fall fashion week

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today is the last day of fall fashion week with deanna.  i've really enjoyed looking at all the outfits and getting fresh ideas.  this outfit is pretty neutral, but i love it.  the sweater came from jcp and i love it.  it's so soft and pliable.  i know that's a really odd word to use for a sweater, but i can't stand those sweaters that just sit on your body like a board.  this one actually forms more to your shape instead of looking the same on everyone.  the skinnies are merona brand from target last fall.

these boots are my absolute favorite ever.  i got them at kohl's last year, and i've searched to see if they still have them but no luck.  they did have some really similar ones, so if you're in the market for some fabulous riding boots, check them out.  make sure you stop by retail-me-not first and get a coupon code!

this outfit would look super cute with a scarf.  preferably a purple one...  but since i've yet to purchase one of those, i went with my "katie" necklace that i've had since i was about six years old.  i'm not sure how i've managed to keep up with it all these years, but i love it.  very carrie bradshaw-ish. 

here's to fall fashion week and sweaters and boots and pumpkin spice lattes!

target fall must-haves

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ahhh, target.  how i love you. 

 

 

anybody out there with me?  i feel very deeply for tar-jay. (slang for target)  they have the most adorable clothes and i am just crazy about the fall fashion this year.  here are some of my must-haves for the upcoming chilly weather:

 

 

 

blazer/grey 3/4 sleeve dress/purple polka dot scarf/striped jersey dress/boyfriend watch/open-back blouse/sueded wedge/royal blue cardigan/boatneck dress

 

 

hello fall!!

 



september birchbox

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it's that time again!  that time of the month when i walk to my mailbox and find my tiny little brown box all full of goodness.  i love it.  maybe i'm just a sucker for surprises or it makes me feel important to get good mail.  i don't know.  all i know is this little box gets me darn near as excited as a sale rack.

 

ok, let's start there on the left with the royal blue polish.  my first thought was "eeeek"....but i actually tried it on my nails and decided it would be pretty great with a neutral outfit. 

 

next, in the back, we have some mighty leaf tea company teas.  i haven't tried them yet because honestly, it slipped my mind, but now that i've remembered them i'm pretty excited to light my pumpkin candle and drink some tea!

 

we also have a twistband.  cute little way to throw your hair up.  this one is printed like red lace.  nice little burst of color.

 

front left corner is jouer matte moisture tint.  i'm kind of disappointed this came this time of year just because i'm more apt to use a tinted moisturizer in the summer when my face has some color.  when i get pale i feel like i need more coverage.  i am kind of intrigued by the "matte" finish. 

 

front middle is boscia oil-free nightly hydration.  i've been using this and i have to say i love it.  before my son was born i would've said i had combination skin.  now it is defiitely oily and i have a hard time finding products that don't make me feel even greasier.  this doesn't and i love it.

 

front right is twirl by kate spade.  heavenly.  so feminine.  i want the biggest bottle they sell, please and thank you.

 

remember you can get all these products at birchbox!  i'm usually too much of a tightwad to spend $10 a month on something like this, but honestly, i'm hooked.  i love that i can try out products (such as the boscia) to see if it works for me before i buy it.  the tube in the box would probably cost $10 itself, so not a bad deal, really. 

 

while we're on the subject of beauty products, what are some of your favorites?  i plan on doing some reviews and telling you my take on some of the stuff i've tried.  any feedback or recommendations would be appreciated.  happy almost friday! :)

in the kitchen: enchiladas

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growing up i never had much interest in domestic sort of things.  i would tease my mom relentlessly, saying i would never do all those "homey" things like she did and well, guess what....i love it now.  cooking, decorating, baking, organizing...i have morphed into quite the domestic goddess wannabe.

at the request of a longtime friend and scl reader, i will be posting a recipe a week.  some may be easier than others, but my goal is to break it down as much as possible.  i know when i started learning to cook, i always wanted step-by-step instructions with lots of pictures.  so here goes...endchiladas green family style.

this recipe feeds two, possibly three.  in my case i have one very hungry man and one very hungry toddler, so this is more of a feeds two kinda meal.  just double it, triple it, quadruple it...whatever you need to do!

enchilada ingredients:

2 c chopped/shredded meat

1 pkg taco or fajita seasoning

4 taco or burrito sized tortillas

shredded cheddar

enchilada sauce ingredients:

