5.29.15 // High Five for {the little things} Friday!

Happy Friday everyone! Hope everyone had a great week. 

I'm kind of looking forward to doing a little grocery shopping tonight, is that strange?! 

And then I don't have any solid plans for the rest of the weekend so we'll see how things play out.

Here are some of my favorite things from this past week. 

1. Well, hello! First things first. How about that long holiday weekend?!  I actually ended up with a 4-day weekend. Our team reached a sales goal which earned us an additional day off. It was so nice but as always, went by way too fast.

2. My brother and his fiance are having a Great Gatsby/1920's themed wedding and my daughter is going to be the flower girl. My mother-in-law offered to make her a dress and while we were out looking for fabric and patterns we decided to take a quick look next door in Marshalls. And OMG we found the dress! Is this not perfect?! It was $15 and is by Max Studio.

3. The chair at Target that I have kept an eye on (because how could I not notice the beautiful print every time I walked by it in Target) was spotted on clearance this weekend! Originally $179 and I got it for $76. Whoop, whoop!

4. On Sunday we went to the downtown farmer's market to check out the surrounding re-sale shops. This led to some new purchases for our living room, which led to a trip to Ross, which led to this small living room update. You can check it out here if you missed it.

5. We had a relaxing Memorial Day over out my husband's parents house. The kids got to play in the blow-up pool, we ate ice cream and root beer floats and enjoyed a delicious BBQ dinner. Perfect!

How did this past week treat you?

Home Decor: Giving an Empty Corner Some Love

Sorry for the radio silence around here! I've been trying to avoid having to say that...but I know I'm breaking blogging rule #1. Blog consistently! I was doing a great job there for a while and then life just started to interrupt. And what it all boiled down to was that I have to take care of life first and then I can do some blogging. Honestly, I have to think that way in order to not go CRAZY!
Here's to hoping I can get a bit more consistent again!

So, I have had a corner of our living room that has remained bare. It really needed a little love and this past weekend...it finally happened!
It all started when I walked by this chair and saw that it was on clearance! I have seen it a few times in Target and always thought the pattern was so pretty. (But at the original price of $179.99...it was not going to happen.) The chair was marked at $89, I used a $10 Target Home coupon and my Target debit card. I walked out of the store paying $76 plus tax for this chair!

Target Threshold Chair

The following day we decided to swing by Ross to see if we could find a little side table.
We found this one which was exactly what I had in mind. A small, metal cut-out side table.
 It was marked down to $27.99.

The ballerina statue was another find this weekend from a re-sale shop downtown for $10.

I decided I also wanted to add a basket for our blankets to make the area fill a little cozier.
This basket was our other Ross find, on clearance for $13.99. At first I was thinking a big wicker basket but I loved the details on this one! It's metal with a canvas insert and thick rope handles.

The horse bookends were yet another find from a re-sale shop downtown this past weekend, $30 for the pair.

Here is how it all looks together.  Just a few things made a big difference in the feel of the entire living room! This was just what it needed. The total on everything for this corner was $128 plus tax. Under the original price of the chair!

Ross Side Table: similar, similar
Threshold Chair: Target
Ross Basket: similar, similar
Ballerina Stature: similar
Horse Bookends (from above): similar

Have you done any small home updates recently? Score any great deals on furniture?
I'm trying to convince my husband that our next project is making over an old dresser.

Shopping Haul: Target, Old Navy, J.C Penney + Macys

Good Morning! Hope you are making it through the week. :)

I've done a little bit of clothes shopping over the past few weeks. I've had some things on my wishlist and there just so happened to be some great deals and coupons out there. And you know with Memorial Day coming up there will be only more temptation to snag some more things from my existing wishlist!
So, sharing my recent finds and deals here today!

Macy's

Shirt $12.74 (Orig. $24)  // Tommy Hilfiger Shorts (similar) $16 (Orig. $50 ) 

Purchased during the Friends and Family sale, so this was with an extra 24% off the marked price.

Shirt $12.74 (Orig. $24) // (same shorts)

Old Navy

Dress $19.95 (Orig. $24.94)

This dress was under $15 online but not that price in-store. They would not price match. Bummer!

J.C Penney

Waikiki Shirt $1.99 (Orig. $14) // LA Shirt $1.99 (Orig. $14) 

Used a $10 of $10 purchase coupon with this purchase.

Target
Shorts $15 (Orig. $19.99)// Dress $5 (Orig. $19.99)
Apparel was Buy One Get One half off. I also used a $5 off $25 apparel purchase coupon.

Have shopped any sales lately? Which stores had the best sales and finds?

5 Ways I Stacked Savings at Target

I did a quick Target trip over the weekend and it was the perfect opportunity to show you how every little penny counts. I was able to use 5 different resources to stack the savings on my small trip. 

And although some savings may seem so small, they all add up!

Here is what I grabbed at Target on my recent trip:

This was a quick trip for necessities so I wasn't stocking up on some great sales or using a bunch of coupons. Here is how I managed to stack my savings without that.

