VIP Weekend

I originally planned on having a quiet weekend at the house filled with spring cleaning, yard work, and movie nights topped off with wine.... but when an opportunity arises to go to an outdoor concert VIP style for free your plans quickly change. Free admission and unlimited drinks make me a happy girl.

~ Found a trick on Pinterest to wrap foil around the stems of bananas to keep them fresh longer. And it works! :)

~ Roxy lazed around helped while I raked up leaves around the yard

~ Concert shenanigans

~ We even ended up right next to one of those attorneys you always see in local commercials which was hilarious. Of course, a picture had to be taken.

~ Night Ranger performing their encore

~ Essie's Mint Candy Apple on the nails this week 

Tommy Tutone opened up and we all sang along loudly to 867-5309

Night Ranger was awesome of course!

Such a fun night that deserved a full day of recovery on the couch on Sunday, but we powered through the house cleaning and yard work that was neglected on Saturday since my parents are coming to visit from CT this week. They're looking forward to days by the pool and the beach aaaaaand they're meeting with a realtor to start looking at houses here. It'll be great to have both sets of our parents here with us. 

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Beat the Shine + A Giveaway

With the temps warming back up and spring on the horizon, all I can imagine is how much an oil slick my face will be. Thankfully, there are a lot of great products out there to fight that excess oil on our faces and keep them looking matte.

Beat the Shine by greenfashionistablog

I know it seems counter productive to beating excess shine, but the first thing you should do before applying anything on your face in the morning is a good moisturizer. If you're not moisturizing your face, it'll overproduce oils to make up for it. Yick.

After applying moisturizer, apply primer to your face and to your eyelids. I have always been a huge advocate for UD's Primer Potion it is hands down the best product I've ever tried. Your eye makeup isn't going anywhere all day no matter how hot it is. I then use matte foundation powder and dust some matte setting powder over it and finish it off with UD's All Nighter spray which sets your makeup so it doesn't "melt" off in the heat. I also keep a packet of oil absorbing sheets in my purse that soak up excess oil throughout the day.

How do you prevent shine in the warmer months?

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Also, I'm happy to celebrate along with Kate the Almost Great for hitting 1,000 followers! We're giving away a $100 gift card to J. Crew just in time to grab some spring/summer fashion. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Nail Polish + Baseball = Spring

It's been a while since I've seen a great idea come to life, but the upcoming release of OPI's MLB collection sure is fabulous. Other than beautiful flowers, nothing says spring is here like the return of baseball.

This spring collection will feature 7 new baseball inspired shades that will be perfect to match to your favorite jersey or baseball tee on game day.

Right Off the Bat

Girls Love Diamonds

Short - STOP!

7th Inning Stretch

Umpires Come Out at Night

Orange You Coming to the Game

Love Athletes in Cleats 

*My personal fav*

Also, check out the mini-hitters pack:

6 mini bottles from the collection that will fit great into an Easter basket ;-)

My favorite shade is "Love Athletes in Cleats", but I also think "7th Inning Stretch" would go great with my Yankees gear and maybe some "Girls Love Diamonds" as an accent nail. 

Which shade is your favorite? 

OPI

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Kate Spade Lemon Shop

I've loved Kate Spade accessories for over 10 years now, and am still sometimes wowed by a new collection. Their new Lemon Shop collection is perfect for the spring and summer months.

Kate Spade Lemon Shop by greenfashionistablog featuring kate spade bags

What are you loving from the Lemon Shop?

Kate Spade

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Spicy Ranch Dip

I'm always looking for new recipes especially easy ones I can whip up when friends are coming over. I am loving this recipe for Spicy Ranch Dip and it barely took any time to prepare for our pool day this past weekend.

Ingredients

1 packet of Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch seasoning
1 can of Original Rotel
16 oz. of sour cream (I used fat free)
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (I used reduced fat)

Directions

Mix ingredients together and chill in the fridge for an hour, serve with tortilla chips and chopped veggies

This dip was so good, we were practically licking the bowl clean.... I'm not ashamed to admit :-P

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Link-up Rules:

1. Follow Emily and myself on GFC and Bloglovin

2. Link up your favorite recipes or food related posts

3. Grab our Recipe Swap button and link back to both of our blogs

4. Be sure to visit other blogs and find new recipes!

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Recipe

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1st of Many Spring Weekends

Another beautiful relaxing weekend has come and gone.... great way to ring in the spring season...