2 T veg oil

2 T flour

1/4 c chili powder

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 1/2 c water

1/4 t cumin

1/4 t garlic powder

1/4 t onion salt

salt to taste

step one:

season your meat with the taco or fajita seasoning.  for our enchiladas, i used leftover chicken and leftover flat iron steak.  but you could use whatever you have.  if you don't have leftovers, boil a couple chicken breasts and shred them or you can used ground beef.  follow the directions on the seasoning packet.  in my case, i added a 1/4 c water and my meat and just let it simmer until the meat was seasoned thru.

step two:

add about 1/4 c of meat filling to the center of your tortilla.  i tend to like more filling, less tortilla, so i used taco size tortillas.  burrito size are usually what enchilada recipes call for, so those work just fine, too.  fold your tortilla on the ends, and then roll the sides in to create a pocket.  place your seam side down in your baking dish.  be sure to grease your baking dish with butter or cooking spray so that the tortillas don't stick.

step three:

once your enchiladas are all rolled up, spoon on the sauce.  i used this recipe that i found online.  you could, of course, use a packaged enchilada sauce, but i like to make as much homemade as i can.  the recipe calls for 1/4 c of oil, but i found that this was too much.  my mom's rule of thumb is equal parts flour and grease, so just use 2 T to match the amount of flour.  to make the enchilada sauce:

heat the oil on med-high.  add the flour and stir.  add tomato sauce, chili powder and water and bring to a simmer.  adjust your heat to keep at a simmer.  add cumin, salt, garlic powder and onion salt and let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes so that it thickens.  stir occassionally.

step four:

once your sauce is finished and your enchiladas are in your greased baking dish, spoon about half the sauce over the enchiladas.  i found that i used about half the sauce, so if you're doubling the recipe, perfect!  if not, half the recipe or freeze the leftover sauce for next time. :)  sprinkle your shredded cheese on top of this deliciousness and cover with lid or aluminum foil.

step five:

bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

voila!  yummy enchiladas!  i served ours over rice.  you can use any kind that you like.  it would also be delish with some refried beans and corn chips.  yum.

enjoy!  happy cooking!

 

fall ruffle wreath tutorial

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i love wreaths.  have you noticed? :)  a friend of mine wanted me to make her a fall wreath, so i set out to find one that suited her style.  i chose burlap, but this wreath could be made with any type of fabric. 

here are the supplies you'll need:

burlap/fabric- i used about a yard and a half and my wreath form was 18". 

pool noodle/foam wreath form

duct tape

hot glue gun

needle and thread

flowers/ribbon/feathers (something to decorate the wreath)

step one: cut the burlap into 9 long strips.  i cut mine 5 inches wide.

step two: cut the pool noodle to the size you'd like your wreath to be.  i made mine the same size as an 18" wreath form.

step three:  form the pool noodle into a circle and duct tape the ends together (if using a noodle).

step four: use 4 strips of burlap/fabric to cover the form and secure with hot glue

step five: with the remaining five burlap/fabric strips, weave your needle and thread in and out (as if you're sewing), on one of the long sides.  bunch the burlap/fabric to creat a ruffle.  knot your thread to secure it.

step five: glue three ruffle strips around the back of the wreath form.

step six: glue two ruffle strips around the front of the wreath form.

step seven: decorate to your liking! :)

i love it.  simple, fallish and definitely southern chic.  what does your front door look like this season?

sunday

i heart nap time  flamingo toes  cherished treasures  diy show off  nifty thrifty things  twigg studios  under the table and dreaming  debbiedoo's   

 monday

 keeping it simple  alderberry hill  craft-o-maniac  serendipity and spice  the gunny sack
skip to my lou  the dedicated house 

 tuesday

cherished bliss  a diamond in the stuff  tip junkie  the only ten  crafty texas girls   

claiming our space  elizabeth and co  ivy and elephants  uncommon designs
thrifty decor chick

 wednesday

southern lovely  beyond the picket fence  lil luna  ginger snap crafts  embracing change   

savvy southern style   centsational girl  live laugh rowe

 thursday

the shabby creek cottage  my repurposed life  liz marie blog  somewhat simple  a glimpse inside 
the 36th avenue  house of hepworths  love bakes good cakes  chase the star  love and laundry
craft junkie too 

 friday

craftionary  2805  from my grey desk  create.craft.love.  delicate construction  504 main
simple home life   becoming martha  fox hollow cottage 

the shabby nest 

 saturday

 classy clutter  funky junk interiors  positively splendid  six sisters stuff

too-much-time  serenity now   be different act normal  craft envy

style statement tuesday & fall fashion week

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today we're linking up with two of my favorite bloggers.  jessica @ the only ten i see & deanna @ delirious rhapsody.  both ladies are hilarious and very fashion forward.  check them out!

