Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Bridal Shower Punch

My sister in law's bridal shower was on Sunday.  I'm so excited for her; I can't believe how quickly her wedding is coming up!  Here are some pictures of her and the bridal party, and a recipe for the punch I made, which was awesome!



Bridal Shower Punch
  • 1 can of frozen orange juice
  • 1 can of pineapple juice
  • one bottle of 7 Up
  • 1-2 bottles of Verdi Raspberry Sparkletini
  • raspberry sorbet
 Make the orange juice according to the instructions.
Add pineapple juice.
Add about half the bottle of 7 Up.
Add a bottle or two of the Sparkletini
Mix well.
Float raspberry sorbet on top.
YUM!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Missing Matthew

Oh, what was I thinking when I told my mom she could keep Matt for a couple of weeks?  It just doesn't feel right at home without him.  The longest and furthest he's ever been away before is a weekend and a 20 minute drive.  Now he won't be home for another 11 days and he's 1000 miles away!  Of course I know he's in good hands and that his days are full and happy while he's with my family but I still miss him fiercely.

And my poor Lucas is lost without his big brother!  He keeps wanting to look at all the pictures of Matt, bringing out Matt's toys, "This Matty's?" and he's even been having trouble getting to sleep at night without his brother in the room.

We've talked to Matt on the phone a couple of times, and oh, his voice just sounds so small and innocent and.. excited.  Excited to tell me about all the really cool fun things he's been doing, and excited to talk to Mommy.  We just can't wait to get him home, though.  There's something missing!

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Focus- Water

This week I'm linking to Monique over at Razing Mayhem who is doing an awesome photography project with her much younger sister and daughter.  Every week she's picking a theme and giving anyone else who's interested a chance to link up and show your perspective!
This week's theme is water.  Join in!

Focus @ Razing Mayhem




Monday, July 16, 2012

Home Sweet Home

Wooo! Lucas and I are home after seven days in the Sunshine State.  We had such a great time, and seeing my mom again was like surfacing for air.  It had been too long.  It will always be too long. 

We got there late Monday night, and on Tuesday we had family over so in addition to my parents and two brothers, I got to see my grandparents, two aunts, and one of my favorite cousins and her son.  We all relaxed, chatted, ate, and swam.

On Wednesday, my mom, my youngest brother (15) Ryan, and the boys and I headed out  to Wyndam Cyprus Palms for the rest of the week.  My mom is in a vacation club with Wyndam and uses her points to stay at their resorts.  I've been to Atlantic City, Daytona, and now Kissimmee with her and I love their suites!  As you know, we live in a very small apartment, so I'm not exaggerating when I say that the units we've stayed in are all bigger than my apartment! 




We spent a day in the Magic Kingdom and the boys (and my mom and I) had a blast!  Matt had only ever been on cheesy kiddie carnival rides before, so I wasn't sure what he'd be up for.  The first ride we went on was Stitch's Great Escape, which is less of a ride and more of an experience.  It was a little scary for Matt and if I had known what to expect I might not have taken him.  He loved Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, his very first roller coaster, but was scared during Space Mountain... maybe because it was in the dark.

Lucas was also able to go on a bunch of rides with us, like the Astro Orbiter, Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Training, Pirates of the Caribbean, and a couple of others I can't think of at the moment.  We all had a really great time.


We also spent a day at Old Town and Fun Spot, walking around, looking at the gift shops, and yes, going on more rides! 

All in all it was a great trip and I wish we could have stayed longer.  Well, Matthew is staying longer.  He'll be at my mom's house until July 30th.  It was hard to let him go, but I got a phone call from him already today and he's doing just fine!  He caught a few frogs and a lizard that he'll be taking care of down there.  I just hope he uses the old camera I gave him.  I really want to see his perspective of everything.


Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: I Got It!!


Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Three Simple, Trendy Eyeliner Looks

If you head over to my Shop Avon page you'll see that we've rolled out with a new product: Glimmersticks Chromes.  (You'll also see my top picks for this campaign!)  Avon's Glimmersticks line is already America's #1 liner, and I know I've been using the waterproof Blackest Night for years!  Whenever I ran into an Avon lady, that's what I was missing the most!  Well, now there are the Glimmersticks Chromes, which I think gives you the best combination of existing lines of Glimmersticks.

There are six new shades with a reflective pearl chrome finish which gives it a color-change effect.  It also boasts up to 12 hours of water & smudge-proof wear!  How perfect for summer is that?!  As a Representative, I was able to order Chromes early and try one out!  I chose Burgundy Shock, which is a deep purple.  I didn't see too much color change, but it's a dark color, so maybe the lighter colors will reflect a little more.  I can definitely confirm water & smudge-proof, and 12 hours seems to be a minimum!  I've been wearing this for days I really like it, and I can't wait to order more colors!


Here are three ways to make a bold eye using Chromes:

Ultra Violet & Flashy Steel
Pearl Girl with Cat Eyes
The cat eye look is a classic that is really hot right now!  Make it your own by using two colors that play off of each other. 


Burgundy Shock & Electric Pink
Multi-shaded Eyes
Pick two colors and apply the lighter color to the inside corner of your eyes.  From the middle to the outer corner, blend and extend the darker shade.


Veluxe Blue & Vivid Grey
Big, Bigger, Biggest Eyes
To get a wide eyed look, apply a darker liner above your top lashes.  Use a lighter shade to line the bottom lashes to make your eyes pop.

Pair any of these looks with a True Color Eyeshadow Quad (stays true for up to 12 hours) for a look that will really WOW.  Don't forget to top it off with a waterproof mascara that will thicken, volumize, or extend and you've got yourself a look that will stay in place all day!



Monday, July 2, 2012

Monday Morning

Good morning everyone!  It's Monday again, and I hope you all had a great weekend.  I was working, as usual, but we got to enjoy some goings on around here, a summer party with (lame) carnival games and hot dogs and stuff for the kids.  Other than that, we were really just working hard to stay cool! 

Yesterday morning Matt came into our room and showed us the "seed" he found in his mouth.  Not a seed, but a tooth!  I'm glad I went to the bank on Friday to get two gold dollars.  The tooth fairy came last night and put one of those gold dollars under his pillow.  He was pretty excited about it.  I can't believe how fast he's growing up.  Loosing teeth, starting first grade in the fall!  Where has the time gone?

We're going on vacation next week, and I haven't even started to prepare.  I'm so thrilled to be seeing my mom; it's been too long.  Well, for my birthday (which isn't until September) Eric decided to go ahead and get me what I'd been complaining about... a new camera!!  It's shipping this week so I'll have it for our vacation!  A new camera, my mom, AND Disney World?  Can it get any better?

I'd love to stay and ramble on and on, but Mondays are busy for me.  I have the weekend to catch up from, a few extra dishes and laundry, and I have to go to the bank and do a little bit of running around.  So.. until next time!

And CONGRATULATIONS to Melanie Snyder, winner of my Tropical Traditions giveaway!
Thanks to all the participants and new followers, I appreciate it so much!