Friday Favorites- Spring Clean Edition

Just when we thought Spring was never going to return, the sky cleared and the sun came out! And the official first day of Spring is just around the corner, so you know what that means. It's time to open the windows, let the fresh air in and give your home the scrub down it deserves. Cleaning is never exactly fun, though I do find it to be stress relieving. I've always felt like no matter what is going on my life that I may not be able to control or change at that moment, I can always make our home feel better by cleaning it which usually makes me feel a little better.

Here are a few things I do to keep our home feeling tidy [enough] most of the time.

1. Keep your kitchen clean. There's nothing I hate more than a dirty kitchen. I don't like waking up to a dirty kitchen or coming home to a dirty kitchen. So if we don't clean it before we go to bed then I clean it first thing in the morning. And it's always clean before we go away.

2. Tidy as you go. It's worse having to spend a few hours cleaning your home than it is to just do it as you go. I don't always clean up immediately after I make a mess although there is no time like the present. Sometime I just don't feel like it. But for the most part if I'm walking for the family to the kitchen I pick up any trash that might be on the coffee table. Or if I'm going downstairs from our bedroom I grab and water glasses that might be on our night stand. Every little bit helps.

3. Make your bed. I honestly wish I could say I do this everyday. But I probably make the bed once a week. And every time I do I think man, I should do this more often. Our room always feels cleaner after spending 3 minutes to make our bed!

Here are a few links that will help to give your home a good clean and to get organized this Spring.

Create you own household binder with FREE printables!

31 Days to an Organized Home

What are some easy ways you keep your home looking it's best?

-M

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday y'all!

In spirit of the cold weather and finding something to do this weekend that doesn't involve going outdoors I bring you this knit turban headband DIY! It's a loom project that is quick and easy– it's a perfect beginner project. I've already made 2 of them since Tuesday! Just follow this youtube tutorial.

I felt like it was obvious that I am still in my pj's in these pictures. So I added a necklace to my ensemble to cover it up. Ha!

I bet I fooled you into thinking I'm wearing some really great outfit, huh?

My other other favorite link is for a really awesome etsy shop, Dreams Everlasting. Jacqui makes gorgeous dream catchers! There are some in her shop but she'll also make custom ones like this one she made for me! You should definitely check it out.

-M

Friday Favorites- 5 Cuts That Won't Make You Look Like a Soccer Mom

Let me start by saying that I don't like stereotypes, and I don't think that all soccer moms have bad hair. I'm sorry. I hope to be a soccer mom some day just so I can show that soccer moms can have really cool hair.

Today's edition of Friday Favorites is about hair. But I've got some fresh color going on and felt inspired to share. If you follow me on pinterest, you know I'm obsessed with pinning hair. I am in a permanent phase of hair pinning.

I'm always looking for cool short cuts, and I'm tired of seeing that same wavy bob that has been pinned in a thousand varieties. Thanks Lauren Conrad. I'm guilty of it too- here's one on of the many off my pinterest board. Maybe I'm just jealous I don't know how to curl my hair.

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Yesterday, my husband dyed my hair with, yes, a box dye! Not something I'm a huge fan of but I use it occasionally. Particularly when my hair is of the red variety. Not to say there is anything wrong with it– I've had mixed results when dying my own hair. If you've ever dyed your hair red, you already know, that it's that fastest color to fade so DIY-ing your color is the only way to keep it looking vibrant when you don't want to shell out the extra cash.

Anywho, yesterday I went with Feria's Vibrant Violet! It's a new color, and while I can't attest to how well it holds up, let me tell you it is certainly vibrant! The color came out very even and actually looks like it has slight highlights in it. I'm sorry that I don't have a before picture, my hair was sort of an ashy pink-ish brown– that sounds worse that is was...yikes. But it gave my boring hair new life and inspired this post! Is it vain I included myself in this list?

Here are a few other cuts that I'm currently coveting. They're edgy but do-able for someone who may only be a little daring.

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This one is actually off a random fashion site.
But I love the blunt bangs and the slight bedhead look to it.