so here's my classic trendy outfit of the week:

i love the classic red top with the flare leg jeans and snakeskin belt.  and my shoes...well they are my absolute favorite heels ever.  my grandparents gave me a pair of black pumps for christmas one year and i literally wore them until the heels broke off.  i couldn't find any for years that could begin to measure up, and then i came across these beauts at target last year...for $12.  i am in love with them.  plus, how cute are the ruffles?? 

shirt: thrifted (loft )/ belt: thrifted (ann taylor)/ jeans: old navy (last fall)/ shoes: target (last summer)/ necklace: kohls (this summer)

upcycled desk turned vanity

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as i’ve mentioned in previous posts, our house is super small. it’s a challenge to get all of our stuff in there in a way that doesn’t scream “we are hoarders” if someone stops by. we have three bedrooms, and obviously two of them are occupied by family members. our room doesn’t leave lots of space for dressers and such, so i use the spare bedroom for all of my things. as i’ve also mentioned, it’s the only room that isn’t filled with trucks, tractors and such as that. i’ve been working to make it my little girly haven. and every girl needs a vanity, right? i’ve never technically had one. as a kid, i used a stool in front of my dresser when i got ready. so this is a first for me. when leshia and i were obsessively going to casually stopping at yard sales this summer, we came across this old desk.

 

pretty rough, eh?  you will also notice some very deep grooves whittled in the top. i’m thinking maybe this belonged to a really bored teenager who spent lots of time in his/her room jamming out to some korn and mindlessly destroying my vanity. but hey, it all worked out. the kid made $10 (yes, this solid wood piece cost me a whopping $10), and i got a nice little weekend project.

i took the pulls off the drawers and leshia and i sanded it.  i used her palm sander on the top to get rid of some of those groves.  i didn't worry too much about the deepest ones.  i would've had to replace the top of the desk to get those out. 

once the sanding was done, we wiped down the desk and primed it with valspar spray primer.  you can get this at lowe's.  any primer will do, just make sure it's interior.  after it was primed, we gave it two coats of  valspar semi-gloss in white.  i spray painted the pulls with valspar rubbed bronze.  this is my go-to for spray painting metal.  love this color. 

that's all it took.  pretty easy process!  i didn't distress it because i wanted it to look "fresh."  the chair was my great-grandmothers.  i just painted it in sherwin williams oyster bar and tossed a throw pillow in the seat.

the crock that's holding my styling tools used to be cream and green.  i lightly sanded it and spray painted it with the same rubbed bronze. 

i don't think it's prossible for you to enjoy it quite as much as i do, but i hope you come close! :) 

*p.s.  ignore the date stamp on the pictures and the grubby little handprints on my vanity.  courtesy of the resident two year old. :)

and also...this is katie...signed in as leshia.  just to confuse you a little. :)

have a fabulous tuesday!

today we're partying with:

sunday

i heart nap time  flamingo toes  cherished treasures  diy show off  nifty thrifty things  twigg studios  under the table and dreaming  debbiedoo's   

 monday

 keeping it simple  alderberry hill  craft-o-maniac  serendipity and spice  the gunny sack
skip to my lou  the dedicated house 

 tuesday

cherished bliss  a diamond in the stuff  tip junkie  the only ten  crafty texas girls   

claiming our space  elizabeth and co  ivy and elephants  uncommon designs

wednesday

southern lovely  beyond the picket fence  lil luna  ginger snap crafts  embracing change   

savvy southern style  live laugh rowe

 thursday

the shabby creek cottage  my repurposed life  liz marie blog  somewhat simple  a glimpse inside 
the 36th avenue  house of hepworths  chase the star  love and laundry
craft junkie too

 friday

craftionary  2805  from my grey desk  create.craft.love.  delicate construction  504 main
simple home life   becoming martha  fox hollow cottage 

the shabby nest  miss mustard seed 

 saturday

 classy clutter  funky junk interiors  positively splendid  six sisters stuff

too-much-time  serenity now  be different act normal  craft envy 

high five for friday!!

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tgif! here are our favorites from this week:

leshia:

1) hubby's fish of the week...look at that smile!

5) my best friend stacy sent me this picture of her little boy, jacob.  he was so hungry he was helping himself inside the fridge. :)

katie:

2) my granddaddy and my little boy having some relaxation time.  i love seeing braxton get to know his great-grandparents.

3) found this little beauty over at monkeys and tutus.  can't wait to try it out.