1. Printable Coupon: Used a $4 printable coupon for Rachel Ray dog food from here.

2. Target Cartwheel: I have the Target Cartwheel app on my phone, so I scanned all of my items to see if there were any Cartwheel offers for them. I ended up with 5% off the diapers, eggs, cheese and milk. The total savings was $.84.

3. Target RedCard: When checking out, I used my Target RedCard (the debit card version) to save an extra 5% off my total order. The total savings was $1.32.

4. Ibotta App: When I got home, I pulled up the Ibotta app I have downloaded on my phone to check for any rebates that matched what I purchased. As you can see below I submitted for a total of $1.10 cash back for the bread, cheese, bananas and milk.

5. Checkout 51 App: I also have another app called Checkout 51 on my phone that offers cash rebates for purchases. I checked it out and was able to submit for $.75 cash back on the eggs and bananas.

So there you have it! By using those 5 steps I was able to save a grand total of $8.01.
Now, the Ibotta app requires you to have $10 in your account before you can transfer money to a Pay Pal account. I currently have $11.60 (with a lifetime savings so far of $21.85). The Checkout 51 app let's you request a check when you have $20 in your account. I currently have $5.50. So these are not immediate savings but they absolutely add up!

What do you think? Seem easy or feel like too much work?
Any questions I can answer?

5.15.15 // High Five for {the little things} Friday!

Hey kids, hope you had a great week!
We had a few fun plans this past week/weekend and now I'm looking forward to this next weekend, per usual. I get to head to Tampa on Sunday to visit with my mom and then a dentist appointment on Monday with the kiddos. Hope that goes well!
Alright, it's time for my top five highlights from this past week.

1. I actually got to do some shopping by myself this past Friday and Saturday. That's pretty amazing! I love shopping with my family but sometimes it's nice to go out, take your time, browse and not worry about anyone else being bored!

2. I FINALLY got a chance to try the new S'mores Frappucino at Starbucks. It was tasty but it was so much like dessert, I don't think I would order it again. At least I got to try it!

3. We attended a joint 2nd and 4th birthday party at a local citrus farm over the weekend. The theme was Peppa Pig and the mom did such a great job decorating! She runs a business called Tici's Treats (if you're in the Central Florida area, check her out!) and she does such a great job creating tablescapes of her delicious and adorable treats. We got to take a 'monster truck' ride through the farm to see the land and animals and it was lots of fun!

4. I made some delicious, healthy blueberry muffins. I have been wanting to make either pie or muffins with the blueberries we picked a few weeks ago and just got around to doing it. I used this recipe from Everyday Family. It uses Greek yogurt, applesauce, oats and whole wheat flour. The only thing I didn't have on hand was plain Greek yogurt so I improvised and used a cup of Chobani 100 Peach Greek Yogurt. Delish!

5. My Mother's Day gift to my mom and mother-in-law was a night out for Paint Nite! I wanted to do something different and enjoy a night out with them instead of giving an actual gift . This turned out to be so much fun!  We painted cute little giraffes as you can see from the photo. I highly recommend giving a paint night a try if you have never done it before. They have deals for these types of things on Groupon all the time.

So, how was your week?!

{Outfit Line-Up} Lots of Black + A Splash of Coral

Happy Wednesday! Although the day is almost already over.
Half way through the week peeps.

I miiiiight need to come up with a better title for these outfit posts but for now...it'll do. 

I haven't been able able (or have forgot?!) to take daily outfits but I'll work on it. 

I did manage to get someone else to take them this time in a much better spot.

I seemed to wear a lot of black. I feel comfortable and confident in it, so bring on the black!

I.N.C Shirt via Macy's $30 // Express Pants $20 (old, similar)
Target Reversible Belt $8 // Franco Sarto shoes via TJ Maxx (similar)
Owl Necklace- gift (similar)

Blazer via Macy's $25 (similar)// Target Striped Tank $6
Lace tank- gift (similar great for layering) // Pacsun Jeans- gift
Double Strand Necklace via Plato's Closet $4 // Jessica Simpson Flats via Ross $20
(random kiddo arm!)

Express Black Long Sleeve Tee (similar my fav Target l/s tee) // White Skirt- gift (similar)
Target Black Flats $20 (similar) // Francesca's Earrings via Plato's Closet $6 (brand new)

Leopard Print Top- gift // Black Pants via Ross $15
Target Black Flats $20 (similar) // Turquoise Earrings via Macy's $10 (similar)

Yup, just one location and one picture each.
Are you loving black as much as I am?

5.8.15 // High Five for {the little things} Friday!

Oh joy, it;s Friday! Oh joy, I have a crummy cold!
Hope you have had a great week and are feeling well.
Just sharing a few of my favorite things from this past week.

1. I had the change to shop all by myself last Friday night at Macys! It was their friends and family sale with an extra 25% off most things. I ended up with a pair of Tommy Hilfiger shorts for $16 and two shirts for $12 each.