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This site has tons of hair inspiration. I love piecy-ness of this.

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I've actually given this photo to my hair stylist many times. It's edgy, yet still soft and pretty.

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This one is super cool. The undercut is really popular right now and this is one way of doing that gives you the option to show it off or cover it up. It's also great if you have thicker hair and want to lighten it up a bit.

-M

Friday Favorites- Homemade Valentine's Dinner Edition

So I was a little bit of a procrastinator this week on writing my Friday Favorites post. Sitting here, not feeling so hot for the third in a row, I even thought about not writing one at all. But sometimes procrastination can lead to not having too much time to over think things which can lead to great and sudden ideas like this one!

It's freaking cold outside. It's Valentine's weekend. I still haven't made dinner reservations because the thought of going out and trying to be all pretty and dressed up in this weather doesn't sound that appealing. So in case you're feeling like me and pondering the idea of staying in, here are some great recipes to try on your honey this weekend. We all make pinterest boards stocked with recipes– these are a few I have already tested out and they are definitely husband approved! I am no wiz in the kitchen, so they're totally doable for just about anyone. Plus, they're inexpensive and they'll be recipes you'll want to use again.

What is better during this frigid month than a bowl of hot and hearty soup? I've made this Sausage Bean Soup w/ Pasta three times this winter– it is so good. I'm also not a huge bean lover but I'm telling ya, give this a shot. I am however a huge fan of a one pot meal! Pair it with some biscuits or hearty Italian bread...you know, to clean your bowl with.

Find the recipe at The Italian Dish

You, of course, need dessert! I have two cookie recipes for you. After I made the first one, my husband took one bite, turned around and said to me, "this may be the greatest cookie I have ever eaten." It was a White Chocolate Pumpkin Snickerdoodle. The second recipe is a Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie, that is more of a cake-like cookie that super moist like the top of a muffin. I absolutely love them and they're literally the easiest. Neither of these recipes calls for the full can of Pumpkin so they're great to make together! Plus you can make the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip while the Snickerdoodles dough is chilling.

Find this recipe at Sally's Baking Addiction

Find this recipe at I Heart Naptime

It is really that simple! Soup and cookies, and he will be even more in love than he was before dinner. I promise! Are you trying out any new recipes this weekend? Let me know if you try any of these and what you think!

-M

Friday Favorites

Do you ever go through phases on pinterest where you're obsessed with pinning on one particular board depending on what you're up to during that particular span of time? And then once you've satisfied those needs, whether it's finding a new pair of knee high boots or decorating a nursery, you move onto the next thing– pinning dessert recipes for valentines day. Okay so, I'm not the only one?

Right now I'm obsessed with looking at home decor ideas (particularly of bedrooms as you might have guessed from my last post) and hair ideas. I'm going back and forth on what to do with the color of my hair right now because no matter how many times I dye it it just wants to fade (from bleaching it for 2 years). I'm also having so much fun working on decorating ideas for our house.

Anyway, here are a few of my favorite things this Friday. The first is something I own and love, and think every couple should have just in time for Valentines Day! The second two are things you've probably seen floating about Pinterest that caught my eye.

Each day asks a question of you and your sweetie, plus has a spot to fill in the year in which you answered It's great because even if you miss days like we do, it doesn't really matter because there is no date! We might not fill our journal in 3 years but we can look back at it with our grandchildren and it will be like a diary of our lives together. I got these images from Anthropologie but you can actually find it a bit cheaper on amazon...shhhhhhh. 

 

Yeah, don't! Found here.

 

 This wallpaper is delicious. You can buy it if you want.

-M

Friday Favorites

So I'm going to try something new. Each Friday, I'll post a few of my favorite things that I found through out the week. Groundbreaking, I know! I'll also be posting them all to a board on Pinterest. So I'd love for you to follow along and send me your favorites in the comments or on Pinterest to pin! It can be anything from a recipe to a pair of boots that are to die for!

This weeks favorites:

Leah Duncan

ModCloth

Apartment Therapy

-M