://www.feathersflights.com/2012/04/maxi-dress-patterns-and-tutorials.html

Have a great day all! 

Sorry this Pinspiration Monday is so late posting. Sometimes life just gets in the way. I'm sure you all can agree. You can follow my Pinterest board here! Have a great day!
-M

Yummy homemade irish potatoes treat recipe

Happy St. Patrick's Day all! I hope everyone is having a good day, filled with smiles and celebration!

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I present to you this Yummy homemade Irish Potatoes Recipe!

This treat was something new we decided to try this year- my husband wanted to have an irish meal yesterday when our friends came over for game night, so we had Shepard's Pie, Beer, and these Irish Potatoes.
I personally forgot that they are no-bake treats essentially. But they are mighty tasty, if you ask me! One of our friends doesn't like coconut, so he was the only non-eater of the treat, but everyone else said they tasted yummy. Ours (in the photo) are a little larger than most, and my hubs doubled the recipe, to make a bunch and to not have leftover cream cheese. haha. Anyways, here is the tasty treat's recipe!

Yummy Homemade Irish Potatoes Recipe

Ingredients:
(Original recipe makes 5 dozen small irish potatoes- we went for making giant ones, so it didn't make nearly that many- our giant ones made about 1-2 dozen- it all depends on how big of balls you roll them into)

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 1/2 cups flaked coconut
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
In a medium bowl, beat butter and cream cheese together until nice and smooth. Add in vanilla extract and confectioners' sugar into the mixture and beat until smooth. Mix in (using your hands if you can) the coconut to the mixture. Roll into balls or ovals (depending on if you want a more "potato" shape). Roll the balls in cinnamon. Place the balls onto a plate or cookie sheet and chill in the refrigerator to set. I suggest to let them chill about an hour or so, but they might be ready before then (That's just how long we waited and they were perfect). If you desire a darker color in the potatoes, you can roll them back in cinnamon after they are chilled.

Overall these were quite tasty- even though ours were so huge compared to standard irish potatoes, which to be honest, I didn't mind at all- less cinnamon per cream cheese/coconut ratio- which was fine with me. haha

On a separate note, I'd like to make a quick request from all my blogging world peeps- if you could please pray for my Mother-in-Law, Jackie, I would greatly appreciate it. She suffered a stroke late Wednesday night, and has been in the ICU since then, trying to recover. If you all could keep her in your prayers, I would appreciate it greatly.
Thanks all and have a wonderful St. Patrick's Day!
-M

Favorites Friday #3: Pantones and Pink cuteness

Welcome to another Favorite's Friday!

 Here are my top picks of the week. Enjoy. Sorry they are late being posted- I've had a rough week, with my mother-in-law in the hospital after suffering a stroke. If all my readers can keep her in their prayers, I'd appreciate it, as she is still in the ICU recovering. Thanks all!
Happy Friday!

1. Bloglovin' and Feedly: In light of Google Reader being announced to be shut down, I've made the switch to the two other readers. I actually gave Feedly a test drive a few months ago on my ipad, and enjoyed it. A lot of bloggers are showing some major love for Bloglovin' so I am giving that a shot too. You can follow me through both! :D
2. SoBe Life Water Strawberry Dragonfruit:  I tried the zero calorie life water while sitting at the hospital late Wednesday night, and it isn't half bad for flavored water. lol
3. Pantone Notes: My best friend got this for me for my birthday, and they are just a graphic designer's dream!
4. Tostitos Hint of Lime: These are my weakness. They are so tasty and addicting!
5. Three Bird Nest Cameo Ring: I just ordered this beauty from Three Bird Nest. I lucked into winning a gift certificate to here through a contest, but even without that, I love everything in this store!

Have a great Friday all!
-M