~ Friday night happy hour at home with some Corona Lights *summer in a bottle*

~ Saturday some of our neighbors came over for a pool day and I made an amazing new dip *recipe coming soon* and they even brought their pupper over who also went for a dip -- adorable! Later on, some of our friends who were in the area for an event came over and joined us for some more drinks by the pool and fire pit time.

~ Sunday we tried out a new church and then came home to relax on the couch and watch copious amounts of tv (if you've never watched Impractical Jokers you are truly missing out as it is side splitting hilarious.... find it on TruTV and set your DVR to pick up the episodes... you're welcome). I also tried out a new crock pot recipe which was yummy... another recipe coming soon!

How was your first spring weekend?

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Cheers to Friday

Happy Friday! I'm looking forward to another beautiful weekend.....

1.) I still can't believe I won Chelsea's giveaway and am the proud new owner of a HANAair dryer. (Review coming shortly!)

My beautiful package arrived on Monday, and I couldn't believe how many other gifts were hidden inside including shine serum, a super soft teddy bear, eye lash curler, eye shadow, lip liner brush, hand sanitizer, and flowers.


2.) Popcorn and wine were a necessity on Tuesday for our movie night watching American Hustle.

3.) Dunkin Donuts celebrated the beginning of spring on Wednesday by giving away free small iced coffees. Of course, I took part due to my love of spring and warmer temps and coffee.

4.) Chose some paint chips to make some more headway on bringing color into our home. (The whole house was painted the same cream color and so far we have painted the kitchen, master bedroom, and dining room). Next up, is the family room and master closet.

I originally wanted to go with a nice blue for the family room, but two things are making me sway more towards a dark neutral color. The first being that it will blend into the kitchen area which is a deep red, and I don't think I'll like the blue and red next to each other and think a neutral color will compliment the red more. The second reason is that we finally got curtains hung up in the family room around Christmas time, and they are a turquoise blue color, and I think that the 2 different shades of blue will clash. Am I over-thinking this? Which would you choose?

I had my heart set on a deep purple for the master closet, as we went with a neutral gray in the master bedroom. H promised me I could make the closet "girly" by painting it any color I liked as well as getting a chandelier. So excited! However, now I'm also considering a "Tiffany Blue" color. Which would you choose?

Decisions decisions...

5.) Planning fun things to do while my parents are here visiting in a few weeks.

Food Trucks & Live Music

Epcot Flower & Garden Festival (and drinks around the world of course)

Day at the springs

Linking up for the first time today with April for 5 on Friday and Lauren for High Five on Friday. Hop on over and join us!

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Top 5 Things I love about living in Florida

Lisa is hosting a fun linkup asking us to talk about the 5 things we love most about living in our state. Growing up in CT wasn't all bad as I may portray sometimes, and there are times I miss being able to drive up to Mohegan Sun or explore the wine trail of amazing wineries on the weekends, but without a doubt I love love love living in Florida.

Top 5 Things I Love About Living in Florida

1. Year round outdoor living

Growing up in Connecticut, my favorite months of the year were by far in the summer time, and I hated being cooped up inside for months on end while it was bitterly cold outside. Being able to enjoy breakfast on the patio in January or go for a nice bike ride in February is priceless. And you can't beat the abundant sunshine while the north is experiencing dreariness. It puts a smile on my face even on a Monday morning.

This pic was taken at brunch a few weeks ago... in February... yep.

2. No state income tax

CT nickeled and dimed us for everything... state income taxes coming out of our paychecks, car taxes every year, and everything from gas and groceries was more expensive due to high taxes. Here in Florida, there is no state income tax (thanks tourism!) and we no longer pay car taxes and everything is just cheaper. Gas prices are consistently 30-50 cents a gallon cheaper here. 

3. Disney World

I love being able to get in the car and go to Disney World whenever my heart desires. Plus, I love the amazing FL resident discounts and annual pass options. Our annual pass has already paid for itself and then some several visits ago and it's only March. 

Also, it doesn't hurt that the first official replica of Hogwarts castle is just down the road as well at Universal. 

4. Endless options for easy vacations and weekend getaways

No longer needing to fly to a cruise port saves lots of $$ and time... huge bonus for someone who loves cruising as much as I do. Plus those weekend sailings to the Bahamas are the perfect last minute getaway.

The Keys, Miami, Naples, St. Pete Beach, etc... are all a drive away. Great for weekend getaways :)

5. Spring Training

My boys in pinstripes are down here for a couple months in the springtime and it's a much more intimate setting compared to the large major league stadiums during the regular season.

What do you love about your state?

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