4) my new foundation from sephora.  love it. 

hope you had a fantastic week!  link up with lauren and let us know. :)

      

emeals review

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happy thursday, y’all!  almost made it to the weekend!  today i want to tell you all about the most fabulous meal plan i’ve ever come across.  i have tried lots.  i am a hopeless planner, scheduler, spreadsheeter, etc.  i have attempted lots of menus, meal plans, grocery apps on my phone, you name it. 

i am also an avid fan of dave ramsey, so one day on his website, i ran across an ad for emeals.  i checked out their info and it looked like it would work for us.  it’s just my husband, my two year old and myself, so i decided to go with the menu plan for two.  i was afraid it wouldn’t be enough food, but i always have enough to take for lunch the next day.  i shop at kroger—it’s our local grocery store here in the ky area.  they have a meal plan specifically for the items on sale at kroger that week.  how cool is that?! 

y’all, i have cut our grocery budget in half.  now granted, the meal plan doesn’t include breakfast and lunch, but i’ve been taking leftovers for my lunch and how much does a box of granola bars cost?  i’ve been spending roughly $50 a week.  i’m sure there are people who spend way less, and some who spend way more.  this seems like a good number for us.  we still have plenty of meat (at the hubby’s request), but the variety is probably better than i could come up with on my own.  there’s always a bit of tweaking involved to work around eating habits, but it’s relatively easy with this plan.  there’s at least one crock-pot meal each week.  i just can’t say enough about this…i’m in love! 

it costs roughly $5 a month for this menu.  so what can you sacrifice for that?  oreos, brand names, soft drinks...get creative.  there are also coupon codes available here!

working forty hours a week and coming home with no plan about what to make for my family can be pretty depressing for a type a like myself.  this takes all the guess work out and the plan is already made for me.  voila!  seriously.  check it out.  you will thank me for it.

*side note: emeals is not sponsoring this post and does not have a clue who i am.  i just really like them. :)



the under-the-bathroom-sink-organizer thing

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meet my under-the-bathroom-sink-organizer. if you can think of a better name, please let me know. :) this picture doesn’t really require words, so for your viewing pleasure, here’s my under-the-bathroom-sink before the organizer part:

and that’s all i have to say about that.

i googled ways to organize this mess and found plenty, but they all cost a little more than i wanted to spend. i came up with this idea and it’s worked beautifully! first i measured the height and width of my cabinet so that I could get containers to fit, then we measured to allow for the plumbing and my husband and i built the frame. i am proud to say that it has been organized for nearly two months! major accomplishment.

if you would allow me to give you a couple tips:

1) measure, measure, measure. baskets, cabinet, plumbing, etc. i learned this the hard way. fortunately nothing was drastic enough that we had to start over…. :)

2) if you want to save a couple bucks, do this when you can. i had 4 full bottles of nail polish remover in that crazy mess….

3) don’t sweat it if you realize your obsession with beauty products as you’re organizing. i have one as well. make-up addicts anonymous meeting times will be posted shortly.

hope you love! now, get to organizing! speaking of, i plan on building and under-the-kitchen-sink-organizer soon. :)

sunday

i heart nap time  flamingo toes  cherished treasures  diy show off  nifty thrifty things  twigg studios  under the table and dreaming  debbiedoo's   

 

 

monday

 keeping it simple  alderberry hill  craft-o-maniac  serendipity and spice  the gunny sack
skip to my lou  the dedicated house 

 

 

tuesday

cherished bliss  a diamond in the stuff  tip junkie  the only ten  crafty texas girls   

claiming our space  elizabeth and co

 

wednesday

southern lovely  beyond the picket fence  lil luna  ginger snap crafts  embracing change   

savvy southern style 

 

thursday

the shabby creek cottage  my repurposed life  liz marie blog  somewhat simple  a glimpse inside 
the 36th avenue  house of hepworths 

 

 

friday

craftionary  2805  from my grey desk  create.craft.love.  delicate construction  504 main
simple home life  becoming martha  fox hollow cottage 

the shabby nest 

 

saturday

 classy clutter  funky junk interiors  positively splendid  six sisters stuff

too-much-time  serenity now

style statement tuesday

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remember the link up with jessica?  well, today we're back with our first official style statement tuesday!

did you pick your style statement?  mine was classic trendy. 

here's my first outfit: 
(side note:  working on the whole point & shoot camera on a timer thing.  iphone pics in the meantime.)

sweater: jcp (love their new pricing.)

jeans: jessica simpson @ tjmaxx last fall

shoes: walmart clearance (i have totally gotten my $1's worth out of these)

necklace: knock-off jcrew bubble necklace that i scored off ebay for $14

let me know how your first outfit turned out! :)