2. My mother-in-law and I took the kiddos to a Dragon Boat Festival in our area. The weather was beautiful ad the kids had fun watching the boats, jumping in bounce houses, and eating snow cones. They had a cool set up where kids actually had to work for/make their snow cone by pulling levers and running on this hamster wheel.

3. Saturday night we got together with the neighbors for one of their birthdays. The kids got to play in a blow up pool and had a blast. Then we ate the most delicious white pizza (with ricotta) and garlic wings! In fact, I have been thinking about ordering them for dinner tonight since last Saturday. SO. GOOD.

4. We watched the movie The Theory of Everything the other night. I liked the movie and was interested in seeing the story of what Stephen went through with his diagnosis. I just had a hard time understanding a lot of what was said, especially with the accents, in the beginning of the movie. Not sure if that was just me, my T.V. or what. My husband wasn't a fan of the movie.

{via}

5. It's Happy Hour at Starbucks 3p-5p through May 10th which means half priced frappuccino's! I grabbed one this week and was bummed that they were all out of the S'mores! I really want to try it at least once but ended up with a Mocha Java Chip.

How was your week?!

Favorite {Must Have} Drugstore Beauty Products

Good morning! Hope you had a great weekend! The weather here was beautiful! Sunny with the perfect wind to keep you comfortable.
I previously shared my two must have splurge beauty products here. Actually...hair products.
I thought I'd now share my favorite drugstore must haves. These are products that I literally buy over and over again!

TRESemme Tres Two Extra Hold Hairspray: I've been using the hairspray since high school. I've tried other hair sprays here and there but I always come back to this one. It doesn't have the really nice smell like some of the more expensive hair sprays but it also doesn't smell bad. (It doesn't really have a smell to me,) It gives the perfect strong hold without making my hair feel gross. And it's under $5. 

Jergens Natural Glow in Fair to Medium: Tanning products scare me. I'm afraid of making a mess, missing spots and having orange hands. This stuff right here is perfect. As long as I apply the lotion every night and let dry as instructed, I slowly get a nice little bit of color to my legs. It's fool proof. Perfect to use all year long. 

Rimmel Stay Matte Translucent Powder:  I have really oily skin. So after applying any face makeup it's pretty much a must to top with a powder. I've been loving this translucent powder. It's under $5 and puts a nice matte finish to my face. I bought a retractable powder brush with intentions on buying a second powder to keep in my purse. Perfect for touch-ups. But as you can see by the empty container above, I'm completely out and they have been sold out of the translucent powder at every store I have been to lately.

Garnier BB Cream Daily Shine Control in Light to Medium: I'm so simplistic when it comes to face makeup. Just this Garnier BB cream and face powder. I've given some drugstore foundations a try but I'm always so worried about them leaving lines or feeling like I have too much makeup on. I've been happy with just tinted moisturizer (I used to use the one by Cover Girl for quite some time) but this BB Cream is a step up to me. It feels light, covers up red spots, evens out my skin and can be buildable if I need to.

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat: I'm sure you've heard that this stuff is amazing. I never have the time to let my nails dry on their own. I typically paint my nails at night and then apply a top coat of Seche Vite. They are dry to the touch within a few minutes, give my nails a little shine and I don't wake up with marks on my nails from my sheets. The best!

What are your favorite budget beauty buys form the drugstore?

5.1.15 // High Five for {the little things} Friday!

Happy Friday! As always, I'm so glad to see the weekend. I'm kind of itching to stop by Macy's this weekend for the Friends and Family sale as I still have a giftcard from Christmas!
Just a little recap of my favorite little things from this week. Hope you have a great weekend! 

1. This meme that was posted yesterday (4/30)...just...yes! I love it! I will laugh everyone year when I see this.

{source}

2. We went blueberry picking at a Blueberry Farm right up the street from our house. I've never done it before and it was such a fun family outing. The farm grows 11 types of blueberries (I didn't even know there were some many types) on 40 acres. We picked about 7 lbs of blueberries and ate/sampled a bunch as we picked. It was highly encouraged! I haven't even baked anything with them yet but have just been eating them by the handful.

3. We watched three movies over the weekend. That might be a record for us. We rented The Most Violent Year, Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1 (we really enjoy these movies) and Interstellar. Now Interstellar, it was three hours and I thought I had no interest in the movie. I figured I'd fall asleep during the movie but I stayed up and awake and really enjoyed the movie! My husband and I agreed you had to be on psychedelics to create that movie (or work with a physicist). :-)

4. My son's new favorite saying this week is "Oh yeah baby!" He's four. I asked him where he got that from and he doesn't know!

5. My mom bought me another Essie nail polish from TJ Maxx. This one is called Tangerine. It was one of the other colors that I really wanted but put back when I bought my new red/pink nail polish. Can't wait to wear it!

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How was your week? Any little things make it better?